Fresh politics thread.
February 15, 2018 8:54 AM Subscribe
ICE cracks down in LA, meanwhile immigration legislation progress isn't looking great.
Trump's hoped-for "Look at me, I wanna be a dictator!" party is looking expensive.
WTF happened to Americans serving in Cuba?
If you're looking for a thread about the most recent mass shooting in the USA, it is here.
Trump's hoped-for "Look at me, I wanna be a dictator!" party is looking expensive.
WTF happened to Americans serving in Cuba?
If you're looking for a thread about the most recent mass shooting in the USA, it is here.
If you suspected that Republicans would find a way to blame the investigation of the administration's treason for yesterday's school shooting, come collect your prize. Your prize is fascism.
Daily Wire: FBI Too Busy With Trump Probe, Inner Turmoil To Follow Up On HS Shooter Tips
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:01 AM on February 15, 2018 [32 favorites]
Daily Wire: FBI Too Busy With Trump Probe, Inner Turmoil To Follow Up On HS Shooter Tips
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:01 AM on February 15, 2018 [32 favorites]
Attorneys warned not to ‘mention’ abortion to immigrant teens in custody, per email from legal group (WaPo):
A major legal services group for immigrant children told its lawyers nationwide not to discuss abortion access, even if minors in custody ask for help understanding their legal rights, for fear it would jeopardize a multimillion-dollar contract with the Department of Health and Human Services.posted by peeedro at 9:01 AM on February 15, 2018 [21 favorites]
The constraints on what government-funded lawyers can say to young detainees was contained in an email from the nonprofit Vera Institute of Justice, which said it acted after a phone call with an HHS employee. Vera’s instruction to lawyers comes as the Trump administration has tried in court to block access to abortion procedures for undocumented teens in federal custody.
Dara Lind has a good summary of what's in the Rounds-King immigration bill that's worth looking at. 12-year path to citizenship for Dreamers, who won't be able to sponsor their parents (though their parents aren't barred from citizenship by other means), reallocate F-2B visas (adult children of green card holders) but keep processing the existing backlog, $25B for border security/wall paid out over 10 years, and codify enforcement priorities for ICE into law.
The White House is, of course, solidly against it (going so far as to say it "ignores the lessons of 9/11," about which, what the actual fuck?) and like all other such proposals, it's far from clear that it could possibly achieve 60 votes in the Senate. I fear McConnell is just going to send everyone home (the Senate has a week off next week, because they've done oh so much) and declare "well we tried."
In other news, Reuters: U.S. court says Trump travel ban unlawfully discriminates against Muslims. Here's a link to the opinion, which again uses Trump's words against him to find the ban constitutes unconstitutional discrimination, rather than just the violation of immigration law found by the 9th Circuit:
The White House is, of course, solidly against it (going so far as to say it "ignores the lessons of 9/11," about which, what the actual fuck?) and like all other such proposals, it's far from clear that it could possibly achieve 60 votes in the Senate. I fear McConnell is just going to send everyone home (the Senate has a week off next week, because they've done oh so much) and declare "well we tried."
In other news, Reuters: U.S. court says Trump travel ban unlawfully discriminates against Muslims. Here's a link to the opinion, which again uses Trump's words against him to find the ban constitutes unconstitutional discrimination, rather than just the violation of immigration law found by the 9th Circuit:
Plaintiffs offer undisputed evidence that the President of the United States has openly and often expressed his desire to ban those of Islamic faith from entering the United States. The Proclamation is thus not only a likely Establishment Clause violation, but also strikes at the basic notion that the government may not act based on 'religious animosityposted by zachlipton at 9:02 AM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
A federal appeals court on Thursday ruled that President Donald Trump's third attempt at a travel ban is likely unconstitutional, writing that it "continues to exhibit a primarily religious anti-Muslim objective." (buzzfeed link)
which is good, and then theres the bad:
House just Passed HR 620 to roll back much of the ADA, thanks to a minority of Dems who voted for it.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:03 AM on February 15, 2018 [19 favorites]
which is good, and then theres the bad:
House just Passed HR 620 to roll back much of the ADA, thanks to a minority of Dems who voted for it.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 9:03 AM on February 15, 2018 [19 favorites]
Speaking of which... @jdawsey1: Remarkable conclusion from Sarah Sanders statement on Schumer-Rounds-Collins amendment says he disagrees but does not say he would veto. "If the President were presented with an enrolled bill that includes the Amendment, his advisors would recommend that he veto it."
Normally a veto threat includes, uh, an actual statement that the President will veto a bill, but his staff can't speak for him and have no clue what he would do, so they just put out a statement telling us what Stephen Miller will tell him and hoped nobody noticed.
posted by zachlipton at 9:07 AM on February 15, 2018 [17 favorites]
Normally a veto threat includes, uh, an actual statement that the President will veto a bill, but his staff can't speak for him and have no clue what he would do, so they just put out a statement telling us what Stephen Miller will tell him and hoped nobody noticed.
posted by zachlipton at 9:07 AM on February 15, 2018 [17 favorites]
Trump is such a spoiled fucking child - he saw a parade he liked, now he wants his own, and he thinks he's entitled to one because he's special.
Meanwhile, he wants to cut SNAP and replace it with a commodity food program, which isn't a new idea and would affect a lot of military families. Goodbye personal choice and fresh food, hello canned misery rations.
I am so disgusted with Trump and his party. Absolutely disgusted. They are rotten to the core.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:07 AM on February 15, 2018 [30 favorites]
Meanwhile, he wants to cut SNAP and replace it with a commodity food program, which isn't a new idea and would affect a lot of military families. Goodbye personal choice and fresh food, hello canned misery rations.
I am so disgusted with Trump and his party. Absolutely disgusted. They are rotten to the core.
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:07 AM on February 15, 2018 [30 favorites]
House just Passed HR 620 to roll back much of the ADA, thanks to a minority of Dems who voted for it.
12 Dems voted for it, but their votes were not decisive since the Republican majority was in favor.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:10 AM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
12 Dems voted for it, but their votes were not decisive since the Republican majority was in favor.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:10 AM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
Sarah Kendzior on the threat of the revolving door of White House staff, many of whom cannot obtain the required security clearance:
Among the departed White House staffers are former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who has admitted guilt in the Kremlin interference probe; white nationalist (and fellow domestic abuser ) Steve Bannon, who has vowed to destroy the United States; and extremist Seb Gorka, who has ties to neo-Nazi organizations and is being investigated by police in Hungary. (Gorka, like Porter, worked as a Trump advisor despite being denied clearance as a result of his 2016 arrest in the U.S. for bringing a weapon through an airport.)
Men who have already colluded with a foreign power, committed acts of violence, or threatened to destroy the U.S. now know some of the country’s secrets, and it’s easy to imagine the damage they could do in the era of WikiLeaks and illicit foreign deals. Fellow federal indictee Paul Manafort, for example, used his access as Trump’s campaign manager to offer “private briefings” to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who is a close friend of Vladimir Putin and to whom Manafort is alleged to owe a great deal of money.
[...]
“To which country does my president’s greatest loyalty lie?” is not a question Americans have had to ask before, but Trump, who is more deferential and transparent to the Kremlin than he is to Congress, seems to have made his preference clear. While we do not yet know the full scope of Trump’s Russia ties, we do know that protecting the U.S. from Russian aggression is low on his list of concerns–and that his abuse of executive power extends to the installation of his family members in the White House, despite their own conflicts of interests with Russia and other states.
For over a year, members of Congress have been asking why Jared Kushner—a key figure in the Russian interference probe as well as a struggling businessman with multiple conflicts of interest abroad—has been allowed access to classified information, particularly after it was revealed he had given false information on his security clearance form at an unprecedented level last year. After Kushner lied about or omitted over 100 foreign contacts, Charles Phalen, the head of the government bureau responsible for clearing background checks, told lawmakers, “I have never seen that level of mistakes.” Ivanka Trump, who like Jared works in a vague advisory role that gives her access to classified information, has faced similar inquiries over security form improprieties.
posted by Emmy Rae at 9:11 AM on February 15, 2018 [47 favorites]
Among the departed White House staffers are former national security advisor Michael Flynn, who has admitted guilt in the Kremlin interference probe; white nationalist (and fellow domestic abuser ) Steve Bannon, who has vowed to destroy the United States; and extremist Seb Gorka, who has ties to neo-Nazi organizations and is being investigated by police in Hungary. (Gorka, like Porter, worked as a Trump advisor despite being denied clearance as a result of his 2016 arrest in the U.S. for bringing a weapon through an airport.)
Men who have already colluded with a foreign power, committed acts of violence, or threatened to destroy the U.S. now know some of the country’s secrets, and it’s easy to imagine the damage they could do in the era of WikiLeaks and illicit foreign deals. Fellow federal indictee Paul Manafort, for example, used his access as Trump’s campaign manager to offer “private briefings” to Oleg Deripaska, a Russian oligarch who is a close friend of Vladimir Putin and to whom Manafort is alleged to owe a great deal of money.
[...]
“To which country does my president’s greatest loyalty lie?” is not a question Americans have had to ask before, but Trump, who is more deferential and transparent to the Kremlin than he is to Congress, seems to have made his preference clear. While we do not yet know the full scope of Trump’s Russia ties, we do know that protecting the U.S. from Russian aggression is low on his list of concerns–and that his abuse of executive power extends to the installation of his family members in the White House, despite their own conflicts of interests with Russia and other states.
For over a year, members of Congress have been asking why Jared Kushner—a key figure in the Russian interference probe as well as a struggling businessman with multiple conflicts of interest abroad—has been allowed access to classified information, particularly after it was revealed he had given false information on his security clearance form at an unprecedented level last year. After Kushner lied about or omitted over 100 foreign contacts, Charles Phalen, the head of the government bureau responsible for clearing background checks, told lawmakers, “I have never seen that level of mistakes.” Ivanka Trump, who like Jared works in a vague advisory role that gives her access to classified information, has faced similar inquiries over security form improprieties.
posted by Emmy Rae at 9:11 AM on February 15, 2018 [47 favorites]
Daily Beast, Betsy Woodruff, Devin Nunes Wins, Sorta: Spy Center Now on Hold
posted by zachlipton at 9:29 AM on February 15, 2018 [55 favorites]
In a win for House Intelligence Committee Chairman Devin Nunes, the Pentagon says it has suspended its plans to build an intelligence facility in a small British village northwest of London.Man, this guy....
For years, Nunes has vocally opposed the village of Croughton as the site for this facility. Instead, he has pushed hard for the Pentagon to build the new intelligence center on a tiny, out-of-the-way Portuguese island that just happens to be one of his favorite vacation spots.
...
National Review reported in 2015 that some Pentagon officials worried that delaying the facility’s construction “would make it harder to monitor Russian activity in Europe.”
The site reassessment means the project will be even more delayed.
posted by zachlipton at 9:29 AM on February 15, 2018 [55 favorites]
Sweet Lord it will be a glorious day if Mueller drags Devin Nunes in for questioning. Looks like Kevin McCarthy left someone off his list.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:31 AM on February 15, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:31 AM on February 15, 2018 [16 favorites]
12 Dems voted for it
I'm in shock that Jackie Speier, who was shot multiple times and left bleeding on the tarmac at Jonestown after her boss was assassinated, was both one of the original co-sponsors and voted for it today. Does she have some sort of anti-ADA history that I'm not aware of?
posted by zombieflanders at 9:44 AM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm in shock that Jackie Speier, who was shot multiple times and left bleeding on the tarmac at Jonestown after her boss was assassinated, was both one of the original co-sponsors and voted for it today. Does she have some sort of anti-ADA history that I'm not aware of?
posted by zombieflanders at 9:44 AM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
Twenty bucks says the list is even longer than that.
posted by Lyme Drop at 9:44 AM on February 15, 2018
posted by Lyme Drop at 9:44 AM on February 15, 2018
Don Jr. is on board with the "these kids are dead because you're investigating us" story.
Donald Trump Jr. Just Liked a Tweet Blaming the Florida Shooting on the Russia investigation
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:49 AM on February 15, 2018 [28 favorites]
Donald Trump Jr. Just Liked a Tweet Blaming the Florida Shooting on the Russia investigation
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:49 AM on February 15, 2018 [28 favorites]
From the previous thread: There are one million more registered Democrats in Pennsylvania than Republicans. Folks, this is what happens when Democrats don't turn out to vote.
Democrats in PA do turn out and vote. Unfortunately, they vote for Republican candidates.
posted by octothorpe at 9:49 AM on February 15, 2018 [11 favorites]
Democrats in PA do turn out and vote. Unfortunately, they vote for Republican candidates.
posted by octothorpe at 9:49 AM on February 15, 2018 [11 favorites]
Gut the ADA and cut back Medicaid (which will result in nursing care becoming out of reach for many people, causing a massive strain on their families.) This is a one-two punch that will harm a lot of older voters.
posted by azpenguin at 10:10 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by azpenguin at 10:10 AM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
12 Dems voted for it
Is this one of the things that the House voted for but has no chance in hell of passing the Senate? I have limited bandwidth and am trying to avoid exploding.
posted by corb at 10:11 AM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Is this one of the things that the House voted for but has no chance in hell of passing the Senate? I have limited bandwidth and am trying to avoid exploding.
posted by corb at 10:11 AM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Revenge of the Dress: Stormy Daniels has a ‘Monica Lewinsky dress’ to test for Trump’s DNA, report says
This Daniels person, she's a sharp cookie. She's been holding on to this for a dozen years.
posted by bonehead at 10:16 AM on February 15, 2018 [86 favorites]
This Daniels person, she's a sharp cookie. She's been holding on to this for a dozen years.
posted by bonehead at 10:16 AM on February 15, 2018 [86 favorites]
When my husband texted me yesterday saying that Ms. Daniels had declared her NDA null and void, my response was, "Alas, any details she has are details that I adamantly do not want to know." Like Cassandra, y'all.
posted by soren_lorensen at 10:18 AM on February 15, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 10:18 AM on February 15, 2018 [48 favorites]
"Alas, any details she has are details that I adamantly do not want to know."
The exciting thing about the NDA being null and void isn't learning the details about the affair, it's learning the details about the hush money payment made during the election. That's the part that could result in criminal charges.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:21 AM on February 15, 2018 [34 favorites]
The exciting thing about the NDA being null and void isn't learning the details about the affair, it's learning the details about the hush money payment made during the election. That's the part that could result in criminal charges.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:21 AM on February 15, 2018 [34 favorites]
This Daniels person, she's a sharp cookie. She's been holding on to this for a dozen years.
She better have a bodyguard and a food taster.
posted by rhizome at 10:23 AM on February 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
She better have a bodyguard and a food taster.
posted by rhizome at 10:23 AM on February 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
Russia used mainstream media to manipulate American voters (WaPo):
Russia’s disinformation campaign during the 2016 presidential election relied heavily on stories produced by major American news sources to shape the online political debate, according to a new analysis published Thursday.It's notably similar to the "anchor left, pivot right" tactic used by Steve Bannon and Breitbart to use stories from more credible media to push their own narratives:
...
Some well-chronicled hoaxes reached large audiences. But Russian-controlled Twitter accounts, [Columbia University's Jonathan] Albright said, were far more likely to share stories produced by widely read sources of American news and political commentary. The stories themselves were generally factually accurate, but the Russian accounts carefully curated the overall flow to highlight themes and developments that bolstered Republican Donald Trump and undermined his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton.
...
Another finding of the analysis showed Russian accounts devoted mainly to promoting local news in 30 major cities such as San Francisco, Boston and Houston. On key days, these popular accounts — typically with more than 10,000 followers each — often would turn to politics to tout Trump’s gains in the polls, for example, or news related to the FBI investigation into Clinton’s use of a private email server when she was secretary of state.
...
The tactic of linking to credible news stories also allows the occasional promotion of outright falsehoods from obscure sites, which followers of an account may accept more readily after weeks or months of linking to more familiar news sources, said several researchers. They also said that pushing content on Twitter can affect its prominence on other platforms.
“With Clinton Cash, we never really broke a story,” says Bannon, “but you go [to Breitbart.com] and we’ve got 20 things, we’re linking to everybody else’s stuff, we’re aggregating, we’ll pull stuff from the Left. It’s a rolling phenomenon. Huge traffic. Everybody’s invested.”posted by peeedro at 10:33 AM on February 15, 2018 [41 favorites]
Schumer-Rounds-Collins Destroys Ability of DHS to Enforce Immigration Laws, Creating a Mass Amnesty For Over 10 Million Illegal Aliens, Including Criminals
The McCain-Coons Proposal Would Increase Illegal Immigration, Surge Chain Migration, Continue Catch and Release, and Give a Pathway to Citizenship to Convicted Alien Felons
Where are those from you may ask.
The DHS.
The DHS is basically writing white supremacist propaganda.
Lindsay Graham is pissed that the DHS is crapping all over everyone.
posted by Talez at 10:33 AM on February 15, 2018 [94 favorites]
The McCain-Coons Proposal Would Increase Illegal Immigration, Surge Chain Migration, Continue Catch and Release, and Give a Pathway to Citizenship to Convicted Alien Felons
Where are those from you may ask.
The DHS.
The DHS is basically writing white supremacist propaganda.
Lindsay Graham is pissed that the DHS is crapping all over everyone.
posted by Talez at 10:33 AM on February 15, 2018 [94 favorites]
It's just continually amazing how unprofessional these people are. The DHS is especially bad here, because it's straight up racist, but the administration is continually making official statements that are basically campaign ads.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:37 AM on February 15, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:37 AM on February 15, 2018 [32 favorites]
Monmouth poll of PA-18 special, using three different models (this is great - likely voter models have proved tricky in post-2016 elections):
Recent special elections:
Saccone 49
Lamb 46
Historical midterm turnout:
Saccone 50
Lamb 45
Historical presidential turnout:
Saccone 48
Lamb 44
Trump approval: 48/47
posted by Chrysostom at 10:42 AM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
Recent special elections:
Saccone 49
Lamb 46
Historical midterm turnout:
Saccone 50
Lamb 45
Historical presidential turnout:
Saccone 48
Lamb 44
Trump approval: 48/47
posted by Chrysostom at 10:42 AM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
The McCain-Coons Proposal Would Increase Illegal Immigration, Surge Chain Migration, Continue Catch and Release
It's disgusting to see anybody use "catch and release" in a context involving humans instead of fish, and it's now official government terminology. The Department of Homeland Security, its own name an enormous fascistic siren that we have fully normalized over the last 17 years, is referring to millions of human beings as animals that should be allowed to die instead of be freed.
The language sets the stage.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:46 AM on February 15, 2018 [111 favorites]
It's disgusting to see anybody use "catch and release" in a context involving humans instead of fish, and it's now official government terminology. The Department of Homeland Security, its own name an enormous fascistic siren that we have fully normalized over the last 17 years, is referring to millions of human beings as animals that should be allowed to die instead of be freed.
The language sets the stage.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:46 AM on February 15, 2018 [111 favorites]
I agree with the comments upthread that Ms. Daniels appears to be a smart person. She gets $130,000 before the election. That's not much but Trump is cheap, no one believed he would become president, and most importantly it provides s concrete record of her affair with Trump.
The act of paying her doesn't buy her silence. Paying her gives her more leverage over Trump.
The last few weeks of her not violating her NDA while generating publicity and interest and therefore money is setting her up for her next step. If Trump's lawyers go after her for violating her NDA, she gets more attention and therefore more money. It's probably not a good idea to underestimate this particular porn star.
posted by rdr at 10:54 AM on February 15, 2018 [45 favorites]
The act of paying her doesn't buy her silence. Paying her gives her more leverage over Trump.
The last few weeks of her not violating her NDA while generating publicity and interest and therefore money is setting her up for her next step. If Trump's lawyers go after her for violating her NDA, she gets more attention and therefore more money. It's probably not a good idea to underestimate this particular porn star.
posted by rdr at 10:54 AM on February 15, 2018 [45 favorites]
Meanwhile, at the House Intelligence Committee hearings, Steve Bannon says White House advised him to invoke executive privilege (CNN).
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:08 AM on February 15, 2018 [66 favorites]
Steve Bannon told the House Intelligence Committee that he had been instructed by the White House to invoke executive privilege on behalf of President Donald Trump, declining to answer a wide array of key questions pertinent to the Russia investigation and prompting lawmakers to consider holding him in contempt.Rep. Adam Schiff just told the press: "That is not how privilege works, that's how stonewalling works. [...] I think the next step for the Congress to take is to initiate contempt proceedings."
GOP Rep. Mike Conaway and Democratic Rep. Adam Schiff said the only questions Bannon would answer were 25 authorized by the White House. The President's former chief strategist answered "no" to all of them, they said.[...] The questions he avoided covered a range of topics about what happened after the 2016 campaign season, according to two sources.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:08 AM on February 15, 2018 [66 favorites]
Will Ms. Daniels be our first porn star president? Would anyone anywhere be surprised if she were?
posted by emjaybee at 11:10 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 11:10 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Will Ms. Daniels be our first porn star president?
Nope. That's Donald Trump.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:14 AM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
Nope. That's Donald Trump.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:14 AM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
Monmouth poll of PA-18 special, using three different models (this is great - likely voter models have proved tricky in post-2016 elections):
I was curious so I looked up the presidential election result in PA-18. It was Trump 58% Clinton 39%, So this is a moderately dark red district. Swinging it is indeed a bit of a stretch as those poll results show but not completely beyond the realm of possibility.
posted by Justinian at 11:16 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
I was curious so I looked up the presidential election result in PA-18. It was Trump 58% Clinton 39%, So this is a moderately dark red district. Swinging it is indeed a bit of a stretch as those poll results show but not completely beyond the realm of possibility.
posted by Justinian at 11:16 AM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Will Ms. Daniels be our first porn star president?
Nope. That's Donald Trump.
The uh... money shot: "None of the appearances included nude work by the president-elect."
posted by zarq at 11:31 AM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Nope. That's Donald Trump.
The uh... money shot: "None of the appearances included nude work by the president-elect."
posted by zarq at 11:31 AM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, Pat Bagley of the SL Tribune is one of the best reasons to look at a Utah newspaper. It is amazing he survives Utah, and he is so good...The GOP Goes Clubbing !
posted by Oyéah at 11:32 AM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Oyéah at 11:32 AM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
The language sets the stage.
As Newt Gingrich knew when he wrote his memo Language: A Key Mechanism of Control for the Republicans back in the '90s.
posted by Gelatin at 11:38 AM on February 15, 2018 [39 favorites]
As Newt Gingrich knew when he wrote his memo Language: A Key Mechanism of Control for the Republicans back in the '90s.
Often we search hard for words to help us define our opponents. Sometimes we are hesitant to use contrast. Remember that creating a difference helps you. These are powerful words that can create a clear and easily understood contrast. Apply these to the opponent, their record, proposals and their party.And before him, Orwell.
decay… failure (fail)… collapse(ing)… deeper… crisis… urgent(cy)… destructive… destroy… sick… pathetic… lie… liberal… they/them… unionized bureaucracy… “compassion” is not enough… betray… consequences… limit(s)… shallow… traitors… sensationalists…
...Use the list below to help define your campaign and your vision of public service. These words can help give extra power to your message. In addition, these words help develop the positive side of the contrast you should create with your opponent, giving your community something to vote for!
share… change… opportunity… legacy… challenge… control… truth… moral… courage… reform… prosperity… crusade… movement… children… family… debate… compete… active(ly)… we/us/our… candid(ly)… humane… pristine… provide…
posted by Gelatin at 11:38 AM on February 15, 2018 [39 favorites]
(Notice that in his memo Gingrich specifically advises Republicans to call their political opposition "traitors," while adopting a pose of moral virtue. Which is why I will not forgive the Republicans for selling the country out to the Russians, and then banding together to cover it up.)
posted by Gelatin at 11:57 AM on February 15, 2018 [51 favorites]
posted by Gelatin at 11:57 AM on February 15, 2018 [51 favorites]
Ajit Pai under investigation for helping Sinclair Media buy Tribune Media, probably so it can spread its poisonous 'must run' right-wing prepackaged content farther and faster. (Explainer version featuring almost as many cusses as Sinclair's bullshit deserves available here.)
posted by halation at 12:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by halation at 12:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [56 favorites]
Top Seattle ICE official charged with stealing immigrants’ identities WaPo
posted by rc3spencer at 12:14 PM on February 15, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 12:14 PM on February 15, 2018 [23 favorites]
Goodbye personal choice and fresh food, hello canned misery rations.
...
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:07 AM on February 15 [8 favorites +] [!]
So, is this what the GOP sneeringly calls the Nanny State?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:14 PM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
...
posted by Kutsuwamushi at 9:07 AM on February 15 [8 favorites +] [!]
So, is this what the GOP sneeringly calls the Nanny State?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:14 PM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
> In conclusion, Mitch McConnell is terrible.
Chuck Schumer not exactly covering himself in glory, either.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:32 PM on February 15, 2018 [10 favorites]
Chuck Schumer not exactly covering himself in glory, either.
posted by tonycpsu at 12:32 PM on February 15, 2018 [10 favorites]
From the previous thread: There are one million more registered Democrats in Pennsylvania than Republicans. Folks, this is what happens when Democrats don't turn out to vote.
Democrats in PA do turn out and vote. Unfortunately, they vote for Republican candidates.
posted by octothorpe at 9:49 AM on February 15 [7 favorites +] [!]
Is that it, or is it the gerrymandering that puts a majority of GOP in power in PA?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:34 PM on February 15, 2018 [11 favorites]
Democrats in PA do turn out and vote. Unfortunately, they vote for Republican candidates.
posted by octothorpe at 9:49 AM on February 15 [7 favorites +] [!]
Is that it, or is it the gerrymandering that puts a majority of GOP in power in PA?
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:34 PM on February 15, 2018 [11 favorites]
She better have a bodyguard and a food taster.
Daniels is at best harmless to Trump, and actually she's probably good for him. The only reason to kill her would be that a mysterious death would make the whole story even more lurid and glamorous.
posted by Coventry at 12:35 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Daniels is at best harmless to Trump, and actually she's probably good for him. The only reason to kill her would be that a mysterious death would make the whole story even more lurid and glamorous.
posted by Coventry at 12:35 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Is that it, or is it the gerrymandering that puts a majority of GOP in power in PA?
It's both. There are plenty of "Reagan Democrats" (ie Republicans) in Pennsylvania, and there is gerrymandered bullshit.
posted by Justinian at 12:38 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's both. There are plenty of "Reagan Democrats" (ie Republicans) in Pennsylvania, and there is gerrymandered bullshit.
posted by Justinian at 12:38 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
Toomey plan fails 54-45 (Sanctuary cities cutoff)
That's with 4 Democrats voting yes: Donnelly, Manchin, McCaskill & Stabenow
The Rounds/Collins/Schumer/Bipartisan plan is up for a vote now, and it doesn't look like this is happening, with no votes from Republicans like Rubio, Wicker, Moran, Roberts, Hatch, and Heller.
Trump asked for a bipartisan immigration deal, then his staff went out to trash it when he got one, and now it's dead. We're nowhere.
posted by zachlipton at 12:44 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
That's with 4 Democrats voting yes: Donnelly, Manchin, McCaskill & Stabenow
The Rounds/Collins/Schumer/Bipartisan plan is up for a vote now, and it doesn't look like this is happening, with no votes from Republicans like Rubio, Wicker, Moran, Roberts, Hatch, and Heller.
Trump asked for a bipartisan immigration deal, then his staff went out to trash it when he got one, and now it's dead. We're nowhere.
posted by zachlipton at 12:44 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
Is that it, or is it the gerrymandering that puts a majority of GOP in power in PA?
It's both. Without gerrymandering we might have a much slighter R majority in the state legislature but it'd be close. But there are many areas of PA that are Ground Zero for the kind of rust belt Democrat who became a Democrat in 1963 and has never changed their registration, or is a Democrat because their daddy was in the union but those days are like 5 decades past. It's very close to being 50/50 here. Note we have a wildly R legislature because of state gerrymandering, but we also have a split Congressional caucus (Toomey and Casey), and a D Governor--but we've had our share of R Governors too. It goes back and forth.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:47 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's both. Without gerrymandering we might have a much slighter R majority in the state legislature but it'd be close. But there are many areas of PA that are Ground Zero for the kind of rust belt Democrat who became a Democrat in 1963 and has never changed their registration, or is a Democrat because their daddy was in the union but those days are like 5 decades past. It's very close to being 50/50 here. Note we have a wildly R legislature because of state gerrymandering, but we also have a split Congressional caucus (Toomey and Casey), and a D Governor--but we've had our share of R Governors too. It goes back and forth.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:47 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump Administration Sued Over Ending Funding Of Teen Pregnancy Programs (NPR, February 15, 2018)
I hope this is another lawsuit lost by Team Trump, and funding reinstated while the court runs its course.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [50 favorites]
LiFT is the only sex education program available in her rural community of Shelton, Wash., she says.First, they're cutting a program with built-in cost-effective reassurances, after tossing $26 million to one of the First Lady’s friends for the inauguration (New York Times, Feb. 15, 2018, via cjelli in the prior thread) and up to $30 million for the military parade no one wants (NYT, Feb. 14, 2018)? And then the spox won't even give their name when tossing out rubbish reasons to support a new rubbish plan to support archaic and outdated abstinence-only programs?
But come July, LiFT will be gone. The Trump administration cut off the grant funding for it when the Department of Health and Human Services eliminated the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program.
LiFT is sponsored by Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, one of 84 organizations losing federal funding that was supposed to last until 2020.
Now the Planned Parenthood chapter, along with eight other groups (PDF), is suing HHS, saying it acted unlawfully when it canceled their five-year grants midstream and with no explanation. The organizations — which include city and county health departments, universities, hospitals and nonprofit organizations — operate across the U.S. providing sex education and health information to more than a million teens.
The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program has been lauded by watchdogs as an example of good government at work. The program grants 80 percent of its budget to groups that implement pregnancy prevention programs that have been shown to be effective. The remaining 20 percent is dedicated to trying new strategies.
The efforts are focused on African-American and Hispanic teens, who have higher pregnancy rates, and those in low-income and rural areas.
And the organizations are required to measure (PDF) whether their programs are effective in reducing pregnancy, delaying teen sex or increasing contraception use. The plans was to scale up the projects that work and eliminate the ones that don't.
"There's a list of proven effective programs that has been developed over time specifically through a lot of these grants," says Carrie Flaxman, counsel for Planned Parenthood.
...
An HHS spokeswoman said the agency ended the program because it's not effective.
"Teen birth rates have been declining since 1992 and less than 1 percent of the teen population has been served by TPP," the spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said in an email. "Of the 37 projects funded and evaluated for a 2016 report, 73 percent had no impact or had a negative impact on teen behavior."
Trump's budget proposal instead has $75 million for abstinence education programs. Research has shown that "abstinence-only education rarely has a positive effect on teen sexual behavior," according to a 2014 analysis of sex education.
Teen pregnancy rates have plummeted in the three decades from about 60 births per 1,000 girls ages 15 to 19, to just 24 in 2014. Still, the U.S. has a far higher (PDF) teen pregnancy and birthrate than most developed countries.
I hope this is another lawsuit lost by Team Trump, and funding reinstated while the court runs its course.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [50 favorites]
This is the end of DACA if nothing passes today. McConnell kept his promise as far as he’s concerned, there won’t be another vote on any immigration plan.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:55 PM on February 15, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:55 PM on February 15, 2018 [10 favorites]
The Rounds/Collins/Schumer/Bipartisan plan is up for a vote now
It failed, 54-45. Heinrich, Udall, and Harris are the Democrats voting against (put a big pin next to Harris's vote there, as I suspect it will be relevant later) after failing to get two more Republicans to get on board.
I certainly think Harris would have voted yes if her vote would have killed the bill, but she's staking out interesting territory here.
Hatch, who was an original sponsor of the DREAM Act, voting against this bill, which is more hawkish, tells you everything you need to know about how screwed up this process is.
posted by zachlipton at 12:56 PM on February 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
It failed, 54-45. Heinrich, Udall, and Harris are the Democrats voting against (put a big pin next to Harris's vote there, as I suspect it will be relevant later) after failing to get two more Republicans to get on board.
I certainly think Harris would have voted yes if her vote would have killed the bill, but she's staking out interesting territory here.
Hatch, who was an original sponsor of the DREAM Act, voting against this bill, which is more hawkish, tells you everything you need to know about how screwed up this process is.
posted by zachlipton at 12:56 PM on February 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
Ajit Pai under investigation for helping Sinclair Media buy Tribune Media, probably so it can spread its poisonous 'must run' right-wing prepackaged content farther and faster. (Explainer version featuring almost as many cusses as Sinclair's bullshit deserves available here.)
posted by halation at 12:10 PM on February 15 [12 favorites +] [!]
Isn't this how modern societies fall apart? When the majority of people running things are openly and largely corrupt? I have a sense of falling. It seems everywhere I look at the GOP and the administration, people are under investigation or are openly and wantonly flouting the laws. Who will be left to take the evidence Robert Mueller and his team are carefully compiling and prosecuting the wrong-doers? Will the corrupt leaders be able to debilitate the courts and the FBI before the remaining legitimate infrastructure is demolished? Will we, as aware citizens, be cowed into silently watching in horror if prosecution doesn't proceed according to normal order?
Trying not to hyperventilate here, but it's looking more and more like a highly unstable point in our country's history.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:58 PM on February 15, 2018 [71 favorites]
posted by halation at 12:10 PM on February 15 [12 favorites +] [!]
Isn't this how modern societies fall apart? When the majority of people running things are openly and largely corrupt? I have a sense of falling. It seems everywhere I look at the GOP and the administration, people are under investigation or are openly and wantonly flouting the laws. Who will be left to take the evidence Robert Mueller and his team are carefully compiling and prosecuting the wrong-doers? Will the corrupt leaders be able to debilitate the courts and the FBI before the remaining legitimate infrastructure is demolished? Will we, as aware citizens, be cowed into silently watching in horror if prosecution doesn't proceed according to normal order?
Trying not to hyperventilate here, but it's looking more and more like a highly unstable point in our country's history.
posted by Mental Wimp at 12:58 PM on February 15, 2018 [71 favorites]
the spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said in an email
wtf npr
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:07 PM on February 15, 2018 [19 favorites]
wtf npr
posted by tivalasvegas at 1:07 PM on February 15, 2018 [19 favorites]
The Grassley immigration bill backed by Trump and the White House fails by the biggest margin of them all, 39-60. So much for "the Democrats won't take yes for an answer." There's no immigration plan at all, and the Senate is going to go on fucking vacation.
posted by zachlipton at 1:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
That's with 4 Democrats voting yes: Donnelly, Manchin, McCaskill & Stabenow
Suprised Manchin found three dem mates who are as big on being racists as him. He’s no suprise of course.
posted by Artw at 1:11 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Suprised Manchin found three dem mates who are as big on being racists as him. He’s no suprise of course.
posted by Artw at 1:11 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trying not to hyperventilate here, but it's looking more and more like a highly unstable point in our country's history.
I'm with you. [Previous comment]
posted by Rykey at 1:12 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm with you. [Previous comment]
posted by Rykey at 1:12 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
the spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said in an email
Wow, that's amazing. I hav e long disagreed with NPR's policy of "so-and-so declined to be interviewed for this story, but said in a statement..." because that practice allows someone to make their point unchallenged by follow-up questions or even skepticism. A source should either agree to an interview or have to settle for a "no comment," especially when it's a political group or corporation that has a PR arm capable of drafting said statement. NPR has no business letting subjects off the hook laike that; if "declined to comment" looks bad, too bad.
But agreeing to let someone make an anonymous statement like that outside of very good reasons -- as in personal safety -- is a new low. For shame.
posted by Gelatin at 1:16 PM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
Wow, that's amazing. I hav e long disagreed with NPR's policy of "so-and-so declined to be interviewed for this story, but said in a statement..." because that practice allows someone to make their point unchallenged by follow-up questions or even skepticism. A source should either agree to an interview or have to settle for a "no comment," especially when it's a political group or corporation that has a PR arm capable of drafting said statement. NPR has no business letting subjects off the hook laike that; if "declined to comment" looks bad, too bad.
But agreeing to let someone make an anonymous statement like that outside of very good reasons -- as in personal safety -- is a new low. For shame.
posted by Gelatin at 1:16 PM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
Quoting anonymous spokespeople has a history. It's not great, though.
posted by BungaDunga at 1:23 PM on February 15, 2018
posted by BungaDunga at 1:23 PM on February 15, 2018
Is that it, or is it the gerrymandering that puts a majority of GOP in power in PA?
It's both. Without gerrymandering we might have a much slighter R majority in the state legislature but it'd be close.
Yeah, I hear you. I looked at the vote totals for PA House districts in 2016, and they are R:3,048,550, D:2,569,214, and other:21,718. But the striking thing is that the D districts are so packed that they win by numbers as big as 310,770 to 33,911. That sort of packing is a form of voter suppression, since voters (rightly or wrongly) perceive that their votes don't count, ignoring top of the ticket and statewide effects. Simply rearranging the voters inadequately models what would happen with a less gerrymandered allocation. I guess we won't know until the gerrymandering knot is untied.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's both. Without gerrymandering we might have a much slighter R majority in the state legislature but it'd be close.
Yeah, I hear you. I looked at the vote totals for PA House districts in 2016, and they are R:3,048,550, D:2,569,214, and other:21,718. But the striking thing is that the D districts are so packed that they win by numbers as big as 310,770 to 33,911. That sort of packing is a form of voter suppression, since voters (rightly or wrongly) perceive that their votes don't count, ignoring top of the ticket and statewide effects. Simply rearranging the voters inadequately models what would happen with a less gerrymandered allocation. I guess we won't know until the gerrymandering knot is untied.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:31 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
What's the chance that Trump Mulligans the whole DACA thing, and pretends he never sent the tweets saying "Congress has to do something" ( Ron Howard: They Didn't ) , so I will act, in the next two weeks...
And like everything else "two weeks" out, it never arrives.
posted by mikelieman at 1:33 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
And like everything else "two weeks" out, it never arrives.
posted by mikelieman at 1:33 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Rust Moranis The language sets the stage.
The Japanese language uses counter suffixes indicating the category to which the stuff being counted belongs. When counting, for example, sheets of paper you don't just say "ichi, ni, san, yon, go..." you say "ichi-mai, ni-mai, san-mai..." because -mai is the counter used for thin flat objects (paper, plates, some types of clothing, etc).
During WWII when counting prisoners of war, who were mostly killed out of hand, the Japanese didn't use -nin, which is the counter for people. They used counters for animals, or objects.
As you say, the language sets the stage.
If you want to convince people do do evil to other people the first, most critical, step is to convince them that the victim group isn't really people. It doesn't surprise me to see that ICE and other law enforcement agencies use dehumanizing language when talking about undocumented immigrants. But it does distress me, because historically that's been the prelude to genocide.
posted by sotonohito at 1:37 PM on February 15, 2018 [72 favorites]
The Japanese language uses counter suffixes indicating the category to which the stuff being counted belongs. When counting, for example, sheets of paper you don't just say "ichi, ni, san, yon, go..." you say "ichi-mai, ni-mai, san-mai..." because -mai is the counter used for thin flat objects (paper, plates, some types of clothing, etc).
During WWII when counting prisoners of war, who were mostly killed out of hand, the Japanese didn't use -nin, which is the counter for people. They used counters for animals, or objects.
As you say, the language sets the stage.
If you want to convince people do do evil to other people the first, most critical, step is to convince them that the victim group isn't really people. It doesn't surprise me to see that ICE and other law enforcement agencies use dehumanizing language when talking about undocumented immigrants. But it does distress me, because historically that's been the prelude to genocide.
posted by sotonohito at 1:37 PM on February 15, 2018 [72 favorites]
Trump asked for a bipartisan immigration deal, then his staff went out to trash it when he got one, and now it's dead. We're nowhere.
Trump never wanted a bipartisan deal. What he wanted was for Dems to capitulate on his proposal so he could say it was bipartisan. There was never to be any negotiation, no compromise. They were expected to just give up & join his side.
posted by scalefree at 1:42 PM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
Trump never wanted a bipartisan deal. What he wanted was for Dems to capitulate on his proposal so he could say it was bipartisan. There was never to be any negotiation, no compromise. They were expected to just give up & join his side.
posted by scalefree at 1:42 PM on February 15, 2018 [18 favorites]
To Trump, "bipartisan" means everyone gets on board with what Trump wants. That's not snark it's just what he means.
posted by Justinian at 1:45 PM on February 15, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 1:45 PM on February 15, 2018 [29 favorites]
But it does distress me, because historically that's been the prelude to genocide.
with every thread I see a pattern of increasing intensity of top down "war against the other"...
posted by infini at 1:51 PM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
with every thread I see a pattern of increasing intensity of top down "war against the other"...
posted by infini at 1:51 PM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
An HHS spokeswoman said the agency ended the program because it's not effective.
"Teen birth rates have been declining since 1992 and less than 1 percent of the teen population has been served by TPP," the spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said in an email. "Of the 37 projects funded and evaluated for a 2016 report, 73 percent had no impact or had a negative impact on teen behavior."
Apparently, the HHS no longer knows what the function of a spokesperson is.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:58 PM on February 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
"Teen birth rates have been declining since 1992 and less than 1 percent of the teen population has been served by TPP," the spokeswoman, who declined to be named, said in an email. "Of the 37 projects funded and evaluated for a 2016 report, 73 percent had no impact or had a negative impact on teen behavior."
Apparently, the HHS no longer knows what the function of a spokesperson is.
posted by Mental Wimp at 1:58 PM on February 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
Mental Wimp: "I looked at the vote totals for PA House districts in 2016, and they are R:3,048,550, D:2,569,214, and other:21,718. But the striking thing is that the D districts are so packed that they win by numbers as big as 310,770 to 33,911. That sort of packing is a form of voter suppression, since voters (rightly or wrongly) perceive that their votes don't count, ignoring top of the ticket and statewide effects. Simply rearranging the voters inadequately models what would happen with a less gerrymandered allocation. I guess we won't know until the gerrymandering knot is untied."
This implies a 10/8 GOP lead in seats, if votes didn't change (and of course they might, since people would turn out differently in a realistically competitive district). The current map yielded 13/5.
Worth noting that there are bills in the legislature for a non-partisan redistricting process with lots of sponsors from both parties. The bills are, unsurprisingly, currently bottled up by GOP leadership.
soren_lorensen: "Note we have a wildly R legislature because of state gerrymandering, but we also have a split Congressional caucus (Toomey and Casey), and a D Governor--but we've had our share of R Governors too. It goes back and forth."
Realistically, PA is purple at this point. As you say, for offices voted statewide (not just gov and Senator, but the row offices, too), it regularly goes back and forth. It's only through gerrymandering that the House and legislature offices are so dramatically red.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:59 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
This implies a 10/8 GOP lead in seats, if votes didn't change (and of course they might, since people would turn out differently in a realistically competitive district). The current map yielded 13/5.
Worth noting that there are bills in the legislature for a non-partisan redistricting process with lots of sponsors from both parties. The bills are, unsurprisingly, currently bottled up by GOP leadership.
soren_lorensen: "Note we have a wildly R legislature because of state gerrymandering, but we also have a split Congressional caucus (Toomey and Casey), and a D Governor--but we've had our share of R Governors too. It goes back and forth."
Realistically, PA is purple at this point. As you say, for offices voted statewide (not just gov and Senator, but the row offices, too), it regularly goes back and forth. It's only through gerrymandering that the House and legislature offices are so dramatically red.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:59 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Finally, some news that isn't completely awful:
@Taniel: Big news: a GOP Delegate in Virginia announces support for expanding Medicaid—& WaPo says more are expected to follow. Dems are now just 2-seats down in this chamber.
posted by zombieflanders at 2:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [27 favorites]
@Taniel: Big news: a GOP Delegate in Virginia announces support for expanding Medicaid—& WaPo says more are expected to follow. Dems are now just 2-seats down in this chamber.
posted by zombieflanders at 2:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [27 favorites]
Fox poll finds opinion on immigrants most favorable since 2003. 48/44 say don't punish sanctuary cities.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
cjelli: There's an angle to the story that's 'Trump lied,' but the other side is 'no one can really tell if Trump ever actually wanted anything in particular out of this, or if he merely sought instant gratification at every turn by having people agree with him in the moment.'
Yes. Trump has a feedback-loop mutual-affection relationship with xenophobes, but not an ideological commitment to it (outside of some deep disgusting racist instincts that are probably tied with his general paranoia). Someone like John Kelly would never have relaxed the deportation process during his time in Homeland Security, even if he knew it would lead to praise and cheers. But Trump is theoretically persuadable on this, sort of. The problem is that his inner circle absolutely isn't (but wants to pretend otherwise).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:05 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes. Trump has a feedback-loop mutual-affection relationship with xenophobes, but not an ideological commitment to it (outside of some deep disgusting racist instincts that are probably tied with his general paranoia). Someone like John Kelly would never have relaxed the deportation process during his time in Homeland Security, even if he knew it would lead to praise and cheers. But Trump is theoretically persuadable on this, sort of. The problem is that his inner circle absolutely isn't (but wants to pretend otherwise).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 2:05 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
Justinian: "I was curious so I looked up the presidential election result in PA-18. "
Yeah, I should have mentioned that. I forget not everyone monitors this stuff as closely as me.
The short version is - this district (as currently drawn!) should be a slam dunk for the GOP, but it's instead quite close, and the right is spending an absolute shit ton of money here. To the extent that enthusiasm matters - and we have a fair amount of evidence that it *has* been mattering - the Dems are in good position:
Yeah, I should have mentioned that. I forget not everyone monitors this stuff as closely as me.
The short version is - this district (as currently drawn!) should be a slam dunk for the GOP, but it's instead quite close, and the right is spending an absolute shit ton of money here. To the extent that enthusiasm matters - and we have a fair amount of evidence that it *has* been mattering - the Dems are in good position:
Among likely voters, 48% of Democrats compared with 26% of Republicans say they are following the PA18 special election closely. Among all potential voters interviewed for the poll – including those unlikely to vote in this contest – Democrats (65%) are more likely than Republicans (50%) to say they have a lot of interest in this race.posted by Chrysostom at 2:06 PM on February 15, 2018 [10 favorites]
but it's instead quite close, and the right is spending an absolute shit ton of money here.
If the GOP is being forced to spend shit tons of money in 60-40 Trump districts they don't have enough cash to play defense much less go on the offense.
posted by Justinian at 2:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [26 favorites]
If the GOP is being forced to spend shit tons of money in 60-40 Trump districts they don't have enough cash to play defense much less go on the offense.
posted by Justinian at 2:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [26 favorites]
Chrysostom: thank you again for all you do to keep us informed. You, and MeFi in general, do such a great job keeping up with local election news. This is one of the good sides of the Internet and all this available information: being able to find out about local elections in other states, which a print newspaper might not bother to cover. That way those of us with a little $ to spare can send the green to some blue candidates.
If the GOP is being forced to spend shit tons of money in 60-40 Trump districts they don't have enough cash to play defense much less go on the offense.
Good! Bleed the beast (so to speak). Make them spend valuable money, and time and energy, defending their "safe" seats and candidates. Even Koch and Mercer money is not a bottomless well.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:38 PM on February 15, 2018 [29 favorites]
If the GOP is being forced to spend shit tons of money in 60-40 Trump districts they don't have enough cash to play defense much less go on the offense.
Good! Bleed the beast (so to speak). Make them spend valuable money, and time and energy, defending their "safe" seats and candidates. Even Koch and Mercer money is not a bottomless well.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:38 PM on February 15, 2018 [29 favorites]
Meanwhile some good news: Mass layoffs at one of Trump's favorite news sources, the failing Independent Journal Review! Fake news! Sad!
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:49 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:49 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
I haven't seen this pop up in the politics threads, so here's a euphemism or two to keep an eye on if you care about fair treatment for our soldiers:
WaPo - Pentagon targets 'non-deployable' troops for removal in new effort
posted by saysthis at 2:58 PM on February 15, 2018 [8 favorites]
WaPo - Pentagon targets 'non-deployable' troops for removal in new effort
The Pentagon has launched a new effort to remove U.S. troops from the ranks who are considered unable to deploy, a sensitive decision that could push thousands of people out of the military.Bolding mine.
...
With few exceptions, service members who are considered unable to deploy for 12 months will be processed for “administrative separation,”
...
The decision was announced about a week before Mattis is expected to make his recommendations to the White House on how the military should handle transgender military service. Transgender service members have been allowed to serve openly since the Obama administration allowed it in 2016, but President Trump has indicated that he is against it.
Mattis formed a panel to review the issue last fall and was directed by the White House to issue his recommendations to the president this month.
Gleason said the new policy on non-deployable service members applies equally to transgender troops, meaning that someone who pursued gender reassignment surgery must be ready to deploy within a year.
posted by saysthis at 2:58 PM on February 15, 2018 [8 favorites]
And, because Arizona is still the worst, they're making it impossible for independent US Senate candidates to be nominated by taking the nomination process out of the hands of the people and investing in the AZ Legislature itself.
posted by hanov3r at 3:15 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by hanov3r at 3:15 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Apparently, the HHS no longer knows what the function of a spokesperson is.
Even worse, they no longer know what the function of a health and human services department is
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:18 PM on February 15, 2018 [30 favorites]
Even worse, they no longer know what the function of a health and human services department is
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:18 PM on February 15, 2018 [30 favorites]
Even worse, they no longer know what the function of a health and human services department is
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:18 PM on February 15 [2 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
Touché. The longer the Trumpies are in power, the more they are able to transform formerly functioning organizations into political propaganda organs while amputating any other operational capabilities. It's truly devastating, because, unlike in other administrations, repairing the damage will take more than just a change in party occupying the top position. A slow rebuilding will be necessary to recruit and place competent people into high- and mid-level positions throughout the bureaucracy.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:23 PM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 3:18 PM on February 15 [2 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
Touché. The longer the Trumpies are in power, the more they are able to transform formerly functioning organizations into political propaganda organs while amputating any other operational capabilities. It's truly devastating, because, unlike in other administrations, repairing the damage will take more than just a change in party occupying the top position. A slow rebuilding will be necessary to recruit and place competent people into high- and mid-level positions throughout the bureaucracy.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:23 PM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
Pentagon targets 'non-deployable' troops for removal in new effort
I've had mixed feelings about this one, honestly, because I know both how it's intended and how it's going to be interpreted, and those two are very, very different.
The problem with nondeployable troops is real, and the honest answer is that people who are nondeployable for a year for medical reasons really shouldn't be in the military. They can be perfectly fine DA civilians - and honestly, there are a lot more jobs that could be done by DA civilians than are being done by DA civilians - but it actually takes an enormous amount to make someone fully nondeployable for 12 consecutive months. Most of them are either people who should be medically boarded out, or people charged but not given a speedy trial.
But the complicating factor is that the medical board process is a generous one. If you are rated at less than 30% permanently disabled, but still unfit, you receive a cash payment that is usually tens of thousands of dollars. If you are rated at more than 30% disabled and are medically retired, you receive inexpensive and generous healthcare for life, as well as a host of other military benefits, including a retirement pension for the rest of your life, no matter how long you live. It was meant for people who were wounded or injured too severely to continue, to ensure that they were rewarded for their service. It is, except for the dollar amount, the exact same benefits you get from doing 20 years of service.
And a lot of commanders, and a lot of people in the military chain of command really bristle at that being exercised for a lot of people who haven't "done their time", and who really were never really medically ready in the first place, and who often were nondeployable from nearly the very beginning.
I saw this, when I was in a Warrior Transition Unit. Those who had some time and rank, and/or combat or combat training injuries, were treated with compassion and had every bar in their way removed. Young soldiers, however, who were there for epilepsy or other disorders that were innate to their body, not the military service, were treated pretty badly, and were pushed towards administrative separation rather than medical separation.
And so while I truly believe Mattis thinks that this will push people lingering in medical status towards an honorable retirement, and boot out the people who are waiting on trial, in reality, what it will do is push people towards an outcome largely specified by their commanders, who operate with a whole host of prejudices.
posted by corb at 3:26 PM on February 15, 2018 [45 favorites]
I've had mixed feelings about this one, honestly, because I know both how it's intended and how it's going to be interpreted, and those two are very, very different.
The problem with nondeployable troops is real, and the honest answer is that people who are nondeployable for a year for medical reasons really shouldn't be in the military. They can be perfectly fine DA civilians - and honestly, there are a lot more jobs that could be done by DA civilians than are being done by DA civilians - but it actually takes an enormous amount to make someone fully nondeployable for 12 consecutive months. Most of them are either people who should be medically boarded out, or people charged but not given a speedy trial.
But the complicating factor is that the medical board process is a generous one. If you are rated at less than 30% permanently disabled, but still unfit, you receive a cash payment that is usually tens of thousands of dollars. If you are rated at more than 30% disabled and are medically retired, you receive inexpensive and generous healthcare for life, as well as a host of other military benefits, including a retirement pension for the rest of your life, no matter how long you live. It was meant for people who were wounded or injured too severely to continue, to ensure that they were rewarded for their service. It is, except for the dollar amount, the exact same benefits you get from doing 20 years of service.
And a lot of commanders, and a lot of people in the military chain of command really bristle at that being exercised for a lot of people who haven't "done their time", and who really were never really medically ready in the first place, and who often were nondeployable from nearly the very beginning.
I saw this, when I was in a Warrior Transition Unit. Those who had some time and rank, and/or combat or combat training injuries, were treated with compassion and had every bar in their way removed. Young soldiers, however, who were there for epilepsy or other disorders that were innate to their body, not the military service, were treated pretty badly, and were pushed towards administrative separation rather than medical separation.
And so while I truly believe Mattis thinks that this will push people lingering in medical status towards an honorable retirement, and boot out the people who are waiting on trial, in reality, what it will do is push people towards an outcome largely specified by their commanders, who operate with a whole host of prejudices.
posted by corb at 3:26 PM on February 15, 2018 [45 favorites]
Is that you, Little Glimmer of Hope? Or just another candle on the shit-cake?
Either way, faint tidings of a very late Mullermas:
Gates close to plea deal with Mueller in Russia probe: report
Report: Bannon Spent ‘Some 20 Hours’ In Mueller Interviews This Week
Mostly further confirmation of rumored things, but I've been convincing myself it's good to watch the probe like a hawk because some stuff may never see the light of day later on, grand juries being what they are.
posted by cudzoo at 3:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [20 favorites]
Either way, faint tidings of a very late Mullermas:
Gates close to plea deal with Mueller in Russia probe: report
Report: Bannon Spent ‘Some 20 Hours’ In Mueller Interviews This Week
Mostly further confirmation of rumored things, but I've been convincing myself it's good to watch the probe like a hawk because some stuff may never see the light of day later on, grand juries being what they are.
posted by cudzoo at 3:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [20 favorites]
And, because Arizona is still the worst, they're making it impossible for independent US Senate candidates to be nominated by taking the nomination process out of the hands of the people and investing in the AZ Legislature itself.
Fortunately, when the legislature does this kind of ratfuckery that restricts who can get on the ballot, we have the option of forcing it to go to the ballot. Any law passed by the legislature can be referred to the ballot by citizens if they collect enough signatures. Currently that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 75,000 valid signatures, which is far far less than it takes to get an initiative on the ballot. Last time they tried restricting ballot access (by basically making it impossible for Greens and others to get on the ballot), the signatures were collected lickety-split. While not guaranteed, I'm pretty confident that this would end up the target of a signature drive and it would likely succeed if it did.
posted by azpenguin at 3:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fortunately, when the legislature does this kind of ratfuckery that restricts who can get on the ballot, we have the option of forcing it to go to the ballot. Any law passed by the legislature can be referred to the ballot by citizens if they collect enough signatures. Currently that's somewhere in the neighborhood of 75,000 valid signatures, which is far far less than it takes to get an initiative on the ballot. Last time they tried restricting ballot access (by basically making it impossible for Greens and others to get on the ballot), the signatures were collected lickety-split. While not guaranteed, I'm pretty confident that this would end up the target of a signature drive and it would likely succeed if it did.
posted by azpenguin at 3:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hooray... an unexpected Muellertine's Day gift!
posted by Hairy Lobster at 4:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Hairy Lobster at 4:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Or just another candle on the shit-cake
If your life would be improved by the presence of Pee Tape and Robert Mueller III Prayer Candles, that's an actual thing* Kickstarter can now help you with.
* Well, it's a Kickstarter, so really the vague promise of a future actual thing from a stranger on the internet.
posted by zachlipton at 4:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
If your life would be improved by the presence of Pee Tape and Robert Mueller III Prayer Candles, that's an actual thing* Kickstarter can now help you with.
* Well, it's a Kickstarter, so really the vague promise of a future actual thing from a stranger on the internet.
posted by zachlipton at 4:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [6 favorites]
Revenge of the Dress: Stormy Daniels has a ‘Monica Lewinsky dress’ to test for Trump’s DNA, report says
If your life would be improved by the presence of Pee Tape and Robert Mueller III Prayer Candles, that's an actual thing*
Oh, I'm so, so totally ready to pray to a Pee Tape Candle that this turns out to be a urine-related rather than spooge-related debacle, because I was really, really hoping to avoid another PresidentialJizzGate in this lifetime. One was much more than enough.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:26 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
If your life would be improved by the presence of Pee Tape and Robert Mueller III Prayer Candles, that's an actual thing*
Oh, I'm so, so totally ready to pray to a Pee Tape Candle that this turns out to be a urine-related rather than spooge-related debacle, because I was really, really hoping to avoid another PresidentialJizzGate in this lifetime. One was much more than enough.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:26 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Politico, Josh Gerstein, Trump declassification of GOP memo could lead to cascade of disclosures
posted by zachlipton at 5:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [64 favorites]
The legal waves created by President Donald Trump’s decision to declassify a Republican memo suggesting FBI wrongdoing continued to crash ashore on Thursday, with a federal judge saying the president’s move had undermined government arguments that it should be able to keep mum about its ongoing investigations.The Nunes memo could open a lot of doors for people who want to know exactly what the government knows about this investigation.
During a hearing on a bid by BuzzFeed to get more information about how a so-called dossier compiled by a former British spy was handled, U.S. District Court Judge Amit Mehta grew frustrated with a Justice Department lawyer who argued that Trump’s declassification order did not alter the contours of the legal dispute.
Mehta said the government would normally be entitled to deference in asserting the need to keep its investigative work under wraps, but perhaps no longer with respect to the dossier.
“This isn’t the ordinary case,” Mehta told a Justice Department lawyer, Anjali Motgi. “I don’t know of any time the president has declassified the fact of a counterintelligence investigation. That’s going to be a hard sell given what the president has done. … This is a new frontier and it has an impact.”
...
While Motgi sought to stress that a letter from White House counsel Don McGahn accompanying the Nunes memo indicated that the executive branch wasn’t endorsing the memo’s contents, Mehta wasn’t buying that.
“You think the White House would have let a factually inaccurate memo go out to the public?” the judge asked skeptically. “Are you telling me that the Department of Justice is at odds with the president of the United States about the factual accuracy of the Nunes memo?”
posted by zachlipton at 5:52 PM on February 15, 2018 [64 favorites]
I see the Onion is going with a "Truth is satire now" strategy for our current political era: John Kelly Apologizes For Assuming Everyone Would Ignore Abuse Allegations Like They Do In Military
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:53 PM on February 15, 2018 [68 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:53 PM on February 15, 2018 [68 favorites]
Revenge of the Dress: Stormy Daniels has a ‘Monica Lewinsky dress’ to test for Trump’s DNA, report says
History repeats itself; the first time as clown show, the second time as carnival sideshow.
posted by notyou at 6:16 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
History repeats itself; the first time as clown show, the second time as carnival sideshow.
posted by notyou at 6:16 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
So yesterday I commented, "Scott Pruitt claims that he wastes taxpayer money on first-class flights because if he sits in coach, people tell him he's a terrible environment-destroying dick," which was intended as a smart-ass if not entirely inaccurate ha-ha paraphrase. However, tonight Politico informs us:
An EPA official gives this example of the security threats that require Pruitt to fly first class: "An individual approached Pruitt with his cell phone recording, yelling at him 'Scott Pruitt, you’re f---ing up the environment,' those sort of terms."posted by FelliniBlank at 7:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [40 favorites]
“You think the White House would have let a factually inaccurate memo go out to the public?” the judge asked skeptically.
...has Judge Mehta read the news, like ever?
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:03 PM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
...has Judge Mehta read the news, like ever?
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:03 PM on February 15, 2018 [12 favorites]
Ron Klain just now on MSNBC: "Well, Lawrence, it is Infrastructure Week, and if Steve Bannon spent 20 hours talking to Robert Mueller, he was probably paving a road to Jared Kushner's door."
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:09 PM on February 15, 2018 [98 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 7:09 PM on February 15, 2018 [98 favorites]
Rep. Kevin Cramer changes his mind, will announce he's running for Senate
Cramer was Republicans top choice and probably puts North Dakota in the tossup category when the next round of projections comes out.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:27 PM on February 15, 2018
Cramer was Republicans top choice and probably puts North Dakota in the tossup category when the next round of projections comes out.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:27 PM on February 15, 2018
Trump declassification of GOP memo could lead to cascade of disclosures
The shits just keep on comin'.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:28 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
The shits just keep on comin'.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:28 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** PA-18 special:
** 2018 Senate:
posted by Chrysostom at 7:36 PM on February 15, 2018 [19 favorites]
** PA-18 special:
-- Discussed earlier, new Monmouth poll has Dem Lamb just a few points back of Saccone (3-5, depending on turnout model). There's a Gravis poll coming, too.
-- Planned Trump rally for Saccone has been postponed.
** 2018 Senate:
-- UT: Romney's candidacy (he was going to declare today, but postponed due to the Florida shooting) is getting some pushback from within the party, maybe even a primary opponent, but he's still a prohibitive favorite.** 2018 House:
-- ND: Rep. Kevin Cramer finally decided to jump into the race. Cramer's a decent candidate - Sabato moved the race to Tossup in response - but he's been known to say stupid things, which is exactly how Heitkamp first won the seat in 2012. Meanwhile, the state senator who was running for this seat, and who the party was really worried about, is now probably running for Cramer's House seat, making that at least possibly competitive.
-- WA-05: DCCC poll has Cathy McMorris only up 47-43 on likely Dem candidate Brown.** Odds & ends -- GOP party id is eroding, but leavers are calling themselves independents, rather than moving to the Dems.
-- AZ-02: PPP poll has both Dem candidates with ~10 point leads over GOP candidate. This is the vacant McSally seat.
-- Cook: Are crowded Dem primaries helpful or harmful? [SPOILER: it depends]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:36 PM on February 15, 2018 [19 favorites]
Elections matter dept -- Since that single special election victory that gave Dems control of the WA state Senate, it's passed:
* automatic & same-day voting registration
* a ban on conversion therapy
* stronger protections for trans students
* stronger financial disclosure rules
* death penalty abolition
Dems also control the House and the governor's mansion, so this stuff is likely to go into law.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:39 PM on February 15, 2018 [127 favorites]
* automatic & same-day voting registration
* a ban on conversion therapy
* stronger protections for trans students
* stronger financial disclosure rules
* death penalty abolition
Dems also control the House and the governor's mansion, so this stuff is likely to go into law.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:39 PM on February 15, 2018 [127 favorites]
Elections matter dept, part 2: New progressive DA in Philly doing good work to overturn wrongful convictions.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:45 PM on February 15, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:45 PM on February 15, 2018 [26 favorites]
GOP party id is eroding
Freud might say the party's id is fine, its ego has malfunctioned, and its super-ego has vanished.
posted by peeedro at 7:49 PM on February 15, 2018 [24 favorites]
Freud might say the party's id is fine, its ego has malfunctioned, and its super-ego has vanished.
posted by peeedro at 7:49 PM on February 15, 2018 [24 favorites]
GOP party id is eroding, but leavers are calling themselves independents, rather than moving to the Dems.
I do wonder if these new "independents" will be significantly less likely to go to the polls, or when push comes to shove they'll pull the lever for the GOP because yeehaw low taxes.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:07 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
I do wonder if these new "independents" will be significantly less likely to go to the polls, or when push comes to shove they'll pull the lever for the GOP because yeehaw low taxes.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:07 PM on February 15, 2018 [2 favorites]
I do wonder if these new "independents" will be significantly less likely to go to the polls, or when push comes to shove they'll pull the lever for the GOP because yeehaw low taxes.
at first probably, but in a few years the party id might erode even more... I mean you gotta hope right?
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:15 PM on February 15, 2018
at first probably, but in a few years the party id might erode even more... I mean you gotta hope right?
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:15 PM on February 15, 2018
I guess, but we're still nowhere near the levels of damage W caused, and the Republicans came back from that.
posted by Coventry at 8:17 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Coventry at 8:17 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
W was more of the same though? Like he was bad but in predictable ways. And in a lot of ways Trump is also the logical continuance of GOP policies re: immigration, wall street, etc etc.
BUT, and it's a big round one: W never fucking colluded with a foreign goddamn country- which is becoming more and more obvious. W never leaked classified info from one friendly nation to an unfriendly one. W surrounded himself with monsters- but capable monsters. Trump seems to be surrounded by swamp monsters 100 times worse than the ones in the swamp he promised to drain, and they're not even halfway fucking competent! (thank god) W was gentle and sweet and stupid and malleable (even if it was likely a put on), Trump is just all rough edges and crazy and just lie after lie come out of his mouth, not just about the big stuff but little inconsequential things. And he's not so malleable- he's likely being somewhat controlled by Javanka BUT clearly they can't reign him in like they'd like. Like he's so fucking crazy that a lot of people think he must be in the early stages of dementia which true or not, imagine how fucking erratic your behavior has to be before a ton of people believe that?
It's just so goddamn much that I think that after a few more years of this, as it gets worse and worse, yeah I wouldn't be surprised if this is maybe the first step to no or a greatly reduced GOP. I mean, a sucker is born every minute- but after a while even the greenest of rubes gets wise.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:28 PM on February 15, 2018 [20 favorites]
BUT, and it's a big round one: W never fucking colluded with a foreign goddamn country- which is becoming more and more obvious. W never leaked classified info from one friendly nation to an unfriendly one. W surrounded himself with monsters- but capable monsters. Trump seems to be surrounded by swamp monsters 100 times worse than the ones in the swamp he promised to drain, and they're not even halfway fucking competent! (thank god) W was gentle and sweet and stupid and malleable (even if it was likely a put on), Trump is just all rough edges and crazy and just lie after lie come out of his mouth, not just about the big stuff but little inconsequential things. And he's not so malleable- he's likely being somewhat controlled by Javanka BUT clearly they can't reign him in like they'd like. Like he's so fucking crazy that a lot of people think he must be in the early stages of dementia which true or not, imagine how fucking erratic your behavior has to be before a ton of people believe that?
