Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

Usually wrong but never in doubt

Let there be snark.

Wow, you are pre-disappointed. How surprising.

Whatever happens next week, the fight doesn’t end.

I’m pretty sure there’s only one Jack Smith.

When do the post office & the dmv weigh in on the wuhan virus?

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Peak wingnut was a lie.

Too often we hand the biggest microphones to the cynics and the critics who delight in declaring failure.

Fuck the extremist election deniers. What’s money for if not for keeping them out of office?

Republicans don’t want a speaker to lead them; they want a hostage.

Republicans don’t trust women.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

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

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

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

Republicans choose power over democracy, every day.

Wow, I can’t imagine what it was like to comment in morse code.

In my day, never was longer.

Shallow, uninformed, and lacking identity

You are here: Home / Politics / GOP Death Cult / Tuesday Evening Open Thread: GOP ‘Leadership’, Terrorists & Cowards

Tuesday Evening Open Thread: GOP ‘Leadership’, Terrorists & Cowards

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It’s all fun’n’games, until someone gets caught doing a little light treason…

… Saturday’s rally comes as some conservative lawmakers fan outrage on the right over former President Donald Trump’s false claims that the election was stolen from him — rhetoric that worries some fellow Republicans, who warn that their colleagues are riling up the biggest fans of the former president. That still-simmering discord within the GOP puts party leaders in an awkward position ahead of the Sept. 18 “Justice for J6” rally on Capitol Hill, organized by a former Trump campaign aide.

So far, top Republicans are staying as quiet as possible about the Sept. 18 protest on the Hill, which has prompted police officials to re-install the Capitol security fence to safeguard against potential violence. They aren’t endorsing it — nor are they condemning it. House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy told reporters Monday that out of his Republican conference, he “doesn’t think anyone is” going to attend. Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell did not respond to a question about whether leaders should be encouraging other rank-and-file members not to attend as he headed to a briefing on the rally.

Their approach appears to be working, as no Republican lawmakers have publicly said they will attend — even some who have repeatedly and publicly claimed some Jan. 6 defendants are “political prisoners” being treated unfairly because of their political views. However, the offices of Reps. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.), Paul Gosar (R-Ariz.), and Louie Gohmert (R-Texas) — all of whom have peddled the “political prisoners” claim repeatedly — have declined multiple requests for comment about whether they plan to appear.

Amid the waiting game, some influential conservatives are trying to change the subject; Sen. Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) said Monday that he wouldn’t attend the rally and didn’t “know anything about it.” Others are shrugging off the question of whether Republicans should appear; Rep. Andy Biggs (R-Ariz.), chair of the House Freedom Caucus, said it was “none of my business.”…

It is unclear how many people are expected to appear at the Saturday rally, with organizer Matthew Braynard insisting he is working closely with law enforcement to ensure the event does not turn violent. Some Members of the far-right extremist Proud Boys — which has had multiple members arrested for some of the more extreme acts of violence on Jan. 6 — are urging group members on message boards to skip the event, warning that the rally is a trap for them to get arrested.

Privately, Republicans grumbled about the rally as a distraction that pulls attention away from their policy-centered critiques of the Biden administration over inflation and Afghanistan. (Hawley, for his part, said “everything else is secondary” to Biden’s handling of Afghanistan.) And some in the party are taking solace that Trump has not promoted the event so far, a decision that they say would draw a crowd far greater than they expect to appear on Saturday…

They’re waiting to see if their unacknowledged leader, their voters’ GodKing, decides to rile up the rubes again… or if TFG’s current handlers manage to make the threat of immanent arrest real enough to deter him. Portraits in courage, every one!

Sequels seldom live up to the original, after all…

Reader Interactions

108Comments

  2. 2.

    Jeffro

    They’re all terrified that their comms might get subpoenaed.

    I bet they’re passing paper notes around like eighth-graders. ?

  4. 4.

    Tony Jay

    I don’t know what’s going on with Gaetz, but with that face and hair, I’m pretty sure the Big Bad chucks him out of a plane in the third act with a crack about “giving the sharks something to chew over”.

    And the audience cheer.

  9. 9.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @SpaceUnit:

    Watched the Nostalgia Critic review of it years ago and I agree. It was a blatant cash grab and not even John Goodman could salvage it

  10. 10.

