Balloon Juice - Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches Archives

GOP Venality Open Thread: Kiddie Concentration Camps, Not Polling Well

by Anne Laurie| June 24, 20195:55 pm| 108 Comments

This post is in: Crimes against humanity, Dolt 45, Immigration, Republican Venality, Republicans in Disarray!, Your Place Is In The Resistance, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches, Not Normal, Seriously

I’ve never asked you for a retweet, until now. https://t.co/oBZrSHvcbi

— feminist next door (@emrazz) June 24, 2019

WE NEED TO KEEP FIGHTING BACK – LOUDLY.

The only ones going are Democrats, and DHS won’t let them into the concentration camps. https://t.co/5TbS00sRyC

— Hesiod Theogeny (@Hesiod2k11) June 24, 2019

Interesting to see Trump supporters feigning concern about this https://t.co/4hyWZSHLVU

— EricaGrieder (@EricaGrieder) June 22, 2019

Small comfort for the children now suffering — or dead — but if ~~Senate Majority~~ House Minority Leader ‘There’s two people Putin is paying’ McCarthy and Erik ‘Voice of the Gated GOP Community’ Erikson are alternately blustering and pantomiming Christianist concern about Trump’s concentration camps… it’s not good news for conservatives.

Clearly the GOP had assumed that enough voters were indifferent to human suffering that they could afford to tickle ‘the Base’ by kicking the untermenschen. Fortunately for the survival of our GOP-battered commonwealth, they seem to have miscalculated. Trump folds when he’s put under pressure, especially the pressure of being publicly shamed… and Trump’s enablers know that the I-was-only-following-orders defense doesn’t work in courts of law.

Career people in the government now have to face that they may be asked to defend the abhorrently indefensible and decide if they can morally do that and even if they can, realize others Trump has asked similar of are now in jail.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 22, 2019

I’m OK with allowing the White House & DHS officials responsible for torturing children to go to DC area restaurants & eat in peace.*

*But only if they’re forced to eat uncooked frozen food, and not allowed to brush their teeth afterward.

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) June 22, 2019

Let’s not sanitize this: it was a deliberate decision by the White House to mistreat asylees. This is child torture as policy. The people responsible for this policy should be chained and sent to The Hague.

— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) June 22, 2019

So here’s what’s really interesting about this… Trump wouldn’t be doing this for political reasons if *wait for it* his own numbers didn’t show flagging support for him from within his most dedicated base. And that is a really interesting phenomenon. https://t.co/JUbkR5aiNn

— Liz Mair (@LizMair) June 22, 2019

Here are the possibilities-

??POTUS is so focused on his own survival he’s not paying attention to what is being done to children in the camps
??POTUS thinks torturing brown children plays well with his deplorables
??POTUS is a racist monster

There is no “good” explanation

— Schooley (@Rschooley) June 22, 2019

"Almost every child that I interviewed had family, parents, uncles, aunts, grandparents, siblings here in the United States who are waiting for them and are ready to care for them," says law prof Warren Binford, who visited a detention center in Clint, TX https://t.co/3FH7LjEb6B

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) June 23, 2019

EvenTheVerySeriouslyBipartisan NYTimes has jumped ship on this…

From the New York Times Editorial Board: https://t.co/bLSoFkEFKQ

— Caitlin Gibson (@CaitJGibson) June 24, 2019

GOP Venality Open Thread: Kiddie Concentration Camps, Not Polling WellPost + Comments (108)

GOP Venality Open Thread: If Only There Was Some Agency!...

by Anne Laurie| June 18, 20196:14 pm| 56 Comments

This post is in: Hail to the Hairpiece, Open Threads, Ever Get The Feeling You've Been Cheated?, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches, Our Failed Political Establishment

… Or if Leader McConnell allowed us any!…

It’s called a phone and the FBI https://t.co/7EaYq8n2qR

— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) June 18, 2019

Romney of the Uncanny Valley, peak functionality.

I'd even bet a former presidential candidate & current senator would be able to pull some strings and get through to the director of the FBI if needed

— H Incandenza (@BurkeThos) June 18, 2019

Gee, @mittromney, if only Mitch McConnell would let the Senate vote on exactly such a bill to protect American elections.

— Barbara (@RockingMotown) June 18, 2019

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Thursday Morning Open Thread: Mueller Drops the Mic

by Anne Laurie| May 30, 20195:43 am| 139 Comments

This post is in: Impeach the Motherfucker!, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Russiagate, All we want is life beyond the thunderdome, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches

“If we had had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said so.” —Special Counsel Robert Mueller pic.twitter.com/PKqiufo6z4

— CAP Action (@CAPAction) May 29, 2019

The exact opposite of what Barr said in that initial letter, and what Republicans have said since. https://t.co/hI6FQ4KUcB

— Mehdi Hasan (@mehdirhasan) May 29, 2019

As he exits, Mueller suggests only Congress can "formally accuse a sitting president of wrongdoing." https://t.co/Jds1Lhrskt

— Robert Costa (@costareports) May 29, 2019

NEW: Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "Many constituents want to impeach the president, but we want to do what is right, and what gets results. What gets results."

