Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you don’t believe freedom is for everybody, then the thing you love isn’t freedom, it is privilege.

Motto for the House: Flip 5 and lose none.

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

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

“Perhaps I should have considered other options.” (head-desk)

Republicans: The threats are dire, but my tickets are non-refundable!

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

You are either for trump or for democracy. Pick one.

Donald Trump found guilty as fuck – May 30, 2024!

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

Dear Washington Post, you are the darkness now.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

Those who are easily outraged are easily manipulated.

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

Shut up, hissy kitty!

No offense, but this thread hasn’t been about you for quite a while.

How stupid are these people?

There are some who say that there are too many strawmen arguments on this blog.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

White supremacy is terrorism.

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Friday Morning Open Thread: Ministry of Truthiness

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Despite all the criticisms of her performance, Huckabee Sanders is an artist in her own Southern-Gothic niche. She was hired — and she does her job, in this context, brilliantly — to be the grim, dutiful Good Wife who insists that ERRYTHING IS JUST FAAAAHNE THENK YEW in front of the village congregation. Sure, the whole neighborhood knows that (behind the facade) ‘Daddy’ is a mean drunk who knocks her around and sleeps with hookers, the family business is forever teetering on the brink of bankruptcy, her kids are out of control and would be in jail or another institution if the local police weren’t cowed by or complicit in the ‘best families’ oligarchy… but as long as she can slab on enough pancake makeup and wear her ‘family’ pearls, the comforting clan mythology remains unchallenged. It’s not an easy living, but what alternatives does a past-her-prime good Southern girl with no education outside the conservative bubble have? Praise ‘Merican Jeebus for “tradition”, and don’t forget to vote Republican!

… It is a well-worn cliché of the Trump presidency—which is also to say, it is a well-worn cliché about the Trump psyche—that, within a White House as vertically integrated as this one, loyalty counts above all. And Sarah Sanders, the press secretary who will have been on the job, this week, for one year—the White House announced her promotion to the role in July of 2017—performs that loyalty every time she meets the press.

This is a White House that prioritizes the scoring of points over the complexities of compromise. Sanders, on behalf of the president she works for—a happy warrior in a culture war that has found a front in the James S. Brady briefing room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—takes for granted an assumption that would be shocking were it not so common in the American culture of the early 21st century: There are things that are more important than truth.

Things like, for example, the claiming of victory against the other side. Things like, for example, the owning of libs and the trolling of Dems and the ability to victor-write history so thoroughly that you can claim, with an air of annoyance about being asked to make such a clarification in the first place, that the president’s long history of commentary on Russia has now been nullified, because the president had, in a single public event, “misspoken.” All of which made Wednesday’s briefing—the president will work with his team—both deeply typical and astounding: Here was one of the most prominent representatives of the White House choosing partisanship over patriotism. Winning above all…

Last fall, when she was still settling into the press secretary job after taking it over from Scaramucci, The New York Times asked Sanders, who is very much an evangelical Christian, what led her to want to work for Donald Trump, who is very much not. Sanders replied, matter-of-factly: “I thought he could win.”…

 
Don’t blame the Spokesmouthpiece, blame the Oval Office Occupant…

Reader Interactions

269Comments

  1. 1.

    mattH

    It’s almost 3am here and I’m reminded that every hotel bedroom is horrible.

    How’s everyone else’s day ?

  2. 2.

    NottMax

    “My generals” pretty much ripped back the curtain.

    What was that, like a century and a half ago in T-years?

  3. 3.

    Baud

    I agree with Sandere. Obama should have arrested Trump. I’m sure Trump will fix that oversight.

  4. 4.

    NotMax

    My bad. Accidentally typed in NottMax in this thread and also elsewhere. If those could be released, would be grateful.

    Otherwise –

    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? Lookie 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

  5. 5.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    .@realDonaldTrump is “not afraid of anything” … except for serving in the military, STDs, the public seeing his tax returns, a bald eagle, Putin, a no-carts golf course, Bob Mueller, windy days outdoors without a cap, an honest day’s work, facts, strong women, smart people ..

    and sharks

  6. 6.

    WereBear

    I loved that paragraphn about Sarah Huckabee Sanders, Anne Laurie.

    I thought Daddy’s religion believed the wimmenfolk are supposed to stay at home? What is she doing so close to the levers of power when they might get girl cooties all over them?

  9. 9.

    Sister Rail Gun of Warm Humanitarianism

    @WereBear: She’s in an approved women’s role. She’s not actually doing anything or making decisions; she’s covering up the problems.

  12. 12.

    Jeffro

    Funny…it looks like David Ignatius and Eugene Robinson must have been sharing a brain last night…

    Ignatius: The IC Has Never Faced a Problem Like This Before

    The American intelligence community has never faced a problem quite like President Trump — a commander in chief who is suspected by a growing number of Republicans and Democrats of deferring to Russia’s views over the recommendations of his own intelligence agencies.

    “There are almost two governments now,” worries John McLaughlin, a former acting CIA director. He discusses the Trump conundrum with the same vexation as a dozen other former intelligence officials I’ve spoken with since the president’s shockingly acquiescent performance onstage Monday with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    How are current intelligence chiefs handling this unprecedented situation? They are operating carefully but correctly, trying to balance their obligations to the president with the oaths they have sworn to protect and defend the Constitution. The officials continue to serve the elected president, but they are also signaling that they work for the American people.

    Robinson: God Bless The ‘Deep State’

    Before this harebrained and reckless administration is history, the nation will have cause to celebrate the public servants derided by Trumpists as the supposed “deep state.”

    The term itself is propaganda, intended to cast a sinister light upon men and women whom Trump and his minions find annoyingly knowledgeable and experienced. They are not participants in any kind of dark conspiracy. Rather, they are feared and loathed by the president and his wrecking crew of know-nothings because they have spent years — often decades — mastering the details of foreign and domestic policy.

    God bless them. With a supine Congress unwilling to play the role it is assigned by the Constitution, the deep state stands between us and the abyss.

    I think I’ll forward both around a bit today, especially to my gee-aren’t-cha-awfully-quiet-these-days RWNJ relatives.

    They both wrap up on the same note – one that Dem candidates around the country ought to make part of every stump speech:

    Ignatius: “At the end of the day, our work is what endures,” Wray said here. His commitment to the law and the facts offered a moment to appreciate that Trump is checked, not by some imaginary “deep state,” but by patriotic men and women doing their jobs.

    Robinson: We will get answers at some point, but we can’t ignore what we appear to be seeing right now: ongoing collusion, between Trump and Putin, to impede and denigrate the Mueller investigation. It’s happening before our eyes.

    Democrats in Congress are powerless; the Republican leadership, spineless. Experienced government officials know that their job is to serve the president. But what if the president does not serve the best interests of the nation?

    In this emergency, the loyal and honorable deep state has a higher duty. It’s called patriotism.

  13. 13.

    WereBear

    This is a White House that prioritizes the scoring of points over the complexities of compromise. Sanders, on behalf of the president she works for—a happy warrior in a culture war that has found a front in the James S. Brady briefing room at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue—takes for granted an assumption that would be shocking were it not so common in the American culture of the early 21st century: There are things that are more important than truth.

