Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

I’m starting to think Jesus may have made a mistake saving people with no questions asked.

Narcissists are always shocked to discover other people have agency.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

“When somebody takes the time to draw up a playbook, they’re gonna use it.”

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

Balloon Juice, where there is always someone who will say you’re doing it wrong.

So many bastards, so little time.

There are no moderate republicans – only extremists and cowards.

When they say they’re pro-life, they don’t mean yours.

Bark louder, little dog.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

The lights are all blinking red.

When you’re a Republican, they let you do it.

It’s the corruption, stupid.

We will not go quietly into the night; we will not vanish without a fight.

I’m more christian than these people and i’m an atheist.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Fight them, without becoming them!

Somebody needs to explain to DeSantis that nobody needs to do anything to make him look bad.

Authoritarian republicans are opposed to freedom for the rest of us.

Our job is not to persuade republicans but to defeat them.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

You are here: Home / Politics / Activist Judges! / Shade That Blots Out The Sun

Shade That Blots Out The Sun

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First up, if y’all haven’t read Isaac Chotiner’s interview with Alan Dershowitz in The New Yorker, I urge you to do so with all possible speed. An arch analogy here, an editorial insertion there — while economical in terms of word count, Chotiner’s masterful filleting of the pompous ass Dershowitz truly elevates the craft.

Here’s a snippet, but first I’ll set the scene: Dershowitz, who has a lot of  time on his hands these days, has been crying all over wingnut media outlets like Newsmax about being “canceled” by neighbors at his Martha’s Vineyard vacation home. Chotiner calls him to discuss that:

Dershowitz: Every year, they [the Chilmark Library] would have an overflow crowd to hear me speak about whatever book I was writing, or whatever I was doing. But suddenly, after I represented the Constitution on behalf of President Trump, the library found excuses for never having me. Their first excuse was that my crowds were too big. So I said, “Well, why don’t you limit the crowds?” They said, “Oh, we hadn’t thought of that.”

Chotiner: Can you imagine if Ed Sullivan had done that with the Beatles? It’s a ridiculous excuse.

Dershowitz: Yeah, of course. So I’ve been cancelled, basically, by the Chilmark Library. That has resulted in lots of people in Chilmark calling me and calling the library and saying, “We’re being deprived of Alan’s annual speech.” [Ebba Hierta, the Chilmark’s director, disputed Dershowitz’s characterization, and said, “Not one single person has contacted me to complain that they haven’t had a chance to hear Alan speak.”]

Dershowitz also tells Chotiner he was snubbed by the Martha’s Vineyard Hebrew Center, The Martha’s Vineyard Book Festival and Larry David. Chotiner says this is all “fairly terrifying.” A pantsing for the ages.

In the unlikely event that I ever see the name “Isaac Chotiner” pop up on my phone after I publicly air a grievance, I plan to smash my phone to bits with the nearest heavy object and go into hiding under an assumed name.

Speaking of pompous assholes with fancy law degrees, the scale of the destruction the radical clerics on the U.S. Supreme Court have wrought on their institution comes into view:

Marshall also noted that SCOTUS approval among Democrats fell from 52% to 15%, and then he gave as accurate a description of the whiny, entitled behavior of figures like Alito, Thomas and Bony Carrot as I’ve ever read:

They want the public respect and deference of an institution which the public believes is fair-mindedly and consistently interpreting the constitution while acting like a third rate mob boss running a bust out of a mid-tier retailer. The two don’t go together.

So true. Now, it’s also true that meaningfully reforming the court is a very heavy lift given our broken senate and fractured politics. But demanding deference while behaving like third-rate mob bosses is how you manufacture consent for such an endeavor.

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

166Comments

  2. 2.

    Old School

    Approval has fallen dramatically in two years.  The process of building it back will take much much longer.

  4. 4.

    gene108

    Most (maybe all Republicans?) want to beat you, take away what you need or love, and have you thank them for kicking your ass.

    They aren’t content with just winning. They want their enemies to bow down before them.

  5. 5.

    Jerzy Russian

    I am surprised the approval rate for the Supreme Court is still that high.

    Also too, is there any bigger asshole than Dershowitz out there at the moment?  I suspect the answer is “yes”, but few names immediately come to mind.

  7. 7.

    FelonyGovt

    My incandescent rage at the Supreme Court over Dobbs, the gun and prayer decisions, etc. has not abated, and it appears to be shared by some Facebook friends and acquaintances whose views on these things I didn’t know previously.

