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You are here: Home / Past Elections / 2020 Elections / The Senate Majority Leader and the President Lied About the Contents of Their Immigration and Border Security Compromise Bill Part II

The Senate Majority Leader and the President Lied About the Contents of Their Immigration and Border Security Compromise Bill Part II

by Adam L Silverman|  January 22, 20192:20 pm| 156 Comments

This post is in: 2020 Elections, America, Domestic Politics, Election 2016, Election 2018, Foreign Affairs, Immigration, Open Threads, Politics, Popular Culture, Post-racial America, Silverman on Security, All Too Normal

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As I wrote about this morning, Senate Majority Leader McConnell and the President lied about the contents of their immigration and border security bill to reopen the government. On Saturday the President’s claimed that he’s proposing a three year extension to DACA with additional relief to the Dreamers including a pathway to permanent residency status. We now know that that is a lie. David Bier of the CATO Institute breaks down all the changes to DACA in granular detail.

This weekend, President Trump promised to an “extension” of DACA for the “700,000 DACA recipients brought here unlawfully by their parents at a young age many years ago.” But the Senate bill that Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell introduced to implement his deal does not extend DACA but rather replaces it with a totally different program that will exclude untold thousands of Dreamers who would have been eligible under DACA. It is important to remember that all of these requirements are for less than 3 years of relief from deportation and work authorization, not a pathway to citizenship.

Here is a list of some of the changes:

  1. Requires Dreamers to reapply: P. 1235 requires Dreamers already in good standing in DACA to reapply for status, even though DACA would have allowed them simply to renew their status without refiling all of their paperwork and evidence. This requirement is a substantial burden, and most applicants will end up having to hire immigration attorneys to fulfill it.
  2. Much higher evidentiary burden: P. 1235 increases the evidentiary standard for Dreamers to prove their eligibility to receive DACA from a “preponderance of the evidence” to “clear and convincing.” The only higher standard of proof in the law is “beyond a reasonable doubt.” People win multi-million judgments based on the preponderance of the evidence standard. Clear and convincing is often used for cases like withdrawing life support. In the immigration context, USCIS explains that preponderance of the evidence is usually the standard—meaning that “even if the director has some doubt as to the truth,” he should approve “if the petitioner submits relevant, probative, and credible evidence that leads the director to believe that the claim is ‘probably true’ or ‘more likely than not.’” Clear and convincing is used rarely for cases like “to rebut the presumption of a prior fraudulent marriage” (i.e. for applicants the government has reason to be suspicious of). Dreamers proving that they entered before June 2007 or that they resided continuously, for example, just became much more difficult under this legislation.
  3. Imposes a Monetary Fine/Doubles Application Cost: DACA, the Dream Act, and other proposals to legalize Dreamers have usually left off the monetary fine for being in the country illegally that proposals to legalize other immigrants have customarily had. This is because no one—including Trump—blames Dreamers for being in the country illegally. They were brought here as children. Yet this bill does contain a fine or penalty but rebrands it as a $500 “security fee” (p. 1243). This fine comes on top of the normal fees for processing the application, and it essentially doubles the cost of the currently $495 application. According to the Migration Policy Institute’s analysis of why eligible Dreamers didn’t apply for DACA, not having $500 cash was the number 1 reason. Anecdotes from Dreamers themselves support this.
  4. “Public charge” rule: P. 1238 applies the public charge ground of inadmissibility in INA 212(a)(4) to Dreamers—something DACA did not require. While DACA recipients are currently ineligible, and would remain ineligible under this bill, for almost all federal benefits, the Trump administration’s pending public charge rule would ban anyone who is even 5 percent dependent on any level of government, even state or local aid, from receiving legal status. This could include numerous Dreamers in states such as California and New York, which offer state benefits to Dreamers. Dreamers in DACA have grown up in America since a very young age and have lived in the country for over a decade. They are Americans. Treating them as if they are new immigrants does not represent the view of most Americans.
  5. Minimum income requirement: P. 1239 would further require that Dreamers prove—again by clear and convincing evidence—that, unless they are a student, they can maintain an income of at least 125 percent of the poverty level during their time in the United States. DACA had no such requirement, and it would result in banning numerous Dreamers currently in DACA.
  6. Pay back legally-obtained tax credits: P. 1239 requires Dreamers to pay to the U.S. Treasury the value of any legally-obtained tax credits that they have received. Not only is this provision not in DACA, it is totally unprecedented in immigration law and would massively increase the cost for many applicants, particularly those with children.
  7. Excludes Dreamers who ever claimed to be U.S. citizens: Unlike DACA, P. 1238 also applies the ground of inadmissibility in INA 212(a)(6)(C) for those Dreamers who ever claimed to be a U.S. citizen. This is an exceptionally common phenomenon because many Dreamers don’t ever realize that they are here illegally until they claim otherwise.
  8. Excludes Dreamers with removal orders: Unlike DACA, P. 1238-9 would ban Dreamers who are in the country illegally due to a prior order of removal. Given that the whole point of DACA and similar programs are to give people here illegally legal status, this provision makes little sense and is solely designed to keep out Dreamers.
  9. Excludes Dreamers not in DACA: Nearly half of all Dreamers have droppedout of DACA or never applied in the first place, possibly due to fear of what Presidents Trump or Obama would do with their information or for costs or other reasons. Moreover, other Dreamers “age-in” to the program when they turn 15 (younger immigrants cannot apply). P. 1239 makes it clear that anyone not currently in DACA cannot apply—another huge change from the DACA program.
  10. Keeps Dreamers from getting permanent residence: Illegal immigrants who also entered illegally cannot adjust their status to legal permanent residence even if they are eligible due to (typically) a marriage to a U.S. citizen. They need to register a legal entry first. DACA allowed them to travel and reenter, which permitted tens of thousands to receive legal permanent residence. P. 1252 bars this practice by deeming such entries not a legal “admission” for purposes of adjusting status.
  11. Dreamers cannot renew status: P. 1240 grants a 3-year status that cannot ever be renewed. This is a huge departure from DACA, which—despite giving just a 2-year status—has allowed renewals for 7 years already.

He provides even more granularity in this thread:

PSA: Trump reportedly offered to extend DACA for 3 years. But that is NOT what McConnell’s bill does. It replaces DACA with an entirely new program that is far more restrictive than DACA, excluding Dreamers who would be, or are already, eligible for or even in DACA now

— David Bier (@David_J_Bier) January 22, 2019

Also, all DACA applicants can renew right now. They don't need to reapply for status every time, so requiring them to reapply and reprove their eligibility would be a huge departure from the current practice.

— David Bier (@David_J_Bier) January 22, 2019

There are sixteen detailed tweets in that thread and I highly recommend you give it a read.

About an hour or so ago, McConnell gave his daily remarks on the Senate floor.

