My takeaway from this article: Trump's paranoia about the Deep State carries significant opportunity costs. https://t.co/0SCVAlb1sB
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) June 19, 2017
Like any other cartel boss, Trump can’t trust his lieutenants unless he’s got them within arm’s reach — forever checking their body language, the eye contact between underling & underling, the pauses after his applause lines and the enthusiasm of their individual responses. And it’s not as though the Trump administration took any effort to keep the lower bureaucratic offices they inherited properly staffed or funded while the new crew figured out how to work the light switches…
…The CIA director’s treks to the West Wing reflect Trump’s insistence on frequent meetings with favored members of his team. Every president has regular contact with key Cabinet members, but Trump, who remains deeply mistrustful of career agency officials, has turned the White House into a hangout for his chosen department heads.
Secretary of State Rex Tillerson has met with the president at least 34 times since he was confirmed in February, according to a POLITICO analysis of Trump’s interactions since taking office. Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross are also frequent guests at the White House — so much so that one White House staffer quipped, “Wilbur practically lives here.” Defense Secretary James Mattis has enjoyed private meetings with the president, and Environmental Protection Agency Administrator Scott Pruitt has taken to eating at the White House mess several times a week.
Senior aides say Trump demands face time with his appointees in part because he doesn’t trust bureaucrats who do the day-to-day work of the federal government. The president shuns them as tools of what he often refers to as the “deep state,” and blames them for frequent, unflattering news stories coming from his White House, according to two White House aides…
Two administration officials said the parade of Cabinet officials going into the White House on a daily basis has prompted worries that their focus is being diverted from the day-to-day operations of their departments and agencies.
“We’ll see how long it lasts,” one of the officials said, noting that many secretaries don’t yet have a full cast of undersecretaries to brief top White House officials. “They don’t have their politicals yet, so some of it is a necessity.”…
Some of the Cabinet officials are also his friends, and they are beckoned to the president for political advice, even if it’s outside the purview of their agency…
One senior administration official said White House staff members understand the president’s desire to rely on agency heads to learn about complex issues, but they wish that the meetings would be coordinated in advance. Instead, Cabinet secretaries like Mnuchin and Ross just stroll in with little notice.
Others in the administration remain concerned that Cabinet officials are spending too much time schmoozing with the president and attending events, and not enough at their agencies…
Just a buncha guys from the old neighborhood, hangin’ around, shootin’ the breeze. They’re not running the country, they’re too busy running the ongoing Donald Trump campaign / crime cartel.
THANKS, REPUBLICANS!
JGabriel
Politico via Anne Laurie @ Top:
Enjoyed? I suspect Mattis barely tolerates them.
Iowa Old Lady
Also, he prefers seeing them face to face because he can’t/won’t read.
SiubhanDuinne
I keep thinking of that oft-parodied scene from Downfall and wondering which of the Trump Toadies (Troadies) is the one who shifts his gaze, gulps hard, and runs his finger surreptitiously along the inside of his collar.
Butthurt Jordan Trombone (fka XTPD)
Completely OT: Albert “Prodigy” Johnson of Mobb Deep dead from sickle cell complications at 42.
jl
@JGabriel: Maybe the whole article is Deep Snark?
SenyorDave
Handel leads by more than 10k. Ossoff won early votes by 2k, but she’s killing him on election day voting. The white people in this country will never change, they will vote Republican as long as they perceive the non-whites will be worse off than they are.
Omnes Omnibus
@SenyorDave: There are actually threads devoted to that race.
jl
I wonder how much of this article is Reince whining. I’m not going to read the whole thing. I have better things to do than wade through what seems to be old white fart barber shop gossip. But did a search and didn’t see anything related to The Preeb.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
I like posting hypotheticals. Do you think if the GOP had enough state houses under their control would they repeal the 22nd Amendment?
kindness
But Hillary had a private server!
Bookeater (formerly JosieJ)
You are giving Trump way too much credit. He’s not reading their body language, he’s just making them kowtow. Worked well enough when his top leadership just had to go up a few floors or over a few offices in a high-rise; he doesn’t care that it takes considerably longer now.
