"Are my methods unsound?" "I don't see any method at all, sir."
July 25, 2017 5:51 PM Subscribe
Pence Breaks Tie as Senate Votes to Begin Debating Obamacare Repeal
Here's a summary (single Pod Save America FB link) of what comes next (basically, 20 hours of debate, during which amendments can be proposed. First vote is repeal and delay for Rand Paul. Won't pass. Second vote will be on BCRA, with $100bn extra for Portman. Likely won't pass. Anything beyond that is anyone's guess, though the Senate Parliamentarian isn't making things easy for them).
Helpful summary on all the GOP healthcare bills.
(twitter thread explainer on "motion to proceed")
John McCain Is the Perfect American Lie
In other news:
Trump is ripping Jeff Sessions a new one, but won't say if he'll fire him.
Jeff "i'm just here for the racism" Sessions not only refuses to quit but decides to double down on hurting people with civil asset forfeiture and a crackdown on sanctuary cities.
Trump gave a batshit speech to the Boy Scouts last night where he bragged about his electoral victory and attacked Hillary and Obama.
Over to Russia:
Kushner: “All of my actions were proper.” "Nothing to hide." lol
Despite this, Ivanka lawyering up.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is dropping Manafort's subpoena after he met with the Senate Intel Committee behind closed doors.
A little good news though: The house has overwhelmingly passed a Russia sanctions bill which gives Congress the power to block any effort by the White House to weaken sanctions on Russia. It now goes back to the Senate, where it will probably pass, before going to Trump to either sign or veto.
Oh yeah, Spicey has resigned because he hates the new Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who has said he's going to deal with leaks by "firing everybody".
Special thanks to WTF Just Happened Today for many of the links, and also to kirkaracha for supplying the Apocalypse Now quote I used for the title in the last thread.
Here's a summary (single Pod Save America FB link) of what comes next (basically, 20 hours of debate, during which amendments can be proposed. First vote is repeal and delay for Rand Paul. Won't pass. Second vote will be on BCRA, with $100bn extra for Portman. Likely won't pass. Anything beyond that is anyone's guess, though the Senate Parliamentarian isn't making things easy for them).
Helpful summary on all the GOP healthcare bills.
(twitter thread explainer on "motion to proceed")
John McCain Is the Perfect American Lie
In other news:
Trump is ripping Jeff Sessions a new one, but won't say if he'll fire him.
Jeff "i'm just here for the racism" Sessions not only refuses to quit but decides to double down on hurting people with civil asset forfeiture and a crackdown on sanctuary cities.
Trump gave a batshit speech to the Boy Scouts last night where he bragged about his electoral victory and attacked Hillary and Obama.
Over to Russia:
Kushner: “All of my actions were proper.” "Nothing to hide." lol
Despite this, Ivanka lawyering up.
The Senate Judiciary Committee is dropping Manafort's subpoena after he met with the Senate Intel Committee behind closed doors.
A little good news though: The house has overwhelmingly passed a Russia sanctions bill which gives Congress the power to block any effort by the White House to weaken sanctions on Russia. It now goes back to the Senate, where it will probably pass, before going to Trump to either sign or veto.
Oh yeah, Spicey has resigned because he hates the new Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who has said he's going to deal with leaks by "firing everybody".
Special thanks to WTF Just Happened Today for many of the links, and also to kirkaracha for supplying the Apocalypse Now quote I used for the title in the last thread.
These threads are just about the only thing keeping me sane. Thank you from the bottom of my pointy little heart.
posted by piglord at 5:54 PM on July 25, 2017 [40 favorites]
posted by piglord at 5:54 PM on July 25, 2017 [40 favorites]
Well done, triggerfinger, and thank you.
posted by spitbull at 5:56 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 5:56 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals
*WE REQUIRE MORE MINERALS*
posted by aiglet at 5:57 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
*WE REQUIRE MORE MINERALS*
posted by aiglet at 5:57 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
Bernie fucking Sanders was on CNN just now doing the praising McCain thing - it's a fucking sickness.
posted by Artw at 5:58 PM on July 25, 2017 [51 favorites]
posted by Artw at 5:58 PM on July 25, 2017 [51 favorites]
When the Republicans meet their maker they will be asked what they did that his only Son, who He sent down to Earth to die as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, asked of them.
When he shows them the deliberate murder of hundreds of thousands they will be found wanting.
They better hope that said maker is a myth because vengeance will be his and he assures us that he will repay.
posted by Talez at 5:59 PM on July 25, 2017 [20 favorites]
When he shows them the deliberate murder of hundreds of thousands they will be found wanting.
They better hope that said maker is a myth because vengeance will be his and he assures us that he will repay.
posted by Talez at 5:59 PM on July 25, 2017 [20 favorites]
Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals
Alternate headline: TRUMP INDEPENDENTLY REDISCOVERS THE CONCEPT OF COLONIALISM, THINKS HE'S BRILLIANT.
posted by yasaman at 6:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [118 favorites]
Alternate headline: TRUMP INDEPENDENTLY REDISCOVERS THE CONCEPT OF COLONIALISM, THINKS HE'S BRILLIANT.
posted by yasaman at 6:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [118 favorites]
They're good rocks, Dan.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [36 favorites]
Everyone is giving McCain shit for voting for the motion to proceed, but he seems 100% positive that the debate is going to be a dumpster fire and nothing will pass.
I think there's an argument to be made for putting this thing out of its misery once and for all, and you're only going to do that by having an actual vote.
posted by empath at 6:03 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
I think there's an argument to be made for putting this thing out of its misery once and for all, and you're only going to do that by having an actual vote.
posted by empath at 6:03 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
empath, where are you seeing that?
posted by spitbull at 6:05 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 6:05 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
he seems 100% positive that the debate is going to be a dumpster fire and nothing will pass.
That's McCainian for "I'm voting for this."
posted by Rykey at 6:06 PM on July 25, 2017 [120 favorites]
That's McCainian for "I'm voting for this."
posted by Rykey at 6:06 PM on July 25, 2017 [120 favorites]
What happens right now? The Senate votes on a new version of the BCRA sometime in a half hour or so. They've made a bunch of significant changes, which nobody has read or analyzed because who knew this could be so complicated? There's some confusion, but there's a belief that it may require 60 votes because they haven't stripped the Byrdable stuff out nor have the amendments been scored, but nobody quite knows what shenanigans they're going to pull. Assuming that fails, onward to more amendments. Vox's flowchart is a good guide to the upcoming process.
Anyway, two folks spitting fire:
The Washington Post Editorial Board points out that there are bigger problems here than whether Jeff Sessions gets to keep his job: This is not okay
Anyway, two folks spitting fire:
The Washington Post Editorial Board points out that there are bigger problems here than whether Jeff Sessions gets to keep his job: This is not okay
WHEN PRESIDENT TRUMP attacked Attorney General Jeff Sessions in a tweet Tuesday for not aggressively investigating Hillary Clinton, most attention focused, understandably, on the implications for Mr. Sessions. Yet even more alarming than the president’s assault on his own attorney general is Mr. Trump’s return to the “lock her up” theme of his 2016 campaign. We need to recall, once again, what it means to live under the rule of law. Since his inauguration six months ago, so many comparisons have been made to “banana republics” that it is almost unfair to bananas. But there is a serious point to be made about the difference between the United States of America and a state ruled by personal whim.Jack Shafer: I’d Like to Report a Scam Against the Elderly: "Fox News has been conning older viewers for two decades. Now, it’s ensnared a president."
The Ailes demographic wants to be told that the world is going to hell, a message that harmonizes with the declining status and health many of them experience. The Ailes demographic wants simple and reductionist viewpoints on America’s cultural and policy dilemmas—from crime to immigration to taxes to war and trade. The Ailes demographic seeks the restoration of the social mores it remembers from its youth, and if the past can’t be restored it wants modern mores castigated. And it wants to be frightened and outraged. Fox almost never disappoints them.posted by zachlipton at 6:06 PM on July 25, 2017 [75 favorites]
It was the network’s dumb luck that Trump aged into its core audience as he reached the White House. Like so many of his fellow senior citizens, Trump now spends his golden years huddled at the Fox hearth, shouting Amen as it voices his resentments and disappointments. Only the hearth is in the White House. As news, real and not, travels from Fox’s lips to Trump’s tweets, we have the chance to see media history in the making. Presidents have, from time-to-time courted publications to advance a White House agenda or steered the news by feeding tips to columnists and reporters, but never before has a president so consistently echoed an outlet’s message.
Everyone is giving McCain shit for voting for the motion to proceed, but he seems 100% positive that the debate is going to be a dumpster fire and nothing will pass.
If McCain votes against it, I, friend, will eat my hat.
And apologize for doubting you.
Until then, I say "Bah!"
posted by greermahoney at 6:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [35 favorites]
If McCain votes against it, I, friend, will eat my hat.
And apologize for doubting you.
Until then, I say "Bah!"
posted by greermahoney at 6:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [35 favorites]
I'm flashing back to what I thought on 11/9: "This is worse than 9/11. It sounds hyperbolic, but more people will die as a result of tonight. And it can't be blamed on just 19 people."
I guess in this case you can blame it on just 51.
posted by Rhaomi at 6:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [50 favorites]
I guess in this case you can blame it on just 51.
posted by Rhaomi at 6:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [50 favorites]
I think there's an argument to be made for putting this thing out of its misery once and for all
Think we're going to need a serious change in the actual composition of Congress before "once and for all" is ever within reach. At the very least, we're going to need to get rid of McConnell.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
Think we're going to need a serious change in the actual composition of Congress before "once and for all" is ever within reach. At the very least, we're going to need to get rid of McConnell.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
That's McCainian for "I'm voting for this."
Of course. He's voting for the process, the civility of having the debate even though the core idea is evil. Not cartoonishly. Not bad supervillian. Straight up fucking Satan whispering in their ear level of ignoring what JC taught us evil. The fact that the bill as written has you have to kill a few hundred thousand people over the next decade seems to be just incidental to him to the integrity of the Senatorial process.
posted by Talez at 6:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
Of course. He's voting for the process, the civility of having the debate even though the core idea is evil. Not cartoonishly. Not bad supervillian. Straight up fucking Satan whispering in their ear level of ignoring what JC taught us evil. The fact that the bill as written has you have to kill a few hundred thousand people over the next decade seems to be just incidental to him to the integrity of the Senatorial process.
posted by Talez at 6:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
In case you missed lalex's comment last thread, the Dems have held New Hampshire Senate District 16. This is a crucial hold if the Dems are to flip the NH Senate in 2018.
Continuing the trend of Dems overperforming in these specials, Cavanaugh exceeded the '16 Dem by 8 points, and Clinton by 10 points.
Two more specials tonight, in MA and MS. Each should be an easy hold (D and R, respectively), but we shall see.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:10 PM on July 25, 2017 [30 favorites]
Continuing the trend of Dems overperforming in these specials, Cavanaugh exceeded the '16 Dem by 8 points, and Clinton by 10 points.
Two more specials tonight, in MA and MS. Each should be an easy hold (D and R, respectively), but we shall see.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:10 PM on July 25, 2017 [30 favorites]
When did he start saying "hell" this much? This is a pretty profane speech
A not uncommon progression in senile dementia.
posted by JackFlash at 6:14 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
A not uncommon progression in senile dementia.
posted by JackFlash at 6:14 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
"Hell" is a profanity babystep. He's using it to erode the norms of what he can and can't say in a stump speech until he gets to the holy grail of f-bombs and undisguised racial slurs.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:16 PM on July 25, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:16 PM on July 25, 2017 [36 favorites]
If McCain votes against it, I, friend, will eat my hat.
Sorry friend, but the MeFi Parliamentarian has clearly ruled that you must decorate a cake with those words and eat that. Preferably carrot cake.
posted by notyou at 6:16 PM on July 25, 2017 [53 favorites]
Sorry friend, but the MeFi Parliamentarian has clearly ruled that you must decorate a cake with those words and eat that. Preferably carrot cake.
posted by notyou at 6:16 PM on July 25, 2017 [53 favorites]
Sorry friend, but the MeFi Parliamentarian has clearly ruled that you must decorate a cake with those words and eat that. Preferably carrot cake
Well, yes - but I was going to make it in the shape of a hat. I wasn't going to eat a real hat because I'm not crazy.
posted by greermahoney at 6:18 PM on July 25, 2017 [42 favorites]
Well, yes - but I was going to make it in the shape of a hat. I wasn't going to eat a real hat because I'm not crazy.
posted by greermahoney at 6:18 PM on July 25, 2017 [42 favorites]
In the wake of Kushner's second day of closed-door testimony, the one thing that's clear is that the June 16th meeting was KGB Tradecraft 101 in running an influence operation: How Jared Kushner Helped the Russians Get Inside Access to the Trump Campaign
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [48 favorites]
Michael Hayden, the former head of the National Security Agency, told me that he was convinced the meeting was a classic “soft approach” by Russian intelligence. He cited a recent Washington Post article, by Rolf Mowatt-Larssen, that argued that the meeting “is in line with what intelligence analysts would expect an overture in a Russian influence operation to look like,” and that it may have been the “green light Russia was looking for to launch a more aggressive phase of intervention in the U.S. election.”P.S. The new thread's title is giving me flashbacks to a comment of mine from last October.
Hayden told me, “My god, this is just such traditional tradecraft.” He said that he has talked to people in the intelligence community about Mowatt-Larssen’s theory and that “every case officer I’ve pushed on this” agreed with it. “This is how they do it.” {emphasis added}
Hayden explained that the Russians would have learned several things from the approach. “Would they take the meeting?” he said. “So, then you get the willingness. No. 2, would they report the meeting?” Hayden suggested that Russian intelligence was sophisticated enough to know whether the Trump campaign reported the meeting to the F.B.I., which it didn’t. So, while Kushner claimed that the meeting was irrelevant, from a Russian intelligence perspective it would have been seen as a clear signal. “At the end, they have established that these guys are willing,” Hayden said, pausing. “How do I put this? They did not reject a relationship.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [48 favorites]
he seems 100% positive that the debate is going to be a dumpster fire and nothing will pass.
I also am pretty sure the debate will be a dumpster fire and it will not pass, but I can't remember if I get delicious cake if I'm right or wrong and how I appease the talismanic gods to be right.
posted by corb at 6:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
I also am pretty sure the debate will be a dumpster fire and it will not pass, but I can't remember if I get delicious cake if I'm right or wrong and how I appease the talismanic gods to be right.
posted by corb at 6:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
The 60 vote on BRCA + Cruz is happening now. Roll is being called.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:24 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:24 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Karzai gave the Lithium development to Japan, as I recall. Afghanistan has always been a source for Lapis Lazuli and many gems. Growing opium is a lot easier than mining, and low cost, high yield.
posted by Oyéah at 6:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 6:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals
yeah, the mineral is opium.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
yeah, the mineral is opium.
posted by sexyrobot at 6:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
I also am pretty sure the debate will be a dumpster fire and it will not pass, but I can't remember if I get delicious cake if I'm right or wrong and how I appease the talismanic gods to be right.Just make and have a delicious cake either way
At this point it's at least something to look forward to
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Regardless of what else happens, whatever they vote on will have been read. Because they are going to make the clerks read everything. Out loud. In full.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Growing opium is a lot easier than mining, and low cost, high yield.
And renewable.
posted by JackFlash at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
And renewable.
posted by JackFlash at 6:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
This whole rigmarole is utterly infuriating as a nominal Anglican. I really don't like to get all preachy because the Old Testament has some really ugly shit in there and religious sectarianism is ugly but JC clearly gave us three things to do specific to today's vote:
1) Heal the sick:
2) Help the poor:
3) Pay your god damn taxes:
Party of God, Jesus, and Christianity my fucking ass. These people were dragged up to that high mountain, promised all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and they couldn't get on their knees fast enough to worship the devil.
Even if I wanted to say the Lord's Prayer again I couldn't because there's a line in there:
"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Should I say that line any $deity that does exist would only ever exhibit contempt towards me because I cannot forgive what these people are doing, their sheer naked betrayal of the things JC taught us, and the nerve to try and claim His name in performing these evil acts.
God have mercy on their souls because I sure as hell wouldn't.
posted by Talez at 6:29 PM on July 25, 2017 [144 favorites]
1) Heal the sick:
Luke 9:1-2 New International Version (NIV)Healing anyone who needs it is right up there with spreading the fucking gospel. You got that? You spread the gospel you help sick people get better. JC said so. Right there.
9 When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases,
2 and he sent them out to proclaim the kingdom of God and to heal the sick.
2) Help the poor:
Mark 10:21-22 New International Version (NIV)We're not even asking for them to sell everything they have. Just a fucking pittance of investment profits.
21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”
22 At this the man's face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.
3) Pay your god damn taxes:
Mark 12:17 New International Version (NIV)Render unto Caesar. Pay your taxes.
17 Then Jesus said to them, “Give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s and to God what is God’s.”
And they were amazed at him.
Party of God, Jesus, and Christianity my fucking ass. These people were dragged up to that high mountain, promised all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor and they couldn't get on their knees fast enough to worship the devil.
Even if I wanted to say the Lord's Prayer again I couldn't because there's a line in there:
"Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.”
Should I say that line any $deity that does exist would only ever exhibit contempt towards me because I cannot forgive what these people are doing, their sheer naked betrayal of the things JC taught us, and the nerve to try and claim His name in performing these evil acts.
God have mercy on their souls because I sure as hell wouldn't.
posted by Talez at 6:29 PM on July 25, 2017 [144 favorites]
People are going to have to pick one, here. Either McCain is sick enough that we should be 'respectful' and stop calling him a spineless republican turd, or he is well enough to bloviate around the Senate about his own strict jelly-like principles and how they justify voting to move ahead with destroying healthcare.
posted by the agents of KAOS at 6:30 PM on July 25, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by the agents of KAOS at 6:30 PM on July 25, 2017 [21 favorites]
Two short things before I have to go back to work:
1. How can Jared Kushner's line actually be, "I didn't collude, I was just too stupid to notice it was happening across a conference room table from me?" Like, that's not actually better, brah.
2. Senate Republicans are craven immoral cowards (Sens Murkowski and Collins excepted).
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:33 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
1. How can Jared Kushner's line actually be, "I didn't collude, I was just too stupid to notice it was happening across a conference room table from me?" Like, that's not actually better, brah.
2. Senate Republicans are craven immoral cowards (Sens Murkowski and Collins excepted).
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:33 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
I also am pretty sure the debate will be a dumpster fire and it will not pass, but I can't remember if I get delicious cake if I'm right or wrong
You eat cake if you're wrong. You're supposed to put your words on it first.
posted by diogenes at 6:33 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
You eat cake if you're wrong. You're supposed to put your words on it first.
posted by diogenes at 6:33 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
The 60 vote on BRCA + Cruz is happening now. Roll is being called.
Well, here I am watching C-SPAN at work for the first time ever. Norms are well and gone.
posted by greermahoney at 6:34 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
Well, here I am watching C-SPAN at work for the first time ever. Norms are well and gone.
posted by greermahoney at 6:34 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
Senate Republicans are craven immoral cowards (Sens Murkowski and Collins excepted).
Murkowski and Collins don't get bravery badges for using the two available "No" votes. Save your respect for when and if they make a vote without McConnel's permission.
posted by diogenes at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [50 favorites]
Murkowski and Collins don't get bravery badges for using the two available "No" votes. Save your respect for when and if they make a vote without McConnel's permission.
posted by diogenes at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [50 favorites]
God have mercy on their souls because I sure as hell wouldn't.
Lyle Lovett has a wonderful song called "God Will," the chorus of which goes, referring to forgiveness, "God does, but I don't/God will, but I won't/and I guess that's the difference/between God and me." (superb live version)
posted by spitbull at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [18 favorites]
Lyle Lovett has a wonderful song called "God Will," the chorus of which goes, referring to forgiveness, "God does, but I don't/God will, but I won't/and I guess that's the difference/between God and me." (superb live version)
posted by spitbull at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [18 favorites]
MOTION FAILS
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Hey, remember how McCain gave that fiery speech where he said he was opposed to the bill but would vote to proceed anyway? Turns out he wasn't so opposed after all; he just voted to waive the Budget Act for BCRA 3.0. What a joke.
This isn't passing, as it requires 60 votes, but yeah, the handful of people who somehow still believed he meant a word of that speech should reconsider.
posted by zachlipton at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [45 favorites]
This isn't passing, as it requires 60 votes, but yeah, the handful of people who somehow still believed he meant a word of that speech should reconsider.
posted by zachlipton at 6:35 PM on July 25, 2017 [45 favorites]
No surprise. The only way they're getting 60 votes is if they have someone's kids.
posted by corb at 6:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by corb at 6:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Special election update #2: The Dems have held Massachusetts Senate 4th Middlesex. Not a surprise, as there was no GOP opposition. Final numbers in a bit (MA's election website is not the Platonic ideal).
posted by Chrysostom at 6:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
According to the Vox flowchart, ORRA (repeal) comes before BCRA (repeal and replace) in the voting order. But this article in The Hill says:
posted by chortly at 6:37 PM on July 25, 2017
Repeal and replace is being offered as a "secondary amendment" to an amendment on the 2015 repeal bill. Under Senate procedure, lawmakers need to vote on the repeal-and-replace proposal first, before then voting on the repeal-only amendment.So is the latter what's actually happening? They seem to be doing BCRA(+Cruz) first, and then presumably ORRA? And then we go to the vote-a-rama, where virtually everything is voted down except for some sort of "skinny" bill that clears the reconciliation (deficit-lowering) criterion? And given that, does anyone know how the vote-a-rama will be ordered? Will the "skinny" option come last, after perhaps dozens of other amendments have been shot down? Does any known amendment from R or D have a chance of sticking?
posted by chortly at 6:37 PM on July 25, 2017
Why the fuck is anyone giving John Fucking McCain the tiniest fucking shred of a benefit of a doubt at this point?
Just ... stop.
Stop.
posted by tocts at 6:38 PM on July 25, 2017 [79 favorites]
Just ... stop.
Stop.
posted by tocts at 6:38 PM on July 25, 2017 [79 favorites]
This isn't passing, as it requires 60 votes, but yeah, the handful of people who somehow still believed he meant a word of that speech should reconsider.
Surprisingly, the Crooked Media guys (Lovett and Favreau) were in the "maybe McCain really meant it" camp this afternoon, and were giving people a hard time about being cynical and skeptical about it. Nice hot takes guys!
posted by diogenes at 6:38 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
Surprisingly, the Crooked Media guys (Lovett and Favreau) were in the "maybe McCain really meant it" camp this afternoon, and were giving people a hard time about being cynical and skeptical about it. Nice hot takes guys!
posted by diogenes at 6:38 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
Here's the thing: McCain could have easily sat this one out. He just had frickin' brain surgery at age 80 (!) in a city two-and-a-half time zones away. No one could or would say one cross word about it. But no. That's not what he did. What he did was drag his post-operative ass 2,000 miles from Phoenix to DC just to make sure this shit-show proceeded as planned. Great work, buddy.
posted by mhum at 6:40 PM on July 25, 2017 [122 favorites]
posted by mhum at 6:40 PM on July 25, 2017 [122 favorites]
Is this a good place to drop a line that the Texas Senate just passed a trans discrimination bill? It has to pass the house, which right now is looking highly unlikely, owing mostly to the Republican Houser Speaker, Joe Strauss, who is making his stance very clear on this issue that the bill will NOT make it to the house floor for a vote (if he has his way it will never leave committee). So here's hoping Strauss can keep the Texas GOP at bay :-(
posted by Annika Cicada at 6:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [52 favorites]
posted by Annika Cicada at 6:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [52 favorites]
Literally the best one can hope for from McCain at this point is that he is intending to Darth Vader-style throw the emperor down a hole with his dying breaths, as he finally realizes that in order to put country before party, he has to occasionally not act in complete lockstep with his party
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me eleventy billion times, shame on John McCain.
That said, we're at least seven Republican votes down on BCRA 3.0 (Heller, Collins, Corker, Graham, Pual, Moran, Murkowski), which gives you a pretty good idea why we didn't just have a straight vote on it.
posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
That said, we're at least seven Republican votes down on BCRA 3.0 (Heller, Collins, Corker, Graham, Pual, Moran, Murkowski), which gives you a pretty good idea why we didn't just have a straight vote on it.
posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
I can't bring myself to favorite that, AC, but thanks for the update on its status.
posted by deludingmyself at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by deludingmyself at 6:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Here's the thing: McCain could have easily sat this one out. He just had frickin' brain surgery at age 80 (!) in a city two-and-a-half time zones away.
His passion for preening knows no bounds.
posted by diogenes at 6:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
His passion for preening knows no bounds.
posted by diogenes at 6:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
2017: When we rely on Texas Republican legislative leaders to protect civil rights
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
Graham and Corker...that's unexpected
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:48 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:48 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Can't get fooled again.
good times... so nice it was to have an only slightly malignant dofus president
posted by pjenks at 6:51 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
good times... so nice it was to have an only slightly malignant dofus president
posted by pjenks at 6:51 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
There is no way this process finds its way to 50 republican votes. It's not going to happen.
posted by empath at 6:56 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by empath at 6:56 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
When the Republicans meet their maker they will be asked what they did that his only Son, who He sent down to Earth to die as an atoning sacrifice for our sins, asked of them.
Do snarky MetaFilter comments count? I kinda went all in on those.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:57 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
This weekend I finally got around to reading the big New Yorker article on Texas, which has a lot about Joe Strauss and the awful bathroom bill. Really interesting article, for anyone who hasn't read it.
Also, this is pretty awful: Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls:
posted by triggerfinger at 6:58 PM on July 25, 2017 [21 favorites]
Also, this is pretty awful: Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls:
posted by triggerfinger at 6:58 PM on July 25, 2017 [21 favorites]
Also, this is pretty awful: Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls:
I see in the comments people saying Trump probably just made it up, but I guarantee it's something he read on Breitbart or some other hate site. Probably half-remembered, but it's what fuels people like Trump.
posted by cell divide at 7:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
I see in the comments people saying Trump probably just made it up, but I guarantee it's something he read on Breitbart or some other hate site. Probably half-remembered, but it's what fuels people like Trump.
posted by cell divide at 7:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
What the fuck do CNN keep Jeffery Lord around for? Surely they could just make a soundboard to do his job or something, it's so utterly rote. They think their going to catch him accidentally admitting something is batshit insane or something?
posted by Artw at 7:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Just to be clear, there are going to be a lot of votes. They're all significant, but the only vote that actually counts is whatever McConnell drops at the very end of the vota-a-rama, which can wipe out everything and substitute it with whatever he wants. That's currently expected Friday, maybe, but the timing will depend on just how many amendments Democrats start offering and whether McConnell thinks he can pass anything at all.
posted by zachlipton at 7:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [22 favorites]
Do we know what the bribes and/or kompromat for the flipping R's are yet?
The thing about espionage is usually people who get caught at helping the adversary did it for so little.
posted by ctmf at 7:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
The thing about espionage is usually people who get caught at helping the adversary did it for so little.
posted by ctmf at 7:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
Is there a link to anything about the votes to waive the Budget Act for BCRA?
posted by the agents of KAOS at 7:08 PM on July 25, 2017
posted by the agents of KAOS at 7:08 PM on July 25, 2017
There is no way this process finds its way to 50 republican votes. It's not going to happen.
I find your abundance of faith disturbing...
posted by XhaustedProphet at 7:08 PM on July 25, 2017 [32 favorites]
I find your abundance of faith disturbing...
posted by XhaustedProphet at 7:08 PM on July 25, 2017 [32 favorites]
If McCain votes against it, I, friend, will eat my hat.
I will eat ten hats. I will wear a cake as a hat and then eat it. I will feed my own head to a cake-shaped carnivorous hat. I will do all of these things for that single shred of decency and sanity.
posted by Behemoth at 7:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [55 favorites]
I will eat ten hats. I will wear a cake as a hat and then eat it. I will feed my own head to a cake-shaped carnivorous hat. I will do all of these things for that single shred of decency and sanity.
posted by Behemoth at 7:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [55 favorites]
There is no way this process finds its way to 50 republican votes. It's not going to happen.
They will. Watch them. The damage is done. The perception is there. The vulnerable Rs that wanted to avoid being labeled as murderers will now have to use some "I was for healthcare repeal before I was against it" bullshit to bamboozle the proles. McConnell at this point only need to vote-a-rama to settle some old debts and then send some zombie corpse of repeal to conference.
What comes out of conference will be truly horrifying. It cannot be filibustered and it will go straight to a floor vote in both houses. At that point we threaten Flake and Heller with a fury of a thousand suns (I intend to donate the full $2,700 to both their opponents in the midterms) and hope that Murkowski and Collins aren't going to flip for Flake and Heller.
If Collins flips on the final floor vote then in 2020 I will personally drive to Maine every weekend, doorknock against her, and I will loophole $5,400 into her opponent. I'm also going to send $2,700 to Gardner's opponent whoever they are.
I don't have unlimited resources to spend on quixotic Senate races but I'd love to send $2,700 to whoever goes up against Cruz if the polling looks good. This will not stand.
posted by Talez at 7:11 PM on July 25, 2017 [60 favorites]
They will. Watch them. The damage is done. The perception is there. The vulnerable Rs that wanted to avoid being labeled as murderers will now have to use some "I was for healthcare repeal before I was against it" bullshit to bamboozle the proles. McConnell at this point only need to vote-a-rama to settle some old debts and then send some zombie corpse of repeal to conference.
What comes out of conference will be truly horrifying. It cannot be filibustered and it will go straight to a floor vote in both houses. At that point we threaten Flake and Heller with a fury of a thousand suns (I intend to donate the full $2,700 to both their opponents in the midterms) and hope that Murkowski and Collins aren't going to flip for Flake and Heller.
If Collins flips on the final floor vote then in 2020 I will personally drive to Maine every weekend, doorknock against her, and I will loophole $5,400 into her opponent. I'm also going to send $2,700 to Gardner's opponent whoever they are.
I don't have unlimited resources to spend on quixotic Senate races but I'd love to send $2,700 to whoever goes up against Cruz if the polling looks good. This will not stand.
posted by Talez at 7:11 PM on July 25, 2017 [60 favorites]
Okay, the final in the Mass special is Dem 89.4%, Green-Rainbow 7.4%. No GOP opposition, so can't really draw direct conclusions (except insofar as no GOP candidate is something in itself).
posted by Chrysostom at 7:11 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:11 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
Here's a link to Senate roll-call vote results. It's not updated live, but it's got the motion to proceed from this afternoon.
McConnell will have a big round-up manager's amendment at the end--but it'll need to come up with 50 votes, too.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:12 PM on July 25, 2017
McConnell will have a big round-up manager's amendment at the end--but it'll need to come up with 50 votes, too.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:12 PM on July 25, 2017
Is there a link to anything about the votes to waive the Budget Act for BCRA?
Dylan Scott has you covered
thank you zach! (may I call you "zach"? I feel like we've gotten pretty tight.)
You can call me anything you'd like as long as you don't start a debate about gun control in my twitter mentions, because I think that finally, blessedly, just stopped.
posted by zachlipton at 7:12 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Dylan Scott has you covered
thank you zach! (may I call you "zach"? I feel like we've gotten pretty tight.)
You can call me anything you'd like as long as you don't start a debate about gun control in my twitter mentions, because I think that finally, blessedly, just stopped.
posted by zachlipton at 7:12 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
And today I learned, after looking at that vote link, that there's an Assistant Secretary for Terrorist Financing.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:15 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:15 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
Also, this is pretty awful: Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls:
Also from Daniel Dale: Here's the transcript of Trump boasting about his election performance in the middle of a tribute to a military hero:
posted by Room 641-A at 7:17 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
Also from Daniel Dale: Here's the transcript of Trump boasting about his election performance in the middle of a tribute to a military hero:
He served on the Tennessee for another four-and-a-half years, fighting in some of the greatest engagements in the Pacific Ocean.(Transcript of relevant section, a bit more of the speech at the tweet.)
After WW II, Bob and his wife Doris moved back to Ohio. Good choice, Bob. That is a good choice. I love this state. Remember at the beginning, they always said, there is no victory without Ohio. Right, Mr. Chairman? Boy, did we win Ohio, right? Remember? (Applause) And it wasn't like it was close. That was a -- that was a big one.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:17 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
Heller voted against BCRA with Cruz and the extra 200 billion put back into Medicaid. That's a good sign as it seems to be the "robust" repeal bill that was most likely to get his support. I think we're looking at Skinny Bill or nothing.
posted by Justinian at 7:19 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 7:19 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
(Note: Yes, it was a procedural vote and not a vote on the actual bill but if it fails the procedural vote it nevers comes to a full vote, so the BCRA vote was a proxy for the bill itself.)
posted by Justinian at 7:21 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 7:21 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
https://mobile.twitter.com/benwikler/status/890002518889115648
They're voting on BRCA tonight.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:22 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
They're voting on BRCA tonight.
posted by elsietheeel at 7:22 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Votes for the BCRA proxy: Capito and McCain. McCain claimed he opposed the bill not 6 hours ago. Fuck off, McCain.
posted by Justinian at 7:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [31 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 7:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [31 favorites]
Oh, it does come for a full vote but you need 60 votes to pass it now... I get it. *orders the Senate procedural book from Amazon*
posted by Justinian at 7:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 7:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Mr. Lipton if you're nasty.
posted by biogeo at 7:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 7:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
Heller's no vote is significant, but Capito voting for it is pretty significant too. If she bought into BCRA 3.0 on a meaningless symbolic vote, it seems pretty likely to me that she's up for voting for anything. I don't think we can count on her at all.
posted by zachlipton at 7:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:25 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
Also, this is pretty awful: Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls
I'm really hoping that someone out there is collecting soundbites like this, the pussy-grabbing one, the bleeding out of wherever... and is standing by ready to hack them onto the animatronic Trump at Disneyworld, if they ever actually build him.
posted by Mchelly at 7:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
I'm really hoping that someone out there is collecting soundbites like this, the pussy-grabbing one, the bleeding out of wherever... and is standing by ready to hack them onto the animatronic Trump at Disneyworld, if they ever actually build him.
posted by Mchelly at 7:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
I agree, zach, Capito's YES vote was also significant. But we only need one of Heller or Capito.
I am in no way comfortable with a 1 vote margin on killing tens of thousands of people over the next decade.
posted by Justinian at 7:28 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
I am in no way comfortable with a 1 vote margin on killing tens of thousands of people over the next decade.
posted by Justinian at 7:28 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
On the bright side McCain's immediate turnaround to vote for that shit comes soon enough for me to spit it at my deluded friends who still think he's "trying to kill it".
posted by the agents of KAOS at 7:28 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by the agents of KAOS at 7:28 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
https://mobile.twitter.com/benwikler/status/890002518889115648
They're voting on BRCA tonight
Also from Ben Winkler:
And then remember—protests everywhere this Saturday. Find one or start one at (link: http://ourlivesontheline.org) ourlivesontheline.org. 14/
posted by Room 641-A at 7:29 PM on July 25, 2017 [11 favorites]
They're voting on BRCA tonight
Also from Ben Winkler:
And then remember—protests everywhere this Saturday. Find one or start one at (link: http://ourlivesontheline.org) ourlivesontheline.org. 14/
posted by Room 641-A at 7:29 PM on July 25, 2017 [11 favorites]
I am in no way comfortable with a 1 vote margin on killing tens of thousands of people over the next decade.
It's tens of thousands a year. Estimates for the decade run from low six figures to a quarter million.
posted by Talez at 7:30 PM on July 25, 2017 [26 favorites]
It's tens of thousands a year. Estimates for the decade run from low six figures to a quarter million.
posted by Talez at 7:30 PM on July 25, 2017 [26 favorites]
Just to be clear, there are going to be a lot of votes. They're all significant, but the only vote that actually counts is whatever McConnell drops at the very end of the vota-a-rama, which can wipe out everything and substitute it with whatever he wants.
The vote that actually counts comes after that and is the vote against the status quo. This is always the last (significant) vote.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:32 PM on July 25, 2017
The vote that actually counts comes after that and is the vote against the status quo. This is always the last (significant) vote.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:32 PM on July 25, 2017
No GOP opposition, so can't really draw direct conclusions (except insofar as no GOP candidate is something in itself).
If this were another state, that might be significant, but this is Massachusetts. Although there are actual Republican legislators (Worcester County is pretty pink these days, if not quite outright red), it's amazing how many seats basically go without a Republican candidate.
posted by adamg at 7:34 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
If this were another state, that might be significant, but this is Massachusetts. Although there are actual Republican legislators (Worcester County is pretty pink these days, if not quite outright red), it's amazing how many seats basically go without a Republican candidate.
posted by adamg at 7:34 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Man, they'll change a font or some shit and McCain will jump right on board, toeing the party line as he has for 30 years, punctuated only by occasional hypocritical "maverick" grandstanding with zero substance behind it.
Very few senators have been as loyal to the GOP as McCain has, and that's that.
The Price of John McCain's Republican Loyalty
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:34 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Very few senators have been as loyal to the GOP as McCain has, and that's that.
The Price of John McCain's Republican Loyalty
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:34 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Oh, agreed in general. There hadn't been a GOP candidate in that district since 2012.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:35 PM on July 25, 2017
posted by Chrysostom at 7:35 PM on July 25, 2017
It's almost as if people can have multiple sides to their personalities. McCain can be a craven piece of trash who also happens to have a tragic cancer diagnosis and a history of being a big damn war hero. But let's be clear; actions are the only thing that matters, with the strongest weight given to recency. Voting for this garbage is a fitting epitaph for John McCain's career as a "maverick."
(Also, Bernie, stfu. You can just not lionize this asshole and just be quiet and respectful about his cancer diagnosis. That would be fine.)
posted by xyzzy at 7:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [32 favorites]
(Also, Bernie, stfu. You can just not lionize this asshole and just be quiet and respectful about his cancer diagnosis. That would be fine.)
posted by xyzzy at 7:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [32 favorites]
Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls
It's almost like he's completely batshit or something
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:37 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
McCain flew 23 bombing missions; taking away your healthcare ain't shit to him.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:38 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:38 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
Scaramucci has done his homework about interpreting Trump.
posted by loquacious at 7:40 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by loquacious at 7:40 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
Tonight, the president told a graphic tale about sadistic illegal immigrants torturing beautiful teen girls
It's almost like he's completely batshit or something
It's horrible, but my first thought was "I really didn't need to know how he jerks off."
posted by mrgoat at 7:40 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
It's almost like he's completely batshit or something
It's horrible, but my first thought was "I really didn't need to know how he jerks off."
posted by mrgoat at 7:40 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
McCain flew 23 bombing missions; taking away your healthcare ain't shit to him.
John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Healthcare doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.
posted by Talez at 7:41 PM on July 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
John McCain is an American hero & one of the bravest fighters I've ever known. Healthcare doesn't know what it's up against. Give it hell, John.
posted by Talez at 7:41 PM on July 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
Passage of the sanctions bill isn't "good news." It's going to lock in the sanctions, as well as US-Russia enmity, for a generation, like previous sanctions against Cuba and Iran (which, coincidently, are also being ratcheting up). Europe is now crafting legislative responses to protect the Nord Stream 2 pipeline from any impact of this legislation, and Russia is using the sanctions to develop domestic tech, manufacturing and agricultural production, as well as move even closer to China in military and economic realms. What good will expanding these sanctions and (effectively) making them permanent achieve?
posted by Auden at 7:41 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Auden at 7:41 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's almost like some people (on both sides?!) want the Cold War back.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 7:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
What good will expanding these sanctions and (effectively) making them permanent achieve?
It means Trump can't let Putin get away with his loot. Russia under Putin has not shown any sort of good faith to the West. There will be animosity and enmity, sanctions or not. When Putin is either deposed, buried, or decides to embrace the international community things can be revisited.
posted by Talez at 7:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [25 favorites]
It means Trump can't let Putin get away with his loot. Russia under Putin has not shown any sort of good faith to the West. There will be animosity and enmity, sanctions or not. When Putin is either deposed, buried, or decides to embrace the international community things can be revisited.
posted by Talez at 7:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [25 favorites]
In the year 2000, I was living in South Carolina. I voted in the Republican primaries that year, and cast exactly one vote, which was also the very first vote I ever cast for a Republican. I voted for John McCain over George W Bush in the primary because Bush ran a shocking, terrible, under-handed, racist campaign against McCain and I was so appalled that I wanted to do anything I could to help make sure he didn't get the nomination.
As history has proven, that was pointless.
I've voted for Republicans several times since, each time thinking that maybe this one would be different from all the others. Each time, without fail, I have been disappointed and ended up regretting it. But, for some reason, I never regretted that vote for McCain.
Today, the great American war hero John McCain rose up from his brain cancer deathbed, where he is receiving top notch medical care paid for by the American people, and voted in lock step with those who want to strip that very same health care from millions of Americans simply to provide a tax cut to the rich.
And tonight, for the first time, I regret that vote I cast a little over 17 years ago, as I do all the others.
Fuck John McCain. And fuck the whole Republican party.
That's all I'm saying tonight. All I have left after that is just sputtering, incoherent rage.
posted by jammer at 7:45 PM on July 25, 2017 [108 favorites]
As history has proven, that was pointless.
I've voted for Republicans several times since, each time thinking that maybe this one would be different from all the others. Each time, without fail, I have been disappointed and ended up regretting it. But, for some reason, I never regretted that vote for McCain.
Today, the great American war hero John McCain rose up from his brain cancer deathbed, where he is receiving top notch medical care paid for by the American people, and voted in lock step with those who want to strip that very same health care from millions of Americans simply to provide a tax cut to the rich.
And tonight, for the first time, I regret that vote I cast a little over 17 years ago, as I do all the others.
Fuck John McCain. And fuck the whole Republican party.
That's all I'm saying tonight. All I have left after that is just sputtering, incoherent rage.
posted by jammer at 7:45 PM on July 25, 2017 [108 favorites]
Also, I still have my bet on a Trump controlled organization being the mysterious Rosneft minority owner.
posted by Talez at 7:46 PM on July 25, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by Talez at 7:46 PM on July 25, 2017 [20 favorites]
Matt Fuller, Senate whisperer, thinks they'll pass some sort of skinny repeal: Senate Republicans Vote Down BCRA, But Look Poised To Pass Something
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on July 25, 2017 [23 favorites]
But the GOP’s hopes of passing some bill ― any bill ― were alive and well Tuesday night, with a scaled-down version of repeal looking increasingly in good shape after leadership revealed their plan earlier in the day of passing a “skinny repeal” if lawmakers agreed to open debate.Note that the only criteria is "50 of us agree," rather than anything resembling a policy or something that is good for the country.
At this point, the idea is for Republicans to just pass this smaller repeal ― which will likely get rid of the individual and employer mandates, as well as a medical devices tax ― and enter into a conference with the House so that Republicans can come up with some larger repeal-and-replace measure later.
At least that’s how Republican leaders have articulated the plan.
There’s an incredible amount of uncertainty over the legislation, which hasn’t technically even been written, and there’s a fair amount of bad faith. Senate Republican leaders kept their members, Senate Democrats, and the public in the dark about their plan to vote on a smaller version of repeal for weeks. There’s little reason to believe Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) isn’t working on alternative legislation now in case the skinny repeal runs into trouble ― or, conversely, if he sensed that a bigger deal were within reach.
Asked why Republicans were doing this smaller bill Tuesday, Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-Texas) made it clear that leadership was largely making up the plan as they go.
“Who knows what the final bill will look like?” Cornyn said Tuesday. “I’d be happy to have a comprehensive bill that 50-plus senators agree to, but if we can’t, then the idea would be to come up with a core of pieces that 50 of us agree on so we can get to a conference.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on July 25, 2017 [23 favorites]
I don't have unlimited resources to spend on quixotic Senate races but I'd love to send $2,700 to whoever goes up against Cruz if the polling looks good. This will not stand.
Beto O'Rourke. Can't post links to his campaign site, I'm on my phone. I'm pretty enthusiastically on Team Beto though.
posted by scalefree at 7:52 PM on July 25, 2017 [13 favorites]
Beto O'Rourke. Can't post links to his campaign site, I'm on my phone. I'm pretty enthusiastically on Team Beto though.
posted by scalefree at 7:52 PM on July 25, 2017 [13 favorites]
Passage of the sanctions bill isn't "good news." It's going to lock in the sanctions, as well as US-Russia enmity, for a generation
Putin has already baked this in for a generation, or at least until his death, with his elections hijinks.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:54 PM on July 25, 2017 [24 favorites]
Putin has already baked this in for a generation, or at least until his death, with his elections hijinks.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:54 PM on July 25, 2017 [24 favorites]
I'm pretty sure Trump was talking about this MS13 murder from a couple weeks ago (cbs link). Still a disgusting thing to tar all immigrants with, but a version of it did apparently happen (though not sure of any of the peoples immigration status, not going down the Fox News hole to find out).
posted by gatorae at 7:55 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by gatorae at 7:55 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm getting really sick of being accused of McCarthyism or bringing back the "Cold War" just for having some legitimate critiques of The Russian government and their meddling in our election/horrific anti-gay shit/what they've done in Ukraine. For one thing it diminishes the real victims of McCarthy. Sanctions may or may not work, but the idea that we should just let Russia get away with what they have done to our democracy is henious.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:57 PM on July 25, 2017 [59 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:57 PM on July 25, 2017 [59 favorites]
McCain's doctor has told him to get plenty of rest unless he wants to stay up until 5am depriving Americans of affordable health care
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:58 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:58 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm getting really sick of being accused of McCarthyism
McCarthyism was based on a clash of ideologies. Today's Russian president and today's American president have the same ideology.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [27 favorites]
McCarthyism was based on a clash of ideologies. Today's Russian president and today's American president have the same ideology.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [27 favorites]
I never thought I'd say something positive about Mitch McConnell but watching McCain today makes me appreciate somebody who will (metaphorically) stab you in the FRONT.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 8:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by LastOfHisKind at 8:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
I get that we need to do something about the Russian government, but I mean, I'm just wondering when we're going to learn that sanctions don't work unless they are nearly total in scope and participation, as they were against apartheid-era South Africa. Like we ought to have learned long after Iraq, sanctions don't hurt authoritarians; they embolden them, while hurting ordinary people trying to live their lives, which more often than not just rallies them behind the regime in their Us v Them narrative. I have friends and loved ones who are Russian, who are hurting badly because of these sanctions. Putin and co are not. What are average Russians to do, protest? We've all seen how that plays out. We need to strike back against foreign intervention, to be sure, but sanctions are effectively targeting civilians while the elite they're intended to hurt are able to spin them to shore up their power further.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:01 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
The other option would appear to be military action against an aggressive nuclear power, Aya Hirano. What else is there besides economic or military leverage?
posted by Justinian at 8:02 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:02 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
If Collins flips on the final floor vote then in 2020 I will personally drive to Maine every weekend, doorknock against her, and I will loophole $5,400 into her opponent.
You can stay at my house.
posted by anastasiav at 8:02 PM on July 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
You can stay at my house.
posted by anastasiav at 8:02 PM on July 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
My understanding is that the sanctions are targeted to make it harder for people to move lots of money out of Russia -- the sort of thing that would be of deep concern to ultra-wealthy oligarchs and not really an issue for ordinary Russian citizens.
I don't know a ton about the specifics though so I'm happy to be corrected if this is inaccurate.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
I don't know a ton about the specifics though so I'm happy to be corrected if this is inaccurate.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
^^^ Or mine.
posted by virago at 8:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by virago at 8:07 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
Some wise words on avoiding in-fighting and the urge to criticize people’s activism from the Lesbian Avengers and ACT UP activists.
“Lessons from the Last Fight” in Harper’s Magazine’s “Trump: A Resister’s Guide”
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:08 PM on July 25, 2017 [58 favorites]
“Lessons from the Last Fight” in Harper’s Magazine’s “Trump: A Resister’s Guide”
One of ACT UP’s most important principles was simultaneity of action. ACT UP never worked by consensus, never demanded the full agreement of all its members for any individual action to go forward. If you wanted to get arrested doing needle exchange as a way of bringing attention to the necessity of clean-needle programs, you could do that. If someone else wanted to interrupt mass at St. Patrick’s Cathedral in order to protest the Catholic Church’s campaign to keep condoms out of public schools, she could do that. As long as the gestures were concrete, members didn’t try to stop one another from addressing the crisis however they felt was right.So I’m trying to walk the walk and will be organizing resistance events that scritch my itch for relationship-building, media-takeovering, and analysis-deepening instead of complaining that other people are not being activists in the way I want them to. But it feels like our 2017 go-to response to extra mega stinky shittiness has become “let’s hold a march! see you in the streets!” and I wish (suggest) that we also open up the repertoire of actions in our toolbox of outrage. I’ve been to three marches in 2017 and at least for me, their value as “omigod thank goodness there are a lot of people just as pissed as me and I really needed to be in this crowd and not endlessly reading MeFi at home” was really important. But as a community organizing strategy, a protest march has limited utility.
…
The Lesbian Avengers were equally focused on doing. The group aimed to empower a constituency who had spent their lives being grossly disrespected by and excluded from social institutions — often including their own families. We needed guidelines that would help people emerge from a position in which the only power they had was the power to refuse and into a position of vision and agency. For example, one rule was “If you have an idea, you have to carry it out.” No one could passively sit back and say, “Someone should … ” Second was the principle “If you disagree with something, propose a better solution.” We understood that criticism alone was unhelpful. These organizational frameworks supported us in taking responsibility for ourselves and solving problems. Nothing increases panic in the middle of an emergency like theoretical discussion without application — it is both paralyzing and polarizing. When you act directly, the Avengers liked to say, the theory emerges.
posted by spamandkimchi at 8:08 PM on July 25, 2017 [58 favorites]
What good will expanding these sanctions and (effectively) making them permanent achieve?
It's a step toward recognizing that we are back to another Cold War and treating it as such, as we should. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't go far enough, but it's a strike against both Putin and his puppet in the White House. If Republicans in Congress can recognize this is where we are, that doesn't fix the health care horror show or any of the other dumpster fires, but it puts them all on the right side of something, and that's better than nothing.
At this point, coming out of this mess will be something as momentous as the end of the first cold war. If the sanctions stay in place until then, so be it.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
It's a step toward recognizing that we are back to another Cold War and treating it as such, as we should. Far as I'm concerned it doesn't go far enough, but it's a strike against both Putin and his puppet in the White House. If Republicans in Congress can recognize this is where we are, that doesn't fix the health care horror show or any of the other dumpster fires, but it puts them all on the right side of something, and that's better than nothing.
At this point, coming out of this mess will be something as momentous as the end of the first cold war. If the sanctions stay in place until then, so be it.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
On preview:
Meant as follow-up to anastasiav's comment "You can stay at my house."
posted by virago at 8:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Meant as follow-up to anastasiav's comment "You can stay at my house."
posted by virago at 8:09 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm starting to think Collins is solid No on anything. She's got her gubernatorial campaign to think of.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:13 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:13 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
You can stay at my house.
Thanks for the offers but I'm in Chelmsford MA right on the NH border. It's an hour and a half to Portland and less than an hour to Kittery. I'm close enough to leave 8am, come back 6pm.
posted by Talez at 8:14 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
Thanks for the offers but I'm in Chelmsford MA right on the NH border. It's an hour and a half to Portland and less than an hour to Kittery. I'm close enough to leave 8am, come back 6pm.
posted by Talez at 8:14 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
It's almost like some people (on both sides?!) want the Cold War back.
It's almost like the far left wants to downplay the Russian influence on our election. The same way the far left has wanted to downplay Russian interference since the day the first Wikileaks email was released.
I don't 'want' the Cold War back. But -- if we define the Cold War as hostilities between the United States and Russia -- it *is* back. The Russians may very well have thrown the presidential election. There's serious circumstantial evidence that they have dirt on pretty much every Republican bigwig in our country. If you're calling for pacifism on ideological grounds, then go ahead and say that, but don't accuse those of us who want to see repercussion for hostilities against the heart of American democracy of somehow being warmongering McCarthyites.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 8:21 PM on July 25, 2017 [71 favorites]
It's almost like the far left wants to downplay the Russian influence on our election. The same way the far left has wanted to downplay Russian interference since the day the first Wikileaks email was released.
I don't 'want' the Cold War back. But -- if we define the Cold War as hostilities between the United States and Russia -- it *is* back. The Russians may very well have thrown the presidential election. There's serious circumstantial evidence that they have dirt on pretty much every Republican bigwig in our country. If you're calling for pacifism on ideological grounds, then go ahead and say that, but don't accuse those of us who want to see repercussion for hostilities against the heart of American democracy of somehow being warmongering McCarthyites.
posted by steady-state strawberry at 8:21 PM on July 25, 2017 [71 favorites]
This whole "skinny repeal" horseshit is sickening. By repealing the individual and employer mandates, they guarantee Obamacare fails.
They're basically saying that the GOP is incapable of passing anything better than the ACA, so the only recourse is to destroy it so that whatever they do in the future will look better, in comparison. They are counting on the country being willing to swallow whatever shit they serve up once we are all wretchedly sitting amidst the twisted wreckage of a sabotaged national health care program.
Also, fuck John McCain. I'm a cancer survivor, too, but you don't see me going around and voting to kick 30 million people off of their health care.
posted by darkstar at 8:22 PM on July 25, 2017 [72 favorites]
They're basically saying that the GOP is incapable of passing anything better than the ACA, so the only recourse is to destroy it so that whatever they do in the future will look better, in comparison. They are counting on the country being willing to swallow whatever shit they serve up once we are all wretchedly sitting amidst the twisted wreckage of a sabotaged national health care program.
Also, fuck John McCain. I'm a cancer survivor, too, but you don't see me going around and voting to kick 30 million people off of their health care.
posted by darkstar at 8:22 PM on July 25, 2017 [72 favorites]
I've been thinking a lot about what a farce this entire health care bill thing is. I think what's most interesting about this whole debacle with the Republicans and health care is it's become a metaphor of sorts for the party itself: no one really knows what they're doing, because no one trusts each other enough to give them all the information they need, and so they sort of blindly stumble along, occasionally walking right into one another and tripping over chairs, and when the gavel falls they couldn't get their shit together enough to get anything done.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:23 PM on July 25, 2017 [8 favorites]
Yep, it's almost as if gaining office by pandering to a core of supporters who hate and mistrust government is destined to lead to seriously dysfunctional governance.
posted by darkstar at 8:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 8:26 PM on July 25, 2017 [26 favorites]
The clips of them celebrating their "win" are going to be sickening. Put John right up front, so he can die ashamed.
posted by ctmf at 8:27 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by ctmf at 8:27 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Ailes demographic wants to be told that the world is going to hell
The polar regions are melting and the United States is in full-on "decline of the Roman Empire" mode. At 500 days shy of 50, I'm not quite in the Ailes demographic but I'm pretty sure the world is going to hell.
posted by Slothrup at 8:28 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
The polar regions are melting and the United States is in full-on "decline of the Roman Empire" mode. At 500 days shy of 50, I'm not quite in the Ailes demographic but I'm pretty sure the world is going to hell.
posted by Slothrup at 8:28 PM on July 25, 2017 [3 favorites]
Jon Favreau @jonfavs
Heller was a no until billionaire casino magnate Steve Wynn threatened him almost daily. What a sad, perfect example of money in politics.
Citizens United will one day go down in the history books with Dred Scott and McCleskey as one of the worst decisions SCOTUS ever made.
posted by Talez at 8:31 PM on July 25, 2017 [116 favorites]
Heller was a no until billionaire casino magnate Steve Wynn threatened him almost daily. What a sad, perfect example of money in politics.
Citizens United will one day go down in the history books with Dred Scott and McCleskey as one of the worst decisions SCOTUS ever made.
posted by Talez at 8:31 PM on July 25, 2017 [116 favorites]
From the link to the M13 murder as described by CBS: no girls (1 victim), no torture mentioned (but stabbed 13 times, probably related to the gang name M13) and no mention of illegal alien status. So, just a horrific gang murder.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:31 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:31 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
It's almost like some people (on both sides?!) want the Cold War back.
CNN: Videos suggest Russian government may be arming Taliban. (Note: "may" and "suggest" is typical headline language. The report is far more damning than that.)
CNBC: North Korea threatens 'merciless blow' to US as data shows Moscow aiding regime. As for Russia, some experts believe Moscow's economic support for North Korea is likely to continue as Russian President Vladimir Putin uses it as leverage to squeeze concessions from Washington on Ukraine, Syria and other hot spots.
You also see Ukraine. And Russian meddling in France's elections. And the horror show in Syria. And, oh yeah, here.
I don't "want" the Cold War back. I was a teen when it ended. But reality is reality, and I want people to recognize reality. I don't want the Cold War back, but it is already fucking here.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:31 PM on July 25, 2017 [62 favorites]
CNN: Videos suggest Russian government may be arming Taliban. (Note: "may" and "suggest" is typical headline language. The report is far more damning than that.)
CNBC: North Korea threatens 'merciless blow' to US as data shows Moscow aiding regime. As for Russia, some experts believe Moscow's economic support for North Korea is likely to continue as Russian President Vladimir Putin uses it as leverage to squeeze concessions from Washington on Ukraine, Syria and other hot spots.
You also see Ukraine. And Russian meddling in France's elections. And the horror show in Syria. And, oh yeah, here.
I don't "want" the Cold War back. I was a teen when it ended. But reality is reality, and I want people to recognize reality. I don't want the Cold War back, but it is already fucking here.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:31 PM on July 25, 2017 [62 favorites]
The sad part is Heller is so fucking stupid and spineless he doesn't even realize that Wynn can't protect him. The only strategy for Republicans to keep a tenuous hold over Nevada is to ditch Heller and run someone that didn't vote to murder a couple hundred thousand Americans.
posted by Talez at 8:32 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Talez at 8:32 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
So. If both of your senators are Democrats and you can't protest because you're suffering from the effects of too much thyroid replacement hormone, what are your options for the moment? The only person I know in government is in a firmly non-political position and my Republican MoC just got a cookie from me for voting no on a vile bill that would reduce rights for transgender people.
Also, I must admit that I'm boiling with rage because the former AG who threatened to take away my driver's license because I was paying back my cancer surgery to the state hospital too slowly just took a job in the Trump administration.
posted by xyzzy at 8:37 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Also, I must admit that I'm boiling with rage because the former AG who threatened to take away my driver's license because I was paying back my cancer surgery to the state hospital too slowly just took a job in the Trump administration.
posted by xyzzy at 8:37 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Can anyone verify that this is the actual Rick Perry prank call recording?
posted by christopherious at 8:39 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by christopherious at 8:39 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't "want" the Cold War back. I was a teen when it ended. But reality is reality, and I want people to recognize reality. I don't want the Cold War back, but it is already fucking here.
The Cold War never ended, really, and it started long before the October Revolution. We're now living in an age where history is fairly transparent with regards to the things the US and Russia have done and are doing to one another, more often than not by proxy, at the cost of the lives of innocent people whose only crime was being born in one country or the other. We can continue that vicious cycle or we can end it. Personally, I'd rather we chose the latter. The Putin regime needs to end, but we'd be doing ourselves a great disservice if we didn't acknowledge that our old methods of retaliation by proxy fighting and economic pressures on civilians just isn't working at anything but miring us deeper.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:39 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
The Cold War never ended, really, and it started long before the October Revolution. We're now living in an age where history is fairly transparent with regards to the things the US and Russia have done and are doing to one another, more often than not by proxy, at the cost of the lives of innocent people whose only crime was being born in one country or the other. We can continue that vicious cycle or we can end it. Personally, I'd rather we chose the latter. The Putin regime needs to end, but we'd be doing ourselves a great disservice if we didn't acknowledge that our old methods of retaliation by proxy fighting and economic pressures on civilians just isn't working at anything but miring us deeper.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 8:39 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
So. If both of your senators are Democrats and you can't protest because you're suffering from the effects of too much thyroid replacement hormone, what are your options for the moment?
Rest. There's not a lot we can do right now. There's two big votes left. The first is once the vote-o-rama finishes and McConnell tries to finagle his zombie corpse of repeal through the Senate. That will be a big call your Senator. Then the bill will be kicked to conference to have a backroom deal sorted out. Once it comes out of conference the shit really hits the fan. Speed dial your R MoC 24/7 because it'll go to a vote in both the House and the Senate.
posted by Talez at 8:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Rest. There's not a lot we can do right now. There's two big votes left. The first is once the vote-o-rama finishes and McConnell tries to finagle his zombie corpse of repeal through the Senate. That will be a big call your Senator. Then the bill will be kicked to conference to have a backroom deal sorted out. Once it comes out of conference the shit really hits the fan. Speed dial your R MoC 24/7 because it'll go to a vote in both the House and the Senate.
posted by Talez at 8:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
In the final special election of the day, the GOP holds Mississippi House 108. Special in MS are technically non-partisan, but the clear Dem lost to two GOP candidates, 51-30-19. Last election for this district had been GOP 77-23.
Overall, good day for the Dems on the specials front. Two as expected in MA and MS, and one critical hold in NH. Next specials are in two weeks on Aug 8.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
Overall, good day for the Dems on the specials front. Two as expected in MA and MS, and one critical hold in NH. Next specials are in two weeks on Aug 8.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:43 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
Ok but I'm pretty sure this latest round of sanctions is targeting the oligarchs and not the "innocent people". Making it more difficult for the super rich to move money around isn't targeting the little people.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
I. Will. Not. Vote. For. This. Bill. As. It. Is. Today.
posted by notpace at 8:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by notpace at 8:44 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
I. Will. Not. Vote. For. This. Bill. As. It. Is. Today.
THAT'S people's evidence McCain will be a no? NOBODY will be voting for the bill as it is today, because it's going to be morphed beyond recognition through the amendment process.
I mean, be an asshole if you must, McCain, but don't take us for being too stupid to see how disingenuous such a statement is.
posted by Rykey at 8:55 PM on July 25, 2017 [20 favorites]
THAT'S people's evidence McCain will be a no? NOBODY will be voting for the bill as it is today, because it's going to be morphed beyond recognition through the amendment process.
I mean, be an asshole if you must, McCain, but don't take us for being too stupid to see how disingenuous such a statement is.
posted by Rykey at 8:55 PM on July 25, 2017 [20 favorites]
Some suggestions on what to do if you have 2 Dem senators (me too!)
- Find out what healthcare bills were introduced at the state legislature and find out what advocacy groups are active at the state level (Here’s one on reproductive health privacy)
- Hold a public talk (panel discussion?) with the county health commissioner, a local doctor, health care activists. I bet public health students and faculty at the closest state university have been strategizing over the summer too. Invite the media.
- Hold a fundraiser for the local community health clinic that provides free or low-cost services to the uninsured and undocumented.
- Identify resources for health care education and advocacy at the state and county level. The Health subsection of the National Conference of State Legislatures is a good place to start researching what are major trends.
- Find out what healthcare bills were introduced at the state legislature and find out what advocacy groups are active at the state level (Here’s one on reproductive health privacy)
- Hold a public talk (panel discussion?) with the county health commissioner, a local doctor, health care activists. I bet public health students and faculty at the closest state university have been strategizing over the summer too. Invite the media.
- Hold a fundraiser for the local community health clinic that provides free or low-cost services to the uninsured and undocumented.
- Identify resources for health care education and advocacy at the state and county level. The Health subsection of the National Conference of State Legislatures is a good place to start researching what are major trends.
“Health costs account for about one-third of state budgets, ranging from financing Medicaid, to paying for state employees and other populations, such as prisoners. State legislatures make thousands of health policy decisions each year, including improving access to appropriate care, determining who should be immunized, licensing health professionals and facilities, and supporting or rejecting initiatives to keep people healthy.”posted by spamandkimchi at 8:59 PM on July 25, 2017 [17 favorites]
"The Health Innovations Database" online covers what state legislatures are enacting that changes Medicaid, private and commercial health insurance, access, health exchanges and other state action on health reforms. NCSL identifies more than 950 recently enacted laws and resolutions from 2015-17 in all 50 states, D.C. and Puerto Rico.
The Cold War never ended, really, and it started long before the October Revolution.
In 1918, during the Russian Civil War and before the end of World War I, the United States sent 13,000 troops to support anti-Bolshevik White forces in Russia. (Other allied countries including Estonia, Greece, and Japan also sent troops.)
posted by kirkaracha at 9:00 PM on July 25, 2017 [5 favorites]
I guess I picked a good time to take a family vacation. After a blissful few days with only peripheral awareness of politics, I decided to take a quick peek at the last thread - and now, two hours later, I realize that I was showing my kids the Washington Monument and Capitol Hill at maybe the very moment that these assholes were in there, voting for "a win", without even knowing what that means.
For shame.
I've had a low opinion of John McCain from way back when he made that low-class nasty "joke" about Chelsea Clinton - the Sarah Palin selection was really no surprise to me after that peek into his character - but I'm still gob-smacked by his hypocrisy here, being treated for cancer on his government health insurance and showboating his complaints about the process by which this bill is being pushed through while voting in favor where it counts.
For fucking shame.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:05 PM on July 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
For shame.
I've had a low opinion of John McCain from way back when he made that low-class nasty "joke" about Chelsea Clinton - the Sarah Palin selection was really no surprise to me after that peek into his character - but I'm still gob-smacked by his hypocrisy here, being treated for cancer on his government health insurance and showboating his complaints about the process by which this bill is being pushed through while voting in favor where it counts.
For fucking shame.
posted by RedOrGreen at 9:05 PM on July 25, 2017 [16 favorites]
Trump Finds Reason for the U.S. to Remain in Afghanistan: Minerals
"What? Do you wanna see if I've got the minerals?"
posted by kirkaracha at 9:08 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Scaramucci: " I've seen [Trump] at Madison Square Garden with a top coat on, he's standing in the key and he's hitting foul shots and swishing them."
Ooh swishing a foul shot! Is that good basketballing?
Barack Obama drains 3-point jumper on first try in Kuwait
Also, that's some bullshit, Mooch.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:14 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
Ooh swishing a foul shot! Is that good basketballing?
Barack Obama drains 3-point jumper on first try in Kuwait
Also, that's some bullshit, Mooch.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:14 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
I. Will. Not. Vote. For. This. Bill. As. It. Is. Today.
So they'll re-paginate or some other trivial shit and he'll line up as he always has for whatever cruelty-based bullshit the GOP tosses his way, no matter what he's said about his "principles" or who's publicly humiliated him. Nothing new here--just McCain as usual.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:27 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
So they'll re-paginate or some other trivial shit and he'll line up as he always has for whatever cruelty-based bullshit the GOP tosses his way, no matter what he's said about his "principles" or who's publicly humiliated him. Nothing new here--just McCain as usual.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:27 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've seen things you people wouldn't believe, with good reason. The President's ball game on fire off the shoulder of Orion. I watched Jared Kushner glitter in the dark near the Tannhäuser Gate. All those moments will be lost in time, like 33,000 emails. Time to deny.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:29 PM on July 25, 2017 [42 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:29 PM on July 25, 2017 [42 favorites]
The text of Bill Browder's testimony has been released ahead of his appearance before the Senate Judiciary Committee on Wednesday. It gives a background on the brutal death of Sergei Magnitsky, the genesis of the Magnitsky Act, and how it targets the finances of Putin and his cronies. It also draws a direct line from Putin's efforts to repeal the Magnitsky Act, plus the retaliatory adoption ban, to Natalia Veselnitskaya and Rinat Akhmetshin, two of the Russians in the Donald Jr meeting. Browder indicates they were working on behalf of the Kremlin in the US without registering under the Foreign Agent Registration Act.
There's no fireworks, but important background to understand the motives and methods of the Kremlin.
posted by peeedro at 9:30 PM on July 25, 2017 [46 favorites]
There's no fireworks, but important background to understand the motives and methods of the Kremlin.
posted by peeedro at 9:30 PM on July 25, 2017 [46 favorites]
We can continue that vicious cycle or we can end it. Personally, I'd rather we chose the latter.
I'd be more up for turning the other cheek if Putin didn't seem on the verge of indirectly killing several hundred thousand Americans over the next several years.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:32 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'd be more up for turning the other cheek if Putin didn't seem on the verge of indirectly killing several hundred thousand Americans over the next several years.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:32 PM on July 25, 2017 [9 favorites]
Scaramucci: " I've seen [Trump] at Madison Square Garden with a top coat on, he's standing in the key and he's hitting foul shots and swishing them."
Teachers inNorth Korea the USA have been issued with a manual that requires them to instruct their charges that Kim Jong-un Trump was a prodigy who could drive at the age of 3 and was winning yachting races at just 9.
Totally normal.
posted by gatorae at 9:32 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Teachers in
Totally normal.
posted by gatorae at 9:32 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Trump's policy agenda makes more sense when you realize he's the Protoss Overmind from Starcraft:
1. We require more minerals!
2. We require more [vespine] gas!
3. Spawn more overlords!
4. We require more energy!
5. Nuclear launch detected!
posted by absalom at 9:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
1. We require more minerals!
2. We require more [vespine] gas!
3. Spawn more overlords!
4. We require more energy!
5. Nuclear launch detected!
posted by absalom at 9:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [15 favorites]
"I've seen Trump at Yankee Stadium with a suit of full body armor on, he's standing on the pitcher's mound and he's throwing strikes at 95 mph."
posted by perhapses at 9:37 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 9:37 PM on July 25, 2017 [4 favorites]
We must construct the most beautiful pylons, and the Terrans will pay for them, believe me.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:39 PM on July 25, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:39 PM on July 25, 2017 [23 favorites]
No matter what he says in public, in venues great or small, John McCain will ALWAYS vote against anything labelled "Obamacare." Just look back and remember.
posted by twsf at 9:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by twsf at 9:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Make Aiur Great Again!
posted by biogeo at 9:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by biogeo at 9:42 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
lalex: "and now I see Manchester station WMUR calling it an upset"
Yeah, with the caveat that the Dems held the seat, it's pretty upset-ish. It had long been held by Rs, just flipped to Ds in 2016 by a slim margin, and the old incumbent was running. That's a pretty good result.
If Dems can flip 3 seats in 2018, they'll retake the NH Senate, and break the GOP trifecta.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:45 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Yeah, with the caveat that the Dems held the seat, it's pretty upset-ish. It had long been held by Rs, just flipped to Ds in 2016 by a slim margin, and the old incumbent was running. That's a pretty good result.
If Dems can flip 3 seats in 2018, they'll retake the NH Senate, and break the GOP trifecta.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:45 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'd be more up for turning the other cheek if Putin didn't seem on the verge of indirectly killing several hundred thousand Americans over the next several years.
What?
posted by Auden at 9:46 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
What?
posted by Auden at 9:46 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Scaramucci's fawning reminds me of Franz Liebkind in "The Producers": "Hitler, there was a painter! He could paint an entire apartment in one afternoon! Two coats!"
posted by valetta at 9:51 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by valetta at 9:51 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
Saw a comment on the NYT: "When the Vietnamese released John McCain they knew exactly what they were doing."
posted by runcifex at 9:51 PM on July 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by runcifex at 9:51 PM on July 25, 2017 [19 favorites]
What?
Tens of millions of people might lose their health insurance because Clinton isn't there to veto their horseshit, in some part thanks to Putin. If so, it's going to kill hundreds of thousands of those people.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:52 PM on July 25, 2017 [31 favorites]
Tens of millions of people might lose their health insurance because Clinton isn't there to veto their horseshit, in some part thanks to Putin. If so, it's going to kill hundreds of thousands of those people.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 9:52 PM on July 25, 2017 [31 favorites]
That's absurd.
posted by Auden at 9:53 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Auden at 9:53 PM on July 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
How is that absurd? Putin ordered interference into the election, this interference led to Trump becoming POTUS, Trump is the major reason the ACA is under threat. If Clinton was POTUS any bullshit the GOP came up with to take it would be vetoed. There'd be plenty of grandstanding, but this was a car they never thought they'd catch until Trump's election handed it to them.
posted by Anonymous at 9:59 PM on July 25, 2017
posted by Anonymous at 9:59 PM on July 25, 2017
gatorae, dances_with_sneetches: The story is one click further in from that one. It's this one, in Brentwood on Long Island. It's a spree of vendettas and retaliations, not necessarily gang-related, but brutal and fatal so far to 11 mostly juvenile victims. Several of the killings were carried out with machetes. Per the US Attorney on the case, 10 of 13 persons charged are both gang members and in the country illegally.
It's clearly being taken up as a cause celebre by the administration, despite the fact that criminal aliens were targeted in the tens of thousands under the Obama administration. There is also the rarely highlighted dynamic that the gang preys upon a community that if undocumented fears the police because of their immigration status, and has plenty to fear from police violence otherwise, on top of retaliation for police cooperation. It's unlikely this is the part of the community that 45 will want to show off as thanking him.
zarq wrote a bit about the situation in the last thread. At this point further discussion is probably a derail, unless he actually goes there.
posted by dhartung at 10:03 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
It's clearly being taken up as a cause celebre by the administration, despite the fact that criminal aliens were targeted in the tens of thousands under the Obama administration. There is also the rarely highlighted dynamic that the gang preys upon a community that if undocumented fears the police because of their immigration status, and has plenty to fear from police violence otherwise, on top of retaliation for police cooperation. It's unlikely this is the part of the community that 45 will want to show off as thanking him.
zarq wrote a bit about the situation in the last thread. At this point further discussion is probably a derail, unless he actually goes there.
posted by dhartung at 10:03 PM on July 25, 2017 [7 favorites]
Scaramucci: " I've seen [Trump] at Madison Square Garden with a top coat on, he's standing in the key and he's hitting foul shots and swishing them."
If he's standing "in the key" he isn't shooting a foul shot, or else he's guilty of a violation and his shot is an automatic miss. /basketballpedant
posted by Lyme Drop at 10:06 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
If he's standing "in the key" he isn't shooting a foul shot, or else he's guilty of a violation and his shot is an automatic miss. /basketballpedant
posted by Lyme Drop at 10:06 PM on July 25, 2017 [14 favorites]
I have enough room on The List for both Trump Voters and Putin&Co! I suspect everyone else does as well.
posted by Justinian at 10:13 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:13 PM on July 25, 2017 [6 favorites]
Mod note: Folks, if you need a refresher on what everyone here thought about the 2016 election, it's all preserved here in glorious blue and white. We don't need to have that identical conversation again.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 10:19 PM on July 25, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 10:19 PM on July 25, 2017 [36 favorites]
Communications Director Anthony Scaramucci, who has said he's going to deal with leaks by "firing everybody".
Sir? Who are we firing?
posted by Naberius at 10:49 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sir? Who are we firing?
posted by Naberius at 10:49 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
If he's standing "in the key" he isn't shooting a foul shot, or else he's guilty of a violation and his shot is an automatic miss. /basketballpedantDude drove a golf cart onto the green. I think it's pretty safe to say he isn't too concerned about following the rules or conventions of sports.
posted by DoctorFedora at 11:24 PM on July 25, 2017 [12 favorites]
I think it's pretty safe to say he isn't too concerned about following the rules or conventions of much.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 11:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by ActingTheGoat at 11:36 PM on July 25, 2017 [10 favorites]
I think it's pretty safe to say that he is not even remotely aware that there are rules or conventions of any sort that someone might think would ever have applied to him.
posted by Archelaus at 11:48 PM on July 25, 2017 [35 favorites]
posted by Archelaus at 11:48 PM on July 25, 2017 [35 favorites]
One could even say he's a Maverick(tm), or in non-Republicanspeak, an asshole.
posted by benzenedream at 12:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 12:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Protoss have neither an Overmind, nor do they need to spawn more Overlords...
posted by Windopaene at 12:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Windopaene at 12:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Protoss have neither an Overmind, nor do they need to spawn more Overlords...
On the one hand, I noticed that too. On the other hand, it's still an apt metaphor for 2017, as Trump is playing with a hacked copy of the game that's allowing access to normally impossible and game breaking combos.
posted by mordax at 2:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
On the one hand, I noticed that too. On the other hand, it's still an apt metaphor for 2017, as Trump is playing with a hacked copy of the game that's allowing access to normally impossible and game breaking combos.
posted by mordax at 2:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trump is playing somebody else's saved games of Zelda and using all of their guardian arrows on clay pots.
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [64 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [64 favorites]
Okay, I needed that laugh today. Thanks, Joey. :)
posted by mordax at 2:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mordax at 2:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trump mains Hanzo :(
posted by Justinian at 2:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Frank Bruni, NYTimes: Donald Trump’s Dominatrix
Many political observers have noted Trump’s hyperconsciousness of Barack Obama, who was also mentioned in those remarks to the boy scouts, which were so inappropriately political and self-centered that parents actually lodged complaints.posted by mumimor at 3:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
But Clinton is more precious to him. While he merely itches to erase Obama from the history books, he’s desperate to keep her at the center of every page. Beneath all of his braggadocio about the genius of his campaign strategy and the potency of his connection to blue-collar Americans, he knows that he made it to the White House largely because many voters didn’t want her there and he was Door No. 2.
Putin has got Americans killing each other for the cost of a few investments in subpar Trump businesses. Whatever people on this site may think, Putin does not consider the Cold War to be a lost cause.
I think that the sanctions do hurt normal Russian people - you make it harder to do business for the upper class, the upper class pass the pain down. Also, the counter-sanctions are making food more expensive, and they were sometimes perceived to be essentially more western sanctions in my experience (by which I mean, Putin banning European food was not something he did to Russians, it's something the West did to Russia). Does that mean they should be lifted? Maybe? I don't know. I think there are options beyond military force and economic sanctions, particularly online/information. The only problem there is, we don't want to escalate propaganda warfare because everyone's grip on reality is shaky enough as it is.
And of course, Putin is old and will die and that will cause all kinds of fun and games. Hopefully it will be long enough after Trump that America will have a coherent response.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 3:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think that the sanctions do hurt normal Russian people - you make it harder to do business for the upper class, the upper class pass the pain down. Also, the counter-sanctions are making food more expensive, and they were sometimes perceived to be essentially more western sanctions in my experience (by which I mean, Putin banning European food was not something he did to Russians, it's something the West did to Russia). Does that mean they should be lifted? Maybe? I don't know. I think there are options beyond military force and economic sanctions, particularly online/information. The only problem there is, we don't want to escalate propaganda warfare because everyone's grip on reality is shaky enough as it is.
And of course, Putin is old and will die and that will cause all kinds of fun and games. Hopefully it will be long enough after Trump that America will have a coherent response.
posted by Wrinkled Stumpskin at 3:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
"Guess we're not looking so bad these days..."
-Hanoi Hilton Prison Guards
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
-Hanoi Hilton Prison Guards
posted by TheWhiteSkull at 3:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
So Bruni's assessment of the situation is that Hillary has all the power in this situation? Or that Trump is topping from the bottom? Neither of those? Then he's an idiot. People need to stop using the word "dominatrix" as a titillating shortcut for "powerful woman." it's a bullshit, uninformed equivalence and does no justice to anyone.
posted by xyzzy at 3:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [60 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 3:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [60 favorites]
I think Bruni's point is that it is all in Trump's head.
posted by mumimor at 4:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 4:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
I'm so tired of this John McCain is a hero crap. If he was a hero then all the people who were in Vietnamese prisoner of war camps were heroes HOWEVER I NOTE that none of the other people who were in prisoner of war camps are currently trying to kill millions of their fellow Americans so in conclusion fuck John McCain and fuck the idea of him being a hero.
posted by winna at 4:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
posted by winna at 4:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
mumimor's link reminds me of despots and warlords enjoy adversarial epithets as part of their public names. Africanus. Germanicus. Malleus Scotorum. Boulgaroktonos. Nevsky. Conqueror of the British Empire in Africa.
Trump wants to be remembered as the Conqueror of Clinton and Slayer of Liberal Tyranny. Authoritarian rulers require the subjects to remember their past humiliation and danger (real or framed), and how the Great Leader gloriously saved them from their nightmare.
If you don't obey your parents, Hillary Clinton will eat you at night!
posted by runcifex at 4:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Trump wants to be remembered as the Conqueror of Clinton and Slayer of Liberal Tyranny. Authoritarian rulers require the subjects to remember their past humiliation and danger (real or framed), and how the Great Leader gloriously saved them from their nightmare.
If you don't obey your parents, Hillary Clinton will eat you at night!
posted by runcifex at 4:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Baba Clinton, in her pantsuit-legged hut.
posted by um at 4:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [74 favorites]
posted by um at 4:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [74 favorites]
I mean, if Clinton can't be president then there's worse fates than passing into folklore as an iron-toothed forest demon whose very name causes men to piss themselves with fear.
posted by um at 4:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
posted by um at 4:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
yeah, the mineral is opium.
This. The goal is keep people addicted to something. First it was TV. Then it was consumerism and its many subsets (food, fitness equipment, anything branded). Now it's smartphones.
It follows that poppies are the new golden egg laying goose, perpetuating the most heinous addiction of all.
Fuckers.
Oh, hey! I'm back from like a 2 week break from reality. I highly, highly recommend it, my dear friends.
posted by yoga at 4:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
This. The goal is keep people addicted to something. First it was TV. Then it was consumerism and its many subsets (food, fitness equipment, anything branded). Now it's smartphones.
It follows that poppies are the new golden egg laying goose, perpetuating the most heinous addiction of all.
Fuckers.
Oh, hey! I'm back from like a 2 week break from reality. I highly, highly recommend it, my dear friends.
posted by yoga at 4:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Scaramucci: "Trump? He's the president that made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. Bigly."
posted by rc3spencer at 5:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 5:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Oh, hey! I'm back from like a 2 week break from reality.
O boy where to begin? Well, first off we're still at war with Eurasia, just as we've always been.
posted by um at 5:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
O boy where to begin? Well, first off we're still at war with Eurasia, just as we've always been.
posted by um at 5:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Follow This Simple Script to Call Your Senator and Beg for Your Life
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
he knows that he made it to the White House largely because many voters didn’t want her there and he was Door No. 2
But many, many more voters--3 million of them!--did want her there.
Trump is a No. 2 though.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:24 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
From the Japan Times: Recent letters reveal that suspect in mass murder of 19 mentally disabled residents was influenced by the campaign speeches of Trump.
In an exchange of letters with Jiji Press, Satoshi Uematsu, 27, confesses that he “strongly felt” Trump was “talking about truth” when he reportedly said in a speech that there were many unhappy people in the world.posted by Gordion Knott at 5:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
“I wished that I could change the world, where unhappiness is everywhere,” Uematsu said at the beginning of his first letter, while noting that severely disabled people “steal others’ happiness and spread unhappiness.”
“Many people are pressed with burdensome work of caring for (disabled people),” Uematsu said. “I don’t believe we can increase happiness by saving lives unconditionally.”. . .
In the pre-dawn hours of July 26, 2016, Uematsu broke into the care center armed with five knives. After tying up the staff, he killed 19 residents between the ages of 19 and 70 and wounded 26 others, including two of the workers.
@Donald Trump The crowd in Ohio was amazing last night - broke all records. We all had a great time in a great State. Will be back soon!
I was wondering about the crowd numbers. Has anyone seen any figures?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:04 AM on July 26, 2017
I was wondering about the crowd numbers. Has anyone seen any figures?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:04 AM on July 26, 2017
Daniel Dale of the Toronto Star said max capacity was 7000. It was pretty full. They had big screens set up outside for overflow and Trump supporters are saying thousands outside but pictures of the screens with the rally on so far are showing 0.
His tweet is all bullshit.
posted by Jalliah at 6:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Is he talking about the record for campaign rallies held 3 years from the vote, or the record for fascist pep rallies in the US?
posted by diogenes at 6:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 6:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
McCain gives me the creeps. I work with disabled veterans, and while I know that there are people who came out of the Vietnam War and went on with their lives, it's strange to see someone spend years as a POW and then run for office and bask in public attention. Most people who went through this would be drinking themselves to death, or getting a lot of therapy and having a very, very quiet life. McCain... it's in some ways great to see someone come through that and be able to function, but his lack of empathy not just for the average American but also for other veterans is appalling. I get that he doesn't use the VA system, but it probably hasn't escaped his notice that it's completely overloaded and many veterans functionally do not have access to care. Rather than showing concern for either his cohort or the country he served and suffered for, his actions say only I've got mine so fuck you.
Part of me wonders what he was like psychologically before he was captured.
The rest of me - well. I could wish I believed in hell, but it looks like we're headed there anyway.
posted by bile and syntax at 6:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
Part of me wonders what he was like psychologically before he was captured.
The rest of me - well. I could wish I believed in hell, but it looks like we're headed there anyway.
posted by bile and syntax at 6:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
guys i may have woken up in a marginally less dim timeline because i just heard npr's rachel martin pushing back pretty hard against mister morden newt gingrich on all things considered
npr! pushing back against bald-faced lies! what is the world coming to
posted by entropicamericana at 6:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
npr! pushing back against bald-faced lies! what is the world coming to
posted by entropicamericana at 6:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
Get ready for a total mifi db meltdown
posted by sammyo at 6:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) July 26, 2017
posted by sammyo at 6:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Banning transgender people from the military. What the fucking fuck. WE JUST FINISHED THIS SHIT WITH GAY PEOPLE.
posted by Talez at 6:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by Talez at 6:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Good piece by Harvard's Jeffery Frankel on Why the Republicans Can’t Reform Health Care
posted by shothotbot at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by shothotbot at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Whelp.
posted by notyou at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
HE'S A PIECE OF SHIT HUMAN.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 6:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
FUCK TRUMP.
posted by defenestration at 6:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by defenestration at 6:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
"[P]lease be advised": Oh, fuck *off*, Donald. You sound like the assistant manager of a suburban Kroger's, frantically scrambling to CYA with bogus legalese when you know you're about to make a braindead call on something.
posted by adamgreenfield at 6:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by adamgreenfield at 6:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Well they seem to have found their wedge issue for the next 4 years.
posted by Lord_Pall at 6:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Lord_Pall at 6:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
In the spirit of this week's murder vote the reason is because they don't want to have to pay for transitions.
posted by Talez at 6:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Talez at 6:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm so tired of feeling like my insides are a pit of black helpless rage.
posted by something something at 6:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by something something at 6:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
What a piece of shit.
I also suspect this is an intentional attempt to distract from healthcare by pulling Dems to an issue that Repubs think is most polarizing and least translatable to those not already persuaded.
posted by prefpara at 6:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
I also suspect this is an intentional attempt to distract from healthcare by pulling Dems to an issue that Repubs think is most polarizing and least translatable to those not already persuaded.
posted by prefpara at 6:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
That's a nice bloody bone he's throwing his base. Really though, I wouldn't be joining the military these days unless I wanted to die in a distant wasteland or be ordered to murder american citizens within a few years.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
MCCONNELL: We need something obscene to distract the public from what we're about to do to their healthcare.
TRUMP: Hold my taco bowl
posted by delfin at 6:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
TRUMP: Hold my taco bowl
posted by delfin at 6:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
He's back to his Greatest Hits album: rallies fomenting hatred and gleefully oppressing folks. He probably feels really good this morning.
Get me off this fucking ride.
posted by lydhre at 6:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Get me off this fucking ride.
posted by lydhre at 6:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Please be advised that all trans persons will be accepted into my queer army of joyous rebellion, as we cannot afford the expense of victory without them.
posted by dis_integration at 6:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [84 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 6:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [84 favorites]
What the Hell has Happened at the Senate? (Slate) Isaac Chotiner interviews Norman Ornstein.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
> Really though, I wouldn't be joining the military these days unless I wanted to die in a distant wasteland
To be fair to Trump, this has always been the purpose of military recruitment; being sent somewhere to kill and die in order to further interests that are rarely directly aligned with your own.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
To be fair to Trump, this has always been the purpose of military recruitment; being sent somewhere to kill and die in order to further interests that are rarely directly aligned with your own.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
@SamSanders "It's estimated that more than 15,000 transgender people currently serve in the military. Is Donald Trump going to personally kick them out?"
15,000 figure from http://www.transequality.org/
posted by Buntix at 6:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
15,000 figure from http://www.transequality.org/
posted by Buntix at 6:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
Does anyone have a road map for what bills the senate will be considering today or over the next few days?
posted by shothotbot at 6:35 AM on July 26, 2017
posted by shothotbot at 6:35 AM on July 26, 2017
What’s next for the Senate Republicans’ effort to repeal Obamacare, in one flowchart
posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 6:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Get me off this fucking ride.
In the final stretch of the 2016 election, I used to entertain a fantasy in which all the Trump supporters had to live in an alternate reality where Trump won and they wouldn't be allowed to come back to the real world, where Hillary won, until they had come to understand and acknowledge that they'd been wrong to vote for him.
I rather feel as though my fantasy came true, except that the rest of us got trapped in that alternate reality with them.
posted by orange swan at 6:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
In the final stretch of the 2016 election, I used to entertain a fantasy in which all the Trump supporters had to live in an alternate reality where Trump won and they wouldn't be allowed to come back to the real world, where Hillary won, until they had come to understand and acknowledge that they'd been wrong to vote for him.
I rather feel as though my fantasy came true, except that the rest of us got trapped in that alternate reality with them.
posted by orange swan at 6:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
This nation wants to drive out anyone brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Anyone who's not rich and white, GTFO.
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 6:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Guys...Trump is Donkey Kong. Whenever we think we're closing in on him, he chucks a barrel at us. Russia investigation too hot? Pull out the paris accord. His family is being investigated? Make Spicer resign. Unfortunately the only thing he is qualified to do as president is know how to spin/distract the media, and he is a MASTER at it. He knows the news has become too fragmented (and batshit insane) to hold too many topics in focus at once, and he is nefariously using this to change the discourse, which sums up almost of all his tweets.
We have to remain on topic and determined; that despite the hundreds/thousands of "barrels" he can chuck at us, we are still coming at him with the Mueller investigation. As this administration really gets down to the final months/weeks/days, things will get totally crazy. He will say shit that even sounds absurd by trumpian standards. He will dish out whatever sort of red meat he can for his supporters; today's transgender announcement is a perfect example of that. Of course these "barrels" are not empty, they have real world consequences. We should recognize that but continue on our goal to hammering him with only the most serious of offenses. He needs to know the walls are closing in and that it is only a matter of time. That it is not in his destiny to serve a full term, and at some point he will have to go.
Because Trumpy Kong has so many barrels and is SO good at wielding them, we must never allow ourselves to become bogged down by a single new scandal. Let's stick to the most provable and illegal allegations, which seem to be related to family financial transactions. We know what makes him nervous and vulnerable; Mainstream Media, please hold his feet to the fire and don't allow the daily news-shit-fest to bog you down in the mire.
posted by andruwjones26 at 6:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
We have to remain on topic and determined; that despite the hundreds/thousands of "barrels" he can chuck at us, we are still coming at him with the Mueller investigation. As this administration really gets down to the final months/weeks/days, things will get totally crazy. He will say shit that even sounds absurd by trumpian standards. He will dish out whatever sort of red meat he can for his supporters; today's transgender announcement is a perfect example of that. Of course these "barrels" are not empty, they have real world consequences. We should recognize that but continue on our goal to hammering him with only the most serious of offenses. He needs to know the walls are closing in and that it is only a matter of time. That it is not in his destiny to serve a full term, and at some point he will have to go.
Because Trumpy Kong has so many barrels and is SO good at wielding them, we must never allow ourselves to become bogged down by a single new scandal. Let's stick to the most provable and illegal allegations, which seem to be related to family financial transactions. We know what makes him nervous and vulnerable; Mainstream Media, please hold his feet to the fire and don't allow the daily news-shit-fest to bog you down in the mire.
posted by andruwjones26 at 6:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Let's just give up the idea that he's a master at anything. He's not manipulating the media, not consciously, there are just TOO MANY SCANDALS. The media, and the public, can't follow any one thing because it's a constant barrage of incompetence, malice, potential crimes, and horrendous gaffes.
He's untouchable precisely because he is covered in shit.
posted by lydhre at 6:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
He's untouchable precisely because he is covered in shit.
posted by lydhre at 6:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
This nation wants to drive out anyone brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Anyone who's not rich and white, GTFO.
The majority of the nation is brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Don't confuse it with the regime or its artificially overpowered voting base. They, not us, are the toxic foreign body lodged in the country's tissues.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [38 favorites]
The majority of the nation is brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Don't confuse it with the regime or its artificially overpowered voting base. They, not us, are the toxic foreign body lodged in the country's tissues.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [38 favorites]
What’s next for the Senate Republicans’ effort to repeal Obamacare, in one flowchart
That flowchart makes the bad assumption that the House will take up whatever the Senate shoves at them and that they'll automatically get 218 votes.
It'll most certainly go to conference because they will be able to do far more damage than the vote-a-rama shitshow that McConnell is currently engaged in.
posted by Talez at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017
That flowchart makes the bad assumption that the House will take up whatever the Senate shoves at them and that they'll automatically get 218 votes.
It'll most certainly go to conference because they will be able to do far more damage than the vote-a-rama shitshow that McConnell is currently engaged in.
posted by Talez at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017
I can't believe that everyone has to find out about this fucked up decision via Twitter. Twitter. What a gutless piece of shit.
posted by honey-barbara at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [42 favorites]
posted by honey-barbara at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [42 favorites]
Here's a gif I made just now of the trump/scaramucchi body language supercut from monday night's Daily Show. So many questions. Did they go to the same public speaking class? Is it a New York thing? Is mooch mirroring him on purpose as a mind trick? It can't be coincidence.
posted by adept256 at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yet another reason the only time I'll ever visit the country of my birth is for my mother's memorial service (hopefully years away.) Even in my mid-50's, I'm still struggling surviving as a non-person. The damage being done by this shit stain of an orange mildew will last generations.
posted by michswiss at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by michswiss at 6:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I can't believe that everyone has to find out about this fucked up decision via Twitter. Twitter. What a gutless piece of shit.
@anamariecox
You don’t just declare policy. CNN reporting that no one in press office knew this was coming. This is dictatorial caprice. Fuck this guy.
posted by chris24 at 6:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [115 favorites]
@anamariecox
You don’t just declare policy. CNN reporting that no one in press office knew this was coming. This is dictatorial caprice. Fuck this guy.
posted by chris24 at 6:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [115 favorites]
The rest of me - well. I could wish I believed in hell, but it looks like we're headed there anyway.
I believe we are in an evil mirror universe.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I believe we are in an evil mirror universe.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
He's untouchable precisely because he is covered in shit.
I agree completely. What do you think today's news will more likely do; remove some of the stench or just pour more shit on him?
Of course this man is covered in shit; so is every offspring he spawns and every business/political associate he deals with. He KNOWS that he is so covered in shit that all he can do is pour more on him (in an attempt to distract from the really serious shit). My fear is that at least in the short term, this is working. Whether he is actually a master or not is irrelevant; I believe that each time he does something like this, he distracts temporarily from the true scandal and prolongs his time in office.
That is my main worry; that these people know they are so dirty they will purposely cover themselves with less smelly shit since that may distract from the actually-illegal shit. (I feel a little gross with all the poop metaphors but c'mon there's no better parallel to this administration)
posted by andruwjones26 at 6:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I agree completely. What do you think today's news will more likely do; remove some of the stench or just pour more shit on him?
Of course this man is covered in shit; so is every offspring he spawns and every business/political associate he deals with. He KNOWS that he is so covered in shit that all he can do is pour more on him (in an attempt to distract from the really serious shit). My fear is that at least in the short term, this is working. Whether he is actually a master or not is irrelevant; I believe that each time he does something like this, he distracts temporarily from the true scandal and prolongs his time in office.
That is my main worry; that these people know they are so dirty they will purposely cover themselves with less smelly shit since that may distract from the actually-illegal shit. (I feel a little gross with all the poop metaphors but c'mon there's no better parallel to this administration)
posted by andruwjones26 at 6:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well they seem to have found their wedge issue for the next 4 years.
It looks that way -- they're already counting on this issue hurting candidates in 2018: Jonathan Swan, Axios, quoting Trump admin
posted by gladly at 6:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
It looks that way -- they're already counting on this issue hurting candidates in 2018: Jonathan Swan, Axios, quoting Trump admin
This forces Democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will blue collars voters in these states respond when senators up for reelection in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaign?I'm guessing that "blue collar voters" will have economic anxiety about whether or not trans men and women can serve their country.
posted by gladly at 6:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
So the cure is to get a lot of trans people in day-time shows and generally on the media being themselves: normal.
Media-mefites, you have work to do!
posted by mumimor at 6:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Media-mefites, you have work to do!
posted by mumimor at 6:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got.......big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!
(1) I don't think the Trump-Sessions rift is kayfabe. He really wants to get rid of him.
(2) With this following the transgender purge, expect scoops later today.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got.......big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!
(1) I don't think the Trump-Sessions rift is kayfabe. He really wants to get rid of him.
(2) With this following the transgender purge, expect scoops later today.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
I believe we are in an evil mirror universe.
But I don't even have a goatee.
posted by emjaybee at 6:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
But I don't even have a goatee.
posted by emjaybee at 6:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
What's interesting to me is that the press corps knows exactly what we know and in greater detail: he's unstable, he's sociopathic, he's dirty as dirty dirt, he's an unhinged pig . . and yet they "have" to do this stiff, heavily regimented dance to both present an "unbiased" approach and to avoid recognizing and communicating how badly broken everything in this administration really is.
Jesus people, fuck that. GET HIM, YOU IDIOTS!
posted by petebest at 6:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [34 favorites]
Jesus people, fuck that. GET HIM, YOU IDIOTS!
posted by petebest at 6:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [34 favorites]
Perhaps the Russian collusion is baseless and it's just a very effective false flag, tweets and all, to obfuscate something really nasty that's pretty well hidden.
posted by sammyo at 6:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by sammyo at 6:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I believe that each time he does something like this, he distracts temporarily from the true scandal and prolongs his time in office.
Okay, but banning trans folk from serving in the military is a true scandal. Turning a Boy Scout jamboree into a Hilter Youth rally is a true scandal. Attacking the AG for not prosecuting his political opponent is a true scandal. And this is what, the last 48 hours? They are all true scandals and pretending otherwise is also dangerous and breeds complacency.
posted by lydhre at 6:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [146 favorites]
Okay, but banning trans folk from serving in the military is a true scandal. Turning a Boy Scout jamboree into a Hilter Youth rally is a true scandal. Attacking the AG for not prosecuting his political opponent is a true scandal. And this is what, the last 48 hours? They are all true scandals and pretending otherwise is also dangerous and breeds complacency.
posted by lydhre at 6:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [146 favorites]
Here's what I think: I think these people are setting themselves up for an enormous series of defeats at every level. I think we're going to get Medicare for all fairly soon, I think trans people will be able to serve in the military in this generation and I think that most of these bad policies will be fought hard at the local level and turned around in a medium timeframe.
I mean, this sucks, but what's happening is that Trump/etc are basically creating conditions that will be experienced almost like the Great Depression or a war, and that are going to shake things up enormously. It won't be super easy in the short/medium term, and that's terrible and criminal, but they are being really dumb. I mean, I could do a better job being a supervillain than they are doing - they should be throwing real stuff to their broad base, not just tax breaks for a fraction of it and propaganda for the rest. Propaganda is very satisfying to a lot of people, but it doesn't do much on medical bills.
And you know what? I think banning trans people is not as politically sweet as they think it is. What I've observed around some fairly socially conservative people is that they seem to "get" transness in a way that they resist "getting" queerness. I don't think it's going to mobilize as much of their base as they think, and I think it's going to appear pointless and spiteful to a chunk of their base. That won't de-Republican them, of course, but it's not going to keep them in line when Mom needs to be in a nursing home and Medicaid is getting cut.
Basically, the Republicans are eating the seed corn right now. Medicaid and various social programs for disabled and sick people actually are what keeps lower middle class conservatives in line - they are class bribes (in addition to being good social programs that work and should be expanded, of course).
This sucks, it's garbage, but I think it's also monumentally stupid. We've got to work as much as possible on helping each other survive the next few years, but this is not the end.
posted by Frowner at 6:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [111 favorites]
I mean, this sucks, but what's happening is that Trump/etc are basically creating conditions that will be experienced almost like the Great Depression or a war, and that are going to shake things up enormously. It won't be super easy in the short/medium term, and that's terrible and criminal, but they are being really dumb. I mean, I could do a better job being a supervillain than they are doing - they should be throwing real stuff to their broad base, not just tax breaks for a fraction of it and propaganda for the rest. Propaganda is very satisfying to a lot of people, but it doesn't do much on medical bills.
And you know what? I think banning trans people is not as politically sweet as they think it is. What I've observed around some fairly socially conservative people is that they seem to "get" transness in a way that they resist "getting" queerness. I don't think it's going to mobilize as much of their base as they think, and I think it's going to appear pointless and spiteful to a chunk of their base. That won't de-Republican them, of course, but it's not going to keep them in line when Mom needs to be in a nursing home and Medicaid is getting cut.
Basically, the Republicans are eating the seed corn right now. Medicaid and various social programs for disabled and sick people actually are what keeps lower middle class conservatives in line - they are class bribes (in addition to being good social programs that work and should be expanded, of course).
This sucks, it's garbage, but I think it's also monumentally stupid. We've got to work as much as possible on helping each other survive the next few years, but this is not the end.
posted by Frowner at 6:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [111 favorites]
So what is the best way to respond to this Donkey Kong barrel, then? Without minimizing trans allies/harm done to the military?
Didn't Sessions say something evil yesterday about military trans folks?
In general, the Rs/DJT will always say "Look over there! Someone you hate getting something they don't deserve!" It's not new. And yet we seldom seem to have an effective comeback to it.
posted by emjaybee at 6:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Didn't Sessions say something evil yesterday about military trans folks?
In general, the Rs/DJT will always say "Look over there! Someone you hate getting something they don't deserve!" It's not new. And yet we seldom seem to have an effective comeback to it.
posted by emjaybee at 6:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Everyone is giving McCain shit for voting for the motion to proceed, but he seems 100% positive that the debate is going to be a dumpster fire and nothing will pass.
Interestingly, it turns out McCain has some control over this outcome, including such options as voting against whatever dumpster fire his fellow Republicans concoct (fat chance) or just staying in Arizona for "health reasons," thus concentrating the power of the so-called "moderate" Republicans.
But then, he could have done either of those with the MTP, too. It's mind-boggling that so many, especially in the press, credit McCain for his words and utterly ignore his repeated actions. The man is no hero.
posted by Gelatin at 7:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Interestingly, it turns out McCain has some control over this outcome, including such options as voting against whatever dumpster fire his fellow Republicans concoct (fat chance) or just staying in Arizona for "health reasons," thus concentrating the power of the so-called "moderate" Republicans.
But then, he could have done either of those with the MTP, too. It's mind-boggling that so many, especially in the press, credit McCain for his words and utterly ignore his repeated actions. The man is no hero.
posted by Gelatin at 7:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
This nation wants to drive out anyone brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Anyone who's not rich and white, GTFO.
The majority of the nation is brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Don't confuse it with the regime or its artificially overpowered voting base. They, not us, are the toxic foreign body lodged in the country's tissues.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:44 AM on July 26 [1 favorite +] [!]
We'd like to think so, I guess, but the entire history of this nation (founded on a a massive pile of black and Native American corpses) from Jamestown to now, says otherwise. Show me one single American decade where the "brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird" of this country were NOT regularly disenfranchised, exploited, or murdered. There hasn't ever been one.
posted by Chrischris at 7:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
The majority of the nation is brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird. Don't confuse it with the regime or its artificially overpowered voting base. They, not us, are the toxic foreign body lodged in the country's tissues.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:44 AM on July 26 [1 favorite +] [!]
We'd like to think so, I guess, but the entire history of this nation (founded on a a massive pile of black and Native American corpses) from Jamestown to now, says otherwise. Show me one single American decade where the "brown, foreign, queer, poor, and/or just plain weird" of this country were NOT regularly disenfranchised, exploited, or murdered. There hasn't ever been one.
posted by Chrischris at 7:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Whatever people on this site may think, Putin does not consider the Cold War to be a lost cause.
I think talk of a new or renewed Cold War is actually premature. Putin has a pretty specific motivation, I think, which is to see Russia a Superpower again, and the United States humiliated the way the Soviet Union was humiliated.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
I think talk of a new or renewed Cold War is actually premature. Putin has a pretty specific motivation, I think, which is to see Russia a Superpower again, and the United States humiliated the way the Soviet Union was humiliated.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
What's really scaring me is that his argument is that trans people are a burden and interfering with our "overwhelming victory." That's some verbatim Aktion T4 shit
posted by theodolite at 7:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 7:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
@JoshACLU: If you are a trans service member or reservist please contact me. If you know a trans service member or reservist tell them to contact me.
posted by zabuni at 7:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
posted by zabuni at 7:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
I am fucking incandescent with rage and taking on all comers on every military FB page I can load at once today. If anyone wants to MeMail me good dismissive responses (e.g., "You're not worth responding to. I hope you step on a Lego."), I could use a hand.
posted by Etrigan at 7:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 7:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
Okay, what is the over/under of an official White House spokesperson claiming those tweets were "ironic", and that of course no such new rules are forthcoming?
posted by PontifexPrimus at 7:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by PontifexPrimus at 7:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
So what is the best way to respond to this Donkey Kong barrel, then? Without minimizing trans allies/harm done to the military?
I don't have the answer to this, nor do I think we should minimize this at all. I just think Step One to getting out of this classic abuser-victim cycle we find ourselves in is recognizing the process he puts us through every time he wants to turn the page.
By all means, please fight trump as hard as you can on this awful announcement. I think this and the paris accord are some of the worst things he's thrown at us so far, precisely because of the harm AND the red meat thrown to his base, which they gobble up. He is doubling down on the awful shit and hugging his base even tighter, which means he'll never lose the 27% crazy-as-shit population.
So yes, we should fight him at each and every turn. I'm just sick of allowing him to set the day's tone (as we all are), so I'd like to see a CNN/MSNBC response such as "This blatantly illegal announcement will be met in court. In the meantime, let's continue to focus on the crimes the Trump campaign may have committed and investigate collusion." We are all victims and I want to take any step possible to break free of the abuser's pattern.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
The options for dysphoric children today means there will be many young adults that have taken care of transition before realising they want to join the Armed Forces. What about gender queer folks that have no desire to change their bodies but still want to serve? Costs taken care of, beyond the nominal cost of HRT if applicable. No different than BC.
posted by michswiss at 7:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by michswiss at 7:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
@MattBellassai
transgender people show more courage when they leave their fucking houses in the morning than donald trump has shown his entire life
posted by chris24 at 7:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [179 favorites]
transgender people show more courage when they leave their fucking houses in the morning than donald trump has shown his entire life
posted by chris24 at 7:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [179 favorites]
So many questions. Did they go to the same public speaking class? Is it a New York thing? Is mooch mirroring him on purpose as a mind trick? It can't be coincidence.
Same puppet-master.
posted by um at 7:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Same puppet-master.
posted by um at 7:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
I feel like republicans thinking about the long term prospects for their party and policies should be really worried about how recent events, including health care and this trans policy, play to young people. It's more spinning up their shrinking base at the cost of making the republican brand increasingly repugnant to young people.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 7:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by LastOfHisKind at 7:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
NPR throws (print) shade: Democrats Want To Probe Trump Ties To Deutsche Bank. GOP Says, No Thanks
(And why are there so many committees if they're apparently able to do the same thing? Answer me that, Jeb.)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
The House Financial Services Committee on Tuesday considered looking into President Trump's financial ties, particularly those linking him to a bank that had been involved with laundering Russian money.*Kisses fingers* Beautiful!
But Republican members voted "nyet" on a straight party-line vote of 34-26.
They defeated a Democrat-sponsored request to order Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin to "provide certain documents ... relating to President Trump's financial connections to Russia, certain illegal financial schemes, and related information."
The committee, which deals with banking and money laundering, "will not be spending time and money" on an investigation that already is being touched upon by other congressional committees, said Chairman Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas.
(And why are there so many committees if they're apparently able to do the same thing? Answer me that, Jeb.)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
Is mooch mirroring him on purpose as a mind trick?
Yes, Scaramucci is deliberately mirroring Trump to flatter him:
Yes, Scaramucci is deliberately mirroring Trump to flatter him:
Mirroring can establish rapport with the individual who is being mirrored, as the similarities in nonverbal gestures allow the individual to feel more connected with the person exhibiting the mirrored behavior.[3] As the two individuals in the situation display similar nonverbal gestures, they may believe that they share similar attitudes and ideas as well. Mirror neurons react to and cause these movements, allowing the individuals to feel a greater sense of engagement and belonging within the situation.posted by Room 641-A at 7:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
I should add that mirroring is also a PUA move.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [43 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 7:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [43 favorites]
worried about how [...] this trans policy, play[s] to young people
If the general tone on Reddit is any indication (I know, I know), the only thing young people hate more than women is transgender people.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
If the general tone on Reddit is any indication (I know, I know), the only thing young people hate more than women is transgender people.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
That said, Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), ranking member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, is interested in the topic (NPR, July 25, 2017):
SCHIFF: I can't go into the scope of what we asked Mr. Kushner about, I certainly believe that the allegations of potential money laundering through The Trump Organization, the potential that Russian oligarchs invested money in Mr. Trump or that the Russians used a tactic they've used elsewhere of exerting financial leverage by virtue of transactions they've entered into is something the committee has to investigate and explore.posted by filthy light thief at 7:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
So...
SIEGEL: That's in bounds - that's in bounds for the committee.
SCHIFF: Yes. Yes, it is.
SIEGEL: And is it your understanding that Mr. Mueller is pursuing the same areas of inquiry?
SCHIFF: I can't speak to what Mr. Mueller is pursuing. But I think that is well within the scope of what he's been authorized to investigate. So I certainly would hope and expect that that would be an allegation that he would explore in particular because what ought to concern us the most is anything the Russians may have that they can hold over the head of this administration.
A lot of people, when they hear the term kompromat, they think of compromising information in the form of salacious videos or photographs. But you could have also a very powerful form of kompromat if the Russians are aware of either money laundering or financial transactions legitimate or illegitimate.
It's clearly being taken up as a cause celebre by the administration, despite the fact that criminal aliens were targeted in the tens of thousands under the Obama administration. There is also the rarely highlighted dynamic that the gang preys upon a community that if undocumented fears the police because of their immigration status, and has plenty to fear from police violence otherwise, on top of retaliation for police cooperation. It's unlikely this is the part of the community that 45 will want to show off as thanking him.
Somerville, MA is a "sanctuary city" precisely because the SPD desperately needed illegal immigrants to be willing to call the police to report MS-13 activities.
posted by ocschwar at 7:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [26 favorites]
I should add that mirroring is also a PUA move.
Thanks. It makes perfect sense now.
posted by adept256 at 7:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Thanks. It makes perfect sense now.
posted by adept256 at 7:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
From the Guardian's story on transgender people in the military:
The president tweeted that the military ‘cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption’ of having transgender members.
[...] One study, by the RAND Corporation, estimated that medical care for individuals who transition would cost roughly $3 to $4m annually. Every year, the Pentagon spends approximately $6bn on medical care for members of the armed forces.
'Tremendous' medical costs. Three to four million in the annual budget of the United States Military. That's not even an accounting rounding error, that's a rounding error you discover by fluke and it's not worth your time to fix. Pick a better fig leaf for your bigotry, Donald.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
The president tweeted that the military ‘cannot be burdened with the tremendous medical costs and disruption’ of having transgender members.
[...] One study, by the RAND Corporation, estimated that medical care for individuals who transition would cost roughly $3 to $4m annually. Every year, the Pentagon spends approximately $6bn on medical care for members of the armed forces.
'Tremendous' medical costs. Three to four million in the annual budget of the United States Military. That's not even an accounting rounding error, that's a rounding error you discover by fluke and it's not worth your time to fix. Pick a better fig leaf for your bigotry, Donald.
posted by Capt. Renault at 7:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
Three to four million in the annual budget of the United States Military.
The Navy dumps about $15M a year worth of aviation fuel into the ocean practicing carrier operations.
posted by Etrigan at 7:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
The Navy dumps about $15M a year worth of aviation fuel into the ocean practicing carrier operations.
posted by Etrigan at 7:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
I am fucking incandescent with rage and taking on all comers on every military FB page I can load at once today.
Tag me in, battle. I just woke up and saw this shitshow. CiC or not, he can't just do this.
posted by corb at 7:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
Tag me in, battle. I just woke up and saw this shitshow. CiC or not, he can't just do this.
posted by corb at 7:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
I am genuinely having a really hard time focusing on doing my job....I've got a major project in front of me, in fact, several....they require my full brain...I need to think, plan, have something on-point to say in meetings. But I'm terrified of looking away from the internet for sixty seconds because I don't know what's about to come through the gates of hell. The president of the United States is making it impossible to do my job. And it's making it impossible for lots of other people to do their jobs. What the fuck is going on when people can't work because the president is too out of control for people to concentrate?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [77 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [77 favorites]
It's a perfect fig leaf because it frames a vulnerable group as parasites and it can be easily repurposed to argue that trans people shouldn't be allowed federal jobs or health coverage at all. Whether it's true is irrelevant
posted by theodolite at 7:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 7:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Three to four million in the annual budget of the United States Military.
The Navy dumps about $15M a year worth of aviation fuel into the ocean practicing carrier operations.
$4 million is 0.0006% of the pentagon's annual budget. It's a rounding error.
posted by dis_integration at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
The Navy dumps about $15M a year worth of aviation fuel into the ocean practicing carrier operations.
$4 million is 0.0006% of the pentagon's annual budget. It's a rounding error.
posted by dis_integration at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
What is the reaction on the Hill to this bullshit trans announcement?
posted by agregoli at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2017
posted by agregoli at 7:35 AM on July 26, 2017
I'm interested (read: Horrified) to see how Repubs cognitive dissonance will react to this. On the one hand the armed forces are part of their bread and butter. On the other hand, they hate Transgender people.
posted by Twain Device at 7:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Twain Device at 7:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maggie Haberman mentioned on Twitter that Bannon summoned Ann Coulter to the White House to give Trump a lecture on reconnecting with his base. So we know who to thank for this latest round of red meat hate.
posted by neroli at 7:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [46 favorites]
posted by neroli at 7:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [46 favorites]
We've got to work as much as possible on helping each other survive the next few years, but this is not the end.
Frowner, thank you so much for saying all that. Everything coming out of this administration in the last few weeks has worn me down and given me nightmares as much as anything so far, and I've never had the emotional resilience necessary to participate in these catch-all threads much. But your comment just now is truly inspiring to me and goes a long way towards alleviating some of the despair. Thank you.
posted by elsilnora at 7:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
Frowner, thank you so much for saying all that. Everything coming out of this administration in the last few weeks has worn me down and given me nightmares as much as anything so far, and I've never had the emotional resilience necessary to participate in these catch-all threads much. But your comment just now is truly inspiring to me and goes a long way towards alleviating some of the despair. Thank you.
posted by elsilnora at 7:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
Back in June, the White House announced several theme weeks. This is "American Heroes Week 2017: Honoring those who answer the call of duty"
Jane Coaston (@cjane87): A note: the Department of Defense is the largest single employer of trans people in the country. An estimated 15K are currently serving. Source: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Transgender-Military-Service-May-2014.pdf
That statistic is from May 2014, two years before the first ban was lifted (in June 2016) by the Pentagon.
posted by zarq at 7:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Jane Coaston (@cjane87): A note: the Department of Defense is the largest single employer of trans people in the country. An estimated 15K are currently serving. Source: https://williamsinstitute.law.ucla.edu/wp-content/uploads/Transgender-Military-Service-May-2014.pdf
That statistic is from May 2014, two years before the first ban was lifted (in June 2016) by the Pentagon.
posted by zarq at 7:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Today, July 26, is the anniversary of Truman desegregating the military. I don't think that's a coincidence.
posted by octothorpe at 7:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [75 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 7:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [75 favorites]
(I've been following these threads, but I will admit my knowledge of the scope of the ability of the president to just dictate things is lacking.)
I am not sure about this particular thing, but I think one of the things we've learned is that it's possible there's no law against the president pooping on the rug in the oval office and the only thing that has kept others from doing it is decorum and human dignity. We didn't think we needed a 'don't poop on the rug' rule. Trump has taught us that if someone poops on the oval office rug and says 'Yeah? What are you going to do about it?' we look in the rule book and go, for fuck's sake why do we suddenly need a No Pooping rule? And the answer is 'Donald Trump'.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
I am not sure about this particular thing, but I think one of the things we've learned is that it's possible there's no law against the president pooping on the rug in the oval office and the only thing that has kept others from doing it is decorum and human dignity. We didn't think we needed a 'don't poop on the rug' rule. Trump has taught us that if someone poops on the oval office rug and says 'Yeah? What are you going to do about it?' we look in the rule book and go, for fuck's sake why do we suddenly need a No Pooping rule? And the answer is 'Donald Trump'.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
....annnnnd I just spent my time typing out a comment about poop because I couldn't concentrate on work.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
@omargp If you are (or know) a #trans member of the Armed Forced, Natl Guard, ROTC, or a veteran, contact me and @LambdaLegal. We are your lawyers.
> Is this something he can just declare on his own?
I was wondering that, it seems like he's just gone full-on far-right dictator.
What he's quite deliberately done is issue a presidential proclamation othering trans people as national policy. With full knowledge of how his 'base' is going to act.
posted by Buntix at 7:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
> Is this something he can just declare on his own?
I was wondering that, it seems like he's just gone full-on far-right dictator.
What he's quite deliberately done is issue a presidential proclamation othering trans people as national policy. With full knowledge of how his 'base' is going to act.
posted by Buntix at 7:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
I wouldn't be surprised if LBJ had pissed on the corner of the Resolute Desk at some point, TBH, but he had the badassery to back it up
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Guys...Trump is Donkey Kong
My esteemed friends, I have to say that I know Donkey Kong. I've controlled Donkey Kong in a number of video games both Country and Land. Donkey Kong is an honorable gorilla who, yes, has some documented impulse control issues but is overall a good citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom. He does not deserve this slander.
posted by Servo5678 at 7:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
My esteemed friends, I have to say that I know Donkey Kong. I've controlled Donkey Kong in a number of video games both Country and Land. Donkey Kong is an honorable gorilla who, yes, has some documented impulse control issues but is overall a good citizen of the Mushroom Kingdom. He does not deserve this slander.
posted by Servo5678 at 7:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
So what is the best way to respond to this Donkey Kong barrel, then?
My immediate answer would be "a sledgehammer", but that only lasts for a few seconds.
Also, there might be awkward questions from the Secret Service afterwards.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:46 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
My immediate answer would be "a sledgehammer", but that only lasts for a few seconds.
Also, there might be awkward questions from the Secret Service afterwards.
posted by Mr. Bad Example at 7:46 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Is this something he can just declare on his own?
Executive Orders are bound by the Constitution, and I suspect this violates the 14th Amendment. There are also probably some actual laws that are relevant here, and you just know that Trump has not consulted the OLC to make a determination, but instead decided this after a chat with Bannon and while watching some late-night/early-morning hate television. So I guess the answer here is: the ACLU will likely sue and the Supremes will decide and we know how Gorsuch will vote.
posted by dis_integration at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
Executive Orders are bound by the Constitution, and I suspect this violates the 14th Amendment. There are also probably some actual laws that are relevant here, and you just know that Trump has not consulted the OLC to make a determination, but instead decided this after a chat with Bannon and while watching some late-night/early-morning hate television. So I guess the answer here is: the ACLU will likely sue and the Supremes will decide and we know how Gorsuch will vote.
posted by dis_integration at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
Maggie Haberman mentioned on Twitter that Bannon summoned Ann Coulter to the White House to give Trump a lecture on reconnecting with his base. So we know who to thank for this latest round of red meat hate.
Maybe we can distract them both by taking away their seats on their next Delta flight.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe we can distract them both by taking away their seats on their next Delta flight.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
A Terrible Llama I am genuinely having a really hard time focusing on doing my job
You are definitely not alone. I've had a hard time doing my job since January 20th but the last few weeks have been especially difficult. My therapist says I need to live more in the moment and not think so much about the future, but I mean this is the moment.
I'm not really sure what to do about it, other than work head down as much as I can.
posted by zrail at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
You are definitely not alone. I've had a hard time doing my job since January 20th but the last few weeks have been especially difficult. My therapist says I need to live more in the moment and not think so much about the future, but I mean this is the moment.
I'm not really sure what to do about it, other than work head down as much as I can.
posted by zrail at 7:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Oh, and Etrigan, if you want to memail me any pages you're visiting I'd like to speak out too.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Pentagon apparently doesn't know what Trump is talking about:
'Pentagon "didn't know anything about" POTUS transgender ban decision reports @barbarastarrcnn'
posted by tittergrrl at 7:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [57 favorites]
'Pentagon "didn't know anything about" POTUS transgender ban decision reports @barbarastarrcnn'
posted by tittergrrl at 7:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [57 favorites]
My therapist says I need to live more in the moment and not think so much about the future, but I mean this is the moment.
Yes! I am finding it impossible NOT to live in the moment.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
Yes! I am finding it impossible NOT to live in the moment.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
That's even more cynical than I originally thought. Coming from Bannon/Coulter, they probably know that Trump's dictate won't survive a court challenge, but the administration can keep the issue as part of the midterm campaign. So, Trump and his henchmen are willing and eager to use trans bodies as red meat for the base. He can't rally his supporters with anything but hate for marginalized people.
posted by gladly at 7:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by gladly at 7:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
In general, I try to consume politics (Mefi thread and otherwise) in no more than 30 minute chunks then go do something else. Of course, when the Senate is voting/some other event is taking place, that's harder.
But yeah. Take breaks, ya'll.
posted by emjaybee at 7:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
But yeah. Take breaks, ya'll.
posted by emjaybee at 7:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
There are a great many thing that Donald Trump is doing that you should need a rule for, and frankly if you needed a separate rule for every single one of them you'd be there all day.
What you need is a big ol' triple dissolution lever. If the government is not working, everyone loses their jobs. Senators. Representatives. President. Supreme Court justices. An immediate election for the two branches of government directly elected, and some mechanism for confirming new justices without being able to stack the branch. It works because it is very clearly the failsafe, the kind of thing that gets called a 'constitutional crisis' even though the constitution is explicitly allowing for it.
"But what if the failing government gets back in, Merus?" you ask. The trick is that a failing government probably isn't in the best shape to appeal to the voters already, and if the American voter is anything like most democracies, they really don't like having to go to the polls because their current government couldn't even make it to the end of the term.
posted by Merus at 7:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
What you need is a big ol' triple dissolution lever. If the government is not working, everyone loses their jobs. Senators. Representatives. President. Supreme Court justices. An immediate election for the two branches of government directly elected, and some mechanism for confirming new justices without being able to stack the branch. It works because it is very clearly the failsafe, the kind of thing that gets called a 'constitutional crisis' even though the constitution is explicitly allowing for it.
"But what if the failing government gets back in, Merus?" you ask. The trick is that a failing government probably isn't in the best shape to appeal to the voters already, and if the American voter is anything like most democracies, they really don't like having to go to the polls because their current government couldn't even make it to the end of the term.
posted by Merus at 7:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
but instead decided this after a chat with Bannon
THIS
posted by Melismata at 7:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
THIS
posted by Melismata at 7:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
The Pentagon apparently doesn't know what Trump is talking about:
'Pentagon "didn't know anything about" POTUS transgender ban decision reports @barbarastarrcnn'
The Defense Dept policy allowing transgender service is still up on the DoD website.
posted by chris24 at 7:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
'Pentagon "didn't know anything about" POTUS transgender ban decision reports @barbarastarrcnn'
The Defense Dept policy allowing transgender service is still up on the DoD website.
posted by chris24 at 7:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Okay, but banning trans folk from serving in the military is a true scandal. Turning a Boy Scout jamboree into a Hilter Youth rally is a true scandal. Attacking the AG for not prosecuting his political opponent is a true scandal. And this is what, the last 48 hours? They are all true scandals and pretending otherwise is also dangerous and breeds complacency.
QFT. We need to be able to juggle multiple things.
Let me share my strategy. I was tear gassed for the first time when I was 17. I saw injustice everywhere. I wanted to change the world and help everyone. But I couldn't and you wouldn't expect me to. Here is what has worked for me for the past 30 years.
FOCUS. Focus on what you are passionate about. Are you passionate about reproductive health? climate change? refugees? Focus on that one thing. THEN (this is the important part) you must trust that other passionate people are focusing on what stirs their heart and allow them to do that. You cannot take on every challenge. There are a billion of them. But you can focus on your passion and do all you can so that others can focus on their issue and do all they can.
Do what you can today. Call your trans friends. Call your senators. Take a walk. Meditate. Care for your body, mind and soul. Reach out to someone if you need help. You are all important to me.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [71 favorites]
QFT. We need to be able to juggle multiple things.
Let me share my strategy. I was tear gassed for the first time when I was 17. I saw injustice everywhere. I wanted to change the world and help everyone. But I couldn't and you wouldn't expect me to. Here is what has worked for me for the past 30 years.
FOCUS. Focus on what you are passionate about. Are you passionate about reproductive health? climate change? refugees? Focus on that one thing. THEN (this is the important part) you must trust that other passionate people are focusing on what stirs their heart and allow them to do that. You cannot take on every challenge. There are a billion of them. But you can focus on your passion and do all you can so that others can focus on their issue and do all they can.
Do what you can today. Call your trans friends. Call your senators. Take a walk. Meditate. Care for your body, mind and soul. Reach out to someone if you need help. You are all important to me.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [71 favorites]
In re the Pentagon: My bet is that Trump isn't winning any friends there. "I will randomly declare that you are going to do a 180 on something that was very controversial and obviously required expending a lot of time, political capital and arm twisting ability in order to get a momentary spike of approval from my base" is not a winning move.
Now, I don't think this means we're going to have, like, an insurrection tomorrow, sadly, but I think that there are going to be - are already - a lot of fissures in the Republican party and the government over Trump, and that's going to weaken the party generally and make it much harder to get things done. It may even be that the Pentagon will walk this back. I have zero desire to stan for the military, but large bureaucracies have their own momentum.
What I'm noticing in Minnesota is fissures among Republicans between Trumpists and everyone else. They may be united at the federal level, but they're not united when it comes down to, eg, fucking up things that they personally control on the ground for the people they live among. This is one of the reasons I'm not so sure that we're seeing some kind of Triumph of the Trump here.
posted by Frowner at 7:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Now, I don't think this means we're going to have, like, an insurrection tomorrow, sadly, but I think that there are going to be - are already - a lot of fissures in the Republican party and the government over Trump, and that's going to weaken the party generally and make it much harder to get things done. It may even be that the Pentagon will walk this back. I have zero desire to stan for the military, but large bureaucracies have their own momentum.
What I'm noticing in Minnesota is fissures among Republicans between Trumpists and everyone else. They may be united at the federal level, but they're not united when it comes down to, eg, fucking up things that they personally control on the ground for the people they live among. This is one of the reasons I'm not so sure that we're seeing some kind of Triumph of the Trump here.
posted by Frowner at 7:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
@JohnBerman
JUST NOW: GOP Sen.Richard Shelby responded to new transgender policy. He said (roughly) "I think everybody should be able to serve."
posted by chris24 at 7:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
JUST NOW: GOP Sen.Richard Shelby responded to new transgender policy. He said (roughly) "I think everybody should be able to serve."
posted by chris24 at 7:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
(Schiff:) A lot of people, when they hear the term kompromat, they think of compromising information in the form of salacious videos or photographs. But you could have also a very powerful form of kompromat if the Russians are aware of either money laundering or financial transactions legitimate or illegitimate.
Sheldon Whitehouse just asked about this in the Senate hearing.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Sheldon Whitehouse just asked about this in the Senate hearing.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
JUST NOW: GOP Sen.Richard Shelby responded to new transgender policy. He said (roughly) "I think everybody should be able to serve."
I'm sure Sen. Shelby is very concerned and troubled by these events. Now please excuse him while he goes to vote in favor of all of Trump's hobby horses.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
I'm sure Sen. Shelby is very concerned and troubled by these events. Now please excuse him while he goes to vote in favor of all of Trump's hobby horses.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
This forces Democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will blue collars voters in these states respond when senators up for reelection in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaign?
How fucking cynical do you have to be. I mean at least have some courage in your convictions. There's no Leviticus here. This is just trans-baiting for the sheer fucking sake of it which is somehow even more disgusting than doing it because invisible sky guy you believe in supposedly tells you to.
posted by Talez at 7:59 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
How fucking cynical do you have to be. I mean at least have some courage in your convictions. There's no Leviticus here. This is just trans-baiting for the sheer fucking sake of it which is somehow even more disgusting than doing it because invisible sky guy you believe in supposedly tells you to.
posted by Talez at 7:59 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
The piece of shit who lied about heel spurs to dodge the draft wants to kick out people like this.
@NoahShachtman
Read this amazing story about Kristen Beck, who won a Puprle Heart and a Bronze Star... and transitioned. http://www.thedailybeast.com/yes-to-lgb-no-to-t-the-pentagon-still-has-a-transgender-ban
posted by chris24 at 8:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
@NoahShachtman
Read this amazing story about Kristen Beck, who won a Puprle Heart and a Bronze Star... and transitioned. http://www.thedailybeast.com/yes-to-lgb-no-to-t-the-pentagon-still-has-a-transgender-ban
posted by chris24 at 8:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
SecDef Mattis is on vacation this week. I guarantee you that A) Bannon knows this, and B) Trump does not.
(Not that Mattis has been real good on this issue, but he still wouldn't want policy in his department to be set like this.)
posted by Etrigan at 8:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
(Not that Mattis has been real good on this issue, but he still wouldn't want policy in his department to be set like this.)
posted by Etrigan at 8:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
[Transgender surgery may cost] three to four million in the annual budget of the United States Military.
That got me to thinking... where else have I heard something about military spending lately... Hmm... Pentagon will be called to answer for wasting 28 million dollars on forest camo for the Afghan army that only works in 3% of Afghanistan's geography. (Emphasis mine, btw)
On Senator Shelby, that might be as good a response as you might expect from a Republican Senator at this stage.
posted by Slothrop at 8:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
That got me to thinking... where else have I heard something about military spending lately... Hmm... Pentagon will be called to answer for wasting 28 million dollars on forest camo for the Afghan army that only works in 3% of Afghanistan's geography. (Emphasis mine, btw)
On Senator Shelby, that might be as good a response as you might expect from a Republican Senator at this stage.
posted by Slothrop at 8:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Longform podcast interviews Maggie Haberman (NYTimes) while she reports and publishes a story (yesterday morning).
Starts at 3:30, 45min long
posted by pjenks at 8:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Starts at 3:30, 45min long
posted by pjenks at 8:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
In 2013, Senator Shelby was one of 32 Senators who voted against the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) The bill passed anyway, and ended decades of employment discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans.
He's no ally.
posted by zarq at 8:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
He's no ally.
posted by zarq at 8:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
And so it goes on: -
A gay rights opponent who once appeared in a campaign advert that was accused of being racist and who has claimed that refugees pose a threat to Europe has been named as Donald Trump’s choice for US ambassador to the Netherlands.
posted by adamvasco at 8:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
A gay rights opponent who once appeared in a campaign advert that was accused of being racist and who has claimed that refugees pose a threat to Europe has been named as Donald Trump’s choice for US ambassador to the Netherlands.
posted by adamvasco at 8:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Frowner, I favorited and flagged both your comments as fantastic. They are just what I needed to hear right now!
As far as this is concerned: This forces Democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will blue collars voters in these states respond when senators up for reelection in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaign?: I've noted before that the swing voter is an almost extinct breed. I believe that almost all people who switched from D to R for culturally-conservative reasons (Bathrooms! Baybeez! etc.) have done so long ago - the 80's "Reagan Democrats" and later going R after 9/11 were the two big waves. The voters who don't want trans people in the military and who care deeply about the issue are already solid Republicans.
I worry more about some Democrats throwing trans people under the bus in the name of kissing "swing voter" butt. I think that will lose Dems far more votes, because Gutless Flip-Flopping Weasel is not a good look, and throwing allies under the bus in the name of opportunism will repel more voters than it wins over. I think every last Democrat should stand up, proudly and without apology, and say, "Trans people have served and are serving in our military with distinction. I will stand by all our military members, straight, gay, cis, trans, if you are willing and able to serve your country you are welcome to join our military."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
As far as this is concerned: This forces Democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will blue collars voters in these states respond when senators up for reelection in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaign?: I've noted before that the swing voter is an almost extinct breed. I believe that almost all people who switched from D to R for culturally-conservative reasons (Bathrooms! Baybeez! etc.) have done so long ago - the 80's "Reagan Democrats" and later going R after 9/11 were the two big waves. The voters who don't want trans people in the military and who care deeply about the issue are already solid Republicans.
I worry more about some Democrats throwing trans people under the bus in the name of kissing "swing voter" butt. I think that will lose Dems far more votes, because Gutless Flip-Flopping Weasel is not a good look, and throwing allies under the bus in the name of opportunism will repel more voters than it wins over. I think every last Democrat should stand up, proudly and without apology, and say, "Trans people have served and are serving in our military with distinction. I will stand by all our military members, straight, gay, cis, trans, if you are willing and able to serve your country you are welcome to join our military."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
chris24: The Defense Dept policy allowing transgender service is still up on the DoD website.
With this administration, whatever is or isn't on their websites doesn't matter. Remember that Trump's own campaign website still touted his Muslim ban into March, and only disappeared after a reporter asked Sean Spicer about it.
chris24: JUST NOW: GOP Sen.Richard Shelby responded to new transgender policy. He said (roughly) "I think everybody should be able to serve."
There's a significant difference between being "able to serve" and supporting transgender people, including their potential medical costs. Whenever someone says "they should be able to serve," those people need to be pressed to clarify how trans individuals will be supported when they serve their country.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
With this administration, whatever is or isn't on their websites doesn't matter. Remember that Trump's own campaign website still touted his Muslim ban into March, and only disappeared after a reporter asked Sean Spicer about it.
chris24: JUST NOW: GOP Sen.Richard Shelby responded to new transgender policy. He said (roughly) "I think everybody should be able to serve."
There's a significant difference between being "able to serve" and supporting transgender people, including their potential medical costs. Whenever someone says "they should be able to serve," those people need to be pressed to clarify how trans individuals will be supported when they serve their country.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
> This is just trans-baiting for the sheer fucking sake of it which is somehow even more disgusting than doing it because invisible sky guy you believe in supposedly tells you to.
There is some speculation that it's to buy backing/votes from other republicans. Cruz certainly has form on the matter.
It's quite the juxtaposition the day after this from the international brigades fighting against ISIS.
@IRPGF: "These Faggots Kill Fascists! We shoot back! The Black & Pink and Rainbow flag fly in Raqqa. #Queers smashing the Caliphate. #TQILA #YPJ #YPG"
Perhaps Bannon et al saw it and started getting worried that they might start coming for the white fascists as well.
posted by Buntix at 8:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
There is some speculation that it's to buy backing/votes from other republicans. Cruz certainly has form on the matter.
It's quite the juxtaposition the day after this from the international brigades fighting against ISIS.
@IRPGF: "These Faggots Kill Fascists! We shoot back! The Black & Pink and Rainbow flag fly in Raqqa. #Queers smashing the Caliphate. #TQILA #YPJ #YPG"
Perhaps Bannon et al saw it and started getting worried that they might start coming for the white fascists as well.
posted by Buntix at 8:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Tag me in, battle. I just woke up and saw this shitshow. CiC or not, he can't just do this.
Should have thought of that before people pushed to defy federal law and put Gen. Mad Dog Mattis in charge of the Defense Department. It was Mad Dog who announced last month that he was personally putting a hold on the policy that had already been reviewed and approved by the Defense Department under Obama over a year ago.
"We need Mattis to protect us from Trump's worst impulses" people said. Seems he is feeding those worst impulses.
posted by JackFlash at 8:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Should have thought of that before people pushed to defy federal law and put Gen. Mad Dog Mattis in charge of the Defense Department. It was Mad Dog who announced last month that he was personally putting a hold on the policy that had already been reviewed and approved by the Defense Department under Obama over a year ago.
"We need Mattis to protect us from Trump's worst impulses" people said. Seems he is feeding those worst impulses.
posted by JackFlash at 8:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I've noted before that the swing voter is an almost extinct breed. I believe that almost all people who switched from D to R for culturally-conservative reasons (Bathrooms! Baybeez! etc.) have done so long ago - the 80's "Reagan Democrats" and later going R after 9/11 were the two big waves. The voters who don't want trans people in the military and who care deeply about the issue are already solid Republicans.
Yeah, the idea here is to gin up the base who might otherwise stay home in a midterm elections where their side is already in charge (and therefore there's no "throw the bums out" impulse to get them to the polls). It doesn't matter what noises Democrats make on this -- it's not going to change people's minds on who they vote for nearly as much as on whether loyal-but-lazy R voters actually cast a ballot.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah, the idea here is to gin up the base who might otherwise stay home in a midterm elections where their side is already in charge (and therefore there's no "throw the bums out" impulse to get them to the polls). It doesn't matter what noises Democrats make on this -- it's not going to change people's minds on who they vote for nearly as much as on whether loyal-but-lazy R voters actually cast a ballot.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
On the one hand I don't understand why anyone would serve in this country's military. I know a lot of vets, I know there are several vets in here, I support you as human beings but I don't understand your motivations.
On the other hand why the fuck would you ever for any reason deny someone who wants to do it (and it's still voluntary, last I checked) the right to do so?
posted by aspersioncast at 8:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
On the other hand why the fuck would you ever for any reason deny someone who wants to do it (and it's still voluntary, last I checked) the right to do so?
posted by aspersioncast at 8:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
So, Trump and his henchmen are willing and eager to use trans bodies as red meat for the base. He can't rally his supporters with anything but hate for marginalized people.
or, The Republican Party rallies supporters with hate.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
or, The Republican Party rallies supporters with hate.
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
@Atul_Gawande
"Skinny repeal" is a known disaster.
1995: WA state repealed mandate; kept guaranteed issue
1999: no insurers left
Dismantling of state’s health reforms in 1993 may offer lessons for Obamacare repeal
As Republicans in Congress move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Washington state’s experience in 1990s with health-care reform may offer a lesson. Repealing unpopular parts of the state’s health-care law led to the collapse of the insurance market. - Jan '17
posted by chris24 at 8:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
"Skinny repeal" is a known disaster.
1995: WA state repealed mandate; kept guaranteed issue
1999: no insurers left
Dismantling of state’s health reforms in 1993 may offer lessons for Obamacare repeal
As Republicans in Congress move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Washington state’s experience in 1990s with health-care reform may offer a lesson. Repealing unpopular parts of the state’s health-care law led to the collapse of the insurance market. - Jan '17
posted by chris24 at 8:18 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
So, does anybody know what is going on with the amendment to defund PP? I think what I understand from TPM is that at 11:30 EST there's going to be some procedural action that will involve determining whether the defund PP can go forward under reconciliation?
posted by angrycat at 8:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by angrycat at 8:22 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
As Republicans in Congress move to repeal the Affordable Care Act, Washington state’s experience in 1990s with health-care reform may offer a lesson.
Does German have a word for "something offered even though you know damn well it won't be taken"?
posted by Etrigan at 8:24 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Does German have a word for "something offered even though you know damn well it won't be taken"?
posted by Etrigan at 8:24 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
So, does anybody know what is going on with the amendment to defund PP? I think what I understand from TPM is that at 11:30 EST there's going to be some procedural action that will involve determining whether the defund PP can go forward under reconciliation?
I'm going to guess that Democratic senators are objecting to the amendment under the Byrd rule and the Presiding Officer and Senate Parliamentarian are going to rule that because it's lowering outlays it technically qualifies for reconciliation under the Byrd Rule.
The whole "it ain't illegal if the people in charge don't care" theme of 2017 keeps on giving.
posted by Talez at 8:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm going to guess that Democratic senators are objecting to the amendment under the Byrd rule and the Presiding Officer and Senate Parliamentarian are going to rule that because it's lowering outlays it technically qualifies for reconciliation under the Byrd Rule.
The whole "it ain't illegal if the people in charge don't care" theme of 2017 keeps on giving.
posted by Talez at 8:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Relevant to today from the Longform Maggie Haberman interview
MAGGIE HABERMAN: There's a degree to which I think these folks don't get that they're playing with live ammo and people's lives.posted by pjenks at 8:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
MAX LINSKY: You don't think that's settled in yet?
MH: No.
ML: How do you know that, what's the evidence for that?
MH: Just the way that they talk about this stuff --- not all of them, but some of them --- it's not about, you know, enacting policy or doing what's best for the country, it's about winning. Winning their little corner of power.
ML: Do you think that in part that's because the stakes are so high? They can't see clearly...
MH: No [laughing] I don't think it's that
ML: You think it's just that's how they're wired and it's just a game?
MH: For some of them yeah. Not all of them. I think a lot of them went in there to serve their country, but I think there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
JackFlash: "We need Mattis to protect us from Trump's worst impulses" people said. Seems he is feeding those worst impulses.
When you're hoping a guy nicknamed "Mad Dog" will protect you from an infantile narcissistic, you know you're in a bad place.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
When you're hoping a guy nicknamed "Mad Dog" will protect you from an infantile narcissistic, you know you're in a bad place.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
"I really think we would want transgender people in our military, because if these are not brave as hell individuals, then I just don't know who is." - a friend
"Executive Order 9981 was an executive order issued on July 26, 1948, by President Harry S. Truman. It abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and eventually led to the end of segregation in the services."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981
posted by Evilspork at 8:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
"Executive Order 9981 was an executive order issued on July 26, 1948, by President Harry S. Truman. It abolished racial discrimination in the United States Armed Forces and eventually led to the end of segregation in the services."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Executive_Order_9981
posted by Evilspork at 8:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
OK I see what's going on now. So last week the Senate Parliamentarian, Elizabeth MacDonough, did fuck the GOP putting anything they want into reconciliation. The Senate Parliamentarian serves at the pleasure of the Senate Majority Leader.
I'm going to take a stab and say they're about to fire Elizabeth MacDonough and put a Republican sycophant into the position.
posted by Talez at 8:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I'm going to take a stab and say they're about to fire Elizabeth MacDonough and put a Republican sycophant into the position.
posted by Talez at 8:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
I'm shocked.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:36 AM on July 26, 2017
I'm shocked.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:36 AM on July 26, 2017
> ML: You think it's just that's how they're wired and it's just a game?
MH: For some of them yeah. Not all of them. I think a lot of them went in there to serve their country, but I think there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
god if only there were a currently popular cultural phenomenon devoted to illustrating the disasters that inevitably result when people who sit on thrones treat power as a game.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [65 favorites]
MH: For some of them yeah. Not all of them. I think a lot of them went in there to serve their country, but I think there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
god if only there were a currently popular cultural phenomenon devoted to illustrating the disasters that inevitably result when people who sit on thrones treat power as a game.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [65 favorites]
I think there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
So name them.
posted by piglord at 8:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
So name them.
posted by piglord at 8:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Executive Orders are bound by the Constitution, and I suspect this violates the 14th Amendment. There are also probably some actual laws that are relevant here, and you just know that Trump has not consulted the OLC to make a determination, but instead decided this after a chat with Bannon and while watching some late-night/early-morning hate television.
I misread Bannon as Barron here, and was honestly not that surprised that an 11-year-old was influencing defense policy. Fucking 2017, y'all.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I misread Bannon as Barron here, and was honestly not that surprised that an 11-year-old was influencing defense policy. Fucking 2017, y'all.
posted by Rock Steady at 8:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
So name them.
They're helpfully identified with the "R-" proceeding their state.
posted by Talez at 8:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
They're helpfully identified with the "R-" proceeding their state.
posted by Talez at 8:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
You Can't Tip a Buick: god if only there were a currently popular cultural phenomenon devoted to illustrating the disasters that inevitably result when people who sit on thrones treat power as a game.
"See, I'm a big fan of Game, but if I were there, I could totally be a kick-ass king," said an unnamed GOP source. "I've read all the books and Sun Tzu, I would win that game, and I could totally win this one!" [fake, for now]
posted by filthy light thief at 8:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
"See, I'm a big fan of Game, but if I were there, I could totally be a kick-ass king," said an unnamed GOP source. "I've read all the books and Sun Tzu, I would win that game, and I could totally win this one!" [fake, for now]
posted by filthy light thief at 8:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I just got back from attending part of an impromptu Center City protest that the Tuesdays with Toomey e-mailed about, and it was -- okay.
Attendance was low, energy was so-so, and maybe they shifted after I left, but it was more of a general insurance-companies-are-evil thing, rather than focused anger/message-spreading about ACA repeal fuckery. It didn't capitalize on anti-Trump anger. It didn't turn heads. It made very few passers-by stop and listen, even though this was a very high foot-traffic area right at the start of corporate lunchtime. In fact, I think there were more press and security than protestors, with one guy whose everything screamed corporate security taking photos to make sure none of us were employees or people applying for jobs.
I'm trying to reframe it in my head as highlighting just how good actual Tuesdays with Toomey protests are.
posted by joyceanmachine at 8:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Attendance was low, energy was so-so, and maybe they shifted after I left, but it was more of a general insurance-companies-are-evil thing, rather than focused anger/message-spreading about ACA repeal fuckery. It didn't capitalize on anti-Trump anger. It didn't turn heads. It made very few passers-by stop and listen, even though this was a very high foot-traffic area right at the start of corporate lunchtime. In fact, I think there were more press and security than protestors, with one guy whose everything screamed corporate security taking photos to make sure none of us were employees or people applying for jobs.
I'm trying to reframe it in my head as highlighting just how good actual Tuesdays with Toomey protests are.
posted by joyceanmachine at 8:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Remember when our biggest fear was that a Republican President Cuckoo-Bananas was going to drag the United States into yet another middle eastern shitfight?
I miss those days.
posted by Talez at 8:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I miss those days.
posted by Talez at 8:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
god if only there were a currently popular cultural phenomenon devoted to illustrating the disasters that inevitably result when people who sit on thrones treat power as a game.
White puppetmasters with frozen hearts and legions of mindless zombie followers are what got us into this mess.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
White puppetmasters with frozen hearts and legions of mindless zombie followers are what got us into this mess.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
I'm just reminded of that Dave Letterman interview a while back where he mentioned something about trans rights that just conveyed a sort of basic humanity, and am totally heartbroken that I'm pretty sure David Fucking Letterman would make a better president than literally anyone who ran on the Republican platform.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 8:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I miss those days.
And during that time, we were all like OMG I can't believe I miss Watergate!
posted by Melismata at 8:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
And during that time, we were all like OMG I can't believe I miss Watergate!
posted by Melismata at 8:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
There really no reason not to become the most radical political partisan you can think of anymore.
posted by The Whelk at 8:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 8:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
Matt Fuller: There’s an incredible amount of uncertainty over the legislation, which hasn’t technically even been written, and there’s a fair amount of bad faith. (emphasis mine)
You can say that again. I can understand that Democrats perceive it as unhelpful to complain about unfairness in the media, but given that much of the media still fetishizes "bipartisanship" -- defined as "do what the Republicans want" -- it's a mystery why Democrats don't point out repeatedly that Republicans are simply not bargaining in good faith. "You wouldn't want to buy a used car from these people" could be a common refrain.
posted by Gelatin at 8:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
You can say that again. I can understand that Democrats perceive it as unhelpful to complain about unfairness in the media, but given that much of the media still fetishizes "bipartisanship" -- defined as "do what the Republicans want" -- it's a mystery why Democrats don't point out repeatedly that Republicans are simply not bargaining in good faith. "You wouldn't want to buy a used car from these people" could be a common refrain.
posted by Gelatin at 8:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
"You wouldn't want to buy a used car from these people" could be a common refrain.
The thing is, the Republican faithful would absolutely line up to do it. The well off ones would then insist that sawdust in the transmission is a legitimate way to fix said transmission and that if car manufacturers didn't want their odometers wound backwards they should have made them work one way only. The dirt poor ones that would depend on that car to get to work would be heartbroken that the car is shit but they would still blame the Democrats for having regulations about catalytic converters.
posted by Talez at 8:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
The thing is, the Republican faithful would absolutely line up to do it. The well off ones would then insist that sawdust in the transmission is a legitimate way to fix said transmission and that if car manufacturers didn't want their odometers wound backwards they should have made them work one way only. The dirt poor ones that would depend on that car to get to work would be heartbroken that the car is shit but they would still blame the Democrats for having regulations about catalytic converters.
posted by Talez at 8:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Sidebar: I want to thank the mods for their EXTRA-hard work, and I want to thank each and every MeFite for providing a much needed touch-stone of rationality in a very irrational world.
/sidebar
posted by mikelieman at 8:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
/sidebar
posted by mikelieman at 8:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
"See, I'm a big fan of Game, but if I were there, I could totally be a kick-ass king," said an unnamed GOP source. "I've read all the books and Sun Tzu, I would win that game, and I could totally win this one!" [fake, for now]
Well, obviously. Reading a book? Please.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Well, obviously. Reading a book? Please.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
There really no reason not to become the most radical political partisan you can think of anymore.
Seriously. I've moved from Bernie skeptic and Clinton voter to a regular listener of Discourse Collective and am contemplating making the leap to DSA member. There's no reason to even attempt to be center anything anymore; we're so far to the right that centrism has no meaning.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Seriously. I've moved from Bernie skeptic and Clinton voter to a regular listener of Discourse Collective and am contemplating making the leap to DSA member. There's no reason to even attempt to be center anything anymore; we're so far to the right that centrism has no meaning.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
...So I can say that I expect much positivity in the news when I wake up, but this morning's pathetic Twitter proclamation were an especial kick in the guts for me, a trans woman. I wouldn't want to be in the military; I don't really approve of how various politicians have used the military. With that said, though, I believe that the military has an obligation to allow trans people to be employed in that field, if they so choose. We trans people, as a group, are so fucking brave in our daily lives that the military should be begging us to teach others how we do it.
So here's my periodic reminder of the 2015 US Trans Survey (CW: discussions of physical/sexual assault, suicide, discrimination, and more). The full report and the executive summary are both available gratis. If you are a cisgender ally and haven't yet, please do consider reading through the executive summary: it will give you a much better idea of the challenges and difficulties our community faces.
For 8 glorious years, we had a chief executive who did things to help our community. Now, we have a an insecure, petty, spiteful jerk who has to direct hate at us for having the temerity to exist. Is it any wonder that
Also notable is how silent Caitlyn Jenner is on Twitter this morning, seeing as she seemed so convinced that the Jerkoff would be so good for us. There's quite a bit of well, wtf girl, you done with him yet, being directed at her, though (CW: Some gross transphobic stuff).
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [59 favorites]
So here's my periodic reminder of the 2015 US Trans Survey (CW: discussions of physical/sexual assault, suicide, discrimination, and more). The full report and the executive summary are both available gratis. If you are a cisgender ally and haven't yet, please do consider reading through the executive summary: it will give you a much better idea of the challenges and difficulties our community faces.
For 8 glorious years, we had a chief executive who did things to help our community. Now, we have a an insecure, petty, spiteful jerk who has to direct hate at us for having the temerity to exist. Is it any wonder that
[a] staggering 39% of respondents experienced serious psychological distress in the month prior to completing the survey, compared with only 5% of the U.S. population. Among the starkest findings is that 40% of respondents have attempted suicide in their lifetime—nearly nine times the attempted suicide rate in the U.S. population (4.6%).These hateful comments serve no purpose other than as a way to give permission to chronically insecure people an excuse to continue to assault and discriminate against us. I knew that this man would be a bad deal for us given the people around him, but it's especially galling that he was up there promising to be a friend to LGBTQ+ people.
Also notable is how silent Caitlyn Jenner is on Twitter this morning, seeing as she seemed so convinced that the Jerkoff would be so good for us. There's quite a bit of well, wtf girl, you done with him yet, being directed at her, though (CW: Some gross transphobic stuff).
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [59 favorites]
"See, I'm a big fan of The Americans, and if I were in it, I would totally be a kick-ass deep-cover agent," said an unnamed GOP source before entering a Russian embassy and asking to use their secret spy phone.
posted by Iridic at 9:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by Iridic at 9:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
"We need Mattis to protect us from Trump's worst impulses" people said. Seems he is feeding those worst impulses.
The cult of personality surrounding Mattis is second only to that around Trump.
