This is Badger McMurtry, the best early anniversary present anyone has ever received. Ever.
Here he is sleeping:
Jesus, how cute is that? Open thread!
by Betty Cracker| 266 Comments
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Domestic Politics, Open Threads
This is Badger McMurtry, the best early anniversary present anyone has ever received. Ever.
Here he is sleeping:
Jesus, how cute is that? Open thread!
This post is in: Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Republicans in Disarray!, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?
New Tussauds exhibit is spooky. pic.twitter.com/dw0BnU0zzr
— Schooley (@Rschooley) April 27, 2018
At least we don’t have to pretend Trump is making any godsdamned sense…
Trump plans to do FOX PHONERS more regularly, Kellyanne Conway says on Fox News.
CONWAY: “The president has said he would like to perhaps come once a month and as news breaks. He’ll keep us guessing.”
FOX: Wait. Come to Fox & Friends once a month?
CONWAY: “Yes.” pic.twitter.com/106QSsGrsC
— Jennifer Jacobs (@JenniferJJacobs) April 27, 2018
From the Daily Beast:
… According to aides, Trump thought the interview went well and considered it a slam-dunk—even as many senior officials remained dismayed at the potential legal and political damage that the president can cause with these types of freewheeling, grievance-filled live interviews that often resemble private phone calls to friends and confidants. (For instance, on that same Thursday morning, Trump’s comments on Fox & Friends were immediately used against the president’s embattled personal attorney and fixer Michael Cohen in court.)
Two White House officials independently referred to the Fox & Friends appearance as “therapy” for the president—therapeutic sessions that, apparently, Trump intends to call in for many more times during his presidency…
Maybe we could take a trick from caged-bird keepers: Give Donny Dollhands a gilt-framed, tricked-out mirror that shows 3D images at half again their actual size, loop in an applause track, and let him be his own best audience.
Open Thread: Cheer Up, It Could Always Be WorsePost + Comments (145)
by Adam L Silverman| 325 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Media, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Silverman on Security, All Too Normal, Our Failed Media Experiment, Our Failed Political Establishment, Outrage
I wasn’t going to do a front page post on this, but the same clown has tried to spam two different posts on two different nights about this, so now that Joy-Ann Reid has formally apologized, I reckoned I’d put up a post on it. Here’s her apology:
.@MSNBC's Joy Reid addresses homophobic blog posts:
"I genuinely do not believe I wrote those hateful things … But I can definitely understand, based on things I have tweeted and have written in the past, why some people don't believe me." pic.twitter.com/PWjdPfs5KB
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) April 28, 2018
And here’s her guest/fill in host and Washington Post columnist Jonathan Capehart’s transcribed response:
.@CapehartJ: The beauty of what you did at the open was put into context where society was. That chronology you just showed shows where society was. I would not even be talking to my own mother is she had not evolved. #AMJoy pic.twitter.com/CX9EqMJtuq
— AM Joy w/Joy Reid (@amjoyshow) April 28, 2018
My guess is that this won’t put the issue to rest. That the same people who have been screaming for Reid’s head all week will continue to do so. Especially as the person who went spelunking through a ten year old defunct blog in order to bring things to this point has now decided to go after Markos Moulitsas over something someone else posted on Daily Kos back in 2005 and appears to now be going after Rachel Maddow for backing (at this point in time) Tom Brokaw in regard to the sexual assault allegations against him (I’m not linking to that, you can go and find it if you want. Same twitter handle that was publishing Reid’s old blog posts).
I don’t know who this puritanical pony is who has decided to make it his or her work to go after these people because he or she is hiding behind a nym, nor do I really care why they’re doing it. But I reckon that he or she won’t stop because too many people are now weaponizing his or her work, which was likely the point.
One final and important point: does anyone actually want to be judged on something they wrote ten years ago? Or twenty? Or five? Or, in some cases, one? When they’ve clearly based on recent words and deeds changed their positions? Just in my professional work alone my views have changed significantly in the past decade largely because of adding first an experiential element to my work when I left academia and began doing applied work for the military and then when I transitioned from doing tactical work to strategic level work. Nothing is static – not people and not the world. Everything changes. Sometimes for the better. Sometimes for the worse. Perhaps, just maybe, we should cut ourselves and each other a bit of slack. After all we’re only human.
Open thread.
