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You are here: Home / Open Threads / He came at the queen. He missed.

He came at the queen. He missed.

by | 259 Comments

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Via The Post:

A high-profile critic of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi signaled on Monday that he is seeking to hold negotiations with her about changes to her leadership team, a development that makes her ascendancy to the speakership likelier as her opponents continue to struggle to recruit a challenger.

The decision by Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) to shift his attention from Pelosi — by far the front-runner for the speakership and currently running unopposed — to potential discussions over the lower-ranking positions of House majority leader and House majority whip underscored Pelosi’s strength and the desire of her critics to reshuffle the leadership even if she holds the gavel…

Pelosi, however, has given no indication that she is open to talks with Moulton about a deal for the support of moderate critics or that she would ever waver in her support for her longtime deputies, Reps. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.) and James E. Clyburn (S.C.), who are in line to hold the No. 2 and No. 3 posts in the House next year.

Still, associates of Moulton, 40, said he is hoping to sit down with Pelosi to discuss possible terms for the support of his group, in particular possibly rallying behind a younger member to be House majority leader or House majority whip, with an emphasis on bringing in a new generation to the leadership in the wake of the Democrats’ sweeping gains in the midterm elections…

“Leader Pelosi wants to boil this down to a personal argument, but this is so much bigger than her,” Moulton said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It’s about the entire, stagnant three-person leadership team and having a serious conversation about promoting leaders who reflect the future of our caucus.”

No, Congressman Moulton — you made it personal, and Pelosi is so much bigger than you. Just pray she doesn’t squash you like a bug.

Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing the back of Steny Hoyer, and I agree the Dems need new blood in the House leadership team. But Pelosi holds all the cards here, and it sounds like she’s making that crystal clear to Moulton. Good.

Reader Interactions

259Comments

  1. 1.

    TenguPhule

    Just pray she doesn’t squash you like a bug.

    You’ll excuse us if the rest of us pray for that, won’t you?

  2. 2.

    TenguPhule

    Still, associates of Moulton, 40, said he is hoping to sit down with Pelosi to discuss possible terms for the support of his group

    A frontpager needs to post the clip from Fifth Element in regards to how negotiations will go.

  3. 3.

    Corner Stone

    Can we bribe someone to get a news blackout put on Moulton? That dude needs to find a hole and pull it over himself.

  5. 5.

    Gin & Tonic

    I have a feeling that when he comes into her office she will hand him a tray with his testicles neatly placed on it.

  6. 6.

    chopper

    democrats in disarray!

    jesus, nancy didn’t even put her gloves on here. “fight for the speakership” my ass.

  7. 7.

    Corner Stone

    “Well, Nancy. You have defeated me and my backers soundly. Now I would like to discuss the terms of your surrender.”
    “It’s Ms. Pelosi if you’re nasty.”
    /meeting ends

  8. 8.

    Burnspbesq

    I’m ok with allowing Moulton to save some face as he surrenders, as long as he acknowledges that that is what he is doing.

  10. 10.

    Corner Stone

    @cain:

    hold the gravel and use it to knock some heads

    Or she could bury them in shallow graves on back road country lanes and use it to grade over them for the winter.

  11. 11.

    ruemara

    If the scuttlebutt that Hoyer was passively looking to increase his standing with this, then I hope she shivs him as well.

  13. 13.

    randy khan

    I kind of imagine a private meeting in which she simply asks him if he can count to 218.

    The amusing effect of this is that it’s just helping her consolidate power and remind people how good she is at the job.

  15. 15.

    MazeDancer

    Joy Reid had the best comment over a ReTweet about Moulton seeking a parlay, complete with demands, with Madame Pelosi – “With what leverage?”.

    Though the headline to this Post is even better.

  16. 16.

    stan

    I’ve been hoping she’d replace one of her subordinate leaders though – not with this guy, of course, but with a younger dem.

  17. 17.

    Corner Stone

    @randy khan:

    I kind of imagine a private meeting in which she simply asks him if he can count to 218.

    “Oh, you’re free to leave any time you like. Just as soon as you get done counting to 218. Here, I’ll help you out. *Holds up her middle finger” That’s one.”

  18. 18.

    piratedan

    well Congressman Moulton, I accept your offer to work with our caucus to find ways to better America, let me know how your project of experiencing atmospheric conditions in Arctic proceeds in regards to climate change. I look forward to your weekly reports from Barrow and the Aleutian Islands with great anticipation….

  19. 19.

    Haroldo

    It’s not surprising that the author of this piece – which exists only to give Moulton some oxygen – is a former National Review staffer. The liberal Washington Post, indeed.

  21. 21.

    Turner Hedenkoff

    I look forward to seeing what Rep. Moulton will do with his future seat on the House Committee on Sewer Bond Reform.

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    “Leader Pelosi wants to boil this down to a personal argument, but this is so much bigger than her,” Moulton said in a statement to The Washington Post. “It’s about the entire, stagnant three-person leadership team and having a serious conversation about promoting leaders who reflect the future of our caucus.”

    You bought and pedaled the GOP stereotype of Nancy Pelosi…

    He completely forgot…..

    She LIVES in San Francisco…

    She will FOREVER BE….

    Nancy from Baltimore..

    Seth….if you don’t know what this means….you betta ask somebody.

  23. 23.

    Johnny Gentle (famous crooner)

    Changes in non-Pelosi leadership positions aren’t a bad idea. I remember in the last nascent revolt, a major issue was the lack of opportunity for advancement among younger caucus members. It should be a priority to create future leaders within the caucus ensure newer members feel there’s something to strive for.

  24. 24.

    O. Felix Culpa

    My representative, Ben Ray Lyman, is running for the #4 slot. I think he’d be a good choice.

  25. 25.

    JPL

    @stan: Same here but I think because of Moulton’s involvement, that is unlikely now. Hoyer would be the one that I would like replaced.

  26. 26.

    MazeDancer

    @Burnspbesq:

    I’m ok with allowing Moulton to save some face as he surrenders,

    Sure, as long as he admits he’s a whiny-faced, self-absorbed, sexist, ageist, little white boy and that don’t cut it in today’s Democratic Party.

    And begs forgiveness so he doesn’t get primary-ied. Which begging forgiveness might not even prevent.

    Why, yes, I am angry at these fools messing with the biggest Dem victory since Watergate – completely orchestrated by the Queen.

  28. 28.

