JUST IN: McConnell blocks House bill to reopen government for second time https://t.co/CGQrB66zgU pic.twitter.com/SMLtyXz2RG
— The Hill (@thehill) January 15, 2019
So now we need to know what McConnell wants https://t.co/BopP9e3BXF
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 15, 2019
.
Cuz we already know why the Oval Office Squatter is pro-shutdown…
He meant it when he said “I don’t mind owning the shutdown.” He’s running it like one of his bankrupt businesses. https://t.co/NKFCSdl4xq
— Karen Tumulty (@ktumulty) January 15, 2019
How do we know this is not a Putin shutdown. It is so absurd and DJT is being so unreasonable it is difficult to believe Trump isn’t doing it to impress Putin, and give him hard evidence of the failure of democracy. https://t.co/3UaEHhbQoZ
— John Dean (@JohnWDean) January 15, 2019
DCrefugee
Putin succeeded beyond his wildest dreams…
Sebastian
@DCrefugee:
He will rue the day he hatched this plan.
Major Major Major Major
Is there a way like in the house to force a senate vote? Veto, I know, but those can be overridden.
ruemara
Hmph. All folks had to do was vote for the sensible, prepared, non-treasonous lady.
West of the Rockies
Please, all, forgive my appearance shaming, but how is McConnell, with that bloated throat sack and 77 sedentary years not dead or dying? I wish all the misery he has caused others would descend upon him: a thousand metric tons of pig shit.
FoxinSocks
I usually lurk but hope you don’t mind me posting this here. Did some research into McConnell. Looks like his father-in-law’s shipping company makes millions thanks to the Chinese government. That company has also done business with Glencore via a subsidiary.
https://twitter.com/literarymouse/status/1072211103432798209?s=21
The Midnight Lurker
@FoxinSocks: From one lurker to another… what ever happened to ol’ HR 6010? Hmmm?
prostratedragon
Putin: “Democracy fails whenever schmucks like me get a hold of it.”
I guess that means we are pwned.
WaterGirl
Republicans:
Country before Party.Party before Country.
Power before Everything.
Greed trumps All.
Matt
“migrants aren’t coming out of fear, but out of economics”
Thus the GOP’s decades-long plan to stop immigration by running the whole country into the ground.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
Open thread? So tonight, I stupidly backed my car into an SUV’s left rear tire. There wasn’t any visible damage on his end that we could see. My car wasn’t so lucky unfortunately. There wasn’t that much damage to the bumper. I noticed there was a small indent or hard point sticking out.
I know I need to get estimates to get it fixed. In some ways, my car is the least of my worries. I just hope his rear tire wasn’t knocked out alignment or otherwise damaged. I must have been going 5-6 mph. If it wasn’t I can avoid turning it into my insurance.
We exchanged names and phone numbers. I really hope I don’t get screwed.
bluehill
This author provides an apt description of McConnell:
lamh36
PJ
Gillibrand is now officially running. I wonder what the total number of candidates will be. Maybe we should have a pool.
chris
@PJ: 42 of course.
gene108
I just hope the local Kentucky media holds McConnell’s feet to the fire, so Kentucky residents know not to vote for him in 2020.
Him losing his Senate seat would hurt him, and I hope it makes him cry.
kindness
I remember when Republicans claimed to be the adults in the room. Yea, they never were, but they claimed as much.
trollhattan
@bluehill:
Impossible to argue a word of it. McConnell will endure anything to notch a win. Also snagged his spouse a cabinet seat and a personal set of ears inside the WH.
gene108
@bluehill:
McConnell got his dream job of being Senate Majority Leader, so in his mind it’s totally worth it and than some.
trollhattan
@gene108:
Kentucky gives us both Turtle and Ferret-top. Why change now?
West of the Rockies
@PJ:
I can think of no reason to vote for her in the primary, not with Harris in the mix.
Adam L Silverman
@lamh36: That is an apt conclusion.
