Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Putting aside our relentless self-interest because the moral imperative is crystal clear.

If West Virginia and San Francisco had a love child.

“What are Republicans afraid of?” Everything.

Sadly, there is no cure for stupid.

The willow is too close to the house.

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

I’m sure you banged some questionable people yourself. We’re allowed to grow past that.

Books are my comfort food!

My right to basic bodily autonomy is not on the table. that’s the new deal.

Donald Trump, welcome to your everything, everywhere, all at once.

Democrats are back in array!

Historically it was a little unusual for the president to be an incoherent babbling moron.

In after Baud. Damn.

Every reporter and pundit should have to declare if they ever vacationed with a billionaire.

fuckem (in honor of the late great efgoldman)

A sufficient plurality of insane, greedy people can tank any democratic system ever devised, apparently.

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

I wonder if trump will be tried as an adult.

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

When someone says they “love freedom”, rest assured they don’t mean yours.

Prediction: the gop will rethink its strategy of boycotting future committees.

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

Is it negotiation when the other party actually wants to shoot the hostage?

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

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Morning Update

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Bill Stepien will not be testifying at this morning’s 1/6 Committee hearing, and the proceedings have been delayed for 30-45 minutes. Stepien’s excuse is that his wife just went into labor. His lawyer will be reading a statement instead. Stepien is managing the campaign of Liz Cheney’s primary opponent, so he probably wouldn’t have been the world’s most cooperative witness.

Since activists like March for Our Lives, Gabby Giffords and Fred Guttenberg have endorsed this weekend’s gun deal, while noting that it doesn’t go far enough, I’m on board. But, I’m going to have to agree with Steve M on this one: it’s highly unlikely that what was announced over the weekend will pass. The announcement was a “framework,” not a bill, and the pressure on the 10 Republicans to pull back or pull out entirely will be immense. Part of the massive dysfunction of the Senate is that you can’t count on the word of the swing voters — the Manchinema debacle last year is a great example — since their main goal is to burnish their “centrist” reputations.

Reader Interactions

96Comments

  2. 2.

    TriassicSands

    Wow, it takes real planning nine months in advance to have your wife go into labor the day of your testimony.

    Diabolical!

  4. 4.

    germy shoemangler

    Stepian, the guy who helped delay traffic on the George Washington Bridge, is now delaying the Jan. 6 hearings

  5. 5.

    Martin

    Rumors the USSC abortion decision may come down this morning. That’s some serious ratfucking if it does.

  6. 6.

    Nancy

    Arghhhhhhhhhh, sat in front of the local PBS affiliate, watching what was probably perfectly nice stuff, but it was not the hearing.
    Balloon-Juice comes through again.
    No banner at the bottom of the local public television screen saying things were postponed.
    As annoying as those banners are, at times they can be handy.
    I called the station and told them (via voice mail) that I wanted to see the hearing and it would be nice if they’d let viewers know why ther weren’t broadcasting it.
    I’m a crochety old person. At least today I am channeling one.

    I might like it.

  8. 8.

    WaterGirl

    @Martin: Serious ratfucking is right.  Everything they do is transparently political.

    They have flushed the reputation of the Supreme Court right down the toilet, again and again.

  11. 11.

    zhena gogolia

    @Gin & Tonic: Thanks, I just saw. I’m not a Navalny fangirl, but credit where credit is due — it was a powerful speech.

    At one point he says “na Ukrainu,” which isn’t what decent people say, but he’s quoting Russian TV news, so I think that’s why.

  14. 14.

    WereBear

    Will young Stepian forever know their birth was the day Dad was supposed to start testimony of his contribution to secessionist insurrection?

    Inquiring mind…

  16. 16.

    Dangerman

    @Martin:

    Here’s to hoping Roberts got someone to flip. I want to see heads explode. Sure, it’s irresponsible to have to use so much water to hose off the remains, but the mess has to be cleaned up.

    Carrion and Carry On.

  17. 17.

    Martin

    @Omnes Omnibus: Good to know. I would hope the court would show some deference and respect to another branch of government holding such an important hearing.

  19. 19.

    trollhattan

    @Martin: Dear lord, another Ginny project?

    “You know, Clarence, what would really take these hearings off the news?”

  21. 21.

    Brachiator

    Stepian’s excuse is that his wife just went into labor.

