Not to pile on to BettyC’s post, but the live feed to the first day of the Judiciary Committee’s hearing on Judge Kavanaugh’s confirmation hearings is below. I’ve got it set to start with Senator Durbin asking a very important question, which is: who is the attorney that has determined which of Judge Kavanaugh’s work product documentation from his time as the Staff Secretary in President Bush’s administration can be released and which will be withheld under executive privilege? The short answer is that the attorney in question, Bill Burck, is not a Federal employee. He is neither a civil servant, nor is he a presidential appointee. He does not work for the White House Counsel’s Office, nor does he work for the Department of Justice. He is, however, the White House Counsel, Don McGahn’s, private attorney. He represents Mr. McGahn in his dealings with the Special Counsel’s Office and investigation, as well as several other administration officials in their dealings with the Special Counsel’s Office and investigation.
Also, it is never a good sign, but it is always amusing, when Senator Grassley gets completely whiny before 11:00 AM EDT (immediately after Senator Durbin and then Senator Kennedy’s follow on).
Open thread!
patrick II
Grassley “a good judge follows the law and not popular opinion…apply the law even if it is not one he personally likes”.
Exactly the opposite of what Kavanaugh did by holding a pregnant immigrant hostage. The law is clear, she had a right to an abortion, want he personally wants was to hold her until she was forced to have a baby against her will.
Cheryl Rofer
Glad someone did this.
germy
Maybe I’m wrong, but these Live Feed posts, unless one doesn’t refresh the page to read new comments, the video always returns to the beginning. Unless I’m doing something wrong here.
Adam L Silverman
@germy: Most likely. You can, of course, click the youtube link and watch unimpeded at YouTube while commenting here if you’re okay with multiple tabs open.
zhena gogolia
@Cheryl Rofer:
The responses to that tweet are chilling. I give up, we’re becoming Russia. For no good reason at all except that that’s what the .01% wants.
Adam L Silverman
Did he just say if Senator Feinstein has nothing more to say, he’s going to go to Senator Taft? Just what year does Grassley think this is?
Spanky
@zhena gogolia: How do you know the responses aren’t Russian?
(Can’t see tweets at work.)
Betty Cracker
Here’s a steaming load of horse shit from a guy who is popular with the folks I follow on Twitter:
WTF does he imagine the Democrats can do about it? Honest to Christ, drivel like this from people who are ostensibly on our side is more maddening than bald-faced lies from Republicans.
low-tech cyclist
WTF?! The attorney who’s decided which of Judge Kavanaugh’s Bush Administration work product is protected under executive privilege isn’t at DOJ, isn’t even a government attorney at all, but is Don McGahn’s freakin’ private lawyer??
Seriously, what the fucking fuck?! Just how does this guy have any sort of standing to make that sort of call?
Adam L Silverman
@Betty Cracker: I know
MasterChief Wright. He’s good people.Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Betty Cracker: reading twitter and listening to Stephanie Miller (I’d like to hear Pierce’s live report– call in talk radio makes twitter look like a dinner party with Franklin, Adams and Jefferson) there are a large amount of people who seem to sincerely believe emo-theatre can stop this. “Walk out! Flip over the tables! Declare these hearings illegal!”
zhena gogolia
@Spanky:
True, I don’t. But I think there are TOO MANY Americans who feel the same.
EricNNY
Apparently, the current make-up of the committee is 10-8 Dem to Rethug. Hypothetically, couldn’t they motion to dismiss/delay/reconvene later?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
sounds like she’s thinking about it…
rikyrah
Thread
Venture Capital (@kelly2277) Tweeted:
?Trump & @GOP believe Kavanaugh & Bush set LEGAL precedent to use Private Mercenaries Contractors -PMCs for Iraq war‼️They want Kavanaugh to legalize this use so Erik Prince, Cerberus, DynaCorp and other Private Militaries can take over our legit US military! @MarkHertling ? https://t.co/o4H6Rt7E1v https://twitter.com/kelly2277/status/1036982842784448512?s=17
Adam L Silverman
Ahh, it was Senator Hatch, but Grassley’s pronunciation is so bad and his voice has gotten so weak, that it sounded like Taft. Not that there’s a lot of daylight between Senator Taft’s views and behaviors and Senator Hatch’s.
low-tech cyclist
@Betty Cracker:
I don’t like Stonekettle’s attitude, but I think there is some truth to the notion that the fact of so many undecided Dems takes a lot of the heat off Murkowski and Flake and Collins. A 49-vote united front is what more the Dems could do.
zhena gogolia
@low-tech cyclist:
And then lose their seats so the Republican majority is even stronger.
JPL
Not sure if this was mentioned but I found it at southpaw
Make Russian interference legal..
Adam L Silverman
@EricNNY: They’ve been doing that for most of the past hour. But Grassley is refusing to entertain motions.
schrodingers_cat
@Betty Cracker: He is quite popular on Balloon Juice commenters too. I have seen his stuff quoted and sited many a time in the comment section.
He is a veteran IIRC, that seems to get him favorable attention from many.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@low-tech cyclist: I think it goes the other way, Collins and Murkowski would give cover to Heitkamp. There is no heat on Flake. He’s a hard-right Mormon who’s retiring
Amir Khalid
@Adam L Silverman:
You may want to make a correction: McGahn, not McGhan.e
I presume nothing said at the hearing will change anyone’s mind on either side. What will the Democratic party need to do to stop Kavanaugh’s appointment, and what are their chances?
schrodingers_cat
@schrodingers_cat: *cited.
The Dangerman
The only thing that could derail the nomination at this point is Mueller bringing down the hammer before the vote and, even then, the GOP will push it through. Because pushing through a historically unpopular nominee right before an election is just how they roll these days. Their base will be thrilled, of course, but will that be enough to overcome the wave?
schrodingers_cat
@schrodingers_cat: * not on, among.
Edit function where art thou.
zhena gogolia
OT, excerpts from Woodward’s book are juicy.
Tony P.
In his little speech accepting the nomination, Kavanaugh said to and about He, Trump:
I want every Democrat in the hearing to ask him whether this is his idea of judicial temperament or an example of grovelling toadyism. Alas, neither of my Senators is on the Committee. If your Senator is, please pass my request on to her or him.
–TP
germy
No, he made a deal with Kennedy. That’s the only input he sought.
This guy really lies, doesn’t he.
But Her Emails!!!
@Amir Khalid:
They can’t stop it unless they peel off Republicans to vote now or all walk out and convince a Republican to call for quorum.
MomSense
@low-tech cyclist:
I’m silently screaming the same fucking thing at my fucking computer.