    Mary G

    The fact that Seth had to use the media to communicate this shows that Nancy SMASH has NFLTG about him, and rightly so.

  29. 29.

    Gravenstone

    @ruemara: How is Hoyer increasing his standing, unless he was propping up Moulton from the shadows? In which case, he has pretty thoroughly screwed that pooch. Best case is he loses his position to Clyburn and newer blood takes the #3 slot and further down.

  31. 31.

    SFAW

    Still, associates of Moulton, 40, said he is hoping to sit down with Pelosi to discuss possible terms for the support of his group,

    “Seth, you can have my answer now. My offer is this: Nothing. And I would appreciate it if you leave your balls on that tray, as a sort of trophy.”

  32. 32.

    Barbara

    @rikyrah: @rikyrah:

    Seth….if you don’t know what this means….you betta ask somebody.. . . Hon!

    Does Seth Moulton actually think that anybody failed to see right through his little game? I notice how Tim Ryan has become totally incommunicado.

  33. 33.

    laura

    Pity the poor, incompetent, privileged, white, males for thinking they can waltz past those who have put the years of work in, and shove aside the Women who knows how to get shit done, and expect to be offered the big seat at the table of power just so he and his enablers can steer us back into the arms of Republican owners and their disastrous policies.
    Pity him, then offer him a big old bag of salted dicks.

  34. 34.

    rikyrah

    @SFAW:

    “Seth, you can have my answer now. My offer is this: Nothing. And I would appreciate it if you leave your balls on that tray, as a sort of trophy.”

    LMAO!!

  36. 36.

    The Moar You Know

    In another time, Moulton would be begging for water and telling his tale of woe to passers-by while suspended in a welded-shut cage, dangling from a large oak at the city limits, there to die of starvation and serve as a warning to others for decades.

    He’s a downright lucky guy!

  38. 38.

    Mnemosyne

    When this was all being chewed over last week, my various Google searches discovered that Ted Lieu has been an Assistant Whip since late 2017, which was heartening news. I hadn’t realized that Lieu is only just starting his third term — he was first elected to the House in 2014.

    I think that Nancy can see the direction the party is taking and there will be a much more diverse leadership going into the next Congress. Keep an eye on the lower levels (like the Assistant Whip choices) because those are the folks being groomed for bigger and better things.

  39. 39.

    But her emails!!!

    I don’t know that Moulton has testicles left to forfeit. I’m pretty sure his constituents claimed them at his last town hall event.

  41. 41.

    hells littlest angel

    It seems every time i see Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, she is lugging around an armful of documents. I think Pelosi should offer Moulton the plum leadership position of AOC’s Stuff Carrier.

  42. 42.

    Haroldo

    @schrodingers_cat:

    On behalf of physics grads and Massholes I apologize for Seth Moulton. Go away, idiot.

    Allow me to join you in that apology.

    I further add that I voted for him: Mea culpa. Mea culpa. Mea maxima culpa. (In 2020 it’s Primary Time. I hope that’s enough penance.)

  43. 43.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    “Leader Pelosi wants to boil this down to a personal argument, but this is so much bigger than her,” Moulton said in a statement to The Washington Post

    Christ, does he work at being this stupid? Reminds me of this from Inherit the Wind

    DRUMMOND. […] I wonder how it feels to be Almost-President three times—with a skull full of undelivered inauguration speeches.

    HORNBECK. Something happens to an Also-Ran.
    Something happens to the feet of a man
    Who always comes in second in a foot-race
    He becomes a national unloved child,
    A balding orphan, an aging adolescent
    Who never got the biggest piece of candy. (III, 477-86)

    and Seth Moulton was no Matthew Brady. He peaked being interviewed on the O’Bros’ podcast.

  44. 44.

    Motivated Seller

    If Pelosi is really such a superstar, then why does she need all her fans sh*tting all over him?

    Putting Democratic Establishment Figures back in charge of the Democratic Establishment does not sound like a plan for fixing the systemic electoral problems that progressives face.

  45. 45.

    SFAW

    Although I am OK with heaping scorn on Moulton, wasn’t it Ryan who was more of a driver on this thing? Of course, he didn’t go whining to the WaPo today, the wimp.

  49. 49.

    Aleta

    This is Moulton’s concept of working with Pelosi.

    @laura: “thinking they can waltz past those who have put the years of work in, and shove aside the Women who knows how to get shit done, and expect to be offered the big seat at the table of power” Apparently it’s worked for him before. Why should he change? Just because some women are saying he should?

  50. 50.

    Aleta

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @Ocasio2018

    What if instead of sending 5k troops to the border, we had sent 5k caseworkers to review + process visa applications?

    In addition to averting moral crisis, it also would‘ve saved enormous amt of resources. But we don’t talk about the financial recklessness of GOP admins, do we?

  53. 53.

    MomSense

    The first issue with developing leadership is that they need to be from safe districts. This is part of why Schiff skipped the usual promotion according to seniority. Until this past election, it was pretty tough to recruit young people to volunteer in our Democratic offices let alone run for Congress. Running for office is thankless and requires either independent wealth or work flexibility (again this changed a bit this past election). Then there is the reality that the Congress people who aspire to higher office do not really want to commit to running committees. The pool of people to cultivate for leadership hasn’t been as deep as people assume. I hope this is also changing.

  54. 54.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Motivated Seller: DNC ESTABLISHMENT MORE DEBATES DEBBIE WASSERMAN SCHULTZ SUPERDELEGATES I WANNA BE INSPIRED BERNIE WAS ROBBED OUR VOICES MUST BE HEARD MY VOTE MUST BE EARNED DONUTS!

    Did I miss any?

  60. 60.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @Motivated Seller: AOC seems to disagree…

    But seriously, Nancy Pelosi is the most progressive national Dem leader we’ve ever had, and that includes Barack Obama. Progressive AND effective.

  61. 61.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @Motivated Seller: Hi, nym I’ve never seen before. Please cite your evidence that Pelosi is unaware of what the legislative priorities are, or ineffective at getting legislation passed.

    If neither of those things is true, please provide evidence that fixing problems involved something else that Pelosi has not demonstrated.

    Thanks.

  62. 62.

    coin operated

    @Aleta:

    Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez @Ocasio2018

    What if instead of sending 5k troops to the border, we had sent 5k caseworkers to review + process visa applications?