    What a vile, feeble excuse! How dare anyone put their family above politics.

    Since activists like March for Our Lives, Gabby Giffords and Fred Guttenberg have endorsed this weekend’s gun deal, while noting that it doesn’t go far enough, I’m on board. But, I’m going to have to agree with Steve M on this one: it’s highly unlikely that what was announced over the weekend will pass. … Part of the massive dysfunction of the Senate is that you can’t count on the word of the swing voters — the Manchinema debacle last year is a great example — since their main goal is to burnish their “centrist” reputations.

    I don’t get this constant need to view things in terms of how repugnant centrists and centrism must be, and how only progressives are sacred, noble and good.

    It is simpler and possibly more accurate to note that Republicans and some Democrats will never vote for any bill that reduces the number of guns or the amount of ammunition that gun-humpers might be able to obtain. But these weasels feel that they must respond to reasonable demands by voters to do something. Cynical gun loving politicians will do everything they can to weaken any legislation that is passed or make sure that it is loosely enforced. Pragmatic politicians who favor gun control will push for strong enforcement and try to build on what has been achieved to pass stronger legislation in the future.

    Seems to me that you can acknowledge how politics gets done without playing pin the tail on the centrist.

  24. 24.

    Brachiator

    @Martin:

    Court watchers note that the Supreme Court has 29 more opinions to be released. It is going to be an interesting summer.

  39. 39.

    MisterDancer

    @JPL: Is Liz just assuming that Rudy was drunk, or do they have testimony to support that.

    They are playing the tapes right now — people are saying Rudy was visibly inebriated.

  46. 46.

    Brachiator

    @MisterDancer:

    “Define ‘interesting’.”

    “…Oh God Oh God we’re all gonna die?”

    People will be looking at the decisions to see how far the conservative majority on the Court will go to impose their own vision.

    And I am hoping that reaction to the court will bring out more Democrats for the midterms.

  51. 51.

    lee

    Couple of things I picked up ‘from the internet’ this morning (so they are worth exactly zero):

    Stepien has never spoken of his martial status in public and internet sleuths have yet to find a record of his marriage.

    His wife could have been induced.

  52. 52.

    Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

    “Gee, honey. I’ve got an important appointment next Monday, so would you mind scheduling the birth for this week?”

    I know my wife wouldn’t take that well…

  60. 60.

    sdhays

    Re: the gun deal – They got 10 Republicans to sign the framework, and in the news article announcing this in the Washington Post yesterday, it was quite notable (to me, at least) that the NRA didn’t respond with a comment before the article went to press (well, to pixel). Maybe they still won’t pass anything (always the better bet in this and most Senates), but I’m not so sure. It will depend on the political calculations of the Republican Party. At least some of them are concerned that this could hurt them if they don’t do “something”.

  66. 66.

    Martin

    Boy, you can’t help but get the impression all of these folks working for Trump just fucking despise each other. They’re all self-serving assholes, including his kids.

  68. 68.

    Tony G

    @germy shoemangler: Jesus.  I hadn’t known that Bill Stepian had been involved in “Bridgegate”.  His sorry ass should have gone to prison for a few years for that.  Instead, he failed upwards (these guys always fail upwards) and became one of Trump’s advisors.  A true low-life.        To the degree that “Bridgegate” is remembered at all almost a decade later, it tends to be thought of as a fraternity prank.  It should never be forgotten that A WOMAN DIED on the way to a hospital that day when her ambulance was stuck in the manufactured traffic tie-up.   These are horrible people with blood on their hands.

  69. 69.

    Roger Moore

    @sdhays: 
    My gut feeling is this follows the general pattern of people agreeing to the broad framework and objecting to the details. Once this actually gets turned into legislation, there will be some minor point they can say wasn’t in the framework, is beyond the pale, and they can’t possibly accept. They’ll get away with it because the news media will lap it up.

  70. 70.

    zhena gogolia

    The moral quality of these witnesses is irrelevant to the matter at hand. They are telling the truth, their stories jibe with each other, and the truth needs to be established.

  71. 71.

    Layer8Problem

    @raven:  I’m actually visualizing Rudy Giuliani’s next job, in a dinner theater cast for A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum, doing a Phil Silversesque “but you’ll never learn, you’ll always be a eunuch!”  He likes dress-up; he might be able to pull it off.

