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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

In short, I come down firmly on all sides of the issue.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Bark louder, little dog.

If you are in line to indict donald trump, stay in line.

Hot air and ill-informed banter

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Republicans do not pay their debts.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

So many bastards, so little time.

Trump’s legal defense is going to be a dumpster fire inside a clown car on a derailing train.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

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

This really is a full service blog.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

An unpunished coup is a training exercise.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Republicans in disarray!

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

The GOP is a fucking disgrace.

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You are here: Home / Past Elections / Election 2016 / I'm With Her / Wednesday Morning Open Thread

Wednesday Morning Open Thread

by Anne Laurie|  August 1, 20184:57 am| 126 Comments

This post is in: I'm With Her, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, All Too Normal, Daydream Believers

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It's like Trump figured out the key is to do Watergate, Iran Contra, Oval Office affairs, and Teapot Dome at the same time.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) August 1, 2018


 
And yet, we go on…

It is common to criticize D’s for being against, rather than for, things. But I am against jailing children. I am against taking away healthcare. I am against government the transferring wealth upward. I’m against oppression. I’m against corruption. I’m against pollution.

— Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) July 30, 2018

Hillary Clinton contributes maximum allowed to 19 House congressional campaigns. https://t.co/gspUgaoFFG pic.twitter.com/PhhJ8RhQmA

— ABC News (@ABC) July 31, 2018

We had our first annual @OnwardTogether members call yesterday. Thank you to the thousands of members who joined. We had a chance to hear from a few of our partner groups about the progress they're making to strengthen our democracy. I want to share some of it with you.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 31, 2018

.@CollectivePAC recruits, trains, and funds progressive black candidates at every level of government. They've helped elect 23 officials so far and are doing a series of trainings for candidates and operatives with the goal of training 200 people by 2019 and 2020.

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 31, 2018

After Justice Kennedy announced his retirement from the Supreme Court, @WeDemandJustice leapt into action to launch a movement to #StopKavanaugh. They're doing a 10-city #RiseUpForRoe tour and will have a day of action on 8/26: https://t.co/0LNvfWPYid

— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) July 31, 2018

For every copy pre-ordered this week, @DianaKander and I will make a contribution to @MomsDemand and @Everytown. Help us fight gun violence. https://t.co/Eat0FFFQgD

— Jason Kander (@JasonKander) July 31, 2018

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Previous Post: « Late Night Open Thread: Mueller Trial, Day One
Next Post: On the Road and In Your Backyard »

Reader Interactions

126Comments

  1. 1.

    NotMax

    August 1, 2018 at 5:24 am

    As (of course) was away from the computer when the NYC meet-up pix were posted, and thread was mostly deceased when added this, shall repeat it here for the curious.

    List of nyms of those who signed the slip of paper passed around at meet-up:

    Jill
    Tom Q
    LAO
    Nick D
    arrieve
    RedDirtGirl
    Sam
    satby
    sfinny
    JAFD
    NotMax

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    August 1, 2018 at 5:32 am

    @NotMax

    Eleven names on the list, counted 12 people present.

  3. 3.

    raven

    August 1, 2018 at 5:37 am

    @NotMax: Never mind.

  4. 4.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 6:11 am

    Good Morning, Everyone ???

  5. 5.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    August 1, 2018 at 6:17 am

    I finally found something decent on Twitter – there are entire communities of people adopting character nyms while squabbling over the responsibility for the shark attacks and how to put the best spin on it. Mayor Larry Vaughn is a popular persona to adopt – his many incarnations frequently invoke the phrase “Amity, as you know, means friendship” and “a large predator may have injured some bathers”. Best part is that we’re now starting to see a crossover with Haddonfield Illinois (Halloween).

    Such glorious silliness.

  6. 6.

    satby

    August 1, 2018 at 6:22 am

    @NotMax: was one person just there with TomQ? Not a jackal?

  7. 7.

    satby

    August 1, 2018 at 6:23 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?!

  8. 8.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 6:32 am

    @satby:
    Glad that you had a good trip to NYC?

  9. 9.

    Bruce K

    August 1, 2018 at 6:36 am

    Based on the evidence available (including the behavior of their respective adult children), I think at this point it’s safe to say that Hillary Clinton is a better human being than Donald Trump.

  10. 10.

    Citizen Scientist

    August 1, 2018 at 6:57 am

    Good morning everyone. 

    Just thought I’d share a small data point about a Trump fan here in eastern PA.  I’ve been spending a lot of time with my FIL lately, as we’re helping care for my MIL who is in hospice care at home.   He’s a Vietnam vet, reliable republican voter,  and is definitely a Donnie Triangles fan.  However,  we were watching baseball the other day and, out of the blue, he says that he didn’t care about the nfl/take a knee issue; basically affirming the NFL players ‘ right to express themselves.  So, I thought to myself that maybe this was an opening to getting him to reject some of Trump’s fear/hate-based agenda; maybe not all Trump fans are all-in on Donnie. 

