Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

“woke” is the new caravan.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

If senate republicans had any shame, they’d die of it.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

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

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

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

Republicans: slavery is when you own me. freedom is when I own you.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

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

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

It may be funny to you motherfucker, but it’s not funny to me.

The words do not have to be perfect.

Ah, the different things are different argument.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / Kavanaaaaaah Hearings Day 2 (Open Thread)

Kavanaaaaaah Hearings Day 2 (Open Thread)

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I’m not watching this nonsense, but here’s the CSPAN YouTube livestream if anyone’s interested:

Last clip I saw, Graham was meeping apologies at Kavanaugh for his daughters’ having to witness yesterday’s spectacle. Boo-to-the-fucking-hoo. At least Kavanaugh still has his complete complement of children, unlike the man whose hand he refused to shake yesterday.

Also, Senator Leahy may have scored some points in questioning Kavanaugh about emails Republicans jacked from Democrats during the Bush administration. I’d forgotten all about that.

What it mainly demonstrates is that the Republicans are hiding documents that could be damaging to the nominee. We know that, but it doesn’t hurt to underscore it, and Leahy did so in somewhat dramatic, if lugubrious, fashion.

Anyway, my hope is that the Democrats continue to grill the bastard and that when it comes time to vote, they walk out as a group, citing the Republican stonewalling on releasing the records as the reason. It won’t prevent Kavanaugh from being seated — nothing but a Republican with a conscience can, and as we know, those creatures are extinct. But it’ll put a big fat fucking asterisk by Kavanaugh’s name, and it’ll make me feel better.

Reader Interactions

158Comments

  1. 1.

    Belafon

    I’m hoping h ewill be asked why his massive credit card debt was suddenly paid off, and why his reasoning sounds just like Manaforts.

  2. 2.

    NotMax

    apologies at Kavanaugh for his daughters’ having to witness yesterday’s spectacle

    Granted, seeing the spineless slithering to lick boots is not a pleasant sight.

  4. 4.

    satby

    What about the woman sitting behind him yesterday flashing the white power sign? Has there been any follow up on that in the media at all?

  5. 5.

    patrick II

    Graham was meeping apologies at Kavanaugh for his daughters’ having to witness yesterday’s spectacle.

    Cruz apologized for the same thing yesterday. Maybe if they want to fix that they should get a different father.

    I am wondering how much Kavanaugh was concerned about Chelsea Clinton when he made up that list of sexually embarrassing questions during the Clinton interrogation.

  6. 6.

    Ladyraxterinok

    Is release of Woodward book meant to divert from info coming out from Kavenaugh hearing? Book appears to confirm rumors about Trump and WH. But specifics about concealment of documents and his opinions, treatment of grieving father, etc, are easily lost in m$m coverage of a book by one of their own.

  8. 8.

    JPL

    OT From the Washington Post

    Attorney General Jeff Sessions plans to meet with state attorneys general later this month to discuss whether tech companies may be “intentionally stifling the free exchange of ideas,” the Justice Department said Wednesday in a statement.

    He’s going after google, just like the boss wanted.

  10. 10.

    Mary G

    I want to watch, but I can’t. I am writing postcards to everyone who might be swayed, and have to get them in the mail today.

  11. 11.

    hueyplong

    It is almost as though these GOPers got texts last night saying “Not servile enough.”

    And for some reason they feel compelled to ask “How low?” as Trump pleasures himself at the spectacle.

  13. 13.

    Leto

    @satby: Wasn’t Condoleezza Rice sitting behind him yesterday? Over his left shoulder (right shoulder for TV viewers). I saw a brief clip of his hearing and I could’ve sworn that was her. Idk about the WP signs though…

  15. 15.

    West of the Rockies

    That asterisk may make you feel better. And it is my fervent hope that it makes Kavanaugh and his enablers feel worse, diminished, and like imposters. Oh, I know such feelings would be buried under layers of privilege and underserved self-esteem, but it would be there like a phantom itch, a faint odor. May it be so.

  16. 16.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @satby: According to the ADL, she was born in Mexico and her grandparents were Holocaust survivors. They doubt she was throwing white supremacy signs.

  17. 17.

    Brachiator

    I’m not watching this nonsense

    I also will take a pass.

    @Ladyraxterinok:

    Is release of Woodward book meant to divert from info coming out from Kavenaugh hearing?

    Doubt it. It’s not like there’s a lot of information coming out of these hearings.

  18. 18.

    germy

    @satby: She was sitting quietly. Then she got a text message. After she read the text, she smirked and made the “OK” sign, and held it for 15 minutes. While she did this, her eyes kept darting sideways to see herself on a monitor.

    My theory is she got a text from Stephen Miller or someone like him to say “You’re on tee-vee! Troll the libs, they’re sad!”

    Her husband is outraged by the accusation, of course. “We didn’t even know about that gesture!” And then someone found a photo of him posing with some gun guys, and they’re all making the sign.

  21. 21.

    Leto

    I expect Cheryl or Adam to chime in/post about this:
    Salisbury poisonings: police name two Russian suspects
    CPS says there is enough evidence to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov over Wiltshire novichok poisonings

    Two Russian nationals have been named and charged over the novichok poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal in Salisbury, Wiltshire. British police and prosecutors made the announcement on Wednesday.

    Police said the two men were travelling on authentic Russian passports under the names of Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov and arrived in the UK on an Aeroflot flight days before the attack. The Crown Prosecution Service said there was enough evidence to charge them.

    The prime minister, Theresa May, told the House of Commons on Wednesday that the two men had been identified as officers from Russia’s military intelligence agency, the GRU.

    The CPS said it had charged the two men with conspiracy to murder the Skripals and DS Nick Bailey, who fell ill after going to the Skripal home after the Russian pair were found slumped on a bench in Salisbury.

    …..

    The investigation has recovered CCTV of the two suspects after they flew into Gatwick airport and stayed in the City Stay hotel in east London. After arriving on Friday 2 March on an Aeroflot flight, they went to Salisbury on the Saturday in what police said they were satisfied was a reconnaissance trip.

    They returned to London that day and went back to Salisbury on Sunday, when police say CCTV showed them in the vicinity of the Skripal house. Police believe that after contaminating the front door of the property, they immediately went to Heathrow via train and London underground and flew back on Sunday night at 10.30pm. Health experts said no one they travelled with on the flights or trains is believed to be in danger and no one else is reported to have fallen ill.