This post is in: An Unexamined Scandal, Election 2016, Open Threads, Post-racial America, Vagina Outrage, Decline and Fall, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?, Our Failed Media Experiment, Riveted By The Sociological Significance Of It All
“White, Christian and male voters, the study suggests, turned to Mr. Trump because they felt their status was at risk.”https://t.co/ggbfodyMUX
— Sahil Kapur (@sahilkapur) April 26, 2018
It’s the latest euphemism for “racism, with a grounding in sexism”. From the Atlantic, “People Voted for Trump Because They Were Anxious, Not Poor”:
… After analyzing in-depth survey data from 2012 and 2016, the University of Pennsylvania political scientist Diana C. Mutz argues that it’s the [former]. In a new article in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, she added her conclusion to the growing body of evidence that the 2016 election was not about economic hardship.
“Instead,” she writes, “it was about dominant groups that felt threatened by change and a candidate who took advantage of that trend.”
“For the first time since Europeans arrived in this country,” Mutz notes, “white Americans are being told that they will soon be a minority race.” When members of a historically dominant group feel threatened, she explains, they go through some interesting psychological twists and turns to make themselves feel okay again. First, they get nostalgic and try to protect the status quo however they can. They defend their own group (“all lives matter”), they start behaving in more traditional ways, and they start to feel more negatively toward other groups…
Mutz examined voters whose incomes declined, or didn’t increase much, or who lost their jobs, or who were concerned about expenses, or who thought they had been personally hurt by trade. None of those things motivated people to switch from voting for Obama in 2012 to supporting Trump in 2016. Indeed, manufacturing employment in the United States has actually increased somewhat since 2010. And as my colleague Adam Serwer has pointed out, “Clinton defeated Trump handily among Americans making less than $50,000 a year.”
Meanwhile, a few things did correlate with support for Trump: a voter’s desire for their group to be dominant, as well as how much they disagreed with Clinton’s views on trade and China. Trump supporters were also more likely than Clinton voters to feel that “the American way of life is threatened,” and that high-status groups, like men, Christians, and whites, are discriminated against…
Study not only explains why white voters, especially men, supported Trump but why *media pundits* chose to focus on economics as the cause. https://t.co/mE62y75nqS
— Soraya Chemaly (@schemaly) April 23, 2018
I don’t think that was ever a prevailing opinion except among some all-white groups. Plenty of white people—I think especial those of us from working class roots—& most people of color thought it was bs. https://t.co/JtfzzocI4k
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) April 24, 2018
Michael (no, not *that* guy) Cohen, at the Boston Globe, is more honest:
… Mutz found little to no evidence that a decline in income, loss of a job, or concerns over a worsening “personal financial situation” drove voter preference. Rising unemployment or a drop in manufacturing jobs in the area where someone lived wasn’t much of a factor either. In fact, “living in an area with a high median income” was a far more important predictor of a vote for Trump. This is precisely the opposite of what one might expect for an election allegedly decided by “economic anxiety.”…
Many pundits (myself included) came to believe that Trump’s racism would doom his chances. The opposite occurred. It spearheaded his victory. It’s small wonder that as president Trump has stuck to race-baiting and xenophobia on everything from immigration and terrorism to protests at NFL games. The man might not understand anything about policy or how to be president, but he does appear to grasp that his supporters share his cultural and racial resentments — and that the key to his continued political success is to keep fanning those flames.
The lesson for Democrats is that winning over Trump voters on economic issues may not be the most effective message in upcoming midterm election. The better strategy is to activate the multi-racial coalition of blacks, Hispanics, white liberals, and suburban women who supported Clinton in 2016 and who have become the engine of the so-called resistance. Of course, that also means that the racial resentments activated by Trump will not be dissipated — and if the attacks on Clinton are any indication, will be further magnified. It’s a depressing reminder that as much as we’d like to wish 2016 away, it will remain with us for some time to come.
If we can’t change their tiny minds — or, as the Media Village Idiots would prefer, pretend a more thoughtful, less prejudiced electorate into being — then we can at least be clear about who our “friends” really are.
Saturday’s Child Open Thread: <em>“Status Anxiety”</em>, *Sigh*…Post + Comments (352)
by Adam L Silverman| 71 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Foreign Affairs, Military, Open Threads, Silverman on Security
(Image 1: Sybil Ludington Monument)
Last night in 1777, 16 year old Sybil Ludington rode 40 miles to alert the American militia that the British had moved on Danbury, CT. Ludington was able to alert over 400 militia and she fended off an attack during her ride with her father’s musket.
