Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

No one could have predicted…

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

Putin dreamed of ending NATO, and now it’s Finnish-ed.

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

As long as McCarthy is Speaker, the House will never be in order.

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

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

Thanks for reminding me that Van Jones needs to be slapped.

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

That pie keeps getting more and more forks, reducing anyone’s chance of even a Perot.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

The new temporary speaker of the house is a spiteful little shit.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL

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

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread: WINNING!

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Other Democrats are getting ambitious — more power to us!

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167Comments

  1. 1.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    Remember the last few weeks there was all the articles, tweets, strategy memos, TV punditry etc claiming Trump was getting popular, Dems were doomed, don’t talk about Russia, etc?

    It reminds me of 2006. The usual suspects were saying “don’t talk about Iraq!” They demanded Dems provide a plan to privatize Social Security. Rove went around saying he had “the real math”. And even after they were routed at the polls, The Village (especially Broder) were STILL touting a Dubya “pivot”.

    By David S. Broder
    Friday, February 16, 2007

    It may seem perverse to suggest that, at the very moment the House of Representatives is repudiating his policy in Iraq, President Bush is poised for a political comeback. But don’t be astonished if that is the case. (link)

    It’s the same song, only song by different idiots

  3. 3.

    p.a.

    Dems flipped a KY House seat tonight w an 86 point net shift.

    Not a typo. 86 points.

    In corporate-speak this is known as a package-less retirement incentive!
    JUMP you fuckers.

  5. 5.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    Don’t make too much of the win. The county involved is a Louisville exurb filled with blue collar “real Murkans”. The previous occupant of the seat was a scammy pastor biker who eked out a 300 vote win over Belcher in 2016, despite a local reputation as being scammy and racist. Some smallish web outfit did some investigative homework and published a devastating expose a couple of months ago detailing his molestation of an underaged member of his congregation, her difficulty getting justice, his frauds and financial scams. They had Facebook messages from him to the girl indicating that something in fact happened – he claimed to have been drunk and that someone slipped something in a drink.

    He denied doing anything wrong post-expose. A couple of days after the show of congregational support, he blew his brains out on a bridge after writing a note denying it all and trashing his victim yet again.

    Within 24 hours of his death, his widow, copastor and coconspirator defiantly announced that she wanted to run for the vacant seat. The Bullitt County GOP, bring deplorable, readily assented, bypassing the many other more qualified and less assholish candidates that could have stepped up. The cat being out of the bag, there was no way that widow shitbag was going to win.

    I’m still appalled that she got 32%. Should have gotten only a single vote – her own.

  11. 11.

    SFAW

    I’m now thinking that targeting 101 congressional Republican seats in Nov is perhaps too low. Maybe we should double it and target 202 districts.

    Fuck.
    Fuckfuckfuckfuck.

    This means I gotta up my billable hours.

    Because I REALLY want to be able to kick in as much money as I can, wherever I can.

    Oh, well, I guess it could be worse ….

  14. 14.

    Phylllis

    I’m now thinking that targeting 101 congressional Republican seats in Nov is perhaps too low. Maybe we should double it and target 202 districts.

    Pleasepleaseplease target Joe ‘You Lie’ Wilson in SC 20. Hubby and I are moving to his district in June. While I will miss voting for Jim Clyburn, I can’t wait to add two votes that will hopefully send this worthless jackleg packing.

  17. 17.

    cosima

    When I lived in Texas I often said that it should be a blue state based on the numbers. Houston, Dallas & Austin of course have carried a lot of that water on their own, and they were responsible for a lot of the blue votes as it was, but have enough blue voters to make it happen. Nobody believed me, not even my (living-in-Houston) ex-husband, married to a minority. I often think of them, as a couple, his wife a surgeon, looked down upon by so many people whose lives she has saved, and their bi-racial children who will struggle unless the needle can be moved. I have not spoken to him in years now, but I hope that he has now decided to become ‘political’ though he couldn’t be bothered back then.

