Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

People are complicated. Love is not.

Sitting here in limbo waiting for the dice to roll

My years-long effort to drive family and friends away has really paid off this year.

So it was an October Surprise A Day, like an Advent calendar but for crime.

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

Too often we confuse noise with substance. too often we confuse setbacks with defeat.

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

Whoever he was, that guy was nuts.

You can’t attract Republican voters. You can only out organize them.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Thanks to your bullshit, we are now under siege.

Good lord, these people are nuts.

Russian mouthpiece, go fuck yourself.

A thin legal pretext to veneer over their personal religious and political desires

You cannot shame the shameless.

John Fetterman: Too Manly for Pennsylvania.  Paid for by the Oz for Senator campaign.

Reality always lies in wait for … Democrats.

Accountability, motherfuckers.

Today’s GOP: why go just far enough when too far is right there?

It’s the corruption, stupid.

T R E 4 5 O N

“Everybody’s entitled to be an idiot.”

We are builders in a constant struggle with destroyers. let’s win this.

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

You are here: Home / Jan 6: Hearings / Jan 6 Hearing – Day 6, Part 2

Reader Interactions

303Comments

  4. 4.

    schrodingers_cat

    Orange Error is no Mogul he is closer to Mir Jaffer who invited Robert Clive to plunder Bengal. The last Mogul fought the British in the first war of independence and was exiled to Burma.

  7. 7.

    Scout211

    I wonder if Holder has any clips of the ketchup or dishes thrown against the wall? Must-see TeeVee

  9. 9.

    Betty Cracker

    Now they’re going to talk about what Hutchinson heard in the White House as the attack unfolded.

  12. 12.

    Kent

    Damn….

    So Trump literally wanted to PERSONALLY lead an armed mob to the Capitol?

    Do I have that right?

  21. 21.

    CaseyL

    Great time for my laptop to decide it doesn’t want to connect to the Internet anymore.

  22. 22.

    Martin

    @Baud: Well, if you believe that the government should be overthrown, then you have a choice of lying or answering in favor of a coup. So yeah, fifth is the right solution. But it’s only the right solution if that’s what you believe.

  24. 24.

    citizen dave

    Of course TFG is target one today, but it seems Meadows is coming off terribly.  Out of it, always scrolling on his phone

  27. 27.

    Immanentize

    I love the poetic juxtaposition of ketchup dripping down the while house walls white insurrectionists we’re smearing shit on the halls of Congress.

    This needs a four hundred stanza poem written in trochaic octameter!

  29. 29.

    Martin

    Remember Liz’s expression to Jim Jordan on 1/6:

    While these maniacs are going through the place, I’m standing in the aisle and he [Jordan] said, ‘We need to get the ladies away from the aisle. Let me help you,’ ” recalled Cheney, then the House of Representatives’ No. 3 Republican, per the book. “I smacked his hand away and told him, ‘Get away from me. You fucking did this.’

    Liz knew on the day.

  44. 44.

    Immanentize

    @JWR: Sung also by the Four Horsemen:
    Insurrection Day:

    There’s a time a for joy
    A time for tears
    A time we’ll treasure through the years
    We’ll remember always
    Insurrection day

  46. 46.

    scav

    @Immanentize: How bout a map of the US showing red states as ketchup smears with the broken crockery and constitution lying below?

    (clearly I was destined to be a Geographer, not an English major)

  50. 50.

    MisterDancer

    @Scout211: The good things he did for the country? Oh, Cassidy, no.

    In my opinion, she’s been in that comfy Conservative bubble, and that bubble be strong. :(

  52. 52.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @zhena gogolia: @Scout211:   Actually that strengthens her testimony.  She’s not a Never Trumper; she is a true believer describing what she witnessed.

    ETA:  It also means she is at best a complete nut at as a person. But good and sane people were thin on the ground during all this.

  58. 58.

    scav

    @Scout211: Still, that’ll twist the knife a wee bit:  even his adoring doormat bringers of coffee are testifying about ketchup flinging and tantrums.

  63. 63.

    Beth

    The folks who participated in the insurrection will just love this bit about Trump wanting to go to the Capitol. They’ll say he really knows how to fight. They’ll love that he tried to gain control of the car. They don’t see that violence in this situation is treasonous, seditious. Of course it’s seditious, venal, and repugnant, but this testimony will bring comfort to those who hate on the majority of voters and Americans who actually believe in a United States of laws, not autocrats.

