Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Dear elected officials: Trump is temporary, dishonor is forever.

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

Cancel the cowardly Times and Post and set up an equivalent monthly donation to ProPublica.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

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

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Dear media: perhaps we ought to let Donald Trump speak for himself!

So many bastards, so little time.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

T R E 4 5 O N

The Supreme Court cannot be allowed to become the ultimate, unaccountable arbiter of everything.

Live so that if you miss a day of work people aren’t hoping you’re dead.

Republicans don’t lie to be believed, they lie to be repeated.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Petty moves from a petty man.

“Just close your eyes and kiss the girl and go where the tilt-a-whirl takes you.” ~OzarkHillbilly

Nothing says ‘pro-life’ like letting children go hungry.

You cannot shame the shameless.

There are consequences to being an arrogant, sullen prick.

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

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

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

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you do not.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

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Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Resolve

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  7. 7.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Blech. Another night of insomnia to be followed by a day of naps. Hard to get much accomplished that way.

  8. 8.

    Frankensteinbeck

    I continue to think Trump is waiting for exactly this. If he’s handed a bill to sign, he can pretend no action of his own was involved, and whine about how unfair the world is to him. This is a narcissist’s second favorite territory. WAY better than admitting defeat. Anybody who’s dealt with one knows this dynamic well.

  10. 10.

    Schlemazel

    @OzarkHillbilly:
    Gawd that his awful, being living that myself the last few weeks. I keep thinking if I can just make it through the day without napping but I can’t

    Very vry much blech

  12. 12.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Baud:
    Yeah, and he would especially prefer that. It’s almost as good as being praised for winning. He gets to vent his never ending anger at a whole field of targets without worrying someone might drop an inconvenient fact. Still, history suggests that if he’s given something to sign he’ll do it and pretend it’s all everyone else’s fault. It’s the lazy coward’s path. Speak loudly and carry a tiny mushroom.

  13. 13.

    Betty Cracker

    The limpkins have been screaming their heads off all night. Not sure if that means they’re extra horny or if some major weather event approaches.

  15. 15.

    poleaxedbyboatwork

    @Betty Cracker:

    Apart from NOAA weather and buoy reports on the VHF, one resource that I and many of my commercial fishing friends use for (trying) not to get caught out in any nasty shit is windy.com

    If you live near water (and in Fla., how can you help it), have found windy.com to be purty reliable indicator of the magnitude (or lack thereof) of winds coming a coupla days out. Don’t use the forecast feature much (i.e. for sun/rain/temp/etc.), cuz mostly innerested in wind direx and velocity and swell direx if present, but the graphics are colorful and intuitive and easy to use.

    Might be worth a look.

  16. 16.

    satby

    @rikyrah: Good morning ?!

    We’re all looking forward to the next year with Dems controlling the House and some actual investigations, but the ugliness will continue too. As @Baud: says, we need to keep the pedal to the metal.

  17. 17.

    debbie

    It’s going to be a good day. Orion and Sendak, both before I’ve even finished my first cup of coffee!

  18. 18.

    debbie

    I hope Pelosi also negotiates the return of the salary increase for federal workers. Aside from being the right thing to do, it would reap all kinds of good karma for us.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    Danica Roem
    @pwcdanica
    It is now January 1, which means more than 200,000 Virginians who were uninsured yesterday are now insured under Medicaid expansion and coverage is on the way for another 200,000 uninsured Virginians.
    Happy New Year, Virginia

  20. 20.

    Betty Cracker

    @poleaxedbyboatwork: I also like Windy for wind info — it was remarkably accurate after Hurricane Irma made landfall, and I used it to watch the storm approach the inland abode to which we had fled while mostly missing the coastal house where we lived at the time. For regular old radar on the phone the MyRadar app is hard to beat, IMO.

  23. 23.

    Van Buren

    Can’t wait to for the House to pass a bill to reopen, have the Senate ignore it, and have the pundits explain how it’s Pelosi’s fault.
    Feeling grumpy today, had to call in sick,genuinely hate to do that.

  26. 26.

    Immanentize

    January 2, 2019. The day before things start to get set straight.

    I know the House can’t do anything on its own, and I know McConnell is employing a new republican-only rule (Senate will not send any Bill the President won’t sign), but the House is now run but smart, strategic folks who will be pushing and pulling the country in a new direction.

  30. 30.

    Immanentize

    @Baud:
    See, the things I learn…. So if Congress is still in session (which it always is now) it’s a pass? Or vice versa?

