Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

You’re just a puppy masquerading as an old coot.

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

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

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

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

We will not go back.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

I would try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

Radicalized white males who support Trump are pitching a tent in the abyss.

These are not very smart people, and things got out of hand.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

When I was faster i was always behind.

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

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

The lights are all blinking red.

You cannot love your country only when you win.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

How stupid are these people?

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

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

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

Giving up is unforgivable.

You are here: Home / Foreign Affairs / Saturday Morning Open Thread: British Humour

Saturday Morning Open Thread: British Humour

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Since we all deserve a bit of a mental palate cleanser…

Per the Washington Post:

LONDON — A squad of “babysitters” in orange jackets pumped helium into a giant “Trump Baby” balloon and let it soar above Westminster Abbey on Friday, kicking off a day of large, peaceful and often mocking protests against President Trump’s visit here.

Although there were rallies across Britain, the largest was in central London. In the slowly moving throng, there were “drag queens against Trump,” “families against Trump,” “trumpeters against Trump” — you name it.

Police did not give an official estimate of the crowd size. Organizers claimed more than 100,000 were on the streets.

The demonstrators looked like London: urbane and liberal, bringing their kids and dogs along. Many signs were handmade and droll. “Special relationship? I want a divorce.”…

In the interview with the Sun, Trump grumbled about the protests. “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London,” he told the paper. “I used to love London as a city. I haven’t been there in a long time. But when they make you feel unwelcome, why would I stay there?”

This was welcome news for the organizers of the blimp.

“It’s worked spectacularly well. We’ve basically run him out of London. He’s got the message: He’s not welcome here,” said Leo Murray, the brains behind the Trump Baby project…

Excelsior!


(‘bawbag’ = scrotum / ball-bag)

Reader Interactions

163Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    “I guess when they put out blimps to make me feel unwelcome, no reason for me to go to London,”

    We need a babytrump blimp in DC.

  3. 3.

    Platonailedit

    Guardian

    Everything about this disastrous and embarrassing presidential visit could have been avoided with more thought and more political sense. But Mrs May and her advisers rushed to Washington in January 2017 to offer a state visit to a president who had barely entered the White House, whose measure as an ally they had not yet properly taken, but who already had it in his character and his power to transform the event from a relatively harmless occasion into a deeply wounding one. It was a shameful and stupid misjudgment. The hostile public reaction was immediate and without precedent. Everything that has happened this week confirms that the Trump visit should not have taken place.

    Mrs May should have grasped from the very start that Mr Trump was not an ally when it came to her Brexit strategy. Mr Trump wants to break up international organisations like Nato and the EU. He embraced Brexit on that basis. He saw it as the start of a swing back towards nativist, illiberal, often racist nationalist politics, of which his own election was a further example. He made no secret of his wish to promote other nativist movements on the right. Other European leaders understood this danger, notably Angela Merkel. Mrs May failed to do so. Mrs May rightly wanted a close post-Brexit relationship with the EU, a stance that led in time to the Chequers showdown with her Brexiteer ministers a week ago. But she failed to see that Mr Trump’s US has a stronger commitment to the weakening of the EU than it does to a Britain that wants the EU to prosper.

  4. 4.

    The Dangerman

    I find it interesting that the Congressional Candidate in Florida apparently directly asked the Russians for help; not through the media, reportedly (like Trump), but directly. And got it!

    How does that happen? Were the Russians in the yellow pages? Call 1-800-RATF&%$? A timely Craigslist post?

  5. 5.

    NotMax

    A reminder, from out of the mouth of his born and reared in Scotland mother.

    “What kind of son have I created?” Trump’s mother, Mary, is said to have asked Ivana. Source

  7. 7.

    Raven

    The 1996 French film “Ridicule” has a great sequence where they discuss how awful British huuummmorrr is in realation to the French art of Ridicule.

  8. 8.

    Platonailedit

    It's not really about Royal etiquette. It's about how he treated a 92 year old woman/

    Forced to walk faster over uneven ground without even a back glance.

    You know Trump wouldn't help a elderly person across the road & we're supposed to give him respect as a guest.

    #TrumpVisitUK— Paul Bishop (@PaulPJB) July 14, 2018

    A born thug.

  10. 10.

    Jeffro

    I’d like to think the rest of the world understands that this clown was elected by a minority of our voters, and with the assistance of a hostile foreign power to boot. I’d like to, but I think there’s an expiration date on that.

    Probably safe to say that whichever Dem wins in 2020 will be hailed around the world as a heroine just by ridding us of this monumental ass. Stringing together a complete sentence, greeting other world leaders with a normal handshake and smile, and doing whatever she can to re-build our various agencies back up to *usual* levels of staff and performance will also be seen as earth-shaking feats of governance.

