Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

I like political parties that aren’t owned by foreign adversaries.

Giving in to doom is how we fail to fight for ourselves & one another.

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

Just because you believe it, that does not make it true.

The unpunished coup was a training exercise.

With all due respect and assumptions of good faith, please fuck off into the sun.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

If America since Jan 2025 hasn’t broken your heart, you haven’t loved her enough.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

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

Perhaps you mistook them for somebody who gives a damn.

When I decide to be condescending, you won’t have to dream up a fantasy about it.

Republican also-rans: four mules fighting over a turnip.

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

He seems like a smart guy, but JFC, what a dick!

Oppose, oppose, oppose. do not congratulate. this is not business as usual.

The words do not have to be perfect.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

This year has been the longest three days of putin’s life.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Dolt 45 / Friday Evening Open Thread: Keep Calm & Carry On

Friday Evening Open Thread: Keep Calm & Carry On

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Good for New Jersey, and may many other states follow its lead here:

Reader Interactions

215Comments

  1. 1.

    joel hanes

    NJ Senate has passed a bill … release 5 years of tax returns

    Not only would it keep Trump off the ballot;
    it’ll probably keep another non-Democrat off the ballot.

  2. 2.

    debbie

    I doubt I’ll be able to catch up on all the posts today, but damn, the news about Kraft put the pop in my walk!

  3. 3.

    JoyceH

    There’s all this talk about whether or not the Justice Department will release the Mueller report and of course House Dems will subpoena for it, and if Justice wants to be pissy about it they could take months or years in court. So I have a modest proposal.

    If Justice won’t cough up the report, heck, if they take every copy and shred it, the House can just recreate it. Every witness that testified in secret to the grand jury, subpoena them to testify in public to a House committee – live on national TV.

    Suggest THAT to Justice and I suspect they’d consider releasing the report the lesser of two evils.

  5. 5.

    Adam L Silverman

    Imagine that, no one actually knows where Mueller is at and when he will or won’t be done. Who could have known? Now that this has happened for the third month in a row, perhaps reporters will stop taking the bait.

  7. 7.

    Baud

    I’m shocked.

    As recently as December, he had vowed to bring all 2,000 American troops home from Syria — he even tweeted a video of himself announcing the move. But months of backlash from lawmakers in both parties, military leadership, and European allies — plus the potential endangerment of a US-backed force in Syria — apparently led Trump to change his mind.

    On Thursday, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders announced that the US would keep 200 troops in the country. 

    ……

    But apparently that’s wrong. On Friday, it appeared that 400 troops — not 200 would stay in Syria after all.

    https://www.vox.com/2019/2/22/18236122/syria-troops-trump-400-sanders

  9. 9.

    MattF

    @Adam L Silverman: One wonders exactly who thinks they get an advantage from spreading these rumors. I’m sure that Trump and company want to spread rumors and as many as possible– confusion, divisiveness, and thwarted expectations are good. But Mueller and his minions are famously tight-lipped, so it just doesn’t work.

  17. 17.

    Brachiator

    @Baud:

    But apparently that’s wrong. On Friday, it appeared that 400 troops — not 200 would stay in Syria after all.

    From 2,000 troops to 400 still counts as a significant achievement. As much as I detest Trump, I don’t think he can be bashed over this issue.

  20. 20.

    jl

    A kindly commenter put up the link to the Klobuchar CNN town hall. She came off much better over the whole transcript than the clips and excerpts CNN put up. I think she blew one or two issues, like gun control, but came off much better on most of them. For some reason, CNN heavily emphasized the wishy-washy sensible corporate centrist stuff she said. Klobuchar might be OK on policy overall.

    But, I am not sure the voters are in the mood for how she is presenting herself as a candidate.
    Anyway, Warren still my favorite on policy and where my contributions are going, unless she whiffs out as a good campaigner.

  29. 29.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: It was the only way to keep the major players in the coalition part of Combined Joint Task Force Operation Inherent Resolve from bailing. This way the Brits and the Australians will keep both ground and air personnel involved and the French will keep their air force involved.

  32. 32.

    trollhattan

    @Baud:
    Hey now, 400 is just 200 twice so they’re not like, you know, wrong. That definitely includes 200. And also, too, some others.

  34. 34.

    Adam L Silverman

    I agree with this, with one caveat: truly toxic bosses/leaders aren’t just tough, they’re dangerous. Non toxic, but tough bosses/leaders are just that.

  36. 36.

    Adam L Silverman

    @smintheus: I think the issue will be that the only two constitutional requirements to run for president are being 35 and over and being a natural born citizen versus that the states run the elections and set their own requirements for getting on the ballot.

  37. 37.

    trollhattan

    They reckon the pilot of a crippled bomber intentionally avoided boys playing in a London park when the plane crashed 75 years ago. Today a flyover honored those men and the little boy who lived, grew up and has tended a memorial in their honor ever since.

  39. 39.