It's just so goddamn much that I think that after a few more years of this, as it gets worse and worse, yeah I wouldn't be surprised if this is maybe the first step to no or a greatly reduced GOP. I mean, a sucker is born every minute- but after a while even the greenest of rubes gets wise.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:28 PM on February 15, 2018 [20 favorites]
So there's a guy running for Congress in Kansas and as part of his campaign he is holding a raffle to give away a free assault rifle.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:29 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:29 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
but after a while even the greenest of rubes gets wise
The GOP won't make this mistake again.. They'll send a more polished fascist up next time, and everyone will fawn about him -- "Oooh, so presidential"
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 8:30 PM on February 15, 2018 [17 favorites]
The GOP won't make this mistake again.. They'll send a more polished fascist up next time, and everyone will fawn about him -- "Oooh, so presidential"
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 8:30 PM on February 15, 2018 [17 favorites]
Yeah but getting a fascist out of power is much harder than getting him in. It's Trumps show now, and we all know what kind of train wreck that is. Trump thinks he's in charge not the GOP- and after a few more years of this circus... I just am holding onto the hope that there wont be a more polished fascist because Trump will have damaged the brand too much. Fingers crossed!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:33 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:33 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick: Which is why it's so effing critical that we stop nascent fascism now. I don't think we'll be the same country if we don't win big in the midterms.
posted by Rykey at 8:34 PM on February 15, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Rykey at 8:34 PM on February 15, 2018 [14 favorites]
Hold up. People were trotting out dementia speculation on W and comparing his public speaking in office compared to his debates for TX governor.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:35 PM on February 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 8:35 PM on February 15, 2018 [4 favorites]
Who's the person who said "Its a marathon, not a sprint"?
Even if we don't win back both houses, as long as there is a visible frightening (to the GOP) D gain, we just have to keep gaining. This election, next election, and while yeah, Democrats have to stand for something, anything! But as long as Trump's behavior keeps painting the GOP in a terrible light- that will be much easier.
Also on preview:
W was just sort of gently dumb. Like *that* speculation had a lot of doctors going "we can't diagnose over the TV" But Trumps behavior is so over the top and so *clearly* similar to the sundowning effect seen in elderly dementia patients (including that cant go down stairs thing) That a few doctors are like "we can't diagnose over the TV... but oh man does that look like my patients" Its a level of intensity worse than W.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:39 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
Even if we don't win back both houses, as long as there is a visible frightening (to the GOP) D gain, we just have to keep gaining. This election, next election, and while yeah, Democrats have to stand for something, anything! But as long as Trump's behavior keeps painting the GOP in a terrible light- that will be much easier.
Also on preview:
W was just sort of gently dumb. Like *that* speculation had a lot of doctors going "we can't diagnose over the TV" But Trumps behavior is so over the top and so *clearly* similar to the sundowning effect seen in elderly dementia patients (including that cant go down stairs thing) That a few doctors are like "we can't diagnose over the TV... but oh man does that look like my patients" Its a level of intensity worse than W.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:39 PM on February 15, 2018 [7 favorites]
Well this is...something: NYT editorial page editor @JBennet sent staff a lengthy memo tonight on the role of opinion at the paper and bringing in new voices. A selection:
Wait till he claims the NYT has brought in “powerful new voices in the left”. Ok. Name one. I’ll wait.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [15 favorites]
Wait till he claims the NYT has brought in “powerful new voices in the left”. Ok. Name one. I’ll wait.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:01 PM on February 15, 2018 [15 favorites]
Well this is...something: NYT editorial page editor @JBennet sent staff a lengthy memo tonight on the role of opinion at the paper and bringing in new voices. A selection:
I notice he says that in 1896 Adolph Ochs laid out a mission to "invite intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion." I think JBennet glossed over one of the words in that statement in his choices of late.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
I notice he says that in 1896 Adolph Ochs laid out a mission to "invite intelligent discussion from all shades of opinion." I think JBennet glossed over one of the words in that statement in his choices of late.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:10 PM on February 15, 2018 [3 favorites]
NYT, Intrigue at V.A. as Secretary Says He Is Being Forced Out, in which Shulkin says he is being pushed out by forces in the Administration who want to bring in new Koch-backed leadership to disassemble the VA and privatize it.
And it appears there's good reason to believe that's true. On the other hand, Shulkin is also now arguing that his Chief of Staff's email was hacked to send emails in her name. Whether or not that happened, I cannot say, but it also doesn't exactly change the fundamental reality that the Secretary brought his wife along on a trip to Wimbledon at taxpayer expense and ought to have been aware of that fact.
posted by zachlipton at 9:41 PM on February 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
And it appears there's good reason to believe that's true. On the other hand, Shulkin is also now arguing that his Chief of Staff's email was hacked to send emails in her name. Whether or not that happened, I cannot say, but it also doesn't exactly change the fundamental reality that the Secretary brought his wife along on a trip to Wimbledon at taxpayer expense and ought to have been aware of that fact.
posted by zachlipton at 9:41 PM on February 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
"we are, as ever, editing and fact checking our work".
SNERK.
Also : "we are picking our contributors with care, looking for people who share Times standards in intellectual honesty and originality..."
And also love nazis.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:42 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
SNERK.
Also : "we are picking our contributors with care, looking for people who share Times standards in intellectual honesty and originality..."
And also love nazis.
posted by Pogo_Fuzzybutt at 9:42 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
Why the hell is he referencing Mao's 100 Flowers Campaign in this memo?
posted by xyzzy at 9:42 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 9:42 PM on February 15, 2018 [5 favorites]
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:03 PM on February 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:03 PM on February 15, 2018 [9 favorites]
after a while even the greenest of rubes gets wise
Cite please.
posted by flabdablet at 10:39 PM on February 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
Cite please.
posted by flabdablet at 10:39 PM on February 15, 2018 [13 favorites]
I realize that commenting on the president’s physical appearance is very tired but please zoom and enhance this photo. (I’ve extracted from the header of this article.)
posted by Going To Maine at 11:45 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Going To Maine at 11:45 PM on February 15, 2018 [1 favorite]
That's quite a thousand yard stare on the guy to his right
posted by thelonius at 12:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 12:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
The NRA is a terrorist organisation. If you were really serious about defeating terror, you would start by outlawing them. If you think ISIS is the biggest terrorist threat to America, you're wrong, it's actually the NRA who is fine with any child having weapons of mass destruction.
posted by adept256 at 1:07 AM on February 16, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by adept256 at 1:07 AM on February 16, 2018 [20 favorites]
Ronan Farrow has a new expose in the New Yorker of another affair Trump had in the mid-2000's with Playboy playmate Karen MacDougal. Here's the kicker though:
On November 4, 2016, four days before the election, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, had paid a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for exclusive rights to McDougal’s story, which it never ran. Purchasing a story in order to bury it is a practice that many in the tabloid industry call “catch and kill.” This is a favorite tactic of the C.E.O. and chairman of A.M.I., David Pecker, who describes the President as “a personal friend.” As part of the agreement, A.M.I. consented to publish a regular aging-and-fitness column by McDougal. After Trump won the Presidency, however, A.M.I.’s promises largely went unfulfilled, according to McDougal.
posted by PenDevil at 3:36 AM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
On November 4, 2016, four days before the election, the Wall Street Journal reported that American Media, Inc., the publisher of the National Enquirer, had paid a hundred and fifty thousand dollars for exclusive rights to McDougal’s story, which it never ran. Purchasing a story in order to bury it is a practice that many in the tabloid industry call “catch and kill.” This is a favorite tactic of the C.E.O. and chairman of A.M.I., David Pecker, who describes the President as “a personal friend.” As part of the agreement, A.M.I. consented to publish a regular aging-and-fitness column by McDougal. After Trump won the Presidency, however, A.M.I.’s promises largely went unfulfilled, according to McDougal.
posted by PenDevil at 3:36 AM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
Why the hell is he referencing Mao's 100 Flowers Campaign in this memo?
It's the secret password to McConnell's club house these days, 'Give 'em enough rope', is so blasé now
posted by rc3spencer at 3:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's the secret password to McConnell's club house these days, 'Give 'em enough rope', is so blasé now
posted by rc3spencer at 3:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
NYT editorial page editor @JBennet sent staff a lengthy memo tonight on the role of opinion at the paper and bringing in new voices.
Previously reported here.
(Shamelessly swiped from thelonious.)
posted by perspicio at 3:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Previously reported here.
(Shamelessly swiped from thelonious.)
posted by perspicio at 3:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Mitt Romney is running for the Senate.
posted by PenDevil at 5:36 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by PenDevil at 5:36 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
If you want to see the Second Amendment repealed, Democrats (realistically, Republicans aren't going to go for this, but not every Democrat will either) need to control two-thirds of state senates to call for a constitutional convention, and we need to hold them until it actually happens because otherwise Republicans will be pushing through a lot of really awful amendments they have ready.
posted by Merus at 5:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Merus at 5:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
That's quite a thousand yard stare on the guy to his right
Yeah, that's Pat Toomey, Phantom Senator of Pennsylvania.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yeah, that's Pat Toomey, Phantom Senator of Pennsylvania.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
We need judicial reform, not necessarily repeal. "Everybody, regardless of personal history or mental health, should be able to own a weapon capable of killing hundreds in a matter of minutes" is as much a perversion of the Second Amendment as "Money is speech and corporations are people" is of the First.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:51 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:51 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
There's an active Florida shooting / gun control thread over here.
posted by nangar at 6:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by nangar at 6:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
The latest letter from MoveOn in my inbox is calling for us to expose the Cover-Up Caucus during the upcoming recess. Maybe we are finally taking a page from George Lakoff? It does roll off the tongue nicely.
In other news, I bitched out a friend I've known for 18 years last night. She was complaining about President Cheeto, for whom she voted, claiming the same old shit about "it was a vote against Hillary!" I said, yeah, you just keep telling yourself that logic, missy. He has destroyed this country, and the entire GOP is 100% complicit. We will not recover in our lifetimes.
I didn't have anything else to come back with, but I couldn't be silent against the bullshit. If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
posted by yoga at 6:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
In other news, I bitched out a friend I've known for 18 years last night. She was complaining about President Cheeto, for whom she voted, claiming the same old shit about "it was a vote against Hillary!" I said, yeah, you just keep telling yourself that logic, missy. He has destroyed this country, and the entire GOP is 100% complicit. We will not recover in our lifetimes.
I didn't have anything else to come back with, but I couldn't be silent against the bullshit. If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
posted by yoga at 6:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
Well this is...something: NYT editorial page editor @JBennet sent staff a lengthy memo tonight on the role of opinion at the paper and bringing in new voices.
What a crock of shit. How many times does it have to be stated out loud for these people to get it: genocide is not an opinion. It is not a dissenting viewpoint. Advocating genocide is a violent, anti-social act. Treating nazis like people who just disagree with some of us is morally equivalent to treating murderers like people who just have a different opinion on whether it's rude to take the life of another.
posted by tocts at 6:05 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
What a crock of shit. How many times does it have to be stated out loud for these people to get it: genocide is not an opinion. It is not a dissenting viewpoint. Advocating genocide is a violent, anti-social act. Treating nazis like people who just disagree with some of us is morally equivalent to treating murderers like people who just have a different opinion on whether it's rude to take the life of another.
posted by tocts at 6:05 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
What I've told my Dad is basically: "There were only two choices, you don't vote for only part of a candidate, you fully own everything they do in your name."
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:26 AM on February 16, 2018 [61 favorites]
What I've told my Dad is basically: "There were only two choices, you don't vote for only part of a candidate, you fully own everything they do in your name."
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:26 AM on February 16, 2018 [61 favorites]
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
Voting angry is like driving angry, you're just becoming a danger to everyone around you.
Uninformed, emotionally charged, confused, or careless voters should stay home. Voting is a way to contribute to the well being of the future of your neighbors, not to satisfy your self-interest, or underline abstract principles of an ideology. (i.e, to 'make a point')
Unfortunately, most don't vote in this manner. So what we get is a deeply flawed process at best.
(This explanation is never received well btw when I offer it. So good luck.)
posted by rc3spencer at 6:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Voting angry is like driving angry, you're just becoming a danger to everyone around you.
Uninformed, emotionally charged, confused, or careless voters should stay home. Voting is a way to contribute to the well being of the future of your neighbors, not to satisfy your self-interest, or underline abstract principles of an ideology. (i.e, to 'make a point')
Unfortunately, most don't vote in this manner. So what we get is a deeply flawed process at best.
(This explanation is never received well btw when I offer it. So good luck.)
posted by rc3spencer at 6:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
I like that. T.D., duly noted for future use.
posted by yoga at 6:38 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by yoga at 6:38 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
In other news, I bitched out a friend I've known for 18 years last night. She was complaining about President Cheeto, for whom she voted, claiming the same old shit about "it was a vote against Hillary!" I said, yeah, you just keep telling yourself that logic, missy. He has destroyed this country, and the entire GOP is 100% complicit.
Did you say "leopards, faces?" I, myself, would have a hard time not screaming. I remember 2004, when I was about as excited to vote for John Kerry as I was excited to eat a bowl of cold oatmeal, but I voted for him anyway because we weren't going to get a better option in that election. Hell, I voted for Dukakis and talk about sucking it up and voting for a bad candidate! I wish people would stop being so precious about presidential elections. Get off my lawn!
It does seem like buyer's remorse among some former Trump voters (Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic). The article doesn't say whether these people are going to vote, or become, Democrats, though. There is a difference between "Regrets voting for Trump, is now a Democrat and will vote accordingly" and "Regrets voting for Trump, now calls self 'an independent' but will vote Republican unless that R is more toxic than nuclear waste and sometimes even then (see Moore, Roy)."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:38 AM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
Did you say "leopards, faces?" I, myself, would have a hard time not screaming. I remember 2004, when I was about as excited to vote for John Kerry as I was excited to eat a bowl of cold oatmeal, but I voted for him anyway because we weren't going to get a better option in that election. Hell, I voted for Dukakis and talk about sucking it up and voting for a bad candidate! I wish people would stop being so precious about presidential elections. Get off my lawn!
It does seem like buyer's remorse among some former Trump voters (Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic). The article doesn't say whether these people are going to vote, or become, Democrats, though. There is a difference between "Regrets voting for Trump, is now a Democrat and will vote accordingly" and "Regrets voting for Trump, now calls self 'an independent' but will vote Republican unless that R is more toxic than nuclear waste and sometimes even then (see Moore, Roy)."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:38 AM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
My die-hard conservative Republican in-laws, 80 years old, never skip voting in any election (work the polls for most)… didn’t vote for president in 2016 (they voted, just left president blank). They couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a Democrat, but they at least understood that a vote for Trump is a vote *for* Trump. It’s ridiculous to pretend otherwise.
posted by Kriesa at 6:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [21 favorites]
My die-hard conservative Republican in-laws, 80 years old, never skip voting in any election (work the polls for most)… didn’t vote for president in 2016 (they voted, just left president blank). They couldn’t bring themselves to vote for a Democrat, but they at least understood that a vote for Trump is a vote *for* Trump. It’s ridiculous to pretend otherwise.
posted by Kriesa at 6:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [21 favorites]
There is a difference between "Regrets voting for Trump, is now a Democrat and will vote accordingly" and "Regrets voting for Trump, now calls self 'an independent' but will vote Republican unless that R is more toxic than nuclear waste and sometimes even then (see Moore, Roy)."
As a former Republican, I can tell you that 95% of people who are expressing regret are doing it because they know Trump is hurting people but they don't actually want him to stop doing it but they also don't want to have to acknowledge their role in it. They are, to be blunt, pretending to be sorry.
It's kinda like how when a political pundit is introduced as an independent, it's about a 95% chance that their worldview and voting record maps almost precisely to Republicans. They're not any different in action, they just want plausible deniability for the more overtly bad and indefensible platforms (which in the private of the voting booth they keep supporting nonetheless).
posted by tocts at 6:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [55 favorites]
As a former Republican, I can tell you that 95% of people who are expressing regret are doing it because they know Trump is hurting people but they don't actually want him to stop doing it but they also don't want to have to acknowledge their role in it. They are, to be blunt, pretending to be sorry.
It's kinda like how when a political pundit is introduced as an independent, it's about a 95% chance that their worldview and voting record maps almost precisely to Republicans. They're not any different in action, they just want plausible deniability for the more overtly bad and indefensible platforms (which in the private of the voting booth they keep supporting nonetheless).
posted by tocts at 6:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [55 favorites]
Reading this discussion in Lawfare on the distinction between counterintellengence and criminal investigations got me wondering: is it possible that Trump repeatedly asked whether he specifically was under investigation because he believes the absence of an explicit “yes” allows him to claim that, to the best of his knowledge, the investigation was purely counterintelligence and so he was not knowingly obstructing justice by firing Comey, etc?
posted by C'est la D.C. at 6:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by C'est la D.C. at 6:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
is it possible that Trump repeatedly asked whether he specifically was under investigation because he believes the absence of an explicit “yes” allows him to claim that, to the best of his knowledge, the investigation was purely counterintelligence and so he was not knowingly obstructing justice by firing Comey, etc?
Subscribe to our newsletter and we'll share this one small trick that drives prosecutors crazy!
posted by diogenes at 6:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [18 favorites]
Subscribe to our newsletter and we'll share this one small trick that drives prosecutors crazy!
posted by diogenes at 6:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [18 favorites]
Mitt Romney is running for the Senate.
He's already saying he'll vote for everything Trump wants: If elected, Romney associates said he would operate in the Senate as an independent-minded lawmaker but would resist being labeled as a reliable Trump critic in the model of retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who regularly speaks out against the president.
Even Mitt knows NeverTrump was always a complete joke.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [30 favorites]
He's already saying he'll vote for everything Trump wants: If elected, Romney associates said he would operate in the Senate as an independent-minded lawmaker but would resist being labeled as a reliable Trump critic in the model of retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who regularly speaks out against the president.
Even Mitt knows NeverTrump was always a complete joke.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [30 favorites]
is it possible that Trump repeatedly asked whether he specifically was under investigation because he believes the absence of an explicit “yes” allows him to claim that, to the best of his knowledge, the investigation was purely counterintelligence and so he was not knowingly obstructing justice by firing Comey, etc?
Nope, not possible. Not only is Trump too stupid for such a complicated reasoning, but so are his advisors. It's stupid all the way down.
posted by mumimor at 6:53 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
Nope, not possible. Not only is Trump too stupid for such a complicated reasoning, but so are his advisors. It's stupid all the way down.
posted by mumimor at 6:53 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
zachlipton: There's no immigration plan at all, and the Senate is going to go on fucking vacation.
Oh, completely. McConnell: 'Whoever gets to 60 wins' on immigration (Jordain Carney for The Hill, Feb. 6, 2018)
xyzzy: Why the hell is he referencing Mao's 100 Flowers Campaign in this memo?
rc3spencer: It's the secret password to McConnell's club house these days, 'Give 'em enough rope', is so blasé now
Why yes, Sen. McConnell's Statements On Immigration Echo Former Chinese Communist Leader, specifically Mao and his Hundred Flowers Campaign that encouraged its citizens to openly express their opinions of the communist regime, in part a response to the demoralization of intellectuals, who felt estranged from The Communist Party [citation needed]. After this brief period of liberalization, Mao used this to oppress those who challenged the communist regime by using force.
(To temper this terrifying image, NPR noted that "let a hundred/thousand flowers bloom" has been mis- and re-appropriated a number of times since Mao uttered the term in 1956, to the point where it's more a cute phrase than an ominous reference to further demonizing and punishing intellectuals.)
posted by filthy light thief at 6:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Oh, completely. McConnell: 'Whoever gets to 60 wins' on immigration (Jordain Carney for The Hill, Feb. 6, 2018)
McConnell, known for keeping his cards close to the vest, said Tuesday that the impending fiscal showdown will mark a “rare occasion” for an open debate and an “opportunity for a thousand flowers to bloom.”So, more thoughts and prayers?
“I’m going to structure in such a way that’s fair to everyone. ... Whoever gets to 60 wins,” he said during a press conference.
When a reporter noted there are myriad proposals being floated, McConnell laughed before stressing that he doesn’t have a “secret plan.”
“I can’t be specific because there’s no secret plan here to try to push this in any direction. The Senate is going to work its will, and I hope that we will end up passing something,” he said.
xyzzy: Why the hell is he referencing Mao's 100 Flowers Campaign in this memo?
rc3spencer: It's the secret password to McConnell's club house these days, 'Give 'em enough rope', is so blasé now
Why yes, Sen. McConnell's Statements On Immigration Echo Former Chinese Communist Leader, specifically Mao and his Hundred Flowers Campaign that encouraged its citizens to openly express their opinions of the communist regime, in part a response to the demoralization of intellectuals, who felt estranged from The Communist Party [citation needed]. After this brief period of liberalization, Mao used this to oppress those who challenged the communist regime by using force.
(To temper this terrifying image, NPR noted that "let a hundred/thousand flowers bloom" has been mis- and re-appropriated a number of times since Mao uttered the term in 1956, to the point where it's more a cute phrase than an ominous reference to further demonizing and punishing intellectuals.)
posted by filthy light thief at 6:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
The Trump administration is the final proof that if you are a rich white man or his daughter, you can be dumber than a duck and still have a successful and profitable career within any field.
posted by mumimor at 6:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 6:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Trump administration is the final proof that if you are a rich white man or his daughter, you can be dumber than a duck and still have a successful and profitable career within any field.
posted by mumimor
That depends on how you define success. I would argue that most are not successful. Wealthy, maybe. Successful? NOT!
posted by W Grant at 7:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by mumimor
That depends on how you define success. I would argue that most are not successful. Wealthy, maybe. Successful? NOT!
posted by W Grant at 7:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
"....Okay. Can you tell me what it was you thought Hillary would do, that it prompted you to vote against her? ....Mmhmm, okay. Now. Can you explain why you thought that those scenarios would have been worse than the things Trump is doing, all of which he promised to do during his campaign?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
"....Okay. Can you tell me what it was you thought Hillary would do, that it prompted you to vote against her? ....Mmhmm, okay. Now. Can you explain why you thought that those scenarios would have been worse than the things Trump is doing, all of which he promised to do during his campaign?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
Okay. Can you tell me what it was you thought Hillary would do, that it prompted you to vote against her?
You’re going to get an hour long rant of utter lunacy doing that.
posted by Artw at 7:09 AM on February 16, 2018 [54 favorites]
You’re going to get an hour long rant of utter lunacy doing that.
posted by Artw at 7:09 AM on February 16, 2018 [54 favorites]
You’re going to get an hour long rant of utter lunacy doing that.
Or, and I speak from experience, infuriatingly vague "I just don't trust her" noises.
I think actually a better strategy is to let the Hillary thing go in favor of not getting their defenses up so you can extract from them a solemn vow to not do it again.
My mom was all wishy-washy vague "I just don't like herrrrrr" and it made me nuts. Ma didn't vote for Trump but she did vote third party in Pennsylvania so yeah, she has culpability here. Rather than rubbing her nose in what she did in the past, I'm going to make good and sure that she realizes that she can make better choices going forward. She has already said that if she knew then what she knows now (that he had a chance of winning) she would have voted for Hillary. That's my in. I just need to keep reminding her that we've all learned some valuable lessons about our political system and knowledge is power! We don't have to make the same mistakes twice! Let's re-elect Bob Casey and Tom Wolfe in 2018, please and thank you!
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [38 favorites]
Or, and I speak from experience, infuriatingly vague "I just don't trust her" noises.
I think actually a better strategy is to let the Hillary thing go in favor of not getting their defenses up so you can extract from them a solemn vow to not do it again.
My mom was all wishy-washy vague "I just don't like herrrrrr" and it made me nuts. Ma didn't vote for Trump but she did vote third party in Pennsylvania so yeah, she has culpability here. Rather than rubbing her nose in what she did in the past, I'm going to make good and sure that she realizes that she can make better choices going forward. She has already said that if she knew then what she knows now (that he had a chance of winning) she would have voted for Hillary. That's my in. I just need to keep reminding her that we've all learned some valuable lessons about our political system and knowledge is power! We don't have to make the same mistakes twice! Let's re-elect Bob Casey and Tom Wolfe in 2018, please and thank you!
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [38 favorites]
What I've told my Dad is basically: "There were only two choices, you don't vote for only part of a candidate, you fully own everything they do in your name."
The reply will be: "Right—so I don't want to be responsible for owning fully everything about Crooked Hillary."
You'll never sell a candidate somebody absolutely does not want to vote for. So the better thing to tell them is: "I see your dilemma, what a tough spot you're in. Since both candidates suck, it's probably best to just stay home this time."
OPTIONAL ENDING: "...Or just leave the spot for President blank."
posted by Rykey at 7:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
The reply will be: "Right—so I don't want to be responsible for owning fully everything about Crooked Hillary."
You'll never sell a candidate somebody absolutely does not want to vote for. So the better thing to tell them is: "I see your dilemma, what a tough spot you're in. Since both candidates suck, it's probably best to just stay home this time."
OPTIONAL ENDING: "...Or just leave the spot for President blank."
posted by Rykey at 7:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
Here’s a little boost on a Friday morning (via The LA Times): Immigrant rights activists block Homeland Security van from accessing Metropolitan Detention Center
A crowd of immigrant rights advocates blocked a Homeland Security van late Thursday from accessing the Metropolitan Detention Center in downtown Los Angeles.posted by notyou at 7:26 AM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
Video footage showed dozens of people standing in the street, in front of a marked van, chanting, "Drive out ICE!" and "Stop the deportations!" Some held signs.
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
I don't. But with my own family members I ask them if they would have voted for Pence if he'd been at the top of the ticket with a different VP than Trump. The answer is invariably yes. And that ends the conversation. People who would vote an extreme right-wing, gay-hating, women-hating religious ideologue into office were never, ever going to be Hillary voters. It's not worth the effort of trying to change their minds.
posted by zarq at 7:29 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
I don't. But with my own family members I ask them if they would have voted for Pence if he'd been at the top of the ticket with a different VP than Trump. The answer is invariably yes. And that ends the conversation. People who would vote an extreme right-wing, gay-hating, women-hating religious ideologue into office were never, ever going to be Hillary voters. It's not worth the effort of trying to change their minds.
posted by zarq at 7:29 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
Report: Bannon Spent ‘Some 20 Hours’ In Mueller Interviews This Week
The Associated Press provides some additional details to NBC's scoop about Bannon's special counsel interviews:
Furthermore, Reuters elaborates on Mueller's lines of questioning:
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:39 AM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
The Associated Press provides some additional details to NBC's scoop about Bannon's special counsel interviews:
Steve Bannon, the combative former chief strategist for President Donald Trump, was interrogated for 20 hours over two days this week as part of special counsel Robert Mueller’s Russia investigation, according to a person familiar with the process.This discrepancy in Bannon's candor between the House Intel Committee and Mueller is perfectly understandable since anything he says on the Hill will be leaked straight to the Trump White House via Nunes and anything he says to Mueller will be scrutinzed for false statements. With the former, he can continue to stonewall and stretch out contempt of Congress and any ensuing court action (keeping in Team Trump's good graces). With the latter, Mueller would swiftly bring him up on charges like Michael Flynn if he lies and has already threatened to haul him in front of the grand jury if he refused to answer questions. Still, the timing of his cooperative interviews with Mueller and his campaign colleague Rick Gates's plea deal negotiations with the Special Counsel is intriguing.
The person, who declined to be named because they were not authorized to publicly discuss the investigation, said Bannon answered every question that was put to him by Mueller’s team.
Furthermore, Reuters elaborates on Mueller's lines of questioning:
Three sources familiar with the Mueller proceedings said Bannon was interviewed for a total of about 20 hours by Mueller's investigators and prosecutors. One said he had answered a range of questions, unlike his refusal to do so before the House intelligence panel.Remember how Vanity Fair recently quoted Bannon shouting about Comey's firing at the time, "There’s not a fucking thing you can do to sell this! Nobody can sell this! P. T. Barnum couldn’t sell this! People aren’t stupid! This is a terrible, stupid decision that’s going to have massive implications. It may have shortened Trump’s presidency—and it’s because of you, Jared Kushner!"
Another said Bannon was questioned on topics including his knowledge of President Donald Trump's reasons for firing James Comey as Federal Bureau of Investigation director last year, as well as dealings with the Russian ambassador by former national security adviser Michael Flynn and Trump's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:39 AM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
A person in my family in PA voted third-party, and she blamed the DNC for the election results on Thanksgiving 2016. She criticized the #metoo movement Thanksgiving 2017. Criticizing the logic of either position just brings a babble of rationalizations. I barely have enough juice to get through the day. I'm not spending energy arguing with that shit.
posted by angrycat at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 7:42 AM on February 16, 2018 [22 favorites]
This discrepancy in Bannon's candor between the House Intel Committee and Mueller is perfectly understandable since anything he says on the Hill will be leaked straight to the Trump White House via Nunes and anything he says to Mueller will be scrutinzed for false statements.
I think you can explain this even more succinctly by saying that the difference is he knows he can get away with it on the Hill. He knows they're gonna let him skate on whatever BS excuse he tosses up, so why do anything that might disadvantage him? With Mueller he knows he can't pull that nonsense without consequence so he doesn't. Bannon is many odious things and I think his reputation as some sort of thinker is way overstated, but he's not a dummy when it comes to doing what's good for Bannon.
posted by phearlez at 7:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
I think you can explain this even more succinctly by saying that the difference is he knows he can get away with it on the Hill. He knows they're gonna let him skate on whatever BS excuse he tosses up, so why do anything that might disadvantage him? With Mueller he knows he can't pull that nonsense without consequence so he doesn't. Bannon is many odious things and I think his reputation as some sort of thinker is way overstated, but he's not a dummy when it comes to doing what's good for Bannon.
posted by phearlez at 7:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
When's the last time anyone actually got punished for being held in contempt of Congress? Eric Holder seems to be doing okay. Bannon isn't scared of the same fate. He is probably a lot more scared of being convicted of lying to Mueller's team.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't want them to change their minds. I want them to feel shitty about voting for Trump.
posted by yoga at 8:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by yoga at 8:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [33 favorites]
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
I don't fricking care what people think about Hillary any more. That's what I tell them. She's history. We might as well argue about Teapot Dome. Don't tell me how awful Hillary is. She holds no public office and never will again. She is irrelevant.
I also don't care how you voted or why you voted the way you did.
I only care about what we are going to do NOW, about the problems we face NOW, due to the guy who is president NOW. If we impeach him, we don't get Hillary. We get Pence. So you have no excuse for not supporting impeachment, Ms. regretful Republican.
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [65 favorites]
I don't fricking care what people think about Hillary any more. That's what I tell them. She's history. We might as well argue about Teapot Dome. Don't tell me how awful Hillary is. She holds no public office and never will again. She is irrelevant.
I also don't care how you voted or why you voted the way you did.
I only care about what we are going to do NOW, about the problems we face NOW, due to the guy who is president NOW. If we impeach him, we don't get Hillary. We get Pence. So you have no excuse for not supporting impeachment, Ms. regretful Republican.
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [65 favorites]
A person in my family in PA voted third-party, and she blamed the DNC for the election results on Thanksgiving 2016.
*bangs head repeatedly on the desk until the hurting stops*
posted by Talez at 8:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
*bangs head repeatedly on the desk until the hurting stops*
posted by Talez at 8:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
"You knew exactly what you were voting for. You knew. You knew his racism, you knew he was clueless about the job, you knew his record of corruption, you knew he loves Putin, you knew he pissed all over veterans and gold-star families, you knew he mocked the disabled, and you sure as hell knew he bragged about sexual assault. You knew. You knew, and you chose to vote for all that because of your vague suspicions of the clearly qualified and experienced and stable woman running against him. If you can't see the difference in voting for a woman you don't like over a disaster like Trump, you don't have the maturity or intelligence it takes to vote and you should stop voting."
...in fairness, I'm perfectly fine if any Trump-voting relatives of mine never speak to me again.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [133 favorites]
...in fairness, I'm perfectly fine if any Trump-voting relatives of mine never speak to me again.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [133 favorites]
Also : "we are picking our contributors with care, looking for people who share Times standards in intellectual honesty and originality..."
...from the op-ed page that employs David Brooks and Maureen Dowd. Riiiiiight.
posted by Gelatin at 8:27 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
...from the op-ed page that employs David Brooks and Maureen Dowd. Riiiiiight.
posted by Gelatin at 8:27 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
NY Times: "we're not indifferent to the question of who's right and who's wrong."
posted by chortly at 8:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by chortly at 8:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
If anyone has any other suggestions to deal with the "against Hillary vote" tripe I am ALL ears.
What I've told my Dad is basically: "There were only two choices, you don't vote for only part of a candidate, you fully own everything they do in your name."
MeFi's own John Scalzi called it "the Cinemax theory of racism," in that, just like with basic cable, you're buying the whole package.
posted by Gelatin at 8:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
What I've told my Dad is basically: "There were only two choices, you don't vote for only part of a candidate, you fully own everything they do in your name."
MeFi's own John Scalzi called it "the Cinemax theory of racism," in that, just like with basic cable, you're buying the whole package.
posted by Gelatin at 8:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
"we're not indifferent to the question of who's right and who's wrong."
Almost as strong and brave a statement as the Washington Post's new motto: "Democracy Sometimes Gets Sleepy in Darkness."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
Almost as strong and brave a statement as the Washington Post's new motto: "Democracy Sometimes Gets Sleepy in Darkness."
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
I found this Gallup post via FiveThirtyEight: Conservative-leaning states drop and liberal ones grow:
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:43 AM on February 16, 2018
While all 50 states were right-leaning as recently as 2010, the number of net-conservative states was 44 in 2016 and dropped to 39 in 2017, with Rhode Island, California, Oregon, Maryland and Washington all scoring as net-liberal for the first time.A few states did become more conservative, with Wyoming leading the pack. I wonder what the future is for states like Wyoming, though - do people (who aren't just throwing darts at a map) want to live there, outside of college towns like Laramie or tourist draws like Yellowstone? Kansas is another state that became more conservative even as the ruling conservatives killed its economy, and, lacking even tourist attractions that other Plains states have, I wonder how viable its future is. We were talking in the last thread about the possibility of merging states, and I wonder if that will eventually happen, not because of politics but because a few states won't have the population they need to sustain themselves as states.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 8:43 AM on February 16, 2018
Daily Beast, Woodruff, Mueller Has Interviewed Trump Legal Team’s Former Spokesman, in which Mark Corallo spoke to Mueller for a couple hours. Corallo is the guy who reportedly insisted drafting the Air Force One constituted obstruction and said that Hicks promised the Don Jr emails would "never get out." Notably, Corallo was the spokesman on Trump's legal team, as the investigation moves in.
Axios, Scoop: Commerce recommends major tariffs on steel and aluminum. Oh good, we haven't threatened a trade war for a couple weeks.
posted by zachlipton at 8:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
Axios, Scoop: Commerce recommends major tariffs on steel and aluminum. Oh good, we haven't threatened a trade war for a couple weeks.
posted by zachlipton at 8:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
you fully own everything they do in your name.
"You wholly endorsed the entire candidate when you voted for them" thinking is why Clinton lost the election. There were a lot of people, especially in swing states, who saw clearly the terribleness of Trump, but felt that Clinton hadn't "earned their vote". It's counterproductive to double down on this terrible logic for the sake of shaming Trump voters.
There are, in most elections, two candidates. One will win. A vote is not an endorsement; it's a statement of preference. It really is the case that many Trump voters are not OK with sexual assault. I'm not OK with treating gay people as second-class citizens, but I voted for Obama in 2008 when he was explicitly against gay marriage. I didn't suddenly "own" opposing gay marriage when I voted that way.
Because Democrats have a broader ideological umbrella, in 2020 they will be running someone who is slightly out of step with either the far-left or the middle-left. Stop sending the message that Democrats should stay home in 2020 unless they're willing to unequivocally endorse the exact income level their college tuition affordability proposal is means-tested at.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [64 favorites]
"You wholly endorsed the entire candidate when you voted for them" thinking is why Clinton lost the election. There were a lot of people, especially in swing states, who saw clearly the terribleness of Trump, but felt that Clinton hadn't "earned their vote". It's counterproductive to double down on this terrible logic for the sake of shaming Trump voters.
There are, in most elections, two candidates. One will win. A vote is not an endorsement; it's a statement of preference. It really is the case that many Trump voters are not OK with sexual assault. I'm not OK with treating gay people as second-class citizens, but I voted for Obama in 2008 when he was explicitly against gay marriage. I didn't suddenly "own" opposing gay marriage when I voted that way.
Because Democrats have a broader ideological umbrella, in 2020 they will be running someone who is slightly out of step with either the far-left or the middle-left. Stop sending the message that Democrats should stay home in 2020 unless they're willing to unequivocally endorse the exact income level their college tuition affordability proposal is means-tested at.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [64 favorites]
If the bloc of Trump-hating third-party voters in PA, MI and WI had been persuaded that their vote really might put Donald Trump in the White House, Donald Trump would not be in the White House. They felt they had the privilege of using their vote to protest Hillary Clinton without preventing her inevitable triumph over the joke candidate. They were mistaken.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:13 AM on February 16, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:13 AM on February 16, 2018 [25 favorites]
TPM, Cameron Joseph, EXCLUSIVE: Kushner Quietly Made More Fixes To His Financial Disclosures, May Have More To Come
It's 2018, and the man still hasn't managed to produce an accurate statement of his financial entanglements.
posted by zachlipton at 9:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
It's 2018, and the man still hasn't managed to produce an accurate statement of his financial entanglements.
posted by zachlipton at 9:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
Trump's decision to provide top-secret classified material to people who have been DENIED permanent security clearance is an on-going assault on national security that may, I repeat, may be worse than using a private email server
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [100 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [100 favorites]
I'm going to really resent having to be accurate filling out my taxes.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:21 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 9:21 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
...using their vote to protest ...
This. Very much so. Older relative literally said, smiling sheepishly, "I honestly didn't think the idiot would win..."
To which I replied a fairly cogent point that was lost among the high-decibel expletives. Not my finest hour.
posted by eclectist at 9:22 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
This. Very much so. Older relative literally said, smiling sheepishly, "I honestly didn't think the idiot would win..."
To which I replied a fairly cogent point that was lost among the high-decibel expletives. Not my finest hour.
posted by eclectist at 9:22 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
This seems like a good thing:
On February 16 and February 18, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), together with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), will sponsor a classified briefing for election officials from all 50 states.posted by Chrysostom at 9:22 AM on February 16, 2018 [28 favorites]
This national-level classified dialogue with officials from the National Association of Secretaries of State (NASS), the National Association of State Election Directors (NASED), and the Election Assistance Commission (EAC) is part of an ongoing effort to ensure the integrity and security of the nation's election infrastructure, particularly as the risk environment evolves.
The briefings will focus on increasing awareness of foreign adversary intent and capabilities against the states’ election infrastructure, as well as a discussion of threat mitigation efforts. The goal of this collaborative event is to build an enduring partnership to ensure the sharing of timely, substantive information on threats to our nation’s critical infrastructure.
Trump's decision to provide top-secret classified material to people who have been DENIED permanent security clearance
It took a while for me to wrap my head around this. When I first read about all the White House staff that don't have clearance, I was thinking it must be very inconvenient for them to work without access to classified information. It never occurred to me that Trump was just giving them the information anyway.
posted by diogenes at 9:29 AM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
It took a while for me to wrap my head around this. When I first read about all the White House staff that don't have clearance, I was thinking it must be very inconvenient for them to work without access to classified information. It never occurred to me that Trump was just giving them the information anyway.
posted by diogenes at 9:29 AM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
From CNN yesterday: At least 100 White House officials served with 'interim' security clearances until November
New interim security clearances were apparently banned in November, but people who previously had them, like Rob Porter 'n' The Kush, were grandfathered in. This makes sense because if you have been refused permanent security clearance for long enough you are no longer a viable victim of blackmail or a threat to national security, that's science
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:33 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
New interim security clearances were apparently banned in November, but people who previously had them, like Rob Porter 'n' The Kush, were grandfathered in. This makes sense because if you have been refused permanent security clearance for long enough you are no longer a viable victim of blackmail or a threat to national security, that's science
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:33 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
On February 16 and February 18, the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI), together with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), will sponsor a classified briefing for election officials from all 50 states.
My first thought was that this will be a sandbagging session to ensure that the Russian government agents have access to all 50 states' election systems and information. That's where my head is at how re: the Trump administration. Tin foil firmly ensconced on scalp.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:35 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
My first thought was that this will be a sandbagging session to ensure that the Russian government agents have access to all 50 states' election systems and information. That's where my head is at how re: the Trump administration. Tin foil firmly ensconced on scalp.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:35 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
ODNI and FBI definitely want to stop Russian meddling. DHS top brass are a lot more Trumpian.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Given the most recent school shooting news about the FBI, I'm honestly pretty worried they're going to try to use this to destroy the FBI and replace it with something more Trumpian.
posted by zachlipton at 9:42 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 9:42 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
About “voting against Hillary”: You voted against Hillary because you believed 20 years of an orchestrated smear campaign against her by the Republican Party, even though there was no evidence of anything she was ever accused of doing. And you voted FOR a man who is on the record for sexually assaulting people, being openly racist, openly fascist, has no understanding of government and no respect for the rule of law. The country is in this position because you can’t engage in critical thinking and you believed convenient lies over difficult truths. This is your fault and you are responsible.
posted by Autumnheart at 9:44 AM on February 16, 2018 [59 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 9:44 AM on February 16, 2018 [59 favorites]
These Black Women Launched #WakandaTheVote To Register Voters At 'Black Panther' Screenings Everywhere
posted by Chrysostom at 9:46 AM on February 16, 2018 [148 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:46 AM on February 16, 2018 [148 favorites]
Republicans: Government should be as small as possible! Keep out of our lives!
Also Republicans: It's entirely the FBI's fault for not more actively snooping into this guy's social media activity, travel history, medical records, purchases, and home behavior, so that they could intervene before he actually did anything illegal.
Also also Republicans: It was 100% proper to sell this guy a murder cannon.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
Also Republicans: It's entirely the FBI's fault for not more actively snooping into this guy's social media activity, travel history, medical records, purchases, and home behavior, so that they could intervene before he actually did anything illegal.
Also also Republicans: It was 100% proper to sell this guy a murder cannon.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
I didn't suddenly "own" opposing gay marriage when I voted that way.
As far as I'm concerned, you certainly would have owned it if Congress had passed an anti-gay law and he'd signed it into law. You may be choosing the least bad option but you have responsibility for what those you put in power do.
Mind you, there's a world of difference in the odds of having to own an anti-gay law, which Obama had mumblingly said he appreciated the concept of in order to get elected, and the results of electing someone whose campaign was based around racism, xenophobia, and sexism.
posted by Candleman at 9:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
As far as I'm concerned, you certainly would have owned it if Congress had passed an anti-gay law and he'd signed it into law. You may be choosing the least bad option but you have responsibility for what those you put in power do.
Mind you, there's a world of difference in the odds of having to own an anti-gay law, which Obama had mumblingly said he appreciated the concept of in order to get elected, and the results of electing someone whose campaign was based around racism, xenophobia, and sexism.
posted by Candleman at 9:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
re.: Trump vs. Bush: while the Bush administration was a terror on humanity and the cause of till this day unending deaths and tragedy, what Trump is doing is worse: he is destructing the whole structure of American society, as fast as he can, almost as if he knows he has limited time. Why is that worse than killing millions? Because even more people will die if America breaks, in America, and abroad.
Just today some stupid admiral was talking about war with China. I'm not even going to look it up for the link because it's just more of the same. Every single effing day has it's element of madness.
posted by mumimor at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Just today some stupid admiral was talking about war with China. I'm not even going to look it up for the link because it's just more of the same. Every single effing day has it's element of madness.
posted by mumimor at 9:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
FFS, can we not purity test the 2008 election?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
It's going to be one of those Fridays...
@chrisgeidner: BREAKING: "A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment on Feb. 16, 2018, against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of violating U.S. criminal laws in order to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes
Here's the indictment.
I presume this is the subject of the upcoming Rosenstein press conference.
posted by zachlipton at 9:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [95 favorites]
@chrisgeidner: BREAKING: "A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment on Feb. 16, 2018, against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of violating U.S. criminal laws in order to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes
Here's the indictment.
I presume this is the subject of the upcoming Rosenstein press conference.
posted by zachlipton at 9:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [95 favorites]
As far as I'm concerned, you certainly would have owned it if Congress had passed an anti-gay law and he'd signed it into law
This is just wrong. Everyone near the switch during a Trolley problem is not a murderer. In an election you have candidates, all of which will have aspects you don't like, or you can choose to be a bystander and implicitly endorse the decisions of your fellow citizens. Doing the latter does not give you any ethical standing to disown the results, because all you did was delegate the decision.
FFS, can we not purity test the 2008 election?
I don't know, can we? People are purity testing the 2016 election and they're going to purity test the 2020 election as well. Odds are pretty good that impure candidates will continue to be on the ballot for the remainder of human existence, I think it's worth discussing whether or not those candidates can be voted for.
When Corey Booker takes the nomination at the DNC and a dozen shitbirds pipe up to say they're writing in Kshama Sawant because they can't vote for anyone who has ever been in the same room as a CEO, you can come back to this thread and reminisce.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [43 favorites]
This is just wrong. Everyone near the switch during a Trolley problem is not a murderer. In an election you have candidates, all of which will have aspects you don't like, or you can choose to be a bystander and implicitly endorse the decisions of your fellow citizens. Doing the latter does not give you any ethical standing to disown the results, because all you did was delegate the decision.
FFS, can we not purity test the 2008 election?
I don't know, can we? People are purity testing the 2016 election and they're going to purity test the 2020 election as well. Odds are pretty good that impure candidates will continue to be on the ballot for the remainder of human existence, I think it's worth discussing whether or not those candidates can be voted for.
When Corey Booker takes the nomination at the DNC and a dozen shitbirds pipe up to say they're writing in Kshama Sawant because they can't vote for anyone who has ever been in the same room as a CEO, you can come back to this thread and reminisce.
posted by 0xFCAF at 9:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [43 favorites]
You voted against Hillary because you believed 20 years of an orchestrated smear campaign against her by the Republican Party, even though there was no evidence of anything she was ever accused of doing. And you voted FOR a man who is on the record for sexually assaulting people, being openly racist, openly fascist, has no understanding of government and no respect for the rule of law. The country is in this position because you can’t engage in critical thinking and you believed convenient lies over difficult truths.
I'm not going to get into relitigating 2016, but, I think the media is at least partly responsible here. Low-information voters are always going to be with us. Not everyone is a political junkie, and not everyone is going to have the time or inclination for a deep dive into the background of whatever candidate. And I'm not talking about Breitbart readers on the one hand or Alternet readers on the other. I mean the people who are too busy/unconcerned/whatever to do more than skim the New York Times or CNN. And if the mainstream media is going to be mealy-mouthed, both-sidey, employ the likes of David Brooks, etc., then people - decent well-meaning people - are going to take their cues from that. If "Democracy Dies In Darkness" then the media is partly responsible for that darkness.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'm not going to get into relitigating 2016, but, I think the media is at least partly responsible here. Low-information voters are always going to be with us. Not everyone is a political junkie, and not everyone is going to have the time or inclination for a deep dive into the background of whatever candidate. And I'm not talking about Breitbart readers on the one hand or Alternet readers on the other. I mean the people who are too busy/unconcerned/whatever to do more than skim the New York Times or CNN. And if the mainstream media is going to be mealy-mouthed, both-sidey, employ the likes of David Brooks, etc., then people - decent well-meaning people - are going to take their cues from that. If "Democracy Dies In Darkness" then the media is partly responsible for that darkness.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 9:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
Well this about sums it up (emphasis added):
Defendant ORGANIZATION had a strategic goal to sow discord int he U.S. political system, including the 2016 U.S. presidential election. Defendants posted derogatory information about a number of candidates, and by early to mid-2016, Defendants' operations included supporting the presidential campaign of then-candidate Donald J. Trump ("Trump Campaign") and disparaging Hillary Clinton. Defendants made various expenditures to carry out those activities, including buying political advertisements on social media in the names of U.S. persons and entities. Defendants also staged political rallies inside the United States, and while posing as U.S. grassroots entities and U.S. persons, and without revealing their Russian identities and ORGANIZATION affiliation, solicited and compensated real U.S. persons to promote or disparage candidates. Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign and with other political activities to seek to coordinate political activities.posted by zachlipton at 9:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
This whole argument would possibly make more sense if there were any good aspects to Trump whatsoever.
posted by Artw at 9:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign...
That "unwitting" kind of strains my credulity.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [32 favorites]
That "unwitting" kind of strains my credulity.
posted by wenestvedt at 10:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [32 favorites]
(in case it's not clear: This is a Mueller indictment, in his role as special counsel. wonder what they'll say when he flips them.)
posted by martin q blank at 10:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by martin q blank at 10:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
> What do you mean "returned"? Translation please?
In this context, the grand jury agreed with the prosecutor that there was enough reason to formally prosecute - they've seen enough evidence that they think it's plausible (not sure about the legal standard here) that Russians really did interfere criminally in the election.
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
In this context, the grand jury agreed with the prosecutor that there was enough reason to formally prosecute - they've seen enough evidence that they think it's plausible (not sure about the legal standard here) that Russians really did interfere criminally in the election.
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't think there's a necessary contradiction between saying there's only two possible people who are going to win and you should pick the less awful/offensive/odious choice and saying that you bear some moral responsibility for the actions taken by the candidate you back. That's not talking about stringing you up for those actions, it's saying that you should go eyes-open into who you're backing.
You can assert that it's the sort of thinking that led people to vote against HRC but it's not, and your description shows that it's not apples to apples: voters who saw clearly the terribleness of Trump, but felt that Clinton hadn't "earned their vote" isn't about saying A has these bad values and B has these different values. It's about saying they saw A's bad values and they were looking for a reason not to choose B. That's stomaching known crap because there's not this other undescribed crap.
Anyone who was honestly comparing one set of bad traits to another set could sign on to saying I accept these problems because they're less bad than the other. That's not at all the same thing as a purity test. The Obama gay marriage example shows that - Obama was no more likely to oppose gay marriage than his opponent in 2008, particularly once he'd chosen Palin and all the signaling that clearly was doing. When you're creating that A/B list of good things and bad things you don't bother listing the things identical on both sides.
posted by phearlez at 10:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
You can assert that it's the sort of thinking that led people to vote against HRC but it's not, and your description shows that it's not apples to apples: voters who saw clearly the terribleness of Trump, but felt that Clinton hadn't "earned their vote" isn't about saying A has these bad values and B has these different values. It's about saying they saw A's bad values and they were looking for a reason not to choose B. That's stomaching known crap because there's not this other undescribed crap.
Anyone who was honestly comparing one set of bad traits to another set could sign on to saying I accept these problems because they're less bad than the other. That's not at all the same thing as a purity test. The Obama gay marriage example shows that - Obama was no more likely to oppose gay marriage than his opponent in 2008, particularly once he'd chosen Palin and all the signaling that clearly was doing. When you're creating that A/B list of good things and bad things you don't bother listing the things identical on both sides.
posted by phearlez at 10:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
"...they've seen enough evidence that they think it's plausible (not sure about the legal standard here) that Russians really did interfere criminally in the election."
17 US intelligence organizations kind of did too, so...
posted by klarck at 10:06 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
17 US intelligence organizations kind of did too, so...
posted by klarck at 10:06 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
Yes, it's one of those Fridays. BREAKING, Bloomberg is reporting that the IRS has issued subpoenas for investors and lenders in Kushner family real estate projects.
Yeeeeee hah. Follow the money, baby.
posted by Dashy at 10:06 AM on February 16, 2018 [113 favorites]
Yeeeeee hah. Follow the money, baby.
posted by Dashy at 10:06 AM on February 16, 2018 [113 favorites]
That "unwitting" kind of strains my credulity.
It doesn't exclude the possibility that some of them were at some point witting. Not that wit is these guys's strong suit.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:07 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
It doesn't exclude the possibility that some of them were at some point witting. Not that wit is these guys's strong suit.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:07 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
@chrisgeidner: BREAKING: "A federal grand jury in the District of Columbia returned an indictment on Feb. 16, 2018, against 13 Russian nationals and three Russian entities accused of violating U.S. criminal laws in order to interfere with U.S. elections and political processes
ABC: Special counsel indicts 13 Russian nationals in Russia investigation
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
ABC: Special counsel indicts 13 Russian nationals in Russia investigation
The Justice Department on Friday indicted 13 Russian nationals and three Russian groups of violating criminal laws with the intent to interfere with "with U.S. elections and political processes", according to agency.And just this Wednesday, Pence lied to Axios, "Irrespective of efforts that were made in 2016 by foreign powers, it is the universal conclusion of our intelligence communities that none of those efforts had any effect on the outcome of the 2016 election."
According to the agency, "the indictment charges all of the defendants with conspiracy to defraud the United States, three defendants with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, and five defendants with aggravated identity theft."
The indictment says that some defendants "communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump campaign" without revealing their association with Russia. The indictment also says the defendants posted negative information about a number of candidates during the last general election.
"Defendants operations included supporting the presidential campaign on then-candidate Donald J. Trump and disparaging Hillary Clinton" his Democratic rival, according to the indictment.
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
"By in or around May 2014, the ORGANIZATION's strategy included interfering with the 2016 US presidential election, with the stated goal of "spread[ing] distrust toward the candidates and the political system in general."
May 2014 does seem to be around when reality began to fully decouple, doesn't it?
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
May 2014 does seem to be around when reality began to fully decouple, doesn't it?
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign...
That "unwitting" kind of strains my credulity.
You start with assessing what you think, run through what you know, then assert and charge with what you can prove. And whether the Trumpists were aware or not isn't really important with regards to the charges against these bunch; it's possible the case against them is easier to pursue or has greater penalties if you start with the claim that they were the puppet masters. By all means, defendants, show that you're not guilty in that way by demonstrating that you were actually equals in the endeavor.
posted by phearlez at 10:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
That "unwitting" kind of strains my credulity.
You start with assessing what you think, run through what you know, then assert and charge with what you can prove. And whether the Trumpists were aware or not isn't really important with regards to the charges against these bunch; it's possible the case against them is easier to pursue or has greater penalties if you start with the claim that they were the puppet masters. By all means, defendants, show that you're not guilty in that way by demonstrating that you were actually equals in the endeavor.
posted by phearlez at 10:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
"...they've seen enough evidence that they think it's plausible (not sure about the legal standard here) that Russians really did interfere criminally in the election."
The indictment lays out names, dates and all of the receipts and is signed by one Robert S. Muller, III.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:10 AM on February 16, 2018 [18 favorites]
The indictment lays out names, dates and all of the receipts and is signed by one Robert S. Muller, III.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:10 AM on February 16, 2018 [18 favorites]
so at very least Trump is a puppet! This will drive him BONKERS!!
posted by Wilder at 10:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Wilder at 10:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
I was not ready for this kind of Friday. I have no snacks laid in and I've piles of work.
posted by halation at 10:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by halation at 10:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
That "unwitting" kind of strains my credulity.
Did you not see that Carter Page interview?
posted by eclectist at 10:13 AM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
Did you not see that Carter Page interview?
posted by eclectist at 10:13 AM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
He's already saying he'll vote for everything Trump wants: If elected, Romney associates said he would operate in the Senate as an independent-minded lawmaker but would resist being labeled as a reliable Trump critic in the model of retiring Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.), who regularly speaks out against the president.
I just want everyone to be reminded over and over during this senate race that
A. Romney pioneered mandatory healthcare coverage in MA and it totally worked . Curious as to how this fact is going to play out the next round of ACA attacks.
B. He ate humiliation scallops while thinking he was getting the SoS job.
C. He thought Paul Ryan would be a perfectly cromulent Vice President. Mitt Romney still sucks. Sure he sucks less than Trump, but he's benefiting from the same revisionist nostalgia that GWB is getting.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 10:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [44 favorites]
I just want everyone to be reminded over and over during this senate race that
A. Romney pioneered mandatory healthcare coverage in MA and it totally worked . Curious as to how this fact is going to play out the next round of ACA attacks.
B. He ate humiliation scallops while thinking he was getting the SoS job.
C. He thought Paul Ryan would be a perfectly cromulent Vice President. Mitt Romney still sucks. Sure he sucks less than Trump, but he's benefiting from the same revisionist nostalgia that GWB is getting.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 10:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [44 favorites]
Yeah, "witting" requires wits.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:14 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
The bits and pieces of the indictment that people are posting on Twitter are well and truly bonkers.
Greg Sargent: "Jesus. Mueller's indictment says the accused Russians tried to suppress minority turnout:"
The tweet has screengrabs of their tactics and it's just... wow.
posted by marshmallow peep at 10:15 AM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
Greg Sargent: "Jesus. Mueller's indictment says the accused Russians tried to suppress minority turnout:"
The tweet has screengrabs of their tactics and it's just... wow.
posted by marshmallow peep at 10:15 AM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
I think the biggest thing here is that the government is laying a lot of cards on the table about its knowledge of the Internet Research Agency's operations. If you read the indictment, it's got information about their finances, organization, personnel, research trips to the US, internal communications, IT infrastructure and US-based VPNs, etc... It also confirms Twitter accounts like @TEN_GOP were operated by Russia. To what end:
posted by zachlipton at 10:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
By 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used their fictitious online personas to interfere with the 2016 U.S. presidential election. They engaged in oeprations primarily intended to communicate derogatory information about Hillary Clinton, to denigrate other candidates such as Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio, and to support Bernie Sanders and then-candidate Donald Trump.The indictment says one employee was criticized for not attacking Clinton enough and told "it is imperative to intensify criticizing Hillary Clinton in future posts." If you read on, they proceed to discouraging minority groups from voting or encouraging them to vote for Jill Stein, spreading accusations of voter fraud, running 13 anti-Hillary/pro-Trump ads, and staging rallies in the US. Specifically, they sought to corrdinate with members of Trump's Florida campaign to organize a rally (this is presumably where the "unwitting" comes in). An actor playing Hillary in a prison uniform, hiring someone to build a cage for said actor to pose in, the works. After the election, they organized both pro and anti-Trump rallies in New York around the same time.
On or about February 10, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators internally circulated an outline of themes for future content to be posted to ORANIZATION-controlled social media accounts. Specialists were instructed to post content that focued on "poltiics in the USA" and to "use any opportunity to criticize Hillary and the rest (except Sanders and Trump—we support them).
posted by zachlipton at 10:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [47 favorites]
The tweet has screengrabs of their tactics and it's just... wow
Read it. It's pretty fucking juicy. The Russians were in it up to their eyeballs.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
Read it. It's pretty fucking juicy. The Russians were in it up to their eyeballs.
posted by Sophie1 at 10:17 AM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
I am reading the indictment now and my jaw is so close to the floor I can feel the carpet. Wow. Just wow.
posted by vac2003 at 10:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by vac2003 at 10:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Really hope the “unwitting” won’t be a theme going forward. I dread the possibility of these assholes getting away with the “we were just dumb” angle.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
Yeeeeee hah. Follow the money, baby.
In addition to the Trump Crime Family money trails, that Mueller indictment of the Russian nationals and Russian company does have stuff in it about the election in an 18 USC 371 conspiracy charge, but the meat of it for me is the identity theft + fraud charges. They even have the "These shells then paid out money" analyzed. Which ties back to my earlier comment, with the check registers from the bad guys, we find out who ELSE they were paying ( spoiler: Congress )
Classic FBI.
posted by mikelieman at 10:20 AM on February 16, 2018 [38 favorites]
In addition to the Trump Crime Family money trails, that Mueller indictment of the Russian nationals and Russian company does have stuff in it about the election in an 18 USC 371 conspiracy charge, but the meat of it for me is the identity theft + fraud charges. They even have the "These shells then paid out money" analyzed. Which ties back to my earlier comment, with the check registers from the bad guys, we find out who ELSE they were paying ( spoiler: Congress )
Classic FBI.
posted by mikelieman at 10:20 AM on February 16, 2018 [38 favorites]
I dread the possibility of these assholes getting away with the “we were just dumb” angle.
i mean
they are dumb, which is a problem
but i am nearly certain there is more to come, here; i think we just haven't got to the witting parts yet. this is probably just the overture.
posted by halation at 10:23 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
i mean
they are dumb, which is a problem
but i am nearly certain there is more to come, here; i think we just haven't got to the witting parts yet. this is probably just the overture.
posted by halation at 10:23 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm just assuming someone at the White House right now is desperately trying to figure out whether any of the indicted individuals are obese so they can say "see, it really was a 400-pound hacker."
posted by zachlipton at 10:23 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:23 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
I looooove me some Indictment Fridays.
If they put forth the "too dumb" defense, elected Democrats ought to consider publicizing the "hence too dumb to govern" motto.
posted by lydhre at 10:24 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
If they put forth the "too dumb" defense, elected Democrats ought to consider publicizing the "hence too dumb to govern" motto.
posted by lydhre at 10:24 AM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
It seems to me that alleging witting collusion in this indictment would be alleging a separate crime that would require its own indictment. It might even work as a defense for those indicted: to convict me you'll have to prove the other unindicted crime first! Merely failing to allege a crime here doesn't imply naïve innocence on the part of the Trump campaign.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:24 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:24 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Link to Rod Rosenstein's announcement stream on C-SPAN. (est. 1:30pm EST)
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare at 10:26 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare at 10:26 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
My god, the extent of the Russian interference...
posted by diogenes at 10:28 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 10:28 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Hopefully the election officials meeting with ODNI/FBI/DHS have an extended lunch break so they get a chance to read the indictment. It seems pertinent.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:28 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:28 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Rosie M. Banks: Kansas is another state that became more conservative even as the ruling conservatives killed its economy, and, lacking even tourist attractions that other Plains states have, I wonder how viable its future is.
Certain parts look like they'll grow, but there's a LOT of population drop throughout Kansas in forecasts through 2064. I think that's probably a similar forecast to many western, largely rural / open states, as people move into the suburbs and out of the rural areas, though as of 2014, more than 20% of all people in the US still lived in rural areas, the largest single population category (with "suburban" broken into 4 density categories, and "urban" in 3).
Meanwhile, U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050 from Pew Social Trends indicated that the bulk of the U.S. population growth will be due to immigrants and the children of immigrants. No wonder the Republicans are so scared of the future.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Certain parts look like they'll grow, but there's a LOT of population drop throughout Kansas in forecasts through 2064. I think that's probably a similar forecast to many western, largely rural / open states, as people move into the suburbs and out of the rural areas, though as of 2014, more than 20% of all people in the US still lived in rural areas, the largest single population category (with "suburban" broken into 4 density categories, and "urban" in 3).
Meanwhile, U.S. Population Projections: 2005-2050 from Pew Social Trends indicated that the bulk of the U.S. population growth will be due to immigrants and the children of immigrants. No wonder the Republicans are so scared of the future.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
It feels like Mueller's strategy is "first of all, this really fucking happened." Then he can proceed to make the connections to Trump.
posted by diogenes at 10:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [90 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 10:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [90 favorites]
The details include mention of a #voterfraud disinformation campaign in various states.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump to announce that Russia will be banned from meddling in the 2018 election, unless their uniforms are emboidered with the approved Election Meddlers from Russia logo
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
Congrats to the administration on another successful Infrastructure Week.
posted by joedan at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [136 favorites]
posted by joedan at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [136 favorites]
What happens with this indictment? Is a warrant for arrest issued against them? Zero chance they’d be extradited I suppose.
posted by Room 101 at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Room 101 at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Did you not see that Carter Page interview?
Carter Page absolutely knows he is a Russian spy. The unwitting aspect is that he doesn't seem to know that everybody else knows that.
posted by Artw at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
Carter Page absolutely knows he is a Russian spy. The unwitting aspect is that he doesn't seem to know that everybody else knows that.
posted by Artw at 10:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
Congrats to the administration on another successful Infrastructure Week.
Have the tires left the tarmac for golf yet?
posted by Artw at 10:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
Have the tires left the tarmac for golf yet?
posted by Artw at 10:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
is anyone willing to wade through the #MAGATS to see how they are spinning this? Take one for the team, even? I spent more than 1 hour in there this week looking at the Florida conspiracies and I just can't even...
(also it's a rare date night with OH of 30 yrs who's been on-call nights for a week.....We're going to Black Panther!! someone do me a favour, please?
posted by Wilder at 10:33 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
(also it's a rare date night with OH of 30 yrs who's been on-call nights for a week.....We're going to Black Panther!! someone do me a favour, please?
posted by Wilder at 10:33 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
It feels like Mueller's strategy is "first of all, this really fucking happened." Then he can proceed to make the connections to Trump.
And he's showing the Trump people just how much he already has from the Russian's side. Everyone in that White House right now is wondering what else he knows, and every move up the ladder makes it more likely people start flipping.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:36 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
And he's showing the Trump people just how much he already has from the Russian's side. Everyone in that White House right now is wondering what else he knows, and every move up the ladder makes it more likely people start flipping.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:36 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
It seems to me that alleging witting collusion in this indictment would be alleging a separate crime that would require its own indictment.
Then he could have just left of the unwitting qualifier, right?
posted by LarsC at 10:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Then he could have just left of the unwitting qualifier, right?
posted by LarsC at 10:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Link to Rod Rosenstein's announcement stream on C-SPAN. (est. 1:30pm EST)
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare
Is this eponysterical? I can't decide. (Linked again because if you aren't listening to it, you should.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:37 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by Donald Trump Sex Nightmare
Is this eponysterical? I can't decide. (Linked again because if you aren't listening to it, you should.)
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:37 AM on February 16, 2018
Whoa, that was a lot of gulping, and then active fleeing by Rosenstein.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:39 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by rc3spencer at 10:39 AM on February 16, 2018
Rosenstein keeps answering journalists questions by saying "there is no allegation in this indictment of knowing co-operation by any Americans"... "what I'm telling you is about allegations in this indictment". It's clearly a pre-vetted line.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:39 AM on February 16, 2018 [64 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:39 AM on February 16, 2018 [64 favorites]
It is entirely possible that this is the unwitting side of the operation, while the witting conspiracy came from Jr and co.
posted by lydhre at 10:39 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by lydhre at 10:39 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
What’s a great source for live updates of the Rosenstein briefing???
posted by gucci mane at 10:40 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by gucci mane at 10:40 AM on February 16, 2018
Rosenstein recording here
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:41 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:41 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Imagine being the person who dressed up like Hillary at the Florida rally, seeing yourself described in this indictment, and realizing that the people you were working with (and got paid by) were freaking Russian spies. That's gonna mess with your head.
posted by diogenes at 10:43 AM on February 16, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 10:43 AM on February 16, 2018 [34 favorites]
Rosenstein keeps answering journalists questions by saying "there is no allegation in this indictment of knowing co-operation by any Americans"
Trump and the Republican co-conspirators will be claiming this afternoon that Rosenstien just cleared Trump and the Special Council should be over now, just wait for it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:43 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
Trump and the Republican co-conspirators will be claiming this afternoon that Rosenstien just cleared Trump and the Special Council should be over now, just wait for it.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:43 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
Things would really get interesting if this indictment is a prelude to filing the revised indictment and plea deal for Rick Gates showing some cooperation from the Trump campaign. Haven't heard any rumors about Gates other than shady dealings in Ukraine, though, so I don't know how likely that is.
posted by stopgap at 10:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by stopgap at 10:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Imagine being the person who dressed up like Hillary at the Florida rally, seeing yourself described in this indictment, and realizing that the people you were working with (and got paid by) were freaking Russian spies. That's gonna mess with your head.