    Sue Hemming, the CPS director of legal services, said: “Prosecutors from CPS counter-terrorism division have considered the evidence and have concluded there is sufficient evidence to provide a realistic prospect of conviction and it is clearly in the public interest to charge Alexander Petrov and Ruslan Boshirov, who are Russian nationals.”

    “Those offences include conspiracy to murder Sergei Skripal; the attempted murder of Sergei Skripal, Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey; the use and possession of novichok contrary to the Chemical Weapons Act; and causing grievous bodily harm with intent to Yulia Skripal and Nick Bailey.

    “It is of course for a jury to decide whether the evidence is enough for them to be sure of the suspects’ guilt. “We will not be applying to Russia for the extradition of these men as the Russian constitution does not permit extradition of its own nationals. Russia has made this clear following requests for extradition in other cases. Should this position change then an extradition request would be made.

    “We have, however, obtained a European arrest warrant, which means that if either man travels to a country where an EAW is valid, they will be arrested and face extradition on these charges for which there is no statute of limitations.”

    They basically tracked their every move from the time they left the plane, until the time they departed back to Russia.

  22. 22.

    NotMax

    FYI.

    British police on Wednesday named two men as the prime suspects in the nerve agent attack on a former Russian spy and his daughter last March.…
    [snip]
    The British Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) said in a statement that both suspects were believed to be in Russia at present and were thus being charged in absentia.

    “We will not be applying to Russia for the extradition of these men as the Russian constitution does not permit extradition of its own nationals,” CPS Director of Legal Services Sue Hemming said in the statement. “We have, however, obtained a European Arrest Warrant which means that if either man travels to a country where an EAW is valid, they will be arrested and face extradition on these charges for which there is no statute of limitations.”
    [snip]
    Prime Minister May said traces of Novichok were found in a London hotel room used by the two Russians in England. She said her government would “push for new EU sanctions” against Russia over the attack. Source

  23. 23.

    TenguPhule

    It won’t prevent Kavanaugh from being seated — nothing but a Republican with a conscience can,

    Or a well timed car accident.

    /Just saying

  24. 24.

    Shell

    for his daughters’ having to witness yesterday’s spectacle.

    This isnt ‘Bring Your Daughters To Work’ day. Why are they even there?

  25. 25.

    Shell

    Didnt a BJer, I think greg, post about finding a newborn kitten. Did he have any follow-up on the little thing?

  26. 26.

    germy

    @Shell:

    Why are they even there?

    It’s part of the sales job. They’re trying to sell him to us as a wonderful family man with a beautiful family. So normal in every way!

  28. 28.

    Kay

    Steve Morris
    ‏@stevemorris__
    3h3 hours ago
    More
    “I grew up in a city plagued by gun and gang and drug violence.” Kavanaugh’s high school, Georgetown Prep, literally has an on-campus golf course.

    Guffaw.

    People who widen their eyes like he does are, imo, often lying.

  29. 29.

    Shakti

    What, if anything, can we as citizens do to stop this? Seriously…

    My senator is Rubio, who is fucking stupid and not up for reelection this midterm so I can’t even vote him out. I don’t know what’s going on with Bill Nelson who is tied in polls with our creepy ass governor, Rick Scott.

    In the Democratic primary on the 28th in Florida, I voted even though the roads near my polling place were flooded out.

    But the midterms are in November, and this is now and Schumer is a feckless piece of crap (let’s let Trump confirm lower level judges!), and also not my rep. McConnell is straight evil and also not my rep. Feh. This won’t stop (and even then, knowing Pelosi) unless both Houses flip. A failed impeachment will do nothing.

    Anything to give me a reason to do anything beyond voting or calling my reps?

    GOTV and Election Protection are actually more dangerous for me than they used to be in the past (y’all know why.) I have stories from doing the Census… :/

  30. 30.

    Betty Cracker

    @Leto & @NotMax: If our president wasn’t a Russian stooge, maybe he’d get together with the UK and EU and freeze accounts and seize real estate belonging to anyone affiliated with Putin. That would really put a hurting on the Putin regime because people in the circle of oligarchs that helps keep the whole repressive sham afloat like to travel abroad and educate (and sometimes birth) their children in the West. But Trump is a Russian stooge, so that won’t happen.

  31. 31.

    germy

    @NotMax:

    traces of Novichok were found in a London hotel room used by the two Russians in England.

    Jesus! Somebody warn the Trivago guy…

  33. 33.

    Kay

    @Shakti:

    What, if anything, can we as citizens do to stop this?

    Nothing, IMO, but all the Democrats should object constantly and march out en masse after questioning because it sucks.

    It’s awful. No way to sugar coat it.

    However, the polls look very good for Democrats and we have some really good candidates and some weird (and positive) upsets are happening in these races. It’s a good midterm. For us. The governors alone could be a very positive force.

  35. 35.

    Mandalay

    @NotMax:

    Granted, seeing the spineless slithering to lick boots is not a pleasant sight.

    If you want to see Lindsey Graham licking boots check out this tweet of his from last week, but have a bucket ready to catch your puke.

    Lindsey Graham is now beyond insults. He’s just completely lost the plot.

  40. 40.

    Kay

    Our local base is QUITE fired up. I get emails :)

    this weekend would be a time to do some canvassing.
    Did you happen to have some contacts that I could call that might be interested in helping out?

    I love “would be a time to do some canvassing”. It’s such a polite and measured reaction! :)

    MIGHT be time to saunter on over and grab that fire extinguisher, in a very calm fashion so as not to alarm anyone.

  42. 42.

    Leto

    @Betty Cracker: Widen that circle. Seems like too many R’s are up to their blowholes in the shchi too.

    Here’s some more issues Dems can run on (they have, but keep it front and center): Teacher pay drops 5% in last decade – despite better qualified staff New report shows teacher pay is declining, even as more educators have master’s degrees and doctorates

    Teacher salaries are down by nearly 5% compared with before the Great Recession – and it’s not because teachers are younger or less educated, according to the Brown Center on Education Policy at the Brookings Institution.

    In fact, the opposite is true.

    “Many people don’t understand that is is becoming harder to stay a teacher because they are getting less and less money out of it,” said the Brown Center director, Michael Hansen. “They’re actually more qualified than they ever have been in the past, and we’re actually paying them lower.”

    As a wave of teacher strikes and protests swept several states last spring, researchers found that after adjusting for inflation, teacher salaries had fallen by an average of 4.6% compared with the school year that started in 2009, according to data from the Digest of Education Statistics.

