Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

How any woman could possibly vote for this smug smarmy piece of misogynistic crap is beyond understanding.

There are a lot more evil idiots than evil geniuses.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Fundamental belief of white supremacy: white people are presumed innocent, minorities are presumed guilty.

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

Not all heroes wear capes.

There are times when telling just part of the truth is effectively a lie.

One lie, alone, tears the fabric of reality.

Disappointing to see gov. newsom with his finger to the wind.

Their shamelessness is their super power.

The National Guard is not Batman.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

When we show up, we win.

Fucking consultants! (of the political variety)

Anyone who bans teaching American history has no right to shape America’s future.

If you thought you’d already seen people saying the stupidest things possible on the internet, prepare yourselves.

Republicans firmly believe having an abortion is a very personal, very private decision between a woman and J.D. Vance.

Finding joy where we can, and muddling through where we can’t.

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

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

I am pretty sure these ‘journalists’ were not always such a bootlicking sycophants.

Following reporting rules is only for the little people, apparently.

You are here: Home / Justice / Tuesday Evening Stay Safe Open Thread: A Marathon, Not A Sprint

Tuesday Evening Stay Safe Open Thread: A Marathon, Not A Sprint

by | 226 Comments

This post is in: ,

Yes, Deggans favors ‘detachment’ because he works for NPR, but he’s correct about how long sessions of watching the same horrifying news videos on a endless loop can be personally corrosive. For your own good, and the good you’ll be able to do in the future, take care of yourself, too. Unplug when your heart / mind starts racing, stretch, get away from your screen (go outside if you can), interact with the people & pets in your household:

Look for the helpers…

We need to be able to keep working for change in the run-up to the election. We need to be here to celebrate on November 4th.

Reader Interactions

226Comments

  2. 2.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    Last night’s photo-op stunt managed to piss off the Episcopal church community in DC pretty deeply.

    slate.com/news-and-politics/2020/06/trump-st-johns-photo-op-church-leader-says-now-force-to-be-recko…

    From the rector (pastor) of St. John’s, who was out there handing out water and granola bars to the protestors:

    “I am DEEPLY OFFENDED on behalf of every protestor, every Christian, the people of St. John’s, Lafayette square, every decent person there, and the BLM medics who stayed with just a single box of supplies and a backpack, even when I got too scared and had to leave. I am ok,” Gerbasi concluded. “But I am now a force to be reckoned with.”

    The Episcopal bishop of DC also issued some very angry statements today. He manages to find more people to piss off daily. He’s a uniter!

  3. 3.

    Omnes Omnibus

    On that note, I have made a decision.  I am choosing to embrace life.  I am choosing hope over despair.  I am choosing idealism over cynicism.  I am choosing to look for the evidence of people doing good over looking at the hatred.  I am not going to let Trump and his people cause me to live like they do in misery and anger.  I am going to leave every place a little cleaner than it was when I got there.  I am going to help where I can.

  6. 6.

    lollipopguild

    Gee, you would think that trump’s actions to “dominate” people would have made people “behave”.

  9. 9.

    Mary G

    Ben Wittes, who vouched for Brett Kavanaugh’s sterling character before the confirmation hearings, and then took it back, and having learned nothing from that, vouched for Barr and again had to eat his words, tweeted today that he has made his first ever contribution to a political campaign, $2,800 to Biden. Sounds like he’s not alone. I am so enjoying the thought of Susan Collins kissing her seat goodbye, and hoping for many more flipped Senate seats.

  11. 11.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    We had a primary in PA today. While there wasn’t a lot riding on this primary, I felt it was important to do a dry run, especially of the mail-in process, for November. PA is one of the states that allows anybody to get a mail-in ballot without providing a reason. There were a fair number of glitches in the system: we didn’t get our ballot until 5 pm yesterday, too late to mail, and the information on how and where to drop off a ballot in person was hard to find and incomplete.

    We only noticed at the very last minute some fine print in the ballot materials stating that there would be drop-off boxes at our local polling place. The state and county websites make no mention of that.

    The elections officials had to deal with requests for 1.8 million absentee ballots, so it’s understandable that they were kind of overwhelmed. But still their instructions need work.

    Anyway it worked. And now we’ll see how long it takes the state to process all of those mail-in ballots, likely to be many days I would guess.

  15. 15.

    rikyrah

    I ordered a box of fresh vegetables from a food service

    They used to service restaurants before COVID-19, but now deliver nice boxes of fruits and vegetables.

     

    I am wondering, anyone in the Minneapolis/ St. Paul area, if you know of a similar company.

    I would like to order something for my sister.

    Would appreciate names and a link.

  18. 18.

    Baud

    Even the Wall Street Journal

     

    Much of the looting in U.S. cities appears to have been perpetrated by organized groups who saw the protests as a low-risk chance to commit crimes t.co/hTa28ucIkL
    — The Wall Street Journal (@WSJ) June 3, 2020

  20. 20.

    TS (the original)

    So the military are rolling down the streets of DC – trump gets his wish for a military parade (via Rachel)

  21. 21.

    West of the Rockies

    We need attorneys with integrity and progressive passion.  Right on, OO.  I feel similarly.

    However, our local protest was called off tonight due to credible threats of white supremacists arriving to cause physical, bodily violence.

  22. 22.

    Patricia Kayden

    McTurtle tonight blocked a Senate resolution to endorse the right of peaceful protest and to condemn Trump’s unconstitutional use of military force against peaceful protesters in DC last night. He and his GOP toadies are almost as cowardly as the Coward in Chief.— Laurence Tribe (@tribelaw) June 3, 2020

  23. 23.

    VeniceRiley

    Not feeling superior in any way over my new country except to say California beachgoers, by and large, pick up their own trash.