  10. 10.

    Miss Bee

    So hilarious!  Whose shoulder should Dersh cry on next?  Perhaps he can go on Colbert?

  11. 11.

    JoyceH

    So sad that poor Alan isn’t being invited to the Vineyard parties! Denying him his constitutional right to drink other people’s booze!

  15. 15.

    Nicole

    Oh my God, that was so totally worth the read; thank you, Betty.  My favorite bit:
    “Obviously, it’s about the audiences. The audiences are being deprived of my voice as the result of a deliberate cancellation decision. So it’s not me who’s being cancelled. It’s the audiences who are being cancelled.”

    OH NOES THE AUDIENCE IS BEING DEPRIVED!  As the saying goes, Lord, grant me the confidence of a mediocre white man.

  17. 17.

    Scout211

    What does this even mean?

    But suddenly, after I represented the Constitution on behalf of President Trump.

    Does he really think people will believe he represented the Constitution!? What a strange and small man

  18. 18.

    germy shoemangler

    Now, if you ask a hundred people to name the five most well-known Jewish Democrats on Martha’s Vineyard . . .

    You want me to do that now, or are you saying hypothetically?

    No, hypothetically.

    Comedy gold, Jerry.

  19. 19.

    Baud

    I hate the fact that he makes me think highly of the denizens of Martha’s Vineyard.

  20. 20.

    catclub

    @Jerzy Russian: I am surprised the approval rate for the Supreme Court is still that high.

     

    I am not. It is the same as the approval rating for Joe Biden.  Once the opposition party is unanimously against, the highest possible approval rating is about 50% and that only happens with unanimous support from the supporting side.

  23. 23.

    catclub

    @HumboldtBlue: nonetheless, there was a book titled chickenshit about the DOJ lawyers. (roughly) They prefer to only take slam dunk cases against people who cannot afford lawyers, to trial.

    They have a rep to live down.

  24. 24.

    danielx

    @Jerzy Russian: ​
     

    TFG, Matt Gaetz, Rudy Guiliani, Marjorie Taylor Greene, Lauren Boebert, Sam Alito….

    This doesn’t pose much of a challenge. Yes, Dershowitz is a whiny little fuck but he is not in the same class as TFG. Who is, hands down, the whiniest most childish 75 year old man I have ever seen or heard of.

  25. 25.

    Hungry Joe

    I interviewed Dershowitz at the San Diego Jewish Book Festival about 25 years ago — before he lost his mind, I guess, because he was pleasant and seemed quite normal. There was a delay, and we had to hang out backstage for about ten minutes. I didn’t want to use up any of my book questions, so we talked baseball. I think he’s a Yankees fan, so I can at least hold that against him … though he may be a Red Sox fan; I forget. I’d hold that against him, too, so it’s a wash.

  26. 26.

    Leto

    Re-upping from below: (ProPublica) Ex husband suing ex wife 4yrs after she had an abortion, that he was present for, while they were married

    TLDR: Arizona Man sues his ex-wife in 2020 after finding out a man in Alabama was able to sue his ex wife for an abortion she had while they were together. Plaintiff was with defendant during the abortion procedure but now is claiming she had no right to have an abortion and the clinic is at fault. Men suing clinics and women for having abortions is a another form of control and manipulation. PLEASE VOTE!

  27. 27.

    Barbara

    A truly committed lawyer would shrug his shoulders at being ghosted by people who don’t like him because of who he represents.  They would tell you that they don’t do what they do for public adulation.

  29. 29.

    catclub

    Dershowitz, who has a lot of time on his hands these days, has been crying all over wingnut media outlets like Newsmax about being “canceled”

    So just ask, “How are you being canceled if you get on Newsmax regularly?”

  33. 33.

    lowtechcyclist

    @HumboldtBlue: Just called my Senators to remind them to use this reconciliation bill to fully fund DOJ through 2024, to make sure Merrick Garland & Co. have the time and resources to do their 1/6 work properly.

    I don’t want DOJ in a position where the Rethugs say, “we’ll only fund DOJ with a caveat that this investigation ends immediately,” if they should win either house of Congress this fall.

  34. 34.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud: For some reason, although I know it’s not true, I always think that Martha’s Vineyard is named for Martha Stewart.

  35. 35.

    Anonymous At Work

    Betty, you are being totally unfair and unreasonable.  If Isaac went after you, you’d change your name, move across the country, and ONLY THEN would you smash your phone.  Get the priorities straight.