  64. 64.

    MisterDancer

    @different-church-lady: What good is a code name if everybody knows it?

    It’s like a callsign.

    All the actual comms of any import are using milspec encryption. Celtic and Pioneer just allow them to say who it’s about very clearly, using short words unlikely to be reused in other contexts in these comms.

  65. 65.

    Immanentize

    @dww44: The List:

    1. Put those people in their place and allowed us to say Nig{CLANG}.

    2. #1, but WITH guns!

  67. 67.

    Mallard Filmore

    @MisterDancer:

    In my opinion, she’s been in that comfy Conservative bubble, and that bubble be strong.

    I must have a personality disorder. How do all these fine, hardworking, ambitious people look past the baby snatching?

    That is something I cannot forgive, even in my brother.

     

    [EDIT:  damn sticky “s”]

  72. 72.

    Paul in KY

    @SoupCatcher: If there’s any shame in the Marines, they will call him back to active duty, bust him to PFC, and then court martial him for his crimes.

  73. 73.

    scav

    Or, for the 4th of July, let’s all play a rousing game of Pin the Ketchup on the Oval Office!

  76. 76.

    SiubhanDuinne

    O/T, but Ghislaine Maxwell got sentenced to 20 years.

    Good. She’s a monster.

  77. 77.

    lee

    I still am impressed with Ms Hutchinson. She might have worked for an immoral bag of shit, but I think she finally realized how bad Jan 6th is and had her come to Jesus moment. I’m glad she had the fortitude to do the right thing unlike almost all of her coworkers.

    I’m sure she is in fear of her safety.

  82. 82.

    UncleEbeneezer

    I’m saving the hearings for after work tonight, so I can watch Wimbledon (Go Serena!!)  But following some of the developments here and on Twitter.

  90. 90.

    PaulWartenberg

    So, here’s thread 2 of OHMYFUCKINGGOD Day here with AS THE TRUMP TANTRUMS soap opera continues.

    “Holy Shit” is basically the entirety of my twitter feed right now.

  91. 91.

    Steeplejack

    @Scout211:

    You have to remember that she was a faithful true believer. May still be, despite presenting herself today as demure, retiring and retroactively shocked by it all. The whole list of employers on her C.V. is like a Who’s Who of GQP villainy.

  96. 96.

    Immanentize

    @Ramalama: Why yes, yes he is. But his real exposure is not from the J6 Cmmt, but from the DOJ. I assume he is not working with the Cmmt to keep as much as he can from DOJ.

  100. 100.

    Immanentize

    @lee:

    her come to Jesus moment.

    Her Jesus doesn’t care about this. I think she had a come-to-the-law moment.

  106. 106.

    lee

    I just realized that Ms. Cheney is referring to Trump as ‘Mr Trump’.

    Twist that knife in Trump every fucking time you get a chance.

  111. 111.

    JoyceH

    Meadows wanted a pardon? What’s the charge, felonious phone staring? Because it sure sounds like staring at his phone is about all he ever did.

  114. 114.

    Mo Salad

    @MisterDancer: but the “H” is silent.

    I picked the wrong day to get 9 hours of remote CPE in from home. Or maybe the right day. Got you guys and Seth Abramson’s Twitter feed on two tabs on my home machine and the webinar on the work machine.

  117. 117.

    Immanentize

    @lee: Well, “Mister” is traditionally the correct prefix for a male president. It’s that man of the people thing.

  122. 122.

    Fair Economist

    And now proof of witness tampering.

    Bombshells without end. Thermonuclear bombshells!

  126. 126.

    citizen dave

    Mic drop from Cheney.  Bennie addressing reluctant witnesses: you will fail.  If suddenly you remember things you couldn’t recall…etc…our door remains open.

  131. 131.

    James E Powell

    @MisterDancer:

    Question: Do they pronounce the code name Celtic with hard or a soft c? I mean, is it about the Boston NBA team or the Indo-European peoples

    @Immanentize:

    I’m always late & I never scroll down to check responses.

  133. 133.

    Fair Economist

    “Those whose memories have failed them again and again on the most important details.”

    LOL! Chairman Thompson certainly has a way with words!

