A light diversion from Olivia Nuzzi, professional sharpshooter, at NYMag, on “A Surreal Week of Excuse-Making at the White House”:
… “The White House” being separate from “the president” in this administration as they’ve never been separate before, with contradictory statements emerging at a machine-gun pace from these two entities that are supposed to be in sync, if nothing else at least spinning the story (i.e. bullshitting) in the same way. Often the White House is cleaning up after Trump, but just as often those attempts to clarify or explain away are what one former official told me was wishful thinking, what his staff wishes the president would say or believe or make policy…
The former White House official was reluctant to blame Trump’s handlers or communications staff for the would/wouldn’t “double negative” excuse, which a second former White House official described to me as “one of the all-time great” messaging mistakes in American politics. It’s important to keep in mind, the first person said, that there’s only so much any member of the staff can do, especially when it comes to how Trump talks about Russia…
The second former official said it was important to remember that “something always goes wrong” with Trump. “There’s always some issue in the White House when it comes to responding to a crisis, and 90 percent of the time, it’s crises that they create themselves, and you have to go in with the understanding that the baseline level for these guys is full retard, basically.”
“When that was their excuse, I couldn’t stop laughing. It’s so ridiculous.”
“The one thing that makes this week so much different is they’re actually trying to fight back. Typically, Trump would say something completely insane and they would just let the media cycle sit. At least they’re trying to fight back. They’re fighting back in the worst possible way, but like, you can see the effort. You know these guys are fucking idiots, but the effort is there.”
The second former official added, “You have a lot of people who are just a bunch of small-timers and clowns, so when they fuck up a response, you almost can’t blame them because you knew what you were getting, you know? When you have people who suck at this and then they fuck up a response, you can’t really be angry. This is what you have. It’s like having a puppy that shits on the floor, you can’t get angry at the puppy. The puppy doesn’t know any better.”
“I guess it’s like the puppy shat on the floor, and then they took the shit and they rubbed it all over the walls.”…
Shorter: Every single GOP underling to the Oval Office Occupant is frantically shopping their resume. And the marketing team is arranging its narrative: This dude is beyond hopeless, a moron, a would-be criminal who couldn’t shoot straight. How could anyone expect us to have reined him in? We’re suffering as much as the rest of you mopes!
Yeah, break out the Tiny Violin Orchestra. Or these guys…
Pachelbel's Canon in C(hicken) pic.twitter.com/YlPczVYLQQ
— TwoSet Violin (@TwoSetViolin) July 15, 2018
hueyplong
If no one was getting hurt, this would be a less annoying read.
Kind of hard to avoid thinking, “Fuck these people and the orange crybaby blimp they rode in on.”
Would it be ok to have that baby Trump blimp/Hindenburg mashup photo accompany every thread?
Yarrow
Is anyone else’s nym and email disappearing again? Yes, I’ve checked the “Save my name” box.
jeffreyw
2:04
Deadline White House
Verified account
@DeadlineWH
“Breaking news: NBC News has confirmed that Manhattan madame Kristen Davis is being subpoenaed by special counselor…
20 replies 26 retweets 120 likes
TeezySkeezy (formerly the T S you hate)
I don’t know about how devastating his messaging mistakes were this week….nothing seems to be moving his polls down much. Seems about 40% are totally locked in and no amount of bad messaging seems to be budging them. Don’t know what he has to lose by putting the pedal to the medal on idiocy at this point. If he’s half way there, he might as well go for broke.
The Dangerman
So, you’re saying we should put on ad on Craigslist for a Trump Trainer? Seems we already have some evidence he’s been swatted by a magazine. Thanks, Stormy.
ETA: Heel, you fucker.
Yarrow
@Yarrow: I would edit but I’m not allowed to. I definitely checked the box and after the above comment my nym and email are gone again. Ugh.
germy
@jeffreyw: Roger Stone is godfather to her children.
TenguPhule
Can and will.
Dan B
An editorial cartoonist is missing a bet if they don’t jump on the White House as clown car, or some version of Watergate 2.0- bring in the clowns.
germy
Per @CNN: Special counsel Mueller wants to talk to ‘Manhattan Madam’ Kristin Davis — a very close ally of Roger Stone (he’s the godfather of her children).— Caroline O. (@RVAwonk) July 20, 2018
germy
Olivia (Milo’s friend) Nuzzi
debbie
Love those chickens!
Mary G
Both my cats were sound asleep when the chicken cantata started and woke up and started looking for the source of the noise. They usually don’t react to movies or TV or YouTubes of cats.
?BillinGlendaleCA
I got a news alert on my computer saying Rosanne says her show was cancelled because she voted for Trump; no Rosanne, your show was cancelled because you’re a racist tool who happened to also vote for Trump.
schrodingers_cat
@Mary G: My kittehs go crazy if they hear kittens on my computer. They are meh about dogs or adult cats.
germy
Anyone catch Judge Pirro on the view yesterday? It went badly.
After the segment ended, she cursed the rest of the panelists (in front of the audience) and then got into an argument backstage with Whoopi, who told her to “get the fuck out of the building.”
debbie
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
I posted this in the last thread:
?BillinGlendaleCA
@germy: Sounds like someone got sloshed before the show.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@debbie: I saw your comment in the last thread, my thought: gee Rosanne, that makes all better…NOT.
germy
@?BillinGlendaleCA: She didn’t appear drunk. Sharp as a tack. But an evil tack.
