Canadians are half past give-a-shit with the tariff and 51st state talk:
TORONTO (AP) — U.S. President-elect Donald Trump’s comments that Canada should become the 51st state are no longer a joke and are meant to undermine America’s closest ally, Canada’s finance minister said Wednesday.
Dominic LeBlanc, the country’s point person for U.S-Canada relations, said Trump was smiling when he first made the comment during a dinner at Mar-a-Lago with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau in late November.
“The joke is over,” said LeBlanc. “It’s a way for him, I think, to sow confusion, to agitate people, to create chaos knowing this will never happen.”
[…]Trump refused to rule out acquiring Greenland and the Panama Canal by military force and has said the U.S doesn’t need anything from Canada, including automobiles, lumber and dairy products.
“I don’t know who is misinforming him,” Ontario Premier Doug Ford said. “Right now we ship 4.3 million barrels of crude oil into the U.S. 60 percent of their energy imports are coming from Canada.”
The U.S. imports approximately 60% of its crude oil from Canada, with Alberta alone supplying 4.3 million barrels per day. According to the U.S. Energy Information Administration, the U.S. consumes about 20 million barrels a day, while domestically producing about 13.2 million barrels a day. This means about quarter of the oil the U.S. consumes every day is from Canada.
Canada is the top export destination for 36 U.S. states. Nearly $3.6 billion Canadian (US$2.7 billion) worth of goods and services cross the border each day.
The graph above is from Mexico Daily New’s story on tariffs. From that story, I hadn’t heard this before:
Trump has long been critical of Mexico’s trade surplus with the United States, and it was a significant factor in his desire to terminate NAFTA, which was replaced by the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or USMCA, during his first term as president.
However, Mexico’s surplus with the United States has only increased in recent years, at least in part due to the trade war between the United States and China that Trump initiated.
The El Economista newspaper reported that Mexico’s surplus increased 146% between 2017 and 2024, whereas it only increased 3.6% between 2010 and 2017. The trade war between the U.S. and China began in early 2018.
The truth is that there’s a lot of stuff that we need that we import from Canada and Mexico, those imports have increased because we don’t import some of it from China, and both of our North American neighbors would be able to decimate our economy with retaliatory tariffs if Trump decides to pick a fight.
LeBlanc, Canada’s new Finance Minister, also announced that he’s not going to run for the leadership of the Liberal Party, giving the threat of tariffs as the reason. LeBlanc was at the dinner at Mar-a-Lago when Trudeau hurried down there to try to placate Trump. Chrystia Freeland, the former Finance Minister, resigned from Trudeau’s Cabinet after Trudeau made clear that he wanted someone else in her position. Many see that as the last straw for Trudeau, especially with how tough her resignation letter was. Now, she’s a major contender to become the head of the Liberal Party and the new PM. This means that Trump will be facing at least one, and perhaps two tough women if he tries to impose tariffs.
Also, LOL at Doug Ford having to shit on Trump. He’s the brother of late Toronto Mayor Rob Ford, and a leading member of the Tories, who are going to have a lot of explaining to do about their leader Pierre Poilievre’s Trump-curious leanings.
rikyrah
I loved the response by Mexico’s President.
rikyrah
At Jennifer Hudson’s talk show, her staff lines up and does a song and dance for every guest as they go down their own personal ‘ Soul Train’ line.
This guest is the star of Squid Games. He’s Korean.
They sang to him IN KOREAN.
The video, when he realizes it, is awesome.
Justin (@__ajga) posted at 9:53 AM on Wed, Jan 08, 2025:
His face when he realised they was speaking Korean warmed my heart.
(https://x.com/__ajga/status/1877020763141636242?t=dauRP1Z_tbJPeny3b5iJGQ&s=03)
banditqueen
Can people who are undermining (to put it mildly) another country’s government be banned from entering that country? I know the US does this. Musk certainly–a US president, don’t know.
RSA
Off-topic, but in other political news, there’s this from West Virginia. Jeez, how long has Cole been gone, and look what happens to the place.
Old School
It’s usually “many people” who are telling him nonsense.