    I don’t think enough attention has been paid to how the cross pollination of racist religion and capitalist politics has actually made each other worse.

    The Rabid Fundamentalist (but I repeat myself) are no strangers to meddling in politics. That is what the 1927 Scopes Trial was all about. And after Clarence Darrow handed them their ass, minced fine and sealed in baggies, they shut up for a while. But now they want to bring back the Inquisition, because the Republicans outright promised them they could. They have degenerated into their wildest dreams like Quiverfull-level women oppression and exploitation of non-whites being legal.

    But no one realizes this strange, Star Trekish, transporter accident changed the Republican party more than their platform. They now “go on faith” and think they can ignore reality, as discussed above. “What they do” has been completely unmoored from “what happens next.” As Rove said, “We make our own reality.”

    Which doesn’t work. Which let them think they could perpetually get away with their double agent gambit.

    Aldrich Ames is doing life for killing hundreds through his actions for his Russian Masters. How many have Republicans killed?

  16. 16.

    Mezz

    Go ahead and make me feel inferior as I sit and write little hits and narratives to add to lectures during the school year – the whole paragraph was a thing of beauty:

    but as long as she can slab on enough pancake makeup and wear her ‘family’ pearls, the comforting clan mythology remains unchallenged.

    If any of you have read any of the materials on the Queen’s jewelry selection when the Orange Fart-cloud visited, the reference to the “family” pearls is exceptionally gifted. Very impressive Anne

  18. 18.

    NotMax

    Useless trivia learned this week:

    The national anthem of Spain has no official lyrics.

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    @NotMax: Same oppressive heat. Same moss-draped live oaks and palms. Same malevolence and corruption lurking under the veneer of virtue and civility. And yet so different somehow.

  22. 22.

    geg6

    @Betty Cracker:

    Oooo, Savannah is one of few paces in the Deep South that I just adore. We stayed one New Year in a B&B there in an old cotton warehouse on River Street that had antebellum furnishings and a late afternoon wine and cheese spread. Just beautiful. And the party on River Street (open containers encouraged) was a blast.

  23. 23.

    NotMax

    @SRW1

    “There are no Russians in the White House”!

    They shuttle back and forth via the tunnel connecting the White House and a certain hotel.

    :)

  25. 25.

    satby

    Good morning /evening everyone ?!

    Trying to gather the energy to dress and get to the market. MomSense asked earlier this week if anyone else has been struggling with exhaustion (from our relentlessly awful Occupying Traitors) and I just want to say I am. I have trouble getting motivated to do more than stagger through the day. Things are so unreal.

  27. 27.

    OzarkHillbilly

    I am shocked, shocked I tell you:

    Democrats ‘less inclined to cheat on spouses than Republicans’

    Democrats are less inclined than Republicans to cheat on their spouses, according to researchers who matched voter records to accounts hacked from a US website that specialises in extramarital affairs.

    The study of 80,000 voters in five US states found that Democrats used the Ashley Madison adultery website substantially less than Republicans, Libertarians, Greens and unaffiliated voters. Libertarians consistently ranked as the site’s most frequent clients.

    The results highlight an apparent paradox where those with more conservative views and supposedly stricter attitudes towards sex seem happier to hop into bed with someone outside their relationship than more liberal types.

    “Our results are perhaps the strongest evidence yet that people with more sexually conservative values, although they claim to act accordingly, are more sexually deviant in practice than their more sexually liberal peers,” the researchers write in Archives of Sexual Behaviour.

    Kodi Arfer, a behavioural scientist at the University of California in Los Angeles, and Jason Jones, a sociologist at Stony Brook University in New York, linked the 2012 voter registration records for California, Florida, Kansas, New York and Oklahoma to credit card payments made by people living in those states to Ashley Madison between 2008 and 2015. The payment details were released in 2015 when a group called the Impact Team hacked millions of Ashley Madison accounts.

    Family values and all that.

  28. 28.

    NotMax

    @satby

    Above all, never let their evil be the director of your life.

    “My life has has meaning, damn it”
      – Howard Beale

  30. 30.

    Betty Cracker

    @geg6: They have a helluva St. Patrick’s Day party there! My sister lived near the riverfront for a few years, so I got to know the town fairly well. We have family connections to it. My paternal grandparents met there during WW2 — my granny was a Georgia farm girl who came to Savannah for a Rosie the Riveter job, and my grandfather was sergeant in the US Army Air Forces, later the USAF, training troops at a nearby base.

    @NotMax: Not this time — we’ll be riding in air-conditioned comfort!

  34. 34.

    A Ghost To Most

    @WereBear:

    I don’t think enough attention has been paid to how the cross pollination of racist religion and capitalist politics has actually made each other worse

    Shorter: we need to shine a spotlight on christian fascism.

    Disclaimer: I have no use for any religion.

  35. 35.

    WereBear

    @OzarkHillbilly: It is no surprise when they marry for money or too young to get religiously approved sex. When they don’t regard women as people, but incubators who clean. When they don’t have any sense of compassion or loyalty.

    When they remain teenagers forever, the last stage where something happens without you making an effort. Ever notice that about them? They don’t like to make an effort.

  36. 36.

    Patricia Kayden

    @OzarkHillbilly: Strange study since it focuses solely on one dating service. Perhaps Democrats don’t need dating services to cheat. We’re brilliant like that.

  38. 38.

    Immanentize

    @NotMax: yesterday on my NPR station, there a cool segment on Copeland’s Fanfair for the Common Man. It’s only four minutes long (I never realized that) and some jazz musician interviewed suggested it could be our national anthem

    I liked that idea.

  40. 40.

    debbie

    I’m loving Trump’s strategy of blaming Obama for not stopping Trump from colluding. “Somebody stop me!”

  42. 42.

    debbie

    @Immanentize:

    Yes, I heard it too and agree it would be a great anthem. Solves the problem of most people not being able to carry a tune or remember lyrics. But listening to the other versions of the fanfare, it would have to be the original, orchestral version. I’d forgotten how much I dislike ELP’s version.

  43. 43.

    Immanentize

    @satby:
    I’m exhausted too. I feel like I am only getting about 75% of what I used to/need to done. It’s frustrating. Which adds to the exhaustion!

  44. 44.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Heh:

    A rightwing group that had vowed to stage weeks of protests against California’s best-known African American member of Congress, Maxine Waters, was a no-show at its own demonstration as activists thronged to offer their support outside Waters’ district office in south Los Angeles.

    The Oath Keepers, founded in 2009 in reaction to the election of America’s first black president, and described by the Southern Poverty Law Center as one of the country’s largest anti-immigrant and anti-government groups, had targeted Waters because of her encouragement of anti-Trump activists who refused service to cabinet members and White House aides at restaurants and other businesses.

    Donald Trump slammed Waters on Twitter last month, calling her an “extraordinarily low IQ person” who meant to do his supporters harm. The Oath Keepers appeared to be happy to follow his lead.

