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You are here: Home / 2024 Elections / GOP Death Cultists Open Thread: The GOP ‘Oversight’ Committee Has A Big Sad

GOP Death Cultists Open Thread: The GOP ‘Oversight’ Committee Has A Big Sad

by Anne Laurie|  May 11, 20238:25 pm| 100 Comments

This post is in: 2024 Elections, Proud to Be A Democrat, Republican Venality

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Asked if he has evidence directly linking Joe Biden to alleged malfeasance, Comer indicates he does not pic.twitter.com/AsatNEiMJd

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 10, 2023

Four Bidens! no, *twelve* Bidens! The whole purpose of Comer’s despicable ‘investigation’ was to spook someone in the Biden administration into doing something that could be treated as indicating clouds, a penumbra if you would, around President Biden himself. Since Democrats in general and the Biden administration in particular are not habitual grifters and criminals, unlike your average modern office-holding Republican, that dreamed-of penumbra has turned into… the sound of a long wet fart.

(There’s a secondary theory on social media that Comer and his merry minions hoped for sufficient media harassment to drive Hunter Biden off the wagon – spectacular spectacle! — but I’m not convinced they can plan that far in advance.)

Note that they handed the ugliest threats off to a female rep; admittedly, Nancy Mace has been making a big play for a slot in the next TFG administration…

They’re just not clicking their heels together hard enough https://t.co/TFJxG5l9jM

— Panda Bernstein (@J4Years) May 11, 2023

Oh, also Dumbest Senator in A Large Mob of GOP Dumbarses is on it!

Sen. Ron Johnson seemed to admit on Wednesday that the GOP doesn’t have the “hard proof” linking Joe Biden to any criminal scheme involving his family’s business affairs, adding that people will just have to “infer what’s happening” on this issue. https://t.co/e7etxhgXnM

— The Daily Beast (@thedailybeast) May 10, 2023

… While Comer previously said he’d identify multiple policy decisions made by the president that were tied to his family members’ foreign financial transactions, Comer provided no evidence on Wednesday to back those claims. In fact, the latest report didn’t show any payments made directly to Biden—either as president or vice president. Comer was unable to name any specific Biden policies influenced by foreign money at his Wednesday presser, instead pointing to the president placing “China first and America last” while saying his committee would “get into more of those later.”

Along with Comer and Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-IA), Johnson has led the charge for several years on a probe of the Biden family—most especially the president’s son Hunter. During a Wednesday morning appearance on Fox Business Network’s Mornings With Maria, Johnson boasted of a “volume of evidence” the House Republicans had gathered on the Biden “crime” schemes.

“It makes clear the corruption within these agencies, but it also makes clear the corruption of the mainstream media who will largely ignore and minimize it,” Johnson told pro-Trump host Maria Bartiromo.

At the same time, the Wisconsin lawmaker acknowledged that it would be difficult for the committee to actually prove its case, suggesting they’d have to rely on insinuation, innuendo, and conservatives distrust of the media…

The New Republic: “Republicans Finally Admit They Have No Incriminating Evidence on Joe Biden”https://t.co/aA4YsHeRHH pic.twitter.com/EjOlSt8KE8

— Ian Sams (@IanSams46) May 10, 2023

… House Oversight Committee Chair James Comer released a 65-page memo detailing a sprawling investigation into Biden and some of his relatives, particularly his son Hunter Biden. Nowhere in the massive document was there a specific allegation of a crime committed by Biden or any of his relatives…

The memo accuses the Biden family of involvement in a “scheme to peddle influence” in Romania from 2015 to 2017, as well as financial dealings with individuals in China. Hunter Biden’s name comes up repeatedly. But the memo contains scant details of all of these alleged dealings, nor does it contain any evidence that any laws were broken or that Biden was involved in his son’s Chinese business.

Representative Jamie Raskin, the ranking member of the Oversight Committee, slammed Comer for having “failed to provide factual evidence to support his wild accusations about the president.”…

Time for a little conspiracy okey-doke to draw attention away from the fact their party is nothing but thieves and vandals. https://t.co/Lii5TcFPL1

— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) May 4, 2023

Nothing the smart observers (like Mr. Pierce) didn’t predict in advance…

Spring has sprung. The birds are singing. The flowers are blooming. And, in our nation’s capital, the snipe are running strong for the local hunters. From Politico:

The two senior Republicans provided no further detail on the nature of those allegations. But the GOP has made clear for months that the ultimate goal of its Biden oversight is to find a smoking gun that might link the president to the business deals of his son Hunter, who is also under a federal investigation. Comer and Grassley say they became aware of the potential existence of material underpinning the anti-Biden allegations from a “highly credible whistleblower” who contacted lawmakers to assert knowledge of a conversation the FBI had with a confidential source.