Steve LaBonne
@Old School: The big guy who walked up to him with tears in his eyes and said “Sir…”
Glory b
@Old School: Big men, with tears in their eyes, crying out “Sir!”
Baud
@Steve LaBonne:
@Glory b:
Nice.
Kosh III
Annexing Canada is a great idea.
11 new states if one makes the 3 Territories (composed of mostly native peoples) a province. Then we will be required to learn French-which will piss off all the GOP and the 11 news states will be voting Blue just because The Felon has pissed them off enough to never want to vote for Trump’s party.
On the other hand, we tried this once before in the War of 1812 and got our ass kicked.
While we’re at it, let’s annex Mexico–33 more states that hate the Felon and again–Spanish will be a mandatory language and no more crocodile tears about the border.
Si y Oui
TBone
Yet, Canadian firefighters are on the ground in California, honoring their contract. Showing that they just roll up their sleeves and do the work in good faith. Also I saw that they’re offering for blue states to join Canada voluntarily in exchange for free healthcare hahaha.
pluky
Chrystia Freeland as Canadian PM would be amazing. “2021 Globe and Mail article quoted the report by a former officer of the KGB, which had described Freeland as “a remarkable individual”, “erudite, sociable, persistent, and inventive in achieving her goals”.[20]”
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chrystia_Freeland
Her tag teaming the Orange Menace with Claudia Sheinbaum is a match to savor.
TBone
@TBone: blogfather at crooksandliars lost his home
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/01/our-own-john-amato-lost-his-home-palisades
Jeffro
let’s game this all the way out:
I’m not seeing a downside here, other than a temporary stock market crash (which would be worth it, honestly)
do it, donnie!
Jeffro
@Kosh III: why doesn’t someone just tell trumpov that “the libs” absolutely, positively want Canada, Mexico, and Greenland annexed, stat?
he’ll drop it faster than an empty vial of Adderall
comrade scotts agenda of rage
@RSA:
Cole’s from the other side of the state. The Eastern Panhandle’s actually always been part of the Confederacy. It was included in the eventual WV statehood mainly because the vote taken in those 3 counties for what state they wanted to be in was done under Union occupation and the balloting was done under close observation by the Boys in Blue.
This guy is a poster child for RWNJs:
https://drjosephdesoto.com/background/
He’s also a lying sack of shit:
https://www.dragline.org/stories/the-fantastic-life-of-dr-joseph-de-sotonbsp-false-claims-made-by-the-prospective-delegate-from-west-virginias-91st-district
The reason this interests me is that he’s from the same county I went to High School. Back then we had 3 high schools and I’m guessing he went to the southern one (I went to the one in town). Our time in high school would have overlapped (he’d be 2 years behind me).
The county was always wingnutty but over the last 25 years, even more so.
Butch
We’re not going to have a single Western ally 6 months from now, are we?
Bruce K in ATH-GR
Post title from Sir Terry Pratchett, perhaps?
Recalling the line from The Truth:
rikyrah
@RSA:
WHY he blaming God?
Ridiculous
Another Scott
Yeah, folks overseas now know not to roll over. Donnie’s lost his mojo.
Meanwhile, … Phys.org:
Good, good.
People are still doing the important work that needs to be done. We need to use them as inspiration. Thinking, understanding evidence, and using best practices, still works. We don’t have to be prisoners of the mighty media engagement trap.
Forward!!
Best wishes,
Scott.
Starfish (she/her)
@rikyrah: A lot of people who have had their cheese slide off their cracker say it was God that told them to do various bad things.
Scamp Dog
@rikyrah: God is a concept from human minds, and the version between his ears is really, really out there.
suzanne
@Starfish (she/her):
Oh damn, this is funny. Filing this in the toolkit.
Baud
@rikyrah:
God know what he did.
Princess
I like the things Ford is saying.
But I also think he may be sayong them to give some cover to Pierre Polievre.
In addition: if loud mouthed Trump-hating Canadians are your stly, but you’d prefer something leftier (and who wouldn’t?), check out Charlie Angus.