    In addition to averting moral crisis, it also would‘ve saved enormous amt of resources. But we don’t talk about the financial recklessness of GOP admins, do we?

    Damn do I love me some AOC. She’s owning anyone who comes at her on Twitter. Hope she stays around as long as Nancy SMASH.

  64. 64.

    TenguPhule

    About 300 hundred U.S. service members on the southern border have been shifted within the last few days from assignments in Arizona and Texas to work in California, near where a caravan of migrants has arrived in Mexico, U.S. military officials said Monday.

    The troops were reassigned in coordination with U.S. Customs and Border Protection, which asked for assistance from the Pentagon to prepare for the arrival of Central American migrants.Trump has lauded the use of the military at the border, even as Defense Secretary Jim Mattis has stressed that the troops will have no law enforcement role.

    Hundreds of U.S. troops on southern border shifted to near site of migrant caravan

    I’m so old I remember when this kind of news was considered only click bait. Unfortunately I trust Mattis about as far as I can fire him out of a cannon.

  67. 67.

    opiejeanne

    mr opiejeanne is channeling his inner Willie Brown and suggests she move his office into a broom closet.

  68. 68.

    Motivated Seller

    God listen to yourselves people! You need to get out of the echo chamber. “It’s about the entire, stagnant three-person leadership team and having a serious conversation about promoting leaders who reflect the future of our caucus.”

    What has the Democratic leadership done to advance the next generation of progressive leaders?

  69. 69.

    FlipYrWhig

    I continue to believe that the word “establishment” makes a handy shibboleth for whether I need to pay any attention to a person who wants to discuss politics.

  73. 73.

    Gelfling 545

    @SFAW: Ryan seems to be at least bright enough to keep a low profile now that the new elected congresspeople are in DC and can get a gander at the leaders of this faux progressive coup attempt. Not brilliant but smarter than Moulton.

  75. 75.

    TenguPhule

    @Motivated Seller:

    and having a serious conversation about promoting leaders who reflect the future of our caucus.”

    I don’t recall our navy ever clamoring to replace the Admirals currently busy fighting the Battle of Midway with fucking backseat driving ensigns.

  77. 77.

    Haroldo

    @SFAW:

    ….wasn’t it Ryan who was more of a driver on this thing? Of course, he didn’t go whining to the WaPo today, the wimp.

    My memory ain’t the best, but my impression is Ryan was the driver in days past, and Moulton kind of picked up the baton from him. And it could simply be that I’m more prone to hearing ‘Moulton’ rather than ‘Ryan’ because Seth is my congress-critter (alas).

  78. 78.

    Immanentize

    The other classic also works:
    Seth:. I really want to meet, to discuss what you must do for me. I’m available next Tuesday.
    Leader Pelosi:. Hmm, next Tuesday is not good. How is never, Seth?

  79. 79.

    TenguPhule

    Trump attacks looming Mueller report after an ally predicts it will be ‘devastating’

    Trump on Monday launched what some interpreted as a preemptive PR attack against special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s final report — a day after one of Mueller’s most prominent critics said he expects the investigation’s conclusion will be politically “devastating to the president.”

    Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus professor at Harvard Law School, has spent much of the past year arguing that Mueller’s search for criminal activity in Trump’s 2016 campaign is so aggressive that it “endangers democracy,” as his book on the subject is titled.

    I must say Harvard isn’t sending us their best people. They’re sending drunks, they’re sending idiots, some of them are rapists for pete’s sake.

    tick tock.

  81. 81.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    promoting leaders who reflect the future of our caucus

    how does the Marblehead from Marblehead (don’t at/actually me, locals, it’s bloggy license) “reflect the future of our caucus”?

  82. 82.

    joel hanes

    By Gadfrey, it’s a treat to watch someone who knows how the game is to be played!

    Nancy SMASH

  84. 84.

    Fair Economist

    @SFAW:

    Although I am OK with heaping scorn on Moulton, wasn’t it Ryan who was more of a driver on this thing?

    That’s a common suspicion, but (Tim) Ryan hasn’t been making a big scene in the media like Moulton. It’s hard for us to know whether Tim Ryan is really pushing this behind closed doors (although, Nancy might know…)

    I don’t really know what Ryan and/or Moulton are pushing for. The Dem caucus has progressive and conservative wings, and both have to be represented in leadership for the caucus to be able to hang together. The progressive wing is now far larger and so the top dog has to come from the progressive wing. Hence the current situation of Pelosi #1 and Hoyer #2. It really couldn’t be any different. If Ryan/Moulton thought they could replace Pelosi themselves, or maybe get Hoyer to #1 with one of them as the #2, it was just impossible. The Dem caucus is just not going to have its two top leaders from the conservative wing again, for the foreseeable future. It seems #fivewhiteguys are really bad at caucus politics.

  85. 85.

    TenguPhule

    Trump on Monday defended the use of tear gas by U.S. agents against Central American migrants at the San Ysidro border crossing, saying that authorities “had to use” the chemical agent in Sunday’s chaos and dismissing reports that children were among those affected.

    “They’re not, as you know. They’re not,” Trump told reporters outside the White House when asked whether he was comfortable with the tear-gassing of children at the border. “They had to use [it] because they were being rushed by some very tough people. And they used tear gas. Here’s the bottom line: Nobody’s coming into our country unless they come in legally.”

    Asshole.

    Hillary Clinton
    ✔
    @HillaryClinton
    This is wrong. https://www.nytimes.com/2018/11/25/world/americas/tijuana-mexico-border.html …

    8,103
    10:22 AM – Nov 26, 2018

    President.

  86. 86.

    Motivated Seller

    This barrage of criticism toward Moulton reeks of tribalism. I don’t think tribalism is the way to solve America’s problems.

  88. 88.

    trollhattan

    @SFAW:
    I was working on one but like yours better. Still, what were you thinking, duuude?

    A high-profile critic of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi signaled on Monday that he is seeking to hold negotiations with her about changes to her leadership team,

    “I would like to negotiate for reacquisition of my balls now, Madame Speaker.”
    “Now? See me in January, sport.”

    Thus endeth negotiations.

  94. 94.

    zhena gogolia

    This is kind of fun. We’ve been pretty troll-free for a while, except for Jay, who doesn’t really qualify as a troll.

  97. 97.

    coin operated

    @Motivated Seller:

    This barrage of criticism toward Moulton reeks of tribalism. I don’t think tribalism is the way to solve America’s problems.