I wouldn't worry about that person having any capacity for critical self-reflection.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [69 favorites]
I wouldn't worry about that person having any capacity for critical self-reflection.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [69 favorites]
It's pretty clear that there are other sides of the operation, since this indictment doesn't mention email hacking, among other things we know happened.
I'd also like to point your attention, because it's incredible and hilarious, to paragraph 12 of the indictment, in which the Internet Research Agency uses one of their social media accounts to get an unnamed US person to stand outside the White House under false pretenses (I'm pretty curious what those are really) holding a sign reading "Happy 55th Birthday Dear Boss" two days before Defendant's Yevgeniy Prigozhin's birthday.
posted by zachlipton at 10:46 AM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
I'd also like to point your attention, because it's incredible and hilarious, to paragraph 12 of the indictment, in which the Internet Research Agency uses one of their social media accounts to get an unnamed US person to stand outside the White House under false pretenses (I'm pretty curious what those are really) holding a sign reading "Happy 55th Birthday Dear Boss" two days before Defendant's Yevgeniy Prigozhin's birthday.
posted by zachlipton at 10:46 AM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
Artw: Have the tires left the tarmac for golf yet?
Hey now, he's going to Florida for presidential purposes!
I can totally imagine that he's meeting with his family and associates, huddling together to plan their escape, or how to spin Mueller's and Rosenstein's announcements. And then some golf.
What, you thought he'd actually meet with survivors and victims? Hah!
posted by filthy light thief at 10:46 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Hey now, he's going to Florida for presidential purposes!
I will be leaving for Florida today to meet with some of the bravest people on earth – but people whose lives have been totally shattered. Am also working with Congress on many fronts. [Tweet]And the Oklahoman was so good as to point out that Trump was already set to leave Friday for a weekend at his Palm Beach resort, on top of the usual references to the fact that Trump provided no clarification on what he meant in his Tweet.
I can totally imagine that he's meeting with his family and associates, huddling together to plan their escape, or how to spin Mueller's and Rosenstein's announcements. And then some golf.
What, you thought he'd actually meet with survivors and victims? Hah!
posted by filthy light thief at 10:46 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mod note: Folks, maybe focus more on detail of the indictment and presser and less on general riffing re: the situation, so this thread doesn't balloon.
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 10:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
T.D. Strange: Trump and the Republican co-conspirators will be claiming this afternoon that Rosenstien just cleared Trump and the Special Council should be over now, just wait for it.
The CBS News live stream updates has someone noting that we still have to wait and see if any Americans are included, which could easily be spun into "look, they didn't say our names!" by the GOP and Trump.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
The CBS News live stream updates has someone noting that we still have to wait and see if any Americans are included, which could easily be spun into "look, they didn't say our names!" by the GOP and Trump.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
They don’t need their names mentioned for an obstruction case, it just needs to be proven that they intended to obstruct the investigation.
posted by gucci mane at 10:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by gucci mane at 10:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
The people who will inevitably say "those Russian Twitter bots didn't affect my vote!" are the same who say advertising doesn't work on them. That's exactly why it works, my dude.
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:51 AM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
posted by schoolgirl report at 10:51 AM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
matthewamiller: Curious about the interagency process behind this. Usually before this kind of indictment, DOJ would consult with State, the IC, the WH. Obviously that’s tricky here...
posted by Chrysostom at 10:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Two, presumably soon to be three, people convicted of felonies. Fourteen other individuals indicted with felonies. And a President who calls the entire investigation a hoax. Why would the President make such a manifestly absurd claim about his own Department of Justice? It is because he is guilty.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 AM on February 16, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 AM on February 16, 2018 [31 favorites]
And a President who calls the entire investigation a hoax.
Yup, this tweet isn't aging well:
"Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!"
posted by diogenes at 10:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [19 favorites]
Yup, this tweet isn't aging well:
"Russia talk is FAKE NEWS put out by the Dems, and played up by the media, in order to mask the big election defeat and the illegal leaks!"
posted by diogenes at 10:57 AM on February 16, 2018 [19 favorites]
@ABCPolitics: President Trump was briefed this morning by FBI Director Chris Wray and Deputy AG Rod Rosenstein on the indictments against 13 Russians and Russian organizations, U.S. officials tell @ABC News.
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume this meeting didn't go so well.
One thing worth emphasizing here is the light this indictment casts on all of Trump's desires to fire Mueller and his actual firing of Comey. It's not just obstructing the investigation into him and his campaign; it's obstructing the investigation into what Russia did during the election. That, in an of itself, is treasonous.
This is also quite true. @hannahgais: literally everything that has been said in a russian ad about clinton was broadcasted to the american public for YEARS by the conservative media. none of this is new--if anything the IRA was following our lead.
posted by zachlipton at 10:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [71 favorites]
I'm going to go out on a limb and assume this meeting didn't go so well.
One thing worth emphasizing here is the light this indictment casts on all of Trump's desires to fire Mueller and his actual firing of Comey. It's not just obstructing the investigation into him and his campaign; it's obstructing the investigation into what Russia did during the election. That, in an of itself, is treasonous.
This is also quite true. @hannahgais: literally everything that has been said in a russian ad about clinton was broadcasted to the american public for YEARS by the conservative media. none of this is new--if anything the IRA was following our lead.
posted by zachlipton at 10:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [71 favorites]
Question: "...Were campaign officials cooperative, or were they duped? What was their relationship with this?"
Rosenstein: "There is no allegation in this indictment that any American had any knowledge..."
So, dupes it is then.
posted by mikepop at 10:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Rosenstein: "There is no allegation in this indictment that any American had any knowledge..."
So, dupes it is then.
posted by mikepop at 10:58 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Commerce recommends major tariffs on steel and aluminum.
Note that the options to exclude are BRICs and developing countries.
Here's what the market for aluminum imports is:
Import Sources (2012–15): Canada, 59%; Russia and United Arab Emirates, 6% each; China, 5%; and other, 24%.
(source USGS PDF)
As for Steel: "Canada accounted for the largest share of U.S. imports by source country at 17 percent (5.2 mmt), followed by Brazil at 13 percent (3.9 mmt), South Korea at 12 percent (3.5 mmt), Mexico at 9 percent (2.7 mmt), and Turkey at 7 percent (2.2 mmt).
While the rankings of the top 10 source countries for U.S. imports has fluctuated over time, Canada has retained the top spot"
(source PDF)
IOW is this the latest shot in the US-Canada trade war that been going on ever since the Trumpists came to power, over a year ago.
posted by bonehead at 11:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Note that the options to exclude are BRICs and developing countries.
Here's what the market for aluminum imports is:
Import Sources (2012–15): Canada, 59%; Russia and United Arab Emirates, 6% each; China, 5%; and other, 24%.
(source USGS PDF)
As for Steel: "Canada accounted for the largest share of U.S. imports by source country at 17 percent (5.2 mmt), followed by Brazil at 13 percent (3.9 mmt), South Korea at 12 percent (3.5 mmt), Mexico at 9 percent (2.7 mmt), and Turkey at 7 percent (2.2 mmt).
While the rankings of the top 10 source countries for U.S. imports has fluctuated over time, Canada has retained the top spot"
(source PDF)
IOW is this the latest shot in the US-Canada trade war that been going on ever since the Trumpists came to power, over a year ago.
posted by bonehead at 11:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
I was not ready for this kind of Friday. I have no snacks laid in and I've piles of work.
I'm ready. I have piles of Girl Scout cookies that I'm willing to plow through for the cause, and I could get started on my taxes in between page reloads.
Bring it on, Mueller!
posted by Dashy at 11:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm ready. I have piles of Girl Scout cookies that I'm willing to plow through for the cause, and I could get started on my taxes in between page reloads.
Bring it on, Mueller!
posted by Dashy at 11:00 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
zachlipton: This is also quite true. @hannahgais: literally everything that has been said in a russian ad about clinton was broadcasted to the american public for YEARS by the conservative media. none of this is new--if anything the IRA was following our lead.
It’s probably bc the GOP and their affiliated groups are Russian proxies.
posted by gucci mane at 11:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
It’s probably bc the GOP and their affiliated groups are Russian proxies.
posted by gucci mane at 11:01 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
"no allegation in this indictment" doesn't preclude allegations in another indictment. well played, rosenstein.
posted by halation at 11:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by halation at 11:02 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Really hope the “unwitting” won’t be a theme going forward. I dread the possibility of these assholes getting away with the “we were just dumb” angle.
It's not necessarily bad. Being dumb is not always a defense, if it can be shown that someone ought to have known something, or failed to meet some standard of reasonable awareness and alert whomever -- a negligence aspect, basically. Or perhaps willfully blind. Also, depending on the fact situation, claiming that they were just dumb may go to their credibility overall.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:03 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's not necessarily bad. Being dumb is not always a defense, if it can be shown that someone ought to have known something, or failed to meet some standard of reasonable awareness and alert whomever -- a negligence aspect, basically. Or perhaps willfully blind. Also, depending on the fact situation, claiming that they were just dumb may go to their credibility overall.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:03 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
There's absolutely no reason to worry about the "unwitting" part. This indictment is just for one branch of the Russian operation. There were others.
posted by diogenes at 11:03 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 11:03 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Today reminds me a great deal of the end of A Fish Called Wanda
posted by rc3spencer at 11:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 11:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
T.D. Strange: Trump and the Republican co-conspirators will be claiming this afternoon that Rosenstien just cleared Trump and the Special Council should be over now, just wait for it.
It's already starting. One of the headlines on Drudge right now:
Trump cleared? Indictment says Russians worked with 'unwitting' participants...
posted by joedan at 11:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
It's already starting. One of the headlines on Drudge right now:
Trump cleared? Indictment says Russians worked with 'unwitting' participants...
posted by joedan at 11:04 AM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Tip toeing through r/the_donald shows that they've latched on to the fact that it states it was operating to support Bernie as well, that they doctored IDs (demands for voter ID), and that it amounts to they were mean on the internet. And definitely that it absolves their campaign of anything because it just happened around them.
posted by msbutah at 11:07 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by msbutah at 11:07 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Regarding protest votes against Hillary, I guess the thing is this: voting is about responsibility, and I can understand the logic behind protest votes though I don't find it justified in most cases. But voting for Trump was not a normal protest vote, for this reason: he went out of his way to stir up hatred towards whole segments of the population. He launched his campaign that way. He worked his crowds up that way at every single rally, he whipped up a frenzy of anti-Hispanic, anti-black, anti-semitic, anti-gay, anti-Muslim, anti-feminist, anti-those terrible trans people who want to assault you in your bathrooms, anti-anything that worked people up-passion. He brought people who built their careers on sowing hatred into his team. This was a candidate that caused the rate of hate crimes to go up significantly during his campaign. "I don't think he's actually racist," people say - but it doesn't matter whether he personally bears animus towards these groups. He used other people's hatred, manipulated it, made it an acceptable thing to bring into the highest levels of politics as pure text, not even the traditional subtext. And that has consequences now and it had them during the campaign.
America is a country founded on the principle that the legitimacy of a government derives purely from how it treats its people. You had a candidate going far out of his way to whip up rage and resentment and hatred against whole portions of that people. A candidate encouraging people to feel, and to scream, that they were under attack by most of their fellow citizens.
So he wasn't a normal candidate, and to vote for him was, at best, to say "eh, I guess maybe there's a chance I'm voting for a government that will gleefully hurt its own people, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."
Trump voters can't undo what they did. But they can at least, if they actually regret it, work now to protect some small group of the people their choice harms.
posted by trig at 11:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
America is a country founded on the principle that the legitimacy of a government derives purely from how it treats its people. You had a candidate going far out of his way to whip up rage and resentment and hatred against whole portions of that people. A candidate encouraging people to feel, and to scream, that they were under attack by most of their fellow citizens.
So he wasn't a normal candidate, and to vote for him was, at best, to say "eh, I guess maybe there's a chance I'm voting for a government that will gleefully hurt its own people, but that's a risk I'm willing to take."
Trump voters can't undo what they did. But they can at least, if they actually regret it, work now to protect some small group of the people their choice harms.
posted by trig at 11:08 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
Another Mueller plea just dropped.
Looks like it's an American who helped the Russians get phony American personas.
posted by diogenes at 11:09 AM on February 16, 2018 [45 favorites]
Looks like it's an American who helped the Russians get phony American personas.
posted by diogenes at 11:09 AM on February 16, 2018 [45 favorites]
Bloomberg, developing: Mueller Announces Guilty Plea of California Man in Investigation
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Friday released plea deal with Richard Pinedo, saying he knowingly used the IDs of other people in connection with “unlawful activity” and was paid at least $1,000 for doing so, Bloomberg News reports.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:10 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
U.S. Special Counsel Robert Mueller on Friday released plea deal with Richard Pinedo, saying he knowingly used the IDs of other people in connection with “unlawful activity” and was paid at least $1,000 for doing so, Bloomberg News reports.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:10 AM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
The description of the ads they ran specifically to get black and Muslim voters to stay home or vote for Stein are so infuriatingly obvious.
They also ran anti-Trump rallies after the election, in case you were wondering whose side they were on (Putin's).
posted by uncleozzy at 11:10 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
They also ran anti-Trump rallies after the election, in case you were wondering whose side they were on (Putin's).
posted by uncleozzy at 11:10 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
It’s probably bc the GOP and their affiliated groups are Russian proxies.
I really want to push back here. Russia did a lot, absolutely, but we can't pretend all our problems are the result of foreign meddling. There are plenty of Americans, free from foreign interference, who happily jumped on the "Hillary for prison" train and spread every one of these messages themselves.
Russia zeroed in on divisions in our society with uncanny precision and sought to exploit them, but we're letting ourselves off the hook if we believe this stuff also isn't something we need to own ourselves as a country.
posted by zachlipton at 11:11 AM on February 16, 2018 [111 favorites]
I really want to push back here. Russia did a lot, absolutely, but we can't pretend all our problems are the result of foreign meddling. There are plenty of Americans, free from foreign interference, who happily jumped on the "Hillary for prison" train and spread every one of these messages themselves.
Russia zeroed in on divisions in our society with uncanny precision and sought to exploit them, but we're letting ourselves off the hook if we believe this stuff also isn't something we need to own ourselves as a country.
posted by zachlipton at 11:11 AM on February 16, 2018 [111 favorites]
It's already starting. One of the headlines on Drudge right now:
Yep. The MAGA accounts are already trimphant that Rosenstein cleared Trump, as if this is the last shoe to drop.
But watch for which Republican electeds take this up, because the threat will be if they try to use this as the rationale to shut it all down.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:11 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
Yep. The MAGA accounts are already trimphant that Rosenstein cleared Trump, as if this is the last shoe to drop.
But watch for which Republican electeds take this up, because the threat will be if they try to use this as the rationale to shut it all down.
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:11 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
Yep. The Russians wouldn't have gotten this far if we didn't have millions of Americans already primed to vote with their racism and misogyny.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [44 favorites]
Really, really, dumb to the point of obliviousness about who was lending material assistance to their campaign, and then, just by sheer coincidence, really really strangely friendly and obsequious toward Putin to the point of modifying the party platform to be more pro-Russia, then failing to enact anti-Russian sanctions mandated by law.
posted by contraption at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by contraption at 11:12 AM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
Republicans are spinning this hard that the actual news is that Rosenstein declared that no Americans knowingly cooperated with Russians. (He didn't say that obviously, but that's what they're saying he said.)
posted by the turtle's teeth at 11:13 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by the turtle's teeth at 11:13 AM on February 16, 2018
I don’t know how to “read” indictments but section 47 (or paragraph 47?) talks about Russian bots spreading misinformation about the Democrats and voter fraud. Funny how the president latched onto that story real quick.
posted by gucci mane at 11:15 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 11:15 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
So just checking...we can't arrest these Russians, right?
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:15 AM on February 16, 2018
posted by jenfullmoon at 11:15 AM on February 16, 2018
From p. 24 of the indictment, section titled "Destruction of Evidence":
58.d. Defendants and their co-conspirators thereafter destroyed evidence for the purpose of impeding the investigation. On or about September 13, 2017, KAVERZINA wrote in an email to a family member: "We had a slight crisis here at work: the FBI busted our activity (not a joke). So, I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with the colleagues." KAVERZINA further wrote, "I created all these pictures and posts, and the Americans believed that it was written by their people."
posted by crepesofwrath at 11:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
58.d. Defendants and their co-conspirators thereafter destroyed evidence for the purpose of impeding the investigation. On or about September 13, 2017, KAVERZINA wrote in an email to a family member: "We had a slight crisis here at work: the FBI busted our activity (not a joke). So, I got preoccupied with covering tracks together with the colleagues." KAVERZINA further wrote, "I created all these pictures and posts, and the Americans believed that it was written by their people."
posted by crepesofwrath at 11:18 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
So just checking...we can't arrest these Russians, right?
We're going to ask Russia to extradite them. I'm sure they'll hop right to it.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 11:19 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
We're going to ask Russia to extradite them. I'm sure they'll hop right to it.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 11:19 AM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
There's absolutely no reason to worry about the "unwitting" part.
Indeed. By saying they were unwitting, that's one less element which needs to be proven, and one less thing which a defense can attack. K.I.S.S.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:20 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Indeed. By saying they were unwitting, that's one less element which needs to be proven, and one less thing which a defense can attack. K.I.S.S.
posted by Capt. Renault at 11:20 AM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Some Defendants, posing as U.S. persons and without revealing their Russian association, communicated with unwitting individuals associated with the Trump Campaign
This could be as simple as stuff like Donald Jr. retweeting various Russian owned twitter accounts. I'm sure he talked to entities like @TEN_GOP in addition to following them and spreading their message.
posted by diogenes at 11:22 AM on February 16, 2018
This could be as simple as stuff like Donald Jr. retweeting various Russian owned twitter accounts. I'm sure he talked to entities like @TEN_GOP in addition to following them and spreading their message.
posted by diogenes at 11:22 AM on February 16, 2018
What is it with these fucking people and talking about crimes over email?
posted by OverlappingElvis at 11:22 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by OverlappingElvis at 11:22 AM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
The Russians sending their indicted folks over is about as likely as Mexico paying for the wall.
posted by Sophie1 at 11:25 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 11:25 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Someone please create a Facebook app that scrapes your social network and creates a ranked list of your Facebook friends and how many times they each shared Russian propaganda. This needs to be a teaching moment for the American public.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:28 AM on February 16, 2018 [69 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 11:28 AM on February 16, 2018 [69 favorites]
The Russians sending their indicted folks over is about as likely as Mexico paying for the wall.
But it does put a nice bit of extra pressure on Trump to at least put on a show of being against the interference, and maybe even enact the sanctions that Congress passed and that are the law of the land.
posted by contraption at 11:29 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
But it does put a nice bit of extra pressure on Trump to at least put on a show of being against the interference, and maybe even enact the sanctions that Congress passed and that are the law of the land.
posted by contraption at 11:29 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Donald Trump Jr. retweeting the Russian controlled @TEN_GOP account named in the indictment
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [79 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [79 favorites]
In other words, all that "unwitting" means is that people in the Trump campaign weren't always aware that that they were talking to Russians. That is unrelated to the question of whether or not they were ever aware of it.
posted by diogenes at 11:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by diogenes at 11:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
paid at least $1,000 for doing so
So cheap! It always gets me how low people will sell themselves out for. Similar with campaign contributions. Sad.
posted by Meatbomb at 11:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
So cheap! It always gets me how low people will sell themselves out for. Similar with campaign contributions. Sad.
posted by Meatbomb at 11:30 AM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
Unfortunately, since so many of the propaganda accounts have been pulled down, the posts are no longer on your friends' feeds.
posted by zachlipton at 11:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by zachlipton at 11:31 AM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
Facebook has all that data. They should be legally compelled to make it public.
posted by contraption at 11:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [46 favorites]
posted by contraption at 11:32 AM on February 16, 2018 [46 favorites]
Re: unwitting, there's a line in the account-fraud guy's plea that he "willfully and intentionally avoided learning about the use of stolen identities." If you can plead to that, can you indict on it?
posted by uncleozzy at 11:35 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 11:35 AM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Twitter emailed those who engaged with the IRA bots directly, IIRC. Facebook lets you see if you did or not at their help center.
posted by msbutah at 11:35 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by msbutah at 11:35 AM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
NYT on the Daddy Troll, pictured serving Putin dinner.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 11:37 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
The Daily Beast had an article posted a while ago detailing the interactions that Don Jr, Flynn, and Flynn Jr had with @TEN_GOP, including Don Jr reposting the election fraud tweet.
posted by gucci mane at 11:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 11:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Kyle Griffin: Rep. Jerry Nadler, top Judiciary Committee Democrat: “At this point, any step President Trump may take to interfere with the Special Counsel’s investigation... will have to be seen as a direct attempt to aid the Russian government in attacking American democracy.”
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [107 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 11:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [107 favorites]
I've been on a several month long FB hiatus (not deleting my account just yet because of family messenger groups), but I'm pretty sure I know which of my right and left extremist "friends" were spreading fake news i.e. what we now know was Russian propaganda. I guess I'm old enough I remember how it worked during the cold war.
There's one person I'm ambivalent about, they knew Trump would win the election well in advance, and of course no-one believed them. It's a typical ultra billionaire libertarian data nerd, so maybe they just focused on the data instead of the noise, or maybe they had information we didn't.
posted by mumimor at 11:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
There's one person I'm ambivalent about, they knew Trump would win the election well in advance, and of course no-one believed them. It's a typical ultra billionaire libertarian data nerd, so maybe they just focused on the data instead of the noise, or maybe they had information we didn't.
posted by mumimor at 11:40 AM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
But watch for which Republican electeds take this up, because the threat will be if they try to use this as the rationale to shut it all down
This spin is not going to work very well for them, I don't think. The "Trump and his campaign were unwitting" line requires them to admit that it happened. And once they admit that, I think they have lost the battle.
Because it does not matter whether it is ever proved that Trump personally broke whatever specific US federal statute. Just like it didn't matter whether Hillary's server was actually illegal. People are terrible with details.
That is not how clouds of scandal work. Once even Trump supporters are forced to say "Yes, Russia helped Trump, but..." whatever comes after the "but" will be forgotten, I think. There will be no dispelling that cloud of scandal.
This is huge progress, if they are admitting it happened. It was so frustrating in December 2016 when even most Democrats I knew were dismissing accounts of the Russian meddling as conspiracy theories. The truth is, very slowly, winning. So far.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:42 AM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
This spin is not going to work very well for them, I don't think. The "Trump and his campaign were unwitting" line requires them to admit that it happened. And once they admit that, I think they have lost the battle.
Because it does not matter whether it is ever proved that Trump personally broke whatever specific US federal statute. Just like it didn't matter whether Hillary's server was actually illegal. People are terrible with details.
That is not how clouds of scandal work. Once even Trump supporters are forced to say "Yes, Russia helped Trump, but..." whatever comes after the "but" will be forgotten, I think. There will be no dispelling that cloud of scandal.
This is huge progress, if they are admitting it happened. It was so frustrating in December 2016 when even most Democrats I knew were dismissing accounts of the Russian meddling as conspiracy theories. The truth is, very slowly, winning. So far.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:42 AM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
Once even Trump supporters are forced to say "Yes, Russia helped Trump, but..." whatever comes after the "but" will be forgotten, I think
True, but it will be even better if we get to "Yes, Trump worked with Russia to undermine our electoral system and then worked on their behalf, but..."
posted by diogenes at 11:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
True, but it will be even better if we get to "Yes, Trump worked with Russia to undermine our electoral system and then worked on their behalf, but..."
posted by diogenes at 11:45 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Regarding the inevitable stretching of "unwitting" into "zero Trump campaign members ever knew that the Russian government was working to help them", we don't even have to speculate how unlikely that is. We already know it's totally inaccurate, and we know because of the damn Agalarov/Goldstone/Don-Jr email about "Russia and its support"/"I love it" and the subsequent meeting. Right? Don Jr could well have been unwitting that TEN_GOP was specifically Russian, but he sure as heck knew that Russia was supporting the campaign, offering help, etc.
I feel like there's no coherent defense left for Team Trump to present except a flat-out "All's fair in elections." Like, our candidate was the best one, so it doesn't matter what we did to try to win. And then.... I guess they'd have to justify all of Trump's constant lying about it with "The liberal media and crooked Deep State wouldn't understaaand". Just full-on Jessup Defense.
But the key word in what I said is "coherent"; most likely, they'll not bother with such reality-based nonsense.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
I feel like there's no coherent defense left for Team Trump to present except a flat-out "All's fair in elections." Like, our candidate was the best one, so it doesn't matter what we did to try to win. And then.... I guess they'd have to justify all of Trump's constant lying about it with "The liberal media and crooked Deep State wouldn't understaaand". Just full-on Jessup Defense.
But the key word in what I said is "coherent"; most likely, they'll not bother with such reality-based nonsense.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Hypothetically, if any of the indicted Russians have significant assets in the US, could those assets be frozen until the indicted parties show up to stand trial?
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 11:47 AM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Meanwhile, on our domestic efforts to subvert democracy and suppress the vote...
@PoliticsWolf:
@PoliticsWolf:
Wow: NC GOP has passed a *3rd* law to remove the Dem majority from the elections board so Dems can't reverse past GOP voter suppression. Courts already blocked their first 2 attempts, so they cynically tied this 1 to an unrelated edu. bill Dems had favoredposted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on February 16, 2018 [77 favorites]
North Carolina Republicans included no severability clause, so they're basically forcing Dems to invalidate these education-related provisions if Dems try to sue again over the elections board. NC GOP has gone to unbelievable extremes to undermine democracy #NCpol
Hypothetically, if any of the indicted Russians have significant assets in the US, could those assets be frozen until the indicted parties show up to stand trial?
as much as I would like to literally encase Nunes, Flynn, the entire Trump family, etc in ice I don't see this happening
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
as much as I would like to literally encase Nunes, Flynn, the entire Trump family, etc in ice I don't see this happening
posted by prize bull octorok at 11:49 AM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
Rosestein said that there was "no allegation in this indictment that any American was a knowing participant in this activity" (emphasis mine)
and then Mueller drops
plea deal with Richard Pinedo, saying he knowingly used the IDs of other people in connection with “unlawful activity” and was paid at least $1,000 for doing so
so it sounds like Rosenstein was
a) choosing his words very carefully
b) unaware of the other bullets Mueller had in his gun today
posted by murphy slaw at 11:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
and then Mueller drops
plea deal with Richard Pinedo, saying he knowingly used the IDs of other people in connection with “unlawful activity” and was paid at least $1,000 for doing so
so it sounds like Rosenstein was
a) choosing his words very carefully
b) unaware of the other bullets Mueller had in his gun today
posted by murphy slaw at 11:50 AM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
as much as I would like to literally encase Nunes, Flynn, the entire Trump family, etc in ice I don't see this happening
surely this is a more elegant solution anyway
posted by halation at 11:51 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
surely this is a more elegant solution anyway
posted by halation at 11:51 AM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Josh Marshall says what I've been thinking:
Important to remember: virtually all the detail in this indictment must come from counter-intelligence info/work product which President Trump has had access to and quite likely has been briefed on.
Trump knew most of this as he continued to tell the American people that it was all a hoax.
posted by diogenes at 11:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [61 favorites]
Important to remember: virtually all the detail in this indictment must come from counter-intelligence info/work product which President Trump has had access to and quite likely has been briefed on.
Trump knew most of this as he continued to tell the American people that it was all a hoax.
posted by diogenes at 11:52 AM on February 16, 2018 [61 favorites]
Trump knew
I feel like there's a gap between "Trump was told" and "Trump knew."
posted by uncleozzy at 11:54 AM on February 16, 2018 [111 favorites]
I feel like there's a gap between "Trump was told" and "Trump knew."
posted by uncleozzy at 11:54 AM on February 16, 2018 [111 favorites]
That is not how clouds of scandal work. Once even Trump supporters are forced to say "Yes, Russia helped Trump, but..." whatever comes after the "but" will be forgotten, I think. There will be no dispelling that cloud of scandal.
Counterpoint: Trump voters and the Republican party (same, I know) have willfully ignored one nightmare after another about this guy since he started. They have shown zero signs of anything being over the line.
As evidence, allow me to present the entire presidential campaign and the administration in the White House that has followed it.
But God, I really hope I'm wrong and you're right.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
Counterpoint: Trump voters and the Republican party (same, I know) have willfully ignored one nightmare after another about this guy since he started. They have shown zero signs of anything being over the line.
As evidence, allow me to present the entire presidential campaign and the administration in the White House that has followed it.
But God, I really hope I'm wrong and you're right.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
"Trump knew most of this as he continued to tell the American people that it was all a hoax"
Unless it was in one of those reports he didn't read or briefings he didn't pay attention to.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
Unless it was in one of those reports he didn't read or briefings he didn't pay attention to.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:55 AM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
Ahh... the good questions.
How much did Mitch McConnell know about Russian interference and when did he know it?
posted by Artw at 11:56 AM on February 16, 2018 [56 favorites]
How much did Mitch McConnell know about Russian interference and when did he know it?
posted by Artw at 11:56 AM on February 16, 2018 [56 favorites]
T.D. Strange: Donald Trump Jr. retweeting the Russian controlled @TEN_GOP account named in the indictment
Not just retweeted, followed, and White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway also retweeted @TEN_GOP, but that's all old news, from January when Twitter emailed 677,775 people to tell them that they interacted with Kremlin-linked trolls.
contraption: Facebook has all that data. They should be legally compelled to make it public.
They havean app a tool for that, as of Dec. 22, 2017. Well, this tool will let users see whether they liked or followed any Facebook pages or Instagram accounts created by the Internet Research Agency, the troll farm with links to the Kremlin that has sought to spread chaos in U.S. politics.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:00 PM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
Not just retweeted, followed, and White House counsellor Kellyanne Conway also retweeted @TEN_GOP, but that's all old news, from January when Twitter emailed 677,775 people to tell them that they interacted with Kremlin-linked trolls.
contraption: Facebook has all that data. They should be legally compelled to make it public.
They have
posted by filthy light thief at 12:00 PM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
Artw: How much did Mitch McConnell know about Russian interference and when did he know it?
McConnel stopped Obama from "calling out Russians" -- he knew, and he knew that the then-president knew.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:01 PM on February 16, 2018 [46 favorites]
McConnel stopped Obama from "calling out Russians" -- he knew, and he knew that the then-president knew.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:01 PM on February 16, 2018 [46 favorites]
@jdawsey1: Press was invited to get on Air Force One, then rushed off and hurried back inside as Melania Trump's motorcade pulled up. Some screaming from a White House press aide. No pictures allowed of first lady's arrival.
What the what now? Also, why do they have separate motorcades?
posted by zachlipton at 12:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
What the what now? Also, why do they have separate motorcades?
posted by zachlipton at 12:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
Another Mueller plea just dropped.
Seriously, I am perfectly willing to eat Girl Scout cookies until I vomit, here.
posted by Dashy at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [66 favorites]
Seriously, I am perfectly willing to eat Girl Scout cookies until I vomit, here.
posted by Dashy at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [66 favorites]
We probably won't get to know the details during my lifetime, but my feeling is that some people made the decision when Trump was elected that he was not to be fully briefed ever. Which is obviously highly problematic, but the alternative would be to serve sensitive knowledge directly to Russia. Also not good.
posted by mumimor at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
If I dug through my Twitter history I could probably find myself RTing or replying to @Ten_GOP in some manner of "go to hell" response. I fully understood there was a massive propaganda effort going on, knew it was sophisticated, but this one still has my jaw on the floor. I 100% believed that account was some actual American Republican of Tennessee, if not an actual party functionary.
...and we can have a long talk about why a Russian troll account could so believably pose as a regular old GOP account without anyone ever saying, "Gosh, this seems really batshit even for Republicans on Twitter."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
...and we can have a long talk about why a Russian troll account could so believably pose as a regular old GOP account without anyone ever saying, "Gosh, this seems really batshit even for Republicans on Twitter."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
why do they have separate motorcades?
LOL because they fucken hate each other.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:04 PM on February 16, 2018 [76 favorites]
LOL because they fucken hate each other.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:04 PM on February 16, 2018 [76 favorites]
so it sounds like Rosenstein was
a) choosing his words very carefully
He's a lawyer. Any half-decent lawyer (or even politician) for that matter will choose their words wisely in a time like this. Hell, I started talking like that quite often (to the annoyance of my wife, which made me realize I was doing it) after casually telling some local folks about what I did or didn't know about a land use planning and zoning issue that then got spun around in a public meeting.
It's not hard to choose your words wisely. It's boastful idiots who come out guns a blazin' and repeatedly shoot themselves in the feet about their illegal activities.
(Then again, I can imagine that it's hard to remember what to say and to whom if you've been involved with shady deals for decades, to the point that it's your standard operating procedures to partner with Russian mobsters.)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:05 PM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
a) choosing his words very carefully
He's a lawyer. Any half-decent lawyer (or even politician) for that matter will choose their words wisely in a time like this. Hell, I started talking like that quite often (to the annoyance of my wife, which made me realize I was doing it) after casually telling some local folks about what I did or didn't know about a land use planning and zoning issue that then got spun around in a public meeting.
It's not hard to choose your words wisely. It's boastful idiots who come out guns a blazin' and repeatedly shoot themselves in the feet about their illegal activities.
(Then again, I can imagine that it's hard to remember what to say and to whom if you've been involved with shady deals for decades, to the point that it's your standard operating procedures to partner with Russian mobsters.)
posted by filthy light thief at 12:05 PM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
What the what now? Also, why do they have separate motorcades?
One of my many fantasies is of Melania becoming the first First Lady to divorce a sitting President. She didn't want any of this shit to begin with.
posted by Jacqueline at 12:05 PM on February 16, 2018 [36 favorites]
One of my many fantasies is of Melania becoming the first First Lady to divorce a sitting President. She didn't want any of this shit to begin with.
posted by Jacqueline at 12:05 PM on February 16, 2018 [36 favorites]
some people made the decision when Trump was elected that he was not to be fully briefed ever
This is essentially what Susan Rice's email of January 20th said, but not in so many words. She met with Obama, Comey and Yates and they decided not to have the FBI fully brief the incoming President.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:06 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is essentially what Susan Rice's email of January 20th said, but not in so many words. She met with Obama, Comey and Yates and they decided not to have the FBI fully brief the incoming President.
posted by Sophie1 at 12:06 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's not hard to choose your words wisely.
You only think that because you're not a fuckin dummy willing to work for crooks and idiots.
posted by phearlez at 12:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
You only think that because you're not a fuckin dummy willing to work for crooks and idiots.
posted by phearlez at 12:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
So an hour ago I was reading the debate here about supporting candidates who hold one or more terrible positions, and then I went and signed up for Postcards to Voters, and the sample postcard they had me write was for Marie Newman, who's the progressive running against Democrat-in-Name-Only Dan Lipinski in Illinois. And I found this quote in The Atlantic about NARAL's support for Marie Newman, who's running for her first office but has been involved in politics before:
* sometimes you have to support a terrible candidate like Lipinski because there's literally no better option
* when you get a better option, you have to work hard to get that person elected
I had never heard of Marie Newman until today (okay, I see she was mentioned in the previous politics thread, but apparently that didn't register with me), but I am really excited to know she's running, and I hope my first real Postcards to Voters addresses will be for her campaign. I might even send her a donation and a note saying I'm doing Postcards to Voters for her.
just one worker bee toward better options,
Kristi
posted by kristi at 12:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [42 favorites]
It was that kind of preparation that impressed progressive activists, who have long grumbled about Lipinski but never found a challenger they viewed as strong enough to take him out. “We believe in her, and that’s the No. 1 reason,” said Ilyse Hogue, NARAL’s president. “And let’s just be clear: It’s not that we didn’t know he was super bad on our issues and on a lot of the issues we care about prior to this year. But you have to have a credible alternative, and he just really hadn’t to this point.”So:
* sometimes you have to support a terrible candidate like Lipinski because there's literally no better option
* when you get a better option, you have to work hard to get that person elected
I had never heard of Marie Newman until today (okay, I see she was mentioned in the previous politics thread, but apparently that didn't register with me), but I am really excited to know she's running, and I hope my first real Postcards to Voters addresses will be for her campaign. I might even send her a donation and a note saying I'm doing Postcards to Voters for her.
just one worker bee toward better options,
Kristi
posted by kristi at 12:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [42 favorites]
She didn't want any of this shit to begin with.
Wrong. She's a complicit birther.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
Wrong. She's a complicit birther.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
I keep thinking back to Trump during one of the debates when asked if he'd dispute the results of the election, and saying he'd have to see what they were. That mother fucker knew all along.
posted by Twain Device at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by Twain Device at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [34 favorites]
This is essentially what Susan Rice's email of January 20th said, but not in so many words. She met with Obama, Comey and Yates and they decided not to have the FBI fully brief the incoming President.
That is some beautiful, America-loving, patriotic shit right there. God bless america.
posted by valkane at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
That is some beautiful, America-loving, patriotic shit right there. God bless america.
posted by valkane at 12:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
She didn't want any of this shit to begin with.
Wrong. She's a complicit birther.
Come on people, lets try to work together. Why can't both of you be right? She's on the record as a racist, complicit birther, sure. But everything I've read says that she didn't want Trump to win the presidency. It's not that she cares about the poors or the bullied or America in general, it's that this whole presidency thing has messed up her fancy New York society lifestyle and forced her into the public eye.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:27 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Wrong. She's a complicit birther.
Come on people, lets try to work together. Why can't both of you be right? She's on the record as a racist, complicit birther, sure. But everything I've read says that she didn't want Trump to win the presidency. It's not that she cares about the poors or the bullied or America in general, it's that this whole presidency thing has messed up her fancy New York society lifestyle and forced her into the public eye.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:27 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Then she could’ve divorced him the last three times he ran for president. Or during the campaign, like Scaramucci’s wife (they reconciled, but still, she filed, so clearly she was prepared to DTFMA).
posted by Autumnheart at 12:31 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 12:31 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
That mother fucker knew all along.
@realDonaldTrump "Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President. The results of the election were not impacted. The Trump campaign did nothing wrong - no collusion!"
Bold strategy.. Let's see how it works out.
posted by Xyanthilous P. Harrierstick at 12:31 PM on February 16, 2018 [54 favorites]
Meanwhile, note that Trump & co. are letting polluters off the hook left and right, with "44 percent fewer cases and a 49 percent drop in penalties compared to the average results during the first year of the Obama, Bush, and Clinton Administrations."
In a noteworthy case, the EPA announced it was seeking $4.8 million in civil penalties from Syngenta in 2016 for exposing workers to pesticides. Under Pruitt, that amount has been cut to $150,000.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 12:32 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
In a noteworthy case, the EPA announced it was seeking $4.8 million in civil penalties from Syngenta in 2016 for exposing workers to pesticides. Under Pruitt, that amount has been cut to $150,000.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 12:32 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
I keep thinking back to Trump during one of the debates when asked if he'd dispute the results of the election, and saying he'd have to see what they were. That mother fucker knew all along.
To be fair, Trump has been disputing the results of the election ever since, even though he won.
posted by Autumnheart at 12:33 PM on February 16, 2018 [30 favorites]
To be fair, Trump has been disputing the results of the election ever since, even though he won.
posted by Autumnheart at 12:33 PM on February 16, 2018 [30 favorites]
It’s time we stop the outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories, which only serve to further the agendas of bad actors, like Russia, and do nothing to protect the principles of our institutions.
The BALLS.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:37 PM on February 16, 2018 [80 favorites]
The BALLS.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:37 PM on February 16, 2018 [80 favorites]
oh my god, NO COLLUSION is in fact in ALL CAPS in the actual official statement
he definitely made them do that, didn't he
posted by halation at 12:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [96 favorites]
he definitely made them do that, didn't he
posted by halation at 12:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [96 favorites]
You know Trump insisted they write that with the dopey all-caps. I'd feel bad for those press flacks if they weren't working for that scum willingly.
posted by phearlez at 12:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by phearlez at 12:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
President Trump says, “it is more important than ever before to come together as Americans. We cannot allow those seeking to sow confusion, discord, and rancor to be successful. It’s time we stop the outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories, which only serve to further the agendas of bad actors, like Russia, and do nothing to protect the principles of our institutions. We must unite as Americans to protect the integrity of our democracy and our elections.”
So . . do you think that's real glassware on Air Force One, or plasticware?
posted by rc3spencer at 12:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
So . . do you think that's real glassware on Air Force One, or plasticware?
posted by rc3spencer at 12:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
President Trump says, “it is more important than ever before
Oh, man. Has anyone else been absolutely unable to take the construction "now more than ever" seriously since 2001, or is it just me?
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:39 PM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh, man. Has anyone else been absolutely unable to take the construction "now more than ever" seriously since 2001, or is it just me?
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:39 PM on February 16, 2018 [7 favorites]
JFC ALL CAPS IN AN OFFICIAL STATEMENT?! IS NOTHING SACRED?!
edit: Jinx!
posted by eclectist at 12:39 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
edit: Jinx!
posted by eclectist at 12:39 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
he definitely made them do that, didn't he
"Can you make it do the thing where a bunch of balloons float to the top of the screen when they read it?"
posted by uncleozzy at 12:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [46 favorites]
"Can you make it do the thing where a bunch of balloons float to the top of the screen when they read it?"
posted by uncleozzy at 12:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [46 favorites]
So, is this the first instance where he has admitted Russian interference in the election?
posted by valkane at 12:42 PM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by valkane at 12:42 PM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
So, is this the first instance where he has admitted Russian interference in the election?
Besides the time he asked them to find Hillary's emails during a speech?
posted by paper chromatographologist at 12:44 PM on February 16, 2018 [86 favorites]
Besides the time he asked them to find Hillary's emails during a speech?
posted by paper chromatographologist at 12:44 PM on February 16, 2018 [86 favorites]
glad to see the Special Counsel’s investigation further indicates—that there was NO COLLUSION between the Trump campaign and Russia
I'm A-OK with Trump beating this drum, and his followers following suit. It'll be that much more satisfying to hear the howling that results from his removal from office or imprisonment.
I'm also A-OK with the people inside his campaign and administration (and Congress) absolutely shitting themselves over the knowledge that no, this isn't going away, and yes, it's looking worse for them every day. Make an example of them for future numbnuts thinking about getting into bed with enemies of democracy (inside the USA and out).
posted by Rykey at 12:52 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
I'm A-OK with Trump beating this drum, and his followers following suit. It'll be that much more satisfying to hear the howling that results from his removal from office or imprisonment.
I'm also A-OK with the people inside his campaign and administration (and Congress) absolutely shitting themselves over the knowledge that no, this isn't going away, and yes, it's looking worse for them every day. Make an example of them for future numbnuts thinking about getting into bed with enemies of democracy (inside the USA and out).
posted by Rykey at 12:52 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
Besides the time he asked them to find Hillary's emails during a speech?
Fair point, but I meant as President. He’s denied all along. Plus, when he gives speeches I discount everything as lies, or, like the bully he is, he will retract with a “I was just kidding!”
posted by valkane at 12:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Fair point, but I meant as President. He’s denied all along. Plus, when he gives speeches I discount everything as lies, or, like the bully he is, he will retract with a “I was just kidding!”
posted by valkane at 12:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Bloomberg, Mueller Still Investigating Possible Collusion, Source Says
posted by zachlipton at 12:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [60 favorites]
Special Counsel Robert Mueller and his prosecutors have not concluded their investigation into whether President Donald Trump or any of his associates helped Russia interfere in the 2016 election, according to a person with knowledge of the probe.no collusion?
Friday’s indictment of a St. Petersburg-based “troll farm” and 13 Russian nationals should be seen as a limited slice of a comprehensive investigation, the person said. Mueller’s work is expected to continue for months and also includes examining potential obstruction of justice by Trump, said the person, who requested anonymity to discuss an investigation that is largely confidential.
posted by zachlipton at 12:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [60 favorites]
Well, BOOM! Nuclear BOOM! even. And perhaps even making some headway towards a "surely this" moment . . .
A few thoughts:
* The "Hillary in Cage" float being staged, bought, and paid for by Russian State operatives is surely one of the great political images of all time.
* Some of the most notable interference was in the Republican primary election. Cruz, Rubio, Christie, Kasich, Bush, etc should be throwing an absolute hissy fit over this. We'll see if they do.
* The Russians are clearly not pro-Republican or pro-Trump. Rather, they are anti-American. (Or, to put a finer point on it, pro-Putin.) They supported Trump and Sanders and Stein during the election because they thought that would be most disruptive. Immediately after the election they supported both pro AND anti Trump rallies because they thought that would be most disruptive. They push extremist angles to every side of the political spectrum, because their goal is to polarize and divide.
The final point may be worth emphasizing in discussions with your conservative friends. Putin doesn't love conservatives, Republicans, or Trump. Trump maybe *thinks* he does . . .
posted by flug at 12:56 PM on February 16, 2018 [48 favorites]
A few thoughts:
* The "Hillary in Cage" float being staged, bought, and paid for by Russian State operatives is surely one of the great political images of all time.
* Some of the most notable interference was in the Republican primary election. Cruz, Rubio, Christie, Kasich, Bush, etc should be throwing an absolute hissy fit over this. We'll see if they do.
* The Russians are clearly not pro-Republican or pro-Trump. Rather, they are anti-American. (Or, to put a finer point on it, pro-Putin.) They supported Trump and Sanders and Stein during the election because they thought that would be most disruptive. Immediately after the election they supported both pro AND anti Trump rallies because they thought that would be most disruptive. They push extremist angles to every side of the political spectrum, because their goal is to polarize and divide.
The final point may be worth emphasizing in discussions with your conservative friends. Putin doesn't love conservatives, Republicans, or Trump. Trump maybe *thinks* he does . . .
posted by flug at 12:56 PM on February 16, 2018 [48 favorites]
> * The "Hillary in Cage" float being staged, bought, and paid for by Russian State operatives is surely one of the great political images of all time.
We really need to find a photo of this ASAP. I've found photos online of "Hillary in a cage" parade floats but they are like from Iowa and Pennsylvania. No luck in Florida, yet.
posted by flug at 12:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
We really need to find a photo of this ASAP. I've found photos online of "Hillary in a cage" parade floats but they are like from Iowa and Pennsylvania. No luck in Florida, yet.
posted by flug at 12:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
Kelly makes changes to White House security clearance process after abuse allegations against top aide (WaPo):
posted by peeedro at 12:59 PM on February 16, 2018 [21 favorites]
White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, under pressure over his handling of allegations of domestic abuse against a top aide, has approved an overhaul of how the White House manages security-clearance investigations, acknowledging missteps but putting the onus on the FBI and the Justice Department to now hand-deliver updates and provide more information.Kelly is not trying to fix the problem, but trying to assign the blame to the FBI for not doing his job for him.
...
The memo says the FBI and Justice Department have offered their cooperation with Kelly’s requests in recent days, and that “going forward, all [background investigations] of potential Commissioned Officers should be flagged for the FBI at the outset and then hand-delivered to the White House Counsel personally upon completion. The FBI official who delivers these files should verbally brief the White House Counsel on any information in those files they deem to be significantly derogatory.”
...
Kelly puts an emphasis in the memo on how it’s not the White House’s sole responsibility to adapt and move faster to learn about the FBI’s conclusions on background investigations, despite Wray’s statement.
posted by peeedro at 12:59 PM on February 16, 2018 [21 favorites]
Mod note: Great fiddly fuck let us not do another 2016 primaries dance here.
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [119 favorites]
posted by cortex (staff) at 1:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [119 favorites]
Really, really, dumb to the point of obliviousness about who was lending material assistance to their campaign
I don't think I saw 52 USC 30121 in the Russian indictment, which makes contributions explicitly forbidden along with promises of support by foreign nationals. Like that time the Russians emailed the campaign saying, "We have dirt on Clinton and would like to meet with you to give it to you".
Then the campaign ( Junior ) said. "Sure, under 18 USC 2, I'd love to be chargeable as a principal in the crime, so who should I tell security to send up?"
That's gonna be the final shoe to drop.
posted by mikelieman at 1:07 PM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
I don't think I saw 52 USC 30121 in the Russian indictment, which makes contributions explicitly forbidden along with promises of support by foreign nationals. Like that time the Russians emailed the campaign saying, "We have dirt on Clinton and would like to meet with you to give it to you".
Then the campaign ( Junior ) said. "Sure, under 18 USC 2, I'd love to be chargeable as a principal in the crime, so who should I tell security to send up?"
That's gonna be the final shoe to drop.
posted by mikelieman at 1:07 PM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
Michael Shear, NYT: Indictments Present a New Political Reality for a President Crying ‘Hoax’
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
... By laying out in excruciating detail the evidence of Russian meddling spanning the last four years, Mr. Mueller instantly created a new political reality for Mr. Trump. It remains unclear how the president will respond to that reality. In addition to saying that he believed Mr. Putin’s denial, Mr. Trump has repeatedly condemned those who have said that the Russian meddling occurred, including members of his own intelligence community.Please proceed...
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
He took their money. That’s where this is all gonna end.
posted by valkane at 1:11 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by valkane at 1:11 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
> NRA and their blood money
After the indictment today, if I were someone even remotely associated with running the NRA--which has accepted perhaps as much as tens of millions of dollars of Russian money and put it towards political campaigning in recent years--I would be quaking in my boots pretty hard right now.
posted by flug at 1:11 PM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
After the indictment today, if I were someone even remotely associated with running the NRA--which has accepted perhaps as much as tens of millions of dollars of Russian money and put it towards political campaigning in recent years--I would be quaking in my boots pretty hard right now.
posted by flug at 1:11 PM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump "Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President."
ey, the Genovese mob's been runnin' this town since I was in knee pants you know what I'm sayin', who cares if I skim a little cream off da top
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:12 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
ey, the Genovese mob's been runnin' this town since I was in knee pants you know what I'm sayin', who cares if I skim a little cream off da top
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:12 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
Kelly is not trying to fix the problem, but trying to assign the blame to the FBI for not doing his job for him.
Same song and dance that ICE is trying to play against sanctuary cities.
posted by rhizome at 1:12 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Same song and dance that ICE is trying to play against sanctuary cities.
posted by rhizome at 1:12 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
I don't think I saw 52 USC 30121 in the Russian indictment, which makes contributions explicitly forbidden along with promises of support by foreign nationals.
"Pointedly missing," one might say, and surely part of Mueller keeping his powder dry.
posted by rhizome at 1:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
"Pointedly missing," one might say, and surely part of Mueller keeping his powder dry.
posted by rhizome at 1:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
"Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President."
"....and six months after the Miss Universe pageant."
@realDonaldTrump
Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?
8:17 PM - 18 Jun 2013
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:15 PM on February 16, 2018 [79 favorites]
"....and six months after the Miss Universe pageant."
@realDonaldTrump
Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?
8:17 PM - 18 Jun 2013
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:15 PM on February 16, 2018 [79 favorites]
Trump running for President was not exactly implausible in 2014, given that he'd already done it once, although he appears to have forgotten that
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:20 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:20 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
May 2014 was already fully into the 2016 shadow primary. The first Republican candidates officially declared 1 year later in May 2015. Fundraising and positioning for a presidential campaign starts at least a year out from the official declaration.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
"Russia started their anti-US campaign in 2014, long before I announced that I would run for President."
And? Once you entered they found their fifth column.
posted by notyou at 1:32 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
And? Once you entered they found their fifth column.
posted by notyou at 1:32 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Donald Trump on Fox, 2014
"Mike [McCaul] is a good Republican from Texas, and I hear a very good guy, but I think we should give the Russians a little bit of leeway here.
I mean, they spent billions and billions, a number that was beyond any number I’ve ever heard.
They spent all of this money, and I think we should not be knocking them at this point. And then we wonder why they don’t like us, and why they’re eating our lunch in every country that we’re dealing with against them.
I really think we should say, hey look, they’re really out there doing a good job. Every time I turn on the television we’re showing a guy knocking down a door because his door lock doesn’t work, we’re showing all of these things, and I’ll tell you something: if I’m Putin, I’m not happy with it. And I’ll tell you something, he’s not happy with it.
I was in Russia with the Miss Universe pageant. He contacted me and he was so nice. The Russian people were so fantastic to us.
And they’re outsmarting us at many turns, as we all understand. Their leaders are – whether you call them smarter, or more cunning, or whatever, but they’re outsmarting us if you look at Syria and other places.
I really think we should not be knocking that country.
I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and then go on and win something important later on, because they’re not going to be so opposed to what we’re doing."
posted by rc3spencer at 1:36 PM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
"Mike [McCaul] is a good Republican from Texas, and I hear a very good guy, but I think we should give the Russians a little bit of leeway here.
I mean, they spent billions and billions, a number that was beyond any number I’ve ever heard.
They spent all of this money, and I think we should not be knocking them at this point. And then we wonder why they don’t like us, and why they’re eating our lunch in every country that we’re dealing with against them.
I really think we should say, hey look, they’re really out there doing a good job. Every time I turn on the television we’re showing a guy knocking down a door because his door lock doesn’t work, we’re showing all of these things, and I’ll tell you something: if I’m Putin, I’m not happy with it. And I’ll tell you something, he’s not happy with it.
I was in Russia with the Miss Universe pageant. He contacted me and he was so nice. The Russian people were so fantastic to us.
And they’re outsmarting us at many turns, as we all understand. Their leaders are – whether you call them smarter, or more cunning, or whatever, but they’re outsmarting us if you look at Syria and other places.
I really think we should not be knocking that country.
I think we should give them the benefit of the doubt, and then go on and win something important later on, because they’re not going to be so opposed to what we’re doing."
posted by rc3spencer at 1:36 PM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
If I could briefly break into this discussion:
90s pop culture vs 10s pop culture: Manager of Bon Iver running against former Real World-er Sean Duffy in WI-07.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:39 PM on February 16, 2018 [19 favorites]
90s pop culture vs 10s pop culture: Manager of Bon Iver running against former Real World-er Sean Duffy in WI-07.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:39 PM on February 16, 2018 [19 favorites]
May 2014 was already fully into the 2016 shadow primary.
This American Life: Transcript: 615: The Beginning of Now
From Where I Sit, The Trump Era Began In 2014
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [28 favorites]
This American Life: Transcript: 615: The Beginning of Now
And listen to what seemed completely irrelevant 2 and 1/2 years ago [when Reid Charlin tried to pitch this story in September, 2014]. For the story, Reid went to a party at Breitbart headquarters, a townhouse in Washington, DC, that Bannon called the Breitbart Embassy.Clare Malone at 538, published yesterday...
Reid Cherlin
It is a townhouse that looks like any other, really, but I saw some guys in khakis and blue blazers coming in and out with drinks in their hands. And I went in and there was this whole party going on inside. I didn't recognize a lot of people. I recognized Laura Ingraham, the radio host. I recognized Jeff Sessions because years earlier I'd worked in the Senate. And I thought, what is Jeff Sessions doing here?
Ira Glass
Jeff Sessions, of course, an early Trump supporter, now Attorney General of the United State
Reid Cherlin
I remember Jeff Sessions being just the most marginal member of the Senate that there could be. Just an older white guy from Alabama with totally unsurprising positions. And Sessions did not look super comfortable. Everyone at the party was pretty young, by and large. He was there. He looked kind of out of place. And I just thought, why is he here?
Ira Glass
In fact, he and Bannon, and his staff and the Breitbart staff knew each other.
From Where I Sit, The Trump Era Began In 2014
Numbers can’t prove that 2014 was a pivotal year for the Trumpian political era to come, but they can show it was a year when Americans’ institutional trust bottomed out, something that would come into play in 2016. A few days after the election, I wrote about the erosion of trust in American institutions over the past decade. There was a link, I wrote then, between our loss of trust and electing a man who promised to start a new American order. And in 2014, overall trust in American institutions, which started falling in the mid-2000s, hit 31 percent — its lowest point since Gallup starting tracking the metric in 1993.I have to wonder if Russia had anything to do with Eric Cantor's loss... on June 10, 2014, to anti-immigrant extremist and Tea Party "outsider" Dave Brat.
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [28 favorites]
One of my many fantasies is of Melania becoming the first First Lady to divorce a sitting President.
Negative First Lady
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Negative First Lady
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
It’s time we stop the outlandish partisan attacks, wild and false allegations, and far-fetched theories, which only serve to further the agendas of bad actors, like Russia, and do nothing to protect the principles of our institutions.
So here's a question: did he clear that statement with his handlers, or is Putin gonna call him up and tell him to knock off the shit-talking if he knows what's good for him?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
So here's a question: did he clear that statement with his handlers, or is Putin gonna call him up and tell him to knock off the shit-talking if he knows what's good for him?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
The fact that they have to sit there and even say “long before I announced that I would run for President” just screams of guilt and insecurity. I feel like most administrations would put out a cut and paste statement about “looking forward to the results of the investigation” or some shit like that.
Also, what was this about earlier, from zachlipton,
posted by gucci mane at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Also, what was this about earlier, from zachlipton,
Press was invited to get on Air Force One, then rushed off and hurried back inside as Melania Trump's motorcade pulled up. Some screaming from a White House press aide. No pictures allowed of first lady's arrival.Some screaming? The press being rushed around?
posted by gucci mane at 1:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
re: omission of 52 USC 30121 in Mueller's Russian indictment:
"Pointedly missing, one might say, and surely part of Mueller keeping his powder dry.
BUT I observe there IS a Conspiracy to defraud the US, 18 USC 371, which means an indictment of other conspirators ( Junior, Kushner, Manafort ) and a superceding indictment for the Russians would dovetail quite nicely
From my lips ( fingers ) to G-d's ears!
posted by mikelieman at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
"Pointedly missing, one might say, and surely part of Mueller keeping his powder dry.
BUT I observe there IS a Conspiracy to defraud the US, 18 USC 371, which means an indictment of other conspirators ( Junior, Kushner, Manafort ) and a superceding indictment for the Russians would dovetail quite nicely
From my lips ( fingers ) to G-d's ears!
posted by mikelieman at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Philadelphia Eagle defensive end Chris Long is dragging Laura Ingraham on Twitter and it is a thing of beauty.
posted by PenDevil at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 1:41 PM on February 16, 2018 [61 favorites]
Some screaming? The press being rushed around?
Estimated quantity of screaming is now a perfectly valid news metric. It might as well be listed next to the dew point.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:47 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
Estimated quantity of screaming is now a perfectly valid news metric. It might as well be listed next to the dew point.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:47 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
i'd also appreciate some qualitative information about the screaming; does anyone have any further source regarding that, or whether AF1 took off?
posted by halation at 1:50 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by halation at 1:50 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
IDK, I've been an unwilling hostage to this guy's mood swings for the last few years. I always assumed that screaming and yelling was just how people spoke in Trump's world. There's no modulation of anything, and he reels from crisis to crisis, so yeah, I think yelling is just part of the Trump ambience. It's the carpet that really ties their room together.
posted by mosk at 1:56 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by mosk at 1:56 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
> Estimated quantity of screaming is now a perfectly valid news metric.
I mean, look, I haven't even finished digesting the fact that the House of Reps just voted to change the Americans with Disabilities Act and require mandatory waiting periods before civil rights could be enforced.
Quaint, right? Since then, we've had one of the worse school shootings in the US (not the worst, sadly), we've had thoughts and prayers, we've had the Onion re-run its "Only country in the world where this happens" headline, we've found out that this shooting was at a school less than a mile away from the original story writer's home.
Then we've had the conservative media declare that the the FBI is complicit in the shooting because they didn't follow up on a tip because they were too caught up in the fake news Russia investigation.
And then, we've learned that the Special Counsel investigating the President has indicted 13 Russians of interfering in the election and secured a guilty plea from an American citizen who helped them. And the President has put out an official statement that includes "NO COLLUSION" in all caps in the text.
And it hasn't been 48 hours yet.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
I mean, look, I haven't even finished digesting the fact that the House of Reps just voted to change the Americans with Disabilities Act and require mandatory waiting periods before civil rights could be enforced.
Quaint, right? Since then, we've had one of the worse school shootings in the US (not the worst, sadly), we've had thoughts and prayers, we've had the Onion re-run its "Only country in the world where this happens" headline, we've found out that this shooting was at a school less than a mile away from the original story writer's home.
Then we've had the conservative media declare that the the FBI is complicit in the shooting because they didn't follow up on a tip because they were too caught up in the fake news Russia investigation.
And then, we've learned that the Special Counsel investigating the President has indicted 13 Russians of interfering in the election and secured a guilty plea from an American citizen who helped them. And the President has put out an official statement that includes "NO COLLUSION" in all caps in the text.
And it hasn't been 48 hours yet.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [53 favorites]
Jim Acosta has previously said that Trump aides shouted in his face to drown out his questions. So I guess that's just normal behavior now.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:59 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 1:59 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
So, yeah, Russia was intensively working to suppress the turnout of POC and others likely to vote Dem in Pennsylvania? And Toomey won by 86,690 votes. There were almost 8.5 million registered voters in the state and almost 2.5 million of whom didn't cast a ballot for the senate race.
I'm going to go on ahead and say that it's entirely possible that Toomey owes his seat to Russian interference. (And fuck if that doesn't piss me off.)
posted by mcduff at 2:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [38 favorites]
I'm going to go on ahead and say that it's entirely possible that Toomey owes his seat to Russian interference. (And fuck if that doesn't piss me off.)
posted by mcduff at 2:03 PM on February 16, 2018 [38 favorites]
Anthony De Rosa (The Daily Show): 2014
Photo on left: Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Photo on right: Emin Agalarov, who helped arrange Trump Tower meeting with Russian offering "dirt" on Hillary.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:04 PM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Photo on left: Advisor to the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation
Photo on right: Emin Agalarov, who helped arrange Trump Tower meeting with Russian offering "dirt" on Hillary.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:04 PM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
i'd also appreciate some qualitative information about the screaming; does anyone have any further source regarding that, or whether AF1 took off?
CNN had a little piece, sans-screaming, Melania Trump arrives solo to air base amid second affair scandal as first couple heads to Florida, in which the First Lady's office says it was easier for her to arrive separately because of scheduling. Which, I guess, but the President took Marine One from the White House to Andrews, which makes 'it will be easier if I just meet you at the airport' a bit weird of a story. It's still unclear whether they're even going to Parkland, how poorly that would go over, or what is happening.
Ronan Farrow's New Yorker piece this morning does mention:
posted by zachlipton at 2:07 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
CNN had a little piece, sans-screaming, Melania Trump arrives solo to air base amid second affair scandal as first couple heads to Florida, in which the First Lady's office says it was easier for her to arrive separately because of scheduling. Which, I guess, but the President took Marine One from the White House to Andrews, which makes 'it will be easier if I just meet you at the airport' a bit weird of a story. It's still unclear whether they're even going to Parkland, how poorly that would go over, or what is happening.
Ronan Farrow's New Yorker piece this morning does mention:
Trump gave McDougal tours of Trump Tower and his Bedminster, New Jersey, golf club. In Trump Tower, McDougal wrote, Trump pointed out Melania’s separate bedroom. He “said she liked her space,” McDougal wrote, “to read or be alone.”Sounds rather like she wants to read or be alone right now.
posted by zachlipton at 2:07 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Rorty imagined 2014 would be a significant year as well
His dark vision looking back from a 2095 socialist/humanist future after the bottom falls out.
posted by rc3spencer at 2:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
His dark vision looking back from a 2095 socialist/humanist future after the bottom falls out.
posted by rc3spencer at 2:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's also interesting that this tweet characterizes pro-Trump activities as "anti-US." Somebody should find a way to get DJT to double down on that one.
Imagine how much worse this all could be if these fuckers were actually smart.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:20 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
Imagine how much worse this all could be if these fuckers were actually smart.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:20 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
Imagine how much worse this all could be if these fuckers were actually smart.
There are plenty of stories and whispers of the truly most powerful people, the insanely rich people who use a bit of their wealth to stay invisible and work from the shadows, living obscenely lavish lives in secret, shaping the world to their wills and for their ultimate benefit.
Trump is not one of those people.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:22 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
There are plenty of stories and whispers of the truly most powerful people, the insanely rich people who use a bit of their wealth to stay invisible and work from the shadows, living obscenely lavish lives in secret, shaping the world to their wills and for their ultimate benefit.
Trump is not one of those people.
posted by filthy light thief at 2:22 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
Trump is not one of those people.
Truly wealthy people don't need to shill steaks.
posted by PenDevil at 2:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
Truly wealthy people don't need to shill steaks.
posted by PenDevil at 2:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [24 favorites]
There are plenty of stories and whispers of the truly most powerful people, the insanely rich people who use a bit of their wealth to stay invisible and work from the shadows, living obscenely lavish lives in secret, shaping the world to their wills and for their ultimate benefit.
ObSF: John Brunner, "The Totally Rich"
posted by Chrysostom at 2:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
ObSF: John Brunner, "The Totally Rich"
posted by Chrysostom at 2:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
ah, I just had a feeling of warmth come over me as I realized that Trump will never be invited to cavort naked with Henry Kissinger under the moonshadow of the giant owl idol in Bohemian Grove
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:28 PM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by prize bull octorok at 2:28 PM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
You know in 2016 pundits said that Trump had no campaign infrastructure but all of these revelations prove he had a lot of infrastructure that was assembled by the Russians. And he waited for Infrastructure Week to point this out.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 2:30 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 2:30 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Trump will never be invited to cavort naked with Henry Kissinger under the moonshadow of the giant owl idol in Bohemian Grove
Okay, so tell me: What exactly is your motive when you point out ways - narrow, limited, and specific as they may be - in which I am similar to this abomination of a president? Or are you just trying to get me to start drinking again with your imagery?
posted by nickmark at 2:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
Okay, so tell me: What exactly is your motive when you point out ways - narrow, limited, and specific as they may be - in which I am similar to this abomination of a president? Or are you just trying to get me to start drinking again with your imagery?
posted by nickmark at 2:38 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
538 points out that this probe is moving FAST.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:46 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:46 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
Good, because Monday is my birthday.
posted by nickmark at 3:01 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by nickmark at 3:01 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
What I keep coming back to is the level of detail in the indictment about the Internet Research Agency's operations, down to internal evaluations of their efforts. What other documents do the investigators have? If you're a Russian propaganda operative and you get Don Jr. or Conway to retweet one of your efforts, that's got to be worth a bonus or something right? Or at least some celebratory emails that might embarrass the administration?