Barbara
@Kosh III: This is exactly what my husband said. In his words, with no border to come across we won’t have any more border issues at all! Of course no one should take this seriously, but if I were a Canadian politician I would be asking my opponent whether he thinks it’s a good idea for Canadians to be bankrupted by health care expenditures.
RSA
@comrade scotts agenda of rage: Interesting! Thanks for the background and your memories.
gratuitous
The felon just runs his mouth, oblivious to the various factors that influence things like trade deficits. Luckily, very few news outlets and even fewer reporters have even the felon’s level of ignorance. So when he spouts some uninformed gibberish, there’s no one around to say, “Well, you know, the felon signed legislation that fundamentally changed NAFTA during his first administration. Also, the trade war he instigated with China back in the day has led directly to the U.S. importing more from Canada and Mexico to make up for what we’re not getting from China anymore.” So the gibberish stands and further corrupts the public’s understanding of the felon and his irresponsible actions.
Kirk
@Butch: Not as such, no.
martha
I know very little about Canadian politics—with that fact in mind, I wonder how much Donnie’s blathering about Canada will affect residents’ views of the Conservatives. They think they can win now that Trudeau is gone. I’m guessing most of them will say, oh no, Donnie doesn’t mean it, blah blah. But will that work?
KatKapCC
I’m curious, because I have no military experience and very little in my family (a great-uncle in the Coast Guard, and I think that’s about it). In a situation like “sending the military to Greenland like we’re playing Risk but if it were created by a fucking lunatic”, where it is obviously inane and dangerous and wrong and stupid…can people in the armed forces ever refuse to do something the president orders? I’m not saying they should if they’re not supposed to, I’m honestly unaware if there is some kind of avenue or option for an enlisted person to sort of conscientiously object even after they’re in? Or do you have to do whatever the president orders, even if it’s literally the dumbest idea anyone’s ever had?
terraformer
One may wonder whether his talk of taking over Canada or Greenland or the Panama Canal or whatever would have been said had his primary supporter, Putin, not invaded UKR. I mean, it’s unlikely that the *very idea* of such things spontaneously appeared on their own within his orange melon.
lollipopguild
@Old School: Trump is very good at “misinforming” himself without any help from anyone.
mrmoshpotato
@Another Scott: Fuck Donald Trump is gonna become a secondary anthem for a lot of countries.
Matt McIrvin
Trump would annex Canada like Putin is trying to annex Ukraine, that is, annexing the empty land and rubble after exterminating the existing population. We don’t get new blue states that way.
different-church-lady
When this came up the other day some folks were all “Why are we giving this any attention, it’s never going to happen.” And I really really really don’t understand how anyone can have that position when Roe fell after hearing “They’ll never do it” over and over again.
Bazza
While Canada becoming a state (or a set of states) would mean the Democrats would have (at least) the house and presidency for the foreseeable future, and please don’t take this the wrong way, but I’m not willing to stop being Canadian to bail you out here.
Freeland is an impressive minister (I’m a fan) but I’m not sure she’d be as effective as PM. In a perfect world the next gov’t would ask her to lead the Trump management operation, but there’s plenty of reasons that would never happen. In any case, whoever ends up leading the Liberals is going to lead them into an election almost immediately which they are almost certainly going to lose, so the selection criteria should be more about who is best positioned to rebuild the party.
Another Scott
@KatKapCC:
Reuters.com (from September 2021):
Our military people are talking to other military people – friend and foe alike – all the time, because we (and they) don’t like surprises.
I’m sure lots of similar conversations are going on right now.
My understanding, anyway.
Best wishes,
Scott.
different-church-lady
@gratuitous: Total loose cannon. We have to take it seriously but also stop looking for the logic in it.
Soprano2
Oh joy, just got a Winter Storm Warning alert on my phone. They’re predicting 4-6″ of snow, which to me doesn’t seem like that much. I’m sure everyone will freak out, and Springfield Public Schools have probably already cancelled classes tomorrow based on the forecast alone. That’s not sarcastic, either.
Baud
@different-church-lady:
The purpose of people saying that they wouldn’t get rid of Roe is to convince people who cared about abortion not to vote for Dems.
KatKapCC
@Another Scott: But as has been noted many times, whatever parade of horribles Trump had before, they’re going to be exponentially worse now. There won’t be anyone who would dare to undercut him or go against him.
