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You are here: Home / Economics / C.R.E.A.M. / Repub Stupidity Open Thread: Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Latest Victim of ETTD*

Repub Stupidity Open Thread: Rep. Kevin McCarthy, Latest Victim of ETTD*

by Anne Laurie|  January 9, 201910:35 pm| 119 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, NANCY SMASH!, Open Threads, Republican Stupidity, Republican Venality, All Too Normal, Assholes

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*Everything Trump Touches Dies…

Siri, please show me what a Bond villain would tweet as president. -> https://t.co/wdwu2iYbbR

— Josh Jordan (@NumbersMuncher) January 9, 2019

McCarthy led the strategy of embracing Trump that cut the # of CA GOP Reps in half & left them with smallest share of the state Congressional delegation since 1883. But there are always a few more seats he could lose, so why change course now? https://t.co/ppCezVP3cE

— Ronald Brownstein (@RonBrownstein) January 9, 2019

SFGate reports:

Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is defending President Donald Trump’s comments that California isn’t doing a good enough job managing its forests.

McCarthy, of California, says he agrees with Trump that better forest management could mitigate California’s deadly and destructive wildfires. He’s commenting in response to a Trump tweet threatening to withhold California’s federal disaster funding…

Fire scientists say its climate change, not forest management, that’s the chief cause of more destructive wildfires.

Democratic U.S. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, also of California, had challenged McCarthy to condemn Trump’s comments.

Speaker Pelosi says President Trump's threat to cut off federal funding to combat California wildfires "insults the memory" of those who died or lost their homes in recent fires. https://t.co/jhGHqWKLN1

— NBC News (@NBCNews) January 9, 2019

In October, McCarthy intro'd bill to fully fund Trump's Border Wall – with expectation it would boost GOP turnout and his Speaker Bid https://t.co/qxv8rCFgHV

— Joe Sudbay (@JoeSudbay) January 9, 2019

Rep. Kevin McCarthy disputes Sen. Schumer's account of meeting with Pres. Trump, saying the president was "calling all the leaders together to solve this problem—he even brought a little candy for everybody." https://t.co/hYBje3V4LM pic.twitter.com/BrojKim2U7

— ABC News (@ABC) January 9, 2019

Oh, right — this is the Genius Brain who courted Lord Smallgloves by gifting him hand-picked red & pink Starbursts.

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Reader Interactions

119Comments

  1. 1.

    Keith P.

    January 9, 2019 at 10:38 pm

    Should California just be able to go to federal court and say “This is unnecessarily vague, given that we don’t know what ‘something’ actually is.” (which of course will lead to Trump saying at a rally that he won’t give them any money until they elect Republicans in the next election)

  2. 2.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:40 pm

    @Keith P.: The official DOJ position, which has now been upheld by at least one Federal court, is that the President’s tweets, as well as his off the cuff remarks to impromptu press sprays and gaggles, do not reflect and are not official statements of US government policies.

  3. 3.

    Keith P.

    January 9, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I guess they can just point to the Syria “pullout” for proof that his tweets are full of shit. But they could also bring up some rumored abortions with not-his-wife to back up their assertion that he doesn’t understand pullouts.

  4. 4.

    Jeffro

    January 9, 2019 at 10:42 pm

    McCarthy should ask Corey Stewart (no-VA) what it feels like to massage trumpov’s massive…ego…and then try to run for Congress.

    These lemmings, they just, well, they just jump. And what can you do?

  5. 5.

    The Dangerman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:43 pm

    …he even brought a little candy for everybody.

    “Here’s some leftover Christmas Candy, now I’d like 5 Billion?”

  6. 6.

    H.E.Wolf

    January 9, 2019 at 10:43 pm

    SFGate misspelled “Minority Leader” in the body of their online article. (They got it right in their photo caption.)

  7. 7.

    Gin & Tonic

    January 9, 2019 at 10:43 pm

    Republican U.S. House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy is defending President Donald Trump’s comments that California isn’t doing a good enough job managing its forests.

    Last I checked, he is minority leader.

  8. 8.

    danielx

    January 9, 2019 at 10:45 pm

    I can hear the neurons in Trump’s brain soggily colliding every so often during a discussion with McCarthy, finally coalescing around the thoughts “you’re a Minority Leader – since you are in the minority you’re a loser – you’re useless to me – and I don’t like minorities anyway”.

  9. 9.

    Jeffro

    January 9, 2019 at 10:46 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: which is kind of mind-boggling, if you think about it…DOJ and the courts have openly stated that the president’s* tweets and what not are just, well, trumpian BS? The guy is only (technically, but still) the head of the Executive Branch(!)

    “Ehh…he’s just tweeting again…no need to follow up on that. What could go wrong?”

    I’m understanding more and more why Hamilton was ok with Jefferson over Burr…

  10. 10.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:47 pm

    @Jeffro: Ees a puzzlement!