    The recent dip came after two decades when teacher salaries stayed basically flat.

    The states that saw teacher demonstrations, including West Virginia, Arizona and Kentucky, have seen even sharper salary declines, of at least 6% each from their highpoint.

    Some observers argued the drop wasn’t driven by school districts getting stingier, but by baby boomer teachers retiring and being replaced by younger millennials, who earn less earlier in their careers.

    The new report found that doesn’t pan out – the average teacher was actually three months older in 2016 than in 2007, before the recession.

    And teachers have racked up more advanced degrees that typically come with bigger paychecks – 54% have master’s degrees, up from 49% before the recession. The share of teachers with a doctoral degree rose from 2.5% to 4.5%.

  44. 44.

    EZSmirkzz

    What we are witnessing YA, outside the conspiracy of theorist hereafter known as anyone not tie dyed in the wool of Trump, Is a long sitting United States Senator accusing a potential Supreme Court Justice of perjury in a previous confirmation hearing. Full stop. Forget the partisan politics and forget the ideology. This is a full stop assertion.

    I’m so old I can remember comparing Nixon and Harding administration’s corruption. Forget Iran-Contra or Ollie North in uniform perjuring himself in Congress. We are talking about an individual that will umpire and interpret the fundamental law of the United States, and Grassly is actively blocking access to information that would clear the nominee of that assertion of perjury. Think about it. Grassly will not release the documents that would clear Kavanaugh’s name and reputation with the public or the committee. In doing so, he is impugning the honor and dignity of not only every Republican on the committee, but the Senate of the United States, and the honor and dignity of the United States as a nation of laws, and honest men and women.

    We are witnessing the fall of the Republic, at the hands of the very people who most vocally espouse its’ greatness, and are the most insistent about others being obeisant to the idolatry of their patriotism.

  45. 45.

    Betty Cracker

    Oof!

  47. 47.

    TenguPhule

    @EZSmirkzz:

    In doing so, he is impugning the honor and dignity of not only every Republican on the committee, but the Senate of the United States,

    That horse left the barn around Nixon. Only the head was sent back.

  48. 48.

    Steeplejack

    @Shell:

    Geg6 (female) obtained a newborn-kitty kit somewhere and got the kitten eating, pooping and peeing successfully. That was the last I heard.

  50. 50.

    Mandalay

    @Shakti:

    I don’t know what’s going on with Bill Nelson who is tied in polls with our creepy ass governor, Rick Scott.

    I am starting to fear the worst for Nelson; he’s a competent senator who doesn’t seem to possess the necessary lack of decency for campaigning these days. It’s Mr. Rogers vs. the spawn of satan.

  52. 52.

    TenguPhule

    Trump suggests that protesting should be illegal

    Trump has long derided the mainstream media as the “enemy of the people” and lashed out at NFL players for kneeling during the national anthem. On Tuesday, he took his attacks on free speech one step further, suggesting in an interview with a conservative news site that the act of protesting should be illegal.

    Trump made the remarks in an Oval Office interview with the Daily Caller hours after his Supreme Court nominee, Brett M. Kavanaugh, was greeted by protests on the first day of his confirmation hearings on Capitol Hill.

    “I don’t know why they don’t take care of a situation like that,” Trump said. “I think it’s embarrassing for the country to allow protesters. You don’t even know what side the protesters are on.”

    He added: “In the old days, we used to throw them out. Today, I guess they just keep screaming.”

    You’d think with all of the bananas popping out of DC, somebody would start putting two and two together.

  53. 53.

    oldgold

    if Leahy had a little more left of his fastball, this might have been much more effective.

    Watching Leahy and Grassley trying to interact was damn painful. In no other line of work do you allow individuals of this age to run things.

  54. 54.

    TenguPhule

    The judge’s colleagues on the D.C. Circuit ordered the Trump administration to allow her access to abortion services. But Kavanaugh would have delayed the procedure and suggested first releasing the teen to a sponsor who could have helped her terminate the pregnancy without the government’s involvement. Kavanaugh said the teen’s age was critical to his ruling and noted that the Supreme Court has upheld parental consent laws that can delay abortions.

    “Had she been an adult, she would have had a right to an abortion immediately,” Kavanaugh said.

    Durbin pushed back, noting that the teen had already received permission from a Texas judge to obtain an abortion.

    “Judge, the clock is ticking,” Durbin said of the significance of the delay for the pregnant teen.

    “I’m a judge, I’m not making the policy decision,” Kavanaugh said.

    From the hearing. He’s a fucking shithole.

  55. 55.

    Kay

    @EZSmirkzz:

    What we are witnessing YA, outside the conspiracy of theorist hereafter known as anyone not tie dyed in the wool of Trump, Is a long sitting United States Senator accusing a potential Supreme Court Justice of perjury in a previous confirmation hearing. Full stop. Forget the partisan politics and forget the ideology. This is a full stop assertion.

    It IS kind of wild now that you point it out. I may have been naive but I assumed I would oppose K. ideologically but I never dreamed he’d be this dirty. There are real ethical issues with this guy. To put him up in this environment is a little crazy.

    They can’t seem to find a Trump appointee who is honest. I’m not even asking for “qualified”- just find one who doesn’t lie constantly and have this sleazy trail ‘o deceit.

  56. 56.

    Leto

    Apparently we can add public school teacher to ever growing list of immigrant jobs (i.e. jobs real ‘Muricans don’t want to do):

    The job Americans won’t take: Arizona looks to Philippines to fill teacher shortage

    Some American public schools are turning to foreign teachers because Americans with college educations are increasingly uninterested in low-paid, demanding teaching jobs. Many teachers, struggling for a toehold in the shrinking middle class, have switched careers. And fewer college students are choosing to become teachers. The need for mathematics, science, and special education teachers is especially dire in poor and rural schools throughout the country.

    “Teaching has become a much less attractive profession,” said Linda Darling-Hammond, president of the Learning Policy Institute, an education policy thinktank, noting that American teacher salaries have fallen far behind those of other college educated workers.

    Joe Thomas, president of the Arizona Education Association, a teachers’ union, said uncompetitive teachers’ salaries have forced school administrators to look for “creative ways” to fill teacher vacancies – such as recruiting from abroad.

    …..