Ramalama
@Princess: Ford seems to have gotten very combative (in a good way) towards Trump after Justin went down to Maralago.
Also Elizabeth May – Leader of the Green party in Canada (also an expat) – had a pretty good response to Trumpov.
Peke Daddy
@Kosh III: The conservative intelligencia have a solution for that.
https://www.joemygod.com/2025/01/knowles-turn-greenland-and-canada-into-our-serfs/
KatKapCC
@Soprano2: Almost seems like Mother Nature is pranking us. One part of the country gets not a drop of rain with tornado fires, another part gets half a foot of snow.
p.a.
Watch what happens to energy & housing costs without Canadian oil, hydro, and wood. Don’t know much about much, but I assume there’s no other potential market for hydro, but oil and wood?😉
KatKapCC
@Peke Daddy: I saw “Knowles” in the URL and I was wondering why the hell Beyoncé would take such a position.
ema
@Baud:
OT question for you: How do you find a post on Reddit? Had a large influx of visitors from Reddit and reddit.frontpage. Searched Home page, Popular, search box, nothing (just an old short but that’s not it).
If it helps, the video is Judge Fleischer: Is Walking While Black The Basis For Arrest? and it’s about TX judge David Fleischer and his ruling that walking while black isn’t probable cause for arrest. Thank you.
Another Scott
@KatKapCC: I’m so old that I remember when the Senate was going to go on recess and let Donnie appoint a parade of horribles without any Senate vote.
He’s weaker than he wants us to believe.
Hang in there.
Best wishes,
Scott.
different-church-lady
@Another Scott: He might be, but he can still do a hell of a lot of damage. Especially if “the opposition” does nothing but flutter hands.
Glory b
@Baud: Yep, just like the ones that said “Tell me why I should vote for Hillary, but you can’t mention judges/the courts.”
different-church-lady
@ema: Was there a ruling about whether being rightfully pissed off about being harassed by a cop while walking while black is probable cause?
different-church-lady
@Glory b: We told them that was the piece that would topple the whole fucking Jenga tower, but they just… wouldn’t… listen.
Baud
@ema:
I’m not a power searcher. I use Google or Reddit’s search box, but it’s hit or miss.
ema
@different-church-lady:
No, but he has a ruling about no probable cause just because you park while black.
TBone
@Ramalama: that’s where I saw the free healthcare offer! Thanks for the reminder hahahahaha she’s LIT.
ema
@Baud:
Got it, thank you.
JWR
Local TV News is showing the rabbit-ears equipment up on Mt. Wilson being threatened by fast moving flames from the Eaton fire, with no relief in sight. Not from any plane or ground crew. C’mon, man, don’t take my bunny-ears away!
And I’m sure someone’s already asked, but re “mass deportations”: where’s all the cheap day-labor we’re gonna need to rebuild this mess gonna come from? Greenland?
ETA CalFire let’s us know that they’re on it, and are hoping this Mt. Wilson flare-up just clears away waste brush. Plus there’s a lot of cleared space up there already.
KatKapCC
@Another Scott: Please don’t do this Pollyanna stuff. Don’t act like “it won’t be so bad!!!” when it will be so bad and even worse. It does not matter how “weak” Trump is, the GOP will give in to him as they have always done, and everyone behind him is ready to take up whatever slack the demented old fool leaves.
Melancholy Jaques
@different-church-lady:
As the saying goes, denial ain’t just a river in Egypt. I have always been concerned about the complacency of my tote-baggers acquaintances who often disparage the dire predictions as fringe.
Matt McIrvin
@JWR:
The “temporary detainment” camps for people “awaiting deportation”, of course.
TBone
Driving while black Supremacist Court case, by an institution I wholeheartedly support:
https://www.theusconstitution.org/litigation/barnes-v-felix/
Oral arguments Jan. 22, 2025
https://www.newsweek.com/supreme-court-reviewing-texas-deadly-force-case-1967143
BC in Illinois
@Kosh III:
Back in the last century, I had a job interview in Ontario. The second question I was asked was “Who won the War of 1812?”
