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Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

I conferred with the team and they all agree – still not tired of winning!

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

Well, whatever it is, it’s better than being a Republican.

Let me eat cake. The rest of you could stand to lose some weight, frankly.

Spilling the end game before they can coat it in frankl luntz-approved dogwhistles.

I also would like a pony to improve my balloon juice experience.

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

We’ve had enough carrots to last a lifetime. break out the sticks.

The fundamental promise of conservatism all over the world is a return to an idealized past that never existed.

I have other things to bitch about but those will have to wait.

The republican caucus is covering themselves with something, and it’s not glory.

The line between political reporting and fan fiction continues to blur.

It is possible to do the right thing without the promise of a cookie.

Stop using mental illness to avoid talking about armed white supremacy.

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

This really is a full service blog.

I’m more Christian than these people and I’m an atheist.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Just because you believe it, that doesn’t make it true.

Second rate reporter says what?

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Live Blogging / Live – House Vote On Trump’s Racist Comments

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109Comments

  2. 2.

    lamh36

    The Repubicans are idiots if they didn’t believe that Pelosi hadn’t already meticulously made sure her remarks weren’t violating any House rules.

    A bunch of amateurs

    sahilkapur
    ·
    19m
    Nancy Pelosi calls the president’s tweets about the squad “racist.”

    Republican Doug Collins demands her words be taken down for being “unparliamentary.”

    Democratic-led House votes to shoot down his request.

    Her words remain in the congressional record.

  3. 3.

    Cheryl Rofer

    I’ve got a lot of distractions IRL today, and I’m seeing all sorts of confusion on this vote on Twitter. Apparently the Republicans called Pelosi for violating decorum by calling the President a racist. There was a vote to censor her remarks, which the Democrats won. Then some other things happened, and I think the actual vote condemning the President’s racist tweets is on now.

  6. 6.

    jl

    Reposting a comment from previous thread, since i want an optimistic note:
    t was very wise of AOC, Omar, etc. to emphasize that Trump’s outburst was a distraction from his policy failures and betrayal of his promises to ordinary working voters, point out Trump’s failures and betrayals and contrast those to their proposals, and explicitly state that they were not going to counter with displays of outrage and hurt, and because Trump is just doing what they expect him to do.

  7. 7.

    zzyzx

    Back down to one. Pressured?

    I don’t understand what the clock is for with votes when they go on long after it.

  8. 8.

    lamh36

    So far 3 Republican voting yea w/the Dems (but they can change their minds)

    Will Hurd was one.

    The Independent is of course Amash

  9. 9.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Cheryl Rofer: clicking around twitter, Eric Swalwell called trump a racist again and things got all shouty

    Will Hurd voted with the Dems

  15. 15.

    Steeplejack

    Current vote totals (via MSNBC):

    For the resolution (to censure): 198.
    Against: 158.
    Not voting: 77.

    Time is shown as expired, but the numbers are still changing a little bit.

    (Maybe “NV” means “not voted yet.”)

  16. 16.

    Martin

    Yes, this is the most congressional of congressional actions – there is no objection to voting on whether or not Trumps statements are racist but we cannot call them racist in the process of voting on them, and in the event someone does call them racist, we need to have a vote on whether that person was racist in saying that something was racist, except that we can’t call that person racist in the process of calling them racist.

    Please vote.

  17. 17.

    Mary G

    Somebody’s outraged at the four Repubs:

    When GOP members of Congress want to disagree with the team captian @realDonaldTrump they need to do it in the "locker room" and not on the field!— Gov. Mike Huckabee (@GovMikeHuckabee) July 16, 2019

    Also, Mike it’s captain.

  24. 24.

    jl

    Check out GOP’s new game. They are spamming that every Democrat is a deranged socialist. Exact same wording.

    Spanberger is a deranged socialist, Finkenauer is a deranged socialist, Y is a deranged socialist, Z is a deranged socialist…

    The GOP is going to run on brain dead screams of ‘commie commie’, ugly and blatent racist and xenophobic smears against anyone, no matter who they are no matter how absurd, against anyone who challenges them.

    We can beat them if that is what they got, as we did in 2018.

  29. 29.

    jl

    On the other hand, what else can the GOP do if they must slavishly follow their Dear Leader. They are forced to go with infantile repetition that would embarrass a maladjusted toddler, and ugly racist, xenophobic outbursts, and obvious lies.

    Kind of limits a person. I guess they have to work with what they got.

  30. 30.

    Immanentize

    @Steeplejack:
    Thems the rules. How do you think individuals squeeze concessions from party leaders? It is a valid exercise of power.

