Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

They think we are photo bombing their nice little lives.

Their freedom requires your slavery.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

It’s always darkest before the other shoe drops.

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

It’s not hopeless, and we’re not helpless.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Republican obstruction dressed up as bipartisanship. Again.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Democrats are back in array!

Cole is on a roll !

Sadly, media malpractice has become standard practice.

White supremacy is terrorism.

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

Quote tweet friends, screenshot enemies.

The revolution will be supervised.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Early Morning Open Thread: Another GOP Shitshow Reaches Its Third Act

Early Morning Open Thread: Another GOP Shitshow Reaches Its Third Act

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Biggest kabuki performance since the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate (and frankly that’s insulting to the professionals of classical kabuki, since the modern GOP is extremely amateur). Latest update from the Grey Lady:

The Senate easily approved a far-reaching budget deal that would reopen the federal government and boost spending by hundreds of billions of dollars early Friday, but only after enduring a one-man blockade by Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, who had held up the vote and forced the government to close.

The House is expected to follow before daybreak, though the outcome in that chamber was less certain. If the House approves the deal, the government will reopen before the workday begins.

But Mr. Paul, a Republican, will have made his point. Angered at the huge spending increases at the center of the deal, he delayed passage for hours with a demand to vote on an amendment that would keep in place strict caps on spending that the deal would raise…

Mr. Paul’s ideological opponents were not buying his fiscal rectitude either. Senator Brian Schatz, Democrat of Hawaii, posted on Twitter: “Rand Paul voted for a tax bill that blew a $1.5 trillion hole in the budget. Now he is shutting the government down for three hours because of the debt. The chance to demonstrate fiscal discipline was on the tax vote. Delaying a vote isn’t a profile in courage, it’s a cleanup.”

Around 1:45 a.m., the Senate finally passed the measure, 71 to 28.

Before Mr. Paul waged his assault on the budget deal, trouble was already brewing in the House, where angry opposition from the Republicans’ most ardent conservative members, coupled with Democratic dissenters dismayed that the deal did nothing for young undocumented immigrants, created new tension as the clock ticked toward midnight…

A group of Democrats desperately trying to protect a million or so young Dreamers from deportation; a solitary Republican stunting for his own narcissistic satisfaction. Both sides!



Senior writer for the Weekly Standard, nobody’s idea of a progressive outlet:

Reader Interactions

209Comments

  1. 1.

    NotMax

    Here are the nay votes on the bill to keep the lights on. Somewhat confusing mix.

    Bennet (D-CO)
    Booker (D-NJ)
    Burr (R-NC)
    Cantwell (D-WA)
    Cassidy (R-LA)
    Corker (R-TN)
    Crapo (R-ID)
    Daines (R-MT)
    Enzi (R-WY)
    Feinstein (D-CA)
    Flake (R-AZ)
    Gillibrand (D-NY)
    Grassley (R-IA)
    Harris (D-CA)
    Hirono (D-HI)
    Johnson (R-WI)
    Kennedy (R-LA)
    Lankford (R-OK)
    Lee (R-UT)
    Markey (D-MA)
    Merkley (D-OR)
    Paul (R-KY)
    Risch (R-ID)
    Sanders (I-VT)
    Sasse (R-NE)
    Toomey (R-PA)
    Warren (D-MA)
    Wyden (D-OR)

    Source (Even more confusing there about what the bill was; check the time stamp – that confirms which vote it was.)

  2. 2.

    Ninedragonspot

    Yes, I think it may be time to replace “kabuki” with just plain “theater”. Most pundits who use the term have probably never seen a serious kabuki performance.

  5. 5.

    Steeplejack

    @rikyrah:

    Good morning! You’re up early? I’m up late. Finishing a margarita and an episode of Peter Gunn and then I’m going to bed.

  6. 6.

    Argiope

    Randsomnia: when you awaken from a bad dream, read that Sen. Paul made a late-nite run at Ted Cruz’s title of Most Hated/MFer’s MFer, and can’t get back to sleep. Also, too, the puppeh is now awake. Gonna be a long Friday.

  7. 7.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @NotMax: everyone running in 2020 voted no.

    Booker
    Gillibrand
    Wilmer
    Warren

    Feinstein voted no, but thats cuz she may lose reelection under Cal’s jungle primary rules.

    Baby Doc voted no cuz he’ll be grifting for the WH for the next 20 years.

  8. 8.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    I think we found our candidate for 2020.

    Move over John F. Kennedy and Barack Obama – Jason Kelce just gave the greatest mind blowing speech EVAH!

    Unedited (NSFW) (video)

  10. 10.

    Betty Cracker

    House voting on spending bill now. Turned on C-SPAN and caught the tail end of Ryan’s speech, in which he implored Democrats to trust that he’s sincere about taking up DACA. Fucking weasel.

  11. 11.

    Steeplejack

    @Argiope:

    LOL. I got embroiled in the political hoopla via MSNBC, and the housecat got so disgusted a few hours ago that she went back to the bedroom without me, which is extremely rare. Then she reappeared a little while ago, loudly expressing her displeasure. I got her situated at her workstation—microfleece throw wrapped around a heating pad next to the computer—and now she is sleeping with her forehead pressed into the crook of my arm. (I remove it briefly to type things like this.) Pretty soon she’ll be wanting breakfast. She’s crepuscular!

  12. 12.

    NobodySpecial

    @rikyrah: Good morning! The soundtrack dropped last night; was excellent, as anything with four Kendrick Lamar tracks should be.

  15. 15.

    Some Dude

    I just finished episode 7 of Altered Carbon on Netflix. I work 2nd shift, so I catch up on the political things here once I get off work. So if you don’t want to sit by watching C-SPAN or MSNBC waiting for the clowns to finish their show, go check out Altered Carbon!

  17. 17.

    frosty

    @rikyrah: I woke up at 6:30 yesterday and 4:40 today. Ugh. I’ll finish reading comments and see if closing my eyes will get me back to sleepytime.

  20. 20.

