Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

She burned that motherfucker down, and I am so here for it. Thank you, Caroline Kennedy.

The gop is a fucking disgrace.

A norm that restrains only one side really is not a norm – it is a trap.

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

Some judge needs to shut this circus down soon.

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

Peak wingnut was a lie.

All hail the time of the bunny!

Good lord, these people are nuts.

New McCarthy, same old McCarthyism.

This must be what justice looks like, not vengeful, just peaceful exuberance.

Wake up. Grow up. Get in the fight.

Trump’s cabinet: like a magic 8 ball that only gives wrong answers.

We do not need to pander to people who do not like what we stand for.

The arc of the moral universe does not bend itself. it is up to us to bend it.

🎶 Those boots were made for mockin’ 🎵

A fool as well as an oath-breaker.

Republicans in disarray!

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

Within six months Twitter will be fully self-driving.

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

Imperialist aggressors must be defeated, or the whole world loses.

I swear, each month of 2025 will have its own history degree.

Come on, media. you have one job. start doing it.

You are here: Home / Open Threads / Love to See the Fight from Dems! (Open Thread)

Love to See the Fight from Dems! (Open Thread)

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Love to see the fight from Dems of all stripes!

One reason Republicans in the House and the Senate either protect Trump or fight against consequences for him is that if the President isn’t above the law, then they aren’t either, and that means they are ing big fucking trouble.  That’s my opinion, anyway.

https://twitter.com/danielsgoldman/status/1647285835878875136?s=20

https://twitter.com/SenWhitehouse/status/1646671965292249088?s=20

https://twitter.com/SenWhitehouse/status/1646958493004451854?s=20

https://twitter.com/accountable_us/status/1646905322089373704?s=20

https://twitter.com/marceelias/status/1647261609478467584?s=20

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

154Comments

  2. 2.

    Jerzy Russian

    How does one “withdraw” one’s name from a Law Review article?  Aren’t there hard copies?   Wouldn’t there be a notice of some kind of retraction published to note the withdrawal?  Don’t people on the vetting committees have better research skills?

  5. 5.

    Mike S

    Thomas could rape and impregnate a 10 year old white girl at a drag show and then perform her abortion on fox news and he wouldn’t lose any Republican support, let alone be successfully impeached. If anything he would get more of their support for the “massive owning on the libs.”

  6. 6.

    Lapassionara

    @WaterGirl: I wish. I think the Justices feel impervious to criticism and even if there were ethics rules, the Justices (or some of them) would not follow them.

  7. 7.

    WaterGirl

    @Lapassionara: Senator Whitehouse has been applying more and more pressure, and I think this is gonna open up the crack.  I’m not someone who particularly minds being wrong, but in this case I totally hope I’m right!

  8. 8.

    Frankensteinbeck

    if the President isn’t above the law, then they aren’t either

    That Republicans have the literally God-given right to be above the law is a cornerstone of their belief system.

  9. 9.

    way2blue

    As I read all the fall out from the Jan 6th attack on our democratic institutions, the related prongs in various states, and repeated attempts to pervert various gov’t institutions such as the military to jimmy with the vote—I can’t help but think. That.  These guys.  Thought.  They would win.  And that all the law breaking would be swept under the rug by Trump in his second term.  They all thought they had get-out-of-jail cards in their pockets.   Which in part might explain why they’re so desperate for another Trump term…

  10. 10.

    trollhattan

    @Mike S: “He’s endured enough already, why pile on this late in his distinguished career? Look over there, it’s a woke mob!”

  11. 11.

    Mike in Pasadena

    Four dead and 20 more injured in Dadeville, Alabama. Guv Ivey says violence in her state. Sorry guv, it’s  called Dadeville, but shots and prayers to you.

  12. 12.

    WaterGirl

    @way2blue: I kind of agree.  I’m not sure they thought they would actually win, legitimately.

    But they sure as hell had a Plan A, Plan B…. Plan F, and I do believe they thought they would win by hook or by crook.

    Sometimes I think the main reason they didn’t get away with it is that our side didn’t show up on Jan 6, get sucked into the fighting, and then fast forward to martial law.

  13. 13.

    kindness

    Again I’m feeling for my Florida friends.  I don’t get the dynamics that made it become what it is.  Easy to do from the other coast.  Wonder what would happen if they closed down all the polling locations in The Villages.  I bet we’d read a lot about it.

  16. 16.

    Lapassionara

    @WaterGirl: I hope you are right too. I think at the very least there should be steps taken to impeach the Texas judge for falsifying his information during the nomination/approval process.

  18. 18.

    WaterGirl

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    That Republicans have the literally God-given right to be above the law is a cornerstone of their belief system.

    I agree that Republicans believe that.  I think the reason that Rs are all acting like scalded rats (?) is that they see the impossible happening all around them and they fear that they will be subject to consequences after all.

  19. 19.

    WaterGirl

    @BellyCat: Nope.  Judges all the way up to the SC, are subject to the laws of the US.

    And Thomas is in clear violation of one of them with the business with his mom’s house.

  22. 22.