    Adam L Silverman

    @VeniceRiley: I’m not even sure it would get to that. I’m pretty sure it would leak from within the intel community. Possibly laundered through an allied/partner intel community.

  41. 41.

    germy

    RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) — A California couple pleaded guilty Friday to torture and years of abuse that included shackling some of their 13 children to beds and starving them to the point they stopped growing.

    David and Louise Turpin will spend at least 25 years in prison after entering the pleas in Riverside County Superior Court to 14 counts that included cruelty toward all but their toddler daughter, and imprisoning the children in a house that appeared neatly kept outside, but festered with filth and reeked of human waste.

  42. 42.

    smintheus

    @Adam L Silverman: I don’t agree with Wilson at all, partly because it ignores what is being reported. Former staffers keep saying that Klobuchar’s assholish demons distract her and her staff from basic stuff she needs to be doing, and that her abusive, rageaholic tantrums drive people away in significant numbers. This is documented by her consistently sky high turnover rate. So Wilson is blowing smoke when he puts this down to “score-settling by former staff”. These are former staffers who were approached by reporters and offered their opinions with some trepidation out of fear of Klobuchar’s tendency to settle real and imagined scores with former staffers (also documented).

    Wilson is also talking nonsense to claim that having abusive bosses toughens up staffers and makes them stronger. You don’t learn about character from people who make a spectacle of having no character, and you don’t become stronger by enduring abuse. You become socialized to tolerating abuse, which is toxic.

    Wilson reminds me of the classic asshole coach who insists despite all evidence and logic that ignoring injuries and playing through them makes you stronger. It’s just bravura for bravura’s sake.

  43. 43.

    Adam L Silverman

    @germy: He is who he is: a conservative who has been a Republican campaign professional for decades. He’s very good at what he does and it would behoove people to pay attention to him. Not so that Democrats should do what he says, but because it is important to understand how highly informed and experienced folks who aren’t Democrats or liberals see and understand what the Democrats are doing.

  45. 45.

    germy


    Chicago Police Credit Their Extensive Experience Falsifying Evidence For Helping Solve Smollett Case

    (Onion headline)

  48. 48.

    Adam L Silverman

    @smintheus: And all those former staffer are anonymous. And all the ones who have gone on the record say she’s a good boss, though demanding.

    Have we learned nothing about anonymous sources and Democratic women over the past four years? Maybe she is the worst boss ever and toxic to boot. Or maybe she’s just tough and demanding. And maybe she’d be a good president and maybe she wouldn’t. But I do know that each of the Democratic women senators are being attacked in very specific ways, almost all from anonymous sources, that none of the men are. And that no male candidate ever would be.

  49. 49.

    germy

    @Adam L Silverman: I agree.

    I’m not surprised he’s out there doing his bit to defend Klobuchar because I suspect he views her as the lesser of all the evils he sees in the Democratic primary. Warren and Harris with their “crazy talk” probably worry him.

  50. 50.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: As I wrote in comment #36:

    I think the issue will be that the only two constitutional requirements to run for president are being 35 and over and being a natural born citizen versus that the states run the elections and set their own requirements for getting on the ballot.

  51. 51.

    Millard Filmore

    @Adam L Silverman: If there are only 2 requirements to get on the ballot, why can’t *I* be put on the ballot? Nothing in the Constitution about being a serious candidate.

    (no reply required)

  52. 52.

    Jay

    @MattF:

    There was a long read put up a while ago about hackers/crackers/crypto/drug dealers and a murder, in which nobody really knows what went on because the “suspects” had lived lives so flooded with bs. inline and offline, claim and counterclaim, that all the family of the victim and the police are sure of, is that almost everything, is a lie.

    Flooding the field with bs. basically creates mass confusion and prevents a single narrative from being formed by the low information voter. It allows the bs. artists to flood the field with conspiracy theories hung on the wallpaper of gullible journalists stories.

  53. 53.

    geg6

    @smintheus:

    Totally agree with every word you said. It’s exactly right. I find this behavior pretty damn disqualifying, if true. Bad bosses aren’t character builders or very productive. We have one of those in the Oval Office right now. We don’t need another. The stories of vindictiveness after people have left her employ are just awful and say awful things about her. I hope she can prove them wrong, but it’s pretty well sourced at this point.

  54. 54.

    White & Gold Purgatorian

    @Adam L Silverman:

    I also think the tough boss Klobuchar stuff may play well with some voters. She’s running for an important job and we need a hard worker there with high expectations for staff. Toxic boss? Can’t tell as long as it is all anonymous stuff.

    It’s puzzling how the media keeps running stories quoting unidentified former staffers. Are these former staffers working for another candidate now? Do the reporters ever ask? Possibly someone’s internal polling shows Klobuchar as a strong competitor and the knives have come out to wound her early. Whose? Maybe Biden or Brown, who would seem to be targeting the same voters as Klobuchar. I like all three of them but presidential campaigns can be nasty, even for nice candidates.

