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You are here: Home / Open Threads / Okay, it’s worse than we thought…

Okay, it’s worse than we thought…

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Remember when we talked about the Trump recovery task force the other day and speculated that of course it will include the dregs of the financial world — the people who put the “douche” in “fiduciary” — including serially wrong clowns like Art Laffer and Larry Kudlow? Haha, it’s way worse than that!

It just gets worse and worse. Oh well. The inclusion of the knock-off bag and shoe peddler and the failed real estate princeling consort will be a helpful case study in future anti-nepotism legislation debates during the Biden administration.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

107Comments

  2. 2.

    Avalune

    Lmao I’ve been taking it easy on the media consumption including here but the sentence put the douche in fiduciary is A+

  3. 3.

    debbie

    I believe it was Roger Moore who brought it to our attention in the previous thread that this  group has been dubbed the Seven Scamurai.

  8. 8.

    zhena gogolia

    Meanwhile, in what my husband just called the “smart states”:

    Massachusetts Joins Connecticut, New York, New Jersey, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Delaware’s Multi-State Council to Get People Back to Work and Restore the Economy

    Posted on April 13, 2020

    (HARTFORD, CT) – Recognizing that their states have one integrated regional economy, Connecticut Governor Ned Lamont, New York Governor Andrew M. Cuomo, New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy, Rhode Island Governor Gina Raimondo, Pennsylvania Governor Tom Wolf, Delaware Governor John Carney today announced Massachusetts Governor Charlie Baker is joining the multi-state council to restore the economy and get people back to work. This announcement builds on the states’ ongoing regional approach to combatting the COVID-19 pandemic.

    The coordinating group – comprised of one health expert, one economic development expert and the respective chief of staff from each state – will work together to develop a fully integrated regional framework to gradually lift the states’ stay at home orders while minimizing the risk of increased spread of the virus.

  9. 9.

    Uncle Omar

    Moron Don strikes again.  BTW is Laffer on somebody else’s recovery panel.  And where the hell is Grover Norquist.  Either one of them could take over for Jared who is busy stealing medical supplies from the States.

  11. 11.

    A Ghost to Most

    Apparently, he wasn’t deemed essential:

    A Virginia pastor who defiantly held a packed church service on March 22 has passed away after being infected with the coronavirus, the New York Post reports.

    During the service, Bishop Gerald O. Glenn told his congregation at Richmond’s New Deliverance Evangelistic Church to stand, defiantly showing the world how many were willing to show up the despite stay-at-home orders meant to help curb the virus’ spread.

    “I firmly believe that God is larger than this dreaded virus. You can quote me on that,” he said, adding that “people are healed” in his church.

    Glenn vowed to keep his church open unless he’s “in jail or the hospital.”

    “I am essential,” he said, adding, “I’m a preacher — I talk to God!”

    But on Sunday, the church announced that he had died just a week after testing positive for the virus.

  16. 16.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    Any Mainers around? Does Collins see these polls, or do you think she’s decided to go down with the trumptanic? (not that I’m complacent about either the WH or the Senate)

    Steven Dennis @StevenTDennis
    Ugly poll for Susan Collins in Maine:
    37% approval/52% disapproval.
    She was at 42% in the same poll in the fall.
    Trump’s approval in Maine in this poll: 36%.

    follow up tweet:

    Collins’ 37% is very different from Trump’s 36%; she’s at just 68% among Rs – though that is an improvement and still has 20% of Ds, though that’s much lower than she’s had in the past.

    if you ever wonder why we can’t have nice(r) things, remember that 20% of self-ID’d Dems in ME are still falling for her dithering-but-sincere-moderate schtick

  18. 18.

    Gloomyjim

    @Tom Levenson: not sure exactly, but isn’t California itself like the 6th or 7th largest economy on the planet

     

    • Edited to add: and aren’t all these states paying more into the Fed than they receive?
  22. 22.