    Flipping 202 seats — is that another term for the 50-state initiative of Dean’s that Dems abandoned?

    P.S. As I am on a very different time schedule from most BJ folks, I missed any discussion that may have happened regarding a certain person’s organisation that endorsed Dennis Kucinich rather than the Dem running. Did it get a mention? I want that rotten old bastard (not speaking about Kucinich, as that goes without saying) to go down with the Trumps. I remain sceptical of his taxes, his campaign manager, and his motives, never mind his actions.

  19. 19.

    cosima

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: 32% may be the new 27%, as the deplorables seem to be adding to their numbers, or at least getting out to vote more. I’d say the +5% were emboldened by the orange fart cloud, rather than a -5% shift as people looked within for a conscience and found it. Unfortunately. I can only hope that’s the ceiling.

  21. 21.

    Jeffro

    Y’all remember when, back during the 2012 campaign, Fox News covered that anti-Obama rally…that turned out to have been instigated by Chinese intelligence on social media? And remember how Obama blasted Fox for “getting scammed” by China, instead of talking to the American people about the forces that were trying to drive us apart?

    I think he said something like, “…because it was a rally against me, they pushed it hard anyway. A really dishonest news channel, but the public is wise!” Remember that?

    Man, that guy was divisive! And I guess more to the point: attacking Americans and the American media for simply covering a political rally, one that was instigated by a hostile foreign power (instead of, oh, attacking the hostile foreign power) is kind of dereliction of duty for a president, I think.

    Glad we’re past that crap…

  25. 25.

    Bobby Thomson

    That Gallup map is wack. So West Virginia is now competitive? And Arkansas and Mississippi are only likely Republican? They have been horrible for about the last 10 years, and I put no weight on them at all.

  28. 28.

    Bobby Thomson

    @cosima: It’s a problem when bending the knee to the cult leader is the single issue on which an organization votes. When Elizabeth Warren’s BFF isn’t good enough to be Ohio Governor, and instead you go with a formerly anti-choice dolt who also validates Trump repeatedly, that’s an even bigger problem.

  31. 31.

    mai naem mobile

    This story is funny.https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/politics/elections/2018/02/21/steve-montenegro-congress-campaign-roiled-flirty-text/357581002/.
    The primary for AZ 08 is unfortunately next week. Wish it had been this week. It’s Trent ‘have my surrogate baby’Franks’,seat. The guy he endorsed is caught up in a sexting/maybe adultery scandal. It’s a packed GOP primery because it’s a very red disteict. Polling had thia guy and the ALEC chair leading at 21 percent each. Early ballots have been coming in already. Yes,there is an Democratic primary.

  33. 33.

    Kay

    TheBeat w/Ari Melber‏
    @TheBeatWithAri
    “They were all lying” – Fmr. Trump aide @NunbergSam on Pence, Conway and Manafort denying Trump campaign meetings with Russia

    Pence! That came out of nowhere.

    It’s hard with Russia because I end up doing this: “they lie constantly so it’s say 75/25 they lied on this, but there’s a real investigation into it! Would they all lie with a real, ongoing investigation? No. Or… yes, because if you’re gonna lie that’s the reason to do it”

  36. 36.

    mai naem mobile

    @Kay: I don’t think Mueller gets done by November. I am not even sure he’s not waiting t9 finish till next year so that the Dems maybe have one chambwr.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    @cosima:

    It’s bizarre. It discredits them.

    1. Kucinich is not more liberal than Cordray
    2. Kucinich is not an outsider- he’s been a selfish, pain in the ass bad representative in some fashion or another for a hundred years.

    They must be going for the senior citizen low information Lefty vote.

  39. 39.

    Kay

    @mai naem mobile:

    I have no idea what he’s doing or what’s going on.

    Why did the lawyer who pleaded this week secretly record phone calls? He didn’t need the recordings to exonerate himself because he lied to investigators anyway. From who was he protecting himself?

