I’ve been out and about and missed this, but you can start at the beginning (18:32) and the team is talking now:
Open thread
by TaMara| 78 Comments
This post is in: Open Threads, Politics
I’ve been out and about and missed this, but you can start at the beginning (18:32) and the team is talking now:
Open thread
Comments are closed.
germy
His science team will be scientists. This is my prediction.
Refreshing, after four years of pillow salesmen and snake oil practitioners.
PsiFighter37
I do hope that once all these people are in place and have the full lay of the land, they highlight just how destructive the Trump maladministration was when it came to any semblance of competence in managing these federal agencies. Most of these people are undoubtedly competent at the jobs they are signing up for, but they have to know that a big portion of what they will be doing is rebuilding the institutions and the morale of the executive branch.
Baud
@germy:
Only scientists? Sounds biased.
Brachiator
It will be nice to have sciency scientists doing science, understanding science, explaining science.
Ohio Mom
germy @1:
Somewhere in the blogosphere I saw someone remarking that Mr. Pillowman resembled Fred Trump. Maybe that is why he is a favorite?
Kent
They have an enormous task on their hands. First, to rip out all of the anti-science material that the Trump folks have embedded everywhere into the Federal government from climate to environmental protection to health care. second, to bring science back into the forefront in Federal decision-making instead of the anti-science fundamentalist and pro corporate profits tilt that has been there for the past four years. And third, to elevate the role and stature of science in our larger society. The know-nothing anti-intellectual tilt of the GOP has been extremely damaging in so many areas from climate denial to anti-vax nonsense.
germy
@Ohio Mom:
It’s a possibility.
I’ve always disliked him. HIs commercials and his outlandish claims for his product. (In one commercial, he promised his pillows would cure sleep apnea.) Inventing a “sleep institute” just so it could endorse his ridiculous pillows.
Kent
Not one fundamentalist preacher or coal lobbyist in the bunch. How unbalanced!
germy
@Baud:
Can’t we get at least one astrologer in there, so we can say we “reached out” to conservatives?
Scout211
https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/harris-sworn-justice-sonia-sotomayor-inauguration/story?id=75296716
I love this!
Mary G
@Scout211: Squeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Justice Sotomayor wrote a blistering denunciation of Barr’s rush to execute more people this administration than we had in the last 60 years. Love this.
germy
Access Sally (thanks to Roy Edroso for that name) has some inside info in her thread:
Brachiator
Arnold won the 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry. Some people say that Trump was up for that Nobel as well.
//
germy
@Brachiator:
No, Trump got the Noble prize.
Completely different competition.
John Revolta
@germy: Access Sally! LOLOL
cain
@PsiFighter37:
It won’t matter – as long as they continue to be exposed to right wing propaganda – they’ll follow whatever is being said by the propagandist.
We have to really figure out how to muzzle Fox News.
O. Felix Culpa
@Brachiator: Lander is a college classmate. Brilliant guy and a good person to boot.
germy
@cain:
They’ve moved beyond fox news. Jenna Ellis is on twitter gloating about their drop in ratings.
The hate/anger stuff is all over the web and social media now. And local and syndicated talk radio.
Almost Retired
Tuesday night – Trump and Melania’s last night in the White House.
He discreetly helicopters to Walter Reed for a intravenous cocktail of vitamins, steroids and ED medication in the hope that Melania neglects to double bar her well-fortified bedroom door. The door is unlocked. She sighs and accepts his advances, determined, as always, to make the experience seem as much like necrophilia as possible. She feels nothing but his sweat dripping onto her liposuction scars. To make the experience somewhat bearable, she follows the advice of a wise illegal alien (her mother) to “lie back and think of Slovenia.”
Eventually, Trump makes a guttural grunting noise — akin to the death rattle of elephants poached by his sons – and finishes the vile act with a quick emission of dust. He leaves. Melania gets up and pours herself a strong one. And she thinks about a boy she knew in school….
There you go. Fan fiction of a sort…….
Brachiator
@O. Felix Culpa:
Very cool.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: A bias towards reality, sounds dangerous.
