This made me laugh:
The other thing I took from this is the way Sen. Klobuchar worked the joke, trying to get approval from Republicans, and having them ruin it in the process, is precisely how moderate Democrats write legislation. Democrats should approach things the way Franken did, and call a piece of shit a piece of shit and do the right thing.
J R in WV
FRist? who knew!
Everyone does hate Ted, even his kids… makes me wonder why they don’t love/trust him at all…
Maybe they don’t even know who he is?
Nelle
Still miss him in the Senate. We still need him there. Really rankles for him to be gone and the traitors still smugly holding forth in there.
Martin
Thankfully, most (not all) seem to have learned their lesson with Trump.
Medicine Man
Yup, still pisses me off that Dems jettisoned Franken. Given how much has happened since that day, his past douche-bro-ery looks positively quaint.
Old School
I’m not a podcast kind of guy, but is Al Franken’s any good?
James E Powell
@Medicine Man:
Especially since the most common justification for ditching Franken was so that Dems could look good for Doug Jones’s campaign. He won, but what did that bring us?
Question is, if Franken had somehow weathered the storm, where would we be? Would our situation be better? And I’m not downplaying Franken as a senator, I’m just wondering what impact he might have on outcomes.
kindness
It is so sad that we allowed the MSM, the pearl clutchers and Rose Twitter to get us to boot Al Franken from his job. Spineless Democrats suck.
germy
I think Ted is genuinely baffled whenever he gets a bad reaction because of his actions.
He doesn’t seem to understand basic human behavior or decency.
It’s the exact opposite of someone being overly sensitive. He’s completely insensitive.
Betty
@Nelle: That humor is definitely needed these days.
germy
@James E Powell:
I think Tina Smith has been great.
Betty
@Nelle: That humor is definitely needed these days.
mrmoshpotato
Replying to FlyinTed, the Canadian shitbag.
Mathguy
@Old School: Depends on the guest, like a lot of these do.
comrade scotts agenda of rage
A quote from an anonymous Second Worst President Ever’s 2000 campaign staff was once related to Frank Bruni:
“Why do people take such an instant dislike to Ted Cruz? It just saves time,”
germy
Comity!
germy
In other news:
Malcolm X’s family reveals letter they say shows NYPD, FBI assassination involvement
tam1MI
@James E Powell: Especially since the most common justification for ditching Franken was so that Dems could look good for Doug Jones’s campaign. He won, but what did that bring us?
Katie Hill run out of Congress on a rail, and her seat taken by a Republican.
And Doug Jones campaign managers are on record as saying that l’affaire Al Franken had no effect whatsoever on the vote for or against Jones.
Such an own goal by the Dems.
MisterForkbeard
@Mathguy: I haven’t listened to his podcast, but his old radio show was pretty excellent. Nobody LISTENED to it, but it was good.
Van Buren
That was great!
Ten Bears
One does wonder just what “Ted” was doing sneaking across the border with a couple of underage (white) girls, inviting others to join them.
Kinda’ wonder about all the little girls kidnapped at the border too, but it kinda’ spoils the snark.
lowtechcyclist
This would be the way to do it. But the problem here isn’t “Democrats” anymore. It’s Manchin and Sinema, and maybe one or two others (I think I’ve heard Coons’ name mentioned). There’s no real solution for that but to win in 2022, so we aren’t dependent on those two for every little thing.
The only problem is, if we don’t get shit done in 2021 on account of Manchin and Sinema, we’ll get taken to the cleaners in 2022. If anyone’s got a solution to that conundrum…
Dorothy A. Winsor
That’s a funny story from Franken.
germy
This is how you talk to a Republican:
(Not all Democrats are spineless)
germy
More Democratic action:
Boris Rasputin (the evil twin)
@J R in WV: If his kids know him at all, they hate him.
germy
@Ten Bears:
Was Ted part of the group that traveled to Russia on July 4th?
I’d like to know more about that business…
Cameron
@Ten Bears: Certainly his being the Zodiac Killer should make people at least a little suspicious.
Ruckus
@germy:
It is possible that he isn’t actually human. If it walks like an ape, talks like an ape, it’s likely an ape, or just teddy. Asshole Deluxe Teddy, pissing off everyone for thousands of miles in all directions.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Medicine Man:
It was the right thing to do. Dems had to show that our talk on sexual harassment etc, especially in the midst of the MeToo movement wasn’t just talk. I think that move helped in the 2018 midterms and 2020
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@germy:
Good news! That asshole DeJoke needs to go. A lot of people, including my father, get their prescription meds through the mail. If he gums up the works any further like he wants, people will suffer. Not to mention future mail voting.