She was pissed because she had to sit next to Ana Navarro. She complained backstage about it. Being challenged by Whoopi was the last straw for her.
During today’s show, Whoopi gave details about what happened.
A Ghost To Most
@debbie:
Final act of her racist performance tryptich?
MomSense
@debbie:
RB was screaming that she didn’t know the bitch was white. Insane in the membrane.
The weird thing is that she started by saying Jarrett wrote the Iran deal. Roseann has clearly been soaking in some weird conspiracy theories. I didn’t even know that one existed.
debbie
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
She just can’t shut up and let things die down. Probably why she voted for Trump. Soul mates.
Miss Bianca
@germy:
Oh, God, because OF COURSE he would be.
oatler.
@MomSense: She’s dancing widdershins in the steaming oil with James Woods.
rikyrah
Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) Tweeted:
The Interior Department has commissioned a $1,700,000 expedited environmental review of the impact of leasing part of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for oil and gas drilling, according to a document released under the FOIA. https://t.co/mCTCyjCwss https://twitter.com/kylegriffin1/status/1020148793025720320?s=17
WaterGirl
@debbie: She doesn’t see color! (yeah, right)
germy
@WaterGirl: Her vision is based on movement.
Chip Daniels
Saddest resume ever:
“Former Trump Administration staffer.”
B.B.A.
@Miss Bianca: if it turns out Cuomo hired Roger Stone to take out Spitzer… oh who am I kidding, he’ll still be governor for life.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@B.B.A.: Are there no term limits in New York? I wish we didn’t have them here, I’d love to see Jerry have a 5th term.
ETA: I think Jerry was the youngest California Governor in modern history and may retire as the oldest after his 4th term(term limits were enacted after his first stint as Governor, so he was grandfathered in and could run again).
trollhattan
Golden retrievers? Yes please, I’ll have all the golden retrievers!
How can they possibly please all the humans at once?
piratedan
getting to the point where all we have to do is sit back and have the GOP accuse the Dems of whatever, because it seems like its a sure fire case of projection for whatever shit they are actually doing….
pay for play on the Charity side… check
improper security concerns…. check
sexual conspiracies (pizzagate) …. check
treason… sure as hell looks like it…
When Trump starts accusing Clinton and Obama of sex with corpses or bestiality or incest, we’re gonna need to sit back and mix ourselves a quality beverage because plainly its starting to appear that the shorter list would be… what the fuck aren’t these guys guilty of?
B.B.A.
@?BillinGlendaleCA: None at the state level.
Mary G
Where’s the microscopic violin when you need it?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@trollhattan: My neighbor has a golden, dog just loves me.
TenguPhule
@piratedan:
jaywalking. Simply because Trump is incapable of traveling that far under his own power.
Ruckus
@debbie:
Think about the original show.
She was pretty acerbic with most everyone. Seems like that may be her default position.
IOW is she a narcissist, everything about her? Given her history I could lean that way pretty easily.
Ken
“For a man who only hires the best people, Trump is sure surrounded by a lot of idiots” – say the people surrounding Trump.
Major Major Major Major
Buncha incompetent fucks.
I’m ducking out of work early! Go me!
germy
Anne Laurie
@MomSense:
Jarrett was born in Iran, because IIRC her parents worked for the State Dept. RWNJs have been accusing her of every kind of Iran/mullah scheming on that basis since at least President Obama’s inauguration.
As for Roseanne, we know she’s got mental issues — as I recall Maher said “My friend Roseanne has said she’s got multiple personalities, and one of them unfortunately is quite racist.” Last I heard, Gilbert/Goodman/Metcalf were rebooting “The Conners” without her participation; she’d even publicly renounced any share of the profits for the reboot, so that the other actors & workers wouldn’t get shafted. Seeing the buzz around that has got to be hard for someone so notoriously touchy to deal with.
At this point, paying attention to Roseanne is like paying attention to Charlie Sheen at the height of his “TIGER BLOOD #WINNING” days. For me, it just brings to mind the ‘nobility’ parties touring Bedlam for laffs.
TenguPhule
@germy:
Today must be national drinking day.
And if it wasn’t before, it is now.
/Off to get really fucking drunk
Matt McIrvin
@TeezySkeezy (formerly the T S you hate): Very few currently released polls even cover the past week, and the ones that do were taken over a period that was partly before it. While I doubt there is going to be a huge collapse in Trump’s numbers, I don’t think we’ve really seen the effects yet.
Aimai
@TeezySkeezy (formerly the T S you hate): Obviously polls you are seeing reflect events prior to this week.
jl
Pachelbel’s Canon in plastic Chicken is art of the highest order.
So,is the WH press team, if only it were in a Marx Bros farce.
Miss Bianca
@TenguPhule: “Disappear”? Man, I sure hope Bibi isn’t implying what I think he’s implying…
JCJ
@Mary G: We have two new kittens. They were almost asleep when I started playing that. They are now quite jazzed.
debbie
@germy:
The Islamic Republic of Iran will disappear? Doubtful, Bibi.
Yarrow
Are we at the end of document dump Friday or will there be more?
A Ghost To Most
President Donald Trump has repeatedly defended his extraordinary performance at a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday in Helsinki, dismissing the “many haters” who wanted to see “a boxing match.”
Americans are far from convinced, according to a new Daily Beast/Ipsos poll.
