Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

Let’s finish the job.

Consistently wrong since 2002

Ah, the different things are different argument.

Republicans don’t trust women.

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

They fucked up the fucking up of the fuckup!

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

There is no compromise when it comes to body autonomy. You either have it or you don’t.

Take hopelessness and turn it into resilience.

The party of Reagan has become the party of Putin.

Proof that we need a blogger ethics panel.

rich, arrogant assholes who equate luck with genius

Red lights blinking on democracy’s dashboard

When do we start airlifting the women and children out of Texas?

Make the republican party small enough to drown in a bathtub.

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

How can republicans represent us when they don’t trust women?

… pundit janitors mopping up after the GOP

Happy indictment week to all who celebrate!

“And when the Committee says to “report your income,” that could mean anything!

Innocent people don’t delay justice.

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

Glad to see john eastman going through some things.

People are complicated. Love is not.

You are here: Home / Politics / Trump Indictments / Can This Really Be True?

Can This Really Be True?

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If that’s true, this would definitely be an “own goal” !!!!!!

Oh, and my little Henry loves tomatoes so much that he jumped on the chair, chimed on the back and managed to knock 3 fresh, ripe peaches to the floor in his attempt to get at the tomatoes that were also on the table.

He did not even show the courtesy of eating the peaches, which were ruined.  But at least he didn’t get the tomatoes, which he is allergic to!

Open thread.

Reader Interactions

204Comments

  2. 2.

    Alison Rose

    Oh, and my little Henry loves tomatoes so much that he jumped on the chair, chimed on the back and managed to knock 3 fresh, ripe peaches to the floor in his attempt to get at the tomatoes that were also on the table.

    That’s how I eat tomatoes, too.

    On the bail thing…I’d love to believe it, but I admit to being skeptical.

  6. 6.

    WaterGirl

    I am impressed with how Fani handled the lies Trump made up about her – a black, female prosecutor in GA – having an affair with a gang member.

  7. 7.

    Manyakitty

    How are any of us supposed to get work done while this is happening? Argh!!!! I’m already too fried for this to only be Monday lolol

  8. 8.

    LAO

    Hmm interesting.

    I find myself disappointed with Henry, how could he forgo ripe peaches. (My dog is so damn picky, she’ll refuse some of my dinner most nights).

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    @Manyakitty:

    How are any of us supposed to get work done while this is happening? Argh!!!! I’m already too fried for this to only be Monday lolol

     

    I know..right?

     

    Like I’m not refreshing these threads every few minutes..LOL

  13. 13.

    RaflW

    Timing this evening looking a little more likely?

    Darren Samuelsohn @dsamuelsohn · 4:19 PM · Aug 14, 2023
    Shortly before 4 p.m., [Judge] McBurney poked his head back into the courtroom, gave a deputy some instructions on some regular business and then turned towards the reporters seated in the gallery. “You all may want to get dinner,” he said.

  18. 18.

    dmsilev

    Since it looks like it’s going to be a cake kind of week, here’s another good one.

    Orange Chocolate Ganache Tart
    Ingredients
    1 egg yolk
    1 tsp vanilla
    1 tsp orange zest
    1 1/3 cup flour
    1/2 cup powdered sugar
    1/8 tsp salt
    8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), cubed
    12 oz 72% bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
    1 3/4 cup heavy cream
    1 tablespoon orange zest
    Preparation Steps
    1. Beat yolk and vanilla in small bowl, mix in orange zest.
    2. Mix flour, sugar, and salt in food processor. Add butter, pulse for ~30 seconds or until finely divided. Add egg mix, mix for ~1 minute or until a ball forms.
    3. Turn out dough, press into 6-inch disk, wrap, and refrigerate until firm, ~3 hours.
    4. Roll into 13 inch round between pieces of parchment paper; flour if necessary. Transfer to 9 inch springform pan, trim edges to be even.
    5. Oven to 375. Refrigerate for 30 minutes while the oven preheats.
    6. Prick with fork. Line with foil or parchment paper, fill with weights, bake for 12 minutes. Remove paper and weights, bake for additional 12-14 minutes, until golden. Cool on rack.
    7. Bring cream to boil, cover & turn off heat, add zest, steep for 15 minutes. Return to boil, then pour through strainer onto chocolate.
    8. Whisk until smooth. Pour into tart shell. Garnish with ground hazelnut or zest (optional). Chill until ganache is set (~1 hour), remove rim of pan.