Cheryl from Maryland
@low-tech cyclist: It’s worse than that. Kavanaugh was Burck’s BOSS during the Bush Administration. They are friends. This appointment reeks of impropriety. Also, he could easily be covering his own ass in addition to Kavanaugh’s.
Adam L Silverman
@rikyrah: LTG Hertling isn’t going to be able to help her on this one as this is mostly gobbledegook.
As someone whose service in Iraq was as a contractor, because the Army program was a startup and we all had to be contractors at that point under the Federal laws and regulations covering military proof of concept programs (about a year later we were transitioned to civil service), this is mostly garbage. Private contractors were not put in for Purple Hearts. Some were put in for commendations if they were killed. For instance, my boss, the retired colonel who was the Program Manager, put my three counterparts/colleagues that were killed in action – two in Afghanistan, one in Iraq – in for the standard commendation that is awarded when someone is killed in action. This was done more for their surviving families as a way to recognize their losses than it was for the three people who were actually awarded the commendations.
We were all subject to the Uniformed Code of Military Justice (UCMJ), we had to conform to all the rules, including the rules of engagement, that the uniformed military and the civil servants deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan had to. And, for those of us that were armed, we had to qualify to the Army’s standard and then our brigade, division, and corps commanders had to approve an exemption to policy and approve arming packets for us. It wasn’t an automatic thing.
Full disclosure: LTG (ret) Hertling was the Commanding General of the 1st Armored Division and Multi-National Division North when I was deployed to Iraq as the Cultural Advisor, 2nd Brigade Combat Team/1st Armored Division. I met him a few times, but didn’t interact with him or his staff a lot as the brigade was split off from 1st Armored Division and assigned to Multi-National Division Central to backfill the surge brigade assigned to the south and east of Baghdad (outside of the city).
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@zhena gogolia: zounds!
Costa has more details
germy
The protestors are interrupting the Democrats.
Sounds like a plan. (?)
Jill Stein voters?
schrodingers_cat
Grassley is one of the most anti-immigration senators out there, next only to Sessions when the now AG was in the senate. Cissna who is the USCIS admin was Grassley’s aide.
How is BK on immigration? My guess, vile.
Timurid
Over/under on how long before that big blob of Kavanaugh documents ends up as a torrent on the Pirate Bay?
jacy
@zhena gogolia:
I just don’t know that I believe the endangered Dem senators would lose because of a no vote on Kavanaugh. I feel like anybody who would not vote for them because they voted no was not going to vote for them anyway. I don’t know that for sure, but it seems more likely. It just doesn’t seem like their reelection hinges solely on this one vote. And since it can’t be known, I’d rather they show solidarity and just fucking vote no. I understand the need to represent their particular voters, but one thing I think Democratic politicians need to internalize is to stop triangulating and just vote what’s right. If they don’t, they might as well be fucking Republicans.
patrick II
@But Her Emails!!!:
If democrats all walk out, how does that work for 2018 elections? Do Manchin and McCaskey lose close elections? Does that wreck the chances for a winning Democratic senate majority in 2018? Or is Kavanaugh so odious we do it anyway? Or will on the border voters appreciate their stand?
Adam L Silverman
@JPL: Start here:
Then go here:
A Ghost To Most
@Betty Cracker: Democratic outrage is NOT feigned. Fuck that guy.
Adam L Silverman
@schrodingers_cat: He’s quite liberal. He doesn’t tolerate fools. He calls bullshit for what it is. And he, a very privileged white guy, repeatedly stands up for people of color, women and women of color, religious minorities, and LGBTQ people. He’s an ally. And a good one.
oatler.
Leahy’s going all Statesman at the hearing. Grassley’s going all Grassley.
Platonailedit
I only hope that this fucker’s nomination gets zero dem votes so that the thugs and their msm minions don’t claim bipartisanship.
Omnes Omnibus
@schrodingers_cat: FFS he doesn’t get favorable attention simply because he is a veteran. He gets cited on military and security issues because he was senior special ops guy and is, therefore, a subject matter expert.
low-tech cyclist
@zhena gogolia:
What’s the point of having Democrats in the Senate, if they’ve got to vote with the Republicans in order to stay?
This is a serious question. If they’re going to vote GOP on all the high-visibility stuff, and only vote Dem when nobody’s paying attention, that really doesn’t do our side that much good.
And Kavanaugh might well still be on the Supreme Court in 2050, long after Heitkamp and Tester and Donnelly are gone. If they’re not going to vote Dem on this one, what are they keeping their powder dry for??
Adam L Silverman
It’s going to be a long week…
Platonailedit
@Adam L Silverman:
Yup, Jim Wright is a good guy. I have been reading him for a few years now. Bj’ers should acting that they own all the liberalism.
Adam L Silverman
@Adam L Silverman: Even more:
Chyron HR
@Timurid:
You seem confused about how IT libertarianism works–only information that can be used to harm Democrats “wants to be free”.
satby
@Betty Cracker: @Adam L Silverman: he is good people and on our side. I think he thinks the Dems should go balls to the wall in opposing, including denying a quorum for a vote of they can.
@schrodingers_cat: what Adam said. Just being a vet doesn’t get him the fan base he has, but being a smart, no nonsense ally does.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@low-tech cyclist:
Susan Collins, Lindsey Graham and the guy who lost to Tammy Duckworth all tsk-tsked about Grassley’s block of Garland, but they had already voted for McConnell for Majority Leader, so he didn’t have to listen to them.
Spanky
OT, ’tis true, but I thought it might be informative to drop this bit from the CNN report on Woodward’s book on Trump. Not so much for the content, but for CNN’s decision on what to quote.
Yeah OK, the content is, um, “interesting” too.
JPL
@Adam L Silverman: I’m sick!
low-tech cyclist
@But Her Emails!!!:
Thanks for mentioning the flaw in the “if the Dems walk out, the Senate doesn’t have a quorum” meme that pops up every now and then. As you imply, it doesn’t matter if there’s technically no quorum unless one of the Senators present calls for a quorum – and if all the Dems are gone, a Republican would have to do that. Like that’s gonna happen.
jacy
@Adam L Silverman:
From the write-up on the CNN website, it seems like no one should read the Woodward book if they ever want to sleep again. It sounds worse than any of us imagined and we have imaged some pretty fucking terrifying things.
Adam L Silverman
@Amir Khalid: Fixed it. Thanks.
efgoldman
@oatler.:
That ship has not only sailed, it’s gone around the world twice and come back.
JPL
@jacy: I read Death of Democracy, and now I’m looking for fluff books.