I’m not sure they were joking.
Geo Wilcox
@terraformer: Not sure because most of the reasons Putin wants trump to take over those countries is due to the Ukrainian war. The sanctions on Russian ships, the base in Greenland, and the vast oil, gas and mineral reserves in Canada Putin wants to cut off are Putin’s reasons.
different-church-lady
@KatKapCC: I’m not reading it as Pollyanna — I’m reading it as “Don’t believe the hype.” Because if we believe the hype, then there’s no fight.
Melancholy Jaques
@KatKapCC:
@Another Scott:
Pollyanna! Doomer!
Can we be kinder & more understanding with each other? Maybe?
Another Scott
Meanwhile, a reminder of why I try to add (WARNING – Politico) when I give a link from them…
https://mastodon.social/@mcc/113799237394838008
Best wishes,
Scott.
KatKapCC
@different-church-lady: But if the “hype” is Trump getting horrible people affirmed for cabinet positions, then yes, we should believe it, because it will happen. Just because Gaetz dropped out doesn’t mean everyone else is going to be the reincarnation of Jimmy Carter.
Old School
@BC in Illinois:
How did you answer? And were you hired?
Kay
@different-church-lady:
I don’t either. No one else in the world thinks this is funny. The NYTimes is covering it as that delightful scamp The Donald is entertaining the US media again! No one outside the US is real. They’re all just extras in our basket case of a countries reality show.
different-church-lady
@Kay: As far as the NYTs goes, not much has changed since 1938.
TBone
Let us not borrow worry, we have enough on our plates already. That’s not saying be an ostrich. Be discerning, choose wisely.
Melancholy Jacques has the right idea.
Mai Naem mobile ¹
I know very little about Canadian politics(love the political term ‘riding’) I’ve liked Chrystia Freeland forever but, ugh, I wonder if the Canadians would do to Freeland what Americans did to HRC and Harris. I would hope it would make her stronger against Poliviere to be disliked by TFG but doesn’t it usually come down to domestic politics?
Another Scott
@KatKapCC: Made me look…
Pollyanna:
;-)
But beyond that, I don’t think recognizing that already many things have not gone as he wanted (the debt ceiling, the CR, having the Senate go on recess, getting Gaetz as AG, getting the flag to be at full staff on 1/20, etc., etc., etc.) means that I’m a Pollyanna.
YMMV.
I won’t be offended if you pie me. It’s what it’s for!
Best wishes,
Scott.
rikyrah
Biscoff cookie butter is sinfully delicious :)
Captain C
@Another Scott:
Maybe the problem with Justin Trudeau is that TCFG threatend to have his thirsty daughter (Ivanka) stalk him (Trudeau) until he gave the Senile, Sadistic Fuckhead whatever he wants.
JWR
@Matt McIrvin:
Ah, so one, big, beautiful closed-loop system! What could go wrong? Well, provided these people don’t eat or poop or sleep.
TBone
@Another Scott: there is also a delightful movie with Haley Mills
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pollyanna_(1960_film)
Yes, I am a cockeyed, sappy optimist SOMETIMES.
cmorenc
Trump brags about being an alumnus of the prestigious Wharton School of Business (part of the private U of Pennsylvania, considered one of the Ivies) – did he phone it in or coast to a degree in daddy’s donations and be this ignorant about tariffs and international economic relations? Did he never hear of the role of the Smoot-Hawley tariffs in contributing to the Great Depression? Or does he think he knows it all simply because he is Trump, who knows more about everything than experts in (name any field)? My guess is: all of the above.
Kay
Danish news is reporting that the Greenlanders that Trump and US media depicted as Trump supporters were disadvantged people GOP operatives took to dinner at their hotel, costumed in MAGA hats, photographed and provided to US media.
I sincerely hope Greenlanders don’t rely on our MAGAcized media but instead check Danish media.
zhena gogolia
@Another Scott: I like your attitude. I’m incapable of it myself, but I always read your comments!