  20. 20.

    MCA1

    @WaterGirl: His casual lies about how “dangerous” Atlanta has become, and ridiculous claims that Willis refuses to prosecute violent criminals blah blah blah go hand in hand with this.  It’s repulsive.

  22. 22.

    Jackie

    @LAO: My GSD used to jump up and pluck peaches from the tree – thankfully she could only reach the low-hanging ones. The birds, squirrels and I fought over the rest.

  24. 24.

    smith

    The Fulton County Clerk of the Superior Court just issued a letter saying the indictment that was supposedly posted in error is fictitious. On the other hand, there’s activity at the courthouse that indicates we may very well get an announcement this evening.

  28. 28.

    WaterGirl

    @LAO: Henry is a tomato fiend. He stole so many from the garden one year – green, yellow, orange, red, he doesn’t care – that I’m pretty sure that’s why/how he developed all his allergies.

    Henry is now a very expensive boy, thank god for pet insurance!

    Just one of his prescriptions is $230 for a 90-day supply,

  29. 29.

    RandomMonster

    @RaflW:Timing this evening looking a little more likely?

    But sounds like they might go late into the night.

    I really wish they would do it now, because I was hoping to mix a celebratory manhattan…

  30. 30.

    MazeDancer

    Vaughn Hillyard told Nicolle Wallace on MSNBC that they are keeping the courthouse open in Atlanta as late as Fani likes.

    He expects indictments announced tonight.

  31. 31.

    WaterGirl

    @RaflW: Sadly, they were ruined, skin off in lots of places, on the floor, with dogs and cats running around.

    They were perfectly ripe for popsicle-making tonight.

  32. 32.

    JPL

    From the AJC
    A racketeering expert advising the Fulton County District Attorney’s office has been very “hands on” during Monday’s grand jury presentation of an election interference case, according to a source with knowledge.
    John Floyd, an Atlanta lawyer in private practice, is considered one of the state’s foremost experts on the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act. He was retained by the DA’s office beginning in March 2021 to advise on RICO-related matters, including what became the Young Slime Life case.
    Now it’s clear that Floyd has been involved in widely-expected racketeering charges against former President Donald Trump and other members of his inner circle.

  33. 33.

    Jackie

    @MCA1: TIFG has said the exact same insult re Manhattan and DC. He’s reserved judgement about South Florida – so far…

  35. 35.

    UncleEbeneezer

    You’re G*d@mn right I’m a “Bidenist.”  The Media Still Doesn’t Get Biden Voters:

    Bidenists are bothered by manipulations of our political process. They don’t like what they see as a stolen Supreme Court seat, as Senate Republicans made up a new rule to block an Obama nominee in 2016 and then reversed their own rule to confirm a Trump nominee in 2020. Or in the case of state governments, Bidenists don’t like when Republican state legislators gerrymander themselves into disproportionate power, as in Wisconsin. Obviously Democrats don’t like the policy results that have arisen from the rightward shift of the Supreme Court or the undemocratically skewed state governments, but more would accept the policies if it weren’t for the manipulations that made them possible.

    Bidenists mostly don’t care about “wokeness.” I don’t mean that they use different terminology than critics for the same thing, I mean it’s way down their list of priorities, if it’s on there at all. Anti-wokeness is primarily an elite fixation or right-wing culture war bugaboo.

    Bidenists don’t like banning books, distorting African-American history, trying to silence gay teachers, or retaliating against companies for criticizing politicians.

    Bidenists want the United States to support Ukraine, and see Vladimir Putin’s Russia as an American adversary, not a model of white Christian masculinity or an ally against domestic enemies.

