Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The most dangerous place for a black man in America is in a white man’s imagination.

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

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

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

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

The revolution will be supervised.

“The defense has a certain level of trust in defendant that the government does not.”

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

“That’s what the insurrection act is for!”

Consistently wrong since 2002

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

It’s a doggy dog world.

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

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

No Justins, No Peace

A consequence of cucumbers

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

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

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Let’s finish the job.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

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

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Reader Interactions

129Comments

  1. 1.

    WereBear

    But this is exactly what cheers me up!

    If they had kept it hidden, like previous administrations, we would be so very screwed. And this drags in the whole Republican party, essentially.

    Christmas in May!

  2. 2.

    Bruce K

    I totally get it. There’s a limit to how much evil a decent human being can tolerate being exposed to at a time. I’m hitting my limits earlier and earlier every day.

  3. 3.

    Yarrow

    Hang in there, John. We all knew things would get crazy as Mueller got close to Trump. He’s getting close and the news is insane. Have courage and hold the line where you can. It’s all happening now. These motherfuckers are a traitors and they are all going down.

    @WereBear: Exactly!

  4. 4.

    Yarrow

    John, how is Lily this morning? She is the cutest doggie. Thanks for sharing all the photos and keeping us updating on how she’s doing. Seeing pictures of her always calms me down. She’s the best.

  5. 5.

    GregB

    It is escalating at a rapid pace. Plus there is some really ominous stuff with the President talking about humans as animals and with the proposal to put children into concentration camps to the total dismissal of the massacre of Palestinians in Gaza and also the Trump followers who are acting like law enforcement is their personal security force designed to round up people they deem un-American.

    Also the whole notion that the President and his family are above the law.

    Dangerous, dangerous times.

  6. 6.

    Felanius Kootea

    It is perversely why he keeps on going, for now. The sheer magnitude of the fraud and awful behavior makes normal people feel almost paralyzed. But as someone who has lived through a Nigerian dictatorship, I assure you, his time in office will end and we will see the back of this monster. There will be a lot of rebuilding to do though, no question about it.

    I’ve been wondering whether he plans to move to Mississippi or North Dakota after his presidency because he’s not going to be able to live in New York after he’s done. Probably hasn’t thought that far ahead. And neither have his oldest idiot children.

  7. 7.

    MattF

    @Yarrow: Yes, Mueller is closing in– and DJT is… unhappy about it. It’s a dangerous moment, but there’s hope, too.

  8. 8.

    eric U.

    someone once told me his voting preference was to vote for the dumbest crook, because they would get caught, whereas the smart crooks wouldn’t get caught.

    Never thought it was a good idea, and I don’t think he really did it, but I have been thinking about it a lot recently.

  10. 10.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    We have a standing rule in our house that I don’t mention Trump or any Trump-related news before noon, if at all. The stories about evil literally make my wife sick to her stomach, so I filter some of those. She has her own news inputs anyway, mostly via Slate and the Onion.

    I’m starting to feel saturated as well, occasionally getting that literal nausea on some story. I think the latest for me was Sessions naming himself as sole judge for immigration cases.

    Maybe I need to get more active politically. It’s inspiring to see people who still have the strength and the optimism for the fight. After Election 2016, it was Elizabeth Warren who finally got me out of the fetal position sometime around January 1.

  11. 11.

    Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)

    Shit, if Republicans were smart, they’d try to ease Tяump out now. The longer he hangs on, the worse Republicans are going to do in November. Republicans keep getting giddy, and Democrats depressed, every time the generic ballot polls narrow a little. But this is only going to get uglier throughout the summer, and it’s going to fester. Tяump is going to fuck his whole party. I know it doesn’t look like it now, but my hunch is that Democrats are going to win both houses this fall. I think seats we aren’t even looking at may well end up in play before this whole thing is over.

  12. 12.

    opiejeanne

    @Bruce K: Yes. What’s helping save our sanity is our garden and revising a garden shed into a small art workshop, and baseball (although the Angels are driving us nuts this year).
    And some nights, Rachel outlining everything and Lawrence expressing our outrage provides the much-needed catharsis, although some of her stories of the day I already know about from Balloon Juice and the Twitter machine. it’s just fun to watch Lawrence’s reactions to these stories, much more fun than what inspires his reactions.