    Redshift

    @Jerzy Russian: If I recall correctly, the article was not yet published. He was the author and had been working on it with the editor, but when he was nominated, he asked the editor to substitute another member of his wingnuts legal organization as the author.

  23. 23.

    BellyCat

    @WaterGirl: Sure… that’s what the law “says”. Enforcement is another matter.

    In PA, there is no policy for the attorney disciplinary board if an attorney is elected judge while being investigated for ethics violations. And the Judicial Conduct Board will only evaluate ethics violations when a judge is seated, nothing before being elected.  This is my shocked face.

    ETA: And judicial sanctions, should one’s complaint have merit, are not only rare, they are confidential.  Ask me how I know….

  25. 25.

    WaterGirl

    Am I the only one here who can appreciate all the ways that Dems are calling out the corruption and the lawlessness and the hypocrisy of the other side?  And celebrate it?

    After years of complaints that Dems are too cautious and don’t call out the bullshit, and now the dems are calling them out, when so many people are calling them out to the point that you can’t throw a piece of pea gravel without hitting a Dem who is calling out Republicans.

    If we aren’t going to celebrate the individual wins until we are winning everything, we are going to be too exhausted to fight, and we are most certainly going to lose the war.

  26. 26.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @WaterGirl:

    Am I the only one here who can appreciate all the ways that Dems are calling out the corruption and the lawlessness and the hypocrisy of the other side? And celebrate it?

    No, I think it’s great.  I think it’s better than just the Dems doing it.  It reflects that Democratic voters are more willing to see that Republicans are straight up evil fuckers rather than demanding their politicians be fair and reasonable to all.

  27. 27.

    Redshift

    @WaterGirl:

    Sometimes I think the main reason they didn’t get away with it is that our side didn’t show up on Jan 6, get sucked into the fighting, and then fast forward to martial law.

    I think that helped, but I feel like if they really had everyone they needed on board for declaring martial law or invoking the Insurrection Act, the lack of the hoped-for pretext wouldn’t have stopped them. They would have just lied or asked some Proud Boys to stage a fake attack.

  28. 28.

    FelonyGovt

    I’m hopeful that the confluence of the abortion mess, the fight (especially by young people) against out-of-control gun violence, the targeting of LGBTQ citizens, and the pushback against racist voting restrictions, are creating a turning point here. Maybe the status quo will stop being so quo

    ETA and yes, having Dems unreservedly call them out is great!

  29. 29.

    WaterGirl

    @Frankensteinbeck: I am not sure about direct consequences – Sen. Whitehouse didn’t get into that in either of the two interviews I watched yesterday.

    But this gave him a chance to point out the ridiculous pretend “investigation” into the Dobbs leak that was headed up by Roberts.

    If a formal investigation is started – which Whitehouse and another senator have requested – that will be a clear message to the rest of the SC members that they are not above the law.

    Can you imagine the humiliation to Roberts of a formal, legal investigation of one of the Supreme Court justices?  One of HIS Justices?  Well-deserved humiliation, I will add, because he has not been willing to do anything to keep them in line.

  30. 30.

    Cacti

    Yes, definitely refer it to the DOJ.  Merrick Garland will really hold SCOTUS’s feet…and lovingly massage them, while giving them tender kisses.

  31. 31.

    Redshift

    @WaterGirl: I am very much with you on celebrating that. No matter what results we get, legal actions aren’t going to solve most of these problems long term, so the work to get the public to understand the open corruption of the GOP is very important in itself.

  32. 32.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @WaterGirl:

    Can you imagine the humiliation to Roberts of a formal, legal investigation of one of the Supreme Court justices?

    Absolutely.  Even if there are no concrete, obvious results – and that’s never impossible even if they seem shameless – it’s completely worth it to publicly shame the Republican judges.  Hell, just getting the message to the normie public that the Republicans on the Supreme Court are bad actors would be a triumph.

  33. 33.

    Josie

    @Redshift: Yes, loudly pointing out instances of corruption on the part of the GOP and instigating legal steps to make it more obvious are important. The only way out of this mess, however, is getting people registered and to the polls every time there is an election of any kind. Voting is where the rubber meets the road.

  34. 34.

    Redshift

    In other Thomas corruption news, Max Kennerly pointed out on Mastodon that his excuse that Crow “didn’t have business before the court” is complete BS.

    § 620.35 Acceptance of Gifts by a Judicial Officer or Employee; Exceptions (a) A judicial officer or employee is not permitted to accept a gift from anyone. who is seeking official action from or doing business with the court or other entity served by the judicial officer or employee, or from any other person whose interests may be substantially affected by the performance or nonperformance of the judicial officer’s or employee’s official duties.

  35. 35.

    WaterGirl

    @Redshift: @Josie:

    I agree with both of you.  That said… Yes, the only way out is people getting registered and out to the polls.  But making anyone who is paying attention aware of the breathtaking corruption is going to help get people registered and out to the polls.

  36. 36.

    Betty

    @Redshift: The editor of the law review was a buddy so no problem going along with the plan to hide that it was his article. It would be nice if this got more publicity for all involved.

