Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

A dilettante blog from the great progressive state of West Virginia.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

When your entire life is steeped in white supremacy, equality feels like discrimination.

I see no possible difficulties whatsoever with this fool-proof plan.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

A Senator Walker would also be an insult to reason, rationality, and decency.

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Let there be snark.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Not all heroes wear capes.

Black Jesus loves a paper trail.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Balloon Juice has never been a refuge for the linguistically delicate.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

You are here: Home / Civil Rights / Women's Rights / A Woman's Place Is In The House / Saturday Morning Open Thread — Pelosi: Watch and Learn, Younglings!

Saturday Morning Open Thread — Pelosi: Watch and Learn, Younglings!

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… And by gosh, the kids *are* learning…

She keeps taking notes like this, and she’ll do just fine, that Ocasio-Cortez person.

Reader Interactions

221Comments

  1. 1.

    Platonailedit

    The dems have a majority of nearly 40. Who gives a fuck about 9 (10,11, 12 ?) conservative dems and their ‘agenda’?

  2. 2.

    evodevo

    You go, Nancy Smash – if they want a pretty face, there’s always Ivanka lol What a bunch of idiots …

  3. 3.

    geg6

    AOC could not possibly pick a better mentor than Nancy SMASH!. And she seems to be doing that. So my opinion of her has changed after her first missteps of listening to Bernie. She seems a quick study.

    I just love me some Nancy.

  6. 6.

    Aleta

    Those 9 Dems and some of the 16 (definitely Moulton) sure don’t look willing to work with Pelosi to bring the *change we voted for,* opposing Republican policies, fascism, lies and discrimination. Moulton thought he’d make use of one woman as a shield while attacking Pelosi, but he picked the wrong two years to get away with it. The wrong women, the wrong constituents, the wrong pissed off party.

  10. 10.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    So long as Leader Pelosi remains the most progressive candidate for Speaker, she can count on my support.

    The standard should be a combination of progressive values and political effectiveness. In the abstract, what’s the use in supporting someone more progressive but who is ineffective.

  12. 12.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @geg6:

    You will love it. I read it last week. She’s an engaging writer with, of course, a compelling story to tell.

    Happy belated birthday!

  13. 13.

    Chet

    Those who say they won’t vote for Nancy Pelosi are going be confused when “not Nancy Pelosi” isn’t on the ballot.

  14. 14.

    David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch

    We take so much for granted.

    Nancy has never lost a vote as Speaker and more importantly, she delivered time and time, again, on major legislation.

    Meanwhile, Boehner and Ryan stumbled and fumbled repeatedly, like Keystone Cops, even on minor routine bills like milk subsidies for red states.

  15. 15.

    NotMax

    FYI, a couple of science stories..

    For the first time, scientists have observed three American bear species—the black bear, polar bear and grizzly bear—using the same habitat in Canada’s Wapusk National Park.
    [snip]
    “These observations add to a growing body of evidence that grizzlies are undergoing a substantial range increase in northern Canada and the timing of our observations suggests denning locally,” the authors wrote.
    [snip]
    The study adds more evidence that grizzly bears are showing up in places where they are not usually found. Other scientists have suggested that increased sightings of so-called “pizzly” or “grolar” bears—or grizzly-polar hybrids—are the result of grizzly bears in Alaska and Canada expanding north due to the warming environment, thus bringing them in contact with polar bears. Source

    Dinosaurs living more than 200 million years ago may have dominated the plains and grasslands of prehistoric Earth, but it turns out they still had some sizable competition.

    Scientists on Thursday unveiled the discovery of a gigantic mammal-like reptile the size of an elephant that they believe rubbed shoulders with large Triassic-era dinosaurs, including the relatives of sauropods such as Diplodocus and Brachiosaurus.

    Researchers from Polish and Swedish universities said the 10-ton creatures — a distant “cousin” to today’s mammals — challenge the idea that dinosaurs were the only large land animals around the time Earth had a single, enormous landmass known as Pangea. Source

  16. 16.

    matt

    There are a lot of vapid half-wits of the left who think getting good press is how Democratic politicians win elections and cause change.

  19. 19.

    Tazj

    Last night I’m at a family gathering, and a nephew of mine in his thirties is complaining about the Democratic party. He was talking about how they nominated the most hated candidate in history,Hillary, and now they were keeping Pelosi, instead of electing someone new as speaker.
    I told him that Pelosi was the best we had at doing the job. I don’t think he had any idea that she was being challenged from the conservative wing of the party. It was frustrating to hear his views on the women in the party.

  20. 20.

    NotMax

    Bringing new meaning to the phrase “a tidy sum.”

    A New Orleans couple who wanted their home to be tidy for Thanksgiving guests really cleaned up: They found a $1.8 million Lotto ticket on a nightstand. Source

  23. 23.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Tazj: When people bemoan our choice of HRC as candidate, I always say, “Never forget she got more votes.”

    I love Nancy Pelosi because of how she stays focused on her goal rather than side-tripping into defending her ego, and even more because that goal is ultimately to do some good for the country.

  24. 24.

    OzarkHillbilly

    In some respects, my mother, Ruth David, had a fortunate childhood. Her devoted parents were happily married and comfortably off. Her father was the main employer in Fränkisch-Crumbach, the village south of Frankfurt where they grew up. The family even had a housekeeper, Mina.

    When, just under a year after Ruth was born, my grandmother gave birth again, it was Mina who helped out, looking after Ruth lovingly and spoiling her rotten. The two grew to have a special bond that the other siblings envied. For years, she was like a second mother. But almost all Ruth’s childhood memories are shaped by the fact that she was only four when Hitler came to power in Germany in 1933. As seemingly inconsequential acts of humiliation turned into systematic deprivation, fear became despair. When the order came, via the town crier, that Aryans were no longer allowed to work for Jews, Mina, one of the few Catholics in the village, did her best to ignore it. When my grandfather, Moritz, tried to send her away (difficult, because she had no other home), she refused to go. Eventually, for her own protection, she was forced to leave.
    …………………..
    After the war, once she learned of her parents’ fate, she wanted nothing more to do with Germany. But, in the late 1950s, two of her English friends persuaded her to return, sensing it was key to her recovery. Their genius was to have tracked down the family’s former housekeeper, Mina, the only German Ruth longed to see again.