Another Scott
@jacy: Um, some of us have had a pretty good imagination since November 2016, TYVM.
These “revelations” are about as “shocking” as the sun coming up in the East.
Grr…
Cheers,
Scott.
rikyrah
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I will take others word on it. Have no intention of buying the book.
oatler.
Who’s the double-chinned chick who keeps forcing her face into the screen of Kavanaugh?
Get her a movie deal!
Lapassionara
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yes. To emphasize this point, having a dem majority in the Senate means the Dem majority leader gets to set the rules and the agenda, so the Dems as a whole have more power, even if some of the Dems are not “true” Dems, in your view.
low-tech cyclist
@Cheryl from Maryland:
Holy fucking shit.
Anyone who still thinks ‘norms’ have a chance to be of help in saving our democracy…this is so far beyond the pre-2016 norms that it makes my head spin. Either it’s a law, or it doesn’t count. And if Kavanaugh is confirmed, a bunch of ‘Democrat laws’ will go down the tubes as well.
Jeffro
@zhena gogolia:
Almost unbelievably so. Between quotes from the book and Dems showing some spine w/ Kavanaugh, Twitler is going to be off. the. hook. later today. Good! Stroke out, you asshole.
Cheryl Rofer
As I read “The 2020 Commission Report,” I thought that Jeffrey Lewis might have exaggerated Trump’s likely behavior. Just a little bit, enough to make a good story, not to be complained about.
But I was wrong, I’ve decided since reading about Woodward’s book.
satby
@Spanky: and yet none of them are patriotic enough to go public and try to get the demented psycho removed.
A Ghost To Most
From the WaPo article.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Adam L Silverman
We are so close to a Hitler in the Bunker Downfall rant on national TV from Trump.
Timurid
The scariest thing about the Woodward book teaser so far is the repeated (successful) use of the stolen document trick. What does that say about Trump’s cognitive state? It doesn’t sound like object permanence is exactly a thing for him…
Another Scott
@satby: Funny how that works, isn’t it??!!?
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
MomSense
@low-tech cyclist:
All of our norms and the whole of our constitution assume good faith. Good faith is totally fucking absent with the GOP.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@rikyrah: oh hell no, Old Man Woodward doesn’t need any more money from me, and time is short– I’m changing the world with blog comments! But all those shows Twitler Tivos and watches in the lonely cold pre-dawn hours will be talking about nothing else, and his BP may finally blow.
Jeffro
Shana
@zhena gogolia: My daughter just asked me about the excerpts. Where are you seeing them?
Jeffro
Just picturing what would have happened had that been Obama…
But Her Emails!!!
@low-tech cyclist:
That meme irritates me to no end. It requires a Republican to pull off. If there were actually decent Republicans, they wouldn’t need to pull this BS to block the confirmation.
Cheryl Rofer
Apparently Dick Durbin is ???
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Even I think that’s a bit on-the-nose, but in that off-the-record quote Bannon certainly captured the essence of Lucrezia
Oh god, I hate the way people bring their children to these hearings and the Senators feel compelled to talk to and about them.
MCA1
@A Ghost To Most: Who the F is the “rabbit” in Priebus’s mind? He should have gone with badger or something. Likewise on the inclusion of a seal in his zoo.
Aleta
Questions.
1. Why isn’t it a conflict of interest for William Burck, the lawyer representing top members of the Trump administration in the Mueller investigation (in Jan. said to represent Reince Priebus and Don McGahn; in Feb. said to also rep. Bannon) to make the decision about documents related to the Trump admin. nominee?
2. He is said to be acting as GW Bush’s private lawyer — does this mean that Bush can direct him to release or not release? Durbin said ‘who is he, who is paying him’ — but can’t Bush also be called out in public as responsible for this decision? (Even though he’s probably being paid by political operatives, isn’t Bush still on the line for this?)
3. But it seems Trump is also involved in the decision. (‘ ‘ Trump has claimed executive privilege to prevent release of more than 101,921 pages of records from Kavanaugh’s tenure in the White House. ‘ ‘ ) Since two administrations are involved; why is there no independent review team instead of one lawyer with ties to one administration?
‘ ‘ Kavanaugh, as “an associate and senior associate White House counsel, dealt with some of the most sensitive communications of any White House official,” including deliberations on judicial candidates, Burck said in a letter to the committee Friday. ‘ ‘
‘ ‘ In the letter to Grassley, Burck said lawyers working on behalf of the former president would determine at a later date which of the documents are “appropriate for public release.” ‘ ‘
So the work is not done. Postpone the fcking hearings. !!
–Quotes are from the Wa Post
MomSense
@Cheryl Rofer:
He really shines in moments like these.
Chris Johnson
Stonekettle is the real deal. If he is making hurty words about spineless Dems citing civility to give Trump and the fascists everything they want, then his hurty words should be listened to.
He is almost certainly right, and THAT has enormous consequences for electability of Dems. You can bang the table all day and demand any and all Dems be elected and anything other than Dems be destroyed, but if in practice they act like Vichy Dems there’s a big problem and it’s not going to work.
‘not going to work’ stopped being an option around the time Trump actually ‘got elected’ (which he kinda didn’t and you know it). If ‘civil’ procedure gets us all this as we’re seeing it, you’ll be holding an empty bag and the real Americans will be openly at war, and the name Democrat will have the odor of Vichy. That’s just how things are. People will be asking in future why they did nothing. Shit, people are asking that now.
schrodingers_cat
@: satby: @Omnes Omnibus Just being a vet doesn’t give him his fan base but being a vet gets him extra points for saying the things he does. Because we expect veterans of his demographic to be Rs or pro R.
If an immigrant or a woman said the same things they wouldn’t be hailed as being a brave truth teller as he does.
Kristine
I just phoned Sens Durbin and Duckworth–got through to the DC offices both times. Both are opposed–I thanked them and asked that they do whatever they could to derail/delay the hearings. Young man in Duckworth’s office said they are getting a lot of calls, running about 80% opposed.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Priebus.
schrodingers_cat
@schrodingers_cat: * is not does. I need to read before hitting enter.
A Ghost To Most
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
We wish. I think he will try to unleash an “After me, the deluge” event. He’s in the perfect position.
Kristine
@Cheryl Rofer: He’s my senator. Sometimes his caution irritates me, but other times he’s pretty darn good.
Jeffro
Just picturing how things would have been different under Killary…
A Ghost To Most
@MCA1: My guess is Priebus is the rabbit. He seems to be a pure party apparatchik, rather than a predator. He sure didn’t last long.
schrodingers_cat
I am sure Jim Wright is a wonderful person and a great liberal but this blog and the media in general does tend to put veterans on a pedestal.
