Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

if you can’t see it, then you are useless in the fight to stop it.

Never entrust democracy to any process that requires republicans to act in good faith.

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Let there be snark.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

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

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

I really should read my own blog.

Roe isn’t about choice, it’s about freedom.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Gaslight Flight (Open Thread)

Gaslight Flight (Open Thread)

by | 196 Comments

This post is in: , , , ,

Last month on Air Force One, Trump denied any knowledge of his fixer Michael Cohen’s $130K payoff to Stormy Daniels. This week, Rudy Giuliani revealed that Trump had reimbursed Cohen, which suggests strongly that Trump was aware of the payoff.

The Trump fluffers on Fox News tried to square that circle by claiming that maybe the notoriously cheap Trump allowed Cohen to disburse a $130K payment without knowing to whom it was going or for what purpose. But today, Trump denied that he said he didn’t know about Michael Cohen’s payoff to Stormy Daniels:

He’s a liar, of course — it’s on video and everything. But why is he lying about this particular thing now? My guess is that it’s related to the since-retracted revelation yesterday that Michael Cohen’s phone was tapped. First NBC said the phones were tapped, meaning agents could listen in to conversations, and that a White House call was intercepted. Later, NBC walked that back, claiming other sources said call logs only were monitored.

Trump ain’t taking any chances. Maybe the lines were tapped, maybe they weren’t, but Trump knows he talked to Cohen about Daniels. He knew about the payoff — the cheap bastard doesn’t even pay legit vendors, so he’s not rubber-stamping outgoing mystery money. He’s afraid he’s on tape discussing Daniels with Cohen. So, what choice does he have now except to lie about what he said just a few weeks ago, even though it’s on video?

Gaslighting worked on Trump’s marks during his career as a real estate scammer and licensing schemer. It worked on his wives, at least for a while. It works on his stupid base, and fellow elected Republicans at least pretend to his face to believe Trump’s lies. The mainstream media has proved willing to choke down a tray of bullshit sandwiches too. Looks like Trump will test the full limits of their credulity.

Reader Interactions

196Comments

  1. 1.

    The Dangerman

    Gaslight Flight

    Trump has regressed to trying to light his farts with a match?

  4. 4.

    O. Felix Culpa

    Never underestimate the stupidity and cupidity of the trumpistas. Based on my Facebook feed, they happily believe and disseminate at least five blatant lies before breakfast. Doesn’t even matter if one lie belies another, they BELIEVE.

  5. 5.

    MomSense

    Why won’t our fearless media follow Ryan and McConnell areound and ask them not just to comment but why they will not do anything about the lying, the obstruction, the chaos,and the corruption?

    Yes we all know what they will answer but why let them get away with their refusal to meet their obligations? Get up all in their grills and hound those cowards. Put them on the spot. Jesus I’m so sick of this.

  6. 6.

    The Dangerman

    @yam:

    …trying to light his presidency on fire with a match.

    I’ve basically given up trying to predict what will bring this fucker down, but it’s going to be spectacular flameout.

  8. 8.

    germy

    Michael Cohen is “very frustrated” by claims that Rudy Giuliani made in a Thursday press blitz about hush money payments Cohen doled out during the 2016 presidential campaign, MSNBC’s Donny Deutsch said Friday.

    Deutsch, appearing on Morning Joe, said he’d spoken to Cohen about Giuliani’s revelation that President Trump reimbursed the $130,000 Cohen paid to adult film star Stormy Daniels to keep her quiet about her alleged sexual relationship with Trump.

    “I spoke with Michael Cohen yesterday and his quote about Giuliani was: He doesn’t know what he’s talking about,” Deutsch said.

    “He said look there’s two people that know exactly what happened, myself and the President and you’ll be hearing my side of the story,” Deutsch continued. “And he was obviously very frustrated with what had come out yesterday.”

    talkingpointsmemo

  9. 9.

    MJS

    In line with MomSense’s question, why wouldn’t someone in that gaggle immediately pull the video up on their phone and say, “Here Mr. President. This is what you said.” (Can’t watch at work, so if someone did, my bad, but I’ll be shocked if it happened).

  10. 10.

    MattF

    Lying, bullying, bluster, obfuscation. Trump has a limited behavioral repertoire, and that’s all there is to it. For the record, it’s not at all delusional– it’s very clearly done deliberately and with malice aforethought.

  11. 11.

    germy

    Roseanne went after Stormy, claiming she’s known for “anal porn scenes”

    Stormy wasn’t having any of it.

    I don't even do anal movies, you ignorant twat. That's like saying you are known for your beautiful rendition of The Star Spangled Banner. https://t.co/azOOZMDGdw
    — Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) May 4, 2018

  13. 13.

    LAO

    *thud* >head hits desk<

    Rudy Giuliani confirms he will be issuing a new statement. "It's a question of misinterpretation," he says. Of the president: "He says he loves me."— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) May 4, 2018

  14. 14.

    randy khan

    My theory on Giuliani’s appearance on Hannity is evolving. Originally, I thought he might have done it on his own. Then yesterday morning’s tweets and the White House staff reaction made me think that Trump and Giuliani had cooked it up together. Now I’m beginning to think it was a Giuliani plan, and he wrote tweets to support the story that Trump then transcribed (which explains the one random typo), but that Trump now has been told by someone that Rudy’s plan wasn’t so hot.

  15. 15.

    MattF

    @LAO: It’ll have to be one of those magical self-refuting statements, e.g., “This sentence is false.”