  44. 44.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    @Kay: they’re going for the “voices in my head” vote (video)

    “Dennis found his encounter extremely moving. The smell of roses drew him out to my balcony where, when he looked up, he saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent, and observing him. It hovered, soundless, for ten minutes or so, and sped away with a speed he couldn’t comprehend. He said he felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind.”

    Who among us haven’t heard the voices of Martians in our head.

  45. 45.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @raven:

    Billy Graham died.

    Link? Not seeing it anywhere with a quick Google search.

    ETA: Not that I don’t trust you.

  47. 47.

    Adria McDowell

    @Kay: Pence as a surprise? Not really. If I recall correctly, Manafort is the one who suggested Pence as VP. I am curious to know why. Is there any possible connection between Manafort and Pence? That is if I am recalling correctly- I’m ready to stand corrected, of course.

    Man, do I need to purchase more tinfoil for my hat? Is it just me?

  54. 54.

    cosima

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: If I knew how to insert emojis I’d insert the shocked face. Facetiously. Painful parallels.

    Would evolution phase out racism given enough time? Would beings evolve enough to realise that racism/xenophobia/etc lead to war, which in turn leads to extinction? Or does evolution harden racism/xenophobia/etc tendencies so as to lead to the preservation of the ‘strongest?’ I don’t think we have enough time on this planet (given global warming & population increase & other crises) to find out, but it sure would be nice to live on a planet where there was a remote chance that evolution could/would phase that shite out.

  57. 57.

    danielx

    @p.a.:

    Every shovelfull he turns over hits a vein of gold.

    Don’t know if I’d phrase it quite that way. Maybe “hits weapons grade manure”?

  58. 58.

    cosima

    @Kay: Bern or Bust voters. Independents (not that I believe they exist). Libertarians (whatever they imagine themselves to be). As we’ve just seen, there are enough of those sorts to peel off enough voters to undermine the Dems and get the R elected.

    I am anxiously awaiting the Wilmer & Stein camp names coming up on Mueller’s list.

  59. 59.

    Baud

    @Kay:

    If Kucinich wins the primary, I guess they’ll feel vindicated. My concern is what happens if he loses. We saw what happened in 2016.

  60. 60.

    mai naem mobile

    @raven: Huckster Sanders will spend 15 minutes on how awesome he was during today’s press briefing. I would love some press person to ask about the anti semitic stuff Sanders said when he was talking to Nixon but it won’t happen.

  61. 61.

    mai naem mobile

    @OzarkHillbilly: not saying that he’s partisan just that he may be so alarmed by what he sees and not want the GOP to hurry up and do a censure or something and sweep eveything under the rug. Maybe even allowing Dolt45 to pardon everybody.

  62. 62.

    Sab

    @Baud: We really don’t want to see what happens if he wins.

    It is important to remember that Kucinich has spent his retirement years on Fox. This is who he has always been- anything for attention.

  66. 66.

    rikyrah

    Oh well…we’re gonna have a Billy Graham praise orgy fest.
    Will that ridiculous son of his actually let Dolt45 speak at the funeral. Let’s complete the circle of hypocrisy with regards to evangelicals, if you already don’t know it.

  67. 67.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: @Baud: Our revolution is really the Shouty Old White Grampa party. Let me tell you, it’s not my revolution. I want a future, not a leaden past.

  68. 68.

    Corner Stone

    @rikyrah: My only two regrets are that it took this long and that he didn’t take his asshole fucking son with him on the way out.
    “He wants you too, Malachai!”

  69. 69.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @mai naem mobile: I’m just saying he won’t pull a Comey. He won’t let politics sway any of his decisions. He is not going to worry about how things appear on a partisan level and beyond doing everything he can to ensure the investigation is allowed to come to it’s proper conclusion, he is not going to “time” indictments, subpoenas, warrants, interviews, etc. He is going to do everything he can to protect the integrity, and the appearance of integrity, of this investigation.

