Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

White supremacy is terrorism.

The willow is too close to the house.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

A democracy can’t function when people can’t distinguish facts from lies.

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

But frankly mr. cole, I’ll be happier when you get back to telling us to go fuck ourselves.

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

We cannot abandon the truth and remain a free nation.

Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Let there be snark.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

You don’t get rid of your umbrella while it’s still raining.

The poor and middle-class pay taxes, the rich pay accountants, the wealthy pay politicians.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

Jesus, Mary, & Joseph how is that election even close?

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

The arc of history bends toward the same old fuckery.

He really is that stupid.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

You are here: Home / Immigration / Nielsen on Capitol Hill

Nielsen on Capitol Hill

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Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen is before a Congressional committee right now. Here’s the live stream:

Democrats will ask her to explain her lies about the administration’s family separation policy, complicity in spreading the fake border emergency lie, the status of the thousands of immigrant children kidnapped by the Trump administration, etc.

Republicans, presumably, will chivalrously defend her honor.

Open thread!

Reader Interactions

184Comments

  2. 2.

    The Moar You Know

    No interest unless the conclusion is her being exiled permanently to Mexico with the clothes on her back and nothing else.

    They’d still treat her far better than we would.

  3. 3.

    Mary G

    Can’t watch bc I might stroke out. Lauren Underwood is another new CongressWoman who is on the committe and sounds loaded for bear. Give it to her good, Dems.

  4. 4.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    How many infants and children have been kidnapped by the Federal Govt. under the Trump administration, and where are they now?

    (And also WTF?!!)

  5. 5.

    Another Scott

    Just this morning on NPR’s Morning Edition they said that the family separation policy “had been rescinded” but I keep hearing stories in the news that it in fact continued (from January):

    The Office of Inspector General at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) said the agency had identified many more children in addition to the 2,737 included as part of a class action lawsuit challenging family separations brought by the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) last year.

    The administration of President Donald Trump implemented a ‘zero tolerance’ policy to criminally prosecute and jail all illegal border crossers even those traveling with their children, leading to a wave of separations last year. The policy sparked outrage when it became public, and the backlash led Trump to sign an executive order reversing course on June 20, 2018.

    But the auditor said in a report that prior to the officially announced ‘zero tolerance’ policy, the government began ramping up separations in 2017 for other reasons related to a child’s safety and well-being, including separating parents with criminal records or lack of proper documents.

    The report also said more than 100 minors, including more than two dozen under five years old, were separated after the President’s executive order.

    Congress should be unanimous about impressing upon her that they’re not fooled, and they aren’t going to tolerate her ripping families apart. I’m not holding my breath though… :-(

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  6. 6.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    The press was marveling at Nelson’s survival of Kelly, but I think that be no surprise considering her looks and having a name that sounds like the name of a model’s.

  8. 8.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    Off topic TPM is talking about how a bunch of a New Hampshire (all white, middle age, male) GOP assembly members were mocking a woman’s group calling for gun control by wearing pearls. The whole conservative thing has to be it’s end times. This is the kind of crap a bunch of drunk collage kids do, not middle age men there to be taken seriously. Makes me wonder if the real disease that has eaten the GOP is Roger Stone’s perpetual frat boi act were they are all frozen in some end of childhood stage, they think they are being cool and edgy and are incapable of seeing how pathetic they look.

  11. 11.

    Lyrebird

    @Mary G: Same, can’t watch.

    I respect that different people have different “stroke out” triggers, and I will say that family separation and the Press Secy’s statements slandering parents & doctors of dying babies may be the top of my list.

  15. 15.

    rikyrah

    Have we discussed this hit piece on Klobuchar?

    The Anger of Amy Klobuchar
    Don’t sell cruelty and pathological behavior as a feminist victory.

    MAR 5, 2019

    Amy Klobuchar has a problem. Apparently it’s been an open secret in Washington and Minnesota, but because she didn’t have much of a national reputation, the press lacked occasion to expose it. But when she made a name for herself during the Kavanaugh hearings, suggesting that a presidential campaign was likely, the press had the necessary occasion, and now we all know about it.

    Her problem is rage, easily uncorked, and directed not at the various forces that might thwart the needs of her constituents, but at the people—many of them young—who work for her. During Klobuchar’s first senatorial campaign, the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees decried her “shameful treatment of her employees” in the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office; in March of 2018, Politico reported that she had the highest staff turnover in the Senate. But it has been the recent reporting of BuzzFeed News, HuffPost, The New York Times, and others that has provided the vivid and ugly details of what apparently lies behind those facts. Although many of the staffers and former staffers provided their reports anonymously, the senator has mostly not disputed the specifics, instead seeking to frame the behavior as part of the high expectations she has of herself and her staff.

  16. 16.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: As someone noted on an earlier thread, NH Republicans are among the assholiest anywhere in the US. Add to that the fact that the lower house there is perhaps the largest of any state’s (approximately one rep per 3,300 people) and pretty much every pushy obnoxious jerk you’ve ever met is likely to be an Assemblyman.

  18. 18.

    JPL

    @Lyrebird: You and Mary had the right approach. Although I feel it’s important to listen to her lie and evade answering questions, I muted it just now.

  19. 19.

    germy

    @rikyrah: Their goal is to keep pressuring her with stories like this until she gives up and drops out of the race. Then they’ll go after Harris and Warren. (They’re in the process right now of digging up whatever they can find on Harris and Warren)

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    @rikyrah: Flanagan, ugh. She continues to suck. I saw someone on Twitter taking her to task for recklessly portraying adult children of alcoholics as rage-addled monsters.

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    @germy:

    Harris is a cop, don’t you know..
    Harris isn’t really Black, don’t you know…
    Harris is married to a White man, don’t you know….

    Warren got a DNA test, don’t you know…
    Warren used to be a Republican, don’t you know….

    Lips pursed.

  24. 24.

    PaulWartenberg

    1) “Where are the children?”
    2) “What has your department done about our DHS employees who sexually assaulted asylum seekers?”
    3) “Where are the children?”
    4) “What are you doing to speed up the asylum processing?”
    5) “WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN??????”

  25. 25.

    rikyrah

    @PaulWartenberg:

    1) “Where are the children?”
    2) “What has your department done about our DHS employees who sexually assaulted asylum seekers?”
    3) “Where are the children?”
    4) “What are you doing to speed up the asylum processing?”
    5) “WHERE ARE THE CHILDREN?????

    These literally are the only questions that should be asked of that monster.

