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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

Their boy Ron is an empty plastic cup that will never know pudding.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

This chaos was totally avoidable.

Fight for a just cause, love your fellow man, live a good life.

This fight is for everything.

There are more Russians standing up to Putin than Republicans.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

Fear or fury? The choice is ours.

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

Yeah, with this crowd one never knows.

If ‘weird’ was the finish line, they ran through the tape and kept running.

Of course you can have champagne before noon. That’s why orange juice was invented.

They are not red states to be hated; they are voter suppression states to be fixed.

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

We can show the world that autocracy can be defeated.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

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

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

If you can’t control your emotions, someone else will.

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You are here: Home / Elections / I'm With Her 2016 / Thursday Morning Open Thread: You Come At the Queen…

Thursday Morning Open Thread: You Come At the Queen…

by Anne Laurie|  November 8, 20188:38 am| 214 Comments

This post is in: I'm With Her 2016, NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Stupidity

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Q: What is your message to dems elected today who said they wouldn’t vote for you as speaker?

PELOSI: “Congratulations on winning.”

— Frank Thorp V (@frankthorp) November 7, 2018

You would be hard pressed – it may be impossible – to find a House seat that Pelosi cost Democrats, despite millions of dollars in ads spent invoking her name. But could find several that she probably helped pull across the finish line with ads.

— Ginger Gibson (@GingerGibson) November 7, 2018

rofl he thinks she's Paul Ryan. https://t.co/lHKzJHqhXf

— Zeddy (@Zeddary) November 8, 2018

It’s entirely possible that Nancy Pelosi will not be the Speaker, come January. But whoever wants to take that seat better be well prepared to do as good a job as she’s done — and that’s one hell of a task!

… Pelosi once had plans to retire with the election of the first female president. Those plans were quashed when Trump defeated Hillary Clinton in 2016.

Now, if she can surmount internal Democratic politics, Pelosi has the potential to reshape the Democratic Party and play a central role in the explosive expansion of power by women in politics, which led to significant Democratic gains among female voters in Tuesday’s elections and an incoming House class that includes more than 100 women for the first time….

As it stands, the raw arithmetic of the incoming Democratic majority remains an obstacle. An expected Democratic majority of 11 seats or thereabouts could give a small group of Democrats leverage to demand a shake-up of a leadership team that is distanced from the younger and more activist Democrats who will soon join the House.

Four sitting Democrats voted against her in the last speaker election, and at least 12 of the incoming House Democrats made statements critical of Pelosi on the campaign trail, ranging from a general call for new leadership to a firm refusal to support her becoming speaker again. Seven more Democratic candidates in that category are running in races yet to be called…

Speaking to reporters, she put her pitch more succinctly: “It is not about what you have done; it’s about what you can do.”

But it did not escape many that the issue most responsible for the Democratic takeover — the party’s support for Obamacare and its protection of preexisting conditions — was only made possible because Pelosi forced the health-care legislation through during her first turn as speaker….

Thought experiment: if Sam Rayburn had just won control of the House for the second time in his career as Democratic leader – after Republicans had spent several cycles demonizing him across the country – would anyone expect him to walk away?

— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) November 7, 2018

YES I AM,Pelosi says when asked if she’s confident she will be speaker. “I think I’m the best person to come forward to unify, to negotiate – I’m a good negotiator”

— Alana Abramson (@aabramson) November 7, 2018

An argument in her favor, in the Atlantic, by Steve Israel:

In Nancy Pelosi’s office, steps away from the House floor, there’s a mahogany cabinet that encloses four separate television screens. They’re tuned to the cable-news networks and C-SPAN at all times.

Leaning against that cabinet is a stack of baseball bats. It’s the bats, not the screens, that tell the story of Pelosi’s approach to leadership, including maintaining her own in the Democratic caucus.

I frequently sat in Pelosi’s office when I was the chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) in 2012 and again in 2014. I watched her negotiate legislation, manage disparate factions of her caucus, and contemplate her future. There was always an amply filled bowl of Ghirardelli chocolates on an end table. And off to the side, in my peripheral vision, were those bats. The message was clear: We can achieve our goals pleasantly or unpleasantly, but we will achieve our goals…

Sometime between Thanksgiving and early December, newly elected and reelected House Democrats will gather in the harshly lit Democratic-caucus room, several floors beneath the Capitol building. They’ll sit on uncomfortable mesh chairs, balancing on their lap paper plates with pizza or salad dispensed from serving trays in the rear of the room. Candidates for speaker, majority leader, majority whip, DCCC chair, and other positions will make their pitch. Members and members-elect will receive paper ballots, check their preferences, and deposit their ballots in cardboard boxes. After tally counters inspect each ballot, the caucus will learn the identity of the probable next speaker, before an official vote is taken by the full House on January 3. Some members will be influenced by those grainy attack ads on Pelosi, funded by the National Republican Congressional Committee or by Paul Ryan’s Congressional Leadership Fund.

But it’s not up to Republicans to choose the Democrats’ leader. It’s up to Democrats.

Their best choice is Nancy Pelosi, bats and all.

PELOSI tonight sending letters to each member of her caucus asking for their speaker vote: "My vision for the next 2 years is to restore House to the role it should have as a strong & indpdt voice for the American people, & maximize the ability & creativity of our entire Caucus."

— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) November 8, 2018

Meanwhile NEWS that the small group of Never Nancy Dem incumbents are doing a conference call tonight to hash out their next steps.

— Mike DeBonis (@mikedebonis) November 8, 2018

Feel free to liven up your Thanksgiving with this conversation starter:

"Come January, Nancy Pelosi is third in line for the presidency. Can you pass the yams?"

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) November 7, 2018

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Reader Interactions

214Comments

  1. 1.

    Anonymous At Work

    November 8, 2018 at 8:45 am

    I call it Replacement Speaker Porn. Passive voice sentences to describe the hatred that the writers have for a Speaker that either 1) Pelosi 2) an effective Democrat or 3) a “non-penile person”. It always amusing to ask the writers to rewrite their sentences from passive to active voice and watch them squirm. Example:
    Nancy Pelosi should be replaced. (passive)
    [X] should replace Nancy Pelosi. (active)
    Now, solve for X.
    “Um…um…um…”

  2. 2.

    Waldo

    November 8, 2018 at 8:48 am

    The only acceptable response to GOPers’ post-election advice to Dems:

    “Loser sez what?”

  3. 3.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 8:49 am

    The SFAW-ette, although (probably) more liberal than I, hit me with the “not Pelosi” thing last week. She’s not committed to that viewpoint, but I was a bit concerned that she was even considering it.

    Not that it will affect the outcome of Speaker Pelosi’s efforts, but I will continue to work on my daughter.

    In the meantime, I will contact my (newly-elected) Congressman’s office, to try to ensure that they are on-board with Speaker Pelosi, and none o’ that Seth Moulton shit.

    ETA: Anne Laurie: I don’t know if you’re in Moulton’s district — I seem to recall (perhaps incorrectly) that you live somewhere near there — but if you haven’t already thought about it, you might consider contacting his office, etc. (Of course, if you’re not a Moulton constituent … )

  4. 4.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 8:51 am

    Philip rucker – mr magat halberman. Fuck him.

    And AL

    It’s entirely possible that Nancy Pelosi will not be the Speaker, come January.

    Really?

  5. 5.

    MattF

    November 8, 2018 at 8:55 am

    I like the idea of using a baseball bat as a gavel.

  6. 6.

    What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?

    November 8, 2018 at 8:56 am

    So all we need is a massive coronary for fatboy, and for God to strike down Pence for gross hypocrisy and our national nightmare is over. Maybe the second part seems a little implausible but the first does not seem that unlikely.

  7. 7.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    November 8, 2018 at 8:56 am

    Trump has told advisers that he intends to exploit divisions among House Democrats, pitting Pelosi against her new members who rose out of the resistance. “I feel sorry for the Democrats because he’s going to crush them,” Bossie says.

    The Resistance entire critic of Pelosi is she isn’t hard line against Trump enough, the guy really is grasping at straws.

  8. 8.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 8:57 am

    @Platonailedit:

    Really?

    I can envision some Dem moron trying the “I have all the Rethugs with me on this” gambit. It would probably fail, but it would cause unneeded turbulence in the caucus.

  9. 9.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 8:58 am

    The ‘lefty’ dems should be focusing on shit like this. Instead of playing let’s whack Nancy rethugs’ game.

    Metro Atlanta voters stood in long lines Tuesday. As they waited — some for hours — hundreds of voting machines sat unused, locked up in government warehouses, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution has learned. https://t.co/HzI6giaHC9— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 8, 2018

  10. 10.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 8, 2018 at 8:58 am

    As it stands, the raw arithmetic of the incoming Democratic majority remains an obstacle. An expected Democratic majority of 11 seats or thereabouts could give a small group of Democrats leverage to demand a shake-up of a leadership team that is distanced from the younger and more activist Democrats who will soon join the House.