    And then there’s Michael Avenatti. (sp?) He is a godsend.

  13. 13.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Changing gears rapidly: we had some “uh-oh” pet news last night. Our 17-year-old long-hair cat, who has been looking pretty much ageless and eternal, all of a sudden had some sort of stroke or neurological episode. One of her back legs suddenly seemed to not be working. Half an hour later, it was fine but a front leg seemed to be troubling her. A little while after that, everything was fine and she’s fine this morning.

    Vet appointments can take days to weeks, so I guess now that the emergency seems to have passed, we can just get in the regular queue for a checkup. But what the hell was that?

  14. 14.

    Jager

    I love my governor…

    @realDonaldTrump is lying on immigration, lying about crime and lying about the laws of CA. Flying in a dozen Republican politicians to flatter him and praise his reckless policies changes nothing. We, the citizens of the fifth largest economy in the world, are not impressed.

    Gov. Jerry (8.8 billion dollar surplus) Brown

  15. 15.

    The Moar You Know

    Scanning the news this morning, there’s just so much awful going on it’s overwhelming. TrumpCo is literally engaging in so much fraud and theft it’s hard to just pick one to talk about.

    Which is the optimal state of affairs, for them. Eyes on the prize, John. Dem turnout in 2018. That’s all that matters. You can’t do shit about anything else, they have the power.

  16. 16.

    tobie

    Mr. tobie keeps on reminding me that the most important thing is to retake the House and the Senate in November since only then will there be any check on the authority of the executive branch. Wise words if you’re trying to figure out how to direct your finite energy.

    I hope that at the end of the day the RNC itself will be exposed for collusion with the Russians. I’m convinced that Reince Priebus in his capacity first as RNC chair and then as Trump chief of staff is the lynchpin in all this.

  17. 17.

    Yarrow

    @opiejeanne:
    Speaking of Avenatti, he broke some more news this morning:

    As disclosed on @Morning_Joe to @morningmika moments ago – two more women and counting… Big problems lie ahead for Mr. Cohen and Mr. Trump. #Basta— Michael Avenatti (@MichaelAvenatti) May 17, 2018

    I love how he just keeps dropping hints and tidbits of news and it drive Trump and his cronies crazy.

    Man, I go through popcorn quickly these days.

  18. 18.

    The Moar You Know

    But as someone who has lived through a Nigerian dictatorship, I assure you, his time in office will end and we will see the back of this monster.

    @Felanius Kootea: That’s the real deal, there. Trump & Co. only wish they could take it that far. And as you note, there is always an end to that variety of bullshit. Might take a while, but it always ends.

  20. 20.

    Major Major Major Major

    Super interesting to be living in a collapsing republic. The day-to-day is… so normal.

    I have been thinking about this recent Slate piece several times a day. How to Survive Trump’s Presidency Without Losing Your Mind. The central metaphor is a parable from an old Jewish mystic.

    HARVEST OF MADNESS

    There once was a king who was also an astrologer. By studying the stars he learned that the harvest of wheat that year would be tainted, and anyone who ate of it would go mad. The king revealed this prophecy to his friend, the prime minister, and asked if there was anything they could do. The prime minister said, “Let us set aside some of last year’s wheat. That way we will not have to eat the tainted grain.” The king thought about this for a while, and then he said, “It’s not possible to set aside enough of last year’s wheat for everyone. But if we alone eat the good wheat, we will be the only sane people in a mad world. All the others will look at us as if we were the ones who are mad. So, we will have to eat the tainted wheat. But let us place a mark on our foreheads to remind each other that we are mad, like everyone else.”

  21. 21.

    Yarrow

    Can anyone else get to David’s post–the one before this one titled “Auto-enrollment Thoughts?” I can see it on the front page and I can see the arrow on the left side of this post saying it’s there, but when I try to load it as a separate tab it tells me the post doesn’t exist. Anyone else having this issue?