  12. 12.

    Jeffro

    Le Orange Douche is busy tweeting that his campaign’s conspiracy with Russia is actually Obama’s fault – “why didn’t he do something back in September? (2016)

    Yes…that’s right. It’s Obama’s fault. Why am I not surprised?

  13. 13.

    NotMax

    @Raven

    Not comedy by any means, hoping to be able to catch a performance (in French, with English supertitles) of “The Damned” when in NY. Short window of opportunity as it closes not long after I arrive.

  16. 16.

    debbie

    It’s predictable that Trump would try to blame Obama for the now-proven Russian interference, but where are the loud voices shouting that Obama knew, but Mitch McConnell threatened him into silence? I think it’s time for the ex-President to break his principled silence and speak up and speak the truth.

  20. 20.

    hueyplong

    @debbie: I’d be willing to bet a small amount of money that Obama’s sense of timing on this issue is a little better than our own.

    The screw is being turned, and there are quite a few twists left.

    Dragging things out (seemingly) interminably makes the inevitable GOP refusal to do anything about it more of a problem for them electorally. At least, I hope that’s the case.

  21. 21.

    Amir Khalid

    This visit should not have happened. Such work as it involved (i.e. Trump showing up utterly unprepared and full of belligerent nonsense at meetings with a counterpart head of government) could have been done, more cheaply for both sides and less frustratingly for the hosts, had May just communicated with Trump by Skype*.

    Had she not invited him, May would look like somewhat less of a fool. Trump would not have been faced with the fact that everyone in Britain hates him, from the Queen on down.

    * Skype Super Secure Exclusive National Leaders Edition, of course

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    @debbie:
    Yes, it’s time to bring up the meeting where 44 wanted to present the United front against the Russians, and the ZEGK and the Turtle turned him down ??

  23. 23.

    debbie

    @Amir Khalid:

    It would have been too much to refuse an American president’s visit, but they made it a visit fit for a tenth-ranked official. I am fine with this diminishment of his stature.

  25. 25.

    debbie

    @rikyrah:

    I rummaged through Trump’s Twitter feed and saw no mention of this. I was disappointed, but am clinging to the idea that something is being planned, maybe as a surprise on the eve of his date with Putin.

  27. 27.

    Immanentize

    @hueyplong:
    I agree. I think a public Obama intervention is exactly what Trump is shooting for. He needs Obama or Hillary to weigh in so he has a clear enemy to fight and rile his base. If they don’t play yet, he is denied that counterpunching bag.

  31. 31.

    Wapiti

    I’d like to know how many people work in the White House protocol office, and what the budget is. Might as well zero out their budget, because Donald can’t be bothered to use them.

  32. 32.

    Immanentize

    @hueyplong:

    El Justiciero cha, cha, cha
    Que otra cosa puedo dar

    (Mr. Justice, cha cha cha, what else can I give?)
    — Os Mutantes

  34. 34.

    zhena gogolia

    Sorry, that crop circle doesn’t say “F–k Trump.” It says something nonsensical, roughly “Whore Trump.” Not idiomatic. You’d think they’d ask someone who knows Russian before going to all that trouble.

  39. 39.

    Kay

    @The Dangerman:

    directly asked the Russians for help; not through the media, reportedly (like Trump), but directly.

    I don’t think Trump was asking for help. I think he was bragging about help he already knew was coming. He does this all the time- blurts something out because knowing something ahead of time is an expression of his power, how he’s smarter than everyone and ahead of everyone. He knew and he couldn’t resist bragging about it, like Guiliani couldn’t resist bragging about the federal law enforcement who were feeding him information. It’s how they express their power- they know things other people don’t know.

    Mueller knows who the “state registered lobbyist” is in the indictment. If he knows this much about one side of the transaction- the Russian side- then he knows the Americans the Russians contacted too, as to these specific exchanges. He couldn’t have only discovered one side of the correspondence or the transaction.

  40. 40.

    Immanentize

    @debbie:
    The Mueller team is still several steps away from that kind of declaration. For Obama to say something like that before a specific indictment suggesting solid proof would make any future action look like partisan politics, not dispassionate action based on facts. I think we are getting the best we can hope for. We just need to at least flip the House this fall to let the work continue.

  46. 46.

    MagdaInBlack

    @NotMax:
    Also from the article:

    “Donald is a believer in the big-lie theory,” his lawyer had told me. “If you say something again and again, people will believe you.”

  50. 50.

    zhena gogolia

    @debbie:

    Yeah, but unfortunately the phraseology is wrong. If you want to say that, you need to reverse the order of the two words.