Also notable is how silent Caitlyn Jenner is on Twitter this morning, seeing as she seemed so convinced that the Jerkoff would be so good for us.
Caitlyn Jenner is a Republican who is not in the military. The ban has no effect on her, so she has no problem with it.
posted by dirigibleman at 9:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
The cult of personality surrounding Mattis is second only to that around Trump.
Also notable is how silent Caitlyn Jenner is on Twitter this morning, seeing as she seemed so convinced that the Jerkoff would be so good for us.
Caitlyn Jenner is a Republican who is not in the military. The ban has no effect on her, so she has no problem with it.
posted by dirigibleman at 9:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
actually, this poisonous sack of shit and his eel vomit party of flunkies have already supplied us with a solution: burn it all down. scorched earth until not a single DNA strand belonging to any of this weeping pustulence of deranged "government" exists.
there. i feel marginally better now.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
there. i feel marginally better now.
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
A retired Navy SEAL Team 6 hero who is transgender had a message for President Donald Trump after he announced the US military would bar transgender people from serving.
"Let's meet face to face and you tell me I'm not worthy," Kristin Beck, a 20-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, told Business Insider on Wednesday. "Transgender doesn't matter. Do your service."
posted by chris24 at 9:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [106 favorites]
"Let's meet face to face and you tell me I'm not worthy," Kristin Beck, a 20-year veteran of the Navy SEALs, told Business Insider on Wednesday. "Transgender doesn't matter. Do your service."
posted by chris24 at 9:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [106 favorites]
burn it all down. scorched earth until not a single DNA strand belonging to any of this weeping pustulence of deranged "government" exists.
What does this mean in concrete terms? I'm having a hard time parsing exactly how literally people mean to be taken when they say things like this.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:14 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
What does this mean in concrete terms? I'm having a hard time parsing exactly how literally people mean to be taken when they say things like this.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 9:14 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
"This will serve as a wedge issue in Wisconsin" seems to ill-fit with "Wisconsin elected the first out senator." Who, incidentally, got more votes than Trump in WI.
Also, interesting response from Orrin Hatch's office.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Also, interesting response from Orrin Hatch's office.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
What does this mean in concrete terms?
it means i'm pissed and needed to blow off some steam. nothing more should be inferred.
*cough*
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
it means i'm pissed and needed to blow off some steam. nothing more should be inferred.
*cough*
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 9:16 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I feel like republicans thinking about the long term prospects for their party and policies should be really worried about how recent events, including health care and this trans policy, play to young people. It's more spinning up their shrinking base at the cost of making the republican brand increasingly repugnant to young people.
Perhaps they are not concerned with winning fair elections anymore.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Perhaps they are not concerned with winning fair elections anymore.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
The cost of medical care related to tobacco usage among US military personnel comes to over $500 million per year.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
@EricBoehlert:
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Tues: I stand w/ Sessions
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Weds: transgenders should be able to serve
posted by chris24 at 9:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Tues: I stand w/ Sessions
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Weds: transgenders should be able to serve
posted by chris24 at 9:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Caitlyn Jenner is a Republican who is not in the military. The ban has no effect on her, so she has no problem with it.
I don't know that she doesn't have a problem with it--she faces quite a bit of transmisogyny herself. However, her actions of support Cruz, then the Douche Canoe, have helped to provide a fig-leaf of cover for people who actively work to keep our community from safe public participation. All I want from her at this point is to revoke any support of politicians who do not support recognition of trans rights.
Most of my frustrating with her is that she's done so so so little to educate herself about the real issues people in the trans community face or how Republican policies and actions lead quite directly to problems endemic within our community. As a community, I think we were excited to welcome her with open arms, but her actions since coming out have not been especially helpful. It's very upsetting to have one of your own just not get it and keep making excuses for those who keep harming us on purpose.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I don't know that she doesn't have a problem with it--she faces quite a bit of transmisogyny herself. However, her actions of support Cruz, then the Douche Canoe, have helped to provide a fig-leaf of cover for people who actively work to keep our community from safe public participation. All I want from her at this point is to revoke any support of politicians who do not support recognition of trans rights.
Most of my frustrating with her is that she's done so so so little to educate herself about the real issues people in the trans community face or how Republican policies and actions lead quite directly to problems endemic within our community. As a community, I think we were excited to welcome her with open arms, but her actions since coming out have not been especially helpful. It's very upsetting to have one of your own just not get it and keep making excuses for those who keep harming us on purpose.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Washington Post did the math. The military spends five times as much on Viagra as it would on transgender troops’ medical care
posted by antinomia at 9:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [106 favorites]
posted by antinomia at 9:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [106 favorites]
Executive Orders are bound by the Constitution, and I suspect this violates the 14th Amendment.
If I may play Devil's Advocate for a moment, the Pentagon only recently lifted the ban on women serving in combat, not because they were forced to by the 14th Amendment but because they made a policy decision. Sadly it suggests the Commander-in-Chief's ability to select or fire military personnel is not constrained by the need to provide "equal protection" to those individuals, regardless of how bigoted and malevolent the rationale for his decision is.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
If I may play Devil's Advocate for a moment, the Pentagon only recently lifted the ban on women serving in combat, not because they were forced to by the 14th Amendment but because they made a policy decision. Sadly it suggests the Commander-in-Chief's ability to select or fire military personnel is not constrained by the need to provide "equal protection" to those individuals, regardless of how bigoted and malevolent the rationale for his decision is.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
chris24: "@EricBoehlert:
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Tues: I stand w/ Sessions
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Weds: transgenders should be able to serve"
Well, yes? I don't see any conflict in believing that a) transgendered people should be eligible to serve in the military, and that b) the Attorney General should be able to act free of political pressure from the president.
Now, I know Shelby is also saying he's a fan of Sessions's horrific ideas on policy, but he's right that Trump's trying to strongarm him is flat out wrong.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Tues: I stand w/ Sessions
far-right GOP Sen. Shelby Weds: transgenders should be able to serve"
Well, yes? I don't see any conflict in believing that a) transgendered people should be eligible to serve in the military, and that b) the Attorney General should be able to act free of political pressure from the president.
Now, I know Shelby is also saying he's a fan of Sessions's horrific ideas on policy, but he's right that Trump's trying to strongarm him is flat out wrong.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I can't speak for others, but I do think we need a massive purge after we dump Trump in 2020.
And in concrete terms I mean firing or if necessary impeaching literally every single person he appointed from Gorsuch all the way down to the lowliest Presidential appointed position that exists.
In concrete terms that means firing most people hired directly by Trump appointees. He put his cronies into the various Executive Branch jobs and they're trying to pack those agencies with people hellbent on destroying the agencies from within. I won't say that we should automatically fire anyone hired by DeVos or whoever, but I will say that every single new hire made under the Trump administration needs to be fully vetted and verified as actually deserving and being competent to do their nominal job rather than being a saboteur hired for the damage they can cause.
If the Republicans were even slightly sane, reasonable, honorable, or patriotic, I'd say it should be handled by a bipartisan commission headed by a Democrat but accepting input from the Republican members.
But given the way the Republicans have gone full bore traitor, I don't think including them in the post-Trump cleanup/purge would be a good idea.
Regrettably, this is just a pipe dream. Whoever is elected in 2020 will almost certainly repeat Obama's look forward not back mantra and allow all the Trump Cultists in the government to keep their jobs.
Oh well, they just stole a Supreme Court seat from us, not to mention hundreds of lesser court appointments. It would be horribly partisan and rude to respond with anything but (at most) a sternly worded letter.
posted by sotonohito at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
And in concrete terms I mean firing or if necessary impeaching literally every single person he appointed from Gorsuch all the way down to the lowliest Presidential appointed position that exists.
In concrete terms that means firing most people hired directly by Trump appointees. He put his cronies into the various Executive Branch jobs and they're trying to pack those agencies with people hellbent on destroying the agencies from within. I won't say that we should automatically fire anyone hired by DeVos or whoever, but I will say that every single new hire made under the Trump administration needs to be fully vetted and verified as actually deserving and being competent to do their nominal job rather than being a saboteur hired for the damage they can cause.
If the Republicans were even slightly sane, reasonable, honorable, or patriotic, I'd say it should be handled by a bipartisan commission headed by a Democrat but accepting input from the Republican members.
But given the way the Republicans have gone full bore traitor, I don't think including them in the post-Trump cleanup/purge would be a good idea.
Regrettably, this is just a pipe dream. Whoever is elected in 2020 will almost certainly repeat Obama's look forward not back mantra and allow all the Trump Cultists in the government to keep their jobs.
Oh well, they just stole a Supreme Court seat from us, not to mention hundreds of lesser court appointments. It would be horribly partisan and rude to respond with anything but (at most) a sternly worded letter.
posted by sotonohito at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
And you know what? I think banning trans people is not as politically sweet as they think it is. What I've observed around some fairly socially conservative people is that they seem to "get" transness in a way that they resist "getting" queerness. I don't think it's going to mobilize as much of their base as they think, and I think it's going to appear pointless and spiteful to a chunk of their base. That won't de-Republican them, of course, but it's not going to keep them in line when Mom needs to be in a nursing home and Medicaid is getting cut.
It definitely backfired in NC, anyway - the bathroom bill absolutely wound up making the few-thousand-vote difference between reelecting the Republican governor and electing the Democrat. (Not that ol' Coop has fulfilled all my wildest dreams, but he's no McCrory.)
Despite the fact that trans people have very often been marginalized and pushed aside by the LGBT community, both historically and to this day, I honestly do think that lumping together 'LGBT' back in the 90s is paying dividends for trans people now. For the majority of those people who changed their minds about gay rights over the past 30 years, the link between gay rights and trans rights just sort of is, and even people I've met who have a very regressive understanding of what it actually means to be trans (like of the "you go to the clinic a man and walk out a woman" variety) seem to have similar political feelings about trans and gay issues.
Clearly the culture warriors have simply seized on trans people as the Convenient New Other now that they lost the gay marriage fight, but I think they have miscalculated. As a cis queer person who's been plugged into trans issues for a few years longer than most other cis people I know, I would never have believed ten years ago that I'd live to see this level of public outcry in favor of trans rights.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [35 favorites]
It definitely backfired in NC, anyway - the bathroom bill absolutely wound up making the few-thousand-vote difference between reelecting the Republican governor and electing the Democrat. (Not that ol' Coop has fulfilled all my wildest dreams, but he's no McCrory.)
Despite the fact that trans people have very often been marginalized and pushed aside by the LGBT community, both historically and to this day, I honestly do think that lumping together 'LGBT' back in the 90s is paying dividends for trans people now. For the majority of those people who changed their minds about gay rights over the past 30 years, the link between gay rights and trans rights just sort of is, and even people I've met who have a very regressive understanding of what it actually means to be trans (like of the "you go to the clinic a man and walk out a woman" variety) seem to have similar political feelings about trans and gay issues.
Clearly the culture warriors have simply seized on trans people as the Convenient New Other now that they lost the gay marriage fight, but I think they have miscalculated. As a cis queer person who's been plugged into trans issues for a few years longer than most other cis people I know, I would never have believed ten years ago that I'd live to see this level of public outcry in favor of trans rights.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [35 favorites]
I think there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
So name them.
What Are Their Names?
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
So name them.
What Are Their Names?
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Well, it took six months, but DJT finally made me cry. I'm normally quite stoic, but the transgender military thing was the thing that finally did it. I'm not transgender, but I know intimately what it's like to see hard-fought progress ripped away like a barely healed scab and it's fucking devastating. I'm so angry and sorry and sad.
posted by xyzzy at 9:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [40 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 9:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [40 favorites]
$4 million is 0.0006% of the pentagon's annual budget. It's a rounding error.
For anyone who needs help visualizing or communicating this, here's an analogy:
Imagine you have a one and a half (US standard) cups of ordinary dry beach sand. That represents the total US military budget.
Take two and a half tablespoons of that out. That represents the total healthcare spending fraction of the US military budget.
From that two and a half tablespoons, take a single grain of sand. That represents the $4 million being spent on trans healthcare.
(Please feel free to copy/paste without attribution if it helps convince anyone that this is insane.)
posted by biogeo at 9:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [51 favorites]
For anyone who needs help visualizing or communicating this, here's an analogy:
Imagine you have a one and a half (US standard) cups of ordinary dry beach sand. That represents the total US military budget.
Take two and a half tablespoons of that out. That represents the total healthcare spending fraction of the US military budget.
From that two and a half tablespoons, take a single grain of sand. That represents the $4 million being spent on trans healthcare.
(Please feel free to copy/paste without attribution if it helps convince anyone that this is insane.)
posted by biogeo at 9:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [51 favorites]
Something tells me the ACLU is going to have a field day with this. At least I hope so. But nothing makes sense anymore and no one knows how the hell a judge would see things.
posted by azpenguin at 9:37 AM on July 26, 2017
posted by azpenguin at 9:37 AM on July 26, 2017
Seriously, guys. What can we do about this? The same as usual? Call and march?
I'm fucking livid, and don't know how to constructively use this energy.
posted by greermahoney at 9:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm fucking livid, and don't know how to constructively use this energy.
posted by greermahoney at 9:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Caitlyn Jenner is a Republican who is not in the military. The ban has no effect on her, so she has no problem with it.
I disagree that it has no effect. The effect of today's Twitter announcement is to single out trans people as the "other", to say they are a burden on society, not worthy of serving the military, and "too expensive" for the Government to care about them. It is purposefully further marginalizing an already vulnerable group.
posted by cell divide at 9:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
I disagree that it has no effect. The effect of today's Twitter announcement is to single out trans people as the "other", to say they are a burden on society, not worthy of serving the military, and "too expensive" for the Government to care about them. It is purposefully further marginalizing an already vulnerable group.
posted by cell divide at 9:40 AM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
I don't know that she doesn't have a problem with it--she faces quite a bit of transmisogyny herself.
Does she? No doubt plenty of transphobia/hate is directed at her but I question how much she ever really faces from within the money bubble. She likely faced some initial shrinking of her social circle as the most egregious bigots noped out but beyond that? This person killed someone with her car and suffered no consequences, why would she not be similarly insulated by station from this negative attention from randos?
It's McCain and the tumor in another form. Yeah that stuff sucks, folks, guess you'd better decide to be rich so it won't fuck you up.
posted by phearlez at 9:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Does she? No doubt plenty of transphobia/hate is directed at her but I question how much she ever really faces from within the money bubble. She likely faced some initial shrinking of her social circle as the most egregious bigots noped out but beyond that? This person killed someone with her car and suffered no consequences, why would she not be similarly insulated by station from this negative attention from randos?
It's McCain and the tumor in another form. Yeah that stuff sucks, folks, guess you'd better decide to be rich so it won't fuck you up.
posted by phearlez at 9:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
I was upset about the vote to open debate on the ACA repeal, but I am so angry about today's announcement banning transgender people in the military. My sister is not in the military, but she is transgender, and her life is fucking hard enough without having to face procedural discrimination by her own government.
“It is a sign of great inner insecurity to be hostile to the unfamiliar.”
― Anaïs Nin
(h/t to Swiss-Miss.com for the quote)
posted by samthemander at 9:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
“It is a sign of great inner insecurity to be hostile to the unfamiliar.”
― Anaïs Nin
(h/t to Swiss-Miss.com for the quote)
posted by samthemander at 9:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
I'm having trouble understanding the supposed outcome of this. Does it mean you can't transition while in the military without getting kicked out? Do they want some medical records purge of people who have transitioned previously? Can you enlist if you've gotten your sex on your birth certificate, etc changed? Do they even fucking know these answers?
posted by nakedmolerats at 9:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by nakedmolerats at 9:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Does German have a word for "something offered even though you know damn well it won't be taken"?
This may be one of those instances when it’s helpful that the German word for “Poison” is “Gift.”
posted by miles per flower at 9:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
This may be one of those instances when it’s helpful that the German word for “Poison” is “Gift.”
posted by miles per flower at 9:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
I suspect trump is going to have to walk back that statement. A twitter thread isn't an executive order, and there's a process for implementing policy changes.
posted by empath at 9:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by empath at 9:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
This CNN article has a box diagram that shows the miniscule scale of this "tremendous" expenditure vs. the DoD budget, for folks who want to visualize it.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Do they even fucking know these answers?
I mean, of course not.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
I mean, of course not.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
I'm having trouble understanding the supposed outcome of this. Does it mean you can't transition while in the military without getting kicked out? Do they want some medical records purge of people who have transitioned previously? Can you enlist if you've gotten your sex on your birth certificate, etc changed? Do they even fucking know these answers?
The only outcomes that matter is that Trump's hateful base gives him the adulation he craves. He's a junkie and he will burn the world down to get that fix if he has to.
posted by emjaybee at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
The only outcomes that matter is that Trump's hateful base gives him the adulation he craves. He's a junkie and he will burn the world down to get that fix if he has to.
posted by emjaybee at 9:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Is this just a tweet? Does he think tweeting is policy?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:46 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:46 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
honestly, I think the people making shitty memes on /r/the_donald put more thought and effort into their, uh, work than the actual Donald does when he shits out an Executive Twitter Order
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
It seems Supreme Military Advisor General Pence was a primary instigator [Daily Beast]
posted by Buntix at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by Buntix at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
I agree that Trump(ists) misfired.
What they wanted:
- To throw red meat at #MAGA followers
- To cause grief and injury to transgender people and the leftists in general
- To distract from the continuous crises in the Congress and the WH
- To amputate another part of Obama's legacy
- To (possibly?) split the Progressives
What they achieved:
- Combined with his politicking in the USS Ford speech, Trump's approaches clearly showed he doesn't give a damn about this role as leader of the armed forces.
- His (ab)use of Twitter as dictatorial "announcement" platform clearly demonstrated his capricious and autocratic ways.
- Even Republicans are hesitating in showing their support.
- The crises in the Congress and WH are still in meltdown mode and people are getting better in spotting his distractions.
- He's desperate and he couldn't hide it.
posted by runcifex at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
What they wanted:
- To throw red meat at #MAGA followers
- To cause grief and injury to transgender people and the leftists in general
- To distract from the continuous crises in the Congress and the WH
- To amputate another part of Obama's legacy
- To (possibly?) split the Progressives
What they achieved:
- Combined with his politicking in the USS Ford speech, Trump's approaches clearly showed he doesn't give a damn about this role as leader of the armed forces.
- His (ab)use of Twitter as dictatorial "announcement" platform clearly demonstrated his capricious and autocratic ways.
- Even Republicans are hesitating in showing their support.
- The crises in the Congress and WH are still in meltdown mode and people are getting better in spotting his distractions.
- He's desperate and he couldn't hide it.
posted by runcifex at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
I suspect trump is going to have to walk back that statement. A twitter thread isn't an executive order, and there's a process for implementing policy changes.
This reminds me of the initial announcement of the travel ban which was: "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States". Absurd, offensive, unworkable, unilateral, formed without consulting anyone who knows anything about the subject matter. Evil.
Of course, that was before he became the most powerful person in the world.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
This reminds me of the initial announcement of the travel ban which was: "Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States". Absurd, offensive, unworkable, unilateral, formed without consulting anyone who knows anything about the subject matter. Evil.
Of course, that was before he became the most powerful person in the world.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
> Executive Twitter OrdureThere, fixed that for you.
posted by runcifex at 9:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Senator McCain demands a return to regular ordure
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I'm having trouble understanding the supposed outcome of this. Does it mean you can't transition while in the military without getting kicked out?
If this ban follows the rules of the previous one, then yes. Trans soldiers were not allowed to serve openly. If they came out, then they were subject to honorable discharge.
Do they want some medical records purge of people who have transitioned previously?
The military requests medical history for enlistees, including previous surgeries, hospitalizations, etc. If someone is on hormone replacement therapy, they will ask why as part of the physical assessment. That information could be extremely important for them to know in the event that a soldier is injured and needs medical treatment.
Can you enlist if you've gotten your sex on your birth certificate, etc changed?
Don't know. But if someone is caught lying on their enlistment forms, they can be subject to dishonorable discharge.
posted by zarq at 9:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
If this ban follows the rules of the previous one, then yes. Trans soldiers were not allowed to serve openly. If they came out, then they were subject to honorable discharge.
Do they want some medical records purge of people who have transitioned previously?
The military requests medical history for enlistees, including previous surgeries, hospitalizations, etc. If someone is on hormone replacement therapy, they will ask why as part of the physical assessment. That information could be extremely important for them to know in the event that a soldier is injured and needs medical treatment.
Can you enlist if you've gotten your sex on your birth certificate, etc changed?
Don't know. But if someone is caught lying on their enlistment forms, they can be subject to dishonorable discharge.
posted by zarq at 9:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I didn't fully understand how much this could effect trans service members if they were to be discharged under Trump's tweet.
Saundra Mitchell (served under Don't Ask, Don't Tell) twitter thread on how this ban could effect current trans service members, "They gave you a general discharge (instead of an honorable one,) usually on a Section 8: "mentally unfit for service." This meant you never qualified for veteran benefits of any kind: no VA service, no grants or scholarships as a veteran, no veteran housing assistance, nothing. And it was on your transcripts forever: GENERAL DISCHARGE, MENTALLY UNFIT FOR SERVICE. Imagine what that does when you have to apply for civilian employment. So you joined the military because you were patriotic, or because you wanted to learn a career, or you were poor and wanted to get the GI Bill, or because you truly, genuinely believed that you were working in service to the American people and to the ideals of creating a more perfect union. But if you were queer, they sectioned you out and stained you for life."
posted by gladly at 9:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [84 favorites]
Saundra Mitchell (served under Don't Ask, Don't Tell) twitter thread on how this ban could effect current trans service members, "They gave you a general discharge (instead of an honorable one,) usually on a Section 8: "mentally unfit for service." This meant you never qualified for veteran benefits of any kind: no VA service, no grants or scholarships as a veteran, no veteran housing assistance, nothing. And it was on your transcripts forever: GENERAL DISCHARGE, MENTALLY UNFIT FOR SERVICE. Imagine what that does when you have to apply for civilian employment. So you joined the military because you were patriotic, or because you wanted to learn a career, or you were poor and wanted to get the GI Bill, or because you truly, genuinely believed that you were working in service to the American people and to the ideals of creating a more perfect union. But if you were queer, they sectioned you out and stained you for life."
posted by gladly at 9:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [84 favorites]
whereas if someone else is caught lying on their forms, they get . . . how many do-overs?
posted by aspersioncast at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
From that Daily Beast article:
Is there ever one thing they've "opposed" that they've supposedly "won" on?
posted by zachlipton at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
The more socially liberal factions of Trump’s inner circle—including his family members and staffers Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner—have been opposed to all the anti-LGBT initiatives of this administration. However, they quickly determined that their “political capital be spent elsewhere,” as one senior White House official characterized it, given that their advice on LGBT issues has been routinely overruled, if not overlooked, by this administration and President Trump.Oh hi. We're just over here opposing all the things you oppose too, but, meh, I'm sure there's something more important we could be doing. --Jared and Ivanka
Is there ever one thing they've "opposed" that they've supposedly "won" on?
posted by zachlipton at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
Tom Perez (@TomPerez):
To the members of the transgender community: You are not a "burden." Do not let this president shake you. We support you, we stand with you.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
To the members of the transgender community: You are not a "burden." Do not let this president shake you. We support you, we stand with you.
posted by Sophie1 at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
I think the statements from Sens Shelby and Hatch are important. Not as a message of allyship, but as an Anti-Trump message.
posted by Room 641-A at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 9:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Is there even one thing they've "opposed" that they've supposedly "won" on?
Kushner has made great strides on the subject of Kushner Not Losing His Security Clearance
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [40 favorites]
Kushner has made great strides on the subject of Kushner Not Losing His Security Clearance
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [40 favorites]
Here's what I think: I think these people are setting themselves up for an enormous series of defeats at every level. I think we're going to get Medicare for all fairly soon, I think trans people will be able to serve in the military in this generation and I think that most of these bad policies will be fought hard at the local level and turned around in a medium timeframe.
I agree with Frowner. Much of the flailing the Republicans are doing over health care legislation has to do with their mouths writing checks their butts couldn't cash. Which they have to do -- and gerrymander, and suppress voters -- because their agenda is not popular, and what's more, they know it.
That's why they can gleefully act in such an anti-democratic manner. Complaints of unfairness are music to their ears, because they don't care; to the contrary, it means that at least for now, their strategy is working.
Democrats will take power again -- possibly one house in 2018, and the whole shebang in less than four years. And I hope none of our elected Democratic representatives listen for a moment to Republican whining as they merrily enact an agenda that's more in line with promoting the general welfare and ensuring the blessings of liberty, no matter what the talk radio crowd says.
posted by Gelatin at 9:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
I agree with Frowner. Much of the flailing the Republicans are doing over health care legislation has to do with their mouths writing checks their butts couldn't cash. Which they have to do -- and gerrymander, and suppress voters -- because their agenda is not popular, and what's more, they know it.
That's why they can gleefully act in such an anti-democratic manner. Complaints of unfairness are music to their ears, because they don't care; to the contrary, it means that at least for now, their strategy is working.
Democrats will take power again -- possibly one house in 2018, and the whole shebang in less than four years. And I hope none of our elected Democratic representatives listen for a moment to Republican whining as they merrily enact an agenda that's more in line with promoting the general welfare and ensuring the blessings of liberty, no matter what the talk radio crowd says.
posted by Gelatin at 9:54 AM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
I suspect trump is going to have to walk back that statement. A twitter thread isn't an executive order, and there's a process for implementing policy changes.
There is a process. The policy was reviewed and approved by the military. Guidelines were issued. It was posted on the Defense Department site. The required one-year delay had expired.
Mad Dog Mattis simply needed to do nothing. Everything was in place. But a month ago, Mattis put his foot down and put a stop to it. Not on his watch, as they say. As Secretary of Defense, he has the authority to do so, overruling the military commanders. Trump just made it official.
posted by JackFlash at 9:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
There is a process. The policy was reviewed and approved by the military. Guidelines were issued. It was posted on the Defense Department site. The required one-year delay had expired.
Mad Dog Mattis simply needed to do nothing. Everything was in place. But a month ago, Mattis put his foot down and put a stop to it. Not on his watch, as they say. As Secretary of Defense, he has the authority to do so, overruling the military commanders. Trump just made it official.
posted by JackFlash at 9:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
WP: Rep. Scalise discharged from hospital weeks after shooting, beginning rehabilitation
posted by Chrysostom at 9:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
They gave you a general discharge (instead of an honorable one,) usually on a Section 8: "mentally unfit for service." This meant you never qualified for veteran benefits of any kind: no VA service, no grants or scholarships as a veteran, no veteran housingassistance, nothing. And it was on your transcripts forever: GENERAL DISCHARGE, MENTALLY UNFIT FOR SERVICE. Imagine what that does when you have to apply for civilian employment. So you joined the military because you were patriotic, or because you wanted to learn a career, or you were poor and wanted to get the GI Bill, or because you truly, genuinely believed that you were working in service to the American people and to the ideals of creating a more perfect union. But if you were queer, they sectioned you out and stained you for life."
I have a friend who was an Army Captain that was honorably discharged in the early 2000's thanks to DADT after he was outed by several fellow officers. I don't know the exact circumstances or if that discharge status was unusual.
posted by zarq at 9:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have a friend who was an Army Captain that was honorably discharged in the early 2000's thanks to DADT after he was outed by several fellow officers. I don't know the exact circumstances or if that discharge status was unusual.
posted by zarq at 9:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
How's this for depressing: Despite its incredible shittiness and horrific real-world impacts (both direct and second-order) I'm a little bit heartened by the rationale for the transgender service ban because it's based on the premise that the White House expects midterm elections next November.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
In general, the Rs/DJT will always say "Look over there! Someone you hate getting something they don't deserve!" It's not new. And yet we seldom seem to have an effective comeback to it.
"What part of 'We, the People' don't you get? We all deserve it."
posted by Gelatin at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
"What part of 'We, the People' don't you get? We all deserve it."
posted by Gelatin at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
I'm sure Sen. Shelby is very concerned and troubled by these events.
So I saw someone on Reddit coin the web "McCaining" to mean "Claim to be very troubled by something you actually supported," thus a specific form of hypocrisy.
Thus: "Sen. Shelby was McCaining this morning."
It would be awesome if that could become a widespread internet usage before the old sailor shuffles off this mortal coil. Rather like "Santorum."
Caitlyn Jenner
Leopard meet face.
posted by spitbull at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
So I saw someone on Reddit coin the web "McCaining" to mean "Claim to be very troubled by something you actually supported," thus a specific form of hypocrisy.
Thus: "Sen. Shelby was McCaining this morning."
It would be awesome if that could become a widespread internet usage before the old sailor shuffles off this mortal coil. Rather like "Santorum."
Caitlyn Jenner
Leopard meet face.
posted by spitbull at 9:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Caitlyn Jenner on twitter: There are 15,000 patriotic transgender Americans in the US military fighting for all of us. What happened to your promise to fight for them? 9:57 AM - 26 Jul 2017
posted by standardasparagus at 10:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by standardasparagus at 10:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [26 favorites]
Is this just a tweet? Does he think tweeting is policy?
Yes; yes; everything is awful
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Yes; yes; everything is awful
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Yes; yes; everything is awful
Something something new Democratic Party slogan.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Something something new Democratic Party slogan.
posted by Rock Steady at 10:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Rep. Scalise discharged from hospital weeks after shooting, beginning rehabilitation
Good. The number of Americans killed since 2001 in left-wing terrorist attacks remains zero. The number killed in right-wing terrorist attacks is more than 106.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Good. The number of Americans killed since 2001 in left-wing terrorist attacks remains zero. The number killed in right-wing terrorist attacks is more than 106.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Just a quick scheduling note on what's happening in the Senate. A vote series is expected around 3:30 on ORRA (the 2015 repeal-lite bill). There will be a couple of procedural votes first, as Democrats will object that the abortion restrictions in the bill are unacceptable under the Byrd Rule. Then they'll vote on the bill itself.
Again, the only bill that really matters is the one McConnell slaps down at the end of the vote-a-rama on Friday.
Also not a great sign: Heller appears to be backing "skinny repeal." That doesn't actually, you know, exist—it's more of a way to pass something, anything, and kick the can down the road to a fight with the House about what the bill is actually supposed to be, but there's been a lot of can kicking going on.
posted by zachlipton at 10:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Again, the only bill that really matters is the one McConnell slaps down at the end of the vote-a-rama on Friday.
Also not a great sign: Heller appears to be backing "skinny repeal." That doesn't actually, you know, exist—it's more of a way to pass something, anything, and kick the can down the road to a fight with the House about what the bill is actually supposed to be, but there's been a lot of can kicking going on.
posted by zachlipton at 10:07 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
If anyone wants to MeMail me good dismissive responses (e.g., "You're not worth responding to. I hope you step on a Lego."), I could use a hand.
"Everyone you've ever loved thinks you are a burden and a disappointment. You will die alone."
posted by poffin boffin at 10:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [101 favorites]
"Everyone you've ever loved thinks you are a burden and a disappointment. You will die alone."
posted by poffin boffin at 10:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [101 favorites]
I'll re-propose my Obama Repeal Act:
All instances of the term "Obamacare" in the Laws of the United States shall be amended and replaced with "American Care Act."
Simple, does the job. You're welcome, GOP
posted by ocschwar at 10:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
All instances of the term "Obamacare" in the Laws of the United States shall be amended and replaced with "American Care Act."
Simple, does the job. You're welcome, GOP
posted by ocschwar at 10:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
OMG it's poffin boffin!! I've really missed your comments.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 10:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [63 favorites]
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 10:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [63 favorites]
I expect the "skinny repeal" to pass, which is bad, but not a total disaster. It will certainly force premiums up and thus force people out of the insurance market because the whole point of the invidual mandate is to ensure that there is a huge pool of insured to carry the weight for the expensive (old and sick). But I think the skinny repeal won't touch the subsidies, or medicaid/care, or planned parenthood, so if it passes, well, at least it's not the most evil thing they've conceived.
posted by dis_integration at 10:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 10:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
>> Is this just a tweet? Does he think tweeting is policy?
> Yes; yes; everything is awful
The Daily Beast article kinda nailed it etymology-wise with 'edict'. And as a bonus, King Trump is a pre-nomial pretty much everyone could agree on, even if most of us parse it as 'king Trump.
Another good phrase, @Greg_Palast: "No shame, McCain? You got fixed in a hospital covered by gov’t insurance—just so you could vote against other Americans getting #healthcare?"
posted by Buntix at 10:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
> Yes; yes; everything is awful
The Daily Beast article kinda nailed it etymology-wise with 'edict'. And as a bonus, King Trump is a pre-nomial pretty much everyone could agree on, even if most of us parse it as 'king Trump.
Another good phrase, @Greg_Palast: "No shame, McCain? You got fixed in a hospital covered by gov’t insurance—just so you could vote against other Americans getting #healthcare?"
posted by Buntix at 10:11 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Gut reaction here, but I think what we've witnessed in the last few days with the healthcare vote (McCain flew back after brain surgery), the trans ban, the Boy Scouts Jamboree, the new sanctuary cities policy, the Sessions-Trump rivalry, and the Spicer ouster has been coordinated on some level.
There were 6 months of flailing and bumbling before these events, and shit would dribble out at what you might call a regular pace, but this is the first real...for lack of a better term...counterpunch from the Trump/GOP regime...is what I feel like? I don't know if that's true, but it feels like they spent the first six months trying to be horrible and looking for where battle lines would firm up, but now they have a better idea of how to be horrible effectively.
This wasn't the first time I felt like this. The travel ban, something egregious, public, and terribly disruptive to remind us who's in charge, even if it failed, was the first punch. The country reeled, found its footing, shoved back, and gave Trump a massive slug in the gut (remember the first speech to Congress where they all said he was "presidential", and almost immediately more Russia leaks came out?), and the last few months of summer have been calmer than the first few months as we all kind of wait around in suspense for Mueller to figure something out, for more horribleness to come down, for the next lie...and then, in the last 7 days or so, LOTS.
It feels timed and coordinated on some level to me. Either because one thing emboldened them to do the rest, or because there was an evil stagemaster (I'm convinced McConnell had that MTP vote timed out a few days ahead of time), probably some combination of the two, but...
I think this is what we can expect the next year or two to feel like. Lots of suspense and regular shit-dribble punctuated by weeks like this and the last where they're on the offensive.
I'm not mad, actually. We know what they are and what they'll do. They come after everything sacred. What's maddening is not knowing what they'll come after next.
posted by saysthis at 10:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
There were 6 months of flailing and bumbling before these events, and shit would dribble out at what you might call a regular pace, but this is the first real...for lack of a better term...counterpunch from the Trump/GOP regime...is what I feel like? I don't know if that's true, but it feels like they spent the first six months trying to be horrible and looking for where battle lines would firm up, but now they have a better idea of how to be horrible effectively.
This wasn't the first time I felt like this. The travel ban, something egregious, public, and terribly disruptive to remind us who's in charge, even if it failed, was the first punch. The country reeled, found its footing, shoved back, and gave Trump a massive slug in the gut (remember the first speech to Congress where they all said he was "presidential", and almost immediately more Russia leaks came out?), and the last few months of summer have been calmer than the first few months as we all kind of wait around in suspense for Mueller to figure something out, for more horribleness to come down, for the next lie...and then, in the last 7 days or so, LOTS.
It feels timed and coordinated on some level to me. Either because one thing emboldened them to do the rest, or because there was an evil stagemaster (I'm convinced McConnell had that MTP vote timed out a few days ahead of time), probably some combination of the two, but...
I think this is what we can expect the next year or two to feel like. Lots of suspense and regular shit-dribble punctuated by weeks like this and the last where they're on the offensive.
I'm not mad, actually. We know what they are and what they'll do. They come after everything sacred. What's maddening is not knowing what they'll come after next.
posted by saysthis at 10:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
There really no reason not to become the most radical political partisan you can think of anymore.
i'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night screaming DIRECT ACTION DIRECT ACTION DIRECT ACTION though
posted by poffin boffin at 10:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
i'm tired of waking up in the middle of the night screaming DIRECT ACTION DIRECT ACTION DIRECT ACTION though
posted by poffin boffin at 10:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
Something I've been wondering this morning, but haven't been able to find and answer on: does anyone know if they be able to do 'skinny repeal' through reconciliation? Has it been scored by the CBO or is it immune from that somehow?
posted by sporkwort at 10:14 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by sporkwort at 10:14 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
From Quartz: The president of the Boy Scouts needs the Trump administration to approve his mega-merger
Well. I see now.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [65 favorites]
Well. I see now.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [65 favorites]
Skinny repeal is basically a financially unsurportable policy that will destroy the markets and rob people of healthcare that way instead, so it's not better, no.
posted by Artw at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
It's also really fucking dumb and the product of people with no grasp of economics whatsoever. When it comes to money republicans have no fucking clue.
posted by Artw at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
They're like the dumb babies in that study who shoved the marshmallows into their mouths immediately and then cried for more instead of saving them for later and also getting more.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 10:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
I suspect the "skinny repeal" to pass, which is bad, but not a total disaster.
Skinny repeal is not a real bill. It is just a placeholder, a procedural trick, so that they can move on to the Senate/House conference committee that will write the real repeal, removing subsidies and providing tax cuts for the rich.
Once the conference committee reports, the bill goes for a simple majority up or down vote in both houses. There is no filibuster.
Skinny repeal is a disaster because it means real repeal stays alive.
posted by JackFlash at 10:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Skinny repeal is not a real bill. It is just a placeholder, a procedural trick, so that they can move on to the Senate/House conference committee that will write the real repeal, removing subsidies and providing tax cuts for the rich.
Once the conference committee reports, the bill goes for a simple majority up or down vote in both houses. There is no filibuster.
Skinny repeal is a disaster because it means real repeal stays alive.
posted by JackFlash at 10:17 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Excommunicated Cardinal: "OMG it's poffin boffin!! I've really missed your comments."
Yes, yes, yes! One good thing has come about today.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Yes, yes, yes! One good thing has come about today.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Skinny repeal is also a placeholder for conferencing with the House, who really really want to dismantle Medicaid (see: Paul Ryan's frat party fantasies), so I don't see how it's anything but a Frankenstein policy of all their worst ideas, combined.
posted by Superplin at 10:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Superplin at 10:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
But I think the skinny repeal won't touch the subsidies, or medicaid/care, or planned parenthood, so if it passes, well, at least it's not the most evil thing they've conceived.
I think they will add those things in after it passes the Senate. They didn't come this far not to cut Medicaid and destroy more lives. The House certainly isn't going for skinny repeal on its own. I don't see skinny repeal as the actual set of things they're going to do so much as the vehicle by which they will advance the process forward yet again. They'll pass something, and then they can turn it into whatever horrorshow they want.
Something I've been wondering this morning, but haven't been able to find and answer on: does anyone know if they be able to do 'skinny repeal' through reconciliation? Has it been scored by the CBO or is it immune from that somehow?
It depends what's in it, but that would certainly be the plan (there is zero point in proceeding with a bill that will take 60 votes to pass). It hasn't been scored by the CBO (though the last time the CBO scored repealing the mandate, they called it -15 million insured), but I've seen theories that they could just proceed without a score and score the final bill that emerges from conference, or even more ridiculously, have Sen. Enzi (Budget Committee) declare a score all by himself. Once it comes back from conference, it would pass on 50 votes straight up or down, that's it, and the pressure to pass whatever it is will be enormous because it will be the end of the line.
posted by zachlipton at 10:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
I think they will add those things in after it passes the Senate. They didn't come this far not to cut Medicaid and destroy more lives. The House certainly isn't going for skinny repeal on its own. I don't see skinny repeal as the actual set of things they're going to do so much as the vehicle by which they will advance the process forward yet again. They'll pass something, and then they can turn it into whatever horrorshow they want.
Something I've been wondering this morning, but haven't been able to find and answer on: does anyone know if they be able to do 'skinny repeal' through reconciliation? Has it been scored by the CBO or is it immune from that somehow?
It depends what's in it, but that would certainly be the plan (there is zero point in proceeding with a bill that will take 60 votes to pass). It hasn't been scored by the CBO (though the last time the CBO scored repealing the mandate, they called it -15 million insured), but I've seen theories that they could just proceed without a score and score the final bill that emerges from conference, or even more ridiculously, have Sen. Enzi (Budget Committee) declare a score all by himself. Once it comes back from conference, it would pass on 50 votes straight up or down, that's it, and the pressure to pass whatever it is will be enormous because it will be the end of the line.
posted by zachlipton at 10:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Trump hit Murkowski on Twitter this morning, she's not having it:
I am in a position where I’m not looking to reelection until 2022. And quite honestly, I don’t think it’s wise to be operating on a daily basis thinking about what a statement or a response that causes you to be fearful of your electoral prospects.posted by Chrysostom at 10:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
For some breaths of hope, numerous, numerous vet orgs are coming out against Trump's statements.
posted by corb at 10:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by corb at 10:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
While we continue to fight on every othet front today, perhaps it's worth each of us making a public social media statement in support of trans people deserving the same rights and respect as every other human.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:25 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Does [Caitlyn Jenner face transphobia] though? No doubt plenty of transphobia/hate is directed at her but I question how much she ever really faces from within the money bubble.
Uhh yeah, she does. People in her own political party call her (and the rest of us) sick and disturbed. People are routinely insulting about her physical appearance and refuse to believe her account of her own lived experience of gender identity. It can be traumatizing to experience these things (ask me how I know)--so traumatizing that that one waits until their mid-60s to do something about it. I am glad she has spoken out against these tweets and hope she will educate herself more.
Her money may insulate her from some of it, but all it takes is one entitled, raged out, radicalized rightwinger to shoot or beat us to severe injury or death because of our gender identity. Similarly, any policies that negatively affect poor transpeople can eventually flow up hill to affect rich transpeople.
Not going to spend too much more time addressing this though--40% of my community have tried to kill themselves and hate is being reinstituted as official government policy, 20% of black trans women are managing HIV, and 70% of can't get official identification that reflects our gender identity.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 10:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
Uhh yeah, she does. People in her own political party call her (and the rest of us) sick and disturbed. People are routinely insulting about her physical appearance and refuse to believe her account of her own lived experience of gender identity. It can be traumatizing to experience these things (ask me how I know)--so traumatizing that that one waits until their mid-60s to do something about it. I am glad she has spoken out against these tweets and hope she will educate herself more.
Her money may insulate her from some of it, but all it takes is one entitled, raged out, radicalized rightwinger to shoot or beat us to severe injury or death because of our gender identity. Similarly, any policies that negatively affect poor transpeople can eventually flow up hill to affect rich transpeople.
Not going to spend too much more time addressing this though--40% of my community have tried to kill themselves and hate is being reinstituted as official government policy, 20% of black trans women are managing HIV, and 70% of can't get official identification that reflects our gender identity.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 10:26 AM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
Sen Joni Ernst [R-IA]: "Americans who are qualified & can meet the standards to serve in the military should be afforded that opportunity.” [DMR]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Briefing is on camera today. Scheduled for about 25 minutes from now. Who actually knows when she'll show up.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 10:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 10:32 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Is this just a tweet? Does he think tweeting is policy?
This is my question as well. Everyone's fired up against it, but I'm seeing other tweets from reporters saying the Pentagon's reaction has been "huh? wtf? we don't know anything about this." So I'm not sure he's done anything (yet) resulting in enforceable policy.
posted by dnash at 10:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
This is my question as well. Everyone's fired up against it, but I'm seeing other tweets from reporters saying the Pentagon's reaction has been "huh? wtf? we don't know anything about this." So I'm not sure he's done anything (yet) resulting in enforceable policy.
posted by dnash at 10:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Rep. Ken Buck [R-CO]: “America needs a military comprised of patriots willing to sacrifice for this country. Any American who is physically and emotionally qualified should be allowed to serve.” [Denver Post]
Guys...I'm starting to think this may not have been the political slam dunk the White House thought it was.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
Guys...I'm starting to think this may not have been the political slam dunk the White House thought it was.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:36 AM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
One thing I'm wholly unclear on -- most administrative agencies have to go through a strictly regimented rulemaking process to do anything on the order of this transgender ban, but as "commander in chief," does Trump get to make personnel decisions like this on a whim? I could imagine it going either way and so am very confused about whether this tweet can constitute a new policy on its own.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I mean, if you set out to create a campaign problem for Democrats in the midterms and you end up with daylight on the issue between the White House and Orrin Hatch, yeah, you'd probably be better off getting your political advice from a Magic 8-Ball.
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Uhh yeah, she does.
Thank you for explaining, EC. Can't speak for anyone else here, but I tend to think of Jenner as being quite privileged and insulated against transphobia. It's helpful to have a greater awareness that she's had to deal with the same awfulness.
posted by zarq at 10:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Thank you for explaining, EC. Can't speak for anyone else here, but I tend to think of Jenner as being quite privileged and insulated against transphobia. It's helpful to have a greater awareness that she's had to deal with the same awfulness.
posted by zarq at 10:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
If Trump wants to fire Jeff Sessions, let him – it would be a gift to America.
posted by adamvasco at 10:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by adamvasco at 10:39 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish: "One thing I'm wholly unclear on -- most administrative agencies have to go through a strictly regimented rulemaking process to do anything on the order of this transgender ban, but as "commander in chief," does Trump get to make personnel decisions like this on a whim? I could imagine it going either way and so am very confused about whether this tweet can constitute a new policy on its own."
ACLU says no, nothing happens until proper regs issued.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
ACLU says no, nothing happens until proper regs issued.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
um hey yall the President is tweeting again and it looks like he got his caps lock stuck
also the link he posted is broken
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
IN AMERICA WE DON'T WORSHIP GOVERNMENT - WE WORSHIP GOD!also he forgot about the separation of church and state again
also the link he posted is broken
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
He wants to replace Sessions with an equally hateful cretin though. Guiliani was bad enough with mayoral power.
posted by poffin boffin at 10:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by poffin boffin at 10:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
zachlipton: "I mean, if you set out to create a campaign problem for Democrats in the midterms and you end up with daylight on the issue between the White House and Orrin Hatch, yeah, you'd probably be better off getting your political advice from a Magic 8-Ball."
Hatch is kind of interesting here. He's clearly come out against it - fuller statement here. He's also old, has made at least some noises about not running in 2018, and if he did run, would have to be nominated by a convention (which tend to be more extremist than primaries). I wonder if this is a signal.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hatch is kind of interesting here. He's clearly come out against it - fuller statement here. He's also old, has made at least some noises about not running in 2018, and if he did run, would have to be nominated by a convention (which tend to be more extremist than primaries). I wonder if this is a signal.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Okay, between the "WE WORSHIP GOD" tweet and the uncharacteristic spelling and grammar correctness in this morning's nightmare announcement, is it possible that Trump had a heart attack last night and what we're seeing now is Pence holed up with his phone hoping nobody figures it out until he's already renamed the country Jesustopia?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
you'd probably be better off getting your political advice from a Magic 8-Ball
Is that what we're calling Bannon now?
posted by Etrigan at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Is that what we're calling Bannon now?
posted by Etrigan at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
It feels timed and coordinated on some level to me.
possible, but also it all feels indistinguishable from the outcome of some red-faced human myocardial event drenched in flop sweat and reeking of failure stomping around his office screaming I NEED A WIN, GET ME A WIN, WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY BACKSTABBERS AND LOSERS etc
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
possible, but also it all feels indistinguishable from the outcome of some red-faced human myocardial event drenched in flop sweat and reeking of failure stomping around his office screaming I NEED A WIN, GET ME A WIN, WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY BACKSTABBERS AND LOSERS etc
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
I sincerely wanted to ask if his Twitter account got hacked. But perhaps sufficiently deranged tweeting is indistinguishable from that.
posted by runcifex at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by runcifex at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Told y'all a few threads back that Murkowski was alright. She's certainly as much or more than we have any reason to expect from an Alaska senator. I've followed her a few years and met her once and know many people she has directly helped with her excellent constituent s service operation. There a reason she won on a writein vote. In fact she's the senator whose office I've been writing/calling all this time about health care, since I live in NY but I can name drop people she knows as supporters on the North Slope as my friends. Alaska is really that small a population.
posted by spitbull at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Gut reaction here, but I think what we've witnessed in the last few days with the healthcare vote (McCain flew back after brain surgery), the trans ban, the Boy Scouts Jamboree, the new sanctuary cities policy, the Sessions-Trump rivalry, and the Spicer ouster has been coordinated on some level.
I've linked her before, but Alexandra Erin on Twitter has been doing hypothetical deep dives into Trumps psyche and her conclusions all seems to make sense. She theorizes this is due to Scarammuci coming in and encouraging Trump to go for his base, to rile everybody up, accelerationism as a form of governance, that Trump got sick of all the "no men" around him and found some "yes men" and this is what happens.
posted by Brainy at 10:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [53 favorites]
I've linked her before, but Alexandra Erin on Twitter has been doing hypothetical deep dives into Trumps psyche and her conclusions all seems to make sense. She theorizes this is due to Scarammuci coming in and encouraging Trump to go for his base, to rile everybody up, accelerationism as a form of governance, that Trump got sick of all the "no men" around him and found some "yes men" and this is what happens.
posted by Brainy at 10:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [53 favorites]
lalex: I am honestly pleasantly...shocked? by the Orrin Hatch (R-Utah, 82 years old) statement, which was mentioned above but here it is in full:
tivalasvegas: um hey yall the President is tweeting again and it looks like he got his caps lock stuck
He's in full "flail in all directions, rile up my base, try to distract people from items of substance that are happening" mode, right? Or did someone say "we worship the government" and he's replying to them?
posted by filthy light thief at 10:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I don't think we should be discriminating against anyone. Transgender people are people, and deserve the best we can do for them. I look forward to getting much more information and clarity from our military leaders about the policy the President tweeted today.Dear Mr. Hatch, please expand on "the best" that you are trying to do for transgender people, and people in general. Your support of reducing health care in this country to tax rich people less seems pretty antithetical to any general idea of "the best" that you could give people.
tivalasvegas: um hey yall the President is tweeting again and it looks like he got his caps lock stuck
He's in full "flail in all directions, rile up my base, try to distract people from items of substance that are happening" mode, right? Or did someone say "we worship the government" and he's replying to them?
posted by filthy light thief at 10:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trump got sick of all the "no men" around him and found some "yes men" and this is what happens.
That makes sense, thanks!
posted by filthy light thief at 10:49 AM on July 26, 2017
That makes sense, thanks!
posted by filthy light thief at 10:49 AM on July 26, 2017
Might be worth it re: ' . .WARSHIP GAWD!' tweet, to check Fox in the last hour. He seems to consistently get the most riled up after shouting at the tv first.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 10:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
This forces Democrats in Rust Belt states like Ohio, Michigan, and Wisconsin, to take complete ownership of this issue. How will blue collars voters in these states respond when senators up for reelection in 2018 like Debbie Stabenow are forced to make their opposition to this a key plank of their campaign?
Man, it's not that hard. Off the top of my head: "I am here to fight for all people. When I see injustice happen to anyone, I will stand up to it. When I see proud and brave members of our military being disrespected and insulted I will stand up for them. That means I'll also stand up for trans people, for gay people, for immigrants, for women, for children; and when they come for you, be it through slashing your Medicare, destroying your livelihoods by giving your jobs to overseas workers, age discrimination or whatever else, I'll stand up for you. They may not have come for you yet but if and when they do, I will be here and I will fight for you."
Democrats have been saying stuff like this for awhile. But now we have a real opportunity, because Trump is actually coming for the blue-collar voters and they're going to feel it too.
posted by triggerfinger at 10:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
Man, it's not that hard. Off the top of my head: "I am here to fight for all people. When I see injustice happen to anyone, I will stand up to it. When I see proud and brave members of our military being disrespected and insulted I will stand up for them. That means I'll also stand up for trans people, for gay people, for immigrants, for women, for children; and when they come for you, be it through slashing your Medicare, destroying your livelihoods by giving your jobs to overseas workers, age discrimination or whatever else, I'll stand up for you. They may not have come for you yet but if and when they do, I will be here and I will fight for you."
Democrats have been saying stuff like this for awhile. But now we have a real opportunity, because Trump is actually coming for the blue-collar voters and they're going to feel it too.
posted by triggerfinger at 10:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
It feels timed and coordinated on some level to me.
possible, but also it all feels indistinguishable from the outcome of some red-faced human myocardial event drenched in flop sweat and reeking of failure stomping around his office screaming I NEED A WIN, GET ME A WIN, WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY BACKSTABBERS AND LOSERS etc
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:45 AM on July 27 [5 favorites +] [!]
I'll take that as a point of origin.
posted by saysthis at 10:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
possible, but also it all feels indistinguishable from the outcome of some red-faced human myocardial event drenched in flop sweat and reeking of failure stomping around his office screaming I NEED A WIN, GET ME A WIN, WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY BACKSTABBERS AND LOSERS etc
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:45 AM on July 27 [5 favorites +] [!]
I'll take that as a point of origin.
posted by saysthis at 10:53 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
You'd probably be better off getting your political advice from a Magic 8-Ball
Is that what we're calling Bannon now?
I'm thinking Bannon's 8-ball is more of the pharmaceutical variety.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [23 favorites]
Is that what we're calling Bannon now?
I'm thinking Bannon's 8-ball is more of the pharmaceutical variety.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [23 favorites]
Jesus Christ it is so terrible how good a military coup seems right now.
posted by angrycat at 10:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 10:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [23 favorites]
Oh, his link works now. Maybe Instagram choked or maybe my computer just refused to load the stupidity the first couple times but I guess he is just taking a stroll down memory lane to the good old days when he got to jet around the country saying stupid things to cheering crowds of white people and no one was making him go to long complicated meetings or making him try to convince Republican congresspersons to do stuff.
Frankly I, too, hate long meetings and talking to Republicans but I took that into consideration before making a decision on running for President, so I don't have a ton of sympathy there.*
*also I can't run for President because discrimination against immigrants
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Frankly I, too, hate long meetings and talking to Republicans but I took that into consideration before making a decision on running for President, so I don't have a ton of sympathy there.*
*also I can't run for President because discrimination against immigrants
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Michelle Obama, appearing last night at an event for Women’s Foundation of Colorado, reaffirmed that she, and Barack, weren't going anywhere and are still dedicated to public service. She also spoke candidly about the racist and sexist attacks on her as First Lady and about acknowledging their hurtfulness in order not to excuse the attackers. “Women, we endure those cuts in so many ways that we don’t even notice we’re cut. We are living with small tiny cuts, and we are bleeding every single day. And we’re still getting up.”
She concluded on a note of hope for her audience: “Don’t be afraid of the country you live in. The folks here are good.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [57 favorites]
She concluded on a note of hope for her audience: “Don’t be afraid of the country you live in. The folks here are good.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:58 AM on July 26, 2017 [57 favorites]
Jesus Christ it is so terrible how good a military coup seems right now.
I know, right. They storm in and arrest him. Or just remove him. Thing is, once the military gets in charge...they tend not to like to leave. And they have guns.
If he were a drunk in a bar we could take his keys away before he drove anywhere. Instead, we can't do shit about the fact that the president is a raving lunatic.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I know, right. They storm in and arrest him. Or just remove him. Thing is, once the military gets in charge...they tend not to like to leave. And they have guns.
If he were a drunk in a bar we could take his keys away before he drove anywhere. Instead, we can't do shit about the fact that the president is a raving lunatic.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:00 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I... I mean, I love you Michelle but those two statements are not easily reconciled.
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:01 AM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
WORSHIP GOD
Huh, didn't know that Trump was fond of mid-90s Martin/Broadrick industrial. Finally, a tweet I can relate to!
posted by Existential Dread at 11:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Huh, didn't know that Trump was fond of mid-90s Martin/Broadrick industrial. Finally, a tweet I can relate to!
posted by Existential Dread at 11:02 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh, his link works now. Maybe Instagram choked or maybe my computer just refused to load the stupidity the first couple times
Instagram has had intermittent outages since about 10am Eastern.
posted by zarq at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Instagram has had intermittent outages since about 10am Eastern.
posted by zarq at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've linked her before, but Alexandra Erin on Twitter has been doing hypothetical deep dives into Trumps psyche and her conclusions all seems to make sense. She theorizes this is due to Scarammuci coming in and encouraging Trump to go for his base, to rile everybody up, accelerationism as a form of governance, that Trump got sick of all the "no men" around him and found some "yes men" and this is what happens.
Trump also just did a big Deplorables rally in PA last night -- maybe he's riffing off stuff from that crowd. It's been a while since he has hung out with his core scummy supporters, hasn't it?
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trump also just did a big Deplorables rally in PA last night -- maybe he's riffing off stuff from that crowd. It's been a while since he has hung out with his core scummy supporters, hasn't it?
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:03 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
i assume every day is a great struggle for michelle not to command us to man the barricades and storm the capitol
posted by poffin boffin at 11:04 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 11:04 AM on July 26, 2017 [50 favorites]
I wish she would already
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
Previously on Trump vs. God: "if I do something wrong, I don't bring God into that picture... I drink my little wine... and have my little cracker" (via. @bridgietherease)
posted by Buntix at 11:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Buntix at 11:05 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Guys...I'm starting to think this may not have been the political slam dunk the White House thought it was.
I don't think any of this proves otherwise. Trump's interest is Trump. If this harms other party members he couldn't give less of a fuck. So other R pols with vulnerability or ethics will disavow and maybe even be harmed, but what does Trump care? In the short term he wants the adulation he can get by lashing out and in the long term he wants the votes to show up again. Everything in the last six months has been about only serving and appealing to His People.
This almost certainly comes from someone other than just Trump because it might actually resemble strategy. Folks who hate him are already energized. There's no harm to him in winding them up. This tries to sop the people he needs to remain energized to show up to vote for him. We've already seen what the result is when folks who hate Trump's schtick show up to vote against him and folks who love it show up to vote for him. Why wouldn't he want to engage under those same conditions again?
posted by phearlez at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I don't think any of this proves otherwise. Trump's interest is Trump. If this harms other party members he couldn't give less of a fuck. So other R pols with vulnerability or ethics will disavow and maybe even be harmed, but what does Trump care? In the short term he wants the adulation he can get by lashing out and in the long term he wants the votes to show up again. Everything in the last six months has been about only serving and appealing to His People.
This almost certainly comes from someone other than just Trump because it might actually resemble strategy. Folks who hate him are already energized. There's no harm to him in winding them up. This tries to sop the people he needs to remain energized to show up to vote for him. We've already seen what the result is when folks who hate Trump's schtick show up to vote against him and folks who love it show up to vote for him. Why wouldn't he want to engage under those same conditions again?
posted by phearlez at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
If you're trying to make sense of "skinny repeal" and what could happen in conference, you should read Dylan Scott's attempt to figure it out: Republicans face a monumental choice on Obamacare repeal: go big or go skinny. He's more optimistic than I am that skinny repeal could be the end result in and of itself, rather than just a mechanism to move forward with more later.
I could also see them adding more non-byrdable stuff in conference only to have it stripped out again, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I could also see them adding more non-byrdable stuff in conference only to have it stripped out again, so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
According to Scaramucci, DJT wants to make healthcare more like commercial air travel.
I mean everyone loves the flying experience what could possibly go wrong
posted by Superplin at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [59 favorites]
I mean everyone loves the flying experience what could possibly go wrong
posted by Superplin at 11:06 AM on July 26, 2017 [59 favorites]
The only thing that means in trumps world is he gets his own plane (wit his name on it!) and that's just all right by him.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 11:08 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
United Basic Economy Healthcare, for when you absolutely need it, but can't afford anything else.
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, his link works now.
Paging Pete Souza. Pete Souza to the front desk.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Paging Pete Souza. Pete Souza to the front desk.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
So what you're saying is that I'll have to take my fucking shoes off when I pick up a prescription?
posted by delfin at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by delfin at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: Why didn't A.G. Sessions replace Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe, a Comey friend who was in charge of Clinton investigation but got ...
...big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!
And here we have the President of the United States publicly castigating his own hand-picked Attorney General for not choosing to do something which the President himself is capable of doing immediately and unilaterally, while also declining to fire said Attorney General.
I thought I knew the real Donald Trump, but I didn't expect he would be so reluctant to tell people there were fired.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
...big dollars ($700,000) for his wife's political run from Hillary Clinton and her representatives. Drain the Swamp!
And here we have the President of the United States publicly castigating his own hand-picked Attorney General for not choosing to do something which the President himself is capable of doing immediately and unilaterally, while also declining to fire said Attorney General.
I thought I knew the real Donald Trump, but I didn't expect he would be so reluctant to tell people there were fired.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:09 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
According to Scaramucci, DJT wants to make healthcare more like commercial air travel.
I.e., a horrifying, dehumanizing disaster ever since the Republicans deregulated it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [34 favorites]
I.e., a horrifying, dehumanizing disaster ever since the Republicans deregulated it.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [34 favorites]
Once the conference committee reports, the bill goes for a simple majority up or down vote in both houses. There is no filibuster.
Yeah, conference reports are usually able to be filibustered but those pertaining to reconciliation bills can't be. It does mean, however, that anything in the final bill must still pass a Byrd Bath so they can't slip something like Planned Parenthood defunding back in during conference and then pass it with 50. Assuming, as expected, PP defunding is disallowed by the Parliamentarian.
posted by Justinian at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yeah, conference reports are usually able to be filibustered but those pertaining to reconciliation bills can't be. It does mean, however, that anything in the final bill must still pass a Byrd Bath so they can't slip something like Planned Parenthood defunding back in during conference and then pass it with 50. Assuming, as expected, PP defunding is disallowed by the Parliamentarian.
posted by Justinian at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh hey also the head of embassy security resigned from the State Department, while Rex is taking a few days off.
Completely unrelated memory: Benghazi.
posted by Superplin at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
Completely unrelated memory: Benghazi.
posted by Superplin at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
So what you're saying is that I'll have to take my fucking shoes off when I pick up a prescription?
*snaps rubber glove* I've got good news and I've got bad news....
posted by zrail at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
*snaps rubber glove* I've got good news and I've got bad news....
posted by zrail at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Spirit/Allegient Healthcare: "Oh you wanted CLEAN bedsheets, Mr. La-Di-Da? That's $30 extra"
posted by splen at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by splen at 11:10 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
According to Scaramucci, DJT wants to make healthcare more like commercial air travel.
So they will tell you someone more important needs your hospital bed and violently drag you out into the street
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [38 favorites]
So they will tell you someone more important needs your hospital bed and violently drag you out into the street
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [38 favorites]
Jesus Christ it is so terrible how good a military coup seems right now.
...is what is usually thought by a lot of people before their country descends into authoritarianism because of military coups.
posted by Justinian at 11:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
...is what is usually thought by a lot of people before their country descends into authoritarianism because of military coups.
posted by Justinian at 11:12 AM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
Trumpcare: Fly the friendly scalpels
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:13 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I thought I knew the real Donald Trump, but I didn't expect he would be so reluctant to tell people there were fired.
Seems totally predictable to me: Mr. Hard Guy Tough Businessman My Way or the Highway is too much of a fucking whiny craven baby to tell someone to their face that he's letting them go. He probably has Meredith do it. Shit, look at how he handled the Comey firing.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:14 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Seems totally predictable to me: Mr. Hard Guy Tough Businessman My Way or the Highway is too much of a fucking whiny craven baby to tell someone to their face that he's letting them go. He probably has Meredith do it. Shit, look at how he handled the Comey firing.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:14 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
*looks sideways at the tube of glue, throws it aside, breaks open the carboy of ether*
posted by loquacious at 11:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by loquacious at 11:15 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Plus after the Comey backlash, I'm sure he's moronic enough to believe that if he publicly hounds these guys out of office, that won't count as firing them and won't add more counts of obstruction.
Also, aforementioned rally was in Ohio. Sorry, Pennsylvania.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:17 AM on July 26, 2017
Also, aforementioned rally was in Ohio. Sorry, Pennsylvania.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:17 AM on July 26, 2017
I think there is a cadre of them for whom this is a game.
So name them.
Oh, but that's against the rules of her game.
posted by Gelatin at 11:18 AM on July 26, 2017
So name them.
Oh, but that's against the rules of her game.
posted by Gelatin at 11:18 AM on July 26, 2017
anything in the final bill must still pass a Byrd Bath so they can't slip something like Planned Parenthood defunding back in during conference and then pass it with 50.
Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
posted by JackFlash at 11:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Inigo Montoya: "You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."
posted by JackFlash at 11:19 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
According to Scaramucci, DJT wants to make healthcare more like commercial air travel.
I... I mean... Is there a worse thing you could want to make healthcare like? Gladiatorial Combat? Roulette? The Electoral College?
posted by Rock Steady at 11:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
I... I mean... Is there a worse thing you could want to make healthcare like? Gladiatorial Combat? Roulette? The Electoral College?
posted by Rock Steady at 11:20 AM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
ok captain buzzkill, they can't do it without effectively permanently rendering the legislative filibuster null and void.
posted by Justinian at 11:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:21 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I... I mean... Is there a worse thing you could want to make healthcare like? Gladiatorial Combat? Roulette? The Electoral College?
Postal service? Shopping for swimsuits?
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Postal service? Shopping for swimsuits?
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Oops, you just used that word again.
posted by JackFlash at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by JackFlash at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
At least gladiatorial combat would be cheaper & involves less standing on line
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:23 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
It feels timed and coordinated on some level to me.
Today's transphobic bullshit feels the opposite of that to me. Looking at where he is -- crying constantly about Sessions and the Russia Investigation -- makes me think he feels increasingly powerless. Then yesterday, on the heels of the healthcare vote in the Senate, the House passed their side of the Russia sanctions (which explicitly ties his hands in a new way). And both houses passed that bill with giant veto-proof "Fuck You" margins.
He can't control a key person in his cabinet on an issue that makes him extremely vulnerable. And now Congress is going to slap him with something he absolutely want and can't stop.
He needs to feel powerful. He needs to do something to show he's in control. He wants to hit back, and he wants to hit someone he believes (wrongly) can't fight back. So now there's this.
The downward spiral continues. The question is how much damage he'll do and how many people he'll hurt on his way down.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [56 favorites]
Today's transphobic bullshit feels the opposite of that to me. Looking at where he is -- crying constantly about Sessions and the Russia Investigation -- makes me think he feels increasingly powerless. Then yesterday, on the heels of the healthcare vote in the Senate, the House passed their side of the Russia sanctions (which explicitly ties his hands in a new way). And both houses passed that bill with giant veto-proof "Fuck You" margins.
He can't control a key person in his cabinet on an issue that makes him extremely vulnerable. And now Congress is going to slap him with something he absolutely want and can't stop.
He needs to feel powerful. He needs to do something to show he's in control. He wants to hit back, and he wants to hit someone he believes (wrongly) can't fight back. So now there's this.
The downward spiral continues. The question is how much damage he'll do and how many people he'll hurt on his way down.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [56 favorites]
Faint of Butt: "I.e., a horrifying, dehumanizing disaster ever since the Republicans deregulated it."
Pedantry: The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 was introduced as a bill by Howard Cannon [D-NV], was passed overwhelmingly by the Democratically-controlled House and the Democratically-controlled Senate, and signed by president Jimmy Carter, whom you will recall was a Democrat.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Pedantry: The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 was introduced as a bill by Howard Cannon [D-NV], was passed overwhelmingly by the Democratically-controlled House and the Democratically-controlled Senate, and signed by president Jimmy Carter, whom you will recall was a Democrat.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:27 AM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Okay, between the "WE WORSHIP GOD" tweet and the uncharacteristic spelling and grammar correctness in this morning's nightmare announcement, is it possible that Trump had a heart attack last night and what we're seeing now is Pence holed up with his phone hoping nobody figures it out until he's already renamed the country Jesustopia?
As shit starts to fall apart, he needs a solid, reliable, dumbshit base
This is what he thinks will appeal to evangelicals
He's probably right
I think it's an indicator investigators are sniffing around in his finances
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
As shit starts to fall apart, he needs a solid, reliable, dumbshit base
This is what he thinks will appeal to evangelicals
He's probably right
I think it's an indicator investigators are sniffing around in his finances
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:28 AM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Pedantry: The Airline Deregulation Act of 1978 was introduced as a bill by Howard Cannon [D-NV], was passed overwhelmingly by the Democratically-controlled House and the Democratically-controlled Senate, and signed by president Jimmy Carter, whom you will recall was a Democrat.
::shrug:: Fake news.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
::shrug:: Fake news.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
burn it all down. scorched earth until not a single DNA strand belonging to any of this weeping pustulence of deranged "government" exists.
What does this mean in concrete terms? I'm having a hard time parsing exactly how literally people mean to be taken when they say things like this.
I've been giving the matter some thought, and for one thing, Democrats are going to have to go after Republican power centers the way Republicans have been attacking the likes of unions, teachers, immigrants, and trial lawyers. For starters, Democrats should raise taxes the wealthy, especially capital gains, by a lot. Clearly what the rich did with all that money Reagan handed them was buy even more political power so, hey, let's take it away, and, better still, spend it on the general welfare.
The advantage of this approach is that not only does it diminish the power of a -- no, the -- key Republican base, it also, unlike the Republican measures, serves the public good.
Democrats also need to abandon their illusions of "bipartisanship" and "comity" and recognize that the Republicans have created a parliamentary system. The party out of power has no power, so it's essential that Democrats do everything legal to minimize the ability of Republicans to exercise influence over the national agenda.
There's less the Democrats can to do influence the media directly, but they need to work the refs the way the Republicans did when they convinced the media that "liberal media bias" was a problem. Democrats should advocate for objectivity, which means not giving a platform to people the reporter knows are telling lies.
posted by Gelatin at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [36 favorites]
What does this mean in concrete terms? I'm having a hard time parsing exactly how literally people mean to be taken when they say things like this.
I've been giving the matter some thought, and for one thing, Democrats are going to have to go after Republican power centers the way Republicans have been attacking the likes of unions, teachers, immigrants, and trial lawyers. For starters, Democrats should raise taxes the wealthy, especially capital gains, by a lot. Clearly what the rich did with all that money Reagan handed them was buy even more political power so, hey, let's take it away, and, better still, spend it on the general welfare.
The advantage of this approach is that not only does it diminish the power of a -- no, the -- key Republican base, it also, unlike the Republican measures, serves the public good.
Democrats also need to abandon their illusions of "bipartisanship" and "comity" and recognize that the Republicans have created a parliamentary system. The party out of power has no power, so it's essential that Democrats do everything legal to minimize the ability of Republicans to exercise influence over the national agenda.
There's less the Democrats can to do influence the media directly, but they need to work the refs the way the Republicans did when they convinced the media that "liberal media bias" was a problem. Democrats should advocate for objectivity, which means not giving a platform to people the reporter knows are telling lies.
posted by Gelatin at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [36 favorites]
I thought I knew the real Donald Trump, but I didn't expect he would be so reluctant to tell people there were fired.
In real life, Trump has always had trouble firing people himself (seriously).
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
In real life, Trump has always had trouble firing people himself (seriously).
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:29 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
> Seems totally predictable to me: Mr. Hard Guy Tough Businessman My Way or the Highway is too much of a fucking whiny craven baby
I do suspect as far as direct action goes his business empire is his weak spot (both in terms what he actually cares about, and potential solvency issues [it could be the liquidators going through his books that brings him down in the end, or just him totally losing his shit and posting all his emails on twitter when his shiny status symbols go bust]).
In other picking-fights-with-ex-squaddies news: @eternalkerri: "Seriously.
Trump can suck the Iraqi sand off my transgender veteran cock."
posted by Buntix at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
I do suspect as far as direct action goes his business empire is his weak spot (both in terms what he actually cares about, and potential solvency issues [it could be the liquidators going through his books that brings him down in the end, or just him totally losing his shit and posting all his emails on twitter when his shiny status symbols go bust]).
In other picking-fights-with-ex-squaddies news: @eternalkerri: "Seriously.
Trump can suck the Iraqi sand off my transgender veteran cock."
posted by Buntix at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Politco: Inside Trump’s snap decision to ban transgender troops. The GOP just wanted Trump to settle a dispute within the party over the House spending bill, where a couple of reps were holding up the bill because they wanted to ban funding for transgender health care in the military, and even GOP leadership wouldn't do that. They sure as hell weren't talking about banning all trans troops either, but the bill also had wall funding and other stuff Trump wants. They went to Mattis, who "refused to immediately upend the policy," and so they went over his head to Trump, who...just tweeted it out.
posted by zachlipton at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [92 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:30 AM on July 26, 2017 [92 favorites]
Approaching 40 minutes late on the press conference.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:33 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:33 AM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
The administration really, really wants to make Healthcare like that prizes for poor bin in South Park where Kenny goes into the bin, the door is locked, a jet of air is pumped from below so as to make Kenny and the prize tickets spin inside the bin like corn in the popcorn popper; if Kenny is lucky he emerges with a random prize ticket in his hand.
Come to think of it, it already sounds a bit like the healthcare experience in the US except for the top flight insurance plans for Fortune 50 white collar office workers and mid / upper management.
posted by rainy at 11:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Come to think of it, it already sounds a bit like the healthcare experience in the US except for the top flight insurance plans for Fortune 50 white collar office workers and mid / upper management.
posted by rainy at 11:34 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
They went to Mattis, who "refused to immediately upend the policy," and so they went over his head to Trump, who...just tweeted it out.
That story is remarkable. And nothing will be done, right? All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. .
posted by pjenks at 11:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
That story is remarkable. And nothing will be done, right? All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. All of this is fine. .
posted by pjenks at 11:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
Hey, how 'bout that socially progressive "moderating influence," Ivanka Trump, everybody? Heckuva job. About the only tiny ray of light today is that I'm pretty sure her entire NY & DC social circle just unfriended her en masse.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:35 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
This is what he thinks will appeal to evangelicals
It's a crude and stupid parody of religiosity with frightening cult like overtones, so he is probably spot on.
posted by Artw at 11:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
It's a crude and stupid parody of religiosity with frightening cult like overtones, so he is probably spot on.
posted by Artw at 11:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
Rob Portman's office phone lines are still busy, and have been since at least last Friday with full voicemail. Let me tell you, there are some discontented constituents in Ohio today.
posted by ChuraChura at 11:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by ChuraChura at 11:37 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Don't laugh at Huckabee's jokes, press corps. Just glare.
posted by vverse23 at 11:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by vverse23 at 11:41 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Why does she look like she's been crying, or about to cry?
posted by mefireader at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mefireader at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trumps have friends? Seems unlikely.
Well, you know, "friends." Air-kiss friends. Dinner party friends. Parents of other kids at the Country Day that you organize playdates with friends.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well, you know, "friends." Air-kiss friends. Dinner party friends. Parents of other kids at the Country Day that you organize playdates with friends.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Aw, Sarah.
posted by all about eevee at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by all about eevee at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hey, how 'bout that socially progressive "moderating influence," Ivanka Trump, everybody? Heckuva job. About the only tiny ray of light today is that I'm pretty sure her entire NY & DC social circle just unfriended her en masse.
Nobody who was willing to be their friend three weeks ago is unwilling to be their friend now.
posted by phearlez at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Nobody who was willing to be their friend three weeks ago is unwilling to be their friend now.
posted by phearlez at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Oh fuck, we're still doing this ritual? Just walk away, press people, it's just a bunch of dull lies.
posted by Artw at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:42 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Well, you know, "friends." Air-kiss friends. Dinner party friends. Parents of other kids at the Country Day that you organize playdates with friends.
Seems like they'd have to pay those too.
posted by Artw at 11:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Seems like they'd have to pay those too.
posted by Artw at 11:43 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well, that was actually sort of cute.
posted by all about eevee at 11:43 AM on July 26, 2017
posted by all about eevee at 11:43 AM on July 26, 2017
Politco: Inside Trump’s snap decision to ban transgender troops.
Several GOP reps are named in the article -- although it doesn't directly refer to them as the "couple of reps [...] holding up the bill," the implication is there. One is Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona, who earlier this morning was on Twitter saying we must have space-based missle defense to shield the US from North Korean cruise missiles; another is Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, who this morning posted a picture of himself meeting with the dude from Pawn Stars. And then of course there's Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, whose idea to defund gender confirmation surgeries is what put the idea in Trump's head in the first place -- her Twitter prominently features her recent and worshipful tour of West Point.
So they're all fucking miserable, shit-for-brains clowns, is what I'm saying.
posted by penduluum at 11:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Several GOP reps are named in the article -- although it doesn't directly refer to them as the "couple of reps [...] holding up the bill," the implication is there. One is Rep. Trent Franks of Arizona, who earlier this morning was on Twitter saying we must have space-based missle defense to shield the US from North Korean cruise missiles; another is Rep. Robert Aderholt of Alabama, who this morning posted a picture of himself meeting with the dude from Pawn Stars. And then of course there's Rep. Vicky Hartzler of Missouri, whose idea to defund gender confirmation surgeries is what put the idea in Trump's head in the first place -- her Twitter prominently features her recent and worshipful tour of West Point.
So they're all fucking miserable, shit-for-brains clowns, is what I'm saying.
posted by penduluum at 11:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
FelliniBlank: "
Healthcare wishes it was as effective and cheap as the postal service.
posted by Mitheral at 11:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [57 favorites]
I... I mean... Is there a worse thing you could want to make healthcare like? Gladiatorial Combat? Roulette? The Electoral College?Postal service? "
Healthcare wishes it was as effective and cheap as the postal service.
posted by Mitheral at 11:44 AM on July 26, 2017 [57 favorites]
Mod note: Reminder, please no contextless reactions - if you're liveblogging, include context for people who aren't watching what you're watching.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
For anyone who is bound to get into arguments with lots of stupid questions from people re: transgender servicepeople, I wanted to offer the following exchange in case this approach helps:
Rando: A man who is transgending to a women [sic], does he follow the male or female PT standards? Do they bunk and shower in the male or female area?
Me: There are reasonable answers to these questions. You can find them if you want to look them up. I recommend starting with Google. You might want to include ".mil" in your search terms so you get information from military sources.
Don't exhaust yourself arguing with people who only want to believe Fox News. Point them at legit sources and walk away. They'll either look if they actually care, or they won't, in which case they really aren't worth your time.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Rando: A man who is transgending to a women [sic], does he follow the male or female PT standards? Do they bunk and shower in the male or female area?
Me: There are reasonable answers to these questions. You can find them if you want to look them up. I recommend starting with Google. You might want to include ".mil" in your search terms so you get information from military sources.
Don't exhaust yourself arguing with people who only want to believe Fox News. Point them at legit sources and walk away. They'll either look if they actually care, or they won't, in which case they really aren't worth your time.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:45 AM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
SHS: fucking "military readiness and cohesion" is back.
posted by pjenks at 11:46 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by pjenks at 11:46 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
In other picking-fights-with-ex-squaddies news: @eternalkerri: "Seriously.
Trump can suck the Iraqi sand off my transgender veteran cock."
The replies in that tweet thread* are restoring my soul
*I still don't know what to call those
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Trump can suck the Iraqi sand off my transgender veteran cock."
The replies in that tweet thread* are restoring my soul
*I still don't know what to call those
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:47 AM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Obama personally read and responded to a selection of letters so he could hear from people. Trump has his staff use letters for his public aggrandizement.
posted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
scaryblackdeath, I've been going with "Just because you're too fucking thick to think of an answer doesn't mean that everyone else is too fucking thick to think of an answer," but yeah, I gave up on educating the ones who don't want it.
posted by Etrigan at 11:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 11:49 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
some red-faced human myocardial event drenched in flop sweat and reeking of failure stomping around his office screaming I NEED A WIN, GET ME A WIN, WHY AM I SURROUNDED BY BACKSTABBERS AND LOSERS etc
I agree that this is what is going on, not some coordinated effort or kayfabe or eleventy-dimensional chess or anything like that. Cheeto has been shown incapable of plotting or keeping a secret. Every thought goes from his tiny brain to his wee little hands and thus to Twitter.
Cheeto is incapable of playing tic-tac-toe without ripping up the paper and throwing a huge manbaby tantrum. He's trying desperately to think of something that will give him a Win, but neither he nor his clown car of "advisors" can convincingly pull one off. And this time he's drastically misjudged what most Americans (even Orrin Hatch ffs!) think is OK to do.
On that note, I think it's time for all the witches who are casting binding spells on the gibbering orange fuckup start going after McConnell, who is capable of plotting and coordination and chess moves, and has the potential to do as much damage.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 11:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I agree that this is what is going on, not some coordinated effort or kayfabe or eleventy-dimensional chess or anything like that. Cheeto has been shown incapable of plotting or keeping a secret. Every thought goes from his tiny brain to his wee little hands and thus to Twitter.
Cheeto is incapable of playing tic-tac-toe without ripping up the paper and throwing a huge manbaby tantrum. He's trying desperately to think of something that will give him a Win, but neither he nor his clown car of "advisors" can convincingly pull one off. And this time he's drastically misjudged what most Americans (even Orrin Hatch ffs!) think is OK to do.
On that note, I think it's time for all the witches who are casting binding spells on the gibbering orange fuckup start going after McConnell, who is capable of plotting and coordination and chess moves, and has the potential to do as much damage.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 11:50 AM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
According to Scaramucci, DJT wants to make healthcare more like commercial air travel.
Actually there's a real opportunity for corporate synergy here: you don't need legroom after your legs have been amputated due to your poorly treated diabetes. Everybody saves!
posted by contraption at 11:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Actually there's a real opportunity for corporate synergy here: you don't need legroom after your legs have been amputated due to your poorly treated diabetes. Everybody saves!
posted by contraption at 11:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
from Politco: Inside Trump’s snap decision to ban transgender troops.
"Military service is a privilege, not a right." -- Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)
Needs to be spread far and wide. I'm not a fan of elevating all military service to some sort of heroism and I think we should embrace "that's the job" in response to a lot of varied claims - including some of these things we supposedly can't do because of "morale." But we're not doing people some sort of fucking favor when they enlist. They're signing up for a potentially life-ending gig and they deserve proper respect and compensation.
With their every word and action these fucking people demonstrate that they want serfs.
posted by phearlez at 11:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
"Military service is a privilege, not a right." -- Rep. Vicky Hartzler (R-Mo.)
Needs to be spread far and wide. I'm not a fan of elevating all military service to some sort of heroism and I think we should embrace "that's the job" in response to a lot of varied claims - including some of these things we supposedly can't do because of "morale." But we're not doing people some sort of fucking favor when they enlist. They're signing up for a potentially life-ending gig and they deserve proper respect and compensation.
With their every word and action these fucking people demonstrate that they want serfs.
posted by phearlez at 11:51 AM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
Jesus Christ it is so terrible how good a military coup seems right now.
Jim Bakker is here to help with his new “Staying Alive” survival food buckets! Their 30 year shelf life will be crucial for surviving the End Times, the Spawn of Trump, or the rule of Zod!
Everything is terrible.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Jim Bakker is here to help with his new “Staying Alive” survival food buckets! Their 30 year shelf life will be crucial for surviving the End Times, the Spawn of Trump, or the rule of Zod!
Everything is terrible.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:52 AM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
SHS seems like something has consumed 89% of her will to live
posted by angrycat at 11:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 11:55 AM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
You know things are bad when Mr. "Kneel to Zod" would be a better president.
posted by honestcoyote at 11:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by honestcoyote at 11:56 AM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Per Buzzfeed, the Pentagon was so in the dark on this morning's horrorshow that when the first tweet went out ("After consultation with my Generals and military experts, please be advised that the United States Government will not accept or allow......") there were serious concerns that the next words would be about going to war with North Korea to stop them from building nuclear missiles.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [70 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [70 favorites]
On that note, I think it's time for all the witches who are casting binding spells on the gibbering orange fuckup start going after McConnell, who is capable of plotting and coordination and chess moves, and has the potential to do as much damage.
Gotcha. Lughnasadh is this coming Monday. I'll set something up ASAP.
posted by Sophie1 at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
Gotcha. Lughnasadh is this coming Monday. I'll set something up ASAP.
posted by Sophie1 at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
I hate that T is making unhinged tweets about trans people in the military. I (almost) hate more that the press is wasting time trying to figure out why he did it, time better spent saying that OMG THIS IS A CRAZY GUY WHO HAS TO GO.
Seriously. The Boston Glove is all now gee, I wonder if he's just trying to annoy Democrats...HE'S NOT THAT SMART PEOPLE
posted by Melismata at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Seriously. The Boston Glove is all now gee, I wonder if he's just trying to annoy Democrats...HE'S NOT THAT SMART PEOPLE
posted by Melismata at 11:57 AM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Am I right in interpreting the SHS smirk as a wink to my bigot countrymen? Who is she laughing with?
posted by H. Roark at 11:59 AM on July 26, 2017
posted by H. Roark at 11:59 AM on July 26, 2017
It's like every time SHS looks down for a moment she's rearranging the words of her Press Secretary Poetry Magnet set.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:59 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 11:59 AM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Oh god, Trump's speaking to another kids' gathering today. Heaven help us all.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
In addition to being disgusted by his gleefully tweeting about persecuting a marginalized group, I'm also deeply bothered by his phrasing of "my generals." [emphasis added]
That's some 3rd world dictator shit right there. And it's so obvious that he cannot conceive of other humans having value and purpose outside of serving him in some way. You're either "his" with absolute loyalty and submissiveness or you're one of the "losers" who's blocking him from accumulating wealth and adoration or whom he doesn't find attractive, and therefore you deserve to suffer.
What a vile person he is.
posted by lord_wolf at 12:03 PM on July 26, 2017 [64 favorites]
That's some 3rd world dictator shit right there. And it's so obvious that he cannot conceive of other humans having value and purpose outside of serving him in some way. You're either "his" with absolute loyalty and submissiveness or you're one of the "losers" who's blocking him from accumulating wealth and adoration or whom he doesn't find attractive, and therefore you deserve to suffer.
What a vile person he is.
posted by lord_wolf at 12:03 PM on July 26, 2017 [64 favorites]
Politico article gives me the opportunity to get to know a new (to me) absolutely abominable Republican representative: Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
“I'm glad the president will be changing this costly and damaging policy,” Hartzler said after the Trump's announcement. “Military service is a privilege, not a right.''posted by pjenks at 12:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
That's some 3rd world dictator shit right there.
Our dictators are all 100% 1st world. Trust me. We have the best dictators. Really outstanding dictators.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
Our dictators are all 100% 1st world. Trust me. We have the best dictators. Really outstanding dictators.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [27 favorites]
It sounds like Heller is going to vote for the Skinny Repeal bullshit. Profile in Cowardice.
posted by Justinian at 12:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Politico article gives me the opportunity to get to know a new (to me) absolutely abominable Republican representative: Vicky Hartzler (R-MO)
Hartzler's going to be running on those tweets for the rest of her career, for good or ill.
posted by Etrigan at 12:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Hartzler's going to be running on those tweets for the rest of her career, for good or ill.
posted by Etrigan at 12:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
In case this key detail from the Politico article has been overlooked by anyone, here's the tl;dr
@gabrielsherman Trump banned transgender service members to secure funding to build border wallposted by pjenks at 12:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
Jeff Sessions Urges Melania to Work Harder on Campaign to Stop Cyberbullying (New Yorker/Borowitz/fake)
posted by gatorae at 12:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 12:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
"My generals" is a pretty ambiguous phrase, given Trump's infatuation with the rank and appointment of many. This could mean:
- General Mattis (apparently not)
- General Flynn? quite possibly
- General McMaster apparently not
- General John Kelly (Homeland Security) quite possibly
- General Sessions (would be quite a plot twist)
- Ret. General Jack Keane, who Trump interviewed for a job -- possibly
- General David Petraeus (doubt he's be on board with this)
- Donald McGahn, general counsel for the Trump transition (more likely)
posted by msalt at 12:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
- General Mattis (apparently not)
- General Flynn? quite possibly
- General McMaster apparently not
- General John Kelly (Homeland Security) quite possibly
- General Sessions (would be quite a plot twist)
- Ret. General Jack Keane, who Trump interviewed for a job -- possibly
- General David Petraeus (doubt he's be on board with this)
- Donald McGahn, general counsel for the Trump transition (more likely)
posted by msalt at 12:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
The White House sound people being unable to get their equipment working right is warming my heart a little.
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by OverlappingElvis at 12:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
A roundup of other politicized US news from Ars Technica:
- Democrat asks FCC chair if anything can stop net neutrality rollback (Jon Brodkin) -- US Rep. Michael Doyle (D-Penn.) yesterday accused Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai of pursuing an agenda that harms both consumers and small businesses.
- And Net neutrality faceoff: Congress summons ISPs and websites to hearing (Jon Brodkin) -- Lawmaker schedules hearing with goal of replacing FCC's net neutrality rules.
- Whistleblower calls out problems with military drone accuracy and ethics (Annalee Newitz) -- Lisa Ling talked at Ars Live about her experiences as a military drone technician.
- US Energy Secretary takes 22-minute prank call from “Ukrainian Prime Minister” (Megan Geuss) -- Perry defended Paris Agreement withdrawal, entertained pig manure biofuel idea ... from the Jerky Boys of Russia, per Ari Natter at Bloomberg
- Democrats slam EPA head, want to understand his climate inquiry (John Timmer)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
- Democrat asks FCC chair if anything can stop net neutrality rollback (Jon Brodkin) -- US Rep. Michael Doyle (D-Penn.) yesterday accused Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai of pursuing an agenda that harms both consumers and small businesses.
- And Net neutrality faceoff: Congress summons ISPs and websites to hearing (Jon Brodkin) -- Lawmaker schedules hearing with goal of replacing FCC's net neutrality rules.
- Whistleblower calls out problems with military drone accuracy and ethics (Annalee Newitz) -- Lisa Ling talked at Ars Live about her experiences as a military drone technician.
- US Energy Secretary takes 22-minute prank call from “Ukrainian Prime Minister” (Megan Geuss) -- Perry defended Paris Agreement withdrawal, entertained pig manure biofuel idea ... from the Jerky Boys of Russia, per Ari Natter at Bloomberg
- Democrats slam EPA head, want to understand his climate inquiry (John Timmer)
Lamar Smith, head of the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, has a penchant for releasing letters in which he complains about issues related to climate change. He has targeted everyone from state attorneys general who are investigating fossil fuel companies to NOAA scientists (and their e-mails).Thank you, Reps Johnson, Beyer and Bonamici!
But Eddie Bernice Johnson (D-Texas), the ranking Democrat on the committee, has released a letter or two herself, including one in which she sharply questioned whether Smith was appropriately overseeing scientific research. Now, Johnson and two other Democrats on the committee have turned their attention to Scott Pruitt, head of the Environmental Protection Agency. The subject? Pruitt's plan to have the EPA engage in a show debate over our understanding of climate science.
For the letter, Johnson was joined by Don Beyer (D-Va.) and Suzanne Bonamici (D-Ore.), fellow members of the Science Committee. The letter cites a Reuters report about Pruitt's idea of creating a "red team" with the goal of poking holes in our current scientific understanding of climate change. The letter notes that Pruitt has claimed that "there are lots of questions that have not been asked and answered" about climate change, though he hasn't clearly specified what those are.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
And we are now back to televising everything Trump does (currently, speaking to a group of kids), because of the certainty that Trump will say something batshit insane, but which actually just rewards him with his face being on TV all goddamn day long.
posted by gatorae at 12:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 12:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Don't forget General Mills and that General guy from the car insurance ads. Possibly also the General Lee car from Dukes of Hazzard.
posted by emjaybee at 12:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 12:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
Pretty sure he gets his advice from General Beauregard Lee.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:15 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by Huffy Puffy at 12:15 PM on July 26, 2017
He's building a wall against decency. And he's making the soul of our country pay for it. Make America Disgraceful Again. Congratulations craven Republican leaders. You've earned your spots on the roll call of all-time assholes.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
>>According to Scaramucci, DJT wants to make healthcare more like commercial air travel.
>I.e., a horrifying, dehumanizing disaster ever since the Republicans deregulated it.
That's an absurd oversimplification, beyond the fact that Democrats were on board with deregulation. Air travel was ridiculously expensive before deregulation, not even really an option for standard middle class travel much less for anyone poorer.
Which is not to say that airlines aren't assholes, or that the experience wasn't more pleasant under the old system. But air travel was basically all business class (and priced accordingly) before the change. Would you really want to go back to that?
posted by msalt at 12:20 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
>I.e., a horrifying, dehumanizing disaster ever since the Republicans deregulated it.
That's an absurd oversimplification, beyond the fact that Democrats were on board with deregulation. Air travel was ridiculously expensive before deregulation, not even really an option for standard middle class travel much less for anyone poorer.
Which is not to say that airlines aren't assholes, or that the experience wasn't more pleasant under the old system. But air travel was basically all business class (and priced accordingly) before the change. Would you really want to go back to that?
posted by msalt at 12:20 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
New Abortion Restrictions Head To Missouri Governor's Office (Bill Chappell for NPR, July 26, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
Missouri already has some of the strictest abortion laws in the country. Now it's looking to place new requirements on the procedure, including having doctors meet with women seeking abortions before formal consent can be given and requiring the health department to hold unannounced annual inspections of abortion clinics.Missouri, I'm so sorry that you're a test-bed for cruelty to women.
Missouri's Senate approved the measure, 22-9, on Tuesday, endorsing ideas such as empowering the state attorney general to take on abortion cases by giving the office original jurisdiction that will allow it to pursue cases regardless of whether local or circuit prosecutors have taken up a case.
Gov. Eric Greitens is expected to sign the legislation into law.
The requirement for doctors has to do with the three-day waiting period that must precede an abortion. While existing law allows for either a physician or a "qualified professional" to meet with women to discuss medical risks and other factors, the new legislation would require either the referring doctor or the physician who will perform or induce the abortion to hold the conference.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
Frail cis white women have been told that trans people are threats to them in the bathroom. So they're tough enough to take women and children in public places but not tough enough to serve? Is that what they're saying?
I truly wish our side would point out how fucking illogical the other side is consistently.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I truly wish our side would point out how fucking illogical the other side is consistently.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Perhaps the Russian collusion is baseless and it's just a very effective false flag, tweets and all, to obfuscate something really nasty that's pretty well hidden.
The whole "Russian thing" reaction is interesting from a POV of 1950's Iran, various South American governments, in light of the GLADIO operation, and even the still being written histories of the 'color revolutions'.
Elements of the US government have worked to interfere in the election process of other nations. If the world is a nasty place where dirty deeds are done - the US of A got a taste of what it has been doing for some time. Rather than a revelation and deciding to 'take the high road' the decision is to instead complain that someone hit back.
(And would you rather see other nations taking a swing back or a straight up shunning via nations deciding to no longer accept US Dollars for settlement of obligations?)
posted by rough ashlar at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
The whole "Russian thing" reaction is interesting from a POV of 1950's Iran, various South American governments, in light of the GLADIO operation, and even the still being written histories of the 'color revolutions'.
Elements of the US government have worked to interfere in the election process of other nations. If the world is a nasty place where dirty deeds are done - the US of A got a taste of what it has been doing for some time. Rather than a revelation and deciding to 'take the high road' the decision is to instead complain that someone hit back.
(And would you rather see other nations taking a swing back or a straight up shunning via nations deciding to no longer accept US Dollars for settlement of obligations?)
posted by rough ashlar at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
FYI there is only ONE abortion clinic in Missouri. Also, it's not a secret that Eric Greitens fucking hates St. Louis.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Labor Dept. seeking public input as it eyes controversial overtime rule (Lydia Wheeler for The Hill, July 25, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
The Labor Department will ask for public input as it seeks to revise a controversial overtime rule that was finalized under former President Obama.Remember folks, the Trump administration really is concerned about the working folks ... not being overly burdensome for their employers.
The agency said a Request for Information (RFI) to be published on Wednesday is an “opportunity for the public to provide information that will aid the department in formulating a proposal to revise these regulations which define and delimit exemptions from the Fair Labor Standards Act’s (FLSA) minimum wage and overtime requirements for certain employees.”
The rule more than doubled the FLSA's annual wage threshold for who can qualify for overtime, from $23,660 to $47,476. It was blocked from taking effect last December by a Texas district court order.
The Trump administration is defending its right in court to set the salary limits for who qualifies for overtime pay, but it’s decided not to defend the limit set under Obama.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
ON @MSNBC, @RepBuddyCarter just said on @lisamurkowski: "Somebody needs to go over there to that Senate and snatch a knot in their ass."
Honestly, I'm not quite sure what that means, but I'm pretty sure it's the send time in as many days a male House Republican has threatened a woman in the Senate.
posted by zachlipton at 12:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [37 favorites]
Honestly, I'm not quite sure what that means, but I'm pretty sure it's the send time in as many days a male House Republican has threatened a woman in the Senate.
posted by zachlipton at 12:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [37 favorites]
someone needs to take buddy behind the woodshed and teach him some fucking manners. i nominate kristin beck
posted by entropicamericana at 12:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 12:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
It means give them a beating. As in beat them up.
posted by zarq at 12:30 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zarq at 12:30 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
The whole "Russian thing" reaction is interesting from a POV of 1950's Iran, various South American governments, in light of the GLADIO operation, and even the still being written histories of the 'color revolutions'.
In every one of those instances there were locals collaborating with the United States and benefiting from that collaboration. I'm not mad at the Russians. I am fucking furious with the gang of right-wing assholes here in the US that might have benefited from Russia's interference in the election though.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 12:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
In every one of those instances there were locals collaborating with the United States and benefiting from that collaboration. I'm not mad at the Russians. I am fucking furious with the gang of right-wing assholes here in the US that might have benefited from Russia's interference in the election though.
posted by GalaxieFiveHundred at 12:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
I'm pretty sure it's the send time in as many days a male House Republican has threatened a woman in the Senate.
The Republican Speaker of the House doesn't know what that means, didn't hear it or watch it, and wants to get back to the business of something something America.
John McCain and Lindsay Graham are, of course, troubled.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
The Republican Speaker of the House doesn't know what that means, didn't hear it or watch it, and wants to get back to the business of something something America.
John McCain and Lindsay Graham are, of course, troubled.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I thought women weren't fully human enough to beat up? Wasn't that the House Republican line yesterday?
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trump banned transgender service members to secure funding to build border wall
Although I do wonder if his knee-jerk 'sure yeah kick 'em out' overreach was at least in part sparked by him furiously observing Chelsea Manning being sparkling and popular on Twitter. It has a vindictive "I'll show them" feel to it.
+1 to the recommendation for Alexandra Erin's tweetstorms: today's touches a lot on the Scaramucci Stragem:
Although I do wonder if his knee-jerk 'sure yeah kick 'em out' overreach was at least in part sparked by him furiously observing Chelsea Manning being sparkling and popular on Twitter. It has a vindictive "I'll show them" feel to it.
+1 to the recommendation for Alexandra Erin's tweetstorms: today's touches a lot on the Scaramucci Stragem:
When Anthony Scaramucci came on board, he said he was going to "let the president be the president". This was a refrain in the campaign in the form of "let Trump be Trump", and many of Trump's mouthpieces have repeated his belief that he is his own best messenger/advocate. Scaramucci ramped that up to 11, which has the effect of making him an instant favorite of Trump, and dangerously accelerates everything. The Scaramucci Stratagem is to not just unleash Trump, but egg him on. Give us pure, unfiltered Trump in a high-pressure stream.posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
[..] Trump right now is both happier and angrier than he's been for a while. He's had three Big Crowd Events in a short span of time, he honestly had a blast in front of the Boy Scouts, and most importantly where before he was surrounded by people telling him, "You can't do that. You shouldn't do that. That's not a good idea.", he now has Anthony Scaramucci, the angelic devil perched on his left shoulder, whispering, "You're the best, baby. You're the tops. You're golden. Every idea you have is great. Everything you say sounds smart. Let it all out. Punish the disloyal. They'll love you for it."
And he's been doing it! Laying out his naked id for the world to see. Castigating Sessions harder the more Sessions tries to appease him. Telling Boy Scouts about drunken yacht sex parties. Telling a crowd of voters lurid anti-immigrant torture/snuff porn. He's in his element, and he's happier than he's been... but he's also angrier, because his venting doesn't release pressure. It works him up.
Donald Trump at his core has no core. He knows nothing to be a fact. He believes nothing to be true. He is the void embodied. So the more he screams that someone is disloyal or useless or weak or against him, even if he's screaming it as a pose, a posture, the more convinced he is that it must be true. This is so of the media, the Democrats, Jefferson No-Regard Sessions III, and his Senators. He is happy, but he is not *satisfied*, because nothing satisfies him. The more he has, the more convinced he is that he deserves it *all*.
Eh it's moreso a spanking, which is kind of worse since a man telling a woman she needs a spanking is... problematic.
posted by gatorae at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
It means give them a beating. As in beat them up.
Eh, more like a spanking. My grandfather would say "jerk a knot in your tail" when threatening punishment, which was a spanking.
posted by Fleebnork at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017
Eh, more like a spanking. My grandfather would say "jerk a knot in your tail" when threatening punishment, which was a spanking.
posted by Fleebnork at 12:33 PM on July 26, 2017
Remember, the Republican party is the party that as little as 2 decades ago had as its highest ranking member a literal pedophile.
posted by Justinian at 12:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [30 favorites]
- General Mattis (apparently not)
- General Flynn? quite possibly
- General McMaster apparently not
- General John Kelly (Homeland Security) quite possibly
- General Sessions (would be quite a plot twist)
- Ret. General Jack Keane, who Trump interviewed for a job -- possibly
- General David Petraeus (doubt he's be on board with this)
- Donald McGahn, general counsel for the Trump transition (more likely)
I am 5000% certain he didn't ask any of those people. "My Generals and military experts" is like "Lots of people" and "Jim" i.e. random eddies in the shrieking chaos inside his skull
posted by theodolite at 12:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
- General Flynn? quite possibly
- General McMaster apparently not
- General John Kelly (Homeland Security) quite possibly
- General Sessions (would be quite a plot twist)
- Ret. General Jack Keane, who Trump interviewed for a job -- possibly
- General David Petraeus (doubt he's be on board with this)
- Donald McGahn, general counsel for the Trump transition (more likely)
I am 5000% certain he didn't ask any of those people. "My Generals and military experts" is like "Lots of people" and "Jim" i.e. random eddies in the shrieking chaos inside his skull
posted by theodolite at 12:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
If the world is a nasty place where dirty deeds are done - the US of A got a taste of what it has been doing for some time.
And other places rightfully complain when we do it to them, just like we're complaining. I fail to see any level of hypocrisy.
posted by Etrigan at 12:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
And other places rightfully complain when we do it to them, just like we're complaining. I fail to see any level of hypocrisy.
posted by Etrigan at 12:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Oh, sorry, I meant one decade ago. My bad.
posted by Justinian at 12:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 12:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
(Time White House correspondent) @ZekeJMiller: FWIW, White House official tells me admin is thrilled media is focusing on transgender servicemember issue
posted by neroli at 12:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by neroli at 12:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
Somebody needs to go over there to that Senate and snatch a knot in their ass.
I'm assuming he said that with a southern drawl and then spit tobacco juice into a spittoon.
posted by diogenes at 12:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm assuming he said that with a southern drawl and then spit tobacco juice into a spittoon.
posted by diogenes at 12:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I know MeFi is not the John McCain fan club, but some of you guys might like this statement on his Facebook page.
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.Emphasis mine. Could be a stronger statement, but at least is says no one will be drummed out.
The statement was unclear. The Department of Defense has already decided to allow currently-serving transgender individuals to stay in the military, and many are serving honorably today. Any American who meets current medical and readiness standards should be allowed to continue serving. There is no reason to force service members who are able to fight, train, and deploy to leave the military—regardless of their gender identity. We should all be guided by the principle that any American who wants to serve our country and is able to meet the standards should have the opportunity to do so—and should be treated as the patriots they are.
The Department of Defense is currently conducting a study on the medical obligations it would incur, the impact on military readiness, and related questions associated with the accession of transgender individuals who are not currently serving in uniform and wish to join the military. I do not believe that any new policy decision is appropriate until that study is complete and thoroughly reviewed by the Secretary of Defense, our military leadership, and the Congress.
The Senate Armed Services Committee will continue to follow closely and conduct oversight on the issue of transgender individuals serving in the military.
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Oh god, Trump's speaking to another kids' gathering today. Heaven help us all.
An advance speech excerpt has been leaked to the WH Press Corps:
"Oh, the places I'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things I can do with that ball
I'm the winning-est winner of all!
Fame! I'm as famous as famous can be,
Not even Abe Lincoln's as famous as me!
and the whole wide world's watching me win on TV!
Oh, the places I'll go! Get me hookers and blow!"
posted by zarq at 12:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
An advance speech excerpt has been leaked to the WH Press Corps:
"Oh, the places I'll go! There is fun to be done!
There are points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things I can do with that ball
I'm the winning-est winner of all!
Fame! I'm as famous as famous can be,
Not even Abe Lincoln's as famous as me!
and the whole wide world's watching me win on TV!
Oh, the places I'll go! Get me hookers and blow!"
posted by zarq at 12:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Could be a stronger statement, but
I bet this looks better in Latin on the McCain family crest.
posted by Etrigan at 12:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
I bet this looks better in Latin on the McCain family crest.
posted by Etrigan at 12:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
I do not believe that any new policy decision is appropriate until that study is complete and thoroughly reviewed by the Secretary of Defense, our military leadership, and the Congress.
He sounds troubled and concerned. Is he actually doing anything though? /rhetorical
posted by mikepop at 12:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
He sounds troubled and concerned. Is he actually doing anything though? /rhetorical
posted by mikepop at 12:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I see no reason, after yesterday, to judge McCain based on what he says (since it is so frequently at odds with what he does). His critique that the twitter announcement was unclear misses the point that it is resoundingly bigoted and counterfactual - it uses flimsy and disproven logic to make a point which is clearly prejudiced in its origin (and the president*s flacks even said as much right away).
on preview - what everyone else already said.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
on preview - what everyone else already said.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Why the Rust Belt gave Trump a hero's welcome. This is a worthwhile read; it may also be a very uncomfortable read. One quote: “Yes, of course we need to look into things, but I am tired of the information being delivered in a way that says to me the only reason you voted for Donald Trump was because the Russians interfered,” she said. “That is so far from true. I had made my mind up on my own, not by any misleading internet ads.”
There's a lot of indicators in there and the following article that the more the media focuses on the fake news element of the Russia story, the more ardent Trump fans become - because the underlying message of the "fake news" part is "you voted for him because you're stupid and gullible." And now when they see Russia they hear "fake news."
It was interesting to read in addition to this: Where Trump is seen as saviour. Notable section:
People have got used to things being bad, says Mayor Cross. "The biggest challenge is the negative mentality of many residents."
The mayor is adamant things are looking up, with several local businesses taking on staff recently.
"Three or four other businesses have added 75 to 100 jobs to the local economy," he says, a significant amount for an economically active population of about 10,000.
I found this interesting in light of today's Seth Godin post about the placebo effect. Trump hasn't really put any economic policies in place yet that affect this town, but an air of optimism appears to be having a positive effect on the local economy. (That and retirees moving there for the ultra-low tax rates.) If the upswing fails will they blame Trump or someone else?
According to recent surveys consumer confidence is at a 16-year high; however most articles bury the fact that consumer spending has dropped for the second straight month. If people are so confident why is spending going down?
The article notes that home value is going up in urban areas which is making up for the drop in retail spending. 62.9% of Americans own their own homes but I can't get a sense as to how many of these are in areas where home value is going up. (The numbers they crunch on home values going up are only for the Top 20 cities.)
posted by rednikki at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
There's a lot of indicators in there and the following article that the more the media focuses on the fake news element of the Russia story, the more ardent Trump fans become - because the underlying message of the "fake news" part is "you voted for him because you're stupid and gullible." And now when they see Russia they hear "fake news."
It was interesting to read in addition to this: Where Trump is seen as saviour. Notable section:
People have got used to things being bad, says Mayor Cross. "The biggest challenge is the negative mentality of many residents."
The mayor is adamant things are looking up, with several local businesses taking on staff recently.
"Three or four other businesses have added 75 to 100 jobs to the local economy," he says, a significant amount for an economically active population of about 10,000.
I found this interesting in light of today's Seth Godin post about the placebo effect. Trump hasn't really put any economic policies in place yet that affect this town, but an air of optimism appears to be having a positive effect on the local economy. (That and retirees moving there for the ultra-low tax rates.) If the upswing fails will they blame Trump or someone else?
According to recent surveys consumer confidence is at a 16-year high; however most articles bury the fact that consumer spending has dropped for the second straight month. If people are so confident why is spending going down?
The article notes that home value is going up in urban areas which is making up for the drop in retail spending. 62.9% of Americans own their own homes but I can't get a sense as to how many of these are in areas where home value is going up. (The numbers they crunch on home values going up are only for the Top 20 cities.)
posted by rednikki at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
"Trump banned transgender service members to secure funding to build border wall"
We're going to build the most beautiful wall, and [currently serving American troops] will pay for it.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
We're going to build the most beautiful wall, and [currently serving American troops] will pay for it.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Orrin Hatch: "Transgender people are people," discrimination has no place in our military.
John McCain: I'm concerned this discrimination wasn't enacted through the proper procedures.
Yeah, McCain gets zero concern points for this one. When you're trailing a guy who has (R-UT) after his name on the proper response to anti-LGBT discrimination, you're in the wrong.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
John McCain: I'm concerned this discrimination wasn't enacted through the proper procedures.
Yeah, McCain gets zero concern points for this one. When you're trailing a guy who has (R-UT) after his name on the proper response to anti-LGBT discrimination, you're in the wrong.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [58 favorites]
@ZekeJMiller: FWIW, White House official tells me admin is thrilled media is focusing on transgender servicemember issue
@maggieNYT: Yes. They liked that briefing.posted by pjenks at 12:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
OnceUponATime: The President’s tweet this morning regarding transgender Americans in the military is yet another example of why major policy announcements should not be made via Twitter.
Sorry, McCain, "transphobic policies should get fully vetted through appropriately hateful channels" is not what I thought when I read Trump's tweet. I thought "this is another example of why this man has no place as the Oresident of the United States." Good try though. Just kidding, why not quit now and spend the rest of your life with your family?
Then again, that's my message for all Republicans.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Sorry, McCain, "transphobic policies should get fully vetted through appropriately hateful channels" is not what I thought when I read Trump's tweet. I thought "this is another example of why this man has no place as the Oresident of the United States." Good try though. Just kidding, why not quit now and spend the rest of your life with your family?
Then again, that's my message for all Republicans.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
"My main concern is that I don't like twitter, and I'm gonna reserve judgment on whether trans people are useless burdens until some fucking study is complete" - a cool guy
posted by theodolite at 12:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 12:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [16 favorites]
It would be nice to see action from Congressional Republicans in response to Trump's incompetency and abuses of power, but I would settle for words, the words in question being "The President is unfit for office and should resign".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94: "Trump banned transgender service members to secure funding to build border wall"
We're going to build the most beautiful wall, and [currently serving American troops] will pay for it.
That Politico writeup could be edited for clarity:
posted by filthy light thief at 12:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
We're going to build the most beautiful wall, and [currently serving American troops] will pay for it.
That Politico writeup could be edited for clarity:
House Republicans were planning to pass a spending bill stacked with his campaign promises, including money to build his border wall with Mexico.I'm not sure what being a defense hawk has to do with banning sex reassignment operations that use less funds than that of Viagra. Oh right, old white dudes ....
But an internal House Republican fight over transgender troops was threatening to blow up the bill. And House GOP insiders feared they might not have the votes to pass the legislation becausedefense hawkstransphobic Representatives wanted a ban on Pentagon-funded sex reassignment operations — something GOP leaders wouldn’t give them.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
> there were serious concerns that the next words would be about going to war with North Korea to stop them from building nuclear missiles.
Now imagine if we were bellicose with an adversary that actually possessed 1st strike capability.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 12:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Now imagine if we were bellicose with an adversary that actually possessed 1st strike capability.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 12:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
The Senate is voting on ORRA (essentially a straight repeal in two years, we think anyway since nobody posted the bill text and it was just revised). It's going down, with at least three Republicans voting no (Capito, Collins, and Heller), assuming those votes hold. You can see how everyone is voting thanks to the Times vote tracker.
posted by zachlipton at 12:52 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 12:52 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Yep, Repeal-And-Go-Fuck-Yourself is dead.
It's Skinny Repeal and conference.
posted by Justinian at 12:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
It's Skinny Repeal and conference.
posted by Justinian at 12:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
There's a lot of indicators in there and the following article that the more the media focuses on the fake news element of the Russia story, the more ardent Trump fans become - because the underlying message of the "fake news" part is "you voted for him because you're stupid and gullible." And now when they see Russia they hear "fake news."
I think I've said this in most of the megathreads so far: Excuse, not a reason.
I mean, even beyond the fact that the underlying message of the actual fucking truth about the Trump candidacy is that you had to be stupid and gullible to fall for it, Trumpism and Republicanism are tribal nowadays. The vast majority of Republican voters don't vote for Republicans because they took a look at the policies and positions of each party and weighed them soberly and decided that they prefer the most likely outcomes of the ones on the right; they vote for Republicans because they're Republicans. It is as much a part of their identity as their marriage, their job, their sports teams.
And so anyone saying that voting for any particular Republican was a bad idea must mean that their being a Republican makes them Bad People, Stupid People, Gullible People. There is literally no story that shows them that-and-why a Republican policy is bad for them personally that will not be turned into "You, personally, who voted for a Republican, are a fucking moron" in their own heads, because they need that excuse to make the person telling them that story the bad guy.
So... fuck 'em. We can't make it any softer than "This policy is a bad idea." I'm tired of trying.
posted by Etrigan at 12:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [36 favorites]
I think I've said this in most of the megathreads so far: Excuse, not a reason.
I mean, even beyond the fact that the underlying message of the actual fucking truth about the Trump candidacy is that you had to be stupid and gullible to fall for it, Trumpism and Republicanism are tribal nowadays. The vast majority of Republican voters don't vote for Republicans because they took a look at the policies and positions of each party and weighed them soberly and decided that they prefer the most likely outcomes of the ones on the right; they vote for Republicans because they're Republicans. It is as much a part of their identity as their marriage, their job, their sports teams.
And so anyone saying that voting for any particular Republican was a bad idea must mean that their being a Republican makes them Bad People, Stupid People, Gullible People. There is literally no story that shows them that-and-why a Republican policy is bad for them personally that will not be turned into "You, personally, who voted for a Republican, are a fucking moron" in their own heads, because they need that excuse to make the person telling them that story the bad guy.
So... fuck 'em. We can't make it any softer than "This policy is a bad idea." I'm tired of trying.
posted by Etrigan at 12:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [36 favorites]
More on Net Neutrality: Repealing Net Neutrality is Easy. Replacing It Will Be Hard (Klint Finley for Wired)
THE AFFORDABLE CARE Act isn't the only Obama-era regulation Republicans aim to repeal and replace. Net neutrality, which Senator Ted Cruz (R-TX) once famously called "Obamacare for the internet," is on the agenda as well.posted by filthy light thief at 12:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Federal Communications Commission is well on its way towards repealing its existing net neutrality rules, which ban internet service providers from blocking legal content, slowing down specific connections, or charging tolls for so-called "fast lanes" on the internet. But the "replace" half will fall to Congress. And that's going to be much harder.
This week House Committee on Energy and Commerce chair Greg Walden (R-OR) reportedly sent letters asking several companies to testify before Congress about net neutrality on September 7 of this year. Walden invited broadband internet providers like Verizon and Comcast as well as content companies like Facebook to share their ideas about how Congress should go about replacing the FCC's rules. But it will take more than just a hearing on Capitol Hill to work out a compromise.
at least three Republicans voting no (Capito, Collins, and Heller)
No McCain?
posted by Artw at 12:54 PM on July 26, 2017
No McCain?
posted by Artw at 12:54 PM on July 26, 2017
No McCain?
He hasn't voted yet.
Edit: oops, yes he has. He is a no.
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
He hasn't voted yet.
Edit: oops, yes he has. He is a no.
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
whut
posted by rc3spencer at 12:55 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by rc3spencer at 12:55 PM on July 26, 2017
Senator Manchin has now voted NO on every phase of this process. If he were replaced with a Republican, Obamacare and tens or hundreds of thousands of Americans would now be dead. Just FYI.
posted by Justinian at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [68 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [68 favorites]
@ZekeJMiller: FWIW, White House official tells me admin is thrilled media is focusing on transgender servicemember issue
@maggieNYT: Yes. They liked that briefing.
Wow. Just wow. I'm really glad they're enjoying themselves. Meanwhile, there are active duty military personnel all over the world who have no idea if they're going to be discharged or how or when. Just pull the rug right the fuck out from under 15,000 people whose lives have been plagued by insecure and second-class status in this fucked-up country but chose to enter military service anyhow.
There is no "policy" here. As Huckabee Sanders made clear, there was no discussion or plan or thought about this. This fucking asshole just decided spontaneously to blab out this nonsense as a smokescreen for his own wrongdoing and disarray.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [26 favorites]
@maggieNYT: Yes. They liked that briefing.
Wow. Just wow. I'm really glad they're enjoying themselves. Meanwhile, there are active duty military personnel all over the world who have no idea if they're going to be discharged or how or when. Just pull the rug right the fuck out from under 15,000 people whose lives have been plagued by insecure and second-class status in this fucked-up country but chose to enter military service anyhow.
There is no "policy" here. As Huckabee Sanders made clear, there was no discussion or plan or thought about this. This fucking asshole just decided spontaneously to blab out this nonsense as a smokescreen for his own wrongdoing and disarray.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [26 favorites]
McCain joined Capito, Collins, and Heller in voting No.
posted by notpace at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by notpace at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
McCain voted NO! Did he misclick?
posted by Justinian at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
God I love that block of No's on the Democrat side. Stronger together and all that. I wish they did this more often.
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
McCain voted NO! Did he misclick?
He mistakenly thought he was voting on the Do You Plan to Do Anything Remotely Useful in the Rest of Your Senate Term, John McCain? resolution.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
He mistakenly thought he was voting on the Do You Plan to Do Anything Remotely Useful in the Rest of Your Senate Term, John McCain? resolution.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Portman is also a no. Just waiting on Moran and Murkowski. Symbolic only since that's already 5 no votes but it's an important symbol.
posted by Justinian at 1:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Senator Manchin has now voted NO on every phase of this process. If he were replaced with a Republican, Obamacare and tens or hundreds of thousands of Americans would now be dead.
Imagine if he were replaced by a Democat!
posted by Artw at 1:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Imagine if he were replaced by a Democat!
posted by Artw at 1:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
They're thrilled because they're "controlling" the day's news cycle. All it took was three tweets announcing a sudden, unhinged, and cruel policy change.
Hang on to your hats.
posted by notyou at 1:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Hang on to your hats.
posted by notyou at 1:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
The vote that matters is the last one after McConnells final amendment. The rest of this is theatrics. McCain will be voting yes when McConnell is watching, we know that with 100% certainty.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:02 PM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:02 PM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
Murkowski's a no.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 1:03 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rabbitrabbit at 1:03 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think they all "matter" since symbols are important, but certainly the last vote is the key vote that determines where we go from here.
Looks like the final vote will be 55-45 NO with the Republican NOs coming from Collins, Heller, Murkowski, Alexander, Capito, McCain, and Portman. A bunch of those voted YES on the BCRA proxy vote while a bunch of the people who voted NO on that one went YES here. Interesting coalitions.
posted by Justinian at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Looks like the final vote will be 55-45 NO with the Republican NOs coming from Collins, Heller, Murkowski, Alexander, Capito, McCain, and Portman. A bunch of those voted YES on the BCRA proxy vote while a bunch of the people who voted NO on that one went YES here. Interesting coalitions.
posted by Justinian at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
They're thrilled because they're "controlling" the day's news cycle.
Their thrill comes in part from the control of the cycle and the distraction, but primarily it's simple cruelty. They trolled us good, lib tears are flowing from the press corp and much of the country, and that's victory enough for the Bannonite wing and most of the GOP base. Lulz For The Lul God.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Their thrill comes in part from the control of the cycle and the distraction, but primarily it's simple cruelty. They trolled us good, lib tears are flowing from the press corp and much of the country, and that's victory enough for the Bannonite wing and most of the GOP base. Lulz For The Lul God.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
The vote that matters is the last one after McConnells final amendment. The rest of this is theatrics. McCain will be voting yes when McConnell is watching, we know that with 100% certainty.
Absolutely. They'll pass that meaningless skinny thing to get to conference, which is just like voting for some flavor of the AHCA.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Absolutely. They'll pass that meaningless skinny thing to get to conference, which is just like voting for some flavor of the AHCA.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
White House official tells me admin is thrilled media is focusing on transgender servicemember issue
Of course. No one is talking about the Senate Intelligence hearing (the one Manafort was originally subpoened for) on Russia from this morning.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Of course. No one is talking about the Senate Intelligence hearing (the one Manafort was originally subpoened for) on Russia from this morning.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Murkowski, Heller, and Collins are the only 3 people who have voted NO on all the repeal votes so far. And Heller is going to cave on the Skinny Repeal, leaving as predicted long ago Murkowski and Collins as the 2 allowed NO votes with Pence breaking a tie.
posted by Justinian at 1:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Meanwhile, there are active duty military personnel all over the world who have no idea if they're going to be discharged or how or when. Just pull the rug right the fuck out from under 15,000 people whose lives have been plagued by insecure and second-class status in this fucked-up country but chose to enter military service anyhow.
Similarly, if he cared about the troops under his command he would have consulted with someone before pulling out Twitter and accusing the host nation of the largest American base in the Middle East of funding terrorism. In 2017, "pro-military" means "anti-Trump".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Similarly, if he cared about the troops under his command he would have consulted with someone before pulling out Twitter and accusing the host nation of the largest American base in the Middle East of funding terrorism. In 2017, "pro-military" means "anti-Trump".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Looks like the final vote will be 55-45 NO with the Republican NOs coming from Collins, Heller, Murkowski, Alexander, Capito, McCain, and Portman. A bunch of those voted YES on the BCRA proxy vote while a bunch of the people who voted NO on that one went YES here. Interesting coalitions.
Probably just taking turns, some of them. McConnell is letting everybody who needs to go back home and show a (sham) No vote to their constituents vote against one version he doesn't care about. Political cover.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
Probably just taking turns, some of them. McConnell is letting everybody who needs to go back home and show a (sham) No vote to their constituents vote against one version he doesn't care about. Political cover.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
If only we had our own Nevada Billionaire to threaten Heller and make him dance like a monkey as Wynn did over the last week. Clearly that's the only thing he cares about.
posted by Justinian at 1:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yup, these votes are free votes with no significance.
posted by diogenes at 1:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by diogenes at 1:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just stop with the McCain hagiography.
McCain says: "The Department of Defense is currently conducting a study on the medical obligations it would incur, the impact on military readiness, and related questions associated with the accession of transgender individuals who are not currently serving in uniform and wish to join the military."
Bullshit. The military completed the study on cost and readiness over a year ago.
Costs were minimal. The study predicted that service members would not seek to transition if the procedures not covered by the Pentagon, and that they would likely have higher rates of substance abuse and suicide as a result. In other words, would cost more if they didn't support trans-gender procedures.
And just stop with the hagiography of Mad Dog Mattis:
A year after Mr. Carter (Obama's Defense Secretary) lifted the Pentagon’s ban, Mr. Trump’s defense secretary, Jim Mattis, delayed a plan to allow transgender recruits to join the military.
According to a Pentagon spokeswoman, the delay would allow service leaders to “review their accession plans and provide input” as they consider the impact of transgender recruits on “the readiness and lethality of our forces.”
The study was completed a year ago. Mr. Carter gave approval a year ago. No reason for delay. They say in adoring terms that Mattis is a "military scholar", which seems to be euphemism for "educated bigot."
posted by JackFlash at 1:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [45 favorites]
McCain says: "The Department of Defense is currently conducting a study on the medical obligations it would incur, the impact on military readiness, and related questions associated with the accession of transgender individuals who are not currently serving in uniform and wish to join the military."
Bullshit. The military completed the study on cost and readiness over a year ago.
Costs were minimal. The study predicted that service members would not seek to transition if the procedures not covered by the Pentagon, and that they would likely have higher rates of substance abuse and suicide as a result. In other words, would cost more if they didn't support trans-gender procedures.
And just stop with the hagiography of Mad Dog Mattis:
A year after Mr. Carter (Obama's Defense Secretary) lifted the Pentagon’s ban, Mr. Trump’s defense secretary, Jim Mattis, delayed a plan to allow transgender recruits to join the military.
According to a Pentagon spokeswoman, the delay would allow service leaders to “review their accession plans and provide input” as they consider the impact of transgender recruits on “the readiness and lethality of our forces.”
The study was completed a year ago. Mr. Carter gave approval a year ago. No reason for delay. They say in adoring terms that Mattis is a "military scholar", which seems to be euphemism for "educated bigot."
posted by JackFlash at 1:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [45 favorites]
I expect the "skinny repeal" to pass, which is bad, but not a total disaster. It will certainly force premiums up and thus force people out of the insurance market because the whole point of the in[di]vidual mandate is to ensure that there is a huge pool of insured to carry the weight for the expensive (old and sick). But I think the skinny repeal won't touch the subsidies, or medicaid/care, or planned parenthood, so if it passes, well, at least it's not the most evil thing they've conceived.
posted by dis_integration at 10:11 AM on July 26 [1 favorite +] [!]
The problem is that without the healthier pool, the subsidies will have to be a lot larger, and the GOP is not going to increase them.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 10:11 AM on July 26 [1 favorite +] [!]
The problem is that without the healthier pool, the subsidies will have to be a lot larger, and the GOP is not going to increase them.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Considering the tenor of the comments here has been just short of "I hope that fucker dies today on the floor of the Senate," you must have a different definition of hagiography than I do.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
The problem is that without the healthier pool, the subsidies will have to be a lot larger, and the GOP is not going to increase them.
Yes, were Skinny Repeal alone signed in to law it would send the individual markets into death spirals.
posted by Justinian at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yes, were Skinny Repeal alone signed in to law it would send the individual markets into death spirals.
posted by Justinian at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Why did Cassidy promise Jimmy Kimmel he wouldn't vote for a bill that took away coverage for pre-existing conditions and then he did just that by voting to go back to 2009 law? Maybe Jimmy Kimmel should ask him.
posted by zachlipton at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Don't the subsidies increase automatically?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017
Looks like the final vote will be 55-45 NO with the Republican NOs coming from Collins, Heller, Murkowski, Alexander, Capito, McCain, and Portman. A bunch of those voted YES on the BCRA proxy vote while a bunch of the people who voted NO on that one went YES here. Interesting coalitions.
It's so they can use some John Kerry "I was for it before I was against it" bullshit and when their time comes to be accountable to the electorate they can point to where they finally voted no to avoid murdering hundreds of thousands of people. In return they probably expect the electorate should give them a fucking cookie and reelect them or some shit.
I don't fucking know anymore. It all doesn't matter anyway. There is no reality. Nothing makes sense anymore. We can only hope people with brains and empathy outnumber spiteful, hateful ignoramuses but I'm sure as fuck not resting my hope on that one.
posted by Talez at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
It's so they can use some John Kerry "I was for it before I was against it" bullshit and when their time comes to be accountable to the electorate they can point to where they finally voted no to avoid murdering hundreds of thousands of people. In return they probably expect the electorate should give them a fucking cookie and reelect them or some shit.
I don't fucking know anymore. It all doesn't matter anyway. There is no reality. Nothing makes sense anymore. We can only hope people with brains and empathy outnumber spiteful, hateful ignoramuses but I'm sure as fuck not resting my hope on that one.
posted by Talez at 1:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Wouldn't you want the bravest people in the world in your military?
(a friend of a friend on Facebook)
posted by shothotbot at 1:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
(a friend of a friend on Facebook)
posted by shothotbot at 1:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
You can laugh or you can cry:
The far left and their allies in the media are going to flip out over this news. Homosexual activist demonstrators may well become violent. It would be a good time to lift up President Trump in prayer.
I laughed, but it may be because I'm punch drunk from the Twitter edict. (The Twedict?)
posted by mudpuppie at 1:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
The far left and their allies in the media are going to flip out over this news. Homosexual activist demonstrators may well become violent. It would be a good time to lift up President Trump in prayer.
I laughed, but it may be because I'm punch drunk from the Twitter edict. (The Twedict?)
posted by mudpuppie at 1:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Why did Cassidy promise Jimmy Kimmel he wouldn't vote for a bill that took away coverage for pre-existing conditions and then he did just that by voting to go back to 2009 law? Maybe Jimmy Kimmel should ask him.
Because right now the object is to just get the turd into conference. Then Ryan and McConnell can sequester the respective committees in a locked room with a week's worth of food and water and tell them they're not getting out until they can fuck poor people in a way that won't risk Congressional Republicans losing Congress in 2018 and 2020.
posted by Talez at 1:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Because right now the object is to just get the turd into conference. Then Ryan and McConnell can sequester the respective committees in a locked room with a week's worth of food and water and tell them they're not getting out until they can fuck poor people in a way that won't risk Congressional Republicans losing Congress in 2018 and 2020.
posted by Talez at 1:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I don't fucking know anymore. It all doesn't matter anyway. There is no reality. Nothing makes sense anymore. We can only hope people with brains and empathy outnumber spiteful, hateful ignoramuses but I'm sure as fuck not resting my hope on that one.
Sometimes, when I'm very tired and Even Worse News pops up on my phone, I find myself hoping for things that make me feel ashamed. Never thought I'd be here.
I have no benefit of the doubt or forgiveness left for those who pushed me to this point. Maybe I will after we've won and history records them for who they are. But for now I've at least got the strength to fight a few more rounds.
posted by middleclasstool at 1:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
Sometimes, when I'm very tired and Even Worse News pops up on my phone, I find myself hoping for things that make me feel ashamed. Never thought I'd be here.
I have no benefit of the doubt or forgiveness left for those who pushed me to this point. Maybe I will after we've won and history records them for who they are. But for now I've at least got the strength to fight a few more rounds.
posted by middleclasstool at 1:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
uhhhhh.....what makes an executive order an executive order? I mean, when he Tweeted that trans people couldn't serve in the military, was that an act of formal governance? Doesn't he have to like, sign something? Give out commemorative pens to rest of his ghouls?
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
This seems to be the letter they read at the press conference today and it...doesn't look authentic at all?
Some call outs I've seen: no crease but they said it was mailed, sloppy handwriting that aligns perfectly to the lines on the paper
posted by Brainy at 1:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Some call outs I've seen: no crease but they said it was mailed, sloppy handwriting that aligns perfectly to the lines on the paper
posted by Brainy at 1:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Don't the subsidies increase automatically?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:17 PM on July 26 [+] [!]
Not that I'm aware of. I believe Congress or the Executive needs to allocate money. Anyone else know of an automatic increase mechanism for the insurance subsidies?
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:17 PM on July 26 [+] [!]
Not that I'm aware of. I believe Congress or the Executive needs to allocate money. Anyone else know of an automatic increase mechanism for the insurance subsidies?
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on July 26, 2017
Sometimes, when I'm very tired and Even Worse News pops up on my phone, I find myself hoping for things that make me feel ashamed. Never thought I'd be here.
Same here. I don't think I've ever found myself wishing true, hateful malice upon people as much as I have in the past 6 months. I try, try hard, to stay grounded and make sure I'm not dehumanizing and vilifying my enemies.
But, nope, they seem to be doing a great job of dehumanizing and vilifying themselves.
Still doesn't not make me feel bad when I think about and wish for things that we're not allowed to discuss here. And I hate that. But here we are.
posted by jammer at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Same here. I don't think I've ever found myself wishing true, hateful malice upon people as much as I have in the past 6 months. I try, try hard, to stay grounded and make sure I'm not dehumanizing and vilifying my enemies.
But, nope, they seem to be doing a great job of dehumanizing and vilifying themselves.
Still doesn't not make me feel bad when I think about and wish for things that we're not allowed to discuss here. And I hate that. But here we are.
posted by jammer at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
uhhhhh.....what makes an executive order an executive order? I mean, when he Tweeted that trans people couldn't serve in the military, was that an act of formal governance
No, it was not. At the very least, they have to do an Executive Order (for issues that address only the functioning of executive agencies), and they may have to do a rule-making, which requires an open decision-making process complying with the Administrative Procedures Act. That slows everything down.
posted by suelac at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
No, it was not. At the very least, they have to do an Executive Order (for issues that address only the functioning of executive agencies), and they may have to do a rule-making, which requires an open decision-making process complying with the Administrative Procedures Act. That slows everything down.
posted by suelac at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
This seems to be the letter they read at the press conference today and it...doesn't look authentic at all?
I have a nine year old. I read nine year old handwriting all the time. That is not typical nine year old handwriting.
I mean, all kinds of people can have all kinds of writing. I have a friend whose writing still closely resembles that. But that's not..typical.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I have a nine year old. I read nine year old handwriting all the time. That is not typical nine year old handwriting.
I mean, all kinds of people can have all kinds of writing. I have a friend whose writing still closely resembles that. But that's not..typical.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'd say they've landed a few years south of 9, but then again he's supposed to be a Trump supporter.
posted by Artw at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
At the very least, they have to do an Executive Order (for issues that address only the functioning of executive agencies), and they may have to do a rule-making, which requires an open decision-making process complying with the Administrative Procedures Act. That slows everything down.
He'll probably get distracted trying to ban women from the workforce.
Ironically, I'm a woman and he sure has distracted the fuck out of my workday.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
He'll probably get distracted trying to ban women from the workforce.
Ironically, I'm a woman and he sure has distracted the fuck out of my workday.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
We used to pretend our dog had a blog, and that was actually kind of similar to how our dog wrote.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Yes, the premium subsidies increase with the premium cost of a benchmark plan. But that doesn't help people not eligible for premium tax credits (the cutoff is 400% of the poverty line, or about 48K for a single person with no dependents, 60K for married couples). Additionally, if the standards for plans are reduced (the projected percent of total costs that insurers pay out, basically), then deductibles and copays will continue to rise. And there's no point paying for a plan that you almost certainly won't hit the deductible on and which doesn't cover anything before deductible.
Hence a death spiral unless the replacement for the ACA is carefully (ha!) calibrated (bahaha) to balance affordability, market forces, federal mandates, (oh god I can't even finish this sentence)
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:37 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Hence a death spiral unless the replacement for the ACA is carefully (ha!) calibrated (bahaha) to balance affordability, market forces, federal mandates, (oh god I can't even finish this sentence)
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:37 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Homosexual activist demonstrators may well become violent.
fingers crossed, amirite fundies
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
fingers crossed, amirite fundies
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I saw a 8-9 year old kid in a Trump hat today so who knows, 2017 is a land of infinite possibility
posted by theodolite at 1:38 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by theodolite at 1:38 PM on July 26, 2017
Mod note: A few deletions along these lines, and I'll repeat my comment from yesterday -- please skip the deathwish/terrible grisly things you wish would happen to people comments.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Most of them probably still aren't paying attention. They won't pay attention until they wake up one day and realize they don't have healthcare. Then they'll blame the Democrats.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
This seems to be the letter they read at the press conference today and it...doesn't look authentic at all?
looollllll holy shit of course that letter is fake, no human child conceived or wrote that, Scaramucci probably tossed it off last night and it looks like he hasn't communicated with an actual nine year old in quite some time
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
looollllll holy shit of course that letter is fake, no human child conceived or wrote that, Scaramucci probably tossed it off last night and it looks like he hasn't communicated with an actual nine year old in quite some time
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Also, sorry Dylan, Donnie is only friends with Russian dictators
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Good fucking Christ the president of the United States had a letter faked from a nine-year-old.
(I ran out of evens and replaced them with the words 'fuck' 'fucked' and 'fucking'.)
Please someone take the computer from beneath my hands and fling it out the window. Please. Someone.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:42 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
(I ran out of evens and replaced them with the words 'fuck' 'fucked' and 'fucking'.)
Please someone take the computer from beneath my hands and fling it out the window. Please. Someone.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 1:42 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
More legislative questions: So if the skinny bill goes to conference and they add a bunch of stuff, it has to be re-passed by the Senate (and House). My understanding is that it continues under the reconciliation umbrella, with a 51-vote threshold. But who decides whether the stuff they add still meets the Byrd criteria? Does it require a ruling by the parliamentarian, or a CBO score? Or do we just assume whatever they add will clearly meet the Byrd criteria without any controversial ambiguity?
posted by chortly at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by chortly at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Letter to President Obama from a 9 year old girl
Children come in all forms and shapes and send all sorts of letters to the President and Santa etc. The interesting part is which letters the White House chooses to publish.
posted by mumimor at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Children come in all forms and shapes and send all sorts of letters to the President and Santa etc. The interesting part is which letters the White House chooses to publish.
posted by mumimor at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trump wrote the letter to himself. Everyone knows it.
posted by Justinian at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
That letter... 9 is third to fourth grade here in the US. If your child has handwriting like that in third grade (and, also, "My name Dylan"?), you should probably not be supporting the current administration and their plans for education.
posted by hanov3r at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
Don't the subsidies increase automatically?
Yes, the subsidies are tied to a formula that ensures that people eligible for subsidies don't pay more than a pre-defined percentage of their income for premiums. That's great for people eligible for subsidies. But for families that are above the 400% of poverty cut-off for subsidies, premiums will skyrocket. They will be truly screwed. Many of these are the well-off Trump voters who complained about premiums costs of Obamacare who don't get subsidies.
posted by JackFlash at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Yes, the subsidies are tied to a formula that ensures that people eligible for subsidies don't pay more than a pre-defined percentage of their income for premiums. That's great for people eligible for subsidies. But for families that are above the 400% of poverty cut-off for subsidies, premiums will skyrocket. They will be truly screwed. Many of these are the well-off Trump voters who complained about premiums costs of Obamacare who don't get subsidies.
posted by JackFlash at 1:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
My understanding is that the tax credits are like an entitlement in that they're mandated to be paid to eligible ACA enrollees according to the prescribed formula which takes into account the specific cost for the benchmark plan for the enrollee. So I do not believe that the Administration can unilaterally refuse to provide these tax credits.
However I didn't think that they could not make the cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers either and they've repeatedly threatened to do THAT so, in conclusion, the law is whatever the government is politically able to get away with.
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
However I didn't think that they could not make the cost-sharing reduction payments to insurers either and they've repeatedly threatened to do THAT so, in conclusion, the law is whatever the government is politically able to get away with.
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:44 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I could believe that letter is from a Trump supporter, but not that's it's from a nine year-old.
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
This seems to be the letter they read at the press conference today and it...doesn't look authentic at all?
Fake docs and papers as props for press conferences is an old Roy Cohn trick.
posted by rc3spencer at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Fake docs and papers as props for press conferences is an old Roy Cohn trick.
posted by rc3spencer at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
I'm so sorry I just heard the news this morning. I was immediately reminded of Cate McGregor. I'd just like to share a little of her story.
Australian of the Year 2016 finalist Catherine McGregor to leave military to shine light on transgender issues
The spectacle of gruff men in suits hugging a fellow commuter in an airport lounge might raise the odd eyebrow.
When that commuter is Catherine McGregor, the world's most senior transgender military officer, it is nothing short of profound.
"I walked into the Qantas airport lounge in my female uniform and there was a bunch of guys there in suits ... and this group of men started applauding," recalls McGregor, outgoing group captain in the Royal Australian Air Force.
I remember seeing an interview with Cate when she told what happened when she offered her resignation, on the basis that her transition would cause problems for the army. Her CO, who I think was David Morrison, told her to get back to work, and if anyone had a problem with her they'd have a problem with him.
I think I've found that interview:
clip
Full program (30mins)
It makes me crazy that we can have this brilliant example of a trans woman reaching the highest ranks in the military, and being offered one of Australia's greatest honours... it just makes me crazy how fucking retrograde the trumpists are. Are they going to bring back DADT next?
posted by adept256 at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
Australian of the Year 2016 finalist Catherine McGregor to leave military to shine light on transgender issues
The spectacle of gruff men in suits hugging a fellow commuter in an airport lounge might raise the odd eyebrow.
When that commuter is Catherine McGregor, the world's most senior transgender military officer, it is nothing short of profound.
"I walked into the Qantas airport lounge in my female uniform and there was a bunch of guys there in suits ... and this group of men started applauding," recalls McGregor, outgoing group captain in the Royal Australian Air Force.
I remember seeing an interview with Cate when she told what happened when she offered her resignation, on the basis that her transition would cause problems for the army. Her CO, who I think was David Morrison, told her to get back to work, and if anyone had a problem with her they'd have a problem with him.
I think I've found that interview:
clip
Full program (30mins)
It makes me crazy that we can have this brilliant example of a trans woman reaching the highest ranks in the military, and being offered one of Australia's greatest honours... it just makes me crazy how fucking retrograde the trumpists are. Are they going to bring back DADT next?
posted by adept256 at 1:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
Same here. I don't think I've ever found myself wishing true, hateful malice upon people as much as I have in the past 6 months. I try, try hard, to stay grounded and make sure I'm not dehumanizing and vilifying my enemies.
This. I try really hard not to dehumanize the other side. I'm not good at it but I try to at least see things from their point of view. Like for instance this week is probably how Republicans (people not congressional) felt as Obama was dragging the United States kicking and screaming towards liberalism. Did they really think we did what we did to spite them though? We voted so that everyone could get a fairer shot, that people down on the knees looking for a medical miracle could afford the help that might procure one. We did it with the best intentions and to the best ability that we could.
Then I look at the spiteful and hateful and fearful and hysterical comments on some of these stories, on some of the places where our othersiders congregate and all I can ask myself is why. Did the perception of your loss of hegemony really cause you so much harm that you will let some truly evil people do what they want to punish us? What could some random person struggling to make ends meet have possibly ever done to you to make you hate them so that you cheer their loss of life saving care. Like I'm trying to understand but I just can't fathom it.
Every day it gets harder to remind myself that on the other side there are human beings and that they are scared and they're being fed a lot of falsehoods and hysteria to make us seem like the ultimate enemy or even antichrist. Every day it gets harder not to throw my hands in the air and tell these people to go fuck themselves and they deserve everything they voted for. If not for the millions of people who are going to have their lives shortened and hundreds of thousands who are are going to die unnecessarily and don't deserve it and didn't vote for it perhaps I might have already.
I don't like the person that I become when I get tired of trying to make sense of it all. Because then I'd just fucking be like their worst. A soulless unempathetic husk lurching from spitefulness to spitefulness and I don't know if I want to live feeling like that.
posted by Talez at 1:46 PM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
This. I try really hard not to dehumanize the other side. I'm not good at it but I try to at least see things from their point of view. Like for instance this week is probably how Republicans (people not congressional) felt as Obama was dragging the United States kicking and screaming towards liberalism. Did they really think we did what we did to spite them though? We voted so that everyone could get a fairer shot, that people down on the knees looking for a medical miracle could afford the help that might procure one. We did it with the best intentions and to the best ability that we could.
Then I look at the spiteful and hateful and fearful and hysterical comments on some of these stories, on some of the places where our othersiders congregate and all I can ask myself is why. Did the perception of your loss of hegemony really cause you so much harm that you will let some truly evil people do what they want to punish us? What could some random person struggling to make ends meet have possibly ever done to you to make you hate them so that you cheer their loss of life saving care. Like I'm trying to understand but I just can't fathom it.
Every day it gets harder to remind myself that on the other side there are human beings and that they are scared and they're being fed a lot of falsehoods and hysteria to make us seem like the ultimate enemy or even antichrist. Every day it gets harder not to throw my hands in the air and tell these people to go fuck themselves and they deserve everything they voted for. If not for the millions of people who are going to have their lives shortened and hundreds of thousands who are are going to die unnecessarily and don't deserve it and didn't vote for it perhaps I might have already.
I don't like the person that I become when I get tired of trying to make sense of it all. Because then I'd just fucking be like their worst. A soulless unempathetic husk lurching from spitefulness to spitefulness and I don't know if I want to live feeling like that.
posted by Talez at 1:46 PM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
We know trump didn't write the letter because, despite its many and suspicious errors, it makes sense.
posted by orange ball at 1:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by orange ball at 1:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
and it's funny cause if you've ever talked to a narcissist about kids you have probably noticed that they have a real hard time wrapping their heads around the idea that kids' emotional/intellectual maturity continues to grow beyond the age of five or so, the handwriting and content of the, ahem, "letter" from "Dylan" fits rather neatly with that
I mean I don't think Trump personally wrote the letter but I can see him rejecting a draft, insisting that "kids don't sound like that! and make some of the letters backwards!"
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
I mean I don't think Trump personally wrote the letter but I can see him rejecting a draft, insisting that "kids don't sound like that! and make some of the letters backwards!"
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
My friend Pickle used to go to Paris every summer after school got out. "Oh, Paris, Paris, city of light, " he used to say. I ran into Pickle a few months ago and asked him about his new big boy bike and his latest trip to Paris. "I don't go there. Paris isn't Paris anymore. Also, girls have cooties, yuck."
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:47 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Fake docs and papers as props for press conferences is an old Roy Cohn trick.
Also an old Trump trick
posted by theodolite at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Also an old Trump trick
posted by theodolite at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Fake docs and papers as props for press conferences is an old Roy Cohn trick.
*cough*
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
*cough*
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Are they going to bring back DADT next?
No, next is bringing back the scold's bridle. Please Ask N' Tell (PANT) will have to wait another few weeks.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
No, next is bringing back the scold's bridle. Please Ask N' Tell (PANT) will have to wait another few weeks.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
They are voting on a bunch of amendments now (currently: a Dem amendment to not allow cuts to Medicaid). When amendments fail, they fall back to the base House bill. If an amendment ever actually passes, it becomes the new baseline for all future debate/amendments.
Bills and amendments have to pass reconciliation rules or they take 60 votes to overrule. One of the rules is you have to have a CBO score (for deficit effects, not necessarily for how many people lose insurance). This also applies to the conference bill.
Things that don't affect the budget will take 60 votes to stay in, if there's a point of order raised (and there usually will be).
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Bills and amendments have to pass reconciliation rules or they take 60 votes to overrule. One of the rules is you have to have a CBO score (for deficit effects, not necessarily for how many people lose insurance). This also applies to the conference bill.
Things that don't affect the budget will take 60 votes to stay in, if there's a point of order raised (and there usually will be).
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
if trump personally wrote the letter it would have mentioned the size of his electoral college victory
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 1:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
/shakes fist at theodolite
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I mean I don't think Trump personally wrote the letter but I can see him rejecting a draft
I would bet a pitcher of beer on the letter having been drafted by WH staff as a way of cheering up the president*. Their job is not to draft and convey policy, but to keep the president happy, after all.
posted by suelac at 1:50 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
I would bet a pitcher of beer on the letter having been drafted by WH staff as a way of cheering up the president*. Their job is not to draft and convey policy, but to keep the president happy, after all.
posted by suelac at 1:50 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
Dear Mr. President,
thank you for being our president!!! This is my dog, Sugar. I have visions of your bloated corpse that never leave my mind
Dear President Trump:
Do you believe in God? You are are proof He does not exist
And more in The Onion's Trump Documents' Children's Letters To President Trump
posted by Cookiebastard at 1:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [53 favorites]
thank you for being our president!!! This is my dog, Sugar. I have visions of your bloated corpse that never leave my mind
Dear President Trump:
Do you believe in God? You are are proof He does not exist
And more in The Onion's Trump Documents' Children's Letters To President Trump
posted by Cookiebastard at 1:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [53 favorites]
All of these votes exist to prove to Sens. Cruz, Lee, Paul and company that this really is the best deal they're possibly going to get, and even if skinny repeal (god I hate that term, there's nothing skinny about it) doesn't satisfy their purity tests, they have to vote for it anyway or they're voting to keep Obamacare.
The bit that is entirely unpredictable at this point is what happens after the Senate passes a skinny repeal. Rep. Meadows and the Freedom Caucus folks are already signaling they won't accept just skinny repeal and will be adding back in stuff they like, like Medicaid cuts and abortion restrictions and deregulation. Senate GOP leadership is kinda hoping there is no conference and the House just passes it as is and everyone can move on from this nightmare having declared they're done. I'm not sure that's realistic—there are a lot of House members who aren't voting for this unless it has abortion restrictions they can't have—but I also wonder if they think they can get Medicaid cuts more sneakily another time and they'll just kill Obamacare by a thousand cuts.
This also sounds a lot like McConnell talking out of both sides of his ass again (yes, I am aware the tweet I am citing says "mouth"), trying to tell conservatives they can still get their Medicaid cuts later while telling moderates skinny repeal will be it so they can vote for it.
Anyway, Democrats are filing hundreds of amendments for the vote-a-rama, so it's going to be quite the process.
But who decides whether the stuff they add still meets the Byrd criteria? Does it require a ruling by the parliamentarian, or a CBO score? Or do we just assume whatever they add will clearly meet the Byrd criteria without any controversial ambiguity?
It requires a ruling by the parliamentarian and a score, unless they go nuclear and pull shenanigans. Some of the stuff the House wants to add clearly won't be byrdable, and the Senate is trying to signal that they need to back off. If the House puts non-byrdable stuff in there in conference, they would need 60 votes to actually pass it in the Senate, assuming they follow the Budget Control Act.
posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
The bit that is entirely unpredictable at this point is what happens after the Senate passes a skinny repeal. Rep. Meadows and the Freedom Caucus folks are already signaling they won't accept just skinny repeal and will be adding back in stuff they like, like Medicaid cuts and abortion restrictions and deregulation. Senate GOP leadership is kinda hoping there is no conference and the House just passes it as is and everyone can move on from this nightmare having declared they're done. I'm not sure that's realistic—there are a lot of House members who aren't voting for this unless it has abortion restrictions they can't have—but I also wonder if they think they can get Medicaid cuts more sneakily another time and they'll just kill Obamacare by a thousand cuts.
This also sounds a lot like McConnell talking out of both sides of his ass again (yes, I am aware the tweet I am citing says "mouth"), trying to tell conservatives they can still get their Medicaid cuts later while telling moderates skinny repeal will be it so they can vote for it.
Anyway, Democrats are filing hundreds of amendments for the vote-a-rama, so it's going to be quite the process.
But who decides whether the stuff they add still meets the Byrd criteria? Does it require a ruling by the parliamentarian, or a CBO score? Or do we just assume whatever they add will clearly meet the Byrd criteria without any controversial ambiguity?
It requires a ruling by the parliamentarian and a score, unless they go nuclear and pull shenanigans. Some of the stuff the House wants to add clearly won't be byrdable, and the Senate is trying to signal that they need to back off. If the House puts non-byrdable stuff in there in conference, they would need 60 votes to actually pass it in the Senate, assuming they follow the Budget Control Act.
posted by zachlipton at 1:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
The latest from TPM's Josh Marshall: Understanding the Trump-Russia Money Channel
This is the critical, central issue, what did Trump, his family and campaign do with the Russians during their 2016 subversion campaign? But it’s far from the only question. And to make sense of that central question we have to go back further, to the money channel between Trump and the countries of the former Soviet Union which stretches back at least a decade earlier and quite possibly to the 1990s.posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 1:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
Here’s why this is important.
If there’s a there there in the Trump-Russia story, it didn’t come out of nowhere. It almost certainly began in the money channel I described above. The existence of such a channel is neither inherently illegal or subject to any dispute. We know from voluminous reporting that such a channel existed. Money from the countries of the former Soviet Union was key to funding numerous Trump building projects. Russians and nationals from other FSU countries bought up numerous individual apartment units in Trump-branded buildings. A number of Trump’s key business partners and rainmakers were either emigres from the former Soviet Union or Americans who were conduits for money from the same countries. Through these various threads of the story money laundering, organized crime and various kinds of criminal behavior are persistent and ubiquitous. None of this is really up for debate. It’s all been demonstrated by voluminous reporting.
Since I wrote this post a year ago, this has led me to the following cardinal assumption. If there was a quid pro quo between the Trump entourage and Russia during the 2016 election, if there were payoffs, collusive relationships or blackmail those almost certainly grew out of relationships and business dealings that originated in that money channel. Therefore understanding that channel, how it came into existence, what was transacted across it and really everything about it becomes critical to understanding the whole story.
First Slate had the Impeach-o-meter; now it has the Brag tracker.
posted by Melismata at 1:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 1:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
We probably should've had a second constitutional convention post civil war to really draw up a new government not beholden to a bunch of compromises with slave states.