Cheryl Rofer
Lander is not without controversy. I won’t go into it here, but don’t be surprised to see criticism. As a Berkeley alum, I take the other side. But he will be infinitely better than anyone Trump came up with.
Also too, he is a life scientist, the first to be a presidential advisor. The physicists think the job belongs to them, but their credit comes from a long time ago, and a life scientist is the right choice now.
Gin & Tonic
@germy: Isn’t that like Rand Paul’s ophthalmology certification?
germy
@Almost Retired:
Now do McConnell and Chao.
Just One More Canuck
@Almost Retired: OMG – seek help please!
The Eagles reference was a good touch
zhena gogolia
OT, my new hero:
zhena gogolia
@germy:
No, no, please do not do that.
Gin & Tonic
@Almost Retired: I hate you.
zhena gogolia
@O. Felix Culpa:
Hmmm. I wonder if you knew my husband.
Almost Retired
@Gin & Tonic: …with time, the mental images will fade…
evodevo
@Almost Retired: I might alter that to “thinks about Justin Trudeau” lol
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@germy: It was a moment of intimacy she dreaded, although she knew it would be brief. It was the deal her parents had wanted, and she had wanted. She had married one of the most powerful men in the country, and the family business had prospered as she had hoped, as she had known, it would. Still, the physical contact filled her with a vague feeling of distaste.
They approached in the hallway outside her bedroom. Mitch’s face was, as always, blank, no sign of what he thought about the approaching moment when they would come together as husband and wife.
Mitch extended his hand, she took in hers, both hands cool and dry.
“Sleep well, Elaine,” said Mitch in a quiet, calm voice.
“Thank you, Mitch. Good night to you.”
They shook hands and separated. Mitch turned and walked down the hall to his own room. Elaine entered her own room, closing the door behind her with a sigh of relief. She decided to finish The Crown before sleeping.
Haroldo
@Almost Retired:
That’s just flat out evil. Can’t put that shit back into the tube.
Spanky
@O. Felix Culpa:
And his relatives “Moon” and “Mars” are pretty great at science too!
Ken
I understand that destruction of the optic lobes of the brain speeds the process.
Immanentize
@Spanky: snerk
Yutsano
@evodevo: Remember the Army sergeant* she danced with at the inauguration? Any chance she “kept up” with him. It would indeed be irresponsible not to speculate. It was the on;y time she had genuinely smiled that whole evening.
*I honestly do not remember his rank. I do recall he was enlisted.
Yutsano
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: YOU KNOCK THAT SHIT OFF MISTER!!!
Don’t even make me turn this blog around.
Ken
@germy: According to Haberman,
As has been said many times, he’s the President of the United States, with (what were once) the finest intelligence services on the planet standing ready to provide him any information he wants; yet he gets everything from twitter, facebook, and select cable outlets.
CaseyL
@zhena gogolia: Me, too! More like this, please.
germy
@zhena gogolia:
Baud
VeniceRiley
This photog has credentials and got this close to Pelosi signing impeachment articles.
Hope they revoke his credentials for the inaugural. When are we going to get serious about security?
https://twitter.com/JRofATX/status/1349510509209530371?s=20
Felanius Kootea
@Almost Retired:
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I’m gasping for air here. You guys need to cut it out.
Back to the original topic – I’m happy that the science advisor has been elevated to a cabinet level position. About time.
Quinerly
Boebert’s communication director just resigned after 2 weeks. He previously was connected to Mitch McConnell. So rather mainstream Repug.
Thoughts about the rumor that Boebert’s mother is the terrorist recorded with the bullhorn bellowing about “taking the Capitol” and seemed to know the layout? I haven’t seen the video.
WaterGirl
@VeniceRiley:
Apparently not soon enough.
WaterGirl
@Quinerly:
Please please please let the be her mother. I want Boebert out and gone. Yesterday.
Quinerly
Connie Schultz had this up on her FB feed:
https://www.ucc.org
Reports that liberal churches to be attacked 1/17
Quinerly
@WaterGirl: it would be cool if it was her mother.