  22. 22.

    Aleta

    Kevin M. Kruse @KevinMKruse

    Yes, Republicans in the 1860s *did* end slavery and promote civil rights.

    They also significantly expanded the federal government, built up the income tax, funded a huge system of public colleges, embraced reparations for slavery and, um, impeached an incompetent president.

    Oh, and the president the GOP impeached in the 1860s was a former Democrat who got in trouble for firing honest public servants, disrespecting his political enemies and being way too friendly with supporters of the Confederacy.

  23. 23.

    ET

    I think you should go on a binge of pet pics from House of Cole. That would cheer everyone up. That and a crazy John Cole story.

  24. 24.

    Bruuuuce

    @Felanius Kootea:

    I’ve been wondering whether he plans to move to Mississippi or North Dakota after his presidency

    If there’s any justice, he’ll be living (at taxpayer expense) in Leavenworth, Kansas. Or Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

  26. 26.

    sharl

    OT, anyone interested in Colorado election rules & procedures might be interested in the thread that starts with this tweet:

    For the redistricting nerds: I learned something that blew my mind about Colorado's districts. The boundaries available from the Census Bureau and state GIS office are wrong lines!— Michael McDonald (@ElectProject) May 17, 2018

    Reading down the thread, Prof. McDonald concludes by saying they’re still analyzing this, but based on what they know right now, any effect on elections will likely be marginal at most.
    ….However, those of us who watched the Virginia House of Delegates likely go to the GOP over 26 voters being assigned to the wrong precinct get a bit creeped out over stories like this, even if the risks seem low.

  27. 27.

    Adam L Silverman

    Some men you just can’t reach. So you get what we had here last week, which is the way he wants it. Well, he gets it. I don’t like it any more than you men.

  28. 28.

    Kay

    @Jager:

    I like him too. It’s not so much what he does but that he actually does his own thinking. You don’t realize how rare it is until you see it.

    I think that’s undervalued and it comes from experience. He knows how to do this, the basics, so he can confidently ignore or adopt advice. It’s the opposite of the bullshit “I go with my gut!” nonsense they fell for w/Trump. Of course he goes with his gut. He doesn’t know anything. It’s legitimate, earned confidence contrasted with the cheap, flimsy boasting of the braggart.

  29. 29.

    Adam L Silverman

    Lot of heart disease going around eastern Europe these days. Follow the trail of dead bodies…

  30. 30.

    germy

    @Adam L Silverman:

    some of Trump’s supporters voted for him because they were tired of elected officials acting as if they were above the law.

    Well yeah. It sounds funny to us, but these people were fed stories for twenty + years about the Clinton Crime Family and Obama’s Fast & Furious. Fox and talk radio. They really thought they were voting for the rule of law.

  31. 31.

    Adam L Silverman

    @sharl: Mike’s good people.

    As for the VA thing, given the revelations this week, I’d be very surprised if that district’s results don’t wind up back in court.

  35. 35.

    Nicole

    I hope. It’s just, thinking back on Watergate, and Iran Contra, and, oh, most of the history of Western Civilization, it seems like the truly corrupt die old men in their beds and the occasional powerful ones who get the wrong end of the guillotine tend to be just dumb, not willfully corrupt. I’m really despairing that they’ll all get away with it, get pardoned, etc. and I will carry the quiet rage at how Hillary got treated in 2016 (well, really, starting in 1992) for the rest of my days.

  36. 36.

    Libraryguy

    It’s so hard. Actions and crimes that would have brought down most (all?) previous presidents are simply the crime-of-the-hour in Trumplandia. It’s the Gish Gallop for our whole political world.

  37. 37.

    stinger

    @Yarrow: That happened to me about an hour ago, only with the On the Road post. I decided maybe a FPer was uploading a new post or something. Anyway, I waited a few minutes and it worked then.

  38. 38.

    dww44

    @Yarrow: @Jager: What I love about both Avenatti and Gov. Brown is that they not only speak with authority but are aggressive in their pushback. They are good public proponents for our side because they are unafraid of the conservative media push back that they receive from conservatives.