    My mother barely recognised the old woman, but the two flew together, embraced, hugged tightly and sobbed, rooted to the spot. Mina took my mother back to her little attic bedroom and passed her something she had kept faithfully for years. An old lever-arch file, with the word “Kinder” on the spine, written in my grandfather’s elegant cursive.

    It was an archival treasure trove. On the early morning of 22 October 1940, the first major deportation of Jews from the Reich began. My grandparents had one hour to dress quickly, pack a suitcase and assemble at Mannheim station. The plan was secret, yet Mina had heard the news. Not only did she risk arrest by once again meeting my grandparents, she even begged to travel with them into the unknown. Instead, at the last moment, they had thrust an old file filled with letters into her arms and told her to keep it safe until she could hand it over to one of their children. Now, 20 years later, she was making good on her promise.

    At first the file’s contents were too painful for my mother to read. It contained all the letters she and her siblings had sent their parents during the war, but also carbon copies of all her parents’ letters to them, up until their first deportation. The ones sent to their elder sons in Argentina and the US, many of which had never arrived, outline their emigration plans and are a detailed account of their early exile.

    Inside the binder, her family still lived.

  25. 25.

    geg6

    @SiubhanDuinne:

    Today is my actual birthday. So thanks! She gave it to me early. Just started it and am loving it so far. She is a very engaging writer and her written voice is just like her actual voice.

  28. 28.

    Baud

    I’m glad progressives didn’t join in the attempted right wing coup, but lefty social media did help set the stage for this distraction.

    @geg6: Happy birthday.

  32. 32.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @geg6: I bought the hardback but also got the audio edition to hear FLOTUS read it in her own voice. She really is a remarkably good writer.

    As all good memoirs have, the hardback has a photo section in the middle, which is just mesmerizing, especially once you know all the characters.

  35. 35.

    hueyplong

    Pelosi remains my hero. She focuses on the bottom line and is willing to forego individual news cycles to get there.

    It’s common sense that the Republicans would demonize the Dems who can hurt them.

  36. 36.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Meanwhile here at home, I’m listening to doggie snoring. Two seconds ago he was high jumping and harassing the cat. Apparently the Beagle-tron (he’s a slightly used 2017 model) has only two operating modes, Berserker and Coma. Shouldn’t they have introduced some others by now?

  37. 37.

    Joey Maloney

    Those 9 Dems and some of the 16 (definitely Moulton) sure don’t look willing to work with Pelosi to bring the *change we voted for,* opposing Republican policies, fascism, lies and discrimination.

    Nancy worked around the Blue Dogs, and she’ll take care of these clowns too. The fact that she’s still here and they’re back in East Dumptruck should tell you all you need.

  38. 38.

    Brachiator

    @NotMax:
    Cool science stories, especially the one about the large mammals from the age of the dinosaurs.

    The upcoming science story to watch for is the Insight Mars lander, scheduled to touch down on Monday.

  39. 39.

    HeleninEire

    Ireland v. USA rugby tonight here at Aviva Stadium. Oh no, who should I root for???

    The pubs are gonna be LIT!!

  41. 41.

    Johnnybuck

    @Tazj: What is so frustrating is how many Democratic voters I am friends with have completely internalized Republican framing of Democratic women leaders. None of them can articulate what they don’t like about Nancy/Hillary/EW/AOC they just know they don’t. I’m talking about men and women here. My response is always “Why are you letting Republicans decide who our leaders are?”

  43. 43.

    NotMax

    @Brachiator

    Hope I didn’t dissuade you in any way last night about the computer. In retrospect, may have come across more opinionated than was intended. You, of course, always know best what your anticipated needs will be..

    Speaking of space, the Russians at least (uncharacteristically, IMHO) do have a sense of humor.

  44. 44.

    hueyplong

    @HeleninEire: I watched Ireland-New Zealand with my daughter’s Irish national boyfriend. It will be surprising if they don’t put the wood to us. They’re really good.

  45. 45.

    Brachiator

    I meant to include in my last note that the GOP has seriously under-estimated both Pelosi and AOC. Pelosi has been, and will continue to be an effective speaker, while the GOP leadership has often stumbled.

    Republicans and right wing media arrogantly thought that they could mock AOC, but they are starting to look like stalkers in need of a restraining order. AOC is a rookie, and should be left alone. She has also demonstated that she is nobody’s fool.

    Also, it is not her fault that she has attracted media attention. Her fellow Dems need to watch out for her and resist jealousy and envy.

  47. 47.

    trwexler

    Somewhere out there is a teenager who, in ten years, is going to be writing a groundbreaking Broadway musical called “Pelosi.”

  48. 48.

    HeleninEire

    @hueyplong: Yeah they are. After the New Zealand match and in New Zealand the NZ coach said they lost because Ireland was far, far superior. Full stop.

  50. 50.

    TS (the original)

    It is nice to know when you are not alone with your political thoughts. The 2nd largest (by population) state in Australia just voted overwhelming for a LW government. A 19 year old just won a seat that had been held by our Liberal party (RW party) since forever.

    Victorian Election Results Shock

  51. 51.

    debbie

    @Brachiator:

    I don’t think they underestimate Pelosi at all. They know how effective she is and they fear her. They’ve turned their fear into hate, and their hate is meant to discredit her. AOC, they have definitely underestimated. You’d have thought these clowns would have learned to not be so dismissive of women by now.

  52. 52.

    Kay

    POLITICO
    ‏Verified account
    @politico
    Follow Follow @politico
    More
    Most Republican voters say Nancy Pelosi should not be House speaker next year: Just 11% support her candidacy, while 61% oppose it, according to our latest poll

    Guffaw

  53. 53.

    Brachiator

    @NotMax: No problem. I appreciate any advice that helps me focus on finding what I am looking for or which suggests alternatives that are in the same ballpark.

    The Russian space agency chief was a breath of fresh air. I hope there are more like him in Putin’s Russia. Loved the sly bit of humor he brought to a stupid question.

  54. 54.