  24. 24.

    Jeffro

    People are connecting the dots about all the non-uniformed, armed personnel here and there in DC who say they’re “with DOJ”…

    …looks like Erik Prince has been up to his usual dirty tricks and covert armies thingy.

    Hey Congress!  Time to grab a mic and pass the fastest set of impeachment hearings & vote EVER.  Like, yesterday.

  27. 27.

    lamh36

    I love the story of how Rep Jim Clyburn met his dear wife.

    It would TOTALLY make a great movie!

    @EmmaKinery

    Rep. Jim Clyburn on CNN encouraging young people to peacefully protest: “I tell people all the time, I met my wife in jail!”

    @WhipClyburn
    ·
    Jan 9
    I met my wife in jail after being arrested during a civil rights march.

    She brought me food and shared a hamburger with me.

    Turns out, she knew who I was and had been plotting to meet me for some time.

    We were married for 58 years.
    twitter.com/WhipClyburn/status/1215387956598407173?s=20

    Here is the WashPo story from earlier this year on Clyburn and his lovely wife of 58 years who passed.

    A civil rights love story: The congressman who met his wife in jail in 1960 washingtonpost.com/history/2020/01/10/clyburn-recounts-1960-meet-cute-with-his-future-wife-jail/

  28. 28.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    the crowds in DC look bigger than the one at trump’s inauguration

    also

    Jesse Rodriguez @JesseRodriguez 21m
    EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Defense Secretary Esper on Trump church photo-op: ‘I didn’t know where I was going’
    In an exclusive interview, Esper also said he had “no idea” about the plan to use force to disperse protesters ahead of Trump’s staged visit to St. John’s Church.

    Esper and Milley were also not aware that the officers used tear gas to force the protesters out of the area, the official said.
    “They were not aware that park police and law enforcement made the decision to clear the square,” the official said.

    Park police would be under the Interior Dept, no? so he’s blaming whichever ex-coal executive or lobbyist holds that job (a little embarrassed I can’t even begin to think of a name) and Big Willie Barr. Probably at least mostly true.

  37. 37.

    lamh36

    Rep Jim Clyburn with some wisdom for the times!

    @WhipClyburn

    The future of this country is at stake. What has gone on not just in the streets but also in the White House leads me to believe-from my study of history-that this country is at a crossroads. If we don’t choose wisely we might see the demise of the greatest democracy on earth.

    twitter.com/WhipClyburn/status/1267986114268315649?s=20

    The members of the CBC have been right about Chump all along.  RIP Elijah Cummings

  38. 38.

    Sebastian

    Alright folks, I really hope this is going to resolve itself peacefully but I keep wondering … how?

     

    Trump is doubling down. He will at some point order troops and goons to shoot at protesters. At the same time we have more and more people joining the protest and people aren’t going to back down. Not against this piece of shit.

     

    You can all feel that the hour has arrived, can you not?

     

    This all has a fucking final days Ceausescu vibe to it.

  40. 40.

    rikyrah

    The future of this country is at stake.What has gone on not just in the streets but also in the White House leads me to believe-from my study of history-that this country is at a crossroads.If we don't choose wisely we might see the demise of the greatest democracy on earth. pic.twitter.com/PMWGTJOoKV— James E. Clyburn (@WhipClyburn) June 3, 2020

  41. 41.

    Patricia Kayden

    It's been 24 hours and I still have yet to see any NRA member standing up to this military occupation they always say they need guns for.— Black Lives Matter (@davidhogg111) June 3, 2020

  45. 45.

    Another Scott

    @raven:

    Fixed Bayonets!, perhaps?

    (For some reason, I have a memory of someone in some old movie screaming that line, but I don’t know if it was actually in that movie.)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  48. 48.

    Bill Arnold

    @Patricia Kayden:

    McTurtle tonight blocked a Senate resolution to endorse the right of peaceful protest and to condemn Trump’s unconstitutional use of military force against peaceful protesters in DC last night.

    Well, if he thinks that the First Amendment is not as important a part of the Constitution as the Senate is, well… Not sure he truly viscerally understands how much he is loathed and by how very many (and by whom).

  50. 50.

    raven

    @Another Scott: Not “fixed” “fix”. That means put it on the rifle. I have a WW2 Japanese rifle with a 14inch bayonet. She was explaining what a bayonet was, pretty fucking annoying.

  55. 55.

    Tony Jay

    Glancing over the WaPo site there’s not really any good news for the tottering Trump regime. Most things are covered. The protests are overwhelmingly peaceful and empowering. The regime’s panicked response is both brutal and cowardly. They’re calling out newspapers that don’t cover the biggest story of the day, while also highlighting the police forces who are doing the right thing. Basically it’s a long list of “You fucked up and you’re gonna get beat” articles to sizzle the toadflesh of the Pennsylvania Avenue Groundhog.

    Boy, the Committee to Re-Elect the President is off to a fine start. What’s next? Ban all the superheroes and put a Sentinel on every street corner? There must be votes in that, right?

    As an aside, I guess this is what it must feel like to be a ‘conservative’. The Media are saying roughly what you want it to say, just without sufficient vigour or clarity. It’s unusual and unsettling and won’t last, but just like hearing the sound of Poppa chopping the head off that Granny-eating wolf, it’s somehow comforting to know that, for now, the bad guys failed.

  57. 57.

    geg6

    @TS (the original):

    This.  They are traitors and should be treated as such.  I can’t think of bigger enemies of the country than anyone who allows that piece of shit squatting in the Oval Office to do the shit he has done.  They deserve death by firing squad.  And, based on my reading, I’m pretty sure George Washington would agree.