  134. 134.

    Immanentize

    @Paul in KY: only by comparison. There is some evidence developing that he was involved in preventing reinforcements on J6. Also, wasn’t he on the dias that day?

    Less involved, perhaps, but up to his armpits if not his neck.

  135. 135.

    geg6

    And now we’re going to get to witness tampering in another hearing.

    Yo. I can’t believe how awesome all these hearings, even this one set up on the fly, have been. Every one of them with new revelations and a cliff hanger. Well done!

  136. 136.

    JWR

    Ooo! Somebody, (TFG or similar), intimidating witnesses just before their depositions. Yeah, kid, dis is Big Donny, and I know yer gonna do duh right ting by me tomorrow, aniright?

  141. 141.

    Ramalama

    @Immanentize: Ah, right. I had to listen (well, I enjoyed it) to the 5th Day hearing maybe 3 times total because so much was jam packed. Day 5 was DOJ-heavy.

  148. 148.

    misterpuff

    Just putting together the scenes from the movie about Jan 6 in my head.

    It’s gonna be a comedy blockbuster: “All The President’s Minions”.

     

    Maybe TFG will be palatable in animation, certainly not in live action.

     

    I guess he may palatable with enough Ketchup!

  150. 150.

    Steeplejack

    Katy Tur just made an (inadvertently) funny remark. Talking about Trump not wanting to act to stop the violence at the Capitol: “He had to be convinced by his lawyers, his family, his aides—Sean Hannity!”

  153. 153.

    EarthWindFire

    @Scout211: She’s young and interned for Cancun Ted and some other wingnut. In fact, she’s young enough (2019 college grad) that she shouldn’t have been in some of the meetings she was in. I admire her ability to come forth after being in some rarified air that young.

    Like lee @77, I think she may have had a come to Jesus moment but full conversion doesn’t happen overnight.

  155. 155.

    cain

    Brilliant hearing today ..

    I hope that this will lead to the best outcome.

    Speaking of outcomes. Looks like Snyder is getting away scot-free in regards to Flint. Justice denied.

  157. 157.

    Ramalama

    This new “Hearings” series by the Democrats, letting the Republicans step on their own dicks, is must-see tv.

    Whoever is in charge of making everything so clear and compelling, while also forcing congress people from speaking in 5 min increments should be heralded.

  158. 158.

    debbie

    In case you want to review those threats:

    We commonly ask witnesses connected to Trump whether they have been contacted by anyone attempting to impact testimony.Below are examples of answers we have received to this question. pic.twitter.com/pwxyJBf7Kl— January 6th Committee (@January6thCmte) June 28, 2022

  159. 159.

    Soprano2

    Just wow, holy fuck – that was something else. That was some mobbed-up shit in those phone messages, wasn’t it?

  161. 161.

    Captain C

    @Alison Rose : They seem right on par with the gangs from Goodfellas and Casino, though.  Even the ones who once seemed smart now have an extensive record of really dumb decisions.

  162. 162.

    Scout211

    Ha ha ha ha!
    Trump’s aides left speechless by Hutchinson’s testimony

    CNN)Aides to former President Donald Trump were left speechless amid the first half of Cassidy Hutchinson’s testimony on Tuesday, acknowledging to CNN that her testimony was “a bombshell” with potentially huge repercussions for Trump.

    Trump was already bracing for an explosive day of testimony from Hutchinson, who previously told the House select committee that the former President approved of rioters chanting violent threats against Vice President Mike Pence on January 6, 2021.
    “This is a bombshell. It’s stunning. It’s shocking. The story about ‘The Beast’ — I don’t have words. It’s just stunning,” said one Trump adviser, referring to the presidential limousine.
    “This paints a picture of Trump completely unhinged and completely losing all control which, for his base, they think of him as someone who is in command at all times. This completely flies in the face of that,” the adviser added.

  163. 163.

    MisterDancer

    @Delk: Few things make me angrier, on a personal level, than Steven Patrick Morrissey being a long-time racist shitheel.

    I LOVED THE SMITHS.

  164. 164.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Steeplejack:

    I’ll sing you one-oh!

    Red runs the ketchup-oh!

    What is your one-oh?

    One is ketchup on the wall

    And ever more shall be so.