  54. 54.

    zhena gogolia

    @rikyrah:

    Putin has so much experience rigging elections. What do people think those mass protests in Moscow/St. Petersburg in 2012 were about?

  56. 56.

    Yarrow

    @Nyrobbin: They could make some good bank just licensing the blimp. Make a bunch of them, have them flying everywhere Trump visits.

  58. 58.

    Yarrow

    @rikyrah: @zhena gogolia: Since we’re talking about rigging elections and changing voter rolls:

    Maryland’s attorney general Brian Frosh (D) has launched an investigation after it was revealed that a Russian investor had purchased a software company that runs part of the state’s voter registration system.

    CBS Baltimore reported that Maryland state Senate President Thomas Mike Miller (D) and House Speaker Michael Busch (D) said that the FBI had briefed them and Gov. Larry Hogan (R) on Thursday about the 2015 sale. The state was previously unaware of the sale.

    The software vendor, ByteGrid LLC, is financed by AltPoint Capital Partners. That company’s largest investor is Russian oligarch Vladimir Potanin, and its fund manager is also a Russian, according to the outlet.

    They bought it in 2015.

  59. 59.

    Shakti

    @Jeffro: Remember that Obama got a Nobel Prize for practically existing out of sheer relief and gratitude from the committee. Even Obama was confused. I can only imagine what they’ll do for Trump’s successor (assuming someone sane.)

    There’s a lot of “ifs” there.

  61. 61.

    Kay

    This is really outrageous:

    Last week, the Education Department quietly informed the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau that it would stop sharing critical information on $1.3 trillion of federal student loans, ending a partnership that has let the CFPB sue loan companies and force others to change their practices in the nation’s second-largest household debt market. Several former high-ranking federal officials fear the directive signals a greater leniency toward loan companies trying to collect on debts, and perhaps a new effort by the Trump administration to undermine the bureau’s enforcement authority.

    They’re also blocking release of information to state AG’s, which came out yesterday, so the state AG’s can’t even pick up the slack and do the job of federal regulators.

    The Trump Administration is directly harming these borrowers. They are working AGAINST the students who borrowed money.

    This a great campaign issue for Democrats. If they want to bring out young people they might try making this front page news. It’s fucking outrageous what DeVos is doing. DeVos is universally disliked. The initial impressions of her were incredibly negative and she’s only made it worse- she speaks and acts like some kind of far Right automaton. Her job is 90% sales and she’s an incredibly bad sales person. Democrats should make her the face of screwing student borrowers. People already think she’s an unqualified political hire (true). That she’s in that job and working to screw student borrowers is an absolute gift to the opposition. Christ, I could find 200 sympathetic and appealing student borrowers in this county. Make it them versus Devos.

  64. 64.

    El Caganer

    And now the Freedom Caucus is looking to impeach Rosenstein? They must be awfully confident.

  66. 66.

    tobie

    @rikyrah: I checked out Amene’s twitter feed, which also had this quotable quote:

    July 12, 2016.

    July 12th. Of 20 fucking 16 is when Bernie Sanders finally decided to concede and sit his stank ass down.

    More than 30 days from my primary in CA where he got his ass whooped.

    Don’t tell me he supported Hillary.

    He’s trash.

    I’ve been wondering why all this stuff still eats at me and I think it’s because I’ve never heard Bernie or one of his surrogates express regret for having stayed in the primary so long or run against the Democratic party. Some acknowledgment of what they did to damage Clinton would go a long way in my book but it will never happen and, as far as I can tell, True Progressives™ still want to take down the party or what they call “the neoliberal establishment.”

  68. 68.

    Immanentize

    @Yarrow: @rikyrah: @El Caganer:
    It feels like some weird race where the truth about what happened in 2016 is matched against huge powerful institutional efforts to bury that truth….

    I am not confident of the race’s result.

  69. 69.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    The new NY AG is making it an issue bit she needs help. California and NY AG’s take on big stuff- they essentially pick up the slack left by far Right federal appointees. Smaller and poorer states don’t have the resources or clout or political support to do it.

    It’s a beautiful issue for Democrats and they have the perfect face to put on it- a know-nothing billionaire who was hired only because she’s politically connected.

    Do rallies, whatever it takes. A real campaign around student debt. Use Munchin and DeVos as the poster children for ripping off middle and lower income 18 year olds.

  70. 70.

    Yarrow

    @Immanentize: I’m more confident that you. We are at war, as Adam has said. Our allies are with us, despite the Trump administration’s best efforts. More is happening than our feckless media deems worthwhile printing.

  71. 71.

    Immanentize

    @Kay:

    A real campaign around student debt.

    Added bonus of coopting B. Sander’s voters in the midterm.

  72. 72.