  26. 26.

    gratuitous

    @Another Scott: Is that the family separation policy that Secretary Nielsen previously testified that DHS doesn’t have? But now the policy that we didn’t have has been ended, everyone can just cool your jets.

    And no, we don’t know where all the children are. Those scamps could be anywhere!

  28. 28.

    germy

    @rikyrah: @Betty Cracker:

    Warren got a DNA test, don’t you know…

    And the test indicated some Native American ancestry.

    And yet they keep up their “fraud” accusations. This is what puzzles me. They all act like her test came back 100% Scots-Irish or something.

    And since trump lost the bet, did he ever donate a million dollars to charity? Why has that promise been flushed down the memory hole?

  29. 29.

    rikyrah

    @germy:

    And the test indicated some Native American ancestry.

    And yet they keep up their “fraud” accusations. This is what puzzles me. They all act like her test came back 100% Scots-Irish or something.

    That’s the thing I can’t get past. It ACTUALLY showed Native American ancestry.

    Now, she handled it completely wrong, and continues to do so, but the test itself, when you can see an ad every hour on tv for 23 and me….shouldn’t be an issue – at all.

  31. 31.

    Aleta

    What’s with the careful display of the label on the bottle. Instead of the usual pitcher of water and a glass, she lifts the bottle to her mouth like it’s in the script.

    Go Ms. Underwood, and thank you.

  32. 32.

    chris

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: I’ve forgotten the details but a few years ago a NH legislator’s pistol fell on the floor in the legislature. That was OK, he said, because he still had the backup. Matching 9MM semi-auto pistols, one under each arm in a double shoulder holster rig. In the legislature and I’ll bet he wasn’t the only one.

    Kirstjen Nielsen? As Mr. Pierce says, these really are the fucking mole people.

  34. 34.

    laura

    I hope that someone asks Neilsen about the for profit aspects of the separation policy. Our tax dollars hard at work traumatizing babies, children adults and parents. Our tax dollars going into the pockets of trumps enablers. I hope one day, she, Kelly, Miller, trump and the profiteers are charged and convicted for these crimes against humanity.

  35. 35.

    Brachiator

    Democrats will ask her to explain her lies

    She can only do this by lying some more. This will be followed later in the day by Sarah Sanders noting that when this administration lies, it’s not really lies.

    What’s the point?

  36. 36.

    dnfree

    @Betty Cracker: Adult Children of Alcoholics is a real “thing”. Of course it can be misrepresented, but there are different responses that children may have to being raised in that environment. I know several. One of them told me back when Bill Clinton was running for president that she would not vote for him regardless of how qualified he was, because she could recognize the signs of recklessness in his personality.

  42. 42.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    @germy:

    And the test indicated some Native American ancestry.

    And yet they keep up their “fraud” accusations. This is what puzzles me. They all act like her test came back 100% Scots-Irish or something.

    That’s the thing I can’t get past. It ACTUALLY showed Native American ancestry.

    These fools are playing games now. It suits their purpose. The standard Trump approved right wing tactic is to never back down or retreat from a position, even when it has been proven false.

    So even though the test suggests that Warren has at least one Native American ancestor somewhere in her family background, which would is a reasonable statement, they want to belabor the false and meaningless idea that Warren personally does not have “enough” Native American blood to clam indigenous ancestry.

    This is not just moving goalposts. It is uprooting goalposts, loading them onto a moving van, and transporting them to another state.

    These people know that their lies don’t have to make sense. They just have to get continued media coverage.

  43. 43.

    piratedan

    @germy: same way that despite no one finding anything wrong with HRC’s e-mail practices that were against the law it remained an issue in the eyes of the media because “they said so”. I fully expect the same from the Media in regards to Klobuchar’s internal office demeanor and Warren’s ancestry. It doesn’t fucking matter to these people… even if you sat them down in an exclusive interview for 45 minutes they would still insinuate that there are “questions” and that they also must inherently “linger”.

  48. 48.

    Aleta

    @laura: Her face and name will be on the front of these crimes for the rest of US history.

    I believe Nielson was chosen because they hoped a woman’s image would soften our perception of their policies. Just as Ivanka was supposed to make us think T wouldn’t be so bad.

  49. 49.

    opiejeanne

    Rep Titus gets right to the crux. She still can’t get a straight answer from Nielsen but she keeps pounding away.

  50. 50.

    rikyrah

    McConnell suggests voting-rights proposal is ‘socialist’
    03/06/19 10:47 AM
    By Steve Benen

    The House Democrats’ top priority for this Congress is a democracy-reform package called the For the People Act (HR 1), which is quite ambitious in its scope. As regular readers may recall, the bill is intended to create significant ethics and lobbying reforms, end partisan gerrymandering, expand voting rights, and improve government transparency.

    Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) has made clear that he’s not a fan of the proposal, recently condemning a specific provision – making Election Day a national holiday – as a “power grab” that would help Democrats. (In the GOP leader’s mind, it’s apparently not fair to Republicans if more Americans are able to cast ballots.)

    But as the House debate on the For the People Act gets underway today, McConnell spoke from the Senate floor yesterday with a new criticism of the Democratic bill.

    “Like many Americans, I’ve spent the last several weeks watching with interest as prominent leaders in the Democratic Party have engaged in a political footrace. They’re sprinting as far left as possible, as quickly as possible, trying to outdo one another. The result is that one of our two major political parties has begun embracing one radical, half-baked socialist proposal after another. It’s really a sight to see.

    “First came the Democrat Politician Protection Act, a sweeping Washington D.C. takeover of what Americans can say about politics and how they elect their representatives. Speaker Pelosi and her House colleagues were ready with that from day one of this new Congress. They chose it as their ceremonial first bill of the year – H.R. 1. And let me say, this is quite a piece of legislation to hold up as the defining product of the new Democrat House majority.”

    Look, I realize the Senate Republican leader is never going to allow his chamber to vote on HR 1. The contemporary GOP is simply too hostile toward voting rights and election reforms to even consider legislation like this.

    But to characterize the package as a “radical, half-baked socialist proposal” is emblematic of a larger problem: Republicans are so preoccupied with instigating some kind of red scare, they no longer know or care what their own rhetoric means.

  51. 51.

    Mary G

    I hope that some of the women who were so mocked and disrespected by the New Hampshire legislators will emulate Lucy McBath by running for office themselves and take the motherfuckers’ jobs away. Then they can pass all the gun control laws.

  52. 52.

    opiejeanne

    The Republicans keep pointing to the opioid crisis as if it’s all coming from the southern border and not overprescribed by doctors.