Let us provide a little context here. Fox News is in disarray. The Republican Party can’t seem to keep itself from either proposing unpopular policies or nominating El Caudillo del Mar-a-Lago for a third time, and he can’t seem to stop losing high profile legal battles. The loons are driving the train, and more and more people are starting to notice. So, obviously, it’s time for a little of the old conspiracy okey-doke to draw some attention away from the fact their party is nothing but thieves and vandals.

So we get an unidentifiable “highly credible whistleblower” who is said to “assert knowledge” of something some other confidential source told the FBI. Go to James Comer and Chuck Grassley and tell them you saw Hunter Biden lighting the Hindenburg on fire and you, too, can be a Highly Credible Whistleblower. Act now. Operators are standing by. This is a free call…

Speaking of serious allegations… Dianne Feinstein is back on Capitol Hill, to the bitter disappointment of certain Cosplay Socialists who hoped to have her name erased from the monuments. When are we gonna see a comparable clamor for the resignation of the GOP’s oldest, crankiest ‘thought leader’?

Two key words in this tweet:

“Believe”: What is the basis of Grassley’s belief? A staffer told him? He heard it on a radio show?

“Allegations”: Made by whom? A Republican Congressman? An old friend?

His tweet is deliberately vague and could mean almost anything. https://t.co/6h2nyGPOW7

— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) May 3, 2023

But let's not let "true" or "false" get in the way of political manipulation of the rube vote that's hungry for every stupid tabloid accusation. https://t.co/Qk6ytSae5O

— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) May 6, 2023

It’s honestly been really touching and inspiring to me that even when it has seemed like Hunter might be a political liability, it has never once crossed Biden’s mind to do anything but love his son unconditionally.

— The Fig Economy (@figgityfigs) April 20, 2023

“We hacked into the voicemail of a man expressing love for his troubled son, we are the good guys.”

— The Fig Economy (@figgityfigs) April 19, 2023

Of course, if the Repubs actually cared about foreign influence on American politicians…

I have a hot tip for @GOPoversight. After weeks of painstaking research, I have connected the dots and exposed a BOMBSHELL of a president receiving a bunch of money from the Chinese. You guys are going to want get on this ASAP! https://t.co/DaZGJhVr22 pic.twitter.com/PzOgKnRD8a

— Centrism Fan Acct ?? (@Wilson__Valdez) May 11, 2023

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    100Comments

    1. 1.

      Ken

      May 11, 2023 at 8:31 pm

      This must be what they meant by the weaponization of the government.

      Reply
    2. 2.

      Barbara

      May 11, 2023 at 8:34 pm

      Yeah, Dumb Fuck Chuck, when you have “no evidence” that something is happening that generally means it isn’t true.

      Reply
    3. 3.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 8:36 pm

      I didn’t know Greta was with Newsmax now.

      Reply
    4. 4.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 8:38 pm

      @Barbara:

      Unless you’re Hillary Clinton.

      Reply
    5. 5.

      japa21

      May 11, 2023 at 8:39 pm

      @Barbara: Lack of evidence does not mean lack of crime.  It just hasn’t been found yet.  It is incumbent on the Biden’s to prove they haven’t committed any crimes, and if they can’t that itself is evidence that they have committed crimes.  Doesn’t matter if the specific crimes can’t be named. Jeez, you libtards don’t understand anything.

      Reply
    6. 6.

      JaneE

      May 11, 2023 at 8:44 pm

      If there is evidence of a crime, charge it, take it to court, and let a jury decide if he is guilty or not.  I doubt if any Democratic office holder, including his father, would take any other position.  However, if there is no evidence of a crime, it becomes a smear and harassment campaign, and may rise to defamation or slander.  Is Hunter Biden a public figure, or was he a public figure before the smears?  If not, you probably should be careful to emphasize the “IF” part before “he is guilty”.

      Reply
    7. 7.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 8:45 pm

      @japa21:

      GOP on GOP: “Innocent until proven guilty! Cancel culture!”

      GOP on everyone else: “Lack of evidence just means they’re hiding something!”

      Reply
    8. 8.

      NotMax

      May 11, 2023 at 8:45 pm

      The disintegration of the Comer bund can’t come too rapidly.
      //

      Reply
    9. 9.

      jackmac

      May 11, 2023 at 8:45 pm

      Greta Van Susteren is now with Newsmax?

      How much lower in the right wing media sub basement can one go?

      Reply
    10. 10.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 8:46 pm

      @JaneE:

      That’s a good question. Can Hunter Biden sue these people for defamation/slander? Or do the elected Republicans have immunity because they’re acting in their official capacity?

      Reply
    11. 11.