Maybe nows a good time to think about that.
posted by The Whelk at 2:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
Maybe nows a good time to think about that.
posted by The Whelk at 2:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
Given the bullshit the GOP has pulled lately, I'm wondering what's stopping them from just getting rid of the Byrd Rule outright. It's not like they can be shamed by any further deviations from normal order.
I mean, after the gross insult to constitutional democracy that was the Gorsuch nomination, undermining Reconciliation criteria seems like small potatoes.
posted by darkstar at 2:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I mean, after the gross insult to constitutional democracy that was the Gorsuch nomination, undermining Reconciliation criteria seems like small potatoes.
posted by darkstar at 2:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
What was the context for them reading the obviously fake letter during the press briefing, anyway?
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
DOJ: Ex-Manafort Associate Firtash Is Top-Tier Comrade of Russian Mobsters (Tom Winter, NBC News)
The Department of Justice has identified a former business associate of ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as an "upper-echelon [associate] of Russian organized crime."posted by Room 641-A at 2:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
The declaration came in a 115-page filing as part of the government's case against Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch who was once involved in a failed multimillion-dollar deal to buy New York's Drake Hotel with Manafort, and an important player in the Ukrainian political party for which Manafort worked.
Given the bullshit the GOP has pulled lately, I'm wondering what's stopping them from just getting rid of the Byrd Rule outright. It's not like they can be shamed by any further deviations from normal order.
Because it's a law that's part of the United States Code not a home grown Senate rule.
posted by Talez at 2:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Because it's a law that's part of the United States Code not a home grown Senate rule.
posted by Talez at 2:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
VoteVets on Twitter: .@POTUS, can you my spot the transgender troops in this photo? They're there, I promise.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [65 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [65 favorites]
Yeah the time periods 1864-1868 and 1964-1968 are probably the only windows in which we could've had a constitutional convention that didn't go fully pear shaped.
Guess we gotta hang on for another 47 years
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Guess we gotta hang on for another 47 years
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Because it's a law that's part of the United States Code not a home grown Senate rule.
It's a constitutional principle that the Senate sets its own rules of procedure. If Pence/McConnell decided to set a precedent by making a point of order overruling the Senate Parliamentarian and ignoring the Byrd Rule, and 50 Senators voted in agreement, it would no longer apply, even though it would still be enshrined in United States Code. Fortunately, there aren't currently enough Senators who would vote in favor.
Essentially, the Byrd Rule would still exist as a law, and the Senators would be able to agree to pretend that any given bill would be eligible under the Byrd Rule.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's a constitutional principle that the Senate sets its own rules of procedure. If Pence/McConnell decided to set a precedent by making a point of order overruling the Senate Parliamentarian and ignoring the Byrd Rule, and 50 Senators voted in agreement, it would no longer apply, even though it would still be enshrined in United States Code. Fortunately, there aren't currently enough Senators who would vote in favor.
Essentially, the Byrd Rule would still exist as a law, and the Senators would be able to agree to pretend that any given bill would be eligible under the Byrd Rule.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
McCain says: "The Department of Defense is currently conducting a study on the medical obligations it would incur, the impact on military readiness, and related questions associated with the accession of transgender individuals who are not currently serving in uniform and wish to join the military."
Sure (obligatory West Wing).
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Sure (obligatory West Wing).
posted by ricochet biscuit at 2:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Brainy: This seems to be the letter they read at the press conference today and it...doesn't look authentic at all?
Here's the letter at the Washington Times (an old, conservative paper, FYI), if you can't follow the twitter link from Brainy. That's some fake kid writing. [And some conservative clickbait articles, you've been warned]
But even if it's a real kid, it's another fine example of anecdotes replacing more statistics. "Look, this one kid likes Trump!" doesn't outweigh however many kids have had their families split by ICE thugs at the direction of Trump, whose families stay inside their homes because to go outside means they could be deported. How many other kids have been terrorized by other kids because they're Muslim, or they just look different enough to be considered a "bad guy" by the current racist, xenophobic "leadership" in this country.
Also, it's another bit of chaff to divert the discussion from items of real importance. Ignore it and move on, stop trying to find the truth in who wrote it, or they'll write more letters in support of Trump's policies, and we'll debate whether the President is smarter than a 5th grader or some other distracting bullshit.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Here's the letter at the Washington Times (an old, conservative paper, FYI), if you can't follow the twitter link from Brainy. That's some fake kid writing. [And some conservative clickbait articles, you've been warned]
But even if it's a real kid, it's another fine example of anecdotes replacing more statistics. "Look, this one kid likes Trump!" doesn't outweigh however many kids have had their families split by ICE thugs at the direction of Trump, whose families stay inside their homes because to go outside means they could be deported. How many other kids have been terrorized by other kids because they're Muslim, or they just look different enough to be considered a "bad guy" by the current racist, xenophobic "leadership" in this country.
Also, it's another bit of chaff to divert the discussion from items of real importance. Ignore it and move on, stop trying to find the truth in who wrote it, or they'll write more letters in support of Trump's policies, and we'll debate whether the President is smarter than a 5th grader or some other distracting bullshit.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
VoteVets on Twitter: .@POTUS, can you my spot the transgender troops in this photo? They're there, I promise.
Note that VoteVets had to @ POTUS because @realDonaldTrump blocks them.
posted by gwint at 2:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
Note that VoteVets had to @ POTUS because @realDonaldTrump blocks them.
posted by gwint at 2:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [55 favorites]
I cannot ignore this bigoted and hateful policy, but I'd like to focus on the process that got us here for a moment, because I think it's a particularly important case study.
The House was working on a spending bill, including some money for a border wall and other stuff Trump likes. A bunch of conservative Republicans wanted to tack on an amendment to ban the military from paying for transgender health care, and a sufficient number of moderate Republicans joined forces with Democrats to defeat it, either because they believed such a policy to be wrong and hateful, or simply because they thought it was a stupid fight to have right now. Either way, our elected representatives voted that this shouldn't be in the bill.
But the conservative wing of the party wouldn't take no for an answer and were threatening to torpedo the entire spending bill over this. They were trying to tuck the amendment in anyway, and moderates were crying foul. Ryan and company were not particularly interested in seeing their spending bill go up in flames over this fight and tried to get them to drop it, so the conservatives decided to try their luck in a different branch instead. Mattis wouldn't act unilaterally and abruptly, but Trump would, so they got Bannon to whisper in his ear, promising wall funding.
And then, without any thought as to how this would impact the lives of thousands of transgender service members, the "readiness and cohesion" of their units, not to mention every trans person outside the military, he ...just tweeted it out. And what he tweeted went far beyond the bill they couldn't get through Congress; that was just about funding for health care expenses, while his tweet seems to be throwing people out of the military.
And yet, there's vague complaints from Republicans about process, but no outrage about the executive usurping the legislature and doing this unilaterally despite a vote indicating Congress didn't want to. This is how our democracy works now. You can't get the votes to ruin people's lives in Congress, so you go to the President and get him to do it over Twitter.
To be fair, Trump is certainly not the first President to take executive action on something Congress wouldn't do, but the speed at which this happened is shocking, and it's not remotely normal to take executive action for something your own party couldn't summon up the votes for. And then, having proclaimed this policy on a whim over Twitter, the White House is getting angry and threatening to storm out of press briefings when people ask basic questions about how it will be implemented and what it means for people's lives. And is this going to be what happens every time the most right wing members of the Republican party can't get their way, they go crying to Trump to fix it? What's the point in having the rest of the party if Trump overrules them on everything?
posted by zachlipton at 2:25 PM on July 26, 2017 [85 favorites]
The House was working on a spending bill, including some money for a border wall and other stuff Trump likes. A bunch of conservative Republicans wanted to tack on an amendment to ban the military from paying for transgender health care, and a sufficient number of moderate Republicans joined forces with Democrats to defeat it, either because they believed such a policy to be wrong and hateful, or simply because they thought it was a stupid fight to have right now. Either way, our elected representatives voted that this shouldn't be in the bill.
But the conservative wing of the party wouldn't take no for an answer and were threatening to torpedo the entire spending bill over this. They were trying to tuck the amendment in anyway, and moderates were crying foul. Ryan and company were not particularly interested in seeing their spending bill go up in flames over this fight and tried to get them to drop it, so the conservatives decided to try their luck in a different branch instead. Mattis wouldn't act unilaterally and abruptly, but Trump would, so they got Bannon to whisper in his ear, promising wall funding.
And then, without any thought as to how this would impact the lives of thousands of transgender service members, the "readiness and cohesion" of their units, not to mention every trans person outside the military, he ...just tweeted it out. And what he tweeted went far beyond the bill they couldn't get through Congress; that was just about funding for health care expenses, while his tweet seems to be throwing people out of the military.
And yet, there's vague complaints from Republicans about process, but no outrage about the executive usurping the legislature and doing this unilaterally despite a vote indicating Congress didn't want to. This is how our democracy works now. You can't get the votes to ruin people's lives in Congress, so you go to the President and get him to do it over Twitter.
To be fair, Trump is certainly not the first President to take executive action on something Congress wouldn't do, but the speed at which this happened is shocking, and it's not remotely normal to take executive action for something your own party couldn't summon up the votes for. And then, having proclaimed this policy on a whim over Twitter, the White House is getting angry and threatening to storm out of press briefings when people ask basic questions about how it will be implemented and what it means for people's lives. And is this going to be what happens every time the most right wing members of the Republican party can't get their way, they go crying to Trump to fix it? What's the point in having the rest of the party if Trump overrules them on everything?
posted by zachlipton at 2:25 PM on July 26, 2017 [85 favorites]
They have been observing the Byrd rule so far; they sustained a point of order (43 voting for a motion requiring a 60-vote override) on the first "BRCA amendment". There doesn't seem to be much appetite for that level of shenanigans yet, in part because they can't write a bill that enough Senators actually like.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
>Given the bullshit the GOP has pulled lately, I'm wondering what's stopping them from just getting rid of the Byrd Rule outright. It's not like they can be shamed by any further deviations from normal order.
>Because it's a law that's part of the United States Code not a home grown Senate rule.
And the Byrd Rule is whatever the Presiding Officer says it is. The Parliamentarian can advise, but the Presiding Officer decides and can overrule the Parliamentarian as to what is compliant with the Byrd Rule. The Presiding Officer is the vice-president (Pence), or in his absence, the president-pro tem (Hatch), or in his absence, the Supreme Court Justice (Roberts). The Senate Majority Leader (McConnell) can replace the Parliamentarian at his whim.
So this confidence that the Byrd Rule is going to save Obamacare is misplaced. If it comes down to it, either Pence will overrule the Parliamentarian or McConnell will simply replace the Parliamentarian with someone more amenable. Folks who say this can't happen have not been paying attention the last few months.
posted by JackFlash at 2:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
>Because it's a law that's part of the United States Code not a home grown Senate rule.
And the Byrd Rule is whatever the Presiding Officer says it is. The Parliamentarian can advise, but the Presiding Officer decides and can overrule the Parliamentarian as to what is compliant with the Byrd Rule. The Presiding Officer is the vice-president (Pence), or in his absence, the president-pro tem (Hatch), or in his absence, the Supreme Court Justice (Roberts). The Senate Majority Leader (McConnell) can replace the Parliamentarian at his whim.
So this confidence that the Byrd Rule is going to save Obamacare is misplaced. If it comes down to it, either Pence will overrule the Parliamentarian or McConnell will simply replace the Parliamentarian with someone more amenable. Folks who say this can't happen have not been paying attention the last few months.
posted by JackFlash at 2:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
And is this going to be what happens every time the most right wing members of the Republican party can't get their way, they go crying to Trump to fix it?
Definitely concerning. I'm concerned (process wise) about two things: first that Trump learns that he can drive the news by tweaking libruls, othering vulnerable communities, threatening adversaries, just generally blowing shit up; second that this evolves into a practice of policy by Tweet, completely bypassing the usual policy development apparatus and sowing chaos throughout the org as staff tries to sort out what they're supposed to do, as we've seen today. (And as we saw with the first Muslim Ban rollout.) The government can't operate that way -- no organization can.
posted by notyou at 2:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Definitely concerning. I'm concerned (process wise) about two things: first that Trump learns that he can drive the news by tweaking libruls, othering vulnerable communities, threatening adversaries, just generally blowing shit up; second that this evolves into a practice of policy by Tweet, completely bypassing the usual policy development apparatus and sowing chaos throughout the org as staff tries to sort out what they're supposed to do, as we've seen today. (And as we saw with the first Muslim Ban rollout.) The government can't operate that way -- no organization can.
posted by notyou at 2:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Republicans absolutely can scrap the legislative filibuster and pass everything with 50 votes, but a lot of Republican senators foresee being in the Senate for many years and want their individual vote to be frequently crucial in passing legislation, so they have the power to force bills to be transformed to their liking.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Man do I not give a shit whether Dylan the Pickle is a from-cloth fabrication of Trump or an actual bless-his-heart 9 year old with shitty taste in presidents or some expedient blend of the two. Worth noting:
1. Even if it's a totally really real letter from an actual kid, it's a weird fucking thing for a flailing White House to try and lean on and totally in Trump's character as a narcissist driving a bus full of shady sycophants.
2. Going all CSI Grade School on the letter is a dumb use of energy because setting aside the foolhardiness of "a nine-year-old would never do x" (nine-year-olds are bizarre proto-humans who defy categorization, never say never), it doesn't fucking matter because see point 1 above.
Don't waste time making the argument about Pickle instead of about the fucking idiocy of the actual adults in power and on television. Nobody's gonna subpeona Pickle.
posted by cortex at 2:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [101 favorites]
1. Even if it's a totally really real letter from an actual kid, it's a weird fucking thing for a flailing White House to try and lean on and totally in Trump's character as a narcissist driving a bus full of shady sycophants.
2. Going all CSI Grade School on the letter is a dumb use of energy because setting aside the foolhardiness of "a nine-year-old would never do x" (nine-year-olds are bizarre proto-humans who defy categorization, never say never), it doesn't fucking matter because see point 1 above.
Don't waste time making the argument about Pickle instead of about the fucking idiocy of the actual adults in power and on television. Nobody's gonna subpeona Pickle.
posted by cortex at 2:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [101 favorites]
If Pence/McConnell decided to set a precedent by making a point of order overruling the Senate Parliamentarian and ignoring the Byrd Rule, and 50 Senators voted in agreement, it would no longer apply
This is incorrect. A Democrat would raise a point of order, invoking the Byrd Rule, regarding some item. Pence makes a ruling. He doesn't have to agree with the Parliamentarian. Pence's ruling stands unless overruled by 60 votes. So if 41 Republicans agree with Pence, the ruling stands and the item is approved according to the Byrd Rule.
posted by JackFlash at 2:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is incorrect. A Democrat would raise a point of order, invoking the Byrd Rule, regarding some item. Pence makes a ruling. He doesn't have to agree with the Parliamentarian. Pence's ruling stands unless overruled by 60 votes. So if 41 Republicans agree with Pence, the ruling stands and the item is approved according to the Byrd Rule.
posted by JackFlash at 2:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Ewwww -- At the giveaway of wisconson to Foxconn Whitehouse event, Trump introduced Steve Winn. Creepy so so creepy.
posted by sammyo at 2:46 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by sammyo at 2:46 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
About the human beings on the other side, I was reading Where Trump is seen as savior, posted by rednikki, and it struck me how these people remind me of the inhabitants of Lönneberga, where Emil lived. The problem with them was that they weren't really happy with sharing anything, and they didn't really think the poor deserved aid and care. When you are child, listening to the stories, you just laugh at all his crazy pranks, and cry when he saves Alfred. But when you are the grown-up reading the stories, you notice how narrow-minded and self-preserving many of the adults are, and then on the other hand when Emil does great things, they are truly proud of him and are embarrassed by their own failures. And he does end up as the head of the local council. (And real Sweden become a welfare state).
I guess what I am trying to say is that people are people, and you can appeal to their mean spirits or their good faith. For the last many years, the Republican party and Fox News have been building the fear and the hate and many people are completely carried away. Trump was just the last step into the muck. I guess the whole Emil derail was because there is a happy ending to that story, and there will be to this one as well. Go back and find the old ACA debates here on MetaFilter, and see how far everyone, including conservatives has moved since then. Everyone is still moving. But it would be nice if we had an Emil to expose the hypocrisy of the right.
posted by mumimor at 2:46 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I guess what I am trying to say is that people are people, and you can appeal to their mean spirits or their good faith. For the last many years, the Republican party and Fox News have been building the fear and the hate and many people are completely carried away. Trump was just the last step into the muck. I guess the whole Emil derail was because there is a happy ending to that story, and there will be to this one as well. Go back and find the old ACA debates here on MetaFilter, and see how far everyone, including conservatives has moved since then. Everyone is still moving. But it would be nice if we had an Emil to expose the hypocrisy of the right.
posted by mumimor at 2:46 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
2. Going all CSI Grade School on the letter is a dumb use of energy
lol is this your first time on metafilter
posted by cortex at 2:43 PM on July 26 [9 favorites +] [!]
welp
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [120 favorites]
lol is this your first time on metafilter
posted by cortex at 2:43 PM on July 26 [9 favorites +] [!]
welp
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [120 favorites]
Famously, the mathematician Kurt Gödel interrupted his U.S. citizenship hearing share his discovery that there exist contradictions present within the United States Constitution that allow for a fascist leader to, entirely legally, seize absolute power and establish a dictatorship. Luckily, the examiner was patient, and Einstein, who was somewhat more politically canny than Gödel, was there to help steer Gödel back toward giving the expected answers to questions (here is a page discussing the event.)
No one is exactly sure what specific exploit Gödel identified. Nevertheless, I am inevitably reminded of this story whenever I read a statement like "The Byrd Rule is whatever the Presiding Officer says it is."
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [73 favorites]
No one is exactly sure what specific exploit Gödel identified. Nevertheless, I am inevitably reminded of this story whenever I read a statement like "The Byrd Rule is whatever the Presiding Officer says it is."
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [73 favorites]
Atom Eyes, the context seems to be this: Sarah Huckabee Sanders began the briefing by telling reporters a bit of her backstory and saying that the press office wanted to start a new tradition so to speak by occasionally reading a letter or email which the administration received. She proceeded to read this "letter," answering the questions the author asked along the way. Just in in case the author was watching, I suppose. Nothing was said about answering the letter in kind.
When she finished that charade, she opened the briefing to questions.
posted by Silverstone at 2:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
When she finished that charade, she opened the briefing to questions.
posted by Silverstone at 2:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
the money channel between Trump and the countries of the former Soviet Union which stretches back at least a decade earlier and quite possibly to the 1990s.
Exactly, which is why I laugh every time I see some Trumpist comment that "There's nothing to this Russia stuff... they've looked into it, and come up with nothing." Pretty sure the former head of the frickin' FBI is going to do a thorough job—one that might take a little longer than the running time of the last Mission Impossible movie.
Wait, did I say "I laugh?" Cry and claw at the air, sorry. I cry and claw at the air when I read comments like those.
posted by Rykey at 2:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Exactly, which is why I laugh every time I see some Trumpist comment that "There's nothing to this Russia stuff... they've looked into it, and come up with nothing." Pretty sure the former head of the frickin' FBI is going to do a thorough job—one that might take a little longer than the running time of the last Mission Impossible movie.
Wait, did I say "I laugh?" Cry and claw at the air, sorry. I cry and claw at the air when I read comments like those.
posted by Rykey at 2:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Cry and claw at the air
I call it havin' a craw
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:03 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
I call it havin' a craw
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:03 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Re Trump taking on Lisa Murkowski, her father was an Alaskan governor and senator. She's spent her whole life immersed in government. She knows more about how it works and what to worry about than Trump has in his little finger.
posted by Room 641-A at 3:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 3:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Dean Heller is giving a speech for his amendement, a resolution of "symbolic" support of Medicaid.
I'm not sure anything has ever captured "moderate" Republicans better than a show of symbolic support right before voting to actually cut something that keeps millions of people alive.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
I'm not sure anything has ever captured "moderate" Republicans better than a show of symbolic support right before voting to actually cut something that keeps millions of people alive.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
A friend just linked me to McCain's statement on trans servicepeople, I think trying to convince me the man isn't pure evil. My response was "Well sure. It's McCain. He talks pretty. He votes shitty."
I'm rather proud of that one.
posted by greermahoney at 3:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [49 favorites]
I'm rather proud of that one.
posted by greermahoney at 3:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [49 favorites]
...a resolution of "symbolic" support of Medicaid.
About 'Sense of Congress' Resolutions
About 'Sense of Congress' Resolutions
tl;dr Finally, no matter how momentous or threatening the language used in "sense of" resolutions may be, remember that they are little more than political or diplomatic tactic and create no laws whatsoever.posted by zakur at 3:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
So it's basically "Our thoughts and prayers are with Medicaid during this difficult time." Got it.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:20 PM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:20 PM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
Small victories... I used the link from this comment to change someone's mind on Facebook. They went from "I don't the military should pay for elective surgery" to thinking about the mental health ramifications of being denied said "elective" surgery.
posted by Ruki at 3:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Ruki at 3:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Nobody's gonna subpeona Pickle.
Slept through the whole Clinton Presidency, did you?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Slept through the whole Clinton Presidency, did you?
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Hey guys, it's really late over here and the reason I'm still up is that I got a CNN alert 2 hours ago that Trump was about to make an announcement at 5 PM about jobs. It's not that I'm waiting to hear Trump talk about jobs, it's that it didn't happen.
Maybe things are happening?
This seems biggish:
DOJ: Ex-Manafort Associate Firtash Is Top-Tier Comrade of Russian Mobsters (Tom Winter, NBC News)
The Department of Justice has identified a former business associate of ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as an "upper-echelon [associate] of Russian organized crime."
The declaration came in a 115-page filing as part of the government's case against Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch who was once involved in a failed multimillion-dollar deal to buy New York's Drake Hotel with Manafort, and an important player in the Ukrainian political party for which Manafort worked.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:12 PM on July 26 [3 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
posted by mumimor at 3:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe things are happening?
This seems biggish:
DOJ: Ex-Manafort Associate Firtash Is Top-Tier Comrade of Russian Mobsters (Tom Winter, NBC News)
The Department of Justice has identified a former business associate of ex-Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort as an "upper-echelon [associate] of Russian organized crime."
The declaration came in a 115-page filing as part of the government's case against Dmytro Firtash, a Ukrainian oligarch who was once involved in a failed multimillion-dollar deal to buy New York's Drake Hotel with Manafort, and an important player in the Ukrainian political party for which Manafort worked.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:12 PM on July 26 [3 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
posted by mumimor at 3:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
From a hundred years ago, or possibly the day before yesterday: That Viral Photo Of My Trans Son Crying? Here's What's Really Going On
A thing that really stands out to me about conservatives is that they'll make a big deal about family, but they really know fuck all about kids, or compassion, or anything beyond bullying and hate really. We shoudl really claim that whole family thing back.
posted by Artw at 3:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
A thing that really stands out to me about conservatives is that they'll make a big deal about family, but they really know fuck all about kids, or compassion, or anything beyond bullying and hate really. We shoudl really claim that whole family thing back.
posted by Artw at 3:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
TSA is going to require separate screening for any electronics "larger than a cellphone". I'm going to interpret that cellphone as being from 1985
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Here you go, mumimor. Now you can go to bed.
Trump announces Foxconn $10B investment in US
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:37 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trump announces Foxconn $10B investment in US
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 3:37 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Why Did Jared Kushner Download an Encrypted, Disappearing Message App? ( Splinter*' Kashmir Hill)
posted by Room 641-A at 3:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
There could be, however, a blank spot in Kushner’s communications. Splinter has confirmed that Kushner downloaded an encrypted messaging application that permits users to send disappearing messages. The app, Signal, is one of a set of secure apps that have become popular among journalists and political operatives hoping to communicate securely and confidentially—and, if they choose, without a trace. The use of the app by White House officials has the potential to undermine the Presidential Records Act.*Splinter was formerly Fusion
In February, according to Politico, former White House press secretary Sean Spicer ordered staffers to hand over their phones for a spot check aimed at cracking down on leaks to reporters. During the phone check, Spicer reportedly warned staffers not to use encrypted texting apps. While the presence of confidential texting apps on a staffer’s phone presumably raised suspicions about exactly what he or she was trying to hide, and from whom, Spicer specifically warned that using Signal was a violation of the act.
But a phone number belonging to Kushner is registered in Signal (the app permits users to see which numbers in their contacts also use it). So is a phone number for Donald Trump’s personal lawyer Michael Cohen, who doesn’t work for the White House but remains in contact with Trump and his staff.
posted by Room 641-A at 3:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
: "“I'm glad the president will be changing this costly and damaging policy,” Hartzler said after the Trump's announcement. “Military service is a privilege, not a right.''"
The US still has selective service registration right? Enforced by denying jobs, funding, driver's licenses and other government services to people who don't register?
stopgap: "How many 9-year-olds write on college-ruled paper?"
All the ones whose parents (or who go to a school where parents who have donated such essential supplies) have that sort of paper on hand. It's not like most 9 year olds are making the paper purchasing decisions for their household.
posted by Mitheral at 3:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
The US still has selective service registration right? Enforced by denying jobs, funding, driver's licenses and other government services to people who don't register?
stopgap: "How many 9-year-olds write on college-ruled paper?"
All the ones whose parents (or who go to a school where parents who have donated such essential supplies) have that sort of paper on hand. It's not like most 9 year olds are making the paper purchasing decisions for their household.
posted by Mitheral at 3:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
From @CanadianForces:
We welcome Cdns of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Join us! #DiversityIsOurStrength
posted by ZaphodB at 3:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [35 favorites]
We welcome Cdns of all sexual orientations and gender identities. Join us! #DiversityIsOurStrength
posted by ZaphodB at 3:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [35 favorites]
I think we know more than enough about Kushner's illegal activities without condemning the use of encryption. Encryption is for everyone, even if it can theoretically be misused.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Hell, Signal is my default messaging app. I installed it when Trump was elected, too, so I have something in common with Kushner, I guess.
posted by greermahoney at 3:51 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 3:51 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
The use of the app by White House officials has the potential to undermine the Presidential Records Act.
The issue is not encryption, but that as a member of the administration, Kushner could be violating the records act. Which I mean, of course he was.
posted by aiglet at 3:52 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
The issue is not encryption, but that as a member of the administration, Kushner could be violating the records act. Which I mean, of course he was.
posted by aiglet at 3:52 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
The heroic Senator with severe cancer who interrupted treatment to vote... NO
posted by darkstar at 3:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 3:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
The issue with Kushner and Signal isn't encryption. It's the use of an app that disappears messages, making it impossible for those messages to be vetted by the Archivist of the United States before they go into a black hole (and, incidentally, making those messages "impossible" to provide in response to a subpoena or FOIA request).
posted by hanov3r at 3:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 3:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
I think we know more than enough about Kushner's illegal activities without condemning the use of encryption. Encryption is for everyone, even if it can theoretically be misused.
Yes, very much so. The last time I heard someone refer to Signal as "that app drug dealers use" I got a flashback to the 90s and pagers.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yes, very much so. The last time I heard someone refer to Signal as "that app drug dealers use" I got a flashback to the 90s and pagers.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
As always, context matters though, and Kushner just having Signal does raise eyebrows. Kind of puts that whole "she used a private email server!!!" thing in perspective.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 3:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
Kind of amazing we STILL hear about that from the bleeting gasbag.
posted by Artw at 4:04 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by Artw at 4:04 PM on July 26, 2017
BUT HIS TEXT MESSAGES!!
(I can dream, right?)
posted by greermahoney at 4:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
(I can dream, right?)
posted by greermahoney at 4:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Nobody's gonna subpeona Pickle.
Cortex, I'd like to introduce you to the year 2017.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Cortex, I'd like to introduce you to the year 2017.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
A Republican Congressman once questioned the fact that the White House was replying to letters addressed to Socks the cat. Subpoenaing Pickle sounds downright sane in comparsion.
posted by zachlipton at 4:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
What's up? It's Pickles. Leave a message...
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:15 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:15 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
In 2020 no one will bat an eye at the fact that Pickle Truthers are a major voting bloc
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:26 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:26 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
In 2020 no one will bat an eye at the fact that Pickle Truthers are a major voting bloc
Were Tommy and Dil really brothers?!? Nickelodeon wants you to think so but I have photographic PROOF that Didi isn't as innocent as she seems.
posted by Talez at 4:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Were Tommy and Dil really brothers?!? Nickelodeon wants you to think so but I have photographic PROOF that Didi isn't as innocent as she seems.
posted by Talez at 4:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
I, too, believe that fruit punch pickles are part of a vile conspiracy.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 4:32 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by C'est la D.C. at 4:32 PM on July 26, 2017
Subpoenaing Pickle sounds downright sane in comparsion
It also sounds like the title of a terrible no-budget indie romcom from the 90s, perhaps starring Steve Zahn and Samantha Mathis.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
It also sounds like the title of a terrible no-budget indie romcom from the 90s, perhaps starring Steve Zahn and Samantha Mathis.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
I'm just glad I'm not the only one who has been trying to come up with a Dil Pickles/Rugrats joke all day.
posted by zachlipton at 4:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Don't waste time making the argument about Pickle instead of about the fucking idiocy of the actual adults in power and on television.
Nobody is going to make me (most of us, but I don't want to speak for anyone) forget about the crimes of the administration or lose sight of what is most important. It's the sense of unreality that is undermining everything. Is this real? Am I real? The notion that that the president of the United States could do X, Y, or Z (all from today, let's not even get to yesterday) makes everything seem...dreamlike and disturbing.
In short, people can be 'are you fucking kidding me they made up a child???' and still be horrified and active against the actual crimes. A made-up kid isn't a crime but is the sort of thing that makes you ask the person next to you, 'Did you see that? That couldn't have been real, right?'
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Nobody is going to make me (most of us, but I don't want to speak for anyone) forget about the crimes of the administration or lose sight of what is most important. It's the sense of unreality that is undermining everything. Is this real? Am I real? The notion that that the president of the United States could do X, Y, or Z (all from today, let's not even get to yesterday) makes everything seem...dreamlike and disturbing.
In short, people can be 'are you fucking kidding me they made up a child???' and still be horrified and active against the actual crimes. A made-up kid isn't a crime but is the sort of thing that makes you ask the person next to you, 'Did you see that? That couldn't have been real, right?'
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Didn't the White House shut down its public-facing phone line and petitioning system? Regardless of the existence of a Pickles, are they expecting me to believe they're a) reading mail that comes to the White House, and b) doing it efficiently enough to surface a twee piece of adoration such as this and push it upstairs?
That would demonstrate a level of competence and attention to detail that I don't see prior evidence of.
posted by Andrhia at 4:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
That would demonstrate a level of competence and attention to detail that I don't see prior evidence of.
posted by Andrhia at 4:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Also...from one minute to the next, you don't know if the dude is going to take away women's right to vote or fart in an Olive Garden. Either is plausible.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 4:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Daniel Dale is reporting that Kansas is finally getting rid of Brownback?
Gov. Sam Brownback's tenure in Kansas is ending early: Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
posted by aiglet at 4:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
Gov. Sam Brownback's tenure in Kansas is ending early: Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
posted by aiglet at 4:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
Good news, Kansas! Brownback is leaving. Bad new for the world (via Daniel Dale): Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom. Screen cap of announcement here.
posted by maudlin at 4:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 4:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I note this call for submissions without comment:
Want to Write Stories about The Poor Little Rich Kids of Mar-a-Lago? EMRE Publishing, LLC will be creating a new anthology of stories about an “Our Gang-type” group of kids who get into trouble and learn lots of lessons in the spaciously luxurious confines of the Mar-a-Lago Country Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
posted by angrycat at 4:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Want to Write Stories about The Poor Little Rich Kids of Mar-a-Lago? EMRE Publishing, LLC will be creating a new anthology of stories about an “Our Gang-type” group of kids who get into trouble and learn lots of lessons in the spaciously luxurious confines of the Mar-a-Lago Country Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
posted by angrycat at 4:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
National Treasure Alexandra Petri: Ivanka and Jared are very sorry that they can’t speak up yet, their statement on their need to hoard their political capital:
Governor to Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom is not ordinarily considered a promotion in any not-crazy parts of the world.
posted by zachlipton at 4:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
It will be a great shame when all meetings with the media are canceled for good and the announcement comes that the State Department is a nonsense relic of a bygone time or the entire Justice Department is purged and replaced with a cardboard figurine of Eric waving alluringly. We will regret that enormously, but holding our peace while all of that transpires will give us UNTHINKABLE POWER on the day — that bold and glorious day — when finally we are able to use all the capital that we have so carefully saved.Gov. Sam Brownback's tenure in Kansas is ending early: Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
On that day our voices will ring across the land. We will be so loud that everyone will know and see our courage. Then our friends will be glad, and our allies will know that we are their allies (as we have of course always been, of course.)
In the mean time, we must do our duty. We must watch our capital grow and grow and grow. Silently. For decades. We must wait for a time when it is really necessary. That time has not already come and passed, and passed again. No. We will know when that time comes. We will know because it will affect us directly.
Governor to Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom is not ordinarily considered a promotion in any not-crazy parts of the world.
posted by zachlipton at 4:40 PM on July 26, 2017 [28 favorites]
In the year of our lord 2017, we have to do this...
The Justice Department Just Argued Against Gay Rights In A Major Federal Case
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 4:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [46 favorites]
The Justice Department Just Argued Against Gay Rights In A Major Federal Case
The US Justice Department on Wednesday argued in a major federal lawsuit that a 1964 civil rights law doesn’t protect gay workers from discrimination, thereby diverging from a separate, autonomous federal agency that had supported the gay plaintiff’s case.So, They've gone after L, G, and T today.... Heads up, B...
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 4:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [46 favorites]
Governor to Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom is not ordinarily considered a promotion in any not-crazy parts of the world.
Given what Brownback turned Kansas into it is in fact a promotion.
posted by Talez at 4:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Given what Brownback turned Kansas into it is in fact a promotion.
posted by Talez at 4:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom
Then Trump's going to promote law and order by sending Charles Manson on a speaking tour
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Then Trump's going to promote law and order by sending Charles Manson on a speaking tour
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
@Jennifer Bendery CBO just scored the “skinny repeal” bill. 16M Americans would lose insurance + 20% spike in premiums, per senior Dem aide
What is the biggest complaint people had about Obamacare?! Oh yeah, their premiums were too high. So looks like the Senate took that under careful consideration.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
What is the biggest complaint people had about Obamacare?! Oh yeah, their premiums were too high. So looks like the Senate took that under careful consideration.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 4:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [33 favorites]
So, They've gone after L, G, and T today.... Heads up, B...
Ha! I won't hold my breath. Typical bi erasure. Everyone else gets their rights stomped on, but no one even thinks of us.
posted by greermahoney at 4:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [83 favorites]
Ha! I won't hold my breath. Typical bi erasure. Everyone else gets their rights stomped on, but no one even thinks of us.
posted by greermahoney at 4:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [83 favorites]
Sarah: ugh this transgender thing is not going to go over well out there. I wish Trump didn't have the impulse control of a 9 year old. I'm in a real pickle now.
Mooch: ...! I got this. Do you have a sheet of paper I can borrow?
posted by gatorae at 4:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Mooch: ...! I got this. Do you have a sheet of paper I can borrow?
posted by gatorae at 4:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
@Jennifer Bendery CBO just scored the “skinny repeal” bill. 16M Americans would lose insurance + 20% spike in premiums, per senior Dem aide
To be technically correct (the best kind of correct), the CBO didn't really score the skinny repeal bill because nobody has actually seen text of it. What happened is that Democrats asked the CBO to score the impact of repealing the mandates, because the current rumor is that's what skinny repeal will do (plus repeal the medical device tax), then they told everyone that's what the bill is.
Which isn't completely 100% honest, but it's about 95% honest and is frankly a demonstration of more cunning trickery than Dems ordinarily pull off, and it seems to have worked, so bravo.
Turns out that if you fail to deliver a bill, people will invent one for you and talk smack about that one instead.
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [69 favorites]
To be technically correct (the best kind of correct), the CBO didn't really score the skinny repeal bill because nobody has actually seen text of it. What happened is that Democrats asked the CBO to score the impact of repealing the mandates, because the current rumor is that's what skinny repeal will do (plus repeal the medical device tax), then they told everyone that's what the bill is.
Which isn't completely 100% honest, but it's about 95% honest and is frankly a demonstration of more cunning trickery than Dems ordinarily pull off, and it seems to have worked, so bravo.
Turns out that if you fail to deliver a bill, people will invent one for you and talk smack about that one instead.
posted by zachlipton at 4:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [69 favorites]
I have a suggestion for the Republicans; repeal the medical device tax and declare victory!
posted by Justinian at 4:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Anyone want to bet that Republicans will claim simultaneously that the CBO score on this hypothetical bill counts for the purposes of legislation but doesn't count in terms of how many people their bill will deny healthcare?
This timeline is the stupidest.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 5:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
This timeline is the stupidest.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 5:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
@Anthony Scaramucci .@SHSanders45 killing it from the podium! Hair and make up is on me going forward as long as you don't take all my hairspray!
Right, because that's what's really important. Not if she could answer questions about this new agenda from the President.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Right, because that's what's really important. Not if she could answer questions about this new agenda from the President.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Gov. Sam Brownback's tenure in Kansas is ending early: Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
This entire bonkers day has had a suspiciously fundie-friendly theme. Was there some Evangelical Liberation special on Fox today, or what? Did last night's rally include a prominent glassy-eyed fanatic fringe group? Trump is not thinking of this shit himself -- what's the origin of the specious?
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
This entire bonkers day has had a suspiciously fundie-friendly theme. Was there some Evangelical Liberation special on Fox today, or what? Did last night's rally include a prominent glassy-eyed fanatic fringe group? Trump is not thinking of this shit himself -- what's the origin of the specious?
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Sarah: ugh this transgender thing is not going to go over well out there. I wish Trump didn't have the impulse control of a 9 year old. I'm in a real pickle now.
Mooch: ...! I got this. Do you have a sheet of paper I can borrow?
There's a legendary conservative politician in Iceland who once bragged in an interview of using a tactic he called the smjörklípa. It literally means "a pat of butter", and as per the story, this politician's grandmother or mother used to put a little butter in her cat's fur when it was running around the house causing trouble. The cat would spend so much time trying to clean the butter out of its fur that it would forget about wrecking the house. In political talk, a smjörklípa then is some minor but alarming detail that you can present to your opponents to distract them from or pull their energy away from larger, more important things you're doing so you can get some relief from criticism and get on with destroying the country. I don't doubt we'll still be paying attention to everything the White House is doing here, but real or contrived, the presentation of this letter is undoubtedly intended to be Trump's smjörklípa.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [71 favorites]
Mooch: ...! I got this. Do you have a sheet of paper I can borrow?
There's a legendary conservative politician in Iceland who once bragged in an interview of using a tactic he called the smjörklípa. It literally means "a pat of butter", and as per the story, this politician's grandmother or mother used to put a little butter in her cat's fur when it was running around the house causing trouble. The cat would spend so much time trying to clean the butter out of its fur that it would forget about wrecking the house. In political talk, a smjörklípa then is some minor but alarming detail that you can present to your opponents to distract them from or pull their energy away from larger, more important things you're doing so you can get some relief from criticism and get on with destroying the country. I don't doubt we'll still be paying attention to everything the White House is doing here, but real or contrived, the presentation of this letter is undoubtedly intended to be Trump's smjörklípa.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 5:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [71 favorites]
What if Trumpers IS a pat of butter?
posted by rc3spencer at 5:15 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 5:15 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Comments from John Barrowman (video) on Trumps tweets today.
posted by ZeusHumms at 5:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 5:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
What if Trumpers IS a pat of butter?
It would suitably explain his colour.
posted by Talez at 5:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
It would suitably explain his colour.
posted by Talez at 5:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Secret Life of Gravy, I agree that hair & makeup tweet is sort of distasteful, but less so when you see the full context. Here is some additional context from an AP story reported by Jill Colvin about Sanders' briefing today:
Sanders’ also offered a shout-out to her new boss, communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
“Now I know Anthony’s probably a little bit disappointed that he’s not up here today. But since he did some TV this morning he was able to go ahead and get his hair and makeup done, so I think he’ll be OK,” she said.
Scaramucci tweeted his approval: “@SHSanders45 killing it from the podium! Hair and make up is on me going forward as long as you don’t take all my hairspray!”
posted by samthemander at 5:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sanders’ also offered a shout-out to her new boss, communications director Anthony Scaramucci.
“Now I know Anthony’s probably a little bit disappointed that he’s not up here today. But since he did some TV this morning he was able to go ahead and get his hair and makeup done, so I think he’ll be OK,” she said.
Scaramucci tweeted his approval: “@SHSanders45 killing it from the podium! Hair and make up is on me going forward as long as you don’t take all my hairspray!”
posted by samthemander at 5:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I keep thinking about what life is going to be like if & when we get through all this and some sort of sane government is reestablished. I realize that seems far-fetched right now with good reason. But think about returning to a world where waking up doesn't mean checking to see What Fucking Hateful Insane Shit Is Happening Now? A world where we aren't constantly glued to the news and waiting for the next thing we have to go protest -- or feeling guilty or frustrated that we aren't all out there marching right goddamn now. Or feeling like we've gotta call our senators and reps every goddamn day. (Or checking in on MeFi.)
It's been six months of this shit, plus the transition garbage fire. And Russia investigation or not, miracle impeachment or not, we're not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel yet. We've still got so far to go.
I still believe we'll get through this. We will. But when I think about adjusting once it's over, that seems like it'll be its own challenge. We're all gonna need therapy. Like, everyone.
Christ I hope we all have health insurance that'll cover therapy.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
It's been six months of this shit, plus the transition garbage fire. And Russia investigation or not, miracle impeachment or not, we're not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel yet. We've still got so far to go.
I still believe we'll get through this. We will. But when I think about adjusting once it's over, that seems like it'll be its own challenge. We're all gonna need therapy. Like, everyone.
Christ I hope we all have health insurance that'll cover therapy.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
i can't believe it's not trumper!!
posted by pyramid termite at 5:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 5:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Sandoval has come out against "Skinny Repeal". So Heller caving would be even more cowardly. So I expect him to do it and then ask, "Thank you sir, may I have another?"
posted by Justinian at 5:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 5:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Buzzfeed: At the Pentagon, the first of the three tweets raised fears that the president was getting ready to announce strikes on North Korea or some other military action. Many said they were left in suspense for nine minutes, the time between the first and second tweet. Only after the second tweet did military officials receive the news the president was announcing a personnel change on Twitter.
They were really worried he was going to declare war on Twitter.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:23 PM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
They were really worried he was going to declare war on Twitter.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:23 PM on July 26, 2017 [52 favorites]
From the What Separation of Church and State Dept:
Think Progress: Republicans Are Quietly Trying to Turn Churches Into Dark Money Havens
Which plays nicely into my theory that NC is the testing ground for this shit: Check out this colossal new Catholic facility in Raleigh.
posted by yoga at 5:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Think Progress: Republicans Are Quietly Trying to Turn Churches Into Dark Money Havens
Which plays nicely into my theory that NC is the testing ground for this shit: Check out this colossal new Catholic facility in Raleigh.
posted by yoga at 5:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Am I missing something about the cathedral? It just looks like they spent a lot of money on a building from that article. Is there some weird hidden hate shit?
posted by corb at 5:30 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by corb at 5:30 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Well, he probably will one day, right?
Kind of shocked he hasn't yet.
posted by drezdn at 5:30 PM on July 26, 2017
Kind of shocked he hasn't yet.
posted by drezdn at 5:30 PM on July 26, 2017
WaPo: Trump talks privately about the idea of a recess appointment to replace Sessions
posted by zachlipton at 5:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
President Trump has discussed with confidants and advisers in recent days the possibility of installing a new attorney general through a recess appointment if Jeff Sessions leaves the job, but has been warned not to move to push him out because of the political and legal ramifications, according to people briefed on the conversations.This bit does not inspire confidence in his legal skills:
Still raging over Sessions’s recusal from the Justice Department’s escalating Russia investigation, Trump has been talking privately about how he might replace Sessions and possibly sidestep Senate oversight, four people familiar with the issue said.
Two of those people, however, described Trump as musing about the idea rather than outlining a plan of action, and a senior White House official said no action is imminent. Several people familiar with the discussions said Trump’s fury peaked over the weekend and that he and Sessions now seem to be heading toward an uneasy detente.
When asked Wednesday about the president’s discussions of a recess appointment, the White House released a one-sentence denial from Trump: “More fake news from the Amazon Washington Post.” The Post is owned by Jeff Bezos, the founder and CEO of Amazon.com.
But several lawyers have told Trump that his comments send a signal to Mueller that the president is trying to shut down or curtail the investigation, as if he does have something to hide.In contrast, Sen. Grassley just tweeted something that's a little chaotic as per his usual style, but he's not interested in a new Attorney General: "Everybody in D.C. Shld b warned that the agenda for the judiciary Comm is set for rest of 2017. Judges first subcabinet 2nd / AG no way"
Trump has largely shrugged off these concerns. “In his mind, he is his own best advocate, his own best lawyer,” one adviser said. “He’s not willing to let the Mueller probe and other events unfold without taking action himself. ”
posted by zachlipton at 5:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Pretty sure we are experiencing smjörklípa inception, where Trump puts butter on his butter on his butter on his butter forever. Today, Pickle distracts from transgender ban distracts from Sessions distracts from healthcare distracts from Russia.
posted by gatorae at 5:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 5:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [29 favorites]
In an earlier thread someone recommended an episode of the Rational Security Podcast, co-hosted by Benjamin Wittes, best known here for his divisive 'tick tick tick' announcements on Twitter. Here is a partial transcript from the recommended episode. This interaction takes place around 39:30:
posted by compartment at 5:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Person who I presume is Benjamin Wittes: "It's probably not an overstatement to say that Jared Kushner is effectively acting as the secretary of state at least in, you know, operating a number of very important relationships that we do have with other world powers, one of which is undoubtedly Saudi Arabia. That can't be divorced from the context of all of this, I think, and there's going to be a lot of interesting information I think coming out about the nature of the relationship between this White House and the Saudi court, which will raise a lot questions too about the President's statements around Qatar and things that may have preceded this upheaval in the region. That's, I'll just say that's a space to watch."As you can tell, I do not know what Benjamin Wittes' voice sounds like. Also, the Qatar thing: been a while since we thought about that, huh?
A different person who I presume is not Benjamin Wittes, or maybe this person is Wittes and the other guy isn't, or maybe nobody is Wittes and it's just two guys joking about Wittes' Twitter catchphrase: "You might even say tick tick tick"
First person again: "You might even. You might even."
posted by compartment at 5:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
corb it's probably the biggest church ever built in NC. And a good convenient hiding place for $$$.
posted by yoga at 5:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by yoga at 5:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
“More fake news from the Amazon Washington Post.”
I don't get this reference, which I keep seeing and am sure is supposed to be an insult. I know Bezos bought the Post, and according to a cursory search he's supposed to be a real bastard to work for, but...? Are people supposed to believe a Bezos company is worse than any other media corporation (Kushner's, for example) just on Trump's say-so? Or does he just have some kind of dogwhistle notoriety a la George Soros or Jane Fonda or whatever?
I dunno, I get all the stuff I order from Amazon pretty much as described and on time, and Prime's worked out pretty well so far. I just can't get that worked up over the fact that another supposed asshole in the world owns a media corporation Trump doesn't like. Not the target audience, I guess.
posted by Rykey at 5:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I don't get this reference, which I keep seeing and am sure is supposed to be an insult. I know Bezos bought the Post, and according to a cursory search he's supposed to be a real bastard to work for, but...? Are people supposed to believe a Bezos company is worse than any other media corporation (Kushner's, for example) just on Trump's say-so? Or does he just have some kind of dogwhistle notoriety a la George Soros or Jane Fonda or whatever?
I dunno, I get all the stuff I order from Amazon pretty much as described and on time, and Prime's worked out pretty well so far. I just can't get that worked up over the fact that another supposed asshole in the world owns a media corporation Trump doesn't like. Not the target audience, I guess.
posted by Rykey at 5:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Comments from John Barrowman (video)
Oh, now he cares? Less than a week ago he was dancing around in a dress as the "transgender TARDIS" and two years ago he was unapologetic about the use of the t-slur when called out on it. W/E.
posted by elsietheeel at 5:50 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, now he cares? Less than a week ago he was dancing around in a dress as the "transgender TARDIS" and two years ago he was unapologetic about the use of the t-slur when called out on it. W/E.
posted by elsietheeel at 5:50 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
So as not to abuse the Edit function, I guess what I'm asking is, is an "Amazon Washington Post" any worse than a "General Electric NBC" or a "Trump Presidency", for example?
posted by Rykey at 5:52 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by Rykey at 5:52 PM on July 26, 2017
I don't want a Pickle.
posted by uosuaq at 5:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by uosuaq at 5:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson meets with Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Mohammed bin Abdulrahman Al Thani on July 26, 2017. - U.S. Department of State
Reuters
Tillerson 'not going anywhere' as Qatar comes under the microscope
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Reuters
Tillerson 'not going anywhere' as Qatar comes under the microscope
ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY: U.S. Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said on Wednesday (July 26) he was "not going anywhere," denying news reports that he was considering leaving his post. "I'm not going anywhere," Tillerson told reporters at the State Department. Asked how long he would stay on, Tillerson turned and smiled, saying, "As long as the president lets me." Asked about his relationship with President Donald Trump, Tillerson said simply, "Good." The comments came as he shook hands with Qatari Foreign Minister Mohammed bin Abdulrahman al-Thani as the House Foreign Relations Committee examined the U.S. relationship with Qatar as several Arab nations accuse the tiny country of supporting terrorism and allying with Iran, which Doha denies. The experts testified that Qatar, which hosts the largest U.S. air base in the Middle East, has also established relationships with groups the U.S. considers terrorist groups and has sometimes used that relationship to mediate between U.S. allies and adversaries. The experts pushed the members of Congress to urge Washington to leverage the air base and the current disagreement among Arab states to demand Doha expel a few dozen people on suspected terror lists that are currently in Qatar.Asked about his relationship with President Donald Trump, Tillerson said simply, "Good." Smooth talker, our Rex. Just the kind of guy you want as Secretary of State.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Metafilter: ROUGH CUT (NO REPORTER NARRATION) STORY
posted by zachlipton at 5:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 5:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Sorry, I guess I didn't explain too well that NC being the spawning ground for rolling out corrupt gubmint shit by republicans, starting with outfits like Blackwater and other private militia nut groups. Call me paranoid and or crazy* but since when is Catholicism a major presence in this state?
*or just really fucking tired of the shitstream, like everyone else
posted by yoga at 5:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
*or just really fucking tired of the shitstream, like everyone else
posted by yoga at 5:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Fake News just means any news outlet that doesn't love DJT and think he is the greatest President who ever lived.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:58 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:58 PM on July 26, 2017
Would the Saudis cozy up to the Russians if they thought that their interests were aligned as to their goals as a regional power vis-a-vis the loosening of Iran sanctions? I'm just trying to get a grip on how the kingdom is treating the larger global stage now that they've figured out that we have a pliant figurehead as president and a largely floundering ruling party. Iran's got oil, but that wouldn't help the Saudis as the price has tanked unless the Iranians were willing to use it as an offensive weapon to flood the market to help them in influencing the shaky Iraqi state.
Jesus - too many moving pieces. Things were hard to keep track of before, but now too much is moving too fast for me to make sense of.
posted by eclectist at 5:59 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Jesus - too many moving pieces. Things were hard to keep track of before, but now too much is moving too fast for me to make sense of.
posted by eclectist at 5:59 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
The extra identifier just makes trumpets a little extra suspicious. "Amazon" Washington Post? Why isn't it just plain old Washington Post? Something ain't right here. The God Emperor, master of 101-dimensional chess that he is, would not have mentioned it otherwise. Could the Rotschilds be involved?
posted by Behemoth at 6:00 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by Behemoth at 6:00 PM on July 26, 2017
He's not trying to insult the Washington Post by associating it with Amazon; he's trying to insult Amazon by associating it with the Washington Post... i.e., don't buy your MAGA hat there (even though you can, and Amazon is on the Boycott Trump app's list). Bezos is hopefully regretting participating in any of his tech events.
And it's no longer "General Electric NBC", it's "Comcast NBC". So, as long as he doesn't use "Time Warner CNN", you know he's still going to make its merger with AT&T easy peasy.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
And it's no longer "General Electric NBC", it's "Comcast NBC". So, as long as he doesn't use "Time Warner CNN", you know he's still going to make its merger with AT&T easy peasy.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
it's probably the biggest church ever built in NC. And a good convenient hiding place for $$$.
Um, per the article it's because the previous diocesan cathedral was tiny, seating only 350. And the area is gaining population, including Catholics, so they raised money (the nefarious papists!) for a new building.
I am as big a critic as anyone on the corruption of the Church (both Roman and Protestant) by neo-fascism. But let's not jump to utterly unwarranted conclusions, particularly about a group (Roman Catholics) that historically has been discriminated against in the US.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:02 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Um, per the article it's because the previous diocesan cathedral was tiny, seating only 350. And the area is gaining population, including Catholics, so they raised money (the nefarious papists!) for a new building.
I am as big a critic as anyone on the corruption of the Church (both Roman and Protestant) by neo-fascism. But let's not jump to utterly unwarranted conclusions, particularly about a group (Roman Catholics) that historically has been discriminated against in the US.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:02 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Journal Sentinel Foxconn announces $10 billion investment in Wisconsin and up to 13,000 jobs
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
Foxconn Technology Group on Wednesday pledged to invest $10 billion to build a display panel plant in Wisconsin that could employ up to 13,000 workers and draw up to $3 billion in subsidies from state taxpayers — a deal that could ripple through the economy and 2018 elections.13,000 workers for $3,000,000,000 in subsidies equals $200,000 a job. Tell me again who the Welfare Queens are?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [39 favorites]
Bezos is a big time Democratic donor, although not exclusively. And the Post has shed some of the reflexive Republican tilt it had before Bezos took over, although they still employ Fred Hiatt and Krauthammer and Ignasius and Thessien, who all suck. Most of the new hires have been younger and much more liberal leaning techie types. That's pretty much the entire story.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Could employ." Someday. Maybe. In the fullness of time. It's 3,000 workers initially.
posted by zachlipton at 6:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
The description sounds really risky to me. I would be very nervous if I was a Wisconsinite. This could be a disaster. An expensive disaster.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I think "Amazon WaPo" is Trump is signaling to the Pepe squad that Bezos will be picking up the tab on all our checks when Soros croaks.
posted by gatorae at 6:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 6:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Steve Benen, The Maddow Blog: "Cantor comes clean, admits he didn’t believe his own ACA rhetoric"
Eric Cantor straight out admits that they led people to believe that GOP could repeal Obamacare in order to drum up votes. Not, of course, that this actually helped Cantor himself, who was primaried by someone even more anti-ACA.
posted by dhens at 6:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Eric Cantor straight out admits that they led people to believe that GOP could repeal Obamacare in order to drum up votes. Not, of course, that this actually helped Cantor himself, who was primaried by someone even more anti-ACA.
posted by dhens at 6:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
I gotta be honest, this healthcare shit has been pretty distracting. But a couple links of interest:
** Judge upholds fine on Kobach for making shit up in court.
** Nancy Pelosi and VA gov Terry McCauliffe have been working over donors and organizations in order to get more focus on state and local races, especially given the redistricting looming.
** AL Sen race continues to baffle as Mo Brooks says they should all leave the race so Sessions could return to the Senate. Okay.
** Pew poll has interest up among all groups in politics, but more so for women than men, and more Dems than Reps.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [35 favorites]
I gotta be honest, this healthcare shit has been pretty distracting. But a couple links of interest:
** Judge upholds fine on Kobach for making shit up in court.
** Nancy Pelosi and VA gov Terry McCauliffe have been working over donors and organizations in order to get more focus on state and local races, especially given the redistricting looming.
** AL Sen race continues to baffle as Mo Brooks says they should all leave the race so Sessions could return to the Senate. Okay.
** Pew poll has interest up among all groups in politics, but more so for women than men, and more Dems than Reps.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:17 PM on July 26, 2017 [35 favorites]
The extra identifier just makes trumpets a little extra suspicious. "Amazon" Washington Post? Why isn't it just plain old Washington Post?
I think this is part of the "say things close together to make them true" gambit, like Bush with the Iraq War. He said "9/11" and "Iraq" and "Afghanistan" close-ish together in speech to create an association in people's minds as a psychological gambit, even if it didn't make any sense. It's salesmanship 101. Trump never says "Hillary", he always says "Crooked Hillary". Or "Failing New York Times" instead of "New York Times, which is -whatever-". You say things close together consistently enough and people sort of start to believe it.
I think that's why failing Trump loves to always include an adjective in front of nouns in an attempt to associate the noun with his adjective. It's not because failing President Trump is mentally ill, or because failing Trump is a narcissist that can't handle rejection, it's because failing Trump is a bargain-basement, shitty salesman who gets his gambits out of a psych-101 textbook. So failing Trump says things like "Amazon Washington Post" it's because he thinks that somehow, "Amazon" will taint the Washington Post's reputation, and people won't even recognize what failing Trump is doing.
posted by mrgoat at 6:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [34 favorites]
I think this is part of the "say things close together to make them true" gambit, like Bush with the Iraq War. He said "9/11" and "Iraq" and "Afghanistan" close-ish together in speech to create an association in people's minds as a psychological gambit, even if it didn't make any sense. It's salesmanship 101. Trump never says "Hillary", he always says "Crooked Hillary". Or "Failing New York Times" instead of "New York Times, which is -whatever-". You say things close together consistently enough and people sort of start to believe it.
I think that's why failing Trump loves to always include an adjective in front of nouns in an attempt to associate the noun with his adjective. It's not because failing President Trump is mentally ill, or because failing Trump is a narcissist that can't handle rejection, it's because failing Trump is a bargain-basement, shitty salesman who gets his gambits out of a psych-101 textbook. So failing Trump says things like "Amazon Washington Post" it's because he thinks that somehow, "Amazon" will taint the Washington Post's reputation, and people won't even recognize what failing Trump is doing.
posted by mrgoat at 6:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [34 favorites]
GOP Senator forces Dems to vote on single payer
The legislation from Daines appears to be the same language as the Medicare for All bill in the House sponsored by Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.).posted by Joseph Gurl at 6:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
But single-payer isn’t a unifying message among Democrats.
“It’ll tend to be an issue that more left-leaning Democrats are willing to embrace,” said Dan Mendelson, president of consulting firm Avalere Health, told The Hill earlier this month.
“In order to embrace that concept, you’ll have to be willing to defend the efficiency and effectiveness of a fully run government system, and there are many Democrats who are not going to do that and there are some who are.”
What Trump's missing is how vital Amazon is to the life of many Millennials (and older people with stock portfolios). The linkage just gives the Post more credibility.
posted by msalt at 6:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by msalt at 6:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
My read on the Amazon Washington Post thing is that it's less an attack on the Post's credibility and more of an attempt to hit Bezos in the wallet. The Post is very unpopular with Trumpists, after all. He's often coupled his recent attacks with talk about how Amazon lobbies against sales tax on internet sales, as if he actually gives a shit about that issue. It's part of an implied threat - you keep covering me like this and I'm going to make sure your main business suffers.
Of course, Bezos is by all accounts (including - disclosure - my partner, who works for the Post) a very hands-off owner who doesn't tell the newsroom or the editorial department how to do their jobs. There are lots of things that one can fault Bezos and Amazon for, but as a newspaper owner he's pretty much been the ideal. Trump surely thinks that it operates in the same sleazy way that the Observer did, where Jared would call up the editors and tell them to dig up dirt about developers he had conflicts with.
posted by vathek at 6:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Of course, Bezos is by all accounts (including - disclosure - my partner, who works for the Post) a very hands-off owner who doesn't tell the newsroom or the editorial department how to do their jobs. There are lots of things that one can fault Bezos and Amazon for, but as a newspaper owner he's pretty much been the ideal. Trump surely thinks that it operates in the same sleazy way that the Observer did, where Jared would call up the editors and tell them to dig up dirt about developers he had conflicts with.
posted by vathek at 6:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
This is a dumb question, but can someone remind me what caused Trump to turn on Sessions? Sessions recused himself months ago and it seems like Trump really only started attacking him about it a week or so ago. What precipitated this? It seems like at least 100 other major scandals have happened since and I can't keep track of all of them.
posted by triggerfinger at 6:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 6:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Democrats aren't always idiots, so they can just say "we don't think we should revamp the entire health care system without a single hearing" and vote against it.
posted by zachlipton at 6:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:22 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think Amazon is just metonymy for Coastal Elite Tech Snobs
posted by theodolite at 6:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 6:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
There's a legendary conservative politician in Iceland who once bragged in an interview of using a tactic he called the smjörklípa. It literally means "a pat of butter", and as per the story, this politician's grandmother or mother used to put a little butter in her cat's fur when it was running around the house causing trouble. The cat would spend so much time trying to clean the butter out of its fur that it would forget about wrecking the house.
Brb need to go put some butter on my cat.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:25 PM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
Brb need to go put some butter on my cat.
posted by mudpuppie at 6:25 PM on July 26, 2017 [54 favorites]
Sessions recused himself months ago and it seems like Trump really only started attacking him about it a week or so ago. What precipitated this?
He's a confused old man who gets mad, then displaces that anger at whatever's around. Sessions was around. I saw this when my Grandmother was losing her faculties. Sessions is going to fight it though, because he has a long-standing agenda of white supremacy and he probably sees it as too important to let failing Trump screw it up for him.
posted by mrgoat at 6:26 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
He's a confused old man who gets mad, then displaces that anger at whatever's around. Sessions was around. I saw this when my Grandmother was losing her faculties. Sessions is going to fight it though, because he has a long-standing agenda of white supremacy and he probably sees it as too important to let failing Trump screw it up for him.
posted by mrgoat at 6:26 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
This is a dumb question, but can someone remind me what caused Trump to turn on Sessions?
There is a theory that asked Sessions to fire Mueller and/or investigate Hillary and Sessions refused. We don't know for sure.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
There is a theory that asked Sessions to fire Mueller and/or investigate Hillary and Sessions refused. We don't know for sure.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I Can't Believe It's Not Smjörklípa.
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 6:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [22 favorites]
This is a dumb question, but can someone remind me what caused Trump to turn on Sessions?
He's starting to piss himself over the Mueller news, and not in that nice Moscow hotel kind of way. He's angry at his pet racist elf for failing to protect him, and he wants a different mythical creature who will make the bad FBI man go away, perhaps a goblin of some kind.
I can only pray this is enough of a distraction to disrupt or at least delay some of Sessions' unholy work. I feel like he can do the most damage that cannot be easily undone, at least internally.
posted by Behemoth at 6:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
He's starting to piss himself over the Mueller news, and not in that nice Moscow hotel kind of way. He's angry at his pet racist elf for failing to protect him, and he wants a different mythical creature who will make the bad FBI man go away, perhaps a goblin of some kind.
I can only pray this is enough of a distraction to disrupt or at least delay some of Sessions' unholy work. I feel like he can do the most damage that cannot be easily undone, at least internally.
posted by Behemoth at 6:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Don't waste time making the argument about Pickle instead of about the fucking idiocy of the actual adults in power and on television.
I'm not going to argue that somehow making a big deal of the Pickle Problem is a good use of one's time or that it could be politically effective to do so, but I will note that, bullshit as it is, Dan Rather lost his career over similar kinds of bullshit nick picking and that the gigantically bullshit Birther controversy is permanently attached to Obama's terms, even if it's recognized as a bullshit controversy. Now I don't care to read a lot of Pickle analysis here on metafilter, but there are a lot of people in the world and if a few of them want to look for Pickles long form birth certificate, I'm not going to try to stop them. Even bullshit sticks if enough of it is thrown hard enough.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm not going to argue that somehow making a big deal of the Pickle Problem is a good use of one's time or that it could be politically effective to do so, but I will note that, bullshit as it is, Dan Rather lost his career over similar kinds of bullshit nick picking and that the gigantically bullshit Birther controversy is permanently attached to Obama's terms, even if it's recognized as a bullshit controversy. Now I don't care to read a lot of Pickle analysis here on metafilter, but there are a lot of people in the world and if a few of them want to look for Pickles long form birth certificate, I'm not going to try to stop them. Even bullshit sticks if enough of it is thrown hard enough.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Ivanka can't soothe him from bad press forever. Beauregard 's recusal and Jared going in front of Senate Intel is bad for him, and he isn't going after Jared.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:36 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:36 PM on July 26, 2017
We interrupt this news with a tiny bit of levity to give everyone a break, and caution you about the perils of buttering your cat.
You may resume.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
You may resume.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 6:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [31 favorites]
Sandoval has come out against "Skinny Repeal". So Heller caving would be even more cowardly. So I expect him to do it and then ask, "Thank you sir, may I have another?"
Steve Wynn is calling Heller daily, nightly, and ever so rightly.
posted by Talez at 6:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Steve Wynn is calling Heller daily, nightly, and ever so rightly.
posted by Talez at 6:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Jeff Stein/Vox: A Democratic senator shares his 120 amendments for the GOP health bill
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [59 favorites]
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) has prepared 120 amendments to Senate Republicans’ health care bill to force the GOP to take wildly unpopular votes if they want to advance their plan to repeal Obamacare.The article has links to the amendments. They're all short.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [59 favorites]
He's a confused old man who gets mad, then displaces that anger at whatever's around
My guess exactly fwiw; as far as I can tell, most of Donnie's outbursts are motivated by fear, spite, or rage. Since he's never had many goals beyond the display of rage, it's easy to read as premeditated or as evidence of a plan. But I think the screaming comes first, the plans come later.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
My guess exactly fwiw; as far as I can tell, most of Donnie's outbursts are motivated by fear, spite, or rage. Since he's never had many goals beyond the display of rage, it's easy to read as premeditated or as evidence of a plan. But I think the screaming comes first, the plans come later.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Did Merkley include opioid addiction?
posted by mabelstreet at 6:50 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by mabelstreet at 6:50 PM on July 26, 2017
Metafilter: the screaming comes first, the plans come later
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:55 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
Did Merkley include opioid addiction?
Not that I could tell.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:56 PM on July 26, 2017
Not that I could tell.
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:56 PM on July 26, 2017
Merkley printed out templates of recommit motions, directing them to tailor the Medicaid cuts to not hurt ______________.
Then he filled in the blanks in pen, for a bunch of different motions. (Vietnam vets, kids with cancer, pregnant women, etc.)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Then he filled in the blanks in pen, for a bunch of different motions. (Vietnam vets, kids with cancer, pregnant women, etc.)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 6:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Manchin probably got to do the opioid amendment.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:00 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:00 PM on July 26, 2017
smjörklípa inception is the name of my new food network pitch.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Merkley's amendments list is like a shooting script for a whole bunch of campaign commercials.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:02 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Bipartisan group of governors call on GOP to reject "skinny repeal" (The Hill)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [32 favorites]
Bipartisan group of governors call on GOP to reject "skinny repeal" (The Hill)
Silly governors. Always thinking about their constituents, the poor, and the vulnerable. What about all those Republican congresscritters that every day have to go into Congress to rule over us and face the knowledge that a black guy helped the American people more than they ever could.
posted by Talez at 7:11 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
Silly governors. Always thinking about their constituents, the poor, and the vulnerable. What about all those Republican congresscritters that every day have to go into Congress to rule over us and face the knowledge that a black guy helped the American people more than they ever could.
posted by Talez at 7:11 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I'm only partway through, but I like that Merkley put separate motions in for "People with Cancer", "Children with Cancer" (because, can we actually trust at this point that Republicans think children are people? I wouldn't.) and then a whole bunch of motions clarifying "People with -some specific type of cancer- ". Wouldn't want any loopholes, eh?
posted by mrgoat at 7:23 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mrgoat at 7:23 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
GOP Senator forces Dems to vote on single payer
I gotta say, this fills me with a strange nostalgia. The good old days, when Republicans merely strategized over clever wedges to split the left, and we descended into meta-arguments about circular firing squads, pragmatism vs idealism, and all the thousand verboten topics MF shall not abide. Sure, we do get the occasional outburst of infighting, but it's really not like the old days, not when we all can see the White Walkers on the ramparts, and the current extent of their scheming is not clever wedges but simple annihilation. I miss the days of political -- as opposed to existential -- combat.
posted by chortly at 7:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
I gotta say, this fills me with a strange nostalgia. The good old days, when Republicans merely strategized over clever wedges to split the left, and we descended into meta-arguments about circular firing squads, pragmatism vs idealism, and all the thousand verboten topics MF shall not abide. Sure, we do get the occasional outburst of infighting, but it's really not like the old days, not when we all can see the White Walkers on the ramparts, and the current extent of their scheming is not clever wedges but simple annihilation. I miss the days of political -- as opposed to existential -- combat.
posted by chortly at 7:27 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
So what's Merkley doing here. Are these real amendments or is he basically doing a DOS attack on the Republicans to waste time? Or do they have to vote on each one of these and he's hoping for future campaign commercials on "Republicans voted to hurt X people"?
posted by mmoncur at 7:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mmoncur at 7:29 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I like that Merkley put separate motions in for "People with Cancer", "Children with Cancer"
It feels like some kind of ethics questionnaire interview gone off the rails, doesn't it?
People with cancer. Really? Okay, how about children with cancer? Wow, okay, I did not expect that answer. People with brain cancer, at least? Huh, at least you're consistent.... Children with brain cancer? No no, you're right, screw 'em.
posted by Paragon at 7:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
It feels like some kind of ethics questionnaire interview gone off the rails, doesn't it?
People with cancer. Really? Okay, how about children with cancer? Wow, okay, I did not expect that answer. People with brain cancer, at least? Huh, at least you're consistent.... Children with brain cancer? No no, you're right, screw 'em.
posted by Paragon at 7:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
None of the amendments save the very last one from McConnell are real. They're all a way to make campaign commercials. And to take up time too.
posted by Justinian at 7:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 7:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
They're also probing to see what McConnell thinks he can pass, because they have no Fucking clue what they're doing and policy has no bearing on whatever the duck is going on right now. It's just about finding 50 votes for the color of shit on the sandwich.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Did he put one for Arizona Senators with brain cancer?
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
It feels like some kind of ethics questionnaire interview gone off the rails, doesn't it?
More like some national Voight-Kampf test.
Max Boot got it right on Lawrence O'Donnell just now: "Every crazy thing Trump does is an attempt to distract us from every other crazy thing he's already done."
posted by octobersurprise at 7:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
More like some national Voight-Kampf test.
Max Boot got it right on Lawrence O'Donnell just now: "Every crazy thing Trump does is an attempt to distract us from every other crazy thing he's already done."
posted by octobersurprise at 7:38 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Bernie (and Dems) are not biting on your troll single-payer amendment.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
The Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, which has some quality fiscal people, is flagging that a skinny repeal that just repeals the mandates and ends the medical device tax doesn't actually save enough money to be passed with 50 votes under reconciliation. They're $55 billion in cuts short. And they're talking about adding billions in opioid funding to the skinny repeal (it's becoming less skinny by the minute, huh?), which would make the problem worse. So that's a bit of a snag for them.
For his part, Schumer says Democrats won't be offering amendments until McConnell shows up with a bill, since there's no point in amending nothing.
On the bright side, the House amendment to defund the CBO seems to be going down, with Democrats united against it and Republicans around evenly split. A number of GOP committee chairs came out with statements saying this was nuts.
Bernie (and Dems) are not biting on your troll single-payer amendment.
Thank you Bernie! I was legitimately worried he was going to make this a thing, and getting trolled by Steve Daines would suck.
posted by zachlipton at 7:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
For his part, Schumer says Democrats won't be offering amendments until McConnell shows up with a bill, since there's no point in amending nothing.
On the bright side, the House amendment to defund the CBO seems to be going down, with Democrats united against it and Republicans around evenly split. A number of GOP committee chairs came out with statements saying this was nuts.
Bernie (and Dems) are not biting on your troll single-payer amendment.
Thank you Bernie! I was legitimately worried he was going to make this a thing, and getting trolled by Steve Daines would suck.
posted by zachlipton at 7:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
What are the formal limits on the length of this vote-a-rama? I am guessing it's not possible for Merkley (or whoever) to genuinely run a DOS attack against the Senate by presenting an arbitrarily long series of algorithmically generated amendments? If that is the case, what is the limiting factor — i.e. is there a fixed amount of time during which nonsense amendments can be presented, after which McConnell calls for a vote on the real amendment and regular work resumes?
Apologies if this is something that's already been answered in the thread...
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:42 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Apologies if this is something that's already been answered in the thread...
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 7:42 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
So, because we somehow got on the subject: when my youngest brother was a toddler, he was hell to pay on our cat (a 15ish lb tom). Among other goofy kid antics, he once brushed the cat's teeth, and also had a phase where he went around buttering things (including his rocking horse, which he then attempted to ride, with predictable results).
Naturally the buttering phase included the cat.
It turns out cats are not terrible amenable to this sort of treatment, and so the cat would lurk in doorways to puff up, hiss, and spit and prevent young Martin from going around the house as he pleased.
So yeah. PSA: don't butter your cat.
posted by Archelaus at 7:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
Naturally the buttering phase included the cat.
It turns out cats are not terrible amenable to this sort of treatment, and so the cat would lurk in doorways to puff up, hiss, and spit and prevent young Martin from going around the house as he pleased.
So yeah. PSA: don't butter your cat.
posted by Archelaus at 7:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
What are the formal limits on the length of this vote-a-rama? I am guessing it's not possible for Merkley (or whoever) to genuinely run a DOS attack against the Senate by presenting an arbitrarily long series of algorithmically generated amendments?
Senate leaders plan to rush a health-care bill to a vote, and there’s nothing Democrats can do about it
"In reality, that’s not going to happen,” she said. What was more likely, she said, is that someone would make a point of order that the Democrats were being “dilatory” — that is, slowing down the process unnecessarily. The presiding officer — the Republican senator on duty to manage floor debate — would be asked to rule on whether that was the case and would likely agree. Democrats could appeal the decision, but a majority vote would end the process.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Senate leaders plan to rush a health-care bill to a vote, and there’s nothing Democrats can do about it
"In reality, that’s not going to happen,” she said. What was more likely, she said, is that someone would make a point of order that the Democrats were being “dilatory” — that is, slowing down the process unnecessarily. The presiding officer — the Republican senator on duty to manage floor debate — would be asked to rule on whether that was the case and would likely agree. Democrats could appeal the decision, but a majority vote would end the process.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:49 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
It really is the night of the long sporks. Awesome, for certain terrifying values of the word "awesome".
posted by maudlin at 7:52 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 7:52 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
So yeah. PSA: don't butter your cat.
Spoilsport.
posted by mudpuppie at 7:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Spoilsport.
posted by mudpuppie at 7:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Night of the Long Sporks is now my favorite political term. Also, Popeye's Cajun Rice is the only acceptable use of a spork, apart from bonking Rinse Precious on the back of the head in a stunning act of betrayal he may not even notice.
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Slap*Happy at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
Did Scaramanga just invite the FBI into the White House to poke around and look for crime? Because this could end up being the biggest Own Goal in history, and hilarious to boot.
posted by Freon at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [67 favorites]
posted by Freon at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [67 favorites]
Breitbart with the anti-Semitic headline tonight (no link, because Breitbart): 4 Gary 🌎 Cohn 🌎 Scandals That Could Kill His Nomination to Run the Federal Reserve
Did they think ((( ))) was too subtle?
posted by zachlipton at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
Did they think ((( ))) was too subtle?
posted by zachlipton at 7:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
(what does Reince have to do with this?!)
Didn't you hear, @'ing someone is the new J'accuse.
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Didn't you hear, @'ing someone is the new J'accuse.
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
(what does Reince have to do with this?!)
He's the chief of staff but it might be an accusation. We'll know more soon I guess.
posted by Talez at 7:57 PM on July 26, 2017
He's the chief of staff but it might be an accusation. We'll know more soon I guess.
posted by Talez at 7:57 PM on July 26, 2017
I'm not taking credit for "Night of the Long Sporks", BTW: it's straight from a White House source.
posted by maudlin at 7:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 7:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
Sweet Gott im Himmel, how has the Thread missed this spork thing?
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:04 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:04 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
BTW: it's straight from a White House source.
Sometimes you get a genuinely funny statement from an anonymous WH source and it baffles me that wit can privately come from what in public appears to be a dismal carnival of oafish CHUDs. Bannon's the only one who owns up to a sense of humor as far as I can tell (claiming Spicer's departure from the camera was because he got too fat will always have a special place in my heart) and the Nazi reference only adds to my suspicion that he's the source in this case.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Sometimes you get a genuinely funny statement from an anonymous WH source and it baffles me that wit can privately come from what in public appears to be a dismal carnival of oafish CHUDs. Bannon's the only one who owns up to a sense of humor as far as I can tell (claiming Spicer's departure from the camera was because he got too fat will always have a special place in my heart) and the Nazi reference only adds to my suspicion that he's the source in this case.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Did Scaramanga just invite the FBI into the White House to poke around and look for crime? Because this could end up being the biggest Own Goal in history, and hilarious to boot.
See now he's fucked because his options are letting the FBI in to take a look-see or be all "jay kays guys no crime here" which is just going to raise more questions than it answers.
posted by Talez at 8:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
See now he's fucked because his options are letting the FBI in to take a look-see or be all "jay kays guys no crime here" which is just going to raise more questions than it answers.
posted by Talez at 8:07 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
@Reince45 is either a shot across the bow or an interoffice memo tweet, who knows anymore.
posted by gatorae at 8:11 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 8:11 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I love that the mooch is essentially sending out engraved invitations for more federal investigations. YES, LOOK EVEN CLOSER FED FRENS!
(Cat PSA: Butter on a paw of your cat is a pretty useful hairball remedy.)
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 8:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
(Cat PSA: Butter on a paw of your cat is a pretty useful hairball remedy.)
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 8:12 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
JUST IN: DOJ releases statements on leaks after @Scaramucci says he will contact FBI over his leaked financial docs. Time for Reince to cue up this? (Credit to Maggie Haberman for the reminder.)
posted by maudlin at 8:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by maudlin at 8:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
"these staggering number of leaks"
This is the grammar of a government agency spokesperson? < facepalm >
posted by zakur at 8:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is the grammar of a government agency spokesperson? < facepalm >
posted by zakur at 8:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is the grammar of a government agency spokesperson? < facepalm >
The dude has sports fantasies about Donald J. Trump. Where he fucks up basic sports terminology trying to make Franco American seem awesome, no less.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:23 PM on July 26, 2017
The dude has sports fantasies about Donald J. Trump. Where he fucks up basic sports terminology trying to make Franco American seem awesome, no less.
posted by Slap*Happy at 8:23 PM on July 26, 2017
I cannot understand how this WH wants more investigation into it's own staff.
(Note that, as someone with a cat who has an affinity to butter, if you ever want a non tounge streeked soft butter log in your home again introducing your cat to butter may be unwise. )
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
(Note that, as someone with a cat who has an affinity to butter, if you ever want a non tounge streeked soft butter log in your home again introducing your cat to butter may be unwise. )
posted by AlexiaSky at 8:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [8 favorites]
Ryan Lizza: In case there's any ambiguity in his tweet I can confirm that Scaramucci wants the FBI to investigate Reince for leaking. Someone in the thread points out that the disclosure is available on request via the White House site. I'm not sure if just anyone -- say, the average MeFi member -- could request and get Scaramucci's disclosure.
Checking the fine print, there are limits to what you can do with the info:
Checking the fine print, there are limits to what you can do with the info:
I am aware that pursuant to section 105(c) of the Ethics in Government Act of 1978, as amended and 5 C.F.R. § 2634.603(f) of the implementing OGE regulations, it is unlawful for any person to obtain or use a report: (1) for any unlawful purpose; (2) for any commercial purpose, other than by news and communications media for dissemination to the general public; (3) for determining or establishing the credit rating of any individual; or (4) for use, directly or indirectly, in the solicitation of money for any political, charitable, or other purpose. The Attorney General may bring a civil action against any person who obtains or uses a report for any such prohibited purpose as set forth above. The court may assess against such a person a penalty in any amount not to exceed $19,246. Such remedy shall be in addition to any other remedy available under statutory or common law.posted by maudlin at 8:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm starting to suspect that Scaramucci is a Secret Accelerationist.
posted by Freon at 8:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by Freon at 8:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [18 favorites]
This is amateur hour, every hour. Unbelievable.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [17 favorites]
By the way, this is the story Scaramucci wants the FBI to investigate Priebus over, from Politico: Scaramucci still stands to profit from SkyBridge from the White House. Hell of a first week move to ask the FBI to investigate the Chief of Staff. Also a significant ethics problem with his holdings. And this business where he took a job at the Export-Import Bank in June and immediately went on unpaid leave his first day is shady as hell:
Scaramucci, a Trump fundraiser and frequent campaign surrogate whose appointment to an administration post was delayed in part because of the complicated nature of the SkyBridge sale, joined Ex-Im in June.You all should also read Brian Beutler on "skinny repeal"—The Republicans’ Real, Deceitful Endgame to Repeal Obamacare
Ex-Im was seen as a "very temporary move," a way to get the Trump loyalist to Washington until a higher-level position could be found, according to one White House adviser.
The bank is across the street from the White House, where Scaramucci was free to come and go thanks to security credentials that gave him 24-hour access. That allowed him to elude the detection of senior White House staffers, including chief of staff Reince Priebus.
Scaramucci has been on unpaid leave from Ex-Im since the day he started there, June 19, a bank spokeswoman said, forgoing his $172,100 salary as chief strategy officer.
As I argued here, the moniker “skinny repeal” is a devilish piece of spin, because while it accurately describes the breadth and ambitions of the plan, it completely misdescribes the consequences of repealing the mandate, which would be severe. According to recent Congressional Budget Office findings, repealing the individual mandate alone would lead many healthy people to drop their coverage, precipitating an increase in insurance premiums that would drive sicker people out of the market reluctantly. Combining these interlocking effects, the CBO forecasts the coverage loss would amount to 15 million people.posted by zachlipton at 8:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [24 favorites]
While “skinny” isn’t a particularly honest word for a bill that would ravage insurance markets in this way, it is a great device for allowing Republican senators to pretend their vote isn’t particularly meaningful—that it’s a placeholder allowing the congressional health care debate to continue. But just as it is unwise to take Senate Republicans at their word when they say they will vote against a bill, it is also unwise to assume that the not-so-skinny repeal bill would just move the legislative process into its next, penultimate phase: the conference committee, where House and Senate Republicans would hash out a final bill.
It is just as likely, if not more, that the real endgame is to repeal the mandate, sabotage the insurance markets, and then return at a later date to inflict more damage on the health care system. It is safer, in many ways, to assume you are being lied to again, rather than to believe that Republicans senators weighing “skinny repeal” are trying to be constructive.
Hell of a first week move to ask the FBI to investigate the Chief of Staff.
Understatement of the week!
posted by Chrysostom at 8:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Understatement of the week!
posted by Chrysostom at 8:35 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Anthony Scaramucci: "In light of the leak of my financial disclosure info which is a felony. I will be contacting @FBI and the @TheJusticeDept #swamp @Reince45"
Oh, I see. You're going to call the Justice Department, the place where Sessions, Rosenstein, and McCabe work. I'm sure they'll RUSH to take your call and look into your concerns and not in any way indicate that the White House can go fuck itself while playing in traffic.
About Sessions, the always insightful Jeremy Bash said on MSNBC just now that because Sessions is a witness in both the "campaign meetings with Russians" (the whole reason he had to recuse himself) and the "firing of Comey" prongs of the Mueller investigation, Trump's intimidation routine and implied threats can be construed as witness tampering -- which may be part of the motivation, more than trying to get Sessions to quit.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Oh, I see. You're going to call the Justice Department, the place where Sessions, Rosenstein, and McCabe work. I'm sure they'll RUSH to take your call and look into your concerns and not in any way indicate that the White House can go fuck itself while playing in traffic.
About Sessions, the always insightful Jeremy Bash said on MSNBC just now that because Sessions is a witness in both the "campaign meetings with Russians" (the whole reason he had to recuse himself) and the "firing of Comey" prongs of the Mueller investigation, Trump's intimidation routine and implied threats can be construed as witness tampering -- which may be part of the motivation, more than trying to get Sessions to quit.
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:41 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Maybe Scaramucci sees this as his big opportunity to come in and make a name for himself by blowing the whole thing open before Mueller gets his chance. He knows how to play Donnie. It might be the epic battle of the narcissists.
posted by perhapses at 8:42 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 8:42 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
I think that's why failing Trump loves to always include an adjective in front of nouns in an attempt to associate the noun with his adjective.
That's been a Republican/Fox News thing since forever. Like, whenever a pundit says the word "regulations" first they say "job-killing". Job-killing regulations. That's the only example I can think of right now but not the only one they do by any means.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 8:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
That's been a Republican/Fox News thing since forever. Like, whenever a pundit says the word "regulations" first they say "job-killing". Job-killing regulations. That's the only example I can think of right now but not the only one they do by any means.
posted by Rainbo Vagrant at 8:43 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think this makes it clear beyond a doubt that Scaramucci is Trump's mini-me.
(I've also seen it expressed as Scaramucci is the guy Trump thinks he sees when he looks in the mirror.)
posted by zachlipton at 8:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
(I've also seen it expressed as Scaramucci is the guy Trump thinks he sees when he looks in the mirror.)
posted by zachlipton at 8:45 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
zachlipton's comment and link about "skinny repeal" is right on. A Skinny Repeal bill would be far worse for the individual market than the other non-skinny bills. It wouldn't include the Medicaid cuts, and thats good, but it would destroy the individual markets in ways the other bills possibly would not.
posted by Justinian at 8:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:48 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
I have friends and loved ones who are Russian, who are hurting badly because of these sanctions.
Weren't the 2012 Magnitsky sanctions put in place to target specific individuals? And at the same time ended general economic trade sanctions? AFAIK, this isn't Cuba level blockading, so I don't know how this is affecting those you love?
posted by pwnguin at 8:50 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Weren't the 2012 Magnitsky sanctions put in place to target specific individuals? And at the same time ended general economic trade sanctions? AFAIK, this isn't Cuba level blockading, so I don't know how this is affecting those you love?
posted by pwnguin at 8:50 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
So Trump had dinner with Hannity and Scaramucci before the twitter accusations. Presumably true believer Hannity helped push Trump towards this madness?
Are they hoping the DoJ will do their bidding on this to get back in Trump's favor after the Sessions attacks? Or are they seeing it as a win-win-- if Sessions doesn't see a crime here then Trump fires him for this (even though it's really about Russia.)
Is this a public palace intrigue spat, or does this end with Reince ousted in an attempt to fully convert/dominate establishment Republicans to Trumpism?
posted by bluecore at 8:51 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Are they hoping the DoJ will do their bidding on this to get back in Trump's favor after the Sessions attacks? Or are they seeing it as a win-win-- if Sessions doesn't see a crime here then Trump fires him for this (even though it's really about Russia.)
Is this a public palace intrigue spat, or does this end with Reince ousted in an attempt to fully convert/dominate establishment Republicans to Trumpism?
posted by bluecore at 8:51 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
I actually don't think the method the other repeal bills were trying to use to keep healthy people in the individual markets would be effective, so my guess is that they would fail anyway... but the skinny repeal doesn't even try!
This Scaramucci/Preibus thing is fucking bonkers. And that's by the standards of these all-bonkers-all-the-time last few weeks. How is this real life? We have the Communications Director calling for FBI investigation of the Chief of Staff. WHAT IS HAPPENING.
posted by Justinian at 8:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
This Scaramucci/Preibus thing is fucking bonkers. And that's by the standards of these all-bonkers-all-the-time last few weeks. How is this real life? We have the Communications Director calling for FBI investigation of the Chief of Staff. WHAT IS HAPPENING.
posted by Justinian at 8:54 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
Why isn't Jefferson Beauregard already pulling a Rudolf Hess?
posted by runcifex at 8:54 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by runcifex at 8:54 PM on July 26, 2017
JUST IN: DOJ releases statements on leaks after @Scaramucci says he will contact FBI over his leaked financial docs.
From the DOJ spokesperson in that link:
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
From the DOJ spokesperson in that link:
"...we will aggressively pursue leak cases wherever they may lead."Including, one presumes, Moscow hotel rooms.
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:56 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
I think Scaramucci is trying to accelerate his appearance on Dancing With The Stars.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 8:57 PM on July 26, 2017 [13 favorites]
The Skinny Repeal is getting complicated. They are trying to add the opioid funding back in. But it already has a problem that it doesn't save enough money to qualify for passage under reconciliation. So they have to add cuts back in as well, above and beyond any opioid funding amount!
Crazy.
posted by Justinian at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Crazy.
posted by Justinian at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Phil Rucker says visual aids are being deployed to help Trump understand: Some in White House are trying to build a case that Priebus is a leaker — “a diagram” charting leaks, per senior official — to show Trump.
You know, given that the we started the day with the President firing thousands of troops via Twitter and are ending it with the Communications Director accusing the Chief of Staff of a felony over Twitter (for something that appears to be not illegal), maybe Twitter is bad?
posted by zachlipton at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
You know, given that the we started the day with the President firing thousands of troops via Twitter and are ending it with the Communications Director accusing the Chief of Staff of a felony over Twitter (for something that appears to be not illegal), maybe Twitter is bad?
posted by zachlipton at 8:58 PM on July 26, 2017 [25 favorites]
So this ain't the end, I saw you again, today
I had to turn my heart away
Smiled like the sun, kisses for everyone
And tales, it never fails
You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down, down, down on my knees
Now wouldn't you, Scaramucci?
Back over time we were all trying for free
You met the Donald and me
No right, no wrong you're selling a song, a name
Whisper game
If the real thing don't do the trick
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick
Oooo, Scaramucci.
"Sell me, sell you" the Donald said
Dive down deep to save my head
You, I think you got the blues too
All that night and all the next
Smiled without looking back
Made for the press pools, silly, silly fools
If the real thing don't do the trick, no
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick
Oooo, Scara-Scaramucci.
(reference)
posted by perhapses at 8:59 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I had to turn my heart away
Smiled like the sun, kisses for everyone
And tales, it never fails
You lying so low in the weeds
I bet you gonna ambush me
You'd have me down, down, down on my knees
Now wouldn't you, Scaramucci?
Back over time we were all trying for free
You met the Donald and me
No right, no wrong you're selling a song, a name
Whisper game
If the real thing don't do the trick
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn to the wick
Oooo, Scaramucci.
"Sell me, sell you" the Donald said
Dive down deep to save my head
You, I think you got the blues too
All that night and all the next
Smiled without looking back
Made for the press pools, silly, silly fools
If the real thing don't do the trick, no
You better make up something quick
You gonna burn, burn, burn, burn, burn it to the wick
Oooo, Scara-Scaramucci.
(reference)
posted by perhapses at 8:59 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is so 8 hours ago.... but the idea that the Pickle letter is fake certainly explains why the press briefing started almost an hour late.
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 9:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 9:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Oh my god, next they're going to hunt down Pickle (or some child actor to play him), aren't they?, and force him to stand onstage at a rally while Trump rambles on about immigrants cutting up 15 year old girls and racist yacht orgies. Aaaaaargh.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:05 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
This Scaramucci/Preibus thing is fucking bonkers
If this doesn't end in a brawl in the Rose Garden, I will be surprised.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
If this doesn't end in a brawl in the Rose Garden, I will be surprised.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [9 favorites]
The Darkness and the Rot (Josh Marshall, TPM)
What is difficult to understand, what requires some explanation is the way Trump is able to destroy those around him. [...]posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:08 PM on July 26, 2017 [60 favorites]
This may be unremarkable with the toadies and acolytes. But Trump is able to take people of some apparent substance and attainment and destroy them as well. The key though is that he doesn’t destroy them. In his orbit, under some kind of spell, he makes them destroy themselves. It is always a self-destruction. He’s like a black hole. But for this there’s no ready explanation. Because what is the power? The force?
I puzzled over this for some time. Eventually I sensed that Trump wasn’t inducing people’s self-destruction so much as he was acting like a divining rod, revealing rot that existed already but was not apparent. It may seem like an odd comparison. But I’m reminded of the effect in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series where the cursed pirates appear to be flesh and blood bodies. But the moonlight reveals them as desiccated skeletons, animated but undead. The rot was there but hidden. Trump is the moonlight. Perhaps better to say, to invert our metaphor, Trump is the darkness.
I think Scaramucci is trying to accelerate his appearance on Dancing With The Stars.
This wouldn't be anywhere close to the craziest thing to come out of this administration. I can see the Mooch doing it and I can see the base loving it. It's unlikely to happen because Trump would hate having that kind of a spotlight on somebody not Trump. I guess that the craziest thing is that this has somehow become our reality.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 9:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
This wouldn't be anywhere close to the craziest thing to come out of this administration. I can see the Mooch doing it and I can see the base loving it. It's unlikely to happen because Trump would hate having that kind of a spotlight on somebody not Trump. I guess that the craziest thing is that this has somehow become our reality.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 9:09 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Some random 9 year old with a D in their name is going to get dragged on stage and mocked for their penmanship for the rest of their lives, aren't they?
posted by Artw at 9:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:10 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I mean...I can maybe see this kind of shit happening in a chaotic past WH - the Reagan WH was a nest of vipers. But it would have been done QUIETLY. They wouldn't have called the Post about it!
posted by Chrysostom at 9:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
"Trump is the darkness"
Well, good night everybody, sleep tight
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [37 favorites]
Well, good night everybody, sleep tight
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [37 favorites]
Only a matter of days before Sanders displays a piece of toast with Trump's likeness on it that was sent to her from a grandma in Ohio.
posted by perhapses at 9:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 9:16 PM on July 26, 2017 [21 favorites]
From the DOJ spokesperson in that link:
"...we will aggressively pursue leak cases wherever they may lead."
Does Trump even realize that he just handed Sessions a loaded gun, after attacking him?
The AG already has a green light, nay a demand, from an administration that cares not for individual rights to track leaks down, whatever it takes. Every single person in the West Wing is probably leaking -- we know Scary Mooch and Trump are, does anyone doubt Bannon and Kushner leak as well?
If Trump goes down, Sessions will undoubtedly keep his job under President Pence, so he has nothing to lose. And the president just gave him his choice of which internal enemies he wants to prosecute for legit felonies. Even the President's sainted daughter.
posted by msalt at 9:23 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
"...we will aggressively pursue leak cases wherever they may lead."
Does Trump even realize that he just handed Sessions a loaded gun, after attacking him?
The AG already has a green light, nay a demand, from an administration that cares not for individual rights to track leaks down, whatever it takes. Every single person in the West Wing is probably leaking -- we know Scary Mooch and Trump are, does anyone doubt Bannon and Kushner leak as well?
If Trump goes down, Sessions will undoubtedly keep his job under President Pence, so he has nothing to lose. And the president just gave him his choice of which internal enemies he wants to prosecute for legit felonies. Even the President's sainted daughter.
posted by msalt at 9:23 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
Whew, thank heaven PR genius Anthony Scaramucci is on the scene to professionalize the WH brand and messaging.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:24 PM on July 26, 2017 [10 favorites]
I'm not taking credit for "Night of the Long Sporks", BTW: it's straight from a White House source.
Okay, first as a history teacher/nerd I want to say that while I still despise every Trump aide, that is fucking amazing.
And second: Damn. They're straight-up making Nazi references on themselves. Should I be glad they're so self-aware?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:30 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
Okay, first as a history teacher/nerd I want to say that while I still despise every Trump aide, that is fucking amazing.
And second: Damn. They're straight-up making Nazi references on themselves. Should I be glad they're so self-aware?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:30 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
ZeusHumms: "The article has links to the amendments. They're all short."
Vox couldn't take 6 minutes to type the hand written bits?
posted by Mitheral at 9:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Vox couldn't take 6 minutes to type the hand written bits?
Mr. Merkley moves to commit the bill HR 1628 to the Committee on Finanace with instructions to report the same back to the Senate within 3 days with chnges that are within the jurisdiction of such Committe to strike provisions in the Better Care Reconciliation Act of 2017 that could have the effect of eliminating Medicaid coverage for _________________.Not 120 but the extent of the motions on the Vox page.
- people with Ovarian Cancer
- people with pancreatic cancer
- people with prostate cancer
- people with breast cancer
- people with diabetes
- people with asthma
- people with Alzheimer's Disease
- people with Cerebral Palsy
- people with cystic fibrosis
- people with Crohn's Disease
- people with Ulcerative colitis
- people with Lupus
- people with Rheumatoid arthritis
- people with AIDs
- people with HIV
- people with multiple sclerosis
- people with muscular Dystrophy
- people with parkinsons Disease
- people with Lou Gherig's Disease (ALS)
- people with autism
- children ages 3 to 10 yeasrs old
- parents of infants
- Korean War Veterans
- Vietnam War Veterans
- Veterans of the wars in Afghanistan
- Veterans of the wars in Iraq
- World War II Veterans
- Social Security recipients
- Medicare beneficiaries
- individuals with pre-existing conditions
- people with cancer
- children with cancer
- people with brain cancer
- people with Leukemia
- people with cervical cancer
- people with colorectral cancer
- people with Lymphoma
- people with lung cancer
- people with melanoma
- people with ovarian cancer
- pregnant women
posted by Mitheral at 9:31 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Re the Pickle letter—do any of the numbnuts behind it not realize that within a fucking hour of a real letter being read on the air, the kid who wrote it would be in the news? "Local Kid Happy President Got His Letter" would easily make his hometown news, which would then easily be found online. At which point the Administration would be citing the story as proof that the letter is real. Hell, Pickle'd probably get his own mention in a presidential tweet.
I have to admit, I'm envious. Why are these idiots allowed to be so much richer than me?
posted by Rykey at 9:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
I have to admit, I'm envious. Why are these idiots allowed to be so much richer than me?
posted by Rykey at 9:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [19 favorites]
Figure it's worth the share. Y'know that lack of a meaningful apology or reaction from the Boy Scouts of America? Turns out the President of the BSA is Randall Stephenson...president of AT&T. And he needs the DOJ's approval for the Time/Warner merger, which Trump has already dumped on.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:34 PM on July 26, 2017 [12 favorites]
"Local Kid Embarrassed Parents Made Him Write Letter to Trump, Refuses to Come Out of Room."
posted by perhapses at 9:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 9:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [20 favorites]
Dang. Leave the thread for a sec and the Scarramucvi Priebus thing erupts. We're going back to early 2017 when it was not safe to exit the thread.
Fuckers are moving faster and faster toward Dog knows what.
posted by notyou at 9:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fuckers are moving faster and faster toward Dog knows what.
posted by notyou at 9:53 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
So, everywhere I look for that data about the military spending more on viagra points to a Washington Free Beacon article, and all of them quote the Defense Health Agency, but I can't find the data itself anywhere. Does anyone know where to find it?
posted by gucci mane at 9:59 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by gucci mane at 9:59 PM on July 26, 2017
Clinton book to double down on Russia, Comey message (The Hill):
Hillary Clinton's upcoming book will double down on Russia’s interference and James Comey’s involvement in her stunning election defeat, according to sources familiar with the memoir.posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:00 PM on July 26, 2017 [23 favorites]
Privately, Clinton has told friends and longtime associates that she “wants the whole story out there” as she rushes to tweak and put the finishing touches on the book due out in September.
“She really believes that’s why she lost, and she wants to explain why in no uncertain terms,” one longtime ally said. “She wants the whole story out there from her own perspective. I think a lot of people are going to be really surprised by how much she reveals.”
Um. @Scaramucci: "Wrong! Tweet was public notice to leakers that all Sr Adm officials are helping to end illegal leaks. @Reince45"
Have we considered the possibility this man may be extraordinarily bad at his job?
Also, the White House is having the Interior Secretary threaten Murkowski and the State of Alaska after she voted no:
posted by zachlipton at 10:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [44 favorites]
Have we considered the possibility this man may be extraordinarily bad at his job?
Also, the White House is having the Interior Secretary threaten Murkowski and the State of Alaska after she voted no:
Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska's two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska's future with the administration in jeopardy.Murkowski chairs the Energy and Natural Resources Committee, so it would be normal to avoid making an enemy out of her, but that's not how this Administration works I guess.
The response follows Trump's no-holds-barred style of governing, even when it comes to his own party. It is his first strike of retaliation against Murkowski, however, despite her tendency to stray from the party line and the president's priorities.
Alaska Sen. Dan Sullivan said the call from Zinke heralded a "troubling message."
posted by zachlipton at 10:01 PM on July 26, 2017 [44 favorites]
I've been thinking a lot about the Pickle letter (SORRY CORTEX) and I have come to believe that the artifice is meant to be noticed, that the letter is intended as a sort of trap: Look at all the mean liberals making up Fake News about little Dylan Pickle, is the message they intend to send to the sorts of people whose reaction to "will you be my fwend" in a wavering scrawl is a warmed heart rather than a risen gorge. Look at how they hate children and try to attack anything sweet and innocent.
Of course, the final phase of this psyops plan is just "SUCK IT, LIBERALS," so, like, by all means continue with the fake Picklechild letters on Twitter, some of them are quite funny
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:04 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Of course, the final phase of this psyops plan is just "SUCK IT, LIBERALS," so, like, by all means continue with the fake Picklechild letters on Twitter, some of them are quite funny
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:04 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
So, everywhere I look for that data about the military spending more on viagra points to a Washington Free Beacon article, and all of them quote the Defense Health Agency, but I can't find the data itself anywhere. Does anyone know where to find it?
The Post article cites this 2015 Military Times article, which appears to have better numbers than the Free Beacon story, based on their own analysis. It also points out that less than 10% of the ED drugs were for active duty troops
posted by zachlipton at 10:04 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
The Post article cites this 2015 Military Times article, which appears to have better numbers than the Free Beacon story, based on their own analysis. It also points out that less than 10% of the ED drugs were for active duty troops
posted by zachlipton at 10:04 PM on July 26, 2017 [6 favorites]
It's turtles all the way down, but each subsequent turtle is dumber than the one before it.
posted by rainy at 10:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by rainy at 10:06 PM on July 26, 2017 [11 favorites]
@zachlipton: yeah I've looked at that Military Times article and it mentions a "report" repeatedly but I can't seem to find the report itself. Am I just missing something?
posted by gucci mane at 10:13 PM on July 26, 2017
posted by gucci mane at 10:13 PM on July 26, 2017
New press secretary "a glass of flint drinking water" will do well.
posted by Artw at 10:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 10:13 PM on July 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
NYT is explaining why he really deleted the tweet here:
posted by zachlipton at 10:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [66 favorites]
Still, it was not at all clear that it was actually a leak in the first place, much less an illegal one.This man is, in fact, bad at communications.
Mr. Scaramucci filed the disclosure form in connection with his previous, short-lived job with the Trump administration at the Export-Import Bank. Under federal law, anyone can request such a report on a government website 30 days after its receipt.
Mr. Scaramucci’s report says it was filed on June 23, which means it could be publicly released by the bank on July 23, or last Sunday. Politico did not indicate whether it obtained the report through such a regular request.
Asked why he thought the report had been leaked illegally, Mr. Scaramucci responded by text: “They aren’t in process yet.” But when told his form could be released on July 23, he did not respond further.
posted by zachlipton at 10:14 PM on July 26, 2017 [66 favorites]
> This man is, in fact, bad at communications.
Someone in the T administration is bad at something? What? Never!
posted by rtha at 10:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
Someone in the T administration is bad at something? What? Never!
posted by rtha at 10:18 PM on July 26, 2017 [4 favorites]
He also seems bad at backstabbing his colleagues.
I wonder what the morning will bring.
posted by notyou at 10:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
I wonder what the morning will bring.
posted by notyou at 10:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [5 favorites]
Someone in the T administration is bad at something? What? Never!
I'll bet he often gets sick at sea too!
posted by zachlipton at 10:20 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'll bet he often gets sick at sea too!
posted by zachlipton at 10:20 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Hardly never...
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:21 PM on July 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
Top insurance CEOs openly blaming Trump sabotage for rate hikes and empty markets (Daily Kos)
Insurance giant Anthem, which has already withdrawn from the Obamacare marketplaces in three states, will pull out of more if the federal government doesn’t take action soon to stabilize the market, CEO Joseph Swedish told investors Wednesday. [...]posted by Joseph Gurl at 10:32 PM on July 26, 2017 [14 favorites]
“If we aren’t able to gain certainty on some of these items quickly, we do expect that we will need to revise our rate filings to further narrow our level of participation,” Swedish said on a call to discuss the company’s second quarter earnings.
, Trump's intimidation routine and implied threats can be construed as witness tampering
Inatead of wondering if all this shit is impeachable I'm going to start thinking of it all as possible ammo for Mueller.
Are the Rs going to stand up for Reince like they are for Sessions?
I like the theory I saw on Twitter, that Dylan is "Jim's" son.
What the hell will I wake up to?
posted by Room 641-A at 10:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Inatead of wondering if all this shit is impeachable I'm going to start thinking of it all as possible ammo for Mueller.
Are the Rs going to stand up for Reince like they are for Sessions?
I like the theory I saw on Twitter, that Dylan is "Jim's" son.
What the hell will I wake up to?
posted by Room 641-A at 10:39 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
Now I lay me down to sleep
I pray to God the Prez will keep
His grubby paws off all the things
And won't make all his croneys kings
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Prez won't try to take
My stiffened corpse against my will
To reimburse my healthcare bill
posted by MrVisible at 10:59 PM on July 26, 2017 [68 favorites]
I pray to God the Prez will keep
His grubby paws off all the things
And won't make all his croneys kings
If I should die before I wake
I pray the Prez won't try to take
My stiffened corpse against my will
To reimburse my healthcare bill
posted by MrVisible at 10:59 PM on July 26, 2017 [68 favorites]
This administration is Veep*. A new guy comes in, dashing and full of confidence. For about five minutes it seems like maybe he's semi-competent, if awful as an actual human. Soon it is revealed he is just as mind-screamingly dumb as everyone else (remembering "everyone else" includes the guy who said Hitler never gassed anyone).
Also, a giant lumbering idiot brags about sex in front of children.
*Except they suck at profanity and they can kill us all.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also, a giant lumbering idiot brags about sex in front of children.
*Except they suck at profanity and they can kill us all.
posted by dirigibleman at 11:19 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Guys, I'll happily delete this if this is fake news, but this just came across my feed:
BREAKING: Trump-Pence Administration Asserts Civil Rights Laws Won’t Apply to LGBTQ People
Anyone know anything about this? Is this part of the move to be able to kick trans people out of the military, and they figured why not fuck over all LGBTQ people at the same time?
I swear to God, I left the internet FOR 4 HOURS to put an elliptical machine together and I come back to this??
posted by greermahoney at 11:26 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
BREAKING: Trump-Pence Administration Asserts Civil Rights Laws Won’t Apply to LGBTQ People
Anyone know anything about this? Is this part of the move to be able to kick trans people out of the military, and they figured why not fuck over all LGBTQ people at the same time?
I swear to God, I left the internet FOR 4 HOURS to put an elliptical machine together and I come back to this??
posted by greermahoney at 11:26 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh honey that was like 12 hours ago.
posted by rhizome at 11:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 11:28 PM on July 26, 2017 [15 favorites]
I swear to God I was following this feed ALL DAY.
And I searched for title VII.
Goddammit.
posted by greermahoney at 11:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
And I searched for title VII.
Goddammit.
posted by greermahoney at 11:33 PM on July 26, 2017 [7 favorites]
It is just as likely, if not more, that the real endgame is to repeal the mandate, sabotage the insurance markets, and then return at a later date to inflict more damage on the health care system.
That is precisely what I've been thinking. Gut the mandate, which sends individual markets into a tailspin, crippling the ACA. And then Mitch "Ratfucker" McConnell will come back with a straight face and lament the "inevitable demise of the fundamentally broken ACA", and push the point that Congress simply has to start over with health care. Bonus points if he can line the death knell up with an election cycle, and blame Democrats for failed healthcare. Again.
The script writes itself with these malevolent bastards.
posted by Brak at 11:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
That is precisely what I've been thinking. Gut the mandate, which sends individual markets into a tailspin, crippling the ACA. And then Mitch "Ratfucker" McConnell will come back with a straight face and lament the "inevitable demise of the fundamentally broken ACA", and push the point that Congress simply has to start over with health care. Bonus points if he can line the death knell up with an election cycle, and blame Democrats for failed healthcare. Again.
The script writes itself with these malevolent bastards.
posted by Brak at 11:36 PM on July 26, 2017 [3 favorites]
I still think western/eastern states have to join up and secede, there's no other way they're getting back the influence they ought to have in a real democracy. Mend the country back together after from a better position.
"you voted for him because you're stupid and gullible."
Was there any other reason? ... Other than 'you're evil'.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 12:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"you voted for him because you're stupid and gullible."
Was there any other reason? ... Other than 'you're evil'.
posted by WaterAndPixels at 12:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Also, the White House is having the Interior Secretary threaten Murkowski and the State of Alaska after she voted no:
Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska's two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska's future with the administration in jeopardy.
The way Trump and his allies bully, threaten and intimidate people is infuriating. I think it is the thing that gets me the most of all their incompetence and evil. But isn't it also making him vulnerable? Already, a lot of senators see him as a fool. If he gives them reason to fight back at him, what is protecting him against impeachment? Murkowski already reminded everyone she isn't up for election before -22, she can be cool and begin to figure out what she wants from the next president in return for her support, specially if that is president Pence.
posted by mumimor at 12:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska's two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska's future with the administration in jeopardy.
The way Trump and his allies bully, threaten and intimidate people is infuriating. I think it is the thing that gets me the most of all their incompetence and evil. But isn't it also making him vulnerable? Already, a lot of senators see him as a fool. If he gives them reason to fight back at him, what is protecting him against impeachment? Murkowski already reminded everyone she isn't up for election before -22, she can be cool and begin to figure out what she wants from the next president in return for her support, specially if that is president Pence.
posted by mumimor at 12:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
> I still think western/eastern states have to join up and secede, there's no other way they're getting back the influence they ought to have in a real democracy. Mend the country back together after from a better position.
Secession without bloodshed is a pipe dream. If you are proposing secession without indicating that you've thought through what would happen in the subsequent war, and without considering which military organizations would be on which side, you probably shouldn't even be typing the word "secede."
For my part, I have no particular investment in the governments of the western states, even though the west coast of the united states is the largest geographical area that I feel anything like patriotism about. I don't think they're worth fighting a war over. I don't think they could win that war, and even if they could I don't think they could or should serve as the nucleus for anything like a national government. I mean, look, I totally enjoy fantasies about radical changes in the mode of government... but only when they're worthwhile fantasies, or at least interesting ones.
Probably it's best to put all ideas of formal secession in a box, mark it "Russia funded" — recall that calexit, the least nonsense of the nonsense secession proposals, was devised by a dude living in Yekaterinburg — and then light that box on fire and forget it ever existed.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
Secession without bloodshed is a pipe dream. If you are proposing secession without indicating that you've thought through what would happen in the subsequent war, and without considering which military organizations would be on which side, you probably shouldn't even be typing the word "secede."
For my part, I have no particular investment in the governments of the western states, even though the west coast of the united states is the largest geographical area that I feel anything like patriotism about. I don't think they're worth fighting a war over. I don't think they could win that war, and even if they could I don't think they could or should serve as the nucleus for anything like a national government. I mean, look, I totally enjoy fantasies about radical changes in the mode of government... but only when they're worthwhile fantasies, or at least interesting ones.
Probably it's best to put all ideas of formal secession in a box, mark it "Russia funded" — recall that calexit, the least nonsense of the nonsense secession proposals, was devised by a dude living in Yekaterinburg — and then light that box on fire and forget it ever existed.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
Dear Premident Trunk
I literally guffawed when I got to the end
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:04 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I literally guffawed when I got to the end
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:04 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Getting back to this for a moment:
Gov. Sam Brownback's tenure in Kansas is ending early: Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
First, a little background: During the last election cycle, my dear friend Patsy Terrell worked her ass off and defeated a 25-year incumbent to win the right to represent our district in the Kansas House of Representatives. She loved this job and — despite how cliche it sounded — considered it an honor. Her last action was to vote to override Brownback's veto of the desperately needed income tax increase. She was jubilant about having helped steer Kansas back toward fiscal sanity after Brownback's lunacy. The next morning, she was dead of natural causes.
A couple of months before she died, Patsy and I had dinner together, as we often did (and as she often did with many friends). The Brownback appointment was in the air even then. And while no one will be sorry to see that jackass leave the governor's mansion, Patsy told me that there were grim possibilities afoot. A prevailing theory about the vacancy in the governor's job goes like this: Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer will assume the governorship as soon as Brownback leaves, as provided for by law. Colyer doesn't want to be governor. There is a distinct possibility that he will appoint Kansas Secretary of State and General Asshole Kris Kobach as his lieutenant governor. Shortly thereafter, Colyer will resign, leaving Kobach as governor. He'll have two years to run riot as Brownback did, and he'll have the benefit of incumbency at the next election.
Sometimes, it really is better the devil you know. And as good as Patsy's successor is (she practically hand-picked him from the great beyond), I wish she were going to be here in the event this nightmare scenario plays out.
posted by bryon at 1:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [61 favorites]
Gov. Sam Brownback's tenure in Kansas is ending early: Trump is making him Ambassador at Large for International Religious Freedom.
First, a little background: During the last election cycle, my dear friend Patsy Terrell worked her ass off and defeated a 25-year incumbent to win the right to represent our district in the Kansas House of Representatives. She loved this job and — despite how cliche it sounded — considered it an honor. Her last action was to vote to override Brownback's veto of the desperately needed income tax increase. She was jubilant about having helped steer Kansas back toward fiscal sanity after Brownback's lunacy. The next morning, she was dead of natural causes.
A couple of months before she died, Patsy and I had dinner together, as we often did (and as she often did with many friends). The Brownback appointment was in the air even then. And while no one will be sorry to see that jackass leave the governor's mansion, Patsy told me that there were grim possibilities afoot. A prevailing theory about the vacancy in the governor's job goes like this: Lieutenant Governor Jeff Colyer will assume the governorship as soon as Brownback leaves, as provided for by law. Colyer doesn't want to be governor. There is a distinct possibility that he will appoint Kansas Secretary of State and General Asshole Kris Kobach as his lieutenant governor. Shortly thereafter, Colyer will resign, leaving Kobach as governor. He'll have two years to run riot as Brownback did, and he'll have the benefit of incumbency at the next election.
Sometimes, it really is better the devil you know. And as good as Patsy's successor is (she practically hand-picked him from the great beyond), I wish she were going to be here in the event this nightmare scenario plays out.
posted by bryon at 1:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [61 favorites]
"you voted for him because you're stupid and gullible."
Does calling that demographic "ill-informed and ignorant" help any?
I would kind of like to message that they "have been lied to, maliciously and systematically, and used."
But I'm demonstrably no politician.
posted by porpoise at 1:29 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Does calling that demographic "ill-informed and ignorant" help any?
I would kind of like to message that they "have been lied to, maliciously and systematically, and used."
But I'm demonstrably no politician.
posted by porpoise at 1:29 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Secession without bloodshed is a pipe dream.
Plus low-level internecine violence is much more likely than a secession crisis. Not likely but more likely.
posted by Justinian at 2:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Plus low-level internecine violence is much more likely than a secession crisis. Not likely but more likely.
posted by Justinian at 2:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Does calling that demographic "ill-informed and ignorant" help any?
No, and it reinforces perceptions that liberals are "coastal elites" and "condescending." I'm not claiming those perceptions are correct, mind you, but they exist.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
No, and it reinforces perceptions that liberals are "coastal elites" and "condescending." I'm not claiming those perceptions are correct, mind you, but they exist.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 2:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Daily Beast: Chinese Man’s $18 Billion Donation to New York Charity Raises Eyebrows
The donation to Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation, which runs a variety of anti-poverty programs, has renewed questions about the ownership structure of HNA, the biggest Chinese investor in the U.S. last year. The company has had ties severed with at least one U.S. bank over its lack of transparency. White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, however, has previously hailed HNA as “one of the more magnificent conglomerates coming out of China,” The New York Times reports. Scaramucci announced in January that he would sell his stake in SkyBridge to a consortium led by RON Transatlantic and HNA Capital, an arm of HNA Group, according to the Times.
posted by mumimor at 2:38 AM on July 27, 2017
The donation to Hainan Cihang Charity Foundation, which runs a variety of anti-poverty programs, has renewed questions about the ownership structure of HNA, the biggest Chinese investor in the U.S. last year. The company has had ties severed with at least one U.S. bank over its lack of transparency. White House communications director Anthony Scaramucci, however, has previously hailed HNA as “one of the more magnificent conglomerates coming out of China,” The New York Times reports. Scaramucci announced in January that he would sell his stake in SkyBridge to a consortium led by RON Transatlantic and HNA Capital, an arm of HNA Group, according to the Times.
posted by mumimor at 2:38 AM on July 27, 2017
Charles Blow, NYT:
posted by salix at 3:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
This has come as a great shock and demoralizer to many Americans, not necessarily because they didn’t think Trump was capable of such depravity, but because they simply were unprepared for the daily reality of living a nightmare.He goes on to list several.
There is an enduring expectation, particularly among American liberals, that progress in this society should move inexorably toward more openness, honesty and equality. But even the historical record doesn’t support that expectation.
In reality, America regularly experiences bouts of regression, but fortunately, it is in those regressive periods that some of our greatest movements and greatest voices had found their footing.
posted by salix at 3:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
Scaramucci fast accruing power in White House (Easley and Fabian, The Hill)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:35 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:35 AM on July 27, 2017
I'm concerned that introduction of a new character means that 2017 has been renewed for a second season
posted by thelonius at 3:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [109 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 3:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [109 favorites]
Amendment to replace every second letter of the bill with crying catface emoji
Amendment to trebuchet children without health insurance into Canada
Amendment to replace Pat Toomey with a meerkat
Amendment to put a big bowl of seashells in every doctor’s reception area
Just a few suggestions from this Full Frontal post on Medium
posted by salix at 3:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
Amendment to trebuchet children without health insurance into Canada
Amendment to replace Pat Toomey with a meerkat
Amendment to put a big bowl of seashells in every doctor’s reception area
Just a few suggestions from this Full Frontal post on Medium
posted by salix at 3:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
"it is in those regressive periods that some of our greatest movements and greatest voices had found their footing."
I believe it. I am convinced that one key reason America was able to take the bold step of electing Barack Hussein Obama was that we had just been through eight years of the aggressive malfeasance and incompetence of the Dubya administration.
My fear and loathing at the ugliness that is the Trump Experience is diluted, if only barely, by the hope and expectation that it will lead to an enormous, progressive back-correction in 2020.
Of course, we still have to make it through these next few years alive and unbroken, which isn't guaranteed.
posted by darkstar at 3:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
I believe it. I am convinced that one key reason America was able to take the bold step of electing Barack Hussein Obama was that we had just been through eight years of the aggressive malfeasance and incompetence of the Dubya administration.
My fear and loathing at the ugliness that is the Trump Experience is diluted, if only barely, by the hope and expectation that it will lead to an enormous, progressive back-correction in 2020.
Of course, we still have to make it through these next few years alive and unbroken, which isn't guaranteed.
posted by darkstar at 3:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
I'm concerned that introduction of a new character means that 2017 has been renewed for a second season
Unless the Mooch is Trump's Cousin Oliver...
posted by darkstar at 3:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Unless the Mooch is Trump's Cousin Oliver...
posted by darkstar at 3:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Note: Moochie died on the way back to his home planet.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
That moment a political organization realizes they're actually terrible at what they do:
One Day Before Trump Banned Trans Soldiers, Log Cabin Republicans Called President Trump a 'Quiet Ally' and a 'Do No Harm Guy'
posted by darkstar at 3:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
One Day Before Trump Banned Trans Soldiers, Log Cabin Republicans Called President Trump a 'Quiet Ally' and a 'Do No Harm Guy'
posted by darkstar at 3:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
If they haven't turned on him before they're not going to do it now.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Top insurance CEOs openly blaming Trump sabotage for rate hikes and empty markets
During the election I thought Trump was going to alienate the Rs corporate masters enough that he would lose significant support. I guess they thought they were safe, but I'm cautiously heartened that whichever direction they try to pivot, unexpected voices are starting to cock-block him. (The "cock" being Trump himslef, obvs.)
$18 Billion Donation
lmao wtf
I come from the non-profit world and this is totally normal. How do you think the ACLU built that Moon chapter?
posted by Room 641-A at 4:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
During the election I thought Trump was going to alienate the Rs corporate masters enough that he would lose significant support. I guess they thought they were safe, but I'm cautiously heartened that whichever direction they try to pivot, unexpected voices are starting to cock-block him. (The "cock" being Trump himslef, obvs.)
$18 Billion Donation
lmao wtf
I come from the non-profit world and this is totally normal. How do you think the ACLU built that Moon chapter?
posted by Room 641-A at 4:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
porpoise: I would kind of like to message that they "have been lied to, maliciously and systematically, and used."
^THIS times a billion!
Forget arguing about any other aspect of this issue. Right here is the only message that matters.
If I may:
^THIS times a billion!
Forget arguing about any other aspect of this issue. Right here is the only message that matters.
If I may:
THIS IS NOT NORMAL.posted by mikelieman at 4:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Republicans need to stop letting themselves be maliciously and systematically lied to, and used as pawns.
Scaramucci is live on CNN right now, and it's a mess. Such a transparent hack and bullshitter. Of course Trump would ignore practically everyone's advice to hire this guy. Scaramucci's big mouth is going to get his boss in (deeper) trouble.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:26 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:26 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Spicey: I am the most incompetent ineffectual WH communicator in history.
Moochie: Hold my hair product.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:27 AM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
Moochie: Hold my hair product.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:27 AM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
A bit more on the secretive Chinese foundation, from Financial Times China’s HNA to be held by little-known charities. Nothing about Scaramucci in there, though. Are the Chinese trying to get in on the game? It doesn't seem like HNA are popular with the Chinese government, but who knows at this point?
posted by mumimor at 4:32 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by mumimor at 4:32 AM on July 27, 2017
Republicans need to stop letting themselves be maliciously and systematically lied to, and used as pawns.
People dislike being told they're passive suckers as much as (or more than) they dislike being called stupid. For the jillionth time, Democrats get elected by getting Democrat-sympathetic voters to vote, not by trying to win over dull-witted assholes who will vote for literally the worst person alive sooner than vote Democratic, even if it hurts their own situation.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [65 favorites]
People dislike being told they're passive suckers as much as (or more than) they dislike being called stupid. For the jillionth time, Democrats get elected by getting Democrat-sympathetic voters to vote, not by trying to win over dull-witted assholes who will vote for literally the worst person alive sooner than vote Democratic, even if it hurts their own situation.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [65 favorites]
I still think it's worth appealing to any who aren't wholly irrational. Maybe I'm naïve? Yeah, I'll cop to being naïve.
posted by mikelieman at 4:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 4:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fair enough tivalasvegas. Guess I'm just channeling my inner atheist (yeah, no discrimination of that group in the US) on the general chains (all interpretations thereof) of religion. /end derail
posted by yoga at 4:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by yoga at 4:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Not that it comes as a surprise, but:
The lower federal courts are split on the matter of whether the sex (gender) basis of the prohibition of discrimination applies to sexual orientation, so this will surely head to the SCOTUS for resolution. Neither Scalia, nor his replacement Gorsuch, would be expected to side with civil rights for LGBT. Again, it seems to hinge on Kennedy who has been a more favorable voice.
posted by darkstar at 4:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
The Justice Department filed an amicus brief Wednesday saying that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not cover employment "discrimination based on sexual orientation."The progressive argument is basically that it is the sex/gender of an individual that determines whether their sexual orientation is deemed gay or straight and thus gender is the basis for the discrimination. For example, a man with sexual attraction to other men has lost his job due to discrimination because he was male, since a woman with similar attraction to men would not have been subject to that discrimination.
...Title VII prohibits employment discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex and national origin.
...The American Civil Liberties Union blasted the DOJ's position as a "gratuitous and extraordinary attack on LGBT people's civil rights."
"Fortunately, courts will decide whether the Civil Rights Act protects LGBT people, not an Attorney General and a White House that are hell-bent on playing politics with people's lives," said James Esseks, director of the ACLU's LGBT & HIV Project, in a statement. "We are confident that the courts will side with equality and the people."
The lower federal courts are split on the matter of whether the sex (gender) basis of the prohibition of discrimination applies to sexual orientation, so this will surely head to the SCOTUS for resolution. Neither Scalia, nor his replacement Gorsuch, would be expected to side with civil rights for LGBT. Again, it seems to hinge on Kennedy who has been a more favorable voice.
posted by darkstar at 4:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Amendment to put a big bowl of seashells in every doctor’s reception area
Ok that made me laugh out loud.
posted by yoga at 4:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Ok that made me laugh out loud.
posted by yoga at 4:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
The Justice Department filed an amicus brief Wednesday saying that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 does not cover employment "discrimination based on sexual orientation."
It obviously, self-evidently does! It's the simplest thing!
If we say "Men may attend college, but women may not," that's obviously discrimination based on gender, right?
So if we say "Men may marry women, but women may not," how is that any different? You're restricting people's rights based on their gender, and that's a no-go! It's easy, people!
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
It obviously, self-evidently does! It's the simplest thing!
If we say "Men may attend college, but women may not," that's obviously discrimination based on gender, right?
So if we say "Men may marry women, but women may not," how is that any different? You're restricting people's rights based on their gender, and that's a no-go! It's easy, people!
posted by Faint of Butt at 4:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
Predictably, Trump is bullying Republican Senators.
And just as predictably, they're complaining mildly and anonymously, then complimenting the form of his slaps.
posted by Etrigan at 4:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
And just as predictably, they're complaining mildly and anonymously, then complimenting the form of his slaps.
posted by Etrigan at 4:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
Anyone of us who has been following these threads for over 18 months now could have predicted a Scaramucci-like person would weasel their way into the circle of power. The President is a weak person who doesn't know anything about governing and doesn't want to bother to learn. He lives for flattery and is happy to shrug off his responsibilities. So a confident, powerful (that is someone with a lot of money) person makes an active show of blindly supporting Trump and having gotten Trump's ear, promises, praises, promotes, and poisons.
The outsider promises that Trump will get what Trump wants--probably adulation and respect from more people. He praises Trump for everything Trump is most insecure about. He promotes his ideas and his agenda and himself as the one true Trump fan. And finally he poisons the reputation of anyone he sees as a threat.
This is how palace intrigue works when the Monarch is stupid and weak-willed. The amazing thing is that Scaramucci has had such an open field with little competition. I think it's because this is such odd circumstances in American politics that most people haven't figured out what's going on yet. Give it time and we may see more jostling by outsiders to capture the attention of the King.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
The outsider promises that Trump will get what Trump wants--probably adulation and respect from more people. He praises Trump for everything Trump is most insecure about. He promotes his ideas and his agenda and himself as the one true Trump fan. And finally he poisons the reputation of anyone he sees as a threat.
This is how palace intrigue works when the Monarch is stupid and weak-willed. The amazing thing is that Scaramucci has had such an open field with little competition. I think it's because this is such odd circumstances in American politics that most people haven't figured out what's going on yet. Give it time and we may see more jostling by outsiders to capture the attention of the King.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 5:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
The amazing thing is that Scaramucci has had such an open field with little competition.
he's that magic combination: he's clever enough to use PUA tactics to ingratiate himself with trump, but too stupid to realize that joining the administration at this point is jumping on a shitgrenade
posted by murphy slaw at 5:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
he's that magic combination: he's clever enough to use PUA tactics to ingratiate himself with trump, but too stupid to realize that joining the administration at this point is jumping on a shitgrenade
posted by murphy slaw at 5:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
What's gonna kill Scaramucci is the fact that his mini-me antics garner attention that rightfully belongs to Trump.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
Everyone is missing a key flaw in the Trumpist argument that Mueller's biased because his staff donated more to Hillary.
Trump didn't want donations. He funded himself because he was so rich and independent, remember?
posted by msalt at 5:51 AM on July 27, 2017
Trump didn't want donations. He funded himself because he was so rich and independent, remember?
posted by msalt at 5:51 AM on July 27, 2017
Trump didn't want donations.
Well . .except for all the begging for them internationally last year.
posted by rc3spencer at 5:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Well . .except for all the begging for them internationally last year.
posted by rc3spencer at 5:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I knew going to bed was a mistake. Can Metafilter grow a 'Previously, on the West Wing' button?
But I am heartened that the new Communications Director has wasted absolutely no time in communicating the one very important fact that true to form, 45 has indeed hired a new schmuck with the skill set of a slime mold.
posted by Devonian at 5:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
But I am heartened that the new Communications Director has wasted absolutely no time in communicating the one very important fact that true to form, 45 has indeed hired a new schmuck with the skill set of a slime mold.
posted by Devonian at 5:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Scaramucci calling in to CNN: "He may decide to veto the sanctions and be tougher on the Russians than Congress."
posted by bluecore at 5:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by bluecore at 5:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
"He may decide to veto the sanctions and be tougher on the Russians than Congress."
Lol lol lol. LOL.
posted by lydhre at 6:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
Lol lol lol. LOL.
posted by lydhre at 6:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
HAHAHAHAHA
posted by mumimor at 6:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 6:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
What's gonna kill Scaramucci is the fact that his mini-me antics garner attention that rightfully belongs to Trump.
For precedent, see the saga of Rudy Giuliani and his police commissioner.
posted by adamg at 6:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
For precedent, see the saga of Rudy Giuliani and his police commissioner.
posted by adamg at 6:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
"He may decide to veto the sanctions and be tougher on the Russians than Congress."
Lol lol lol. LOL.
posted by lydhre at 10:02 PM on July 27 [2 favorites +] [!]
Don't laugh. The only effective check on the president's power is an independent Congress, and I for one am glad they're choosing to exercise it. Trump's hands need to be tied so the legislature can function as a balance to the executive branch, which is currently controlled by a shrewd, cunning extremist member of an opposition party who has proven he will stoop to anything to get his way. Of course I'm referring to the executive branch controlled by Putin.
I just want Trump's hands tied out of spite.
posted by saysthis at 6:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Lol lol lol. LOL.
posted by lydhre at 10:02 PM on July 27 [2 favorites +] [!]
Don't laugh. The only effective check on the president's power is an independent Congress, and I for one am glad they're choosing to exercise it. Trump's hands need to be tied so the legislature can function as a balance to the executive branch, which is currently controlled by a shrewd, cunning extremist member of an opposition party who has proven he will stoop to anything to get his way. Of course I'm referring to the executive branch controlled by Putin.
I just want Trump's hands tied out of spite.
posted by saysthis at 6:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'd settle for Twitter being taken out of Trump's hands .
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I laugh for three reasons:
1) They will override his veto.
2) He claims to want to be tougher on the Russians. Lol.
3) He has no idea how any of this works.
posted by lydhre at 6:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
1) They will override his veto.
2) He claims to want to be tougher on the Russians. Lol.
3) He has no idea how any of this works.
posted by lydhre at 6:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
I knew going to bed was a mistake. Can Metafilter grow a 'Previously, on the West Wing' button?
[West Wing] tags?
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:19 AM on July 27, 2017
[West Wing] tags?
posted by ZeusHumms at 6:19 AM on July 27, 2017
I enjoyed how in less than a week on the job, all of Scara-mouch's metaphors and analogies to the state of the WH were already icebergs, ships, disasters, and rats.
But even that was ham-handed. As the CNN interviewer this am pointed out to him, in Scary's illustration, Scary claims to be smart because he is sailing the admin AT the iceberg, just to prove that rats are on the ship. LOL
posted by rc3spencer at 6:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
But even that was ham-handed. As the CNN interviewer this am pointed out to him, in Scary's illustration, Scary claims to be smart because he is sailing the admin AT the iceberg, just to prove that rats are on the ship. LOL
posted by rc3spencer at 6:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
That whole thread of Scaramucci's appearance on CNN is totally bonkers. Not that you needed proof but this certainly is proof has as much message discipline as his boss.
posted by mmascolino at 6:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 6:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
What's gonna kill Scaramucci is the fact that his mini-me antics garner attention that rightfully belongs to Trump.
Agreed. The closest we ever got to ousting Steve Bannon was when we were all calling him President Bannon and the media had decided he was the real power behind the throne. He fell out of Trump's good graces, but unfortunately was able to save himself because the left has absolutely no understanding of media tactics and as soon as he appeared to no longer be a threat they immediately switched their attention to something else.
But Bannon prefers and thrives in the shadows, while Scaramucci loves the spotlight. Perhaps he won't wise up before it's too late? It helps that he is perceived as more physically attractive, charming, and clever than Trump, and has been praised as such thus far into his short tenure.
posted by Anonymous at 6:29 AM on July 27, 2017
Agreed. The closest we ever got to ousting Steve Bannon was when we were all calling him President Bannon and the media had decided he was the real power behind the throne. He fell out of Trump's good graces, but unfortunately was able to save himself because the left has absolutely no understanding of media tactics and as soon as he appeared to no longer be a threat they immediately switched their attention to something else.
But Bannon prefers and thrives in the shadows, while Scaramucci loves the spotlight. Perhaps he won't wise up before it's too late? It helps that he is perceived as more physically attractive, charming, and clever than Trump, and has been praised as such thus far into his short tenure.
posted by Anonymous at 6:29 AM on July 27, 2017
somewhere I read an analysis that said that Spicer's one redeeming quality was that he was a bad liar. I don't know that Scarmucci is a good liar, but he seems very comfortable with the truth being oh like two million miles from where he's at
posted by angrycat at 6:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 6:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Scaramucci later deleted the tweet.
Holy shit Scaramoosh deleted his @Reince45 insanity? Presidential Records anyone? Also this is amazing. Trump hates Sessions, Trump calls out Sessions in public basically begging him to resign. Moosh hates Priebus, does the same. It's like he's jacked directly into a fun-house Trump mirror.
posted by dis_integration at 6:31 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Holy shit Scaramoosh deleted his @Reince45 insanity? Presidential Records anyone? Also this is amazing. Trump hates Sessions, Trump calls out Sessions in public basically begging him to resign. Moosh hates Priebus, does the same. It's like he's jacked directly into a fun-house Trump mirror.
posted by dis_integration at 6:31 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Perhapses you think you're all that but I think I've got you beat:
I see a little silhouetto of Trump’s hands,posted by Talez at 6:31 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
Scaramucci, Scaramucci, will you call the FBI?
Leaking is a felony,
Very, very frightening me
(Reince Priebuss) Reince Priebus
(Reince Priebus) Reince Priebus
Reince Priebus leaked what the press knows
He’s gotta go-o-o-o-o
I'm just a rich boy, who does nobody love me
He's just a rich boy made his money screwing familes
Spare him his tax from the SkyBridge monstrosity
Easy come, easy go, will you let me lie?
Bismillah! No, we will not let you lie (under oath!)
Bismillah! We will not let you lie (under oath!)
Bismillah! We will not let you lie (under oath!)
Will not let you liie (under oath!)
FBI asks you questions under oath
Senate asks you questions under oath
No, no, no, no, no, no, no
Oh, give me pardon give me pardon (give him a pardon, lied under oath)
Beelzebub what should healthcare repeal be?
Repeal be?
Repeal beeeeeeeeeee?
Murkowski is also the chair of Interior, Environment, and Related Agencies subcommittee. They oversee budgeting for Forest Service and Fish and Wildlife and National Parks which report to Ryan Zinke. I was holding out some hope for this guy because Tester supported him, but Christ, what an asshole.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:37 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:37 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I have literally been singing Bohemian Rhapsody in my head (and sometimes out loud, much to my dog's chagrin) ever since Scaramucci was appointed. I hope that one day I can read about him and not have instant earworm.
posted by Fritzle at 6:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Fritzle at 6:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
somewhere I read an analysis that said that Spicer's one redeeming quality was that he was a bad liar. I don't know that Scarmucci is a good liar, but he seems very comfortable with the truth being oh like two million miles from where he's at
Spicer was a failed and broken human being, which is why his lies were distinguishable from his pleas, moans etc.; Scaramucci's just a sociopathic vomit machine whose noises are beyond truths and lies. Apples and oranges.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Spicer was a failed and broken human being, which is why his lies were distinguishable from his pleas, moans etc.; Scaramucci's just a sociopathic vomit machine whose noises are beyond truths and lies. Apples and oranges.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
And in honor of his deletion:
So you think you can accuse Reince and call the FBI? (Yeah!)posted by Talez at 6:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
So you think you can delete a tweet and and the matter will die?
Oh, Moochy, Presidential Records Act, Moochy
They’re gonna find crime, find more crime than you think you have here
But Nothing really matters
Anyone can see
Nothing really matters
Nothing really matters to him
Any way Fox and Friends blows
Weren't the 2012 Magnitsky sanctions put in place to target specific individuals? And at the same time ended general economic trade sanctions? AFAIK, this isn't Cuba level blockading, so I don't know how this is affecting those you love?
Yeah OK I'm not bullshitting here. There are a slew of US sanctions against Russia right now, many if not most of them related to trade and the energy sector, on top of the current EU trade sanctions against Russia. And this has a rippling effect on the rest of the economy. People at the top of the pyramid are going to find ways to get theirs, at the expense of everyone else. So this is how it's affecting people I love.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:56 AM on July 27, 2017
Yeah OK I'm not bullshitting here. There are a slew of US sanctions against Russia right now, many if not most of them related to trade and the energy sector, on top of the current EU trade sanctions against Russia. And this has a rippling effect on the rest of the economy. People at the top of the pyramid are going to find ways to get theirs, at the expense of everyone else. So this is how it's affecting people I love.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 6:56 AM on July 27, 2017
From zarq's article above:
posted by Rykey at 6:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Trump’s pointed criticism of Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who was the only senator to endorse Trump for much of last year’s presidential campaign, has shocked many GOP lawmakers on Capitol HillGuys, this is a good time to just ask that we all temper our own complaints about the Administration with some compassion and perspective. Can you imagine what it's like to be an old rich powerful white man right now?
...
What bothers lawmakers the most is that Trump seems to want to embarrass his targets.
Some note that Sessions resigned from his safe Senate seat to join the executive branch and work for Trump.
posted by Rykey at 6:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
I think Scaramucci is trying to accelerate his appearance on Dancing With The Stars
More like Dancing with the Tsars, amirite?
posted by uncleozzy at 7:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [53 favorites]
More like Dancing with the Tsars, amirite?
posted by uncleozzy at 7:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [53 favorites]
Sorry I was led to believe that trans people were so skilled in combat that I should fear being alone in a bathroom with them
posted by gwint at 7:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
posted by gwint at 7:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
Can you imagine what it's like to be an old rich powerful white man right now?
Having to take two Ambien because a single one stopped working? They have it hard.
posted by Talez at 7:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Having to take two Ambien because a single one stopped working? They have it hard.
posted by Talez at 7:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
So, are we still talking about the transgender-military issue? Not so much? Oh, so it appears that yesterday was just a typical one-off stunt in the Trump administration; a troll doing what he does best. Making an awful announcement that has no basis in reality and will never be effectively enforced, only to be swept under the rug by another day of blitzkrieg news.
I'm sorry if I'm on a soap box here, but it drains me when we spend the whole day discussing some new proclamation that is clearly an attempt to troll and trick us. If he actually signed an executive order or took some significant action, then our outrage is necessary to immediately fight this. But a tweet? He cooked this whole thing up with Bannon/Miller et al to do exactly this to us; piss us off so much (because the whole thing is ARGHH!!!!) and know that our emotional response would overwhelm. To those who would counter "Trump is an idiot and not playing multiple-dimensional chess" you're correct; however an idiot can still turn on the news and see how the discourse has been altered by his imbecilic actions. Think back to the missle strike. This guy is stupid but he knows how to play us unfortunately (he wouldn't still be in his position otherwise.)
Trump has no idea how to actually wield power, he's like the muscled drunk guy at the bar who knows he has force but can't get his shit together enough to use it. Sessions and the DOJ, however....as much as I didn't want JS to resign to honor Trump's wishes, if the Justice department is going down this road with sexual orientation/civil rights he needs to be gone yesterday. The house cleaning is long overdue.
Anyway, I want us to keep fighting. I'm not saying we can't be upset with when this shit happens, of course we can't normalize it. I just hate seeing people I agree with getting so bogged down by this and other obvious distractions. The reports yesterday that T and company were thrilled the media was discussing transgender/military...we have to stop playing into their hands. They think we're idiots and we need to prove the opposite is true.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'm sorry if I'm on a soap box here, but it drains me when we spend the whole day discussing some new proclamation that is clearly an attempt to troll and trick us. If he actually signed an executive order or took some significant action, then our outrage is necessary to immediately fight this. But a tweet? He cooked this whole thing up with Bannon/Miller et al to do exactly this to us; piss us off so much (because the whole thing is ARGHH!!!!) and know that our emotional response would overwhelm. To those who would counter "Trump is an idiot and not playing multiple-dimensional chess" you're correct; however an idiot can still turn on the news and see how the discourse has been altered by his imbecilic actions. Think back to the missle strike. This guy is stupid but he knows how to play us unfortunately (he wouldn't still be in his position otherwise.)
Trump has no idea how to actually wield power, he's like the muscled drunk guy at the bar who knows he has force but can't get his shit together enough to use it. Sessions and the DOJ, however....as much as I didn't want JS to resign to honor Trump's wishes, if the Justice department is going down this road with sexual orientation/civil rights he needs to be gone yesterday. The house cleaning is long overdue.
Anyway, I want us to keep fighting. I'm not saying we can't be upset with when this shit happens, of course we can't normalize it. I just hate seeing people I agree with getting so bogged down by this and other obvious distractions. The reports yesterday that T and company were thrilled the media was discussing transgender/military...we have to stop playing into their hands. They think we're idiots and we need to prove the opposite is true.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Everyone is missing a key flaw in the Trumpist argument that Mueller's biased because his staff donated more to Hillary.
Money is speech. Why does failing President Trump hate Free Speech?
posted by mikelieman at 7:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Money is speech. Why does failing President Trump hate Free Speech?
posted by mikelieman at 7:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE NOT A DISTRACTION
posted by winna at 7:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [106 favorites]
posted by winna at 7:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [106 favorites]
This morning from @realdonaldtrump
posted by pjenks at 7:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
"One of the things that has been lost in the politics of this situation is that the Russians collected and spread negative information about then candidate Trump." Catherine Herridge @FoxNews. So why doesn't Fake News report this? Witch Hunt! Purposely phony reporting.Great, thanks! Finally we can agree: The June 2016 Guccifer 2.0 dump of the hacked DNC files, which included the Democrat's oppo on Trump along with DNC donor records, and which was dangled in front of your little boy one week earlier, was a Kremlin-led operation!
posted by pjenks at 7:07 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
I'm sorry if I'm on a soap box here, but it drains me when we spend the whole day discussing some new proclamation that is clearly an attempt to troll and trick us.
Imagine someone gives a monkey a gun. Every time said monkey points the gun in your direction you still have to duck because you're going to look so stupid if the monkey accidentally manages to fire it and you didn't duck.
posted by Talez at 7:08 AM on July 27, 2017 [55 favorites]
Imagine someone gives a monkey a gun. Every time said monkey points the gun in your direction you still have to duck because you're going to look so stupid if the monkey accidentally manages to fire it and you didn't duck.
posted by Talez at 7:08 AM on July 27, 2017 [55 favorites]
zachlipton: Early Wednesday, Trump took to Twitter to express displeasure with Murkowski's vote. By that afternoon, each of Alaska's two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska's future with the administration in jeopardy.
"You tell them that if they're not nicer to me" Trump was overheard saying, "I'll just give the damned state to Putin." [fake, for now]
posted by filthy light thief at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"You tell them that if they're not nicer to me" Trump was overheard saying, "I'll just give the damned state to Putin." [fake, for now]
posted by filthy light thief at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
OF COURSE THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE NOT A DISTRACTION. But how can you not see the evidence that what Trump did was intentional to troll us? How can we respond with outrage over and over again that only fractures us with each new scandal? As much as we all want to believe we can walk and chew gum at the same time, the current MSM narrative makes me think otherwise.
I don't want to fight amongst us, so I'll leave this alone. I can only see the same thing over and over again so many times before I lose my mind. And if I lose my mind everytime this A-hole tweets, they'll be nothing left in a few weeks.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I don't want to fight amongst us, so I'll leave this alone. I can only see the same thing over and over again so many times before I lose my mind. And if I lose my mind everytime this A-hole tweets, they'll be nothing left in a few weeks.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
> I'm not saying we can't be upset with when this shit happens, of course we can't normalize it. I just hate seeing people I agree with getting so bogged down by this and other obvious distractions.
Here's the thing. Let's assume arguendo that this really is a troll job, and that Trump has no intention of pursuing a policy change. Let's do this despite the credible reports that this was the direct result of horse-trading in Congress where members of the House wanted to secure a ban on trans service members in a spending bill. Even if you think it's a troll job, what do you think the net effect is if Trump puts out those tweets and the response is crickets? Don't you think that will embolden those who do actually want to take away rights from marginalized people?
posted by tonycpsu at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Here's the thing. Let's assume arguendo that this really is a troll job, and that Trump has no intention of pursuing a policy change. Let's do this despite the credible reports that this was the direct result of horse-trading in Congress where members of the House wanted to secure a ban on trans service members in a spending bill. Even if you think it's a troll job, what do you think the net effect is if Trump puts out those tweets and the response is crickets? Don't you think that will embolden those who do actually want to take away rights from marginalized people?
posted by tonycpsu at 7:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
My outrage doesn't fracture; I'm capable of near infinite levels of outrage. I can call out the bullshit tweet attacks on trans rights *and* still contact my Senators about the bullshit health care votes! In the same day, even!
posted by Roommate at 7:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
posted by Roommate at 7:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
I was holding out some hope for this guy because Tester supported him, but Christ, what an asshole.
This was actually a shrewd bit of politics on Tester's part. The GOP gameplan was going to be to have Zinke run against him next year, which would have been a tough match up for Tester. But his move to Interior fucked that up, and plan B died from a bodyslam. The result is that now the GOP has to go to the drawing board for someone to run against him, and they don't exactly have a strong bench.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
This was actually a shrewd bit of politics on Tester's part. The GOP gameplan was going to be to have Zinke run against him next year, which would have been a tough match up for Tester. But his move to Interior fucked that up, and plan B died from a bodyslam. The result is that now the GOP has to go to the drawing board for someone to run against him, and they don't exactly have a strong bench.
posted by NoxAeternum at 7:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
The rights of transgender people are not a distraction, just like the rights of Muslims were not a distraction or a "headfake" earlier in the year. Let's not get bogged down in conspiracy theories and eleventy-dimensional chess. These people don't have the intelligence or strategy skills to pull it off. They're bigoted, stupid, fascist wanna-be's who love to shoot their mouths off.
There's enough of Us (that is, Democrats, progressives, liberals, NeverTrumpers, etc.) that we can all keep our (collective) eyes on all the balls in the air. We're paying attention - to health care, transgender rights, police violence, all the numerous issues that are at play.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
There's enough of Us (that is, Democrats, progressives, liberals, NeverTrumpers, etc.) that we can all keep our (collective) eyes on all the balls in the air. We're paying attention - to health care, transgender rights, police violence, all the numerous issues that are at play.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Can't you see that he only nuked Portland to distract us from Don Jr's armed standoff with the FBI
posted by theodolite at 7:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 7:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
Imagine someone gives a monkey a gun. Every time said monkey points the gun in your direction you still have to duck because you're going to look so stupid if the monkey accidentally manages to fire it and you didn't duck.
This is our every day now. ^
Meanwhile there's a bank robbery going on across the street, but the bank robbers can't manage to get things done from all the ducking they have to do. Due to the monkey-with-a-gun idea they agreed on as a distraction from the robbery. America.
posted by rc3spencer at 7:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
This is our every day now. ^
Meanwhile there's a bank robbery going on across the street, but the bank robbers can't manage to get things done from all the ducking they have to do. Due to the monkey-with-a-gun idea they agreed on as a distraction from the robbery. America.
posted by rc3spencer at 7:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Just because they love to drink liberal tears doesn't mean we should stop crying. It'd be satisfying to be crying while simultaneously administering the wicker man but because we don't have the bees in place doesn't mean we should stop crying.
posted by angrycat at 7:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 7:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
States Have Already Tried Versions Of 'Skinny Repeal.' It Didn't Go Well (Julie Appleby for NPR, July 27, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Senate Republicans are eyeing a "skinny repeal" that would roll back an unpopular portion of the federal health law. But health policy analysts warn that the idea has been tried before, and with little success.In case you weren't certain before.
Senators are reportedly considering a narrow bill that would eliminate the Affordable Care Act's "individual mandate," which assesses a tax on Americans who don't have insurance. The bill would also eliminate the ACA's penalties for some businesses – those that have 50 or more workers and fail to offer their employees health coverage.
...
Considering the parallels
By the late 1990s, states such as Washington, Kentucky and Massachusetts felt a backlash when some of the coverage requirement rules they'd previously put on the individual market were lifted. "Things went badly," said Mark Hall, director of the health law and policy program at Wake Forest University.
Premiums rose and insurers fled these states, leaving consumers who buy their own coverage (usually because they don't get it through their jobs) with fewer choices and higher prices.
That's because — like the Senate plan — the states generally kept popular parts of their laws, including protections for people with preexisting conditions. At the same time, they didn't include mandates that consumers carry coverage.
That goes to a basic concept about any kind insurance: People who don't file claims in any given year subsidize those who do. Also, those healthy people are less likely to sign up, insurers said, and that leaves insurance companies with only the more costly policyholders.
Bottom line: Insurers end up "less willing to participate in the market," said Hall.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
3) He has no idea how any of this works.
"That's not how that works! That's not how any of this works!"
posted by octobersurprise at 7:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
"That's not how that works! That's not how any of this works!"
posted by octobersurprise at 7:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
tonycpsu, i am not saying respond with crickets. Respond with outrage, respond with indignation, but should we focus on it the whole day? I look at my friends who were posting about this all day yesterday, and now today they're back to talking about Scaramucci/the next scandal. When does the ability of this administration to introduce a million new distractions end?
(AND I AM NOT SAYING THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE A DISTRACTION. Please do not attack me on this.) But the administration does this all the time using a new group. What about the outrage for immigrants? As much as people here say we can walk and chew gum...were we or the media displaying outrage for the continued ICE raids yesterday? Something that is currently happening? How do we pick our battles? Please do not tell me everyone has time to fight all these things; maybe you do and I wish you luck, but myself and others cannot focus on that. I'm sticking to calling my reps about health care since that feels more actionable than spewing outrage on the internet.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
(AND I AM NOT SAYING THE RIGHTS OF TRANSGENDER PEOPLE ARE A DISTRACTION. Please do not attack me on this.) But the administration does this all the time using a new group. What about the outrage for immigrants? As much as people here say we can walk and chew gum...were we or the media displaying outrage for the continued ICE raids yesterday? Something that is currently happening? How do we pick our battles? Please do not tell me everyone has time to fight all these things; maybe you do and I wish you luck, but myself and others cannot focus on that. I'm sticking to calling my reps about health care since that feels more actionable than spewing outrage on the internet.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Look, we keep being told one of his reasons for tweeting is to float trial balloons. You cannot expect us to know for sure what is an intentional distraction and what is a trial balloon. You can't know for sure at the time and hindsight is better, of course. I'm tired of being told I'm an idiot for paying attention to what he's doing and saying. I will continue to stand up to the shitty things he says, even while working on the rest.
posted by greermahoney at 7:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 7:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
Advocates Say Agents Are Unlawfully Turning Away Asylum Seekers At The Border (Richard Gonzales, NPR, July 26, 2017)
Maybe the Statue of Liberty should have her welcoming statement amended to read "... but first register in Mexico."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:23 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Human rights groups have complained for months that border agents are wrongfully turning away people seeking asylum in the U.S. Many are fleeing gang violence and persecution in Mexico and Central America.In short: agents said refugee seekers had to register and apply in Mexico first, which isn't part of any law or regulation, and only after the Honduran family's advocates pushed the point for 20 minutes and talked to two supervisors did the second one relent. "We're going to process them," she says, "how about that? All right?"