    Tony Jay

    @West of the Rockies:

    There’s an episode of ‘Red Dwarf‘ where Dave Lister contracts a case of ‘space mumps’ that make his head swell up like Nicki Minaj’s cousin’s testicles.

    So Gaetz either has an alien virus, he’s really got head-syphillis, or he’s having a reaction to the vaccine.

    And we know it isn’t option 3.

  14. 14.

    Cmorenc

    @West of the Rockies:

    i was thinking instead that gaetz would be a natural for a “Frankenstein” remake, cause he would require far less makeup and hair restyling than any other candidate, and as fas as character acting would essentially be playing himself.

  15. 15.

    mdblanche

    We are the hollow men
    We are the stuffed men
    Leaning together
    Headpiece filled with straw. Alas!
    Our dried voices, when
    We whisper together
    Are quiet and meaningless
    As wind in dry grass
    Or rats’ feet over broken glass
    In our dry cellar

    Shape without form, shade without colour,
    Paralysed force, gesture without motion;

    Those who have crossed
    With direct eyes, to death’s other Kingdom
    Remember us—if at all—not as lost
    Violent souls, but only
    As the hollow men
    The stuffed men.

  19. 19.

    Tony Jay

    @lowtechcyclist:

    The now infamous cousin better hope the cure isn’t the same.

    “Pop!”

    “Splat!!”

    “Ohhhhhh, man. That feels so much better.”

    Then again, she might take him back if he can prove it wasn’t a terrestrial STI.

    “I’m telling you baby, damned alien probed me.”

  22. 22.

    piratedan

    while I understand that the wheels of justice do turn slowly (sometimes too much so) but if the Congressman from Florida is under investigation and evidence has been given, procured and evaluated, please feel free to arrest his ass if charges are to be brought… if no charges are going to be brought, say so and we’ll listen as to the reasons why, but I don’t see how allowing this asshat to parade around the country is warranted, much less weigh in and vote on legislation.

  24. 24.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @piratedan:

    Pretty much this. It should be easy to get a statement from a spokesperson confirming that an investigation is still ongoing

  25. 25.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @SpaceUnit:

    What possessed Ackroyd to do a BB sequel anyway? He did the Ghostbusters flicks which had to have netted him a lot of money. Plus the SNL years. He couldn’t have needed the money that bad

  26. 26.

    Keith P.

    @Tony Jay: I’d go with Highlander II as well…well, maybe “Jay and Silent Bob Reboot”. What I saw of the latter (15 minutes) was worse than anything I saw in the former.

  27. 27.

    Mike in NC

    Trump would only attend this fascist shindig if he were guaranteed a paycheck. Still, I expect it to get ugly and violent.

  28. 28.

    Danielx

    Profiles in courage, I don’t think. Amazing how a noncompliant Justice Department makes Republican pols flee from public involvement with the Base.

    @Tony Jay: 

    Could SO have done without that image, especially since said cousin’s clap diagnosis.

  31. 31.

    piratedan

    yes…. yes, those movies were all seriously bad but as a devoted fan of MST3K, I believe that I have a better handle on bad cinema than what has been suggested here and if you’re going to cite crappy sequels, you’re going to have to work much harder to outpace Teen Wolf Too.  

  33. 33.

    The Lodger

    @Cmorenc:  Yeah, I felt the same about Rush Limbaugh playing Jabba the Hutt. Casting anyone else in that role would just be wasting a resource.

  38. 38.

    dmsilev

    @Leslie:

    In other news, I have saved myself from lasting self-inflicted ignominy by finally depositing my recall vote in a ballot box.

    Whooo! For any other CA procrastinators out there, still a couple of hours left to go before polls close. If you haven’t yet, go vote.

  44. 44.

    Kay

    Kevin Landrigan
    @KlandriganUL
    ·7h
    N.H. State Rep. and physician Bill Marsh of Brookfield changes party affiliation from GOP to Dem in response to House GOP anti-vaccine event. happen. “I cannot stand idly by while extremists reject the reasonable precautions of vaccinations and masks which made that happen.”

    “anti-vaccine event”

  45. 45.