  16. 16.

    debit

    @O. Felix Culpa: The true believers will continue to do so until they die. I’m talking the hard core idiots, the Alex Jones fans. I feel confident those are the actual 27%. The rest of them? They may have some regrets now. It’s too bad and so sad they will forever have Trump stink all over them.

  18. 18.

    LAO

    @MattF: I almost can’t wait to see what Giuliani comes up with next. The office pool is running 2:1 in favor of admitting the commission of a new federal crime by Trump. I hate everything about these fuckers.

  19. 19.

    feebog

    @LAO:

    Rudy Giuliani confirms he will be issuing a new statement. “It’s a question of misinterpretation,” he says. Of the president: “He says he loves me.”— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) May 4, 2018

    So they have figured out that Rudy’s version of the facts don’t match up with Trumpov’s and now they are going to attempt a “do over”. Pro tip, there are no do overs in politics.

  23. 23.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Betty Cracker: Please enjoy the world’s calmest video: A 7-minute tutorial on how to pick up a cat

    There is an entire separate ecosystem that exists within the internet that is designed to calm you. There are “oddly satisfying” GIFs on Reddit and hour-long ASMR videos on YouTube and entire fleets of websites that serve as weighted blankets against the shrieking terror of the rest of the internet. These things can all be nice—they are designed to be nice—but none of them are as nice as this 7-minute informational video about how to properly pick up a cat.

  24. 24.

    Spanky

    Now on the WaPo front page:

    A sour smell of panic in the White House as the law closes in
    By Eugene Robinson

    Trump’s tower of lies is crumbling
    By Greg Sargent

    Scott Pruitt’s disastrous tenure at the EPA, told through cartoons
    By Tom Toles

    Trump gives a new political cachet to the criminal class
    By Karen Tumulty

    Rudy Giuliani has no idea what he is doing
    By Jennifer Rubin

    We filed a complaint about Trump’s ethics. Giuliani made it possible.
    By Norman Eisen and Noah Bookbinder

    Why does the WaPo hate ‘Merka?

  25. 25.

    prostratedragon

    @WereBear: I’ve often mused on my college-days obseesion with card games, in which the best bids were No Trump. (See also Star Trek Next Gen, “Cause and Effect”)

  26. 26.

    MomSense

    I know the balloon-juice media empire already has a few podcasts but why not give the willing FPers cameras and pay them to do some decent GD reporting.

  27. 27.

    No One of Consequence

    The Schadenfreude is indeed compelling, but I fear for my country.

    Recall Jefferson’s quote. Perhaps His Justice is, in fact, finally awakening. Recall Lincoln’s quote to the KC lawyers that no foreign boot would set foot on the Appalachians, but that American would require internal enemies for our downfall.

    I, like many of you, believe that there is compelling evidence to suggest a systematic, intentional weakening of our government and the checks and balances it relies upon for idealistic *and* pragmatic functioning.

    Our President* is a man of low character at best. At worst he is a Traitor. Capital T. Capital crime. Capital punishment as laid out in the Constitution, for the *only* crime addressed in that document.

    But it is the small, gathering mass of all the unintended consequences of this chapter in our collective History. This malfeasance will have a looooooooooooong tail, and we will be feeling and dealing with it’s effects for longer still.

    We are losing more than our global reputation (deserved or undeserved), we are losing our ability to attract good businesses, good people and perhaps most costly to us in the long run, good *will* of our neighbors and allies. We are allowing discord to be sewn amongst our citizenry and populous, and we will all share the bitter harvest that results.

    This is going to require more than ridding ourselves of this Administration and all they have touched. This will require a re-dedication to our highest ideals, and a coordinated striving to regain the stature we have forsaken. Much ground has been lost. It will continue to be lost until we collectively decide to be fellow Americans and strive to live up to the ideals laid down by our forefathers and foremothers.

    I, for one, am hoping my malaise and weariness and shame turn to anger, and action and advancement of corrective measures. If enough Americans get pissed off enough, and if they can somehow find a way to work together, Lord help those who oppose us.

    I’m getting Angrier.

    How ’bout choo?

    – NOoC

  28. 28.

    Brachiator

    He’s a liar, of course — it’s on video and everything. But why is he lying about this particular thing now? My guess is that it’s related to the since-retracted revelation yesterday that Michael Cohen’s phone was tapped

    Makes sense. Trump can’t exactly deny anymore, so he’s got to establish a different motive and try to obfuscate everything.

    Don’t know why
    You don’t believe my lies,
    Stormy Daniels,
    Cohen and Rudy can’t get their shit together
    Keeps lying all the time

    Life is bare
    That Mueller’s everywhere
    Stormy Daniels,
    Just can’t get my poor self together
    I’m weary all the time, the time
    So weary all the time

    The mainstream media has proved willing to choke down a tray of bullshit sandwiches too. Looks like Trump will test the full limits of their credulity.

    It almost doesn’t matter anymore. Trump’s base don’t care and see all this as keeping Trump from doing what he promised them.

    ETA: I am curious to see how Trump revs up the NRA crowd. He needs another dip in the adulation of Deplorables.

  31. 31.

    West of the Rockies

    Maybe, maybe some original Trump supporters weren’t evil. Maybe they were just wildly ignorant, misinformed, dumb. Maybe 20 years of anti-Hillary propaganda marred them and they thought, “Hey, Trump is a rich businessman. He must be super smart! He’s not a politician, so we can trust him.”