    However,  a day later I got to listen to him rant about not being allowed to watch Fox Nooze at work since it was the only “real ” news source.   The kicker is, he retired three days before that, but couldn’t let it go (and I’ve never seen FN on the tv in their house) leading me to suspect that hate and fear (or at least the confirmation bias of FN) have such a hold on some that logic and reason cannot reach them. 

    Anyway,  best of luck dealing with the Trumpists in your lives.  Have a great day jackals!

  11. 11.

    Platonailedit

    August 1, 2018 at 7:02 am

    Tom Toles.

  12. 12.

    msb

    August 1, 2018 at 7:05 am

    Still with her, and still getting new reasons to be so.

  13. 13.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    August 1, 2018 at 7:15 am

    Sure seems like she’s doing a lot more in terms of concrete actions to advance progressive candidates and causes than one Brenard Sanders, Independent from VT.

  14. 14.

    Baud

    August 1, 2018 at 7:15 am

    @rikyrah: Good morning.

    @Bruce K: She’s a better human being than I am.

  15. 15.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 7:21 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: It’s almost like she belongs to a political party or something.

  16. 16.

    satby

    August 1, 2018 at 7:31 am

    @rikyrah: thanks!

  17. 17.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 7:32 am

    Thieves escape by motorboat after royal jewels heist in Sweden

    “It’s 1-0 to them right now,” Thomas Agnevik, a police spokesman, told Aftonbladet. “We want to spread information and pictures of these items so that they can be identified as stolen objects.”

    King Karl IX died in 1611 and his wife Queen Kristina in 1625. The items are priceless and police said that the objects would be very hard to sell on the open market.

    “What usually happens with this type of object is that they are recovered sooner or later, because there are very few people who are prepared to handle such items,” Agnevik said. “We have high hopes of getting them back.”

    Yes, jewel encrusted golden crowns are priceless, but the “gold, precious stones and pearls” of which they are made aren’t. I’m just kind of curious how what the police spokesman said could be true. Thieves by and large aren’t the most intelligent people in the world, but stolen cars go to chop shops all the time. It doesn’t take any great leap of imagination to think of doing the same with a royal crown.

  18. 18.

    A Ghost To Most

    August 1, 2018 at 7:36 am

    @Bruce K:

    is a better human being than Donald Trump

    You couldn’t even trip over this bar.

  19. 19.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 7:37 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: These sound like pretty smart thieves. My guess is that it was a job done for a particular buyer, not for the component parts. Who knows? But they did get The Scream back….

  20. 20.

    Karen S.

    August 1, 2018 at 7:41 am

    Good morning, everyone. A couple of weeks ago or so, I posted in another thread about the trip my wife and I were gearing up to make with my elderly parents to go to southwestern Virginia to clean out my late bachelor uncle’s house. That trip was last week. We returned last Friday night, emotionally and physically drained. The big hiccup was that the guns my uncle had kept in a locked closet in his bedroom had been stolen sometime within the past several months. This turn of events was unsurprising since he tended to be a blabbermouth so anyone who paid any attention in the small town he lived in knew he had guns and also probably knew where he kept them and that he didn’t really secure them. I had wanted one of the guns, but it’s not to be. The cop who came to investigate said he could see no signs of forced entry. Nothing had been disturbed in the house, so whoever did it, knew my uncle. The good thing, I suppose, is that the theft took “taking care of Uncle Jimmy’s guns” off our to-do list. Of course, we still have to figure out what to do with his pron, a lot of it vintage stuff. My mother was so grateful that my wife and I helped she and my dad last week. I appreciate her gratitude, but it never occurred to us not to help.

  21. 21.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 7:45 am

    @Immanentize: Paintings are different, who is going to by 300 year old canvas and paint scrapings? You better have a buyer for one of them before you make the grab (not that they always do). These guys might very well have a buyer all lined up. Or they might just have been touring this cathedral last week, noted the very lax security, and said to themselves, “It would be really easy to make our getaway in a boat.”, and then did it. The component parts would be very easy to fence and give them a few thousand anyway, enough to cover their drug habits for a week or 2.

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 7:47 am

    Good news from Michigan regarding redistricting

    https://twitter.com/jonathanoosting/status/1024482036550184960

  23. 23.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 7:47 am

    @NotMax:
    Thanks NotMax! I was happy to see the pics of the Meetup. Pony tail and glasses on head we’re about 3/4 what I imagined. And Satby is en Fuego with that red hair -+ exactly as she seems.

  24. 24.

    satby

    August 1, 2018 at 7:48 am

    @Karen S.: clearing out a deceased loved one’s home is tough enough without the extra burden of hard to dispose of items. Welcome home, and condolences on the loss of your uncle.