    Math teacher Mark Cariquez, 28, arrived in Casa Grande from the Philippines two years ago. He found the locals “jolly” and felt welcomed and supported by the American teachers at the school. But he was stunned by the intense heat and news of mass shootings in America.

    Cariquez earned about $300 to $400 monthly teaching in the Philippines. He makes about ten times more in Casa Grande. He quickly paid off the $12,500 up front costs to various agencies that helped him get the job and travel documents.

    He lives frugally by renting a room in a house in Arizona City, a small town about 16 miles west of Casa Grande. He and his housemates, Noel Que and Marissa Yap, teach at the high school.

    Cariquez shares a room with Que. Yap and her husband live down the hall.

    Yap, 44, teaches biology while her husband works at Walmart, along with several other spouses of Filipino teachers and nurses.

    Que, 50, has two kids and a wife. He can’t afford to bring them to the United States. He stays connected via Skype and sends money home every two weeks.

    Teaching has become a much less attractive profession
    Linda Darling-Hammond
    He often ships his family gift boxes stuffed with clothes, shoes, books and refrigerator magnets.

    By living together, each teacher pays about $400 a month for rent, food, utilities and gasoline. This gives them spare cash to send home to their families and sightsee.

    This reminds me so much of the TCNs (third country nationals) who I would supervise on military bases overseas (middle east countries). They’re basically sending all of their money home to support families, while living transient lives here. Glad to see we’re utilizing that economic model here.

  57. 57.

    Martin

    Leahy’s suggestion here is a bit more damning than just some embarrassing emails. If we read his suggestion correctly, the emails would confirm that Kavanaugh was knowingly in receipt of stolen material. That’s more than embarrassing, that’s a crime.

  58. 58.

    TenguPhule

    Kavanaugh refused to answer an inquiry about whether a president must respond to a subpoena, an issue that could come before the Supreme Court in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s investigation of Russian interference in the 2016 election.

    “I can’t give you an answer on that hypothetical question,” he told Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.)

    Kavanaugh also declined to answer a question from Leahy about whether Trump is correct when he says he has the “absolute right to pardon himself.”

    “I’m not going to answer,” the judge said, calling the question “hypothetical.”

    “I hope for the sake of the country that remains a hypothetical question,” Leahy responded.

    The fix is in. I don’t think there’s going to be a peaceful resolution after all.

  59. 59.

    Brachiator

    @Leto:

    Apparently we can add public school teacher to ever growing list of immigrant jobs (i.e. jobs real ‘Muricans don’t want to do):

    The job Americans won’t take: Arizona looks to Philippines to fill teacher shortage

    I guess all those coal mining jobs Trump brought back is responsible for the shortage of teachers. Who knew?

  60. 60.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    There are real ethical issues with this guy. To put him up in this environment is a little crazy.

    Haven’t even gotten to him lying about not being involved in the Bush Torture policy yet.

  62. 62.

    TenguPhule

    Kavanaugh also declined to answer whether the president can pardon somebody in exchange for a promise that the person would not testify against him.

    Kavanaugh said he was following Supreme Court precedent in the landmark decision declaring an individual right to gun ownership. Semiautomatic rifles, he said, are widely possessed throughout the country and therefore cannot be banned, according to the high court’s ruling.

    Kavanaugh also testified that he did not give any promises nor assurances during the consideration process about how he would rule in court. His committee questionnaire shows Kavanaugh interviewed with Trump on July 2, spoke with him on the phone on July 8, and accepted the nomination to replace Kennedy later that same evening at the White House.

    This is a fucking farce.

  63. 63.

    EZSmirkzz

    @Kay: We are at the mercy of the honor of the Republican Senators sitting on the committee, See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse–
    God save the Republic.

  64. 64.

    Kay

    @Martin:

    I think it’s a big deal for an ordinary lawyer, let alone that particular lawyer. I can’t imagine it ending with the question, but we’re in TrumpWorld now where the rules don’t apply to Trumpsters so who knows.

  68. 68.

    trollhattan

    @germy:

    Her husband is outraged by the accusation, of course. “We didn’t even know about that gesture!” And then someone found a photo of him posing with some gun guys, and they’re all making the sign.

    Classic, just classic.

  70. 70.

    HeleninEire

    “At least Kavanaugh has the complete complement of children…” @Betty at top.

    Oh SNAP, girl. To the nth degree.

  71. 71.

    TenguPhule

    Mistrial declared in U.S. murder case of Blackwater security guard charged in 2007 Iraqi civilian massacre

    Breaking at Wapo. ISIS in Iraq is gonna have a field day with this.

  72. 72.

    Kay

    @EZSmirkzz:

    Trump’s tanking in polling though and there’s real erosion among even the people who voted for him. Everyone is pointing to the numbers with white men as some kind of backstop but Republicans traditionally have an advantage with white men. Trump’s has to be higher than what they always get.

    Once it starts to slide like that it’s hard to stop. He hasn’t hit bottom. Obama went low but there was always a really resilient floor where it screeched to a halt. Trump might not have a solid floor. It’s still dropping. That has to concern them.

    All of the unpredictableness of Trump’s win also operates in the other direction. It could genuinely collapse and they wouldn’t see it coming any more than they saw the win coming.

  75. 75.

    Leto

    @Brachiator:

    Teachers left their chalk behind
    picked up a shove
    went to the mine

    This is just a sample from my upcoming country/spoken word poetry album, “Leaves of MAGA”. Ironically sold in your local hipster coffee house.

  76. 76.

    trollhattan

    @germy:
    Evidently the stuff has a shelf life of years, which is just frickin’ great considering it’s effectively clear and odorless (as recently packaged and delivered).

  77. 77.

    Kay

    @EZSmirkzz:

    And that’s WITH a good economy and full employment. In the 30’s. Is that a first? I don’t think I’ve seen that in my adult life.

    He better be praying the economy doesn’t hit a bump. He’s really unpopular even when it’s good. It stutters and he hits 20’s.

  78. 78.

    JaneE

    Yesterday what little Kavanaugh said sounded just like what you would want a judge to be. Rule of law and all that. Today we get a little more specific and he sounds just like a weasel, doing his damnedest to avoid answering questions and taking up a long time to do it – if the questioner is a Democrat. Not surprising, but I hope anyone capable of being swayed is watching and seeing what a dodgy character the GOP wants on the SC.

  81. 81.

    Kay

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    We have so many people working in the wind turbine industry – if that is in fact what it is called :)

    It just occurred to me the other day that this has become a bona fide job category in this area now- we have a lot of the turbines in like a 300 mile radius. It’s so funny how it sneaks up on you- becomes normal.