    Bidenists don’t particularly care about Hunter Biden. He doesn’t work in government, and has no influence over policy. But they won’t defend his unethical or criminal actions, certainly not the way Republicans defend Trump’s corrupt children, because Bidenism isn’t a cult of personality, and Bidenists value rule of law.

    Bidenists care a lot more about what leading politicians, media figures, and business leaders are doing than about nutpicked posters on social media, and think the claims that radical leftists dominate all institutions are insane.

    Overall, Bidenists are pretty earnest. And if the Trumpist right, the far left, and the above-it-all center keep assuming everyone is as disillusioned as they are, they’ll keep getting it wrong.

  37. 37.

    Alison Rose

    LOL, a little shade from the NYT live blog:

    The fleet of reporters flanking the courthouse fell almost to a hush in the late afternoon, amid 94-degree heat and punishing humidity. Despite the authorities’ concerns about potential protests, there were no signs of unrest — there was a small protest outside the building earlier, over the City of Atlanta’s plan to build a large police and firefighter training facility.

  41. 41.

    Betty Cracker

    Programming note from MSNBC: Hillary Clinton will be a guest on Maddow’s show tonight. Gonna check that out in the hope that Clinton gloats about Trump’s legal peril. No one is more entitled to enjoy the orange fart cloud’s  discomfort more.

  42. 42.

    Suzanne

    the defendant must prove there’s no risk of witness intimidation or the obstruction of the administration of Justice

    LAWL.
    Oh my God.
    I’m having fun fantasizing about the shitshow this would be.
    Glad I don’t live in Atlanta.
    I hope Fani Willis has a top-notch security detail!

  46. 46.

    Elizabelle

    @dmsilev:  Saved this cake recipe too.  Thank you.

    Anyone got a camera on Lindsey Graham?  Wondering if he might be indicted, or is in the clear.

  49. 49.

    RaflW

    BTW, we get the rare treat of hearing from another disgraced Bushie. Alberto Gonzales has poked his head up from deserved obscurity to — surprisingly — endorse via amici the notion of a speedy federal trial for Trump (Early January of 2024, so well before TFG announces irrespective of any actual caucus or primary results that he is the nominee).

    I’ll say this for the old guard GOP. They’re doing what little (and I do mean little!) they can to try to stab Trump now that he’s finally at least a little bit bruised up.

  50. 50.

    LAO

    @WaterGirl: that’s so expensive! I love my dog, but she’s a money pit (not calling Henry a money pit, not my place). I really thought I dodged a bullet with Maggie and her injured CCL through medication and rest but today she’s limping and hopping around. Thank dog for insurance.

  51. 51.

    Doc Sardonic

    One of our cats is asthmatic so he get puffed once a day. The inhaler is $420 for 1, we get his from a pharmacy in Vanuatu. 3 inhalers plus shipping for less than 1/2 the price for thepharmacy here.

  52. 52.

    WaterGirl

    @Alison Rose: He might.  Henry loves everything, though nothing so much as tomatoes.  I think peppers are nightshade plants, like tomatoes, so I don’t think I would risk it.

    Plus, he’s allergic to so many things, I even give him his food kibbles as treats.  He’s good with one brand of cheddar cheese, whipped cream (the real stuff) and kettle corn (no butter, just salt and sugar).

  53. 53.

    bbleh

    Really, burden of proof on the defendant? For something as routine as bail?

    If true, I’d guess that in practice the standards of proof are pretty loose.

  56. 56.

    Origuy

    @Manyakitty: You think you’re frustrated? What about Steven Colbert and the other talk-show hosts? They should be joking about this every night!

  60. 60.

    Jay

    @Jackie:

    Buff, a Golden, used to run around the yard as soon as the back door was open, and bite every apple windfall as fast as he could,

    he would also leap up and bite any low hanging fruit,

    In the the afternoons, he would lie in his soaker tub and crunch, crunch, crunch.

    When we lived in the hills, Digger, (Belgian Shepherd) would push you off of a good wild strawberry patch. He would also absolutely go nuts if you cut open a mango. He had to have some.

  61. 61.

    Llelldorin

    @dmsilev: … and now I’m having XXXholic flashbacks. I can see why Trump would hire Yuuko as his attorney, except that she always takes payment up front, which he’d hate.