    Just One More Canuck

    @SW:

    The dead have risen and they’re voting Republican

    And how do we nominate Betty C for a Nobel Prize in Literature

  24. 24.

    mrmoshpotato

    Joe Biden has won the Wisconsin primary by 2 to 1 in an election people were willing to die for.— Hillary Warned Us (@HillaryWarnedUs) April 13, 2020

  27. 27.

    Gin & Tonic

    @zhena gogolia:

    The coordinating group

    Boy, if only there were some established mechanism by which the states could, together, receive health policy advice and strategic coordination..

  29. 29.

    phdesmond

    betty, loved this oneturn of phrase  —  “the people who put the “douche” in “fiduciary” “!

  32. 32.

    Just One More Canuck

    @Baud:

    When Canada’s two right wing parties merged, they were (briefly) called the Conservative Reform Alliance Party

    Comedians across our land rejoiced

  34. 34.

    JMG

    Saw a photoshop on Twitter (can’t remember where or I’d reproduce it) of the Fox image replacing Javanka et. al. with Scrooge McDuck, C. Montgomery Burns, the Monopoly Man, DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, etc.

  35. 35.

    Jay C

    @Mark Haag:

    Someone pointed out that the background graphic on the “Council” looks like a toilet. And now I can’t unsee that (appropriate, though!).

  38. 38.

    Kristine

    @mrmoshpotato: I wish it could become part of one of the state consortiums. I don’t think any of our Midwest neighbors–except perhaps for Michigan or Minnesota–would be open to something like that.

  42. 42.

    Tom Levenson

    @Gloomyjim: Just did the calculation, using 2018 GDP.

    US as a whole $21,729,124*10^6–as in almost $22 trillion.

    The New England/Mid-Atlantic compact accounts for $4.26 trillion of that. The three left coast states add another ~$3.05 trillion.  So, in all, around 40% of the total.

  43. 43.

    Elizabelle

    @dmsilev:  @A Ghost to Most:

    The local paper, the Richmond Times Dispatch Disgrace gave Pastor Glenn a complete tongue bath. No mention of that quote or the lack of social distancing.

    The local CBS station was a bit more informative. A daughter said he’d held the services for people who were “scared”, also mentioned his diverticulitis. Pastor’s widow is also sick with COVID19.

    Footage of his congregation praying for the pastor from the safety of their cars in a parking lot. With windows open.

  44. 44.

    Cowboy Diva

    <deleted for redundancy> Otherwise, my thoughts about the evils of nepotism seem so quaint now.

  49. 49.

    ziggy

    @Gloomyjim: Looks as if the west coast is making it’s own plans.

    Perfect! glad to see that!

    Trump can put together all the “apprentice” style groups he wants, tease a “big bang” grand opening, line up all his experts behind him, but it’s meaningless. Our states will take care of us, all he can do is try and put a stick in the spokes.

  54. 54.

    laura

    The Best People America! The Best People. Can you even imagine resorting to that pack of craven Moran asskissers and simpletons to organize a funeral luncheon? Each busy shoving the other and currying favor and looting the treasury and every nickel in the others pockets. Yeah, those particular bumblefucks “reopening” our nation in pursuit of the reelection of emperor tang.

    Where’s my work pants and lunch bucket, I’m ready to do what these ninnies tell me to do double quick.

  57. 57.

    MCA1

    @Kristine:  I’d be down for a Great Lakes consortium, even including Ohio.  That state’s the biggest anomaly in this experiment: has turned deep red electorally, but its Rep. governor, state health officials and others have been remarkably reality-based, even blunt, about their approach to this whole thing.  Downright functional, even.  Didn’t know that level of competence was still to be found in the R Party above local office.

    So Illinois, skip over Indiana, and add Michigan and Ohio.  That’s another 10% of the nation’s GDP.

  58. 58.

    Kristine

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I seldom see Pritzker mentioned in articles about how the governors are filling in the leadership vacuum left by the Orange Blot, and I think he’s doing a pretty good job. Wondering if it’s yet another example of media coast bias.

  61. 61.

    gene108

    @zhena gogolia:

    Interesting grouping.