    Immanentize

    @Yarrow: Some days I’m more confident, some days less. Please keep bucking me (us) up. Always helpful for me to hear of other’s optimism!

  74. 74.

    tobie

    @Immanentize: A propos the Republican effort to shutdown Mueller’s investigation: I’ve been wondering what the effort to impeach Rosenstein will look like. Will he be grilled before the House? Will the Senate also have to vote on articles of impeachment? Will Brian Benczkowski, the new head of the DOJ criminal division (and friend of Jeff Sessions and Alfa Bank), take over the investigation?

  79. 79.

    Tokyokie

    My mother had a series of horrible, scaredy-cat Himalyans over the years. She had the first one when I came home for the the first time after living away from the parents. Anyway, while unpacking, I found this tubular balloon that was maybe 3 feet long and 4 inches in diameter before tapering into a pointy end. I don’t know how the thing wound up in my stuff, but when I discovered it, I blew it up and tossed it in the hallway. After a while, the cat started investigating the balloon, and as he was doing so, I lightly kick the balloon toward him. He hissed loudly as all four of his legs went parallel to the ground, then ran and hid under the parents’ bed for the next several hours. And for ever after, when anybody brought the balloon near him, he’d hiss and run and hide. And if we wanted to leave a door open but didn’t want the cat to go through the doorway, we’d just inflate the balloon and leave on the door sill, and the cat would stay far away.

    All of which is to say that if a few balloons will keep the bastard out of town, such balloons should ring the outskirts of every town in the world. I mean it worked with the spoiled cat.

  81. 81.

    Brachiator

    @Nancy:
    RE: Totally off topic. Doug J was on a local NPR affiliate.

    Cool. Looking forward to giving it a listen.

    Thanks

  83. 83.

    Kathleen

    @Jeffro: Of course our media would never report it in that context at all. @debbie: I think Obama knew about this for a long time. The Snowald psy-ops was the first overt volley (note how media didn’t bother to vet Snowden, his story, or the documents). Obama knew media were Republican operatives who would frame it as Obama putting thumb on scale for Hillary.

    I also have a theory about the supposedly harsh crackdown by Obama administration on whistle blowers (James Risen actually blamed Obama for how Trump is treating media and has whined incessantly about treatment of whistle blowers). I believe the Obama administration may not have viewed them as good faith whistle blowers and saw them as agents of disinformation campaigns, a la Snowald. It’s just a theory, but it makes sense to me. Fuck James Risen.

    I contend if Obama had said anything more than he did there would not be a Mueller investigation today. He really grasps the dynamics of the zeitgeist.

  84. 84.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Davebo: those clever trumps seem to have figured out a way to get investors interested in the Scottish properties

    Eric, 34, who is executive vice-president of the Trump Organisation, flew into Aberdeen airport on a Trump private jet yesterday and played a round at the president’s course in Balmedie, Aberdeenshire.
    The Record can reveal that about 40 business associates travelled from the US with Eric. They are expected to meet the president over the weekend.

    Just mixing business, international affairs and monetizing the presidency, no big deal.
    (I don’t know The Daily Record, but this sounds like a very trumpian thing to do)

  88. 88.

    Brachiator

    @Kay:

    This a great campaign issue for Democrats. If they want to bring out young people they might try making this front page news.

    Yep. Yep. Also, the education secretary doesn’t seem competent enough to have come up with this stuff by herself. We need some investigating of who is pulling the strings on this.

  89. 89.

    Elizabelle

    @Kathleen:

    I contend if Obama had said anything more than he did there would not be a Mueller investigation today. He really grasps the dynamics of the zeitgeist.

    Explain this one to me. Good comment about how some of the media may be more turned than we suspected. I’d missed that Risen is working for Greenwald now. Fuck ‘im.

  90. 90.

    stinger

    @Kay:

    I don’t think Trump was asking for help. I think he was bragging about help he already knew was coming. He does this all the time- blurts something out because knowing something ahead of time is an expression of his power, how he’s smarter than everyone and ahead of everyone. He knew and he couldn’t resist bragging about it

    Something has always bothered me about him inviting Russia to look into Hillary’s emails, and then that promptly happening. I think you’ve nailed it — he knew it was going to happen and had to drop a “hint” about it.

    Thank you for that insight — it rings true to me.

  91. 91.

    danielx

    I do wonder if the Queen has already ordered any furniture Trump sat on to be burned.

  92. 92.

    Chip Daniels

    Off topic, but what’s with Jonathan Turley?
    Didn’t he used to be, like, sane? Or was he always a nutter?
    I see he has a column in The Hill vigorously denying any collusion, saying “Keep calm, all is well!!” like Kevin Bacon in Animal House.