    Tribalism? What are you smoking? That shit must be goooood!

  98. 98.

    different-church-lady

    @coin operated:

    She’s owning anyone who comes at her on Twitter.

    This is not a knock on AOC, but I have been thinking for a bit that one of the problems the on-line left has is the severe over-valuation of what Twitter-points are worth.

  99. 99.

    joel hanes

    @Motivated Seller:

    What has the Democratic leadership done to advance the next generation of progressive leaders?

    Seems to me that women of color are advancing just fine on their own, and will be ready to shoulder greater burdens in another cycle. WHICH HAS ALWAYS BEEN PELOSI’S PUBLICLY STATED PLAN.

    https://www.forbes.com/sites/marianneschnall/2018/10/30/insights-and-wisdom-on-womens-leadership-from-nancy-pelosi/

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/diversity-on-stark-display-as-houses-incoming-freshmen-gather-in-washington/2018/11/13/87ef9a5c-e783-11e8-bbdb-72fdbf9d4fed_story.html

  101. 101.

    Fair Economist

    @Motivated Seller:

    This barrage of criticism toward Moulton reeks of tribalism.

    Should we start a bothsiderish buzzword bingo on this guy? This could have come out of a Brooks column apart from Brooks’ most sophisticated sentence structure.

  104. 104.

    The Moar You Know

    @Motivated Seller: oh. You again. Well, you’ll get tossed sooner or later like you always do.

    I won’t say what your tell is, but it’s obvious. And you won’t be able to ditch it.

  106. 106.

    H.E.Wolf

    @ruemara:

    @Motivated Seller: You must be great at selling bridges.

    Bless his heart, he seems to have misspelled “Cellar” in his ‘nym.

  108. 108.

    RAM

    The very LAST damned thing we need right now is a resurgence of the damned Blue Dogs. I hope Pelosi steps on these morons really hard. We need to stress progressive issues and ideas going into 2020, not a rehash of triangulation and the DLC.

  109. 109.

    trollhattan

    @different-church-lady:

    I have been thinking for a bit that one of the problems the on-line left has is the severe over-valuation of what Twitter-points are worth.

    First thing: if you want to reach the youngs, it’s Snapchat or go home. If Twitter wasn’t cratering prior to Trump, he’s cemented the deal so far as they’re concerned.

    My 16YO is preregistered in CA and will automatically receive her ballot for the March 202 primary. We want EVERY 16 and 17 YO to do the same.

  112. 112.

    chopper

    @Motivated Seller:

    who says she needs our support? she seems to be doing just fine slicing and dicing guys like moulton. hell, she finds chunks of guys bigger’n him in her stool.

    we’re just pointing and laughing.

  113. 113.

    H.E.Wolf

    I expect that Speaker Pelosi may find a decent post for Rep. Moulton, and turn him into an (approximation of an) ally. If she’s been able to work with Rep. Hoyer, Moulton will be a snap.

  114. 114.

    randy khan

    @Motivated Seller:

    It is true that the Democratic leadership team has changed much less than the Republican leadership team in the House. I think that’s largely because the Dems have less skill at eating their own.

    In any event, Moulton’s latest demand – request? plea? beg? – shares one of the same problems his earlier missive had, in that he’s yet to identify anyone who would be a suitable candidate for such a role, and nobody seems to want to run against any of the incumbents. I suspect that his plan, such as it was, was to convince Pelosi to drop out or to get Hoyer or Clyburn to drop out and then thrust himself reluctantly in the race to replace whoever it was. The major flaws in that plan, which should have been obvious, are that he never had enough votes to make anyone take him seriously and that in a vote of the caucus he’d probably be lucky to get 10%.

  118. 118.

    jl

    ” Pelosi holds all the cards here ”
    Not that hard when her opponents don’t seem to understand the card game, or be bothered to play.
    Why should Pelosi deal when these mooks just sat there and did nothing, and said ignorant dumb stuff in front of the whole country, seem to have absolutely nothing to offer anyone: no specific policy platform, no alternative credible candidate, no specific offer that addressed the progressives’ concerns, nothing?

    Politics can be brutal, and if the corporate centrists made big enough asses of themselves, might be better for a leader to be seen pointedly not talking with them.

  119. 119.

    randy khan

    @Corner Stone:

    “Oh, you’re free to leave any time you like. Just as soon as you get done counting to 218. Here, I’ll help you out. *Holds up her middle finger” That’s one.”

    LOL.

  120. 120.

    Corner Stone

    @H.E.Wolf:

    he seems to have misspelled “Cellar” in his ‘nym.

    How do you motivate a cellar? It’s already at bargain basement prices at its roots. Maybe there’s a way to turnip the espirit de corps. I don’t know, beets me.

  122. 122.

    jl

    But to be cynical, the corporate centrists did signal that they are willing to make fools of themselves in front of the whole country, and don’t have the resources to do anything but cash checks that a sugar daddy hands to them. Billionaire donors and corporations demand commitment and devotion.

    The cynical side of me says that may have been the whole point of this stunt, which looks more and more like their last stunt, which also fizzled. I think now two or three of there fellow revolutionists have jumped the anti-Pelosi ship. And, hilariously, I have still to see even on mention of Tim Ryan’s noble offer to sacrifice himself as a candidate for Speaker. I guess people want to get the new Congress off to a civil start, and even mentioning such a hilarious idea is considered just too rude.

  124. 124.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @dr. bloor: I’m not aware of any opposition to Ben Ray’s candidacy. As DCCC chair, he shares some of the credit for taking back the House. He’s also a vocal Nancy supporter and clearly think very highly of her.

  126. 126.

    rikyrah

    Get the ENTIRE Phuck.Outta.Here.

    ………………………………..

    Trump told reporters Monday that he spoke to GM CEO Mary Barra on Sunday night and “was very tough.” He said he urged Barra to keep the Lordstown plant running and promised to put “a lot of pressure” on GM.

    “I think you’re going to see something else happen there, but I’m not happy about it,” Trump said departing the White House on Monday for campaign stops in Mississippi. “I have no doubt that in a not too distant future they’ll put something else. They better put something else in.”

    Trump also told the Wall Street Journal in a Monday interview that he asked Barra on Sunday to stop making cars in China and that the company “better damn well open a new plant there very quickly.”