"It's a strong proposal, it's the only thing on the table, and later this week we'll vote on it," McConnell, who controls what goes on the table, says of Trump's offer to Democrats

— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) January 22, 2019

You can read his full remarks here, but as usual he placed all the blame on the Democrats, gave them his sincere advice as to what they should do, and exhorted them to:

agree it is time to put the country ahead of politics, take ‘yes’ for an answer, and vote to put this standoff behind us.

He also lied about what the bill does in regard to immigration:

In addition to these measures — similar to ones that earned strong bipartisan support in the past — the legislation would take significant steps to modify certain areas of immigration policy. For example, it would grant three-year lawful status for certain currently-enrolled DACA recipients and individuals under TPS. These are areas where Congressional Democrats have expressed vocal interest.

We know from the text of the bill itself that it doesn’t actually do these things. In fact it significantly rewrites and revises existing immigration laws regarding asylum, completely reworks and narrows DACA, and reworks and narrows the Temporary Protected Status program.

Call your senators!

Open thread.

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Reader Interactions

156Comments

  1. 1.

    dmsilev

    January 22, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Since apparently it’s considered rude for one Senator to directly call another one a liar in a floor speech, perhaps someone could instead get up and say “having read this bill, it appears that the Majority Leader is unfamiliar with what it actually proposes to do.” or similar.

  2. 2.

    schrodingers_cat

    January 22, 2019 at 2:23 pm

    Traitor-tortoise declared a war against the United States when President Obama was elected the first time. This is just his latest maneuver.

  3. 3.

    Bostonian

    January 22, 2019 at 2:26 pm

    It seems like this bill is intended to erase the idea of a path to citizenship for Dreamers and replace the program instead with a second class of resident.

  4. 4.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 2:27 pm

    @Bostonian: And one that is almost impossible to qualify for.

  5. 5.

    opiejeanne

    January 22, 2019 at 2:34 pm

    He hasn’t got 60 votes in the Senate.

  6. 6.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 2:37 pm

    @opiejeanne: Correct, but as I wrote this AM, that isn’t the point. His floor speech this morning, as usual, telegraphed the point, though it was apparent enough when I did my post before his floor speech. Here’s what I wrote this AM:
    https://balloon-juice.com/2019/01/22/the-senate-majority-leader-and-the-president-lied-about-the-contents-of-their-immigration-and-border-security-compromise-bill/#comment-7163166

    I’m relatively sure McConnell agreed to this so that he can use it to provide the President with more ammunition to blame the Democrats. I would be very surprised if he releases any of the members of the GOP caucus in the Senate from the whip with the exception, perhaps, of Senator Murkowski. The point of this exercise appears to be:

    1. Make it look like like Mitch McConnell is actually doing something.
    2. Set up a vote on a bait and switch bill where all the Democrats vote no, all the Republicans vote yes, so the bill dies because it can’t clear the 60 vote cloture threshold.
    3. Blame Democrats for being unwilling to meet the President halfway, accept a compromise offered in good faith, and, as a result keep the government shutdown.
    4. Continue to blame the shutdown on Democratic intransigence.
    5. Continue to work the political reporters in the news media so they won’t report on this accurately because the granular details are boring.
    6. Allowing McConnell to escape any blame and be rewarded once again for having no compunction in being an unfaithful interlocutor who has no compunction, and faces no consequences, for breaking every norm, violating every tradition, and stretching every rule and law to breaking in order to achieve his own objectives.

  7. 7.

    kindness

    January 22, 2019 at 2:38 pm

    Git a rope. No, we need more rope than just that one.

  8. 8.

    Litlebritdifrnt

    January 22, 2019 at 2:39 pm

    Reposting from the dead thread below.

    Reaching out to Steve in ATL or anyone else in Atlanta. We lost the immigration appeal for my husband which means he has to go back to the States to reapply. Seeing as there is a British Consulate in Atlanta we figure that is the best place for him to go. Need recommendations for a) cheap accomodation near the Consulate (133 Peachtree Street), then cheap long term accomodation with Metro links for a long term stay. We think the approval time will be 60 days. Husband is hoping to get a part time job while he is over there so any help with that will be appreciated. Thanks in advance for your help.

  9. 9.

    dmsilev

    January 22, 2019 at 2:40 pm

    So, here’s how FTNTY frames things:

    G.O.P. Bill to End Shutdown Draws Protests Over Asylum Restrictions
    The Senate is poised as early as Tuesday to act on a Trump-backed measure to end the partial government shutdown, but a bill promoted as a compromise to pair the president’s wall with legal protections for some immigrants would also severely restrict migrants’ ability to claim asylum, drawing fierce opposition from immigrant rights groups.
    […]
    But while Republicans say the protections are drawn from the Bridge Act, a bipartisan measure, that bill would in fact protect hundreds of thousands more Dreamers, who were brought to the United States illegally as children. The Republican proposal would shield only those who applied for and received work permits under Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, created by President Barack Obama, which Mr. Trump rescinded in 2017.

    There’s some bothsidesisms later in the article, but the impression you get on first reading is pretty negative towards the GOP.

  10. 10.

    The Moar You Know

    January 22, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    Think this bill is unfair? Just wait until the media crucifies Dems and Pelosi for not taking President Trump’s very, very generous offer.

  11. 11.

    ...now I try to be amused

    January 22, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Since apparently it’s considered rude for one Senator to directly call another one a liar in a floor speech, perhaps someone could instead get up and say “having read this bill, it appears that the Majority Leader is unfamiliar with what it actually proposes to do.” or similar.

    I like the custom in Prime Minister’s Questions where the leader of the Opposition begins a question with, “Is the Prime Minister aware that…” knowing damn well the PM is aware of it. (He definitely says the word “aware” in italics.) Just substitute “the Majority Leader” and there you are.

  12. 12.

    Anonymous At Work

    January 22, 2019 at 2:42 pm

    The lesson here is to never ever give Mitch McConnell the benefit of any doubt unless you have both of his kidneys, at least one lung, and his pancreas in escrow.

  13. 13.

    trollhattan

    January 22, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    @The Moar You Know:
    They’re turning themselves into a pretzel reporting that the ball is now in the Dem’s court with the clock ticking, etc. Tim Kaine did a good job pushing back this a.m., noting that giving Donny this power means he’ll hold federal employees hostage every time he wants something, going forward. He was quite resolute and I appreciated that.

  14. 14.

    dmsilev

    January 22, 2019 at 2:44 pm

    @opiejeanne: I’m not even convinced he can get this to 50. Yes, he’s got a lot of control over his caucus, but both the real hardliners and the “moderates” aren’t going to like this.

  15. 15.

    patrick II

    January 22, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Since apparently it’s considered rude for one Senator to directly call another one a liar in a floor speech

    The spirit of this norm is good, but this is one of the many norms that the republicans ignore the spirit of — no one can call them a liar on the floor — so they, and particularly McConnell, lie in floor speeches constantly with little consequence.

  16. 16.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 2:46 pm

    Apparently Frau Ingraham, She-Wolf of the New SS, is fake news. Womp-womp.

