Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I didn’t have alien invasion on my 2023 BINGO card.

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

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

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

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

This really is a full service blog.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Seems like a complicated subject, have you tried yelling at it?

Why is it so hard for them to condemn hate?

They traffic in fear. it is their only currency. if we are fearful, they are winning.

We are aware of all internet traditions.

Since when do we limit our critiques to things we could do better ourselves?

Hot air and ill-informed banter

This has so much WTF written all over it that it is hard to comprehend.

You cannot shame the shameless.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

I did not have this on my fuck 2022 bingo card.

I know this must be bad for Joe Biden, I just don’t know how.

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

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

Despite his magical powers, I don’t think Trump is thinking this through, to be honest.

And now I have baud making fun of me. this day can’t get worse.

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trumpery / Trump Crime Cartel / Things That Legitimately Terrify Me

Things That Legitimately Terrify Me

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Against my better judgement, I watched a little bit of Senator Kennedy’s appearance on Beat the Press this morning. He honestly believes the Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections because the Washington Examiner and the Financial Times said so. He also thinks the impeachment inquiry is a trial.

These are the people running the country and they are dumb as a stump. It’s horrifying.

Reader Interactions

88Comments

  4. 4.

    zhena gogolia

    I’m more terrified by “journalist” Martha Raddatz on ABC pretending she doesn’t understand that Ukraine only got the aid because Drumpf got caught, and that impeachment is just a political exercise because not a single Republican has signed on.

    Rep. Val Demings: "The fact that the president got caught in the act does not relieve him of being held accountable." Via ABC pic.twitter.com/y94I6UJYAe— Kyle Griffin (@kylegriffin1) December 1, 2019

  6. 6.

    Mike in Oly

    I don’t think he believes any of it. But he knows his career is over if he doesn’t to the line. They all saw what the tea party did and they don’t want the primary challenge.

  7. 7.

    Anne Laurie

    Yeah, I’m informed dude was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford. Unless he’s gone senile unusually early, he doesn’t “think” these lies are true, he just believes that the words of his Lord Murdoch are holy dogma, and not to be contested.

    Appropriate in its way for a Sunday morning, but *not* as a method of policy-making.

  8. 8.

    trollhattan

    He’s legit the worst Kennedy*, and RFK Jr. is on the list so that’s a low bar.

    *Yeah, I know.

  11. 11.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Wait, what did the Financial Times do? They’re a legitimate journalistic outfit as far as I was aware

  15. 15.

    bbleh

    Well, as they say, if there were no idiots in Congress, it wouldn’t be a representative institution.

     

    As to whether Kennedy “believes” or not, it’s irrelevant.  He acts like he believes, and it’s his actions that matter, not his true inner beliefs.  He may not actually be dumb as a stump, but he acts that way, and that presumably is because he thinks his constituents truly are dumb as stumps.

     

    One hears Republicans complaining that they believe Democrats think they’re stupid, but they never seem to mention the abundant evidence that their own representatives think so.

  16. 16.

    dmsilev

    @debbie: Well, in that case obviously Devin Nunes should be called as a witness as well. Ok, maybe he’d take the Fifth, but still.

  17. 17.

    Nicole

    @Anne Laurie:

    Yeah, I’m informed dude was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford.

     

    Seriously?   Maybe Pete B. should stop including in his press that he was  one, too.  Doesn’t seem to make for an advantage.

  18. 18.

    sukabi

    @John Cole: could be that the repub senate spaces are covered in chipping lead paint and the methane from all the bullshit they’ve been shoveling for the last 50+ years has lead to brain damage…or it could be all the $$$ from their billionaire benefactors.

     

    Mostly I go for the “if their lips are moving they’re lying” explanation.

  20. 20.

    Yarrow

    @John Cole:  He’s not a “true believer.” Putin owns his ass, as was evidenced by the 4th of July trip to Russia he made. He knows he’s got to sell it and sell it hard. That’s what he’s doing. He’s terrified whatever his secret is will be made public and he’s dancing as hard as he can to keep that from happening.

  22. 22.

    rikyrah

    I don’t believe that he believes it.

     

    Kennedy went to RUSSIA ON JULY FOURTH.

     

    Never forget that.

     

    He should be asked about this everytime he comes in front of the television.???

  28. 28.

    germy

    “Russia was very aggressive and they’re much more sophisticated,” the conservative senator declared. “But the fact that Russia was so aggressive does not exclude the fact that President Poroshenko actively worked for Secretary Clinton.”

     

    “Actively worked for Secretary Clinton?! My goodness, wait a minute, Senator Kennedy,” Todd shot back. “You now have the president of Ukraine saying he worked for the Democratic nominee for president. C’mon. You realize the only other person selling this argument outside the United States is this man, Vladimir Putin!”