    “I love Ohio,” Trump said, according to the Journal. “I told them, ‘you’re playing around with the wrong person.’”

    https://thehill.com/policy/finance/418293-trump-blasts-gm-for-plans-to-idle-ohio-factory

  127. 127.

    Mnemosyne

    @The Moar You Know:

    YES! I was about to say the same thing.

    He does occasionally show up try to pretend to be a Concerned Progressive, but he doesn’t actually know the right tells and ends up unmasking himself by mistake. Pathetic.

    Dude, at least add a rosebud to your nym next time. Make a fucking effort, you lazy asshole.

  130. 130.

    MisterForkbeard

    in particular possibly rallying behind a younger member to be House majority leader or House majority whip, with an emphasis on bringing in a new generation to the leadership in the wake of the Democrats’ sweeping gains in the midterm elections…

    This is a thing that should happen anyway. Though not in response to Moulton’s demand. Maybe put some younger but experienced folks in, like Ted Lieu.

  134. 134.

    trollhattan

    @rikyrah:
    Gosh Donny, still think cranking steel and aluminum prices is a great idea. [of course you do, “trade wars are easy to win.”]

    Somebody go kick Wilbur Ross in the balls, right now. I demand satisfaction.

  135. 135.

    Immanentize

    Also overheard:
    Seth:. I demand you meet so my demands can be demanded!!
    Leader Pelosi: About what?
    Seth:. I am down with the chicks! More young chicks in leadership!
    L.P.: Ayanna Pressley just introduced me to some amazing women leaders in Mass 6th. I think we should get one of those amazing women down here to the House, don’t you?

  136. 136.

    SFAW

    @Motivated Seller:

    This barrage of criticism toward Moulton reeks of tribalism. I don’t think tribalism is the way to solve America’s problems.

    Your concern is duly noted. Perhaps Soon-to-be-Ex-Speaker Ryan will provide a sympathetic ear for your extremely-valid-and-not-masturbatory-oh-no-not-jerking-off-at-all concerns.

    I’m sure I speak for the rest of the jackals when I write that your cogent argument has knocked the scales from our eyes, and we will rise up and overthrow the tribalist something-something and there will be cookies and ice cream for everyone who wants it/them.

    ETA: Or, as TBogg once succinctly put it: Grow the fuck up.

  137. 137.

    jl

    @germy: This corporate centrist crew is insulting to mediocre white guys, and gives them a bad name. Saying stupid ignorant and arrogant stuff in public, and doing not one damn thing, and after all that being last to come around and try to work a deal, doesn’t look like a brilliant strategy. But if the point was to demonstrate to big donors looking for some dweebs to be their last toe hold in the Democratic caucus, that they will be reliable chumps, it might look better.

    I think the future is to get rid of corrupt big individual donor, PAC, Super PAC, and corporate money in national politics. The main question is speed at which the Democrats can do it, and how to do it. I guess decline of influence of big rich person and corporate money is not the favorite thing for big corporate media to report, and that explains why I haven’t seen any stories. But as I noted last week, it would be interesting to see what discussion have been taking place in the quiet back rooms after Pelosi made a deal with most of the incoming progressives, most of whom don’t owe much of anything to big money.. I have been wondering how long that will last, how many of them will be bought off as time goes by. But if they were smart enough to come to Pelosi in block and get a good deal from her, fewer will be bought off, I think.

    Anyone know where I can read details of the deal the progressives made with Pelosi?

  138. 138.

    The Moar You Know

    This is not a knock on AOC, but I have been thinking for a bit that one of the problems the on-line left has is the severe over-valuation of what Twitter-points are worth.

    @different-church-lady: A common problem with anyone online, certainly not limited to the left.

    I’ll give you a great example. My keyboard player, mid-60s (the age is part of the problem, I suspect, I’m the youngest person in the band by almost 20 years) does not understand why when 150 of our followers say they’re going to one of our events on Failbook, 150 people don’t show up. He’s like talking to a fucking brick wall about this. He thinks Facebook is some kind of analog of the real world. Thank god he doesn’t do politics.

    We work with at least two promoters who suffer from the same delusion. They offer gigs to bands based on their Facebook numbers and don’t understand why the venues are flipping out when only three people show up. Hey, they promoted it to five hundred people!

    It’s the same in politics. It’s why so many friends of mine were utterly blindsided when Trump “won”. They never saw it coming, and discounted anyone like Nate Silver, who did.

  141. 141.

    SFAW

    @trollhattan:

    Somebody go kick Wilbur Ross in the balls, right now. I demand satisfaction.

    If someone were to do that on their own, for their own reasons, would your demand for satisfaction be met? Or does it have to be done by someone who does it on your behalf?

    Asking for a friend.

  145. 145.

    Schlemazel

    @TenguPhule:
    or Godfather 2
    “My final offer is this: nothing.”

    I sort of long for the days of Senate Majority Leader Johnson. These asshole would have been found in the cloakroom having pissed their pants and been assigned to the least important committees

  146. 146.

    Immanentize

    @jl: Require transparency of PAC donors. Citizens not only allowed it but recommended it. Watch PACs shrink like Jerry Seinfeld in cold water.

  148. 148.

    Mnemosyne

    @Miss Bianca:

    I’m still giggling that he tried to explain events in Ukraine to Gin & Tonic yesterday. That’s like someone telling Adam they know more about terrorism because they read an article on Wikipedia. ?

  149. 149.

    SFAW

    @Immanentize:

    L.P.: Ayanna Pressley just introduced me to some amazing women leaders in Mass 6th. I think we should get one of those amazing women down here to the House, don’t you?

    I just re-read this. I missed the MA-6 part the first time.

    That there is cherce.

  151. 151.

    TS (the original)

    @rikyrah:

    Trump told reporters Monday that he spoke to GM CEO Mary Barra on Sunday night and “was very tough.” He said he urged Barra to keep the Lordstown plant running and promised to put “a lot of pressure” on GM.

    He needs to talk to Barack Obama if he wants to learn about putting pressure on GM. trump yells – seems to be his only modus operandi.

  155. 155.

    Mnemosyne

    @MisterForkbeard:

    AOC is starting to win me over. I now suspect that she had some people whispering in her ear after her upset victory who were telling her that the “establishment Democrats” were out to get her. Her new alliance with Nancy Pelosi and the Congressional Progressive Caucus tells me that she has figured out that the House “establishment” is actually happy to have her and she doesn’t need to operate from a defensive crouch like she was told she would.