    This math is premature. Politico says the DEMs have a 26 seat majority with 13 seats yet to be decided I suspect this does not include the 2 which were just declared for DEMs this morning.

    ETA Their page here: https://www.politico.com/election-results/2018/house/ says “Last updated Nov 8, 7:51 AM, so it may account for those 2 seats.

  11. 11.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 8:58 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    I don’t think Bossie’s part of the Resistance, if that’s what you meant.

  12. 12.

    Droppy

    November 8, 2018 at 8:58 am

    It’s great to have more young members of congress joining the team, but one thing about them is that they are young. Nancy P is old and knows the lay of the land that nothing but experience can teach. We’ve seen what it’s like to have a Speaker who is not just wrong on policy but incompetent on procedure. The Obamas of the world are rare and wonderful, and maybe there is a Speaker Obama out there; but until there is, I don’t see why any Democrat would not want to go with the savviest possible Speaker who has already demonstrated every quality you would want in the job.

  13. 13.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 8:59 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    This math is premature. Politico says the DEMs have a 26 seat majority with 13 seats yet to be decided I suspect this does not include the 2 which were just declared for DEMs this morning.

    Un-blech?

  14. 14.

    JPL

    November 8, 2018 at 8:59 am

    A local radio anti-Pelosi ad highlighted the fact that if something were to happen to the president, she’d be second in line for the presidency. Since Lucy McBath won, maybe it helped.
    Unintended consequences. The Pelosi mailers hurt Ossoff, but I think that people just got tired of them.

  15. 15.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    November 8, 2018 at 9:00 am

    More serious note, Pelosi is getting up there in the years and nature may have different plans for her. I do home the Dems are grooming successors for her.

  16. 16.

    Mai Naem mobile

    November 8, 2018 at 9:01 am

    Third in line to POTUS with Trumpov and Albino Boy…. these people who don’t want Pelosi as Speaker can go fuck off

  17. 17.

    dr. bloor .

    November 8, 2018 at 9:01 am

    I find the “she’s to [old/conservative/cautious/womany/arglebargle] so she should step aside” line to be an extremely useful screening device, as it tells me there is no point in reading to anything else that particular person writes.

    Although some of their proposed replacements for Pelosi are pretty entertaining.

  18. 18.

    low-tech cyclist

    November 8, 2018 at 9:03 am

    1) Speaker Pelosi, now more than ever.
    2) Steny Hoyer should step down so someone younger (and preferably more progressive) can be Majority Leader
    3) Chuck Schumer should step down so someone with a clue can be Senate Minority Leader. I’m thinking Senator Professor Warren would be a good choice.

  19. 19.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 8, 2018 at 9:03 am

    If Democrats crammed the airwaves with pictures of Mitch McConnell, would the media harass all Republican senators with questions about whether they support Mitch McConnell? I think the answer is “LOL no” but I’m willing to try anyway. Pelosi gets SO MUCH shit and other politicians get vastly too little.

  20. 20.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 9:04 am

    @JPL:

    Since Lucy McBath won,

    Thanks for the excellent news. I scaled back on my “checking for results every 30 seconds” activity. The SFAW-ette also informed me that Andy Kim won in NJ.

    And with the new AAG being a staunch voting rights defender, I’m sure there will be DoJ civil rights investigators poring over Brian Kemp’s records, looking for more fuckery.

  21. 21.

    Anne Laurie

    November 8, 2018 at 9:05 am

    @SFAW: Nope, Katherine Clark is my Rep, praise goddess.

    Moulton has a bright future ahead of him, but he needs to walk very carefully if he’s not to become the (D) version of Tom Cotton (*spits*).

  22. 22.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 8, 2018 at 9:05 am

    @dr. bloor .: I also don’t trust anyone whose evaluation is based on one criterion: “is this person entertaining on TV?” Because I remember when, on that basis, the Great White Hope for Democratic leadership was Anthony Weiner.

  23. 23.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 9:08 am

    @low-tech cyclist:

    3) Chuck Schumer should step down so someone with a clue can be Senate Minority Leader. I’m thinking Senator Professor Warren would be a good choice.

    I think Warren would be a bad choice. I think she’s more of a policy wonk than an organizer/general. Dick Durbin might be a good choice.

    Or maybe, just to show Turtle that the Dems are sincere in their desire to work with the Rethugs, either Joe Manchin or Jon Cornyn.

  24. 24.

    The Moar You Know

    November 8, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Either this new Dem majority is savvy enough to understand that you need to have someone who knows how to drive a bus actually driving the bus, or they don’t.

    If they don’t, they are going to get rolled into oblivion by that piss-haired pigfucker in the White House. Let’s hope they choose wisely.

  25. 25.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 9:08 am

    @FlipYrWhig: At least, rwnj’s have a reason for being played by the rw media and pox news. What is the left’s excuse?

  26. 26.

    PPCLI

    November 8, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Republicans demonize people. It’s one of the things they do, relentlessly. They do it repeatedly, so that they can point to the mere existence of their relentless demonization as “evidence” that the demonized person is hated. And foolish Democrats will believe them.

    If someone else is chosen as the new speaker, that person will get exactly the same treatment and then two years down the road Republicans will repeat “The Democrat Party can’t win an election with the hated speaker X as their leader”, and talking heads will echo them.

    For heavens’ sake, these people demonized Tom Daschle, a perfectly centrist, inoffensive pol. They got their partisans thinking that Obama was the anti-Christ. So don’t take the fact that Republicans repeat over and over that Nancy Pelosi is “hated” count for anything.

  27. 27.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 8, 2018 at 9:08 am

    Nazi Times has decided to go full Fox

    Mueller Was Running on Borrowed Time. Has it Run Out?
    In forcing out Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the president seems to want a lawman he can control.

    NY AG please check their damn finances.

  28. 28.

    Anne Laurie

    November 8, 2018 at 9:09 am

    @Platonailedit: Well, after all, she could get hit by a bus. Or she may have been elevated to the Oval Office (thus the last tweet, above)…

  29. 29.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 9:09 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    OK, thanks. And I agree re: the Moulton/Cotton potential.

  30. 30.

    MattF

    November 8, 2018 at 9:10 am

    @schrodingers_cat: It’s the ‘hot take’ syndrome. Everything’s been said already, except for the patently nutty. So…

  31. 31.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 9:12 am

    If Trump tries to fire Mueller, senior Democratic officials tell Politico that Mueller would likely get an immediate summons to Capitol Hill for nationally televised testimony about his findings. https://t.co/jjSuqG20fr— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) November 8, 2018

  32. 32.

    oldster

    November 8, 2018 at 9:13 am

    We owe Nancy a hell of a lot.

    In this last election, health care was treated as a right, not a privilege, by Republicans as well as Democrats.

    Republicans campaigned on the (false) claim that they were the real protectors of pre-existing conditions.

    Trump actually claimed that the Democrats could not be trusted because they might destroy Obamacare.

    Tom McArthur, who tried to repeal the ACA, went down in flames to Andy Kim.

    Can anyone doubt that the decision by Nancy, Obama, and Harry Reid to wager everything on Obamacare was not only the right decision, but one of the best, most far-sighted decisions any Democrats have made in decades?

    I want Nancy back in there, setting the priorities, deciding what legislation to advance and which investigations to push. She has the instincts. And she’s going to train up the youngsters who are just joining the circus. I want to tell every fresh-faced young Congress-critter, from Alexandria O-C on up, “ya’ll listen to Aunt Nancy, and just *strive* to become as great as she is.”

  33. 33.

    Anne Laurie

    November 8, 2018 at 9:13 am

    @low-tech cyclist:

    Chuck Schumer should step down so someone with a clue can be Senate Minority Leader. I’m thinking Senator Professor Warren would be a good choice.

    Amy Klobuchar, even better. She’s got the seniority, and even the ‘centrists’ like her!

    (Kamala Harris would be a good choice too, but she’s got a lot on her plate already.)

  34. 34.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 8, 2018 at 9:14 am

    @MattF: Most of the articles are either minimizing the D victory or are concern trolling the Ds. And most of the op-eds are scolding Ds.

  35. 35.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 9:14 am

    @Anne Laurie:

    Or she may have been elevated to the Oval Office

    Nice escape. (Come on bus in front of WH))

  36. 36.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 9:16 am

    @oldster: Yup, that ‘old team’ checked all the boxes to ensure the rethugs were boxed in.

  37. 37.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 9:17 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: I was wondering where that number came from. But the article was published pretty early on Tuesday night.