      Shalimar

      May 11, 2023 at 8:46 pm

      Seriously?  That’s it?  “Multiple Bidens” is Hunter and the woman he was dating at the time?  There are no allegations of anything illegal at all?  That is even stupider than I thought possible.

      Reply
    12. 12.

      Formerly disgruntled in Oregon

      May 11, 2023 at 8:49 pm

      @jackmac: OANN?

      Reply
    13. 13.

      Dorothy A. Winsor

      May 11, 2023 at 8:50 pm

      I love that supportive message from Biden to his son.

      Reply
    14. 14.

      NotMax

      May 11, 2023 at 8:52 pm

      @jackmac

      Sad to say there is no bottom, at least until one can distinctly hear Chinese.

      Reply
    15. 15.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 8:54 pm

      @jackmac:

      @Baud:

      Judging from a quick read of her wiki page, she doesn’t seem like a total nut job. She wasn’t a fan of the Great Clenis Hunt.

      Van Susteren is on the Board of Directors at the National Institute for Civil Discourse (NICD). The institute was created at the University of Arizona in the aftermath of the shooting that killed six people and injured 13 others, including U.S. Representative Gabby Giffords.

      In October 2017, Van Susteren joined Voice of America as a contributor.

      In September 2018, Van Susteren testified before Congress about the human rights abuses and genocide against the Rohingya people of Myanmar.

      Did she really need to be on TV that badly?

      Reply
    16. 16.

      SpaceUnit

      May 11, 2023 at 8:55 pm

      Somebody at the New York Times just got handed a new assignment

       

      And they’ll be fluffing these stupid rumors from now until election day.

      Reply
    17. 17.

      Wyatt Salamanca

      May 11, 2023 at 8:58 pm

      Nancy Mace in a selfie video from April:

      I just left the Treasury to review over a hundred suspicious activity reports on the Biden family. And I have to tell you, there are more Bidens involved than we knew previously. And every time you unturn, overturn, or look under a stone, there’s so much more you have to investigate because it’s wild, the number of family members involved.

      And it’s even–the amount of money that we’re talking about in these suspicious activity reports is astronomical. And the accusations therein, the source of the funding, where the money’s going, the shell companies, prostitution rings, etc., it’s insanity to me that it’s not been investigated in the way that it should be.

      https://www.mediaite.com/politics/rep-nancy-mace-accuses-biden-family-of-being-involved-in-prostitution-rings/

      Mace is also the same dummy who posted a video of herself outside Trump Tower the day after Trump endorsed her Republican primary opponent and touted her prior support for Trump, noting that she was worked for his campaign in 2016 and travelled to “seven different states across the country to help get him elected.”

      https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/video-front-trump-tower-manhattan-222807806.html

      Reply
    18. 18.

      bcw

      May 11, 2023 at 8:59 pm

      Of course that damn paper had to run a love note to Nancy Mace laser week.

      https://www.nytimes.com/2023/05/09/us/politics/nancy-mace.html

       

      Lede:

      Nancy Mace, a ‘Caucus of One’ in the G.O.P., Says She’s Trying to Change Her Party

      The South Carolina representative, who has publicly criticized her party but backed it on most legislation, is trying to figure out how to be a mainstream Republican in the hard-right House G.O.P.
       

      /vomit

      Reply
    19. 19.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 9:02 pm

      @bcw:

      trying to figure out how to be a mainstream Republican in the hard-right House G.O.P.

       

      Does the article explain how she’s failing?

      Reply
    20. 20.

      NotMax

      May 11, 2023 at 9:03 pm

      @bcw

      First time I’ve ever heard of “mainstream” being used to describe Love Canal.
      //

      Reply
    21. 21.

      Sure Lurkalot

      May 11, 2023 at 9:07 pm

      @Wyatt Salamanca: I wish “the number of Biden family members” guilty of funneling money to prostitution rings in Nancy Mace’s head would sue her for defamation. These people are ridiculous but ridicule doesn’t work on them so it’s way past time to force them to put up or shut up.

      Reply
    22. 22.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 9:08 pm

      @SpaceUnit:

      “The Clouds and Shadows Surrounding Hunter Biden.”

      Reply
    23. 23.

      Lapassionara

      May 11, 2023 at 9:11 pm

      @bcw: Nancy Mace’s seat should be held by a Democrat.She is from the Charleston, SC area, and this part of SC should turn Blue. This is why she seems to be trying to play both ends against the middle. She is vulnerable. From my lips to the FSM’s ears.

      Reply
    24. 24.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 9:12 pm

      I’m looking forward to the exposé on Major Biden’s shady dealings.

      Reply
    25. 25.

      Quinerly

      May 11, 2023 at 9:13 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

      For what is worth, she’s a Scientologist.