    Spanky

    Well crap. Should I stay or should I go? It’s unlikely that fat-ass will get his fat ass into the Oval Office and sign the thing early enough to justify my hour-each-way commute. OTOH, the Mrs will be working from home and really doesn’t want me in the way. And as a contractor, the day off is on me.

  22. 22.

    Cermet

    Well, the bill will soon be law (once the orange fart cloud starts work around 11:00 as others have posted) but the dreamers are screwed for now. Maybe something will be worked out but while the dems saved a lot of people it cost them leverage. Again, dems do the right thing or at least that which is necessary but will take a huge hit for it while the thugs again screw people but get off the hook for it. Many of their low IQ voters would most suffer if the dems didn’t save their stupid ass’s.

  24. 24.

    Betty Cracker

    You know Shithole ain’t signing nuthin’ until his daily briefing from Fox & Fiends is over.

  27. 27.

    Kay

    So can we remember this when they start screeching about the deficit? Because they’ll be screeching about the deficit in a matter of weeks because they want to cut Social Security. We don’t even have to remember it that long- coupla weeks.

    When Paul Ryan says “entitlement reform” we say “now, Paul, as we all know you and your Party are full of shit so that’s off the table and we won’t be talking about it anymore”.

  28. 28.

    Chyron HR

    @Cermet:

    the dreamers are screwed for now.

    The dreamers were screwed since the day that the right and left collectively decided they would rather live under nazi rule than vote for the Democrats.

  30. 30.

    Kay

    6 inches of snow this morning! It’s a Level One Snow Emergency which means… you do exactly what you would do if there was no snow. Maybe more slowly. Up to you.

  32. 32.

    Baud

    I didn’t know Timor-Leste was a country. Sometimes I miss they days when I could pursue knowledge for its own sake.

  36. 36.

    Aimai

    @Cermet: they only take a huge hit if we all take the republican side and blame them for the fact they aren’t in charge. Celebrate nancy smash!

  37. 37.

    gene108

    @Cermet:

    Again, dems do the right thing or at least that which is necessary but will take a huge hit for it while the thugs again screw people but get off the hook for it.

    It is a function of expectation setting. Democrats want to make sure everyone has affordable universal healthcare, affordable college tuition, a living wage, access to high speed broadband, and so forth. Republicans want to cut taxes for the wealthy and corporations, and have government not do anything that doesn’t benefit their donors, as well as actively look for ways to restrict reproductive rights, and ways to hurt the poor.

    So Democrats keep failing, while Republicans keep succeeding.

    Reporting things differently would require the media to use their judgement on what is better for society as a whole.

  39. 39.

    gene108

    b) Koch-funded Tea Party effort in 2010 midterms was built on deficit menace.

    And (c) Jobs! Jobs! Jobs!

    A big complaint Republicans used in 2010 was the economy was still not recovered, unemployment was high, and they would bring back jobs, jobs, jobs.

    Of course, when they did get elected they set about laying of thousands upon thousands of star employees, in order to finance tax cuts for the rich, restrict abortion rights, and gerrymander the hell out of legislative maps.

    They totally forgot about jobs, and no one in the media bothered reminding them about it.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    Just a reminder that a lot of the Trumpsters handle classified information without security clearances and for some reason this isn’t a national security concern, although Hillary Clinton’s server management protocol was disqualifying.

    Rob Porter had that photograph out there proving he battered his wife and was privy to everything he handed Trump and no one gives a shit. Jared Kushner lied repeatedly on his disclosure forms so no one knows anything about him, either. So add “national security” to the growing list of things these people don’t actually care about, but pretend they do.

    To quote General Kelly, “in a long tradition of empty barrels making the most noise…..”

  41. 41.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    One year after U.S. Education Secretary Betsy DeVos was sworn in, teachers’ groups delivered “report cards” to her place of employment, grading the secretary on her performance protecting students’ civil rights, ensuring educational equity and providing funding for students of color and low-income students.

    Predictably, the teachers did not grade on a curve.

    The groups, which have largely been adversarial during DeVos’ tenure, gave her all Fs. They also delivered what they said were 80,000 individual teachers’ evaluations of DeVos, along with comments about what she’d see if she visited their classrooms.

    USA Today

  42. 42.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    So add “national security” to the growing list of things these people don’t actually care about, but pretend they do.

    Every issue is on that list.

  43. 43.

    Baud

    @Chyron HR:

    The dreamers were screwed since the day that the right and left collectively decided they would rather live under nazi rule than vote for the Democrats.

    My prediction. The Dems will save the Dreamers, but the usual suspects will say they gave away too much.

  44. 44.

    gene108

    @Baud: @Kay:

    E-mails are totally different than the physical sheets of paper Porter handed to the President. Only the people, who directly come into contact with the report printed on the paper will see it.

    With emails, one person can instantly send the information to our adversaries or the emails could be hacked, which comprises national security.

    /Fox and Friends explaining why Porter not having a clearance is A-Okay.

  45. 45.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: No no, they care very much how much tax the rich pay. They care very much about the bottom line of defense contractors. They care very much about…… Ummm I think that about covers it.

  46. 46.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    She softened her message, DeVos. She hired a consultant- that awful Fox News focus group man, whatever his name is, who told her what words to use so she wouldn’t alienate and enrage people. They have polling that education is right at the top for voters in state races so I think they’re worried. Scott Walker has reinvented himself as this champion of public education. Husted, (DeWine’s running mate in Ohio) has to deny his education record in the statehouse- he said “I haven’t worked on that issue in a decade”.

    Trump left it out of his SOTU. They know it’s not a good issue for them.

  47. 47.

    debbie

    I’d like to see someone sitting down with the Koch boys and ask them their opinion of their minions’ performances.

  48. 48.

    bemused

    I read in WAPO that McGahn wanted Porter in WH because he was a “steadying” influence. The bar is so low, it’s dropped beyond the horizon.

    I’m scheduled for a cholesterol test this morning and I would kill for coffee right now.

  50. 50.

    Kay

    Dozens at White House lack permanent security clearances

    Oh. my GOD. Andrea Mitchell and Jake Tapper will be outraged when they find out about this.