    And this is the sort of fact-checking after-the-fact that is a lost science.

  37. 37.

    UncleEbeneezer

    In Florida, they are considering banning all trans healthcare for trans youth, and removing coverage from medicaid for trans adults. And now, at school boards, they are pushing to “hang gender affirming care doctors from trees.” We have to stop trans genocide NOW. – Erin Reed

  39. 39.

    zhena gogolia

    @JMG: Doesn’t he even appear in a baseball cap sometimes? Or did I dream that in a nightmare?

  41. 41.

    Alison Rose

    I already felt badly for Sotomayor, Jackson, and Kagan (and recently Breyer) for having to be in proximity to these assholes all the time. Now these decent people get lumped into shitty approval ratings because of it. I don’t hate “the Court”, I hate the conservatives on it. SCOTUS would be great if we had a liberal majority, which by all rights we should have.

  42. 42.

    Mike in NC

    Old enough to remember Dershowitz defended the infamous Claus von Bulow in the 1980s. I lived in Newport, RI at the time and it was a major local scandal, with Claus accused of trying to kill his wife. He died in London a few years ago, per Wikipedia.

  43. 43.

    Lacuna Synecdoche

    Josh Marshall via Betty Cracker @ Top:

    Truly remarkable numbers. In just under two years public approval of the US Supreme Court has fallen from 66% to 38%. Simply unprecedented in rapidity. This is what fatal loss of institutional legitimacy looks like.

    And the SCOTUS Reich Wing 6 won’t care – since Republicans/Conservatives want everyone to distrust government, even SCOTUS losing institutional legitimacy is a win for them.

  44. 44.

    randy khan

    The Furious Five do not understand that respect does not come with the job, but is based on how you perform the job.  Much though I do not agree with Roberts, he gets that, and has spent a lot of effort to try to make it look like his eviscerations of things like the 15th Amendment are respectable and done for only the best reasons.  The others, well, they just want to slash and burn.

  46. 46.

    Miss Bianca

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Yes, he is.

    I’ve said this before, but a question I always want to hear these Republican mouth-breathers (but I repeat myself) answer is, “Sooo…if you’re the representatives of a ‘tyrannical government’, does that mean you’re okay with someone deciding to assassinate you? Cool story, bro.”

  47. 47.

    Miss Bianca

    @Leto: So, what’s this guy’s argument? Is he going to go back in time and name himself as a co-defendant in the crime?

  50. 50.

    JaySinWA

    @Baud: I have seen it argued that the law was seen as a shield against men dumping pregnant wives while getting prenatal care (insurance assumed to be from the husband’s job) and before child support could be determined. If I understand correctly it prevents the finalization of the divorce but other proceedings could continue.

    Of course there is also the claim that it has been used as a sword by abusive husbands to keep control over their wives.

  52. 52.

    Captain C

    @gene108:

    They aren’t content with just winning. They want their enemies to bow down before them, and then thank them for the beating and ask for more.

    FTFY

  54. 54.

    Gravenstone

    Seeing an article on CNN about how Pence is planning his run for 24. Looking forward to the R on R on R on R (ad nauseum) carnage of him, DeathSantis and Tangerine Baal (ht/B Cracker) going toe to toe in the public arena.

  56. 56.

    JaySinWA

    @Geminid:  A town without pity.

    Surprize, surprize.

    The librarians could tell Dersh that if he wants sympathy it’s in the dictionary, between shit and syphilis.

  58. 58.

    tom

    If not being invited to give a talk at the Martha’s Vineyard library is an instance of being canceled, then that library has been canceling me all my life.

    Fuckers.

  59. 59.

    Alison Rose

    OT but had to share Olena Zelenska’s speech to Congress. Any politician who can listen to this and not want to do everything in our power to help ought to be flung into a volcano. I was in tears for most of it. (Pelosi introduces her and there is a Ukrainian translation voiceover, but when Zelenska speaks, there are English subtitles.)

  65. 65.

    Old School

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Perhaps the article you saw was the same article I read within the last week or so, but as I recall, Missouri law is now in conflict with itself.  For divorce purposes, a fetus is not considered a person, but for abortion/other reasons, a fetus is now a person.

  66. 66.

    Miss Bianca

    OK, I’ve just started that Dershowitz article and I come to this:

    First they come for the library speeches, and then eventually it’s the Hebrew Center.

    And now I just feel like I have to close my office door so I can have my LOL in peace and comfort!

  67. 67.