  37. 37.

    JoyceH

    @WaterGirl:  I read something recently that I think explains a lot. Said that the true underlying principle of conservatism is that ‘there must be an in group that the law protects but does not bind, as well as an out group that the law binds but does not protect.’ When reality doesn’t conform to that, they have a rage tantrum.

  38. 38.

    trollhattan

    This fucking country.

    Republican Katie Britt, who was elected as Alabama’s first female senator in November’s midterm election, has posted her condolences on Twitter.

    Senator Britt is staunch advocate of the second amendment, the right to own and carry guns, and was endorsed by the National Rifle Association in the election. “My heart breaks waking up to the news this morning out of Tallapoosa County. Please join me in lifting up the victims, their loved ones, and the Dadeville community in prayer. My office will continue to monitor the situation as details emerge.”
    Senator Katie Britt

    aaaaaand

    Governor Kay Ivey, who last year signed into law a protection of the right to own guns in the state, has tweeted her condolences.

    She said on Twitter: “This morning, I grieve with the people of Dadeville and my fellow Alabamians. Violent crime has NO place in our state, and we are staying closely updated by law enforcement as details emerge.”

  39. 39.

    Almost Retired

    I’m also heartened by the success that Marc Elias and his allies have had in fighting voting restrictions in court on a state-by-state basis.  And by the fact that the federal courts have often moved quickly.  Elias is spectacularly effective.

    Off to hike the beautiful nature preserve that Trump was forced to develop as a precondition to building his shitty golf course.  I always start by taking a short cut across the fairway.  I try to arrive with a full bladder.

  40. 40.

    WaterGirl

    @JoyceH: Oh yeah, I love that saying.  It’s so true.

    They feel that we do not know our place, and they are trying to put us back there through any means necessary.

    I sometimes wonder how many Republicans are able to see what they truly have become.

  42. 42.

    Sister Golden Bear

    @Lapassionara: Unfortunately, federal impeachments charges have to be made in the House. But….  House Dems should still push for it. Make Republicans defend Kacsmaryk and Thomas. When House Republicans block impeachment investigations, make them own it — the attack ads write themselves.

    BTW, today’s Washington Post reports:

    Over the last two decades, Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas has reported on required financial disclosure forms that his family received rental income totaling hundreds of thousands of dollars from a firm called Ginger, Ltd., Partnership. But that company — a Nebraska real estate firm launched in the 1980s by his wife and her relatives — has not existed since 2006.

    That year, the family real estate company was shut down and a separate firm was created. The similarly named firm assumed control of the shuttered company’s land leasing business. The previously unreported misstatement might be dismissed as a paperwork error. But it is among a series of errors and omissions that Thomas has made on required annual financial disclosure forms over the past several decades, a review of those records shows.

    So what was the real source of those hundreds of thousands of dollars? Is it irresponsible to speculate? It is irresponsible not to.

  43. 43.

    Anonymous At Work

    Judge Matty K is gonna face some hard questions because district court judges are subject to ethical rules and standards, AND as a Texas attorney, he is also subject to Texas Bar Association* rules.  This is worth an inquiry.

    Sadly, however, I’m not sure this is perjury.  Academic misconduct, surely.

    *Granted, it’s Texas where IOKIYAR is the standard and the state’s bar association motto might well be “Fewer assault rifles than the NRA but more shotguns!”

  44. 44.

    Balconesfault

    @Redshift: The law says if one even edited a paper it needed to be disclosed.

    Thus he’s clearly guilty of fraud during his confirmation process by not disclosing, especially when there’s absolutely no credible “I forgot ” claim to be made.

  45. 45.

    Jackie

    @Redshift: It WAS published. From the WaPo article posted above:

    ”The article, titled “The Jurisprudence of the Body,” was published in September 2017 by the Texas Review of Law and Politics, a right-leaning journal that Kacsmaryk had led as a law student at the University of Texas. But Kacsmaryk’s role in the article was not disclosed, nor did he list the article on the paperwork he submitted to the Senate in advance of confirmation hearings in which Kacsmaryk’s past statements on LGBT issues became a point of contention.”

  46. 46.

    Lapassionara

    @WaterGirl: This. I am old enough to remember the furor over Abe Fortas. It seemed like it went on for weeks, and in the end, it was effective, as he resigned. So, yes, keep it up.

  47. 47.

    Anyway

    @Redshift:

    If I recall correctly, the article was not yet published. He was the author and had been working on it with the editor, but when he was nominated, he asked the editor to substitute another member of his wingnuts legal organization as the author.

    Yep, that’s what I got from the WaPo article. They cited a RW expert who said the confirmation process only looked at already published articles and his removing his name from an article still in review process was “following the guidelines”. Nothig to see there, no sirreee

    ETA – Go, Sen Whitehouse and rep Goldman!

  49. 49.

    Mike S

    @WaterGirl: I very much appreciate them calling it out at every turn. I’m not even one of the people who complained that we didn’t have Democrats calling them out before.