    I’ve come to believe that we will never win if we continue to tip toe around the obvious. Our spokespersons need to learn to be more forceful and a little less nuanced. The conservative anti- Trumpers have been far more outspoken in their opposition than those who ostensibly represent us in the media.

  41. 41.

    Yarrow

    @stinger: I keep reloading it and also open a fresh tab from the front page and I still get the “Nothing Found” notice. I know it was there because I commented in it. I wasn’t the last comment, so I don’t think I broke the post.

    Can someone else click on David Anderson’s post and see if they can see it? I still can’t.

  43. 43.

    Matt McIrvin

    @WereBear: Do the revelations actually hurt them, or do they just expand the range of things that all Republicans think are OK? I’m seeing apologias for open bribery now. Maybe hypocrisy is better–it at least pays lip service to decency, and there’s some hope that the reality could take hold again.

  44. 44.

    Adam L Silverman

    Ruh Roh!

  47. 47.

    Yarrow

    @dww44:

    What I love about both Avenatti and Gov. Brown is that they not only speak with authority but are aggressive in their pushback. They are good public proponents for our side because they are unafraid of the conservative media push back that they receive from conservatives.

    I’ve come to believe that we will never win if we continue to tip toe around the obvious. Our spokespersons need to learn to be more forceful and a little less nuanced. The conservative anti- Trumpers have been far more outspoken in their opposition than those who ostensibly represent us in the media.

    Yes! This! QFT. All of it. We need to be much more forceful. Call them liars. Call them traitors. Let the pearl clutching begin. Let them play defense.

  48. 48.

    tobie

    @Adam L Silverman: This just proves that any justification Trump voters give for their vote is largely a smokescreen. They voted for him because they liked his hate. Fox, Limbaugh, Hannity, etc. kept them pumped up.

  51. 51.

    frosty

    @JPL: Thank you!!! I’ve been looking for a summary like this so I can check on something and say, “That was on Monday? It seems like weeks ago.”

  52. 52.

    Juice Box

    @trollhattan: I’m an opera fan, so I’m pretty tolerant of confusing stories and pointless evil, but this whole mess is so convoluted that you need to diagram it on a whiteboard and update daily.

  54. 54.

    frosty

    @Aleta:

    They also significantly expanded the federal government, built up the income tax, funded a huge system of public colleges, embraced reparations for slavery and, um, impeached an incompetent president.

    And started the Transcontinental Railroad. All possible because the southern states were not represented in Congress for five years and notreflexively blocking these types of actions.

  55. 55.

    stinger

    @Yarrow: No, I get an error message when I try to isolate the post or read the comments. So it’s not just you!

  57. 57.

    schrodingers_cat

    The tower of lies and deceit built on hate and bigotry is going to collapse all around them because reality has a way of catching up with you. Whether it only takes the T voters or all of us depends on how much of their damage we are able to contain.

  58. 58.

    Brachiator

    @Felanius Kootea:

    But as someone who has lived through a Nigerian dictatorship, I assure you, his time in office will end and we will see the back of this monster. There will be a lot of rebuilding to do though, no question about it.

    Excellent perspective on this. Thank you for your insight. You are exactly right. Trump insults certain countries and nonwhite people as being unworthy, and yet Trump is already a member of the hall of fame of corrupt, incompetent despots. Another example of Trump’s insults actually being a kind of sick confession of how he sees himself.

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.):

    Shit, if Republicans were smart, they’d try to ease Tяump out now. The longer he hangs on, the worse Republicans are going to do in November. Republicans keep getting giddy, and Democrats depressed, every time the generic ballot polls narrow a little.

    We live in strange times. What revolts decent people energizes Trump supporters. I am hoping for a very strong “get out the vote effort” on the part of Democrats. The differences between parties and consequences if things are not stopped now have rarely been more starkly apparent.

  59. 59.

    Kelly

    @opiejeanne:

    What’s helping save our sanity is our garden and revising a garden shed

    Little projects are soothing. I just finished repainting and making new wood sideboards for our utility trailer. Installed a new socket for the trailer plug at the back of our truck. The big summer project is a roof for the south deck. Shade in the summer, dry in the winter.