    But if you still like him, there is no longer any wiggle room: you are a bigoted, misogynistic, racist money-pig… And you’re still dumb.

  32. 32.

    germy

    @Spanky:

    Why does the WaPo hate ‘Merka?

    Don’t worry. They’ll run an editorial by Ed Rogers pretty soon to make up for it.

  33. 33.

    The Golux

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    …they happily believe and disseminate at least five blatant lies before breakfast.

    Alice laughed: “There’s no use trying,” she said; “one can’t believe impossible things.” “I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was younger, I always did it for half an hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

    Through the looking glass, indeed.

  36. 36.

    rikyrah

    @LAO:

    Here’s the thing….no matter the answer…there’s always an underlying crime with this group-which makes THE TRUTH – not an option.

    So, it’s a win-win for those of us who want to see them in orange jumpsuits.

  37. 37.

    WaterGirl

    @feebog:

    Pro tip, there are no do overs in politics.

    That’s only true if the “media” don’t let you getaway with the lies and the bullshit.

  39. 39.

    debit

    @germy: Hah hah hah! I took great pleasure this morning in seeing that Roseanne’s ratings continue to plummet every week. If she continues to shed viewers at the same rate, that second season renewal may be reconsidered.

  40. 40.

    Yutsano

    @germy: Sigh. Roseanne can’t even slut shame properly. And even if Stormy DID do anal, so what? It’s the fucking 21st Century. Fuck her ersatz Puritanism.

  42. 42.

    Shell

    cheap Trump allowed Cohen to disburse a $130K payment without knowing to whom it was going or for what purpose.

    See voters. What an advantage it is having a real businessman in the White House?

  43. 43.

    Mandalay

    Marco Rubio on April 26:

    “If we basically say everyone is on their own and the market’s going to take care of it, we will rip the country apart, because millions of good hardworking people lack the means to adapt….

    …There is still a lot of thinking on the right that if big corporations are happy, they’re going to take the money they’re saving and reinvest it in American workers…In fact they bought back shares, a few gave out bonuses; there’s no evidence whatsoever that the money’s been massively poured back into the American worker.”

    Marco Rubio on May 2:

    Overall, the Republican tax-cut bill has been good for Americans. That is why I voted for it.

    Trump has now released Rubio’s family. They are safe, and were not harmed during their captivity.

  45. 45.

    germy

    @rikyrah: Meanwhile, Tom Arnold will be starring in a new TV show. Something about tracking down the hidden Apprentice outtakes.

    He’s been crowing about that for about a year now. I suspect he has nothing. But at least he’s found work.

  46. 46.

    West of the Rockies

    @No One of Consequence:

    I hope, NOoC, that we can right the ship. I suspect though that once we have a president in office from the Democratic Party, once more we’ll see outrage, hear squeals of indignation from conservatives when that president orders the “wrong” mustard or otherwise offends their tender sensibilities.

    Hopefully, other countries will welcome our return to logic, decency and honor.

  47. 47.

    Amir Khalid

    @MJS:
    If you call this President a liar to his face, or worse if you prove it, he’ll take it out on you and your newspaper/TV network/whatever. And your editors will not thank you for the loss of access.

  50. 50.

    satby

    @Spanky: it’s a nightshade plant, like tomatoes and peppers. Lots of people are allergic and allergies can develop even to something you’ve used a hundred times. Don’t eat it!

  51. 51.

    Brachiator

    @germy:

    Roseanne went after Stormy, claiming she’s known for “anal porn scenes”

    So is Roseanne. How is this an issue?

    Also, even among Trump voters, Stormy Daniels has always been a popular star. Trump having a brief fling with her trips their fantasy meters.

  53. 53.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    @Mandalay:

    Trump has now released Rubio’s family. They are safe, and were not harmed during their captivity.

    You’re giving Rubio way too much credit. He’s a gutless punk ass coward.

  55. 55.

    Amir Khalid

    @LAO:
    I can’t say I find this surprising. Giuliani’s only just shown the world that he’s disconnected from reality and common sense.

  56. 56.

    ET

    I don’t know that the mainstream media won’t call out this bit of shit, the problem is that in some respects they know it won’t matter. They know that the people who haven’t lost their minds and are paying attention can see what is going on and while they will discuss it and question administration officials and GOP talkers and everyone is shaking their head wonder what the hell while at the same time knowing that someone this blatant seems to get away with shit. Everyone is a bit befuddled.

    They also know that tRumpers don’t care that tRump lies. They know that those people aren’t listening because they are purveyors of “fake” news and are part of the “liburl media bias” . No one over here is befuddled because they don’t care and aren’t listening.

  57. 57.

    germy

    Each day brings more news.
    Worst thing that ever happened
    to Trump was winning.

  58. 58.

    rikyrah

    Get the ENTIRE PHUCK OUTTA HERE!!

    Jill Stein: I’m refusing to turn over some docs in Russia probe because lawmakers shouldn’t have even asked for them https://t.co/vqiBZjVxH7 pic.twitter.com/dCXAFGT9Kv

    — The Hill (@thehill) May 4, 2018

  59. 59.

    Cacti

    At this point, the GOP is a fully post-truth party, following a pathological liar.

  61. 61.

    TenguPhule

    @MJS:

    why wouldn’t someone in that gaggle immediately pull the video up on their phone and say, “Here Mr. President. This is what you said.”

    What do you think we are, Norway?

