Why do reporters do this?
“White House staffers tell me President Trump will run to the moon tonight. When I asked how, they said with elan.” https://t.co/vMJSXxZq5p
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) January 22, 2019
The International House of Pancakes? That's the only house I can think where he could do it.
— Jimminy Crickets! (@DCclone) January 22, 2019
Needy Amin craves his spotlight. He wants a count-down chyron in the corner of the screen, and diversion of normal programming at every single network. He wants to strut down the center aisle while groundlings scrum for selfies with him, to stand at a mighty ceremonial podium with mean old Nancy Pelosi trapped helplessly behind him, while endless rounds of applause echo around the high-ceiling, marble-walled chamber. Campaign rallies are a temporary salve, like narcan for a crack addict, but any two-bit district winner with a sugar daddy can score a political rally, Jeb!. Donny needs the good stuff, the unwilling attention from people he doesn’t even like — it’s the only way he can fill the vast emptiness inside him.
Mitch McConnell, on the other hand, could care less about being on camera. But all those pathetic stories about federal workers skipping meals and worrying about eviction are giving his next primary challenger fresh b-roll for attack ads, and the continuing political prosperity of Mitch McConnell is the one thing he does care about.
Goddess bless Nancy Pelosi for using the “no tv until you eat your vegetables fund the government” hammer. Thursday’s competing legislative proposals are no doubt, as Charlie Pierce calls them, “shadow puppets on the wall”. But they’re also, hopefully, the overture to restart actual negotiations towards ending this shameless shitshow, per Jim Newell at Slate:
… If enough Republicans join Democrats to pass the short-term bill, President Donald Trump would find on his desk a bill to fund the government without any wall money. That would be a defeat for him, and it would be a sign that Senate Republicans had finally decided their position was untenable. It would be a cave.
If the president comes out against the proposal, though, and scares off Senate Republicans from voting for it, it would allow Senate Republican leaders to argue that it’s futile passing legislation that doesn’t address the border. And the shutdown would continue.In either case, we are starting to see this week what we hadn’t seen in the past month of the shutdown: movement. It was McConnell who asked the president to develop “compromise” legislation in the first place, because he needed something to put on the floor. And centrist Democrats in the House, many of them representing red or purple districts, drafted a letter on Tuesday to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi urging her at least to promise the president a vote on his homeland security request, including border wall funding, after the government reopened.
The Senate might not be able to end the shutdown on Thursday. But the machinery that will end the shutdown eventually—pressure from anxious Senate Republicans and anxious House Democrats—is starting to operate.
Could be wrong, but a speech to Republicans only in a half-empty chamber with the lights off feels like a distinct possibility here.
— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) January 22, 2019
They can bring some tiki torches for light.
— Travis Loughary (@tlou00) January 22, 2019
may as well have the optics line up with reality tbqh https://t.co/MkqQz1PdfC
— Erin For President (@erinscafe) January 22, 2019
Yeah. I thought this was interesting. No cams if House not in session.https://t.co/HFRdJIdfsR
— Jeannette Smyth (@purejuice6) January 22, 2019
guachi
I was thinking about the transgender ban. I’m in the military. All of my liberal military FB friends made negative posts about it. Even if they were veiled negative posts.
Zero of my conservative military FB friends even mentioned it.
If transgender people served, it’d be a non-issue. Just like gays have been.
Adam L Silverman
The President can only address Congress if a joint concurrent resolution is passed. Speaker Pelosi has already made it clear that she will not be bringing one to the floor for a vote in the House until the shutdown is ended. This isn’t just that the C-Span cameras won’t be on, this is the President will be barred from the House chambers.
Adam L Silverman
@guachi: Transgender people are currently serving.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Adam L Silverman:
How sweet it would be if Trump tried to force his way into the House Chambers, only for Capitol Police to tackle him to the ground, all the while Nancy smashing her gavel, calling for order, wearing the biggest shit-eating grin.
debbie
@Adam L Silverman:
I wouldn’t put it past him to show up with his own television crew and demand entrance.
Luthe
@Adam L Silverman: If only we could have him barred from the White House…
James E Powell
And every network will eagerly give him whatever he wants. We really need to destroy the press/media.
