Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Republicans are the party of chaos and catastrophe.

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

You don’t get to peddle hatred on saturday and offer condolences on sunday.

This isn’t Democrats spending madly. This is government catching up.

Fuck these fucking interesting times.

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

“Can i answer the question? No you can not!”

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Beware of advice from anyone for whom Democrats are “they” and not “we.”

Every one of the “Roberts Six” lied to get on the court.

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

Optimism opens the door to great things.

“In the future, this lab will be a museum. do not touch it.”

We know you aren’t a Democrat but since you seem confused let me help you.

Conservatism: there are people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

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

There is no right way to do the wrong thing.

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

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

I really should read my own blog.

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

You are here: Home / Politics / Impeachment Inquiry / Tuesday Morning Open Thread: In for the Long Haul

Tuesday Morning Open Thread: In for the Long Haul

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On today’s fireworks schedule:

A federal appeals panel said on Monday that President Trump’s accounting firm must turn over eight years of his personal and corporate tax returns to Manhattan prosecutors, a setback for the president’s attempt to keep his financial records private…

In its ruling on Monday, the three-judge appeals panel did not take a position on the president’s biggest argument — that he was immune from all criminal investigations. A lower court had called that argument “repugnant to the nation’s governmental structure and constitutional values.”

Instead, the appeals court said the president’s accounting firm, not Mr. Trump himself, was subpoenaed for the documents, so it did not matter whether presidents had immunity…

“There is no obvious reason why a state could not begin to investigate a president during his term and, with the information secured during that search, ultimately determine to prosecute him after he leaves office,” Judge Katzmann wrote for the panel of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit.

By keeping the ruling narrowly focused on the subpoena directed at Mr. Trump’s accounting firm, the effect may be to allow the Supreme Court to uphold the decision without having to issue a far broader ruling against the president…

Under a deal reached by Mr. Trump’s lawyers with Mr. Vance’s office, the subpoena will not be enforced while Mr. Trump seeks review of the appellate ruling in the Supreme Court, provided that he asks that the court hear the case in its current term, which ends in June.

IMO, dragging it out until five months before the election really gives it that deep philosophical ‘I might die, or the king might die — or maybe the horse will learn to sing!’ flavor (of desperation).

Reader Interactions

124Comments

  1. 1.

    Nicole

    Under a deal reached by Mr. Trump’s lawyers with Mr. Vance’s office, the subpoena will not be enforced while Mr. Trump seeks review of the appellate ruling in the Supreme Court, provided that he asks that the court hear the case in its current term, which ends in June.

    Because if there’s anything we know about Trump, it’s that he upholds his side of a deal. Ugh.

  3. 3.

    OzarkHillbilly

    Blech.

    The gun murder rate in Sweden has exploded in the last 20 years by a thousand percent. They now have 40 per year.

    Gangs in Sweden are now using plastic explosives in their turf wars. They “mostly target empty buildings, offices and cars,” and they are usually small.

    Danes** have gotten so concerned about the violent lawlessness of Swedes that they “have reintroduced border controls”

    All snark aside it is a serious situation, but it’s hard not to look at what is going on there and not think, “In other words, just another day in America.”

    **there have been 2 bombings in Copenhagen they think are connected.

  4. 4.

    Nicole

    @Baud: The deal was reached with Trump’s lawyers, not the lawyers for the accountants. I want to be optimistic, but neither Trump nor Vance have a good record where Trump malfeasance is concerned.

  5. 5.

    Aleta

    In one of the most gripping passages of her testimony, which took place Oct. 11, Marie Yovanovitch said that she remained worried that she would be a target of retaliation by Trump, who referred to her in his July 25 phone call with Ukraine’s president as “bad news” and someone who was “going to go through some things.”

    “I was very concerned” upon reading Trump’s words when the rough transcript of the call was released, Yovanovitch testified. “I still am.” Asked whether she felt threatened, she replied, “Yes.”