    MomSense

    Somehow Nancy Smash came up at Thanksgiving and my mom, a Bernie bro, said she thought we needed somebody new as speaker. I think she thought the youngs at the table would be pleased to hear this but the youngs all respected Nancy Smash and wanted to know why my mom wants someone new. She didn’t have a reason beyond the wanting new blood for some undefined reason. It’s so weird. During the Hillary Bernie contest, she said so many things that my kids found to be misogynistic. I’m trying to wrap my head around it. My mom was an early feminist and a career woman.

  58. 58.

    Brachiator

    @debbie: Hate or fear, the Republicans problem is that they really do believe the bullshit they hear in the Fox News echo chamber. It never made any sense for them to believe that they had some right to determine the Democratic Party leadership.

  59. 59.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Kay: Yeah, we definitely are looking to the Republicans for guidance on House leadership, because the 2018 election is a clear sign we loved the direction Congress was going under their control.

  61. 61.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Kay: We recently had dinner with a guy who said “Nancy Pelosi” and sat back waiting for us to react as if he’d said “Beetlejuice.” We ignored it and he said it again. It was weird.

    OT, my publisher says I need an Instagram account so I’m setting one up. Or trying to. It’s like the internet senses my presence and says “Ha ha, old person, you shall not pass.” In my head, this is thematically connected to dismissal of Nancy Pelosi.

  65. 65.

    Kay

    @MomSense:

    I don’t know why they can’t look at relevancy of issues and positions rather than chronological age. Pelosi stays relevant. She was the first national, high profile politician to make student loan debt a priority- it was a big part of the 2006 midterm campaign. She pays attention. She’s on top of things. That’s the measure of “progressive”- knowing what’s important for the next group coming up. It isn’t just “new” issues either- things can become urgent- voting rights, right now, for example.

  69. 69.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Kay: I once heard Pelosi talk a little about age and women politicians. She said that certainly in her generation and to a lesser degree even now, women often start their serious career drives later than men do because they spend time raising children. So they’re older when they get to each point.

  71. 71.

    Sab

    I have been holding my nose and voting for Tim Ryan for 15 years because he is a Democrat . God I wish he would get a decent primary challenger.

  73. 73.

    dnfree

    I had a revelation of sorts last night (this being an open thread). I have friends and relatives (in real life and on Facebook) of various degrees and types of religiosity. Even among those who are Christians, there’s a lot of variety in what they believe.

    But yesterday, after a discussion that involved some of my more evangelical friends, I came to a new conclusion. Up until now, I have basically thought that they are welcome to their beliefs as long as they don’t impact others who disagree with them. The main areas I have been concerned about have been social issues (gay rights etc.) and abortion rights.

    But considering the new climate report and recent disasters, I realized that these particular friends don’t believe in climate change. They don’t believe in evolution. They in some cases think God is deciding where there should be hurricanes and floods and fires, and who should live or die in those disasters. And since God is in control, there’s nothing to worry about and no need to change our use of fossil fuel or our other environmental practices.

    So now I realize that these beliefs have a very real and dangerous impact on all of us. What percentage of Americans, say, believe that we don’t need to act on climate change BECAUSE of their religious beliefs? That’s serious.

  75. 75.

    Brachiator

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    It’s like the internet senses my presence and says “Ha ha, old person, you shall not pass.”

    Younger people just have more free time to fiddle with the Internets.

  76. 76.

    schrodingers_cat

    @MomSense: FWIW the most rabid Berners I know IRL, were two women in the their mid to late sixties, one black and one white.
    They narrowly missed being the original hippies and BS gives them the feels. I don’t know, just my theory.

  78. 78.

    john fremont

    @Ella in New Mexico: Intriguing find! As one of the commenters brought up, paraphrasing “why are they wanting to stop Nancy Pelosi? I’d find these “Problem Solvers” sincere in briging bipartisanship back if they first went after Mitch McConnell, see Merrick Garland, One term President Obama.” Actions speak louder than words, just follow the money.

  80. 80.

    Honus

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: exactly. And not few, over three million more votes.

    It also drives me crazy when pundits say the democrats are out of touch with Americans. If that’s do, why do a majority of Americans consistently vote for democrats? Without gerrymandering and voter suppression, republicans wouldn’t have a chance. Yet we’ve constantly got to hear how the party and candidates that get the most votes “need a new messsge” or don’t relate to Americans.

  81. 81.

    Kay

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    I don’t think openness and flexibility are a function of age. Like you, it bothers me that so many “feminists” my age and older are seizing on her age and experience as a detriment. I mean, Jesus- do they hear themselves with this? They’re proving the point.

    Tim Ryan with his “we need to craft our message to appeal to 70 year old Steelworkers” is much older than Nancy Pelosi. Instead of young people compromising to appeal to 70 year old steelworkers how about steelworkers just be fucking team players for once and allow young people to get up front? How long do we have to craft our message for them? 50 years wasn’t long enough? They want the next 20 too? Adapt or step back.

  82. 82.

    Miss Bianca

    Y’know, I’m really starting to like the cut of Ms. O-C’s jib. She’s like rhe Parkland kids – she’s clear-eyed, sharp, takes no shit, and tells her truth. Let’s keep electing more like her!

  85. 85.

    Suzanne

    @BroD:

    You want change? Put Steny out to pasture.

    Y.E.S.
    Nancy Smash is great and has earned her rightful role. But the seniority-based system for the rest of them is Tres Suck.

    I believe Nancy Smash when she says she will be a transitional leader. But cultivating the future takes some investment of time and resources. I hope the Dems do a better job of this.

  86. 86.

    Keith P.

    If anyone reading this has ever given consideration to a home coffee roaster, GET IT! I bought a small auger-style one a few weeks ago, and I have never smelled fresh-ground coffee that fragrant (and I have bought a lot of pricey coffees over the years). The fresh roast – and ability to control the darkness to your liking – really does make a substantial difference. (it’s also a good excuse to stockpile a crazy number of coffees)

  87. 87.

    Honus

    @Kay: I wonder how many democrats think McConnell should be senate majority leader next year? That’s just about as relevant.

  88. 88.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Amir Khalid: Yes, especially readers who might choose a YA fantasy, which is what I write. At the moment, I had to my phone down and take a break. Instagram is installed but I can’t find it, though if I ask google out loud, it will open the app for me.