    Why, the blackmail implications alone! Someone should Google their names- see if there’s a criminal record or…. domestic violence protection order out there on any of them. Wray has to seize everyone’s phones and laptops, immediately.

  52. 52.

    Baud

    @Kay: Andrea has been quieter lately. I guess she accomplished her goal of bringing down Hillary and now is taking it easy.

  55. 55.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    She’s the national security expert. Is she concerned that Jared Kushner negotiates foreign policy and lied repeatedly on his disclosure form? He has the nation’s secrets.

    It’s all such a joke. Hope Hicks was dating the batterer so protected him and now they’re saying Lewandowski leaked it because he has some bug up his ass about being excluded from Trump’s 6th grade clique. These are the people handling classified documents. It’s a clown show. The best part? The General oversees all this. Endorses it.

    They’re not even adults let alone “professionals”.

  62. 62.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    I hate to say it, but I’m fully expecting a “Who in the White House is the father of Hope Hicks’ baby?” controversy before this is all done. The whole administration has a Maury Povich feel, except they are real and have less class.

  63. 63.

    arrieve

    @Baud: I think I’m way too cynical sometimes but my cynicism can no longer keep up with this world. The Dems of course gave away too much and simultaneously didn’t do enough, while the Repub masters count their money and chortle and everyone pretends not to notice.

  65. 65.

    Betty Cracker

    Speaking of DeVos, she’s not only a clueless, plutocratic gobshite, she’s a fucking crybaby:

    Education Secretary Betsy DeVos on Thursday said critics who claim she has failed to uphold the civil rights of students are “hurtful.”

    “It’s hurtful to me when I’m criticized for not upholding the rights of students, the civil rights of students,” DeVos told a small group of media outlets, as reported by Politico.

    “Nothing could be further from the truth,” she added. “I have to turn it back around and say why do I keep getting criticized for that? I mean, nothing that I’ve done would suggest otherwise.”

    Yeah, she hasn’t done a thing except make it harder for victims of campus sexual assaults and civil rights abuses to get justice. People are such meanies to complain about that!

  68. 68.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    I don’t know but aren’t there RULES about security? Why are these people allowed to break all of them?

    This whole thing looks like some inter-Trump personal drama. Is this the only way we find out about any of these people? When one of the more vindictive 6th graders seeks revenge on a clique member? The excuse for slagging Clinton for 2 years on the server was national security. Why is that not a concern now?

  71. 71.

    NotMax

    Well, that was a laugh of sorts.

    One program being watched some asked how long the body they found has been dead.

    Subtitles for the response read (not making this up, honest): Liver mortis has set in.

  73. 73.

    gene108

    @Baud:

    hate to say it, but I’m fully expecting a “Who in the White House is the father of Hope Hicks’ baby?”

    She’d get an abortion paid for by the American taxpayer before it became that noticeable.

  75. 75.

    Kay

    @debbie:

    I’m still wondering why the Intercept and The Guardian are the only two outlets who picked up the Trump batterer story.

    I don’t believe the battered wife took that to The Intercept. Did national outlets decide not to cover it? Why? A protection order is a document filed in a court. It includes an affidavit- a sworn statement and it often includes photographs. They could verify her story.

    This keeps happening. Why are these (relatively) obscure media outlets breaking damaging Trump news? The same thing happened with Stormy Daniels.

  76. 76.

    SFAW

    @Kay:

    The best part? The General oversees all this. Endorses it.

    Well, according to Raj “Possum Queen Ain’t Available Raht Now” Shah, Herr General Kelly only became aware of Porter’s history three weeks after Porter left. I mean, it’s not as if a former-military CoS should be expected to check stuff like that, or know about security, because that’s …. something something burble

  80. 80.

    Kay

    @SFAW:

    When we find out that’s not true (and I do mean “when”) will he resign, then? Or does another Trumpster get a pass for blatantly lying to the public? He got one pass when invented a story to smear the AA congresswoman. He shouldn’t get two.

    They have to stop lying. There have to be consequences, or they won’t stop.

  81. 81.

    NotMax

    @SFAW

    There’s a tune once popular in vaudeville called “Has Anybody Here Seen Kelly?”

    Perhaps the press corps could take it out of mothballs and hum the tune in unison in the press room.

  85. 85.

    Cermet

    @Kay: The pretend president is above all such rules/regs since he is, by default, the only person who can nullify any/all classifications on any whim. It is beyond stupid. Like saying the president can’t be prosecuted for first degree murder. The constitution does not grant such a power and it shouldn’t be given just because legal minds claim it follows from ….crickets …from …more crickets …uh, he is the commander in chief so, …uh. BECAUSE!

  93. 93.

    OzarkHillbilly

    From the mouths of babes:

    1. Spending time with family and pets are incredibly important.
    Whether talking, laughing, playing, or just sharing silence, time spent with loved ones and pets was priceless. Towards the end, the only regret many of the kids had was that they didn’t get to spend more time “with mum and dad and my big brother”.

    2. Humor and laughter are vital.
    Even though they were squarely facing death, these kids derived amusement from the same things that normal children do: silly antics; clumsy adults; slapstick humor. Laughing is so important for many reasons but key among them is that it reduces pain.
    Finding levity in the face of overwhelming tragedy can be difficult, and some of the parents dug into unimaginably deep wells of courage to provide mirth when their hearts were breaking. One dad pulled funny faces through his tears. But it always paid off. And whether ill or healthy, children will always be delighted by farting.

    3. Good stories told and read by a loved one offer inspiration.
    The written word and vivid fantasies told with basic toys enabled children to create alternate realities away from the often sterile hospital environment. They were sources of inspiration to continue fighting, even when the “battle” seemed lost. After all, if Harry Potter could continue to face Voldemort, then they could defeat their own “monsters”.
    Stories also allowed the children to construct a meaningful narrative to explain the often incomprehensible diseases they were so bravely facing. Many believe that our ability to create and share stories is what defines us as human beings, and these kids demonstrated that. Stories inspired, captivated and transported them.

    4. Swimming in the sea, playing on the sand and eating ice cream (even on a cold day) are simple, memorable pleasures.
    Children vividly remembered the simple pleasures that cost little except the effort of being truly present; the moments that may have seemed small at the time were often, upon reflection, priceless.