    Senior WH official tells us that the reporting is inaccurate.The Covington Kids have not been invited. Senior WH aide says: “They are not coming tomorrow, they are not coming this week, that does not mean they are not going to come at all? I don’t know.” Says nothing is imminent. https://t.co/a5hGkSf4ar

    — Fin Gomez (@finnygo) January 22, 2019

  17. 17.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 2:47 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: Let me send it to him directly. Please stand by.

  18. 18.

    rikyrah

    January 22, 2019 at 2:47 pm

    Thank you for the second post. Am trying to spread the word about what an absolute fraud that it is.

  19. 19.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 2:51 pm

    @trollhattan: It goes beyond that. If this new McConnell Rule, that the Senate will only take up legislation if it is assured in advance that the President will sign it into law, actually is effective, then McConnell will have turned the US Congress into a parliament and effectively repealed Article II of the US Constitution.

  20. 20.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 2:52 pm

    @rikyrah: Government being in shutdown means, unfortunately, I have time on my hands.

  21. 21.

    chris

    January 22, 2019 at 2:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks for this. I was really hoping that Ingraham was a box of wine over the limit.

  22. 22.

    cain

    January 22, 2019 at 2:54 pm

    @dmsilev:

    Since apparently it’s considered rude for one Senator to directly call another one a liar in a floor speech, perhaps someone could instead get up and say “having read this bill, it appears that the Majority Leader is unfamiliar with what it actually proposes to do.” or similar.

    Dunno.. they were perfectly happy to break decorum and call Obama a liar on his SOTU address.

  23. 23.

    Martin

    January 22, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Willing to bet that Trump did agree to meet with the kids, but without consulting with WH staff that are now in ‘hell, no’ mode. I think we are witnessing a WH that is completely unable to reason with the President, instead giving him a continual set of Sophies choice options – either contradict the WH staff in public, or contradict the Fox News idiots, hoping that they have more juice than the Fox News folks – which I doubt they do.

  24. 24.

    gvg

    January 22, 2019 at 2:55 pm

    I want to take issue with one little piece of the above analysis.

    Imposes a Monetary Fine/Doubles Application Cost: DACA, the Dream Act, and other proposals to legalize Dreamers have usually left off the monetary fine for being in the country illegally that proposals to legalize other immigrants have customarily had. This is because no one—including Trump—blames Dreamers for being in the country illegally.

    The statement that no one including Trump blames the Dreamers for being here illegally…….the evidence suggests this is incorrect. I think not only Trump, but most of the anti immigration crowd, do blame the Dreamers, in a sense for existing and being. They only pretend to sympathize, because that is socially too far, so far. Look at what they do. They hate the dreamers. Dangerously so in a way that reminds me uncomfortably of the Natzi’s hating Jews.

  25. 25.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 3:00 pm

    Our failed media experiment is a failed media experiment. Trolls going birther in Kamala Harris. I’m not even a big Harris supporter, but yeesh. She was born in god damned Oakland CA. Zero zero zero doubt about that. The longer there is ‘no proof either way’? Is Cuomo an idiot? Does he not know how the simple facts of US citizenship work when a person is indisputably born in this god forsaken country full of vicious nincompoops? Anyway, this is another sign that the Democrats have to be very vigilant and proactive on manufactured trolling and dishonest BS, on everything, from McConnell’s dishonest bill to the question of whether any registered Democrat has a right to live in the US.

    After Mueller Gambit Fails, Jacob Wohl Goes Full Birther On Kamala Harris
    Kate Riga, TPM
    CNN anchor Chris Cuomo appeared to initially take a “both sides” approach to the issue, though he took down the initial tweet and tried to clear it up in subsequent ones.

    Edit: someone needs to make Cuomo eat ‘this’ (euphemism alert) on air.

    “And hopefully there will be no games where the issue keeps changing for righty accusers…and…the legit info abt Harris comes out to deal with the allegation ASAP. The longer there is no proof either way, the deeper the effect,” Cuomo wrote initially.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/jacob-wohl-full-birther-harris

  26. 26.

    cain

    January 22, 2019 at 3:04 pm

    @jl:
    Funny how it only happens to a person of color, huh? Fucking bullshit. The real insult is trying to talk about the controversy and both siding it. Motherfuckers.

  27. 27.

    Barbara

    January 22, 2019 at 3:08 pm

    @jl: Cuomo is white. He has never been burdened with having to know anything about how citizenship works.

    ETA: He has deleted his original tweet because he said he meant exactly the opposite of how it was being interpreted. He meant that Wohl had to come up with the goods. He might want to take some remedial composition courses.

  28. 28.

    Brachiator

    January 22, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    Continue to work the political reporters in the news media so they won’t report on this accurately because the granular details are boring.

    This part really pisses me off. At this point, it should be more than clear that Trump (with Stephen Miller and others obviously whispering in his ear) and GOP hardliners are staunchly nativist, and look for every opportunity to re-write immigration law so that the maximum number of nonwhite people can be excluded from citizenship.

    Goddam lazy reporters who can’t do their freaking jobs.

  29. 29.

    raven

    January 22, 2019 at 3:09 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: I answered there too:

    That’s in the Georgia Pacific Building right by the Peachtree Center Transit Station. That means he can look in any direction from downtown. I hope it’s not within the next two weeks because Atlanta is going to be a mess with the Superbowl. Rents are pretty high anywhere decent but it also depends on what he fonds for work and where that is.

  30. 30.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    @cain: I hope someone brings it up with Cuomo on air. I’ve watched him, and try to be charitable. I remember that others say he does good work. But often I wonder whether this guy spends as much time dong any research at all, as opposed to practicing his ‘Cuomo’ schtick in the mirror, like the rest of them.

    I noticed that the Trumpster spokespeople and flacks like to pull WWE faces and expressions, as if news discussions were a pro wrestling promo, and producers are excited about it, since it is (very moronically) cheap drama. Last time I saw Cuomo he was in a WWE style ‘astonished and dismayed’ eyebrow contest with the miserable Giuliani,

    No excuse for even paying attention to this kind of asinine BS, yet the bozos news and pundit celebs buy into any asinine GOP troll talking point.

    As Jerry Brown said to CA political press: ‘You people are like pathetic little lapdogs who run to sniff every GOP fart’. Someone needs to say that to people like Cuomo. Grown man acting like a damned moron in front of the whole country.

    Edit: no, ‘white’ is not excuse. Would take less than a minute to perform due diligence research on the idiot claim about Harris, even if you were caught off guard and bothered with such a moronic thing at all. Why did Cuomo even notice it? That alone damns him as a responsible newsperson.

  31. 31.

    trollhattan

    January 22, 2019 at 3:12 pm

    @jl:
    Cripes. “Burden of proof” much, sparkie? Harris doesn’t owe us shit.

  32. 32.

    germy

    January 22, 2019 at 3:17 pm

    @Barbara:

    He has deleted his original tweet because he said he meant exactly the opposite of how it was being interpreted. He meant that Wohl had to come up with the goods. He might want to take some remedial composition courses.

    Here’s what puzzles me: Why is Wohl taken seriously at all?