    Fear of retaliation — another one of his toxic spills into our climate. Poisoning those who talk, those who could but stay quiet, and those who worry that they might be unreasonably suspected. Mafia effect. Cult effect. Militarization effect, police state. To protect your co-workers or smaller family or self, you end up protecting the ones on top. Sick stuff going on.

  6. 6.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    That unemployment chart: Nebraska, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Missouri, North Carolina, Mississippi are getting hammered by the tariff war.

  9. 9.

    Baud

    @Nicole:

    Trump is in the case separately from the accountants. Vance could renege, but he’d be pretty exposed if he dropped the case now.

  10. 10.

    Dog Mom

    Good Morning, All and especially potential adopters! Just need to put this out here with hopes of making a love connection! Sweet boy, Rocco in Kansas City, Mo needs a home. He has Addison’s disease – chronic, lifelong, but well managed with a bit of prednisone given daily, and a shot of another steroid given monthly. Treated dogs can live full healthy lives. Low dose protocol for the meds make it more affordable than you may have heard. The support group can answer questions about the disease and treatment. (I will be off to work, but can answer questions later today.) edit – not sure if the link will show up – sorry that it is the evil Facebook.

  12. 12.

    Gvg

    I think the accountants helped Trump do something illegal in those taxes and they aren’t sheilded from prosecution now. I don’t think Trump would have even chosen an honest accountant firm in the first place. He would want one to do whatever he wanted because he is always right in his mind. Now it’s going to come out. That is why they are fighting when I think Nixon’s didn’t.

  13. 13.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Sab: I hear “bombings” at the gun range down the way 3 or 4 times a year. No telling how many I don’t hear. People play with explosives a lot more than most know. I doubt there is any violent intent behind most of it (as in practicing for the synagogue), just “Let’s blow some shit up.” fun.

    Besides, I did say “All snark aside it is a serious situation”.

  14. 14.

    Matt McIrvin

    @OzarkHillbilly: It’s odd that these changes vary so strongly and abruptly across state boundaries. Is that real, maybe something to do with the state regulatory environment, or is it because the numbers are affected by artifacts of how state governments count unemployment?

  15. 15.

    WereBear

    @Gvg: I think the accountants helped Trump do something illegal in those taxes and they aren’t shielded from prosecution now.

    I agree on all counts. Because he’s had them for years and who else would he hire? An honest person who gets stiffed or a crook who is in on the scam?

  16. 16.

    Aleta

    The pup had 12 teeth taken out a few weeks ago and has been acting 3 years younger for it.

    With his age or maybe hearing or vision loss, less familiar places seem to confuse him more though.

  17. 17.

    Betty Cracker

    We got some terrible news about a close relative’s health yesterday evening, and I feel helpless and sick about it. I am filled with dread for the hard days ahead. Just waiting for the sun to come up so I can go take a walk and try to clear my head.

  18. 18.

    David ??Booooooo?? Koch

    @WereBear: remember how Manafort’s accountant was crooked. I’m sure it’s the same case here.

    Plus, Dump has never hired anyone on the level. For example, long time employees John Bannon, David Dennison and John Miller were complete frauds.

  20. 20.

    Aleta

    @OzarkHillbilly: That would explain the cannon booms I thought I heard a while ago coming from the home range of the minister’s kid (the believe-in-hell-to-get-saved sect, no joke).

  21. 21.

    Sab

    @OzarkHillbilly:Sorry. Agreed with and noted your “this is a serious situation.” Just trying to deflect a new not normal.

    I saw a map of “mass shootings” in the US a while ago. My county had seven. I was “”WTF!” Then I realized that I had actually read about all of them in the newspaper, but the only two I remembered involved people I knew or that my husband knew.

    Then I thought: WTF, my husband and I both knew people who were killed in mass shootings in our own not famous hometown. This is the new normal.

    I would just as soon not add bombings to the list of formerly bad but now normal. We have Lebanese and Yugoslavian refugees in my neighborhood who agree with me.