  25. 25.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 7:49 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: what’s a crown worth anyway? A horse?

  26. 26.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 7:49 am

    @Immanentize: What did you think about the first day of Manafort’s trial? It appears that the defense is that Gates did it.

  27. 27.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 7:52 am

    @Karen S.: To echo Ozark’s comment about gold and jewels, guns will feed a couple of people’s drug habits for a week or two…

  28. 28.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 7:57 am

    @JPL: They didn’t have much else to go on. I was wondering if it was just going to be a defense that was based on the hope of a government screw up.

    Gates is a snitch and the common wisdom is that jurors don’t like snitches. That’s true, but the feds are very good at explaining why they had to have a snitch. And jurors usually hate the big guy criminal more than the snitch. This is a paper trail case — Gates is just the story teller to introduce the paper in it’s context.

    Meanwhile, “I was too busy or stupid to know what happened to millions of my dollars,” is a very bad look for Manafort and unless he testifies (IMHO will never happen) it will be hard to pin on Gates.

  29. 29.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 7:57 am

    @Immanentize: What’s a horse worth? A shoe?

  30. 30.

    Matt McIrvin

    August 1, 2018 at 7:58 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: It seems like, if you’re going to go to the trouble of stealing some royal jewels, you’d probably expect a better return on your effort than just the price of the gold and stones. On the other hand, I suppose they could resort to that if the market seems unexpectedly difficult.

  31. 31.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 7:58 am

    Sadly, Rick Wilson nailed it

    https://twitter.com/TheRickWilson/status/1024482191655555072

  32. 32.

    hells littlest angel

    August 1, 2018 at 8:08 am

    She’s my president! I’m still with her!

  33. 33.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 8:13 am

    But, you all coddled him. And failed to call these gatherings what they are- Klan rallies.

    https://twitter.com/Acosta/status/1024467940257738752

  34. 34.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 8:14 am

    @Matt McIrvin: Most of the thieves I have known can’t see further than their next fix. I know there are intelligent thieves in the world because I have read about them, but your average dumb ass is a strict opportunist who can’t see the obvious flaws in the well laid plans they drew up on a napkin while still high and feeding their munchies at 2 am in the local diner. Then they forget the napkin on the table and a cop sits down right after them.

    As to expectations, I can see them convincing themselves they can get “MILLIONS!!!” for the crowns and after stealing them finding out nobody wants to go anywhere near these items.

    Time will tell.

  35. 35.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 8:16 am

    It was going to be criminals, remember???

    https://twitter.com/votevets/status/1024471589121875969

  36. 36.

    Karen S.

    August 1, 2018 at 8:16 am

    @satby: Thank you for your kind words. One interesting thing about helping my folks last week was that I learned a little bit more about my mom and dad that I never knew. I never presumed that I knew everything about them because that’s impossible, but what I learned was surprising, in a good way, and it helped make them more fully realized people, if that makes sense, in my eyes. So, a lot of good came from what was, in many ways, a difficult week.

  37. 37.

    Karen S.

    August 1, 2018 at 8:18 am

    @Immanentize: That’s what the gun dealer who stopped by mid week hinted at. We were supposed to meet with him to discuss how much my mother could get for my uncle’s guns. (My uncle is my mom’s younger brother and my mom is his sole heir.) The dealer stopped by anyway because he knew my uncle through the local VFW to chat with us.

  38. 38.

    Chyron HR

    August 1, 2018 at 8:25 am

    @rikyrah:

    “Why can’t they just lynch blacks and homosexuals like in the good old days?”

  39. 39.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 8:27 am

    @Karen S.: I know I mentioned this before, but one of my old students became a criminal defense attorney in San Antonio and about 80% of his client’s payments were in guns. He had the most amazing collection of rare and super expensive weapons — all from folks who barely kept their trucks on the road

  40. 40.

    A Ghost To Most

    August 1, 2018 at 8:36 am

    @Immanentize:

    He had the most amazing collection of rare and super expensive weapons — all from folks who barely kept their trucks on the road

    I can verify this is not limited to Texas (ammosexuals hoarding guns, not lawyerin’).

  41. 41.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 8:38 am

    @Immanentize: You’re former student skipped the classes on “possession of stolen property”, didn’t he?

  42. 42.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 8:39 am

    @rikyrah: Is covering the rallies worthy of reporters time. IMO it might be time to pull the reporters and let the supremacists shout at clouds. Trump craves attention, and he’ll call them cowards for a few rallies, but it’s not necessary to give them national media attention.

  43. 43.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 8:45 am

    @Karen S.: You did good, although it had to be both emotionally and physically exhausting.
    I’m sorry for your loss.

  44. 44.

