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Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let us savor the impending downfall of lawless scoundrels who richly deserve the trouble barreling their way.

Jack be nimble, jack be quick, hurry up and indict this prick.

Do not shrug your shoulders and accept the normalization of untruths.

Conservatism: there are some people the law protects but does not bind and others who the law binds but does not protect.

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

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

American History and Black History Cannot Be Separated

Hot air and ill-informed banter

T R E 4 5 O N

We’ll be taking my thoughts and prayers to the ballot box.

Chutkan laughs. Lauro sits back down.

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

The GOP couldn’t organize an orgy in a whorehouse with a fist full of 50s.

White supremacy is terrorism.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL

Stamping your little feets and demanding that they see how important you are? Not working anymore.

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

If you’re pissed about Biden’s speech, he was talking about you.

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

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

It’s easy to sit in safety and prescribe what other people should be doing.

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You are here: Home / Politics / Biden Administration in Action / Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Happy Holidays!

Wednesday Morning Open Thread: Happy Holidays!

by Anne Laurie|  December 8, 20218:50 am| 97 Comments

This post is in: Biden Administration in Action, Readership Capture, Show Us on the Doll Where the Invisible Hand Touched You

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Cities around the world light up with Christmas installations to mark the beginning of the festive season pic.twitter.com/vUZhfzeo5k

— Reuters (@Reuters) December 8, 2021

A real holiday present, if we can keep the Repubs from screwing it up, again:

BREAKING: Louis DeJoy's days at USPS now appear to be officially numbered. Ron Bloom is out as head of the USPS board of governors, clearing the way for DeJoy to removed.

— Tristan Snell (@TristanSnell) December 7, 2021

10 things you didn’t know are in the Democrats’ Build Back Better bill https://t.co/OCEQpFJrR5

— CNN Politics (@CNNPolitics) December 8, 2021


CNN is clearly attempting to cherry-pick ‘frivolous, reckless liberal giveaways’ — e-bike credits! salmon conservation! — but it’s hard to demonize childcare and college completion assistance:

… A majority of the funding is focused on transforming the nation’s social safety net by reducing the cost of child and health care, as well as combating climate change.

The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the legislation would increase the deficit by $367 billion over the next 10 years. But the White House has worked to make the case that the bill will be fully paid for when accounting for a proposal to enhance tax enforcement, which the CBO excluded.

The bill passed the House in November but faces a tough road in the Senate, where it is expected to undergo some changes. As currently written, the legislation would create universal pre-K, send families an enhanced child tax credit and provide beefed-up subsidies on the Affordable Care Act exchanges…

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Reader Interactions

97Comments

  1. 1.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 9:05 am

    Blech.

  2. 2.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 9:08 am

    But the White House has worked to make the case that the bill will be fully paid for when accounting for a proposal to enhance tax enforcement, which the CBO excluded.

    The CBO is probably right to exclude it considering the GOP’s aversion to tax law enforcement.

  3. 3.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 9:09 am

    Why on earth didn’t the CBO include increased tax enforcement in their estimate? Sounds like Nancy needs to clean house at the CBO.

  4. 4.

    prostratedragon

    December 8, 2021 at 9:12 am

    Hallelujah Chorus, orchestra only. Roll your own alternative lyrics to suit whatever you think the occasion is.

  5. 5.

    Soprano2

    December 8, 2021 at 9:13 am

    That’s great news about DeJoy. Thanks to his mail “slowdown”, we didn’t even get mail last Saturday, and our mail on Monday didn’t come until after 6 p.m. It’s ridiculous!

  6. 6.

    Ken

    December 8, 2021 at 9:14 am

    In that Reuters report, cities around the world are about ten days late according to the Christian season of Advent; or about eight weeks late, according to the retail season of Christmas displays.

    (I had a terribly confused moment last week, wondering why the Halloween stuff was still out; then I realized, right, Jack Skellington from Nightmare Before Christmas.)

  7. 7.

    Butch

    December 8, 2021 at 9:15 am

    Christmas “installations?”  That’s what you call the lights we spent hours stringing?  That kinda takes away some of the joy.

  8. 8.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 9:17 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Maybe I’m misremembering, but I recall that the CBO swallowed dubious assertions from the GQP when they were trying to pass either the Dump tax cuts or their attempt to repeal the ACA.

    I still find it hard to take the whole process seriously after the Bush tax cuts, frankly. They cut taxes for 10 ten years to hit a number that would work for reconciliation with the express idea that a future Congress wouldn’t let the tax cuts expired. And everyone just accepted that that was fine.

    It’s all just a game.

  9. 9.