Nearly half of the respondents (49 percent) said they agreed with assessments that Trump’s performance at the summit could be described as “treasonous.” That included 21 percent of Republican respondents. By contrast, a mere quarter (27 percent) of respondents disagreed with the assessment of treasonous behavior.
dailybeast
Yarrow
@A Ghost To Most: That number is remarkably consistent.
JGabriel
Really can’t decide if Pachelbel’s Canon in C(hicken) is just sublime, or profoundly annoying.
Lalophobia
Hey….guys? This is an open thread so….I hate to say this but I could really, really use some help right now. I just got a new job that might actually net me a livable wage. But my car’s motor, breaks, and radiator all went to crap at the same time after my job interview and….I only have enough in the bank for two months left of rent. It’s going to be something like 4000 for a car. I can’t do financing; I have no credit and no one who can co-sign. I don’t know what I’m going to do.
I’m so sorry. I’ve been lurking here for years and I know you all are by and large good people who would listen at least.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@germy:
Ah, really? Iran, Persia, has been around for millennia. The Romans never conquered Persia.
A Ghost To Most
@Mary G:
There’s such demand, a tiny violin shortage has blossomed.
germy
@Lalophobia: Jurassic Pork?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@TenguPhule: It must be National Drinking Day in Israel, cause Bibi’s obviously drunk.
sdhays
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
She’s a racist tool who voted for Trump because she’s a racist tool.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@A Ghost To Most: “Alexa, order all the tiny violins.”
Patricia Kayden
@debbie: Yeah, I saw the “I couldn’t be racist because I didn’t even know the b*tch was white” excuse this afternoon. She really is a bizarre woman. I’m so glad that I didn’t watch her shows in the 80s or in 2018. She’s an awful human being.
grammypat
Let’s see if I’ve got this straight:
The Toxic Toddler is getting reamed by negative coverage of his “performance” (his word, not mine) at the Helsinki press conference AND the Russian-spy-in-the-ranks-of-the-NRA story. Therefore; in a multi-pronged effort to change the subject, he and his minions orchestrate the following Friday news dumps/leaks. In no particular order:
Michael Cohen taped conversations (but they only tell about one that pertains to sexytime),
Paul Manafort is a scuzz-ball who took advantage of his TBI wife (again, sexytime),
Bobby Three-Sticks subpoenaed Roger Stone’s friend, the Manhattan Madame (say it with me….sexytime!),
Iran is ramping up it’s cyber weapons (certainly not sexy, but Look. Over there. It’s shiny.),
Trump’s going to tariff ALL Chinese imports (yeah, right), and
Mitch McConnell’s not only going to cancel the August Senate recess, but is going to keep it in session all the way up to Election Day as a way of threatening Democratic incumbents and keep them off of the campaign trail.
Oh, and some Boob at Fox quit (news dump) and Whoopi opened up a can of Whoopi-ass on another Boob at Fox (included in my list just because).
Distraction or mis-direction, anyone? What did I miss/forget?
oatler.
Let the human race exterminate itself in whatever manner it…OH FUCKIT LET’S FIGHT
Patricia Kayden
@Mary G: So sad. Perhaps you should have kept it in your pants, Matt.
dmsilev
@Chip Daniels:
I think you leave that off the resume, and if asked say that the gap is because you were in prison for running a meth lab. Much less shameful.
MomSense
@Lalophobia:
First, congrats on the job. I’ve been in similar situations and it is so stressful. You want to just focus on starting your job well but the stress of the the car worry takes over. How far is your commute? Is there public transportation? Can you commute with someone?
I know where I live there are rideshare requests at the co-op but you may even take a look at rideshare on Craigslist to see if there is anyone you feel comfortable commuting with.
Elizabelle
@Yarrow: I want more. Except for the Manafort sex stuff, it’s been kind of what we were expecting. Oh, although I forgot about the Manhattan Madam and Roger Stone. Stone possibly being yet another sex addict.
Gag.
JPL
If all else fails tweet about the anthem and the NFL, because why the hell not. Do you think his base will catch on at some point? lol no
Elizabelle
@grammypat: That’s pretty darned comprehensive.
And we have the tragedy of the sunken Duck boat in Missouri, with 17 dead passengers. I feel for them not because they’re from the Heartland, but because they were just out for a nice adventure and put their lives in the care of a company that was not safety-first.
Ruviana
@germy: Doesn’t look to be based on a quick glance at his blog.
@Lalophobia Where do you live? If there’s even the remotest chance of bus service look for it. If you’re in an urbanish area see if there are ride-sharing programs. I say this as someone who lived for years in L.A. without a car, it can be done until you get your head above water.
TS (the original)
@debbie:
She also said
http://www.msnewsnow.com/story/38692497/roseanne-screams-in-video-she-thought-valerie-jarrett-was-white
What the racist supporters of trump don’t seem to understand – trump gets away with it – they do not. No way did she regret what she said until she realized the show was going down.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Elizabelle: We’ve known about Roger’s, eh, activities for a long time.
JPL
@MomSense: You are so sweet, and good advice if the lurker wants to take it.
Steeplejack (phone)
@grammypat:
What is “TBI wife”?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Steeplejack (phone): Traumatic Brain Injury.
JPL
@grammypat: The boob didn’t quit, but was asked to leave, but besides that nothing.
grammypat
@Elizabelle: I missed the NFL story,
@Steeplejack (phone): TBI= Traumatic Brain Injury. Can be mild, moderate, or severe.