But Her Emails!!!
@Chris Johnson:
At this point the only thing the Senate Democrats can do without the support of a couple Republicans would be illegal. Not breaking protocol or norms, illegal.
J R in WV
@Adam L Silverman:
Isn’t he a Warrant Officer (ret) rather than a Master Chief?
japa21
OT but Rahm has decided not to run for reelection as mayor of Chicago.
Fair Economist
@But Her Emails!!!: The quorum idea is dumb. If a Democrat tries it, McConnell will just call in the parliamentarian and ask for a ruling against dilatory quorum calls, which the parliamentarian will grant without blinking. It will slow down the nominatiob for all of 15 minutes.
I expect the Democrats will do it now to shut up the trolls and whiners.
MomSense
@Betty Cracker:
If you read through the thread and a response to someone who didn’t like what he said about Democrats, he’s clear that he is really upset with the people who didn’t vote for Democrats in 2010 and in each election since. I think feigned was a poor word choice.
japa21
@schrodingers_cat: Not so much putting on a pedestal but recognizing that many people in this country do that and therefore their opinions do matter in the general discourse.
Chyron HR
@Chris Johnson:
You voluntarily surrendered the country to literal Nazis just so that Messiah (f/k/a Bernard Sanders) wouldn’t have to wait until 2024 to run again.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@But Her Emails!!!: and if not illegal, like walking out of the hearing, utterly ineffective
schrodingers_cat
@Fair Economist: Exactly what exactly can Ds do at this point when they are not in charge of the Senate. I would like these experts who criticize the Ds for being spineless can tell me.
satby
@schrodingers_cat: unless the immigrant or woman was a combat veteran, they might not have the same viewpoint because our experience shapes us as much or more than our identity as member of any given class does. Master Chief Wright has experience, has fantastic writing chops, and is a valuable ally. You might want to get more familiar with his work before leaping to conclusions about it.
Cheryl Rofer
Looks like WaPo is pre-empting Trump’s inevitable lies by releasing Trump’s phonecall with Woodward.
schrodingers_cat
@japa21: A teacher who teaches elementary school is doing selfless work too, when was the last time we saw them getting the respect that a veteran does.
A Ghost To Most
@schrodingers_cat: Veterans have actually served this country. They have earned their right to their opinion, good or bad.
Betty Cracker
@satby: Well, the point is, the Democrats can’t stop Kavanaugh, not without a Republican suddenly discovering a conscience and helping them. That’s my understanding of the situation. Am I wrong? If so, somebody please enlighten me. If not, I stand by my original point: Trashing Democrats for not shitting a unicorn on command is horse shit.
@Platonailedit: How is it “owning all the liberalism” to point out that the guy is full of shit on this issue? I’ll take y’all’s word for it that he’s “good people” — that doesn’t make him infallible, and trashing Senate Dems as cowardly and fake when they actually don’t have the power to stop this nomination is counterproductive.
low-tech cyclist
@MomSense:
Couldn’t agree more. That’s why there’s nothing to be done about the GOP but defeat it so thoroughly that nothing like it ever becomes a political force again in our lifetimes.
Mary G
Kamala Harris is a rock star. This speech is giving me life.
JPL
@A Ghost To Most: He wants to arrest those who disagree with him. I don’t believe we will have a night of long knives, but can’t be 100 percent sure. The way that the republicans are pushing through Kavanaugh is not encouraging
Adam L Silverman
@satby: That was my take away from what he’s written about this. That this is the time to go to the wall, even if you know there’s no way to win given the current makeup of the Senate and how it is being run.
Kay
@Fair Economist:
They need to oppose it because their base wants them to oppose it.
It’s really important. People want you to show them you are on their side. They want them to get bloodied up a little.
They are professional politicians. They understand this, or they should. The Democratic base is important. Show them they’re important and for God’s sake STOP saying there’s nothing you can do. No one wants to hear that.
They’re not there to scold or lecture their base. They are advocates in setting- that’s the hat they’re wearing. Advocates push. Always. No matter if they will win or lose. That’s the job. They need to do that part of their job.
Adam L Silverman
@JPL: Sorry.
Omnes Omnibus
@MomSense: Impotent would have been better.
The Moar You Know
@Betty Cracker: You are not wrong. And I think it might require two Republicans, not just one. Which won’t happen.
schrodingers_cat
@satby: How do you know that I haven’t? I have read some of the stuff he writes, he is long winded and takes a long time to get to the point. YMMV.
I just thought his crack about Ds being spineless was gratuitous.
Betty Cracker
@A Ghost To Most: Luckily, you don’t have to earn your right to an opinion in this country. All you have to do is be a citizen, and you’re automatically entitled to an opinion — theoretically, anyway. We’ve seen what happens in societies that demand deference to the warrior class. It never ends well.
Omnes Omnibus
@A Ghost To Most: Everyone is entitled to an opinion, good or bad. Veterans are not special in that regard.
satby
@japa21: @schrodingers_cat: I don’t put veterans in a pedestal at all, but recognizing the sacrifices many have made and taking their experiences into account when evaluating their views is perfectly fair.
One of my foster sons, still close to my family, is a Marine veteran with 5 combat tours to Iraq and Afghanistan under his belt. He also drank too much hoorah Koolaide and is a RWNJ, which is a disappointment to me. We can simultaneously respect the service and accept the allies where we get them. Vets agreeing with Democrats strengthens our arguments.
A Ghost To Most
@Betty Cracker:
Exactly.
schrodingers_cat
@satby: Also, being a combat veteran is just one perspective, our society has elevated that above almost every other perspective.
oatler.
Whitehouse is slaughtering Kavanaugh on dark money and if K had any shame he would fall on his sword- wait he doesn’t have any shame.
Adam L Silverman
@Enhanced Voting Techniques: Jumbotron. During WrestleMania. Got to get the ratings and the PPV dollars.
Kay
You aren’t allowed to save face or accept defeat without a fight when you’re in an advocate role. You have to publicly fight and get whupped, because that’s what the people who support you want. They want you to fight for them.
It isn’t about results. They’ll never get dinged for fighting and losing. They’re get (rightfully) dinged if they refuse to put themselves out there and fight. That’s the price of being there- you don’t get to win all your fights. You have to take a risk.
On their side. That’s what they want and IMO they deserve that. They can demand it.
schrodingers_cat
@satby:
Agreed.