  31. 31.

    Steeplejack

    @jl:

    Let’s start calling each and every one of them a “closet racist.” If they don’t condemn it they are apparently in favor of it, just “in the closet” about saying it. So “closet racist” it is.

  32. 32.

    lamh36

    @ChadPergram
    ·
    5m
    Dem TX Rep Al Green: I will read articles of impeachment on the Floor of the House before the close of the business today. To condemn a racist President is not enough, we must impeach him. This will be a defining vote. The world is watching, and history will judge us all.

    Members of the CBC, most loyal Dems voters in the caucus have always been walking the walk and talking the talk about Chump’s illegitmacy and impeachment.

    But…THEY are the one being targeted by some folks as establishment and targets for election challenges…

  33. 33.

    Cheryl Rofer

  34. 34.

    Mike in NC

    Somebody needs to urge racist Fat Bastard to resign, then watch him in meltdown mode.

  35. 35.

    MisterForkbeard

    @jl: That’s not really a ‘new’ game.

    The funny thing is, this applies to Republicans. Not the “socialist” part, but saying that each and every member of the opposition is ‘something’. If you give the Democrats huge majorities, they’ll have a huge fight on how best to accomplish every single thing – the democratic socialists and the corporate friendly democrats and the rest of the center-left will argue and figure it out. We’ll get something like the ACA – way better than what we had before, but still not what we wanted.

    On the other hand, EVERY Republican is a Nazi. Look what they vote for. Look how they’re voting now. There’s what, 4 Republican votes saying Trump did a racist thing? That’s a tiny amount of moral courage. And even the ‘moderate’ Republicans vote for people like Brett Kavanaugh, probable racist and definite perjurer.

  36. 36.

    artem1s

    Pelosi should find a reason to do this about once a month and force the GOP enablers to go on record that they are either for or against their fascist leader. it would be an interesting way of informally polling how loyal the assholes are to flushing their careers down the orange toilet.

  37. 37.

    Kay

    Republicans in Congress do nothing all day long but defend the giant, loudmouth douchebag. This is a loyalty vote for them. They have to swear allegiance to this sleazy, corrupt, racist real estate developer. And they’ll all do it! Nothing is too debasing and humiliating. It’s a cult.

  42. 42.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh36: Since black representation in Congress lags, it’s unsurprising that folks would bristle at challenges to CBC members by white lefties. That said, if challengers are also POC, I don’t see why it’s perceived as illegitimate in some way. What am I missing?

  43. 43.

    jl

    @MisterForkbeard: Calling it new was my attempt at a little levity. I agree with you.
    Maybe newly stupid and absurd would be accurate.
    They are like pushers for their hard core base, hooked on ignorance and hate. Have to keep upping the dose to get the same high, the infantile butt ignorance of the base, means they don’t have to put any limit on the absurdity of their lies, so the pushers run can’t help but run further out into obvious absurd nonsense than they intended to.

  44. 44.

    debbie

    Anyone know what this was about?

    Frustrations boiling over on both sides and protocol seemingly evaporating, Rep. Emanuel Cleaver, the lawmaker presiding over the U.S. House, stormed from the dais amid procedural arguments. The seven-term Democrat from Missouri had seen enough. “We just want to fight,” he said with visible disgust. “I abandon the chair.”

  45. 45.

    oatler.

    tell the GOP
    — your rooftop — if you don’t already know — has been demolished … .

  46. 46.

    jl

    @Betty Cracker: Why do you say ‘white lefties’? Cori Bush is one of Lacy Clay’s four challengers. She is African-American, not a ‘white lefty’.

  47. 47.

    Kay

    Boy, it didn’t take long for this to go from the President ordering members of Congress out of the country to his low quality hires belligerently demanding that people state their “ethnicity”

    Instead of answering that question, Conway asked him, “What’s your ethnicity?”
    “Uh… why is that relevant?” Feinberg asked before Conway interrupted him to say, “Because I’m asking you a question.”

    Out. Of. Control. Nasty little tin pot authoritarians drunk on power.

  48. 48.

    germy

    This is all obviously some weird sex thing for the Conways and I for one do not appreciate them involving us in it— Mass for Shut-ins (podcast) (@gin_and_tacos) July 16, 2019

  50. 50.

    hitchhiker

    I guess they must have tested “deranged” and “socialist” with their base and found that these are the words most likely to fire up old white faux-christians.

    This election seems winnable to them only if the base has its hair on fire, they can somehow bring in some young male voters, AND the Dems are split or demoralized. That’s my guess.