    Policy be damned, and I swear I wasn’t like this in the past, demonstrating a willingness and ability to demolish any and all opponents is at the top of my wish list for a nominee. Extra points if she or he smiles while swinging the wrecking ball.

  56. 56.

    germy

    btw we know the president of the united states paid for sex

    but he did it afterwards, through a shell corporation, to win the presidency

    so only his lawyer went to jail for it

    — LOLGOP (@LOLGOP) February 22, 2019

  57. 57.

    jl

    @germy: Klobuchar has an ambiguous record in terms of how progressive she would be in presidential campaign and in office. She has voting record just barely in lower half of Senate Dems on progressive issues. As I noted above, CNN could cherry pick her town hall to make her sound very centrist wishy washy corporatist ‘I’ll negotiate with myself down to pabulum first’ type of politician. But reading whole transcript, she did not in my mind back down from core, and necessary, ideas of Green New Deal in terms of climate change (versus progressive wish list). OTOH, there is reason CNN could cherry pick: how Klobuchar wants to present herself. Would be much harder to do that with Warren.

    If Klobuchar is who Wilson needs to settle on for a best of a bad lot, from his GOP perspective, then evidence so far says Dems are in better shape that political operatives like Wilson.

    I think Adam is too naive in saying that anything, anything at all, Wilson says in public is an indication of true beliefs. Every single syllable a political operative puts out has a political motivation, and needs to be viewed with caution and skepticism. Always need to keep in mind that they might be putting out very ‘interested’ advice for the opposition party that benefits their side in some way. Always need to keep that in mind. Right now, I assume as default that there is some kind of interested BS in all of these pieces on potential or declared candidates.

    (Edit: it depends on how you interpret his use of ‘behooves’. BTW, ‘behooves’ srsly? That is a consultant word, ain’t it?)

    But, maybe I am just too cynical for BJ blog? Could be.

  58. 58.

    smintheus

    @Adam L Silverman: Her former staffers are GOP operatives?! The other Dems in the race don’t have the worst record of staff turnover in DC. They aren’t running as the incarnation of Minnesota Nice. And for all we know they don’t have a track record of throwing heavy objects at staffers.

    There is more than one way to interpret the fact that the only people willing to go on record with reporters are saying positive things about their boss. The unscrupulousness of Republicans doesn’t mean we need to ignore all negative information that comes out about candidates. What it requires is that we approach those reports with caution and assess the credibility of the sources. I see nothing in the approach of people like Wilson that resembles a cautious assessment of the sources and their evidence. Instead he dismisses what they report with a hand wave: ‘tough luck to be you, crybabies’.

  59. 59.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Christ, I accidentally turn on Hardball and some trumpist crackpot (Nan Hayworth) is lying about immigration for three minutes, Kornacki sits there like a lump, another guest tries to bring up some facts, Hayworth starts talking over her, Kornacki sits there like a lump. He’s gotten progressively more useless the more time they give him on the air

  62. 62.

    jl

    @smintheus: I agree with you too. Really, no one knows why an operative like Wilson says what he says to the public, and Dems should interpret it great care, as I typed above.

    Klobuchar is not at top of my list of preferred candidates for several reasons, including possibility that the news report on her treatment of staff is accurate.

  63. 63.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @geg6: most of the stories about Klobuchar I don’t find disqualifying, except the comb– christ, eat a salad with your fingers before a comb, IMHO– what bothers me is the (apparent) difference between her off-camera and on-camera personalities, and the whole kick-down part of it. They used to say Barbara Mikulski was the meanest Senator, and it was other Dem Senators who were afraid of her. Wendy Sherman is a former Mikulski aide, and speaks glowingly of her.

    Also, this whole thing aside, Klobuchar’s whole campaign seems to be based on saying no to the ambitions of the progressive wing. I’m a pragmatic incrementalist, but as a matter of politics and policy, I want a candidate who’s going to offer something worth getting excited about. I’ll eat the broccoli, but there better be something for dessert.

  64. 64.

    Jay

    @geg6:

    It’s not “well sourced” at all, it’s all “anonamous” claims.

    The only people who have come forward on the record, say she is/was a tough and demanding boss but good to work for.

    Until someone comes forward and puts their names to the allegations, I’m treating is as the MSM trying to “The Devil Wears Prada” AK like they “Uranium One’ed” and “Clinton Cash’ed” Hillary Clinton.

  65. 65.

    smintheus

    @jl: I agree. I read Wilson’s comments as a species of Republican concern trolling. Effectively he’s saying nobody should put any weight at all on the negatives that are coming out about Wilson’s preferred Democratic candidate. We already knew that Wilson is ok with giving the presidency to total assholes. How many Republican presidential candidates Wilson has supported during his career are not total assholes?

  66. 66.

    jacy

    The good news: I paid my mortgage balloon payment today, thanks to the Jackaltariat. I will not be homeless in the near future.