    It wasn’t that long ago when someone with his ideas would be stapling illegible xeroxes to telephone poles. Is he really such an influencer, that a high-profile TV journalist has to stroke his chin and say “Hmm, interesting claims, but he’ll have to work harder to convince me” etc. ?

  33. 33.

    catclub

    January 22, 2019 at 3:18 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    unfortunately, I have time on my hands.

    That sounds surprisingly dangerous.

  34. 34.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 3:18 pm

    I’ll call Cuomo and offer him a ‘scoop’ on Harrris’ ‘real’ citizenship status. If I get on, whoooo boy. It’ll be a glorious few seconds of choice invective, righteous damnation of our failed media experiment, and cuss words before they cut me off.

    I’ll use a pseudonym. Something that sounds all-American. Cole… John G. Cole… that’s the ticket!

  35. 35.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 3:18 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I’m relatively sure McConnell agreed to this so that he can use it to provide the President with more ammunition to blame the Democrats.

    And as @dmsilev reports, it’s already failing. They just couldn’t help themselves and had to offer a shit sandwich so blatant it can’t even pretend to be a compromise. I doubt even the reported bill would have helped Trump and McConnell much, because people base their opinion on watching Trump be an asshole who doesn’t give a fuck about the people hurt by the shutdown. This might even make whatever pressure McConnell is feeling worse.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 3:18 pm

    @jl:

    I noticed that the Trumpster spokespeople and flacks like to pull WWE faces and expressions, as if news discussions were a pro wrestling promo, and producers are excited about it, since it is (very moronically) cheap drama. Last time I saw Cuomo he was in a WWE style ‘astonished and dismayed’ eyebrow contest with the miserable Giuliani

    Actually the prevalent and current cable news roundtable forum is based on ESPN’s sports analysis shows where you’ve got anywhere from 2 to 6 sports reporters or analysts all arguing with each other.

  37. 37.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 3:19 pm

    @catclub: It would if it included income, but, here too that government shutdown comes into play.

  38. 38.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    @germy: Cuomos is lying in a sad and pathetic and very transparent attempt at CYA. Someone needs to get on air and call him a coward and liar. Miserable corporate hacks and millionaire cowards that infest the corporate financed BS and GOP and corporate propaganda and social engineering rackets we call a national news media.

  39. 39.

    Sister Golden Bear

    January 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    OT: Speaking of lying liar and oppressed minorities…

    The Talibapists won another round in eradicating trans people from public life (and I don’t mean figuratively),* as the Supreme Court ruled today that Trump’s ban on trans people serving in the military can take affect while it’s being appealed.

    Unsurprisingly, all the Republican appointees were the ones who voted in the majority, all the Democratic appointed dissented.** There’s a chance that it might ultimately be overturned, but this isn’t a good sign.

    Just another reminder than I’m not-even a second-class citizen in the eyes of the government.

    But more so I grieve for my trans brothers, sisters, and siblings who likely will be kicked out of the military shortly. They loved their country enough to serve, even when their country hasn’t loved them.

    *The Family Research Council has a literal five-point plan to drive trans people out of public life, this is a one them.

    **The only silver-lining is the Supremes rejected the Trump administration’s to fast-track the case to the Supreme Court before appeals courts have finished their rulings. Won’t help us much, but sets a precedence for other cases where the Trumpistas are trying to short-circuit the process.

  40. 40.

    TS (the original)

    January 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    They are evil – McConnell continues to say A and enact B

  41. 41.

    catclub

    January 22, 2019 at 3:22 pm

    @cain: That was a Congressional Rep, and it was in the House, not the Senate. Totally Different.
    Also, the Pirate code is more of a guideline than a rule.

  42. 42.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I hate it. I despise it. I literally cannot watch it on the real TV. That is why I watch that garbage via clips over internet, so I can adequately control the BS before I hurl.

    I complained to the local news radio station about them starting that crap. I guess others complained too since I’ve noticed it stopped over last few weeks.

  43. 43.

    germy

    January 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

    @jl: And yet MAGAts call him part of the liberal media.

  44. 44.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 3:24 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:
    There is another silver lining. Only two out of three stays were rejected.

  45. 45.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 3:25 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear: Its on my list of posts to do today if someone doesn’t do it sooner. I’ve even got the Kristen Beck tweets all lined up and ready to go. I’m not ignoring it, but figured this was the 3 meter target as we can still have an effect, while it is a 10 meter target because there’s not much we can do about the Supreme Court’s ruling.

  46. 46.

    randy khan

    January 22, 2019 at 3:28 pm

    @opiejeanne:

    He hasn’t got 60 votes in the Senate.

    He may not have 50 votes. He almost certainly doesn’t have even 55.

  47. 47.

    trollhattan

    January 22, 2019 at 3:32 pm

    Arizona has a breakthrough wall-funding proposal, y’all!

    A GOP lawmaker wants to fund President Donald Trump’s border wall by squeezing money out of every Arizonan who patronizes pornographic websites.

    Republican state Rep. Gail Griffin, R-Hereford, recently introduced House Bill 2444, which would require electronics manufacturers to preinstall porn-blocking software on all electronic devices bought or sold in the state, AZ Central reported.

    To deactivate the blocking software, a person would have to prove they are at least 18 years old and pay a one-time fee of $20 to the Arizona Commerce Authority. Manufacturers or retailers could also charge a fee for disabling it, according to the bill. Anyone who deactivates the blocker themselves would face a misdemeanor charge.

    Whew, problem solved.

  48. 48.

    Ohio Mom

    January 22, 2019 at 3:33 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: I answered in dead thread that you might want to contact Adam or Anne Laurie and ask that your plea be front-paged as a post.

    Otherwise, a lot of potential helpers probably won’t see your request, and you and your husband deserve all the help you can get.

    If you don’t know how to contact front-pagers, directions are in my other comment.

  49. 49.

    Betty Cracker

    January 22, 2019 at 3:34 pm

    @Martin: Sounds plausible to me. Twitler was promoting the feral children earlier today, casting them as “fake news” victims like himself.

  50. 50.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 3:34 pm

    @randy khan: The question is does he hold his own caucus or not. He might release Murkowski from the whip, but that would likely be it. If that’s the case does he hold his caucus or do Gardner and Collins and others revolt so you have a real bipartisan rejection. McConnell wants a partisan rejection. We’ll see if he can pull that off.

  51. 51.

    MattF

    January 22, 2019 at 3:35 pm

    McConnell is betting that the vast majority of media reporters simply don’t know and don’t actually want to know details about immigration regulations and/or immigration law– DACA, asylum, and its relation to POCs are all very complicated (and adult, in the non-X rated sense) stuff. And it’s not just reporters who aren’t interested, there’s all those Republican Senators.

    I’m starting to think, however, that McConnell went too far, letting the Miller faction write the bill and fill it up with bad stuff. But we shall see.

    ETA: And what holds true for the reporters holds double for the editors and producers. They’re concerned about clicks and eyeballs, not truth.

  52. 52.