Steeplejack (phone)
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
I was wondering if it was that. But WTF (= what the fuck)? I haven’t seen any news about Manafort’s wife, much less her having TBI or Manafort cheating on her. If this is part of the distraction dump, they’re not doing a very good job.
MomSense
@JPL:
You haven’t heard me swearing at my television or at NPR in my car. One of my neighbors saw me yelling at Morning Edition (she didn’t know what I was listening to) and called to ask me if I was ok. It must have looked pretty crazy from outside of my car.
Steeplejack (phone)
@grammypat:
Do you have a link to any story about Manafort’s wife having it and him cheating on her?
Yarrow
@Elizabelle: I want more too, but I don’t think we’ll get it. Not that it hasn’t been a busy week. Can’t believe the Treason Summit was only on Monday. And we’ve known about Roger Stone since forever so nothing there is new.
@Lalophobia: You’ve had some good suggestions from others. I can also recommend riding a bike to work. It’s not necessarily idea but it’ll get you back and forth until you get an income coming in. You should be able to get a reasonable community bike for not that much money if you don’t already have one.
grammypat
@Steeplejack (phone): I think the info is in the #TBogg-unit thread downstairs. It wasn’t a “news” release, per se, but I can’t discount the timing.
Dan B
@grammypat: Endangered Species Act (eagle threatened Trump, eagle has common sense)
Arctic Drilling (sounds like sexytime but only metaphorically)
Formaldehyde (Pruitt desk is exception. Protect Pruitt is alliterative unlike Protect Populace. )
There’s more but three cents exceeds two!
JPL
@grammypat: The NFL story is the latest tweet. It seems that the NFL has backed down, and the pres is calling for a fine the first time a player kneels, and then loss of a season’s earning for the second time.
Nothing like using the anthem to rile up the base. He must be concerned.
khead
@germy:
DID YOU KNOW WHOOPI SPIT ON JUDGE PIRRO? WHY DID ABC FIRE ROSEANNE AND NOT WHOOPI? /fbfeed
No, really. Not kidding.
debit
@Lalophobia: If public transport isn’t an option, how about biking it? I lived car free for a few years when my car died and I couldn’t afford another one; it sucked a bit, but it is possible.
JPL
@MomSense: That sounds pretty normal to me.
Dan B
@MomSense: Congratulations!
I think you’ve brought Primal Therapy back from the 70s.
germy
@khead: Whoopi addressed that rumor on today’s show. “No, I didn’t spit on her,” she said.
Pirro is milking this for all it’s worth and the hyenas are getting worked up.
germy
@MomSense: Morning Edition has gotten pretty terrible. And Marketplace is unlistenable.
NotMax
Repeat for the evening bunch.
Not long ago, there was some discussion here reminiscing about the Young People’s Concerts put together by Leonard Bernstein and broadcast on CBS.
Well, whaddaya know? Looky what’s on TCM this weekend. All times Eastern.
Saturday, July 21:
8 p.m. – What Does Music Mean?
9:06 p.m. – Humor in Music
10:15 p.m. – What Is a Mode?
11:16 p.m. – A Toast to Vienna in 3/4 Time
Sunday, July 22:
2:30 a.m. – Quiz Concert: How Musical Are You?
Bonus Bernstein, also too.
Sunday, July 22:
8:00 PM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: Beethoven 5th Symphony
8:45 PM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: World of Jazz
9:45 PM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: The Art of Conducting
10:45 PM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: American Musical Comedy
Monday, July 23:
12:15 AM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: Modern Music: The Music You Love to Hate
1:15 AM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: The Music of J.S. Bach
2:30 AM – Omnibus: Leonard Bernstein: What Makes Opera Grand
Brachiator
The hope, the expectation is that staffers will be so inspired by the president they work for that they will always strive to do their best.
But we have the exact opposite here. A lazy, ignorant, lying president whose terrible example brings out the worst in those around him. Despite all this, the dopes who support him refuse to wise up, leaving the rest of us praying that our Dear Leader doesn’t stumble into catastrophe.
MagdaInBlack
@TenguPhule:
I found the “cleaning up after a puppy” particularly flip.
No one will die because the puppy sh*t on the floor.
Nice they can be so light-hearted about this.
jl
Friday news dumps are getting anticlimactic.
The movable feast of serial Trump disasters puts out such juicy stuff during the week, it’s like they have to push out cheap sex at the end of the week.
Is there a complaint desk where I can get this fixed?
Ruckus
@Lalophobia:
There are a number of us here who have gone through similar times, some of our answers may be helpful for you. I’m one of them. I’m not even sure I could tell you how I managed to get from there to here but for me, as for you, finances was a huge part of the situation. I had to rent a room rather than an apartment. Lived there for two yrs. Not a great situation but it worked.
I see @MomSense: got to where I was going to. Getting to the job is first on the list. MomSense had all the right questions. Do you absolutely need a car right away? If there is any way to get around, even if it is time consuming, without a car, that’s your answer unless you have other needs for a car. It’s a pain in the ass but as long as it’s cheaper and gets you there and back….. Everything next is what you need to ask yourself. Can your car be fixed or is it worth spending money on is the first place? Can your living situation be changed to something cheaper and closer to the job? Prioritize the issues and break them down into different possibilities, least costly to most or whatever works for you.
Ask questions, most of us actually like to help when we can.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@jl: Hey, stop your complaining; this is first class sexytime material here. Folk pay good money for this stuff and you’re getting it for FREE!