Border officials say they are following policy. But activists say the problem has gotten worse under President Trump. They recently sued, alleging violations of U.S. and international law.
Maybe the Statue of Liberty should have her welcoming statement amended to read "... but first register in Mexico."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:23 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
I'm sticking to calling my reps about health care since that feels more actionable than spewing outrage on the internet.
Good for you. I'm ok with the level of attention we brought to his shitty treatment of the trans community.
posted by greermahoney at 7:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Good for you. I'm ok with the level of attention we brought to his shitty treatment of the trans community.
posted by greermahoney at 7:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Tester supported Zinke because Zinke was otherwise going to run against Tester in 2018. Zinke is a hard right asshole, climate denier, and slavering supporter of all things oil.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
EMRE Publishing, LLC will be creating a new anthology of stories about an “Our Gang-type” group of kids who get into trouble and learn lots of lessons in the spaciously luxurious confines of the Mar-a-Lago Country Club in Palm Beach, Florida.
From the Fucked-Up Files of President Donald J. Pudknocker
posted by kirkaracha at 7:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I think we're going to lose the ACA. When we do, it will be the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in the history of this country. There is tremendous bullying going on now against the No votes is the Senate, especially the women, from Rump, his funders, and conservative PACs. Defense of the ACA is coming from doctors, hospitals, nuns - people with compassion but no power. As filthy light thief said, the "skinny" proposal will hasten the program's demise by removing coverage mandates that even out the risk pool between the healthy and the sick. The ACA reduced the ranks of the uninsured, saved lives, and protected American families from bankruptcy. If you have any strength left, PROTEST. Write or call or both. KEEP FIGHTING.
posted by tizzie at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by tizzie at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
By that afternoon, each of Alaska's two Republican senators had received a phone call from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke letting them know the vote had put Alaska's future with the administration in jeopardy.
Right, so in addition to picking a fight with Murkowski -- who is several weight classes above him -- he's also going to take on e whole state of Alaska? I'd be interested to hear what spitbull and others from/in Alaska think of this? And let's see what Sarah Palin has to say, hmm?
Also, re the CNN interview this morning, he also said that when he said he and Reince were like brothers, he meant Cain and Abel. In addition to this being a huge whiplash pivot, we know it's not true because, lol, no one in this adminstration is able.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Right, so in addition to picking a fight with Murkowski -- who is several weight classes above him -- he's also going to take on e whole state of Alaska? I'd be interested to hear what spitbull and others from/in Alaska think of this? And let's see what Sarah Palin has to say, hmm?
Also, re the CNN interview this morning, he also said that when he said he and Reince were like brothers, he meant Cain and Abel. In addition to this being a huge whiplash pivot, we know it's not true because, lol, no one in this adminstration is able.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I know this happened hours ago, but this morning's CNN call-in from Scaramucci is really incredible. See this @yashar twitter thread for the play-by-play highlights.
It starts with 30 seconds of an overheard conversation between Scaramucci and Ryan Lizza, where it's not at all clear that Scaramucci realizes he's speaking live on the air.
Really A+ #1 Comms work.
posted by pjenks at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
It starts with 30 seconds of an overheard conversation between Scaramucci and Ryan Lizza, where it's not at all clear that Scaramucci realizes he's speaking live on the air.
Really A+ #1 Comms work.
posted by pjenks at 7:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
I agree with all of you in sentiment, we all have our different ways of communicating and as long as we respect each other we should keep up the fight. Best wishes to everyone out there fighting today. May this fucker be gone before we see 2018.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:26 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:26 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
As Cost Of U.S. Health Care Skyrockets, So Does Pay Of Health Care CEOs (Robert Siegel and Courtney Columbus, NPR, July 26, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
In the seven years since the Affordable Care Act was passed, CEOs of U.S. health care companies have made a lot of money.Poor, poor health care company CEOs. I'm so sad that Obamacare is doing so poorly for you. Sad.
Their compensation far outstrips the wage growth of nearly all Americans, according to reporter Bob Herman, who published an analysis this week of "the sky-high pay of health care CEOs" for the online news site, Axios.
Based on corporate financial filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission, Herman did research on 113 heads of 70 of the largest U.S. health care companies in the last seven years. Cumulatively, he says, these CEOs have earned $9.8 billion since the ACA was first enacted. Only four of the 113 CEOs were women, he notes, and only two are right now in charge of major health care companies.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
Why is anyone expecting Scaramucci to be anything other than a white guy who looks good enough for TV and supports everything Trump says and does? That's why he was promoted, right? Trump doesn't value clear or logical statements, why would he want to hire anyone who's better or smarter at something than him? It would make him look inferior by comparison, and then people might ask "why isn't that person our president instead of Trump?" Same thing for Pence - zero presence, perfect VP for Trump, who can take all the air in any public event where they might actually share a stage.
(Another reason why I miss Obama, who had amazing people in top positions in his terms.)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
(Another reason why I miss Obama, who had amazing people in top positions in his terms.)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
It's been a while, but weren't Spicer and Priebus supposed to be Trump's concession to a bit of oversight by the R establishment? So what's happened to those guys since Mooch came on the scene?
posted by klarck at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by klarck at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
im pretty sure trump doesn't know congress can override vetoes; can you imagine the tweetstorm when somebody tells him
posted by entropicamericana at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 7:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Am I missing something about the cathedral? It just looks like they spent a lot of money on a building from that article. Is there some weird hidden hate shit?
I'm torn about this because my dad is Catholic and lives in Raleigh but I'm an atheist. I'm all for freedom of religion, but it's huge and not mentioned upthread is that it directly adjoins the NC State Centennial Engineering Campus which houses a ton of amazing university tech innovation as well as corporate tech buildings. I used to work there and I would describe the new building as "looming over" the campus. I know we have lots of older schools where we have religious buildings right in the campus (like the lovely Duke Chapel) but choosing to build a new sectarian hub right there with all the students from the Middle East, India, China etc. wandering around in its shadow leaves a bad taste in my mouth. As far as the growth, it's from Central/South America and the Yankee lands. The latter are coming down here for the cheap(er) housing and tech and healthcare industries.
posted by freecellwizard at 7:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm torn about this because my dad is Catholic and lives in Raleigh but I'm an atheist. I'm all for freedom of religion, but it's huge and not mentioned upthread is that it directly adjoins the NC State Centennial Engineering Campus which houses a ton of amazing university tech innovation as well as corporate tech buildings. I used to work there and I would describe the new building as "looming over" the campus. I know we have lots of older schools where we have religious buildings right in the campus (like the lovely Duke Chapel) but choosing to build a new sectarian hub right there with all the students from the Middle East, India, China etc. wandering around in its shadow leaves a bad taste in my mouth. As far as the growth, it's from Central/South America and the Yankee lands. The latter are coming down here for the cheap(er) housing and tech and healthcare industries.
posted by freecellwizard at 7:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Right, so in addition to picking a fight with Murkowski -- who is several weight classes above him -- he's also going to take on e whole state of Alaska? I'd be interested to hear what spitbull and others from/in Alaska think of this? And let's see what Sarah Palin has to say, hmm?
Oh come on. We all know what's going to happen. Reasonable people will be pissed that Trump is de facto threatening to fuck the state. Palin and all the other R apologists and sycophants will blame the senators for forcing Trump's hand.
Nothing will change. Alaska will still be deep red because they think city queers want to take their guns away.
posted by Talez at 7:35 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh come on. We all know what's going to happen. Reasonable people will be pissed that Trump is de facto threatening to fuck the state. Palin and all the other R apologists and sycophants will blame the senators for forcing Trump's hand.
Nothing will change. Alaska will still be deep red because they think city queers want to take their guns away.
posted by Talez at 7:35 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm sticking to calling my reps about health care since that feels more actionable than spewing outrage on the internet.
Maybe you're right. Calling reps is good! You do you. Let a thousand flowers bloom! There are many, many fronts to fight on here. But what I don't get about "Don't feed the troll" as a political strategy is what the alternative being suggested is? I get, too, that so much of this is just exhausting and draining. There's nothing wrong with trying not to feel outraged every day. But that's gotta be an individual choice. Meta arguments about how others should feel or what others should focus on are even more futile than futile outrage.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Maybe you're right. Calling reps is good! You do you. Let a thousand flowers bloom! There are many, many fronts to fight on here. But what I don't get about "Don't feed the troll" as a political strategy is what the alternative being suggested is? I get, too, that so much of this is just exhausting and draining. There's nothing wrong with trying not to feel outraged every day. But that's gotta be an individual choice. Meta arguments about how others should feel or what others should focus on are even more futile than futile outrage.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
I puzzled over this for some time. Eventually I sensed that Trump wasn’t inducing people’s self-destruction so much as he was acting like a divining rod, revealing rot that existed already but was not apparent. It may seem like an odd comparison. But I’m reminded of the effect in the Pirates of the Caribbean movie series where the cursed pirates appear to be flesh and blood bodies. But the moonlight reveals them as desiccated skeletons, animated but undead. The rot was there but hidden. Trump is the moonlight. Perhaps better to say, to invert our metaphor, Trump is the darkness.
I've been saying this for months now. Trump is a Scumbag Forge.
It's really terrifying (if not particularly surprising) how many of the Republican party fail that test of basic human decency.
It's also nice, on occasion, to be pleasantly surprised. I mean, Bill Fucking Kristol is on the side of the angels? Jonah Goldberg? Jennifer Rubin?
...and I guarantee you it's not a coincidence that they're all Jewish. The Jews have see this shit play out before.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:37 AM on July 27, 2017 [32 favorites]
I've been saying this for months now. Trump is a Scumbag Forge.
It's really terrifying (if not particularly surprising) how many of the Republican party fail that test of basic human decency.
It's also nice, on occasion, to be pleasantly surprised. I mean, Bill Fucking Kristol is on the side of the angels? Jonah Goldberg? Jennifer Rubin?
...and I guarantee you it's not a coincidence that they're all Jewish. The Jews have see this shit play out before.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:37 AM on July 27, 2017 [32 favorites]
Nothing will change. Alaska will still be deep red because they think city queers want to take their guns away.
Based on what I know about Alaska (not much), I wouldn't be averse to allowing Alaska to have more lenient gun laws than the rest of the country. Maybe that's a concession we can make to get them on board with the other stuff?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Based on what I know about Alaska (not much), I wouldn't be averse to allowing Alaska to have more lenient gun laws than the rest of the country. Maybe that's a concession we can make to get them on board with the other stuff?
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Why is anyone expecting Scaramucci to be anything other than a white guy who looks good enough for TV and supports everything Trump says and does?
But he's so much less than that!
(Also probably running the government now)
posted by Artw at 7:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
But he's so much less than that!
(Also probably running the government now)
posted by Artw at 7:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
But what I don't get about "Don't feed the troll" as a political strategy is what the alternative being suggested is?
Good question. One alternative is to have the mainstream media stop saying "gosh, darn, why isn't he acting more presidential?" But other than that, yeah, it's a problem. But andruwjones26 is right, freaking out for an entire day isn't the answer either. It keeps us from hugging our puppies.
posted by Melismata at 7:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Good question. One alternative is to have the mainstream media stop saying "gosh, darn, why isn't he acting more presidential?" But other than that, yeah, it's a problem. But andruwjones26 is right, freaking out for an entire day isn't the answer either. It keeps us from hugging our puppies.
posted by Melismata at 7:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Proof that we really are through the looking glass:
posted by uncleozzy at 7:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
@margbrennan: Members of the band Journey were just spotted in the White House briefing room. That is all.Don't stop deceivin'.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
Because it's been making me shake my head all morning:
The guy Trump brings in to be his new Communications Director, the guy that's supposed to right the foundering ship, accuses one of his fellow senior staffers of a felony - suggesting he would have been hanged for the offense in bygone days - and hair on fire threatens to alert the FBI, all because a public disclosure form that the dude wrote himself is now legally, publicly available.
When this is brought to his attention, he deletes the original accusation and acts like he never made it. The Communications Director dude is doing this.
Heckuva job there, Moochie.
posted by darkstar at 7:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
The guy Trump brings in to be his new Communications Director, the guy that's supposed to right the foundering ship, accuses one of his fellow senior staffers of a felony - suggesting he would have been hanged for the offense in bygone days - and hair on fire threatens to alert the FBI, all because a public disclosure form that the dude wrote himself is now legally, publicly available.
When this is brought to his attention, he deletes the original accusation and acts like he never made it. The Communications Director dude is doing this.
Heckuva job there, Moochie.
posted by darkstar at 7:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
Sure, why the hell not compare your father-in-law the president to an autocrat.
@aylajean
Jared Kushner tells Turkish newspaper: "Like Trump, Erdogan is working to make his country great again." [link in Turkish]
posted by chris24 at 7:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
@aylajean
Jared Kushner tells Turkish newspaper: "Like Trump, Erdogan is working to make his country great again." [link in Turkish]
posted by chris24 at 7:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
> "When this is brought to his attention, he deletes the original accusation and acts like he never made it. The Communications Director dude is doing this."
So he's fitting right in, is what you're saying.
posted by kyrademon at 7:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
So he's fitting right in, is what you're saying.
posted by kyrademon at 7:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Based on what I know about Alaska (not much), I wouldn't be averse to allowing Alaska to have more lenient gun laws than the rest of the country. Maybe that's a concession we can make to get them on board with the other stuff?
Nobody with any sort of political clout has ever suggested taking guns away from rural Alaskans leaving them defenseless against wolves and bears. It has never stopped them from voting R down the line from president to dog catcher.
posted by Talez at 7:45 AM on July 27, 2017
Nobody with any sort of political clout has ever suggested taking guns away from rural Alaskans leaving them defenseless against wolves and bears. It has never stopped them from voting R down the line from president to dog catcher.
posted by Talez at 7:45 AM on July 27, 2017
Well, for once I agree with the Kush: Trump and Erdogan are similarly engaged in transforming their respective nations toward a common cause.
posted by darkstar at 7:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 7:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I'm sorry, but I have a huge issue with people saying it's a distraction for us to spend a day responding to an unbelievably shitty thing he said and promised to do to vulnerable community members, but yet we can spend unchecked time hashing out slogans for the DNC (they're clearly not asking us for our opinion) and riffing on Bohemian Rhapsody lyrics.
posted by greermahoney at 7:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [68 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 7:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [68 favorites]
It's been a while, but weren't Spicer and Priebus supposed to be Trump's concession to a bit of oversight by the R establishment? So what's happened to those guys since Mooch came on the scene?
A few of the assembled have noted that we're watching Trumpism unhinging its jaw to consume (what's left of) Republicanism.
posted by notyou at 7:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
A few of the assembled have noted that we're watching Trumpism unhinging its jaw to consume (what's left of) Republicanism.
posted by notyou at 7:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Listened to local radio this AM which runs conservative; in the news on the hour they described Trumps Trans Tweet as actual policy and used Huckabee-Sanders audio as way of confirmation.
It's all normalized as quickly as the White House hate turns it out.
posted by armacy at 7:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
It's all normalized as quickly as the White House hate turns it out.
posted by armacy at 7:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Well, for once I agree with the Kush: Trump and Ergogan are similarly engaged in transforming their respective nations toward a common cause.
They're making their countries great again. The whole acting like a despot? It's just a branding issue. What they need is a new slogan. Something punchy and catchy. You know, like "Autocracy: You'll learn to love it!"
posted by Talez at 7:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
They're making their countries great again. The whole acting like a despot? It's just a branding issue. What they need is a new slogan. Something punchy and catchy. You know, like "Autocracy: You'll learn to love it!"
posted by Talez at 7:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I don't really know if it's completely appropriate to put this here, so feel free to delete, but I just did an Ask about my personal inability to focus on my project right now so those of you who are also struggling with this may find some help in there.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by A Terrible Llama at 7:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Right, so in addition to picking a fight with Murkowski -- who is several weight classes above him -- he's also going to take on the whole state of Alaska?
Not the whole state, just one-fourth of it. Zinke as Secretary of the Interior Department and BLM directly manages and regulates 75 million acres, over one-fourth of the land in Alaska.
posted by JackFlash at 7:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Not the whole state, just one-fourth of it. Zinke as Secretary of the Interior Department and BLM directly manages and regulates 75 million acres, over one-fourth of the land in Alaska.
posted by JackFlash at 7:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nobody with any sort of political clout has ever suggested taking guns away from rural Alaskans leaving them defenseless against wolves and bears. It has never stopped them from voting R down the line from president to dog catcher.
But has any president used his office to force the Interior Dept to withHold federal funds because their very popular Senator voted against ("against") the president and in their own expressed interests? Via tweet?
posted by Room 641-A at 7:52 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
But has any president used his office to force the Interior Dept to withHold federal funds because their very popular Senator voted against ("against") the president and in their own expressed interests? Via tweet?
posted by Room 641-A at 7:52 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Listened to local radio this AM which runs conservative; in the news on the hour they described Trumps Trans Tweet as actual policy and used Huckabee-Sanders audio as way of confirmation.
It's all normalized as quickly as the White House hate turns it out.
posted by armacy at 11:48 PM on July 27 [+] [!]
And THAT is why it's important to spend a day reacting to it. Other than "not feeding the troll", an important tactic in resisting them is pointing and saying, "That's a troll, and what he says is outside the parameters of acceptable behavior in our house, here's why, and here's how he's a bloviating fool and not making threats he can back up."
posted by saysthis at 7:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
It's all normalized as quickly as the White House hate turns it out.
posted by armacy at 11:48 PM on July 27 [+] [!]
And THAT is why it's important to spend a day reacting to it. Other than "not feeding the troll", an important tactic in resisting them is pointing and saying, "That's a troll, and what he says is outside the parameters of acceptable behavior in our house, here's why, and here's how he's a bloviating fool and not making threats he can back up."
posted by saysthis at 7:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
It's all normalized as quickly as the White House hate turns it out.
This is what gives me nightmares. The slow march towards normalization that then expands the ability of Trumpster to push us even further away from human decency and norms.
Well this and the "shock and awe" method of fing everything up at the same time so that our flight/fright/freeze (trigger warning - links to Professor Campbell talking about the neurobiology of trauma in sexual violence cases, where it is clear that "freeze" is a perfectly normal, human response) instincts kick in and we either cannot act, feel overwhelmed or have too many fights to fight at one time, even though we are resisting.
posted by anya32 at 7:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
This is what gives me nightmares. The slow march towards normalization that then expands the ability of Trumpster to push us even further away from human decency and norms.
Well this and the "shock and awe" method of fing everything up at the same time so that our flight/fright/freeze (trigger warning - links to Professor Campbell talking about the neurobiology of trauma in sexual violence cases, where it is clear that "freeze" is a perfectly normal, human response) instincts kick in and we either cannot act, feel overwhelmed or have too many fights to fight at one time, even though we are resisting.
posted by anya32 at 7:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Again, I keep thinking of Trump as an abusive relationship. Instead of wringing my hands and saying OMG look, he hit me again this morning, oh, wait, look at that, he just did it again, I need to focus on getting the fuck out of there. And just when I think yes, today is the day I'm going to leave ... he says something like "here is X thing that you did that makes it your fault," which makes me doubt myself, which is a distraction, a terrible distraction of course, but still a distraction, and I need to redirect my energy on getting the fuck out. Everyone is still focusing on the distractions, but not enough on how the fuck do we get him out of there. Especially the media, because his rants sell papers.
This is not very coherent, but I hope people get the idea that we're in a pattern that repeats itself again and again.
posted by Melismata at 7:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
This is not very coherent, but I hope people get the idea that we're in a pattern that repeats itself again and again.
posted by Melismata at 7:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Fro the Reuter's Foreign Policy Correspondent.
@idreesali114
EXCLUSIVE: US Joint Chiefs of Staff tells military there will be no modification to transgender policy until direction received from Pres
posted by chris24 at 7:55 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
@idreesali114
EXCLUSIVE: US Joint Chiefs of Staff tells military there will be no modification to transgender policy until direction received from Pres
posted by chris24 at 7:55 AM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
EXCLUSIVE: US Joint Chiefs of Staff tells military there will be no modification to transgender policy until direction received from Pres
So, in two weeks then. (two weeks = Trump promised event horizon)
posted by nubs at 7:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
So, in two weeks then. (two weeks = Trump promised event horizon)
posted by nubs at 7:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I wish the media spent more time making the point that the trans tweet and all of the other shit is meant as a deliberate distraction from Russiagate without dimishing the impact of this stuff.
posted by Room 641-A at 7:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 7:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
OK, I understand we can't manage people's emotions and speech. People are going to speak up about what they want how they want, and they should. Especially here. I do not want to censor anyone, or tell you how to feel. (and i was not a fan of the DNC slogans, but that was a time to keep my mouth shut. no advantage to fighting there.)
But this is the type of game they're playing with us. They have observed how we respond to certain stimuli, and apparently, they are ok with that reaction. No, we don't know their intentions all of the time. We can only go on past empirical evidence of statements and actions. And all this evidence indicates T is a con man, a huckster with no fixed ideology, and that he will say anything at a given point to change the narrative. And when our focus is shifted, they will hit us again. We have to realize that SOMETHING like this is happening, even if it's not intentional in every aspect. And perhaps for some out there, you have the ability to focus on 8-35 issues at a given time. But when it is evident that the american public, CNN, the NYtimes etc do not have that ability, something has to give. Or we continue to be stuck in this loop.
I would love if somebody had a timeline comparing major damning stories coming out followed by a provocative (and TOTALLY UNRELATED) tweets the next morning. This doesn't mean the response is "don't get outraged by the new things, focus on the old." FOCUS ON IT ALL. But if this transgender/military issue ends up being swept under the rug, can you at least concede that there MAY be a pattern here? I don't have the answers, but let's get to the root of the problem. So maybe in time we can develop a better response, rather than continuously reacting in a way that by various media reports was enjoyed by the white house.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
But this is the type of game they're playing with us. They have observed how we respond to certain stimuli, and apparently, they are ok with that reaction. No, we don't know their intentions all of the time. We can only go on past empirical evidence of statements and actions. And all this evidence indicates T is a con man, a huckster with no fixed ideology, and that he will say anything at a given point to change the narrative. And when our focus is shifted, they will hit us again. We have to realize that SOMETHING like this is happening, even if it's not intentional in every aspect. And perhaps for some out there, you have the ability to focus on 8-35 issues at a given time. But when it is evident that the american public, CNN, the NYtimes etc do not have that ability, something has to give. Or we continue to be stuck in this loop.
I would love if somebody had a timeline comparing major damning stories coming out followed by a provocative (and TOTALLY UNRELATED) tweets the next morning. This doesn't mean the response is "don't get outraged by the new things, focus on the old." FOCUS ON IT ALL. But if this transgender/military issue ends up being swept under the rug, can you at least concede that there MAY be a pattern here? I don't have the answers, but let's get to the root of the problem. So maybe in time we can develop a better response, rather than continuously reacting in a way that by various media reports was enjoyed by the white house.
posted by andruwjones26 at 7:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
From CNN's Senior Congressional Reporter Manu Raju.
@mkraju
GRAHAM: Skeptical Don Jr mtg was only one w Russians; says "holy hell" to pay if Sessions is fired; Trump turning "democracy upside down"
@mkraju
Lindsey Graham also says he is drafting legislation to insulate the special counsel from WH pressure
posted by chris24 at 7:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
@mkraju
GRAHAM: Skeptical Don Jr mtg was only one w Russians; says "holy hell" to pay if Sessions is fired; Trump turning "democracy upside down"
@mkraju
Lindsey Graham also says he is drafting legislation to insulate the special counsel from WH pressure
posted by chris24 at 7:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
We can't ignore stunts like the trans ban because Trump actually does many of them, at least the ones not requiring congressional approval.
This isn't Trump going "hey, look! An antelope!" It's a cornered criminal taking a hostage at gunpoint. Even if police think the perp is full of shit, one thing they never do is say "Go ahead! Shoot her. I know you don't have the guts."
posted by msalt at 7:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [53 favorites]
This isn't Trump going "hey, look! An antelope!" It's a cornered criminal taking a hostage at gunpoint. Even if police think the perp is full of shit, one thing they never do is say "Go ahead! Shoot her. I know you don't have the guts."
posted by msalt at 7:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [53 favorites]
Again, I keep thinking of Trump as an abusive relationship. Instead of wringing my hands and saying OMG look, he hit me again this morning, oh, wait, look at that, he just did it again, I need to focus on getting the fuck out of there.
What does "getting the fuck out of there" look like in this context? Not calling you out, I genuinely want to know. Emigrating to another developed nation is more or less impossible unless you are an experienced doctor or tech person.
How do I get out of here? How do I get off this ride??
posted by FakeFreyja at 8:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
What does "getting the fuck out of there" look like in this context? Not calling you out, I genuinely want to know. Emigrating to another developed nation is more or less impossible unless you are an experienced doctor or tech person.
How do I get out of here? How do I get off this ride??
posted by FakeFreyja at 8:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Putting a target on the back of trans people isn't a distraction even if nothing comes of it through the actual ban. It's a hate crime coming from the highest office of the land and no amount of rug sweeping makes that go away. Trump's motives for doing so aren't meaningless but they are truly unimportant in the grand scheme of things unless you think of politics and government as a game rather than the life-or-death struggle it has become for a lot more people these days.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [81 favorites]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [81 favorites]
GRAHAM: Skeptical Don Jr mtg was only one w Russians; says "holy hell" to pay if Sessions is fired; Trump turning "democracy upside down
He also said that during Mueller would be "the beginning of the downfall* of the Trump presidency." but I've only found the first half that quote online.
*He might have said the beginning of the end
posted by Room 641-A at 8:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
He also said that during Mueller would be "the beginning of the downfall* of the Trump presidency." but I've only found the first half that quote online.
*He might have said the beginning of the end
posted by Room 641-A at 8:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's a hate crime coming from the highest office of the land and no amount of rug sweeping makes that go away.
I want to quote this for truth. You know what those tweets did, in pure isolation, even if Trump says nothing on this issue ever again? They tell every basher in the military that their Commander-in-Chief has their back when they make up some bullshit trans panic defense at court-martial. He has exerted undue command influence over every such case for the remainder of his administration by saying that every trans person in the military doesn't deserve to be there. Every general who oversees such a case will know that their next star will ride on whether they rise to the defense of one of Those People.
posted by Etrigan at 8:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [86 favorites]
I want to quote this for truth. You know what those tweets did, in pure isolation, even if Trump says nothing on this issue ever again? They tell every basher in the military that their Commander-in-Chief has their back when they make up some bullshit trans panic defense at court-martial. He has exerted undue command influence over every such case for the remainder of his administration by saying that every trans person in the military doesn't deserve to be there. Every general who oversees such a case will know that their next star will ride on whether they rise to the defense of one of Those People.
posted by Etrigan at 8:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [86 favorites]
I'm mortified by the turn this thread has taken. It's not enough we have to defend the importance of trans people to the President, but we have to do it here, too?
I'm taking a break so I don't say something that gets deleted anyway. But please, if your position is "stop spending energy on the trans thing" - please think about what you're saying to the trans community here.
posted by greermahoney at 8:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [64 favorites]
I'm taking a break so I don't say something that gets deleted anyway. But please, if your position is "stop spending energy on the trans thing" - please think about what you're saying to the trans community here.
posted by greermahoney at 8:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [64 favorites]
But when it is evident that the american public, CNN, the NYtimes etc do not have that ability, something has to give. Or we continue to be stuck in this loop.
Some kind of Growth of the Poison Tree app that has multiple vertical vines that process down the page for each variety of terrible thing (hate crimes/general misconduct in office, Russia, Emoluments clause violations, etc) and the leaves are links to What-Terrible-Thing-Happened-Today.
posted by Slackermagee at 8:11 AM on July 27, 2017
Some kind of Growth of the Poison Tree app that has multiple vertical vines that process down the page for each variety of terrible thing (hate crimes/general misconduct in office, Russia, Emoluments clause violations, etc) and the leaves are links to What-Terrible-Thing-Happened-Today.
posted by Slackermagee at 8:11 AM on July 27, 2017
One more thing on my media wishlist/distraction tactics hobby horse, and then I'm done with this topic:
We already have a template for how to punch through the distraction tactics - comedy! Here's the Daily Show from yesterday. Shreds McCain and names exactly what they're doing. We have people pointing the finger already! We have them! Here's Seth Meyers! Why aren't they on CNN/MSNBC/whatever? If it's "fake news", if news has a "liberal bias", let's go there.
posted by saysthis at 8:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
We already have a template for how to punch through the distraction tactics - comedy! Here's the Daily Show from yesterday. Shreds McCain and names exactly what they're doing. We have people pointing the finger already! We have them! Here's Seth Meyers! Why aren't they on CNN/MSNBC/whatever? If it's "fake news", if news has a "liberal bias", let's go there.
posted by saysthis at 8:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
He also said that during Mueller would be "the beginning of the downfall* of the Trump presidency." but I've only found the first half that quote online.
*He might have said the beginning of the end
@NPRinskeep
Graham: "Any effort to go after Mueller could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency."
---
@RosieGray Retweeted Steve Inskeep
this is one of the first instances of congressional R's actually outlining boundaries:
posted by chris24 at 8:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
*He might have said the beginning of the end
@NPRinskeep
Graham: "Any effort to go after Mueller could be the beginning of the end of the Trump presidency."
---
@RosieGray Retweeted Steve Inskeep
this is one of the first instances of congressional R's actually outlining boundaries:
posted by chris24 at 8:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Good question. One alternative is to have the mainstream media stop saying "gosh, darn, why isn't he acting more presidential?"
Oh, I agree! But "How should the media cover Trump?" or "What should journalists focus on?" and "How should we, as individuals, react?" are all different questions. I don't think there's any good answer to that last one, frankly.
But this is the type of game they're playing with us.
Maybe it is! But even if it is, it isn't clear to me what you think the response should be, aside from—I don't know, ignore it, not talk about it? I'm genuinely confused. Here, metafilter, is nothing but a conversational space; there's nothing to do but ruminate, provide info, etc. Again, I think there's confusion here between what we wish professional journalists would do and what's being expected of individuals.
posted by octobersurprise at 8:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh, I agree! But "How should the media cover Trump?" or "What should journalists focus on?" and "How should we, as individuals, react?" are all different questions. I don't think there's any good answer to that last one, frankly.
But this is the type of game they're playing with us.
Maybe it is! But even if it is, it isn't clear to me what you think the response should be, aside from—I don't know, ignore it, not talk about it? I'm genuinely confused. Here, metafilter, is nothing but a conversational space; there's nothing to do but ruminate, provide info, etc. Again, I think there's confusion here between what we wish professional journalists would do and what's being expected of individuals.
posted by octobersurprise at 8:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
My position is NOT stop spending energy on the trans thing. My position is "The media is saying 'oh look, he said something controversial via tweet without going through proper channels,' when it should be 'WHY THE FUCK DID HE SAY THAT?', and we should pay attention to the difference."
posted by Melismata at 8:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 8:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Almost every day reminds me of Jess McIntosh's Feb 2016 "monkey with a gun" analogy about the likelihood of beating Trump the candidate.
He's still a monkey but he's got much more than a gun now. I worry about how we can possibly win.
posted by pjenks at 8:16 AM on July 27, 2017
It's a little like running against a monkey with a gun. Like, yeah, you're a person so you're probably going to beat the monkey. But the monkey's got a gun and you have no idea what it's going to do with it. So any confidence that this is going to be easy is misplaced.Except now he's got the "bully pulpit" (never a better descriptor), the entire federal government, the largest military in the world, a congress that will do his bidding, a general public that has already granted him power while knowing exactly who he is, and a system of ethics constraints that are almost entirely conventional rather than legal.
He's still a monkey but he's got much more than a gun now. I worry about how we can possibly win.
posted by pjenks at 8:16 AM on July 27, 2017
> I'm sticking to calling my reps about health care since that feels more actionable than spewing outrage on the internet.
You know that while you're on the phone telling them to not take away your health care, you can also tell them you want them to stand up for the rights of trans people everywhere, including in the military, right? You can do both. And more. Practically everyone I know who is calling/texting/writing/sending carrier pigeons to their reps is addressing them on a LOT of issues.
posted by rtha at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
You know that while you're on the phone telling them to not take away your health care, you can also tell them you want them to stand up for the rights of trans people everywhere, including in the military, right? You can do both. And more. Practically everyone I know who is calling/texting/writing/sending carrier pigeons to their reps is addressing them on a LOT of issues.
posted by rtha at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
says "holy hell" to pay if Sessions is fired
Lindsey Graham is friends* with Sessions, so he might actually follow through on his troubling concerns this time.
*Other friends of Jeff Sessions: Jim DeMint, Boss Hogg, the animated skeleton of John C. Calhoun, assorted good ol' boy demons summoned from the Ars Goetia, Newt Gingrich
posted by Iridic at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Lindsey Graham is friends* with Sessions, so he might actually follow through on his troubling concerns this time.
*Other friends of Jeff Sessions: Jim DeMint, Boss Hogg, the animated skeleton of John C. Calhoun, assorted good ol' boy demons summoned from the Ars Goetia, Newt Gingrich
posted by Iridic at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Also, people hollering on the internet are not necessarily only hollering on the internet. Again, multitasking!
posted by rtha at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by rtha at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Buckle up! The Skinny Repeal is expected by tonight.
Republicans to write the law at lunch today and pass it this evening. The CBO won't have time to score it, so the GOP will score it themselves.
posted by darkstar at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Republicans to write the law at lunch today and pass it this evening. The CBO won't have time to score it, so the GOP will score it themselves.
posted by darkstar at 8:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Because the media is the only thing between us and T, octobersurprise. If we can't listen to the media, who can we listen to. But you're absolutely right; I'm confused too!
posted by Melismata at 8:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 8:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
BTW, appropriately enough: "The Skinny Repeal" sounds like one of those classic cons, like The Fiddle Game or The Badger Game or The Spanish Prisoner.
posted by darkstar at 8:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 8:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
Other friends of Jeff Sessions:
Foghorn Leghorn knows, ah say, he knows what he did.
posted by Etrigan at 8:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Foghorn Leghorn knows, ah say, he knows what he did.
posted by Etrigan at 8:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Could it be that the sight of the leopard applying ketchup to Sessions' face has finally pushed the rest of the GOP into the realisation that they'd be a mere amuse bouche if he felt like it?
posted by Devonian at 8:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 8:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
I'm sticking to calling my reps about health care since that feels more actionable than spewing outrage on the internet.
well, trump is spewing outrage on the internet and it sure as hell seems to be getting him somewhere
all hail to the colander in chief
posted by pyramid termite at 8:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
well, trump is spewing outrage on the internet and it sure as hell seems to be getting him somewhere
all hail to the colander in chief
posted by pyramid termite at 8:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Members of the band Journey were just spotted in the White House briefing room. That is all.
They just came to pass on to Trump some marching orders from Tony Soprano. Hey, not all his mob ties are Russian.
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
They just came to pass on to Trump some marching orders from Tony Soprano. Hey, not all his mob ties are Russian.
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I think the 'distraction' issue is a poor way of looking at it, because what it implies is that the Trump administration thinks they can limit the impact of any of the shit they've pulled that has been referred to as a 'distraction'. It's really more of a Gish Gallop: it's all as sincere as each other, all of it is terrible, and they are planning on fighting for none of it. The goal is to wear us down with bullshit.
posted by Merus at 8:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by Merus at 8:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Is it just me, or has this week been an extra level of B-A-N-A-N-A-S crazy?
- Trump's NYT Interview Word Salad Delux
- Trump bullies Sessions in quitting, but lacks the balls to fire him
- Republican Senators, Breitbart, Fox defend Sessions, Trump continues anyway
- Sessions refuses to quit, wants Trump to fire him apparently
- Scaramucci enters, Spicer leaves
- Scaramucci accumulates power, begins purge of White House
- Congress nearly unanimously passes Russia sanctions over the explicit objections of Trump
- McCain returns from cancer to vote for MTP, decries process he just voted for
- Republicans cannot agree on healthcare bill, multiple failures this week
- Trump is threatening not just the Senators but their states (Murkowski, Alaska)
- Scaramucci claims Priebus is the leaker and asks FBI to investigate him
- Trump tweets ban on trans service members without notifying military or having official EO
- Sen Graham claims to be writing legislation to protect Mueller
Any one of those things would be a week worth of crazy, even for 2017! WTF?
posted by Glibpaxman at 8:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [66 favorites]
- Trump's NYT Interview Word Salad Delux
- Trump bullies Sessions in quitting, but lacks the balls to fire him
- Republican Senators, Breitbart, Fox defend Sessions, Trump continues anyway
- Sessions refuses to quit, wants Trump to fire him apparently
- Scaramucci enters, Spicer leaves
- Scaramucci accumulates power, begins purge of White House
- Congress nearly unanimously passes Russia sanctions over the explicit objections of Trump
- McCain returns from cancer to vote for MTP, decries process he just voted for
- Republicans cannot agree on healthcare bill, multiple failures this week
- Trump is threatening not just the Senators but their states (Murkowski, Alaska)
- Scaramucci claims Priebus is the leaker and asks FBI to investigate him
- Trump tweets ban on trans service members without notifying military or having official EO
- Sen Graham claims to be writing legislation to protect Mueller
Any one of those things would be a week worth of crazy, even for 2017! WTF?
posted by Glibpaxman at 8:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [66 favorites]
It's not a distraction. It's one more piece of evidence to add to the ever-increasing pile which shows exactly how venal and poisonous this Administration is. One day, hopefully soon, all this evidence will lead to the utter collapse and vilification of the name 'Trump'.
posted by h00py at 8:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by h00py at 8:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Any one of those things would be a week worth of crazy, even for 2017! WTF?
You could also add that two Republican Senators said on a hot mic that the president might be crazy and they are worried.
posted by diogenes at 8:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
You could also add that two Republican Senators said on a hot mic that the president might be crazy and they are worried.
posted by diogenes at 8:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
Other friends of Jeff Sessions: Jim DeMint, Boss Hogg, the animated skeleton of John C. Calhoun, assorted good ol' boy demons summoned from the Ars Goetia, Newt Gingrich
Bullshit. Newt Gingrich doesn't have any friends.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Bullshit. Newt Gingrich doesn't have any friends.
posted by leotrotsky at 8:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I know, I'm Australian, it's not my country but oh. You guys. It's not just you, it's here too and I just hate it so much. We're supposed to get better as time progresses and yes yes, regressions are a thing, but it just seems so stupid and pointless and wrong to deny people the right to a good life for the sake of tax cuts and political games and so on.
posted by h00py at 8:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by h00py at 8:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
If Trump announces that Journey are being loaded onto a one-way Mars rocket, even I might have to donate to the cause.
posted by delfin at 8:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by delfin at 8:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
In 1934, Jews were banned from serving in the German military.
In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed. They deprived Jews of German citizenship and the right to vote, prohibited Jewish households from having German maids under the age of 45, prohibited any non-Jewish German from marrying a Jew and outlawed sexual relations between Jews and Germans.
In 1935 and '36, Jews were banned by law from parks, restaurants and swimming pools. They were no longer allowed to use electrical/optical equipment, bicycles, typewriters or records. Their passports were restricted. Many Jewish students were removed from German schools and universities.
Here's a timeline.
Banning trans Americans from serving in the military is not a distraction. It is a first step toward separating and ostracizing them in modern society. We shouldn't need to be reminded of what can happen next.
posted by zarq at 8:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [165 favorites]
In 1935, the Nuremberg Laws were passed. They deprived Jews of German citizenship and the right to vote, prohibited Jewish households from having German maids under the age of 45, prohibited any non-Jewish German from marrying a Jew and outlawed sexual relations between Jews and Germans.
In 1935 and '36, Jews were banned by law from parks, restaurants and swimming pools. They were no longer allowed to use electrical/optical equipment, bicycles, typewriters or records. Their passports were restricted. Many Jewish students were removed from German schools and universities.
Here's a timeline.
Banning trans Americans from serving in the military is not a distraction. It is a first step toward separating and ostracizing them in modern society. We shouldn't need to be reminded of what can happen next.
posted by zarq at 8:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [165 favorites]
Since the tide of bat excrement engulfing the White House appears now to be rising exponentially, we should consider the unlikely but possible invocation of the Twenty-Fifth Amendment Section Four.
Invocation of the amendment would only be successful with some terrible Triggering Event or group of Events involving our president’s behavior. The more terrible, the more likely the amendment is to be invoked and to succeed. I am not going to pretend to be able to predict what maniacal shit President Trump is going to pull next, so let’s leave it at that.
Why might Mike Pence choose to usurp the President? It’s possible, don’t quote me on this, that Mike Pence would like to be President of the United States. Now the debacle of Trump premiership has become clear, he may see this (or Trump’s impeachment) as his only chance.
It's increasingly apparent that many "principal officers of the executive departments", the majority of whom would be required to collude with Pence to replace the President, are very, very unhappy. Some of the most amenable in my opinion: Sessions, Mattis, Shulkin, Kelly, Tillerson. Depending on the severity of the Triggering Event(s) and the perceived likelihood of success, a majority could be reached.
Support for Trump among Republican voters remains high. But, Mike Pence is the person most capable of changing this. After invoking the amendment and becoming Acting President, Pence would address the nation on TV. He would talk about what a wonderful man Trump is, and how proud he was to join him in winning the election and serving his bold agenda. Then he would talk about a deterioration in President Trump. He would begin to state a long list of things which have been manifestly obvious about Trump from the start of the campaign: his rage, his incoherence, his bizarre and cruel treatment of those around him, his inability to focus on meetings of national importance or comprehend their contents. He would pretend that these things are new and surprising and that the very sensible Trump voters should share his sadness that Trump can no longer perform the job they sent him to do. He would talk about the importance of preventing Trump from obstructing investigations, even if those investigations find nothing. He would discuss the Triggering Event(s) in detail. He would then make a beautiful statement about national unity and appear to be the most presidential person ever, except of course for Lincoln who was bigly presidential.
Opinions of Donald Trump in the United States Congress range from thinking he’s an unreliable jerk to despising him with the nuclear fury of ten-thousand suns. Once Acting President Pence tells the nation the sad story of exactly why Donald Trump is no longer capable of being an effective president, it will suddenly become obvious to many members of Congress that this is indeed the case. Alas.
It will be very unpleasant for Republican politicians to argue that a man they despise should be president when he is not currently president, and when the man who is currently president has explained in excruciating and accurate detail why the no-longer-president is incapable of being president.
At this point, Trump is unlikely to be on his best behavior. He will likely behave in a way that reinforces everything Pence has claimed. It is possible that Congress would side forcefully with the new Acting President and keep Trump from regaining office.
Eventually one or more investigations will conclude and hopefully provide Congress the opportunity to impeach Trump and make Pence the definitive president.
It's all very unlikely. The President making incoherent and furious attacks on his own Attorney General on Twitter is also very unlikely. We live in unlikely times.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Invocation of the amendment would only be successful with some terrible Triggering Event or group of Events involving our president’s behavior. The more terrible, the more likely the amendment is to be invoked and to succeed. I am not going to pretend to be able to predict what maniacal shit President Trump is going to pull next, so let’s leave it at that.
Why might Mike Pence choose to usurp the President? It’s possible, don’t quote me on this, that Mike Pence would like to be President of the United States. Now the debacle of Trump premiership has become clear, he may see this (or Trump’s impeachment) as his only chance.
It's increasingly apparent that many "principal officers of the executive departments", the majority of whom would be required to collude with Pence to replace the President, are very, very unhappy. Some of the most amenable in my opinion: Sessions, Mattis, Shulkin, Kelly, Tillerson. Depending on the severity of the Triggering Event(s) and the perceived likelihood of success, a majority could be reached.
Support for Trump among Republican voters remains high. But, Mike Pence is the person most capable of changing this. After invoking the amendment and becoming Acting President, Pence would address the nation on TV. He would talk about what a wonderful man Trump is, and how proud he was to join him in winning the election and serving his bold agenda. Then he would talk about a deterioration in President Trump. He would begin to state a long list of things which have been manifestly obvious about Trump from the start of the campaign: his rage, his incoherence, his bizarre and cruel treatment of those around him, his inability to focus on meetings of national importance or comprehend their contents. He would pretend that these things are new and surprising and that the very sensible Trump voters should share his sadness that Trump can no longer perform the job they sent him to do. He would talk about the importance of preventing Trump from obstructing investigations, even if those investigations find nothing. He would discuss the Triggering Event(s) in detail. He would then make a beautiful statement about national unity and appear to be the most presidential person ever, except of course for Lincoln who was bigly presidential.
Opinions of Donald Trump in the United States Congress range from thinking he’s an unreliable jerk to despising him with the nuclear fury of ten-thousand suns. Once Acting President Pence tells the nation the sad story of exactly why Donald Trump is no longer capable of being an effective president, it will suddenly become obvious to many members of Congress that this is indeed the case. Alas.
It will be very unpleasant for Republican politicians to argue that a man they despise should be president when he is not currently president, and when the man who is currently president has explained in excruciating and accurate detail why the no-longer-president is incapable of being president.
At this point, Trump is unlikely to be on his best behavior. He will likely behave in a way that reinforces everything Pence has claimed. It is possible that Congress would side forcefully with the new Acting President and keep Trump from regaining office.
Eventually one or more investigations will conclude and hopefully provide Congress the opportunity to impeach Trump and make Pence the definitive president.
It's all very unlikely. The President making incoherent and furious attacks on his own Attorney General on Twitter is also very unlikely. We live in unlikely times.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Agreed, zarq. But outrage on the internet isn't working. What should we do instead?
posted by Melismata at 8:44 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by Melismata at 8:44 AM on July 27, 2017
One year ago today:
Russia, if you're listening...
posted by chris24 at 8:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Russia, if you're listening...
posted by chris24 at 8:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Members of the band Journey were just spotted in the White House briefing room. That is all.
Bet Donnie woke up this morning wanting to hear "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'."
posted by octobersurprise at 8:47 AM on July 27, 2017
Bet Donnie woke up this morning wanting to hear "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'."
posted by octobersurprise at 8:47 AM on July 27, 2017
What should we do instead?
Donate to Trans Lifeline and the ACLU. Call your trans and non-binary friends and make sure they're taking care of themselves and see if they need any support. Call your local LGBT center and see if they're having extra support groups or rallies or counselors on call. Ask them to do so if they're not. Get out on the street with a sign. Call your reps and senators and tell them how much this hurts you and those you love.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Donate to Trans Lifeline and the ACLU. Call your trans and non-binary friends and make sure they're taking care of themselves and see if they need any support. Call your local LGBT center and see if they're having extra support groups or rallies or counselors on call. Ask them to do so if they're not. Get out on the street with a sign. Call your reps and senators and tell them how much this hurts you and those you love.
posted by Sophie1 at 8:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
I know, I'm Australian, it's not my country but oh. You guys. It's not just you, it's here too and I just hate it so much. We're supposed to get better as time progresses and yes yes, regressions are a thing, but it just seems so stupid and pointless and wrong to deny people the right to a good life for the sake of tax cuts and political games and so on.
At least the predominant media myth is the Aussie Battler™ which makes it many orders of magnitude harder to strip welfare. Let's face it, when your biggest "what the fuck" in Australia politics is Turnbull giving Dutton a massive security ministry and de facto control of Australia's national security apparatu...
I mean, yeah, that's pretty fucking bad but we get two of those a day, one usually before breakfast.
posted by Talez at 8:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
At least the predominant media myth is the Aussie Battler™ which makes it many orders of magnitude harder to strip welfare. Let's face it, when your biggest "what the fuck" in Australia politics is Turnbull giving Dutton a massive security ministry and de facto control of Australia's national security apparatu...
I mean, yeah, that's pretty fucking bad but we get two of those a day, one usually before breakfast.
posted by Talez at 8:49 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Bet Donnie woke up this morning wanting to hear "Lovin', Touchin', Squeezin'."
Loyalty oaths weren't working anymore, he needed to hear "I'm forever yours ... faithfully" a few times.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:51 AM on July 27, 2017
Loyalty oaths weren't working anymore, he needed to hear "I'm forever yours ... faithfully" a few times.
posted by uncleozzy at 8:51 AM on July 27, 2017
Agreed, zarq. But outrage on the internet isn't working. What should we do instead?
Off the top of my head?
Support groups that fight for trans rights. There are 15 listed at that link. Speak out. Spread the word everywhere online and off. etc.
Email and call your representatives. Which I think most of us are already doing.
It can't hurt to also reach out to journalists on Twitter (and other ways) and express the importance of them continuing to cover this story.
posted by zarq at 8:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Off the top of my head?
Support groups that fight for trans rights. There are 15 listed at that link. Speak out. Spread the word everywhere online and off. etc.
Email and call your representatives. Which I think most of us are already doing.
It can't hurt to also reach out to journalists on Twitter (and other ways) and express the importance of them continuing to cover this story.
posted by zarq at 8:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Browder testifying to Judiciary Committee on Russia meddling now
posted by rc3spencer at 8:52 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 8:52 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
but it drains me when we spend the whole day discussing some new proclamation that is clearly an attempt to troll and trick us
The whole reason these rolling threads exist is to follow the overwhelming amount of things emanating from this White House. If yesterday had been a slow news day (as if they exist anymore) the thread would not have returned to talking about [other issue] from a few days ago. In fact, the mods have explicitly pleaded with everyone not to just keep talking in thread if there ever were to be a news slowdown. I read/skim these threads in an attempt to keep up with everything so I find the collection of reactions to everything as it happens useful. I have other groups online and offline where we stay focused on particular issues because that is what those groups are for.
Also, nothing is clearly a troll or trick as it happens. And everything is interconnected. The ban yesterday is interwoven with ICE/immigration issues because they are both designed to marginalize/endanger/eliminate others. And as others have noted, even is this turns into just floating an idea on Twitter without any actual change in policy it is not a "trick". They are marching orders; a signal to his followers that the administration is ready to back up any attacks on this latest group.
posted by mikepop at 8:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
The whole reason these rolling threads exist is to follow the overwhelming amount of things emanating from this White House. If yesterday had been a slow news day (as if they exist anymore) the thread would not have returned to talking about [other issue] from a few days ago. In fact, the mods have explicitly pleaded with everyone not to just keep talking in thread if there ever were to be a news slowdown. I read/skim these threads in an attempt to keep up with everything so I find the collection of reactions to everything as it happens useful. I have other groups online and offline where we stay focused on particular issues because that is what those groups are for.
Also, nothing is clearly a troll or trick as it happens. And everything is interconnected. The ban yesterday is interwoven with ICE/immigration issues because they are both designed to marginalize/endanger/eliminate others. And as others have noted, even is this turns into just floating an idea on Twitter without any actual change in policy it is not a "trick". They are marching orders; a signal to his followers that the administration is ready to back up any attacks on this latest group.
posted by mikepop at 8:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
On second thought, the word "distraction" is not a good choice, I apologize. What I wish is that the media would point out that the timing and/or announcements of Awful Thing may be a deliberate attempt to control the news coverage, and while we're talking about Awful Thing don't forget the Other Awful Things we would be talking about.
I say this because I didn't see a single report about the Senate Intelligence hearing yesterday. (I guess because Manafort wasn't there, so it wasn't a circus.)
But this is directed only at the media, not at how people respond to Awful Thing.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:55 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I say this because I didn't see a single report about the Senate Intelligence hearing yesterday. (I guess because Manafort wasn't there, so it wasn't a circus.)
But this is directed only at the media, not at how people respond to Awful Thing.
posted by Room 641-A at 8:55 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Also, I honestly believe that "outrage on the internet" does have an effect. The larger media outlets pay attention to trending topics, the emotional tenor of what people are posting and whether it is sustained over time or not. This helps dictate both what they cover and how they report it.
posted by zarq at 8:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by zarq at 8:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
But outrage on the internet isn't working. What should we do instead?
It hasn't fixed things, but I think we've done more than we realize. We're playing defense and have denied them lots of goals. No way did they think they would have to work this hard to get their wealthcare bill through. They wanted to get that done by July 4, remember?
Obviously taking action financially and otherwise to support every group under attack is important. But just because the political fight is a slog doesn't mean it's fruitless. Stay strong, friends.
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
It hasn't fixed things, but I think we've done more than we realize. We're playing defense and have denied them lots of goals. No way did they think they would have to work this hard to get their wealthcare bill through. They wanted to get that done by July 4, remember?
Obviously taking action financially and otherwise to support every group under attack is important. But just because the political fight is a slog doesn't mean it's fruitless. Stay strong, friends.
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Hahahaha! My fucking god, the insanity and insecurity.
@MattNegrin
Scaramucci: Trump "sinks 3-foot putts."
White House transcript revises: "He sinks 30-foot putts." [screenshot]
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/07/21/press-briefing-white-house-principal-deputy-press-secretary-sarah
posted by chris24 at 8:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
@MattNegrin
Scaramucci: Trump "sinks 3-foot putts."
White House transcript revises: "He sinks 30-foot putts." [screenshot]
https://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2017/07/21/press-briefing-white-house-principal-deputy-press-secretary-sarah
posted by chris24 at 8:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
I think we're going to lose the ACA. When we do, it will be the largest transfer of wealth from the poor to the rich in the history of this country.
Democrats absolutely need to use this framing, and all the time, but that it's actually a transfer from from the American people to the rich.
posted by Gelatin at 9:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Democrats absolutely need to use this framing, and all the time, but that it's actually a transfer from from the American people to the rich.
posted by Gelatin at 9:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Browder testifying to Judiciary Committee on Russia meddling now
Not sure what that youtube livestream is, but I think that hearing ended an hour ago. The full Browder testimony to the SJC is available on C-span.
posted by pjenks at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Not sure what that youtube livestream is, but I think that hearing ended an hour ago. The full Browder testimony to the SJC is available on C-span.
posted by pjenks at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Also... gay men and women were banned from military service until 2010. Those bans are a way the federal government normalizes sexism and discrimination. Just the same way that banning people from the military (or segregating them by law in society) based on the color of their skin was the government's normalization of discrimination and racism.
posted by zarq at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by zarq at 9:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Democrats absolutely need to use this framing, and all the time, but that it's actually a transfer from from the American people to the rich.
Mmmh, ... that's just one word away from "the global rich".
posted by sour cream at 9:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Mmmh, ... that's just one word away from "the global rich".
posted by sour cream at 9:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Can you imagine how awkward it must be when Trump yanks a two-foot putt and the rest of his group has to pretend it didn't happen? Oh, who I am kidding, he probably takes a gimme on everything under 15 feet.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:10 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
But outrage on the internet isn't working. What should we do instead?
Start focusing the outrage. Complain to businesses advertising on Twitter, complain to vendors working on behalf of Trump properties.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Start focusing the outrage. Complain to businesses advertising on Twitter, complain to vendors working on behalf of Trump properties.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
but it drains me when we spend the whole day discussing some new proclamation that is clearly an attempt to troll and trick us
It's not a trick; even if nothing comes from it in terms of policy, it's still an attack and threat against a vulnerable group. Vulnerable groups need support and defending.
It's part of an insidious strategy, one that is aimed at making people feel overwhelmed, isolated, and alone. They want people feeling upset that "too much" was wasted over that statement, to encourage them to give up, to feel like other people aren't fighting the important fights. The truth is, there's a lot of fights out there right now. They're all important. They are all part of the same thing. Trust that the people fighting a different one from you know what they are doing, and believe that they are trusting you to keep focusing on the ones you see as important. Keep going.
posted by nubs at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
It's not a trick; even if nothing comes from it in terms of policy, it's still an attack and threat against a vulnerable group. Vulnerable groups need support and defending.
It's part of an insidious strategy, one that is aimed at making people feel overwhelmed, isolated, and alone. They want people feeling upset that "too much" was wasted over that statement, to encourage them to give up, to feel like other people aren't fighting the important fights. The truth is, there's a lot of fights out there right now. They're all important. They are all part of the same thing. Trust that the people fighting a different one from you know what they are doing, and believe that they are trusting you to keep focusing on the ones you see as important. Keep going.
posted by nubs at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
The Hill: Joint Chiefs: No change in transgender policy until Trump sends Pentagon direction
Notably, the statement includes no words of support for the President's decision.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Notably, the statement includes no words of support for the President's decision.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:12 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Also, nothing is clearly a troll or trick as it happens. And everything is interconnected. The ban yesterday is interwoven with ICE/immigration issues because they are both designed to marginalize/endanger/eliminate others.
I wish the media would pick up this framing. The administration was instantly ready to trade the lives of 15,000 active trans service members to get a budget passed. That's not *just* hating trans people; it's disposing of their safety and even using it to score political points. What wouldn't Trump trade to get what he wanted? Or, what has he already traded away? The administration doesn't value anything or anyone except as it serves their leader.
posted by gladly at 9:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
I wish the media would pick up this framing. The administration was instantly ready to trade the lives of 15,000 active trans service members to get a budget passed. That's not *just* hating trans people; it's disposing of their safety and even using it to score political points. What wouldn't Trump trade to get what he wanted? Or, what has he already traded away? The administration doesn't value anything or anyone except as it serves their leader.
posted by gladly at 9:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Scaramucci: Trump "sinks 3-foot putts."
White House transcript revises: "He sinks 30-foot putts."
Putzgate
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
White House transcript revises: "He sinks 30-foot putts."
Putzgate
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:16 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
#puzzagate
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is it just me, or has this week been an extra level of B-A-N-A-N-A-S crazy?
BREAKING: Banana Republicans Slip On Skinny Repeal!
posted by eclectist at 9:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
BREAKING: Banana Republicans Slip On Skinny Repeal!
posted by eclectist at 9:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Absolutely mind-boggling article from Talking Points Memo in which a series of Republican senators explain their reluctant embrace of Skinny Repeal on the basis that it won't become law, hopefully.
If you hope something won't become a law, do not vote for the thing imho
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [52 favorites]
If you hope something won't become a law, do not vote for the thing imho
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [52 favorites]
Majority Whip John Cornyn (R-TX) floated the idea of Republicans just passing the skinny repeal into law and calling it a day Wednesday afternoon, telling reporters, “The House could take up the Senate bill and pass that or they could amend it and send it back.”
“I would vote for a skinny plan to get into conference to come up with a replacement. If I thought that was all the conference was going to do I wouldn’t vote for it,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told TPM during a Wednesday afternoon scrum.
When told of Cornyn’s comment later in the evening, Graham responded: “Well then I won’t vote for that. I think that would be a joke, that would be a punt.”
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
“I would vote for a skinny plan to get into conference to come up with a replacement. If I thought that was all the conference was going to do I wouldn’t vote for it,” Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-SC) told TPM during a Wednesday afternoon scrum.
When told of Cornyn’s comment later in the evening, Graham responded: “Well then I won’t vote for that. I think that would be a joke, that would be a punt.”
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
that's just one word away from "the global rich"
I understand the implied dog-whistle, but if the unchecked transnational accumulation of wealth into the hands of the already fabulously rich isn't the goal, WHAT COULD IT BE? It sure as hell isn't actual health care. Just shitting on people, period?
posted by aspersioncast at 9:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I understand the implied dog-whistle, but if the unchecked transnational accumulation of wealth into the hands of the already fabulously rich isn't the goal, WHAT COULD IT BE? It sure as hell isn't actual health care. Just shitting on people, period?
posted by aspersioncast at 9:22 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
So does being told that our lives are a mere distraction from the real issues.
Well, I'm not trans, but it's my life too. I'm totally affected by health care policies; my mother could die if things change. These things ARE the real issues, but by only focusing on one at a time we're missing the big picture.
posted by Melismata at 9:23 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well, I'm not trans, but it's my life too. I'm totally affected by health care policies; my mother could die if things change. These things ARE the real issues, but by only focusing on one at a time we're missing the big picture.
posted by Melismata at 9:23 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'd just like to say that I've never been a fan of the word 'skinny' and now I hate it even more. May skinny, fake, failing, crooked and all the other bullshit dogwhistle idioms die in a chasm of ridicule and scorn.
posted by h00py at 9:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by h00py at 9:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
only focusing on one at a time we're missing the big picture.
Just out of curiosity, how many people have to point out the various ways that they and other people are doing a bunch of other things in addition to focusing on this particular violation of human rights and dignity that smacks of 1930s Germany before you accept that people are capable of being mad about more than one thing?
posted by Etrigan at 9:27 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Just out of curiosity, how many people have to point out the various ways that they and other people are doing a bunch of other things in addition to focusing on this particular violation of human rights and dignity that smacks of 1930s Germany before you accept that people are capable of being mad about more than one thing?
posted by Etrigan at 9:27 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
I don't think it's possible to focus on one thing at a time when there's multitudes of shit being thrown on a daily basis. Gather it together and present it on a platter of steaming incontrovertibility.
posted by h00py at 9:29 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by h00py at 9:29 AM on July 27, 2017
Is it just me, or has this week been an extra level of B-A-N-A-N-A-S crazy?
And you forgot the Hitler Light Youth Rally
posted by standardasparagus at 9:29 AM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
And you forgot the Hitler Light Youth Rally
posted by standardasparagus at 9:29 AM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
@MichaelCBender (WSJ): Reince & Mooch sat on same couch Tues. during WSJ's POTUS interview. Photog TJ Kirkpatrick snapped this at the end:
[Oval Office photograph of Reince and Scaramucci shootingposted by pjenks at 9:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]daggarssporks at each other.]
I understand the implied dog-whistle, but if the unchecked transnational accumulation of wealth into the hands of the already fabulously rich isn't the goal, WHAT COULD IT BE?
The Republicans haven't been making much of a secret that repealing all or part of the ACA is a necessary predicate to their plan to cut taxes on the rich, to say nothing of the tax cuts that are part of the House plan. I hope no one is implying that an accurate description of the Republican agenda is tantamount to some quasi-anti-Semitic slur.
posted by Gelatin at 9:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Republicans haven't been making much of a secret that repealing all or part of the ACA is a necessary predicate to their plan to cut taxes on the rich, to say nothing of the tax cuts that are part of the House plan. I hope no one is implying that an accurate description of the Republican agenda is tantamount to some quasi-anti-Semitic slur.
posted by Gelatin at 9:34 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Can we just spread a rumor that "if skinny repeal passes, George Soros makes eleventy billion dollars" and watch Teabots melt down the telephone wires demanding its defeat?
posted by delfin at 9:37 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by delfin at 9:37 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Can we just spread a rumor that "if skinny repeal passes, George Soros makes eleventy billion dollars" and watch Teabots melt down the telephone wires demanding its defeat?
Let's not take up antisemitic talking points, please. When that lot invoke Soros' name they using as a placeholder for "Jews".
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
Let's not take up antisemitic talking points, please. When that lot invoke Soros' name they using as a placeholder for "Jews".
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
More on Graham's "holy hell to pay" stance.
I'm waiting for the plot twist wherein CNN reveals that he has no backbone to find.
posted by zarq at 9:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm waiting for the plot twist wherein CNN reveals that he has no backbone to find.
posted by zarq at 9:46 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have to say, the bitter rivalry of Priebus and Scaramucci is one of my favorite commedia dell'arte storylines
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 9:48 AM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
From the CBC - 'By God, we're good soldiers': What these transgender veterans think about Trump's U.S. trans troop ban
My friend Vivian is one of the people profiled here - she has been doing a lot of press in the past two days! She's a long-time activist for trans rights because she's kind of a perfect spokesperson: she's an Iraq vet with a Southern accent who is currently in seminary to become a preacher. I really admire her for using her unique position as a trans person who ticks a lot of 'real America' boxes to speak up for other people - if I were her, I'm not sure I wouldn't just keep my damn head down and try to avoid attracting the attention of trolls.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:56 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
My friend Vivian is one of the people profiled here - she has been doing a lot of press in the past two days! She's a long-time activist for trans rights because she's kind of a perfect spokesperson: she's an Iraq vet with a Southern accent who is currently in seminary to become a preacher. I really admire her for using her unique position as a trans person who ticks a lot of 'real America' boxes to speak up for other people - if I were her, I'm not sure I wouldn't just keep my damn head down and try to avoid attracting the attention of trolls.
posted by showbiz_liz at 9:56 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
National Treasure Alexandra Petri, WaPo: A moderate speaks: By God, won’t someone else take a stand?
I have no idea what is passing and what is being debated. Everything around me is chaos. Out of the wreckage of the parliamentary procedure rides Mitch McConnell on a pale horse sowing destruction in his wake. I think we just agreed to push all wheelchairs, occupied or not, over a cliff somewhere, but honestly I have no idea.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
Will you just stand by and let this happen? You must not, because I will.
Where are the courageous three or four people who are willing to stand alone with me against this? I can’t do it without the cover of a courageous three or four people, and those people are nowhere to be found.
By God, what has become of the Senate? What has become of the nation’s greatest deliberative body? It is time that someone else took a stand. This legislation we are throwing frantically up for a vote is a disgrace to the country, it is cruel, and we arrived at it the wrong way, and so I will not vote for it more than once.
Mod note: Couple comments removed. Y'all let's really not get into a sidebar on anti-semitic dog-whistles vs. criticism of wealth-serving-the-wealthy here like it's a thing where only one or the other can be an issue. Being critical of both is super doable and more to the point it's very very possible to be starkly critical of accumulated and self-perpetuating wealth and financial inequality while also taking care to avoid wandering into needless echoing of shit anti-semites say.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
From the CBC - 'By God, we're good soldiers': What these transgender veterans think about Trump's U.S. trans troop ban
Media doing the right thing for once.
posted by Artw at 10:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Media doing the right thing for once.
posted by Artw at 10:00 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Photog TJ Kirkpatrick snapped this at the end:
Scaramucci is doing the long necktie thing too. I kind of admire the guy in a sick way.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Scaramucci is doing the long necktie thing too. I kind of admire the guy in a sick way.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
(It's like when Spicer tried out the spray tan in his first week, but didn't have the heart to keep it up.)
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
So if this "Skinny Repeal" goes through, you won't have to purchase health insurance, but insurers will still have to cover pre-existing conditions, right? So everyone can just cancel their health insurance and then buy it when they get sick? Surely that's not the plan...
posted by joecacti at 10:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by joecacti at 10:05 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Scaramucci is doing the long necktie thing too. I kind of admire the guy in a sick way.
It's like Single White President or Dumb Ringers.
posted by octobersurprise at 10:08 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
It's like Single White President or Dumb Ringers.
posted by octobersurprise at 10:08 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
There is no plan only Zuul
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 10:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
The real plan was the friends we made along the way.
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
So everyone can just cancel their health insurance and then buy it when they get sick? Surely that's not the plan...
If it winds up working out this way, you can be sure that premiums and deductibles will skyrocket on everyone. That simply too much risk (and not nearly enough profit) for the insurance companies to tolerate. And by skyrocket, I mean double, triple, or more...and by everyone I mean employer insurance plans as well as private plans.
posted by Existential Dread at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
If it winds up working out this way, you can be sure that premiums and deductibles will skyrocket on everyone. That simply too much risk (and not nearly enough profit) for the insurance companies to tolerate. And by skyrocket, I mean double, triple, or more...and by everyone I mean employer insurance plans as well as private plans.
posted by Existential Dread at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Actually, that Joint Chiefs statement is amazingly fucking encouraging and isn't just "we wait on the president".
posted by corb at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
There will be no modifications to the current policy until the president’s direction has been received by the secretary of defense and the secretary has issued implementation guidanceTo me, that reads like "Nice job, asshole, but we take our orders from the tower" (SecDef)
posted by corb at 10:11 AM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
Surely that's not the plan...
How many times have we heard from Republicans, Trump included, that if they can't repeal & replace they'll just have to "let" Obamacare fail? The plan is absolutely to sabotage the ACA in every way possible and say "I told you it wouldn't work" when the insurance market is decimated. This isn't a secret n-dimensional-chess scheme, this is what they've told us they are going to do.
posted by skymt at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
How many times have we heard from Republicans, Trump included, that if they can't repeal & replace they'll just have to "let" Obamacare fail? The plan is absolutely to sabotage the ACA in every way possible and say "I told you it wouldn't work" when the insurance market is decimated. This isn't a secret n-dimensional-chess scheme, this is what they've told us they are going to do.
posted by skymt at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
If it winds up working out this way, you can be sure that premiums and deductibles will skyrocket on everyone. That simply too much risk (and not nearly enough profit) for the insurance companies to tolerate. And by skyrocket, I mean double, triple, or more...and by everyone I mean employer insurance plans as well as private plans.
Somebody on Twitter was speculating that the plan may be to make insurance horrifically unaffordable while keeping Medicaid around in order to stoke class hatred against the poor- "You can't afford health insurance but these good for nothing moochers lie around all day getting their healthcare paid for!"
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Somebody on Twitter was speculating that the plan may be to make insurance horrifically unaffordable while keeping Medicaid around in order to stoke class hatred against the poor- "You can't afford health insurance but these good for nothing moochers lie around all day getting their healthcare paid for!"
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
I propose a Skinny Tie Repeal and everyone goes back to wide Watergate-era ties.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Profiles In Brilliance: Asked if "skinny repeal" could become law or is just a way to get to conference, Sen. Roy Blunt says "I haven't thought it through."
posted by Chrysostom at 10:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
If you're tired of being angry about healthcare and the attack on trans people, here's what's up with ICE - arresting people as they go in for marriage interviews for green cards:
https://twitter.com/hannahdreier/status/890586759234539520
If I find more info (looks like a ThinkProgress reporter is working on a story) I'll post it.
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
https://twitter.com/hannahdreier/status/890586759234539520
If I find more info (looks like a ThinkProgress reporter is working on a story) I'll post it.
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
If you're having trouble dealing with the range and variety of attacks on America, humanity, and the earth committed by the current administration, it may be useful to try "sticking to your lane" — picking a policy area that's important and that you're informed about, and specifically seeking out news on that policy area in the interest of finding means of resistance in that sub-area.
And then sharing the info and tactics you find to this thread.
No one person can be informed about every detail of the United States government, not even during ordinary times. If you try to "keep up" with the news generally, you end up wasting your life obsessing over breaking news on the internet. But if you focus on specific areas (police violence, the attacks on healthcare, the attacks on LGBTQ folks, the attacks on the environment, attacks on refugees, attacks on immigrants, attacks on Muslims, treason in the defense of Putin, and so forth — whatever administration crime you know the most about and can most effectively oppose) you can keep your wits about you and also contribute to resistance to trumpism and the Republican Party.
Yes, when the orange man's administration launches a new attack on another specific group of us, the thread will end up focusing on that for a little while. If responses to those attacks are distracting you from getting work done in your lane, leave the thread for a bit and go do some research on what we can also do to resist the attacks that are also happening in your lane. But don't think of the attacks themselves as a "distraction." No, no one individual can pay attention to every attack the Republicans make; but if we trust that we're all in it together, and that we all know that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, we can trust that the community as a whole can collectively, effectively respond to all attacks.
And good lord whatever you do, don't watch cable news, since of the key problems with cable news on the whole is that it inculcates the useless idea that we must always be paying attention to the One! Big! Issue! of the day.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [124 favorites]
And then sharing the info and tactics you find to this thread.
No one person can be informed about every detail of the United States government, not even during ordinary times. If you try to "keep up" with the news generally, you end up wasting your life obsessing over breaking news on the internet. But if you focus on specific areas (police violence, the attacks on healthcare, the attacks on LGBTQ folks, the attacks on the environment, attacks on refugees, attacks on immigrants, attacks on Muslims, treason in the defense of Putin, and so forth — whatever administration crime you know the most about and can most effectively oppose) you can keep your wits about you and also contribute to resistance to trumpism and the Republican Party.
Yes, when the orange man's administration launches a new attack on another specific group of us, the thread will end up focusing on that for a little while. If responses to those attacks are distracting you from getting work done in your lane, leave the thread for a bit and go do some research on what we can also do to resist the attacks that are also happening in your lane. But don't think of the attacks themselves as a "distraction." No, no one individual can pay attention to every attack the Republicans make; but if we trust that we're all in it together, and that we all know that an attack on one of us is an attack on all of us, we can trust that the community as a whole can collectively, effectively respond to all attacks.
And good lord whatever you do, don't watch cable news, since of the key problems with cable news on the whole is that it inculcates the useless idea that we must always be paying attention to the One! Big! Issue! of the day.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [124 favorites]
So if this "Skinny Repeal" goes through, you won't have to purchase health insurance, but insurers will still have to cover pre-existing conditions, right? So everyone can just cancel their health insurance and then buy it when they get sick? Surely that's not the plan...
It sure is. Though once healthy people drop off AND insurance companies still have to pay for comparatively expensive disorders and treatments, the cost of even rudimentary insurance will skyrocket. So when you do get sick, the sticker shock of insurance premiums may be worse than the disease.
It works perfectly if the goal is to use it as a stratagem for enabling tax cuts. Not so much for actual healthcare management, but that was never among their goals.
Also, don't call me Shirley.
posted by delfin at 10:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
It sure is. Though once healthy people drop off AND insurance companies still have to pay for comparatively expensive disorders and treatments, the cost of even rudimentary insurance will skyrocket. So when you do get sick, the sticker shock of insurance premiums may be worse than the disease.
It works perfectly if the goal is to use it as a stratagem for enabling tax cuts. Not so much for actual healthcare management, but that was never among their goals.
Also, don't call me Shirley.
posted by delfin at 10:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is why AHIP opposes skinny repeal.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:21 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
that the letter is intended as a sort of trap:
Of course it is. The 1st version of 'it's a trap!' is the White House got the letter, vetted it, and understand Dylan is a mainlined special needs child.
The 2nd version of 'it's a trap' is the letter was sent by some pranksters, there is no Dylan, and the 'taken for real but actually fake' will get a news cycle about fake things.
The 'Trump is a great leader' version is the letter is from pranksters, the White House vetted it with the quality displayed by the Trump organization and the resulting flailing around will give the pranksters a laugh all the way to the charges from the DOJ for some crime.
The "real news" people shouldn't spend any time on the issue - let the weaponized ADHD of the internet figure it out and THEN go with a story of how many man hours were spent looking into pickle by "the internet".
posted by rough ashlar at 10:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Of course it is. The 1st version of 'it's a trap!' is the White House got the letter, vetted it, and understand Dylan is a mainlined special needs child.
The 2nd version of 'it's a trap' is the letter was sent by some pranksters, there is no Dylan, and the 'taken for real but actually fake' will get a news cycle about fake things.
The 'Trump is a great leader' version is the letter is from pranksters, the White House vetted it with the quality displayed by the Trump organization and the resulting flailing around will give the pranksters a laugh all the way to the charges from the DOJ for some crime.
The "real news" people shouldn't spend any time on the issue - let the weaponized ADHD of the internet figure it out and THEN go with a story of how many man hours were spent looking into pickle by "the internet".
posted by rough ashlar at 10:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Thank you, You Can't Tip a Buick. That is excellent advice.
posted by greermahoney at 10:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by greermahoney at 10:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree.
posted by adamg at 10:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by adamg at 10:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
I can't help but wonder if the anti-trans tweet, in addition to being bigoted fuel for Trump's cultists and just a generally shitty and evil thing for its own sake, wasn't planned as a sort of trial balloon by someone (Bannon maybe?)
They could have had Trump issue an Executive Order and do all the other formal stuff that is required for an actual exercise of Presidential power, instead whoever told Trump to do this had him do it as a tweet.
And I can't help but wonder if they were using this to test whether or not they could actually get compliance from a Presidential dictate issued via tweet. To a would be autocrat that sort of breakdown in the norms of how executive power is exercised would be a great advantage. If the leaders of the US military had complied with the tweet rather than (as they seem to be doing) saying that they won't make a change until the orders go through the proper forms and chains of command it would definitely have been a big push towards Trump ruling via tweet. Instead, thankfully, there's pushback and it looks like his trans ban won't go through this way. [1]
It's hard reading any real meaning into Trump's actions since he has no plan, no purpose, and no intent beyond his own self aggrandizement. But some people in his camp do have plans, and the more paranoid part of me wonders if the tweet wasn't part of a probing at boundaries to see what they could get away with.
[1] Though, of course, it will have a chilling effect on trans rights in the military and encourage every bigoted officer to abuse trans solders as much as possible.
posted by sotonohito at 10:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
They could have had Trump issue an Executive Order and do all the other formal stuff that is required for an actual exercise of Presidential power, instead whoever told Trump to do this had him do it as a tweet.
And I can't help but wonder if they were using this to test whether or not they could actually get compliance from a Presidential dictate issued via tweet. To a would be autocrat that sort of breakdown in the norms of how executive power is exercised would be a great advantage. If the leaders of the US military had complied with the tweet rather than (as they seem to be doing) saying that they won't make a change until the orders go through the proper forms and chains of command it would definitely have been a big push towards Trump ruling via tweet. Instead, thankfully, there's pushback and it looks like his trans ban won't go through this way. [1]
It's hard reading any real meaning into Trump's actions since he has no plan, no purpose, and no intent beyond his own self aggrandizement. But some people in his camp do have plans, and the more paranoid part of me wonders if the tweet wasn't part of a probing at boundaries to see what they could get away with.
[1] Though, of course, it will have a chilling effect on trans rights in the military and encourage every bigoted officer to abuse trans solders as much as possible.
posted by sotonohito at 10:25 AM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
As mooted above, here's why this week hasn't been like any other week:
Donald Trump just had his most dishonest week as president:7 days, 34 false claims
The Star’s running tally of every false thing the president of the United States of America has said, 447 so far.
posted by Devonian at 10:26 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Donald Trump just had his most dishonest week as president:7 days, 34 false claims
The Star’s running tally of every false thing the president of the United States of America has said, 447 so far.
posted by Devonian at 10:26 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
And as if all of this wasn’t scary enough, there’s this from Admiral Scott Swift today who acknowledged that if President Trump ordered a nuclear strike on China, he’d have to follow orders.
The Chain of Command, y'all.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:32 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
The Chain of Command, y'all.
posted by The Card Cheat at 10:32 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
[Watanabe]: Let them fight
posted by Existential Dread at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Existential Dread at 10:35 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I feel like my head is exploding:
posted by Chrysostom at 10:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
Sen Rounds says he's asked for a guarantee house won't pass skinny befor conference or a delay in implementation if it passesSo...we're going to pass this bill on the sole condition that it won't become law.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
"it's okay you can trust me" -scorpion house republicans
posted by entropicamericana at 10:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 10:38 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
The committee led by Sen. Lisa Murkowski postponed a vote on six Trump administration nominees the same day a Cabinet secretary allegedly threatened retribution against the Alaska Republican over her healthcare vote.
She's already lost a Republican primary and then won the general election as a write-in candidate, you pillock. You think you're going to put her on an ice floe?
posted by Etrigan at 10:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [65 favorites]
She's already lost a Republican primary and then won the general election as a write-in candidate, you pillock. You think you're going to put her on an ice floe?
posted by Etrigan at 10:39 AM on July 27, 2017 [65 favorites]
Lately, I've been dreaming of some Democrat or journalist thinking to her or himself "This is going to cost me my career, but it needs to be done for the good of the world," and, on live television, in reaction to some odious Trump statement or move, going full on Peter Capaldi as Malcolm Tucker in In the Loop on his punk ass, with all of the wonderfully artful swearing, anger, and outrage that character brought to bear on fools.
A wolf can still dream, can't he?
posted by lord_wolf at 10:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
A wolf can still dream, can't he?
posted by lord_wolf at 10:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
> So...we're going to pass this bill on the sole condition that it won't become law.
What reason do we have to believe that Rounds and the rest of the supposed moderates aren't willing participants in the misdirection here? All most of them seem to want (with the possible exception of Murkowski and maybe Collins?) is some sort of protection from the political consequences of passage. As long as they put up a credible (to the rubes who will vote for them) kayfabe where they appear to be taking McConnell and other GOP leadership at their word, they can claim they didn't want to kill the ACA. McConnell's lie happens to be more helpful to them than the truth, so they're willing to believe it. (Related: Republicans’ Obamacare repeal drive has revealed a political system where words have no meaning)
posted by tonycpsu at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
What reason do we have to believe that Rounds and the rest of the supposed moderates aren't willing participants in the misdirection here? All most of them seem to want (with the possible exception of Murkowski and maybe Collins?) is some sort of protection from the political consequences of passage. As long as they put up a credible (to the rubes who will vote for them) kayfabe where they appear to be taking McConnell and other GOP leadership at their word, they can claim they didn't want to kill the ACA. McConnell's lie happens to be more helpful to them than the truth, so they're willing to believe it. (Related: Republicans’ Obamacare repeal drive has revealed a political system where words have no meaning)
posted by tonycpsu at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
That Boy Scout apology was as mealy-mouthed as it is possible to be but it will still enrage Trump if anyone tells him about it.
posted by winna at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by winna at 10:41 AM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
And as if all of this wasn’t scary enough, there’s this from Admiral Scott Swift today who acknowledged that if President Trump ordered a nuclear strike on China, he’d have to follow orders.
What's also truly scary is the Pentagon apparently thought it was totally possible that Trump would announce a military strike via Twitter.
posted by martin q blank at 10:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
What's also truly scary is the Pentagon apparently thought it was totally possible that Trump would announce a military strike via Twitter.
posted by martin q blank at 10:43 AM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi:
nickconfessore Bonus for WH: it has liberals arguing whether it's anti-trans to opine that Trump's announcement is a distraction.posted by pjenks at 10:44 AM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
(Related: Republicans’ Obamacare repeal drive has revealed a political system where words have no meaning)
Revealed?! Klein was blogging during Bush's presidency, to say nothing of all the lies Republicans told about Obamacare for the previous seven years. Republicans using obfuscation to advance an unpopular agenda is nothing new, and he should know that.
posted by Gelatin at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Revealed?! Klein was blogging during Bush's presidency, to say nothing of all the lies Republicans told about Obamacare for the previous seven years. Republicans using obfuscation to advance an unpopular agenda is nothing new, and he should know that.
posted by Gelatin at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's hard reading any real meaning into Trump's actions since he has no plan, no purpose, and no intent beyond his own self aggrandizement. But some people in his camp do have plans, and the more paranoid part of me wonders if the tweet wasn't part of a probing at boundaries to see what they could get away with.
TBH, I don't think they are thinking as far ahead as you imagine, but there's no doubt in my mind that someone else wrote those tweets - maybe Banner, maybe Miller, and that they imagine they have some sort of a plan.
Yesterday there was sort of a theme of appealing strongly to the Christian fundamentalists as well as pushing at Sessions, both of which "tactics" I think are a response to a real fear in the WH because the investigations are getting closer. I don't see this so much as distractions created by a demoniacal schemer as it is shooting in all directions by a bunch of idiots who are in far deeper than they can reach.
posted by mumimor at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
TBH, I don't think they are thinking as far ahead as you imagine, but there's no doubt in my mind that someone else wrote those tweets - maybe Banner, maybe Miller, and that they imagine they have some sort of a plan.
Yesterday there was sort of a theme of appealing strongly to the Christian fundamentalists as well as pushing at Sessions, both of which "tactics" I think are a response to a real fear in the WH because the investigations are getting closer. I don't see this so much as distractions created by a demoniacal schemer as it is shooting in all directions by a bunch of idiots who are in far deeper than they can reach.
posted by mumimor at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi
poor bastard
posted by entropicamericana at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
poor bastard
posted by entropicamericana at 10:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi
FWIW this is definitely not the only online space where this is being argued.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 10:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
FWIW this is definitely not the only online space where this is being argued.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 10:47 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Non-apology apology. Only apologizing to the offended people, rather than taking ownership for doing something wrong.
posted by emelenjr at 10:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by emelenjr at 10:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi
ah, so that was that screaming blue face I saw in the background when I was scrolling down
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
ah, so that was that screaming blue face I saw in the background when I was scrolling down
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
nickconfessore Bonus for WH: it has liberals arguing whether it's anti-trans to opine that Trump's announcement is a distraction.
This is something I've been trying to point out wherever I've been discussing it. Calling shit like this a distraction is a real great way to tell those targeted that their lives aren't important.
When a "distraction" threatens to destroy (or end) lives, it still has to be fought. It still has to be taken seriously. We're going to have to get used to fighting multiple battles on multiple fronts at the same time.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
This is something I've been trying to point out wherever I've been discussing it. Calling shit like this a distraction is a real great way to tell those targeted that their lives aren't important.
When a "distraction" threatens to destroy (or end) lives, it still has to be fought. It still has to be taken seriously. We're going to have to get used to fighting multiple battles on multiple fronts at the same time.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:51 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Asked if "skinny repeal" could become law or is just a way to get to conference, Sen. Roy Blunt says "I haven't thought it through."
JFC, that's the perfect slogan of the modern Republican Party - We Haven't Thought It Through.
posted by zakur at 10:52 AM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
JFC, that's the perfect slogan of the modern Republican Party - We Haven't Thought It Through.
posted by zakur at 10:52 AM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
Here is the admiral's (cited above) full response.
“The answer would be yes,” Swift said. “Every member of the US military has sworn an oath to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and to obey the officers and the president of the United States as the commander in chief appointed over us.”
Admiral, the president of the US is an enemy domestic, and you would be defending the Constitution by defying him.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:56 AM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
“The answer would be yes,” Swift said. “Every member of the US military has sworn an oath to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and to obey the officers and the president of the United States as the commander in chief appointed over us.”
Admiral, the president of the US is an enemy domestic, and you would be defending the Constitution by defying him.
posted by NorthernLite at 10:56 AM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
nickconfessore Bonus for WH: it has liberals arguing whether it's anti-trans to opine that Trump's announcement is a distraction.
It's both. It's a distraction to overload the media sphere because it's literally their only tactic, and it's anti-trans to abandon our trans brothers and sisters from their fight to be treated like human fucking beings.
I've been reading a lot of the "smarter" never Trumper Republicans and they point out that, yeah, we are reacting to every squirrel but the squirrels they keep releasing are shit like denigrate members of our communities, murder hundreds of thousands of our poorest and most vulnerable countryfolk, and possibly sell out the United States Government to foreign interest for profit and/or quid pro quo. How can we fucking not? Any of these scandals would sink any normal presidency under normal operating conditions of a healthy democracy. I could ignore the travel ban, I could ignore the trans ban, because there's literally nothing I can do. They'll work their way through the courts and the judiciary will have their stab at it. But I just can't sit there and say "This is fine".
And that's our weakness. It's always been a weakness. We seem to give a shit. We seem to give a shit that everyone gets a fair shot, we seem to give a shit to have functioning government working for us, we seem to give a shit on democracy not sliding into autocracy. Everyone who's in on this "game" knows it and will continue to hold the fucking gun to Columbia's head until we acquiesce out of sheer attrition.
posted by Talez at 10:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
It's both. It's a distraction to overload the media sphere because it's literally their only tactic, and it's anti-trans to abandon our trans brothers and sisters from their fight to be treated like human fucking beings.
I've been reading a lot of the "smarter" never Trumper Republicans and they point out that, yeah, we are reacting to every squirrel but the squirrels they keep releasing are shit like denigrate members of our communities, murder hundreds of thousands of our poorest and most vulnerable countryfolk, and possibly sell out the United States Government to foreign interest for profit and/or quid pro quo. How can we fucking not? Any of these scandals would sink any normal presidency under normal operating conditions of a healthy democracy. I could ignore the travel ban, I could ignore the trans ban, because there's literally nothing I can do. They'll work their way through the courts and the judiciary will have their stab at it. But I just can't sit there and say "This is fine".
And that's our weakness. It's always been a weakness. We seem to give a shit. We seem to give a shit that everyone gets a fair shot, we seem to give a shit to have functioning government working for us, we seem to give a shit on democracy not sliding into autocracy. Everyone who's in on this "game" knows it and will continue to hold the fucking gun to Columbia's head until we acquiesce out of sheer attrition.
posted by Talez at 10:57 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
FiveThirtyEight helpfully provides some bad news for later this evening:
FiveThirtyEight Reconciliation bills that make it to conference tend to become law.posted by pjenks at 10:58 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
[table of data 1980-present]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi
ah, so that was that screaming blue face I saw in the background when I was scrolling down
Our very own Josie Packard.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
ah, so that was that screaming blue face I saw in the background when I was scrolling down
Our very own Josie Packard.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:59 AM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
That Boy Scout apology: We're sorry about all the politics, did we mention we have ziplines?
posted by bibliowench at 11:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by bibliowench at 11:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
> Admiral, the president of the US is an enemy domestic, and you would be defending the Constitution by defying him.
Yeah, except as soon as he telegraphs his willingness to participate in a military coup, he's out of a job, to be replaced by someone who will probably do whatever the chain of command wants. There is no benefit to the Admiral or any other military leader announcing exactly which orders they'd refuse. You get one shot at that -- you don't want to use it up by talking about it with the press.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Yeah, except as soon as he telegraphs his willingness to participate in a military coup, he's out of a job, to be replaced by someone who will probably do whatever the chain of command wants. There is no benefit to the Admiral or any other military leader announcing exactly which orders they'd refuse. You get one shot at that -- you don't want to use it up by talking about it with the press.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:01 AM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
And that's our weakness. It's always been a weakness. We seem to give a shit.
General Zod: This . . . Superman is nothing of the kind! I've discovered his weakness.
Ursa: Yes.
General Zod: He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.
(Ron Howard voice): It was not a weakness.
This moment brought to you by a lifelong hardcore Marvel partisan. If I can suck it up and quote Superman II like this, we can all come together when it counts, I promise you.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
General Zod: This . . . Superman is nothing of the kind! I've discovered his weakness.
Ursa: Yes.
General Zod: He cares. He actually cares for these Earth people.
(Ron Howard voice): It was not a weakness.
This moment brought to you by a lifelong hardcore Marvel partisan. If I can suck it up and quote Superman II like this, we can all come together when it counts, I promise you.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
tonycpsu: "What reason do we have to believe that Rounds and the rest of the supposed moderates aren't willing participants in the misdirection here?
I think you're being too clever by half here. You're not going to be able to explain conference committees to John Q. Voter (see: Kerry, John). "Rounds voted for the bill that screwed up everyone's insurance," is what the ads will say, regardless.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think you're being too clever by half here. You're not going to be able to explain conference committees to John Q. Voter (see: Kerry, John). "Rounds voted for the bill that screwed up everyone's insurance," is what the ads will say, regardless.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree.
It's better than I'd expected, which was complete radio silence.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
It's better than I'd expected, which was complete radio silence.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:02 AM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree.
posted by adamg at 10:25 AM on July 27 [6 favorites +] [!]
The BSA president wants us to believe he didn't know who Trump was when he invited him. Vetting his speech before he gave it was imperative, as was a kill switch on the mic.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by adamg at 10:25 AM on July 27 [6 favorites +] [!]
The BSA president wants us to believe he didn't know who Trump was when he invited him. Vetting his speech before he gave it was imperative, as was a kill switch on the mic.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
That Boy Scout apology was as mealy-mouthed as it is possible to be but it will still enrage Trump if anyone tells him about it.
You notice how it's signed from the Chief Scout Executive? And not the national president of the BSA? Maybe you're wondering why.
The national president of the BSA happens to be Randall Stephenson, chairman of AT&T. And goodness, why might the chairman of AT&T be looking to suck up to the Administration?
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
You notice how it's signed from the Chief Scout Executive? And not the national president of the BSA? Maybe you're wondering why.
The national president of the BSA happens to be Randall Stephenson, chairman of AT&T. And goodness, why might the chairman of AT&T be looking to suck up to the Administration?
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:03 AM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi
ah, so that was that screaming blue face I saw in the background when I was scrolling down
Our very own Josie Packard.
She shares a doorknob with Paphnuty.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:04 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
ah, so that was that screaming blue face I saw in the background when I was scrolling down
Our very own Josie Packard.
She shares a doorknob with Paphnuty.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:04 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sen Rounds says he's asked for a guarantee house won't pass skinny befor conference or a delay in implementation if it passes
Mark Meadows is making threats that the House won't pass it, which is really even more scary because it gives cover to the Senate to vote for it on the basis that the House won't. The theme of this entire mess has been kicking the can down the road, and the more the Senate thinks they aren't firing real bullets, the more likely they are to pull the trigger.
And I'm not convinced Meadows means it. When push comes to shove, is passing it really better than doing nothing for him? Does he really want to be "the guy who voted to keep the mandates?"
But yes, this game of "we'll only vote for this if it won't become law" is crazy, especially when your party controls the legislature.
The BSA president wants us to believe he didn't know who Trump was when he invited him.
Should have known he was a snake before they took him in.
posted by zachlipton at 11:04 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Mark Meadows is making threats that the House won't pass it, which is really even more scary because it gives cover to the Senate to vote for it on the basis that the House won't. The theme of this entire mess has been kicking the can down the road, and the more the Senate thinks they aren't firing real bullets, the more likely they are to pull the trigger.
And I'm not convinced Meadows means it. When push comes to shove, is passing it really better than doing nothing for him? Does he really want to be "the guy who voted to keep the mandates?"
But yes, this game of "we'll only vote for this if it won't become law" is crazy, especially when your party controls the legislature.
The BSA president wants us to believe he didn't know who Trump was when he invited him.
Should have known he was a snake before they took him in.
posted by zachlipton at 11:04 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
> I think you're being too clever by half here. You're not going to be able to explain conference committees to John Q. Voter (see: Kerry, John). "Rounds voted for the bill that screwed up everyone's insurance," is what the ads will say, regardless.
Mike Rounds is the junior senator from South Dakota, who won his last election 50.7% - 29.7%. He has more to fear from his right flank in a primary than he does in a general election where that kind of ad would hurt him. The ads that will hurt him when he's next up in 2020 will be the ones that say he didn't work hard enough to repeal the ACA.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Mike Rounds is the junior senator from South Dakota, who won his last election 50.7% - 29.7%. He has more to fear from his right flank in a primary than he does in a general election where that kind of ad would hurt him. The ads that will hurt him when he's next up in 2020 will be the ones that say he didn't work hard enough to repeal the ACA.
posted by tonycpsu at 11:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
From David Cay Johnston's Making of Donald Trump:
"Donald Trump relies on two core strategies to manage the public image he has spent decades creating, polishing, and selling. In the first, he exploits a common weakness of news reporting: the recitation of “facts” without analysis of that which goes unsaid. Trump often threatens to sue journalists, ensuring caution from publishers and broadcasters who want to avoid a costly lawsuit—even one Trump cannot win. This tends to discourage investigation beyond the official talking points. Trump spent two years suing author Tim O’Brien and his publisher for writing that his net worth was probably not in the billions, but rather the hundreds of millions. After a court dismissed the case, Trump made it clear that he merely wanted to harass O’Brien, not necessarily win damages. “I spent a couple of bucks on legal fees and they spent a whole lot more. I did it to make his life miserable, which I’m happy about,” Trump bragged. It was a comment that fit cozily within his philosophy of revenge.
In his second core strategy, Trump distorts information, contradicts himself, and blocks inquiries into his conduct by journalists, law enforcement, business regulators, and other people’s lawyers. Again, the record shows decades of Trump’s skill in pursuing this strategy successfully."
posted by rc3spencer at 11:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
"Donald Trump relies on two core strategies to manage the public image he has spent decades creating, polishing, and selling. In the first, he exploits a common weakness of news reporting: the recitation of “facts” without analysis of that which goes unsaid. Trump often threatens to sue journalists, ensuring caution from publishers and broadcasters who want to avoid a costly lawsuit—even one Trump cannot win. This tends to discourage investigation beyond the official talking points. Trump spent two years suing author Tim O’Brien and his publisher for writing that his net worth was probably not in the billions, but rather the hundreds of millions. After a court dismissed the case, Trump made it clear that he merely wanted to harass O’Brien, not necessarily win damages. “I spent a couple of bucks on legal fees and they spent a whole lot more. I did it to make his life miserable, which I’m happy about,” Trump bragged. It was a comment that fit cozily within his philosophy of revenge.
In his second core strategy, Trump distorts information, contradicts himself, and blocks inquiries into his conduct by journalists, law enforcement, business regulators, and other people’s lawyers. Again, the record shows decades of Trump’s skill in pursuing this strategy successfully."
posted by rc3spencer at 11:06 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Here is the admiral's (cited above) full response.
“The answer would be yes,” Swift said. “Every member of the US military has sworn an oath to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and to obey the officers and the president of the United States as the commander in chief appointed over us.”
Funny thing there, admiral -- you're wrong:
“The answer would be yes,” Swift said. “Every member of the US military has sworn an oath to defend the constitution of the United States against all enemies foreign and domestic, and to obey the officers and the president of the United States as the commander in chief appointed over us.”
Funny thing there, admiral -- you're wrong:
I, [name], do solemnly swear (or affirm) that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.posted by Etrigan at 11:09 AM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
You notice how it's signed from the Chief Scout Executive? And not the national president of the BSA? Maybe you're wondering why.
Trump truly is Billy Mumy in The Twilight Zone.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trump truly is Billy Mumy in The Twilight Zone.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
@ddale8: The Trump administration, McConnell and Ryan have jointly announced that they've dumped the idea of a border adjustment tax.
Well, at least we won't have a trade war to go along with our three on-going military conflicts
posted by Existential Dread at 11:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Well, at least we won't have a trade war to go along with our three on-going military conflicts
posted by Existential Dread at 11:13 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Metafilter: We're sorry about all the politics, did we mention we have ziplines?
posted by Melismata at 11:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 11:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Jonathan Capehart, WaPo: Let me thank Trump for his tweets about transgender personnel
Sen. Orrin G. Hatch (R-Utah) is the one I most want to applaud. Tracked down by MSNBC on Wednesday for his reaction to the substance of Trump’s transgender tweets, Hatch was unequivocal.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]Look, people who are transgender, they don’t choose to be transgender. They’re born that way. And why should we hold that against them? And they’re human beings, and many of them are extremely talented human beings.What Hatch said is what should come naturally but rarely does. He affirmed the humanity of transgender Americans while defending their right to continue to serve their nation. He said flat out that people who are transgender are “born that way,” thus laying waste to the bigoted assertions masquerading as fact fogging the so-called bathroom debate around the country. In a tweet, he added, “I don’t think we should be discriminating against anyone.” In a message to military brass on Thursday, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote, “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance.”
I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree
That's some weak-ass apologizing right there. Rather than strongly confirming that the Scouts are an apolitical organization, and that partisan politics have no place there it basically is telling people who were offended "hey, sorry you got politics in your face."
posted by nubs at 11:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
That's some weak-ass apologizing right there. Rather than strongly confirming that the Scouts are an apolitical organization, and that partisan politics have no place there it basically is telling people who were offended "hey, sorry you got politics in your face."
posted by nubs at 11:14 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
@ddale8: The Trump administration, McConnell and Ryan have jointly announced that they've dumped the idea of a border adjustment tax.
I look forward to the MAGA Mental Gymnastics World Championship that will surely accompany this announcement.
posted by Talez at 11:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I look forward to the MAGA Mental Gymnastics World Championship that will surely accompany this announcement.
posted by Talez at 11:15 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
And with the view from the fever swamp, Ed Rogers, WaPo: The quest to prove collusion is crumbling
While everyone is fixated on President Trump’s unbecoming and inexplicable assault on Attorney General Jeff Sessions, the media has been trying to sneak away from the “Russian collusion” story. That’s right. For all the breathless hype, the on-air furrowed brows and the not-so-veiled hopes that this could be Watergate, Jared Kushner’s statement and testimony before Congress have made Democrats and many in the media come to the realization that the collusion they were counting on just isn’t there.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:17 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just want to remind everyone to please please call this TRUMPCARE not "skinny repeal." So far media and many of us here have bought into the bullshitty talking point name "skinny." let's stop propagating that now. TRUMPCARE TRUMPCARE TRUMPCARE
posted by Captain Chesapeake at 11:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Captain Chesapeake at 11:18 AM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Trumpcare: It's like Trump University except hundreds of thousands of people will die unnecessarily.
posted by Talez at 11:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Talez at 11:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
And that's our weakness. It's always been a weakness. We seem to give a shit. We seem to give a shit that everyone gets a fair shot, we seem to give a shit to have functioning government working for us, we seem to give a shit on democracy not sliding into autocracy. Everyone who's in on this "game" knows it and will continue to hold the fucking gun to Columbia's head until we acquiesce out of sheer attrition.
So true. Or, we can be like the lunch counter sit-in protesters who recognized that nothing would happen unless they were willing to put their lives on the line. We're not at that point. We may or may not be in the future.
Your comments are very insightful, Talez, thank you!
posted by Melismata at 11:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
So true. Or, we can be like the lunch counter sit-in protesters who recognized that nothing would happen unless they were willing to put their lives on the line. We're not at that point. We may or may not be in the future.
Your comments are very insightful, Talez, thank you!
posted by Melismata at 11:19 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Jared Kushner tells Turkish newspaper: "Like Trump, Erdogan is working to make his country great again." [link in Turkish]
Daily Caller (and despite problems with that source and the framing of this article, Chuck Ross does good work) talked to the Turkish reporter and is saying he admitted it didn't quite go down as he said:
posted by zachlipton at 11:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Daily Caller (and despite problems with that source and the framing of this article, Chuck Ross does good work) talked to the Turkish reporter and is saying he admitted it didn't quite go down as he said:
“He [Atalay] approached Jared for a selfie but is not quoted accurately,” a White House official told TheDC. “It’s made up.”This is yet another situation where it would help the White House deny things that didn't happen if they hadn't squandered every shred of their credibility on stupid shit, but it sounds like this guy asked Kushner for a selfie, asked him questions, and made up the actual quote.
...
When asked over Twitter direct message about the White House pushback, Atalay initially refused to address the claim that he made up a quote.
“That was not an interview. I didn’t get any permit from Kushner’s office or Ivanka’s office or White House. As I mentioned in the report it was a very quick conversation with him (1-2 min.),” Atalay said.
When pressed further on whether the Kushner quote was accurate, Atalay said, “He did not say that. I asked him, ‘Do you think, Erdogan is making Turkey great again, like Trump’ and he only said, ‘Yeah, I think so.'”
A native Turkish speaker who reviewed Atalay’s article said that the reporter has a history of making bombastic claims about the Trump administration’s view of Erdogan and the Turkish government.
posted by zachlipton at 11:20 AM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
And with the view from the fever swamp, Ed Rogers, WaPo
To be clear, Rogers is a right-wing columnist, not a reporter for the Post:
To be clear, Rogers is a right-wing columnist, not a reporter for the Post:
"Ed Rogers is a contributor to the PostPartisan blog, a political consultant and a veteran of the Ronald Reagan and George H.W. Bush White Houses and several national campaigns. He is the chairman of the lobbying and communications firm BGR Group, which he founded with former Mississippi governor Haley Barbour in 1991."posted by msalt at 11:24 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
The BSA president wants us to believe he didn't know who Trump was when he invited him. Vetting his speech before he gave it was imperative, as was a kill switch on the mic.
Vetting wouldn't have helped, as Trump famously goes off on tangents in which he aggrandizes himself. The mic kill switch, though, is an idea. "Sorry, scouts, due to technical difficulties we can not bring you the rest of the President's speech. Let's give him a big hand!"
posted by Gelatin at 11:27 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Vetting wouldn't have helped, as Trump famously goes off on tangents in which he aggrandizes himself. The mic kill switch, though, is an idea. "Sorry, scouts, due to technical difficulties we can not bring you the rest of the President's speech. Let's give him a big hand!"
posted by Gelatin at 11:27 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
adamg: I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. (A message from Michael Surbaugh, Chief Scout Executive for the Boy Scouts of America)
An Open Letter To Chief Scout Executive Michael B. Surbaugh from Travis and Tyler McCann on HuffPost
posted by filthy light thief at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
An Open Letter To Chief Scout Executive Michael B. Surbaugh from Travis and Tyler McCann on HuffPost
The Scout Law states that, “A Scout is Trustworthy, Loyal, Helpful, Friendly, Courteous, Kind, Obedient, Cheerful, Thrifty, Brave, Clean, and Reverent.” There is no person in American society today who less embodies the laws of Scouting than President Donald J. Trump, and so we were unsurprised that the President chose to deliver a speech that was xenophobic, jingoistic, riddled with petty political attacks, and which violated, over forty rambling minutes, every tenet of the Scout Law.Bolded by me for emphasis.
To Mr. Trump ― is it trustworthy to continue to reference the size of your Inauguration Day crowds relative to President Obama’s, despite the fact that your repeated claims are demonstrably false? Did it demonstrate loyalty for you to threaten to fire Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Tom Price if he can’t get the votes to overturn the Affordable Care Act? Do you feel brave or courteous attacking Hillary Clinton so many months after the election has ended? Is it reverent to tell Muslim or Jewish scouts that “under the Trump administration you’ll be saying ‘Merry Christmas’ again”? Is it the obedience of a mob crowd that you seek when you encouraged the gathered Scouts to boo Ms. Clinton or President Obama? Is it cheerful, kind, courteous, or friendly to repeatedly solicit jeers from a crowd of impressionable young men?
To adult Boy Scout leaders from across America, shame on you. The boos and jeers from the crowd Monday were not reflective of the Scouting we grew up with. Allowing your Scouts to participate in Monday’s farcical and disturbing demonstration, and in some cases, to participate in it yourself, are a stain on Scouting.
Prior to the event, Mr. Surbaugh sent out a message to volunteer adults and employees of Scouting, stating that “chants of certain phrases heard during the campaign (e.g. ‘build the wall,’ ‘lock her up’) are considered divisive by many members of our audience, and may cause unnecessary friction between individuals and units.” These tacit suggestions never indicate that these phrases are considered divisive by the Boy Scouts of America.
But by acknowledging the divisive nature of Donald Trump’s presidency, you recognized that inviting such a man was creating a scenario that encouraged friction. You did so in such a way as to make yourself seem blameless, but the BSA taught us to take responsibility for our actions. And your actions run counter to the very rules and regulations of Scouting, which state that “[t]he Boy Scouts of America must not... involve Scouting in political matters.”
posted by filthy light thief at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
So instead of Pickle, today we have a DOJ person telling us how evil MS13 is so they can [institute horrible policies targeting all immigrants] to protect us from them.
posted by gatorae at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by gatorae at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Jared Kushner’s statement and testimony before Congress have made Democrats and many in the media come to the realization that the collusion they were counting on just isn’t there.
That's some weak sauce. Ed Rogers knows he's supposed to carry water, but his heart clearly isn't in it.
posted by diogenes at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
That's some weak sauce. Ed Rogers knows he's supposed to carry water, but his heart clearly isn't in it.
posted by diogenes at 11:28 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
*Looks through Ed Rogers Headlines on WaPo* Yeah he's... not good. Political commentary: where you can be wrong 99% of the time and keep your job. Way better than meteorology!
posted by Green With You at 11:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Green With You at 11:30 AM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Meanwhile, at the White House, a mumbling pink egg is showing us his favorite tats
posted by theodolite at 11:31 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 11:31 AM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
leotrotsky: It's better than I'd expected, which was complete radio silence.
"I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. That was never our intent."
nubs: That's some weak-ass apologizing right there. Rather than strongly confirming that the Scouts are an apolitical organization, and that partisan politics have no place there it basically is telling people who were offended "hey, sorry you got politics in your face."
"I'm sorry if you were offended" isn't an apology, it's saying "I'm sorry you're not made of sterner stuff, because I wasn't offended, and I know not everyone was offended, so get over it." Especially when you warn folks ahead of time "don't repeat the words of the president, and don't let him egg you on," you know bloody full and well who you're inviting and what you're going to bring down on you.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
"I want to extend my sincere apologies to those in our Scouting family who were offended by the political rhetoric that was inserted into the jamboree. That was never our intent."
nubs: That's some weak-ass apologizing right there. Rather than strongly confirming that the Scouts are an apolitical organization, and that partisan politics have no place there it basically is telling people who were offended "hey, sorry you got politics in your face."
"I'm sorry if you were offended" isn't an apology, it's saying "I'm sorry you're not made of sterner stuff, because I wasn't offended, and I know not everyone was offended, so get over it." Especially when you warn folks ahead of time "don't repeat the words of the president, and don't let him egg you on," you know bloody full and well who you're inviting and what you're going to bring down on you.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:33 AM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
"Our gang is bigger than theirs" - the head(?) of ICE
posted by theodolite at 11:33 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by theodolite at 11:33 AM on July 27, 2017
That’s right. For all the breathless hype, the on-air furrowed brows and the not-so-veiled hopes that this could be Watergate, Jared Kushner’s statement and testimony before Congress have made Democrats and many in the media come to the realization that the collusion they were counting on just isn’t there.
[Ron Howard voice]: It was there.
posted by Gelatin at 11:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
[Ron Howard voice]: It was there.
posted by Gelatin at 11:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
And with the view from the fever swamp, Ed Rogers, WaPo: The quest to prove collusion is crumbling
It seems to me this Rogers person didn't read or listen to Browders testimony. Because that thing was damning.
posted by mumimor at 11:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
It seems to me this Rogers person didn't read or listen to Browders testimony. Because that thing was damning.
posted by mumimor at 11:36 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
OMG y'all I just *now* got why everyone calls Dylan "Pickle."
posted by mudpuppie at 11:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by mudpuppie at 11:40 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
I REALLY wish the Gillibrand Blunt conversation on the Senate floor right now was on a hot mic.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:40 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:40 AM on July 27, 2017
Ice Egg says he won't explain how they identify gang members in case any of them are watching the briefing
posted by theodolite at 11:42 AM on July 27, 2017
posted by theodolite at 11:42 AM on July 27, 2017
These twittering nabobs of negativism.
posted by riverlife at 11:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by riverlife at 11:42 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Meanwhile, at the White House, a mumbling pink egg is showing us his favorite tats
Thought for sure this was going to be a palindrome.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Thought for sure this was going to be a palindrome.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
The mumbling pink ICE egg is turning red as he animatedly talks about how we must arrest all illegal immigrants because to do otherwise creates a magnet for more to come, blah blah.
posted by gatorae at 11:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by gatorae at 11:45 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
you come at the queen, you best not miss
Which is precisely why I wondered if Palin would say something, and which side she'd end up landing on, Alaska or Trump and Putin.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Which is precisely why I wondered if Palin would say something, and which side she'd end up landing on, Alaska or Trump and Putin.
posted by Room 641-A at 11:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
DO NOT LAUGH AT SARAH HUCKABEE SANDERS' JOKES FFS
posted by OverlappingElvis at 11:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by OverlappingElvis at 11:50 AM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
A trio of recent articles from Jon Brodkin on Ars Technica about net neutrality:
- Cable lobby claims US is totally overflowing in broadband competition -- NCTA touts data based on outdated broadband speed benchmark of 3Mbps
- Verizon accused of violating net neutrality rules by throttling video -- FCC has no comment on petition to investigate Verizon slowing video to 10Mbps.
- Cable lobby claims US is totally overflowing in broadband competition -- NCTA touts data based on outdated broadband speed benchmark of 3Mbps
Many Americans who feel that they have only one viable choice for home broadband might think that cable lobbyists are describing an alternate reality. But it's easy to see the difference between NCTA marketing and Internet users' actual experiences. Yes, if you factor in any wireline home Internet provider offering any speed, then US customers can generally choose between a fast cable network and a slow DSL one. But if one of your two options isn't fast enough to meet your needs, then there's really just one choice.- Lawsuit seeks Ajit Pai’s net neutrality talks with Internet providers -- FCC accused of not complying with FoIA request for Pai's talks with ISPs.
The NCTA post makes a better case that competition is prevalent in subscription TV services, noting that nearly all American homes have access to a wireline TV provider and two satellite providers. Netflix and other online streaming services also take up a huge share of TV watching, the NCTA pointed out.
Plenty of competition—at 3Mbps
There's more reason to quibble with the NCTA's analysis of broadband competition. The NCTA's 88-percent figure comes from a December 2014 report (PDF) by the US Department of Commerce, which used a now-outdated definition of broadband. The report said that 88 percent of Americans "had two or more fixed ISPs available to them" at download speeds of 3Mbps. This is "the approximate definition of basic 'broadband' download speeds," the report said.
But just one month after that report was issued, the Federal Communications Commission changed its definition of broadband from 4Mbps downstream and 1Mbps upstream to at least 25Mbps downstream and 3Mbps upstream. The higher speeds better reflect the statutory definition of “advanced telecommunications capability” that “enable[s] users to originate and receive high-quality voice, data, graphics, and video telecommunications using any technology," the FCC said at the time.
- Verizon accused of violating net neutrality rules by throttling video -- FCC has no comment on petition to investigate Verizon slowing video to 10Mbps.
"Late last week Verizon Wireless customers started to notice something suspicious: Videos from Netflix and YouTube were slow," the call for signatures says. "Verizon Wireless couldn't explain why. When reporters asked the wireless giant to comment, the company first said it was just a temporary network test with no impact on user experience. But Verizon later admitted that, temporary test or not, it was indeed 'optimizing' video streams."posted by filthy light thief at 11:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
"Optimization" is just another word for "slowing down, reshaping or degrading your video traffic, over the connection you buy, using the mobile-data plans you pay for," Free Press also said. (DSLReports has a story on the petition.)
The FCC is not commenting on the petition, a commission spokesperson told Ars today.
Wow, if the ICE gig doesn't work out, Homan has a great career ahead of him as a pro wrestling villain or bouncer at a dog-fighting club.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:53 AM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
SHS just called it the "Freedom Health Care" bill. 1984.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:54 AM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
In other news, Maureen Peltier, AKA "SSG Moe," one of the Bundy hangers-on, posted pictures of Roger Stone with Jon Ritzenheimer, one of the Malheur vandals, on Facebook today. They're working hard to get pardons for everyone!
posted by octobersurprise at 11:55 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by octobersurprise at 11:55 AM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
John McCain says he does not support Skinny Repeal. That would be enough to kill it. Could... could he have had a Road to Damascus moment upon confronting his own mortality? I think we know the answer but part of me is still hoping.
posted by Justinian at 12:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Transcribing a good thread on the Pentagon & Joint Chiefs' reaction to Twitler's transphobic garbage (emphasis mine):
Like I know people want the Joint Chiefs to refuse the trans ban entirely. But when the military gives the CINC a flat no, that's a coup. They're not at the point that they're going to initiate that. The wider implications would be disturbing - we need civilian control. What the Joint Chiefs have done in saying they're not moving on the trans ban until 45 gives actual guidance to SECDEF is time honored. Someone gives you a shit order, you say "I'm gonna need that in writing." and then you stare at them and you wait for them to blink. So. Maybe the administration blinks. They're catching Hell from unexpected quarters over this - Orrin fucking Hatch spoke up against it. In the meantime, the Joint Chiefs are doing what they can to protect their people without instigating a military coup. The Navy already released a statement saying that trans sailors will continue to receive health care & treating them w respect is vital. Given the actions of the Joint Chiefs I expect the other services to follow. The message they're sending here is "This is bullshit, we don't like it, and we won't do it until you force the issue." So, y'know. This is more hopeful than I was actually expecting.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [73 favorites]
Like I know people want the Joint Chiefs to refuse the trans ban entirely. But when the military gives the CINC a flat no, that's a coup. They're not at the point that they're going to initiate that. The wider implications would be disturbing - we need civilian control. What the Joint Chiefs have done in saying they're not moving on the trans ban until 45 gives actual guidance to SECDEF is time honored. Someone gives you a shit order, you say "I'm gonna need that in writing." and then you stare at them and you wait for them to blink. So. Maybe the administration blinks. They're catching Hell from unexpected quarters over this - Orrin fucking Hatch spoke up against it. In the meantime, the Joint Chiefs are doing what they can to protect their people without instigating a military coup. The Navy already released a statement saying that trans sailors will continue to receive health care & treating them w respect is vital. Given the actions of the Joint Chiefs I expect the other services to follow. The message they're sending here is "This is bullshit, we don't like it, and we won't do it until you force the issue." So, y'know. This is more hopeful than I was actually expecting.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [73 favorites]
The Justinian Future Disappointment Level is off the charts right now.
posted by sporkwort at 12:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
posted by sporkwort at 12:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
That's not how it works. That's not how any of this works.
"Marine Gen. Joe Dunford also wrote in the message, which was sent to the chiefs of the military branches and senior enlisted leaders, that the military will continue to “treat all of our personnel with respect.”"
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/27/trump-transgender-military-ban-no-modification-241029
posted by Evilspork at 12:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"Marine Gen. Joe Dunford also wrote in the message, which was sent to the chiefs of the military branches and senior enlisted leaders, that the military will continue to “treat all of our personnel with respect.”"
http://www.politico.com/story/2017/07/27/trump-transgender-military-ban-no-modification-241029
posted by Evilspork at 12:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
John McCain says he does not support Skinny Repeal. That would be enough to kill it
He said he doesn't support it, not that he wouldn't vote for it.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
He said he doesn't support it, not that he wouldn't vote for it.
posted by uncleozzy at 12:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
Well, at least we won't have a trade war to go along with our three on-going military conflicts
There is still a trade war. Trump has already pushed several policies that violate international trade treaties, reopened NAFTA negotiations and more. Even worse, while the US has considerable economic might the Trump administration brings morons to the negotiating tables while the other countries bring experienced diplomats and economists. So you can expect something big and flashy that Trump can tout as a win and which will actually harm the U.S. economy and disproportionately benefit trading partners and a select few crony capitalists. Think Brexit if you are looking for a model.
posted by srboisvert at 12:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I can easily picture McCain saying, "I do not support this bill; we should not pass this bill" AS he is voting for it.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
What the Joint Chiefs have done in saying they're not moving on the trans ban until 45 gives actual guidance to SECDEF is time honored
Yes, and I wish the reportage on this was less credulous. Certainly journalism can can incorporate the mere concept that it might make a difference whether something like this is written down.
posted by rhizome at 12:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yes, and I wish the reportage on this was less credulous. Certainly journalism can can incorporate the mere concept that it might make a difference whether something like this is written down.
posted by rhizome at 12:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
John McCain says he does not support Skinny Repeal. That would be enough to kill it. Could... could he have had a Road to Damascus moment upon confronting his own mortality? I think we know the answer but part of me is still hoping.
Whether it's because of malice or spinal problems, at this point I wouldn't trust McCain to sit the right way on a toilet seat. If dude were literally blinded on the literal road to actual Damascus, he'd turn around and vote for a law exempting the eyeglass industry from antitrust law and allowing them to randomly poke people in the eyes with a fork.
posted by middleclasstool at 12:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
Whether it's because of malice or spinal problems, at this point I wouldn't trust McCain to sit the right way on a toilet seat. If dude were literally blinded on the literal road to actual Damascus, he'd turn around and vote for a law exempting the eyeglass industry from antitrust law and allowing them to randomly poke people in the eyes with a fork.
posted by middleclasstool at 12:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
That's some weak-ass apologizing right there. Rather than strongly confirming that the Scouts are an apolitical organization, and that partisan politics have no place there it basically is telling people who were offended "hey, sorry you got politics in your face."
That's all the apology they can make given all of what's baked into their organization, never mind their behavior on social equality for the last two decades. They are no more an apolitical organization than the NRA is, regardless of whether either organization explicitly defines themselves as of or related to a specific party.
posted by phearlez at 12:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
That's all the apology they can make given all of what's baked into their organization, never mind their behavior on social equality for the last two decades. They are no more an apolitical organization than the NRA is, regardless of whether either organization explicitly defines themselves as of or related to a specific party.
posted by phearlez at 12:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Julie Ioffe: Why Does the Kremlin Care So Much About the Magnitsky Act?
Center for Public Integrity: Steve Bannon has a shadow press office. It may violate federal law.
The Daines single-payer trolling amendment has been rejected 57-0, with 43 Senators voting present. That's how you avoid falling for trolls.
posted by zachlipton at 12:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
Center for Public Integrity: Steve Bannon has a shadow press office. It may violate federal law.
In an arrangement prominent ethics experts say is without precedent and potentially illegal, the White House is referring questions for senior presidential adviser Stephen K. Bannon to an outside public relations agent whose firm says she is working for free.Take Care Blog: It’s Time To Take Responsibility, Senators
Alexandra Preate, a 46-year-old New Yorker and veteran Republican media strategist, describes herself as Bannon's "personal spokesperson." But she also collaborates with other White House officials on public messaging and responses to press inquiries. It was Preate who responded when the Center for Public Integrity recently asked the White House Press Office questions about Bannon.
Specifically, a lot of the rhetoric coming from Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell and other top Republicans in the days before the vote went something like this: the goal is just to find something that 50 Republican Senators can agree on for now, and after that there will be a conference committee with the House of Representatives to settle on a final bill (examples here, here, here, and here). This tactic should remind health care followers of the rhetoric coming out of the House after they approved their own bill in May – at least some electorally vulnerable Representatives noted that they didn’t actually vote to pass their disastrous bill, they just voted to send it to the Senate, which would then clean it up.AP: Trump’s Top Middle East Adviser Is Ousted For Unknown Reasons (no, not Jared).
There's just one problem: the Senate doesn't have the ability to control whether they go to a conference with the House. If the Senate successfully passes something – whether that be skinny repeal or some other mystery bill still to be determined – the House can simply pass that text into law without making changes.
...
Don't believe the spin from Senators who tell you that theirs is just a vote to go to conference. They don't control that. This may be their final vote they should act like it, and own the consequences.
One of President Donald Trump’s top advisers on the Middle East has been fired.It indicates they might find a job for him somewhere else.
Two administration officials with knowledge of the decision said Derek Harvey was fired Thursday for unknown reasons. They were not authorized to discuss private personnel issues and spoke on condition of anonymity
...
Harvey was hired by Trump’s former national security adviser, retired Gen. Michael Flynn.
The Daines single-payer trolling amendment has been rejected 57-0, with 43 Senators voting present. That's how you avoid falling for trolls.
posted by zachlipton at 12:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
I can easily picture McCain saying, "I do not support this bill; we should not pass this bill" AS he is voting for it.
After his stunt the other day, I can picture him voting for it, then giving a speech about how awful it was, and how now it's really, really time to return to our regularly scheduled programming or whatever.
posted by Rykey at 12:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
After his stunt the other day, I can picture him voting for it, then giving a speech about how awful it was, and how now it's really, really time to return to our regularly scheduled programming or whatever.
posted by Rykey at 12:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Reed Fromer is a San Francisco Bay-area musician and activist (whose uncle, Jon, marched from Selma to Montgomery in 1965 with Martin Luther King). Last night I attended one of his events, a "gathering to learn, share, and practice songs to promote positive visions of a world of peace and inclusion. Our hope is to expand the circle of people who can lead or participate in the singing at rallies, marches, and other events in support of peace, environmental preservation, immigrant rights, and social justice."
It was held at a retirement community. There were about 100 people, most of them seniors. I struck up a conversation with a group of three who have been phone banking, marching, etc., their asses off. One of them wore a tshirt that said, "A C T I V I S T". During chitchat, I told them about my online group of friends (that's y'all) who have great suggestions for actions everybody can do, like "The National Enquirer is one of their propaganda arms, so you know at the checkout lane where they're displaying National Enquirers, my friends pick up a different magazine, leaf through it for a few seconds then absentmindedly put it back in the National Enquirer rack so it covers them up. ABSENTMINDEDLY, right? Whoops it was an accident. Also, anytime you're at a gym or office where they've got Fox on tv, it can't hurt to ask, 'Hey, can you change the channel to the Cartoon Network? or whatever."
The old guy said, "Fantastic! I'm gonna become a member at multiple gyms! It's an investment!"
Then Reed started talking a bit about what goes into leading songs at protests, and introducing us to the music. He's really good. Bay Area people who love music should take the opportunity to go, even if you don't want to lead songs. (Several seniors there were extremely frail, so I presume were mostly there for the music appreciation/participation and justice solidarity part, not the learn how to lead songs part.) He's funny, is a great performer, and welcomes all ("If you're confident about the words or the notes, sing it loud. If you're not confident, sing it louder!"). He's aware of problematic outdated lyrics in some songs and addressed that (I actually had to leave at that point but he said enough for me to say to myself, yup, he gets it, I trust him) and the whole vibe was joyous and determined and so fucking united in Hope, Truth, and Justice for All. It re-energized me.
At one point, two of my newfound group went up with me to the front of the room to practice leading the room in a call-and-response of "Want My Freedom Now (Adapted from Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett)" -- you'd recognize the line where everybody goes, NA...na-na-na-NA...na-na-na-NA, na-na-NA, na-na-NA, -- want my freedom NOW!
I don't know if they're connected to musicians in other states for getting this sort of grassroots music action going countrywide, but I'll find out. I put my name on a sign-up list for future music training and actions. If any of you out there like to sing (you don't have to consider yourself a "musician"! You have a voice. You deserve to be heard. If anybody in the past told you you couldn't sing, fuck 'em) or play guitar or other portable instrument, and are interested in what I find out & how to spread this, MeMail me and I'll update you when I can.
Here, have a listen: Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around. We Shall Not Be Moved.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
It was held at a retirement community. There were about 100 people, most of them seniors. I struck up a conversation with a group of three who have been phone banking, marching, etc., their asses off. One of them wore a tshirt that said, "A C T I V I S T". During chitchat, I told them about my online group of friends (that's y'all) who have great suggestions for actions everybody can do, like "The National Enquirer is one of their propaganda arms, so you know at the checkout lane where they're displaying National Enquirers, my friends pick up a different magazine, leaf through it for a few seconds then absentmindedly put it back in the National Enquirer rack so it covers them up. ABSENTMINDEDLY, right? Whoops it was an accident. Also, anytime you're at a gym or office where they've got Fox on tv, it can't hurt to ask, 'Hey, can you change the channel to the Cartoon Network? or whatever."
The old guy said, "Fantastic! I'm gonna become a member at multiple gyms! It's an investment!"
Then Reed started talking a bit about what goes into leading songs at protests, and introducing us to the music. He's really good. Bay Area people who love music should take the opportunity to go, even if you don't want to lead songs. (Several seniors there were extremely frail, so I presume were mostly there for the music appreciation/participation and justice solidarity part, not the learn how to lead songs part.) He's funny, is a great performer, and welcomes all ("If you're confident about the words or the notes, sing it loud. If you're not confident, sing it louder!"). He's aware of problematic outdated lyrics in some songs and addressed that (I actually had to leave at that point but he said enough for me to say to myself, yup, he gets it, I trust him) and the whole vibe was joyous and determined and so fucking united in Hope, Truth, and Justice for All. It re-energized me.
At one point, two of my newfound group went up with me to the front of the room to practice leading the room in a call-and-response of "Want My Freedom Now (Adapted from Land of 1000 Dances by Wilson Pickett)" -- you'd recognize the line where everybody goes, NA...na-na-na-NA...na-na-na-NA, na-na-NA, na-na-NA, -- want my freedom NOW!
I don't know if they're connected to musicians in other states for getting this sort of grassroots music action going countrywide, but I'll find out. I put my name on a sign-up list for future music training and actions. If any of you out there like to sing (you don't have to consider yourself a "musician"! You have a voice. You deserve to be heard. If anybody in the past told you you couldn't sing, fuck 'em) or play guitar or other portable instrument, and are interested in what I find out & how to spread this, MeMail me and I'll update you when I can.
Here, have a listen: Ain't Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me Around. We Shall Not Be Moved.
posted by cybercoitus interruptus at 12:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
Maybe the Secretary of Defense should end his vacay a few days early and return to work to sort out this crisis?
posted by notyou at 12:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 12:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is it noble to vote against a mostly doomed trojan horse bill that nobody wants to actually become law? I guess? I don't even know anymore...
posted by diogenes at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by diogenes at 12:14 PM on July 27, 2017
Meanwhile, less than 24 hours after Trumpy permanently linked Amazon with the Washington Post, both entities' owner, Jeff Bezos, officially passed Bill Gates to become the Richest Man in the World. (Update: since then, the price of Amazon stock has dropped just enough for Bezos to return to #2.) Still, being an Enemy of King Don seems to have some benefits.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maybe the Secretary of Defense should end his vacay a few days early and return to work to sort out this crisis?
Still not a fan of Mattis, but in his defense (har): he might decide the best thing to do is stay away for a few days so the monsters in the White House forget about it. They'll inevitably distract themselves with some other stupid own-goal nonsense. Staying on vacation might be the best move.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Still not a fan of Mattis, but in his defense (har): he might decide the best thing to do is stay away for a few days so the monsters in the White House forget about it. They'll inevitably distract themselves with some other stupid own-goal nonsense. Staying on vacation might be the best move.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
If one of Flynn's moles left in a hurry thensimergubg must have come up to paint them undeniably as a Russian asset, so that's got to be worth digging into.
Where is Moscow Mike these days anyway?
posted by Artw at 12:19 PM on July 27, 2017
Where is Moscow Mike these days anyway?
posted by Artw at 12:19 PM on July 27, 2017
Maybe the Secretary of Defense should end his vacay a few days early and return to work to sort out this crisis?
Still not a fan of Mattis, but in his defense (har): he might decide the best thing to do is stay away for a few days so the monsters in the White House forget about it. They'll inevitably distract themselves with some other stupid own-goal nonsense. Staying on vacation might be the best move.
This. While the Trump White House is really good at riling up folks with inflammatory nonsense, they're catastrophically terrible at anything that requires actual work, and that includes anything resembling governing.
If their evil plans require actual legislating, promulgating regs, nominating people to fill positions, etc. you can be pretty sure it won't be happening anytime in the near future, if ever.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Still not a fan of Mattis, but in his defense (har): he might decide the best thing to do is stay away for a few days so the monsters in the White House forget about it. They'll inevitably distract themselves with some other stupid own-goal nonsense. Staying on vacation might be the best move.
This. While the Trump White House is really good at riling up folks with inflammatory nonsense, they're catastrophically terrible at anything that requires actual work, and that includes anything resembling governing.
If their evil plans require actual legislating, promulgating regs, nominating people to fill positions, etc. you can be pretty sure it won't be happening anytime in the near future, if ever.
posted by leotrotsky at 12:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Nah, Mattis is so enraged by Trump's decision that he'll do literally nothing about it. That's what is happening.
posted by Justinian at 12:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Wow. Even Kenneth Starr, the asshat behind most of Bill Clinton's legal troubles, has turned away from Trumpy (but it's mostly in defense of Sessions).
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Nah, Mattis is so enraged by Trump's decision that he'll do literally nothing about it. That's what is happening.
He's a war criminal with principles? Or, I guess, just an interest in effective war criminaling.
posted by Artw at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
He's a war criminal with principles? Or, I guess, just an interest in effective war criminaling.
posted by Artw at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
could he have had a Road to Damascus moment upon confronting his own mortality?
Pretty sure Damascus is on the list of places McCain has said the United States should bomb.
posted by srboisvert at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Pretty sure Damascus is on the list of places McCain has said the United States should bomb.
posted by srboisvert at 12:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
the Trump White House is really good at riling up folks with inflammatory nonsense, they're catastrophically terrible at anything that requires actual work
Been said a million times, but they are the comments section.
posted by cell divide at 12:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Been said a million times, but they are the comments section.
posted by cell divide at 12:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
@TopherSpiro: WOW. Paul Ryan has been LYING to Senators. They're preparing to pass skinny repeal this weekend.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
Haven't had a reminder today, so consider this it. Now is a really really good time to call your Republican Senator and ask them to oppose skinny repeal before the vote. (202) 224-3121. Stat News has a good summary of what it could mean for you, if you want to personalize your message.
If they're like Sen Portman and plan to vote for the bill but only if it won't become law, tell them they're weasels and they can prevent that outcome by simply voting no. It's this One Cool Trick in the Senate rules by which you prevent things from becoming law by not voting for them.
posted by zachlipton at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
If they're like Sen Portman and plan to vote for the bill but only if it won't become law, tell them they're weasels and they can prevent that outcome by simply voting no. It's this One Cool Trick in the Senate rules by which you prevent things from becoming law by not voting for them.
posted by zachlipton at 12:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
@TopherSpiro: WOW. Paul Ryan has been LYING to Senators. They're preparing to pass skinny repeal this weekend.
A Republican, lie?! You don't say!
posted by Gelatin at 12:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
A Republican, lie?! You don't say!
posted by Gelatin at 12:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Has anyone else noticed how Scaramucci has visually taken the place of Alex Yiannopoulos, wearing those aviator glasses? Are they linked somehow? Such similar styles in presentation.
posted by Oyéah at 12:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 12:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
It's a Reptilian thing.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'm no product designer, but c'mon, a douche can only take so many shapes...
posted by Rykey at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 12:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Um, Trump just kissed one of the cops from the Congress shooting on the cheek after putting on her medal of valor. And grasped/patted her shoulders. At a medal ceremony.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Ewwwww.
posted by Artw at 12:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by Artw at 12:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
At least he didn't take his teeth out first.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Dear AskMe: How do I stop projectile vomiting?
posted by Room 641-A at 12:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 12:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
With a vomit-proof vest.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Dear AskMe: Should I stop projectile vomiting?
or
Dear AskMe: How can I put my projectile vomiting to good use?
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
or
Dear AskMe: How can I put my projectile vomiting to good use?
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Step 1: Swallow projectile.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 12:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Sorry, but your projectile vomit is just a distraction from the diarrhea.
posted by Etrigan at 12:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by Etrigan at 12:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
Hah, yesterday I said
With their every word and action these fucking people demonstrate that they want serfs.
posted by phearlez at 2:51 PM on July 26
Today Wonkblog/Wapo publishes Bosses want capitalism for themselves and feudalism for their workers
With their every word and action these fucking people demonstrate that they want serfs.
posted by phearlez at 2:51 PM on July 26
Today Wonkblog/Wapo publishes Bosses want capitalism for themselves and feudalism for their workers
If some employers had their way, you would have to pledge eternal fealty to them just to get a paycheck.posted by phearlez at 12:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
You would bend the knee, bow your head, and swear to serve them faithfully, now and forever, even if someone else tried to hire you away for more money. And in return for this loyalty, you of course would get none. Your company could fire you whenever it wanted and wouldn't have to take care of you when you got old. If you were really lucky, it might, just might, give you a small 401(k) match. In other words, it'd be capitalism for bosses, and feudalism for workers.
Projectile vomiting sounds like heaven compared to the slow seep that I've been dealing with after reading FelliniBlank's comment from 10 minutes ago.
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
SHS just called it the "Freedom Health Care" bill. 1984.
Damnit where is the infuriated shade of Anatole France when you need it?
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Damnit where is the infuriated shade of Anatole France when you need it?
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Where we are right now, with this actual [real] Politico headline: Senate Republicans hope their own Obamacare repeal won't become law. In short, the Senate wants to pass a bill with assurances the House won't pass it, and the House won't make that promise and is telling members to stick around in case they have to pass it.
Or as Paul McLeod puts it:
posted by zachlipton at 12:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
Or as Paul McLeod puts it:
Ok so here’s a quick thread recapping where the health debate is at now, which is the craziest thing I’ve ever seen. Senators couldn’t reach a deal so the whipped up a quasi-repeal bill that’ll drive up premiums and destabilize markets. No one likes it. The pitch to senators is vote for this bill because this bill won’t pass. ie, let’s pass it and then work with the House to fill it out. Except there’s weirdly no formal deal to go to conference between Senate and House leadership apparently. The House could just pass the bill no one likes and the Senators will say "darn it! I only voted for it cuz I thought it wouldn’t pass!" So forget not knowing the health plan hours before it will be voted on. We won’t even know if it’s the health plan ***after it’s voted on*** The Senate will vote on a new American health system probably sometime overnight. I can’t tell you what it is or even if it’s the real one.Call your Senators.
Earlier @Emma_Dumain asked me how this compared to covering laws being passed in Canada and I laughed and laughed. (And then cried.)
posted by zachlipton at 12:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
What the Joint Chiefs have done in saying they're not moving on the trans ban until 45 gives actual guidance to SECDEF is time honored. Someone gives you a shit order, you say "I'm gonna need that in writing." and then you stare at them and you wait for them to blink. So. Maybe the administration blinks.
I want to see Trump & Co. pick a full-on fight with the military. It worked so well for Roy Cohn, the president's mentor, and his boss Joe McCarthy.
posted by msalt at 12:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I want to see Trump & Co. pick a full-on fight with the military. It worked so well for Roy Cohn, the president's mentor, and his boss Joe McCarthy.
posted by msalt at 12:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Bosses want capitalism for themselves and feudalism for their workers
I was derided recently for declaring that Feudalism IS the purest form of Capitalism (based on the old days when control of The Land was the source of pretty much all Capital). Of course, I've also said that the U.S.S.R. wasn't really a Communist State, it was just a Monopoly Corporation With Nukes.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I was derided recently for declaring that Feudalism IS the purest form of Capitalism (based on the old days when control of The Land was the source of pretty much all Capital). Of course, I've also said that the U.S.S.R. wasn't really a Communist State, it was just a Monopoly Corporation With Nukes.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Maybe were witnessing an extinction burst she said hopefully.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 1:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
This ri-cheer is golden! It is so military. It is not over until the paperwork is in, signed, in triplicate, dated, processed, and reviewed by the secretary, who will determine if said paperwork is properly annotated, signed, formatted, and submitted within protocol 665-728-FU. Then the corresponding answer to said memo, will be checked by secretarial staff, for protocol, and grammar, and resubmitted to the sender to check for understanding by the recipient.
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote, “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance.”
posted by Oyéah at 1:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff wrote, “There will be no modifications to the current policy until the President’s direction has been received by the Secretary of Defense and the Secretary has issued implementation guidance.”
posted by Oyéah at 1:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Crystal Griner deserves a couple more medals for not immediately punching Trump's lights out, and for showing up at all after yesterday's public bigotry festival.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Oyéah: and then, like my health insurance company, will they conveniently lose the paperwork?
posted by Melismata at 1:04 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Melismata at 1:04 PM on July 27, 2017
Scaramucci fast accruing power in White House (Easley and Fabian, The Hill)
He's sucking the life force from intern after intern. Soon he'll be strong enough to open the Dark Portal.
posted by freecellwizard at 1:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
He's sucking the life force from intern after intern. Soon he'll be strong enough to open the Dark Portal.
posted by freecellwizard at 1:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
> "Jared Kushner’s statement and testimony before Congress have made Democrats and many in the media come to the realization that the collusion they were counting on just isn’t there."
"Look, we asked the guy, 'When you went to the treason meeting, was it to commit treason?' and he said, 'Oh goodness no, because I'm far too stupid to have realized it was a treason meeting!' See?"
posted by kyrademon at 1:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
"Look, we asked the guy, 'When you went to the treason meeting, was it to commit treason?' and he said, 'Oh goodness no, because I'm far too stupid to have realized it was a treason meeting!' See?"
posted by kyrademon at 1:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Bosses want capitalism for themselves and feudalism for their workers
That just sounds like slavery with extra steps.
posted by Glibpaxman at 1:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
That just sounds like slavery with extra steps.
posted by Glibpaxman at 1:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Melismata
Well if it conceals a pre existing condition, maybe it is not such a bad thing. I have read recently that a lot of private student loans are going down, because they lost the paperwork. Well hell yes, they know Trump can only handle one tweet at a time, and there is no checking back if anything happened. I have no magical powers, if I did, a lot of things would be different. Coming to terms with the mortality of my generation's ideals is heart breaking at the moment. Even that concept is futile, the ideals of my generation are more like those layered licorice candies. All stuck in one time frame, but very different in flavor.
posted by Oyéah at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well if it conceals a pre existing condition, maybe it is not such a bad thing. I have read recently that a lot of private student loans are going down, because they lost the paperwork. Well hell yes, they know Trump can only handle one tweet at a time, and there is no checking back if anything happened. I have no magical powers, if I did, a lot of things would be different. Coming to terms with the mortality of my generation's ideals is heart breaking at the moment. Even that concept is futile, the ideals of my generation are more like those layered licorice candies. All stuck in one time frame, but very different in flavor.
posted by Oyéah at 1:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Video of the kiss.
Oh my god you guys. She's on crutches. She is literally powerless to do anything to prevent or dodge that kiss. I'm done.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
Oh my god you guys. She's on crutches. She is literally powerless to do anything to prevent or dodge that kiss. I'm done.
posted by Room 641-A at 1:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
She should get a second medal for enduring that.
posted by rc3spencer at 1:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 1:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Metafilter: Implementation guidance missive.
posted by Oyéah at 1:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 1:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm not proud to be posting this comment, but we've come this far and we're all very mature here, right? Remember how we were told Scaramucci calls Priebus a crude nickname but we weren't told what it actually was? It turns out it was exactly what you thought it was, as revealed in this Lachlan/Swin story: With Trump’s ‘Green Light,’ Scaramucci Declares Total War on Reince Priebus:
posted by zachlipton at 1:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
Despite public insistence from the White House to the contrary, there is no indication that Priebus and Scaramucci like each other as friends or aren’t working against each other as colleagues. Two sources who have known Scaramucci for years say that he has privately called Priebus “Reince Penis” (a taunt also deployed by political operative and longtime Trump adviser Roger Stone), among other crude monikers.When you're done snickering, more alarming details inside. The Communications Director's war on the Chief of Staff is completely endorsed by the President:
“The president specifically gave [Scaramucci] the green light to go after Reince”—on-air if necessary—one White House adviser told The Daily Beast, citing conversations with President Trump. Scaramucci himself claimed that he had secured Trump’s “blessing” for his words and actions in a phone call with the president prior to a Thursday morning CNN interview.And concerning from a rule of law perspective, Scaramucci is talking to the Attorney General:
The “president is not concerned with Reince’s feelings,” the source added. However, Trump has no interest in personally firing Priebus at this time, preferring to delegate abuse of his own chief of staff—who Trump has been frustrated with for months—to his new comms czar nicknamed “The Mooch.”
...
Trump “was watching [the CNN interview] and loved it,” another senior White House official told The Daily Beast. Scaramucci, the official said, was “doing exactly what [the president] brought him in to do.”
The official also noted that Trump would also much rather have public attention on White House melodrama than on other news plaguing the administration and the Republican Party, such as the Obamacare-repeal debacle in the Senate and Russia-related stories.
In the same interview, he hinted at a major escalation of his efforts against Priebus. Asked about his reported request that the Justice Department investigate the “leak” of his publicly available financial disclosure information, Scaramucci told CNN that he had been speaking with Attorney General Jeff Sessions.Finally, I just want to highlight this quote from Scaramucci's utterly bonkers CNN interview this morning: "There are people inside the administration who think it is their job to save America from this president." He's diagnosed the situation correctly, but I'm not understanding why he thinks this is a problem. Anyway, I hope we can give those people medals.
Justice Department spokeswoman Sarah Isgur Flores confirmed in an email to The Daily Beast that Sessions and Scaramucci spoke on Thursday morning, but said she did not know what their conversation entailed. She denied that Scaramucci’s comments on CNN indicated a discussion of a potential leak investigation into Priebus or any other White House staffer.
posted by zachlipton at 1:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
It seems clear that Senate Republicans are going to vote for Skinny Repeal even though they know its a disaster and don't want it to become law, under the pretense that it will be fixed in conference. But the House is going to ram it through as-is over the weekend. So we're probably fucked.
posted by Justinian at 1:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
They are all over about how Scalise is released from the hospital, and going into rehab, and well done press. But they didn't ever do a blow by blow about the heroes, and how they recovered. Will the press now write about Greiner being molested by the President? I hope so. She didn't deserve that.
posted by Oyéah at 1:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 1:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
I just had a dude drop off flowers in my office as an apology for asking my due date (twice!), when I am very much not pregnant.
For enduring what she did, in public, while on crutches, Crystal Griner deserves a bouquet the size of, a large SUV -- and like, we're talking a Chevy Tahoe from the mid-aughts, not a RAV-4.
With orchids.
Lots of orchids.
And maybe, like, a fucking president who isn't a disgusting, homophobic, transphobic, racist piece of shit.
posted by joyceanmachine at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
For enduring what she did, in public, while on crutches, Crystal Griner deserves a bouquet the size of, a large SUV -- and like, we're talking a Chevy Tahoe from the mid-aughts, not a RAV-4.
With orchids.
Lots of orchids.
And maybe, like, a fucking president who isn't a disgusting, homophobic, transphobic, racist piece of shit.
posted by joyceanmachine at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
Whether it's because of malice or spinal problems, at this point I wouldn't trust McCain to sit the right way on a toilet seat.
So now I'm wondering, do you mean facing the tank, or upside down inside the toilet because he's so fulla crap?
posted by notsnot at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
So now I'm wondering, do you mean facing the tank, or upside down inside the toilet because he's so fulla crap?
posted by notsnot at 1:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
It would be trivial for the Senate to ensure that the "skinny repeal" won't become law by inserting a poison-pill amendment that would avoid any possibility of the House passing it as-is, such as a provision requiring the Speaker of the House to conduct all formal business in a monkey suit, or stating that the bill does not take effect until the year 3017. They won't do this because they don't actually care about what happens to the country, they just want a plausible argument for why it's somebody else's fault.
Not to mention that they don't even have to pass anything to go to conference with the House, they could just designate negotiators and start talking. Maybe they could even talk in public, and let experts talk to them at the same time. There could even be a special name for this sort of discussion, based on the fact that we can HEAR from people interested in the bill.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
Not to mention that they don't even have to pass anything to go to conference with the House, they could just designate negotiators and start talking. Maybe they could even talk in public, and let experts talk to them at the same time. There could even be a special name for this sort of discussion, based on the fact that we can HEAR from people interested in the bill.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
I assume it's because Trump doesn't actually like to fire people, because it reflects poorly on him that he hired them in the first place. Or so we are led to understand. Also, we know from the campaign that he's actually kind of crap at confrontations with people who stand up to him.
posted by suelac at 1:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by suelac at 1:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
From the official White House twitter account:
President Trump: We are forever in your debt. Thank you. God bless you, God bless our truly amazing law enforcement, and God bless America.
[real]
posted by bluecore at 1:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
President Trump: We are forever in your debt. Thank you. God bless you, God bless our truly amazing law enforcement, and God bless America.
[real]
posted by bluecore at 1:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
AFAICT that is a quote from Trump, talking about the police officers who stopped the shooter last month, not a statement addressed to Trump.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Why would national anagram put up with it? What could be possibly be getting out of staying as the C of S under these conditions? Wouldn't anyone, with a modicum of self preservation just walk?
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:34 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:34 PM on July 27, 2017
The “president is not concerned with Reince’s feelings,” the source added.If I were Reince, this is moment I'd say "Fuck it," and just call the FBI to report a leak.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
@BresPolitico: House will enact "martial law" thru Tuesday under rule. Could take up & pass Senate health bill in one day. If Senate passes it!
Hey idiot Republican Senators: does this look like a House that's looking to go to conference? No. They're going to pass your dumbass bill no matter how hard you wish it won't actually become law.
posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Hey idiot Republican Senators: does this look like a House that's looking to go to conference? No. They're going to pass your dumbass bill no matter how hard you wish it won't actually become law.
posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Then Reince yelled, "Shut up, Scare-a-coochie!" and the two rolled around on the carpet for a couple minutes until they were winded and teary.
posted by orange ball at 1:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by orange ball at 1:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Why are we talking these Senators at their word that they don't actually want it to pass. This just seems like an incredibly stupid way to cover their asses.
posted by dilaudid at 1:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by dilaudid at 1:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish: AFAICT that is a quote from Trump, talking about the police officers who stopped the shooter last month, not a statement addressed to Trump.
Oh, good. That was scary to read. I wish the Comms dept. knew about quotation marks.
posted by bluecore at 1:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Oh, good. That was scary to read. I wish the Comms dept. knew about quotation marks.
posted by bluecore at 1:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
> Then Reince yelled, "Shut up, Scare-a-coochie!" and the two rolled around on the carpet for a couple minutes until they were winded and teary.
paging Dr. Chuck Tingle... paging Dr. Chuck Tingle to the courtesy phone...
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
paging Dr. Chuck Tingle... paging Dr. Chuck Tingle to the courtesy phone...
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Frank Rich - Everything Trump Does Now Must Be Viewed Through A Single Lens: Saving himself
posted by growabrain at 1:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 1:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
What the everloving hell. Trump can just fire Priebus! Just get rid of him if you don't like him! But instead Trump has to bring someone else on board to heap abuse onto Priebus until he leaves, I guess?
There are several possibilities here — the most likely being that Trump thinks there is some sort of big dad who really pulls the punches, and big daddy hasn't let him fire Priebus or Sessions yet. It's maybe even possible that he is right about this.
Also, he is running the presidency like it is a reality show. It keeps us all tuned in. This option does not exclude the former.
Finally, he may not be totally aware that he is really the president. Maybe he thinks this is all a huge scam and before too long, everything will fall apart and the real president will come back. Sadly, he is certainly wrong about that last part.
posted by mumimor at 1:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
There are several possibilities here — the most likely being that Trump thinks there is some sort of big dad who really pulls the punches, and big daddy hasn't let him fire Priebus or Sessions yet. It's maybe even possible that he is right about this.
Also, he is running the presidency like it is a reality show. It keeps us all tuned in. This option does not exclude the former.
Finally, he may not be totally aware that he is really the president. Maybe he thinks this is all a huge scam and before too long, everything will fall apart and the real president will come back. Sadly, he is certainly wrong about that last part.
posted by mumimor at 1:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Omg I hate all of them and could not care one bit if they continue to hire, publically gripe about, and fire each other in succession for 3.5 more years*. If they want to reenact Mean Girls at the White House, let them. If anything feels like a distraction from important politics, it's this crap.
*Except Mueller. That would get my attention.
posted by greermahoney at 1:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
*Except Mueller. That would get my attention.
posted by greermahoney at 1:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I wish the Comms dept. knew about quotation marks.
I feel this would be like the episode of FRIENDS where Joey doesn't understand air quotes.
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 1:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I feel this would be like the episode of FRIENDS where Joey doesn't understand air quotes.
posted by CoffeeHikeNapWine at 1:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
OK, the medal kiss was skeevy enough that I'm all out of eeewwwws. PriebaMoochie slashfic is more than I can stand.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Please, Mr. President, whatever you do, don't continue your weird dominance displays that alienate the GOP elite. It offends my liberal sensibilities so, so much. Please don't attack Sessions, Priebus, McConnell, Ryan, Hannity, Pence, Drudge, Jones, and Limbaugh! Don't do it! Don't fire everybody in all offices and walk out onto the front lawn of the Whitehouse in nothing but your T-Rump boxers tweeting, "You're fired! And You're fired! And You're fired! Best president ever! Everybody's saying it! Ack!"
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 1:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
Artw: "Where is Moscow Mike these days anyway?"
I had a related thought: What's happened/happening with the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn? I mean, this whole Mueller thing happened because Trump fired Comey because Comey wouldn't back off of Flynn. Did that basically work (even if it set off a whole bunch of other consequences)? Did that, in fact, halt the FBI's investigation? I imagine that Flynn's stuff probably also falls under Mueller's purview but I'm really curious if the FBI is still also looking at him.
posted by mhum at 1:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I had a related thought: What's happened/happening with the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn? I mean, this whole Mueller thing happened because Trump fired Comey because Comey wouldn't back off of Flynn. Did that basically work (even if it set off a whole bunch of other consequences)? Did that, in fact, halt the FBI's investigation? I imagine that Flynn's stuff probably also falls under Mueller's purview but I'm really curious if the FBI is still also looking at him.
posted by mhum at 1:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
What the everloving hell. Trump can just fire Priebus! Just get rid of him if you don't like him! But instead Trump has to bring someone else on board to heap abuse onto Priebus until he leaves, I guess?
Priebus is the GOP Voice in this administration. He's the former GOP Chair for Paul Ryan's district and former National Republican Committee Chair. He was almost definitely pushed on the Trump campaign as a price of Trump running as a Republican. And he's the only person in the administration whose agenda has been completely transparent since day one. He doesn't serve Trump. He doesn't serve the American people. He is ruled by the Party and its interests. It's his job to make sure the administration focuses on them.
Everyone else in the administration is pretty much out for themselves or purporting to serve the President. Not Priebus.
You have to remember, back in August of last year, there was a very vocal segment of GOP party leaders who wanted Trump's party funding cut off ("We believe that Donald Trump's divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide") after the Khan incident. Priebus helped bring all of those Republican naysayers in line, helped control the flow of information between the campaign and the world, and suddenly we had a flood of stories hitting the media about him being the campaign's Voice of Reason. We'd see a much more mature, statesman-like Trump emerge in the last two months of the campaign.
