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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / GOP Stupid Venality / Venal Stupidity Open Thread: As Above, So Below

GOP Stupid Venality / Venal Stupidity Open Thread: As Above, So Below

by Anne Laurie|  April 27, 20189:10 pm| 46 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, All Too Normal, Decline and Fall, Good News For Conservatives

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Steve King is entering Jim Hoft's Gateway Pundit articles into the record at Diamond & Silk's House Judiciary Committee hearing

— Josh Billinson (@jbillinson) April 26, 2018

Go ahead, tell me that Congress is the problem and not the salt-of-the-earth heartland voters who have been electing this guy to state and federal offices for over 20 years. https://t.co/QbHF0GjZ4F

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) April 27, 2018

There is barely a person in this room who isn’t trying to suppress laughter right now or looking at each other wondering what the hell is going on. Gohmert & Steve King just busted out laughing as @DiamondandSilk starting promoting their social media page for folks to follow

— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) April 26, 2018

Both Steve ‘Pigmuck’ King and Louie ‘Dumbest Dude in Congress’ Gohmert are quite silly enough to have called this hearing out of genuine confusion about Facebook’s filtering protocols, or in sympathy with the “rights” of a couple of African-American Trump supporters to monetize the How-Can-He-Be-A-Racist-When-He-Has-Black-Friends market, if only they’d been able to keep a straight face…

Had a nice chit chat w/ "Diamond and Silk" — I'm just astounded @HouseGOP @HouseJudiciary Committee would stoop to this level so they can make more money. https://t.co/46VIwk5bt6

— Rep. Hank Johnson (@RepHankJohnson) April 26, 2018

.@RepHankJohnson (paraphrasing): we could be talking about elex interference, or Russian influence, or range of important issues–but instead we've given a platform to Diamond & Silk, who have made a ton of $$ off of Facebook & by complaining about being "censored" by FB.
**Yes

— Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) April 26, 2018

(Spoiler: Diamond & Silk were not “censored”, although it’s an open question whether or not they understand that.)

Diamond (or silk, whatever) is arguing that the ability to make money from a platform is same as free speech. I would love to see a legal case on that.

— Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) April 26, 2018

Peak 2018: Diamond and Silk testifying before Congress about how their constitutional right to make ads for white supremacists are somehow being infringed upon.

pic.twitter.com/WAQit4APH3

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) April 26, 2018

so is Diamond & Silk's play here to perjure themselves into an 'I am Spartacus' moment ahead of a whole bunch of other Trumpworld frauds getting indicted?

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) April 26, 2018

Diamond is saying under oath she and Silk have “never been paid” by the Trump campaign…. UHHHHHHHH, paging @dellcam https://t.co/3tVhgokGXr

— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) April 26, 2018

In going back through FEC records, I also noticed (and hadn't previously seen this) that the only other candidate to pay Diamond and Silk in 2016 was…white nationalist Paul Nehlen pic.twitter.com/EZyvhknaMA

— Lachlan Markay (@lachlan) April 26, 2018

Aaaand, to tip the scales from stupid to venal, look who else showed up…

One thing I forgot to mention about the hearing: after it was over Darrell Issa went up to chat with Diamond and Silk and talked about how Wikipedia is also mean to conservatives pic.twitter.com/gSYCN8Ep3g

— Asawin Suebsaeng (@swin24) April 26, 2018

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Reader Interactions

46Comments

  1. 1.

    rikyrah

    April 27, 2018 at 9:13 pm

    You need a laugh.
    Here’s a father, who did his best…but, his little girl let’s him down easy.

    https://twitter.com/__BAriP100/status/989848351595167745?s=19

  2. 2.

    Baud

    April 27, 2018 at 9:13 pm

    I feel that BJ’s pie filter infringes on my constitutional rights.

  3. 3.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 27, 2018 at 9:15 pm

    WTF?

  4. 4.

    Peale

    April 27, 2018 at 9:17 pm

    @Baud: I think it’s just your consumer rights, which aren’t in the constitution, sadly. When’s the last time you received the actual pie you were promised?