  22. 22.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Matt McIrvin: I don’t know, but it is really weird when Ala-fucking-bama shows all that deep green and Mississippi is blood red. Politically the states aren’t all that different. I suppose cotton is getting hit hard by retaliatory tarriffs, but they grow cotton all across the south.

  24. 24.

    Dog Mom

    @Betty Cracker: Sending wishes of peace and strength – I hope that rough times are short and your relative can find a path back to health and happiness quickly.

  27. 27.

    oatler.

    Let’s raise a glass to Marshall Efron, who passed a few days ago. I remember him well from the PBS’ “The Great American Dream Machine”. Check out his olive sketch on Youtube.

  29. 29.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @Aleta: They now sell exploding targets at the local farm stores, tama-something or other. That may be some of what you are hearing, but when my windows get rattled, that’s more than an exploding target.

    @Sab: Agreed. This country is just whacko crazy in too many ways. Was sitting in my infamous barber shop waiting my turn when a local shared a video somebody had sent him. It was some guys shooting at a 20# propane cylinder until it exploded. You could hear shrapnel wizzing thru the branches above them just before they began laughing and slapping themselves on the back.

    ETA: sorry about your friends, it’s harder to lose them violently.

  31. 31.

    Jeffro

    Vote vote VOTE today, VA peeps! We can’t let the last decade of progress slip away – keep VA blue!

  36. 36.

    Central Planning

    @OzarkHillbilly: Tannerite? There are youtube videos with all sorts of explosions. When used for fun explosions in an empty field it seems pretty cool. Other uses… not so much.

    ETA: Ninja’d by eclare. Doh!

  37. 37.

    eclare

    @OzarkHillbilly: Used to work with a bunch who were one generation off the farm. Fun times back in the Delta involved things like blowing up pumpkins. At least it was in the middle of nowhere.

  38. 38.

    RAVEN

    @Central Planning: I have potter friends who dynamited an entire ridge on their property back in the 70’s. I’ve blown up all kinds of shit, not anymore but once upon a time.

  40. 40.

    Aleta

    @OzarkHillbilly: The boom shook the air, no thought needed, just a long lasting animal response in some deep part of the nervous system. The tough unflappable neighbor came over to ask what I thought. Unusual.

  43. 43.

    Central Planning

    @RAVEN: My dad let us stick firecrackers in all sorts of stuff when we were kids. Ants were the only living creatures we harmed, and I wouldn’t do that again.

  44. 44.

    JPL

    Earlier I put out signs for candidates I support at voting sites and let me tell you if I heard so much as a car backfire, I would have headed home until daylight.
    All this talk about bombs and firecrackers doesn’t help my mood.

  47. 47.

    Anne Laurie

    @Aleta:

    The pup had 12 teeth taken out a few weeks ago and has been acting 3 years younger for it.

    True story: I’m pretty dental-phobic, but I finally started getting regular cleanings when I saw how older dogs would ‘turn back the clock’ like this.

    Aging eyes & ears there isn’t a similar ‘miracle’ cure for, unfortunately. Just as elderly people tend to get ‘set in their ways’ as negotiating change gets harder, it seems like old dogs (& cats) lose confidence sometimes even faster than the physical deterioration requires.

  48. 48.

    Dog Mom

    I voted on Saturday at the local mall under NY state’s new early voting law! For the few minutes that I was there, it looked like a steady turnout of voters. I thanked the enthusiastic volunteers working the site. Many fresh names on my local ballot and most positions were contested. This was a big and welcome change from years past – I am optimistic!

  50. 50.

    OzarkHillbilly

    911 supervisor playing Netflix movie didn’t flag call as a shooting Floriduuuuhhhh:

    A Coral Springs police dispatch supervisor was at work playing a Netflix movie when she didn’t catch an incorrectly logged 911 call. A woman phoned 911 to report someone had just shot at her car, piercing her back window, hitting her front windshield and almost shooting her in the head. But there was a half-hour delay in the call being dispatched to an officer. Julie Vidaud was the shift supervisor minutes before 7 p.m. on a June evening.