  53. 53.

    rikyrah

    @Brachiator:

    These fools are playing games now. It suits their purpose. The standard Trump approved right wing tactic is to never back down or retreat from a position, even when it has been proven false.

    So even though the test suggests that Warren has at least one Native American ancestor somewhere in her family background, which would is a reasonable statement, they want to belabor the false and meaningless idea that Warren personally does not have “enough” Native American blood to clam indigenous ancestry.

    Coming from a population that, based upon the history of this country, I don’t know the exact genetic makeup of myself, except for my brown skin indicates Africa, and the lightness of that brown skin indicates that White people came into the mix, via the tiptoeing down to the slave quarters…

    The whole Warren DNA test thing is ridiculous.

  54. 54.

    rikyrah

    @Mary G:

    I hope that some of the women who were so mocked and disrespected by the New Hampshire legislators will emulate Lucy McBath by running for office themselves and take the motherfuckers’ jobs away. Then they can pass all the gun control laws

    .

    TELL IT!!!

    CLAP CLAP CLAP

  56. 56.

    opiejeanne

    I had to turn it off. I hate them so much I was going to have a stroke listening to her obfuscate and never give a straight answer, and then hearing the Republican men praising her and preening. Ugh.

  58. 58.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    From what I know of the women’s liberation movements in the 20th century, this is typical.

    Confirms my suspicion this is what people do when they are on the wrong side of history and know it. The inverse being someone in a position of strength (which you know, we white guys are in theory supposed to be) would have the luxury of being patient. Leave to a Republican to even screw up being a white entitled man.

  60. 60.

    Waynski

    Just saw on the TV machine that Kim Jong Un is building missiles that could hit as far as Denver and Chicago. My younger brother and his sweet family live in Denver and my beloved SIL lives in Chicago.Trump, you gutless punk, DO SOMETHING ABOUT IT! Open thread, right?

  61. 61.

    jl

    I usually watch this type of thing on SNL, since more information is imparted and McKinnon is a much better actor than the Trumpsters.
    But Cracker almost got me to click. Better luck next time, Cracker!

  62. 62.

    Brachiator

    @rikyrah:

    The whole Warren DNA test thing is ridiculous.

    Yep.

    If it gets brought up at all, Warren should simply note that Trump needs to keep his promise and give some charity a check for a million dollars.

  63. 63.

    James E Powell

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    The press was marveling at Nelson’s survival of Kelly, but I think that be no surprise considering her looks and having a name that sounds like the name of a model’s.

    The press/media treat every attractive RW blonde like this. I suppose that’s one big reason why they get hired.

  65. 65.

    Kelly

    @Waynski: I don’t want to minimize Trump’s N Korea screwups, but this mess was caused by GW Bush. Democrats keep coming up with very affordable bribes to stop NK nuke development and the Republicans are appalled that anyone would protect the world with anything but stern words.

  68. 68.

    Brachiator

    @Kraux Pas:

    Anyone catching this master class in dissembling?

    My sister is watching the hearings. She just sent me a text message exactly about the lying and dissembling.

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    The press was marveling at Nelson’s survival of Kelly, but I think that be no surprise considering her looks and having a name that sounds like the name of a model’s.

    She always reminds me of the exploitation movie “Ilsa, She-Wolf of the SS.

    Or other real life monsters like Ilse Koch, The Witch of Buchenwald.

  69. 69.

    Kathleen

    @rikyrah: Chapter 70 in my not best seller “Why I’m Ashamed Of My Irish Catholic Heritage”.Caitlan Flannigan can kiss my pasty white cellu-lot laden ass.

  70. 70.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @germy: Didn’t Hannity make some promise he’d undergo waterboarding? if something (forget what) happened. It did, but he of course reneged!!

    Anyone else remember some event like this?

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Open thread? People need to listen to Jan Schakowsky

    Rep. Jan Schakowsky (D-Ill.), who is Jewish, said Omar has personally apologized to her, which she said ended with a friendly embrace.
    “I do not believe that Ilhan Omar is anti-Semitic,” Schakowsky said. “I absolutely believe that she has become, as a result, a target. I think the Republicans love that, and frankly, I think the media loves to exploit the divisions.”
    “I think we ought to stay off of social media to have these conversations,” Schakowsky added, referring to multiple spats that have broken out among members, including an exchange between Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez of New York and Juan Vargas of California over the weekend.

    It’s not in this article, but I saw a tweet earlier that JS stood up in the meeting and said “Everybody just stop tweeting”. Wise words. Part of knowing how to use social media is knowing when to stay the fuck off of it.

  74. 74.

    tobie

    @rikyrah:

    The whole Warren DNA test thing is ridiculous.

    In hindsight, she should’t have done the test. It revived the question of her ancestry instead of putting it to rest.

    I don’t like Warren as a candidate but it has nothing to do with this. I think she’s running a grievance campaign that looks backward to a past that never existed instead of talking about how to build an economy and civic space for the future. Her targeted proposals (universal childcare) are more appealing to me than her sweeping proposals like a wealth tax. Danny Barefoot is doing focus groups of black women voters in SC, and I thought this sentiment regarding Warren was telling:

    After showing participants some of Elizabeth Warren’s speech one woman’s response was: “I hate this rigged stuff. People like her act like this rigging started in 1990 instead of 1680.” Lots of nods in agreement. Some laughs.

    Populism can be alienating if you don’t think you’re one of the people it claims to represent.

  75. 75.

    BruceFromOhio

    @rikyrah: It was good to see Farenthold on to talk about that story. He’s been digging this stuff up for years, in plain sight, probably wondering if anyone is paying attention.

  76. 76.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @rikyrah:

    The whole Warren DNA test thing is ridiculous.

    There is one aspect that the right wing does not give a damn about, but I didn’t know it and I’m taking it to heart. DNA tests to prove Native American ancestry are apparently an issue among Native Americans. They are abused and unreliable, and a lot of Native Americans are angry with Warren using it in this context. I would not have expected her to know that. It sure as Hell didn’t occur to me. But it is an issue.

    Again, not that Republicans give a flying fuck about what actually upsets Native Americans.

  78. 78.

    BruceFromOhio

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    t’s not in this article, but I saw a tweet earlier that JS stood up in the meeting and said “Everybody just stop tweeting”

    Wisdom. That shit is poor quality for anything but “We’re having a voter registration today at the library! C’mon by!”

  79. 79.

    JR

    Has anyone asked Nielsen about the children being raped in detention? I feel like people are overlooking this story and while I don’t blame them we need to confront this shit now.

  81. 81.

    rk

    @rikyrah:

    The whole Warren DNA test thing is ridiculous.