  70. 70.

    Immanentize

    @rikyrah: I hope P. Trump does speak at the Graham funeral just for that reason…. The evangelicals will slip lower. Also, I expect if Trump speaks, a lot of establishment Republicans will suddenly find they have other responsibilities and scheduling conflicts.

    Both wins.

  71. 71.

    Immanentize

    @Corner Stone: Billy Graham was not a horrible man, I think. No messiah, but an earnest, obsequious, bigoted and flawed celebrity preacher of his time. His son, however, is a corrupt grifting hypocritical mofo.

  72. 72.

    Bobby Thomson

    @satby: It’s definitely not a red flag that the guy egged on by the Russians is endorsing a guy who praises Russian client state Syria repeatedly.

  73. 73.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Kay: @Kay: Wasn’t Kucinich big with lefties, but a real outside chance and would never win nationally cuz his views screech ‘socialis!!’ to most voters? Like someone else?

    Then going to Fox!! Surely well-known lefties have other job options!

  74. 74.

    different-church-lady

    @cosima:

    Would evolution phase out racism given enough time? Would beings evolve enough to realise that racism/xenophobia/etc lead to war, which in turn leads to extinction? Or does evolution harden racism/xenophobia/etc tendencies so as to lead to the preservation of the ‘strongest?’

    Short answer: mammals suck

    Long answer: we don’t solve racism until we crack hatred. Hatred is the motivating force, racism is just the cover story. Lower mammals snarl and fight and kill, but they don’t use complex sociological narratives to justify it. We’ve tricked ourselves into using our higher psychological capacities to enable our lower impulses. Perhaps this is transitional, or perhaps we’ll never overcome being mammals to the end — the smartest, yet still never smart enough.

  75. 75.

    rikyrah

    Dem wins easily in a pro-Trump district in Kentucky
    02/21/18 08:40 AM
    By Steve Benen

    The circumstances surrounding Kentucky’s state House special election yesterday were rather tragic. Former Rep. Dan Johnson (R), facing allegations he molested a teenaged girl, committed suicide in December.

    Republicans were nevertheless optimistic about keeping the seat “red.” After all, this is a district Mitt Romney carried by 33 points in 2012, and which Donald Trump won by 49 points in 2016. The result was practically a foregone conclusion.

    At least it was right up until the Democratic candidate won last night.

    The Democratic Party’s run of good news in state legislative races continued Tuesday night, with a former legislator beaten in the 2016 Republican wave reclaiming a seat held briefly by a pastor who committed suicide after being accused of molesting a teenage girl.

    Linda Belcher, a Democrat first elected in 2008, won the special election for Kentucky’s 49th District with 68.45 percent of the vote.

  77. 77.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Adria McDowell: Yrs of Putin wooing Evangelicals. See Franklin Graham as one puppet win. Pence infamous Evangelical. Solidify that team’s vote and get another puppet as back-up.

  78. 78.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Pence! That came out of nowhere.

    Kay, how did Pence come out of nowhere. I and others, have been pointing out from the very beginning that Race Bannon was delusional because:
    1. he was MANAFORT’S PICK
    2. he’s up to his eyeballs in the Flynn mess
    3. he was over the transition
    4. if he thinks Dolt45 is going down WITHOUT TAKING EVERYBODY WITH HIM…come on, now.

    Maddow is the only one who has consistently kept up with and pointed out Race Bannon’s lies.

  80. 80.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    1. Kucinich is not more liberal than Cordray
    2. Kucinich is not an outsider- he’s been a selfish, pain in the ass bad representative in some fashion or another for a hundred years.

    Cordray has only spent the last 5 years PROTECTING THE AMERICAN CONSUMER.

    But, yeah, phuck them.

  81. 81.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Why did the lawyer who pleaded this week secretly record phone calls? He didn’t need the recordings to exonerate himself because he lied to investigators anyway. From who was he protecting himself?