West of the Rockies
@gene108:
He’d be almost 80 and worth 80 million. I suspect he’d not throw himself in front of a bus (though the image makes me tingle).
bluehill
@trollhattan: The entire article is sobering and depressing.
Ken Kohl
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: watching season 2 of ‘Sneaky Pete’. This plot line is familiar
Ken Kohl
@PJ: so, “my” Senator is in the game.
gene108
@bluehill:
I hope Republicans won’t regain the White House until 2036, at the earliest, and if Dems are in control of the Senate, they remember what McConnell did and refuse to confirm any appointments, including cabinet positions.
My big fear is an institutionalist like Shumer, would want to return “regular order”, as soon as possible, and not dish out any payback to Republicans.
gene108
@West of the Rockies:
He will be able to amply console his grief, but it would sting his ego that he went out as a loser.
lamh36
Ohio Mom
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: Take it from me, you’ll live through bumping another car, even with all the associated expenses. I have, more times in my driving career than I care to remember.
Though the last time was not my fault! I was at a stop light and the guy behind me took his foot off the brakes. It’s amazing what a three mph tap will do. I needed a whole new back bumper, and his front grille was shattered.
When you think about how much time we spend in our cars, it’s amazing we all aren’t in more accidents.
@PJ: Remember how many Republican candidates there were last time around — that did not end well, did it? I hope our field winnows itself into a manageable number in short order. I know, that’s a ridiculous thought when the list grows every day.
lamh36
I think this it def what Chump and GOP thought…
PJ
@West of the Rockies: @Ken Kohl: She’s my Senator too, but, given her treatment of Franken, and her willingness to say whatever to get elected (e.g., moving from pro-NRA to not), I’d put her just above Tulsi Gabbard on my list.
Brickley Paiste
@gene108: 63% of those Kentucky pigfuckers voted for Trump. That’s the highest percentage except for, IIRC, WV, WY, ND and another state that I’ve forgotten.
They is not learning from their mistakes either.
gene108
@lamh36:
I get the feeling Trump and McConnell won’t budge, unless something like air travel grinds to a halt, and wealthy business travelers are inconvenienced
lamh36
NotMax
@gene108
So nothing but contempt and invective for McConnell’s methods and a suggestion that we adopt them and do exactly the same thing.
The “payback” is to both engage in and strengthen good, functional government, not to reward their methods by imitation.
poleaxedbyboatwork
This charming slice of reality has the advantage of being not only accurate but useful. Retaking the Senate (that most undemocratic and thus unjustly insulated of political institutions) is the steepest hill to climb for Dems in 2020.
Have long felt the mushy-middle ain’t never gonna move en masse away from Republicans till politically ign’int folks are informed and shown paper on who’s fucking them. (Trump is horrible, course, but, bad as he is, he ain’t but the obvious festering symptom of the larger rank putrefaction of 50 years a movement conservatism.)
Moar like this please.
PJ
@Ohio Mom: I’m all for hearing from a diverse field of candidates, but the fact is that, given when NY has its primary, I will have no say whatsoever about the vast majority of them, most of whom will be gone by NH, if not well before. I know it would stretch candidates thin, but I wish there were some method of having a ranked-choice national primary, so that our Presidential candidates were not determined mostly by the peculiarities of two states.
trollhattan
Crank up the banjos, WV is at it again.
It’s comforting to learn 1. Appalachia’s opioid crisis begins at the border and therefore, easy-peasy to stop and 2. WV has a darn-tootin’ budget surplus. Why, I bet there’s nothing in the state they need to spend this money on, nothing at all.
West of the Cascades
@gene108: I hope that, if you’re right and the Republicans retake the presidency in 2036, Senate Majority Leader Ocasio-Cortez tells President Rubio to go suck it.