A Ghost To Most
@Omnes Omnibus: Yes, agreed, but veterans have put skin in the game. We do get extra credit, though. VA loans for one.
satby
@schrodingers_cat: and I pointed out it sways me not one iota in evaluating his opinions.
You need to stop digging.
Aleta
The lawyer (1) currently defending the person (2) who “personally recommended Trump nominate Neil Gorsuch and Brett Kavanaugh” and
“assembled a team of lawyers to oversee filling all judicial vacancies” and
“guide(d) (Trump’s appointment of) ten appellate judges by November 11, 2017, the most that early in a presidency since Richard Nixon”
is the same lawyer who’s now in charge of withholding documents about one of those nominees? Even though the review is not finished, the decisions are not final yet ?
‘ ‘ In the letter to Grassley, Burck said lawyers working on behalf of the former president would determine at a later date which of the documents are “appropriate for public release.” ‘ ‘
1- Burke 2- McGahn
Quotes are from wiki and Wa Post.
I Object!
low-tech cyclist
@satby:
AFAICT, the only thing the Dems can do that they’re not doing already is get all 49 Dem Senators on record as opposing Kavanaugh’s nomination, so that the ball is unmistakably in the lap of Murkowski and Collins. And they should do that. If Kavanaugh is confirmed, it should be abundantly clear to everyone that they could have stopped him but didn’t. That’s not clear now.
The quorum thing, however, is a chimera. If you read the Senate rules, in order to deny a quorum, two things both have to happen:
1) there isn’t a quorum, and
2) one of the Senators present has to call for a quorum.
#1 is satisfied if every last Dem walks out, but then no Dem is left to take care of item #2.
satby
@Kay: yes, this. Enough with genteel opposition. Vociferous opposition, even if futile, needs to happen.
Another Scott
@Betty Cracker: I agree with you that crapping on Democrats doesn’t help.
His 10 part thread elaborates a little on why he posted that.
tl;dr – he’s trying to get people to realize that if you don’t vote and don’t have the majority in the Senate then there’s little that can be done. Purity Voting doesn’t help. I assume that it’s a theme he’s beaten into the ground for years…
And he’s right about that, of course.
If you want Democrats to do more in the Senate, vote more Democrats into the Senate.
Twitter is a horrible medium for political discussions.
Cheers,
Scott.
Mary G
@Kay: Preach. They seem determined not to signal they are willing to go to the mattresses. Why should we work our asses off, and sweat out in the neighborhoods, and spend money we don’t have, if they sit there shrugging? You get what you give.
Kay
Because, IMO, people recognize when not fighting a losing battle is not about THEM, or about “results” but is instead about the advocate saving face and avoiding being publicly defeated. They know that.
I mean, you can call it “theater” or whatever but it’s much more important than that. It’s literally like 60% of their job. If they don’t want to do that part they should get into a different line of work.
Adam L Silverman
@MCA1: Priebus was the rabbit.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
@Jeffro: That’s pretty cheeky from Mr Bonespires. Then again, the generals might have said something back because they knew Obama would listen.
And this …
Trolling, professional style
low-tech cyclist
@low-tech cyclist:
‘They’ = Murkowski and Collins. Sorry about the ambiguity. The Dems can’t stop Kavanaugh by themselves.
oatler.
Ted Cruz is doing his best Shatner.
A Ghost To Most
@Adam L Silverman: The walrus was Paul.
Adam L Silverman
@J R in WV: Sorry, you’re correct he’s a Chief Warrant Officer. I’ll fix it. For some reason I had forgotten he’d switch from NCO to Warrant Officer.
rikyrah
Rahm Emanuel is NOT running for re-election
https://twitter.com/nbcchicago/status/1037004483706933248
Jeffro
breaking: looks like former GOP senator John Kyl will replace John McCain until 2020. Cindy McCain tweeted her congratulations.
Kay
@Mary G:
Exactly. They can’t ask people to crawl over broken glass if they’re too proud to get a little bloody.
It really does inspire loyalty. They will think “she fought for me”. There’s humility in it, fighting and losing. You have to put yourself aside and I think people get that, that it’s a sacrifice.
Enhanced Voting Techniques
Holy Frag on Toast
Trump’s lawyer’s literal defense is “my client is to stupid to understand the situation.”
Omnes Omnibus
@A Ghost To Most: Many others have put skin in the game – teachers, nurses, etc.
My status as a veteran simply means that I probably have more knowledge about artillery, jumping out of airplanes, and general army life than other people.
Adam L Silverman
@Cheryl Rofer: Is our WaPo learning?
Emma
@Chris Johnson: Every time — every bloody time — I read a rant like this, I want details. What can Democrats do, other than work their asses off to get control of Congress? I want procedural steps. I want at least the semblance of an actual path to success.Democrats could release every document, walk out of the hearing, stage massive rallies on the steps of the Supreme Court building and IT WOULD NOT WORK. The Republicans got the majority. They hold all the reins. Give me options that WILL FREAKING WORK!
Fair Economist
@Kay: Opposing the nomination is good. Throwing pointless hissy fits is not.
An point I have not seen is that to really stop the nomination they have to flip 2 Republicans since McCain’s seat can be filled before a vote. For that it is essential to *not* piss off Republican Senators with pointless acting out that is a transparent waste of time to anybody that knows what is going on.
Adam L Silverman
@Omnes Omnibus: Jewish veterans all have three opinions apiece…//
Cheryl Rofer
@Adam L Silverman: Mebbe
Spanky
Via WaPo:
low-tech cyclist
@Emma:
Like you say, the GOP has the majority. Without at least one GOP defection (two, once Kyl is sworn in as McCain’s replacement), there’s no ‘this WILL work’ option.
So the Dems have to fall back on whatever options give them a prayer of a chance of flipping Murkowski and Collins. I don’t know if there are any, but as I’ve said upthread, a precondition would be for all 49 Dems to be united in their opposition to Kavanaugh. As long as it looks like red-state Dems will give them cover, they won’t budge.
low-tech cyclist
@Betty Cracker:
QFT.
Emma
@low-tech cyclist: Murkowsky and Collins — have they ever flipped in anything of importance? I despise them more than I do Ryan. At least you can see him coming.
Jeffro
Oh hey look – this is what it looks like when you have nothing to run on: phony Dem signs appear in Dave Brat’s district, calling for “impeaching Trump” and “open borders”
S
C
U
M
Fair Economist
@Emma: Murkowski and Collins flipped for Obamacare repeal. Collins flipped on the Recovery Act in return for a 200 billion reduction in it. Otherwise, no, never on anything important where their votes mattered.