Well, that didn't happen. However, Priebus probably kept Trump from completely imploding on himself within his own party. Because he was trusted to get Trump under control. And in some ways, he did. He pushed discipline on the candidate. He steered him in acceptable directions and had him say things that would attract Party support. And Priebus probably worked his ass off behind the scenes to shore up support and convince R's to get behind the guy.
So Priebus has had to walk a very careful line. He's probably worked very hard to control Trump's worst impulses while quietly pushing a Republican agenda and installing loyal Republicans to as many positions as he can.
But our President is an egomaniacal, narcissistic control freak, so that probably chafes.
Is this because Priebus hurts Trump's feelings by questioning him, so Trump feels like he has to do some weird dominance ritual in retaliation?
Who knows? Internecine warfare is Trump's modus operandi.
posted by zarq at 1:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Priebus is the GOP Voice in this administration. He's the former GOP Chair for Paul Ryan's district and former National Republican Committee Chair. He was almost definitely pushed on the Trump campaign as a price of Trump running as a Republican. And he's the only person in the administration whose agenda has been completely transparent since day one. He doesn't serve Trump. He doesn't serve the American people. He is ruled by the Party and its interests. It's his job to make sure the administration focuses on them.
Everyone else in the administration is pretty much out for themselves or purporting to serve the President. Not Priebus.
You have to remember, back in August of last year, there was a very vocal segment of GOP party leaders who wanted Trump's party funding cut off ("We believe that Donald Trump's divisiveness, recklessness, incompetence, and record-breaking unpopularity risk turning this election into a Democratic landslide") after the Khan incident. Priebus helped bring all of those Republican naysayers in line, helped control the flow of information between the campaign and the world, and suddenly we had a flood of stories hitting the media about him being the campaign's Voice of Reason. We'd see a much more mature, statesman-like Trump emerge in the last two months of the campaign.
Well, that didn't happen. However, Priebus probably kept Trump from completely imploding on himself within his own party. Because he was trusted to get Trump under control. And in some ways, he did. He pushed discipline on the candidate. He steered him in acceptable directions and had him say things that would attract Party support. And Priebus probably worked his ass off behind the scenes to shore up support and convince R's to get behind the guy.
So Priebus has had to walk a very careful line. He's probably worked very hard to control Trump's worst impulses while quietly pushing a Republican agenda and installing loyal Republicans to as many positions as he can.
But our President is an egomaniacal, narcissistic control freak, so that probably chafes.
Is this because Priebus hurts Trump's feelings by questioning him, so Trump feels like he has to do some weird dominance ritual in retaliation?
Who knows? Internecine warfare is Trump's modus operandi.
posted by zarq at 1:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Everything Trump Does Now Must Be Viewed Through A Single Lens: Saving himself
Or . . situation normal for Trump organizations. He sets up ratfights, comes back, picks some winners and sets them up in new fights. This is the norm for working in a Trump business. Everyone is expendable, or an extension of him (immediate family, lifelong confidants).
posted by rc3spencer at 1:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Or . . situation normal for Trump organizations. He sets up ratfights, comes back, picks some winners and sets them up in new fights. This is the norm for working in a Trump business. Everyone is expendable, or an extension of him (immediate family, lifelong confidants).
posted by rc3spencer at 1:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Daines single-payer trolling amendment has been rejected 57-0, with 43 Senators voting present. That's how you avoid falling for trolls.
Though it's interesting, for students of Congressional minutiae, that while all Republicans voted Nay and almost all Democrats voted Present, a few Democrats did in fact vote Nay, and those were unsurprisingly some of the most right-leaning Democrats: Donnelly, Heitkamp, Manchin, Tester. For whatever reason, they still preferred to distinguish themselves with Nays rather than follow the Democratic Present strategy. So good unity in the Democratic left wing in avoiding the trolls by voting Present instead of Yay, not so great on the Democratic right wing in sticking to the strategy -- but still pretty good for the party overall.
posted by chortly at 1:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Though it's interesting, for students of Congressional minutiae, that while all Republicans voted Nay and almost all Democrats voted Present, a few Democrats did in fact vote Nay, and those were unsurprisingly some of the most right-leaning Democrats: Donnelly, Heitkamp, Manchin, Tester. For whatever reason, they still preferred to distinguish themselves with Nays rather than follow the Democratic Present strategy. So good unity in the Democratic left wing in avoiding the trolls by voting Present instead of Yay, not so great on the Democratic right wing in sticking to the strategy -- but still pretty good for the party overall.
posted by chortly at 1:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
the most likely being that Trump thinks there is some sort of big dad who really pulls the punches, and big daddy hasn't let him fire Priebus or Sessions yet.
I'll bet Donnie dresses up like his Daddy and screams at himself in the mirror at night.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:50 PM on July 27, 2017
I'll bet Donnie dresses up like his Daddy and screams at himself in the mirror at night.
Privately, Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, has told people that Priebus is "gone" and that he is trying to figure out his next steps, a source with knowledge said.(At the side, one of the "Now Buzzing" stories is "281 Gross As Fuck Stories That Will Make You Feel Better About Yourself.")
— Reince Priebus' Days Are Numbered, Trump Allies Say, Buzzfeed.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:50 PM on July 27, 2017
Did that, in fact, halt the FBI's investigation? I imagine that Flynn's stuff probably also falls under Mueller's purview but I'm really curious if the FBI is still also looking at him.
Oh, I think we can be assured that it all comes under Mueller's umbrella and that by now he probably knows about the time Mike Flynn used a fake ID to buy Boone's Farm in high school.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Oh, I think we can be assured that it all comes under Mueller's umbrella and that by now he probably knows about the time Mike Flynn used a fake ID to buy Boone's Farm in high school.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
If Priebus is gone, who's the new COS? I feel like the odds are about even between Alex Jones, Mooch, and that angry squirrel from NYC that people keep posting on Twitter.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 1:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I had a related thought: What's happened/happening with the FBI's investigation into Michael Flynn? I mean, this whole Mueller thing happened because Trump fired Comey because Comey wouldn't back off of Flynn. Did that basically work (even if it set off a whole bunch of other consequences)?
We aren't going to know before the entire investigation is complete, at the earliest. Mueller is only going to hand in, essentially, a report to the DOJ, who will decide on charges, if any. That's my understanding.
posted by rhizome at 1:55 PM on July 27, 2017
We aren't going to know before the entire investigation is complete, at the earliest. Mueller is only going to hand in, essentially, a report to the DOJ, who will decide on charges, if any. That's my understanding.
posted by rhizome at 1:55 PM on July 27, 2017
New COS?
-Pizza Rat
-Naked Cowboy
-That one guy who kept trying to scam me on 23rd posing as a costume manager for Broadway who needed 30 bucks to get to the warehouse to pick up costumes before the show.
-Barron
posted by emjaybee at 1:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
-Pizza Rat
-Naked Cowboy
-That one guy who kept trying to scam me on 23rd posing as a costume manager for Broadway who needed 30 bucks to get to the warehouse to pick up costumes before the show.
-Barron
posted by emjaybee at 1:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
New chief of staff Rudy Giuliani.
posted by Tevin at 1:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Tevin at 1:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Jared, obvs.
posted by octobersurprise at 1:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by octobersurprise at 1:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
NEWS CONFERENCE: Senators Graham, McCain, Purdue, Johnson and Lee on healthcare reform. Time: 5:15pm
I assume that's to explain why they're all voting for a bill that they hate?
posted by gladly at 1:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I assume that's to explain why they're all voting for a bill that they hate?
posted by gladly at 1:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Mooch will be new COS, Pickle will take his job as comms director.
posted by jferg at 1:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jferg at 1:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's now just Graham, McCain, and Johnson.
So the three of them announce they'll block the bill, then McCain caves sometime later. On the other hand, Murkowski is both quiet and pissed off.
posted by zachlipton at 2:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
So the three of them announce they'll block the bill, then McCain caves sometime later. On the other hand, Murkowski is both quiet and pissed off.
posted by zachlipton at 2:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Pinhead
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:00 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:00 PM on July 27, 2017
I don't know. I don't see why those particular senators would be holding a conference to say they were voting for it. It just wouldn't make a lot of sense.
posted by Justinian at 2:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Zippy the Pinhead.
posted by octobersurprise at 2:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by octobersurprise at 2:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Pinhead
*Doug Bradley voice*
"Do I look like someone who cares what Jeb! thinks?"
posted by cortex at 2:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
*Doug Bradley voice*
"Do I look like someone who cares what Jeb! thinks?"
posted by cortex at 2:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I don't know. I don't see why those particular senators would be holding a conference to say they were voting for it. It just wouldn't make a lot of sense.
They wouldn't. Those particular senators would hold a conference to say they weren't voting for it - and then they'd vote for it.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
They wouldn't. Those particular senators would hold a conference to say they weren't voting for it - and then they'd vote for it.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
I mean, Graham flat out said earlier that he "[doesn't] see anything passing." What has changed in the past few hours to get him to hold a major press conference saying "SYKE ITS GONNA BE GREAT YOLOLOOLLOOLOLOLOL".
posted by Justinian at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
That's basically the "we're very concerned" coalition isn't it? They could easily announce that they are completely opposed to the bill, and then vote in favor of it later.
posted by parallellines at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by parallellines at 2:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Ryan Lizza: Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Rant About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon.
This entire article is insane. I'm not even going to pullquote because you need to read all of it. If you need convincing, it starts with Scaramucci threatening to fire the entire communications staff if Lizza doesn't reveal a source. By the end, he's announcing that he has to go because "gotta start tweeting some shit to make this guy crazy."
posted by zachlipton at 2:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [70 favorites]
This entire article is insane. I'm not even going to pullquote because you need to read all of it. If you need convincing, it starts with Scaramucci threatening to fire the entire communications staff if Lizza doesn't reveal a source. By the end, he's announcing that he has to go because "gotta start tweeting some shit to make this guy crazy."
posted by zachlipton at 2:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [70 favorites]
McCain and Graham are holding a press conference in 15 mins to say how terrible skinny repeal is, and then vote for it.
Ron Johnson likes lamp.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Ron Johnson likes lamp.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
> That's basically the "we're very concerned" coalition isn't it? They could easily announce that they are completely opposed to the bill, and then vote in favor of it later.
I believe the correct protocol is for them to express grave concerns about the bill that they are going to vote for later on.
Also, I can't resist:
Metafilter: Sorry, but your projectile vomit is just a distraction from the diarrhea.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I believe the correct protocol is for them to express grave concerns about the bill that they are going to vote for later on.
Also, I can't resist:
Metafilter: Sorry, but your projectile vomit is just a distraction from the diarrhea.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Y'all are even more cynical than I am. I just don't see what may well be the last major act of a dying man being to troll us all and vote this thing through after coming out against it.
But I keep forgetting that the key to not having my spirit broken is never to hope.
posted by Justinian at 2:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
But I keep forgetting that the key to not having my spirit broken is never to hope.
posted by Justinian at 2:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I just don't see what may well be the last major act of a dying man being to troll us all and vote this thing through after coming out against it.We're talking about John McCain here. Also, I don't really believe in deathbed conversions, and I'm not sure he's even had long enough to process the fact that he's really going to die. I think we should expect business as usual from McCain.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Y'all are even more cynical than I am. I just don't see what may well be the last major act of a dying man being to troll us all and vote this thing through after coming out against it.
Why not, he literally did exactly that yesterday.
"This whole process has been terrible and I can't support the bill in its current form." *Votes to proceed on bill in its current form, instead of forcing GOP to go through a better process*
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Why not, he literally did exactly that yesterday.
"This whole process has been terrible and I can't support the bill in its current form." *Votes to proceed on bill in its current form, instead of forcing GOP to go through a better process*
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Bless you, Justinian - the world needs idealists right now. Not kidding. It makes me smile to see it. But yes, of course the last major act of a dying McCain will be to troll us all and vote this thing through after coming out against it. It's who he is. Who he has always been, despite a successful "Maverick" PR campaign. He is the crusty face of a party hack.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
We're not cynical. This is what McCain does.
posted by agregoli at 2:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by agregoli at 2:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Oh my god, that Lizza article is DELIGHTFUL. As the fellow said, "They will tear each other into pieces, Jesus Christ, this will be fun!" --
“I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to suck my own cock,” [Mooch] said, speaking of Trump’s chief strategist. “I’m not trying to build my own brand off the fucking strength of the President. I’m here to serve the country.” (Bannon declined to comment.)posted by FelliniBlank at 2:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
And you know, McCain doesn't think he's a craven coward. He thinks he's the voice of reason and authority and that his futile expressions of concern are significant and statesmanlike. In order to reform, he'd have to realize that he was doing something wrong.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Concerned-In-Words-But-Not-Actions Coalition Livestream
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I’m here To Serve Man the Country.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 2:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
*Doug Bradley voice*
I think you mean Stephan Smith Collins
posted by OverlappingElvis at 2:15 PM on July 27, 2017
I think you mean Stephan Smith Collins
posted by OverlappingElvis at 2:15 PM on July 27, 2017
zachlipton: The official also noted that Trump would also much rather have public attention on White House melodrama than on other news plaguing the administration and the Republican Party, such as the Obamacare-repeal debacle in the Senate and Russia-related stories.
Trump: emphasizing the "chaotic" in "chaotic evil," so he can be more evil.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Trump: emphasizing the "chaotic" in "chaotic evil," so he can be more evil.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Wow, I just tried to watch the video of Trump kissing the police officer during the medal of valor ceremony. (I don't know why. Maybe I like to watch gross things, like the time my SO hit a slug with a hammer and got covered in slug innards.) Anyway, I couldn't even watch Trump just standing there. I shuddered and noped out right away. He's getting creepier, somehow.
posted by WordCannon at 2:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by WordCannon at 2:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Dana Bash on CNN just cited a source with the Senate presser saying they're doing it to go on the record that they'll vote for the skinny repeal, but only as a procedural step to get into conference. Characterizes it as a "leap of faith."
Meanwhile, the House has enacted special rules to expedite passage of Senate bills with zero notice, voted down a Dem amendment to limit this rule change to movements into conference only, and notified members to keep their travel plans for the weekend flexible. TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY, YOU GUYS.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Meanwhile, the House has enacted special rules to expedite passage of Senate bills with zero notice, voted down a Dem amendment to limit this rule change to movements into conference only, and notified members to keep their travel plans for the weekend flexible. TOTALLY TRUSTWORTHY, YOU GUYS.
posted by Rhaomi at 2:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Dana Bash says Concernfest 2017 is a declaration of support for skinny repeal.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
That's not how any of this works.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Oh, FFS.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Jesus Christ. Nothing makes sense anymore.
posted by Justinian at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Graham calls the skinny bill a "disaster" and a "fraud"
posted by theodolite at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
"The skinny bill as a policy is a disaster... The skinny bill as a replacement for Obamacare is a fraud..."
Next week: [Ron Howard voice] He voted for the disastrous fraud.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Next week: [Ron Howard voice] He voted for the disastrous fraud.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
wow. "The Skinny Bill is a disaster". from Lindsay Graham's mouth.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:20 PM on July 27, 2017
Wait, is Graham pushing back against the "skinny" bill? He called it "terrible policy and politics." This is confusing.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:21 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:21 PM on July 27, 2017
Then Reince yelled, "Shut up, Scare-a-coochie!" and the two rolled around on the carpet for a couple minutes until they were winded and teary.
@MichaelCBender: Reince & Mooch sat on same couch Tues. during WSJ's POTUS interview. Photog TJ Kirkpatrick snapped this at the end.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
@MichaelCBender: Reince & Mooch sat on same couch Tues. during WSJ's POTUS interview. Photog TJ Kirkpatrick snapped this at the end.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Ah, they want promises from the Speaker that Skinny Bill will not be passed in the House.
What the fuck? If it's a disaster and a fraud DONT VOTE FOR IT.
posted by Justinian at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
What the fuck? If it's a disaster and a fraud DONT VOTE FOR IT.
posted by Justinian at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
Graham, McCain, and Johnson support "continuing the process." They are FOR skinny repeal, because they can go to conference and get bills scored there. That "makes eminent sense" but only with the condition they actually go to conference. They have concerns the House will just drop skinny repeal on the floor and make it law.
Graham says the skinny bill is a disaster and a fraud and gives a rant about how terrible it would be if it became law, noting that the system would collapse and they would own it politically. They will vote to move the process along, but they want a conference committee.
He notes that the House Whip is telling different sides there will and will not be a conference. He won't vote for the bill unless there's assurance there's going to be a conference.
posted by zachlipton at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Graham says the skinny bill is a disaster and a fraud and gives a rant about how terrible it would be if it became law, noting that the system would collapse and they would own it politically. They will vote to move the process along, but they want a conference committee.
He notes that the House Whip is telling different sides there will and will not be a conference. He won't vote for the bill unless there's assurance there's going to be a conference.
posted by zachlipton at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
If you just want a vehicle for conference, then why not insist it be replaced with, I dunno, a smiley face scrawled on a napkin instead of something that will be an unmitigated disaster if it becomes law?
posted by Rhaomi at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
He demands assurances from Ryan that they'll go to conference and not just pass the skinny repeal.
posted by theodolite at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by theodolite at 2:22 PM on July 27, 2017
summary, can't type fast enough: All 3 of us support the idea of continuing the process...find a product that's better for the American people. we've been asked to vote for the least common denominator, then we can go to conference and get the amendments scored. That makes sense to me if we do go to conference. There is increasing concern that the house will take the bill and go directly to the floor, vote on it, and that'll go to the president's desk.
The skinny bill as policy is a disaster. The skinny bill is a vehicle to get to conference. It's terrible because it eliminates the individual mandate...so you're gonna have increased premiums.
He just said half ass, weird.
Obamacare will collapse, we should just let it collapse otherwise it's on us.
I'm not going to vote for the skinny bill if I'm not assured that there will be a conference. I'm not going to vote for a bill that is bad policy and horrible politics. all three of us want to move the process along. I need assurances that the skinny bill will not be the final product, that it needs to go to conference. If I can't get that, I will vote no.
From Lindsay Graham.
posted by punchtothehead at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
The skinny bill as policy is a disaster. The skinny bill is a vehicle to get to conference. It's terrible because it eliminates the individual mandate...so you're gonna have increased premiums.
He just said half ass, weird.
Obamacare will collapse, we should just let it collapse otherwise it's on us.
I'm not going to vote for the skinny bill if I'm not assured that there will be a conference. I'm not going to vote for a bill that is bad policy and horrible politics. all three of us want to move the process along. I need assurances that the skinny bill will not be the final product, that it needs to go to conference. If I can't get that, I will vote no.
From Lindsay Graham.
posted by punchtothehead at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
They're literally voting for a bill that they call a disaster and a fraud on a "leap of faith" that it will get fixed in conference? When they know nobody has a fix? These people are stupid and desperate and evil, which is not a great combination in a legislator.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
IF THE SKINNY BILL IS A DISASTER VOTE NO jfc it's pretty goddamn simple people.
posted by sporkwort at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by sporkwort at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
[Closes tab before McCain-induced destruction of LCD monitor]
posted by tonycpsu at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
If you just want a vehicle for conference, then why not insist it be replaced with, I dunno, a smiley face scrawled on a napkin instead of something that will be an unmitigated disaster if it becomes law?
I'm telling you, monkey suit.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I'm telling you, monkey suit.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Downside: this presser is fucking bullshit.
Upside: Lindsey Graham said "half-assed" on camera.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Upside: Lindsey Graham said "half-assed" on camera.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
They are saying they will vote for the "terrible" bill that is a "disaster" as long as they get a promise that it won't become law. This is arguably even more absurd than the Lizza article.
posted by zachlipton at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
On the matter of Senate Bill WTFBBQ, the question is raised: ARE YOU STUPID ENOUGH TO TRUST PAUL RYAN TO NOT FUCK YOU AND THE REST OF AMERICA. All in favor, say "Aye."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
No one wants to own this. Vote it in, but be able to blame it on someone else's decision. Pathetic.
posted by rc3spencer at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 2:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
JUST START YOUR OWN CONFERENCE COMMITTEE RIGHT NOW AND WRITE A BILL YOU LIKE, YOU MORONS. YOU CAN DO THAT.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
Oh my god, that Lizza article is DELIGHTFUL.
It is. It makes Scaramucci sound both totally unhinged and thoroughly unpleasant. No wonder Trump likes him.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
It is. It makes Scaramucci sound both totally unhinged and thoroughly unpleasant. No wonder Trump likes him.
“I’m asking you as an American patriot to give me a sense of who leaked it.”THAT'S NOT HOW PATRIOTISM OR JOURNALISM WORKS.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
If you want to see cynicism, it's a Senator saying, "Obamacare's gonna collapse. We should just get out of the way and let it."
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I give up, you bunch of craven bastards.
posted by lydhre at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lydhre at 2:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh, they don't want to do anything except make sure something, anything gets passed. They don't give a shit about any conference. They're just trying to wash their hands before the blood is on them.
posted by azpenguin at 2:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 2:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have to wonder how much of this display of cowardice is the result of Putin, via Trump, delivering blackmail threats to the Senators involved.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Shorter Lindsey Graham: If I am assured that this fraudulent disaster won't become law I will vote for it to become law.
posted by Justinian at 2:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
Ryan Lizza: Anthony Scaramucci Called Me to Rant About White House Leakers, Reince Priebus, and Steve Bannon.
so the sugar bowls at the white house are basically just full of blue crystal meth right? i mean thats the only thing that can explain this white house
posted by entropicamericana at 2:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
so the sugar bowls at the white house are basically just full of blue crystal meth right? i mean thats the only thing that can explain this white house
posted by entropicamericana at 2:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
It is. It makes Scaramucci sound both totally unhinged and thoroughly unpleasant. No wonder Trump likes him.
Is it possible that Scaramucci has a substance problem? There was a vaguely cocaine-fueled tone, I thought, especially the gibberish about digital fingerprints and lie detectors.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Is it possible that Scaramucci has a substance problem? There was a vaguely cocaine-fueled tone, I thought, especially the gibberish about digital fingerprints and lie detectors.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Damn you, entropicamericana!
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Graham and Ryan are still in the same party, right? Shouldn't they, like, have each other's phone numbers or whatever? Why are they passing notes in front of the whole class? This is incomprehensible.
posted by Rock Steady at 2:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 2:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
What a half hour. If I didn't know better I'd swear that *I* was the one with the brain tumor and this was all a fevered, impossible hallucination.
posted by marshmallow peep at 2:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by marshmallow peep at 2:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
LG: "I think Senator McCain is dead right."
This was unfortunate.
posted by Justinian at 2:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
This was unfortunate.
posted by Justinian at 2:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
> I have to wonder how much of this display of cowardice is the result of Putin, via Trump, delivering blackmail threats to the Senators involved.
I wouldn't rule it out, but these guys have a long track record of concern trolling that doesn't require any intervention from a foreign government. They're doing it for their own self-gratification.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I wouldn't rule it out, but these guys have a long track record of concern trolling that doesn't require any intervention from a foreign government. They're doing it for their own self-gratification.
posted by tonycpsu at 2:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Is it possible that Scaramucci has a substance problem?
Given Trump's behavior this week, compared to the previous few weeks, perhaps Scaramucci is Trump's supplier?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 2:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Given Trump's behavior this week, compared to the previous few weeks, perhaps Scaramucci is Trump's supplier?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 2:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
This press conference charade is so idiotic. There is nothing magical that happens if they pass this bill. If they want to sit down and discuss other options, there is nothing stopping them from doing that! If they want to get a bill scored by the CBO, just send it to them, that's what they do! Even if there is an assurance of going to conference, a revised bill would still need to be passed through the Senate all over again. The only thing that happens if they pass this bill is that it becomes one step closer to becoming law.
posted by parallellines at 2:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by parallellines at 2:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yeah, yuk it up, rich white guys.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Senate's behavior this week makes me think they know nothing is gonna pass, but they're all looking for someone else to blame. If they move everything to conference, the House can blame the Senate and the Senate can blame the House. Perfect! Everyone wins.
posted by Glibpaxman at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Glibpaxman at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Great comment on Talking Points Memo about this fiasco:
"House 'moderates' believed the Senate would do their jobs for them. Senate 'moderates' believe the House will do their jobs for them.
Party of personal responsibility, folks."
posted by tittergrrl at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [58 favorites]
"House 'moderates' believed the Senate would do their jobs for them. Senate 'moderates' believe the House will do their jobs for them.
Party of personal responsibility, folks."
posted by tittergrrl at 2:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [58 favorites]
Why do these Senators possibly think they can get an assurance that it will go to conference? There's no such thing. Does not exist. It can even go to conference, fail, and then the House can just pass skinny repeal anyway. The only way to ensure this won't become law is to not fucking vote for it.
posted by zachlipton at 2:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
> They will vote for the "terrible" bill that is a "disaster" as long as they get a promise that it won't become law. This is arguably even more absurd than the Lizza article.
I don't get it. If all they want is a vehicle for a conference committee, they can just start one now - they know that, right? Or, here's a thought: "Everyone gets to opt into Medicare, and tiny American flags for everyone." That's a good bill for a conference committee to start with.
They know what they're doing here, and I guess we're going to get Skinny Repeal Trumpcare after all, 51-50.
(Who do you think gets the freebie No votes? Murkowski and Collins again, I think. But maybe Heller instead of Collins?)
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I don't get it. If all they want is a vehicle for a conference committee, they can just start one now - they know that, right? Or, here's a thought: "Everyone gets to opt into Medicare, and tiny American flags for everyone." That's a good bill for a conference committee to start with.
They know what they're doing here, and I guess we're going to get Skinny Repeal Trumpcare after all, 51-50.
(Who do you think gets the freebie No votes? Murkowski and Collins again, I think. But maybe Heller instead of Collins?)
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
There is nothing magical that happens if they pass this bill. If they want to sit down and discuss other options, there is nothing stopping them from doing that!
You guuuyyyyys, the Senate Republicans need their We Passed A Shit Bill Party on the White House lawn, too! They even got Coors Light and hired Scaramucci's son Kid Moochie to DJ!
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
You guuuyyyyys, the Senate Republicans need their We Passed A Shit Bill Party on the White House lawn, too! They even got Coors Light and hired Scaramucci's son Kid Moochie to DJ!
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Q: What is a guarantee? Is it a blood oath?
Graham: We don't have it. It's like pornography. You know it when you see it.
posted by zachlipton at 2:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Graham: We don't have it. It's like pornography. You know it when you see it.
posted by zachlipton at 2:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
‘Act with honor and dignity and respect’: Anthony Scaramucci cites Joe Paterno in call to CNN
Or maybe Mark Twain.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Remember Joe Paterno? What would he say? Act like you’ve been there before. Act with honor and dignity and respect and hold the confidence of the presidency and his office."Act like you've been there before" is usually attributed to Vince Lomardi or Bear Bryant.
Or maybe Mark Twain.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Cue Paul Ryan to show up with an earnest tear in his uncanny valley eyes to SWEAR with the utmost SINCERITY on his (starved) granny's grave that OF COURSE the House will go to conference!
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm trying to call my dear senator Ron Johnson's office and explain basic logic but the line is busy.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Remember Joe Paterno? What would he say? Act like you’ve been there before.
Oh dear. Yes, Anthony, people remember Joe Paterno. But not for the thing you think they do.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
Oh dear. Yes, Anthony, people remember Joe Paterno. But not for the thing you think they do.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
Scaramucci said “You’re an American citizen, this is a major catastrophe for the American country” because Lizza tweeted who Scaramucci had dinner with.
posted by diogenes at 2:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 2:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
So, this is a long time ago in thread-time, but I have to sleep occasionally. On the subject of how to respond to Trump's threats/distractions: I used to do suicide prevention/intervention. I was the person who decided if someone was sent to a hospital against their will to save their life. I had to decide whether to take any threat seriously or not.
And there were often people who threatened self-harm who I doubted would actually act. I had one client who literally called me at the same time every week to threaten suicide because she was lonely. But if I couldn't talk them around to recanting their threat, I HAD to take them at their word. No matter how full of shit I personally thought someone might be, if they said "I'm going to kill myself" and stuck to it, I HAD to hospitalize them. Because the alternative, if I didn't take them seriously and they died? That was too horrible to contemplate. I had two clients kill themselves, neither that I had any opportunity to intervene, but they still haunt me.
When lives are on the line, you HAVE to take threats seriously. You can't afford to say "I think it's bullshit." Because sometimes the very fact that you don't take them seriously will be the thing that triggers a disaster. As others have said, when someone has a loaded gun and they're making threats, you can't afford to ignore them.
posted by threeturtles at 2:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
And there were often people who threatened self-harm who I doubted would actually act. I had one client who literally called me at the same time every week to threaten suicide because she was lonely. But if I couldn't talk them around to recanting their threat, I HAD to take them at their word. No matter how full of shit I personally thought someone might be, if they said "I'm going to kill myself" and stuck to it, I HAD to hospitalize them. Because the alternative, if I didn't take them seriously and they died? That was too horrible to contemplate. I had two clients kill themselves, neither that I had any opportunity to intervene, but they still haunt me.
When lives are on the line, you HAVE to take threats seriously. You can't afford to say "I think it's bullshit." Because sometimes the very fact that you don't take them seriously will be the thing that triggers a disaster. As others have said, when someone has a loaded gun and they're making threats, you can't afford to ignore them.
posted by threeturtles at 2:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
Ah, finally got through and left a message: "vote no and you won't need assurances!...and maybe, while I'm talking, we could accept Medicaid expansion in Wisconsin so more people don't sell their houses because of health insurance costs"
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
when this goes through and the health-care shit hits the fan, none of this craven cowardly, "but we didn't mean it, it was the other guy" bullshit is going to work
this isn't just chickenshittedness - this is pure contempt for the intelligence of the american people
god help us if they buy this, because they'll buy anything
posted by pyramid termite at 2:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
this isn't just chickenshittedness - this is pure contempt for the intelligence of the american people
god help us if they buy this, because they'll buy anything
posted by pyramid termite at 2:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Can someone please force the entire Senate at gunpoint to watch the "I'm Just a Bill" Schoolhouse Rock until they get the fucking idea?
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
"Remember Joe Paterno? What would he say? Act like you’ve been there before. Act with honor and dignity and respect and hold the confidence of the presidency and his office."
—"Act like you've been there before" is usually attributed to Vince Lomardi or Bear Bryant. Or maybe Mark Twain.
Yes, but none of those guys helped to aid and abet the misdeeds of an immoral monster, so Scaramucci doesn't feel quite the same affinity for them.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
—"Act like you've been there before" is usually attributed to Vince Lomardi or Bear Bryant. Or maybe Mark Twain.
Yes, but none of those guys helped to aid and abet the misdeeds of an immoral monster, so Scaramucci doesn't feel quite the same affinity for them.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
I'm telling you, monkey suit.
Point of order: making Ryan wear a monkey suit does not save $113B from the jurisdictions of the Finance and HELP committees and is a regulatory change not intended to reduce the deficit. It violates the Budget Control Act and cannot be passed under reconciliation.
That said, yes, there's nothing that prevents them from stopping this process right now, working out an actual bill, and voting on that instead of voting for a bill they profess to hate.
posted by zachlipton at 2:47 PM on July 27, 2017
Point of order: making Ryan wear a monkey suit does not save $113B from the jurisdictions of the Finance and HELP committees and is a regulatory change not intended to reduce the deficit. It violates the Budget Control Act and cannot be passed under reconciliation.
That said, yes, there's nothing that prevents them from stopping this process right now, working out an actual bill, and voting on that instead of voting for a bill they profess to hate.
posted by zachlipton at 2:47 PM on July 27, 2017
They even got Coors Light and hired Scaramucci's son Kid Moochie to DJ!
The mini Moochie?
posted by kirkaracha at 2:48 PM on July 27, 2017
At least Scaramucci had the good sense to go on his mad tirade while the Senate descends into unprecedented chaos. That's pretty good cover.
posted by diogenes at 2:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 2:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
lol I'll vote for it if you promise me it won't pass. I'm dead. Stick a fork in me, write it on my tombstone. Up is down and bad is good and there's autofellatio in the white house. Can I get off this ride now? I want my money back
posted by dis_integration at 2:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by dis_integration at 2:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
> "That said, yes, there's nothing that prevents them from stopping this process right now, working out an actual bill, and voting on that ..."
Well, other than the fact that they are completely bereft of ideas that will not directly result in mass deaths because the basic philosophy of their party is evil.
posted by kyrademon at 2:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Well, other than the fact that they are completely bereft of ideas that will not directly result in mass deaths because the basic philosophy of their party is evil.
posted by kyrademon at 2:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Hey, it's fun to look back at tweets from 6 days ago.
@maggieNYT: Mooch isn't a comms professional. But his messaging is smooth and and level-headed.
I do have to appreciate though the flair in Scaramucci's use of the words "trying to" when discussing Bannon. Most people would have just said that Bannon was autofellating, but there's some real style in describing it merely as an attempt, especially as Scaramucci simply must have been abusing any number of substances simultaneously at the time.
posted by zachlipton at 2:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
@maggieNYT: Mooch isn't a comms professional. But his messaging is smooth and and level-headed.
I do have to appreciate though the flair in Scaramucci's use of the words "trying to" when discussing Bannon. Most people would have just said that Bannon was autofellating, but there's some real style in describing it merely as an attempt, especially as Scaramucci simply must have been abusing any number of substances simultaneously at the time.
posted by zachlipton at 2:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
Andrew Katz, Time, with more on the Priebus & Scaramucci pic: This Photo Perfectly Captures the Tension at the White House Right Now
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 2:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
especially as Scaramucci simply must have been abusing any number of substances simultaneously at the time.
The alcohol doesn't count if you just did a gram of coke.
posted by dis_integration at 2:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
The alcohol doesn't count if you just did a gram of coke.
posted by dis_integration at 2:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
@NancyPelosi If you don’t want a bill to become law, there is a way to stop it from becoming law. It’s not voting for it.
posted by emjaybee at 2:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [85 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 2:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [85 favorites]
goddammit I thought about the Lizzo article too much and I feel like Scarmucci's voice is going to come out of me when I hang out with the SO: HEY HONEY ARE YOU MAKING DINNER TONIGHT OR ARE YOU TOO BUSY TRYING TO SUCK YOUR OWN COCK. I mean yeah sometimes I feel that way when a character's voice gets in my head but that's usually like The Judge from Blood Meridian or Joe Pesci. Not the motherfucking Communications Director of the motherfucking White House.
posted by angrycat at 3:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 3:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Can you imagine a football game between these guys?
First and 10 at their own 20 and the GOP Senate lines up... for a punt? Maybe it's a fake. Courageous play calling if so. And here's the snap and, no, it's really a punt, and the kick, and it's a boomer, away up in the thin air, the deep man for the GOP House backpedals, backpedals, settles under it, catches it cleanly with yards of daylight between him and the onrushing Senate... and he takes a knee. First and 10.
The GOP House breaks the huddle, lines up on their own 34 for what looks like another punt. Indeed it is, and the snap is good and the kick is a low line drive that skitters out all the way back down on the GOP Senate 13.
[...]
And the punt is away, I hope the punters ate their Wheaties this morning, and the Senate return man waves for the fair catch, and it's a muff!, he muffs it! the ball's on the ground, and it's live and just lying on the right hashmark on the Senate GOP 19 yard line. They're all milling around looking at it. Has the whistle blown? Does anybody know the ball is live? Nope, must be dead, both sides are huddling up. I didn't hear a whistle or a signal from the officials. Have they agreed amongst themselves the ball is dead? I've never seen anything like it. The referee is meeting with players from both huddles right over the ball. And now he waves the ball dead. Maybe the players heard a whistle from the stands? From one of the coaches? Anyway, it's First and 10 on the Senate GOP 19, 0-0 tie, with the two-minute warning probably after this next punt.
posted by notyou at 3:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
First and 10 at their own 20 and the GOP Senate lines up... for a punt? Maybe it's a fake. Courageous play calling if so. And here's the snap and, no, it's really a punt, and the kick, and it's a boomer, away up in the thin air, the deep man for the GOP House backpedals, backpedals, settles under it, catches it cleanly with yards of daylight between him and the onrushing Senate... and he takes a knee. First and 10.
The GOP House breaks the huddle, lines up on their own 34 for what looks like another punt. Indeed it is, and the snap is good and the kick is a low line drive that skitters out all the way back down on the GOP Senate 13.
[...]
And the punt is away, I hope the punters ate their Wheaties this morning, and the Senate return man waves for the fair catch, and it's a muff!, he muffs it! the ball's on the ground, and it's live and just lying on the right hashmark on the Senate GOP 19 yard line. They're all milling around looking at it. Has the whistle blown? Does anybody know the ball is live? Nope, must be dead, both sides are huddling up. I didn't hear a whistle or a signal from the officials. Have they agreed amongst themselves the ball is dead? I've never seen anything like it. The referee is meeting with players from both huddles right over the ball. And now he waves the ball dead. Maybe the players heard a whistle from the stands? From one of the coaches? Anyway, it's First and 10 on the Senate GOP 19, 0-0 tie, with the two-minute warning probably after this next punt.
posted by notyou at 3:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Scaramucci, quoted in the Lizza piece:
on preview: angrycat gets it
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
“The swamp will not defeat him,” he said, breaking into the third person.I don't want to adopt the sayings and mannerisms of any Trump admin people but I'm going to have an excruciatingly difficult time not saying THE SWAMP WILL NOT DEFEAT HIM any time anybody doubts or questions me from now on
on preview: angrycat gets it
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
oh my god, I don't expect this from Ryan Lizza because he is usually a Cillizza-grade tool but look what he did, look:
Unlike other Trump advisers, I’ve never heard him say a bad word about the President.
he said, he SAID, all the (well, implied "all" but Trump is at least as careless a reader as me so let's say all) other Trump advisers have leaked nasty stuff about Trump directly to him. right embedded right there in this article about how he will not tell the cocaine man who told him about whatever dinner event, he SAYS that Scaramucci is THE ONLY LOYAL ONE and that ALL OTHER CLOSE ADVISERS HAVE BADMOUTHED TRUMP, TO HIM, HE HAS HEARD IT WITH HIS OWN EARS.
he is trying to get every single one of Trump's White House advisers fired except this one and I would believe he really could do it except I am afraid that reading the New Yorker is one thing Trump will not do. somebody read the article out loud on CNN COME ON DO IT
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
Unlike other Trump advisers, I’ve never heard him say a bad word about the President.
he said, he SAID, all the (well, implied "all" but Trump is at least as careless a reader as me so let's say all) other Trump advisers have leaked nasty stuff about Trump directly to him. right embedded right there in this article about how he will not tell the cocaine man who told him about whatever dinner event, he SAYS that Scaramucci is THE ONLY LOYAL ONE and that ALL OTHER CLOSE ADVISERS HAVE BADMOUTHED TRUMP, TO HIM, HE HAS HEARD IT WITH HIS OWN EARS.
he is trying to get every single one of Trump's White House advisers fired except this one and I would believe he really could do it except I am afraid that reading the New Yorker is one thing Trump will not do. somebody read the article out loud on CNN COME ON DO IT
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
So, have there been any clues as to why Spicer didn't want this guy as his boss?
posted by Artw at 3:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [83 favorites]
posted by Artw at 3:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [83 favorites]
I'm afraid the legislative dysfunction has gotten so bad that midterm voters will just vote non-incumbent regardless of party.
posted by klarck at 3:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by klarck at 3:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just called McCain's office.
Me: "Why not just write a good bill and send it to the House?"
Staffer: "The world will never know."
Actual quote.
posted by compartment at 3:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [212 favorites]
Me: "Why not just write a good bill and send it to the House?"
Staffer: "The world will never know."
Actual quote.
posted by compartment at 3:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [212 favorites]
There is still a trade war. Trump has already pushed several policies that violate international trade treaties, reopened NAFTA negotiations and more. Even worse, while the US has considerable economic might the Trump administration brings morons to the negotiating tables while the other countries bring experienced diplomats and economists. So you can expect something big and flashy that Trump can tout as a win and which will actually harm the U.S. economy and disproportionately benefit trading partners and a select few crony capitalists. Think Brexit if you are looking for a model.
I hadn't thought about this before, but we may be present for the first time in history that trade negotiators from two middle-power nations are positively rubbing their hands together in glee at the prospect of a demand from the global hegemon to rework a treaty.
Because I'd put money on the chief lobbyist for the Saskatchewan Rutabaga Grower's Association over the best and brightest dealmaker that the Trump Administration can put forward.
The karma of imperial pretension is eating its heart out, eh?
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I hadn't thought about this before, but we may be present for the first time in history that trade negotiators from two middle-power nations are positively rubbing their hands together in glee at the prospect of a demand from the global hegemon to rework a treaty.
Because I'd put money on the chief lobbyist for the Saskatchewan Rutabaga Grower's Association over the best and brightest dealmaker that the Trump Administration can put forward.
The karma of imperial pretension is eating its heart out, eh?
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
James Corden does a lovely tribute to the LGBT community and takes a few swipes at Dolt 45.
Twitter was not having Caitlyn Jenner's surprise about the attempted transgender military ban.
posted by TwoStride at 3:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Twitter was not having Caitlyn Jenner's surprise about the attempted transgender military ban.
posted by TwoStride at 3:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
I just realized who Scaramucci reminds me of...
This dude.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
This dude.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
who gives a shit about a tweet happy white house lackey? just another distraction and you're all falling for it. I say concentrate on the asshat republican senators, or on the russian investigation and leave the tweets for the brainwashed.
I'm so damn tired of being told I'm a sheep because I care about basic principles of governance we took for granted until a few months ago like "the White House Communications Director shouldn't be calling up reporters to describe a senior advisor trying to pleasure himself" or "the White House Communications Director shouldn't be calling up a reporter threatening to fire the entire staff unless he reveals his source" or "the White House Communications Director shouldn't be getting 'digital fingerprints on everything they’ve done through the F.B.I. and the fucking Department of Justice.'" And we have reporting that this is being done with the permission and encouragement of the President of the United States.
These were jobs that were done by serious people who cared about the country. Now they're not. Caring about that is not a distraction.
posted by zachlipton at 3:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [89 favorites]
I'm so damn tired of being told I'm a sheep because I care about basic principles of governance we took for granted until a few months ago like "the White House Communications Director shouldn't be calling up reporters to describe a senior advisor trying to pleasure himself" or "the White House Communications Director shouldn't be calling up a reporter threatening to fire the entire staff unless he reveals his source" or "the White House Communications Director shouldn't be getting 'digital fingerprints on everything they’ve done through the F.B.I. and the fucking Department of Justice.'" And we have reporting that this is being done with the permission and encouragement of the President of the United States.
These were jobs that were done by serious people who cared about the country. Now they're not. Caring about that is not a distraction.
posted by zachlipton at 3:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [89 favorites]
compartment: you mind if I tweet that (with attribution)?
posted by zachlipton at 3:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Anecdote on Trump's attack on transgender people in the military: I just heard that a friend of a friend, a big burly military man and Trump supporter stopped supporting Trump because of Trump's tweet-decree. I've heard that he flies a POW flag and a rainbow flag on his house, and he went on a Facebook rant about the diverse people who had his back while he was on active duty, and that Trump is no longer his president.
This might seem like a smaller issue for some folks, but for others, it's an issue to make them realize that Trump is not their president any more.
Every attack Trump makes, he ostracizes more people, including former supporters.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [85 favorites]
This might seem like a smaller issue for some folks, but for others, it's an issue to make them realize that Trump is not their president any more.
Every attack Trump makes, he ostracizes more people, including former supporters.
posted by filthy light thief at 3:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [85 favorites]
I am honestly surprised it's taken someone so long to do what Scaramucci's doing. I mean, yes, this requires a certain amount of shamelessness and ability to brazenly lie loudly and often, and also, probably rails and rails of cocaine, but it takes no great insight into Trump's psychology to understand why Scaramucci's current...everything is exactly what Trump wants. Trump is hideously, obviously, horrifically psychologically vulnerable and easy to corrupt and influence.
posted by yasaman at 3:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by yasaman at 3:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
New theory: Mooch is Andy Kaufman.
posted by Freon at 3:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Freon at 3:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
I'm so damn tired of being told I'm a sheep because I care about basic principles of governance we took for granted until a few months ago
I know--this administration is really revealing the cracks in the system, a system that relies to a shocking degree on "norms" and "principles" and "traditions."
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I know--this administration is really revealing the cracks in the system, a system that relies to a shocking degree on "norms" and "principles" and "traditions."
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
They're just trying to wash their hands before the blood is on them.
posted by azpenguin at 2:26 PM on July 27 [2 favorites +] [!]
"Give us Barabbas!"
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by azpenguin at 2:26 PM on July 27 [2 favorites +] [!]
"Give us Barabbas!"
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Alexandra Petri: as long as no one turns this one into a novelty protest hatRE: Bannon quote from Lizza article, I presume.
posted by pjenks at 3:20 PM on July 27, 2017
Staffer: "The world will never know."
What
posted by Melismata at 3:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
What
posted by Melismata at 3:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
zachlipton: Fine with me if you want to tweet this. I should add though that the staffer was extremely polite and his demeanor nothing short of absolutely professional. His blunt response was refreshingly honest, and I kind of want to be his friend. He kindly promised to pass on my comment: "This is insane."
posted by compartment at 3:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by compartment at 3:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
I wish I had the power to make all the senior White House staff to sit down and play a game of Diplomacy together.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 3:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by LastOfHisKind at 3:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
if I were a reporter I would just throw myself on my sword and destroy my career for the sake of my country. meaning, determine who is the single worst influence on Trump, or whose downfall will most weaken him, and write the last and best story of my life accordingly ("That asshole doesn't dare fire me because he's my dad, and a coward," remarked one anonymous source who asked to be quoted without attribution. "Or my husband," the same senior administration official elaborated. "He's pretty much just as scared to fire me and my husband as he is terrified to fire Rex Tillerson and ask Hillary Clinton to be Secretary of State again and fix everything. It would take a big man with big hands to make such a bold move and that's just not my dad.")
yeah I know lying is wrong, it's about ethics in journalism. I know.
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
yeah I know lying is wrong, it's about ethics in journalism. I know.
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm so damn tired of being told I'm a sheep because I care about basic principles of governance we took for granted until a few months ago.
I'm also not going to apologize for having a little fun mocking these terrible yet terribly-bad-at-being-terrible people. It's how I cope with the apparently neverending avalanche of existentially dreadful shit that has been happening for the last year.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm also not going to apologize for having a little fun mocking these terrible yet terribly-bad-at-being-terrible people. It's how I cope with the apparently neverending avalanche of existentially dreadful shit that has been happening for the last year.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Lawrence O'Donnell is doing an on-air promo for his show right now: "It's family hour now, but tune in at 10 for the Scaramucci dirty bits" and claims he's trying to get Joe Pesci on to do a dramatic reading.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
[An amazing "done in one" thread response]:
@aedwardslevy: somebody take old episodes of The West Wing and redub them with quotes from this administration
@tcarmody: “Are you telling me that not only did you invent a secret plan for me to suck my own cock, but now you don’t support it???”
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
@aedwardslevy: somebody take old episodes of The West Wing and redub them with quotes from this administration
@tcarmody: “Are you telling me that not only did you invent a secret plan for me to suck my own cock, but now you don’t support it???”
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
@jonathanvswan: OH, veteran White House reporter standing in queue outside @SHSanders45 office: "What does cock-block mean?"
We also have a statement, of sorts from Scaramucci: I sometimes use colorful language. I will refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight for @realDonaldTrump's agenda. #MAGA
I...I've got nothing to say.
posted by zachlipton at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
We also have a statement, of sorts from Scaramucci: I sometimes use colorful language. I will refrain in this arena but not give up the passionate fight for @realDonaldTrump's agenda. #MAGA
I...I've got nothing to say.
posted by zachlipton at 3:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
“On the Brink of a Constitutional Crisis, the Nation Goes Numb,” Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect, 26 July 2017
posted by ob1quixote at 3:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by ob1quixote at 3:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
if I were a reporter I would just throw myself on my sword and destroy my career for the sake of my country.
I found myself yesterday wishing I worked for Twitter, because it would totally be worth losing my job for banning Trump's account for violating Twitter's rules about abuse.
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
I found myself yesterday wishing I worked for Twitter, because it would totally be worth losing my job for banning Trump's account for violating Twitter's rules about abuse.
posted by skycrashesdown at 3:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
I...I've got nothing to say.
He's shameless. We have to be ashamed for him.
posted by puddledork at 3:34 PM on July 27, 2017
He's shameless. We have to be ashamed for him.
posted by puddledork at 3:34 PM on July 27, 2017
CNN is reporting that there are multiple scenarios under consideration in the White House for Gen. McMaster who is increasingly at odds with the White House. One of those scenarios is that he could be moved to a position commanding troops in Afghanistan.
That sure sounds a lot like out of favor officers being transferred to the Ostfront!
posted by Justinian at 3:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
That sure sounds a lot like out of favor officers being transferred to the Ostfront!
posted by Justinian at 3:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
I...I've got nothing to say.
Well, I gotta say I'm loving the first response to Scaramucci's tweet there...
RogueCPI: Can you suck your own cock, mooch?
posted by azpenguin at 3:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Well, I gotta say I'm loving the first response to Scaramucci's tweet there...
RogueCPI: Can you suck your own cock, mooch?
posted by azpenguin at 3:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
That Scaramucci article is so mindblowing to me. I've sent it to so many friends of mine and every single one of us swears that he was high on coke during it.
posted by gucci mane at 3:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 3:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
The first three friends I sent that Scaramucci article to were all like (paraphrased) 'holy shit I know right I already have that article open in a tab.'
posted by box at 3:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by box at 3:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
That sure sounds a lot like out of favor officers being transferred to the Ostfront!
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:41 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:41 PM on July 27, 2017
From Whitership Down
"The Administration will be your enemy, Reince with a Thousand Anagrams, and whenever they catch you, they will Tweet about you. But first they must catch you, enabler, colluder, leaker, Reince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your party shall never be destroyed."
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
"The Administration will be your enemy, Reince with a Thousand Anagrams, and whenever they catch you, they will Tweet about you. But first they must catch you, enabler, colluder, leaker, Reince with the swift warning. Be cunning and full of tricks and your party shall never be destroyed."
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
There's are two super easy surefire ways to make sure the House won't pass the bill:
- The Senate doesn't pass it
- It includes a big increase in the corporate tax rate. This is really just a glorified byrdable version of Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish's monkey suit plan, but yes, if Graham and McCain and Johnson were serious about getting a promise the House won't pass the bill, they could insist on an amendment to add massive tax increases.
posted by zachlipton at 3:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
- The Senate doesn't pass it
- It includes a big increase in the corporate tax rate. This is really just a glorified byrdable version of Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish's monkey suit plan, but yes, if Graham and McCain and Johnson were serious about getting a promise the House won't pass the bill, they could insist on an amendment to add massive tax increases.
posted by zachlipton at 3:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
NYT: Senate Health Care Vote: Disarray Over Narrow Repeal Measure
Fucking assholes, each and every one of them.
posted by RedOrGreen at 3:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [32 favorites]
“I need assurances from the speaker of the House and his team that if I vote for the skinny bill, than it will not be the final product,” Mr. Graham said. “I’m not going to vote for a pig in a poke.”You know, Senator Graham, there's a way in which you could guarantee that it would not be the final product. Imagine that. No assurances required - it's in your hands.
Fucking assholes, each and every one of them.
posted by RedOrGreen at 3:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [32 favorites]
Lawrence O'Donnell is doing an on-air promo for his show right now: "It's family hour now, but tune in at 10 for the Scaramucci dirty bits" and claims he's trying to get Joe Pesci on to do a dramatic reading.
After Dark: The White House Press Office
SHS is naughtier than she appears and we look back on Spicey's spiciest encounters ;)
posted by Talez at 3:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
After Dark: The White House Press Office
SHS is naughtier than she appears and we look back on Spicey's spiciest encounters ;)
posted by Talez at 3:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
House will enact "martial law" thru Tuesday under rule
Hm, domingo, lunes, martes...
Checks out.
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Hm, domingo, lunes, martes...
Checks out.
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
“On the Brink of a Constitutional Crisis, the Nation Goes Numb,” Adele M. Stan, The American Prospect, 26 July 2017
This is a really good article, and a really good encapsulation of the current WTFery.
Also it includes the line "Energy Secretary Rick Perry was on hand, as well, doing what he does best—standing behind the president, looking stupid," so there's that.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
This is a really good article, and a really good encapsulation of the current WTFery.
Also it includes the line "Energy Secretary Rick Perry was on hand, as well, doing what he does best—standing behind the president, looking stupid," so there's that.
posted by mudpuppie at 3:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
FWIW: I gotta say, the quick series of events from Trump's meltdowns over Russia & Sessions to the Russia sanctions to the return fire Trump got from his own party on this transphobia were giving me a little hope... but now we've got Graham and McCain and whoever else up on a podium straight up saying "OK we'll vote for this stinky bill but only if you promise it won't be law."
And now I'm back to planting my face into my desk again.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
And now I'm back to planting my face into my desk again.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
What happens, instead of a veto and override, if Trump signs the sanctions with a signing statement to the effect that he won't enforce it?
j/k - Trump doesn't know about signing statements.
and let's keep it that way, shall we?
posted by eclectist at 3:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
j/k - Trump doesn't know about signing statements.
and let's keep it that way, shall we?
posted by eclectist at 3:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
If I were a DC journalist right now, I might risk my career to ask SHS "Is it true that Mr. Bannon can perform cunning acts of autofellatio?"
posted by octobersurprise at 3:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by octobersurprise at 3:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth, upon this continent, a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that not all men are here to suck their own cocks
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are well-endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Sucking Their Own Cock.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 4:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your own cock.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 4:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
New theory: Mooch is Andy Kaufman.
Clearly a Nick Kroll character.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Clearly a Nick Kroll character.
posted by robocop is bleeding at 4:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Papyrus Bremner-Rind, Autofellatio and Ontology
1 When I had come into being in the being of the Being One who came into being on the First Occasion,
2 when I had come into being in the being of the Being One,
3 it meant that my coming into being was the coming into being of beings,
4 for I am more primeval than the Primeval Ones whom I have created.
5 (Because) I have been primeval among the Primeval Ones,
6 my name is more primeval than they.
7 (And when) I had made the primevalness of the Primeval Ones,
8 I did my every wish in this land in which I had become broad.
9 I had clenched my fist,
10 when I was alone, before they were born:
11 I had not spat out Shu,
12 I had not sputtered out Tefnut
13 I had brought my own mouth,
14 my name was Magic:
15 it was I, who had come into being in being,
16 when I had come into being in the being of the Being One.
17 When I had come into being as the Primeval Ones,
18 a multitude of beings came into being at once, before any being came into being in this land.
19 I had made every created thing,
20 when I was alone, before any other came into being who might act with me in that place.
21 I made beings there through that "soul" (ba) of mine.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
1 When I had come into being in the being of the Being One who came into being on the First Occasion,
2 when I had come into being in the being of the Being One,
3 it meant that my coming into being was the coming into being of beings,
4 for I am more primeval than the Primeval Ones whom I have created.
5 (Because) I have been primeval among the Primeval Ones,
6 my name is more primeval than they.
7 (And when) I had made the primevalness of the Primeval Ones,
8 I did my every wish in this land in which I had become broad.
9 I had clenched my fist,
10 when I was alone, before they were born:
11 I had not spat out Shu,
12 I had not sputtered out Tefnut
13 I had brought my own mouth,
14 my name was Magic:
15 it was I, who had come into being in being,
16 when I had come into being in the being of the Being One.
17 When I had come into being as the Primeval Ones,
18 a multitude of beings came into being at once, before any being came into being in this land.
19 I had made every created thing,
20 when I was alone, before any other came into being who might act with me in that place.
21 I made beings there through that "soul" (ba) of mine.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 4:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand. You put the supply out there and the demand will follow.
That's... that's not how any of this works.
posted by Justinian at 4:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
That's... that's not how any of this works.
posted by Justinian at 4:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
who gives a shit about a tweet happy white house lackey? just another distraction and you're all falling for it
PLEASE no more calling us out for being "distracted." This keeps happening here and I keep seeing it on Facebook. "Here's what was happening while you liberal idiots were distracted by Trump's crazy tweet."
None of us are distracted. Nobody has forgotten Russia. Nobody has forgotten healthcare. Nobody has forgotten "Grab 'em by the pussy." Nobody has forgotten that half of the country elected a malignant narcissist to the highest office.
We can all focus on more than one thing. I know this because we're humans and humans can do that. Just because someone posts here about a stupid tweet, or even makes a joke or writes something to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody," I'm not going to assume that they've forgotten all about The Important Things and neither should you.
posted by mmoncur at 4:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [78 favorites]
PLEASE no more calling us out for being "distracted." This keeps happening here and I keep seeing it on Facebook. "Here's what was happening while you liberal idiots were distracted by Trump's crazy tweet."
None of us are distracted. Nobody has forgotten Russia. Nobody has forgotten healthcare. Nobody has forgotten "Grab 'em by the pussy." Nobody has forgotten that half of the country elected a malignant narcissist to the highest office.
We can all focus on more than one thing. I know this because we're humans and humans can do that. Just because someone posts here about a stupid tweet, or even makes a joke or writes something to the tune of "Bohemian Rhapsody," I'm not going to assume that they've forgotten all about The Important Things and neither should you.
posted by mmoncur at 4:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [78 favorites]
Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand. You put the supply out there and the demand will follow.
"If you build it they will come"? He learned his economics from "Field of Dreams"?
posted by mmoncur at 4:10 PM on July 27, 2017
"If you build it they will come"? He learned his economics from "Field of Dreams"?
posted by mmoncur at 4:10 PM on July 27, 2017
Ike Barinholtz (via Twitter): Anthony Scaramucci looks like an extra in the Wolf of Wall Street that they had to fire because he kept trying to talk to Leo
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
@taykuy
DOE Rick Perry at coal plant:"Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand. You put the supply out there and the demand will follow."
That was 21 days ago.
posted by mrnutty at 4:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
DOE Rick Perry at coal plant:"Here’s a little economics lesson: supply and demand. You put the supply out there and the demand will follow."
That was 21 days ago.
posted by mrnutty at 4:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
"If you build it they will come"? He learned his economics from "Field of Dreams"?
At least he tried. I'd give him a participation trophy but that might offend his conservative sensibilities.
posted by Talez at 4:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
At least he tried. I'd give him a participation trophy but that might offend his conservative sensibilities.
posted by Talez at 4:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
There are tapes.
Yashar Ali: Ryan Lizza just confirmed that he recorded his conversation with @Scaramucciposted by Brainy at 4:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
Even better news: there are tapes of Scaramucci talking to Lizza. I can't wait.
To be clear, this started because Scaramucci thought it was "a major catastrophe for the American country" that someone reported he had dinner, and that it was the reporter's duty as "an American patriot" to reveal his sources. Again, because someone reported he had dinner.
posted by zachlipton at 4:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
To be clear, this started because Scaramucci thought it was "a major catastrophe for the American country" that someone reported he had dinner, and that it was the reporter's duty as "an American patriot" to reveal his sources. Again, because someone reported he had dinner.
posted by zachlipton at 4:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
You put the supply out there and the demand will follow.
this is going on one of the autofellatio motivational posters I'm going to be street vendoring in the DC metro area
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
this is going on one of the autofellatio motivational posters I'm going to be street vendoring in the DC metro area
posted by prize bull octorok at 4:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Whatever else is happening behind the scenes at the White House, I think we can all rest assured that Scaramucci's afternoon phone call really cleared the air and the administration will go back to humming along like the precision-tooled piece of machinery it has always been.
I don't know who Scaramucci looks like, exactly...but he looks like a guy who Knows some Guys.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I don't know who Scaramucci looks like, exactly...but he looks like a guy who Knows some Guys.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
What Scary Spice calls Priebus. [real afaict]
I can't. I just can't. I really really can't. My brain wants a a divorce.
posted by scalefree at 4:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
I can't. I just can't. I really really can't. My brain wants a a divorce.
posted by scalefree at 4:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
the administration will go back to humming
Phrasing!
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
Phrasing!
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
Some guys who self-blow.
posted by maxwelton at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by maxwelton at 4:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I don't know who Scaramucci looks like, exactly...but he looks like a guy who Knows some Guys.
Well, he follows (gay porn star) Blake Mitchell on twitter.
That single link is safe for work, but don't go reading Blake's feed while you're in the office.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 4:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Well, he follows (gay porn star) Blake Mitchell on twitter.
That single link is safe for work, but don't go reading Blake's feed while you're in the office.
posted by LastOfHisKind at 4:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I think you mean Ouroblowros.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
In other fellatio news, there's a clip of Jeff Sessions being interviewed by Tucker Carlson today in which Sessions fawns all over Trump. It's icky.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
We can all focus on more than one thing
In fact, we can even keep multiple tabs open with stories on all the soul-killing awfulness going on so no matter which one we click on we can spiral into existential despair. And then use ResistBot or donate to CAIR or what have you.
Ask me how I know!
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
In fact, we can even keep multiple tabs open with stories on all the soul-killing awfulness going on so no matter which one we click on we can spiral into existential despair. And then use ResistBot or donate to CAIR or what have you.
Ask me how I know!
posted by Joey Michaels at 4:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
I didn't realize Sessions was so short! Not that there's anything wrong with that - I'm a somewhat vertically-challenged man, myself - but it does throw his resemblance to Cotton Hill into even sharper relief.
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Actually, the comedy gold in that Lizza article is his rejoinders:
“I’ve called the F.B.I. and the Department of Justice,” he told me.posted by FelliniBlank at 4:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
“Are you serious?” I asked.
“This is going to get cleaned up very shortly, O.K.? Because I nailed these guys. I’ve got digital fingerprints on everything they’ve done through the F.B.I. and the fucking Department of Justice.”
“What?” I interjected.
Reports are that Ryan has said the following:
posted by Justinian at 4:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
"If moving forward requires a conference committee, that is something the House is willing to do."That is the most milquetoast non-committal commitment I can imagine, and will undoubtedly let Graham, McCain et al fold like a house of cards. And then be shocked, shocked when the House goes ahead and passes skinny repeal.
posted by Justinian at 4:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Guys.
Surprise Mooch calls.
Every day, one random citizen. With tapes.
This could be the silver lining to beat all silver linings.
posted by saysthis at 4:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Surprise Mooch calls.
Every day, one random citizen. With tapes.
This could be the silver lining to beat all silver linings.
posted by saysthis at 4:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
“I fired one guy the other day. I have three to four people I’ll fire tomorrow. I’ll get to the person who leaked that to you. Reince Priebus—if you want to leak something—he’ll be asked to resign very shortly.” The issue, he said, was that he believed Priebus had been worried about the dinner because he hadn’t been invited. “Reince is a fucking paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac,” Scaramucci said. He channelled Priebus as he spoke: “ ‘Oh, Bill Shine is coming in. Let me leak the fucking thing and see if I can cock-block these people the way I cock-blocked Scaramucci for six months.’ ”
I have to keep reminding myself that this is the White House Communications Director speaking here, and not some low-level mob captain in a bad Scorcese knock-off.
What is it with Trump's knack for hiring exactly the wrong people for the job; people who will jump in the writhing pile of cannibals and join in the frenzied effort of the entire staff consuming itself?
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
I have to keep reminding myself that this is the White House Communications Director speaking here, and not some low-level mob captain in a bad Scorcese knock-off.
What is it with Trump's knack for hiring exactly the wrong people for the job; people who will jump in the writhing pile of cannibals and join in the frenzied effort of the entire staff consuming itself?
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 4:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Here's Ryan's full statement.
This seems clearly to me to not be an ironclad commitment to conferencing. If Graham and McCain bite they are either stupid or, like Pontius Pilate, washing their hands of the blood to follow.
posted by Justinian at 4:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
This seems clearly to me to not be an ironclad commitment to conferencing. If Graham and McCain bite they are either stupid or, like Pontius Pilate, washing their hands of the blood to follow.
posted by Justinian at 4:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
"NOT! Borat." - Paul Ryan
posted by theodolite at 4:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 4:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
“ ‘Oh, Bill Shine is coming in. Let me leak the fucking thing and see if I can cock-block these people the way I cock-blocked Scaramucci for six months.’ ”
I have to keep reminding myself that this is the White House Communications Director speaking here, and not some low-level mob captain in a bad Scorcese knock-off.
"Now go home and get your fucking Bill Shinebox."
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
I have to keep reminding myself that this is the White House Communications Director speaking here, and not some low-level mob captain in a bad Scorcese knock-off.
"Now go home and get your fucking Bill Shinebox."
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
The obvious failure mode is that the Senate passes Skinny Repeal based on this supposed assurance, conference follows... but the Senate fails to pass (as seems likely) the resulting Bill... and Ryan therefore announces he has fulfilled his commitment and moves forward with passing Skinny Repeal.
posted by Justinian at 4:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway. Who passed a bill which took away my health insurance?"
Ryan: "Not me!"
Graham: "Ida Know!"
Pence: "Nobody!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Ryan: "Not me!"
Graham: "Ida Know!"
Pence: "Nobody!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 4:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
If Graham and McCain bite they are either stupid or, like Pontius Pilate, washing their hands of the blood to follow.
Or they were always going to vote for it but wanted just enough cover for a pretense of justifiable deniability.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Or they were always going to vote for it but wanted just enough cover for a pretense of justifiable deniability.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
> "I think I know the answer, but I'll ask anyway. Who passed a bill which took away my health insurance?"
Ryan: "Not me!"
Graham: "Ida Know!"
Pence: "Nobody!"
Trump: "Obama."
That's the only one that 30+% of the population will believe.
posted by tonycpsu at 4:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Ryan: "Not me!"
Graham: "Ida Know!"
Pence: "Nobody!"
Trump: "Obama."
That's the only one that 30+% of the population will believe.
posted by tonycpsu at 4:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
I really hate the fact that the question "so does Paul Ryan's statement on skinny repeal constitute pornography to Sens. Graham, McCain, and Johnson?" makes perfect sense, but it does.
posted by zachlipton at 4:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
The obvious failure mode is that the Senate passes Skinny Repeal based on this supposed assurance, conference follows... but the Senate fails to pass (as seems likely) the resulting Bill... and Ryan therefore announces he has fulfilled his commitment and moves forward with passing Skinny Repeal.
Yeah, I can see that happening. But also, I don't see how the senate has any negotiating power whatsoever in conference. The house can just say "Give us everything we want or we'll pass the Skinny."
posted by LastOfHisKind at 4:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah, I can see that happening. But also, I don't see how the senate has any negotiating power whatsoever in conference. The house can just say "Give us everything we want or we'll pass the Skinny."
posted by LastOfHisKind at 4:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
If Graham and McCain bite they are either stupid or, like Pontius Pilate, washing their hands of the blood to follow.
My only stupid hope is that one of the GOP senators decides this is the time to backstab McConnell out of the Senate Leadership. What better time than when he's fucking up the long-wanted Obamacare repeal?
I said it was a stupid hope.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 4:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
My only stupid hope is that one of the GOP senators decides this is the time to backstab McConnell out of the Senate Leadership. What better time than when he's fucking up the long-wanted Obamacare repeal?
I said it was a stupid hope.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 4:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The irony of the Bannon comment is that, based on today's news, Mooch is the clear leader when it comes to fucking himself.
posted by leotrotsky at 4:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 4:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
tonycpsu seems to have it; the goal is simply to make sure everybody can point the finger at someone else for the disaster that results from passing Skinny Repeal. The Senate wants to be able to point at the House for passing it after being told not to, and the House wants to be able to point at the Senate for Skinny Repeal being the only thing they voted to pass.
A Bill becomes law, somehow, without anyone actually being responsible for it?
By the way, I buy insurance on the individual market but my income is a bit too high to be subsidized. If the individual market blows up there's always the option of deliberately earning less money so that one qualifies for Medicaid. That sure seems like a counter productive incentive for the market.
posted by Justinian at 4:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
A Bill becomes law, somehow, without anyone actually being responsible for it?
By the way, I buy insurance on the individual market but my income is a bit too high to be subsidized. If the individual market blows up there's always the option of deliberately earning less money so that one qualifies for Medicaid. That sure seems like a counter productive incentive for the market.
posted by Justinian at 4:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
After seeing Scaramucci refer to himself in third person as "The Mooch" I feel 95% certain he invented the nickname himself and just kept using that way until it stuck.
posted by contraption at 4:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by contraption at 4:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
I really hate the fact that the question "so does Paul Ryan's statement on skinny repeal constitute pornography to Sens. Graham, McCain, and Johnson?" makes perfect sense, but it does.
I can't define a pictorial representation of business fornicating with politics over the bodies of the fallen citizenry, but I know it when I pose for it.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I can't define a pictorial representation of business fornicating with politics over the bodies of the fallen citizenry, but I know it when I pose for it.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 4:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I suspect the entire cast of SNL has been camped out in Lorne's office for the past several days BEGGING to start the season early. "No, seriously, we'll do it for free! Please!" They're gonna need like a 6-hour premiere to catch up.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
And I can't help but wonder if they were using this to test whether or not they could actually get compliance from a Presidential dictate issued via tweet.
And the military rightly did not comply, but most of the goddamn news failed this test and acted like Trump's tweets could actually effect a ban. Not "Trump announced plans to ban" or "Trump discussed a ban," but acted like there was an extant ban when there's no such thing. Fake as fuck, and people maybe don't need to be like, pre-emptively surrendering to shit Trump ain't even done yet?
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 4:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
And the military rightly did not comply, but most of the goddamn news failed this test and acted like Trump's tweets could actually effect a ban. Not "Trump announced plans to ban" or "Trump discussed a ban," but acted like there was an extant ban when there's no such thing. Fake as fuck, and people maybe don't need to be like, pre-emptively surrendering to shit Trump ain't even done yet?
posted by save alive nothing that breatheth at 4:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
"No one could predict that after seven years of failing to come up with a viable replacement for Obamacare, we would fail to produce a good bill from the conference committee in a matter of days"
posted by 0xFCAF at 4:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by 0xFCAF at 4:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
If Skinny Repeal becomes law, any voter who wouldn't hold the senators voting for it responsible is a voter who was never going to do anything but vote Republican regardless. People who vote for this bill will own this bill.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
"oh my god, I don't expect this from Ryan Lizza because he is usually a Cillizza-grade tool but look what he did"If Lizza puts the audio of his conversation with Scaramucci online, I'm all for elevating him to "National Treasure" status.
posted by TwoToneRow at 4:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Can you guys imagine the commercials if this fucking thing passes? Video of Lindsey Graham saying "The skinny bill as policy is a disaster. The skinny bill as policy is a fraud." How can this be happening?
posted by Justinian at 5:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 5:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
oh my god, I don't expect this from Ryan Lizza because he is usually a Cillizza-grade tool but look what he did
Lizza doesn't evolve to Cillizza until you collect 50 Lizza Candy
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
Lizza doesn't evolve to Cillizza until you collect 50 Lizza Candy
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
If Lizza puts the audio of his conversation with Scaramucci online, I'm all for elevating him to "National Treasure" status.
He might as well. Dramatic readings of this by comic actors are forthcoming by next week, anyway.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:02 PM on July 27, 2017
He might as well. Dramatic readings of this by comic actors are forthcoming by next week, anyway.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:02 PM on July 27, 2017
based on today's news, Mooch is the clear leader when it comes to fucking himself.
You think? I suspect both his boss and his base love every word. "He's a fighter."
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
You think? I suspect both his boss and his base love every word. "He's a fighter."
posted by Joseph Gurl at 5:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can you guys imagine the commercials if this fucking thing passes? Video of Lindsey Graham saying "The skinny bill as policy is a disaster. The skinny bill as policy is a fraud." How can this be happening?
The Rs will just ignore it, or will use it to primary him.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 5:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
The Rs will just ignore it, or will use it to primary him.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 5:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh, God...Trump's going to *love* that cover.
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
my name is Mooch
and wen its nite
i call up lizza
out of spite,
and after he
and i have talked
i stay up late.
i suck my cock.
posted by supercrayon at 5:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [114 favorites]
and wen its nite
i call up lizza
out of spite,
and after he
and i have talked
i stay up late.
i suck my cock.
posted by supercrayon at 5:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [114 favorites]
I'm not convinced Trump will love what Breitbart is saying though:
Move over President Donald Trump. You are yesterday’s news. It seems like this is now The Anthony Scaramucci Show. And Trump better get used to it.In contrast, the Daily Beast gives a pretty good indication just how media savvy the Communications Director really is:
...
There is absolutely no way that Scaramucci could be stupid enough to make those comments on the record, so Scaramucci, in a fit of rage about leaks about him, may have temporarily forgotten he was on the record or not realized that he was talking to someone in The Opposition Media, whose members only protect liberals by sweeping such comments under the rug.
Despite a brief career in cable news and achieving one of the most nationally prominent communications jobs in the world, Scaramucci is hardly a seasoned public relations guru. Several people who have long known him tell The Daily Beast that he has previously—and not infrequently—confused basic comms and journalistic terms such as “deep background” and “off the record,” and has sometimes simply forgotten to request the latter.posted by zachlipton at 5:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
I've been watching C-Span and Chris Murphy spoke a few minutes ago. Maybe this is too much detail but it sounded interesting so I tried to capture as much as I could.
He was talking about how we're seeing the skinny bill get fatter and fatter - notes that it is a piece of legislation designed to become law. Says it's like healthcare arson ... sets the insurance markets on fire. Immediately takes insurance from 16million people. Asked if this was really about going to conference, or becoming law? WH doesn't support a conference. WH wants it to become law. They will use something called "Martial Law" tomorrow to pass the bill as quickly as possible.
He notes that there was curious news: a statement from the speaker of the house "I'm willing to go to conference"... he asks why does the speaker not say, "We WILL go to conference?"
Says the bill is being sold as a procedural step but this is becoming law. Even if there is a conference, how is the conference going to come to a conclusion that the senate could not? Even if you get it to conference, it would last a few days, weeks, and guess what? Skinny bill is now in front of the house of reps to pass and put into law. To his senate friends who want assurances that this isn't becoming law? They are getting the exact opposite.
posted by meowf at 5:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
He was talking about how we're seeing the skinny bill get fatter and fatter - notes that it is a piece of legislation designed to become law. Says it's like healthcare arson ... sets the insurance markets on fire. Immediately takes insurance from 16million people. Asked if this was really about going to conference, or becoming law? WH doesn't support a conference. WH wants it to become law. They will use something called "Martial Law" tomorrow to pass the bill as quickly as possible.
He notes that there was curious news: a statement from the speaker of the house "I'm willing to go to conference"... he asks why does the speaker not say, "We WILL go to conference?"
Says the bill is being sold as a procedural step but this is becoming law. Even if there is a conference, how is the conference going to come to a conclusion that the senate could not? Even if you get it to conference, it would last a few days, weeks, and guess what? Skinny bill is now in front of the house of reps to pass and put into law. To his senate friends who want assurances that this isn't becoming law? They are getting the exact opposite.
posted by meowf at 5:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
> There is absolutely no way that Scaramucci could be stupid enough to make those comments on the record, so Scaramucci, in a fit of rage about leaks about him, may have temporarily forgotten he was on the record...
Forgetting, however temporarily, that he was on the record while cussing out and threatening to kill other members of the administration while speaking with a journalist - *especially* a member of The Opposition Media!1!!!1scaryfaceemoji - would have been pretty...what's the word?...stupid.
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Forgetting, however temporarily, that he was on the record while cussing out and threatening to kill other members of the administration while speaking with a journalist - *especially* a member of The Opposition Media!1!!!1scaryfaceemoji - would have been pretty...what's the word?...stupid.
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Rabid dogs gonna rabid.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:20 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:20 PM on July 27, 2017
Move over President Donald Trump. You are yesterday’s news. It seems like this is now The Anthony Scaramucci Show. And Trump better get used to it.
Bannon learned a trick or two from SNL, eh?
posted by Artw at 5:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Bannon learned a trick or two from SNL, eh?
posted by Artw at 5:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
The House is pretending to trick the Senate into passing a law everyone knows is horrible and the Senate is pretending to fall for it. This is fine
posted by theodolite at 5:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 5:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Alternate Hillary memoir title from twitter: "Fuck All Y'all, a memoir. by the Bitch who fucking warned you."
posted by supercrayon at 5:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [71 favorites]
posted by supercrayon at 5:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [71 favorites]
The House is pretending to trick the Senate into passing a law everyone knows is horrible and the Senate is pretending to fall for it. This is fine
Later on, voters will pretend this served their interests, and will vote for them again.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Later on, voters will pretend this served their interests, and will vote for them again.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
.@AmbJohnBolton says there is one diplomatic option for dealing with North Korea: Convince China to unite North and South Korea.
Trump has just the guy. Right after he unites Israel & Palestine.
posted by scalefree at 5:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Trump has just the guy. Right after he unites Israel & Palestine.
posted by scalefree at 5:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
What is this "Martial Law" they keep talking about? I'd like to think it is just a colorful metaphor, but I'm not assuming anything with this administration in power.
posted by Rock Steady at 5:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 5:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Federal judge rips North Carolina GOP for fighting effort to undo racist redistricting
posted by Room 641-A at 5:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 5:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
It means that they're going to do everything evil that they falsely accused the Dems of when the ACA was passed.
posted by azpenguin at 5:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by azpenguin at 5:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
What is this "Martial Law" they keep talking about?
It's the suspension of certain house rules so that it can vote immediately without debate on the conference bill etc
posted by dis_integration at 5:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's the suspension of certain house rules so that it can vote immediately without debate on the conference bill etc
posted by dis_integration at 5:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
There is absolutely no way that Scaramucci could be stupid enough to make those comments on the record ...There is absolutely no way the Mooch could be coked to the gills enough to make those comments on the record ...
Anyways, consciously or not, Breitbart is doing the Lord's work here. I wish every media was saying that Mooch was more interesting than Donnie.
posted by octobersurprise at 5:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Rules say the House must wait 3 days after a bill is made public before voting on it. "Martial Law" is when in case of emergency those rules can be waived to vote on a law immediately.
In other words, this constitutes such an emergency that the House is waiving its own rules in order to immediately ram through Skinny Repeal upon passage in the Senate.
posted by Justinian at 5:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
In other words, this constitutes such an emergency that the House is waiving its own rules in order to immediately ram through Skinny Repeal upon passage in the Senate.
posted by Justinian at 5:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
What is this "Martial Law" they keep talking about? I'd like to think it is just a colorful metaphor, but I'm not assuming anything with this administration in power.
The House ordinarily has a rule that requires them to sit on bills for three days before voting on them, which allows time for people to read them, object to them, etc... But the House frequently waives its own rules. "Martial law" is a particularly annoying term for when the House waives this rule and allows leadership to bring a bill to the floor immediately.
In this case, it means the House could take up and pass the Senate bill right away if they wanted to, without a conference committee or further amendments, even though that's what the Senate supposedly doesn't want them to do. It should be an alarmingly clear signal to the Senate that the House will up and pass it, but McCain and Graham and Johnson can't see that apparently.
posted by zachlipton at 5:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
The House ordinarily has a rule that requires them to sit on bills for three days before voting on them, which allows time for people to read them, object to them, etc... But the House frequently waives its own rules. "Martial law" is a particularly annoying term for when the House waives this rule and allows leadership to bring a bill to the floor immediately.
In this case, it means the House could take up and pass the Senate bill right away if they wanted to, without a conference committee or further amendments, even though that's what the Senate supposedly doesn't want them to do. It should be an alarmingly clear signal to the Senate that the House will up and pass it, but McCain and Graham and Johnson can't see that apparently.
posted by zachlipton at 5:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
If we don't pass this immediately, millions of people might live! Oh, the humanity!
posted by uncleozzy at 5:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 5:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
What is this "Martial Law" they keep talking about?
It's just a colorful term for a parliamentary trick in which the House suspends normal rules of procedure allowing them to vote without debate, and then the White House uses military force to bypass the whole facade of democracy, because really what's the point anymore.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
It's just a colorful term for a parliamentary trick in which the House suspends normal rules of procedure allowing them to vote without debate, and then the White House uses military force to bypass the whole facade of democracy, because really what's the point anymore.
posted by It's Raining Florence Henderson at 5:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
The emergency is they really want to get on the golf course on time, not delay the start of August recess.
Not only are they taking healthcare from millions of people and using the money to hand directly to the rich, they don't want it to mess up their already scheduled week in Napa and Martha's Vineyard.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Not only are they taking healthcare from millions of people and using the money to hand directly to the rich, they don't want it to mess up their already scheduled week in Napa and Martha's Vineyard.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
> but McCain and Graham and Johnson can't see that apparently.
Again, I think it's more that they're playing the role of the guys who can't see it. McCain and Graham at least have a long track record of operating in a manner indistinguishable from bad faith, while Johnson's just a warm body there to replace the departed Kelly Ayotte so they can call themselves "The Three Amigos."
posted by tonycpsu at 5:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Again, I think it's more that they're playing the role of the guys who can't see it. McCain and Graham at least have a long track record of operating in a manner indistinguishable from bad faith, while Johnson's just a warm body there to replace the departed Kelly Ayotte so they can call themselves "The Three Amigos."
posted by tonycpsu at 5:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
@AmbJohnBolton says there is one diplomatic option for dealing with North Korea: Convince China to unite North and South Korea.
Haha, stupid autocorrect changed "dipshitted" to "diplomatic."
posted by Rykey at 5:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Haha, stupid autocorrect changed "dipshitted" to "diplomatic."
posted by Rykey at 5:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
but McCain and Graham and Johnson can't see that apparently.
Between them, McCain and Graham have served in Congress for 57 years. They know exactly what is happening and exactly what they're doing and exactly what the House is capable of.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
Between them, McCain and Graham have served in Congress for 57 years. They know exactly what is happening and exactly what they're doing and exactly what the House is capable of.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
McCain has just said that Ryan's statement isn't enough to get his vote.
I guess we'll find out soon enough.
posted by Justinian at 5:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
I guess we'll find out soon enough.
posted by Justinian at 5:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
@Scaramucci: I made a mistake in trusting in a reporter. It won't happen again.
I...I don't think he understands how this works.
posted by zachlipton at 5:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [83 favorites]
I...I don't think he understands how this works.
posted by zachlipton at 5:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [83 favorites]
"It wasn't enough to get my vote, but I decided to give it my vote because blah blah verbal diarrhea."
posted by Rock Steady at 5:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Rock Steady at 5:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
What happened to reconciliation? Doesn't this still need CBO review? Aren't there parts that are supposed to be non-reconcilable? Aren't reconciliation bills supposed to originate in the House? Has Congress, like the White House, finally thrown out even the pretense of following the rule of law?
posted by dirigibleman at 5:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by dirigibleman at 5:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Charlie Pierce on MSNBC: Constitutional democracy has had a nice run, but maybe we should give up and try Deadwood instead since we have Al Swearingen as the WH communications director.
About the "mistake to trust a reporter" tweet: What are you, five? You call up a reporter late at night and unburden yourself and don't say "off the record," and you think the guy's not going to print it? Come on.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
About the "mistake to trust a reporter" tweet: What are you, five? You call up a reporter late at night and unburden yourself and don't say "off the record," and you think the guy's not going to print it? Come on.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
McCain has just said that Ryan's statement isn't enough to get his vote
This is all over Twitter with explosions and fireworks, and yet I'm not convinced that anybody has any idea what it means.
posted by diogenes at 6:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is all over Twitter with explosions and fireworks, and yet I'm not convinced that anybody has any idea what it means.
posted by diogenes at 6:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Somewhere in the Badlands, Spicey is riding a Harley, chortling down the highway, beard down to his navel, muttering, "I got out."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Sorry, I can't find this answer elsewhere - is this vote likely going to be tonight or tomorrow?
posted by Fritzle at 6:02 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Fritzle at 6:02 PM on July 27, 2017
Doesn't this still need CBO review? Aren't there parts that are supposed to be non-reconcilable?
They're only going to include things that have been scored by the CBO. And nothing that the parliamentarian has ruled out. Theoretically.
posted by Justinian at 6:03 PM on July 27, 2017
They're only going to include things that have been scored by the CBO. And nothing that the parliamentarian has ruled out. Theoretically.
posted by Justinian at 6:03 PM on July 27, 2017
McCain has just said that Ryan's statement isn't enough to get his vote
..."'Cause I got a whole pocketful of my own reasons to vote for this!"
posted by Rykey at 6:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
..."'Cause I got a whole pocketful of my own reasons to vote for this!"
posted by Rykey at 6:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
One of the twitter replies to Scaramucci's tweet, which made me laugh inexplicably:
"Now apologize to Steve Bannon's cock."
posted by angrycat at 6:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
"Now apologize to Steve Bannon's cock."
posted by angrycat at 6:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
It's like we're in the middle of a train wreck, and people are trying to analyze the spin of car number 4. I understand the impulse, but we're not going to know the extent of the damage until the debris comes to a stop and we analyse the wreckage.
(I just realized this metaphor works for both the healthcare bill and America's fate in general.)
posted by diogenes at 6:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
(I just realized this metaphor works for both the healthcare bill and America's fate in general.)
posted by diogenes at 6:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
.@AmbJohnBolton says there is one diplomatic option for dealing with North Korea: Convince China to unite North and South Korea.
Holy shit I've heard some dumb ideas in my time but China willingly putting a US satellite state on its borders?
Whatever Bolton is smoking he needs to quit.
posted by Talez at 6:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Holy shit I've heard some dumb ideas in my time but China willingly putting a US satellite state on its borders?
Whatever Bolton is smoking he needs to quit.
posted by Talez at 6:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Charlie Pierce on MSNBC: Constitutional democracy has had a nice run, but maybe we should give up and try Deadwood instead since we have Al Swearingen as the WH communications director.
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official."
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"I am a sinner who does not expect forgiveness. But I am not a government official."
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Well, I suspect China's version of uniting North and South Korea will definitely not include a US satelite state at its border. Which makes Bolton's statement even stupider.
posted by Rykey at 6:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 6:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
McCain has just said that Ryan's statement isn't enough to get his vote
But Mitch McConnell's assurances are. He's voting yes. Stop hoping John McCain is not a fucking monster. He always has been. The entire "maverick" narrative has been a lie, THE. ENTIRE. TIME. Since the fucking 80s when he was a member of the Keating 5. John McCain, has NEVER been a good person. Ever.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
But Mitch McConnell's assurances are. He's voting yes. Stop hoping John McCain is not a fucking monster. He always has been. The entire "maverick" narrative has been a lie, THE. ENTIRE. TIME. Since the fucking 80s when he was a member of the Keating 5. John McCain, has NEVER been a good person. Ever.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
Murkowski when asked on whether she'll vote for Skinny Repeal: "I'm not going to say."
Your Senators, ladies and gentlemen.
posted by Justinian at 6:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Your Senators, ladies and gentlemen.
posted by Justinian at 6:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Murkowski when asked on whether she'll vote for Skinny Repeal: "I'm not going to say."
She's gotta wait until she's sure which way the wind is blowing.
posted by diogenes at 6:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
She's gotta wait until she's sure which way the wind is blowing.
posted by diogenes at 6:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Al Swearingen swore with consummate beauty and expert fuckin' grace, and left himself under the grimy thumb of no cocksucker, governmental or otherwise, who might ought be handled elsewise by the practical application of bare steel to throat and with the two fucking hands God gave him, barring the availability of some other hoopleheaded cocksucker willing to trade murder for pussy.
And I'll the Swearingen name not calumnied in my earshot by comparison to the gutless city-slicking prick, Mooch.
posted by Freon at 6:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
And I'll the Swearingen name not calumnied in my earshot by comparison to the gutless city-slicking prick, Mooch.
posted by Freon at 6:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
Sen. Johnson seemed shocked by reports the House could skip conference & pass skinny bill. "Say WHAT?! Come again?!"
Ron "I like lamp" Johnson is the dumbest Senator in US history, which is something like breaking Dimaggio's hit streak after titans of duncery like Jim Bunning and James Inhofe.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Ron "I like lamp" Johnson is the dumbest Senator in US history, which is something like breaking Dimaggio's hit streak after titans of duncery like Jim Bunning and James Inhofe.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
She's gotta wait until she's sure which way the wind is blowing.
Right, she'll be the fifth vote against Skinny Repeal but she won't be the third.
posted by Justinian at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Right, she'll be the fifth vote against Skinny Repeal but she won't be the third.
posted by Justinian at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I mean. McCain did call his wife a c*nt and a trollop while in the company of a reporter during some election campaign or another. To her face. All these ovations and stay strong tweets from former Presidents are misguided or based on less than complete information about a complicated man.
posted by xyzzy at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 6:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
You know, I was quite contently confident in believing Nixon was the epitome of corrupt Presidents, that Ari Fleischer was the nadir of mendacious WH Communications dudes, that Dubya was the most incompetent modern Chief Executive, that Tom Delay was the hugest asshole in congressional leadership, that Roger Stone's most monstrous days were behind him, and that 2016 sucked the hardest.
Yet here we are.
posted by darkstar at 6:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
Yet here we are.
posted by darkstar at 6:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [46 favorites]
On a lighter note, I was just looking through my comment history and came across this:
I'm like 99% confident that you can't say "grab them by the pussy" and win a presidential election.
posted by diogenes at 3:51 PM on October 7, 2016 [88 favorites +] [!]
I'm glad the cake bet didn't exist back then. That would have been an uncomfortable decoration request at the bakery.
posted by diogenes at 6:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
I'm like 99% confident that you can't say "grab them by the pussy" and win a presidential election.
posted by diogenes at 3:51 PM on October 7, 2016 [88 favorites +] [!]
I'm glad the cake bet didn't exist back then. That would have been an uncomfortable decoration request at the bakery.
posted by diogenes at 6:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
Don't re-read the pre-Comey election comments. We were all so naive.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
NYTimes reporter is embedded in MeFi
FWIW this is definitely not the only online space where this is being argued.
This being Metafilter this actually wouldn't surprise me. I just wonder what other publications are staffed by mefites.
posted by VTX at 6:26 PM on July 27, 2017
FWIW this is definitely not the only online space where this is being argued.
This being Metafilter this actually wouldn't surprise me. I just wonder what other publications are staffed by mefites.
posted by VTX at 6:26 PM on July 27, 2017
Capito and Murkowski are both saying they're decided but mum's the word.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:26 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:26 PM on July 27, 2017
Ron "I like lamp" Johnson is the dumbest Senator in US history, which is something like breaking Dimaggio's hit streak after titans of duncery like Jim Bunning and James Inhofe.
posted by T.D. Strange at 20:15 on July 27 [2 favorites +] [!]
Hold up, what about Ted 'Series of tubes' Stevens, and Larry Craig R -Gloryhole?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:27 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by T.D. Strange at 20:15 on July 27 [2 favorites +] [!]
Hold up, what about Ted 'Series of tubes' Stevens, and Larry Craig R -Gloryhole?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:27 PM on July 27, 2017
I made a mistake in trusting in a reporter.
"I made a mistake in assuming reporters didn't report things."
I think Veep would be ashamed of depicting a White House Communications Director who didn't understand the concept of off-the-record conversations, but here we are. The Writers Must Be Lazy.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
"I made a mistake in assuming reporters didn't report things."
I think Veep would be ashamed of depicting a White House Communications Director who didn't understand the concept of off-the-record conversations, but here we are. The Writers Must Be Lazy.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
They had some kind of conference call with Ryan and he apparently promised them the House won't pass the bill they're about to vote for. It's going to happen, probably extremely late tonight/early morning.
Text of the bill will show up eventually, seen a rumor sometime in the next half hour maybe.
posted by zachlipton at 6:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Text of the bill will show up eventually, seen a rumor sometime in the next half hour maybe.
posted by zachlipton at 6:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm sorry, but this is not how legislation happens in a democratic republic. This is not normal. So much of this isn't. :/
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
They're gonna be shocked, shocked when Skinny Repeal becomes law.
posted by Justinian at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
The hive mind is powerful. You guys keep breaking news in between the time my favorite Senate reporter (Steven Dennis) tweets "News!" and is able to follow up with the details.
posted by diogenes at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by diogenes at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017
What possible rationale could be given, what nominal fig leaf of respectability could possibly be offered, for refusing to tell your constituents how you intend to vote on a piece of legislation?
I think I'm going crazy, what with all the mindfucking aberrations of simple governance norms going on recently.
It's like we all stepped inside a Salvador Dali painting or something. These clocks are not supposed to be dripping off of the wall like this.
posted by darkstar at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I think I'm going crazy, what with all the mindfucking aberrations of simple governance norms going on recently.
It's like we all stepped inside a Salvador Dali painting or something. These clocks are not supposed to be dripping off of the wall like this.
posted by darkstar at 6:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
All these ovations and stay strong tweets from former Presidents are misguided or based on less than complete information about a complicated man.
he really doesn't seem very complicated. I'm grateful every time someone makes a point of remembering that he called his wife a cunt, because Trump stands out like a shining, rotting star among Republican presidential candidates for his offenses against women, but he isn't that special, and it doesn't do to forget.
but that moment, clearly one of many similar, has never seemed strikingly out of character. not for the kind of man McCain seems to be and not for the kind of man he wants other people to think he is, either. What you say about and to women doesn't matter. that's the simplest rule in the world for uncomplicated men to remember. they know it's true because following it never got them in any serious trouble and never kept them from having all the power they ever wanted. and both of them have daughters who know, and still worship them. McCain readied the way for Trump in more ways than just the Palin episode. the anti-John-the-Baptist for Trump's antichrist, if you will.
posted by queenofbithynia at 6:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
he really doesn't seem very complicated. I'm grateful every time someone makes a point of remembering that he called his wife a cunt, because Trump stands out like a shining, rotting star among Republican presidential candidates for his offenses against women, but he isn't that special, and it doesn't do to forget.
but that moment, clearly one of many similar, has never seemed strikingly out of character. not for the kind of man McCain seems to be and not for the kind of man he wants other people to think he is, either. What you say about and to women doesn't matter. that's the simplest rule in the world for uncomplicated men to remember. they know it's true because following it never got them in any serious trouble and never kept them from having all the power they ever wanted. and both of them have daughters who know, and still worship them. McCain readied the way for Trump in more ways than just the Palin episode. the anti-John-the-Baptist for Trump's antichrist, if you will.
posted by queenofbithynia at 6:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Remember, the assurance the Senate "needs" is not that the House will go to conference if the Senate passes Skinny Repeal, but that the House won't pass Skinny Repeal if the Senate fails to pass the conference report.
posted by Justinian at 6:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 6:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Generally speaking, the best thing to do when you don't want a bill to become law is to vote No on it. I mean, you know, just saying. But I'm not an experienced legislator.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Remember, the assurance the Senate "needs" is not that the House will go to conference if the Senate passes Skinny Repeal, but that the House won't pass Skinny Repeal if the Senate fails to pass the conference report.
I have no idea what that means.
posted by diogenes at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I have no idea what that means.
posted by diogenes at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
So if the "skinny" bill goes to conference, is modified, goes back to the Senate, and is voted down, does the House still have the option to pass the original "skinny" bill as is? And if so, how long does it retain that option?
[On preview: I guess Justinian just spoke to this question. But does the House retain the option for the whole session? Or perhaps that doesn't matter, since however long they have, they'll take the vote and pass it if need be.]
posted by chortly at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2017
[On preview: I guess Justinian just spoke to this question. But does the House retain the option for the whole session? Or perhaps that doesn't matter, since however long they have, they'll take the vote and pass it if need be.]
posted by chortly at 6:36 PM on July 27, 2017
America is a land of opportunity where any child could grow up to vote a bill into law on the explicit basis that it will not become a law because that would be a bad thing
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
diogenes: It means essentially what chortly is asking. It's possible, even likely, that there will be no compromise Bill out of the conference that can pass the Senate. In which case Ryan will simply have the House pass Skinny Repeal after the conference report dies in the Senate.
posted by Justinian at 6:38 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Justinian at 6:38 PM on July 27, 2017
does the House still have the option to pass the original "skinny" bill as is? And if so, how long does it retain that option?
I believe any bill passed by both houses may be sent to the President within the current Congress (until 2019)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I believe any bill passed by both houses may be sent to the President within the current Congress (until 2019)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm like 99% confident that you can't say "grab them by the pussy" and win a presidential election.
Well, he didn't win.
posted by Emmy Rae at 6:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Well, he didn't win.
posted by Emmy Rae at 6:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
He did win, he just didn't get a plurality of the popular vote. This is bullshit and anti-democratic but its still a win.
posted by Justinian at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
In which case Ryan will simply have the House pass Skinny Repeal after the conference report dies in the Senate.
Which he apparently has promised not to do, right?
posted by diogenes at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2017
Which he apparently has promised not to do, right?
posted by diogenes at 6:41 PM on July 27, 2017
In which case Ryan will simply have the House pass Skinny Repeal after the conference report dies in the Senate.
Which he apparently has promised not to do, right?
Ah, I think I see how this works. He "promises" the Senate he won't do that, but then he does it anyway and the Senators cry crocodile tears and deny responsibility for the outcome.
posted by diogenes at 6:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Which he apparently has promised not to do, right?
Ah, I think I see how this works. He "promises" the Senate he won't do that, but then he does it anyway and the Senators cry crocodile tears and deny responsibility for the outcome.
posted by diogenes at 6:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
So if the "skinny" bill goes to conference, is modified, goes back to the Senate, and is voted down, does the House still have the option to pass the original "skinny" bill as is? And if so, how long does it retain that option?
The Schoolhouse Rock song would need to have been about 100 hours long to get to the answers to this stuff.
posted by greermahoney at 6:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
The Schoolhouse Rock song would need to have been about 100 hours long to get to the answers to this stuff.
posted by greermahoney at 6:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
He "promises" the Senate he won't do that, but then he does it anyway and the Senators cry crocodile tears and deny responsibility for the outcome.
His promises are carefully worded. I believe he will argue that he promised to go to conference and not pass Skinny Repeal if the Senate moves on the conference report. And that he will claim his promise has been kept if he passes Skinny Repeal after the Senate fails to pass the conference report.
posted by Justinian at 6:44 PM on July 27, 2017
His promises are carefully worded. I believe he will argue that he promised to go to conference and not pass Skinny Repeal if the Senate moves on the conference report. And that he will claim his promise has been kept if he passes Skinny Repeal after the Senate fails to pass the conference report.
posted by Justinian at 6:44 PM on July 27, 2017
Good news everybody!
According to Steven Dennis, Graham and Johnson are yes on Skinny, and the fate of the bill is in John McCain's hands.
Enjoy!
posted by diogenes at 6:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
According to Steven Dennis, Graham and Johnson are yes on Skinny, and the fate of the bill is in John McCain's hands.
Enjoy!
posted by diogenes at 6:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I have no idea what that means.
The assurance speaks for itself.
posted by scalefree at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The assurance speaks for itself.
posted by scalefree at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Man, McCain and Graham will be pissed when Ryan passes the Skinny Bill (called so because people will need to starve in order to afford insurance). Prepare the Senate fainting couches!
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Joey Michaels at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
It looks to me like the last remaining hope to stop the bill is a Collins-Murkowski-Capito coalition. Make of that what you will. (Spoiler: don't hold your breath.)
posted by Justinian at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 6:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
What could be more "regular order" and "open" and "bipartisan" than John McCain voting for passage of a partisan bill he claims to oppose. Truly an American icon.
If you want to do the whole mavericky thing, Sir, now would be a good time.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you want to do the whole mavericky thing, Sir, now would be a good time.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Oh come on. They're not even voting until they know they have the votes. As soon as they call roll, this thing is done.
posted by greermahoney at 6:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 6:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Do we know what's in the fucking bill yet? This is happening... do we even know whats actually in the bill? The vote is in hours!
posted by Justinian at 6:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 6:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I shoulda called Johnson's DC office and skipped Milwaukee, shouldn't I have? Oops.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:52 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:52 PM on July 27, 2017
We do not, in fact, know what's in the fucking bill yet.
posted by zachlipton at 6:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
You have to admire McCain's ability to make it all about him every damn time. He clearly enjoys this little game he plays.
posted by diogenes at 6:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 6:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
This is ridiculous. It's about who takes the blame for what they know is going to be a catastrofuck. The Senate will pass "skinny" Trumpcare. Ryan win either hold a token conference or just pass the thing tomorrow. In 3 months when the health system implodes, the Senate will blame the House for "lying" to them about a conference; while the House blames the Senate for failing to come up with the mythical promised "better" replacement. Therefore, no one is to blame.
That's ALL this is about. They're passing repeal. It's done. They're arguing about who takes the fall for it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
That's ALL this is about. They're passing repeal. It's done. They're arguing about who takes the fall for it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Um, as I typed that, the fucking bill appeared. McConnell is filing it now. Calling it "the Health Care Freedom Act."
posted by zachlipton at 6:54 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by zachlipton at 6:54 PM on July 27, 2017
(Because if enough of us believe and clap our hands...)
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:54 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:54 PM on July 27, 2017
oh god
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
The bill will be written in conference after it's passed in the Senate. Unless the Speaker of the House decides to pass the bill the Senate votes to pass but doesn't want. That's how regular order works now, I guess.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:56 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by scaryblackdeath at 6:56 PM on July 27, 2017
I'm trying not to be nauseated by this ridiculous farce of a process, because I'm afraid that will count as a pre-existing condition after.
posted by Freon at 6:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Freon at 6:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
From Puerto Rico. We have no say in this, but the outcome could bankrupt our health care system and our government is already in official bankruptcy.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
Ok, the bill eliminates the individual mandate, it eliminates the employer mandate, it eliminates the medical devices tax, increases the amount you can contribute to an HSA up to the amount of your deductible... and does something to Medicaid payments that I don't fully understand.
posted by Justinian at 6:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 6:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Of course, there's a bit to block money from going to Planned Parenthood in there, but they left that out of the summary.
posted by zachlipton at 7:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yup - they're zeroing out the mandates. It's basically lighting the fuse on the marketplaces. This time next year, the pools will be so unsustainable and insurers will have withdrawn so much that the ACA will be all but dead in the water.
This is what they've wanted all along, even if they had to use some tortuous means to get there.
Fucking evil bastards.
posted by darkstar at 7:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is what they've wanted all along, even if they had to use some tortuous means to get there.
Fucking evil bastards.
posted by darkstar at 7:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
and does something to Medicaid payments that I don't fully understand.
That's the defund Planned Parenthood language, I'm pretty sure.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
That's the defund Planned Parenthood language, I'm pretty sure.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Okay I only read the first page and a half of the Health Care Freedom Act but I think it's striking out the individual mandate -- or more specifically, changing the mandated penalty to zero -- retroactive to December 2015.
Who's going to know this and refile their taxes to take advantage? (rich people with accountants mostly)
What is the cost to the federal treasury? (no one knows because it hasn't been scored)
Am I going to continue reading this bill? (no because everything is terrible and I'm going to go eat my fucking dinner instead)
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Who's going to know this and refile their taxes to take advantage? (rich people with accountants mostly)
What is the cost to the federal treasury? (no one knows because it hasn't been scored)
Am I going to continue reading this bill? (no because everything is terrible and I'm going to go eat my fucking dinner instead)
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yes, I think you're right. There is language about abortion in that section TD Strange so it must be the PP defunding. I was under the impression that the Parliamentarian had disallowed that... are they overruling her?
posted by Justinian at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 7:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Doesn't defunding Planned Parenthood invoke the Byrd Rule?
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Text of the Health Care Freedom Act
posted by zachlipton at 6:55 PM on July 27 [1 favorite +] [!]
You mean "Freedom from Health Care," amirite?
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:55 PM on July 27 [1 favorite +] [!]
You mean "Freedom from Health Care," amirite?
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Does any of this meet the reconciliation requirements? (no one knows)
Is any of this going to matter? (no one in power cares)
Do we live under the rule of law anymore? (¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Is any of this going to matter? (no one in power cares)
Do we live under the rule of law anymore? (¯\_(ツ)_/¯)
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Fuck this farce.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
No, they thought they could re-work it to pass the parlimentarian just by changing how it was worded?
I'll confess I don't know how that's possible, legislative drafting isn't really my area of legal expertise much less this deep into interplay between multiple amendments to the mammoth Social Security Act and ACA.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:06 PM on July 27, 2017
I'll confess I don't know how that's possible, legislative drafting isn't really my area of legal expertise much less this deep into interplay between multiple amendments to the mammoth Social Security Act and ACA.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:06 PM on July 27, 2017
We're being killed off by a bunch of bags of owl shit who don't even have the common decency to take credit for doing it, much less look anyone in the eye.
But Huckleberry Graham will be able to pretend to have his precious dignity.
This nation is getting the governance that 27% of it deserves.
posted by delfin at 7:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
But Huckleberry Graham will be able to pretend to have his precious dignity.
This nation is getting the governance that 27% of it deserves.
posted by delfin at 7:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Anyways, consciously or not, Breitbart is doing the Lord's work here. I wish every media was saying that Mooch was more interesting than Donnie.
Breitbart is doing somebody's work, but it's not The Lord. Scary Mooch just called out Bannon in obscene terms. This maneuver by Bannon (saying Moochy is now the star instead of Trump) is so blatant that even the President might see through it.
posted by msalt at 7:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Breitbart is doing somebody's work, but it's not The Lord. Scary Mooch just called out Bannon in obscene terms. This maneuver by Bannon (saying Moochy is now the star instead of Trump) is so blatant that even the President might see through it.
posted by msalt at 7:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Under SEC. 203. WAIVERS FOR STATE INNOVATION I think there is language that allows states to let insurers disallow pre-existing conditions.
That's right, the skinny bill includes the part where states can roll back the pre-existing condition protections.
posted by Justinian at 7:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
That's right, the skinny bill includes the part where states can roll back the pre-existing condition protections.
posted by Justinian at 7:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Planned Parenthood bit triggers 60 votes, right?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:08 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:08 PM on July 27, 2017
SHUTITDOWN
posted by Windopaene at 7:08 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Windopaene at 7:08 PM on July 27, 2017
Vote currently expected at midnight Eastern.
I've got to say, this looks like something designed for the House to pass as-is. If it's just a placeholder, why are there bits to appeal to Freedom Caucus folks?
posted by zachlipton at 7:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I've got to say, this looks like something designed for the House to pass as-is. If it's just a placeholder, why are there bits to appeal to Freedom Caucus folks?
posted by zachlipton at 7:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Patty Murray (D-Washington) has the floor now, asking the Rs to stop the vote from going to the House by voting no.
posted by Rykey at 7:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 7:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Planned Parenthood bit triggers 60 votes, right?
We're going to find out, I imagine there's going to be a point of order from Democrats if they really do this. Republicans think they can fix it so it can pass with 50, and this looks like that revised language. I don't know how. From what I can tell, they're changing the definitions of certain eligible entities to receive medicaid reimbursements such that it only applies to one entity in the universe, Planned Parenthood.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
We're going to find out, I imagine there's going to be a point of order from Democrats if they really do this. Republicans think they can fix it so it can pass with 50, and this looks like that revised language. I don't know how. From what I can tell, they're changing the definitions of certain eligible entities to receive medicaid reimbursements such that it only applies to one entity in the universe, Planned Parenthood.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Welcome to the new America, everyone, where we'll be free to set our insurance market on fire.
posted by lydhre at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by lydhre at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Chris Murphy (D-CT) just described the process as "nuclear-grade bonkers" on the Senate floor as he tries to explain to the idiot right how a bill becomes a law.
posted by gladly at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by gladly at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Under SEC. 203. WAIVERS FOR STATE INNOVATION I think there is language that allows states to let insurers disallow pre-existing conditions.
My policy follows are still trying to parse this out, but early reads I'm seeing is that they changed the language here significantly from BCRA. In this version, CMS still has to certify that the waivers provide coverage that it is "at least as comprehensive," which would block waivers that try to disallow pre-existing condition coverage.
Of course, we know who runs CMS, so who knows what would actually happen if states requested waivers that don't comply. Court. A lot of court.
posted by zachlipton at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
My policy follows are still trying to parse this out, but early reads I'm seeing is that they changed the language here significantly from BCRA. In this version, CMS still has to certify that the waivers provide coverage that it is "at least as comprehensive," which would block waivers that try to disallow pre-existing condition coverage.
Of course, we know who runs CMS, so who knows what would actually happen if states requested waivers that don't comply. Court. A lot of court.
posted by zachlipton at 7:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Murphy (D-CT) up now: This is "bonkers," "absolute devastation"
And FYI, I'm happy to knock off the liveblogging if it's irksome. Just don't know who might want updates.
posted by Rykey at 7:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
And FYI, I'm happy to knock off the liveblogging if it's irksome. Just don't know who might want updates.
posted by Rykey at 7:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
And while this law is being passed in the middle of the the night by the Senate, both MSNBC and CNN are talking about Scaramucci. Do Don Lemon and Lawrence O'Donnell not have access to the C-Span channel? Should we tweet them about what's happening RIGHT NOW??
posted by triggerfinger at 7:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 7:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Thanks zachlipton. What is the actual purpose of the language if it theoretically requires coverage at least as comprehensive? I am having real troubling parsing that section of the Bill!
posted by Justinian at 7:16 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Justinian at 7:16 PM on July 27, 2017
There's no cap on Medicaid growth rates. This is a "fuck Obamacare" bill, but it's not (yet) a Medicaid ending one. That will come in conference.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:17 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:17 PM on July 27, 2017
Reminder, the president told the NYT you can get coverage for 12.00/yr and Sarah Huckabee Sanders was supposed to follow up and no one has called her out on that.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
That will come in conference.
No conference bill will be passed. There is literally no reason to include the Planned Parenthood defunding in this bill except to ensure the House passes it as-is when the conference fails to come up with a bill that can pass.
This will be come law; not in the next few days but eventually.
posted by Justinian at 7:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
No conference bill will be passed. There is literally no reason to include the Planned Parenthood defunding in this bill except to ensure the House passes it as-is when the conference fails to come up with a bill that can pass.
This will be come law; not in the next few days but eventually.
posted by Justinian at 7:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
My (uninformed) take of that waiver section was that the ACA already had a provision for states to apply for waivers and to get the money (cost sharing reduction, premium credits, etc) they'd be missing out on if the proposal would cause their plans to become ACA non-compliant. The new language lets states apply for this missed money even if their proposal didn't change the plans enough to fall out of compliance.
Seems like the important bit is the $2 billion slush fund created at the end. The other changes are to get rid of restrictions so that the slush can get paid out as a sweetener to whoever Ryan/McConnell need.
posted by bassooner at 7:19 PM on July 27, 2017
Seems like the important bit is the $2 billion slush fund created at the end. The other changes are to get rid of restrictions so that the slush can get paid out as a sweetener to whoever Ryan/McConnell need.
posted by bassooner at 7:19 PM on July 27, 2017
both MSNBC and CNN are talking about Scaramucci
Oh don't worry, it's getting covered. On Fox News, Kellyanne Conway is talking to Sean Hannity right now about the bill.
He's attacking the skinny thinger from the right
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh don't worry, it's getting covered. On Fox News, Kellyanne Conway is talking to Sean Hannity right now about the bill.
He's attacking the skinny thinger from the right
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I 100% don't want this bill to pass, but I kinda wish somehow it could and then this would be the point where, after having assured the Senate this would go into conference, the House just goes "nyah nyah!" and votes to pass it and basically the whole GOP caucus falls apart along with maybe the only remaining bit of governance that only works by consent of those involved, as opposed to by statute.
Only kinda, to be clear. Like, not really. Except fuck Mitch McConnell and every one his cronies who think informal boundaries of government still apply to their desires.
posted by tocts at 7:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Only kinda, to be clear. Like, not really. Except fuck Mitch McConnell and every one his cronies who think informal boundaries of government still apply to their desires.
posted by tocts at 7:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Uhh, wasn't Planned Parenthood defunding ineligible under the Byrd Rule?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
As I understand it, it keeps the "guardrails" for waivers (coverage needs to be at least as comprehensive), but changes them from a discretionary matter (HHS may grant waivers) to a mandatory one (HHS shall grant waivers). Presumably, they'd just rely on Trump's HHS to grant waivers to do whatever, and it comes with an extra $2B slush fund for waiver states.
They also changed the language for Planned Parenthood from the previous version, presumably with the intent of making it byrdable. I have no idea whether they've succeeded in that.
posted by zachlipton at 7:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
They also changed the language for Planned Parenthood from the previous version, presumably with the intent of making it byrdable. I have no idea whether they've succeeded in that.
posted by zachlipton at 7:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I would love to see the ensuing pyrrhic victory as well but it will come at the cost of tens of thousands of American lives and that is not a price any patriot can afford to offer.
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Uhh, wasn't Planned Parenthood defunding ineligible under the Byrd Rule?
Yes. So were the other form of the state waivers. So is any bill that the CBO hasn't scored.
We're apparently in the FUCK YOU THAT'S MY NAME portion of the process.
posted by Justinian at 7:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yes. So were the other form of the state waivers. So is any bill that the CBO hasn't scored.
We're apparently in the FUCK YOU THAT'S MY NAME portion of the process.
posted by Justinian at 7:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
the House just goes "nyah nyah!" and votes to pass it and basically the whole GOP caucus falls apart
Pretty sure that if/when the House goes "nyah nyah!" and votes to pass it, the GOP caucus will sail on placidly as if nothing happened and high-five each other over lunch.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Pretty sure that if/when the House goes "nyah nyah!" and votes to pass it, the GOP caucus will sail on placidly as if nothing happened and high-five each other over lunch.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
but changes them from a discretionary matter (HHS may grant waivers) to a mandatory one (HHS shall grant waivers)
This opens the door for states to attach all kinds of new conditions and work requirements to medicaid eligibility. Drug testing, reapplication every month, a literal scarlet 'M' burned into your forehead, any Republican measure to stigmatize Medicaid recipients would have to be granted.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
This opens the door for states to attach all kinds of new conditions and work requirements to medicaid eligibility. Drug testing, reapplication every month, a literal scarlet 'M' burned into your forehead, any Republican measure to stigmatize Medicaid recipients would have to be granted.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Pretty sure that if/when the House goes "nyah nyah!" and votes to pass it, the GOP caucus will sail on placidly as if nothing happened and high-five each other over lunch.
Yeah, I know it's a pipe dream, I just couldn't stand to keep listening to all the self-important GOP bloviating about how unacceptable it would be without assurances of a conference from the house, etc, etc.
Bleh.
Fuck the Senate.
posted by tocts at 7:26 PM on July 27, 2017
Yeah, I know it's a pipe dream, I just couldn't stand to keep listening to all the self-important GOP bloviating about how unacceptable it would be without assurances of a conference from the house, etc, etc.
Bleh.
Fuck the Senate.
posted by tocts at 7:26 PM on July 27, 2017
I cannot find a single person online who has a good explanation for how this complies with the Parliamentarian's rulings nor when or if the Dems can bring up the points of order pointing that out. Is this just going too fast?
If anyone has a reliable source that has information on how this bill complies with or is affected by the Byrd Bath please post it. Because I can't find it, and I've looked.
posted by Justinian at 7:26 PM on July 27, 2017
If anyone has a reliable source that has information on how this bill complies with or is affected by the Byrd Bath please post it. Because I can't find it, and I've looked.
posted by Justinian at 7:26 PM on July 27, 2017
We're apparently in the FUCK YOU THAT'S MY NAME portion of the process.
So, Clinton could have just claimed she won because she got more votes, and fuck you Electoral College? That would have been sweet.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
So, Clinton could have just claimed she won because she got more votes, and fuck you Electoral College? That would have been sweet.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Manchin (D-WV) now, doing a pitch-perfect rendition of "C'mon, Republicans, let's be friends." Whatever.
posted by Rykey at 7:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 7:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Serious question: What about McCain-Fiengold? Or was that just marketing too?
Marketing. McCain ran for president in 2000. He knew he would run again.
McCain has always been fucking evil. No exceptions. Not one fucking day. Not even in Hanoi.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Marketing. McCain ran for president in 2000. He knew he would run again.
McCain has always been fucking evil. No exceptions. Not one fucking day. Not even in Hanoi.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
No, only Republicans can ignore the rule of law with impunity.
posted by dirigibleman at 7:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by dirigibleman at 7:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Manchin (D-WV) now, doing a pitch-perfect rendition of "C'mon, Republicans, let's be friends." Whatever.
You know he's itching to bipartisan this pile of shit.
posted by Artw at 7:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
You know he's itching to bipartisan this pile of shit.
posted by Artw at 7:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Whitehouse: "This is what happens when a whole party of people becomes beholden to a small group of creepy billionaires; they're conducting a freakish social experiment. . . ."
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
John McCain, has NEVER been a good person. Ever.I was fooled when McCain told that lady not to be afraid of Obama, that he was an American and a patriot. In retrospect, I think it was just marketing.
posted by xyzzy at 7:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Whitehouse is PISSED and he's Bernie's opening act.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:33 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:33 PM on July 27, 2017
So, I've been on airplanes for a good portion of the day and now I'm in Canada where my phone only works with Wi-Fi and I am just now catching up with the last 8 hours of news.
What I'm getting here is that I should just stay in Canada.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
What I'm getting here is that I should just stay in Canada.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
They also changed the language for Planned Parenthood from the previous version, presumably with the intent of making it byrdable.
Byrd Up!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Byrd Up!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
If anyone has a reliable source that has information on how this bill complies with or is affected by the Byrd Bath please post it. Because I can't find it, and I've looked.
There are like 20 people on earth who can answer these questions and most of them are working in Congress and not doing snap tweets about it.
That said, it looks like they changed the language on the Planned Parenthood defunding so it might cover more than just Planned Parenthood, in an attempt to comply with the Byrd Rule. This appears to be similar to language the parliamentarian approved in 2015. Whether that will be good enough is something Democrats are working on now.
I would assume this is Byrd Rule compliant and has just enough budget savings the CBO score will check out.
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
There are like 20 people on earth who can answer these questions and most of them are working in Congress and not doing snap tweets about it.
That said, it looks like they changed the language on the Planned Parenthood defunding so it might cover more than just Planned Parenthood, in an attempt to comply with the Byrd Rule. This appears to be similar to language the parliamentarian approved in 2015. Whether that will be good enough is something Democrats are working on now.
I would assume this is Byrd Rule compliant and has just enough budget savings the CBO score will check out.
posted by zachlipton at 7:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Shit, Atul Gawande says this bill cuts 12% of the CDC budget. WHY.
posted by suelac at 7:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by suelac at 7:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
Thanks zachlipton. You are doing the Lord's work.
posted by Justinian at 7:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 7:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Can't make an omelet without causing a few cases of preventable disease.
posted by uncleozzy at 7:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 7:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Ugh, how do I turn off YouTube live commentary? Lots of people sniggering over "liberal tears."
posted by xyzzy at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by xyzzy at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017
Health care for some, minor bouts of salmonella for others!
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Shit, Atul Gawande says this bill cuts 12% of the CDC budget. WHY.
Republicans really like infectious diseases.
posted by Artw at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Republicans really like infectious diseases.
posted by Artw at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Quick take from Nicholas Bagley (U Michigan law/health policy) on the new waiver provision: Waivers are dead, long live waivers. Not devastating, but a real problem:
Under the ACA, a state can get a waiver from most of the ACA’s rules only if it adheres to certain guardrails: a state has to cover as many people as comprehensively without increasing federal spending. Even then, the ACA says only that a waiver “may” be granted if those conditions are met.posted by zachlipton at 7:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
The original version of BCRA would have wiped out those guardrails. All a state had to do was promise not to increase federal spending. If it did, BCRA said that the Secretary of HHS “shall” grant it—even if the state wanted to use the money to fund its public schools or a new stadium. A revised version of BCRA was mildly better on this front, but it retained the “shall” directive.
So too does the Health Care Freedom Act. Presumably because of the Senate parliamentarian’s involvement, however, the guardrails remain intact. The Secretary must therefore approve waivers if they adhere to the guardrails; if they don’t, he can’t.
But here’s the rub. The waivers are presumptively approved for 8 years—and they “may not be cancelled by the Secretary before the expiration of the 8-year period.” This 8-year lockout was also in BCRA, and here’s what I wrote about it at the time.
...
So while the ACA’s guardrails are still in place, states can ignore them once a waiver has been granted. And there’s not a thing the federal government can do about it.
If the bill doesn't have a CBO score or is not yet confirmed as Byrdable, can they hold a bare-majority vote, or not? Do they hold one in the hope it doesn't get changed to a 3/5ths-threshold vote later?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:41 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:41 PM on July 27, 2017
Don't bother with youtube live. CSPAN got u, fam.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
(Bannon declined to comment.)
Was he making muffled grunts of ecstasy?
posted by um at 7:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Was he making muffled grunts of ecstasy?
posted by um at 7:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I remember when the Florida recounts were happening in 2000 and the GOP organized a "white collar riot" in order to try to stop them while they pursued their legal strategy in the courts. Why the Democrats are not pounding on their desks to stop all business right now while their lawyer's petition the courts to make the House and Senate follow the law is beyond my understanding. Do they not care?
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
But here’s the rub. The waivers are presumptively approved for 8 years—and they “may not be cancelled by the Secretary before the expiration of the 8-year period.” This 8-year lockout was also in BCRA, and here’s what I wrote about it at the time.
...
So while the ACA’s guardrails are still in place, states can ignore them once a waiver has been granted. And there’s not a thing the federal government can do about it.
So the Secretary can refuse to... but they still have to... and they can't
nouns and verbs have lost all tethering to reality
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
...
So while the ACA’s guardrails are still in place, states can ignore them once a waiver has been granted. And there’s not a thing the federal government can do about it.
So the Secretary can refuse to... but they still have to... and they can't
nouns and verbs have lost all tethering to reality
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm still unclear on who decides or enforces anything, given that the republicans are masterful at not giving a good goddamn about what they can or can't do.
posted by lydhre at 7:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by lydhre at 7:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Serious question: What about McCain-Fiengold? Or was that just marketing too?
McCain-Feingold is, absolutely literally, why we have Citizens United. CU is a direct response to clear and obvious overreach in the original bill that an intellectually stunted planaria could see was never going to be constitutional.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
McCain-Feingold is, absolutely literally, why we have Citizens United. CU is a direct response to clear and obvious overreach in the original bill that an intellectually stunted planaria could see was never going to be constitutional.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I figured it out. My YouTube addon made the text for "hide chat" very tiny. I'd love to watch C-Span, but it's been stuck on "authentication in progress" since Comey testified. :)
posted by xyzzy at 7:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by xyzzy at 7:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Why the Democrats are not pounding on their desks to stop all business right now while their lawyer's petition the courts to make the House and Senate follow the law is beyond my understanding.
Political question doctrine. No court is going to step in in the middle of the legislative process, fucked up or not. Some of this may later go down in court, the Planned Parenthood shit in particular looks a whole lot like a bill of attainder, but asking a court to literally step into the Senate chamber is unrealistic.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Political question doctrine. No court is going to step in in the middle of the legislative process, fucked up or not. Some of this may later go down in court, the Planned Parenthood shit in particular looks a whole lot like a bill of attainder, but asking a court to literally step into the Senate chamber is unrealistic.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Reading all this Mooch shit, the next person who says they voted for Trump to shake things up in Washington, I'm going to insist that we take the jerry can of petrol in my garage and light their fucking house on fire. Because, you know, they love to shake things up so much let's give them the Washington experience at home.
posted by Talez at 7:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Talez at 7:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Republicans really like infectious diseases.
They happen to be their own personal Vietnams.
posted by Talez at 7:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
They happen to be their own personal Vietnams.
posted by Talez at 7:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Here's an actual good summary of the bill, from Tim Jost.
It has a CBO score. Looks to my quick skim like it saves just enough to be passed under reconciliation, though I don't entirely know what I'm talking about there. They just scored the budget impact, not the number of people who will be uninsured.
As I understand it, the upcoming process is a vote series at midnight to amend and replace the AHCA with this bill. Then the vote-a-rama kicks off with votes on all other amendments, as many germane and non-dilatory amendments as there are, all night, whatever. Eventually, they'd vote on the final bill and send it to the House, which has supposedly agreed to take it to conference and work out an entirely new bill, but they could well just pass this thing outright anyway.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
It has a CBO score. Looks to my quick skim like it saves just enough to be passed under reconciliation, though I don't entirely know what I'm talking about there. They just scored the budget impact, not the number of people who will be uninsured.
As I understand it, the upcoming process is a vote series at midnight to amend and replace the AHCA with this bill. Then the vote-a-rama kicks off with votes on all other amendments, as many germane and non-dilatory amendments as there are, all night, whatever. Eventually, they'd vote on the final bill and send it to the House, which has supposedly agreed to take it to conference and work out an entirely new bill, but they could well just pass this thing outright anyway.
posted by zachlipton at 7:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
No court is going to step in in the middle of the legislative process, fucked up or not.
Yet they stepped in the middle of an electoral process. You may be right, or it may be they never have been asked.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:52 PM on July 27, 2017
Yet they stepped in the middle of an electoral process. You may be right, or it may be they never have been asked.
posted by Mental Wimp at 7:52 PM on July 27, 2017
They've been asked. Can't recall cites.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 7:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
which has supposedly agreed to take it to conference
NOBODY BELIEVES THIS WILL HAPPEN. There's shit in that bill that is obviously designed to get the Freedom Caucus on board. This will pass. The POS in the Oval Office will sign it. People will die.
posted by suelac at 7:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
NOBODY BELIEVES THIS WILL HAPPEN. There's shit in that bill that is obviously designed to get the Freedom Caucus on board. This will pass. The POS in the Oval Office will sign it. People will die.
posted by suelac at 7:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Cory Booker just now: "I do not understand how we could have gotten here."
posted by Rykey at 7:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 7:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Onion Fact Checks: Anthony Scaramucci’s ‘New Yorker’ Interview
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Cory Booker is about to make me cry
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:57 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:57 PM on July 27, 2017
white collar riot
The famous Brooks Brothers Riot. You know who takes credit for that? None other than Trump consiglieri Roger Stone. Let's not stoop to his level.
posted by dis_integration at 7:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
The famous Brooks Brothers Riot. You know who takes credit for that? None other than Trump consiglieri Roger Stone. Let's not stoop to his level.
posted by dis_integration at 7:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
If the House lets it go to conference, they have to keep this shit on their shoes for another month or two -- with cable news reminding the world about it all day every day. They want to get this over with so they have as much time as possible before November 2018 to wash the stink of it off them -- lots of time for the dunderheads of America to forget who did this and what they did.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:58 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:58 PM on July 27, 2017
Watching C-Span now -- I'm one of those disliked critics of Cory Booker from the left, but boy, he's really great at delivering a moving extemporaneous midnight speech. Worth catching on youtube if you missed it.
posted by chortly at 7:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by chortly at 7:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Cory Booker just now: "I do not understand how we could have gotten here."
Moral turpitude
posted by nubs at 7:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Moral turpitude
posted by nubs at 7:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Ok, now Mazie Hirono is definitely making me cry.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Maize Hirono is up. Literally a week ago I had never heard of her. She's a god damn American hero.
posted by anastasiav at 8:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by anastasiav at 8:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
She would be the Senator fighting cancer who flew in to make sure people have health insurance, as opposed to the one who flew in to make sure people lose it in the dead of night.
posted by zachlipton at 8:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [66 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 8:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [66 favorites]
Like so many other results of the permanent 5-4 Republican majority, Bush v. Gore was bullshit, and anyone who cares about actual legal doctrine has had difficult accepting it ever since.
Again, we were so naive then. Justiciability, law, political questions, election results, are only what the Republican majority of the Supreme Court says they are. And those fuckers are nothing put Republican politicians in black robes themselves. Why do you think all manner of Republicans still stick beside Trump? What was this all for? It was to maintain, and extend, that permanent 5-4 majority on the only institution that still (inexplicably) retains some notion of actual authority in our fucked up society.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Again, we were so naive then. Justiciability, law, political questions, election results, are only what the Republican majority of the Supreme Court says they are. And those fuckers are nothing put Republican politicians in black robes themselves. Why do you think all manner of Republicans still stick beside Trump? What was this all for? It was to maintain, and extend, that permanent 5-4 majority on the only institution that still (inexplicably) retains some notion of actual authority in our fucked up society.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
The CBO score is out and reaffirms that Skinny Repeal costs 16M people their insurance. No word yet on premium increase though one assumes it will be the 20% increase from previous partial repeals.
posted by Justinian at 8:04 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Justinian at 8:04 PM on July 27, 2017
CBO score
$135.6B in budget savings (just enough for reconciliation), +16M people uninsured. Notably, it will be 15M more uninsured next year, before the midterms.
posted by zachlipton at 8:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
$135.6B in budget savings (just enough for reconciliation), +16M people uninsured. Notably, it will be 15M more uninsured next year, before the midterms.
posted by zachlipton at 8:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Scaramucci pledges to refrain from using "colorful language", but what about non-colorful powders?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
And now the networks are leading with Scaramucci instead of healthcare.
posted by rhizome at 8:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 8:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Good on the CBO for at least trying to keep up on the gish gallop with some good old-fashioned cost analysis.
I'm glad at least some parts of our government are still trying their damnedest to serve the people.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm glad at least some parts of our government are still trying their damnedest to serve the people.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
CBO says the 15m more uninsured next year are 6 million from the individual marketplace, 6 million from employer coverage, and 3 million from Medicaid.
posted by Justinian at 8:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
but then what will we do with the people who voted for Trump because "government should be run like a business"?
They have to work for Trump.
posted by Etrigan at 8:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
They have to work for Trump.
posted by Etrigan at 8:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Enzi (R-WY) up now, pretending the current eight-page bill won't be totally amended in conference.
posted by Rykey at 8:12 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Rykey at 8:12 PM on July 27, 2017
Oh fuck you Mike Enzi. Fuck you with that bison on your state flag.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Ronald Rotunda (yes, that one), WaPo: The president can be indicted — just not by Mueller
[…] there is a significant — in fact, likely dispositive — difference between the Clinton situation and that facing Trump. Starr served as independent counsel under a now-defunct statute. By contrast, special counsel Robert S. Mueller III serves under Justice Department regulations put in place after the independent counsel law expired.Then he ends with this bit:
This is not a technical distinction but one that I discussed in my memo, distinguishing between the independent counsel statute and the regulations such as those establishing Mueller’s office.
And this difference has enormous implications for Mueller’s power. Supreme Court cases going back 150 years emphasize that the president retains complete authority to control federal criminal prosecutions. Without a statutorily appointed special counsel given special tenure, Trump could fire anyone who tried to indict him.
Moreover, the regulations governing Mueller mandate that he “comply with the rules, regulations, procedures, practices and policies of the Department of Justice.” They permit removal of the special counsel for “good cause, including violation of Departmental policies.”
As interesting as this debate is, it also strikes me as entirely premature. In my assessment, the “case” against Trump right now amounts to a mountain of innuendo built on a foundation of loose sand. The facts so far do not come close to making an obstruction case against the president, and for now there is no evidence that he engaged in any underlying crime.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
If and when Mueller comes up with something that might create an indictable case, though, he is apt to run into serious questions about the limitations of his office, questions that Starr did not face.
pretending the current eight-page bill won't be totally amended in conference.
I'm making a cake promise: the fuckers in the House are going to pass this as-is. It's the closest they're going to get to what they want in a bill that can get through the Senate, and it defunds Planned Parenthood, and it tanks the ACA by destroying the markets. They'll try to get their tax cuts another way, but the most important thing is to piss all over Obama's legacy, and punish women for having bodies.
If I'm wrong, I'll make a carrot cake for my office. (No writing on it, though: I work for a public agency and that could get uncomfortable.)
posted by suelac at 8:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm making a cake promise: the fuckers in the House are going to pass this as-is. It's the closest they're going to get to what they want in a bill that can get through the Senate, and it defunds Planned Parenthood, and it tanks the ACA by destroying the markets. They'll try to get their tax cuts another way, but the most important thing is to piss all over Obama's legacy, and punish women for having bodies.
If I'm wrong, I'll make a carrot cake for my office. (No writing on it, though: I work for a public agency and that could get uncomfortable.)
posted by suelac at 8:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
as opposed to the one who flew in to make sure people lose it in the dead of night.
I will not stand by while you slander McCain with falsities. Slander him with the truth, sure, but not with these falsities. He came back to admonish the entire Senate for the deplorable way they've tried to pass the bill. To demonstrate his commitment to restoring the process he engaged in pledging fealty to a leader that loudly and publicly shat on his military service. The fact that the bill he voted to move to debate wipes out insurance for millions and will kill hundreds of thousands of people over the next decade is part of the process but McCain stands by it and I can't help but be amazed by it.
I have nothing but awe for someone who can engage in such batshit fucking insanity that defies all logic and common sense and who will also swallow any bit of pride or self-respect they have left in order to be beholden to a party and a process that won't matter in eighteen months because he'll be dead. For someone to make that much effort to trash their final legacy and only be described as "make sure people lose it in the dead of the night" does not endow the man with the level of stupidity and cravenness that he has earned, sir.
You do him a disservice to not respect just how impressive that is and I would request of you that in future snark you show correctly, and in full, how much of a fucking idiot he actually is.
posted by Talez at 8:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
I will not stand by while you slander McCain with falsities. Slander him with the truth, sure, but not with these falsities. He came back to admonish the entire Senate for the deplorable way they've tried to pass the bill. To demonstrate his commitment to restoring the process he engaged in pledging fealty to a leader that loudly and publicly shat on his military service. The fact that the bill he voted to move to debate wipes out insurance for millions and will kill hundreds of thousands of people over the next decade is part of the process but McCain stands by it and I can't help but be amazed by it.
I have nothing but awe for someone who can engage in such batshit fucking insanity that defies all logic and common sense and who will also swallow any bit of pride or self-respect they have left in order to be beholden to a party and a process that won't matter in eighteen months because he'll be dead. For someone to make that much effort to trash their final legacy and only be described as "make sure people lose it in the dead of the night" does not endow the man with the level of stupidity and cravenness that he has earned, sir.
You do him a disservice to not respect just how impressive that is and I would request of you that in future snark you show correctly, and in full, how much of a fucking idiot he actually is.
posted by Talez at 8:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [22 favorites]
Wow, fucking Mike Enzi twice refusing to yield for a question from D Senators.
posted by Rykey at 8:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 8:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Arizona Governor Ducey has just come out against the bill. This will make McCain's capitulation all the more cowardly.
posted by Justinian at 8:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Mike Enzi is about the most boring speaker I've ever heard. Is that on purpose?
posted by anastasiav at 8:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by anastasiav at 8:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hmm, I guess "just" was a couple hours ago. It's making the rounds on twitter now. Re: Ducey.
posted by Justinian at 8:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 8:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
They put up this heartland grandpa Enzi stiff just to run down the clock. So fucking offensive. And really, the digs about how the Democrats haven't read the bill . . . I wonder why that is, that they aren't intimately familiar with it 27 minutes after it's handed to them?
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Arizona Governor Ducey has just come out against the bill. This will make McCain's capitulation all the more cowardly.
I've been looking at this, and I'm not convinced it says what everyone thinks it does. Ducey's tweet was at 6:38pm, hours before the bill dropped. He said "I agree with @SenJohnMcCain that the bill on the table clearly isn’t the right approach for Arizona." The bill that was on the table at the time wasn't the bill McConnell is putting on the table now.
posted by zachlipton at 8:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I've been looking at this, and I'm not convinced it says what everyone thinks it does. Ducey's tweet was at 6:38pm, hours before the bill dropped. He said "I agree with @SenJohnMcCain that the bill on the table clearly isn’t the right approach for Arizona." The bill that was on the table at the time wasn't the bill McConnell is putting on the table now.
posted by zachlipton at 8:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yep. He's burning time. Wyoming is a beautiful state and could do so much better than this asshat.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yep. He's burning time. Wyoming is a beautiful state and could do so much better than this asshat.
As someone who has driven through Wyoming and stayed at their fine Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Cheyenne, no; No, they can't do better.
posted by Talez at 8:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
As someone who has driven through Wyoming and stayed at their fine Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott in Cheyenne, no; No, they can't do better.
posted by Talez at 8:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh god he's going to bluster through the next 34 minutes. Fuck this guy.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:33 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:33 PM on July 27, 2017
Ten bucks he says "socialized medicine."
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Or maybe "socialized medicine, like in Communist Ru............ nevermind."
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Sal, Wyoming's not a country."
posted by perhapses at 8:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by perhapses at 8:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Enzi: Single-payer = Not caring who's driving the train, "as long as the train wrecks."
posted by Rykey at 8:37 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Rykey at 8:37 PM on July 27, 2017
Awful as this is, including the Planned Parenthood defunding for a year and CDC cuts, if this is what the House ends up passing and it actually becomes law as-is, it's hard for me not to think that this isn't the least horrible thing a Republican Congress could do. I mean, no Medicaid cuts, pre-existing conditions covered, the ACA regulations still in place.
To be clear, premiums will rise and we'll, at best, be flirting with a death spiral in places. Many people will become uninsured and some of those will die. But I do think some of the damage is containable, with blue states passing their own mandates and the safety net of Medicaid still in place (until, you know, they come after that in another bill). Just as with the Medicaid expansion, your health will be at the whims of how sadistic your state governor and legislature are, but states that don't want to kill people can protect their marketplaces.
Ironically, the folks who will come out of this the worse will be middle class families without employer coverage who make too much to qualify for subsidies; their premiums will spiral out of control and they'll have to drop coverage.
It's absolutely bad, but am I wrong that it's about as good as a Republican Congress could possibly do to us?
posted by zachlipton at 8:38 PM on July 27, 2017
To be clear, premiums will rise and we'll, at best, be flirting with a death spiral in places. Many people will become uninsured and some of those will die. But I do think some of the damage is containable, with blue states passing their own mandates and the safety net of Medicaid still in place (until, you know, they come after that in another bill). Just as with the Medicaid expansion, your health will be at the whims of how sadistic your state governor and legislature are, but states that don't want to kill people can protect their marketplaces.
Ironically, the folks who will come out of this the worse will be middle class families without employer coverage who make too much to qualify for subsidies; their premiums will spiral out of control and they'll have to drop coverage.
It's absolutely bad, but am I wrong that it's about as good as a Republican Congress could possibly do to us?
posted by zachlipton at 8:38 PM on July 27, 2017
"I gave the other side their hour. I expect to have this hour.... even if some of it is in silence." - Mike Enzi R(epugnant)-Wyoming
posted by onehalfjunco at 8:39 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by onehalfjunco at 8:39 PM on July 27, 2017
pre-existing conditions covered
Not really, no: this one re-instates the State waivers. So it'll depend on the state. Blue states will probably be okay, but people in red states will be screwed.
The CBO report says that premiums will go up 20% every year for the next 8.
posted by suelac at 8:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Not really, no: this one re-instates the State waivers. So it'll depend on the state. Blue states will probably be okay, but people in red states will be screwed.
The CBO report says that premiums will go up 20% every year for the next 8.
posted by suelac at 8:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Wow. Enzi is complaining about people who "wait" until something bad happens to them to not pay for health insurance. He totally misses the point that these are PEOPLE we are talking about.
posted by xyzzy at 8:41 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by xyzzy at 8:41 PM on July 27, 2017
I've been looking at this, and I'm not convinced it says what everyone thinks it does. Ducey's tweet was at 6:38pm, hours before the bill dropped. He said "I agree with @SenJohnMcCain that the bill on the table clearly isn’t the right approach for Arizona." The bill that was on the table at the time wasn't the bill McConnell is putting on the table now.
Critically, the skinny Trumpcare bill they're passing now does not contain the meidcaid growth rate caps. There's your McCain opening for how he can thread all of this and still come out on CNN as the hero. He didn't cross his governor and end medicaid. He gave a pretty speech. He technically didn't renege on any of his carefully crafted pseudo-promises.
He still voted to take health care from 16 million people and crash the entire individual insurance market, and defund Planned Parenthood.
McCain is very, very, good at making people believe he's not a fucking monster. Stop. Buying. In. To. His. Bullshit. McCain is a fucking monster.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Critically, the skinny Trumpcare bill they're passing now does not contain the meidcaid growth rate caps. There's your McCain opening for how he can thread all of this and still come out on CNN as the hero. He didn't cross his governor and end medicaid. He gave a pretty speech. He technically didn't renege on any of his carefully crafted pseudo-promises.
He still voted to take health care from 16 million people and crash the entire individual insurance market, and defund Planned Parenthood.
McCain is very, very, good at making people believe he's not a fucking monster. Stop. Buying. In. To. His. Bullshit. McCain is a fucking monster.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Well thanks Mike Enzi, you've totally ruined Sleep With Me for me.
posted by Rykey at 8:46 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Rykey at 8:46 PM on July 27, 2017
Relax, I don't need to do or stop doing anything regarding McCain. He's going to be dead soon. I'll never vote for him, how's that?
posted by ctmf at 8:46 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by ctmf at 8:46 PM on July 27, 2017
There is nothing redeeming here.
Completely agree. This is fucking fucked. Every provision is a catastrophe in and of itself. But that's not the story that's going to penetrate CNN-land. And McCain knows it. Which is why he's a fucking monster.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Completely agree. This is fucking fucked. Every provision is a catastrophe in and of itself. But that's not the story that's going to penetrate CNN-land. And McCain knows it. Which is why he's a fucking monster.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Well thanks Mike Enzi, you've totally ruined Sleep With Me for me.
How's that? I'm not watching the stream...
posted by suelac at 8:50 PM on July 27, 2017
How's that? I'm not watching the stream...
posted by suelac at 8:50 PM on July 27, 2017
The CBO report says that premiums will go up 20% every year for the next 8.
This seems like something that was worded poorly in the CBO report: "CBO and JCT estimate that premiums for policies in the nongroup market would increase by roughly 20 percent relative to current law in all years between 2018 and 2026." The compound effect is also slightly misrepresented in tweets like this one and various others I've seen. A much clearer way to put it is: "premiums will rise over 400% in less than a decade".
posted by chortly at 8:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
This seems like something that was worded poorly in the CBO report: "CBO and JCT estimate that premiums for policies in the nongroup market would increase by roughly 20 percent relative to current law in all years between 2018 and 2026." The compound effect is also slightly misrepresented in tweets like this one and various others I've seen. A much clearer way to put it is: "premiums will rise over 400% in less than a decade".
posted by chortly at 8:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Actually, I think the strategy behind putting Enzi up there is to make us all say, "Fine, go ahead and vote yes right now if it'll make this guy shut the fuck up."
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 8:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
This seems like something that was worded poorly in the CBO report: "CBO and JCT estimate that premiums for policies in the nongroup market would increase by roughly 20 percent relative to current law in all years between 2018 and 2026." The compound effect is also slightly misrepresented in tweets like this one and various others I've seen. A much clearer way to put it is: "premiums will rise over 400% in less than a decade".
If you can get a premium. Which you won't be able to on the individual market. Because there will be none left.
posted by Talez at 8:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
If you can get a premium. Which you won't be able to on the individual market. Because there will be none left.
posted by Talez at 8:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
He's going to be dead soon.
Change happens one funeral at a time.
(apologies to Max Planck)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Change happens one funeral at a time.
(apologies to Max Planck)
posted by Joseph Gurl at 8:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Oh fuck you Mike Enzi. Fuck you with that bison on your state flag.
Erm, isn't it a cowboy? No, apparently, that's the sports team. As someone who actually spends quite a bit of time in WY I should probably have known that.
But yes, Enzi is a giant piece of shit, and a great example of what happens when a state with fewer people than the actual capitol of the country, where I currently reside, can skew the entire American political spectrum towards the obscure desires of a handful of throwback assholes who've internalized the dumbest tropes of a badly-shot John Wayne flick and decided to act them out.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Erm, isn't it a cowboy? No, apparently, that's the sports team. As someone who actually spends quite a bit of time in WY I should probably have known that.
But yes, Enzi is a giant piece of shit, and a great example of what happens when a state with fewer people than the actual capitol of the country, where I currently reside, can skew the entire American political spectrum towards the obscure desires of a handful of throwback assholes who've internalized the dumbest tropes of a badly-shot John Wayne flick and decided to act them out.
posted by aspersioncast at 8:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
He's going to be dead soon.
Change happens one funeral at a time.
Arizona is trending purple. This is an opportunity. Fuck condolences.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Change happens one funeral at a time.
Arizona is trending purple. This is an opportunity. Fuck condolences.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Erm, isn't it a cowboy?
The cowboy is on the license plate.
posted by LeLiLo at 9:01 PM on July 27, 2017
The cowboy is on the license plate.
posted by LeLiLo at 9:01 PM on July 27, 2017
If I could inject a brief moment of levity into this shit show, it's cake time:
Lord only knows what the day will bring, but it is officially 7/28 in the nation's capital. Please post a photo, fluttering hellfire.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Fluttering Hellfire's cake wager: One evening in the next two weeks, Russia O'clock will be Rod Rosenstein getting fired for not agreeing to fire Mueller. If he's still employed by 7/28, then I'll cake it up.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:43 PM on July 12, 2017
Lord only knows what the day will bring, but it is officially 7/28 in the nation's capital. Please post a photo, fluttering hellfire.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Some days I think the best thing I can do for the resistance is move to Arizona. Ugh. I don't know if I'll survive it, though.
posted by greermahoney at 9:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by greermahoney at 9:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Pence just arrived at the Capitol to break the tie.
God how I've come to loathe that smug golem.
posted by darkstar at 9:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
God how I've come to loathe that smug golem.
posted by darkstar at 9:03 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
The amazing thing is that all of this is just to avoid abolishing the filibuster. There are X centrist Republicans who are willing to go along with any procedural travesty McConnell can cook up, but apparently draw the line at a quick vote to overturn Rule 22. Firebombing a city to ashes, sure, but god forbid they invoke the nuclear option. Can anyone object to Democrats nuking the filibuster on day one in 2021 and passing single payer with bare majorities?
posted by chortly at 9:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by chortly at 9:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm seeing reports that the 20% increase in premiums the CBO is reporting is per year. It compounds. You're looking at an over 400% increase.
posted by Merus at 9:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Merus at 9:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Well thanks Mike Enzi, you've totally ruined Sleep With Me for me.
How's that? I'm not watching the stream...
Well, I'm not looking forward to finding out how many times Drew Ackerman's mesmerizingly boring accounts of his favorite TV shows will morph into Enzi's aw-shucks social Darwinist droning in my dreams when I tune in.
posted by Rykey at 9:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
How's that? I'm not watching the stream...
Well, I'm not looking forward to finding out how many times Drew Ackerman's mesmerizingly boring accounts of his favorite TV shows will morph into Enzi's aw-shucks social Darwinist droning in my dreams when I tune in.
posted by Rykey at 9:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
are they just saying go fellate yourself to the senate parliamentarian? how are the PP changes and other non budget things qualifying for resolution?
posted by localhuman at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by localhuman at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017
Yes, Merus, that's correct. 20% PER YEAR.
And 6 million of those losing insurance will be losing employer-provided insurance because the markets will crash and there's no longer a mandate. So the bourgeoisie should be worried.
posted by suelac at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
And 6 million of those losing insurance will be losing employer-provided insurance because the markets will crash and there's no longer a mandate. So the bourgeoisie should be worried.
posted by suelac at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Flagstaff is nice.
posted by notyou at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by notyou at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm seeing reports that the 20% increase in premiums the CBO is reporting is per year. It compounds. You're looking at an over 400% increase.
Where is that in the CBO score? Which numbers?
posted by Justinian at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017
Where is that in the CBO score? Which numbers?
posted by Justinian at 9:07 PM on July 27, 2017
Ezra Klein - I do not know how to convey how appalling the GOP’s healthcare process or policy is
posted by growabrain at 9:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 9:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
I'm seeing reports that the 20% increase in premiums the CBO is reporting is per year. It compounds. You're looking at an over 400% increase.
posted by Merus at 1:05 PM on July 28 [+] [!]
If this is true, I'm gonna call "surely this".
Can anyone object to Democrats nuking the filibuster on day one in 2021 and passing single payer with bare majorities?
posted by chortly at 1:05 PM on July 28 [+] [!]
Got my vote.
posted by saysthis at 9:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Merus at 1:05 PM on July 28 [+] [!]
If this is true, I'm gonna call "surely this".
Can anyone object to Democrats nuking the filibuster on day one in 2021 and passing single payer with bare majorities?
posted by chortly at 1:05 PM on July 28 [+] [!]
Got my vote.
posted by saysthis at 9:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Pence just arrived at the Capitol to break the tie.
God how I've come to loathe that smug golem.
If you erase the C from the letters hidden under his forelock it reveals his true name of PENE and he transforms into a pile of dicks.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
God how I've come to loathe that smug golem.
If you erase the C from the letters hidden under his forelock it reveals his true name of PENE and he transforms into a pile of dicks.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Vote will be in ~15 minutes.
posted by zachlipton at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by zachlipton at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2017
There's nothing "skinny" about this steaming pile of shit. At all.
posted by darkstar at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by darkstar at 9:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm praying for your country.
posted by Fizz at 9:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
So what exactly is to stop the Democrats from coming back at a later point and reversing this flaming pile of putrid horseshit under Reconciliation? Seems like #HomicidalMitchMcConnell is setting a pretty low bar to clear for future legislation on this matter.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:11 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 9:11 PM on July 27, 2017
From CBO Score You can search by "in all years" to find the quote:
CBO and JCT estimate that premiums for policies in the nongroup market would increase by roughly 20 percent relative to current law in all years between 2018 and 2026.posted by birdheist at 9:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Rules are a one time only thing now.
posted by Artw at 9:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 9:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
And here we are in bizzaroland, where Democrats are the party attempting to conserve traditional and parliamentary order in the face of a bunch of radical Republicans.
posted by xyzzy at 9:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 9:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
So what exactly is to stop the Democrats from coming back at a later point and reversing this flaming pile of putrid horseshit under Reconciliation?
Demographics, democratic self-sorting, gerrymandering, Senate malapportionment and voter suppression. Republicans are not planning on ever facing a fair electorate ever again, and they hold every single one of the structural advantages in our regressive anti-democratic farce of a political system .
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Demographics, democratic self-sorting, gerrymandering, Senate malapportionment and voter suppression. Republicans are not planning on ever facing a fair electorate ever again, and they hold every single one of the structural advantages in our regressive anti-democratic farce of a political system .
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
And a tacit alliance with Russia for electoral interference. Definitely a large part of future Republican plans to avoid electoral accountability.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
This podcast, on what underground abortion access might look like and what you could do if abortion becomes illegal, is maybe something to listen to.
posted by emjaybee at 9:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Um. Um. He's extremely concerned:
Prepare to be extremely disappointed in a few minutes of course, or just save yourself the trouble and don't get your hopes up like a sucker. We also don't know if there are 2 other no votes.
posted by zachlipton at 9:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
After McCain came on floor, he spoke to Cornyn, who appeared upset, turned around and gave a thumbs down to Daines.
Schumer earlier had arm around McCain and smiled.
Prepare to be extremely disappointed in a few minutes of course, or just save yourself the trouble and don't get your hopes up like a sucker. We also don't know if there are 2 other no votes.
posted by zachlipton at 9:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
My one bright spot is that both my senators - Schatz and Hirono - have been great through all of this. I hope Hawaii is paying attention because they've both shown strong leadership.
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
An increase of 20% per year over 8 years amounts to a total increase of about 548 times the base. So if you're paying $1000 per year now, in 8 years you'll be paying $54,800 for the same coverage. I could have the numbers wrong, but I don't think so.
posted by Death and Gravity at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Death and Gravity at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017
"If the people who wrote this bill were proud of it, they wouldn’t be forcing this vote in the dead of night."
—Mitch McConnell, 2009, on the vote for Obamacare
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
—Mitch McConnell, 2009, on the vote for Obamacare
posted by Joseph Gurl at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
McCain might be a no
I keep trying to tell you people*
* - I'll stake a cake on it
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I keep trying to tell you people*
* - I'll stake a cake on it
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'll believe McCain is a no when he votes no, and not a moment sooner.
posted by miguelcervantes at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by miguelcervantes at 9:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
I keep trying to tell you people
hope's a hell of a drug
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
hope's a hell of a drug
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Imagine if McCain voted NO and Murkowski and Capito both voted YES. That would be the turd cherry on the shit sandwich.