"The case has to be very compelling to the American people." https://t.co/gbjejBorhT pic.twitter.com/sV8yKuKIhT

— ABC News (@ABC) May 29, 2019

(The Washington Post: “40 House Democrats want to open an impeachment inquiry into Trump”. Plus Republican, for now, Justin Amash.)

The ball is in our court, Congress. https://t.co/idpQo1xItH

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) May 29, 2019

By slowplaying, she's gradually making Trump look worse without it seeming terribly partisan. His approval rating is down, and Democrats still have plenty of optionality for how to proceed later. https://t.co/uOozJUKzfE

— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) May 29, 2019

Mueller: Did ANYONE do the reading assignment?

Warren: [raises hand]
Mueller: Anyone OTHER than Elizabeth?

— Valerie Aurora (@vaurorapub) May 29, 2019

My takeaways from Mueller's statement:
1) Barr's summary was not an accurate depiction of the report;
2) Yeah, Trump probably committed some crimes;
3) Michael Wolff is full of S**t;
4) Please, for the love of God, Congress, don't subpoena me.

— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) May 29, 2019

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Open Thread: “A Clown Living on Credit”

by Anne Laurie| May 8, 20199:05 am| 110 Comments

This post is in: 2020 Elections, C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, Excellent Links, Open Threads, Republican Venality, Trump Crime Cartel, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches

Trump was propelled to the presidency, in part, by a self-spun narrative of business success and of setbacks triumphantly overcome. But 10 years of tax information paint a different & far bleaker, picture of his deal-making abilities & financial condition. https://t.co/JAvVAkuHH8

— Eugene Scott (@Eugene_Scott) May 7, 2019

Stories like this are why I subscribe, however grudgingly, to the NYTimes. Because *I* know Trump’s a deadbeat dependent on money laundering, and you know Trump’s a deadbeat, and even Melania knows better than to run up the family credit card — but until the bovine masses of Media Village Idiots and political horserace touts sense a shift in the conventional wisdom strong enough to rearrange their beloved formulas, it’s not enough.

I’m starting to think that aside from sus foreign loans, Trump is desperate to hide that even when he was making easy cash from NBC and the licensing deals that show spawned, he couldn’t manage his money worth a damn.

— Schooley (@Rschooley) May 8, 2019

Congrats to @realDonaldTrump on finally being the best at something! pic.twitter.com/lj74C1ovIg

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) May 7, 2019

Also, I’m meanly gleeful that this must be causing the Squatter-in-Chief pain…

As a narcissist, Trump’s worst nightmare is being exposed as unworthy of admiration.

His entire adult life has been an act to convince people he is someone his father would have loved.

This story is his worst outing: he’s a lifelong loser who failed at daddy’s business.

8/8

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) May 8, 2019

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Open Thread: “A Clown Living on Credit”Post + Comments (110)

Get mad, you sons of bitches

by DougJ| April 24, 20199:55 am| 169 Comments

This post is in: Get Angry, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches

This is what I wrote a little while about the House probes and it is coming true.

Pretty obvious what happens with House probes into Trump: Trump refuses to give them docs, witnesses refuse to testify, and the media blames it all on Democratic overreach.

You can take this to the bank. It's more likely than the sun rising tomorrow.

— Totebaggers4Schultz (@DougJBalloon) March 5, 2019

The way to win in 2020 is through sheer, unbridled anger. I’m going to start fundraising in earnest soon. For now, I think nominee funds for the Senate, money for the Virginia races, and money to vulnerable House incumbents are the way to go. I’ll have a list for the last soon.

For now, here’s the Senate nominee fund (I chose the most vulnerable Republican incumbents, but you can pick and choose which exact states among those to give to)

Give here to Virginia Democrats. Their state legislature elections this fall are the most important state elections on my radar.

And don’t forget to vote your ass off in local elections this year if you have them.

Update.

Baby pictures.

Get mad, you sons of bitchesPost + Comments (169)

Noo Yawk Knife Fight Open Thread: Nadler v Trump

by Anne Laurie| April 10, 201912:43 am| 23 Comments

This post is in: C.R.E.A.M., Dolt 45, Open Threads, Proud to Be A Democrat, Trump Crime Cartel, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches

I have yet to hear one good reason why @RepJerryNadler should not be permitted to immediately view the complete Mueller report.