    It’s been interesting to watch the close races trickle in, with a lot of Democratic wins. It looks like the final number of flips is going to be right in the middle of 538’s predicted range–actually a really good performance for the House model, though there are obviously individual races they called wrong.

  38. 38.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 8, 2018 at 9:21 am

    @Platonailedit: I think it’s that they’re generally a bunch of skinny-assed posers who long to be badasses (e.g. the beard thing, e.g. the boots thing) and got stuck in arrested development weakly rebelling against their already-liberal parents. Maybe I’m psychoanalyzing and universalizing but I find it *rampant*.

  39. 39.

    JPL

    November 8, 2018 at 9:21 am

    OT the great RBG fell last night and broke three ribs. She’s in the hospital for observation.

  40. 40.

    MattF

    November 8, 2018 at 9:22 am

    @Matt McIrvin: People are just refusing to do the basic arithmetic, which is rather frustrating. There are a dozen undecided-but-leaning-D races, and when you add these to the margin, Ds are doing pretty well.

  41. 41.

    Yarrow

    November 8, 2018 at 9:24 am

    @SFAW:

    In the meantime, I will contact my (newly-elected) Congressman’s office, to try to ensure that they are on-board with Speaker Pelosi, and none o’ that Seth Moulton shit.

    I’m doing the same thing. Both my Dem Congressperson and the newly-elected one I worked for. NANCY SMASH!

  42. 42.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 9:25 am

    @Waldo:

    “LoserTraitor sez what?”

  43. 43.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    November 8, 2018 at 9:26 am

    @SFAW: Is Bossie who was Trump was talking about, the quote sounded like Trump expected all these new young female blue reps to fliock to him, which sounds Trump stupid?

  44. 44.

    Ella in New Mexico

    November 8, 2018 at 9:26 am

    Trump has told advisers that he intends to exploit divisions among House Democrats, pitting Pelosi against her new members who rose out of the resistance. “I feel sorry for the Democrats because he’s going to crush them,” Bossie says.

    THIS. This is why we need the likes of Nancy “Smash” Pelosi as Speaker. She’s the only one here with the chops and the experience to turn THIS shit into gold for the Democrats if they try it.

    For the next two years at least, we need all these great new, up and coming Democrats to bring their energy and ideas to Congress, unite with each other sit at the foot of the Master and learn her ways. They’re gonna need every single thing she teaches them for a future majority. We NEED Nancy right now. We can talk changing leadership when the war for America is over.

    As a matter of fact, we’re gonna need our elder warriors more than ever now. No kicking people to the curb who are competent, have the skills we need and are willing to hang in there and fight smartly with us instead of retiring and living a life of ease.

  45. 45.

    Hitlesswonder

    November 8, 2018 at 9:27 am

    RBG in the hospital after falling

  46. 46.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 9:29 am

    @MattF: The Republican gains in the Senate are above most predicted medians, by about 2 or 3 seats. The Senate runs on small-number effects, though, and nobody rated that outside of the realm of possibility.

    I think Trump’s fear-based escalation strategy genuinely helped him in the Senate, but it dependent on completely contingent factors: the 2018 map meant that there were several precariously positioned Democrats in deep-red states, and almost nobody in the opposite situation. The way to beat them is to focus on base turnout– “GRRAAAHH the caravan is coming to kill you!!! Cleanse America!!!” But that probably was either a wash or a disadvantage for Republicans in the House, because it mobilized base turnout on both sides.

  47. 47.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 9:30 am

    @Yarrow:

    I’m doing the same thing. Both my Dem Congressperson and the newly-elected one I worked for. NANCY SMASH!

    Just remember not to say “Tick tock, motherfuckers” to them.

    Unless they say “No way” for Pelosi, of course.

  48. 48.

    FlipYrWhig

    November 8, 2018 at 9:30 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: I thought the idea was supposed to be that the freshperson class of Democrats had enough Pelosi skeptics that Trump could exploit the division between Pelosi supporters and Pelosi detractors… somehow. Left unexplained: how. Probably involving Twitter?

  49. 49.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 9:34 am

    Um, I think the WaPost needs to check the typo in the court’s statement. But all the best to the notorious RBG. The WaPost item in full:

    Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg was hospitalized early Thursday morning after fracturing three ribs during a fall in her office Wednesday night, the court said.

    Ginsburg, 85, was admitted to George Washington University Hospital early this morning for observation and treatment.

    A statement from the court said that Ginsburg returned home Wednesday night but went to the hospital early Thursday after “experiencing comfort overnight.” Tests showed that she fractured three ribs on her left side, the statement said.

  50. 50.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 9:34 am

    I love Nancy Smash.

  51. 51.

    cain

    November 8, 2018 at 9:34 am

    I understand that the speaker can be anybody.. a good troll would be to put Hillary as speaker :-)

  52. 52.

    JPL

    November 8, 2018 at 9:35 am

    @Hitlesswonder: She needs our prayers.

  53. 53.

    Mai Naem mobile

    November 8, 2018 at 9:39 am

    I thought RBG was released from the hospital. Jeezus, I am going to age another 20 years in the next 2 years.

  54. 54.

    Yarrow

    November 8, 2018 at 9:46 am

    @Mai Naem mobile: From a CNN article:

    According to the statement, Ginsburg, 85, experienced discomfort after going home following the fall and was admitted to George Washington University Thursday morning for observation and treatment.

    Sending good thoughts to RBG!

  55. 55.

    grandpa john

    November 8, 2018 at 9:46 am

    @MattF: As is usual with Democrats,there seems to be little attention being given to what to me is one of the highlights of the election . the large gains seen in getting govt control seen in State and local elections.The major GOP push in years past that put the GOP in control of government.The party that controls the majority of state gov. will eventually control the National gov, something the the Democrats seem to have ignored for many years

  56. 56.

    Served

    November 8, 2018 at 9:49 am

    1) The “Never Pelosi” crowd never brings up another name, let alone a viable one, which is a big tell. The argument can always be boiled down to “It doesn’t make me feel good that she’s Speaker”

    2) It’s mostly DSA/Rose people who lead this charge every time, and it’s because they think they deserve leadership of the entire caucus without proving it. It’s a very entitled position and they are very disingenuous in their criticism of Pelosi. It shows when they get frothed up over her reciting standard boilerplate about “bipartisanship” the night of the election.

    I had someone argue with me that Pelosi is too dictatorial and not a coalition builder and we need a uniter in the position which is some kumbaya nonsense. The Speaker needs to drag by the ear (and the campaign money) members to Yes or release them to No and vice versa. That’s her job!

  57. 57.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    November 8, 2018 at 9:50 am

    @low-tech cyclist:

    Kamala Harris for Senate Minority leader. The party’s future is rooted in multiculturalism and women from the West Coast.

  58. 58.

    Brachiator

    November 8, 2018 at 9:51 am

    Trump has told advisers that he intends to exploit divisions among House Democrats, pitting Pelosi against her new members who rose out of the resistance. “I feel sorry for the Democrats because he’s going to crush them,” Bossie says.

    Wow. Talk about an inability to read the room. And if Trump believes this, he is an even bigger egotistical fool than I imagined.

    Pelosi had me worried with some of the bipartisan crap she was spewing and her praise of Reagan. But she also indicated that she knows exactly what she is up against.

    I have been frustrated by some of the past actions of the Democratic leadership, but still think that Pelosi is the best of all of them. I hope she is grooming future leaders.

  59. 59.

    MattF

    November 8, 2018 at 9:55 am

    @grandpa john: In my own neighborhood (Bethesda MD), moderate Republicans used to be everywhere, but now they’re gone– to Limbo, or wherever. Republican candidates, with very few exceptions, are reduced to what are euphemistically termed ‘gadflies’. I.e., people with behavioral problems. Pretty much the only local Republican visible from my front door is Larry Hogan.

    I think that most Democrats live in neighborhoods like mine, so most Democrats just aren’t seeing local politics in terms of parties anymore.

  60. 60.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 9:55 am

    Josh Marshall @ joshtpm
    GOP Rep. Karen Handel Concedes, Lucy McBath Officially Wins Georgia 6th

    how ’bout that

  61. 61.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 9:56 am

    Talk, talk. Nancy Smash! does shit. She will deal with this momentary kerfuffle.

  62. 62.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 9:56 am

    @grandpa john: The Democrats won back about a third of the state-legislature losses they experienced over the entire Obama era. I think it’s also key that so many voting-access and anti-gerrymandering initiatives passed in different states (and, yes, some voter ID initiatives, but this other stuff is probably more important than voter ID). There’s a way to go, but it’s a start.

  63. 63.

    DonkeyKong

    November 8, 2018 at 9:57 am

    I’m sorry to burst everyone’s bubble. The Trumpian Republican Senate will not be passing any legislation. So Nancy Smash’s formidable talents are irrelevent.