JustRuss
I think we had hard evidence the day Trump was “elected”.
bluehill
@gene108: I hear you. If dems are in that position, I would settle for some new laws that address some of the issues exposed by Trump and current repubs like voting rights, campaign finance and emoluments. I’m sure I’m missing a lot. That and thorough investigation and prosecution of any government official working for a foreign government.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Ohio Mom:
I’m a total fucking moron though. I panicked and didn’t bother taking pictures. Didn’t call the police. I know of the other driver so it’s not like he could have given me a fake name but I’m worried he might try to extort me or something.
And I don’t want to tell my parents about it. I’m on their car insurance. It gets dark early in Ohio and I have to leave for classes early in the morning tomorrow and then work. I won’t get home until 11 tomorrow night. So I could potentially hide this from them for two days. I plan on getting an estimate asap. I’m going to have to tell them at some point, but I really don’t want to.
lamh36
@lamh36: @Adam L Silverman: @gene108:
japa21
Trump is so dumb. He could come out of this like a hero, even to his base. Just say that he will accept the bills the House voted for, not because he agrees with it, but because he sees how badly so many Americans are suffering. He can then say that he will continue to work for the wall. Before you know it, the wall will be forgotten.
Nothing, however, will make McConnell look any better.
Amir Khalid
I don’t think there is any tactical thinking behind this. I think McConnell is doing this out of sheer partisan spite: whatever the Democrat party wants, the Democrat party shall not get — even if it is for the nation’s benefit, even if the nation’s need is urgent. Partisan spite has all along been McConnell’s sole principle as Senate majority leader.
If anyone’s interested, there’s been a new development in the ongoing war between guitar legend Jimmy Page and his next-door-neighbour from Hell, singer Robbie Williams. A letter to their local council alleges Williams has been blasting Black Sabbath and Deep Purple music at Page’s house, as well as dressing up as Page’s old colleague Robert Plant.
MazeDancer
Punching a ticket on the NYers against Gillibrand train.
Replies to her announcement tweet evidence no one has forgotten how she shafted Mr. Franken.
Not gonna happen, KG. Amy gonna win the White Girl lane.
SiubhanDuinne
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
Tell them.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@SiubhanDuinne:
I’m probably going to have to. It’ll be difficult to explain where my car is while it’s getting repaired, assuming I can afford the bill, for example. I’m not sure how long it would take. They’ll notice eventually. I just know they’ll be mad at me, especially given the circumstances. It would have been one thing if it just involved my car alone. I didn’t take any pictures or involve the police. It happened so quickly and I panicked.
Jay
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
Suck it up and get it over asap.
Bumpers in modern cars are crush zones, and so arn’t cheap.
It’s unlikely that any damage was done to the SUV’s rear wheel, axel or suspension, unless you hit the rim.
The costs of collision is why we have insurance.
ruemara
I really can’t believe so many are here mad at Gillibrand, when she wasn’t the only Senator calling for Franken to resign. And why are we never mad at men who have good sense up until a pretty woman stands next to them. If your hands form an exploratory committee at a meet & greet, maybe you aren’t that smart.
Omnes Omnibus
@MazeDancer: Sorry, but Franken couldn’t have been saved without torpedoing Jones’s chances in Alabama. I don’t think that it is bad for the Democrats to have someone capable of ruthless calculation in the mix. Also, every female Dem lined up against Franken, right? Where is the vitriol aimed at the others?
gene108
@Ohio Mom:
I think Democrats, are generally, higher caliber than Republicans, because we do not get support from billionaires like the Kochses, Mercers, etc., do not have a vast media network of talk radio, right-wing newspapers, and TV stations and Fox News, to carry water for us, as well as a wing nut welfare circuit to fallback on, if we lose.
I don’t think that will be the issue, with a bunch of uninspiring, stupid, candidates.
@PJ:
Franken was becoming a distraction. Were the allegations against him a hit job? Probably. The level of harm caused by the allegations was probably over blown.