    While I’ve found elected dems to be too weak at times I’ve found the center left to be too apathetic for far longer. I’m approaching 60 and have been a political junky for 50 of those years. I warned people the whole time that this country was trending fascist right and that their propaganda arm was getting stronger than any other in history. I’ve always made the argument that even the worst Dem as President was better than the best Republican because of the Supreme court and even after seeing what has happened because they didn’t like Hillary I see them all falling back into complacency and have low confidence that Biden will get reelected.

    So yes, I am very happy to see the fighting. I’m happy to see FOX getting pummeled too, even though I know their death cult doesn’t care and even if they do a new version is waiting in the wings. I just think it is too late and am researching where to retire. I’m also glad I don’t have kids that will inherit this mess.

    The Great Dumbing Down may be complete.

  50. 50.

    Captain C

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    It reflects that Democratic voters are more willing to see that Republicans are straight up evil fuckers rather than demanding their politicians be fair and reasonable to all.

    I think at this point being fair and reasonable requires seeing Republicans as straight up evil fuckers and calling them out on it, and I’m glad our politicians are doing it.

    Also, being ‘fair and reasonable’ (ie. both sidesism that Always Gives the Other Side a Hearing) is a social contract, not an all-the-time principle.  When the other side is demanding that everyone dine on tire rims and anthrax (or everyone but them), they can ethically be strongly opposed without allowing them to sealion forever and pretending that they may have a point.

  51. 51.

    Nora

    If we could establish the standard that lying under oath during one’s confirmation hearings was reason to end the nomination, that would be a HUGE deal.  As it is, there are absolutely no consequences for lying under oath at confirmation — Thomas was one of the first to get away with it, so it’s become routine for Republican-nominated justices to lie as blatantly as they can and nobody bats an eyelash.

    Hell, yes, let’s hit the Republicans with this corruption!  Good for Sen. Whitehouse!  People are pissed off at the lawlessness of the Supreme Court already (“standing?  What’s that?”); show everyone that they are blatantly corrupt as well, and I think we may be able to make some serious reforms to the court, starting with expansion.

  53. 53.

    delphinium

    @Josie: Yes, this. Calling out corruption and lawbreaking is great. But if it doesn’t make much of a difference at election time, then things won’t change. Getting more folks to vote D in every election is what will matter.

  54. 54.

    trollhattan

    Anybody pondering departing America for more tolerant shores, scratch Turkey (however they spell it this week) off your destinations list.

    Erdogan spoke about LGBT people: “We don’t deal with LGBT people. We have nothing in common with LGBT people. We have the sacred institution of the family. We will not allow attacks on it,” the Turkish president said at a campaign speech.

    Fun election.

  55. 55.

    Ruckus

    @trollhattan:

    It seems that republicans either just don’t or refuse to see that the availability of guns really isn’t in the best interest of the population, while of course they see that somewhere over half of are against them because their policies really have, for my entire life, been better for white people, and especially for wealthy white people than for those of darker shades than pure white. And many of them will celebrate a black man who stands with them because I believe that they feel this is actually support for their white policies.

  57. 57.

    JoyceH

    @Ruckus:  With all the uproar around Bud Light, someone on Twitter suggested that trans influencers maybe should do some podcasts talking up the AR-15.

  59. 59.

    WaterGirl

    @Nora:

    If we could establish the standard that lying under oath during one’s confirmation hearings was reason to end the nomination, that would be a HUGE deal.

    If you lie on an insurance form, and they catch it – no matter how many years later – they yank your coverage, at the very least.

    Lying under oath during your confirmation shouldn’t just end your nomination.  Lying under oath during your confirmation should end in automatic expulsion from whatever position you lied to get during the confirmation.

  62. 62.

    Baud

    All y’all want Thomas to waste time doing paperwork so he can’t read up on how the Framers wanted non-white male property owners to be treated.

  63. 63.

    trollhattan

    @Baud: wanted non-white male property owners to be treated.

    Isn’t that non-white male property? (NB I never took conlaw.)

  66. 66.

    UncleEbeneezer

    So it’s finally here.  After almost a year in ICUs and various levels of hospitals, rehab facilities etc., tonight at 10pm Central, my double-lung transplant survivor Mother-In-Law is gong to hospice.  The ByPap machine is the only way she can breathe (her CO2 levels rise fast whenever she’s off it) but it is also making her absolutely miserable and re can’t even effectively rest at this point.  My wife arrived in Dallas last night while I’m here minding the home/cats.  I’m glad that this thing is finally coming to an end since the past several weeks have really been noting but extreme suffering for MIL.  I just feel awful for my wife and FIL, knowing how hard this is going to be for them, even though I think it really is the right and most-humane option at this point.  The whole situation is just sad, but I’m incredibly proud of my wife who has been/is being an amazing daughter to her parents throughout an incredibly challenging time.

  67. 67.

    Another Scott

    @Redshift: It’s clearer than that.

    One thing the media keeps missing about the Clarence Thomas scandal.

    Harlan Crow is chairman of the board of the American Enterprise Institute. AEI may not be a direct litigant, but it files MANY amicus briefs with the court.