  64. 64.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 9:58 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The first really big “close, but no cigar” of the special elections. I’d been thinking we were running below expectations from special elections, but this time the Democrats beat them.

  65. 65.

    eric

    November 8, 2018 at 9:59 am

    hard for me to see the new women reps forcing Nancy out…kinda a trailblazer for them (acknowledged or unacknowledged). Plus, the obvious rank sexism must rankle just a wee bit.

  66. 66.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 10:00 am

    @JPL: Because prayers are SO effective.

    She needs a Democratic president.

  67. 67.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:00 am

    @PPCLI:

    Republicans demonize people. It’s one of the things they do, relentlessly.

    This is so true. It’s also what JusticeDems and OurRevolutionDems do (purity tests, sound bytes in lieu of policy, pot shots at opponents like neoliberal shill or corporatist). With the exception of a few urban candidates (Ocasio Cortez, Tlaib, and Omar), Berners did not do well this midterm. Thompson in Kansas, Watson in Indiana, Jealous in Maryland, Katie Poter in CA and Jess King in PA are some examples. I imagine we would have lost KS-03 and the Michigan governor’s race if the Berner candidate had won the primary.

  68. 68.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:00 am

    WaPost corrected the typo and put up a longer story about RBG:

    … Ginsburg’s hospitalization comes on the morning of the formal investiture of the court’s newest justice, Brett M. Kavanaugh. President Trump is among the dignitaries planning to attend the ceremony at the court.

    Even in her advancing years, Ginsburg has a widely publicized regular exercise routine, known as the “RBG workout,” which includes push-ups, planks and arm curls. Asked about her health in the recent documentary “RBG,” the Supreme Court justice said she’s proud of keeping herself in shape to do her job.

    Asked last year if she was contemplating retirement, she said, “As long as I can do the job full steam, I will do it.” She has also reportedly hired law clerks through 2020, sending the message that she plans on sticking around.

    Ginsburg is already five years past the average retirement age of the past 11 justices and is three years older than the recently retired justice Anthony M. Kennedy.

    As a presidential candidate, Trump responded to her public criticism of him by calling on her to resign, tweeting that her “mind is shot.”

    Heck of a way to skip Kavanaugh’s formal investiture.

  69. 69.

    MomSense

    November 8, 2018 at 10:00 am

    Fuck RBG fell and broke three ribs!!!

    ??☎️☎️ ⚠️ ?

  70. 70.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 10:01 am

    @DonkeyKong:
    Stopping legislation will have to do.

  71. 71.

    Thoroughly Pizzled

    November 8, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Everyone who’s tried to challenge Nancy has been MORE conservative than her, not less. If there’s a better option, sure, but I won’t hold my breath.

  72. 72.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 10:02 am

    Hmm. Friend deeply into leftier-than-Democrats Twitter just retweeted a fundraising campaign to elect Barbara Lee House speaker.

  73. 73.

    eric

    November 8, 2018 at 10:02 am

    @A Ghost To Most: proposing stand alone popular measures is the way to go…. pre-existing conditions, and anything else that polls through the roof.

  74. 74.

    bemused

    November 8, 2018 at 10:03 am

    @MattF:

    Gadflies is too polite. I just think of them all as degenerates, just one word to cover racism, white supremacism, corruption, etc, etc.

  75. 75.

    p.a.

    November 8, 2018 at 10:03 am

    1st: Do no harm. She has proven to be an effective leader. It’s a no-brainer. But she should take the lead in bringing younger blood into the other leadership positions.
    Who better to learn from?

  76. 76.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 10:03 am

    …Included an assertion that all Pelosi is good at is raising funding from big-money fat cats.

  77. 77.

    Johnny Gentle (famous crooner)

    November 8, 2018 at 10:04 am

    I definitely think we need to get rid of Nancy Pelosi so that instead of criticizing us, republicans will praise us for our well-informed choice. I can already see the 2020 ads now: “Moneybag Jew Globalists George Soros, Chuck Schumer and all their murderous-infiltrator brown friends want to take your jobs and kill your babies. But not [New Speaker X}, because he/she’s pretty cool and we like them a lot.”

    We just need to crack the code, I tell you!

  78. 78.

    Jack the Second

    November 8, 2018 at 10:05 am

    @JPL: Fuck that, does anyone have some goats they can sacrifice to God, Zeus, Thor, Buddha, and/or Satan on her behalf? Let’s pull out all the stops and not damn her with simple “thoughts and prayers” the way we do school children.

  79. 79.

    Mai Naem mobile

    November 8, 2018 at 10:05 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes: nothing against Kamala Harris but the Senate needs somebody who has institutional memory and knows its arcane rules. Patty Murray’s been there for a while , is from a blue state and has crafted and passed legislation. Also she was one of the original women elected during the Year of the Woman after Anita Hill.

  80. 80.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 10:05 am

    @eric: That too.

    We finally have some tools to fight back. I believe we should put them in the hands of a proven fighter who knows how to use them.

    YMMV.

  81. 81.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:06 am

    @Matt McIrvin: re your updates from the whackadoodle left: If you enjoy hanging out with those types, that’s great. I am glad that I do not.

  82. 82.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:07 am

    @Matt McIrvin: Barbara Lee could put a stop to this. I imagine part of the bargain would be that she would be second in command this Congress with transition to first in command in the next Congress. I know little about her except her consistent and righteous opposition to undeclared wars. Is she a good legislator? Good at corralling votes? This is not meant to be critical. I simply know next to nothing about her except that Ocasio Cortez recommended her for leadership early on in her campaign, which makes me a little suspicious. Obviously she wants this fight. Otherwise she’d tell her supporters to stop it.

  83. 83.

    RobertB

    November 8, 2018 at 10:08 am

    @schrodingers_cat: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betteridge%27s_law_of_headlines

  84. 84.

    MattF

    November 8, 2018 at 10:08 am

    @Johnny Gentle (famous crooner): The codeword for that is ‘civility’. But the first rule of politics is ‘Politics Matters’. Yes, it does.

  85. 85.

    O. Felix Culpa

    November 8, 2018 at 10:11 am

    @p.a.:

    But she should take the lead in bringing younger blood into the other leadership positions.

    One possible trainee is my Congressman (and Cheryl Rofer’s too): Ben Ray Lujan seeks House leadership role

  86. 86.

    Mai Naem mobile

    November 8, 2018 at 10:11 am

    @DonkeyKong: do you think budgets pass magically? Debt ceilings? Or do you not consider that legislation?

  87. 87.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:12 am

    @O. Felix Culpa: ?

  88. 88.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:13 am

    @O. Felix Culpa: Good pick.

  89. 89.

    JR

    November 8, 2018 at 10:13 am

    @FlipYrWhig: Why would we torture people with images of Mitch McConnell? That is just inhumane.

  90. 90.

    DonkeyKong

    November 8, 2018 at 10:14 am

    The Democratic leadership in the house needs to be ready for a financial panic, terrorist attack, assasinations or bombings. The need to run fire drills as to how they will handle a crisis.

    The investigations cannot be piece meal, they have to tell a story that both exposes the dangerous corruption of the Trumpest Republican Party and resells the Federal government as the greatest manager or risk (an insurance company with nukes) in human history that is now severely crippled in being able to deal with risks known and unknown.

    Nancy Smash and the rest of the Democratic leadership are not ready or able as far as I can tell to do that.

  91. 91.

    Matt McIrvin

    November 8, 2018 at 10:14 am

    @Elizabelle: It’s basically one guy who retweets truckloads of this stuff. I think part of it is just that he’s depressed–it all has this lol-nothing-matters, everybody-is-shit snarky gloss. He drives me around the bend but sometimes he posts witty and on-point stuff that keeps me reading, but I do wonder if it’s worth it.

  92. 92.

    Jack the Second

    November 8, 2018 at 10:14 am

    I’m of two minds on Senate Minority Leader. On the one hand, with Democratic control of the House, we might be able to get something useful done, in which case the minority leader could have an outsized role in negotiating with the Senate Republicans and you need someone competent.

    On the other hand, with Republicans in control of the Senate and no one in control of the Presidency, maybe nothing is happening, and Senate Minority Leader has nothing to do but be loudly angry at Republicans.

    In which case, shit, Bernie Sanders for Senate Minority Leader. He’d be chuffed as hell and it’s the only way you’re going to get cable news to invite the Democratic Minorty Leader on for 30 minutes a day to yell entertainingly.

  93. 93.

    OzarkHillbilly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:14 am

    @Donkey’sAss: You should stick to commenting on horse apples and not the necessities of understanding parliamentary rules and how best to use them.

  94. 94.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 10:15 am

    along the lines of “anyone can be elected Speaker”… and yes this is a pipe dream/left field fantasy…. Stacey Abrams. Charismatic, young, African-American woman from Georgia who’s really good at contemporary media

  95. 95.

    Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes

    November 8, 2018 at 10:15 am

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    Here’s my problem about the Senate’s arcane rules and the norms – McConnell ignores them when convenient, and expects norms of civility and politeness to hold even as he installs white nationalist authoritarianism as the new normal.

    Fuck that.

    Harris has an actual lawyer’s skill in shifting as is necessary, and won’t feel the same fealty to those norms and rules because she’s younger. She’s the enthusiastic choice from our most populous state and has executive experience.

  96. 96.

    Yarrow

    November 8, 2018 at 10:16 am

    @tobie:

    I simply know next to nothing about her except that Ocasio Cortez recommended her for leadership early on in her campaign, which makes me a little suspicious

    That’s enough for me to be highly skeptical.

  97. 97.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 10:18 am

    @Jack the Second:

    Fuck that, does anyone have some goats Turtles they can sacrifice to God, Zeus, Thor, Buddha, and/or Satan on her behalf?

    Fixed

  98. 98.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 10:18 am

    @tobie:
    Congrats to Ocasio, but she hasn’t even been sworn in yet. She might want to learn the ropes before she starts cutting them.

  99. 99.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:20 am

    Shooter is 28 year old guy. Former Marine. I’m guessing White.

  100. 100.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 10:20 am

    @DonkeyKong:
    Thanks for sharing that valuable insight. It will be given all the sober, deliberate consideration it merits.

  101. 101.

    JR

    November 8, 2018 at 10:22 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I hope McBath played Messiah to celebrate.

  102. 102.

    Eolirin

    November 8, 2018 at 10:22 am

    There are a number of must pass bills that will come up in the next two years. Having someone capable of negotiating to get the best possible deal we can on them is really important.

    And some of those necessary compromises are gonna suck for progressive policies. But shutting down the government until the Republicans give in isn’t a sustainable strategy. We need leadership that understands that and is able to get the caucus to hold in the face of it.

  103. 103.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 10:23 am

    @Yarrow: Barbara Lee was the only member of the House to vote against the Afghanistan AUMF, and she has consistently called for Congress to do it’s damn job and revise that and the Iraq/limitless AUMF. She got death threats in the fall of ’01. I’m pretty sure she was on stage during Pelosi’s Tuesday night press conference as part of the broad leadership team. There seemed to be about two dozen people Pelosi name checked.

  104. 104.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 10:23 am

    @Quinerly:

    I’m afraid he will turn out to be antifa, given the targets. Or maybe a disciple of the Vegas shower.

  105. 105.

    A Ghost To Most

    November 8, 2018 at 10:24 am

    @A Ghost To Most: Vegas shooter.

    FYAC.

  106. 106.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:25 am

    @Matt McIrvin: Go ahead and read it, but why do we have to expend any time on it here? One provocateur does not a movement make.

  107. 107.

    Raven

    November 8, 2018 at 10:26 am

    @A Ghost To Most: That’s what people thought about Vegas too/

  108. 108.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:27 am

    @A Ghost To Most: looking like mental health issues. AP said police had been called to his home in April. Other run ins with law includes traffic violation and a battery on him in a bar. Dressed all in black, baseball cap. Started shooting right upon entry.

  109. 109.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:28 am

    @JR: I see what you did. ?

  110. 110.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 10:30 am

    @A Ghost To Most: I’m afraid he will turn out to be antifa, given the targets.

    ? ? 28 YO shooting up a college bar? My first thought was socially-maladjusted, angry outcast, incel if can use that without sounding snarky.

  111. 111.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:30 am

    Kemp has resigned as SOS.
    TPM reporting.
    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/brian-kemp-resigns-georgia-secretary-of-state

  112. 112.

    Omnes Omnibus

    November 8, 2018 at 10:30 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That makes her a good Majority Leader how? Pelosi is proven as effective. She has my support until someone demonstratively better shows up.

  113. 113.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 8, 2018 at 10:31 am

    Since no one has mentioned the gunman’s race or immigration status or religion. I am guessing he is most probably a white Christian male born in the United States.

  114. 114.

    Yarrow

    November 8, 2018 at 10:32 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Barbara Lee may be great. I don’t know much about her so thanks for the info.

  115. 115.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:35 am

    @schrodingers_cat: first name is Ian. I’m guessing very White.

  116. 116.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 10:36 am

    @Omnes Omnibus: didn’t say it did, just offering some background on Lee. I’m a Pelosi fan.

    and while I don’t feel like fighting on this fine morning, I agree with @A Ghost To Most: , AOC ran a fine primary campaign, but she needs to get to know some colleagues and broaden her perspective a bit

  117. 117.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    November 8, 2018 at 10:36 am

    @schrodingers_cat: No doubt an Incel to boot.

  118. 118.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:37 am

    That Holocaust denier lost but still got 25% of the vote. I guess we now know that 2% of that crazification factor of 27% isn’t quite as crazy as we thought.
    https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/elections/ct-met-illinois-3rd-district-nazi-arthur-jones-20181106-story.html

  119. 119.

    germy

    November 8, 2018 at 10:38 am

    To show solidarity with a fellow member of the press, Maggie Haberman will NOT be posting her piece about Ivanka’s silky, radiant hair until Friday.

    — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) November 8, 2018

  120. 120.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:39 am

    LA Times website:

    A gunman, identified by authorities as David Ian Long, 29, of Newbury Park, threw smoke bombs and rained bullets on a crowd of hundreds Wednesday night. Officials say Long was a former Marine who may have had PTSD.

    I am just angry. That this happens again and again and again. We could do something about this.

  121. 121.

    eric

    November 8, 2018 at 10:39 am

    @Quinerly: or maybe that 2% is jewish? hard hard core expand the settlement types.

  122. 122.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:39 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: AOC also needs to recognize how poorly DSA/TrueBrogressive candidates fared on Tuesday outside of liberal enclaves, which were guaranteed to go blue in any event.

  123. 123.

    eric

    November 8, 2018 at 10:40 am

    @germy: that tweet deserves a pulitzer

  124. 124.

    Platonailedit

    November 8, 2018 at 10:41 am

    @Quinerly: Mission Accomplished, redux?

  125. 125.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:42 am

    @Elizabelle: How can a case like this possibly fit the constitution’s provision of a “well regulated militia.” This is madness, murder and mayhem.

  126. 126.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:42 am

    LA Times again:

    Holden Harrah, 21, was among the hundreds inside listening to music Wednesday night as a part of a college night event.

    He said he looked over at the front door and saw the man walk in wearing a black hat, glasses and a black shirt. He had a beard, Harrah said.

    “He just pulled out a gun and shot my friend that was working the front desk,” he said.

    … Authorities have not disclosed the suspect’s name, but a law enforcement source told The Times that he was Ian Long, 29, of Newbury Park. He had a Glock .45 handgun and some type of smoke device, the source said.

    He drove his mother’s car to the attack and said nothing upon entering the bar, the source said.

    The gun was purchased in Ventura County, the source said.

    Authorities said the man was heavily tattooed but apparently didn’t have identification on him.

  127. 127.

    oldgold

    November 8, 2018 at 10:42 am

    I advocated for Pelosi to step aside in late summer. I thought she would be a drag on our chances of taking back the House. I suspect that whether she was or not, and if so to what degree, could now be argued round or flat.

    All that expressed, at this point, it is my opinion Pelosi should be selected as Speaker. Even during the “discussions” here concerning whether she should step down, I conceded that her description of herself as a “Master Legislator” was correct. We now need those skills.

  128. 128.

    Mr Stagger Lee

    November 8, 2018 at 10:43 am

    Send prayers and thoughts for Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, I hear she sustained 3 broken ribs.

  129. 129.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:44 am

    @tobie: Agreed. And it can happen ANYWHERE. Except in well protected halls of Congress, where you enter through a metal detector. Or the White House, etc.

    One young woman who escaped was telling the LA Times in an early story that “This isn’t fair; it isn’t fair.”

    And it is not.

  130. 130.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 10:45 am

    @oldgold:

    I conceded that her description of herself as a “Master Legislator” was correct. We now need those skills.

    Ya think? We have always needed those skills. Train up a replacement team, sure, but we need Nancy Smash in these unprecedented times. And she is tough enough to succeed.

  131. 131.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    November 8, 2018 at 10:46 am

    Someone said on twitter after the headline “Justice Ginsburg hospitalized after breaking three ribs”

    who’s ribs did she break?

    I thought it was amusing and made me able to smile even after hearing the news.

  132. 132.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:48 am

    @Elizabelle: We’re a nation terrorized by gun freaks at this point. You’re not safe at school, at houses of worship, in the grocery store, at the mall, in a cinema, at a doctor’s office (especially a Planned Parenthood clinic), in a bar, at a newspaper office, at a concert, in a warehouse, etc etc etc. This is beyond infuriating.