  59. 59.

    lamh36

    @Kay:More proof of the backlash they must be getting outside of the Fox News bubble.  I’m guessing the Bible prop was a step too far!

    @JesseRodriguez . @NBCNews EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW: Defense Secretary Esper on Trump church photo-op: ‘I didn’t know where I was going’ @ckubeNBC @carolelee

    @JesseRodriguez

    In an exclusive interview, Esper also said he had “no idea” about the plan to use force to disperse protesters ahead of Trump’s staged visit to St. John’s Church.

    twitter.com/JesseRodriguez/status/1267981977640198145

  60. 60.

    Feathers

    @lamh36: That is one fucked up clip. And Pat Robertson is looking old. I wonder if the evangelicals are going to turn on him. They really are all in on Trump.

  61. 61.

    Jeffro

    @Sebastian:  You can all feel that the hour has arrived, can you not?  This all has a fucking final days Ceausescu vibe to it.

     

    It does.  trumpov knows he is way, way underwater if there is going to be a legitimate election this fall.  The people are against him.  The only thing propping him up is the complicity of the GOP (especially Senate Republicans) and whatever violent elements in the military and police that he has already connected with, plus Erik Prince’s Blackwater goons.

    He also knows that losing the election, or failure in any other way, will mean the greatest humiliation in American history and possibly even justice for his crimes.

    So…all I got is that Dems should keep up with the peaceful protests, bang on the Senate GOP, bang on the national snooze media for NOT banging on the Senate GOP, and start to think about how to hit trumpov’s big-dollar supporters in the wallet.

    After all, like the Ill Douche, we can’t afford to lose either.

  63. 63.

    NotMax

    Will he now divert snatch Pentagon monies to build Big Beautiful Wall 2.0 around White House?

  65. 65.

    Jeffro

    @Kay: She’s been quoting bible verses on Twitter, and a little more frequently these days.

    It just makes me want to scream, laugh, cry, and laugh again – how did these trumpovs suddenly become So. Devout. ?  It’s really amazing, isn’t it?  They are just all in on that Christianity thing, in an increasing way.

    Totally legit, absolutely.  No questions to be asked here, national snooze media.

  66. 66.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Tony Jay:

    Basically it’s a long list of “You fucked up and you’re gonna get beat” articles to sizzle the toadflesh of the Pennsylvania Avenue Groundhog.

    That’s a winner.

  67. 67.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    My Republican mom was Biden curious due to Trump’s disasterous coronavirus response.  Now that she is seeing images on TV of black people looting, she is back on the Trump train.  It doesn’t matter that they don’t represent the peaceful protestors or that there are white provocateurs destroying property.  She’s a bit racist, afraid, and watching Fox again.

  68. 68.

    Another Scott

    twitter.com/dick_nixon/status/1267976287039238145 – thread:

    Richard M. Nixon @dick_nixon
    1h

    I was in Colonial Williamsburg to give a speech and a very attractive girl, 16, 17 years old, she reminded me of Tricia, walked up to me. She spit right in my face and said, “You murderer.”

    8:27 PM · Jun 2, 2020

    I borrowed a handkerchief and wiped it off, but I’ll tell you, it was the hardest speech I ever made. I don’t mind adults disagreeing with me. I don’t mind rocks thrown at me. I don’t mind being cartooned. I may not like it, but I don’t mind.

    But for a young person to do that, when you have tried to make a contribution to their lives, then you feel like a failure.

    The contrast is stark, isn’t it…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  70. 70.

    Jeffro

    And I guess as of about 40 minutes ago, trumpov just pulled the RNC from North Carolina to…parts unknown?  The highest bidder?  Barf-a-Lago?  The mind boggles.

    Public safety is not what we’re about!  MY RALLIES MUST GET RE-STARTED, SOMEWHERE, NOW!

    Hey NC, we’re going to help you do the VA thing, starting this election.  You’re already mostly blue in spirit, it’ll be easy ;)

  74. 74.

    TaMara (HFG)

    Oh good, somewhere to share this powerful tweet. As the daughter of a veteran and sister and aunt of National Guard members, this meant a lot.

  76. 76.

    Sebastian

    @Jeffro:

     

    We will have a decisive moment way before the election. Do you really see this continue for 5 months like this? Something’s gotta give.

     

    Until earlier today I didn’t but after Lafayette and what else there is coming, I can see him being strung up by a lamppost.

    Actually, this might be the most likely outcome if this shit continues. If I were McConnell I wouldn’t stay in DC.

  78. 78.

    donnah

    The Republican Senator of my state of Ohio, Rob Portman, skittered past reporters in Washington today and as he was asked what he thought about Trump’s stunt las night, he ducked his head and said, “I’m late for lunch”.

    So he’s a coward. I sent him an email today, calling him a coward and shaming him for not taking any action or speaking out against a liar of a president. Portman professes his Christianity,  but certainly doesn’t show it. I told him that he is failing us, failing Ohio, failing this country.

    Let’s remember that we do have a voice. Write or call your Senators and Representatives and either give them praise or cuss them out. Now we need to be heard, and stand up for those who are standing up for us.

  79. 79.

    Patricia Kayden

    Quit and speak out then.

    A senior White House official told @Axios when they saw the tear gas clearing the crowd for Trump to walk to the church: "I’ve never been more ashamed. I’m really honestly disgusted. I’m sick to my stomach. And they’re all celebrating it." @jonathanvswan t.co/X0D9huf9Y7— Lauren Peikoff (@laurenpeikoff) June 2, 2020

  80. 80.

    Mary G

    From a combat-wounded Republican natsec staffer: "Sec. Esper and Gen. Milley have squandered the moral legitimacy of a nearly 245 year-old institution in a single farcical late spring promenade. They have no honor and to hell with them both"— Betsy Woodruff Swan (@woodruffbets) June 2, 2020

  81. 81.