    That’s why she should never have taken the test. It wasn’t about her ancestry, just as Barack Obama’s birth certificate wasn’t about his place of birth. Even if the test showed she had 5% native American DNA, they still would have said it wasn’t enough. Catering to bullies never changes anything. Ever. He said it, she went and took a test. It was a weak move.

  82. 82.

    JustRuss

    @tobie:

    In hindsight, she should’t have done the test. It revived the question of her ancestry…

    Oh FFS, revived? As if Trump & Co were ever going to stop humping that chicken?

  83. 83.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @tobie: I think she has a lot of sound proposals about corporate governance, especially labor representation and CEO pay, and I like that she’s more pragmatic about expanding health care than Wilmer and those who short-sightedly rushed to embrace him and single payer. But I do worry about her broad appeal, and the fact that she claimed to have been talking to Native activists for six years and didn’t know DNA tests were throwing a match into gasoline makes me wonder about her judgment outside of her comfort zone. Also, “I’m gonna get me a beer”?

    I think there’s a place for her to take Kennedy’s place as a lion of the Senate, which bleeds into my general frustration about the cult of the presidency which certainly isn’t unique to the Dem side, but I think we got it worse.

  84. 84.

    Kraux Pas

    @JustRuss:

    There is one aspect that the right wing does not give a damn about, but I didn’t know it and I’m taking it to heart. DNA tests to prove Native American ancestry are apparently an issue among Native Americans.

    This may be, but Elizabeth Warren is not trying to claim tribal citizenship and she has been very clear on this point.

  85. 85.

    Brachiator

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    DNA tests to prove Native American ancestry are apparently an issue among Native Americans. They are abused and unreliable, and a lot of Native Americans are angry with Warren using it in this context. I would not have expected her to know that. It sure as Hell didn’t occur to me. But it is an issue.

    Warren did not try to use the test in the context you allege. Some keep trying to conflate this with Native American procedures for establishing tribal membership, but it’s got nothing to do with that.

    But you are right that the right wing doesn’t care about this. Sadly, the Native American groups butt hurt over tribal membership issues play into the hands of the right wing.

  86. 86.

    tobie

    @JustRuss: Oh FFS, we’re talking about the test on this blog and the effect it has had on the Democratic electorate, not on Trump or his base, who will be merciless in going after any and every Democratic candidate. She made a mistake thinking the test would resolve the matter, it didn’t. Period. That’s the sum total of what I have to say about this matter.

  87. 87.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Frankensteinbeck: Apparently she was wildly welcomed at s Native American convention she attended. I read that ghost Native Americans criticizing her are not mainstream leaders.

    There seems to be lots of targeted disinformation going around about her approval as l/non-spproval by Native Americans.

    IIRC the 2 Native American women just elected to House support her.

  89. 89.

    tobie

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I wish she would put her prodigious knowledge of financial regulation to work on the corporate tax code. I read somewhere that corporate taxes as a percentage of total taxes paid are the lowest they’ve been since the 1920s. Exxon, I gather, pays negative tax (i.e., receives subsidies and has no tax obligations) and has been doing so for some time. Google, Netflix and Amazon didn’t pay any federal taxes in 2018. Revising the corporate tax code could do so much to support working families and the social safety net–I don’t know why progressives have turned a blind eye to the issue. I guess it doesn’t have the immediate appeal of sticking it to the rich, though it would do so in spades and more effectively than either a wealth tax or a hike in marginal tax rates. I’m not opposed to the latter; I just don’t know how much revenue it would generate.

  90. 90.

    Another Scott

    In other news, via ddale8 on Twitter. Mike DeBonis:

    Mike DeBonis Verified account @mikedebonis

    NEW w/ @rachaelmbade: House Dems erupt behind closed doors over plan to pass resolution in response to @Ilhan comments. Action this week now in doubt.

    9:12 AM – 6 Mar 2019

    Interesting…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  91. 91.

    Ruckus

    @rikyrah:
    Everything republicans do is fucking ridiculous. There is no logic, no thought process other than POWER! All their control issues are about power. Every legal thing they try to do is about power. And all of that power is about money and how can they get more or pay less. They are the modern robber barrons.

  92. 92.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @tobie: yeah, the “wealth tax”, the more I learn about it, the more I think it’s just a bad idea

  93. 93.

    Doug R

    @PaulWartenberg:

    Vote every gun safety person in, vote every NRA puppet out.

    8 Republicans with A ratings from the NRA got replaced by 8 Democrats with F ratings in the 2018 midterms.

  94. 94.

    Matt McIrvin

    @tobie: If Warren hadn’t taken the test, “what is she hiding? Why won’t she take the test?” would have been the great media line about Warren ’20, and not just from Republicans. It’s not a game she could win even by not playing. I initially thought it was a mistake but now I don’t think so: she brought it from the realm of “troubling shadows and lingering questions” to the question of the wisdom of the reveal, which is actually not as bad. She could have handled the rhetoric better.

  95. 95.

    Aleta

    Alan Gomez @alangomez
    Rep. Al Green [TX, to Nielson] says U.S. never put up walls or blockades to stop European migrants coming through Ellis Island, but is doing so now to stop migrants coming from Latin America.

    “White babies would not be treated the way these babies of color are being treated. This is about color.”

  96. 96.

    tobie

    @Matt McIrvin: You may be right. I have no idea how one shapes a media narrative especially when the media is committed to the ideology that politics are oh so dirty and all sides are equally corrupt.

  97. 97.

    Brachiator

    @tobie:

    I wish she would put her prodigious knowledge of financial regulation to work on the corporate tax code.

    The Republicans rewrote the tax code to benefit corporations and the super-rich. Individual, corporate, estate and trust, gift. Top and bottom. The Democrats will have to reverse this. Warren can lead the charge, as president, senator, whatever. But it is not the task of a single individual.

    I don’t know why progressives have turned a blind eye to the issue.

    I don’t know either. Part of it may be that some progressives (looking at you, Bernie Sanders) have a grandiose fantasy about “transforming the economy.”

  98. 98.

    Kraux Pas

    @Matt McIrvin:

    If Warren hadn’t taken the test, “what is she hiding?” would have been the great media line about Warren ’20, and not just from Republicans.

    This the media’s and Republicans’ (but I repeat myself) usual game with the Dems. Whatever they did was wrong, we’ll decide why once they’ve done it.

    I’m just hoping that since there has been some time since the DNA test, eventually the air will clear. At least with the non-propagandized portion of the electorate.