Adam L Silverman
The Freedom for Putin Caucus!
Adam L Silverman
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: The House will be in recess that evening. The chamber will be shut and locked.
??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??
@Adam L Silverman:
Even better in some ways. Imagine Donnie pounding on the chamber doors with his tiny hands, demanding to be let in to give his big beautiful speech in the cold, dark night.
@Adam L Silverman:
Golly, I wonder how they’ll justify that vote?
Plato
@debbie:
Yup. With klannity and pox news crew tagging along with him.
Amir Khalid
@Adam L Silverman:
So the Capitol Police will have to tell the President, no entry? I hope that confrontation gets televised. It will be … interesting.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
some good news
Sab
@Adam L Silverman: I just looked up Gym Jordans district in Ohio. It is insanely gerrymandered. It goes from southwestern Columbus exurbs all the way to Elyria just west of Cleveland. Basically every unpopulated area in north central and central Ohio.
I wonder how many of his voters even know who he is? Probably just vote R.
opiejeanne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: That’s a good thing. I hope there is enough available to stop the spread of it. I’ve been horrified all week about our new “policy”, withdrawal of support for the people fighting ebola.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
to steal a line from TBogg, Dollar Store Ivanka has thoughts
Sab
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Not to be rude, but who the fuck is Lara Trump?
PJ
Russell Baker, a very fine writer, died yesterday at the age of 93. Apropos of the current moment, here is a passage from his column about the pardoning of Richard Nixon https://www.nytimes.com/1974/09/14/archives/the-politicians-big-equaljusticeunderlaw-baloney-picnic-observer.html:
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Sab: Eric’s wife, and I think she has some kind of title with 2020 campaign. She likes to go on Fox
The Pale Scot
Have to share this; sorry for th ick factor
MSNBC host tries to rein in Rick Wilson after suggestion Trump advisor Stephen Miller is mean because he’s sexually frustrated
Could the nation be saved by a FundMe to send a Real Doll™ to Anwärter Miller?
What’s the shipping cost on what of those things?
It’ll be more fun than shipping dildos to the cretinous vandals of a bird sanctuary
Aleta
How long will it take the media to find their comfort zone (a warm snug soundproofed center aisle seat) on the SOTU delivery.
The Pale Scot
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:
Swiss Guards, I want pikeman damn it
CaseyL
I saw in the news that Steny Hoyer was open to letting the SOTU happen in the House chambers. That was earlier today, though, so maybe Nancy Smash set him straight.
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Fuck that bitch. She’s a plastic Leona Helmsley.
Aleta
@PJ: thanks. My mother used to read his columns out loud at breakfast or in the living room.
Hitlesswonder
@Amir Khalid: If Trump shows up and demands entrance, they will let him in. You know they will.
CaseyL
@PJ: I used to read him back when he had a regular column – 70s-80s, I think. I may still have a book of his columns from back then, “So This is Depravity,” somewhere in the dim dark reaches of my overburdened bookshelves.
He had a good long run! RIP, Mr. Baker.
philpm
@Sab: Lara Trum is Eric’s wife.
That was one of the most tone deaf things I have ever read in my life. My guess is she’s never had to work a single day.
Hitlesswonder
@PJ: That quote should be frontpaged…
Sab
I love democracy. I live in a one party city.
It snowed 15 inches this weekend. No sight nor sound of snowplows. We sort of dug ourselves out. I didn’t go to work today because I got stuck so badly just going around the corner to the store.
Our precinct committeeman got stuck tonight coming home from work. He is close to our councilcritter, who is chairman of the public works committee, which oversees things like street maintenance and snowplows.
An hour and a half later we got plowed three times in fifteen minutes. Sure could have used two of those plowings earlier, long before precinct guy got home from work, when the rest of us wanted to be out and about.
opiejeanne
@Sab: One of the idiot’s daughters-in-law.
Sab
@philpm: So her big accomplishment in life is marrying a guy who nominally works for his theoretically rich father? Wow. We can learn a lot listening to her.
Yarrow
I didn’t know that Joni Ernst was getting a divorce. Sounds a bit contentious. She claims Trump asked her to be his VP but she declined.