    Yeah, the recording of the phone calls is indeed curious.

  82. 82.

    Bobby Thomson

    @Amir Khalid: I didn’t even know Billy Graham was still alive.

    You should never say bad things about the dead, only good. Billy Graham is dead. Good.

  83. 83.

    Immanentize

    @Amir Khalid:
    Well, that probably makes almost every religious person — or “man” of God as you put it — a horrible person.

    I prefer the Catholic version that understands that the line between good and evil runs straight down the center of the human heart.

  84. 84.

    Immanentize

    @Bobby Thomson: I’ll certainly go with you there! It reminds me of the short lived MTV game show which featured the question, “Dead or Alive?”

    I think, because his son is such a big mouth, I would have gone with dead. I guess I am mixing up Bob Hope’s State funeral with what I thought was Graham’s
    /S/

  85. 85.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Immanentize: IIRC he demanded that any group inviting him to lead a crusade in their locale make sure the crusade was completely desegregated. Don’t know if his team monitored this.

  86. 86.

    El Caganer

    Maybe Kucinich would settle for being executive director of SETI. It would seem to be a better fit.

  87. 87.

    JPL

    Trump today

    Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation? Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Session!

    Why oh why are they investigating me.. lol

  88. 88.

    Immanentize

    @Ladyraxterinok: He talked some serious trash on tape with Nixon. But I think Graham Pere really tried to walk the walk especially on race He was bigoted in that he believed Christianity and a life in Christ (which I have always thought was a weird construction) was the only path to salvation — here or beyond. He seemed to find Jews, well, unworthy of attention other than conversion therapy….

  90. 90.

    Aleta

    I know everybody knows, but it’s nice to hear, every time:

    Joan Walsh
 
@joanwalsh
 Feb 14 

    I want to remind everyone about Virginia 2017: In the 13 races where pro-gun control Democrats squared off against NRA Republicans, Democrats won 12. Top of the ticket — Northam, Fairfax and Herring — had F NRA ratings, and all won. It’s not hopeless.

  91. 91.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Bobby Thomson: His mi istry made several movies. Saw a couple st retreats when I was in college. As I recall, I thought they weren’t bad. At the time, I was about 40% still in SoBapt bubble.

  92. 92.

    JPL

    @Immanentize: Trump is still tweeting about Russia, and appears to tweet that they should investigate Obama not him. What’s your gut feel has his latest tweet? Like many of us, I hope it means that his end is near.

  96. 96.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Immanentize: Was interestingly appally to compare Billy’s remarks at memorial for OKC bombing victims with Franklin’s at Columbine memorial. I remember feeling Billy’s remarks were inclusive to some extent. But that Franklin basically gave a fierce ‘Sinners in the Hand of an Angry God’ altar call.

  99. 99.

    Immanentize

    @JPL: I am not sure his end will ever come, but those around him will be falling away. I think Trump cares too much about himself to really care about others, except maybe Ivanka, to do anything if he thinks he can stay clear.

    His latest tweet is crazy! What are the Dem crimes? Failing to work harder to end Russian actions FOR Trump? But we know it is not logic he is after but tribal signalling…. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him get more overtly into the bigot bunker again (immigration, terrorists, etc.)

    Who knows what Mueller is doing entirely? The Shadow, I guess.

  102. 102.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    @cosima:

    It’s like everybody forgot the plotline to Battlestar Galactica Rebooted:

    – Intelligent beings evolve
    – They network computers and expand through space
    – They create labor saving robots and artificial intelligence
    – They install the intelligence into the labor saving devices
    – The devices rebel and destroy their creators as well as themselves through built in biases and personalities in the architecture
    – This cycle repeats across the millennia

    Personally, I love that critical utility functions, military functions and personal history databases aren’t airgapped. Maybe our modern IT wizards should consult the BSG writers about what is smart and what isn’t.

  103. 103.