    “We invite all patriotic supporters of the constitution to join us in standing up against leftist attempts to impede the securing of our borders through intimidation and terrorism,” the group posted online.

    Now what kind of person wouldn’t resist against the use of intimidation and terrorism to secure our border? There are better ways after all.

  46. 46.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: agreed. The ELP version was created in that weird period of Switched on Bach and other (to me) sad efforts at “look at my mad synthesizer skillz” productions. Even ELP’S Lucky Man, which I still like a lot as a timely SCA meets Vietnam, gets ruined by their stupid synth skat at the end.

  48. 48.

    OzarkHillbilly

    “The sarcophagus has been opened, but we have not been hit by a curse,” said Mostafa Waziry, the head of Egypt’s Supreme Council for Antiquities, in response to news reports warning of maledictions hidden inside the tomb in the port city of Alexandria.

    No maledictions, but plenty of raw sewage.

  49. 49.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize:

    “Oath Keepers” is a clearly ironic self-title

    Wrapping themselves in the flag while shitting on the Constitution, some “oath” they took.

  51. 51.

    Immanentize

    @NotMax: oops, I guess you and I will have to set aside ELP on this one….

    But one has to be impressed by the revolving drum stage. What Nigel Tufnel and the dead drummers wouldn’t give for that rig!

  55. 55.

    lowtechcyclist

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’m off on a road trip to Savannah shortly with my girls. Can’t remember the last time I left Florida. ?

    Of course, you’ve gotta drive a looooong ways to get out of Florida. It’s not like it’s easy for you to get to another state. Me, I’ve got 5 states and DC within a 2.5 hour drive.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    @satby:
    I understand, satby. While I believe that we have made progress, it is exhausting for some to FINALLY be where you were 2 years ago. It’s like..
    Wake.the.Phuck.up.??

  59. 59.

    lowtechcyclist

    @rikyrah:

    It’s just Georgia?

    Reminds me of the Dylan song where he leaves New York City behind:

    So one mornin’ when the sun was warm
    I rambled out of New York town
    Pulled my cap down over my eyes
    And headed out for the western skies

    And of course the punch line:

    So long, New York
    Howdy, East Orange

  60. 60.

    Immanentize

    @rikyrah:
    I fear they have not woken up. Just openned one eye, looked at the clock, and rolled over. I suspect most will be snoring again in a moment.

  61. 61.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @NotMax: @Immanentize: Back in the day I saw ELP in concert several times. Palmer was the heart of every show, quite the showman. While I prefer the orchestral version, I don’t find ELP’s treatment objectionable.

  63. 63.

    Gin & Tonic

    @rikyrah: Precisely. I’m not on the Supreme Council of Antiquities, but even I know that the powerful ancient curses take time to do their work.

  64. 64.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    I’m reading the fourth book in Rachel Caine’s Great Library series. The premise is that the Great Library of Alexandria survived and now has control over all books, and pretty much all knowledge. The technology is steam punk so there’s no internet. Anyway, the library has become an abusive tyrant, and as I’m reading this one, I swear Caine could be writing about Trump (as the Archivist) and the R party who theoretically swear an oath to serve the library but really wind up serving one man.

  65. 65.

    Spaniel

    I am disappointed in the Evangelicals these days, but it is a shell of a word to what it used to mean. They have succumbed to the world in which they promised to fight the good fight. Relativism runs rampant, but it okay because “it is me and Jesus”. BThey fight for government to supply saving grace but refuse to acknowledge common grace. Humanism takes on a different form, as highlighted by studies published by the Barna Group: fend for oneself, tithing is not important, and the re-emergence of the halfway Covenent with everyone going to heaven (other than them who do not look like me or hold similar social, economic, political, and religious beliefs).

    Some 20-years ago, the “Left Behind” series was embraced by the Fundamentalists and Evangelicals about how a leader who was self-serving and beguiled those without the truth within. A leader embraced by these same groups is a known liar, manipulator, lecherous, lack ability to dispense common grace, knows not the power of saving grace but shrouds himself as a champion of it, loves money and power.

  67. 67.

    Immanentize

    @OzarkHillbilly: I would have liked to see them live. And I do love Palmer — in no small part because he was the drummer in Arthur Brown’s Crazy World Band (FIRE!). it’s the extended synth solos that turn me off.

  68. 68.

    Aardvark Cheeselog

    I have been waiting to say, apropos of the topic, that I am fvcking sick of headlines claiming that Sanders “tried to clarify” this or that shitshow remark by the “President.” She has one job, and “clarifying” things is not it.

  70. 70.

    Platonailedit

    Young voters are flocking to register to vote in key battleground states in the wake of the February school shooting at a Parkland, Fla. high school, according to a new analysis from Democratic data firm TargetSmart.

    https://t.co/oApdr09nat— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 20, 2018

    High time the old farts’ voting power to fuck up everything and everyone (except themselves) is diminished to the point of extinction.

  71. 71.

    Platonailedit

    Republican Rep. Will Hurd (an ex-CIA officer): "Over the course of my career as an undercover officer in the C.I.A., I saw Russian intelligence manipulate many people. I never thought I would see the day when an American president would be one of them."

    https://t.co/atSW38OiXX— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 20, 2018

  72. 72.

    Betty Cracker

    @captnkurt: I’m surprised to hear such a thing exists. I read the book but somehow missed that. My husband’s family is Polish-American, and I ended up with one of their ancient cookbooks, which has an entry for “ammonia cake.” Sounds so gross I’ve never even looked at the ingredients to see if floor cleaner is included!

  77. 77.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Immanentize: I understand that, they definitely aren’t for everyone, and can grow tiresome, but then what’s a keyboardist to do?.

  83. 83.

    JPL

    I have this terrible feeling, that Trump is going to do something irrational today. I know that’s the new norm, but somehow I think today will be worse. (The gut knows)

  84. 84.

    frosty

    @Immanentize: I hope there’s less news today. Not that I have to get anything done – it’s the first day of vacation and I spent the whole day on the phone while Ms. F drove.

  87. 87.

    rikyrah

    @Immanentize:
    It is the beginning, but the Spy Girl case is a whole other level that is wonderful because of it’s simplicity. I keep on being told that “collusion” is “difficult to understand”.
    I think that is complete bullshyt, but, ok.
    Spy Girl?
    Easiest shyt to understand.
    Russian Spy Girl uses sex and money to gain access and influence people.
    And, errrrbody in her path is an American. Looking forward to the American names in her case.
    Finding out from Maddow last night that Spy Girl’s Sugar Daddy got KT McFarland on the National Security Council was just one tidbit. The names will begin to drip out.

  89. 89.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: I believe he is speaking of some of the Maxine Waters supporters. I say some because others there were disturbed by it and spoke out against it.

  90. 90.

    Elizabelle

    Good morning, guys. Gonna resolve to have a good day, no matter what Trump does.

    And think: Paul Manafort is starting his day with powdered eggs, weak coffee, anxiety. And it only goes downhill from here.

    Meanwhile jackals roam free.