  83. 83.

    Kay

    @JaneE:

    The refusal of judges to answer questions is particularly grating to me because they ASK so many questions in their work, and people are compelled to answer. It bothers me that they don’t feel this applies to them. Arrogant.

    Answer the question. That’s what they would direct some poor soul who was in front of them to do. Should apply to them too.

  86. 86.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    It stutters and he hits 20’s.

    Sadly, the Trump implosion of 2019 will be blamed on the Democrats by Trump’s supporters.

    He has successfully inoculated them from reality.

  87. 87.

    Emma

    @TenguPhule: Who cares what they think? If we can manage to pull off a majority coalition, they will have to come along. They aren’t to be considered in our plans.

  88. 88.

    The Moar You Know

    Semiautomatic rifles, he said, are widely possessed throughout the country and therefore cannot be banned

    @TenguPhule: So is marijuana, let’s tell Jeff Sessions it can’t be banned either.

    What an utter crock of shit this guy is proving to be.

  89. 89.

    EZSmirkzz

    @Kay: Well that’s political, not existential. Republics don’t fall because of economies, they fall because the rot eats away the structure until the facade falls. Republics rot because the people grow complacent and the elected start pursuing personal instead of public interests. All of that is now playing out in a public display by the committee. It can’t be covered with the blanket of ideology or partisanship. The structure of the United States is either rotted or it is not. The ball is in the GOP’s court.

  90. 90.

    TenguPhule

    @Emma:

    If we can manage to pull off a majority coalition, they will have to come along.

    They won’t. They will dig in and repeat what they did in 2009, fight every measure to help the economy and the people tooth and nail. And there will be lots of outside pressure to try to compromise. Whether our party leaders remember what happened last time and have learned remains to be seen.

  92. 92.

    Leto

    @Kay: I figured the precedent was set when AG Sessions essentially did this during his AG confirmation hearing. Just ran out the clock while doing circular talking points, never answering the question. You’re correct in that it’s infuriating as hell.

  93. 93.

    TenguPhule

    @EZSmirkzz:

    Republics don’t fall because of economies, they fall because the rot eats away the structure until the facade falls.

    Economic collapse is the earthquake which tests the foundations.

  94. 94.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:

    Once it starts to slide like that it’s hard to stop. He hasn’t hit bottom. Obama went low but there was always a really resilient floor where it screeched to a halt. Trump might not have a solid floor. It’s still dropping. That has to concern them.

    I want to believe this, but I’ll remain skeptical until it happens. If you look at the 538 polling average, Trump was below his current mark for most of the second half of 2017, and his nadir was about 2 points lower than he is currently. It may be that we’ve hit some kind of break point and his popularity is going to keep declining to previously unseen depths, but it sure isn’t obvious from the numbers.

    That said, the recent drop in his numbers is real and potentially important. It looks as if he’s been dragging the party down with him, because 538’s chances for a Democratic takeover of the House have gone up at the same time as Trump’s numbers have been going down. If he drops to something close to his previous low and takes the party down with him, the Democrats are very likely to retake the House- and we all know what that’s going to mean in terms of investigating his wrongdoing.

  95. 95.

    HeleninEire

    @rikyrah: Yup. And a Thank you to you. I am embarrassed to say that when you first used it, I did not know the definition of “slave catcher.” Now I do.

  96. 96.

    geg6

    @Shell:

    That was me. Despite taking care of her over the weekend and her drinking from a bottle, peeing and pooping, she didn’t make it. We didn’t even have time to take her to a vet. I’m guessing she had something wrong with her and that is probably why she was abandoned. It was sad, but I’m glad we could at least make her comfortable for her last few days and hours. Poor sweet little kitty.

  97. 97.

    Kay

    I feel like Dems are going in a different direction than I thought they would. They’re portraying him as a partisan hack rather than a principled, but wrong, ideologue.

    It’s interesting. Hey, they know more about him than we do so maybe that’s the vulnerability. That he was a GOP operative more than a judge. It seems like a worthwhile line of attack because it gets past the “well, of course he’s far Right!” and into “dishonorable” territory.

  100. 100.

    geg6

    Schumer is a feckless piece of crap (let’s let Trump confirm lower level judges!)

    It’s not feckless if there’s nothing he can do to stop it.

    Can people just stop with this shit? Democrats can’t stop this or any other judicial nomination. They might be able to slow it down by a day or two, but it’s going to happen unless two Republicans decide differently.

  101. 101.

    Kay

    @Roger Moore:

    I can’t tell anything from Trump supporters here. There were a lot of them. You never hear a peep out of them these days. Even the crazily anti-immigrant guy who wrote weekly letters to the editor has gone silent.

  102. 102.

    TenguPhule

    @Kay:

    They’re portraying him as a partisan hack rather than a principled, but wrong, ideologue.

    Because that’s what he is. He may get in, but not wearing any masks. He will be buck naked and everyone is going to know exactly what he looks like.

  104. 104.

    catclub

    @Litlebritdifrnt: after i learned that power from wind turbines goes as some large power of the collection radius,
    it means the gigantic wind turbines are the way to go. Not sure where the little ones they show will fit in.

  107. 107.

    Kay

    @Leto:

    I wonder sometimes about the Trump/Sessions fight. What if that’s bullshit and Trump wants him in there because he’s corrupt but also wants to pretend there’s “tough oversight”?

    They’re not that smart, are they? I just am wary of things that appear to be planted in the NYTimes.

  109. 109.

    Emma

    @TenguPhule: “They will have to come along” speaks to be inevitability of a majority taking over. They will kick and scream and fling poo but the law will be the law.

  111. 111.

    Kay

    @Leto:

    They do that here when they appoint a special prosecutor. The prosecutor picks the special prosecutor and they always whine that the special is just so tough but if you know them you’re like “yeah, Ryan is really scary- you betcha”

    It’s an act. They pick a marshmallow. Deliberately.

  113. 113.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Omnes Omnibus: Unnecessarily slagging Dems is a really bad habit. Right now, they are doing what they can with the tools available to them. Let’s give them a majority and see they do then.

  115. 115.

    debit

    @geg6: As others have said, thank you for trying. You made her last hours safe and as comfortable as you could make them. Poor little kitty.

  116. 116.