I also keep reading this paragraph and cringe for what it means for us as a society:
posted by zachlipton at 3:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
I also keep reading this paragraph and cringe for what it means for us as a society:
On or about October 16, 2016, Defendants and their co-conspirators used the ORGANIZATION-controlled Instagram account "Woke Blacks" to post the following message: "[A] particular hype and hatred for Trump is misleading the people and forcing blacks to vote Killary. We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we'd surely be better off without voting AT ALL."Also notable: the indictment simply accuses the Internet Research Agency and the individual defendants, but doesn't extend to the Russian government (as it has no reason to). The White House and Trump himself seem to have gone there, however.
posted by zachlipton at 3:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
And then remember that the subject of the Trump Jr. 'adoption' meeting was really about lifting sanctions on Russia.
Speaking of, this raises a few questions:
* Now that Trump has named and shamed the Putin Russian pyschosocial(media)-warfare op, does this mean he's going to pass the sanctions he ignored recently.
* Did he have the OK from Putin to say what he did, or is he just panicking and pushing anyone in his short-term memory under the bus to stop it from hitting him.
* In the latter case does this mean the pee-tape might be coming to Netflix and Chill sessions everywhere, soon?
* If so, do we have to draw straws to see who has to watch it, report back, and spend the rest of their lives injecting heroin into their eyeballs to try and unsee?
* What plan-b/nuke-from-orbit cyber-options do "Defendant ORGANIZATION" the I.R.A. have in place, with all the leverage/info they have acquired from their GOP host vehicles.
* Why.
posted by Buntix at 3:04 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
Speaking of, this raises a few questions:
* Now that Trump has named and shamed the Putin Russian pyschosocial(media)-warfare op, does this mean he's going to pass the sanctions he ignored recently.
* Did he have the OK from Putin to say what he did, or is he just panicking and pushing anyone in his short-term memory under the bus to stop it from hitting him.
* In the latter case does this mean the pee-tape might be coming to Netflix and Chill sessions everywhere, soon?
* If so, do we have to draw straws to see who has to watch it, report back, and spend the rest of their lives injecting heroin into their eyeballs to try and unsee?
* What plan-b/nuke-from-orbit cyber-options do "Defendant ORGANIZATION" the I.R.A. have in place, with all the leverage/info they have acquired from their GOP host vehicles.
* Why.
posted by Buntix at 3:04 PM on February 16, 2018 [4 favorites]
I have this gut feeling that Melania moving out would seriously damage Trump with his core voters. I can't exactly explain it, but I think it's maybe that the beautiful wife is a success parameter, just like the "billions", and the Trumpists are into some magical thinking: someone who has billions and a beautiful wife and beautiful kids (kind of) must have luck and be able to bring us luck.
Melania is a person who married for money and citizenship and who maybe exploited Trump's insecurity. Maybe not a nice person, but I never met her, so how can I know? But these weeks she is being humiliated again and again in public, and also maybe this is opening new possibilities re. her prenup. I bet she would get nothing if she left Trump, its a business relationship. But with this continuous stream of allegations, her lawyers may be seeing some daylight.
posted by mumimor at 3:17 PM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
Melania is a person who married for money and citizenship and who maybe exploited Trump's insecurity. Maybe not a nice person, but I never met her, so how can I know? But these weeks she is being humiliated again and again in public, and also maybe this is opening new possibilities re. her prenup. I bet she would get nothing if she left Trump, its a business relationship. But with this continuous stream of allegations, her lawyers may be seeing some daylight.
posted by mumimor at 3:17 PM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
I just fear how vindictive he'd get if Melania did try to divorce him. Especially now while he has all the power.
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:22 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by jenfullmoon at 3:22 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Good, because Monday is my birthday.
Also President's Day.
posted by banshee at 3:23 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
Also President's Day.
posted by banshee at 3:23 PM on February 16, 2018 [13 favorites]
The WaPo has a Russian troll timeline adding red twine to our collective Pepe Silvia board, includes coincidences like:
Oct. 16, 2016. A post at the [Russian controlled] “Woke Blacks” Instagram account aims to tamp down black voting: “We cannot resort to the lesser of two devils. Then we’d surely be better off without voting AT ALL.”posted by peeedro at 3:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
Oct 19. [Russian funded] Ad: “Hillary is a Satan, and her crimes and lies had proved just how evil she is.”
Oct. 27, 2016. Bloomberg reports on the Trump campaign’s digital efforts. It details a push to suppress the vote among Clinton supporters.
An official tells the magazine: “We have three major voter suppression operations under way. They’re aimed at three groups Clinton needs to win overwhelmingly: idealistic white liberals, young women, and African Americans.”
Follow the money; Let's go down a rabbit hole. (long). pt 1 and pt 3 Jared Kushner and the ‘King of Diamonds’
posted by adamvasco at 3:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by adamvasco at 3:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [1 favorite]
But still, that’s a patreon I would donate to. Melania’s.
posted by valkane at 3:25 PM on February 16, 2018
posted by valkane at 3:25 PM on February 16, 2018
I have this gut feeling that Melania moving out would seriously damage Trump with his core voters.
Why? It didn't seem to matter when she didn't move in for the first five months.
Us having to pay over $127,000 a day for her Trump Tower security costs didn't matter either.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:35 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
Why? It didn't seem to matter when she didn't move in for the first five months.
Us having to pay over $127,000 a day for her Trump Tower security costs didn't matter either.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:35 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
Goddamn do I love Infrastructure Weeks.
At some point the White House has to hold another daily press briefing. And now we've got the domestic abuse scandal in the White House, the Florida school massacre, and now a nuclear bomb from Mueller. One assumes the Press will be highly focused on the last one so I guess the delay has, in a sense, paid off? But still. It's going to be a brutal briefing and I'm making popcorn and margaritas.
The way Mueller has been running this probe has been so impressive to me. I guess there's a reason he's Mueller and I'm sitting on a computer typing because I would not have thought to do things in this order to protect my investigation and at the same time spring traps on people who haven't been indicted yet. All while staying practically leak-free.
posted by Justinian at 3:36 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
At some point the White House has to hold another daily press briefing. And now we've got the domestic abuse scandal in the White House, the Florida school massacre, and now a nuclear bomb from Mueller. One assumes the Press will be highly focused on the last one so I guess the delay has, in a sense, paid off? But still. It's going to be a brutal briefing and I'm making popcorn and margaritas.
The way Mueller has been running this probe has been so impressive to me. I guess there's a reason he's Mueller and I'm sitting on a computer typing because I would not have thought to do things in this order to protect my investigation and at the same time spring traps on people who haven't been indicted yet. All while staying practically leak-free.
posted by Justinian at 3:36 PM on February 16, 2018 [26 favorites]
The way Mueller has been running this probe has been so impressive to me.
once again an unelected government bureaucrat tries to save our democracy when our elected representatives can't be arsed
posted by murphy slaw at 3:45 PM on February 16, 2018 [45 favorites]
once again an unelected government bureaucrat tries to save our democracy when our elected representatives can't be arsed
posted by murphy slaw at 3:45 PM on February 16, 2018 [45 favorites]
I can sympathize.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [9 favorites]
Mod note: Deleted a bunch speculating on Melania's motivations and the magahats.
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Eyebrows McGee (staff) at 3:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
At some point the White House has to hold another daily press briefing.
Jordan Fabian (The Hill): Some questions we have:
-Mueller indictments
-Shooting response
-Affair allegations
-Porter/Gowdy probe/security clearances
-Inaugural committee $
-Cabinet travel abuses
-Immigration
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [32 favorites]
Jordan Fabian (The Hill): Some questions we have:
-Mueller indictments
-Shooting response
-Affair allegations
-Porter/Gowdy probe/security clearances
-Inaugural committee $
-Cabinet travel abuses
-Immigration
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [32 favorites]
Winning tweet for today: "In the age of globalization, even the nationalism turns out to be Made In Somewhere Else."
Compare and contrast to the infamous international alliance of nationalists.
posted by Talez at 4:16 PM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
Compare and contrast to the infamous international alliance of nationalists.
posted by Talez at 4:16 PM on February 16, 2018 [27 favorites]
Oh man, remember this Trump tweet from July?
Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..
posted by diogenes at 4:26 PM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
Putin & I discussed forming an impenetrable Cyber Security unit so that election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded..
posted by diogenes at 4:26 PM on February 16, 2018 [17 favorites]
In other troll news: Fired Google Engineer Loses Diversity Memo Challenge
posted by Artw at 4:30 PM on February 16, 2018 [63 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:30 PM on February 16, 2018 [63 favorites]
538 points out that this probe is moving FAST.
Fast in comparison to other special counsels, perhaps, but Mueller is really picking up where Comey left off.
Politico: Bob Mueller Is Not Playing Around—Friday’s indictments prove that Russia interfered in our election. And they make it almost impossible to fire him. It "also says that on repeated occasions the indicted individuals conspired with 'persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury,' explicitly leaving open the possibility that others were involved."
NBC: Trump’s Russia Narrative Upended by Mueller Indictments "'If anything, the indictment reinforces Trump’s lack of credibility on Russian interference in the election by giving a jaw-dropping account of the time, money and effort exerted by the Russian government on American soil to influence the election,' said Elise Jordan, an MSNBC political analyst and former National Security Council aide."
New York Times: Indictment Makes Trump’s Hoax Claim Harder to Sell But that doesn't mean the NYT won't give Team Trump a little signal boost: "Far from being rattled, Mr. Trump was elated, according to his advisers, because he viewed it as evidence that Mr. Mueller now knows who the malefactors are — and they do not include him or members of his team."
Trump's tweets tomorrow are going to be batshit.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:44 PM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
Fast in comparison to other special counsels, perhaps, but Mueller is really picking up where Comey left off.
Politico: Bob Mueller Is Not Playing Around—Friday’s indictments prove that Russia interfered in our election. And they make it almost impossible to fire him. It "also says that on repeated occasions the indicted individuals conspired with 'persons known and unknown to the Grand Jury,' explicitly leaving open the possibility that others were involved."
NBC: Trump’s Russia Narrative Upended by Mueller Indictments "'If anything, the indictment reinforces Trump’s lack of credibility on Russian interference in the election by giving a jaw-dropping account of the time, money and effort exerted by the Russian government on American soil to influence the election,' said Elise Jordan, an MSNBC political analyst and former National Security Council aide."
New York Times: Indictment Makes Trump’s Hoax Claim Harder to Sell But that doesn't mean the NYT won't give Team Trump a little signal boost: "Far from being rattled, Mr. Trump was elated, according to his advisers, because he viewed it as evidence that Mr. Mueller now knows who the malefactors are — and they do not include him or members of his team."
Trump's tweets tomorrow are going to be batshit.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:44 PM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
The President is very pleased with how quickly the ambulances got to the hospital, but was walking away as he was asked if gun laws need to be changed.
posted by zachlipton at 4:45 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:45 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
MetaTrumpster: election hacking, & many other negative things, will be guarded.
posted by perspicio at 4:45 PM on February 16, 2018
posted by perspicio at 4:45 PM on February 16, 2018
At some point the White House has to hold another daily press briefing. And now we've got the domestic abuse scandal in the White House, the Florida school massacre, and now a nuclear bomb from Mueller. One assumes the Press will be highly focused on the last one so I guess the delay has, in a sense, paid off? But still. It's going to be a brutal briefing and I'm making popcorn and margaritas.
Maybe she'll be back in normal lying mode after this rest, but last I heard Huckabee Sanders was seriously fraying at the seams and apparently fed up to here about having to tell an increasingly dumb series of implausible whoppers for Kelly and McGahn (Politico: "Sanders pushes for Kelly to face the press over Porter scandal"), so I cling to the fanfic daydream that a good shellacking at the next presser may make her go postal on camera.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [18 favorites]
Maybe she'll be back in normal lying mode after this rest, but last I heard Huckabee Sanders was seriously fraying at the seams and apparently fed up to here about having to tell an increasingly dumb series of implausible whoppers for Kelly and McGahn (Politico: "Sanders pushes for Kelly to face the press over Porter scandal"), so I cling to the fanfic daydream that a good shellacking at the next presser may make her go postal on camera.
posted by FelliniBlank at 4:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [18 favorites]
Not to jump on Chrysostom's beat, but wow. Fincher out of Senate race, wants Corker to run
posted by zachlipton at 5:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
In a major shake up of Tennessee's U.S. Senate GOP primary, former U.S. Rep. Stephen Fincher said late Friday afternoon he's getting out of his race with U.S. Rep. Marsha Blackburn and thinks incumbent U.S. Sen. Bob Corker should get in.Watching the GOP flap its arms desperately over a Tennessee Senate race is hilarious.
"The party must get behind a candidate that can win in November and stop Democrat Phil Bredesen, who would be a rubber stamp for the Chuck Schumer liberal agenda," the farmer from rural West Tennessee said in a statement.
"For that reason," Fincher said, "I believe Senator Bob Corker should continue to serve in the U.S. Senate, and stand with the President to fight for Tennessee families."
...
A poll commissioned by a Tennessee business group indicated that former Tennessee Democratic Gov. Phil Bredesen led Blackburn by two percentage points.
posted by zachlipton at 5:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
"the Chuck Schumer liberal agenda"
It's amazing that there are so many different ways to say "Jews."
posted by neroli at 5:17 PM on February 16, 2018 [87 favorites]
It's amazing that there are so many different ways to say "Jews."
posted by neroli at 5:17 PM on February 16, 2018 [87 favorites]
Trump’s Russia Narrative Upended by Mueller Indictments
posted by kirkaracha at 5:17 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
Before that, the task of defending the president fell to Kayleigh McEnany, a spokeswoman for the Republican National Committee. The longtime Trump surrogate pointed to the indictments' finding that Russians put together anti-Trump rallies after the election as evidence that the president's operation didn't coordinate with them before voters went to the polls.The election was November 8, 2016. Russia staging anti-Trump rallies after the election doesn't prove they didn't act in his favor before the election. Mark today as the day Kayleigh McEnany needs to learn to use a calendar!
"BREAKING: DOJ reveals Russians organized AGAINST Trump on Nov. 12th and 19th of 2016!!" she wrote on Twitter. "Mark today as the day that the Democrats' Russia-Trump collusion conspiracy theory unraveled!"
posted by kirkaracha at 5:17 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
With friends like these, who needs McEnanys?
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:47 PM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:47 PM on February 16, 2018 [11 favorites]
I hope Stephen Colbert is live tonight.
posted by jointhedance at 5:59 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by jointhedance at 5:59 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
Digby flags this quote from a Forbes article on the Kushner data operation two weeks after the election:
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [86 favorites]
"Our best people were mostly the ones who volunteered for me pro bono," Kushner says. "People from the business world, people from nontraditional backgrounds."Uh huh. Nontraditional backgrounds. Working for free.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:02 PM on February 16, 2018 [86 favorites]
Mueller levels new claim of bank fraud against Manafort
posted by Artw at 6:07 PM on February 16, 2018 [42 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:07 PM on February 16, 2018 [42 favorites]
Everyone Charged in Robert Mueller’s Russia Investigation
Below is a full list of who has been charged, what the charges are, and how they have responded to those charges. It will be updated if and when necessary.Mueller Has the Goods Now, and Trump Knows It
The indictments were rolled out perfectly. It is now absolutely impossible for the president* to fire either Rosenstein or Mueller without the worst possible political consequences. By basing the indictments on federal election law, Mueller has framed the case so as also to include anyone who accepted this criminal help.posted by kirkaracha at 6:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [55 favorites]
...
We are still supposed to believe that the Russians concocted this amazing scheme to influence the election and the person on whose behalf they were operating the scheme didn’t know what they were doing?
Nor did the people running his campaign?
Oh, come on.
Really, come the fck on.
Mueller levels new claim of bank fraud against Manafort
I wonder if that's courtesy of Rick Gates
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:15 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
I wonder if that's courtesy of Rick Gates
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 6:15 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
WaPo, New White House security clearance policy could put ‘bull’s eye’ on Kushner
White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly announced Friday that beginning next week, the White House will no longer allow some employees with interim security clearances access to top-secret information — a move that could threaten the standing of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law.posted by zachlipton at 6:24 PM on February 16, 2018 [39 favorites]
Kushner, a senior adviser to the president, has been able to see some of the nation’s most sensitive secrets even as his background investigation has dragged on for more than a year.
White House officials have privately discussed concerns that Kushner’s clearance faces obstacles, according to people familiar with internal conversations. Among the potential problems: repeated amendments that he had to make to a form detailing his contacts with foreign officials. Two U.S. officials said they do not expect Kushner to receive a permanent security clearance in the near future, The Washington Post reported last week.
...
And apart from staff on the National Security Council, he issues more requests for information to the intelligence community than any White House employee, according to a person with knowledge of the situation.
Experts said it is rare to have such a high level of interim security clearance for such a long period of time. It is particularly striking access for someone like Kushner, who has never served in government and has a complex history of financial transactions, business ownership and contacts and dealings with foreigners.
zachlipton: "Not to jump on Chrysostom's beat"
Everyone says this, and then goes right ahead and jumps on my beat! What's wrong with you goddamned people?!?
(I kid, of course - please break news as you find it).
Seriously, though: Blackburn internal poll has her up just 44-39 over Bredesen (although up handily in a Corker primary, 55-26). Bredesen beat her on favorables: 46/17 vs 40/26.
Thoughts:
A) Those are pretty bad numbers for a Republican in Tennessee.
B) It's even worse given that it's a Blackburn campaign poll, not an independent one.
C) Blackburn's internal polling in December had her up 9, so she's trending in the wrong direction.
I'd rank TN third in Dem pickup likelihood still, but man, the GOP is really acting nervous of late.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:27 PM on February 16, 2018 [31 favorites]
Everyone says this, and then goes right ahead and jumps on my beat! What's wrong with you goddamned people?!?
(I kid, of course - please break news as you find it).
Seriously, though: Blackburn internal poll has her up just 44-39 over Bredesen (although up handily in a Corker primary, 55-26). Bredesen beat her on favorables: 46/17 vs 40/26.
Thoughts:
A) Those are pretty bad numbers for a Republican in Tennessee.
B) It's even worse given that it's a Blackburn campaign poll, not an independent one.
C) Blackburn's internal polling in December had her up 9, so she's trending in the wrong direction.
I'd rank TN third in Dem pickup likelihood still, but man, the GOP is really acting nervous of late.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:27 PM on February 16, 2018 [31 favorites]
the way the indictments are crafted...seems like m is signalling to the wh: i got you. now, going public, is shaking the trees for lower level guys to come in voluntarily and start cutting deals.
posted by j_curiouser at 6:57 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 6:57 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Watching the news tonight, my wife points out that as he announced the indictment today, Rod Rosenstein was wearing a yellow tie.
posted by nickmark at 7:12 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by nickmark at 7:12 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
the way the indictments are crafted...seems like m is signalling to the wh: i got you. now, going public, is shaking the trees for lower level guys to come in voluntarily and start cutting deals.
"Deep Throat stamped his foot. 'A conspiracy like this...a conspiracy investigation...the rope has to tighten slowly around everyone's neck. You build convincingly from the outer edges in, you get ten times the evidence you need against the Hunts and the Liddys. They feel hopelessly finished - they may not talk right away, but the grip is on them. Then you move up and do the same thing at the next level. If you shoot too high and miss, then everyone feels more secure. Lawyers work this way."
posted by Chrysostom at 7:13 PM on February 16, 2018 [51 favorites]
"Deep Throat stamped his foot. 'A conspiracy like this...a conspiracy investigation...the rope has to tighten slowly around everyone's neck. You build convincingly from the outer edges in, you get ten times the evidence you need against the Hunts and the Liddys. They feel hopelessly finished - they may not talk right away, but the grip is on them. Then you move up and do the same thing at the next level. If you shoot too high and miss, then everyone feels more secure. Lawyers work this way."
posted by Chrysostom at 7:13 PM on February 16, 2018 [51 favorites]
Somehow in all the news during "Infrastructure Week", Rep. Adam Schiff's statement on Wednesday didn't receive much attention. In light of Mueller's indictments, it's worth revisiting.
Guardian: House Russia Investigation Has 'Abundance' of Evidence Against Trump, Says Top Democrat—Adam Schiff said the panel had seen evidence of collusion with Russia and obstruction by Donald Trump’s campaign and administration that is not yet public
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [43 favorites]
Guardian: House Russia Investigation Has 'Abundance' of Evidence Against Trump, Says Top Democrat—Adam Schiff said the panel had seen evidence of collusion with Russia and obstruction by Donald Trump’s campaign and administration that is not yet public
Speaking to reporters in Washington, Schiff said a lot of information was already in the public domain that pointed to extensive contacts between the Trump campaign team and the Kremlin, and later efforts by the Trump entourage to cover up those contacts. But Schiff said there was much more to come out.And today, in a move of breathtaking chutzpah, Devin Nunes released a statement about Mueller's indictment, saying:
He said: “There is certainly an abundance of non-public information that we’ve gathered in the investigation. And I think some of that non-public evidence is evidence on the issue of collusion and some … on the issue of obstruction.”[...]
He said: “It is a tried and true maxim. As a former prosecutor, you follow the money. We have not been able to adequately follow the money. And I think the allegations on money laundering are credible enough that we ought to, in the exercise of due diligence, see if this was one of the other vectors of the Russian active measures campaign.”
He added: “We know that in other places they use money laundering as a way of entangling people, as a way of compromising people. To me that is far more potentially compromising than any salacious video would be.”
“The Putin regime presents a pressing threat to American interests, including through Moscow’s long-running influence operations against the United States. The House Intelligence Committee has been investigating these threats for many years: in 2014—the year the Russians began their operation targeting the 2016 elections—I warned about Russia’s worldwide influence operations. In April 2016 I stated that the United States’ failure to predict Putin’s plans and intentions is ‘the biggest intelligence failure that we’ve had since 9/11.’ Although the Obama Administration failed to act on the Committee’s warnings, it’s gratifying to see that Russian agents involved in these operations have now been identified and indicted.”At this rate, Nunes's next logical step will be to call up his old friend Michael Flynn to ask if he can put in a good word for him with Mueller.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [43 favorites]
He added: “We know that in other places they use money laundering as a way of entangling people, as a way of compromising people. To me that is far more potentially compromising than any salacious video would be.”
The pee tape was always metaphorical but it is glorious and it is coming.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:15 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
The pee tape was always metaphorical but it is glorious and it is coming.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 7:15 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
The phrase "unwitting accomplices" was a trap that Trump fell for -- bait for him to rebroadcast these damaging findings, while setting up the entirely predictable argument of exculpated vs. nope.
It absolutely makes it impossible to fire Mueller know, destroying the argument that Mueller is biased against Trump and getting Trump to endorse his findings.
I say, give it a day and start broadcasting this message: Mueller explicitly documented collusion, and Trump agreed. The only discussion now is whether the collusion was unwitting, or deliberate.
posted by msalt at 7:28 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
It absolutely makes it impossible to fire Mueller know, destroying the argument that Mueller is biased against Trump and getting Trump to endorse his findings.
I say, give it a day and start broadcasting this message: Mueller explicitly documented collusion, and Trump agreed. The only discussion now is whether the collusion was unwitting, or deliberate.
posted by msalt at 7:28 PM on February 16, 2018 [14 favorites]
OK, I've been down the rabbit hole of old Trump tweets and timelines and I need a sanity/accuracy check here.
Trump alleges that he couldn't have engaged in quid pro quo "collusion" because the Russian propaganda campaign started before he announced his intent to run, BUT he has tweets from 2014 that have the phrase "make America great again" and a #trump2016 hashtag where he also alleges that only he can "deal with Putin." He also visited Russia in 2013 for Miss Universe.
So, I'm guessing that he made contacts in 2013 where his intention to run for President might have come up once or twice. These contacts, with even a casual survey of his Twitter feed, might correctly conclude that he fully intends to go through with it, igniting an operation to boost his signal even before he "officially announced" to the American people and a room full of paid actors that he was going to run for President and build a wall. And since he doesn't live in a bubble, quid pro quos could have been discussed on any number of occasions through any number of intermediaries due to his involvement in ongoing business concerns.
Do I have any of this wrong? And does this scenario seem likely?
posted by xyzzy at 7:35 PM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
Trump alleges that he couldn't have engaged in quid pro quo "collusion" because the Russian propaganda campaign started before he announced his intent to run, BUT he has tweets from 2014 that have the phrase "make America great again" and a #trump2016 hashtag where he also alleges that only he can "deal with Putin." He also visited Russia in 2013 for Miss Universe.
So, I'm guessing that he made contacts in 2013 where his intention to run for President might have come up once or twice. These contacts, with even a casual survey of his Twitter feed, might correctly conclude that he fully intends to go through with it, igniting an operation to boost his signal even before he "officially announced" to the American people and a room full of paid actors that he was going to run for President and build a wall. And since he doesn't live in a bubble, quid pro quos could have been discussed on any number of occasions through any number of intermediaries due to his involvement in ongoing business concerns.
Do I have any of this wrong? And does this scenario seem likely?
posted by xyzzy at 7:35 PM on February 16, 2018 [23 favorites]
My fantasy is that the Obama Birth Certificate Thing was fed to Donald by the Kremlin. Please, O Universe, make this a reality.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:43 PM on February 16, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:43 PM on February 16, 2018 [35 favorites]
bonehead: [numbers showing Canada is target of tariffs on steel and aluminum] 35% of US steel imports come from Canada, but, just to put some perspective on that stat, Canada's total steel production is about a sixth of America's. The US produces an awful lot of steel and imports are peanuts. If the tariff goes through, will any mills re-open? Doubtful, I think.
This is not to say that bonehead is wrong to see this as a move against NAFTA; the point is, it means little to the US but a lot to countries exporting to the US. Here is the meat of the Trump deal process: be recalcitrant, you are in the driver's seat -- make 'em beg, or, if they won't, offer shit terms -- drag it out, exhaust the treaties, agreements, and so on, of time...
I've been in union contract negotiations with companies that had the same advantages as Trump. Time is on their side.
posted by CCBC at 7:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is not to say that bonehead is wrong to see this as a move against NAFTA; the point is, it means little to the US but a lot to countries exporting to the US. Here is the meat of the Trump deal process: be recalcitrant, you are in the driver's seat -- make 'em beg, or, if they won't, offer shit terms -- drag it out, exhaust the treaties, agreements, and so on, of time...
I've been in union contract negotiations with companies that had the same advantages as Trump. Time is on their side.
posted by CCBC at 7:58 PM on February 16, 2018 [6 favorites]
Xyzzy, that scenario definitely makes sense. Let me put forward an alternative.
It's 2014 and the US has implemented sanctions over the Russian shenanigans so Russia decides that it will deploy the disinformation and propaganda that have been developed. It's no secret that HRC is going to run for president in 2016 and Russia believes that this is a bad outcome for them so they know from the outset that they're going to work against her.
So Russia starts doing stuff that seems like it's bad for HRC and keeping an eye out for other opportunities.
Then Trump comes along which is a pretty great stroke of luck for Russia as Trump org is tied all up in your money laundering operations and, oh hey, remember that time we provided him with some sex workers and taped whatever weird thing he did with them? Looks like that come in handy.
It's not some highly detailed master plan. Plans don't survive first contact with the enemy, you just put things in motion and then adapt and improvise as circumstances change. They spent a long time developing and creating opportunities. They probably have a bunch of kompromat on a bunch of people that turned out to be useless and a bunch more that's now being used as leverage but they had no idea which would end up being which at the time they collected it. I really think that's all there is to it.
posted by VTX at 8:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
It's 2014 and the US has implemented sanctions over the Russian shenanigans so Russia decides that it will deploy the disinformation and propaganda that have been developed. It's no secret that HRC is going to run for president in 2016 and Russia believes that this is a bad outcome for them so they know from the outset that they're going to work against her.
So Russia starts doing stuff that seems like it's bad for HRC and keeping an eye out for other opportunities.
Then Trump comes along which is a pretty great stroke of luck for Russia as Trump org is tied all up in your money laundering operations and, oh hey, remember that time we provided him with some sex workers and taped whatever weird thing he did with them? Looks like that come in handy.
It's not some highly detailed master plan. Plans don't survive first contact with the enemy, you just put things in motion and then adapt and improvise as circumstances change. They spent a long time developing and creating opportunities. They probably have a bunch of kompromat on a bunch of people that turned out to be useless and a bunch more that's now being used as leverage but they had no idea which would end up being which at the time they collected it. I really think that's all there is to it.
posted by VTX at 8:08 PM on February 16, 2018 [58 favorites]
This is going to reach such a fever pitch so slowly before anything really drops that Trump is likely to simply stroke out, leaving the world with justice blue balls.
posted by rhizome at 8:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 8:14 PM on February 16, 2018 [12 favorites]
loony left report, TEEN EDITION! Radical!
The growth of YDSA Chapters in High Schools ahead of the National YDSA conference this weekend. It has sold out. Issues at the conference include how to enter politics as a young person, organizing actions for students, and defending campuses from the Alt-Right
Students call for a national walkout on the 20th anniversary of columbine in April
posted by The Whelk at 8:18 PM on February 16, 2018 [81 favorites]
The growth of YDSA Chapters in High Schools ahead of the National YDSA conference this weekend. It has sold out. Issues at the conference include how to enter politics as a young person, organizing actions for students, and defending campuses from the Alt-Right
Students call for a national walkout on the 20th anniversary of columbine in April
posted by The Whelk at 8:18 PM on February 16, 2018 [81 favorites]
"Trump is likely to simply stroke out, leaving the world with justice blue balls."
In that case we are going Pope Formosus on his ass.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:25 PM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
In that case we are going Pope Formosus on his ass.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:25 PM on February 16, 2018 [29 favorites]
Students call for a national walkout on the 20th anniversary of columbine in April
I've seen three different dates for this citing three different organizers already. And maybe I have fallen all the way out of teaching, but Christ I want to see these kids walk out and keep walking out until we see actual gun reform. There hasn't been a better reason for mass teenage defiance in my lifetime than this.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:32 PM on February 16, 2018 [87 favorites]
I've seen three different dates for this citing three different organizers already. And maybe I have fallen all the way out of teaching, but Christ I want to see these kids walk out and keep walking out until we see actual gun reform. There hasn't been a better reason for mass teenage defiance in my lifetime than this.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:32 PM on February 16, 2018 [87 favorites]
Thank you for reminding me of (one) of the craziest parts of papal history. Just... thank you.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:33 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:33 PM on February 16, 2018 [2 favorites]
Good job Russia and the NRA and Trump. You’ve given the kids a hobby besides shopping.
posted by notyou at 8:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by notyou at 8:40 PM on February 16, 2018 [5 favorites]
xyzzy: So, I'm guessing that he made contacts in 2013 where his intention to run for President might have come up once or twice.
18 Jun 2013
@realdonaldtrump: "Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?"
9 Nov 2013
62nd Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow.
22 Jan 2014
"I'm sure @realdonaldtrump will be great president! We'll support you from Russia! America needs ambitious leader!"
posted by bluecore at 8:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [31 favorites]
18 Jun 2013
@realdonaldtrump: "Do you think Putin will be going to The Miss Universe Pageant in November in Moscow - if so, will he become my new best friend?"
9 Nov 2013
62nd Miss Universe pageant held in Moscow.
22 Jan 2014
"I'm sure @realdonaldtrump will be great president! We'll support you from Russia! America needs ambitious leader!"
posted by bluecore at 8:53 PM on February 16, 2018 [31 favorites]
I've seen three different dates for this citing three different organizers already.
At least part of the reason for different dates is that many school districts in Colorado already have the anniversary of Columbine as a professional development day, during which students are not at school. Many of my activist friends are circulating a student walkout event with a March date instead.
posted by danielleh at 9:01 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
At least part of the reason for different dates is that many school districts in Colorado already have the anniversary of Columbine as a professional development day, during which students are not at school. Many of my activist friends are circulating a student walkout event with a March date instead.
posted by danielleh at 9:01 PM on February 16, 2018 [3 favorites]
Huh. That "I'm sure @realdonaldtrump will be great president!" tweet is from an advisor to the Minister of Economic Development of the Russian Federation, an agency that recently saw its head arrested by the FSB for Rosneft related bribery shenanigans. He was sentenced to 20 years hard labor.
posted by xyzzy at 9:05 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 9:05 PM on February 16, 2018 [10 favorites]
Exasperated military judge halts USS Cole bombing case (WaPo):
A military judge indefinitely halted a death-penalty case Friday linked to the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole, dealing a significant blow to the already troubled military court system for terrorism suspects at Guantanamo Bay.posted by peeedro at 9:22 PM on February 16, 2018 [8 favorites]
The decision by Air Force Col. Vance Spath, who voiced exasperation at what he characterized as repeated defiance of his authority by defense attorneys, is a striking illustration of the deep-rooted problems plaguing the judicial process set up in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
...
The suspension caps a succession of crises facing the Guantanamo commissions in recent months, including the resignation of civilian lawyers for the accused Cole mastermind, Abd al-Rahim al-Nashiri; a contempt ruling against a general overseeing defense teams; and the firing — without explanation — this month of senior Pentagon officials overseeing the courts.
“If that’s not the wheels coming off, I don’t know what is,” said Rita Siemion, international legal counsel at Human Rights First.
The growing sense of disarray comes as the Trump administration considers bringing new terrorism suspects to Guantanamo Bay for the first time in a decade, instead of seeking to try them in federal courts, raising the possibility of new protracted legal sagas.
They spent a long time developing and creating opportunities. They probably have a bunch of kompromat on a bunch of people that turned out to be useless and a bunch more that's now being used as leverage but they had no idea which would end up being which at the time they collected it.
This is how Russian intelligence operates across Europe and the east, but it's more than that, they fund rightwing parties in nations they want to influence. I suspect at least some of the Republicans willingness to cover for Trump is they know the money trail will implicate them too if it ever comes to light. There's been hints of this even before the NRA-Russia money came out: How Putin's proxies helped funnel millions into GOP campaigns
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:52 PM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
This is how Russian intelligence operates across Europe and the east, but it's more than that, they fund rightwing parties in nations they want to influence. I suspect at least some of the Republicans willingness to cover for Trump is they know the money trail will implicate them too if it ever comes to light. There's been hints of this even before the NRA-Russia money came out: How Putin's proxies helped funnel millions into GOP campaigns
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:52 PM on February 16, 2018 [40 favorites]
President Sulks-a-Lot lets Melania know how he feels as they leave AF1. Knock her ass onto the tarmac why don’t you? Shit. Rude ass motherfucker.
posted by scalefree at 10:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 10:09 PM on February 16, 2018 [15 favorites]
> peeedro:
"Exasperated military judge halts USS Cole bombing case (WaPo):"
The deal here is that the defense lawyers have to resign because they can't be guaranteed that attorney-client privilege will be respected, because their meetings and stuff have been getting surveilled by the prosecution (gov't). That's the ethical obligation, because the judge won't/can't stop it.
posted by rhizome at 10:42 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
"Exasperated military judge halts USS Cole bombing case (WaPo):"
The deal here is that the defense lawyers have to resign because they can't be guaranteed that attorney-client privilege will be respected, because their meetings and stuff have been getting surveilled by the prosecution (gov't). That's the ethical obligation, because the judge won't/can't stop it.
posted by rhizome at 10:42 PM on February 16, 2018 [16 favorites]
ProPublica/Politico, Isaac Arnsdorf, The Trump Administration Goes to War — With Itself — Over the VA: "Even before a searing report put the job of Secretary of Veterans Affairs David Shulkin at risk, some White House staffers were pushing a health care agenda at odds with his. The infighting has left vets frustrated, Congress confused — and a key piece of legislation stalemated."
As so many fires burn, it's easy to overlook this story, but it's really important. Mainly, because the future of the VA is at stake, but I also think it's a powerful case study of how the chaos in the Administration leads the way for particular interests to come in and engage in no-holds-barred war at the agency level over dismantling parts of the government. The efforts to push Shulkin and his people out started well before the travel scandal, and the fights from the White House take many forms:
WaPo, Josh Dawsey, In a brief Florida stop, Trump focuses on praising responders, in which it is observed that Trump has a pattern when tragedy strikes: he spends almost all his time congratulating the responders instead of mentioning the victims.
posted by zachlipton at 1:01 AM on February 17, 2018 [68 favorites]
As so many fires burn, it's easy to overlook this story, but it's really important. Mainly, because the future of the VA is at stake, but I also think it's a powerful case study of how the chaos in the Administration leads the way for particular interests to come in and engage in no-holds-barred war at the agency level over dismantling parts of the government. The efforts to push Shulkin and his people out started well before the travel scandal, and the fights from the White House take many forms:
Shulkin has even been at odds with his own press secretary, Curt Cashour, who came from Miller’s House committee staff. Last month, Shulkin assigned an official to send a letter to a veterans group that said the agency would update its motto, to be inclusive of servicewomen. (Adapted from Abraham Lincoln’s second inaugural address, the original reads, “To care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow, and his orphan.” The new version would read: “To care for those who shall have borne the battle and their families and survivors.”)There's a grift involved too of course: the committee Selnick was on included the executives of large health systems that would gain patients if the VA eventually closed all its facilities and turned into an insurance company. Oh, and the Koch Brothers are behind it. It's also a really well-reported piece; read on for the time an American Legion lobbyist set a copy of Moran's privatization legislation on fire, complete with photographic evidence.
Cashour told The Washington Post the motto wouldn’t change. A few days later, the secretary’s strategic plan went out using the updated, gender-neutral motto. Cashour then denied the change a second time, telling the Post that was “not VA’s position.” A new document with the Lincoln quote restored subsequently appeared on the VA’s website. Shulkin was stunned at being disobeyed by his own spokesman, two people briefed on the incident said. (Cashour denied defying the VA secretary. “The premise of your inquiry is false,” he told ProPublica. Cashour said Shulkin never approved the letter regarding the updated motto and authorized the restoration of the original one.)
Then there was Selnick, who became the administration’s most effective proponent for privatization. He joined the VA as a “senior advisor to the secretary.” Though he reported to Shulkin, he quickly began developing his own policy proposals and conducted his own dealings with lawmakers, according to people with knowledge of the situation. In mid-2017 Shulkin pushed him out — sort of.
Selnick left the VA offices and took up roost in the White House’s Domestic Policy Council. There he started hosting VA-related policy meetings without informing Shulkin, according to people briefed on the meetings. At one such meeting of the “Veterans Policy Coordinating Committee,” Selnick floated merging the Choice program with military’s Tricare insurance plan, according to documents from the meeting obtained by ProPublica.
Veterans groups were furious. At a Nov. 17 meeting, Selnick boasted that Trump wouldn’t sign anything without Selnick’s endorsement, according to a person present. Shulkin would later tell a confidant that moving Selnick out of the VA was his “biggest mistake” because he did even more damage from the White House. (Selnick did not reply to a request for comment. A White House spokesman said some VA officials were aware of the policy meetings that Selnick hosted. The spokesman said Selnick does not brief the president or the chief of staff.)
WaPo, Josh Dawsey, In a brief Florida stop, Trump focuses on praising responders, in which it is observed that Trump has a pattern when tragedy strikes: he spends almost all his time congratulating the responders instead of mentioning the victims.
posted by zachlipton at 1:01 AM on February 17, 2018 [68 favorites]
Mother Jones: Mueller’s Latest Indictment Shows Trump Has Helped Putin Cover Up a Crime. "By continuing to cast doubt on Russian involvement, the president is helping the Kremlin get away with its election attack."
posted by amf at 2:39 AM on February 17, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by amf at 2:39 AM on February 17, 2018 [33 favorites]
It's 2018, and [Kushner] still hasn't managed to produce an accurate statement of his financial entanglements.
People should be taking this more seriously. It's been going on for well over a year now. If it were just financial entanglements I bet that it could have been fixed but terminating deals or by shifting liabilities between entities. What can there possibly be so bad that it can't be disguised to make him look clean, not even with a year's worth of negotiations?
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:13 AM on February 17, 2018 [24 favorites]
People should be taking this more seriously. It's been going on for well over a year now. If it were just financial entanglements I bet that it could have been fixed but terminating deals or by shifting liabilities between entities. What can there possibly be so bad that it can't be disguised to make him look clean, not even with a year's worth of negotiations?
posted by Joe in Australia at 3:13 AM on February 17, 2018 [24 favorites]
grody-ass grossness alert
Trump's new twitter banner is a shot of of him smiling and *giving the thumbs up* as he poses with the first responders to the Parkland massacre.
*giving the thumbs up*
arrghbargleawersrseteset
posted by angrycat at 3:45 AM on February 17, 2018 [31 favorites]
Trump's new twitter banner is a shot of of him smiling and *giving the thumbs up* as he poses with the first responders to the Parkland massacre.
*giving the thumbs up*
arrghbargleawersrseteset
posted by angrycat at 3:45 AM on February 17, 2018 [31 favorites]
Trump's new twitter banner is a shot of of him smiling and *giving the thumbs up* as he poses with the first responders to the Parkland massacre.
Also Marco Rubio, who looks as if the meat loaf is about to come back up
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:09 AM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Also Marco Rubio, who looks as if the meat loaf is about to come back up
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 4:09 AM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is amazing to reflect on, in light of everything from the past year and the indictments handed down yesterday.
Facebook reminded me that one year ago Evan McMullin wrote a NYT Op-ED titled "Republicans, Protect the Nation":
"President Trump’s disturbing Russian connections present an acute danger to American national security. According to reports this week, Mr. Trump’s team maintained frequent contact with Russian officials, including senior intelligence officers, during the campaign. This led to concerns about possible collusion with one of America’s principal strategic adversaries as it tried to influence the election in Mr. Trump’s favor. On Monday, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, was forced to resign after details of his communications with the Russian ambassador emerged.
Republican leaders in Congress now bear the most responsibility for holding the president accountable and protecting the nation. They can’t say they didn’t see the Russian interference coming. They knew all along."
posted by Sublimity at 4:47 AM on February 17, 2018 [28 favorites]
Facebook reminded me that one year ago Evan McMullin wrote a NYT Op-ED titled "Republicans, Protect the Nation":
"President Trump’s disturbing Russian connections present an acute danger to American national security. According to reports this week, Mr. Trump’s team maintained frequent contact with Russian officials, including senior intelligence officers, during the campaign. This led to concerns about possible collusion with one of America’s principal strategic adversaries as it tried to influence the election in Mr. Trump’s favor. On Monday, Mr. Trump’s national security adviser, Michael T. Flynn, was forced to resign after details of his communications with the Russian ambassador emerged.
Republican leaders in Congress now bear the most responsibility for holding the president accountable and protecting the nation. They can’t say they didn’t see the Russian interference coming. They knew all along."
posted by Sublimity at 4:47 AM on February 17, 2018 [28 favorites]
I keep going back to a comic from 18 months ago.
posted by Miss Cellania at 5:27 AM on February 17, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by Miss Cellania at 5:27 AM on February 17, 2018 [31 favorites]
What can there possibly be so bad that it can't be disguised to make him [Kushner] look clean, not even with a year's worth of negotiations?
Money laundering. Especially with Muller having drilled down to the books of the Russian fronts writing checks to people. I'm guessing Kushner is a non-trivial entry.
posted by mikelieman at 5:29 AM on February 17, 2018 [10 favorites]
Money laundering. Especially with Muller having drilled down to the books of the Russian fronts writing checks to people. I'm guessing Kushner is a non-trivial entry.
posted by mikelieman at 5:29 AM on February 17, 2018 [10 favorites]
No apologies for repeating this story, this one tiny chip off the shit colossus, that in any other timeline would have triggered an investigation all on its own.
House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump
That happened two years ago, and has been public for nearly one. Ponder how much more Mueller will have by now.
Enjoy your weekend.
posted by Devonian at 5:49 AM on February 17, 2018 [61 favorites]
House majority leader to colleagues in 2016: ‘I think Putin pays’ Trump
That happened two years ago, and has been public for nearly one. Ponder how much more Mueller will have by now.
Enjoy your weekend.
posted by Devonian at 5:49 AM on February 17, 2018 [61 favorites]
Both the Trump and Kushner real estate empires were not real self-sustaining businesses before the election, they were essentially front operations for turning billions of sanctioned Russian cash into clean real estate investments.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:34 AM on February 17, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:34 AM on February 17, 2018 [34 favorites]
Short: Anti-FBI content is my rule of thumb for Russian troll detection.
Long: I get my intellectual engagement from metafilter and my juvenile humor from 9Gag. Recently there has been quite a few memes and cartoons poking fun at the FBI and spreading the idea that the FBI cyberstalks everyday people and are incompetant. I'm no fan of the FBI and their long history of interferring to disrupt and malign leftist political movements, but now I use criticism of the FBI as a depth-guage for Russian interferrence in US politics. Take the cover of today's NYPost. Emphasis matters, narratives matter, the drumbeat matters. Font sizes matter. The NY Post has always been trash but when lots of trash coordinate their messages, its hard not to connect the dots. Is there a term for when propoganda discredits its conduits and immunizes the viewer to its message. trollnoise?
posted by Anchorite_of_Palgrave at 6:36 AM on February 17, 2018 [20 favorites]
Long: I get my intellectual engagement from metafilter and my juvenile humor from 9Gag. Recently there has been quite a few memes and cartoons poking fun at the FBI and spreading the idea that the FBI cyberstalks everyday people and are incompetant. I'm no fan of the FBI and their long history of interferring to disrupt and malign leftist political movements, but now I use criticism of the FBI as a depth-guage for Russian interferrence in US politics. Take the cover of today's NYPost. Emphasis matters, narratives matter, the drumbeat matters. Font sizes matter. The NY Post has always been trash but when lots of trash coordinate their messages, its hard not to connect the dots. Is there a term for when propoganda discredits its conduits and immunizes the viewer to its message. trollnoise?
posted by Anchorite_of_Palgrave at 6:36 AM on February 17, 2018 [20 favorites]
Just a bit of detail on the bonkers VA story; Shulkin is an Obama appointee elevated to the top spot by Trump.
posted by notyou at 7:09 AM on February 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:09 AM on February 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
(And, stepping back from the VA privatization rumors, the Interior Dept’s huge upcoming oil and gas lease sale, various other rumors of federal asset sell-offs — isn’t this the Russian Collapse model, in which government held resources are sold off to well connected oligarchs?)
posted by notyou at 7:17 AM on February 17, 2018 [46 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:17 AM on February 17, 2018 [46 favorites]
President Sulks-a-Lot lets Melania know how he feels as they leave AF1. Knock her ass onto the tarmac why don’t you? Shit. Rude ass motherfucker.
So... how long before the news breaks that Melania has been co-operating with Mueller for pretty much all of the investigation?
I can't see how it would be it would be anything but all the cui bono for her, and she almost certainly has plenty of stories to tell.
posted by Buntix at 7:56 AM on February 17, 2018 [10 favorites]
So... how long before the news breaks that Melania has been co-operating with Mueller for pretty much all of the investigation?
I can't see how it would be it would be anything but all the cui bono for her, and she almost certainly has plenty of stories to tell.
posted by Buntix at 7:56 AM on February 17, 2018 [10 favorites]
Last year, I finished a 4 yr term as a GS-13 doing systems stuff, and was one of the empty suits VA Central Office sent out to the facilities to help deploy access fixes in 2016. (The access issues that cost Shinseki his job and put Secretary Bob in place.) This was Shulkin's initiative and I got that sense was that he was a generally normal undersecretary. I think some of us may have been slightly concerned about his willingness to divert care to non-VA providers, but it was something normally done to some extent already. We gave him the benefit of the doubt and assumed any increase in outsourcing would be stopgap until systemic changes could be implemented. When he was appointed, I think I can fairly say that we all breathed a collective sigh of relief, knowing that he was definitely no Pruitt (or Zinke or Carson or DeVos). That is, we felt pretty confident Shulkin's mission was not to destroy or otherwise dismantle the VA. I have a feeling there's a lack of shared understanding about that mission right now.
posted by klarck at 8:06 AM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by klarck at 8:06 AM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
Recently there has been quite a few memes and cartoons poking fun at the FBI and spreading the idea that the FBI cyberstalks everyday people and are incompetant.
Yes, this has been super noticeable on Reddit too - because the joke should be NSA, not FBI. Especially when playing to that audience. So there's probably a reason for that choice.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:40 AM on February 17, 2018 [24 favorites]
Yes, this has been super noticeable on Reddit too - because the joke should be NSA, not FBI. Especially when playing to that audience. So there's probably a reason for that choice.
posted by jason_steakums at 8:40 AM on February 17, 2018 [24 favorites]
He added: “We know that in other places they use money laundering as a way of entangling people, as a way of compromising people. To me that is far more potentially compromising than any salacious video would be.”
Yes, but on the other hand, no.
For Trump, if true, the Russians have an existential hold on his companies. Without their backing, he would just be another minor property developer in NYC with a whole string of bankruptcies behind him. This could still very much be his and his families future if this goes south. For him, hiding the money trail is absolutely essential. It can and may well yet be his and his children's financial ruin. On the pee tape thing, I'm sure he figures that it will get his name in the news, which he loves, but also he's survived worse.
On the other hand, money-laundering is dull as crimes go, technical and hard to explain to Joe Plumber types. They might even pass it off politically as being a sharp dealer. On the other hand, a pee tape, with visuals, is enormously strong political theatre, and will have great power over the public imagination. Think of all the stars who made their way to the top on the back of (fairly vanilla) sex tapes. Sex on screen is still a lightning rod direct to most people's hindbrain. A pee video, even if its leaked but never played on fox, could easily be the thing that kills him. Rob Ford was immune to all manner of charges, many extremely serious, but what killed his career was smoking crack on camera.
I'm not willing to underestimate how big a political earthquake a video can be.
posted by bonehead at 9:21 AM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yes, but on the other hand, no.
For Trump, if true, the Russians have an existential hold on his companies. Without their backing, he would just be another minor property developer in NYC with a whole string of bankruptcies behind him. This could still very much be his and his families future if this goes south. For him, hiding the money trail is absolutely essential. It can and may well yet be his and his children's financial ruin. On the pee tape thing, I'm sure he figures that it will get his name in the news, which he loves, but also he's survived worse.
On the other hand, money-laundering is dull as crimes go, technical and hard to explain to Joe Plumber types. They might even pass it off politically as being a sharp dealer. On the other hand, a pee tape, with visuals, is enormously strong political theatre, and will have great power over the public imagination. Think of all the stars who made their way to the top on the back of (fairly vanilla) sex tapes. Sex on screen is still a lightning rod direct to most people's hindbrain. A pee video, even if its leaked but never played on fox, could easily be the thing that kills him. Rob Ford was immune to all manner of charges, many extremely serious, but what killed his career was smoking crack on camera.
I'm not willing to underestimate how big a political earthquake a video can be.
posted by bonehead at 9:21 AM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
What killed Rob Ford's career was having cancer and dying.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:28 AM on February 17, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:28 AM on February 17, 2018 [31 favorites]
Mod note: A few deleted; let's not with the cancer jokes.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:44 AM on February 17, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:44 AM on February 17, 2018 [7 favorites]
Didn't see this anywhere above, but for anyone looking for some good TL;DR context around the indictments, I found this Twitter thread from Baratunde very useful (and very depressing/angermaking).
posted by jeremias at 9:53 AM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by jeremias at 9:53 AM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
money-laundering is dull as crimes go
Not if it's laundering money for the Mob. Trump being outed as a bagman for the Russian Mafia might make even Johnny Lunchbucket put down his sandwich.
posted by SPrintF at 10:20 AM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Not if it's laundering money for the Mob. Trump being outed as a bagman for the Russian Mafia might make even Johnny Lunchbucket put down his sandwich.
posted by SPrintF at 10:20 AM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Not if it's laundering money for the Mob. Trump being outed as a bagman for the Russian Mafia might make even Johnny Lunchbucket put down his sandwich.
"Who hasn't laundered money for the mob? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #MAGA"
posted by Talez at 10:45 AM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
"Who hasn't laundered money for the mob? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ #MAGA"
posted by Talez at 10:45 AM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
Yeah, there's not One Weird Trick that's going to turn the MAGAhats against Trump.
Get out the vote; stand up to white-moderate bullshit as you are able; be shocked but not surprised.
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:51 AM on February 17, 2018 [52 favorites]
Get out the vote; stand up to white-moderate bullshit as you are able; be shocked but not surprised.
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:51 AM on February 17, 2018 [52 favorites]
All About That Base - Democratic Party survival depends on mobilizing nonvoters and voters of color - not targeting republicans or ‘moderates’.
posted by The Whelk at 11:01 AM on February 17, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 11:01 AM on February 17, 2018 [40 favorites]
Parkland Students to President Trump: Stay ‘Far Away’ From Us -
Asawin Suebsaeng, James Laporta, Taylor Lorenz for the Daily Beast.
Asawin Suebsaeng, James Laporta, Taylor Lorenz for the Daily Beast.
Few imagine that the president would provide any comfort. Many fear he will make things worse.posted by ZeusHumms at 11:05 AM on February 17, 2018 [35 favorites]
...
Another student who participated in Junior Reserve Officers’ Training Corps (JROTC) with Florida shooting suspect Nikolas Cruz, but asked that he not be named, said most kids and people in town agree that Trump should not swing through.
“One big reason people don’t want him here was his speech yesterday and tweet of his,” the student said. “Apparently [the president] said it was the kids’ responsibility to report Nikolas Cruz so in a way it was our fault… A lot of people aren’t happy about his visit.”
Emotions remain raw among students in Parkland, especially after President Trump tweeted on Thursday that “Neighbors and classmates knew [Cruz] was a big problem” and that, in such cases, people “Must always report such instances to authorities, again and again!”
The missive left several students at the school livid, with some angrily responding to the president with tweets of their own.
posted by tivalasvegas at 11:05 AM on February 17, 2018 [62 favorites]
Yeah, there's not One Weird Trick that's going to turn the MAGAhats against Trump.
Get out the vote; stand up to white-moderate bullshit as you are able; be shocked but not surprised.
Yes, this. I am concerned, not in the Flake/Sasse manner either, that even blatant evidence of colluding with Russian criminal interests won't sway the MAGA-hats one iota. Some will double down because they don't want to admit they've been conned and have been sucked into a scam that makes Amway and its kind look like kid stuff. Others, more disturbingly, will think that working with the Russian mob is the patriotic thing to do, because...MAGA, or Democrats Are Evil, or whatever. It's hard to bring people back from that kind of mindset.
Getting out the vote, and working to get people enfranchised or re-enfranchised, is a much better bet.
And this Russian collusion and money-laundering explains why there was a spate of Republican retirements. If the Republican party has turned into One Giant Criminal Fucking Conspiracy, those who are honestly patriotic even in a twisted way, or who just want to save their own hides, are going to start leaving or retiring.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 11:53 AM on February 17, 2018 [26 favorites]
Get out the vote; stand up to white-moderate bullshit as you are able; be shocked but not surprised.
Yes, this. I am concerned, not in the Flake/Sasse manner either, that even blatant evidence of colluding with Russian criminal interests won't sway the MAGA-hats one iota. Some will double down because they don't want to admit they've been conned and have been sucked into a scam that makes Amway and its kind look like kid stuff. Others, more disturbingly, will think that working with the Russian mob is the patriotic thing to do, because...MAGA, or Democrats Are Evil, or whatever. It's hard to bring people back from that kind of mindset.
Getting out the vote, and working to get people enfranchised or re-enfranchised, is a much better bet.
And this Russian collusion and money-laundering explains why there was a spate of Republican retirements. If the Republican party has turned into One Giant Criminal Fucking Conspiracy, those who are honestly patriotic even in a twisted way, or who just want to save their own hides, are going to start leaving or retiring.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 11:53 AM on February 17, 2018 [26 favorites]
Yeah it’s just be another salvo of “Crooked Hillary Clinton Foundation.” There’s not going to be One Weird Trick that flips the hardcore red hats. It’s team sports, guys. They don’t actually care if thousands of Kids die for lack of health care or families are destroyed by ICE raids. (Well, they’d cheer the second). It’s like the “keep your government hands off my Medicare” crowd or the people that love Obamacare as long as you don’t call it Obamacare. All that matters is they win, trigger snowflakes, and own the libs. Like I said, it’s like sports. Oh no my team broke a vague rule and the title isn’t tainted. Doesn’t matter, we won, you lost, suck it up.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 11:55 AM on February 17, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 11:55 AM on February 17, 2018 [8 favorites]
"Others, more disturbingly, will think that working with the Russian mob is the patriotic thing to do, because...MAGA, or Democrats Are Evil, or whatever. It's hard to bring people back from that kind of mindset."
Naw, it's simple! You just have Hannity switch mindsets in front of them with no explanation, we'vealwaysbeenatwarwithEastasia-style. Somewhere I bet there's a cache of those infuriating Reagan-era bumper stickers that say, "If you hate this country, move to Russia." I'm'na buy a ton on Ebay and superglue them to every "Trump" sticker I see.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:03 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
Naw, it's simple! You just have Hannity switch mindsets in front of them with no explanation, we'vealwaysbeenatwarwithEastasia-style. Somewhere I bet there's a cache of those infuriating Reagan-era bumper stickers that say, "If you hate this country, move to Russia." I'm'na buy a ton on Ebay and superglue them to every "Trump" sticker I see.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:03 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
further proof that Putin staffs his diplomatic corps by evaluating the size of the candidate's big brass balls:
Russian Foreign Minister Dismisses Indictments: ‘Just Blabber’
Russian Foreign Minister Dismisses Indictments: ‘Just Blabber’
H.R. McMaster, U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, said at the Munich Security Conference that the federal indictments showed the U.S. was becoming “more and more adept at tracing the origins of this espionage and subversion.”posted by murphy slaw at 12:05 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
“As you can see with the FBI indictment, the evidence is now really incontrovertible and available in the public domain,” McMaster told a Russian delegate to the conference.
Just minutes before, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov had dismissed the indictments as “just blabber,” according to remarks through an interpreter.
“I have no response,” Lavrov said when asked for comment on the allegations. “You can publish anything, and we see those indictments multiplying, the statements multiplying.”
The two men addressed the conference of top world leaders, defense officials and diplomats, giving more general back-to-back opening remarks. But both were immediately hit with blunt questions about the U.S. indictment and the broader issue of cyberattacks.
In Russia, news of the indictments was met with more scorn.
“There are no official claims, there are no proofs for this. That’s why they are just children’s statements,” Andrei Kutskikh, the presidential envoy for international information security, told Russian state news agency RIA Novosti.
Parkland Students to President Trump: Stay ‘Far Away’ From Us -
My first serious thought about his hospital visit was that every minute he was allowed near a victim is a minute of gross medical malpractice. Like no, really, whoever allowed that should be stuck in front of a board evaluating their competence.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:09 PM on February 17, 2018 [30 favorites]
My first serious thought about his hospital visit was that every minute he was allowed near a victim is a minute of gross medical malpractice. Like no, really, whoever allowed that should be stuck in front of a board evaluating their competence.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:09 PM on February 17, 2018 [30 favorites]
From the Baratunde twitter thread noted above,
and look at this. They SOMEHOW got a bunch of social security numbers and used those to do more fake shit. They could have gotten those from almost anywhere thanks to weak ass security by everyone mining our personal data. Hello Equifax, Target, LinkedIn, US Government!
Good show.
posted by petebest at 12:16 PM on February 17, 2018 [10 favorites]
and look at this. They SOMEHOW got a bunch of social security numbers and used those to do more fake shit. They could have gotten those from almost anywhere thanks to weak ass security by everyone mining our personal data. Hello Equifax, Target, LinkedIn, US Government!
Good show.
posted by petebest at 12:16 PM on February 17, 2018 [10 favorites]
Further evidence of careful phrasing in
this article:
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:20 PM on February 17, 2018 [27 favorites]
this article:
“As you can see with the FBI indictment,” McMaster told an audience at security conference in Germany, “the evidence is now really incontrovertible and available in the public domain, whereas in the past it was difficult to attribute.”[my emphasis]I can't read this any other way than "We've had proof of this for a long time but we were legally unable to discuss it in public. Oh, and IDGAF about protecting the Administration any longer."
posted by Joe in Australia at 12:20 PM on February 17, 2018 [27 favorites]
I can't help but feel a sense of - we're not crazy - it really happened just like we saw it - just like we said it did.
Would like some clarity on the AlfaBank server thing, but I can wait . . .
Motion to provide for a potential Justinian Current Joy Level (JCJL) in the event that circumstances warrant such.
posted by petebest at 12:40 PM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
Would like some clarity on the AlfaBank server thing, but I can wait . . .
Motion to provide for a potential Justinian Current Joy Level (JCJL) in the event that circumstances warrant such.
posted by petebest at 12:40 PM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
My dials don't really go to joy. More "Panic" to "less Panic".
posted by Justinian at 12:52 PM on February 17, 2018 [77 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:52 PM on February 17, 2018 [77 favorites]
Alfabank, yes, and that weird picture of a burger.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:49 PM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 1:49 PM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Shocked to find Russians in this Subreddit.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 2:52 PM on February 17, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 2:52 PM on February 17, 2018 [28 favorites]
The Verge: Facebook will mail out postcards to verify US election advertisers
I don't know how long this will last or if it will actually help anything, but there are some implementation-y things that would take me from Grimacing Whatever-Face to Actually-Might-Work-Face:
- if they make a database of such advertisers with addresses and ads posted public
- noting in any political ads whether they are postcard-verified
- loud, public displays of what non-verified ads are known to be from foreign agencies, troll farms, and the like
- extending similar verification to Instagram
- not withdrawing the policy once the usual GOP dark money actors start squealing about how unfair it is. Keep it through the midterms, I might start using my dead in the water Facebook account again. Keep it through the midterms Mark. Keep it through the midterms. If you f**k it up, Mark, if you f**k it up, we're done, Mark.
posted by saysthis at 3:12 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
I don't know how long this will last or if it will actually help anything, but there are some implementation-y things that would take me from Grimacing Whatever-Face to Actually-Might-Work-Face:
- if they make a database of such advertisers with addresses and ads posted public
- noting in any political ads whether they are postcard-verified
- loud, public displays of what non-verified ads are known to be from foreign agencies, troll farms, and the like
- extending similar verification to Instagram
- not withdrawing the policy once the usual GOP dark money actors start squealing about how unfair it is. Keep it through the midterms, I might start using my dead in the water Facebook account again. Keep it through the midterms Mark. Keep it through the midterms. If you f**k it up, Mark, if you f**k it up, we're done, Mark.
posted by saysthis at 3:12 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
Oh, one more:
- listing the number of people targeted by a political ad in the ad text. If I'm being microtargeted, let me know.
posted by saysthis at 3:26 PM on February 17, 2018 [26 favorites]
- listing the number of people targeted by a political ad in the ad text. If I'm being microtargeted, let me know.
posted by saysthis at 3:26 PM on February 17, 2018 [26 favorites]
Facebook needs to make its goals to be the single most trustworthy site for receiving advertising (which I know is a strange concept) - they are already one of the strongest places for advertisers themselves to use, due to how things can be targeted and the return on investment. They need to be a place where the users can have much greater trust of what’s being distributed through it.
The measures you mention would help some. What I think really needs to happen is that there needs to be a priority news feed of anything that you’re account has ever viewed that originated from troll farms, or is “fake news”, or anything along the lines - Something incredibly visible, bolder, and hard to ignore. Like I guess it’s better for them to have a link buried in the help menu that you can use to see if you’ve shared Russian propaganda than to not have it at all, but that’s hardly helpful in the grand scale. This should not require that degree of obfuscation, and the people who would benefit the most from it would likely never see the link - it should be default visible to all, maybe minimizeable to a small red alert icon until acknowledged, but very difficult to make go away completely. They have no problem making your own privacy settings disclose a lot more by default with no prior notice, and randomly fucking with your news feed, so this shouldn’t be a problem, right?
I’m sure that there are tons of problematic details behind the implementation of this, but tough - your platform was a major part of sowing discord within the US in general, so unless you are going to outright ban all political discussion (which is not a suggestion by any means) then this sort of policy in regards to both shared links as well as paid for advertising should be in place. It won’t be easy, and it’s certainly going to take a system that puts the burden on them as a company as opposed to the individual users- as the latter is entirely to easy to game and is a large source of the problem.
posted by MysticMCJ at 3:51 PM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
The measures you mention would help some. What I think really needs to happen is that there needs to be a priority news feed of anything that you’re account has ever viewed that originated from troll farms, or is “fake news”, or anything along the lines - Something incredibly visible, bolder, and hard to ignore. Like I guess it’s better for them to have a link buried in the help menu that you can use to see if you’ve shared Russian propaganda than to not have it at all, but that’s hardly helpful in the grand scale. This should not require that degree of obfuscation, and the people who would benefit the most from it would likely never see the link - it should be default visible to all, maybe minimizeable to a small red alert icon until acknowledged, but very difficult to make go away completely. They have no problem making your own privacy settings disclose a lot more by default with no prior notice, and randomly fucking with your news feed, so this shouldn’t be a problem, right?
I’m sure that there are tons of problematic details behind the implementation of this, but tough - your platform was a major part of sowing discord within the US in general, so unless you are going to outright ban all political discussion (which is not a suggestion by any means) then this sort of policy in regards to both shared links as well as paid for advertising should be in place. It won’t be easy, and it’s certainly going to take a system that puts the burden on them as a company as opposed to the individual users- as the latter is entirely to easy to game and is a large source of the problem.
posted by MysticMCJ at 3:51 PM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
If they're going to all this trouble to label ads as "fake news" or "propaganda"...why allow it at all. Facebook is not the government (yet?), they're not subject to the first amendment. They don't have to accept money from Russian troll farms or publish their content, and if they're, allegedly, I'll believe it when I see it and not before, implementing all of these measures to label "fake news" as fake, the exact same amount of work could be done to prevent anyone from ever seeing propaganda content. We know for a fact that labeling will be ineffective. People don't change their opinions simply by being told they're wrong. The only possible measure Facebook could do to combat fake news, propaganda, Russian information war, is to prevent the attacking content from being seen, period.
But that would require Zuckerburg giving up even one single dime out of his pocket. Which will happen about the same time as Mitch McConnell brings up an assault weapon ban.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:56 PM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
But that would require Zuckerburg giving up even one single dime out of his pocket. Which will happen about the same time as Mitch McConnell brings up an assault weapon ban.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:56 PM on February 17, 2018 [16 favorites]
@JenniferJJacobs: The president will not be golfing on this sunny Saturday in Palm Beach. White House wants to respect the dead and the mourners, I’m told. Mar-a-Lago is only about half an hour from the site of the Parkland school shooting, and memorial services continue.