  89. 89.

    Starfish

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Instagram has the most functionality on a mobile phone so set up the app on your phone instead of trying to do it on the computer.

    Their user interface is stupid. I think if you hit the middle plus button in the app, it lets you take a picture. Then you can apply filters to your picture to make it seem more interesting. Then you post it. These pictures will all be squares.

    Ocasio-Cortez does Instagram live events at around dinner time some evenings. They are charming. She is cooking dinner and encouraging young people to vote and stay engaged.

  95. 95.

    Suzanne

    @Kay:

    we need to craft our message to appeal to 70 year old Steelworkers

    Yeah fuck this noise. So sick of pandering to Real Americans. The Dem coalition is now characterized by minorities and naturalized immigrants, young people, urban dwellers, and whites with college degrees. I’m more concerned with turning out and supporting those people than I am with people who, well, actively oppose the interests of the base.

  97. 97.

    schrodingers_cat

    @But her emails!!!: Correction: White people who vote R.
    It was a rout for the Rs in New England this election, but so far crickets from the MSM. Instead elebenty articles about what Ds need to win the rural white vote. I guess rural (white) folks in MA, VT etc don’t count.

  98. 98.

    Starfish

    @schrodingers_cat: I live in a town of rabid Berners who think they are hippies. They are either older or clueless white dudes in the 20-40 range who cannot see any opinions that are not their own.

  102. 102.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Suzanne: When you list the coalition like that, it sounds like such a wonderful, creative, exciting, interesting, future-oriented mix. Likely to be annoyed with one another, yes, but made more generative by bouncing off one another. Those are the people I want to be around.

  106. 106.

    Keith P.

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Not nearly as bad I was a week ago. I gained about 5 of the 10 lbs I lost in the hospital this week (I’ve been eating a lot of pho) and stopped leaking blood everywhere. I still have to schedule surgery next week, though, so I have another round of fun (probably 2 surgeries, plus a port cath removal in 3-6 months). I think most of the PTSD (if I can call it that) from the ER experience – I had flashback memories like an alien abduction from that crazy experience – has settled out, though.

  107. 107.

    Steeplejack

    @Brachiator:

    I saw your comment in the overnight thread and think you will like the Asus Chromebook Flip. Like Mnemosyne, I have the 10" C100PA and like it a lot. I got it (in July 2017) for two reasons: as a lighter, smaller replacement for my Lenovo notebook on trips and as a “get me away from the desk but still have a keyboard” device. It works well on both counts.

    When I went to Las Vegas for three weeks in September I took it as my only device (besides Android phone) and had no regrets. Used it mostly for e-mail and Web browsing. I’m a multiple-tabs guy, and I had no problem with 10 or 20 tabs open at the same time (in Chrome). I did buy a wireless mouse, because I don’t like the combination of keyboard typing and screen poking for extended sessions, and in retrospect I’m sorry I didn’t also buy a cheap wireless keyboard. I’m a fast typist, and the keyboard on the C100PA, while fine, slows me down just a bit in extended typing sessions—not because of the keys but because sometimes the palm of my hand will touch the trackpad and also because I have trouble remembering some of the alt-commands for page and cursor movement. But that was a situation where it was my main “workstation” for several weeks. For going between home and work, “normal” business trips and “working on the novel at Starbucks” the Flip’s keyboard is fine. And the bigger one on the bigger model you’re considering is even better. I wish mine were backlit, and that would be a key feature on any new Chromebook I would consider.

    I have been a little surprised that I don’t use the Flip in tablet mode very much. It feels just a little too large and heavy, especially in contrast to my 8" Samsung Galaxy Tab 2 tablet. The Flip is very convenient in “tripod” mode, though, for watching video or doing stuff where you can set it on a flat surface and only have to poke the screen occasionally.

    Definitely make sure the one you’re getting is compatible with straight Android apps. I think they probably all are now, but when I got mine not all were, and even on the C100PA I had to flip a switch to say “Yes, I want access to the Android store.” The Android apps I have downloaded work fine.

  108. 108.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @But her emails!!!:

    The pundits are talking about white people.

    And themselves. Democrats keep talking about boring stuff like equal rights and helping the poor, and not things pundits care about like how scary brown people are and how desperately we need to cut entitlements. It doesn’t help that the few non-Republican pundits are disappointed that Democrats keep talking about boring stuff like equal rights and helping the poor, not things left-wing pundits care about like how evil rich people are.

  109. 109.

    HeleninEire

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: She said that when Baby Luke Russert asked if she should resign and make room for new blood. She was WAY better than I would have been.

    I would have answered “Well, some of us bring lots of experience to our jobs, which, by definition make us older. And then some of us get our jobs handed to us by our dead father’s employer because our dead father’s employer feels bad that our father is dead.”

    Yeah. She’s a way better person than I am.

  110. 110.

    Suzanne

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Yaaaaas agree. It’s a great base. We need to work for those people and serve their needs. Tim Ryan is looking backward to what the base used to be at exactly the moment he should be looking forward to what we are and are becoming. Why, Tim, should the Democratic Party prioritize the needs of unreliable, uncommitted voters who are not genuinely reacting to political reality but are instead anxious about cultural change, over the interests of a solid base of support? Riddle me that shit.

    (Note that I actually want to pass policy that would improve the lives of 70-year-old steelworkers. But I am not interested in catering to the protectionist and the sometimes discriminatory impulses found in many of this cohort.)

    I hope Nancy Smash does a great job selecting and training some talented protégées so we have the Party infrastructure to succeed in the years and decades to come.

  111. 111.

    J R in WV

    @geg6:

    Happy birthday!!

    I know you have had some traumatic experiences lately, and seem to be coming through them OK. Thanks for sharing with us. I hope you are recovering well, and that the recent election helps you along a bit!

    Best wishes for the coming year, I hope it runs well for you and yours.

  112. 112.

    Fair Economist

    @Suzanne:

    So sick of pandering to Real Americans. The Dem coalition is now characterized by minorities and naturalized immigrants, young people, urban dwellers, and whites with college degrees.