    That creates a huge conflict of interest for Thomas. t.co/Ha5BbFn4Pr

    — Steven Greenhouse (@greenhousenyt) April 14, 2023

    Thomas clearly broke the rule. There’s no wiggle-room.

    (via nycsouthpaw)

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  69. 69.

    tobie

    I’m wondering who Schumer will appoint to replace Feinstein temporarily on the Judiciary Committee. My hope is that he’ll pick Chris Murphy and that the appointment will become permanent.

    Durbin changed the rules so he could be BOTH Dem whip and chair of the Judiciary Committee. It would be nice if he’d pass the baton. I think Whitehouse or Klobuchar would be next in line but it could also be Blumenthal. (Random aside: Blumenthal always speaks in complete sentences. I find that remarkable.)

  72. 72.

    Kay

    April 14 (Reuters) – A federal appeals judge in Washington is under investigation by her own court for allegedly failing to carry out her duties and refusing to respond to other judges’ concerns, court officials at the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit said on Friday.
    An order signed by Federal Circuit Chief Judge Kimberly Moore said a three-judge committee had determined that Judge Pauline Newman, who is 95, may “suffer a disability that interferes with her ability to perform the responsibilities of her office.”
    Newman is also under investigation for misconduct for refusing to cooperate with the probe or submit to a medical evaluation, Moore said in the order, dated Thursday.
    Newman and Moore did not immediately respond to emailed requests for comment.
    In an earlier order in March, Moore said Newman had shown signs of cognitive and physical impairment, delayed filing opinions, disclosed sensitive medical information to her staff and allowed one of her law clerks to exhibit unspecified “unprofessional and inappropriate behavior.”

    I adored my paternal grandmother. 6th grade graduate, union organizer, completely joyful person who did what she wanted her whole life but when it came time to tell her she couldn’t drive anymore because she was too old and no longer competent we did it because we had to protect other people and her. She was a good person! She would be destroyed if she hurt or harmed someone.

    The people around these judges (and senators) enabling this behavior are really irresponsible- and cowards.

  73. 73.

    Roger Moore

    @Redshift:

    I understand where you’re coming from, but I think part of them not having everyone onboard was the lack of a pretext.  Basically, there were a range of possible situations.  If they had enough people on board, they could have declared martial law just with what they had*.  They couldn’t do that because they didn’t have the right people on board.  As a fallback, they tried to maneuver those people on board with the riot.  The failure of left wing crazies to show up and give them their pretext helped to prevent those people from changing their minds.

    *I think they still would have tried to manufacture a pretext just because it looked better and would help to get acceptance from the general public.

  74. 74.

    Another Scott

    @tobie: As I understand it, Schumer needs 60 votes because 13th Century English monks thought that a majority cannot actually control a House of the US Congress.  So, the GQPers are going to try to extract their pound of flesh before letting anyone replace Feinstein on the committee.

    There were noises in earlier threads about them wanting Schumer and the Democrats to pick Sinema…

    Grr…,
    Scott.

  76. 76.

    gene108

    Sen. Whitehouse has been all over SCOTUS corruption for years. It’s his issue. He’s always calling for reform and investigation into SCOTUS.

    If more Senate Democrats than just Whitehouse start making noise, it might matter.

  80. 80.

    WaterGirl

    @trollhattan: That’s worth an embed.

  83. 83.

    WaterGirl

    @Baud: Sen. Whitehouse is giving what is something like his 21st explainer about dark money in the courts – on Monday, I believe, in the Senate.

    The timing is perfect because I think a lot more folks will be paying attention to what he says and it will get a lot more play.

  85. 85.

    James E Powell

    @Mike S:

    Some exaggeration, but you are essentially correct. The only thing that can harm a Republican’s standing with Republican voters is acting like a decent person.

  86. 86.

    Another Scott

    @WaterGirl: Sure.

    But unless the rules are changed, or we have more than 60 votes, then while we have the majority, we cannot do anything if any GQPer objects.

    It’s infuriating.  And we need to use that anger to elect more Democrats.  That’s the clearest path forward.

    In the meantime, if Feinstein cannot serve on the committee as a consequence of her health issues, then she should resign.  (Of course, if she resigns, then some 13th Century English monk’s writing will probably be cited for why Sinema has to be her replacement anyway.)

    Grr…,
    Scott.

  87. 87.

    gene108

    @Baud:

    Whitehouse doesn’t get enough credit for focusing so much on SCOTUS corruption, but Sen. Whitehouse calling out SCOTUS corruption is just another day ending in ‘-y’.

    I’d feel better about Dems actually pushing back, if other members of the Senate Judiciary Committee also publicly backed him.

  88. 88.

    James E Powell

    @Another Scott:

    You’re right, but rules don’t enforce themselves. Also too, the media are not missing that part of the story, they are deliberately avoiding it.

  90. 90.

    Bill Arnold

    @WaterGirl:

    Sometimes I think the main reason they didn’t get away with it is that our side didn’t show up on Jan 6, get sucked into the fighting, and then fast forward to martial law.

    That was their hope. Those in antifa and etc who knew this/saw the intended R play and preemptively and vigorously spread word to not show up on Jan 6 are respectable operatives.