The man who spends his weekends insisting he is very busy having important meetings at his golf club while wearing golfing attire in the presence of golf clubs would now like credit for whining on Twitter instead of golfing today. This should put him at the top of the list of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award I'd say.
posted by zachlipton at 4:25 PM on February 17, 2018 [40 favorites]
The man who spends his weekends insisting he is very busy having important meetings at his golf club while wearing golfing attire in the presence of golf clubs would now like credit for whining on Twitter instead of golfing today. This should put him at the top of the list of the Arthur Ashe Courage Award I'd say.
posted by zachlipton at 4:25 PM on February 17, 2018 [40 favorites]
Yes, this has been super noticeable on Reddit too - because the joke should be NSA, not FBI. Especially when playing to that audience. So there's probably a reason for that choice.
On Tumblr the meme has taken the form of writing fanfiction about FBI agents falling in love with the people they are surveilling. But it USED to be NSA agents and suddenly, about a month ago, it switched to being FBI everywhere. To the point where I've even thought I saw the same exact post that used to say NSA and now says FBI. And it bugs me every time I see it because it's WRONG. Combined with that article about how prevalent Russian bots impersonating leftists on Tumblr were, yeah, I'm suspicious.
posted by threeturtles at 4:27 PM on February 17, 2018 [24 favorites]
On Tumblr the meme has taken the form of writing fanfiction about FBI agents falling in love with the people they are surveilling. But it USED to be NSA agents and suddenly, about a month ago, it switched to being FBI everywhere. To the point where I've even thought I saw the same exact post that used to say NSA and now says FBI. And it bugs me every time I see it because it's WRONG. Combined with that article about how prevalent Russian bots impersonating leftists on Tumblr were, yeah, I'm suspicious.
posted by threeturtles at 4:27 PM on February 17, 2018 [24 favorites]
If they're going to all this trouble to label ads as "fake news" or "propaganda"...why allow it at all.
With you in spirit, in practice I think it would be far too easy for them to get banned from Russia, and if I was king of Facebook, I'd feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. Yes, a US company, yes they should have banned ads like that from the start, and yes, they knew what they were doing, but I can understand why they didn't stop the ad buys from a purely passive business perspective. Global internet companies have to walk a fine line, and while I think Facebook sucks, I think they deserve credit for sucking equally in every country.
But it's a post-2016 world, and they have to do something. Super precise labeling won't solve everything, but it's a standard they can apply globally, and it's one that will jump-start this conversation everywhere. So far in my travels abroad, "Americans are susceptible to propaganda" is not a stereotype I've encountered...yet. I'd also like "social networking with psyops transparency" to become something the US can point to as a counterexample to China's "managed internet" approach, which seems to be getting a lot more popular around the world.
This is veering on derail territory, but I don't think a Facebook (Google, Twitter, y'all next) blanket ban on suspected troll farm/psyops ad buys (note that I did not say shutting down known troll accounts, by all means shut those down harder) is possible at this moment in history, but in 6 months? A year? Hopefully, with public activism and pressure, we can nudge the possible in the right direction. Properly and transparently attributing political speech, making sure you know who wants you to think what, is exactly how we bring down "Fake News!" and "but free speech!" as right-wing talking points, and Facebook publicly doing something about it is a powerful statement against narratives that minimize what happened in 2016. I hope Facebook does more.
posted by saysthis at 4:37 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
With you in spirit, in practice I think it would be far too easy for them to get banned from Russia, and if I was king of Facebook, I'd feel trapped between a rock and a hard place. Yes, a US company, yes they should have banned ads like that from the start, and yes, they knew what they were doing, but I can understand why they didn't stop the ad buys from a purely passive business perspective. Global internet companies have to walk a fine line, and while I think Facebook sucks, I think they deserve credit for sucking equally in every country.
But it's a post-2016 world, and they have to do something. Super precise labeling won't solve everything, but it's a standard they can apply globally, and it's one that will jump-start this conversation everywhere. So far in my travels abroad, "Americans are susceptible to propaganda" is not a stereotype I've encountered...yet. I'd also like "social networking with psyops transparency" to become something the US can point to as a counterexample to China's "managed internet" approach, which seems to be getting a lot more popular around the world.
This is veering on derail territory, but I don't think a Facebook (Google, Twitter, y'all next) blanket ban on suspected troll farm/psyops ad buys (note that I did not say shutting down known troll accounts, by all means shut those down harder) is possible at this moment in history, but in 6 months? A year? Hopefully, with public activism and pressure, we can nudge the possible in the right direction. Properly and transparently attributing political speech, making sure you know who wants you to think what, is exactly how we bring down "Fake News!" and "but free speech!" as right-wing talking points, and Facebook publicly doing something about it is a powerful statement against narratives that minimize what happened in 2016. I hope Facebook does more.
posted by saysthis at 4:37 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trumps went straight from Parkland to Studio 54- themed ‘disco party’ at Mar-a-Lago: report
posted by Artw at 4:41 PM on February 17, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:41 PM on February 17, 2018 [20 favorites]
Because doing lines in a corduroy leisure suit shows respect for the dead in a way that golfing just doesn’t.
posted by murphy slaw at 4:45 PM on February 17, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 4:45 PM on February 17, 2018 [28 favorites]
: Facebook will mail out postcards to verify US election advertisers
from that link:
“If you run an ad mentioning a candidate, we are going to mail you a postcard and you will have to use that code to prove you are in the United States,” Katie Harbath, Facebook’s global director of policy programs, said on Saturday. She acknowledged to Reuters that the process “won’t solve everything” but
given that the thirteen people just arrested were operating from within the USA, yeah, I'd reword that to
the process “won’t even begin to solve everything”
posted by philip-random at 4:45 PM on February 17, 2018 [12 favorites]
from that link:
“If you run an ad mentioning a candidate, we are going to mail you a postcard and you will have to use that code to prove you are in the United States,” Katie Harbath, Facebook’s global director of policy programs, said on Saturday. She acknowledged to Reuters that the process “won’t solve everything” but
given that the thirteen people just arrested were operating from within the USA, yeah, I'd reword that to
the process “won’t even begin to solve everything”
posted by philip-random at 4:45 PM on February 17, 2018 [12 favorites]
It might be more effective if instead of running the ad and then taking it down if there's no code back in a month, they refuse to run the ad at all until some sort of US verification is achieved. But that would lose them money so they'll never do it.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 4:50 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 4:50 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
Wait, there's a month lead time on their verification process? That's worse than doing nothing at all. They're papering over the problem with a knowingly bullshit response.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:56 PM on February 17, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:56 PM on February 17, 2018 [14 favorites]
It might be more effective if instead of running the ad and then taking it down if there's no code back in a month, they refuse to run the ad at all until some sort of US verification is achieved. But that would lose them money so they'll never do it.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:50 AM on February 18 [1 favorite +] [!]
Wait, there's a month lead time on their verification process? That's worse than doing nothing at all. They're papering over the problem with a knowingly bullshit response.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:56 AM on February 18 [1 favorite +] [!]
FWIW the article doesn't say anything about when the ad goes up. I sure as hell HOPE they don't post the ad until you type in the verification code!
posted by saysthis at 5:01 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 8:50 AM on February 18 [1 favorite +] [!]
Wait, there's a month lead time on their verification process? That's worse than doing nothing at all. They're papering over the problem with a knowingly bullshit response.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:56 AM on February 18 [1 favorite +] [!]
FWIW the article doesn't say anything about when the ad goes up. I sure as hell HOPE they don't post the ad until you type in the verification code!
posted by saysthis at 5:01 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Facebook is a data collection, person-monitoring, and advertising company. They'll do anything that won't compromise or even slightly disclose the inner workings of those operations, and everything they do in response will be a distraction until the spotlight of scrutiny flickers off of them.
Facebook won't save us from Facebook.
posted by doctorfrog at 5:04 PM on February 17, 2018 [47 favorites]
Facebook won't save us from Facebook.
posted by doctorfrog at 5:04 PM on February 17, 2018 [47 favorites]
Just as a follow-up, Jordon Dyrdahl-Roberts, the former Montana Department of Labor and Industry legal secretary who quit rather than process subpoenas on immigrants for ICE (mentioned in last week's megathread), has written an op-ed about his experience for the Washington Post.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:44 PM on February 17, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:44 PM on February 17, 2018 [41 favorites]
What a mensch!
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 5:50 PM on February 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 5:50 PM on February 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
Those easy little deterrent activities are typically a good idea as long as it's not the only action being taken. But with Facebook we're talking about a large and coordinated operation funded and sponsored by the government of a large nation with a lot of resources.
Normally, these little deterrents don't stop everything but it provides a bit more barrier to entry so at least some criminals will choose to pursue some easier crime. They're not trying to deter a bunch of random, unconnected criminals, it's a single, determined and well funded operation.
posted by VTX at 5:50 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Normally, these little deterrents don't stop everything but it provides a bit more barrier to entry so at least some criminals will choose to pursue some easier crime. They're not trying to deter a bunch of random, unconnected criminals, it's a single, determined and well funded operation.
posted by VTX at 5:50 PM on February 17, 2018 [1 favorite]
Normally, these little deterrents don't stop everything but it provides a bit more barrier to entry so at least some criminals will choose to pursue some easier crime. They're not trying to deter a bunch of random, unconnected criminals, it's a single, determined and well funded operation.
I mean it's not like they're going to put:
Not Russian Embassy
2700 Wisconsin Ave
Washington, DC 20007
and then go next door to pick up the post card that "the idiot intern addressed incorrectly" or anything.
No. They would never do that.
posted by Talez at 6:07 PM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
I mean it's not like they're going to put:
Not Russian Embassy
2700 Wisconsin Ave
Washington, DC 20007
and then go next door to pick up the post card that "the idiot intern addressed incorrectly" or anything.
No. They would never do that.
posted by Talez at 6:07 PM on February 17, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump’s Infrastructure Plan Is Great, Unless You Want Actually Functioning Infrastructure
When politicians roll out their glossy infrastructure plans, they tend to bite off more than they can chew. President Trump’s new plan just orders everything on the menu, leaves after a few bites, and sticks taxpayers with the bill. Not only does his 50-page plan offer no new ideas or a concrete vision for investing in urgent infrastructural needs, it also shovels more authority to corporations for yet another spending spree on the public dime.posted by kirkaracha at 6:12 PM on February 17, 2018 [11 favorites]
With everything they're asset stripping from the USG in this infrastructure plan I'm honestly surprised they didn't try to surreptitiously privatize the interstates. Build a lane and you get a lease for the whole road for 99 years and you can toll it.
posted by Talez at 6:21 PM on February 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Talez at 6:21 PM on February 17, 2018 [2 favorites]
With everything they're asset stripping from the USG in this infrastructure plan I'm honestly surprised they didn't try to surreptitiously privatize the interstates. Build a lane and you get a lease for the whole road for 99 years and you can toll it.
That kind of is the infrastructure plan. It handwaves around the details by leaving it up to the states to implement, so some states will do things like sell bonds against the toll revenue instead of leasing the road to a toll operator, but the end result is similar.
posted by zachlipton at 6:29 PM on February 17, 2018 [6 favorites]
That kind of is the infrastructure plan. It handwaves around the details by leaving it up to the states to implement, so some states will do things like sell bonds against the toll revenue instead of leasing the road to a toll operator, but the end result is similar.
posted by zachlipton at 6:29 PM on February 17, 2018 [6 favorites]
philip-random: ...given that the thirteen people just arrested were operating from within the USA...
Wait a second, what? I feel like I missed something here. Mueller indicted thirteen Russian individuals and three Russian entities. A couple of the Russians conducted a reconnaissance mission to the USA within the past few years, but the IRA team was operating out of St. Petersburg and Russia has zero intention of extraditing the indicted here. None of the thirteen have been arrested.
posted by carsonb at 7:04 PM on February 17, 2018 [14 favorites]
Wait a second, what? I feel like I missed something here. Mueller indicted thirteen Russian individuals and three Russian entities. A couple of the Russians conducted a reconnaissance mission to the USA within the past few years, but the IRA team was operating out of St. Petersburg and Russia has zero intention of extraditing the indicted here. None of the thirteen have been arrested.
posted by carsonb at 7:04 PM on February 17, 2018 [14 favorites]
Yesterday I went on the Facebook account for my pen name to give an update on the next book. Immediately FB says, "Reach more viewers with a boosted [paid] post!" and I'm like, "Damn it, Facebook, I'm an author, not a Russian propagandist!"
posted by scaryblackdeath at 7:14 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 7:14 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
Unfortunately Facebook execs are setting themselves up to be used as propaganda mouthpieces by POTUS.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:23 PM on February 17, 2018
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:23 PM on February 17, 2018
NYT:
A prominent Republican political donor demanded on Saturday that the party pass legislation to restrict access to guns, and vowed not to contribute to any candidates or electioneering groups that did not support a ban on the sale of military-style firearms to civilians. [...]posted by Chrysostom at 8:28 PM on February 17, 2018 [80 favorites]
Mr. Hoffman announced his ultimatum in an email to half a dozen Republican leaders, including Jeb Bush and Gov. Rick Scott of Florida. He wrote in the email that he would not give money to Mr. Scott, who is considering a campaign for the Senate in 2018, or other Florida Republicans he has backed in the past, including Representative Brian Mast, if they did not support new gun legislation.
Donald J. Trump on Twitter:
posted by non canadian guy at 8:36 PM on February 17, 2018 [60 favorites]
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!There really is no bottom at all with this guy, is there?
posted by non canadian guy at 8:36 PM on February 17, 2018 [60 favorites]
Donny isn't panicking at all. Nosiree. Totally the actions of an innocent man tweeting at 11:30pm. (And FYI Donny, the Miami field office of the FBI isn't involved in counter intelligence. I.e. the Russia investigation. With 35,000 employees, they have enough to do both.)
@realDonaldTrump
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!
@realDonaldTrump
General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
posted by chris24 at 8:37 PM on February 17, 2018 [20 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
Very sad that the FBI missed all of the many signals sent out by the Florida school shooter. This is not acceptable. They are spending too much time trying to prove Russian collusion with the Trump campaign - there is no collusion. Get back to the basics and make us all proud!
@realDonaldTrump
General McMaster forgot to say that the results of the 2016 election were not impacted or changed by the Russians and that the only Collusion was between Russia and Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
posted by chris24 at 8:37 PM on February 17, 2018 [20 favorites]
AZ congressman:
@RubenGallego
Retweeted Donald J. Trump
You are such a psychopath that you have to make even the death of 17 children about you. America will regret the day you were ever born.
posted by chris24 at 8:55 PM on February 17, 2018 [138 favorites]
@RubenGallego
Retweeted Donald J. Trump
You are such a psychopath that you have to make even the death of 17 children about you. America will regret the day you were ever born.
posted by chris24 at 8:55 PM on February 17, 2018 [138 favorites]
Crooked H, the DNC and the Dems. Remember the Dirty Dossier, Uranium, Speeches, Emails and the Podesta Company!
It’s like those science fiction stories where the artificial intelligence is breaking down, and just starts doing a random core dump. Uranium! Emails! Speeches!
It is difficult to imagine any President in our country’s history being this pathetic, or anyone this pathetic having control of a nuclear arsenal. We’re approaching Downfall territory here.
posted by darkstar at 8:57 PM on February 17, 2018 [60 favorites]
It’s like those science fiction stories where the artificial intelligence is breaking down, and just starts doing a random core dump. Uranium! Emails! Speeches!
It is difficult to imagine any President in our country’s history being this pathetic, or anyone this pathetic having control of a nuclear arsenal. We’re approaching Downfall territory here.
posted by darkstar at 8:57 PM on February 17, 2018 [60 favorites]
philip-random: ...given that the thirteen people just arrested were operating from within the USA...
Wait a second, what? I feel like I missed something here. Mueller indicted thirteen Russian individuals and three Russian entities. A couple of the Russians conducted a reconnaissance mission to the USA within the past few years, but the IRA team was operating out of St. Petersburg and Russia has zero intention of extraditing the indicted here. None of the thirteen have been arrested.
I missed that. Read about the reconnaissance mission and made an assumption. Thanks for setting me straight.
posted by philip-random at 9:12 PM on February 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
Wait a second, what? I feel like I missed something here. Mueller indicted thirteen Russian individuals and three Russian entities. A couple of the Russians conducted a reconnaissance mission to the USA within the past few years, but the IRA team was operating out of St. Petersburg and Russia has zero intention of extraditing the indicted here. None of the thirteen have been arrested.
I missed that. Read about the reconnaissance mission and made an assumption. Thanks for setting me straight.
posted by philip-random at 9:12 PM on February 17, 2018 [3 favorites]
It’s like those science fiction stories where the artificial intelligence is breaking down, and just starts doing a random core dump. Uranium! Emails! Speeches!
This is what it's like when you're talking politics with someone who's immersed themselves in the Fox News/The_Donald bubble. They talk in hashtags and references and expect to dominate arguments by triumphantly shouting a few incantations. That sort of lingual heuristics short-circuits critical thought and whenever I encounter it I demand good-faith argument and supporting evidence of claims and just shout back dominantly until they start posting links. Which one then must discredit piece-by-piece while calling out topic-shifting and more oblique references to debunked humbug and you have to type so so fast and it really can be draining but I'm convinced This Guy will come around eventually and the flow of good info can indeed win over his staining dribble of bullshit.
What was that about quitting FaceBoob?
posted by carsonb at 9:14 PM on February 17, 2018 [44 favorites]
This is what it's like when you're talking politics with someone who's immersed themselves in the Fox News/The_Donald bubble. They talk in hashtags and references and expect to dominate arguments by triumphantly shouting a few incantations. That sort of lingual heuristics short-circuits critical thought and whenever I encounter it I demand good-faith argument and supporting evidence of claims and just shout back dominantly until they start posting links. Which one then must discredit piece-by-piece while calling out topic-shifting and more oblique references to debunked humbug and you have to type so so fast and it really can be draining but I'm convinced This Guy will come around eventually and the flow of good info can indeed win over his staining dribble of bullshit.
What was that about quitting FaceBoob?
posted by carsonb at 9:14 PM on February 17, 2018 [44 favorites]
By the bye, big gigantic thanks to the regular participants in these threads because I wear my RAM out CTRL-Ffing through them finding links and analysis when engaging with Somebody Who's Wrong on the Internet. Couldn't do it without y'all.
(Glad we're on the same page, philip-random.)
posted by carsonb at 9:19 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
(Glad we're on the same page, philip-random.)
posted by carsonb at 9:19 PM on February 17, 2018 [9 favorites]
until they start posting links
worth noting, I encounter this sort of stuff from "friends" off to the more extreme left. Or who knows where they fit in anymore actually? railing about JFK conspiracy stuff (still) and/or US sponsored atrocities in Syria or ... whatever. But it always ends up with A. claims that you can't trust wikipedia and/or whatever other sources I may be citing, and B. links to various dubious sources or just great swathes of text cut and pasted from some suppressed document or other.
I always end up feeling sorry for them, like this is their unconscious way of coming clean to me that they're really just completely confused, so deep in the rabbit hole they've forgotten they ever even entered in the first place.
posted by philip-random at 9:33 PM on February 17, 2018 [12 favorites]
worth noting, I encounter this sort of stuff from "friends" off to the more extreme left. Or who knows where they fit in anymore actually? railing about JFK conspiracy stuff (still) and/or US sponsored atrocities in Syria or ... whatever. But it always ends up with A. claims that you can't trust wikipedia and/or whatever other sources I may be citing, and B. links to various dubious sources or just great swathes of text cut and pasted from some suppressed document or other.
I always end up feeling sorry for them, like this is their unconscious way of coming clean to me that they're really just completely confused, so deep in the rabbit hole they've forgotten they ever even entered in the first place.
posted by philip-random at 9:33 PM on February 17, 2018 [12 favorites]
AZ congressman:
@RubenGallego
Retweeted Donald J. Trump
You are such a psychopath that you have to make even the death of 17 children about you. America will regret the day you were ever born.
That's my congressman! I used to live in a republican district; this is much better (well, as better as it can get in this hell-scape).
posted by Weeping_angel at 9:36 PM on February 17, 2018 [42 favorites]
@RubenGallego
Retweeted Donald J. Trump
You are such a psychopath that you have to make even the death of 17 children about you. America will regret the day you were ever born.
That's my congressman! I used to live in a republican district; this is much better (well, as better as it can get in this hell-scape).
posted by Weeping_angel at 9:36 PM on February 17, 2018 [42 favorites]
The enlightenment has always been a push against dullness. Forty-one percent dimwits means 59 percent bright.
Despair is a sin.
posted by notyou at 11:04 PM on February 17, 2018 [33 favorites]
Despair is a sin.
posted by notyou at 11:04 PM on February 17, 2018 [33 favorites]
Loony Lefty NYC report
I made two flyers for NYC-DSA Events
The Uptown/Bronx Collection drive for an LGBTQ resource focusing on people missed by the system (Undocumented, aged out, etc), some of it is just gender affirming stuff and I've gone around and collected so many silk neckties and nice jewelry to redistribute along with makeup and skincare. you can directly give here
and on March 2nd the Working Groups are throwing a party in Manhattan to raise funds, everyone from Service Industry to Anti-War---it's in a very nautical themed space so I'm brining salt water taffy for everybody and beachballs.
posted by The Whelk at 11:45 PM on February 17, 2018 [32 favorites]
I made two flyers for NYC-DSA Events
The Uptown/Bronx Collection drive for an LGBTQ resource focusing on people missed by the system (Undocumented, aged out, etc), some of it is just gender affirming stuff and I've gone around and collected so many silk neckties and nice jewelry to redistribute along with makeup and skincare. you can directly give here
and on March 2nd the Working Groups are throwing a party in Manhattan to raise funds, everyone from Service Industry to Anti-War---it's in a very nautical themed space so I'm brining salt water taffy for everybody and beachballs.
posted by The Whelk at 11:45 PM on February 17, 2018 [32 favorites]
This detailed analysis of the Stormy Daniels story makes a really interesting point that I hadn't considered: More Adventures in Ethics, Now with Porn Stars
[...] To thread this labyrinth, [Trump's longtime lawyer, Michael] Cohen has to argue that he bought Stormy Daniels’ silence as an unaffiliated independent actor, working solely in his personal capacity rather than as a lawyer or agent for anyone else, and blinded to the electoral significance of his acts. Did that happen? Did Cohen, on the eve of the election, for no reason other than intoxication on the milk of human kindness, give his longtime client’s former mistress $130,000 of his own personal funds in transactional hush money with no benefit to himself, and no action or knowledge on behalf of the longtime client, without regard to the lawyer-client relationship between them, just because he and the client were supposedly friends? You be the judge. And if Cohen denies that he was acting as anybody’s lawyer, then none of the communications he may have had with any of those folks on this issue is privileged. Let the subpoenas fly.posted by Joe in Australia at 12:12 AM on February 18, 2018 [95 favorites]
[emphasis in original]
Sounds like Cohen should have consulted a lawyer, oh, wait...
posted by Meatbomb at 2:15 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Meatbomb at 2:15 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
Oh boy this morning:
posted by Talez at 4:41 AM on February 18, 2018 [29 favorites]
Never gotten over the fact that Obama was able to send $1.7 Billion Dollars in CASH to Iran and nobody in Congress, the FBI or Justice called for an investigation!Obama sent the money because it was Iran's money that was held in a trust fund.
Finally, Liddle’ Adam Schiff, the leakin’ monster of no control, is now blaming the Obama Administration for Russian meddling in the 2016 Election. He is finally right about something. Obama was President, knew of the threat, and did nothing. Thank you Adam!McConnell wouldn't come out in a bipartisan display and Obama didn't want to make it into a partisan issue you dumb fuck.
I never said Russia did not meddle in the election, I said “it may be Russia, or China or another country or group, or it may be a 400 pound genius sitting in bed and playing with his computer.” The Russian “hoax” was that the Trump campaign colluded with Russia - it never did!The dotard doth protest too much, methinks.
posted by Talez at 4:41 AM on February 18, 2018 [29 favorites]
Yep, he’s continuing his insane panicked flailing from last night.
@realDonaldTrump:
Now that Adam Schiff is starting to blame President Obama for Russian meddling in the election, he is probably doing so as yet another excuse that the Democrats, lead by their fearless leader, Crooked Hillary Clinton, lost the 2016 election. But wasn’t I a great candidate?
posted by chris24 at 4:50 AM on February 18, 2018 [10 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump:
Now that Adam Schiff is starting to blame President Obama for Russian meddling in the election, he is probably doing so as yet another excuse that the Democrats, lead by their fearless leader, Crooked Hillary Clinton, lost the 2016 election. But wasn’t I a great candidate?
posted by chris24 at 4:50 AM on February 18, 2018 [10 favorites]
AZ congressman:
@RubenGallego
Retweeted Donald J. Trump
You are such a psychopath that you have to make even the death of 17 children about you. America will regret the day you were ever born.
I want this on our currency. I want this on the Great Seal. I want this as his sole line in our history books: We regret the error of his having been born.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:02 AM on February 18, 2018 [42 favorites]
@RubenGallego
Retweeted Donald J. Trump
You are such a psychopath that you have to make even the death of 17 children about you. America will regret the day you were ever born.
I want this on our currency. I want this on the Great Seal. I want this as his sole line in our history books: We regret the error of his having been born.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:02 AM on February 18, 2018 [42 favorites]
Everyone, one of the *only* things that provides me comfort in the current political hellscape is knowing that is somebody's (or multiple somebodies) job to look at the subject matter of trump's tweets and put them on a list of stuff to investigate because Trump's mirror.
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 5:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by fluffy battle kitten at 5:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [11 favorites]
My SO, who is often subsumed in work, came out of his coding haze because he has a break and has started carefully paying attention to the news in the first time in a while. A few days ago he started making weird dark jokes about military coups and then having nightmares. Then yesterday he came to me and was like "I'm afraid things are falling apart."
Our plan has been to wait until 2018 and then decide whether or not the SO looks for work in Canada, and I've been busy so I haven't had time really get philosophical about things, but it makes me sad to watch my SO sort of wake up to the fact that yes, maybe moving to Canada is the right choice (he's the kind of coding wizard who is likely in demand in a few places and this is very good yes but neither us really want to leave we're Americans).
posted by angrycat at 5:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Our plan has been to wait until 2018 and then decide whether or not the SO looks for work in Canada, and I've been busy so I haven't had time really get philosophical about things, but it makes me sad to watch my SO sort of wake up to the fact that yes, maybe moving to Canada is the right choice (he's the kind of coding wizard who is likely in demand in a few places and this is very good yes but neither us really want to leave we're Americans).
posted by angrycat at 5:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Here's a collection of analysis pieces and follow up investigation about the indictments...
Molly McKew for Wired: "Did Russia Affect the 2016 Election? It's now undeniable"
Anton Troianovski for WaPo: "A former Russian troll speaks: ‘It was like being in Orwell’s world’"
Finally, I have updated and slightly re-organized my own site "2016 Active Measures - What the Public Knows" to include a few of these details and links (mostly in the "what DID the Russians do?" section) and to streamline some other sections and improve readability. As always, feel free to copy and paste or share anything from that site, no attribution necessary, or just use it as a reference.
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:11 AM on February 18, 2018 [83 favorites]
Molly McKew for Wired: "Did Russia Affect the 2016 Election? It's now undeniable"
The indictment pulls the curtain back on four big questions that have swirled around the Russian influence operation, which, it turns out, began in 2014: What was the scope of the Russian effort? What kind of content did it rely on? Who or what was it targeting, and what did it aim to achieve? And finally, what impact did it have?Anton Troianovski, Rosalind S. Helderman, Ellen Nakashima and Craig Timberg for WaPo: "The 21st-century Russian sleeper agent is a troll with an American accent"
The Internet Research Agency’s analytics workers separated social media content into four categories: “govnostrana,” which the NSA translated as “crap country”; “personality,” or information about individuals; “precision strike,” exploiting specific events; and “spam.”More details from that interview with the former troll who was a major source for that previous link...
...
When Sherrie Hyer, 63, [...] got a message through Facebook from a stranger in August 2016 asking her if she would organize a pro-Trump rally later that month on a particular street corner in Oxford, Fla., she was neither surprised nor concerned. ... Though prosecutors allege that the Russians bought similar costumes and paid unwitting Americans to wear them at other such events, Hyer said she bought her own Clinton prison uniform from Goodwill, had worn it to previous Trump events and dressed in it for this event without any outside suggestion.
Anton Troianovski for WaPo: "A former Russian troll speaks: ‘It was like being in Orwell’s world’"
Who really reads the comments under news articles, anyway? Especially when they were so obviously fake. People working there had no literary interest or abilities. These were mechanical texts. It was a colossal labor of monkeys, it was pointless. For Russian audiences, at least. But for Americans, it appears it did work. They aren’t used to this kind of trickery. They live in a society in which it’s accepted to answer for your words.Robert McMillan, Deepa Seetharaman and Georgia Wells for WSJ: "Russian Influence Operation Allegedly Ran Like a Propaganda Startup"
The federal indictment issued Friday against the Internet Research Agency describes in rich detail an institution with a deep understanding of Silicon Valley technology that allegedly manipulated tools designed to foster open discussion.Bob Bauer for Just Security: "The Indictment of Russia’s Super PAC and the Open Question of Trump Campaign Complicity"
Internet Research Agency, apparently directing the program, is now revealed to have been among the largest Super PACs operating in the 2016 elections. This is now clearly one of the major campaign finance scandals in American history."Ivan Nechepurenko and Michael Schwirtz for NYT: "The Troll Farm: What We Know About 13 Russians Indicted by the U.S."
In the past five years, Mr. Prigozhin has received government contracts worth $3.1 billion. Lately, he has branched out into areas like recruiting contract soldiers to fight overseas and establishing a popular online news service that pushes a nationalist viewpoint, making him even more indispensable to Mr. Putin.Emily Talk on at Foreign Policy with a good summary of some of the more surreal details from the indictments... "This Is What $1.25 Million Dollars a Month Bought the Russians"
A birthday card! An all-American trip! Tweets! Stolen American identities!From Just Security, a collection of all the Unsealed Documents in Special Counsel Mueller’s Investigation [Updated] including copies of all indictments and guilty pleas so far. They are all surprisingly readable and compelling, if you want to get the details first hand.
Finally, I have updated and slightly re-organized my own site "2016 Active Measures - What the Public Knows" to include a few of these details and links (mostly in the "what DID the Russians do?" section) and to streamline some other sections and improve readability. As always, feel free to copy and paste or share anything from that site, no attribution necessary, or just use it as a reference.
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:11 AM on February 18, 2018 [83 favorites]
"Did Russia Affect the 2016 Election? It's now undeniable"
This always kind of annoys me because yes, they tried to influence how Americans voted but we have a populace that is stupid enough to be taken in by their attempts to influence. I can't say we didn't deserve it though. Hell, the CIA probably interfered with the whole voting out Whitlam back in '75.
posted by Talez at 5:22 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
This always kind of annoys me because yes, they tried to influence how Americans voted but we have a populace that is stupid enough to be taken in by their attempts to influence. I can't say we didn't deserve it though. Hell, the CIA probably interfered with the whole voting out Whitlam back in '75.
posted by Talez at 5:22 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't know if the 16-Feb-2017 response to Mafort's bail proposal got any mention, but it contains gold.
posted by mikelieman at 5:25 AM on February 18, 2018 [19 favorites]
"The government respectfully submits that Manafort’s proposed new bail package is insufficient to assure reasonably his appearance as required by law"There's stuff in there about MORE criminal charges fraud coming soon, so it looks like Gates dropped a dime on Manafort. Manafort was at the campaign meeting with Russian criminals in Trump Tower in June 2016. We got those other 13 russian criminals indicted yesterday. It's been a long stretch since the first indictments dropped in October, but I believe thing are going to start coming fast, and it's just about time to drop Junior and Kushner into the hot seat.
... lots of financial details, with redactions ...
"Significantly, Manafort does not propose any sureties to make up the difference in the effective equity
value of the property he proposes as security and the $10 million bond. The fact that Manafort has not been able to find any responsible surety to cosign a bond for this package suggests that neither those closest to him, nor anyone else, is willing to assume the risk of being a surety for him. "
posted by mikelieman at 5:25 AM on February 18, 2018 [19 favorites]
It's like Russian meddling in the 2016 election to me is sort of like when laypeople erroneously claim entrapment. Yes they gave the opportunity but you were oh so eager to go along with it in the first place.
posted by Talez at 5:30 AM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Talez at 5:30 AM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Charlie Kirk @charliekirk11
The @NRA is the only organization in America that gets routinely blamed for things their members did not do
abdul @Advil
as someone named Abdul i’ll never understand what it’s like to be generalized by the actions of a few. must be rough, thank you for sharing your story.
posted by Talez at 5:50 AM on February 18, 2018 [144 favorites]
The @NRA is the only organization in America that gets routinely blamed for things their members did not do
abdul @Advil
as someone named Abdul i’ll never understand what it’s like to be generalized by the actions of a few. must be rough, thank you for sharing your story.
posted by Talez at 5:50 AM on February 18, 2018 [144 favorites]
It's like Russian meddling in the 2016 election to me is sort of like when laypeople erroneously claim entrapment. Yes they gave the opportunity but you were oh so eager to go along with it in the first place.
If there’s a fire, and someone comes along and pours gasoline everywhere they possibly can in the vicinity of that fire, hoping the entire city burns, they’ve still committed a crime.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:59 AM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
If there’s a fire, and someone comes along and pours gasoline everywhere they possibly can in the vicinity of that fire, hoping the entire city burns, they’ve still committed a crime.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:59 AM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
Pretty sure the Democratic Party gets blamed for tons of shit they don’t do, if we’re talking about organizations, and secondly, the NRA is blamed for preventing gun control legislation and registration, which their members absolutely do do, with great enthusiasm, as individuals and as a lobbying group.
posted by Autumnheart at 6:09 AM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 6:09 AM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
With the Russian thing, I think it's useful to consider how you feel about American meddling in others' elections, and how you'd feel if this exact story took place in a country like Brazil (ie, somewhere with its own intrinsic problems but also a powerful, dangerous and cruel right-wing infrastructure). When the US government takes advantage of social problems in other countries to fuck over their working people and destroy their democratic process, we are quite rightly outraged.
If we found out that the US government had been staging and supporting right wing demonstrations in Brazil, running a troll farm to try to tip public opinion, etc, we'd be pretty mad, right? We wouldn't say, "well, Brazilians shouldn't really bother being mad at the US, after all if there weren't really existing problems, nothing the US tried would work".
And in particular, we wouldn't say, "Ignoring American election interference doesn't matter - it won't damage trust in the Brazilian democratic process". We would say, "Brazil should address American interference loudly and clearly and push back very hard because it's important that people have faith in the democratic process, not assume that any old nation state can just fuck with it".
Honestly, I think that some of the under-reaction I'm seeing from folks on the left is coming from a weird understanding of the US system. Our election system is not always-already so fucked up and corrupt that interfering doesn't matter, nor is it so robust that a series of attacks can't damage it.
This is all very unfortunate, and I certainly agree that Cold War- style paranoia is the wrong lens - understanding all this stuff as competition between oligarchs around the world is a much better way to look at it than "Russia and the US - immortal enemies!!!!" Most American problems have American causes, not Russian ones, but unfortunately that does not mean we can just be all "la la it doesn't matter".
posted by Frowner at 6:17 AM on February 18, 2018 [65 favorites]
If we found out that the US government had been staging and supporting right wing demonstrations in Brazil, running a troll farm to try to tip public opinion, etc, we'd be pretty mad, right? We wouldn't say, "well, Brazilians shouldn't really bother being mad at the US, after all if there weren't really existing problems, nothing the US tried would work".
And in particular, we wouldn't say, "Ignoring American election interference doesn't matter - it won't damage trust in the Brazilian democratic process". We would say, "Brazil should address American interference loudly and clearly and push back very hard because it's important that people have faith in the democratic process, not assume that any old nation state can just fuck with it".
Honestly, I think that some of the under-reaction I'm seeing from folks on the left is coming from a weird understanding of the US system. Our election system is not always-already so fucked up and corrupt that interfering doesn't matter, nor is it so robust that a series of attacks can't damage it.
This is all very unfortunate, and I certainly agree that Cold War- style paranoia is the wrong lens - understanding all this stuff as competition between oligarchs around the world is a much better way to look at it than "Russia and the US - immortal enemies!!!!" Most American problems have American causes, not Russian ones, but unfortunately that does not mean we can just be all "la la it doesn't matter".
posted by Frowner at 6:17 AM on February 18, 2018 [65 favorites]
maybe moving to Canada is the right choice
I think the smartest thing in this case is to think through and game out actual possibilities. If there is something imminent, enough so that you feel it is time to flee well ahead of planned schedule, is Canada really the place to be?
If I had the possibilities, I would feel best to have my family safe and secure in Norway, Iceland, or maybe Uruguay or similar. As a Canadian I am kind of glad that we are not there now, and are far far away from the US and their sphere of influence and control.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:18 AM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
I think the smartest thing in this case is to think through and game out actual possibilities. If there is something imminent, enough so that you feel it is time to flee well ahead of planned schedule, is Canada really the place to be?
If I had the possibilities, I would feel best to have my family safe and secure in Norway, Iceland, or maybe Uruguay or similar. As a Canadian I am kind of glad that we are not there now, and are far far away from the US and their sphere of influence and control.
posted by Meatbomb at 6:18 AM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Honestly, I think that some of the under-reaction I'm seeing from folks on the left is coming from a weird understanding of the US system
That is a, shall we say, polite way of putting it.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:38 AM on February 18, 2018 [14 favorites]
That is a, shall we say, polite way of putting it.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:38 AM on February 18, 2018 [14 favorites]
Good advice everyone, Top U.S. officials tell the world to ignore Trump’s tweets (WaPo):
posted by peeedro at 7:32 AM on February 18, 2018 [46 favorites]
MUNICH — Amid global anxiety about President Trump’s approach to global affairs, U.S. officials had a message to a gathering of Europe’s foreign policy elite this weekend: pay no attention to the man tweeting behind the curtain.Although the story and the headline don't really match up, a headline that actually reflects the content of the reporting would be "US officials assure allies that the president isn't in charge of US foreign policy." And that's such a problematic thing to contemplate that it shouldn't reassure anyone.
posted by peeedro at 7:32 AM on February 18, 2018 [46 favorites]
enraged
That's a funny way of spelling deranged.
posted by Talez at 7:39 AM on February 18, 2018 [21 favorites]
That's a funny way of spelling deranged.
posted by Talez at 7:39 AM on February 18, 2018 [21 favorites]
See what happens when you don’t let him golf? Cripes.
posted by notyou at 7:41 AM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by notyou at 7:41 AM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
"US officials assure allies that the president isn't in charge of US foreign policy."
"US officials assure passengers that the pilot is incapacitated and nobody is flying the plane"
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:49 AM on February 18, 2018 [37 favorites]
"US officials assure passengers that the pilot is incapacitated and nobody is flying the plane"
posted by Rust Moranis at 7:49 AM on February 18, 2018 [37 favorites]
Sort of assumed today was golf day. He’s getting a long weekend, right?
And it’s not like he does anything else worthwhile... The Atlantic: Trump’s gravest responsibility is to defend the United States from foreign attack—and he’s done nothing to fulfill it.
posted by Artw at 7:49 AM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
And it’s not like he does anything else worthwhile... The Atlantic: Trump’s gravest responsibility is to defend the United States from foreign attack—and he’s done nothing to fulfill it.
posted by Artw at 7:49 AM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
Trumps went straight from Parkland to Studio 54-themed ‘disco party’ at Mar-a-Lago: report
"Trump announced on Saturday that he will forego his usual Saturday golf game out of respect for the Parkland victims." I would've also foregone the Studio 54-themed disco party, but maybe that's just me.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:14 AM on February 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
"Trump announced on Saturday that he will forego his usual Saturday golf game out of respect for the Parkland victims." I would've also foregone the Studio 54-themed disco party, but maybe that's just me.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:14 AM on February 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
understanding all this stuff as competition between oligarchs around the world is a much better way to look at it than "Russia and the US - immortal enemies!!!!"
THIS THIS THIS!!! Class warfare is the big picture, globally. Control of resources (including populations of humans in the "resources" column). It is this simple from a macro perspective. US Agencies are being gutted and/or sold off by the Oligarchs that were appointed to head them. It is not a theory, it IS happening, there are linked sources strewn throughout these posts, one of the latest regarding the VA. It might be interesting to gather all of those links in to a separate post, and get a consolidated picture of the damage that has been done to our Agencies and that is being planned to be done to our Agencies.
posted by W Grant at 8:29 AM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
THIS THIS THIS!!! Class warfare is the big picture, globally. Control of resources (including populations of humans in the "resources" column). It is this simple from a macro perspective. US Agencies are being gutted and/or sold off by the Oligarchs that were appointed to head them. It is not a theory, it IS happening, there are linked sources strewn throughout these posts, one of the latest regarding the VA. It might be interesting to gather all of those links in to a separate post, and get a consolidated picture of the damage that has been done to our Agencies and that is being planned to be done to our Agencies.
posted by W Grant at 8:29 AM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
One diplomat, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid provoking Trump, asked whether policymakers like McMaster who adhere largely to traditional U.S. foreign policy positions were falling into the same trap as Germany’s elite during Hitler’s rise, when they continued to serve in government in the name of protecting their nation.
The answer, the diplomat said, might be found following “nuclear war,” which he feared could be provoked by Trump administration’s hawkish approach to North Korea.
You might say we're already going through our constitutional crisis, since the 25th Amendment tells us what to do but everyone in power is too craven and/or chickenshit to do it. I mean, Reagan got put on notice for looking sleepy during meetings.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:33 AM on February 18, 2018 [17 favorites]
The answer, the diplomat said, might be found following “nuclear war,” which he feared could be provoked by Trump administration’s hawkish approach to North Korea.
You might say we're already going through our constitutional crisis, since the 25th Amendment tells us what to do but everyone in power is too craven and/or chickenshit to do it. I mean, Reagan got put on notice for looking sleepy during meetings.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:33 AM on February 18, 2018 [17 favorites]
If there’s a fire, and someone comes along and pours gasoline everywhere they possibly can in the vicinity of that fire, hoping the entire city burns, they’ve still committed a crime.
So much for the Billy Joel defense.
posted by nickmark at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2018 [40 favorites]
So much for the Billy Joel defense.
posted by nickmark at 8:36 AM on February 18, 2018 [40 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrumpThis is like a Scooby Doo episode but at the end, after pulling off the mask and revealing the real perpetrator, instead of the perpetrator saying "and I would have gotten away with it if it weren't for you meddling kids" the perpetrator says "you guys should find the person who did this because they're playing us for chumps".
If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams. They are laughing their asses off in Moscow. Get smart America!
posted by Talez at 8:42 AM on February 18, 2018 [61 favorites]
We would say, "Brazil should address American interference loudly and clearly and push back very hard because it's important that people have faith in the democratic process, not assume that any old nation state can just fuck with it".
Honestly, I think that some of the under-reaction I'm seeing from folks on the left is coming from a weird understanding of the US system. Our election system is not always-already so fucked up and corrupt that interfering doesn't matter, nor is it so robust that a series of attacks can't damage it.
Maybe if this was a one off fluke occurrence, but we have abundant evidence it was not, and the same problem will keep reoccurring indefinitely. There has been zero push back, at all. Rather the President and his entire party refuse to admit it happened, and tacitly if not openly acknowledge they are counting on Russian interference to maintain power again as soon as this year. Our democracy is not on the path to being "normal" again, Republicans are actively destroying it in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and there's no reason to expect they would stop at those three states. Whats more, we WON'T be on a path to normalcy again in the future, as population will continue concentrate political power in the hands of a smaller and small portion of the white electorate susceptible to the same information war Republicans are counting on.
So, we don't have the option of wishing we weren't in a second Cold War and pretending like Russia is no big deal. We already had the Second Cold War, and we lost it decisively before we knew it started. Right now we're living under a Manchurian Occupied RussoAmerica puppet administration. The Russian issue is the single biggest issue facing Occupied America right now and in the future.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:42 AM on February 18, 2018 [19 favorites]
Honestly, I think that some of the under-reaction I'm seeing from folks on the left is coming from a weird understanding of the US system. Our election system is not always-already so fucked up and corrupt that interfering doesn't matter, nor is it so robust that a series of attacks can't damage it.
Maybe if this was a one off fluke occurrence, but we have abundant evidence it was not, and the same problem will keep reoccurring indefinitely. There has been zero push back, at all. Rather the President and his entire party refuse to admit it happened, and tacitly if not openly acknowledge they are counting on Russian interference to maintain power again as soon as this year. Our democracy is not on the path to being "normal" again, Republicans are actively destroying it in North Carolina, Wisconsin and Pennsylvania, and there's no reason to expect they would stop at those three states. Whats more, we WON'T be on a path to normalcy again in the future, as population will continue concentrate political power in the hands of a smaller and small portion of the white electorate susceptible to the same information war Republicans are counting on.
So, we don't have the option of wishing we weren't in a second Cold War and pretending like Russia is no big deal. We already had the Second Cold War, and we lost it decisively before we knew it started. Right now we're living under a Manchurian Occupied RussoAmerica puppet administration. The Russian issue is the single biggest issue facing Occupied America right now and in the future.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:42 AM on February 18, 2018 [19 favorites]
Trump announced on Saturday that he will forego his usual Saturday golf game in lieu of a Twitter tirade out of respect for the Parkland victims.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:46 AM on February 18, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 8:46 AM on February 18, 2018 [27 favorites]
See what happens when you don’t let him golf? Cripes.
That's actually correct.
‘They are laughing their asses off in Moscow’: Trump takes on the FBI, Russia probe and 2016 election (Josh Dawsey, WaPo)
That's actually correct.
‘They are laughing their asses off in Moscow’: Trump takes on the FBI, Russia probe and 2016 election (Josh Dawsey, WaPo)
Trump, ensconced at Mar-a-Lago, has so far stayed away from the golf course even though the weather has been sunny and almost 80 degrees — in what aides describe as showing respect for the 17 people killed in a school shooting in Florida last week.posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:56 AM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
The president has instead spent much of his time watching television and tweeting, aides said. After a string of tweets Saturday afternoon, he dined with talk-show host Geraldo Rivera and the president’s two adult sons before returning to his quarters for more posts.
He seemed to wake up Sunday morning again fired up.
The Russian Hacks Were Effective Because of Terrible Reporting Practices
This is a topic we’ve been discussing for a while — remember when Glenn was preemptively asserting that it was wrong to criticize Julian Assange or suggest he had any role in electing Trump? WHATEVER COULD EXPLAIN IT? — starting with Paul in the immediate aftermath of the election. But it remains very important going forward, because Russia and other pro-Trump forces aren’t going to stop trying to influence elections, and the Republican-controlled state sure as hell won’t try to stop them.posted by tonycpsu at 9:01 AM on February 18, 2018 [78 favorites]
But hacks alone can’t influence elections. Media coverage of hacks can influence elections, and lessons from the 2016 campaign need to be learned:All of this is the subset of a larger problem. Elections are literally life-and-death matters, but they’re not to the most influential people who cover them. From a nice apartment in Brooklyn or a mansion in Rio it can be pretty easy to use your platform to spend elections rubbing your thighs raw about email server management best practices or some DNC rando saying something dumb about Bernie that everyone else ignored. But it’s bad journalism, and it’s also immoral. You have a responsibility to act as if the results of the election might mean you lose access to healthcare or be forced to subsist on a box of cans of wadded beef and shelf-stable milk that may or may not be sent to your house. That doesn’t mean ignoring serious misconduct by anyone or not engaging in tough reporting. But it does mean informing your readers, not actively collaborating with people whose goal is to ensure that the public is critically misinformed.
- Note that the leaks were released in a very careful strategic fashion, designed to to maximum political damage — for example, during the DNC, or the day of the Billy Bush tapes. This should have caused the media to be extremely skeptical about the way the leaks were framed and very careful not to advance the narratives of people obviously trying to ratfuck the elections. It didn’t — quite the opposite.
- As Risen says, the hacks were generally reported the way the pro-Trump leakers wanted them reported — in both quality and quantity — although they revealed no significant or material misconduct. [...]
- [And] Risen also says, while they were being played like Mary Timony’s guitar, the media was missing the real story — the massive invasions of privacy by the pro-Trump ratfucking campaign itself. [...]
- This is really important going forward. It is neither feasible nor desirable to set a black-letter standard forbidding the coverage of leaked material. But it certainly is critical not to act as the useful idiots of bad actors. Before you report on a hack, make sure some important, material misconduct is involved. Be mindful of why this stuff is being leaked and what the agenda of the leakers is. The fact that something secret is being revealed doesn’t make it the Pentagon Papers.
PenDevil: Philadelphia Eagle defensive end Chris Long is dragging Laura Ingraham on Twitter and it is a thing of beauty.
Laura Ingraham said that "LeBron James should shut up and dribble" after he said Trump doesn't 'give a f--- about the people', to which Chris Long responded by citing (with screencaps) the range of non-politicians, from Dog the Bounty Hunter and the homophobic Duck Dynasty member to Chuck Norris and Clint Eastwood, who have been invited to talk about Charlottesville violence to Islamic extremists. Oh, and there were some athletes interviewed, including Curt Schiller (former MLB pitcher) and a few others.
Surprise - they're all white dudes.
But beyond racism, what makes someone qualified to talk about politics? Clearly, Fox has no real threshold or standard there, but looking at elected politicians, there's no threshold there, either. Beyond Trump, there are plenty of business people, former military folks, scientists, actors and artists, and even sports figures, in addition to those who have studied political science, governance and public management who get elected to office.
With that, it looks like we're back to racism.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:02 AM on February 18, 2018 [48 favorites]
Laura Ingraham said that "LeBron James should shut up and dribble" after he said Trump doesn't 'give a f--- about the people', to which Chris Long responded by citing (with screencaps) the range of non-politicians, from Dog the Bounty Hunter and the homophobic Duck Dynasty member to Chuck Norris and Clint Eastwood, who have been invited to talk about Charlottesville violence to Islamic extremists. Oh, and there were some athletes interviewed, including Curt Schiller (former MLB pitcher) and a few others.
Surprise - they're all white dudes.
But beyond racism, what makes someone qualified to talk about politics? Clearly, Fox has no real threshold or standard there, but looking at elected politicians, there's no threshold there, either. Beyond Trump, there are plenty of business people, former military folks, scientists, actors and artists, and even sports figures, in addition to those who have studied political science, governance and public management who get elected to office.
With that, it looks like we're back to racism.
posted by filthy light thief at 9:02 AM on February 18, 2018 [48 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrump
If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
This. This is the moment I broke, right here. You witless, retrograde, dull-normal baboon-man, with your always-already self-absolution mechanism firmly in place and your dried flakes of spray tan where your conscience should be. You anempathic grade-school washout, you groveler before "generals," you licker of any proffered boot so long as it's jack- enough. You no-taste-having, brokedick, clapped-out canker sore of a man too risibly tacky even for the New York City property-development sector, you daddy's boy. You coveter of the envy of the shallow and the admiration of the frankly stupid. You awful, awful, all-too-human zero. You have broken me.
YES. Yes they have. They have succeeded in this operation far past their richest, most embroidered, daren't-even-name-them-in-dreams hopes. And do you know the reason why, you utter lackwit, you pig, you double-stacked shitburger? It is because in you, they found the kind of useful idiot that only comes along once every few centuries — a golden, once-in-a-lifetime gift. And they used you the way you only fantasize about using people.
They've gotten what they want from you, and then some, and still *then* some, but when they're done with you there will be no glory. Not even the curt dismissal of a few greasy Franklins tossed on the nightstand. Believe it.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2018 [176 favorites]
If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
This. This is the moment I broke, right here. You witless, retrograde, dull-normal baboon-man, with your always-already self-absolution mechanism firmly in place and your dried flakes of spray tan where your conscience should be. You anempathic grade-school washout, you groveler before "generals," you licker of any proffered boot so long as it's jack- enough. You no-taste-having, brokedick, clapped-out canker sore of a man too risibly tacky even for the New York City property-development sector, you daddy's boy. You coveter of the envy of the shallow and the admiration of the frankly stupid. You awful, awful, all-too-human zero. You have broken me.
YES. Yes they have. They have succeeded in this operation far past their richest, most embroidered, daren't-even-name-them-in-dreams hopes. And do you know the reason why, you utter lackwit, you pig, you double-stacked shitburger? It is because in you, they found the kind of useful idiot that only comes along once every few centuries — a golden, once-in-a-lifetime gift. And they used you the way you only fantasize about using people.
They've gotten what they want from you, and then some, and still *then* some, but when they're done with you there will be no glory. Not even the curt dismissal of a few greasy Franklins tossed on the nightstand. Believe it.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:18 AM on February 18, 2018 [176 favorites]
If it was the GOAL of Russia to create discord, disruption and chaos within the U.S. then, with all of the Committee Hearings, Investigations and Party hatred, they have succeeded beyond their wildest dreams.
Literally every question at the next press conference needs to be about the sanctions law (not bill, law) that Trump has ignored. And the next press conference, and the next one after that.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:26 AM on February 18, 2018 [43 favorites]
Literally every question at the next press conference needs to be about the sanctions law (not bill, law) that Trump has ignored. And the next press conference, and the next one after that.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:26 AM on February 18, 2018 [43 favorites]
The next press conference will be Sarah Sanders taking exactly one question. From Goyal.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:30 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:30 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
>If there’s a fire, and someone comes along and pours gasoline everywhere they possibly can in the vicinity of that fire, hoping the entire city burns, they’ve still committed a crime.
So much for the Billy Joel defense
Mr. Joel's lyrics go: We didn't start the fire/No, we didn't light it/But we tried to fight it. The intent of the Billy Joel defense is that active effort to fight the fire is the critical component. In the court's view, the Billy Joel defense would only apply if the defendant actually tried to stop, hinder, or put out the fire, not accelerate it. Counsel would rewrite the defense to: We didn't start the fire/No we didn't light it/But we further ignite it and claim it still applies. This is rejected by the court.
posted by nubs at 9:33 AM on February 18, 2018 [35 favorites]
So much for the Billy Joel defense
Mr. Joel's lyrics go: We didn't start the fire/No, we didn't light it/But we tried to fight it. The intent of the Billy Joel defense is that active effort to fight the fire is the critical component. In the court's view, the Billy Joel defense would only apply if the defendant actually tried to stop, hinder, or put out the fire, not accelerate it. Counsel would rewrite the defense to: We didn't start the fire/No we didn't light it/But we further ignite it and claim it still applies. This is rejected by the court.
posted by nubs at 9:33 AM on February 18, 2018 [35 favorites]
The Charging Mystery in the Russia Indictments—And Its Indication of What Comes Next in the Mueller Investigation
On the face of it, the law prohibits a U.S. campaign or person from “soliciting” something “of value” from a foreign national, and it bars rendering “substantial assistance” to illegal foreign national spending. It seems clear that the facts known to date implicate these rules. It is also true that there is little precedent and arguably an increased risk of a defense grounded in the “vagueness” of these prohibitions. Some commentators have expressed unease about the constitutional limiting principle that would govern the enforcement of these provisions. I do not share this view, but it is held strongly in some quarters and, therefore, appropriately and respectfully noted.posted by T.D. Strange at 9:33 AM on February 18, 2018 [10 favorites]
The Mueller indictment is conceivably one way to solve this problem. It alleges a conspiracy to prevent the FEC from taking up and addressing the regulatory issues, and American co-conspirators may be brought in on any overt act in furtherance of this illegal scheme. Any U.S. citizen who intentionally supported the Russian electoral intervention could be liable. Examples would include U.S. citizens engaged in conversations like those in Trump Tower in summer of 2016, or Don, Jr.’s communications with WikiLeaks about the timing of the release of stolen emails. The conspiracy to defraud the United States could also envelop any Americans who helped cover the Russians’ illegal electoral program by lying to federal authorities about the campaign’s Russian contacts.
Time travel with me to this article from 2014 and tell me you don't feel like taking 1000 showers afterward.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:44 AM on February 18, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:44 AM on February 18, 2018 [14 favorites]
Time travel with me to this article from 2014 and tell me you don't feel like taking 1000 showers afterward.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:44 AM on February 18 [+] [!]
Let's say I knew about this research. Let's say I worked for a consortium assembled by wealthy and highly placed Russians and assorted GOP operatives. Let's say I had access to algorithms that identified voting tendencies down to the individual level in places like Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin. Let's say I used that algorithm and Facebook's methods to target swing precincts in those states to suppress votes I didn't like and encourage ones I did. Wouldn't that be interesting?
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:55 AM on February 18, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:44 AM on February 18 [+] [!]
Let's say I knew about this research. Let's say I worked for a consortium assembled by wealthy and highly placed Russians and assorted GOP operatives. Let's say I had access to algorithms that identified voting tendencies down to the individual level in places like Pennsylvania, Florida, and Wisconsin. Let's say I used that algorithm and Facebook's methods to target swing precincts in those states to suppress votes I didn't like and encourage ones I did. Wouldn't that be interesting?
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:55 AM on February 18, 2018 [13 favorites]
Oh to weaponsie that you;d probably need some voter roll data to be hacked and laundered through, say, a British company.
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oh to weaponsie that you;d probably need some voter roll data to be hacked and laundered through, say, a British company.
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on February 18 [1 favorite +] [!]
Let's pretend there is such a British company. Let's call it, oh, something like Cambridge Analytica. I just love fanfic.
Let's say I was able to swing 80,000 or so votes in key precincts in swing states. Why, I could steal an election from a tested life-long public servant and hand it to an Orange-faced Blowhard Pussy-grabbing Adulterous Reality Show Huckster. Unfortunately, if that public servant could prove I did this, she might be able to convince the courts that the election is invalid. Just maybe. *crossing every pair of digits I possibly can*
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:08 AM on February 18, 2018 [29 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:01 AM on February 18 [1 favorite +] [!]
Let's pretend there is such a British company. Let's call it, oh, something like Cambridge Analytica. I just love fanfic.
Let's say I was able to swing 80,000 or so votes in key precincts in swing states. Why, I could steal an election from a tested life-long public servant and hand it to an Orange-faced Blowhard Pussy-grabbing Adulterous Reality Show Huckster. Unfortunately, if that public servant could prove I did this, she might be able to convince the courts that the election is invalid. Just maybe. *crossing every pair of digits I possibly can*
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:08 AM on February 18, 2018 [29 favorites]
This always kind of annoys me because yes, they tried to influence how Americans voted but we have a populace that is stupid enough to be taken in by their attempts to influence.
Do you feel the same way towards senior citizens duped by con men into giving up their retirement savings?
posted by GhostintheMachine at 10:13 AM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
Do you feel the same way towards senior citizens duped by con men into giving up their retirement savings?
posted by GhostintheMachine at 10:13 AM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
We didn't start the fire
No we didn't light it
But we'll have it out in two weeks
And it will be really really great
Even greater than that great fire they had in London once
Believe me
posted by flabdablet at 10:29 AM on February 18, 2018 [38 favorites]
No we didn't light it
But we'll have it out in two weeks
And it will be really really great
Even greater than that great fire they had in London once
Believe me
posted by flabdablet at 10:29 AM on February 18, 2018 [38 favorites]
Nothing new in this NYT article, but it's nice to see these facts sketched out so plainly. And the headline pretty much echoes the definition of chutzpah.
NYT: Trump Blames Obama and Democrats for Failing to Stop Russian Meddling
NYT: Trump Blames Obama and Democrats for Failing to Stop Russian Meddling
The president has repeatedly seized on the fact that the efforts started before he became a candidate, but has glossed over the conclusion that they evolved toward supporting his candidacy.posted by RedOrGreen at 10:30 AM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
... he has repeatedly denied that Russia was behind any meddling, even going so far in November as to suggest that he believed President Vladimir V. Putin’s denials of interference over the conclusions of American intelligence agencies.
... Mr. Trump criticized General McMaster for not saying at the security conference in Germany where he was speaking that the election results had not been changed as a result of the Russian interference. The nation’s intelligence agencies believe that it is not possible to make such a conclusion.
Honestly, I don't think it was stupid American voters, per se, it was that the troll operation knew how to weaponize prejudices - racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and, in particular, misogyny. Stirring up misogyny against a woman candidate? Candy from a baby. I truly don't know how to tell who is a home-grown misogynist or other bigot and who is a Russian troll in the comment sections at, for instance, Daily Kos and (shudder) Splinter News.
And they're still there and still come out frothing with any mention of Kirsten Gillibrand or Cory Booker.
I think it's a danger for us to assume that the Russian (and other) ratfuckers are soooo very clever and Machiavellian that we Democrats, liberals and progressives are feeble in comparison. But, I think they found very fertile soil in the bigotry of many, mostly (but not all) white Americans. Bigots were already up in arms (literally) because of Obama being president. And there was/is a sizable "economically progressive but socially conservative" contingent - and all anyone had to do was tell them "Psst. Crookit Hillary conspired to keep Our Socialist Hero Bernie out of the running" and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:38 AM on February 18, 2018 [34 favorites]
And they're still there and still come out frothing with any mention of Kirsten Gillibrand or Cory Booker.
I think it's a danger for us to assume that the Russian (and other) ratfuckers are soooo very clever and Machiavellian that we Democrats, liberals and progressives are feeble in comparison. But, I think they found very fertile soil in the bigotry of many, mostly (but not all) white Americans. Bigots were already up in arms (literally) because of Obama being president. And there was/is a sizable "economically progressive but socially conservative" contingent - and all anyone had to do was tell them "Psst. Crookit Hillary conspired to keep Our Socialist Hero Bernie out of the running" and they fell for it hook, line, and sinker.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:38 AM on February 18, 2018 [34 favorites]
At times like this I like to imagine Hillary Clinton going outside to the most remote location she can find, taking a deep breath, and screaming, “I TOLD YOU SO!!” into the void. Then she smooths her hair back, goes inside and polishes off a bottle of wine.
Someone please take this asshole out on the golf course already so he’ll stop inflicting his massive insecurities on the rest of the world.
posted by Salieri at 10:38 AM on February 18, 2018 [49 favorites]
Someone please take this asshole out on the golf course already so he’ll stop inflicting his massive insecurities on the rest of the world.
posted by Salieri at 10:38 AM on February 18, 2018 [49 favorites]
Honestly, I don't think it was stupid American voters, per se, it was that the troll operation knew how to weaponize prejudices - racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and, in particular, misogyny. Stirring up misogyny against a woman candidate? Candy from a baby.
We are gonna need a goddamn truth and reconciliation commission
posted by schadenfrau at 10:49 AM on February 18, 2018 [41 favorites]
We are gonna need a goddamn truth and reconciliation commission
posted by schadenfrau at 10:49 AM on February 18, 2018 [41 favorites]
We are gonna need a goddamn truth and reconciliation commission
A goddamn truth and reconciliation commission would first require the imprisonment of enough criminals to end the emergency and the ostracism of enough GOP enablers to establish a consensus reality. First things first.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:56 AM on February 18, 2018 [23 favorites]
A goddamn truth and reconciliation commission would first require the imprisonment of enough criminals to end the emergency and the ostracism of enough GOP enablers to establish a consensus reality. First things first.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:56 AM on February 18, 2018 [23 favorites]
Nothing new in this NYT article, but it's nice to see these facts sketched out so plainly. And the headline pretty much echoes the definition of chutzpah.
NYT: Trump Blames Obama and Democrats for Failing to Stop Russian Meddling
Politico sees the NYT's headline and raises: Trump Attacks Everyone But Russia
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:59 AM on February 18, 2018 [57 favorites]
NYT: Trump Blames Obama and Democrats for Failing to Stop Russian Meddling
Politico sees the NYT's headline and raises: Trump Attacks Everyone But Russia
posted by Doktor Zed at 10:59 AM on February 18, 2018 [57 favorites]
Trump Blames Obama and Democrats for Failing to Stop Russian Meddling
"I was smart. You let me do it, why didn't you stop me?" (paraphrased)
I was shocked and saddened to see that work for him on the question of not paying taxes in the debates. But it won't work here, surely?
posted by Meatbomb at 11:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
"I was smart. You let me do it, why didn't you stop me?" (paraphrased)
I was shocked and saddened to see that work for him on the question of not paying taxes in the debates. But it won't work here, surely?
posted by Meatbomb at 11:07 AM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
A pair of articles as we shift from Infrastructure Week to Troll Week
Adrian Chen has a chat with Mikhail Burchik: An Indicted Russian Picks Up the Phone, and Mocks the Idea That Russia Meddled
WaPo, Anton Troianovski, A former Russian troll speaks: ‘It was like being in Orwell’s world’:
posted by zachlipton at 11:19 AM on February 18, 2018 [23 favorites]
Adrian Chen has a chat with Mikhail Burchik: An Indicted Russian Picks Up the Phone, and Mocks the Idea That Russia Meddled
I sent him a screenshot of the section of the indictment that indicated he had become the executive director of the Agency in 2014, that he stayed on at least through 2016, and that he’d had multiple meetings with Yevgeny Prigozhin, the Kremlin-connected businessman alleged to be the chief funder of the Agency. According to the indictment, Burchik helped oversee an operation of hundreds of employees that spread propaganda under false identities on social media, in an attempt to support Donald Trump and sow “political discord” in America. Burchik insisted that he did not work for the agency. “Why they think that it’s I?” he said. I said because they had done a large investigation. He said that nobody had called him, and that he had received no official notice about the charges.That "if they want to see the devil, let them" quote would not be out of place for the evil villain role in any movie ever. You can read on for the whataboutism too, of course.
“I think it’s бред ),” he said, using a Russian word for nonsense. I was struck by the parenthesis at the end, which is the smiley face emoticon on the Russian Internet. He seemed, in general, sanguine about the case, mocking the idea that he might have played a role in the U.S. election. He said that he lives in Russia and doesn’t know anything about the U.S. besides “Washington is the capital of USA.” “I think that if the USA democratic system was broken buy several Russian people--it’s very bad for American political system,” he wrote, calling the notion “fantastic.”
Burchik’s dismissive tone mirrored the official Russian response to Mueller’s indictment. On Saturday, Russia’s Foreign Minister, Sergey Lavrov, called the allegations “claptrap.” And Prigozhin, the oligarch at the center of the indictment, was reportedly unbothered by the news. “The Americans are very emotional people, they see what they want to see,” he said, according to the RIA Novosti news agency. “I have great respect for them. I am not at all upset that I am on this list. If they want to see the devil, let them.”
...
Before he signed off, I pressed Burchik again on his connection to the Agency. If he was not the executive director, what explanation did he have for how the U.S. government and Russian media outlets had come to that conclusion? “ ‘Shit happens’ ),” he wrote.