  72. 72.

    martha

    Ok, for the first time in a long time, I’m going to say nice things about NPR. Am listening to the hearings because I’m doing some gardening for my sanity and Steve Inskeep is quietly interrupting the coverage during several of the video clips with the whack jobs…”not a true statement” “that’s a lie” “that’s a false statement”…

  74. 74.

    trollhattan

    @Tony G: Trump’s ability to find the shittiest, most vindictive people on the planet to staff his administration and fill his appointments was a kind of marvel, like a human Roach Motel®

    Only somebody forgot to bag and dispose of the Roach Motel once it was full.

  75. 75.

    pat

    @martha: well that’s weird.  The people being interviewed and shown on the videos are for the most part telling the truth,

    which is what is so devastating to trump.

  76. 76.

    Layer8Problem

    @Tony G: He’ll never be able to set foot in Fort Lee, ever.  I wonder if he ever had a civil suit from that woman’s family?  Funny thing, I can see that side of the GW Bridge.

  78. 78.

    martha

    @pat: sorry, I wasn’t clear! The video or audio with people like Rudy, Trump, Powell, etc.

    Inskeep is actually clarifying their false statements…

  84. 84.

    germy shoemangler

    Speaking of Rudy, his son who is running for NY governor will have to appear at debates remotely, because he refuses to provide proof of a covid vaccination.

    He says if he wins the first thing he’ll do is rehire all the NYS vaccine refuseniks who lost their jobs.

    He says he is unvaccinated, which I have trouble believing, but okay

  85. 85.

    Soprano2

    So off off topic, I’m going to have the fun (not) of calling the Maul County police this afternoon to find out what the hell is going on there with my stepson’s case! Our funeral director called me this morning to tell us that on Saturday, when she called Maui to get an update on where things were, she was told that my stepson’s body was not at the transportation hub but was still at the coroner’s office, that he was still officially a John Doe because he had not been positively identified yet (the police officer told my husband and I that he was positively ID’s by his tattoo a week ago Thursday!!!), and that they were waiting on medical and dental records to ID him!!! What the fuck happened to make this 180 degree turn from what we were told on June 2nd? To add to the “fun”, my husband’s daughter told us last Thursday that the police officer assigned to the case told her he was going on some kind of two week training, so he wouldn’t be available for two weeks! (He didn’t call us to tell us any of this!) Guess it’s time to talk to his boss, huh? I’m getting a worse and worse feeling about what’s going on here.

  87. 87.

    sdhays

    @Martin: The substance isn’t very exciting (and the school security stuff it total bullshit, as we saw from Uvalde and Stoneman Douglas), but actually passing “something” that’s somewhat better will be a chink in the dam.

    Passing anything has been a red line for the NRA. If they can’t maintain it, it will be a good thing.

  89. 89.

    oatler

    @NotMax:
    Are you kidding? PBS is in the middle of one their “pledge drives”, any one of which incites me to a psychotic rage I hadn’t noticed in myself since I last watched Meet the Press.

  90. 90.

    artem1s

    Stepien is managing the campaign of Liz Cheney’s primary opponent, so he probably wouldn’t have been the world’s most cooperative witness.

    At this point I care less about TFG going to jail than I care that people like Stepien never be allowed to run another political campaign or serve under an elected official, at any level, ever again. If this had been W’s, JEB’s or Christie’s administration they still would have hired this guy knowing full well who he was. It was only TFG’s insistence on saying the quiet parts out loud that got them into trouble. In fact, if Stepian is allowed, some GQPer will certainly hire him again. Hell, Cheney will probably hire him for her next campaign unless someone else gets there first.

  93. 93.

    Anonymous At Work

    Repeat my bet from before: One of the 10 Republicans gets “very upset” or “extremely concerned” (if Suzy C) at a minor and meaningless change, leading to the entire deal going down.  $20 for any takers.

    Additional bets: $20 on a Cruz or Hawley Amendment of doG-awfulness doesn’t get a vote and a “signatory” pulls out.
    Finally 10:1 that Moscow Mitch holds a press conference and feeds that Senator with a dog biscuit as a treat.

  94. 94.

    artem1s

    looks to me like Liz has made a deal to throw Ghoul-iani and maybe Jared under the bus. Barr and the rest of the TFG’s team who all stood around with their thumbs up their asses on 1/6 get a get-out-of-jail-free card.

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