    Put “Real Americans” there in scare quotes, because the minorities, immigrants, young, etc. are just as real as the steelworkers, and there are a lot more of them. Sometimes the “Real Americans” are the ones that aren’t real anymore. There’s very few coal jobs left, and those that remain are brutally exploited by the mine owners. The tough independent ones of lore are gone.

  113. 113.

    germy

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cindy_Hyde-Smith
    Cindy Hyde-Smith’s wikipedia:

    She is married to a cattle farmer, Mike Smith, and they have one daughter, Anna Michael. They are active members of Macedonia Baptist Church. They have a daughter, who they sent to Brookhaven Academy, a school that was established to enable white children to attend a school without blacks.

    I wonder how long before one of her fans edits that out?

  114. 114.

    Suzanne

    @HeleninEire:

    And then some of us get our jobs handed to us by our dead father’s employer because our dead father’s employer feels bad that our father is dead.

    God, this is the kind of BOOM! throwdown of which I need much, much more.

  115. 115.

    Ken

    @Honus: Mammal-like reptiles were the major group in the late Paleozoic. The smaller forms evolved into mammals. The large forms were thought to have gone extinct in the Permian extinction event. The new find, if confirmed, would be from 50 million years after that.

  116. 116.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @dnfree: Wasn’t Jim Watt Reagan’s Sec of Interior? IIRC he said we didn’t need to worry because ‘Christ is returning soon!!’

  117. 117.

    tobie

    @OzarkHillbilly: This is my mother’s story in a nutshell: she’s the same age as Ruth, born in the same region, had a Catholic nanny who would visit her in secret, and had one reunion with the nanny before she (the nanny) passed away. Thanks for sharing.

  118. 118.

    Immanentize

    @MomSense:

    Early feminist and career woman

    It might have been Jessica Valenti, but some young feminist once noted that your Mom’s generation of feminists found liberation in telling the world what their mothers and father’s were doing wrong and that habit just carried on to their children and grandkids….

  119. 119.

    germy

    @Steeplejack: Question about the chromebook:

    In order to go online, do they make it necessary to log in with a google account?

    I thought I read that somewhere.

  121. 121.

    Immanentize

    @chris:
    I recommend you read Michael Pollan’s book, “Botany of Desire.”. There is a whole chapter dedicated to the Apple. It is such good reading.

  122. 122.

    Suzanne

    @Fair Economist: Yaaaas, you are correct, should have scare quoted. You got my intent, though. “Real Americans” is a bunch of bullshit. The Dem coalition is the future of successful America and I want to see members of all of those groups in leadership, and policy crafted toward furthering their interests.

  126. 126.

    Immanentize

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:
    Someone here the other day said the magic fight word in his family was, “Wilco.” I thought music was probably a better thing to fight about because you might gain new knowledge and insights.

  127. 127.

    J R in WV

    @geg6:

    Thanks! The big six oh! Ugh!

    That makes you a sweet youngster to us older and more distinguished guys… really!

    What did I hear, 60 is the new 40? OK by me~! Will be 68 next month. Ugh. Blew leaves off the roof, front steps and driveway yesterday, was so pooped, could barely get to sleep I was so sore.

  130. 130.

    Luthe

    @Steeplejack: I don’t know about this particular model, but I recommend ASUS computers in general because my ASUS laptop is still chugging along after eight(!!!) years. Sure the exterior is beat to shit (mostly my own fault), but aside from putting in a RAM boost and replacing the battery I haven’t done anything to the innards and it still works fine (my Dells crapped out at the four year mark). Considering I regularly run ArcGIS, which is graphics-intense and takes up like 10GB in HD space all by its lonesome, I am amazed at how well it has held up. I keep toying with the idea of getting a new laptop, but why upgrade what ain’t broke?

  132. 132.

    Ridnik Chrome

    @Immanentize:

    Someone here the other day said the magic fight word in his family was, “Wilco.”

    There’s something kind of hilarious about a family that fights about 90s indie rock. Part of me wants to be in that family, because it’s better than fighting over religion or politics, but part of me doesn’t, because I have some strong opinions about 90s indie rock.

  136. 136.

    tobie

    @Suzanne: Nancy’s been ahead of the curve for years. She spearheaded the last minimum wage increase in 2006 or 2008 when she still had the Speaker’s gavel, and I have no doubt that she will do so again. I don’t know how she, and Hillary for that matter, became the enemies of all things progressive in the minds of BernieBros. There’s a case to be made that their patron saint was the one behind the curve.

  138. 138.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    @Immanentize: When I lived in Detroit, I’d hear people say diversity is great and think it was just slogan to counteract the racists, because diversity can be kind of annoying. People do things like play music you hate at too loud a volume! Then we moved to Iowa, and holy cow, I missed diversity. My neighbors were mostly nice people, but the whole atmosphere felt homogeneous and bland.

  142. 142.

    gwangung

    @Suzanne:

    I believe Nancy Smash when she says she will be a transitional leader. But cultivating the future takes some investment of time and resources.

    Not to mention politicians in relatively safe districts. Can’t develop new leaders if they get voted out.

    (Note: Ted Lieu. Definite emerging leader)

  146. 146.

    Kathleen

    @schrodingers_cat: I think too many Boomers of which I am one feels like they’re reliving The Glorious 60’s. To clarify I am not one of these Boomers. I hate typing on this effing phone

  148. 148.

    Steeplejack

    @germy:

    LOL, you have to log in with a Google account just to start up the Chromebook. All things Chrome = Google.

    When you first fire up your new Chromebook, you get a screen where you are asked to put in your Google/​Gmail account and password. You can sign into a Chromebook as a “guest,” and I believe there is even a way to do that in the initial sign-up process, but I don’t know how much that hobbles and/​or affects your experience.

    If you buy a Chromebook you are pretty much accepting the Borg-like nature of the Google environment. Like they don’t have their claws in your ass already!

  150. 150.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Immanentize: yeah, I can’t have another holiday ruined by the Tupac/Biggie debate.

    But what philistine doesn’t love both the Pixies and the Stone Roses?

  151. 151.

    Suzanne

    @gwangung: agree about Ted Lieu and safe districts. However, the safe districts are changing. I remember hearing (on NPR?) that all but one urban district in the entire country now has a Dem congresscritter. And look at Orange County. Even my fucken purple-ass district easily elected a Dem this cycle, after three cycles of Sinema. Not even a decade ago, this district was really tough, and now the GOP barely even musters up a challenger. The coalition is changing, the safe districts are changing. It is really exciting.