My debit card is also expiring next month and I’m afraid the new card won’t arrive in time due to delivery delays
Yutsano
@lowtechcyclist: I’ve heard a lot of talk from both of them but when we’ve needed their vote they’ve both been solid. Manchin always argues from a position where he can sell things back home. (Cole can give more input on him.) Sinema I don’t know exactly what her deal is. Maybe Arizona peeps can help with her. Maybe she feels no major issue with the filibuster but the Democrats so rarely used it while she has been a Senator. We can complain about them but it’s ultimately what they think they’re doing for their constituents.
catclub
Don’t get me started on that FBI asshole.
Old School
@germy:
That trip back in 2018 was:
Sen. Richard Shelby (R-Ala.)
Sen. Steve Daines (R-Mont.)
Sen. John Hoeven (R-N.D.)
Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)
Sen. John Kennedy (R-La.)
Sen. Jerry Moran (R-Kan.)
Sen. John Thune (R-S.D.)
Rep. Kay Granger (R-Texas)
Shalimar
@James E Powell: The difference between Franken and Tina Smith seems negligible. Maybe Franken would have attracted more attention, both positive and negative.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@lowtechcyclist:
Make it clear to Manchin and Sinema that if Dems lose in 2022 we’re probably looking at a one-party Orban-style dictatorship in the not-so distant future. What good will the holy filibuster do them when they’re arrested for being enemies of the state?
Immanentize
Re: Sinema — I know they exist, but it is hard for me to understand how an LGBTQ+ person can be so conservative and oppositional to progressive change.
Shalimar
@germy: Good that the administration has finished vetting the people who will vote DeJoy out. He has been an unmitigated disaster by any measure. Brick and mortar stores are closing in favor of online websites in every field. If the USPS can’t start turning a profit with that massive increase in shipping, it’s because DeJoy doesn’t want to.
trollhattan
@Cameron:
Right? Much more nefarious than his Grandpa Munster stint.
Baud
@Immanentize:
Lots of people in traditionally marginalized groups learn to play it safe. I dont know enough about Sinema to know if that’s the case here.
raven
Senate Energy and Natural Resources Chairman Joe Manchin, a key moderate Democrat from West Virginia, announced Wednesday that he will vote to confirm Deb Haaland, President Joe Biden’s pick to be Interior secretary.
The announcement is a boost to the nomination and follows Haaland’s two days of testimony during confirmation hearings before the committee.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@Baud:
@Immanentize:
Also, some LGBTQ+ people, being people, might otherwise be conservative if not for conservative bigotry. As different minority groups become more accepted/gain more rights, this should be expected to happen over time
Baud
@raven:
Good. We were talking about that earlier.
Kent
@raven: I expect Murkowski will vote to confirm as well. She relies heavily on the Alaska Native vote to beat back the rabid MAGA in Alaska.
MomSense
@kindness:
Don’t forget Roger Stone. He played us.
Brantl
@Old School: I haven’t heard it, but I would be willing to bet money I can’t afford, against someone I don’t like, that it would be good.
Baud
OT, but interesting.
SiubhanDuinne
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Go to your bank in person, explain the situation and your concerns, and have them issue you a temporary debit card on the spot. It will have limitations, but should tide you over until DeJoyless gets around to delivering your permanent card.
Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)
@MomSense:
It’s been a long time, so maybe I don’t remember, but what did Roger Stone have to do with it? Franken did something inappropriate in the past, it turned out he had a pattern, and he had to pay the price for it. Dems had to prove we meant our values
At least that’s how I remember it
Kent
She is a wealthy white bisexual woman. Which is pretty far to the right on the scale of LGBTQ folks who face discrimination and oppression in their daily lives. LGBTQ is not some universal/uniform category.
germy
@Immanentize:
It happens sometimes.
Transgender Oath Keeper petitions for release from jail following charges relating to the Capitol siege, reportedly citing safety fears
germy
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
Roger bragged that something was going to happen (before it happened). He had advance notice.
raven
@germy: She was a fucking Ranger too.
BruceFromOhio
@germy: That is exactly how to speak to, about, and in response to GQP bullshit.
