Come for the politics, stay for the snark.

If you cannot answer whether trump lost the 2020 election, you are unfit for office.

This fight is for everything.

I desperately hope that, yet again, i am wrong.

The willow is too close to the house.

A lot of Dems talk about what the media tells them to talk about. Not helpful.

GOP baffled that ‘we don’t care if you die’ is not a winning slogan.

… gradually, and then suddenly.

Ron DeSantis, the grand wizard, oops, governor of FL.

You know it’s bad when the Project 2025 people have to create training videos on “How To Be Normal”.

The real work of an opposition party is to oppose.

“Loving your country does not mean lying about it’s history.”

If you tweet it in all caps, that makes it true!

I really should read my own blog.

When you’re in more danger from the IDF than from Russian shelling, that’s really bad.

“I was told there would be no fact checking.”

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

Let the trolls come, and then ignore them. that’s the worst thing you can do to a troll.

Something needs to be done about our bogus SCOTUS.

Democracy cannot function without a free press.

People identifying as christian while ignoring christ and his teachings is a strange thing indeed.

I am pretty sure Katy Tur wasn’t always such a bootlicking sycophant.

Everybody saw this coming.

The current Supreme Court is a dangerous, rogue court.

I’ve spoken to my cat about this, but it doesn’t seem to do any good.

You are here: Home / John Cole Presents "This Fucking Old House" / Wednesday Night Open Thread

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33Comments

  1. 1.

    John S.

    Boy, they sure don’t make FBI directors like they used to… How long has it been since we had a decent one anyway?

    I mean, since Hoover they’ve all been Republicans with the exception of two acting directors that were Democrats.

  6. 6.

    YY_Sima Qian

    OK, did not have this in my bingo card, either:

    Trump invites China’s Xi Jinping to inauguration
    By Jennifer Jacobs
    Updated on: December 11, 2024 / 7:47 PM EST / CBS News

    As the article states, there has not been foreign leaders attending transfer of power ceremonies since 1874.

    Apparently, the Xi-Trump conversation took place shortly after the election, but it did not leak until a couple of weeks ago. I have not seen any comments from the PRC side, so my guess is Xi politely declined. I think the CPC regime correctly anticipates the Trump Administration will sharply escalate further the trade & tech wars, regardless of any pretense at bonhomie between the 2 at a personal level, all of the nominees are China-hawks of ones stripe or another. Too much chumminess early only would only make Xi look bad (like he was played) when Trump inevitably reneges on agreements, extorts for negotiations advantage, & otherwise seek dominance.

    Xi probably also remembers the experience from Trump’s 1st term; ordering Tomahawk strikes against a Syrian airbase during a dinner w/ Xi at Mar-a-Lago, & then use its report to surprise Xi & assert macho dominance, buttering up Xi only to turn around a launch tech/trade wars to assert leverage, & inflame Sinophobia when the pandemic came.

    Trump also seems to have invited Orban.

  7. 7.

    Peal

    @YY_Sima Qian: on the one hand, Trump would just start signing his travel bans and tariffs and claim that Xi was there with tears in his eyes begging him not to do so.

    On the other hand, I’d kind of like Xi there to comment on the small crowd size and say that he’s amazed that a man with such tiny hands could hold a pen.

  8. 8.

    The Unmitigated Gaul

    David French (okay) in FTFNYT had an interesting take on Wray’s resignation.

    “According to the Vacancies Reform Act, if a vacancy occurs in a Senate-confirmed position, the president can temporarily replace that appointee (such as the F.B.I. director) only with a person who has already received Senate confirmation or with a person who’s served in a senior capacity in the agency (at the GS-15 pay scale) for at least 90 days in the year before the resignation. Kash Patel, Donald Trump’s chosen successor at the F.B.I., meets neither of these criteria.”

    Could be a trick.

  11. 11.

    chrisanthemama

    “Do not obey in advance.

    “Most of the power of authoritarianism is freely given. In times like these, individuals think ahead about what a more repressive government will want, and then offer themselves without being asked. A citizen who adapts in this way is teaching power what it can do.

    “Anticipatory obedience is a political tragedy…”–Timothy Snyder “On Tyranny”

  12. 12.

    The Unmitigated Gaul

    @Jay: French answers that with: “(Kash Patel) is not in a Senate-confirmed position, and he’s not been a senior federal employee in the Department of Justice in the last year. That means he can’t walk into the job on Day 1. Trump will have to select someone else to lead the F.B.I. immediately, or the position will default to the “first assistant to the office.”

    Could be wrong.

  13. 13.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Also not on my bingo card, Canada threatening export controls of critical minerals to the US, should Trump impose tariffs on Canada, coming from Doug Ford no less(!):

    Ontario premier threatens to cut off energy supply to US
    In response to Donald Trump’s threats, Doug Ford said Ottawa is compiling a list of American products that could be subject to retaliatory tariffs.

    By MIKE BLANCHFIELD and SUE ALLAN
    12/11/2024 09:33 PM EST

    …

    Ford said Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland would be compiling a list of American products that could be subject to retaliatory tariffs.