  154. 154.

    trollhattan

    @MomSense:
    We’re basically crows, looking for shiny things. As not-the-speaker Nancy has been toiling in the background and not landing yuge wins like ACA every six months. Her next “crime” will be not ridding us of Trump by February.

  155. 155.

    trollhattan

    @Steeplejack:

    If you buy a Chromebook you are pretty much accepting the Borg-like nature of the Google environment. Like they don’t have their claws in your ass already!

    It sounds bad but then Seven of Nine shows up at the house.

  156. 156.

    Barbara

    @tobie: Pelosi was in the forefront of promoting LGBTQ civil rights. She has rarely wavered from authentic progressive principles.

  157. 157.

    Ken

    @Honus: The main criteria is the bone structure in the skull – look up “synapsid” (the mammal-likes and us) versus “diapsid” (the dinosaurs and birds, but I repeat myself). There is some evidence they had hair and were warm-blooded, based on the structure and growth patterns in the bones.

  158. 158.

    L85NJGT

    @Suzanne:

    The party of aspirational America.

    @Suzanne:

    Future House leadership is hard to recruit and retain – they need to have the chops, be from safe seats and willing to put in the time. I’ll also note the family work life balance is still heavier for women.

  160. 160.

    Suzanne

    @tobie: Nancy Smash is the consummate political operator. She is as progressive as the legislation she passes. And I almost always trust her instincts.

    What I think makes her appear less-than-progressive is the seniority-based leadership structure, and longtime lieutenants like Hoyer and Clyburn. It is hard to appear progressive when it is always the same cohort at the top and the structure of the organization favors long-termers almost exclusively. I would like to see a better mix of experience and freshness in leadership. I notice this in businesses, too. Organizations that almost exclusively promote from within and who don’t do a good job reaching out for new blood also get stuck in their ways and habits, and often fall behind others in their field.

  161. 161.

    Suzanne

    @L85NJGT:

    Future House leadership is hard to recruit and retain

    That is what makes it so important to put a lot of effort into growing it now, while we have a majority.

  162. 162.

    Steeplejack

    @Luthe:

    [. . .] but why upgrade what ain’t broke?

    Something to consider:

    Computers very rarely become obsolete. They continue to do what they do, and they don’t completely quit unless they break. They do become obsolescent, however: newer computers will do the same tasks much faster or more efficiently and will also add new functionality and benefits.

    So if you splurged and got a new computer you might be pleasantly surprised to see improvements in the performance of ArcGIS, not to mention a better experience overall—better graphics, better reliability, new and improved apps, etc. But, yeah, strictly speaking, you don’t have to upgrade if you’re satisfied with what you’ve got.

  163. 163.

    Brachiator

    @Steeplejack: Thanks very much for the comments about the chromebook.

    I’m a multiple-tabs guy, and I had no problem with 10 or 20 tabs open at the same time (in Chrome). I did buy a wireless mouse, because I don’t like the combination of keyboard typing and screen poking for extended sessions

    Yep, this is exactly how I would use it. Also agree that a backlit keyboard is a big preference.

    My Toshiba Chromebook was a 13 inch laptop, so I’m thinking that I would like to stick with a model around that size.

  165. 165.

    gene108

    @Honus:

    also drives me crazy when pundits say the democrats are out of touch with Americans.

    Majority of white people, especially white men, vote overwhelmingly for Republicans, therefore Democrats are out of touch with “real” Americans.

  166. 166.

    Michael Cain

    @OzarkHillbilly: By tradition, winning the election for Speaker requires a majority based on the number of elected members of the House minus any “Present” votes. If all the Republicans vote for McCarthy and (just for example) 50 Democrats vote “Present”, McCarthy would win.

  170. 170.

    tobie

    @Barbara: And at the forefront of advocating for the Dreamers, too. She really had been ahead of the game on so many issues.

    @Suzanne: I see your point but I don’t fully agree with it. Sure, leadership should change when it’s no longer effective. But I also appreciate that governing is hard and requires expertise that can only be gained through the years. I wouldn’t go to a doctor fresh out of med school simply because she is new blood. I wouldn’t hire a lawyer without a track record. The same goes for governing.

    I actually find this opposition to experience on the Democratic side disturbing. 2016 convinced me that what we’re witnessing is the full Ronald-Reaganization of American politics–sound bytes replace policy; marketing replaces long-standing commitment. Our disastrous first-MBA-President (“W”) and disastrous-business-background President (Trump) will hopefully teach America that business requires an entirely different skill set than governing. I love that the most inspiring voices in Democratic politics right now–Obama, Beto, Stacey Abrams–come from a background in public service.

  172. 172.

    Steeplejack

    @allium:

    Firefox does not like those Brookhaven links, because the site owner “has configured their website improperly. To protect your information from being stolen, Firefox has not connected to this website.” Tsk.

  173. 173.

    Brachiator

    @Steve in the ATL:

    yeah, I can’t have another holiday ruined by the Tupac/Biggie debate.

    Were you near my family’s house over the holidays? It wasn’t until we shifted from HRC vs Trump to Tupac/Biggie that all hell broke loose!

    But what philistine doesn’t love both the Pixies and the Stone Roses?

    Honestly, I don’t think I’ve heard anything from either group.

  175. 175.

    dnfree

    @Suzanne: See my comment at #72 about real Americans, or some of them (too many of them) anyway. I have come to realize that they’re not just a danger on the human level (gays, transgender, abortion rights)–they’re a danger to the planet and those of us who live on it. Now I don’t know what to do about it, because they are quite convinced of their beliefs.

  176. 176.

    dnfree

    @geg6: Happy birthday! I am 20% older than you are. Even before I reached your exalted age, I stopped saying “Ugh” about birthdays, because there are an increasing number of my peers every year who didn’t make it as far as I have. So turn that frown upside down!

  177. 177.

    Barbara

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I would probably have said something willfully obtuse, like, “you have something against grandmothers? Italian-Americans?” And, especially if that person supports Sanders, “if it’s because you think she is too old, you do realize that Sanders is around the same age?”