    So, look to them to ratchet up the commie foreign witches bullshit to the max and expand it to include any women running for president.

    I don’t think it will work.

  51. 51.

    MisterForkbeard

    @debbie: He explained more in some tweets. Basically: He was trying hard (for decorum’s sake) to give his Republican allies the benefit of the doubt. What got him really angry was people who say they were ‘neutral’ or privately had agreed on Trump’s statement just wanting to performatively fight or to be cowards and stay quiet.

    None of the Republicans had the courage of their convictions and he was frustrated by it.

  54. 54.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Call for impeachment of @realDonaldTrump is immediately brought to the floor by @RepAlGreen.

    This is not going to end well. Though it might illustrate why Pelosi doesn’t want to jump the gun, it’s also going make it harder to impeach LATER.

    Good god, can you imagine the amount of smirking from the media? “This is the 2nd time Democrats have attempted to impeach Donald Trump. They’re acting like children.”

  55. 55.

    lamh36

    @Betty Cracker: Candidates of color who don’t reflect the district voters and are brought in JUST to challenge incumbents from outside actors makes a BIG difference.

    ETA: We have a saying in my community… “all my skin folk AIN’T my kin folk”

    Just becasuse they are POC doesn’t mean they automatically represent what voters in those districts want…and a POC being used a puppet by white gentrifiers to get rid of the person that the voters trust to represent their districts does NOT make them good for them

  57. 57.

    MisterForkbeard

    @debbie: @MisterForkbeard: Whoops, I got that wrong. Those tweets were from yesterday.

    I guess it’s clear that Cleaver was really upset in general with his Republican colleagues.

  60. 60.

    Betty Cracker

    @jl: I’m trying to understand why it’s wrong to contest seats held by CBC members in general. AFAIK, all the CBC member challengers we’re talking about lately have been POC. I’m framing a hypothetical where I understand the objections to get to a scenario where I don’t.

  66. 66.

    japa21

    One thing that Pelosi and the Dems can do is call this a bipartisan condemnation of the President. Then they can go after every no voting GOPer with the question, “Why didn’t you stand up for decency like your fellow Republicans did?” It would be nice, and accurate, too condemn the whole GOP as racists or enabling racism, but that would be an electoral loser. But picking them off, 1 by 1 could work.

  68. 68.

    guachi

    Upton is my wife’s congressman (she’s military and still votes in Michigan). I wonder if her wingnut parents’ heads are exploding.

    Interesting that two of the ‘yes’ votes from non-Democrats are Michiganders.

  69. 69.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @zhena gogolia: not directly related, but very time I see two, three, four million dollars raised and spent by the likes of Williamson or hickenlooper, I think that’s money pissed away that we won’t have in 2020– not that all would necessarily go to the nominee, but there are state parties, local candidates, senate races that will surely be underfunded

    And Steve Daines ringing endorsement of trumps racism should be bullocks moment to step back and think about a state race

  70. 70.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Cheryl Rofer: Agreed. I’m normally all on Team Pelosi but she dropped the ball here. If she’d just said “We need to finish a few more investigations where Republicans can’t protect the President” and had moved a little more forcefully with subpoenas and so forth, we’d be in much better shape.

    As it is, there’s a large contingent of people convinced nothing is being done at all and she’s not reassuring them. It doesn’t help that the Administration is not complying with subpoenas and breaking the law left and right, and to most appearances isn’t getting swatted back.

  71. 71.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh36: So these challengers are recruited from outside their districts? Honest question — I hadn’t heard that before. If that’s true, the angst about it makes more sense. If they are from the district but don’t reflect the district in some way, that seems like a problem that’ll take care of itself.

  72. 72.

    lamh36

    @Betty Cracker: these people are recruited by outside folk like Justice Dems because on the surface they have the “look” for the voters in the district, but the rhetoric and policy stuff they challenge and champion does not match the electorate that vote in that district.

  73. 73.

    jl

    @Betty Cracker: I just wanted to correct the term ‘white lefties’ is all, in terms of people actually challenging incumbents, as opposed to dissing them on twitter (most of those may be white lefties).

    I have no problem with challenging incumbents in a primary, and i don’t understand why progressive get special attention and criticism for doing so, when others often challenge incumbents as well. I think office holders need to be able to deal with challengers in primaries. That is how democracy works.

    I have no clue whether Cori Bush, for example, is acting as some tool of white lefties. She has certainly accomplished quite a bit, but haven’t looked into the details of that primary race.

  74. 74.