  65. 65.

    debit

    @rikyrah: I bet that works out just as well as refusing to file and pay taxes because sovereign citizen argle bargle.

  67. 67.

    Brachiator

    @The Ancient Randonneur:

    You’re giving Rubio way too much credit. He’s a gutless punk ass coward.

    They all are. All the Republicans. Everyone of them.

    Even McCain is having his “come to Jesus” moment way too late. From various news reports.

    John McCain savages Trump in new memoir accusing him of denigrating American values, praising ‘tyrants’, demeaning refugees and employing ‘weird’ advisers

    U.S. Senator John McCain rebukes President Donald Trump in a new memoir, accusing his fellow Republican of failing to uphold U.S. values by showering praise on international ‘tyrants,’ discrediting the media, ignoring human rights and demeaning refugees.

    ‘Flattery secures his friendship, criticism his enmity,’ wrote McCain in ‘The Restless Wave,’ which he co-authored with longtime aide Mark Salter.

    ‘It is hard to know what to expect from President Trump, what’s a pose, what’s legitimate,’ McCain said in the book that is due to be released on May 22. An advance copy was sent to Reuters by publisher Simon & Schuster.

    Even odds that Trump will attack McCain, despite McCain’s illnesses.

  68. 68.

    Chyron HR

    @germy:

    “Ha ha ha benis go in your butt!”

    Are they saying that their President has shit on his dick? Sick burn, yo.

  70. 70.

    khead

    I’ve often mused on my college-days obseesion with card games, in which the best bids were No Trump. (See also Star Trek Next Gen, “Cause and Effect”)

    Stopped by for the snappy banter and pet pics. The references to bridge(!) and TNG are just a bonus. On a side note, I’m glad my college days obsession with card games came before the poker craze. Bridge was a lot cheaper.

  71. 71.

    Mnemosyne

    @West of the Rockies:

    But if you still like him, there is no longer any wiggle room: you are a bigoted, misogynistic, racist money-pig… And you’re still dumb.

    This. EVEN IF you granted someone an excuse for their initial vote, anyone who continues to defend him is hopeless and needs to be ignored.

  72. 72.

    lgerard

    I love trump’s new position

    Rudy is just a trainee and is not yet up to speed

  73. 73.

    Bobby Thomson

    @feebog: please. There are probably more Mulligans in politics than any other field. We had Dick Nixon to kick around for quite a while.

  74. 74.

    TenguPhule

    @West of the Rockies:

    Maybe, maybe some original Trump supporters weren’t evil. Maybe they were just wildly ignorant, misinformed, dumb.

    “Stupidity cannot be cured. Stupidity is the only universal capital crime; the sentence is death. There is no appeal, and execution is carried out automatically and without pity.”

    ― Robert A. Heinlein

  75. 75.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    @Brachiator:

    Even odds that Trump will attack McCain, despite McCain’s illnesses.

    Indeed. Trump is already on the record stating he prefers vets who weren’t captured.

  76. 76.

    TenguPhule

    @Spanky:

    Why does grilled eggplant make my mouth itch?

    Not cooked well enough or you have an allergy to it.

  79. 79.

    TenguPhule

    @West of the Rockies:

    Hopefully, other countries will welcome our return to logic, decency and honor.

    Sorry, our one and only Mulligan was Bush Jr’s regime of error.

  80. 80.

    TenguPhule

    @satby:

    Lots of people are allergic and allergies can develop even to something you’ve used a hundred times. Don’t eat it!

    Even if you’re not allergic, not eating eggplants is always the best option.

  81. 81.

    Spanky

    @Brachiator: Hang on now. There’s a huge difference between doing an asshole and being an asshole. I’m unaware of Roseanne being in the fomer category, but the latter ….

  82. 82.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    I liked it better when reality TV was fake.

    i liked it better when reality tv wasn’t even a concept.

  83. 83.

    Kay

    It’s still hard to get used to- how much they lie. They lie to everyone, all the time. The lies aren’t even consistent from one Trump Administration employee to another so you don’t know if the 2nd lie is to cover up the 1st lie or to cover up the truth.

    They’ll now point to the record of Trump saying what he said and say it doesn’t exist, I guess. This is insanity. In a way it’s terrifying because it’s so unmoored from anything real. There’s no ground under you feet when you’re listening to them- no objective truth.

    They won’t even admit “YOU said THIS on THIS day”- so not even going to the truth of what they said but simply getting them to admit they said it. Simply getting them to admit the statements are inconsistent, not even weighing in one whether one is false and the other true. You can’t even get that.

    Probably BOTH statements are lies, right, considering the character and past history of the two people who made them? Trump and Sanders were lying with the first statements and Rudy is also lying with the second.

  84. 84.

    TenguPhule

    @rikyrah:

    Jill Stein: I’m refusing to turn over some docs in Russia probe because lawmakers shouldn’t have even asked for them

    “Congress has made their demands, now let them enforce it!”

    “How many army divisions does the Senate have?”

  86. 86.

    Shell

    So, Trumps latest excuse is that Guiliani “is learning on the job.”

    Yup, all the best people.

  87. 87.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    No wonder they don’t want to immigrate here.

    Apparently if the choice is between Lutefisk and Republicans, the Lutefisk is preferable.

  88. 88.

    Felony Govt (Formerly Old Broad in California)

    What’s really scary is – it’s Friday. Is there going to be any MORE of a news dump today? The entire week has been one bombshell after another. Don’t know if I can take the excitement.