    Captain C

    Remember, folks, this is the Dred Scott Roberts Court.

    Because a) all of its major decisions are as bad as the Dred Scott decision, and b) that’s what the Horrible Six would like to take us back to (with the caveat that Roberts wants to be genteel about it, the rest don’t give a fuck).

    And also c) because it’s memorable and points out that 6 of the 9 want to kill us and take our stuff (and be adored by us for doing so).

  69. 69.

    Baud

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    The right to divorce is one of those liberal court rights based on fundamental liberties rather than specific constitutional text. So who knows how long that will be around for?

  72. 72.

    mrmoshpotato

    @HumboldtBlue:

    Attorney General Merrick Garland on January 6th investigation: “We do not do our investigations in public. This is the most wide-ranging investigation and the most important investigation that the Justice Department has ever entered into…We have to get this right.“ 

    But I want it to be like an episode of Scooby Doo!  WAH!

  73. 73.

    JaySinWA

    @columbusqueen: I believe in most states the presumption is that the husband is the father unless proven otherwise. I’ve seen stories of men who didn’t determine parentage until years later and were still obligated to continue to pay support.

  75. 75.

    danielx

    @Lacuna Synecdoche:

    And the SCOTUS Reich Wing 6 won’t care – since Republicans/Conservatives want everyone to distrust government, even SCOTUS losing institutional legitimacy is a win for them.

    And in the meantime they get to piss all over stare decisis and do whatever they damn well please. Win-win!

  78. 78.

    trollhattan

    Must I continue calling him “even-the-liberal Alan Dershowitz”? Someone call for the whaaaambulance.

  81. 81.

    Tony G

    Apparently Alan Dershowitz can afford to be made to look ridiculous.  That’s actually one of the advantages that a guy like Dershowitz has.  He has no shame, so he is immune to anybody’s attempt to shame him.

  82. 82.

    trollhattan

    @HumboldtBlue: Did not expect anybody to really challenge England in this tourney, the way they’ve been playing. Not Spain, given their best players aren’t even there.

  83. 83.

    Joe Falco

    If you changed the names around, I could almost believe this was a Larry David bit.

  84. 84.

    West of the Cascades

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: It’s not necessarily crazy in cases where the woman doesn’t want an abortion and wants to bear the child — divorce decrees normally deal with issues like support payments and custody/visitation rights, and making sure there’s an actual born child and addressing these issues in a divorce decree (and thus waiting until after birth to finalize the divorce) makes sense.

    When abortion was legal in places like Missouri (back on June 23rd), I don’t see anything that would prohibit a woman from terminating the pregnancy – and then finalizing the divorce by filing a “no longer pregnant” declaration.

  85. 85.

    Lacuna Synecdoche

    @danielx:

    And in the meantime they get to piss all over stare decisis and do whatever they damn well please. Win-win!

    Sigh …

    Yep. Win-win for the GOP.

    I’m gonna go find a corner now – head in hands, to sit in quietly and despair.

  86. 86.

    Betty Cracker

    @HumboldtBlue: Reposting the tweet you shared with the video embed because it’s important:


    I’ve been (and remain) a nervous nelly about how this will all shake out — the stakes couldn’t be higher — and I found that short clip of Garland’s comments more reassuring that a hundred quotes from a thousand Twitter lawyers. Thanks for sharing it, HB!

  87. 87.

    HumboldtBlue

    @trollhattan:

    Wait util you meet Regina, the Rhea!

    @JeanneT:

    If you’re not familiar with Gold Shaw Farm, they’re a fave of mine.

    @Betty Cracker:

    I’m as nervous as you are, and seeing him actually addressing the issue is heartening. I refuse to believe that Joe and his top advisors and cabinet members are THAT institutionalized that they are stonewalling or delaying this in any way.

    And it’s extra time between England and Spain.

  93. 93.

    HumboldtBlue

    @columbusqueen:

    Find the Tik Tok for Knuckle Bump Farms, Regina makes her debut in super popular video No. 2.

    AND ENGLAND TAKE THE LEAD IN EXTRA TIME, 2-1!

  94. 94.

    Jager

    You have to watch out for the thugs in red khakis, whale belts, boat shoes, and polo shirts. They swarm the streets, their women wear madras shorts and sleeveless blouses.

  97. 97.

    Jager

    The streets on the Vineyard are swarming with thugs, easy to spot, khakis of various colors, polo shirts, boat shoes, and whale belts. Their women wear madras shorts and sleeveless blouses, and large sunglasses.