  60. 60.

    germy

    @Matt McIrvin:

    Do the revelations actually hurt them, or do they just expand the range of things that all Republicans think are OK? I’m seeing apologias for open bribery now.

    We never talked to Russia

    We talked to Russia, but never about the election

    We talked to Russia about the election after they promised us dirt on Hillary

    A company linked to a Russian oligarch paid the President’s lawyer 500K

    Trump can’t be indicted because he’s President

    — Judd Legum (@JuddLegum) May 17, 2018

  62. 62.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: That’s weird. I’ve now tried two browsers and that one tab still gives me a “nothing found” message.

    Edit: Maybe you’re logged in so you see something different front the rest of us.

  65. 65.

    Major Major Major Major

    @Yarrow: perhaps Adam is logged in as an admin and that changes things.

    @Brachiator:

    The differences between parties and consequences if things are not stopped now have rarely been more starkly apparent.

    I’m almost of the mind that if we can’t take the house we… kind of deserve it. It’s a base instinct. And doesn’t square with gerrymandering. Still.

  68. 68.

    Felony Govt (Formerly Old Broad in California)

    @Jager: I love our Governor too. I’m sorry he’s leaving office soon. He’s one of the few bright spots that penetrate of my constant feeling of dread these days.

  69. 69.

    Pupjoint

    @Felanius Kootea:
    Was not Abacha’s unexpected demise due a dose of the blue pill and a romp with three ladies?

    I think Stormy Daniels and others are going to accelerate Trumps demise.

  70. 70.

    Gelfling 545

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: My 18 year old cat sometimes takes a while to get all his limbs moving after he’s been lying down for a long time (much like my elderly self if I’ve been sitting too long) As it rights itself fairly soon and he doesn’t seem to be troubled by it I figure that he, like me, is just feeling his age.

  71. 71.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    Just commenting to get my new e-mail approved so I can submit some pictures to Alain. Would appreciate it one of the blog lords can un moderate the post so I can submit the pics. Ta very much!

  73. 73.

    Jager

    @Yarrow: When Rick Perry would make his swing out here pitching companies to move to Texas, he’d take a shot or two at Gov. Brown. He alluded to Brown’s age in a press conference, Jerry challenged Perry to a pull up contest. Perry shut up and stopped coming, of course his “Move to Texas” pitch wasn’t working
    anyway.

  75. 75.

    Yarrow

    @Jager: Perry was happy to go to Hollywood to be on “Dancing with the Stars,” though. So much for hating those coastal elites and that Hollywood lifestyle.

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks, Adam.

  76. 76.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    I am thinking the graft scandals around Trump are snowballing. Ghouline admitted hte only reason Trump isn’t indited is because Trump is president. It will take 3-6 months for this to penetrate the thinking of REAL America(tm) Which is in time for the election next fall…

  79. 79.

    stinger

    Aleta, that was so cute I watched it twice. Also, your link seems to be included in the Reply feature, so that when I try to reply to you I just see the video again. Not really a complaint!

  80. 80.

    Brachiator

    @Adam L Silverman:

    My hand to God. Salena Zito on NPR said this week that some of Trump’s supporters voted for him because they were tired of elected officials acting as if they were above the law.

    Trump supporters have endless contradictory excuses for their man. I’ve heard his supporters sound envious and gleeful that an unabashedly “rich” white man is their president. They then go on to explain how it is only natural that Trump make money from the presidency, pay off women he’s slept with, or do blatantly illegal things because that’s how a mobbed up New York mogul is supposed to do it.

    But Hillary Clinton, or even Obama, should be investigated and prosecuted for … something.

  81. 81.

    Ian G.

    @frosty:

    I sometimes think we should have simply appropriated every acre of private land in the south after the civil war and handed it to freed blacks and Union veterans. It probably would have stopped southern revanchism in its tracks. I think Thaddeus Stevens had an idea along these lines.

    Anyone who raised arms against the Union should have had his citizenship permanently revoked.