  90. 90.

    laura

    @Spanky: because you are developing an allergic reaction.
    I ate shellfish my entire life. December 2001, first dungeness crab of the season. One unbelievably delicious bite in -a funny feeling in the mouth. Next, i felt slammed by a semi-truck, an overwhelming feeling of anxiety as my blood pressure dropped while my pulse skyrocketed. Breathing became difficult as my throat swelled and restricted. I looked up and said call 911.
    Fortunatley, there was bendryl in the cupboard and i was given three and then the ambulance hauled me off to the er.
    Now allergic to all shellfish. No more chinese restaurants due to cross contamination or hidden oyster sauce.
    Never leave the house without an epi pen with a strio of benadryl taped to it.
    Do not risk eating it until/unless you’ve been evaluated to determine if this is safe. Your life could depend upon it.

  95. 95.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    It’s still hard to get used to- how much they lie. They lie to everyone, all the time. The lies aren’t even consistent from one Trump Administration employee to another so you don’t know if the 2nd lie is to cover up the 1st lie or to cover up the truth.

    They’ll now point to the record of Trump saying what he said and say it doesn’t exist, I guess. This is insanity. In a way it’s terrifying because it’s so unmoored from anything real. There’s no ground under you feet when you’re listening to them- no objective truth.

    This is why I favor the “just kill them all and lets pretend this whole sorry state of affairs never fucking happened” approach.

    I don’t want to have to keep dealing with this shit. I want to go back to normal boring life things happening at a predictable rate.

  96. 96.

    HeleninEire

    So I’ve got a question/complaint. As a lifelong NY’er (well until now) all I heard was “Oh NY gets all the attention. If that (insert a NY disaster/problem/political issue) happened anywhere in the US it would not get nearly the attention as NY is getting.”

    So ALL NY’ers, certainly NYC people, knew about Trump and Guilianni and what assholes they were/are. Why didn’t the rest of the country know this, since NY got all of the media coverage?

  97. 97.

    rikyrah

    THIS.SHYT.HAS.GOT.TO.STOP!!!

    2 Native American teenage brothers saved their own money and drove the family car for an official tour at Colorado State University.

    A white mom called the police on them because they “made her nervous.”

    Boys were removed from the tour by police. https://t.co/yaMtyoV2ME

    — Shaun King (@ShaunKing) May 4, 2018

  98. 98.

    TenguPhule

    @HeleninEire:

    Why didn’t the rest of the country know this, since NY got all of the media coverage?

    Because apparently they assumed everyone was up to date on everything in New York, so Trump’s past was not news, it was olds.

  100. 100.

    TenguPhule

    @rikyrah:

    A white mom called the police on them because they “made her nervous.”

    Fuck her feelings, the pissy white snowflake.

  102. 102.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Probably BOTH statements are lies, right, considering the character and past history of the two people who made them? Trump and Sanders were lying with the first statements and Rudy is also lying with the second.

    CRIMES all the way around…which is why they can’t tell the truth. At every turn, it’s a LIE to help with the CRIME.

  103. 103.

    rikyrah

    @Kay:

    Did you see the post I left you..
    Kucinich is now doing interviews with RT.
    RT!!
    He doesn’t care if he wins. He’s not a Democrat.

  105. 105.

    Mandalay

    @germy: Well Rose’s planned comeback/redemption just took a bit of a hit:

    Nearly 30 more women have accused former TV journalist Charlie Rose of sexual harassment and abuse, bolstering the accounts of eight other women who came forward in November and whose allegations led to his firing.

    Fourteen women who worked with him at CBS News and 13 others who worked with him elsewhere shared new incidents including of unwanted advances, groping, and lewd comments with the Washington Post dating back to 1976.

    And CBS now has some more mansplainin’ to do:

    While CBS has repeatedly denied knowledge of Rose’s behavior before the original Washington Post report in November, the paper’s additional reporting revealed that three women who worked with Rose had complained to managers about his alleged misconduct.

  107. 107.

    ascap_scab

    Whether the FBI has the conversations recorded doesn’t matter. Cohen didn’t have any secured phones. With all the Stingrays in DC, somebody has him on tape. Is it the Russians, Chinese, Koreans, or some other actor who will give it to Wikileaks at the time to do the most damage?

  111. 111.

    Brachiator

    @Spanky:

    Hang on now. There’s a huge difference between doing an asshole and being an asshole. I’m unaware of Roseanne being in the fomer category, but the latter ….

    Why not both?

  114. 114.

    Mnemosyne

    @HeleninEire:

    Because the NYC media didn’t want us to know what their hometown boy was up to. They’ve covered for him for years, and they keep doing it.

  115. 115.

    Mandalay

    @germy: From your enlightening link:

    Rose used to drive between his Manhattan and Bellport residences with an awkwardly large TV hooked up on the passenger-side floor of his Mercedes, so that he could spend the commute watching his own program. He laughed when I asked him about the safety of such multitasking.

    WTF??? Rose should be locked up for more than one reason.

  116. 116.

    Raoul

    The sadly inept NYT yesterday called Trump’s pair of incompatible statements a “reversal of position” as if saying one thing a few weeks ago and the opposite this week is akin to going from “I oppose seatbelt laws” to “I support them”. Obviously to all but Maggie Haberman’s employer, there was a blatant lie involved here. But we’ll call it a positional change to be nicey-nice. Gaaah.

  118. 118.

    Corner Stone

    @JPL:

    Pence’s doctor who complained about Jackson has resigned.