  98. 98.

    PST

    Dershowitz was insufferable as a teacher 45 years ago. He once brought his client, Harry Reams from Deep Throat, to lecture our criminal law class. I skipped it. He’s not the only fiery young liberal to follow a trajectory that ends with frequent appearances on Fox in old age.

  100. 100.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Betty Cracker: And it’s very consistent with what DOJ/Garland/Monaco have been telling us all along (though adding a bit more detail), so it rings much more true than if this was a sudden, drastic shift in messaging.  Glad to see this giving people some measure of reassurance and Garland also learns that it wouldn’t kill him to drop stuff like this a little more often, even if he doesn’t have to.

  103. 103.

    Jeffro

    @Geminid: Mike Pence is an also-ran before he even runs.

    Here’s a freebie, snooze media: ask any current GOP official, anyone at all, “What would it take for Mike Pence to win the Republican nomination for president in 2024?”

    See what answers (and outright guffaws) you get.  Even better, the looks of outright, Omega-level befuddlement.  You’re welcome!

  104. 104.

    Ken

    @Jeffro:  “What would it take for Mike Pence to win the Republican nomination for president in 2024?”

    “How many asteroids am I allowed to use?”

  106. 106.

    Geminid

    @Jeffro: Anecdata: some pollster said that for the first time a focus group of trump voters she assembled had zero members who wanted him to run again.

  108. 108.

    Jeffro

    @Geminid: I’m not surprised.  On some level, most of these folks have to be (finally!) aware that he’s off his rocker, is a net negative for the party, and is just out to line his own pockets (or some combination of the above).

    They want trumpism without trumpov now, and that’s why it’s so crucial to nail him to the wall.  The rule of law – consequences for all of this lawbreaking – must be re-established, and both parties’ officials held to the same standards.

  109. 109.

    Leto

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I posted about that last week, but yeah, it’s just another reason is Misery.

     

    @Miss Bianca: that part isn’t exactly explained. Somehow he’s been able to get himself appointed as an estate guardian, which allows to him to sue for wrongful death. Basically it’s just continual harassment/control of his ex, but it’s a model of what’s to come. Just go read it.

  110. 110.

    Old School

    @Jeffro:

    “What would it take for Mike Pence to win the Republican nomination for president in 2024?”

    Arya Stark visits House Frey?

  111. 111.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Breaking NBC: Rudy Giuliani has been ordered to testify Aug. 9 before the Georgia grand jury investigating Trump’s possible criminal meddling in the 2020 election.

  112. 112.

    Kathleen

    @Betty Cracker: I follow Teri Kanefield on Twitter, where she publishes links to her blog posts. IMHO she does an excellent job of breaking down the workings of legal processes employed in complex, high profile cases. She’s calm and knowledgeable and makes sense. If you haven’t read her tweets you might to check her out to get another perspective

    Edited to add twitter handle Teri Kanefield (@Teri_Kanefield)

  113. 113.

    Jeffro

    @Ken: it would take a LOT of asteroids…the U.S. could be cratered from DC to San Fran and if even one third-string GQP nut job survived, he/she’d have a better chance of winning the nom than Pence.

    GOP presidential debates, 2024, post-asteroid apocalypse:

    Moderator: please introduce yourselves, candidates.

    Pence: well…I’m Mother’s husband, yuk yuk yuk.  But seriously, you people know me, I was the VP to the greatest presi

    Veeblefester: SHUT UP TRAITOR!!1!  You…you should have hung!  Er, um…Hiiii folks, I’m Myron T. Veeblefester, Recorder of Wills in Amarillo, TX…

    (Veeblefester polls at 89% post-debate)

  114. 114.

    Geminid

    According to Scott MacFarlane, J6 Commitee Chairman Bennie Thompson has Covid and will gavel tomorrow evening’s hearing into order remotely.

    @MacFarlaneNews via @eclecticbrotha.

  115. 115.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Scout211:

    Does he really think people will believe he represented the Constitution!? What a strange and small man

    To quote the fictionalized version of one of Dersh’s stranger clients: “You have no idea…”

  116. 116.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Baud:

    I hate the fact that he makes me think highly of the denizens of Martha’s Vineyard.

    Oh, I don’t know. The few times I’ve visited, most of the people seemed pretty nice. Of course, I was visiting with only four of the five most well-known Jewish Democrats on the island. Nice family. Fun dogs. And they sell the best bagels!

  117. 117.