Jungle Gym is incapable of speaking the truth in any respect on any topic. He simply cannot do it. And if the clip-hungry media is looking for content, oh Gaia, let ’em follow Connolly around during these hearings. They’ll have plenty.
Bruce K in ATH-GR
@germy:
I’ve said it before: wisdom was Ted Cruz’s dump stat.
West of the Rockies
Just occurred to me that Steve King is out of D.C. And no one cares.
How terrible would it be to leave a place after years and have the general response be glee? Limbaugh left the living and the majority reaction seems to be rejoicing.
Major Major Major Major
Sorta feels like this only applies to Sinema right now.
BruceFromOhio
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): This. If Franken hadn’t stepped down, it would have been hung around the neck of every Democrat for ever and ever. Matters not one whit how relentlessly awful the two-bit-ratfuck soulless criminals of the GQP behave.
Nicole
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): there was a rumor that Roger Stone was involved, but there was never anything to it. Same thing with the rumors that the photograph had been staged. This article goes into it and comes to the same conclusion you do, that it was the right thing to do.
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.vox.com/platform/amp/2018/5/21/17352230/al-franken-accusations-resignation-democrats-leann-tweeden-kirsten-gillibrand
germy
@raven:
“How was I to know she was with the Rangers too?”
(Apologies to Warren Zevon)
Immanentize
@Kent: I know it is a holiday he tent. There are Republican black people too. Go figure!
Major Major Major Major
@Bruce K in ATH-GR:
This implies the existence of a non-dump stat. What’s he >10 in? INT? Certainly not charisma.
BruceFromOhio
@Old School: Thune really should’ve known better. The rest, pfff. Benghazi the fuck out of ’em once the real work is done.
Major Major Major Major
@Immanentize:
The LGB crowd is a lot more conservative than most people would guess. Same for the Ts I know personally.
NeenerNeener
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Nevermind…
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Immanentize:
She”s gone from the Green Party to the Blue Dogs, and I believe there’s some other big swerve in her history that I can’t quite recall. It galls me when she says she’s concerned about protecting the rights of “the minority”, at the expense of the most basic rights and interests of actually oppressed minorities. Maybe she’s holding out for a dramatic moment when Cruz and Hawley block the For The People Act.
egorelick
You remember it wrong. The nefarious photos were from a right wing radio personality (or actress). She had shared them with Roger Stone who sat on them until he felt they would have the greatest effect. The lady in question was all lies (about what actually happened) and faux outrage (about how she felt). It was a hit job/trap on tap for a long time and executed/sprung at a time of their choosing.
VeniceRiley
@germy: I’ve a tenner that says she voted for bernie in2016. Who wants to try and take my money?
Cacti
Thank goodness the Me Too movement rid the Senate of this dangerous man.
raven
@egorelick: She’s a fucking skank not a lady.
Major Major Major Major
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
This, exactly. As supporting Dems becomes less and less a matter of life and death for, say, gay men, this is precisely what you’d expect. See also hispanic whites (anecdotally).
West of the Rockies
@egorelick:
What became of Franken’s accuser anyway? Is she now basically a Victoria Jackson figure?
bluehill
Ted is the perfect representative for his main constituents. He passes legislation that benefits his rich donors, and he’s an unctuous a-hole to all the groups his economically-anxious supporters hate.
trollhattan
Gym Jordan’s bad day (from Political Wire)
1. “George Clooney is producing a docuseries about the decades-long sexual abuse scandal in the athletic department at Ohio State University, where Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) was once an assistant coach of the wrestling team,” Mediaite reports.
2. “I didn’t vote to overturn an election. And I will not be lectured by people who did about partisanship.”
— Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-VA) in a confrontation with Rep. Jim Jordan (R-OH) during today’s House Oversight Committee hearing.
https://politicalwire.com/2021/02/24/quote-of-the-day-2816/
catclub
@SiubhanDuinne:
wait, is there some USPS warehouse where First class mail is piling up?
I have seen no indication that FCM is being delayed by weeks.
By days, cannot tell, but if I get a FCM letter and look at its postmark…
not very old.