    Jay

    Guys, there were 27 Resolutions filed in the House to Impeach President Nixon, that went nowhere, starting in May, 1972 before the process of Impeachment gained traction.

    None of them cost the Democratic Party anything, instead they each helped build up a concencus of criminality and crisis.

  75. 75.

    Betty Cracker

    @lamh36: Not a fan of JD per se, but they’ll lose the primary if they don’t reflect their district, right? That’s how it’s supposed to work.

    I understand the argument that primary campaigns for safe blue seats cost money that could be spent opposing Republicans. But on the other hand, how can we get better Democrats — and, crucially, appeal to non-voters who are disillusioned with politics — if we deem primary challenges illegitimate?

    If we’re saying that people who want change have to work within the two-party system (and that is true in our present reality), we have to offer avenues of change within the party, IMO.

  76. 76.

    satby

    @jl: this dude has a point:

    “If we embrace a left-wing agenda, the president’s going to say we’re socialists and we’re for open borders. If we adopt a conservative agenda, the president’s going to say we’re socialists and we’re for open borders. So we might as well stand up for what we believe in and take it from there” Pete Buttigieg, in Iowa last weekend.

  77. 77.

    rikyrah

    @Betty Cracker:
    On whole, the CBC votes the most left wing of any block. Clever had a 96% rating on left issues. What the phuck, other than a purity pony and unicorn , could want you to vote out someone who votes with you 96% of the time???

  78. 78.

    Brachiator

    @Kay:

    Instead of answering that question, Conway asked him, “What’s your ethnicity?”
    “Uh… why is that relevant?” Feinberg asked before Conway interrupted him to say, “Because I’m asking you a question.”

    Next, she’ll be asking to see his papers.

  79. 79.

    Baud

    @satby:

    So we might as well stand up for what we believe in and take it from there”

    So I agree with this, but I have to nitpick the rest. Just because the president says it doesn’t mean all people are going to believe it. What the candidate actually stands for matters in whether the attack is believable. It’s a matter of degree, which is why swiftboating worked. But it’s not irrelevant.

  80. 80.

    TenguPhule

    @MisterForkbeard:

    “This is the 2nd time Democrats have attempted to impeach Donald Trump. They’re acting like children.”

    “This is the “X” time that Republicans have demonized the ACA, here’s why this is bad for Obama and Democrats are in Disarray….”

    Hit them, don’t apologize and hit them again. Popularity will follow.

  81. 81.

    TenguPhule

    @zhena gogolia:

    All our energy needs to be directed against Republicans right now, not Democrats.

    It would help a lot if the Speaker would allow her caucus to attack Republicans and tell anyone who asks her why Democrats are being so mean to fuck right off.

  82. 82.

    Dan B

    OT But Trump plus HHS just dealt a blow to Planned Parenthood and Pompeo cut off famiky planning funds because China practices abortion. Apparently both moves are effective immediately.

    And the cop who strangled Eric Garner got off thanks to Barr.

    These GOP nuts really loathe freedom.

  83. 83.

    satby

    @Baud: Dude, it’s one line from a whole speech. He lays out quite a bit more in his speeches, but he also has a way of creating a pithy quote that gets attention.
    We complain that we have weak messaging, then someone comes along who can do decent messaging, and we’ll complain about that.*
    * And notice he says “we”.He’s a team player, subtly defending the entire team Blue. This quote is from before the racist meltdown, but it parries Lindsay Graham’s little “they’re Communists” well too.

  85. 85.

    Dan B

    @Jay: Good info, and I was around during Watergate. 27 motions to Impeach Nixon. Wow!

    Well Dems, let’s get started.

  86. 86.

    Baud

    @satby:

    You highlighted two sentences and I didn’t agree with one of them. I didn’t call for his beheading.

  87. 87.

    jl

    @Baud: I think that to the extent swiftboating worked was that the smears and lies were not countered loudly, immediately and continuously. The Democrats will be swiftboated no matter what they do. Best way to counter that is to make noise, and an honest frank debated during the primary is one very effective way to make noise.

  88. 88.

    jl

    @Baud: ” I didn’t call for his beheading. ”
    Baud 2020! has a dark side. Why say that if your not thinking it? Hmmmm……????

  90. 90.

    Baud

    @jl:

    Yes, I agree. I don’t care where people fall on the ideological spectrum as much as whether they are strong about their position.

  93. 93.

    satby

    @Baud: I guess we’re talking past each other. I don’t think anyone believes trump or the Republicans other than the hardcore Q-anon addicts anymore; and I don’t think belief was implied in that excerpt. I interpreted it more as a politically correct “fuckem” delivered by Buttigieg. Which was why I liked it, of course.