    It irks me to no end at how much we succeeded at rebuilding Germany and Japan into liberal societies after 1945 when we failed so spectacularly at rebuilding our own country along those lines in 1865.

  84. 84.

    p.a.

    With so much corruption, we must be optimistic that some will stick and bring the shithouse (the admin minimally, the Rethug party optimally) down. If not, well the last best hope, yadda yadda- all just words.

  85. 85.

    PJ

    @Ian G.: It’s easier to reform someone else’s society than your own. Racism wasn’t restricted to Confederate states, and continued to flourish in Northern states for over 100 years.

  86. 86.

    Brachiator

    @Major Major Major Major:

    The differences between parties and consequences if things are not stopped now have rarely been more starkly apparent.

    I’m almost of the mind that if we can’t take the house we… kind of deserve it.

    To many people are being hurt by Trump and the GOP. We didn’t ask for it. We do not deserve it. And there is more pain to come if we don’t vote better people into office.

  88. 88.

    GregB

    Can someone point out to the Trump followers that NDA’s are tools elites use to remain unaccountable.

  90. 90.

    TenguPhule

    @WereBear:

    If they had kept it hidden, like previous administrations, we would be so very screwed.

    They flaunt it and are not scorned by all of society for it. Nor punished in a timely fashion.

    And we end up still screwed.

  91. 91.

    TenguPhule

    @Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.):

    Shit, if Republicans were smart, they’d try to ease Tяump out now. The longer he hangs on, the worse Republicans are going to do in November.

    They no longer have a choice. Its all in or its all over.

    They’re gambling that voter suppression and every dirty trick in the book can enable them to prevent a Democratic majority from taking over in 2019. Failing that, they’re trying to build a firewall that enables them to replay the jamming up from 2008-2010 to stop any Democratic initiatives.

    Its win or die.

  93. 93.

    J R in WV

    OK, now. What if Trump can’t be indicted as sitting president. OK.

    Now, picture Trump isn’t indicted, but Eric, Donny Jr., Ivanka, Jered (her husband, whatever the F his name is) Manafort, Stone, Mnuchin, Pruitt, basically everyone who touched the Trump campaign or helped stifle all the women who apparently are lining up behind Stormy and her lawyer, all those people, everyone around Trump, is indicted and cannot so much as use a government telephone.

    How is Trump going to feel and act when his kids and all his henchmen are being tried for stuff that the feds have them cold on?? He won’t be able to speak coherently, at all. And we already know he can’t write except in blitheringly stupid tweets. He will become incapacitated, and it will be obvious to everyone.

    Another question… what about the VP? Can he be indicted as long as there’s a sitting president? Why not?

    Let’s indict Pence first, then all the little Trumpetts, then the minions of petty crime and financial laundry like Cohen, and leave Trump to stutter and splutter alone, with just Possum Queen to tell everyone things are just fine in the lonely Oval office.

  95. 95.

    TenguPhule

    @Bruuuuce:

    If there’s any justice, he’ll be living (at taxpayer expense) in Leavenworth, Kansas. Or Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

    No, if he can’t pay for his own room and board he’ll have to earn it like every other deadbeat in the fields for pennies an hour. //

  96. 96.

    Felanius Kootea

    @Pupjoint: Yes indeed, it was rumored that he met his end that way. There was so much rejoicing when he died; people were delirious with joy both in Nigeria and the diaspora. I’ve never forgotten that. I’m sure his family hasn’t either. They learned quickly that sycophants are not really friends.

  97. 97.

    TenguPhule

    @J R in WV:

    How is Trump going to feel and act when his kids and all his henchmen are being tried for stuff that the feds have them cold on??

    Exactly like he behaves now. Only worse.

  99. 99.

    Peale

    @? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: Not worried. We spent all of 2010 with the polls thinking that they couldn’t be true and every little uptick was a sign that we were turning the corner and the rout that should have been obvious based on the election of Christie alone was over and they’d settled down. And then even the evening before the election, Obama had filled the Ohio State stadium with eager fans…and in the end his popularity with Democrats didn’t change one thing.

  100. 100.

    TenguPhule

    @Yarrow:

    Call them liars. Call them traitors. Let the pearl clutching begin. Let them play defense.