      Reply
    26. 26.

      Quinerly

      May 11, 2023 at 9:16 pm

       

      “Supreme Court Justice Clarence Thomas — who accepted lavish gifts and luxury vacations from a billionaire for years — signed off on a Supreme Court opinion Thursday arguing that a law prohibiting taking bribes is too vague to be fairly enforced. ”

      https://www.businessinsider.com/clarence-thomas-supreme-court-law-prohibiting-bribes-too-vague-2023-5

      Reply
    27. 27.

      SpaceUnit

      May 11, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      @Baud:

      Hell, Peter Schweizer can just take his book, Clinton Cash, and reprint it word for word using Biden’s name.

      The Times would be all over it.

      Reply
    28. 28.

      RSA

      May 11, 2023 at 9:21 pm

      I have a hot tip for @GOPoversight. After weeks of painstaking research, I have connected the dots and exposed a BOMBSHELL of a president receiving a bunch of money from the Chinese. You guys are going to want get on this ASAP!

      Also, in case anyone was wondering about last year’s House investigation of the Saudis investing $2 billion in a company run by the son-in-law of the former President:

      Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.), chairman of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, agreed that it could be politically unsustainable to investigate Jared Kushner — former President Trump’s son-in-law who served as a senior adviser in the White House — in a new profile by The New York Times…

      In his roughly first two months on the job, Comer eliminated a probe looking into Kushner’s business dealings, according to the Times.

      Nothing to see here.

      Reply
    29. 29.

      James E Powell

      May 11, 2023 at 9:29 pm

      @Quinerly:

      For what is worth, she’s a Scientologist.

      Therefore, she is crazy or a fraud.

      Reply
    30. 30.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 9:30 pm

      DiFi got three judges through the Justice Committee today 👍🏻

      And regarding Comer, even FAUX news is telling him he’s got nothing!😂

      Reply
    31. 31.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 9:32 pm

      @Jackie:

      👍👍

      Reply
    32. 32.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 9:37 pm

      @Quinerly:

      Oh, ugh

      Reply
    33. 33.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 9:40 pm

      @bcw: Mace, I can tell you you definitely haven’t figured it out, yet. Keep trying!🙄

      Reply
    34. 34.

      Fake Irishman

      May 11, 2023 at 9:42 pm

      @Jackie:

      and an appeals court final confirmation vote is set up for Monday. (DC Circuit, will likely cement a 7-4 Dem majority on the second most important court in the country for a decade.)

      There’s even a trickle of Red state district judges getting through.(Idaho last week, a Louisiana one reached the floor today)

      Reply
    35. 35.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 9:43 pm

      OT:

      I’m looking at buying this Orient Kamasu dive watch from Jomashop for $200, so not an expensive luxury watch by any means. I have healthy emergency funds ($16,000). I’m conflicted because I really want a good diver/sports automatic, but I’m hesitant to spend that money considering the looming debt ceiling deadline. I suppose I’m worried I won’t be in a position to buy it ever again if the unthinkable happens. Is it a good idea? Will the $200+tax really matter?

      Reply
    36. 36.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 9:44 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

      Go for it!

      Reply
    37. 37.

      Jeffro

      May 11, 2023 at 9:45 pm

      They don’t know wut fer but by golly SOMEONE with the last name ‘Biden’ needs to spend time in prison!!

      Same verse playbook, same as the first always

      Reply
    38. 38.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 9:46 pm

      @Fake Irishman: YAY! Schumer needs to make sure her wheelchair’s wheels are well oiled!😉

      Reply
    39. 39.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 9:47 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Take the plunge and dive in!😁

      Reply
    40. 40.

      Jeffro

      May 11, 2023 at 9:50 pm

      @japa21:It is incumbent on the Bidens to prove they haven’t committed any crimes, and if they can’t then that itself is evidence that they have committed crimes.

      Critical thinking, how does it work?

      But yes, this is their play, such as it is.  Democrats guilty until they prove themselves innocent and not even then.

      Reply
    41. 41.

      Ruckus

      May 11, 2023 at 9:50 pm

      @jackmac:

      She could get a big swastika tattoo on her butt.

       

      Lower still, she could get one on her chest…

      Is that low enough for you?

      Reply
    42. 42.

      Jinchi

      May 11, 2023 at 9:51 pm

      When are we gonna see a comparable clamor for the resignation of the GOP’s oldest, crankiest ‘thought leader’?

      I understand the desire to defend a woman Senator, but people have been clamoring for an end to the gerontocracy for a while now, Grassley included.

      It was a pretty big deal even 20 years ago when Strom Thurmond seemed to be more focused on the goal of being the oldest living Senator (dying in office at age 100), without a second thought about stepping aside to let the, say, 80 year olds of his day have a shot.