    5. Children as young as four worried about what would happen to their parents.
    Many of the kids had made peace with their fates but wanted to protect mum and dad from additional heartache. This role-reversal is surprisingly common and indicates that children are far more attuned to their bodies than we think they are. Death is the elephant in the room. Part of my job is to encourage honesty and to get everyone talking, even when it’s painful.

    6. Simple acts of kindness were treasured and remembered until the very end.
    Kindness, whether from the classmate who offered a sandwich or a nurse’s smile, was the virtue that made the biggest impact on the children. They loved kind people and remembered acts of kindness until the very end. The last words I heard from one little girl were: “Thank you for holding my hand when I was scared.”
    None of these revelations are new or earth-shattering, but when they come from children who are bravely facing death, an extra level of profundity is added, which has prompted many (including myself) to re-evaluate just what is important with the very limited time we have. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to the beach to eat an ice cream.

  95. 95.

    Kay

    @Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady):

    It’s particularly annoying because they won’t tell us anything about the Russian government’s incursion into state voting systems because of “national security” but the Trumpsters are sashaying around without clearances.

    So national security only applies when they’re withholding information from us? Christ- it’s safer to give it to ME than it is Kushner. I’m not hiding any sleazly real estate deals or money laundering.

  98. 98.

    Kay

    Chris Hayes
    ‏

    @chrislhayes
    9h9 hours ago
    More
    One thought about Porter: this was known to a number of people in the White House for **13 months***. We’re just finding out now. What other secrets are there in that White House we don’t yet know…

    Maybe Chris Hayes could earn his multi-million dollar salary and use his huge staff to find out something?

    Or do we just wait until there’s another romantic spat in the White House and it lands on his desk to be read?

    I just love this outrage- “the public has a right to know!” Oh, wait, you mean I’m supposed to go find out?

  100. 100.

    Baud

    @Kay: Chris Hayes can’t even stand up to the Republicans he invites on his show. You expect him to dig around in the White House trash for scoops?

  103. 103.

    MomSense

    I get what Drezner is trying to say, but come the fuck on. Did he not live through the W years when Chaney said on the teevee that “deficits don’t matter” and then watch the Republicans turn the budget surplus inherited from Bill Clinton into massive deficits, two wars funded off book, a cratered world economy, and the Great Recession?

    How many times will our media give the Republicans a pass?

  105. 105.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @SFAW:

    Kelly is filth. Two years ago, he served as a character witness for a colonel who got slammed and forced into retirement for texting sexual comeons to a young corporal (female). The guy had been a disaster for years, and gotten charged with a DUI while driving to his arraignment (BAC of .208).

    That now retired colonel is now under charges in Virginia Beach for long term child molestation that occurred years ago, while he was in uniform.

    Kelly has always been trash – I never had the same thoughts about basic competence and goodwill that I’ve thought about McMaster and Mattis.

  106. 106.

    clay

    @Kay: Seems a little unfair to Hayes. He’s not a reporter; he’s a liberal commentator. And therefore least likely to have WH sources.

  109. 109.

    Spanky

    Those up above who said fat-ass wouldn’t sign before 11 were correct, but overly optimistic:

    From CNN’s Abby Phillip

    President Trump will sign the budget bill before noon today, according to a senior administration official.

    It is unlikely this will happen before 9 a.m., when federal workers are expected back at work. It’s not yet clear what this means for those workers.

    A second official says White House employees are expected to come to work as usual this morning.

  111. 111.

    ThresherK

    @Betty Cracker: DeVos has never been a teacher, has she? “Hurtful”? Now I’m wondering if she even went to school with other kids.

    What a fcking snowflake!

  113. 113.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Rose Twitter is, of course, turning it’s ire on democrats on DACA regarding the shutdown. Clearly, the answer is to dump elected democrats and show that they’re willing to fight to turn even more power over to conservatives…

  114. 114.

    Baud

    @Spanky:

    President Trump will sign the budget bill before noon today after Fox & Friends, according to a senior administration official.

    Fixed.

  117. 117.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: at this point, I’m wondering what shoes are going to drop with respect to the new director of the Patent and Trademark Office. So far he doesn’t appear to have any disciplinary problems with the California Bar or the Patent Bar, but my 10 minutes with Google is probably more due diligence than anyone from the current administration has done…

  118. 118.

    Chyron HR

    @Spanky:

    A second official says White House employees are expected to come to work as usual this morning.

    It’s just that one particular employee has a very different idea of what’s “usual”.

  120. 120.

    Baud

    Via LGM

    Fox News’ Olympics coverage has started, and it’s already a doozy.

    John Moody, the network’s executive editor and executive vice president, published an op-ed Wednesday lamenting Team USA celebrating its diversity.

    “Unless it’s changed overnight, the motto of the Olympics, since 1894, has been ‘Faster, Higher, Stronger,‘” Moody wrote on foxnews.com hours before official competition would begin at the Winter Games. “It appears the U.S. Olympic Committee would like to change that to ‘Darker, Gayer, Different.’ If your goal is to win medals, that won’t work.”

  122. 122.

    SFAW

    @Kay:

    When we find out that’s not true (and I do mean “when”) will he resign, then?

    Seems unlikely. He’ll only be gone when he does something Shithole finds unforgivable — and even then, it’ll be Jared who gives him the word.

    Or does another Trumpster get a pass for blatantly lying to the public? He got one pass when invented a story to smear the AA congresswoman. He shouldn’t get two.

    Yes. He’ll get as many as Shithole wants to give him, which will probably be quite a few.

    I imagine if Kelly told Shithole “No fucking parade, you moron!” it might be enough to get him fired. But short of that, it seems unlikely. Shithole LOVES people as “morally compromised” as he is.

    Schrodingers_cat called it a long time ago. Initially, I thought she was going a little bit overboard on the Kelly-hate, but she was, and is, absolutely, completely, 100 percent right about that racist (etc.) fuck. Sorry for doubting you, S_C.