    They excel at the “whataboutism” defensive redirection and our media sucks at playing referee. We need a better media.

  101. 101.

    J R in WV

    @J R in WV:

    Can’t edit, so adding this detail I just remembered. The precedent is that Spiro Agnew WAS indicted and forced to resign, so Pence is a sitting duck if he knew anything or touched anything, and I’m betting he was too stupid not to.

    VPs are extra spare parts not needed until they are. Since it’s easy to slot a new VP into the position, sometimes, they are practically disposable, esp when no one likes them at all. Bye bye, Pence!!

  103. 103.

    hitchhiker

    @Betty Cracker:

    By way of reminder:

    Ken Starr had already been investigating Whitewater-related issues for more than ONE YEAR (starting with his appointment on August 5, 1994) before Bill Clinton first interacted with Monica Lewinsky on a White House rope line (August 9, 1995).

    They used to have to work very effing hard to find something to be outraged about. And it was work they were oh-so-eager to do.

    In the meantime, we’re getting steamrolled under an asphalt of bullshite on the daily. My email is somehow in the hands of whoever sends the trump messages out to the faithful. This morning’s headline?

    They’re trying to intimidate us.

    lol so I don’t cry.

  104. 104.

    Yarrow

    @TenguPhule: Some people like Michael Avenatti are finding a way around the media’s whataboutism. Democrats should take notes.

    I posted this article in the next thread, but probably more appropriate here. Buzzfeed has the details on the Trump Tower Moscow. My favorite bit:

    Negotiations for Cohen to visit Russia began to heat up. On Dec. 13, Sater emailed that he had an old friend on the phone with him right then, who was trying to arrange the trip. This friend is a former member of the GRU, Russia’s military intelligence unit that the US intelligence community believes interfered during the 2016 election.

    Sater had known the spy for decades. He was one of Sater’s most reliable contacts during the two decades he worked as a confidential source for US law enforcement and intelligence agencies. The man, who is not being named because CIA officials say his life could be in jeopardy, delivered to Sater Osama bin Laden’s satellite phone numbers in 1998 and, later, handed over photographs of a North Korean official seeking nuclear weapons.

    The man is no longer formally associated with the GRU, but Sater told Senate investigators he understands that “there is no such thing as a former Russian spy.” The former spy declined to comment.

    Tick tock.

  105. 105.

    Yarrow

    @J R in WV:
    Pence was brought into the campaign by Manafort.
    Pence ran the transition.
    Pence is as dirty as the rest of them.

  106. 106.

    TenguPhule

    @Yarrow:

    Some people like Michael Avenatti are finding a way around the media’s whataboutism. Democrats should take notes.

    It takes a certain type of flair and charisma to pull that off. Our Democrats are good at policy (mostly) but we favor competent people who are not all prime time television material.

    Republicans run as confidence men. All flash and no substance.

    We have got to reform our media.

  107. 107.

    TenguPhule

    @Yarrow:

    Buzzfeed has the details on the Trump Tower Moscow.

    Putin is working his way down the witness list.

    Hope that source remains uncompromised.

  109. 109.

    Bruuuuce

    @TenguPhule: At least the pittance that provides. Too bad we can’t do what we do with other elderly folks who go into assisted living, and get him to pay 100% of costs until he has no further assets.

  111. 111.

    Citizen Alan

    @GregB:

    They have no problem with Elites so long as the elites are people they identify with tribally. I find it helpful to view Trump supporters as ignorant medieval peasants who fling themselves into the mud in grateful supplication every time the landlord rides by in his fancy carriage while burning at the stake anyone who suggests there might be a better way to live.

  112. 112.

    Mel

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: It might be a seizure induced by a small stroke, or perhaps just a small stroke itself. A few years back, our 20 year old Meezer kitty had a similar incident. It was terrifying. I am so sorry that you and your kitty had to go through that. It took my little guy about 2 hours to be functioning normally again.