    “We’re going to put our list together,” he said.

    This wouldn’t be the first time Canada hit back at the U.S. In 2018, when the first Trump administration imposed tariffs on steel and aluminum imports, Canada retaliated with a long list of U.S. products that faced reciprocal tariffs, from Kentucky bourbon to toilet paper manufactured in the Midwest.

    That tariff fight broke out during the renegotiation of the then North American Free Trade Agreement. Freeland recalled leading the government’s response as foreign affairs minister back then, and noted the suggestions that Ottawa received from several premiers in Wednesday’s meeting.

    “A number of premiers offered strong support for a robust Canadian response that included some of the premiers proactively naming critical minerals and metals that their provinces produce and which are exported to the United States,” she said.

    Ford told reporters he thinks Trump is “a little more aggressive” than he was in the past. “He’s a different type of cat, to say the least,” he added.

    …

  14. 14.

    Jay

    @The Unmitigated Gaul:

    Nope, French is right, effective the day after Wray’s resignation, the day before Dolt47 is sworn in, the First Assistant, Special Agent Jeff Fields is in charge, until Dolt47 can get “a” nominee, through Congress, if he can.

  15. 15.

    tobie

    @Jay: Gaming this out…Trump will just say, “Try and stop me.” The ACLU will take him to court. This will wind slowly through the process. And in the meantime the Senate, such as it is, will confirm Patel so the issue will be moot.

    Apologies for being a downer. It’s been a rough day for me.

  16. 16.

    Jay

    @YY_Sima Qian:

    The only Tariff “fight” that Canada didn’t “win” is the Softwood Lumber one, kinda. Volumes of exports did not go down, and Canada accepted that ‘Merkins WANT to pay $30K to $50 more for a single family 3 bedroom house.

  18. 18.

    WTFGhost

    Fuck Chris Wray? Eeeeewwwww.

    If I was desperate, I’d offer a handjob and punch him in the balls, and probably get killed for my efforts, but… what, if you didn’t want my *honest* opinion, why did you bring the subject up in the first place?

  19. 19.

    SectionH

    Hello, John, and welcome from San Diego, you Zonie. Well, that’s kinda rude, sorry, but You and Joelle are so welcome. Here. Any time.

  20. 20.

    YY_Sima Qian

    Drama in Seoul today, as President Yoon made a defiant speech (he is going to hold out in his bunker, living in his make belief world, a la Hitler in Downfall):

    The Korea Herald 코리아헤럴드
    @TheKoreaHerald

    President Yoon Suk Yeol says he will fight to the end, defends decision to declare martial law was a “highly political move” meant to protect the country. Implores the public to believe in his “loyalty to the people.” More news to follow.

    Max Kim
    @maxsoeunkim

    Another defiant public statement from Yoon, in which he:
    1) repeatedly says “massive opposition party” like a slur (read: massive = lots of votes)
    2) says if he really wanted to do an insurrection, he would have done a better job
    3) martial law is his right, like diplomacy

    What stands out is that: He spends a lot of time elaborating how his intentions were good, enumerating evidence and counterfactuals to make the point he wasn’t actually trying to “succeed” — he’s obvs conscious of the insurrection/coup charge.

    I am really beginning to think that, rather than it just being cynical shit-stirring, he genuinely believed in election fraud conspiracy theories — and thought by raiding the election commission and getting proof, he would be vindicated somehow

    I think Yoon may not be all there, any more.

    The speech had the opposite effect, & the leader of the ruling PPP party as finally had enough (although some among the PPP rank & file still seem to resist impeachment):

    The Blue Roof
    @BluRoofPolitics

    Han Dong-hun has seen enough. The PPP leader says his party should participate in the impeachment bill vote. Once again calls for Yoon to be excluded from all state affairs including being the commander in chief, and said Yoon made clear he will not resign.

    x.com/SBS8news/status/1867016739348943034
    Han says he did not expect Yoon’s statement at all. He now wants PPP to change its party line to approve the impeachment, and have the party forcibly expel Yoon.

    youtu.be/pVjU6Aymyjc?si=zOAHOIfX2JFMrGix
    Han says Yoon “all but admitted he committed an insurrection” as PPP Assembly Members try to shout him down. Han: “You have something to say? Get up and say it, and use proper honorifics.”

  25. 25.

    frosty

    @The Unmitigated Gaul: The Vacancies Reform Act … isn’t that one of those law things passed by … what’s the word … Congress?

    How many divisions do they have?

    ETA Oops, sorry about the doomscrolling. Seriously, sorry. But not enough to delete it LOL.

  29. 29.

    frosty

    @NotMax: Yeah, you must run into that a lot being six hours behind the center of the universe — EST!

    I need to get to bed – bit maybe not just yet. One of my nephew’s biological clock was so screwed up we accused him of being on Hawaii time. Mine is almost as bad.

    ETA Three out of five in the sidebar are mine. Win!!

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