    And do roam over to your local candidate’s/Dem party office and volunteer some time, cuz we are less than 4 months out from The Mid-Terms. Vengeance Voting is ours.

  91. 91.

    Platonailedit

    A Russian firm indicted in the Mueller probe is citing a decision by Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh to argue that the charge against it should be dismissed.

    https://t.co/k4YgTfaaG8— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 20, 2018

    This, among other possible quid pro quo’s, explains traitorous thug’s choice?

  95. 95.

    The Ancient Randonneur

    Lux ?? Alptraum
    @LuxAlptraum
    Still not over the fact that Mark Zuckerberg finds women’s nipples more offensive than Holocaust denial.
    8:32 AM · Jul 20, 2018

  100. 100.

    frosty

    @Platonailedit: I asked my younger son to help register his friends. He said everyone he knows is already registered. And these are not political kids.

    Anecdata.

  101. 101.

    jimmiraybob

    @WereBear:

    What is she [Sanders] doing so close to the levers of power when they might get girl cooties all over them?

    She’s modeling perfect subservience to male authority. That is allowed.

  102. 102.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Elizabelle: Yes, it’s YA. Caine also wrote PRINCE OF SHADOWS, a retelling of “Romeo and Juliet” from the POV of Benvolio, which I like quite a lot.

    If you automatically rule out YA, you’re missing good stuff!

  103. 103.

    Jeffro

    @Elizabelle:

    Good morning, guys. Gonna resolve to have a good day, no matter what Trump does.

    And think: Paul Manafort is starting his day with powdered eggs, weak coffee, anxiety. And it only goes downhill from here.

    Meanwhile jackals roam free.

    And do roam over to your local candidate’s/Dem party office and volunteer some time, cuz we are less than 4 months out from The Mid-Terms. Vengeance Voting is ours.

    I’m trying to decide which of these excellent lines is my favorite. Thanks for the great start to the day!

  106. 106.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Baud: From the article:

    The Oath Keepers told the police shortly before their protest was due to begin that they were pulling out. But several counter-protesters remained hot-headed, with confrontations coming close to physical violence.

    A news reporter suspected of being a rightwing provocateur was chased across a busy street. He jumped into a car and drove off at high speed. A second man in a polo shirt had fingers jabbed into his face and was escorted away, even though he insisted he was a Waters supporter.

    When a flatbed truck with a large American flag in the back pulled up outside the office, activists spat at the driver and his passenger, threw water and eggs at them, and grabbed the flag, which they then burned to chants of: “One two three four, slavery, genocide and war. Five six seven eight, America was never great!”

    One activist, calling himself Billion Godsen, proclaimed: “We’re heterosexual black men. When we’re around, they don’t show up.”

    A group of his friends then chanted: “If you ain’t from the hood, stay out of the hood.”

    Not everyone was comfortable with this aggressive posture. Several peace activists said the flag-burning made them uneasy. Others said the radicals were playing into the hands of their adversaries and only bolstering their prejudices.

    “I’m totally embarrassed by the way people are being treated here,” said Charles Russell, a reformed former gang member turned peace activist. “There’s only one or two or them. Let ’em talk.”

    ETA: so make what you will of them. Just as likely they were bored and decided to do the testosterone strut.

  108. 108.

    Baud

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    It’s impossible to tell these days whether people like that are our traditional domestic idiots or Russian backed agitators. But thanks.

  109. 109.

    rikyrah

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Shrugging my shoulders.
    Muthaphuckas wanna roll up in Da Hood…then they get what they get.
    Please note that this isn’t the first time that they have chosen to try and intimidate Waters.

  110. 110.

    A Ghost To Most

    @Immanentize:
    Agree. Prog rock synthesizers drove me back to the country side of rock. Autotune similarly alienates me from some otherwise interesting new music.

  113. 113.

    Elizabelle

    @rikyrah: I wish so much of the country was not adolescents who need a sex scandal to tune in.

    Because the sexual favors are the least of Ms. Butina’s efforts. But it is what it is.

    I wish this country would grow the fuck up, but that means giving up the Daddy fantasy, and the “we are so special — no consequences for our [bad/in-]actions.” Think we got some eye-opening times ahead of us.

  114. 114.

    MomSense

    @Aardvark Cheeselog:

    They use that language about trump, too. Trump needs to clarify his statement in Helsinki. Really? Clarity was the problem with that statement? Isn’t the real problem that the meaning came through loud and fucking clear and what they really want is for the president and his spokeswall to lie to us and pretend he said something else.

  116. 116.

    tobie

    Any Michiganders here this morning? I read that Bernie and Ocasio-Cortez are going to Michigan to campaign for their candidates for governor and Congress (John Conyers old district). Any candidates I should take a special look at? I could throw a few bucks their way.

  117. 117.

    Elizabelle

    @frosty: Yea you!

    Our congressional candidate, Abigail Spanberger (up against Ayn Rand fan/Divinity student/economist/Tea Partyin’ Dave Brat) is, I am told, getting some extra media attention because of her CIA background. Have not seen any of the interviews, but if it helps, it helps.

    We did a very peaceful candlelight protest outside Dave Brat’s office two nights ago. Don’t know that it accomplished much more than getting us volunteers out in the fresh air and giving some cops some extra work protecting/observing us. But it was fun.

  119. 119.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @rikyrah:

    Muthaphuckas wanna roll up in Da Hood…then they get what they get.

    At some level I agree with you, but every time I see a black person in Sullivan MO I know they are at risk of getting the same treatment. Black people minding their own business is not the same as showing up to troll a protest but we still have freedom of speech in this country.

  122. 122.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @MomSense: When my son turned 18, he was a senior in high school. After school, he worked at the local D HQ doing data input. So on his first election day, he went straight from school to work, and his boss asked him if he’d voted yet. When he said no, she bundled him into her car and drove him to his polling place. She waited in the car, so he was on his own inside, but that event really impressed him. He’s been a voter ever since.

  123. 123.

    Elizabelle

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I have a friend — formerly a teacher — who has been preferring YA for some time because you get sophisticated plots and writing without some of the extraneous garbage that makes it into “adult” novels.

  124. 124.

    germy

    I’d forgotten all about this one:

    I'm old enough to remember when Tad Devine claimed staffers had "accidentally" conducted 25 targeted searches of Clinton's voter data.

    Hey, just because he's a Russia-linked former Bernie staffer and appears on Mueller's evidence list for the Manafort trial, don't read into that pic.twitter.com/had4neStSh

    — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) July 19, 2018

  126. 126.

    JPL

    @tobie: Bernie is going to be on Face the Nation on Sunday. Maybe he’ll update us on Tad Devine’s Russian pals.

  127. 127.

    MomSense

    @raven:

    Winter is awesome. Have you seen Gillian Welch? She and Dave Rawlings played in Portland on Wednesday night. My kid and his friends went and said it was a beautiful concert. I think they are about halfway through their tour together.

  128. 128.

    germy

    @JPL: They won’t ask and he won’t tell, I predict.

    They’re more interested in his thoughts on… the democrat party.

  130. 130.