The House has full impeachment power, and Nadler chairs the committee that has jurisdiction over impeachment. https://t.co/uPJyuj4Z0s

— Renato Mariotti (@renato_mariotti) April 8, 2019

"Fat Jerry," Trump recently told GOP lawmakers of Judiciary chair Jerry Nadler, before telling the group about Nadler's weight loss surgery. "I've battled Nadler for years." Inside a fight that began over NYC real estate and now shapes DC, w/@rachaelmbade: https://t.co/Xo8BWkId2Q

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) April 8, 2019

There is no feud like a NYC feud, especially one between a politico and a developer. NYCers — as an expat, I can say this — cherish a decades-long, no-holds-barred contest between two powerful enemies:

Assembling a group of House Republicans at the White House to talk trade last month, President Trump suddenly launched into a tirade about the congressman leading an extensive investigation into his presidency: his New York antagonist, Rep. Jerrold Nadler….

“I’ve been battling Nadler for years,” Trump told the GOP lawmakers, who were embarrassed by the outburst, according to several individuals in the room who spoke on the condition of anonymity to freely discuss the remarks.

Trump and Nadler are currently the main foes in a constitutional clash over executive power, as Nadler aggressively moves to investigate the president’s conduct and weighs whether to hold impeachment proceedings. But Trump’s jabs at Nadler were a fresh reminder that the animosity between the two native New Yorkers is personal as well as political — rooted in a decades-old fight over a tract of New York City real estate.

The feud between Trump, 72, and Nadler, 71, began in the 1980s when Nadler, a New York state assemblyman and later congressman, proved to be a major obstacle to a vast development project that Trump envisioned for Manhattan’s West Side, Nadler’s turf.

“Jerry was on him from Day One,” said Linda Rosenthal, a former Nadler aide who later won his state Assembly seat. “He keenly understood that this was a man who would try to get the government to pay for all his mostly bollixed attempts at development . . . His casinos failed. He lost money on deals. He left the banks on the hook for his bad financial plans. . . . He was just such a braggart and such an insincere person, but Jerry saw through that.”

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Barr-Retort Open Thread: Professor Krugman Is (Once Again) Tired of You People

by Anne Laurie| April 6, 201911:51 am| 172 Comments

This post is in: Open Threads, Republican Venality, All Too Normal, DC Press Corpse, Get Mad You Sons Of Bitches

(D.B. Echo at Another Monkey)
.

I've really tried to stay away from the Mueller beat. But everyone should realize that the leaks we're now getting about a deeply damaging report have a different standing from usual inside reporting: they have to be presumed true until proven false 1/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) April 4, 2019

And I truly hope that many media people are feeling chastened. From the beginning, every story should have said "Barr claims that Mueller report says …", not that "report says" – and in fact skepticism about Barr's portrayal should have been there from day one 3/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) April 4, 2019

Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me 4,755 times? Shame on me. What the heck were the media thinking? 5/ https://t.co/8rVuUHf6q3

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) April 4, 2019

Oh, and PS: Please don't report that Democrats "requested" Trump's tax returns, or anything like that. They demanded the returns, to which they are legally entitled. Failure to deliver them is just breaking the law 6/

— Paul Krugman (@paulkrugman) April 4, 2019

Good supplementary thread (click on a tweet to read the whole thread):

The crescendo of furious gaslighting following Barr's propaganda summary suggests a plan was place to exploit the gap between the submission of the report and public revelation of what's in it to delegitimize Mueller's actual findings and the ongoing investigations.

— Will Wilkinson ?? (@willwilkinson) March 25, 2019

Our idiot media still isn't capable of understanding how to not be co-opted by Trump's reality-bending propaganda machine, and continues to get played like a burgled Stradivarius.

— Will Wilkinson ?? (@willwilkinson) March 25, 2019

Barr-Retort Open Thread: Professor Krugman Is (Once Again) Tired of You PeoplePost + Comments (172)

Consistently wrong since 2002

Not so fun when the rabbit gets the gun, is it?

The words do not have to be perfect.

Americans barely caring about Afghanistan is so last month.

A last alliance of elves and men. also pet photos.

Teach a man to fish, and he’ll sit in a boat all day drinking beer.

I’d try pessimism, but it probably wouldn’t work.

It’s time for the GOP to dust off that post-2012 autopsy, completely ignore it, and light the party on fire again.

Speaking of republicans, is there a way for a political party to declare intellectual bankruptcy?

This really is a full service blog.

T R E 4 5 O N

Accused of treason; bitches about the ratings. I am in awe.

All your base are belong to Tunch.

Republicans are radicals, not conservatives.

Battle won, war still ongoing.

Incompetence, fear, or corruption? why not all three?

The next time the wall street journal editorial board speaks the truth will be the first.

The cruelty is the point; the law be damned.

Insiders who complain to politico: please report to the white house office of shut the fuck up.

Second rate reporter says what?

The worst democrat is better than the best republican.

Let’s not be the monsters we hate.

JFC, are there no editors left at that goddamn rag?

We still have time to mess this up!