Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

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

It’s the corruption, stupid.

Republicans want to make it harder to vote and easier for them to cheat.

The new republican ‘Pastor’ of the House is an odious authoritarian little creep.

No Justins, No Peace

This fight is for everything.

Trump makes a mockery of the legal system and cowardly judges just sit back and let him.

Never give a known liar the benefit of the doubt.

Putin must be throwing ketchup at the walls.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Nancy smash is sick of your bullshit.

Cole is on a roll !

You come for women, you’re gonna get your ass kicked.

It’s all just conspiracy shit beamed down from the mothership.

The republican speaker is a slippery little devil.

Give the craziest people you know everything they want and hope they don’t ask for more? Great plan.

Pessimism assures that nothing of any importance will change.

If you’re looking for someone who’s young and athletic, go watch a fucking movie.

Not all heroes wear capes.

No one could have predicted…

I’m just a talker, trying to find a channel!

You can’t love your country only when you win.

Speaker Mike Johnson is a vile traitor to the House and the Constitution.

I might just take the rest of the day off and do even more nothing than usual.

You are here: Home / Elections 2024 / You Guys, I Think the GOP Might Not Be Any Good at This

You Guys, I Think the GOP Might Not Be Any Good at This

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I spent my lunch looking over some of the coverage of the Hur hearings. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the GOP just hit themselves in the nuts again.

 

The Biden-Harris HQ rapid response team is on top of all of it – they’re on Twitter and Threads.

Here’s is the ThreadReader link of Aaron Rupar’s excellent twitter thread coverage of the “hearing” so far.

Thread by Aaron Ruper

Here’s the link to the full transcript of the Hur Report.

Open thread

Reader Interactions

203Comments

  1. 1.

    Baud

    What a slimy guy. He says the word appears in the transcript, as if the deep state put it here. Doesn’t really admit he said the words.

  2. 2.

    JoyceH

    These guys are such CLOWNS! They’ll fling themselves into a public hearing assuming it’s going to work out as they fondly imagine it will – and it never, ever does!

    BTW, the Pentagon cleaned out some closets and found $300 million of ammo to send to Ukraine, so – yay.

  6. 6.

    MattF

    Experience shows that attempting to prove things that are not true is problematical. A hard lesson, apparently.

  7. 7.

    Steeplejack

    @Baud:

    He’s been doing that constantly. I haven’t heard him give a single “yes” or “no” answer. The lawyerly hair-splitting is maddening. I don’t know what insulation he thinks it gives him.

  8. 8.

    dmsilev

    Speaker Johnson, already not very good at an impossible job, just had his job get a bit harder. WaPo:

    Rep. Ken Buck (R-Colo.) said Tuesday that he will not serve out the rest of his term and will instead vacate his seat in Congress at the end of next week, further narrowing an already razor-thin House Republican majority.

    “I look forward to staying involved in our political process, as well as spending more time in Colorado and with my family,” Buck said in a brief statement.

    Buck had said in November that he would not seek reelection to another term, but his announcement Tuesday that he would depart Congress so soon was a surprise.

    Once Buck departs, Republicans will outnumber Democrats 218 to 213 in the House. That means Republicans can afford to lose only two votes to pass legislation along party lines when everyone is attending and voting.

    I’m pretty sure the number of nihilistic preening assholes in the GOP Caucus is well above two.

  9. 9.

    Geminid

    Veronica Escobar won Beto O’Rourke’s seat when he ran for Senator in 2018. Before that she was El Paso County Judge, a powerful position in Texas.

    Escobar and O’Rourke had an alliance going back years that a I read about in her Wikipedia biography.* The two El Pasoans teamed up with a couple other activists to wrest control of El Paso Democratic politics from its political establishment. El Pasoans called them “the Progressives.”

    *Well worth looking up.

  10. 10.

    azlib

    What a hit job. And they are not very good at it. Doesn’t Hur realize the Dems have lawyers and former prosecutors in Congress?

  12. 12.

    TriassicSands

    You guys, I think the GOP might not be any good at this — TaMara

    That’s true, but what matters is that they don’t have to be good at this or anything, because their supporters are both stupid and crazy, the average voter is inattentive, and the media frequently lend the Republicans all the help they need.

  15. 15.

    Dangerman

    You have to remember a lie. Truth is instant recall. I think I learned that by Elementary School.

    These malevolent, malodorous (in the case of Trump, which Depends) motherfuckers (and, truthfully, I mean that as kindly as possible) need to back to Grade School.

  17. 17.

    Ramalama

    Would be swell if the media and members of congress pronounced Hur’s name like “Hurl” but without the L.

    You know with the extra breath required to take it over the Hurdle.

  18. 18.

    Craig

    From Rupar’s thread.