Zelma
My dog went crazy upon hearing Pachabel’s Canon in Chicken. He loved it.
lollipopguild
@jl: It depends on who you want “fixed’ and how you want them “fixed”.
Ruckus
@germy:
Not his MO at all. And she, I believe that’s correct, has commented before. Unless the name is very close to someone else.
So I’d say no J. Pork.
MagdaInBlack
@germy:
This is nuts. Apparently the Democrats are the only ones NOT involved. And aliens….so far.
Ruckus
@Patricia Kayden:
You know it really isn’t that difficult to keep one’s pants zipped at the appropriate times. But then maybe I wasn’t raised in a cave by people wearing animal skins and carrying a big stick.
IOW respect and humanity isn’t difficult unless you don’t actually give a shit about anyone but the asshat you see in the mirror. I wonder where Matt sits on that line from asshat to human. Wanna bet it’s rather far over on the asshat side?
James E Powell
@Aimai:
That’s what many people here said when the crying children in cages failed to move the needle. I get that it’s not popular to say this, it’s viewed as defeatist by some, but it’s reality. Trump appears to have a pretty hard floor around 40%. The people who voted for him like what he is doing and they don’t want to see him fall. Their private feelings toward Trump may be negative, but those feelings will be subordinated to their hatred of African Americans, Latinos, Muslims, LGBT, and especially their smart-ass brother in law who thinks he knows everything. Their hatred for the people who make up the Democratic coalition exceeds their feelings about anybody or anything else.
jl
@MagdaInBlack: @?BillinGlendaleCA:
BillinGlendale has a special camera that can find out if any space aliens are taking Russian sexytime money.
Then we can go look for batches of Cohen NDAs that mention ‘Marvin the Martian’.
Jay C
@germy:
Maybe it’s just me, but the first question I’d ask Ms. Davis is “why did you make a sleaze like Roger Stone your kids’ godfather”??
Platonailedit
@Mary G:
Thots and prayahs, asshole.
Ken
@Jay C: I suppose it would be irresponsible to speculate that he’s the father.
Platonailedit
@grammypat:
Why are they distractions? If anything, they show what dumbfucks the treasonous thug, his campaign team and his media minions are. And they sure weren’t orchestrated by this clueless corrupt regime.
Frankensteinbeck
@James E Powell:
Republican voters are not going to stop being assholes who like everything we hate. All we can hope for is for our voters to be motivated. Evidence suggests we are, beyond any precedent.
Although the Russia meeting seems to have hit a chord. When even 21% of Republicans call it ‘treasonous’, and the ‘both sides but Democrats are worse’ specialists in cable news freak out, that has to do at least some damage.
grammypat
@Dan B: Thanks. All important stories, but I was just trying to focus my list on the desperate attempts to change the subject.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I would hope his victims get the rest. Actually I think his wife should have to wait till their lawsuits are over.
A Ghost To Most
@Elizabelle: Just one more reason to avoid Branson.
MagdaInBlack
@jl:
Well, there is Trey Gowdy.
TS (the original)
This is probably old but I just saw it
Owillis on twitter
trump is now walking down a line of executives telling him how great he is as his adult daughter walks behind him, clapping for each statement.
Later tweet lists the companies at the meeting. Sycophants – every one of them – scared they might lose their privilege.
I am reminded of when President Obama told the executives of the car companies to come back via regular airlines when they arrived begging for help. That was a President for the people.
Platonailedit
nut n yahoo has started bombing and killing palestinians. Must be election time again.
jl
@grammypat: I don’t know.
I joked about it earlier, but re sexytime tapes, that is more evidence that Trump is a very knowing and depraved liar is always useful, for those who need even more evidence.
And it’s important to know McConnell’s plans. He must have results of all the internal GOP polls, and thinks a stunt like this is needed. Seems like his plan entails some risk, since it keeps GOPers off campaign trail as well as Dems. And what does GOP have to replace them out in the states, over than mass quantities of old school TV ad money. People that pay a lot of attention to that now are going to vote GOP anyway no matter what. (Edit: forgot to check ratio of Dems to GOP incumbents affected, so sadly maybe it is another smart, but vile and ruthless McConnell move)
Or, maybe McConnell knows that some of the funny stuff on Kavanaugh that surfaced is serious, and the confirmation may run into big trouble?
Remember, Friday news dump is traditionally the day you release stuff to bury it before Monday news cycle begins. I wouldn’t worry about distractions. Not sure what a distraction would be, since 90 percent of what you mentioned points in the same direction: Trump and GOP are a miserable train wreck.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@jl:
I do?
Matt McIrvin
@James E Powell: Yes, but the Trump job-approval numbers that have been published so far genuinely don’t entirely reflect this week. The latest ones I’ve seen just barely poke into it.
There’s one Axios poll saying that 40% approved of Trump’s press appearance with Putin, and another one I saw from later in the week saying that 49% consider Trump’s behavior treasonous and 27% say it isn’t. Hard to extract any consistent message from those numbers.
jl
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Yes.