    Ken

    December 8, 2021 at 9:20 am

    @sdhays: As I recall, the Republicans ordered the CBO to accept their assertions, primarily that the tax cuts would lead to much greater economic growth. Reality-based commentators, including I think Krugman, noted that in the past tax cuts have had the opposite effect, though that might just be the Republicans’ bad luck in always having a huge recession when they’re in charge.

  10. 10.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 8, 2021 at 9:25 am

    BREAKING: Louis DeJoy’s days at USPS now appear to be officially numbered. Ron Bloom is out as head of the USPS board of governors, clearing the way for DeJoy to removed.

    Thank the Lord.  I don’t understand why it’s taken so long, but I’ll be popping champagne when that saboteur is no longer in a position to further fuck up the mail.

  11. 11.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 9:27 am

    @sdhays: It’s all just a game.

    DING DING DING!!! That’s a winner!

  12. 12.

    lowtechcyclist

    December 8, 2021 at 9:27 am

    @Butch: Whatever we call them, ours are up.  Got the outdoor lights up over the weekend, and put up the tree and decorated it Monday night.

    Our outdoor lights are on right now, because a gloomy day needs a bit of sparkle.

  13. 13.

    Immanentize

    December 8, 2021 at 9:27 am

    @Soprano2: So I got myself a little hobby present for the holidays on ebay. It was dropped off in Georgia on Dec. 1. Made it to the Peachtree (of course) mail center the same day. Then disappear-o. There is no DeJoy in Mudville.

  14. 14.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 9:28 am

    @Ken: That’s what I recall, and no one outside the liberal sphere batted an eye. I don’t usually agree with a lot of the criticism of “Democrats” not doing this or that, because a lot of times it’s both complicated and/or not “Democrats” but rather “Joe Manchin and Krysten Sinema”, but in this instance, I humbly think it was a mistake for the Democratic leadership not to order the CBO to take tax enforcement dividends into account.

    That’s something Nancy/Chuck could just do and no one would care and then we’d have reports saying that BBB would save money rather than cost several hundred billion (with a huge asterisk that no one will pay attention to). And the assumption isn’t even dubious. It would be an actual better estimate, or at least as good as the one the CBO produced.

  15. 15.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 9:32 am

    Donald Trump’s plan to launch “Truth Social”, a special purpose acquisitions backed social media company, early next year may have hit a roadblock after US regulators issued a request for information on the deal on Monday.

    Well, that didn’t take long.

    The twin developments set the stage for a major political battle over Truth Social, a platform that purportedly plans to challenge Twitter and Facebook, social platforms that have banned or curbed the former president over his involvement in stoking the 6 January Capitol riot.

    The request for information relates to DWAC board meetings, policies about stock trading, the identities of certain investors and details of communications between DWAC and Trump’s social media firm. It comes three weeks after Democratic Senator Elizabeth Warren asked the SEC to investigate possible securities violations at the company.

    Warren quoted news reports that said DWAC “may have committed securities violations by holding private and undisclosed discussions about the merger as early as May 2021, while omitting this information in [SEC] filing and other public statements.”

    But investigations into the Trump project appear to predate Warren’s request.

    Not that anyone on the right is going to make note of that last part.

    In October, soon after the deal was announced, shares in DWAC soared by more than 1,200%, suggesting the implied value of the enterprise could reach $8.2bn. Trading in the company was halted 12 times as Trump fans pumped the stock on Reddit and StockTwits, pushing Trump’s 58% stake in the combined TMT-DWAC company to $4.8bn.

    A fool and his money are soon parted.

  16. 16.

    Butch

    December 8, 2021 at 9:32 am

    @lowtechcyclist: We have 10 apple trees in our yard.  We strung blue lights around the main trunk and a few lower branches of half and white lights around the trunk and branches of the other half.  It’s really spectacular in the snow; lots of people slow down to look.

  17. 17.

    Woodrow/asim

    December 8, 2021 at 9:33 am

    Possibly related: USPS appears to be lowering most Domestic shipping rates for 2022, per a shipping service I use:

    USPS is actually decreasing lots of rates, so most USPS shipments are going to get a lot cheaper compared to the 2021 Holiday Rates that are in effect now!

    The main tier of First Class mail is increasing rates, along with a bunch of the International shipping options (no shock there). Media mail stays the same, and pretty much all the rest are lowering prices.

    One can speculate, as to why.

  18. 18.

    rikyrah

    December 8, 2021 at 9:33 am

    Good Morning Everyone ???

  19. 19.