SenyorDave
@Omnes Omnibus: This was shown as an open thread, wasn’t aware that there are now thread police.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Bookeater (formerly JosieJ): That and he can’t read.
jl
Mattis probably enjoys the meetings because Trump wants him to explain the philosophy of Marcus Aurelius.
Mike in NC
Another photo of Trump that shows the lights are semi-on but nobody’s home. He’s only thinking about two scoops for dessert.
Omnes Omnibus
@SenyorDave: Bite me.
Tenar Arha
This is hilarious & terrible. So, he’s leaving the bureaucracy he mistrusts to run the agencies while he spends hours with his Cabinet Secretaries, while his WH leaks like a sieve from inside because he’s set it up that way!!??
jl
@SenyorDave: There have always been thread police. You just never got nabbed before. Which isn’t surprising. They tend to take naps while in the beat, unlike the grammar cops and usage narcs.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@SenyorDave: Not just thread police, but Thought Police too, ???
jl
@Omnes Omnibus: What’s eatin’ you, copper? Weez clean here, see? Jus’ mindin’ our own bizness.
Adam L Silverman
Life comes at you fast!
StringOnAStick
@Tenar Arha: Drumpf is just so damned lazy. I know this and yet again I am surprised at how lazy this story shows him to be. Rich white guy performance art indeed.
Adam L Silverman
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?:
jl
@Adam L Silverman: Stinkin’ blog is lousy wid da fuxz, dammit. Guy can’t do a liddle biness aroun’ here no more. Damn shame.
Omnes Omnibus
@jl: The fucking doom and gloomers in the election threads. If people are going to do it, I rather have it stay there.
jl
@Omnes Omnibus: No reason for doom and gloom. These runs have been in very safe GOP House districts. That is one reason those schmucks were chosen for Trump admin. A lot of GOPer Housers in plus 5 and 10 districts will be pulling off their socks so they can do figures on their fingers and toes tomorrow, probably need some digits from their staffers too.
Disappointing that we could not pull off miracles but this is progress. You don’t give up now.
Paraphrasing Sherman and Grant after first day of Shioh:
Well, Grant, they gave us the Devil’s own day.
We’ll lick ’em in 18.
Edit: changed the Sherman Grant quotes to make them more correct. I don’t remember the exact wording.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Who cares what you would rather? You and the Tone Police seem to want to try and ignore reality.
Corner Stone
@jl: Progress? +5 districts?
Just One More Canuck
@jl: There are many Percy Weasley wannabes on this blog
jl
@Corner Stone: Yeah, things would have been better at Shiloh of Grant peed himself and quit. You have a good point.
Hey, thread cops, I got a violator here for you!
Chris
@Corner Stone:
Seconded.
Corner Stone
Paul Ryan is not losing in 2018. This is just stupid.
jl
@Just One More Canuck: Then there is damned snark militia. Screw them.
Kraux Pas
@Omnes Omnibus: When did you become a full time troll?
jl
@Corner Stone: you a bot now? Or is your comment a circular self-reference?
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: Hehe.
Thanks.
Cheers,
Scott.
Steve in the ATL
@Corner Stone:
Now you’ve done it–the grammar police are going to be all up in your business for not saying “try to.”
In fact, here’s one now!
jl
@Corner Stone: Whole House is up for election every 2 years. You need to study up. Or you think Trump and GOP will do something to be more popular by then?
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Which reality? That winning the GA-6 always was a reach? No fucking shit. OTOH, If you are talking about giving up in general, go ahead and kiss my ass. [Animal House clip].
@Chris: It’s an open thread. Right?
ArchTeryx
Yeah, I got the doom and gloom out of my system in the election thread. So here’s a question that’s basically a slow pitch over the heart of the plate: How might I best help at least folks here in THIS place, other then ‘knock off all the negativity’? (Because I agree with that point).