     

    The NBC host then highlighted the Russian president recently boasting that “nobody is accusing us anymore of interfering in U.S. election” but instead blaming Ukraine.

    When the hell did Chuck Todd start pushing back at Republicans?  I thought his job was to nod along quietly and then say “We’ll have to leave that here…”

  29. 29.

    Yarrow

    Gary Kasparov disagrees with you, John.

    It’s not an “argument”. It’s Putin’s propaganda, invented to weaken support for Ukraine and distract from proven Russian culpability. Trump is gullible enough to believe it, but the rest are willingly putting these lies over US national security. https://t.co/eOpmdGq2UB
    — Garry Kasparov (@Kasparov63) December 1, 2019

  31. 31.

    Yarrow

    @germy:  I find this sort of comment completely ridiculous. WHY are people whose job is politics so surprised by someone like Sen. Kennedy spouting Putin’s line? Have they no curiosity about why he along with many other elected reps went to Russia on the 4th of July? Can they not draw lines between things like that? It’s embarrassing that our so-called political experts are either this stupid or bought and paid for by some entity that requires them to tweet out fakes shock and surprise.

  32. 32.

    SFAW

    @Cheryl Rofer:

    Kennedy was one of the eight Republicans who decided to celebrate Fourth of July in Moscow this year.

    Sen. Shelby (AL)

    Sen. Daines (Montana)

    Sen. Hoeven (ND)

    Sen. Kennedy (LA)

    Sen. Moran (KS)

    Sen. Thune (SD)

    Sen. Johnson (WI)

    Rep. Granger (TX)

     

    People should be reminded of these Russian assets’ (or useful idiots’) traitorous behavior on a weekly basis, if not daily.

  33. 33.

    jk

    Joe Biden as the Democratic nominee terrifies me because he’s the easiest candidate for Trump to beat. He’s an uninspiring dumbass politician who, at 77 years old, already looks and sounds like he has one foot in the grave. When the Ukraine / Hunter Biden story broke, Biden was a deer caught in the headlights. He stumbled and bumbled his way through several news cycles without effectively responding to reporters’ questions. He’s the worst goddamn political counterpuncher I’ve ever seen. Even when the facts are on his side he’s too fucking clumsy and clueless to get out in front of a story and put things in their proper context. Once the Republicans fully crank up their opposition research machine, Biden will fold like a cheap motherfucking lawn chair under their withering assault.

  34. 34.

    patrick II

    @Yarrow:

    Time to bring  out the old  Upton Sinclair quote “people  believe what they are paid to beleive”

    Bing in debt  to Putin  and believing modern Republican mmythology  are not mutually  exclusive.   Trump is  the Chasen one,  any truth  has to  be consistent  with that  primary.   Therefore,  for many  of the type  of people  called  true  believers by Eric Hoffer,  Their logic  requires  Ukraine efforts to  undermine    our election are true,  and they  believe it  from the  bottom of their  simple hearts.  As anyone  knows,  he have always  been at war with Ukraine.

  38. 38.

    germy

    . @ChuckTodd says Kennedy's accusations about Ukraine sound like "an active propaganda campaign by Russia to get people like you to say these things."

    "You apparently were briefed about this [in the Senate]. … You didn't attend that briefing?"@SenJohnKennedy: "No." #MTP

    — Meet the Press (@MeetThePress) December 1, 2019

  42. 42.

    Yarrow

    @germy: By what? Her response? Anyone who is still shocked and surprised by Sen. Kennedy’s comments is not paying attention. The only thing shocking about this exchange is that Chuck Todd pointed out that Kennedy was spewing Russian disinformation.

  43. 43.

    Yarrow

    @germy:  The obvious Russian assets weren’t there. Must have been a mandatory meeting for the marginal assets to keep them in line.

  44. 44.

    germy

    @Yarrow:

     

    I don’t know what to tell you.  Panelists who appear on shows like Meet The Press are emotionally and intellectually invested in the notion that the system works, that Republicans and Democrats, although they may disagree about certain details of governance, are both committed to doing what’s best for the country.

     

    We’re jackals and we know what’s what, but the professional class of pundit doesn’t seem to know.  Maybe if they talked on-air the way we commented here, they wouldn’t be invited back on the morning shows.

  45. 45.

    Yarrow

    @germy:

    I don’t know what to tell you.  Panelists who appear on shows like Meet The Press are emotionally and intellectually invested in the notion that the system works, that Republicans and Democrats, although they may disagree about certain details of governance, are both committed to doing what’s best for the country.

    They are? I think there are many types of panelists, from elected officials to lobbyists to campaign managers and so forth. Some are invested in the system and doing what’s best for the country, some are devoted to their wallets and some are working for our enemies. Anyone who is naive enough to believe that everyone in politics is doing what’s best for the country needs to find another line of work.