HAH, just kidding, they are all voting YES.
posted by Justinian at 9:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
HAH, just kidding, they are all voting YES.
posted by Justinian at 9:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
McCain might be a no
Senate Dems are given a lobotomy or something to make them this gullible, we have no excuse.
posted by Artw at 9:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Senate Dems are given a lobotomy or something to make them this gullible, we have no excuse.
posted by Artw at 9:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Hail Hydra!
posted by Fizz at 9:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's happening now folks. Strap in.
posted by Justinian at 9:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 9:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am gonna have such complicated feelings if John fucking McCain pulls through and kills TrumpCare. Not that it will happen but could you imagine?
posted by contraption at 9:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by contraption at 9:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I won't bake a cake but if McCain votes no I will buy and eat some chocolate Pinwheel cookies, something I have not done in 10 years because I have no self-control around those damn things.
posted by emjaybee at 9:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 9:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
So if you're paying $1000 per year now, in 8 years you'll be paying $548,000 for the same coverage.
I believe you'd be paying $4300, actually. Which is bad enough.
posted by echo target at 9:21 PM on July 27, 2017
I believe you'd be paying $4300, actually. Which is bad enough.
posted by echo target at 9:21 PM on July 27, 2017
I did use the word "might." I lost hope a long time ago. Now I'm fully insane.
Fingers crossed!
posted by monopas at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017
Fingers crossed!
posted by monopas at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017
This vote is a Democratic amendment from Sen. Murray to commit the bill to the HELP Committee (stop considering it and take it to committee to work on it more).
posted by zachlipton at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zachlipton at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
This isn't the vote yet. This is the vote on Murray's motion to send it to committee.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
if John fucking McCain pulls through and kills TrumpCare. Not that it will happen but could you imagine?
No. It's McCain.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
No. It's McCain.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nope, sorry, that is wrong. The increase is 1.2^8 =~ 4.3, so it's roughly 4.3 times the base. You'd be paying $4300 per year.
That's less wrong but still kinda wrong. It's a 20% increase OVER CURRENT LAW. Not over 0. Premiums are increasing significantly under current law. So the actual increase would be higher than 20% per yer.... but yeah, it wouldnt be near $548,000.
posted by Justinian at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
That's less wrong but still kinda wrong. It's a 20% increase OVER CURRENT LAW. Not over 0. Premiums are increasing significantly under current law. So the actual increase would be higher than 20% per yer.... but yeah, it wouldnt be near $548,000.
posted by Justinian at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I will pledge a cake on the McCain thing as well.
posted by threeturtles at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by threeturtles at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
But show me where to get $1000 a year insurance please. I'm a single guy and paying about $7200 a year.
posted by Justinian at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 9:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm a Canadian and I'm staying up to witness this because this is important. This impacts so many people, friends, family members, loved ones, strangers, men, women, lgbtq, soldiers, police officers, firefighters, paramedics, hospital workers, construction workers, doctors, lawyers, businesses, humans, EVERYONE?! I'm praying for your entire country. I wish you all the best and I hope you find a way to survive this crime because that is what this is, this doesn't feel like democracy or politics, it feels like a crime enacted against the people of your nation.
*sighs*
posted by Fizz at 9:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
*sighs*
posted by Fizz at 9:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
I won't bake a cake but if McCain votes no I will buy and eat some chocolate Pinwheel cookies, something I have not done in 10 years because I have no self-control around those damn things.
If McCain votes no I will bake a cake shaped like a hat and eat it.
Edited to add: that's assuming two other Rs vote no as well, I'm not baking a sad irony cake, only an astonished joy cake.
posted by galaxy rise at 9:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
If McCain votes no I will bake a cake shaped like a hat and eat it.
Edited to add: that's assuming two other Rs vote no as well, I'm not baking a sad irony cake, only an astonished joy cake.
posted by galaxy rise at 9:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
If McCain votes no...I swear, Trump will blow a gasket.
That, and half of MeFi will become borderline diabetics.
posted by darkstar at 9:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
That, and half of MeFi will become borderline diabetics.
posted by darkstar at 9:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
Hmmm, i did (python) :
x = 1
for i in range(8) :
x = x + 1.2
print x
and got x = 548.758...
posted by Death and Gravity at 9:25 PM on July 27, 2017
x = 1
for i in range(8) :
x = x + 1.2
print x
and got x = 548.758...
posted by Death and Gravity at 9:25 PM on July 27, 2017
Christ, I won't be home for an hour. Anyone have a source audio/video live streaming this?
posted by corb at 9:26 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by corb at 9:26 PM on July 27, 2017
Burgess Everett: McCain says he's decided how he will vote but won't say. "Watch the show," he says.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I see my goof
posted by Death and Gravity at 9:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Death and Gravity at 9:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
The most disturbing thing about this is how the Republicans are acting like a party strangely unafraid of electoral blowback.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 9:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
OH FFS MCCAIN you fucking drama queen.
posted by suelac at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by suelac at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
"Watch the show,"
IT'S NOT A SHOW IT'S PEOPLE'S LIVES YOU CHUCKLE FUCK
posted by Twain Device at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
IT'S NOT A SHOW IT'S PEOPLE'S LIVES YOU CHUCKLE FUCK
posted by Twain Device at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
PBS Live Stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IrsLzhAuaz0
posted by Fizz at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Fizz at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Watch the show," he says.
Once again, fuck you, John McCain. This isn't a game, this isn't a show. Go back to Arizona and appreciate the health care you're stripping from millions of Americans, you worthless, hypocritical piece of shit.
posted by jammer at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
Once again, fuck you, John McCain. This isn't a game, this isn't a show. Go back to Arizona and appreciate the health care you're stripping from millions of Americans, you worthless, hypocritical piece of shit.
posted by jammer at 9:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
I see my goof
Still better at math than the GOP.
posted by azpenguin at 9:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Still better at math than the GOP.
posted by azpenguin at 9:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
I guess it's possible McCain thinks he can milk some extra time in the spotlight out of this if he kills it whereas if he doesn't all that's left is to wander off and die. But expecting him to do anything but be an incredible piece of shit is not a choice I would make, myself.
posted by Copronymus at 9:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Copronymus at 9:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Watch the show," he says.
MOTHERFUCKER YOU ARE A SENATOR, NOT HBO.
posted by corb at 9:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
MOTHERFUCKER YOU ARE A SENATOR, NOT HBO.
posted by corb at 9:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [39 favorites]
If McCain votes no, an angel will fire up a spliff and say, "Jesus Fucking Christ."
posted by perhapses at 9:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 9:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
So the skinny "health care freedom" plan, which they're touting as un-bad for now, will get increasingly bad in the coming years, starts off not so bad, so they don't do so bad in the midterm elections, right?
Just like saying they're not responsible for all the people who died in a nighclub fire, but they were the ones who gave the club owners the "freedom" to not follow the "overly burdensome" safety regulations, including the requirement to keep emergency exits unblocked and ensure working smoke alarms. "No, they died of smoke inhalation and burning to death, we only ensured the business owners more freedom."
You know, with an added twist of "this is really still Obamacare, but with more freedom, so if you die because of our fixes, your ghost should haunt Obama, not us."
posted by filthy light thief at 9:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Just like saying they're not responsible for all the people who died in a nighclub fire, but they were the ones who gave the club owners the "freedom" to not follow the "overly burdensome" safety regulations, including the requirement to keep emergency exits unblocked and ensure working smoke alarms. "No, they died of smoke inhalation and burning to death, we only ensured the business owners more freedom."
You know, with an added twist of "this is really still Obamacare, but with more freedom, so if you die because of our fixes, your ghost should haunt Obama, not us."
posted by filthy light thief at 9:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
"Watch the show," he says.
Once again, fuck you, John McCain. This isn't a game, this isn't a show. Go back to Arizona and appreciate the health care you're stripping from millions of Americans, you worthless, hypocritical piece of shit.
I hope everyone here, and in the wider media world, who sang McCain hagiographies is watching every last second of this shit.
Please let this inform your future descriptions of his legacy after he's mercifully left us. For the love of fuck.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Once again, fuck you, John McCain. This isn't a game, this isn't a show. Go back to Arizona and appreciate the health care you're stripping from millions of Americans, you worthless, hypocritical piece of shit.
I hope everyone here, and in the wider media world, who sang McCain hagiographies is watching every last second of this shit.
Please let this inform your future descriptions of his legacy after he's mercifully left us. For the love of fuck.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I really hope they've underestimated how dumb and lazy Americans are this time.
Yes, yes, I know.
posted by Artw at 9:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yes, yes, I know.
posted by Artw at 9:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
So the skinny "health care freedom" plan, which they're touting as un-bad for now, will get increasingly bad in the coming years, starts off not so bad, so they don't do so bad in the midterm elections, right?
The premium increases compound over time, but the coverage losses come immediately!
posted by Justinian at 9:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The premium increases compound over time, but the coverage losses come immediately!
posted by Justinian at 9:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I know they're voting on Murray's bill, but how is her sending it to committee different?
posted by Room 641-A at 9:33 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Room 641-A at 9:33 PM on July 27, 2017
Who are these MeFi hagiographers of McCain I keep hearing about? The spectrum of opinion I've seen ranges from "he sucks" to "he is a traitor to the human race."
posted by Chrysostom at 9:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
I can't believe Murkowski or Collins would vote for a bill that defund PP even if they've been told it's a placeholder bill.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 9:34 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 9:34 PM on July 27, 2017
She's sending it to the Senate HELP committee, not the House-Senate conference.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Rhaomi at 9:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
And I just realized that when Scaramucci likened the new health care plan to the "better service" people get from the airlines or telecommunications, the only people who really benefit in those industries are the people at the top of those industries.
He might of well had said "this health care reform will be great for shareholders and CEOs!"
posted by filthy light thief at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
He might of well had said "this health care reform will be great for shareholders and CEOs!"
posted by filthy light thief at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
@pdmcleod: McCain is just standing there casually talking to Hoeven and Graham. If he really was a no you'd think there would be some frantic lobbying.
posted by xyzzy at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017
I feel betrayed by School House Rock.
posted by perhapses at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Can I just say...I tuned in to C-SPAN, but I'm also doing a crisis text line shift so only half paying attention. I thought this was the skinny repeal vote and freaked because Feinstein voted yes and McCain voted no. I was so confused/enraged. It was only when Harris voted yes that I knew something was up.
posted by greermahoney at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 9:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trying to read McCain's body language is haruspicy. We'll know when we know.
(Spoiler: we know.)
posted by Justinian at 9:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
(Spoiler: we know.)
posted by Justinian at 9:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Who are these MeFi hagiographers of McCain I keep hearing about? The spectrum of opinion I've seen ranges from "he sucks" to "he is a traitor to the human race."
Scroll back to the last thread where his cancer diagnosis came out. There were a lot.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Scroll back to the last thread where his cancer diagnosis came out. There were a lot.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Come to chat people.
posted by bq at 9:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bq at 9:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I thought this was the skinny repeal vote and freaked because Feinstein voted yes and McCain voted no.
Nah, that was just McCain voting against the regular order he lauded and pined for in his speech.
posted by chris24 at 9:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Nah, that was just McCain voting against the regular order he lauded and pined for in his speech.
posted by chris24 at 9:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Cory Gardner wanders over to the discussion with Cornyn, Tillis, and McConnell.
Gardner looks in disbelief.
McConnell's face hasn't moved.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Gardner looks in disbelief.
McConnell's face hasn't moved.
posted by Rhaomi at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I don't think "hoping a man doesn't die" makes you a hagiographer, but I guess we can agree to disagree.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Trump has been called the Troll-in-Chief, but he he's really just the feces-slinging kind of troll that's easier to ignore. McCain is a tactical sharpshooter that aims right for the heart with the smarmiest, most outrage-inducing words and actions possible that can turn even the most mild-mannered among us into a glowing ball of rage. Instead using waterboarding and physical torture, Bush 43 should have just enlisted McCain as a detainee interrogator. Al Qaeda would have been dismantled within a week.
posted by tonycpsu at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by tonycpsu at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I continue to believe the CBO's position is that premiums would simply increase 20% with the mandate repeal, not 20% every year compounding. As I understand it, that's consistently been how they have evaluated the individual mandate in the past. I'd encourage you to read their December score on individual mandate repeal. The extent to which that destabilizes the market and results in insurers pulling out is not something they've evaluated today. CBO doesn't think it would be quite as devastating as some other experts do, because even sky-high premiums are still subsidized for those making less than 400% FPL, but opinions differ here. Here's the relevant bit of that 2016 report on the mandate, which today's analysis largely mirrors:
A repeal of the individual mandate would cause a substantial reduction in the number of people with health insurance, CBO and JCT estimate. Under current law, about 28 million people under age 65 in the United States would be uninsured in 2026. This option would change that number as follows: About 2 million fewer people would have employment-based coverage, about 6 million fewer people would obtain nongroup policies (insurance people can purchase directly either in the marketplaces or from insurers outside the marketplaces), and about 7 million fewer people would have coverage under Medicaid. All together, the agencies estimate, 43 million people would be uninsured in 2026.posted by zachlipton at 9:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
CBO and JCT estimate that a repeal of the individual mandate also would result in higher premiums for coverage purchased through the nongroup market. Health plans in the nongroup market would still be required to conform to the ACA’s rules for that coverage. Insurers could not deny coverage or vary premiums because of an enrollee’s health status nor limit coverage because of preexisting medical conditions. They would be permitted to make only limited adjustments to premiums because of age, tobacco use, and geographic location. Those features are most attractive to applicants who expect to have relatively high costs for health care, and CBO and JCT anticipate that repealing the individual mandate would tend to cause smaller reductions in coverage among older and less healthy people and larger reductions among younger and healthier people, thus increasing premiums in the nongroup market.
The effects of such adverse selection, however, would be mitigated somewhat by other factors—including the marketplace subsidies (which make health insurance less costly and more attractive to younger and healthier enrollees who are eligible for those subsidies) and the annual open-enrollment periods in the nongroup market (which reduce the incentive for people to wait until they become ill to obtain coverage). Moreover, the available subsidies would greatly reduce the effect of premium increases on coverage among subsidized enrollees. CBO and JCT estimate that adverse selection would increase premiums for policies in the nongroup market, whether purchased through the marketplaces or not, by roughly 20 percent relative to premiums under current law. That change, in turn, would increase federal per capita costs for people receiving subsidies through the marketplaces.
Nongroup from CBO is individual, right? For suckers like me who work for innovative American entrepreneurs and their family owned businesses that employ too few people to get group rates?
I want to make sure I can point very precisely on the doll to show where the leopard ate my white straight red state male face.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
I want to make sure I can point very precisely on the doll to show where the leopard ate my white straight red state male face.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 9:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Note that the vote thats about to happen is the amendment to substitute the HCFA for the AHCA, not the vote on actual passage which comes after the votearama. Thankfully I'll be sleeping for the "but maybe they'll come to their senses and vote against final passage" hours.
posted by Justinian at 9:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 9:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
That these politicians have the temerity to just stand there laughing, smiling, making small-talk as if this doesn't change an entire nation's way of living, breathing, and dying. The citizens of the United States of America are literally pieces on a board game for them. They roll the die and keep moving around the board, collecting their $200. Fuck these assholes.
posted by Fizz at 9:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 9:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [30 favorites]
Trump has been called the Troll-in-Chief...
McCain is the Concern Troll-in-Chief.
posted by chris24 at 9:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
McCain is the Concern Troll-in-Chief.
posted by chris24 at 9:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Oh my god... the growing sense of dread, the rising bile in my throat, the sense of impotent rage... it's November 8, 2016 all over again.
posted by darkstar at 9:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 9:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Motion to commit fails on a straight party-line vote.
Next step is the big vote to strike out the current bill text and replace it with the Healthcare Freedom Act. Following that is the vote-a-rama, which is generally expected to take hours, perhaps many hours depending how long Dems want to drag it out, followed by a vote on the final bill, but unless someone changes their vote at the end of it all (I mean, it's 2017, so who the heck knows?), it's this next vote that matters. If all of that passes, it goes to the House. What happens there? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh, and tonight is 52 years to the day from the vote to create Medicare. John Dingell has a really moving thread about it.
posted by zachlipton at 9:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
Next step is the big vote to strike out the current bill text and replace it with the Healthcare Freedom Act. Following that is the vote-a-rama, which is generally expected to take hours, perhaps many hours depending how long Dems want to drag it out, followed by a vote on the final bill, but unless someone changes their vote at the end of it all (I mean, it's 2017, so who the heck knows?), it's this next vote that matters. If all of that passes, it goes to the House. What happens there? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Oh, and tonight is 52 years to the day from the vote to create Medicare. John Dingell has a really moving thread about it.
posted by zachlipton at 9:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [21 favorites]
Note that the vote thats about to happen is the amendment to substitute the HCFA for the AHCA, not the vote on actual passage which comes after the votearama. Thankfully I'll be sleeping for the "but maybe they'll come to their senses and vote against final passage" hours.
Thanks -- with the CSPAN thing saying "Next vote: Partial Repeal....." I was wondering what had happened to the planned Amend-apalooza, if they'd managed to circumvent another rule so they could dump it.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:46 PM on July 27, 2017
Thanks -- with the CSPAN thing saying "Next vote: Partial Repeal....." I was wondering what had happened to the planned Amend-apalooza, if they'd managed to circumvent another rule so they could dump it.
posted by FelliniBlank at 9:46 PM on July 27, 2017
Chris Hayes just said he doesn't think they have the votes. This is freaking killing me.
posted by Justinian at 9:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 9:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
MeFi hagiographersIn the early days after Trumpsterfire 2016, various MeFites held out some hope that McCain's rhetoric about Trump gave shape to some imminent future action, but any of us fooled by such bullshit were quickly demoralized when he became a concerned yes-man. But never let that stop Sanders or Schumer or Kaine from remarking on his bravery and remarkable fighting spirit in and out of session.
posted by xyzzy at 9:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
John Dingell has a really moving thread about it.
+1. Well worth reading. But please, it's National Treasure John Dingell. He held the title long before Alexandra Petri.
posted by chris24 at 9:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
+1. Well worth reading. But please, it's National Treasure John Dingell. He held the title long before Alexandra Petri.
posted by chris24 at 9:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
C-Span has "Motion fails" with a 48A v. 52N count on their chyron.
posted by carsonb at 9:53 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by carsonb at 9:53 PM on July 27, 2017
C-Span has "Motion fails" with a 48A v. 52N count on their chyron.
I'm on my phone following thru twitter, but pretty sure that's the party line vote on the return to regular order/going to committee.
posted by chris24 at 9:54 PM on July 27, 2017
I'm on my phone following thru twitter, but pretty sure that's the party line vote on the return to regular order/going to committee.
posted by chris24 at 9:54 PM on July 27, 2017
And I saw that before I really understood. Sorry if I got anyone's hopes up. An amendment failed, the skinny vote hasn't happened yet.
posted by carsonb at 9:55 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by carsonb at 9:55 PM on July 27, 2017
So not to be too chatty here ... but WTF is going on on the floor right now? Is this actually a serious stall as the Twitterati suggest? Is McCain and all his fabulous body language visible somewhere in the C-Span image, or is this only something you can see from the gallery?
posted by chortly at 9:57 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by chortly at 9:57 PM on July 27, 2017
That was the vote to send it to committee. But here's the thing. The vote is still open. They're stalling. Why? If they had the votes, surely they'd be voting right now, right? Right?
To put it another way:
@StevenTDennis: Rule #1 of politics: When you have the votes, you vote. When you don't, you talk. And there's a whole lot of talking right now.
posted by zachlipton at 9:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
To put it another way:
@StevenTDennis: Rule #1 of politics: When you have the votes, you vote. When you don't, you talk. And there's a whole lot of talking right now.
posted by zachlipton at 9:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
In the Guardian live feed, Ben Jacobs says
The procedural vote is still being held open. Despite the fact every senator has voted, they are not moving forward with the next vote. In fact, Mike Pence is now talking to McCain, Murkowski and Collins. This is a strong indicator that the Republicans may not actually have the votes right now to move forward.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 9:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
As I said in chat, every indication is that they don't have the votes. But how can that be? Nothing makes sense anymore. This is ridiculous and awful and surreal.
posted by Justinian at 9:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 9:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Cspan has a lot of talking right now. But that changes nothing. Medicare D passed after Delay held the floor for over an hour*
* - at this point I'm going to keep being pessimistic and will be ecstatic to back some sort of cake for you good people this weekend.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
* - at this point I'm going to keep being pessimistic and will be ecstatic to back some sort of cake for you good people this weekend.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I need to go to bed but JFC if we're going to unnecessarily slaughter up to a quarter million Americans and break insurance for millions more I'm going to watch them fucking do it.
posted by Talez at 10:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Talez at 10:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
This could be open for hours. Everyone has previously voted this evening; the bodies are in the room. But they do not have the required votes to pass this hideous "skinny repeal", hence the talk.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:00 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by standardasparagus at 10:00 PM on July 27, 2017
be ecstatic to back some sort of cake for you good people this weekend
Always look on the bright side of life...
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Always look on the bright side of life...
posted by downtohisturtles at 10:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Is there any Senate rule as to how long they can hold this up?
posted by Chrysostom at 10:01 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Chrysostom at 10:01 PM on July 27, 2017
Gonna walk away, wash some dishes, come back and if they still don't know, collapse into exhausted sleep.
Someone on Twitter said being awake all together online for *this* is like the crappiest slumber party ever, and I agree.
posted by emjaybee at 10:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
Someone on Twitter said being awake all together online for *this* is like the crappiest slumber party ever, and I agree.
posted by emjaybee at 10:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
They can hold the vote open indefinitely.
posted by zachlipton at 10:01 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by zachlipton at 10:01 PM on July 27, 2017
Is there any Senate rule as to how long they can hold this up?
According to a few voices on twitter—no.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
According to a few voices on twitter—no.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
No, Chrysostom, it can stay open for hours and hours.
posted by Justinian at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
@chrislhayes
A theory: let's say there are three hard no's (Collins/Murkowski/McCain) and some soft "yeses" (Heller/Capito).
@chrislhayes
The soft yeses sure as hell don't want to vote on a bill that's gonna fail. And you can't just take a run at it without the votes in pocket.
posted by chris24 at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
A theory: let's say there are three hard no's (Collins/Murkowski/McCain) and some soft "yeses" (Heller/Capito).
@chrislhayes
The soft yeses sure as hell don't want to vote on a bill that's gonna fail. And you can't just take a run at it without the votes in pocket.
posted by chris24 at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
I can't stand to go to bed before I know how this all turns out, but I also don't really want to stay up to know how it all turns out. Time for a drink, maybe.
posted by yasaman at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by yasaman at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
So not to be too chatty here ... but WTF is going on on the floor right now? Is this actually a serious stall as the Twitterati suggest? Is McCain and all his fabulous body language visible somewhere in the C-Span image, or is this only something you can see from the gallery?
From reporters twitter reports there a bunch of Rs + Pence talking to McCain. It looks like he actually may have voted No and they're trying to get him to change.
posted by Jalliah at 10:02 PM on July 27, 2017
Is this visible on the C-SPAN2 Feed? All these old white dudes look the same to me.
posted by onehalfjunco at 10:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by onehalfjunco at 10:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am not letting myself get my hopes up on McCain, but what do you even offer or threaten to a guy in his position?
posted by jason_steakums at 10:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 10:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
emjaybee: Someone on Twitter said being awake all together online for *this* is like the crappiest slumber party ever, and I agree.
Call it a vigil.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Call it a vigil.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Can they postpone this vote? Swap in another amendment to come back later and try again?
posted by notyou at 10:05 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by notyou at 10:05 PM on July 27, 2017
Is this visible on the C-SPAN2 Feed? All these old white dudes look the same to me.
I don't think so. The people I recognize from the big huddle are all Democrats. McConnell is standing in the aisle talking to someone, but I don't think it's McCain.
posted by Copronymus at 10:07 PM on July 27, 2017
I don't think so. The people I recognize from the big huddle are all Democrats. McConnell is standing in the aisle talking to someone, but I don't think it's McCain.
posted by Copronymus at 10:07 PM on July 27, 2017
In all this, I can't help but imagine Obama watching this unfold right now.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Former Chrysostom neighbor Chad Pergram: With health care vote on the line, GOP senators now trying to twist arm of Murkowski. Blunt, Thune & Sullivan talking to her
posted by Chrysostom at 10:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm so tired but I really want to see if I'm going to have to continue to worry about, you know, dying from lack of health insurance in the next few years.
posted by Justinian at 10:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
McConnell is standing in the aisle talking to someone, but I don't think it's McCain.
Pence has been talking to McCain for about 20 minutes now. According to politics Twitter since I'm not watching CSPAN.
posted by chris24 at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017
Pence has been talking to McCain for about 20 minutes now. According to politics Twitter since I'm not watching CSPAN.
posted by chris24 at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017
Ben Jacobs reported that McCain and Pence were talking and then both walked away smiling. I don't want Pence smiling damn it.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017
McCain's on camera now -- he crossed over to talk to Schumer and a group of Democrats.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017
A bit of levity:
Philip Bump: If you’re one of the pages on Senate floor goofing around in earshot of these people, email’s in my bio.
Ben Jacobs: His email is ben.jacobs@theguardian.com
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [43 favorites]
Philip Bump: If you’re one of the pages on Senate floor goofing around in earshot of these people, email’s in my bio.
Ben Jacobs: His email is ben.jacobs@theguardian.com
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [43 favorites]
On twitter anamariecox says Pence left.
That's huge, right?
posted by notyou at 10:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
That's huge, right?
posted by notyou at 10:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
McCain just wandered over to the Dems, Schumer, Feinstein, Durbin, more. They're all laughing.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 10:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Looks like Klobuchar, Bernie, Feinstein, etc.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:10 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:10 PM on July 27, 2017
From Igor Bobic on Twitter: "PENCE has left the chamber." (He is Associate Politics Editor at HuffPost. )
posted by booksherpa at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by booksherpa at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
So Pence has left, does that mean they have 51 votes or does that mean they have to postpone until this bill gets reanimated yet again?
posted by vuron at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by vuron at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017
Someone said on Twitter that Pence has left, so maybe this is on hold for now?
posted by Copronymus at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Copronymus at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017
DiFi and McCain hugging?
posted by notyou at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by notyou at 10:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Murkowski, McCain, and Collins are three Senators who have absolutely no fucks to give.
Murkowski won a write in campaign after losing the primary to a tea partier
McCain is dying
Collins wants to run for Governor in 2018
There's nothing McConnell, Pence, Trump, or Jesus could do to convince them if they've made up their minds.
posted by Glibpaxman at 10:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Murkowski won a write in campaign after losing the primary to a tea partier
McCain is dying
Collins wants to run for Governor in 2018
There's nothing McConnell, Pence, Trump, or Jesus could do to convince them if they've made up their minds.
posted by Glibpaxman at 10:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
I'm still expecting a backstab.
posted by Artw at 10:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Ben Jacobs: McCain now having a very happy conversation with Democrats including Schumer where he mouthed "fuck" to glee and merriment
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Jeet Heer @HeerJeet 8 minutes ago
The showrunner on this thing should be fired. The pacing is terrible.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [41 favorites]
The showrunner on this thing should be fired. The pacing is terrible.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [41 favorites]
From the Guardian, whose descriptions I love:
In case you need more drama, McCain just went over to a cluster of Democrats including Chuck Schumer who all seemed happy to see him. They started a conversation where Schumer asked a question and then McCain dramatically seemed to imitate someone saying “fuck” while shaking their fists.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
In case you need more drama, McCain just went over to a cluster of Democrats including Chuck Schumer who all seemed happy to see him. They started a conversation where Schumer asked a question and then McCain dramatically seemed to imitate someone saying “fuck” while shaking their fists.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
I just want to see the turtle humiliated. That's all I want.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [35 favorites]
I mean, they could tell McCain that they'd building a 250 foot tall gold statue of him next to the Washington Monument and he'd do whatever they asked, so we'll see if it gets to that point.
posted by Copronymus at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Copronymus at 10:13 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
"In case you need more drama, McCain just went over to a cluster of Democrats including Chuck Schumer who all seemed happy to see him. They started a conversation where Schumer asked a question and then McCain dramatically seemed to imitate someone saying “fuck” while shaking their fists."
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017
So, it's a battle between McCain's highly developed sense of dramatic, pseudo-maverick, self-aggrandizing fuckery vs. Pence's innately revulsion-inducing aura of gurning smarm and moralizing. Which will win out? The fate of millions of Americans hangs in the balance when these two titans clash!
posted by darkstar at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Claire McCaskill 6 minutes ago.
@clairecmc
There is now a glimmer of hope that we stop this and hopefully start over in a bipartisan way to stabilize ins markets and bring down costs.
posted by chris24 at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
@clairecmc
There is now a glimmer of hope that we stop this and hopefully start over in a bipartisan way to stabilize ins markets and bring down costs.
posted by chris24 at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Mod note: Quick reminder: we're not well-set-up for liveblogging, so please try to keep the fast-paced reaction remarks and retweets down - things are getting echoey in here. Thanks.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 10:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yep McCain will never run again and wants to go out on a high note, Collins has other aspirations and Murkowski is more of less immune to the normal arm-twisting but not the bribery.
I expect Heller and Capito to jump ship as well if they don't have 50 votes.
posted by vuron at 10:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I expect Heller and Capito to jump ship as well if they don't have 50 votes.
posted by vuron at 10:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Murkowski won a write in campaign after losing the primary to a tea partier
And sending Zinke to threaten her entire state was probably not a great move, I'm sure that's still on her mind.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
And sending Zinke to threaten her entire state was probably not a great move, I'm sure that's still on her mind.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Jonathan MartinVerified account @jmartNYT
NEWS: Two Ariz Republicans w direct knowledge tell me they now anticipate McCain WILL vote "no" on skinny.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
NEWS: Two Ariz Republicans w direct knowledge tell me they now anticipate McCain WILL vote "no" on skinny.
posted by Rhaomi at 10:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Absolutely, Zinke and Trump threatening Alaska funding over Murkowski's vote was a dumbass move. It has played very badly in Alaska media today. Murkowski stands to gain by standing up to Trump now.
posted by spitbull at 10:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
I'm reading twitter and this thread and texting my husband at work a blow by blow. When I got to the part about the Republican refusing to yield his time, Mr Gravy called him a pigfucker. I've never heard him use that word before. So at least I got one laugh tonight.
There is a feeling of helpless dread though. This is what it must be like to live in a Fascist country where the government works in the dead of night, plotting to harm citizens.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
There is a feeling of helpless dread though. This is what it must be like to live in a Fascist country where the government works in the dead of night, plotting to harm citizens.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 10:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Gonna be a lot of mefites eating hagiography cakes if McCain votes "no."
posted by spitbull at 10:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [18 favorites]
Does all this really hinge on McCain though? Are the other "no" R's that solid a no?
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:19 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:19 PM on July 27, 2017
Thanks for the update, spitbull. I don't know if I missed an earlier comment from you, but I've been waiting to hear your take on that.
posted by Room 641-A at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I really feel like the most likely outcome here is Whatever Will Drag This Awful Shit Out Longest.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
OK: McConnell has apparently gone into the cloakroom to make a call presumably to Trump, to say he does not have the votes. And McCain has now gone to the cloakroom to take a call.
…
posted by standardasparagus at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
…
posted by standardasparagus at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Does all this really hinge on McCain though? Are the other "no" R's that solid a no?
Collins.
Murkowski seems to be a NO as well but is generally considered a softer NO than Collins. She is being worked hard by the R whips.
posted by Justinian at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017
Collins.
Murkowski seems to be a NO as well but is generally considered a softer NO than Collins. She is being worked hard by the R whips.
posted by Justinian at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017
Senior Republican strategist Tim Miller
@Timodc
This is the moment where The President will call upon the reservoir of goodwill he has built up with Senator McCailololololololololol
posted by chris24 at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [113 favorites]
@Timodc
This is the moment where The President will call upon the reservoir of goodwill he has built up with Senator McCailololololololololol
posted by chris24 at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [113 favorites]
Gonna be a lot of mefites eating hagiography cakes if McCain votes "no."
I'm accepting nominations for flavors the second Trumpcare is dead, and that will be the one single moment of his life where the media narrative held true. Not a second sooner.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'm accepting nominations for flavors the second Trumpcare is dead, and that will be the one single moment of his life where the media narrative held true. Not a second sooner.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
It's Collins and Murkowski, we assume. Collins is looking to her governor run, and she's been No on motion to proceed, BCRA, and straight repeal. Murkowski is uniquely positioned to say fuck off, and is no doubt pissed at being blackmailed by Interior.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
It appears to hinge on any one of McCain, Murkowski, and Collins. Any of the three could presumably be convinced, but all three have reasons why they aren't particularly susceptible to pressure.
posted by zachlipton at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by zachlipton at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017
I am sending some gratuitously effusive notecards to some of these close "no" voters if this doesn't pass.
posted by redsparkler at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by redsparkler at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Collins seems like a definite no because she basically will be dooming her campaign for governor to an epic flame-out.
Murkowski is the weakest link but she's been extremely critical of the whole process so maybe she'll hang tough.
posted by vuron at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017
Murkowski is the weakest link but she's been extremely critical of the whole process so maybe she'll hang tough.
posted by vuron at 10:21 PM on July 27, 2017
They started a conversation where Schumer asked a question and then McCain dramatically seemed to imitate someone saying “fuck” while shaking their fists.
I really really hope he was imitating Pence dropping his pious facade.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
I really really hope he was imitating Pence dropping his pious facade.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Man, if this DOES go down via McCain, he's totally going to have left Heller and Flake twisting in the wind.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:22 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
Regarding Murkowski, it will be sweet if Trumpcare is somewhat derailed in part due to Trump bullying a woman.
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 10:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Ben Jacobs reported that McCain and Pence were talking and then both walked away smiling. I don't want Pence smiling damn it.
...
PENCE has left the chamber."
"What is truth?" said jesting Pence; and would not stay for an answer.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:23 PM on July 27, 2017
...
PENCE has left the chamber."
"What is truth?" said jesting Pence; and would not stay for an answer.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 10:23 PM on July 27, 2017
While we wait, you can watch Sen. Scott get hit in the head by a reporter's notebook falling from the gallery above.
posted by zachlipton at 10:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:23 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
If they were to vote with 3 no's, others would jump ship. Hence the not-voting.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017
While I am up, can I make anyone a negroni?
posted by standardasparagus at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by standardasparagus at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [20 favorites]
I will be overjoyed to eat cake if McCain votes no. I will bake cake for everyone if McCain votes no.
Actually, that's a lie, but there's a sale at the cupcake store tomorrow, and I will definitely eat a cupcake in McCain's honor if he votes no.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Actually, that's a lie, but there's a sale at the cupcake store tomorrow, and I will definitely eat a cupcake in McCain's honor if he votes no.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Protesters chanting "Kill The bill!" so loudly outside the Capitol that it can be heard inside.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
They closed the committee vote.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017
What's McConnell's best play if he doesn't have the votes? How long can he postpone this while Putin and the billionaires threaten and/or bribe?
McCain should make McConnell agree to ridiculous humiliating shit in return for his vote, THEN say no. Just to fuck with him. (He won't, but still)
posted by ctmf at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
McCain should make McConnell agree to ridiculous humiliating shit in return for his vote, THEN say no. Just to fuck with him. (He won't, but still)
posted by ctmf at 10:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
They're now voting on the Health Care Freedom Act.
posted by zachlipton at 10:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zachlipton at 10:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
They're voting, people. This is not a drill.
posted by Justinian at 10:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 10:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
What's McConnell's best play if he doesn't have the votes?
Impeachment?
posted by dilaudid at 10:26 PM on July 27, 2017
Impeachment?
posted by dilaudid at 10:26 PM on July 27, 2017
In my version of the story, Pence's parting smile was a rictus grin plastered on to conceal the fact that he'd just been given the business by Johnny boy.
posted by darkstar at 10:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 10:26 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
TRUMP: "Why the hell aren't you whipping them?"
PENCE: "I am whipping them."
TRUMP: "Bullshit, I see you just standing there talking to them! Where is the blood?"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
PENCE: "I am whipping them."
TRUMP: "Bullshit, I see you just standing there talking to them! Where is the blood?"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Pence is not in his chair.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:27 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
It is worth noting that if Trump had an ounce of political skill or capital this would be over.
posted by spitbull at 10:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
McConnell and McCain didn't vote -- they're still on the phone, I suppose.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:29 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:29 PM on July 27, 2017
Murkowski NOOOOOO.
posted by chris24 at 10:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 10:29 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Wait, they have the votes?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017
Heller a yes, Murkowski no. Pence isn't in the chair. I have no clue how to interpret the tea leaves at this point.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
If this fails. Yeah, Trump spoiled it.
posted by notyou at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
MCCAIN VOTED NO.
posted by Justinian at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [108 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [108 favorites]
Hagiography ON!
posted by spitbull at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
It is worth noting that if Trump had an ounce of political skill or capital this would be over.
Yeah it's amazing that a guy who's had so many failed business ventures turns out to have poor negotiation skills.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
Yeah it's amazing that a guy who's had so many failed business ventures turns out to have poor negotiation skills.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [29 favorites]
Can someone link a live video I can't work the thread on my phone
posted by gucci mane at 10:31 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by gucci mane at 10:31 PM on July 27, 2017
They do not have the votes—McCain and Murkowski have both voted no.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by standardasparagus at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yertle, his waxy jowls discomfited.
posted by darkstar at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [61 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [61 favorites]
4 different political reporters have tweeted news of McCain's no vote.
posted by booksherpa at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by booksherpa at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017
LET THERE BE CAKE
posted by mynameisluka at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by mynameisluka at 10:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
Is this… did McCain actually do a thing good? A good McCain thing?
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by DoctorFedora at 10:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
C-SPAN link: https://www.c-span.org/video/?431873-1/us-senate-skinny-repeal-vote-looms-health-care-debate&live
posted by Chrysostom at 10:33 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Chrysostom at 10:33 PM on July 27, 2017
So...that's it, yeah? They didn't get their 50 and we can move on? Or can they bring this back from the dead again with some other obnoxious gambit?
posted by potrzebie at 10:33 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by potrzebie at 10:33 PM on July 27, 2017
Has Collins had her No tallied yet? Because that's the remaining almost certain No.
I guess maybe she's giving Flake and Heller and Capito time to change their votes?
posted by vuron at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017
I guess maybe she's giving Flake and Heller and Capito time to change their votes?
posted by vuron at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017
Trump's morning tweet rant is going to be for the ages.
posted by chris24 at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Wow. Did it not pass? Because of fucking McCain? I can't believe it. Though I think in this case, it may have actually been Gov. Ducey that saved the day.
posted by triggerfinger at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
And there it is. It's going down in flames.
The maverick finally fucking mavericks.
posted by Talez at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [111 favorites]
The maverick finally fucking mavericks.
posted by Talez at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [111 favorites]
Thank you, Senator McCain. You stepped up.
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [44 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [44 favorites]
He waited until the last possible moment to do it, in order to maximize the drama and self-aggrandizement. But yes! Good job, John McCain!
posted by Glibpaxman at 10:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by Glibpaxman at 10:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
We are not safe until one of the Chambers goes Democratic, potrzebie. The Obamacare repeal is out there! It can't be bargained with. It can't be reasoned with. It doesn't feel pity, or remorse, or fear. And it absolutely will not stop... ever, until we are dead!
posted by Justinian at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
Omg I came out of hibernation to say it is now 10:35pm and I am going to bust out the kitchenaid because I am about to bake and consume a lot of cake tonight per mefi tradition!
posted by ramix at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by ramix at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [25 favorites]
Maybe Trumps zaniness this week impressed upon one or two Senators the seriousness of their service and duty to the Republic? Wow.
posted by notyou at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by notyou at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I guess it's time for some Hamilton and Cabinet Battle #1
posted by vuron at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by vuron at 10:36 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
I feel like I should send McCain flowers.
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by AlexiaSky at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
holy shit
posted by lalochezia at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I can rest well tonight, warm in the knowledge of McConnell's utter humiliation and defeat.
posted by triggerfinger at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [37 favorites]
Is this… did McCain actually do a thing good? A good McCain thing?
He can still switch until the vote is closed.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
He can still switch until the vote is closed.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Trump's morning tweet rant is going to be for the ages.
Not long until 3am
posted by standardasparagus at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Not long until 3am
posted by standardasparagus at 10:37 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
The "see, I told you McCain is actually good" hottakes are going to be utterly insufferable.
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Politically, where does this leave McConnell and his standing? Weaker, I hope?
posted by Room 641-A at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Gods it is so nice to see some kind of thing approaching a positive outcome emerge from this chamber of poo-flinging howler monkeys.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [14 favorites]
So many cakes...
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
I just ran into the bedroom playing and singing to this video.
Such a blunder, sometimes it makes me wonder why I even bring the Thunder.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Such a blunder, sometimes it makes me wonder why I even bring the Thunder.
posted by Homeboy Trouble at 10:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Room 641-A: "Politically, where does this leave McConnell and his standing? Weaker, I hope?"
Yes. He totally fucked this up.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Yes. He totally fucked this up.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:39 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
I have a bottle of Taylor Fladgate 30 year tawny port.
I'm going to open it right now, and actually drink to John McCain's health.
And Mazie Hirono's, too.
posted by darkstar at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
I'm going to open it right now, and actually drink to John McCain's health.
And Mazie Hirono's, too.
posted by darkstar at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
McConnell: "This is clearly a disappointing moment..."
Your tears bring me joy, Mr. Turtle.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
Your tears bring me joy, Mr. Turtle.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
They gaveled it closed. It failed. This is historic.
posted by Justinian at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [60 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [60 favorites]
hhhhahhhhhahaaha turtle DIE
posted by lalochezia at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
I wonder how Trump will take it. He could either see a lesson, or decide that this entire senating stuff gets in the way of #MAGA and cry I AM THE SENATE. Then again this is Trump, so I'm not betting on the former.
Anyway, congratulations for now, for the sudden outbreak of spinal growth.
posted by runcifex at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Anyway, congratulations for now, for the sudden outbreak of spinal growth.
posted by runcifex at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Did I say that McConnell can fuck right off forever yet? Just to be safe: pls fuck right off forever, McConnell, thx.
posted by triggerfinger at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
The vote is closed.
Such a blunder sometimes it makes me wonder why I even bring the thunder
Why he even brings the thunder…
posted by zachlipton at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Such a blunder sometimes it makes me wonder why I even bring the thunder
Why he even brings the thunder…
posted by zachlipton at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Yeah, enjoy your shit pie, McConnell. I can't believe you dragged us through this. Fuck you.
posted by Rykey at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
McConnell's voice is trembling, he is on the verge of tears. Cry more you piece of shit!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [81 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:41 PM on July 27, 2017 [81 favorites]
AHAHAHAHA EAT SHIT MCCONNELL
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [51 favorites]
!!!
posted by mazola at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by mazola at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
some kind of thing approaching a positive outcome
"Today we were able to delay fucking everything over on a national scale." The standards for positive seem a bit low lately.
posted by Behemoth at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
"Today we were able to delay fucking everything over on a national scale." The standards for positive seem a bit low lately.
posted by Behemoth at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
SKINNY REPEAL AKA DIET KOCH FAILS, REPEAL BILL "RETURNED TO CALENDAR", PEOPLE WILL NOW BE ALIVE WHO WOULD NOT BE
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
Burrito and beer time.
posted by johnpowell at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by johnpowell at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017
God I love a disappointed McConnell!
posted by mazola at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by mazola at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Aaaaand it's closed and the amendment is not agreed to.
Nothing's ever safe and these are only momentary half-victories but still on occasions like this you just have to say SWEET CLYDE LAUGH DERISIVELY AT HIM. Until the next time it claws its way out of the grave.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Nothing's ever safe and these are only momentary half-victories but still on occasions like this you just have to say SWEET CLYDE LAUGH DERISIVELY AT HIM. Until the next time it claws its way out of the grave.
posted by ROU_Xenophobe at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
EAT. FUCKING. SHIT. MCCONNELL.
Holy shit this obscene mockery has actually been put to bed for the time being. CAKES ON THE HOUSE, DIABETES FOR ALL.
In my house we celebrate our political enemies eating shit by listening to Triumph by Wu-Tang which has the added benefit of featuring THE BEES BEING RELEASED in the beginning of the video.
Rest up y'all, the zombie version of this will be back asap I'm sure since the GOP never met a shitty idea they didn't want to try and make law 8 million times.
posted by supercrayon at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Holy shit this obscene mockery has actually been put to bed for the time being. CAKES ON THE HOUSE, DIABETES FOR ALL.
In my house we celebrate our political enemies eating shit by listening to Triumph by Wu-Tang which has the added benefit of featuring THE BEES BEING RELEASED in the beginning of the video.
Rest up y'all, the zombie version of this will be back asap I'm sure since the GOP never met a shitty idea they didn't want to try and make law 8 million times.
posted by supercrayon at 10:42 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
> I can rest well tonight, warm in the knowledge of McConnell's utter humiliation and defeat.
Also, let's not forget that this debacle kept Mike Pence up about five hours past his bedtime.
Meanwhile, McConnell decries Democratic obstruction, which is like Magneto decrying magnets.
Scoreboard, motherfucker.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
Also, let's not forget that this debacle kept Mike Pence up about five hours past his bedtime.
Meanwhile, McConnell decries Democratic obstruction, which is like Magneto decrying magnets.
Scoreboard, motherfucker.
posted by tonycpsu at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
It's dead. It's fucking dead. It's motherfucking dead. I didn't want to take any pleasure in McConnell's failure because it's about the people not the win but god fucking damnit he sounds like he's on the verge of tears that he didn't get to kill up to a quarter million Americans and I can't help but be happy about it.
posted by Talez at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Talez at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
McConnell is just whining and whining and whining.
posted by goofyfoot at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by goofyfoot at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Hatch wipes a tear (or something) from his eye behind McConnell, whose voice breaks as he talks.
posted by Theiform at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by Theiform at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017
So did McConnel vote for or against? Does the Senate have that weird rule where the Senate Majority leader can pull it for resubmittal or is skinny repeal truly dead?
posted by vuron at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by vuron at 10:43 PM on July 27, 2017
This is a good victory and we should celebrate. Tomorrow there will be another fight.
posted by biogeo at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
I consistently said that this wouldn't fail by 1 vote, it would either pass or fail by 5.
Clearly nothing makes sense in politics anymore. The only consolation I have is that the bill failed. So... that's pretty okay actually.
posted by Justinian at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Clearly nothing makes sense in politics anymore. The only consolation I have is that the bill failed. So... that's pretty okay actually.
posted by Justinian at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
McConnell: "We were trying to find something better than Obamacare."
But you couldn't, huh? In seven years? Maybe you are not good at governing?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [101 favorites]
But you couldn't, huh? In seven years? Maybe you are not good at governing?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [101 favorites]
It's probably too late to start drinking at this point in the night, huh.
posted by rewil at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rewil at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Thank you to all Mefites who contacted your reps and senators. It really did make a difference, I believe.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [45 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [45 favorites]
Thank you MeFi for being here. That's all I can say right now. Thank you all.
posted by Salieri at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by Salieri at 10:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
It'll be back.
If McCain lives he'll help the fucker get all the way to the finish line again. If not I guess he gets replaced by a straight up Nazi and they'll win.
posted by Artw at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
If McCain lives he'll help the fucker get all the way to the finish line again. If not I guess he gets replaced by a straight up Nazi and they'll win.
posted by Artw at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I am so flipping the bird to my C-Span screen right now! FUCK YOU McConnell!
posted by mazola at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by mazola at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Oh man his voice is breaking oh I'm so happy right now. Oh my god you Supreme Court seat stealing motherfucker I am not usually the sort of person to delight in the upset of others but oh god I hope you burst into tears
posted by potrzebie at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
posted by potrzebie at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
Damn, Mitch is a sore loser
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
So the Senate is going to have some new leadership soon right?
posted by dilaudid at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by dilaudid at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Rest up y'all, the zombie version of this will be back asap I'm sure since the GOP never met a shitty idea they didn't want to try and make law 8 million times.
Without a doubt, but for now, I'm gleefully absorbing McConnell's failure like that giant growing sun from The Fifth Element.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Without a doubt, but for now, I'm gleefully absorbing McConnell's failure like that giant growing sun from The Fifth Element.
posted by Aya Hirano on the Astral Plane at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Dear Parliamentarian:
Do I still get partial credit since McConnell and not Enzi said "socialized medicine"?
Your pal,
Fellini
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Do I still get partial credit since McConnell and not Enzi said "socialized medicine"?
Your pal,
Fellini
posted by FelliniBlank at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
It's dead for tonight. It's still in the Senate and could be resurrected if they thought they had the votes somehow.
posted by zachlipton at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by zachlipton at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
McConnell bringing up the sham vote on single payer.
"Time for our friends on the other side to tell us what they have in mind." Uggggh these tears give me life.
posted by dhens at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
"Time for our friends on the other side to tell us what they have in mind." Uggggh these tears give me life.
posted by dhens at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yawn... I say, chaps, it's 6:40am in the UK, I just had to go to bed last night, but woke up to a BBC radio reporter struggling to find a safe way to describe 'sucks his own cock' on live wireless. ("He, uh, implied that Bannon was very pleased with himself" - 5/10, I'm afraid).
Did I miss anything?
(checks thread)
Golly. Does this mean McConnell can go suck his own Koch too?
posted by Devonian at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [55 favorites]
Did I miss anything?
(checks thread)
Golly. Does this mean McConnell can go suck his own Koch too?
posted by Devonian at 10:45 PM on July 27, 2017 [55 favorites]
I like red velvet, but I'll have a poll via survey monkey sometime tomorrow and deliver on the results this weekend when I have time to go to the store. I retract exactly 1/6 of the posts I've made impugning John Mccain over the last 48 hours.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
MCCONNEL CRIES IN HIS BEER
BEER VOMITS ON MCONNEL
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
BEER VOMITS ON MCONNEL
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Heller on the record as a yes on a losing bill. Enjoy private life come January 2019.
posted by chris24 at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
So this attempt is dead right? Like they are going to come back next week and just run it again? Or...?
posted by gofargogo at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by gofargogo at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017
If McCain lives he'll help the fucker get all the way to the finish line again. If not I guess he gets replaced by a straight up Nazi and they'll win.
Technically he could switch his party affiliation to Democrat before resigning and the governor would be bound by law to appoint another Democrat.
posted by dilaudid at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Technically he could switch his party affiliation to Democrat before resigning and the governor would be bound by law to appoint another Democrat.
posted by dilaudid at 10:46 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
"Our only regret tonight is that we didn't achieve what we hoped to accomplish."
Wise words indeed. Engrave that on a fucking pedestal.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Wise words indeed. Engrave that on a fucking pedestal.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Doesn't help Flake, either.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah, "returned to calendar" means that we're probably going to have to fight this one again. But we got through tonight, and that's something. I'm eating McCain-cake tomorrow, and then I'm going to try to convince some of my "oh, I don't really do politics, I just complain about bad outcomes" friends to make some phone calls. Because seriously: everyone knows this bill is dogshit, and there is no way that it should pass.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:47 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Technically he could switch his party affiliation to Democrat before resigning and the governor would be bound by law to appoint another Democrat.
Let's try convincing him that's something a gigantic grandstanding tosser would do.
posted by Artw at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Let's try convincing him that's something a gigantic grandstanding tosser would do.
posted by Artw at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
Savor it for a night before letting cynicism back in. Psychologically this is missing the winning field goal from the 20. Games turn on such moments. It ain't over. But this is a big fucking deal and everyone gets a drink.
posted by spitbull at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [36 favorites]
I must say, this does give me additional insight into Republican psychology. It really is gratifying to watch your enemies cry. Nothing compared to 16 million people losing health care and all the other shit on the line, but it's a silver lining.
posted by chortly at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by chortly at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
Sens. Collins and Murkowski, who have been consistent on this over the past few days and have endured threats of physical violence from men in the House over their positions, deserve a lot of credit right now. Thank you.
posted by zachlipton at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [197 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [197 favorites]
okay, I'm going to the fancy bakery on Colesville tomorrow and getting a fucking cake.
posted by nonasuch at 10:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by nonasuch at 10:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I love how we're celebrating grown ass adults acting with a modicum of responsibility when they have actual human lives in their hands. The bar is so godamn low now. "Thanks for taking killing us seriously! Some of you!"
posted by supercrayon at 10:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
posted by supercrayon at 10:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
Top Gun quote feels germane.
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f5b750ed-a70d-4f32-8e9e-ac2e1bf97bd8
posted by karst at 10:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
https://getyarn.io/yarn-clip/f5b750ed-a70d-4f32-8e9e-ac2e1bf97bd8
posted by karst at 10:49 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Honestly though the calendar is looking awful for Republicans. Getting this done in summer was their best bet for actually passing this monstrosity. Now they are likely looking at sometime in Fall which means people will be even more focused and Trump will continue to be toxic as fuck.
Sooner or later the Turtle is going to have to focus on something else and try to get some quick wins.
Of course their massive tax cut is tied to fucking over Medicaid because they have to do their shenanigans through reconciliation so their big legislative agenda for 2017 is basically toast.
2018 is of course election year which means nothing even remotely controversial is going to get passed.
posted by vuron at 10:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Sooner or later the Turtle is going to have to focus on something else and try to get some quick wins.
Of course their massive tax cut is tied to fucking over Medicaid because they have to do their shenanigans through reconciliation so their big legislative agenda for 2017 is basically toast.
2018 is of course election year which means nothing even remotely controversial is going to get passed.
posted by vuron at 10:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Debt ceiling is looming, as well.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:51 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
So...this Taylor Fladgate is like drinking smooth, liquid garnets. The toast I just offered up:
"To John McCain, who finally did the right thing...
...and to Mazie Hirono, who did right from the start."
posted by darkstar at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [79 favorites]
"To John McCain, who finally did the right thing...
...and to Mazie Hirono, who did right from the start."
posted by darkstar at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [79 favorites]
TONIGHT. I DINE. ON TURTLE SOUP.
posted by Behemoth at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [82 favorites]
posted by Behemoth at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [82 favorites]
Senator Schumer speaking: "We're so inspired [deep breath]... by the speech [...] [inhale like holding back his voice from breaking] and the life... of the senator [breath] from Arizona."
posted by Theiform at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Theiform at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
MOOCH PLZ GIVE DONALD HIS TWEETING PHONE RN ASAP TY
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 10:52 PM on July 27, 2017 [49 favorites]
So. Now that the immediate threat is passed, what's the over/under that when McConnell went to the cloak room on the call with Trump that Trump demanded it get a floor vote.
It's not typical to vote without knowing you have the votes.
posted by Talez at 10:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
It's not typical to vote without knowing you have the votes.
posted by Talez at 10:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
John McCain could have achieved a similar legislative result by staying in bed; instead he traveled across the country to say "fuck you" to President Donald Trump. I can't complain about that!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [135 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [135 favorites]
I'm pulling an all-nighter to make a deadline, wearing the special glasses that allow me to use my computer, the ones Medicaid partly paid for because I'm self-employed and impecunious and because I recently experienced rapid vision loss due to what i guess is now my preexisting medical condition.
And of course I catch up with this thread on my phone during breaks. When I saw news of the Murkowski and then the McCain vote, I legit started crying.
Break's over, back to work while I still am able.
posted by salix at 10:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [63 favorites]
And of course I catch up with this thread on my phone during breaks. When I saw news of the Murkowski and then the McCain vote, I legit started crying.
Break's over, back to work while I still am able.
posted by salix at 10:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [63 favorites]
I know Schumer is being gracious right now, but seriously? Y'all were slandered all night, literally for standing for not killing millions of people, and you're reaching out to the leopards? I'm too shaken up from today's drama (and lack of sleep) to know how to feel about that.
posted by Rykey at 10:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 10:54 PM on July 27, 2017 [8 favorites]
McConnell must be feeling about ready for hibernation
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:55 PM on July 27, 2017
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:55 PM on July 27, 2017
What's on Fox? I can't look.
Ritualized flagellation, one hopes
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Ritualized flagellation, one hopes
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Politically, where does this leave McConnell and his standing? Weaker, I hope?I've heard rumblings that he might actually be challenged as majority leader if he keeps fucking up like this. I don't know if that's at all true; the Dems made some noise about challenging Pelosi and that went nowhere.
posted by xyzzy at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017
It really seems like McCain voted for the MTP just to set himself up for this cinematic midnight backstab dunk as his last significant act on earth. He's still a piece of shit but that's kind of impressive
posted by theodolite at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [73 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [73 favorites]
Y'all were slandered all night, literally for standing for not killing millions of people, and you're reaching out to the leopards?
There are 48 Democratic senators, they need three Republican votes to pass bills to improve the country. They would be irresponsible not to make some attempt at collaboration.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
There are 48 Democratic senators, they need three Republican votes to pass bills to improve the country. They would be irresponsible not to make some attempt at collaboration.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [23 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump So great that John McCain is coming back to vote. Brave - American hero! Thank you John.
3:44 AM - 25 Jul 2017
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by milarepa at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [145 favorites]
3:44 AM - 25 Jul 2017
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by milarepa at 10:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [145 favorites]
Schumer is being gracious
And that is exactly how you rub shit in your enemy's face in politics.
posted by spitbull at 10:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [62 favorites]
And that is exactly how you rub shit in your enemy's face in politics.
posted by spitbull at 10:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [62 favorites]
Don't punish the ones who did the right thing. They'll get plenty from their base, SOMEONE should make them feel good. Even McCain. For a few minutes, anyway.
posted by ctmf at 10:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by ctmf at 10:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
There's no way in hell Ryan wasn't going to fuck everyone over by passing this thing as is. Heller and Flake were for idiots not seeing that and voting yes in their position and really McCain did them what little favor he could by stopping that.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 10:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
The satisfying thing is that Ryan probably killed it by saying he wouldn't guarantee conference and wouldn't rule out sending skinny repeal straight to the floor.
posted by Talez at 10:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by Talez at 10:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Schumer understands that the coalition of the not completely callous as fuck senators is somewhat weak and he's got to provide a solid reason for Collins, Murkowski and McCain to continue to do the right thing. If giving McCain a tongue-bath is the right way to keep ACA alive then it's a small price to pay.
posted by vuron at 10:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [62 favorites]
posted by vuron at 10:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [62 favorites]
I'm glad the skinny repeal went down tonight, but the only Republicans I'm willing to praise are Murkowski and Collins. They got heat through this whole mess, including two dipshits from the House threatening them. McCain was about as heroic here as somebody who spelled his own name correctly on a test at school.
McConnell honestly wanted to pass the bill in the Senate and then write the actual legislation in conference. On top of all the other bullshit he pulled, he wanted to do that -- gambling that Ryan wouldn't fuck everyone to boot, but even so, McConnell was trying to have the vote before crafting the actual law.
I can't get excited about McCain voting against that. Obviously I'm glad he didn't, but I'm not showering him with roses. Christ, the real lesson here is that 49 other Republicans actually did want to go along with that.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
McConnell honestly wanted to pass the bill in the Senate and then write the actual legislation in conference. On top of all the other bullshit he pulled, he wanted to do that -- gambling that Ryan wouldn't fuck everyone to boot, but even so, McConnell was trying to have the vote before crafting the actual law.
I can't get excited about McCain voting against that. Obviously I'm glad he didn't, but I'm not showering him with roses. Christ, the real lesson here is that 49 other Republicans actually did want to go along with that.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [38 favorites]
McCain might have known someone else would flip yes if they weren't counting on him. He let them believe in his vote until the last minute to keep the pressure light on the other noes.
posted by ctmf at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by ctmf at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
The "moderates" didn't cave? Shall we send Josh Marshall a cake?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
McCain also voted no on the methane regulations rollback. Keep that nomentum up McCain.
posted by Mister Cheese at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by Mister Cheese at 10:59 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
So, are we taking bets on how quickly Trump announces total sabotage of Obamacare, starting by cutting off the CSR payments?
Related healthinsurance.org article from May on stuff they've already been doing for years: 10 ways the GOP sabotaged Obamacare
posted by zachlipton at 11:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Related healthinsurance.org article from May on stuff they've already been doing for years: 10 ways the GOP sabotaged Obamacare
posted by zachlipton at 11:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Important to remember - Dem opposition to this was total and implacable. Nobody went wobbly. The Dems are the ones who made it possible for 3 GOP defectors to kill this bill.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [167 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [167 favorites]
Top Ten Saddest Anime Deaths
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:00 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
In two years I expect Trump to be wallowing on the ground, sweaty, naked, and bloated, in the darkness and his own filth a la Marlon Brando in Apocalypse Now.
Was I off by 1.5 years? Could tomorrow be the day? Twitter is going to be interesting in the morning.
posted by Justinian at 11:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Was I off by 1.5 years? Could tomorrow be the day? Twitter is going to be interesting in the morning.
posted by Justinian at 11:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
MeFi crashed for me in the pivotal moments, so instead of live commentary please enjoy the real-time text convo with my brother.
C: I can't wait for this to crumble. You can't govern like this, you just can't.
J: Oh god they're voting
J: MCCAIN IS A NO!!
J: MURKOWSKI IS A NOOOOO
J: APPLAUSE IN THE CHAMBER
J: COLLINS NO
J: Perdue (R-GA): "No! Oh, sorry, yes." LMAO
J: GET FUCKED MITCH
C: YES!!!!!!!!!!!
J: I take back everything I've ever said about John McCain. Here's a goddamn hero tonight
C: Seriously
J: This sad turtle speech is making me GIGGLE LIKE AN INSANE PERSON
posted by Rhaomi at 11:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
C: I can't wait for this to crumble. You can't govern like this, you just can't.
J: Oh god they're voting
J: MCCAIN IS A NO!!
J: MURKOWSKI IS A NOOOOO
J: APPLAUSE IN THE CHAMBER
J: COLLINS NO
J: Perdue (R-GA): "No! Oh, sorry, yes." LMAO
J: GET FUCKED MITCH
C: YES!!!!!!!!!!!
J: I take back everything I've ever said about John McCain. Here's a goddamn hero tonight
C: Seriously
J: This sad turtle speech is making me GIGGLE LIKE AN INSANE PERSON
posted by Rhaomi at 11:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [15 favorites]
Thanks, you're right. Just needed to vent. This is why I'm not a US Senator.
posted by Rykey at 11:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Rykey at 11:01 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I mean, I literally feel like I just dodged a bullet, and I was pretty sure that McCain was going to cave and I and a lot of other people were going to be screwed for all eternity. I'm not showering him with roses, but I'm really fucking relieved right now.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Also important to remember: we are praising the only three Republicans who dared to vote no on a bill that the Republicans were explicitly saying they didn't want to become law. That's how damn low the bar has fallen. I'm not saying they don't deserve our thanks, they do, but our standards are so low.
posted by zachlipton at 11:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [93 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:02 PM on July 27, 2017 [93 favorites]
We don't have standards, we are fighting for every breath.
posted by gofargogo at 11:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by gofargogo at 11:04 PM on July 27, 2017 [26 favorites]
Much of the nation is asleep and will never know how tense our anguished dread over the past two hours. But we have just witnessed the country dodging a bullet. Or perhaps an asteroid. By only one vote - a strange, atypical vote for a man of inconstant moral fiber - tens of thousands of lives were saved.
By such small margins are major victories won.
I feel like we've just witnessed an amazing, historic thing. In terms of human life and cost to the country, it's as if we just voted not to go to war.
posted by darkstar at 11:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
By such small margins are major victories won.
I feel like we've just witnessed an amazing, historic thing. In terms of human life and cost to the country, it's as if we just voted not to go to war.
posted by darkstar at 11:05 PM on July 27, 2017 [69 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump So great that John McCain is coming back to vote. Brave - American hero! Thank you John.
3:44 AM - 25 Jul 2017
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
and this one. He did two tweets. He's not going to be a happy camper.
.@SenJohnMcCain-Thank you for coming to D.C. for such a vital vote. Congrats to all Rep. We can now deliver grt healthcare to all Americans!
posted by Jalliah at 11:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
3:44 AM - 25 Jul 2017
¯\_(ツ)_/¯
and this one. He did two tweets. He's not going to be a happy camper.
.@SenJohnMcCain-Thank you for coming to D.C. for such a vital vote. Congrats to all Rep. We can now deliver grt healthcare to all Americans!
posted by Jalliah at 11:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Topical comic America The Usual
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
FWIW, 40% of female Republican senators voted no. That says something. Heap praise on Maverick, but the courage of these two women is commendable.
posted by karst at 11:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [82 favorites]
posted by karst at 11:06 PM on July 27, 2017 [82 favorites]
I guess Trump has to fire Price now -- he promised the Boy Scouts he would.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [31 favorites]
Basically Collins, Murkowski and McCain are the only Republicans in the Senate smart enough to realize that Ryan is an insufferable douchebro who would totally fuck them over by passing the skinny repeal as is.
Heller is a fucking moron, No way in hell he get re-elected if Skinny Repeal actually passed and now he's going to have to defend his vote until the election.
posted by vuron at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Heller is a fucking moron, No way in hell he get re-elected if Skinny Repeal actually passed and now he's going to have to defend his vote until the election.
posted by vuron at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
I wonder if Trump stayed up to follow the vote. I suspect that he actually gets a suboptimal amount of sleep already. I am morbidly fascinated, waiting to see what he will tweet out.
posted by dhens at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by dhens at 11:07 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Does anyone with more tech knowledge than me know how to mash YouTube of the Senate vote with the Rains of Castamere?
posted by corb at 11:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by corb at 11:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [17 favorites]
Aw, Ted Cruz is sad.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:08 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Oh I'm looking forward to the impotent backlash.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is that the dam breaking against McConnell's party-before-your-constituents bullshit, or do we wait while everyone holds their breath watching what happens to the 3 rebels?
posted by ctmf at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by ctmf at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I wonder what Capito is thinking
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
I should be mad at McCain for voting for this to proceed previously, but I'm not.
(God he's a slimy piece of shit. But he wins this one.)
posted by Yowser at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
(God he's a slimy piece of shit. But he wins this one.)
posted by Yowser at 11:09 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
One strategic error this illustrates is McConnell "releasing" Collins and Murkowski to vote No all along. If your 50+1 is totally secure, you can allow those No's, but if he had strong-armed either or both of them from the get-go, wasting political capital to win those key earlier votes with a superfluous 51 or 52, he would have had a buffer to work with; even if he had gotten 50 on some votes and 51 or 52 on others, it would have made it easier to bring Collins or Murkowski back on board when it mattered. Gambling on 0 defections was a serious strategic error, even if it might have worked.
(Which makes me realize there is another, darker timeline where it did work... Which means this isn't the darkest timeline any more!)
posted by chortly at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
(Which makes me realize there is another, darker timeline where it did work... Which means this isn't the darkest timeline any more!)
posted by chortly at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [28 favorites]
"Literally Obamacare every three weeks since 2016." I'm imagining an absolutely apocalyptically angry Trump right now, utterly vesuvian in his rage, and I'm just like jesus, will no one give that man a phone?
posted by supercrayon at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by supercrayon at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
One hopes McCain privately speaks to trump and says "what was that about 'heroes who weren't captured' again?" I believe he is fully capable of holding his revenge until he can serve it ice cold, Machiavelli style, and that maybe that's what this was.
posted by spitbull at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [24 favorites]
Let me just state for the record that I am already preemptively pissed off at the way the media will inevitably make this all about McCain, who has nothing to lose, rather than focusing the attention on Collins and Murkowski, two women who held firm throughout this process while facing incredible pressure and literal threats of violence from men in the House of Representatives.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [124 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [124 favorites]
Corb: I believe http://youtubedoubler.com/ will do that in a really quick and dirty and ugly fashion.
posted by Justinian at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
corb here you go
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
In case you all want to join me in listening to this song on repeat all night: Mama Said Knock You Out
posted by mabelstreet at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by mabelstreet at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Heller is a fucking moron, No way in hell he get re-elected if Skinny Repeal actually passed and now he's going to have to defend his vote until the election.
I'm really amazed that, once they knew there were three No's, Heller, Capito, and maybe Flake didn't bail. Maybe they, like us, couldn't believe McCain would follow through.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
I'm really amazed that, once they knew there were three No's, Heller, Capito, and maybe Flake didn't bail. Maybe they, like us, couldn't believe McCain would follow through.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:10 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
If giving McCain a tongue-bath
Anyone got any brain bleach?
posted by greermahoney at 11:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Anyone got any brain bleach?
posted by greermahoney at 11:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
FWIW, 40% of female Republican senators voted no. That says something. Heap praise on Maverick, but the courage of these two women is commendable.
And Capito voted yes. Not just to fuck over her own state, the largest recipient of Medicaid funds per capita in the nation, but to defund Planned Parenthood as well. Her vote is unjustifiable in any conceivable universe where she has any concern whatsoever for the lives or wellbeing of the people who voted her into office. She literally voted to murder her supporters, as did Dean Heller.
Draw contrasts. Never forget. This is the defining vote of their careers, and they all failed.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [76 favorites]
And Capito voted yes. Not just to fuck over her own state, the largest recipient of Medicaid funds per capita in the nation, but to defund Planned Parenthood as well. Her vote is unjustifiable in any conceivable universe where she has any concern whatsoever for the lives or wellbeing of the people who voted her into office. She literally voted to murder her supporters, as did Dean Heller.
Draw contrasts. Never forget. This is the defining vote of their careers, and they all failed.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [76 favorites]
This evening I have swung from being so angry and anxious that I thought I was going to throw up to being completely giddy.
And I have a slight dilemma because I have promised cake, but my birthday is actually two weeks away. So I was planning on making a cake then. It seems like a lot of cake in a short period of time. I mean, I will do it, to save healthcare. Maybe I need to come up with an alternate birthday plan.
posted by threeturtles at 11:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
And I have a slight dilemma because I have promised cake, but my birthday is actually two weeks away. So I was planning on making a cake then. It seems like a lot of cake in a short period of time. I mean, I will do it, to save healthcare. Maybe I need to come up with an alternate birthday plan.
posted by threeturtles at 11:11 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
I wonder if Trump stayed up to follow the vote. I suspect that he actually gets a suboptimal amount of sleep already. I am morbidly fascinated, waiting to see what he will tweet out.
My thought is we may not see much tomorrow. I expect there is/will be some crisis management going on to keep him from rage tweeting. If they manage to be somewhat successful it will be a few days. He will come to a boil at some point though. He always does. If there is some rage tweeting tomorrow it will be an indication that the soothers have failed.
posted by Jalliah at 11:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
My thought is we may not see much tomorrow. I expect there is/will be some crisis management going on to keep him from rage tweeting. If they manage to be somewhat successful it will be a few days. He will come to a boil at some point though. He always does. If there is some rage tweeting tomorrow it will be an indication that the soothers have failed.
posted by Jalliah at 11:12 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
I guess Trump could go for the trifecta of stupid Republican moves this week and fire Sessions or something.
That might be what it takes for the Republicans to finally face up to the fact that Trump is a petty crook and bully that is only focused on self-preservation and utterly devoid of loyalty.
posted by vuron at 11:13 PM on July 27, 2017
That might be what it takes for the Republicans to finally face up to the fact that Trump is a petty crook and bully that is only focused on self-preservation and utterly devoid of loyalty.
posted by vuron at 11:13 PM on July 27, 2017
Everybody lives, America. Just this once, everybody lives.
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 11:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
posted by hapaxes.legomenon at 11:14 PM on July 27, 2017 [48 favorites]
Two cakes in two weeks seems totally reasonable, threeturtles. I mean, two cakes in two days seems ok to me if you've got a birthday or a healthcare-saving to celebrate.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 11:15 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
My thought is we may not see much tomorrow. I expect there is/will be some crisis management going on to keep him from rage tweeting.
Well, it's been six months, but I suppose they could start doing some crisis management now.
Also, I'm off to the store to buy Hostess Cupcakes, sorry but they'll have to do!
posted by mmoncur at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Well, it's been six months, but I suppose they could start doing some crisis management now.
Also, I'm off to the store to buy Hostess Cupcakes, sorry but they'll have to do!
posted by mmoncur at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Man, I didn't realize how much this was weighing on me. I'm feeling all sorts of relief right now.
I feel like I stayed up late to watch the weather and saw that school was canceled because of snow.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
I feel like I stayed up late to watch the weather and saw that school was canceled because of snow.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [34 favorites]
My thought is we may not see much tomorrow.
From Trump? Maybe not. But Scaramucci will do something spectacular tomorrow. He'll want to talk tough and look slick in front of the cameras to distract the boss and lift his spirits. And given what we've seen of Scaramucci so far, it'll almost certainly be another jaw-dropping own-goal.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
From Trump? Maybe not. But Scaramucci will do something spectacular tomorrow. He'll want to talk tough and look slick in front of the cameras to distract the boss and lift his spirits. And given what we've seen of Scaramucci so far, it'll almost certainly be another jaw-dropping own-goal.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Threeturtles: the answer is pie.
posted by gofargogo at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by gofargogo at 11:16 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
It's probably too late to start drinking at this point in the night, huh.
it's high noon somewhere in the world
posted by poffin boffin at 11:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
it's high noon somewhere in the world
posted by poffin boffin at 11:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
"So, Mr. Trump, President Putin is willing to offer you a tested and polished disinformation and cyber warfare platform to aid in your election in exchange for the dropping of sanctions as discussed, or, if you are more inclined... FSB has procured magical monkey's paw that will grant any wish."
"yeah gimme that monkey thing, that sounds way easier. MAGA!"
posted by jason_steakums at 11:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
"yeah gimme that monkey thing, that sounds way easier. MAGA!"
posted by jason_steakums at 11:17 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Aw, Ted Cruz is sad.
Gee, he's saying it's "horrible" that Americans have to work only "28, 29 hours a week!" supposedly because of Obamacare? Maybe he'll be in favor of guaranteeing benefits for part-time workers so that employers don't pull the bullshit where they artificially limit workers' hours to avoid paying for benefits.
posted by XMLicious at 11:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
corb here you go
YES SO GOOD THANK YOU MCCONNELL SADNESS IS EVEN BETTER THIS WAY.
posted by corb at 11:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
YES SO GOOD THANK YOU MCCONNELL SADNESS IS EVEN BETTER THIS WAY.
posted by corb at 11:18 PM on July 27, 2017 [16 favorites]
The Freedom From Healthcare Act is dead, at least for the next 12 hours. Fuck you McConnell, you rules-lawyering oligarch toady.
posted by benzenedream at 11:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by benzenedream at 11:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
How pathetically loathsome is Lindsay Graham to vote for a bill he earlier openly condemned a "fraudulent" "disaster", when John Fucking McCain voted against it?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [71 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [71 favorites]
Man, this footage of McCain's dramatic pause before voting "no" -- with Worst Person in Modern Political History Mitch McConnell glowering at him scant feet away -- should go down in history. Please let this be the moment the fever starts to break.
posted by Rhaomi at 11:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [58 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 11:19 PM on July 27, 2017 [58 favorites]
I guess Trump has to fire Price now -- he promised the Boy Scouts he would.
If I were the Secretary of Transportation, I'd be concerned about my job security right now too. Trump seems to hold grudges against entire families.
posted by zachlipton at 11:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
If I were the Secretary of Transportation, I'd be concerned about my job security right now too. Trump seems to hold grudges against entire families.
posted by zachlipton at 11:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
It's just after 4pm Friday arvo here. That's almost beer o'clock! Congratulations, you guys. I mean, commiserations on having to go through it in the first place but I'm really happy for you that the arseholes lost this one.
posted by h00py at 11:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by h00py at 11:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
Let me just state for the record that I am already preemptively pissed off at the way the media will inevitably make this all about McCain, who has nothing to lose, rather than focusing the attention on Collins and Murkowski, two women who held firm throughout this process while facing incredible pressure and literal threats of violence from men in the House of Representatives.
It will be annoying for sure. There is a plus though which I wouldn't bring up in any other situation except that this President and admin is special. If most of the media is directed at McCain and analysing McCain actions then that's going to point Trump at McCain. This admin and set of GOP are brutal and vindictive as we all know. I'd much rather see McCain take the brunt of this wrath in the short term. Taking some focus away from them is good for them.
And it's not that I think Murkowski or Collins can't deal with it. It's more than they deserve it a whole lot less than McCain does.
posted by Jalliah at 11:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
It will be annoying for sure. There is a plus though which I wouldn't bring up in any other situation except that this President and admin is special. If most of the media is directed at McCain and analysing McCain actions then that's going to point Trump at McCain. This admin and set of GOP are brutal and vindictive as we all know. I'd much rather see McCain take the brunt of this wrath in the short term. Taking some focus away from them is good for them.
And it's not that I think Murkowski or Collins can't deal with it. It's more than they deserve it a whole lot less than McCain does.
posted by Jalliah at 11:20 PM on July 27, 2017 [33 favorites]
Man, this footage of McCain's dramatic pause before voting "no" -- with Worst Person in Modern Political History Mitch McConnell glowering at him scant feet away -- should go down in history.
I thought he opposed torture?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I thought he opposed torture?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
I've been singing Murkowski's praises all along for several threads. Trump going after her and her state was so stupid.
Half the people in Alaska (which ain't that many) have met her personally (myself included as a frequent visitor). She is tremendously well liked in a really personal way. And she ain't running again for a long while anyway.
It's like Trump doesn't understand a basic principle of politics, that a threat can be an absolute gift to a politician astute enough to construe it as an attack on her constituents themselves.
Anyway I've been writing Murkowski's office all along, and I will send her a big thank you note tomorrow. We all should do that with Collins and Murkowski and McCain too, I think.
posted by spitbull at 11:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [76 favorites]
Half the people in Alaska (which ain't that many) have met her personally (myself included as a frequent visitor). She is tremendously well liked in a really personal way. And she ain't running again for a long while anyway.
It's like Trump doesn't understand a basic principle of politics, that a threat can be an absolute gift to a politician astute enough to construe it as an attack on her constituents themselves.
Anyway I've been writing Murkowski's office all along, and I will send her a big thank you note tomorrow. We all should do that with Collins and Murkowski and McCain too, I think.
posted by spitbull at 11:21 PM on July 27, 2017 [76 favorites]
"Mr President, are you tired of winning yet?"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:24 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
So now that that's all over with... I want to back up a sec to Scaramucci because I think a piece of this got lost in all the chaos. The most alarming thing is not that the White House Communications Director used profane words or trashed his co-workers or didn't know what on-the-record meant. It's stuff like this:
He can swear about his co-workers all he wants, but the idea that he thinks its his job to use our system of justice to go after people who displease him is truly frightening, and shouldn't be lost in the shuffle just because he said "cock."
posted by zachlipton at 11:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [65 favorites]
He cryptically suggested that he had more information about White House aides. “O.K., the Mooch showed up a week ago,” he said. “This is going to get cleaned up very shortly, O.K.? Because I nailed these guys. I’ve got digital fingerprints on everything they’ve done through the F.B.I. and the fucking Department of Justice.”Ignoring the fact that the guy flipped out over the release of a public document, there are actual rules about communication with the Justice Department. They're really important rules designed to stop random White House appointees from exerting political pressure over the nation's justice system. The guy went to Harvard Law. If I know this, he surely should know this.
“What?” I interjected.
“Well, the felony, they’re gonna get prosecuted, probably, for the felony.” He added, “The lie detector starts—” but then he changed the subject and returned to what he thought was the illegal leak of his financial-disclosure forms.
He can swear about his co-workers all he wants, but the idea that he thinks its his job to use our system of justice to go after people who displease him is truly frightening, and shouldn't be lost in the shuffle just because he said "cock."
posted by zachlipton at 11:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [65 favorites]
Matt Fuller on Twitter says that Pence possibly made a mistake. He spent all his time lobbying McCain when he should have been working over Murkowski.
One of the first replies: He's not allowed to be alone with women, Matt.
posted by Justinian at 11:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [184 favorites]
One of the first replies: He's not allowed to be alone with women, Matt.
posted by Justinian at 11:25 PM on July 27, 2017 [184 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: 3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!
They're going to sabotage the hell out of it. Can't wait for open enrollment to last three minutes and require you to travel in person to the island of Yap.
posted by zachlipton at 11:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
They're going to sabotage the hell out of it. Can't wait for open enrollment to last three minutes and require you to travel in person to the island of Yap.
posted by zachlipton at 11:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
Zachlipton, you get the Crusader of the Night Award for not even taking a breath before moving on to the next thing.
But I'm gonna sleep and I'll fight again in the morning.
posted by greermahoney at 11:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
But I'm gonna sleep and I'll fight again in the morning.
posted by greermahoney at 11:28 PM on July 27, 2017 [10 favorites]
What has happened though is McConnell now has to make good on his threats. The sky won't fall because of lack of repeal, so what is he going to push on folks with next.
Ryan has shown his willingness to bald face lie to his peers if they were planning to accept the skinny repeal and not write an actual bill.
I realize this is a "surely they must know now" moment but it's not typical at all in this reality so we will have more bullshit to fight.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:29 PM on July 27, 2017
Ryan has shown his willingness to bald face lie to his peers if they were planning to accept the skinny repeal and not write an actual bill.
I realize this is a "surely they must know now" moment but it's not typical at all in this reality so we will have more bullshit to fight.
posted by mrzarquon at 11:29 PM on July 27, 2017
Trump sounds calmer than I would have expected:
"3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!"
posted by dhens at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
"3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!"
posted by dhens at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
The President drops in to inform us that this was his plan the whole time!
3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!
He is really good at things!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal. Watch!
He is really good at things!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Like, I expected to see him tweet that he wished the cancer had killed McCain right away or something.
posted by dhens at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by dhens at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Well it looks like Trump's baby sitters are failing to stop him entirely. Guess we wait to see how long sounding calm lasts.
posted by Jalliah at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Jalliah at 11:30 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
You guys, I yelled at McCain on Facebook last night.
You're welcome.
(I also told him to get 2 more Republicans and pass something with the Democrats, which I'm not exactly holding my breath for. I said it could be his legacy. I think he likes legacies.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
You're welcome.
(I also told him to get 2 more Republicans and pass something with the Democrats, which I'm not exactly holding my breath for. I said it could be his legacy. I think he likes legacies.)
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:31 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
"Time for our friends on the other side to tell us what they have in mind." - Mitch McConnell
Glad you asked, Mitch. Here's my healthcare plan:
1. Progressively lower the age of Medicare eligibility over the course of six-ish years (lowering eligible age by a decade or so every year) until everyone is eligible to buy into it.
2. Over the following four-ish years, phase out Medicare coinsurance costs borne by patients. Expand the scope of what Medicare covers to the extent that's financially feasible.
Optional part 3. After this transition period, everyone born after 2008 is auto-enrolled in Medicare, and of course people born before then are still free to switch over.
Even more optional part 4. Increase the age of auto-enrollment faster so that everyone is auto-enrolled within a few years.
A phased approach to Medicare For All gives the market time to adjust to changing conditions while still ultimately settling on a solution that will allow everyone access to care.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 11:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [94 favorites]
Glad you asked, Mitch. Here's my healthcare plan:
1. Progressively lower the age of Medicare eligibility over the course of six-ish years (lowering eligible age by a decade or so every year) until everyone is eligible to buy into it.
2. Over the following four-ish years, phase out Medicare coinsurance costs borne by patients. Expand the scope of what Medicare covers to the extent that's financially feasible.
Optional part 3. After this transition period, everyone born after 2008 is auto-enrolled in Medicare, and of course people born before then are still free to switch over.
Even more optional part 4. Increase the age of auto-enrollment faster so that everyone is auto-enrolled within a few years.
A phased approach to Medicare For All gives the market time to adjust to changing conditions while still ultimately settling on a solution that will allow everyone access to care.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 11:32 PM on July 27, 2017 [94 favorites]
Jason Kander on CNN points out that Republicans had no problem voting for full repeal dozens of times in the knowledge they had "adult supervision" in the form of a President who would prevent them from passing terrible laws resulting in political blowback. The adult supervision has left the building. Now there is much wailing and gnashing of teeth.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [109 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:33 PM on July 27, 2017 [109 favorites]
If most of the media is directed at McCain and analysing McCain actions then that's going to point Trump at McCain. This admin and set of GOP are brutal and vindictive as we all know. I'd much rather see McCain take the brunt of this wrath in the short term. Taking some focus away from them is good for them.
Not only that, but now we get to watch the president attack a war-hero-with-terminal-brain-cancer -- especially since so many people have been describing him in these terms recently.
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 11:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Not only that, but now we get to watch the president attack a war-hero-with-terminal-brain-cancer -- especially since so many people have been describing him in these terms recently.
posted by Jonathan Livengood at 11:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [19 favorites]
Holy fuck, y'all. I'm 120 comments behind, but I'm just astonished. I'm with TD Strange in my distaste for McCain, but damned if he didn't finally do quite good thing. I can't make cake at 130am without waking up the house, but tomorrow, there will be cake.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:34 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
*checking to see how much it would cost to FedEx a Fail Keg to Paul Ryan*
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [5 favorites]
Here's my plan: Make private health insurance illegal.
Poof! Health care costs will plummet and life expectancy increase.
(this isn't sarcasm. This is what the data says over decades and multiple countries)
posted by Yowser at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
Poof! Health care costs will plummet and life expectancy increase.
(this isn't sarcasm. This is what the data says over decades and multiple countries)
posted by Yowser at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
"3 Republicans and 48 Democrats let the American people down. "
=
"And I would've got away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling democracy!"
posted by Sys Rq at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
=
"And I would've got away with it too, if it weren't for that meddling democracy!"
posted by Sys Rq at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [27 favorites]
Make sure you thank your D senators.
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 11:35 PM on July 27, 2017 [12 favorites]
Surely Ryan would vote no on a bill that would reduce taxes on oligarchs at the price of poor people dying.
In a brighter timeline Ryan has a slipped disc from his personal training days and is living Brad Pitt's role from Burn After Reading.
posted by benzenedream at 11:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
In a brighter timeline Ryan has a slipped disc from his personal training days and is living Brad Pitt's role from Burn After Reading.
posted by benzenedream at 11:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
Mitch McConnell wonders where it all went wrong
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 11:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
posted by obscure simpsons reference at 11:38 PM on July 27, 2017 [40 favorites]
Bill Corbett:
New letter from Pickle tomorrow:
'Deer Mr Prezident, why? do they make me have helth care?? I dont want it its BAD. Pleaze marry my mommy'
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
New letter from Pickle tomorrow:
'Deer Mr Prezident, why? do they make me have helth care?? I dont want it its BAD. Pleaze marry my mommy'
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:40 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
I don't believe that tweet was from 45's own fingers, not for one second. The real response will be unambiguously his.
posted by Devonian at 11:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 11:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
@alexburnsNYT:
In the end, the president's closing message – that his attorney general is terrible – couldn't put the bill over the top
posted by chris24 at 11:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [93 favorites]
In the end, the president's closing message – that his attorney general is terrible – couldn't put the bill over the top
posted by chris24 at 11:43 PM on July 27, 2017 [93 favorites]
Hey, Trump's nonexistent charm offensive did manage to persuade 49 out of 52 Republican senators, which is impressive by any standard.
posted by Rhaomi at 11:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 11:44 PM on July 27, 2017 [4 favorites]
Everybody, mail a jar of pickles to your Congress people.
posted by yesster at 11:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by yesster at 11:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [1 favorite]
Like, I expected to see him tweet that he wished the cancer had killed McCain right away or something.
That's Scaramucci's job. He's Trump's mirror with an extra splash of id.
Because of this vote I knocked out an hour of work that was due in the morning, so now I can sleep in a little. Thanks McConnell!
posted by Room 641-A at 11:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
That's Scaramucci's job. He's Trump's mirror with an extra splash of id.
Because of this vote I knocked out an hour of work that was due in the morning, so now I can sleep in a little. Thanks McConnell!
posted by Room 641-A at 11:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [2 favorites]
You might want to go easy on the Haigography cakes...
(McCain still wants to take your healthcare, he just wants to do it "right")
posted by Artw at 11:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
(McCain still wants to take your healthcare, he just wants to do it "right")
posted by Artw at 11:48 PM on July 27, 2017 [11 favorites]
While important in the long run, tonight I frankly couldn't care less if he voted NO solely out of pique at Trump being a giant asshole.
posted by Justinian at 11:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:50 PM on July 27, 2017 [13 favorites]
Goddammit. Now I have to call and thank McCain. At least I get to tell Flake that he's pond scum. That might be fun.
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 11:53 PM on July 27, 2017 [7 favorites]
Calling Flake to insult him can be very cathartic, I've found.
posted by Superplin at 11:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Superplin at 11:55 PM on July 27, 2017 [6 favorites]
Ok I will share something I was skeptical about but?
On one of podcasts (don't know which one but I can track it down if pressed) they interviewed a man who has written a biography of McConnell. The author was sure the healthcare bill would ultimately fail. His reason was that McConnell cares about only one thing: retaining power. Passing a healthcare bill would lead to a loss of Senate seats and possibly returning McConnell to the minority leadership. He will do anything to avoid that including sabotaging the healthcare bill, according to his biographer.
Naturally I'm skeptical. But it did seem strange that he would hold the vote even though he must have known he would come up short.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
On one of podcasts (don't know which one but I can track it down if pressed) they interviewed a man who has written a biography of McConnell. The author was sure the healthcare bill would ultimately fail. His reason was that McConnell cares about only one thing: retaining power. Passing a healthcare bill would lead to a loss of Senate seats and possibly returning McConnell to the minority leadership. He will do anything to avoid that including sabotaging the healthcare bill, according to his biographer.
Naturally I'm skeptical. But it did seem strange that he would hold the vote even though he must have known he would come up short.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 11:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
Thinking about it, does voting yes then no sabotage Trump more than being a straight up no? A possible answer to why he is putting us through all this drama shit.
posted by Artw at 11:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:56 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"We are humming along on all cylinders" - Gorka, on the radio, just now...
posted by Devonian at 11:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 11:57 PM on July 27, 2017 [3 favorites]
"We are humming along"
Phrasing, Field Marshal Gorka!
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Phrasing, Field Marshal Gorka!
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:58 PM on July 27, 2017 [9 favorites]
Oh, lordy. Gorka just said 45's transgender military ban was out of warmth and compassion for transgendered people.
And the morning was going so well...
posted by Devonian at 12:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
And the morning was going so well...
posted by Devonian at 12:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Any links handy for these Gorka quotes?
posted by christopherious at 12:05 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by christopherious at 12:05 AM on July 28, 2017
Gorka just said 45's transgender military ban was out of warmth and compassion for transgendered people.
I spent a lot of time studying Dada and coming to the realization that words don't mean words but might mean other words, which is to say this statement of Gorka's could be accurate of you replace every single word in it with another word.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
I spent a lot of time studying Dada and coming to the realization that words don't mean words but might mean other words, which is to say this statement of Gorka's could be accurate of you replace every single word in it with another word.
posted by Joey Michaels at 12:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
dilauded: So the Senate is going to have some new leadership soon right?
If you mean will the Democrats take over the Senate? Well, one can hope but it might take a few years.
If you mean, will the Republicans have a new majority leader, I'm skeptical. A leadership fight would be ugly and could hardly come at a worse time--the debt ceiling coming up and hardly any major legislative accomplishments.
Plus, who would they get to step into the role of Majority Leader? Cornyn or Thune? Part of the team that let this debacle happen. Graham? While he might want it (which I think is doubtful), I don't think he could get the support because he's not radical enough. While Cruz is radical enough and would love the power, he's totally unappealing personally and probably would have hard time getting support. Maybe the could sucker Corker or Grassley into take the job, but why would either of them want it, when their caucus is such a mess?
McConnell may have rotten egg all over his chelonian mug at the moment, I think he's stuck with this shitty job of wrangling cats for a while. If he quits, there will be even more chaos.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 12:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
If you mean will the Democrats take over the Senate? Well, one can hope but it might take a few years.
If you mean, will the Republicans have a new majority leader, I'm skeptical. A leadership fight would be ugly and could hardly come at a worse time--the debt ceiling coming up and hardly any major legislative accomplishments.
Plus, who would they get to step into the role of Majority Leader? Cornyn or Thune? Part of the team that let this debacle happen. Graham? While he might want it (which I think is doubtful), I don't think he could get the support because he's not radical enough. While Cruz is radical enough and would love the power, he's totally unappealing personally and probably would have hard time getting support. Maybe the could sucker Corker or Grassley into take the job, but why would either of them want it, when their caucus is such a mess?
McConnell may have rotten egg all over his chelonian mug at the moment, I think he's stuck with this shitty job of wrangling cats for a while. If he quits, there will be even more chaos.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 12:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I missed the pickle reference; please help
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:11 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:11 AM on July 28, 2017
We fly to Vancouver tomorrow (well, technically today) and depart on an Alaska cruise on Sunday.
I can now visit Alaska in good conscience and without the heavy heart I would've otherwise. Which is a tremendous relief, because goddammit, it's a wonderful, magical place once you set aside, you know, how they vote. At least tonight it worked out alright.
(I can't guarantee I won't seek asylum upon setting foot in Vancouver, though. Then again, the price of real estate there will kill that dream post-haste.)
posted by CommonSense at 12:11 AM on July 28, 2017
I can now visit Alaska in good conscience and without the heavy heart I would've otherwise. Which is a tremendous relief, because goddammit, it's a wonderful, magical place once you set aside, you know, how they vote. At least tonight it worked out alright.
(I can't guarantee I won't seek asylum upon setting foot in Vancouver, though. Then again, the price of real estate there will kill that dream post-haste.)
posted by CommonSense at 12:11 AM on July 28, 2017
Here's my plan: Make private health insurance illegal.
DAMN STRAIGHT YOWSER!
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 12:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
DAMN STRAIGHT YOWSER!
posted by quonsar II: smock fishpants and the temple of foon at 12:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Any links handy for these Gorka quotes?
It was on the Today morning news programme on BBC Radio 4, which is still on-air. It'll be available online in about an hour, and I'll link to the segment then.
posted by Devonian at 12:14 AM on July 28, 2017
It was on the Today morning news programme on BBC Radio 4, which is still on-air. It'll be available online in about an hour, and I'll link to the segment then.
posted by Devonian at 12:14 AM on July 28, 2017
Thanks!
> I missed the pickle reference; please help
WaPo: Did a 9-year-old called ‘Pickle’ really write that letter to Trump? Yep, he’s real.
posted by christopherious at 12:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
> I missed the pickle reference; please help
WaPo: Did a 9-year-old called ‘Pickle’ really write that letter to Trump? Yep, he’s real.
posted by christopherious at 12:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
I missed the pickle reference; please help
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:11 AM
I was obliquely referring to the "Dylan Pickle" letter that Sarah Huckabee Sanders read the other day.
Everybody knows it was false. So recipients of a jar of pickles would either appreciate the joke, or be offended by it. Either way tis a win.
But I was drunk on cake.
posted by yesster at 12:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 12:11 AM
I was obliquely referring to the "Dylan Pickle" letter that Sarah Huckabee Sanders read the other day.
Everybody knows it was false. So recipients of a jar of pickles would either appreciate the joke, or be offended by it. Either way tis a win.
But I was drunk on cake.
posted by yesster at 12:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
really? That was real?
Shit.
I guess I've got more cake to eat.
posted by yesster at 12:19 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Shit.
I guess I've got more cake to eat.
posted by yesster at 12:19 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
I wish someone yelled "YOU LIE!" at McConnell
posted by rhizome at 12:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 12:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
CommonSense: "I can't guarantee I won't seek asylum upon setting foot in Vancouver, though. Then again, the price of real estate there will kill that dream post-haste."
There are cheaper places to buy real estate in Canada than Vancouver. Actually let me rephrase: Anywhere else in Canada is cheaper than Vancouver.
posted by Mitheral at 12:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
There are cheaper places to buy real estate in Canada than Vancouver. Actually let me rephrase: Anywhere else in Canada is cheaper than Vancouver.
posted by Mitheral at 12:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
There are cheaper places to buy real estate in Canada than Vancouver. Actually let me rephrase: Anywhere else in Canada is cheaper than Vancouver.
Oh, I know — though we live in Baltimore, DC's right down the road; my sister lives in Brooklyn (where I used to live 20 years ago, where I had a 1BR apartment for $850 a month); and my wife's from the Bay area. So I totally get that Canada's a land of contrasts and that insane real estate markets are usually limited to immediate metro areas.
Kinda hard to match the beauty of Vancouver, and Alberta . . . well, don't they say it's Canada's Texas? Yeah, no. ;-)
posted by CommonSense at 12:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh, I know — though we live in Baltimore, DC's right down the road; my sister lives in Brooklyn (where I used to live 20 years ago, where I had a 1BR apartment for $850 a month); and my wife's from the Bay area. So I totally get that Canada's a land of contrasts and that insane real estate markets are usually limited to immediate metro areas.
Kinda hard to match the beauty of Vancouver, and Alberta . . . well, don't they say it's Canada's Texas? Yeah, no. ;-)
posted by CommonSense at 12:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I guess what I was trying to say is: I know all about wacky real estate markets that aren't representative of the rest of the state/province, let alone the country. But this is getting to be a derail, something I'd be far more conscious of were I not already 2-3 drinks into celebrating the night's events.
Cheers, all. I'm going to bed now.
posted by CommonSense at 12:39 AM on July 28, 2017
Cheers, all. I'm going to bed now.
posted by CommonSense at 12:39 AM on July 28, 2017
Whoops, just realized that YouTube vid is a rip of this brilliant tweet from @bubbaprog. Either way, be sure to watch it, it is exquisitely clever.
posted by Rhaomi at 12:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Rhaomi at 12:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
really? That was real?
Yep, apparently some 9-year old requested a Donald-Trump-themed birthday party.
Also, that's not a hat, Pickles, it's a hairpiece.
posted by sour cream at 12:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Yep, apparently some 9-year old requested a Donald-Trump-themed birthday party.
Also, that's not a hat, Pickles, it's a hairpiece.
posted by sour cream at 12:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Man, Murkowski is my senator and I am really fucking proud of her. I think she's just less scared and less concerned about being primaried lately- the guy who did it ran as a Libertarian last time and got killed in the general- and she's more and more buoyed by reinforcement for doing the right thing. She really does love this state and I am SO GLAD Interior tried to bully her with threats since it probably gave her a few more vertebrae tonight.
Anyway, it's neat to feel like maybe something I or people I know did made a difference. She's approachable and polite and every sensible person i know up here has been calling and writing and showing up to chat when she helps with her son's pasta booth at the Saturday farmer's market on the south side and hey! Maybe trying in this instance it wasn't as futile as it has felt at times since January.
I guess it's kind of a low bar, doing what was clearly the right choice for a state with bananas health care costs that accepted the expansion, when her governor was on her side, but still, we're deep dark ugly red up here and I will take it. Go Lisa! Go neighbors! For tonight, anyway: yay.
posted by charmedimsure at 1:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [92 favorites]
Anyway, it's neat to feel like maybe something I or people I know did made a difference. She's approachable and polite and every sensible person i know up here has been calling and writing and showing up to chat when she helps with her son's pasta booth at the Saturday farmer's market on the south side and hey! Maybe trying in this instance it wasn't as futile as it has felt at times since January.
I guess it's kind of a low bar, doing what was clearly the right choice for a state with bananas health care costs that accepted the expansion, when her governor was on her side, but still, we're deep dark ugly red up here and I will take it. Go Lisa! Go neighbors! For tonight, anyway: yay.
posted by charmedimsure at 1:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [92 favorites]
Gorka interview on BBC Radio this morning - starts around 1h51m in, but if you want the preamble reporting on the healthcare vote, start at 1:49:30.
Have a bucket to hand. You'll need it.
posted by Devonian at 1:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Have a bucket to hand. You'll need it.
posted by Devonian at 1:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
*wakes up, reads Thread confusedly*
Um, is it... dead Really dead Doornail silver bullet, Wooden-stake dead
Can I... breathe?
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Um, is it... dead Really dead Doornail silver bullet, Wooden-stake dead
Can I... breathe?
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
The Dylan Pickle thing is hilarious to me because there is a collegiate baseball team here called the Portland Pickles and their mascot is Dylan the Pickle.
Also, Dill Pickles was a character in the Rugrats eventually.
posted by gucci mane at 1:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Also, Dill Pickles was a character in the Rugrats eventually.
posted by gucci mane at 1:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Well, the Hellmouth is still open, but this particular bill looks like a pile of ash.
posted by um at 1:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by um at 1:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Also, in case you missed it in all the hubbub today:
the Senate passed the Russian sanctions bill 98-2 today. Since the House already passed it 419-3, it goes to the White House for Trump's response, a sort of metaphorical flaming paper bag of dogshit on his door step for him to stomp out.
posted by msalt at 2:01 AM on July 28, 2017 [74 favorites]
the Senate passed the Russian sanctions bill 98-2 today. Since the House already passed it 419-3, it goes to the White House for Trump's response, a sort of metaphorical flaming paper bag of dogshit on his door step for him to stomp out.
posted by msalt at 2:01 AM on July 28, 2017 [74 favorites]
Thank the stars that vote happened. I was worried I'd never catch up with the thread otherwise. So it's important that way.
I am wondering what the reaction is going to be now that it's effectively dead (I mean, nothing's impossible, but ....). Interestingly there seemed to be a number of belligerent alt-right-esque tweeters going after lefties with what might be termed Pyrrhic victory taunts? "Ha ha now you have to say something nice about McCain" was the gist of some. These people are a concoction of part reactionary and part troll in the sense that liberal tears are their lifeblood, actual real-world accomplishments secondary. They'll probably continue to back Trump "110%". This has to be an interesting development for the more traditional WWC voters, though. Doubling down on how America is broken politically only goes so far.
I do think they're going to step up the talk about Foxconn and jobs, as that seems to have struck a mostly cautiously positive chord in the traditional media. Plenty of talk on Twitter and elsewhere about the costs of the deal, should it even pan out (spotty track record here), but the CEO is personally involved and probably wants to build on his relationship with the WH, so maybe. As a person who tries to be skeptical but fair of this sort of investment subsidy, I wish there were a way to "CBO score" these deals, which are often juiced with all sorts of promises and very few actual control mechanisms (clawbacks, staged or phased subsidies, etc.). I had to snort at Scott Walker's dubbing this the start of a "Wiscon Valley", though. Anyway, soon enough we'll see what the pivot is.
posted by dhartung at 2:14 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I am wondering what the reaction is going to be now that it's effectively dead (I mean, nothing's impossible, but ....). Interestingly there seemed to be a number of belligerent alt-right-esque tweeters going after lefties with what might be termed Pyrrhic victory taunts? "Ha ha now you have to say something nice about McCain" was the gist of some. These people are a concoction of part reactionary and part troll in the sense that liberal tears are their lifeblood, actual real-world accomplishments secondary. They'll probably continue to back Trump "110%". This has to be an interesting development for the more traditional WWC voters, though. Doubling down on how America is broken politically only goes so far.
I do think they're going to step up the talk about Foxconn and jobs, as that seems to have struck a mostly cautiously positive chord in the traditional media. Plenty of talk on Twitter and elsewhere about the costs of the deal, should it even pan out (spotty track record here), but the CEO is personally involved and probably wants to build on his relationship with the WH, so maybe. As a person who tries to be skeptical but fair of this sort of investment subsidy, I wish there were a way to "CBO score" these deals, which are often juiced with all sorts of promises and very few actual control mechanisms (clawbacks, staged or phased subsidies, etc.). I had to snort at Scott Walker's dubbing this the start of a "Wiscon Valley", though. Anyway, soon enough we'll see what the pivot is.
posted by dhartung at 2:14 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Update: I've decided to continue not breathing until Josh Marshall says it's okay
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 2:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Jpfed, I just faxed basically your entire comment to my senators and reps here in Colorado via Resistbot.
posted by deludingmyself at 2:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by deludingmyself at 2:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
(Because I too woke up after diligently trying to sleep during this debacle and now I can't look away holy fuck. Thanks for being here, MeFi. I will eat cake with you.)
posted by deludingmyself at 2:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by deludingmyself at 2:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
i really have to wonder how a debt ceiling is going to be passed by this congress - this horrorshow isn't over, in fact, it's barely begun
posted by pyramid termite at 2:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 2:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Congrats all Americans!
This morning when I woke up I checked the NYTimes first because I couldn't bear the suspense. And I scrolled rather rapidly through the comments here. But when I saw MCCAIN VOTED NO, I was literally moved to tears.
posted by mumimor at 2:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
This morning when I woke up I checked the NYTimes first because I couldn't bear the suspense. And I scrolled rather rapidly through the comments here. But when I saw MCCAIN VOTED NO, I was literally moved to tears.
posted by mumimor at 2:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
"I do think they're going to step up the talk about Foxconn and jobs, as that seems to have struck a mostly cautiously positive chord in the traditional media."
Really? All I've seen is harsh criticism that Wisconsin is paying $1 million per job that pays $54k/year if all the jobs materialize, which nobody thinks they will. I mean a lot of the coverage I've seen has focused on why giving corporations tax breaks is a shitty idea, or how Foxconn got a great deal here and Wisconsin got screwed.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Really? All I've seen is harsh criticism that Wisconsin is paying $1 million per job that pays $54k/year if all the jobs materialize, which nobody thinks they will. I mean a lot of the coverage I've seen has focused on why giving corporations tax breaks is a shitty idea, or how Foxconn got a great deal here and Wisconsin got screwed.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 2:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Russia Today (yeah, I know), is reporting Sanctions retaliation: Russia tells US to cut embassy staff, stop using storage facilities
posted by vac2003 at 3:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Moscow has told the US to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people, and is also halting the use of embassy storage facilities in the capital, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The retaliatory move comes after the US Congress approved new sanctions against Russia.I am not sure how many actual US diplomats need to leave to make the total in Russia 455 but still, game on, I'd say.
“The Russian side is suspending the use of all storage facilities on Dorozhnaya Street in Moscow, and a cottage in Serebryaniy Bor by the US Embassy in Russia as of August 1,” the ministry said in a statement.
The number of US diplomatic service staff in Russia should be reduced to equal the number of Russian diplomats in the US by September 1, Moscow says.
posted by vac2003 at 3:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Well, this is a nice surprise to wake up to.
I wonder how vulnerable senators such as Heller and Capito feel about McConnell this morning, as their fingerprints are now on the murder weapon, while McCain gets to bask in -- for once deserved -- adulation for his "maverick" stance.
posted by Gelatin at 3:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
I wonder how vulnerable senators such as Heller and Capito feel about McConnell this morning, as their fingerprints are now on the murder weapon, while McCain gets to bask in -- for once deserved -- adulation for his "maverick" stance.
posted by Gelatin at 3:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Moscow has told the US to reduce the number of its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people, and is also halting the use of embassy storage facilities in the capital, according to the Russian Foreign Ministry. The retaliatory move comes after the US Congress approved new sanctions against Russia.
Well, maybe it doesn't matter so much to the Trump administration:
The Desperation of Our Diplomats NYTimes OP-ED / Roger Cohen describes a situation similar to the one at the Department of Energy, which has it's own thread over here. Even if Congress imposes stronger sanctions on Russia, the Russians are still winning every single day as long as the Trump administration continues to dismantle US government.
posted by mumimor at 3:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Well, maybe it doesn't matter so much to the Trump administration:
The Desperation of Our Diplomats NYTimes OP-ED / Roger Cohen describes a situation similar to the one at the Department of Energy, which has it's own thread over here. Even if Congress imposes stronger sanctions on Russia, the Russians are still winning every single day as long as the Trump administration continues to dismantle US government.
posted by mumimor at 3:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Holy shit. I was not expecting to wake up to this news.
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 3:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
You guys. Last night, when they were about to start voting, I forced myself off the internet because it was too scary to watch. Like the electoral maps from November, but with more foreboding. So nauseated and angry I couldn't talk to my family at dinner.
Out the corner of my eye and on the edge of the browser I see 400ish new comments on Thread ("hmm, that's a lot of comments over an expected Yes vote but maybe there's a new scandal of the day...") but exercise a very rare bout of self-discipline and resist loading Thread. Instead I install updates...because how often do we get a chance to walk away from Thread? And I do my damnedest to load up only escapist, soothing, non-news websites--but then YouTube automatically reloads in a forgotten tab on my restarted browser and reveals the trending spoiler. WHAT? But YAY?!?!
I agree with the commenters above who are wondering about further GOP repeal attempts, the full implications, why, etc, but that this is a moment to pause and bask. And bake.
PS: The Browder testimony linked above was a very intriguing watch (and a good way to fill the time avoiding healthcare news). It fills out the context of the meeting(s) with the Russian lawyer(s), Putin's motives, the background of the Magnitsky Act...now it seems way less random that the subject of the meeting was adoptions.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 4:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Out the corner of my eye and on the edge of the browser I see 400ish new comments on Thread ("hmm, that's a lot of comments over an expected Yes vote but maybe there's a new scandal of the day...") but exercise a very rare bout of self-discipline and resist loading Thread. Instead I install updates...because how often do we get a chance to walk away from Thread? And I do my damnedest to load up only escapist, soothing, non-news websites--but then YouTube automatically reloads in a forgotten tab on my restarted browser and reveals the trending spoiler. WHAT? But YAY?!?!
I agree with the commenters above who are wondering about further GOP repeal attempts, the full implications, why, etc, but that this is a moment to pause and bask. And bake.
PS: The Browder testimony linked above was a very intriguing watch (and a good way to fill the time avoiding healthcare news). It fills out the context of the meeting(s) with the Russian lawyer(s), Putin's motives, the background of the Magnitsky Act...now it seems way less random that the subject of the meeting was adoptions.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 4:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Re: McCain's vote - even a stopped clock tells the right time once, maybe twice a career.
posted by the painkiller at 4:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by the painkiller at 4:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
THERE ARE NO WORDS
FOR HOW GOOD IT FEELS TO WAKE UP AT 6 AM
BECAUSE YOUR CANCER-SURVIVOR SPOUSE WHO
IS EXCITEDLY TELLING YOU THAT WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, MCCAIN STONE-COLD MURDERED THE ACA REPEAL BILL
AND THAT BECAUSE HE VOTED FOR THE MTP, THEY CAN'T BRING IT UP AGAIN IN 2017
AND THAT, TO BOOT, SAID CANCER SURVIVOR SPOUSE IS GOING DOWNSTAIRS TO GET THE KID WHO IS SOMEHOW AWAKE AT THIS HOUR
I JUST
posted by joyceanmachine at 4:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [185 favorites]
FOR HOW GOOD IT FEELS TO WAKE UP AT 6 AM
BECAUSE YOUR CANCER-SURVIVOR SPOUSE WHO
IS EXCITEDLY TELLING YOU THAT WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING, MCCAIN STONE-COLD MURDERED THE ACA REPEAL BILL
AND THAT BECAUSE HE VOTED FOR THE MTP, THEY CAN'T BRING IT UP AGAIN IN 2017
AND THAT, TO BOOT, SAID CANCER SURVIVOR SPOUSE IS GOING DOWNSTAIRS TO GET THE KID WHO IS SOMEHOW AWAKE AT THIS HOUR
I JUST
posted by joyceanmachine at 4:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [185 favorites]
It's not so much that our elected officials are less insane this morning. It's more that, sometimes insanity goes so far off the edge of the map that it circles back around on itself and becomes a distorted semblance of sanity.
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:13 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by CheesesOfBrazil at 4:13 AM on July 28, 2017
> "AND THAT BECAUSE HE VOTED FOR THE MTP, THEY CAN'T BRING IT UP AGAIN IN 2017"
Wait. Really? That's a thing?
Because ... whoa, that would explain A WHOLE LOT!
posted by kyrademon at 4:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
Wait. Really? That's a thing?
Because ... whoa, that would explain A WHOLE LOT!
posted by kyrademon at 4:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
Really? All I've seen is harsh criticism that Wisconsin is paying $1 million per job that pays $54k/year if all the jobs materialize, which nobody thinks they will. I mean a lot of the coverage I've seen has focused on why giving corporations tax breaks is a shitty idea, or how Foxconn got a great deal here and Wisconsin got screwed.
I'm also hearing about this:
How Foxconn’s broken pledges in Pennsylvania cast doubt on Trump’s jobs plan (WaPo, Todd C. Frankel)
and this:
The New Wisconsin Foxconn Plant Will Probably Be Staffed By Robots—if It Ever Gets Built (Slate, April Glaser)
posted by Room 641-A at 4:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
I'm also hearing about this:
How Foxconn’s broken pledges in Pennsylvania cast doubt on Trump’s jobs plan (WaPo, Todd C. Frankel)
and this:
The New Wisconsin Foxconn Plant Will Probably Be Staffed By Robots—if It Ever Gets Built (Slate, April Glaser)
posted by Room 641-A at 4:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
*Wakes up to 400 new comments* Huh?
posted by Melismata at 4:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Melismata at 4:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hey Toomey you fucking bastard
How are you this morning
posted by angrycat at 4:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
How are you this morning
posted by angrycat at 4:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
Senate rules are utterly impenetrable, often self-referential, and lead to ridiculous behaviour.
I am probably wrong about this, as I'm a Wombat.
What was defeated today was an amendment to the original bill. The bill itself was not defeated. Any senator could propose a new amendment, and if Yertle McTurtle chooses, that amendment could be put to a vote.
However, because Yertle voted for the amendment that failed, he can't introduce the same amendment again.
I think that Senate rules would allow this foetid stench of a bill to be scraped from the floor and tossed back into the mix.
However, politically it would be almost impossible. With three republicans voting against Yertle's version, re-opening it would be farcical. Firstly, the Democratic senators could start tossing daft shaming amendments around again, and - more importantly - it would probably push the bill out of reconciliation, requiring 60 votes.
Because the Senate rules are so mindgibberingly byzantine, it's not impossible to imagine some ghastly horror emerging once again, but the most likely outcome is Ted Cruz taking over once McConnell is ousted.
Then they'll try to smash through some tax cuts, and run into the debt ceiling.
As I say, I'm a largely herbivorous antipodean, but I think the next steps will be: McConnell replaced by Cruz, another debacle of a bill to slash taxes on the rich, then the drama will move to the House when the Teahadis hold the nation to ransom over the debt ceiling.
Going to be a wild ride in congress from now to December, even without the Executive spiraling into a self-destructive rampage.
I'm going back to my burrow now. It's nice in there
posted by Combat Wombat at 4:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [44 favorites]
I am probably wrong about this, as I'm a Wombat.
What was defeated today was an amendment to the original bill. The bill itself was not defeated. Any senator could propose a new amendment, and if Yertle McTurtle chooses, that amendment could be put to a vote.
However, because Yertle voted for the amendment that failed, he can't introduce the same amendment again.
I think that Senate rules would allow this foetid stench of a bill to be scraped from the floor and tossed back into the mix.
However, politically it would be almost impossible. With three republicans voting against Yertle's version, re-opening it would be farcical. Firstly, the Democratic senators could start tossing daft shaming amendments around again, and - more importantly - it would probably push the bill out of reconciliation, requiring 60 votes.
Because the Senate rules are so mindgibberingly byzantine, it's not impossible to imagine some ghastly horror emerging once again, but the most likely outcome is Ted Cruz taking over once McConnell is ousted.
Then they'll try to smash through some tax cuts, and run into the debt ceiling.
As I say, I'm a largely herbivorous antipodean, but I think the next steps will be: McConnell replaced by Cruz, another debacle of a bill to slash taxes on the rich, then the drama will move to the House when the Teahadis hold the nation to ransom over the debt ceiling.
Going to be a wild ride in congress from now to December, even without the Executive spiraling into a self-destructive rampage.
I'm going back to my burrow now. It's nice in there
posted by Combat Wombat at 4:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [44 favorites]
It's not entirely appropriate to say it's a good feeling to wake up in the morning and find out you didn't die in a fire during the night, but I'll take it.
posted by yhbc at 4:33 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by yhbc at 4:33 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
I will eat ten hats. I will wear a cake as a hat and then eat it. I will feed my own head to a cake-shaped carnivorous hat....
posted by Behemoth at 7:09 PM on July 25
I'll do the second one now and the others in two weeks.
posted by Behemoth at 4:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
posted by Behemoth at 7:09 PM on July 25
I'll do the second one now and the others in two weeks.
posted by Behemoth at 4:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
Never has a site made hat-eating so delicious and delightful...!
MeFi, I love you! Never change.
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 4:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
MeFi, I love you! Never change.
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 4:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
I did a little research to see how McCain earned the Maverick nickname. Found enough articles to make a weighty FPP, but also found no compelling reason. The idea that made the most sense was that the media made up the nickname, and it stuck.
Also, his little statement after voting no suggested to me that he was most opposed to breaking the process and doing everything in secret.
Whatever. Still worth it to see him wipe the smirk off McConnell's face.
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Also, his little statement after voting no suggested to me that he was most opposed to breaking the process and doing everything in secret.
Whatever. Still worth it to see him wipe the smirk off McConnell's face.
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
I bet 100 internet fun bucks Trump didn't write that last tweet and that his phone is currently hidden away by Ivanka in Spicers old office refrigerator.
posted by PenDevil at 4:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 4:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Re: Russia sanctions
CNBC, 7/28/17: Russia hits back over sanctions, orders US diplomats to leave
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 4:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
CNBC, 7/28/17: Russia hits back over sanctions, orders US diplomats to leave
Russia told the United States on Friday that some of its diplomats had to leave the country in just over a month and said it was seizing some U.S. diplomatic property as retaliation for what it said were proposed illegal U.S. sanctions....Also I missed before that the only two Senators to vote against the sanctions were Bernie Sanders and Rand Paul (source: WaPo Daily 202).
The Russian Foreign Ministry said on Friday that the United States had until Sept. 1 to reduce its diplomatic staff in Russia to 455 people, the same number of Russian diplomats it said were left in the United States after Washington expelled 35 Russians in December.
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 4:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Sanders voted against because there are a bunch of Iran sanctions included in the bill.
posted by PenDevil at 4:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 4:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
What an unexpected, delightful thing to wake up to.
I was flipping between MeFi and political twitter until about midnight, then decided a decent night's sleep was more important than another couple hours of live-action anger and despair. I'm glad I'm not exhausted, and I'm super happy that today I'm not trying to figure out how to absorb higher premiums into next year's budget (would probably mean we would not be able to afford to get a dog), but I wish I could have seen the look of disappointment on Mitch's ugly mug in real time.
posted by chaoticgood at 4:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I was flipping between MeFi and political twitter until about midnight, then decided a decent night's sleep was more important than another couple hours of live-action anger and despair. I'm glad I'm not exhausted, and I'm super happy that today I'm not trying to figure out how to absorb higher premiums into next year's budget (would probably mean we would not be able to afford to get a dog), but I wish I could have seen the look of disappointment on Mitch's ugly mug in real time.
posted by chaoticgood at 4:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
thanks obama
posted by localhuman at 4:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [111 favorites]
posted by localhuman at 4:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [111 favorites]
So some credit to the Democrats is due here; I'm not sure that I would have ever thought that the party would be this organized and unified against Trump and the Republicans. I was certain that someone on the left side of the aisle would cave and support this garbage in the name of bipartisanship or some other nonsense.
posted by octothorpe at 5:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [51 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 5:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [51 favorites]
In case anybody needs the Jim Ross commentary on McCain's vote, here it is (because I sure-as-shit needed it).
posted by uncleozzy at 5:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 5:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
The Russia sanctions bill will become law, veto or no. If Putin wants Trump to sign the bill, it is because he is aware of this fact. If Putin wants Trump to veto the bill, it is because he wants to further destabilize American democracy even at the cost of further undermining his golden boy's questionable authority.
I guess we'll find out...
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I guess we'll find out...
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Cryptic calls, lip-reading and a thumbs-down: Behind McCain's dramatic vote
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 5:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 5:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Instead of an Obamacare Repeal bill, Trump will now find a veto-proof Russian sanctions bill on his desk. Glorious. Good work, everyone.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
From the Cryptic calls piece above:
Shortly before the roll call began to be called, McCain briefly stepped out of the Senate chamber.posted by ZeusHumms at 5:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
Reporters would later learn that McCain spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump off of the Senate floor. The President tried -- with no success -- to change McCain's mind.
A reminder, for those thanking John McCain, that he only did it because McConnell's "pass something, anything, just shut up and say Aye" flailing and Ryan's clear desire to let the Senate eat the blame were too much of a farce for even him. Had this been a more normalized battle between tax cuts and human welfare, he would've Ayed tax cuts 100 times out of 100.
Graham and Johnson, for instance, are case studies in pretending to have shreds of compassion and then yanking the football back when ordered. Likewise for Capito and Heller, who burned off all traces of goodwill from earlier in this circus.
So kudos to you, John. This is my Inigo Montoya "...you did something right!" surprised voice. But let's not start Bannonizing our own genitals just yet. When the stakes are high and the bill up for vote is merely evil instead of cartoonishly and embarrassingly evil, impress me then.
posted by delfin at 5:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [73 favorites]
Graham and Johnson, for instance, are case studies in pretending to have shreds of compassion and then yanking the football back when ordered. Likewise for Capito and Heller, who burned off all traces of goodwill from earlier in this circus.
So kudos to you, John. This is my Inigo Montoya "...you did something right!" surprised voice. But let's not start Bannonizing our own genitals just yet. When the stakes are high and the bill up for vote is merely evil instead of cartoonishly and embarrassingly evil, impress me then.
posted by delfin at 5:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [73 favorites]
Bannonizing our own genitals
You owe me a mouthful of coffee, delfin.
posted by lalochezia at 5:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
You owe me a mouthful of coffee, delfin.
posted by lalochezia at 5:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
The President tried -- with no success -- to change McCain's mind.
Did he, now. More likely he just ranted something about how his co-workers are picking on him which interferes with his golf game.
posted by Melismata at 5:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Did he, now. More likely he just ranted something about how his co-workers are picking on him which interferes with his golf game.
posted by Melismata at 5:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
The one saving grace of this administration so far seems to be, that besides threats, they don't have the finesse to bring about their agenda.
posted by drezdn at 5:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 5:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Reporters would later learn that McCain spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump off of the Senate floor. The President tried -- with no success -- to change McCain's mind.
Huh, the WaPo piece claims that he left the floor to confer (again) with Pence. This is much better (and funnier) if true. Can you imagine the apoplexy on the other end of the phone when McCain told him to get stuffed?
I really hate that this is all about McCain when Murkowski and Collins were committed from the start, but I guess revenge is always interesting.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Huh, the WaPo piece claims that he left the floor to confer (again) with Pence. This is much better (and funnier) if true. Can you imagine the apoplexy on the other end of the phone when McCain told him to get stuffed?
I really hate that this is all about McCain when Murkowski and Collins were committed from the start, but I guess revenge is always interesting.
posted by uncleozzy at 5:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
finesse
"Coked-up bull in china shop attempts neurosurgery. "
That is the level of disparity between sub-thought and deed of this bunch of chucklefucks.
posted by lalochezia at 5:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
"Coked-up bull in china shop attempts neurosurgery. "
That is the level of disparity between sub-thought and deed of this bunch of chucklefucks.
posted by lalochezia at 5:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Wow, I actually had a dream about this whole thing last night. I dreamt that Medicare had been reduced to basically this scam, like the fake life insurance offers you get in the mail, and that there was basically no insurance anywhere in the land anymore and I was all "oh my god, how will I ever get medical care again". And then I wake up and it isn't true.
On an individual "write the biography" level, sure, I am glad that McCain is a complicated enough person to have some human decency left at the bitter end. In that way, like the bad guy who makes the dramatic turn at the last moment in the last act, he's a hero.
From a strategic standpoint, it seems clear that mass pressure on everyone to make this very contentious, difficult and an unworkable bill seems like it's really what is key.
posted by Frowner at 5:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
On an individual "write the biography" level, sure, I am glad that McCain is a complicated enough person to have some human decency left at the bitter end. In that way, like the bad guy who makes the dramatic turn at the last moment in the last act, he's a hero.
From a strategic standpoint, it seems clear that mass pressure on everyone to make this very contentious, difficult and an unworkable bill seems like it's really what is key.
posted by Frowner at 5:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
His bullying of Sen. Murkowski ended up being, ah, counterproductive:
THE BIG IDEA: President Trump’s attacks on Republican senators are finally catching up with him, and Lisa Murkowski will not be bullied. (James Hohmann, WaPo)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
THE BIG IDEA: President Trump’s attacks on Republican senators are finally catching up with him, and Lisa Murkowski will not be bullied. (James Hohmann, WaPo)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
Murkowski is a fucking hero.
posted by Melismata at 5:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [77 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 5:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [77 favorites]
but the most likely outcome is Ted Cruz taking over once McConnell is ousted.
Ted Cruz is the most hated man in the Senate. Never gonna happen.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Ted Cruz is the most hated man in the Senate. Never gonna happen.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Trump should threaten her some more, that's been a great strategy.
posted by leotrotsky at 5:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 5:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Maybe the real hero is the GOP primary voter because any of the other candidates would have gotten this through including Ben Carson
posted by shothotbot at 5:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by shothotbot at 5:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
From the link Barack Spinoza posted of James Hohmann at the Washington Post:
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [139 favorites]
Nevertheless, Murkowski persisted. In fact, she took it one step further and demonstrated that she has more leverage over Zinke than he has over her. As chairman of the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee, Murkowski indefinitely postponed a nominations markup that the Interior Department badly wants.*KISSES FINGERS*
This demonstrated the degree to which Zinke’s ham-handed phone call was political malpractice. The secretary, or whoever at the White House ordered him to make the calls, clearly doesn’t understand the awesome power that comes with being the chairman of a Senate committee. Only an amateur would threaten the person who has oversight over his agency! If she wants, Murkowski can make Zinke’s life so unbelievably miserable. He has no idea. (The Interior Department did not respond to requests for comment.)
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [139 favorites]
Maybe the real hero is the friends we made along the way.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
It is gratifyingly hilarious to watch the Senate GOP devour itself now that it has to govern, not just Monday morning quarterback about what they WOULD do if mean Obama weren't preventing it. They're the political equivalent of drunk Steelers fans.
What's the version of "All hat no cattle" for McConnell? All shell no turtle?
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
What's the version of "All hat no cattle" for McConnell? All shell no turtle?
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 5:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
The one saving grace of this administration so far seems to be, that besides threats, they don't have the finesse to bring about their agenda.
The White House's only trick is ridiculously heavy-handed threats, while McConnell and Ryan seem to have nothing but transparent "we'll fix it in post!" lies. Way to go, guys.
And re: the Murkowski story Barack Spinoza linked, it bears mentioning all the fucking time how badly they misplayed their hand with her. Nobody in the GOP caucus owes less to the Republican Party than Lisa Murkowski; they should be kissing her feet for not switching to Independent after 2010, and they think they have leverage over her? Good Lord, these idiots.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
The White House's only trick is ridiculously heavy-handed threats, while McConnell and Ryan seem to have nothing but transparent "we'll fix it in post!" lies. Way to go, guys.
And re: the Murkowski story Barack Spinoza linked, it bears mentioning all the fucking time how badly they misplayed their hand with her. Nobody in the GOP caucus owes less to the Republican Party than Lisa Murkowski; they should be kissing her feet for not switching to Independent after 2010, and they think they have leverage over her? Good Lord, these idiots.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 5:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
> His bullying of Sen. Murkowski ended up being, ah, counterproductive:
From the link: "Nevertheless, Murkowski persisted."
posted by rtha at 5:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
From the link: "Nevertheless, Murkowski persisted."
posted by rtha at 5:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
More like "all turtle no shell".
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Man, I miss Obama. I disagreed with and protested a number of his policies, but you could go to sleep at night without wondering if the country would be in one piece the next day.
posted by Frowner at 5:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [77 favorites]
posted by Frowner at 5:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [77 favorites]
Mitch retracts his head into his carapace and lets himself sink down into the silt, reduced to comforting himself with the silver lining of being able to breathe underwater through his asshole
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Why the Senate's Obamacare Repeal Failed (Perry Bacon Jr., FiveThirtyEight)
1. McCain and McConnell
2. The process
3. The policy
4. The Resistance
5. The Republicans' internal division
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
1. McCain and McConnell
2. The process
3. The policy
4. The Resistance
5. The Republicans' internal division
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
they should be kissing her feet for not switching to Independent after 2010, and they think they have leverage over her?
The R's may have refused to recognize her seniority on the Energy Committee unless she kept the R in front of AK, so she stayed in order to be the Chairman if they ever re-took the Senate.
Eight years later, it gave her the leverage to say FUCK YOU to Zinke on health care repeal.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
The R's may have refused to recognize her seniority on the Energy Committee unless she kept the R in front of AK, so she stayed in order to be the Chairman if they ever re-took the Senate.
Eight years later, it gave her the leverage to say FUCK YOU to Zinke on health care repeal.
posted by joyceanmachine at 5:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
So some credit to the Democrats is due here; I'm not sure that I would have ever thought that the party would be this organized and unified against Trump and the Republicans. I was certain that someone on the left side of the aisle would cave and support this garbage in the name of bipartisanship or some other nonsense.
Absolutely! *tosses Dems a cookie*
But you know who's responsible for that, dare I say it?, party discipline: you. And you. And you. And you. And all of youse. In January, the base said "Resist!" and kept saying it, and it was heard. (For now.)
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [64 favorites]
Absolutely! *tosses Dems a cookie*
But you know who's responsible for that, dare I say it?, party discipline: you. And you. And you. And you. And all of youse. In January, the base said "Resist!" and kept saying it, and it was heard. (For now.)
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [64 favorites]
For those of you worried about what happens when McCain retires, it's not so horrible. First, the vote will be 50-49 against until he gets replaced. And the governor in AZ has repeatedly said he is against repeal of almost any kind, so he will find someone to appoint who agrees with him on that. Maybe even himself.
posted by Glibpaxman at 5:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Glibpaxman at 5:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
In the end, John McCain decided to skip the meatloaf.
posted by darkstar at 5:54 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 5:54 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
Yeah, it's easy for people with Democratic senators and representatives to feel left out of the resistance, but I think it's having a bigger effect on Democrats than on most Republicans. I don't think very many Dems think that mealy-mouthed compromise is a good strategy in the current political environment.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 5:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
The R's may have refused to recognize her seniority on the Energy Committee unless she kept the R in front of AK, so she stayed in order to be the Chairman if they ever re-took the Senate.
Wouldn't be that big of a deal for her to keep seniority in exchange for voting McConnell as leader -- the left-wing equivalent is how Bernie Sanders is the top-ranking "Democrat" on the Senate Budget Committee.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Wouldn't be that big of a deal for her to keep seniority in exchange for voting McConnell as leader -- the left-wing equivalent is how Bernie Sanders is the top-ranking "Democrat" on the Senate Budget Committee.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm shocked. Thrilled, but shocked. Wow. WOW.
I've been waiting for a good occasion to make a classic Hummingbird Cake, which has Southern origins and won the Kentucky State Fair in 1978.
This one's for you, Mitch McConnell. I'm going to eat it while watching your sad sack speech over and over and over until all that's left are crumbs on a cake stand.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
I've been waiting for a good occasion to make a classic Hummingbird Cake, which has Southern origins and won the Kentucky State Fair in 1978.
This one's for you, Mitch McConnell. I'm going to eat it while watching your sad sack speech over and over and over until all that's left are crumbs on a cake stand.
posted by rachaelfaith at 6:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Man, I'm tired. Long night, few hours of sleep. It's a measure of just how mercilessly fucked-up and traumatizing this year is that a tiny little probably short-term reprieve from the awfulness can produce such an outsize sense of (temporary) relief. There's plenty to worry and be upset about, but I don't have to fret about this one particular thing for a little while, and for one day, the biggest issue immediately looming is what type of cake I'm buying today.
(I still hate McCain's "watch the show" bullshit, though. That was cruel beyond belief to all the folks waiting second by second to find out if they would be insured today.)
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
(I still hate McCain's "watch the show" bullshit, though. That was cruel beyond belief to all the folks waiting second by second to find out if they would be insured today.)
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
I know the focus is on McCain but I just need to say: THANK THE UNIVERSE FOR WOMEN IN POLITICS! MORE PLEASE! Also a fun fact that I recently learned from a friend - EMILY in "EMILY's List" stands for: "Early Money Is Like Yeast" (It helps raise dough). I know the conversation of what makes a representative, who is best to represent, etc. is a complex one AND I am having a simple moment of gratitude right now.
posted by anya32 at 6:12 AM on July 28, 2017 [81 favorites]
posted by anya32 at 6:12 AM on July 28, 2017 [81 favorites]
I'm feeling pretty good this morning about how Trump is starting his day with no Obamacare repeal and a veto proof Russian sanctions bill on his desk.
posted by Fleebnork at 6:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by Fleebnork at 6:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [33 favorites]
Mo Brooks was on CNN this morning calling for McConnell to be replaced. That would be the best revenge of all. His biographer said his greatest desire was to be Majorly Leader and he's had just 6 months.
It is interesting how being out of power has united the Dems while being in power is fracturing the Republicans.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
It is interesting how being out of power has united the Dems while being in power is fracturing the Republicans.
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I know I'm late in saying this after the fact, but I kind of suspected McCain would do this all along. What is argued back and forth about McCain being maverick is really: erratic, full of himself, high drama. And this vote fulfilled all three of those.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
I know this is extremely old news as it happened yesterday, but I want to congratulate Mr. Levenson for this little kick in his article about trump's Boy Scouts speech:
"..."Who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts," he said, continuing to speak about politics".
It's the little things that give me joy nowadays.
posted by Tarumba at 6:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
"..."Who the hell wants to speak about politics when I'm in front of the Boy Scouts," he said, continuing to speak about politics".
It's the little things that give me joy nowadays.
posted by Tarumba at 6:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
So McCain could have signaled his intent earlier in the day (or even once the text of the bill was released but he has to have seen it before the public) but didn't for maximum humiliation to Trump and McConnell, right?
posted by shothotbot at 6:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by shothotbot at 6:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
> Man, I'm tired. Long night, few hours of sleep.
Last night I went to see A Tribe Called Red (Electric powwow, y'all!) and I danced my feet off while also somehow anxiously refreshing feeds on my phone and christ I'm so exhausted this morning.
posted by rtha at 6:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Last night I went to see A Tribe Called Red (Electric powwow, y'all!) and I danced my feet off while also somehow anxiously refreshing feeds on my phone and christ I'm so exhausted this morning.
posted by rtha at 6:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
> It is interesting how being out of power has united the Dems while being in power is fracturing the Republicans.
"You know, Homer, it's very easy to criticize!"
"Fun, too!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
"You know, Homer, it's very easy to criticize!"
"Fun, too!"
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Adam Serwer/The Atlantic: The Limits of Bullying
Trump’s opponents have often been accused of naïveté for their appeals to norms and civility. But early Friday morning, at least, that faith was rewarded.posted by ZeusHumms at 6:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
1. McCain and McConnell
...still weren't getting on well
In D.C., you know where that's at
Ain't nobody getting fat
'Cept from eating hat
posted by Sys Rq at 6:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
...still weren't getting on well
In D.C., you know where that's at
Ain't nobody getting fat
'Cept from eating hat
posted by Sys Rq at 6:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
Adam Serwer/The Atlantic: The Limits of Bullying
Favorited sight unseen for the title alone.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Favorited sight unseen for the title alone.
posted by A Terrible Llama at 6:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
His biographer said his greatest desire was to be Majorly Leader and he's had just 6 months.
He's been Majority Leader since January 2015.
posted by Etrigan at 6:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
He's been Majority Leader since January 2015.
posted by Etrigan at 6:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
So McCain could have signaled his intent earlier in the day (or even once the text of the bill was released but he has to have seen it before the public) but didn't for maximum humiliation to Trump and McConnell, right?
I don't think it was to humiliate them as much as to garner praise and attention on himself. He's a grandstander, he loves the spotlight. Witness the speech he gave the night before about how the whole process was terrible (after voting for the process), to media praise. Then his little press conference stunt with Graham and the others. Then literally responding to questions on how he would vote with "Just watch the show." Then leaving the room before his name was called, so he could stride in, dramatically hold his arm out like Marcus Aurelius before finally giving the thumbs down (to some poliite applause but not as much as he was hoping).
All staged so he could be praised as the hero in the media today, while Collins and Murkowski are relegated to footnotes. So yeah, thanks for helping hill the bill, McCain, but you're still a garbage human.
posted by Roommate at 6:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [52 favorites]
I don't think it was to humiliate them as much as to garner praise and attention on himself. He's a grandstander, he loves the spotlight. Witness the speech he gave the night before about how the whole process was terrible (after voting for the process), to media praise. Then his little press conference stunt with Graham and the others. Then literally responding to questions on how he would vote with "Just watch the show." Then leaving the room before his name was called, so he could stride in, dramatically hold his arm out like Marcus Aurelius before finally giving the thumbs down (to some poliite applause but not as much as he was hoping).
All staged so he could be praised as the hero in the media today, while Collins and Murkowski are relegated to footnotes. So yeah, thanks for helping hill the bill, McCain, but you're still a garbage human.
posted by Roommate at 6:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [52 favorites]
I went to bed too early last night - and I had nothing but stress dreams and bad sleep. It's amazing to wake up to GOOD news. I'll catch up on good sleep tonight. :-)
posted by Elly Vortex at 6:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Elly Vortex at 6:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also a fun fact that I recently learned from a friend - EMILY in "EMILY's List" stands for: "Early Money Is Like Yeast" (It helps raise dough).
Obligatory WW
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Obligatory WW
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
I for one am looking forward to Scaramucci's sure to be measured and thoughtful analysis of this turn of events.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Oh Metafilter, you and your "You hit your favorite limit for the day. ". You know once I get them back in coming right back here and blowing them all at once.
posted by Artw at 6:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [53 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [53 favorites]
As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal.
Actually what you said was, "We will immediately repeal and replace ObamaCare - and nobody can do that like me."
And you said it lots of times.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [45 favorites]
Artw - do you need to have an intervention? Because admitting you have a problem is your first step.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
...coming right back here and blowing them all at once.
There's a Bannon joke right there for the taking.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:33 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
There's a Bannon joke right there for the taking.
posted by leotrotsky at 6:33 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
dying from lack of health insurance in the next few years.
A lack of INSURANCE isn't an issue - a lack of proper health care is. You can't get access to most drugs without the blessing of a government backed person with the title of Doctor. (or some title) You can't get accurate pricing on the cost of access to one of these government blessed title holders. You can't see the pricing on the drugs you may need because the lack of price transparency leads to the obscene profits of the drug makers. The unknowable price situation leads to people deciding that they need some 3rd party to offer price stability via insurance.
A clever Democratic senator should take the above, cite how unknown costs existed for car repairs and now car repair needs transparent pricing along with fixed quotes and say "why not a knowable market for healthcare" Rand Paul's should have a hard time voting "no" on such a 'free market' idea.
posted by rough ashlar at 6:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
A lack of INSURANCE isn't an issue - a lack of proper health care is. You can't get access to most drugs without the blessing of a government backed person with the title of Doctor. (or some title) You can't get accurate pricing on the cost of access to one of these government blessed title holders. You can't see the pricing on the drugs you may need because the lack of price transparency leads to the obscene profits of the drug makers. The unknowable price situation leads to people deciding that they need some 3rd party to offer price stability via insurance.
A clever Democratic senator should take the above, cite how unknown costs existed for car repairs and now car repair needs transparent pricing along with fixed quotes and say "why not a knowable market for healthcare" Rand Paul's should have a hard time voting "no" on such a 'free market' idea.
posted by rough ashlar at 6:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Sorry I'm a bit sleepy. Should have said McConnell has had 6 months of Majority Leadership under a Republican President This should be his time of ultimate power but it's not going very well, is it?
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Secret Life of Gravy at 6:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Opened the thread this morning and shrieked out loud, 695 NEW COMMENTS?!
Despite our low carb diet, we do have some cake frozen that will be consumed this evening along with a bottle of nice rose I've been saving. CAKEY. CAKE. CAKE.
But not until after I write thank you letters to the trio of No's from the R side of the aisle.
Here's to a refill of the resistance tanks for the next rounds.
posted by yoga at 6:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Despite our low carb diet, we do have some cake frozen that will be consumed this evening along with a bottle of nice rose I've been saving. CAKEY. CAKE. CAKE.
But not until after I write thank you letters to the trio of No's from the R side of the aisle.
Here's to a refill of the resistance tanks for the next rounds.
posted by yoga at 6:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
@govmikehuckabee Time to repeal 17th Amendment. Founders had it right-Senators chosen by state legislatures. Will work for their states and respect 10th amid
posted by Artw at 6:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Insurance isn't there primarily for price stability, but to manage one's financial risk. Even if costs were totally transparent, any individual would never necessarily know what their future medical costs will be.
Insurance, however funded and delivered, makes these risks predictable by pooling them.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Insurance, however funded and delivered, makes these risks predictable by pooling them.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
@govmikehuckabee Time to repeal 17th Amendment. Founders had it right-Senators chosen by state legislatures. Will work for their states and respect 10th amid
This is funnier than any of the "jokes" he thinks he's been telling.
posted by Etrigan at 6:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
This is funnier than any of the "jokes" he thinks he's been telling.
posted by Etrigan at 6:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
More Failure Friday fun from The Hill:
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
"I feel much more confident that we're going to stick the landing on tax reform because we have now said we have consensus, here's the framework, let's go get it done," [Paul] Ryan told Maria Bartiromo in an interview that aired on Fox Business Friday.Is there such a thing as popcorn cake? (I mean actual cake, not those crunchy things in a bag.)
"There's not a complete consensus on how best to do healthcare reform," he said. "On tax reform, we have that consensus."
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
You know what my neighborhood needs? A cake truck. Just driving around after dinner playing Turkey in the Straw sellin' cakes. I have a busy day today, but I could squeeze in a little time to stand on the curb and buy cake. I think the ice cream man should consider diversifying. He'd be surprised what a sudden demand for cake there is!
posted by Biblio at 6:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Biblio at 6:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
What I mean is that while I agree with the overall point (ffs, helping people navigate the insurance system so they can be connected to care is my day job), the concept of insurance, itself, is not bad.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:42 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:42 AM on July 28, 2017
Just a reminder that Senator Hirono has stage 4 cancer and she was there last night to help her constituents, not play bullshit self-aggrandizing ego games.
She deserves all the adulation. Fuck John McCain.
posted by winna at 6:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [121 favorites]
She deserves all the adulation. Fuck John McCain.
posted by winna at 6:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [121 favorites]
Only an amateur would threaten the person who has oversight over his agency! If she wants, Murkowski can make Zinke’s life so unbelievably miserable.
Come at me bro.
Do not fuck with Alaskan women.
posted by spitbull at 6:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Come at me bro.
Do not fuck with Alaskan women.
posted by spitbull at 6:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
I fear the 2017 writers are setting McCain up for either Redemption Equals Death or Death Equals Redemption, depending on how you look at it. [Warning: both links to TVTropes]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 6:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Song of the Day
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
And yes Sen. Hirono is my new hero out of this.
posted by spitbull at 6:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 6:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Sadly, I suspect the Republicans' tax reform evil will pass relatively easily (compared to their health care flailings). Letting a billionaire shave an extra few percent off of his marginal tax rate - even if the result is aggregately enormous - is more nebulous and less personal to average folks than is screwing around with their health insurance coverage.
posted by darkstar at 6:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 6:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Your vote counts. Every vote can make a difference.
@ASDem:
Random thought I just had: but for a thousand and change voters in New Hampshire, we have a different result tonight. [screenshot of Hassan-Ayotte results, 1,017 votes out of 1.3m]
posted by chris24 at 6:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
@ASDem:
Random thought I just had: but for a thousand and change voters in New Hampshire, we have a different result tonight. [screenshot of Hassan-Ayotte results, 1,017 votes out of 1.3m]
posted by chris24 at 6:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
@govmikehuckabee Time to repeal 17th Amendment. Founders had it right-Senators chosen by state legislatures. Will work for their states and respect 10th amid
Oh, Mike "[the] Dred Scott decision of 1857 still remains to this day the law of the land" Huckabee is playing with constitutional law again!
Good idea, Mike. Surely amending the Constitution will be far easier than passing a piece of legislation when you control all three branches of government, right?
You only need 3/4 of states of ratify an amendment stripping their constituents of the ability to directly elect senators! Easy!
posted by leotrotsky at 6:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Oh, Mike "[the] Dred Scott decision of 1857 still remains to this day the law of the land" Huckabee is playing with constitutional law again!
Good idea, Mike. Surely amending the Constitution will be far easier than passing a piece of legislation when you control all three branches of government, right?
You only need 3/4 of states of ratify an amendment stripping their constituents of the ability to directly elect senators! Easy!
posted by leotrotsky at 6:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Is it just me, or is saying 'Let Obamacare implode' the political equivalent of shoving a hand grenade up your arse before entering a butt-kicking contest?
I know 45 thinks there are no consequences for failure - in that, he's sort of the anti-NASA. But he's stress-testing his assumptions harder than JPL ever shook, roasted and froze a space probe.
posted by Devonian at 6:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I know 45 thinks there are no consequences for failure - in that, he's sort of the anti-NASA. But he's stress-testing his assumptions harder than JPL ever shook, roasted and froze a space probe.
posted by Devonian at 6:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
@govmikehuckabee Time to repeal 17th Amendment. Founders had it right-Senators chosen by state legislatures. Will work for their states and respect 10th amid
@realDonaldTrump: Mike is SO RIGHT! I hereby REPEAL the 17th AMENDMENT! #MAGA
[fake]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: Mike is SO RIGHT! I hereby REPEAL the 17th AMENDMENT! #MAGA
[fake]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Most folks think tax reform should be easier than health care, because voters are less invested and won't raise hell, but let's wait and see. Once the details emerge, someone is bound to start raising hell.
posted by notyou at 6:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 6:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I know this is playing along with McCain's obnoxious grandstanding, but it's still funny:
Bah Gawd, It's The Rattlesnake! The best part is how after McCain votes, McConnell just stands there perfectly still, staring at the floor for a few seconds before trudging off.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Bah Gawd, It's The Rattlesnake! The best part is how after McCain votes, McConnell just stands there perfectly still, staring at the floor for a few seconds before trudging off.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
@govmikehuckabee Time to repeal 17th Amendment. Founders had it right-Senators chosen by state legislatures. Will work for their states and respect 10th amid
Will repealing the 17th stop his son from being a dog torturer and murderer?
Will repealing the 17th stop him from being friends with a pedo apologist family?
posted by Talez at 6:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Will repealing the 17th stop his son from being a dog torturer and murderer?
Will repealing the 17th stop him from being friends with a pedo apologist family?
posted by Talez at 6:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
I won't bake a cake but if McCain votes no I will buy and eat some chocolate Pinwheel cookies, something I have not done in 10 years because I have no self-control around those damn things.
Welp, Pinwheels here I come.
posted by emjaybee at 6:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Welp, Pinwheels here I come.
posted by emjaybee at 6:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
[Warning: both links to TVTropes]
posted by DevilsAdvocate
There goes my work day
posted by Tarumba at 6:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by DevilsAdvocate
There goes my work day
posted by Tarumba at 6:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
(I still hate McCain's "watch the show" bullshit, though. That was cruel beyond belief to all the folks waiting second by second to find out if they would be insured today.
I don't know if there's anything to this, but upthread someone claimed that the bill passing the motion to proceed and then failing the vote means it's knocked off the calendar for months. If that's the case, McCain's bullshit plays are a bit easier to swallow: he gets out of bed, flies to Washington, and sinks the bill in a way that doesn't give McConnell any way to salvage it this year.
I mean, he votes yes to proceed and then immediately starts ragging on the Republicans for basically cobbling together something shitty instead of having any real policy. He tells Schumer in advance that he's voting no and then entertains Republicans for two hours as they try and change his mind.
I'm wary of suggesting that anyone in politics is playing the long game - McCain, out of nearly everyone, has the least incentive to play the long game - but imagine for a second a world where McCain is increasingly sick of his party's dysfunction and realises in bed that he's got the perfect way to make McConnell and Ryan pay for it.
Not to take away from Collins and Murkowski, of course, who showed the moral courage early that McCain did not have.
posted by Merus at 6:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
I don't know if there's anything to this, but upthread someone claimed that the bill passing the motion to proceed and then failing the vote means it's knocked off the calendar for months. If that's the case, McCain's bullshit plays are a bit easier to swallow: he gets out of bed, flies to Washington, and sinks the bill in a way that doesn't give McConnell any way to salvage it this year.
I mean, he votes yes to proceed and then immediately starts ragging on the Republicans for basically cobbling together something shitty instead of having any real policy. He tells Schumer in advance that he's voting no and then entertains Republicans for two hours as they try and change his mind.
I'm wary of suggesting that anyone in politics is playing the long game - McCain, out of nearly everyone, has the least incentive to play the long game - but imagine for a second a world where McCain is increasingly sick of his party's dysfunction and realises in bed that he's got the perfect way to make McConnell and Ryan pay for it.
Not to take away from Collins and Murkowski, of course, who showed the moral courage early that McCain did not have.
posted by Merus at 6:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
Hirono's Wikipedia biography is amazing. It includes: born in Fukushima, her grandmother was a picture bride, her family working in sugarcane plantations in Hawaii, selling her clothes to buy a train ticket to escape, first Buddhist Senator.
It's nice to pause and reflect that some heroes do go into politics.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [85 favorites]
It's nice to pause and reflect that some heroes do go into politics.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 6:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [85 favorites]
Is it just me, or is saying 'Let Obamacare implode' the political equivalent of shoving a hand grenade up your arse before entering a butt-kicking contest?
The voters Donald most cares about, the ones who will still chant his name him should the Theoretical 5th Avenue Shooting occur, are the people who want Trump to undermine Obama's achievements by any means necessary, regardless of how it affects people's lives. Anyone outside of that small fraction is going to increasingly blame the President for the state of the country he governs, including the things outside of his control, let alone the things which he deliberately sabotages. And they will blame the Republicans who aid him. This basic reality cannot be undone with a slogan or a hat or a tweet.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
The voters Donald most cares about, the ones who will still chant his name him should the Theoretical 5th Avenue Shooting occur, are the people who want Trump to undermine Obama's achievements by any means necessary, regardless of how it affects people's lives. Anyone outside of that small fraction is going to increasingly blame the President for the state of the country he governs, including the things outside of his control, let alone the things which he deliberately sabotages. And they will blame the Republicans who aid him. This basic reality cannot be undone with a slogan or a hat or a tweet.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
@mmurraypolitics
In the end, probably a good dozen Senate Republicans who are relieved it didn't pass.
But only McCain had stature enough to vote NO
The responses to this tweet are pretty fierce. Woman twitter is on fire.
posted by Sophie1 at 6:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
In the end, probably a good dozen Senate Republicans who are relieved it didn't pass.
But only McCain had stature enough to vote NO
The responses to this tweet are pretty fierce. Woman twitter is on fire.
posted by Sophie1 at 6:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
Oh Metafilter, you and your "You hit your favorite limit for the day. ". You know once I get them back in coming right back here and blowing them all at once.
THERE ARE FAVORITE LIMITS???
I'm mortified I've never hit it. I'll do better, fam.
posted by greermahoney at 6:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
THERE ARE FAVORITE LIMITS???
I'm mortified I've never hit it. I'll do better, fam.
posted by greermahoney at 6:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
If Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate, they must immediately go to a 51 vote majority, not senseless 60...
He doesn't even realize this wasn't filibustered and the Rs couldn't even get 51 votes.
posted by Talez at 6:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [114 favorites]
If Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate, they must immediately go to a 51 vote majority, not senseless 60...
He doesn't even realize this wasn't filibustered and the Rs couldn't even get 51 votes.
posted by Talez at 6:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [114 favorites]
I bet 100 internet fun bucks Trump didn't write that last tweet and that his phone is currently hidden away by Ivanka in Spicers old office refrigerator.
He's still using it for the next month as we pay his salary while he looks for his next job.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:01 AM on July 28, 2017
I can't help but assume that McCain's vote was more than a little bit of a fuck you to trump. McCain got his diagnosis and Dems across the board were basically like 'greatest American EVAR.' And trump was like 'don't die dude....cuz we need your vote'.
posted by ian1977 at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by ian1977 at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
FWIW, 40% of female Republican senators voted no. That says something. Heap praise on Maverick, but the courage of these two women is commendable.