  11. 11.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:48 pm

    @danielx: McCarthy has never been known to be particularly bright. He also has a hard time keeping his mouth shut and his foot out of it.

  12. 12.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:49 pm

    @Keith P.: EWWWW!

  13. 13.

    Mary G

    January 9, 2019 at 10:49 pm

    He’s picked another winner!

    I tried (as did Blumenthal) to get meeting w/AG nominee Barr and was told he couldn’t meet until AFTER the hearing. The reason given? The shutdown. Yet shutdown didn’t stop him from other mtgs. This is a 1st for me w/any nominee as a member of judiciary. #Uncool #BadSign— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) January 10, 2019

    Amy is growing on me.

  14. 14.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:50 pm

    Why is Jared Kushner trying to sell cosmetics to Bibi Netanyahu?

    'How I "Solved" Middle East peace' #TheTitleOfMyTEDTalk pic.twitter.com/rngJyg3xf8

    — Jared 'Very Legal & Very Cool' Kushner (@PrezKushner) January 10, 2019

  15. 15.

    danielx

    January 9, 2019 at 10:51 pm

    @Jeffro:

    DOJ and the courts have openly stated that the president’s* tweets and what not are just, well, trumpian BS?

    To give them *cough* due justice, there has never been a situation in which a president’s public statements were open to question on an hourly basis, most especially when that president makes a public statement and then denies ever having made it. Or when he contradicts himself on a daily basis, or….oh, fuckit.

  16. 16.

    plato

    January 9, 2019 at 10:51 pm

    Traitorous thugs like mccarthy and nunes seem to be well ensconced in their districts. No way they will mend their ways given their voters’ stupidity.

  17. 17.

    Citizen_X

    January 9, 2019 at 10:51 pm

    @Keith P.: Hey, California has to “get their act together.” How much clearer can you get?

  18. 18.

    Mary G

    January 9, 2019 at 10:54 pm

    The woman who had Hank Paulson on his knees before her in 2008 is not impressed by a bit of candy.

  19. 19.

    danielx

    January 9, 2019 at 10:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Truth. Not that any of those characteristics have ever been disqualifications for pols, particularly Republicans. I mean, consider Louie Gohmert.

    Or not.

  20. 20.

    Another Scott

    January 9, 2019 at 10:55 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: McCarthy kicked off the “no leaks, we’re family” discussion with Ryan, also, too:

    “There’s two people I think Putin pays: Rohrabacher and Trump,” McCarthy (R-Calif.) said, according to a recording of the June 15, 2016, exchange, which was listened to and verified by The Washington Post. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher is a Californian Republican known in Congress as a fervent defender of Putin and Russia.

    House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) immediately interjected, stopping the conversation from further exploring McCarthy’s assertion, and swore the Republicans present to secrecy.

    Before the conversation, McCarthy and Ryan had emerged from separate talks at the Capitol with Ukrainian Prime Minister Vladi­mir Groysman, who had described a Kremlin tactic of financing populist politicians to undercut Eastern European democratic institutions.

    News had just broken the day before in The Washington Post that Russian government hackers had penetrated the computer network of the Democratic National Committee, prompting McCarthy to shift the conversation from Russian meddling in Europe to events closer to home.

    Some of the lawmakers laughed at McCarthy’s comment. Then McCarthy quickly added: “Swear to God.”

    Ryan instructed his Republican lieutenants to keep the conversation private, saying: “No leaks. . . . This is how we know we’re a real family here.”

    The remarks remained secret for nearly a year.

    They’re all in it together. And we’ve known it for a long time…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  21. 21.

    H.E.Wolf

    January 9, 2019 at 10:56 pm

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Hee hee! Great minds think alike… and ours, too.

    I sent a polite note to SFGate’s newsroom, thanking CA voters for making Rep. McCarthy the minority leader and asking that SFGate correct the error.

  22. 22.

    Mary G

    January 9, 2019 at 10:56 pm

    Oh, this won’t end well:

    EXCLUSIVE: Hundreds of school districts have moved to arm school staff, some in secret after Parkland, a VICE News investigation has found https://t.co/DaqSa07QbC— VICE News (@vicenews) January 9, 2019

    Some kid will set off a firecracker in the hall and the home ec teacher rushing in from one side will kill the football coach rushing in from the other.

  23. 23.

    FelonyGovt

    January 9, 2019 at 10:57 pm

    If they cut FEMA funding to California we should refuse to send the federal government any more tax money. This is beyond despicable.

  24. 24.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 10:58 pm

    @Another Scott: I have not forgotten. It is marked with a Soviet red colored push pin on my wall.

  25. 25.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:00 pm

    @Mary G: Given that the football coach is most likely molesting the cheerleaders, I’m okay with this.

  26. 26.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:01 pm

    @FelonyGovt: I made that suggestion last year in regards to the changes in the tax bill regarding no longer being able to deduct state and local income taxes.

  27. 27.