    JPL

    @trollhattan:
    The San Diego paper said that the evangelicals overlook these indiscretions, because they just want to screw the rest of us. Okay it didn’t say that, it said they want results.

  120. 120.

    Aleta

    Swamp Chronicles: Where Will the Trump Investigations Go Next? by Adam Davidson at the NYer

    I asked (a man I know who worked with the Trump Org.) who investigators and reporters should be focussing on. This man told me about the door to Trump’s office in Trump Tower. The door was always open, with people streaming in and out. “Every schmo in the Trump Organization would run in with the newest and stupidest of information,” the man told me.
    …
    At times, though, the door would be closed. This was an anomaly at the Trump Organization. … If Trump was discussing a deal, he liked to be able to call someone into his office and share how great the deal was. If he was meeting with someone especially rich or famous, he would make introductions. So closing the door meant … he was negotiating something so important and secretive that Trump allowed his door to be shut. The people allowed inside the room when the door was closed were … always the same: Ivanka, Donald, Jr., and Allen Weisselberg.

    Weisselberg … knows the most: “He’s keeper of the books, keeper of the secrets,” my source told me. Weisselberg handled the money when Trump was doing business with Anthony (Fat Tony) Salerno, the public face of the Genovese crime family, for example. Weisselberg also ran Trump’s finances when the Trump Taj Mahal received a ten-million-dollar fine for violating laws meant to prevent money laundering.

    The one person who likely knew as much or more than Weisselberg about recent business, aside from Trump himself, is Ivanka—“she knows a million times more than Don, Jr.,” my source said. Ivanka personally handled many of the most problematic deals. She was the point person, for example, on the Trump project in Azerbaijan and worked closely with the Mammadov family when they were suspected of laundering money for Iran’s Revolutionary Guard. She oversaw a licensing deal in Vancouver with a prominent Malaysian whose father was convicted of financial fraud—a deal that government-watchdog groups say may violate the foreign-emoluments clause. The partner in Ivanka’s own jewelry business is now being sued by the Department of Justice for more than sixty million dollars in unpaid tax liabilities.

    … Rhona Graff, Trump’s longtime executive assistant … answered and made his phone calls, read and wrote his e-mails, ushered people into his office, and scheduled his out-of-office interactions. Graff may not know the details of any particular deal, but she—more than anyone else—could reconstruct Trump’s social, business, and political network.

    I spoke with several longtime lawyers for the Trump Organization and was surprised to learn that most of Trump’s legal staff may not know all that much. They each independently described a similar vetting process. Early on, Trump would test new lawyers’ ethics by asking them to do something a bit questionable; perhaps he’d ask them to file a legal document with the city containing misleading information. If the lawyer pushed back at all, Trump would categorize the person as a stickler and never ask them to do anything untoward again. Most of the dozen or so lawyers who work at Trump headquarters spend most of their time doing routine legal work: writing contracts, filing documents with government offices, handling countless lawsuits.

    Jason Greenblatt, who became the organization’s head lawyer in 2009, may be an exception; he may know a fair bit about Trump’s more troubling deals. Greenblatt’s rise came just as the Trump Organization was in the early stages of its frenzy of overseas dealmaking with people who were convicted of crimes or whose past deals showed potential signs of money laundering, sanctions violations, and other financial crimes. Greenblatt, several Trump Organization lawyers told me, was responsible for conducting due diligence on partners. He either conducted none or did such a meagre job that it is hard not to conclude that he deliberately avoided having any documentation regarding the company’s most dubious partners. Trump brought Greenblatt to the White House, where he is now a senior adviser to the President on Israel.

    There are two other categories of Trump associates who may be helpful to investigators: dealmakers and body men.

    There were a large group of people who brought potential deals to Trump and then managed the deal-making process. Some were longtime employees; others, as noted above, simply walked in the door and proposed some scheme or another. There are many dozens of people—perhaps it’s in the hundreds—who did business in this way with Trump or one of his senior lieutenants. We know many of their names, but not all of them. And, since shell companies obscured the identities of the participants in most Trump deals, only those with subpoena power can unearth the entire list.

    This large group of dealmakers includes people who live in other countries, and a number with ties to the Kremlin. It is hard to imagine that diligent investigators wouldn’t seek to speak with as many of these people as possible. George Sorial, a Trump Organization executive vice-president, might be first among these dealmakers as a person of interest who, like Cohen, is also a lawyer. He handled the Trump International Golf Links development, in Scotland, and was involved with the fraudulent Trump University.
    …
    Over time, I have come to see the Trump operation as something like a bike’s wheel. Trump, his eldest children, and Weisselberg are in the center. Together, they know and actively participated in almost everything. They are likely the central focus of any investigation. Then there are spokes—dozens or hundreds of them—each representing some specific line of business. Many of the people and deals represented by these spokes are, surely, innocent of any crime and know nothing. Others have crucial bits of information that, taken together, would help investigators to understand the entire operation, and any laws it may have broken.

  121. 121.

    Repatriated

    The “partisan hack” angle seems an unlikely one, since the proceedings here are already a blatant partisan exercise of power. However, if it can be made to threaten the “moderate” creds of two GOP Senators (especially as by now “not-moderate” equals Trump and that brand has passed it’s sell-by date) it could succeed.

    In any event, it enables and justifies similar partisan remediation when the Dems regain power.

  122. 122.

    geg6

    @Roger Moore:

    Completely anecdotal, but I can say that there have only been two Cheetolini fans that I have stayed in touch with since 2016 (all the rest are dead to me). And I can say that both are now voicing regret in their votes. Now, this may be because their wives/girlfriends are some of my best friends and they’ve been badgering them for two straight years (a divorce was really, truly threatened) and the men have finally admitted their sins.

    But, although I am surrounded by them, I don’t interact intentionally with any other Trumpers. And the guy down the road who has had a Trump sign wired to his porch railings (when he had it in the yard, it was vandalized numerous times) hasn’t taken the sign down. Conversely, the idiot who lives on the entry corner of her cul-de-sac who put up a flagpole flying a Trump flag for the past two years has taken down the flag. He has been flying nothing since earlier this summer. We don’t talk to him, so not sure why he took it down.

  127. 127.

    Fair Economist

    @Kay: There are two reasons for the approach to Kavanaugh, I think. First is that labeling him an ideolougue will bring supporters in, while nobody gets excited about defending a hack. Second is that there seem to be actual criminal actions being hidden (stolen info, perjury, bribery) and that is the kind of stuff that could actually force Republicans to oppose him.