    “Wow — Rep. Hank Johnson to Hur: “You’re doing everything you can do to get President Trump reelected so that you can get appointed as a federal judge, or perhaps to another position in the Department of Justice. Isn’t that correct?”

  22. 22.

    TriassicSands

    @Dangerman: You have to remember a lie.

    Once again, the Republicans turn things on their head. They lie constantly, but they don’t have to remember their lies, because when caught they instantly fabricate a new lie, which the media present, often without question. We move from lie to lie and the vast majority of Republican voters simply don’t care or they choose to believe whatever lie is consistent with their delusions.

    I wish I had more confidence in the wider electorate, but the general inattention of most voters and the lack of commitment is always a problem. The focus on Biden’s age is a great example. Most voters didn’t bother to watch the SOTU address. If they had, they would have had an impossible time squaring what they saw with the idea that Biden has dementia. However, the millions of people who didn’t watch won’t have any reason to adapt their belief to reality.

  23. 23.

    Wapiti

    Maybe DoJ was offended at the mismatch between the transcripts and Hur’s report, and chose to burn Hur. But not with a public denouncement – that would be impolite. But since he’s no longer a DoJ employee, they release his transscripts.

  24. 24.

    Dangerman

    @Jay: why would you subject innocent Elementary students to the presence of such toxic classmates?

    Excellent point. We will have to build special facilities out in the Mojave (and we’ll play by their rules, i.e. fuck any EIR).

    No AC.

  25. 25.

    Sean

    More than a bit frustrating that media headlines aren’t “Hur Transcript Contradicts His Report.”  That seems to be the meat of the day’s events. He praised Biden’s “photographic memory” in the transcript and then in the report says he’s a doddering old man. Biden instantly recalled his son’s date of death while the report describes that he had to “do the math.” Everything else is preening. We had days of news cycles predicated on what was essentially a falsified report. That’s the story the majors should be running, but I guess we won’t get that.

  26. 26.

    RaflW

    @dmsilev: Wow. That’s a weird decision.
    One wonders if he’s realized he has to go into hiding from the MAGA cult. Not that Buck wasn’t 97% in alignment with them, but he’s apostate and those f*ers are escalating their terroristic threats against their own party members

    Unfortunately, Buck leaving makes the already vanishingly slim idea of a discharge petition to fund Ukraine even harder.

  27. 27.

    teezyskeezy

    Before declaring that the GOP has punched itself in the nuts, one should always check out the narrative over in the Right Wing Noise Machine.  Sometimes they DO actually punch themselves in that place, and it shows through even on their channels. However, just because a thing seems like a “fail” to those of us in the real world…one should always just check out what they are saying over in the bad places before declaring a PR victory. It could be a real panic moment over there on fox… or it could just be completely glossed over and tied up cute with a bow.  I mean, this is why Trump is even *competitive* right now…they have a media ecosystem completely at odds with real life…and sometimes even at odds with their own first person experience!

  28. 28.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @twbrandt:

    pretty soon we’ll be talking about Speaker Jeffries

    ~~SHUTTER~~

    Not even in jest, twbrandt. Not. Even. In. Jest.

  29. 29.

    Anoniminous

    @Baud:

    “Polysyllabic latinate utterances comprising English symbology may have well been replicated upon a fibrous substance.”

  32. 32.

    cain

    I expect the Dems to bring the hammer. The GOP definitely are sad clowns – even Hur’s nonsense is not damning anybody. They are going to be spending a lot more money. So far, unable to damage him whatsoever.

    I’m not sure if Hur is going to make the successful jump to grifter at this point.

  33. 33.

    Kay

    Really disurbing to watch the clips. Hur is a liar. How long has he been at DOJ and in/regarding what else has he lied? They should review any work he did – this is not new or a one-off.

  35. 35.

    Kay

    I mean, it’s great that we caught the liar but how long did this liar work for the US? 

    Wow. This is a real black eye for his employer.

  37. 37.

    dmsilev

    @RaflW: It is weird. Usually people who leave mid-term have a good reason, another job or incipient indictment or an aggravated case of George Santositis, but this is just a raised middle finger towards what passes for the GOP Leadership.

  38. 38.

    Anoniminous

    @Kay:

    Given the hit job the FBI did on Hilary Clinton and the fact two points make a line … I’d say he’s par for the course at the DoJ.

  40. 40.

    RaflW

    @dmsilev: Also, too, more chaos:
    Buck’s unexpected resignation before his term ends would fall in the window where Colorado requires the governor to set a special election to fill the vacancy for the rest of this year, potentially supercharging that race. State law says a special election cannot be scheduled less than 90 days before the Nov. 5 election — meaning it must occur by early August.

    —

    Gov. Polis should set the election for 91 days before the general, thus leaving the seat open as long as possible.

  42. 42.

    Jay

    @twbrandt:

    as long as the ReThugs have a majority in the House, even if Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is elected with a minority of ReThug votes, it’s just a trap.