      There is nothing particularly noble about thinking you’re the only person who can do the job, especially when you’re absent for weeks at a time with your party’s agenda on the line.

      Reply
    43. 43.

      Jeffro

      May 11, 2023 at 9:52 pm

      @Wyatt Salamanca: “It’s Bidens, all the way down!” LOL

      she is a real weirdo, that’s for sure.

      Reply
    44. 44.

      Betsy

      May 11, 2023 at 9:53 pm

      @Quinerly:  Also, she’s from South Carolina.

      Reply
    45. 45.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 9:54 pm

      At first I thought this was parody!

      “Donald Trump was ordered Thursday to appear by video at a May 23 hearing in his Manhattan criminal case after a judge this week set rules barring him from using evidence in the case to attack witnesses.
      Judge Juan Manuel Merchan scheduled the hybrid hearing — the former president on a TV screen, his lawyers and prosecutors in court — to go over the restrictions with Trump and to make clear that he risks being held in contempt if he violates them.”
      Lots more deliciousness at the link!

      https://apnews.com/article/trump-criminal-hush-money-video-hearing-03930ae00505487803f8338fe8840ba7

      Reply
    46. 46.

      Ruckus

      May 11, 2023 at 9:55 pm

      @Quinerly:

      A scientologist?

      Isn’t that a law against nature?

      I have a family member in scientology – been there decades. No cleaning out that spider web.

      Reply
    47. 47.

      tobie

      May 11, 2023 at 9:56 pm

      @Lapassionara: Nancy Mace beat out Joe Cunningham by a hair in 2020. She had a more resounding victory in 2022. I hope she’ll be beaten in 2024. She reminds me of Elise Stefanik…someone who once claimed to be a mainstream Republican but who turned hard right and brash when she realized she could make it big in the party.

      Reply
    48. 48.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 9:56 pm

      @Jinchi:

      Bernie is up next year.  No one is clamoring for him not to run.  The age issue is largely arbitrary.

      Reply
    49. 49.

      kalakal

      May 11, 2023 at 9:59 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka): Go for it!* Nice looking watch

      *warning, I’m a watch freak so my encouragement may not be a good thing. **

      ** more seriously that’s a really nice watch at a great price

      Reply
    50. 50.

      Parfigliano

      May 11, 2023 at 9:59 pm

      That piece of shit Hugh Hewitt has been babbling and insinuating Biden’s guilty concerning this “investigation” all week.

      Reply
    51. 51.

      Quinerly

      May 11, 2023 at 9:59 pm

      @James E Powell:

      Or both

      Reply
    52. 52.

      Scout211

      May 11, 2023 at 10:02 pm

      @Jackie: very interesting article. Here’s a nice juicy part:

      Merchan added Trump’s virtual hearing to the court calendar a day after Trump appeared on a CNN forum and offered up a barrage of falsehoods, excuses and insults on a variety of topics, including what he deemed the “fake charge” of his criminal case.
       
      Trump, found liable in a $5 million civil court verdict Tuesday for sexually abusing and defaming writer E. Jean Carroll, argued to CNN that “you can’t get a fair trial” in New York City. He called Carroll a “whack job,” characterized her claims that he assaulted her in the 1990s as “playing hanky-panky in a dressing room” and denied the allegations as a “fake story, made up story.” He also criticized the judge in that case as a “horrible Clinton-appointed judge.”
       
      Merchan’s protective order bars Trump and his lawyers from disseminating evidence to third parties or posting it to social media, and it requires that certain, sensitive material shared by prosecutors be kept only by Trump’s lawyers, not Trump himself. Trump can review that material with his lawyers, but can’t copy or photograph it, the order said.

      Reply
    53. 53.

      Quinerly

      May 11, 2023 at 10:04 pm

      @Betsy:

      I glanced at her Wiki. Says Appleton, WI.

      I never cared for her, but my father liked her quite a bit when she was on CNN. He was very upset when she went to Fox

      Edited to add that her father was good friends with Joe McCarthy. Per Wiki page McCarthy was her father’s best man at her parent’s wedding. This all before McCarthy became a senator.

      Reply
    54. 54.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      May 11, 2023 at 10:07 pm

      @Baud:

      Bernie is up next year.  No one is clamoring for him not to run.

      /clears throat/

      ….

      eh, too tired to clamor

      FTR: I am not all het up about the “gerontocracy”, and my dislike of Feinstein goes back at least to her vote for the first round of Bush tax cuts, the Iraq AUMF, Michael Mukasey… I have no idea about the accuracy of reports about her current mental fitness, and I wish she had retired in ’18

      (Lawrence O’Donnell is going hard after Kaitlan Collins. I knew she worked for Tucker Carlson, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised she was a guest on Fox, bigot-mongering about George Soros and BLM in 2016)

      Reply
    55. 55.