  93. 93.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Kay: @stinger: it’s a good point, it would be absolutely in character, like bragging about unemployment and other official statistics before they’re officially released. Another one of those things that aren’t illegal because no one ever thought a president would violate the norm. And what are the odds that Tom Barrack or anyone else who’s been willing to call the Beast a “friend” doesn’t get a call before the public leak.

  94. 94.

    Suzanne

    Trump is too trashy to be ashamed of himself.

    God, our society is full of trash. Trash, trash, trash.

  95. 95.

    Davebo

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Golf resorts in Scotland aren’t exactly ATM machines. Even quality spots like GlenEagles or St Andrews. GlenEagles did £4.1m in profit in 2016 and it’s one of the best. Hard to explain to investors how their $300 million is losing money again and again.

    Disclaimer. I’m at GE twice a year so I’m biased but it is pretty close to Nirvana and I don’t even play golf!

  96. 96.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Chip Daniels: he’s always been a smarmy, precious contrarian, adopting that pose of “do I really have to explain this to you, even though you’re plainly too stupid to understand the obvious?”

    glad to see he’s been reduced to shopping his crap to The Hill

  97. 97.

    Bill Arnold

    @debbie:

    but where are the loud voices shouting that Obama knew, but Mitch McConnell threatened him into silence?

    This was well after the “McConnell Rule”, which dates back to the day of A. Scalia’s death. Are there any details on McConnell’s threats? They would have had to have been pretty serious, perhaps personal, to have had such an effect. (IMO, and not privy to the essential details.)

  98. 98.

    Davebo

    @Chip Daniels: Turley has always been pretty dismissive of conservative malfeasance but Trump has pushed him into crazy territory.

    Yet CNN pays him because…. of course CNN pays him!

  99. 99.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Davebo: Golf resorts in Scotland aren’t exactly ATM machines.

    but I imagine a friendly president in a massively corrupt administration might be as good as

    and just like KJU had trump for a photo-op, I suspect there’s more than one mega-car dealer who’d be willing to “invest” a million dollars for a picture he could put in his showroom and to bellow around the country club that he’s a partner with trump

  101. 101.

    Kathleen

    @Elizabelle:

    I’d missed that Risen is working for Greenwald now. Fuck ‘im.

    I did not know that, but am not surprised.

    I think Obama knew about the perfidy of Republicans and how the media are actively engaged in promoting their agenda. He probably gamed the whole “what if I reveal this” scenario dozens of different ways. He knew the outcome of every option would be the media mocking him and the Democrats and downplaying Russian/Rethug sabotage. I’m also speculating that his primary concern would be to ensure that he set the stage for the correct process to investigate the sabotage (Special Counsel) because he knew that was the only solution.He knew if he spoke out he would become the story, not the sabotage. And realistically, what would the citizenry do with that information at that point?
    I also believe that if Hillary had rightfully been declared the winner the Rethugs would have made her tenure living hell and there may have never been an official investigation as there is now.

    Just my opinions.

  102. 102.

    Davebo

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Perhaps but a million dollars won’t cover 2 months of Turnberry’s losses.

    And there’s probably nowhere on the planet that Trump is hated more than Scotland. It’s not going to get better for him.

  103. 103.

    Steeplejack

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Thank you! I saw that on Twitter last night, was too tired to bookmark it and have been looking futilely this morning.

    This is about as flagrant a violation of the emoluments clause as one could imagine. The President meeting, at his resort property, with investors (actual or potential) in his business—which he never divested or even put in a meaningful blind trust. Ugh. This corrupt fucker and his worthless family.

    I want to see this covered on the pundit shows.

  104. 104.

    Bill Arnold

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    it’s a good point, it would be absolutely in character, like bragging about unemployment and other official statistics before they’re officially released.

    Oh very much yes. And more generally, DJT leaks tells like a sieve. (He’s been a good intuition trainer for a lot of people; unfortunate that he’s POTUS though.)

  107. 107.

    MagdaInBlack

    @Kathleen:
    “I also believe that if Hillary had rightfully been declared the winner the Rethugs would have made her tenure living hell and there may have never been an official investigation as there is now.”

    I also think this would have been the case.
    Not that I think this situation is better. Its just a thought game I play, alternate scenarios.

  109. 109.

    Corner Stone

    @germy:

    When Judge Brett Kavanaugh appears before the Senate Judiciary Committee, I wish I could be there.

    Sigh, bigly.

  111. 111.

    debit

    @germy: I miss him so much. And I’ll never stop calling out trentrunner for cheerleading the calls for Franken’s immediate resignation. Also too for calling me a rape apologist.

  112. 112.