KatKapCC
@Another Scott: I’m not going to pie you. My point is the “hang in there” stuff and this “it won’t be as bad as you think” insistence is oblivious at best. I don’t know your particular identity traits or life circumstances, but please remember that there are people who are likely going to be much more in harm’s way than you will be, and that, as others have noted, we heard all this “oh don’t worry so much” stuff about Roe, and look how that turned out.
zhena gogolia
@cmorenc: I believe he got only an undergraduate degree, not an MBA.
Trollhattan
@BC in Illinois:
Heh.
A: “The guy buried in Grant’s tomb?”
suzanne
Fetterman is going to Mar-a-Lago.
Sigh.
rikyrah
@Kay:
One was a drug dealer, because, of course
Kay
@different-church-lady:
They have their own country. Is it necessary for our media to be such buffoons and so disrespectful? What if this were reversed? Would Americans think it was funny?
rikyrah
@suzanne:
PHUCK OUTTA HERE
Soprano2
@KatKapCC: I wish we could send all the moisture from the snow to SoCal.
different-church-lady
@ All: there’s a difference between saying “Don’t worry it won’t be that bad” and saying “He’s not omnipotent, and viewing him like he is disables us.” It’s important. Please consider it before entering the pie fight.
different-church-lady
@Kay:
"If it generates clicks, then yes."Like you said: entertainment is their business now.
Kay
@suzanne:
Don’t worry, the dude is just going down there to hang with his homies – you know, the working class. Bezos and Zuckerberg and Musk – they’re all going to get matching tats.
Baud
It’ll be just as bad as I think it will be.
different-church-lady
@Baud: Well then just think it will be better. C’MON MAN, WE’RE COUNTING ON YOU!
Another Scott
@cmorenc: You aren’t really asking, are you?? This is Donnie we’re talking about…
PoetsandQuantsforUndergrads.com (from August 2020):
We should ask Maryanne if she understands tariffs and stuff since he was cribbing from her?? (Nope, can’t do that, she died in November 2023 at the age of 86.)
FWIW.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Melancholy Jaques
@suzanne:
With Manchin & Sinema gone, somebody had to be the But Some Democrat
Memo to all Democrats in purple places: kowtowing to Trump & shitting on other Democrats will not save you in the next election. MAGA voters will still vote for the MAGA. Just call Tim Ryan, Senator Fetterman. He’s right next door and he’s not doing anything right now.
TBone
Still saving the rocks in my pocket for MAGA pending my Senator’s voting record. He’s talking a lot and getting lots of attention (and negative publicity by the usual MSM suspects) thus far. I’ll wait and see what he actually does before I decide whether to fire him. But I’m getting sorely tempted…
He was nicknamed
Fettermanchinema
elsewhere today.
Kay
I think they all figured out from the Mexican prez that its good politics to tell obnoxious, belligerent Americans to get fucked.
TBone
@different-church-lady: amen, sista!
suzanne
@Melancholy Jaques: I realize that politics in the Age of Celebrity means that someone is always looking to differentiate themselves from the pack, but it’s such an exhausting and disappointing aspect of reality. Just…. stop being so fucken thirsty, John Fetterman..
KatKapCC
@suzanne: yuck
Kay
You guys didn’t tell me Melanie had a huge weird pilgrim collar on at the funeral. That’s need to know.
Soprano2
@suzanne: I swear he’s going to become a Republican before the year is over.
mrmoshpotato
@Kay:
If it were reversed, there’d be idiots screaming that we should nuke said country
ETA – and some of them would probably be GOP Congresscritters!
mrmoshpotato
@Kay: Disgusting. (Oh, I don’t care about the collar.)
BC in Illinois
@Old School:
The interview was held on the campus of Brock University (though the position was not related to Brock U) and I had been warned to be prepared for this question, so I said words of praise about Sir Isaac Brock.* I think it came across well.
It didn’t matter. The following questions soon established that I would not be a good fit for the position, and they ended up not hiring either of the candidates they were interviewing at that time. So my kids stayed in Illinois and learned Spanish. (It’s my grandkids that learn French.)
They probably wouldn’t use the term, but it seems that our Canadian neighbors learn about the War of 1812 as if it were “The War of the Southern Invasion.”