  43. 43.

    Kay

    Did he think they wouldn’t read the transcript or does he just not care? What a wacko. Another one.

  44. 44.

    twbrandt

    @Jay: what I meant was that at the rate Repubs are leaving, we could see a Democratic majority in the House before November.

    It was just a poor joke, I guess.

    ETA: fix spelling

  45. 45.

    Kay

    @Anoniminous:

    I sure hope he didn’t work on anything….important. They’re reading the transcript to him and he’s still pretending it says what he said it did. Donald Trump has turned all of these people into crazy liars. It’s just no holds barred – they all lie, all the time.

  46. 46.

    Almost Retired

    My goodness, the timing for the Republican’s attempted amateur fitness for duty examination in absentia couldn’t have been worse for them – coming as it did a few days after Biden’s bravura and very-much-not-demented speech.  Ha ha fuckers.

  48. 48.

    Jay

    @twbrandt:

    you won’t. Most of the ReThugs quitting early, are MAGgAt’s that are just not MAGgat enough for the base.

    They arn’t going to be replaced in a special election or an appointment by a Democratic Party Member, they are going to be replaced by the looniest of loons.

    The Re Thugs from purple arn’t quitting, it’s the ReThugs from Blood Red.

  49. 49.

    Anoniminous

    But is Trump competitive?

    Ever since Trump’s surprising 2016 victory, falling backward into an Electoral College majority when he expected to lose, many Republicans, pundits and even some Democrats have treated Trump’s support as perpetually underestimated. But as Seth Masket and Julia Azari observed earlier this week, “Trump has never commanded a national majority, not in polls nor at the ballot box.” Neither he nor his campaign evince any interest in addressing his perpetually low ceiling. The party infrastructure is in tatters, with the Republican National Committee possibly putting itself on the hook for Trump’s legal bills. Abortion, its weakest issue in recent elections, remains a liability, as last week’s Alabama Supreme Court ruling against IVF demonstrated. Add to all that the consistent underperformances at the polls, and the alarm bells, for Republicans at least, go from muted to blaring.

    Trump’s single biggest asset is the archaic Electoral College. Thus we cannot be complacent. Neither should we be intimidated. We can win this election. We can even win big. As I’ve noted before Dobbs was a Black Swan Event and nobody knows or can predict its affect on the 2024 elections.

  50. 50.

    Kay

    @trollhattan:

    You wonder if they tell one another the truth. Was Hur like “ok, Jim, as you know the transcript is different than what I said and what was reported so we should probably….” OR is it more subtle, like they all realize it’s a pack of lies and no one says it out loud? It would be crazymaking. It’s a fantasy world.

  52. 52.

    teezyskeezy

    @TaMara: The Right wing has a lot of power in the infosphere and often leverages their vast wealth to peel off crucial votes. I don’t really want to doom about it, but whether or not a GOP action is a self punch in the nuts does depend on how they get to spin it…and sometimes they don’t lose on their stupid actions.

  53. 53.

    JPL

    @Kay: Dean had him read parts out loud, and he said no you can.  She said no, I asked yo to read it.   You could see him choke.

  54. 54.

    ...now I try to be amused

    @TriassicSands:

    Once again, the Republicans turn things on their head. They lie constantly, but they don’t have to remember their lies, because when caught they instantly fabricate a new lie, which the media present, often without question. We move from lie to lie and the vast majority of Republican voters simply don’t care or they choose to believe whatever lie is consistent with their delusions.

    That kind of lie is more accurately called bullshit, as Harry Frankfurt defined it. They say what they would prefer the truth to be. They might even stumble over the truth from time to time, like a blind squirrel finding the nut.

  56. 56.

    matt

    That’s the thing – it’s hard to get people who are good at what they do to participate in a super hierarchical fascist organization where everything hinges on loyalty. Of course once the fascists seize power that partially goes away. Only game in town.

  57. 57.

    Anoniminous

    @Kay: ​
     
    Since Little Ronnie RayGuns they’ve been lying and have gotten away with it. Why should March 12, 2024 be any different?

  58. 58.

    Captain C

    @Kay: Given the GQP of the last decade or two, and especially recently, it may not have occurred to any of them that someone would check their work.

  59. 59.

    Dave

    @Kay: The cowards answer is some mix of both but I strongly suspect it’s mor option 2 than option 1 and that it is likely it’s been steadily favoring option 2 over time.

  60. 60.

    Jay

    @Kay:

    You wonder if they tell one another the truth.

    They don’t. That would break the bubble and reality would intrude.

  61. 61.

    Princess

    The alarm bells should be blaring for the GoP but they don’t seem to be hearing them, I guess Buck just decided f— all y’all.

    Btw Betty Cracker, if you’re reading this, we miss you!! We hope you’re doing okay, and we’re all thinking about you.