      Redshift

      May 11, 2023 at 10:09 pm

      @Ken:

      This must be what they meant by the weaponization of the government.

      The flip side of “every accusation is a confession” is they’re sure every investigation is trumped up, every charge is a conspiracy, because that’s what they’d do.

      Reply
    56. 56.

      Dan B

      May 11, 2023 at 10:10 pm

      Seattle Meet-up reminder:

      We are having a meet-up either this Saturday evening at Dim Sum House at Beacon Avenue just south of Columbian Way.

      OR

      Sunday noon at Dim Sum House.

      We will decide which tomorrow.

      We’ll visit my partner Mike’s quarter acre garden at 5:00 PM Saturday and then dinner at 6:00 PM.  Sunday we’ll visit Mike’s garden after lunch.

      If Dim Sum House is too crowded we’ll get take-out and eat in the garden.

      Reply
    57. 57.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      May 11, 2023 at 10:19 pm

      Rupert Murdoch’s NY Post gives us a brief history of pre-CNN Kaitlan Collins.

      “Soros is this foreign-born, left-wing guy who essentially wants to change the nature of our country,” Collins said during the 2016 interview. “He is a staunch advocate for open borders. He wants people to be able to go wherever they want, whenever they want, for whatever reason. For him, he sees this immigration policy — this crisis — to further his immigration agenda,” she said.

      During the same interview, she noted that Soros’s money had also been used to endorse Hillary Clinton and Black Lives Matter, which she called “a problem” that “Americans should be aware of.”

      Reply
    58. 58.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 10:24 pm

      @Scout211: I love that TFG’s getting schooled, literally!

      Reply
    59. 59.

      NotMax

      May 11, 2023 at 10:25 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist

      An immigrant who supports immigration? The horror!
      //

      Reply
    60. 60.

      Ken

      May 11, 2023 at 10:28 pm

      @Jackie: “The collar being fitted around your neck is a standard precaution in these cases. As long as you don’t violate the rules imposed by this court, you have nothing to worry about.  Oh, also avoid microwave ovens.”

      Reply
    61. 61.

      satby

      May 11, 2023 at 10:29 pm

      @Dan B: Sounds wonderful. Seattle folks, if you have a chance, go see the gardens!

      Reply
    62. 62.

      Geminid

      May 11, 2023 at 10:37 pm

      @tobie: Mace’s district, the South Carolina 1st, used to be represented by Mark Sanford, the former Governor. He crossed Trump and got bounced in the 2018 primary by a tea party crank. That opened up a path for Joe Cunningham to become the district’s first Democratic Representative in decades.

      Mace won the seat back in 2020, and then Republican redistricters redrew the 1st CD to be more Republican. Her bigger concern now is being primaried from the right, and it shows.

      I think Mace also has her eye on Lindsey Graham’s Senate seat, so she wants to reinforce her right flank in case he retires in 2026.

      Reply
    63. 63.

      satby

      May 11, 2023 at 10:38 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist: I had this discussion on Twitter with Valdivia too. Yeah, it’s unfortunate that DiFi didn’t retire before this term, but she kind of can’t now even if she wants to. The Senate Republicans have promised to block her replacement from getting on the judiciary committee. Like it or not, we need her as long as she’s able to cast a vote.

      Remember, an arbitrary retirement age would have deprived us of Biden and probably Pelosi. And younger Senators have had strokes. We all roll the dice on health and life and predictions often end up wrong.

      And for the record: I would prefer younger leaders too, but right now it is what it is.

      Reply
    64. 64.

      TriassicSands

      May 11, 2023 at 10:43 pm

      @James E Powell: Therefore, she is crazy or a fraud.

      More likely both.

      Reply
    65. 65.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 10:43 pm

      @Ken: 😂

      Reply
    66. 66.

      Darkrose

      May 11, 2023 at 10:47 pm

      @Baud: It’s not just the age in Feinstein’s case. She’s been in poor health for years, and since her re-election, her memory and cognitive problems have become increasingly obvious. This is her returning to the Senate today; she is clearly not well.

      I voted for Feinstein in 2018 because I thought Kevin De Leon was a sexist jerk. Turns out he’s also racist, so I don’t regret that vote. However, it’s also clear that Feinstein was not forthright about her health, and she shouldn’t have run in 2018. If she resigns now, Newsom will appoint a Democratic replacement, so there’s no reason to force herself to stay. Doing so is a disservice to her constituents and is damaging her legacy, She needs to step down.

