Is this just a random hipster brewery name, or are they making a comment on the gaggle of dolts that John wrote about earlier? Your call. Open thread
Open Thread: But HER HAIR WAS PERFECT
Ivanka Trump, daughter of #US president sits in for her father at G-20 world leaders table. pic.twitter.com/YEZ4a2dc2f
— Rudaw English (@RudawEnglish) July 8, 2017
Telling that pic of Ivanka at G-20 table was posted by Russian staff. Russians knew would: 1. be deemed controversial; 2. get us going in US
— Ana Navarro (@ananavarro) July 8, 2017
This is my 5th or 6th #G20 I’ve covered: Seen ministers sub in for leaders; never seen a family member/advisor/non-cabinet sub in.
— David Akin (@davidakin) July 8, 2017
The Washington Post:
… The first daughter was spotted slipping into Trump’s seat at a working session on “Partnership with Africa, Migration and Health,” putting her shoulder to shoulder with British Prime Minister Theresa May. Russian President Vladimir Putin was sitting one seat down.
Trump’s presence at the high-level table was somewhat unusual, given that government ministers or senior officials are typically the ones called to stand in for heads of state at such sessions. But she is both the president’s daughter and an unpaid “assistant to the president” who focuses on issues of women’s empowerment and workplace development, and she maintains broad influence in the administration…
It isn’t the first time Ivanka Trump has participated in high-level meetings at the summit. On Thursday night, she and her husband, Jared Kushner, another Trump adviser, joined the president at a bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Kushner also participated in Trump’s bilateral meeting with Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto on Friday.
Asked about Ivanka Trump’s presence at the table on Saturday, Merkel did not weigh in on whether it was appropriate, but she said that the decisions about who sits at the table should be left to the American delegation…
and if I'm seeming particularly left it might be cuz an unelected heiress to a money laundering hotel chain represented a "democracy" today.
— zedediah springfield (@ZeddRebel) July 8, 2017
This a totally normal thing that regular countries do, like Saudi Arabia or Westeros https://t.co/rXwr4sGCQa
— Ike Barinholtz (@ikebarinholtz) July 8, 2017
Having Princess Ivanka represent US at G20 table a slap in face to other G20 leaders, other top admin officials, American people. Grotesque.
— David Rothkopf (@djrothkopf) July 8, 2017
Ivanka Trump, unelected, unqualified, daughter-in-chief, is representing the US at the G20 summit next to May, Xi, Merkel. Photo @LanaLukash pic.twitter.com/fvs0EMy8z7
— Brian Klaas (@brianklaas) July 8, 2017
Coda – Shut up, Donnie, we think even less of you than your daddy does:
If the left is so "outraged" about Ivanka sitting in for a few minutes, maybe they'd be happier if I sub in for a while??? LMK ???? #MAGA https://t.co/Tfr1u8HSF3
— Donald Trump Jr. (@DonaldJTrumpJr) July 8, 2017
Afternoon Open Thread
This is an older photo of the pups. We’ve been so busy and they are always on the move…or asleep, it’s difficult to get a good photo. But they look pretty much like that all the time. The backyard has transformed – all the plants and landscaping have been replaced by heavy duty grass for play. And most of the plants relocated to the front yard. I’ve added blueberries to the patio, some hanging baskets for color and of course the veggie garden and the grapevines are doing their thing. I’m heading out to weed….
I’ve been casting around for a pet sitter, because there is a lot of travel coming up and it seems we should probably have a professional around. The second one I contacted has two Danes of her own, so I think we may have found out match. We’ll see how our meet and greet goes. But I’m hopeful.
I’ll post this week’s recipes tonight and we will have a writing thread tomorrow – normal time.
What’s everyone up to this afternoon?
Open thread.
The wonk’s lament
One of my favorite people to follow on Twitter had the Wonk’s lament:
And now I have summarized my last decade of research in far fewer than 140 characters https://t.co/ERBpjfFsb7
— Sarah Gollust (@sarahgollust) July 5, 2017
D58826 in comments earlier this week expresses the wonk’s lament from the other side:
At the end of the day most non-policy wonks view healthcare and heath ins. as ‘when it hurts make it better’ and ‘don’t let my child die’ and I don’t care what it costs.