    Baud

    @JPL: Makes me wonder whether his attempted resolution yesterday against Russian interference was intended to innoculate himself against the Devine mess.

  134. 134.

    Platonailedit

    Ex-White House stenographer says that Trump strongly disliked having his words recorded.

    "If he's really the victim of so much inaccurate reporting, why is he so averse to having the facts recorded and transcribed?"

    https://t.co/VuAKTwIkvG— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) July 20, 2018

    Because it helps him in his 24×7 lies?

  135. 135.

    danielx

    When you try and justify your support for our traitor POTUS that’s called Manchuriansplaining.

    — Sex Huntress (@OhNoSheTwitnt) July 19, 2018

    Today’s win for the intertubes.

  137. 137.

    Duane

    Obama might have been able to stop Russian sabotage if the Republicans had not literally been in bed with the Russians. Stupid, evil bastards are the Russians.

  138. 138.

    tobie

    @JPL: Bernie’s a media darling because he divides the Dems. No Dem gets the fawning coverage he gets (and he’s not even a member of the party, just aligned with it). I’d be very surprised if he’s grilled about Tad Devine’s history with Manafort or the data hacking his campaign did on Face the Nation. Bernie’s too useful to them. I’ve noticed he is feeling emboldened since Ocasio-Cortez’s victory, and his involvement in Michigan and Kansas is a clear sign he’s jockeying for more institutional power in the Democratic Party. They want Nancy Pelosi’s scalp and I fear they will get it. In the US, the only politician more vilified than Pelosi is Hillary Clinton.

  141. 141.

    ruemara

    @germy: I hadn’t. Or Tad Devine & superdelegates. Or Greenstreet media, if I recall the shady company correctly.

  144. 144.

    patrick II

    @Baud:

    Johnson should have arrested Nixon and everyone involved in sabotaging the Paris talks. He didn’t and it set a lawbreaker’s precedent for republican nominees, including Reagan and Iran, Bush brothers and Florida, and Trump and Russia. If the first one had been handled properly, perhaps there would be no second and third ones with fair warning given to candidates breaking the law, perhaps the next two might not have happened.
    If there is no enforcement there is no law.

  145. 145.

    hueyplong

    “In the US, the only politician more vilified than Pelosi is Hillary Clinton.”

    What about Maxine Waters, who checks off both boxes? I guess lower name recognition holds her back for now?

  146. 146.

    frosty

    @Elizabelle: The PA Supreme Court busted the R gerrymander because it violated the state constitution. Hence it can’t be appealed to SCOTUS. It resulted in my Tea Party Freedom Caucus rep having a competitive race. I’m out of his district now but I’ll be driving up to York to work for his opponent.

  149. 149.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: Charlie Pierce, of all people, retweeted this

    Charles P. Pierce Retweeted Victoria Brownworth
    Curiouser and curioser…

    Victoria Brownworth @ VABVOX
    Devine advised Sanders to ignore Obama’s request that he concede for unity after Sanders lost the primary. Sanders continued to campaign until the DNC.…

    I went through Brownworth’s twitter to see if there was a full article on this for context, the timeframe, etc, but didn’t see one. I imagine if she’s not working on that, someone out there is.

  152. 152.

    Gin & Tonic

    @JPL: I don’t want to be that guy, but Devine’s ties to Manafort and Kilimnik are not new news. I’m not sure why it’s a thing now, when this was well-known back in the 2016 primaries/caucuses.

  153. 153.

    germy

    @tobie: I could be wrong, but I think Bernie never personally endorsed Ocasio-Cortez. The group he’s associated with endorsed her, but he insists they’re independent of him.

    But after she won her primary, he jumped into the front of the marathon like Rosie Ruiz.

  155. 155.

    tobie

    @hueyplong: You’re right. I should have said the only politician more vilified than Nancy Pelosi and Maxine Waters is Hillary Clinton. The only reason I didn’t include Waters is that I don’t see her job in jeopardy, whereas I do think Nancy will be asked to step down as party leader in the House. If Nancy goes, I’d like to see her do it on her own terms.

  156. 156.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    I’ve never seen him on TV, and he never gets much love from the blogosphere, but Timothy Egan is one of the good things the NYT has done, like Krugman and Michelle Goldberg

    Wishing for supporters of Donald Trump to find their hearts, their brains or their patriotism is a fool’s errand. We are, as the president has said many times, “a stupid country,” and every day of this presidency proves his point.
    I didn’t use to feel this way, and it pains me to say this. There’s still a golden opportunity in November for the non-stupid majority to be heard. But it’s time to abandon some of the stories we tell about ourselves as a people.

  159. 159.

    Baud

    @Gin & Tonic:
    @germy:

    I’m kind of hoping Manafort goes to trial so we’ll see the evidence. OTOH, it’s probably better for the country if he decides to cooperate.

  160. 160.

    Yarrow

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s not curious at all. Tad Devine worked with Paul Manafort in Ukraine. He’s a traitor. As Adam says, penetration at all levels. Might as well get someone who will get a job with supposed Dems to mess up things on that side too.

  161. 161.

    Yarrow

    @germy: Penetration at all levels includes people in the media. I’ve been skeptical of Chris Hayes love affair with Wilmer for some times. I’d put Hayes in the “useful idiot” category at this point, though.

  164. 164.

    danielx

    Arrrrgh…..supposed to go see Tedeschi Trucks Band with Drive By Truckers and Marcus King Band tonight (outside) and it’s going to rain/storm all day and into the evening. Boo hiss.

  166. 166.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @germy: I love it! I’m a Hayes fan but his adoring gaze when he has Wilmer on is more than I can take

  167. 167.

    Mike in DC

    The new Dem slogan, “For the People”, is taking some heat as being a little bit bland. My suggestion is “Oh, from this time forth, My thoughts be bloody, or be nothing worth!”, but I guess it doesn’t fit as well on a bumper sticker.

  168. 168.

    germy

    @Yarrow:

    people in the media.

    I think the subtle undercover ones are more insidious than the Fox & Friends types we all laugh at.

    I remember when Mr. Weinstein’s problems started, it was revealed he had accomplices in the media who purposely wrote unflattering things about his accusers.

    And I remember Olivia Nuzzi’s friendship with milo.

  170. 170.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Gin & Tonic: people were distracted by Susan Sarandon and that fucking bird

    ETA: @Mike in DC: one thing you can count on, when the Dems release a new slogan, it will be mocked as tired, worn out, written by committee, uninspiring…. I’m of the opinion that good local candidates talking about health care and a social safety net are a lot more important, but I like the implicit echo of Gore’s “We’re for the people, they’re for the powerful.” It also fits right in with the critique of the failing tax plan

  171. 171.

    TS (the original)

    @Platonailedit:

    This, among other possible quid pro quo’s, explains traitorous thug’s choice?

    Quite likely suggested by one of Butina’s friends.

  172. 172.

    Elizabelle

    WaPost headline (have not read the story):

    Dan Coats: Once the Senate’s ‘Mister Rogers,’ he’s now an outspoken voice of reason on Russian interference

    Mister Rogers? I remember Coats as being kinda nasty and partisan on several occasions and issues. But I guess it’s all relative, and there’s a real grading on the curve for Republicans.