  96. 96.

    debbie

    @Jay:

    None of them cost the Democratic Party anything

    That’s because the Republicans eventually came around. Do you imagine any of the current members will? I honestly don’t.

  97. 97.

    Betty Cracker

    @rikyrah: I wouldn’t support primarying the entire CBC because many of them are great politicians. But they’re not all gems, and the ones who suck shouldn’t be sacrosanct because of their caucus affiliation.

    My district is redder than a baboon’s ass, so it’s all hypothetical for me. But if people in South FL want to put forward a primary challenger for CBC member Alcee Hastings, who is exactly the kind of crook who leads people to believe voting is pointless, more power to them.

  98. 98.

    Steve in the ATL

    @Baud:

    I didn’t call for his beheading.

    Bastille Day was just two days ago. We could really use a French Revolution right about now.

    Reminder: I was promised a high tumbrel number because, even though I’m a management-side labor lawyer, I vote straight ticket D.

    Steve in a delightful French bistro in downtown Chattannoga

  99. 99.

    Jay

    These NDAs contain non-disparagement clauses which prevent the CNN talking heads who have signed them from expressing anything negative about the president. CNN's executives, as Miller understands it, don't care if they're getting honest opinions. Source: https://t.co/Cej3R6dQOF— southpaw (@nycsouthpaw) July 16, 2019

  101. 101.

    Jay

    @jl:

    The ReThugs have a couple of Media Arms, the Democrats have none.

    On the otherhand, “Progressive Social Media” is broad, vast and popular. Wingnut Social Media is a cesspool and full of nutjobs.

    Perhaps the shifted Media landscape and consumption will minimize swiftboating, as rather than the FBI/IC keeping quiet on ratfucking, there are dozens of CyberAnarchists exposing it in real time.

  102. 102.

    Jay

    @debbie:

    ReThugs came around back then, for a bunch of different reasons, from losing Primaries and Elections, to the media and public paying a closer look at their finances, involvements and election campaigns.

    From the first House Resolution to the Supreme Court Ruling, Nixon lost allies and supporters. Some to jail, some retired to spend more time with their lawyers,

    Any many of the Public, who were uninvolved in Politics, or were “Hardhat” supporters of Nixon, changed sides.

    If you can’t impeach Dolt45, then Impeachment’s gone, The Constitution is used toilet paper and maybe some shithole country somewhere will grant you asylum.

    You are 7/10 on the Permanent Nazi Scale, as composed by the Holocaust Museum.

    Nuff said? pic.twitter.com/HkQ79VGv2l— Brunswick1961 (@brunswick1961) July 8, 2019

  103. 103.

    Gelfling 545

    @Baud: No it’s quite relevant which is why I want them to state plainly what they really believe. I’ve had enough of spin and focus group tested messaging. I want them to just spit it out for the dog’s sake.

  106. 106.

    TenguPhule

    @Steve in the ATL:

    Reminder: I was promised a high tumbrel number because, even though I’m a management-side labor lawyer, I vote straight ticket D.

    We’ll commute the sentence to making you defend unions pro bono.

  107. 107.

    Jay

    When asked about Pence’s comments, the agent said the damning descriptions of the facilities are “more substantiated than not.” And, while he didn’t embrace the term concentration camp, he didn’t dispute it either. He searched out loud for a term that might be more accurate. Gulag felt too strong. Jail didn’t feel strong enough.

    He came around to this: “It’s kind of like torture in the army. It starts out with just sleep deprivation, then the next guys come in and sleep deprivation is normal, so they ramp it up. Then the next guys ramp it up some more, and then the next guys, until you have full blown torture going on. That becomes the new normal.”

    https://www.propublica.org/article/a-border-patrol-agent-reveals-what-its-really-like-to-guard-migrant-children

  108. 108.

    JoeyJoeJoe

    Two of the four republican yes votes came from two of the three Republicans who sit in districts that voted for Hillary Rodham Clinton- Hurd and Fitzpatrick. The third is John Katko from Syracuse, who I thought was supposed to be comparatively moderate. I guess not

  109. 109.

    Mnemosyne

    @Betty Cracker:

    My understanding from what rikyrah and lamh36 have said before is that it seems as though more members of the CBC are being targeted by the Justice Dems than any other caucus within Congress. The fact that some of them might deserve to be primaried doesn’t make it okay to target members of that caucus over members of other congressional caucuses.

    I find it highly unlikely that a majority of the bad Democrats in Congress just happen to also be Black, and yet that’s who Justice Democrats are targeting.

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