    NotMax

    @Jeffro

    And I guess as of about 40 minutes ago, trumpov just pulled the RNC from North Carolina to…parts unknown?

    Crimea? Pyongyang?

  82. 82.

    Duane

    @Jeffro: People who suddenly find God: death-row inmates, soldiers in foxholes, and members of this administration.

  83. 83.

    Sebastian

    @TaMara (HFG):

     

    This is SO important. Once one unit does it becomes a REAL option for others, not a hypothetical. Once more than one unit do it it evolves into a question of ethics, values, and oath. No longer can we/should we do it but “which side are we on”.

     

    Cannot  CANNOT overstate the significance of this.

  85. 85.

    batguano

    Any advice for heading to DC this weekend to join the protest? I think I’d like to park 5 to 10 miles away and hike in. I’ll make sure to review Adam’s guidelines.

  94. 94.

    different-church-lady

    @lamh36: YOU LOST PAT GODDAMENED ROBERTSON! HOW MUCH OF A FUCK-UP DO YOU HAVE TO BE TO BE A REPUBLICAN THAT LOSES PAT GODDAMEND ROBINSON?!??

  95. 95.

    NotMax

    @Duane

    “Question with boldness even the existence of a God; because, if there be one, he must more approve of the homage of reason, than that of blind-folded fear.”
    — Thomas Jefferson

  96. 96.

    Kay

    @Jeffro:

    I read her comments and speeches on education because they always stick poor school kids with her, no one gives a shit what they have to sit thru, and she’s a vapid bore. She speaks in this soul-deadening marketing language that makes me want to cry with boredom. She’s as empty as her father.

  97. 97.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @lamh36: Jehosophat, I missed this on my first read through (The NBC website is a jumpy mess)

    Esper said he believed they were going to observe the vandalized bathroom in Lafayette Square

    He said that. Out loud. On the record. To a reporter. From one of the biggest media organizations in the world.

  98. 98.

    Miss Bianca

    @lamh36: Awww….that is so sweet. You’re right, it would make a dynamite movie, but it would need the right director.

  99. 99.

    lamh36

    Anyone else notice how the media is no longer interested in showing LIVE footage of the majority peacful protest w/o looting or the violence from LEOs.

  102. 102.

    Another Scott

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: To be fair, if the President says “come with me” and you’re a Secretary, then you go with him – no matter what the stated (or unstated) reason is.

    Or you resign…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  104. 104.

    lamh36

    @amandacarpenter

    Former Under Secretary of Defense James Miler submits his resignation to SecDef Esper, telling him “Law-abiding protesters just outside the White House were dispersed using tear gas and rubber bullets — not for the sake of safety, but to clear a path for a presidential photo op.”

    8:05 PM · Jun 2, 2020·TweetDeck

    twitter.com/amandacarpenter/status/1267985776270290946

    Rats abandoning ship?

  105. 105.

    dmsilev

    @Jeffro:

    And I guess as of about 40 minutes ago, trumpov just pulled the RNC from North Carolina to…parts unknown?  The highest bidder?  Barf-a-Lago?  The mind boggles.

    Plenty of cruise ships available to rent right now.

  106. 106.

    Jeffro

    @Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony:My Republican mom was Biden curious due to Trump’s disasterous coronavirus response.  Now that she is seeing images on TV of black people looting, she is back on the Trump train.  It doesn’t matter that they don’t represent the peaceful protestors or that there are white provocateurs destroying property.  She’s a bit racist, afraid, and watching Fox again.

     

    It’s like we were separated at birth.  =(

    I told my TCNJ dad and bro a couple months ago that I was done talking politics with them until after the election, after we Dems settled on Biden and they still managed to find ever-more-ridiculous reasons to say “um I’m not voting for trumpov, I’m voting for the GOP”.

    But just in the past couple of week or two, the Floyd protests have brought out the scared old white lady willing in my mom, which is just sad.  She has always been religious and a cowed authoritarian (but I repeat myself) but she at least seemed to have a growing understanding these past few years that trumpov was a fraud.

    She also quit getting the Post a year or two ago btw, and now relies solely on Fox News (the tv version) and FB for her news.  Ugh.

    So…what can we do but out-work them.  Organize, mobilize, register our voters and turn ’em out.  We have to.  There will be no ‘America’ after this November if we don’t.

  107. 107.

    WaterGirl

    @Mary G: You can tell they’re the good guys because of the…

    You know they know what they are doing is wrong when they hide who they are – whether they are military or national guard or ICE or whatever.

    Despicable pieces of shit, every one of them.

  108. 108.

    Leto

    @lamh36: MSNBC is still showing peaceful protests. End of Maddow had a cutover to a reporter out in NYC, and O’Donnell had someone live in NYC (I think) and just cut over to reporter in Seattle. Seattle people are peaceful, though the Seattle police are now in riot gear apparently.

  110. 110.

    H.E.Wolf

    @Feathers: …Pat Robertson is looking old.

    He’s 90. And I bet he saw “Mene Mene Tekel Upharsin” written on his dining-room wall this weekend.

  111. 111.

    janesays

    @SiubhanDuinne: It is kind thing for him to do, and he rightly deserves praise for it, but… he’s still not a very good person.

    Unless you consider beating the shit out of his child’s mother and several other women the sort of thing a good person does.

    Or that time when he ran up a $25,000 bar tab after making $32 million on a fight and then leaving a waitress no tip later that night.

  113. 113.

    lamh36

    @lamh36:
    Someone just told me this guy was an Obama appointee, so not at “rat”? Meh…I still say rat…cause what exactly took so long? The bible prop was a bridge too far?

  114. 114.