    Kay

    Bitter colleague reaction:

    Representative Littlefield

    @Richard88293387

    @KlandriganUL

    His Voting record left the party well before he did. Being a Republican is standing through the good and the bad and helping the party progress. This decision by Rep Marsh does neither.

  48. 48.

    smith

    Am I being a foolish optimist to think it’s a good sign that GQP pols are unwilling to be publicly associated with Insurrection II? Have they possibly become dimly aware of mounting raw fury in the non-Goober universe about their shenanigans, especially wrt covid?

  49. 49.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Benw: Look, clearly there weren’t enough partisan poll watchers at that location. Needs moar TrueTheVote fascists, I guess.

  51. 51.

    Ryan

    “They’re waiting to see if their unacknowledged leader, their voters’ GodKing, decides to rile up the rubes again… ”

     

    In other words, they’re bleeping sheep and have no free will amongst themselves.

  52. 52.

    West of the Rockies

    @piratedan:

    Absolutely:  DOJ, indict Gaetz or explain why not.

    And start sentencing the 1/6 traitors.

    And why do Trump’s taxes still remain a mystery?

    Are Garland and Pelosi and co. waiting for some magical date in ’22 to inflict maximum damage?

  53. 53.

    Matt McIrvin

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: Saw a bunch of responses to that from people insisting he was doing nothing wrong because his political attire was about Trump and Biden and had no direct connection to recalling Newsom. Evidently in their states, what constitutes electioneering is very strictly defined (or so they say).

  54. 54.

    West of the Rockies

    @piratedan:

    Speaking of MST3K, when do we get the long awaited sequel to Manos:  Hands of Fate?

    The working title might be Manos:  Hinds of Fate, or maybe Manos:  Feet of Fate.

    Who could possibly take over the role of Torgo?

  55. 55.

    Hoppie

    @mdblanche

    No! I am not Prince Hamlet, nor was meant to be; am an attendant lord, one that will do to swell a progress, start a scene or two; advise the prince, no doubt an easy tool, deferential, glad to be of use; politic, cautious and meticulous; full of high sentence, but a bit obtuse; at times, indeed, almost ridiculous; almost, at times, the Fool.

    Human nature is very consistent.  Unfortunately, we are usually only aware of this as old folks.

  56. 56.

    piratedan

    @West of the Rockies: I honestly don’t think that there will be a Manos follow up and I will be honest, I even find the MST3k rendition of the film painful, its like a self-inflicted wound, almost self-loathing and I have to be in the right frame of mind to re-watch it.  Besides, there are plenty of other wonderfully crappy films out there to enjoy, many of which aren’t even self-parodies.  I will admit that I backed the kickstarter for their self-funded season, so I am looking forward to see what they have selected and I enjoyed more than a few of the offerings brought to life with Jonah being the host.  The concept still works, even with different protagonists on the same theme but ymmv.

  58. 58.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @smith: Am I being a foolish optimist to think it’s a good sign that GQP pols are scared shitless by their base?

    Especially considering that through their egregious gerrymandering, they picked their voters.

  60. 60.

    Ken

    @SpaceUnit:  I have no idea why they made that film.  I can’t believe any studio in the world would give it a green light.  I was embarrassed for everyone involved.

    I’m glad you linked to the original comment, since this could refer to so many films.

  61. 61.

    Ken

    @Sure Lurkalot: Especially considering that through their egregious gerrymandering, they picked their voters.

    “I’m not trapped in this district with all of you! You’re trapped here with me!”

  63. 63.

    Ken

    @piratedan: The concept still works, even with different protagonists on the same theme but ymmv.

    Hmm… I’ve just had a brilliant idea for an OnlyFans channel, giving the MST3K treatment to porn movies.  Except by Rule 34, such a channel already exists.

  65. 65.

    Roger Moore

    @SpaceUnit: ​
     

    I have no idea why they made that film. I can’t believe any studio in the world would give it a green light.

    “Cynical cash grab” seems like a comprehensible motivation. That’s what’s behind practically every reviled sequel. The studio figures it has a built-in audience, and they can just repeat the formula and rake in the cash. There are lots of ways a reasonable looking concept gets turned into an awful movie after it’s been green lighted.

  66. 66.

    David ? ☘The Establishment☘? Koch

    worse sequel: Caddyshack II (no Rodney, No Murray, No Ted Knight, No Harold Ramis, No Lace Underall)​

  67. 67.