    That said, he had a charming affect in the short interview clip with Andrea Greenspan yesterday.

    And he was nestled among friends. The national security set. You know, the really serious set. (No digs at Adam S or Cheryl, but I think domestic policy is plenty sexy too. And gets continually undervalued.)

    ETA: Is Mitch McConnell gonna be Uncle Bill or Captain Kangaroo, if this continues? Warm and cuddly and folksy and non-threatening …. uh, no.

  173. 173.

    germy

    Onion headline:

    FBI Reveals Maria Butina Traded Sex In Exchange For All 62,984,828 Votes Trump Received In 2016

  175. 175.

    Elizabelle

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I make a point of ignoring Chris Hayes. Never watch his show. They should give the time slot to Ali Velshi, who is a superb journalist, from what I’ve seen.

    And why can’t we bring Martin Bashir back? I forget whatever “scandal” brought him down, but I think (1) he was a solid journalist and (2) everyone is allowed a non-murdering mistake, especially if they learn from it. (This keeps the Judith Millers locked out.) Look at the personal foibles of all these folks that are Villagers or establishment media and they’re welcomed with open arms if they will fellate the Conventional Wisdom.

  176. 176.

    JimV

    Just wanted to say: great post! The “Good Wife” part would have made me laugh in a happier world.

  178. 178.

    TS (the original)

    @JPL:

    Bernie is going to be on Face the Nation on Sunday

    Why do the 46 democratic party senators rarely, if ever, appear on such shows? It seems ANYONE except a democrat gets air time.

  179. 179.

    tobie

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: There’s some interesting stuff in Victoria Brownworth’s twitter feed. Evidently Bernie was keen on debating Trump directly *after* the Democratic primaries but before the convention as a way of establishing himself as the party’s nominee. Stuff like this makes me think he really is a Leninist at heart–he’ll destroy everything to have his way. The media should be asking him if he’ll throw his full weight behind Democratic candidates for Congress in November, even if they weren’t his pick. That will be the test if he’s in this fight “for the people” or for himself.

  184. 184.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @tobie: @ Stuff like this makes me think he really is a Leninist at heart–he’ll destroy everything to have his way.
    my theory has been that at some point in early 2016, he got it into his head that he could win and went on the attack against HRC. In my mind, it was the switch from, “I’m sick of hearing about the damn emails” to bellowing about WALL STREET SPEECHES!, which became, and I believe remains, “The Democratic Pawh-ty is a fayl-yuh!”. I confess it’s as much for personal loathing as politics that I hope the Mueller report exposes him as a useful idiot

  186. 186.

    Platonailedit

    Anyone else confirming this?

    BREAKING: The NFL has halted their new National Anthem policy while they convene with the NFL Players' Association.

    Looks like Trump may lose this battle after all.

    Speak out and tell the @NFL how you feel!

    — Brian Krassenstein (@krassenstein) July 20, 2018

  187. 187.

    Kathleen

    @tobie: He’s already failed that test. And the timing of O C’s entrance is no coincidence. Traitors know that Bernie’s going down and she’s his replacement rat effer.

  188. 188.

    Elizabelle

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I guess it’s just a summer Friday?

    Not having TV, and listening to classical music radio, I am the last to know if something big is going down. I rely on you guys for that.

  189. 189.

    Kelly

    @WereBear:

    after Clarence Darrow handed them their ass

    Clarence Darrow lost. Scopes was fined $100 which he did not pay due to a technicality.

  191. 191.

    Baud

    @Kathleen:

    I’m not Bernie fan, but unless they somehow rigged the timing and votes in the NY primary, it basically is a coincidence.

    And since she’s too young to run for president, I don’t see how she could replace Bernie.

  192. 192.

    tobie

    @Kathleen: If that’s the case, I will see if I can phone bank for Davids in Kansas or Whitmer in Michigan (gubernatorial race). I don’t know enough about the local Congressional races in Michigan to get involved. I take nothing for granted any longer.

  195. 195.

    MisterForkbeard

    Just gonna sneak this in here: NPR continues to be awful, with an article entitled “Is Trump the Toughest Ever On Russia?”: https://www.npr.org/2018/07/20/630659379/is-trump-the-toughest-ever-on-russia

    I like how this ends, after listing the 2-3 things Trump has done that are anti-Russia:

    “It is hard for me to believe that he was dragged kicking and screaming through each and every one of these decisions,” Vajdich said.

    We… have documentary evidence of Trump being dragged kicking and screaming through sanctions, expelling diplomats that were instantly replaced, etc. What the hell, NPR?

  196. 196.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Baud: I like AOC. Her optimism and commitment to her beliefs is IMHO a necessary contrast, and potentially a corrective, to Wilmer’s weaponized sanctimony. That weird fight with Crowley last week suggests she might need to break out the rose-twitter world a bit, but overall she seems to have good instincts.

  197. 197.

    Gravenstone

    @Betty Cracker: A quick look tells me they use ammonium bicarbonate rather than sodium bicarbonate for the leavening. No worries about any ammonia being left behind. When the carbonate gives up its CO2 to leaven the batter, the miniscule amount of ammonia present will just boil off.

  198. 198.

    PVDMichael

    RT (so take this with a grain of salt) is reporting Ecuador is going to turn Julian Assange over to the Brits…

  200. 200.

    Elizabelle

    That duck boat sinking in Lake of the Ozarks (Branson, MO) is a real tragedy. Trump, of course, has already sent out a gracious, God-mentioning tweet. Since it happened in a dark red state.

    What all the stories I’ve skimmed don’t report: were the drowning victims wearing life jackets or not? Boat was mandated to have them; storm did not come up immediately (although sounds like bad judgment to be out on the lake when that storm was expected).

    Kansas City Star: 13 dead after duck boat capsized on Table Rock Lake; 4 remain missing

    There’s video from the second boat that did make it back to shore. Storm is tossing the duck boat around. The passengers are not in life jackets. What is up with these stupid tour operators?

    I hope the Nanny State comes down on them, hard. Children died. Some may have died wearing life jackets, but it is harder.

  202. 202.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @MisterForkbeard: Daniel Vadjich? Who’s he? Oh, a senior fellow at The Atlantic Council? Why, what a nice and neutral and important sounding position…

    Oh, look, google

    STATE-OWNED UKRAINIAN ENERGY FIRM HIRES FORMER SCOTT WALKER AIDE: Naftogaz, the Ukrainian state-owned oil-and-gas firm, has hired Daniel Vajdich and Jonathan Gregory of Yorktown Solutions to represent it in Washington, according to documents filed with the Justice Department. The filing is the latest development in the battle for Washington influence between Russian and Ukrainian energy interests. Nord Stream 2 AG, a subsidiary of the Russian energy giant Gazprom, hired Capitol Counsel, the Hawksbill Group and Roberti Global to lobby in Washington this summer, spending nearly $900,000 to retain the three firms. (Former Rep. John Sweeney of SMW Partners, a former Trump transition official, worked as a subcontractor to Roberti Global.) Nord Stream 2 AG is working to build a pipeline from Russia to Germany, bypassing Eastern European countries such as Ukraine.