  133. 133.

    chris

    November 8, 2018 at 10:49 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    AOC ran a fine primary campaign, but she needs to get to know some colleagues and broaden her perspective a bit

    Al Franken said something like it takes the whole first term to learn how things work. Congratulations, Alexandria, now sit down and listen up.

  134. 134.

    germy

    November 8, 2018 at 10:49 am

    BTW, a not so great night for Dems on the Gov. front.— amy walter (@amyewalter) November 7, 2018

    We seem to have flipped seven governorships which I would say was terrific. Am I missing something here? https://t.co/dSPxiUZ8Xr— Howard Dean (@GovHowardDean) November 7, 2018

  135. 135.

    Quinerly

    November 8, 2018 at 10:49 am

    @Platonailedit: Well, he’s thinking he is going to step right into the role of governor elect. I’m thinking it’s relevant because if there is a run off, he’s not in charge of it because he resigned. Frankly, I’m very rattled by this broken rib thing with RBG and might not be thinking clearly. That kills otherwise perfectly healthy older women. Pneumonia and such. How I lost my mother at 92 a week after she walked to the ambulance after a car wreck. Airbags broke three ribs. She was in as good a shape physically as RBG before the ribs. Immediately went down hill in the hospital.

  136. 136.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 10:50 am

    and while I don’t feel like fighting with anyone here, I would love to have five non-violent minutes alone with this dimwitted, blinkered, sanctimonious old gasbag

    Bernie Sanders on Andrew Gillium and Stacey Abrams: Many Whites ‘Uncomfortable’ Voting for Black Candidates
    “I think you know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American,” Sanders told The Daily Beast, referencing the close contests involving Andrew Gillum in Florida and Stacey Abrams in Georgia. “I think next time around by the way it will be a lot easier for them to do that.”

    Not racist, just experiencing economically anxious racially-tinged discomfort. They didn’t like Oprah coming to town because she’s a billyunnayhr! God I hate that man.

    “I think you know…” very trumpian formulation. IOW: I think you know I’m right

  137. 137.

    germy

    November 8, 2018 at 10:51 am

    @Litlebritdifrnt:

    Can we start a GoFundMe to get RBG a vibranium ribcage?

    — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) November 8, 2018

  138. 138.

    Yarrow

    November 8, 2018 at 10:51 am

    White guy whitesplains:

    “I think you know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American,” Sanders told The Daily Beast https://t.co/q1bu6SmGaz— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) November 8, 2018

    I can’t even with him. So angry.

  139. 139.

    Mnemosyne

    November 8, 2018 at 10:51 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Handel’s letter to herself with white powder in it must have gotten lost in the mail this time. ?

  140. 140.

    germy

    November 8, 2018 at 10:53 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Uh, if a person is “uncomfortable” voting for an African American, I’m pretty sure that means they’re racist.

    Question for bernie: If a voter was uncomfortable voting for a senator because he’s Jewish, wouldn’t that mean the voter is an anti-semite?

  141. 141.

    germy

    November 8, 2018 at 10:54 am

    @Elizabelle:

    Agreed. And it can happen ANYWHERE. Except in well protected halls of Congress, where you enter through a metal detector. Or the White House, etc.

    Or an NRA convention, where open or hidden carry is not allowed.

  142. 142.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 10:55 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Tell it to the crowd at LGM. Will Erik Loomis will finally get over his love affair with this guy.

  143. 143.

    MattF

    November 8, 2018 at 10:58 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: The words you are looking for are ‘alte cacker‘. Spelling variant in order to avoid moderation.

  144. 144.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 11:01 am

    @tobie: I don’t follow LGM enough to know: aren’t there a couple of front pagers over there who approach Tbogg levels of pragmastism?

    I genuinely believe Wilmer got drunk on all the hysterical applause of white college kids and hasn’t sobered up yet. And never will.

  145. 145.

    rikyrah

    November 8, 2018 at 11:03 am

    Nancy Smash rocks.

    that is all.

  146. 146.

    L85NJGT

    November 8, 2018 at 11:05 am

    Moderate women voters elected the incoming House majority.

    The “real” left is high on their own supply, and the villagers can only talk about Democrats – they don’t want to piss Trump off and have him go off on them.

  147. 147.

    Joey Maloney

    November 8, 2018 at 11:05 am

    @What Have The Romans Ever Done for Us?: Obviously, the next part is President Pelosi appoints Hillary Clinton VP and resigns as soon as she’s confirmed.

    I mean, as long as we’re dreaming…

  148. 148.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 11:06 am

    NPR top-of-the-hour news just reminded me: Lucy McBath now holds Newt Gingrich’s old seat.

    Let us savor.

  149. 149.

    D58826

    November 8, 2018 at 11:06 am

    @Anonymous At Work:

    Nancy Pelosi should be replaced. (passive)
    [X] should replace Nancy Pelosi. (active)
    Now, solve for X.

    With an eye to the future Nancy should be solving for a number of younger X’s.

  150. 150.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 11:07 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Many of the front pagers there are pragmatic. Loomis, I think, is more ideological. I stopped visiting the site some time ago because of Loomis’ defense of trade tariffs in the heady days of 2016 (pre-Trump era). It struck me as a particularly bone-headed position coming from a labor historian.

  151. 151.

    cain

    November 8, 2018 at 11:08 am

    @Le Comte de Monte Cristo, fka Edmund Dantes:

    Kamala Harris for Senate Minority leader. The party’s future is rooted in multiculturalism and women from the West Coast.

    Co-signed. But Kamala Harris is very much interested in the presidency. So I’m not sure she is a good short term prospect. But I think she has the right skillset for the job. But let’s give Schumer the benefit of the doubt and see where he goes with it.

  152. 152.

    Michael Cain

    November 8, 2018 at 11:09 am

    In other leadership news, Rep. Diana Degette of Denver has announced she’s running for the Dem whip position. Diana is 61. The current whip, Steny Hoyer, is 79. The other announced candidate for whip so far is Jim Clyburn from SC, age 78.

  153. 153.

    Mnemosyne

    November 8, 2018 at 11:10 am

    @Quinerly:

    Today was supposed to be Kavanaugh’s formal investiture ceremony as a Supreme Court justice, so I’m hoping that RBG is malingering so she doesn’t have to attend that farce.

  154. 154.

    schrodingers_cat

    November 8, 2018 at 11:12 am

    From Huffington Post, about the LA killer.

    Long, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran, likely shot himself, Dean said Thursday. He purchased the handgun and extended machine he used during the shooting legally. Police had met with him earlier this year but he wasn’t arrested

    Dean didn’t provide additional information about the gunman but said no links to terrorism had yet been determined

    .

  155. 155.

    Ella in New Mexico

    November 8, 2018 at 11:14 am

    @O. Felix Culpa: Ben Ray has quietly done a whole lot of good for the D’s this election with his leadership at the DCCC as well as being a solid representative for New Mexico. We’d be lucky to have him in that role.

  156. 156.

    geg6

    November 8, 2018 at 11:15 am

    @Jack the Second:

    Entertainingly? How about just as annoyingly as Trump does? Because that’s pretty much how I see him. Gawd, I’d have to kill myself if this happened.

  157. 157.

    Vhh

    November 8, 2018 at 11:17 am

    @SFAW: Cornyn is GOP.

  158. 158.

    Aleta

    November 8, 2018 at 11:18 am

    That doctored video Sanders put out.
    Will she make the intern lie on Fox too?

  159. 159.

    Citizen Alan

    November 8, 2018 at 11:21 am

    @FlipYrWhig:

    To be fair, lots of people really liked Anthony Weiner before he revealed himself as a colossal perv.

  160. 160.

    L85NJGT

    November 8, 2018 at 11:22 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    The need for adulation is the hole that will never be filled, and likely lead to his downfall.

    @Yarrow:

    He reminds me a lot of Jeremy Corbin – true believers, career backbenchers, willing to overlook hate…. almost like they fit a Kompromat profile fifty years ago.

  161. 161.

    Elizabelle

    November 8, 2018 at 11:24 am

    @cain: I like Dick Durbin a lot, too.

  162. 162.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    November 8, 2018 at 11:24 am

    @Mnemosyne: I thought he’d already been sworn in twice.

    Re Pelosi being third in line (or second, depending on how you count), a guy at dinner Tuesday night was all worked up about this. Seriously, it would take a catastrophe (?) in which they were wiped out at more or less the same time. Otherwise, whoever is president nominates a VP. I believe the Senate has to confirm. For a double example, see Nixon/Agnew

  163. 163.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 11:28 am

    @Ella in New Mexico: Second that.
    I’d also like to see Stacey Abrams in a prominent position–be it as GA governor (first choice) or as Ellison’s replacement at the DNC. She needs to be at the forefront of voting rights in the party.