    Martin

    January 22, 2019 at 3:37 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Just another reminder than I’m not-even a second-class citizen in the eyes of the government.

    You’re a first-class citizen in our eyes. We’ll get the government there.

    Fortunately, the ACLU case is still out there. Don’t give up hope. Another way to look at it is that Trump wouldn’t even give a shit about the transgender community if Democrats didn’t support the community. Trump only goes after those groups that someone else cares about. That strikes me as pretty good company to be in.

  53. 53.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 3:38 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    The question is does he hold his own caucus or not.

    His power over them isn’t absolute, or Obamacare would be repealed and Medicaid gutted. It is strong, and maybe more importantly, I don’t see any reason Republican senators wouldn’t vote for this. McConnell and Trump will get all the blame if this gets publicly outed as the asshole fake compromise it is. Their voters aren’t going to abandon them for voting for a bill that’s mean to immigrants. Sure, they’re under a lot of pressure to open the government, but McConnell isn’t letting them vote on that.

  54. 54.

    Martin

    January 22, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    @trollhattan: When I first read the headline, I knew it was a GOP proposal – not because it focused on porn, but because the author clearly has no fucking clue how the internet works.

  55. 55.

    trollhattan

    January 22, 2019 at 3:39 pm

    I’m beginning to think Cole’s “I hate everybody” philosophy is the correct one.

    China has granted Ivanka Trump’s business preliminary approval of five new trademarks ahead of next week’s trade talks with the U.S., The Associated Press reported.

    Four of them, including wedding gowns, sunglasses and child care centers, got the green light on Sunday. The fifth, which involves charitable fundraising, art valuations and brokerage, was approved earlier this month, online records posted by the Chinese government’s trademark office indicate.

    The applications were made in 2016 and 2017. The approvals will be made official in three months if there are no objections.

    The president’s daughter and White House adviser shuttered her fashion line in July. Her representatives say trademark applications are a routine business practice to safeguard her name from any phonies attempting to profit from her fame, AP reported.

  56. 56.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 3:41 pm

    @trollhattan:
    https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/porn-websites-statistics-show-what-arizonans-are-searching-for-6664964

    As for Arizona, well, let’s just say they like their porn in sets, involving people between the ages of 18 and 19, and sunny with a chance of pregnancy:

    The average Arizonan’s stay on the website is just a bit longer than the national average, as you can also see in the graphic above.

  57. 57.

    germy

    January 22, 2019 at 3:41 pm

    Sitting down with Nicholas Sandmann – the student at the center of the protest controversy at the Lincoln Memorial. Airs tomorrow on @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/oSb8ljunQN— Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) January 22, 2019

  58. 58.

    raven

    January 22, 2019 at 3:41 pm

    @Ohio Mom: Well I’ve answered it twice. There’s JPL, Steve and SiubhanDuinne.

  59. 59.

    MattF

    January 22, 2019 at 3:42 pm

    @trollhattan: I think there’s a limit to how much China will stoop to conquer. But, of course, we shall see.

  60. 60.

    The Pale Scot

    January 22, 2019 at 3:42 pm

    @jl: The only TV news I watch

    • France24
    • Deutsch English
    If you have a VPN that has a UK IP there’s TV Catch Up, get the BBC UK feed, Al Jazeera. The BBC is in a death spiral though, doing the same both side schtick that american TV does

    ADD: There’s good stuff on youtube too

  61. 61.

    The Pale Scot

    January 22, 2019 at 3:47 pm

    @trollhattan: I’ll give you my porn when you pry it from my lubricated…… Let me come in again

    The biggest consumers are in the red states, Funny that

  62. 62.

    eric

    January 22, 2019 at 3:48 pm

    @germy: the LINCOLN Memorial???? was the KING memorial booked by adult Nazis?

  63. 63.

    Elizabelle

    January 22, 2019 at 3:49 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Just another reminder than I’m not-even a second-class citizen in the eyes of the [Fascist, Trump-humping and corrupted] government [which did not exist 3 years ago.]

    Hey there. You are very slightly ahead of your time, and fighting the good fight. You are going to outlast Trump and all his criminal cronies. Just keep on keeping on.

  64. 64.

    The Moar You Know

    January 22, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    Sitting down with Nicholas Sandmann – the student at the center of the protest controversy at the Lincoln Memorial. Airs tomorrow on @TODAYshow pic.twitter.com/oSb8ljunQN— Savannah Guthrie (@SavannahGuthrie) January 22, 2019

    @germy: Racist punk gets rewarded with national platform; massive exposure. Film at 11!

    Unlike those who crucified Jesus, these people know exactly what they are doing.

  65. 65.

    Sloane Ranger

    January 22, 2019 at 3:51 pm

    @dmsilev: Winston Churchill got away with “terminological inexactitude” I understand.

  66. 66.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 3:52 pm

    far be it for me to tell pelosi how to do her job, but why haven’t the dems just repeated “first, release the hostages, donny” over and over again?

    it’s been a month. it’s clearly a hostage situation. treat it like one.

  67. 67.

    CarolDuhart2

    January 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    https://twitter.com/MarkWarner/status/1087802784320245760

  68. 68.

    Mandalay

    January 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    One of my senators, Lil’ Rubio, has gone full doormat in a tweet today:

    I support @POTUS proposal because it’s reasonable & because it contains 4 policies I support:
    – Ending #Shutdown
    – Extending TPS
    – Protection for DACA recipients
    – Border Security

    What makes no sense is the knee jerk rejection of it by Dem leaders.

    Like most folks, I was fairly certain that Trump would be an awful president. But I was completely clueless on the extent to which his fellow Republicans in Congress would debase themselves, and bow down before him.

  69. 69.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I’m so old that I remember when having ONE member of the other party vote with(or against) a bill was bipartisan.

  70. 70.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    @The Pale Scot: I habitually follow up legit news pieces that indicate news TV that may be worth watching by intertubing youtube. I watch Morning Joe and Fox News on SNL :).

    Thanks for the links. I’ve saved them.

  71. 71.

    The Moar You Know

    January 22, 2019 at 3:54 pm

    The BBC is in a death spiral though, doing the same both side schtick that american TV does

    @The Pale Scot: I was a diehard World Service listener. But their coverage of their own politics is obviously bullshit, and their coverage of ours is inexcusable.

  72. 72.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 22, 2019 at 3:55 pm

    @Litlebritdifrnt: merde! Consulate is downtown, which means that cheap housing won’t be close, unless he’s ok with being marginally safe.

    There are places near MARTA that will be affordable, but have to be careful.

    Adam and Anne Laurie both have my email (along with Subaru Diane and Raven and Bella Q and a bunch of others if you want to connect off line.

  73. 73.

    Quaker in a Basement

    January 22, 2019 at 3:57 pm

    The next Republican who publicly makes any statement that includes the phrase “negotiate in good faith” deserves a lightning-bolt enema.

  74. 74.

    japa21

    January 22, 2019 at 3:57 pm

    Geez Adam. I can’t wait for Parts III, IV, and V. I am sure there has to be more.