(Image 2: Sybil Ludington Historical Marker)
Ludington’s ride was partially the result of her father being a colonel in the colonial militia:
On April 26, 1777, Colonel Ludington received word from a rider that the nearby town of Danbury was under attack by British troops and needed help. At the time, Ludington’s regiment had disbanded for planting season, and his men were miles apart at their respective farms. With the rider too tired to continue and Colonel Ludington focused on preparing for battle, young Sybil rose to the cause. Some accounts say she volunteered; others that her father asked for her service, but either way, she rode through the night alerting the Colonel’s men of the danger and urging them to return to the fight. She rode all night through dark woods and in the rain, covering anywhere from 20 to 40 miles (estimates vary). By the time she returned home, hundreds of soldiers were gathering to fight the British. Ludington’s troops arrived too late to win the battle, though they did fight with departing British soldiers.
(Image 3: Close Up of the Base of the Ludington Monument)
… completed her mission around daybreak, covering nearly 40 miles—more than twice what Paul Revere had ridden—raising 400 men, and even fighting off a highway man with her father’s musket. The militia caught up with the retreating British and beat them back, too late to stop the attack, but not too late to make them pay dearly.
Alexander Hamilton wrote Col. Ludington: “I congratulate you on the Danbury expedition. The stores destroyed have been purchased at a pretty high price to the enemy.”
Sybil received personal thanks from both Gen. George Washington and Gen. Rochambeau, the French commander fighting with the Americans.
Colonel Henry Ludington’s memoir claims:
“One who even now rides from Carmel to Cold Spring will find rugged and dangerous roads, with lonely stretches. Imagination only can picture what it was a century and a quarter ago, on a dark night, with reckless bands of “Cowboys” and “Skinners” abroad in the land. But the child performed her task, clinging to a man’s saddle, and guiding her steed with only a hempen halter, as she rode through the night, bearing the news of the sack of Danbury. There is no extravagance in comparing her ride with that of Paul Revere and its midnight message. Nor was her errand less efficient than his. By daybreak, thanks to her daring, nearly the whole regiment was mustered before her father’s house at Fredericksburgh.”
(Image 4: Sybil Luddington’s Tombstone)
I think Ms. Luddington would be particularly touched that this happened on the 241st anniversary of her ride:
#PantherFamily, we congratulate Capt. James Simpson on a successful command of C/1-508 and wish Capt. Shaye Haver well as she assumes command! pic.twitter.com/k9yag3FHSr
— 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Abn Div (@PantherBrigade) April 26, 2018
Yep, that’s a Ranger tabbed woman taking command of an operational company in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team/82nd Airborne Division. That’s progress!
H-Minus! & All the way!
Open thread!
(Sorry I was a day late on this, but things have been a wee bit busy…)
by John Cole| 35 Comments
This post is in: Dog Blogging, Lily
Hard to believe a week ago I thought I was going to lose her.
It’s just so nice having her right by me all the time. I can’t imagine her not being here.
Also, thank you all again for the financial help with her care.
by Adam L Silverman| 140 Comments
This post is in: America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Foreign Affairs, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Silverman on Security, Not Normal
The Democratic minority on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence (HPSCI) has issued a rebuttal report to the GOP majority’s report that was released this morning. The Democratic minority report can be found here. As I indicated earlier regarding the majority report, I’ve only had a chance to give this a quick read and won’t have a chance to do a deep dive until later in the weekend. I do want to note a couple of points from the introduction.
One year later, the Committee’s Majority has shattered its commitment by rushing to end its investigation prematurely, even as it continues to investigate President Donald Trump’s political opponents, our intelligence agencies, law enforcement, and diplomatic corps, and former members of the Administration of President Barack Obama.
In so doing, the Majority has not only failed to meet the mandate given to the HPSCI by the Speaker of the House and the Minority Leader, but they have engaged in a systematic effort to muddy the waters, and to deflect attention away from the President, most recklessly in their assault on the central pillars of the rule of law. Their report, as with their overall conduct o f the investigation, is unworthy of this Committee, the House of Representatives, and most importantly, the American people, who arc now left to try to discern what is true and what is not.
The Majority’s report reflects a lack of seriousness and interest in pursuing the truth. By refusing to call in key witnesses, by refusing to request pertinent documents, and by refusing to compel and enforce witness cooperation and answers to key questions, the Majority hobbled the Committee’s ability to conduct a credible investigation that could inspire public confidence. The Majority’s conduct has also undermined Congress’ independent investigative authority. Their repeated deferrals to the White House allowed witnesses to refuse cooperation, and permitted the Administration to dictate the terms of their interaction with Congress, or evade congressional oversight altogether, setting a damaging precedent for future non-cooperation by this President and, possibly, by his successors.