    The bad news: the ex took back his verbal agreement not to fight to custody. He says if I hadn’t been so mean to him he would have agreed with me. The truth is, it was a feint to get me to drop my custody lawsuit, ,which I did not, because I’ve been burned before. I knew it all week, and have been struggling to be positive when my instinct told me it wasn’t over and today he dropped the hammer. Court date is March 25, but Nick signs up for his classes tomorrow. I haven’t told Nick.

    The Boyfriend is picking me up in a bit to take me out for Indian food and commiseration, but I doubt that fixes much.

  67. 67.

    jl

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: In terms of campaigning and winning elections, that is my main concern about Klobuchar. Not sure at all voters are interested in that approach now. Biden and Booker making same mistake, IMHO.

    I’m not sure about Gillbrand. I think Warren, Harris and BS are signalling strongly that they will regulate shit and fix a lot of crap, and they aren’t messing around. Which, for better or worse, regardless of how much you might hate one or more of them, will sell in current political climate. So as a group, I think they will do better.

  68. 68.

    germy

    Press is covering Smollet wall2wall because it’s conservative click bait. But they’re giving credence to the idea that hoaxes are frequent when FBI data shows hate crimes have risen for 3 straight years. Meanwhile, a white supremacist stocked an arsenal & planned a killing spree.
    — Adam Jentleson ? (@AJentleson) February 21, 2019

  69. 69.

    Yarrow

    @jacy: Oh, I’m sorry he’s being such an asshole. How old is your son Nick? Is he old enough to have any say in the custody and where he wants to go to school?

    Enjoy the Indian food. It’s not going to fix anything but it’s good to have a break and do something nice for yourself.

  70. 70.

    smintheus

    @Jay: Staffers in DC survive by not allowing reporters to name them when they provide info. I used to do some reporting, and every staffer in DC I got any info at all from was firm that they didn’t want to be identified. It’s fun to assume insidious motives to staffers who remain anonymous, but that’s just your relative privilege talking. You get to imagine how courageously you’d sacrifice your career just to go on record about an abusive Senator, without actually having to do it.

  72. 72.

    Jay

    @jacy:

    Butter chicken, pecoras and samosas can fix a lot of things.

    You are strong, he is weak, childish and petty,

    crush him.

  73. 73.

    jacy

    @Yarrow: Nick will be 14 shortly. But it’s rural Louisiana court, and all three family judges have been bankrolled by the ex’s girlfriend’s family ( who are the richest people in the parish.) In a just world, it’s slam-dunk on my side, but this is not a just world.

  75. 75.

    PsiFighter37

    @germy: Out of fairness, the massage parlor I went to in Bali offered something similar. Given how brutalizing the massages were to begin with, I decided that I didn’t want to be grunting in pain for 90 minutes with another pair of hands kneading into my body, so I decided against it.

    I would venture to guess that it didn’t really matter what kind of massage was happening at these parlors; whoever was running the shop undoubtedly catered to certain whims of certain clients regardless of the ‘type’ selected.

  77. 77.

    Yarrow

    @jacy: That’s terrible. I’m so sorry. Hopefully the judge will do the right thing by you guys. Nick is certainly old enough to request that his preferences be taken into consideration.

  79. 79.

    jacy

    @debbie:

    Not yet, but I have breathing room until the last kid is in college, at which time I’ll probably sell anyway.

    @Yarrow: I’m hoping he’s just being an asshole and will still give in. Once Nick has signed up for classes, it will be hard for him to yank it away, and he is the king of passive/aggressiveness. I’m just tired. I want it over. I’ve been non-functional for most of the week worried about it and I just want to have a normal stressful life, not a catastrophic stressful life. It’ll be okay. I just need a few days.

  80. 80.

    smintheus

    @geg6: Thanks, yes I agree with your points. These kinds of abusers can drive perfectly good employees toward depression or self-doubt. Good employers raise their staff’s level of work along with their self-esteem. I’m also troubled by comments by several of Klobuchar’s defenders, who provide some version of ‘she treated me abusively in front of others but then privately acknowledged I have good points’. JFC on a stick!

  81. 81.

    Adam L Silverman

    @jl: I’m not saying that anyone who is a Democrat or center left to left of center or a liberal or a progressive should just take him at face value. I’m saying it is important to see and hear what those outside of those overlapping groups are saying. It’s an emic versus etic thing.

    That’s it.

    As for behooves: deal with it.

  84. 84.

    Jay

    @smintheus:

    Went on record about abusive or corrupt VP’s, Managers and Supervisors more than a few times in a Fortune 100 Corporation. It actually helped my career.

    Funny thing, did you know that you can sue and win big dollars if a former employer gives you a bad reference, to the point that most Corporations will settle very quickly and generously.

    Did you know that if a former employer calls your soon to be new employer, to nix your new job, both you and your lawyer can retire early?