  99. 99.

    dnfree

    Unfortunately for Elizabeth Warren, evidence has now been found that she DID in fact identify herself as a native American on a bar application form (the legal kind of bar). Up until now she has said she never used it to her advantage. Nothing in her family background and stories would justify calling her race “American Indian” in 1986.

    https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/elizabeth-warren-apologizes-for-calling-herself-native-american/2019/02/05/1627df76-2962-11e9-984d-9b8fba003e81_story.html

  100. 100.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    oh, and immigrants take jobs from Americans
    Rosalind Helderman @ PostRoz

    NEW: The president’s sons entrusted their private hunting retreat to a caretaker. He was working in the country illegally,
    -Juan Quintero, living in the U.S. illegally, personally texted with Eric Trump about his work at the Trump sons’ hunting lodge. When he couldn’t produce a social security number to get an ATM card, he was given an ATM card to use in someone else’s name.

    yeah, they knew about his status

  101. 101.

    Peale

    @opiejeanne: That’s by design. It feeds into the narrative that all these formerly hard working whites are being screwed by Mexicans, who first take their jobs, then leave them feeling all empty inside so they have to start taking opioids to cope with their meaningless lives. It’s one of the way white people have managed to make opioid addiction into a noble affliction of the protestant work ethic. Unlike those urban crackheads who make themselves sick because they don’t want to work and waste your hard earned tax money on welfare check drugs. It also conveniently shields drug companies.

  103. 103.

    Brachiator

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    NEW: The president’s sons entrusted their private hunting retreat to a caretaker. He was working in the country illegally,
    -Juan Quintero, living in the U.S. illegally, personally texted with Eric Trump about his work at the Trump sons’ hunting lodge. When he couldn’t produce a social security number to get an ATM card, he was given an ATM card to use in someone else’s name.

    These stories keep popping up about Trump and his vile brood, and his supporters keep ignoring it. The denial is deep.

  104. 104.

    takebakawashi

    @dnfree:

    Up until now she has said she never used it to her advantage.

    She can continue to make that claim. The article you linked makes this clear:

    There’s no indication Warren had anything to gain by reporting herself as Native American on the Texas bar card. Above the lines for race, national origin and handicap status, the card says, “The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organization without the express written consent of the attorney.”

  105. 105.

    dww44

    @Another Scott: And, it would nice if NPR did some actual investigative reporting beyond parroting the administrative line that the “policy has been rescinded”. The truth lies in the details and, in this case, the data.

  107. 107.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @dnfree: After seeing that bar application form, there’s no way I would vote for Warren in the primary or endorse her for veep. That shit’s not going away.

    I like Warren’s legislative ideas, especially her Child Care proposal – but she should stay in the Senate where this controversy won’t fuck shit up for us all.

  108. 108.

    dnfree

    @takebakawashi: We don’t know if there was an unspoken advantage or not. The card claims only for statistical purposes, but if there were no advantage, why would she do it? There was a lot of behind-the-scenes tallying of race/gender by employers in those days. And maybe she thought it would bring her business from native Americans?

  109. 109.

    Brachiator

    @dnfree:

    Unfortunately for Elizabeth Warren, evidence has now been found that she DID in fact identify herself as a native American on a bar application form (the legal kind of bar). Up until now she has said she never used it to her advantage. Nothing in her family background and stories would justify calling her race “American Indian” in 1986.

    I guess we have to burn her as a witch now.

    The WaPo story is blocked for me. Does it indicate exactly what “advantage” Warren supposedly got for this claim on her bar application?

    ETA: I see another poster has partially answered this. Unless she made the claim elsewhere, what she put on her bar application appears to be largely meaningless.

  110. 110.

    Roger Moore

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    DNA tests to prove Native American ancestry are apparently an issue among Native Americans. They are abused and unreliable, and a lot of Native Americans are angry with Warren using it in this context. I would not have expected her to know that. It sure as Hell didn’t occur to me. But it is an issue.

    My impression is that opinions about this vary wildly, and it’s largely centered around people who are interested in using DNA testing to try to claim not just native ancestry but actual tribal membership. Tribes that either don’t have people clamoring for membership or which have relatively relaxed rules for claiming it tend not to be too worried about DNA tests. Tribes that do have problems with people trying to claim membership and have strict rules are worried about people trying to use DNA tests to try to bolster their claims. In particular, my impression is that the tribes that use the Dawes Rolls as a qualification for membership are sick and tired of the descendants of people who got left out trying to claim membership by hook or by crook. Unfortunately for Warren, the Cherokee are one of the Dawes Rolls tribes, and they absolutely have a problem with people trying to claim tribal membership.

  111. 111.

    Aleta

    @kylegriffin1
    Rep. Shiela Jackson Lee: “Do you know how many young people are detained?”

    Sec. Nielsen: “Yes, ma’am. I don’t have that number in front of me.”

  112. 112.

    lee

    On another website I read that Rep Green made the little facist cry.

    I can’t wait until I get to watch that clip.

  113. 113.

    trollhattan

    @dnfree:

    The card claims only for statistical purposes, but if there were no advantage, why would she do it? There was a lot of behind-the-scenes tallying of race/gender by employers in those days. And maybe she thought it would bring her business from native Americans?

    Quite the straw man squadron you’ve assembled there. “I’m just asking questions.” Can you show us on the doll where Sen. Warren touched you?

  115. 115.

    Brachiator

    @Roger Moore:

    Unfortunately for Warren, the Cherokee are one of the Dawes Rolls tribes, and they absolutely have a problem with people trying to claim tribal membership.

    None of this has anything to do with Warren.

  116. 116.

    Roger Moore

    @takebakawashi:

    Above the lines for race, national origin and handicap status, the card says, “The following information is for statistical purposes only and will not be disclosed to any person or organization without the express written consent of the attorney.”

    I wonder if whoever showed the card to the media got her express written consent to do so.

  117. 117.

    Fair Economist

    @rikyrah: At this point, my conclusion on Klobuchar is: call me if one of her employees files a case. If the employees don’t think her deeds are actionable I don’t either.

  118. 118.

    takebakawashi

    @dnfree: A lot of chaff there and none of it changes the fact that she can still plausibly make the claim that she never used it to her advantage, which is all I was asserting.

  119. 119.

    Brachiator

    @lee:

    On another website I read that Rep Green made the little facist cry.

    I can’t wait until I get to watch that clip.

    Yep.

  120. 120.

    James E Powell

    @Kraux Pas:

    I’m just hoping that since there has been some time since the DNA test, eventually the air will clear. At least with the non-propagandized portion of the electorate.