    The woman who phoned 911 said during the shooting, a hot metal piece landed in her lap, which later turned out to be a bullet. The 911 dispatcher assured the woman that help was on the way. But the woman, Guadalupe Herrera, called back about 16 minutes later “very upset and concerned that they may shoot again,” according to police records. Herrera called 911 again four minutes later, saying she was going to drive herself to the police station. Herrera recalled Monday how she was devastated that she called for help and nobody came.

    “It was a very hard situation,” she told the South Florida Sun Sentinel. “It was a drive-by shooting. My windshield was shattered. Nobody showed up — I had to drive myself to the agency.”
    ………………………………………
    They pulled data from Vidaud’s computer over 30 days to find the most-used applications were Netflix, Hulu and Xfinity TV. They found that the movie “I Am Mother,” with actress Hilary Swank, played at her workstation for almost two hours while the 911 caller was reporting the shooting. On June 9, the day of the shooting, Vidaud’s computer also showed use of “numerous site clicks for websites related to shopping, news stories, streaming TV, movies, vacation planning, and fewer that could be considered work related,” according to an internal affairs investigation report released Monday.

    Vidaud told an investigator that movies play in the background but that doesn’t mean she was watching a flick for two hours. She said the supervisor’s console has five monitors. She said “there was a good chance that Netflix was running but that she would not have been watching during that period of time,” according to the report.

    The investigator, Sgt. Dave Kirkland, told her this call was handled so badly he would describe it as a “catastrophic failure,” according to records.

    Kirkland, who oversees internal investigations, wrote in his report that “the evidence conclusively shows that Vidaud spends an inordinate amount of time conducting personal business” on her police work computer, including movies and streaming TV.

  60. 60.

    debbie

    @satby:

    And the other people aren’t even the right people! It’s not the arugula eaters who have screwed them over; it’s the corporate world which is now getting all of the benefits of the Trump Disaster.

  63. 63.

    OzarkHillbilly

    FTFNYT but Lev Parnas, Giuliani Associate, Opens Talks With Impeachment Investigators

    An associate of Rudolph W. Giuliani who was involved in a campaign to pressure Ukraine into aiding President Trump’s political prospects has broken ranks, opening a dialogue with congressional impeachment investigators and accusing the president of falsely denying their relationship.

    The associate, Lev Parnas, had previously resisted speaking with investigators for the Democrat-led impeachment proceedings, which are examining the president’s pressure attempts in Ukraine. A former lawyer for Mr. Trump was then representing Mr. Parnas.

    But since then, Mr. Parnas has hired new lawyers who contacted the congressional investigators last week to notify them to “direct any future correspondence or communication to us,” according to a copy of the letter.

    The lawyers also signaled on Monday that Mr. Parnas, who was arrested last month on campaign finance charges, is prepared to comply with a congressional subpoena for his documents and testimony.

    Rats. Ships.

  64. 64.

    JMG

    I agree with Baud. As long as Trump stands for the idea that no matter what, white people deserve to rule due to their inherent superiority, his voters will never leave him even if there was to be a depression. They’re not a majority, however.

  69. 69.

    ?BillinGlendaleCA

    Back from my trip to the dark, my skytracker ran out of juice at the end of my first set, so I couldn’t shoot the pic of the Triangelium Galaxy like I’d planned. It’ll have to wait until after the next new moon. It was much quieter up there than when Madame and I were up there a week and a half ago(that was a Friday night and apparently the local yutes like to hang out there on weekends).

  71. 71.

    Baud

    Don’t usually get to say positive things about Oklahoma, but good for them on the drug commutations.

  72. 72.

    gene108

    @Baud:

    Vance could renege, but he’d be pretty exposed if he dropped the case now.

    He ran unopposed last election. I don’t know, if someone has the resources or interest to run against him.