Another Scott
Tough crowd tonight, eh OO?
:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
Kraux Pas
@Steve in the ATL: If you “try and do X” does that mean you succeeded?
Steve in the ATL
@Kraux Pas: oh great–now the grammar philosophers have shown up!
Another Scott
@ArchTeryx: Dunno. Tell us about your latest Indivisible meeting? Tell us how your doing with your new cat (IIRC)? Stuff like that?
Cheers,
Scott.
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: There is an equal and opposite tweet or a paragraph from one of his books for every tweet he hits send on now.
Kraux Pas
@Steve in the ATL: Sorry, I prefer to find possible meaning in these sentences. Way better than run-of-the-mill pedantry.
ETA:
@Adam L Silverman: Like Trump wrote his own books.
Omnes Omnibus
@ArchTeryx: By doing something. Anything.
Chet Murthy
I made French Herring & Potato Salad tonight. With smoked mackerel instead of herring. I don’t remember where I got the link, but I could swear it was here. Dayyyum, so good. Got half of it chillin’ for tomorrow. Dayyyum.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Adam L Silverman: It’s not like he ever read* what his ghost writer wrote.
*Since he can’t read.
rikyrah
Don’t believe that any of them are trusted by the grunts in their departments.
Adam L Silverman
@Kraux Pas: Never claimed he did.
Quinerly
@Chet Murthy:
Yum…smoked fish…of any sort! Thankfully, no matter how down and out and grumpy I get, I can always eat. A bit perked up now.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kraux Pas: Are you Kropadope renamed?
Corner Stone
God damn Republicans. Fuck them.
Chet Murthy
@Quinerly: The cheesemonger at Whole Paycheck suggested smoked trout (b/c “less fishy than mackerel”) but I went for mackerel anyway. So for those who don’t want overpowering taste, maybe smoked trout would be better.
BBA
@jl: The House has been mandered up the gerry. There are no swing districts left. I’d say “focus on statehouses” but they’re just as bad. It’s a self-perpetuating anti-democratic feedback loop.
Presidency, Senate in ’20, some governorships are potentially winnable. The House is a much longer game.
Kraux Pas
@Omnes Omnibus: Someone give Inspector fucking Clouseau here a prize!!!
@Adam L Silverman: Of course not, but how can we hold Trump to words he neither wrote nor, likely, read?
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: That’s terribly helpful. Thank you.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@Corner Stone: Paul Ryan probably won’t, but losing his majority isn’t impossible. Given the results tonight, I think it’s possible
Omnes Omnibus
@Kraux Pas: Just checking. I didn’t want to burden a new commenter with your asshole baggage without justification.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@Kraux Pas: Call in the troll police????????????????????????????????
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: I do not believe I was trying to assist you, comrade. Was that in reply to you? If not.
Aleta
href=”#comment-6436952″>Chet Murthy: smoked mackerel is so good
Kraux Pas
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: Sorry, what’s that about pie?
@Omnes Omnibus: When do you ever have justification for anything?
Corner Stone
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: Why would you now consider the D’s taking the House in 2018 as a possibility? Or did you mean in X future?
Another Scott
@Another Scott:
youryou’re.My kingdom for a Preview function!!1
Cheers,
Scott.
Quinerly
@Chet Murthy:
I think the smoked mackerel would be perfect (although I love smoked trout, too). I’m originally from the coast of NC and I like fish to taste like fish (hate flounder, too mild). Big on smoking my own fish whole when there…it can be difficult getting them in the papers though ? how you roll them??
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: It is an uphill fight. So we shouldn’t try? Get a fucking grip.
Corner Stone
It’s interesting. We have lost every special election to date. Yeah, they were previously held by R’s. Some for a long time.
Not sure how that should make us think this is a positive moving forward.
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: Ewe will get nothink and leyek eet.
Corner Stone
@Omnes Omnibus: Fuck you Thread Police.
Kraux Pas
@Corner Stone: Handel went plus 2 in a R plus 20 district. There should be a lot of +1 through +18s quaking in their booties right now.