    James E Powell

    At least once a week, something happens that takes me back to Catch-22.

     

    “In that case, you have us over a barrel—“ said Colonel Korn without rancor.

    “He ought to be ashamed of himself!”

    “—and we have to send you home. Just do a few little things for us, and—“

    “What sort of things?” Yossarian interrupted with belligerent misgiving.

    “Oh, tiny, insignificant things. Really, this is a very generous deal we’re making with you. We will issue orders returning you to the States—really, we will—and all you have to do in return is…”

    “What? What must I do?”

    Colonel Korn laughed curtly. “Like us.”

    Yossarian blinked. “Like you?”

    “Like us.”

    “Like you?”

    “That’s right,” said Colonel Korn, nodding, gratified immeasurably by Yossarian’s guileless surprise and bewilderment. “Like us. Join us. Be our pal. Say nice things about us here and back in the States. Become one of the boys. Now, that isn’t asking too much, is it?”

    “You just want me to like you? Is that all?”

    “That’s all.”

    I don’t like Dershowitz. I didn’t like him back when he was one of Ted Koppel’s favorite guests. I am never going to like him.

  119. 119.

    Geminid

    There is video of Putin circulating. He was meeting Turkish President Erdogan in Iran and thought Erdogan was walking out with him for a joint press appearance. “Instead he was left standing awkwardly, fidgeting and lips twitching as he waited [for 50 seconds]” (Times of Israel). It sounds like it was a more or less amicable meeting but Putin did the same thing to Erdogan in Moscow two years ago and the stubborn Erdogan was getting him back.

  123. 123.

    patrick II

    @Jerzy Russian:

    There are bigger assholes but none more clueless. Trump and DeSantis know they piss people off and revel in it.  Dersch has no idea why people with a conscience don’t want him at their parties anymore. Probably because he doesn’t know what a conscience is.

  124. 124.

    Geminid

    @Alison Rose : Erdogan can hold a grudge if anyone can. He’s been making nice, though with some of the neighbors he’s pissed off the last few years like Saudi Arabia and Israel.

  126. 126.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @UncleEbeneezer: Rudy being forced to answer questions from a prosecutor who is an African American woman. The day that happens will be a good day, and it seems to be coming soon. That is so, so very satisfying to contemplate.

  127. 127.

    jonas

    Re: SCOTUS’s popularity: it’s not just the despicable and unpopular rulings, it’s the fact that those assholes sat there in front of the cameras and the Senate Judiciary Committee and just straight up fucking lied about Roe. Every single conservative member on that court is there despite have told lie after lie after lie at their hearing, starting with Thomas denying under oath he had ever done any of those things to Anita Hill, on through Alito saying Roe was settled precedent, to Kavanaugh tearily insisting he just enjoys the occasional tipple around the holidays.

    I was taught that bearing false witness was breaking one of the Ten Commandments, but I guess I wasn’t using the same bible as Republicans.

  129. 129.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @Geminid:

    I heard yesterday that Thompson tested positive and wondered how they were planning to handle the presiding officer stuff. If he’s feeling well enough, holding the gavel remotely makes sense. Hope he’s back to full health soon.

  130. 130.

    zhena gogolia

    @SiubhanDuinne: I think this next hearing is going to be horrifying. If I understand correctly, they’re going to look into what TFG was doing during the insurrection.

  131. 131.

    jonas

    @patrick II: ​  I think he assumes he’s entitled to the same understanding that you extend to a lawyer who, say, works as a public defender and has to represent an accused child molester or a serial killer. It’s their job, nothing personal, so hey, we’re cool. Dersh defended Trump voluntarily (because it brought him attention and notoriety) and actually seems to think Trump was worth defending. That makes him…what’s the word? Oh yeah, an asshole complicit in supporting the worst, most corrupt, most awful presidential maladministration in American history. May your shit be cancelled for all eternity. Also, every plate ever served to him any restaurant since has been spit in. Probably by multiple staff and servers.​

  135. 135.

    Geminid

    @zhena gogolia: Congresswoman Elaine Luria (VA-2nd) will finally get her chance to shine! She and Adam Kinzinger are reported to have the leading roles tomorrow. I’ve been looking forward to this.

  136. 136.

    Percysowner

    @Baud: ​
     He (allegedly) lied about buying a gun while battling addiction is what the article says. Because mentally unstable, misogynistic men who threaten to kill people should have access to any high powered weapon of war they can lay their hands on, but Hunter Biden can’t.