    Chyron HR

    August 1, 2018 at 8:46 am

    @JPL:

    But if if the reporters just keep fawning all over the pure, noble, white working master race, they’ll realize that the lügenpresse is on their side!

  45. 45.

    zhena gogolia

    August 1, 2018 at 8:51 am

    I saw Mamma Mia yesterday. I thought it was better than the first one (again, not a high bar!). I like the obscure ABBA songs better than the famous ones. Lily James was excellent (like Saorise Ronan, she can do an American accent perfectly, so that you aren’t even thinking about it), but I kept worrying about whether she was wearing sunscreen. Cher’s voice was fantastic, but I can’t get over how she ruined her lovely face. She would have still been lovely with wrinkles. Oh well. It’s very amusing and full of old pros and young fresh faces, so not a bad way to spend the afternoon.

  46. 46.

    Leto

    August 1, 2018 at 8:53 am

    @JPL: I saw it suggested in the Acosta twitter thread that they put one camera in to record, then they summarize the lies later. No reason to send actual people and the event is still covered. I’m sure Faux News will still send people, but no reason the actual media needs to cover Trumpov rallies. It’s all the same playbook, same script.

  47. 47.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 8:55 am

    It is common to criticize D’s for being against, rather than for, things. But I am against jailing children. I am against taking away healthcare. I am against government the transferring wealth upward. I’m against oppression. I’m against corruption. I’m against pollution.

    — Brian Schatz (@brianschatz) July 30, 2018

    tell it

  48. 48.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 9:03 am

    Though the Trump administration, unlike administrations past, withheld formal access to legendary reporter Bob Woodward for his insider exposé, White House officials are bracing for a “killer” account filled with unauthorized stories from “everyone,” according to a Tuesday Politico account.

    “He hooked somebody, and that put the fear of God in everyone else,” a former official told Politico.

    “It’s gonna be killer. Everyone talked with Woodward,” another added.

    Heh, couldn’t happen to a more deserving pile of fermented fecal matter.

  49. 49.

    Sister Golden Bear

    August 1, 2018 at 9:04 am

    Repeating for the morning thread, since the request to check-in was in a morning thread downstairs a few days ago.

    It’s been a little harder than expected posting due to the time difference here in Thailand.

    First couple days after being released from the hospital have been tough. Not quite enough painkillers — the wouldn’t give me the strongest one because of a potential conflict with another medication I take — which has taken longer to resolve because it’s been a four-day holiday weekend here. So dilation has been an extra pain, and I’ve not gotten nearly enough sleep. (Yes, I’m raising this with the doctor’s at tomorrow’s check-in.)

    But had an official check up Monday and apparently I’m healing well. Was judged healthy enough to be invited to a field trip today to the surgeon’s beach house (mansion). Had a nice lunch, spent the afternoon relaxing and talking to some of the other patients. Highlight was a Thai massage, although a little ouchy at times because I didn’t think to alert her about a post-surgical spot that’s still quite sore. But if nothing else, it was a nice psychological break from being stuck around the hotel recovering.

    However, even that minimal level of outing wiped me out so hard that I ended up ordering room service for dinner because I didn’t even have the energy to go downstairs to the hotel restaurant (let alone the far better restaurants that are within a few blocks of the hotel).

    BTW, for those who want to know more (including TMI details) about what I’ve been doing, I’ve been blogging at the site linked to my nym.

  50. 50.

    Platonailedit

    August 1, 2018 at 9:05 am

    @Leto:

    These media minions give the traitorous thug the oxygen and then whine when he suffocates them.

  51. 51.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:07 am

    Ok let’s start here – Rick Scott is filthy rich and Bill Nelson needs our help:https://t.co/qGEW6PP4fT

    — Jon Favreau (@jonfavs) July 31, 2018

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    August 1, 2018 at 9:07 am

    @Bruce K: Yeah, but my evangelical sister said she heart that Hillary doesn’t even go to church, so that made Trump better. I guess you’ll have to rethink your conclusion about Hillary being a better person than Trump.

    Note: this is just my anger at my sister, coming out sideways.

  53. 53.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Confusing.
    Cohen used to say he’d take a bullet for Trump. Now he’s shooting the bullets himself.
    Rudy used to be sane, now he’s insane.
    Mooch used to be insane, now he’s sane.
    Spicer used to lie for Trump, now he’s an author.
    Only constant is Trump. He’s always been a lying pig.

    — Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) July 29, 2018

  54. 54.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:09 am

    Kay,
    where are you?

    Curtains will be raised: The Paul Manafort trial is about the growing rot of the American elite. https://t.co/2uC1hgshFX

    — Franklin Foer (@FranklinFoer) July 31, 2018

  55. 55.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 9:13 am

    @WaterGirl: Just as an aside, has your sister ever actually read the Bible? Or does she just take her preachers word for what it means?