  165. 165.

    feebog

    And Lizl Cheney drops a witness tampering bombshell at the end.  “A person” or as we fondly call him the Orange Shitgibbon.

  166. 166.

    Kent

    Wow….so much happening today.

    BBC notification on my phone says that at today’s NATO meeting, Turkey just reversed its opposition to Finland and Sweden joining NATO.  That is huge.  The US must have bought them off in some way.  I expect Biden’s “behind closed doors” hands are all over that.

  168. 168.

    karen marie

    My takeaway, after watching the entire hearing today, is that the real purpose was Chair Thompson’s statement at the end – “we know witnesses have lied, we have them dead to rights.”

    Just prior to the hearing, after I’d seen who the witness was, I googled Cassidy Hutchinson, and read a short story in Politico (yeah, I know) about her recently firing her Trump-associated lawyer and hiring a someone who worked with Jeff Sessions in the past.  Hutchinson’s Trump lawyer had a significant conflict of interest and was likely giving her advice to protect Trump, exposing Hutchinson to the very real possibility of criminal charges.

  176. 176.

    Steeplejack

    @lee:

    I still am impressed with Ms Hutchinson.

    I’ll wait until we see where she ends up. If her next job is another sinecure in the GQP ecosystem . . .

  177. 177.

    kalakal

    I’m at work so I’m just getting the occasional bit of running commentary from this & the preceding thread.

    It sounds astonishing. Ketchup hurling tantrums, deliberately trying to let an armed mob into the Capitol, trying to lead the coup in person in an armored car?

    My thanks to all of you watching for the comments.

    Also I am consumed with jealousy

    For all of you

  179. 179.

    Fair Economist

    @Scout211:

    Oh my. Cassidy must be exhausted. I feel like I need a nap myself.

    *I* feel like I need a cigarette. And I don’t smoke!

  187. 187.

    Percysowner

    @Immanentize:

    her come to Jesus moment.

    Her Jesus doesn’t care about this. I think she had a come-to-the-law moment.

    She may also have had a “they have it on tape” moment. although switching lawyers was probably the big reason she decided to come clean.​

  188. 188.

    debbie

    Someone could easily Photoshop the Beast scene using his truck-honking experience at the beginning of his term.

  189. 189.

    HumboldtBlue

    They really wanted the violence.

    I remember Pat saying to [Meadows], something to the effect of, ‘The rioters have gotten to the Capitol, Mark, we need to go down and see the president now.’ And Mark looked up at and said, ‘He doesn’t want to do anything, Pat,’” Hutchinson said.

  190. 190.

    WaterGirl

    Meadows and his allies:

    They are watching Tuesday’s hearing closely to see what new information Hutchinson reveals in her sworn testimony, said the second source, who noted that Meadows is specifically concerned that her appearance could further strain his relationship with Trump.

    If that is Mark Meadows biggest concern – that her appearance could strain his relationship with Trump – either he is a bigger fool than I thought or Trump has enough on Meadows to land Meadows in prison for a long time.

  193. 193.

    Immanentize

    @MisterDancer: I subscribe to the dead artist theory — every creator is dead when the art is released. In most cases the artist and the art can be separated. But in that particular case, I am PISSED!

  194. 194.

    JPL

    Turkey dropped their veto and now Finland and Sweden should be admitted to NATO.

    This is exactly what Putin wanted.

  196. 196.

    Martin

    @EarthWindFire: I hired a lot of people like her. You want people in jobs like this who are organized and responsible and aren’t gossips. If you find that personality trifecta, years of experience doesn’t really matter much.

    One of my best hires was straight out of college and was the real-life manifestation of Amy Santiago from Brooklyn99 (even looked like her). You could unload the trash of the universe on her desk and she’d sort and prioritize it and in an assistant role could say ‘you should do this, then this, then this’. She needed experience to work on policy, to navigate the politics and bureaucracy, to figure out how to try on everyone’s shoes regarding a policy matter to see if it was equitable to all, but she was well on her way to running the show and it was practically impossible to overwhelm her. It would have been a disservice to not give her all the responsibility she was capable of carrying. I would have trusted her to handle a $150K job as aide to the WH. She would have nailed the mechanics of it.

    It’s Meadows job to protect Cassidy from the consequences that should fall on him and those with the authority for wrongdoing. She didn’t have the authority.