  124. 124.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:
    LarryO had a segment on last night, and the one woman,who rattled off the people who couldn’t get a full Security Clearance, simply said..

    This would not have happened in the Obama Administration.

  125. 125.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @MomSense:

    Neither vote counting, nor the economics of shutdown, nor the political consequences of being the party declared responsible for shutdown (among other things) seem to be within the skill set of Rose Twitter participants…

  126. 126.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    I assume Trump is having Executive Time which he cannot interrupt to reopen the government. Serious question: Who is actually running the Executive Branch? I don’t mean this morning. I mean in general.

    ETA: Sab, you take that back about Steven Miller. The idea of anyone sleeping with him makes me want to hurl.

  127. 127.

    SFAW

    Being a clueless fuck, I gotta ask: who/what is Rose Twitter? Bernie and company? “Doctor” Jill Stein?

  131. 131.

    Chyron HR

    @SFAW:

    See, on Doctor Who the “Doctor’s” iconic companion was named Rose, so self-defeating leftists who follow Doctor Stein are called “Roses”.

    No, sorry, that’s a lie, it’s just because they put rose emojis in their Twitter names.

  132. 132.

    Peale

    @Baud: well, white, straight boys. Perhaps you too could make it to the Olympics. But then that would take effort and effort is such a gay thing. What would your friends think if they found you doing such unamerican things like practicing?

  133. 133.

    Chyron HR

    @Baud:

    THE OLYMPICS WERE INVENTED IN 1894. IN AMERICA. NO GAYS HAVE EVER TAKEN PART IN ANY SORT OF OLYMPIC EVENT. THAT IS ALL.

  135. 135.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @SFAW:

    The conglomeration of DSA, Berniebro and Steiniac progressives that are enraged at all the selling out that happens for democrats to get elected to office, along with the selling out that happens when making policy and voting on things. It’s far better to rage from outside policy making positions than it is to be in one…

  137. 137.

    MomSense

    @SFAW:

    The rose signifies democratic socialism but in practice it means people too pure for the icky realities of politics who also happen to be totally fucking racist.

  139. 139.

    SFAW

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Thanks. And, sorry to do this, since I SHOULD know, but “DSA”? “Demonrats Screw America”? Misspelling of “SJW”? “Darkly Sadistic Assholes”? “Douchebag Scouts of America”?

    I fully expect to slap myself upside the head when you tell me, but I think I’m close to pegging the moronitude meter this AM.

  140. 140.

    rikyrah

    @MJS:

    @BillinGlendaleCA: Trump is fucking nobody. Not his wife, no one. He is a fat 70 (?) year old slob. The little blue pills can only do so much.

    this gave me my laugh for the morning :)

  142. 142.

    SFAW

    @MJS:

    Trump is fucking nobody. Not his wife, no one.

    Bull-SHIT! He is fucking America — well, 99 percent of it — as much as it’s ever been fucked.

    ETA: Yes, I realize that, technically, there’s “no ONE” that he’s fucking.

  144. 144.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    I just love this outrage- “the public has a right to know!” Oh, wait, you mean I’m supposed to go find out?

    Tell it, Kay.

    Tell it.

  145. 145.

    rikyrah

    found on another blog:

    ICYMI: Jennifer Rubin reported Thursday on Hardball that advisers for domestic violence in both the DOJ and the White House are among the many that have remained unfilled. “This administration couldn’t care less about this issue,” she said.

  150. 150.

    rikyrah

    EEEEEEEEEEEKKKKKKKK!!!!!

    Monday at 10 a.m. ET, we’ll share a live broadcast of the portrait unveiling for President @BarackObama & Mrs. @MichelleObama at our @NPG.

    A history of the museum’s presidential portraits: https://t.co/lDjFnTuvY7 #ObamaPortraits #myNPG pic.twitter.com/IyCl8Djlvr

    — Smithsonian (@smithsonian) February 9, 2018

  152. 152.

    rikyrah

    Remember that as Speaker Pelosi only marshaled the members this way when she knew she had the votes. A good leader like this knows her troops and how far and fast she can march them. https://t.co/Js3xdQIQIu

    — Al Giordano (@AlGiordano) February 8, 2018

  154. 154.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    Jerry Brown is sort of my hero on education. I don’t really agree with him but I admire his spunk!

    He’s governor of a HUGE state so he basically tells these know-nothings to fuck off. “I double dog DARE you to withhold funding- I’ll test when I feel like testing”.

    He running a small country out there, and he knows it. The big-population-state-Democrats should adopt some of his swagger. Confidence! He’s right too- he DOES know way more than DeVos.

  155. 155.

    rikyrah

    Defense Secretary reportedly ignored Trump request for Iran options
    02/09/18 08:41 AM
    By Steve Benen

    When Donald Trump’s presidency was just getting started, the new president seemed eager to receive advice from James Mattis, the retired general who now serves as the Defense secretary. That did not, however, last very long.

    Mattis urged the president not to move the U.S. embassy in Israel, and Trump ignored him. Mattis explained to the president that the international nuclear agreement with Iran was the basis for regional stability, and Trump ignored him again. Mattis spent weeks lobbying behind the scenes to help shape the president’s June address to NATO leaders, and Trump “deleted” the language the Pentagon chief helped write.

    But as it turns out, the Defense secretary occasionally ignores the White House, too. The Washington Post published an interesting profile on Mattis this week, which included an amazing anecdote.

    For weeks, Mattis had been resisting requests from the White House to provide military options for Iran. Now Trump made clear that he wanted the Pentagon to deliver a range of plans that included striking Iranian ballistic missile factories or hitting Iranian speedboats that routinely harassed U.S. Navy vessels.

    “Why can’t we sink them?” Trump would sometimes ask about the boats.

    National security adviser H.R. McMaster and his staff laid out the president’s request for Mattis in a conference call, but the defense secretary refused, according to several U.S. officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive internal deliberations.

    “In the weeks that followed,” the article added, “the options never arrived.”


    In other words, if this anecdote is accurate, the sitting president of the United States – the commander in chief of the nation’s armed forces – sought a plan from the Pentagon; the Defense secretary thought the president’s request was misguided; and so the cabinet secretary balked.