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:14 am

    Rihanna becomes the first black woman to grace the cover of British Vogue’s prestigious September issue https://t.co/ZoWdobn8ti pic.twitter.com/MuQYvEUkTr

    — CBS News (@CBSNews) July 31, 2018

  57. 57.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:14 am

    BREAKING: Federal judge issues temporary restraining order stopping release of downloadable blueprints for 3D-printed guns

    — The Associated Press (@AP) July 31, 2018

  58. 58.

    Platonailedit

    August 1, 2018 at 9:15 am

    FiveThirtyEight has obtained nearly 3,000,000 tweets from accounts associated with the Internet Research Agency, the fullest empirical record to date of Russian trolls' actions on social media.

    https://t.co/cJ4RabkZVL— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) August 1, 2018

  59. 59.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:16 am

    But…Rick Gates went through all this trouble to frame poor Paul….

    Um, ok.

    ……………………………..

    Paul Manafort, Trump’s former campaign chairman, opened more than 30 bank accounts in three foreign countries to “receive and hide” his income from Ukraine, a federal prosecutor said on Tuesday. https://t.co/ogNeMm02yE

    — SeriouslyUS? (@USseriously) July 31, 2018

  60. 60.

    PaulWartenberg

    August 1, 2018 at 9:20 am

    I’m waiting for Betty Cracker to post any follow-up thoughts from trump’s liars tour stop in Tampa, but let me say now that motherfucker just made shopping at Publix a fucking nightmare now. I’m gonna have every trumpster moran ahead of me at the checkout lane forcibly showing their IDs at the poor scanner clerks.

    https://www.tampabay.com/trump-at-rally-makes-false-claim-on-photo-ids-for-groceries-ap_nationalb3d47f750560458bb5dd70dbe0d1b14c

  61. 61.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:24 am

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Sending you positive thoughts during your recovery.

  62. 62.

    OzarkHillbilly

    August 1, 2018 at 9:25 am

    In Mexico City, Ballerinas Dance in Traffic—and It’s Absolutely Captivating

    A little going away present for all of you.

  63. 63.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2018 at 9:26 am

    @PaulWartenberg: some of these people look like they’re just having a dumb ol’ hateful time flipping off them elites, but a couple of them, like the woman in the flannel with the sleeves cut off– look like they’re ready to pick up torches and obey commands. You wonder if any authorities– or the SPLC– scan these videos for familiar faces

  64. 64.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    August 1, 2018 at 9:27 am

    @WaterGirl: You take the wrong tactics – point out that Jesus associated with prostitutes so obviously Trump must be most godly because Trump’s banged enough of them. As they say, facts don’t work so you need to force them to explain things to do you so they hear their own voice saying the dumb stuff.

  65. 65.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:31 am

    Targeting voting rights, Trump stumbles on how grocery stores work
    08/01/18 08:00 AM
    By Steve Benen

    At a campaign rally in Florida last night, Donald Trump made quite a few unfortunate comments, but his unscripted remark about grocery stores was especially memorable.

    “You know, if you go out and you want to buy groceries, you need a picture on a card, you need ID. You go out and you want to buy anything, you need ID and you need your picture,” Trump said at Tuesday night’s Tampa, Fla., rally to drum up support for GOP Rep. Ron DeSantis’ gubernatorial bid.

    He was – in the moment – throwing his support behind tougher ID requirements for voters.

    “Only American citizens should vote in American elections. The time has come for voter ID like everything else,” Trump said.

    ………………………….

    But even more important is the fact that the president is still responding to an imaginary problem, calling for new national voting restrictions that would serve no legitimate purpose.

    Indeed, American elections do face a real threat, but it comes from foreign adversaries. On that front, as NBC News reported last week, “there is no coherent Trump administration strategy to combat foreign election interference – and no single person or agency in charge.”

  66. 66.

    Leto

    August 1, 2018 at 9:32 am

    @PaulWartenberg: Apparently I’ve been an illegal food shopper for most of my life. Not sure where they’re going to deport me to, but hopefully it has good meat, cheese, chocolate, and beer (the four food groups).

  67. 67.

    Platonailedit

    August 1, 2018 at 9:33 am

    Did you donate $27 to the Sanders campaign in 2016? Approximately 370,000 of those donations went to Robert Mueller's first witness.

    — Tom Watson (@tomwatson) August 1, 2018

    That’s cool 10 mil for sabotaging the dems.

  68. 68.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:41 am

    Public evidence suggests Mueller able to bring conspiracy charge

    Chuck Rosenberg, former U.S. attorney, and Jeremy Bash, former CIA chief of staff, talk with Nicolle Wallace about the legal meaning of conspiracy and why they think, based on the evidence made public so far, that Robert Mueller has enough to charge someone with conspiracy.