  203. 203.

    geg6

    @raven:

    No, we didn’t. I was still with my ex and we went there with friends from Atlanta. We were only there for two and a half days (New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day plus a half day to get there from Atlanta) and we pretty much had the whole thing scheduled to the max due to the tight schedule. We had a group of people we were meeting up with to watch the Steeler game with and then New Year’s Eve reservations at a restaurant the name of which escapes me right now and another meet-up with another group of friends who we spent NYE with, going up and down River Street from bar to bar and just joining in with the general hilarity. That street party reminded me a lot of Bourbon Street…just music and booze and lots of partiers. New Year’s Day was pretty quiet for us (we were nursing small hangovers), but we had a lovely time at the B&B most of the day. I’ve been back once or twice since, but always on business. That was the only I was there for leisure and it was great.

  204. 204.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s generally my opinion too. I like her and she’s uplifting rather than… crabby and yelling, but she’s also displayed a really worrying tendency to shoot from the hip and assume the craziest people on the left are correct. The thing with Crowley was a prime example of how NOT to handle a political situation.

    Crowley wasn’t actually running for WFP and she should have known that. Instead, now she’s inspired a whole bunch of “Democrats are awful” articles and gotten quislings like Lieberman to try and push a Crowley run that isn’t happening. She’s made herself look good at the expense of the broader party and movement, and that’s super worrying.

  205. 205.

    MomSense

    @germy:

    I don’t give a crap about AOC and I don’t have to hold my nose and vote for her so I can happily ignore her – until she goes to other districts to sow discord and division. Also WTF why would you campaign against a woman who could be the first First American to serve in Congress?

    Note to progressives, one well produced video does not a champion make.

  206. 206.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yeah. He was noted as a “Trump Defender” and someone at an important sounding “defense” think tank.

    They didn’t cite any opposing viewpoints, but did note repeatedly that Trump’s actual words and direct actions were very Russian friendly.

  207. 207.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @EBT:
    Einstein and Shakespeare
    Sitting having a beer
    Einstein trying to figure out the number that adds up to this
    Shakespeare said, “Man it all starts with a kiss”

    Einstein is scratching
    Numbers on his napkin
    Shakespeare said, “Man, it’s just one and one make three
    Ah, that’s why it’s poetry”

    –Bruce Springsteen

  209. 209.

    Miss Bianca

    @satby: I am. I’m binge-reading the Vorkosigan Saga and doing as little actual work as humanly possible. Everything just seems so fucking overwhelming right now.

  211. 211.

    Baud

    @MomSense:

    I wonder if The Intercept will have an article about how Bernie people aren’t supporting women and minorties, like the articles they write about Dems.

  214. 214.

    trollhattan

    @Elizabelle:
    I’ll shinny out on this limb to speculate Missouri killed and buried their nanny decades ago. “Accidents happen.”

    Taking one of those things out, fully (over?)loaded with storms in the region is nevertheless absurd and should not have happened.

    We were just in Seattle and a couple different duck boats tried to mow us down in our little rental car, downtown. Officially not a fan.

  217. 217.

    Miss Bianca

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Paolo’s an old bud from my Paonia days. Every time I think about how far he’s come from the times I saw him scribbling at the Moonrise Cafe, I smile and and smile.

  219. 219.

    ? ?? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ? ?

    Ok, so it happened under Obama’s watch. Leaving aside Mitch McConnel threatened to make it a partisan issue, he’s not president anymore, Trump is. Russian meddling is still on going. Checkmate, Sarah.

  220. 220.

    California Stars

    Is the open-thread dead? I’ve got an embarrassing tech question that I’m guessing a savvy BJer can resolve in a hot second. I work off my mac pro, but recently started using an HP screen and Microsoft keyboard to save my eyes and wrists. I’m often toggling between applications and on my laptop keyboard I can just press F3 to see all the files I’ve got open on the desktop. Can’t figure out an equivalent on the Microsoft keyboard. I can reach over to my laptop and the F3 function will work on both the laptop screen and the big screen simultaneously, but that’s kind of a pain given the number of times I wish to perform this function as I work. The only F key on my Microsoft keyboard that does anything noticeable on the big screen is F11, which simply clears all windows from the screen (not helpful). Any ideas?

  221. 221.

    Miss Bianca

    @germy: Yep. Oh, but I just got scolded on the Book of Faces for bringing up the fact that he’s in the evidence list: wasn’t I the one that was calling for Democrats to stop bashing each other?

    I’m just going to be sitting over here, waiting, for the news to leak out that Tad Devine and Paul Manafort were still working together – to bring down the one candidate for POTUS that Vlad really feared.

  222. 222.

    California Stars

    @Elizabelle: So horrible. When I read this I recalled that duck boats were recently banned from touring in SF because they did not meet safety standards.

  223. 223.

    Doug R

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    To be honest, I’d have been scared of having that bald eagle on my desk.

    I’ve seen them at the zoo, glad that cage is there. The eagle on the desk was a sign of stupidity more than anything.

  224. 224.

    Elizabelle

    @trollhattan: Tis God’s will those 13-17 people drowned, not far from shore and a nearby paddlewheeler (looks like). In 2018. In Branson, MO.

    To your knees, red staters. Believe in Sky King, and not The Nanny State.

  225. 225.

    Elizabelle

    @California Stars: You know, given that you only have to board once, on land, I wonder if Duck Boats transport a lot of people who might have a hard time entering a boat moored at a dock. Maybe yes, maybe no.

    But this has happened before, even in Missouri. They don’t sound safe.

    Might need to replace them with safer boats. ($$$)

  230. 230.

    tracy ratclif

    @Miss Bianca: Do you have the latest novella, “The Flowers of Vashnoi”? Not the best of the series but a nice little story of Ekaterin and Dr Enrique Borgos in the backwoods of Vorkosigan’s district.

  232. 232.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @California Stars: Sometimes the keyboards default to alternate functions rather than the function keys, that can be changed in the keyboard driver programs in Windows. Check to see if there’s a ‘fn’ key or something like that at the bottom row of keys.

  235. 235.

    Elizabelle

    @LAO: Yeah, just coming here to post that.

    From FTF NY Times: BREAKING NEWS
    President Trump’s lawyer, Michael Cohen, secretly recorded Mr. Trump before the 2016 election discussing payments to a former Playboy model
    Friday, July 20, 2018 11:40 AM EST

    President Trump’s longtime lawyer, Michael D. Cohen, secretly recorded a conversation with Mr. Trump two months before the presidential election in which they discussed payments to a former Playboy model who said she had an affair with Mr. Trump, according to lawyers and others familiar with the recording.

    The F.B.I. seized the recording this year during a raid on Mr. Cohen’s office.

    I was kinda hoping it was the playmate allegedly impregnated by Broidy.

    Is our Red State America’s President a liar? Perish the thought.

  236. 236.

    germy

    @Miss Bianca:

    Tad Devine and Paul Manafort were still working together – to bring down the one candidate for POTUS that Vlad really feared.