  62. 62.

    teezyskeezy

    @matt: Well you see, that’s the advantage the shitties have in a fascist society. You don’t need to be very good, you just gotta be adequate enough to keep the machine barely chugging along. That’s good enough.

  63. 63.

    TaMara

    @dmsilev:

    @RaflW:

    I haven’t heard anything – but I wonder if he already has a big paying gig lined up? He’s as corrupt as any rethug – including doing his own criming. I can’t find the link, but he was manipulating votes to get the candidate they wanted to win the primary in 2020.

  65. 65.

    trollhattan

    @Anoniminous:

    True, Nixon eventually did not get away with it but Ronny did and when he almost got caught, went with “I don’t remember” and skated free.

    Hur’s nasty dagger of a report reminds me more than anything of Barr’s Mueller Report letter which, was basically a lie and yet, worked. I’m afraid that the Hur thing has done its damage and is not reversible.

  66. 66.

    BC in Illinois

    @RaflW:

    Buck’s unexpected resignation before his term ends would fall in the window where Colorado requires the governor to set a special election to fill the vacancy for the rest of this year, potentially supercharging that race. State law says a special election cannot be scheduled less than 90 days before the Nov. 5 election — meaning it must occur by early August.

    And I have seen comments indicating that it would be difficult — or impossible — or illegal — for Lauren Boebert to run for a congressional district not her own, without resigning her present seat in Congress. Lawyers may be required

    + + +

    Added: The issue seems to be that you can be in two districts consecutively, but not in two districts concurrently.

  67. 67.

    Anoniminous

    @…now I try to be amused: ​
     
    The ongoing and omnipresent union of Frankfurt and Dunning-Kruger in American Discourse is tiresome. If I didn’t know that was the historic norm I’d be disheartened. Since I know it is I shrug and keep moving.

  69. 69.

    hueyplong

    If Jeffries became speaker, even with a 2-3 seat minority, he’d bring Ukraine aid up for a vote and it would pass.

  70. 70.

    teezyskeezy

    @TaMara: Maybe he’s just tired of the threats and swattings from the MAGAts he thought he was good with once upon a time.

  72. 72.

    TaMara

    @teezyskeezy: He used to be my rep – I can’t bring myself to think anything but that it is grift for his sudden departure.

    I’d like to be more generous, but I’ve seen his body of work, including demeaning a rape victim while DA. So he can rot in hell while being threatened and swatted daily.

  73. 73.

    teezyskeezy

    @Baud: The Right has a lot of power in the infosphere. If they didn’t, we wouldn’t be facing down what we are facing down. This is not doomerism to say so. It’s just a conversation.

  74. 74.

    Betty

    Boston Globe headline is that Hur stands by his report questioning Biden’s memory. Completely missing how Democrats discredited that aspect of the report.

  76. 76.

    TaMara

    @Betty: To be fair – that’s a good way to get folks who want to feel vindicated to actually read the article.

    NOW, if they wait until paragraph 10 to state it’s all lies, then that is criminal.

  77. 77.

    unrelatedwaffle

    How utterly disgusting to try to gotcha him on the date of his son’s death. I spit on the ground in front of them like my Romanian Jewish ancestors.

  80. 80.

    Ken

    @BC in Illinois: The issue seems to be that you can be in two districts consecutively, but not in two districts concurrently.

    One of those things where most people say “well, duh“, yet Republican politicians say “Congress never bothered to make that a law…”  You know, like the emoluments clause, or the 14th amendment.

  82. 82.

    Chief Oshkosh

    @Kay: I haven’t read the transcript or followed the testimony. Which parts were lies? Did Hur lie in the actual report? If so, what are the laws/rules about lying in a DOJ report/finding? Should DOJ be investigating Hur?

  84. 84.

    Betty

    @trollhattan: One of the Dems in the hearing brought up Barr’s action regarding the Mueller Report and had Hur contrast it with the way Garland has handled this report.

  85. 85.

    Baud

    @teezyskeezy:

    I agree they have a lot of power. What you said initially as that our stance depends on how they are reacting.  I don’t agree with that.

  86. 86.

    TBone

    The real “deep state” problem:

    Shocking Online Manifesto Reveals Project 2025’s Link to a Coordinated ‘Christian Nationalism Project’

    …Despite this hurricane of attempted deflection, the Christian Nationalism promoted by Wolfe is extreme, not mainstream, as evidenced not only by Przybyla’s excellent article, but also by a shocking online manifesto found by the Beacon, which identifies Wolfe as an editor. We have included screenshots of the complete manifesto in the Appendix to this article. We have also archived the manifesto (which calls itself a “draft”) here.

    https://buckscountybeacon.com/2024/03/shocking-online-manifesto-reveals-project-2025s-link-to-a-coordinated-christian-nationalism-project/

  89. 89.

    cain

    @TaMara: It’s gonna be a shit show over there – laying off all those people means that you’ve also lost a ton of organizational memory. RNC is going to be floundering around trying to figure out how to do a bunch stuff.