    Eric

    January 9, 2019 at 11:05 pm

    @Mary G: well. Secret means did not tell your insurance carrier and violated sunshine laws. That won’t end well.

  28. 28.

    Mary G

    January 9, 2019 at 11:06 pm

    I’ve never been able to get into the GOS, but this just seems insane:

    The @DailyKos community bought 25,000 roses for @SpeakerPelosi, and I had the honor of delivering about 7,000 of them. The other 18,000 were donated by the Speaker to Walter Reed hospital, will be delivered tomorrow! pic.twitter.com/tzOIosnA88— Markos Moulitsas (@markos) January 9, 2019

    Woman who works to get voters the proper ID so they can participate in democracy:

    I did some quick math. A dozen roses is about $100 so this cost about $208,000. I could have gotten 5,208 IDs for that.— kat calvin (@KatCalvinLA) January 10, 2019

  29. 29.

    Mary G

    January 9, 2019 at 11:07 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: It’s the students who will die in the crossfire that are the problem.

  30. 30.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 9, 2019 at 11:09 pm

    @Mary G: yeah, I found that weird. Plant trees, buy solar panels, set up a dedicated fund for the flippable seat in the next round…. Roses?
    ETA: Even better

    I did some quick math. A dozen roses is about $100 so this cost about $208,000. I could have gotten 5,208 IDs for that.— kat calvin (@KatCalvinLA) January 10, 2019

    weird weird weird

  31. 31.

    lamh36

    January 9, 2019 at 11:12 pm

    Thanks for all the suggestions on the what to do for this trip to LA guys.

    Rest assured I read them all, and NO ONE is in a pie filter ;-)

    I’ve just been really busy doing some other things.

    Anyway…a tentative schedule.

    We arrive Friday like 11:30pm…last flight out…hopefully no delays or issues. I’ve rented a car for the entire trip and the hotel I booked is one of those motor motels, has good rates and reviews on Trip Advisor, plus parking is included, might have some trouble since we’re arrving so late, but at least I won’t have to pay for daily parking at hotel and wherever we end up.

    On Saturday, gonna drive and park at Hollywood and Highland center for the day ($17 all day is says on the website). We’re gonna either try for a 1/2 day guided tour (if I can find a good one) or a good hop on/hop off thing…and then probably Universal City Walk for dinner? Then back to the hotel. Sunday is the Grammy tribute
    at the Shrine, doors open at 4:30 so I figured we go to the Grammy museum on this day eat somwhere round here, then head back to hotel to get ready for the Grammy tribute.

    It’s being filmed “LIVE” for television, so IDK, but I guess it will likely be longer than the usual concert since it’s being filmed?

    Then ealry Monday, we’ll be heading back to NOLA.

    Again, thanks for all the suggestions…I’m really appreciate it

  32. 32.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 9, 2019 at 11:13 pm

    @Mary G: This is pretty wildly off. I can check 1800flowers and get a dozen roses for $35. And that’s not buying in bulk.

    I’d expect this probably cost a lot less than $200k. Probably less than a third.

    EDIT: Agree that the money could have been used for something more useful, but this is a lovely gesture and the average DailyKOS user probably contributed a miniscule amount of money.

    EDIT THE 2ND: My wife tells me it’s like… $10 for a dozen at Costco.

  33. 33.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:13 pm

    @Mary G: I’m all too aware.

  34. 34.

    The Pale Scot

    January 9, 2019 at 11:14 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Yo Adam, can your C.Drums friends recommend a Burn’s Supper that isn’t all pasty old Brits in their suds?

    “Deep in heart-wrung tears I’ll pledge thee,
    Warring sighs and groans I’ll wage thee.”

  35. 35.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:14 pm

    @Mary G: I was a reader for about 8 years, I left during the health care wars.

  36. 36.

    Another Scott

    January 9, 2019 at 11:19 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Um, Trader Joe’s has a dozen roses for $13. kat apparently hasn’t bought roses recently…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  37. 37.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:20 pm

    @lamh36:

  38. 38.

    jl

    January 9, 2019 at 11:20 pm

    I don’t understand why the national media can’t get away from the battle of the soundbites, especially when there are hard facts that can be cited in same time as the soundbites. For example,
    The state of California owns and manages less than 5% of its forests. The federal government owns and manages about 2/3ds of the state’s forests. Funds for federal management have been cut, some of the cuts are by the Trump/GOP. California has actually been chipping in the compensate for cuts in federal spending on forests. The deadly and destructive fires this year did not start on or burn through state managed forests.

    Has anyone heard the national media report these simple facts? I’m curious.

  39. 39.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:21 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    My wife tells me it’s like… $10 for a dozen at Costco.

    And they throw in the 35 gallon drum of tartar sauce!

  40. 40.

    Fair Economist

    January 9, 2019 at 11:22 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: I saw the Roses for Pelosi campaign and the price was $3 a stem, almost exactly your price. So the total is about $75,000 – a good chunk of change but excusable every few years.