    “Sources tell CNN no final decision has yet been made, but charges could include alleged tax violations and lying about buying a gun when he technically was not allowed to because of his acknowledged struggle with drug addiction.”

  137. 137.

    Uncle Cosmo

    Thread title reminded me of this cleverness, thought yinz might enjoy it:

    BY DAY AND BY NIGHT

    Shadow, index of the sun,
    Who knows him as you know him,
    Who have never turned to look at him since the beginning?

    In the court of his brilliance
    You set up his absence like a camp.
    And his fire only confirms you. And his death is your freedom.

    W. S. Merwin (1927-2019)
    from     The Moving Target (1963)​​​​
     

    (Jeezus Fucking CHRIST I hate to have to edit posts in text mode!!!)

  139. 139.

    cwmoss

    @JaySinWA: Oregon divorce lawyer here. They must be really stupid in the MO legislature. States whose legislatures are populated mostly by non-brain dead humans (such as my state of Oregon and your state of WA) have figured out how to address the issues you describe very easily.

  143. 143.

    Bill Arnold

    @Alison Rose :

    Seriously. I’d like to imagine some kid Putin stole lunch money from in kindergarten is now sitting in his basement making a voodoo doll.

    He and the evilest of his close allies are due a … reckoning.

  144. 144.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Elaine Luria has had an interesting life. Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Luria left home at age 17 to enroll at the U.S. Naval Academy. She served on surface ships during her 20 year career and for a time was responsible for the nuclear reactors on the aircraft carrier Harry S. Truman.

    Luria retired as a Commander in 2017, just in time to run for the coastal Virginia 2nd CD seat. She beat the incumbent, and was one of forty Democrats who flipped seats in the Blue Wave of 2018.

  145. 145.

    Kelly

    Since we’re discussing whiney jerks recently turfed out Oregon Blue Dog Kurt Schrader has endorsed 100% NRA voting, rat fucking spoiler Governor candidate Betsy Johnson. Schrader has yet to endorse Jamie McLeod-Skinner, probably won’t endorse ever.

  147. 147.

    Scout211

    Trump hired the best people. This guy was an aide to Peter Navarro.

    https://www.cnn.com/2022/07/20/politics/garrett-ziegler-rant/

    CNN)A former Trump White House aide who met with the January 6 committee earlier this week went on a profane and sexist rant on a livestream after his testimony, where he railed against the lawmakers and attacked other witnesses, according to audio posted to his Telegram.
    . . .

    In the 27-minute livestream, Ziegler used vulgar and misogynistic language to attack Cassidy Hutchinson and Alyssa Farah Griffin, two women who worked for the Trump White House but have since publicly broken from the former President and cooperated with the January 6 panel.

    He also accused the January 6 House select committee of being “anti-White,” without any evidence. (The nine-member panel is led by Rep. Bennie Thompson, a Mississippi Democrat, who is Black.)

    “They’re Bolsheviks,” Ziegler said in the stream, referring to the far-left communists who led the Soviet Union, “so, they probably do hate the American founders and most White people in general. This is a Bolshevistic anti-White campaign. If you can’t see that, your eyes are freaking closed. And so, they see me as a young Christian who they can try to basically scare, right?”

  148. 148.

    Geminid

    @Kelly: I like most of the current Blue Dogs, and my next Rep will (hopefullly) be Blue Dog Abigail Abigail Spanberger. But Schrader was no loss to the Democratic Caucus and Oregon Democrats are well rid of him.

  149. 149.

    Mike S

    @Percysowner: 
    You could be right about trying to hurt Biden but it would help make it easier to indict Trump too.
    ‘President Biden doesn’t tell the justice department what to do. If he did his son would not be under indictment.’

  150. 150.

    Geminid

    @Geminid: Elaine Luria and husband Robert Blondin came up with a really nifty idea for a business. Luria’s stepdaughter was visiting Norfolk and was surprised she could not buy a mermaid souvenir. Norfolk has a number of mermaid statues and the Mermaid is considered the city’s symbol. So Luria and Blondin rented space in the artsy Ghent neighborhood and opened The Mermaid Factory. Visitors to the store/studio can buy plaster mermaids and customize them with paint, glitter, shells etc. Blondin cast the plaster mermaids at home for a while but now the business has two locations and 10 employees.

  151. 151.