  178. 178.

    dnfree

    @J R in WV: Hah! Sixty is not the new forty, and seventy isn’t the new fifty, either. The results of your physical labor are telling you the truth.

  179. 179.

    Suzanne

    @tobie: I wouldn’t call my position (or that of other Dems) an opposition to experience. I do think that some people, Hoyer springs to mind immediately, do not do a good job of evolving. SuzMom has pointed out to me that, for some people, twenty years of experience is twenty years of growth, and that for others, it’s the same year repeated twenty times. In other words, seniority and experience are important but not sufficient for leadership. And I am not arguing against experience; I am in fact saying that it is important to start growing experienced leaders now so that we have them in twenty years. The House on the Dem side is known for being a dead-end for ambitious young lawmakers, who often end up leaving to run for other offices, because they don’t want to wait around for thirty years to maaaaaaybe get a leadership position. That is not a good thing, to say the least. There will be no future Pelosis if we do not start cultivating them now.

  180. 180.

    Bill Arnold

    AOC also has something really solid to work with, the Fourth National Climate Assessment. It’s focused on the US and does a decent job of speaking to selfish people. (I hope AOC fully internalizes the understanding that that’s important in the US.)
    Ocasio-Cortez on climate change report: People will die if we don’t act now
    I suggest reading at least the eight page summary.
    FOURTH NATIONAL CLIMATE ASSESSMENT Summary Findings (html) (pdf) (8 pages)
    (everything(html))
    The (very short and readable) sections in the 8 page summary are:

    SUMMARY FINDINGS
    Background
    1. Communities
    2. Economy
    3. Interconnected Impacts
    4. Actions to Reduce Risks
    5. Water
    6. Health
    7. Indigenous Peoples
    8. Ecosystems & Services
    9. Agriculture
    10. Infrastructure
    11. Oceans & Coasts
    12. Tourism & Recreation

  182. 182.

    Immanentize

    @Steeplejack: Best advice I ever got was buy the best computer you can afford now as it will carry you further into the ultimate future when speed or memory will require an upgrade.

    In 1990, the Compaq salesman told us we would never need more computer than the 386s we purchased from him. They probably still work

  183. 183.

    Immanentize

    @Brachiator:

    Honestly, I don’t think I’ve heard anything from either group.

    Tsk tsk tsk…. Maybe you might wanna check ’em out. “Happy Mondays” too?

  185. 185.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @tobie:

    I don’t know how she, and Hillary for that matter, became the enemies of all things progressive in the minds of BernieBros.

    There is a portion of liberal voters, and they’re mostly the ones called ‘the left’, who believe that ‘rich people are evil’ is the political issue that defines everything else. If you do not say so, and loudly, then by their perception you are on the wrong side of the class war. This is the division between liberals and More Progressive Than Thou Left. There is also a large middle group that merely think rich people are evil, but it’s not their only concern. Those people vote Democratic and I’m sure a number of people reading this are in that camp. Democratic leaders rarely call rich people evil, being generally more focused on pulling everyone up rather than tearing anyone down.

    Misogyny and racism are also clearly part. If you inherently think black people and women should sit down and shut up, ‘eat the rich’ is most of what you’re left with, and you certainly get irritated by mainstream liberals who focus heavily on civil rights. We saw a lot of this in the Sanders camp, but it’s hard to measure which motivations are the most important to a group.

  186. 186.

    Starfish

    @Immanentize: Usually, I buy the second best computer that I can afford. There was often some price premium for THE BEST and newest tech that I did not want to pay, and the computer lasted just about as long.

  187. 187.

    tobie

    @Suzanne:Thanks for the clarification. What I’m puzzled by is this idea that the party hasn’t cultivated new leaders. When I think about the House members on the D side I frequently see on TV, the names that come to mind are Adam Schiff, Eric Swalwell, Ted Lieu, Hakeem Jeffries, Jacky Rosen, Joe Heck, and Jim Himes. Granted, a lot of these are on the House Intelligence Committee which is getting attention these days but they’re there because they’ve distinguished themselves.

  188. 188.

    Frankensteinbeck

    What I’m puzzled by is this idea that the party hasn’t cultivated new leaders.

    Potential leaders who are not leading yet aren’t super visible, and only true political junkies can identify them. This is especially true on the Democratic side, where we tend to focus on getting things done. Republicans prefer grandstanding, so they have a bunch of people who look like leaders but have no actual future leading anything.

  190. 190.

    patroclus

    @Michael Cain: No. House Rules require an absolute majority to be elected Speaker. That is, the winner must receive at least 218 votes. If Dems vote Present, there is no way McCarthy can win. McCarthy’s maximum is 202. Moulton’s theory is that enough Dems will not vote for Nancy so that she cannot get 218. Then, he assumes, she will drop out and someone else will step up. That probably won’t happen, but if it does, she just has to “not drop out” and continue running until enough of Moulton’s colleagues back down.

  191. 191.

    tobie

    @Bill Arnold: Oh good…a link to the report. I’ve been meaning to read it. Thanks.
    @Frankensteinbeck: Yeah, I think everyone who reads this site believes that business without regulation is like a football game without rules and a referee.

  194. 194.

    Immanentize

    @patroclus:
    It looks like the Dems will have 233 seats. That means to get to 218, Pelosi can lose (quick math) 15 votes of “present” and still become speaker. COINCIDENTALLY now that one of the 16 who signed the letter has agreed to vote Pelosi on the floor, (again, quick math) the other 15 signers can fuck themselves without additional supporters to their charge of the light-headed brigade.

  196. 196.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Suzanne: Brings to mind a quote from John Riggins, the highly skilled Washington Ethnicslurs running back from a generation ago who was a tad, um, freewheeling in his opinionating:

    Noting that the archrival Dallas Cowboys were touted as “America’s team,” Riggo said, What does that make us, Russia’s team?

    Fast forward to 20 January 2017… :^(

  197. 197.

    Mnemosyne

    @rikyrah:

    You can install the mobile app versions of Office and store your documents in the cloud, but you can’t install and run Office directly on the Chromebook. That’s what makes it a good secondary/travel computer, but not a replacement for a full desktop or laptop.