    “Your Honor, there is no probability. There is only hitsuzen. My client tampering with witnesses isn’t a chance, it’s an inevitability.”

  64. 64.

    WaterGirl

    @LAO: Henry’s ACL surgery in 2017 or 2018 cost $5,500 – I think it cost me $350 out of pocket.

    Thank god for good pet insurance.  Mine isn’t cheap, but it’s totally worth it.

    edit: I SWORE after I lost my kitty soulmate Quiver that NEVER AGAIN was I going to factor in cost when deciding what to do in a crisis.  Never again.  I doubt that the option I passed up would have helped, the vet said it only helps in maybe 30% of cases, and he really encouraged me to let him go, but I regretted not trying.

  65. 65.

    Edmund dantes

    @bbleh: well it’s not normally used in rich white defendants. It mainly to keep those unruly other types in line. The drug dealer and thug types.  The ones that would actually threaten witnesses etc.

  70. 70.

    RaflW

    BTW the WaPo deciding to publish Abernathy’s execrable oped today, which looks more and more like indictment four day, now feels kind of delicious.

  72. 72.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @Baud: I feel like both the Right and the Far Left (aided and abetted by the MSM, of course) routinely ignore and fail to understand the largest portion of the Dem Coalition and what motivates it.

  76. 76.

    Dangerman

    Richie RICO spending some time in the joint means massive cake and ice cream. Premium ice cream. No such thing as premium cake at the store (and I know my cooking skills).

  79. 79.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @zhena gogolia: Agreed.  It’s very good and refreshing to see someone saying it.  Because it’s the sort of thing that MSNBC and most political podcasts will never admit.

  82. 82.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    Both Digger and Casey loved raspberries,

    luckily I grew enough canes that they were like zucchini’s.

    50 feet of double row everbearing and early bearing.

    Casey had a thing for carrot’s. The pre skinned Bunny Love baby carrots, until I started growing organic Nante’s, and then suddenly, the Bunny Loves weren’t good enough for the Princess.

  83. 83.

    Suzanne

    @WaterGirl: I am down for a Cake Zoom! Kinda potluck style, maybe make, like, a little cookbook like it’s a got-damn Protestant church fundraiser!

    LMAO.

  86. 86.

    Ceci n est pas mon nym

    @fancycwabs: Here in Philly, we still have Al Capone’s old luxury cell at Eastern State Penitentiary set up the way Al had it. It’s actually pretty comfy-looking. I’m sure we’d be happy to host him.

    And just think of the impact on tourism! That’s already a popular stop on the Eastern State tour.

  87. 87.

    Jackie

    @Jay: Sheba would eat the peaches – minus the pit. Loose bowels for about a week! Thankfully during the summer she loved being outdoors! She didn’t like AC; preferring to sleep under the arborvitae in the shallow beds she created.

  89. 89.

    Maxim

    @zhena gogolia: Not anytime soon. The execs are determined to starve the writers (and now the actors as well) into submission. “They’ll negotiate when they’re homeless, and then we can dictate terms.” That’s not an exact quote, punctuation notwithstanding, but it’s a close paraphrase of what one of them actually said.

  90. 90.

    Josie

    @Suzanne: ​
     Since you don’t like frosting, you might like this cake. I usually leave out the candied fruit and just use the golden raisins and walnuts or pecans. My mom used to make this for Christmas every year.

    LEMON EXTRACT CAKE OR CHRISTMAS CAKE

    1 lb. butter
    2 1/3 c. sugar
    2 oz. lemon extract
    6 eggs
    4 c. flour
    1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
    1/2 tsp. salt
    1/2 lb. chopped candied cherries (opt)
    1/2 lb. chopped candied pineapple (opt)
    1/4 lb. golden raisins
    4 c. broken pecans

    Cream butter and sugar. Add extract. Add eggs, two at a time. Mix dry ingredients with fruit and nuts. Combine all ingredients. Bake in tube pan (bundt cake pan) at 300 degrees for 2 hours.