Timurid
@Major Major Major Major: The openly LGBT crowd can be sneaky conservative because many of them were able to safely come out due to financial and professional security. Like other affluent people they may tend toward fiscal conservatism and even consider making alliances of convenience with social conservatives. The stereotypes about gay people being especially smart and creative come from a similar source, based on public perception of a very skewed sampling of the overall gay population, with a disproportionate number of those who are out being high achievers and/or in creative fields that were more tolerant.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@West of the Rockies: she’s co-host of a radio show with “Dr Drew”, of celebrity rehab infamy, and I think more recently of some Covid denialism. The wiki page lays out the history of her accusations, including Roger Stone’s involvement. Too many links to cut and paste.
patrick II
@James E Powell:
The ACA. 51-49.
catclub
@Immanentize:
Given that virtually all black people are in the Democratic party, due to racism, it makes sense that they are on average more conservative than the white people who choose the Democratic party.
karen marie
@kindness: Why are you blaming Bernie supporters for Franken’s resignation? And who is “us”
@MisterForkbeard: I tried to listen but Air America’s schedule was ridiculous.
cmorenc
What really gives horrifying context to the Franken/Klobuchar joke about Ted Cruz is how close Cruz came in 2016 to drawing enough support among the GOP base to beat out Donald Trump for the presidential nomination, let alone that those two were the most popular candidates within the GOP primary electorate.
catclub
@Timurid:
And because only one party was interested in ending discrimination against them. So again, if they have essentially one choice of party, they will be on average more conservative…
Betty Cracker
@Nicole: It may have been possible for Franken to weather the scandal if not for that photograph. IMO, he was goofing around in a way that, while gross, was pretty common at that time and place, but images are powerful reinforcers.
If there’s any justice, Cruz will be hoist on a similar petard with his Mexican vacay photos. Lord knows he’s done far more gross and offensive things in his career, but the pictures really seem to have captured the popular imagination. But there probably won’t be justice because Republicans — elected and voters alike — are almost all hypocrites who are impervious to shame.
NotMax
@catclub
Consider yourself lucky. The delays are happening; both the occurrence and duration wildly inconsistent and unpredictable.
(While not first class, am currently waiting on a priority mail package which is already two days past due date, listed as “late but in transit” with no indication of where it might be or when it might arrive.)
Mary G
Want to thank the jackals who gave me advice on mold in my house and choosing a new cell phone. Both were extremely helpful and saved me money and stress fretting.
The mold was on the teen’s bedroom closet and I had been given an estimate of $2,300 to test for asbestos, then tear out the closet ceiling and did not include finding or fixing the leak that was supposed to be causing it, or replacing the torn out ceiling. Instead one of his uncles who works construction came over to cut some holes. It turns out there was no leak and no mold at all inside the wall of the closet, but only on the room side, which seems to have been caused by the teen’s habit of throwing his used towels, and dirty clothing which is often wet from being at the beach or his dishwashing job, into a giant pile in the closet until he runs out of clothes and has to do his laundry. He paid for a bottle of Concrobium that cost $10.99 at Lowes that we used to treat the mold, and endured several lectures from his mom, gave his uncle some money after the holes were filled back in and I spent nothing.
I ended up getting a Samsung A51 from TracFone that was on sale for $219 and has 128 g of memory and a “48 megapixel” camera that seems more like four 12 megapixel cameras next to each other, but whatevs. It is so nice not to have to juggle apps by uninstalling one I don’t need right now to make room for the one I do because there is only 8 g memory and 4 of it is the operating system. Now I annoy the cats because there is room for more than one picture of each of them and I have to make up time. The old phone went into a boot loop and refused to reformat the day after I ordered the new one, and delivery was delayed a day or two by last week’s weather, but I binged a lot of Netflix and survived just fine.
rikyrah
@germy:
Like we didn’t already know that ??
Major Major Major Major
@Timurid: I would bet that if you looked at trends over time, in the GSS perhaps, you’d find LGB respondents getting more conservative over time. This ameliorates “outness” to a degree because survey responses are confidential. But, I can’t quite figure out their data explorer at this moment.
rikyrah
@germy:
??????????
WaterGirl
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Please don’t ask anyone to recount this again. It’s a hellish discussion every time it comes up.
Type “Franken” into the Balloon Juice search box and at least one relevant thread will come up. That should tell you everyone you want to know, and if it doesn’t, look for other posts around the same date.
rikyrah
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):
You are right to be scared.
I live in an Urban area.
The Post Office where my mail is delivered to is 6 blocks away from my home.
Until yesterday, I hadn’t gotten mail in 8 days.???
Just Some Fuckhead
Ted Cruz may be bad but he’s not kill a man with your car, lie about it for six months and not be charged with anything serious like negligent homicide or manslaughter bad.
egorelick
That article is just Gillebrand fan service.
opiejeanne
@rikyrah: I didn’t know it, but I was suspicious. This is not very surprising.