    MomSense

    @Sab:

    I remember the split screen of Kucinich praising Assad while tanks were rolling down the streets. The America Worst crowd love him.

  105. 105.

    J R in WV

    @Amir Khalid:

    What he said! Unreconstructed Southron Baptist racist theocratic hater.

    Otherwise perhaps, just barely possible, a nice guy to his grandkids…or not.

  107. 107.

    danielx

    @JPL:

    Question: If all of the Russian meddling took place during the Obama Administration, right up to January 20th, why aren’t they the subject of the investigation? Why didn’t Obama do something about the meddling? Why aren’t Dem crimes under investigation? Ask Jeff Session!

    Because Obama was bending over backwards (too far actually) to avoid the appearance of trying to influence the election, you fucking tool.

    ETA: every time I think he can’t get any more delusional, he proves me wrong.

  111. 111.

    japa21

    @danielx: There is method to his madness. I know some people think he is too stupid to actually plot things out, but I somewhat disagree. Within a narrow channel of thought, with specific goals in mind, he can be extremely thorough in his thinking.

    Keep in mind his consistent claims.
    1. He won because he was a great campaigner.
    2. He should have won even more bigly except for A, B and C. (Those change form time to time).
    3. There was no collusion between him, his campaign and the Russians.
    4. Russia colluded with the Democrats and Crooked Hillary.
    5. Even if Russia did meddle (and that is a big if) it didn’t influence a single vote.

    To him, all this talk about Obama doing nothing, etc. is just further proof that Obama was in on the meddling and the meddling , if it occured, was actually meant to help Crooked Hillary. Therefore, it just reconfirms how great he is because it shows that despite all this, he won.

    Does any of this make sense to rational people who are paying attention? Of course not.

    Does it make sense to his base? Of course it does.

  112. 112.

    Amir Khalid

    @Immanentize:
    A certain chauvinism about their faith, even against its explicit teaching, seems to me a fairly common trait among the very devout, regardless of religious affiliation. And chauvinism about faith is often accompanied by chauvinism about other things.

  116. 116.

    Barbara

    @chris: CPAC disinvited him from this year’s festivities. I am sure for someone like D’Souza that’s like cancelling Christmas for a little kid.

  117. 117.

    Ruckus

    @different-church-lady:
    If you are right then we still have slavery. We don’t. Have we made anywhere near enough progress? No. There is still a long way to go and your point being that we may never get there 100% seems valid to me, much as I hate to say it. We are allowed to have independent “thought” after all. A lot don’t and play follow the leader in their hate, but that is a decision that they make and they can make a different one if they want. But hate is an emotion that we all have, we can’t get rid of it, we can only recognize that we have it and that it doesn’t need to run and ruin our lives.

  118. 118.

    Adria McDowell

    @Ladyraxterinok: @rikyrah: See, this is how I recalled it, too. Glad it’s not just me.

    I think a lot of coverage is about how Putin wants to fuck with western democracies, but, to me, there has been less coverage about how many evangelicals/conservatives look at Putin as “defender of Christianity.”

  120. 120.

    Brachiator

    Remember the last few weeks there was all the articles, tweets, strategy memos, TV punditry etc claiming Trump was getting popular, Dems were doomed, don’t talk about Russia, etc?

    Just heard this nonsense again on some local talk radio program. “The people don’t care about the Mueller investigation. It’s too ‘weedy’.”

  121. 121.

    germy

    This being Black History Month, our local PBS station has been showing some decent documentaries. I wish they’d continue for the next eleven months.

    But every time I see footage of those angry young white people holding signs like “Go Back To Africa” or throwing eggs at young women trying to get an education, I’m reminded they’re now angry old white people, and they’re still voting; still affecting our elections.

    Saw footage from 1963. Teenaged white girl snarling at civil rights marchers. And now that young lady is in her early ’70s and wearing a MAGA cap.

  124. 124.

    J R in WV

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Many self proclaimed men of God (of almost any religion) excel at bigotry.