  91. 91.

    dmsilev

    @Suzanne: The ricotta cake sounds very interesting, thank you I’ll add that to my collection.

    (For keeping track of stuff like this, I heartily recommend AnyList. Recipe database/grocery list app; works really well)

  93. 93.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @fancycwabs:

    Trump in Fulton County Jail, even for a couple of hours, would be hilarious.

    OMFG, do you know how many BLAH people have been in those cells??!! And the toilets! It just doesn’t bear thinking about!

  97. 97.

    WaterGirl

    @Suzanne: @JPL:

    Balloon Juice Indictment Celebrations Cookbook

    Could be sweets, could be savory, could be beverages.

    edit: I celebrated once with chocolate fudge cake, once with cherry galette, and once with kettle corn.  Next it might be the sour cherry mojitos.

  100. 100.

    JPL

    It’s really hot in Atlanta and I feel for the reporters gathered in front of the courthouse.

  102. 102.

    Alison Rose

    Judge McBurney appears again in the courtroom and tells reporters, “You didn’t go get dinner, you should have gotten dinner.” (No argument here.) Then he turns to two deputies in the courtroom and says, “There’s really only one other thing that’s going to happen today.” Asked if that means that an indictment is coming tonight, he cryptically says: “I guess you’ll have to wait and see.”

  105. 105.

    WaterGirl

    @Alison Rose: Note that he’s not saying, “you still have time to run out for a bite to eat”.

    We may see this sooner rather than later.

    I am going to do my part – 15 minutes on the treadmill.

  108. 108.

    Dangerman

    @WaterGirl: Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. Head, shoulders, knees and toes, knees and toes. Eyes, ears … Holy Hell, where are my ears?!!!

  112. 112.

    UncleEbeneezer

    @lee: The only thing I’d add is: trusting vaccines and letting science guide public health policy.  But he included pretty much everything else.

  115. 115.

    Suzanne

    @dmsilev: It’s hard to share cake over Zoom!

    I turn my camera off if I’m ever eating at my desk and I have to take a call. It feels so uncivilized. LOL.

  116. 116.

    Scout211

    @AntiCliche: I posted about it downstairs with a link.

    The kids are all right. And the future of our planet got just a little bit brighter. Hopefully, these lawsuits will continue. It’s up to the youth.

    ETA: reposted

    Some good news out of Montana:

    Judge rules in favor of young Montana plaintiffs in landmark climate trial

    A Montana judge handed a significant victory on Monday to more than a dozen young plaintiffs in the nation’s first constitutional climate trial, as extreme weather becomes more deadly and scientists warn the climate crisis is eroding our environment and natural resources.

    In a case that could have legal reverberations for other climate litigation, District Court Judge Kathy Seeley ruled that Montana’s continued development of fossil fuels violates a clause in its state constitution that guarantees its citizens the right to a “clean and healthful environment.” Montana is one of several states that have explicit environmental guarantees written into their state constitutions.

    While Seeley’s ruling won’t prevent mining or burning fossil fuels in the state, it will reverse a recently passed state law that prohibits state agencies from considering planet-warming pollution when permitting fossil fuel projects.

    It is also a landmark win for young climate advocates who are turning more to the courts for judgments on the causes and impacts of the climate crisis.

    “Plaintiffs have a fundamental constitutional right to a clean and healthful environment, which includes climate as part of the environmental life support system,” Seeley wrote in her order.

  117. 117.

    Citizen Alan

    @JPL: Me too! John should totally crowd-fund an Indictment Cook Book and donate the money to some worthy cause (animals, Ukraine, Ukrainian animals, whatever).

  120. 120.

    Jay

    @WaterGirl:

    we called her the Princess, because one time, she stole Digger’s mat, piled it up on top of hers, then tossed and turned for close to an hour.

    Finally, because Digger was verclempt, I investigated.

    Underneath her mat, was a small pebble. As soon as I removed it, she fell into a deep sleep on both mats.

    Digger had to settle for his head in my lap, on the couch.

  122. 122.

    scav

    Somehow though association of pets, cake and news, I am now reading it as Judge McBunny down in Georgia. & he is having a good time.  Good sharp’n’cuddly Judge McBunny.