WaPo, Anton Troianovski, A former Russian troll speaks: ‘It was like being in Orwell’s world’:
How did it feel inside?The interview goes on to explain that the "Facebook Department," which required high English proficiency and targeted Americans, paid twice as much, and as early as 2014, working in that department a test that included writing about Hillary Clinton. Also, the trolls "scolded" Prigozhin because he was supposed to be known as Putin's chef, yet the troll factory had no cafeteria of any kind.
I arrived there, and I immediately felt like a character in the book “1984” by George Orwell — a place where you have to write that white is black and black is white. Your first feeling, when you ended up there, was that you were in some kind of factory that turned lying, telling untruths, into an industrial assembly line. The volumes were colossal — there were huge numbers of people, 300 to 400, and they were all writing absolute untruths. It was like being in Orwell’s world.
...
Do you think it worked?
Who really reads the comments under news articles, anyway? Especially when they were so obviously fake. People working there had no literary interest or abilities. These were mechanical texts. It was a colossal labor of monkeys, it was pointless. For Russian audiences, at least. But for Americans, it appears it did work. They aren’t used to this kind of trickery. They live in a society in which it’s accepted to answer for your words. And here — I was amazed how everyone was absolutely sure of their impunity, even as they wrote incredibly offensive comments. They were sure that with the anonymity of the Internet, no one would find them.
posted by zachlipton at 11:19 AM on February 18, 2018 [23 favorites]
Do you feel the same way towards senior citizens duped by con men into giving up their retirement savings?
Reading about the MAGA people waiting for their coalmines to reopen and their taxes to go down and so forth I do always wonder in the back of my mind what other salesman's lists they're on and just how much other dodgy money is being made from them. Pretty sure those lists are worth a fortune to selected businesses.
There's something willful about consistently allowing ideology to trump experience and as an old myself I think you should get more blame for it if you've been doing it for longer.
posted by glasseyes at 11:25 AM on February 18, 2018 [15 favorites]
Reading about the MAGA people waiting for their coalmines to reopen and their taxes to go down and so forth I do always wonder in the back of my mind what other salesman's lists they're on and just how much other dodgy money is being made from them. Pretty sure those lists are worth a fortune to selected businesses.
There's something willful about consistently allowing ideology to trump experience and as an old myself I think you should get more blame for it if you've been doing it for longer.
posted by glasseyes at 11:25 AM on February 18, 2018 [15 favorites]
I don't think it was stupid American voters, per se, it was that the troll operation knew how to weaponize prejudices - racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and, in particular, misogyny.
Stupid American Voter Syndrome - symptoms include racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and, in particular, misogyny.
Per se, it is not stupid American voters who directly do things like this:
Trump once again wants to cut energy assistance to the poor
But they believe things like this from the article - "The administration is using the same arguments from a year ago when it tried to abolish the program, saying it’s rife with fraud and that no one would be left freezing if the program goes away."
Despite
posted by saysthis at 11:37 AM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
Stupid American Voter Syndrome - symptoms include racism, anti-Muslim bigotry, and, in particular, misogyny.
Per se, it is not stupid American voters who directly do things like this:
Trump once again wants to cut energy assistance to the poor
But they believe things like this from the article - "The administration is using the same arguments from a year ago when it tried to abolish the program, saying it’s rife with fraud and that no one would be left freezing if the program goes away."
Despite
LIHEAP is popular in both cold weather and warm weather states, like Florida and Arizona, where it also distributes money to keep people keep cool in the summer. All told, the program helps 6 million households.It's the second time Trump has tried this. This is what racism and misogyny attempting to govern looks like. The hateful prejudices of stupid American voters are what give people like 45 control over the levers of power. Every stupid American voter educated is potentially one less disabled Maine father with five kids who might freeze to death. Kill it with (rhetorical and educational) fire.
A group of 45 senators asked the president to maintain energy assistance and weatherization assistance programs.
A dangerous stretch of cold weather around the New Year underscored the need for the program, said Sen. Angus King, an independent from Maine. And Democratic Sen. Jeanne Shaheen of New Hampshire called gutting the program “dangerous and unacceptable.”
posted by saysthis at 11:37 AM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
As Dean Baker points out, it's quite easy for Twitter and Facebook to fix the phony bots problem. They just lack the necessary financial incentive to do so. As an example of feasibility, he cites the DMCA.
Congress passed the DMCA act that punishes sites for hosting infringing material. All someone has to do is notify Facebook or Youtube that material is posted illegally. Then the hosting site is responsible for determining the validity of the claim and remove the material within 48 hours. If they don't remove it, they are subject thousands of dollars of fines. Note that it is the hosting site, not the poster, who is fined.
If they can do it for the record companies, surely they can also do it for fake postings, particularly political ads. Zuckerberg, one of the richest people in the world, just doesn't want to spend the money to do so.
posted by JackFlash at 11:39 AM on February 18, 2018 [52 favorites]
Congress passed the DMCA act that punishes sites for hosting infringing material. All someone has to do is notify Facebook or Youtube that material is posted illegally. Then the hosting site is responsible for determining the validity of the claim and remove the material within 48 hours. If they don't remove it, they are subject thousands of dollars of fines. Note that it is the hosting site, not the poster, who is fined.
If they can do it for the record companies, surely they can also do it for fake postings, particularly political ads. Zuckerberg, one of the richest people in the world, just doesn't want to spend the money to do so.
posted by JackFlash at 11:39 AM on February 18, 2018 [52 favorites]
Fact checking Trump’s error-filled tweetstorm about the Russia investigation (Glenn Kessler | WaPo)
In a tweetstorm that started late at night Saturday and continued into Sunday morning, President Trump railed against the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 election. Here’s a quick guide to his many misstatements and misleading claims in this Twitter barrage.posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:42 AM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
Under Trump, America's religious right is rewriting its code of ethics
Which sort of makes the assumption they had one to begin with, but shedding all the disguises is very much changing these ghouls for the worse.
posted by Artw at 11:47 AM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Which sort of makes the assumption they had one to begin with, but shedding all the disguises is very much changing these ghouls for the worse.
posted by Artw at 11:47 AM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Trump blames Obama for failing to stop Russian meddling -- this is Sideshow Bob territory.
Mayor Quimby let dangerous criminals out on parole like Sideshow Bob. Vote Sideshow Bob.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:54 AM on February 18, 2018 [47 favorites]
Mayor Quimby let dangerous criminals out on parole like Sideshow Bob. Vote Sideshow Bob.
posted by dances_with_sneetches at 11:54 AM on February 18, 2018 [47 favorites]
Honestly, I think that some of the under-reaction I'm seeing from folks on the left is coming from a weird understanding of the US system. Our election system is not always-already so fucked up and corrupt that interfering doesn't matter, nor is it so robust that a series of attacks can't damage it.
The standard line that I have heard from leftists is, as you alluded to, something like "Oh yeah? Big whoop, the US does this (and far worse) to other countries all the time." Which is, no doubt, true, but hardly addresses the pressing issue of to what extent Russia influenced the US election and what, if anything, should be done about it.
But I don't think the "under-reaction", as you call it, is a misunderstanding. I think it's the appropriate, or at least an understandable response. Consider the following:
- It has yet to be shown that the "meddling," such as it was, affected the 2016 presidential election result in any way
- It has yet to be shown that there was any active collaboration between any of the 2016 presidential candidates and Russia
- Many of the allegations made by the US against Russia(ns) are laughable or trivial
- The seriousness that the threat that alleged Russian activity poses to American democracy is frequently overblown
- There have been numerous high-profile claims made about Russian machinations that have later been proven to be false
- The march into confrontation with Russia (already a "virtual war" according to the NYT) is much too reminiscent of other periods in American history where US elites attempted to marshall the population into support of an imperialist foreign policy on dubious pretenses
- The political effect of the investigation is to strengthen the domestic intelligence forces that US leftists have long considered to be enemies, for good reason
- Many of the leading advocates of this Russia-as-enemy narrative have been exposed as frauds or, at best, nincompoops
- There are many other, arguably more severe, threads to American democracy that are not getting nearly this level of attention (e.g. voter ID laws, etc.)
So: dubious sources, thin evidence, a history of deception, a nefarious political agenda... yes, there are quite good reasons that leftists -- or anyone, really -- should be skeptical of the claims about "Russian interference" made by the US government and media.
Now, does there exist some evidence for a Russian attempt to influence the election? Yes, but in minor ways and of a type that is completely out of proportion to the attention that this issue has received. There are measured and appropriate policy responses to these concerns; I won't go into them here. But they certainly fall short of an aggressive confrontation of Russia.
I should mention that a serious concern about "Russian meddling" is premised upon a belief in the importance of American institutions. However, the past several years have shown just how anemic and powerless these institutions are to deliver benefits to ordinary Americans; it is no surprise that many Americans would not rush to defend them.
We also can not be blind to the reasons that this Russian-interference narrative emerged. As was revealed in Allen and Parnes' recent book, the Hillary Clinton campaign hit upon accusing Russia within 24 hours of her concession speech, in an effort to evade responsibility for her election loss.
But is one thing for Democratic elites to allege this, and another for the meme to catch on. I think it is tapping into a very seductive urge for American liberals: to believe that an alien force was responsible for the 2016 election outcome, rather than confront the reality that America elected Donald Trump -- with his indisputably odious qualities -- in a free and fair election. The thought that so many Americans would vote for Trump -- whether out of jingoism, greed, indifference, boredom, racism, or otherwise -- is understandably discomforting.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 11:54 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
The standard line that I have heard from leftists is, as you alluded to, something like "Oh yeah? Big whoop, the US does this (and far worse) to other countries all the time." Which is, no doubt, true, but hardly addresses the pressing issue of to what extent Russia influenced the US election and what, if anything, should be done about it.
But I don't think the "under-reaction", as you call it, is a misunderstanding. I think it's the appropriate, or at least an understandable response. Consider the following:
- It has yet to be shown that the "meddling," such as it was, affected the 2016 presidential election result in any way
- It has yet to be shown that there was any active collaboration between any of the 2016 presidential candidates and Russia
- Many of the allegations made by the US against Russia(ns) are laughable or trivial
- The seriousness that the threat that alleged Russian activity poses to American democracy is frequently overblown
- There have been numerous high-profile claims made about Russian machinations that have later been proven to be false
- The march into confrontation with Russia (already a "virtual war" according to the NYT) is much too reminiscent of other periods in American history where US elites attempted to marshall the population into support of an imperialist foreign policy on dubious pretenses
- The political effect of the investigation is to strengthen the domestic intelligence forces that US leftists have long considered to be enemies, for good reason
- Many of the leading advocates of this Russia-as-enemy narrative have been exposed as frauds or, at best, nincompoops
- There are many other, arguably more severe, threads to American democracy that are not getting nearly this level of attention (e.g. voter ID laws, etc.)
So: dubious sources, thin evidence, a history of deception, a nefarious political agenda... yes, there are quite good reasons that leftists -- or anyone, really -- should be skeptical of the claims about "Russian interference" made by the US government and media.
Now, does there exist some evidence for a Russian attempt to influence the election? Yes, but in minor ways and of a type that is completely out of proportion to the attention that this issue has received. There are measured and appropriate policy responses to these concerns; I won't go into them here. But they certainly fall short of an aggressive confrontation of Russia.
I should mention that a serious concern about "Russian meddling" is premised upon a belief in the importance of American institutions. However, the past several years have shown just how anemic and powerless these institutions are to deliver benefits to ordinary Americans; it is no surprise that many Americans would not rush to defend them.
We also can not be blind to the reasons that this Russian-interference narrative emerged. As was revealed in Allen and Parnes' recent book, the Hillary Clinton campaign hit upon accusing Russia within 24 hours of her concession speech, in an effort to evade responsibility for her election loss.
But is one thing for Democratic elites to allege this, and another for the meme to catch on. I think it is tapping into a very seductive urge for American liberals: to believe that an alien force was responsible for the 2016 election outcome, rather than confront the reality that America elected Donald Trump -- with his indisputably odious qualities -- in a free and fair election. The thought that so many Americans would vote for Trump -- whether out of jingoism, greed, indifference, boredom, racism, or otherwise -- is understandably discomforting.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 11:54 AM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
I feel like the troll farm just came to us.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:03 PM on February 18, 2018 [184 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:03 PM on February 18, 2018 [184 favorites]
- The march into confrontation with Russia (already a "virtual war" according to the NYT) is much too reminiscent of other periods in American history where US elites attempted to marshall the population into support of an imperialist foreign policy on dubious pretenses
This administration treats the decision of whether or not to nuke North Korea as seriously as choosing between a turkey or ham sandwich. US forces just killed hundreds of Russian "mercenaries" in the imperialist proxy war in Syria. The doomsday clock is as close to midnight as it's been in decades. What the fuck are you talking about?
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [35 favorites]
This administration treats the decision of whether or not to nuke North Korea as seriously as choosing between a turkey or ham sandwich. US forces just killed hundreds of Russian "mercenaries" in the imperialist proxy war in Syria. The doomsday clock is as close to midnight as it's been in decades. What the fuck are you talking about?
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [35 favorites]
From Johnny Wallflower's link above:
The president has instead spent much of his time watching television and tweeting, aides said. After a string of tweets Saturday afternoon, he dined with talk-show host Geraldo Rivera and the president’s two adult sons before returning to his quarters for more posts.
Made me think of this AV Club piece from a couple years back:
Geraldo Rivera is one of the many TV personalities whose careers have been both helped and harmed by what might be called “the great forgetting.” Rivera has a reputation as a self-promoting opportunist who’d gladly trash journalistic standards for the sake of ratings. But he actually began his career as an attorney and activist, who was seen early on as one of the bright young hopes of the broadcast news business, as dogged and politically plugged-in as he was handsome and silver-tongued. He was married to Kurt Vonnegut’s daughter back then, and was looked at as the mainstream voice for a newly politicized Latino-American population. He even won a Peabody Award for his investigation into the abuse of disabled individuals at a Staten Island institution.
Interesting that instead of hunkering down with experts on Russia and "the cyber," POTUS 45 was setting himself at odds with his own national security adviser's take on things and having dinner with someone whose brain has been completely consumed by the same ideological prion disease those indicted Russians have been trying to spread. He must have been looking for reassurance that the Mueller investigation was going to be just like Al Capone's Vaults.
Had you mentioned to someone watching said TV special in 1986 that thirty years hence last nights Trump/Rivera dinner would be happening against the backdrop of Russian interference in US elections, your 1986 interlocutor would have probably inquired about your state of mind and history of hallucinogenic drug use.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
The president has instead spent much of his time watching television and tweeting, aides said. After a string of tweets Saturday afternoon, he dined with talk-show host Geraldo Rivera and the president’s two adult sons before returning to his quarters for more posts.
Made me think of this AV Club piece from a couple years back:
Geraldo Rivera is one of the many TV personalities whose careers have been both helped and harmed by what might be called “the great forgetting.” Rivera has a reputation as a self-promoting opportunist who’d gladly trash journalistic standards for the sake of ratings. But he actually began his career as an attorney and activist, who was seen early on as one of the bright young hopes of the broadcast news business, as dogged and politically plugged-in as he was handsome and silver-tongued. He was married to Kurt Vonnegut’s daughter back then, and was looked at as the mainstream voice for a newly politicized Latino-American population. He even won a Peabody Award for his investigation into the abuse of disabled individuals at a Staten Island institution.
Interesting that instead of hunkering down with experts on Russia and "the cyber," POTUS 45 was setting himself at odds with his own national security adviser's take on things and having dinner with someone whose brain has been completely consumed by the same ideological prion disease those indicted Russians have been trying to spread. He must have been looking for reassurance that the Mueller investigation was going to be just like Al Capone's Vaults.
Had you mentioned to someone watching said TV special in 1986 that thirty years hence last nights Trump/Rivera dinner would be happening against the backdrop of Russian interference in US elections, your 1986 interlocutor would have probably inquired about your state of mind and history of hallucinogenic drug use.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
Noisy Pink Bubbles has a history of spreading anti-Clinton disinformation here. Check it out for yourself, since my pointing this out has been deleted.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [81 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [81 favorites]
I feel like the troll farm just came to us.
It’s been here all along, unfortunately.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:08 PM on February 18, 2018 [29 favorites]
It’s been here all along, unfortunately.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:08 PM on February 18, 2018 [29 favorites]
Well it, and it's slippery logic, suddenly sticks out a lot more.
posted by puddledork at 12:10 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by puddledork at 12:10 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
If everything NPB says is true, why are Trump and the rest of the GOP acting like the opposite is true. Observe how the the GOP winds have shifted from "there was no interference" to "there was interference and it was Obama's fault".
posted by PenDevil at 12:13 PM on February 18, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 12:13 PM on February 18, 2018 [15 favorites]
Now, does there exist some evidence for a Russian attempt to influence the election? Yes,
Indeed, and it is neither "thin" nor "dubious." It's glaring.
but in minor ways
Breaking into private DNC files looking for dirt is exactly what happened at the Watergate. But that was just a third rate burglary, right?
Except this time they also broke into voter registration systems and poll book software.
And spent 1.25 million per month and paid hundreds of employees, who exposed about 40% of the population (on Facebook alone) to propaganda paid for entities which cannot legally finance campaigns.
And also this time the "third rate burglars" were actually foreign agents.
But NBD, right? Because Democratic backsliding isn't a thing, right?
and of a type that is completely out of proportion to the attention that this issue has received. There are measured and appropriate policy responses to these concerns
Impeachment.
I won't go into them here. But they certainly fall short of an aggressive confrontation of Russia.
This is such a bad faith argument. Literally no one is calling for that. At most, beyond impeachment, people are calling for this sort of thing.
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:14 PM on February 18, 2018 [63 favorites]
Indeed, and it is neither "thin" nor "dubious." It's glaring.
but in minor ways
Breaking into private DNC files looking for dirt is exactly what happened at the Watergate. But that was just a third rate burglary, right?
Except this time they also broke into voter registration systems and poll book software.
And spent 1.25 million per month and paid hundreds of employees, who exposed about 40% of the population (on Facebook alone) to propaganda paid for entities which cannot legally finance campaigns.
And also this time the "third rate burglars" were actually foreign agents.
But NBD, right? Because Democratic backsliding isn't a thing, right?
and of a type that is completely out of proportion to the attention that this issue has received. There are measured and appropriate policy responses to these concerns
Impeachment.
I won't go into them here. But they certainly fall short of an aggressive confrontation of Russia.
This is such a bad faith argument. Literally no one is calling for that. At most, beyond impeachment, people are calling for this sort of thing.
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:14 PM on February 18, 2018 [63 favorites]
Noisy Pink Bubbles, honest question intended in good faith: do you believe the facts in the Mueller indictment are made up? Do you believe Russia wasn't responsible for the hacks of the DNC and the Clinton Campaign? If you don't, well then you do you, but then we're having entirely parallel discussions based on completely separate sets of facts. If you do believe it, then how can you say the "Russian-interference narrative emerged" simply as a last-ditch excuse for Clinton's loss when these things happened?
But is one thing for Democratic elites to allege this, and another for the meme to catch on. I think it is tapping into a very seductive urge for American liberals: to believe that an alien force was responsible for the 2016 election outcome, rather than confront the reality that America elected Donald Trump -- with his indisputably odious qualities -- in a free and fair election. The thought that so many Americans would vote for Trump -- whether out of jingoism, greed, indifference, boredom, racism, or otherwise -- is understandably discomforting.
Look, I made a not dissimilar point here on Friday when the Mueller indictment came out: divisions in our society are deeply troubling and are not all the fault of a foreign power. That the word "Trump" has, on its own, become a slur, a thing that gets shouted at people of color to taunt them, is a profound symbol of that, and that's on us. We've got plenty of issues on our own, and yes, it's tempting to want to blame others for all of them. But it can simultaneously be true that so many Americans voted for Trump for many reasons and that a foreign government sought to use our differences to drive us apart and to support one candidate over another.
posted by zachlipton at 12:20 PM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
But is one thing for Democratic elites to allege this, and another for the meme to catch on. I think it is tapping into a very seductive urge for American liberals: to believe that an alien force was responsible for the 2016 election outcome, rather than confront the reality that America elected Donald Trump -- with his indisputably odious qualities -- in a free and fair election. The thought that so many Americans would vote for Trump -- whether out of jingoism, greed, indifference, boredom, racism, or otherwise -- is understandably discomforting.
Look, I made a not dissimilar point here on Friday when the Mueller indictment came out: divisions in our society are deeply troubling and are not all the fault of a foreign power. That the word "Trump" has, on its own, become a slur, a thing that gets shouted at people of color to taunt them, is a profound symbol of that, and that's on us. We've got plenty of issues on our own, and yes, it's tempting to want to blame others for all of them. But it can simultaneously be true that so many Americans voted for Trump for many reasons and that a foreign government sought to use our differences to drive us apart and to support one candidate over another.
posted by zachlipton at 12:20 PM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
- Many of the allegations made by the US against Russia(ns) are laughable or trivial
I too was confused to these in the indictment as well. There's more solid stuff there, but a coloring book ad seems....harmless.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 12:37 PM on February 18, 2018
I too was confused to these in the indictment as well. There's more solid stuff there, but a coloring book ad seems....harmless.
posted by 922257033c4a0f3cecdbd819a46d626999d1af4a at 12:37 PM on February 18, 2018
Hot take from TechCrunch: Fake news is not the problem
…But I saw The Post this week, and it struck me: we never did. We used to have an imposed view of reality, not a consensus one. As the movie makes clear, editors and Cabinet members palled around weekly, and implicitly agreed on what news would and wouldn’t be fed to the public. (See also Chomsky’s Manufacturing Consent.) The moral crisis of the time came from the realization that the government was lying to its pals in the media, and had been for a very long time....
The real problem isn’t fake news; it’s that people have given up on that search for truth. The real problem is that the engineer’s mindset, wherein one weighs the available evidence, and accept and incorporate new evidence even if it contradicts what you previously believed, has never been more rare. (I’m not pretending it was ever remotely universal; I’m just saying that there was enough of it, barely, for democracy to work more-or-less as intended.)posted by Apocryphon at 12:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
No longer. The engineer’s mindset has been replaced by the lawyer’s mindset, wherein you pick a side in advance of getting any evidence, and then do absolutely everything you can to belittle, dismiss, and ignore any opposing data, while trumping up every scrap that might support your own side as if it were written on stone tables brought down from the mountain by Moses. I mean no disrespect to the legal profession: some of my favorite people are lawyers, including the one I married. The legal approach is an excellent means of getting to the truth of hard and confrontational matters —
— assuming it is done in the court of some sort of thoughtful, knowledgeable, and relatively impartial judge. But that court doesn’t exist in a democracy, or, rather, the democracy is the court … and so, in order for democracy to work, it requires the engineer’s mindset. The UK, the USA, and other countries seem to have seen that way of thinking wither below a crucial critical mass, to their great and growing cost.
LA Times, David Willman, Former Trump aide Rick Gates to plead guilty; agrees to testify against Manafort, sources say:
A former top aide to Donald Trump's presidential campaign will plead guilty to fraud-related charges within days – and has made clear to prosecutors that he would testify against Paul J. Manafort Jr., the lawyer-lobbyist who once managed the campaign.posted by zachlipton at 12:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
...
The same individual said he did not believe Gates has information to offer Mueller's team that would "turn the screws on Trump.'' The president has repeatedly called the special counsel's investigation a "witch hunt.''
But it can simultaneously be true that so many Americans voted for Trump for many reasons and that a foreign government sought to use our differences to drive us apart and to support one candidate over another.
Zachlipton, I flagged your comment as fantastic. Trump is a symptom, not a cause. People have been warning us as far back as 2011 that we could well wind up with a "reality-show candidate" because of the toxicity of our politics and our electoral process.
The Russians lucked out in having a candidate like Trump present himself - from their point of view, you couldn't have invented a more perfect patsy. Easily manipulated and up to his eyeballs in debt to them! Sure, they could have helped throw the election to, say, Marco Rubio or John Kasich, but would there have been such a handsome payoff without the money laundering, debts, and possible pee tape? I doubt it.
Trump is, as I've said before, the gross green glob of snot caused by the viruses of racism and misogyny. But he sure was in the right place at the right time as far as Russia was concerned.
And looking back, no wonder The Best People (tm) wouldn't work with him. No wonder he had to settle for dim-bulb Mike Pence, failed and unpopular governor, as his VP. He was dirty af and everyone knew it and didn't want to go down with him. (And it says a lot about the venality of the Republican establishment and the evangelical bloc that they either didn't say anything or Reeked themselves and ate the meatloaf.)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 12:42 PM on February 18, 2018 [24 favorites]
Zachlipton, I flagged your comment as fantastic. Trump is a symptom, not a cause. People have been warning us as far back as 2011 that we could well wind up with a "reality-show candidate" because of the toxicity of our politics and our electoral process.
The Russians lucked out in having a candidate like Trump present himself - from their point of view, you couldn't have invented a more perfect patsy. Easily manipulated and up to his eyeballs in debt to them! Sure, they could have helped throw the election to, say, Marco Rubio or John Kasich, but would there have been such a handsome payoff without the money laundering, debts, and possible pee tape? I doubt it.
Trump is, as I've said before, the gross green glob of snot caused by the viruses of racism and misogyny. But he sure was in the right place at the right time as far as Russia was concerned.
And looking back, no wonder The Best People (tm) wouldn't work with him. No wonder he had to settle for dim-bulb Mike Pence, failed and unpopular governor, as his VP. He was dirty af and everyone knew it and didn't want to go down with him. (And it says a lot about the venality of the Republican establishment and the evangelical bloc that they either didn't say anything or Reeked themselves and ate the meatloaf.)
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 12:42 PM on February 18, 2018 [24 favorites]
They didn't luck out. This has been cultivated for decades.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:45 PM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 12:45 PM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
The Russians were basically running a SuperPAC out of Moscow. Either SuperPACs are useless and don't influence elections (never mind the money poured into them), or the Russian effort had just as much chance to influence people's votes as any American one.
posted by BungaDunga at 12:46 PM on February 18, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by BungaDunga at 12:46 PM on February 18, 2018 [49 favorites]
There's more solid stuff there, but a coloring book ad seems....harmless.
It's more than a little disingenuous to cherry-pick a single whimsically dank maymay from the many thousands of related efforts and say 'well gee this doesn't look so bad.' There's no reason to break this down into more-harmful and less-harmful propaganda. It's all of a piece, and it's all propaganda.
posted by halation at 12:48 PM on February 18, 2018 [27 favorites]
It's more than a little disingenuous to cherry-pick a single whimsically dank maymay from the many thousands of related efforts and say 'well gee this doesn't look so bad.' There's no reason to break this down into more-harmful and less-harmful propaganda. It's all of a piece, and it's all propaganda.
posted by halation at 12:48 PM on February 18, 2018 [27 favorites]
Yeah, while I completely disagree with most things NPB has posted since the godawful election threads, including the bulk of that comment, the final point is partly a fair one. Not that I believe the election was "free and fair," per se, but I am definitely getting the impression that a ton of small-L liberals are completely unwilling or unable to recognize how broken our institutions are, how many insane morons actually voted for Trump, and just how craven and venal the GOP has become since Citizens United. Our system of government is broken, and while foreign interference on it is shitty and should be stopped, blaming foreign influence is not actually going to fix what's fundamentally broken.
Worse, I'm hearing an awful lot of people putting an awful lot of eggs in the one basket that makes up the Mueller investigation. "Mueller-mas?" I mean JFC, they could indict every single person involved in the Trump campaign, impeach Trump, Pence, and run Ryan out of town, and something close to forty-percent of the American electorate would still vote for a Reagan-quoting Guy Whitey Feelgood Republican next time.
If the well-meaning but fundamentally lazy and white liberals I work with are any indication, a year in, the wind has completely gone out of a lot of people's sails, and the Russia investigation is letting them pretend things are proceeding rationally. Meanwhile the massive marches of the first months under Trump have largely fizzled.
Get out there and get people registered to vote. Get people angry and let them know who they should be angry at. It isn't "the Russians," it's a particular subset of horrid rich assholes, many of whom are much closer to home and much easier to blame. How is Peter Thiel still a thing? How is McConnell allowed to walk the earth freely? WTF is Arpaio doing out of jail? Not even a decade from the last economic crisis, how is "hedge fund manager" not a job title that gets you kicked out of restaurants?
posted by aspersioncast at 12:49 PM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
Worse, I'm hearing an awful lot of people putting an awful lot of eggs in the one basket that makes up the Mueller investigation. "Mueller-mas?" I mean JFC, they could indict every single person involved in the Trump campaign, impeach Trump, Pence, and run Ryan out of town, and something close to forty-percent of the American electorate would still vote for a Reagan-quoting Guy Whitey Feelgood Republican next time.
If the well-meaning but fundamentally lazy and white liberals I work with are any indication, a year in, the wind has completely gone out of a lot of people's sails, and the Russia investigation is letting them pretend things are proceeding rationally. Meanwhile the massive marches of the first months under Trump have largely fizzled.
Get out there and get people registered to vote. Get people angry and let them know who they should be angry at. It isn't "the Russians," it's a particular subset of horrid rich assholes, many of whom are much closer to home and much easier to blame. How is Peter Thiel still a thing? How is McConnell allowed to walk the earth freely? WTF is Arpaio doing out of jail? Not even a decade from the last economic crisis, how is "hedge fund manager" not a job title that gets you kicked out of restaurants?
posted by aspersioncast at 12:49 PM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
Trump is a symptom, not a cause. People have been warning us as far back as 2011 that we could well wind up with a "reality-show candidate" because of the toxicity of our politics and our electoral process.
The cartoonists were the first to notice, really:
In 1989, 15 years before “The Apprentice” debuted, “Doonesbury” had the real-estate mogul entering the world of reality TV and game shows. After this strip appeared, Trump would go on to work with beauty pageants in the ’90s and own the Miss Universe pageant by the middle of that decade.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:49 PM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
The cartoonists were the first to notice, really:
In 1989, 15 years before “The Apprentice” debuted, “Doonesbury” had the real-estate mogul entering the world of reality TV and game shows. After this strip appeared, Trump would go on to work with beauty pageants in the ’90s and own the Miss Universe pageant by the middle of that decade.
posted by mandolin conspiracy at 12:49 PM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
It's more than a little disingenuous to cherry pick a single whimsically dank maymay from the many thousands of related efforts and say 'well gee this doesn't look so bad.' There's no reason to break this down into more-harmful and less-harmful propaganda. It's all of a piece, and it's all propaganda.
And it doesn't matter whether they were just funding ordinary ad campaigns. We (still, sort of) have a semblance of regulation on money in politics, and the big one is that it can't come from foreign actors. Even if everything the Russians did would have been legal had it been done by the GOP or Turning Point USA or whatever, doesn't make it any less of a foreign attempt to influence our election.
posted by BungaDunga at 12:53 PM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
And it doesn't matter whether they were just funding ordinary ad campaigns. We (still, sort of) have a semblance of regulation on money in politics, and the big one is that it can't come from foreign actors. Even if everything the Russians did would have been legal had it been done by the GOP or Turning Point USA or whatever, doesn't make it any less of a foreign attempt to influence our election.
posted by BungaDunga at 12:53 PM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Get people angry and let them know who they should be angry at. It isn't "the Russians," it's a particular subset of horrid rich assholes, many of whom are much closer to home and much easier to blame.
They should also be angry at 'the Russians,' specifically the particular subset of Russians who are *also* horrid rich assholes with financial and ideological reasons for wanting to influence US elections.
posted by halation at 12:58 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
They should also be angry at 'the Russians,' specifically the particular subset of Russians who are *also* horrid rich assholes with financial and ideological reasons for wanting to influence US elections.
posted by halation at 12:58 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
But it can simultaneously be true that so many Americans voted for Trump for many reasons and that a foreign government sought to use our differences to drive us apart and to support one candidate over another.
Just to piggyback on this well-stated point, it's also true that concerns about the Kremlin's involvement in Trump's candidacy and campaign date back well before the election; we were discussing it on this site even during the primaries. Numerous credible allegations were raised publicly, but the Republican party, leadership, and propaganda mouthpieces were undeterred in supporting Trump once he secured the nomination.
The fact is that the depth of the political divisions in our society are largely one-sided in their origin. The far Right, and its propaganda arms in conservative talk radio and Fox News, have been trading in what is effectively anti-American rhetoric for decades. Fellow citizens with liberal or even moderate views are painted as the enemy, and American institutions are tarred as incompetent, ineffective, or corrupt at every turn. The Reagan-era canard about the scariest words being "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" was and remains a vile attack on the very concept of government by, of, and for the people.
The far Right has all but abandoned loyalty to America in favor of loyalty to the Republican Party, and even that only insofar as the Republicans have been captured by their own extremist agenda. This to the point that Mike Pence described himself as "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order" -- American doesn't even make the list.
The investigation into Russian oligarch's meddling in the election is important not because it lets us blame a foreign power for the result of the election. It's important because we need to know just how far Republican leadership was willing to go in betraying their fellow Americans. What did they know about Russian interference, and when? Were they willing to allow a foreign power to meddle in American elections because they believed their party would benefit? Did they actively collude with a foreign power in any way as part of this campaign? If so, their actions move from de facto disloyalty to de jure treason, and we need to expose and punish these acts, and hold the Right accountable for bringing us to the point where this was even thinkable.
posted by biogeo at 1:04 PM on February 18, 2018 [132 favorites]
Just to piggyback on this well-stated point, it's also true that concerns about the Kremlin's involvement in Trump's candidacy and campaign date back well before the election; we were discussing it on this site even during the primaries. Numerous credible allegations were raised publicly, but the Republican party, leadership, and propaganda mouthpieces were undeterred in supporting Trump once he secured the nomination.
The fact is that the depth of the political divisions in our society are largely one-sided in their origin. The far Right, and its propaganda arms in conservative talk radio and Fox News, have been trading in what is effectively anti-American rhetoric for decades. Fellow citizens with liberal or even moderate views are painted as the enemy, and American institutions are tarred as incompetent, ineffective, or corrupt at every turn. The Reagan-era canard about the scariest words being "I'm from the government and I'm here to help" was and remains a vile attack on the very concept of government by, of, and for the people.
The far Right has all but abandoned loyalty to America in favor of loyalty to the Republican Party, and even that only insofar as the Republicans have been captured by their own extremist agenda. This to the point that Mike Pence described himself as "a Christian, a conservative, and a Republican, in that order" -- American doesn't even make the list.
The investigation into Russian oligarch's meddling in the election is important not because it lets us blame a foreign power for the result of the election. It's important because we need to know just how far Republican leadership was willing to go in betraying their fellow Americans. What did they know about Russian interference, and when? Were they willing to allow a foreign power to meddle in American elections because they believed their party would benefit? Did they actively collude with a foreign power in any way as part of this campaign? If so, their actions move from de facto disloyalty to de jure treason, and we need to expose and punish these acts, and hold the Right accountable for bringing us to the point where this was even thinkable.
posted by biogeo at 1:04 PM on February 18, 2018 [132 favorites]
HR620 or the ADA Education and Reform Act has passed the House. It seems to have a low chance of passing the senate, but regardless, if you plan to call your senators about something, do ask them about this.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:12 PM on February 18, 2018 [23 favorites]
The “ADA Education and Reform Act” upends a key provision of the ADA by preventing people with disabilities from immediately going to court to enforce their rights and to press for timely removal of the barrier that impedes access. Without this critical enforcement mechanism, compliance under the ADA will suffer and people with disabilities will be denied the access to which they are entitled to under the law.As if it's not already difficult to navigate the world given how already inaccessible public and private spaces still are. There has been major attacks of rights toward disabled people that have been flying under the radar.
posted by Crystalinne at 1:12 PM on February 18, 2018 [23 favorites]
Politico: Republicans race to reverse midterm recruitment failures.
posted by StrawberryPie at 1:26 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by StrawberryPie at 1:26 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Favoriting Biogeo x1000, and agreeing that NoisyPinkBubbles & co is good illustration of diversion, division, dimunition and d... ah fuck-it.
posted by Anchorite_of_Palgrave at 1:35 PM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Anchorite_of_Palgrave at 1:35 PM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
...defenestration?
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 1:36 PM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by suburbanbeatnik at 1:36 PM on February 18, 2018 [5 favorites]
The only problem with biogeo's comment is referring to Republican treason in the past tense.
posted by LarsC at 1:46 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by LarsC at 1:46 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
Sometimes a network of billionaires will leverage the structure of a nation to their advantage
Well there's a name for it, State Capture, but you'll mostly read about that in relation to African and Asian countries. For some reason.
posted by glasseyes at 1:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
Well there's a name for it, State Capture, but you'll mostly read about that in relation to African and Asian countries. For some reason.
posted by glasseyes at 1:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
WaPo, Anton Troianovski, A former Russian troll speaks: ‘It was like being in Orwell’s world’:
If there's anyone still alive to read or write it, the deep dive documentary into the Russian crowdsourced guerrilla cyberwarfare operation will be fascinating.
They aren't a troll farm, or trolls. There was a Daily Mail post above (or in previous post) with a fairly obvious persuasioner with the nick Dersu Uzala. I mean perhaps they just heard it as a fairy tale as a kid, but more likely they are a Kurosawa fan.
At least some of them are very educated and intelligent, and manipulating the far-to-medium-right U.S. crowd for them is like shooting bunnies with a 2 gauge punt gun.
Oddly they seem blind to the fact that there are two things Putin is really good at.
1. Homoerotic photosets.
2. Making any threat or loose end disappear.
posted by Buntix at 2:09 PM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
If there's anyone still alive to read or write it, the deep dive documentary into the Russian crowdsourced guerrilla cyberwarfare operation will be fascinating.
They aren't a troll farm, or trolls. There was a Daily Mail post above (or in previous post) with a fairly obvious persuasioner with the nick Dersu Uzala. I mean perhaps they just heard it as a fairy tale as a kid, but more likely they are a Kurosawa fan.
At least some of them are very educated and intelligent, and manipulating the far-to-medium-right U.S. crowd for them is like shooting bunnies with a 2 gauge punt gun.
Oddly they seem blind to the fact that there are two things Putin is really good at.
1. Homoerotic photosets.
2. Making any threat or loose end disappear.
posted by Buntix at 2:09 PM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Lead story in today's Boston Globe: Republicans becoming more bullish about midterms.
posted by adamg at 2:14 PM on February 18, 2018
posted by adamg at 2:14 PM on February 18, 2018
"I think it's a danger for us to assume that the Russian (and other) ratfuckers are soooo very clever and Machiavellian that we Democrats, liberals and progressives are feeble in comparison."They don't have to be particularly clever, and certainly not Machiavellian.
They just have to be better at it than you are at detecting it in real-time.
Time, both-sidesism, and an army of both willing and unwitting Quislings will do the rest…
posted by Pinback at 2:39 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
A goddamn truth and reconciliation commission would first require the imprisonment of enough criminals to end the emergency and the ostracism of enough GOP enablers to establish a consensus reality. First things first.
And also a pony while we're at it
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:55 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
And also a pony while we're at it
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:55 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
They should also be angry at 'the Russians,' specifically the particular subset of Russians
Very much this. The women of Pussy Riot are badass and Alexei Navalny seems pretty cool. My kids love the folks who make their favorite cartoon, "Masha and Bear." I don't have a problem with Russians in general.
The oligarchs: Oleg Deripaska. Dmitry Ryobolovlev. Lev Leviev. Aras Agalarov. Yevgeniy Prigozhin. And the other people just indicted who worked for him. Yuri Chaika, the prosecutor general. Natalia Veselnikskya who got her talking points from him. Ike Keveladze who went to the meeting with her. Konstantin Kilimnik, Manafort's partner in crime.
Those people I am angry with. Those names I have had to learn because they are suddenly important to politics in my country. (I suspect that is a better list of sanctions targets than the Truump administration produced.) And Putin, of course.
But really I am just as angry with Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, Kellyanne Conway, Jeff Sessions, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Devin Nunes, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy and Dana Rohrabacher, the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson and Roger Ailes... And I don't propose that we go to war with their country.
These are individual bad actors with way too much power. We need to be focused on curtailing their power, which is political and financial, and must be curtailed politically and financially.
posted by OnceUponATime at 2:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [46 favorites]
Very much this. The women of Pussy Riot are badass and Alexei Navalny seems pretty cool. My kids love the folks who make their favorite cartoon, "Masha and Bear." I don't have a problem with Russians in general.
The oligarchs: Oleg Deripaska. Dmitry Ryobolovlev. Lev Leviev. Aras Agalarov. Yevgeniy Prigozhin. And the other people just indicted who worked for him. Yuri Chaika, the prosecutor general. Natalia Veselnikskya who got her talking points from him. Ike Keveladze who went to the meeting with her. Konstantin Kilimnik, Manafort's partner in crime.
Those people I am angry with. Those names I have had to learn because they are suddenly important to politics in my country. (I suspect that is a better list of sanctions targets than the Truump administration produced.) And Putin, of course.
But really I am just as angry with Donald Trump, Steve Bannon, Stephen Miller, Kellyanne Conway, Jeff Sessions, Paul Manafort, Roger Stone, Michael Flynn, Devin Nunes, Mitch McConnell, Paul Ryan and Kevin McCarthy and Dana Rohrabacher, the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson and Roger Ailes... And I don't propose that we go to war with their country.
These are individual bad actors with way too much power. We need to be focused on curtailing their power, which is political and financial, and must be curtailed politically and financially.
posted by OnceUponATime at 2:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [46 favorites]
Axios, Jonathan Swan, Scoop: Skirmish in Beijing over the nuclear football
posted by zachlipton at 2:59 PM on February 18, 2018 [48 favorites]
I've spoken to five sources familiar with the events [on November 9th]. Here's what happened, as they describe it:What the what now?
When the U.S. military aide carrying the nuclear football entered the Great Hall, Chinese security officials blocked his entry. (The official who carries the nuclear football is supposed to close to the president at all times, along with a doctor.)
A U.S. official hurried into the adjoining room and told Kelly what was happening. Kelly rushed over and told the U.S. officials to keep walking — "We're moving in," he said — and the Americans all started moving.
Then there was a commotion. A Chinese security official grabbed Kelly, and Kelly shoved the man’s hand off of his body. Then a U.S. Secret Service agent grabbed the Chinese security official and tackled him to the ground.
posted by zachlipton at 2:59 PM on February 18, 2018 [48 favorites]
zachlipton, thank you for the respectful questions; here are my answers:
Noisy Pink Bubbles, honest question intended in good faith: do you believe the facts in the Mueller indictment are made up?
It's hard to know for sure, but I think most of it is likely true. Prigozhin, one of the 13 people named in the indictment, issued what sounded like a denial and the Russian foreign minister said it was "blather" until he looked into it further.
But ok, suppose for the sake of argument that everything in there is 100% true. What would be the consequence? I think this is a sober take in the Washington Post on that scenario:
Do you believe Russia wasn't responsible for the hacks of the DNC and the Clinton Campaign? If you don't, well then you do you, but then we're having entirely parallel discussions based on completely separate sets of facts.
Well, unfortunately, the origin of those hacks is disputed. The US government says that Russia did it. The Russians deny it. So far the US has not provided sufficient evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Russian government was behind it. Here's an article from The Nation summarizing what we know about Russiagate:
If you do believe it, then how can you say the "Russian-interference narrative emerged" simply as a last-ditch excuse for Clinton's loss when these things happened
Well, it seems there are a few questions here: 1) did the interference happen according to the narrative that the Russiagate partisans claim 2) what was their effect on the election and 3) was Hillary Clinton's campaign in a position to know this at the time?
As I've said above, (1) is a complicated question but ultimately inconclusive. (2) is something that is very difficult to prove but even accepting the Mueller report as true, the scale of intervention seems to me to have been unlikely to made any noticeable impact on the election outcome. To quote the Washington Post:
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 3:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Noisy Pink Bubbles, honest question intended in good faith: do you believe the facts in the Mueller indictment are made up?
It's hard to know for sure, but I think most of it is likely true. Prigozhin, one of the 13 people named in the indictment, issued what sounded like a denial and the Russian foreign minister said it was "blather" until he looked into it further.
But ok, suppose for the sake of argument that everything in there is 100% true. What would be the consequence? I think this is a sober take in the Washington Post on that scenario:
It’s true that Mueller’s latest indictment against 13 Russian nationals and three organizations includes nothing about direct attempts to hack with vote tallies. It’s also true that there has been no demonstrated evidence that such tampering took place, and, in fact, it’s well-established that attempting to swing a national election in which voting is distributed among thousands of counties would be tremendously difficult.For those who would claim that Russian activities swayed the election, the burden of proof is on them to substantiate that claim, and so far that burden has not been met.
Do you believe Russia wasn't responsible for the hacks of the DNC and the Clinton Campaign? If you don't, well then you do you, but then we're having entirely parallel discussions based on completely separate sets of facts.
Well, unfortunately, the origin of those hacks is disputed. The US government says that Russia did it. The Russians deny it. So far the US has not provided sufficient evidence to prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that the Russian government was behind it. Here's an article from The Nation summarizing what we know about Russiagate:
The shaky evidentiary basis for collusion extends to Russiagate’s other central pillars. It has been over a year since the release, shortly before Trump’s inauguration, of a US intelligence report alleging a Russian-government campaign to elect Trump through e-mail hacking and covert propaganda. Amid the ensuing uproar, some quietly noted at the time that the public version of the report “does not or cannot provide evidence for its assertions” (The Atlantic); contained “essentially no new information” (Susan Hennessy, Lawfare); and was “missing…what many Americans most eagerly anticipated: hard evidence to back up the agencies’ claims” (The New York Times).Again, I think innocent until proven guilty is a solid standard to go by, so I can't condemn the Russian government as guilty of this yet. To think otherwise is to accept the US intelligence agencies' word as truth in spite of a lack of evidence and, additionally, Russian denials.
If “hard evidence” is what “many Americans most eagerly anticipated” in January 2017, they have continued to wait in vain. The Russian government may well have hacked Democratic Party e-mails, but evidence of it beyond unsubstantiated claims has yet to arrive.
If you do believe it, then how can you say the "Russian-interference narrative emerged" simply as a last-ditch excuse for Clinton's loss when these things happened
Well, it seems there are a few questions here: 1) did the interference happen according to the narrative that the Russiagate partisans claim 2) what was their effect on the election and 3) was Hillary Clinton's campaign in a position to know this at the time?
As I've said above, (1) is a complicated question but ultimately inconclusive. (2) is something that is very difficult to prove but even accepting the Mueller report as true, the scale of intervention seems to me to have been unlikely to made any noticeable impact on the election outcome. To quote the Washington Post:
what we actually know about the Russian activity on Facebook and Twitter: It was often modest, heavily dissociated from the campaign itself and minute in the context of election social media efforts.As far as (3) goes: given how little has actually been established about Russia's involvement -- especially right after the campaign had ended -- it seems that the Hillary campaign was pushing a narrative whose assumptions ran ahead of the evidence.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 3:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think it's important to understand how this sort of espionage works... Many people want to believe that there's some overall plan that's been decided by people in suits in smoky rooms. The people in smoky rooms may exist, but in general, I don't believe that there was a grand plan for this sort of thing. There are some notable exceptions for very specific, targeted covert projects, as the known history of the CIA can demonstrate, for sure - but even these are things that took advantage of things that were already going on in some way or another. It's about exploiting the opportunities that come up more so than it is about generating the opportunities in the first place.
It is incredibly likely that there is a very deep conspiracy going on when it comes to Russian manipulation of the election, and it's indisputable at this point that they were actively attempting to manipulate us and cause chaos. And while it looks like a lot of that ramped up in 2014, it's very important to realize that the opportunities that allowed this to happen were present to begin with. We do have a very divided society. We have flawed institutions that have sometimes gone through periods of significant corruption. We have large issues with racism that go back prior to the founding of our nation. And some of the splits here played directly into us ending up with a large amount of the populace being perfectly fine with the idea of Donald Trump as president - at least with the messages that they were getting. That last part shouldn't be glossed over.
Certainly there are some pre-existing social problems and divisions we have that have lead to the mess that we are in, and many of our institutions are flawed - some of them very deeply. It's hard enough to acknowledge and address these problems and flaws more directly without outside interference amplifying them, but a coordinated campaign like this makes it nearly impossible, as we need to expend our resources opposing the outside power and influence in addition to those that would be best used to address our own internal issues.
When we talk about exerting power and influence over a foreign entity, we often talk about armed conflicts - some more direct, some more by proxy. Non-armed methods of directly affecting groups, like sanctions or more direct information warfare (think stuxnet) are usually the next layers, and we tend to think of this not in terms of warfare, as the effects are often not as immediate, direct, and visceral. The form of societal influence we've seen with the election manipulation is simply a more covert version of trying to exert the same sort of influence and power. None of these can happen without opportunities being present in the first place that make them both possible and effective.
All of this is to say that to dismiss this issue and disregard our institutions as broken is playing exactly into the sort of influence we are talking about. There are a lot of flawed aspects to our institutions, and there are indeed some parts of it that are in dire need of an overhaul. To act as if they have always been broken and useless is to be incredibly blinded by privilege, and is ignorant of much of the unspoken good that has come out of our institutions.
The comment that prompted a lot of this probably doesn't deserve direct response, but I do take specific issue with this, as it's something that I've seen brought up before:
> the past several years have shown just how anemic and powerless these institutions are to deliver benefits to ordinary Americans
There are plenty of "ordinary Americans" as well as non-citizens who have benefit from these very (again, often deeply flawed) institutions that you claim are anemic and powerless, and believing that is not the case is incredibly privilege blind. We've discussed several times here how the gutting of these institutions under the current administration is DIRECTLY affecting the disadvantaged, the poor, non-citizens, LBGTQ communities - the 'others'. The value of our institutions has not been brought more into the forefront within my lifetime, as the effects since the inauguration have been very rapid and direct to those who have been affected by their gutting, and there's much of this that we have yet to feel with regards to environmental controls, surrendering of public lands, and so very much more.
There's a lot I'm trying to say here, and I don't think it's possible to say it all in a comment without losing a lot of coherence or falling even further into tl;dr territory - but in summary, it's entirely possible that we could have some large societal problems and flawed institutions on our own AND we could have foreign actors directly manipulating those to a degree that is analogous to indirect warfare - in fact, it would be impossible to do the latter without the former being present. The flawed institutions we are discussing are the only thing keeping a lot of these actors - (many of them oligarchs who probably do work out of smoky rooms) in check, as well as being the last line of defense for the disadvantaged in a time when inequity is only growing.
The sort of thinking of "well, clearly our institutions suck or else this would have never happened" is a form of victim blaming that we need to move far away from, and to dismiss outside influence as irrelevant because of our own flaws is the sort of thinking that seems like the perfect outcome from that sort of influence to the outside actors in question.
posted by MysticMCJ at 3:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
It is incredibly likely that there is a very deep conspiracy going on when it comes to Russian manipulation of the election, and it's indisputable at this point that they were actively attempting to manipulate us and cause chaos. And while it looks like a lot of that ramped up in 2014, it's very important to realize that the opportunities that allowed this to happen were present to begin with. We do have a very divided society. We have flawed institutions that have sometimes gone through periods of significant corruption. We have large issues with racism that go back prior to the founding of our nation. And some of the splits here played directly into us ending up with a large amount of the populace being perfectly fine with the idea of Donald Trump as president - at least with the messages that they were getting. That last part shouldn't be glossed over.
Certainly there are some pre-existing social problems and divisions we have that have lead to the mess that we are in, and many of our institutions are flawed - some of them very deeply. It's hard enough to acknowledge and address these problems and flaws more directly without outside interference amplifying them, but a coordinated campaign like this makes it nearly impossible, as we need to expend our resources opposing the outside power and influence in addition to those that would be best used to address our own internal issues.
When we talk about exerting power and influence over a foreign entity, we often talk about armed conflicts - some more direct, some more by proxy. Non-armed methods of directly affecting groups, like sanctions or more direct information warfare (think stuxnet) are usually the next layers, and we tend to think of this not in terms of warfare, as the effects are often not as immediate, direct, and visceral. The form of societal influence we've seen with the election manipulation is simply a more covert version of trying to exert the same sort of influence and power. None of these can happen without opportunities being present in the first place that make them both possible and effective.
All of this is to say that to dismiss this issue and disregard our institutions as broken is playing exactly into the sort of influence we are talking about. There are a lot of flawed aspects to our institutions, and there are indeed some parts of it that are in dire need of an overhaul. To act as if they have always been broken and useless is to be incredibly blinded by privilege, and is ignorant of much of the unspoken good that has come out of our institutions.
The comment that prompted a lot of this probably doesn't deserve direct response, but I do take specific issue with this, as it's something that I've seen brought up before:
> the past several years have shown just how anemic and powerless these institutions are to deliver benefits to ordinary Americans
There are plenty of "ordinary Americans" as well as non-citizens who have benefit from these very (again, often deeply flawed) institutions that you claim are anemic and powerless, and believing that is not the case is incredibly privilege blind. We've discussed several times here how the gutting of these institutions under the current administration is DIRECTLY affecting the disadvantaged, the poor, non-citizens, LBGTQ communities - the 'others'. The value of our institutions has not been brought more into the forefront within my lifetime, as the effects since the inauguration have been very rapid and direct to those who have been affected by their gutting, and there's much of this that we have yet to feel with regards to environmental controls, surrendering of public lands, and so very much more.
There's a lot I'm trying to say here, and I don't think it's possible to say it all in a comment without losing a lot of coherence or falling even further into tl;dr territory - but in summary, it's entirely possible that we could have some large societal problems and flawed institutions on our own AND we could have foreign actors directly manipulating those to a degree that is analogous to indirect warfare - in fact, it would be impossible to do the latter without the former being present. The flawed institutions we are discussing are the only thing keeping a lot of these actors - (many of them oligarchs who probably do work out of smoky rooms) in check, as well as being the last line of defense for the disadvantaged in a time when inequity is only growing.
The sort of thinking of "well, clearly our institutions suck or else this would have never happened" is a form of victim blaming that we need to move far away from, and to dismiss outside influence as irrelevant because of our own flaws is the sort of thinking that seems like the perfect outcome from that sort of influence to the outside actors in question.
posted by MysticMCJ at 3:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [51 favorites]
"Beyond a shadow of a doubt" is an impossible evidentiary standard. No one can meet it, save God.
"Beyond a reasonable doubt" is used for criminal trials. Not required to indict someone, only to convict.
"Probable cause" is used to indict. There just has to be a good chance someone did something to charge them.
However, if we're not talking about taking specific Russians to court (which Mueller is already doing with "probable cause" and thinks he already has "reasonable doubt"), the standard that the US should look at is "clear and convincing evidence." Now that isn't as foolproof as "reasonable doubt," but if we're talking countries and election systems, if there's clear and convincing evidence that Russian meddled in the US elections, then you take action. And there is. The Deputy AG did that on Friday. What type of evidence would be acceptable to you? A note from Putin saying "I did it"?
As far as if it changed the outcome of the election, no one can ever say with certainty save some sort of parallel universe. However, elections in other countries have been voided and redone with less than the Russians did in the US in 2016. We don't have to be certain. We just have to prove that the waters are muddied.
So, Russians did interfere, people are rightfully being charged, and we are right to be uncertain in the 2016 election.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 3:13 PM on February 18, 2018 [33 favorites]
"Beyond a reasonable doubt" is used for criminal trials. Not required to indict someone, only to convict.
"Probable cause" is used to indict. There just has to be a good chance someone did something to charge them.
However, if we're not talking about taking specific Russians to court (which Mueller is already doing with "probable cause" and thinks he already has "reasonable doubt"), the standard that the US should look at is "clear and convincing evidence." Now that isn't as foolproof as "reasonable doubt," but if we're talking countries and election systems, if there's clear and convincing evidence that Russian meddled in the US elections, then you take action. And there is. The Deputy AG did that on Friday. What type of evidence would be acceptable to you? A note from Putin saying "I did it"?
As far as if it changed the outcome of the election, no one can ever say with certainty save some sort of parallel universe. However, elections in other countries have been voided and redone with less than the Russians did in the US in 2016. We don't have to be certain. We just have to prove that the waters are muddied.
So, Russians did interfere, people are rightfully being charged, and we are right to be uncertain in the 2016 election.
posted by Lord Chancellor at 3:13 PM on February 18, 2018 [33 favorites]
Mod note: This has gotten to the single-person-interrrogation stage. Folks, let's let it drop. Noisy Pink Bubbles, consider your point made, and let it go as well.
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 3:21 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by restless_nomad (staff) at 3:21 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
I just want to bring the receipts to something I said earlier about GWB and the dementia speculation. This was actually proposed on this site at one time.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:22 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:22 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Axios, Jonathan Swan, Scoop: Skirmish in Beijing over the nuclear football
It is possible that an individual Chinese security dude didn't get the full briefing or something. But it is flatly impossible to believe the Chinese government and whatever security types run this show don't understand there will be a handful of people around the president.
This really smells to me like either A) one of those crazy things that happen because people are people and sometimes one dude doesn't get a memo, or B) the Chinese security services see what a shitshow this White House is and wanted to test the boundaries and see what they could get away with... in an incredibly frightening manner.
And it really bothers me that I find these things equally plausible because everything is fucking crazy.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:27 PM on February 18, 2018 [36 favorites]
It is possible that an individual Chinese security dude didn't get the full briefing or something. But it is flatly impossible to believe the Chinese government and whatever security types run this show don't understand there will be a handful of people around the president.
This really smells to me like either A) one of those crazy things that happen because people are people and sometimes one dude doesn't get a memo, or B) the Chinese security services see what a shitshow this White House is and wanted to test the boundaries and see what they could get away with... in an incredibly frightening manner.
And it really bothers me that I find these things equally plausible because everything is fucking crazy.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:27 PM on February 18, 2018 [36 favorites]
My post responding to that quote from The Nation got deleted and I understand why, but please everyone, if you have any doubts, do go review the evidence for Russia's involvement in the DNC and Podesta hacks.
I don't think it's fair to let stand uncontradicted the completely false assertion that there is none, when there is in fact so much.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:40 PM on February 18, 2018 [50 favorites]
I don't think it's fair to let stand uncontradicted the completely false assertion that there is none, when there is in fact so much.
posted by OnceUponATime at 3:40 PM on February 18, 2018 [50 favorites]
The chain I'm interested in here with this flip is Gates - Deripaska - Yanukovich - Tillerson.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:42 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 3:42 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
"I just want to bring the receipts to something I said earlier about GWB and the dementia speculation."
Most high-level politicians likely suffer from chronic sleep deprivation.
posted by Jacqueline at 3:43 PM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Most high-level politicians likely suffer from chronic sleep deprivation.
posted by Jacqueline at 3:43 PM on February 18, 2018 [2 favorites]
Axios, Jonathan Swan, Scoop: Skirmish in Beijing over the nuclear football
It's also possible that Kelly's White House is still so disorganized it can't choreograph a foreign visit without the need for body-slamming, and its aides lie about their ability to do so. I mean, some of them can't even get security clearances...
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:49 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's also possible that Kelly's White House is still so disorganized it can't choreograph a foreign visit without the need for body-slamming, and its aides lie about their ability to do so. I mean, some of them can't even get security clearances...
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:49 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
It’s true that Mueller’s latest indictment against 13 Russian nationals and three organizations includes nothing about direct attempts to hack with vote tallies.
Who SET this as a standard? "Direct attempts to hack with vote tallies" IS illegal, but it's not the only thing illegal.
Consider the Russians who violated 52 USC 30121, by reaching out to the Trump Campaign asking for a meeting, suggesting they had opposition research against Hillary Clinton. By asking for the meeting, they became criminals.
So, now the Trump Campaign DID NOT report these Russian Criminals to law enforcement, but rather aided and abetted their crime by TAKING THE ILLEGAL MEETING WITH RUSSIAN CRIMINALS ( 18 USC 2 )
Then Junior, Kushner, and Manafort lied about it ( 18 USC 1001)
And it's all a conspiracy under 18 USC 371.
So, I have no idea why anyone would take comfort in an irrelevant standard, like "direct attempts to hack with vote totals", unless (1) they really don't understand the legal issues (2) they're working to undermine faith in our American institutions.
posted by mikelieman at 3:58 PM on February 18, 2018 [94 favorites]
Who SET this as a standard? "Direct attempts to hack with vote tallies" IS illegal, but it's not the only thing illegal.
Consider the Russians who violated 52 USC 30121, by reaching out to the Trump Campaign asking for a meeting, suggesting they had opposition research against Hillary Clinton. By asking for the meeting, they became criminals.
So, now the Trump Campaign DID NOT report these Russian Criminals to law enforcement, but rather aided and abetted their crime by TAKING THE ILLEGAL MEETING WITH RUSSIAN CRIMINALS ( 18 USC 2 )
Then Junior, Kushner, and Manafort lied about it ( 18 USC 1001)
And it's all a conspiracy under 18 USC 371.
So, I have no idea why anyone would take comfort in an irrelevant standard, like "direct attempts to hack with vote totals", unless (1) they really don't understand the legal issues (2) they're working to undermine faith in our American institutions.
posted by mikelieman at 3:58 PM on February 18, 2018 [94 favorites]
I...am a marginally informed participant, and the basis of everything I'm saying is subjective, and that right there is your gotcha if you want to say I'm wrong about the following, but:
I stand for what I think is right, which is getting Trump and his shitwraiths out of office. They don't belong there, and they were put there by a system that was already rigged (Electoral College & the disproportionate power of rural voters) and vulnerable (opaque paperless voting machines) and rife with scams. If someone wanted to interfere...it wouldn't take much more than a tiny shove.
Somewhere in Russia, someone suspiciously well-funded knew that and tried. That is established. It is also established that Trump's campaign people had a meeting at which Russian help to do that was offered. The Russian link between Wikileaks and the DNC hack is also pretty well established. The shadiness, character, and propensity to lie of the suspect of the crime (Trump & co) is established, as is the Russian pattern of interference in other country's elections, as is Putin & the Oligarchs' desire to take the US down a peg.
The above are already proven. It Is Known.
If the metaphor is Al Capone committing murder, we have gunsmoke, a gun, suspects established in the vicinity, and a gun dealer who it is established sold the gun and hates the victim. And lordy but a whole treasure trove of evidence for other crimes dug up in the process. What we do NOT have is the suspect's fingerprints on the gun.
The chances are pretty good Al Capone pulled the trigger, maybe we'll never know conclusively, but damn, in this metaphor, I ain't no judge or jury or lawyer, I'm the guy in Apartment 4B (the American public) who heard my building superintendent (the US government) get shot and found the body, and then found out Al Capone's boys were taking over and want the copper pipes from my radiator even though it's January and I'll freeze to death. I'm already wearing three sweaters here, pal.
I don't f**king care about the fingerprints, get Al Capone out of my building and get me a new super who isn't trying to strip the copper out of my walls, and then I want someone to clean up the blood on the floor and make sure this crap doesn't happen again. And seriously, tell him to turn the thermostat up past 55 degrees, I'm freezing here. Now leave me alone, 'cause I got popcorn on the stove and the Gates-A-Thon Live Mueller-mas Special is about to start and I've been waiting to see this all week. Them's how I see things. Good day, Detective.
posted by saysthis at 4:01 PM on February 18, 2018 [30 favorites]
I stand for what I think is right, which is getting Trump and his shitwraiths out of office. They don't belong there, and they were put there by a system that was already rigged (Electoral College & the disproportionate power of rural voters) and vulnerable (opaque paperless voting machines) and rife with scams. If someone wanted to interfere...it wouldn't take much more than a tiny shove.
Somewhere in Russia, someone suspiciously well-funded knew that and tried. That is established. It is also established that Trump's campaign people had a meeting at which Russian help to do that was offered. The Russian link between Wikileaks and the DNC hack is also pretty well established. The shadiness, character, and propensity to lie of the suspect of the crime (Trump & co) is established, as is the Russian pattern of interference in other country's elections, as is Putin & the Oligarchs' desire to take the US down a peg.
The above are already proven. It Is Known.
If the metaphor is Al Capone committing murder, we have gunsmoke, a gun, suspects established in the vicinity, and a gun dealer who it is established sold the gun and hates the victim. And lordy but a whole treasure trove of evidence for other crimes dug up in the process. What we do NOT have is the suspect's fingerprints on the gun.
The chances are pretty good Al Capone pulled the trigger, maybe we'll never know conclusively, but damn, in this metaphor, I ain't no judge or jury or lawyer, I'm the guy in Apartment 4B (the American public) who heard my building superintendent (the US government) get shot and found the body, and then found out Al Capone's boys were taking over and want the copper pipes from my radiator even though it's January and I'll freeze to death. I'm already wearing three sweaters here, pal.
I don't f**king care about the fingerprints, get Al Capone out of my building and get me a new super who isn't trying to strip the copper out of my walls, and then I want someone to clean up the blood on the floor and make sure this crap doesn't happen again. And seriously, tell him to turn the thermostat up past 55 degrees, I'm freezing here. Now leave me alone, 'cause I got popcorn on the stove and the Gates-A-Thon Live Mueller-mas Special is about to start and I've been waiting to see this all week. Them's how I see things. Good day, Detective.
posted by saysthis at 4:01 PM on February 18, 2018 [30 favorites]
It’s also true that there has been no demonstrated evidence that such tampering took place, and, in fact, it’s well-established that attempting to swing a national election in which voting is distributed among thousands of counties would be tremendously difficult.
Looks like someone hasn't watched the first couple of seasons of Scandal. Fun show, a little melodramatic, on Netflix. On Scandal a close presidential election is swung by tampering with voting machines in one county in Ohio. While that is fiction, it is in no way true that thousands of counties must be tampered with to flip the outcome.
posted by puddledork at 4:04 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Looks like someone hasn't watched the first couple of seasons of Scandal. Fun show, a little melodramatic, on Netflix. On Scandal a close presidential election is swung by tampering with voting machines in one county in Ohio. While that is fiction, it is in no way true that thousands of counties must be tampered with to flip the outcome.
posted by puddledork at 4:04 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
If the metaphor is Al Capone committing murder
Your point is valid, but as an example, it's also interesting that Capone went down for tax evasion. And that's where all this is going to to end up. That's where they went for Manafort and Gates, flipped Gates, and what I expect we'll see against Junior and Kushner.
posted by mikelieman at 4:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
Your point is valid, but as an example, it's also interesting that Capone went down for tax evasion. And that's where all this is going to to end up. That's where they went for Manafort and Gates, flipped Gates, and what I expect we'll see against Junior and Kushner.
posted by mikelieman at 4:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
@kanijjackson:
Obama (2012) sits alone in a classroom after meeting for hours with parents of Sandy Hook victims.
Trump (2018) sits at a disco party he threw at his private night club after spending 14 minutes with victims at the hospital in Parkland.
These pictures speak louder than words.
posted by Artw at 4:08 PM on February 18, 2018 [93 favorites]
Obama (2012) sits alone in a classroom after meeting for hours with parents of Sandy Hook victims.
Trump (2018) sits at a disco party he threw at his private night club after spending 14 minutes with victims at the hospital in Parkland.