    Let confusion reign!

  91. 91.

    teezyskeezy

    @Baud: Well now I see what you are saying. That makes sense, but don’t we need two prongs running in parallel? One is the high value “keeping the base” stance, which should be number one and f- the centrist “realists” who would suggest abandoning the dem base. That’s what almost everyone in our coalition values. But the other prong should be to remember we need at least some of the rando “undecideds” and remember they probably aren’t seeing anything close to the same reality we are. They don’t live on planet earth or planet MAGA I think sometimes.

  92. 92.

    cain

    @Princess: The loyalty test is going to be even more intense with the RNC take over. If you dont show complete loyalty to the King George, it’s gonna get bad for you.

    I suspect part of leaving congress is also stuff like this.

  94. 94.

    teezyskeezy

    @cain: Yes, this is my schadenfreude face relishing the shit show incoming over there. I just love love love when know it all managers come in and “clean house” and f- themselves over. However, if Trump wins in the fall and fucks our country over in the same way, I will not be happy…but I will look to that silver lining when they realize too late what they’ve done. We still lose but at least they do too!

  95. 95.

    SiubhanDuinne

    @twbrandt:

    Sorry, I thought you were talking about Jim Jeffries, who sets my teeth on edge every time he shows up. Hakeem, of course, would be great, but I’d like him to have a good solid majority.

    ETA: SORRY, MY BAD.  It’s Jim Jordan, not Jim Jeffries. I always screw up that name.

  97. 97.

    Sister Machine Gun of Quiet Harmony

    @cain:@Princess:

    The loyalty test is going to be even more intense with the RNC take over. If you dont show complete loyalty to the King George, it’s gonna get bad for you.  I suspect part of leaving congress is also stuff like this.

    That’s why I’m not celebrating, despite the chaos. It isn’t good that he’s now completely taken over the party. Its not good at all. There was precious little backbone on their side before. Now, there be none. Before, there was a chance if he lost in November, the GOP could find a way back to being just awful. Now, they won’t. Anyone not a brownshirt is out.

  99. 99.

    trollhattan

    @cain:

    “Listen up people, you have two new leaders and they’re in charge of everything until November, understand? Now give a big RNC welcome to Trivanka Ump and Kared Bushner!”

  100. 100.

    Princess

    @JPL: Someone may have already replied with more info but the last thing I saw, it was uncertain what had happened/was happening. A commenter mentioned that Betty hadn’t commented herself in a day or so which is why I wrote — imagining a scenario in which she’s not up for chatting but might like to know she’s in our thoughts.

  101. 101.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @Kay:

    You wonder if they tell one another the truth.

    The usual way people behave in these situations is that they tell each other their preferred fantasy until they forget it’s made up.  That happens really fast thanks to rationalization and cognitive dissonance.  You see it all the time in the conservative base.

    Heck, it’s pretty much how ‘the Narrative’ works in any population.

  102. 102.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Speaking of Rs not being good at things:

    Joshua J. Friedman

    @joshuajfriedman.com

    Follow

    NEW: Trump’s attorneys notify Judge Merchan that they intend to rely on an advice-of-counsel defense at Trump’s NY criminal trial—but that this will not be a “formal” defense, and therefore they do not intend to waive attorney-client privilege, as is usually required.

  107. 107.

    JPL

    @Princess: Thanks.   The last I saw was when she said she was in the emergency room.

    We are all thinking of her.    Just in case she is reading us, let I mention that she is counted on to make the butter lamb.

  109. 109.

    Jackie

    @dmsilev: Gov Polis, D, has to hold the special election 90 days before the GE, but might slow walk it as much as possible to keep the House GQP majority to as minimum a lead as possible.

    This also screws up Boebert – as she can only represent one congressional district at any time. The winner of the special election will most likely have the edge going into the GE.

    Ken Buck won’t endorse anyone for the special – he sounded fed up to “here” with his soon to be former congressional party members.

    Johnson probably thinks he’s in a horrible nightmare and can’t wake up lol

  113. 113.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Chief Oshkosh: Hur basically misrepresented a LOT in his report. He excluded a bunch of things were Biden had an excellent memory (and even complimented him on it), and Biden was on it and responsive. But he left that out of the report, and then took other items severely out of context to imply that Biden was a demented, failing old man.

    It was fairly explicit and obvious, too.

  117. 117.

    Jackie

    @twbrandt: Jeffries would inherit a very angry do nothing caucus from the GQP side – which could transfer to being the Dems FAULT that nothing’s getting done to normies at election time, who wouldn’t be paying attention to the insider baseball aspects.

  118. 118.