  32. 32.

    Immanentize

    @satby:
    I know, I know…. But just a day without Trump. How often have I said, “What I wouldn’t give for a day without Trump”?

  33. 33.

    Baud

    @Immanentize:

    If Congress is in session, it’s a pass.

    If any Bill shall not be returned by the President within ten Days (Sundays excepted) after it shall have been presented to him, the Same shall be a Law, in like Manner as if he had signed it, unless the Congress by their Adjournment prevent its Return, in which Case it shall not be a Law.

    ARTICLE I, SECTION 7, CLAUSE 2

  35. 35.

    satby

    @Immanentize: we’ve all felt that. The entire world feels that. But part of our redemption in the eyes of other countries has to be to hold them accountable if we ever hope to regain some of the partnerships and international standing they’ve trashed.

  36. 36.

    Immanentize

    @Baud: much abliged. I am pretty sure I knew that once, and should now, but I can’t remember if I did or should.?

  41. 41.

    Immanentize

    @Betty Cracker:
    Also, Jim McGovern from MA is about to be chair of the rules committee. He is a serious progressive and a fighter. And rules is rules!

  43. 43.

    Matt McIrvin

    @satby: I know some people who are afraid of Trump leaving office one way or another because they figure Mike Pence will be worse (for instance, some are LGBT and know that Pence, a true-believer anti-gay bigot rather than a mere willing accomplice, is probably the greater menace to LGBT rights). The honeymoon Pence would get in his first few months from pundits and politicians grateful to be rid of Trump would be horrible to behold. And for purposes of our taking back Congress and state governments and every other office up and down the line, Trump in the White House is better for the Democrats than anyone else.

    But I think it’s a matter of principle. We’re obligated to try to get rid of a President who does so many terrible things, and behaves so irrationally, even if it’s worse for us winning elections and in some matters of policy.

    On the other hand, in exchange for no criminal prosecution, federal or state? No, that’s another matter of principle. We’ve been down that road before.

  46. 46.

    Betty Cracker

    @Immanentize: Speaking of Brazil, Nikki Haley tweeted in praise of the fascist prick who was sworn in as that country’s president yesterday. So much for the Villager theory that Haley is in any way morally superior to Trump.

  50. 50.

    satby

    @Matt McIrvin: I don’t disagree with that and I’m not implying we shouldn’t go after and impeach everyone whose conduct has earned it. The article that Immanentize was responding to proposed a deal where Trump would resign if criminal probes of him and his family were dropped both federally and at the state level. Nah to the hell no!
    All investigations going forward, all appropriate criminal penalties applied. No one above the law is a foundational principle that we can’t ignore any longer.

  51. 51.

    hueyplong

    @Matt McIrvin: Agreed. You could add that, as bad as Trump has been, we haven’t yet seen what he’ll do if he remains in office when it’s certain that he’s doomed. A Götterdämmerung Trump might be something we don’t want to risk experiencing..

    Pretty sure the rest of the world outside the US sees it that way.

    Not saying Pence won’t be bad. He will. But at least he’d merely be conventionally bad.

  52. 52.

    A Ghost To Most

    Enjoy the limpkins, which I did not know existed before.
    6 crackling degrees here; big cat went out for about a minute; the other didn’t even try. High of 45; several days of 50s to follow. The San Juan Mtns, deep in drought, got dumped on to the tune of 2-3 feet of snow, so that will help.

  56. 56.

    JPL

    @satby: If trump went down alone, his crazy ass base would wonder why him and not Hillary. They are convinced that she committed a crime. Somehow we need to destroy the party that allowed him to succeed.

    We don’t need trump to act like a martyr.

  58. 58.

    Matt McIrvin

    @satby: Yeah, that’s too much. And I don’t think it’s a deal anyone could really offer him, anyway–how do you control any state body that would prosecute him? Are we asking for blanket pardons of his whole family from all 50 state governors? That’s a far better deal than Nixon got.

  59. 59.

    satby

    @JPL: my point, that is ?
    The Republicans have been corrupt for a long time and white collar crime has been under prosecuted for at least as long. And it’s culminated in what we have today. It’s time for some back to basics: do the crime, do the time.

  61. 61.

    satby

    @Matt McIrvin: not a pardon per se, a dropping of any investigations. Which could uncover additional crimes and conspirators if allowed to continue.
    It’s a ridiculous tweetwank, not worthy of any consideration.

  62. 62.