These pictures speak louder than words.
posted by Artw at 4:08 PM on February 18, 2018 [93 favorites]
Voting rolls were hacked. Registered Democratic voters were specifically targeted with online propaganda designed to keep them away from the polls IN TARGETED AREAS OF THE COUNTRY in order to flip the vote to Trump.
To say that because actual voting machines weren't hacked and votes changed after the fact that the election wasn't affected by foreign actions is incredibly naive to the point of being disingenuous.
posted by threeturtles at 4:10 PM on February 18, 2018 [85 favorites]
To say that because actual voting machines weren't hacked and votes changed after the fact that the election wasn't affected by foreign actions is incredibly naive to the point of being disingenuous.
posted by threeturtles at 4:10 PM on February 18, 2018 [85 favorites]
WaPo, Trump lashes out over Russia probe in angry and error-laden tweetstorm
posted by zachlipton at 4:14 PM on February 18, 2018 [69 favorites]
Trump sent his messages from his Mar-a-Lago estate in Palm Beach, Fla., where he was ensconced for two straight days. He spent much of the time watching cable news, venting to friends about the Russia investigation and complaining that it has been driving so much press coverage. The president also surveyed Mar-a-Lago Club members about whether he ought to champion gun control measures in the wake of last week’s school massacre in nearby Parkland, telling them that he was closely monitoring the media appearances by some of the surviving students, according to people who spoke with him there.I am not a fan of this method of Presidential decisionmaking.
posted by zachlipton at 4:14 PM on February 18, 2018 [69 favorites]
If the metaphor is Al Capone committing murder
Your point is valid, but as an example, it's also interesting that Capone went down for tax evasion. And that's where all this is going to to end up. That's where they went for Manafort and Gates, flipped Gates, and what I expect we'll see against Junior and Kushner.
posted by mikelieman at 8:06 AM on February 19 [+] [!]
Yuuuup.
posted by saysthis at 4:15 PM on February 18, 2018
Your point is valid, but as an example, it's also interesting that Capone went down for tax evasion. And that's where all this is going to to end up. That's where they went for Manafort and Gates, flipped Gates, and what I expect we'll see against Junior and Kushner.
posted by mikelieman at 8:06 AM on February 19 [+] [!]
Yuuuup.
posted by saysthis at 4:15 PM on February 18, 2018
Your point is valid, but as an example, it's also interesting that Capone went down for tax evasion. And that's where all this is going to to end up.
Conspiracy is a real crime. People go to jail for it literally every day. The amount of evidence publicly available against Don Jr. and Jared in particular would be MORE than enough to put them away for life if we were talking about say, a 20yr old black kid in Baltimore saying "I love it!" in reference to a plan to move a kilo of heroin, instead of a plan to steal the Presidential election.
Which is why people parachuting in here and claiming there's no evidence is transparently disingenuous.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:23 PM on February 18, 2018 [83 favorites]
Conspiracy is a real crime. People go to jail for it literally every day. The amount of evidence publicly available against Don Jr. and Jared in particular would be MORE than enough to put them away for life if we were talking about say, a 20yr old black kid in Baltimore saying "I love it!" in reference to a plan to move a kilo of heroin, instead of a plan to steal the Presidential election.
Which is why people parachuting in here and claiming there's no evidence is transparently disingenuous.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:23 PM on February 18, 2018 [83 favorites]
Trump's Furious Tweetstorm Backfires (David A. Graham | The Atlantic)
The president tried to distance himself from the story of Russian interference—and in the process, thrust himself right back into the center of the narrative.
The president tried to distance himself from the story of Russian interference—and in the process, thrust himself right back into the center of the narrative.
Donald Trump didn’t have any control over the decision by Russia’s Internet Research Agency to mount what it called “information warfare against the United States of America.” As the indictment released on Friday stated, the effort began in 2014, long before Trump was a declared candidate—much less a serious one—for office.posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:25 PM on February 18, 2018 [11 favorites]
But by refusing to take information warfare seriously—in an attempt to distance himself from it and any questions it might raise about the legitimacy of his election—the president has paradoxically made the story about himself again and again.
This solipsism was on display Saturday and Sunday morning, as Trump, at Mar-a-Lago and far from the strictures and structures of the White House, unleashed his most aggressive and scattered tweetstorm in some time. In theory, the things he said were designed to push the story away from himself and downplay any connection. In practice, he forced himself into the middle of the story, inextricably linking himself to it.
Over a series of tweets, Trump attacked the FBI; politicized the Parkland shooting for his own vindication; suggested collusion was no big deal; blamed Obama for the collusion; and said the real collusion involved Hillary Clinton. He undermined his national-security adviser; lied about denying that Russia meddled in the election; and finished with an appeal to numbers, citing an infamously unreliable pollster.
Oh, and, um, the trash fire seems to be burning particularly bright today, haven't seen these here yet, so..."enjoy" is definitely not the term I'd use.
Guardian: Rapid fire rifle device on special offer in salute to Trump
WaPo: Trump tweets another anti-CNN cartoon — this one by the same artist who drew Clinton in blackface
Politico: Limbaugh: ‘We need concealed carry’ in schools
posted by saysthis at 4:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
Guardian: Rapid fire rifle device on special offer in salute to Trump
There’s a Presidents’ Day sale on bump stocks, the device the Las Vegas shooter put on his rifles. Slide Fire Solutions, a bump stocks manufacturer, is offering 10% off with coupon code: MAGA.Vox: Trump says he’s never doubted Russian meddling. Here are the multiple times he has.
WaPo: Trump tweets another anti-CNN cartoon — this one by the same artist who drew Clinton in blackface
Politico: Limbaugh: ‘We need concealed carry’ in schools
posted by saysthis at 4:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
I am not a fan of this method of Presidential decisionmaking.
this is how small town and small city republican governance works - the leader asks his friends at the country club what they'd like to see done and then he tries to do it
what, you don't belong to the country club?
well, i guess you don't get a meaningful vote, then, do you?
posted by pyramid termite at 4:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [30 favorites]
this is how small town and small city republican governance works - the leader asks his friends at the country club what they'd like to see done and then he tries to do it
what, you don't belong to the country club?
well, i guess you don't get a meaningful vote, then, do you?
posted by pyramid termite at 4:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [30 favorites]
Laura Ingraham said that 'LeBron James should shut up and dribble' after he said Trump doesn't 'give a f--- about the people'
Unless I'm misinterpreting the Nazi saluter.
And LeBron doesn't dribble. He travels.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:50 PM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
Ingraham concluded the segment saying James and Durant should "shut up and dribble," an apparent reference to her book, "Shut Up and Sing."Oh, I think I see where this is going. Shut up and play maids or butlers. Shut up and dance. Shut up and use the stage entrance. Shut up and entertain.
Unless I'm misinterpreting the Nazi saluter.
And LeBron doesn't dribble. He travels.
posted by kirkaracha at 4:50 PM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
For those who would claim that Russian activities swayed the election, the burden of proof is on them to substantiate that claim, and so far that burden has not been met.
The election was decided by a gap of 100,000 total votes in three states. That means only 50,000 people switching. While it can never be proven, it is certainly not impossible that the Russian efforts could have helped swing those 50,000 voters given their hundred million or so impressions.
The illegal Russian interference means we can never be sure who would have won the election in their absence. We can be pretty sure that the Russians wouldn't have spent so much money and effort if they didn't think they could influence the result.
posted by JackFlash at 4:52 PM on February 18, 2018 [47 favorites]
The election was decided by a gap of 100,000 total votes in three states. That means only 50,000 people switching. While it can never be proven, it is certainly not impossible that the Russian efforts could have helped swing those 50,000 voters given their hundred million or so impressions.
The illegal Russian interference means we can never be sure who would have won the election in their absence. We can be pretty sure that the Russians wouldn't have spent so much money and effort if they didn't think they could influence the result.
posted by JackFlash at 4:52 PM on February 18, 2018 [47 favorites]
finished with an appeal to numbers, citing an infamously unreliable pollster.
And lying about that shitty poll. McLaughlin has Ds up up 3 points in the generic congressional ballot.
posted by chris24 at 4:56 PM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
And lying about that shitty poll. McLaughlin has Ds up up 3 points in the generic congressional ballot.
posted by chris24 at 4:56 PM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
That means only 50,000 people switching. While it can never be proven, it is certainly not impossible that the Russian efforts could have helped swing those 50,000 voters given their hundred million or so impressions.
Plus they didn't have to swing all of those votes. They could have accomplished the same thing by not swinging any votes, but disenfranchising 100,001 potential voters, by spreading "both sides are bad" cynicism and encouraging anti-vote protesting in some sort of twisted Bernie support.
As a Michigander, I feel like there was some of this happening around Detroit because I was watching former Michigan Governer Jennifer Granholm give commentary on election night, and early in the night, she was very confident that we'd see a big Democratic tally surge once the Wayne County and surrounding area numbers started coming in. When those votes never came in, she kind of chalked it up to bad weather, but the cyber meddling could have easily been a bigger factor.
posted by p3t3 at 5:21 PM on February 18, 2018 [20 favorites]
Plus they didn't have to swing all of those votes. They could have accomplished the same thing by not swinging any votes, but disenfranchising 100,001 potential voters, by spreading "both sides are bad" cynicism and encouraging anti-vote protesting in some sort of twisted Bernie support.
As a Michigander, I feel like there was some of this happening around Detroit because I was watching former Michigan Governer Jennifer Granholm give commentary on election night, and early in the night, she was very confident that we'd see a big Democratic tally surge once the Wayne County and surrounding area numbers started coming in. When those votes never came in, she kind of chalked it up to bad weather, but the cyber meddling could have easily been a bigger factor.
posted by p3t3 at 5:21 PM on February 18, 2018 [20 favorites]
Folks, please don't fall into the trap of thinking that the spaces we inhabit here are entirely immune to the kind of manipulation we've been talking about. We're not that special. I'm not saying that one or more Russian nationals plunked down $5 and thought up an ironic username (although sure, that's not impossible). But some levers of rhetorical and psychological manipulation are powerful and work pretty well even at one or two degrees of separation. Everybody here has been exposed to some of it somewhere, and everybody here is susceptible to one degree or another. (I've been bitten hard by confirmation bias more than once in the last few months and that's just the times I'm aware of.)
Please think critically about the things you read *and* the things you post or repost, even here (especially here, if here is where you tend to let your guard down). Follow links. Ask for cites or clarification when needed. Look for corroboration. Consider not just what a particular point of view might mean, but who benefits from the adoption of that point of view.
We should never assume the worst about anyone here, but we do need to exercise a reasonable degree of care to keep our conversations and our community as free from misleading or manipulative vectors (even well-meant or unintentional) as possible. That's our responsibility as informed consumers of news and media anywhere in 2018 and it doesn't stop once we hit the blue.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 5:31 PM on February 18, 2018 [116 favorites]
Please think critically about the things you read *and* the things you post or repost, even here (especially here, if here is where you tend to let your guard down). Follow links. Ask for cites or clarification when needed. Look for corroboration. Consider not just what a particular point of view might mean, but who benefits from the adoption of that point of view.
We should never assume the worst about anyone here, but we do need to exercise a reasonable degree of care to keep our conversations and our community as free from misleading or manipulative vectors (even well-meant or unintentional) as possible. That's our responsibility as informed consumers of news and media anywhere in 2018 and it doesn't stop once we hit the blue.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 5:31 PM on February 18, 2018 [116 favorites]
The bulk of people here used to hang off Julian Assange's every last word. We are absolutely not immune.
posted by Artw at 5:33 PM on February 18, 2018 [71 favorites]
posted by Artw at 5:33 PM on February 18, 2018 [71 favorites]
To be fair, Greenwald used to have legitimate critiques of the surveillance state, that were worth reading and engaging with. He did help tell the Snowden story. And then. People's positions don't often survive first contact with Russian money.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:39 PM on February 18, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:39 PM on February 18, 2018 [33 favorites]
> the burden of proof is on them to substantiate that claim, and so far that burden has not been met.
That's just ridiculous goal post placement right there. If someone takes a swing at me, I assume he meant to hit me, and I really don't give him some sort free pass if he misses.
posted by klarck at 5:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [36 favorites]
That's just ridiculous goal post placement right there. If someone takes a swing at me, I assume he meant to hit me, and I really don't give him some sort free pass if he misses.
posted by klarck at 5:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [36 favorites]
People's positions don't often survive first contact with Russian money.
or even, people's legitimate complaints about US foreign policy and intelligence practices can blind them with cynicism when the US is a target of outside bad actors
posted by murphy slaw at 5:45 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
or even, people's legitimate complaints about US foreign policy and intelligence practices can blind them with cynicism when the US is a target of outside bad actors
posted by murphy slaw at 5:45 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
I don't actually think Greenwald is corrupt or anything like that. His brand of discourse is very familiar to me from just being around people who have been various flavors of anarchist, socialist, and communist for many decades. If I could use the term anti-American without sounding like a jingoist lunatic, that'd be a useful descriptor. Like, no particular judgement, dude, there's a lot about this country to be anti. But he's got a definite axe to grind so he's not really who I'd go to when seeking out like, dispassionate facts. And he's got a blind spot in proportionate size to his antipathy that's exploitable to anyone with the will to do so.
(Assange has always been a piece of shit, though. I've never wavered on that position and I'm glad everyone else has caught on as well.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:14 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
(Assange has always been a piece of shit, though. I've never wavered on that position and I'm glad everyone else has caught on as well.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:14 PM on February 18, 2018 [25 favorites]
To reference someone else's burden of proof, there's no evidence beyond a shadow of a doubt that Greenwald hasn't been paid by Russia.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:16 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:16 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
This 34 second clip of Rex Tillerson trying to dance around whether he called the President a moron, while consistently avoiding denying it, needs to be seen to be believed.
posted by zachlipton at 6:16 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:16 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
(Assange has always been a piece of shit, though. I've never wavered on that position and I'm glad everyone else has caught on as well.)
and it's not even a wiki!
posted by murphy slaw at 6:18 PM on February 18, 2018 [19 favorites]
and it's not even a wiki!
posted by murphy slaw at 6:18 PM on February 18, 2018 [19 favorites]
The heated arguing over the Russia narrative in this thread exemplifies how much the issue has divided the left. I'm increasingly troubled by how black-or-white the issue seems to be, especially among people who should be forming a united front against Trump and his cronies.
Within DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles, everything about Russia is disregarded as a literal joke. Anyone who brings it up is routinely and roundly mocked, and/or accused of being a neoliberal apologist or a "Hillarybot." In all fairness I can understand their attiude, because the Russia narrative has largely cheated progressives out of what they thought would be their consolation prize. Hell, I suspect that if you gave many of them the choice before the election...of a Hillary win vs a Trump win that came with the Democrats being forced into contrition...they would have been fine with Trump. I'm sure they imagined that losing to the most unpopular and incompetent campaign in history would have shaken the DNC to its core, forcing the establishment to take a good, long look at themselves and question why they've lost so much faith and support.
Even though I believe that Russian interference was significant, and something we need to learn from as a country and find ways to counter, it has indeed served as a profound source of enablement for the DNC establishment. It has largely allowed them to shirk off any responsibility for their failures, operating as though they didn't do anything wrong and would still be in power if it wasn't for treasonous espionage and dirty tricks.
Unfortunately, diehard supporters of the DNC and Hillary are more than happy to validate that self-delusion. Every tweetstorm speculating about Russian espionage is full of Democrats who fully live up to their stereotypes, echoing genuinely bot-like pronouncements about how the election was "stolen" from "the most qualified candidate in history." Any suggestion that the campaign's dysfunctions or the DNC's failings had more to do with their loss is disregarded, with critics typically derided as stooges who fell for Russian propaganda or misogynists/brosocialists.
I say all this as someone who actually liked Hillary more than most of my left-leaning friends (especially the ones who were younger than me). Healthcare reform has always been my personal issue, as someone who's never has the option of purchasing insurance off the open markets due to surviving cancer at 12-13 years old, and as someone who saw what happened to other kids getting chemo if they weren't insured or as well-off. I've always had genuine respect for Hillary because she tried to make America confront the issue years before most other mainstream politicians, and subjected herself to being pilloried by the right and the media for her efforts.
At the same time, it's difficult for me to find fault in the notion that Clintonian neoliberal/"Third Way" policies are at the root of what's wrong with the DNC, and were instrumental in their abandonment of the poor and the middle class. If it wasn't for "Russiagate" we might be dealing with a humbled Democratic establishment that was ready to face those facts, and perhaps even willing to change. Instead, the mainstream DNC seems to be filled with even more self-righteousness than ever, having been given license to view themselves as maligned victims of one of the greatest injustices in political history.
posted by prosopagnosia at 6:24 PM on February 18, 2018 [26 favorites]
Within DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles, everything about Russia is disregarded as a literal joke. Anyone who brings it up is routinely and roundly mocked, and/or accused of being a neoliberal apologist or a "Hillarybot." In all fairness I can understand their attiude, because the Russia narrative has largely cheated progressives out of what they thought would be their consolation prize. Hell, I suspect that if you gave many of them the choice before the election...of a Hillary win vs a Trump win that came with the Democrats being forced into contrition...they would have been fine with Trump. I'm sure they imagined that losing to the most unpopular and incompetent campaign in history would have shaken the DNC to its core, forcing the establishment to take a good, long look at themselves and question why they've lost so much faith and support.
Even though I believe that Russian interference was significant, and something we need to learn from as a country and find ways to counter, it has indeed served as a profound source of enablement for the DNC establishment. It has largely allowed them to shirk off any responsibility for their failures, operating as though they didn't do anything wrong and would still be in power if it wasn't for treasonous espionage and dirty tricks.
Unfortunately, diehard supporters of the DNC and Hillary are more than happy to validate that self-delusion. Every tweetstorm speculating about Russian espionage is full of Democrats who fully live up to their stereotypes, echoing genuinely bot-like pronouncements about how the election was "stolen" from "the most qualified candidate in history." Any suggestion that the campaign's dysfunctions or the DNC's failings had more to do with their loss is disregarded, with critics typically derided as stooges who fell for Russian propaganda or misogynists/brosocialists.
I say all this as someone who actually liked Hillary more than most of my left-leaning friends (especially the ones who were younger than me). Healthcare reform has always been my personal issue, as someone who's never has the option of purchasing insurance off the open markets due to surviving cancer at 12-13 years old, and as someone who saw what happened to other kids getting chemo if they weren't insured or as well-off. I've always had genuine respect for Hillary because she tried to make America confront the issue years before most other mainstream politicians, and subjected herself to being pilloried by the right and the media for her efforts.
At the same time, it's difficult for me to find fault in the notion that Clintonian neoliberal/"Third Way" policies are at the root of what's wrong with the DNC, and were instrumental in their abandonment of the poor and the middle class. If it wasn't for "Russiagate" we might be dealing with a humbled Democratic establishment that was ready to face those facts, and perhaps even willing to change. Instead, the mainstream DNC seems to be filled with even more self-righteousness than ever, having been given license to view themselves as maligned victims of one of the greatest injustices in political history.
posted by prosopagnosia at 6:24 PM on February 18, 2018 [26 favorites]
We are gonna need a goddamn truth and reconciliation commission
Nah, we just need a 21st century Walter Audisio.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 6:25 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Nah, we just need a 21st century Walter Audisio.
posted by Lentrohamsanin at 6:25 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Honest question: what's stopping liberal counter-intelligence groups from sowing divisiveness in conservatives? Are there any ad-hoc networks posing as conservatives and trolling t_d? Because there really should be. Alabama is proof that this can work (as is, from the other side, Donald himself).
Everyone talks about fighting fire with fire. This is a real battlefield. Anyone want to build a network of conservative shitposters?
posted by weed donkey at 6:28 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Everyone talks about fighting fire with fire. This is a real battlefield. Anyone want to build a network of conservative shitposters?
posted by weed donkey at 6:28 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
Honest question: what's stopping liberal counter-intelligence groups from sowing divisiveness in conservatives?
Money. The Russian troll farms are employing hundreds of full time employees. Right wing billionaires are funding countless domestic efforts through everything from paid PR consultants and endowed economists at thinktanks, to sponsoring hate/propaganda blogs like Gateway Pundit, to literally buying entire academic departments and universities like George Mason.
The reason why the left has no equivalent response is because no one is paying for it. Even the most fervent part time volunteer cannot compete with literal armies of paid trolls, paid academics, and paid lawyers building the Republican/Russian/billionaire narrative in every corner of the internet and academia.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:36 PM on February 18, 2018 [35 favorites]
Money. The Russian troll farms are employing hundreds of full time employees. Right wing billionaires are funding countless domestic efforts through everything from paid PR consultants and endowed economists at thinktanks, to sponsoring hate/propaganda blogs like Gateway Pundit, to literally buying entire academic departments and universities like George Mason.
The reason why the left has no equivalent response is because no one is paying for it. Even the most fervent part time volunteer cannot compete with literal armies of paid trolls, paid academics, and paid lawyers building the Republican/Russian/billionaire narrative in every corner of the internet and academia.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:36 PM on February 18, 2018 [35 favorites]
People's positions don't often survive first contact with Russian money.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:39 AM on February 19 [+] [!]
Money. The Russian troll farms are employing hundreds of full time employees. Right wing billionaires are funding countless domestic efforts through everything from paid PR consultants and endowed economists at thinktanks, to sponsoring hate/propaganda blogs like Gateway Pundit, to literally buying entire academic departments and universities like George Mason.
Dear Russian & American Oligarchs,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you of an investment opportunity which has recently arisen.
Recently I have heard stories of certain individuals with spelling and capitalization problems receiving rather large sums of money to advocate on your behalf. In fact, I have heard one of them was recently elected president of a certain North American superpower at your behest. I know we have our disputes, but we don't have to make this hard. I know where Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook are, and I believe I may have to start being a little more active about stating certain of my opinions and reporting certain automated accounts on these sites which may or may not be of value to you if we can't come to a satisfactory arrangement. As I can spell and capitalize properly, have a higher than high school education in English, can form coherent statements, do not have a spray tan, do not possess a Guardian column with a credibility problem, possess legal freedom of movement outside the Ecuadorian embassy, will soon be of legal age to run for most political offices, and can be quite loud and pointed in my defense of integrity in government and my anger at corruption and foreign influence, which at present, would seem to be advocacy against your preferred positions, I fail to see why rumors abound of certain individuals receiving preferential treatment, while I and the other 100,000+ members of Metafilter are left without any grifted oil rubles in the Caymans. Rectification of this situation presents a fantastic opportunity to line my pockets, and reduces the risk of me yelling at the internet about your involvement in electoral fraud from 24 hours a day to 20, particularly the 4 hours a night I sleep, because how the hell am I supposed to sleep like this. That's right, I yell at the internet about you in my dreams.
I look forward to your prompt reply. Thank you for taking the time to learn about this wonderful investment opportunity.
Yours corruptably,
saysthis
DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that taking advantage of this special opportunity incurs a near certain risk of FBI notification.
posted by saysthis at 6:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:39 AM on February 19 [+] [!]
Money. The Russian troll farms are employing hundreds of full time employees. Right wing billionaires are funding countless domestic efforts through everything from paid PR consultants and endowed economists at thinktanks, to sponsoring hate/propaganda blogs like Gateway Pundit, to literally buying entire academic departments and universities like George Mason.
Dear Russian & American Oligarchs,
I hope this letter finds you well. I am writing to inform you of an investment opportunity which has recently arisen.
Recently I have heard stories of certain individuals with spelling and capitalization problems receiving rather large sums of money to advocate on your behalf. In fact, I have heard one of them was recently elected president of a certain North American superpower at your behest. I know we have our disputes, but we don't have to make this hard. I know where Reddit, Twitter, and Facebook are, and I believe I may have to start being a little more active about stating certain of my opinions and reporting certain automated accounts on these sites which may or may not be of value to you if we can't come to a satisfactory arrangement. As I can spell and capitalize properly, have a higher than high school education in English, can form coherent statements, do not have a spray tan, do not possess a Guardian column with a credibility problem, possess legal freedom of movement outside the Ecuadorian embassy, will soon be of legal age to run for most political offices, and can be quite loud and pointed in my defense of integrity in government and my anger at corruption and foreign influence, which at present, would seem to be advocacy against your preferred positions, I fail to see why rumors abound of certain individuals receiving preferential treatment, while I and the other 100,000+ members of Metafilter are left without any grifted oil rubles in the Caymans. Rectification of this situation presents a fantastic opportunity to line my pockets, and reduces the risk of me yelling at the internet about your involvement in electoral fraud from 24 hours a day to 20, particularly the 4 hours a night I sleep, because how the hell am I supposed to sleep like this. That's right, I yell at the internet about you in my dreams.
I look forward to your prompt reply. Thank you for taking the time to learn about this wonderful investment opportunity.
Yours corruptably,
saysthis
DISCLAIMER: Please be aware that taking advantage of this special opportunity incurs a near certain risk of FBI notification.
posted by saysthis at 6:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [3 favorites]
The reason why the left has no equivalent response is because no one is paying for it.
Oh yeah? [something something] George Soros.
posted by philip-random at 7:01 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
Oh yeah? [something something] George Soros.
posted by philip-random at 7:01 PM on February 18, 2018 [6 favorites]
If it wasn't for "Russiagate" we might be dealing with a humbled Democratic establishment that was ready to face those facts, and perhaps even willing to change.
I cannot imagine a Democratic establishment which would be humbled, regardless of the Russia thing - it's not in their interests to change.
The Russia narrative, which I think is up to a point correct, is not being leveraged to prevent some kind of reckoning for the DNC; it's being leveraged because this type of claim is the only one that is likely to appeal broadly across the Democratic base and also be very difficult for Trump to answer. "We weren't leftish enough and we were kinda racist" will alienate white centrist Democrats, also it goes against the class interests of big Democratic cheeses; "we need to be moar neoliberal" will alienate the left of the party and the non-Democrat sympathizers. "Trump is too Trumpy and won because he is a racist" is very, very easy for the GOP to deal with. "Trump is a traitor and won because he sought foreign assistance" is a lot harder.
The Democratic party is divided differently than the Republican party. With the GOP, the party leadership's interests and the party line match; with the Democrats, they don't. The GOP's base is pretty much "right wing and more right wing" - a continuum. The Democrats' base is made of up of centrists, progressives and a properly left tendency which is stuck with the party if they want to run in any race bigger than city council. The centrists have the most money.
The Russia narrative is being used positively - as an active attempt to achieve the party goal of discrediting Trump and solving the problem of "how to speak to as big a percentage of the party as possible" - rather than negatively, to distract the membership.
The Russia narrative is very sticky because there's truth to it and it presents a genuine problem. That's what makes it such a powerful tool. (I mean, the best explanation for "Trump is buddies with Russian oligarchs" isn't treason, it's standard rich people stuff about loans and rich people graft.)
The whole "if it weren't for Russiagate, we would totally be able to reform the DNC" thing seems to underestimate the power, commitment and class position of the Democratic leadership. These people aren't stupid, they aren't reduced to abjection by this loss; they're just gathering their forces for next time. It is disappointing not to win the presidency, but none of them are going to go broke - most of them will do very well out of the Trump tax cuts.
posted by Frowner at 7:16 PM on February 18, 2018 [36 favorites]
I cannot imagine a Democratic establishment which would be humbled, regardless of the Russia thing - it's not in their interests to change.
The Russia narrative, which I think is up to a point correct, is not being leveraged to prevent some kind of reckoning for the DNC; it's being leveraged because this type of claim is the only one that is likely to appeal broadly across the Democratic base and also be very difficult for Trump to answer. "We weren't leftish enough and we were kinda racist" will alienate white centrist Democrats, also it goes against the class interests of big Democratic cheeses; "we need to be moar neoliberal" will alienate the left of the party and the non-Democrat sympathizers. "Trump is too Trumpy and won because he is a racist" is very, very easy for the GOP to deal with. "Trump is a traitor and won because he sought foreign assistance" is a lot harder.
The Democratic party is divided differently than the Republican party. With the GOP, the party leadership's interests and the party line match; with the Democrats, they don't. The GOP's base is pretty much "right wing and more right wing" - a continuum. The Democrats' base is made of up of centrists, progressives and a properly left tendency which is stuck with the party if they want to run in any race bigger than city council. The centrists have the most money.
The Russia narrative is being used positively - as an active attempt to achieve the party goal of discrediting Trump and solving the problem of "how to speak to as big a percentage of the party as possible" - rather than negatively, to distract the membership.
The Russia narrative is very sticky because there's truth to it and it presents a genuine problem. That's what makes it such a powerful tool. (I mean, the best explanation for "Trump is buddies with Russian oligarchs" isn't treason, it's standard rich people stuff about loans and rich people graft.)
The whole "if it weren't for Russiagate, we would totally be able to reform the DNC" thing seems to underestimate the power, commitment and class position of the Democratic leadership. These people aren't stupid, they aren't reduced to abjection by this loss; they're just gathering their forces for next time. It is disappointing not to win the presidency, but none of them are going to go broke - most of them will do very well out of the Trump tax cuts.
posted by Frowner at 7:16 PM on February 18, 2018 [36 favorites]
If it wasn't for "Russiagate" we might be dealing with a humbled Democratic establishment that was ready to face those facts
If it wasn't for "Russiagate" the obvious lesson from the last election is that lots more white people than we'd thought will lap up overt bigotry like sweet cream.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [40 favorites]
If it wasn't for "Russiagate" the obvious lesson from the last election is that lots more white people than we'd thought will lap up overt bigotry like sweet cream.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [40 favorites]
The heated arguing over the Russia narrative in this thread exemplifies how much the issue has divided the left.
I'm sorry, I really don't see all that much division here. There's some nuance of the "yes these weaknesses actually exist in America and yes Russia did its best to exploit them and these things can exist simultaneously" variety. And, like, one solid rejection of the Russian interference "narrative"--a rejection that has, itself, been roundly rejected here.
Putin wants to aggravate the divisions on the left. The bots and troll farms work to make that happen. Turns out plenty of real live people on the left are doing most of the work.
Within DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles, everything about Russia is disregarded as a literal joke. Anyone who brings it up is routinely and roundly mocked, and/or accused of being a neoliberal apologist or a "Hillarybot." In all fairness I can understand their attiude, because the Russia narrative has largely cheated progressives out of what they thought would be their consolation prize.
I genuinely do not know how to read this in a way that I can find any sort of sympathy for DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles if this is how they actually feel. Like reading that sentence has actually made me more angry at those circles than I was before reading it. I'll console myself with the notion that this is only one person's take. But wow.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 7:33 PM on February 18, 2018 [40 favorites]
I'm sorry, I really don't see all that much division here. There's some nuance of the "yes these weaknesses actually exist in America and yes Russia did its best to exploit them and these things can exist simultaneously" variety. And, like, one solid rejection of the Russian interference "narrative"--a rejection that has, itself, been roundly rejected here.
Putin wants to aggravate the divisions on the left. The bots and troll farms work to make that happen. Turns out plenty of real live people on the left are doing most of the work.
Within DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles, everything about Russia is disregarded as a literal joke. Anyone who brings it up is routinely and roundly mocked, and/or accused of being a neoliberal apologist or a "Hillarybot." In all fairness I can understand their attiude, because the Russia narrative has largely cheated progressives out of what they thought would be their consolation prize.
I genuinely do not know how to read this in a way that I can find any sort of sympathy for DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles if this is how they actually feel. Like reading that sentence has actually made me more angry at those circles than I was before reading it. I'll console myself with the notion that this is only one person's take. But wow.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 7:33 PM on February 18, 2018 [40 favorites]
The only people I've seen calling Russia stuff fake is Trump.
posted by rhizome at 7:36 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 7:36 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
I genuinely do not know how to read this in a way that I can find any sort of sympathy for DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles if this is how they actually feel.
In my circles, it's the Bernie/DSA crowd that's been the most vocal about Russia.
"We weren't leftish enough and we were kinda racist" will alienate white centrist Democrats
As a white, albeit decidedly non-centrist, Democrat, I long for the day we're able to actually say "We weren't leftist enough and we were kinda racist" and then build a platform based on fixing those mistakes. Not even about 2016, just as, I don't know, the new party slogan.
posted by Ruki at 7:50 PM on February 18, 2018 [28 favorites]
In my circles, it's the Bernie/DSA crowd that's been the most vocal about Russia.
"We weren't leftish enough and we were kinda racist" will alienate white centrist Democrats
As a white, albeit decidedly non-centrist, Democrat, I long for the day we're able to actually say "We weren't leftist enough and we were kinda racist" and then build a platform based on fixing those mistakes. Not even about 2016, just as, I don't know, the new party slogan.
posted by Ruki at 7:50 PM on February 18, 2018 [28 favorites]
Gravis poll in PA-18 special has Saccone lead down to 5.5 points, 45.5 - 40.0. Was 12.7 points when last polled about five weeks ago.
This follows a Monmouth poll a few days ago that had a Saccone lead of 3-5 points, depending on turnout model. The district went Trump by 19 points (58-39).
New maps are coming tomorrow from the PA Supreme Court, so we'll see if either of the candidates will be living in the new PA-18 (old maps hold for the special, but of course, the general under the new maps is not far off).
posted by Chrysostom at 7:59 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
This follows a Monmouth poll a few days ago that had a Saccone lead of 3-5 points, depending on turnout model. The district went Trump by 19 points (58-39).
New maps are coming tomorrow from the PA Supreme Court, so we'll see if either of the candidates will be living in the new PA-18 (old maps hold for the special, but of course, the general under the new maps is not far off).
posted by Chrysostom at 7:59 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
Pony request, in the specials, can you include the (D) or (R) for us ignoramii?
posted by Marticus at 8:20 PM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by Marticus at 8:20 PM on February 18, 2018 [18 favorites]
That is fair!
Conor Lamb is the Democrat. Rick Saccone is the Republican.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:30 PM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
Conor Lamb is the Democrat. Rick Saccone is the Republican.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:30 PM on February 18, 2018 [4 favorites]
Within DSA/Bernie-leaning progressive circles, everything about Russia is disregarded as a literal joke. Anyone who brings it up is routinely and roundly mocked, and/or accused of being a neoliberal apologist or a "Hillarybot."
These are the Assange "leftists" ime. They, along with the tankies, should be ignored not just on this matter but all matters as they are nothing but idiots, loons, and bots.
From the rest of the left the response seems to range from "this is a big fucking deal" to "if America wasn't so corrupt and racist the Russians would have never gotten as far as they did so maybe clean house." Those ignoring it are just one small section, and smaller than they were 6 months ago or a year ago.
posted by asteria at 8:38 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
These are the Assange "leftists" ime. They, along with the tankies, should be ignored not just on this matter but all matters as they are nothing but idiots, loons, and bots.
From the rest of the left the response seems to range from "this is a big fucking deal" to "if America wasn't so corrupt and racist the Russians would have never gotten as far as they did so maybe clean house." Those ignoring it are just one small section, and smaller than they were 6 months ago or a year ago.
posted by asteria at 8:38 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
WP: Virginia House embraces Medicaid expansion in budget — Efforts to expand Medicaid to about 300,000 low-income adults in Virginia continue to gain momentum, as Republican House leaders on Sunday publicly embraced a form of expansion that includes work requirements and copays.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:38 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:38 PM on February 18, 2018 [9 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump
Just watched a very insecure Oprah Winfrey, who at one point I knew very well, interview a panel of people on 60 Minutes. The questions were biased and slanted, the facts incorrect. Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!
Fantasies about defeating and punishing black women are generally indicative of a distressed and powerless-feeling president. And, yes, an insecure one.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 PM on February 18, 2018 [70 favorites]
Just watched a very insecure Oprah Winfrey, who at one point I knew very well, interview a panel of people on 60 Minutes. The questions were biased and slanted, the facts incorrect. Hope Oprah runs so she can be exposed and defeated just like all of the others!
Fantasies about defeating and punishing black women are generally indicative of a distressed and powerless-feeling president. And, yes, an insecure one.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 PM on February 18, 2018 [70 favorites]
As a white, albeit decidedly non-centrist, Democrat, I long for the day we're able to actually say "We weren't leftist enough and we were kinda racist" and then build a platform based on fixing those mistakes. Not even about 2016, just as, I don't know, the new party slogan.
Won't happen until most people have freed themselves from the insecurity that makes them desperate for others to see them as One Of Us Good People instead of One Of Them Bad People.
This is a principle understood extremely well by those whose primary interest is access to large-scale power and influence.
posted by flabdablet at 8:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Won't happen until most people have freed themselves from the insecurity that makes them desperate for others to see them as One Of Us Good People instead of One Of Them Bad People.
This is a principle understood extremely well by those whose primary interest is access to large-scale power and influence.
posted by flabdablet at 8:41 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
This is what Oprah did on 60 minutes.
CBS: Oprah follows up with the partisan voters in Michigan: Last fall, Oprah Winfrey spoke with 14 Michigan voters, seven of whom voted for Donald Trump. Winfrey sat down with the voters again to get their thoughts on Trump's first year in office
posted by chris24 at 8:42 PM on February 18, 2018 [17 favorites]
CBS: Oprah follows up with the partisan voters in Michigan: Last fall, Oprah Winfrey spoke with 14 Michigan voters, seven of whom voted for Donald Trump. Winfrey sat down with the voters again to get their thoughts on Trump's first year in office
posted by chris24 at 8:42 PM on February 18, 2018 [17 favorites]
Oprah was about as insecure as the Rock.
posted by bz at 8:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by bz at 8:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oprah was great but reading that makes me so angry. Every time I read an article about these ignorant as fuck white assholes saying how great Trump is doing and how he's keeping all his promises I want to smash something. And no I can't just ignore it because these people vote, and they're gonna keep voting.
posted by Justinian at 9:00 PM on February 18, 2018 [48 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 9:00 PM on February 18, 2018 [48 favorites]
(Assange has always been a piece of shit, though. I've never wavered on that position and I'm glad everyone else has caught on as well.)
This is true. Buddy of mine was his roommate for a while. All his worst qualities were present from the start; deep paranoia, antisemitism, self aggrandizement, etc.
posted by scalefree at 9:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
This is true. Buddy of mine was his roommate for a while. All his worst qualities were present from the start; deep paranoia, antisemitism, self aggrandizement, etc.
posted by scalefree at 9:05 PM on February 18, 2018 [12 favorites]
I still believe we should focus on Fox News (and AM radio) rather than these particular misguided voters. People don't come to think (I use the term in its broadest possible sense) this way by themselves. We have a huge propaganda machine in this country that was unbelievably successful even before the Russians waded into the mix.
posted by uosuaq at 9:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
posted by uosuaq at 9:06 PM on February 18, 2018 [31 favorites]
Folks remarking that our institutions were weak/vulnerable to the interference should be aware that they are vulnerable because we live in ( at least tentatively for the moment) a free society that's not yet completely controlled by oligarchs as it is in Russia.
posted by localhuman at 9:10 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by localhuman at 9:10 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oprah was great but reading that makes me so angry. Every time I read an article about these ignorant as fuck white assholes saying how great Trump is doing and how he's keeping all his promises I want to smash something. And no I can't just ignore it because these people vote, and they're gonna keep voting.
The main promise Trump is keeping that they like is pissing people off
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:43 PM on February 18, 2018 [15 favorites]
The main promise Trump is keeping that they like is pissing people off
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 9:43 PM on February 18, 2018 [15 favorites]
In my circles the leftist take is that the Russia stuff is worthwhile cause they support far right groups and cause it exposes both the vulnerabilities of my electoral and data systems and the international order and cooperation of the rich. Oligarchs have solidarity with each other.
I also like to keep in my heeds that “did not vote” won in 48 states. Expanding voter rights/access/availability , targeting non voters and broad coalitions (hey now, at some point everyone will be patient), focusing on local elections and primaries and securing the voting system from meddling or gaming from forces internal and external is path out of here.
This makes a littlle less hardcore* then some of my comrades, but Electoral is one of the instruments in our symphony.
* this is assuming like, basic standards of normalcy continue to exist in the broadest “we still have elections” sense.
posted by The Whelk at 9:48 PM on February 18, 2018 [20 favorites]
I also like to keep in my heeds that “did not vote” won in 48 states. Expanding voter rights/access/availability , targeting non voters and broad coalitions (hey now, at some point everyone will be patient), focusing on local elections and primaries and securing the voting system from meddling or gaming from forces internal and external is path out of here.
This makes a littlle less hardcore* then some of my comrades, but Electoral is one of the instruments in our symphony.
* this is assuming like, basic standards of normalcy continue to exist in the broadest “we still have elections” sense.
posted by The Whelk at 9:48 PM on February 18, 2018 [20 favorites]
(He said, literally skimming a DC Metro DSA Electoral Strategy Guide)
posted by The Whelk at 9:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:57 PM on February 18, 2018 [7 favorites]
from the Oprah-and-the-partisans interview linked above
So our country has become an international joke, we've lost our leadership position in the world, we've got hundreds of partisan asshats disassembling everything good about the country from the inside as we speak, we're kicking half a million Americans out of the country because fuck them, we're so offended by even the semblance of a social safety net that we're ripping it down as fast as possible, Trump basically wants recipients of SNAP assistance to instead get monthly shipments of dented cans of dog food and a MAGA bumper sticker -- so it's just, welcome to America 2018, fuck you if you're a woman, fuck you if you're black, fuck you if you're an immigrant, fuck you if you're disabled, fuck you if you have mental health issues, fuck you if you're Muslim, fuck you if you're anything other than lily-white-missionary-only-please-and-definitely-no-butt-stuff straight, and thoroughly fuck everybody who's not already rich -- but you get to say Merry Christmas without feeling fucking unsafe? Unsafe?
Just... fine. Okay. Fine. Kill me first please, because fuck you and fuck this, but then please continue to enjoy the oh-so-much-safer-to-say-Merry-Christmas utopia that your orange shitstain hero has ushered in. And Merry Goddamn Christmas to you too.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 10:19 PM on February 18, 2018 [163 favorites]
Laura: I feel safer now than I ever did the last eight years of Obama. Oh my God.I mean, are you... is this... what even... seriously? This is your success metric, then? This is it?
Oprah Winfrey: How do you feel safer? Tell me how you feel safer?
Laura: Well, I feel like I can say Merry Christmas to anyone I want wherever I want.
So our country has become an international joke, we've lost our leadership position in the world, we've got hundreds of partisan asshats disassembling everything good about the country from the inside as we speak, we're kicking half a million Americans out of the country because fuck them, we're so offended by even the semblance of a social safety net that we're ripping it down as fast as possible, Trump basically wants recipients of SNAP assistance to instead get monthly shipments of dented cans of dog food and a MAGA bumper sticker -- so it's just, welcome to America 2018, fuck you if you're a woman, fuck you if you're black, fuck you if you're an immigrant, fuck you if you're disabled, fuck you if you have mental health issues, fuck you if you're Muslim, fuck you if you're anything other than lily-white-missionary-only-please-and-definitely-no-butt-stuff straight, and thoroughly fuck everybody who's not already rich -- but you get to say Merry Christmas without feeling fucking unsafe? Unsafe?
Just... fine. Okay. Fine. Kill me first please, because fuck you and fuck this, but then please continue to enjoy the oh-so-much-safer-to-say-Merry-Christmas utopia that your orange shitstain hero has ushered in. And Merry Goddamn Christmas to you too.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 10:19 PM on February 18, 2018 [163 favorites]
That same woman was talking about how she felt economically safer now with Trump, and talked about how she’s poor and her heating bills go up and what if she couldn’t pay them? I literally just screamed at my phone “He wants to take away your heat!!!!! You goddamned idiot!!!!”
I didn’t see anything in there that should have particularly pissed Trump off, though. What did Oprah do (besides exist as a black woman) to set him off?
posted by Weeping_angel at 10:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [16 favorites]
I didn’t see anything in there that should have particularly pissed Trump off, though. What did Oprah do (besides exist as a black woman) to set him off?
posted by Weeping_angel at 10:32 PM on February 18, 2018 [16 favorites]
(Because that’s actually what I came for...)
posted by Weeping_angel at 10:33 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Weeping_angel at 10:33 PM on February 18, 2018 [1 favorite]
Oprah pisses him off preemptively because there's been talk of her being in the running for 2020, and he thinks he has any chance there whatsoever.
Unless I have her mixed up with someone?
posted by Archelaus at 12:24 AM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Unless I have her mixed up with someone?
posted by Archelaus at 12:24 AM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
>> - Many of the allegations made by the US against Russia(ns) are laughable or trivial
>I too was confused to these in the indictment as well. There's more solid stuff there, but a coloring book ad seems....harmless.
The thing is, an indictment is a list of crimes that were committed along with a summary of evidence sufficient to show those crimes were committed.
It is against the law for foreign nationals from contributing any “thing of value” to an electoral campaign. So the indictment lists concrete things done, money spent, and makes it clear that these items were intended to impact the electoral campaign. Those are the details that make the activities crimes.
The indictment is, perhaps, making a something of an implicit argument about the scope and importance of these activities. And there is a clear indication that this is indictment #1 that is probably involving the most peripheral individuals and the least serious charges, compared with what may follow.
But that is more of an implied meta-narrative and not every miniscule fact in the indictment is going to line up with that. But every miniscule fact in the indictment *is* going to outline evidence that crimes were committed that these items are indisputably evidence of crimes.
posted by flug at 12:25 AM on February 19, 2018 [7 favorites]
>I too was confused to these in the indictment as well. There's more solid stuff there, but a coloring book ad seems....harmless.
The thing is, an indictment is a list of crimes that were committed along with a summary of evidence sufficient to show those crimes were committed.
It is against the law for foreign nationals from contributing any “thing of value” to an electoral campaign. So the indictment lists concrete things done, money spent, and makes it clear that these items were intended to impact the electoral campaign. Those are the details that make the activities crimes.
The indictment is, perhaps, making a something of an implicit argument about the scope and importance of these activities. And there is a clear indication that this is indictment #1 that is probably involving the most peripheral individuals and the least serious charges, compared with what may follow.
But that is more of an implied meta-narrative and not every miniscule fact in the indictment is going to line up with that. But every miniscule fact in the indictment *is* going to outline evidence that crimes were committed that these items are indisputably evidence of crimes.
posted by flug at 12:25 AM on February 19, 2018 [7 favorites]
> or trivial
BTW, I'm under the impression that many people misunderstand the purpose of the "Support Hillary. Save American Muslims" poster with the *FAKE* Hillary quotation "I think Sharia Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom."
The mistake would be thinking that this is some strange, misguided, and weak attempt to convince Muslim-Americans to vote Hillary.
Reality is it is a very effective type of false-flag operation where you first drum up the fake supposed Muslim support for Hillary/Hillary support for Sharia Law & then feed the results of that fake campaign (photos, news reports, fake drummed-up "news" reports etc) to the far-right anti-immigrant/anti-Muslim contingent to feed both their hate for Hillary and Muslims/immigrants.
And that's the type of audience that eats this stuff up.
posted by flug at 12:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
BTW, I'm under the impression that many people misunderstand the purpose of the "Support Hillary. Save American Muslims" poster with the *FAKE* Hillary quotation "I think Sharia Law will be a powerful new direction of freedom."
The mistake would be thinking that this is some strange, misguided, and weak attempt to convince Muslim-Americans to vote Hillary.
Reality is it is a very effective type of false-flag operation where you first drum up the fake supposed Muslim support for Hillary/Hillary support for Sharia Law & then feed the results of that fake campaign (photos, news reports, fake drummed-up "news" reports etc) to the far-right anti-immigrant/anti-Muslim contingent to feed both their hate for Hillary and Muslims/immigrants.
And that's the type of audience that eats this stuff up.
posted by flug at 12:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
Mod note: Several "Laura" (Oprah interviewee) derail comments deleted. Please drop this now. It's not new news that some people have these beliefs / feelings, and we do not need to keep regurgitating the very same remarks about them over and over and over and over. Please try to stick to substantive updates and analysis here rather than forever re-re-re-hashing obvious stuff that's already been hashed into a bloody pulp hundreds of times before in these threads. Go to the fucking fuck thread if you just want to blow off steam.
posted by taz (staff) at 2:52 AM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 2:52 AM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
Also the guide I was literally skimming is The Manassass Model
posted by The Whelk at 2:57 AM on February 19, 2018
posted by The Whelk at 2:57 AM on February 19, 2018
Hell, I suspect that if you gave many of them the choice before the election...of a Hillary win vs a Trump win that came with the Democrats being forced into contrition...they would have been fine with Trump. I'm sure they imagined that losing to the most unpopular and incompetent campaign in history would have shaken the DNC to its core, forcing the establishment to take a good, long look at themselves and question why they've lost so much faith and support.
And yet this reflects almost exactly why the self-defined "progressive left" -- really just a subset of progressives, albeit a vocal one -- is so bad at attaining political victory or even credibility.
It's that old disease: a group that thinks that "being right" is enough, and that the only problem is other people's inability to recognize how goddamned right they are. But of course the problem is that you haven't convinced people you're right, they have no real response to people making other arguments or going ahead with their positions except to complain that the rightness of their ideas is once again being unjustly ignored because money and ignorance and establishment and all those things they can't actually do anything about.
Underneath it all, it's a kind of self-disempowerment: it means that everyone else has agency, and all they need to do is sit there being vocally "right" about things until everyone else recognizes it and does the work of making their rightness a political reality. It means never having to think about their own messaging, about nasty things like electoral strategy -- beyond "get a candidate who supports what is right" -- or even really about analyzing how power structures actually resist change and use countermessaging against the "right" ideas.
It's the weird assumption that everyone agrees, secretly, about what is "right" even though that doesn't seem to be reflected in the media most people consume, in election results, even in goddamn primary results. And when that doesn't happen, all that gets done in response is to shout "rigged," because obviously these positions are so self-evidently, universally correct to the majority of people that only base trickery could keep the people from voting for them, and besides, most people surely must vote on the basis of these sorts of policy questions....
posted by kewb at 3:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [20 favorites]
And yet this reflects almost exactly why the self-defined "progressive left" -- really just a subset of progressives, albeit a vocal one -- is so bad at attaining political victory or even credibility.
It's that old disease: a group that thinks that "being right" is enough, and that the only problem is other people's inability to recognize how goddamned right they are. But of course the problem is that you haven't convinced people you're right, they have no real response to people making other arguments or going ahead with their positions except to complain that the rightness of their ideas is once again being unjustly ignored because money and ignorance and establishment and all those things they can't actually do anything about.
Underneath it all, it's a kind of self-disempowerment: it means that everyone else has agency, and all they need to do is sit there being vocally "right" about things until everyone else recognizes it and does the work of making their rightness a political reality. It means never having to think about their own messaging, about nasty things like electoral strategy -- beyond "get a candidate who supports what is right" -- or even really about analyzing how power structures actually resist change and use countermessaging against the "right" ideas.
It's the weird assumption that everyone agrees, secretly, about what is "right" even though that doesn't seem to be reflected in the media most people consume, in election results, even in goddamn primary results. And when that doesn't happen, all that gets done in response is to shout "rigged," because obviously these positions are so self-evidently, universally correct to the majority of people that only base trickery could keep the people from voting for them, and besides, most people surely must vote on the basis of these sorts of policy questions....
posted by kewb at 3:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [20 favorites]
Mod note: And again, I'll ask that maybe someone make one of those periodic posts about how much the left sucks so this fascinating evergreen debate can take place there, and we try to stick more to Trump/ WH / administration news, updates and analysis here.
posted by taz (staff) at 3:38 AM on February 19, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 3:38 AM on February 19, 2018 [19 favorites]
Can we take a step back and contemplate the fact that the worst twitter tirade from DJT in a little while seems to have been generated because he was kept inside, away from golf. I mean, mostly DJT tweets now produce in me a twitch of revulsion, but this weekend, hooo boy.
I've been mulling a bit in my writing about how I'm not that great for creating motivations for my antagonists, but at least I've never done something like "he did X horrible thing, screaming to the sky, 'If ONLY I COULD HAVE GOLFED'
posted by angrycat at 4:09 AM on February 19, 2018 [36 favorites]
I've been mulling a bit in my writing about how I'm not that great for creating motivations for my antagonists, but at least I've never done something like "he did X horrible thing, screaming to the sky, 'If ONLY I COULD HAVE GOLFED'
posted by angrycat at 4:09 AM on February 19, 2018 [36 favorites]
It's the weird assumption that everyone agrees, secretly, about what is "right" ... And when that doesn't happen, all that gets done in response is to shout "rigged," because obviously these positions are so self-evidently, universally correct to the majority of people that only base trickery could keep the people from voting for them
This isn't limited to that small stripe of the left -- there's some evidence that it's very common across all types in the US and is a prime mover of dissatisfaction with government and, especially, legislatures.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:29 AM on February 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
This isn't limited to that small stripe of the left -- there's some evidence that it's very common across all types in the US and is a prime mover of dissatisfaction with government and, especially, legislatures.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:29 AM on February 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
I didn’t see anything in there that should have particularly pissed Trump off, though. What did Oprah do (besides exist as a black woman) to set him off?
I suspect with Donald Trump not being actually wealthy, a truly wealthy black woman, who beat him at the game of Popularity really pushes every one of his buttons.
posted by mikelieman at 4:52 AM on February 19, 2018 [50 favorites]
I suspect with Donald Trump not being actually wealthy, a truly wealthy black woman, who beat him at the game of Popularity really pushes every one of his buttons.
posted by mikelieman at 4:52 AM on February 19, 2018 [50 favorites]
Trump’s Miss Universe Gambit
For years, he used his beauty pageants to boost business interests abroad. A 2013 contest, in Moscow, may also have helped give him the Presidency. (Jeffrey Toobin | The New Yorker)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:13 AM on February 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
For years, he used his beauty pageants to boost business interests abroad. A 2013 contest, in Moscow, may also have helped give him the Presidency. (Jeffrey Toobin | The New Yorker)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:13 AM on February 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
obviously these positions are so self-evidently, universally correct to the majority of people that only base trickery could keep the people from voting for them
Fred Clark has written about how evangelicals tend to believe that everyone actually knows God is real and the Bible is true and so on. People just pretend not to, because they want to keep sinning.
I feel like this is actually a very common human failing. "Everyone secretly agrees with me. They just won't admit it."
I have learned that there is nothing that everyone secretly agrees about. People really do believe all kinds of crazy crap, even the stuff that seems impossible to believe, to me. They also refuse to believe things that are totally obvious to me.
So for a long time I thought that implied that allegations of "base trickery" were nearly always wrong.
Yet now I think... Fox News is base trickery. And Trump supporters must know at some level that he is awful. They just want to keep sinning - making liberals cry and making movie stars feel powerless. They are are deceived by base trickery, but at some level they must know they are also deceiving themselves...
I guess I can sympathize with the "Everyone is secretly Christian" evangelicals and the "everyone is secretly socialist" leftists now that I find myself thinking Trump's villainy is so obvious that it's impossible to believe anyone REALLY doesn't see it...
Another example -- I grew up sincerely believing that abortion is murder, and I know my mom sincerely believes it, because I have seen how she talks about it in private and the efforts she had made as an activist at no profit to herself, and considerable cost. Yet I too now have trouble understanding how anyone who believes that could possibly oppose birth control, and I understand why so many think that abortion opponents secretly know it isn't murder, and just want to keep sinning -- oppressing women. It's not just socialist and evangelicals who think their opponents are lying about their own beliefs.
Probably I should remind myself that people really do believe ridiculous things, even if I can't see how it's possible to believe those things. It's just... I would have thought that villains had to be a LITTLE less cartoonish to attract followers in real life. Turns out people are just desperate to believe in a powerful leader who will protect them from The Other.
I guess even if you believe something because you desperately need up believe it... it is still a sincere belief. Maybe the most sincere kind of belief. Also people aren't real strong on logic, over all.
With all that said... I don't know if Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell sincerely believes ANYTHING, except that they deserve power. They definitely are lying about their beliefs. While I still think fewer such people exist than we tend to think... I can no longer deny that there are at least some.
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:53 AM on February 19, 2018 [54 favorites]
Fred Clark has written about how evangelicals tend to believe that everyone actually knows God is real and the Bible is true and so on. People just pretend not to, because they want to keep sinning.
I feel like this is actually a very common human failing. "Everyone secretly agrees with me. They just won't admit it."
I have learned that there is nothing that everyone secretly agrees about. People really do believe all kinds of crazy crap, even the stuff that seems impossible to believe, to me. They also refuse to believe things that are totally obvious to me.
So for a long time I thought that implied that allegations of "base trickery" were nearly always wrong.
Yet now I think... Fox News is base trickery. And Trump supporters must know at some level that he is awful. They just want to keep sinning - making liberals cry and making movie stars feel powerless. They are are deceived by base trickery, but at some level they must know they are also deceiving themselves...
I guess I can sympathize with the "Everyone is secretly Christian" evangelicals and the "everyone is secretly socialist" leftists now that I find myself thinking Trump's villainy is so obvious that it's impossible to believe anyone REALLY doesn't see it...
Another example -- I grew up sincerely believing that abortion is murder, and I know my mom sincerely believes it, because I have seen how she talks about it in private and the efforts she had made as an activist at no profit to herself, and considerable cost. Yet I too now have trouble understanding how anyone who believes that could possibly oppose birth control, and I understand why so many think that abortion opponents secretly know it isn't murder, and just want to keep sinning -- oppressing women. It's not just socialist and evangelicals who think their opponents are lying about their own beliefs.
Probably I should remind myself that people really do believe ridiculous things, even if I can't see how it's possible to believe those things. It's just... I would have thought that villains had to be a LITTLE less cartoonish to attract followers in real life. Turns out people are just desperate to believe in a powerful leader who will protect them from The Other.
I guess even if you believe something because you desperately need up believe it... it is still a sincere belief. Maybe the most sincere kind of belief. Also people aren't real strong on logic, over all.
With all that said... I don't know if Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell sincerely believes ANYTHING, except that they deserve power. They definitely are lying about their beliefs. While I still think fewer such people exist than we tend to think... I can no longer deny that there are at least some.
posted by OnceUponATime at 5:53 AM on February 19, 2018 [54 favorites]
With all that said... I don't know if Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell sincerely believes ANYTHING, except that they deserve power.
I think this describes a lot more people than just Trump and Yertle. And squares the "Do they secretly think he's awful, or nah?" circle for me. A lot of people don't have an internally consistent ethos, nor do they want one, nor have they ever thought about what such a thing is, could be, or means. And when I say "a lot of people" I really mean a lot of all kinds of people. And I'm not judging because judging that is like judging water for being wet. We're emotional creatures, not logical, rational ones. (This was basically the skinny end of the wedge for me and the Objectivism I was raised with. Oh, you want the first principle here to be that human beings are capable of rational behavior? AAHAHAHAHAHA yeah, no.)
Anyway, I don't think they secretly think he's awful. I think they think he's normal, because they're surrounded by tiny versions of him in their daily lives. I mean, have you just sort of hung out in a public place for a while and watched people? There's always some asshole around, being an asshole. Those people vote. The people in their lives that have soaked for so long in their assholery that they think it's just normal behavior (I mean, strictly speaking, it is?) vote. And they're voting for someone who's just like them.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:21 AM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
I think this describes a lot more people than just Trump and Yertle. And squares the "Do they secretly think he's awful, or nah?" circle for me. A lot of people don't have an internally consistent ethos, nor do they want one, nor have they ever thought about what such a thing is, could be, or means. And when I say "a lot of people" I really mean a lot of all kinds of people. And I'm not judging because judging that is like judging water for being wet. We're emotional creatures, not logical, rational ones. (This was basically the skinny end of the wedge for me and the Objectivism I was raised with. Oh, you want the first principle here to be that human beings are capable of rational behavior? AAHAHAHAHAHA yeah, no.)
Anyway, I don't think they secretly think he's awful. I think they think he's normal, because they're surrounded by tiny versions of him in their daily lives. I mean, have you just sort of hung out in a public place for a while and watched people? There's always some asshole around, being an asshole. Those people vote. The people in their lives that have soaked for so long in their assholery that they think it's just normal behavior (I mean, strictly speaking, it is?) vote. And they're voting for someone who's just like them.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:21 AM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
it is still a sincere belief
“Sincere” and “belief” are doing a lot of work here.
In general people are terrible at knowing themselves. They’re even worse at accurately describing themselves to others. They tend to describe the version of themselves they hope to be, rather than what they are.
Beliefs are basically meaningless in this context, especially beliefs about yourself. No one wants to say, even to themselves, “yes, I believe in punishing women.” And yet that is what they do, over and over again.
Look at their actions. If you want to predict how people will behave or react in the future, look at their past behavior. Everything else is fog.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:24 AM on February 19, 2018 [17 favorites]
“Sincere” and “belief” are doing a lot of work here.
In general people are terrible at knowing themselves. They’re even worse at accurately describing themselves to others. They tend to describe the version of themselves they hope to be, rather than what they are.
Beliefs are basically meaningless in this context, especially beliefs about yourself. No one wants to say, even to themselves, “yes, I believe in punishing women.” And yet that is what they do, over and over again.
Look at their actions. If you want to predict how people will behave or react in the future, look at their past behavior. Everything else is fog.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:24 AM on February 19, 2018 [17 favorites]
tfw when even Juan Williams is tired of Evangelicals's shit.
What's the over/under on Fox going on a purge and getting rid of Shep and Williams and the other couple of dissenting voices and going all in on Hannity, Carlson, and Graham's insanity? I might want a piece of that action.
posted by Talez at 6:31 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
What's the over/under on Fox going on a purge and getting rid of Shep and Williams and the other couple of dissenting voices and going all in on Hannity, Carlson, and Graham's insanity? I might want a piece of that action.
posted by Talez at 6:31 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Donald J. Trump @realDonaldTrumpI'm guessing Melania gave him a mirror and told him to take a good long hard look at himself.
Have a great, but very reflective, President’s Day!
posted by Talez at 6:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Have a great, but very reflective, President’s Day!
Pretty sure he thinks we should be reflecting on how bad we've been treating him and how lucky we are to have him.
posted by chris24 at 6:43 AM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
Pretty sure he thinks we should be reflecting on how bad we've been treating him and how lucky we are to have him.
posted by chris24 at 6:43 AM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
Mod note: Some deleted. Yeah, sorry, but the "what anti-choice people really feel/believe" thing is a ginormous derail, and the whole "are people's beliefs sincere," etc., thing is a big ol' chatty derail. Please drop these derails. Please discuss Trump / WH / Administration related news, updates and analysis here. Please don't make me keep saying this.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:57 AM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 6:57 AM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
I don't know if Donald Trump or Mitch McConnell sincerely believes ANYTHING, except that they deserve power. They definitely are lying about their beliefs. While I still think fewer such people exist than we tend to think... I can no longer deny that there are at least some.
Good discussion—by a Republican—of how such people are pushing us ever closer to authoritarianism (Slate podcast)
posted by Rykey at 7:00 AM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Good discussion—by a Republican—of how such people are pushing us ever closer to authoritarianism (Slate podcast)
posted by Rykey at 7:00 AM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
My impression is that a lot of the old school Congresspeople come from the generation where you'd go home to your district and rant about GATDANG COMMUNIS'/FASCISTS to get re-elected, then head back to Washington DC and chortle with your fellow Congresspeople about the rubes in the cheap seats and settle in to get the real work of government done. Most of them think it's team sports, but wrestling is a better analogy. Like Hulk Hogan and Randy Savage wouldn't start a fist fight in an airport, they're playing characters.
Only with the rise of Fox News and talk radio, the Republicans especially created a generation of marks that really do believe feminists are going to kidnap them off the street and spermjack them to make them pay child support for unwanted babies and Obama the Muslim is going to come in and take them to a FEMA camp for saying "Merry Christmas." So they behave in what seems like a rational fashion if you believe what they believe. (If you think the federal government is going to institute sharia law and arrest white people, maybe it makes sense to stockpile food and ammo).
And Republicans haven't quite dealt with it, which is why they're so terrified, because if you're insufficiently in-character at all times, they'll primary you for someone who is more radical and who genuinely believes the propaganda they've been fed.
In general, I feel like there are politicians that care and really believe things. Ironically, for all the cynicism about her, I always felt like Hillary was jazzed about a lot of her positions and enjoyed getting really wonky about the specifics of legislation. I think a lot of the Tea Party Republicans are sincere, which is horrifying.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 7:14 AM on February 19, 2018 [26 favorites]
Only with the rise of Fox News and talk radio, the Republicans especially created a generation of marks that really do believe feminists are going to kidnap them off the street and spermjack them to make them pay child support for unwanted babies and Obama the Muslim is going to come in and take them to a FEMA camp for saying "Merry Christmas." So they behave in what seems like a rational fashion if you believe what they believe. (If you think the federal government is going to institute sharia law and arrest white people, maybe it makes sense to stockpile food and ammo).
And Republicans haven't quite dealt with it, which is why they're so terrified, because if you're insufficiently in-character at all times, they'll primary you for someone who is more radical and who genuinely believes the propaganda they've been fed.
In general, I feel like there are politicians that care and really believe things. Ironically, for all the cynicism about her, I always felt like Hillary was jazzed about a lot of her positions and enjoyed getting really wonky about the specifics of legislation. I think a lot of the Tea Party Republicans are sincere, which is horrifying.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 7:14 AM on February 19, 2018 [26 favorites]
The Miss Universe story, posted by Barack Spinoza above, has me thinking that there really could be a way in which Trump personally was not involved in collusion.
He clearly bragged about his relationship with Putin before even meeting the man, and had a tendency to lie in similar ways about other high-profile individuals. He doesn’t like doing the actual work involved in setting up a deal he just wants to be there for the handshakes and the publicity afterwards.
So it’s very easy to imagine a scenario where Trump is distant from all the action and his underlings assuming that some of his boasts are true. They make real the connections that he only brags about. So while the campaign appears to be guilty of collusion, Trump himself probably assumes that because he lies about such things everyone else does too.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:24 AM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
He clearly bragged about his relationship with Putin before even meeting the man, and had a tendency to lie in similar ways about other high-profile individuals. He doesn’t like doing the actual work involved in setting up a deal he just wants to be there for the handshakes and the publicity afterwards.
So it’s very easy to imagine a scenario where Trump is distant from all the action and his underlings assuming that some of his boasts are true. They make real the connections that he only brags about. So while the campaign appears to be guilty of collusion, Trump himself probably assumes that because he lies about such things everyone else does too.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 7:24 AM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
That's basically the "Trump didn't collude because he's too stupid to actually be in charge of anything" argument, which I'm sure the GOP will come to rely on very soon.
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [52 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 7:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [52 favorites]
the verbal gymnastics around "he's too stupid, unobservant, and self-absorbed to act as the agent of a foreign power; therefore he should remain the man in charge of our nuclear arsenal" are going to be something else, i'm sure
posted by murphy slaw at 7:39 AM on February 19, 2018 [80 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 7:39 AM on February 19, 2018 [80 favorites]
That's basically the "Trump didn't collude because he's too stupid to actually be in charge of anything" argument, which I'm sure the GOP will come to rely on very soon.