  198. 198.

    Steeplejack

    @Immanentize:

    I have a Palm Pilot here by my desk that I (used to) turn on occasionally just to marvel at the fact that it still works. But when it’s working it does what my cell phone does now with one or two minor apps. Progress!

    I, too, remember the ’80s and ’90s, when my software developer colleagues and I were buying new computers every year or so because the CPU was the big bottleneck to performance. Now the bottlenecks (such as they are—not much) are your Internet access speed and RAM (for buffering and multitasking). I’m not quite embarrassed to admit that my main computer is a puny little Lenovo X130e that was new in 2012. (I got mine as a factory refurb from Woot in about 2014. I did goose it up to 8 GB of RAM.) It still works fine. I type on a gloriously clicky Das Keyboard, and my main complaint is the small screen size. I could address that by hooking up an external monitor.

    But one of Daddy’s strictest rules is that you can never have too much hardware, and I do experience waves of consumer lust as I get bombarded daily with e-mail flyers from Amazon, Best Buy, Micro Center, CDW, Tiger Direct, NewEgg—all the usual suspects. I’m just window-shopping for the time being. But, yeah, it’s always good to buy out on the leading edge as far as you can afford.

  199. 199.

    dopey-o

    @Keith P.:

    If anyone reading this has ever given consideration to a home coffee roaster, GET IT! I bought a small auger-style one a few weeks ago, and I have never smelled fresh-ground coffee that fragrant (and I have bought a lot of pricey coffees over the years). The fresh roast – and ability to control the darkness to your liking – really does make a substantial difference. (it’s also a good excuse to stockpile a crazy number of coffees)

    save your money, this baby pops popcorn (useful for the Mueller hearings in 2019 in the House) AND roasts coffee!

  201. 201.

    Steeplejack

    @rikyrah:

    Yes, you can run Office on a Chromebook. You just need to make sure your Chromebook model is compatible with Android apps. I believe all the new ones are, but some of the older models aren’t.

    Also, if you use some really esoteric features of the Office apps, you might want to do a little research about those, because I suspect (but don’t know for sure) that the Android version of Office is not 100% identical to the Windows version. I have used Word and Excel on my Chromebook with no problems.

    ETA: Brachiator is looking at the Asus C302CA Chromebook Flip, which (apparently) Amazon has on sale for $400.

  202. 202.

    James E Powell

    If any Democrat does anything to impair or impede Pelosi, I think we should promote riots at their every public appearance.

    Enough of this shit.

  204. 204.

    Steeplejack

    @Ken:

    No, it wasn’t connected to that. Forensic evidence suggests that he posted some inflammatory tweet, got pilloried by a huge number of commenters and subsequently did a GBCW, without the actual GBCW. I’d just like to know what he said that was so heinous.

  206. 206.

    J R in WV

    @allium:

    Sure, Brookhaven was founded in 1970 as a segregation academy, but things have changed a lot since then, right? /s

    Their faculty page.
    Their board of directors.

    And now those links give me a 404, after I overrode their poor sec cert settings. Wonder why??? Racist Mutherfukers. And now they’re trying to hide from the interwebs, pathetic fools…

  207. 207.

    Bill Arnold

    @Starfish:

    Usually, I buy the second best computer that I can afford. There was often some price premium for THE BEST and newest tech that I did not want to pay, and the computer lasted just about as long.

    Skimp (if one must) on everything but memory. For memory (storage is less important), max out the machine when bought. That will give the machine an extra few years of usefulness assuming no hardware failures. Oh, and SSDs (pretty much all new machines) mean no hard drive failure if machine is dropped or regularly jarred.

  208. 208.

    J R in WV

    @dnfree:

    The results of your physical labor are telling you the truth.

    I’m only too aware of that. Were it not for joint replacement therapy I would be immobile and miserable. Both shoulders were agonizing, now are just sore. No more heavy construction, but can muddle through chores, a little. Arthritis, tendonitis, all over, and they can’t replace all the joints, so ache is omnipresent.

    Yet I persist! And have a good time often!

  210. 210.

    Ruckus

    @dnfree:

    What percentage of Americans, say, believe that we don’t need to act on climate change BECAUSE of their religious beliefs? That’s serious.

    I wrote a paragraph on this and decided not to, it may have been just a bit inflammatory. But I think it may be more, far more than one might imagine, even if it is sub-conscious.

  215. 215.

    Caravelle

    @Steeplejack: It was about the people going to Tucker Carlson’s house, he tweeted about how he had little empathy for Tucker & family in that situation and thought we should care more about the people Tucker harmed. I saw the original tweet and some of the pushback but don’t remember more specifics than that; I assume there was a lot of arguing about whether it was right not to denounce the protesters. There may also have been right-wing doxxing and/or harassment that I didn’t witness but I think I saw references to.

  216. 216.

    Michael Cain

    @patroclus: Here’s the Office of the Clerk of the House on the subject:

    When a Congress convenes for the first time, each major party conference or caucus nominates a candidate for Speaker. Members customarily elect the Speaker by roll call vote. A Member usually votes for the candidate from his or her own party conference or caucus but can vote for anyone, whether that person has been nominated or not.

    To be elected, a candidate must receive an absolute majority of the votes cast—which may be less than a majority of the full House because of vacancies, absentee Members, or Members who vote “present.” If no candidate receives the majority of votes, the roll call is repeated until a majority is reached and the Speaker is elected.

  217. 217.

    Steeplejack

    @Caravelle:

    Okay, thanks. I wonder if that was before the police report was made public, showing that the protesters had been very well-behaved and not violent (e.g., no door-banging).

  219. 219.

    Caravelle

    @Steeplejack: I do believe it was, yes.

    There is some information on the Google, or at least there was when I tried to find out back when he deleted his feed. There was at least one article of someone commenting on what happened.

  221. 221.

    Procopius

    For unity and discipline there’s just no beating Mitch McConnell. From December 2008 (before Obama’s inauguration) until January 2017, not one single Republican dared to vote against his direction. Now I agree Nancy Pelosi has to be accounted great, but she’s herding cats. How many Dems in the house voted to gut bank regulations — again? McConnell’s agenda is horrible, but he sure is good at beating his party into obedience.

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