    Gremcat

    @dmsilev: Aftern hearing Buck talking to Dana Bash on CNN I think that he may be thinking about running for President on the No Labels or maybe the libertarian ticket.

    He definitely claimed he wanted a hand in picking better candidate’s for this election cycle.  I think screwing Boboert from getting his seat will be just icing on the cake.

  119. 119.

    NotMax

    @Dorothy A. Winsor

    Do you like fruit, judge? ‘Cause we intend to cherry pick the data and communications so as to only enter any or selected parts of any that we deem favorable to us.

  123. 123.

    Jeffro

    @Kay:Donald Trump has turned all of these people into crazy liars. It’s just no holds barred – they all lie, all the time.

    this right here, above all else

    they’ve just gone right off the edge

  124. 124.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @twbrandt: ​It was just a poor joke, I guess.

    Pay no attention to our resident Canucklehead, who may have started out in life below the 49th parallel (if IIUC) but since his migration north has forgotten nearly everything he might once have known about how the US government works. For example:

    @Jay: ​as long as the ReThugs have a majority in the House, even if Speaker Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) is elected with a minority of ReThug votes, it’s just a trap.

    Trap?? Two words 4U: “Bull” and “shit.” Among other things, a Speaker Jeffries would allow bills providing aid to Ukraine to reach the House floor for a vote. It’s common knowledge that enough GOP Reps would vote for such bills to pass them – the only reason they haven’t is that the current Preacher of the House, “Bastard”** Johnson, won’t let them come to the floor. IMHO a Speaker Jeffries would justify his elevation with that One Feared*** Trick.

    ** My preferred prononuciation of “Pastor” – don’t like it, sue me.
    *** Feared by Empty Greene and the rest of the FreeDumb Caulkus.     Slava Ukraini!

  125. 125.

    Brachiator

    GOP Rep. Bishop is upset that the full interview transcript was released, which shows Republican counsel Robert Hur praising President Biden’s “photographic” memory and how “well” he remembered things during their interview

    I am traveling , in infrequent flyer mode and missed all this. This is great. I want to see Biden slap Trump down hard. Trump can’t even remember all the women he has insulted.

  131. 131.

    Betty

    And now the Washington Post chimes in with a headline saying Hur claims he did not exonerate Biden. Again no indication that Hur was discredited when confronted with the transcript of the Biden interview.

  132. 132.

    Jay

    @Uncle Cosmo:

    Under the ReThug rules, it just takes one vote to unseat the Speaker.

    And you guys thought that Moses, McHenry and McCarthy couldn’t/can’t get anything done.

    Remember the Border Bill you shit head, or have the squirrels in your head run out of peanuts?

    King Orangemandious has said “NO AID FOR UKRAINE.”

  133. 133.

    Hoppie

    I spent my lunch looking over some of the coverage of the Hur hearings. I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the GOP just hit themselves in the nuts again.

    At least that required a particularly precise aim, ahem….

  134. 134.

    frosty

    @Jay: ​
     OTOH despite the Orange One, my R Congressman has voted 100% for Ukraine. I looked it up. I bet he’s not the only one who would defy TFG and support the bill to send them ammo.

  135. 135.

    Eyeroller

    I was hoping somebody would ask Hur whether he got his MD before or after his law degree, and when he completed his residency in neurology, but I suppose that would have been too snarky for the circumstances.

  136. 136.

    MisterForkbeard

    @Chief Oshkosh: He’s getting some media play as being a republican operative. A Dem Rep openly said he was angling for a judgeship in a future Trump presidency.

    Not that it’ll hurt him, and much of the media doesn’t want to admit that yet another Republican perverted the justice department to sabotage Democrats. Ken Dilanian is out there “both sidesing” it as “Hur’s report was inconvenient to both sides”.

    Ken is also ignoring that Hur left the “inconvenient to Republicans” part out of his report and Dems had to fish it up from the transcript… and that the parts inconvenient to Dems were largely fabricated and depended on no one really reading the transcripts.

  137. 137.

    jimmiraybob

    Apparently the Republicans are whining that Katie Britt is getting the Sarah Palin treatment.  Why the hell would anybody want to bring that up?  Why the hell would anybody want to brand Britt as Palin 2.0?  Can you really see Russia from Alabama?

    But, since we’re here ……….

  138. 138.

    Hoodie

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: I’m sure the judge got a laugh out of that.  Not sure how you raise advice of counsel defense if you don’t present evidence as to what Trump told his lawyers and their response to that that constituted the advice.  This happens in any case where you introduce an opinion of counsel as a defense.   For example, if you introduce a noninfringement opinion in a patent infringement case in order avoid a charge of willful infringement, the privileged is waived at least to the extent of discussions of the basis for the opinion because part of the determination is whether the opinion had a valid basis and whether the client reasonably relied on the advice.

  141. 141.