Adam L Silverman
@Corner Stone: Look at them in terms of trend analysis. Right now the trend lines are moving in the right direction. The question will be whether that, combined with what normally happens in midterm elections, especially the first term midterm election, is enough to flip the House.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Fuck you asshole.
ETA: Are you giving up? Or do you want to fight for your child?
Another Scott
@Adam L Silverman: You can’t hold that against him. After all, he didn’t write his books and only writes about half of his tweets.
Bowden in Vanity Fair (a repost):
;-)
Cheers,
Scott.
Leaving Texas
@Steve in the ATL:
Don’t they have cabs to drive?
Jim, Foolish Literalist
What did the names Jack Abramoff, Mark Foley and Katrina mean to you in June of 2005. Events, dear friend, events.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@Corner Stone: Because the Dem candidates came very close in districts that have been R+20 since forever. That suggests to me that there’s a sea level change happening. Closer R districts can be flipped in 18, especially if some kind of event happens to fuck up the GOP. Quite likely with El Presidente and his criminal goons in charge
Corner Stone
@Adam L Silverman: So far the trend analysis is R’s 100% in recent elections.
At some point we have to actually win elections. Winning -2 or winning -7 does not actually do a whole heck of a lot.
“Let’s quit! Let’s run away! Let’s pull out our hair and cry!”
No, but let’s not be silly about this either.
Kraux Pas
@Omnes Omnibus:
Let the bodies hit the floor…
Peale
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: yeah. On the minus side is the infinite capacity of GOP voters to forget why they were angry at the GOP. And the seemingly bottomless capacity for Democrats to remember and hold onto every perceived failing of their party.
Corner Stone
Karen Handel is a garbage human being. That is just fact. She is is garbage. And she is going to Congress. I think that is worth at least one “God damn Republicans”.
Adam L Silverman
@Another Scott: I’m familiar with that reporting.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: Fuck you loser ?. Can’t take a fucking joke
Kraux Pas
@Leaving Texas:
I’m a pharmacy technician and we close at 9.
opiejeanne
@Omnes Omnibus: Thank you. God, it’s so depressing here sometimes.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@Corner Stone: Do you honestly think its going to be like that forever? That closer districts can’t be won? Come on. You stop being silly
Corner Stone
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: Only one meant anything – Katrina. You want to kill a few more of our citizens to get anywhere?
Kraux Pas
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?:
I’ll take Goku’s word as an authority on Goku. Haha, he believed me about the pie. Apparently Goku is right about Goku.
Another Scott
@Corner Stone: Because American politics is just like Greek mythology, amirite?
AphroditeThe Democratic House Majority arose fully formed from the foam…:-/
Cheers,
Scott.
Omnes Omnibus
@Corner Stone: Yeah, we’ve all been there all night.
Adam L Silverman
@Corner Stone: I think you’ve misunderstood my reply to you. You are correct, and I am not arguing, that the outcomes have been all for the Republican candidates. What I meant by the trend is the massive swings in districts that are heavily to very heavily weighted towards the GOP. That was what I was referring to.
I honestly have no idea what will happen next year.
Quinerly
I’m being told by MSNBC talking heads that Handel ran against Pelosi and that’s why she won.
Mnemosyne
@Omnes Omnibus:
Ah. I suspected he was a non-newbie, but he didn’t sound like Derf.
jl
If someone like Jackie Speier or Adam Schiff left their districts in CA for some reason, and a newcomer GOper came within 10 points of an established Democrat pol contestant in a special election, some people here would be having nervous breakdowns and fainting spells, as well as massive pants pissing.
I admit the deck is stacked against us in terms of PR. The media would be hollering about nothing but the coming obliteration of the Democratic Party until the next regular election.
opiejeanne
@Leaving Texas: True story, my HS English teacher quit after my Freshman year to drive cabs in SF, because he wanted to write books.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@Kraux Pas: ??