    And the president’s request went unmet.

  156. 156.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    They care very much about hurting people, or we wouldn’t have to fight tooth and nail to help anyone. They’ve certainly shown they don’t care about deficits and don’t need to cut spending to justify cutting taxes.

    @Kay:
    The rules about security say the President has the last word on clearances. If Trump wants them to see it, they will see it, and that’s legal and according to the system. That they can’t pass the regular clearance process is moot.

  157. 157.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: RollCall:

    […]

    Enough Democrats —73 of them — voted “yes” to offset the 67 Republican defections on the bill to get it over the finish line. The final vote was 240-186, with 167 Republicans voting “yes” and 119 Democrats voting “no.”

    The Democrats who voted “no”, including House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi, were taking a stand for so-called Dreamers, young undocumented immigrants brought to U.S. as children who are facing the prospect of deportation without legislation to replace the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.

    “Nobody wants a shutdown,” the minority leader said on the floor before the vote. “And this is a good bill. … But give us a chance to allay the fear that is in the hearts of these Dreamers and their families.”

    Pelosi and many in her caucus had withheld support for the measure in an attempt to get Ryan to agree to a floor vote on the DACA issue, allowing both bipartisan and conservative immigration bills to be debated under a rule known as “queen of the hill.”

    The process would allow the measure that receives the most votes above the required simple-majority threshold to prevail as the House-passed product.

    Ryan did not give in to the Democrats’ demand, saying he is committed to holding a DACA vote but only on a bill that has Trump’s support as he doesn’t see a point in risking a veto.

    “My commitment to working together on an immigration [measure] we can make law is a sincere commitment,” Ryan said on the floor before the vote. “We will solve this DACA problem.”

    The continuing resolution the House passed Friday will keep the government open through March 23, by which time Congress hopes to pass an omnibus spending bill with full appropriations for the remainder of fiscal 2018. At that point, the fiscal year will be nearly halfway over.

    […]

    The early morning vote wasn’t without some drama, as Democratic leaders tried to have their members wait to cast their votes until the time expired, although a few dozen Democrats didn’t wait. When the clock reached zero the “yes” votes quickly ticked up from just under 180 to 240 before the gavel came down.

    […]

    Some Democrats, too, felt their caucus’s strategy was misguided.

    Despite 62 percent of the caucus voting against the bill, there were varying degrees of opposition.

    “Some people passionately believed this was the point of leverage and an enormous mistake to miss it, to not use,” Rep. Gerry Connolly, one of the “yes” votes, said. “Others believed it was more of a symbolic vote to show solidarity with colleagues and with the Dreamers generally. Others thought it was just part of, sort of a liberal litmus test that the base wants to see and hear, and that’s a safe vote, depending on your district.”

    The Virginia Democrat said that Pelosi could have whipped against the bill harder if she had truly wanted it to fail and had she done so the number of yes votes in the caucus would have been smaller. But she sent plenty of public signals she wanted the bill to pass, Connolly said.

    “Nancy just spoke and then read pages of encomium to the bill,” he said.

    Some other Democrats, like Illinois Rep. Raja Kirshnamoorthi, believed the caucus’ opposition was going to be enough to block the bill. He said it wasn’t clear to him until the floor vote that the measure would pass.

    But Kirshnamoorthi acknowledged there were divisions in the caucus and he had opponents and proponents asking him to vote their way.

    “I was getting whipped every which way at this point,” he said. “At one point I got whipped so hard that the person in question didn’t know that the vote was actually up, so we almost missed the vote.”

    While noting he did have concerns about the amount of deficit spending in the bill, Kirshnamoorthi said he probably would’ve voted “yes” if Ryan had offered a more specific commitment for a DACA vote.

    “He went almost there. He said on the floor, ‘I’ll take care of the Dreamers.’ He didn’t say, ‘I’m going to commit to a vote.’ And I think he would have with just a little more time,” Kirshnamoorthi said.

    Connolly had a different take on Ryan’s speech.

    “My experience with Paul Ryan is I don’t agree with him, I think he has challenges in his own caucus, I wouldn’t call him the strongest speaker in my memory, but he is an honorable man,” he said. “And I took his words at face value that he wants to solve the DACA problem and that we will address it once this bill was behind us.”

    We’ll see what happens with DACA. I’m not optimistic, but Ryan clearly didn’t like to be forced to even make his weaselly statement. This is still just a CR – there’s yet another deadline on March 23. Yes, that’s after the March 5 deadline, but Team D hasn’t given up all leverage.

    Ultimately, there’s only so much that the Democrats can do in the minority. We must win bigly in November.

    (Connolly used to be my rep.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  158. 158.

    rikyrah

    John Kelly is unfit to serve as @whitehouse chief of staff. There can be no quarter for spousal abusers or their enablers and defenders. Mr Kelly should focus on trying to salvage what shreds of dignity he still has and resign, immediately.

    — VoteVets (@votevets) February 8, 2018

  159. 159.

    clay

    @rikyrah:

    In other words, if this anecdote is accurate, the sitting president of the United States – the commander in chief of the nation’s armed forces – sought a plan from the Pentagon; the Defense secretary thought the president’s request was misguided; and so the cabinet secretary balked.

    And the president’s request went unmet.

    This is lose-lose. On the one hand, Mattis is undermining the chain of command as well as civilian control of the military and our democracy.

    On the other hand Trump’s order is stupid and dangerous.

    No matter how this goes, it won’t be good.

  160. 160.

    rikyrah

    He pretends to be out of the loop, because he knows if trump’s impeached, he’d inherit the oval. But we know the truth about pence, and that won’t happen. He’ll go down in history as nothing more than an unimportant accomplice, and nobody will remember much about him.

    — @joboomr44 (@joboomr44) February 8, 2018

  161. 161.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Frankensteinbeck: I thought about that and decided it was nothing at all to them. To care about hurting people they’d have to first acknowledge that people matter, and other than saying what ever they think their rubes want to hear in order to get their votes, they most certainly do not think that.

  162. 162.