    Even city wide races in NYC probably are pretty pricey, which may give him an above average level of job security for an elected official

  73. 73.

    satby

    I took advantage of the (probably last) two days of mild weather to pull out the summer bulbs, plant the spring ones, add more dirt to the hugelkultur bed, and get the summer bulbs into storage. And go help some friends in Goshen plan and plant some tulips and daffodils as well as heel in some roses and plant some stuff they just didn’t get around to. I have muscles aching that I forgot I even had. But for the first time ever I finished the gardening chores I wanted to. Even planted the bonus lilies of the valley that were displaced at my friends’ house when we were digging holes for the bulbs. I’m temporarily awash in a glow of achy accomplishment ?

  75. 75.

    gene108

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Seems like the Republican Party* took a page out of Bush, Jr.’s “successful” North Korea playbook.

    Democrats negotiate a deal, in order to keep a less than upstanding country to shelve their nuke program, then the succeeding Republican Administration scraps the deal.

    In North Korea’s case, they relaunched their nuke program, in 2002, and detonated a nuke in 2006.

    * Every Republican running for President said they would scrap Obama’s nuke deal. So much malfeasance is broader than just Trump

  76. 76.

    Professor BIgfoot

    @JMG:

    I agree with Baud. As long as Trump stands for the idea that no matter what, white people deserve to rule due to their inherent superiority, his voters will never leave him even if there was to be a depression. They’re not a majority, however.

    They’re not a majority of Americans, true. But they ARE a majority of white Americans.

  79. 79.

    PPCLI

    @Nicole: This is one of the moments when you remember that 2012 Vance’s prosecutors had Ivanka and Don Jr. dead to rights on felony fraud for systematically lying to investors in connection with NYC condos they were selling. (Emails indicating they were knowingly presenting the investors with inflated figures concerning how fast the condos were selling etc.) Probably you all know this, but it never hurts to remind ourselves.

    In one email, according to four people who have seen it, the Trumps discussed how to coordinate false information they had given to prospective buyers. In another, according to a person who read the emails, they worried that a reporter might be onto them. In yet another, Donald Jr. spoke reassuringly to a broker who was concerned about the false statements, saying that nobody would ever find out, because only people on the email chain or in the Trump Organization knew about the deception, according to a person who saw the email.

    But then Trump’s attorney/fixer Kassowitz paid Vance a visit, and he overruled his attorneys, giving no reason except an empty (paraphrase:) “Well, they thought there was a case there but I didn’t”.

    So is there any other relevant information to note? Funny you should ask:

    Just before the 2012 meeting, Vance’s campaign had returned Kasowitz’s $25,000 contribution, in keeping with what Vance describes as standard practice when a donor has a case before his office. Kasowitz “had no influence and his contributions had no influence whatsoever on my decision-making in the case,” Vance said.

    But less than six months after the D.A.’s office dropped the case, Kasowitz made an even larger donation to Vance’s campaign, and helped raise more from others — eventually, a total of more than $50,000. After being asked about these donations as part of the reporting for this article — more than four years after the fact — Vance said he now plans to give back Kasowitz’s second contribution, too. “I don’t want the money to be a millstone around anybody’s neck, including the office’s,” he said.

    (From Propublica, which has more info than the earlier NYT article that broke the story.)

    https://www.propublica.org/article/ivanka-donald-trump-jr-close-to-being-charged-felony-fraud

    So let’s just say that we shouldn’t assume Vance is doing anything except trying to appear as if he is doing something (to cover his ass) while slow-playing things as much as possible to keep the Trumps from revealing embarrassing info about their dealings. When you dance with the devil, he owns you.

    Maybe not, maybe Vance really is doing the right thing, but I won’t believe that until we see concrete, finished results.

  80. 80.

    Ben Cisco

    Ugh – just found out that Trumplethinskin is coming to my town this weekend. Glad I’ll be elsewhere.

  82. 82.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @satby: I’ve decided to build a couple hugelkultur beds in my veggie garden. Lord knows, I have plenty of downed limbs for the base in my woods.

  84. 84.