    Geminid

    December 8, 2021 at 9:33 am

    President Biden flies to Kansas City today, where he will tour the Kansas City Area Transit Authority facility, and deliver remarks at 3:30pm. He will be touting initiatives of the Infrastructure bill including funding for mass transit, electric buses, and passenger rail. Representatives Sharice Davids (D-KS) and Emmanuel Cleaver (D-MO) will probabably travel with the President, as they both represent Kansa City based districts. Davids chairs the Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Infrastructure.

    Cleaver is in a safe seat, but Davids flipped a Republican seat in 2018 and Kansas Republicans will try to draw her new 3rd District with a Republican majority. The Presidential visit to Kansas City may shore up support for Davids.

    Missouri also has an open Senate seat next year. Flipping it may be a longshot, but when the seat was last up Jason Kander fell only 3 points short of unseating Roy Blunt, and Democrats will fight for it this coming year.

  20. 20.

    Leto

    December 8, 2021 at 9:34 am

    @Soprano2: I think it was the immediate Saturday after Thanksgiving, might have been the Friday, but we got mail at like 8pm. I was honestly confused when I heard our mailbox door flap open and shut, then saw the carrier walking away. I’m like… 8pm? Dude, go home; there’s more than enough time to deliver the mulch of adverts tomorrow!

  21. 21.

    Betty Cracker

    December 8, 2021 at 9:38 am

    @sdhays: Agree on all counts. I’m in favor of more aggressive “better to ask forgiveness than permission” action in many other cases, including possibly with the DeJoy situation.

    Glad it finally looks like the corrupt ass will be ousted, but maybe it would have been better to fire him for cause (corruption!) early in the term, appoint someone else and let the court battle drag on while making the same moves that are just now coming to fruition to ensure the bastard could be fired a second time if reinstated.

    Our legal system is slow as fuck, but it seems like only Republicans benefit from that.

  22. 22.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 9:39 am

    We're seeing now exactly why every big company is fighting against universal health care.

    Decouple health insurance from work and people are free to quit their bad jobs.

    If people quit their bad jobs, companies will have to pay living wages to attract workers.

    Can't have that.

    — Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) December 5, 2021

  23. 23.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 9:40 am

     

    our business has about 225 employees. Even if they raised our taxes to pay for universal health care, we would save so much by deleting the huge premiums we pay for everyone. It would be a gigantic stimulus.

    — Dan Price (@DanPriceSeattle) December 5, 2021

  24. 24.

    Geminid

    December 8, 2021 at 9:41 am

    @Betty Cracker: Only Republicans seem to benefit from our slow legal system because they’re the ones doing all the criming.

  25. 25.

    jonas

    December 8, 2021 at 9:45 am

    CNN is clearly attempting to cherry-pick ‘frivolous, reckless liberal giveaways’ — e-bike credits! salmon conservation!

    One thing I’ve noticed in the past couple of years is that Republicans objectively *hate* salmon fishermen — out in California and the PNW, all their gutting of environmental regulations and conservation measures is aimed squarely a giving what little water remains out there to cattle and alfalfa ranchers and screwing over anyone — particularly fishermen — who relies on viable water levels in lakes and rivers. In Alaska, they greenlight mines and oil drilling that endanger fisheries. The California salmon fishery is basically dead. Now a lot of this affects Native American communities, so of course Republicans don’t give a shit about them, but what about the sturdy white guys on those salmon boats? Why do they hate them so much?

  26. 26.

    Ken

    December 8, 2021 at 9:46 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Does anyone in TFG’s circle realize that it is possible to start up a company without doing anything illegal?

  27. 27.

    Leto

    December 8, 2021 at 9:46 am

    @Geminid: doesn’t hurt that they’ve seeded the judiciary with a bunch of pro-crime judges, at all levels.

  28. 28.

    Betty

    December 8, 2021 at 9:48 am

    @sdhays: I understand they lean Republican. I think I read they read that the amount to actually get collected is too speculative. The Treasury Department is on record disagreeing with the CBO and says it will be paid for. But the White House blah, blah, blah. Last I heard Treasury was full of financial experts.

  29. 29.

    Elizabelle

    December 8, 2021 at 9:48 am

    @Butch:   That sounds beautiful.

    Putting up such festive lights is a gift to your neighbors and anyone who passes by.  I always appreciate the effort decorators make.

  30. 30.

    Leto

    December 8, 2021 at 9:49 am

    @jonas:

    Why do they hate them so much?

    Because those “sturdy white guys” will vote for them no matter what, so they’re free to fuck them over with no consequences. “It was really the DEMS screwing you over! They want Communist fishing! AOC! War on Christmas!” I mean, it’s that’s simple.