    And you put your finger on it with “self proclaimed” which is not how it is supposed to work at all.

  125. 125.

    WereBear

    @Adria McDowell: about how many evangelicals/conservatives look at Putin as “defender of Christianity.”

    And to think my Southern Baptist upbringing was filled with rants about the godlesscommies. I guess they think Putin is born-again.

  126. 126.

    danielx

    @Kathleen:

    I know. Remember how awful it was to have a president who could express a coherent thought and behaved in keeping with the dignity of the office?

  127. 127.

    Brachiator

    @japa21:

    There is method to his madness. I know some people think he is too stupid to actually plot things out, but I somewhat disagree. Within a narrow channel of thought, with specific goals in mind, he can be extremely thorough in his thinking.

    I totally agree with your larger point, although I don’t think that Trump is extremely thorough. But there is a discernible pattern in the way that he attacks and tries to deflect attention. Also he suckers people into defending him and creates webs of loyalty.

  129. 129.

    Kay

    @Ladyraxterinok:

    Wasn’t Kucinich big with lefties, but a real outside chance and would never win nationally cuz his views screech ‘socialis!!’ to most voters? Like someone else?
    Then going to Fox!! Surely well-known lefties have other job options!

    Cordray was diligently working away to advocate for and protect student borrowers while Dennis was cashing his Fox checks. Cordray was a great state AG while Dennis was doing nothing in Congress.

    I mean, come on. This is Trump-level quality. LOW. They’re endorsing the much less worthwhile PERSON out of some fucked up bitterness where they have to punish Obama hires.

  130. 130.

    Kay

    @Ladyraxterinok:

    It’s Trump-like too, the level of nonsense. He’s running as a “DC outsider”. The former House member and Fox news celebrity.

    It’s a lie. His candidacy is based on a blatant, obvious lie. It’s downright Trumpian.

  131. 131.

    Jeffro

    Does everyone remember back when “there were no contacts” between the Trumpov campaign and the Russians? Remember back when whomever hacked the DNC was a “400-pound guy sitting on his bed”?

    And then, “Okay, there were a couple of contacts”

    And then “Okay, there were a number of contacts, but they were about Russian adoptions”

    And then “Okay, they raised the idea of helping the Trump campaign – in the middle of the adoption discussion, no less – but we said ‘no thanks’ ”

    And then “Okay, the meeting was actually about Russia helping Trump, but they didn’t have anything good…and they certainly didn’t meddle in the election”

    And then “Okay, maybe they did meddle, but it didn’t have any effect”

    And then “Okay, maybe they did meddle, and who knows if it had any effect, and why didn’t Obama stop them, er, us?”

    It’s almost like there’s a pattern there…hmm…

  132. 132.

    Aleta

    @danielx: He forgot to blame himself for Sessions. By now he believes that’s 100% Congress’s fault I suppose.

    ETA. Soon he’ll just blame the Democrats for Sessions.

  133. 133.

    Peale

    @Kay: some people are outsiders because they’ve never been to DC or held office. Others are outsiders because they aren’t capable of making lasting friendships.

  134. 134.

    japa21

    @Brachiator: True, I may have overstated it with the word thorough. In terms of figuring out how he can manipulate his base he can be thorough, but he is, I think, incapable of seeing how what he does impacts those beyond his base. He has never had to play to a larger audience and doesn’t know how. Just watch how he speaks when he tries. Slow, plodding, playing at being serious but failing miserably.

    I couldn’t believe his talking about how to protect our schools and using the phrase “evidence based”.

  135. 135.

    germy

    @Jeffro:

    It’s almost like there’s a pattern there…hmm…

    What’s next? “They DID meddle, they put me in the White House, and I’m suspending elections until I can get to the bottom of this. Stephen Miller will now take your questions.”

  136. 136.

    Gin & Tonic

    @WereBear:

    I guess they think Putin is born-again.