I realize at the policy level all the things David talks about are important but most people look at it like they look at the ‘in case of emergency break glass’ fire extinguisher. They aren’t really into the details.
And that is true. The job of a wonk who gives a damn is to take the complex, the confusing and the nuanced and make sure that when needed, the fire extinguisher works right and it works well. Everything else is a detail. So we geek out about corner cases, we write monographs and op-eds and journal articles. We talk to our fellow wonks. We convince John to give the keys to his blog to some random health insurance plumber who won’t shut up about health policy for almost four years running.
And if we do our job well, it should be expressable to the interested, lay public, as 140 characters and it should lead to better lives and better outcomes.
Open thread….
Saturday Morning Open Thread: Rashamon, Rash o’ Liars
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We’ve survived worse, but yesterday sure felt like a low point in American history. Of course I knew Republican corporatists would be happy to sell the country to anyone who offered, but I figured at least they’d set a higher price. Guess they read the ‘thirty pieces of silver’ story from that holy book they all claim to revere, and figured it would be disrespectful to their role model to ask for more…
Apart from mourning / #Resisting, what’s on the agenda for the day?
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Tillerson: "There was a very clear positive chemistry between the two…There was not a lot of relitigating things from the past."
— Jeff Zeleny (@jeffzeleny) July 7, 2017
Both the fence and the burglar agreed there was no need to relitigate who the TV belonged to.
— David Frum (@davidfrum) July 7, 2017
Tillerson also said the two presidents agreed not to meddle in each other's domestic affairs. This is a huge PR win for Putin. Incalculable.
— Molly McKew (@MollyMcKew) July 7, 2017
Tillerson suggests that with Russia, "on some issues maybe they have the right approach and we have the wrong approach."
— Josh Kraushaar (@HotlineJosh) July 7, 2017
Even if you accept Tillerson readout, Trump never threatened Russia with punishment for past or future election interference. Big Putin win.
— Max Boot (@MaxBoot) July 7, 2017
POTUS' inexplicable refusal to confirm Russian election interference insults career intel pros & hinders our ability to prevent in future.
— Sally Yates (@SallyQYates) July 7, 2017
Agree completely. CIA, NSA, FBI with DNI have "high confidence" Putin directed effort to "undermine public faith in US democratic process" https://t.co/ludVou2qYf
— David S. Cohen (@cohendavid) July 7, 2017
According to Lavrov, Trump told Putin some circles in America were "exaggerating" allegations of Russian interference in the US election.
— Steve Rosenberg (@BBCSteveR) July 7, 2017
To me the most significant part of the story is the utter absence of complaint from the “conservative,” “pro-defense” party. https://t.co/9KLYS611Tz
— James Fallows (@JamesFallows) July 7, 2017
The fact that the U.S. account of events is treated with as much skepticism as the Russian account is the consequence of Trump's lies
— Dan Pfeiffer (@danpfeiffer) July 8, 2017
Trump handed Putin a stunning victory https://t.co/OnPc3l7XDP via @POLITICOMag pic.twitter.com/72XiAEnTVh
— POLITICO (@politico) July 8, 2017
Not a "victory" if they're on the same side. Not a cyber "attack" if it's welcomed. The WH is aligned with Russia. We have to accept that. https://t.co/qL4Hecv7kf
— Brandon Friedman (@BFriedmanDC) July 8, 2017
Saturday Morning Open Thread: Rashamon, Rash o’ LiarsPost + Comments (168)
Late Night Open Thread
I’ve had a bit of a cold since yesterday, and that combined with the rain today, my early rude awakening from Steve, and I napped a fair bit this afternoon so I am up later than usual watching Game of Thrones again to prepare for the new season. I am also pleased to announce that the benevolent dictator who rules my house has once again chosen to grant me mercy:
I know everyone thinks they have the best cat in the world, but I really do.