  31. 31.

    Betty

    December 8, 2021 at 9:50 am

    @lowtechcyclist: Ron Bloom was the problem, nominally a Democrat but was responsible for privatizing the British postal system. A narrow escape for the US.

  32. 32.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 9:55 am

    @Leto:

    Reminds me of some really conservative Democrats we had in NYS who’d win election after election and then disappoint everyone:  “What are you going to do?  Vote for the Republican?”

  33. 33.

    Betty Cracker

    December 8, 2021 at 9:57 am

    @Geminid: Yeah, but the point is, it might be possible to weaponize the courts’ snail-like pace to get things done that need to be done in some cases, such as a more timely firing of the corrupt shit-stain who damn near destroyed the USPS.

    I’m not a lawyer, but from what I read, the tools were arguably there to fire him for cause. DeJoy would have gone to court to contest it, but so what? Let them wait for the excruciatingly slow and rusty wheels of justice to turn for a change.

  34. 34.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 9:57 am

    @Betty Cracker: I’m generally more hesitant to encourage elected officials to do things they think likely aren’t legal, but in this instance you may be right. People would definitely notice that the Post Office got unfucked.

    Although I can’t help but wonder if the legal system would have treated DeJoy’s challenge of his firing with more urgency than it is treating, say, the Congressional subpoena of Steve Bannon.

  35. 35.

    Leto

    December 8, 2021 at 9:58 am

    @germy: people eventually do that, then wonder how R’s gain control, change the rules on everything, and now you can’t get them out. Can’t you stop being a selfish twat for just one second? No? Well ok then.

  36. 36.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 10:03 am

    @Geminid: No, it’s because their rich benefactors have the money to pay the lawyers.

  37. 37.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 10:03 am

    The eternal appeal of Jack Nicholson pic.twitter.com/bkB0CWaR6p

    — Lones Smith (@LonesSmith) December 7, 2021

  38. 38.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 10:04 am

    @Leto:

    I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life, and I’ve been voting since 1978.

  39. 39.

    dmsilev

    December 8, 2021 at 10:04 am

    @OzarkHillbilly:

    Trump fans pumped the stock on Reddit and StockTwits,

    Truth in advertising, I guess.

  40. 40.

    Geminid

    December 8, 2021 at 10:07 am

    @Betty Cracker: I was kind of being  being tongue in cheek (although there has definitely been a Republican crime wave). But more seriously, wasn’t the problem with DeJoy that only the USPS Board could fire him, even for cause? I haven’t followed this so closely, but that was my impression.

  41. 41.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 10:11 am

    “Happy Holidays”

    pic.twitter.com/Xncdw9BXX8— ordure (@ordurebizarree) December 8, 2021

  42. 42.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 10:13 am

    @Geminid: Now that you mention it, I remember something like that too.

    @germy: Heh.

  43. 43.

    zhena gogolia

    December 8, 2021 at 10:17 am

    @Geminid: I think you’re right.

  44. 44.

    oatler

    December 8, 2021 at 10:18 am

    https://crooksandliars.com/2021/12/newmax-pledges-allegiance-vladimir-putin

    ra ra RasPUTIN

    Lover to the Russian Queen

    There was a cat who really was gone

    ra ra RasPUTIN

    Russia’s greatest love machine

    It was a shame how he carried on

  45. 45.

    prostratedragon

    December 8, 2021 at 10:18 am

    @Ken:  I think the problem is that the companies are started for illegal purposes in the first place. Kind of argues against proper structures, since those might lead to the nightmare of accountability.

  46. 46.

    prostratedragon

    December 8, 2021 at 10:21 am

    @Betty:  Oh my. I’d heard that he was the problem, but not the part about the UK. Good riddance!

  47. 47.

    Philbert

    December 8, 2021 at 10:21 am

    @Ken: I think Trumpworld is constitutionally unable to do even the tiniest thing straight and honest. Unmanly and all that.

  48. 48.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 8, 2021 at 10:23 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Who in the F is dumb enough to invest in any project Trump is involved in since it’s a certainty it’s a pyramid scheme?

  49. 49.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 10:28 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: Every straight Republican voting MAGA head in the country.

  50. 50.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 8, 2021 at 10:36 am

    @OzarkHillbilly: Let me guess, when it all predictably falls apparat the MAGA heads tell each other the Libertards sabotaged Trump’s awesome scheme, somehow.

  51. 51.

    Soprano2

    December 8, 2021 at 10:42 am

    @Geminid: Missouri also has an open Senate seat next year. Flipping it may be a longshot, but when the seat was last up Jason Kander fell only 3 points short of unseating Roy Blunt, and Democrats will fight for it this coming year.