Kraux Pas
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: No, just taking advantage of an opening you left. Proofread your posts.
jl
I’m getting out of here for the evening before the thread subtext ontologists arrive.
Mnemosyne
@Quinerly:
I would not be surprised. That means that the Republicans turned it into a referendum on San Francisco Liberal Elites and they still barely squeaked out a win.
As Adam was saying, the trend lines are not promising for the Republicans here. If conjuring up the specter of Nancy Pelosi doesn’t bring you an easy victory in a district that went +20 for Tom Price only 7 months ago … ?
opiejeanne
@jl: Not to mention the subtext oncologists.
Kraux Pas
@Mnemosyne:
I assume Derf refers to me. Funny, without that trigger of seeing my old name, you look differently at my posts. It’s almost like you make your conclusions before reading.
Leaving Texas
@opiejeanne: Did he write any books?
opiejeanne
@Mnemosyne: That’s definitely a ray of sunshine.
I’m worried that we’re about to have a Katrina-style event very shortly. I haven’t checked in the past couple of hours but that tropical storm that was barrelling towards Louisiana looked pretty ugly. I have a friend in Baton Rouge and she was having Katrina flashbacks this afternoon.
Kraux Pas
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: Nice edit, that’ll teach me at #98 to always include quotes.
opiejeanne
@Leaving Texas: I just had that thought too. Off to check.
Quinerly
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I’m very cranky tonight. I admit it. Let’s not lump Katrina in as an “event” that will help us Dems. It’s offensive. I lost friends….they are dead. I just fled another thread because some commenter seemed to want the economy to tank so Trump/Repugs will feel the backlash. The Katrina remark is worse. We are better. We should win because we are better. I don’t understand why we aren’t winning.
Corner Stone
“Highly educated”. I am not sure what that means any more re: voters.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
you knew the hurricane was coming two and a half months in advance? you should have told more people
yes, that’s exactly what I meant!
that’s cheap trolling even for you.
Kraux Pas
@jl:
The thread does not think, therefore it is not.
Mnemosyne
@Kraux Pas:
Nope, Derf is another commenter entirely. And what changing your name did was make me read your posts and think, Hmm, that commenter sounds familiar. What was his previous nym?
Pseudonymity =/= anonymity, and people almost always recognize you when you come back under a new name.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kraux Pas: Derf is a different troll. The history associated with a ‘nym has an effect. To pretend it doesn’t is silly.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
It’s not about what would “help” Dems, than it’s about unforeseeable events that change people’s attitudes about politics.
Would anyone deny that the Iraq War played a role in ’06 and ’08? Or the financial crash was part of the reasons people were willing to give Obama a chance?
Corner Stone
@Mnemosyne: WTF are you babbling about? Handle won by 6 points. That’s not a squeaker.
opiejeanne
@Leaving Texas: I’ll have to dig out my yearbook and find out his first name. So far no luck just looking by his last name.
I don’t know what sort of books he wanted to write, probably The Great American Novel.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@jl: Schiff’s district was a long time GOP district. Demographics changed and the Rep preceding the Rep he beat ended up in prison.
Kraux Pas
@Mnemosyne: My mistake, but who the fuck is Derf?
@Omnes Omnibus:
Different than whom? You?
joel hanes
@opiejeanne:
it’s so depressing here sometimes
jackals gotta jackal. Sometimes the yipping cries go on half the night.
Attempts to find meaning in those noises are futile.
Right attention.
There are almost always comments here worth reading, thinking about, and responding to.
Corner Stone
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I really have no idea what you mean here.
Omnes Omnibus
@Kraux Pas: From you. Dipshit.
Mnemosyne
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Also, the rep that Schiff beat was one of the House impeachment managers, which did not go over well with the rapidly changing demographics.
Say what you will about our local Armenian population and their terrible driving — at least they’re strong Democrats.
Kraux Pas
@Omnes Omnibus: Oh, then you’re Derf? I get it.
joel hanes
@opiejeanne:
that tropical storm that was barrelling towards Louisiana looked pretty ugly
It’s a bit early, but in the normal place for June.