    Feels like some sort of game, if you picture it on a map, where a few interlinked areas get added too and those other areas get interlinked with other areas, and so on.

    Southern NJ, Philly and its ‘burbs, DE are linked, and then you look and add northern and central NJ and NY are liked, and CT is liked to NY in the south, and MA in the north, and then there’s lying liar state,* Rhode Island, which is only liked to MA.

      * Rhode Island is, in fact, not an island. Its name is deceptive, false advertising, if you will.

  62. 62.

    Martin

    Look on the bright side, Peter Navarro isn’t on there.

    But it speaks to just how untrusting the president is of anyone outside of about 2 dozen individuals. He couldn’t even find a single wingnut governor he trusted enough to put on the team.

    Even the Dr Strangelove war room had a larger (and arguably more qualified) brain trust at work.

  63. 63.

    Brachiator

    the people who put the “douche” in “fiduciary” —

    I am so stealing this for my next tax class.

    Goddam, Ivanka and Young Jared are on this panel as well?

    I wouldn’t let these two open a bag of popcorn.

  66. 66.

    Duane

    @mrmoshpotato: We have a shitpile mobster conman who says a national disaster declaration, for all fifty states, for the first time ever is winning. Add that to your list of accomplishments Trumpov.

  67. 67.

    Martin

    @MattF: Which he can have now since he changed residency to Florida. Constitutionally, Pres and VP can’t be from the same state.

  68. 68.

    japa21

    @Kristine: I’d say he is doing an excellent job.  He definitely has ticked off the orange one. That right there is sufficient reason to approve of his work.

  69. 69.

    Sloane Ranger

    I don’t know if anyone is watching the Trump self justifying hour (otherwise known as the White House Coronavirus Briefing) but he’s just thrown Fox News under the truck. He’s run a series of excerpts from them as examples of the fake news media underplaying the danger of coronavirus when compared with his brave and decisive action in stopping travel from China!

  71. 71.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Sloane Ranger: CBS WH reporter

    Kathryn Watson @ kathrynw5 · 5m
    The White House is playing what feels like a campaign ad in the briefing room

    per twitter, CNN and MSNBC have both dropped their coverage

  72. 72.

    Kent

    @JPL:Wilbur Ross did a bang up job for the Census..    It’s the one thing he had to do.

    Well, to be pedantic.  NOAA is also part of the DOC so he is in charge of climate science, the weather service, and the National Hurricane Center as well. They’ve been doing a bang-up job there as well.  Remember sharpie-gate and Puerto Rico?

  73. 73.

    gene108

    @Tom Levenson:

    US as a whole $21,729,124*10^6–as in almost $22 trillion.

    The New England/Mid-Atlantic compact accounts for $4.26 trillion of that. The three left coast states add another ~$3.05 trillion. So, in all, around 40% of the total.

    Based on your numbers, it’s about 1/3 of GDP for the East and West Coast compacts.

  75. 75.

    prostratedragon

    @Kristine:  He has done pretty well so far, despite the handicaps of being a billionaire scion of a hotel-operating family (which should be mentioned more often just to get in somebody’s grill).

  76. 76.

    Barbara

    @Avalune:

    I’ve been taking it easy on the media consumption including here but the sentence put the douche in fiduciary is A+

    Came here to say the exact same thing!  The best laugh for today, although, I hate to say it, there wasn’t much competition for laughs today.

  77. 77.

    Kent

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:if you ever wonder why we can’t have nice(r) things, remember that 20% of self-ID’d Dems in ME are still falling for her dithering-but-sincere-moderate schtick

    A bunch of them are probably Republican voters who just haven’t bothered to change their party registration as they have gotten older and more conservative.

  78. 78.

    gene108

    @Martin:

    But, if they add MD, then they have to add DC, and VA.

    And once you add VA, where does it end? NC? SC? GA? Their western neighbors, like KY and TN or even AL?

    It’s not easy, where to draw the line.