    Looks like she was just another poor sap who got turned to shit by being in the Trumpverse. Although her resignation may save her reputation, if not her military career.
    Politico Link:
    Pence doctor resigns after Jackson debacle
    “Vice President Mike Pence’s physician has resigned, the latest fallout from the collapse of Ronny Jackson’s nomination for secretary of Veterans Affairs.

    Dr. Jennifer Peña, who like Jackson is a military physician detailed to the White House, was among those who detailed claims of professional misconduct against Jackson to senators considering his nomination, according to a person familiar with the events. “

  119. 119.

    Major Major Major Major

    @TenguPhule:

    This is why I favor the “just kill them all and lets pretend this whole sorry state of affairs never fucking happened” approach.

    Ah, it’s going to be one of those days. (Ending in -y.)

    @schrodingers_cat: thanks, I’ll check that out later—gotta bang my head against some cryptography. Peace out ✌?

  120. 120.

    terraformer

    @MomSense:

    Hear, hear.

    I know that “Washington is wired for Republican control” (per Josh Marshall), and the hypocrisy of Republicans is never called out, and that if a Democrat did something 1/1000000th as bad as any number of Republican scandals, the media would most certainly be all up in their grills about it.

    But dammit, at what point should the media take in on themselves to tear all that out and re-wire? Perhaps take the view that there sometimes (lately, almost never) are NOT two sides, and one of them should be treated as the threat to democracy and our country that they so obviously are? I had enough of this shit during the BushCo years; the current wackjobs make them all seem rather quaint.

  121. 121.

    HeleninEire

    @Baud: Propofal? (sp?). Oh holy hell the best. Had it at my colonoscopy. That’s what Michael Jackson killed himself with (with the help of his doctor). I kinda get it. As an insomniac, falling asleep in a minute and then waking up a little bit stoned is heaven.

  124. 124.

    Spanky

    @laura: Uh, yeah, well I ate what was there. No further itchiness or after effects. I’m not a big fan of eggplant, so I won’t miss it.

    Thanks all!

  126. 126.

    Shell

    Mr. Giuliani, who joined Mr. Trump’s legal team last month, “just started a day ago,” Mr. Trump said,

    Silly me. I thought you hired somebody cause they KNEW what the hell they were doing.

  127. 127.

    Corner Stone

    Recognizing that it’s NSFW, but damn the Stormy Daniels’ twit feed is a freaking riot.

  129. 129.

    Neldob

    Can’t they just have a headline that says-Today’s Big Lie and spell it out. Treat him like the evil clown he is.

  130. 130.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    @Brachiator:
    Why do you always accentuate the negative? It’s always “it doesn’t matter to Trump’s supporters” as if nobody knew that already. They don’t matter anymore, have shrunk to a hardcore of nutjobs, and will be swamped in Novemeber by hardworking, passionate people who actually care about their country.

    Their time is over.

  132. 132.

    Chyron HR

    @Corner Stone:

    Vice President Mike Pence’s physician […] Dr. Jennifer Peña

    So Mother has to come with Mikey for all of his examinations? Even grabbing the balls and the finger up the butt? Awkward.

  134. 134.

    TenguPhule

    @Shell:

    So, Trumps latest excuse is that Guiliani “is learning on the job.”

    Recall in 2017 that this was Trump’s excuse for being a fuckup.

    So, for once he’s practicing the fine art of recycling!

  135. 135.

    LAO

    Tapper thread with Giuliani’s statement:

    STATEMENT OF FORMER "MAYOR RUDY GIULIANI, COUNSEL TO THE PRESIDENT "This is intended to clarify the views I expressed over the past few days."These are my views:…1/— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) May 4, 2018

  139. 139.

    RobertB

    @HeleninEire: Propofol. I had a colonoscopy last year. They didn’t knock me out all the way out with it, but ‘smashed out of my mind’ was a good description. No driving, signing legal documents, etc.

  144. 144.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    @Baud:
    I don’t want to be some mindless booster or anything. We all need to sometimes temper our expectations but I notice Brachaitor doing that a lot and it gets tiresome.

  145. 145.

    Spanky

    @rikyrah:

    Just grilled?
    What about raw?
    What about cooked in a soup?

    Heck, grilled was what was just in my lunch. Never had ’em raw, and I don’t remember them in soup. I was just sitting here at my desk reading BJ and eating lunch, and threw out the question.

  149. 149.

    TenguPhule

    @Baud:

    No worries. I can do it.

    Baud 2020: A mind is a terrible thing to waste. So let me do it instead!

  150. 150.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    @TenguPhule: All we need to do is keep fighting the good fight and standing up to them, speaking truth to power. Because good people countered the Nazis last year (and their own idiosyncrasies) the alt-right has virtually collapsed in the United States. Because good people got involved we have started to see results in special elections, even in places like Arizona where the Republican got less votes than normal. We have to keep hammering them.

    It’s the never-ending battle that has existed throughout history.

  151. 151.

    HeleninEire

    @RobertB: After resting for 30? minutes they let me walk 3 blocks home ACROSS QUEENS BLVD!!! I was fine. And had a very quiet day. Gonna say it was like 2?? beers. But the falling asleep right away. All you sleep people; you have no idea how frustrating it is to lie in bed forever waiting for sleep.

  152. 152.

    TenguPhule

    Mark Hamill has a podcast up on the Wapo homepage, for those of you who could use a lighter distraction.

  153. 153.