    Anne Laurie

    @donnah: The Republican Senator of my state of Ohio, Rob Portman, skittered past reporters in Washington today and as he was asked what he thought about Trump’s stunt las night, he ducked his head and said, “I’m late for lunch”.

    “Mister, you are lunch.”

  115. 115.

    Leto

    @Leto: tack on from my last post, masked White guy with a bullhorn shouting down the black organizer who is speaking to the reporter, they cut away, and now Lawrence is lighting up white bro: saying that he’s hiding who he is so he can cause trouble, saying that 99% of the protests have been peaceful, handed over to Joy Reid who’s saying that this is what BLM has been up against. Infiltrators, agitators, anarchists and white supremists.

  117. 117.

    different-church-lady

    Told ya:

    Samantha Schmidt

    @schmidtsam7

    It is officially curfew in D.C. and the crowds at Lafayette Square are the biggest I’ve seen all week. Thousands of people, of all ages, many newcomers to the protests who say they were emboldened by yesterday’s events.

  119. 119.

    joel hanes

    @Bill Arnold:

    Not sure [McConnell] truly viscerally understands how much he is loathed

    Oh, he knows.

    And he welcomes our hatred.

    Ol’ Mitch hated liberals, all of them, long before most liberals had ever heard of him.

  122. 122.

    WaterGirl

    @lamh36: To Mike Esper:

    Well, you know, when you’re dealing with Donald Trump you should have a pretty good idea that you’re a prop, and it would behoove you to FUCKING ASK before you follow along like a puppy following the big dog.

    P.S. You’re in Donald Trump’s fucking cabinet.

  124. 124.

    Leto

    @Barbara: I’m going with Kay’s suggestion in the morning thread, that we need them ALL named/shamed so that when they try to weasel their way into another administration spot, we know who they are and refuse to give them another fucking penny. Better get it while you can, fuckers.

  125. 125.

    lamh36

    And now they are placing blame ALL AROUND!

    This has become a clusterfuq for them…GOOD!

    @Acosta

    ·
    1m

    Going to the church was Trump’s idea. But Trump family members Ivanka Trump, Jared Kushner plus close aides Hope Hicks, and Mark Meadows helped Trump put the idea into action, senior WH officials tell CNN.

  126. 126.

    Leto

    @WaterGirl: at least come up with a better/more believable lie. “We were going to the bathroom…” Do you seriously think I fell off the turnip truck, yesterday? I guess the Faux viewers are that fucking dumb, but the rest of us? GTFOofhere!

  129. 129.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Patricia Kayden: Oh that Turtle-faced Fascist Motherfucker who doesn’t believe in the United States Constitution.

    (Each day it’s harder to keep from reverting back to wanting to throw these shitstains into a volcano.)

  130. 130.

    NotMax

    @Leto

    From what I’ve seen* on MSNBC over the past few days they have been careful about showing damage, looting and such (can’t ignore it has taken place; broken glass and trashed cars make for ‘good’ video) but not dwelling it, going out of the way to put it in context and repeatedly qualify that it is not representative of the aims nor of the participation of the protestors.

    *Sampled in small increments, not glued to the set.

  132. 132.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @?BillinGlendaleCA:

    I saw that! The NC governor and top health official reached out to the WH/RNC and told them to come up with a plan to safely conduct the 50,000-attendee GOP Convention. Guess what happened? Crickets. Didn’t take them up on the offer

  133. 133.

    Jeffro

    Jamelle Bouie does a good job pointing out why 2020 is not like 1968, but I think he misses on this point:

     

    Nixon could credibly claim to represent stability in the face of chaos, a steady hand in an uncertain time. Trump can do no such thing. He built his entire political persona around discord and disruption. Having promised to throw the system into disarray, Trump could not then sell himself as an avatar of order and control.

     

    Ah, but trumpov is claiming to represent a return to the stability of white supremacy, a steady whip hand in an increasingly diverse country.  He is putting his discord and disruption into the service of returning this country to white order and control.  The battle lines are much clearer now, the Republican base much harder due to decades of Reagan-baby Randism and Fox News.

    That’s the difference.

    I still think the biggest part of the solution here is to tax the rich heavily enough that they aren’t able to finance this kind of crap, at least not on this scale.  On top of that, Dems need to get strategic about their boycotts of TCNJ-donating enterprises.  That’s the only thing they understand.

  134. 134.

    Leto

    @NotMax: I pretty much just watch Maddow and some of O’Donnell. I’m usually busy during the day, plus most of the regular programming pisses me off, but I’m glad they’re trying to give a complete picture.

  138. 138.

    Ladyraxterinok

    @Feathers:

    The old-line Evangelical leaders are really getting old—Kenneth Copelsnd is late 70s or early 80s, JimBakker is 80 with stroke. John Hagee must be at least mid 70s, likewise Jesse DuPlantis.

    Several of up-and-coming young ones have gotten caught in abuse scandals. Several in early 30s recently committed suicide

  143. 143.

    Jeffro

    @lamh36: trying to picture what would happen if Hillary’s AG had ordered tear gas and flash bangs so that she could wave a bible around for a photo op, all prompted by Chelsea and Chelsea’s husband egging her on.

    Seriously.  The mind boggles.

  144. 144.

    lamh36

    Steve King is in danger of losing his primary tonight in Iowa, so another crazy Iowa Repub I’m sure…but still…I don’t have enough popcorn to watch his azz gon down…

  145. 145.

    Mallard Filmore

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

     

    Esper said he believed they were going to observe the vandalized bathroom in Lafayette Square

    This reminds me of a scene in the movie “Start The Revolution Without Me” where the befuddled king whines at a formal occasion “I thought this was a costume party.”