    The vet said that the symptoms / signs were consistent with seizure and /or stroke. She recommended that we not do a CT unless another incident occurred, b/c of his reduced kidney function (contrast can cause problems in some pets and people with compromised kidney function), the psychological stress of it on a cat his age, and the risks of anaesthesia at his age, plus the fact that his symptoms had largely abated by the time we got him to the vet’s office. So we’ll never know with 100% certainty, but all parties are pretty sure about the cause of his sudden symptoms.

    Our kitty never had a second seizure /stroke, and for that I am incredibly thankful.

    Sending you and your kitty hugs.

  113. 113.

    Chet Murthy

    @Pupjoint:

    People were dancing in the streets.

    I’m quite, quite, quite sure that’ll happen again in my city, SF [eta: if Shitmidas goes down]. I for one will be buying a round for the house in some bar, for sure. I remember the deliriously happy party in the streets of SF when PBHO won.

    ETA: and the same if he dies in office. Ditto if he’s incapacitated. Fuck him. Fuck him and the party he rode in on.

  118. 118.

    J R in WV

    @Yarrow:

    My point exactly. We are in total agreement. I should have been more specific.

    Everyone around Trump is guilty. If Trump cannot be indicted, OK, just do everyone else, starting with Pence.

  119. 119.

    Nikolita

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym: my older cat, who was about 13 at the time, had 2 short episodes like that. Turned out her thyroid was out of whack and she’s been on a med called Felimazole for the last 2 years because of it.

    Did your cat vocalize/appear to be in distress when it happened?

  120. 120.

    Nikolita

    I heard that Mueller’s team has said they can’t indicte Trump while he’s a sitting president. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

  121. 121.

    TenguPhule

    @Nikolita:

    I heard that Mueller’s team has said they can’t indicte Trump while he’s a sitting president. Anyone know if there is any truth to this?

    Seeing as that claim came from Rudy Gulliani, I suspect the answer is “none”.

  124. 124.

    NotMax

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Historically, the House almost always flips in a midterm election after a new president is elected (their party gets destroyed).

    That is simply untrue. Losing seats in midterms by members of the president’s party is more common, flipping is not. Looking over the last century, Rs held the House majority from 1919 – 1932, Ds from 1933 – 1947 and again from 1949 – 1994, Rs from 1995 – 2008, for example.

  126. 126.

    Planetpundit

    Steve is our Overlord and Lily our sweet Comforter; the rest we either ignore or live with. Oh and Badger when he has been a GOOD BOY!

  127. 127.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @J R in WV:

    what about the VP? Can he be indicted as long as there’s a sitting president?

    Fuckin’ A he can. Cf. Agnew, Spiro. U.S. Attorney for the State of MD George Beall (FTR member of the state’s most prominent Republican family) had the sumbidge dead to rights for bribe-taking from his days as Baltimore County Executive (1962-66) thru MD Governor (1966-69) all the way to the Vice Presidency.(1969-73). It was the credible threat of trial, conviction, & hard time that persuaded Agnew to resign the office of VPOTUS in exchange for pleading nolo contendere & avoiding jail time. Beall made that deal because he judged (rightly IMO) that it was more important to get the bastard out of the line of succession to a tottering Tricky Dick than to toss him into The Slammer.

  128. 128.

    cs

    When I was a kid (mid 80’s) and starting to get interested in history & politics, I asked my mom if she could explain Watergate to me. She told me she couldn’t. When Watergate was happening, mom deliberately avoided the news because the thought of the President being a criminal was too much to handle. She was a lifelong Democrat, and didn’t support or vote for Nixon, but she still held the presidency on a pedestal despite the party of its occupant.

    At the time, I thought her deliberate ignorance was terrible. If you’re living in a big historical moment, how can you not pay attention? But now, I completely understand. I do pay attention but I often wish I didn’t.

  129. 129.

    Ruckus

    @Ceci n est pas mon nym:
    I”ve had a similar thing happen with my hand. No pain whatever but my hand would not respond to my brain. Doc thought it was a TIA, or minor stroke, but all the tests came back negative. MRA, angiogram, 2 Echos, etc. A year later and I’m still here, sort of kicking. I go with, it’s not your day, it’s not your day.

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