  91. 91.

    Omnes Omnibus

    @WaterGirl: I am simply tired of dealing with it.  It started when I decided I would no longer try to talk our young worrier off the ledge and grew from there.  If people want to be negative and nitpick everything, I can’t stop them. So fuck it.  I just don’t comment as much.

  92. 92.

    Jackie

    Another piece of the sharing of classified documents revealed:

    “A social-media account overseen by a former U.S. Navy noncommissioned officer—a prominent online voice supporting Russia’s war on Ukraine—played a key role in the spread of intelligence documents allegedly leaked by Airman First Class Jack Teixeira, reposting files from obscure online chat rooms,” the Wall Street Journal reports.”

    Most of us figured Teixeira wasn’t able to do this on his own…

  93. 93.

    Baud

    @Another Scott:

    @Betty Cracker:

    I don’t know what’s going on behind the scenes, but I doubt that the GOP has too much leverage here because they risk needing to have members replaced and don’t want the Dems to hold them hostage.

  94. 94.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: AFAIK, there are very few things in the Senate that don’t require unanimous consent or 60 votes.  (E.g. some budget things, judges.)

    RollCall.com (from April 12):

    Feinstein said she will continue working from home in San Francisco and will return to Washington “as soon as possible once my medical team advises that it’s safe for me to travel.”

    In addition to missing floor votes, Democrats are especially concerned that Feinstein’s absence is holding up action on party priorities, like advancing judicial nominees in the Judiciary Committee. Her vote is needed to prevent a deadlock with Republicans since Democrats only have a one-seat majority on the panel.

    “I understand that my absence could delay the important work of the Judiciary Committee,” Feinstein said, noting she asked Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer, D-N.Y., “to ask the Senate to allow another Democratic senator to temporarily serve until I’m able to resume my committee work.”

    A Schumer spokesperson said the leader plans to follow Feinstein’s wishes and next week he will ask the Senate to appoint a temporary replacement. The move would require unanimous consent of all 100 senators in order to avoid procedural headaches around filling the position temporarily.

    Similar dynamics exist on the other committees in which Feinstein serves, but those panels — Appropriations, Intelligence and Rules — have fewer immediate priority bills or nominees than Judiciary. Feinstein’s statement did not mention any plans to step aside from those committees.

    However, if Feinstein were to remain absent into the summer it could hamstring the Appropriations Committee, which is hoping to mark up the 12 annual spending bills. While some of those bills could draw bipartisan support, Democrats would likely want Feinstein around to be able to break a tie if needed.

    I don’t know the details of those “procedural headaches around filling the position temporarily”, but presumably they involve cloture votes and 60 vote thresholds.

    I’m sure Chuck and his team are gaming all this out and have a path forward. It’s a crime that the sensible majority has to waste so much time playing these procedural games.

    Grr…,
    Scott.

  97. 97.

    piratedan

    comes back to trust doesn’t it?

    If you allow someone who has perjured themselves to sit on the highest court of the land, what message does that send to EVERYBODY?

    wasn’t that the ethical paradox that the GOP presented in the Clinton impeachment… if he can lie about an adulterous blowjob, how can you trust him with the nuclear codes?

    don’t want to invoke the dignity wraith here because in no way do I equate a consensual blow job by a noted skirt chaser to the same level as the supposedly highest ethical position in the land, the impartial application of our laws being tainted by people who lied to get there and who were bribed to place their thumbs on the scales of justice….

  99. 99.

    WaterGirl

    @gene108: There’s a Dem in the House who joined Sen. Whitehouse in making the request for an investigation.  I haven’t looked him up to see what committees he is on, but his name is in the tweet above.

  100. 100.

    Roger Moore

    @Bill Arnold:

    Those in antifa and etc who knew this/saw the intended R play and preemptively and vigorously spread word to not show up on Jan 6 are respectable operatives.

    It says something good about Antifa, or at least Antifa in the DC area, that everyone was willing to stay away.  There weren’t even a handful of Antifa on hand to be exaggerated into a real presence.  When the word to stay away went out, it was respected and followed.

  101. 101.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @gene108: yes, Whitehouse has been on this for years. I hope at some point soon he becomes the Chair of the Senate Judiciary Committee and not just when he’s just the ranking member.

    I don’t understand why some regular federal employee rules don’t apply to Clarence Thomas. I assume he is a federal employee and I have to believe that something like this would be a fireable offense under federal employee rules. C’mon something imagine being a purchasing manager at some private corporation and they pulled this crap. They would be fired no excuses accepted.

  102. 102.

    WaterGirl

    @Omnes Omnibus: Our “young worrier” isn’t a kid anymore, and I am tired of entire threads being derailed over his questions about his “worries”.

    That’s our loss if you’re not commenting as much anymore.

  103. 103.

    Betty Cracker

    @Another Scott: Thanks for the context. I’m not clear on all the arcane Senate rules, but I’m pretty sure the parties get to pick which of their members staff committees without needing 60 votes because otherwise, it seems like there would be endless controversies in each Congress on whether Senator So-and-So can get 60 votes to serve on XYZ committee.