But allegations of Franken getting handsie with women, who got pictures taken with him, dribbling out on a regular basis was hurting the Democratic Party brand.
You can’t make a strong stand against something like sexual harassment and then say, when one of your own is accused, that there are all these nuisances to consider. For every sexual assault or misconduct allegation leveled against Roy Moore that fall, there would be a “what about Franken?”.
These are the breaks, when the other side has their own news network.
SiubhanDuinne
@gene108:
I can’t believe Delta isn’t leaning HARD on the two Georgia Senators. If they are, though, there’s no evidence of it so far.
catclub
@Brickley Paiste: OK – 65%
Peale
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: deep breath. Yeah, it would probably have best to get an accident report. Fortunately, you are insured and as a poor student, you’ve got no money for anyone to want. They l’ll want the insurance company’s money. Lol
Anyway, there’s nothing really to extort from you. Makes no sense not to call your parents since they need to decide whether to file a claim to repair your car. So when you’re done with classes, call them. Take your knocks if they’re the yelling type and remember, they have had accidents in their cars, too. Everyone has.
Any
lamh36
Ohio Mom
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: One year, Ohio Dad was rear-ended two times by young people: the first time, we were all in the car and waiting at a green light to make a left turn with the blinkers on, and the young man behind us was only paying attention to the green light; the second time, Ohio Dad was by himself on a ramp about to enter a highway, when he slowed down just a tad to merge, and the young woman behind him was still thinking “gotta get up to highway speed.” Both times he wished he had a pack of tissues for the other driver, who was crying, “My Dad is going to kill me.”
You have lots of company. And plenty of people panic and forget to get contact info after a fender bender. What a great learning experience you are having! You will be so well-prepared for the next time!
gene108
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
How b ad is the damage to the bumper? You could go to the local mechanic and have him pound out the dent. Won’t be perfect, but good enough for most purposes.
If you think the guy is extorting you, turn it over to the insurance, that is what they are there for.
P.S. Don’t beat yourself up about an accident. Everyone has gotten into multiple over the years.
lamh36
Hmmm…anyone thing he’s gonna run?
His wife Connie Schultz retweeted saying “I’ll be watching”…
hmmm
GxB
@West of the Cascades:
She’ll be goddamed prez long before that if I have any say. Seriously, the sooner we turn this shitshow over to the young-uns the better.
Jay
@japa21:
“Trump is so dumb. He could come out of this like a hero, even to his base. Just say that he will accept the bills the House voted for, not because he agrees with it, but because he sees how badly so many Americans are suffering.”
The Orange Bloat couldn’t fake empathy, sympathy or concern, long enough to sell it.
satby
@SiubhanDuinne: since this is now being openly discussed on Twitter and elsewhere, I fully expect that air travel will start to grind to a halt in approximately 8 hours while I’m heading to the airport.
NotMax
@lamh36
Serious question.
If there is no funding for the agency, how does the IRS keep the lights on and the phones working? Utilities don’t have much of a track record as charitable organizations.
MomSense
@PJ:
There’s also the big tobacco work.
geg6
@PJ:
Even taking the Franken thing out of the mix (not to say I would but too many people here refuse to see it my way), she’s a panderer and a phony. I, too, remember how she went from practically a Blue Dog to suddenly being this progressive heroine. And the vast majority of the people I know IRL who watch politics and are rabid to have her as the nominee are men. I don’t know what it means but I trust my own and my sisters’ and friends’ instincts to NOT trust her. I put her about the same place you do on my preference list. We have our primaries late here in PA and I’m counting on having her and Gabbard long gone by the time I have to commit to someone.
A Ghost To Most
@PJ: I hope the opportunist crashes and burns.
Jay
@gene108:
Few bumpers are metal anymore. Most are a polycarbonate plastic over an engineered foam shell. If the plastic’s damaged, so’s the foam, and the “crush zone” is compromised.
chris
There’s a shutdown?//
Also noticed on twitter that the IRS is recalling half the staff for tax season.