Let's all just reflect on the fact that 40% of GOP female senators is 2.
posted by archimago at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [121 favorites]
Let's all just reflect on the fact that 40% of GOP female senators is 2.
posted by archimago at 7:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [121 favorites]
A clever Democratic senator should take the above, cite how unknown costs existed for car repairs and now car repair needs transparent pricing along with fixed quotes and say "why not a knowable market for healthcare" Rand Paul's should have a hard time voting "no" on such a 'free market' idea.
Perhaps you could have a trusted agency who has worked out the costs administer the system and publish the costs, which insurers could use as a baseline for their own negotiations. If they deliver healthcare under these costs, they make a profit! But of course you'd need consumers to also be able to buy healthcare from this agency, so it'd need to offer health insurance.
That could get expensive. Maybe that agency should do the purchasing itself and act as a clearinghouse, making sure there's no need for every hospital to have an arrangement with lots of different providers. That way, you'd have a clear, consumer-friendly,simple free market system, not that terrible socialist single payer system the Canadians have!
Yes sir, no single payer here
posted by Merus at 7:04 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Perhaps you could have a trusted agency who has worked out the costs administer the system and publish the costs, which insurers could use as a baseline for their own negotiations. If they deliver healthcare under these costs, they make a profit! But of course you'd need consumers to also be able to buy healthcare from this agency, so it'd need to offer health insurance.
That could get expensive. Maybe that agency should do the purchasing itself and act as a clearinghouse, making sure there's no need for every hospital to have an arrangement with lots of different providers. That way, you'd have a clear, consumer-friendly,simple free market system, not that terrible socialist single payer system the Canadians have!
Yes sir, no single payer here
posted by Merus at 7:04 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Ari Melber: Anthony Scaramucci is a studio gangster.
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
@govmikehuckabee Time to repeal 17th Amendment.
This idea did not come to Mr. Huckabee out of the blue this morning. ALEC has recently proposed draft legislation for non-binding resolutions supporting a repeal of the 17th. As of a week ago, it was only a proposal — I don't know if it was formally adopted by the group at their recent annual meeting.
The repeal of the 17th Amendment was previously advocated for by the John Birch Society in the 1960s.
posted by compartment at 7:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
This idea did not come to Mr. Huckabee out of the blue this morning. ALEC has recently proposed draft legislation for non-binding resolutions supporting a repeal of the 17th. As of a week ago, it was only a proposal — I don't know if it was formally adopted by the group at their recent annual meeting.
The repeal of the 17th Amendment was previously advocated for by the John Birch Society in the 1960s.
posted by compartment at 7:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Let's all just reflect on the fact that 40% of GOP female senators is 2.
Also, 100% of the women on the Republican Senate healthcare working group are 9ft tall.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Also, 100% of the women on the Republican Senate healthcare working group are 9ft tall.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
FWIW, 40% of female Republican senators voted no. That says something. Heap praise on Maverick, but the courage of these two women is commendable.
Let's all just reflect on the fact that 40% of GOP female senators is 2.
This is why at my day job I spend an enormous amount of time trying to educate people that percentages without scale context are MEANINGLESS.
posted by winna at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Let's all just reflect on the fact that 40% of GOP female senators is 2.
This is why at my day job I spend an enormous amount of time trying to educate people that percentages without scale context are MEANINGLESS.
posted by winna at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Bah Gawd, It's The Rattlesnake!
That is definitely in the top ten greatest things I've ever seen on the internet.
posted by diogenes at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
That is definitely in the top ten greatest things I've ever seen on the internet.
posted by diogenes at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Albert Burneko/TheConcourse.Deadspin: John McCain Is A Man Of (A) Principle
... He is now who he always has been: A guy who cares more about upholding the received order of things than he does about the hardships of any actual human beings. Including himself.posted by ZeusHumms at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Back in 2000, when McCain was campaigning against George W. Bush, the writer David Foster Wallace wrote ... about how when McCain makes paeans to service, when he calls on young people to dedicate themselves to causes larger than their own self-interest, he does so with rare credibility for a national political figure; his own life story proves he is doing more than just making idealistic-sounding noise, that he knows of what he speaks. No one can dispute that McCain is, has been, a man of principle and profound conviction. But the principle that conviction serves, I think anybody can say by now, is a lot smaller and duller than a lot of people have wanted it to be. In the end, it’s just “Be a good boy.” He isn’t a fraud, but he also certainly isn’t a maverick. He is—he only is—a very good soldier.
Is that heroic? I can’t quite make myself say it isn’t. But the other POWs didn’t get sent home even a day earlier because of John McCain’s courage; his affronted defense of parliamentary procedure won’t save any sick poor kid’s practical access to health care. America prefers its heroism symbolic above all else.
"So many great things are so bad that they can't get even 60 votes! SAD!"
posted by dis_integration at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by dis_integration at 7:10 AM on July 28, 2017
Celebrate, rest, recuperate, then on to the next fight. Repeat as needed.
posted by VTX at 7:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by VTX at 7:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
But the other POWs didn’t get sent home even a day earlier because of John McCain’s courage; his affronted defense of parliamentary procedure won’t save any sick poor kid’s practical access to health care
Uh. That article's from a day ago. His indignation did, in fact, end up saving a lot of folks access to health care.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Uh. That article's from a day ago. His indignation did, in fact, end up saving a lot of folks access to health care.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
I don't think it was to humiliate them as much as to garner praise and attention on himself. He's a grandstander, he loves the spotlight.
This is spot on, but I can forgive McCain his love affair with his own legend. No one gets into politics without a little love for the stage. The tragedy of John McCain is how often he's failed to live up to his own legend. But I won't knock a man for doing the right thing, even if it wasn't for the right reasons.
(I also agree, tho, that just voting against the whole thing from the start would've been the better, wiser, action. Less draama, plz.)
posted by octobersurprise at 7:14 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
This is spot on, but I can forgive McCain his love affair with his own legend. No one gets into politics without a little love for the stage. The tragedy of John McCain is how often he's failed to live up to his own legend. But I won't knock a man for doing the right thing, even if it wasn't for the right reasons.
(I also agree, tho, that just voting against the whole thing from the start would've been the better, wiser, action. Less draama, plz.)
posted by octobersurprise at 7:14 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I hope this isn't a repeat (I couldn't find it above) but I am catching up because I couldn't stay up and many of you referenced Mazie Hirono's speech last night so I thought I should make the link easy to find here. It really gets to the heart of this - the lack of humanity. This is definitely something that I plan on showing my kids when they get older and learn about this period of time.
posted by anya32 at 7:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
posted by anya32 at 7:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
It seems obvious to me that Scaramucci is cokehead or tweaker and he isn't even in the "I have it under control phase." Late night paranoiac ramblings. An inability to keep on topic. Imagining what he is saying is appropriate.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trump goes on to say "...Even though parts of healthcare could pass at 51, some really good things need 60. So many great future bills & budgets need 60 votes...."
And if Republicans didn't have to follow the Byrd Rule to get the healthcare bill passed under reconciliation, they might have been able to write a bill that could get 50 votes. So I think he has a point here in that the legislative filibuster is a real limit on his ability to do the terrible things he craves.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
And if Republicans didn't have to follow the Byrd Rule to get the healthcare bill passed under reconciliation, they might have been able to write a bill that could get 50 votes. So I think he has a point here in that the legislative filibuster is a real limit on his ability to do the terrible things he craves.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Secret Life of Gravy: It is interesting how being out of power has united the Dems while being in power is fracturing the Republicans.
With great power comes great responsibility ... to coordinate among yourselves, as co-holders of said power.
Yeah, it lost some of the zing there.
Kind of like the GOP last night.
ZING!
posted by filthy light thief at 7:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
With great power comes great responsibility ... to coordinate among yourselves, as co-holders of said power.
Yeah, it lost some of the zing there.
Kind of like the GOP last night.
ZING!
posted by filthy light thief at 7:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Not dying is a distraction from them trying to kill us every day.
posted by Artw at 7:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
So in the McCain clip, I can see Yertle getting the sads, and DiFI starting to clap and Schumer waving for quiet. Are there any other moment of vote reaction shots? Different angles?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 7:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Late night paranoiac ramblings. An inability to keep on topic. Imagining what he is saying is appropriate.
Are we talking about Scaramucci or Trump here?
posted by darkstar at 7:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Are we talking about Scaramucci or Trump here?
posted by darkstar at 7:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I find myself contrasting Trump's vaunted "deal-making" skills with, out of all characters, the Robot Devil from Futurama:
Robot Devil: It so happens that I'm in the mood to make a deal with you.
Bender: Forget it. You can't tempt me.
Robot Devil: Really? There's nothing you want?
Bender: Hmm. I forgot you could tempt me with things I want.
Trump's "deal-making" amounts to insulting and trying to bully people who won't do what he wants. He apparently hasn't realized that political wheeling-and-dealing generally involves tempting other politicians with things they want. Let's hope he doesn't.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Robot Devil: It so happens that I'm in the mood to make a deal with you.
Bender: Forget it. You can't tempt me.
Robot Devil: Really? There's nothing you want?
Bender: Hmm. I forgot you could tempt me with things I want.
Trump's "deal-making" amounts to insulting and trying to bully people who won't do what he wants. He apparently hasn't realized that political wheeling-and-dealing generally involves tempting other politicians with things they want. Let's hope he doesn't.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
zachlipton: "As I said from the beginning, let ObamaCare implode, then deal."
They're going to sabotage the hell out of it. Can't wait for open enrollment to last three minutes and require you to travel in person to the island of Yap.
kirkaracha: Actually what you said was, "We will immediately repeal and replace ObamaCare - and nobody can do that like me."
And you said it lots of times.
While he may not have been saying that from the beginning, if you revise that statement to "make ObamaCare implode," you'd be right (What Does Trump’s Executive Order Against Obamacare Actually Do? Margot Sanger-Katz for the New York Times, January 21, 2017)
So, sabotage it is.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
They're going to sabotage the hell out of it. Can't wait for open enrollment to last three minutes and require you to travel in person to the island of Yap.
kirkaracha: Actually what you said was, "We will immediately repeal and replace ObamaCare - and nobody can do that like me."
And you said it lots of times.
While he may not have been saying that from the beginning, if you revise that statement to "make ObamaCare implode," you'd be right (What Does Trump’s Executive Order Against Obamacare Actually Do? Margot Sanger-Katz for the New York Times, January 21, 2017)
So, sabotage it is.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Elizabeth Warren is directly across from McCain and claps. You can also see Klobuchar in the back.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 7:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I would watch this as a mini-series. Do the final act from Hirono's POV. Stage IV cancer, woman, yet all of the attention goes to McCain.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 7:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
So... is that it for the healthcare thing? is it over? or are they just going to rally and try again?
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:22 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 7:22 AM on July 28, 2017
(I also agree, tho, that just voting against the whole thing from the start would've been the better, wiser, action. Less draama, plz.)
On the other hand, McCain's antics prevented McConnell from knowing much earlier that he lacked the votes and coming up with some other last-ditch piece of shit that might have passed. I mean, if they had left out the Planned Parenthood stuff . . . ?
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
On the other hand, McCain's antics prevented McConnell from knowing much earlier that he lacked the votes and coming up with some other last-ditch piece of shit that might have passed. I mean, if they had left out the Planned Parenthood stuff . . . ?
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
@realdonaldtrump If Republicans are going to pass great future legislation in the Senate, they must immediately go to a 51 vote majority, not senseless 60...
I'm not the biggest fan of Keith Olbermann but he had a great response:
Keith Olbermann @KeithOlbermann:
So, you're good with that threshold for impeachment too?
posted by spitbull at 7:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [126 favorites]
I'm not the biggest fan of Keith Olbermann but he had a great response:
Keith Olbermann @KeithOlbermann:
So, you're good with that threshold for impeachment too?
posted by spitbull at 7:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [126 favorites]
I mean, if they had left out the Planned Parenthood stuff . . . ?
He would have lost Mike Lee & co.
posted by Talez at 7:26 AM on July 28, 2017
He would have lost Mike Lee & co.
posted by Talez at 7:26 AM on July 28, 2017
Sorry if this has already been posted but I saw this mentioned in a comment on Der Spiegel's FB - an article about the new press secretary's comment about Bannon's uh... aspirations... Wikipedia listing for Scaramouche
posted by From Bklyn at 7:27 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by From Bklyn at 7:27 AM on July 28, 2017
Guys, I wanted everyone to know: I was going to steal candy from a baby! Even started the process! But everyone yelled at me so I decided not to. Please spread the word about my heroism.
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by Cookiebastard at 7:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
So, you're good with that threshold for impeachment too?
Alas, removal by the Senate following impeachment in the House requires 67 votes, not 60.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:28 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Alas, removal by the Senate following impeachment in the House requires 67 votes, not 60.
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 7:28 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
What can McConnell do to McCain for going against The Plan?
Loss of committee assignments for sure, but anything else?
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Loss of committee assignments for sure, but anything else?
posted by ArgentCorvid at 7:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
67 votes not 60
Doesn't obviate Olbermann's quip at all. Simple majority for the win.
posted by spitbull at 7:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Doesn't obviate Olbermann's quip at all. Simple majority for the win.
posted by spitbull at 7:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I might just bake a cake this weekend (though I'd have to eat it by myself and my trainer will KILL me) but right now I'm just savoring a frosty, delicious mug of conservative tears.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:33 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:33 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
It seems obvious to me that Scaramucci is cokehead or tweaker and he isn't even in the "I have it under control phase." Late night paranoiac ramblings. An inability to keep on topic. Imagining what he is saying is appropriate.
Stroke, lick and splay: The Anthony Scaramucci guide to wooing your interviewer — The Telegraph re: Scaramucci's gross behavior with Newsnight's Emily Maitlis.
If he isn't a cokehead, then he's lived so long in an environment that takes its cues from cokeheads that he's practically indistinguishable from one.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Stroke, lick and splay: The Anthony Scaramucci guide to wooing your interviewer — The Telegraph re: Scaramucci's gross behavior with Newsnight's Emily Maitlis.
If he isn't a cokehead, then he's lived so long in an environment that takes its cues from cokeheads that he's practically indistinguishable from one.
posted by octobersurprise at 7:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
America's Dumbest Mainstream Columnist Ed Rogers: With the Democrats and their allies in the media beginning to walk away from the collusion story, the single biggest thing keeping this story alive is the president’s obsession with it. No doubt the issue will continue to be irresistible to some of Trump’s haters. Some will never believe the truth, no matter what else is revealed. But if Democrats and the president’s worst enemies can begin to silently acknowledge the obvious and move on, perhaps Trump can, too. Maybe now he will see the futility of continuing to whine, tweet, moan and seethe about the whole non-affair. Maybe the president will now see that he should leave Sessions alone so that he can get on with his work. Maybe he will let special counsel Robert S. Mueller III quietly do his job and the whole “Russian collusion” affair won’t even be a footnote in the retelling of the story of the Trump campaign.
"Maybe the President will remember that the issue he is constantly panicking about and feverishly working to protect himself from is something he knows is a non-issue because he is innocent."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
"Maybe the President will remember that the issue he is constantly panicking about and feverishly working to protect himself from is something he knows is a non-issue because he is innocent."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Yeah, McCain's statement says he'd vote for awful things under regular order and he means it and would. But he also knows that there's really no way the Senate gets to something 50 Rs can agree to under the light of day and microscope of time. So I'l give him a bit of a pass on the statement and give him credit for the vote, and huge HELLZ YEAH for the way he did it to fuck Trump and McConnell.
And Murkowski and Collins deserve huge credit for opposing it the whole way. But they also had the hall passes from Mitch until McCain went maverick. They did not cave at the end though. So fantastic on them, but I'm not sure how much more credit they deserve for being there the whole way when they were excused from class so to speak.
posted by chris24 at 7:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
And Murkowski and Collins deserve huge credit for opposing it the whole way. But they also had the hall passes from Mitch until McCain went maverick. They did not cave at the end though. So fantastic on them, but I'm not sure how much more credit they deserve for being there the whole way when they were excused from class so to speak.
posted by chris24 at 7:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Is it ok if I just have a cake donut? I'm going out of town this weekend for a con and don't really have any cake baking time.
posted by Sophie1 at 7:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 7:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Gloating is an ugly thing to do, but I just remembered all the GOP folks in the House who changed their weekend plans thinking they were going to get to vote on a bill and now can't and I may have re-defined the term "shit-eating grin."
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [35 favorites]
posted by MCMikeNamara at 7:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [35 favorites]
I had to bail last night around midnight, too tired after two straight nights with a sleep-averse child, but also just dreading the outcome. I checked the news as soon as I got up, and my first thought: Can't wait to see how the MeFites reacted.
I've been catching up for an hour-plus, smiling all the while. What a great community.
Also: I have a close friend who has MS and also just fought through breast cancer for two years. Literally, the only way she can afford care is through the ACA exchange. She has been fighting this legislation, too, at marches and public forums and everywhere she can; Sen. Chris Van Hollen has been talking about her case. Haven't reached her yet this morning but I can just imagine how she must feel.
And now I'm getting all teary-eyed. Sometimes the good happens, somehow.
posted by martin q blank at 7:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
I've been catching up for an hour-plus, smiling all the while. What a great community.
Also: I have a close friend who has MS and also just fought through breast cancer for two years. Literally, the only way she can afford care is through the ACA exchange. She has been fighting this legislation, too, at marches and public forums and everywhere she can; Sen. Chris Van Hollen has been talking about her case. Haven't reached her yet this morning but I can just imagine how she must feel.
And now I'm getting all teary-eyed. Sometimes the good happens, somehow.
posted by martin q blank at 7:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
They're going to sabotage the hell out of it.
They already have. Here in Montana, BCBS announced that even though costs are up only about 2%, premium increases will be closer to 20% because Trump won't guarantee the payments to the health care providers.
You can bet anything that the GOP will point to those "outrageous premium increases" as "proof" that the ACA is failing.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
They already have. Here in Montana, BCBS announced that even though costs are up only about 2%, premium increases will be closer to 20% because Trump won't guarantee the payments to the health care providers.
You can bet anything that the GOP will point to those "outrageous premium increases" as "proof" that the ACA is failing.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
So, committee assignments happen via a resolution voted on by the full Senate. The House has a rule that if somebody stops being a member of their party caucus, they forfeit their committee assignments. I can't find a Senate rule that does likewise.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 7:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm not sure that McCain totally redeemed himself in that finale but at least Jesse got to get away free
posted by theodolite at 7:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 7:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
John McCain: Make-Believe Maverick, Rolling Stone, October 2008
This is the story of the real John McCain, the one who has been hiding in plain sight. It is the story of a man who has consistently put his own advancement above all else, a man willing to say and do anything to achieve his ultimate ambition: to become commander in chief, ascending to the one position that would finally enable him to outrank his four-star father and grandfather.posted by kirkaracha at 7:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
This is why at my day job I spend an enormous amount of time trying to educate people that percentages without scale context are MEANINGLESS.
Are there any openings at your job because I have been doing this pro bono. The CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) put a pro-safety message on social media this week warning us that "nearly 20%" of auto accidents take place in July and August.
They helpfully go on to add that "speed is a factor" in most accidents. So few accidents happening between parked cars these days.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Are there any openings at your job because I have been doing this pro bono. The CAA (Canadian Automobile Association) put a pro-safety message on social media this week warning us that "nearly 20%" of auto accidents take place in July and August.
They helpfully go on to add that "speed is a factor" in most accidents. So few accidents happening between parked cars these days.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
From the last thread:
It bugged me all night but finally came to me: Scaramucci is a dead ringer for Mario Cantone. Pick up the phone, SNL casting office!
posted by apparently at 4:08 AM on July 22 [10 favorites −] [!]
It looks like Comedy Central beat them to it:
Mario Cantone Nails Scaramucci on ‘The President Show’
posted by Room 641-A at 7:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
It bugged me all night but finally came to me: Scaramucci is a dead ringer for Mario Cantone. Pick up the phone, SNL casting office!
posted by apparently at 4:08 AM on July 22 [10 favorites −] [!]
It looks like Comedy Central beat them to it:
Mario Cantone Nails Scaramucci on ‘The President Show’
posted by Room 641-A at 7:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Well, they tried to repeal Obamacare like 50 times when they weren't even in power.
it's a lot easier to try to destroy a popular thing when you know your attempt won't pass or will be vetoed
posted by murphy slaw at 7:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
it's a lot easier to try to destroy a popular thing when you know your attempt won't pass or will be vetoed
posted by murphy slaw at 7:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
This is normal.
Trump says he wants a ‘general’ to replace Priebus: report (The Hill)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Trump says he wants a ‘general’ to replace Priebus: report (The Hill)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Mark Meadows: New Bill coming that can get to 51.
*sigh*. Just stop it. Plz. Stop.
posted by dis_integration at 7:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
*sigh*. Just stop it. Plz. Stop.
posted by dis_integration at 7:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I haven't read every single comment, so maybe this was mentioned and I didn't see it.
I think something about McCain's vote has been left out of the general conversation, which is that by being the third "No," he allowed others who might have voted no the cover to vote yes. So people like Flake and Graham and Heller voted "Yes," but it's possible they could have voted no if they felt that the bill was going to pass. Their voting yes is shitty and unprincipled, but there is a lot of calculation that goes into a vote like this. I don't know if they made the right calculation for their bases or not, of course it would have been disastrous for their constituents on the whole, but politicians gonna politic. Keep in mind that every GOP member has been elected at this point after campaigning on repeal. The Senators are craven and venal, but they have, actually, been elected by people who have at least claimed in the past to want them to do this thing.
I'm not saying that all those who voted yes should be given a pass, or not held accountable, I'm just saying that an actual analysis of what happened has to take into account that once there is a solid third no there are reasons why others might vote yes.
posted by OmieWise at 7:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
I think something about McCain's vote has been left out of the general conversation, which is that by being the third "No," he allowed others who might have voted no the cover to vote yes. So people like Flake and Graham and Heller voted "Yes," but it's possible they could have voted no if they felt that the bill was going to pass. Their voting yes is shitty and unprincipled, but there is a lot of calculation that goes into a vote like this. I don't know if they made the right calculation for their bases or not, of course it would have been disastrous for their constituents on the whole, but politicians gonna politic. Keep in mind that every GOP member has been elected at this point after campaigning on repeal. The Senators are craven and venal, but they have, actually, been elected by people who have at least claimed in the past to want them to do this thing.
I'm not saying that all those who voted yes should be given a pass, or not held accountable, I'm just saying that an actual analysis of what happened has to take into account that once there is a solid third no there are reasons why others might vote yes.
posted by OmieWise at 7:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
From the link: "The president has brought up repeatedly how Priebus suggested that Trump withdraw from the presidential race last October after the release of the now-infamous "Access Hollywood" recording."
Priebus isn't long for his job, I suspect.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Priebus isn't long for his job, I suspect.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Trump says he wants a ‘general’ to replace Priebus: report (The Hill)
He literally means Flynn, right? I mean, I can't think of a stupider interpretation so it has to be that.
posted by Freon at 8:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
He literally means Flynn, right? I mean, I can't think of a stupider interpretation so it has to be that.
posted by Freon at 8:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
In general, I am done giving Rs credit for things. I expect more than "occasionally I do something not entirely monstrous" from people in government. I didn't start out this cynical, but I have watched what happens when Ds fall all over themselves to give Rs a cookie; the Rs proceed to do even worse things, break all promises, and generally behave like assholes, and here we are.
I don't see any benefit to patting them on the head. They don't respect us more when we do. And it doesn't buy their goodwill in the future.
posted by emjaybee at 8:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
I don't see any benefit to patting them on the head. They don't respect us more when we do. And it doesn't buy their goodwill in the future.
posted by emjaybee at 8:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Trump says he wants a ‘general’ to replace Priebus: report (The Hill)
He literally means Flynn, right? I mean, I can't think of a stupider interpretation so it has to be that.
The one from the insurance commercial who dunks on Shaq.
posted by Etrigan at 8:03 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
He literally means Flynn, right? I mean, I can't think of a stupider interpretation so it has to be that.
The one from the insurance commercial who dunks on Shaq.
posted by Etrigan at 8:03 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
I mean, I can't think of a stupider interpretation so it has to be that.
I think we're all still underestimating Trump's stupidity. It's probably an actual Russian.
posted by lydhre at 8:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think we're all still underestimating Trump's stupidity. It's probably an actual Russian.
posted by lydhre at 8:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
The one from the insurance commercial who dunks on Shaq.
Aaron Carter?
posted by drezdn at 8:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Aaron Carter?
posted by drezdn at 8:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Man, this footage of McCain's dramatic pause before voting "no" -- with Worst Person in Modern Political History Mitch McConnell glowering at him scant feet away -- should go down in history.
Also notice that when you hear gasps and a few claps, Chuck Schumer in the front turning around and frantically waving them to sit down and stop. Which was absolutely the right thing to do as the GOP LOOVES projection and wanted to be able to say that the Dems just want to win and don't actually care about the lives at stake. McConnell literally said this in his speech and Schumer was able to get up and straight up say "We are not gleeful. We are relieved."
Schumer did a hell of job here. I'm going to send my usual thank you cards to my Senators Klobuchar and Franken, but I'm picking up an extra one to send to Schumer today.
posted by triggerfinger at 8:12 AM on July 28, 2017 [87 favorites]
Also notice that when you hear gasps and a few claps, Chuck Schumer in the front turning around and frantically waving them to sit down and stop. Which was absolutely the right thing to do as the GOP LOOVES projection and wanted to be able to say that the Dems just want to win and don't actually care about the lives at stake. McConnell literally said this in his speech and Schumer was able to get up and straight up say "We are not gleeful. We are relieved."
Schumer did a hell of job here. I'm going to send my usual thank you cards to my Senators Klobuchar and Franken, but I'm picking up an extra one to send to Schumer today.
posted by triggerfinger at 8:12 AM on July 28, 2017 [87 favorites]
Damn. I disconnected last night 100% certain they'd pass it.
I get up this morning and it's failed. Nice to have a win for a change! And it means I get to make another cake!
I do agree with the people who say Collins and Murkowski deserve a lot more credit than McCain, they after all were opposing from the beginning.
And, for all that I've been griping about him, Schumer deserves some massive praise for keeping his Blue Dogs from defecting. All it would have taken was one single Democratic defector and that would have been the end of the ACA for good.
Of course, now we've got to look forward to the seemingly endless fight to make Trump pay for the ACA (and, again, how the **FUCK** did a law ever get passed that gave the president power, on a month by month basis, to simply not bother funding it?)
But let's celebrate today, take a bit of time off, and then charge into the battle for a budget and the debt ceiling.
The Teahadists are going to be livid after their failure to kill the ACA and I bet that's going to harden their position on the debt ceiling even more, and possibly (I hope) drive even more wedges between them and the rest of their party.
I don't think Ryan is ready, yet, to simply cut a deal with the Democrats to work around the Teabaggers, which means things are going to get ugly and I think we may well see the US default, which will be a total disaster.
But tomorrow I bake a cake! I'll save the griping, fighting, and worrying for next week.
posted by sotonohito at 8:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
I get up this morning and it's failed. Nice to have a win for a change! And it means I get to make another cake!
I do agree with the people who say Collins and Murkowski deserve a lot more credit than McCain, they after all were opposing from the beginning.
And, for all that I've been griping about him, Schumer deserves some massive praise for keeping his Blue Dogs from defecting. All it would have taken was one single Democratic defector and that would have been the end of the ACA for good.
Of course, now we've got to look forward to the seemingly endless fight to make Trump pay for the ACA (and, again, how the **FUCK** did a law ever get passed that gave the president power, on a month by month basis, to simply not bother funding it?)
But let's celebrate today, take a bit of time off, and then charge into the battle for a budget and the debt ceiling.
The Teahadists are going to be livid after their failure to kill the ACA and I bet that's going to harden their position on the debt ceiling even more, and possibly (I hope) drive even more wedges between them and the rest of their party.
I don't think Ryan is ready, yet, to simply cut a deal with the Democrats to work around the Teabaggers, which means things are going to get ugly and I think we may well see the US default, which will be a total disaster.
But tomorrow I bake a cake! I'll save the griping, fighting, and worrying for next week.
posted by sotonohito at 8:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
"@SpeakerRyan is reading lyrics to the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," abt a ship sinking in 1975--likening it to Senate disaster"
Does Ryan know that Gordon Lightfoot is Canadian?
posted by dnash at 8:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
Does Ryan know that Gordon Lightfoot is Canadian?
posted by dnash at 8:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
Shouldn't that song be saved for filibustering and/or enhanced interrogation? By the 23rd verse, we'd have Rand Paul in favor of single-payer.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 8:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
"@SpeakerRyan is reading lyrics to the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald,"
May the gales of November come early.
posted by Iridic at 8:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
May the gales of November come early.
posted by Iridic at 8:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
Schumer giving a speech right now praising Collins and Murkowski saying that women are stronger than men. <3 <3 <3
posted by triggerfinger at 8:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [76 favorites]
posted by triggerfinger at 8:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [76 favorites]
But let's celebrate today, take a bit of time off, and then charge into the battle for a budget and the debt ceiling.
You all inspired me - I am baking this cake tomorrow! Dip me in honey and throw me to the lesbians! As an aside, my boo sent me "honey sticks" that we called "honey spears" when we first go together. I do think it is important to celebrate - even if the celebration is the maintenance of norms. For myself, I have had to disengage a lot these past 6 months for self-care and moments like this help me get ready to respond to what is next.
posted by anya32 at 8:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
You all inspired me - I am baking this cake tomorrow! Dip me in honey and throw me to the lesbians! As an aside, my boo sent me "honey sticks" that we called "honey spears" when we first go together. I do think it is important to celebrate - even if the celebration is the maintenance of norms. For myself, I have had to disengage a lot these past 6 months for self-care and moments like this help me get ready to respond to what is next.
posted by anya32 at 8:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
"Most folks think tax reform should be easier than health care, because voters are less invested and won't raise hell, but let's wait and see. Once the details emerge, someone is bound to start raising hell."
I'm hoping it's their own caucus and base, who have been hopped up for years and years on "DEFICITS ARE THE WORST THING EVER!" by conservative media, and when they try to give a tax cut to billionaires that dramatically increases the deficit, half the party panics about the deficit and they end up once again going for each other's throats. And when they start to talk about cutting entitlements to pay for it, the Republican governors once again push back hard (and AARP goes batshit).
I really dig this thing where they're being hoist on their own petard of lies and/or conservative media bullshit
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
I'm hoping it's their own caucus and base, who have been hopped up for years and years on "DEFICITS ARE THE WORST THING EVER!" by conservative media, and when they try to give a tax cut to billionaires that dramatically increases the deficit, half the party panics about the deficit and they end up once again going for each other's throats. And when they start to talk about cutting entitlements to pay for it, the Republican governors once again push back hard (and AARP goes batshit).
I really dig this thing where they're being hoist on their own petard of lies and/or conservative media bullshit
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
"29 people died when the Edmund Fitzgerald went down. It's a tragedy that this bill never had the opportunity to kill far more than that."
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
Wow. Evidently, a key reason for McCain's dramatic return to Washington (when he could have scuttled the repeal vote simply by remaining in AZ) was because of a deal with Schumer & McConnell to take up the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) immediately afterward. This is McCain's baby and he wanted to be a part of it before he started his ongoing treatment. But Rand Paul blew up the deal, so McCain is going back home now, possibly for weeks.
posted by darkstar at 8:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 8:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
For those who weren't able to join us live last night, here's Buzzfeed with A Guide To The The Incredible Video Of John McCain Scuttling The Republican Health Care Plan.
(I have watched this like 6 times already)
FTA:
Bernie Sanders taps a fellow senator to turn around and not miss this moment.
UGH. A 'fellow senator' is JEAN SHAHEEN. It's ok to name the women.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:28 AM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
(I have watched this like 6 times already)
FTA:
Bernie Sanders taps a fellow senator to turn around and not miss this moment.
UGH. A 'fellow senator' is JEAN SHAHEEN. It's ok to name the women.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:28 AM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
@thehill Ex-Cruz aide: Trump presidency "is effectively over"
Riiiiight. Just like his campaign was effectively over after the Access Hollywood video.
posted by zakur at 8:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Riiiiight. Just like his campaign was effectively over after the Access Hollywood video.
posted by zakur at 8:30 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
@thehill Ex-Cruz aide: Trump presidency "is effectively over"
Riiiiight. Just like his campaign was effectively over after the Access Hollywood video.
I mean, on the one hand, this person was dumb enough to work for Ted Cruz. On the other, they stopped at some point...
posted by Etrigan at 8:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Riiiiight. Just like his campaign was effectively over after the Access Hollywood video.
I mean, on the one hand, this person was dumb enough to work for Ted Cruz. On the other, they stopped at some point...
posted by Etrigan at 8:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
I was 99% positive that this was going to get through and be approved by Senate Republicans. Went to bed very upset and worried. I'm glad some common sense prevailed but still a lot of work to be done before people can breathe easy and not worry.
posted by Fizz at 8:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Fizz at 8:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
A clever Democratic senator should take the above, cite how unknown costs existed for car repairs and now car repair needs transparent pricing along with fixed quotes and say "why not a knowable market for healthcare" Rand Paul's should have a hard time voting "no" on such a 'free market' idea.
Since there are, in fact, measures like this in the ACA (the publishing of the chargemaster is the only one I know off the top of my head) I think we can say that Paul would actually have no trouble voting against it.
posted by phearlez at 8:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Since there are, in fact, measures like this in the ACA (the publishing of the chargemaster is the only one I know off the top of my head) I think we can say that Paul would actually have no trouble voting against it.
posted by phearlez at 8:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
But Rand Paul blew up the deal, so McCain is going back home now, possibly for weeks.
Is it possible Rand Paul did that solely because he's mad at McCain?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Is it possible Rand Paul did that solely because he's mad at McCain?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Josh Marshall/TPM: "Coming off a failure this big, Trump will be looking for people to hurt, things to break. Everybody be safe out there."
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [55 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 8:39 AM on July 28, 2017 [55 favorites]
Josh knows he can just Direct Message Reince yeah?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
This was posted upthread but I can't get enough: BAH GAWD its the Rattlesnake!
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by the man of twists and turns at 8:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
What exactly did Rand Paul do to scuttle the NDAA bill? Not seeing anything in my feeds...
posted by birdheist at 8:43 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by birdheist at 8:43 AM on July 28, 2017
"@SpeakerRyan is reading lyrics to the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," abt a ship sinking in 1975--likening it to Senate disaster"
The legend lives on from the Congress on down
Of the big lie they call Senate comity
The swamp, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the votes on your signature bill turn gloomy
....
The hush of the chats was a tattle-tale sound
As a vote broke over the Chamber
And every reporter knew, as McConnell did too
T'was the maverick of AZ come stealin'
posted by nubs at 8:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
The legend lives on from the Congress on down
Of the big lie they call Senate comity
The swamp, it is said, never gives up her dead
When the votes on your signature bill turn gloomy
....
The hush of the chats was a tattle-tale sound
As a vote broke over the Chamber
And every reporter knew, as McConnell did too
T'was the maverick of AZ come stealin'
posted by nubs at 8:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Hey so I just want to thank all of y'all who spent so much time calling your Senators. (okay now to continue scrolling back through the thread favoriting everything while watching videos of The World's Saddest Turtle on repeat...)
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 8:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
"Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer cut a deal with McConnell to immediately move onto the bill -- i.e. no Democrats would object to starting. McConnell moved to bring it up on the floor and Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul objected.
This was not expected, aides told CNN. While they knew Paul had serious issues with the bill and had amendments he was demanding merited consideration, aides and senators say McCain's staff had given assurances that he would get those amendments put in order. And Paul objected anyway.
What does that mean? Well, the Senate adjourned. When they come back Monday, they'll move to a nomination, not the NDAA." CNN
posted by rc3spencer at 8:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
This was not expected, aides told CNN. While they knew Paul had serious issues with the bill and had amendments he was demanding merited consideration, aides and senators say McCain's staff had given assurances that he would get those amendments put in order. And Paul objected anyway.
What does that mean? Well, the Senate adjourned. When they come back Monday, they'll move to a nomination, not the NDAA." CNN
posted by rc3spencer at 8:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
From CNN's story:
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
At 12:53 p.m. Thursday afternoon, Senate leadership sent out a "hotline" notice regarding NDAA -- basically, a notification that they were going to immediately take up NDAA after health care (passage or failure) and they wanted anyone who objected to this to let them know. John McCain's maverick moment The idea being, if any senator is going to object to taking this up, flag it please, and we'll hold off and discuss next steps.Note that this was not only before McCain gave McConnell the Lannisters' regards, but before he even had the "skinny repeal sux" press conference. Either Paul had serious inside knowledge on how it was going to go down, or he's just a huge asshole. I know which side I'm on.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer cut a deal with McConnell to immediately move onto the bill -- i.e. no Democrats would object to starting. McConnell moved to bring it up on the floor and Kentucky Republican Sen. Rand Paul objected.
This was not expected, aides told CNN. While they knew Paul had serious issues with the bill and had amendments he was demanding merited consideration, aides and senators say McCain's staff had given assurances that he would get those amendments put in order. And Paul objected anyway.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Well, there goes my brief respite from dread...
Seeing chatter that North Korea fired another missile. May have landed near Japan.
Reuters. The Telegraph.
posted by zakur at 8:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Seeing chatter that North Korea fired another missile. May have landed near Japan.
Reuters. The Telegraph.
posted by zakur at 8:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
SPIEGEL: You mean that Trump may not be a billionaire?
Bloomberg: I didn't say that; you said that.
That was nicely done.
posted by zarq at 8:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Bloomberg: I didn't say that; you said that.
That was nicely done.
posted by zarq at 8:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Josh Marshall/TPM: "Coming off a failure this big, Trump will be looking for people to hurt, things to break. Everybody be safe out there."
I went to be late last night thrilled with the results, if not the way we got there or that we needed to go there at all. I woke up with that same sense of dread that I do every morning now before I grab my phone. In the seconds in between, I remembered the result last night and smiled a little. But the dread was still there and this is why. I'm (relatively) safe but there are so many and so much that is not. Honestly, I hate to share the dread but I wish that was the ongoing media narrative from people other than just Marshall and the like.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I went to be late last night thrilled with the results, if not the way we got there or that we needed to go there at all. I woke up with that same sense of dread that I do every morning now before I grab my phone. In the seconds in between, I remembered the result last night and smiled a little. But the dread was still there and this is why. I'm (relatively) safe but there are so many and so much that is not. Honestly, I hate to share the dread but I wish that was the ongoing media narrative from people other than just Marshall and the like.
posted by MCMikeNamara at 8:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Still not understanding the NDAA issue. :( Can someone break it down into smaller words?
posted by Melismata at 8:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 8:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah I clicked over to TPM expecting there to be more, you know, discussion of the implications of the vote, etc.
But nope, Josh Marshall put out just a chillingly quick two-sentence reminder that the most powerful person in the world can and will throw a disgusting, unpredictably severe tantrum whenever something happens that he doesn't like.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
But nope, Josh Marshall put out just a chillingly quick two-sentence reminder that the most powerful person in the world can and will throw a disgusting, unpredictably severe tantrum whenever something happens that he doesn't like.
posted by tivalasvegas at 8:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
McCain and Paul have battled over NDAA bills and what they've included for many, many years. This was an ongoing fight. It's often over the bill's power of indefinite detention and the rights of citizens in Paul's libertarian eyes. 2012 for example
posted by rc3spencer at 8:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 8:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
One of the ways the Senate runs on procedure is that there are many steps in considering a bill where even a single objecting senator can throw a wrench into the process. The initial action of bringing the bill to the floor to start debate is one of those steps. Yesterday Schumer made a deal with McConnell that even in the depths of healthcare war, none of the D's would object to bringing up the NDAA. But Paul -- one of the few deficit hawks who actually entertains a thought that maybe military spending is too high -- raised an objection of his own, despite having a separate deal with McCain's people that would allow full votes on (All? Most of? Not sure) his amendments to the proposed version.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 8:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
dnash: ""@SpeakerRyan is reading lyrics to the song "The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald," abt a ship sinking in 1975--likening it to Senate disaster"
Does Ryan know that Gordon Lightfoot is Canadian?"
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is imho only the second-best song about a shipwreck by a Canadian troubadour -- the best being Stan Rogers' "The Mary Ellen Carter" whose uplifting lyrics may be more à propos to our side today:
Does Ryan know that Gordon Lightfoot is Canadian?"
"The Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" is imho only the second-best song about a shipwreck by a Canadian troubadour -- the best being Stan Rogers' "The Mary Ellen Carter" whose uplifting lyrics may be more à propos to our side today:
For we couldn't leave her there, you see, to crumble into scale.posted by mhum at 8:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [35 favorites]
She'd saved our lives so many times, living through the gale
And the laughing, drunken rats who left her to a sorry grave
They won't be laughing in another day. . .
And you, to whom adversity has dealt the final blow
With smiling bastards lying to you everywhere you go
Turn to, and put out all your strength of arm and heart and brain
And like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
Rise again
Rise again
Though your heart it be broken
And life about to end
No matter what you've lost, be it a home, a love, a friend.
Like the Mary Ellen Carter, rise again.
^In other news, Maureen Peltier, AKA "SSG Moe," one of the Bundy hangers-on, posted pictures of Roger Stone with Jon Ritzenheimer, one of the Malheur vandals, on Facebook today. They're working hard to get pardons for everyone!.
Keep up the good work.
Bundy follower gets 68 years for role in armed Nevada standoff
posted by adamvasco at 8:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
Keep up the good work.
Bundy follower gets 68 years for role in armed Nevada standoff
posted by adamvasco at 8:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
Melismata --
Traditionally, the Senate is a slow moving deliberative body that give lots of power to individuals.
McConnell wanted to move the NDAA faster. So he thought he got everyone to proceed rapidly.
Defense is important to McCain and he wanted to get the vote scheduled so he could participate even though he's sick and needs treatment.
Rand Paul blew that plan up, probably to spite McCain.
It's another example of the incompetance and smallness of the GOP.
posted by jclarkin at 9:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Traditionally, the Senate is a slow moving deliberative body that give lots of power to individuals.
McConnell wanted to move the NDAA faster. So he thought he got everyone to proceed rapidly.
Defense is important to McCain and he wanted to get the vote scheduled so he could participate even though he's sick and needs treatment.
Rand Paul blew that plan up, probably to spite McCain.
It's another example of the incompetance and smallness of the GOP.
posted by jclarkin at 9:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Re the NDAA.
When the R's lost the blew the "skinny repeal" vote, McConnell asked for unanimous consent to move on to a debate/vote for the National Defense Authorization Act. (NDAA).
On Thursday, John McCain tried to delay the vote for the healthcare repeal and push the Senate into addressing the NDAA. Chuck Schumer stopped him, saying that the repeal was more important, and that once healthcare was dealt with, he'd let the NDAA move forward.
So McConnell makes his request. Rand Paul voiced an objection and obstructed him. At the time, Paul didn't say why. But it's now being reported that he wants two bipartisan amendments added to the NDAA. The first would slap a time cap on indefinite detentions, so they can't be indefinite any more. Paul is vocally against indefinite detentions, and every time they get authorized or added to a new bill, he fights to have them removed. He feels that they are an act by the government to restrict people's rights. He's been railing about this issue for years.
The second would alter AUMF's (authorizations for the use of military force.) I don't know the details on that. But knowing Paul it would probably try to restrict them.
So now the Senate isn't going to move forward with the NDAA next. They'll deal with judicial nominations on Monday.
posted by zarq at 9:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
When the R's lost the blew the "skinny repeal" vote, McConnell asked for unanimous consent to move on to a debate/vote for the National Defense Authorization Act. (NDAA).
On Thursday, John McCain tried to delay the vote for the healthcare repeal and push the Senate into addressing the NDAA. Chuck Schumer stopped him, saying that the repeal was more important, and that once healthcare was dealt with, he'd let the NDAA move forward.
So McConnell makes his request. Rand Paul voiced an objection and obstructed him. At the time, Paul didn't say why. But it's now being reported that he wants two bipartisan amendments added to the NDAA. The first would slap a time cap on indefinite detentions, so they can't be indefinite any more. Paul is vocally against indefinite detentions, and every time they get authorized or added to a new bill, he fights to have them removed. He feels that they are an act by the government to restrict people's rights. He's been railing about this issue for years.
The second would alter AUMF's (authorizations for the use of military force.) I don't know the details on that. But knowing Paul it would probably try to restrict them.
So now the Senate isn't going to move forward with the NDAA next. They'll deal with judicial nominations on Monday.
posted by zarq at 9:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
It's often over the bill's power of indefinite detention and the rights of citizens in Paul's libertarian eyes.
So McCain actually mavericked AND Paul did that thing where a libertarian actually blocked stupid militaristic legislation?
With the power vested in me by the vast expanse of Internet, I hereby announce and declare that today be National Broken Clock Day, to be heartily celebrated with the cake or other dessert food of your choice.
posted by tivalasvegas at 9:04 AM on July 28, 2017 [115 favorites]
So McCain actually mavericked AND Paul did that thing where a libertarian actually blocked stupid militaristic legislation?
With the power vested in me by the vast expanse of Internet, I hereby announce and declare that today be National Broken Clock Day, to be heartily celebrated with the cake or other dessert food of your choice.
posted by tivalasvegas at 9:04 AM on July 28, 2017 [115 favorites]
Josh Marshall/TPM: "Coming off a failure this big, Trump will be looking for people to hurt, things to break. Everybody be safe out there."
I find this weirdly condescending and overly dramatic. There are plenty of things for Trump to hurt, but none of that can be prevented by Josh Marshall reminding people to "be safe out there." The people in danger know they are in danger, and no one needs Josh Marshall to tell them so.
posted by OmieWise at 9:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I find this weirdly condescending and overly dramatic. There are plenty of things for Trump to hurt, but none of that can be prevented by Josh Marshall reminding people to "be safe out there." The people in danger know they are in danger, and no one needs Josh Marshall to tell them so.
posted by OmieWise at 9:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Stan Rogers' "The Mary Ellen Carter"
Which you can hear me sing right here! [shameless plug]
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Which you can hear me sing right here! [shameless plug]
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Back during the Republican convention, when Trump brought up a speaker who was the 350th top money-maker on the LPGA (Ladies Professional Golf Association circuit), I realized that what we'd get from him is the 350th down the list person for any job. And that's how I view Scaramucci and most of his appointments.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:12 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 9:12 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Maybe, just maybe, Trump shouldn't have called McCain a loser for being a POW. When I think back on the utter grossness of Trump's posturing during the election with so many tawdry assertions, some too gross for public viewing, certainly considering children are a part of the viewing public. The nightmare Trump is putting reasonable people through, reasonable elected officials should unravel.
I heard Trump plainly threaten any Senator who opposed the skinny bill vote, with unspecified trouble. That is political extortion, open bullying, by the person who should behave at the platinum standard for humans if he is going to represent the American people, if he is going to serve as an exemplar for youth. Our historic national archetype, our pride, our guarantees of the high road as a nation, are out the window.
When this nut case talks about logging the Sequoia National Forest, doesn't anyone hear this? The spineless sycophancy of the US Senate is a dire warning to the degradation of the stature of our nation, and our ideals.
I just thought I would get this off my chest, before it becomes a preexisting condition...
posted by Oyéah at 9:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
I heard Trump plainly threaten any Senator who opposed the skinny bill vote, with unspecified trouble. That is political extortion, open bullying, by the person who should behave at the platinum standard for humans if he is going to represent the American people, if he is going to serve as an exemplar for youth. Our historic national archetype, our pride, our guarantees of the high road as a nation, are out the window.
When this nut case talks about logging the Sequoia National Forest, doesn't anyone hear this? The spineless sycophancy of the US Senate is a dire warning to the degradation of the stature of our nation, and our ideals.
I just thought I would get this off my chest, before it becomes a preexisting condition...
posted by Oyéah at 9:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Does Ryan know that Gordon Lightfoot is Canadian?"
If he actually knew anything about Lightfoot, he'd probably be reciting "Black day in July."
Apropos, The Hill reports "Rod Stewart pays travel costs for kids with disabilities to come to DC to protest Medicaid cuts." Stewart paid 30k for the group from Baton Rouge to travel to DC. Apparently, his heart just couldn't tell them no. And now, on with the countdown ...
posted by octobersurprise at 9:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [44 favorites]
If he actually knew anything about Lightfoot, he'd probably be reciting "Black day in July."
Apropos, The Hill reports "Rod Stewart pays travel costs for kids with disabilities to come to DC to protest Medicaid cuts." Stewart paid 30k for the group from Baton Rouge to travel to DC. Apparently, his heart just couldn't tell them no. And now, on with the countdown ...
posted by octobersurprise at 9:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [44 favorites]
I find this weirdly condescending and overly dramatic. There are plenty of things for Trump to hurt, but none of that can be prevented by Josh Marshall reminding people to "be safe out there." The people in danger know they are in danger, and no one needs Josh Marshall to tell them so.
I'm a TPM subscriber and I don't get the idea that Marshall is being condescending especially in light of North Korea's recent missile launch. I think it's more like say a prayer that angry-twitter-grandpa doesn't take us to war Saturday afternoon if he doesn't get a round of golf in.
Also, OMG that McCain vote video is amazing. That's going to be a hell of a scene when it gets reenacted for the HBO series.
posted by photoslob at 9:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I'm a TPM subscriber and I don't get the idea that Marshall is being condescending especially in light of North Korea's recent missile launch. I think it's more like say a prayer that angry-twitter-grandpa doesn't take us to war Saturday afternoon if he doesn't get a round of golf in.
Also, OMG that McCain vote video is amazing. That's going to be a hell of a scene when it gets reenacted for the HBO series.
posted by photoslob at 9:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Sir Rod Stewart
posted by OmieWise at 9:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by OmieWise at 9:15 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Chelsea Manning: President Trump, Trans People in the Military Are Here to Stay
...[O]ld regulations could come back. The rhetoric about trans people having “mental disorders” could come back, too. It’s the same thing we see in state houses across the country. Trans people are “mentally ill.” We are “predators.” We are the ethereal enemy of the moment. Even though there is a medical consensus, a legal consensus, a military consensus that none of this is true.posted by zombieflanders at 9:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [38 favorites]
This is about bias and prejudice. This is about systemic discrimination. Like the integration of people of color and women in the past, this was a sign of progress that threatens the social order, and the president is reacting against that progress.
But we will move forward. We will make sure that all trans people in the military, and all people outside the military after serving, receive the medical care they need. We will not back down. Our progress will continue. Our organizing and activism will grow stronger.
We are neither disruptive nor expensive. We are human beings, and we will not be erased or ignored.
"Rod Stewart pays travel costs for kids with disabilities to come to DC to protest Medicaid cuts."
This is a little odd though: ""He was so touched and heartbroken and actually teary," Stewart’s campaign manager Arnold Stiefe said." His who? The wha? Is Rodlington running for something?
posted by piglord at 9:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
This is a little odd though: ""He was so touched and heartbroken and actually teary," Stewart’s campaign manager Arnold Stiefe said." His who? The wha? Is Rodlington running for something?
posted by piglord at 9:18 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Trump may not be tweeting because he is coming to Long Island today to crow about arresting MS13 gang members in a community where a brutal MS13 double homicide occurred in the spring. You can bet he will be in an especially foul mood and in need of a boost, so I expect a ton of tarring all Latinos with the "gang violence" brush even though his audience may include the substantial local Salvadoran population that has been terrorized by MS13 and may in fact feel grateful for the attention (this by the way is all Jeff Sessions' doing, not Trump's, I'm sure; Sessions visited Brentwood to take credit for the arrests last week already.)
This has nothing to do with protecting communities like Brentwood, they're just trying to stoke white support for anti-immigrant measures and rhetoric because it's the key to their base staying loyal.
On CNN today: "MS-13 members: Trump makes the gang stronger."
By Dan Lieberman
posted by spitbull at 9:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
This has nothing to do with protecting communities like Brentwood, they're just trying to stoke white support for anti-immigrant measures and rhetoric because it's the key to their base staying loyal.
On CNN today: "MS-13 members: Trump makes the gang stronger."
By Dan Lieberman
posted by spitbull at 9:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
May the gales of November come early.
The legend lives on from the Chippewa on down
Of the big law they called Mitchyoublewme
posted by kirkaracha at 9:22 AM on July 28, 2017 [38 favorites]
Reporters would later learn that McCain spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump off of the Senate floor. The President tried -- with no success -- to change McCain's mind.
Too wordy. Let me tighten that up for you:
Reporters would later learn that McCain spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump off of the Senate floor. The President failed to change McCain's mind.
Much better.
posted by Gelatin at 9:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
Too wordy. Let me tighten that up for you:
Reporters would later learn that McCain spoke on the phone with President Donald Trump off of the Senate floor. The President failed to change McCain's mind.
Much better.
posted by Gelatin at 9:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
His who? The wha? Is Rodlington running for something?
He's Stewart's manager, not the political kind.
posted by Gary at 9:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
He's Stewart's manager, not the political kind.
posted by Gary at 9:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Senate procedural rules are basically the same as those for Cones of Dunshire.
posted by rocket88 at 9:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
posted by rocket88 at 9:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
To be clear I have no problem with going after MS13 hard. But Sessions and Bannon and Trump are just as interested in going after the communities MS13 terrorizes on the grounds that MS13 comes in with undocumented Salvadoran immigrants. They'd just rather those folks stayed home to get killed.
posted by spitbull at 9:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 9:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
While we're still feeling (relatively) lighthearted, and even posting songs -- I can't believe I missed this from last week, a song that uses Donnie Jr.'s brilliant email as its lyrics!
In this case, do believe the headlines. It's surprisingly beautiful! Or at least surprisingly good!
(Disclosure - just learning of it because the writer/singer is a friend, and he just told me. But he gets no money from this, so it's OK, right?)
posted by martin q blank at 9:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
In this case, do believe the headlines. It's surprisingly beautiful! Or at least surprisingly good!
(Disclosure - just learning of it because the writer/singer is a friend, and he just told me. But he gets no money from this, so it's OK, right?)
posted by martin q blank at 9:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
the senate is not the edmond fitzgerald, it's the sloop john b
posted by pyramid termite at 9:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 9:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
If you want to combat MS-13, the thing to do is to create a sense of trust between Latino communities and law enforcement, which is exactly the opposite of what the Trump administration is doing.
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [48 favorites]
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 9:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [48 favorites]
Also here's the key graf from that CNN article on MS13 being strengthened by Trump. It's such an important point:
And several people familiar with MS-13, including two gang members themselves, told CNN they think Trump's crackdown on immigrants is actually making MS-13 stronger because witnesses are more reluctant to come forward for fear of being deported.
On failure to preview: what ArbitraryAndCapricious said!
posted by spitbull at 9:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
And several people familiar with MS-13, including two gang members themselves, told CNN they think Trump's crackdown on immigrants is actually making MS-13 stronger because witnesses are more reluctant to come forward for fear of being deported.
On failure to preview: what ArbitraryAndCapricious said!
posted by spitbull at 9:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
And several people familiar with MS-13, including two gang members themselves, told CNN they think Trump's crackdown on immigrants is actually making MS-13 stronger because witnesses are more reluctant to come forward for fear of being deported.
It's almost like the police chiefs and mayors behind the "sanctuary city" policies had good reasons for encouraging a lighter touch to deportation in their cities.
posted by dis_integration at 9:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
It's almost like the police chiefs and mayors behind the "sanctuary city" policies had good reasons for encouraging a lighter touch to deportation in their cities.
posted by dis_integration at 9:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
Vic Berger weighs in
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Trump's crackdown on immigrants is actually making MS-13 stronger because witnesses are more reluctant to come forward for fear of being deported
This is the biggest No Shit, Sherlock that proves that the ICE-waving bullshit is about racism and xenophobia rather than crime.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
This is the biggest No Shit, Sherlock that proves that the ICE-waving bullshit is about racism and xenophobia rather than crime.
posted by uncleozzy at 9:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Also, OMG that McCain vote video is amazing. That's going to be a hell of a scene when it gets reenacted for the HBO series.
Showtime, executive produced by Stephen Colbert. [real]
posted by RichardP at 9:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Showtime, executive produced by Stephen Colbert. [real]
posted by RichardP at 9:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
And several people familiar with MS-13, including two gang members themselves, told CNN they think Trump's crackdown on immigrants is actually making MS-13 stronger because witnesses are more reluctant to come forward for fear of being deported.
Gang's exist (at least in part) to meet people's basic needs. And Trump is intentionally trying to destroy people's access to the little that is left.
posted by anya32 at 9:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Gang's exist (at least in part) to meet people's basic needs. And Trump is intentionally trying to destroy people's access to the little that is left.
posted by anya32 at 9:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Another thing I'm schadenfreuding hardcore is watching Trump have giant tantrums as he gets outplayed EVERY. TIME. by EVERY. ONE. Sure, he can bring chaos whenever he wants, but he can't actually do any deals or achieve any goals because he only ever did that before by throwing enough money at things that people put up with his shit. And he can't do that in politics, and he has the attention span of a goldfish ... going up against people who are accustomed to playing VERY long games and being in VERY tricky negotiations over things with life-and-death stakes, not just shitty buildings.
It's just so totally clear he's bewildered when he gets outplayed, again and again, because he literally has no idea he's shitty at everything but self-promotion and throwing money at things.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
It's just so totally clear he's bewildered when he gets outplayed, again and again, because he literally has no idea he's shitty at everything but self-promotion and throwing money at things.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 9:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
So in the McCain clip, I can see Yertle getting the sads, and DiFI starting to clap and Schumer waving for quiet. Are there any other moment of vote reaction shots? Different angles?
This was on CSPAN. You can't shoot from multiple angles if you only own one camera.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
This was on CSPAN. You can't shoot from multiple angles if you only own one camera.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Showtime, executive produced by Stephen Colbert. [real]
I can't wait to hear about that failing network's terrible ratings. Also Homeland really went downhill after the first season. Sad!
posted by amarynth at 9:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I can't wait to hear about that failing network's terrible ratings. Also Homeland really went downhill after the first season. Sad!
posted by amarynth at 9:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Dame Peggington Noonington HAS HAD QUITE ENOUGH OF DONALD'S BLUBBERING AND WHINING
posted by octobersurprise at 9:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
He’s not strong and self-controlled, not cool and tough, not low-key and determined; he’s whiny, weepy and self-pitying. He throws himself, sobbing, on the body politic. He’s a drama queen.Oh for the days when Presidents were as casually elegant as highly polished brown cordovans you could cradle in your arms.
posted by octobersurprise at 9:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
Coming off a failure this big, Trump will be looking for people to hurt, things to break. Everybody be safe out there."
That was my first thought, too, but I think we need to recalibrate. Or at least I do.
I went to bed early on election night when the news started to turn. I think it was half-hope, half-superstition that if I stopped watching it, maybe the outcome would be okay. Because it felt like if I kept watching it, the thing I really really did not want to happen would, and I'd be responsible for it. Then I woke up the next morning and checked my phone before even turning on the light. I saw that the thing I really really didn't not want to happen was fucking reality. And it's been like that every morning since: Waking up to some stupid tweet storm, or reading about some stupid new executive order, or hearing about a new rash of hate crimes, or -- like on two consecutive days just this week (or was it the same day? I lose track) -- hearing that a) the fucking POTUS has tweeted new "policy" that very blatantly and very hatefully discriminates against trans people, and b) the fucking DOJ is arguing in court that civil rights laws don't protect me against discrimination. Pretty much every single morning since November there's been something shitty to wake up to.
This is the first day in, like, 9 months that I've woken up to our crippled, so-called representative democracy doing something right, doing something that doesn't completely fuck some or all of us over.
Every morning on my way to work, I pass an auto body shop. Some dude who works there drives a very dudely, very garish yellow pickup truck that's sported a TRUMP bumper sticker since he got the nomination. (Along with some other irksome bumper stickers.) About a month ago, before all this ACA stuff and before the "Please be advised" tweet about trans people in the military, the TRUMP bumper sticker disappeared from the dudely yellow truck. The others are still there; the dude hasn't been converted and hasn't jumped the GOP ship. But the TRUMP sticker is gone.
So my point is that there is hope. On most days it doesn't feel like it, because the bads are so much more colorful, and so much louder, than the goods. But the goods are there. A discarded bumper sticker. Three Republican senators choosing their conscience over their party. (Or choosing to grandstand, if that's how you want to look at it. You do you.) And, of course, these threads, which I often have to nope out of because they become so despairing. Thousands of comments of despair.
I guess -- just remember the little drops of hope, even on days when we're not buoyed by something good, finally something good, finally happening. Because there are still a lottttttttttt of bad days to come.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [53 favorites]
That was my first thought, too, but I think we need to recalibrate. Or at least I do.
I went to bed early on election night when the news started to turn. I think it was half-hope, half-superstition that if I stopped watching it, maybe the outcome would be okay. Because it felt like if I kept watching it, the thing I really really did not want to happen would, and I'd be responsible for it. Then I woke up the next morning and checked my phone before even turning on the light. I saw that the thing I really really didn't not want to happen was fucking reality. And it's been like that every morning since: Waking up to some stupid tweet storm, or reading about some stupid new executive order, or hearing about a new rash of hate crimes, or -- like on two consecutive days just this week (or was it the same day? I lose track) -- hearing that a) the fucking POTUS has tweeted new "policy" that very blatantly and very hatefully discriminates against trans people, and b) the fucking DOJ is arguing in court that civil rights laws don't protect me against discrimination. Pretty much every single morning since November there's been something shitty to wake up to.
This is the first day in, like, 9 months that I've woken up to our crippled, so-called representative democracy doing something right, doing something that doesn't completely fuck some or all of us over.
Every morning on my way to work, I pass an auto body shop. Some dude who works there drives a very dudely, very garish yellow pickup truck that's sported a TRUMP bumper sticker since he got the nomination. (Along with some other irksome bumper stickers.) About a month ago, before all this ACA stuff and before the "Please be advised" tweet about trans people in the military, the TRUMP bumper sticker disappeared from the dudely yellow truck. The others are still there; the dude hasn't been converted and hasn't jumped the GOP ship. But the TRUMP sticker is gone.
So my point is that there is hope. On most days it doesn't feel like it, because the bads are so much more colorful, and so much louder, than the goods. But the goods are there. A discarded bumper sticker. Three Republican senators choosing their conscience over their party. (Or choosing to grandstand, if that's how you want to look at it. You do you.) And, of course, these threads, which I often have to nope out of because they become so despairing. Thousands of comments of despair.
I guess -- just remember the little drops of hope, even on days when we're not buoyed by something good, finally something good, finally happening. Because there are still a lottttttttttt of bad days to come.
posted by mudpuppie at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [53 favorites]
North Korea fires missile in direction of Japan, reports say.
posted by adamvasco at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by adamvasco at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
BuzzFeed: Vladimir Putin’s former media czar was murdered in Washington, DC on the eve of a planned meeting with the U.S. Justice Department, according to two FBI agents whose assertions cast new doubts on the US government’s official explanation of his death.
Mikhail Lesin’s battered body was discovered in his Dupont Circle hotel room on the morning of November 5, 2015 with blunt-force injuries to the head, neck, and torso. After an almost year-long "comprehensive investigation," a federal prosecutor announced last October that Lesin died alone in his room due to a series of drunken falls “after days of excessive consumption of alcohol.” His death was ruled an "accident," and prosecutors closed the case.
But the two FBI agents — as well as a third agent and a serving US intelligence officer — said Lesin was actually bludgeoned to death. None of these officials were directly involved in the government’s investigation, but they said they learned about it from colleagues who were.
“Lesin was beaten to death,” one of the FBI agents said. “I would implore you to say as much. There seems to be an effort here to cover up that fact for reasons I can't get into.”
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
Mikhail Lesin’s battered body was discovered in his Dupont Circle hotel room on the morning of November 5, 2015 with blunt-force injuries to the head, neck, and torso. After an almost year-long "comprehensive investigation," a federal prosecutor announced last October that Lesin died alone in his room due to a series of drunken falls “after days of excessive consumption of alcohol.” His death was ruled an "accident," and prosecutors closed the case.
But the two FBI agents — as well as a third agent and a serving US intelligence officer — said Lesin was actually bludgeoned to death. None of these officials were directly involved in the government’s investigation, but they said they learned about it from colleagues who were.
“Lesin was beaten to death,” one of the FBI agents said. “I would implore you to say as much. There seems to be an effort here to cover up that fact for reasons I can't get into.”
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
"Time for our friends on the other side to tell us what they have in mind." - Mitch McConnell
They've already told you, Senator. For example, California Senators Harris and Feinstein introduced a bill last month to improve the Affordable Care Act. In addition, Senator Feinstein re-introduced legislation to protect Americans from excessive health insurance rate hikes, something she's been pushing since at least 2015. I suspect Senators from other states have been proposing other improvements, as well.
They're speaking, and we're listening, Senator McConnell. Why aren't you?
posted by kristi at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [63 favorites]
They've already told you, Senator. For example, California Senators Harris and Feinstein introduced a bill last month to improve the Affordable Care Act. In addition, Senator Feinstein re-introduced legislation to protect Americans from excessive health insurance rate hikes, something she's been pushing since at least 2015. I suspect Senators from other states have been proposing other improvements, as well.
They're speaking, and we're listening, Senator McConnell. Why aren't you?
posted by kristi at 9:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [63 favorites]
the senate is not the edmond fitzgerald, it's the sloop john b
More like Barrett's Antelope.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
More like Barrett's Antelope.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Showtime, executive produced by Stephen Colbert. [real]
HOW DOES IT END
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
HOW DOES IT END
posted by rabbitrabbit at 9:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
"What's up? It's Pickles. Leave a message..."
[gratuitous semiselflink, "I feel like I connect with tambourine man on a spiritual level"]
[cf. #1, "not actual videodrome"]
[cf. #2, "actual videodrome"]
[cf. #3, "extended guide"]
[cf. #4, "self actualization"]
posted by Evilspork at 9:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
[gratuitous semiselflink, "I feel like I connect with tambourine man on a spiritual level"]
[cf. #1, "not actual videodrome"]
[cf. #2, "actual videodrome"]
[cf. #3, "extended guide"]
[cf. #4, "self actualization"]
posted by Evilspork at 9:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
the senate is not the edmond fitzgerald, it's the sloop john b
The Wreck of the Hesperus
posted by Sophie1 at 9:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Wreck of the Hesperus
posted by Sophie1 at 9:47 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh, yeah. Earlier in this thread I posted this:
mhum: "Here's the thing: McCain could have easily sat this one out. He just had frickin' brain surgery at age 80 (!) in a city two-and-a-half time zones away. No one could or would say one cross word about it. But no. That's not what he did. What he did was drag his post-operative ass 2,000 miles from Phoenix to DC just to make sure this shit-show proceeded as planned. Great work, buddy."
Well, I guess I'm now forced to say without the sarcasm "Great work, buddy. I'm glad you didn't sit this one out and I'm glad this shit-show did not proceed as planned (or, at least, as Mitch planned)." Now, I wonder exactly when he decided that this is how it was going to go down. Did Paul Ryan's mealy-mouthed assurance that they'd think about going to conference (despite warning House members to stick around through the weekend wink-wink) play any role at all or was the cake already baked when he decided to fly back to DC after his surgery?
posted by mhum at 9:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
mhum: "Here's the thing: McCain could have easily sat this one out. He just had frickin' brain surgery at age 80 (!) in a city two-and-a-half time zones away. No one could or would say one cross word about it. But no. That's not what he did. What he did was drag his post-operative ass 2,000 miles from Phoenix to DC just to make sure this shit-show proceeded as planned. Great work, buddy."
Well, I guess I'm now forced to say without the sarcasm "Great work, buddy. I'm glad you didn't sit this one out and I'm glad this shit-show did not proceed as planned (or, at least, as Mitch planned)." Now, I wonder exactly when he decided that this is how it was going to go down. Did Paul Ryan's mealy-mouthed assurance that they'd think about going to conference (despite warning House members to stick around through the weekend wink-wink) play any role at all or was the cake already baked when he decided to fly back to DC after his surgery?
posted by mhum at 9:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
If you want to combat MS-13, the thing to do is to create a sense of trust between Latino communities and law enforcement, which is exactly the opposite of what the Trump administration is doing.
Boston's East Boston neighborhood and some of the suburbs to its north (Revere, Chelsea and Everett, in particular) have a major MS-13 problem - in 2015 and 2016, four teenagers were murdered in East Boston in MS-13 initiation rites or to send a message to a rival gang (or both). And yet, somehow, these sanctuary cities managed to work with the feds to round up 61 MS-13 members last year in a series of raids (after the largest of the raids, the feds and local officials held a community meeting at East Boston High to talk about how to keep kids out of gangs). Just this morning, one of them got a 7+ year sentence on RICO and coke charges. So, yeah, sanctuary cities working to protect the innocent can still work to get rid of murderers and drug dealers.
posted by adamg at 9:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Boston's East Boston neighborhood and some of the suburbs to its north (Revere, Chelsea and Everett, in particular) have a major MS-13 problem - in 2015 and 2016, four teenagers were murdered in East Boston in MS-13 initiation rites or to send a message to a rival gang (or both). And yet, somehow, these sanctuary cities managed to work with the feds to round up 61 MS-13 members last year in a series of raids (after the largest of the raids, the feds and local officials held a community meeting at East Boston High to talk about how to keep kids out of gangs). Just this morning, one of them got a 7+ year sentence on RICO and coke charges. So, yeah, sanctuary cities working to protect the innocent can still work to get rid of murderers and drug dealers.
posted by adamg at 9:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
“Lesin was beaten to death”
Seth Abrahamson (I-Crazytown, as far as I can tell) has some twitter tirade about how "Vladimir Putin has likely killed another Russian related to the Trump-Russia probe." Does anyone know if Mikhail Lesin is actually connected to Trump-Russia in any way, or is this just some red-yarn-between-newspaper-clippings-on-the-bare-wall-of-the-shed shit?
posted by pjenks at 9:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Seth Abrahamson (I-Crazytown, as far as I can tell) has some twitter tirade about how "Vladimir Putin has likely killed another Russian related to the Trump-Russia probe." Does anyone know if Mikhail Lesin is actually connected to Trump-Russia in any way, or is this just some red-yarn-between-newspaper-clippings-on-the-bare-wall-of-the-shed shit?
posted by pjenks at 9:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
sure is funny how we never hear anything about russian immigrants when there's a bloody murder of a russian
posted by pyramid termite at 9:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 9:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
So, what are the chances that this was all play acting? The Republicans know that repealing Obamacare would be very unpopular, so they really didn't want to do it. But, they had painted themselves into a corner with all their 'repeal Obamacare' propaganda. So they put on a big show, but they somehow don't have the votes despite being in control of all branches of government.
Half of what goes on in Congress is just for show--the bills are never intended to become law. I think this is a more elaborate example.
posted by Bee'sWing at 9:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Half of what goes on in Congress is just for show--the bills are never intended to become law. I think this is a more elaborate example.
posted by Bee'sWing at 9:53 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Mike Pence wouldn't have stayed up past his usual 8:30 PM bedtime just to put on a show.
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 9:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
the senate is not the edmond fitzgerald, it's the sloop john b
It's the Flying Dutchman: A ship of the damned, fated to sail forever towards an Obamacare repeal that it will never quite reach.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
It's the Flying Dutchman: A ship of the damned, fated to sail forever towards an Obamacare repeal that it will never quite reach.
posted by Strange Interlude at 9:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
or the pequod, searching for an elusive black whale that it will never, ever find after seaching 8 years ...
posted by pyramid termite at 9:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by pyramid termite at 9:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Did Paul Ryan's mealy-mouthed assurance that they'd think about going to conference (despite warning House members to stick around through the weekend wink-wink) play any role at all or was the cake already baked when he decided to fly back to DC after his surgery?
I'm not a betting person (especially not in this insane timeline), but now that we know that Trump talked with McCain before his vote, I'd almost put money on it being something like this:
RYAN TO MCCAIN: Don't worry, we won't pass this as is, we have your backs.
RYAN TO TRUMP: We're totally going to pass it as is - I just told everyone to be ready to work the weekend. Don't tell McCain.
TRUMP TO MCCAIN: Look, you gotta vote for this bill because Ryan says they're ready to pass it.
posted by Mchelly at 9:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [108 favorites]
I'm not a betting person (especially not in this insane timeline), but now that we know that Trump talked with McCain before his vote, I'd almost put money on it being something like this:
RYAN TO MCCAIN: Don't worry, we won't pass this as is, we have your backs.
RYAN TO TRUMP: We're totally going to pass it as is - I just told everyone to be ready to work the weekend. Don't tell McCain.
TRUMP TO MCCAIN: Look, you gotta vote for this bill because Ryan says they're ready to pass it.
posted by Mchelly at 9:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [108 favorites]
It would explain why they never seemed very interested in the content of the bill and in fact kept it all hidden as much as possible. Because it wasn't intended to ever get anywhere.
posted by Bee'sWing at 10:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bee'sWing at 10:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
So, what are the chances that this was all play acting?
For this to be play acting, we have to accept that McConnell was willing to destroy practically every functional norm in the Senate to put on a show. Remember, he straight up wanted to get the thing voted through the Senate and then decide what it actually does once it's in conference. That's fucking ridiculous, and if we had any serious standards at this point he'd be ousted for willful malpractice. Also, for it to be play acting, we have to assume Paul Ryan wasn't planning a screwjob rush to passage in spite of what he said--in a carefully-worded "Oh sure you can trust me" statement anyone could drive a truck through.
I don't think this was a show. They were so focused on undoing the achievements of That Black Guy they were ready to throw 22+ million people off health insurance and toss out every operating norm of Congress along with it. They were willing to make their own lives a living hell whenever they went home for any kind of town hall or other public appearance. They didn't do all that to put on a show.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:01 AM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
For this to be play acting, we have to accept that McConnell was willing to destroy practically every functional norm in the Senate to put on a show. Remember, he straight up wanted to get the thing voted through the Senate and then decide what it actually does once it's in conference. That's fucking ridiculous, and if we had any serious standards at this point he'd be ousted for willful malpractice. Also, for it to be play acting, we have to assume Paul Ryan wasn't planning a screwjob rush to passage in spite of what he said--in a carefully-worded "Oh sure you can trust me" statement anyone could drive a truck through.
I don't think this was a show. They were so focused on undoing the achievements of That Black Guy they were ready to throw 22+ million people off health insurance and toss out every operating norm of Congress along with it. They were willing to make their own lives a living hell whenever they went home for any kind of town hall or other public appearance. They didn't do all that to put on a show.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:01 AM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
The Wreck of the Hesperus
At this point I'm pretty sure the Senate is The Paddling of the Swollen Ass... With Paddles.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:01 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
At this point I'm pretty sure the Senate is The Paddling of the Swollen Ass... With Paddles.
posted by Pope Guilty at 10:01 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Gloating is an ugly thing
...und I think that it is just about time that we had one!
posted by Gelatin at 10:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
...und I think that it is just about time that we had one!
posted by Gelatin at 10:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
‘Young people are out there celebrating’: Fox & Friends host pity party after Obamacare repeal fails
“You heard Chuck Schumer say we are not celebrating, yet you see some of the images out of Capitol Hill last night, in the middle of the night, people were taking selfies — a lot of happy faces,” said co-host Steve Doocy. “Elizabeth Warren outside taking selfies with supporters.”
Co-host Brian Kilmeade lashed out at the younger supporters celebrating with Warren and showed a fundamental misunderstanding of how health insurance works.
“I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
NOM NOM NOM on the tears.
Also, I don't think they were listening enough. Otherwise they probably would have heard "YAY, I CAN STILL GET HEALTHCARE WITH MY PREEXISTING CONDITION EVEN THOUGH MY SUCKY JOB DOESN'T PROVIDE IT"!
posted by zabuni at 10:03 AM on July 28, 2017 [53 favorites]
“You heard Chuck Schumer say we are not celebrating, yet you see some of the images out of Capitol Hill last night, in the middle of the night, people were taking selfies — a lot of happy faces,” said co-host Steve Doocy. “Elizabeth Warren outside taking selfies with supporters.”
Co-host Brian Kilmeade lashed out at the younger supporters celebrating with Warren and showed a fundamental misunderstanding of how health insurance works.
“I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
NOM NOM NOM on the tears.
Also, I don't think they were listening enough. Otherwise they probably would have heard "YAY, I CAN STILL GET HEALTHCARE WITH MY PREEXISTING CONDITION EVEN THOUGH MY SUCKY JOB DOESN'T PROVIDE IT"!
posted by zabuni at 10:03 AM on July 28, 2017 [53 favorites]
the senate is not the edmond fitzgerald, it's the sloop john b
More like The Essex
posted by ocschwar at 10:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
More like The Essex
posted by ocschwar at 10:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Half of what goes on in Congress is just for show--the bills are never intended to become law. I think this is a more elaborate example.
While I don't doubt that there a ton of stunt bills etc in Congress (see every Obamacare repeal bill over the preceding administration), I doubt that McConnell would be interested in a stunt that humiliated him and showed he had no authority over his own party
posted by Existential Dread at 10:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
While I don't doubt that there a ton of stunt bills etc in Congress (see every Obamacare repeal bill over the preceding administration), I doubt that McConnell would be interested in a stunt that humiliated him and showed he had no authority over his own party
posted by Existential Dread at 10:08 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
spitbull: To be clear I have no problem with going after MS13 hard. But Sessions and Bannon and Trump are just as interested in going after the communities MS13 terrorizes on the grounds that MS13 comes in with undocumented Salvadoran immigrants. They'd just rather those folks stayed home to get killed.
It fits his narrative, yes.
ArbitraryAndCapricious: If you want to combat MS-13, the thing to do is to create a sense of trust between Latino communities and law enforcement, which is exactly the opposite of what the Trump administration is doing.
Yes.
Part of the problem is that Trump is using MS-13 as a prop, rather than understanding their history and the way they operate. In the US, they're primarily a domestic gang and don't really function as a massive internationally connected unit.
Trump will be speaking about the measures law enforcement is taking, in hand cooperatively with the local Latino community, in order to stop the violence. It's a topic that under normal circumstances and if given by a normal President would be well received by a Latino community plagued by gang violence. But this is happening in Brentwood and the Latino community is mostly made up of El Salvadoreans and the gang itself is MS-13.
posted by zarq at 10:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
It fits his narrative, yes.
ArbitraryAndCapricious: If you want to combat MS-13, the thing to do is to create a sense of trust between Latino communities and law enforcement, which is exactly the opposite of what the Trump administration is doing.
Yes.
Part of the problem is that Trump is using MS-13 as a prop, rather than understanding their history and the way they operate. In the US, they're primarily a domestic gang and don't really function as a massive internationally connected unit.
Trump will be speaking about the measures law enforcement is taking, in hand cooperatively with the local Latino community, in order to stop the violence. It's a topic that under normal circumstances and if given by a normal President would be well received by a Latino community plagued by gang violence. But this is happening in Brentwood and the Latino community is mostly made up of El Salvadoreans and the gang itself is MS-13.
About 1.2 million people who were born in El Salvador live in the United States and, last year, they sent home $4.6 billion - equivalent to 17% of the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP), one of the highest remittance rates in the world. In Mexico, by comparison, remittances are worth less than 3 percent of GDP. Salvadorean remittances often go to the poorest families here, clothing children, buying vital medicines, helping old people who have no pension.Thousands of El Salvadoreans try to emigrate to the US every year, and it's a dangerous trip. The threatened Trump crackdown could very well destroy the country. These are people with much more to risk than most other central and South American immigrant groups. So they are already cautious with regard to contact with law enforcement -- and at the same time, the community does desperately need help and has been begging the cops to step in. So it's just not a great situation even before Trump's threatened ban on immigrants is taken into consideration.
posted by zarq at 10:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Here's Josh Marshall's fuller take on what went down last night / early this morning (Bannon joke goes here):
Taking Stock Of Trumpcare’s Epic Collapse
Taking Stock Of Trumpcare’s Epic Collapse
What is still unclear to me is why [McCain] did what he did. I don’t imply any cynical motive. But did he at the final moment simply refuse to support a bill that would have such devastating consequences for so many? Or was it more a matter of procedure and process, as he seemed to suggest? I don’t know and for the moment at least it doesn’t matter terribly. But his choice was decisive and it feels like a defining moment. It was almost cinematic drama.posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [96 favorites]
With this said, though, Lisa Murkowski’s vote was just as important. And she didn’t budge in the face of endless lobbying from her colleagues and tactless and perhaps counterproductive threats from the White House defined by patterns of abuse and bad-acting. Both mathematically and substantively, McCain’s headline moment was only possible because Murkowski and Collins were there, consistently over time and under withering pressure to fold. They persisted.
Murkowski deserves a huge, huge amount of credit for her vote. But to my mind, Collins is really the stand out here. Collins made clear pretty much from the beginning of this latest process that her vote was not available at all. Not for motions to proceed, not for votes on the various different flavors of Trumpcare. Her vote, though only one vote, made McConnell’s margin dramatically tighter and ultimately too tight. She was matched with Paul and Heller at one point and finally with Murkowski and McCain. But she was there throughout.
And on Dem caucus unity and the impact of grassroots organizing and protest:
Nor should we forget the fact that 48 Democrats were consistently ‘nos’ to everything throughout. This seems obvious now, given how everything turned out. It was clearly easier to accomplish in a highly polarized climate and with a smaller caucus than it was in 2009. But in a caucus that stretches from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin don’t underestimate the difficulty. Chuck Schumer kept his caucus 100% locked down throughout. That is a big, big deal and easy to underestimate.posted by Barack Spinoza at 10:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
With all this, though, all of the politicians were like small boats on a vast ocean. They made critical choices – some to their honor, Murkowski, others to their infamy, Heller; they executed strategies. But small boats on a vast ocean, no matter how expert their navigation, are ultimately subject to and at the mercy of waves and winds and tides. And here, to extend our metaphor, the ocean and the tides were activists and non-activists making phone calls, showing up at townhalls, emailing, in some cases reaching beyond partisan affiliation to say in various ways that this was not right. The victory here is really millions, tens of millions of people who made noise on a sustained basis over months. Noise is comparatively easy; sustained noise over months is seldom possible. It is an immense and bracing victory for what was at the end of the day very much grass roots, organic activism. Republicans were finally unable to overcome the common sense logic that the true measure of reform in the public interest was how a piece of legislation hurt or harmed how many people.
Senate ship simile? The Good Ship Venus.
posted by Devonian at 10:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 10:13 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
> “I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
Republicans think that healthy people paying for the medical care of sick people is a bad thing.
Gonna type that again:
Republicans think that healthy people paying for the medical care of sick people is a bad thing.
Also, more than that, Republicans think that everyone agrees with them on this; that everyone thinks that sick people should be left to die. They believe that we don't understand: that if we just realized that what we are demanding results in healthy people taking care of sick people, we'd change our minds.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [120 favorites]
Republicans think that healthy people paying for the medical care of sick people is a bad thing.
Gonna type that again:
Republicans think that healthy people paying for the medical care of sick people is a bad thing.
Also, more than that, Republicans think that everyone agrees with them on this; that everyone thinks that sick people should be left to die. They believe that we don't understand: that if we just realized that what we are demanding results in healthy people taking care of sick people, we'd change our minds.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [120 favorites]
Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.
That's the joke.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:17 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Co-host Brian Kilmeade lashed out at the younger supporters celebrating with Warren and showed a fundamental misunderstanding of how health insurance works.I think that the issue here may be that those young people, apparently unlike most Republicans, have a fundamental understanding of how health insurance works.
“I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
posted by ArbitraryAndCapricious at 10:19 AM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
It's like these people don't even understand how insurance works.
posted by jferg at 10:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
posted by jferg at 10:20 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
You guys are so hard on Brian, but he trades his best steer to his doctor whenever he needs treatment and brings in eggs and wheat to get his prescriptions filled at the pharmacy. There's no reason the rest of us couldn't do that but instead we're all paying into a system to obtain a service like a bunch of fools.
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 10:21 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.
Ohhhhhh my goooooodd. THAT IS HOW INSURANCE WORKS. Let's try this with some other types of insurance:
Congratulations, the people who haven't gotten in car crashes (yet) are paying for the people who do get in car crashes!
Congratulations, the people whose houses haven't burned down (yet) are paying for the people whose houses have burned down!
Congratulations, the people who haven't died (yet) are paying for the policies of people who have died!
I don't know if this is a cynical ploy to play on Republican voters' ignorance or what. Do they think that the way insurance works is that everyone's premiums are carefully segregated from each other so that you only pay in what you get back out when you make a claim? That's not how it works. Because if it worked that way, it would be SELF-INSURANCE.
posted by yasaman at 10:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
Ohhhhhh my goooooodd. THAT IS HOW INSURANCE WORKS. Let's try this with some other types of insurance:
Congratulations, the people who haven't gotten in car crashes (yet) are paying for the people who do get in car crashes!
Congratulations, the people whose houses haven't burned down (yet) are paying for the people whose houses have burned down!
Congratulations, the people who haven't died (yet) are paying for the policies of people who have died!
I don't know if this is a cynical ploy to play on Republican voters' ignorance or what. Do they think that the way insurance works is that everyone's premiums are carefully segregated from each other so that you only pay in what you get back out when you make a claim? That's not how it works. Because if it worked that way, it would be SELF-INSURANCE.
posted by yasaman at 10:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
some righteous fire from, imo, National Treasure Joy Reid:
As to what [Democrats] should say, the message seems pretty simple: it’s time to cancel this dangerous and embarrassing White House reality show and get back to rebuilding America and the American dream.posted by orangutan at 10:27 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
Rebuilding America requires a few fundamentals. Luckily, one of them is not that red states and blue states fall in love with each other. That dream is just not on the table right now. There’s too much enmity. Too much water under the bridge. Obama’s election and reelection broke something in the body politic. Maybe one day it will get repaired, but it won’t by the next election. Everyone wants their particular views affirmed and for their opponents to be obliterated. If either the red or the blue states were to propose secession today, the other side would likely say “don’t let the door hit you on the way out.”
But given the urgency of the moment, our disunity doesn’t really matter as much now.
America is like a house full of squabbling relatives. We don’t have to like each other, but we damned sure better fix the roof before it starts raining.
> “I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
OMFG
posted by zarq at 10:28 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
OMFG
posted by zarq at 10:28 AM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
hey I hear there's even some like totally bananas people who think that healthy people should pay for the medical care of sick people without a private corporation taking a cut what is the world coming to.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [81 favorites]
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [81 favorites]
zabuni: “I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
They're celebrating that there's still a viable, affordable insurance program in place.
We should be worried when we see Republicans partying. Oh, we were.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
They're celebrating that there's still a viable, affordable insurance program in place.
We should be worried when we see Republicans partying. Oh, we were.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
holy crap, i just realized that people who don't have children are paying for schools!!
(what's worse, some people really think like this)
posted by pyramid termite at 10:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [65 favorites]
(what's worse, some people really think like this)
posted by pyramid termite at 10:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [65 favorites]
I've been having nightmares about the Senate bill all week. I've woken up every night, wondering about the state of our nation's healthcare. I have "good" workplace insurance, but because of it, I am now a walking pre-existing condition. The long-term goal is for us to move out of Florida, to a state that suits us better. I can't do that if I can't get insured. I could get on my partner's plan and that would be the goal if something major happened -- but what about the MILLIONS that don't have that back-up plan? It makes me ill to think about it.
So anyway, thanks to my last (well-timed) ask question, I can assure you that the mayo chocolate cake is hella moist and delicious (but also very delicate). The chocolate cake from the recipe on the back of the Hershey's box ages beautifully, and Mary Berry's fudge cake is way too dry. Also, I have chocolate ganache frosting, peanut butter frosting, and a Nutella-peppermint frosting. The things I do for science (and this thread). Maybe I'll make a bourbon-caramel frosting for the rest of the cake, currently wrapped up in my freezer.
posted by PearlRose at 10:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
So anyway, thanks to my last (well-timed) ask question, I can assure you that the mayo chocolate cake is hella moist and delicious (but also very delicate). The chocolate cake from the recipe on the back of the Hershey's box ages beautifully, and Mary Berry's fudge cake is way too dry. Also, I have chocolate ganache frosting, peanut butter frosting, and a Nutella-peppermint frosting. The things I do for science (and this thread). Maybe I'll make a bourbon-caramel frosting for the rest of the cake, currently wrapped up in my freezer.
posted by PearlRose at 10:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Also, I have chocolate ganache frosting, peanut butter frosting, and a Nutella-peppermint frosting.
I think I either asked you this in memail or in another thread, but please be my friend so we can compare notes.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I think I either asked you this in memail or in another thread, but please be my friend so we can compare notes.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 10:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I guess what it really comes down to is that a lot of Republicans seem to think that they shouldn't have to pay for anything they don't tangibly use, and if they could get away with not spending anything anywhere and yet still get everything, they'd do it. In many ways they are the real freeloaders.
posted by tittergrrl at 10:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by tittergrrl at 10:38 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Our next fascist clown tantrum is beginning.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rc3spencer at 10:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
“I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
Whyshouldism
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Whyshouldism
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 10:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
The healthy help pay for the sick.
The childless help pay for the schools.
The well-fed help pay for the hungry.
The safe and secure help pay for police.
Etc, etc......
It's called a society, you callous fucks.
posted by rbellon at 10:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [149 favorites]
The childless help pay for the schools.
The well-fed help pay for the hungry.
The safe and secure help pay for police.
Etc, etc......
It's called a society, you callous fucks.
posted by rbellon at 10:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [149 favorites]
“I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
That's how insurance works, dolt! By pooling the risk. And young, healthy people benefit if they should get in a car wreck or develop a disease or use family planning services.
So go ahead and sneer, pal -- what should frighten you is that these young people accept the premise that people working together can achieve ends that benefit everyone, which means they will inevitably reject the message of the Republican Party.
posted by Gelatin at 10:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
That's how insurance works, dolt! By pooling the risk. And young, healthy people benefit if they should get in a car wreck or develop a disease or use family planning services.
So go ahead and sneer, pal -- what should frighten you is that these young people accept the premise that people working together can achieve ends that benefit everyone, which means they will inevitably reject the message of the Republican Party.
posted by Gelatin at 10:45 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
In many ways they are the real freeloaders.
Not in many ways, quite concretely. Data shows conclusively that red states use much more in the way of Federal government entitlement programs than do blue states, with the deep red south being the biggest users.
posted by OmieWise at 10:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Not in many ways, quite concretely. Data shows conclusively that red states use much more in the way of Federal government entitlement programs than do blue states, with the deep red south being the biggest users.
posted by OmieWise at 10:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Chalk this up as another classic example of how "Both parties are the same" is horseshit.
posted by darkstar at 10:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 10:49 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
This Peggy Noonan column is problematic in how it defines being a real man, but holy shit does it rip Trump a new one as a wimp. In the language that the right understands and responds to. This is how it opens. And it goes on and on from here.
Trump Is Woody Allen Without the Humor: Half his tweets show utter weakness. They are plaintive, shrill little cries, usually just after dawn
Trump Is Woody Allen Without the Humor: Half his tweets show utter weakness. They are plaintive, shrill little cries, usually just after dawn
The president’s primary problem as a leader is not that he is impetuous, brash or naive. It’s not that he is inexperienced, crude, an outsider. It is that he is weak and sniveling. It is that he undermines himself almost daily by ignoring traditional norms and forms of American masculinity.posted by chris24 at 10:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
He’s not strong and self-controlled, not cool and tough, not low-key and determined; he’s whiny, weepy and self-pitying. He throws himself, sobbing, on the body politic. He’s a drama queen. It was once said, sarcastically, of George H.W. Bush that he reminded everyone of her first husband. Trump must remind people of their first wife. Actually his wife, Melania, is tougher than he is with her stoicism and grace, her self-discipline and desire to show the world respect by presenting herself with dignity.
Half the president’s tweets show utter weakness. They are plaintive, shrill little cries, usually just after dawn. “It’s very sad that Republicans, even some that were carried over the line on my back, do very little to protect their president.” The brutes. Actually they’ve been laboring to be loyal to him since Inauguration Day. “The Republicans never discuss how good their health care bill is.” True, but neither does Mr. Trump, who seems unsure of its content. In just the past two weeks, of the press, he complained: “Every story/opinion, even if should be positive, is bad!” Journalists produce “highly slanted & even fraudulent reporting.” They are “DISTORTING DEMOCRACY.” They “fabricate the facts.”
It’s all whimpering accusation and finger-pointing: Nobody’s nice to me. Why don’t they appreciate me?
His public brutalizing of Attorney General Jeff Sessions isn’t strong, cool and deadly; it’s limp, lame and blubbery. “Sessions has taken a VERY weak position on Hillary Clinton crimes,” he tweeted this week. Talk about projection.
Ted Johnson/Variety: Anthony Scaramucci Pulls Out of Politicon After Vulgar Rant
First, words have consequences, and second, there's a Comic-Con style convention for politics and pop culture called 'Politicon'.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
First, words have consequences, and second, there's a Comic-Con style convention for politics and pop culture called 'Politicon'.
posted by ZeusHumms at 10:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Huh...you'd have thought Moochie would have been right at home in an event called Politicon.
posted by darkstar at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Okay but for reals the reason why we're mutually confused by each other — the reason why that Fox & Friends guy really does think that everyone believes that sick people should die, the reason why we can't believe that anyone could actually be as blinkered as that Fox & Friends guy — is because the two sides have fundamentally different ideas about what strategies for living are successful.
The Republicans embrace the idea that the most successful society will be the most vicious one — that a nation that hardens its people in the forge of vicious social darwinism or whatever, one that continually sorts people into piles marked "strong" and "weak" and then arranges for the deaths of everyone in the "weak" pile, will inevitably become the strongest.
I'm not going to get into all the ways that this is self-apparently nonsensical; suffice it to say that we here all know that a society built around continual mutual support is going to be not just morally better than a society built around continual purges, but also healthier and stronger than a society built around continual purges. The task before us isn't devising arguments for the superiority of our preferred society. the task is instead to actually build that preferred society; to demonstrate through practice that cooperation outcompetes competition.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [40 favorites]
The Republicans embrace the idea that the most successful society will be the most vicious one — that a nation that hardens its people in the forge of vicious social darwinism or whatever, one that continually sorts people into piles marked "strong" and "weak" and then arranges for the deaths of everyone in the "weak" pile, will inevitably become the strongest.
I'm not going to get into all the ways that this is self-apparently nonsensical; suffice it to say that we here all know that a society built around continual mutual support is going to be not just morally better than a society built around continual purges, but also healthier and stronger than a society built around continual purges. The task before us isn't devising arguments for the superiority of our preferred society. the task is instead to actually build that preferred society; to demonstrate through practice that cooperation outcompetes competition.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [40 favorites]
Ted Johnson/Variety: Anthony Scaramucci Pulls Out of Politicon After Vulgar Rant
I read that as "politician" at first.
posted by Artw at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
I read that as "politician" at first.
posted by Artw at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
There's a Comic-Con style convention for politics and pop culture called 'Politicon'.
It's here in L.A. this weekend. Thankfully, I won't be attending. I'll be at Midsummer Scream, a Hallowe'en con in Long Beach.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's here in L.A. this weekend. Thankfully, I won't be attending. I'll be at Midsummer Scream, a Hallowe'en con in Long Beach.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:57 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
My favorite bit about Scaramucci is the nickname he gave himself. I bet he still doesn't know what a mooch is.
posted by dirigibleman at 10:58 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by dirigibleman at 10:58 AM on July 28, 2017
This Peggy Noonan column is problematic in how it defines being a real man, but holy shit does it rip Trump a new one as a wimp. In the language that the right understands and responds to.
It's a good thing Trump, um, doesn't read, or that column (problematic as it is) would make him blow his top.
posted by Gelatin at 10:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
It's a good thing Trump, um, doesn't read, or that column (problematic as it is) would make him blow his top.
posted by Gelatin at 10:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
The Republicans embrace the idea that the most successful society will be the most vicious one.
Except... no they don't. Turn that standard on them and they freak the fuck out, because they want the maximum amount of pampering while others suffer.
posted by Artw at 10:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Except... no they don't. Turn that standard on them and they freak the fuck out, because they want the maximum amount of pampering while others suffer.
posted by Artw at 10:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
From the Noonan quote above: "he's whiny, weepy, and self-pitying . . . .He's a drama queen. It was once said, sarcastically, of George H.W. Bush that he reminded everyone of her first husband. Trump must remind people of their first wife."
I'm all for people ridiculing Trump, but this is just gross. Not that I should have expected different, given the source, but ugh.
posted by bibliowench at 10:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [50 favorites]
I'm all for people ridiculing Trump, but this is just gross. Not that I should have expected different, given the source, but ugh.
posted by bibliowench at 10:59 AM on July 28, 2017 [50 favorites]
Republican-led committee approves bill restricting Donald Trump's ability to wage war. The amendment would revoke the 2001 Authorization for Use of Military Force
posted by homunculus at 11:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [92 favorites]
posted by homunculus at 11:00 AM on July 28, 2017 [92 favorites]
Noonan is hella gross, not sure why we'd link any of her articles ever.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 11:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 11:02 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
“I laugh, too, that these young people are out there celebrating,” Kilmeade said. “Congratulations, you now will pay a fine or you have to have insurance. Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.”
Whyshouldism
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 2:44 AM on July 29 [2 favorites +] [!]
FWIW I don't even live in the US but I have to pay US taxes, because US passport (and we're the only country that taxes global income y'all). Agenda/derail, but there IS a valid "why should I" line. I will pay for your healthcare when I'm your neighbor, as I hope you'll pay for mine, and as it's done every-fucking-where-else-since-your-grandparents-could-vote. Including here, where I...pay taxes, and nobody fxxking complains.
posted by saysthis at 11:02 AM on July 28, 2017
Whyshouldism
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 2:44 AM on July 29 [2 favorites +] [!]
FWIW I don't even live in the US but I have to pay US taxes, because US passport (and we're the only country that taxes global income y'all). Agenda/derail, but there IS a valid "why should I" line. I will pay for your healthcare when I'm your neighbor, as I hope you'll pay for mine, and as it's done every-fucking-where-else-since-your-grandparents-could-vote. Including here, where I...pay taxes, and nobody fxxking complains.
posted by saysthis at 11:02 AM on July 28, 2017
> Except... no they din't. Turn that standard on them and they freak the fuck out, because they want the maximum amount of pampering while others suffer.
Nah, you're thinking in terms of deontological ethics here — you're presuming they believe that acts are only ethical if they can be turned into universal principles that everyone can follow.
They don't think that way. They think that acts are ethical if they benefit the people who their system has decided are strong and punish the people who their system has decided are weak. They defend the privileges of the powerful because powerful people by definition deserve deference, even pampering, from everyone less powerful.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:03 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Nah, you're thinking in terms of deontological ethics here — you're presuming they believe that acts are only ethical if they can be turned into universal principles that everyone can follow.
They don't think that way. They think that acts are ethical if they benefit the people who their system has decided are strong and punish the people who their system has decided are weak. They defend the privileges of the powerful because powerful people by definition deserve deference, even pampering, from everyone less powerful.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:03 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
The Republicans embrace the idea that the most successful society will be the most vicious one — that a nation that hardens its people in the forge of vicious social darwinism or whatever, one that continually sorts people into piles marked "strong" and "weak" and then arranges for the deaths of everyone in the "weak" pile will inevitably become the strongest.
I disagree. Look at their increasing reliance on voter suppression and gerrymandering -- those aren't the actions of a party that believes it is stronger than its competition; it's what a party would do knowing its agenda is massively unpopular. So many Republican actions -- it's stance on affirmative action, say -- are not about promoting competition, but rather insulating the privileged from it. A political movement whose leaders include the likes of Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, and yes, Donald Trump wouldn't last a New York minute in a society based on the Klingon Empire.
posted by Gelatin at 11:04 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
I disagree. Look at their increasing reliance on voter suppression and gerrymandering -- those aren't the actions of a party that believes it is stronger than its competition; it's what a party would do knowing its agenda is massively unpopular. So many Republican actions -- it's stance on affirmative action, say -- are not about promoting competition, but rather insulating the privileged from it. A political movement whose leaders include the likes of Newt Gingrich, Rush Limbaugh, Karl Rove, and yes, Donald Trump wouldn't last a New York minute in a society based on the Klingon Empire.
posted by Gelatin at 11:04 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Eric Levitz, New York Magazine: It’s an Abomination That 49 GOP Senators Voted For ‘Skinny Repeal’
Trumpcare may be dead. But the libertarian plutocrats who bankroll the Republican Party are not. The Kochs, Mercers, and their ilk are not going to stop fighting for their agenda. And so long as an overwhelming majority of Americans do not want to live in Ayn Rand’s utopia, advancing their aims will require undermining responsive government in the United States. Earlier this month, House Republicans released a “budget blueprint,” which functioned as a formal declaration of the party’s long-term fiscal goals. Those included $500 billion worth of cuts to Medicare, $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, and the utter decimation of food aid and tax credits for the working poor. Few, if any, Republicans won election by publicly touting such plans. The party’s standard-bearer won the White House by promising to protect — and expand — the welfare state. They know they aren’t going to realize their vision through the power of persuasion.
But if they can pass enough voter-suppression laws to fine-tune the electorate; sow enough fatalistic cynicism about our political system to get ordinary Americans to tune out; buy up enough local television stations to deliver conservative propaganda to 70 percent of U.S. households; supply enough campaign contributions to insulate GOP incumbents from democratic rebuke; and eliminate enough transparency from the legislative process to leave the public incapable of comprehending what their representatives do and don’t support, maybe, just maybe, they can substitute their will for the majority’s.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [50 favorites]
Trumpcare may be dead. But the libertarian plutocrats who bankroll the Republican Party are not. The Kochs, Mercers, and their ilk are not going to stop fighting for their agenda. And so long as an overwhelming majority of Americans do not want to live in Ayn Rand’s utopia, advancing their aims will require undermining responsive government in the United States. Earlier this month, House Republicans released a “budget blueprint,” which functioned as a formal declaration of the party’s long-term fiscal goals. Those included $500 billion worth of cuts to Medicare, $1.5 trillion in cuts to Medicaid, and the utter decimation of food aid and tax credits for the working poor. Few, if any, Republicans won election by publicly touting such plans. The party’s standard-bearer won the White House by promising to protect — and expand — the welfare state. They know they aren’t going to realize their vision through the power of persuasion.
But if they can pass enough voter-suppression laws to fine-tune the electorate; sow enough fatalistic cynicism about our political system to get ordinary Americans to tune out; buy up enough local television stations to deliver conservative propaganda to 70 percent of U.S. households; supply enough campaign contributions to insulate GOP incumbents from democratic rebuke; and eliminate enough transparency from the legislative process to leave the public incapable of comprehending what their representatives do and don’t support, maybe, just maybe, they can substitute their will for the majority’s.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [50 favorites]
Noonan is hella gross, not sure why we'd link any of her articles ever.
To understand the enemy and what they're saying? I mean it's great that we hate him, but until more Rs start agreeing with us, he's not going anywhere.
posted by chris24 at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
To understand the enemy and what they're saying? I mean it's great that we hate him, but until more Rs start agreeing with us, he's not going anywhere.
posted by chris24 at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
The Republicans embrace the idea that the most successful society will be the most vicious one — that a nation that hardens its people in the forge of vicious social darwinism or whatever, one that continually sorts people into piles marked "strong" and "weak" and then arranges for the deaths of everyone in the "weak" pile will inevitably become the strongest.
at this point I think the Republican Idea is trying to get people they think of as strong (white working men with callused hands who build large things or, better yet, have a job where they get to shoot people sometimes) to buy into this horseshit so they can enforce a deeply unbalanced society that privileges and protects the interests of the soft vermiform creatures (Mitch McConnell, YouTube personalities) who provide the ideology and rhetoric that steers the movement
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
at this point I think the Republican Idea is trying to get people they think of as strong (white working men with callused hands who build large things or, better yet, have a job where they get to shoot people sometimes) to buy into this horseshit so they can enforce a deeply unbalanced society that privileges and protects the interests of the soft vermiform creatures (Mitch McConnell, YouTube personalities) who provide the ideology and rhetoric that steers the movement
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
In many ways they are the real freeloaders.
Not in many ways, quite concretely. Data shows conclusively that red states use much more in the way of Federal government entitlement programs than do blue states, with the deep red south being the biggest users.
I get what you're saying, but using the loaded term "freeloaders" to describe those who benefit from government entitlements programs only serves to legitimize a little piece of conservative rhetorical propaganda, especially as a large portion of those deep red south recipients of Federal government largesse are African American and poor and mostly ignored by the Republicans who run their states.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Not in many ways, quite concretely. Data shows conclusively that red states use much more in the way of Federal government entitlement programs than do blue states, with the deep red south being the biggest users.
I get what you're saying, but using the loaded term "freeloaders" to describe those who benefit from government entitlements programs only serves to legitimize a little piece of conservative rhetorical propaganda, especially as a large portion of those deep red south recipients of Federal government largesse are African American and poor and mostly ignored by the Republicans who run their states.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:05 AM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
This Peggy Noonan column is problematic in how it defines being a real man, but holy shit does it rip Trump a new one as a wimp. In the language that the right understands and responds to.
It's a good thing Trump, um, doesn't read, or that column (problematic as it is) would make him blow his top.
Omg remember that rumor / possibly reported detail (who can keep track of all the fuckery, honestly) that Melania deliberately reads critical articles aloud to her husband?
Please please please, Universe. Please make it so.
I know it must be someone's birthday and we're all eating cake already, but I am treasuring the image of Melania chasing 45 around the White House while shout-reading Noonan's column. Instant headcannon.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
It's a good thing Trump, um, doesn't read, or that column (problematic as it is) would make him blow his top.
Omg remember that rumor / possibly reported detail (who can keep track of all the fuckery, honestly) that Melania deliberately reads critical articles aloud to her husband?
Please please please, Universe. Please make it so.
I know it must be someone's birthday and we're all eating cake already, but I am treasuring the image of Melania chasing 45 around the White House while shout-reading Noonan's column. Instant headcannon.
posted by schadenfrau at 11:06 AM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
Yes, but they accomplish this through blurring the distinction between physical strength (the working men with calloused hands) and social power (sad turtle Mitch McConnell). Although they call upon the idea of physical strength as part of their ideological justification for their actions, the real criteria used to sort strong from weak involve proximity to social power.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:08 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 11:08 AM on July 28, 2017
Noonan is hella gross, not sure why we'd link any of her articles ever.
Because Trump's gross too, and this is an insult to him in his language that could turn out to have an impact, if not on politics at large then at least on his man-baby psyche. It's the inverse of "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people" -- I don't grok the mindset where the president of the United States is obsessed with proving how big his dick is, but it still hurts him for somebody to call him weak and effeminate.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Because Trump's gross too, and this is an insult to him in his language that could turn out to have an impact, if not on politics at large then at least on his man-baby psyche. It's the inverse of "I don't know how to explain to you that you should care about other people" -- I don't grok the mindset where the president of the United States is obsessed with proving how big his dick is, but it still hurts him for somebody to call him weak and effeminate.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
In general, I am done giving Rs credit for things. I expect more than "occasionally I do something not entirely monstrous" from people in government.
Right? Like wow, great, you decided not to murder people after all. I decide that every day, looks like I'm a big hero now guys.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
Right? Like wow, great, you decided not to murder people after all. I decide that every day, looks like I'm a big hero now guys.
posted by poffin boffin at 11:09 AM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
Thank you for your service, poffin boffin.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [55 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:10 AM on July 28, 2017 [55 favorites]
Philip Bump, WaPo: Enough about McCain. It was Collins, Murkowski and red-state Democrats who killed Trumpcare. (via @ddale8)
posted by hangashore at 11:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [82 favorites]
posted by hangashore at 11:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [82 favorites]
Sorry for ranting about the media yet again, but they drive me crazy sometimes. Slate has an otherwise decent article (though it states the obvious, which is annoying) about Putin losing patience with Trump.
Just had to get that out sorry
posted by Melismata at 11:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
The (mostly accurate) line in Moscow now seems to be that because of the Russia investigation and U.S. domestic politics, Trump is powerless to deal with Russia the way he’d like to.No you idiots it's not because of U.S. domestic politics it's because HE'S A FUCKING MORON REAL ESTATE CON MAN STOP WHITEWASHING HIS BEHAVIOR AND PRETENDING THAT HE'S A NORMAL POLITICAL PERSON!! IT MAKES THINGS WORSE!
Just had to get that out sorry
posted by Melismata at 11:11 AM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
also i always thought people called mccain "maverick" because he was a pilot and the movie top gun exists
posted by poffin boffin at 11:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by poffin boffin at 11:16 AM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Congratulations, the healthy people are paying for the sick people.
Yes, just like the good drivers pay for the shitty drivers and the richer property owners pay for the poorer renters' kids to have decent schools. Boo hoo hoo, it's called the social contract, asshole.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:19 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Yes, just like the good drivers pay for the shitty drivers and the richer property owners pay for the poorer renters' kids to have decent schools. Boo hoo hoo, it's called the social contract, asshole.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:19 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Half of what goes on in Congress is just for show--the bills are never intended to become law.
My gut tells me there's fewer stunt bills in the Senate but looking at the stuff I have sitting here for the 113th congress I'm not sure I can back that up; numbered House bills only outnumber Senate ones by 2x and they have 4x as many members. Perhaps it's just that the Senate stunt bills are less whacktacular because as a smaller body where members represent entire states they don't have folks as full on teahadist as Dave Brat or just plain fucking stupid like Andy Harris.
BUT! In the course of trying to track this down I found an unbelievably comprehensive document about the Senate process and procedures. It seems pretty readable to me but perhaps my osmosis acquisition of knowledge here from working on bill markup software has put me ahead. It's from 2014 and outdated on majority/three-fifth requirements on Supreme Court justices. It will also probably offer a few snorts with its understated comments about how things can be ground to a halt.
Aside to the aside: this is one of the Congressional Research Service reports that are, at the moment, not public by default. The report out of committee on H.R. 3162: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2018 recommends making them public unless they're specifically private and I mentioned this in an earlier thread. You could do worse than to contact your house member and say that you support making CRS reports public by default and like the language in the committee report about it. It's on page 21 if you want to read it for yourself.
Back to the original topic - if you want to talk hearings then I'd argue your measure of half being theater is way too low. I'd love to see some good news analysis of how shit attendance is in so many of the less high-profile hearings. And of course the high-profile ones tend to be more about speechifying in the poor disguise of a question.
posted by phearlez at 11:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
My gut tells me there's fewer stunt bills in the Senate but looking at the stuff I have sitting here for the 113th congress I'm not sure I can back that up; numbered House bills only outnumber Senate ones by 2x and they have 4x as many members. Perhaps it's just that the Senate stunt bills are less whacktacular because as a smaller body where members represent entire states they don't have folks as full on teahadist as Dave Brat or just plain fucking stupid like Andy Harris.
BUT! In the course of trying to track this down I found an unbelievably comprehensive document about the Senate process and procedures. It seems pretty readable to me but perhaps my osmosis acquisition of knowledge here from working on bill markup software has put me ahead. It's from 2014 and outdated on majority/three-fifth requirements on Supreme Court justices. It will also probably offer a few snorts with its understated comments about how things can be ground to a halt.
Aside to the aside: this is one of the Congressional Research Service reports that are, at the moment, not public by default. The report out of committee on H.R. 3162: Legislative Branch Appropriations Act, 2018 recommends making them public unless they're specifically private and I mentioned this in an earlier thread. You could do worse than to contact your house member and say that you support making CRS reports public by default and like the language in the committee report about it. It's on page 21 if you want to read it for yourself.
Back to the original topic - if you want to talk hearings then I'd argue your measure of half being theater is way too low. I'd love to see some good news analysis of how shit attendance is in so many of the less high-profile hearings. And of course the high-profile ones tend to be more about speechifying in the poor disguise of a question.
posted by phearlez at 11:23 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
also i always thought people called mccain "maverick" because he was a pilot and the movie top gun exists
If only that were true :)
posted by diogenes at 11:23 AM on July 28, 2017
If only that were true :)
posted by diogenes at 11:23 AM on July 28, 2017
Sean Gallagher on twitter (sorry):
So I was reading "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg and decided to replace the "Moloch" section with "Mooch." It's scary how well it works.
posted by miles per flower at 11:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
So I was reading "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg and decided to replace the "Moloch" section with "Mooch." It's scary how well it works.
posted by miles per flower at 11:24 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
also i always thought people called mccain "maverick" because he was a pilot and the movie top gun exists
we should get "take my breath away" or maybe "highway to the danger zone" dubbed over the video of mccain's no vote and we should also give other senators nicknames from top gun but i don't know who is iceman, because who in the senate has that level of homoerotic subtext with maverick
posted by nubs at 11:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
we should get "take my breath away" or maybe "highway to the danger zone" dubbed over the video of mccain's no vote and we should also give other senators nicknames from top gun but i don't know who is iceman, because who in the senate has that level of homoerotic subtext with maverick
posted by nubs at 11:25 AM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
So the MS-13 speech just detoured from liberating people from the killing fields of Long Island [real] to how having rich people as the head of treasury and commerce is the best [real] and now GDP numbers [real]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:26 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
"Maybe the real hero is the GOP primary voter because any of the other candidates would have gotten this through including Ben Carson"
I was just thinking about him yesterday:
Ben Carson Says He's ‘Glad Trump Is Drawing Fire' Away From Him, Newsweek, 21 July 2017
Ben Carson's quiet life in a chaotic Cabinet, Washington Examiner, 21 July 2017
posted by Evilspork at 11:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I was just thinking about him yesterday:
Ben Carson Says He's ‘Glad Trump Is Drawing Fire' Away From Him, Newsweek, 21 July 2017
Ben Carson's quiet life in a chaotic Cabinet, Washington Examiner, 21 July 2017
posted by Evilspork at 11:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
that Melania reads Trump negative coverage, I mean, why would she do that? I mean why marry Trump is I guess a bigger mystery, but every time I try to imagine the reading of the negative cofeefe, the scenario becomes some S/M scene that my mind just revolts from contemplating
posted by angrycat at 11:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 11:29 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Now he's shitting all over Chicago, and his motorcycle brigades during the campaign were the largest [real]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:30 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:30 AM on July 28, 2017
Ben Carson's quiet life in a chaotic Cabinet
Worst. Children's Book. Ever.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
Worst. Children's Book. Ever.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:31 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
This is our politics now. Delusional rantings of a lunatic interrupted by brief periods of lucidity and sanity from the Senate.
posted by Talez at 11:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Talez at 11:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
This MS-13 speech is disgusting. He really loves going into unnecessary (and likely false) gory details about the innocent young beautiful people being sliced and diced. And that we're going to send all the gangs "back to their own country." I wonder which one he's talking about...?
As despicable as his teleprompter/planned speech is, he still can't help himself going off topic every 2 minutes to congratulate himself or tell stories about how All the cops tell him he's right. He is bullying the crowd into saying "aren't we all in agreement here" and just can't stop grandstanding and needing to compliment himself.
He literally just said "I turned out to be right" with regards to letting obamacare implode. Dude where is your stream of consciousness going jesus fucking christ
posted by andruwjones26 at 11:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
As despicable as his teleprompter/planned speech is, he still can't help himself going off topic every 2 minutes to congratulate himself or tell stories about how All the cops tell him he's right. He is bullying the crowd into saying "aren't we all in agreement here" and just can't stop grandstanding and needing to compliment himself.
He literally just said "I turned out to be right" with regards to letting obamacare implode. Dude where is your stream of consciousness going jesus fucking christ
posted by andruwjones26 at 11:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
(he is also very, very confused about what trade deficits are. He's tying them in with the movement of people?? Or at least, he's lying about what trade deficits are.)
posted by Yowser at 11:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 11:32 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Welp, he just advocated for police brutality [real]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
Politico: Bipartisan House group meets quietly on Obamacare
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 11:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by still_wears_a_hat at 11:34 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
The name of the ship was the Golden Vanity.
posted by rikschell at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Trump may not be tweeting because he is coming to Long Island today
I've lived on Long Island for eight years. I'm moving to Pennsylvania today. Couldn't have picked a better day to leave.
posted by pemberkins at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I've lived on Long Island for eight years. I'm moving to Pennsylvania today. Couldn't have picked a better day to leave.
posted by pemberkins at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Welp, he just advocated for police brutality [real]
To applause.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
To applause.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm going to start an interior decorating business free for Trump voters who wanted to shake things up in Washington. It'll involve me walking into their living room with a baseball bat and processing to break every last thing in the room. When they ask me why the fuck I did that I'll tell them I shook things up.
posted by Talez at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by Talez at 11:35 AM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Welp, he just advocated for police brutality [real]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:34 AM on July 29 [2 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
As in slam their head when you put them in the car in handcuffs.
posted by saysthis at 11:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:34 AM on July 29 [2 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
As in slam their head when you put them in the car in handcuffs.
posted by saysthis at 11:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Welp, he just advocated for police brutality [real]
To applause.
Can't watch this live. Can somebody paraphrase what he said?
posted by Rykey at 11:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
To applause.
Can't watch this live. Can somebody paraphrase what he said?
posted by Rykey at 11:36 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
the best part is you know sessions is watching this like "THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT I WANT TO HAPPEN TOO! why can't we get along......"
posted by andruwjones26 at 11:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by andruwjones26 at 11:37 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Embarrassing himself trying to talk about human trafficking. Like he discovered it. Without remembering our history of slavery. Ugh.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:39 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by rc3spencer at 11:39 AM on July 28, 2017
Rykey: he is all over the place even for him, but he's describing how bad the gang communities are and how they need to get rid of them, restore law and order etc. He is continually going off topic so I don't even know if I can sum it up better than most of the [real] descriptions above. I have to stop watching before i actually do vomit (getting close now)
posted by andruwjones26 at 11:39 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by andruwjones26 at 11:39 AM on July 28, 2017
The Court of Mad King Donald is not a presidency. It is an affliction, one that saps the life out of our democratic institutions, and it must be fiercely resisted if the nation as we know it is to survive.
posted by Artw at 11:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:40 AM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
I just learned we are lucky to have gotten Trump because now we can keep our guns.
I'm not sure why I'm listening to this.
Trashed Chicago again.
Rinse and repeat.
posted by archimago at 11:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I'm not sure why I'm listening to this.
Trashed Chicago again.
Rinse and repeat.
posted by archimago at 11:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
This is just a sequel to his demand, even after they were conclusively proven innocent, that the Central Park Five be executed.
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 11:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
So.... this is why ICE is targeting grandmas and highschoolers?
posted by Artw at 11:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:41 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Yeah this does have echoes of Central Five. I can't put my finger on it. But I'm sure in the back of his mind, Trump is wishing he could try the Central Five (double jeopardy wassat) with a rigged court.
posted by Yowser at 11:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Yowser at 11:42 AM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
These are the gladdest of possible words:
"Collins, Murkowski, McCain."
Trio of senators flipped them the bird,
Collins, Murkowski, McCain.
Republicans sinking the healthcare from hell,
Causing McConnell to hide in his shell –
Words that ring with the Liberty Bell:
"Collins, Murkowski, McCain."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
"Collins, Murkowski, McCain."
Trio of senators flipped them the bird,
Collins, Murkowski, McCain.
Republicans sinking the healthcare from hell,
Causing McConnell to hide in his shell –
Words that ring with the Liberty Bell:
"Collins, Murkowski, McCain."
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Welp, he just advocated for police brutality [real]
To applause.
I hope footage of this survives and becomes part of prosecutions.
posted by Artw at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
To applause.
I hope footage of this survives and becomes part of prosecutions.
posted by Artw at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
He just said the oath he took to this nation was to MAGA.
Not the actual oath he swore to.
posted by archimago at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Not the actual oath he swore to.
posted by archimago at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'd love to see somebody ask him point-blank if he still wants to execute those men.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:43 AM on July 28, 2017
So.... this is why ICE is targeting grandmas and highschoolers?
Well, you see, gang guys are 1) armed and could actually fight back, and 2) are generally hard to find. Grandmas and high schoolers are still illegal, and they're a lot easier to find and secure.
Really, it's about efficient use of racist resources.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Well, you see, gang guys are 1) armed and could actually fight back, and 2) are generally hard to find. Grandmas and high schoolers are still illegal, and they're a lot easier to find and secure.
Really, it's about efficient use of racist resources.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Ahh, chants of "USA" at inappropriate moments.
I think the Mooch has increased the size of Trump's ringer/model/actor contingent to seed the fascism at his speeches.
posted by Yowser at 11:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I think the Mooch has increased the size of Trump's ringer/model/actor contingent to seed the fascism at his speeches.
posted by Yowser at 11:44 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
As in slam their head when you put them in the car in handcuffs.
He also said "paddy wagon." Now Hannity's gonna be pissed.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
He also said "paddy wagon." Now Hannity's gonna be pissed.
posted by octobersurprise at 11:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
From the captioning at CSPAN
AND WHEN YOU SEE THESE THUGS BEING THROWN INTO THE BACK OF THE PADDY WAGON, YOU JUST SEE THEM THROWN IN, ROUGH. I SAID PLEASE DON'T BE TOO NICE. LIKE WHEN YOU GUYS PUT SOMEBODY IN THE CAR AND YOU'RE PROTECTING THEIR HEAD, YOU KNOW, THE WAY YOU PUT YOUR HAND OVER? LIKE DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD AND THEY JUST KILL SOMEBODY. DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD. I SAID YOU CAN TAKE THE HAND AWAY, OKAY? [APPLAUSE]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
AND WHEN YOU SEE THESE THUGS BEING THROWN INTO THE BACK OF THE PADDY WAGON, YOU JUST SEE THEM THROWN IN, ROUGH. I SAID PLEASE DON'T BE TOO NICE. LIKE WHEN YOU GUYS PUT SOMEBODY IN THE CAR AND YOU'RE PROTECTING THEIR HEAD, YOU KNOW, THE WAY YOU PUT YOUR HAND OVER? LIKE DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD AND THEY JUST KILL SOMEBODY. DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD. I SAID YOU CAN TAKE THE HAND AWAY, OKAY? [APPLAUSE]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:46 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Embarrassing himself trying to talk about human trafficking. Like he discovered it.
Who better to talk about it than a person with his experience in the industry?
posted by Sys Rq at 11:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Who better to talk about it than a person with his experience in the industry?
posted by Sys Rq at 11:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Yes, just like the good drivers pay for the shitty drivers and the richer property owners pay for the poorer renters' kids to have decent schools.
I know this is the most pedantic of complaints, and I get the principle you are arguing for, but I have to point out that in most areas of the country drivers who get in accidents get their premiums raised, thus creating a vicious cycle for the poor, who can't always afford car maintenance, and property taxes only pay for schools in the neighborhood in which they live, which allows for great differences in the quality of schools.
posted by corb at 11:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I know this is the most pedantic of complaints, and I get the principle you are arguing for, but I have to point out that in most areas of the country drivers who get in accidents get their premiums raised, thus creating a vicious cycle for the poor, who can't always afford car maintenance, and property taxes only pay for schools in the neighborhood in which they live, which allows for great differences in the quality of schools.
posted by corb at 11:48 AM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'd love to see somebody ask him point-blank if he still wants to execute those men.
He told CNN last year that he still thinks the Central Park 5 were guilty.
posted by skymt at 11:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
He told CNN last year that he still thinks the Central Park 5 were guilty.
posted by skymt at 11:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Also what? He's doubling down on police brutality? How does shit go pearshaped in fucking minutes? Does the Beast never have to lick its wounds?
posted by corb at 11:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by corb at 11:50 AM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
phearlez: "...I found an unbelievably comprehensive document about the Senate process and procedures. It seems pretty readable to me but perhaps my osmosis acquisition of knowledge here from working on bill markup software has put me ahead. It's from 2014 and outdated on majority/three-fifth requirements on Supreme Court justices. It will also probably offer a few snorts with its understated comments about how things can be ground to a halt.
Aside to the aside: this is one of the Congressional Research Service reports that are, at the moment, not public by default."
You'll be pleased to know that the 2017 version is also available online. The only signifcant change is the mention of how many votes are needed to invoke cloture on nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is from EveryCRSReport.com, a regularly updated "skunk-works" project of an anonymous Republican and Democratic member of Congress that includes every CRS report that’s available on Congress’s internal website.
posted by RichardP at 11:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Aside to the aside: this is one of the Congressional Research Service reports that are, at the moment, not public by default."
You'll be pleased to know that the 2017 version is also available online. The only signifcant change is the mention of how many votes are needed to invoke cloture on nominations to the U.S. Supreme Court. This is from EveryCRSReport.com, a regularly updated "skunk-works" project of an anonymous Republican and Democratic member of Congress that includes every CRS report that’s available on Congress’s internal website.
posted by RichardP at 11:51 AM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
we should also give other senators nicknames from top gun but i don't know who is iceman, because who in the senate has that level of homoerotic subtext with maverick
Um, Lindsay Graham?
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Um, Lindsay Graham?
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:52 AM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Noonan is hella gross, not sure why we'd link any of her articles
It was full of sick burns on someone we hate, I think you're drastically overthinking this.
I mean, Drake's diss tracks about Meek Mill slammed him for drafting his wife's career which is also patriarchy-normative but come on.
posted by msalt at 11:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
It was full of sick burns on someone we hate, I think you're drastically overthinking this.
I mean, Drake's diss tracks about Meek Mill slammed him for drafting his wife's career which is also patriarchy-normative but come on.
posted by msalt at 11:55 AM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
The Court of Mad King Donald is not a presidency. It is an affliction, one that saps the life out of our democratic institutions, and it must be fiercely resisted if the nation as we know it is to survive.
Something something wildfire Jaime Lannister something.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Something something wildfire Jaime Lannister something.
posted by FelliniBlank at 11:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Here's video of him advocating for police brutality.
Every police officer clapping and cheering for this should be fired.
posted by zachlipton at 11:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [81 favorites]
Every police officer clapping and cheering for this should be fired.
posted by zachlipton at 11:56 AM on July 28, 2017 [81 favorites]
Here's video of him advocating for police brutality.
I just watched that, and was nauseated, and then people were LAUGHING. And CHEERING. Fuck every single one of those garbage people. Fucking animals.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
I just watched that, and was nauseated, and then people were LAUGHING. And CHEERING. Fuck every single one of those garbage people. Fucking animals.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:58 AM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
If Trump hold back the subsidy payments, could the insurers sue through the Investor State Dispute Settlement procedure? I know ISDS is widely reviled and rightly so, but it seems to be one avenue of attack.
Even easier, just cancel the policy for non-payment of premium.
posted by mikelieman at 12:00 PM on July 28, 2017
Even easier, just cancel the policy for non-payment of premium.
posted by mikelieman at 12:00 PM on July 28, 2017
Wow, look at all the po-leese clapping their nice white-white gloves at the prospect of committing felonies and violating suspects' civil rights.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [41 favorites]
Some thoughts on last night's awesomeness.
Thanks You:
Next Steps On Healthcare
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 12:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [77 favorites]
Thanks You:
- To each of who wrote, faxed, called, protested, made your voice heard, and inspired others to do the same! WE made this victory happen.
- To the Senate Democrats, including Manchin, Heitkamp, Tester, and Donnelly, who united against this travesty.
- To Senator Mazie Hirono for standing up for all of us, while in her own struggle with Stage IV cancer.
- To Senators Collins and Murkowski who have been consistently opposed to McConnell's bullshit around this particular piece of legislation for a while. They withstood a pressure cooker of
pressureheat. - To Senator McCain for doing the right thing for once, for whatever reason.
- To governors of all political parties who stood up to say that this bill was not right.
- The Republican Caucus is a mess. There's so much distance between the bulk of the caucus, filled with radical extremists like Cruz, and conservatives like Collins, that hammering out the specifics of legislation is extremely difficult. These ideological fissures would be a great place to stick a wedge to cleave the party into two groups fighting with each other.
- While Mitch McConnell is extremely well-versed in parliamentary procedure, he's still just a dude operating on the slimmest of margins. A single defection at the wrong time can fuck everything up.
- There are several Senators (i.e. Heller, Capito, and Portman) who claim to be closer in ideology to Collins than Cruz but still voted to take healthcare away from tens of millions of us. Hopefully folks will make their next townhalls extremely uncomfortable.
- The chief executive and his immediate successor only seem to have sticks and no carrots. Sicking Zinke on Murkowski was about as stupid a move as one could get. While Pence's floor lobbying was impotent, T's phone calls were also ineffective.
Next Steps On Healthcare
- Thank your Senators for their votes against this bill. If your Senators are Democrats, get them to thank the crossover voters on your behalf.
- Upbraid your Senators who voted in support on the phone, in letters, in person at town halls, or any combination thereof. They must know that we will neither forget nor forgive this homicidal attack on our healthcare system.
- Blame supporters by name to everyone you know. For instance, make the names Dean Heller, Shelly Moore Capito, and Rob Portman synonymous with the effects of this sick, disturbed bill.
- Keep supporting real improvements to the ACA with calls, letters, and demonstrations.
- Stay ever vigilant for McConnell's parliamentary fuckery and be prepared to mobilize for more actions on this one.
- Keep practicing self-care and take some time to celebrate diverting the stream of bullshit for a short time. We just did something amazing!
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 12:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [77 favorites]
Huh that got a hideously big cheer
posted by theodolite at 12:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by theodolite at 12:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Welp, he just advocated for police brutality [real]
—To applause
There's a quote from Frank Serpico, the NYPD detective who blew the whistle on police corruption in the 60s and 70s and then almost paid with his life for doing so, when asked by the writer Lawrence Grobel why he did what he did:
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [67 favorites]
—To applause
There's a quote from Frank Serpico, the NYPD detective who blew the whistle on police corruption in the 60s and 70s and then almost paid with his life for doing so, when asked by the writer Lawrence Grobel why he did what he did:
"Well, Al, I don't know. I guess I have to say it would be because . . . if I didn't, who would I be when I listened to a piece of music?"The people who cheered that awful speech — who are they when they listen to a piece of music?
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [67 favorites]
2017: the year when the President got big laughs for a Freddie Gray joke.
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
The exhortation to brutality, the gleeful and exaggerated recounting of lurid crimes. Trump gets vicarious thrills from imagining other people being hurt.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 12:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
Does anyone know who I would write to to express my disgust for the officers cheering for police brutality? Because I have nothing going on this weekend and will be happy to complain.
posted by archimago at 12:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by archimago at 12:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
The people who cheered that awful speech — who are they when they listen to a piece of music?
Cops.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Cops.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
This is a thing of beauty:
Watch Trump’s treasury secretary learn the hard way not to f*ck with Maxine Waters (Twitter link)
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [135 favorites]
Watch Trump’s treasury secretary learn the hard way not to f*ck with Maxine Waters (Twitter link)
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [135 favorites]
Does anyone know who I would write to to express my disgust for the officers cheering for police brutality? Because I have nothing going on this weekend and will be happy to complain.
The...attorney general?
Wait.
posted by Brainy at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
The...attorney general?
Wait.
posted by Brainy at 12:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I hope you also hired some legal experts on sedition, Mr. Mueller.
posted by effluvia at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by effluvia at 12:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Trump gets vicarious thrills from imagining other people being hurt.
He likes to think about blood coming out of their, wherever
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
He likes to think about blood coming out of their, wherever
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
...and that Maxine Waters clip is EXACTLY how I think these democracy-haters should be de-normalized. By Congress, by the media, and by the public. Destroying democracy should be painful, every second of the day.
posted by Rykey at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
Found it in case anyone is interested:
Inspector Waring
Third Precinct
Commanding Officer
1630 5th Ave
Bay Shore, NY 11706
631-854-8300
posted by archimago at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
Inspector Waring
Third Precinct
Commanding Officer
1630 5th Ave
Bay Shore, NY 11706
631-854-8300
posted by archimago at 12:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
As a few people on Twitter have pointed out, the former police chief of Suffolk County, where Trump is speaking, is currently serving a 46-month term for beating a prisoner.
posted by neroli at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
posted by neroli at 12:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
A candidate for a senior position at the Department of Homeland Security withdrew from consideration on Wednesday, citing President Donald Trump’s decision to ban transgender people from serving in the military.
John Fluharty, a former executive director of the Delaware Republican party, informed a DHS official in an email Wednesday morning that he was pulling out of contention to be the assistant secretary of partnership and engagement at the department.
posted by Etrigan at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [45 favorites]
John Fluharty, a former executive director of the Delaware Republican party, informed a DHS official in an email Wednesday morning that he was pulling out of contention to be the assistant secretary of partnership and engagement at the department.
posted by Etrigan at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [45 favorites]
(also there is a duffle bag full of sex toys involved)
posted by neroli at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by neroli at 12:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Noonan is hella gross, not sure why we'd link any of her articles
I think that ... jeremiad ... is interesting and maybe portentous because despite all of her own issues surrounding sex and gender, Peggy Noonan loves the Republican Party and its Presidents, loves them and it like beautiful shoes she can cradle in her arms. Such a public dressing-down in the harshest possible way, something so obviously meant to wound him, offers, if nothing else, a take on the temperature of the moment. (And it's full of hilarious sick burns on someone I hate.)
posted by octobersurprise at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
I think that ... jeremiad ... is interesting and maybe portentous because despite all of her own issues surrounding sex and gender, Peggy Noonan loves the Republican Party and its Presidents, loves them and it like beautiful shoes she can cradle in her arms. Such a public dressing-down in the harshest possible way, something so obviously meant to wound him, offers, if nothing else, a take on the temperature of the moment. (And it's full of hilarious sick burns on someone I hate.)
posted by octobersurprise at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Watch Trump’s treasury secretary learn the hard way not to f*ck with Maxine Waters (Twitter link)
Can somebody please force the Senate Intelligence Committee at gunpoint to watch this video until they get the fucking idea about how to treat women members who forcefully question witnesses?
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Can somebody please force the Senate Intelligence Committee at gunpoint to watch this video until they get the fucking idea about how to treat women members who forcefully question witnesses?
posted by FelliniBlank at 12:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
McConnell replaced by Cruz...
How would that happen, given that Cruz is the most hatedman person in the Senate? (Franken A, Al Franken: Giant of the Senate)
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
How would that happen, given that Cruz is the most hated
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Michael Chiklis who played the violent cop on The Shield said he was kind of freaked out by real cops who praised his antics and wondered whether they actually saw the show.
His character directly murdered one other cop and was the accessory to the murder of another, and tried to kill a third. Of course, he also murdered or ordered the death of several bad guys.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
His character directly murdered one other cop and was the accessory to the murder of another, and tried to kill a third. Of course, he also murdered or ordered the death of several bad guys.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Philip Bump, WaPo: Enough about McCain. It was Collins, Murkowski and red-state Democrats who killed Trumpcare.
I agree with Bump's piece, but he shouldn't gloss over the work done by activists -- Barack Spinoza's comment above with Josh Marshall's quote is perfect. The protestors from ADAPT, particularly, were amazing in the last two months. They put themselves in front of their reps and in front of cameras to drive home the human cost of the bill.
posted by gladly at 12:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
I agree with Bump's piece, but he shouldn't gloss over the work done by activists -- Barack Spinoza's comment above with Josh Marshall's quote is perfect. The protestors from ADAPT, particularly, were amazing in the last two months. They put themselves in front of their reps and in front of cameras to drive home the human cost of the bill.
posted by gladly at 12:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
We can only pray that the officer who eventually takes our current president to jail will heed his call
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Anybody want to cry at work with me? Here is a video of speakers from last year's DNC convention speaking again:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5B2MfF0-8s
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U5B2MfF0-8s
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
McConnell replaced by Cruz...
How would that happen, given that Cruz is the most hated man person in the Senate? (Franken A, Al Franken: Giant of the Senate)
"My fellow Republican Senators, you may ask yourself, Why would I vote for this human personification of the word 'punchable'? To that, I remind you that the Senate Majority Leader, by necessity, must meet with the President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives at a much higher frequency than any other Senator."
posted by Etrigan at 12:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
How would that happen, given that Cruz is the most hated man person in the Senate? (Franken A, Al Franken: Giant of the Senate)
"My fellow Republican Senators, you may ask yourself, Why would I vote for this human personification of the word 'punchable'? To that, I remind you that the Senate Majority Leader, by necessity, must meet with the President of the United States and the Speaker of the House of Representatives at a much higher frequency than any other Senator."
posted by Etrigan at 12:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Philip Bump, WaPo: Enough about McCain. It was Collins, Murkowski and red-state Democrats who killed Trumpcare. (via @ddale8)
Yeah, I just want to say that this doesn't happen without a bunch of courageous ADAPT protestors willing to be thrown from their wheelchairs by brutal fucking cops
posted by Existential Dread at 12:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [71 favorites]
Yeah, I just want to say that this doesn't happen without a bunch of courageous ADAPT protestors willing to be thrown from their wheelchairs by brutal fucking cops
posted by Existential Dread at 12:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [71 favorites]
I think that ... jeremiad ... is interesting and maybe portentous because despite all of her own issues surrounding sex and gender, Peggy Noonan loves the Republican Party and its Presidents, loves them and it like beautiful shoes she can cradle in her arms. Such a public dressing-down in the harshest possible way, something so obviously meant to wound him, offers, if nothing else, a take on the temperature of the moment.
Yes. Unlike dishonest scoundrels like David Brooks, Noonan never pretends to be anything other than a Republican operative; she maintains no phony pose of being "above the fray."
I said before that the imagery she uses is problematic, but it is significant that she is giving Republicans permission to distance themselves from Trump. And though the gender construction she uses does perpetuate patriarchal stereotypes, she is not wrong at all that the very actions Trump does that some of his supporters -- and himself -- see as displays of strength and machismo are actually pathetic and harmful displays of weakness. On that basic point I'm sure many of us agree with her, even if we would not express it the way she did.
posted by Gelatin at 12:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Yes. Unlike dishonest scoundrels like David Brooks, Noonan never pretends to be anything other than a Republican operative; she maintains no phony pose of being "above the fray."
I said before that the imagery she uses is problematic, but it is significant that she is giving Republicans permission to distance themselves from Trump. And though the gender construction she uses does perpetuate patriarchal stereotypes, she is not wrong at all that the very actions Trump does that some of his supporters -- and himself -- see as displays of strength and machismo are actually pathetic and harmful displays of weakness. On that basic point I'm sure many of us agree with her, even if we would not express it the way she did.
posted by Gelatin at 12:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
We can only pray that the officer who eventually takes our current president to jail will heed his call
This is all just a clever ruse to ensure that when the time comes, he doesn't have to worry about anyone touching his totally real hair.
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
This is all just a clever ruse to ensure that when the time comes, he doesn't have to worry about anyone touching his totally real hair.
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Current State of America-Tiny Disabled Child offers his hand to President-He is Ignored (tweet)
posted by zakur at 12:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
posted by zakur at 12:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
Holy fuck that Maxine Waters clip is fabulous. What a fucking MORON Mnuchin (munchin munchkin whatever the fuck his name is) is.
I'm still having wine and CAKEY CAKE CAKE later.
posted by yoga at 12:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
I'm still having wine and CAKEY CAKE CAKE later.
posted by yoga at 12:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
The President wisely didn't want anyone to compare the hand sizes involved
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
FULL Ms. Maxine Waters clip. She's on fire!
posted by mikelieman at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
This is from EveryCRSReport.com, a regularly updated "skunk-works" project
from the site:
Joshua Tauberer did the software development for this website.
Well of course he did. Fuckin Josh is a machine who never stops grinding out government visibility. Have I promoted GovTrack in the last 9 seconds? If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants and at times when I have been employed it has been made possible by using the various congressional data scraping tools Josh has created and shared with the universe.
posted by phearlez at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
from the site:
Joshua Tauberer did the software development for this website.
Well of course he did. Fuckin Josh is a machine who never stops grinding out government visibility. Have I promoted GovTrack in the last 9 seconds? If I have seen further it is by standing on the shoulders of Giants and at times when I have been employed it has been made possible by using the various congressional data scraping tools Josh has created and shared with the universe.
posted by phearlez at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
Anybody want to cry at work with me? Here is a video of speakers from last year's DNC convention speaking again
No joke. It wouldn't have been perfect. There would have been a lot of work and resistance still. But we feel so far from that hope right now. As the over-quoted but always true Dr. King quote goes, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." What the quote doesn't always note is how painful and violent the arc can be.
posted by anya32 at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
No joke. It wouldn't have been perfect. There would have been a lot of work and resistance still. But we feel so far from that hope right now. As the over-quoted but always true Dr. King quote goes, "The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends towards justice." What the quote doesn't always note is how painful and violent the arc can be.
posted by anya32 at 12:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
The protestors from ADAPT, particularly, were amazing in the last two months.
They have been heroic. Offering yourself up for arrest in your wheelchairs is extremely brave.
posted by shothotbot at 12:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
They have been heroic. Offering yourself up for arrest in your wheelchairs is extremely brave.
posted by shothotbot at 12:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
Philip Bump, WaPo: Enough about McCain. It was Collins, Murkowski and red-state Democrats who killed Trumpcare. (via @ddale8)
[TPM]: ...Nor should we forget the fact that 48 Democrats were consistently ‘nos’ to everything throughout. This seems obvious now, given how everything turned out. It was clearly easier to accomplish in a highly polarized climate and with a smaller caucus than it was in 2009. But in a caucus that stretches from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin don’t underestimate the difficulty.... Murkowski deserves a huge, huge amount of credit for her vote. But to my mind, Collins is really the stand out here.
Funny how this works:
Other R's << McCain < Mukrowski < Collins < Blue Dogs < Solid D's << Hirono
Apart from the two ends, this is just the usual ideological spectrum, where the pundit credit seems increase as you go rightward, and the true credit increases as you go leftward. The idea that we're supposed to give credit to the least decent person on the positive side of the sleaze line is always maddeningly backwards.
But I guess that's ok this once -- McCain can have his moment and then be quietly forgotten. Hopefully he's setting the model for other baddies who see retirement looming in 2018 and want to go out in a similar blaze of brief decency.
posted by chortly at 12:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
[TPM]: ...Nor should we forget the fact that 48 Democrats were consistently ‘nos’ to everything throughout. This seems obvious now, given how everything turned out. It was clearly easier to accomplish in a highly polarized climate and with a smaller caucus than it was in 2009. But in a caucus that stretches from Bernie Sanders to Joe Manchin don’t underestimate the difficulty.... Murkowski deserves a huge, huge amount of credit for her vote. But to my mind, Collins is really the stand out here.
Funny how this works:
Other R's << McCain < Mukrowski < Collins < Blue Dogs < Solid D's << Hirono
Apart from the two ends, this is just the usual ideological spectrum, where the pundit credit seems increase as you go rightward, and the true credit increases as you go leftward. The idea that we're supposed to give credit to the least decent person on the positive side of the sleaze line is always maddeningly backwards.
But I guess that's ok this once -- McCain can have his moment and then be quietly forgotten. Hopefully he's setting the model for other baddies who see retirement looming in 2018 and want to go out in a similar blaze of brief decency.
posted by chortly at 12:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
> "the senate is not the edmond fitzgerald, it's the sloop john b"
Still kind of hoping it turns out to be the Vasa.
posted by kyrademon at 12:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Still kind of hoping it turns out to be the Vasa.
posted by kyrademon at 12:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Other R's <>
Should the diagram be flipped? Hirono >> ... >>Other R's
posted by kingless at 12:52 PM on July 28, 2017
Should the diagram be flipped? Hirono >> ... >>Other R's
posted by kingless at 12:52 PM on July 28, 2017
FULL Ms. Maxine Waters clip. She's on fire!
OK, i can't have the sound on atm so I'm watching with the captioning on. I don't know if it's accurate or not, but at one point as Mnuchin is speaking: "perhaps mr. chairman I don't understand the rules I thought I was lying"
posted by nubs at 12:52 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Should the diagram be flipped? Hirono >> ... >>Other R's
Should I preview? :) I just wanted Hirono on the left to match
where the pundit credit seems increase as you go rightward, and the true credit increases as you go leftward
posted by kingless at 12:55 PM on July 28, 2017
Should I preview? :) I just wanted Hirono on the left to match
where the pundit credit seems increase as you go rightward, and the true credit increases as you go leftward
posted by kingless at 12:55 PM on July 28, 2017
This is a thing of beauty:
Watch Trump’s treasury secretary learn the hard way not to f*ck with Maxine Waters (Twitter link)
"Reclaiming my time" is to the House what "'Nevertheless, she persisted" is to the Senate.
Mnuchin's hearing was pretty fractious all around, not least the May 23rd letter in question requested the Treasury provide information on Trump’s financial ties with Russia. No surprise Mnuchin didn't respond then or now.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Watch Trump’s treasury secretary learn the hard way not to f*ck with Maxine Waters (Twitter link)
"Reclaiming my time" is to the House what "'Nevertheless, she persisted" is to the Senate.
Mnuchin's hearing was pretty fractious all around, not least the May 23rd letter in question requested the Treasury provide information on Trump’s financial ties with Russia. No surprise Mnuchin didn't respond then or now.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
A little about Maxine for those of you who aren't blessed by having her in your state.
Ms. Waters was the 5th of 13 children and basically raised by a single mom in Missouri. In the 40s. She currently represents the 43rd Congressional District which is
15.1% White
23.6% Black
12.6% Asian
46.0% Hispanic
2.7[1]% other
She has represented various areas in Los Angeles including the mostly Latinx areas of the east valley and areas of South Central L.A. including Watts, Carson, Inglewood, Gardena and Hawthorne. She takes absolutely no shit.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [84 favorites]
Ms. Waters was the 5th of 13 children and basically raised by a single mom in Missouri. In the 40s. She currently represents the 43rd Congressional District which is
15.1% White
23.6% Black
12.6% Asian
46.0% Hispanic
2.7[1]% other
She has represented various areas in Los Angeles including the mostly Latinx areas of the east valley and areas of South Central L.A. including Watts, Carson, Inglewood, Gardena and Hawthorne. She takes absolutely no shit.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [84 favorites]
I've found what I think is a very encouraging sign
One of the things I do to try and judge my understanding of the Trump Cultists is to periodically check a few of their internet spots and see their general reaction to the news of the day. I'm getting fairly good at it. I'll write down my predictions for what they'll be saying, check against the reality, and over time I've managed to up my accuracy a lot.
Generally what I found was that in response to what I saw as a setback for Trump, they'd find ways to spin it as a positive.
Today I wrote that I expected their position on the failure to repeal the ACA as a positive. I expected citations of Trump's former statements about letting Obamacare implode, I expected praise for how Trump masterfully avoided being branded as taking away healthcare from people, I expected to see them encouraging each other to look forward to the collapse of Obamacare forcing the RINOS to negotiate with Trump.
I was 100% wrong today.
The Trump Cult forums are filled with wailing, anger with Murkowski and Collins, and incandescent white hot rage at McCain. I think we've hit (for the moment anyway, I'm sure some will bounce back) the limit on their ability to lie to themselves.
In between posts calling for McCain's head they're also calling for ousting McConnell and Ryan and putting in a whole new Republican leadership.
When I see the enemy in disarray and fighting among themselves, I'm encouraged. When I see that the lies they told themselves are failing to hold reality at bay and they're confronted with the truth, I'm encouraged.
They'll never vote for a Democrat, but I think a lot of them will stay home in 2018, and that's very good news for us. Their view is that the Republican Party has failed their God Emperor, several were openly talking about how they'd come to hate the Republicans.
Everything I saw gave me hope for 2018.
posted by sotonohito at 12:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [90 favorites]
One of the things I do to try and judge my understanding of the Trump Cultists is to periodically check a few of their internet spots and see their general reaction to the news of the day. I'm getting fairly good at it. I'll write down my predictions for what they'll be saying, check against the reality, and over time I've managed to up my accuracy a lot.
Generally what I found was that in response to what I saw as a setback for Trump, they'd find ways to spin it as a positive.
Today I wrote that I expected their position on the failure to repeal the ACA as a positive. I expected citations of Trump's former statements about letting Obamacare implode, I expected praise for how Trump masterfully avoided being branded as taking away healthcare from people, I expected to see them encouraging each other to look forward to the collapse of Obamacare forcing the RINOS to negotiate with Trump.
I was 100% wrong today.
The Trump Cult forums are filled with wailing, anger with Murkowski and Collins, and incandescent white hot rage at McCain. I think we've hit (for the moment anyway, I'm sure some will bounce back) the limit on their ability to lie to themselves.
In between posts calling for McCain's head they're also calling for ousting McConnell and Ryan and putting in a whole new Republican leadership.
When I see the enemy in disarray and fighting among themselves, I'm encouraged. When I see that the lies they told themselves are failing to hold reality at bay and they're confronted with the truth, I'm encouraged.
They'll never vote for a Democrat, but I think a lot of them will stay home in 2018, and that's very good news for us. Their view is that the Republican Party has failed their God Emperor, several were openly talking about how they'd come to hate the Republicans.
Everything I saw gave me hope for 2018.
posted by sotonohito at 12:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [90 favorites]
You know, if Trump ever is arrested, he'll be able to slip right out of the handcuffs.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 12:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
Still kind of hoping it turns out to be the Vasa.
I was thinking Galactic Ark B.
posted by drezdn at 12:59 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I was thinking Galactic Ark B.
posted by drezdn at 12:59 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Mod note: Y'all maybe not so much with the pages-long lyrics dumps.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Re the foxcritters saying "congrats, now the healthy have to pay for the sick": yes, we all know that's how insurance works, but their point that their base fully believes is that now you have to pay for all those lazy people getting diabetes because they're using their food stamps to buy Twinkies every day. Or their diabetic children because their parents are too lazy to get off food stamps and feed them better food. Etc. They truly do believe that "most" people who are sick deserve to be sick because they didn't try hard enough.
posted by nakedmolerats at 1:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by nakedmolerats at 1:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
TPM: Interesting first account Inside The Chamber As The Senate’s Obamacare Repeal Plans Went South
posted by growabrain at 1:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by growabrain at 1:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
That tweet about the child with a disability says so much about Trump. I immediately thought of his mockery of the reporter with a disability during the campaign. He singles out the vulnerable: the poor, the sick, the members of the LGBTQ community (esp. the most vulnerable, the transgender population), Muslims, immigrants, people of color and on. Not to mention his casual anti-Semitism, sexism, and anti-Latino/a bias.
He is utterly hateful, meaning literally filled with hate. I cannot wait for this disgrace to leave our national life forever.
posted by bearwife at 1:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
He is utterly hateful, meaning literally filled with hate. I cannot wait for this disgrace to leave our national life forever.
posted by bearwife at 1:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
I'm still having wine and CAKEY CAKE CAKE later.
The best part about the failure of the repeal vote is we'll all still have health insurance to help with the costs of schadenfreude-induced diabetes this administration is going to give us.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
The best part about the failure of the repeal vote is we'll all still have health insurance to help with the costs of schadenfreude-induced diabetes this administration is going to give us.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
The great thing about defeating skinny repeal - beyond saving lives and insurance for millions - is that a victory is hugely helpful for morale and motivation for the long fight ahead. I've been worried that the long slog would begin to drain the number and size of protests, etc., but from this monthly column at WaPo, last month still showed tremendous resistance.
More people in the U.S. protested in June than in any month since the January Women’s Marches
More people in the U.S. protested in June than in any month since the January Women’s Marches
For June 2017, we tallied 818 protests, demonstrations, strikes, marches, sit-ins and rallies in the United States, with at least one in every state and the District of Columbia. Our conservative guess is that from 954,298 to 1,173,771 people showed up at these political gatherings last month, although it is likely there were far more participants. Because mainstream media often neglect to report nonviolent actions — especially small ones — it is probable that we did not record every event that took place. Sometimes no one reports the size of the crowd, which contributes to undercounting.posted by chris24 at 1:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [43 favorites]
The Mooch, 2011 edition
(From: Scaramucci is Trump’s most dangerous enabler yet)
posted by growabrain at 1:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
(From: Scaramucci is Trump’s most dangerous enabler yet)
posted by growabrain at 1:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
The great thing about defeating skinny repeal - beyond saving lives and insurance for millions - is that a victory is hugely helpful for morale and motivation for the long fight ahead. I've been worried that the long slog would begin to drain the number and size of protests, etc., but from this monthly column at WaPo, last month still showed tremendous resistance.