    Plus, we’re going to have a barn burner of a Republican primary. I think the current frontrunner is our disgraced former governor, who has again been found to have violated campaign finance laws. They’re all going to compete to see who can be the “Trumpiest” candidate. On the Democratic side, there’s a Marine veteran named Lucas Kunce running who has the kind of profile that the Bernie bros hate but that could actually win in MO under the right circumstances. He’s talking to farmers about the law the state legislature passed that allowed Chinese-based companies to buy up a bunch of farmland here. The farmers hate this law!

  52. 52.

    Betty Cracker

    December 8, 2021 at 10:42 am

    @Geminid: Now that you mention it, I think you’re right about the DeJoy case specifically. IIRC, the proposed process I read a while back was to fire sketchy board member(s) for cause (of which plenty was outlined) and replace them with people who would oust DeJoy.

    But that’s just one example. The frustrating thing is, our side tends to scrupulously cross every “T” and dot every “I” across the board, which is generally a good thing. But when you’re in an existential battle against authoritarians, more aggressive action might be in order in some cases.

  53. 53.

    OzarkHillbilly

    December 8, 2021 at 10:45 am

    @Enhanced Voting Techniques: But of course, it can’t be their fault.

  54. 54.

    germy

    December 8, 2021 at 10:51 am

    Bannon’s contempt trial doesn’t take place until July. Mark Meadows knows he can delay his subpoena compliance even longer. They will run out the clock.

    This is why we need to pass our inherent contempt legislation NOW. Otherwise, Congressional subpoenas will remain meaningless. https://t.co/YupGszA58s

    — Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) December 7, 2021

     

    And just like that, former WH chief of staff Mark Meadows will no longer cooperate with the House Select Committee investigating January 6, according to a letter from his attorney to the panel, which was obtained by CNN. w/ @GloriaBorger

    Story to come.

    — Zachary Cohen (@ZcohenCNN) December 7, 2021

  55. 55.

    Mel

    December 8, 2021 at 10:52 am

    @Elizabelle: This.

    I’m homebound b/c of health problems and don’t have the energy to decorate this year. Seeing my neighbor’s porch and tree beautifully decorated and getting holiday photos of my little great nieces and nephews gave me a boost. (There might have been a few tears, seeing the little ones with their holiday decorations.)

    It has been a long, awfully rough year for so many people. I’m finding that those little moments of beauty, happiness or kindness are essential to staying afloat and keeping on keeping on.

  56. 56.

    Gin & Tonic

    December 8, 2021 at 11:05 am

    Why is Tucker Carlson worried about Putin's feelings and interests? https://t.co/ENMt1mpLPm— Clint Watts (@selectedwisdom) December 8, 2021

  57. 57.

    sab

    December 8, 2021 at 11:13 am

    Well, we got the fiberoptic tree out of storage, and put the stuffed  Grinch-as-Santa-elf on top of the grandfather clock, so we are pretty much done with Christmas decorations. The fiberoptic tree has regular Christmas lights in addition to the fiber optics. We don’t plug the Christmas lights in until Christmas Eve, thereby respecting Advent as a separate season from Christmas.

  58. 58.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    December 8, 2021 at 11:21 am

    @germy: I was listening to MSNBC yesterday and Zoe Lofgren sounded almost amused as she talked about how much information Meadows had already turned over, and how much information they’re getting from other witnesses. I believe  she hinted at text chains supplied by other people that included Meadows. I’m not expecting a dramatic moment à la Sorkin or David E Kelly, or Alexander Butterfield, but this ploy may not work out as well as Meadows hopes.

  59. 59.

    p.a.

    December 8, 2021 at 11:28 am

    Any word on US Post-Office Banks?  That was a ‘… and a pony’ desire before the election in some quarters.

  60. 60.

    Another Scott

    December 8, 2021 at 11:32 am

    @p.a.: There’s a pilot program that’s been going on since September. I don’t know if the BBBA has any additional features.

    HTH a little.

    Cheers,
    Scott.
    (“Who remembers buying Saving Stamps (2 page .pdf) from the PO in the 1960s.”)

  61. 61.

    Betty Cracker

    December 8, 2021 at 11:39 am

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I wouldn’t be surprised if Meadows overshared because it’s pretty obvious he did an about-face on cooperation in response to Trump’s reaction to his dumb book. I don’t know anything about Meadows, but from his stint as CoS, he doesn’t seem like a very bright guy.

  62. 62.

    West of the Rockies

    December 8, 2021 at 11:45 am

    Salmon absolutely need protection!