A Ghost To Most
@Jay: And that is why the front bumper of my 4Runner is made of 3/16 steel.
Yutsano
@gene108: @SiubhanDuinne: Oh the Dolt45 administration won’t allow that to happen if they can prevent it. They might drop them the tease of a raise the employees only get for not missing a day or some bullshit like that. But he wants this shutdown to last, and so it will.
@lamh36:
THEY CANNOT BE FUCKING SERIOUS!!!
The IRS can’t just reclassify people at will. There’s a signed contract that defines who’s excepted and who’s not.I can tell you right now the union has that lawsuit with an injunction request ready. And the union has VERY good lawyers.
And even if they pull that off, that is not even barely enough to get refunds out. And I’m predicting right now there will be more paper returns this year. Why? Cause I can tell you right now the online filing programs aren’t ready. Know how I know this? A lot of the IRS programmers are also on furlough or are contractors.It’s a little difficult to write the software to be compatible with a program that isn’t finished.And normally that programming takes FIVE WEEKS.
Shorter me: this isn’t going to work. And Rettig is a fool to try.
Gelfling 545
Just back from seeing On the Basis of Sex with my grandgirls. We (ages 68, 20 and 11) highly recommend it. One thing it vividly portrayed is the self doubt even the most talented can be prey to when everybody is telling you to know your place.
A Ghost To Most
@MazeDancer:
Yep. What she did to Franken was rank opportunism.
SiubhanDuinne
Paul Waldman has a column in the WaPo about Trump’s inaugural spending which includes this fine sentence:
Not sure I’ve ever seen a better description.
zhena gogolia
@Omnes Omnibus:
We’re shooting ourselves in the foot once again.
zhena gogolia
Al Franken did it to himself.
SiubhanDuinne
@lamh36:
#hesrunning
A Ghost To Most
If the TSA personnel at National, Dulles, and BWI went on strike, crippling air travel to/from DC, that would get their attention.
Ohio Mom
@gene108: Of course our candidates are an embrassmeny of riches! I just hope the math works out. With so many competing, the strongest lead might not be obvious.
If two really good candidates split the majority of votes — say they each get 30%, the third and weaker candidate would get 40% and win the primary season. At least that’s my calculation, happy to be wrong and I remind everyone I was an art major and took basket-making twice (beginning and advanced).
eemom
@MazeDancer:
I’m an expat NYer; can I get on too?
In terms of rank opportunism, adherence to no principle other than self-advancement, and a void where a soul should be, she’s a fucking female mitt romney.
I SO don’t get her apologists, here and elsewhere.
A Ghost To Most
@zhena gogolia: I’m sorry, I heartily disagree.
GxB
@Amir Khalid: Funny, first thought was “Robbie who?” The guy from The Band? (No, that was Robbie Robertson…) While Jimmy’s day in the sun has long passed, and he likely has a huge karmic debt to pay, the other dude -whoever the fuck he is- really comes across as a major twat-waffle. Shades of Rand Paul.
The biggest surprise of that story is RP has a beer-gut? Really?
tybee
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: tell them.
Roger Moore
@chris:
IOW, the Trump Administration is redefining “essential” to mean politically expedient rather than critical to health and safety. What a shock!
poleaxedbyboatwork
Pythonic wisdom:
“This is supposed to be a happy occasion! Let’s not bicker and argue about who killed who.”
[ducks]
SiubhanDuinne
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
I know nothing about your parents or your relationship with them, but unless it is an incredibly dysfunctional one, while they may fuss and yell at you for a few minutes, they’re not going to be MAD. I guarantee you, they have had their own fender-benders in their day, so they won’t rate you any more stupid than they would rate themselves under similar circumstances.
But don’t, DO NOT, try to hide it from them, even for a day. The coverup is always worse than the crime.
Courage, mon ami, and let us know what happens.