    The fault I would put on Cassidy is not recognizing that she was working for a crowd that refuses to accept the responsibility that comes with their authority. That was broadcast well before Trump was elected. As a staffer, you’re going to get sold out by your boss. That’s obvious as the sun coming up to me. You don’t work for those kind of people because they will destroy your career, as Cassidy’s has been.

  198. 198.

    Ken

    @Omnes Omnibus: But good and sane people were thin on the ground during all this.

    It was at the end of four years of culling out anyone who ever contradicted Trump.  Heck, after just two years they had scraped through the bottom of the barrel into the cesspit underneath.

  199. 199.

    lee

    @Immanentize:

    I jumped over to the NYT and the latest story about Obama is using ‘President Obama’ not ‘Mr Obama’.

    So I still have no idea if that is an actual thing or not. I was always told to refer to someone (in person or not) by the highest office they attained.

  205. 205.

    Martin

    @Percysowner: Oh, I think it’s pretty simple – the only way she’s safe is if she testifies. And the sooner that happens, the safer she gets.

  208. 208.

    Immanentize

    @lee: The style requirement is you identify the position in the first reference to the person (e.g. “President” Obama) then go to Mr. For all future references. Or at least it was that way just a couple of years ago.

  209. 209.

    debbie

    Not sure if it’s true or not, but Jordan retweeted this:

    Cassidy Hutchinson was so “disgusted” by President Trump on January 6th that she wanted a job at Mar-a-Lago post-January 6th. Makes sense! https://t.co/VzXXLLhz5L— House Judiciary GOP (@JudiciaryGOP) June 28, 2022

    Seems a bit thin.

  211. 211.

    jimmiraybob

    “…a TBogg unit…”

    First, I miss the Bassetts.
    Second, I believe tradition now involves a taco and a beer.
    Other than that, I’m still working off the stun.  This may be better than having watched the Watergate Hearings.
    No, it IS better.  Trying to hijack the Beast and choking out his service agent?  Priceless.
    Is there by any chance and underground bunker at Mar a Lago?​

  214. 214.

    James E Powell

    @debbie:

    Seems a bit thin.

    How substantial does it need to be for their followers? They don’t even pretend to care anyone else thinks.

  215. 215.

    Martin

    This is the conspiracy theory part of my brain speaking – but if the committee was worried about the Roe hearing knocking their work off of the front page for a month, holding this testimony in their pocket until that decision was put out nicely solves that problem. The ’emergency’ might have been the Roe ruling, with this hearing coming as quickly as they could get Cassidy in DC. I doubt Liz would have been on board with that strategy, but also she couldn’t have blocked it.

  217. 217.

    Immanentize

    @debbie: Well, considering everyone who knew anything were getting real paid, why shouldn’t she wet her beak?

    But I think she testified, got caught in a bunch of lies, was confronted, got a new attorney, and changed her mind about the omerta.

  218. 218.

    Scout211

    From the CNN article about Trump’s aide’s reactions, which is now updated with more reactions:

    Trump attempted to cast Hutchinson’s testimony on Tuesday as revenge, claiming she was “very upset and angry that I didn’t want her” at his Palm Beach residence.
    The former President’s attempt to distance himself from Hutchinson, whom he described as “bad news” on Tuesday, came after the committee showed renderings of the West Wing to demonstrate just how close she was to the Oval Office as an assistant to Meadows. Multiple former White House aides also publicly vouched for Hutchinson’s proximity to Trump and his chief of staff before and during her appearance on Tuesday.
    “Anyone downplaying Cassidy Hutchinson’s role or her access in the West Wing either doesn’t understand how the Trump [White House] worked or is attempting to discredit her because they’re scared of how damning this testimony is,” former White House deputy press secretary Sarah Matthews tweeted.
    In response to this, one former White House aide said, “everyone high up at the WH knew her. And even if Trump didn’t know her name he most certainly recognized her. She traveled on AF1 with Mark for every trip.” Additionally, this former aide said that while Tuesday’s testimony was crazy, it’s also 100% believable given what this person knew after working in the White House. The most surprising episode to some aides so far has been the Beast incident, in which Trump allegedly tried to lunge for the steering wheel so he could be driven to the Capitol on January 6.

  220. 220.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    @lee:

    I still am impressed with Ms Hutchinson.