  129. 129.

    Brachiator

    @UncleEbeneezer:

    Thanks for the article link. It’s great and matches most of my sentiments.

    I feel like both the Right and the Far Left (aided and abetted by the MSM, of course) routinely ignore and fail to understand the largest portion of the Dem Coalition and what motivates it.

    Ever since I was a high school student interested in politics, I knew extreme lefties who always claimed to speak for the masses, but who never had any time for the actual masses.

    Extreme right wing types, who I met in college and later, wanted to preserve a world in which they were always on top.

  130. 130.

    sab

    @pluky: I had a dog cursed with hemolytic anemia for most of her ten year life, and no one ever told me not to feed her onions. We even had her spleen taken out to tamp down her immune system. 1980 to 1990. I hope vets didn’t know yet either back then.

  132. 132.

    Jackie

    Guess who’s expecting bad news this evening?

    “Donald Trump’s team is preparing for a potential indictment to be delivered imminently in the Fulton County District Attorney’s grand jury investigation into his efforts to overturn to the 2020 election results in Georgia,” CNN reports.”

    “Said one Trump adviser: “We’ve already briefed our surrogates, our allies. We’ve already teed up conservative media, they’ve done pre-written pieces ready to pop out.””

  134. 134.

    Maxim

    The devil went down to Georgia

    He was looking for some votes to steal

    He was in a bind ’cause he was way behind

    He was lookin’ to make a deal

    When he heard Brad Raffensperger

    Was counting votes the way that he ought

    He made a perfect phone call

    And said “Boy, let me tell you what …

    I guess you didn’t know it, but I’m the winner fair and true

    And if you find some votes (14,000 ought to do)

    Then we can get me crowned again,

    The way I ought to be,

    And I won’t have to badger you to be a friend to me.”

    But Brad had his recorder on

    And Georgia said “No way,”

    Now one peachy indictment’s

    Headed bigly DT’s way.

  136. 136.

    Miss Bianca

    @LAO: My Susi enjoys fruit – berries, apples, peaches…Watson, although a voracious eater, is actually pickier about his sustenance in some ways than she is.

  139. 139.

    Jeffro

    @RaflW: I’ll say this for the old guard GOP. They’re doing what little (and I do mean little!) they can to try to stab Trump now that he’s finally at least a little bit bruised up.

    They’re probably in as much shock as the rest of us that the GOP – elected officials and voters both – didn’t wash their hands of trumpov after J6.

    They’re like, “Well shit…we better hustle up and take one more shot here…can you BELIEVE these people are still sticking with the orange con man?”

    (not excusing them – just noting it)

  140. 140.

    Shana

    @Manyakitty: I know! I’m already planning tomorrow: keep the TV on while doing laundry, keep the TV on (silenced) while working out with my trainer, keeping the TV on while cooking, keeping the TV on while cutting out a pattern. I usually don’t turn it on until after dinner. It’s going to be a weird day.

  142. 142.

    Miss Bianca

    @UncleEbeneezer: My God, that’s from The Bulwark? Normally I find their brand of Republicanism still descends into too-facile criticism of Democrats, but all of this sounds like it could have been written by one of our jackals!

  145. 145.

    UncleEbeneezer

    It’s too damn hot to bake a cake, but I will make some delicious, Korean rice cakes for dinner!

  149. 149.

    JPL

    @Kayla Rudbek:  Wow.   I knew because I caught a ten year old guzzling milk from the jug at two in the morning and the allergist explained it to me.   So glad that he didn’t go after my wine.

  151. 151.

    JPL

    Grand 4 yr old imp loves tomatoes, so it’s not unusual for me to slice one with bite marks.   It is what it is.

  155. 155.

    Ken

    @Jackie: Said one Trump adviser: “We’ve already briefed our surrogates, our allies. We’ve already teed up conservative media, they’ve done pre-written pieces ready to pop out.”

    Apparently it doesn’t even matter what the charges are, the pre-written pieces will work for anything. Makes me kind of hope for some completely unexpected indictment, say if they found illegal porn when they were looking at the conspirators’ cell phones.