  46. 46.

    Patricia Kayden

    Your daily reminder that Trump is the first president elected since Nixon to refuse to release his tax returns, and any payments from Russia remain secret.— Citizens for Ethics (@CREWcrew) December 2, 2019

  47. 47.

    mrmoshpotato

    @germy:

    Maybe if they talked on-air the way we commented here, they wouldn’t be invited back on the morning shows. 

    That would definitely be the result if someone told Kennedy to his face that he was full of shit.

  48. 48.

    James E Powell

    He honestly believes the Ukraine interfered in the 2016 elections

     

    Really? He’s a Republican. When are they ever honest?

  49. 49.

    Bill Arnold

    @Cheryl Rofer:
    Some links because this thread needs more links. :-)
    Reporting at the time (July 2018) says that Kennedy said that he thought that Russia was the meddler. Or at least a meddler. (Assuming he was included in the “consensus”)
    GOP Senators Tell Contradictory Stories About Moscow Trip – A key Republican came back from the Kremlin seemingly shrugging off Russian aggression. His colleagues are confused as hell by his talk. Inside a controversial mission to Moscow. (Andrew Desiderio, Jul. 10, 2018)

    During those briefings, senators were informed that the Russian officials were under the impression that only Democrats were critical of Russia for its election-meddling and its incursions into eastern Europe and the Middle East.
    “I wanted to disabuse them of that notion,” Kennedy said. “I think there’s a consensus in Congress that if Russia meddles again, then we’ll double down on the sanctions.”

    For completeness, the list:
    Republicans on Russia trip face scorn and ridicule from critics at home (Karoun Demirjian, July 5, 2018)

    Sen. Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.) led the eight-member delegation on a multiday tour of St. Petersburg and Moscow, a trip that included meetings with Russia’s foreign minister and parliamentarians. It did not include a session that senators had been hoping for: a meeting with Putin, whom President Trump is scheduled to meet at a summit this month.
    Joining Shelby were Sens. Steve Daines (R-Mont.), John Hoeven (R-N.D.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), John Kennedy (R-La.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) and John Thune (R-S.D.), and Rep. Kay Granger (R-Tex.).

    I also like Charles Pierce’s piece at the time:
    This Ought to Run in Campaign Ads from Now Through Eternity -Attention Optics Police: a crew of Republican senators spent the Fourth of July in…Moscow. (Charles P. Pierce, Jul 5, 2018)

  54. 54.

    Ella in New Mexico

    @Anne Laurie:Yeah, I’m informed dude was a Rhodes scholar at Oxford.

    Which leads one to think that all those “folksy chucklehead jokes” he uses in every interview are a big fat act.

  56. 56.

    Yarrow

    @zhena gogolia:  Yep, you can see the fear. Also, agree with you re: Kasparov and Trump generally. Although Trump’s diminishing mental capacity makes him a bit more of a wildcard than he would have been a decade ago.

  61. 61.

    wvng

    I’m surprised no one has noted thst, although Todd pushed back on one thing, that he allowed Kennedy to spin an utterly false narrative about what has happened in the investigation and hearings so far.  Todd let that all slide as if Kennedy wasn’t just lying about all that.

  62. 62.

    TS (the original)

    Completely off topic – testing new computer. My favorite Win7 – 11 years old – decided it didn’t want to work any more.

  63. 63.

    Jay

    @Bex:

     

    not really, Pete visited some strikers today and asked them how the “bridge funding” was doing,……

     

    not the “strike fund”,…… the “bridge funding”.

  64. 64.

    Yarrow

    @zhena gogolia: Good Lord. I’d missed that.

     

    I’m legitimately disturbed that someone like John who is ostensibly politically astute and even has his own political blog is convinced by Sen. Kennedy’s act on MTP that Kennedy is some sort of true believer. Come on. We’ve been aware of this stuff since at least 2016. Look deeper. Don’t buy the PR. Don’t fall for their words. Look at their actions and their relationships, financial and otherwise. This stuff isn’t that that hard. I’m really disappointed that people haven’t learned this sort of thing by now. Adam posts about it all the time on John’s very own blog. This is Russian disinformation 101. Wake up!

  66. 66.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Bex: I suspect that that was what the kids are calling the snark.

    And list me with those who think Kennedy knows damn well he’s spewing nonsense, he’s doing it to keep the goobers riled up and confused. Lindsey also knows what he’s doing.

    Kevin McCarthy enough is oatmeal-brained enough to not know.

  70. 70.

    ChristianPinko

    @bbleh: I’m from Louisiana. Kennedy is a fraud. He went to Oxford and Vanderbilt, yet every word that comes out of his mouth is a straight-up Foghorn Leghorn impersonation. His supporters are in fact dumb as stumps.