    AK has lots of actual reasons for Democratic Voters to decide that she’s not their Primary Cantidate.

    Continually repeating the unsourced “Devil Wears Prada” meme is not one of them and gives continual aid and assistance to your enemies.

    As jl pointed out, CNN “curated” stories on AK, to make her appear to be someone different on platform and policy that she actually is, and that’s in a live interview.

    There’s lots of MSM ratfucking going on, don’t help them.

  86. 86.

    Major Major Major Major

  87. 87.

    Yarrow

    @jacy: Focus on the good stuff and what you can control. Your Indian food for dinner with the boyfriend, Nick getting signed up for classes, sending off a few more orders of your gorgeous art. That kind of thing. Asshole’s gonna asshole, as usual.

  89. 89.

    Adam L Silverman

    @germy: I think there is about 50 of these hoax claims of a hate crime a year if I’m recalling what my long time friend Brian Levin has said.

    ETA: Given the total number of actual hate crimes per year, that’s basically just noise.

  90. 90.

    rikyrah

    @Adam L Silverman:
    I had a demanding boss. One who have multiple projects at a time, and was always on you. I know What a demanding boss looks like.
    These stories about Klobuchar are not of a demanding boss, but a nightmare boss. There is a big difference.
    I have my line in the sand..someone needs to step up about her contacting the future employer…that is an automatic cancellation for me.

  91. 91.

    jacy

    @Yarrow:

    Yeah, it’ll be fine. The Avalanche are back in the Wild Card spot, despite have a really bad five weeks. I have a swell fella who is going to let me eat all the Kheer I want and not comment, and Nick will pick out his high school classes at 8 AM tomorrow. Can’t believe my last kid is going into high school. It will be fine.

  94. 94.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Major Major Major Major: who reportedly screams at staff and suborned a culture of sexual harassment? Well.

    As several people have said on twitter, how can you tell when Wilmer is screaming as opposed to his usual hectoring bellow?

    And fuck him also too

  95. 95.

    MJS

    @Jay: Well said. I will start to believe negative stories reported by the likes of CNN and the NYT about female Democratic candidates for office as soon as I see similar stories from the same outlets about male Republican candidates. Which is to say, never.

  96. 96.

    Adam L Silverman

    @rikyrah: I think she’s got bigger issues…

  97. 97.

    smintheus

    @Jay: You don’t work in DC, therefore your corporate anecdotes don’t address the information I provided to you: very few staffers in DC are willing to have their names attached to any info that anybody powerful might have cause to resent being made public. What I find most remarkable about these stories is that so many ex-staffers of a senator (any senator) are willing to talk like this to reporters at all. There’s more than a little risk to them in doing so even anonymously.

  98. 98.

    jl

    @rikyrah: If the story about her is true, that she will lose her shit at some staffer in front of others, then privately tell the staffer that he or she didn’t really deserve it and was right in some important way privately, that is a very serious problem. That is abusive crazy boss stuff, and disqualifies her in the primaries for me, unless the alternatives are worse in some critical way.

    @Adam L Silverman: It behooves me to take your BJ posts and comments seriously. I’ll go that far out on a limb.

    @MJS: Good point, and reminder to be skeptical of this type of story in general. We have a long primary campaign to sort the BS from the truth.

  99. 99.

    Yarrow

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: CNN is apparently having a town hall with Wilmer. I’ve seen their promos for it but only with the sound off. I can barely stand to look at the clip they’re using–he’s got his arm flailing around with his finger pointed and he looks like he’s shouting. Ugh. No thanks.

  101. 101.

    smintheus

    @Adam L Silverman: I think I once saw a film from the late ’40s in which a woman on a flight did get a comb from a stewardess. I think the stewardess may have been walking down the aisle with a basket of combs! Maybe the practice had to be stamped out.

  103. 103.

    Baud

    @jl:

    unless the alternatives are worse in some critical way.

    Define “worse” and “critical.”

    Asking for a friend.

  105. 105.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Richard M. Nixon @ dick_nixon
    I’ve gone back and forth but I do think Feinstein is losing her marbles. I’m serious. You almost never see a failure of retail politics like this on a national level. It’s like running to the left in baseball.

  106. 106.

    Amir Khalid

    @rikyrah:
    A while back, the BBC reported about a guy with a similar problem: he shut his dog and cat in the kitchen every morning before going to work, but when he came home they were always out in the rest of the house. He set up a camera and discovered that the cat would open the kitchen door right after he left. I guess you need a knob rather than a handle on that bathroom door.

  108. 108.

    jl

    @Baud: When enough ‘shrooms, lottery winnings, and stale beer to go around for all, then obvs Baud 2020! time! But, can he lead us to the promised land? All I am asking.

    Right now I am setting aside a CA lottery scratcher for every contribution I make to Warren. that ain’t enough for you?