  156. 156.

    JPL

    @rikyrah: His comments seem odd to me because what leverage does he really have. Is he going to tell his supporters to buy only auto made by Honda?
    How’s the weather?

  157. 157.

    The Gray Adder

    @SFAW: Good. If I have my dissenting factions right, this was the one that wanted:

    A 60% supermajority to pass anything out of the house (minority rule).
    Guaranteed upperdown votes for anything with at least 20 cosponsors, with as few as one Democrat on that list to call it “bipartisan.”
    Any member can introduce one bill – this is probably the least ridiculous of their demands, but still, lemme see, here we have the 75th bill repealing the Affordable Care Act and declaring that Nancy Pelosi is a doodiehead…uh, wait, we have to consider it? Oh, damn!

    I’m glad Nancy shot this down. Good for her.

  160. 160.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Mnemosyne: That was my worry as well – the whole thing with her primary challenger sticking around on the indie ticket and not actually campaigning at all was a huge misstep for her, but I think she’s figured out that the CPC and Pelosi are ultimately on her side and it doesn’t help when she goes after them.

    I was worried she’d turn into another Bernie, who shits on the party to get media exposure. She could still go that way, but it looks like that’s not happening and she’s tossed the BernieBro’s more obnoxious theories.

  161. 161.

    Captain C

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I think you got ’em all; with regards to this perennial gem:

    I WANNA BE INSPIRED

    Anyone who needs to be “inspired” to vote to do the right thing was probably looking for an excuse not to in the first place.

  162. 162.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mnemosyne: Oh, man, I missed that particular shit-show. Maybe it’s because I’ve started scrolling past all his comments. Same with “poleaxedbytheghostofol’HuckFinn” or whoever the fuck that guy is who shows up thinking that because he writes an inauthentic frontier gibberish he must be the next Mark Twain. Damn, I thought we’d finally got rid of him.

  163. 163.

    Mnemosyne

    @TS (the original):

    My husband has figured Trump out: the only things he knows how to do are to yell and to take away someone’s allowance. That’s how he was raised — Fred Trump would yell at him and take away his “salary” (which was really just an allowance funded by the family business) if he did something wrong. When his kids do something wrong, he yells at them and takes away their allowance.

    That’s why he thought he could just take money away from the Forestry Service. He literally doesn’t understand a dynamic that is not a small, closely-held family business where the patriarch can withhold money whenever he wants.

  165. 165.

    germy

    A question:

    When Mueller does his final report, will he be covering all of his conflicts of interest in a preamble, will he be recommending action on all of the crimes of many kinds from those “on the other side”(whatever happened to Podesta?), and will he be putting in statements from…..— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018

    ….hundreds of people closely involved with my campaign who never met, saw or spoke to a Russian during this period? So many campaign workers, people inside from the beginning, ask me why they have not been called (they want to be). There was NO Collusion & Mueller knows it!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) November 26, 2018

  166. 166.

    Brachiator

    @Corner Stone:

    I kind of imagine a private meeting in which she simply asks him if he can count to 218.

    “Oh, you’re free to leave any time you like. Just as soon as you get done counting to 218. Here, I’ll help you out. *Holds up her middle finger” That’s one.”

    Very funny!

  168. 168.

    jl

    @Mnemosyne: Well, hey wait, Trump said he’d try to get Kelly a big fat raise. Maybe not 5 million a year, like those Soros money liberal scientists get. Maybe only a million and change, but it’s something.

  169. 169.

    Zelma

    I hope no one is serious about primarying those folks who are less than enthusiastic about Pelosi and/or the current leadership. It’s all well and good to talk about more “progressive” candidates, but there is a reason these people told their voters that they would not vote for Pelosi. They mostly come from swing districts and they had to convince a lot of conservative leaning people to vote for them. Frankly, coming out against Pelosi was a very useful ploy.

    These representatives will vote for Pelosi’s HR 1 bill. They will vote to protect Obama care. They would likely vote for a “public option.” They will vote to protect the environment. They will vote for Congressional oversight. They will vote to protect the Dreamers and for immigration reform. They will probably even vote for sensible gun restrictions. In other words, they will vote for the Democratic agenda. A Republican from their districts would not.

    And they are not necessarily wrong to want new leadership in the House. Heck, I’m an old woman and all of the top three House leaders are older than I am.

    If Nancy is as good a politician and leader as everyone insists that she is, she will work with them and not attack them. She will be generous in victory.

    I live in a swing district that swung Democrat and I am pretty sure that a “progressive” would not have won in South Jersey. We need to be a proverbial “big tent” party. And I say this as someone who is almost as far left as AOC. Who, btw, is impressing me more every day.

  173. 173.

    Ruckus

    @schrodingers_cat:

    Unlike Moulton.

    If Seth did any study in this, he got an F for failure to actually do the work.
    He’s what 40? He’s running out of time to be the person he thinks he deserves to be. His BS isn’t going to work to get him that position. He doesn’t understand any of this. Which is why Nancy is holding out that tray with his jewels on it. That’s all she’s offering him, his jewels back. He hasn’t earned them or anything else but she’s a good sport. And this will be one more thing to remind him of if attempts to get in the way again.

  174. 174.

    Mnemosyne

    @MisterForkbeard:

    The Working Families Party fucked up their primary by only putting one candidate on their line and then tried to claim it was the candidate’s fault. Hopefully they’ll get someone with a clue to run that shit next time around.

    @Miss Bianca:

    It was pretty funny. I gave up after a couple of comments because I wasn’t getting through the concrete.

  175. 175.

    SFAW

    @Miss Bianca:

    Glad to see I’m not the only jackal seriously underwhelmed by the too-cutesy-by-half prose stylings of our resident Bulwer-Lytton Award aspirant.

  178. 178.

    Captain C

    @Mnemosyne: This is a good thing. I was worried she would go the Wilmer route at first: all smack-talk (mostly about Democrats) and disruption, no actual action. Luckily, she seems to know how to take a “yes.”

  179. 179.

    Cacti

    “My offer is this: Nothing. Not even the fee for the gaming license, which I would appreciate if you put up personally.”

  180. 180.

    jl

    @Zelma: Most of them come from safe Democratic districts. If they piss off enough people in their districts, they will be primaried and not much anyone can do about that. Most of them, their political fates are not high on my list to worry about.

  181. 181.