    I’d like to hear her answer to the question of who she’d vote for in 2024, Biden or Trump

    I’d also like to know the good things Trump did in office according to her.

  226. 226.

    Martin

    @Scout211: Trump rolls out the same line for everyone. Remember how he barely knew Michael Cohen? The day he barely knew Rudy Giuliani and Ivanka is only a matter of time.

  227. 227.

    zhena gogolia

    @Steeplejack: OT, but we’re into the second episode of Endeavour, and it’s really good. We liked the first one too, but this one is better.

  228. 228.

    Scout211

    @Immanentize:

    That sounds very plausible. Cheney said she testified four separate times. Her new legal team helped her see the omerta would likely push her under the bus.

  232. 232.

    catclub

    @Baud: Whatever happened to the NSA listening to all of our calls and reading our texts?

     

    You have to be higher up than a congressional committee to extract that info from the NSA.

  236. 236.

    JPL

    IMO Cassidy has a new lawyer, and he might have advised her, if she lied under oath, she needed to correct it pronto.

  237. 237.

    catclub

    @Wyatt Salamanca: ​
     

    I’d also like to know the good things Trump did in office according to her.

    Tax cuts, freeing Bears Ears from Federal control, SC justices. Not my list.

  238. 238.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    @Immanentize:

    oh I never want to hear anyone answer that question again unless their answer is properly, “None of your effin business.”

    If someone wants to vote for a Republican in 2024 that’s one thing, but I’d just like to know if Hutchinson believes Trump’s behavior should disqualify him from serving as President in the future.

  239. 239.

    Captain C

    @Scout211:

    Trump allegedly tried to lunge for the steering wheel so he could be driven to the Capitol on January 6.

    Given TFG’s levels of cluefulness and competence, that car would have wound up either in the Potomac or somewhere in Indiana before he figured out that he was no longer in D.C..

    This testimony may not affect the hard-cores, but I think it may have a rather large effect on the ‘normie’ swing voters who may have been happy to vote for lower taxes and gas prices this election  (not that they would have gotten either), but don’t want an incompetent, destructive narcissist’s followers holding more of the levers of power.

  240. 240.

    Redshift

    The former President’s attempt to distance himself from Hutchinson, whom he described as “bad news” on Tuesday

    Accidentally telling the truth — she’s definitely “bad news,” but not in the way he wants people to believe.

  243. 243.

    AWOL

    MSNBC playing The Republican Mommy Worship Game by elevating Hutchinson, who is simply trying to save her right-wing arse, not democracy.

  244. 244.

    Betty Cracker

    @HumboldtBlue: LOL! That’s wonderful. I am glad the committee brought up the Fox News personalities’ barrage of panicky tweets again. What a bunch of sniveling suck-ups.

  245. 245.

    Sir Nose d'Voidoffunk

    @Captain C: Unfortunately, the most impactful end result of this is probably that it put us that much closer to President DeSantis.

  246. 246.

    JWR

    @Scout211: From your CNN link:

    “He definitely wasn’t expecting a twist like this,” said the person close to Trump.

    Well hah, la-di-dah.

  247. 247.

    hueyplong

    I’d guess she had already decided to flip when she fired the mob lawyer. I wonder how long there was overlap in communication with the two lawyers, but I don’t wonder which one was unaware of the other.

    The mere act of firing the mob lawyer would be considered a “termination” offense, if you know what I mean.

  253. 253.

    Wyatt Salamanca

    @zhena gogolia:

    I don’t care who she’s voting for. I don’t give a shit about her politics. She helped reveal the truth. We need the truth.

    Of course we need the truth.  But if everyone testifying against Trump at these hearings would still vote for him in 2024, we can’t sweep him into the trash can of history where he belongs.

    Knowing where these hearing witnesses stand on Trump’s fitness to hold office again says something about their character.

  254. 254.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL:

    Turkey dropped their veto and now Finland and Sweden should be admitted to NATO.

    This is exactly what Putin wanted.

    Is that sarcasm, or is there some 11-dimensional chess going on that I am not aware of.

  255. 255.

    chrome agnomen

    the tree of liberty must be refreshed from time to time with the ketchup of patriots and tyrants.

  256. 256.

    Steeplejack

    @lee:

    What story are you seeing? I’m not seeing one about Obama on the NYT first page or the U.S. or Politics tabs.