  72. 72.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Anne Laurie:  I don’t think I’ve ever seen Kennedy named a “Rhodes Scholar”, I think “studied at Oxford” is more accurate

    ETA: Per Wiki In 1979, he earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honours from Oxford University (Magdalen College) in England, where he studied under Sir Rupert Cross and Sir John H.C. Morris

    He was also a Democrat until the early 90s. Sounds like part of big class of flippers of the early Clinton years

  73. 73.

    Jay

    @Bex:

     

    nope, it’s an MBA “brain fart” and theoretically, prep that didn’t sink in. Toss in his attacks on “free college” because billionaires,….. M4A because “how are we going to pay for it” and lumping $100k families in with billionaires and millionaires,

     

    there are huge economic justice, social justice and inequality issues that are destroying America,

     

    and Pete and his team just don’t get it, or worse, are deliberately positioning themselves in the Bloomberg/Schultz lane.

     

    it’s one thing for a politician to be cynical, not the problems with inequality, and state that nothing/little can be done because the Billionaires are against it,

     

    and another thing to ,…….

  74. 74.

    sgrAstar

    Google says Kennedy went to Oxford, but nowhere is it claimed that he was a Rhodes Scholar. Bobby Jindal, however….

  77. 77.

    Dk in SD

    I like Jim Wright’s (@Stonekettle) take on him:

    “Senator John Neely Kennedy, Republican from Louisiana isn’t stupid. He’s a highly educated and cunning man, who changes political parties and personalities at will. Anything to seize and maintain power. He pretends to be stupid, cultivating a hick Southern country-boy persona, saying deliberately stupid and wrong things to hide his background and education, playing dumb specifically so as to appeal to the ignorant and stupid that propelled him into office.”

     

    His “base” are the same people who willingly believe that the Duck Dynasty folks are really the red-neck good-ol boys they play on TV when even a cursory look into their past shows that everyone except ol’ pappy were izod-wearing frat-boy rich kids until they figured out what the yokels wanted to see.

  78. 78.

    azelie

    @Dk in SD: Yes, this is right.  Our senators in Louisiana are Bill Cassidy, a former med school professor and John Neely Kennedy, a guy who went to Vanderbilt, Oxford and UVA.  Both were once Democrats, and as far as I know pretty centrist, not Dixiecrat types.  But they are both smart guys who know that with the Louisiana Republican electorate, if they let someone get to their right, they might get bumped out.  It’s like Bobby Jindal, a genuinely intelligent guy (I know people who went to high school with him) who decided to model himself on Dubya and Rick Perry.  They’re doing it because they think this is what will help them stay in office and gain influence in their party, and they’re probably not wrong.

  79. 79.

    Zinsky

    I watched as much of Kennedy’s interview as I could stomach today too.  He kept using the word “meddling” to describe the fact someone wrote an editorial in a Ukrainian newspaper criticizing Trump in 2016.  That isn’t “meddling”, that’s free speech.  These right-wing assholes misuse and distort the English language and Democrats need to counterattack them viciously and smartly and stop them in their tracks!!

  80. 80.

    SFAW

    @Steve in the ATL:

    you didn’t indicate which party each belongs to so I’m going to assume it was a bipartisan group

    You sleep-deprived or something, what with your jet-setting around the country/world? Or were you reading it on your ‘phone, and didn’t see the words “eight Republican” in Cheryl’s comment that I blockquoted?

  81. 81.

    WhatsMyNym

    @Anne Laurie: No indication that Sen. John Kennedy (LA) was a Rhodes Scholar, he’s not on their database.   His bio just says “earned a Bachelor of Civil Law degree with first class honours from Oxford University (Magdalen College)”.  This was after he already had a law degree from the University of Virginia School of Law.

  83. 83.

    sacrablue

    Just look at the frequency of Kennedy’s blinking eyes. He knows he is spewing shit and he looks scared to death. If Putin doesn’t have the kompromat then Trump does.

  85. 85.

    J R in WV

    @wvng:

     

    @J R in WV: I’m as far East in the state as John is west. Hardy county.

    That’s nice. John in North, up in the panhandle. I am more west than John is…

     

    Hardy county is some beautiful countryside, like much of the state.

  87. 87.

    Mary Ellen Sandahl

    @Jay: The strong presence of (literally) entitled students at Oxford and Cambridge goes back to medieval times (11th century for both of them). They taught the sons of the land-holding ruling class. They’ve been a fundamental part of the English class system for hundreds of years.
    Yale and Harvard are mere early teenagers by comparison, but some of the same factors were and are at work there.

  88. 88.

    brantl

    @mrmoshpotato:  Shrub said (and Chained-Knees with him) that the Iraqis had weapons of mass destruction, long after being proved to be full of fecal material, didn’t they?

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