WaterGirl
@Just Some Fuckhead: I saw that earlier. 3 misdemeanors?????
That is so fucking wrong.
Martin
@lowtechcyclist: DC statehood solves that problem quite elegantly, BTW. Dems need to push HR1 hard.
Old Dan and Little Ann
The last time I saw Franken was on on Bill Maher’s show. I think it was within this year. He was fucking TRASHED. I like Franken, but he was a wreck that night. Also, fuck ted cruz.
Martin
@Just Some Fuckhead: Yeah he is. He just hasn’t done it yet.
opiejeanne
@WaterGirl: Thank you.
Everyone has their opinion on this already; we don’t need to discuss this further. .
Betty Cracker
@Just Some Fuckhead: I was reading about that earlier, and JFC, it’s awful. I’m not a lawyer, but I don’t understand how a driver who hits and kills a pedestrian because he (the driver) was irresponsibly reading wingnut screeds on the internet instead of watching the road, then repeatedly lied to the cops skates with such light charges. Maybe the victim’s family will sue him in civil court.
artem1s
@germy:
Ah, remember the Green Eggs and Ham recitation. How could anyone get the lesson of that book so completely wrong.
Mary G
And flip the state house too. It’s impossible to do right up until you do it, AKA Georgia.
Another Scott
@catclub: We had a first class Xmas card from MS that took about 3 weeks to reach us. Arrived in January. I had local bills arrive a day after the due date (when usually there are at least 3 weeks).
Around here in NoVA, the little white mail trucks are running until around 8 PM and on the weekends to try to catch up.
It’s not all DeJoy (lots of carriers were out with COVID), but he’s clearly trying to break the USPS.
Cheers,
Scott.
NotMax
@Just Some Fuckhead
Slight improvement, at least, over Laura Bush (then Laura Welch) facing no charges of any kind for a vehicular homicide.
David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch
The first time Al Franken ran for office in 1978 produced some of the greatest negative ads – ever (link)
Mary G
@Betty Cracker: That case stinks to high heaven. I bet if he wasn’t the state AG he’d be in criminal court right now. When you’ve lost Kristi Noem, head of the Twitler cheer squad, you are a bad, bad guy.
artem1s
@trollhattan:
Seems like a weird project for Clooney. I wonder if someone in his father’s circle is a producer.
citizen dave
@Baud: It’s called scarcity pricing. The economic theory is that the super high prices will entice more supply and/or incent customers to reduce power demand and/or get off the system entirely. It’s envisioned for short term events, like an hour or two or three. In a rolling blackout situation it makes no sense whatsoever. I’m really reevaluating it this week. I know this is wholesale, but many states have (anti) price gouging laws, often for gasoline. Why should we ever let electricity prices skyrocket like this?
Instead of a usual $50 / MWH or so price–or even 200 or $500, the price cap is $9000 / MWH. When you allow that for 3 days over 30 or 40 GWs, it adds up!
I’m guessing Texas will work out some forgiveness for the customer bills, but if they pay all the resources that did supply power in full, the money will just come from the same people, the Texas taxpayers. That’s the beauty of having your own grid with a huge price cap.
prostratedragon
@catclub: Until yesterday I’d had no first class in nearly a week, and then got only one of several that I’ve been expecting for about that long. A priority letter that was sent on Feb 2 to me in Chicago from the DC area was checked through Chicago central station on Feb 7 and arrived to me on Feb 11. I am beyond livid. There is no way that arrogant little clown needs to be involved in “reforming” the USPS, I don’t give a rat’s ass who is working with him.
Dan B
@catclub: DeJoy’s plans have long term and lingering consequences. He wants to ban the PO from carrying mail by air, surface only. But it won’t happen immediately. How does First Class Mail work without airplanes? Locally fine but the difference between local PO shipping and mail via Second Class vs. First Class will be unnoticeable but the teduction in revenue from less FCM will accumulate.
Cheryl Rofer
@Dan B: Plus the airlines make money from carrying the mail. And they need every penny now.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
OT: he looks like some kind of damn sheep wizard wearing a damn magic cloak, then he looks, like, “Without so much a a by-your-leave…”
Nicole
@Betty Cracker: that’s interesting, I have felt the opposite, that he could’ve weathered the photograph, especially as she was a right-winger, but it was the seven additional women coming forward saying he touched them inappropriately that did him in.