  69. 69.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:43 am

    Schmidt: GOP losses will concentrate more extreme Trump support

    Steve Schmidt, political strategist, explains why Republican losses in a blue wave election would leave a smaller, more loyal-to-Trump group of Republicans with only the most extreme Trump supporting constituency.

  70. 70.

    PaulWartenberg

    August 1, 2018 at 9:45 am

    @Leto:

    This is Publix we’re talking about.

    CAAAAAAAKKKKEEEEEEEEEE.

    I swear to God it’s like Meth but with buttercream frosting.

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2018 at 9:45 am

    Caitlin Collins @ kaitlancollins
    This is a first. Trump directs his attorney general to end the Russia investigation.

    @ realDonaldTrump
    ..This is a terrible situation and Attorney General Jeff Sessions should stop this Rigged Witch Hunt right now, before it continues to stain our country any further. Bob Mueller is totally conflicted, and his 17 Angry Democrats that are doing his dirty work are a disgrace to USA!

  72. 72.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 9:46 am

    @rikyrah: I hope he does soon.

  73. 73.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 9:49 am

    Facebook still being used to stoke racial animus, split Americans

    Kara Swisher, executive editor of Recode, talks with Nicolle Wallace about Facebook’s announcement that it has found more “bad actors” using its platform to try to divide Americans against each other, and the problems Facebook is having policing its own platform for this kind of material.
    Jul.31.2018

  74. 74.

    chopper

    August 1, 2018 at 9:54 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    that isn’t even ‘will no one rid me of this meddlesome priest’ level stuff, that’s a direct statement.

  75. 75.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 9:55 am

    @PaulWartenberg: Publix didn’t ask for my I.D. I must admit I came close to using same day delivery from Amazon for the few items I needed, in order to protect my identity, but decided go to the store, just to see what happened. I came close to buying chocolate cake, but I resisted.

  76. 76.

    Spanky

    August 1, 2018 at 9:57 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Well, if someone can get Trump to admit on camera that he wrote that tweet, I’d say we have Obstruction of Justice right there.

  77. 77.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 10:02 am

    So, I’ve been off line for the last 36 hours, anything interesting happen. Like Trump committing obstruction of justice before G-D and the nation? Nah, couldn’t be.

  78. 78.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 10:04 am

    @LAO: Just a normal day on twitter for Trump.

  79. 79.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 10:05 am

    @JPL: Too true, sad — but true. I’ve got to catch up on the Manafort trial, though.

  80. 80.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 10:08 am

    @LAO: Washington Post is doing updates.

  81. 81.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:09 am

    @Sister Golden Bear: Thank you for letting us in on the process. I admire your courage and strength.

  82. 82.

    JPL

    August 1, 2018 at 10:10 am

    Trump does seem to be having a break down on twitter. I hope that he knows his days are numbered.

  83. 83.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:11 am

    @LAO: (waves!??)
    I don’t think Manafort can pull off the ‘Gates is the Brain’ defense do you?

  84. 84.

    bluefoot

    August 1, 2018 at 10:13 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: It’s almost like she cares about things besides herself. And is willing to work to make things better for everybody. Shocking! :)

  85. 85.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 10:14 am

    George Takei was on LarryO last night talking about his experience at the Internment Camps during WWII. Heartbreaking.

  86. 86.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 10:15 am

    @Immanentize: Waves back. No I don’t think it will past the giggle test. But can you imagine how strong the government’s case must be if they settled on “the blame my underling defense”?

  87. 87.

    Kay

    August 1, 2018 at 10:16 am

    @rikyrah:

    Thanks! I love this stuff:

    What’s increasingly clear is that Manafort also attempted to exploit the Trump campaign with similarly kleptocratic aims. Take the story of Stephen Calk that has emerged in the course of Mueller’s pretrial filings. Calk owns a small Chicago bank. In the summer of 2016, Manafort applied for a loan from the bank—and the claims in Manafort’s loan applications were obviously shaky. According to Mueller, officials in the bank were quite adamant in expressing their reservations about Manafort’s application. But there was apparently a backstory that these officials didn’t know. Calk had won a place on Trump’s board of economic advisors, one of 13. Mueller’s lawyers have said that they plan to prove that Calk only landed this official title after promising Manafort loans. So, even as Manafort departed the campaign amid widespread allegations of misdeeds, Calk extended him loan after loan, $16 million in total. (The loans represented 22 percent of the bank’s total equity capital.)

  88. 88.

    Yarrow

    August 1, 2018 at 10:17 am

    Good morning, everyone.

    Saw CNN for a few minutes this morning. Apparently Pence gave some speech where he blamed the “previous administration” for not doing enough on cyber security. The CNN talking head had Senator Ed Markey on to discuss it and he was pissed off. He said he was in the House at that time, he’d authored a bill to protect our electric grids from cyber attacks, it passed the House and the Republicans in the Senate killed it. He actually blamed Republicans! Moar of this please.