    BC in Illinois

    @Just Chuck:

    Either the Republican Party dies, or this country does.

    I saw a variation on this somewhere, along the lines of:

    1) I can envision the Republican Party coming to an end.
    2) I can envision the nation coming to an end.
    3) I can’t envision the nation continuing to exist, if the Republican Party continues to exist.

  85. 85.

    OzarkHillbilly

    @gene108:

    Every Republican running for President said they would scrap Obama’s nuke deal. So much malfeasance is broader than just Trump

    trump is the symptom, “conservatism” is the disease. (in quotes because there is very little that is conservative in today’s GOP)

    And yeah, the old “Axis of Evil”. That’s really working out well for us.

  86. 86.

    Immanentize

    @satby:
    Well done, Satby! I need your steady hand at my place. But I did manage to pull in the potted plants that would have died in our frost. A small win. Yet, a win

  89. 89.

    Sloane Ranger

    So, fun and games on the last day of Parliament. Dominic Grieve, Chair of the Intelligence and Security Committee asked an Urgent Question about why the government is sitting on his committee’s report on Russian meddling in our elections/Brexit referendum. Apparently the Intelligence community has already cleared the report for publication but dear old Boris sent out a junior Minister to argue that more time was needed to ensure security wasn’t compromised.

    The Opposition went there and accused Number 10 of a cover up. The junior Minister described this as a “paranoid fantasy “. At least there was some push back from the Government backbenchers.

  91. 91.

    chopper

    @Baud:

    trump’s best option is to delay all this somehow through the election. june seems a long way away, but if the decision is bad for trump the tax returns would come out right in summer time which would be terrible for him.

  92. 92.

    sdhays

    @Cheryl Rofer: “Transcript” has become a triggering word for me. I see that word now and I want to scream “IT’S NOT A TRANSCRIPT, IT’S A ‘MEMO’!!11!”.

    But this time, I thought “IT’S NOT A TRANS….oh! You’re talking about real transcripts. Carry on.”

    I hate this timeline.

  93. 93.

    Professor BIgfoot

    @OzarkHillbilly: I’ve been railing about that for quite a while now.

    As far as I can see, “conservatism” is little more than white supremacy and fealty to the wealthiest.

    That is, “conservatism” is “Confederatism.”

  94. 94.

    Immanentize

    I’m working on my panel presentation on impeachment this afternoon. Sound like anyone we know?

    the same observation (of Montesquieu) will apply to the court of a president possessing the powers of a monarch, that is observed of that of a monarch—ambition with idleness—baseness with pride—the thirst of riches without labour—aversion to truth—flattery—treason—perfidy—violation of engagements—contempt of civil duties—hope from the magistrate’s weakness; but above all, the perpetual ridicule of virtue….

    –Cato IV (Antifederalist, presumed to be New York’s George Clinton, on the dangers of the Constitutional structures of the President)

  96. 96.

    chopper

    @raven:

    We’d go down to TJ and load up on real m/80’s , silver salute’s and cherry bombs and go to town!

    man, the Trader Joe’s in the south are waaaay better.

  97. 97.

    CarolDuhart2

    At 7:30 am, I went in and voted. Now I shouldn't expect a lot of turnout-the only things on the ballot this year are school board, judges, and levies. But when I put my ballot into the scanner, I was #21.— Carol Johnson (@townsquare56) November 5, 2019

  98. 98.

    sdhays

    @gene108: As I recall, he was lucky that the Weinstein revelations happened just before his last election, so no one had time to file to oppose him. I think next time around, there will be people willing to open their checkbooks for a challenger, so I think he won’t be unopposed next time.

  99. 99.

    CarolDuhart2

    Remember that poll that said 72% of people were excited to vote next year? Forget next yea, what about now? People want NO republicans even downballot.

  101. 101.

    Nicole

    @PPCLI: yep, I agree with all of this. Vance is garbage. I appreciate Baud’s optimism, and I guess that’s why he’s running for President. That’s why I wanna be his VP. He can be all positive and I’ll be the one screaming “We’re all doomed!” It’s a good combo, I think.