Regardless of one’s opinion of what happened to Franken, because it has been done to death on the site, public service announcement: Men, don’t touch women when posing for photographs in any way other than how you would touch a man for a photograph. Do not grab their bottoms. It’s not going to “relax them” and they’re not actually finding it funny; they’re laughing because they’re uncomfortable. Do not put your arm around their waist and then pinch their skin. It’s not cool. If you are questioning whether a behavior is appropriate, ask yourself, “If I do this to a man, is there a nonzero chance that he will punch my lights out?“ if that answer is yes, then don’t do it to a woman.
lowtechcyclist
@Martin:
Same chicken-and-egg problem. Need, first, a ruling from the chair that statehood legislation can’t be filibustered, and second, Manchin voting for it. One can see him voting against it both (a) because West Virginians aren’t fond of DC, and (b) because he’d disagree with that ruling and would vote against it because of that.
And HR1 goes nowhere without the filibuster. Need to bring it anyway because the campaign ads write themselves, but 2022 races will still depend on Dems surviving state GOP’s anti-voting laws.
zhena gogolia
@Nicole:
I’m with you. I didn’t read the whole thread because I can’t stand going over it again.
prostratedragon
“Free Again,” sung by Barbra Streisand. Betcha Baarack is not feeling this ironic. Just this emphatic.
bbleh
@Medicine Man: @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): @BruceFromOhio: I think Franken was run out because he’s a humorist. A deadly humorist. And there is nothing more dangerous to a politician than humor. He had nukes, and they were scared.
And I’m sorry, but I am not at all convinced by “if we hadn’t done X then the terrible all-powerful Republicans would have done Y and we would all be dooooomed.”
Nicole
@zhena gogolia: I was never particularly a fan of hers, because I am old and crotchety when it come to music, but I was all Team Taylor Swift when she went after that radio DJ who grabbed her rear when posing for a picture and sued him. But she could do it because it was a very rare circumstance where she had more power than he did.
lowtechcyclist
@Yutsano:
Didn’t Manchin say he was such a believer in the Byrd Rule that he was going to insist that the minimum wage hike be stripped from the reconciliation bill?
That’s the wrong way to be solid, and I bet being against the minimum wage hike doesn’t play well back home either.
Ah yes, here we go:
Dan B
@Cheryl Rofer: Thanks for pointing out the downstream effects of DeJoy’s slow murder of the PO. In addition the 2023 ‘Next Gen’ postal vans are being built in the US (according to my gearhead and EV fanboy partner). Half are EV’s, half Hybrids. Canceling or messing up the contracts would cause harm to Midwestern communities and the US economy in general. Would UPS or FedEx buy US made vehicles if they got a windfall from the demise of the PO? Would our skies be filled with annoyingly noisy drones Made in China?
Geminid
@tam1MI: Katie Hill was not run out of Congress. She quit because she could not bear more revenge porn being published by The Daily Mail. That newspaper and California law regarding revenge porn and public officials were responsible for Hill’s decision. Hill’s easy rider husband was most responsible of all, though. When she told the slimeball that she was divorcing him, he would not let her go without trying to destroy her career.
LuciaMia
Now that would make an interesting childrens’ book.
***************
I saw somebody is marketing T. Cruz’s pinatas.
lowtechcyclist
QFT. The notion that we Dems had another acceptable choice besides pressuring him to resign is just bullshit. Anyone who’s whining “we forced him out and what did we get in return?” can take a long walk off a short pier, AFAIAC.
What we got in return was settling the issue of whether we were against sexual harassment even when one of our own was doing the harassing. Even if that was all we got, that’d good enough for me.
Procopius
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): As I remember it, Franken, as an adult, did something typical of a nine-year-old boy — miming squeezing a woman’s breasts. It was certainly distasteful, but I thought the reaction was WAY overblown.
Ruckus
@Old School:
Who would want to travel with teddy? Even assholes have some standards – and teddy doesn’t measure up to anyone’s.
Geminid
@Betty Cracker: “A picture is worth a thousand words.” You are probably right about the photo. It may not have been fatal by itself, but it butressed allegations of groping by more than one woman. Had it not not been for the Alabama special election, this still probably would have been a matter for the Senate’s ethics commitee. Franken might have gotten a reprimand, and Minnesota voters would have had the final word.