  41. 41.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:22 pm

    @The Pale Scot: My what friends?

  42. 42.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:23 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: Among the injured were…

  43. 43.

    TaMara (HFG)

    January 9, 2019 at 11:28 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: And if they bought them wholesale (which would be possible if any of them had connections) much, much less than even that.

  44. 44.

    SFAW

    January 9, 2019 at 11:29 pm

    @MisterForkbeard:

    EDIT THE 2ND: My wife tells me it’s like… $10 for a dozen at Costco.

    And Market Basket (local grocery chain). And Walmart. And BJs. And (probably) Shaw’s (another local grocery chain). And so on …

    @Another Scott:

    kat apparently hasn’t bought roses recently…

    Or is innumerate. Or just fucking stupid.

  45. 45.

    lamh36

    January 9, 2019 at 11:31 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Ha…those earlier episodes were hilarious. It’s all coming to an end this year though.

    Final season backend eps begin next week I think?

  46. 46.

    namekarB

    January 9, 2019 at 11:31 pm

    @jl: The U.S Forest Service needs to better manage the trees on both BLM and in National Forests in California. Oh wait, all those forest service employees are not getting paid because of the shut down

  47. 47.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:31 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I believe Baud was awarded a Purple Heart, or maybe it was just a purple band-aid.

  48. 48.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:32 pm

    @jl:

    Has anyone heard the national media report these simple facts?

    It seems that you’re assuming competence from the national media. Silly jl.

  49. 49.

    SFAW

    January 9, 2019 at 11:33 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    And they throw in the 35 gallon drum of tartar sauce!

    That’s an amazing price — imagine how many teeth have to be scraped to get that much tartar. Although I guess that’s better than a 35-gallon drum of Tatars.

    ETA: Yeah, I know it can be spelt both ways.

  50. 50.

    trollhattan

    January 9, 2019 at 11:33 pm

    This fuckin’ guy. Look how much of McCarthy’s district is forest, including Sequoia NP.

  51. 51.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 9, 2019 at 11:34 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: You know, what they say: “Come for the Rose’s, stay for the mayonnaise bath.”

    Okay, I’ve successfully squicked myself out now.

  52. 52.

    SFAW

    January 9, 2019 at 11:36 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    It seems that you’re assuming competence from the national media.

    It seems that you’re assuming that the national media is trying to practice real journalism. Were that the case, we’d be talking about President Clinton. But they are quite competent at their actual mission.

  53. 53.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:36 pm

    @trollhattan: Well Kevin(NOT STEVE) isn’t the brightest bulb in the Republican House caucus and that’s saying quite a bit.

  54. 54.

    JoeyJoeJoe

    January 9, 2019 at 11:37 pm

    @lamh36: you can go for a Warner brothers studio tour if you want to go to Pasadena, I think. The Big Bang Theory is taped there and you can see the set or maybe even a taping if you go on Friday

  55. 55.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:37 pm

    @SFAW: That’s a possiblity, or they just could be really bad at their jobs.

  56. 56.

    rikyrah

    January 9, 2019 at 11:38 pm

    Alex Seitz-Wald (@aseitzwald) Tweeted:
    Wow: Mazie Hirono spox knocks Tulsi Gabbard for op-ed on “religious bigotry” over Qs for Trump judicial nominee.

    “It is unfortunate that Congresswoman Gabbard based her misguided opinion on the far-right wing manipulation of these straightforward Qs.”

    https://t.co/Nf7QLr9oMy https://twitter.com/aseitzwald/status/1083019244068134913?s=17

  57. 57.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 9, 2019 at 11:38 pm

    @trollhattan: the MoC for Paradise CA is a Republican, Doug LaMalfa

    Rep. Doug LaMalfa @ RepLaMalfa
    Here is my statement in response to the President’s tweet threatening to withdraw FEMA funding from California. “The President has seen first-hand our fire-ravaged areas in Northern California. He made the promise to help, and I expect him to keep it.”

  58. 58.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:39 pm

    @JoeyJoeJoe: Warner’s in Burbank.

  59. 59.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:40 pm

    @lamh36: I stopped watching about halfway through last year.

    Given the show’s preoccupation with Bob Newhart I expect the final episode will be the opening part of the first episode where Sheldon and Leonard are standing in the hallway contemplating introducing themselves to their new neighbor Penny. The entire run of the show, every episode, was simply Leonard imagining a life for himself with Penny.

  60. 60.

    SFAW

    January 9, 2019 at 11:41 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    “He made the promise to help, and I expect him to keep it.”

    “I will gladly pay you Tuesday, for a hamburger border wall today.”

    and then on Wednesday
    “I never said I’d give CA any FEMA money.”

  61. 61.