    Tony Jay

    @Betty:

    That exactly what the FTF Guardian headline says, and if you click on it’s just quotes from Hur insisting the transcripts support his version of events. I’m sure there’s some ‘balance’ deep down in the reporting, but it’s nowhere a casual reader might stumble across it.

    It’s almost like there’s a preferred narrative all the way across the Liberal Media, and it’s not one that wants to admit that their breathless reportage on Old Man Biden’s geriatric fumbles were based on lies they knew they were being told.

  144. 144.

    cain

    @MisterForkbeard: We should thank the House GOP for bringing Hur in so that we can show how much of an asshole he is and how much of an asshole they are. This completely fucked them over.

    Couple this and a SOTU where it wasn’t sleepy joe, but dark brandon that showed up – nobody is going to be able even take pieces of that SOTU for propaganda purposes. Anybody looking at SOTU is going to know that he doesn’t have dementia

    P.S. Fuck the NYT.

  146. 146.

    Uncle Cosmo

    @Jay: ​Under the ReThug rules, it just takes one vote to unseat the Speaker.

    No it doesn’t – it takes one vote to move that the Speaker’s chair be vacated. (That’s why it’s called a “Move to Vacate.”) Then they vote on the motion. If the motion fails, the current Speaker stays Speaker.

    As I pointed out, you seem to know fuck-all about the US Government.

    If Jeffries were to become Speaker with the help of a few GOP votes, why would those same Reps not vote to keep him there at least long enough to bring a vote on Ukraine aid bills they want to vote “aye” on?

    Who’s the shithead here, Canucklehead?

  147. 147.

    TBone

    @Dan B: the Xtian Dominionist tentacles that reach into our highest echelons of power, like Rasputin times 10,000, are truly frightening.  As displayed by all the psycho religiocrazies in the Courts, in every branch of government except the White House, at the “think tanks,” lobby mills, the list is so long it’s hard to contemplate.  Sheriffs and police, universities, elementary schools, it’s everywhere.  The Bucks County Beacon article’s reporter builds on the work of that courageous Politico reporter and is truly heroic.  This shit goes all the way up the chain of command.  But not on our side.

  149. 149.

    Miss Bianca

    @Gremcat: Well, I would like to believe that Buck isn’t stupid enough to try a 3rd party POTUS run, considering  that he got his ass handed to him handily when he ran for Governor a few years back, but he’s certainly egotistical enough for it.

    If he does, it would probably be for the spiteful pleasure of siphoning off votes from the GOP. Which would be a spiteful pleasure for me, as well.

  151. 151.

    Doc Sardonic

    @Old School: Does anybody even remember who or what the fuck Jesse “The Body” Ventura is/was. Somebody needs to wrap a tight coat around RFK Jr, and get him to a ‘resort’ for a rest, before he runs with scissors and injures himself.

  152. 152.

    Sanjeevs

    And Garland appointef this fucker. A registered Republican, we now learn.

    Not the first time Garland ratfucked us, and it won’t be the last.

  158. 158.

    Boris Rasputin (the evil twin)

    You guys, I think the GOP might not be any good at this — TaMara

    Nominated for a rotating tag!

  160. 160.

    Steeplejack

    I hope that if Hur ever does get nominated for a federal judgeship or other office there is enough of a Democratic minority in the Senate to stonewall him. Or are they all done by simple majority now? (Thanks, Mitch!)

  162. 162.

    MattF

    @Doc Sardonic: Evidence that RFK Jr is more of a danger to Trump than to Biden. In terms of actual policy the choice is a no-brainer— someone who likes Biden’s policy better than Trump’s isn’t going to be an RFK fan. In terms of vibes, RFK Jr is a chaos candidate, like Trump, unlike Biden.

  163. 163.

    Jackie

    @Old School: 😂🤣😂

    We know Aaron Rogers is wackadoodal; has Ventura’s pro wrestling career afflicted his brain?

    WHO – outside of QAnon  circles would vote for either ticket?

  164. 164.

    Ruckus

    @dmsilev:

    I’m pretty sure the number of nihilistic preening assholes in the GOP Caucus is well above two.

    Now that’s not very nice.

    True of course but still…….. Also – I’m absolutely sure…..

  166. 166.

    Miki

    @Doc Sardonic: I’m a Minnesotan, so I know and remember. His term was mostly not memorable except for his whiney announcement he wasn’t going to run again.

    Occasionally he shows up to weigh in on something inconsequential, kind of like smegma.

  168. 168.

    WaterGirl

    @JPL:  I think Betty is a pretty private person, so maybe it’s best not to inquire?

    Betty Cracker will share whatever she wants to share.

    @Princess:  I’m sure she will appreciate that you let her know that many of us are thinking of her!

  173. 173.