  63. 63.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 8, 2021 at 11:55 am

    BREAKING: Louis DeJoy’s days at USPS now appear to be officially numbered. Ron Bloom is out as head of the USPS board of governors, clearing the way for DeJoy to removed.

    ?DeJoy to the Sun!  To Hell with him!?

  64. 64.

    MisterForkbeard

    December 8, 2021 at 11:56 am

    @Betty Cracker: While he was in congress, Meadows was known as a fringe kook who had his nose up Trump’s ass. Not a very bright dude at all, completely unethical and amoral, but knew that Trump was the way to succeed in the Republican Party.

    This tracks perfectly with that description.

    1. Dumb idiot includes a bunch of incriminating information in his book and didn’t realize it
    2. Trump didn’t read it and just gave it his full-throated approval
    3. After information comes out from the book and Trump is angry, he tells the media his own book is fake news
    4. He bails on the 1/6 committee, because going to it would make Trump angrier and turn off the money spigot
      1. Also: He knows he’ll (at some point) get a Trump friendly judge who will run out the clock, just like what’s happening with Bannon.
  65. 65.

    mrmoshpotato

    December 8, 2021 at 11:58 am

    CNN is clearly attempting to cherry-pick ‘frivolous, reckless liberal giveaways’ — e-bike credits! salmon conservation! — but it’s hard to demonize childcare and college completion assistance: in need of a fresh salmon right across the face!

    Fixed.

  66. 66.

    Ksmiami

    December 8, 2021 at 12:01 pm

    Obligatory- fuck Joe Manchin… that’s all

  67. 67.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 12:06 pm

    @Betty Cracker: I knew he wasn’t very bright, but the degree of stupidity just around “what is something Dump wouldn’t want me to say or put in a book” has surprised me. Well, maybe not surprised. It’s really just a marvel to behold.

    I mean, he was part of the group lying that Dump wasn’t sick – why would he think that juicy tidbit would be something Dump would be ok with letting out now? He’s stupid even in his specialty of sucking up to Dump.

  68. 68.

    Elizabelle

    December 8, 2021 at 12:13 pm

    @mrmoshpotato:   Yes!  You are nicer than me, in that it is a fresh fish.

    @Mel:  Holiday hugs to you.  Glad you look for, and appreciate, happiness wherever it is found.  Have to concentrate on what is here; not overlook it.

  69. 69.

    tam1MI

    December 8, 2021 at 12:14 pm

    @germy: Cue the usual idiots moaning about Garland being “feckless”…

  70. 70.

    Brantl

    December 8, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    @jonas: Because it’s about a natural resource for everybody, and not a profitable steel manufacturing plant for the 1% to suck the profits off of; so it’s communist.

  71. 71.

    Betty Cracker

    December 8, 2021 at 12:15 pm

    @MisterForkbeard: & @sdhays: It’s amusing how the stupidity feeds on itself and gets compounded daily. I mean, there’s no way Meadows didn’t run his stupid book by Trump, and Meadows dimly concludes Trump is okay with that info being out there, but then Trump is surprised at the contents, so Meadows has to re-think what’s permissible, etc. Just a perfect circle of stupid.

  72. 72.

    Mike in NC

    December 8, 2021 at 12:19 pm

    @Betty Cracker:  Don’t know much about Mark Meadows, but he’s apparently one of those dimwit home-schooled evangelical Christians who sincerely believe that the Earth is 5000 years old. So naturally the rubes in the hills of western NC elected him to Congress.

  73. 73.

    Betty Cracker

    December 8, 2021 at 12:22 pm

    @tam1MI: I wouldn’t call him “feckless,” but I think it’s legit to wonder if he’s the right man for the job. Jury is still out, IMO, and there are smart people (Adam Schiff, for example) who wonder if the AG is being aggressive enough. It’s possible he’s too much of an institutionalist for this time.

  74. 74.

    West of the Rockies

    December 8, 2021 at 12:29 pm

    @germy:

    The committee HAS heard from many people and has many documents.  Maybe they should leak some dirt, get people mad and riled up and have the public demand accountability to really turn up the heat on these A-holes.

  75. 75.

    eachother

    December 8, 2021 at 12:38 pm

    @rikyrah: Thank you for your good morning greetings.
    Good morning.

  76. 76.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 12:52 pm

    @Betty Cracker: LOL. I hadn’t even thought of that. OF COURSE he had Dump’s people review it! I wonder if anyone actually looked through it at all. We know Dump can’t actually read, whether due to a learning disability or his severe case of narcissism or his vanity-induced unwillingness to get his eyesight corrected, so obviously he wasn’t going to read it, even if it was all about him.