    In the 2016 campaign, people were throwing Whitewater, Monica, and speeches from the 90s in Hillary’s face. This was enthusiastically promoted by the press/media who just never ever got enough of the Clenis Hunt. Once the “Pocahontas” stuff started, it was going to follow her to her grave. The New York Times alone would make damn sure the story never went away.

    There is no way that the press/media will ever stop being enthusiastic promoters of whatever the Republicans tell them to promote. It’s who they are, it’s what they do.

  121. 121.

    Kay

    What’s going on in Florida, Betty?

    Donald Trump is in trouble in Florida, a state that’s crucial to his reelection hopes.
    Just 40 percent of Florida voters said they believed the president should be reelected, while 53 percent were opposed to a second term, according to a new Bendixen & Amandi International poll.
    Trump’s approval ratings were also poor, with 43 percent having a favorable impression of Trump, and 52 percent viewing him unfavorably — and 46 percent very unfavorably. Trump’s approval ratings look even worse when compared with the man he helped make Florida governor, Ron DeSantis, who has a 50 percent approval rating while only 23 percent disapprove.
    “Trump is in trouble,” pollster Fernand Amandi said, noting that 23 percent of all Florida Republicans said he doesn’t deserve reelection. “When that many people from your own party don’t support you, it means you have to spend more time consolidating your base.”

    It’s his true “home state” as far as I’m concerned and he seems to be tanking there.

  122. 122.

    Kay

    @Aleta:

    She forgot to bring the crucial information to the hearing. LOW quality employees.

    It’s in her other bag :)

  123. 123.

    GregB

    @chris:

    That was a Rep. from my town. It should be noted that the ‘no guns in the NH state house’ policy was initially put in place because a Republican Rep. threatened another Rep. with his gun, back in the 70’s, I think.

    These three pearl wearing meatloafs should note that Democrats in NH just swept three special elections yesterday.

  124. 124.

    Kay

    @James E Powell:

    They don’t like Elizabeth Warren. It’s all that sincere good government stuff. They’re too savvy to fall for that. She should be like Paul Ryan. Pretend to sincerity but actually be a lobbyist for rich people. That’s smart.

  126. 126.

    Mary G

    @Aleta: Wow. Not watching the clips, but that thread is amazeballs. Dems are doing a great job. Nancy SMASH smashing again.

  127. 127.

    Martin

    Nice article at the Atlantic that I think captures the state of things in CA pretty well.

    “In the era of Trump, this has positioned the state as a key point of resistance: bold enough to believe that the future is once again being forged on the left coast and rich enough to stand up to a federal government focused on dragging America back to an era in which greatness was measured by who was excluded from opportunity,” writes Manuel Pastor, a sociologist at the University of Southern California, in his recent book, State of Resistance: What California’s Dizzying Descent and Remarkable Resurgence Mean for America’s Future. “Texas was once determined to sue the previous president, Barack Obama, on nearly every policy and continues to boast that it is the true national alternative going forward. But its model—based on cheap energy, urban sprawl, and political disenfranchisement—does not seem like a recipe for the national long haul. What California is stumbling toward—still evolving, still incomplete, still vulnerable to its own reactionary voters—is a path to a new American future, one in which the nation becomes more prosperous and more sustainable, more diverse and more cohesive, more engaged and more agreeable. It matters that the state gets there and it matters that the country learns from its path.”

    California is increasingly focused on the question of ‘what will the cost be if we don’t do it?’ That was the kind of mindset during Apollo, and frankly, most of the periods in the US that we look back on favorably. The GOP has always had trouble with that question, but they’ve somehow reached a point that they can’t see past the next election and often not past next week.

  129. 129.

    Aleta

    @Roger Moore: There’s also the issue of DNA’s use as evidence of early migration into the Americas, which goes against important religious and historical beliefs about origin specific to this land. Refusal to let one’s identity be controlled by outsiders is for many groups (incl. white women) a generalized part of fighting discrimination. There are also issues about how the database for genetics was created and what samples are used (at least in the past).

    So it’s been said that it’s not so much about Warren personally, but that it would have been better if she’d used the help of Cherokee advisors in making her statement. Since this is done for other campaign issues, and tribal reps had offered their help, that part became an issue with her method.

  130. 130.

    karen marie

    @laura: Having been on this earth for 62 years and seen multiple criminal Republican administrations, my prediction is that nothing will happen to any of these people. It never has, it never will.

  131. 131.

    Kraux Pas

    @dnfree:

    We don’t know if there was an unspoken advantage or not. The card claims only for statistical purposes, but if there were no advantage, why would she do it?

    Same reason I did it on some forms when I was younger. It was part of my family’s oral tradition and I thought it would be cute to share.

  132. 132.

    Martin

    @Kay: I think Congress should invoke a new rule. Televised hearings should allow the witness 2 hours to get any information they didn’t bring with them. Their staff are certainly watching along in their office. Congress will have a person on call to receive that information. If they don’t receive it in 2 hours, hold them in contempt. Tired of seeing everyone hide behind that shitty excuse.

  137. 137.

    Mike in NC

    @GregB: I recall John Sununu was such a scumbag he tried to dismiss Barack Obama on TV as somebody who “doesn’t understand our culture”, which was basically following the Birther playbook.

  138. 138.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Waynski:

    Just saw on the TV machine that Kim Jong Un is building missiles that could hit as far as Denver and Chicago.

    North side of Chicago or just the South side and western suburbs?

  139. 139.

    Martin

    @takebakawashi: There are bigger implications for the institution, but not for the individual. Showing you have a certain percentage of minorities among students or on faculty do open up options for federal funding and the like. It doesn’t confer a benefit to the candidate, but institutions do sometimes put pressure on individuals to report in a certain way if there is a choice of reporting. Until relatively recently, if you were mixed black and white (like Obama), you had to choose between them. You could indicate one or the other but not both. In that situation, you would always be attacked for that choice. Did Obama choose white to hide his blackness or choose black to gain an advantage? It’s a no-win. In his case, the institution might ask him to choose black because it would confer a benefit to the institution. These are not lies or deceptions, they are choices among a limited set. It would be more accurate to say ‘both’ but both wasn’t an option, so it’s unfair to criticize them for how they dealt with the limited set of options that the federal government provided them.

    Today there is a choice of ‘Two or more’, and that’s probably what Obama and Warren would pick today, but it wasn’t an option then.

  140. 140.

    MisterForkbeard

    @dnfree:

    The card claims only for statistical purposes, but if there were no advantage, why would she do it?

    Because two obvious reasons?