    Kay

    How does Warren avoid a Clinton redux — written off as too unlikable before her campaign gets off the ground?

    Warren’s reputation as standoffish stemmed in part from the arms-length distance at which she kept reporters in the Senate hallways, where until recently she rarely stopped for interviews.

    LMAO. I knew about the Sin of the Senate Hallways because I had read them carping about it but even I wouldn’t have predicted they’d actually cite it as proof of their narrative against Warren.

  63. 63.

    satby

    @JPL: the 16th! First four days in Mexico City and then four days in Aguascalientes, though younger son has plans for us to go camping in the mountains (in a cabin) and also to Guanajuato for a day. So I get to see more than just the two cities. I seldom take trips that are purely vacations, so this is going to be a treat!

  64. 64.

    H.E.Wolf

    I’m waiting for the US House website to update its Committee membership pages with 2019 data – in the meantime, here are the probable Chairs: the ranking Democrats in the previous Congress.
    [edited to fix spelling and format errors]

    Agriculture: Collin Peterson (MN-07)
    Appropriations: Nita Lowey (NY-17)
    Armed Services: Adam Smith (WA-09)
    Budget: John Yarmuth (KY-03)
    Education & the Workforce: Bobby Cortez Scott (VA-03)
    Energy & Commerce: Frank Pallone (NJ-06)
    Ethics: Ted Deutch (FL-22)
    Financial Services: Maxine Waters (CA-43)
    Foreign Affairs: Eliot Engel (NY-16)
    Homeland Security: Bennie Thompson (MS-02)
    House Administration: ?? [the ranking Dem. retired in 2018]
    Judiciary: Jerry Nadler (NY-10)
    Natural Resources: Raúl Grijalva (AZ-03)
    Oversight & Government Reform: Elijah Cummings (MD-07)
    Rules: James McGovern: MA-02
    Science, Space, & Technology: Eddie Bernice Johnson (TX-30)
    Small Business: Nydia Velazquez (NY-07)
    Transportation & Infrastructure: Peter DeFazio (OR-04)
    Veterans’ Affairs: ?? [the ranking Dem. won the MN Governor’s race]
    Ways & Means: Richard Neal (MA-01)
    Permanent Select Committee: Intelligence: Adam Schiff (CA-26)
    Joint Select Committee: Budget & APR*: Nita Lowey, co-chair (NY-17)
    * Appropriations Process Reform

  66. 66.

    Kay

    Amy Chozick
    ‏Verified account
    @amychozick
    17h17 hours ago
    More
    Not a criticism of this piece, but I’ve covered both of them and Hillary and Warren are NOTHING alike…except for their anatomy, and they both seem to like dogs.

    They should hire Chozick, the person who did the horrible job with Clinton coverage, not to cover Warren but to be the expert who compares Warren to Clinton. That’s perfect for the NYTimes. We’ll just make this 100% narrative. Like fake historians! Historians who don’t use any real history.

  68. 68.

    PST

    @hueyplong: Pence would be terrible, of course, but unelectable. He does not appeal to the non-religious Trump crowd. Even if he says the same things, there’s no juice. He won’t tweet populist crap all night. Trump has an ability I can’t understand to move a large group of voters I’ll never understand. I doubt other republicans fear him. So Pence would be safer in 2020.

  69. 69.

    Kay

    @rikyrah:

    Can they do anything other than the most basic “compare/contrast”? I mean, Jesus. It’s ONE approach! There’s no law that says they have to do Clinton = Warren. It’s like the Yahoo comment section level “analysis”.

  70. 70.

    Ken

    @Kay: Or if their journalistic skills are limited to compare/contrast, how about comparing candidates with the current occupant of the White House? They could pick four or five categories – ability to spell, time they get out of their pajamas in the morning, number of associates guilty of felonies, lawsuits for fraud settled – you know, human interest stuff.

  72. 72.

    kindness

    Once again people are giving Mitch McConnell far too much credit for being a polite soul. Mitch isn’t going to do Democrats bidding even if his own members want it. Mitch is the stick in our eyes and he likes it.

  73. 73.

    Patricia Kayden

    I hope federal employees are back to work on Monday morning. Trump and company are going to have to recognize that a new sheriff is in town. His protectors no longer control the House. I look forward to seeing his tax returns, for starters.

  76. 76.

    Betty Cracker

    @Kay: Maybe Warren should bring them a basket of homemade scones or something. McCain demonstrated how cheaply the Beltway hacks’ regard can be purchased. We all know how ridiculous this ritual is, but just buy them off already, Democrats!