  75. 75.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 3:57 pm

    @The Moar You Know: From an Episcopal priest who used to be assigned in the Episcopal parish in the area.

    I served an Episcopal parish in Northern Kentucky, approximately 15 minutes from Covington Catholic High School. It's a prestigious all-male school with a reputation for strong academics and strong athletics. You can learn that much from the website.

    — Marshall Jolly (@MarshallJolly) January 20, 2019

    and quashing "unorthodox hymns" that are otherwise approved for use in the Church, he also has created a culture that is not only anti-LGBT, but also actively seeking out teachers and other administrators who might even hold sympathetic views toward people who are LGBT.

    — Marshall Jolly (@MarshallJolly) January 20, 2019

    Student after student has come forward over the years to try and shed light on the abuses that not just LGBT students faced, but students of color. Racial epithets and slurs were commonplace in the halls.

    — Marshall Jolly (@MarshallJolly) January 20, 2019

    While we might be concerning ourselves with "who moved first" or "who moved toward whom" in the video, I encourage you to reflect on this: notice the posture and demeanor of the young man. There is a troubling display of xenophobia embedded here.

    — Marshall Jolly (@MarshallJolly) January 20, 2019

    This is a window into a perverse system that thrives on toxic, fragile masculinity embedded with xenophobia. And it’s not pretty. Let those who have ears to hear, listen.

    — Marshall Jolly (@MarshallJolly) January 20, 2019

  76. 76.

    catclub

    January 22, 2019 at 3:58 pm

    @trollhattan:

    preinstall porn-blocking software on all electronic devices bought or sold in the state,

    so everything from digital watches to pressure cookers, also smart thermostats, pulse and O2 sensors.. well targeted!

  77. 77.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 22, 2019 at 3:59 pm

    Just got an NYT alert that Senators have reached a “bipartisan compromise” to reopen gov’t, but I don’t see anything on their actual website

  78. 78.

    tobie

    January 22, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    @The Moar You Know: Who the heck are this punk’s parents? They must be people of enormous influence because I don’t know any kid who behaves as badly as this getting representation from a well-heeled and well-connected PR firm immediately followed by an interview on Good Morning, America.

  79. 79.

    Quaker in a Basement

    January 22, 2019 at 4:00 pm

    @trollhattan: There’s a proposal going nowhere. Webporn is pretty popular amongst the faithful.

  80. 80.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    @CarolDuhart2: He needs to frame it as a national security and continuity of government measure. Unfortunately it will never see the light of day as long as McConnell is the Senate Majority Leader.

  81. 81.

    catclub

    January 22, 2019 at 4:01 pm

    @chopper: They kind of have. They have said of this. “We can discuss these issues after the government is reopened.”

  82. 82.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 22, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/22/us/politics/government-shutdown-senate.html
    link button borked again, but if this is what Schumer agreed to, it sounds a lot like the CR they voted on unanimously over a month ago. Yes?

    WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote Thursday on two separate bills that would bring an immediate end to the partial government shutdown: one backed by President Trump that includes $5.7 billion for his border wall and another that would simply extend funding for shuttered agencies through Feb. 8.

    The plan, a compromise between Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, offers the first hint of a path out of the partial shutdown, which is now in its fifth week and has left 800,000 federal workers without pay. The two announced it Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor.

  83. 83.

    MattF

    January 22, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: It’s there now. It says McConnell’s bill will fail and then there will be a vote to end the shutdown.

  84. 84.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    @catclub:

    i’m saying use some more hardball language than that.

  85. 85.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:03 pm

    @Mandalay: Well it actually contracts TPS and reduces protections for DACA recipients. So 2 out of 4 I guess.

  86. 86.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    @MattF:

    which means mcconnell caved. he’s allowing a clean (if short term) CR to end the shutdown.

  87. 87.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:04 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: If someone like Cotton voted against this that argument might fly in 2019. Murkowski is considered a squish, so.

  88. 88.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    not much but something here.

  89. 89.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:05 pm

    They’re both lying sacks of shit unworthy of life.

  90. 90.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 22, 2019 at 4:06 pm

    @catclub: I can’t watch pr0n on my instant pot now in Arizona? That’s so unfair!

  91. 91.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:07 pm

    @japa21: I hope to anyone, everyone’s Deity or Deities, or no one’s for the atheists among us, that there isn’t. At most Part III is that it was voted down. I honestly hate having to write this stuff and put it on the front page. But it can’t go unremarked.

  92. 92.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    @catclub: You watch porn on your pressure cooker?//

  93. 93.

    Sister Golden Bear

    January 22, 2019 at 4:08 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: Thanks, news about the third hadn’t shown in my news sources yet.

    @Adam L Silverman: A front-page post would be much appreciated. FYI, you may be aware, but there’s stats (which I can’t find at the moment) that trans serve at about double the rate as the general population.

    FWIW, one spillover effect is that some poor trans people have used the military as a way to escape whatever transphobic shithole they’re living in. Another spillover effect is on the psyches of trans youth — which the Talibaptists are well aware.

    @Martin: While has can’t read Trump’s mind I’m pretty sure he hates us because we’re “different” (and icky), just as he hates women and POC. In particular, the idea that someone assigned male at birth would voluntarily give up male privilege to live as a women really freaks out men with his sort of toxic masculinity. Trust me, I’ve been in the receiving end of it all too often, even from men who consider themselves socially liberal.

  94. 94.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 4:10 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Thanks. Sad news about that school.
    Except, I am trying to wrap my head around the use of ‘xenophobia’ apparently describing a hositle attitude towards a Native American, and Marine Corps veteran.

    Maybe alt-right trolls will asking where Phillips’ parent were born? Of if they can really be US Citizens if they happened to be born on a Native American reservation?

    The curse ‘may you live in interesting times’ is harder when those ‘interesting times’ are also unbelievably stupid times.

  95. 95.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:10 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Breaking News: Senate leaders reached a bipartisan deal that could reopen the government for a few weeks, allowing the State of the Union address to proceed https://t.co/OKRJL1jUOu

    — The New York Times (@nytimes) January 22, 2019

    WASHINGTON — The Senate will vote Thursday on two separate bills that would bring an immediate end to the partial government shutdown: one backed by President Trump that includes $5.7 billion for his border wall and another that would simply extend funding for shuttered agencies through Feb. 8.

    The plan, a compromise between Senator Mitch McConnell, the majority leader, and Senator Chuck Schumer, the Democratic leader, offers the first hint of a path out of the partial shutdown, which is now in its fifth week and has left 800,000 federal workers without pay. The two announced it Tuesday afternoon on the Senate floor.

    “People are saying isn’t there a way out of this mess, isn’t there a way to relieve the burden on the 800,000 federal workers not getting paid, isn’t there a way to get government services open first and debate what we should do for border security later?” Mr. Schumer said. “Well, now there’s a way.”

    I expect that both will fail to reach the 60 vote threshold for cloture.