  130. 130.

    Mary G

    God, you couldn’t make this stuff up. NY Mag:

    Infowars host Alex Jones is on Capitol Hill today, and the conspiracy-peddling snake-oil salesman couldn’t help but make a scene. Outside a Senate Intelligence Committee hearing where tech executives faced a grilling, Jones confronted Marco Rubio as the Florida senator spoke to reporters.

    Jones badgered Rubio, who called the noted yogurt foe a “dumbass” and said, “I just don’t know who you are, man. I don’t read weird websites.” Things got tense when Jones patted the senator on the shoulder.

    “Hey, don’t touch me again, man,” Rubio said.

    “Well, sir, I’m just patting you nicely,” Jones replied. He then accused Rubio of trying to get him arrested.

    “You’re not going to get arrested. I’ll take care of it myself,” Rubio said.

    Jones took this as a threat. “Oh, he’ll beat me up,” Jones said. “You’re not going to silence me. You’re not going to silence America.” Then he called Rubio “a little gangster thug.”

  131. 131.

    Lapassionara

    @Kay: I think there is a good chance that he lied in his previous confirmation hearing, when he was selected for the DC circuit. If the Dems ever get enough power to obtain all his records, they may be able to prove that he lied, which would subject him to impeachment.
    Also, if someone else paid off his credit card bill, then he might have an ethical issue, like Abe Fortas did.

  132. 132.

    debit

    @geg6: And thank you for this. I feel like I say it until I’m blue in the face but some new chucklehead will pop in and spout off that the dems just aren’t trying hard enough. I’ll say it again – we’re in an abusive relationship that we can’t get out of. The only thing that’s going to help us is if the abuser is (literally or figuratively) handcuffed or locked up. And even then, that’s only until the next election. After all the bruises are healed and the bank account is healthy again, some asshole will decide to let the abuser have another chance.

  133. 133.

    Roger Moore

    @Kay:

    They’re portraying him as a partisan hack rather than a principled, but wrong, ideologue.

    That seems like it has two big advantages:

    1) It’s true. He really is a partisan hack. So are the other Republican-appointed judges on the Supreme Court. The elaborate judicial philosophies they pretend to follow are just a cover for their obvious partisanship. It’s about damn time the Democrats pointed this out.

    2) It’s probably a more effective tactic, which is why the Republicans have been hiding their partisanship behind talk of judicial philosophy in the first place. Americans genuinely believe the Supreme Court is supposed to be beyond partisan concerns. We’re OK with the idea that judges bring their existing preconceptions and beliefs with them, but we genuinely don’t want them to be just an extension of the party system.

  134. 134.

    TenguPhule

    @debit:

    I’ll say it again – we’re in an abusive relationship that we can’t get out of. The only thing that’s going to help us is if the abuser is (literally or figuratively) handcuffed or locked up. And even then, that’s only until the next election. After all the bruises are healed and the bank account is healthy again, some asshole will decide to let the abuser have another chance.

    I understand that death of one party or the other is the inevitable outcome of this if permanent separation is not possible.

  135. 135.

    TenguPhule

    @JPL:

    He also said they use it for AR-15’s for hunting.

    Anyone who uses AR-15s for hunting should not be allowed to fire a gun.

  138. 138.

    Betty Cracker

    @geg6:

    And the guy down the road who has had a Trump sign wired to his porch railings (when he had it in the yard, it was vandalized numerous times) hasn’t taken the sign down.

    Nice passive construction, you naughty thing! :)

    My sister vandalized a Trump sign while walking her dog in the predawn darkness on The Day After (11/9/2016), then agonized for a week that she’d been caught on video and would be arrested! You’d find that hilarious if you knew her — she’s the last person on earth you’d expect to do such a thing. She didn’t even plan it, was just walking by, saw the sign and fucked it up in a rage. Made me proud!

  139. 139.

    The Moar You Know

    Can people just stop with this shit? Democrats can’t stop this or any other judicial nomination. They might be able to slow it down by a day or two, but it’s going to happen unless two Republicans decide differently.

    @geg6: Elections have serious consequences and there are still those of the liberal persuasion STILL don’t take them seriously. I got three knuckleheads on my Facebook feed, true libs all (really, known ’em for decades) who are still talking about boycotting any candidates endorsed by the DNC, because “corporate Dems have ruined America and bought us to this pass”, which is about as willful a misrepresentation of their own actions and the consequences thereof as anyone could make.

    Again, like with the people who voted for Trump, I don’t know what you do with these people. They’re a literal danger to society.

  140. 140.

    The Moar You Know

    It was sad, but I’m glad we could at least make her comfortable for her last few days and hours. Poor sweet little kitty.

    @geg6: I’m not a big fan of people. I am a big fan of animals, and anyone who does what you did for that poor kitten is wonderful in my book. Thank you.

  141. 141.

    Leto

    @Kay: Trumpov doesn’t want Sessions there and he’s expressed that in pretty plain fashion (via Tweets). He believes AG Holder provided cover for Obama for numerous “scandals” and, as the wanna-be mob boss, thought Sessions would do the same for him regarding everything else he would want to do, including making the “Russia thing” disappear. The fact that Sessions recused himself and the investigation has continued (driving deeper into his financials) is what’s going to force Trumpov to replace him. Sessions had one job: make the Russia investigation go away. He’s failed his one job.

  142. 142.

    tobie

    @The Moar You Know: I’m on an Amtrak in NY passing through Ocasio-Cortez’s hometown in Westchester and I keep in getting ads for Cynthia Nixon, who intones earnestly, Healthcare is a human right. Who in a leadership role in the party is disputing this? The constant creation of strawmen among Justice Dems is driving me crazy. Anyhoo…it’s a pleasure to see Leahy, Durbin and Whitehouse giving Kavanaugh hell, even if it won’t move votes.

  144. 144.

    trollhattan

    @geg6:

    Conversely, the idiot who lives on the entry corner of her cul-de-sac who put up a flagpole flying a Trump flag for the past two years has taken down the flag. He has been flying nothing since earlier this summer. We don’t talk to him, so not sure why he took it down.

    His pole done got broke.

    He should go see a doctor.

  145. 145.

    smintheus

    @Omnes Omnibus: That’s definitely a White Power gesture; just try it, you can’t make that accidentally.