  5. 5.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Just a little well intentioned perjury before Congress. Nothing to see here…

  6. 6.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    One thing I forgot to mention about the hearing: after it was over Darrell Issa went up to chat with Diamond and Silk and talked about how Wikipedia is also mean to conservatives

    …huh.

    Meanwhile, from the things-more-credible-than-2018 files, I got line edits back for my short story about near-future psychic Kabbalistic librarians, so (not to count too many chickens) I’m optimistic the editor will buy it after I work out a few kinks.

  7. 7.

    Mnemosyne

    April 27, 2018 at 9:23 pm

    And here I thought my new favorite Japanese cartoon, “Inazma Delivery,” was surreal.

    Each episode is only about 2 minutes long, so you can watch the entire first season on YouTube in about 20 minutes. There are no subtitles, but it’s all cartoon violence and gibberish, so you don’t really need them.

  8. 8.

    Mnemosyne

    April 27, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    @rikyrah:

    My biracial niece in IL used to wear her hair like that when she was little, but usually in just one bun — we called it “the pouf.” ?

    Now she’s all grown up at age 12 and insists on braids. Sigh.

  9. 9.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    April 27, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Is that like ‘lite treason’?

  10. 10.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Don’t make me break out my Kabbalah materials and put a hex on you.

  11. 11.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 9:27 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Apparently.

  12. 12.

    Chyron HR

    April 27, 2018 at 9:28 pm

    Giving Madea a sidekick has really revitalized this classic franchise! Summer fun for the whole family! ***1/2

  13. 13.

    Mnemosyne

    April 27, 2018 at 9:28 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    I’m optimistic the editor will buy it after I work out a few kinks.

    Maybe you need EBT’s editor if the problem is your kinks. ??

  14. 14.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2018 at 9:29 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: for what? And that wouldn’t be very nice.

  15. 15.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 9:30 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Appropriating someone else’s mystical tradition.

  16. 16.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    So has anybody been following the Joy Reid clusterfrak? Curious as to y’all’s thoughts.

  17. 17.

    Dorothy A. Winsor (formerly Iowa Old Lady)

    April 27, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Excellent!

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    April 27, 2018 at 9:31 pm

    how Wikipedia is also mean to conservatives

    How long until House GOP members start reading Conservapedia articles into the Congressional Record?

  19. 19.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 9:32 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Given that her Javert has now decided to go after Markos Moulitsos, I think what was looking bad is now going to get very interesting. My guess is that whoever the twitter user is, she is either a sock puppet for someone whose name we’d recognize or she’s working on behalf of someone whose name we’d recognize.

  20. 20.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2018 at 9:33 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: blame Cornelius Agrippa and Borges before me!

  21. 21.

    TenguPhule

    April 27, 2018 at 9:33 pm

    I wish for very bad things to happen to Diamond & Silk. They have gone the extra mile to being complete assholes in addition to grifting crooks.

  22. 22.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    April 27, 2018 at 9:36 pm

    Since when do people have the right to an audience? This is ridiculous bullshit and a waste of taxpayer dollars. The House killed their Russia investigation for this?

  23. 23.

    Yutsano

    April 27, 2018 at 9:38 pm

    @Mnemosyne: There…isn’t very much that needs translated there. It’s a lot of Engrish and babble.

    But oh man that looks addictive.

  24. 24.

    Chyron HR

    April 27, 2018 at 9:41 pm

    @TenguPhule:

    I wish for very bad things to happen to Diamond & Silk.

    What, you mean worse than the usual violent death you wish on generic Republicans?

  25. 25.

    TenguPhule

    April 27, 2018 at 9:41 pm

    @Chyron HR: For assholes of note I can be quite inventive.

  26. 26.

    efgoldman

    April 27, 2018 at 9:47 pm

    @dmsilev:

    How long until House GOP members start reading Conservapedia articles into the Congressional Record?

    Remember Newtnik’s “special orders” in the mid-90s? That’s essentially what they did, droning along on CSPAN after dinner.

  27. 27.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 27, 2018 at 9:51 pm

    I’m delighted that I have no idea whatsoever what this is about. I’m also delighted that I’m two cocktails into Friday now.

  28. 28.

    Gin & Tonic

    April 27, 2018 at 9:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Made me think of this.