    The Pale Scot

    January 9, 2019 at 11:42 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: A while ago you mentioned a band I think was named Celtic Drums, you said you did doorman duty for them, I;m sure I could be remembering wrong. I live in Pinellas, it’s all tourists here

  62. 62.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:44 pm

    @SFAW: I grew up in the south, so here it’s: taaahtar sauce. It’s served with a mess of fried srimps!

  63. 63.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:44 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: Good for the follicles and cuticles.

  64. 64.

    sukabi

    January 9, 2019 at 11:47 pm

    @Mary G: they might have been grocery store roses, so might have been significantly cheaper, $10 – $30 / dozen if not red valentines roses…

    Still very unusual way to spend solicited $$ when there are a bunch of better ways to use that $$ to honor her.

  65. 65.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:48 pm

    @The Pale Scot: Celtic Conundrum. A very close friend’s band. Here’s their website.
    http://www.celticconundrum.com/

  66. 66.

    piratedan

    January 9, 2019 at 11:50 pm

    @lamh36: unsure if they’re still open, but Ameoba records on Hollywood and Vine is a great way to find that missing item in your vinyl or CD collection if you’re musically inclined….

  67. 67.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 9, 2019 at 11:51 pm

    @The Pale Scot: Shot me an email with exactly what you’re looking for so I can reply, and then I’ll check with my friend tomorrow and see what he recommends.

  68. 68.

    lamh36

    January 9, 2019 at 11:51 pm

    @JoeyJoeJoe: I was thinking bout the Warner Bros tour as well, but it would have to be on Saturday since it’s the only full day we have, plus the weather may not permit, esp if it rains. i did the WB tour when I last went solo and it’s an open cart so… rain would be a factor

  69. 69.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 9, 2019 at 11:52 pm

    I still wouldn’t trust Barr as far as I could throw him, but I bet this will get under trump’s orange crust

    Steven Dennis @ StevenTDennis
    William Barr and Robert Mueller have been friends for decades; Their wives attend Bible study together; Mueller has attended Barr’s daughters’ weddings, per Lindsey Graham after his conversation with Barr.
    @ DaviSusan
    “I didn’t know that they were that close personally,” Graham said.
    Susan Glasser Retweeted Susan Davis
    Did Trump?

  70. 70.

    lamh36

    January 9, 2019 at 11:53 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I stopped watching it a while after the 2nd or 3rd season with Amy Farrah Fowler and only now catch it in reruns on sydication, but I do watch a clip or two if I’m just randomly surfing the net for something

  71. 71.

    jl

    January 9, 2019 at 11:54 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: @SFAW: There is no truth in news, there is no news in truth. That saying rings a bell.

  72. 72.

    Aleta

    January 9, 2019 at 11:56 pm

    (The Hill) The head of the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF) on Wednesday blasted President Trump over his threat to stop sending federal funding to California to fight forest fires.

    “This is yet another unimaginable attack on the dedicated professionals who put everything on the line, including their own homes, to protect their neighborhoods,” General President Harold Schaitberger, who leads the union that represents full-time firefighters and emergency medical services personnel in the U.S. and Canada, said in a statement.

    “While our president is tweeting on the sidelines in DC, our fellow Americans 3,000 miles to the west are mourning loved ones, entire communities have been wiped off the map and thousands of people are still trying to figure out where they are going to call home,” he said.

  73. 73.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:56 pm

    @lamh36: While Warner’s is in Burbank, if you head east down the 134, past the 2; you’ll be on the Barack Obama Freeway. There’s a sign and everything.

  74. 74.

    Crosspalms

    January 9, 2019 at 11:57 pm

    @danielx: repeat after me: freedom carcass, freedom carcass

  75. 75.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 9, 2019 at 11:57 pm

    @jl: I learned it in the original Russian. I took Russian 1 my last quarter at UCLA.

  76. 76.

    randy khan

    January 9, 2019 at 11:58 pm

    @Mary G: @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    For what it’s worth, they probably got them wholesale, and this time of year they’re a lot cheaper than $100/dozen (a quick search found them for about 1/3 of that retail), so that number is off by a lot. Also, I’m pretty confident that DKos did it as a fundraiser, so most of the money probably wasn’t for the roses.

    Also too, it’s a nice gesture to Pelosi. We shouldn’t not do nice things.

  77. 77.

    sukabi

    January 10, 2019 at 12:02 am

    MSNBC is bonkers says lunatic in twitter rant

  78. 78.

    peach flavored shampoo

    January 10, 2019 at 12:03 am

    Last I checked, he is minority leader.

    No, no he’s not. He hates minorities, and would throw them all out of his district if he could.

  79. 79.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 10, 2019 at 12:05 am

    @sukabi: amazing he can find the time in between presidentin’ and having family dinners with Melanie and Duke

  80. 80.

    The Pale Scot

    January 10, 2019 at 12:05 am

    @Adam L Silverman: According to Conudrum they’re playing at Jack’s grill on 01/26, a Sat. On Jack’s site Burn’s supper is the 20th, a Sunday. Maybe it’s a decoy for the tourists. I’ll pop in and see it’s just down the road. I’ve been to some Burn’s Suppers in NYC, saw some Shakespearean MoFos laying it down tight with elocution and timing.