      Reply
    67. 67.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 10:48 pm

      @kalakal:

      @Jackie:

      @Baud:

      You guys convinced me. I’ll place the order tomorrow 😁

      Reply
    68. 68.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 10:49 pm

      @Darkrose:

      I’m not wasting time worrying about Feinstein now that she’s back.

      And the concern about old people hasn’t been confined to Feinstein.

      Reply
    69. 69.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 10:52 pm

      @satby:

      Agreed. It is what is, at this point

      Reply
    70. 70.

      Jinchi

      May 11, 2023 at 10:58 pm

      @Baud: Bernie is 8 years younger than Feinstein and his age was already an issue when he ran for president.

      Reply
    71. 71.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:01 pm

      @Jinchi:

      I don’t recall anyone bringing up his age.

      I wish we had someone better than Feinstein in there, but she is retiring.

      Reply
    72. 72.

      jonas

      May 11, 2023 at 11:02 pm

      @japa21: ​
        That’s right. See Trump and the Trump Org keep getting impeached or convicted in actual trials by actual juries and stuff based on “evidence” and this is where they get you — thinking that that means they’ve committed some kind of crimes or wrongdoings something. Wherein it’s the Bidens, all standing around acting all innocent and being un-indicted and not accused of any real crimes who are actually the guilty ones.

      So unfair!

      Reply
    73. 73.

      Jinchi

      May 11, 2023 at 11:06 pm

      @Baud:

      October 2019:

      The heart attack that pulled 78-year-old Sen. Bernie Sanders off the campaign trail earlier this month also renewed debate over the appropriate age for a president in a race where all the front-runners, including the incumbent, are in their 70s.

      Reply
    74. 74.

      TriassicSands

      May 11, 2023 at 11:07 pm

      @Darkrose: Feinstein doesn’t look a day over 155. And an unhealthy 155 at that.

      It seems clear now* that she should not have run in 2018. If she hadn’t, others would undoubtedly have entered the race and you would have had a better choice than De Leon.

      Reply
    75. 75.

      Frankensteinbeck

      May 11, 2023 at 11:08 pm

      @Jinchi:

      Sanders is also an important leader only in his own mind.  When he retires is low stakes.

      Reply
    76. 76.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:10 pm

      @Jinchi:

      Eh, a blurb where he’s grouped with everyone else isn’t really hand wringing about his age.

      Reply
    77. 77.

      Jinchi

      May 11, 2023 at 11:12 pm

      @Baud: It took me 2 minutes to find that article. Age was a constant issue for Bernie, Biden and Trump that year.

      Reply
    78. 78.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 11:12 pm

      @Jinchi: He suffered a heart attack during the 2020 primaries, recouped and continued on until he stepped aside to Biden. I have no clue as to how healthy he is now. Running for another six years in ‘24 isn’t reasonable given his age/health imo. He’s older than Biden by a year, but a senate seat is for six years vs four for president. AND he doesn’t have a young VP to step in if his health goes south in a hurry. Surely there’s someone he can get behind and support to succeed his seat?

      Reply
    79. 79.

      JaneE

      May 11, 2023 at 11:13 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):  I would like to see them show their justification for that type of smear as an official duty.  To me it is obviously political –  not the investigation itself, but the way they present it to the public.  Multiple Biden family crimes?  Biden crime family?  Unless they do have proof of multiple crimes by multiple Biden family members, that is a deliberate misrepresentation of their official actions.  The courts may hold that any statement by an elected official is official speech, but I would not bet on it.

      Reply
    80. 80.

      different-church-lady

      May 11, 2023 at 11:14 pm

      “Do you have any evidence?”

      “No, but we do have insinuation.”

      “Uhh, if you’re doing insinuation, aren’t you supposed to pretend you’re doing evidence?”

      Reply
    81. 81.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:14 pm

      @Jinchi:

      So do you think he shouldn’t run next year?

      Reply
    82. 82.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:15 pm

      @Jackie:

      I think Vermont also has a republican governor.

      Reply
    83. 83.

      Steeplejack

      May 11, 2023 at 11:16 pm

      @Betsy:

      Greta Van Susteren was born in Wisconsin and doesn’t appear to have any South Carolina connections.

      Reply
    84. 84.

      Jinchi

      May 11, 2023 at 11:19 pm

      @Baud: You’re the one who brought up Bernie.

      Reply
    85. 85.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:22 pm

      @Jinchi:

      Because no one is saying he shouldn’t run.  Once again, people have been complaining about old politicians, not just Feinstein.  And the complaints don’t start with those who are approaching or above 90.  If your complaint is about Feinstein alone, fine. But I think it’s a waste of time to focus on her since she’s retiring and she isn’t going to resign based on public pressure.