  77. 77.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    December 8, 2021 at 12:56 pm

    @Betty:

    After seeing your comment, I just looked up the British mail system:

    Following the 2010 general election, the new Business Secretary in the coalition government, Vince Cable, asked Richard Hooper to expand on his report, to account for EU Directive 2008/6/EC which called for the postal sector to be fully open to competition by 31 December 2012. Based on the Hooper Review Update, the government passed the Postal Services Act 2011. The Act allowed for up to 90% of Royal Mail to be privatised, with at least 10% of shares to be held by Royal Mail employees.

    Might be a stupid questions, but is the US postal sector open to competition because parcel companies like UPS and FedEx exist?

  78. 78.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    @Betty Cracker: It’s a challenging thing. He has to lead the DOJ in defending democracy, but part of that is also rebuilding the institution to be better defended against another fascist taking control, which means working through the bureaucracy.

    For those of us on the outside, it’s hard gauge how the institution building is going, and after Dump we are rightly skeptical of how successful any of that will be. And like you said, the jury’s still out on if he’s striking the right balance or leaning too hard on rebuilding the institution.

  79. 79.

    Geminid

    December 8, 2021 at 12:59 pm

    @West of the Rockies: I think the 1/6 Committee will start public hearings in January. They’ve had plenty of time to plan for impactful testimony, like that of the first hearing a while back. People are busy now, so it may be better to just wait and lay matters out then.

    They have been closed mouthed about what they have. We’ve heard a lot about the people who won’t testify, like Bannon, Meadows and Clark. Not so much about those who will testify. I particularly want to hear from Pasquale Anthony “Pat” Cippoline, the man who replaced Don McGahn as White House Counsel. Cippoline was a loyal servant through most of his tenure, but he seems to have drawn the line at stealing the election, and was an adversary of Clark and Sidney Powell during the weeks after the election. Cippoline has beans to spill.

  80. 80.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    December 8, 2021 at 1:03 pm

    @germy:

    Sure would like to know the judge’s reasoning for putting Bannon’s contempt trial in fucking July of next year. I’d like to hear him (her?) defend it

  81. 81.

    Ksmiami

    December 8, 2021 at 1:04 pm

    @sdhays: it’s almost 2022… Garland is too much of an institutionalist for the moment at hand which requires pulling out the stops to save Democracy.

  82. 82.

    Enhanced Voting Techniques

    December 8, 2021 at 1:07 pm

    @jonas: Salmon is fish and good for you, therefor it’s libertard. That’s how dumb these people are.

  83. 83.

    sdhays

    December 8, 2021 at 1:19 pm

    Holy shit, Batman! McConnell’s going to muster GQP votes to pass a “temporary exception” to the filibuster for dealing with the debt ceiling. What the actual fuck?

    The Senate is such a ridiculous institution.

  84. 84.

    Geminid

    December 8, 2021 at 1:24 pm

    @Geminid: I am also looking forward to seeing 1/6 Commitee member Elaine Luria (Va-2) when the public hearings commence. Democratic leadership was very selective in choosing the 7 or 8 Democratic Commitee members, and they must have thought Luria would be a good one. A retired Navy Lt. Commander, Luria is another member of the talented House Class of 2018.

  85. 85.

    Geminid

    December 8, 2021 at 1:34 pm

    @sdhays: If McConnell can muster ten votes to pass an exception to the filibuster, he can muster those votes to just pass a debt limit extension. I guess we’ll know more soon.

    Politico put up an article this morning about a group of Senators working on modest changes to Senate rules that may speed up confirmations. Evidently Tim Kaine is one of the leaders, but he’s not saying much about the substance. It sounds like they’ll try to make this happen after January 1, 2022.

  86. 86.

    Kent

    December 8, 2021 at 1:42 pm

    @germy:I’ve never voted for a Republican in my life, and I’ve been voting since 1978.

    I have.  1996 I lived in Alaska and somehow a completely unhinged woman from Anchorage managed to gain the Democratic nomination for Senator because no serious Democratic politicians wanted to waste their time running against Ted Stevens in Alaska (Uncle Ted).  So an Anchorage School Board member named Teresa Obermeyer managed to gain the Dem nomination on the back of name recognition in the Anchorage area.