New piece out on Madison Cawthorn by Olivia Nuzzi. Cawthorn seems to think if he and Boebert had stood on the Capitol steps that might could have stopped it. Never mind he spoke at the rally beforehand. The piece is well worth the read. NY Mag
Mike in NC
@Almost Retired: That was great!
Immanentize
@Quinerly:
Thought that boy couldn’t stand.
Quinerly
@Immanentize: excellent point. He in his wheelchair, she standing. My wording wasn’t that great, was it? Read it while at the dog park earlier. Another recommendation is the piece on the Don’t Tread on Me terrorist who was radicalized and then trampled for what could have been an hr. Warning… Video.
zhena gogolia
@Quinerly:
Wow, that’s my church. We aren’t meeting in person, haven’t been since March.
Haroldo
@Immanentize:
Ah, Thank Yew, Jezzuss! I can walk! I can walk!
Immanentize
@Haroldo: I swear that is how that boy’s saga is gonna end. And the dude from Texas with the eye patch? He will see again.
rikyrah
@Almost Retired:
?????
rikyrah
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
????
NotMax
@Quinerly
But they were fresh out of ax handles.
//
Quinerly
@zhena gogolia: I enjoy Connie’s FB feed. Always interesting stuff that I miss from other sources. This church stuff should be getting more press.
I think it was on her feed that I saw where one of these abortion clinic bombers was also there on 1/6 and has been arrested.
Quinerly
@Immanentize: sorry about the crazy looking link. That’s what my phone does to them on a copy/paste job.
Link
edited
MoCA Ace
@Almost Retired:
I that some sort of cry for help?
I was just skimming and got to “She sighs and accepts his advances” when it hit me where you were going with that.
I baled… I don’t need that evil in my head.
NotMax
@Quinerly
Cleaned it up for ya. Linky
Quinerly
@NotMax: great. You’re hired!
Patricia Kayden
Original Lee
Maybe the Jacksls who are more tech-savvy than I am can help. We signed up for the virtual inauguration and got a card with a QR Code on it for various cool extras. I scanned the QR Code and got shunted over to a website that told me I needed to sign up for an account in order to activate the code. OK fine, 14-day free trial sucks but whatevs. Signed up, tried again, got told the code has been deactivated. At this point, I’m not touching it any more, but what should I do at this point?
trollhattan
Put the SF Giants on the dead-to-me list.
Brachiator
@Ken:
Said some of it related to reports Trump is now unable to see because he doesn’t have Twitter.
Trump and Fox, Bad Twitter, etc, formed a perfect idiot feedback loop.
Interesting. Some techno libertarians think that you should never interfere with or delete falsehoods and just let people decide for themselves. But propagandists take advantage of this and ramp up the bullshit.
zhena gogolia
@Patricia Kayden:
How can we keep Democrats in power forever? (democratically, of course)
Another Scott
@Scout211:
… using Thurgood Marshall’s Bible.
Good, good.
Cheers,
Scott.
O. Felix Culpa
@zhena gogolia: C’est possible. A Tiger? Which year?
O. Felix Culpa
@Spanky: Snort. Perhaps you’ve been hanging around NotMax a bit too much lately? //
O. Felix Culpa
@Cheryl Rofer: Let’s you and me fight! //
gwangung
@Brachiator: Yes. Big tech is gamed so easily. And they’re often not good at anticipating unintended consequences
Scout211
@Another Scott:
Oooh, that’s some extra goodness!
Matt McIrvin
@Brachiator: Trump was living the dream of every 3-year-old: his special friends on the TV were actually talking to him personally.
Matt McIrvin
his special friends on the TV were actually talking to him personally.
(wait a minute, I’M living that dream now, and it’s not so great, they keep giving me work to do)
Ruckus
@Ken:
Can’t hear lies, innuendo, bullshit and how great he is if you tell the truth. Also those are the only concepts he understands….
Sister Golden Bear
@Haroldo: More like: “Mein Führer! I can walk!”