    Ruckus

    @Immanentize:
    drumpf always needs someone to bully, someone to feel superior to, someone to be able in his mind to lord over. That is his tool, his only tool. He’s lost without it. We’d like President Obama to speak up. But that’s an opportunity for drumpf to gain with his base, nothing more.

  113. 113.

    Chyron HR

    @Bill Arnold:

    Are there any details on McConnell’s threats? They would have had to have been pretty serious, perhaps personal, to have had such an effect.

    The “threat” was, simply, “If you tell the truth about Russian hacking we will tell the media that you’re lying, and they will side with us.” This analysis is, of course, correct because fuck the media.

  114. 114.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    I get a lot of solicitations from “progressive” groups. None of them list members of their boards or management staff either in their solicitation emails nor in an obvious way on their web sites. I suspect most of these groups are Sanders or Green Party focused groups, which I wish to have less than nothing to do with.

    Not all of my group (elderly retired white guys) are deluded about Sanders and Trump, et al. Sanders is as much a Russian dupe as Trump, perhaps a little less “owned” by Putin. Stein is also a Russian stooge, perhaps just that stupid enough to voluntarily work for Russia.

    Other than SPLC, OFA and ACLU ( and Act Blue )I’m pretty unwilling to support organizations if there’s a ghost of a chance that they or their management support Sanders or Stein, who are only a tiny smidge better than Trump in my book.

  115. 115.

    Corner Stone

    @debit: But, hey, you have to admit we did at long last capture the high ground. Just look how we deployed our moral stance to successfully force the resignation of Congressman…Jim…Jord..

  116. 116.

    Bill Arnold

    @Chyron HR:

    The “threat” was, simply, “If you tell the truth about Russian hacking we will tell the media that you’re lying, and they will side with us.”

    Seriously??? Then he should have fought that fight. At any rate, he needs to step in like now and call out Republican lies. The press would eat it up at this point; they are looking for fighters who aren’t ridiculous.

  117. 117.

    Corner Stone

    @Kathleen:

    I think Obama knew about the perfidy of Republicans and how the media are actively engaged in promoting their agenda. He probably gamed the whole “what if I reveal this” scenario dozens of different ways. He knew the outcome of every option would be the media mocking him and the Democrats and downplaying Russian/Rethug sabotage.

    This continues to frustrate me to no end. Your conjecture is purely political. This was a national security event, not a two-party checkers match. Gaming out what Mitch and the media might do is completely the wrong way to evaluate how to handle this attack by a hostile foreign state actor.

  119. 119.

    Suzanne

    @J R in WV:

    Sanders or Stein, who are only a tiny smidge better than Trump in my book.

    Oh, come on. Do not lose the plot. Sanders is problematic and that merits discussion, but at no point in the hypothetical Sanders presidency would we be looking at children in cages or the imprisonment of political opponents or the rise of actual Nazism.
    Why does our side keep losing sight of the real enemies?

  120. 120.

    Aleta

    @germy: Here’s how I can understand Kavanaugh even if I hadn’t read a single article about his votes and his writings: I can’t think of a single person who T has appointed, hired or nominated who hasn’t revealed him/herself to be nonchalantly corrupt.* If T wants you, you are not fit to handle power.

    And right off the bat Kavanaugh proved himself the same by reciting the neon flashing lie that’s been used and mocked many times already ! The shamelessness is also true to form. Some fking judge.

    I like that Franken indicated that by making it his single question. And then showed the route that would be required to pin him down, in contrast to the normal way Senators let go of questions like balloons that float away.

    *In the logical world that wouldn’t be logical, but this is the criminal world.

  121. 121.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Bill Arnold:

    The press would eat it up at this point; they are looking for fighters who aren’t ridiculous.

    Could you show some evidence of this?

  123. 123.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Bill Arnold: At any rate, he needs to step in like now and call out Republican lies.

    Everybody who cares, knows, and a lot of people who know don’t care. If we (should have) learned one thing from the mid-terms, and ’16, is that Obama can’t win elections when he isn’t on the ballot. I still think the winning message for Dem candidates is health care and the social safety net more generally; it’s the common thread between the campaigns of Conor Lamb and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, also Doug Jones and Ralph Northam, and for that matter, trump’s. Russia will be increasingly loud background noise, and that will help.

  124. 124.

    debit

    @Bill Arnold: No. Obama doesn’t need to do anything. He owes us nothing. He warned them, and us, and did the best he could and now he’s out. If and when he feels it’s the right time to speak out, he will. Until then, leave him out of it.

  125. 125.

    Jay C

    @El Caganer:

    And now the Freedom Caucus is looking to impeach Rosenstein? They must be awfully confident.