    TS (the original)

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I’m sure he told her about all the new steel plants opening in the US that will reduce the cost of production for GM. Tariffs were probably not on his dot list of discussion points.

    Will anyone who talks to trump ever release the tape of the conversation. That would be interesting.

  184. 184.

    Mnemosyne

    @germy:

    “If only a few people on my campaign conspired with the Russians, then it doesn’t count!”

    Man, I wish I could be a fly on the wall when Robert Mueller explains that that ain’t how it works. ?

  186. 186.

    trollhattan

    @SFAW:
    I’m willing to dole the task out to a proxy, but they have to tape my bidnez card to his shiny, wrinkled forehead. “Have boot, will travel”

  190. 190.

    jl

    @rikyrah: Some economists and business analysts pointed out that the Trumpsters messed up their new “winning” NAFTA (USMC or whatever they call it) deal so badly that it gives incentives to auto manufacturers to avoid North American production and assembly entirely. GM is increasing its high profit high-end exports from US to other parts of the world, particularly hybrids and extended range electric vehicles. Would be interesting to know how much of the discontinued production ever comes back to the US.

  193. 193.

    Miss Bianca

    @SFAW: Now, mind, I *like* Mark Twain. So. obviously, I like a little bit of the old vernacular to spice things up. Just a bit, tho’, because, like horseradish, a little bit goes a long way. Mr. Clemens seemed to be able to spice things up just right.

    Mr.What’sThisPoleAxDoingInMyHeadOw and his “golly gee shuckers, I have a little bit of meat SOMEWHERE in this horseradish sandwich but you gotta eat the WHOLE THING to find it, by jingo or crackey or whatever and iffen you find that the meat done gone rancid and there wan’t any too much of it in there to begin with, by crackey or jingo or whatever, we-elll…tain’t MY fault!”…not so much.

  195. 195.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Immanentize: It also makes me wonder how long it takes to translate perfectly good English into frontier gibberish. So much effort expended for so little reward.

  196. 196.

    Mnemosyne

    @Zelma:

    Very few of the #FiveWhiteGuys are from swing districts. Moulton is from a very safe blue district, which may be why he was shocked that he got hammered by his constituents at that town hall.

    Pelosi already has a plan for how Democrats who are in not-so-safe districts can either withhold their vote or have a public statement along the lines of It was the will of the caucus, and the only other option was to vote for the Republican.

    The #FiveWhiteGuys stunt actually made it harder for her to finesse that for reps who might be at risk, so that’s something else to be laid at their feet.

  198. 198.

    But her emails!!!

    @Zelma:
    The ones in the red districts are fine. They also aren’t the ones making the most noise. Moulton is in a safe district. Lynch is as well, although he’s no longer opposing Pelosi.

  201. 201.

    Mnemosyne

    @ruemara:

    I know! It was pretty much the stupidest non-troversy ever, but some jackass just had to encourage AOC to tweet a fact-challenged attack on Crowley that looked stupid as hell once the facts were out there.

    And I’m still waiting for the people who claim that Crowley is “really” a resident of Virginia because he wants to live with his family during the school year to explain why every Congressperson who doesn’t live within commuting distance of the Capitol Building should not be declared in violation of residency rules and tossed out of office the instant they sign a lease closer to where they work most of the time. Strangely, I never seem to get an answer. ?

  204. 204.

    Ruckus

    @TS (the original):
    I can’t imagine that a talk with shit for brains would be interesting. Do you think he’s any different in person than in speeches or on the twit? He’s an educated moron, he knows what he wants to know, nothing more, and which is less than the course in how to eat your carrots, as told in a picture book for 4 yr olds.

  206. 206.

    WaterGirl

    @different-church-lady:

    This is not a knock on AOC, but I have been thinking for a bit that one of the problems the on-line left has is the severe over-valuation of what Twitter-points are worth.

    It depends on how much they can control the conversation, I think. The Parkland kids gained a lot of ground with their twitter game, by which I mean their willingness to speak truth to power while eviscerating their opponents.

  207. 207.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    Damn it, quit trying to be logical! If we’ve told you once we’ve told you a million times that logic never applies, it’s only something science fairies made up.

  209. 209.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Immanentize: I was wondering about a speshul Google translate app too, although the Waltons spoke fairly standard English with a slight Appalachian twang. John Boy was an aspiring writer and presumably knew better than to try to compete with Samuel Clemens. HeeHaw? Beverly Hillbillies?

  212. 212.

    Corner Stone

    @H.E.Wolf: There is nothing better than veggie puns! Nothing! They are both good for you and good for you. Paring knives at dawn on the peels of honor!

  214. 214.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Fair Economist:

    This could have come out of a Brooks column apart from Brooks’ most sophisticated sentence structure.

    For that you need PoleaxedByBullshit to weigh in.

  216. 216.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Corner Stone:
    My grandma the gardener and my grandpa the (would-be) duellist have equal claims to my homage. But I’ll gladly join with you to root out the eyes in your cellar! En garde!

  217. 217.

    chopper

    @rikyrah:

    jesus, this asshole and his generic language.

    “i talked to this person and said, this thing is gonna happen. you don’t think it’ll happen but this thing, it’s gonna happen. i’m
    totally gonna look into this thing and this thing is really big and i wanna make sure it’s a thing.”

  218. 218.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Miss Bianca:

    To me, @PoleAssed is a traffic accident. I feel compelled to read through his awfulness, feeling way guilty the entire time, but cannot bring myself (yet) to simply scroll on by.

  219. 219.

    Motivated Seller

    The previous 8 years proved that one good person–even one as talented as Obama is not enough. Democrats need a roster of leaders that are ready to step up.

  220. 220.

    Amir Khalid

    @O. Felix Culpa:
    Our poleaxed friend has an absolute right to idiosyncratic self-expression, even if his idiosyncracies make him annoying to read or hard to understand, and his thoughts are not really worth the effort.

  221. 221.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Miss Bianca:

    Mr.What’sThisPoleAxDoingInMyHeadOw and his “golly gee shuckers, I have a little bit of meat SOMEWHERE in this horseradish sandwich but you gotta eat the WHOLE THING to find it, by jingo or crackey or whatever and iffen you find that the meat done gone rancid and there wan’t any too much of it in there to begin with, by crackey or jingo or whatever, we-elll…tain’t MY fault!”…not so much.

    Word.

  225. 225.