  164. 164.

    gvg

    November 8, 2018 at 11:32 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: he is a ding a ling who must come from a VERY white world. I am white. I admit to some “discomfort” around blacks in certain contexts, mainly because I have been conditioned to be …worried? by society, but I don’t give in to it. I have had black friends, school mates, co workers, casual acquaintances and always people I encounter all the time. I have voted for many black people, many times, mostly for school board, because that seems to be a big issue for them. I have had 2 black bosses before I ever voted for Obama. I knew it was historic because of other peoples issues though, but for me it was, not hard or new.
    Bernies state seems like another planet.
    It’s unrealistic to not notice that other people are predjudiced though and I guess we have to take it into account. My dad tried to explain how concerned he was about Gillum winning Florida’s primary when he admitted he liked Gillum better but hadn’t voted for him. It came down to Dad wanted to win the general and he wasn’t sure his fellow Floridians would go for Gillum. I will wait awhile to decide what the total reason are, but what I heard form R leaning voters leads me to think the socialist smear was believed and so was the corruption possible charge (hello emails volume II). Racism was a factor, but honestly the whole democratic party is kind of considered like black by the extreme republican tribe here. I may be too influenced by a few encounters with 1 nutty neighbor though. Gillum’s primary opponent was a white woman who was probably too boring to win right now too. I suspect she wouldn’t have done as well.

  165. 165.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    November 8, 2018 at 11:33 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: The Senate AND the House has to confirm a Presidential nominated VP.

  166. 166.

    ken

    November 8, 2018 at 11:33 am

    @dr. bloor .: Exactly, since these were probably the same people who voted for Bernie in the primaries.

  167. 167.

    Michael Cain

    November 8, 2018 at 11:34 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: When the President nominates a replacement vice-president, that person must be confirmed by simple majority vote in both the House and the Senate.

  168. 168.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 11:34 am

    @tobie: or as Ellison’s replacement at the DNC.

    That’s a great idea. She’d be so much better at the public facing part of the job than Ellison or Tom Perez, though Perez seems to have stopped trying too hard, which is an improvement. But you can’t learn what Stacey Abrams has

  169. 169.

    geg6

    November 8, 2018 at 11:35 am

    @Elizabelle:

    He was the concensus pick of a group of my female friends who are not big Schumer fans. They like his fight. And just for context, these women were not politically interested, let alone active, until 11/8/16. Some voted regularly but didn’t follow politics much. Some were not in the least bit following politics and many of these were, until this year, registered independents if they voted or didn’t vote at all.

  170. 170.

    Michael Cain

    November 8, 2018 at 11:36 am

    @tobie:
    I’d also like to see Stacey Abrams in a prominent position–be it as GA governor (first choice) or as Ellison’s replacement at the DNC.

    I am reluctant to see people who are obviously great candidates and campaigners “wasted” in the party’s bureaucracy.

  171. 171.

    JPL

    November 8, 2018 at 11:38 am

    @tobie: Stacey would be great at the DNC. It’s doubtful that she wins the governorship, but she sure turned out her supporters. I think she’s responsible for McBath’s win.

  172. 172.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    November 8, 2018 at 11:38 am

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: @Michael Cain: Thanks. I should have looked it up, but I knew someone here would know.

  173. 173.

    L85NJGT

    November 8, 2018 at 11:40 am

    My guess is everyone but Trump knew the House was a goner, and they were gas-lighting him that if he focused on Sen and Gov races it would also pull along enough seats in the House.

  174. 174.

    Tony Jay

    November 8, 2018 at 11:42 am

    @L85NJGT:

    What the everliving fuck is your issue with Jeremy Corbyn (that’s how you spell it)? Two posts in two threads and you’ve square-pegged counter-factual smears into both of them.

    Very odd duck.

  175. 175.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 11:42 am

    @Michael Cain: Normally I would agree with you. But, if Abrams isn’t able to bring the governor’s race to a run-off because the cards have been massively stacked against her and African-Americans generally, I want to see her face on TV as much as possible. And having some official position would allow her to speak for the party weekdays and weeknights and weekends. We’d be blessed to have someone of such prodigious talent. Would joining a think tank or starting her own organization get her the same attention? Honest question…I really don’t know how these things work.

  176. 176.

    Yarrow

    November 8, 2018 at 11:45 am

    Oh, this is funny:

    Former NJ Governor Chris Christie is under consideration to become Attorney General, replacing Sessions, according to a source familiar. Matt Whitaker is currently acting Attorney General.— Shimon Prokupecz (@ShimonPro) November 8, 2018

  177. 177.

    L85NJGT

    November 8, 2018 at 11:45 am

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    Well if it comes to that, the McConnell precedent has been set. The House Democrats can wait until after the next election to confirm.

  178. 178.

    The Lodger

    November 8, 2018 at 11:46 am

    @Michael Cain: Was Steny Hoyer the tall dead white guy on the stage with Nancy Tuesday night?

  179. 179.

    L85NJGT

    November 8, 2018 at 11:49 am

    @Tony Jay:

    I don’t truck with useful idiots. For starters he needs to knock this shit down:

    https://forward.com/fast-forward/413527/labour-party-chapter-votes-against-condemning-pittsburgh-synagogue-attack/

  180. 180.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 11:49 am

    @tobie: If Oprah, or Tom Steyer, or George Soros, want to do some good, they could fund Abrams as the DNC Vice President for Voter Access. Somebody better at this than I can come up with catchier name or acronym.
    Maybe she’s thinking about the Senate. Or spending some time in the private sector. But the national party would be damn fools if they don’t help her become a national figure if she wants it.

  181. 181.

    Barbara

    November 8, 2018 at 11:54 am

    It’s also useful for everyone to remember that Pelosi was the daughter of the mayor of Baltimore. She has good political and organizing instincts in her DNA. Likewise, she started out political life in California by raising money and organizing for the person who held her seat before she did. It’s clear that Paul Ryan was a weak speaker at least in part because he had nothing comparable in his background and was chosen mostly on ideological grounds. Ideology actually isn’t a skill, so it’s not just whether you agree with Pelosi, it’s whether you have the kind of skills needed to run a caucus. That being said, Pelosi will not be around forever and someone does need to have those skills when she is no longer there.

  182. 182.

    low-tech cyclist

    November 8, 2018 at 11:55 am

    @Michael Cain:

    In other leadership news, Rep. Diana Degette of Denver has announced she’s running for the Dem whip position. Diana is 61. The current whip, Steny Hoyer, is 79. The other announced candidate for whip so far is Jim Clyburn from SC, age 78.

    Let’s remember that the Speaker’s party has that extra leadership position, so when they lost control of the House in 2010, everybody took one step down, and presumably they’ll each take one step back up now.

    Pelosi was Speaker from 2007-2010; now she’s Minority Leader.
    Hoyer was Majority Leader from 2007-2010; now he’s Minority Whip.
    Clyburn was Majority Whip from 2007-2010; now he’s House Assistant Minority Leader.

    If none of them step down or are successfully challenged, they’ll all go back to their 2007-2010 positions. So if Degette is running for Majority Whip, she’s running against Clyburn, not Hoyer. Just want to make that clear.

    As I said earlier, I would like to see someone challenge Hoyer. He’s my Congressman, and I’m OK with that. But he’s a bit too business-friendly and generally old-school to be the #2 guy in the Dem leadership now.

  183. 183.

    PJ

    November 8, 2018 at 11:57 am

    @DonkeyKong: So the Democrats in Congress should just stay at home and let Trump and the GOP do whatever they want? Fuck that noise. Trump and his criminal cronies need to be investigated out the yin yang by the House. It may not get through the Senate, but progressive legislation on voting rights, civil rights, climate change, the environment, health care, and the whole barrel of things the GOP has fucked up over the last two years needs to get passed in the House so the country can see what Democrats will do when they get control of the Senate and White House. And Pelosi, of course, needs to be ready to be sworn in when Trump and Pence led away in handcuffs.

  184. 184.

    burnspbesq

    November 8, 2018 at 11:58 am

    @DonkeyKong:

    Care to explain that? It doesn’t logically follow from any facts of which I am aware.

  185. 185.

    Spanky

    November 8, 2018 at 12:08 pm

    @Yarrow: The White House put that out just so Trump can toy with Christie one more time before crushing him.

  186. 186.

    J R in WV

    November 8, 2018 at 12:10 pm

    @DonkeysAss:

    So. Sparsely commented from 2008-2011, less so in 2012, then gone for 6 years… less than 150 comments, total.

    Reappears as if by magic after a big Democratic Wave election, only to diss Democratic leadership, which has created national health care and protected it from Republican attack for years of total Republican control of all the levers of power in Washington DC.