  80. 80.

    H.E.Wolf

    @rikyrah:

    Would appreciate a bulldog at Veterans Affairs. Need to subpoena the folks running the VA out of Mara Lago

    Indeed. Do we know who’s next in seniority after Walz (now the Gov. of MN)?

  81. 81.

    Brachiator

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    I continue to think Trump is waiting for exactly this

    Who knows. So far, the GOP message is that “border security” is essential, so the president must get his way. I heard some GOP weasel whine about the bad Democrats preventing the president from delivering on a campaign promise.

    I’d love to see the president have to rationalize a defeat. But the stakes are higher for be him, since he is also trying to use this issue as reelection fodder.

  82. 82.

    Yarrow

    Good morning, everyone.

    @OzarkHillbilly: Sorry you’re dealing with this. It’s really awful to have insomnia like that. Your whole life becomes about trying to get some sleep.

    Not sure what might be causing yours, but in any case focusing on “sleep hygiene” (things like limiting screen time before bed, low lights, etc.–info available online) may make a difference. Some people also have luck with “sleep stories” (available online) which are designed to help you drift off. Hypnosis recordings can help too. Depending on what other medical issues you’re dealing with, a relaxing bath, maybe an epsom salt soak can help. Magnesium oil (not really oil and feels salty so once it dries you can wash it off) can also help relax you. Increasing my Vitamin D helped me with sleep but I do recommend getting your levels tested first.

    I’m practically an expert in this area for reasons I’d rather not go into but if you’d like any more ideas let me know. Good luck.

  83. 83.

    JPL

    @Brachiator: One of trump’s campaign promises was tax cuts but not the top 5 percent. His tax cut was just the opposite and MSM seems unwilling to point out it was a broken promise.

  84. 84.

    Betty Cracker

    @Brachiator: Greg Sargent had a great article in The Post recently about how Democrats can leverage Trump’s lies about border security to insist on a reality-based approach to policy-making.

  85. 85.

    Brachiator

    @JPL:

    Shorter Mitt, it’s all bullshit , because I plan on supporting the president.

    Poor Mitt. He pretends to have integrity, and then someone reminds him that he is a craven ass wipe.

  86. 86.

    rikyrah

    ???
    Hey, NYT?

    GO FUCK YOURSELF.

    I never fucking see y’all cry about the lack of bipartisanship until the second Democrats get power.
    Did you ask McConnell if he is open to “bipartisanshp”?
    GO FUCK YOURSELF.

    Will Pelosi Open the Floor to Bipartisan Ideas? https://t.co/k25Hknk2rg

    — I Am Chained To A Black Woman Send $27 (@BravenakBlog) January 2, 2019

  87. 87.

    schrodingers_cat

    I am seeing an uptick in posts on Twitter with a rose arguing that Ds and Rs are the same because they blame foreigners for all our problems. One side blames Russians and the other side blames immigrants from central and south America. I suspect that they are Russian trolls. Has BS said anything about this showdown over the wall?

  89. 89.

    J R in WV

    @Van Buren:

    …had to call in sick,genuinely hate to do that.

    I hated it too, and so when I retired I was able to convert my unused and accumulated sick days into like a couple of years of extra health insurance coverage, which was especially important because I retired before I was eligible for Medicare.

  90. 90.

    Brachiator

    @JPL:

    MSM seems unwilling to point out it was a broken promise

    This simply is not true. The vast majority of stories about the tax cut emphasized what a boon it was for the wealthy and how much it would add to the deficit. Even the NY Times had a story about this yesterday.

    Hell, even the IRS has put out press releases warning that some taxpayers may not get refunds because their withholding is out of whack.

    BTW, with all this government shutdown stuff, we don’t know when tax filing season will start, because the IRS still has much to do.

  91. 91.

    Brachiator

    @Betty Cracker:

    Greg Sargent had a great article in The Post recently about how Democrats can leverage Trump’s lies about border security to insist on a reality-based approach to policy-making.

    Thanks for the heads-up. I will take a look at it.

  92. 92.

    J R in WV

    @rikyrah:

    Democratic Coalition (@TheDemCoalition) Tweeted:
    “The self-professed supreme dealmaker will use his presidency as a bargaining chip with federal and state authorities, agreeing to leave office in exchange for them not pursuing criminal charges against him, his children or the Trump Org.”

    @Immanentize:

    Hi Rikyrah!
    That’s a tough one. I might be inclined to accept that proposition.