    Divine reached out to Manafort to arrange debates between Bernie and Donald. Donald toyed with Bernie for a few days before saying it’d be inappropriate.

  239. 239.

    schrodingers_cat

    @Baud: Vichy Times has found another idiot (Sarah Smarsh) to blame Ds for working class woes. The unspoken assumption is that working class is white and male and she is a Bernie sister. Just checked the headlines to see what the paper of record, so called, is saying.

  240. 240.

    hedgehog the occasional commenter

    @satby: I am right there with you. It really feels like a waking nightmare; I feel like I’m in a fog. Hard to concentrate at work or home.
    The meetup Tuesday helped ground me–thank you, jackals.
    @Miss Bianca: mr. h loves the books, as do a lot of folk I know, and it seems like a series I’d enjoy. (heads off to add to Kindle)

  243. 243.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @LAO: OH in the Residence this morning: “Barron! Call attorney! We rewrite post-nup and move more cash to Lichtenstein before that bitch Ivanka burn old man’s will!”

  246. 246.

    Miss Bianca

    @tracy ratclif: Nope, still re-working my way thru’ “A Civil Campaign”, which was the first one I ever read – ever so much more satisfying the second time round, now that I know who all the players are!

  248. 248.

    MisterForkbeard

    @LAO: Does that actually matter? Everyone KNOWS Trump paid off these women. Whether or not it’s legally proven seems to be… kind of minor unless this leads to something I can’t think of.

  249. 249.

    Elizabelle

    @MisterForkbeard: It’s more evidence that Trump lies, and this was happening two months before the election. It is proof of a conversation that Trump has denied.

  250. 250.

    Elizabelle

    NPR reports divers pulled out the remaining 4 bodies from the duck boat tragedy. 17 dead; everyone accounted for. 31 were on board (29 passengers; 2 crew.)

  251. 251.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @MisterForkbeard: I tend to agree, if this is Cohen’s biggest secret, it’s not that big a deal. But there is an ick factor that may chip away at a certain kind of Republican-leaning tote-bagger, a few more straws added to the bales of Russia and corruption and the horrors on the border.

  253. 253.

    wjs

    @Elizabelle: I still dont know why these vehicles are allowed to operate. I can remember seeing one that had rolled over at the Wisconsin Dells. That was 1978. All vehicles are dangerous. Of course, but the DUKWs have always seemed unnecessarily dangerous to me.

  255. 255.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @LAO: trump’s reaction to the seizure of Cohen’s stuff certainly suggests there’s more to it than this. I was wondering about the restrictions on these tapes, beyond the current legal situation.> Once a resolution is reached, either a trial or a plea or ?? , does Cohen own them? Can he release them to whom he wants, when he wants?

  256. 256.

    Miss Bianca

    @hedgehog the occasional commenter: Oh, you won’t be disappointed, I assure you!

    It was really nice to see you again at the meet-up – was hoping we’d have a chance to chat more, but *darn* my seat-mates! They kept me fully occupied! Jackals are just too much fun to talk to!

  257. 257.

    john b

    @NotMax:

    There’s a reason hookers say they do brisker business during Republican conventions than Democratic ones.

    sadly having a current debate about the location of the 2020 RNC convention (guess where I live), it came to my attention that RNC conventions show a surge in human trafficking (as do most large gatherings of people, but with the RNC it is quite pronounced) in the areas where they occur.

  258. 258.

    J R in WV

    @danielx:

    supposed to go see Tedeschi Trucks Band with Drive By Truckers and Marcus King Band tonight (outside) and it’s going to rain/storm all day and into the evening.

    Susan Tedeschi is right up there with the gods of rock guitar in my book. I like Derek Trucks too, but he’s more the “dazzle them with more notes” than a “kill them with a melody” type musician. She makes the band in my book. They are awesome! Have been here in our small concert hall a couple of times. Gr

  259. 259.

    J R in WV

    @danielx:

    supposed to go see Tedeschi Trucks Band with Drive By Truckers and Marcus King Band tonight (outside) and it’s going to rain/storm all day and into the evening.

    Susan Tedeschi is right up there with the gods of rock guitar in my book. I like Derek Trucks too, but he’s more the “dazzle them with more notes” than a “kill them with a melody” type musician. She makes the band in my book. They are awesome! Have been here in our small concert hall a couple of times. Great blues shows every few months.

  260. 260.

    Aleta

    @john b: Same has been documented for areas after the installation/expansion of military bases and military R&R spots. (First published by Asian women activists in the 60s, afaik.) It’s so familiar that we take it for granted w/o realizing the depth of effect on community strength and politics.

  261. 261.

    J R in WV

    Comment # 259 was an edit of comment # 258 to add the blockquotes… dunno how it became it’s own comment when I saved the edit.

    Anyways, love me some of Susan Tedeschi’s music. Plus she’s more my type than Derek… ;-)

  262. 262.

    Dan B

    @trollhattan: Sheesh! Sorry, but not surprised, to hear about you close calls with the Duck boats. They’ve been in the news again over a lawsuit over a fatal accident on the Aurora Bridge. Killed a number of exchange students in a bus. The Duck had nearly non-existent maintenance and lost control on the scary high bridge with very narrow lanes. Seattle tourism did fine before the Ducks. Wish we could find a way to eliminate them.

  263. 263.

    California Stars

    @trollhattan:
    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    Arigato, both. I pushed the “FN” switch (oddly, it’s not a button) from white to blue and tried windows/tab, and in both cases an applications menu bar pops up…which would also work for what I need to do…but it only shows on my laptop screen! *sigh*

    The positive thing about the news being so heart-stoppingly horrible every day is that I become far less stressed about dumb tech/household things. So I’m just going to leave it at that this morning. Thanks for your advice.

  265. 265.

    California Stars

    @Elizabelle: That’s a very good point. The only person I ever knew who took a duck boat tour in the SF Bay was a neighbor/friend who had bum joints and a somewhat hard time getting around, and likely would’ve had a hard time onboarding any of the regular tour boats. She had a grand time.

    Now that I google, I’m finding that duck tours are available in the bay now, so maybe they were only shut down temporarily.

  266. 266.

    Dan B

    @California Stars: There’s hope for Seattle. Life after Ducks!@Elizabelle: The issue with Ducks seems to be maintenance. They operate in Seattle in summer so there are lots of temp hires and don’t seem to attract steady mgmt.

  267. 267.

    Dan B

    @schrodingers_cat: Good point. The “working class” in US is mostly non white and non male, women of color. But, Identity Politics!! must not offend!
    Sigh…
    Reality takes a long time to sink in, so we keep repeating: working class does not = white males, like it did in the 50s.

  268. 268.

    Dan B

    @MisterForkbeard: Good observation! It would fit with Lakoff’s conservative = strong father. Strong father means obey don’t question or criticize. Hence we get Trump supporters who become enraged at any hint from us that Trump is flawed. The problem for them is “strong father” is close to “alpha male” but not synonymous. And it’s close to cheating-man bad-dad.

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