Sounds a bit contentious.
jheartney
From the start I’ve expected that Trump will end up giving his speech in some other venue to an all-GOP audience. Carried live on Fox; it remains to be seen if the other networks will cave and run it too. Regardless, the Wurlitzer will be whinging nonstop about those mean Democrats “censoring” the POTUS.
philpm
@Sab: Pretty much. It appears her entire working career outside of working for Orange Julius has been as a producer for Inside Edition.
The Dangerman
Let him come to the House and arrest him for trespassing.
After browsing Adam’s threads earlier, what kind of an asshole do you have to be to both lie about and poison pill a bill that is already DOA? Good fucking grief.
I’ve met some assholes. I’ve met some assholes that were in the Hall of Fame of assholes (congrats Edgar, a fine gentleman and better ballplayer). I’ve met assholes that have their own wings in the Hall of Fame of assholes…
…but even those with their own wings in the HOF would go “damn, that’s fucked up” to Trump and McConnell.
Amir Khalid
@Hitlesswonder:
If there’s no one inside, Trump’s going to look real stupid giving a speech.
philpm
@jheartney: Maybe the local McDonald’s will allow him to have it there. Would be fitting.
SiubhanDuinne
@CaseyL:
I heard Steny Hoyer on some program some time recently talking to someone about something, and he was terrible. I get that he’s a loyal member of the Democratic caucus and has Congressional seniority oozing out of every pore, but he’s an awful spokesman. Surely Nancy SMASH! can find somebody who can convey the Dem position articulately, with clarity and conviction.
Keith P.
@jheartney: They’ll take the path of least resistance once they realize that grandstanding isn’t going to make Pelosi budge. In other words, rally. They’ve got plenty of experience with them, and they might even convince the non-Fox networks to carry the full rally speech under the guise of it being a state-of-the-union (although, honestly, I’d just as soon watch Gilbert Gottfried read the pre-release). They can put a rally together in an afternoon, and they can probably rustle up enough GOP congressmen to make the next morning’s news cycle.
EDIT: Yeesh, Elizabeth Warren already has me changing channels. I don’t know what Anderson had her on to talk about, but next thing I know, she was talking about her poor upbringing and paying $50 for a semester of college. Total stump speech.
CaseyL
@Keith P.: …with a fund-raising pitch built in, though there’s no reason – Shitgibbon being Shitgibbon – he wouldn’t use even a regular SOTU to fundraise.
Adam L Silverman
@??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: The’ll say they’re loyal to the President’s foreign policy vision or something or other.
Adam L Silverman
@Sab: The dumb son’s wife.
Adam L Silverman
@The Pale Scot: That wasn’t even the worst thing Wilson said. He called the President’s negotiating style “the shart of the deal”.
Yarrow
@Adam L Silverman: He’s very entertaining when he’s on a panel.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow:
Sounds like a poor decision. She’s an idiot.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Sab
@Adam L Silverman: Eric’s the dumb one? I just can’t keep up.
Adam L Silverman
@Yarrow: He is indeed.
Jackie
@The Dangerman: I’m trying to figure out if from out of the blue you’re calling Edgar Martinez an asshole for finally getting voted into MLB Hall of Fame? Or what your disjointed post meant?
The Dangerman
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Bathrobe? As if….
plato
@Amir Khalid: You forgot the
teatraitorous party thugs. They will even bring in their fellow racists & xenophobes to fill in the dem benches.?BillinGlendaleCA
@Adam L Silverman: That doesn’t narrow it down.
The Dangerman
@Jackie:
Eh, I should have had his name after Hall of Fame and not asshole; oh well, very long day., +1 and headed for more.
He really is a very fine gentleman, I wasn’t being sarcastic.
smintheus
Marc Thiessen, who believes that torture is legal, also thinks that…
No link because he’s a torture apologist.
Adam L Silverman
@Sab: Dumber one.
Adam L Silverman
@?BillinGlendaleCA: It narrows it down to two. I’m excluding Jared because he’s a son in law. And I’m excluding Barron because he’s a kid and needs to be left alone.