    Troll, perhaps Russian, certainly Republican.

    Please go away again for 6 more years. Thanks. Bye.

  187. 187.

    Beatrice Blacklow

    November 8, 2018 at 12:11 pm

    @low-tech cyclist: Durbin is a much better choice for Senate Majority Leader. But, yes, Hoyer must go!

  188. 188.

    Michael Cain

    November 8, 2018 at 12:13 pm

    @low-tech cyclist:

    My point is that the current Dem House leadership will all be over 80 when we go into the 2020 elections. IIRC — and I may not — the chairs of all the major committees will be almost as old. One of the things that I think the House Republicans did right 20 or so years back was term-limit their committee chairs. After a few years, it put them in the position of having places to groom up-and-comers, and having at least some of the prominent “faces of the party” on major issues look middle-aged or younger.

  189. 189.

    Spanky

    November 8, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    @The Lodger:

    Was Steny Hoyer the tall dead white guy on the stage with Nancy Tuesday night?

    Sounds about right. He’s my congresscritter as well, and he has a pretty big campaign war chest that he distributes among other Dems, so he’s accumulated a lot of “friends”. Quid pro quo, and all.

  190. 190.

    Immanentize

    November 8, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    @Spanky: No one fetches McDonald’s more eagerly than Chris!

  191. 191.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 12:14 pm

    @Spanky: “Hello Chris? I wondered if you’re free this afternoon, maybe to talk about an incredible job opportunity that’s come up… something very interesting…. How about 12:30? Okay, and could you do me a favor? Could you swing through a drive through and bring me two filet-o-fish, a large fry, and a shamrock shake? And hurry, Chris you know I don’t like it cold. And don’t get anything for yourself, Chris, you don’t have my incredible genes. I’ll have General Kelly fix you a small salad”

  192. 192.

    burnspbesq

    November 8, 2018 at 12:15 pm

    @Yarrow:

    That is hilarious. The guy who threw Charles Kushner in Federal prison is going to be AG?

    The scary thing is that within the universe of people who Trump might think of as possibilities, Christie is arguably the most qualified.

  193. 193.

    tobie

    November 8, 2018 at 12:26 pm

    @Michael Cain: The people I see most often on TV are Swalwell (CA), Schiff (CA), Himes (IL), Lieu (CA), Heck (WA) and Castro (TX). They’re all in their 50s, I expect. With the exception of Lieu and Castro they’re all white males. I don’t think I’ve ever seen Hoyer on TV and don’t know what he does. This obsessing over the caucus leadership reminds me of the obsessing over DNC rules. Political nerds like us like it. For everyone else it’s background noise, if they register it at all.

  194. 194.

    SFAW

    November 8, 2018 at 12:40 pm

    @DonkeyKong:

    Nancy Smash and the rest of the Democratic leadership are not ready or able as far as I can tell to do that.

    Fuck off, moron.

  195. 195.

    RM

    November 8, 2018 at 12:45 pm

    You know what drives me nuts? People bitching because Pelosi says we’re not going to go after Republicans in the same way they go after us. They’re acting like Nancy’s going to just roll over in the name of bipartisanship, while I’m PRETTY SURE she means we’re not going to go on fucking harassment campaigns and spread vicious lies and urge people to kill them. Like seriously, have these people not NOTICED how the Republicans fucking roll?

  196. 196.

    different-church-lady

    November 8, 2018 at 12:56 pm

    @eric: In fact, it deserves the Pulitzer they gave to Maureen Dowd.

  197. 197.

    Matt

    November 8, 2018 at 12:57 pm

    Each of the bats is boldly inscribed with “FOR USE ON HIPPIES ONLY”

  198. 198.

    different-church-lady

    November 8, 2018 at 1:01 pm

    @Yarrow:

    “I think you know there are a lot of white folks out there who are not necessarily racist who felt uncomfortable for the first time in their lives about whether or not they wanted to vote for an African-American…”

    Shorter Bernie: “I’m ignorant of what ‘racist’ actually means.”

  199. 199.

    Tony Jay

    November 8, 2018 at 1:05 pm

    @L85NJGT:

    You’re kidding, right? That’s your ‘evidence’? Super-Jezza needs to personally strike down the evildoers or he lloooooovvvveeeesssss them, right? Useful idiot indeed.

    BTW, surprised you didn’t use the Breitbart link, that would have been really on the nose.

  200. 200.

    Kenneth Kohl

    November 8, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    @low-tech cyclist:

    3) Chuck Schumer should step down so someone with a clue can be Senate Minority Leader. I’m thinking Senator Professor Warren would be a good choice.

    I don’t want to appear too provincial, but I’d like to see Senator Gillibrand.

  201. 201.

    J R in WV

    November 8, 2018 at 1:21 pm

    No one can be prepared for everything that may go wrong… that’s a ninfinite list of shit happens. But people can be prepared for the unexpected unknowns, unlike the former leaders of our country who couldn’t be prepared for the totally knew it was going to happen like that in Iraq.

  202. 202.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    November 8, 2018 at 1:22 pm

    @Kenneth Kohl: uh oh

  203. 203.

    Just One More Canuck

    November 8, 2018 at 1:31 pm

    @tobie: Ted Lieu is 49, Joaquin Castro is 44 and Eric Swalwell is 37

  204. 204.

    different-church-lady

    November 8, 2018 at 1:58 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Lucy McBath now holds Newt Gingrich’s old seat.

    I’d like to see her kick his old seat.

  205. 205.

    different-church-lady

    November 8, 2018 at 2:01 pm

    @Anonymous At Work:

    Now, solve for X.

    JOHNNY UNBEATABLE!

  206. 206.

    Chetan Murthy

    November 8, 2018 at 2:28 pm

    @SFAW:

    In the meantime, I will contact my (newly-elected) Congressman’s office, to try to ensure that they are on-board with Speaker Pelosi

    I just did. But my Comgresswoman IS Nancy Pelosi, so it was …. already baked in the cake! I wish I knew something I could do, to help cement her election!!!

  207. 207.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    November 8, 2018 at 2:58 pm

    @RM: s?

    People bitching because Pelosi says we’re not going to go after Republicans in the same way they go after us.

    “I have been thinking that I would make a proposition to my Republican friends… that if they will stop telling lies about the Democrats, we will stop telling the truth about them.”Adlai Stevenson.

  208. 208.

    J R in WV

    November 8, 2018 at 3:36 pm

    @Just One More Canuck:

    Well, then, those children clearly aren’t yet ready for a leadership post !!! Seriously…

    naw, not really serious at all. ;-)

    //s

  209. 209.

    Jack the Second

    November 8, 2018 at 4:17 pm

    @burnspbesq: I also think that Christie has learned enough to not give Trump the traditional “I hearby tender my resignation” undated letter up front.

    “What? The letter? Oh yeah, I’ll get that for you soon, I’m just waiting for my new stationary to be printed …”

  210. 210.

    notoriousJRT

    November 8, 2018 at 5:12 pm

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:
    The Resistance entire critic of Pelosi is she isn’t hard line against Trump enough
    This reminds me of the WSJ editorial very early in Obama’s first term (in midst of ACA fight, ithink) advising Obama to say he would not run again because Democrats were clamoring for Hillary. My brother, a libertarian leaning conservative, crowed at me that Hillary was going to resign as Sec State and all of Obama’s support on the left would fade away. I asked him if he ever talked with people who had liberal political views. He admitted that he did not. I told him that any liberal “problems” with Obama stemmed from believing he was not liberal enough. Hillary was not going to scratch any so-called liberal dissatisfaction itch. He was so sure he was telling me something, and I realized he was capable of being a fool.

  211. 211.

    notoriousJRT

    November 8, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    @Droppy: I love Obama, but I never considered him a master of process/ procedure. He owes ACA to Nancy Smash. The naysayers wanted her gone after 2010. They had no understanding of the debt they owed to her.

  212. 212.

    Feckless

    November 8, 2018 at 6:54 pm

    Were in the state we are as a party and a country because useless people like schumer, hoyer and pelosi think its wise to “negotiate” with lying nazis.
    Its totally like sexist to point out that we lost all branches of government under her ‘leadership’.
    And that all the money she saved with the sequester was stolen by tRump in the first 2 days of his junta.
    We need accountability and someone who can wage a media war.
    Dont get me started on her Bush/Cheney pardon.

  213. 213.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    November 8, 2018 at 10:21 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Who said, “aren’t most drug dealers black”

    Drumpf or Sanders?

  214. 214.

    NMgal

    November 8, 2018 at 10:46 pm

    @O. Felix Culpa: saw that. Ben Ray’s my rep too. When he took on the DCCC chairmanship it was a sign he was ambitious, so now he’s making his next move. Godspeed, hope he’s up to it!

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