  147. 147.

    hueyplong

    GOP convention should be in NASCAR raceway at Talladega.  With extra Trump-KKKeebler elf tension.

  151. 151.

    WaterGirl

    @Leto:

    North Carolina:  Come up with a plan.

    Trumper convention planner:  What’s a plan?

    Trumper convention planner 2:  Hell if I know.  shrugs

    THE END

  152. 152.

    Mary G

    It cracks me up: Maggie’s story in the FTFNYT says Pence was all in favor of the idea of going to St. John’s to look tough, but:

    At 6:43 p.m., Mr. Trump made his statement in the Rose Garden, finishing seven minutes later, and then headed back through the White House to emerge on the north side and walk out the gates and into the park. Mr. Barr, Mr. Esper, General Milley, Mr. Meadows, Ms. Trump, Mr. Kushner and others followed him, but Mr. Pence and his staff hung back as the building emptied and watched on television instead.

    He’s not smart enough to know that it would be a shitshow, so he must have been too scared to go out with all the looters and rapists.

  153. 153.

    NotMax

    @Leto

    Yeah, I almost never tune it in before 3 p.m. local time (9 p.m. Eastern).

    Brian Williams’ show does have some guests of interest but is himself such an obsequious blockhead that I can’t stay with it for long.

  156. 156.

    WaterGirl

    @lamh36: My first thought when I saw her:

    Do not fuck with the new mayor.

    First reply to the announcement:

    And she doesn’t have time for your nonsense.

    Hey, that’s what I said, only yours was more polite.

    So excited for Ferguson.  This is a good thing.

  157. 157.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    Interesting point from that Right Wing Watch Twitter thread on the Pat Robertson video:

    This Charming Man
    @QueerHope

    Easy to make fun of, but this is important. There’s a split forming in the evangelical church right now i/t/o Trump, which is why you’re seeing him waving Bibles around and having photo-ops in churches.

    Time For A Change #BlackLivesMatter #Resist
    @sgcafan

    Replying to

    @QueerHope
    and
    @RightWingWatch

    I hope that’s true, but I don’t see much evidence of it. And apparently the right wing evangelical Republican politicians haven’t gotten the memo yet (see Tom Cotton). Still I hope what you say is true.

    This Charming Man

    @QueerHope

    Well it’s a split–so there’s a section of evangelicals who use religion to back white identity politics, and there’s a section who are still quite conservative but don’t get into the WiP stuff. The Prosperity gospel folks tend to be WiPs.

    Alice Ritter
    @AliceRitter8

    Replying to

    @QueerHope
    and
    @RightWingWatch

    This is actually a very interesting point. I was wondering why now after all these years he was photographed at St Johns and out at John Paul II.

    This Charming Man
    @QueerHope

    I come from a fundamentalist background, and I first knew when you saw Mennonites joining in protests something was up. They don’t do this stuff. Ever. And I promise you the decision to show up in public was not made lightly. And they’re as conservative as you can get.

  160. 160.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @NotMax: I dip in and out through the day, often on the car radio, and most of their anchors have been stressing the peaceful nature of the demonstrations

  165. 165.

    Miss Bianca

    @Mary G: Oh, ha ha ha HA, Pence may have been the Dumbest Man in Congress, but even he’s smarter than Donald Trump! Maybe he *did* bail so the shit from the shitshow wouldn’t splatter him! (*this* time!)

    How long before Trump turns his ire on *him*?!

  166. 166.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    I come from a fundamentalist background, and I first knew when you saw Mennonites joining in protests something was up. They don’t do this stuff. Ever. And I promise you the decision to show up in public was not made lightly. And they’re as conservative as you can get.

    that struck me, too, not that I know much about Mennonites

  167. 167.

    lamh36

    Where my big bucket of popcorn!

     

    @Redistrict Wow. About 3k new votes from Lyon Co. (very far NW corner of state, close to Feenstra’s home), Rep. Steve King (R) losing there 3-to-1. King is in deep, deep trouble. #IA04 9:23 PM · Jun 2, 2020·Twitter Web App

  168. 168.

    Mary G

    Wow. About 3k new votes from Lyon Co. (very far NW corner of state, close to Feenstra's home), Rep. Steve King (R) losing there 3-to-1. King is in deep, deep trouble. #IA04— Dave Wasserman (@Redistrict) June 3, 2020

  170. 170.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    General Hayden responds to Mike Esper’s interview

    Gen Michael Hayden @GenMhayden
    He’s an asshole. It’s hard to get help, isn’t it.

  171. 171.

    Miss Bianca

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Hmmm…that *is* interesting. And about time, I’d say. We always have to consider the notion that some of these fundamentalist Christians actually *are* Christians, and they’re starting to get damned queasy about the time they’ve spent following the Antichrist.

  174. 174.

    joel hanes

    @HumboldtBlue:

    outside the Governor’s mansion in Iowa

    Gov. Reynolds will not listen to them in any way.  She is proving to be the worst governor Iowa’s had in my lifetime — a distinction that previously belonged to her predecessor, Terry Branstad

  176. 176.

    Punchy

    @WaterGirl: sorry if I’m late to the game, but Yahoo has article up that Trump has ordered the convention to skip NC and go elsewhere.  I’m sure those hotels and restaurants are so happy….

  177. 177.

    cain

    @lamh36:

    Well, that won’t get you to stare at the TV screen.. so they can run ads. Peaceful protests are boring.. Remember the Iraq War protest, it was a record turn out and it was hardly covered because it was super peaceful.

  178. 178.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    And they’re as conservative as you can get.