    So it sounds like it’s the “temporarily” part that could cause the “procedural headaches.” If that’s the case, it would be better for Feinstein to resign rather than letting Repubs leverage her health issues to force Dems to appoint a turncoat shithead like Sinema as a temporary replacement. If Feinstein can’t see that she’s being used to game the system and screw her own party, maybe someone she respects could make it clear to her.

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    @Mai Naem mobile:

    I don’t understand why some regular federal employee rules don’t apply to Clarence Thomas.

    There IS a rule for federal employees that DOES apply to Clarence Thomas, and with the news about the “mom’s house” scandal, Thomas is in clear violation, which is what Sen. Whitehouse says in his request for the DOJ to open a formal investigation.

    Sen. Whitehouse says in pretty plain language in an interview with Larry O’Donnell that it would be nice if Roberts would open an investigation, only a REAL one this time instead of the bullshit one over Dobbs.  He says that since that’s not the case, the DOJ needs to open the formal investigation.

    Sen. Whitehouse is boxing Roberts in, and I am totally here for it.

    Shorter:  “Either clean your own fucking house or we will clean it for you.”

  106. 106.

    Another Scott

    @Betty Cracker: Of course, there are a few complications for Newsom if she does resign… TheHill:

    If Feinstein does decide to resign, Newsom could find himself in a complicated situation, experts agreed.

    That predicament stems from a March 2021 commitment he made in an MSNBC interview to appoint a Black woman to the role if Feinstein retired before the end of her term.

    “There’s a lot of pressure on Newsom to nominate a woman of color and people will remember that because that’s been the expectation,” the Democratic strategist told The Hill.

    “It’s not a good look for him nationally if he backs away from that,” the strategist added.

    OMG! Democrats in Disarray!!11

    Somehow, I think Newsom and California Democrats will be able to handle it.

    [edit:] One “e” in Newsom, dag nabbit!

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  108. 108.

    Mai Naem mobile

    For all the Judeo Christian value crap from Clarence and Ginni Thomas, how did Clarence Thomas who makes a very good living along with his wife, couldn’t take care of his mom? They couldn’t pay a few thousand dollars for some repairs to make life comfortable for his mom in her home?  They had to sell her home and have his rich pal make the repairs?  People with much much less take their parents into their own homes and do whatever it takes to make it work. Those are real values not your fake ‘don’t kill the baybee but kill the mother’ Judeo Christian values.

  109. 109.

    sab

    @UncleEbeneezer: And your wife is very lucky to have a supportive husband. Some spouses would resent the disruption in their lives. Mine didn’t complain either when I rarely came home over a five year period as my parents fell apart but refused to enter assisted living.

  111. 111.

    Mai Naem mobile

    @WaterGirl: Good.  Obviously i hadn’t read Whitehouse’s letter. Typing out Whitehouse’s name i realized  It would be funny if Sheldon Whitehouse ever became president….” President Whitehouse shown at the White House today said…..”

  116. 116.

    lowtechcyclist

    @WaterGirl:

    Am I the only one here who can appreciate all the ways that Dems are calling out the corruption and the lawlessness and the hypocrisy of the other side?  And celebrate it?

    I’m celebrating it, but just not in comments here.  It’s been a busy weekend and I can’t keep up with all the threads.

  117. 117.

    Madeleine

    @Omnes Omnibus: i second WaterGirl in wishing that you continue commenting, I’ve agreed with JR in WV that if young worrier isn’t a troll, he’s next door and should not be fed.

  118. 118.

    dnfree

    @WaterGirl: I appreciate your fire on this!  And I agree about the left not showing up on January 6.  That foiled part of the plan, I’m convinced.

  119. 119.

    kalakal

    @WaterGirl:

    Am I the only one here who can appreciate all the ways that Dems are calling out the corruption and the lawlessness and the hypocrisy of the other side?  And celebrate it?

    I love it. Over (far) too many years I’ve seen that there’s very rarely a single magic moment that brings down an individual let alone a party. It’s when it reaches the point that every day is a bad day, unforced errors actually get noticed, drip drip, tick tock. The GQP are into this phase, every day another rock is overturned and  normies can see what slithers out, blinking in the light. The only reason for this is Dems calling it out so even the msm notices it. More than ever now is the time to keep the pressure up, those bastards are actually starting to suffer consequences, may it continue

  122. 122.

    Betty Cracker

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): FWIW, I don’t think your comments are out of line. Some people find comfort in sharing and discussing their worries, others in accentuating and celebrating the positive. It’s all good, and if Commenter A finds Commenter B ruins their Balloon Juice experience, well, that’s why God Cleek invented the pie thingie. 

  126. 126.

    AWOL

    @Mai Naem mobile: “Judeo Christian value crap”

     

    Crap is right. Nothing is Judeo-Christian. They negate themselves.

     

    It’s a right-wing Evangelist term used to deceive.

  128. 128.

    James E Powell

    @Betty Cracker:

    that’s why God Cleek invented the pie thingie.