  96. 96.

    randy khan

    January 22, 2019 at 4:10 pm

    @chopper:

    which means mcconnell caved. he’s allowing a clean (if short term) CR to end the shutdown.

    Yep. I’m assuming he’ll sell the short-term nature of the deal to Trump as creating leverage. (Which it won’t.)

  97. 97.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 4:11 pm

    @chopper:

    which means mcconnell caved.

    Let’s see if the actual vote happens, but yes, that’s what it looks like. I was expecting him to cave before the end of the month. When the 1st rolled around and government workers couldn’t pay their mortgages, shit would start flying that I think he’s scared of.

  98. 98.

    Mandalay

    January 22, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    @CarolDuhart2: Well that tweet is all find and dandy, but I was distinctly unimpressed with Mark Warner on Meet the Press yesterday, where he rambled on and on, and said “What the president proposed yesterday….I’ll use that as a starting point”.

    When do you ever hear Ted Cruz or Lindsey Graham or Mitch McConnell conceding a damn thing to Democrats? Warner needs to get on message or STFU.

  99. 99.

    dmsilev

    January 22, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That puts things on Trump. The Senate will pass the reopen-no-wall bill, as will the House. Trump gets to either back down or veto. Assuming he chickens out, Pelosi and Schumer will have won this round.

  100. 100.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 4:12 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    Thanks, news about the third hadn’t shown in my news sources yet.

    That’s why I’ve been going out of my way to repeat it. About two thirds of my friends are transwomen, and I’d like to take as much stress off of them as possible from this bad news.

  101. 101.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:13 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear: I’m planning on doing it as a front page post if one of the other front pagers doesn’t beat me to it. Most likely tonight when I get back from the gym.

  102. 102.

    TS (the original)

    January 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: So being sold to trump as “We are opening govt for a couple of weeks so Nancy has no reason to stop you giving an election rally in the House of Representatives”

  103. 103.

    JPL

    January 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    @raven: If he doesn’t have to report often, technically he could live outside the city and the northern burbs. He should be able to go to a temp agency and find employment. I’ll ask around though.

  104. 104.

    dmsilev

    January 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    I expect that both will fail to reach the 60 vote threshold for cloture.

    Why do you say that? A reopen-no-wall vote passed the Senate nearly unanimously in December.

  105. 105.

    sgrAstar

    January 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    @germy:

    Why is Wohl taken seriously at all?

    That’s exactly what I was thinking! How on earth can the “thoughts” of a little twerp like Wohl command any interest whatsoever? Good fucking grief.

  106. 106.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:14 pm

    @jl: I’m sure at the time the whole thing went down in DC the kids had no idea he was a Marine veteran.

  107. 107.

    zhena gogolia

    January 22, 2019 at 4:15 pm

    @Sister Golden Bear:

    He is evil. We have to hope and believe and pray that evil is defeated. And do everything we can to make that happen. We are with you. There are more of us than there are of them.

  108. 108.

    The Moar You Know

    January 22, 2019 at 4:15 pm

    They’re both lying sacks of shit unworthy of life.

    @Villago Delenda Est: Remarks like this are why I can’t quit Balloon Juice.

    You watch porn on your pressure cooker?//

    @Adam L Silverman: You…you do not?

  109. 109.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 4:16 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:

    the dems are def voting for the clean bill. the optics of the gop blowing it up and keeping the gubbermint shut down would be just awful. the majority filibustering their own bill! not that i wouldn’t put it past them.

  110. 110.

    japa21

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I sincerely hope you are right. And yes, as much as it is a hard thing to write (mainly because we want to expect better from our leaders) it still has to be noted and remarked upon. The worst thing about the shutdown ending is you won’t have as much time on your hands. Just as an aside, I have directed some people who are skeptical about the opposition to Trump to some of your posts. Most end up getting background info on you (Google, not PI) and say to me, “Hey, this guy needs to be listened to more.”

  111. 111.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @dmsilev: It will depend whether McConnell frees up enough Republican senators from the whip to vote with the Democrats.

  112. 112.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @MattF:

    And what holds true for the reporters holds double for the editors and producers. They’re concerned about clicks and eyeballs, not truth.

    Which is reason 39,918 for my nym.

    Wipe them out. All of them.

  113. 113.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @The Moar You Know:

    You…you do not?

    i will never make yogurt in my instantpot ever. again.

  114. 114.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @dmsilev: I’ll be curious to see how Ernst and Tillis vote. Gardner and maybe even Collins are in serious trouble (though the pessimist in me thinks that the incumbent/inertia factor and the way most people weigh affect rather than policy might save Collins). If Ernst and Tillis are spooked, then this thing was getting them more blowback than we’ve seen publicly.

  115. 115.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:17 pm

    @The Moar You Know: I don’t have a pressure cooker.

  116. 116.

    The Moar You Know

    January 22, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    Senate leaders reached a bipartisan deal that could reopen the government for a few weeks, allowing the State of the Union address to proceed

    @Adam L Silverman: That is all that Trump gives a shit about! OMG!

    He will get to have his Reichstag speech and then the government will close again Feb 8, guaranteed. That is if this passes, which I seriously doubt.

  117. 117.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: He was obviously a Native American. Is the alt-right ‘xenophobic’ against Native Americans?
    Help, I’ve lost the thread. I’m through the map and off the looking glass.

    Interesting times to watch the most elemental decency and respect towards anything, let alone human beings, the slightest nod towards any intelligence at all, being flushed down the toilet in public. And that includes by people like sad news actor Cuomo.

  118. 118.

    Ruckus

    January 22, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    @Quaker in a Basement:
    So you are going for a direct head shot then?

  119. 119.

    Cheryl Rofer

    January 22, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Thank you for your service, Adam. Today I wrote talking points for a phone script and am dealing with a flat tire and more snow.

  120. 120.

    chopper

    January 22, 2019 at 4:18 pm

    @dmsilev:

    yertle would have to, otherwise the GOP will own the shutdown even more than they already did.

  121. 121.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 4:19 pm

    @dmsilev:

    That puts things on Trump.

    I’ve said since last month Trump was holding on hoping Pelosi and McConnell would give him a bill to sign. Narcissists love a fait accompli. They get to stop pretending they’re brave, and whine about how mean everyone is to them.

  122. 122.

    The Moar You Know

    January 22, 2019 at 4:19 pm

    I’m sure at the time the whole thing went down in DC the kids had no idea he was a Marine veteran.

    @Adam L Silverman: Do you think they’d have cared? For a second? I don’t. I doubt they consider him human, if the stories coming out of that diocese are even half-true.

  123. 123.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    @japa21: I will still have time on my hands. The odds of that contract award still being there, and the full time equivalent job I was supposed to start as part of it, once the Small Business Administration reopens and starts processing their backlog of certifications of small businesses awarded DOD contracts under the small business set aside provisions, are slim. They will take a couple of months to work through their backlog, and that’s provided the government stays open for more than two weeks. By then, the DOD agency will be two months past when they needed that position filled. The most probably situation is they get an exemption to policy to fill the position from one of their non small business prime contractors on their omnibus.