    Kay

    They keep analyzing Trump Administration failures as inexperience or confusion, but these aren’t hard calls. You shouldn’t need tons of experience or political savvy to fire the wife beater.

    Just like you don’t need a graduate degree as a voter to realize Donald Trump is a bad person. He shows and tells that he’s a bad person and he has a 6th grade vocabulary.

    They don’t lack experience. They lack character. They admire bad people and they promote bad actions.

    Better people would know to fire the wife beater, and they wouldn’t need to be “smart” or “experienced” to do that.

    It’s not the resume that’s the problem here- it’s these specific human beings. They’re all horrible and that can’t be a coincidence.

  163. 163.

    clay

    @Another Scott:

    Ryan did not give in to the Democrats’ demand, saying he is committed to holding a DACA vote but only on a bill that has Trump’s support as he doesn’t see a point in risking a veto.

    Fuck that little weaselly piece of shit. How many votes did he allow to overturn the ACA, even knowing Obama would veto it?

  164. 164.

    tobie

    @Another Scott: I checked the roll call and noticed that some of Nancy Pelosi’s biggest detractors and supposed champions of progressive values voted ‘yes’ on this budget bill. Tim Ryan (OH) and Kathleen Rice (NY) stood out. Will the rose-brigade go after them? Will Krystal Ball reconsider her support for Tim Ryan of “dago-wine” fame? I hope so…because DACA recipients just got royally screwed.

  165. 165.

    Another Scott

    @SFAW: Wasn’t it “became fully aware”?

    They’re horrible, shameless, monsters. Defend an unqualified abusive horrible person with a weasel word like “fully”? It’s yet another indication – if one were really needed – of how they’ll say anything to justify whatever they want to do.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  166. 166.

    Lapassionara

    @clay: I don’t think it is unfair. If he is going to invite a RWNJ on his show, he should be prepared to say something besides “oh my gosh” when they start spewing the crazy.

  167. 167.

    Another Scott

    @rikyrah: This isn’t the first time that the DoD has rejected/pushed back some request or policy modification by Donnie. E.g. The Trans ban (though it’s complicated).

    Mattis has a history of thinking that the US needs to go to war with Iran. I’m surprised, and heartened, that he rejected this request by Trump (and that he wants to stick with the Iran nuclear deal). (Like SC, I still don’t think that The Generals will save us though.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  168. 168.

    WaterGirl

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    I’m just trying to figure out who Hope Hicks isn’t fucking.

    Love ya, Bill, but that looks like slut shaming to me. I am not a fan of Hope Hicks; she’s a grown woman making seriously bad choices and I am pretty sure that when all is said and done, those choices are going to have serious consequences. But if we’re slut shaming and joking about all the men she’s fucking, or has fucked, or might have fucked, I think we’ve lost the plot. Sorry to be a scold this morning, but I feel like this needs to be said and no one else had said it.

    Not entirely unrelated is the fact that the most likely reason for someone to be drawn to an abuser is that they have abuse in their past. They are drawn to it, not because they like being beaten or abused but because they sense something familiar about that person and familiar is comfortable and so people are drawn to the comfort. They may also feel like they somehow deserve that treatment.

  169. 169.

    Matt

    @Another Scott:

    Ultimately, there’s only so much that the Democrats can do in the minority.

    If getting rolled TWICE now in exchange for “promises to discuss the issue” is the best they can do, maybe they should turn in their resignations now. Ryan’s already demonstrated that he’s a liar on multiple occasions; he should be treated as such.

    And don’t even get me STARTED on Rep. Kirshnamoorthi’s hand-wringing about deficits. Repeating GOP attack points should get you thrown the fuck out of the party.

  170. 170.

    FlipYrWhig

    @tobie: There’s a SPECTACULAR bait and switch operation going on with Tim Ryan’s crowd. The leftier-than-thous are happily, as the kids once said, beclowning themselves by throwing in their lot with the people who want to move Democratic politics TO THE RIGHT except for something something working class to be determined later ¯_(ツ)_/¯

  172. 172.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Kay: I just saw a report that Pence showed up at a VIP reception before the opening ceremony – he came late, after dinner had started, and there wasn’t a seat at the table for him, because he was supposed to eat with the US athletes. It’s almost as if a year+ without a US Ambassador to South Korea might have consequences. I mean, I can see leaving an ambassadorship open for a while in, say, Burkina Faso, but South Korea? Where we have tens of thousands of troops? And somebody Il Donaldo desperately wants a war with right next door?

  173. 173.

    tobie

    @Matt: I agree. Dems gave up what little leverage they had by agreeing to this budget bill without DACA. Whatever immigration plan Paul Ryan puts forward will be so loaded with poison pills that no Dem in good conscience could or should vote for it (though I have no doubt that Tim Ryan, champion of the WWC, will give it his stamp of approval).

  174. 174.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers (was fidelio)

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: I know a couple of people in Rose Twitter who spend about as much time deploring the idiocy of their fellows as they do explaining why this or that socialistic program would be of benefit to the American People or pushing things like the Moral Mondays rallies. The real organizers and practical people in that group are few and far between, even when they aren’t bots or How Dare You Call ME Racist/Sexist lefties.

  175. 175.

    tobie

    @FlipYrWhig: Yes, the champions of the white working class end up being pretty horrible when it comes to immigration and the environment. Can’t say I’m surprised.

  176. 176.

    lgerard

    @Another Scott:

    Don McGahn: We have a problem John. Porter can’t get a security clearance because of several episodes of domestic violence in his past marriages.

    John Kelly: DON’T MAKE ME FULLY AWARE! Let’s wait until some newspaper does that..

  177. 177.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @WaterGirl:

    People are drawn to what they’re drawn to. In impoverished out groups, potential partners of both genders are frequently train wrecks and know no better form of conduct. Among the more mainstream, I’ve seen some drama junkies – BOTH genders, heterosexual and gay – jump from one asshole to another asshole to another asshole.

    And then, don’t get me started on why I don’t automatically pin an “innocent victim of the year” medal on the tear soaked chest of every domestic violence sufferer. All too frequently, those situations are muddy as shit, and someone (usually the larger, stronger party) gets blamed largely as a result of either physics or an understandable (yet still indefensible) psychological detachment from notions of physical restraint.