Ohio Mom
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: By “engineered foam shell” @Jay: means a kind of styrofoam. When you see it, it looks just like the stuff that was in the box, cradling whatever you last ordered from Amazon.
Now it does absorb a lot of energy, it does help you stay safe in a rear crash, and that is the most important thing. But as I learned, even a 3 mph tap decimates it.
PJ
@gene108: I’m not going to rehash the claims against Franken, but that’s why we should have had a full Ethics Committee investigation, to find out if, in fact, Franken had done anything wrong. But instead, Roger Stone and his crew get to take down one of Trump’s most effective investigators.
And as for the Democratic brand, give me a f’ckin break. If, by that time, anyone couldn’t see which party was on the side of equality and justice, jettisoning Franken without a hearing was not going to change anyone’s mind.
gene108
@Jay:
Have a co-worker with a dent in the rear bumper, from backing into someone, of his Prius (I think maybe a 2014 model). He got it banged out. Looks okay.
Just saying, if you don’t want the cost of a new bumper or going through insurance, that could be an option.
SiubhanDuinne
@satby:
You may stand in line slightly longer than usual, but you will make all your connections, the flights themselves will be supremely uneventful, and you will have a splendid, memorable time. I look forward with avidity to seeing your photos in a soon OTR.
Wishing you safe travels and joyous returns!
Ohio Mom
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: You know, there often isn’t much this crew all agrees on, except always vote for the Democrat. There’s plenty of spirited discussion right here on this thread, for example, was Frankenstein railroaded or not?
BUT EVERYONE AGREES YOU NEED TO TELL YOUR PARENTS ASAP!
The night is young — go tell them and get back to us. We’ll still be here, and we will congratulate you.
poleaxedbyboatwork
@SiubhanDuinne:
Oh?
In the era of Trump, this popular dictum *really* needs to be reassessed. (Not intended as a criticism of you or your statement, Siubhan, more a reaction to a popular saying that I wanna explore.)
In Trump’s case the cover-up ain’t worse than the crime. The cover-up is *necessitated by* the crime(s), and the crimes are FAR worse than the inevitable cover-up.
It’s one of the reasons why I find it so exasperating when so many commentators (even ones I like! e.g. Rachel and Chris) ask oh-gee isn’t-it-all-so-perplexing rhetorical questions after incidents like Trump showing his belly to Putin in Helsinki like “Why would Trump do that? Why would he act that way?”
Becaaaaause … he’s guilty as fuck?
If you work under the premise that Trump is guilty as fuck, and the orange shitstain acts the way he does — not b/c it’s inexplicable but *precisely b/c* it’s the outgrowth of his guilt — then Trump’s behavior makes a great deal of (admittedly horrific) sense.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid: Eh, it’s Democratic Party.
Jay
@gene108:
They use ultrasonic heating and welding to make the plastic malliable and repair any tears. Looks okay, a bodyshop can make it look invisible.
But if the foam layer is compromised, so’s the crush zone, so in a “serious” rear ender, the F-150 doesn’t stop in the trunk, it carries on into the passenger compartment.
If you are driving forward, and “hook” the plastic, you can bend and tear it with out compromising the crush zone, but that’s rare.
It’s one of the body shop scams ICBC keeps an eye on. They “repair” the expensive crush layer with glue, sprayfoam and shavers, ( pocketing $1200 or more), repair the plastic bumper, ( which is often repairable any way and doesn’t affect collision performance).
People get killed because of that.
debbie
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
Tell your parents.
I did something similar in high school. I didn’t come clean. I am sure my parents heard the true story from the parents of the friend who was with me, so they knew my story was bogus. My mother never really trusted me again, and I was always afraid to tell her the truth for fear that she would yell at me.
Tell them.
#beentheredon’tdoit
Amir Khalid
@GxB:
Plant is thicker in the waist than he was in his twenties, from the photos I’ve seen, but he looks trim for a man in his late sixties.