  81. 81.

    Plato

    January 10, 2019 at 12:08 am

    What the fresh hell. This is REAL. Filmed in 1958- about a conman who grifts a small town of suckers into building a wall. History not subtle enough for you? GUESS THE GRIFTER'S NAME (And watch until the end) pic.twitter.com/6FA3p6KC00

    — Alex Hirsch (@_AlexHirsch) January 9, 2019

  82. 82.

    MisterForkbeard

    January 10, 2019 at 12:08 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Ugh. I can’t stand that show – as a fairly big nerd at some points of my life, it almost always felt like they were making fun of rather than celebrating geekdom.

    When most of the comedy comes from taking the most awful stereotypes of a subculture and then making them more obnoxious so they create ‘sitcom’ moments, it just rubs me the wrong way. But then, I haven’t enjoyed sitcoms in about 20 years. Maybe I’ve just moved past the format.

  83. 83.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    January 10, 2019 at 12:08 am

    Is that McCarthy as in the ranchers?

  84. 84.

    hilts

    January 10, 2019 at 12:11 am

    @sukabi:

    Donald Trump needs a pacifier and a diaper change as he cycles through his 7 stages of butthurt.

  85. 85.

    Face

    January 10, 2019 at 12:15 am

    A dozen roses is about $100

    No it doesn’t. This is ridiculous. A dozen roses outside of Valentine’s and Mother’s Days are about $15.

    Still a waste of $$, I agree.

    ETA: I see I’m about the 8th person to note this BS

  86. 86.

    sukabi

    January 10, 2019 at 12:16 am

    @hilts: he’s going to need more than that…guy who wrote special counsel rules 20 years ago says there will be a public Mueller report.

  87. 87.

    Sebastian

    January 10, 2019 at 12:18 am

    This is spooky as hell. A film from 1958 about a grifter who cons a small town into building a wall. And the grifter’s name is TRUMP.

    https://mobile.twitter.com/_AlexHirsch/status/1083140191362048000

    Edit: Beaten to the punch.

  88. 88.

    chopper

    January 10, 2019 at 12:26 am

    dude the motherfucking camp fire started in federal land! like as in forest land that is managed by trump’s administration!

    motherfuckers!

  89. 89.

    hilts

    January 10, 2019 at 12:31 am

    @sukabi:

    I look forward to Trump leaving the White House prematurely either in handcuffs or in a straitjacket. Also hope to see an indictment for Don Jr. or Jared.

  90. 90.

    Aleta

    January 10, 2019 at 12:32 am

    I heard that work on scheduled space projects is stopping. There are windows for launches and if those are missed, they may have to wait another 3 years or so. A lot of research is coming to a halt. But Raw Story says the admin is going ahead with public meetings and signing leases to start drilling in the Arctic.

  91. 91.

    Sebastian

    January 10, 2019 at 12:34 am

    @hilts:

    I think we all want to see Don Jr smug mug hauled into jail. Jared too. Ivanka too, she is the most dangerous of the bunch.

    But most I want to see Flynn Jr in jail but alas that’s unlikely to happen.

    Edit for typos and addon:
    I want to see Melania the Idiot rot in jail. The rest? Have them all hang on lampposts by the thousands so the message echos through the ages. Fat chance that’ll happen though.

  92. 92.

    The Pale Scot

    January 10, 2019 at 12:35 am

    @The Pale Scot: Oh shit, there’s more to this than I remember
    Burns Supper Speakers’ Masterclass: The Toast to the Lassies

    I thought I could get away with something like the Willie Archer and The Banks of the Bann

  93. 93.

    NobodySpecial

    January 10, 2019 at 12:35 am

    @Adam L Silverman: Ugh, nerd blackface at it’s finest.

  94. 94.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 10, 2019 at 12:40 am

    @Aleta:

    But Raw Story says the admin is going ahead with public meetings and signing leases to start drilling in the Arctic.

    “Drill Baby, Drill”.

  95. 95.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 10, 2019 at 12:41 am

    @MisterForkbeard: @NobodySpecial: I do not disagree. After a while I was watching just to see what happened with the characters, less because it was funny. Then I just decided I had other things to do and/or watch.

  96. 96.

    sukabi

    January 10, 2019 at 12:41 am

    @hilts: me too!

    Here’s my wish list:
    Drumpf
    Don Jr.
    Ivanka
    KellyAnne
    Mercers
    S. Miller
    Kirsten Nielsen (sp)
    Pence
    Guiliani

  97. 97.

    Bruuuuce

    January 10, 2019 at 12:55 am

    @sukabi: Add Mnuchin, McConnell, and DeVos to that list, and it’s a good start.