    HumboldtBlue

    @Tony Jay: ​ 

    It’s rather remarkable that Liverpool meet AC Milan in the first round of the Champions League for the first time. What, 13 titles between them, and they’ve only met in the final? Extraordinary.

  72. 72.

    Steeplejack

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    The Highlander TV series was actually pretty good, in a louche way. I didn’t watch it religiously, but it was syndicated late at night on some channel that I watched in the wee hours, so I caught most of it.

    My memory is that it was shot in Europe, so there were a lot of “haven’t seen this person before” actors and interesting “haven’t seen this either” locations. Adrian Paul did a serviceable job, and the supporting cast was pretty good. Most of the plots were not laughable (given the basic premise of the series).

  77. 77.

    Kattails

    I just came in from stacking a cord of wood, so a bit punchy, but I have a nagging question. I wonder if Steve Bannon smells as gawdawful as he looks.  And I say that as someone who just moved about 3,000 pounds of hardwood from one pile to another.

  78. 78.

    Roger Moore

    @Tony Jay:

    Highlander? It was great, in the 90s, and was very much of its time.

    It was actually an ’80s movie, released in 1986.  Some of the stuff in the movie (e.g. the survivalist) was very, very ’80s.  I remember re-watching it years later and finding it to be very cheesy and dated.  It’s still a fun movie, but it’s nowhere near as good as I remember it being.

  80. 80.

    Kattails

    @SpaceUnit: True, and amen.

    The cats are fed, litter boxes cleaned, and I have a large Lagunitas Colossus IPA at 9%ABV, hope I won’t fall asleep in the shower.  I stayed out stacking wood under a lamp because it’s a lovely mild evening and there won’t be too many more.  We are still getting peaches here in NH, which is pretty unheard of.

  81. 81.

    Another Scott

    I saw something somewhere (probably Twitter) about the latest festival that MyPillow man attended – they were expecting 10,000 and got a few hundred attendees. Apparently it was the “Bardsfest” thing in St. Louis. They held it at a drive-in theatre because the arena they planned to use kicked them out because of COVID restrictions.

    From BardsFM:

    War is the teacher, soldiers its students. Faith and Knowledge the greatest weapons of war. Through stories, we reshape the narratives to strengthen our resolve, awaken the truth, expand our vision beyond the limits of the Matrix and bring us closer to God. In the end, God wins.

    Yes, Jesus was a great believer in war. (groucho-roll-eyes.gif)

    Lindell gave a 1+ hour speech there. It’s easy to find video of the hundreds and hundreds in the audience…

    They’re still out there, they’re still talking crazy, they’re still hiding behind ‘religion’, but their numbers are small.

    Small numbers of people can do great damage, but we can’t cower. We have to be clear eyed.

    Forward!!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  84. 84.

    Kattails

    @Another Scott: Yes, and that tw_t (fill in the vowel of your choice) Boebert was ranting in front of some audience or another about how God told her to run for office and they are going to take back this country and make it a Christian government. And yet claims to be a Constitutional originalist if I’ve got my nutcases in order. Audience on it’s feet cheering.  They may be few, but they are galactically stupid AND mean.

  87. 87.

    Jeffro

    @smith: 

    I’m telling y’all, they’re just terrified of having their comms out in the open. They’d do it if they thought they could get away with it. But…how does that go again…elections have consequences

  88. 88.

    MobiusKlein

    @dmsilev: I rewatched The Highlander recently, and it was pretty bad too, in retrospect.

    Perhaps a case where the original was ruined by the sequal?

  89. 89.

    burnspbesq

    @piratedan: 

    if no charges are going to be brought, say so

    Have you not been paying attention for the last 75 years? With the single exception of Comey re Hillary, DOJ never, ever does that, for two reasons. First, it’s grand jury material within the meaning of Rule 6(e) of the Federal Rules of Criminal Procedure; disclosure by anyone in government is a felony. Second, until the statute of limitation expires, there is always the possibility that new evidence could come to light that would change the decision whether to indict.

  90. 90.