    The woman was completely and utterly unhinged.  She was Q-anon 25 years before it existed.  I worked for NOAA and she would show up at random hearings and public meetings that we held in Anchorage to rant about all sorts of random shit in this hysteric shrill voice that was just piercing.  She was stalking the Ted Stevens campaign accusing him of personally preventing her husband from passing the bar exam in Alaska which he failed for something like 40 straight times.  He had to get a restraining order filed against her.  The debate between the two of them is classic YouTube gold where Ted Stevens told her she desperately needed to get help.  https://youtu.be/MaIsLeqfwM4

    I’m not making any of this up.   Anyway, I voted for Republican Ted Stevens that year because there was zero chance in hell I was voting for Teresa Obermeyer and the Green Party had thrown up some other dingbat gadfly.

  87. 87.

    Another Scott

    December 8, 2021 at 1:49 pm

    TheHill:

    Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) […]

    “We feel very confident about what is in Build Back Better,” she told reporters in the Capitol. “We know what some possibilities are, and it would be my hope that we would have this bill done before the Christmas vacation.”

    That same bullish timetable is also being trumpeted across the Capitol by Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), who is scrambling to rally his party’s centrist holdouts behind the enormous spending bill, which features a host of Democratic economic and climate priorities.

    […]

    It would be a very nice present for the country. Here’s hoping that Chuck and the Senate Democrats will get it done.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  88. 88.

    West of the Rockies

    December 8, 2021 at 1:54 pm

    @Ksmiami:

    Keep in mind that Americans have a ludicrously short memory.   I hope that by having Republican malfeasance be front and center throughout 2022, it will cause devastating consequences for Repubs come elections.

  89. 89.

    Suzanne

    December 8, 2021 at 1:57 pm

    @Kent: I voted Republican exactly once, and that was for John McCain for Senate in 2004, because the Arizona Democratic Party could find basically no one who was willing to run who stood even a tiny chance, and they ran this poor schmuck of a guy who was a volunteer and he had no electoral experience, no community profile, and he has done exactly nothing of any note before or since. McCain won that election with like 80% of the vote, winning every county. The AZ Dem party has gotten better at finding candidates in the years since, but there was a long stretch in the wilderness there for a while. They knew he would lose and so they invested nothing in the campaign. Just an utter SHITSHOW.

  90. 90.

    geg6

    December 8, 2021 at 1:59 pm

    @germy:

    I’ve been voting since 1978 (just missed the 1976 age cutoff by a few weeks).  I have voted for exactly one Republican in all that time: Senator John Heinz.  He was a very good senator and quite moderate for a Republican.  And he was married to Theresa Heinz Kerry at the time.  She was just Theresa Heinz then and I admired her very much.  It was shocking and very sad when he was killed in a plane crash.

  91. 91.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    December 8, 2021 at 2:18 pm

    @Another Scott:

    I was actually a little surprised McConnell didn’t try to jam Dems up with the debt limit increase/budget bills

  92. 92.

    Kent

    December 8, 2021 at 2:42 pm

    @Suzanne:When I turned 18 in Oregon back long ago I also remember voting for GOP Senator Mark Hatfield on the basis of his opposition to Carter’s Draft Registration bill which he filibustered together with George McGovern in 1980 https://www.washingtonpost.com/archive/politics/1980/02/26/hatfield-to-filibuster-draft-registration-bill/1dd13dca-08d2-4442-bcef-04ee899d24f8/

    That was a different time and place though.  and Hatfield was absolutely unbeatable in Oregon.  And I have no recollection who his opponent was.

  93. 93.

    Bobby Thomson

    December 8, 2021 at 3:04 pm

    Politico doing their best to concern troll the long-deserved sacking of DeJoy, but from what I’ve seen so far Biden doesn’t look like a fucking idiot.

  94. 94.

    Bobby Thomson

    December 8, 2021 at 3:07 pm

    @sdhays: I say vote against it and then vote and pass the debt limit increase with 50 votes.  But that would give Hillbilly Jesus a sad.

  95. 95.

    Chris Johnson

    December 8, 2021 at 3:11 pm

    @Ksmiami:

      But you don’t want to save Democracy. You just want to watch the world burn.

  96. 96.

    The Lodger

    December 8, 2021 at 3:13 pm

    @Kent: Russell Peterson for Delaware Gov. (Later became president of the Audubon Society.) There might have been one or two other Rs that year, but I don’t remember who.

  97. 97.

    Kent

    January 3, 2022 at 11:54 am

    @sdhays:

    Of course it is all a game. The 10-year thing is just for reconciliation rules so they can, according to their bullshit rules, pass a budget item with just 51 votes without the filibuster. They can actually do whatever the fuck they want. It is all just filibuster wankery

    And this bullshit is, of course, only driven by the Senate.  The House, which is supposed to originate all spending bills, has no such constraints of any sort.

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