ArchTeryx
Obamacare repeal. Had those two not flipped McCain’s vote would have been meaningless and Medicaid would be gone.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@oatler.:
And it’s about as good at his Darth Vader.
Raven
@schrodingers_cat: before I get onthe Sapelo Ferry for three days off the grid let me say how glad I am to have you here to constantly bitch, moan and educate us about vets
The Moar You Know
Mukowsky has. Collins has never flipped on anything that I’m aware of.
Spanky
OT again! But this one’s for Adam. Apparently Floriduh Man got loose and came north:
The Moar You Know
@Jeffro: Oh hey, that’s is how you win elections! Why aren’t Dems doing the same thing?
Jeffro
@Jeffro: adding here that the Dem in question is Abby Spanberger, the one whose SF-86 was given out quickly, in full, and unredacted to a right-wing group in response to their FOIA request (her own FOIA request has taken months and is still not processed)
FU Dave Brat!
No One of Consequence
@schrodingers_cat: No one is discounting the work of teachers. I believe some here are trying to help you from coming to an inaccurate conclusion that Wright is some form of hack or one you should discount out of hand.
You shouldn’t. His work is typically thought-provoking and, again typically, he knows of what he speaks. This at least in my opinion, formed over reading his posts and yours, for years.
Then again, I think you pied me from before when I made an insufficiently (obvious) snarky reply about one of the recent gun atrocities. So, if this is just a blueberry crumble recipe for you, kindly disregard…
– NOoC
Jeffro
@The Moar You Know: That’s a BS way to go…then it really does justify the “both sides” mentality. We can fight back, and hard, without this kind of crap.
Kay
@Fair Economist:
If they don’t get the Republican votes (and I don’t think they will) then their supporters will see it as “losing without a fight”, which is worse than losing. It just is.
We don’t do ENOUGH pandering to our base, frankly. You just can’t tell people over and over what you can’t do. It may be true! But you can’t tell them that. It sounds like “blah, blah, blah, excuse”
I mean Jesus Christ- they’re there anyway. Put their giant egos aside and throw a hissy fit for a good cause. They can go back to being hardheaded realists tomorrow. They wouldn’t have these jobs if they actually wanted to sit in a quiet room and draft proposals. They’re all attention hogs. Indulge that.
Dorothy A. Winsor
I can’t stand to watch this. We’re being screwed for decades to come.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@A Ghost To Most:
Only if you’re looking though a Glass Onion.
Turgidson
@patrick II:
What a load of steaming bullshit-flavored horse shit from GrASSley. The Roberts court had shat all over the “apply the laws even if you don’t like them” principle whenever it suits them and the angry billionaires who fund the wingnut laboratories they grew up in. Campaign finance, voting rights, labor rights, all eviscerated because those assholes “don’t like” the laws.
God dammit.
Emma
@ArchTeryx: @Fair Economist: I guess I should have been more specific. They take no moral chances. I bet their internal polling showed considerable constituent backlash and flipping was the best option.
Adam L Silverman
@Spanky: Isn’t Cole on vacation at the Maryland shore this week?
No One of Consequence
@Another Scott: Twitter is a honey pot for trolls.
Watch for those that have the nerve to look surprised!
– NOoC
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Spanky: Yes, but were there Chinese pole dancers?
Adam L Silverman
@Dorothy A. Winsor: As I wrote in a comment last night:
https://balloon-juice.com/2018/09/03/open-thread-another-worthy-battle-entered/#comment-7005074
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Kay: On the flip side, if you tell them you’re going to do a bunch of stuff and you don’t get it done…
gene108
@low-tech cyclist:
All Dems voted against confirming DeVos. All Dems voted against the tax bill. All Dems voted against the AHCA. I’ll give them their need to appear non-partisan on Kavanaugh. They have been there for us, when it counted in the recent past.
J R in WV
@A Ghost To Most:
As a veteran, I can say that teachers have served this country at least as well~!!~
Much of what is wrong with our politics is due to a long term trend of cutting education from K-12 to colleges! Colleges used to be funded by public monies, but are now mostly funded by students’ tuition, borrowed from the federal government and paid for by the interest on those loans. K-12 class sizes have grown to an embarrassing number.
Here locally there are structural and HVAC failures that have led to temporary school closings because of toxic mold in relatively new schools. Do our school boards’ architects not know how to waterproof and dehumidify buildings? Or is it that costs versus income won’t allow them to cover proper HVAC system operation and maintenance?
Martin
@Emma:
They won’t flip. This isn’t about constituent backlash, it’s about leaving a court able to run the conservative agenda even while the party gets relegated to the political hinterlands thanks to Trump. By the time the party is back in good graces, Kavanaugh will still be there, doing the work he was placed there to do.
If Dems get 60 votes in the Senate again, they should rewrite the Judiciary Act of 1869. Increase the number of seats to 27, have the court operate like a circuit court. Put an end to this bullshit.
A Ghost To Most
@Betty Cracker: I never said otherwise. I’m just tired of the sniping at veterans. Not all of us are are goose-stepping nazis. Find a better target. It’s a target rich environment.
My service was easy, if you ignored the multiple nuclear warheads aimed at us. But it was still a four year hiatus of my life. It wasn’t a vacation. I would never vacation in Omaha.
Spanky
@Adam L Silverman: Uh, not any more!
Mary G
This guy is a bad character. That kissing up to Twitler when his nomination was announced was bad, and this response today to a parent who lost his daughter at Parkland is appalling:
berg's dad. He pulled his hand back, turned his back to me and walked away. I guess he did not want to deal with the reality of gun violen
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Emma: there was IIRC floods of positive feedback for both back home, which they both love and which they knew could turn negative pretty quick, but IMHO most people don’t get how tax cut bills, especially in that bill, take things away from people, and they were more afraid of the party machinery than their voters in that case
I also recall that there was talk that Collins was polishing her reputation for a run for governor in Maine. I’d guess she decided the trump/lepage factor is too strong up there for to get elected in what seems to be a place where third-party spoilers run hard
Fair Economist
@Dorothy A. Winsor: No we are not screwed for decades. We can expand the Court next time we get the trifecta, probably 2021. That will be a time when we should demand Dems go to the mat becuase it will actually help.
mapaghimagsik
@A Ghost To Most: @A Ghost To Most:
And you haven’t. So suck it up, and be careful who you question, citizen.
I see others have more artfully addressed this, but I’ve personally had enough.
Mary G
@Mary G: Whoops, just had a cat step on the keyboard and mess up my post.