    1) She thought she was partially Native American, so she properly identified herself as such.
    2) She has said in the past she was proud of her heritage.

    I mean, if they say “We won’t use this organizationally or tell anyone, it’s just for statistical purposes” up front then there’s LITERALLY no possible gain for her. I’m not sure why we’re subjecting Warren to a “yeah well if maybe these other 5 things that could have happened then maybe she was using it for some kind of advantage, even though there’s no evidence of any of it!” standard. It’s the Clinton Foundation standard all over again, and that was utter bullshit.

  141. 141.

    The Moar You Know

    “Trump is in trouble,” pollster Fernand Amandi said, noting that 23 percent of all Florida Republicans said he doesn’t deserve reelection. “When that many people from your own party don’t support you, it means you have to spend more time consolidating your base.”

    @Kay: So, more rallies, then? Maybe lots more? That’s good. A 72-year old obese man who never exercises exhaustively travelling the country and shouting for a couple of hours every night. This could solve a lot of problems.

  142. 142.

    Aleta

    @Martin: Maybe I’d like to see them sit there and answer the ‘yes or no’ Q’s on paper. Like a T/F test, with a camera above. No long explanations. Left blank = refused to answer.
    Maybe they can check a ‘Don’t know’ box if they write down what steps they will take to find out and deliver the Y/N answer.

  143. 143.

    Aleta

    Running government like a business? Don’t businesses impose deadlines on when reports are due? And prioritize quick turnaround when written requests to answer questions come from above?

  144. 144.

    The Moar You Know

    FOX is out as a host for any Dem Primary debates.

    @VeniceRiley: That is seriously good news, with the only caveat being of course that they NEVER should have been considered in the first place.

    They’re not a news organization and have taken great pains to insure that the legal system treats them as “entertainment” rather than news. All should treat them as they have asked to be treated.

  145. 145.

    Gin & Tonic

    @karen marie: John Mitchell went to prison. It wasn’t for all that long, but he was convicted of conspiracy, obstruction, and perjury, disbarred and sent to Federal prison.

    There were others, he’s just a handy example.

  146. 146.

    Kirk Spencer

    @Martin: I see your point but instead recommend a follow-up session be scheduled during which all and only these questions will be asked and answers provided. Letting them just send a memo gets it out of the sunlight, easy to bury. The only part keeps the second hearing from being derailed. Much.

  148. 148.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Mike in NC: Unfortunately you have to be more specific, as there was more than one Republican asshole from NH named John Sununu. True story.

    Actually, John E, Sununu fils was slightly somewhat less of an asshole than his dear old Dad.

  150. 150.

    A Ghost To Most

    @karen marie:
    I’m the same age, and remember the Watergate hearings well. Folks went to jail. Noxin left on 9-AUG-1974. I’m hoping for some historical symmetry this year.

  151. 151.

    Mike in NC

    @The Moar You Know: Just think of Trump repeating the CPAC antics every night at a hate rally for about six months straight. Would be interesting to watch him stroke out.

  152. 152.

    patrick II

    @Fair Economist:
    I am not a Klobacher fan anyway, but if her actions towards employees are disqualifying, I take it Trump’s numerous and odius actions towards his employees will be reported with equal vigor and will also be disqualifying.

  153. 153.

    Kay

    @Martin:

    It’s not in front of her, Martin. She can’t be expected to prepare for the single most obvious question of the whole hearing. She’s not a mindreader.

  154. 154.

    A Ghost To Most

    Cohen apparently has the original planned statement to Congress, to compare to the alleged “edited” statement after the lawyers were done. Oops.

    So much winning.

  155. 155.

    TS (the original)

    @Aleta:

    Sec. Nielsen: “Yes, ma’am. I don’t have that number in front of me.”

    Like everything else this administration doesn’t do – they don’t prepare – they treat the House investigations with contempt. Why bring the information they KNOW will be discussed.

  156. 156.

    Kay

    @A Ghost To Most:

    He’s the gift that keeps on giving. I know why they’re dribbling it out- because they’re all attention hounds and his lawyers and handlers and such see a payday- but I appreciate his planning and attention to detail!

    He would know how many children he had in his federal baby jail. He’d bring a stolen list.

  159. 159.

    GregB

    @Mike in NC:

    John Sununu Sr. is still a weapons grade asshole and political hatchet man. His two sons, one a former Sen. and one the current Gov. of NH are notably less abrasive than dear old Dad.

  160. 160.

    joel hanes

    @dnfree:

    Stop forwarding the Republican attack [email protected]dnfree:

    The card claims only for statistical purposes, but if there were no advantage, why would she do it? There was a lot of behind-the-scenes tallying of race/gender by employers in those days. And maybe she thought it would bring her business from native Americans?

    You’re forwarding a Republican line of attack based on “maybe she thought?”, while ignoring the actual statement on the form ?

    Fuck that. Warren isn’t my favorite candidate for President, but this is the kind of bullshit I expect from a Russian-paid ratfucker or a weak-minded both-sides MSM pundit. Appearances. Smoke. Shadows.

    Pied.

  161. 161.

    Kay

    @A Ghost To Most:

    I like that he knows he’s not credible so he keeps “finding” paper. “Credible” is a comparison anyway, which people seem to know based on the polling. The question isn’t “is he credible”. We don’t have an infinite number of witnesses. It’s not an average. The question is whether he’s credible compared to this pack of liars and the answer to that is “yes, more so”. “He said/he said is “which one of these two” not “compared to all people, ever”.

    Trump is the other kind of liar- the one who just keeps bellowing the lie without anything to back it up.

  162. 162.

    Aleta

    From Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @ReichlinMelnick
    (His twitter has good links to info related to Rep Barragan’s (CA) questions. I put in some of them.)

    @RepBarragan asks about the asylum list in Tijuana, demands to know what legal authority DHS has.

    @SecNielsen: “We do not have the list, to be clear, the list is in Mexico.”

    @RepBarragan: “So you have the authority to do the list but you don’t have access to the list?”

    (NYT) What Is ‘La Lista,’ Which Controls Migrants’ Fates in Tijuana?

    [Also Rep Barragan’s (CA)] “Where in the asylum law does it say that when you present yourself at a port of entry … that you can sent by an agent to another port of entry?

    LITIGATION Challenging Customs and Border Protection’s Unlawful Practice of Turning Away Asylum Seekers

  164. 164.

    Kay

    @Aleta:

    The list is in Mexico. In a box. On a shelf. There’s just one copy. God almighty who gets away with this? NO ONE except these people.