  98. 98.

    poleaxedbyboatwork

    January 10, 2019 at 1:03 am

    @jl:

    There is no truth in news, there is no news in truth. That saying rings a bell.

    Wasn’t it Keats who said:

    News is truthy, truthy news.
    That is how ye catapult the propaganda on earth,
    and all ye need to know.

    (Or some like that; prolly shoulda googled it to be sure.)

  99. 99.

    poleaxedbyboatwork

    January 10, 2019 at 1:08 am

    @hilts:

    All of ’em, Katie!

  100. 100.

    Sebastian

    January 10, 2019 at 1:10 am

    @Bruuuuce:

    Sanders!

    Let’s not forget those that slithered away:
    Spicer
    Lewandowsky
    Nunes and all the other congress traitors

  101. 101.

    sukabi

    January 10, 2019 at 1:12 am

    @Bruuuuce: Yes, my list is longer, that was the first pass. ?

  102. 102.

    M. Bouffant

    January 10, 2019 at 1:26 am

    @piratedan: Still there, but there is 6400 Sunset Bl., a bit west of Vine. It’s big!

  103. 103.

    piratedan

    January 10, 2019 at 1:33 am

    some speculation that I am seeing thrown around at a couple of other places that I read and twitter feeds of people supposedly in the know could mean that this is our collective remake of All The President’s Men in that there are two pieces of information that seem plausible but aren’t confirmed in actual reporting (at least not yet)… so I don’t know just how accurate this is but based on what we’ve seen so far, hell I have a hard time NOT believing it….

    item #1 – What Manafort and Gates turned over to the Russians wasn’t just Trump internal polling data but also GOP voter registration data, looping in Priebus and the entire GOP party hierarchy into the mix of collusion/corruption and allowing social media micro-targeting of attack ads and voter registration data. So it’s possible that if the actual database was in their hands, it’s entirely possible to put together a hack of likely GOP voters into casting votes for GOP candidates, regardless of those people even showing up at the polls because who would know? Nothing to see here, move along….

    Item #2 – Betsy DeVos owns Spectrum Health which provides health care in some key Midwestern states… is it possible that DeVos shared health care data with these same people (Cambridge Analytica) to target opioid users/addicts with targeted disinformation thru social media to vote how they wanted them to vote? Considering the sophistication of the attacks is it possible that these folks targeted those of us most susceptible to being influenced in this fashion? If so, this would be an extreme breach of both patient confidentiality and HIPAA (and probably six other ways of illegal but it seems that nothing is beyond these guys and look at the payoff)

    THIS thread that starts with a Steve Schmidt tweet is downright scary…. Adam says that we’re through the looking glass, and perhaps we are after all…

    https://twitter.com/SteveSchmidtSES/status/1083038812639510533?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1083038812639510533&ref_url=http%3A%2F%2Flittlegreenfootballs.com%2Farticle%2F48735_Prog-Acoustic_Excellence-_Punc

  104. 104.

    Fair Economist

    January 10, 2019 at 1:37 am

    @piratedan:

    What Manafort and Gates turned over to the Russians wasn’t just Trump internal polling data but also GOP voter registration data

    Hillary said there had to be Americans helping with the messages and targeting, and she’s been pretty accurate about what they were doing.

    Betsy DeVos is as crooked as they come. One of her organizations has been trafficking the kidnapped Central American children.

  105. 105.

    piratedan

    January 10, 2019 at 1:39 am

    @M. Bouffant: ty, I knew it was close but I only visit there when I am in town on business, appreciate the correction!

  106. 106.

    Martin

    January 10, 2019 at 1:44 am

    A) California will sue over the FEMA funding. And win.
    B) Roses in CA are cheap. We grow them here by the acre, year round. It really is one of the most impressive things about moving to California is driving around and just seeing the scale of agriculture here. 60% of the roses grown in the US come from CA.

    I have a friend who decorates high-end homes. This time of year medium stem roses will run you $.50 a stem – I only know this because she did up a christmas tree for someone and used roses in place of the ornaments. I expected it to be outrageously expensive, but she said it was really cheap because roses are so cheap this time of year here. You guys don’t think they’re dropping a quarter million dollars on a rose parade float, do you? We do the damn parade because we grow an ungodly amount of flowers here.

    But because they don’t travel so well, prices go up quite a bit as you head away from CA. I doubt you can consistently buy them for less than double that price in places like New England at this time of year. So it’s hard to compare prices because it does vary quite a bit.

  107. 107.

    Sebastian

    January 10, 2019 at 1:51 am

    @piratedan:

    The Alfabank server would have been used for updates and changelogs only after the initial data set has been handed over.

  108. 108.

    smike

    January 10, 2019 at 2:01 am

    @Plato:
    FSM works in mysterious way, Ramen.

  109. 109.