The one that worries me is the one waaay out in the Atlantic, just getting organized enough to be named, in a place where tropical storms very rarely form in June except in the very worst hurricane years.
? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?
@Kraux Pas: “Quotes” can be made up:
I could say you really said that but edited it out in your comment. Sometimes it becomes a he said, she said situation.
But for reals, you got me fair and square. No hard feelings.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Mnemosyne:
The wife says they drive worse than Koreans.
ETA: Moorhead was the guy who did time, Rogan replaced him and was one of the impeachment managers.
opiejeanne
@joel hanes: Yes, and we each have our favorites as well as our less than favorites. I guess the whining tonight is understandable but I wish they’d limit it to the election thread; it gets a bit tiring after a while and I’ve already had a full day of hand-wringing on various sites, not to mention dealing with a young gullible relative who is in a tizzy because the illuminati something something and the Georgia Stonehenge thingie. I finally told her that her friends who are talking about this stuff are idiots and to change the subject whenever they start up.
She also works with a couple of ninnies, one of whom asked if rabbits were “boys and girls” or if they just reproduced on their own. She works in an insurance office, doesn’t that make you feel all warm and fuzzy?
Speaking of warm and fuzzy, has anyone seen Baud recently?
Quinerly
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I know exactly what you meant.
joel hanes
@Quinerly:
. I don’t understand why we aren’t winning.
Our opponents have controlled the narrative since the ascension of Reagan.
Reaganism spawned government-hating billionaires who can throw hundreds of millions into every electoral cycle, indefinitely, and who have gotten the laws changed to make that legal.
Half the nation has lost its connection to any source of reality-based news.
opiejeanne
@joel hanes: What i’m worried about wrt these storms is that the Current Resident might appoint someone worse than Heckuva Job Brownie to head up FEMA and interfere with the people currently running it.
That may be a moot point though because the weather disasters that we’ve already had, one in SC I think, have gotten no money from the Feds. Trump isn’t interested in giving aid to stricken communities.
joel hanes
@opiejeanne:
If I lived in hurricane country, I would make my plans for the future based on the assumption that the Trump misadministration will be at best of no help whatsoever. Public relations gestures are their idea of a the proper response to any and all situations.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@opiejeanne:
I believe the fuzziness is the result of mold. Baud is rarely on in the evenings, early morning our time is usually when he appears.
The kid is thinking of vacationing up in your neck of the woods in early Sept.
opiejeanne
@Leaving Texas: There was no first name listed in that yearbook and it was his last year there. I dug around but didn’t find anything listed with his last name that could possibly be him. He was in his 30s (I’m guessing) in 1964 so he’d be pretty old.
I just remembered; I think he wanted to write Sci-Fi. Not sure why you need to drive a cab for that but he was probably sick of us.
Mnemosyne
@opiejeanne:
When disasters do hit, I fully expect states with Republican governors to get aid and states with Democratic governors to get bupkis. Which is why I should probably stock up on water and make sure our emergency food is still good.
divF
You almost had the line from The Ringworld Engineers: “Uneasy sits the butt that bears the boss.”
opiejeanne
@Mnemosyne: heck, I’m thinking about buying charcoal, canned beans and fruit, water, those small dry salamis, and several other things we can eat if we lose power for a prolonged period. A friend in Big Bear says the power was out because of the fire and Edison said up to 48 hours before they can get everything running again. He said there was talk of rolling blackouts and his power was on for half an hour this evening.
Quinerly
@joel hanes:
You are correct on the big picture narrative. My comment taken a bit out of context though. Not into rehashing the rehash. But it shouldn’t take the economy tanking, a hurricane killing people, and/or an ill conceived war by the other side….for us as Dems to win. I’m 56 years old, been around politics since I was 5…I’m sick of witnessing people voting against their interests. It shouldn’t take wishing for a mismanaged hurricane and deaths to break the voting against interests cycle…albeit briefly.