    That said, there are monsters out there playing cynical games, monsters who get off on the lure followed by control. Porter is adept at seeing marks and then making his pitch, asserting his control later. Hicks is clearly ripe pickings – she’s drawn to poor choices in partners. Thing is, this time, she’s in the danger zone and her glitch blinds her to it.

  179. 179.

    Ken

    @clay:

    No matter how this goes, it won’t be good.

    Unless Trump has forgotten he asked Mattis to prepare the plans, which is certainly possible. If we’re really lucky, he only asked for them at the prompting of some staff member who’s since had to leave, and there won’t be anyone to remind him of it.

  180. 180.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @rikyrah:

    Oh please, please, please, I hope a FP will put up a thread with link on Monday. This would be such a pleasure to see in real time!

    I have a great fondness for our Smithsonian NPG, and I make a point of always spending a few hours visiting the British NPG every time I’m in London. Portrait collections of a nation’s history are of never-ending fascination.

  181. 181.

    bystander

    @Kay:

    They’re all horrible and that can’t be a coincidence.

    That’s why the whole mess reminds me of Stephen King’s The Stand. It’s like standing at the edge of apocalypse when you realize the enormous power these criminals wield.

  183. 183.

    hueyplong

    Not willing to assume that Hope Hicks is the sole exception to the rule that everyone connected to Trump is a grifter and/or a flaming asshole.

    My assumption is that there are no exceptions. Still waiting to be proved wrong.

  184. 184.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Kay: Did you see the memo/draft about how they are going to penalize legal immigrants for using any federal benefits for their citizen children in their GC applications?

    ETA: This is not policy yet but something that they are considering.

  186. 186.

    rikyrah

    @schrodingers_cat:

    @Kay: Did you see the memo/draft about how they are going to penalize legal immigrants for using any federal benefits for their citizen children in their GC applications?

    ETA: This is not policy yet but something that they are considering.

    I saw that.

    Those lowlife muthaphuckas.

  187. 187.

    Patricia Kayden

    @rikyrah: But he said he only hires the “best people”. I assume the best people wouldn’t be dumb enough to work for a Trump administration.

  188. 188.

    kindness

    A little racism anyone?

    I caught this over at LG&M and linked to the the Vox article on Trumps plans to stop legal immigrants from using any public services at all. Staggering really. You’d think this guy didn’t know the South lost the war he keeps trying to fight.

  190. 190.

    NorthLeft12

    Just when you think that the Reubs can’t publicly embarrass themselves any further, or scale even higher heights of hypocrisy, events like this and that and that over there happen pretty much the same day or two.

  191. 191.

    rikyrah

    THE LAST WORD WITH LAWRENCE O’DONNELL 2/8/18
    Rewrite: Abuse survivors speak
    In response to Rob Porter’s ex-wife Jennifer Willoughby’s moving blog post about why she stayed in her marriage, viewers shared their own stories of abuse with Lawrence O’Donnell on Twitter, some using #AndSoIStayed. Lawrence shares their stories in the Rewrite.

  193. 193.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @schrodingers_cat:

    My read on her is that she is a a girl from some money, is academically OK (has adequate to better cognitive skills), but is psychologically drawn to bad boys and the drama that goes with them. In her social strata, she wants to go to nice places and buy nice things, so your average degenerate shithead is out – which generally leaves married guys or serial bed hoppers for short term drama “fixes”.

  194. 194.

    lgerard

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Did you see the memo/draft about how they are going to penalize legal immigrants for using any federal benefits for their citizen children in their GC applications?

    If that is the case, then they should refund all the Social Security tax withheld for those individuals as they will not be eligible to collect any of it.

  195. 195.

    kindness

    @schrodingers_cat: The Trump Regime is aping Russia. As far as they are concerned legal is what they say it is. Republicans sure as hell aren’t telling them no. The courts may help us but with the practlcally fascists the Federalist Society is putting into the courts now, that won’t save us for long.

  196. 196.

    Peale

    @kindness: the impact on refugees would be staggering. This would basically end the ability of most refugee families from taking the steps necessary to obtain citizenship.

  197. 197.

    schrodingers_cat

    @lgerard: That’s a joke right? Immigrants on a long term work visa pay into both SS and Medicare and only those who complete the GC process will be eligible for benefits after 5 years on GC. This is the law on the books right now.

  198. 198.

    WaterGirl

    @rikyrah: You don’t think so? I would love to hear why. Honestly. Because I don’t see any other way to see the “who isn’t she fucking?” type comments. I would like to understand.

  199. 199.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Peale: Not just refugees, this will impact international students with families too. I knew some grad students who used WIC program for their kids. They were from Germany. Went back after graduation not ready to deal with the immigration thicket here.

  202. 202.

    VeniceRiley

    @Chyron HR:

    The dreamers were screwed since the day that the right and left collectively decided they would rather live under nazi rule than vote for the Democrats.

    Why I hate Susan Sarandon; summed up in one sentence.

  203. 203.

    J R in WV

    @NotMax:

    One program being watched some asked how long the body they found has been dead.

    Subtitles for the response read (not making this up, honest): Liver mortis has set in.

    There must some outsourced center for Chyron subtitles on news shows. We’ve been frustrated by constant misspellings of local towns, common English words! If the corpse in question was dead I’m sure liver mortis has set in, it would only be news if the Liver kept living in a corpse.

    I think it’s being done overseas, no English speaker who could type would do Liver Mortis for Rigor Mortis, you learn that watching a cop murder show.

  207. 207.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    There have to be consequences, or they won’t stop.

    Come sit by me.

    I’ve only been saying this for 13 months now.

  209. 209.

    No One You Know

    @rikyrah: On the other hand, there’s hope for now. (Yes, I do get the point.)

    Criminal orders should include stupid requests that move US closer to war for no clear and present reason. Frankly, the clear and present danger is already sitting the White House at the behest of a long-standing opponent.

    But I’m just a voter, what do I know?
    (Not much!)

Comments are closed.