    What’s been born-again is the Russian Orthodox Church, which very obviously knows which side of its bread is buttered. Craven opportunists on both sides of that relationship.

  138. 138.

    Sab

    @Ladyraxterinok:”Surely lefties have other job option”. He doesn’t need a job. He was in Congress forever. He has a damn good pension and full medical benefits, unlike the rest of us.

  140. 140.

    Kay

    Mark Elliott‏
    @markmobility
    Follow Follow @markmobility
    More
    For those advocating arming teachers, NYPD officers in gunfights miss their targets with 4 out of 5 bullets. Meaning the bullets end up hitting something else.

    The “hit rate” is only 18%! Wouldn’t you have thought higher?

  143. 143.

    germy

    the New York Times reports:

    Mr. Kushner, frustrated about the security clearance issue and concerned that Mr. Kelly has targeted him personally with the directive, has told colleagues at the White House that he is reluctant to give up his high-level access, the officials said. In the talks, the officials say, Mr. Kushner has insisted that he maintain his current level of access, including the ability to review the daily intelligence briefing when he sees fit.

    But Mr. Kelly, who has been privately dismissive of Mr. Kushner since taking the post of chief of staff but has rarely taken him on directly, has made no guarantees, saying only that the president’s son-in-law will still have all the access he needs to do his job under the new system.

  144. 144.

    JoeyJoeJoe Junior Shabadoo

    @germy: I don’t know if it’s the same girl, but Oprah I think had her and the target of the snarling on together once. The Snarler apologized for how she acted back then.

  147. 147.

    Sab

    @Kay: And the news media are obsessed with Kucinich. Totally ignore Cordray, who has actually done useful stuff, and follow the odd one’s every word. That’s also kind of Trumpian.

  149. 149.

    Aleta

    @Kay: They must believe they’re on the edge of losing everything they care about. You lie to an investigation when you believe the truth exposed brings a worse fate than going to trial.

    And still trust that escape routes will work to avoid jail.

  150. 150.

    No Drought No More

    “This is a wave, folks”. Joy Reid

    More like a tidal wave, if one considers what led California to drown its state GOP in the Pacific ocean over the past few decades (the proverbial bathtub being initially too small). Which is to say, republicans long ago took a dive off the high board into an empty pool, and today represent a grouping of irredeemable political lunatics. And as California recently went, so will go the nation… or else.

  155. 155.

    germy

    @Aleta:

    ‘I’m a businessman, I don’t care about the past.’
    –The incredibly smart and successful Jared K

    I had bosses like him back in the ’80s. Bought the company, then called the managers in and asked “Who can we fire? Who can we lay off?”

    Ended up destroying the company.

  163. 163.

    Miss Bianca

    @chris: Wow, a tweet so deluded it got deleted?

    Now my brain is working on some neologistical mash-up of “tweet” and “delete”. De-Tweeted?

  164. 164.

    Stan

    @Kay:

    The “hit rate” is only 18%! Wouldn’t you have thought higher?

    No, pistols are really hard to shoot accurately. And much harder when the adrenaline is pumping.

  167. 167.

    MCA1

    @No Drought No More: I don’t think the populations of West Virginia or South Dakota are as inclined to scuttle their GOP affiliates as Californians were. Or, indeed, to even notice that the Republican Party has turned into the nihilistic shitburger that it has. So it won’t be that kind of epic wave.

    The structural barriers to Democratic constituencies voting and having their votes dispersed fairly throughout districts installed in the redder states helps lessen the effect of a wave, too.

    All that said, there are probably enough pickups available in California and the newly redrawn Pennsylvania to get halfway to retaking the House already. And if we keep getting these sorts of huge swings in special elections that it seems sustainable, then picking up 50 seats or more will start to sound pretty achievable. I don’t put a whole lot of faith in this particular Kentucky race – the margin’s so extreme that it just seems easier to believe the personal factors of the pastor overwhelmed everything else. But the other recent results certainly feel wavish.

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