    As a former professional journalist, I will say that the “refer to someone (in person or not) by the highest office they attained” thing is more a fawning nicety of banquet oratory and the TV chat shows than it is a journalistic rule. And it certainly doesn’t apply to news stories. The rule in both the Times and A.P. style guides is to use the title with the person’s full name on first reference (e.g., “President Joe Biden”), then “Biden” (A.P.) or “Mr. Biden” (Times) thereafter.

    And (IMO) we live in a supposedly egalitarian democracy. The title should cleave to the office and its current holder, not to every officeholder in perpetuity, unless, as I said, you just want to stroke some pol’s gigantic ego. Nobody should have a problem with a simple “Mr. Giuliani.” To refer to him now as “Mayor Giuliani” is a travesty. That’s a particularly ripe example, but I think it applies across the board.

  257. 257.

    Lyrebird

    @MisterDancer:

    In my opinion, she’s been in that comfy Conservative bubble, and that bubble be strong.

    Truth.

    One of many reasons I thank heaven for Rep. Cheney, even tho sure I would vote against her in Wyo.

    The Committee’s case would not be nearly as strong about Ms. Cassidy.  She’s been in that Conserva-bubble.  If I talk, she might not be able to hear me.  But Rep. Cheney she’ll respond to.  I’m not saying she’d refuse to answer the Chair or Raskin… this just works better.

     

    ETA: And Cheney’s facing real risk with eyes open.

  259. 259.

    Mo Salad

    @MisterDancer: ​
      And remember, Johnny Marr actually spent more time in The The than The Smiths. That has to count for something.

    Y’all should like Matt Johnson’s politics. You can start with “Armageddon Days are Here Again”. He got it. Still fresh after 35 years.

  260. 260.

    Lyrebird

    @WaterGirl:

    Turkey dropped their veto and now Finland and Sweden should be admitted to NATO.

    This is exactly what Putin wanted.

    Is that sarcasm, or is there some 11-dimensional chess going on that I am not aware of.

    (

    @JPL: can correct of course)

     

    I think maybe it’s glorious schadenfreude!  and yes on the sarcastic side

  262. 262.

    Feathers

    @geg6: Every word in the English language has two pronunciations, the correct one, and how they say it in Boston.

  264. 264.

    scav

    @Raven Onthill: But then again, the ketchup throwing made him look silly.  He also looks generally ineffectual.  The ones clinging to his Wheel-Grab! heroism would equally cling to his defience as evidenced by the relative overhang of his pouty lower (nether)lip.

  265. 265.

    raven

    So they confiscated all this shit at the Mags at the the MAGA rally. There should be an accounting of that stuff and maybe photos.

  266. 266.

    HumboldtBlue

    Social-media startup Truth Social has branded itself as the anti-Twitter and the exclusive home of former President Donald Trump. Its prospects, the firm’s financial backers have disclosed in public filings, depend on monetizing Trump supporters’ rage over alleged “Big Tech” censorship of the political right.

    As it turns out, it’s hard to build a social network to take on Big Tech without the help of Big Tech. The Trump venture’s pugnacious political approach has hobbled the company’s development from its inception, a Reuters examination of the origins of the secretive enterprise has found.

  268. 268.

    Rob

    I’m only following the hearings fitfully on Twitter. But, my god, what amazing testimony today.

  269. 269.

    karen marie

    @debbie:  If her parents had any influence in her deciding to testify honestly, it was because they discovered that her Trumpy lawyer did not have her best interests in mind but was instead using her to protect Trump, exposing her to criminal charges and possible jail time.

  270. 270.

    catclub

    @HumboldtBlue: Trump would go back to twitter instantly, if they let him. He knows the audience there is bigger. and that is all that matters to him.

  272. 272.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @Wyatt Salamanca:

    While I hope her answer would be “yes,” it has no bearing on her testimony and its import. We’re not her parents. Eyes on the prize.

  273. 273.

    HumboldtBlue

    @catclub:

    I’m just glad he’s being frustrated on every front.

    He’s currently raging about Hutchison’s testimony.

  274. 274.