    Also, a Trump adviser coordinating the publishing effort seems to flirt with Trump being responsible for the content, in an interfering-with-the-trial-process way.

  156. 156.

    brendancalling

    Comment got eated. Does anyone know if the featured tweet about bail is accurate?

  159. 159.

    Maxim

    @brendancalling: I don’t know, but it seems like the sort of thing that’s impossible to prove. Requiring the defendant to certify that they will not attempt any shenanigans as a condition of bail would be understandable, though, with concomitant penalties if they violate the agreement.

  160. 160.

    Jeffro

    @Ken: meh…they are always going to have “pre-written” stuff ready to go for their base.  It’s part of what they do.

    They can’t keep it out of the headlines, though, and they can’t keep it from both a) influencing blessed ‘swing’ voters and b) firing up OUR base.

  161. 161.

    Sure Lurkalot

    @zhena gogolia:

    Although Trump did NOT “Graduate from Wharton Business School.”

    With all the Republican BS about “elites” dissing the salt of the earth heartland residing real Americans, why does their standard bearer lie about going to an elite college instead of the state school he (supposedly) attended?

  162. 162.

    zhena gogolia

    @Sure Lurkalot: I think he finished a BA at Penn, in something they call Wharton, but it’s not the same as doing the graduate MBA degree at Wharton Business School.

    ETA: He started somewhere else (Fordham?), then his aunt or somebody got him into Penn as a transfer.

  163. 163.

    scav

    @Jackie: Said one Trump adviser: “We’ve already briefed our surrogates, our allies. We’ve already teed up conservative media, they’ve done pre-written pieces ready to pop out.”

    Ahh. The long form of Stand Back and Stand Ready in past tense.

  165. 165.

    WaterGirl

    @brendancalling:

    Georgia Codes

    1. A court shall be authorized to release a person on bail if the court finds that the person:
      1. Poses no significant risk of fleeing from the jurisdiction of the court or failing to appear in court when required;
      2. Poses no significant threat or danger to any person, to the community, or to any property in the community;
      3. Poses no significant risk of committing any felony pending trial; and
      4. Poses no significant risk of intimidating witnesses or otherwise obstructing the administration of justice.
  170. 170.

    Manyakitty

    @JPL: but those bite marks probably make it extra sweet (at least that’s what my grandmas would tell me)

  174. 174.

    HumboldtBlue

    @LAO: ​ 

    Expense is the reason I don’t have a dog. It’s also the reason I don’t want to buy a fucking car, but I must. All that car will do is suck money from my account, and it’s annoying as hell.

  175. 175.

    gene108

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    why does their standard bearer lie about going to an elite college instead of the state school he (supposedly) attended?

    TFG went to Fordham for a couple of years before transferring. No state school attended.

  179. 179.

    Jackie

    Heh

    “Republicans in the House are so worried about their narrow majority they’re warning members not to do any activities that could endanger themselves, Punchbowl’s Jake Sherman said on Monday.”

    “House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-MN) told Republicans on a caucus conference call, “Please take care of yourselves. We do not need to lose anybody else.”

    “He went on to explain that he saw Rep. James Comer (R-KY) biking over the weekend.”

    “”Stay off the damn bike,” Emmer said.”

    “The House majority was already so small that Republicans have been unable to secure several pieces of legislation, including impeachment votes on President Joe Biden and others in his administration.”

  183. 183.

    smith

    Judge McBurney just informed reporters that he’s been asked to stay at the courthouse for another hour (this from the Wapo live blog). So stay tuned, we may get to party tonight.

  184. 184.

    Elizabelle

    @smith:  If they want to let Trump and the co-conspirators twist in the wind, the judge could sign the indictment tonight, and its contents could be revealed at 10:00 am tomorrow.

  186. 186.

    UncleEbeneezer

    Magdi Jacobs has a good thread about her experience with in rural PA (She lives in Bloomsburg, a charming college town where I got my first tattoo!):

    We speak about “identity politics” on the left, often as code for “Why so much CIVIL RIGHTS?” but where this force is particularly pernicious is the right-wing. Their politics is an identity. They are fused to it. They are not just anti-Black and anti-LGBTQ, but also anti-tax.