      Reply
    86. 86.

      Jackie

      May 11, 2023 at 11:30 pm

      Anderson Cooper’s take on CNN’s MAGA Town Hall:

      https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Mn_BGzra5gQ&feature=youtu.be

      Reply
    87. 87.

      Jinchi

      May 11, 2023 at 11:34 pm

      @Baud: People were focusing on Feinstein because she was absent from the Senate for so long, with no sign that she’d be returning until now. And right now any absence impacts legislation.

      Reply
    88. 88.

      Dan B

      May 11, 2023 at 11:37 pm

      @Baud: If Feinstein retired we’d have a deadlocked Judiciary Committee until 2025 at least.  Republicans are at war with every American liberal and centrist.

      Reply
    89. 89.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      May 11, 2023 at 11:38 pm

      @Baud: also, as Satby points out, if she resigns now we’re in worse shape wrt judiciary.

      Our best bet is if that resistance-twitter idiot (Klippenstein or something) who was harassing her mail-room interns yesterday is right and said interns are telling her how to vote

      Reply
    90. 90.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:41 pm

      @Jinchi:

      Well, she’s back now.  Hopefully, there won’t be any more absences before she’s replaced in 2025.

      Reply
    91. 91.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 11:43 pm

      @Jackie:

      So Cooper is trying to defend the Town Hall, using the same BS arguments that Fanone shot down.

      “Those people in the audience, they represent over half the country. They’re your friends, your family, your neighbors and they are voting. Do you think staying in your silo and only listening to people you agree with will make him go away?”

      You didn’t have to give him a town hall-style forum, Cooper! Come on, get real. We all know the danger. That doesn’t mean CNN should’ve done what it did.

      He admitted himself this is a man who tried to overthrow American democracy. You don’t willingly give that person free air time

      Reply
    92. 92.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:45 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):

      How come there are no town halls where they have to listen to us?

      Reply
    93. 93.

      Baud

      May 11, 2023 at 11:48 pm

      @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

      Sounds like she voted for three judges today, so good job interns.

      Reply
    94. 94.

      RaflW

      May 11, 2023 at 11:50 pm

      @Goku (aka Amerikan Baka):“Those people in the audience, they represent over half the country.”

      BULLSHIT, Anderson.

      Fpotus got 46.8% of the vote in ’20. YouGov poll last week had Biden 45% / Trump 43%.

      Another way of looking at the D/R split is far more dramatic:
      “According to calculations by Ian Millhiser, writing for Vox, if you add up the population of states and assign half to each of their two senators, ‘the Democratic half of the Senate represents 41,549,808 more people than the Republican half.'” I’m sure there’s other ways of dicing the insane population difference between the 2 CA senate Dems and the 2 Repu Wyoming Rs, but you get the point.

      “over half”. Fuck off, Cooper, you innumerate jackass.

      Reply
    95. 95.

      Goku (aka Amerikan Baka)

      May 11, 2023 at 11:51 pm

      @Baud:

      That’s what I want to know. Where’s Biden’s town hall? I want it stuffed with a friendly audience and a weak moderator

      Reply
    96. 96.

      Jim, Foolish Literalist

      May 11, 2023 at 11:53 pm

      I have always been out of step with the political lumpenmittel, ever more so over the last eight years, but I think this is a really good ad, and they can probably get at least a couple more of these out of last night

      Joe Biden @JoeBiden

      My priorities yesterday were a little different from Donald Trump’s. (video)

      Reply
    97. 97.

      strange visitor (from another planet)

      May 12, 2023 at 12:25 am

      @RaflW: and that’s not counting the people who can’t vote and the people who don’t vote.

      the fascist gop makes up about a third of the country. that oft-spoken of 27% crazification factor grew a bit, but they’re not even CLOSE to half of the total population.

      Reply
    98. 98.

      Chris T.

      May 12, 2023 at 3:09 am

      Nancy Mace:

      there are more Bidens involved than we knew previously …

      Apparently there’s Donald J Trump Biden, Donald J Trump Biden Jr, Ivanka Trump Biden, Steve Bannon Biden, Roger Stone Biden, Harlan Crow Biden, Clarence Thomas Biden, and so on!

      Reply
    99. 99.

      Albatrossity

      May 12, 2023 at 9:11 am

      Dumbest Senator in A Large Mob of GOP Dumbarses

      I’m late to this thread, but honestly, I’d have to nominate Tuberville for this honor. Ron Johnson is pretty dumb, but Coach T is weapons-grade dumb.

      Reply
    100. 100.

      Realworldrj

      May 12, 2023 at 12:23 pm

      This comes a couple of days after the New York Times published a hagiography about Nancy Mace and how she’s a new type of moderate Republican

      Reply

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