    I dunno: it sounds more like a trial-balloon for a PR stunt to rile up the rube base, IMO. The House Freedom Caucus is, after all, a rump group of House Republicans: they often are the big, mangy tail that wags the fleabitten mutt that is the House GOP, but the “impeach Rosenstein” flap – on the specious grounds that he hasn’t provided them with some documentation they demanded (likely to immediately leak to “defend” Trump, but never mind) – doesn’t sound like much of a political winner. Outside of the RW bubble, that is.

    If the current House majority had anywhere near its traditionally competent leadership, the whole thing could be effectively stage-managed to both get the desired publicity (let the HFC maroons ventilate away on the floor with full coverage), then avoid the embarrassment of appearing to be trying to cover up Admin criminality by sending their “resolution” off to die in Committee. But, then again, look who IS “in charge” in the Lower House…..

  126. 126.

    J R in WV

    Folks,

    It’s Bastille Day, and one of my folks’ dearest friends had a massive lawn party every year on this day. All long passed by now.

    But if you google “marseillaise for bastille day” you can have a little Bastille Day with several great renditions of that great revolutionary song! If you pick one of the renditions with sub-titles you will see how revolutionary it really is.

    I doubt Dumpf knew what the lyrics were of the song the French played during the military parade he so enjoyed with President Macron last year. Since he doesn’t know the lyrics of our own anthem…

    Happy Bastille Day, everyone!! To the Glory of France!!

    One of the more fun renditions is the one from Casablanca, when the German officers start their German song, and are drowned out by La Marseillaise sung by everyone else in the Club!

  128. 128.

    Corner Stone

    From a headline off Yahoo! Finance:
    “How the NFL protests led to Papa John Schnatter’s downfall”
    Or, a more correct headline for the same article:
    “How his racism led to Papa John Schnatter’s downfall”

    Nothing really interesting in the article except for a timeline of events. The headline seemed a bit off.

  129. 129.

    FlipYrWhig

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: imho it’s a mix between supporting the social safety net and seeming like a good, decent human being. Especially because Trump is such a dick it’s exhausting. I feel like there are some people On The Left [tm] who want a dick of their own but I have to believe that what the rest of America is going to want is not-a-dick: people who are warm, and caring, and have integrity, and commitment to things beyond themselves.

  130. 130.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Corner Stone:

    This was a national security event, not a two-party checkers match.

    I agree, but that’s not the reality we live in. The media would have presented with both-siderism. It would have ended up being a loser politically and wouldn’t have accomplished anything to deal the national security issue.

  131. 131.

    Platonailedit

    @Corner Stone:

    Yeah, why didn’t the black guy run willingly into shredder and save this poor country from racist whites and their open treason? Idiot.

  132. 132.

    efgoldman

    @Jay C:

    I dunno: it sounds more like a trial-balloon for a PR stunt to rile up the rube base

    It’s kind of an autonomic response for RWNJ back benchers when things don’t go their way. See also PA, IN and KS at the state level. Never gonna happen.

  135. 135.

    Corner Stone

    @Platonailedit: Or we could ignore the oath taken to defend the nation against all enemies, pushed all our chips onto the HRC is Sure to Win placard and let it fly!
    Can’t win if you don’t play! Let’s see what happens! Woooohooo!!!

  136. 136.

    Corner Stone

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    It would have ended up being a loser politically and wouldn’t have accomplished anything to deal the national security issue.

    I think that’s a hard argument to make. We may not control a majority of the states but there are still some in D hands. There were actions to be taken to harden some systems and more importantly there were countermeasures to be taken against Putin/RU. The team with the responsibility for designing/implementing those counters was ordered to stand down. PNG’n a couple dozen spies after the election results seems like weak tea, IMO.

  137. 137.

    WhatsMyNym

    @Corner Stone: Sadly, Obama had left it too late in his Presidency to go up against McConnell in the sort of political grudge match that would have occurred. He had not built up the support needed for that.

  138. 138.

    stinger

    @Davebo:

    And there’s probably nowhere on the planet that Trump is hated more than Scotland.

    Except for my living room. My front lawn. My kitchen. My garage. My library. My dining room. My back yard……

  139. 139.

    efgoldman

    @Corner Stone:

    I think that’s a hard argument to make.

    Given today’s over the edge RWNJs I think it’s exactly right. If we had a pre-Newtnik party (which, it appears, Obama mistakenly thought) bi-partisan action would have made sense.
    BTW I am impressed how you knew, before the election, before the shit hit the fan, before the special prosecutor was even appointed, who was guilty and what they did. And you not even a lawyer.

  140. 140.