    I will additionally say this: the opioid epidemic has been absolutely devastating to rural America. I would never have imagined it if I hadn’t lived it. Everyone has been touched by it. It is everywhere and it is awful. Everyone has lost someone. Almost everyone has been abused.

    So, sometimes, I think to myself, “maybe we can persuade voters based on mental health, opioid help, etc” and then I remember that if you begin to scratch the surface, rural white conservatives have already decided who the culprit is for their devastated communities: Black people

    I’ve never in my life heard an ostensibly neutral word–such as “Philly”–spoken with such disproportionately acrid hatred related to the word’s true denotation. “That’s when the bus comes from ~Philly~” I would hear. Even from some white progressives. The racism is that intense.

    I’m going to leave this now, but I would like to make approximately two more points: -abortion seems to be the only issue that could possibly flip white voters. this is an empirical fact and the more people refuse to see it, the more I think they don’t want to see it.

    If I were in charge of rural PA strategy, I would do many things, including stressing the need to remove college-degree requirements from jobs. Additionally, I would target punks, leftists, non-voters over rural conservatives. Some of the punks I know vote, but many don’t.

    If I were in charge of rural PA strategy, I would do many things, including stressing the need to remove college-degree requirements from jobs. Additionally, I would target punks, leftists, non-voters over rural conservatives. Some of the punks I know vote, but many don’t.

    Oh, that’s the other thing: the leftists I know in rural PA really, really, really care about the environment. They went through the fracking battle. Many didn’t vote, but still committed themselves to activism. They are more flippable.

  187. 187.

    Mike S. (Now with a Democratic Congressperson!)

    @geg6: I wih I could meet you. (keto be dammed for this occasion!) I don’t know the Oakmont Bakery, but if it’s even half as good a Stoeklein’s Bakery in Blawnox on my side of the Allegheny used to be and I didn’t live in Eastern PA now, I’d meet you!

  189. 189.

    BeautifulPlumage

    @WaterGirl:

    Hmmm, no perp walk, but a fundraiser with cake is a cake walk, how about

    Indictment Cakewalk & Other Celebratory Recipes

  190. 190.

    Maxim

    @UncleEbeneezer: Thanks for that. it’s good to hear from people who have some actual experience and insight they can share, instead of fitting everything into a prearranged narrative. I hope the powers that be listen to her re outreach.

  192. 192.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Sure Lurkalot:

    With all the Republican BS about “elites” dissing the salt of the earth heartland residing real Americans

    “Elites” means that you use actual facts to refute their bullshit beliefs, so they feel talked down to.

  195. 195.

    Jeffro

    @Jackie: The House majority was already so small that Republicans have been unable to secure several pieces of legislation, including impeachment votes on President Joe Biden and others in his administration.

    1)-When did the House GOP ever care about legislating??!?
    2)-Their impending “impeachment” of President Biden is soooo solid that…they can’t even deliver their own majority (much less convince Ds and Is)?  Sounds like THAT ought to be a major story.

  196. 196.

    japa21

    Mrs. Japa tested positive for COVID Saturday and is starting to feel better. I have something and may not be able to stay awake much longer so it better happen soon. Getting tested tomorrow.

  199. 199.

    japa21

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: ​
      Thanks. I think it is just a nasty summer cold. Used to get them every year. Then when COVID arrived and mask wearing came into vogue (amongst intelligent life) they stopped.

  200. 200.

    Geminid

    @UncleEbeneezer: Ms. Jacobs was surprised the other day to hear she had fans on Balloon Juice. She said she did a quick scroll of her mentions and found them very encouraging.

  203. 203.

    Roger Moore

    @Jeffro:

    1)-When did the House GOP ever care about legislating??!?

    They care a lot about legislating; it’s the thing the absolutely do not want the Democrats to be able to do.  That’s the real reason they want to keep their majority.  They know if Hakeem Jeffries were Speaker, even with the slimmest of slim majorities, stuff they don’t want would get done.

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