  165. 165.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @patrick II: Klobuchar’s not running against Trump yet. For the next 12-14 months, the point of comparison should be other Democratic candidates for President.

    We can only pick one – let’s get it right!

  166. 166.

    Kay

    @Betty Cracker:

    I was hoping you’d be like “well, it’s obviously the Panama Causeway issue- very controversial”

    * does not exist

    People are so weird. Who knows what they like. What sets them off.

  167. 167.

    Aleta

    Aaron Reichlin-Melnick @ReichlinMelnick
    Here’s information about the encounter (where @ImmCivilRights, @karalynum, @avabdc and others were present at) where @RepJayapal and @RepJimmyGomez had to wait overnight to force CBP to let in asylum-seekers.

    Members of Congress Stay Through the Night to Help Asylum Seekers Cross the Border, by Samantha Grasso

    Dec 18, 2018 Democratic California Reps. Nanette Barragán and Jimmy Gomez attempted to gain access to the Otay Mesa Port of Entry with a group of 15 asylum seekers but were told officials only had the capacity to process eight unaccompanied children and the rest would have to go to another port of entry, the San Diego Union-Tribune reported.

    On Twitter, the representatives shared updates on the progress of the asylum seekers. Barragán and Gomez, both of whom represent the Los Angeles area, tweeted that CBP officials told the remaining asylum seekers, which included a mother and her five children, to go to the San Ysidro Port of Entry, which is known to have an extensive backlog. Barragán tweeted that CBP sent officers in “full riot gear” to surround the group, even though members of the group reportedly sat down to show they weren’t “rushing” the border. Members of her staff were also detained, she said.

  168. 168.

    Aleta

    @Kay:

    R. Andrew Free @ImmCivilRights

    When she says “we don’t keep the list” what she’s not mentioning is every morning the good people with Grupo Beta in Tijuana outside PedWest get a phone call from someone who works for her at CBP telling them how many people they’re going to accept off the list for that day.

  169. 169.

    Kay

    @Aleta:

    Right! There has to be some method to this madness. But it’s “someone who works for her” so therefore unknowable.

    Isn’t she the low quality Trump hire who learned dissembling skills covering up the inept response to Katrina? A career pro then.

  170. 170.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    @joel hanes: Unfortunately, this issue is a legitimate political liability for Warren.

    The Presidential election is about identity, personality, and trust; much more so than about policy (unfortunately). The public’s perception of a candidate’s persona and “authenticity” is of paramount importance – to over-generalize, that’s why so many people like Joe, Wilmer, Kamala, and Beto. I think authenticity is a big part of why a lot of folks like President Obama so much.

    Like it or not, the fact that Senator Warren claimed to be “American Indian” on her Texas bar application form in 1986 is a political liability that hurts her in the authenticity department with the public at large.

    Explain away all you want, but when you’re explaining, you’re losing. We don’t need that liability on the ticket in 2020 when there are a number of other options.

    Yes, Info warfare is going to hit any candidate, but that’s why Dems have to nominate a candidate who doesn’t have this kind of “known” baggage already. So let’s air the dirty laundry on all of our candidates, and in 12-14 months we’ll pick the candidate who is perceived by our voters to be the most authentic, inspiring, and trustworthy!

    Who will be our Ginger Rogers?
    (who could do everything Fred Astaire did, but backwards and in high heels)

  171. 171.

    PaulWartenberg

    @Kay:

    There’s a weird dynamic going on in Florida. Part of it is DeSantis getting out in front of the clean water/environmental issues that Rick “Sonofabitch” Scott let slide for 8 godless years (this is an issue that both sides can agree on because, yeah, we live here). trump’s off doing his own thing being a hater and pushing an energy policy (COAL AND MORE OF IT) that has little impact on a Florida where counties and cities are aggressively putting up solar farms to make their energy grid more green.

  173. 173.

    Ruckus

    @Roger Moore:
    However Warren has, if I’m recalling right, never claimed tribal membership. That doesn’t mean the tribe isn’t upset, but she’s never asked for or received anything but shit for taking the test.
    So it’s emails all the way down.

  174. 174.

    Aleta

    Latino Victory @latinovictoryus

    This hearing was made possible by everyone who knocked on doors, phonebanked, and worked to #TakeItBack in 2018.

    Secretary Nielsen and this administration must and will be held accountable for their inhumane policies.

    Jess Morales Rocketto @JessLivMo

    Woman after woman just grilling the shit out of those evil liars. Its incredible. #WomensHistoryMonth

  175. 175.

    Ruckus

    @dnfree:
    Maybe, just maybe, she was/ is proud that a bit of her is Native American. I have a similar family story, different tribe, same percentage of native heritage even. I have no idea how true this story is and no one alive has any info and I’m not taking a DNA test because they are useless. I’ve never used this info in any way or even tried. It wouldn’t get me anything, just like her story wouldn’t for her.
    But I have a question. Did she take the test before or after the bar issue?

  176. 176.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    @Ladyraxterinok:
    @germy:

    Didn’t Hannity make some promise he’d undergo waterboarding?

    Yes, Hannity said that waterboarding was torture, Al Franken challenged him to undergo waterboarding if it wasn’t that bad, Hannity agreed to be waterboarded, he never did.

  178. 178.

    Denali

    So many fatal flaws in the women candidates! Its almost as if someone was on purpose trying to discourage people from rallying around any candidate who happened to be a woman. Funny that.

  179. 179.

    MomSense

    I couldn’t listen to any of lyjng NAZI bitch Nielsen’s testimony today because work was too busy. What did I miss?

  181. 181.

    msb

    @ dnfree

    We don’t know if there was an unspoken advantage or not. … And maybe she thought it would bring her business from native Americans?

    Do you really know that little about Texas? The Texas bar would not be rushing out to offer lawyers of color with open arms. As to getting business from Native Americans in Texas, do you think such people are blind, or that Warren is stupid enough to think they wouldn’t notice that she’s predominantly white?
    Seriously, you reach any further and you might dislocate your arm. Speaking of reaching, do you see advantage from doing so? What could it be?

  182. 182.

    dnfree

    @msb: I was employed in 1986. Companies liked to hire people who made them appear to be more diverse, even if the statistical info was aggregated. If you could say x% if your staff was Native American, y% women, etc., that made you look good. I remember the days when a minority woman was called a twofer openly.

    I didn’t fill out the form, so don’t shoot the messenger.

  183. 183.

    dnfree

    @Ruckus: I agree she’s proud of her heritage. That doesn’t explain identifying herself as American Indian on a bar application, which she has said before she never did.

Comments are closed.