  105. 105.

    Kay

    @Baud:

    It’s a real problem for the legal system if people believe they don’t or won’t prosecute white collar crime though, and people seem to believe that. There’s no reason for the masses to voluntarily comply with these laws if wealthy people are held harmless. They’re going to see more and more noncompliance. It was always 99% voluntary. The fact is they can’t police everyone and check everything. Maybe it’ll get their attention when they start seeing real numbers- tens of millions of the not-so-wealthy also dodging these laws.

  107. 107.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @CarolDuhart2: Down ticket races: We have some judge retention votes and the local Dem party was not making a recommendation on them for some reason. So I researched the party affiliations (not listed on the ballot) and anybody who was Republican got a big NO.

  108. 108.

    Tony Jay

    @Sloane Ranger:

    It’s just blatant, isn’t it? The slovenly coward just hides away in his protective bubble and avoids any scrutiny, all the while spewing out the same discredited talking points to the same friendly journos.

    It’s not sustainable. I know I’m biased so take this with as much salt as you like on your chips but I see this election taking the same hard, leftward swing as 2017, only further and faster. Johnson is a different bag of neurosis than May but he’s got the same problem, only worse His record is pants, he’s got no achievements, and he’s clearly no good at actually campaigning when there are more important issues on the table than “Isn’t he funny? Wouldn’t he be a laugh running the place?”

    Labour (and the smaller Opposition parties) should take the kind offer and hammer on this issue all the way up to election day. It’s obviously a weakness or they wouldn’t be hiding it. Ask the same questions every day. What are they hiding? Who are they protecting? Why won’t they defend our democracy? Who benefits? They either keep shielding it or they get forced to release it, either works for me.

    Offhand I can’t think of a single ‘win’ the Tories have picked up since the election was announced. On this, the NHS, drug prices, the Environment, Grenfell, etc etc, it’s just been one rake-to-the-face after another. Anyone would think that apart from their love-affair with the Media they’re just not very good at this politics malarky.

  112. 112.

    Betty Cracker

    Y’all are the best — thanks for the positive thoughts. We muddle through as best we can, right? No choice! But caring friends make the muddling through a little easier. Thanks again.

  114. 114.

    matryoshka

    @OzarkHillbilly: If Women Rose Rooted is wonderful, in that it shows how she grew spiritually through her connection to Celtic land and culture she came from. Sharon Blackie also wrote a novel based on her life called The Long Delirious Burning Blue. She has a website and does online studies on dreams, myths, etc.

  117. 117.

    Sebastian

    @Betty Cracker:

    My heart goes out to you.

    For what it’s worth, counterintuitively, it helps to breathe deep and dive into the negative emotion (helplessness, despair, anguish, …). Best done while laying down and being alone because you might cry and scream. You have to acknowledge and accept it or it will persist and take over everything else in your life.

    All the best dear.

  123. 123.

    Uncle Cosmo

    The major problem with “conservatism” is that it’s become a stalking horse for the Global Oligarchy Project. It’s (far) right there in the initials – G O P. It’s why there’s never been any putsch-back from spozedly-Murkkan bazillionaires on Vlad the Paler: He’s doing the Lord’s work – since their Lord is named Mammon. The idea is to holllow out democratic governments across the globe until they function solely as an ATM for the bazillionaires – squeeze taxes from “the little people” & hand them to the oligarchs. Capital moves unrestricted between nations at the speed of light while ordinary human beings can’t make a decent living except by either (i) hiring themselves out to the oligarcy, or (ii) taking it away from others as bad (or worse) off than they are. Bigotry, misogyny, homophobia – indeed any form of “hatetheotherism” – is heavensent for them (since their heaven looks very much like Scrooge McDuck’s Money Bin): Keep the masses fighting each “other” for the few scraps you leave them & the plutocrats are home scot-free with the vast majority of the loot.

    Bastards.

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