  89. 89.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:17 am

    @rikyrah: As heartbreaking as it is, I love hearing Takei talk about his experiences. He does it so thoughtfully, with so much detail. And even though he is direct and almost unemotional when he describes it all, the pain and the horror — particularly of his parents — comes through.

  90. 90.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:19 am

    @LAO:

    I had a defense attorney friend in Texas who taught me the most valuable lesson about criminal defense work. She taught me that there are only two possible defenses in any case: “SO?!” and “FUCK YOU!!” I have lived my law life accordingly.

  91. 91.

    Yarrow

    August 1, 2018 at 10:21 am

    @Sister Golden Bear: Glad your recovery is coming along. Thank you for keeping us updated and letting us share your journey.

  92. 92.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:21 am

    @LAO:
    Adding, I’m sticking with what I said before the trial started — the real defense is that the government will screw something up requiring a mistrial or like in OJ, it will look like the government cheated. Frankly, I can’t see Mueller making either mistake. But his team is filled with guys filled with hubris.

  93. 93.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 10:22 am

    @Immanentize: I love that. And while I have never thought of it in such stark terms. your friend has nailed it on the head. LOL.

  94. 94.

    Matt McIrvin

    August 1, 2018 at 10:23 am

    I’d expect the real defense is to do what they can to make pardons from Trump as likely as possible.

  95. 95.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:24 am

    @LAO: I share that wisdom with every one of my first year criminal law students.

  96. 96.

    Matt McIrvin

    August 1, 2018 at 10:25 am

    @Yarrow: it’s Markey, he doesn’t mince words.

  97. 97.

    rikyrah

    August 1, 2018 at 10:27 am

    @Immanentize:

    He does it so thoughtfully, with so much detail. And even though he is direct and almost unemotional when he describes it all, the pain and the horror — particularly of his parents — comes through.

    He was direct, and I teared up. He’s in his 70’s, and he was describing something like it happened yesterday, with such clarity. …THAT is the impact it had on his life. The details is what got me to tears.

  98. 98.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:28 am

    @Matt McIrvin: Not. Gonna. Happen.
    Manafort’s crimes in Ukraine will never be pardoned by Trump because they are so far from him and his. Also, there are now too many prosecutions/investigations/grand juries for pardons to be effective. Bush Sr.’s pardons of the Iran Contra folks worked because it was a very narrow investigation. Trump would now have to pardon dozens as there is no key man in all this corruption.

    Now maybe Manafort and his team we’re hoping for a pardon, and I would have agreed with you six months ago. But not now.

  99. 99.

    Spanky

    August 1, 2018 at 10:28 am

    @LAO: Need to point out that those are the only two responses I’ve gotten from my cats whenever I catch them doing something they know they shouldn’t be doing.

    Multiple cats over the decades. Guess it transcends species.

  100. 100.

    Uncle Ebeneezer

    August 1, 2018 at 10:28 am

    @rikyrah: Very cool. I wonder if Vogue’s trend towards better racial representation is connected in any way to Teen Vogue’s incredibly good political and social justice content? I don’t know much about the two publications or how they are related. Anyways, good stuff.

    Gorgeous/stunning pix of Rhianna, handing the keys for an issue to Beyonce…ok, twist my arm :)

  101. 101.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 10:29 am

    @Immanentize: I can’t tell you how much I personally despise Greg Andres. (and Weissmann but he isn’t trying this case).

  102. 102.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 10:33 am

    @Spanky: I’m assuming this is why can have been worship for eons.

    @Immanentize: The biggest problem with the Manafort defense is that it is conceding that criminal wrongdoing took place, while attempting to shift the blame for the criminal conduct. PS — this really wasn’t for you, I know that you know that, I’m just processing what happened yesterday.

  103. 103.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:33 am

    @LAO: that is the Mueller Team’s weakness. But because these defense attorneys are also generally asswipes, they don’t see the potential “Fuck You” defense that these high-T prosecutors would fuel.

  104. 104.

    Leto

    August 1, 2018 at 10:34 am

    @Immanentize:

    But his team is filled with guys filled with hubris.

    You don’t think Mueller can keep his people in line? They’ll start to exert their “true” personality after 18 months of doing what the boss asks?

  105. 105.

    chopper

    August 1, 2018 at 10:35 am

    @JPL:

    he always seems to be having a breakdown. yet he never strokes out and keels over, sadly.

  106. 106.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:36 am

    @LAO: I know, but finding the narrative villian is important. There was a study I read by some civil defense group (maybe ATLA?) That showed that how a narrative is structured determines how jurors receive information. I know that is obvious (especially to our writer/jackals) but they had great examples…

  107. 107.