    EBT

    Whoo
    Got a tip inside of five minutes of posting the last post of my newest story!

  156. 156.

    PPCLI

    As entertaining as the Stormy Daniels Show is, we shouldn’t lose sight of the fact that nearly 20 women (or is it more by now? I’ve lost count…) have made plausible accusations of sexual assault against Trump. The only counter the administration has provided is to state flatly that every one of the women is lying, because Trump says so.

    The key takeaway from the Daniels show (even more important than the campaign finance violations etc.) is that it makes clear even to people like NYT Maggie that Trump will lie about anything. He will even tell lies that contradict one another. He is still refusing to acknowledge that he had sex with Daniels, when it’s clear he did.

    So given that he can’t be believed about anything, why are we not talking about the women who have plausibly accused him of sexual assault? His denials are worthless, everyone can see that.

  157. 157.

    TenguPhule

    U.S. troop withdrawal from South Korea is not on the table — for now, Trump says

    North Korea is going to rick roll him.

  158. 158.

    TenguPhule

    @PPCLI:

    So given that he can’t be believed about anything, why are we not talking about the women who have plausibly accused him of sexual assault?

    Because our media is stupid and has the memory of a mayfly.

    The other ten thousand current scandals in the wings also tend to drown out the older ones.

  161. 161.

    TenguPhule

    Friday infrastructure news dump. Interesting times ahead. And behind. And right now.

    US-China talks end in increased tension and demand for $200bn trade deficit cut

    Tensions between the US and China increased on Friday as it emerged US officials had handed Beijing a list of demands including a $200bn cut in its trade deficit and an end to state subsidies on strategic industries.

    The two days of talks in Beijing between Steven Mnuchin, the US treasury secretary, and Liu He, the vice-premier, ended on Friday after weeks of escalating rhetoric between the two nations.

    A statement released by the official Xinhua news agency described the talks as “frank, efficient and constructive” but added that there remained “significant disagreements over certain issues”.

    No joint statement was released and according to The Wall Street Journal the Chinese too made demands – calling on the US to stop threatening to impose $150bn in tariffs on imports and ease national-security reviews of Chinese investments.

    A document handed to Chinese officials described the trade relationship between the two countries as “significantly imbalanced”. The US’s trade and services deficit with China was $337bn last year, according to US data, and the Trump administration is pushing for a $200bn cut in that deficit by 2020.

    How stupid is Mnuchin? This stupid.

    Mnuchin also wanted assurances that China would not to retaliate against US measures currently being pursued against it. For instance, the US says China should agree not to target US farmers or agricultural products, and “not oppose, challenge or otherwise retaliate” when the US moves to restrict Chinese investment in the US in sensitive sectors.

  162. 162.

    Brachiator

    @Mnemosyne:

    Because the NYC media didn’t want us to know what their hometown boy was up to.

    Yeah, but odd on a number of levels. Maybe they didn’t think that he was a “serious” candidate. I can believe that he was so well connected the New York and New Jersey media barons owed him any big favors.

    And Staten Island was the only New York City borough where the majority voted for Trump (56 percent), so it’s not like the New York Times was catering to a pro-Trump reader base.

  165. 165.

    Ghost of Joe Lieblings Dog

    @HeleninEire:

    Rumor has it that early in the campaign, the entire NYT, reporters, editors, admin staff, and physical plant, moved to Punxsutawney PA in pursuit of a MAJOR story on one P. Phil, and on their way back to the metro Manhattan area unexpectedly ended up in Kansas instead of NY.

    So NYC didn’t actually have a major newspaper during the campaign …

  166. 166.

    Spc123

    As mentioned, today’s walk back is almost certainly due to the discovery late yesterday that the “wiretap” is only a pen register. Plumbing the depths of incompetence.

  169. 169.

    Brachiator

    @TenguPhule:

    Mnuchin also wanted assurances that China would not to retaliate against US measures currently being pursued against it. For instance, the US says China should agree not to target US farmers or agricultural products, and “not oppose, challenge or otherwise retaliate” when the US moves to restrict Chinese investment in the US in sensitive sectors.

    Wow., I knew that Trump and his people were stupid, but not this deep level of stupid.

    To be fair, this is just at absurd as the UK’s Theresa May insisting on wanting to leave the EU without any negative consequences at all.

  170. 170.

    Gravenstone

    @Mandalay: Saw a tweet in Cole’s timeline about Rubio’s flip flop. He’s blaming the original statement on an intern. Monica freaking Lewinsky called him on it! Said blaming it on the intern was “very 90’s”. I LoL’d.

  172. 172.

    smintheus

    I have been dealing for the last half year with a group of college students who think they can get away with anything just by willing it so, and when they were caught cheating they just gaslighted me. All the same answers: Nope. All the same answers verbatim: Nope. All the same wildly mistaken answers verbatim: Nope.

    They actually persuaded a disciplinary board to let them off the hook for cheating because some people are willing to be gaslighted. Sad fact of modern life.

  173. 173.

    Brachiator

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:

    Why do you always accentuate the negative? It’s always “it doesn’t matter to Trump’s supporters” as if nobody knew that already.

    I’m only stating a fact, the same as any number of posters here.

    They don’t matter anymore, have shrunk to a hardcore of nutjobs, and will be swamped in Novemeber by hardworking, passionate people who actually care about their country.

    You find this kind of empty cheer leading “positive?” Interesting.

    Also, I never take Republicans as political opponents for granted, not until they are defeated, and dead and buried and I have pissed on their graves. At least three times.