    It’s the Acela corridor – Boston to DC and all associated suburbs, with MD excluded because GOP governor.

    I live in NJ. I’m familiar with the DC to Boston megalopolis.

  79. 79.

    neldob

    That photo is terrifying !@#$%*&! probably everyone already said that but … yikes. The end of the world could not be more chilling.

  80. 80.

    debbie

    @Sloane Ranger:

    He’s been upset with Fox for about a week, which is why I was thinking that toilet-like graphic up top might have been intentional on Fox’s part.

  81. 81.

    Miss Bianca

    @Sloane Ranger: Ooh, this ought to be interesting. Wonder if Fox will stop being Trump’s lapdog and finally turn around and sink its nasty fangs into Dear Leader?

  83. 83.

    lgerard

    That second council will include top administration officials, doctors and representatives from companies and the private sector; the White House sought suggestions for names of those potential company representatives last week.

    Well that certainly didn’t happen. Evidently no one wants any part of this and trump was stuck with his family and some sycophantic employees.

  85. 85.

    hueyplong

    @Miss Bianca: Narrator:. No, they didn’t turn on Trump.  Instead, they ran numerous pieces about whether Joe Biden’s dementia is why he can’t remember helping the Chicoms unleash the virus on unsuspecting Mercans.

  86. 86.

    Another Scott

    @Martin: Someone left this hanging curveball out over the plate for ~ 45 minutes without pedantry??  I am disappoint.

    Constitutionally, Pres and VP can’t be from the same state.

    Not quite.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Twelfth_Amendment_to_the_United_States_Constitution

    The Twelfth Amendment stipulates that each elector must cast distinct votes for President and Vice President, instead of two votes for President. Additionally, electors may not vote for presidential and vice-presidential candidates who both reside in the elector’s state—at least one of them must be an inhabitant of another state.

    The home state of the electors where both candidates reside would be punished (presumably by not voting for the VP candidate), but there would be no impact on the other electors from different states.

    It’s a big deal for a state like Texas (W and Cheney) that have lots of electors.

    tl;dr – it leaves votes on the table, but isn’t unconstitutional.

    At least that’s my understanding. Corrections welcome.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    Mike in NC

    “Council to Ransack America” was rejected by focus groups. With JarJar in charge, failure will occur on Day One.

  89. 89.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @Kent: There already is a consortium of Great Lakes states.  It also includes the Canadian provinces the border the lakes.

  94. 94.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Duane: Yup.  It’s a lottery that you actually don’t want to win.

    Btw, anyone thinking of 5 numbers between 1 and 45?

  95. 95.

    mrmoshpotato

    @japa21: Pritzker is doing a damn good job under very very trying circumstances, and I will slap anyone with a fish who says otherwise.

  100. 100.

    japa21

    @mrmoshpotato: He has since he was inaugurated, even if Illinois’ credit rating is likely to be reduced to junk bond status.  I think he has surprised a lot of liberals.

  102. 102.

    MCA1

    @Kent: Yeah, I guess maybe “Central Great Lakes” would be more apt.  Perhaps “Eastern 2/3 of the Traditional Big Ten.”

    Practically, though, yes, if Minnesota wants in then great.  Call it the “Rational Central States Consortium.”  Can’t trust Wisconsin right now, though, beyond the governor.  East of OH they’ve already got their own thing.

    Of course, maybe a governmental body responsible for the collective interests of all 50 states would be a better idea.  Hmmm.

  103. 103.

    mrmoshpotato

    @japa21: Agreed. (Though he was bound to be better than Governor Hedgefund).

    I hadn’t been paying close attention to the governorship until this f’ing pandemic because we shouldn’t have to babysit our governments to make sure they don’t burn the place down.

    (Not yelling at you, and fuck Dump.)

    I still don’t know what the IL General Assembly is up to, but in Democratic hands, I feel I don’t need to watch them.

  105. 105.

    different-church-lady

    It’s like he just fuckin’ looked around the room and said, “OK, it’s you guys, we’re done here.” Laziest goddamned president EVER.

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