    I had some undergrads making that gesture all over Rome on a study abroad course last winter, not accidentally. My university decided to pretend it was no big deal…which is one reason I’m not going to be taking their students overseas again.

  146. 146.

    Shakti

    @geg6:
    I expect the minority party to gum up the works as much as possible. Seriously if you can’t even do that, and keep screaming about existential doom, how I can I even bother to do more than the bare minimum?

    Schumer’s deal

    A sudden deal made by Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on a set of judicial nominees has made Democratic activists livid.

    With Brett Kavanaugh’s Supreme Court confirmation hearing looming next week, Schumer reached an agreement late Tuesday with Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell to fast-track the confirmations of 15 Trump-nominated judicial picks. Seven federal district court judges were confirmed that day, and eight were put on the docket for confirmation next week.

    A Senate Democratic aide says that the majority of the nominees greenlit as part of this deal were uncontroversial anyway — and emphasizes that Schumer’s efforts enable Democrats to hit the campaign trail, giving red-state Democrats a few extra days in their home states before coming back for Sen. John McCain’s memorial services this week.

    But Democratic activists aren’t buying it — and many were concerned that this move showed weakness, especially going into the high-stakes Kavanaugh hearing.

    “Mitch McConnell is in the middle of stealing the federal courts for conservatives, and Democrats continue to bring a butter knife to a gunfight,” said Brian Fallon, the head of activist group Demand Justice, which is leading opposition efforts against Kavanaugh, in a statement. “Democrats should be resisting Trump’s judge picks at every turn, not agreeing to fast-track them, as happened this week. It is hard to think of a more pathetic surrender heading into the Kavanaugh hearings.”

    As Vox’s Emily Stewart writes, a running tally by Bloomberg shows that McConnell has already confirmed 60 judges, including 33 district court judges, 26 appeals court judges, and Supreme Court Justice Neil Gorsuch. Earlier this year, the Trump administration was already far outpacing the number the Obama administration was able to confirm at the same point in his presidency.

    And unlike the Supreme Court nomination — for which Democrats have very limited procedural levers to block Kavanaugh — there are options available for lawmakers to stymie some of the lower-court nominees, even if these tactics aren’t guaranteed to work.

    He got nothing for it. But hey let’s ease Mitch McConnell’s long term damage so some senators have easier travel schedules. Schumer needs to step down from leadership because wtf he’ll roll over even with a Senate majority.

  147. 147.

    smintheus

    @Shell: Kavanaugh brought his daughters as human shields. It didn’t work out; they were traumatized to witness their daddy’s young acolyte making White Power hand gestures on national TV.

  148. 148.

    debit

    @Shakti: I am so sick of this shit. Some of those appointees were nominated by Obama. At least he got SOMETHING, other than a shiv in the back from the people who are supposed to support him. Jesus fucking christ.

  149. 149.

    J R in WV

    @Brachiator:

    Seriously, when I was a kid in school, 1955-68, many or most male teachers would work in the mines from the day school let out until the day it started back up. Of course, that was the boom time of coal mining, strong union contract, good benefits, high wages, high demand for workers. Now that’s a joke, really. No benefits, long hours at $25 odd an hour, but 72+ hours a week.

  150. 150.

    debit

    @Shakti: And also, fuck you. Fuck all of you who would rather rip our side down than try to offer support or look beyond a fucking headline. Keep it up so we can all enjoy Trump’s second term.

  151. 151.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    Stephen Miller’s family escaped the Holocaust, and he’s the architect of Make America White Again

    Well, yeah, but now Miller thinks his family is actually white, right? So no big~!!~

  152. 152.

    Shakti

    @debit:
    And what, pray fucking tell, have you done?
    Since 2016 or even before that?
    I’m curious, since you don’t think “going through floodwaters to vote in a primary” is not support.

  153. 153.

    J R in WV

    @Roger Moore:

    Regarding Kavanaugh and the other Republican “judges” and “justices” recently appointed and your remarks, I agree about the naked partisanship!

    1) It’s true. He really is a partisan hack. So are the other Republican-appointed judges on the Supreme Court. The elaborate judicial philosophies they pretend to follow are just a cover for their obvious partisanship. It’s about damn time the Democrats pointed this out.

    2) It’s probably a more effective tactic, which is why the Republicans have been hiding their partisanship behind talk of judicial philosophy in the first place. Americans genuinely believe the Supreme Court is supposed to be beyond partisan concerns. We’re OK with the idea that judges bring their existing preconceptions and beliefs with them, but we genuinely don’t want them to be just an extension of the party system.

    They aren’t just Partisan hacks. They’re crooked and ignore all the judicial cannons. They don’t recuse themselves as needed: Clarance decided cases when his wife worked to support one side of that case. Kennedy decided cases when his son was involved with one side of the case.

    This is just the publicly known and obvious corruption.

    A prosecutor with subpoena power to look at these guys’ finances could put them all away in a year or so. Start with the District Judges and the Supremes, and threaten the Circuit Judges to either resign or face a really close shave from the special prosecutor’s task force, and watch to see how many resignations you get that week. That right there would flush a large majority of these monsters out of the judiciary, after seeing a few senior right-wing boys go up for the rest of their lives, with their assets seized.

    I do not believe most democratically appointed judges and justices are that corrupt, because Democratic Presidents actually vet their appointments. Republican Presidents follow the Federalist Line and appoint sleazeballs who promise to follow the right-wing line on rich people and corporations always win, and Unions and poor but innocent of injured people always lose. Along with women, freedom, etc.

    Of course, here in West Virgina, our entire State Supreme Court, all of them!, has either been impeached or suffered the humiliation of federal indictment, resignation under pressure, guilty pleas, or an upcoming trial date, so I’m a little uneasy about judges…

  154. 154.

    J R in WV

    @Shakti:

    In your whole long life, you’ve commented here under 75 times, ever. Don’t be trying to mess with debit, who has been here and supported this blog for years now. You are a troll of one flavor or the other, and have no business getting into debit’s face for any reason.

    Like we believe you drove through a flood to vote in a primary — do they even have primaries in St Petersburg? And I don’t mean across the bay from Tampa,FL either! Screw you and the Russo-Republican horse you rode in here on!

  157. 157.

    Shakti

    @J R in WV:
    @debit:
    So “Russo-Republican horse” and “ratfucking” is “asking for what debit considers ‘support'”
    Understood. Although if you can’t tell an angry infrequent commenter from a fifth column you might need to brush up on the real world.
    Enjoy the pie!

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