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Not to McConnell.
poleaxedbyboatwork
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
fwiw, mos def in camp tellemrightaway.
Accidents happen, to everyone, and this’n sounds purty minor, just your time in the barrel is all. You got to anyway, eventually, so take the initiative and get it over with. You’ll feel better, and who knows? If your folks have a big heart like you seem to, they might not be too upset. (Might even be happy it was the car that got dinged and not you.)
SFAW
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
I think Amir was writing in Turtle’s “voice,” so to speak
gene108
@PJ:
Disagree. I know enough people, who casually watch CNN or listen to NPR for news (and face it, they out number the hell out of more plugged in folks), who would only hear Moore was a sexual predator and so was Franken.
Recently had to explain to unplugged in liberal-ish people why Democrats could not just give Trump $5 billion for the wall, since they said it is not a significant amount of money for the government. Told them Trump has taken federal workers as hostages, and if gets his way with one round of hostage taking, then why wouldn’t he take a hostage again and ask for something bigger. That sunk in.
I just know too many people, who are generally liberal but are not sold on the virtue of the Democratic Party, but will vote for Democrats as the lesser evil.
If Franke only had the original claim of misconduct against, I think waiting for ethics committee ruling would be fine, but it seemed every other day there was a lady saying Al touched her inappropriately. That was a problem. How many of these claims would the ethics committee investigate? How many new allegations of inappropriate touching would come out after the investigation started? How much would the media focus on the ethics investigation like it was the most important thing to cover, in the whole wide world, since Monica’s blue dress?
I just can’t see a scenario, where this goes to the ethics committee and the media politely waits till they finish the investigation and just report the findings. Too many right-wing hacks in the media would work overtime to make the investigation front and center, and this would pressure CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, etc. to give time to the story.
In an ideal world, this would go the the ethics committee and everyone politely waits until the findings are relaeasd, but we don’t live in that world.
Elizabelle
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: I think your parents might really be pleased that you tell them honestly what happened.
Like stuff like that has not happened to all of us? Make them feel like they raised you right. And do report back to us.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SiubhanDuinne:
@Ohio Mom: Yup.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Amir Khalid: The turtle isn’t a Democrat.
@SFAW: OK, it was unclear on a quick reading. I’m catching up.
Amir Khalid
@GxB:
I was expecting
Robbie William is a pop singer, formerly of the boy band Take That, now a solo act. The US is the one country where he’s not big.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@gene108: So trial by media’s OK with you? KG won’t get my primary vote(even though she’s a Bruin).
Amir Khalid
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
And how!
PJ
@gene108: The Republicans will attack Democrats no matter what they do. Maybe they would have kept finding women to accuse Franken throughout the investigation; of course, accusations dried up as soon as they got what they wanted and he resigned. But my attitude is to let justice be done, and to never give in to Republican BS.
Ohio Mom
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Well Goku has been pretty quiet so either he got tired of us or he’s telling his parents. I hope it’s the second and he reports back.
We’re pulling for you , Amerikan Baka!
gene108
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
It is a fender bender. They are often not worth calling the police over, especially since the other car did not seem to get damaged. Don’t worry that you panicked or forgot to take pictures, because it probably doesn’t matter, since this was a minor accident.
Also, tell your parents. Get their input on whether this is worth getting fixed through the insurance or not.
I totalled a car, when I was in high school. I didn’t see the stop sign, thinking the other street had to stop, and crashed into a vehicle coming from the cross street. Mom was upset, but glad everyone was safe. Basically, she found out and I am still alive 28 years later.
Just saying, I bet your parents have done worse themselves or know of cases where friends kids did worse.
poleaxedbyboatwork
@gene108: @?BillinGlendaleCA:
The Franken case is purty convoluted politically, imo. Was Franken tried in the media? Ya. Is that wrong? Sure. Was Gillibrand opportunistic? You bet.