MagdaInBlack
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Shhhhh….smile and nod ?
efgoldman
@MagdaInBlack:
No one can (or should) be uptight about everything all the time. Relax and smile. It’s our best self defense
Mainmata
@TeezySkeezy (formerly the T S you hate): A lot of the commentary from the Trumpers being interviewed in various places is now variants on a) he’s our president so we must follow his lead and b) yeah, he talks crazy, incoherent stuff but that’s because he’s not a politician. Watch his actions. (His actions against Russia have been zero. The actions were Congressioal sanctions, which he refused to implement and a bunch of Mattie’s DOD stuff that Trump basically assented to because he didn’t know any better.) What he has done is all according to Puttin’s destroy the western alliance scrip on trade, NATO, the EU, etc.
mike in dc
@James E Powell: I’d be ecstatic to limit the GOP/Trump to 40% in November 2018 and 2020. We would dominate the government with that kind of victory margin. The fact that Trump has never really brought his numbers up close to 50% in aggregate polling says he can be beat, handily, so long as we can unify most of the rest of the electorate. History suggests that the 3rd party vote will be lower, and the turnout of the out-party base will be higher, next go around.
Redshift
@James E Powell: I’d like to see some trend lines on party identification in polls. There was a time a while back when 538 (I think) was pointing out that people who stop supporting Trump tend to stop saying they’re Republican, so his level of support among Republicans could stay constant while his support in the overall population declined. I don’t know if that has continued (and it’s possible I’m remembering some of it wrong.)
Matt McIrvin
@Redshift: I think I saw some charts lately indicating that Republican and Democratic party identification are both declining. It’s one of those periods when everyone becomes an “independent”. Party ID is notoriously fickle and that kind of thing often happens–identification sloshing back and forth between partisan and “independent” for both parties in lockstep.
Elizabelle
@jl:
Per NY Mag story, it’s 26 Democratic incumbents, and 9 GOP. So quite unbalanced, but this may well be a Blue Wave year.
McConnell to Dems: Delay Kavanaugh’s Confirmation at Your Own Peril
Platonailedit
James E Powell
@Frankensteinbeck:
I agree on both points. The frequently stated belief/hope that this time, this event, this latest outrage, will change everything rankles because it isn’t going to happen and because I fear it’s a substitute for action.
efgoldman
@Platonailedit:
Fuckem
MagdaInBlack
@efgoldman:
Ive just been told to smile ?
*sigh
Guess fair is fair,I just told BillinGlendale same ?
smintheus
Who in the world is stupid enough to believe that? Trump has spent the last few years spinning and respinning the nonsense that comes out of his mouth. And since Jan. 2017 he has spokespeople giving semi-daily briefings whose only apparent purpose is to lie about whatever Trump has said or done recently.
There have been attempts to portray Olivia Nuzzi as extremely bright, but really she just comes across as dumb and ambitious in depressingly conventional ways:
efgoldman
@James E Powell:
Politics doesn’t pivot on a dime. The best we can hope for logically, is that enough white racists get discouraged and stay home.
jl
@Redshift: Trump’s “level of support among Republicans could stay constant while his support in the overall population declined.”
I think that bit has been established, and safe to conclude that Trump’s current approval rating among GOP is not a good indication of where he stands with people who were GOP voters at the end of 2016.
Party ID has been measured in so many different ways, through so many different, and often arbitrary, demographic and ideological slices of the population, , it is difficult to get a picture of trends. But if someone has good data that I’ve missed I’d love to see a link.
efgoldman
@MagdaInBlack:
Despair is for losers. Find happiness and/or humor in SOMETHING.
Matt McIrvin
https://medium.com/@PollsAndVotes/trends-in-party-id-2004-2018-143a7fddde58“>Here’s a really detailed article on party ID trends, though it only measures up to the beginning of 2018 and things are happening so fast now that that may not be helpful.
Rand Careaga
@?BillinGlendaleCA: The youngest California governor was Milton Latham, who was not yet thirty-three when he was sworn in on January 9, 1860 (Brown was thirty-six in 1975, but yes, he holds the title for youngest in “modern times”). He served in that office with distinction for five days, whereupon he persuaded the legislature to appoint him to a vacancy in the US Senate, the seat having fallen vacant after the previous incumbent was shot to death by a former justice of the California Supreme Court. They played politics for keeps back then.
Elizabelle
@efgoldman:
I’m with you. Live reality-based, but look for the good things and beauty too. Do not let these craven people sour you on that.
? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?
@Elizabelle:
How would the confirmation vote affect voting patterns? So close to the election too? I heard studies that suggest that people’s minds are made up a few months out.
jl
@Elizabelle: Thanks. I misunderstood the previous email, or the info was incomplete. McConnell is making a threat, it’s not a decision as of now. From your link:
“But now, Mitch McConnell is warning his Democratic colleagues that, should they persist in their demands for transparency”
How cynical and vile do McConnell and GOPers need to get before it can be used as an effective attack on them that the country will pay attention to? I wish I knew.
Edit: using transparency as a hostage is the key word for me. Seems like that should be ammunition for an effective attack.
Gin & Tonic
@efgoldman: I’ll find humor in this $530 pair of sneakers at Nordstrom.
Elizabelle
@efgoldman: I’d take that bet. I think the Democrats will. Lot is changing, every single day.
McConnell’s dirty and a traitor. He might have his little world blow up, sooner rather than later.
Do you think Team Mueller wants a(nother) rubber stamp for Trump when their work makes it to the Supreme Court? As some of it might? I think we are gonna see signals to hold firm.
smintheus
@Elizabelle: It makes sense except for one small matter. If Dems running for re-election are forced to spend October in Washington, then they have every reason to make DC the center of the media’s attention by turning the Kavanaugh hearings into a slugfest with the GOP over principles. Nationalizing the Congressional elections is the last thing that is going to help Republicans hold onto power.