*Sir Isaac Brock, General of the British forces in Lower Canada, led the Canadian forces against Fort Detroit. “The capture of Detroit led to British domination over most of the Michigan Territory.”
Martin
@Kay: Mexico is practiced at dealing with cartels, and Trump is really just a common mobster.
KatKapCC
@Kay: It’s worse than that:
I would not call a garment with two people making out “somber”, but I guess I’m not a fashionista. To me, it screams “inappropriate for the occasion”.
RedDirtGirl
@TBone: That’s priceless!
Kay
@Martin:
I have an idea. Mexico can expand north to the Canadian border and Canada can take Alaska. Does media want to bat that idea around a while? I’m just asking questions!
Another Scott
ICYMI, Sen. Booker has a good 2:14 video from Senate Democrats on what’s coming up in the 119th Congress.
Worth a click.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Doug R
@TBone: Notice the legal weed states are the entire west coast from Alaska to California. I think Canada absorbing the western blue states would be a better idea.
mrmoshpotato
@Martin: Dump is also a bitchass manbaby unlike cartel leaders.
Kay
@KatKapCC:
Most people will just wonder why she’s dressed like Cotton Mather.
Her clothes never really work. They’re always wearing her rather than the reverse.
Old School
Ken B
@Another Scott: I’ve always thought that one reason Trump was so proud of passing the dementia test was that it’s the first test he actually passed himself.
TBone
@Doug R: but I want free healthcare too! Even (especially) in purple PA, and also no electoral college.
(I know it’s not actually free but it’s a good slogan.)
different-church-lady
@Ken B: I don’t think he actually passed it.
TBone
@different-church-lady: you took the words outta my mouth, brava!
Betty Cracker
@Kay: There’s some sort of decoration on the huge weird collar, but I couldn’t make out what it was
ETA: Never mind. @KatKapCC had the deets at #107.
Melancholy Jaques
@suzanne:
I urge all Pennsylvania Democratic voters to contact him and express that sentiment in authentic Western PA terms.
TBone
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/01/dem-senator-time-rescind-war-powers
Matt McIrvin
@BC in Illinois: Americans learn that the War of 1812 was between the US and the British Empire over freedom of the seas and such, the Canadian theater was a barely-relevant sidelight, and the US won (or it was at worst a stalemate).
Canadians learn that it was a war of aggression by the US versus Canada, and Canada won by successfully repelling the invasion.
Tim C.
@TBone: OREGON ACCEPTS!
Tim C.
@Matt McIrvin: Twice.
TBone
@Tim C.: As does PA! Canada has a very cool flag.
Trollhattan
@Matt McIrvin:
And Canadian theater gave us Second City, so win-win.
Aziz, light!
@p.a.: US and Canadian timber companies both export a lot of whole logs, lumber, and software chips to Asia, mainly to countries on the Pacific Rim. Canada could boost its sales there but would likely have to cut its prices to pick up some of the US market share. Of course the moron has no idea what he’s meddling with.
TBone
Wow what a mature, measured response from that fucking guy
https://crooksandliars.com/2025/01/elon-musk-responds-criticism-offensive
Juju
@Mai Naem mobile ¹: Using that logic would mean women should never run for head of state because they might lose.
Soprano2
@Kay: It was horrible, at least what I could see of it.
Martin
@Mai Naem mobile ¹: Mexico is not exactly a bastion of feminism, but they just elected their first female president.
HeleninEire
@different-church-lady: Of course he didn’t.
ETA: and we know that because his example of the 5 word recall question was: “man, woman, person, camera, TV” The entire point of that question is it’s supposed to be can you, at a later time, recall words that are not at all correlated. So, he started with man, then went to woman, and then to person. Having run out of nouns for people, he then moved onto camera because a camera was pointed at him, and he was on TV.
He actually PROVED that he could not answer that question.
Fucking wanker!
NobodySpecial
And to think this all started because Trudeau clowned his goofy ass.
Almost Retired
@Kay: Did they make her check her musket at the door?