    Mnemosyne

    January 10, 2019 at 2:58 am

    @lamh36:

    It may be too late at night for you to see this, but if you’re going to be in the Hollywood & Highland area, the wax museums are cheesy but unexpectedly fun because they let you get right next to the statues and pose with them. There are at least three all within a block or two of each other, so grab the coupons from the guys on the sidewalk in front of the mall and compare them to see which place has the best deal that day.

  110. 110.

    Mnemosyne

    January 10, 2019 at 3:02 am

    @lamh36:

    Oh, and we probably told you this last time, but on Hollywood Blvd you have to pay the costumed characters in order to pose with them. In fact, just assume that anyone unusual on Hollywood Blvd that you want to take a photo of or with expects to be paid. It will save you a whole lot of trouble.

  111. 111.

    sm*t cl*de

    January 10, 2019 at 3:55 am

    @M. Bouffant:
    I was in LA at the beginning of November and scored some long-sought-after DVDs at Amoeba.
    Between that, the art museums, and the Museum of Jurassic Technology, I managed to fill in the time.

  112. 112.

    Steeplejack

    January 10, 2019 at 4:25 am

    @Plato:

    That episode of Trackdown will be shown on MeTV at 8:00 a.m. EST on Saturday January 19.

  113. 113.

    low-tech cyclist

    January 10, 2019 at 8:05 am

    @Gin & Tonic:

    Last I checked, he is minority leader.

    That was the first thing that came to my mind as well! Clearly SFgate.com is living in the past. (ETA: I looked, and it’s an AP story. That’s even worse – they *really* shouldn’t be bungling stuff like that!) He’s been in the minority for the past week, thank the Lord.

  114. 114.

    Nicole

    January 10, 2019 at 8:26 am

    @Mary G: The Daily Kos has my email address so I get there daily bulletin m, and I remember last week getting the request to donate to send roses to her office. It seemed like a monumental waste of money, and kind of sexist too. Women like flowers! Ugh.

  115. 115.

    Uncle Cosmo

    January 10, 2019 at 8:58 am

    @MisterForkbeard: TBBT reminds me of All In The Family in (what I perceive to be) audience reactions.

    AITF spozedly “brought us all back together” back in the days. Sure enough, in homes across the nation, it brought the whole bickering fambly together – to sit down & watch AITF. And though we all laughed at more or less the same time, we were laughing at different things: Us DFHs were thinking, Listen to that asshole Archie! Whadda moron! while our parents were thinking, You tell ’em, Arch!

    Similar thing with Beeg Beng. Those of us who knew STEM wonks in the day (hell, those of us who were STEM-wonks-in-the-day) chuckle at how well the writers nail the subsubculture – while the vast majority of viewers guffaws at lookit-them-thar-geenyusses-that-gots-no-common-sense! I’m halfway willing to cut ’em (ETA: the writers, not the knuckledragging mouthbreathing audience!) a break on this…but then I reflect that the fundamental story arc since episode 1 has been Leonard’s near-desperate desire to achieve “normalcy” as typified by his dogged pursuit (& eventual capture) of well-meaning-but-ditzy corn-fed-Nebraskan Penny….

    Nevertheless, I persist in laughing. And I guess that’s something. All too few things to laugh healthily & heartily at in Trumpolini’s Murrka.

  116. 116.

    bemused

    January 10, 2019 at 9:53 am

    @trollhattan:

    I remember when Kevin was one of the Young Guns along with Paul Ryan and Eric Cantor who were going to be a new breed of young conservatives/tea partiers. Heh.

  117. 117.

    Miss Bianca

    January 10, 2019 at 9:58 am

    @The Pale Scot: All right, that’s it – Shakespearean MoFos is my new band name.

  118. 118.

    Chief Oskhosh

    January 10, 2019 at 9:59 am

    @randy khan:

    Also too, it’s a nice gesture to Pelosi. We shouldn’t not do nice things.

    There’s that, and totally agreed.

    The “left” just crushed the barbarians in the midterms. A celebratory lap and a high five to our new Speaker is A-OK with me. If she likes roses and likes giving them to people in the hospital — even better.

    As to the funders of the high five roses, it may be useful to recall that dKos arrived to the fight early, grew, and continues to thrive. I don’t see Cole being invited to Nancy Smash’s office for photo ops (although who knows – if he ever finds that jar of mustard…). I don’t see BJ polls popping up on my TV. Nothing against Cole or mustard or polls or the rest of this community — I understand that BJ is a totally different entity, and its members are way too smart and pure and logical and have better pets than to be Followers of the Great Orange Satan — but let’s let’s recognize success. dKos is big, it has a spectrum of voices (some just in the heads of the members!), and compared to other such communities, for better or worse, it gets listened to by elected officials. If it’s roses dey wants, it’s roses dey gets!

    Still — roses?! Sheesh!

  119. 119.

    Matt McIrvin

    January 10, 2019 at 5:29 pm

    @Uncle Cosmo: The few times I’ve tried to watch TBBT, the thing that puts me off is just that all the characters seem really mean to each other. Maybe there’s some core of affection I’m missing.

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