Anne Laurie
@philpm:
Depends on your definition of ‘work’. How much would you have to be paid to have sex, multiple times, with Eric Trump? Much less bear his genetic offspring?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Adam L Silverman: and I think Fredo I is currently single
ETA:
has the testing been done? does Lara have a tennis instructor? a bodyguard?
smintheus
@Sab:
Boy couldn’t we all! Getting plowed 3 times in 15 minutes is…um…pleasantly thorough.
philpm
@Anne Laurie: I would consider that “maintenance”, not work.
Amir Khalid
@Adam L Silverman:
I always thought Eric and Donald Jr were both the dumb son.
smintheus
@PJ: I used to love reading Russell Baker’s columns as a kid. I missed that one.
I had thought he died long ago, when I couldn’t find his columns any more.
Mike in NC
Fat Bastard can deliver his pro-Putin SOTU message from a fucking coal mine.
SFAW
@Adam L Silverman:
Doesn’t really narrow it down, bucko.
@Adam L Silverman:
Still not narrowing it down. And no permutation or variation of “the dumb(er) one” will suffice.
And you a doctor and all!
SFAW
@smintheus:
I said the same thing to my brother, after he sent me the obit this evening.
Loved reading him, back when the FTFTFNYT was just the NYT.
Plato
Jay
It’s gonna be Nancy Smash’s STFU
SFAW
@Anne Laurie:
Quite the assumption you’re making. Especially considering all the unaccompanied “vacations” she and Vanessa took in Moskva. As the saying goes: “Is it irresponsible to speculate? No, …”
[No, I have never heard anything like that about either DiL (past or present), I was just … what’s that phrase? Oh, yeah … “making shit up.”]
Mandalay
@The Pale Scot:
Rick Wilson is a knuckle dragging moron. He’s like the bore at the end of the bar who wants to monopolize the conversation, but has nothing of value to offer.
Fantasizing about Stephen Miller’s sex life on BJ would be pretty lame, but having a panelist doing it on MSNBC is both pathetic and counterproductive when there is so much worthwhile to say about the real harm Miller causes this country.
MSNBC should ditch all these Never-Trump Republicans.
Mandalay
@Anne Laurie:
Just stop with this garbage.
randal m sexton
Trump forcing his way into the house somehow feels a little like a ‘Crossing the Rubicon’ moment. I am uneasy.
CaseyL
Tonight’s “This is Us” got to me good. I’ve been managing to watch the show without bursting into tears every episode, but tonight was another Rip Your Heart Out & Make You Cry With All the Feels episode.
I honestly wonder, when the cast does their initial group read-through every week, if they each have a box of Kleenex handy.
Maybe two boxes.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@SFAW: There’s a lady who repairs iPhones and makes Youtube videos of the repair process. She sometimes wears a T-shirt that says, “Trust me I’m a Doctor” and has a big PhD stamped across Doctor.
Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ
@Amir Khalid:
If there’s no one inside,Trump’s going to look real stupid giving a speech.FTFY
Sab
OT : Has anyone heard fro jacy lately?
sukabi
@Mike in NC: one that’s run by Massey.
sukabi
@smintheus: 3 in 15 minutes? Don’t think being a 5 minute man is something to brag about.
Joey Maloney
@Mrs. D. Ranged in AZ:
If there’s no one inside,Trump’s going to look real stupidgiving a speech.FFTFY
Mike J
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Ebola’s just a childhood disease that everyone should have when they’re young and then be immune. Better than the mercury in that vaccine.
Chitown Kev
@Mandalay: OTOH, his Miller comments are better than his desire to gut someone like a fish, so there is that.
opiejeanne
@Mike J: Very droll.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Adam L Silverman: Shocker: Gabbard skipped the vote.
Smedley Darlington Prunebanks (formerly Mumphrey, et al.)
Needy Amin. That right there is worth the admission price to this blog—or would, if there were one.
trnc
@Adam L Silverman:
Why, do you mean Mark “Bling My Resume” Meadows and Jim “What Sexual Harassment” Jordan?
trnc
@Jay: I have a bad feeling that Pres Ind 1 showing up at the House door and demanding to be let in will play like Reagan’s “I’m paying for this microphone” moment during the Carter-Reagan debate.
trnc
@Joey Maloney:
If there’s no one inside,Trump’sgoing to lookreal stupidgiving a speech.Now we’re getting somewhere.
debbie
@PJ:
Baker made the NYT worth reading.