    StringOnAStick

    @Kelly: Well that sucks.  Schrader is quite a sore loser.  I’m hoping all the liberal D’s that have moved into Jamie’s future district won’t support Johnson.  I mentioned last night to a group of several fellow newbies that Johnson’s main benefactor is the CEO of Nike, which drew universal condemnation.  Half these people are from high level corporate positions too, so Mr Nike is not well liked even by business types.  I think Johnson’s NRA love isn’t going to help her any, at least I hope not.

  152. 152.

    Kathleen

    @Geminid: Yes I am. Ashamed to say I haven’t followed the race closely up to this point. I also haven’t seen the new OH#1 maps. Thanks for jolting me to action here! I’ve met Landsman and have followed him on Council. He’s very impressive. Has done a lot to advance free pre school education.

  153. 153.

    Geminid

    @Kathleen: Good luck over there! Democrats may need to flip some Republican seats to hold the House.

    I heard about the tossup rating last night when someone was speculating about the fate of Republicans voting no on the marriage equality law. Chabot was a no.

  154. 154.

    sab

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Rhat’s not umcommon. I know Michigan used to have (and probably still has) a rule that makes you wait 2 momths for a divorce but 6 months if you are pregnant. That means that by the time you realize you are pregnant you will have delivered by the time the divorce is final.

    It’s to protect the child, ensuring that it is born legitimate, and protect ots right to child support.

  155. 155.

    justinb

    BTW, I’m still catching up on threads after my hospital stay. Each time I think I’m done with a page, it has all new threads. Please stop posting. There are also too many threads. Please eliminate five.

    P. S. I am not a crank

  156. 156.

    Kathleen

    @Geminid:  Shocking! The thing about Chabot is he is just as ugly and evil as his fellow Rethugs in Congress but he flies under the radar. He’s not a Jim Jordan.

  158. 158.

    Another Scott

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:  Thanks for that.

    Dunno if anyone has pointed to this (was in a reply in that tweet thread).

    Wow. In 4 minutes, former U.S. Marine Marksmanship Instructor and Arizona Sec. of State candidate @Adrian_Fontes dismantles the right's Second Amendment lies. Watch this till the end. pic.twitter.com/KDesJBUExr

    — MeidasTouch.com (@MeidasTouch) June 1, 2022

    Just excellent. Everyone should watch it for when they need arguments to counter the gun nuts.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  162. 162.

    Geminid

    @Kathleen: That’s a good article. Thanks. I can see why Democrats are going hard after a district that Biden would have won in it’s new form by 8.5%.

    I wonder if Chabot worried he would have a net loss of votes if he voted for the marriage equality law. Some of the bible thumpers are so intolerant they might not tolerate a Republican voting for “gay marriage.”

    That dynamic may work against Nebraska Congressman Don Bacon. He was a yes on the bill. Bacon’s Omaha-based district is similar to the one he won in 2020. Joe Biden carried it by 6 points and got an electoral vote out of it thanks to Nebraska law.

    Maine also awards an electoral vote for carrying a congressional district. In 2020, trump won the electoral vote for the 2nd district while Democrat Jared was reelected there.

  163. 163.

    Kathleen

    @Geminid: Thank you for inspiring me to do some research. That article was outstanding and its tone was so different from the Beltway garbage we’re inundated with.

    Chabot seems to reflexively vote on the side of evil so I’m not sure his no vote is more reactive than contemplative, though he did vote yes on a measure that involved actually benefitting children. I was shocked. I will say one good thing about Chabot. His staffers are without fail professional, attentive and courteous every time I call to complain.

    The biggest key is that the entire city of Cincinnati is now in OH#1.  As the article stated, Cincy is very blue (which shocks a lot of people).

    Are you in Nebraska per chance?

  164. 164.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    [late to the party]

    Also too, is there any bigger asshole than Dershowitz out there at the moment?

    @Jerzy Russian: ​
      May I suggest Ron Vara (Peter Navarro)? I understand he knows how to read a chart, too.

  165. 165.

    Geminid

    @Kathleen: I’m in Virginia. I got into Bacon’s race because he voted for the Infrastructure bill and the idiot trump was encouraging someone to primary him. Trump took the Biden’s Infrastructure bill hard because he thought he was going to get one himself. Even that dolt knows that this spending is good politically and he resents Republicans who voted for this one over his objection.

    Bacon survived his primary though. Democrats have a better candidate this year than last time I think.

  166. 166.

    ian

    @zhena gogolia:

    Why is this man of integrity not on the Supreme Court instead of those hacks

    Voting patterns in the 1/3 of Senate seats that came up for election in 2014

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