These Views memorialize the Minority’s profound disappointment with and objections to the manner in which the Majority subverted this investigation, and highlight for the public some of the most glaring misrepresentations, distortions, and inaccuracies in the Majority’s report.
A majority of the report’s findings are misleading and unsupported by the facts and the investigative record. They have been crafted to advance a political narrative that exonerates the President, downplays Russia’s preference and support for then-candidate Trump, explains away repeated contacts by Trump associates with Russia-aligned actors, and seeks to shift suspicion towards President Trump’s political opponents and the prior administration.
One can find no better example of the Majority’s willingness to contort facts to support its politicized narrative than the report’s Finding #35. The Majority argues that evidence that Trump associates sought after the election to establish secret back channels to communicate with the Russians without the U.S. government finding out – and then lied about it – actually proves there was no collusion with Russia. The sophistry of this kind of analysis, and the report as a whole, wither under scrutiny. Even before its public release, the report suffered in the face of public revelations that bear directly on the investigation and contradicted the Majority’s conclusions.
The actions of both the majority and minority on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence in releasing their reports come as either new information is coming to light or older information is being fleshed out regarding the June 2016 meeting between Russian assets/proxies and Donald Trump, Jr, Jared Kushner, and Paul Manafort at Trump Tower in NY, as well as other Russian attempts to establish connections with the President and/or members of his campaign.
MOSCOW (AP) — An organization established by an exiled Russian tycoon says it has obtained emails showing collaboration between Russian government officials and the Russian lawyer who met with Donald Trump Jr. in 2016.
— Eric Tucker (@etuckerAP) April 27, 2018
A day after Trump Tower meeting, the Russian oligarch who orchestrated mtg sent Trump an expensive painting for his birthday. Trump's response: "There are few things better than receiving a sensational gift from someone you admire," per @jeremyherb https://t.co/apbvIkkSoP
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 27, 2018
Oh, Russia asked to set up a Trump backchannel using the NRA. House GOPs refused to investigate. pic.twitter.com/54roaXRolL
— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) April 27, 2018
NRA, facing scrutiny over ties to Russia, setting aside years of documents related to Alexander Torshin, per @SaraMurray. Dems on HPSCI doc today cited emails showing Russia wanted to use NRA convention in 2016 to make 'first contact' with Trump camp. https://t.co/pohL6RunXP
— Manu Raju (@mkraju) April 27, 2018
The National Rifle Association is setting aside years of documents related to its interactions with a Kremlin-linked banker, as the gun-rights group appears to be bracing for a possible investigation, according to sources familiar with the situation.
The NRA has faced fresh scrutiny from congressional investigators about its finances and ties to Alexander Torshin, one of the 17 prominent Russian government officials the US Treasury Department recently slapped with sanctions. The gun-rights group has said it is reexamining its relationship with Torshin, who is a lifetime NRA member, in the wake of the sanctions.
The renewed attention has highlighted the close-knit if sometimes uneasy alliance between top NRA officials and Torshin — a relationship that ensnared members of Trump’s team during the presidential campaign, inviting further congressional scrutiny.
Those inquiries could shed light on the tightly held fundraising practices and political activities of the NRA. The political powerhouse shelled out more than $30 million in 2016 to back Donald Trump’s candidacy — more than it spent on 2008 and 2012 political races combined, according to the Center for Responsive Politics. Vice President Mike Pence is slated to speak at the National Rifle Association’s annual convention in Dallas next Friday, an official told CNN.
The NRA recently found itself facing allegations that the FBI was investigating whether Torshin illegally funneled money through the group to bolster Trump, according to a McClatchy report. The NRA has publicly denied any contact from the FBI and insisted it hasn’t accepted illegal donations.
Despite the public denials, officials at the gun-rights group have been anxiously preparing as if they were already under investigation, sources said. Some employees have been tasked with preserving years of documents mentioning Torshin or his associate, Maria Butina, who runs a pro-guns group in Russia, a source familiar with the situation said. Privately, some officials have expressed anxiety about a potential investigation and the group’s Russian ties.
Much more at the link.
Despite the dysfunction on the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence the investigation into Russian active measures and cyberwarfare during the 2016 campaign will not end here. The Senate Select Committee on Intelligence is still conducting its investigation as is the Special Counsel’s Office. Moreover, the British and Canadian Parliaments are both engaging in their own investigations into Cambridge Analytica, its parent company SCL, there corroboration with Facebook, and how all of this is connected and may also be connected to Russia. Finally, Putin’s efforts to weaken the US and its NATO and EU allies and partners won’t be ending any time soon either.
Stay right where you are!
Open thread.