  110. 110.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Shahid’s a shitbird Bernie dead ender. He spent 12 hours crapping on Senator Harris after her announcement and getting dragged on social media for selectively editing videos from her town hall, then went on MSNBC the next day with Ron Klain and basically had nothing to say. He’s also involved, as leadership, in the protection racket that is the Justice Democrats.

    I fully expect that that video has been as selectively edited as the one’s he was posting about Kamala Harris.

  112. 112.

    Yarrow

    So just a reminder since we’re talking about Robert Kraft and sex trafficking, might as well add a little Russia into the mix.

    Here’s how Vladimir Putin stole a Super Bowl ring from the Patriots’ Robert Kraft

    The Patriots owner only has three of his four Super Bowl rings. Putin has the other one

  114. 114.

    Shana

    @jacy: Well, indian food never hurts… Sorry about the ex, but it sounds like it’s not a surprise, and the end is in sight. Great news about the mortgage.

  118. 118.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: I’d like to see the full video too. Especially as it looks like the kids were being used as props by the adults that were accompanying them.

    I’m not a big Feinstein fan, but if Shahid told me the sky was blue, I’d go check for myself.

  119. 119.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: I think I heard Shahid on MSNBC the other day, while driving so I didn’t see a name, and he kept repeating that “Bernie’s agenda is now the Democratic Party’s agenda”. This is very much not true. And of course, he got no pushback. He kept hammering on the $15 minimum wage, which was one of the purity tests that drove me nuts in ’16, that $12/hr is corporate neo-liberalism

    That said, the fact that Feinstein couldn’t finesse that crowd– “I am looking at every part of the GND, trying to figure out which parts of it can pass, which parts will do the most good, and which parts we need to move to the top of list. I have seven grandchildren and I worry every day about the world we’ll be leaving them….”– is pretty astounding. And I’ll admit, a part of me did want her to tell that one woman in the crowd, “Yeah, then you need to move to South Dakota where your Senate vote will a have a far greater impact”

  120. 120.

    Jay

    @smintheus:

    And you are missing my point completely,

    It’s pretty clear you are going to keep posting your Clinton Cash, Uranium One and The Devil Wears Prada stories,

    rather than substantive stories on why AK’s track record on policies makes her not your preferred Primary cantidate.

    So is your preferred cantidate The Cop, the Indian, or some other woman, just not any entered into the race?

  124. 124.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Major Major Major Major: Exactly my point. Shahid’s scum. He’s a dangerous fanatic whose never held an actual job and whose only success was being Congresswoman Ocasio Cortez’s campaign. The Justice Democrats are a scam that charges the candidates that they endorse for that privilege, basically it raises its money from the candidates, instead of raising money for them. And he’s going to spend the next two years doing everything possible to tear down anyone who is running against Bernie Sanders and who isn’t in lockstep with AOC. And when Sanders doesn’t get the nomination, he’ll then do everything he can to destroy whichever actual Democrat does.

  127. 127.

    jk

    @Adam L Silverman:

    From what I’ve read so far, this Klobuchar story is a super sized nothingburger. i’m disappointed to see commenters getting concerned about it. It’s a bullshit story and I expect it will soon be forgotten.

  129. 129.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: That was him. To a certain extent, as you saw in my assessment post on the 2020 election, Sanders has opened up a lot of room and moved the debate. Which is why I think he needs to declare victory and get out of the way, but his ego, megalomania, and monomania won’t allow it.

    An Philippe Reines basically shredded his arguments. That’s who he was on with.

  135. 135.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Adam L Silverman: I think I got out of the car just after Reines started talking, it sounded rather tense.
    It’s hard for me to give Sanders credit for anything, I’ll admit, but the idea that universal health care is idea he brought to the party pisses me off too. It’s been a goal for decades, calling it “Medicare For All” is new, but there isn’t even agreement on what that means.

  138. 138.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Baud: She will eventually, sometime over the next six to nine months, come to a decision point: become a serious, though still quite effective as a more outgoing and visibly prolific strategic communicator than most first term members of Congress, workhouse or become a show pony that is pushed and pulled hither and yon by the true believers, fanatics, and other fellow travelers like Shahid in the Justice Democrats.

  139. 139.

    Adam L Silverman

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I watched the whole segment. Reines, who can by hyperbolic and an obnoxiously smartass, which is why they had him play the President in the debate prep for Secretary Clinton, was all business. He was calm, cool, and surgical in his cutting apart Shahid’s claims.

  141. 141.

    Yarrow

    @Adam L Silverman: He is terrible and dangerous. The Justice Democrats just attack actual Democrats for not being pure enough. AOC’s relationship with the Justice Dems is part of my skepticism about her.

  144. 144.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Adam L Silverman:
    Why do these people lie like this? To me it shows such a blatant cynicism and cowardice. It’s like they don’t believe Sanders can win fairly, so they fight dirty.