Jeffg166
Stealing “Half passed give-a-shit.”
rikyrah
@Kay:
BWA HA HA AH AH HA HA HA HA HA
Geminid
There is a rapidly developing story out of Caracas, Venezuela where Nicholas Maduro is set to be inaugurated for another term as President tomorrow. Opposition leader Marina Corunna Machado made an unexpected appearence at an anti-Maduro rally today, and was intercepted afterwards by regime forces and taken into custody.
Among others, the President of Panama and several U.S. Congess members are calling for Corunna Machado’s release. One analyst, Thomas Van Linge, noted that she has been a calming influence on opposition protesters and said “the situation in Venezuela is set to become very ugly in coming hours/days.”
Spanky
@Melancholy Jaques:
Ah, so “jagoff” it is.
Matt McIrvin
@Trollhattan: “Did you know? Canadian football has four downs, not three. Canadians always punt on the third down just to be safe.”
Soprano2
@Kay: I’m sure I have better taste than she does, and I spend a lot less money on clothes. It’s hard to wear dramatic clothes; they tend to “wear” the wearer.
TBone
@Jeffg166: pedants say “past.”
TBone
@Geminid: crap. Sigh.
TBone
@NobodySpecial: good eye.
Princess
@Kay: And Melania didn’t bother to do her hair. She didn’t even bother to wash it. Raggedy parting, bits sticking out.
tam1MI
@Kay: The media showed who they were with the way they treated Joe Biden. They are acting like clowns and buffoons now? What else is new?
Steve LaBonne
I approve Josh Marshall’s message.
Obvious Russian Troll
@Ramalama: Doug Ford has pleasantly surprised me on this. He wasn’t as bad as I feared he’d be on COVID, either.
But then I remember how fucking awful he was on the convoy in Ottawa, and how bad he’s been about health care, and how he wants the province to prevent Toronto and other municipalities from putting in bike lanes.
(Ford also enabled his late brother’s addictions and according to a Globe and Mail story many years ago he sold drugs as a teenager.)
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Steve LaBonne: Marshall has a sensible view of Trump’s constant nonsense.
Betty
@TBone: I am concerned because this behavior is not what I voted for. We’ll see where it leads.
catclub
Geminid
@Geminid: Now reports are that Venezuala opposition leader Maria Corunna Machado was released by regime authorities after being forced to make a video saying she was ok.
Ed.There were rumors that she had been shot.
TBone
@Betty: I share that trepidation!
Trollhattan
@Matt McIrvin:
😁
NotMax
@Soprano2
Riding the polar coaster.
Another Scott
Meanwhile, … ProPublica.org:
Good, good.
Yes, there are actually things that the government can do to prevent onerous rents. Imagine that.
Adam Smith made the point in his Wealth of Nations that landlords always charge as much as they can for rent, so taxes upon land and property always fall on the landlord. We should look into that more, also too.
Best wishes,
Scott.
Ghost of Joe Liebling’s Dog
@Almost Retired:
I was wondering how they talked her out of sauntering in in her I REALLY DON’T CARE DO U jacket. Those two really know how to class up an occasion.
Josie
@Kay:
She is definitely showing us the way.
MrPug
I’ve detected a pattern, which is that the only people who seem to stand up to Trump are women. Interesting, that.
brantl
@martha: I think largely, the Canadians know he’s at least half as stupid as he actually is.
brantl
@KatKapCC: Supposedly they can, but there are a whole bunch of people who would potentially shoot them, standing around with lethal weapons.
TONYG
Off-topic, but I thought that this was amusing (in an infuriating way). Yesterday, not long after Zuckerberg announced his “no more fact-checking policy”, I posted something mildly critical of Trump on Facebook, including a link to a Balloon Juice post. Facebook “content moderation” immediately removed my post and scolded me for linking to a “dangerous” website (Balloon Juice)!
Gvg
@Another Scott: um, BT kills caterpillars. I think this might be a problem for all butterflies. There are a few rare ones that feed on citrus. Which is ironic, because citrus is not native, but they are closely enough related to the unpleasant thorny thing called Hercules club) is rare.
Another Scott
@Gvg: Thanks.
Everything’s connected, somehow.
(I assume this is one reason why it’s still being studied in controlled conditions and isn’t out in orange groves yet.)
Best wishes,
Scott.