    Eyeroller

    @Baud: ​Last I saw she was in the hospital. I assume she was admitted after going to the ER but I don’t know for certain since I didn’t see the post about going to the ER, so don’t know whether it’s one incident or she had to go back to the ER. I am worried since unexplained (at the time) bleeding in a person her age seems serious.

  176. 176.

    Gretchen

    My favorite part was when Swallwell wondered if this report was an attempt to curry favor with Trump in an attempt to get a federal judgeship or other DOJ appointment in a 2nd Trump administration, and asked if Hur would commit to refusing any such appointment. Of course Hur refused to say that.

  180. 180.

    zhena gogolia

    @Baud: I’m a little worried, but she clearly doesn’t want to share the whole story, so I’m just assuming she’s under good care. I think she knows we all love her.

  182. 182.

    zhena gogolia

    @WaterGirl: Oh, thanks!

    I know if I were in the hospital or just out of the hospital, I wouldn’t want to be reminded of any duties that awaited me.

  183. 183.

    Peke Daddy

    Just remember: If you’re over the target and taking flak from both sides, it means you’re being shot to pieces.

  184. 184.

    Gretchen

    @Kay: Hur was involved in the firing of Andy McCabe the day before he was set to retire and start collecting his pension. This was before Garland chose him as special counsel. He was known partisan scum before this case.

  185. 185.

    lowtechcyclist

    @WaterGirl: ​
     

    Yes, very glad to hear that. Whatever health issues she’s having, I hope she’s taking care of herself as best she can, and that she’s getting good medical care and that Bill is waiting on her, hand and foot. We miss her, but we can manage without her while she gets through this.

  186. 186.

    Dan B

    @TBone: And there’s legislation introduced in Missouri to make it a felony for any teacher to provide assistance to a trans student and to label the teacher as a sex offender.  Christian Dominionism is cruel.

  187. 187.

    evodevo

    @Jackie: Unless something has changed in the last few years, Ole Jesse was an out and proud atheist back in the day.  Not sure RFK’s crowd would be cool with that…

  191. 191.

    moops

    It is funny that Hur might expect Trump to reward his service.   He’s not a very bright person.

  192. 192.

    WaterGirl

    @lowtechcyclist:

     I hope she’s taking care of herself as best she can, and that she’s getting good medical care and that Bill is waiting on her, hand and foot.

    Are you sure you didn’t peek at the message Betty sent to us?  Because all of those things are true.

  194. 194.

    Gremcat

    The more the republicans try to create a narrative about Biden, it ends up backfiring on them. The latest impeachment witch hunt is about how he is trying to enrich himself and the transcript revealed that he gave $1.1 million to charity after his term as VP from his book sales.  He was so humble describing how he always wanted be able to give $1 million to charity and was finally able to do it.  The contrast between him and TFG was amazing.

  198. 198.

    WaterGirl

    @frosty: Straight out of Cole’s comment policy:

    We’re not going to put up with personal attacks beyond a joking nature, nor will we tolerate targeted harassment of commenters. Take your shit somewhere else.

  200. 200.

    Geminid

    @Jackie: That is a very interesting angle, that Boebert can’t keep her seat and run in the 4th CD special election. That’s likely one reason Buck’s resigning early. And he’s probably very ready to get away from that toxic caucus.

    I bet Boebert will keep her 3rd CD seat. Boebert won’t win the special election,and right now her job is the best she ever had and likely ever will have. Most former Reps can land on their feet, but Boebert is unusally deficient in experience and intellect for a U.S. Representative.

    I’ve heard Boebert interviewed, with Sebastian Gorka lobbing easy pitches. What a motormouth! The broadcaster that hires Boebert sure won’t have to worry about dead air. But they won’t put her in any time slot where they have much of an audience because she’ll chase them away. Boebert may have to scramble just to make a living. There’s no telling where she’ll land.

    Now I’m thinking of a FlexTape ad, where Boebert’s babbling away and that manic FlexTape guy walks up to her, slaps a piece of FlexTape over her mouth and delivers his spiel. It’ll go viral!

  202. 202.

    RaflW

    @teezyskeezy: Late getting back to this, I was in the car a lot today and can say: Unfortunately, one has to listen to Nice Polite Republicans on the radio, too, because they bought about 85% of the GOP line and soft-peddled that the transcript often refuted Hur’s report and statements today.

    Also, the host introduced the politics reporter, said that she had been reading through the 250-some pages of transcript and add libbed “I hope you didn’t read it all” (har har) and she sounded kinda miffed as she said “I did read it all.” At least one of these people thinks doing a job well matters.

  203. 203.

    Ruckus

    TaMara

    I’m going to go out on a limb and say that the GOP just hit themselves in the nuts again.

    They do seem to enjoy it. Maybe we should buy them a large meat cutter’s mallet. Steel, with the meat tenderizer points on both faces. Make it really worth the effort.

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