Calouste
@Spanky: So, as was expected, the whole McCain funeral was just theater and he was a Trumpista until the end.
If he was really serious, he would have resigned from the GOP on his deathbed. Now he’s just an enabler.
Manxome Bromide
@Kay: This argument is confusing me. How is what Harris is doing “not fighting back”? How is walking out en masse – which will result in headlines about K being unanimously confirmed by the committee as he is voted through with zero no votes – going to please the base and count as being bloodied?
If Dems walk out, the vote happens anyway, the questions aren’t asked, K gets a tongue bath from the remaining committee members, and he’s unanimously sent on. Headlines will imply every single Dem flipped because they’ll say “zero no votes” and make no mention of abstentions until maybe paragraph 15 on Page A17.
How does this work, even as theater?
TenguPhule
@zhena gogolia:
Hang together or hang separately.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
is this guy camera-shy or does he not get invited on TV?
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
Three Constitutional Violations for the price of one!
Anotherlurker
@Betty Cracker: Agreed. The Military are put on an undeserved pedestal, in this country. Some of the biggest assholes I have ever met have been veterans.
Why don’t we put teachers, nurses sanitation workers on a pedestal? They actually do practical work that benefits society.
Aside from participation in WWII and the War of Southern Treason, I can’t think of a war that actually was fought for “Our Freedom”. The Military exists to maintain the status quo.
OK. Flame away. Holding this opinion, I’m used to it.
Immanentize
@J R in WV: I agree. I was thinking about writing an op ed entitled: “Thank You for Your Service,” to argue that we should extend this trite phrase to teachers, snow plow drivers, garbage men, etc. Then it would really mean something other than jingoistic nonsense.
J R in WV
@Adam L Silverman:
No, later in the month he’s taking a group to the NC Outer Banks. But close. The DelMarVa peninsula was pretty nice when we visited, lots of art, nice boardwalk, great food, friendly B&Bs. Wife got sick, they blew off a good part of their fee since we left early.
A Ghost To Most
@J R in WV:
There is no fucking pleasing you people. My wife has been an RN for thirty years; my son is working with autistic kids, and preparing to get his Masters to teach autistic kids. But I’m an asshole for standing up for veterans. I’m sorry I’m doing this wrong.
Kathleen
@Betty Cracker: I agree with you Betty
TenguPhule
@Cheryl Rofer:
I think they’re holding back because otherwise people would think they’re making this up while high on drugs.
Adam L Silverman
@Spanky: Tis just a flesh wound…//
mapaghimagsik
@A Ghost To Most:
There is no fucking pleasing you people. My wife has been an RN for thirty years; my son is working with autistic kids, and preparing to get his Masters to teach autistic kids. But I’m an asshole for standing up for veterans. I’m sorry I’m doing this wrong.
No, you’re an asshole for taking Betty’s point that perhaps blaming Dems was a dumb bit of analysis and turning into all about the veterans. It seems you want the subject to be about you, when it wasn’t.
TenguPhule
@Fair Economist:
Five votes on the SC will rule it Unconstitutional. Because reasons.
Shithole gets confirmed, the only way this gets resolved is definitely not in the ballot box. Because that requires rules and laws that aren’t made of taffy.
mapaghimagsik
@mapaghimagsik: and fuck you, blockquote
The Moar You Know
@Jeffro: Bullshit. Look at the scoreboard. They are winning. After this week, when they’ve installed their pet rubber stamp on the Supreme Court, they will have won. We need to start fighting fire with fire, or enjoy our status as a token opposition party for a GOP nation.
The commenters here are looking at a win of the House in 2018 as being some mechanism that can stop Trumpism. It can’t. Won’t even slow it down. As long as they have the Senate and the Presidency, they also have the courts. We need to win it all. That won’t be accomplished by politeness and adherence to norms. The terms of combat have changed, and our party is stubbornly and willfully refusing to acknowledge that.
Immanentize
@Fair Economist: I think there should be one justice from each circuit. That would make 12 — 11 circuits plus the DC circuit. You could then have a CJ which would make 13.
TenguPhule
@Adam L Silverman:
And I think you are very very wrong about Roberts. His concern for what the Court is perceived as is less of a concern then his unwavering tribal loyalty to the party of Treason. He didn’t overturn 40 years of precedent because he was worried about damaging his legacy.
Betty Cracker
@A Ghost To Most: Who is sniping at veterans? I criticized the opinion of one veteran — on an issue in which his experience as a veteran has zero bearing, as far as I can tell.
Immanentize
@Calouste: If he was serious, he would have resigned as of January 1, 2019 BEFORE May 31 of this year and allowed a special election — you know, a democratic solution — to happen this fall for his replacement. But when you are dying of cancer, some slack must be extended.
Immanentize
@A Ghost To Most: I thank your wife and son for their service.
Fair Economist
I notice a double standard, against Dems as usual. Collins is derided as a fake moderate because she has only flipped twice when her vote matters. But Heitkamp and Manchin are derided as fake Dems even though they have NEVER flipped on a significant vote where their vote mattered.
Another Scott
@Martin: +1
I really like that idea.
The SCOTUS has been hearing fewer and fewer cases for decades. All while society gets more complex, and while it takes ever longer for things to be resolved. If they can’t do the job with 9, then expand the court and, indeed, make it run like a Super DC Circuit or something.
Cheers,
Scott.
Omnes Omnibus
@Betty Cracker: I think it was s_c’s snide comment about Jim Wright that was the trigger here.
schrodingers_cat
@Raven: I have nothing against vets in general or Jim Wright in particular. I didn’t agree with his remark about Ds in this Supreme Court battle. I wouldn’t presume to educate you about anything let alone veterans and their issues.
Reading the comments in this section shows that my observation that veterans opinions are accorded a higher degree of respect just because of their veteran status is true. They deserve respect for their service, that I agree with. But I think that their opinion should carry the same weight as anybody else’s unless we are specifically talking about military issues. YMMV
Have a nice trip.
Kelly
@Martin: My imaginary Supreme Court is a random draw of a Justice from each circuit semi-annually.
MomSense
@Omnes Omnibus:
It’s a wild kind of impotence though because it’s got all of us down.
schrodingers_cat
@No One of Consequence: No I haven’t pied you and thanks for your recommendation.
Uncle Cosmo
@A Ghost To Most: Just a thought, but maybe we ought to start calling the WH staff the Unter Gang.
Immanentize
@Kelly: Do you mean bi-annually? Cases take more than 6 months to grant, brief, argue and decide….
Immanentize
@Kelly: @Immanentize: Biennial is the word I tried to type…. Once every two years?
satby
@Immanentize: I will say my kid hates that vapid “thank you for your service” shit. It’s dismissive.