  175. 175.

    Dan B

    Today’s dodge by Trump seems like a ‘time to up the chaos’ ploy. Our MSM don’t seem to know how to report on or spin the chaos. They also miss what the chaos is hiding: Religious Freedom executive order for one.

  176. 176.

    TenguPhule

    @Major Major Major Major:

    many, dare I say most, people are able to make it through the day without recommending killing sixty-three million people in writing.

    ETA or, if I’m misreading, then replace that with “the president and his family”

    I assure you that number is much smaller then it was 15 months ago.

  178. 178.

    TenguPhule

    @Brachiator:

    To be fair, this is just at absurd as the UK’s Theresa May insisting on wanting to leave the EU without any negative consequences at all.

    I expect about the same response to Mnuchin the EU gave to May.

  181. 181.

    TenguPhule

    @Brachiator:

    Also, I never take Republicans as political opponents for granted, not until they are defeated, and dead and buried and I have pissed on their graves. At least three times.

    And that’s only because you have to rehydrate before resuming.

  182. 182.

    Gravenstone

    @rikyrah: To quote a commercial catchphrase: That’s not how this works. That’s not how any of this works.

  183. 183.

    efgoldman

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    most female performers do anal since it pays twice to 3 times as much money.

    As always I’m… ummm… impressed by the… ummm… depth… yeah that’s it, depth… of your knowledge

  184. 184.

    ruemara

    @Spanky: You may be eating too much of it. If I overdo the eggplant, I start reacting. Deadly Nightshade family & all. Oddly though, it’s really good in this vegan stew I made. with more deadly nightshade – tomatoes.

    @rikyrah: Fuck her. I hope she spends a good long time in jail, the fatuous, seditious nitwit.

  185. 185.

    Brachiator

    @TenguPhule:

    To be fair, this is just at absurd as the UK’s Theresa May insisting on wanting to leave the EU without any negative consequences at all.

    I expect about the same response to Mnuchin the EU gave to May.

    Two of my favorite BBC programs is the satirical program The News Quiz via podcast and Have I Got News For You (via YouTube). They regularly mock the shit out of May and her chief BREXIT negotiator, the improbably and redundantly named, David Davis.

    It’s also clear how absurdly similar the US and UK approaches have been. Weak, poorly thought out, and with childish lies to the people and to each other.

    For example, Mnuchin tried to get away with a one page “analysis” of the positive impact of the Trump tax cuts. David Davis had to admit that the UK Government had done no impact assessments for the implications of Brexit on sectors of the British economy.

  187. 187.

    Brachiator

    @TenguPhule:

    Also, I never take Republicans as political opponents for granted, not until they are defeated, and dead and buried and I have pissed on their graves. At least three times.

    And that’s only because you have to rehydrate before resuming.

    It also just feels good.

  188. 188.

    TenguPhule

    @Brachiator:

    David Davis had to admit that the UK Government had done no impact assessments for the implications of Brexit on sectors of the British economy.

    After claiming he was too busy in getting those assessments ready to spend time with Parliament discussing the negotiations.

    I’ve read the Guardian’s politics sketch.

  189. 189.

    Yutsano

    @Brachiator:

    Also, I never take Republicans as political opponents for granted, not until they are defeated, and dead and buried and I have pissed on their graves.

    I knew I liked you.

    At least three times.

    I’ll bring coffee. Maybe we can do this in one day.

  190. 190.

    gvg

    @laura: I think Spanky should get tested. Cross contamination is common and it might not be the eggplant he is reacting too. so if he starts avoiding eggplant but it’s actually something else he is becoming allergic too, he could still have one of those life threatening reactions.
    My sister developed the shellfish one suddenly in her 30’s. It was lucky for her that she was a doctor at work with other doctors and they gave her an epi pen quick. However she has always been vegetarian and hadn’t know she got any shell fish. It was cross contaminated utensils at a catered lecture lunch. Since then she has learned to avoid places that serve shellfish, for instance she can’t risk iced tea at Captain D’s. Also many prepared foods use crab juice to flavor up foods that have no obvious connection with shellfish such as squash casserole. You have to read labels very very carefully and never assume. Since it is so much work to look out for an allergy, it’s best if you know for sure.

  191. 191.

    jl

    As Krugman said on twitter a while back, Trump is an authoritarian without the authoritarianism. For this kind of gaslighting to work reliably and over longer term in government, you need to control the legislature, elections, the courts and the press first.

    So far, Trump only has control of the legislature, and we’ll see about he media. But scary how far he’s been able to go already down the authoritarian road in our country.

  193. 193.

    opiejeanne

    @satby: Tomatoes do the same to me, if I eat enough of them. We grow them every summer and I avoid store-bought for obvious reasons. Usually I can eat them 3 or 4 times a week for about 3 or 4 weeks before the itch begins, and I’m done. I figured out that it was an allergy when I was an adult, and that probably explained my aversion to them as a kid. I HATED them, but my dad’s tomatoes were very acidic and not tasty like the ones we grow.

  195. 195.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    Well, now, all you say is true, and there is no explanation of the woman’s call to 911 other than racist hatred… but after speaking with the young Native American men, they were in theory allowed to rejoin the tour.

    Except that the tour had progressed away from the young men and their police escort, and they didn’t get to take much tour at all. After a 7 hour drive!!!

    Pretty despicable on the part of the person who called the cops on people because she was a flaming bigot!!!

Comments are closed.