This was something the right learned with the Tea Party movement -- engagement breeds engagement, even if unsuccessful.
posted by Etrigan at 1:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
This was something the right learned with the Tea Party movement -- engagement breeds engagement, even if unsuccessful.
posted by Etrigan at 1:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
When I see that the lies they told themselves are failing to hold reality at bay and they're confronted with the truth, I'm encouraged.
When the book When Prophecy Fails helped popularize the concept of cognitive dissonance, it pointed out that while some hardcore believers interpreted the prophecy's failure as a reason to double down on their belief, many others left the cult. As I mentioned earlier, columns like Noonan's, not to mention infighting, undercut the strong social support necessary to believe in the cult. The Republicans can't win if they only hold the 27% most hardcore true believers; they need ordinary people to vote for them, too. And even as the Republicans are making it hard for Democrats to vote, in other ways, they're making it hard for some Republicans too.
posted by Gelatin at 1:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
When the book When Prophecy Fails helped popularize the concept of cognitive dissonance, it pointed out that while some hardcore believers interpreted the prophecy's failure as a reason to double down on their belief, many others left the cult. As I mentioned earlier, columns like Noonan's, not to mention infighting, undercut the strong social support necessary to believe in the cult. The Republicans can't win if they only hold the 27% most hardcore true believers; they need ordinary people to vote for them, too. And even as the Republicans are making it hard for Democrats to vote, in other ways, they're making it hard for some Republicans too.
posted by Gelatin at 1:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
I will be in DC in October/November for a few days and I'm really hoping there's a protest I can attend while I'm there. Really, nothing would make me happier, other than this whole administration going down in flames before I have a chance.
posted by Sophie1 at 1:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 1:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Maybe one thing that will come out of this is we'll have wheelchair assassins a la Infinite Jest. And then it will be like:
Trump: I think I'll make fun of a disabled person today.
[offstage] SQUEAK squeak SQUEAK
[lights go out]
[screaming]
posted by angrycat at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
Trump: I think I'll make fun of a disabled person today.
[offstage] SQUEAK squeak SQUEAK
[lights go out]
[screaming]
posted by angrycat at 1:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
That tweet about the child with a disability says so much about Trump.
What's remarkable about that clip of the child being overlooked or ignored is not just its casual cruelty, but its casual incompetence as well. What President, even the most coldly manipulative one, wouldn't make some effort to engage with a visiting disabled child? And what kind of White House staff wouldn't try to ensure that the President did?
posted by octobersurprise at 1:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
What's remarkable about that clip of the child being overlooked or ignored is not just its casual cruelty, but its casual incompetence as well. What President, even the most coldly manipulative one, wouldn't make some effort to engage with a visiting disabled child? And what kind of White House staff wouldn't try to ensure that the President did?
posted by octobersurprise at 1:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [47 favorites]
GOP Rep. Mo Brooks Calls For Mitch McConnell’s Ouster After Health Care Implosion (Faith Gates, Mediaite)
[jaws_theme.mp3]
posted by Room 641-A at 1:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
[jaws_theme.mp3]
posted by Room 641-A at 1:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Current State of America-Tiny Disabled Child offers his hand to President-He is Ignored (tweet)
posted by zakur at 2:42 PM on July 28 [15 favorites +] [!]
That image made me want to cry. No. It made me cry. It hurts my heart to watch.
Imagine - it will take a microsecond, but the feeling will last - the utter and sincere delight President Obama would have taken in acknowledging that child's existence and humanity and potential. The children would have become the stars. They would have lit up, seeing his face light up.
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [74 favorites]
posted by zakur at 2:42 PM on July 28 [15 favorites +] [!]
That image made me want to cry. No. It made me cry. It hurts my heart to watch.
Imagine - it will take a microsecond, but the feeling will last - the utter and sincere delight President Obama would have taken in acknowledging that child's existence and humanity and potential. The children would have become the stars. They would have lit up, seeing his face light up.
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [74 favorites]
Proposal to crowdfund angrycat a huge armor-plated all-terrain assault chair with caterpillar treads and teeth.
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [46 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 1:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [46 favorites]
I'm trying to largely take the day off from the thread and catch up on stuff I was supposed to be doing yesterday, at least if there isn't a big scoop-o-clock, but here's a few links I've collected:
Daily Beast: The Anthony Scaramucci Show Week One, Where Every Hour Is Amateur Hour: "In his first week, Anthony Scaramucci managed to direct the entire White House communications narrative to himself."
National Treasure Alexandra Petri: All the Mooch that’s fit to print
Paul Waldman: This is what you get when you elect Republicans, just brutal and well-deserved fire here
posted by zachlipton at 1:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
Daily Beast: The Anthony Scaramucci Show Week One, Where Every Hour Is Amateur Hour: "In his first week, Anthony Scaramucci managed to direct the entire White House communications narrative to himself."
Current White House staff, former West Wing press aides, and veteran political communications hands are shocked at how poorly Anthony Scaramucci’s tenure as President Donald Trump’s top communications aide is going.This does a really good job of laying out why the Communications Director is important and how his words carry around the globe, and therefore why the present situation is such a problem. Also, Sam Stein had to ask James Carville an unusual question (though, I mean, it was the Clinton era):
And it’s only been a week.
In that short time, the self-branded “Mooch” has caused the ouster of press secretary Sean Spicer, publicly and directly contradicted Trump’s legal team, vowed a brutal staff purge, leaked news that he was firing a White House spokesman before he even told said spokesman (only to turn around and bizarrely denounce his own leak, pretending that he didn’t do it), outed the president on live-TV as his source, potentially worsened relations between the FBI and the Trump White House, accused his chief of staff Reince Priebus of a felony, and accidentally went full on-the-record with The New Yorker for an interview in which he dubbed Priebus a “fucking paranoid schizophrenic” and accused Trump’s chief strategist Steve Bannon of “trying to suck [his] own cock.”
Just. Seven. Days.
...
Officials spoke to The Daily Beast on the condition of anonymity because they were not cleared to vent about The Mooch. Scaramucci did not respond to a request for comment on his week-one retrospective.
Asked if he ever accused Gergen of self-fellatio during the Clinton era, Carville chuckled at the thought. “I don’t think so,” he replied.Hadas Gold, Politico: Scaramucci sets off on-the-record debate: "White House communications chief appears to flip-flop on whether his New Yorker comments were off the record."
But Lizza and The New Yorker say the information was not off the record. They say they have a recording of the conversation, but do not plan to release the audio. The New Yorker said in a statement first reported by Axios that at one point in the conversation, "Scaramucci requested that one part be off the record, and we respected that. The rest was on the record. Today [Thursday], Ryan and Scaramucci had another conversation and Scaramucci was clear and agreed that the conversation was on the record.”WAIT. You're telling me that, in the conversation where he accused the Chief of Staff on the record of trying to perform acts that require great flexibility, there were other things he wanted to be off the record? What possibly could he have said that would have been worse?
National Treasure Alexandra Petri: All the Mooch that’s fit to print
But just because he cannot hold himself to these standards does not mean that we should abandon them ourselves. The family newspaper is right, and Anthony Scaramucci is wrong. I have taken the liberty of editing his remarks for broadcast into more appropriate language.Sarah Kliff, Vox: About last night
“Who leaked that to you? … You’re an American citizen, this is a major catastrophe for the American country. So I’m asking you as an American patriot to give me a sense of who leaked it.”
Good day, sir. I am looking forward to seeing you at tomorrow’s press briefing, which will obviously be televised. I am calling to answer the question that you had about the administration. I would never call a journalist demanding the identity of a source. I would certainly never say you had to reveal a source as a test of patriotism. This is not a banana republic, although we do have an old navy.
...
“I’m not Steve Bannon, I’m not trying to [verb] my own [noun]. “I’m not trying to build my own brand off the [bleeping] strength of the President. I’m here to serve the country.”
I lack Steve Bannon’s flexibility and self-regard.
“Well, he doesn’t know the extent of all that, he knows about some of that, but he’ll know about the rest of it first thing tomorrow morning when I see him.”
I am definitely not going to see the president tomorrow. Are you kidding? For someone like me to have direct access to the president of the United States would be terrifying.
That being said — and moving on to my second thought — I don't think this is over. It is true that three Republican senators voted against a bill to repeal Obamacare. It is also true that 49 Republican senators voted for that bill.Sarah Binder: Four lessons from the GOP failure to repeal Obamacare, with some good Senate procedure insights.
There is a strong drive in the Republican party to deliver on the campaign promise they've made for seven years and, if I've learned anything in this process, it is that this drive cannot be underestimated.
Paul Waldman: This is what you get when you elect Republicans, just brutal and well-deserved fire here
This has been quite a week in Washington, a week full of terror, intrigue, suspense, backstabbing and outright chaos. While we might not have been able to predict the particular contours of the catastrophe that complete GOP rule has been, we should have known it would turn out something like this.Richard Rubin, WSJ: Health-Care Collapse Points to Challenges in GOP’s Upcoming Tax Effort. They were planning on a tax plan based on the border adjustment tax, repealing the ACA taxes, and a unified GOP. They now have none of those things. Also worth noting that the Trump budget magically called for revenue-neutral tax reform, but that point is entirely missing from the GOP's latest blueprint. Surprise!
Guess what, America: This is what you get when you elect Republicans.
It goes much further than their repugnant and disastrous effort to repeal the Affordable Care Act, but all the contemporary GOP’s pathologies could be seen there: their outright malice toward ordinary people, their indifference to the suffering of their fellow citizens, their blazing incompetence, their contempt for democratic norms, their shameless hypocrisy, their gleeful ignorance about policy, their utter dishonesty and bad faith, their pure cynicism, and their complete inability to perform anything that resembles governing. It was the perfect Republican spectacle.
posted by zachlipton at 1:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
> One of the things I do to try and judge my understanding of the Trump Cultists is to periodically check a few of their internet spots and see their general reaction to the news of the day. I'm getting fairly good at it. I'll write down my predictions for what they'll be saying, check against the reality, and over time I've managed to up my accuracy a lot.
I honestly thought that the reddit trumpist forums would be pushing Seth Rich conspiracy theories, or maybe a revival of Pizzagate, since those seem to be their go-to distraction topics when their God-Emperor has publicly failed. But nope — they're talking openly about how much they hate the Republicans.
It's wonderful.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
I honestly thought that the reddit trumpist forums would be pushing Seth Rich conspiracy theories, or maybe a revival of Pizzagate, since those seem to be their go-to distraction topics when their God-Emperor has publicly failed. But nope — they're talking openly about how much they hate the Republicans.
It's wonderful.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 1:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
I'm the last person in the world who would stand up for Trump, and there is no question he was a dick to the kid in the wheelchair at the end. But when he first entered the room the first thing he did was talk to the kid and shake his hand.
OF COURSE he should have shaken the kid's hand again on the way out - the kid clearly wanted him to - but it's not quite the narrative that's being spun up. And I do think accuracy is important in these things. The video editing changes things in material ways.
For comparison, if you watch the Republican version of the Maxine Waters clip, where they edited out Mnuchin being a colossal asshat up top, and just cut straight into her shouting over him while he says he was trying to answer the question, she kind of looks like a jerk. But if you watch it from the beginning, it has a very different vibe.
And now that I've offically (sort of?) defended Trump for the first time ever, I'm going to go take a shower in bleach.
posted by telepanda at 1:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [66 favorites]
OF COURSE he should have shaken the kid's hand again on the way out - the kid clearly wanted him to - but it's not quite the narrative that's being spun up. And I do think accuracy is important in these things. The video editing changes things in material ways.
For comparison, if you watch the Republican version of the Maxine Waters clip, where they edited out Mnuchin being a colossal asshat up top, and just cut straight into her shouting over him while he says he was trying to answer the question, she kind of looks like a jerk. But if you watch it from the beginning, it has a very different vibe.
And now that I've offically (sort of?) defended Trump for the first time ever, I'm going to go take a shower in bleach.
posted by telepanda at 1:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [66 favorites]
@samlymatters Jul 27
Jeff Sessions is waging a war on weed and homosexuality and the only way you can fight it is by being high and gay RIGHT NOW
posted by Sophie1 at 1:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
Jeff Sessions is waging a war on weed and homosexuality and the only way you can fight it is by being high and gay RIGHT NOW
posted by Sophie1 at 1:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [75 favorites]
Current State of America-Tiny Disabled Child offers his hand to President-He is Ignored (tweet)
Fucking rage and white hot flames on this face as a father.
There are moments where I know I would go to jail for someone willfully harming or insulting my child. I'm not judging either parent for not saying something, not one bit, but by all that is holy I would have said something that got me tackled and/or went to jail then and there.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Fucking rage and white hot flames on this face as a father.
There are moments where I know I would go to jail for someone willfully harming or insulting my child. I'm not judging either parent for not saying something, not one bit, but by all that is holy I would have said something that got me tackled and/or went to jail then and there.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
On non-preview, damnit telepanda.
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by RolandOfEld at 1:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
fluttering hellfire: From the captioning at CSPAN
AND WHEN YOU SEE THESE THUGS BEING THROWN INTO THE BACK OF THE PADDY WAGON, YOU JUST SEE THEM THROWN IN, ROUGH. I SAID PLEASE DON'T BE TOO NICE. LIKE WHEN YOU GUYS PUT SOMEBODY IN THE CAR AND YOU'RE PROTECTING THEIR HEAD, YOU KNOW, THE WAY YOU PUT YOUR HAND OVER? LIKE DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD AND THEY JUST KILL SOMEBODY. DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD. I SAID YOU CAN TAKE THE HAND AWAY, OKAY? [APPLAUSE]
Beyond advocating for more police brutality*, he's also making police the judge and jury, if I'm parsing his word salad correctly. Saying "they just kill(ed?) somebody" but don't be careful indicates he thinks they're guilty of murder. So much for innocent until proved guilty (by a jury of their peers).
* Topical tangent: in commemorating the Silent Parade of 1917, NAACP ties the past to the present: Activists created the NAACP in 1909 to fight racialized violence. Then, we called it “lynching.” Today, we call it “police brutality.”
posted by filthy light thief at 1:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
AND WHEN YOU SEE THESE THUGS BEING THROWN INTO THE BACK OF THE PADDY WAGON, YOU JUST SEE THEM THROWN IN, ROUGH. I SAID PLEASE DON'T BE TOO NICE. LIKE WHEN YOU GUYS PUT SOMEBODY IN THE CAR AND YOU'RE PROTECTING THEIR HEAD, YOU KNOW, THE WAY YOU PUT YOUR HAND OVER? LIKE DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD AND THEY JUST KILL SOMEBODY. DON'T HIT THEIR HEAD. I SAID YOU CAN TAKE THE HAND AWAY, OKAY? [APPLAUSE]
Beyond advocating for more police brutality*, he's also making police the judge and jury, if I'm parsing his word salad correctly. Saying "they just kill(ed?) somebody" but don't be careful indicates he thinks they're guilty of murder. So much for innocent until proved guilty (by a jury of their peers).
* Topical tangent: in commemorating the Silent Parade of 1917, NAACP ties the past to the present: Activists created the NAACP in 1909 to fight racialized violence. Then, we called it “lynching.” Today, we call it “police brutality.”
posted by filthy light thief at 1:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Jeff Sessions is waging a war on weed and homosexuality and the only way you can fight it is by being high and gay RIGHT NOW
I love musical theater and proper four on the floor club music but I just don't like how men feel. Can I still help?
posted by Talez at 1:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I love musical theater and proper four on the floor club music but I just don't like how men feel. Can I still help?
posted by Talez at 1:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Sorry to shit on the parade. But it is better to understand the nuances of what you're being enraged about, because otherwise it just turns into a gross GOTCHA moment for the other side. The FAKE NEWS MEDIA and their FAKE EDITING and all. Better not to feed the swamp creatures.
posted by telepanda at 1:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by telepanda at 1:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Scaramucci's wife has apparently filed for divorce. I suppose he should start learning to suck his own cock? :(
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [116 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [116 favorites]
I dipped my toes into as much Republican media as I could stomach today, too, and am pleased to report that many comments are blaming the Republicans and drawing the conclusion that they just need to elect more conservative reps. Some were even saying that to punish the current reps, they need to go so far as to vote Democratic if there isn't a "true conservative" on the ballot.
2018 elections are going to be interesting.
posted by not that mimi at 1:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
2018 elections are going to be interesting.
posted by not that mimi at 1:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Okay. I'm glad the young boy did get his moment with the president, and nonsarcastically hope they both enjoyed their time together. I still think Trump should have done better, working that line in the clip I watched.
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Caxton1476 at 1:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I will be in DC in October/November for a few days and I'm really hoping there's a protest I can attend while I'm there. Really, nothing would make me happier, other than this whole administration going down in flames before I have a chance.
Shit, I'll buy some poster board and markers and we can have our own little mefi mini-protest over off Lafayette park. I can think of worse ways to spend an hour than standing around jawing with some mefites while holding up a sign demanding prison reform. Y'all can pick your own hobby horse.
posted by phearlez at 1:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Shit, I'll buy some poster board and markers and we can have our own little mefi mini-protest over off Lafayette park. I can think of worse ways to spend an hour than standing around jawing with some mefites while holding up a sign demanding prison reform. Y'all can pick your own hobby horse.
posted by phearlez at 1:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Scaramucci's wife has apparently filed for divorce.
The Page Six story is quite the hit job (and yes, it's Friday and I have no editorial standards whatsoever anymore):
posted by zachlipton at 1:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
The Page Six story is quite the hit job (and yes, it's Friday and I have no editorial standards whatsoever anymore):
Anthony Scaramucci, the White House’s potty-mouthed new communications director, has been dumped by his beautiful blond wife because of his “naked political ambition,” multiple sources exclusively tell Page Six.Is this story Bannon strikes back?
Deidre Ball, who worked as a vice president in investor relations for SkyBridge Capital, the firm he founded in 2005 and sold to ascend to the White House, has filed for divorce from “The Mooch” after three years of marriage after getting fed up with his ruthless quest to get close to President Trump, whom she despises.
One source told Page Six, “Deidre has left him and has filed for divorce. She liked the nice Wall Street life and their home on Long Island, not the insane world of D.C. She is tired of his naked ambition, which is so enormous that it left her at her wits’ end. She has left him even though they have two children together.”
posted by zachlipton at 1:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
is by being high and gay RIGHT NOW
posted by Sophie1 at 4:29 PM
Allowing a few minutes for the effects to kick in this comment is ... echronysterical.
Don't forget to tip your servers.
posted by spitbull at 1:37 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 4:29 PM
Allowing a few minutes for the effects to kick in this comment is ... echronysterical.
Don't forget to tip your servers.
posted by spitbull at 1:37 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Ashley Feinberg: A GOP Staffer Crowdsourced a Resolution From a Conspiracy Subreddit. "Conspiracy subreddit" is selling it short; we're talking about /r/The_Donald here.
The insider references to subpoenas, the legislative process, and working in Congress (as well as allusions to taking down Crooked H) prompted some additional digging. The three Reddit sleuths then saw that Devinm666 had actively solicited other r/The_Donald members for assistance with the upcoming amendment. Representative Gaetz has confirmed that that Devinm666 is in fact legislative aide Devin Murphy.posted by zachlipton at 1:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
"Yes, Devin is a staffer in our office," Gaetz wrote in an email to WIRED. "It is the responsibility of our staff to gather as much information as possible when researching a subject and provide that information for consideration. We pride ourselves on seeking as much citizen input as possible.”
Publicly identifying one of its users is generally seen as a strict taboo on Reddit. But Murphy is a public official, and in this case was using the platform for public business. He also made little effort to hide his identity, at one point even posting his congressional ID badge, albeit with his name and face obscured.
It's Maxine Waters' Time; We're Just Living In It
R. Eric Thomas (Elle) summarizes Waters' exchange with Mnuchin:
Secretary Mnuchin began his response by thanking Rep. Waters for her service to California. Like Mikayla at the Olympics, Rep. Waters was unimpressed. She cut him off, "We don't want to take my time up with how great I am," effectively winning the gold medal in interrogation with a breathtaking move called The You Got The Wrong One Today, Friend.
posted by chaoticgood at 1:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [62 favorites]
R. Eric Thomas (Elle) summarizes Waters' exchange with Mnuchin:
Secretary Mnuchin began his response by thanking Rep. Waters for her service to California. Like Mikayla at the Olympics, Rep. Waters was unimpressed. She cut him off, "We don't want to take my time up with how great I am," effectively winning the gold medal in interrogation with a breathtaking move called The You Got The Wrong One Today, Friend.
posted by chaoticgood at 1:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [62 favorites]
Jeff Sessions is waging a war on weed and homosexuality and the only way you can fight it is by being high and gay RIGHT NOW
Everyone relax.
I've got this.
posted by MrVisible at 1:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [113 favorites]
Everyone relax.
I've got this.
posted by MrVisible at 1:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [113 favorites]
OF COURSE he should have shaken the kid's hand again on the way out - the kid clearly wanted him to - but it's not quite the narrative that's being spun up
It may be less cruel than it looks at first, but it isn't less incompetent. And that seems to symbolize the so-called Administration. It just blunders around sometimes being cruel, sometimes very cruel, and sometimes merely thoughtless, but always blundering. Say what you will about GWB, at least he had the staff, and a bit of charm, and some basic desire to want to avoid looking like an ogre. (And a Cheney, to whom he could out-source the ogre-ing.)
posted by octobersurprise at 1:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
It may be less cruel than it looks at first, but it isn't less incompetent. And that seems to symbolize the so-called Administration. It just blunders around sometimes being cruel, sometimes very cruel, and sometimes merely thoughtless, but always blundering. Say what you will about GWB, at least he had the staff, and a bit of charm, and some basic desire to want to avoid looking like an ogre. (And a Cheney, to whom he could out-source the ogre-ing.)
posted by octobersurprise at 1:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Diabetes cake jokes aren't that funny when you either have it, or have a loved one who died from a diabetes-related condition. Just sayin.
posted by HyperBlue at 1:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by HyperBlue at 1:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
This is what you get when you elect Republicans
Archer: Do you want Republicans?...
posted by mikelieman at 1:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Archer: Do you want Republicans?...
posted by mikelieman at 1:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
I love musical theater and proper four on the floor club music but I just don't like how men feel. Can I still help?
posted by Talez at 1:31 PM on July 28 [+] [!]
I love vintage punk, free jazz, experimental electronica, and dick. You can make good on the stereotypes, I'll take care of the fun stuff.
posted by mykescipark at 1:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
posted by Talez at 1:31 PM on July 28 [+] [!]
I love vintage punk, free jazz, experimental electronica, and dick. You can make good on the stereotypes, I'll take care of the fun stuff.
posted by mykescipark at 1:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
But when he first entered the room the first thing he did was talk to the kid and shake his hand.
OF COURSE he should have shaken the kid's hand again on the way out - the kid clearly wanted him to
I am not mollified. Here's what I see: Trump was told to focus on the child with the disability, which he dutifully and briefly did, at a time the child wasn't even looking at him or aware he was coming. And then, when the child responded to his presence again by trying hard and very audibly to interact, Trump cruelly snubbed the child.
I can see how this felt to the child. And it says worlds, worlds about this nasty man that he can do this to a child.
I, too, remembered all the times Barack Obama showed us that he had a heart for every child.
posted by bearwife at 1:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
OF COURSE he should have shaken the kid's hand again on the way out - the kid clearly wanted him to
I am not mollified. Here's what I see: Trump was told to focus on the child with the disability, which he dutifully and briefly did, at a time the child wasn't even looking at him or aware he was coming. And then, when the child responded to his presence again by trying hard and very audibly to interact, Trump cruelly snubbed the child.
I can see how this felt to the child. And it says worlds, worlds about this nasty man that he can do this to a child.
I, too, remembered all the times Barack Obama showed us that he had a heart for every child.
posted by bearwife at 1:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Ugh, I hate those idiotic "Now This" videos. Here's the actual Waters-Mnuchin video.
posted by rhizome at 1:52 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 1:52 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Oh, so there goes Priebus
I am pleased to inform you that I have just named General/Secretary John F Kelly as White House Chief of Staff. He is a Great American....posted by Brainy at 1:52 PM on July 28, 2017 [50 favorites]
The Times previewed this earlier today, saying that Trump was talking about wanting "a general" to do the job. Because that's just what we need. More military.
posted by zachlipton at 1:54 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:54 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
(looks at watch) *sigh*, here we go again...
posted by Melismata at 1:54 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 1:54 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Sean Gallagher on twitter (sorry):
So I was reading "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg and decided to replace the "Moloch" section with "Mooch." It's scary how well it works.
Let's not be ridiculous here.
It completely messes up the scansion.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
So I was reading "Howl" by Allen Ginsberg and decided to replace the "Moloch" section with "Mooch." It's scary how well it works.
Let's not be ridiculous here.
It completely messes up the scansion.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
reincequiem for a priebus
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
Holy hell. It just keeps getting more insane.
posted by Jalliah at 1:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
donald has at last retracted his priebus
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [46 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [46 favorites]
Damn, axed at 5pm on a Friday. Right on schedule for scoop-o'clock.
posted by marshmallow peep at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by marshmallow peep at 1:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Lather, Reince, repeat.
posted by jferg at 1:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [43 favorites]
posted by jferg at 1:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [43 favorites]
Wait. Gen. John Kelly already has a job in this administration -- he's the current head of DHS. So... do they have to nominate a new head for DHS now or what?
posted by mhum at 1:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by mhum at 1:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Now, finally, Gavin S. Baoroam can rest easy with the title of Obvious Anagram as Priebus rides off into the sunset.
posted by Slackermagee at 1:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Slackermagee at 1:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I was told Tom Price would be fired. I'm still waiting.
posted by zachlipton at 1:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Now, finally, Gavin S. Baoroam can rest easy with the title of Obvious Anagram as Priebus rides off into the sunset.
I just sat here and carefully checked that for palindromicity. So close!
posted by telepanda at 1:59 PM on July 28, 2017
I just sat here and carefully checked that for palindromicity. So close!
posted by telepanda at 1:59 PM on July 28, 2017
Does firing Reince on a Friday reduce the risk of an...incident?
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:59 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 1:59 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
So... do they have to nominate a new head for DHS now or what?
It would seem technically possible for him to do both jobs. After all, The Mooch isn't capable of doing his one job, and he's still truckin'.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
It would seem technically possible for him to do both jobs. After all, The Mooch isn't capable of doing his one job, and he's still truckin'.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I'm glad that all the problems in the White House are solved with this move and look forward to a new era of respectability and calm.
posted by Justinian at 2:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [52 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [52 favorites]
Does...does he plan to have Kelly do BOTH jobs?
I mean he really is stupid enough to expect that. But... what?
And does he really want to have another cabinet confirmation fight right now?
Yes. Yes, of course he does, because he's an idiot, why do I ask?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I mean he really is stupid enough to expect that. But... what?
And does he really want to have another cabinet confirmation fight right now?
Yes. Yes, of course he does, because he's an idiot, why do I ask?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Yes, mhum, they need to start over for DHS head.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 641-A at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
If this is how Priebus actually found out, just shows again how much of a coward #45 really is. Doesn't have the guts to personally fire anyone (Comey etc), would rather the news do it for him
posted by andruwjones26 at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by andruwjones26 at 2:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
OMG STAHP! I can't keep up! Just stop!
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Damn, axed at 5pm on a Friday
I know next to nothing about Reince, but there's part of me that imagines him walking out of the West Wing, with his box of stuff, and thinking "Thank God thats over" and then going home to have a beer. Tomorrow, he'll search that box of stuff and discover that he left a lot of his humanity behind.
posted by nubs at 2:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
I know next to nothing about Reince, but there's part of me that imagines him walking out of the West Wing, with his box of stuff, and thinking "Thank God thats over" and then going home to have a beer. Tomorrow, he'll search that box of stuff and discover that he left a lot of his humanity behind.
posted by nubs at 2:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [34 favorites]
I'm honestly a little terrified at the thought of Kelly as CoS.
posted by joedan at 2:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by joedan at 2:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Unless this is just him twittering off about what he WANTS to do and hasn't bothered to actually do any of the paperwork for moving people around.
posted by charred husk at 2:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by charred husk at 2:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Oh he doesn't get to just walk out of the West Wing. He's in a van on the tarmac at Andrews right now.
posted by zachlipton at 2:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
The Bill killed and Reince forced to leave Washington with only what he can carry? Apparently all that was needed was for me to leave the country for a few days. Sorry guys, had I known I would have gone a lot sooner!
Seriously, fuck that guy.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Seriously, fuck that guy.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
If this is how Priebus actually found out, just shows again how much of a coward #45 really is. Doesn't have the guts to personally fire anyone (Comey etc), would rather the news do it for him
JFC, Kelly O'Donnell said Reince was on Air Force One when Trump sent out that tweet.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
JFC, Kelly O'Donnell said Reince was on Air Force One when Trump sent out that tweet.
posted by Room 641-A at 2:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [31 favorites]
Oh he doesn't get to just walk out of the West Wing. He's in a van on the tarmac at Andrews right now.
I thought secret rendition had stopped?
posted by nubs at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I thought secret rendition had stopped?
posted by nubs at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
You know, it was hard to top Infrastructure Week, but I'm really feeling like American Heroes Week might have done it.
posted by zachlipton at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [37 favorites]
Guys they found the leaker at the White House. It's the roof. Kelly O'Donnell tweeted it.
posted by yoga at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by yoga at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'm honestly a little terrified at the thought of Kelly as CoS.
It's a pile of venomous snakes. I don't think one is better than another.
posted by bearwife at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017
It's a pile of venomous snakes. I don't think one is better than another.
posted by bearwife at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017
A reminder that Priebus was the beleaguered GOP establishment's lone umbilicus to the administration. The Trump regime is officially its own hermit kingdom.
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [60 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [60 favorites]
I am so spending Friday night eating ice cream and refreshing this thread.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Tomorrow, he'll search that box of stuff and discover that he left a lot of his humanity behind.
Nah, Republican.
posted by Artw at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Nah, Republican.
posted by Artw at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah. A) isn't Homes to Chief of Staff a bit of a step down? B) Shit, now he's going to put David Clarke in Homes, right?
posted by octobersurprise at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by octobersurprise at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Does Kelly know he's Chief of Staff or is he as surprised as the rest of us?
posted by cmfletcher at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by cmfletcher at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Does...does he plan to have Kelly do BOTH jobs?
I mean he really is stupid enough to expect that. But... what?
you mean "do" both jobs right?
Although DHS is essential to their "deport them all" plan.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I mean he really is stupid enough to expect that. But... what?
you mean "do" both jobs right?
Although DHS is essential to their "deport them all" plan.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
This really makes me wonder if Kelly was who Trump was citing when he talked about "his" generals in his transphobic garbage tweet the other day.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
scaryblackdeath: Does...does he plan to have Kelly do BOTH jobs?
I mean he really is stupid enough to expect that. But... what?
Let's all take a moment to remember this is a man who put his daughter, two sons, andson-in-law in positions of power currently or in his election team.
When you're hiring your (30-something kids with no real world experience in the applicable field), you're drawing from a pretty shallow pool and/or you have serious trust issues.
With Trump, I think we can circle "and."
posted by filthy light thief at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
I mean he really is stupid enough to expect that. But... what?
Let's all take a moment to remember this is a man who put his daughter, two sons, andson-in-law in positions of power currently or in his election team.
When you're hiring your (30-something kids with no real world experience in the applicable field), you're drawing from a pretty shallow pool and/or you have serious trust issues.
With Trump, I think we can circle "and."
posted by filthy light thief at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
GOP establishment is dead, it's just random nazis now.
posted by Artw at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Godammit. Left the thread for 5 minutes to wrap up Friday afternoon stuff and... there's now a general as Chief of Staff.
posted by notyou at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by notyou at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Tomorrow, he'll search that box of stuff and discover that he left a lot of his humanity behind.
Nah, Republican.
You're right; giving him a box for his stuff would be socialism.
posted by nubs at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Nah, Republican.
You're right; giving him a box for his stuff would be socialism.
posted by nubs at 2:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Who wants to bet he drags ... wait for it ... Giuliani out for DHS? With bonus bogus 9/11 callback (pun intended)?
posted by Dashy at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by Dashy at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Notyou's wife on hearing the news about Priebus: "You know what? I'm not even gonna learn their names anymore."
posted by notyou at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [80 favorites]
posted by notyou at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [80 favorites]
Um.
posted by zachlipton at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Most staff was off before we moved into position but Reince Priebus and Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino loaded into one suburban then moments later Miller and Scavino got out and loaded another van.They totally stabbed him in the back didn't they? His folks say he resigned yesterday.
posted by zachlipton at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Please let this accelerate this man's demise. Really, how can anyone who works in that administration feel safe? The press secretary gone one week. Chief of staff the next. How can you lie to yourself and think "oh I'm sure my job is safe" with this pack of hyenas in charge
posted by andruwjones26 at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by andruwjones26 at 2:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Obvious anagram Reince Priebus will be back. Remember, his family motto is "I creep in, rubes."
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [60 favorites]
posted by Joey Michaels at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [60 favorites]
I wish nothing but the worst for Mr. Priebus, and I hope his departure hastens the invevitable unravelling and collapse of this administration. I also hope that his ousting was vindictive and insulting enough to motivate him to seek vengeance.
posted by mrjohnmuller at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [59 favorites]
posted by mrjohnmuller at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [59 favorites]
Bit worrying that alcoholic adherent to white nationalism and the dark enlightenment Steve Bannon is now starting to look like the most stable person in Trump's team.
posted by howfar at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
posted by howfar at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Does John Kelly know he got the job?
posted by Lord_Pall at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Lord_Pall at 2:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Suffolk County Police Department Twitter statement: As a department, we do not and will not tolerate roughing up of prisoners.
Followed by: The SCPD has strict rules & procedures relating to the handling of prisoners. Violations of those rules are treated extremely seriously.
You know what to do.
posted by spitbull at 2:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
Followed by: The SCPD has strict rules & procedures relating to the handling of prisoners. Violations of those rules are treated extremely seriously.
You know what to do.
posted by spitbull at 2:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
Oh he doesn't get to just walk out of the West Wing. He's in a van on the tarmac at Andrews right now.
I love the first comment in that thread: "Not a van, bro."
posted by dirigibleman at 2:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I love the first comment in that thread: "Not a van, bro."
posted by dirigibleman at 2:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I hope Priebus spills tea
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I bet Trump got a little hyped up watching Air Force One, and this was a very lazy approximation of "Get off my plane."
posted by knuckle tattoos at 2:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by knuckle tattoos at 2:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Those poor SNL writers, can't do anything until September...
posted by Melismata at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
"Good Reince, sweet Priebus, and a budget flight see thee to thy wingnut welfare TV/radio gig"
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Most staff was off before we moved into position but Reince Priebus and Stephen Miller and Dan Scavino loaded into one suburban then moments later Miller and Scavino got out and loaded another van.
This reminds me of the end of the Godfather when Tessio is in the car waiting for Mike and Tom and when they say they wont be riding with him, Tessio knows he's done.
posted by shothotbot at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
This reminds me of the end of the Godfather when Tessio is in the car waiting for Mike and Tom and when they say they wont be riding with him, Tessio knows he's done.
posted by shothotbot at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Priebus was, from the very beginning, pretty clearly the RNC's attempt to put a leash on Mad King Don and have some degree of control and moderating influence on him. Which he obviously hated.
Assuming I'm tracking the Mad King's Courtier's properly, Priebus was the last bog standard Republican in the White House. The rest of his Cabinet and staff are all either outsiders or firmly in Trump's orbit.
Which means that the RNC no longer has even nominal say in what's happening, nor any real line to the White House to even monitor what Mad King Don is up to. That's got to have a lot of powerful Republicans very upset, especially given the cruel and humiliating way Priebus was ousted.
I'll give you any odds you want that Priebus had no advance notice and the first he learned that he'd been replaced was when Trump tweeted the news. It's in line with the way Trump has handled staff changes in the past.
And regardless of whether or not it's true, I'll also bet a lot of RNC types are seeing this as payback from Trump for the Republican failure to repeal the ACA.
The Trump cultists are certainly crowing about it, and treating it like a combination of revenge and Trump reasserting his manhood and dominance.
So where does that leave the Republican Party in general? The Mad King is now officially off the leash, they've got nothing to even try anymore.
I doubt we'll see any real unified action from the Republicans in the near future. Some will probably try to cozy up to Trump in hopes of getting on his good side (yeah, right), some will probably get their backs up and be vocally anti-Trump.
But really, they don't have much choice but to keep trying to suck up to him. He's still President, I don't think even this will push the Republican establishment to run the risk of either impeachment or the 25th Amendment.
They've got to be buckling down for some horrible midterms and expecting to lose the Presidency in 2020.
Will there be a general Party purging as Trumpites and establishment Republicans have the political equivalent of a knife fight in the dark?
They've still got power, they can still do a lot of damage, but I think they may be too distracted by infighting to do as much as they otherwise would. I'm also betting that the movers and shakers in the Republican Party are planning to lose power in 2018 and 2020 and then revert to their very successful program of obstruction. it works out much better for them than actually having power does.
posted by sotonohito at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [48 favorites]
Assuming I'm tracking the Mad King's Courtier's properly, Priebus was the last bog standard Republican in the White House. The rest of his Cabinet and staff are all either outsiders or firmly in Trump's orbit.
Which means that the RNC no longer has even nominal say in what's happening, nor any real line to the White House to even monitor what Mad King Don is up to. That's got to have a lot of powerful Republicans very upset, especially given the cruel and humiliating way Priebus was ousted.
I'll give you any odds you want that Priebus had no advance notice and the first he learned that he'd been replaced was when Trump tweeted the news. It's in line with the way Trump has handled staff changes in the past.
And regardless of whether or not it's true, I'll also bet a lot of RNC types are seeing this as payback from Trump for the Republican failure to repeal the ACA.
The Trump cultists are certainly crowing about it, and treating it like a combination of revenge and Trump reasserting his manhood and dominance.
So where does that leave the Republican Party in general? The Mad King is now officially off the leash, they've got nothing to even try anymore.
I doubt we'll see any real unified action from the Republicans in the near future. Some will probably try to cozy up to Trump in hopes of getting on his good side (yeah, right), some will probably get their backs up and be vocally anti-Trump.
But really, they don't have much choice but to keep trying to suck up to him. He's still President, I don't think even this will push the Republican establishment to run the risk of either impeachment or the 25th Amendment.
They've got to be buckling down for some horrible midterms and expecting to lose the Presidency in 2020.
Will there be a general Party purging as Trumpites and establishment Republicans have the political equivalent of a knife fight in the dark?
They've still got power, they can still do a lot of damage, but I think they may be too distracted by infighting to do as much as they otherwise would. I'm also betting that the movers and shakers in the Republican Party are planning to lose power in 2018 and 2020 and then revert to their very successful program of obstruction. it works out much better for them than actually having power does.
posted by sotonohito at 2:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [48 favorites]
the good news: reince can still get affordable health insurance on the individual market
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [109 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [109 favorites]
Slight error: new COS is actually former Buffalo Bills QB Jim Kelly, who has pledged a "no-press-huddle" policy. [fake]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Donna Janine, Suffolk County Police public affairs officer on Twitter, so far just PR for the president's speech.
posted by spitbull at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by spitbull at 2:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I know Kevin Drum was maintaining a Republican Dead Pool for this administration - and funnily enough, Scaramucci is the second listed entry ("Fell afoul of Omarosa and Reince Preibus"). I need that updated, and stat!
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Can we just look at "General/Secretary John F Kelly" for a second? Because that's an absurd thing to call someone. He's not a General/Secretary. That's not supposed to be a thing in our government. Our government is not supposed to be run by generals.
Priebus is running around telling everyone he resigned privately yesterday. Honestly feel like he just found out himself and is trying to cover.
posted by zachlipton at 2:15 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Priebus is running around telling everyone he resigned privately yesterday. Honestly feel like he just found out himself and is trying to cover.
posted by zachlipton at 2:15 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Crazy thought: One of the people (maybe Mooch) with the keys to Trump's twitter just tweeted Reince is out, knowing Trump wouldn't want to have to walk it back.
posted by drezdn at 2:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 2:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
If Priebus resigned yesterday, what's with the kabuki dance with the SUVs the press pool reported? Lies, lies, lies, there are so many.
posted by bearwife at 2:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
posted by bearwife at 2:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Priebus is running around telling everyone he resigned privately yesterday. Honestly feel like he just found out himself and is trying to cover.
When did you resign and when did you know about it?
I honestly cannot believe that the notoriously leaky WH could keep this quiet for 24 hours. The Mooch, at least, would've been crowing
posted by nubs at 2:18 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
When did you resign and when did you know about it?
I honestly cannot believe that the notoriously leaky WH could keep this quiet for 24 hours. The Mooch, at least, would've been crowing
posted by nubs at 2:18 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Preibus resigned "yesterday", come on.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Yeah, I speculated a while back that Reince was the only real DC insider in the WH, so with this development we now turn to the question of whether the Republican Party is going to run their own candidate against Trump in 2020.
posted by rhizome at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
He has a resignation in Canada.
posted by Artw at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Friendship ended with REINCE
Now
KELLY
is my
best friend
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
Now
KELLY
is my
best friend
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
Those poor SNL writers, can't do anything until September...
SNL Weekend Update Thursday premieres August 10th!
posted by Gary at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
SNL Weekend Update Thursday premieres August 10th!
posted by Gary at 2:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
How can we already be so close to needing a new thread?
Well when a Mommy Republican and a Daddy Republican and a Maverick Republican all disagree on the government's role in healthcare they create a lot of MeFi posts.
posted by Talez at 2:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
Well when a Mommy Republican and a Daddy Republican and a Maverick Republican all disagree on the government's role in healthcare they create a lot of MeFi posts.
posted by Talez at 2:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
How can we already be so close to needing a new thread?
It's been a helluva week:
-health care repeal drama
-The Mooch
-the Boy Scouts
-gang talk
-the Anagram firing
and probably some things I forgot. Let's take a moment to salute our long suffering mods for suffering us, and the WH Press Corp for somehow keeping going.
posted by nubs at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
It's been a helluva week:
-health care repeal drama
-The Mooch
-the Boy Scouts
-gang talk
-the Anagram firing
and probably some things I forgot. Let's take a moment to salute our long suffering mods for suffering us, and the WH Press Corp for somehow keeping going.
posted by nubs at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Our government is not supposed to be run by generals.
Trump has a real thing for them, though.
posted by emjaybee at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017
Trump has a real thing for them, though.
posted by emjaybee at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017
All major news outlets have pre-written outlines of obituaries for celebrities. Do they now have pre-written stories for "Trump Administration employee X was fired"?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
From a Republican Facebook friend who's generally quite pro-military:
"Naming former generals to half of the Cabinet and other posts within the West Wing (metaphorically, I'm not tallying up the actual numbers) is little more than a military junta, one little cut at a time."
posted by Slothrup at 2:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
"Naming former generals to half of the Cabinet and other posts within the West Wing (metaphorically, I'm not tallying up the actual numbers) is little more than a military junta, one little cut at a time."
posted by Slothrup at 2:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
@ProBirdRights hello Rice Previous i hear your job is fire. would you like work for me your qualitycations must include ability to place cheeto into a beak
posted by emjaybee at 2:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [60 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 2:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [60 favorites]
I wonder if this will once and for all end the leaks to the press. I've long been convinced that the person or persons leaking to the press are friends and/or family members of Priebus and his staff. They complain about the insanity of their jobs to their friends, the friends talk to reporters and voila, a leaked story.
Kelly's likely going to obey the chain of command pretty rigidly. You want a person in the Chief of Staff position who will be utterly loyal, yes. Someone who will rally the troops and look out for the President's best interests. But you also want someone who isn't afraid to get in the President's face and tell him that he's making a mistake. Is Kelly that man? Doubtful.
Kelly is will be a political operative in a civilian government. Quite a change from DHS or being a General in the Army. There are rules preventing recently retired officers from holding certain offices, such as Secretary of Defense. But not for CoS.
I also think it's likely Giuliani will get DHS. Heaven help us.
posted by zarq at 2:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Kelly's likely going to obey the chain of command pretty rigidly. You want a person in the Chief of Staff position who will be utterly loyal, yes. Someone who will rally the troops and look out for the President's best interests. But you also want someone who isn't afraid to get in the President's face and tell him that he's making a mistake. Is Kelly that man? Doubtful.
Kelly is will be a political operative in a civilian government. Quite a change from DHS or being a General in the Army. There are rules preventing recently retired officers from holding certain offices, such as Secretary of Defense. But not for CoS.
I also think it's likely Giuliani will get DHS. Heaven help us.
posted by zarq at 2:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Trump has a real thing for them, though.
My sense of Trump and the Generals is that they are bound by the chain of command to pretend they like him, and defer accordingly. I expect it to happen more in the future.
posted by rhizome at 2:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
My sense of Trump and the Generals is that they are bound by the chain of command to pretend they like him, and defer accordingly. I expect it to happen more in the future.
posted by rhizome at 2:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Many European academic societies have a "Secretary General."
posted by spitbull at 2:25 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by spitbull at 2:25 PM on July 28, 2017
goodnight, sweet prince of rebuses.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 2:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Hey! Not to make us all freak out or whatever, but um, Senate's about to go on recess, right? And DHS is a cabinet position that's suddenly free, right? Any reason Trump can't nominate any fucking yahoo to the position as a recess appointment?
posted by yasaman at 2:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by yasaman at 2:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
All major news outlets have pre-written outlines of obituaries for celebrities. Do they now have pre-written stories for "Trump Administration employee X was fired"?
The Times had one ready to go immediately after the tweet, but they also clearly knew Priebus was getting fired and Trump was talking Kelly as a replacement. Scroll to the end for Roger Stone saying he wants someone more Trumpian than Kelly.
posted by zachlipton at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
The Times had one ready to go immediately after the tweet, but they also clearly knew Priebus was getting fired and Trump was talking Kelly as a replacement. Scroll to the end for Roger Stone saying he wants someone more Trumpian than Kelly.
posted by zachlipton at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I'll do it. I'll head the DHS.
posted by Mister Cheese at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by Mister Cheese at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Priebus silver lining: he can finally move on to acting so he can play live-action Morty
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
I'll also bet a lot of RNC types are seeing this as payback from Trump for the Republican failure to repeal the ACA.
At this point I'm kinda surprised that Trump waited till AF1 landed rather than having his goons Duturte him.
If Kelly's in favour now, could he have been the nominal general consulted about the transgender ban?
posted by Buntix at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
At this point I'm kinda surprised that Trump waited till AF1 landed rather than having his goons Duturte him.
If Kelly's in favour now, could he have been the nominal general consulted about the transgender ban?
posted by Buntix at 2:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
TRUMP: I'd like to make you a Joint Chief of Staff!
KELLY: I would be honored.
* minutes later *
TRUMP: John Kelly is my new Chief of Staff!
KELLY: I need a joint.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
KELLY: I would be honored.
* minutes later *
TRUMP: John Kelly is my new Chief of Staff!
KELLY: I need a joint.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
> I also think it's likely Giuliani will get DHS. Heaven help us.
Heaven help us, indeed - I bet that's the plan, although I have a hard time seeing how Giuliani gets to 50 votes in the Senate.
(And on preview, the Democrats have already stated that they'll object to Motions to Adjourn, which takes 60 votes to overcome. That is, they'll filibuster attempts to formally adjourn. So no recess appointments.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Heaven help us, indeed - I bet that's the plan, although I have a hard time seeing how Giuliani gets to 50 votes in the Senate.
(And on preview, the Democrats have already stated that they'll object to Motions to Adjourn, which takes 60 votes to overcome. That is, they'll filibuster attempts to formally adjourn. So no recess appointments.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Obvious Anagram Defenestrated.
posted by spitbull at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 2:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Dang, I wish they'd let Kelly do both jobs so he could be Chief of House and Home(land).
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Many European academic societies have a "Secretary General."
Yes but that's because French people are stupid and put adjectives after nouns. It's just a fancy way of say "general secretary" not a derivative of a military rank.
Like how they call the US the EU because it's Etats Unis which is States United. Backwards French stupidity causes confusion yet again.
posted by Talez at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Yes but that's because French people are stupid and put adjectives after nouns. It's just a fancy way of say "general secretary" not a derivative of a military rank.
Like how they call the US the EU because it's Etats Unis which is States United. Backwards French stupidity causes confusion yet again.
posted by Talez at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Alexandra Petri: "does Donald Trump genuinely think he is supposed to eliminate someone each week"
White House Survivor. Trump does like his reality shows.
posted by nubs at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
White House Survivor. Trump does like his reality shows.
posted by nubs at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Metafilter: also there is a duffle bag full of sex toys involved
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Roger Stone saying he wants someone more Trumpian than Kelly.
How much more Trumpian can you get than Kelly? The answer is "none." None more Trumpian.
posted by rhizome at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
How much more Trumpian can you get than Kelly? The answer is "none." None more Trumpian.
posted by rhizome at 2:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
If you like inside gossip on how and why all the Nazis hate each other, here's a HuffPo story on the background of the bad blood between Scaramucci and Priebus. This particular firing is clearly Scaramucci's doing imho.
posted by bearwife at 2:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by bearwife at 2:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I doubt very much this will be the end of the leaks. Sure, Priebus was doubtless a major source.
But this is Reagan II, every single one of those scumbags in the White House has their own agenda and they all hate and distrust each other. One way to get what you want from the Mad King is to betray another courtier. They're constantly jockeying for position, and leaks to the press are a central component of that.
posted by sotonohito at 2:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
But this is Reagan II, every single one of those scumbags in the White House has their own agenda and they all hate and distrust each other. One way to get what you want from the Mad King is to betray another courtier. They're constantly jockeying for position, and leaks to the press are a central component of that.
posted by sotonohito at 2:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
Heaven help us, indeed - I bet that's the plan, although I have a hard time seeing how Giuliani gets to 50 votes in the Senate.
Consider the situation right now: Russia, Sessions, post-ACA-repeal-shitshow with Republicans breaking ranks and feeling a ton of heat, a bucket of other failures and now the loss of the RNC's guy in the Chief of Staff spot.
I more than half suspect Trump will have a hard time getting 50 votes for anyone he'd actually want. Particularly for a sensitive job like DHS. We might actually see a few shreds of Congressional oversight this time.
Edit: OH SHIT. What if he's planning to fill the spot with a recess appointment?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017
Consider the situation right now: Russia, Sessions, post-ACA-repeal-shitshow with Republicans breaking ranks and feeling a ton of heat, a bucket of other failures and now the loss of the RNC's guy in the Chief of Staff spot.
I more than half suspect Trump will have a hard time getting 50 votes for anyone he'd actually want. Particularly for a sensitive job like DHS. We might actually see a few shreds of Congressional oversight this time.
Edit: OH SHIT. What if he's planning to fill the spot with a recess appointment?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017
I heard a report on NPR(!) last night saying that Republicans were saying they would also block going into recess to prevent Trump from firing and replacing Sessions with a recess appointment. I don't know how much credence I give that, but sure found it interesting.
posted by jferg at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by jferg at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
In the ongoing Hunger Games, Steve Bannon appears to have found a secure hiding spot and has food and beverages for weeks
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Now my question is just how 'loyal' is Reince going to stay. Is he more Trump or more RNC at this point? Because if he's still got RNC in him he's just become potentially very dangerous to Trump because of what he knows. Is he the type to start using it? I doubt he will take anything public but I would think there is a heck of lot he can do with other GOP folks behind the scenes now.
This admin has already shown that they aren't super great at assessing how dangerous people who they fire can be once they've lost the control that having them in a position. *cough Comey cough* nor super great at understanding the levers of power in Washington by what he tried to do with Murkowski and how the vote played out and her counter moves with the committee she's involved in.
posted by Jalliah at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
This admin has already shown that they aren't super great at assessing how dangerous people who they fire can be once they've lost the control that having them in a position. *cough Comey cough* nor super great at understanding the levers of power in Washington by what he tried to do with Murkowski and how the vote played out and her counter moves with the committee she's involved in.
posted by Jalliah at 2:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
I heard a report on NPR(!) last night saying that Republicans were saying they would also block going into recess to prevent Trump from firing and replacing Sessions with a recess appointment. I don't know how much credence I give that, but sure found it interesting.
The Dems are doing it regardless. Thankfully.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
The Dems are doing it regardless. Thankfully.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Oompa Loompa Dippity Deebus ...
posted by kyrademon at 2:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
posted by kyrademon at 2:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
In the ongoing Hunger Games, Steve Bannon appears to have found a secure hiding spot and has food and beverages for weeks
What about Chapstick?
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
What about Chapstick?
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
the graveyard expands
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
here's a HuffPo story on the background of the bad blood between Scaramucci and Priebus.
So Mooch might be to China as Flynn was to Russia.
posted by drezdn at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
So Mooch might be to China as Flynn was to Russia.
posted by drezdn at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
In the ongoing Hunger Games, Steve Bannon appears to have found a secure hiding spot and has food and beverages for weeks
In convenient tube form!
posted by Artw at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
In convenient tube form!
posted by Artw at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
But when [Trump] first entered the room the first thing he did was talk to the kid and shake his hand.
For comparison, if you watch the Republican version of the Maxine Waters clip, where they edited out Mnuchin being a colossal asshat up top, and just cut straight into her shouting over him while he says he was trying to answer the question, she kind of looks like a jerk. But if you watch it from the beginning, it has a very different vibe.
And, in fact, the 'pro-trump' (as in they didn't want Hillary and the system is an effective binary choice) have picked up on Maxine's interaction with muchkin. Nothing with the handshake so far.
But:
The video editing changes things in material ways.
And always has. Same with audio-based cut and pasting. Or the printed word on dead trees.
The difference is the ability of $50 devices that can watch video/audio/printed words from anyone. Sometimes the anyone is creating something from whole cloth, other times the output is things that happened re-assembled in a way to present a different narrative. And sometimes the data as presented is some 3rd person who's not part of the known power structure putting forth the captured input from their own convenient to carry (self) surveillance device. It is that last group and the partial history of media outlined in the book "The Mighty Wurlitzer" or for the non-reading crowd "outfoxed" that allows the term "fake news" to find the water and soil to grow. If "the media" as a business wants to deny the sunlight to 'fake news' they are going to have to abandon what was noted in the late 1800's by John Swinton, quotes like 'you furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war', and the repudiation of the implementation of the material found in the earlier editions of "Public Relations" by E. Bernays.
(and you should be thankful that Trump only THINKS he's media-savvy and competent vs being actually media-savvy, competent, and got surrounded with competent people like a guy over in Europe 70-80 years ago. At least the nation didn't pick the far more media-savvy McCain a few years back. Yea, the media-savvy some are complaining about upthread.)
posted by rough ashlar at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
For comparison, if you watch the Republican version of the Maxine Waters clip, where they edited out Mnuchin being a colossal asshat up top, and just cut straight into her shouting over him while he says he was trying to answer the question, she kind of looks like a jerk. But if you watch it from the beginning, it has a very different vibe.
And, in fact, the 'pro-trump' (as in they didn't want Hillary and the system is an effective binary choice) have picked up on Maxine's interaction with muchkin. Nothing with the handshake so far.
But:
The video editing changes things in material ways.
And always has. Same with audio-based cut and pasting. Or the printed word on dead trees.
The difference is the ability of $50 devices that can watch video/audio/printed words from anyone. Sometimes the anyone is creating something from whole cloth, other times the output is things that happened re-assembled in a way to present a different narrative. And sometimes the data as presented is some 3rd person who's not part of the known power structure putting forth the captured input from their own convenient to carry (self) surveillance device. It is that last group and the partial history of media outlined in the book "The Mighty Wurlitzer" or for the non-reading crowd "outfoxed" that allows the term "fake news" to find the water and soil to grow. If "the media" as a business wants to deny the sunlight to 'fake news' they are going to have to abandon what was noted in the late 1800's by John Swinton, quotes like 'you furnish the pictures, I'll furnish the war', and the repudiation of the implementation of the material found in the earlier editions of "Public Relations" by E. Bernays.
(and you should be thankful that Trump only THINKS he's media-savvy and competent vs being actually media-savvy, competent, and got surrounded with competent people like a guy over in Europe 70-80 years ago. At least the nation didn't pick the far more media-savvy McCain a few years back. Yea, the media-savvy some are complaining about upthread.)
posted by rough ashlar at 2:36 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Reminder
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
Oompa Loompa Dippity Deebus ...
Looks like the Cheeto just shitcanned Priebus...
posted by azpenguin at 2:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Looks like the Cheeto just shitcanned Priebus...
posted by azpenguin at 2:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Elaine Duke is the new Acting Secretary of Homeland Security has served under both George W. Bush and Obama.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Boy, the White House must just reek of stress these days. Working there has to be a nerve-wracking experience at the best of times, but these past six months have just been insane. The carpet and drapes are probably soaked with the residue of adrenaline, fear pheromones and flop sweat.
posted by darkstar at 2:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 2:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
HR policy is such a drag, but you know how they require exit interviews, right? No exceptions. Priebus will be on Hannity tonight.
(joke stolen from 50 people on twitter at once)
posted by zachlipton at 2:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
(joke stolen from 50 people on twitter at once)
posted by zachlipton at 2:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
And yet it was just last month that Priebus declared to Trump, "Mr. President, we thank you for the opportunity and the blessing that you've given us to serve your agenda."
Seriously, though, let's not lose sight of how firing Priebus/promoting Kelly consolidates Trump's authoritarian powerbase, even as he loses his political one.
Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat wrote last month, “The authoritarian leader often fires staff and cabinet, blaming them for his own incompetency. He thinks he could do a better job. In name of having total control, the authoritarian acts to bypass party and bureaucracy when possible. Even "inner circle" not safe.”
And independent journalist and dictator-watcher Sarah Kendzior warned the GOP establishment last September, “What media and GOP don't get is any action taken now out of fear or favor expires in November. Your loyalty to Trump won't be rewarded. I study authoritarian states. I know how this works. Maybe he's blackmailing you. Maybe he's bribing you. Either way, his word is no good. Trump is going to screw you over like he screws everyone else over. He will humiliate you and you will have sacrificed yourself for nothing.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [88 favorites]
Seriously, though, let's not lose sight of how firing Priebus/promoting Kelly consolidates Trump's authoritarian powerbase, even as he loses his political one.
Historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat wrote last month, “The authoritarian leader often fires staff and cabinet, blaming them for his own incompetency. He thinks he could do a better job. In name of having total control, the authoritarian acts to bypass party and bureaucracy when possible. Even "inner circle" not safe.”
And independent journalist and dictator-watcher Sarah Kendzior warned the GOP establishment last September, “What media and GOP don't get is any action taken now out of fear or favor expires in November. Your loyalty to Trump won't be rewarded. I study authoritarian states. I know how this works. Maybe he's blackmailing you. Maybe he's bribing you. Either way, his word is no good. Trump is going to screw you over like he screws everyone else over. He will humiliate you and you will have sacrificed yourself for nothing.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [88 favorites]
The carpet and drapes are probably soaked with the residue of fear pheromones and flop sweat.
not to mention that one time bannon expressed his musk glands
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
not to mention that one time bannon expressed his musk glands
posted by Rust Moranis at 2:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
OK, I need to leave work and drive home (stopping for cake en route), so apologies in advance for whatever bonkers shit happens during that 15-20 minutes.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Just yesterday, Paul Ryan was talking up Reince's close relationship to Trump.
posted by drezdn at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by drezdn at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Hey, remember when that useless shitsack Rep. Farenthold said he'd challenge Sens. Collins and Murkowiski to a duel? Well, bless tumblr user systlin, because she accepted on the Senators' behalf and let Farenthold's staff know.
posted by yasaman at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [214 favorites]
SO I CALLED HIS DC OFFICE AND SAID BASICALLY THE SAME THING I SENT VIA EMAIL.Apparently, mutual combat is legal in Iowa. Learn something new every day!
After about 20 seconds of dead silence, the staffer let out kinda a little laugh and said “Well ma’m, I’ll be happy to pass on your…”
“I’m not joking.”
“Ma’m?”
“You think I’m joking. I am dead serious. You want my address? Or I’ll meet him at the airport. I am absolutely serious about this. Oh, and as the challenged party, I get to pick weapons. I choose fists.”
Another 20 seconds of somehow even deeper silence.
“I…I’ll pass your challenge on to the congressman.”
“No. He issued the challenge. I’m accepting. Unless he’s backing out like the spineless coward he is.”
More silence. “I…I’ll let Congressman Farenthold know, ma’m.”
“You do that.”
posted by yasaman at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [214 favorites]
BBC now saying Priebus was told he was fired two weeks ago...
posted by Devonian at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Devonian at 2:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Daniel W. Drezner: I know it's a crazy thought, but what if Trump tries to put Sessions at DHS as a way of getting a new Attorney General to fire Mueller?
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
How would Drezner's idea help Trump solve his big problem: getting Senate approval for nominees?
posted by notyou at 2:49 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 2:49 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I know it's a crazy thought, but what if Trump tries to put Sessions at DHS as a way of getting a new Attorney General to fire Mueller?
Trump does this weird thing where people don't get fired/quit exactly, but get set aside into new minor positions. Like Spicer is supposed to get a new position. It's weird to me.
posted by drezdn at 2:51 PM on July 28, 2017
Trump does this weird thing where people don't get fired/quit exactly, but get set aside into new minor positions. Like Spicer is supposed to get a new position. It's weird to me.
posted by drezdn at 2:51 PM on July 28, 2017
Supposedly Priebus is one of the few White House staffers to not sign a non-disclosure agreement.
posted by drezdn at 2:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 2:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [23 favorites]
BBC now saying Priebus was told he was fired two weeks ago...
What's next? CBS reporting that Priebus never worked at the White House at all? NBC reporting that Priebus never existed? I can't see how he wasn't fired on the tarmac at Andrews. Why would he have gone on the trip or gotten ditched in an SUV otherwise?
posted by zachlipton at 2:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [38 favorites]
What's next? CBS reporting that Priebus never worked at the White House at all? NBC reporting that Priebus never existed? I can't see how he wasn't fired on the tarmac at Andrews. Why would he have gone on the trip or gotten ditched in an SUV otherwise?
posted by zachlipton at 2:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [38 favorites]
Why would he have gone on the trip or gotten ditched in an SUV otherwise?
kompromat
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
kompromat
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I still think Trump should have done better, working that line in the clip I watched.
The whole history of the Trump presidency will get re-framed as "he had this brand and he trashed it in these ways by doing this."
At the 10, 20 and 60 year mark the new additions will have feedback from the people who opted to talk and releases from FOIAs. An additional author will be brought in for 'and how they recovered' for the 20/60 year editions.
posted by rough ashlar at 2:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
The whole history of the Trump presidency will get re-framed as "he had this brand and he trashed it in these ways by doing this."
At the 10, 20 and 60 year mark the new additions will have feedback from the people who opted to talk and releases from FOIAs. An additional author will be brought in for 'and how they recovered' for the 20/60 year editions.
posted by rough ashlar at 2:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Someone will write the story about how Reince Priebus never existed and politifact will rate it "mostly true." The line "Clearly it was a made up name" will be in the original story.
posted by drezdn at 2:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 2:55 PM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
Diabetes cake jokes aren't that funny when you either have it, or have a loved one who died from a diabetes-related condition. Just sayin.
I was just going to say this. As a disabled person, every time I see one of these jokes I wince, because it's just more blaming people for their disabilities and acting like virtuous living protects you from illness. I mean, I get the joke, but in light of the current healthcare situation, it's pretty insensitive.
On the other hand, I'm spending the weekend eating delicious dewberry cake, once my husband gets home with supplies.
posted by threeturtles at 2:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
I was just going to say this. As a disabled person, every time I see one of these jokes I wince, because it's just more blaming people for their disabilities and acting like virtuous living protects you from illness. I mean, I get the joke, but in light of the current healthcare situation, it's pretty insensitive.
On the other hand, I'm spending the weekend eating delicious dewberry cake, once my husband gets home with supplies.
posted by threeturtles at 2:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Like Spicer is supposed to get a new position. It's weird to me.
I mean, it's Constructive Dismissal across the board. Sessions, Spicer, Tillerson, everyone.
(technically not everyone quit yet, but that's not for lack of trying on 45's part, I guess)
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I mean, it's Constructive Dismissal across the board. Sessions, Spicer, Tillerson, everyone.
(technically not everyone quit yet, but that's not for lack of trying on 45's part, I guess)
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 2:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Reincesquiescat in Pace
posted by adrianhon at 2:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by adrianhon at 2:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
WASHINGTON — Reince Priebus, the establishment Republican-turned-loyalist to President Trump who served as his White House chief of staff for the last six months, was pushed out on Friday in the latest convulsion in a chaos-wracked West Wing to which he had repeatedly failed to bring some semblance of order.The failing NYT serving it up. And it's just occurred to me: watching Kelly and Moochie work together is going to be wacky.
posted by octobersurprise at 2:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
I mean, it's Constructive Dismissal across the board.
With a side serving of Hostile Work Environment.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
With a side serving of Hostile Work Environment.
posted by We had a deal, Kyle at 2:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
How would Drezner's idea help Trump solve his big problem: getting Senate approval for nominees?
Trump can appoint any current official that had to be approved by the Senate as acting AG (even Rick Perry). There's ambiguity in the law about whether he can do this if he fires Sessions to create the vacancy, but if Sessions resigns (e.g., to become Secretary of DHS), then this strategy is fair game. This may be why Trump has been so hard on Sessions without firing him.
posted by stopgap at 2:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trump can appoint any current official that had to be approved by the Senate as acting AG (even Rick Perry). There's ambiguity in the law about whether he can do this if he fires Sessions to create the vacancy, but if Sessions resigns (e.g., to become Secretary of DHS), then this strategy is fair game. This may be why Trump has been so hard on Sessions without firing him.
posted by stopgap at 2:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
On the other hand, Sessions wouldn't resign until he was confirmed at DHS. Which would mean he'd go through another round of confirmation hearings. So, no, I don't think he's going to be the next DHS secretary.
Also, Homeland Security is a demotion from AG.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 3:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Also, Homeland Security is a demotion from AG.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 3:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Although it appeared to fall short by a single vote in the Senate, that was always going to be the margin of defeat for the seven-year effort to repeal Obamacare that had become the centerpiece of the tea party revolt. There were as many as 10 Republicans who had acknowledged that the proposal cobbled together at the last minute by the Republican leadership was so bad that, earlier in the day, they had demanded assurances from the House of Representatives that it would never become law. Wonkblog
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Bee'sWing at 3:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I took one for the team and tuned into Sean Hannity on the way home from work to see what he thought about Failure Friday. It was cut a bit short by the breaking Obvious Anagram departure, and I'm sure I missed a lot of excoriation of McCain, but he was clear as to the real cause of Trump's problems...
...that it's an unprecedented level of stress on Pennsylvania Avenue that no other President has ever faced, because the Deep State bureaucrats full of Obama loyalists and the mainstream media and parts of the intelligence community and the Republican Party establishment and the Democrats and the NeverTrumpers are ALL TRYING TO DESTROY HIM AND HIS ADMINISTRATION and it's proven by 125 leaks in 126 days EVERY ONE OF THEM A FELONY and speaking of felonies STILL NO INVESTIGATION OF HILLARY'S CRIMES AND URANIUM DEAL.
And then Jeffrey Lord came on and my self-preservation instinct kicked in and I changed the station.
posted by delfin at 3:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
...that it's an unprecedented level of stress on Pennsylvania Avenue that no other President has ever faced, because the Deep State bureaucrats full of Obama loyalists and the mainstream media and parts of the intelligence community and the Republican Party establishment and the Democrats and the NeverTrumpers are ALL TRYING TO DESTROY HIM AND HIS ADMINISTRATION and it's proven by 125 leaks in 126 days EVERY ONE OF THEM A FELONY and speaking of felonies STILL NO INVESTIGATION OF HILLARY'S CRIMES AND URANIUM DEAL.
And then Jeffrey Lord came on and my self-preservation instinct kicked in and I changed the station.
posted by delfin at 3:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
We have all been here before?
May 73 Haldeman > Gen Haig.
posted by rc3spencer at 3:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
May 73 Haldeman > Gen Haig.
posted by rc3spencer at 3:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Reincesquiescat in Pace
adrianhon, I think that this is clever and funny and topical as hell, but I can't favorite it because fuck that guy.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
adrianhon, I think that this is clever and funny and topical as hell, but I can't favorite it because fuck that guy.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 3:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Well-oiled, finely-tuned machine.
Can't wait to hear the spin on this absolute shit show
posted by zakur at 3:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Can't wait to hear the spin on this absolute shit show
posted by zakur at 3:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
It's a shame Priebus got tired of winning.
posted by drezdn at 3:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 3:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I was going to link it to this supercut of all of Ezio's kills in AC2 fwiw
posted by adrianhon at 3:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by adrianhon at 3:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
More distancing from Trump from unlikely places:
Police chiefs association refutes Trump’s speech that endorsed officer brutality
Police chiefs association refutes Trump’s speech that endorsed officer brutality
In the wake of Trump’s remarks, the International Association of Chiefs of Police released a statement reiterating that police officers should not use needless violence while arresting suspects.posted by Room 641-A at 3:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [57 favorites]
From the Wonkblog link posted above, this is ... I don't know, faintly reassuring? I'm still having a hard time with the fact that the lives of 15 million people depended on noted "highly concerned" maverick John McCain suddenly actually doing the right thing. This bit at least gives me a bit more faith in a few more senators not being willfully obtuse, even if they are political cowards.
There were as many as 10 Republicans who had acknowledged that the proposal cobbled together at the last minute by the Republican leadership was so bad that, earlier in the day, they had demanded assurances from the House of Representatives that it would never become law. It was left to McCain, however, to do the deed so the others could protect themselves from the retribution of party leaders or the wrath of party tea party voters in the next Republican primary. Having just been diagnosed with brain cancer, the senior senator from Arizona had achieved that state of political liberation where he no longer had to worry about such things.posted by RedOrGreen at 3:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
With a general as the WH Chief of Staff, maybe Trump hopes to get his Nuclear Football back. I hate it when I get negative like this.
posted by Oyéah at 3:16 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by Oyéah at 3:16 PM on July 28, 2017
I got curious and so I googled Reince's full name: Reinhold Richard "Reince" Priebus.
posted by C'est la D.C. at 3:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by C'est la D.C. at 3:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I put down my phone for 30 minutes to drive home and meet a friend at the nail salon and miss AN ENTIRE NEWS CYCLE.
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [42 favorites]
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 3:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [42 favorites]
NEVER GET OUT OF THE BOAT!
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
More distancing from Trump from unlikely places:
Police chiefs association refutes Trump’s speech that endorsed officer brutality
Good. Now let's hear from the police unions.
posted by rocket88 at 3:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Police chiefs association refutes Trump’s speech that endorsed officer brutality
Good. Now let's hear from the police unions.
posted by rocket88 at 3:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
WSJ:
posted by zachlipton at 3:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [59 favorites]
Mr. Scaramucci this week gave a profanity-laced interview to the New Yorker magazine in which he disparaged Mr. Priebus and other top staffers. One adviser who has spoken with the president said Mr. Trump was dismissive of Mr. Priebus for not returning fire.So Priebus was in trouble for not publicly attacking the Communications Director back? Only in this White House is the guy who publicly accuses his co-worker of autofellatio during his first week on the job not the guy who gets fired this week.
posted by zachlipton at 3:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [59 favorites]
Good. Now let's hear from the police unions.
LOL. Better to try and get a condemnation from somewhere more left wing, like the Klan.
posted by Artw at 3:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
LOL. Better to try and get a condemnation from somewhere more left wing, like the Klan.
posted by Artw at 3:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Anthony Scaramucci is clearly directed by Armando Iannucci
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
I want a Trump staffer to pull a Costanza on Trump and just act like they weren't fired after Trump fires them.
posted by drezdn at 3:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 3:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
@JohnJHarwood: Ryan-Priebus ally tells me Trump is moving toward "an independent WH" untethered from the Republican Party
Yes, this appears to be a wise strategic move
posted by Existential Dread at 3:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
Yes, this appears to be a wise strategic move
posted by Existential Dread at 3:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [49 favorites]
Priebus gone, Sessions next, huh? Did it turn out that the swamp is full of Republicans? Drain away, asshole.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 3:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Now let's hear from the police unions.
Police unions: [sound of boot stamping on human face, forever]
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Police unions: [sound of boot stamping on human face, forever]
posted by Rust Moranis at 3:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
trump tweet from 1/10/2012 (link directs to Mark Berman's twitter feed, not trump's):
3 Chief of Staffs in less than 3 years of being President: Part of the reason why @BarackObama can't manage to pass his agenda.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
3 Chief of Staffs in less than 3 years of being President: Part of the reason why @BarackObama can't manage to pass his agenda.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
“Murph!” he yells, and swats me on the back. Someday, I’ll get to tell my grandkids what he said next.
is he suggesting that "Murph!" is NOT the wittiest thing John McCain said that night? my opinion of John McCain cannot bear very much more revising
although since Chris Murphy has no grandkids, I suppose this is just polite Senate code for really filthy swearing.
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
is he suggesting that "Murph!" is NOT the wittiest thing John McCain said that night? my opinion of John McCain cannot bear very much more revising
although since Chris Murphy has no grandkids, I suppose this is just polite Senate code for really filthy swearing.
posted by queenofbithynia at 3:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
This week the Boy Scouts and Police had to apologize for the president. Who is next?
posted by drezdn at 3:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [33 favorites]
posted by drezdn at 3:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [33 favorites]
BBC now saying Priebus was told he was fired two weeks ago...
Right, because these guys can keep something secret for two weeks.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Right, because these guys can keep something secret for two weeks.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
Curious if folks think Priebus' departure, and the subsequent complete isolation of the WH from mainstream Repub. power is more likely to make impeachment be on the table for Ryan & McConnell? After this week they have to be questioning Trump's value to them.
posted by dragstroke at 3:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by dragstroke at 3:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I played rugby in college with Chris Murphy. Still not totally sold on his politics, but he's mostly on the right side of things and his alliance with Jeff Merkley is a good sign.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
> Anthony Scaramucci is clearly directed by Armando Iannucci
Seems legit, and fits with Scaramucci's obvious enthusiasm for a visit to Mr Whippy to get a double soft-scoop with a 99 flake
posted by Buntix at 3:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Seems legit, and fits with Scaramucci's obvious enthusiasm for a visit to Mr Whippy to get a double soft-scoop with a 99 flake
posted by Buntix at 3:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Jonathan Swan at Axios really not buying the whole Reince resigned yesterday gambit:
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Interesting because some Reince allies were insisting today that he could survive.And, you know, the whole thing about him being left alone in an SUV. This is such a stupid lie.
Axios won't be printing that Reince resigned yesterday until we have definitive proof. He & Bannon were scheming until the last moment.
What I can confirm, per a snr source, is that POTUS told Reince a few weeks ago that "there would be a change."
If Reince really resigned y'day his behavior today sure was odd.He was asking staff for reassurances, saying he'd put head down & work hard.
posted by zachlipton at 3:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Teddy Wayne in the New York Times: Mr. Anthony Scaramucci Esq.’s Guide to Workplace Etiquette
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Curious if folks think Priebus' departure, and the subsequent complete isolation of the WH from mainstream Repub. power is more likely to make impeachment be on the table for Ryan & McConnell? After this week they have to be questioning Trump's value to them.
Pence is much more their sort of person, although he's proved himself to be pretty useless as well as any sort of whip. But at least he'd just tour Europe and strip-mall openings and do his patently fake ceremonial sincere thing and largely not rock their boat.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Pence is much more their sort of person, although he's proved himself to be pretty useless as well as any sort of whip. But at least he'd just tour Europe and strip-mall openings and do his patently fake ceremonial sincere thing and largely not rock their boat.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
From, stopgap's link explaining the Vacancies Act, which would allow the President to install another previously confirmed appointee as AG and avoid a recess appointment or confirmation fiasco:
posted by notyou at 3:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
“The statute says that it applies when the current officeholder ‘dies, resigns or is otherwise unable to perform the functions and duties of the office,’” he said. “That suggests that there might be a difference and the Act might not apply if the person is fired.” So if Trump gets Sessions to quit, Rick Perry could be made acting attorney general. If Sessions is fired? It’s less clear."Bannon or somebody has been busy at the law library!
posted by notyou at 3:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Trump Tells LI Cops He'll Liberate their 'Bloodstained Killing Fields' [real]
posted by lalochezia at 3:37 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by lalochezia at 3:37 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I have no sympathy for Reince Priebus. Zero. This fawning, simpering jackass of a empty party functionary is a major part of why our nation--and world--is now in such a huge mess. He lent credibility to his former boss when almost no one else would. Instead of challenging the legitimacy of the Asshat's qualifications, he propped him up. Priebus could have left this horror show at any point--after mocking John McCain for surviving torture, after the insulting racist comment about Judge Curiel, after the mocking of Serge Kovaleski, after the despicable attacks on the Khan family, after the pussy-grabbing tape, and on and on and on.
Priebus deserves this humiliation, and no one should ever hire him for anything again. Priebus' actions also show how much this regime is the fault of the institutional Republican party, who, with a few exceptions, refused to stand up to the bully, say enough is enough, and kick T to the curb for his manifest unfitness for the office of President. Too bad the rest of us will be paying for their folly for years and possibly generations.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 3:37 PM on July 28, 2017 [72 favorites]
Priebus deserves this humiliation, and no one should ever hire him for anything again. Priebus' actions also show how much this regime is the fault of the institutional Republican party, who, with a few exceptions, refused to stand up to the bully, say enough is enough, and kick T to the curb for his manifest unfitness for the office of President. Too bad the rest of us will be paying for their folly for years and possibly generations.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 3:37 PM on July 28, 2017 [72 favorites]
3 Chief of Staffs in less than 3 years of being President: Part of the reason why @BarackObama can't manage to pass his agenda.
Chiefs of Staff you imbecile.
posted by notyou at 3:40 PM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
Chiefs of Staff you imbecile.
posted by notyou at 3:40 PM on July 28, 2017 [54 favorites]
Chiefs of Staves, surely.
It really is unfortunate that I used up all my favorites for the day by 9am this morning. I've been clicking to favorite comments dozens of times since then, to no effect. This one really hurts, though.
posted by darkstar at 3:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
It really is unfortunate that I used up all my favorites for the day by 9am this morning. I've been clicking to favorite comments dozens of times since then, to no effect. This one really hurts, though.
posted by darkstar at 3:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Chieves of Staves, ultimately.
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 3:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [28 favorites]
Chives of Staph?
posted by Hairy Lobster at 3:50 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
posted by Hairy Lobster at 3:50 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Dwayne The Rock Johnson picks his teeth with Booker/Murphy 2020.
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Joseph Gurl at 3:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
It is likely that Scaramucci's leaked financials are a result of a divorce case. This is maybe an early skirmish, since, once firmly ensconced in the WH it might be more difficult to access them under secrecy laws. Just a what if. I bet Spicer and Priebus get some great sleep over the next week.
posted by Oyéah at 3:55 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by Oyéah at 3:55 PM on July 28, 2017
I wonder if this will once and for all end the leaks to the press. I've long been convinced that the person or persons leaking to the press are friends and/or family members of Priebus and his staff. They complain about the insanity of their jobs to their friends, the friends talk to reporters and voila, a leaked story.
Nah, the biggest leaker is clearly Hope Hicks.
posted by joedan at 3:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nah, the biggest leaker is clearly Hope Hicks.
posted by joedan at 3:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Mooch'a "leaked" financials are public disclosure forms
posted by Huffy Puffy at 3:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 3:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [25 favorites]
“Murph!” [McCain] yells, and swats me on the back. Someday, I’ll get to tell my grandkids what he said next.
"Lemme tell ya, Murph, since the cat is already halfway out of the bag... I taught that Steve Bannon everything he knows about 'taking care of himself,' if you know what I mean." Then McCain gave Murphy the most blood-curdling dirty-old-man-wink and walked away.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
"Lemme tell ya, Murph, since the cat is already halfway out of the bag... I taught that Steve Bannon everything he knows about 'taking care of himself,' if you know what I mean." Then McCain gave Murphy the most blood-curdling dirty-old-man-wink and walked away.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Chieves of Staves, ultimately.
There's a vacancy at the White House today
The Anagram claims he resigned yesterday
But he was seen in a truck on the tarmac
Miller and Scavino let him climb in the back
Then abandoned him for a different van
While the president tweeted "he's an also ran"
Now the General Secretary is his choice of knaves
To be the latest successor to the Chieves of Staves
posted by Roommate at 4:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
There's a vacancy at the White House today
The Anagram claims he resigned yesterday
But he was seen in a truck on the tarmac
Miller and Scavino let him climb in the back
Then abandoned him for a different van
While the president tweeted "he's an also ran"
Now the General Secretary is his choice of knaves
To be the latest successor to the Chieves of Staves
posted by Roommate at 4:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Mod note: Joseph Gurl, knock it off with the trolling. This is your last warning.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 4:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [43 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 4:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [43 favorites]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but is McCain's vote a direct block on Pence as tiebreaker?
posted by vrakatar at 4:03 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by vrakatar at 4:03 PM on July 28, 2017
Jon Lovett (Pod Save America) retweeted this lovely note from March 1, 2016, after Reince criticized both Dem candidates:
Jon Lovett @jonlovett
You are going to have to leave politics in the middle of the night with what you can carry.
(Link is just to the tweet)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
Jon Lovett @jonlovett
You are going to have to leave politics in the middle of the night with what you can carry.
(Link is just to the tweet)
posted by Huffy Puffy at 4:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
Anyhoo... Elaine Duke will become the acting DHS Secretary on Monday, but Trump could change that under the Federal Vacancies Reform Act. She's a career DHS employee who has been in government for 28 years.
posted by zachlipton at 4:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
CBS reporting that Priebus never worked at the White House at all? NBC reporting that Priebus never existed?
mf weekthread doubleplusungood refs unpersons rewrite fullwise
posted by jackbishop at 4:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
mf weekthread doubleplusungood refs unpersons rewrite fullwise
posted by jackbishop at 4:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
Well I've totally not worked at my job due to Trump either. It's plausible.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Curious if folks think Priebus' departure, and the subsequent complete isolation of the WH from mainstream Repub. power is more likely to make impeachment be on the table for Ryan & McConnell? After this week they have to be questioning Trump's value to them.
I think he would have to go full Caligula to get impeached by this Congress. And probably not even then.
But after this week, who the hell knows?
posted by zarq at 4:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think he would have to go full Caligula to get impeached by this Congress. And probably not even then.
But after this week, who the hell knows?
posted by zarq at 4:06 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Correct me if I'm wrong, but is McCain's vote a direct block on Pence as tiebreaker?
You are correct--the occupant of the office of Vice President is also the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate only votes in the case of a tie. Last night, when McCain voted No, he obviated the need for Pence to break a tie.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 4:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
You are correct--the occupant of the office of Vice President is also the President of the Senate. The President of the Senate only votes in the case of a tie. Last night, when McCain voted No, he obviated the need for Pence to break a tie.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 4:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Rick Perry as AG? WTF? I can understand on some level appointing a non-attorney as Attorney General of the U.S., but a complete moron? Dude graduated with a 2.5 GPA in animal science (he got a “D” in a course called “Meats”). In a presidential debate, he couldn't remember the names of the three agencies he wanted to eliminate (one of which he now heads). He thinks the law of supply and demand means "you put the supply out there and demand follows." He recently got punk'd in a prank call by Russian hoaxers. More.
I mean, seriously? Rick F*cking Idiot Perry as Attorney General? WHAT'S HAPPENING!
posted by zakur at 4:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
I mean, seriously? Rick F*cking Idiot Perry as Attorney General? WHAT'S HAPPENING!
posted by zakur at 4:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [21 favorites]
Chris Hayes: Hearing the WH briefly considered Bannon for the position but realized he was already overstretched from his existing duties
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
(The Perry bit was a hypothetical in an article explaining the legal avenues open to the President. Perry probably isn't being considered for that job.)
posted by notyou at 4:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by notyou at 4:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Thank you cardinal, now I can picture it as a true pro handing down a serious diss to a ham and egger.
posted by vrakatar at 4:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by vrakatar at 4:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I think he would have to go full Caligula to get impeached by this Congress.
At this point, his appointing a horse into a high level cabinet position would actually be an improvement.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [45 favorites]
At this point, his appointing a horse into a high level cabinet position would actually be an improvement.
posted by Atom Eyes at 4:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [45 favorites]
Hearing the WH briefly considered Bannon for the position but realized he was already overstretched from his existing duties
Dear god can you even imagine the horror show
posted by Existential Dread at 4:15 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Dear god can you even imagine the horror show
posted by Existential Dread at 4:15 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
At this point, his appointing a horse into a high level cabinet position would actually be an improvement.
Instead of appointing the whole horse, he'll just appoint the rear end.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Instead of appointing the whole horse, he'll just appoint the rear end.
posted by uncleozzy at 4:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think that might be a joke. The key word is "overstretched".
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 4:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by The Nutmeg of Consolation at 4:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
s/b "overstretched in his current position."
posted by notyou at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by notyou at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
An autofellatio joke? Oh real mature Chris Hayes
that's my cue to unplug for awhile
posted by Existential Dread at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
that's my cue to unplug for awhile
posted by Existential Dread at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I see what you did there, Chris Hayes.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Dwayne The Rock Johnson picks his teeth with Booker/Murphy 2020.
Only if the rock is crazy enough to primary them from the left top turnbuckle.
posted by vrakatar at 4:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Only if the rock is crazy enough to primary them from the left top turnbuckle.
posted by vrakatar at 4:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
In the ongoing Hunger Games, Steve Bannon appears to have found a secure hiding spot and has food and beverages for weeks.
At the very least, we can be confident that he will not emerge due to unfulfilled sexual frustration.
posted by Behemoth at 4:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
At the very least, we can be confident that he will not emerge due to unfulfilled sexual frustration.
posted by Behemoth at 4:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
‘Nothing Would Surprise Me At This Point,’ Says Man Who Will Be Shocked By 8 Separate News Items Today
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [36 favorites]
Washington Post: Mean Boys (2:30 video, Mean Girls-inspired description of recent events). Come for the "he doesn't even go here."
posted by zachlipton at 4:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Where is that coming from? That's Doktor Zed's alt-text, lalex. It's an HTML thing you can do.
posted by suelac at 4:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by suelac at 4:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
lalex: Doktor Zed enclosed his link (<a href="url">text</a>) within an abbr tag, which adds that weird double-underline as well as the tooltip text.
<abbr title="tooltip text"><a href="http://www.google.com">Google</a></abbr>
Google
posted by cybertaur1 at 4:49 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
<abbr title="tooltip text"><a href="http://www.google.com">Google</a></abbr>
posted by cybertaur1 at 4:49 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
lalex: You could also more simply use the TITLE tag
posted by Justinian at 4:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [27 favorites]
Whew, just got caught up. Glad to see america is still America.
posted by valkane at 4:54 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by valkane at 4:54 PM on July 28, 2017
Republicans think that healthy people paying for the medical care of sick people is a bad thing.
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:17 PM on July 28
I believe they see it as the equal (or maybe prelude) to extremely rich people paying for extremely poor people's basic needs.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 4:55 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by You Can't Tip a Buick at 12:17 PM on July 28
I believe they see it as the equal (or maybe prelude) to extremely rich people paying for extremely poor people's basic needs.
posted by InsertNiftyNameHere at 4:55 PM on July 28, 2017
Every time I see the word Priebus I have to repeat it several times the way Tom Green says Swedish in the Bum Bum Song
I just wanted to share that with you now that he's gone
No, I have not heard the Bum Bum Song since it was on MTV
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:59 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
I just wanted to share that with you now that he's gone
No, I have not heard the Bum Bum Song since it was on MTV
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:59 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Chris Hayes: Hearing the WH briefly considered Bannon for the position but realized he was already overstretched from his existing duties
I really hope this means "passing out dead drunk at his desk every night". Keep it up Steve, you're looking great! Your 60s are really the prime of your drinking career.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I really hope this means "passing out dead drunk at his desk every night". Keep it up Steve, you're looking great! Your 60s are really the prime of your drinking career.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Somehow, I didn't put it together that Gen. Kelly is most likely one of the key people driving ICE's recent increase in viciousness. From Vox, "Why John Kelly is the perfect pick for Trump's new chief of staff / Or, at least, why Trump thinks he is." (ignore the clickbaity title):
posted by mhum at 5:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
There’s been plenty of criticism. Kelly — who wasn’t even briefed on the first iteration of Trump’s “travel ban” executive order until Trump was in the midst of signing it — came under fire for the aggressive detention and interrogation of people from majority-Muslim countries by Customs and Border Protection agents during the week the ban was in effect. He’s been criticized by Democratic members of Congress for ICE’s actions to apprehend immigrants in courthouses and near churches, and for their occasional attempts to arrest and deport immigrants protected under Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.I wonder if moving him from Secretary of DHS to White House Chief of Staff may, inadvertently, end up making ICE less brutal. I guess it depends on the new Acting Secretary and whether or not she has the inclination and the power to reverse these recent trends.
But with each round of criticism, Kelly’s response has gotten more forceful. In the past few months, he’s overtaken Sessions (who’s fallen out of favor with the mercurial president) as the face of the administration’s immigration policy. And he presents it with a blunt, law-and-order morality and an edge of outrage toward anyone who might dare question those who keep America safe.
posted by mhum at 5:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
@tomscocca
Just because you're a fucking paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac, don't mean they're not after you
@dandrezner
If memory serves the last time a general served as W.H. chief of staff was Al Haig under Nixon but I'm sure the analogy will stop there.
posted by chris24 at 5:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Just because you're a fucking paranoid schizophrenic, a paranoiac, don't mean they're not after you
@dandrezner
If memory serves the last time a general served as W.H. chief of staff was Al Haig under Nixon but I'm sure the analogy will stop there.
posted by chris24 at 5:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
UPDATE: I emailed BuzzFeed and they put Sen Shaheen's name in the piece.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [73 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [73 favorites]
I wonder if moving him from Secretary of DHS to White House Chief of Staff may, inadvertently, end up making ICE less brutal.
That would surprise me more than anything that has happened in the past week. Trump is out there talking about bad hombres using knives to slice up knives beautiful teen girls.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 5:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
That would surprise me more than anything that has happened in the past week. Trump is out there talking about bad hombres using knives to slice up knives beautiful teen girls.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 5:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Trump is out there talking about bad hombres using knives to slice up knives beautiful teen girls.
He may not be getting the anecdotes directly from them, but it's not so much a dog whistle as an entire dog opera for those in the daily stormer cheap seats.
That is the bread and butter of the Nazi base.
posted by Buntix at 5:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
He may not be getting the anecdotes directly from them, but it's not so much a dog whistle as an entire dog opera for those in the daily stormer cheap seats.
That is the bread and butter of the Nazi base.
posted by Buntix at 5:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Okay, folks, this was getting close to August and this week was the last episode of the season so they had to end with a few dramatic murders.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 5:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Crafty old bastard. This was carefully plotted revenge. And more power to it.
posted by spitbull at 5:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
posted by spitbull at 5:42 PM on July 28, 2017 [26 favorites]
I don't think that's right. My understanding is that the amendment nobody wanted to become law is dead, but the underlying vehicle for reconciliation could be used again until they have a new budget resolution for next fiscal year that uses reconciliation for tax reform. That's why it was technically put back on the calendar last night. I could very well be wrong on this, but I believe the underlying bill is not dead. Practically, politically, it might as well be (never say never), but procedurally is a different story.
While I'm commenting, it turns out Priebus had other job duties, per the Post:
While I'm commenting, it turns out Priebus had other job duties, per the Post:
Trump's demeaning of Priebus came through in other ways, too. At one point, during a meeting in the Oval Office, a fly began buzzing overhead, distracting the president. As the fly continued to circle, Trump summoned his chief of staff and tasked him with killing the insect, according to someone familiar with the incident. (The West Wing has a regular fly problem.)posted by zachlipton at 5:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Plus the rendering of Pence powerless. Triple score.
posted by vrakatar at 5:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by vrakatar at 5:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Too many people wishing to be flies on walls.
posted by gofargogo at 5:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by gofargogo at 5:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
More importantly, that article has Trump trying to convince Kelly to take the job repeatedly since mid-May and being turned down every time. His fixation with generals is really one of the most disturbing aspects of all this.
posted by zachlipton at 5:50 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 5:50 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
Senate procedure is kind of like quantum physics: the more you learn about it, the less you actually know.
posted by Atom Eyes at 5:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 5:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [32 favorites]
oompa loompa dupe-is-he, damn!
Reince exits stage right into a van
oompa loompa dumbasses go
Hope to see you soon on Maddow
(I think he's an anagram)
(I think he's an anagram)
What do you catch when you're in the West Wing
Feasting with fascists and serving mad kings?
What do you say when your party is shit
Where's the employer that finds... you... fit?
(Wingnut welfare saves the day)
(Wingnut welfare saves the day)
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Reince exits stage right into a van
oompa loompa dumbasses go
Hope to see you soon on Maddow
(I think he's an anagram)
(I think he's an anagram)
What do you catch when you're in the West Wing
Feasting with fascists and serving mad kings?
What do you say when your party is shit
Where's the employer that finds... you... fit?
(Wingnut welfare saves the day)
(Wingnut welfare saves the day)
posted by tivalasvegas at 5:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
They announced this week Tax Reform is going via regular order (it won't be revenue neutral) because they've given up on the Border Adjustment Tax. They were planning to use next year's budget resolution process for reconciliation there, iirc.
This "died" because the calendar and politics are against them.
posted by notyou at 5:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
This "died" because the calendar and politics are against them.
posted by notyou at 5:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Do you really think the Senate parliamentarian is sober enough to answer texts atm?
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:01 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
As the fly continued to circle, Trump summoned his chief of staff and tasked him with killing the insect ...Reincefield.
posted by octobersurprise at 6:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
@samwangphD: "For Senate procedure nerds: McCain's "yes" vote for the Motion To Proceed killed ACA repeal for this year. A "no" vote would not have."
Sam's tweet seems to have vanished. If anyone runs across an article discussing how McCain's yes screwed everyone over, please link it. I tried googling but only got articles about the "no".
posted by honestcoyote at 6:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Sam's tweet seems to have vanished. If anyone runs across an article discussing how McCain's yes screwed everyone over, please link it. I tried googling but only got articles about the "no".
posted by honestcoyote at 6:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
The referenced tweet is here which points at a reddit comment here
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Also, Sam Wang appears to have deleted it because of this:
@taniel: This info is circulating (& procedures admittedly complicated) but incorrect. Bill still alive bc of McConnell move [...]
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
@taniel: This info is circulating (& procedures admittedly complicated) but incorrect. Bill still alive bc of McConnell move [...]
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:11 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
oh is he at the Phish show with every white male journalist on my political Twitter list?
I assume they are kneeling with one half-full bottle of Jack Daniels in the left hand (an empty of the same having already been tossed in the corner of the motel room) and presently are vomiting once more on a stained and torn copy of Robert's Rules of Order.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
I assume they are kneeling with one half-full bottle of Jack Daniels in the left hand (an empty of the same having already been tossed in the corner of the motel room) and presently are vomiting once more on a stained and torn copy of Robert's Rules of Order.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:13 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Sure, why not.
Keystone XL pipeline might not have enough demand to run (Shannon Vavra, Axios)
Keystone XL pipeline might not have enough demand to run (Shannon Vavra, Axios)
TransCanada said Friday it hasn't determined whether there's enough demand for the Keystone XL pipeline, per a Politico report. Demand for the pipeline, which would connect oil sands in Alberta, Canada, with U.S. exporters and refiners, will be assessed this November.posted by Room 641-A at 6:17 PM on July 28, 2017 [57 favorites]
What it means: That throws the pipeline's construction in question and is the strongest acknowledgement yet from TransCanada that this project, which is one of the first that Trump approved in his administration, might actually fail.
I also feel like I need to unfollow Benjamin Wittes
Make sure to check yourself for any remaining ticks, as they can lead to Lyme disease.
posted by Atom Eyes at 6:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Make sure to check yourself for any remaining ticks, as they can lead to Lyme disease.
posted by Atom Eyes at 6:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Every Friday night around this time, I like to unwind and soak in the gradual, warm encroach of The Weekend Thread.
posted by penduluum at 6:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by penduluum at 6:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
I thought the new NDP government in BC was trying to kill it?
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:21 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:21 PM on July 28, 2017
Oh wait I'm thinking about the other pipeline. Carry on.
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 6:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Here's ten minutes of Mark Shields and David Brooks savaging the entire Republican Party (except McCain, Collins and Murkowski) on PBS
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Thomas Cromwell and Robespierre were executed on this date in 1540 and 1794, respectively.
posted by infini at 6:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
posted by infini at 6:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Sam's just hungry for another bug.
posted by delfin at 6:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by delfin at 6:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
How another president dealt with the West Wing fly problem
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 6:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
posted by obliquity of the ecliptic at 6:35 PM on July 28, 2017 [18 favorites]
@JohnJHarwood: Ryan-Priebus ally tells me Trump is moving toward "an independent WH" untethered from the Republican Party
Doubly untethered then.
posted by srboisvert at 6:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Doubly untethered then.
posted by srboisvert at 6:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
WaPo Breaking: Trump intends to sign Russia sanctions bill, White House says. It would let Congress block him from easing sanctions on Moscow.
posted by Room 641-A at 6:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Room 641-A at 6:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
So Putin has decided that an inevitably overridden veto might blow Agent Easy D's cover. Cunning!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:49 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:49 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
His Russian masters are not gonna be happy about that.
posted by Justinian at 6:50 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 6:50 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
His Russian masters are not gonna be happy about that.
Perhaps he is baiting them THANK YOU YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE GOOD NIGHT
posted by cortex at 6:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Perhaps he is baiting them THANK YOU YOU'VE BEEN A GREAT AUDIENCE GOOD NIGHT
posted by cortex at 6:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
Well they won't like being jerked around, I'll tell you that.
posted by Behemoth at 6:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
posted by Behemoth at 6:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
As much as I do worry about excessive optimism, I gotta think that the more he distances himself from the actual Republican party the more likely impeachment becomes. If only for that reason, I'm putting the Priebus firing in the "good!" column.
posted by yhbc at 6:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
posted by yhbc at 6:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [8 favorites]
Untethered? Easier to turn against and excise the whole lot. I don't want to think about what will get us there, though.
posted by rhizome at 6:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by rhizome at 6:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Doubly untethered then
Unhinged, I think.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Unhinged, I think.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 6:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Thomas Cromwell and Robespierre were executed on this date in 1540 and 1794, respectively.
Yes, my list of Brave Yet Flawed Idealists definitely goes
1) Cromwell
2) Robespierre
3) Priebus
[narrator: tivalasvegas was being sarcastic]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Yes, my list of Brave Yet Flawed Idealists definitely goes
1) Cromwell
2) Robespierre
3) Priebus
[narrator: tivalasvegas was being sarcastic]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:00 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
The bill is not gone. It has been "returned to the calendar."
According to these tweets, the actual bill that was up for consideration was the House AHCA (HR 1628). The thing that was defeated last night was an amendment (S.Amdt 667) to the AHCA. All the votes this week were all on amendments to the original bill, which we knew from the moment it got to the Senate would never get the votes it needed, and, consequently, has never been voted on; which means it is technically still alive. The motion to proceed and subsequent failure to pass were both for Senate Amendment 667, which as it has now been defeated, cannot be brought forward again (if I am understanding this correctly). The original bill still lives on a shelf and could be brought forward for a vote again.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
According to these tweets, the actual bill that was up for consideration was the House AHCA (HR 1628). The thing that was defeated last night was an amendment (S.Amdt 667) to the AHCA. All the votes this week were all on amendments to the original bill, which we knew from the moment it got to the Senate would never get the votes it needed, and, consequently, has never been voted on; which means it is technically still alive. The motion to proceed and subsequent failure to pass were both for Senate Amendment 667, which as it has now been defeated, cannot be brought forward again (if I am understanding this correctly). The original bill still lives on a shelf and could be brought forward for a vote again.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:02 PM on July 28, 2017 [20 favorites]
I have no sympathy for Reince Priebus. Zero. This fawning, simpering jackass of a empty party functionary is a major part of why our nation--and world--is now in such a huge mess.
He gave a speech at an RNC function I worked last year, said speech basically being "Jesus wants the Republicans to win so we can install a theocracy."
So, yeah. Exactly. He bears as much responsibility as Jerry Falwell and Newt Gingrich and McConnell and all the other "Christian" chucklefucks for Trump and for the kind of environment that would even allow a Trump to exist.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
He gave a speech at an RNC function I worked last year, said speech basically being "Jesus wants the Republicans to win so we can install a theocracy."
So, yeah. Exactly. He bears as much responsibility as Jerry Falwell and Newt Gingrich and McConnell and all the other "Christian" chucklefucks for Trump and for the kind of environment that would even allow a Trump to exist.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [30 favorites]
What is dead may never die.
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:05 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
I think he would have to go full Caligula to get impeached by this Congress
The twin impediments to impeachment are (1) trump being useful to them or at least not an impediment and (2) blowback from his supporters. Neither is really satisfied at the moment and the second is far far away. Remember, one of the reasons for the republican party’s kowtowing to religious folks they don’t have any respect for is that they can’t afford to lose them. The people who like the Trump abuses people show are just as big a group.
Put another way, Trump’s abysmal 40% approval rating still puts him above congress.
Congress will turn on him only after voters do.
posted by phearlez at 7:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
The twin impediments to impeachment are (1) trump being useful to them or at least not an impediment and (2) blowback from his supporters. Neither is really satisfied at the moment and the second is far far away. Remember, one of the reasons for the republican party’s kowtowing to religious folks they don’t have any respect for is that they can’t afford to lose them. The people who like the Trump abuses people show are just as big a group.
Put another way, Trump’s abysmal 40% approval rating still puts him above congress.
Congress will turn on him only after voters do.
posted by phearlez at 7:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Here's ten minutes of Mark Shields and David Brooks savaging the entire Republican Party (except McCain, Collins and Murkowski) on PBS
Today was the first day I ever got a "yo check out Brooks & Shields tonight" alert from the news app
posted by theodolite at 7:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Today was the first day I ever got a "yo check out Brooks & Shields tonight" alert from the news app
posted by theodolite at 7:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
According to these tweets, the actual bill that was up for consideration was the House AHCA (HR 1628). The thing that was defeated last night was an amendment (S.Amdt 667) to the AHCA. All the votes this week were all on amendments to the original bill, which we knew from the moment it got to the Senate would never get the votes it needed, and, consequently, has never been voted on; which means it is technically still alive. The motion to proceed and subsequent failure to pass were both for Senate Amendment 667, which as it has now been defeated, cannot be brought forward again (if I am understanding this correctly). The original bill still lives on a shelf and could be brought forward for a vote again.
The reason it's a defacto defeat is because the AHCA was DOA in the Senate. They had, what, 7? nos on the original house bill. You had Collins, Murkowski, Capito, McCain, Paul, Lee, Moran? Am I forgetting anyone? Admittedly Paul, Lee, and Moran were on the no side because it wasn't terrible enough but still, it wasn't going anywhere.
They tried the least terrible repeal they could manage in order just to get the god awful thing to conference and therefore punt it but Ryan, being ever the brightest bulb in the Republican shed, told the Senate that they would send it straight to the floor if they wanted to and have you seen how big and brass my balls are?
Funny thing about Senators. They don't like to be in situations where they might be fucked like a stuck pig at David Cameron's summer BBQ. If you tell them "haha we wouldn't do it but how funny would it be if we fucked you like a stuck pig?" they'll take it entirely seriously and proceed to not get in a situation that might let you fuck them.
There are workarounds to this problem. For instance, if you threaten a Senator with a primary campaign backed by a billionair you can usually cajole them into line since being fucked by a billionaire is worse than being fucked like a stuck pig. But that doesn't work when you have someone who literally lost a primary and won reelection on a write-in, another who doesn't give a flying fuck about the national GOP when they're pretty sure their gubernational prospects are good, and one more that finally gets to fuck the man that disrespected him and destroyed the party he once held so dear.
posted by Talez at 7:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
The reason it's a defacto defeat is because the AHCA was DOA in the Senate. They had, what, 7? nos on the original house bill. You had Collins, Murkowski, Capito, McCain, Paul, Lee, Moran? Am I forgetting anyone? Admittedly Paul, Lee, and Moran were on the no side because it wasn't terrible enough but still, it wasn't going anywhere.
They tried the least terrible repeal they could manage in order just to get the god awful thing to conference and therefore punt it but Ryan, being ever the brightest bulb in the Republican shed, told the Senate that they would send it straight to the floor if they wanted to and have you seen how big and brass my balls are?
Funny thing about Senators. They don't like to be in situations where they might be fucked like a stuck pig at David Cameron's summer BBQ. If you tell them "haha we wouldn't do it but how funny would it be if we fucked you like a stuck pig?" they'll take it entirely seriously and proceed to not get in a situation that might let you fuck them.
There are workarounds to this problem. For instance, if you threaten a Senator with a primary campaign backed by a billionair you can usually cajole them into line since being fucked by a billionaire is worse than being fucked like a stuck pig. But that doesn't work when you have someone who literally lost a primary and won reelection on a write-in, another who doesn't give a flying fuck about the national GOP when they're pretty sure their gubernational prospects are good, and one more that finally gets to fuck the man that disrespected him and destroyed the party he once held so dear.
posted by Talez at 7:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
This week the Boy Scouts and Police had to apologize for the president. Who is next?
The association of police chiefs apologized. NOT THE POLICE THEMSELVES. THEY CHEERED FOR INCREASED BRUTALITY.
posted by srboisvert at 7:18 PM on July 28, 2017 [51 favorites]
The association of police chiefs apologized. NOT THE POLICE THEMSELVES. THEY CHEERED FOR INCREASED BRUTALITY.
posted by srboisvert at 7:18 PM on July 28, 2017 [51 favorites]
....my personal inability to focus on my project right now
I actually *was* able to focus on my project for a few days, and now I'll never catch up to this thread again....
posted by acrasis at 7:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
I actually *was* able to focus on my project for a few days, and now I'll never catch up to this thread again....
posted by acrasis at 7:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Trump on track to spend more on travel in 2017 than Obama spent in all 8 years
posted by zakur at 7:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [42 favorites]
“He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago. The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is," a White House spokeswoman said in February.Riiiight. Working nonstop.
posted by zakur at 7:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [42 favorites]
Funny thing about Senators. They don't like to be in situations where they might be fucked like a stuck pig at David Cameron's summer BBQ. If you tell them "haha we wouldn't do it but how funny would it be if we fucked you like a stuck pig?" they'll take it entirely seriously and proceed to not get in a situation that might let you fuck them.
Everybody on all sides of this, along with their hangers-on, came from fraternities and sororities.
posted by rhizome at 7:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Everybody on all sides of this, along with their hangers-on, came from fraternities and sororities.
posted by rhizome at 7:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
The association of police chiefs apologized. NOT THE POLICE THEMSELVES. THEY CHEERED FOR INCREASED BRUTALITY.
I'm sure the family of the next black guy who dies to police brutality will be comforted by the tut tut tuting that their police chief is bound to show.
posted by Talez at 7:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I'm sure the family of the next black guy who dies to police brutality will be comforted by the tut tut tuting that their police chief is bound to show.
posted by Talez at 7:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
They helpfully go on to add that "speed is a factor" in most accidents. So few accidents happening between parked cars these days.
Can top that MOTO contest entry. The California commercial driver's handbook helpfully points out that "of all the space around your vehicle, the space you are driving into, that is most important." Also, "the vehicle that trucks and buses most often run into is the one in front of them."
posted by ctmf at 7:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Can top that MOTO contest entry. The California commercial driver's handbook helpfully points out that "of all the space around your vehicle, the space you are driving into, that is most important." Also, "the vehicle that trucks and buses most often run into is the one in front of them."
posted by ctmf at 7:25 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Wait, I guess the motion to proceed was on the House bill (AHCA), not the amendment. The vote last night was on the amendment. So the actual bill is still alive because there hasn't been a vote on it yet. I'm not sure if there's a time limit on reconciliation bills (I assume they would expire at the end of the year because it's a budget thing), and if they did for some bizarre reason bring it back for a vote (even though it could not pass as it is at this point in time), I'm not sure if they would need another motion to proceed or not. If not, it would seem like they've used up all the debate time allowed under reconciliation for this particular motion to proceed so would need to go to a straight vote.
And that is all the time I am going to spend researching labyrinthine Senate rules on a Friday night.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
And that is all the time I am going to spend researching labyrinthine Senate rules on a Friday night.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:28 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Eugene Robinson in non-shocker observation on Lawrence O'Donnell: is Kushner going to answer to Kelly?
posted by octobersurprise at 7:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by octobersurprise at 7:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
And that is all the time I am going to spend researching labyrinthine Senate rules on a Friday night.
Try recasting 'Repeal Obamacare'.
See also.
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
Try recasting 'Repeal Obamacare'.
See also.
posted by sebastienbailard at 7:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [17 favorites]
And that is all the time I am going to spend researching labyrinthine Senate rules on a Friday night.
You remind me of the bill...
What bill?
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:40 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
You remind me of the bill...
What bill?
posted by Joey Michaels at 7:40 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Tammy Baldwin of WI told a bunch of constituent stories; I hope one of them featured gerstle, MeFi's own healthcare anecdote hero!
They did not, but she's been posting our video, so I feel like I did my own tiny part to defeat this bullshit. We've been camping all week with no clue what was happening and did a lot of family celebrating when we started driving home today and turned on NPR. I still don't even know what was in the final bill, but, you know. Me and the rest of America, I guess?
Anyway, enjoy this video of my child picking her nose on the lap of a United States Senator.
posted by gerstle at 7:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
They did not, but she's been posting our video, so I feel like I did my own tiny part to defeat this bullshit. We've been camping all week with no clue what was happening and did a lot of family celebrating when we started driving home today and turned on NPR. I still don't even know what was in the final bill, but, you know. Me and the rest of America, I guess?
Anyway, enjoy this video of my child picking her nose on the lap of a United States Senator.
posted by gerstle at 7:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
If course McCain isn't going to kill something he might want to showboat on later. Anyone with faith in him remains a fucking idiot.
posted by Artw at 7:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 7:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
But really, cmon... Who among us can honestly say they have never cheered wildly at the suggestion of committing brutality against fellow citizens and political opponents while attending an aspiring autocrat's populist rally?
posted by milarepa at 7:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by milarepa at 7:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
"President Donald J. Trump read early drafts of the bill and negotiated regarding critical elements of it," White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in a statement.
"He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it,"
Translation:
Someone in the wh reviewed it. Dumbed it down (likely with their own spin, maybe even added some pictures), orchastrated it so Trump felt like he was reviewing it and made him think he was making good suggestions. Because you all out there actually think this guy I work for can read the complicated policy and understand what it means on his own? And then make suggestions based on his personal analysis? Ha ha ha ha. You crack me up. No really, that's hilarious.
posted by Jalliah at 7:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
"He has now reviewed the final version and, based on its responsiveness to his negotiations, approves the bill and intends to sign it,"
Translation:
Someone in the wh reviewed it. Dumbed it down (likely with their own spin, maybe even added some pictures), orchastrated it so Trump felt like he was reviewing it and made him think he was making good suggestions. Because you all out there actually think this guy I work for can read the complicated policy and understand what it means on his own? And then make suggestions based on his personal analysis? Ha ha ha ha. You crack me up. No really, that's hilarious.
posted by Jalliah at 7:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
Eugene Robinson in non-shocker observation on Lawrence O'Donnell: is Kushner going to answer to Kelly?
Nope. And neither will the Mooch or other senior aides.
So I guess Kelly is Chief of [Some] Staff?
posted by zakur at 7:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
Nope. And neither will the Mooch or other senior aides.
So I guess Kelly is Chief of [Some] Staff?
posted by zakur at 7:45 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
TV Just Found Its Pitch-Perfect Anthony Scaramucci: Mario Cantone
The Sex and the City vet on taking The President Show by storm, and his advice to the Mooch: “From one Italian to another, you’ve got to shut the fuck up.”posted by kirkaracha at 7:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [9 favorites]
Is there any evidence that the titles at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. have any meaning anymore?
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 7:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Try recasting 'Repeal Obamacare'.
See also.
Well, shit.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
See also.
Well, shit.
posted by triggerfinger at 7:51 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Reince on CNN is defending Trump. Wow.
He even said the weird code phrase: "he has the best political instincts."
Isn't that Scaramucci's phrase from when he took his new job?
"BEST POLITICAL INSTINCTS" is a Trumpism, from Trump, about Trump.
And Priebus is supporting that crap while walking out the door?
HOW DOES A SHITSTAIN RATFUCK LIKE TRUMP DO THIS TO PEOPLE?
posted by yesster at 8:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
He even said the weird code phrase: "he has the best political instincts."
Isn't that Scaramucci's phrase from when he took his new job?
"BEST POLITICAL INSTINCTS" is a Trumpism, from Trump, about Trump.
And Priebus is supporting that crap while walking out the door?
HOW DOES A SHITSTAIN RATFUCK LIKE TRUMP DO THIS TO PEOPLE?
posted by yesster at 8:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [24 favorites]
Trumpism is a cult.
posted by dirigibleman at 8:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by dirigibleman at 8:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
He probably thinks he needs to be gracious, even if Trump wasn't, for the party to embrace him again and/or for the sake of going on wingnut welfare.
Or maybe he was straight-up threatened with who knows what.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Or maybe he was straight-up threatened with who knows what.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
The Emperor Domitian parallels keep piling up. To Domitian's credit, he killed his own flies and didn't delegate his mad-emperorness to sycophants and meatloaf-munchers.
Brandon Carter, The Hill: Trump once summoned Priebus to kill a fly in Oval Office: report
President Trump reportedly once summoned former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus to kill a fly in the Oval Office during a meeting, according to a Friday report.
A source told The Washington Post that once during an Oval Office meeting, a fly began buzzing around Trump’s head, distracting him. Trump eventually summoned Priebus and told him to kill the fly.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Brandon Carter, The Hill: Trump once summoned Priebus to kill a fly in Oval Office: report
President Trump reportedly once summoned former White House chief of staff Reince Priebus to kill a fly in the Oval Office during a meeting, according to a Friday report.
A source told The Washington Post that once during an Oval Office meeting, a fly began buzzing around Trump’s head, distracting him. Trump eventually summoned Priebus and told him to kill the fly.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Let's face it, he was basically some kind of slimemold to begin with. You can't be be ascribing humanity to such a creature.
posted by Artw at 8:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Artw at 8:16 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
The tell-all book he comes out with later will pay the bills.
posted by Quonab at 8:19 PM on July 28, 2017
posted by Quonab at 8:19 PM on July 28, 2017
Or maybe he was straight-up threatened with who knows what
It doesn't matter what he premised you, Reince, it doesn't matter if he agreed not to hurt you if you praised him. Trump will fuck you over for almost no reason anytime he wants too. The only way not to get fucked by Trump is to live in the time before he was born.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
It doesn't matter what he premised you, Reince, it doesn't matter if he agreed not to hurt you if you praised him. Trump will fuck you over for almost no reason anytime he wants too. The only way not to get fucked by Trump is to live in the time before he was born.
posted by Joey Michaels at 8:19 PM on July 28, 2017 [4 favorites]
Looks like Fox News has attracted a new breed of expert on North Korean missile avionics: Infamous Former Mefite Scott Adams
posted by CrystalDave at 8:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
posted by CrystalDave at 8:21 PM on July 28, 2017 [19 favorites]
Teddy Wayne in the New York Times: Mr. Anthony Scaramucci Esq.’s Guide to Workplace Etiquette
Esquire? (wait a sec....this guy is lawyer?)
Doesn't the model bar rules have a bit about not acting like an ass in public as to bring down the public's opinion of lawyers?
Wonder how the bar grievances for the state(S) he holds a bar card are coming along? The only way any of us peons will know is if he fights it in public or someone says anything as the lawyers have the grievance process as private.
posted by rough ashlar at 8:24 PM on July 28, 2017
Esquire? (wait a sec....this guy is lawyer?)
Doesn't the model bar rules have a bit about not acting like an ass in public as to bring down the public's opinion of lawyers?
Wonder how the bar grievances for the state(S) he holds a bar card are coming along? The only way any of us peons will know is if he fights it in public or someone says anything as the lawyers have the grievance process as private.
posted by rough ashlar at 8:24 PM on July 28, 2017
This week has led me to perform a novena of "Christ, what an asshole." That's pretty much the Hail Mary of my personal religion now.
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
posted by Abehammerb Lincoln at 8:26 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
Vogue is done.
Look, It’s Time to Collectively and Officially Give Up on Ivanka Trump
Look, It’s Time to Collectively and Officially Give Up on Ivanka Trump
It was Groundhog Day, dystopia edition, yesterday morning when the president banned all transgender servicepeople from the U.S. military, unfurling yet another reversal of an historic Obama-era policy. It was another sweeping and instantly-controversial ban, and, as it’s being widely noted today, another big, fat failure for Ivanka Trump.posted by Room 641-A at 8:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
Is there any evidence that the titles at 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. have any meaning anymore?
Preibus didn't seem to have any actual authority anyway, chief of staff is supposed to be the President's right hand man, like hand of the king, controlling the daily schedule, routing communications to the right people, triage and prioritizing what the President needs to spend his limited time on that day. Instead Preibus was basically there as a witness to the madness for the RNC/Republican party. To the extent anyone is managing Trump's time and attention, it's Bannon or maybe Miller at this point, we don't know. The actual job of CoS has been vacant for 6 months, and Kelly doesn't seem like he will be able to do it either. He's a fascist yes man used to taking orders, not a political manager prepared to wrangle and delegate a normal White House, much less this shitshow.
It's going to be the same game of backstabbing, everyone competing for Trump's daily attention to further their individual flavor of evil agenda, but the cast has turned over already. Season two has already started this week, and they're going to have to keep bringing the crazy to keep up the ratings.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Preibus didn't seem to have any actual authority anyway, chief of staff is supposed to be the President's right hand man, like hand of the king, controlling the daily schedule, routing communications to the right people, triage and prioritizing what the President needs to spend his limited time on that day. Instead Preibus was basically there as a witness to the madness for the RNC/Republican party. To the extent anyone is managing Trump's time and attention, it's Bannon or maybe Miller at this point, we don't know. The actual job of CoS has been vacant for 6 months, and Kelly doesn't seem like he will be able to do it either. He's a fascist yes man used to taking orders, not a political manager prepared to wrangle and delegate a normal White House, much less this shitshow.
It's going to be the same game of backstabbing, everyone competing for Trump's daily attention to further their individual flavor of evil agenda, but the cast has turned over already. Season two has already started this week, and they're going to have to keep bringing the crazy to keep up the ratings.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:32 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Anyone who thinks Ivanka advises her father on anything but how to line her and her husband's pockets with cash never has paid attention.
posted by perhapses at 8:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [35 favorites]
posted by perhapses at 8:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [35 favorites]
Looks like Fox News has attracted a new breed of expert on North Korean missile avionics
To be fair Elbonia and North Korea sound a lot alike.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 8:37 PM on July 28, 2017
To be fair Elbonia and North Korea sound a lot alike.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 8:37 PM on July 28, 2017
A source told The Washington Post that once during an Oval Office meeting, a fly began buzzing around Trump’s head, distracting him. Trump eventually summoned Priebus and told him to kill the fly.
Keep in mind that the White House has a residential staff of around a hundred people who to take care of things like this. The diet cokes arrive at the push of a button. There are cooks, butlers, carpenters, florists, cleaning, and maintenance people there to make sure the president can concentrate on doing his job.
Calling Priebus in to kill a fly is a humiliation move.
posted by peeedro at 8:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
Keep in mind that the White House has a residential staff of around a hundred people who to take care of things like this. The diet cokes arrive at the push of a button. There are cooks, butlers, carpenters, florists, cleaning, and maintenance people there to make sure the president can concentrate on doing his job.
Calling Priebus in to kill a fly is a humiliation move.
posted by peeedro at 8:43 PM on July 28, 2017 [39 favorites]
Why do these people put up with this? Do they have no dignity? No self-respect?
posted by Justinian at 8:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 8:44 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
How another president dealt with the West Wing fly problem
My dad can do that, but I've never been able to
I don't know if I'm just not fast enough, or if part of my brain is like "Eww, fly", and slows my hand down
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
My dad can do that, but I've never been able to
I don't know if I'm just not fast enough, or if part of my brain is like "Eww, fly", and slows my hand down
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:48 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Calling Priebus in to kill a fly is a humiliation move.
I like to think he didn't so much order Priebus to kill it as explain to him that of the two of them, him and the fly, only one would be allowed to live alive, and whichsoever one it was would be chief of staff in the morning. "it's you or him, Reince," he said. "you do what you have to do, because I promise you, if you don't, he will. and Bannon told me he wants to report to the fly. he said he'd be proud to call it his boss. do you want Bannon to get what he wants? I'll be waiting outside."
and then Reince dug deep inside himself and found the will to bathe in blood for the sake of power. but in killing that fly, he killed -- not his soul, he left that with the other goblins for safekeeping years ago -- but his own hopes. all of them. not his dreams, he still has terrible dreams, but he cannot hope for anything, ever again. so no one should be surprised that he has no frenzy, no rage, no humiliation to parade before us now. he has lost even the memory of what it is to be disappointed. it's a terrible thing.
posted by queenofbithynia at 8:56 PM on July 28, 2017 [99 favorites]
Why do these people put up with this? Do they have no dignity? No self-respect?
Of all the lizard people currently in charge, Reince's got the longest sticky-tongue to grab those flies.
The president's lizard tongue does not, as it were, extend sufficiently.
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Of all the lizard people currently in charge, Reince's got the longest sticky-tongue to grab those flies.
The president's lizard tongue does not, as it were, extend sufficiently.
posted by Celsius1414 at 8:58 PM on July 28, 2017 [12 favorites]
Dear Pete Souza:
Please post this clip on your instagram tomorrow, kthx
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Please post this clip on your instagram tomorrow, kthx
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
It was established early in his campaign that he had attempted to force that tongue on several women who were not willing participants.
posted by perhapses at 9:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by perhapses at 9:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
*scratches through "Boy Scouts" and "Journey"*
Nobody tell me what Christie Brinkley is doing this week.
The answer to the question, "Carrot cake" or "Hershey bar cheesecake" is Yes. Ta, Johnny McC.
Okay just real quick, the Journey guys in the WH were Jonathan Cain, Arnel Pineda, and Ross Valory. Arnel I'm going to let go with a warning, Ross, just, bad life choices man, but as a founder you get immunity until the next challenge. Jonathan Cain however - first of all the wife is described as "Trump's spiritual advisor for the last year" so wtf there I don't think it's y'know working or whatever but really the thing is all the crap ballads and sound-alikes from ESC4P3 on are mostly your fault. It didn't have to go down like this but you made your bed. You're out. Auf wiedersehen.
*makes telephone-call-me gesture to Neil*
posted by petebest at 9:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Nobody tell me what Christie Brinkley is doing this week.
The answer to the question, "Carrot cake" or "Hershey bar cheesecake" is Yes. Ta, Johnny McC.
Okay just real quick, the Journey guys in the WH were Jonathan Cain, Arnel Pineda, and Ross Valory. Arnel I'm going to let go with a warning, Ross, just, bad life choices man, but as a founder you get immunity until the next challenge. Jonathan Cain however - first of all the wife is described as "Trump's spiritual advisor for the last year" so wtf there I don't think it's y'know working or whatever but really the thing is all the crap ballads and sound-alikes from ESC4P3 on are mostly your fault. It didn't have to go down like this but you made your bed. You're out. Auf wiedersehen.
*makes telephone-call-me gesture to Neil*
posted by petebest at 9:03 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
WaPo has this: Because Kelly has little political and legislative experience, many officials in the West Wing expect that policy issues will largely fall under Vice President Pence’s portfolio, said two people familiar with the likely changes. Pence — who spent Thursday evening in the Capitol unsuccessfully trying to convince Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) to vote for the Republican health care plan — is expected to serve as a de facto chief legislative adviser to the president
Pence taking a bigger policy role seems like the worst of all outcomes.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Pence taking a bigger policy role seems like the worst of all outcomes.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:04 PM on July 28, 2017 [7 favorites]
Pence taking a bigger policy role seems like the worst of all outcomes.
I have some bad news for you about impeachment then...
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
I have some bad news for you about impeachment then...
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 9:07 PM on July 28, 2017 [5 favorites]
“He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago. The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is," a White House spokeswoman said in February.
Even if we believed that he really is a nonstop workaholic, he still eats through a 10-fold travel budget to produce a fraction of the results we had under Obama (unless you count firing as results). Some well-oiled machine you got there.
posted by p3t3 at 9:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Even if we believed that he really is a nonstop workaholic, he still eats through a 10-fold travel budget to produce a fraction of the results we had under Obama (unless you count firing as results). Some well-oiled machine you got there.
posted by p3t3 at 9:10 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
“He is not vacationing when he goes to Mar-a-Lago. The president works nonstop every day of the week, no matter where he is," a White House spokeswoman said in February.
Just change this meme to Twitter and it's spot on.
posted by ian1977 at 9:15 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Just change this meme to Twitter and it's spot on.
posted by ian1977 at 9:15 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
“Andrew, lad,” the Chief went on impatiently, “look here. Do you see this fly, in the web? Waving his legs like a madman.”
Andrew stepped up beside the burly old man and pushed back a lock of his long blond hair to peer at the windowsill. A bluebottle fly was struggling in the spiderweb. “Yes, sir.”
“Can you kill it?”
Bewildered, assuming this was some token sort of test of ruthlessness, the boy swallowed against his nausea and then nodded and held out his hand for the letter opener.
“No,” said the Chief impatiently, “with your will alone. Can you kill the fly just by looking at it?”
Andrew really didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or start crying. He heard his mother shift and mutter behind him. “No, sir,” he said hoarsely.
The old Chief sighed, and turned to stare for several seconds straight into the boy’s eyes. “No,” he said at last, gently.
posted by The otter lady at 9:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Andrew stepped up beside the burly old man and pushed back a lock of his long blond hair to peer at the windowsill. A bluebottle fly was struggling in the spiderweb. “Yes, sir.”
“Can you kill it?”
Bewildered, assuming this was some token sort of test of ruthlessness, the boy swallowed against his nausea and then nodded and held out his hand for the letter opener.
“No,” said the Chief impatiently, “with your will alone. Can you kill the fly just by looking at it?”
Andrew really didn’t know whether he wanted to laugh or start crying. He heard his mother shift and mutter behind him. “No, sir,” he said hoarsely.
The old Chief sighed, and turned to stare for several seconds straight into the boy’s eyes. “No,” he said at last, gently.
posted by The otter lady at 9:20 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
I have some bad news for you about impeachment then...
Never forget that at the core, this is all about Good Old Fashioned Money Laundering. The spycraft and WHO is involved makes it noteworthy, but the mechanics are all well understood. Trump Real Estate is one of the "Sinks"...
Pence may go down before Trump. EVERYONE tied to laundering filthy Russian money is vulnerable, and since Muller indicting Trump is questionable ( Un-indicted Co-conspirator time ) the leverage may be indicting Pence.
Pence goes. Someone else gets appointed. ( Another damned General? ) and they get the gig. ( e.g.: Gerald Ford. ). Or President Ryan. Who is pretty useless.
posted by mikelieman at 9:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Never forget that at the core, this is all about Good Old Fashioned Money Laundering. The spycraft and WHO is involved makes it noteworthy, but the mechanics are all well understood. Trump Real Estate is one of the "Sinks"...
Pence may go down before Trump. EVERYONE tied to laundering filthy Russian money is vulnerable, and since Muller indicting Trump is questionable ( Un-indicted Co-conspirator time ) the leverage may be indicting Pence.
Pence goes. Someone else gets appointed. ( Another damned General? ) and they get the gig. ( e.g.: Gerald Ford. ). Or President Ryan. Who is pretty useless.
posted by mikelieman at 9:24 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
John McCaine took the fall for his Senatorial colleagues who could not vote yes without being primaried into oblivion, while smearing his middle finger all over Republican Congressional and Executive leadership as he rides off into the sunset. No, he's not a Moderate Republican, but he's the best we could hope for in the moment to preserve the Republic and millions of lives, and that will do.
When the bullet actually met the bone, he did not flinch. He took it like a goddamn American.
Let's all take his example, and VOTE when it most matters! AND IT ALWAYS MATTERS!
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
When the bullet actually met the bone, he did not flinch. He took it like a goddamn American.
Let's all take his example, and VOTE when it most matters! AND IT ALWAYS MATTERS!
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:27 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Like that last vote, NOT like the half dozen he took before.
posted by Artw at 9:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:29 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
The one that actually mattered? That required courage and conviction? That one?
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Slap*Happy at 9:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Or like the next one he makes. :/
posted by ian1977 at 9:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by ian1977 at 9:31 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
HOW DOES A SHITSTAIN RATFUCK LIKE TRUMP DO THIS TO PEOPLE?
kompromat
posted by ctmf at 9:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
kompromat
posted by ctmf at 9:33 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
I willed my Keepsakes, signed away
What portions of me be
Assignable - and then it was
There interposed a Fly -
With Blue - uncertain - stumbling Buzz -
Between the light - and me -
And then the Windows failed - and then
I could not see to see -
-- a man, a plan, an anagram, Reince Priebus. "signed away/ What portions of me be/ Assignable" is nice work. good job, emily dickinson, poet laureate of the RNC
posted by queenofbithynia at 9:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
What portions of me be
Assignable - and then it was
There interposed a Fly -
With Blue - uncertain - stumbling Buzz -
Between the light - and me -
And then the Windows failed - and then
I could not see to see -
-- a man, a plan, an anagram, Reince Priebus. "signed away/ What portions of me be/ Assignable" is nice work. good job, emily dickinson, poet laureate of the RNC
posted by queenofbithynia at 9:41 PM on July 28, 2017 [10 favorites]
Little fly,William Blake
Thy summer’s play
My thoughtless hand
Has brushed away.
Am not I
A fly like thee?
Or art not thou
A man like me?
For I dance
And drink and sing,
Till some blind hand
Shall brush my wing.
If thought is life
And strength and breath,
And the want
Of thought is death,
Then am I
A happy fly,
If I live,
Or if I die.
posted by biogeo at 9:57 PM on July 28, 2017 [16 favorites]
Room 641-A: "Kelly O'Donnell said Reince was on Air Force One when Trump sent out that tweet."
Awkward!
spitbull: "Many European academic societies have a "Secretary General.""
But those aren't Generals in Secretary roles; General Secretary is the role.
tivalasvegas: "I thought the new NDP government in BC was trying to kill it?"
Keystone doesn't enter BC; there are two other pipeline projects that are facing opposition from BC.
posted by Mitheral at 10:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Awkward!
spitbull: "Many European academic societies have a "Secretary General.""
But those aren't Generals in Secretary roles; General Secretary is the role.
tivalasvegas: "I thought the new NDP government in BC was trying to kill it?"
Keystone doesn't enter BC; there are two other pipeline projects that are facing opposition from BC.
posted by Mitheral at 10:08 PM on July 28, 2017 [1 favorite]
Can you believe this guy is the fucking president? My head is truly still stuck at November 9.
posted by standardasparagus at 10:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
posted by standardasparagus at 10:09 PM on July 28, 2017 [22 favorites]
National Treasure Alexandra Petri, WaPo: Priebus, sashay away
Does President Trump think he needs to fire someone every week in order to maintain viewership?posted by Johnny Wallflower at 10:14 PM on July 28, 2017 [13 favorites]
I thought this was just a bad joke about how the presidency was like “The Apprentice,” but after the last two weeks I am genuinely concerned that he thinks this is the way to govern.
The Unstated Norms That Allow Democracy To Function were eliminated in the first week after a bad speech and weird press conference, International Prestige went home after week seven (it hung on longer than anticipated), Comey and Yates and Flynn and Spicer all vanished in their turn. And now Reince Priebus is out.
Artw: "Like that last vote, NOT like the half dozen he took before."
My understanding is that, by voting Yes on motion to proceed, he actually killed off ACA via reconciliation for this fiscal year. Meaning it was actually to our advantage to have him vote Yes on MTP.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:25 PM on July 28, 2017
My understanding is that, by voting Yes on motion to proceed, he actually killed off ACA via reconciliation for this fiscal year. Meaning it was actually to our advantage to have him vote Yes on MTP.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:25 PM on July 28, 2017
No, that was a misunderstanding of procedure.
The real answer is that McCain was making a point about the bullshit way the law was being passed. So he deliberately followed the old traditions and norms. Allow the procedural stuff to go through unless you have a very good reason, then vote your conscience on the bill. Which is what he did.
Now we all know which party is mainly responsible for the breakdown of those norms. So decrying that breakdown while being a longtime loyal member of that party is kind of crocodile tears, sure, but he did vote NO so I don't really care.
posted by Justinian at 10:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
The real answer is that McCain was making a point about the bullshit way the law was being passed. So he deliberately followed the old traditions and norms. Allow the procedural stuff to go through unless you have a very good reason, then vote your conscience on the bill. Which is what he did.
Now we all know which party is mainly responsible for the breakdown of those norms. So decrying that breakdown while being a longtime loyal member of that party is kind of crocodile tears, sure, but he did vote NO so I don't really care.
posted by Justinian at 10:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [29 favorites]
@speechboy71
If you're writing about how John Kelly will fix the WH. Stop. He just got made captain of the Titanic after the ship hit the iceberg
posted by chris24 at 10:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
If you're writing about how John Kelly will fix the WH. Stop. He just got made captain of the Titanic after the ship hit the iceberg
posted by chris24 at 10:34 PM on July 28, 2017 [15 favorites]
I just listened to a fascinating podcast from the Vox folks where one of the commentators remarked that McConnell could have forced this bill to go to conference by amending the bill language. If he really wanted this bill to pass and knew that he could do it by forcing it to go to committee as per the Ryan/Graham drama, he could have added a poison pill to the bill to guarantee that the House would not pass it as is. For example, they could have added language that reduced all congressional staffer budgets to $0 or required Medicaid to pay for abortions.
But he didn't do that. Add that curiosity to the fact that he held the vote at all when he knew he didn't have the votes, one starts to wonder what McConnell/Ryan are really up to. I mean, it could be as simple as the Republicans realizing that there was no adult in the WH to allow them to keep their campaign promises to "reform" health care while demonizing the Dems. Or there's something else going on. Regardless, something's rotten. The skinny repeal, even if passed as is, would not have funded the much-vaunted and hoped-for tax reform that has been the subject of Ryan's wet dreams since he was a Young Republican in college.
So. I'm more confused than ever.
posted by xyzzy at 10:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
But he didn't do that. Add that curiosity to the fact that he held the vote at all when he knew he didn't have the votes, one starts to wonder what McConnell/Ryan are really up to. I mean, it could be as simple as the Republicans realizing that there was no adult in the WH to allow them to keep their campaign promises to "reform" health care while demonizing the Dems. Or there's something else going on. Regardless, something's rotten. The skinny repeal, even if passed as is, would not have funded the much-vaunted and hoped-for tax reform that has been the subject of Ryan's wet dreams since he was a Young Republican in college.
So. I'm more confused than ever.
posted by xyzzy at 10:46 PM on July 28, 2017 [11 favorites]
@ramez
1. Liberalism is winning in America, but few of us on the left seem to notice. A brief thread.
2. On policy after policy, the left has won major victories in the last decade, and the right seems unable to fully reverse those victories.
3. On healthcare, insurance coverage has been expanded. The GOP has failed to fully repeal the ACA, and is left grasping for "skinny repeal"
4. GOP has failed on healthcare bc Americans now take it as given that people having access & coverage is good . Window has moved left.
5. On LGBTQ rights, marriage equality is solid. Almost no one on the GOP is arguing to try to roll it back. Political suicide.
6. When GOP Senators openly push back on Trump's tweets about transgender soldiers, you know window has moved left - The Daily 202: Growing GOP backlash to transgender troop ban underscores Trump’s political miscalculation
7. Many LGBTQ fights remain. But we've moved from "gays shouldn't marry or serve" to cakes and medical bills. Battlefront has advanced.
8. On drug legalization, Sessions and Trump talk big at the federal level. Meanwhile, states continue to decriminalize pot. States leading.
9. With climate change, major polarization remains. But clean energy is now political apple pie on both sides of the aisle, and growing fast
10. By almost every policy and attitude measure, US is more liberal than a decade ago. GOP has been dragged left on health, lgbtq, pot, more
11. Never become complacent. A huge amount of work remains to be done, in the US and worldwide. But recognize long-term momentum is leftward
posted by chris24 at 10:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [111 favorites]
1. Liberalism is winning in America, but few of us on the left seem to notice. A brief thread.
2. On policy after policy, the left has won major victories in the last decade, and the right seems unable to fully reverse those victories.
3. On healthcare, insurance coverage has been expanded. The GOP has failed to fully repeal the ACA, and is left grasping for "skinny repeal"
4. GOP has failed on healthcare bc Americans now take it as given that people having access & coverage is good . Window has moved left.
5. On LGBTQ rights, marriage equality is solid. Almost no one on the GOP is arguing to try to roll it back. Political suicide.
6. When GOP Senators openly push back on Trump's tweets about transgender soldiers, you know window has moved left - The Daily 202: Growing GOP backlash to transgender troop ban underscores Trump’s political miscalculation
7. Many LGBTQ fights remain. But we've moved from "gays shouldn't marry or serve" to cakes and medical bills. Battlefront has advanced.
8. On drug legalization, Sessions and Trump talk big at the federal level. Meanwhile, states continue to decriminalize pot. States leading.
9. With climate change, major polarization remains. But clean energy is now political apple pie on both sides of the aisle, and growing fast
10. By almost every policy and attitude measure, US is more liberal than a decade ago. GOP has been dragged left on health, lgbtq, pot, more
11. Never become complacent. A huge amount of work remains to be done, in the US and worldwide. But recognize long-term momentum is leftward
posted by chris24 at 10:47 PM on July 28, 2017 [111 favorites]
At this point, his appointing a horse into a high level cabinet position would actually be an improvement.
He's never going to appoint anyone who'll tell him "neigh."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
He's never going to appoint anyone who'll tell him "neigh."
posted by ErisLordFreedom at 10:53 PM on July 28, 2017 [56 favorites]
So. I'm more confused than ever.
My hope is that they've heard some of what Muller's learned, and they're getting ready to throw The White House under the bus. With Reinhold out, there's none of the traditional GOP left. And the traditional GOP knows that they need to do SOMETHING to avoid a 2018 bloodbath.
This was orchestrated. To piss Trump off. Now, the courts haven't been tolerant of his shit. And all Congress needs is the WILL to impeach. If they conclude that Trump is an albatross 'round their necks, then all bets are off.
Fucking 2017.
posted by mikelieman at 10:54 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
My hope is that they've heard some of what Muller's learned, and they're getting ready to throw The White House under the bus. With Reinhold out, there's none of the traditional GOP left. And the traditional GOP knows that they need to do SOMETHING to avoid a 2018 bloodbath.
This was orchestrated. To piss Trump off. Now, the courts haven't been tolerant of his shit. And all Congress needs is the WILL to impeach. If they conclude that Trump is an albatross 'round their necks, then all bets are off.
Fucking 2017.
posted by mikelieman at 10:54 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
For people who don't have the squirrelyness to follow twitter rumors directly, I humbly submit this weekly twitter rumor roundup.
(archived rumors)
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
(archived rumors)
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:12 PM on July 28, 2017 [2 favorites]
Goddammit William Blake.
Buck up folks, let's get to it.
posted by notyou at 11:15 PM on July 28, 2017
Buck up folks, let's get to it.
posted by notyou at 11:15 PM on July 28, 2017
Everyone's clear on Scaramucci's Russis involvement?
Trump Aide Talks Investment With Sanctioned Kremlin Fund
By Ilya Arkhipov and Patrick Donahue (Jan 2017)
Anthony Scaramucci, aide to President-elect Donald Trump and founder of SkyBridge Capital, discussed possible joint investments in a meeting in Davos with the head of a Russian sovereign wealth fund that the U.S. sanctioned in 2015, the fund’s press service said.
The meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a $10 billion state-run investment vehicle, is the first public contact between the incoming administration and Kremlin-backed business. Trump has suggested he could ease the sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin cooperates on his policy priorities. Scaramucci confirmed the Davos meeting.
In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS Tuesday, he also criticized the sanctions as ineffective. Trump’s view about Russia is that “there’s probably shared values or shared interests, that we can align ourselves with each other and this could be mutually beneficial,” he said.
The two sides didn’t disclose details of the meeting, which Scaramucci said took place Monday evening.
...
via huffpost
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Trump Aide Talks Investment With Sanctioned Kremlin Fund
By Ilya Arkhipov and Patrick Donahue (Jan 2017)
Anthony Scaramucci, aide to President-elect Donald Trump and founder of SkyBridge Capital, discussed possible joint investments in a meeting in Davos with the head of a Russian sovereign wealth fund that the U.S. sanctioned in 2015, the fund’s press service said.
The meeting with Kirill Dmitriev, head of the Russian Direct Investment Fund, a $10 billion state-run investment vehicle, is the first public contact between the incoming administration and Kremlin-backed business. Trump has suggested he could ease the sanctions on Russia if the Kremlin cooperates on his policy priorities. Scaramucci confirmed the Davos meeting.
In an interview with the Russian state news agency TASS Tuesday, he also criticized the sanctions as ineffective. Trump’s view about Russia is that “there’s probably shared values or shared interests, that we can align ourselves with each other and this could be mutually beneficial,” he said.
The two sides didn’t disclose details of the meeting, which Scaramucci said took place Monday evening.
...
via huffpost
posted by sebastienbailard at 11:22 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Mensch, 20committee, Eric Garner, Fraud Taylor, etc have created a massive entourage of total sucker Democrats.
posted by Yowser at 11:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by Yowser at 11:23 PM on July 28, 2017 [3 favorites]
Those rumors! The stupid burns!
The New York Times says a president can be indicted which lends a great deal of credence to the rumor Trump has a sealed indictment against him.
What?!? Come on! If someone writes that I'm eligible to be drafted by the Yankees it in no way implies that there is any credence to a rumor that I am going to be drafted by the Yankees. Jesus Christ.
*reads more*
Oh, this is all Mensch/Taylor garbage.
posted by Justinian at 11:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
The New York Times says a president can be indicted which lends a great deal of credence to the rumor Trump has a sealed indictment against him.
What?!? Come on! If someone writes that I'm eligible to be drafted by the Yankees it in no way implies that there is any credence to a rumor that I am going to be drafted by the Yankees. Jesus Christ.
*reads more*
Oh, this is all Mensch/Taylor garbage.
posted by Justinian at 11:30 PM on July 28, 2017 [14 favorites]
Re: @ramez' list:
It's hard to feel like we're winning when they can get this level of incompetent fuckery installed in the highest levels of government with so little actual pushback by our governmental mechanisms.
I mean, the list ain't wrong, but I'd like to -not- feel like we're under attack every day, y'know?
posted by Archelaus at 11:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
It's hard to feel like we're winning when they can get this level of incompetent fuckery installed in the highest levels of government with so little actual pushback by our governmental mechanisms.
I mean, the list ain't wrong, but I'd like to -not- feel like we're under attack every day, y'know?
posted by Archelaus at 11:38 PM on July 28, 2017 [6 favorites]
Holy hell, y'all. I promised my FB feed that I'd go a day without posting politics, so I mostly stayed off of the thread to resist the temptation. But dear Lord it took me almost 2 hours to catch up.
posted by greermahoney at 12:06 AM on July 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
posted by greermahoney at 12:06 AM on July 29, 2017 [3 favorites]
From that Scaramucci divorce article:
posted by benzenedream at 12:25 AM on July 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
University of Buffalo graduate Ball [his soon to be ex wife] donated $5,400 to the congressional campaign of anti-Trump Democrat Kathleen Rice in 2015. But she also donated $10,800 to Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker’s presidential campaign and $2,700 to Jeb Bush’s campaign the same year."Honey, just sign this paper here, oh, nothing important, just some charity donations."
posted by benzenedream at 12:25 AM on July 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
one of the commentators remarked that McConnell could have forced this bill to go to conference by amending the bill language. If he really wanted this bill to pass and knew that he could do it by forcing it to go to committee as per the Ryan/Graham drama, he could have added a poison pill to the bill to guarantee that the House would not pass it as is. For example, they could have added language that reduced all congressional staffer budgets to $0 or required Medicaid to pay for abortions...So. I'm more confused than ever.
I think the bolded part is the commentator's weak assumption, and that your conjecture that the lack of a White House veto is the determining factor is the most likely explanation. It seems to me that the most plausible explanation for not having done this is that the bill couldn't pass in that form. If the bill was to fail it was (it seems to me) always going to fail by a margin of 1; the GOP is not yet so insane as to allow a significant breakdown of whipping discipline to be reflected in a public vote. Accordingly, I think there's a real possibility that there was simply no way to get any form of the bill to 50 votes in the Senate, that at least three senators would rebel no matter what the content of the bill, because the GOP is not actually at all united on repealing the ACA. Something more sinister and cunning will always be a possibility, but I tend to think that (as usual) the cock-up is more likely than the conspiracy.
posted by howfar at 12:29 AM on July 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
I think the bolded part is the commentator's weak assumption, and that your conjecture that the lack of a White House veto is the determining factor is the most likely explanation. It seems to me that the most plausible explanation for not having done this is that the bill couldn't pass in that form. If the bill was to fail it was (it seems to me) always going to fail by a margin of 1; the GOP is not yet so insane as to allow a significant breakdown of whipping discipline to be reflected in a public vote. Accordingly, I think there's a real possibility that there was simply no way to get any form of the bill to 50 votes in the Senate, that at least three senators would rebel no matter what the content of the bill, because the GOP is not actually at all united on repealing the ACA. Something more sinister and cunning will always be a possibility, but I tend to think that (as usual) the cock-up is more likely than the conspiracy.
posted by howfar at 12:29 AM on July 29, 2017 [4 favorites]
It's just a fancy way of say "general secretary" not a derivative of a military rank.
Late night pedantry: the military rank of general ALSO derived from the French/romance-language following-adjective convention, having first been used for the rank of captain-general by numerous European armies; perhaps first by the Republic of Venice, where it designated the commander-in-chief of land army operations. Later usage distinguished the captain-general from field captains, indicating professionalization and bureaucratization, and eventually the expansion of these roles led to a variety of "generals" as we know the rank today.
So, much like the term "doctor" came from "doctor of medicine", one of numerous advanced doctorates available at a university, and now has independent usage. That is all.
To Eyebrows McGee:
Really? All I've seen is harsh criticism that Wisconsin is paying $1 million per job
Yes, but I was referring to the first wave of reports such as this initial NYT piece which takes twenty paragraphs to get to any substantive criticism. Then there was a second wave that was still "wow, that's a lot of jobs" with subheads like "but Foxconn hasn't delivered in the past". It's only the third wave that has really gotten into the downsides of the financials. Local Wisconsin outlets such as the MJS are now pointing out the brutal numbers e.g. Foxconn could get up to $200 million in cash a year from state residents for up to 15 years -- which is pretty unusual, usually these deals involve tax credits and infrastructure goodies rather than actual cash. But the state has developed a poor reputation for corporate giveaways and slack oversight of the former state Department of Commerce which was basically transformed wholesale into a sort of public-private bank. I don't know that reporting like this is going to have much effect, though, given the Koch-GOP stranglehold on state politics.
Ah, shoot, benzenedream: recall that there were efforts to consolidate what was not yet called #NeverTrump support around candidates, and Walker did have a moment in the sun with a couple of straw polls. One wouldn't necessarily know from those two donations whether she was a liberal Democrat or an anti-Trump Republican at heart. The Bush donation seems to suggest the latter.
posted by dhartung at 12:34 AM on July 29, 2017 [7 favorites]
Late night pedantry: the military rank of general ALSO derived from the French/romance-language following-adjective convention, having first been used for the rank of captain-general by numerous European armies; perhaps first by the Republic of Venice, where it designated the commander-in-chief of land army operations. Later usage distinguished the captain-general from field captains, indicating professionalization and bureaucratization, and eventually the expansion of these roles led to a variety of "generals" as we know the rank today.
So, much like the term "doctor" came from "doctor of medicine", one of numerous advanced doctorates available at a university, and now has independent usage. That is all.
To Eyebrows McGee:
Really? All I've seen is harsh criticism that Wisconsin is paying $1 million per job
Yes, but I was referring to the first wave of reports such as this initial NYT piece which takes twenty paragraphs to get to any substantive criticism. Then there was a second wave that was still "wow, that's a lot of jobs" with subheads like "but Foxconn hasn't delivered in the past". It's only the third wave that has really gotten into the downsides of the financials. Local Wisconsin outlets such as the MJS are now pointing out the brutal numbers e.g. Foxconn could get up to $200 million in cash a year from state residents for up to 15 years -- which is pretty unusual, usually these deals involve tax credits and infrastructure goodies rather than actual cash. But the state has developed a poor reputation for corporate giveaways and slack oversight of the former state Department of Commerce which was basically transformed wholesale into a sort of public-private bank. I don't know that reporting like this is going to have much effect, though, given the Koch-GOP stranglehold on state politics.
Ah, shoot, benzenedream: recall that there were efforts to consolidate what was not yet called #NeverTrump support around candidates, and Walker did have a moment in the sun with a couple of straw polls. One wouldn't necessarily know from those two donations whether she was a liberal Democrat or an anti-Trump Republican at heart. The Bush donation seems to suggest the latter.
posted by dhartung at 12:34 AM on July 29, 2017 [7 favorites]
5. On LGBTQ rights, marriage equality is solid. Almost no one on the GOP is arguing to try to roll it back. Political suicide.
6. When GOP Senators openly push back on Trump's tweets about transgender soldiers, you know window has moved left - The Daily 202: Growing GOP backlash to transgender troop ban underscores Trump’s political miscalculation
7. Many LGBTQ fights remain. But we've moved from "gays shouldn't marry or serve" to cakes and medical bills. Battlefront has advanced.
Gee, that makes me feel so much better. It's not like the Republican party is actively attacking people like me right now or anything. Let me guess, this list was made by someone cis and straight?
posted by hoyland at 4:19 AM on July 29, 2017 [8 favorites]
6. When GOP Senators openly push back on Trump's tweets about transgender soldiers, you know window has moved left - The Daily 202: Growing GOP backlash to transgender troop ban underscores Trump’s political miscalculation
7. Many LGBTQ fights remain. But we've moved from "gays shouldn't marry or serve" to cakes and medical bills. Battlefront has advanced.
Gee, that makes me feel so much better. It's not like the Republican party is actively attacking people like me right now or anything. Let me guess, this list was made by someone cis and straight?
posted by hoyland at 4:19 AM on July 29, 2017 [8 favorites]
Trump once summoned Priebus to kill a fly in Oval Office: report
Remember when we had a competent president: Now where were we.
posted by srboisvert at 6:13 AM on July 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Remember when we had a competent president: Now where were we.
posted by srboisvert at 6:13 AM on July 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
which is pretty unusual, usually these deals involve tax credits and infrastructure goodies rather than actual cash
We're giving them cash???! I've been trying to ignore this whole thing and just assumed it was a tax credit.
Well hey, don't say UBI can't happen because we're apparently rolling with it here.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:13 AM on July 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
We're giving them cash???! I've been trying to ignore this whole thing and just assumed it was a tax credit.
Well hey, don't say UBI can't happen because we're apparently rolling with it here.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 6:13 AM on July 29, 2017 [2 favorites]
Cake 'em, Dano.
posted by petebest at 7:02 AM on July 29, 2017 [7 favorites]
posted by petebest at 7:02 AM on July 29, 2017 [7 favorites]
🍰🍰🥛
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:05 AM on July 29, 2017 [9 favorites]
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:05 AM on July 29, 2017 [9 favorites]
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posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:53 PM on July 25, 2017 [1 favorite]