  145. 145.

    banditqueen

    @rikyrah: Exactly right. These women are the victims, victims who have no say or control over their lives, and certainly are not freely ‘consenting’ to do whatever the next guy who walks through the door wants for the next hour at $79, or $59 for 30 min. And how many of these guys do they see per day–8 or more it would seem. The women will be arrested and deported while the billionaires can pay their petty fine and toast each other in the VIP boxes–these guys get what they want when they want it.

  147. 147.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Sorry for @ing you so much, but AOC has a pretty safe seat. All she has to do is provide decent constituent services and actually campaign in the primary and she’ll win.

  150. 150.

    Adam L Silverman

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??: She largely won for three reasons:
    1) She hustled for it within the district.
    2) Her incumbent opponent didn’t.
    3) Turnout was very low.

    If she gets a decent challenger who shows up and works the campaign like she did and can increase the turnout, she may not have as easy a campaign as last time.

    All of that said, I like her. I like the energy, I like the passion. I like that she doesn’t hide her light under a bushel. I just hope that she’s smart enough and has good enough instincts to do the hard work and recognize that sometimes, even or especially when it is painful to do so, it is necessary to take what you can get rather than maintaining your purity, holding out, and getting nothing.

  151. 151.

    Jay

    @Major Major Major Major:

    http://www.boomantribune.com/story/2019/2/20/16554/1234

    The MSM/Bernie Bro’s/ReThugs are busy creating narratives about all the Democratic Party Cantidates ( except Gillibrand) mirroring the Crooked Hillary meme for the low information voter.

    It’s not our job to help them in that task.

    Despite a variety of posts, comments and examples of what is happening, several commenters are gleefully pitching in, in “trashing” Democratic Party Canitidates with unsubstantiate MSM “Chicken and Waffles” memes.

  152. 152.

    rikyrah

    @schrodingers_cat:
    I did…can’t believe someone didn’t get arrested for trying to beat her azz. That’s the reason why I have my doubts about it, cause AIN’T NO WAY someone gonna treat me like Hazel…that is some serious Miss Anne -type shyt….

  160. 160.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Adam L Silverman:

    What you say makes sense. I tend to like her more than I dislike her. I really like how she can own right wingers that come at her. They’re freakishly deranged when it comes to AOC.

  162. 162.

    schrodingers_cat

    I finally saw McCabe’s interview on 60 minutes. He is kinda cute and so is his wife. No wonder the orange blob in the WH is jealous. Deep down he knows he is inadequate and ugly and even winning the EC does not change that. Sad.

  163. 163.

    Yarrow

    Dianne Feinstein is obviously dismissive of youth involvement in fighting climate change.

    Which is why just last week she introduced legislation to…

    *checks notes*

    …promote education on climate change.

    The online outrage addiction is exhausting.https://t.co/KfjkQBAdN4
    — The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) February 23, 2019

    It behooves (h/t Adam) us to be wary of propaganda designed to create outrage. Who benefits when we’re using all our energy being outraged?

  165. 165.

    Bill Arnold

    (Apologies if already linked.)
    Re CNN, CNN (!) is getting into the business of uncovering Republican ratfucking efforts and similarly unsavory Republican tactics. Very very light on details but they are now primed to label stories/leaks/etc as attempts to create/inflame intra-party divisions.
    Donald Trump’s plan for 2020 Democrats: Cause chaos and sow division (Jeff Zeleny and Kaitlan Collins, Fri February 22, 2019)
    A welcome turn. More please. And less gormless bait-taking by CNN and others, please. (I can understand (not condone) deliberately taking the bait.) More focus on issues that separate the two major parties and less on issues that can cause/inflame intra-party divisions.

    The President intends to play an active role in the Democratic primary and has instructed his aides to look for ways he can, according to more than a dozen Republicans involved in his campaign. His team is working to sow divisions among rivals and looking for opportunities to “cause chaos from the left and right,” in the words of one adviser.

    Mr. D.J. Trump is explicitly declaring WAR here. :-)

  166. 166.

    Yarrow

    @schrodingers_cat: That made me laugh it’s so ridiculous. Not the berating the staff part–that’s terrible. But the comb? Really? Although I’ve ended up without utensils in some situations and had to make do with whatever was available so I probably don’t have any room to talk.

  170. 170.

    Gin & Tonic

    @schrodingers_cat: You’ll be pleased to know that the TN visa that was in question a few days ago was renewed this afternoon, for another year. Bullet dodged for now. We are all relieved.

  171. 171.

    Jay

    @??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??:

    Why?

    He’s a good writer, connects the dot’s and is pretty good generally for a 80’s Centerist Democrat. He’s been good on Trump/Russia from the moment The Bloat descended the elevator, and he dives deep.

    He connected Cohen to the Russian Mob, long before anyone else did, and to this day, few acknoledge.

  174. 174.

    Yarrow

    @schrodingers_cat: I can see her not wanting to eat a salad with her hands while on a small plane. That would be a mess. Not that the comb would have been much better. Or even a plastic fork, tbh.