    I would tell him that was the deal — would swear he was good to go. The day after he signed the resignation paperwork, that’s when the indictments should be unsealed. Turn about is fair play, right?!!

  94. 94.

    JPL

    @Brachiator: I just think it would be fair and balanced to mention at the same time, he didn’t keep other campaign promises so why this one. I’m just cranky and tired of hearing about how trump just wants to keep a campaign promise. I say bullshit. Trump wants a vanity wall and that’s all.
    You are correct about the tax cut coverage and Conor Lamb used it to win the special election.

  96. 96.

    rikyrah

    Uh huh
    Uh huh

    Vincent Cassel, 52, and new wife Tina Kunakey, 21, CONFIRM they’re expecting their first child together as the actor cradles her baby bump in sweet clip

    Vincent Cassel and his new wife Tina Kunakey have confirmed they’re expecting their first child together in a sweet Instagram clip on Tuesday, just four months after their wedding.

    The Black Swan actor, 52, beamed with delight as he cradled the 21-year-old model’s blossoming baby bump during their scenic trip in Bahia.

  97. 97.

    Lapassionara

    @PST: I agree with this. Pence has zero charisma and would fall flat at the kind of rallies Trump uses to fire up his base. I think at least some of Trump’s appeal was his TV persona. Pence has none of that.

    Trump is dangerous and the longer he is in office, the more damage he causes.

  98. 98.

    Miss Bianca

    @rikyrah: All right, I watched that and realized that I didn’t have a DAMN CLUE what MF was referring to except for the Trump stuff.

    I mean, I know I am An Old, officially and all, this year, but damn…Morgan Freeman is older than I am!

    Every day, in every way, more proof that I am just one of the #Tragically Unhip.

  100. 100.

    Emma

    @OzarkHillbilly: I have been helped immensely by tapes of rainstorms — they’re all over youtube. Search “rain for sleep”. They relax me as I am trying to fall asleep (I have the original never ending loop of “what ifs” built in and it shows up routinely at bed time) and if I wake up, they ease me back to sleep.

    (in addition) there are other sounds for sleep tapes — from classical music to buddhist bells.

  101. 101.

    SFAW

    @Kay:

    LMAO. I knew about the Sin of the Senate Hallways because I had read them carping about it but even I wouldn’t have predicted they’d actually cite it as proof of their narrative against Warren.

    And if Warren does start talking to them in those Hollowed Hallways, the meme/conventional wisdom will be “She’s not jen-you-wine like the Liar-in-Chief, she’s a flip-flopper! Just like Hitlary, can’t trust her!”

  102. 102.

    SFAW

    @rikyrah:

    Hey, NYT?

    GO FUCK YOURSELF.

    I never fucking see y’all cry about the lack of bipartisanship until the second Democrats get power.
    Did you ask McConnell if he is open to “bipartisanshp”?
    GO FUCK YOURSELF.

    This, times eleventy gazillion.

  103. 103.

    Brachiator

    @JPL:

    I just think it would be fair and balanced to mention at the same time, he didn’t keep other campaign promises so why this one. I’m just cranky and tired of hearing about how trump just wants to keep a campaign promise. I say bullshit.

    I agree that this is self-serving bullshit from Trump and the GOP leadership is following his lead as they lend support.

    But it plays well to the suckers. And for whatever reason, Trump feels it necessary to rev up his base again. I think he does this as part of his half-baked plan to fight back against the new House of Representatives.

  105. 105.

    SFAW

    @Gelfling 545:

    Can he even be guaranteed no state prosecution? The individual states wouldn’t be taking part in any agreement with Congress. (?)

    I think — but am not sure — that the SCOTUS will be hearing a case, the result of which could be a ruling that the states cannot prosecute for the same crime as the Feds. Or something like that. Not a lawyer, etc., etc.

  106. 106.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    Vincent Cassel, 52, and new wife Tina Kunakey, 21, CONFIRM they’re expecting their first child together as the actor cradles her baby bump in sweet clip

    All I can say is that he is a lucky man. A new hot wife and he was previously married to Monica Bellucci.

  107. 107.

    Brachiator

    @Lapassionara:

    Pence has zero charisma and would fall flat at the kind of rallies Trump uses to fire up his base. I think at least some of Trump’s appeal was his TV persona. Pence has none of that.

    Pence is the face of the Old GOP and can sell himself as a Trump loyalist. He is the Republican’s reliable go-to guy if they have to dump Trump.

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