  124. 124.

    JPL

    January 22, 2019 at 4:21 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Would you please put a post up tomorrow to call your Senators and tell them no on Trump’s plan.

  125. 125.

    jl

    January 22, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    @Frankensteinbeck: If Congress gets enough heat, it might write something up that will get the government open, tell Trump is does whatever he wants, and be done with it. Then it’s all up to Coulter and Limbaugh,and their like, if they can get Trump’s attention.

  126. 126.

    eric

    January 22, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    @The Moar You Know: is “pressure cooker” a euphemism? I am not from one of those pron states

  127. 127.

    Cheryl Rofer

    January 22, 2019 at 4:22 pm

    McConnell is NOT supporting the House bill that the Senate will vote on Thursday to reopen the government until early February, and the WH has indicated Trump will NOT sign it. Several GOP aides say it won’t get 60. Dems have votes to block Trump plan also. Shutdown continues

    — Manu Raju (@mkraju) January 22, 2019

  128. 128.

    Ruckus

    January 22, 2019 at 4:23 pm

    @Adam L Silverman:
    I somehow find that to be rather normal, in the context of the original comment.

  129. 129.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:24 pm

    @sgrAstar: Click bait.

    Our media model is badly flawed. It needs to be annihilated, blown to atoms.

  130. 130.

    Frankensteinbeck

    January 22, 2019 at 4:26 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer:
    Hmmm. McConnell really, REALLY wants to turn this into a both sides narrative with the American people. Reports of what he can and can’t pass have been highly unreliable in the past. We’ll see how this plays out. I don’t think he has a snowball’s chance in Hell of actually getting people to blame Democrats with this.

  131. 131.

    Mart

    January 22, 2019 at 4:27 pm

    @cain: Saint McCain born Navy at the Panama Canal had (from Politifact) “Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton co-sponsor Senate legislation saying they thought the issue” (can McCain be Prez if not born in the US) “was bogus. On April 30, 2008, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution to put it to rest”: “John Sidney McCain, III, is a `natural born Citizen’ under Article II, Section 1, of the Constitution of the United States.” Kind of how R’s treat Dems.

  132. 132.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:28 pm

    McConnell has the chutzpah to ask Democrats to put country before party while serving up this Donald hamburder shit sandwich.

  133. 133.

    Yutsano

    January 22, 2019 at 4:30 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I would get to go back to work for three weeks just to possibly go through all this unemployment mishegas again? GO TEAM US!!!

    Honestly, if they just pass the clean package I’m good. Although no idea if Dolt45 signs it.

  134. 134.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:33 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: No worries.

  135. 135.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:34 pm

    @JPL: The two posts today that ended with “Better call your senators” weren’t enough?

  136. 136.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: My senators (Wyden and Merkley) are solid, solid, solid against Donald and the fuckin’ Turtle.

  137. 137.

    Shakti

    January 22, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    @Mandalay: When has Lil Rubio NOT been full doormat? He did take a hard stance against Salt Bae, but other than that…

  138. 138.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:39 pm

    @Cheryl Rofer: No negotiations with terrorists.

  139. 139.

    Cheryl Rofer

    January 22, 2019 at 4:41 pm

    Some fascinating politics going on here. The Democrats are finally starting to call the Republicans’ strategy of trying to rule as if they were entitled to it.

    The Schumer/McConnell announcement is not a deal, aides on both sides say. They had to announce both votes in order to reach an agreement to avoid the Senate staying in session through the weekend, and neither R's nor Dems think there are the votes to pass the short-term bill.

    — Ali Rogin (@AliABCNews) January 22, 2019

  140. 140.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:43 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est: I would expect no less.

  141. 141.

    Steve in the ATL

    January 22, 2019 at 4:44 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: so the FTFNYT thinks the important part of reopening the government is that the SOTU will be back on?

    Jesus Christ.

  142. 142.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    January 22, 2019 at 4:49 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Join the Cult, Adam!

  143. 143.

    Bill Arnold

    January 22, 2019 at 4:50 pm

    From thread below;
    https://www.politico.com/story/2019/01/22/republican-spending-bill-asylum-restrictions-1103837
    Politico, so it will be noticed
    Also, many reporters pay attention to their twitter feeds and in particular to tweets directed at them.
    (Also, they might notice if their name is mentioned; google is a thing. :-)

  144. 144.

    Adam L Silverman

    January 22, 2019 at 4:52 pm

    @?BillinGlendaleCA: I’m perfectly good at making rice in a pot.

  145. 145.

    Villago Delenda Est

    January 22, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: I’m great at boiling water. Beyond that…

  146. 146.

    JPL

    January 22, 2019 at 4:54 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: No. It can be a short post, i.e. did you call your Senators.

  147. 147.

    catclub

    January 22, 2019 at 4:56 pm

    @Adam L Silverman: Have you seen the curves a pulse meter produces?
    who says you can’t get no O2 satisfaction?

  148. 148.

    GregMulka

    January 22, 2019 at 4:59 pm

    They want TSA paid through the Super Bowl so they don’t have to deal with that nightmare of thwarted capitalism.

  149. 149.

    stinger

    January 22, 2019 at 5:04 pm

    @Martin: Just block all sites with the .prn domain, that’d take care of it. How hard could it be?

  150. 150.

    randy khan

    January 22, 2019 at 5:07 pm

    @Villago Delenda Est:

    Call them anyway. Give them some love.

  151. 151.

    raven

    January 22, 2019 at 5:18 pm

    @Ruckus: From last night, I do not consider myself a combat vet.

  152. 152.

    Mainmata

    January 22, 2019 at 5:55 pm

    Trump and his criminal relatives and McConnell are the essence of vermin. Pretty sure that my senators will be strong “No’s” (MD) but I’ll call anyway.

  153. 153.

    Mandalay

    January 22, 2019 at 6:26 pm

    @Shakti: You make me feel dirty for defending Rubio, but here’s a very recent (if rare) example of him not being a doormat:

    And Tuesday’s Senate vote indicated that Mr. Mnuchin’s assurances did not assuage doubts among the party’s Russia skeptics that the deal with Mr. Deripaska’s companies sufficiently decreased his control.

    “I don’t like the way it’s structured,” said Senator Marco Rubio, Republican of Florida, who voted with Democrats and has been among the party’s leading critics of Russia.

  154. 154.

    Burnspbesq

    January 22, 2019 at 7:00 pm

    @trollhattan:

    In other news, Apple and Samsung announced plans to open retail stores in Blythe, California.

  155. 155.

    Dave

    January 22, 2019 at 7:09 pm

    ?Can a go fund me account be legally started to cover a national coverage of payday loans against anticipated federal back pay for this fight. This’ll not be easy because really…democratic surrender is not an option

  156. 156.

    Steeplejack

    January 22, 2019 at 7:52 pm

    @Steve in the ATL:

    I haven’t lived in Atlanta since 2005, but there used to be affordable places to live near MARTA out in Decatur.

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