I was never a big Franken fan, but I understood that he was a hard worker and took his job seriously, and I respected him for that. This matter was evidently a tough and depressing blow for him, and I’m glad Franken is back in the swing of things.
debbie
@germy:
That full exchange is great! “I am an admitted Democrat and I am proud of it!”
germy
Follow the money.
germy
@debbie:
Apparently, Jordan (or some other Republican) referred to some lawmakers as “admitted Democrats” as if their political affiliation was a perversion or crime.
zhena gogolia
@germy:
No, I don’t think he was.
Kent
It wasn’t JUST that. She also had problems keeping her hands off her subordinates in her Congressional office. Sleeping with your subordinates is always a recipe for scandal and problems if you are in Congress or any other authoritative high-profile job.
SiubhanDuinne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I would swear I read about and saw pictures of that sheep several months ago. Is someone just now resurrecting the story, or is this a different sheep?
debbie
@trollhattan:
Don’t forget that some of the victims have testified (under oath) that they went to Gym to ask for help, and got zip from him. How long till his denials are smashed over his stupid head?
I’m thinking he’s starting to have issues with sleeping well.
kindness
@karen marie: I never mentioned Bernie supporters. Rose Twitter is Russians, Russian bots, & leftists that hate Democrats (sadly I know several of the leftists).
Baud
Good, good.
debbie
@catclub:
In my experience, delays of several days, not weeks. The problem is when bills have, for instance, a two-week window for payment, a several-day delay in getting the bill and a several-day delay in delivering the payment can cut things awfully close.
trollhattan
@debbie:
He really needs to be taken down for this. Even Ken Frickin’ Starr was forced to resign from Baylor after condoning their ongoing rape culture. And there’s Penn State and Michigan State and….
Baud
More detrumpening.
Baud
Future planning.
zhena gogolia
@germy:
(Dana Milbank in WaPo) “So, what do we call these Red Square Republicans? My interlocutors on Twitter suggest ‘Moscow Mules.’ Or, given the position they put themselves in before our masters in Moscow, perhaps they should be called the Prostrate Eight: Sens. Richard C. Shelby (Ala.), Steve Daines (Mont.), John Hoeven (N.D.), John Neely Kennedy (La.), Jerry Moran (Kan.), John Thune (S.D.) and Johnson, plus Rep. Kay Granger (Tex.).”
debbie
@germy:
Well, he’d certainly know about those last three words, wouldn’t he?
Baud
Geminid
@Kent: Allegations that Hill had an affair with a staffer have not been shown to be more than allegations. She did not quit because people saw her getting handsy with her staffer, although that certainly shows bad judgement, possibly fueled by an admitted alcohol problem. Her intimacy with a campaign worker was the reason the Daily Mail could avail itself of an exception to the general prohibition on publishing revenge porn. The newspaper could claim in court there was a matter of public interest involved, although that obviously was just an excuse to juice readership with salacious material.
To me, the sad thing about Katie Hill is a that strong support group of friends might have enabled her to take her lumps and tough it out. But her husband appears to be a dominant emotional abuser, and people like that are good at blocking friends.
evodevo
@catclub: yes, you are right…there is no actual delay in first class mail, and meds are usually sent that way. That said, when you freeze hiring and refuse to pay overtime, and then have a pandemic with co-workers out for illness/quarantine in increasing numbers, airlines cancelling flights (a LOT of first class mail travels on passenger liners) and then have winter coming in, the work load just gets overwhelming. PLUS Amazon has been absolutely horrendous this year, what with everyone confined at home and ordering off the net…so, DeJoy was just the icing on the cake. That said, the sooner we are rid of that asshole, the better.
debbie
@Baud:
Yay for getting rid of the fifth and sixth pink things!
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@SiubhanDuinne: Baa-rack was shorn on Feb 5, per Reuters, but googling overgrown sheep produces some interesting pictures. Chris was found in 2015, after years in the wild. Seems to be an Australian thing. I’m sure in North America a stray sheep wouldn’t last long, especially weighed down by forty or fifty pounds of wool.
NotMax
FYI.
germy
@debbie:
I hope that scandal eventually gets him in a wrestling hold he can’t squirm out of.
The Clooney documentary should be helpful.
Ksmiami
@Immanentize: all 6 of them..
WaterGirl
@germy: Well, that ought to cover the “has to be fired for cause” part of the equation.
patrick II
@Baud:
I think of many administrative moves by Trump in the context of Trump expecting to win. Having a more direct line from the Trump White House to special forces would be dangerous.