    Corner Stone

    @stinger: I thoroughly enjoyed when they were interviewing some of the protestors in London and this one woman started to say something, stopped, and then just said something like, “I hate him. I hate him more than any other human being. I hate everything about him. He is disgusting.”

  144. 144.

    debbie

    @germy:

    If he was at the confirmation hearings, I’d ask Senator Franken not to spend so much time on Kavanaugh’s statement. There’s far too much else of greater concern. Like how he had no problem prosecuting Clinton, but wants to spare Trump from the same. The question I’d want asked is, “Have you apologized to President Clinton yet?” Then, “Was it a public apology?” Followed by, “If not, would you like to take the opportunity to do so now?”

  145. 145.

    MomSense

    I’m sitting on the grass at the North Atlantic blues festival listening to Lurrie Brown play. Wishing I had brought my kayak so I could listen from the water.

  146. 146.

    Marcopolo

    @Steve in the ATL: Hey Steve, been waiting to see you appear in a thread. Apparently StL BJers don’t seem to be the type to get out and meet in public. However, if you would like to meet just me for an hour or two tomorrow after you arrive in town I will gladly accommodate. Just give me a time & I will meet you @ Dressel’s Public House at 419 N Euclid in St Louis proper tomorrow night. If not that is fine as well.

  147. 147.

    Corner Stone

    Speaking of not being a big fan:

    Mark Leggatt
    ‏ @Mark_Leggatt

    This is in a Scottish national newspaper, The Scotsman. Unprecedented in 193 years of daily publishing.

    Click through for a screenshot of the 1 page op-ed denouncing Trump.

  148. 148.

    Nancy

    @Baud: Well, LA De DAH, as my father might say.
    However, nice to know that the host has heard of the site and Doug J.

  149. 149.

    Quinerly

    @Marcopolo: I emailed Steve a couple of days ago that Sunday just wouldn’t work for me. Close friend of 30 years moving to Colombia (says he’s done with America). Just too much going on here this weekend. Would love to catch you/him on another trip. I’ve hung with jackals visiting from Ohio and Florida and met NC, NM, and AZ jackals in my travels. Have fun!

  150. 150.

    J R in WV

    @Suzanne:

    We so seldom disagree, but now we do.

    There was no chance of Sanders ever becoming president, his campaign was intended to damage Clinton, and his actions after he LOST the primary races continued to damage Clinton. If he had become president, he wouldn’t have been as evil as Trump, but he could certainly have been as incompetent as Trump, judging from his Senatorial career, which has resulted in nada.

    I personally think he ran at the strong suggestion of Russian handlers, and is nearly as well controlled by Russian intelligence as Trump is. No real evidence, but his honeymoon in Mother Russia is certainly an indicator of his feelings about Russia when it was communist, in the long ago.

  155. 155.

    Marcopolo

    @Quinerly: Well, if I had known it was possible to email him… It feels like I have been looking through threads for his nym since Wed.

  157. 157.

    Quinerly

    @Marcopolo: I gave him my email months ago. We had emailed a couple of times re Sun. I thought I could make it but my buddy is packing up and leaving a month early. I had to cancel meeting any of you this go around. Next time. Dressels is a good pick. ?

  159. 159.

    James E Powell

    @J R in WV:

    There was no chance of Sanders ever becoming president, his campaign was intended to damage Clinton, and his actions after he LOST the primary races continued to damage Clinton.

    I agree with you that Sanders’s intent was to damage Clinton, but I’m skeptical of the Russian angle. (Subject to revision, of course). What it looked & sounded like to me, especially leading up to and during the convention, was a personal animus. He seemed to despise Clinton personally more than politically. It’s why his campaign attracted the misogynists who seemed to have no interest in who Sanders really was or what his policies were. They embraced & repeated his caustic attacks on Clinton. These are still being repeated in social media.

  162. 162.

    J R in WV

    @Steve in the ATL:

    I had French toast this morning!

    Why didn’t I think of that!! But we did listen to several fine renditions of La Marseillaise, the best one was by Mireille Mathieu, I think.

    Maybe I’ll do a French recipe for dinner, something, something, a la J~!~

  163. 163.

    jl

    I’m not surprised by the level of detail and specificity in the new Mueller indictments. Seems like everyone in Europe was looking into Russian dirty tricks and I imagine they are willing to share some stuff. I remember news stories from a few months ago that at least two countries had penetrated the campaign interference real time. One, i forget which, was inside their email stream, real time. Another, the Dutch, were monitoring real time key strokes of a variety of Russian hackers. The Dutch also had taken control of office security cameras. So, they could track where I guy left of typing, took a swig of coffee and ambled down the hallway for a bathroom break. How much level of detail do you need?

    Put that together was the US has, and what probably several other countries have, and probably plenty of detail to spread around.

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