  29. 29.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 27, 2018 at 9:58 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Just checking.

  30. 30.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 10:02 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: Needs a live chicken.

  31. 31.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 10:05 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Basically they accused at least two members of Congress of lying about the FEC having documentation from the Trump campaign reimbursing/paying them on the basis that the FEC report is fake news. So that would mean that the President’s campaign falsified its FEC filings.

    What’s even worse is that they’ve been paid around $30K by Paul Nehlen’s campaign.

  32. 32.

    Omnes Omnibus

    April 27, 2018 at 10:11 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: My WTF wasn’t about not understanding what is going on. It is because I understand what going on and can’t fucking believe it.

  33. 33.

    Aleta

    April 27, 2018 at 10:12 pm

    JiaJing @JiaJing_Liu

    Replying to @justinsreedy @tomscocca @jbouie
    How convenient of (Andrew) Sullivan to forget about the British Empire and its overseas colonies. Prior to 1971, the majority of non-white people who moved to Britain were from Commonwealth countries, aka British subjects, not immigrants.

  34. 34.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2018 at 10:13 pm

    @Aleta: what did Sully do now…

  35. 35.

    Gravenstone

    April 27, 2018 at 10:14 pm

    I’ve seen multiple comments about Diamond and Silk (or Zircon and Dacron as I believe someone tagged them), but never looked into them. Assumed they were misguided kids. Had no idea they were 40something clowns.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    April 27, 2018 at 10:30 pm

    @Omnes Omnibus: Now I’m tracking.

  37. 37.

    Aleta

    April 27, 2018 at 10:33 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: Overtly racist mourning about the changed demographics of London, fed by his homemade facts, easily disproved. Which he expands to float his ideas about immigration = not good. He feels OK with that bc he’s superior to other ims, I suppose.

    NY Magazine doesn’t edit him for accuracy, apparently. That agreement, if that’s what happened when he signed, lets him freely damage their reputation. What he brings them is a measurable amount of attention paid to his stupidity; and maybe they’re fine with that.

  38. 38.

    debbie

    April 27, 2018 at 10:36 pm

    @Gravenstone:

    I like that name!

  39. 39.

    Aleta

    April 27, 2018 at 10:42 pm

    @Gin & Tonic: I was listening to her this afternoon.

  40. 40.

    Mnemosyne

    April 27, 2018 at 10:44 pm

    @Yutsano:

    They first sucked me in with the Bytheway Dance.

  41. 41.

    Lee

    April 27, 2018 at 10:54 pm

    Lock her up! (for the perjury)

    Yeah that will never happen.

  42. 42.

    Jay

    April 27, 2018 at 11:01 pm

    @Major Major Major Major:

    https://wonkette.com/633052/i-a-flaming-homosexual-dont-give-a-flying-fuck-whether-joy-reid-wrote-that-shit-10-years-ago

  43. 43.

    chopper

    April 27, 2018 at 11:14 pm

    Steve King is entering Jim Hoft’s Gateway Pundit articles into the record at Diamond & Silk’s House Judiciary Committee hearing

    none of this statement makes any sense.

  44. 44.

    Major Major Major Major

    April 27, 2018 at 11:19 pm

    @Jay: I read that, and while I agree that people write things they later don’t believe and that’s okay (hi Cole!), well, you gotta own up to it. (Edited to correct misconception about article; apparently I only read a lengthy excerpt, not the full piece)

  45. 45.

    sdhays

    April 27, 2018 at 11:53 pm

    @Major Major Major Major: I don’t watch cable news (so no one should really care about my opinion), but everything I’ve seen up to now has left me very impressed with Joy Reid. I believe her.

    Either way, her network hired Mrs. “Santa Claus IS NOT BLACK” and rehabilitated Brian Fucking Williams so they had better crawl through hot coals and broken glass defending her unless they want other members of the NBC family to be subject to unflattering comparisons in her treatment…

  46. 46.

    Boris, Rasputin's Evil Twin

    April 28, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: A 10 year old boy came into my library this week asking for material on the Illuminati. I was tempted to say, Sorry, we can’t tell you anything about us – oops!” Should we see about recruiting him?

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