It was and continues to be an ugly war we didn’t belong in (we agree on that) and he came back with damaged hearing and PTSD.
Gelfling 545
@Jeffro: You may rest assured that anything HRC did would be both excessive and insufficient simultaneously. I often think ? f the vicious attacks she’d be suffering now had she won. The country would not have responded to its deliverance from this hell with gratitude.
david
@low-tech cyclist: His message is simple. Vote in every single election. Even if the Democrat you have isn’t the exact Democrat you wanted. Just vote for him/her.
If that message is somehow “a steaming load of horse shit”, then keep enjoying those losses.
Just remember; you guys had the White House, House of Representatives, and Senate in 2009. All the laughing and crowing and braying posts of “Irrelevant!” and “They’ll be out of power for a generation, maybe longer!” were saturating this very blog to nauseating levels. But, millions of you walked away after that thinking you’d done your one necessary act and that the one man you voted for would do your all work for you. He didn’t because he couldn’t. That’s not how democracy works. And in 2 years you lost the House. In 6 years you lost the Senate. In 8 years you lost the White House. And you never got the Supreme Court.
Here are the total votes for Democratic representatives in the last 3 mid-term elections:
2006: 42,338,795 (D +31)(Senate, D +5)
2010: 38,980,192 (R +63)(Senate, R +6)
2014: 35,624,357 (R +13)(Senate, R +9)
“WTF does he imagine the Democrats can do about it?”
IDK, try voting. And not just once every four years. Those local, state, and mid-term elections are even more important.
Kathleen
@Adam L Silverman: @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I’ve believed for a long time that Woodward’s books are designed to serve powerful factions. This sounds like Revenge of the Deep State on steroids.
Kelly
@Immanentize: Oh I did mean twice a year. Mix it up.Thinking it thru in more detail each draw would have some time to agree which cases to argue then hold arguments, come to decisions and disband. Which means we’d have one Supreme Court picking cases while the previous one is arguing. Might be troublesome.
satby
@schrodingers_cat:
And absolutely no one said their opinions on other than military matters should carry greater weight.
@Omnes Omnibus: agreed.
Immanentize
@satby: I get why he would, which is why it would be more meaningful if we really said that to all the people who work for us every day as government employees. No just military and paramilitary folks.
Of course, I have to include the excellent AFSCME Advert (spoof).
But it is what I am talking about.
Immanentize
@Kelly: I like the idea of revolving Justices. Maybe just not every panel, but at least one on every panel? I am very interested in working out an alternative. It really has very little chance of happening, unless things get really really bad like they did in the 30’s. Which seems, sadly, possible.
Omnes Omnibus
@david: The load of steaming horseshit is the idea that Dems are feigning outrage.
And fuck you. I’d bet that 99% of people on this blog vote in every election.
david
@But Her Emails!!!: As noted on the senate.gov website on attempts at ‘quorum busting’:
—–
On February 24, 1988, in an attempt to establish a quorum on a campaign finance reform bill, Capitol police carried Oregon Republican Senator Robert Packwood into the chamber feet first at 1:17 a.m.
—–
Walk outs won’t work. They can/will simply physically drag them back. Quite a spectacle, but a fruitless one.
TenguPhule
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
attached to efgoldman’s belt.
Aleta
@JPL:
More on that:
It continues at the Wa Post, Russian firm indicted in special counsel probe cites Kavanaugh decision to argue that charge should be dismissed
Fair Economist
@david: The appointment of Kyl to McCain’s seat renders any quorum busting moot anyway. Once he is sworn in they have 51 and a quorum no matter what Dems do.
Immanentize
@david: That was true of Thad Cochran who was far gone from dementia before he left the senate this April. But he was brought in to vote
Kelly
@Kelly: Toying with the idea some more I think one draw of Justice should decide which cases to argue and a different set listen to the arguments and issue the decision.
Kelly
@Immanentize: My other revolving Justices idea is each Circuit votes amongst themselves to appoint a Supreme Court Justice for a very limited term after which they return to their Circuit.
Chris Johnson
@Chyron HR: I’m a Hillary voter, man, don’t know what you’re thinking here.
Chris Johnson
@low-tech cyclist: They should walk out. They should do it and make the Republicans railroad shit, don’t just go ‘oh well they would railroad it through’. Make them railroad it. Make them banana republic it.
Have all the Dems walk out.
Have Bernie Sanders call for the quorum.
He’s not a Democrat.
zhena gogolia
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
So late to this party (work, you know) — but LOLOLOLOLOL
Aleta
As the gist of what he’s saying, (w/ thanks to you and satby and others for emphasizing it) I agree of course. In his thread that you linked he explains he’s cynical after so many years, says he’s expressing cynicism in that tweet, because he’s is cynical for good reason, like it or not.
I hope you’ll indulge me for a minute, because I don’t disagree with you, but I’m not OK with what he wrote today. (I always appreciate your balance and good spirit.)
I’m cynical too. His tweet isn’t cynicism, imo. Telling his followers, at the same time that Harris, Durbin et al are calling Republicans out (and every one of us is outraged) that Senate Dems are only pretending to protest — that all the Senators are cowards abdicating responsibility to the Republic– is untrue and destructive. Maybe he did it out of angry despair (justified, everyone on his side feels that) or self righteousness (today it’s more than allowed). Maybe he exaggerated because of high emotion, fine; he should say that, not tell me it was about hard-earned cynicism.
He labelled at least a few Dem. senators who aren’t cowards and aren’t pretending. Spirits probably more flattened today than his or even mine are. That part is merely unfair, but the other part, telling us that because of his disappointment they are all unworthy and alike, is dangerous to our numbers.
Ruckus
@A Ghost To Most:
Everyone in this country has a right to their opinion. Your opinion, and you can suck, but you have a right to have and express it. No one’s opinion is higher because they served. Serving can give one a different perspective, but it doesn’t put you above others. Money, fame don’t elevate your opinion. May make it easier to get heard though.
Ruckus
@Enhanced Voting Techniques:
So his lawyer is using the truth as a defense. Normally I’d say bravo, but in this case using the truth will probably backfire. Splendidly.
Emma
@Chris Johnson: And Bernie will do it why?
Another Scott
@Aleta: Well said. Thanks.
I don’t read him regularly. My quick impression of the thread is that he was tired of arguing with some Purity Ponies™ and threw that problematic tweet out there to get their attention because nothing else was working.
It’s not aimed at us, I don’t think.
Cheers,
Scott.