Will just say this, tho: *Somebody* was gonna act the nutcutter on Franken in the MeToo environment in which the Franken accusations occurred. Ain’t no way, imo, Franken was gonna survive in that environment.
Now, if you agree with that as a predicate (and you may not; still a sorta free country), question is: Was it better for Dems to clear the decks themselves or let the Republicans demagog the fuck outta the issue and undermine Dem credibility?
A whole lotta women were justifiably pissed about a very long history of male assholery. Think it’s dead certain that Republicans would be hunting for his scalp in the most unctuous both-sidesing hypocritical ways, and I think they’da got it.
I don’t like how that deal went down better’n anyone else, especially cuz Franken was an effective liberal lion, but I think, given the circumstances, if it was gonna happen (and I think it was), Dems made the best of a very bad situation.
imo, ymmv
Jay
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Until there is a trial, Trial by Media’s all you got.
And the Media’s not your friend. The best you’ll get is “bothsides”.
And if the Media declines to report the trial, or the vedict, did a trial happen?
Maybe 5% of eligible voters pay attention, some 50% pick things up in snippets as it passes by, 45% or more, don’t vote.
Ethic’s hearings take months, at best.
gene108
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Trial by media is the world we live in. Even in the good old days of the Fairness Doctrine, the media got stories wrong Andy influenced public opinions.
http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/history/2013/12/linda_taylor_welfare_queen_ronald_reagan_made_her_a_notorious_american_villain.html
Wish it wasn’t so, but that is the world we live in. And politicians and political parties better be aware of it and act accordingly.
Martin
@lamh36: I have a bit of a saying at work that if you’re having trouble getting people to engage and resolve a problem, make the problem bigger. That’s true here – the stakes aren’t high enough to get members of congress to act. Make the problem bigger.
That’s why I don’t like these partial shutdowns. Shut everything down. Stop delivering mail. That will focus everyone’s attention.
Jay
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez
@AOC
Explaining marginal taxes to a far-right former Governor:
Imagine if you did chores for abuela & she gave you $10. When you got home, you got to keep it, because it’s only $10.
Then we taxed the billionaire in town because he’s making tons of money underpaying the townspeople.
Quote Tweet
Scott Walker
@ScottWalker
Explaining tax rates before Reagan to 5th graders: “Imagine if you did chores for your grandma and she gave you $10. When you got home, your parents took $7 from you.” The students said: “That’s not fair!” Even 5th graders get it.
10:41 AM · Jan 15, 2019 · Twitter for iPhone
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zhena gogolia
@Jay:
She’s good!
Brachiator
@Yutsano:
Of course the official word is that the filing season, including e-filing, will begin January 28. I’ve been cautioning tax preparers not to be hot to file early, but some of them are stubborn and believe that things will somehow work out. On the other hand, an informal survey suggests that customers who are used to e-filing are not hot to go back to paper filing.
Of course, this is apart from getting the new law straight.
Will the IRS cut back on customer service for the duration of the shutdown?
The whole thing stinks and is horribly unfair to federal employees.
Jay
@gene108:
Wow. Just Wow. I am half way through, and Wow.
Ruckus
@West of the Rockies:
Are you wishing Steve King on McMoron? Cause he’s like a metric ton of pig shit.
Ohio Mom
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: I have to get ready for bed. I’ll catch up with you and your parents another time.
FelonyGovt
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: Late to the party. Shortly after my daughter got her drivers license, she hit another car in a parking lot, and left. Didn’t tell us about it. Her license plate was captured on CCTV, we got a call from the police about her “hit and run”, and she regretted not coming clean with us. Tell your parents! They will understand.
Ohio Mom
@FelonyGovt: Goku is back, on the Mitch McConnell Insurgent thread upstairs. No word on whether he’s spoken to mom and dad yet.
Ohio Mom
Everyone relax: Goku told his mom about his fender bender and has lived to tell the tale. See comment 89 in the McConnell Insurgent thread.