    Scrolling right past without even reading is also an option

    Castigarlo con el látigo de la indiferencia.

  129. 129.

    tobie

    @Another Scott: Thanks for that explanation. So, short of Feinstein resigning from the Senate, we’re stuck with her on the Judiciary Committee whether or not she attends hearings or votes. That sucks.

  131. 131.

    Roger Moore

    @kalakal:

    One other lesson that people seem to have learned is the drip, drip, drip method.  If ProPublica had release everything they found out about Clarence Thomas in one big knowledge dump, it would have been too much to digest.  People would have gotten only the absolute worst points and missed all the little stuff.  By releasing it a bit at a time, they’ve stretched it out into multiple news events, and they’ve given people time to digest each morsel before the next one comes out.  It also helps to hammer home all the different forms of corruption on display.  It’s much more effective, and the Democrats seem to be getting better at mastering the approach.

  134. 134.

    Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

    @Betty Cracker:

    It’s all good, and if Commenter A finds Commenter B ruins their Balloon Juice experience, well, that’s why God Cleek invented the pie thingie.

    It’s not good if people who I’ve been friendly with in the past now hate and distrust me. And if I’m driving people like Omnes away

    The Pie filter means they will never see anything I write, which means I will never be able to make amends. What if they die? Or even just stop showing up as people eventually do? Oh sure, it can be toggled on and off, but it still lessens the likelihood of anything ever getting across

    The truth is, I’ve completely fucked my reputation up around here and I have no one to blame but myself

    It hurts a lot when someone you made a geniune connection with ends up disliking you, especially when it’s your own fault

    Omnes, if you read this, don’t stop commenting because of my stupid fucking self. You have always had a lot of insightful, funny, interesting things to say

  135. 135.

    prostratedragon

    Another account of “Donbass Devushka” or Sarah Bils, the ex-CPO who aided in spreading the Ukraine papers. This came out of earlier reporting than the WSJ article, though the site only shows the update today.

  137. 137.

    gene108

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    The truth is, I’ve completely fucked my reputation up around here and I have no one to blame but myself

    Your reputation is what it is. Some people find freaking out about a small change in the stock market, for example, excessive worrying.

    I’m personally glad someone under thirty reads and comments here. We’re probably in the younger quartile of commenters here, and I’m 48.

  140. 140.

    Steeplejack

    @WaterGirl:

    Yes, I chastised him for being a pathological Eeyore, but I do not feel that he should be banned. Let people pie him or ignore him—or argue with him—at their individual preference.

    I don’t like the whiff of right-think and censorship.

  142. 142.

    Kay

    @karen marie:

    well, it would be hard because Article III, Section I has always been interpreted as a lifetime appointment. I personally just think some are abusing it, so it would be beneficial to even have a serious discussion about limits if for nothing else to send a message. They’re public employees.

  143. 143.

    Kay

    @karen marie:

    I also think something else is going on here. The employees or sort of “hangers on” to the judge or senator – those in their orbit- are not protecting the judge or senator- they are protecting their own jobs or access to power.

    The federal judiciary can avoid all of this increased oversight if they would simply start policing THEMSELVES. Unless they want a rule that says “a competency test at 80 years old and every year thereafter” they better start doing some of this stuff VOLUNTARILY. You know, like professionals.

  144. 144.

    Citizen Alan

    @AWOL: I dunno. if the “Judeo” part is read to mean “of Jewish descent” rather than “practicing the Jewish faith,” I suppose it makes sense, with Christianized Jews being “the Good Ones.”

  145. 145.

    Citizen Alan

    @karen marie: Well, you see, the Constitution doesn’t mention an age limit and the people who will decide if a legislatively imposed age limit is constitutional are already on the Court and wish to stay there until they die.

  148. 148.

    Miss Bianca

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Goku, please for the love of God stop beating yourself up. You’re fine. You’re a bit of a worrywart about things that I don’t spare more than two or three brain cells at a time to think about, but you’re fine.

    (Re the stock market and inflation…well, as the old folk song puts it, “the tide flows in, the tide flows out”. Make yourself an investment and savings plan and stick to it. And don’t pay attention to every fluctuation, or you’ll drive yourself mad.)

  149. 149.

    kalakal

    @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

    The truth is, I’ve completely fucked my reputation up around here and I have no one to blame but myself

    Don’t be so hard on yourself.  Yeah you worry about stuff and share those worries. People can engage or ignore as they choose. We all have agency here.

    I’m pretty sure people don’t “hate and distrust” you.

    You’re fine.

  150. 150.

    kalakal

    @WaterGirl: Maybe not the thing you’re thinking of but there seems to be a slow release demolition of DeSantis going on. Sad.

    I’m sure Baud was joking about Omnes as was I

  151. 151.

    Mr. Bemused Senior

    @WaterGirl:

    He helped create Frankenstein and then he’s appalled at what Frankenstein says and does.

    Faithful to the book wouldn’t you say?

  153. 153.

    Geminid

    @Steeplejack: I think it was Ms. Laurie who raised the possibility of a timeout. Her customary patience was running short. It may have been a supply chain problem.

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