Steeplejack
@Lalophobia:
I’m a bit late to the thread, but I hope you see this. It looks like your post received a sort of lukewarm response—some good suggestions, which you should definitely consider, but also some skepticism and even a mention of the universally reviled Jurassic Pork.
As someone who has experienced both grinding, chronic poverty (for a while) and sudden, catastrophic poverty, I think your comment comes across as unfocused, and maybe even a little sketchy, because you’re in the grip of fear about the sudden crisis. So you sound a little vague and shaky.
. . . Okay, I just deleted a bunch of psychobabble that probably wouldn’t help anyone. Let me get to the bottom line:
You need to give yourself a “Thanks, I needed that!” slap in the yap and come up with a specific plan. If you want help from the jackaltariat, you need to set up a GoFundMe account, lay out your situation and come back with a link. I’m sure a lot of people would be happy to help out. I’m in for $25 if your pitch is not a complete joke. And I’m sure there are people here who would be happy to help you with the setup if you don’t know how to do that.
Please keep us in the loop on how things are going.
jl
@Rand Careaga: I think there was a CA gov way back in the day who got thrown out off office because he beat up (physically) too many other state government officials.
Elizabelle
@? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: Goku, you just plain don’t want to seat this asshole. At all. You want to delay, ideally until the new Senate is sworn in. No hearings. No Kavanaugh.
We are in uncharted waters, and that might very well be possible.
Do not give Trump another “justice.” He might be closer to his exit than Obama was. Sauce for the goose.
jl
@Matt McIrvin: Thanks. I’ll check it out in detail.
Elizabelle
@smintheus: Way good point.
efgoldman
@Elizabelle:
Troglodyte SCOTUS can and will do a lot of damage. But finding excuses for overturning legitimate decisions from jury trials should be a bridge too far, even for them.
Elizabelle
@efgoldman: I hope so.
Did you get your scooter? Wasn’t that under discussion?
grammypat
@jl: I’m not worried about the attempts at distraction, just commenting on their existence.
Insofar as McConnell, anything that gets Dems riled up is good for him. I’m pretty sure that he can multi-task. So one thing hitting multiple targets is nirvana.
The point to these “non-traditional” news dumps is to get people to think and talk about them …. not the fiasco in Helsinki and/or anything else that the GOP and their allies find disadvantageous.
The sexytime stuff is just a cynical ploy that happens to work.
jl
@smintheus: Thanks, that is a good point. And we have the McConnell quote that the real issue is ‘transparency’.
Might even get Manchin to vote against Kavanaugh in order to save his sorry ass in November. Miracles do sometimes happen.
jl
@grammypat: Trump turds from the Helsinki mess are going to drop regularly from now until at least Putin’s visit this fall. My thinking at this moment is we need some rest.
A Ghost To Most
@Steeplejack: Well said.
smintheus
@Elizabelle: Thanks
? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?
@Elizabelle:
I don’t disagree. That’s not what I’m saying. What I mean is that McConnell’s plan doesn’t make much sense in light of the voting patterns studies I’ve heard about; that most voters’ minds are made up close to the election. IOW, it’s an empty threat and he should know better.
remima
@Steeplejack: Thanks Steeplejack. I couldn’t figure out exactly how to say something like this to @Lalophobia
efgoldman
@? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?:
He’s got a (very slim) majority, none of whom will vote against the nominee. He can and will use parliamentary procedure and senate rules to push it thru.
Elizabelle
@? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?: Ah. Thanks Goku. That’s a good point.
Some concern critter was saying it might motivate evangelicals to vote (like they might have stayed home), but who cares? There is a limit to the number of evangelicals; they’re not infinite.
Elizabelle
NY Times on Ta-Nehisi Coates departing The Atlantic magazine.
Link to the WaPost Erik Wemple story. It’s way more in-depth. Sounds like he regrets losing his anonymity.
Shalimar
In “Giuliani sucks at lawyering” news, the Cohen-Trump tape was apparently ruled privileged. Giuliani waived that privilege by commenting publicly on it.
sukabi
@?BillinGlendaleCA: I thought that was her default state.
James E Powell
@efgoldman:
A dime? Seriously? AY DIME? We’ve had dimes, dollars, donuts, and at least thirty things that would have brought any Democrat’s administration to a complete halt. What we are learning is that RW politics don’t pivot. RW voters will not abandon their people unless and until they are discovered being nice to Democrats or people of color.
Ken
@Shalimar: Clever strategy. Not Giuliani obviously – I mean whoever announced that the tape existed, knowing that someone on Trump’s team would immediately open their mouth. (Bet they thought it would be Trump, though.)
Steeplejack
@A Ghost To Most, @remima:
Thanks. That was surprisingly hard for me to write. I think I know the state Lalophobia is in—I certainly have known mind-numbing, panic-inducing economic calamity—but it’s a delicate area, and often well-intentioned advice can go astray. I know that a couple of the suggestions I got when I was at rock bottom were so unbelievably clueless that it still affects how I see those people—or don’t, actually—years later.
Anyway, glad to hear I wasn’t completely off the mark.
sdhays
@efgoldman: I don’t disagree, except for two points:
1. Kavanaugh was the one candidate that McConnell wasn’t absolutely confident he could confirm; that suggests that there is some real unease with him in the Republican caucus.