    SFAW

    @Motivated Seller:

    Your bullshit would be more convincing if it bore any resemblance to reality, or rational thought, rather than being a regurgitation produced by Romco’s Super Tripe-O-Matic app. [And, no, it’s not even good tripe.]

    Please note that “more convincing,” in your case, still does not get you over the “not a complete piece of shit” bar.

  231. 231.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @SFAW:

    Aux armes, citoyens,
    Formez vos bataillons

    (Now I have to go watch that scene from Casablanca about 73 times.)

  240. 240.

    Annie

    @opiejeanne:

    OMG! Reminds me of 1994 when Willie got a majority in the California Assembly by buttering up a Republican to get him to vote with the Democrats.

  241. 241.

    Motivated Seller

    @randy khan: Less skill at eating their own? I’d say there are plenty of Democratic partisans ready to pounce on anyone criticizing the Pelosi speakership.

    Selecting a Speaker is far from a transparent process. I would not dismiss Moulton just because he hasn’t shown his so-called “deal” or “offer” or whatever.

  243. 243.

    SFAW

    @Motivated Seller:

    Less skill at eating their own? I’d say there are plenty of Democratic partisans ready to pounce on anyone criticizing the Pelosi speakership.

    You might consider trying to understand what randy khan said/meant before displaying your dimness yet again. Just a thought

  244. 244.

    rekoob

    @O. Felix Culpa: @Gammyjill: Seeing Ben Ray Lujan join the House leadership would be a nice Circle of Life moment, since his father served as Majority Whip, Majority Leader, and ultimately Speaker of the House in the New Mexico legislature. The Lujan family has had a rich history in New Mexico politics, on both sides of the aisle.

  245. 245.

    Amir Khalid

    @Motivated Seller:
    If Moulton can’t name someone who (1) would make a better Speaker than Pelosi, and (2) is willing to run against her, maybe he shouldn’t emulate the Piranha brothers trying to shake down the Army.

  246. 246.

    Motivated Seller

    @sgrAstar: The right wing has been screeching about Deficits since forever. Then as soon as they get into power, it goes right out the window. So why does Nancy Pelosi say that with Democrats in change, we should follow Pay-Go rules?

  247. 247.

    SFAW

    @Motivated Seller:

    I guess you bots are going to “say” what you’re programmed to say, without responding to the actual comments made by the commenter(s) to whom you are “replying.”

  249. 249.

    J R in WV

    So many women have exercised so many righteous statements in this thread.

    Let me just say thank you so very much for all the sharp pointed comments~!!!!~

    ========================================

    My younger dog didn’t eat her kibble dinner, because she was bloated on deer parts she found in the woods. I took up the kibble because she was just looking at it. Her emissions are truly vile! That’s life in the wooded forested hillsides this time of year.

    The older dog isn’t hungry enough to climb the ridge that far so still a sweet dog…

  250. 250.

    Motivated Seller

    @TenguPhule: Leading service personnel through harms way versus leading people through democratic governance are two very different things. Four tours in Iraq is no backseat-driving ensign.

  251. 251.

    Mohagan

    @Fair Economist: yeah, I would be glad to get rid of Hoyer too, and then some article I read recently explained the facts of caucus life just that way – the liberals need a liberal in leadership (Nancy), Hoyer is for the moderates, and of course blacks are being really nice to have Clyburn as just #3, since they are a crucial part of the coalition. It’s really stunning how patient blacks have been in this country with all the shit they put up with everyday.

  252. 252.

    Motivated Seller

    @SFAW: Really? You are making a lot of assumptions by saying you speak for the rest of the jackals. You might take a page from @Zelma: “If Nancy is as good a politician and leader as everyone insists that she is, she will work with them and not attack them. She will be generous in victory.”

    The reason why I’m spending so much time here is because no one lasts forever. Progressive politics is a long game. Conservatives have been hammering away at the New Deal for generations, and we are right on course for a New Gilded Age. Every Democrat that sat on their ass while Republicans redrew districts every 10 years–because they packed a few Democratic “safe seats” into their gerrymander–needs to check their place in the history of progressive causes. These are problems decades in the making and it will take decades to fix. Will she be there? Maybe she will, and maybe she won’t, but lets not act like she is the only one that’s ready to get it done.

  253. 253.

    Kraux Pas

    @Motivated Seller: Nancy was quite magnanimous about the opposition within her party. I believe her response when asked if she had anything to say to the new members of her caucus that ran opposing her was “Congratulations on winning.”

    Moulton, et al should have set their sights a little lower when seeking representation for newer members within the caucus leadership. It may have improved their chances of achieving, well, anything. This actually would have been good. I like the idea of getting new blood in the leadership ranks, Pelosi was just not the right target. She’s fantastic at her job and could help junior leadership grow into their roles.

    She’s savvy. though. I expect her to perform a minor shake up of the leadership. Ds will put the right foot forward with the proper mix of experience and new ideas.

    I wouldn’t be surprised if Moulton lost his chance at this, though. He may have really hurt himself in fact. After being so prominent in this fiasco, he won’t be anywhere near the top of my list is he ever runs for statewide office.

  255. 255.

    SFAW

    @Motivated Seller:

    Really? You are making a lot of assumptions by saying you speak for the rest of the jackals. You might take a page from

    And you might take a page from the functionally literate. Seriously, your inability to parse statements (made by others) and their meaning(s) indicates you’re either a bot, or just clueless.

    You might also consider using “arguments” that are not the regurgitated Third Way/Fifth Column/BothSiderist/Concerned Progressives talking points. Yet another bot/troll “tell.”

  256. 256.

    opiejeanne

    @Annie: He stuck my state assemblyman’s desk and all of his office stuff in a janitor’s closet. It was punishment for not voting with Brown.

    Wally something, the Riverside district. When he ran for office, Wally’s mom sent out hot pads with Vote For Wally! on them. Oh! Wally Ingalls.

  257. 257.

    Bill Arnold

    (Capping a dead thread, I know.)
    This caught my eye a year ago:
    Nancy Pelosi isn’t going anywhere. Will it help or hurt Democrats in 2018? (WaPo, October 29, 2017)

    “I am a master legislator. I just love it,” she said of her inherited appetites. “I consider myself a weaver, like I have a loom. And I bring all these different threads together.”

    She has some talent, relative to others in the House. And a fun story by David Brin: The Loom of Thessaly (No particular intent linking it; just liked the story.)

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