SgrAstar
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: No, but they’re already talking about repealing the 17th Amendment (direct election of Senators). And of course taking down the 14th. Unfortunately for everyone, achieving these goals has recently moved from “no way” to “distinctly possible.” I’d like to think we could block these efforts. What really worries me is that the level of hatred and spite on the right is just off the charts. Not sure how to fix that.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
my god, if that’s supposed to refer to me, it’s just incredibly, self-indulgently dishonest.
Quinerly
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
“events”
Anne Laurie
@divF: My old man first told me the title line around the time Larry Niven was in pre-school.
And he said he got it from his own father, or possibly Shakespeare.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Quinerly: you seem to think you’re making a point….
Mnemosyne
@Quinerly:
As far as Trump voters are concerned, they did vote for their interests. The problem is that their interests are in increasing racism, sexism, and/or xenophobia, and anything else is secondary.
Mnemosyne
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Leave Quinerly alone. She’s having a moment of despair. We’ve all had them in the last 7 months.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Mnemosyne: She accused me of “wishing for deaths.” Who should leave who alone?
divF
@Anne Laurie: Shakespeare’s version is from Henry IV, Part 2, “Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown”, from which the other two, no doubt, are derived. I just liked Niven’s version because of the alliteration.
Hkedi [Kang T. Q.]
@? ?? Goku (aka Junior G-Man) ? ?: That is astounding, this post… I don’t think I’ve ever seen somebody troll himself….
JR in WV
Folks, no one here wants another Katrina scale storm, nor another version of the 2008 depression. But with Dolt45 in charge, eventually something bad will happen, and unmanaged any such event could turn horrific in some way.
We need to be sure that everyone understand that President Dolt45 is in charge, is responsible for the current Federal government, and any failure of that government to manage a crisis so that it turns out the best it could possibly turn out is the fault of the Republicans who elected Dolt45, while possibly uncovering chicanery of a feloneous nature.
The crisis ideally might be just a whole bunch of felonies showing up with Dolt45’s family’s fingerprints all over it. Which would cause a long pause in managing things at the top level, the only level currently being manned. A big heat wave could turn out bad with nobody steering. A flu epidemic, a shortage of anything regulated.
TenguPhule
@Mnemosyne:
Then you haven’t been paying attention.
Shitstain Orange Fuckweasel left his own base out to dry after disasters.
Nobody is going to get help from the Feds for any natural disaster this year.
/Battens down the hatches for Hurricane season. We dodged a total of 14 hurricanes last year.
Quinerly
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I suggest you re read your comment that prompted my original comment to you. I took it literal, “Jim, Foolish LITERALIST.”
Quinerly
@Mnemosyne:
Thanks for jumping in. Appreciated, but certainly not needed. Apparently, “Jim, Foolish Literalist” is not be be taken literally when he lumps his “events” together. Some events cause scandal and prison…and some events cause death. Silly me for taking him literally.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Why don’t you do that and find me the part where I wished for deaths. You’re making even less sense the morning after.
Do you have some peculiar idea of what “event” means? observing that something happened is not, a to rational human being, the same thing as hoping it happens again.
Quinerly
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I’ll make this as clear as I possibly can for you. Read your original comment and my #107. Yes, events do change the course of mid term and general elections. Sounds like you are hoping for some. I am too. But It takes a special person to lump together a sex scandal, a corruption scandal, and a national disaster that destroyed hundreds of lives and communities. You are special.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Quinerly: That’s as clear as mud.
Why would I read your comment? It has absolutely fuck-all to do with what I said. I’m genuinely surprised at your stubborn dishonesty. You’re clinging to the lie that I said I was wishing for more deaths, and now you’ve expanded it. You can go back and explain how exactly you twisted (used advisedly) what I said to fit your outrage, refer if you like to whatever lunatic’s dictionary in your brain that gives the word “events” the evil implication that you seem to think justifies your nasty incoherence. Or aren’t you taking me “literal” anymore?
You made an acrobatic leap of bad faith to get on that high horse. That’s not on me. Enjoy the ride.