  175. 175.

    Jeffro

    @Adam L Silverman: I think she is getting some mentoring from Nancy Smash (directly or secondhand) and seems receptive, adaptable, etc.

    Of course, when what I want to happen and what I think are happening are the same thing, I do a double-check…but it seems to hold up. Fingers crossed!

  181. 181.

    Jeffro

    Btw love how we are drilling down to the ins and outs of whether candidate X ate a salad with a comb, or didn’t, and are busy evaluating that on all kinds of metrics. That’s the important work of democracy, right there.

    Call me crazy but I bet our opponents don’t waste too much time on nonsense like that. ;)

  182. 182.

    Jay

    @Major Major Major Major:

    In the specific example of AK, there are lots of actual reasons for commenters to not prefer her as their Primary Cantidate,

    Instead several commenter’s prefer to continually litigate water cooler gossip.

    And this in a thread showing that there’s a bunch of ratfucking going on by “vested” interests and the MSM.

  185. 185.

    Jeffro

    @Bill Arnold: Dividing Dems is the ONLY strategy he (and the GOP in general) could have at this point. They just got their asses handed to them in the midterms and trumpov is only gonna spiral further downward from here on out.

    Dem candidates really should step it up on the messaging about that: “those of us running for office – and our supporters – should always take note that we are in a hostile environment, and the enemy’s #1 goal is to divide the Democratic Party.”

  192. 192.

    James E Powell

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Now that this has happened for the third month in a row, perhaps reporters will stop taking the bait.

    Every time the Republicans throw chum in the water, the press/media go sharknado. I can’t think of a single exception.

  196. 196.

    Jeffro

    @schrodingers_cat: Ok, sounds good. Also, it’s early and there’s still plenty of time to take in more information across the next several months. So, I’ll be doing that and I’d just suggest that others do that as well.

  199. 199.

    James E Powell

    @Adam L Silverman:

    Now that this has happened for the third month in a row, perhaps reporters will stop taking the bait.

    Every time the Republicans throw chum in the water, the press/media go sharknado. I can’t think of a single exception.@jk:

  201. 201.

    James E Powell

    @jk:

    It’s a bullshit story and I expect it will soon be forgotten.

    The New York Times will never let that happen.

  204. 204.

    smintheus

    @Jay: You really could do with some growing up. You could also do with some actual evidence from people who actually know Klobuchar. Here’s some more, which I have little doubt you will ignore like all the rest that has been published:
    https://www.huffpost.com/entry/amy-klobuchar-sexism_n_5c705bd3e4b00eed08341067?mje

    Shorter version: former staffers are pissed off at privileged Democrats for sneering at them for saying things to reporters about Klobuchar that they’d prefer not to know.

    I have to say that linked tweet by Hilary Rosen makes her look pretty damned nasty:

    “Amy is a smart, hardworking and dedcated leader. I am not troubled by former staffers who aren’t.”

  205. 205.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Major Major Major Major:
    No! …maybe. LOL

    In the local paper, there were Playboys from the 50s and 60s that were for sale in the classifieds. I thought that was so fucking disgusting. They have to be pretty gross by now.

  207. 207.

    sukabi

    @Jeffro: hell no they don’t waste time on petty stuff like abusing their staff, they’ve got real, substantial crimes to commit. Getting us to chew up our own candidates is what they do as a warm up.

  210. 210.

    ??? Goku (aka Amerikan Baka) ??

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Whoosh. I don’t think you caught the joke, dude.
    @Amir Khalid:

    I kinda figured that out. That was my lame attempt at comedy.

    @sukabi:

    Only good old fashioned hand washing will make you feel clean after that.

  211. 211.

    Jay

    @smintheus:

    Read it, no names, just “former staffers”,

    So I’ll just Occam’s Razor you.

    How a Cantidate treats staff and moderates their behaviour, ( temper) is an important qualification for the Office of President of the United States,

    Y or N?

    If how a Cantidate treats their Staff and moderates their behaviour (temper) is an important qualification for the Office of President of the United States, why has no one gone “on Record”.

    Occams razor suggests several possibilities.

    The “former staff” do not see how a Cantidate treats Staff and moderates their behaviour as an important qualification for the Office of the President of the United States, enough, to go on record, or

    Water cooler gossip cannot be substantiated, or

    A meme is being constructed with “anonamous former staffers”, or

    DC. America and American politics is completely filled with gutless toadys unwilling to throw their names out in publi to take a bullet for the health and wellbeing of the Republic.

    You choose.

    Meanwhile, north of the Border, we have, in the SNC/Lavelin Case, someone who’s always had ”flexible” political allegiances, willing to take a bullet for a “bridge too far”.

  214. 214.

    frosty

    @Jay: Well, two. Wonkette. But maybe that’s an almost top 20,000 blog. And mostly I like them for the commenters’ nyms. Boy, are those people inventive!

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