NotMax
@Immanentize
A little something which Immp might find of interest.
“We’re still working on training it not to stop to sniff every tree, hydrant and lamppost.”
;)
Citizen Alan
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): I’ve said for years that once gay marriage was the law of the land, you’d see a big uptick in rich white gays who vote Republican.
Chetan Murthy
@Citizen Alan: FYIGM is not a cishet monopoly, sadly.
trollhattan
Activist judges!
Ugh. Next is his Help Me Flee gofundme.
NotMax
@Citizen Alan
Sigh.
Same sex marriage.
Sexual orientation is legally neither ascertained nor a delineated requirement for opposite sex or same sex marriage.
debbie
@trollhattan:
How much money does it cost to get lost in Idaho? //
MomSense
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Thousands of years of domestication and breeding for wool production have made sheep dependent on humans to keep them shorn. It can become very dangerous for the poor sheep. They lose the ability to regulate their body temperature. They can become infested with pests and covered in feces. They can become immobilized them making them an easy target for predators.
There’s an ongoing dialogue between fiber people and animal rights activists who think sheeting sheep and wearing wool is cruel. Meanwhile the stupid synthetic fleece we wear is toxic and releases plastic every time we wash fleece garments.
Brachiator
@MomSense:
Are we talking about sheep or humans?
If sheep have been domesticated to be productively wooly, it would be cruel not to shear them.
Baud
mrmoshpotato
And how long until he’s back in the news because he just couldn’t resist joining a white trashionalist Nazi cult?
There are those who call me...tim... (Still posh)
Et viola: Al Franken, a bad actor who quit in disgrace over a stupid juvenile boobie joke, remains the smartest, most self-aware, funniest and most charming former Senator ever. Respect.
trollhattan
@debbie:
Sack o’ taters will get you lost real good for, say, three months.
Cameron
@debbie: Not much if it’s your own private Idaho.
lowtechcyclist
@catclub:
It’s happened to my wife and me more often in the past three months than in the entire rest of our lifetimes. Bills arriving three weeks after the payment due date, Christmas cards arriving 6 weeks to two months after being sent (one arrived on Feb. 11, we thought it was a Valentine’s card until we looked at the postmark, which was December 7), legal papers being sent between here (MD) and Florida arriving 3-4 weeks after being sent, you name it.
“Once is happenstance. Twice is coincidence. The third time it’s enemy action.” – Auric Goldfinger
And we’re way past three.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@There are those who call me…tim… (Still posh):
Someone missed baggage handlers one and two in Trading Places.
WaterGirl
@Baud: Sounds like they have reunited just over 100 kids with parents. Never should have been separated in the first place.
Bill Arnold
@citizen dave:
I do not want to be paying for that Texas market-based stupidity with my Federal tax dollars.
Frankly surprised they had any cap at all – that would “distort” the free electricity market, yes?
Perhaps the people with high electric bills should be allowed to treat them as gambling losses for tax purposes. That risk is what some people signed up for, accurately stated in the contracts.
Brachiator
@Bill Arnold:
I have family in Texas. I will gladly pay with my federal tax dollars if it helps them and anyone else keep the lights on.
Some of this nonsense reminds me of how power companies tried to screw over Californians and led to the recall campaign.
Omnes Omnibus
@raven:
A Ranger tab just means you can go with minimal sleep and food for 8 weeks.
Chief Oshkosh
@Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):I think it was the wrong thing to do morally and politically.
I still run into people who swear that Franken was grabbing her breasts. He wasn’t. The whole thing was a Roger Stone set-up.
And getting Franken’s scalp — helped or hurt the Me Too movement?
The question answers itself.
Spanish Moss
@Chief Oshkosh: I agree. What upsets me the most is the rush job, the pushing him to resign without taking the time to look into the validity of various claims. Some of it was pretty clearly a hit job, and some of the Democrats spearheading his removal seemed primarily motivated by presidential ambitions. It would have been better to take some more time and have some kind of due process. I would only vote for Gillibrand if she were the last Democrat standing.
Omnes Omnibus
@Spanish Moss: @Chief Oshkosh: Can we please just let it go?
Kent
@Geminid: Unsubstantiated? She admitted to it:
There are those who call me...tim... (Still posh)
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
To clarify: a Good Actor in Acting; Bad Actor in Actions.