    Betty Cracker

    @Sir Nose d’Voidoffunk: When my vow to stop worrying about things I can’t affect lapses, I have thoughts along those lines too. I am pretty confident Biden would whip Trump’s ass in a rematch. DeSantis would be a far more formidable opponent, if only due to the media amplifying the age difference and creating a false account of DeSantis’s performance as FL governor.

  275. 275.

    tokyokie

    @karen marie:

    If her parents had any influence in her deciding to testify honestly, it was because they discovered that her Trumpy lawyer did not have her best interests in mind but was instead using her to protect Trump, exposing her to criminal charges and possible jail time.

    And if her Trump-provided legal muscle was acting in Trump’s best interests and not hers, she should sue them for malpractice and go after their law licenses.

  276. 276.

    zhena gogolia

    Biden will beat DeSantis too. Or any of them.

    Yesterday my friends were again discussing “who should be our candidate in 2024.” I said, “Joe Biden. Do you think any Republicans sit around worrying about Trump being too old? No, they don’t.” I challenged them to suggest what Democratic candidate would be better. “Al Gore.” Then they said, well, Biden could beat Trump, but what about some younger, more energetic Republican? I asked them to name one. “Ted Cruz.” I laughed my ass off. “Have you ever watched five minutes of Ted Cruz?”

    I swear, I get so mad at the people on our side. It’s “her e-mails” all over again. Fuck that shit!

  277. 277.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @O. Felix Culpa: Thank you!  It would be great if the people testifying now did the right thing earlier and became loyal Dem voters, but whatever.  Doing the right thing (at great risk to their lives) is still better late than never and I don’t expect people who worked for the GOP to get their shit right super-fast.

    Also, she may live in a Blue State that isn’t gonna go for Trump regardless of her one, shitty vote.

  280. 280.

    misterpuff

    @raven: Did they get a gun check stub at the magnetometer and then get the guns back after the rally (or were those shootin’ arns forfeited?)

    And what is normal Secret service SOPs when your guns are “found”? Wouldn’t you get a summons to the nearest Federal Courthouse?

  282. 282.

    zhena gogolia

    @misterpuff: I’m pretty sure what was being confiscated at the “mags” was “weapons,” i.e. tasers and flagpoles and such.  I think the people with guns were staying outside the checkpoints, hence TFG’s anger that his crowd wasn’t big enough.

  283. 283.

    Redshift

    @Raven Onthill:

    The J6 commission just dismantled that perception on live TV.

    Not buying that line of reasoning, especially not the “this is absolutely how this will play out” part.

    First we’re told the hearings have no effect on the Trump base because they weren’t ignoring them as biased and illegitimate. Now it’s that they’ll all hear about this part and it will redeem him in the eyes of people who had decided he was a coward. Sure.

    Second, throwing a tantrum and still not getting to go because “they wouldn’t let me” doesn’t exactly make him a he-man.

    Third, it seems like a big chunk of the insurrectionists and sympathizers soured on him because he didn’t pardon any of them, and they found out the hard way that loyalty only runs one direction with him.

  284. 284.

    Mike in NC

    @Feathers:  My mother grew up in Dorchester and had an impenetrable Boston accent her entire life. When she met my NoVA girlfriend for the first time, I had to translate.

  288. 288.

    Redshift

    @UncleEbeneezer: The only reason I care about them being asked how they’ll vote is because it demonstrates how the cult requires professions of loyalty. “None of your damn business” is the right answer, but Republicans can’t say that. Even people who’ve turned against TFG know that their position among fellow Republicans will be even worse if they don’t profess loyalty to whoever is nominated, even if it’s TFG.

  289. 289.

    pat

    She was interviewed four times and snippets of those were shown in previous hearings. I can’t imagine that she was lying.
    I think it is quite likely that what she said today was hinted at previously but for some reason her trumpy lawyer didn’t want her to be specific. Therefore the change in lawyers and the committee putting together this absolutely riveting testimony.

  294. 294.

    Feathers

    @Mike in NC: My grandmother grew up in East Boston and maintained til the end of her days that she did not have a Boston accent. Spoiler alert: she did.

  299. 299.

    Just One More Canuck

    @zhena gogolia: Too many purity ponies out there looking for the perfect candidate. Voting is like taking a bus that gets you closer to where you want to go.

  302. 302.

    James E Powell

    @JPL:

    so it appears to be another Biden win.

    Unpossible! According to the American political press, that can never happen.

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