    CCL

    Late to the thread, @Matt McIrvin:
    Here, that’s true if the person so attired is an elector – i.e. a voter – as long as the attire does not refer to the current candidates or ballot initiative, s/he cannot be denied his/her right to vote. However, if the attire refers to the current candidates etc. , that is considered campaigning inside the polls and the voter can be asked to remove the offending apparel (take their hat off, turn their t-shirt inside out, put a jacket over it, etc.).

    For poll workers, though, it’s a different story. The Registrar of Voters (who hire the poll workers) or Moderator has the right to remove or fire any poll worker.  Poll workers are expected to act as non-partisan and ensure the rights of every eligible elector to vote.

  91. 91.

    burnspbesq

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    Pretty much this. It should be easy to get a statement from a spokesperson confirming that an investigation is still ongoing

    Not gonna happen, for the first of two reasons set forth in my prior comment. The existence of a grand jury is itself grand jury material.

  93. 93.

    Citizen Alan

    @Another Scott:

    Yes, Jesus was a great believer in war.

     

    One of my big pet peeves right now is the use of the phrase “prayer Warriors,” which shows up a lot on Herman Cain a Ward entries.  What a sad Testament it is to the state of contemporary American Christianity that the only way to get christians to pray for friends and neighbors who are sick is to characterize it in violent terms.

  95. 95.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @West of the Rockies: And why do Trump’s taxes still remain a mystery?

    Are Garland and Pelosi and co. waiting for some magical date in ’22 to inflict maximum damage?

    as I understand the law, Congress has the right to see trump’s taxes, not to make them public, and IANAL but I believe his taxes would only become public if there were relevant evidence in a trial, and I’m guessing only parts, and trump would fight like hell to keep them private

    and to all teh questions about why Gaetz hasn’t been arrested: I would guess because prosecutors feel they don’t (yet?) have evidence that they think would lead to a conviction

  96. 96.

    a thousand flouncing lurkers was fidelio

    @SpaceUnit: Possibly money for the musicians involved—a lot of older musicians see their bookings and royalties drop off, and competition for session work is always fierce. Between the up-front money and the money they’d get from rebroadcast on television, it could help cushion things for those guys.
    Think of it as a helping hand for guys who don’t want charity. And there was the chance of exposing more people to old blues and rhythm & blues, which is a cause close to Dan Ackroyd’s heart.
    I expected it to be silly stupid fun, with music, and that’s what I got.

  97. 97.

    piratedan

    @burnspbesq: sorry counselor, obviously I’m out of my lane.

    Nothing speaks more to the perpetuation of IOKIYAR then waiting to see if we have ENOUGH criminal charges before the grand jury times out (if you’re gonna accuse a Congressman of having underage sex, paying for sex and trafficking minors across state lines and have already brought in his associates to give evidence against, what the fuck else do they need?)

    Meanwhile he’s free to go out there and raise campaign cash, act as an example that the Government is “helpless” to stop these guys.  Here we are months after the accusations were brought, weeks post the supposed rollover of his contacts in the FL state legislature.  Maybe this look only further perpetuates the idea that the law only works for people of a single color.

    and no burnsie, I’m not mad at you, you’re simply educating us as to the why…. but to say its frustrating and makes justice look ineffectual isn’t a stretch imho.

  98. 98.

    Suzanne

    “I lie. If I’m really cornered or something, I lie. I really try not to. I try never to lie on TV. I just don’t, you know, I don’t like lying. I certainly do it, you know, out of weakness or whatever.”

    —Tucker Carlson

  99. 99.

    Steeplejack

    @Suzanne:
    Is this snark (probably), or do you have a source? Because I guarantee that at some point someone is going to write: “I saw somewhere that Tucker Carlson admitted that he lies!”​

  103. 103.

    eddie blake

    @cope:  pretty sure max headroom and co. were antifa. they’d have nothing to do with matt gaetz. (except maybe, exposing him.)

  105. 105.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    @eddie blake: wheels of justice are still grinding, i think.

    I agree, but since Fitzmas– remember Fitzmas?– I’ve advocated everybody calm down about perp walks, frogmarches and people we don’t like dying in prison

  108. 108.

    Miss Bianca

    I’m so fucking pissed these fuckers want to hold this “rally” on my birthday. Just hoping it’s a huge nothingburger so I won’t have to spend the rest of my life remembering that a GOP Goobers Riot happened on that day.

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