    That might be why.  The vast majority of evangelical Christianity operates on hypocrisy as one of their core principles.  Since all they really care about is hate, the worse Trump gets, the more they love him.  A sect with principles, even fucked up and mean and intolerant principles, will eventually have to break from the pack and repudiate Trump.  Unfortunately, they can’t be a very big chunk of evangelicalism.  Fortunately, even a few percentage points and Trump and the whole Republican Party are in deep shit.

  179. 179.

    Barbara

    @lamh36: Feenstra is probably an authentic ass in his own way, but it would be so sweet to see King lose the office not just because he is horrible, but because he runs his office as a family patronage scheme. They are all on the payroll.

  180. 180.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl: I know it shouldn’t surprise me, but even still…

    My colleagues and I have been spending weeks coming up with plans to bring back just a hundred or so people (in the first wave). PPE and physical distancing policies. Bathroom utilization rates. Shift scheduling. Blah blah blah. I can only begin to imagine what doing so for a group of 50,000 would be like. Actually, I can imagine: ‘Don’t bring in a group of 50,000 people, moron.’.

  181. 181.

    Ken

    @different-church-lady: If Trump doesn’t wind up as a corpse in the back of a truck he should put it in the win column.

    “Good news, I think I’ve managed to convince the mob not to desecrate your corpse.”

  182. 182.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev: I agree.  It’s not possible to safely have 50,000 in the same physical location during a pandemic.  Period.

    Smart of NC to ask for the plan for how to do it safely, knowing full well that there could be no plan for doing it safely.

    Feels like that was a smart move on the part of NC.

  183. 183.

    Yutsano

    @WaterGirl: Looks like it was a five way race, so Feenstra could pull it off based on that.

    Also: was it Greenfield or Franken that was the one the DNC wanted?

  184. 184.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev: I talked to my best friend who is a physicist at our university today.  He said they are still being told to work from home if at all possible, and he suspects that will continue throughout the summer.

    I don’t envy you trying to make a plan.

    I also understand, though, that if you’re involved in experiments, either everything comes to a dead halt, or you figure out a way to make it work.  And some experiments surely cannot be put on pause – guessing that in some instances, if you stop, that’s it, and all the years of prep are for naught.

  185. 185.

    JaySinWA

    @WaterGirl: I don’t see much ass saving in the letter. He calls out Esper for failure to do the right thing

    ETA and he made it public, directly, not some leak. This was a slap in the face of his superior.

  188. 188.

    Ken

    @dmsilev:  I don’t suppose you’ve solved the elevator problem? With a maximum of two people per trip, it easily takes an hour to fill a floor of an office building, worse as you go higher.  And of course elevators service multiple floors.

  190. 190.

    WaterGirl

    @JaySinWA: I just read the letter itself, and I stand corrected.  He didn’t pull any punches.  And he didn’t just call out Esper; he’s calling out the lot of them.  Including the president, by name.

  191. 191.

    joel hanes

    @Yutsano:

    was it Greenfield or Franken that was the one the DNC wanted?

    The DNC does not do Senate races.

    The DSCC backed Greenfield, who has out-raised Franken 5 to 1, and is currently well in the lead.

    Full disclosure:  I have been regularly donating to Greenfield since the day after she announced.

  192. 192.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Neither do I. But it might be significant. Can only hope

    @Miss Bianca:

    For a lot of evangelicals, they give Trump the ultimate get out of jail free card: God can forgive him. If it’s not that, they’ll deny what’s actually going on or Trump is right; it’s just tough talk and Trump is “defending” himself from the evil media.

  194. 194.

    mrmoshpotato

    @Jeffro: Fat, orange, fascist, Soviet shitpile mobster conman needs his Trump trash rallies back.  The orange shitstain on democracy (small “d”) isn’t used to people telling him to go fuck himself, so WWWWAAAAHHHH!!!!!

    I’ve said it before, I’ll say it again – FUCK EVERYONE WHO DIDN’T VOTE FOR HILLARY CLINTON!

  195. 195.

    Dan B

    @TaMara (HFG): This action by the Guard in Tennessee is amazing.  If this spreads it will terrify the GOP.

    In WA the governor called up the guard to protect against looters.  They haven’t been used against protesters yet.

  197. 197.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl: As you can imagine, it’s complicated. For my folks, we distinguish between starting an experiment and maintaining one. The former requires several hours of hands-on work, the latter can be done almost entirely via remote log-in to the control computers plus maybe an hour a week of hands-on. So, we stagger start-ups so that only one takes place at a time, schedule things so that most of the activities are done by just one person except for a few tasks which either inherently need multiple people or can be done by one but a second person needs to be close by in case of an accident.
    Most equipment is dedicated to individual experiments, but some is shared, so we need cleaning protocols.
    And so on.

  198. 198.

    WaterGirl

    @joel hanes: But is he a “not good guy” the we have a chance of beating?

    I never understand when/how they can call the various races when this precinct/county is all red and can change everything or that precinct/county is all blue and their results always come in late.

    So I’m not counting my chickens, but damn that would be sweet if he’s out on his ear.

    edit: ear of corn?

  199. 199.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    Fortunately, even a few percentage points and Trump and the whole Republican Party are in deep shit.

    Yup. Eyes on the prize. We have turn out as many people as possible this fall

  200. 200.

    WaterGirl

    @dmsilev: So much to think about.  And so much at stake when it’s not just an experiment that’s at risk, but people’s lives.

    I think I might find that overwhelming – there’s a reason I would never drive a school bus (well, a million reasons, but you know what I mean.)

    You seem to be handling it well, and I commend you for that!

    p.s.  still eating chocolate cake?

  203. 203.

    Captain C

    @dmsilev: If that were to happen, would there be a plausibly deniable way for a Virginia-class sub to torpedo it?  Asking for a friend…

  204. 204.