    But Her Emails!!!

    August 1, 2018 at 10:38 am

    @Yarrow:

    I like Markey. He doesn’t get as much air time as our other Senator, but he’s solid on the important issues.

    For all the Massholes out there. Vote and vote yes on 3. This keeps the Transgender Anti-Discrimination law on the books. It’s the issue that’s polling the closest and it shouldn’t be.

  108. 108.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2018 at 10:38 am

    @Immanentize: I caught a bit of Tweety in the car yesterday, and he was saying the Manafort is the kind of “big shot”, and tax cheat, that people hate. I hope he’s right.

  109. 109.

    Gin & Tonic

    August 1, 2018 at 10:40 am

    @Immanentize: I’m probably a fool for starting an argument with a lawyer, but “Manafort’s crimes in Ukraine” are not in the jurisdiction of the Eastern District of Virginia. Manafort’s crimes in Ukraine, unfortunately, are crimes for which he will never face justice. He is on trial, as I understand it, for crimes in the US that result from the way he was paid for his work (and his crimes) in Ukraine.

    There are (at least some) prosecutors in Ukraine who would love to have Manafort in their jurisdiction, but I’m pretty confident they never will.

  110. 110.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:49 am

    @Gin & Tonic: you have no fight with me. But don’t kid yourself about US jurisdiction. One needs only the most tenuous ties to the territory to allow valid US prosecutions. For example, if Manafort wired money gained from a fraud from Ukraine to Cyprus using a telecommunication system operated by a US company or subsidiary, even though none of the acts occurred in the US, we could (and have!) prosecuted.

  111. 111.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:50 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think that’s right. I am very curious to learn what he is wearing in trial. If his attorneys were smart, they would have left him in his prison garb.

  112. 112.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:51 am

    @But Her Emails!!!: I certainly will vote Yes on three. Who is the money against it?

  113. 113.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2018 at 10:53 am

    @Immanentize: lots of talk yesterday about his “inexpensive” dark suit, as opposed to the $10,000 ones he blew all his money on

  114. 114.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 10:57 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Smart but the evidence will be about the suits he owns (or owned). Let’s see if his suit gets fancier as the weeks drag on….

  115. 115.

    satby

    August 1, 2018 at 10:58 am

    @LAO: yeah, you could, but not here ?

  116. 116.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 11:00 am

    @satby: See, missing that NYC Meetup will forever leave me at the comedy/information disadvantage!

  117. 117.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    August 1, 2018 at 11:00 am

    @Immanentize: kinda funny how the “ostrich jacket” has taken hold, at least on MSNBC. I assume it’s ostrich leather, which I think is a thing I’ve heard of, but leaving out the leather part makes it sound that much more extravagant and weird.

  118. 118.

    satby

    August 1, 2018 at 11:01 am

    @Immanentize: true. I’ll try to fill you in if we ever have a Chicago one. LAO had us all enthralled.

  119. 119.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 11:02 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:
    I agree — I heard that this morning on NPR. It’s one of those things that will be the permanent image from the trial — like the OJ glove.

    BTW, in Texas ostrich leather was a favorite for high end boots.

  120. 120.

    Yarrow

    August 1, 2018 at 11:03 am

    @Immanentize: Yesterday’s reports said he was in a suit and the pant legs were too long. Not at all like his previous attire in expensive tailored suits.

  121. 121.

    Immanentize

    August 1, 2018 at 11:03 am

    Ok my precious jackals — gotta make hay while the sun shines.

  122. 122.

    LAO

    August 1, 2018 at 11:05 am

    @satby: You are way to kind. LOLOLOL. It was, however, great to meet you. You are as terrific in person as you appear to be online.

  123. 123.

    gwangung

    August 1, 2018 at 11:20 am

    @rikyrah: Sigh.

    It won’t move me as it would others….because I’ve known these stories for decades, from close friends and community figures. I’ve attended pilgrimages to former incarceration sites, and I’ve told (as a producer) years of stories about the camps and the injustices done in the name of America.

    But if it takes Uncle George to hammer this into American consciousness AGAIN…I’m all for it.

  124. 124.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    August 1, 2018 at 11:32 am

    @gwangung: I was just looking though pics of Manzanar from when Madame and I visited 5 years ago, yesterday afternoon. I had a number of friends in college whose parents were in the camps as children.

  125. 125.

    J R in WV

    August 1, 2018 at 12:30 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Best of luck recovering. Hope you feel well enough to eat at the best Thai restaurants in your area, which sounds lovely. Hang in there, Sister!

  126. 126.

    MomSense

    August 1, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    I really hope they can manage the pain better for you. There are a few of your TMI details that I can absolutely relate to – and I did chuckle with you. The rest sounds really unpleasant and trying. I hope you feel much better soonest!

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