2. There is a reason Trump didn’t even look at the other people he was supposedly considering. Kavanaugh is not just some right-wing nutcase; he’s dirty. His views of absolute unaccountability for the Presidency are also too prominent as it becomes clearer and clearer that the President is a traitor – there’s quite a paper trail on him. If the process does drag out, there is a non-zero chance that something will cause the nomination to fail – either something from his past, something Preznit Spanky does (like inviting his supervisor to visit in October!), or both.
I wouldn’t bet on the confirmation failing at this point, but I don’t think it makes sense to conclude it’s all over yet.
efgoldman
@James E Powell:
Sorry. I’m old and so are my metaphors.
Steeplejack
@Shalimar, @Ken:
Emily Jane Fox of Vanity Fair on Rachel Maddow’s show tonight:
So Rudy totally meant to do it.
sdhays
@Steeplejack:
Rudy seems to be almost as good a lawyer as Michael Cohen.
Ruckus
@Steeplejack:
Rudy wants his picture in a book and he’s going to get his wish. There will be his picture, in the dictionary, right under the word stupid.
There are old people who are stupid because of age, privilege/position and there are stupid people who are born that way. drumpf falls into both categories and Rudy seems to be trying to force his way into the first. Although he’s actually been trying that for a while.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Maybe, maybe not. I haven’t seen state by state polling, but I don’t know how badly Rs want Roe to be front and center going into mid-terms where women are already pretty pissed off.
tobie
@sdhays: @Steeplejack: Rudy leaking this helps explain how Haberman and Apuzzo got this story. If the Trump team wanted to create a distraction, who better to go to for help than Haberman.
sdhays
@tobie: I hope it proves to be both a failure as a distraction from Make American Grovel Again and as disastrous a legal strategy as it seems to be.
Jay
@Lalophobia:
Lalophobia,
# 1, what others have said so far, other than the Jurassic Pork,
# 2, brakes, ( not breaks), easily fixed by yourself with some common tools, youtube, a Pep Boys and a couple hundred bucks at worst.
# 3 radiator, easily fixed again for a couple hundred bucks, a wrecking yard, basic tools and youtube,
# 4, motor. Yuck, at best, it’s blown head gaskets, fixable but a pita, at worst, dead engine.
So, follow Steeplejacks advice, also, don’t panic, you got an up,( job), a down, (car). Figure out how to get to work, figure out what’s wrkng with the engine, ( lot’s of guy’s will trouble shoot for a beer).
Then if repairable, as you get some money saved, fix the radiator, ( replace it out of a junker), fix the engine, fix the brakes.
efgoldman
@Jay:
Not everybody has the skills, knowledge and confidence to do their own major car repairs.
James E Powell
@efgoldman:
I don’t have any problem with the metaphor; it was the singular indefinite article that drew my objection. I never expect anything to pivot on a dime, but as was said long ago, “when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce [us] under absolute Despotism,” we should see some movement. That we don’t is alarming.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
On the McConnell threat (“threat”):
This will not only bring choice to the fore in the run up to the election, Kavanaugh is Mitt Romney Jr on the whole corporations are people thing, if the much bemoaned “red state Dems” are smart enough to play that, and Mitch wants to give them that much more time to get their people writing LTEs to Bismarck Whatever and Post about Wall St, and Donnelly’s writing the Indianapolis Star-Tribune (I think) reminding people about Carrier, and give Kamala Harris time to polish her transition from reading Kavanaugh’s fawning and embarrassing paean to trump and practice her look of incredulity when she asks if he thinks he can really be objective on cases pertaining to trump.
Flanders Other Neighbor
https://youtu.be/VnT7pT6zCcA
Muppets and Beethoven
Jay
@efgoldman:
Yup, but it’s learnable.
Reagan’s economy taught me car skillz.
Also taught me how to sleep on a bus between 3 part time, minimum wage jobs.
Funny thing, started with a $15.10 Union Job, 2 years later, $2.95.
MoeLarryAndJesus
Now I’ve been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh I’ve been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, some day it’s going to come
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there is a pee tape
Oh pee tape take this country, come make it home again
Now I’ve been smiling lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun
Oh pee tape getting closer
Download the pee tape
Come on now pee tape
Yes, pee tape golden shower
Everyone laughing at the pee tape
Come on now pee tape
Get your bags together, go bring your good friends too
Cause it’s getting nearer, it soon will be with you
Now come and join the living, it’s not so far from you
And it’s getting nearer, soon it will all be true
Oh pee tape getting closer
Glee for the pee tape
Come watch the pee tape
Now I’ve been crying lately, thinking about the world as it is
Why must we go on hating, why can’t we see Trump drink piss
Cause out on the edge of darkness, there is a pee tape
Oh pee tape shake this country, come make us laugh again
Oh pee tape getting closer
Pop in the pee tape
Come on now pee train
Yes, pee tape golden shower
What’s the big splash about the pee tape
Come on pee tape
Yes, it’s the pee tape
L85NJGT
@Lalophobia:
First figure out you’re public transit option (if at all possible).
Metro area transit agencies also have rideshare, carpools and vanpools.
If you need help finding out what options are available let us know your’re commute pair. and times.
L85NJGT
@Lalophobia:
Some options for donated cars and vehicle loans for low income earners.
Barney
The article ends with Kellyanne Conway literally saying, on the record, “don’t believe what you see”. That is now their strategy – a denial of anything like objective fact.