    Subsole

    @Patricia Kayden:

    Worse. McConnell could credibly tell Putin to pound ground glass. Trump can’t. I dunno how you become a lower form of life than Trump but there it is.

  205. 205.

    joel hanes

    @WaterGirl:

    is [Feenstra] a “not good guy” the we have a chance of beating?

    It’s hard to make predictions, especially about the future.

    That said, Democrat J.D. Scholten came within a few percent of King’s total in 2018, and 2020 is looking to be a very different kind of election year than was 2018.

    You can donate to Scholten here:

    scholten4iowa.com/

    I’m going to do that right now.  Scholten is a very good guy.

  206. 206.

    dmsilev

    @WaterGirl:

    p.s.  still eating chocolate cake?

    One or two slices left. Ive been doling them out slowly for health’s sake. Fortunately that recipe freezes well.

  207. 207.

    Dan B

    @Leto: Seattle Police have been forceful but restrained.  They pushed a group of protesters at 10PM, 5 hours after curfew, down one street and up another for half an hour.  The protesters dwindled away slowly and then were gone.  No tear-gas (a couple much earlier where there was room for the crowd to get away) and no flash bangs or rubber bullets.  They’ve learned from other years to do a dance with them.  There were cars set on fire and some businesses wrecked but that seems to be from previous protests being focused and following leaders.  The mostly white guys looked for places away from the main group and made trouble.

  208. 208.

    joel hanes

    @WaterGirl:

    That said, Greenfield beating Sen. Joni (disgrace to the uniform) Ernst would be a much more important contribution to the future our the nation than replacing King with Scholten.

  209. 209.

    Subsole

     

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Yahuh. Suuuure buddy. Y’all had no idea.

    Right.

    I dunno what set of words they think is gonna magically make them look less bad, and I really wish they’d stop wasting everyone’s time looking for it.

  210. 210.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @Sebastian: This all has a fucking final days Ceausescu vibe to it.

    And remember Egypt in Arab Spring,  the ruling parties private army with machine guns couldn’t stop the mob when it got going.

  213. 213.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    @HumboldtBlue: Think in terms of Big Time Wrestling  and that’s how Trump’s thinks. All a show and never mind the blood and anger is real. That’s why Trump folds up like he did Friday because  he realized the protestors are for real.

  215. 215.

    TS (the original)

    @lamh36:

    He was a member of the Defense Science Board after leaving government service in 2014.   probably had nothing to do with trump for the past 3 years – would need to research what this board does – under trump – probably nothing.

  216. 216.

    Dan B

    @Punchy:  Charlotte accidentally avoided a bullet.  Imagine the costs of security and the likely violence.  And who would pay the bill?  (Do I have to tell you?)  /s

  217. 217.

    mrmoshpotato

    @NotMax: The 2020 RNC will be held in Putin’s asshole.  Russthuglicans have been sucking for long enough that they know the lay of the land.

  218. 218.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques:

    Indeed, wonderful analogy because Trump carried that bible like it was a folding chair, walked into the graffiti-soaked ring and held it up like it was smackdown.

    Then he walked away.

  219. 219.

    Kent

    Jennifer Ruben definitely has no fucks left to give today

    washingtonpost.com/opinions/2020/06/02/it-takes-village-create-monster/

    The events of Monday — the violent suppression of peaceful protesters (coupled with a threat to use the military against American civilians) so that President Trump could stage a photo op and besmirch the Bible — were not Trump’s doing alone. Those who enabled and participated — including Attorney General William P. Barr, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Mark A. Milley, Ivanka Trump and federal police, to name a few — are equally to blame for the debasement of the presidency and a house of worship.

    The list of those who were present or helped pull off the stunt is merely the tip of the iceberg, a small subset of those whom history will hold responsible for the serial failures, outrages and perversions of this administration.

    Too often we let off those without whom Trump would have been deterred if not defanged. Let’s start with those who have served in this administration. All of them. There are no “good” servants of a racist, wannabe dictator. Former Defense secretary Jim Mattis is as culpable as former White House press secretary Sarah Sanders. They cannot escape responsibility for their role in creating a patina of normalcy, enabling Trump or lying on his behalf. The anonymous New York Times writer who deluded himself or herself into believing that working for Trump served some noble purpose is no better than Stephen Miller, the architect of inhumane immigration policies.

  220. 220.

    MisterForkbeard

    @lamh36: I’m a little sad. Couldn’t happen to a worse person, but his challenger will be harder to beat in November.

  221. 221.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @joel hanes: Does IA have a sore loser’s law? If not, can anyone aggravate the Pig Mucking Incumbent into running as an independent in Nov & maybe opening the door for the Democrat?

  222. 222.

    West of the Cascades

    @Kent: Jennifer Rubin pretty much lost all her fucks about mid-2018. I’ve promised myself to grit my teeth and give serious consideration to her inevitable critiques of the Biden administration (salt tossed over shoulder, wood knocked) – she’s earned that with her scorched earth opposition to Trumpism.

  223. 223.

    Bill Arnold

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    Two Corinthians

    That made my mind ache to watch, but thanks.
    D.J. Trump appears to be much more lucid in that Jan 18 2016 video than he is now. I mean, still awful (and yet the audience ate it up), but he’s declined cognitively.

  224. 224.

    Kayla Rudbek

    @Jeffro: I hear you.  My parents live in Minneapolis and I haven’t called them since the protests began, because I will finally explode and give them the tongue-lashing of their lives over their blind support of Trump.  My brother hasn’t responded to their texts since the protests began as far as I know (we have a three-way discussion going in Apple Messages).

  226. 226.

    Calvin Hobbes

    Well fuck you right back. By voting for Gary Johnson I fulfilled my duty to vote for the candidate I believed was most qualified for the job.

Comments are closed.