Wasn't that (after a fashion) the defense Republicans used for Reagan with the Iran-Contra affair? Reagan was one long "I don't remember, I don't recall" and it was met with a *shrug, he wasn't in charge, I guess*. At least that is how I remember things.
My opinion is, if you're that stupid/out-of-touch/mentally incompetent, you are not fit to be President, either. It's an excuse, not a defense.
On that note, Nicole Hemmer at Vox compares the Trump scandals to Iran-Contra here. Pre-MuellerTime, but still relevant, I think.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:41 AM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Wasn't that (after a fashion) the defense Republicans used for Reagan with the Iran-Contra affair? Reagan was one long "I don't remember, I don't recall" and it was met with a *shrug, he wasn't in charge, I guess*. At least that is how I remember things.
My opinion is, if you're that stupid/out-of-touch/mentally incompetent, you are not fit to be President, either. It's an excuse, not a defense.
On that note, Nicole Hemmer at Vox compares the Trump scandals to Iran-Contra here. Pre-MuellerTime, but still relevant, I think.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 7:41 AM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hasn't the intentionality thing been done to death yet? I don't give a good solid lizardpoo what anyone believes or means to do in their heart of hearts.
posted by aspersioncast at 7:44 AM on February 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 7:44 AM on February 19, 2018 [5 favorites]
I am still mad about Iran-Contra.
On the upside, there is a hell of a lot of Dem organization/registration/getting out the vote going on in lil' old Fort Worth TX and it's very heartening to see. I know at least two women running for local office.
posted by emjaybee at 7:47 AM on February 19, 2018 [34 favorites]
On the upside, there is a hell of a lot of Dem organization/registration/getting out the vote going on in lil' old Fort Worth TX and it's very heartening to see. I know at least two women running for local office.
posted by emjaybee at 7:47 AM on February 19, 2018 [34 favorites]
Politico reports that 45 is being pressured to pardon anyone indicted by Mueller to persuade them to keep their traps shut and not flip.
I don't doubt that this has been wargamed by Mueller and company, and how that would play out in any obstruction of justice case against the big cheez-whiz himself is well beyond my pay grade to contemplate.
posted by Devonian at 8:05 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
I don't doubt that this has been wargamed by Mueller and company, and how that would play out in any obstruction of justice case against the big cheez-whiz himself is well beyond my pay grade to contemplate.
posted by Devonian at 8:05 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
So it’s very easy to imagine a scenario where Trump is distant from all the action and his underlings assuming that some of his boasts are true. They make real the connections that he only brags about. So while the campaign appears to be guilty of collusion, Trump himself probably assumes that because he lies about such things everyone else does too.
So, kind of like how Cheney was the power behind the throne for the Bush Jr. presidency?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:08 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
So, kind of like how Cheney was the power behind the throne for the Bush Jr. presidency?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:08 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
I don't doubt that this has been wargamed by Mueller and company, and how that would play out in any obstruction of justice case against the big cheez-whiz himself is well beyond my pay grade to contemplate.
I doubt Mueller has even fully dropped all charges on the indictees, yet, so while he might be able to get away with pardoning someone once, trying to do again after more charges have been dropped seems like a great bit of evidence for the obstruction of justice case.
Furthermore, accepting a pardon implies guilt and undermine's someone ability to invoke the 5th Amendment. Plus, it would then open these folks up to charges from state Attorneys General for election tampering, with a pardon implying guilt in these federal matters. While one cannot rule anything out from this circus, pardoning Mueller's targets doesn't seem like a wonderful strategy.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 8:17 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
I doubt Mueller has even fully dropped all charges on the indictees, yet, so while he might be able to get away with pardoning someone once, trying to do again after more charges have been dropped seems like a great bit of evidence for the obstruction of justice case.
Furthermore, accepting a pardon implies guilt and undermine's someone ability to invoke the 5th Amendment. Plus, it would then open these folks up to charges from state Attorneys General for election tampering, with a pardon implying guilt in these federal matters. While one cannot rule anything out from this circus, pardoning Mueller's targets doesn't seem like a wonderful strategy.
posted by Excommunicated Cardinal at 8:17 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
Well he made it back to his damn golf club, though nobody knows what he's doing there until we find pics of him golfing on Instagram, which is now how we find out about the President's activities.
And in a stunning display of our times, the driver for one of the press pool vans in the motorcade was detained by the Secret Service because he forgot to leave his gun behind. (In past Administrations, drivers outside the core bit of the motorcade have often been volunteers chosen by the White House, though they sometimes hire people.)
posted by zachlipton at 8:21 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
And in a stunning display of our times, the driver for one of the press pool vans in the motorcade was detained by the Secret Service because he forgot to leave his gun behind. (In past Administrations, drivers outside the core bit of the motorcade have often been volunteers chosen by the White House, though they sometimes hire people.)
posted by zachlipton at 8:21 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
the driver for one of the press pool vans in the motorcade was detained by the Secret Service because he forgot to leave his gun behind.
Not sending their best time-travelers, are they
posted by angrycat at 8:25 AM on February 19, 2018 [57 favorites]
Not sending their best time-travelers, are they
posted by angrycat at 8:25 AM on February 19, 2018 [57 favorites]
NYT: How Unwitting Americans Encountered Russian Operatives Online
The article is worth it for the photo - or rather, the photo caption:
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:32 AM on February 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
The article is worth it for the photo - or rather, the photo caption:
About a dozen people protested against what they called the threat of radical Islam at the Islamic Da’Wah Center in Houston in May 2016. They were met by a much larger crowd of counterprotesters. Both sides, it turned out, were organized by Russian groups.I can just imagine the high fives in the troll farm that day. If it wasn't for the fact that they were destroying the civic fabric of the country, pushing us towards armed confrontation in the streets, and making it impossible to address other, slower-moving, civilization-ending problems, I'd even offer them grudging admiration. Well played, I guess?
posted by RedOrGreen at 8:32 AM on February 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
Journalist Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) has a useful Twitter thread in response to Blake Hounshell's "no active collusion" piece for Politico Confessions of a Russiagate Skeptic: Why I have my doubts about whether Trump colluded with Moscow:
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [69 favorites]
Okay, @blakehounshell, I accept your challenge. Why is there reason to believe Trump colluded, as opposed to driving his clown car into the White House? A few things to consider, below.She also addresses skepticism about Mueller's current charges against Trump campaign officials in a coda : "Oh one last thing. As to why the Flynn/Manafort/Papadopoulos charges were so weak: of course they were. It's likely that Mueller is pursuing this as a RICO case, which means rolling up the 'soldiers' to get information on the capo (Trump). Flipping the soldiers is key. So he is."
First, remember that collusion with Russia doesn't mean Trump actually wanted to be president. The collusion would have been to, say, accept Russian money and backing during the campaign in order to become enough of a viable candidate to bring more business to the Trump hotels. Second, it is entirely possible that Russia knows Trump to be an incredible idiot and incompetent, and *chose to back him for precisely that reason,* in order to sow discord in the U.S. Ably argued here
So you get a situation in which Trump is incredibly incompetent and just looking for a branding opportunity, while Putin goes further, perhaps more than Trump ever dreamed, to actually get him elected. Incompetence thus doesn't absolve Trump.
But there are more reasons.
For instance, Trump being incredibly dodgy about his phone calls with Putin. Or, Trump allowing a Russian photographer into the Oval Office, but no American photographers. (Later, the entire place had to be swept for bugs). Incompetence alone doesn't explain that preferential treatment. Or, Russia sanctions. They were 1) the first thing president-elect Trump asked about changing 2) something he threatened to veto 3) something he defied Congress on and refused to impose. The repeated pattern is that of Trump not just denying Russiagate to cover his own rear, but actively acting against the advice of moving to use his position to protect Putin.
Here is the New Yorker on Trump's ambitions in Moscow. That could be enough of a lure. Or it could be, as the Steele dossier suggests, a stake in Rosneft. Whatever. We know that Trump chases money at every turn. Honorable mention to this lovely conversation in which the Majority Leader of the U.S. House of Representatives said, "I think Putin pays Trump," and Paul Ryan panicked and swore everyone to secrecy.[...]
So how about the "Trump people blab constantly" line of skepticism? Well, first, consider who in the Trump camp would even know about payments from Putin. Trump himself, Michael Cohen, and Jared Kushner. All highly cunning, furtive people! Even if somewhat stupid. To say "if he had colluded, they'd be talking about it," is the Efficient Markets Hypothesis of Trump: All bad news is already known and factored in to the Trump market, if you will. But the EFM is wrong, and so is the theory that all there is to be known about Trump is known. For instance! We only found out about Stormy Daniels last month -- clearly the Trump camp managed to not blab about that for 15 months. Even more extreme, WE STILL HAVE NOT SEEN HIS TAX RETURNS. So yes, Trump can keep a secret.
In conclusion, while it is entirely accurate to believe Trump is incompetent, that is not a sufficient basis to dismiss his strangely Putin-friendly behavior. What DOES explain that behavior, however, is collusion. The end.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [69 favorites]
About a dozen people protested against what they called the threat of radical Islam at the Islamic Da’Wah Center in Houston in May 2016. They were met by a much larger crowd of counterprotesters. Both sides, it turned out, were organized by Russian groups.
Never actually read the story it describes, but this caption reminds me of the summary I read of the scifi short story Let's Go To Golgotha which has haunted me ever since.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:40 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
Never actually read the story it describes, but this caption reminds me of the summary I read of the scifi short story Let's Go To Golgotha which has haunted me ever since.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 8:40 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
On an otherwise-quiet Monday morning, here's a deep dive into the redistricting efforts in PA:
We got curious: under the limits set by the state Supreme Court, what is the maximum advantage in the other direction, favoring Democrats? We did this in order to put all the proposals into context. If we know the extreme limit on how favorably a map could treat Democrats while following the Court’s directives, then we can evaluate the partisanship of the many Democratic proposals.posted by Dashy at 8:42 AM on February 19, 2018 [25 favorites]
...
the most Democrat-favoring map we could draw under the court’s criteria (...) would elect 9 Democrats, 9 Republicans for an equally split statewide vote (using 2012/2016 presidential vote data), with 7 safe seats for each party and 4 tossup seats where the expected margin between parties would be 10 points or less. Democrats can get to 11 seats if they win all the tossups. That’s still 1-2 seats less lopsided than the Republican proposal in the other direction – and requires a wave election.
...
Assuming that the Republican legislative leaders’ proposed map of February 9 was as favorable to their party as possible, this means that under any nominally Court-compliant map, Republicans will always win at least 6 seats and Democrats will always win at least 6 seats. The remaining 6 seats — a full one-third of them — are limited not by geography, but by the whims of redistricters.
Interestingly, none of the remedial plans submitted to the Court, even those submitted by Democratic politicians, sought to maximize Democratic seats. All submitted plans had between 6 and 8 Democratic seats, with most plans settling on 7 Democratic seats. Basically, everybody but the Republicans played it down the middle.
Why didn’t Democrats go for broke? Maybe they think toss-up seats are flippable in 2018. Maybe they wanted to protect their five incumbents. Maybe they prioritized “softer” criteria like maintaining certain political or economic communities. Or maybe they are simply good-faith actors. Whether the Court picks one of their plans or draws its own, the outcome is highly likely to be more fair than the existing plan.
One lesson here is that the median neutrally-drawn map appears to be about tilted two seats toward the Republicans. This cycle, partisan gerrymandering added two seats on top of that.
I woke up and looked at Facebook and the trending stories say Trump now supports strengthening background checks. Rather than thinking something reasonable along the lines of "Fucking finally" or "Yes you stupid douchebag" I was immediately unsettled--and I'm deeply troubled that I would have that reaction.
My first reactions included gaming out five different ways he could/would fuck this up, which took like two seconds. Would the legislation inevitably make shit worse? Would it be a band-aid with no real change? Would he cave? Would McConnell or other Republicans talk him out of it or block him? Would this be like DACA and he'd say he wants something reasonable only to do whatever the GOP tells him?
But what unsettled me was the thought that he might actually move to get something done, because there really is overwhelming support for stronger background checks even among gun owners. Obama couldn't get this through Congress, but Republicans blocked literally everything because he was Obama; they might well do this for Trump to say "Obama couldn't get it done but Trump did," and what bothers me most is that the media and Republicans in general will totally fall for that.
A year ago I figured at least Trump might do some good by accident or out of his craven need for approval. A year ago I thought anything good that happens is still good. And I still think the latter; I want universal background checks, god damn it, and if it comes from Trump then so be it. But the thought of him turning this, of all things, to his and the GOP's advantage in polls and mid-terms turns my stomach.
Motherfucker doesn't deserve any credit for doing the bare minimum right thing. And it kills me that in order to get something good done, that's what it's gonna take. People are gonna have to pat him on the head to push the dial even a millimeter to save some lives.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:45 AM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
My first reactions included gaming out five different ways he could/would fuck this up, which took like two seconds. Would the legislation inevitably make shit worse? Would it be a band-aid with no real change? Would he cave? Would McConnell or other Republicans talk him out of it or block him? Would this be like DACA and he'd say he wants something reasonable only to do whatever the GOP tells him?
But what unsettled me was the thought that he might actually move to get something done, because there really is overwhelming support for stronger background checks even among gun owners. Obama couldn't get this through Congress, but Republicans blocked literally everything because he was Obama; they might well do this for Trump to say "Obama couldn't get it done but Trump did," and what bothers me most is that the media and Republicans in general will totally fall for that.
A year ago I figured at least Trump might do some good by accident or out of his craven need for approval. A year ago I thought anything good that happens is still good. And I still think the latter; I want universal background checks, god damn it, and if it comes from Trump then so be it. But the thought of him turning this, of all things, to his and the GOP's advantage in polls and mid-terms turns my stomach.
Motherfucker doesn't deserve any credit for doing the bare minimum right thing. And it kills me that in order to get something good done, that's what it's gonna take. People are gonna have to pat him on the head to push the dial even a millimeter to save some lives.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:45 AM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
Oh. And the thing that troubles me is the fact that I would be bothered when the President of the United States might do something good. How fucked up is that, and what does that say about me?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:46 AM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:46 AM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
Politico reports that 45 is being pressured to pardon anyone indicted by Mueller to persuade them to keep their traps shut and not flip.
---
Journalist Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) has a useful Twitter thread in response to Blake Hounshell's "no active collusion" piece for Politico Confessions of a Russiagate Skeptic: Why I have my doubts about whether Trump colluded with Moscow:
Speaking of pardons and Hounshell's article...
@nycsouthpaw
A lot of reporters don’t think about Trump’s pardon power much.
- Specifically, there’s an argument in here that bc Mueller hasn’t put a “smoking gun” (however Blake defines that) into his public charging documents, it doesn’t exist. This is based on a general DOJ policy of charging cooperators w the whole conspiracy all at once.
- I’ve tried to show before that it’s clear from the charging documents themselves that Mueller isn’t following that DOJ policy in this investigation.
- The alternative theory, construing Mueller’s limited filings as indicating a lack of evidence and an investigation running out of steam, seems to me inconsistent with the capabilities the investigation has already demonstrated and the facts reporters have uncovered. ymmv
posted by chris24 at 8:55 AM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
---
Journalist Heidi N Moore (@moorehn) has a useful Twitter thread in response to Blake Hounshell's "no active collusion" piece for Politico Confessions of a Russiagate Skeptic: Why I have my doubts about whether Trump colluded with Moscow:
Speaking of pardons and Hounshell's article...
@nycsouthpaw
A lot of reporters don’t think about Trump’s pardon power much.
- Specifically, there’s an argument in here that bc Mueller hasn’t put a “smoking gun” (however Blake defines that) into his public charging documents, it doesn’t exist. This is based on a general DOJ policy of charging cooperators w the whole conspiracy all at once.
- I’ve tried to show before that it’s clear from the charging documents themselves that Mueller isn’t following that DOJ policy in this investigation.
Thread: Whatever Mueller is doing with his cooperators, he's not charging them with the most serious offenses he can prove, so folks should be wary of making inferences based on that DOJ policy. That's all.- Why is Mueller not handling this like a typical SDNY investigation? Why is he especially careful about revealing what his cooperators know? I’d suggest he’s advancing the case as much as he can w/o making it an open confrontation with the president, which could lead to pardons
- The alternative theory, construing Mueller’s limited filings as indicating a lack of evidence and an investigation running out of steam, seems to me inconsistent with the capabilities the investigation has already demonstrated and the facts reporters have uncovered. ymmv
posted by chris24 at 8:55 AM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
About a dozen people protested against what they called the threat of radical Islam at the Islamic Da’Wah Center in Houston in May 2016. They were met by a much larger crowd of counterprotesters. Both sides, it turned out, were organized by Russian groups.
The NYT has no choice but to include the words "both sides, it turned out" in the caption of a photo mostly consisting of the Confederate flag.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:56 AM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
The NYT has no choice but to include the words "both sides, it turned out" in the caption of a photo mostly consisting of the Confederate flag.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:56 AM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
I just want to share (again, because it's been posted in various places on the Blue and Purple) the Reply All episode The Prophet (transcript helpfully provided at the link). It might actually be a good thing to share with fellow travelers who are skeptical of how much of an effect an online disinfo operation can have, and what the various methods can be, in a context that won't immediately get anyone's back up about Russia or Trump. It's about Mexico and domestic trolls paid by a Mexican political party and it's fucking chilling. (But please, if you are biffies with Ronna Romney McDaniel, do democracy a solid and please do not share with her.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:57 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:57 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
Parkland school shooting: Trump to meet with students this week
posted by Jacqueline at 9:13 AM on February 19, 2018 [78 favorites]
"President Donald Trump will reportedly hold a listening session with students this week..."Well THAT'S going to be an epic dumpster fire. I just cannot see Trump sitting quietly and listening to anyone berate him. I wonder if his handlers will find some excuse for him to skip it or leave early.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:13 AM on February 19, 2018 [78 favorites]
re: Greenwald, in latest article he is particularly critical of pundits and politicians who use bellicose rhetoric against Russia without detailing a precise response, but does not himself suggest a solution, downplaying the severity of the election meddling. He also makes some weird non-arguments implying that if you rebuke the Obama admin's slow response to Russian hacking you must roll with John McCain and crew and love WWIII.
I mean, if Putin isn't paying him, he ought to.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:14 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
I mean, if Putin isn't paying him, he ought to.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 9:14 AM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
BTW, while Reddit is usually a wretched hive of scum and villainy, /r/The_Mueller is a LOT of fun to follow.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:29 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 9:29 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
Politico reports that 45 is being pressured to pardon anyone indicted by Mueller to persuade them to keep their traps shut and not flip.
Doesn’t that seem like poor strategy? Anyone who accepted a pardon would then be unable to use the 5th Amendment to keep their traps shut. So it might help that person avoid jail, but still result in them revealing things 45 would rather they not.
posted by nickmark at 9:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Doesn’t that seem like poor strategy? Anyone who accepted a pardon would then be unable to use the 5th Amendment to keep their traps shut. So it might help that person avoid jail, but still result in them revealing things 45 would rather they not.
posted by nickmark at 9:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
If Trump starts pardoning the people indicted by Mueller, that's when we start rioting.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 9:36 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
from the "…and the Air Force has to hold a bake sale to buy a bomber" dept:
CNN: Concern grows within Pentagon about Trump's proposed parade
CNN: Concern grows within Pentagon about Trump's proposed parade
There are also concerns over the cost of the event, and a second defense official tells CNN that the Pentagon is considering seeking out private donations to offset some of the non-military costs of the event. The donations could not cover military salaries or the cost of moving equipment but they could be used to pay for other aspects of the parade.posted by murphy slaw at 9:40 AM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
Doesn’t that seem like poor strategy? Anyone who accepted a pardon would then be unable to use the 5th Amendment to keep their traps shut. So it might help that person avoid jail, but still result in them revealing things 45 would rather they not.
This comes up a lot - what;s to stop them being further pardoned for keeping their yaps shut?
posted by Artw at 9:47 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
This comes up a lot - what;s to stop them being further pardoned for keeping their yaps shut?
posted by Artw at 9:47 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
Greenwald, in latest article he is particularly critical of pundits and politicians who use bellicose rhetoric against Russia without detailing a precise response.
The response doesn't have to involve sabre rattling. The simple first step is just for the government to loudly and clearly acknowledge the cyber attacks by the Russians to make U.S. citizens aware. So far Trump has refused to do that, calling it FakeNews.
A real response will require cooperation of social media corporations, whether that cooperation is voluntary or mandated by law. That means Google, Facebook and Twitter policing their platforms. That could take some time.
But in the meantime, government could counter the Russian propaganda by loudly flagging and pointing out every instance they find of Russian interference in real time. Putting public service announcements on TV and media platforms. Tagging every instance they find with "This is Russian government propaganda". Citizens might be appalled to realize the amount of Russian propaganda they have been swallowing. This doesn't require a lot of hemming and hawing about how to restructure social media platforms. It could be done tomorrow.
posted by JackFlash at 10:01 AM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
The response doesn't have to involve sabre rattling. The simple first step is just for the government to loudly and clearly acknowledge the cyber attacks by the Russians to make U.S. citizens aware. So far Trump has refused to do that, calling it FakeNews.
A real response will require cooperation of social media corporations, whether that cooperation is voluntary or mandated by law. That means Google, Facebook and Twitter policing their platforms. That could take some time.
But in the meantime, government could counter the Russian propaganda by loudly flagging and pointing out every instance they find of Russian interference in real time. Putting public service announcements on TV and media platforms. Tagging every instance they find with "This is Russian government propaganda". Citizens might be appalled to realize the amount of Russian propaganda they have been swallowing. This doesn't require a lot of hemming and hawing about how to restructure social media platforms. It could be done tomorrow.
posted by JackFlash at 10:01 AM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
The response doesn't have to involve sabre rattling. The simple first step is just for the government to loudly and clearly acknowledge the cyber attacks by the Russians to make U.S. citizens aware.
or, you know, actually implementing the sanctions bill that trump signed
posted by murphy slaw at 10:13 AM on February 19, 2018 [30 favorites]
or, you know, actually implementing the sanctions bill that trump signed
posted by murphy slaw at 10:13 AM on February 19, 2018 [30 favorites]
> what's to stop them being further pardoned for keeping their yaps shut?
The Presidential pardon power applies (only) to Federal charges. The states could each prosecute separately for state elections fraud charges, and those can't be pardoned by the President.
On the other hand, there's probably an argument to be made that the 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination would apply to possible State charges as well, so a Presidential pardon might not remove the accused's right to keep their yaps shut.
In summary, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Presidential pardon power applies (only) to Federal charges. The states could each prosecute separately for state elections fraud charges, and those can't be pardoned by the President.
On the other hand, there's probably an argument to be made that the 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination would apply to possible State charges as well, so a Presidential pardon might not remove the accused's right to keep their yaps shut.
In summary, ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
posted by RedOrGreen at 10:14 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mmm the last time I was tuned into Greenwald, which was a couple of years ago, he was confidently making predictions that turned out to be wrong. I find him dangerous in that he's a good writer and he knows enough to make compelling arguments (hence he was getting published in the LRB a couple years back)
posted by angrycat at 10:16 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 10:16 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
It is not Greenwald's job to find a solution. This should be done instead by the braying asses who are busy screaming war war.
For every out-of-power braying ass screaming for cyber (or proxy) war with Russia, there are fifty in-power braying asses screaming for actual war in North Korea, Iran, and who knows where else. It's a false equivalence that muddies the Mueller investigation and poisons any conversation on the actual threat of warmongering.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:17 AM on February 19, 2018 [9 favorites]
For every out-of-power braying ass screaming for cyber (or proxy) war with Russia, there are fifty in-power braying asses screaming for actual war in North Korea, Iran, and who knows where else. It's a false equivalence that muddies the Mueller investigation and poisons any conversation on the actual threat of warmongering.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:17 AM on February 19, 2018 [9 favorites]
We're already deep into a cold war. The only real question is whether this is a new cold war or if the old one never really ended. Denying or ignoring the situation doesn't do any good. In fact it only makes us more vulnerable. As evidence, allow me to present to you the current White House.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:22 AM on February 19, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:22 AM on February 19, 2018 [34 favorites]
Providence Journal: RI senator charged with 2 counts of extorting sex from former State House page. Nicholas Kettle, elected as a Republican when he was just 19 in 2010 (with just 36% of the vote), is also charged with sharing pornographic images of his now former girlfriend
The senate president vowed to seek his expulsion if he doesn't resign. As of this morning, Kettle's Web site still thundered that he is "steamed up" about the general state of things in RI.
posted by adamg at 10:32 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
The senate president vowed to seek his expulsion if he doesn't resign. As of this morning, Kettle's Web site still thundered that he is "steamed up" about the general state of things in RI.
posted by adamg at 10:32 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
This comes up a lot - whats to stop them being further pardoned for keeping their yaps shut?
I've asked this myself as a rhetorical question. The non rhetorical answer is: nothing. People (including legal analysts on tv) talking about how those pardoned can't invoke the 5th are still living in world governed by norms and inhabited by people with a modicum of shame. That isn't this world. The people being pardoned would simply refuse to answer any questions and then would receive additional pardons if contempt charges were leveled.
The Presidential pardon power applies (only) to Federal charges. The states could each prosecute separately for state elections fraud charges, and those can't be pardoned by the President.
Right, but that's true already. The threat of state charges is the real stick here not the idea that accepting a pardon means you can't plead the 5th which is what was under discussion.
On the other hand, there's probably an argument to be made that the 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination would apply to possible State charges as well
It most certainly does apply to state charges. Almost all trials are state trials, not federal trials.
posted by Justinian at 10:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
I've asked this myself as a rhetorical question. The non rhetorical answer is: nothing. People (including legal analysts on tv) talking about how those pardoned can't invoke the 5th are still living in world governed by norms and inhabited by people with a modicum of shame. That isn't this world. The people being pardoned would simply refuse to answer any questions and then would receive additional pardons if contempt charges were leveled.
The Presidential pardon power applies (only) to Federal charges. The states could each prosecute separately for state elections fraud charges, and those can't be pardoned by the President.
Right, but that's true already. The threat of state charges is the real stick here not the idea that accepting a pardon means you can't plead the 5th which is what was under discussion.
On the other hand, there's probably an argument to be made that the 5th Amendment protection against self-incrimination would apply to possible State charges as well
It most certainly does apply to state charges. Almost all trials are state trials, not federal trials.
posted by Justinian at 10:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
Hmmm. In the cold war I grew up in there were two, very clearly opposed, post-war ideologies fighting across the entire spectrum of society for dominance. Today this seems like two sets of oligarchs in a dick-waving contest. Putin may indeed be using his training in the tactics of old cold war to wage this one, but Trump is too dumb to even know he's in the game.
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by OHenryPacey at 10:33 AM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
On Presidents' Day, Trump drops 5 points to -22 net in Gallup's approval poll. Down 3 in approval to 37% and up 2 in disapproval to 59%. His worst numbers in a month and back close to the range where he typically has been before the recent small uptick.
posted by chris24 at 10:47 AM on February 19, 2018 [43 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 10:47 AM on February 19, 2018 [43 favorites]
Even if we stipulate for sake of argument that Trump didn't know about any collusion, he was still actively involved in obstruction of justice by trying to block the investigation into the collusion. As abundant quotes from Republicans during Clinton's impeachment will tell you, obstruction of justice is a serious felony and the president is not above the law.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:50 AM on February 19, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:50 AM on February 19, 2018 [17 favorites]
Does Greenwald agree that we need a solution? That Republican treason and Russia's assault on liberal democracy are problems?
posted by LarsC at 10:55 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by LarsC at 10:55 AM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
This comes up a lot - whats to stop them being further pardoned for keeping their yaps shut?
A pardon means you admit guilt and also you lose your 5th Amendment rights where they would result in jeopardy, which makes it a terrible strategy for keeping someone's yap shut.
posted by rhizome at 10:56 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
A pardon means you admit guilt and also you lose your 5th Amendment rights where they would result in jeopardy, which makes it a terrible strategy for keeping someone's yap shut.
posted by rhizome at 10:56 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
So,in Texas, you can vote in either primary(but not both), because you don't register by party. Thus, because our national primary is late enough that the Dems slate is either set, or I'm ok with any of the candidates winning, I have voted in republican primaries fairly frequently. Ergo, I'm on a lot of mailing lists for both parties. In the last few days, as we're ramping towards primaries next month(where I will be voting in the Dems pile for a host of awesome women), I have gotten so many Rep calls asking me how I feel about trump, our senators and my rep Pete Sessions. I just spent 20 minutes explaining to the caller why all of the above were bad people who do bad things, and how there was still time to save herself, her state, and her country. Yes, boys and girls, I just spent part of a morning converting a caller from the other side to look at my candidate, and how Lillian was working for her, and not for Russia, and reader, I think I made a conversion.
I have given up despair for Lent. We must be the change we want to see.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:02 AM on February 19, 2018 [132 favorites]
I have given up despair for Lent. We must be the change we want to see.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 11:02 AM on February 19, 2018 [132 favorites]
I assume the Greenwald talk will be shut down shortly, but before that happens...
Does Greenwald agree that we need a solution? That Republican treason and Russia's assault on liberal democracy are problems?
'When it comes to what the investigation was designed to focus on, Greenwald says he’s still waiting for hard evidence that the Trump campaign aided Russian operatives in hacking the Clinton-campaign emails — or struck some other corrupt bargain. Absent that, he’s not impressed. “Some Russians wanted to help Trump win the election, and certain people connected to the Trump campaign were receptive to receiving that help. Who the fuck cares about that?”'
January ny mag article
posted by orange ball at 11:16 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Does Greenwald agree that we need a solution? That Republican treason and Russia's assault on liberal democracy are problems?
'When it comes to what the investigation was designed to focus on, Greenwald says he’s still waiting for hard evidence that the Trump campaign aided Russian operatives in hacking the Clinton-campaign emails — or struck some other corrupt bargain. Absent that, he’s not impressed. “Some Russians wanted to help Trump win the election, and certain people connected to the Trump campaign were receptive to receiving that help. Who the fuck cares about that?”'
January ny mag article
posted by orange ball at 11:16 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
>CNN: Concern grows within Pentagon about Trump's proposed parade
tbh whenever the parade has come up in conversation with right-wing acquaintances I've just been flat out fake-newsing it and saying "I saw on the news that Trump said he's paying for it himself... overtime pay, cost of transporting the gear, re-paving the roads afterward, whole shebang." then when they're all "oh, I hadn't heard that?" I'm like "yeah I think he just made the announcement? Makes sense, why would he support a huge tax cut then have a parade for no reason with taxpayer money? It's prob expensive af but he's a billionaire, he can afford it and he likes throwing his money around anyway." To which they agree, and thus the seed is sown.
Is that ethical? I guess probably not. Do I care? meh
posted by Ornate Rocksnail at 11:16 AM on February 19, 2018 [53 favorites]
tbh whenever the parade has come up in conversation with right-wing acquaintances I've just been flat out fake-newsing it and saying "I saw on the news that Trump said he's paying for it himself... overtime pay, cost of transporting the gear, re-paving the roads afterward, whole shebang." then when they're all "oh, I hadn't heard that?" I'm like "yeah I think he just made the announcement? Makes sense, why would he support a huge tax cut then have a parade for no reason with taxpayer money? It's prob expensive af but he's a billionaire, he can afford it and he likes throwing his money around anyway." To which they agree, and thus the seed is sown.
Is that ethical? I guess probably not. Do I care? meh
posted by Ornate Rocksnail at 11:16 AM on February 19, 2018 [53 favorites]
I didn't mean for that first sentence to sound like a shot across the mods' bow. It was not.
posted by orange ball at 11:18 AM on February 19, 2018
posted by orange ball at 11:18 AM on February 19, 2018
A pardon means you admit guilt and also you lose your 5th Amendment rights where they would result in jeopardy, which makes it a terrible strategy for keeping someone's yap shut
However this point presumes that they don't just completely lie their asses off and/or give completely nonsensical answers, which they have shown time after time that they are more than willing to do.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:19 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
However this point presumes that they don't just completely lie their asses off and/or give completely nonsensical answers, which they have shown time after time that they are more than willing to do.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:19 AM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
On Presidents' Day, Trump drops 5 points to -22 net in Gallup's approval poll. Down 3 in approval to 37% and up 2 in disapproval to 59%. His worst numbers in a month and back close to the range where he typically has been before the recent small uptick.
The flip side of this is that Trump's among self-identified Republicans is 86%—that's down only 1% since this time last year (and it's never dropped below 77%). Among independents, it's 36%, which is means it's actually up 1% year-over-year.
No less tellingly, the Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics Presidents’ Day poll found that among Presidents since Eisenhower, although Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama placed as the top three on average, among Republicans, Trump came second only to Reagan. Among Democrats, he's regarded as even worse than Nixon, unsurprisingly, while Independents view him as only slightly better.
We'll see if Mueller's Russian indictments and Trump's spluttering reaction cause any appreciable shifts, but I'm willing to wager that there won't be. Between this poll and Oprah's guests, it's clear that Trump-supporters are not going to budge any time soon, if ever.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
The flip side of this is that Trump's among self-identified Republicans is 86%—that's down only 1% since this time last year (and it's never dropped below 77%). Among independents, it's 36%, which is means it's actually up 1% year-over-year.
No less tellingly, the Ipsos/UVA Center for Politics Presidents’ Day poll found that among Presidents since Eisenhower, although Kennedy, Reagan, and Obama placed as the top three on average, among Republicans, Trump came second only to Reagan. Among Democrats, he's regarded as even worse than Nixon, unsurprisingly, while Independents view him as only slightly better.
We'll see if Mueller's Russian indictments and Trump's spluttering reaction cause any appreciable shifts, but I'm willing to wager that there won't be. Between this poll and Oprah's guests, it's clear that Trump-supporters are not going to budge any time soon, if ever.
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:20 AM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
President Trump WILL attend this year's White House Correspondents' Dinner (Daily Mail Exclusive) "Press Secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders replied 'yes,' when asked if Trump would attend the annual April affair, after news broke earlier Monday that the president would also be attending the annual Gridiron dinner next month."
He allegedly wanted to attend last year's dinner very badly, so we'll see if his staff lets him turn up.
posted by gladly at 11:22 AM on February 19, 2018 [7 favorites]
He allegedly wanted to attend last year's dinner very badly, so we'll see if his staff lets him turn up.
posted by gladly at 11:22 AM on February 19, 2018 [7 favorites]
All About That Base - Democratic Party survival depends on mobilizing nonvoters and voters of color - not targeting republicans or ‘moderates’.
This seems obvious to me and I've been trying to volunteer to register likely Democratic voters in Virginia's 7th district but no one is getting back to me. You'd think there would be some sort of existing year-round voter registration drive that new volunteers could just be plugged into but I'm starting to suspect my assumptions about the Democrats being better organized than the Libertarians were overly optimistic. This sucks because I already have lots of experience going door-to-door in the freezing cold bothering strangers about politics; I just need someone to give me a walking list and a stack of forms. And I'm sure I'm not the only one with free time to volunteer in between campaign seasons. If we all put in a few hours a week in our nearest swingable district, it could add up to making a difference on election day.
Get it together, Democrats.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:25 AM on February 19, 2018 [16 favorites]
This seems obvious to me and I've been trying to volunteer to register likely Democratic voters in Virginia's 7th district but no one is getting back to me. You'd think there would be some sort of existing year-round voter registration drive that new volunteers could just be plugged into but I'm starting to suspect my assumptions about the Democrats being better organized than the Libertarians were overly optimistic. This sucks because I already have lots of experience going door-to-door in the freezing cold bothering strangers about politics; I just need someone to give me a walking list and a stack of forms. And I'm sure I'm not the only one with free time to volunteer in between campaign seasons. If we all put in a few hours a week in our nearest swingable district, it could add up to making a difference on election day.
Get it together, Democrats.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:25 AM on February 19, 2018 [16 favorites]
The flip side of this is that Trump's among self-identified Republicans is 86%
Which might be attributable to the fact that Republican identification has dropped 5% in the past year, to just 37% of the total electorate. When people leave their party en masse because they disapprove of the president, then naturally the president's approval rating among the remaining members will go up or hold steady.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:27 AM on February 19, 2018 [78 favorites]
Which might be attributable to the fact that Republican identification has dropped 5% in the past year, to just 37% of the total electorate. When people leave their party en masse because they disapprove of the president, then naturally the president's approval rating among the remaining members will go up or hold steady.
posted by Strange Interlude at 11:27 AM on February 19, 2018 [78 favorites]
@W7VOA: A fresh statement from @PressSec confirms @POTUS is planning to attend the satirical #Gridiron dinner, "but no decision has been made regarding" the @whca dinner at this time. "Will keep you posted when there is an update.”
I expect "will he or won't he" gamesmanship will persist until the last possible second. No serious journalist should show up if he's coming.
posted by zachlipton at 11:28 AM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
I expect "will he or won't he" gamesmanship will persist until the last possible second. No serious journalist should show up if he's coming.
posted by zachlipton at 11:28 AM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
He allegedly wanted to attend last year's dinner very badly
And he'll make sure to attend this one very badly.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:34 AM on February 19, 2018 [48 favorites]
And he'll make sure to attend this one very badly.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:34 AM on February 19, 2018 [48 favorites]
Trump takes last spot in experts' presidential rankings survey
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:57 AM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
President Trump has placed last among U.S. commanders in chief in a recent survey of experts.Here’s the full report as PDF.
The 2018 Presidents and Executive Politics Presidential Greatness Survey asks respondents, each of them current and recent members of the Presidents and Executive Politics Section of the American Political Science Association, to rate each president on a scale of 0-100 for overall greatness.
Abraham Lincoln topped the list with an average score of 95.03, followed by George Washington with 92.59. The top seven slots remained unchanged from when the survey was conducted last in 2014.
Former President Obama placed eighth on the list, with an average score of 71.13, jumping 10 places from the previous survey.
Trump took the bottom slot with an average score of 12.34. Among those who identified as Republicans and conservatives, Trump ranked 40th.
Obama came in second place when respondents were asked who should be the next president on Mount Rushmore, though he was well behind runaway favorite Franklin Delano Roosevelt.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:57 AM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
The court has put out a new Congressional district map for Pennsylvania, though there will surely be appeals. Some quick analysis from Nate Cohn:
And the President, presumably upset his golf time was rained on, has decided to spend his "very reflective" day reflecting on attacking President Obama. He even threaded his tweets on Twitter so we can jump right from the reflecting to this.
posted by zachlipton at 11:58 AM on February 19, 2018 [20 favorites]
If true, a very good map for the Democrats. Much better than I would have guessed.And Dave Wasserman: Breaking: PA Supreme Court adopts new congressional map, and with few exceptions it's Democrats' dream come true. GOP not going to like this at all.
If true, Democrats get everything they could want. The new versions of the old PA7/15/6/8 are near optimal for them. Conor Lamb would have a high-profile contest in a competitive race with Keith Rotfhus in the old PA-12 (new 17). PA-10 is a brand new race. It is fair to say that this map was drawn with the goal of achieving partisan balance, even though that was not a stated goal of the order.
And the President, presumably upset his golf time was rained on, has decided to spend his "very reflective" day reflecting on attacking President Obama. He even threaded his tweets on Twitter so we can jump right from the reflecting to this.
posted by zachlipton at 11:58 AM on February 19, 2018 [20 favorites]
Here’s hoping the WHCA books Yakov Smirnoff as this year’s MC, and that, visibly terrified and stammering, he delivers a deadpan opening, preferably entirely in Russian.
“In Rahh-shyya... (gulps) ...press is free, laws are fair and leaders have only best interest of the people in mind...” (wipes brow)
posted by rodeoclown at 12:00 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
“In Rahh-shyya... (gulps) ...press is free, laws are fair and leaders have only best interest of the people in mind...” (wipes brow)
posted by rodeoclown at 12:00 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
This is reportedly the court-drawn map for the PA congressional districts.
If true, I think the Republicans will attempt to impeach the judges and/or the Supreme Court strikes it down despite being ostensibly a state issue. Because it's a giant step forward for Democrats in Pennsylvania and provides partisan balance, and of course Republicans can't have that. People will object that the Supreme Court can't interfere in judgments about the PA Constitution and while technically true they could certainly find ways to say that having the court draw the map rather than the legislature violates the US Constitution. Because of course they could.
posted by Justinian at 12:01 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
If true, I think the Republicans will attempt to impeach the judges and/or the Supreme Court strikes it down despite being ostensibly a state issue. Because it's a giant step forward for Democrats in Pennsylvania and provides partisan balance, and of course Republicans can't have that. People will object that the Supreme Court can't interfere in judgments about the PA Constitution and while technically true they could certainly find ways to say that having the court draw the map rather than the legislature violates the US Constitution. Because of course they could.
posted by Justinian at 12:01 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
By the way, everything you need to know is summed up by knowing that this is a balanced partisan map where the Congressional delegation would come much closer to reflecting the vote count... and it can reasonably be described as "Democrats dream come true" and something the Republicans will go scorched earth over. Think about that.
posted by Justinian at 12:03 PM on February 19, 2018 [79 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:03 PM on February 19, 2018 [79 favorites]
(For those not on twitter, the President wonders aloud today why Obama didn’t do anything about supposed Russian interference in the election.)
He did, although perhaps not enough.
posted by notyou at 12:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
He did, although perhaps not enough.
posted by notyou at 12:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trump takes last spot in experts' presidential rankings survey
That ranking used to have GWB at the bottom and now he's at thirtieth. It's floaty as hell.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
That ranking used to have GWB at the bottom and now he's at thirtieth. It's floaty as hell.
posted by Going To Maine at 12:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Tom Rooney (R-FL 17th, House Intelligence Committee) is not running for reelection this year.
posted by neroli at 12:08 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by neroli at 12:08 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
WaPo, Trump Jr. to give foreign policy speech while on ‘unofficial’ business trip to India
posted by zachlipton at 12:08 PM on February 19, 2018 [81 favorites]
The president’s eldest son, Donald Trump Jr., is making what’s been dubbed an unofficial visit to India to promote his family’s real estate projects. But he’s also planning to deliver a foreign policy speech on Indo-Pacific relations at an event with Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.The Clintons were investigated for years because they lost some money in a real estate investment, but the President's son selling his time to potential buyers while giving a foreign policy speech will barely register as a thing.
Beginning Tuesday, the junior Trump will have a full schedule of meet-and-greets with investors and business leaders throughout India where the Trump family has real estate projects — Mumbai, the New Delhi suburb of Gurgaon and the eastern city of Kolkata.
Indian newspapers have been running full-page, glossy advertisements hyping his arrival and the latest Trump Tower project under the headline: “Trump is here — Are You Invited?” The ads also invited home buyers to plunk down a booking fee (about $38,000) to “join Mr. Donald Trump Jr. for a conversation and dinner.” Public relations executives working with two local developers arranging the Trump dinner declined to give specifics about the event.
During the visit, the 40-year-old Trump, the executive vice president of the Trump Organization, will take a break from his private promotional tour to give an address on “Reshaping Indo- Pacific Ties: The New Era of Cooperation” at a global business summit on Friday evening, co-sponsored by the Economic Times newspaper. Modi will also speak at the summit on the topic of “Preparing India for the Future.”
posted by zachlipton at 12:08 PM on February 19, 2018 [81 favorites]
While Obama was POTUS, McConnell wouldn't even sign a bipartisan statement condemning the Russian interference.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:09 PM on February 19, 2018 [41 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 12:09 PM on February 19, 2018 [41 favorites]
From that NYTimes "both sides were duped" link:
Facebook’s vice president for advertising, Rob Goldman, said on Twitter on Friday, “I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal”
Oh, y'all! OMG, I had been so worried. My god, the relief!
— a statement that President Trump retweeted.
WHEW! Welp, I guess I'm done here and it's tata, all you worryworts! Oh, man... what am I gonna do with all this new peace of mind and freed-up time? Probably rewatch Knight Rider and Matlock. Then get started on some sweet seek 'n' finds.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:10 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Facebook’s vice president for advertising, Rob Goldman, said on Twitter on Friday, “I have seen all of the Russian ads and I can say very definitively that swaying the election was *NOT* the main goal”
Oh, y'all! OMG, I had been so worried. My god, the relief!
— a statement that President Trump retweeted.
WHEW! Welp, I guess I'm done here and it's tata, all you worryworts! Oh, man... what am I gonna do with all this new peace of mind and freed-up time? Probably rewatch Knight Rider and Matlock. Then get started on some sweet seek 'n' finds.
posted by Don Pepino at 12:10 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Justinian: "People will object that the Supreme Court can't interfere in judgments about the PA Constitution and while technically true they could certainly find ways to say that having the court draw the map rather than the legislature violates the US Constitution. Because of course they could."
The Court already rejected the PA GOP's request for a stay of this process. It went to Alito because of the circuit, and even he rejected it - he didn't even refer it to the whole court, he returned it himself.
I never say anything is impossible, but I view SCOTUS intervention here as exceedingly unlikely.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:13 PM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
The Court already rejected the PA GOP's request for a stay of this process. It went to Alito because of the circuit, and even he rejected it - he didn't even refer it to the whole court, he returned it himself.
I never say anything is impossible, but I view SCOTUS intervention here as exceedingly unlikely.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:13 PM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
“For everyone, it was a distraction or a reprieve,” said one White House official, speaking anonymously to reflect internal conversations. “A lot of people here felt like it was a reprieve from seven or eight days of just getting pummeled.”
This appalling thing to say is almost word-for-word straight out of The West Wing. CJ had to offer to resign over it.
posted by zachlipton at 12:13 PM on February 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
This appalling thing to say is almost word-for-word straight out of The West Wing. CJ had to offer to resign over it.
posted by zachlipton at 12:13 PM on February 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
“For everyone, it was a distraction or a reprieve,” said one White House official, speaking anonymously to reflect internal conversations. “A lot of people here felt like it was a reprieve from seven or eight days of just getting pummeled.”
If they haven't yet, eventually they will realize that allowing (and, later, causing) similar tragedies to happen would let them evade responsibility indefinitely.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
If they haven't yet, eventually they will realize that allowing (and, later, causing) similar tragedies to happen would let them evade responsibility indefinitely.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
neroli: "Tom Rooney (R-FL 17th, House Intelligence Committee) is not running for reelection this year."
FL-17 went Trump 62-35, Romney 58-41. Tough district.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
FL-17 went Trump 62-35, Romney 58-41. Tough district.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Court already rejected the PA GOP's request for a stay of this process. It went to Alito because of the circuit, and even he rejected it - he didn't even refer it to the whole court, he returned it himself.
Because the violation will be the Court drawing the map rather than the legislature and that hadn't occurred yet. There was no standing because there had as yet been no damages.
but I view SCOTUS intervention here as exceedingly unlikely.
Call me panicky but I predict 5-4 striking down this move as a violation of the US Constitution on the basis that the district maps must be drawn by the legislative branch and not the judicial branch.
posted by Justinian at 12:15 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Because the violation will be the Court drawing the map rather than the legislature and that hadn't occurred yet. There was no standing because there had as yet been no damages.
but I view SCOTUS intervention here as exceedingly unlikely.
Call me panicky but I predict 5-4 striking down this move as a violation of the US Constitution on the basis that the district maps must be drawn by the legislative branch and not the judicial branch.
posted by Justinian at 12:15 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
But the SC has already ruled in Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission that non-legislative bodies can make district maps.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 12:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [21 favorites]
Seventeen people most of them children shot to death is a reason to cancel on-camera briefings for the remainder of the week, allowing them to avoid questions about the swirling controversies.
Damned if that is not a new low!
I hope when Trump goes to listen to the high school kids they ignore the recent atrocity and just strafe his ass with Stormy Daniels discourse and did you really yank out your one ex-wife's hair that time I wouldn't ask but we all saw that gif last week where you hipchecked Melania getting off AF1 and experts say that maybe you want to knock her ass to the tarmac is that true at all, Mister President, what about that Rob Porter guy, did you really say he was a sick puppy and if so does that make you a sick puppy too because you're always grabbing people by the we'renotallowedtosaythatword and spying on naked teenagers at your beauty contests and while we're on the subject did you really cheat at a beauty contest to sell more Trumpsteaks, hey didja, didja, huh?
posted by Don Pepino at 12:24 PM on February 19, 2018 [50 favorites]
Damned if that is not a new low!
I hope when Trump goes to listen to the high school kids they ignore the recent atrocity and just strafe his ass with Stormy Daniels discourse and did you really yank out your one ex-wife's hair that time I wouldn't ask but we all saw that gif last week where you hipchecked Melania getting off AF1 and experts say that maybe you want to knock her ass to the tarmac is that true at all, Mister President, what about that Rob Porter guy, did you really say he was a sick puppy and if so does that make you a sick puppy too because you're always grabbing people by the we'renotallowedtosaythatword and spying on naked teenagers at your beauty contests and while we're on the subject did you really cheat at a beauty contest to sell more Trumpsteaks, hey didja, didja, huh?
posted by Don Pepino at 12:24 PM on February 19, 2018 [50 favorites]
Because the violation will be the Court drawing the map rather than the legislature and that hadn't occurred yet. There was no standing because there had as yet been no damages.
I thought the lack of standing was based on this being a matter of the PA Constitution, not the US Constitution? Was I wrong about that?
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:24 PM on February 19, 2018
I thought the lack of standing was based on this being a matter of the PA Constitution, not the US Constitution? Was I wrong about that?
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:24 PM on February 19, 2018
The PA SC ruling was based on the PA constitution. It's fine for state constitutions to go beyond the US Constitution, but they can't do things that violate it. The GOP's logic in their request for a stay was that the PA SC had violated the US Constitution's Elections Clause (that's what Justinian mentioned above), and secondarily that this was all happening too close to the election.
Alito didn't give a reason in his rejection. But based on my armchair legal expertise, I think it wasn't a standing thing, it's because it's not a valid theory.
Here's actual election guy Rick Hasen's take:
Alito didn't give a reason in his rejection. But based on my armchair legal expertise, I think it wasn't a standing thing, it's because it's not a valid theory.
Here's actual election guy Rick Hasen's take:
Because this was a case decided under the state constitution by the state supreme court, the usual path for review of this case by the U.S. Supreme Court is limited. The only plausible argument I see is that the maps violate the Elections Clause of the Constitution, which vests in the state legislature the power to choose rules for congressional elections (unless Congress acts to preempt them).posted by Chrysostom at 12:36 PM on February 19, 2018 [16 favorites]
The problem with this argument is that the Pa Republicans already went to the Supreme Court when the state supreme court announced a redistricting– and Republicans raised the very same argument. At the time it was raised, I called the argument a long shot, given a line of cases (most recently a 2015 case from Arizona) reading the word legislature much more broadly in the context of the elections clause. The emergency stay request went to Justice Alito, who denied it without even referring it to the Court. So he likely did not think much of it at the time.
Now it is quite possible that Pa. Republicans will go back to Justice Alito, arguing that things are even worse now that the state Supreme Court has adopted a map itself. That’s the job first and foremost for the legislature. But remember that the Pa. legislature did not even come up with an official passed plan for the state supreme court to reject. (A pair of legislative leaders had a plan, but it was not passed by the legislature.) This seems to give Pa. Republicans even less standing to complain about things. I expect something new filed with Justice Alito will get no further. (After all, we are even later into the election season.)
The alternative, which I’ve been hearing a lot about from reporters, is Pa. Republicans filing a new and separate federal court challenge in a federal district court raising the same Elections Clause challenge. This seems like a super longshot. Not only does it present the same problem on the merits as what Justice Alito already rejected. But this would be a collateral attack on a state supreme court decision in federal court (rather than a direct appeal from the state Supreme Court to the U.S. Supreme Court). Various abstention doctrines, including the Rooker-Feldman doctrine, would counsel federal courts against issuing orders directly against the orders of state courts. There are principles of comity and federalism that make such challenges extremely hard to bring.
Bottom line: it is hard to see where Republicans go from here to successfully fight these maps.
If you are interested in PA nitty gritty (and who isn't), there's a Wasserman thread in progress on changes by district/incumbent.
The short version is this takes the map from 5 D / 13 R to 8 D / 10 R, but with three more seats reasonably competitive, especially in the 2018 environment, which would be 11 D / 7 R.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:40 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
The short version is this takes the map from 5 D / 13 R to 8 D / 10 R, but with three more seats reasonably competitive, especially in the 2018 environment, which would be 11 D / 7 R.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:40 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
Does the PA GOP have the numbers to begin impeachment hearings, and if so, would the hearings happen/wind out soon enough to affect this ruling before midterm?
posted by eclectist at 12:45 PM on February 19, 2018
posted by eclectist at 12:45 PM on February 19, 2018
Mefi admins can I favorite somebody twice just this once Don Pepino has earned it!
Just kidding—so many great comments here, a lot of thought provoking stuff, thank you all.
posted by maniabug at 12:48 PM on February 19, 2018
Just kidding—so many great comments here, a lot of thought provoking stuff, thank you all.
posted by maniabug at 12:48 PM on February 19, 2018
Does the PA GOP have the numbers to begin impeachment hearings, and if so, would the hearings happen/wind out soon enough to affect this ruling before midterm?
They do have the votes, if they held together. I don't know what a timeline would look like.
It's worth noting that GOP leadership has tried to deflect any impeachment talk - the guy who proposed it is just some dipshit. I am *not* confident they won't try this route, but I still think it is not super likely.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:52 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
They do have the votes, if they held together. I don't know what a timeline would look like.
It's worth noting that GOP leadership has tried to deflect any impeachment talk - the guy who proposed it is just some dipshit. I am *not* confident they won't try this route, but I still think it is not super likely.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:52 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
It seems like impeachment, removal, appointment of fascist toadies, confirmation of said fascist toadies and then appeal (reappeal?) of decision would take longer than they have. But who the hell knows
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:54 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by tivalasvegas at 12:54 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
The campaign for a new map here has had bipartisan support among just regular folks (i.e. not people in legislature). Everyone can plainly see the ludicrous nature of the districts, it's not subtle. The new map very closely adheres to Pennsylvania's general regions (someone on Twitter pointed out that it looks a lot like the map you get in PA as a tourist). If the PA GOP wants to make this their hill to die on, they're going to have no cover at all for what it's actually about. I mean, they might still give it a whirl, but I cannot see where they have to go, especially in such a short time frame.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:00 PM on February 19, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:00 PM on February 19, 2018 [23 favorites]
It's worth noting that bills for a non-partisan redistricting commission have a good number of cosponsors from both parties, and Fair Districts PA has been working hard to sell that fairness benefits all Pennsylvanians. Actual impeachment might be a bridge too far for at least some GOPers in the legislature.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:04 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:04 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is an insubstantial article but worthwhile parallel from WaPo: Why Jacob Zuma's fall sends a serious warning to the GOP
From the article, two quotes for anyone with some time considering a deeper dive into the subject (I would but time constraints today):
The new map very closely adheres to Pennsylvania's general regions (someone on Twitter pointed out that it looks a lot like the map you get in PA as a tourist). If the PA GOP wants to make this their hill to die on, they're going to have no cover at all for what it's actually about. I mean, they might still give it a whirl, but I cannot see where they have to go, especially in such a short time frame.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:00 AM on February 20 [4 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
This also gives me hope. The more shameless the forces of evil, the more desperate and close to defeat they are. It's a platitude, but one that, at least for me, holds up and keeps me from panicking. We endure so much shit for so long, but when things turn around, they turn around fast. Maybe I'm speaking too early, but I think we got this one. I look forward to the sordid tale of the PA GOP's fall and the new legislation from their successors that will restore it to a functioning government...and to watching their story form the blueprint for the de-gerrymandering of the rest of the country.
posted by saysthis at 1:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [17 favorites]
From the article, two quotes for anyone with some time considering a deeper dive into the subject (I would but time constraints today):
“I would not look to the U.S. Constitution, if I were drafting a Constitution … I might look at the Constitution of South Africa. That was a deliberate attempt to have a fundamental instrument of government that embraced basic human rights, and had an independent judiciary … It really is, I think, a great piece of work.”I also want to take my hobby horse out for a canter: The US is not the only democracy in the world. Duh, we all that, but how much do we really, like know it, man? With the 200-ish nation states out there, you can find parallels, and frankly, hope and the will to keep fighting, in other countries. The Trump disaster is our disaster, but we're not the only victims of such disasters, and deities willing, we will come out galvanized to really turn our country into a better place. Don't just watch Washington.
— Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, speaking in an interview in 2012
Zuma stormed into office in South Africa on the strength of a charisma that helped him to overcome earlier suspicions of malfeasance and allegations of sexual assault. Observers of American politics cannot fail to see some parallels. It was not until Zuma’s own party suffered stunning losses at the polls that they understood him to be a liability and moved decisively. One wonders what lessons might be drawn here by the GOP.
The new map very closely adheres to Pennsylvania's general regions (someone on Twitter pointed out that it looks a lot like the map you get in PA as a tourist). If the PA GOP wants to make this their hill to die on, they're going to have no cover at all for what it's actually about. I mean, they might still give it a whirl, but I cannot see where they have to go, especially in such a short time frame.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:00 AM on February 20 [4 favorites −] Favorite added! [!]
This also gives me hope. The more shameless the forces of evil, the more desperate and close to defeat they are. It's a platitude, but one that, at least for me, holds up and keeps me from panicking. We endure so much shit for so long, but when things turn around, they turn around fast. Maybe I'm speaking too early, but I think we got this one. I look forward to the sordid tale of the PA GOP's fall and the new legislation from their successors that will restore it to a functioning government...and to watching their story form the blueprint for the de-gerrymandering of the rest of the country.
posted by saysthis at 1:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [17 favorites]
This appalling thing to say is almost word-for-word straight out of The West Wing. CJ had to offer to resign over it.
Hah! I thought of this too right away.... except in TWW, it's obviously a mis-speak, whereas in this white house nobody even pretends it's not saying "thank goodness , a tragedy so our tender feelings have some time to recover"
posted by nakedmolerats at 1:21 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Money laundering. Especially with Muller having drilled down to the books of the Russian fronts writing checks to people. I'm guessing Kushner is a non-trivial entry.
There's also foreign influence-peddling and outright bribery. The scope of the special counsel authorization letter allows Mueller a wide scope for investigation.
For instance, here's CNN's exclusive scoop on the Jared Investigation Watch: Mueller's Interest In Kushner Grows to Include Foreign Financing Efforts
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:28 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
There's also foreign influence-peddling and outright bribery. The scope of the special counsel authorization letter allows Mueller a wide scope for investigation.
For instance, here's CNN's exclusive scoop on the Jared Investigation Watch: Mueller's Interest In Kushner Grows to Include Foreign Financing Efforts
Special counsel Robert Mueller's interest in Jared Kushner has expanded beyond his contacts with Russia and now includes his efforts to secure financing for his company from foreign investors during the presidential transition, according to people familiar with the inquiry.Kushner's Chinese and Qatari business overtures are, of course, shady AF, but it's worth a reminder that there's always a subtext beneath these leaks and legal teams can use the press to circumvent normal prohibitions on sharing information about an ongoing investigation.
This is the first indication that Mueller is exploring Kushner's discussions with potential non-Russian foreign investors, including in China.
US officials briefed on the probe had told CNN in May that points of focus related to Kushner, the White House senior adviser and son-in-law of President Donald Trump, included the Trump campaign's 2016 data analytics operation, his relationship with former national security adviser Michael Flynn, and Kushner's own contacts with Russians.
Mueller's investigators have been asking questions, including during interviews in January and February, about Kushner's conversations during the transition to shore up financing for 666 Fifth Avenue, a Kushner Companies-backed New York City office building reeling from financial troubles, according to people familiar with the special counsel investigation.
It's not clear what's behind Mueller's specific interest in the financing discussions. Mueller's team has not contacted Kushner Companies for information or requested interviews with its executives, according to a person familiar with the matter.
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:28 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
Thanks for that 20-hour chat with Mueller, Steve Bannon!
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:32 PM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:32 PM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
government could counter the Russian propaganda by loudly flagging and pointing out every instance they find of Russian interference
The current administration is notorious for claiming that unpopular stories are "FAKE NEWS!" They're not currently calling it Russian propaganda, obviously, but it's not so very long ago that US governments used those very words to discredit true but unfavourable reports. Obviously we shouldn't rely on government statements to tell us the state of the government itself.
We're currently in a real pickle: the enemy is within the gates and very probably our own decision loops. I think it's worth looking for solutions along the lines of the EU privacy legislation that lets people view data collected on them, and also -why not? - force advertisers to disclose their identity. Those two things would let people see who's targeting them, and why, and aggregating this data would make it trivial to identify mass propaganda efforts.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:37 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
The current administration is notorious for claiming that unpopular stories are "FAKE NEWS!" They're not currently calling it Russian propaganda, obviously, but it's not so very long ago that US governments used those very words to discredit true but unfavourable reports. Obviously we shouldn't rely on government statements to tell us the state of the government itself.
We're currently in a real pickle: the enemy is within the gates and very probably our own decision loops. I think it's worth looking for solutions along the lines of the EU privacy legislation that lets people view data collected on them, and also -why not? - force advertisers to disclose their identity. Those two things would let people see who's targeting them, and why, and aggregating this data would make it trivial to identify mass propaganda efforts.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:37 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
saysthis: " I look forward to the sordid tale of the PA GOP's fall and the new legislation from their successors that will restore it to a functioning government"
The unfortunate thing is that the new maps are Congressional only - the (also egregiously gerrymandered) state legislative maps remain. One win at a time, I guess.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:37 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
The unfortunate thing is that the new maps are Congressional only - the (also egregiously gerrymandered) state legislative maps remain. One win at a time, I guess.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:37 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
The unfortunate thing is that the new maps are Congressional only - the (also egregiously gerrymandered) state legislative maps remain. One win at a time, I guess.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:37 PM on February 19 [2 favorites +] [!]
Wait, what? How could plaintiffs be so numb-skulled as to only go after Congressional and not state maps? If not in the same suit, at least simultaneously.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:01 PM on February 19, 2018
posted by Chrysostom at 1:37 PM on February 19 [2 favorites +] [!]
Wait, what? How could plaintiffs be so numb-skulled as to only go after Congressional and not state maps? If not in the same suit, at least simultaneously.
posted by Mental Wimp at 2:01 PM on February 19, 2018
and also -why not? - force advertisers to disclose their identity.
I'm personally a fan of legislation that puts a moratorium on political ads six weeks out from any election. Throw all the crap you want up on the screen until then, but past that, if you show a political ad, you get fined. Heavily.
It wouldn't pass the SC, because political speech is some of the freest free speech that we have (and for good reasons), but I still like the idea. Give people some time to breathe before they actually enter the polling booth.
posted by eclectist at 2:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm personally a fan of legislation that puts a moratorium on political ads six weeks out from any election. Throw all the crap you want up on the screen until then, but past that, if you show a political ad, you get fined. Heavily.
It wouldn't pass the SC, because political speech is some of the freest free speech that we have (and for good reasons), but I still like the idea. Give people some time to breathe before they actually enter the polling booth.
posted by eclectist at 2:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hi I would like to cheer you up with this fun ad by Allison Campolo, running for TX State Sen District 10. She is an international heavy weight fighting champion in Kung Fu and in the ad actually splits cement slabs labeled "extremist agenda," "underfunded schools," and so on.
If she wins the nomination, she'll be running against the execrable Konni Burton (R).
posted by emjaybee at 2:23 PM on February 19, 2018 [39 favorites]
If she wins the nomination, she'll be running against the execrable Konni Burton (R).
posted by emjaybee at 2:23 PM on February 19, 2018 [39 favorites]
Wait, what? How could plaintiffs be so numb-skulled as to only go after Congressional and not state maps? If not in the same suit, at least simultaneously.
The PA Constitution already specifies a process for state legislative redistricting (as opposed to the congressional districting which is a regular statute). So, I don't think there was any judicial avenue to pursue.
The upshot of the current legislative redistricting process is, whoever controls the state Supreme Court will end up controlling the process. That should be the Democrats, if we have the current membership in 2020. I imagine the lines will look somewhat different afterwards.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:25 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
The PA Constitution already specifies a process for state legislative redistricting (as opposed to the congressional districting which is a regular statute). So, I don't think there was any judicial avenue to pursue.
The upshot of the current legislative redistricting process is, whoever controls the state Supreme Court will end up controlling the process. That should be the Democrats, if we have the current membership in 2020. I imagine the lines will look somewhat different afterwards.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:25 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm personally a fan of legislation that puts a moratorium on political ads six weeks out from any election.
Fan of the idea here too but, honest question. This
in the ad actually splits cement slabs labeled "extremist agenda," "underfunded schools," and so on.
is obviously political advertising, emotional message more than content (and I love the emotional content). How do other countries with the 6-week ban (I think the UK is one) draw the line between ads and reporting? "Here is a public service message from your friendly Republican-sponsored local newspaper" etc. Seems to me like that's a minefield.
posted by saysthis at 2:29 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Fan of the idea here too but, honest question. This
in the ad actually splits cement slabs labeled "extremist agenda," "underfunded schools," and so on.
is obviously political advertising, emotional message more than content (and I love the emotional content). How do other countries with the 6-week ban (I think the UK is one) draw the line between ads and reporting? "Here is a public service message from your friendly Republican-sponsored local newspaper" etc. Seems to me like that's a minefield.
posted by saysthis at 2:29 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you think Kushner was desperate for financing during the transition, imagine how he feels now that interest rates are rising! (Trump too, for that matter).
Their risky financing maneuvers all took place during a very long stretch of near-zero interest rates. Now that they're rising, the pressure will be intense.
posted by msalt at 2:31 PM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
Their risky financing maneuvers all took place during a very long stretch of near-zero interest rates. Now that they're rising, the pressure will be intense.
posted by msalt at 2:31 PM on February 19, 2018 [14 favorites]
But the SC has already ruled in Arizona State Legislature v. Arizona Independent Redistricting Commission that non-legislative bodies can make district maps.
Hopefully you are correct. I bow to your SC nerdery.
posted by Justinian at 2:32 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Hopefully you are correct. I bow to your SC nerdery.
posted by Justinian at 2:32 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm not really sure, but I've thought of that, too - where would we draw the lines on what is and isn't 'political' for the purposes of such a law? The eventual place that I come down is that we'd spend a bunch of time in court hammering out the edge cases, and that's another reason I don't think it would go over well here.
posted by eclectist at 2:35 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by eclectist at 2:35 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm personally a fan of legislation that puts a moratorium on political ads six weeks out from any election. Throw all the crap you want up on the screen until then, but past that, if you show a political ad, you get fined. Heavily.
Six weeks feels too long. That's nearly the length of an entire campaign in any country that's not America.
posted by Merus at 3:08 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Six weeks feels too long. That's nearly the length of an entire campaign in any country that's not America.
posted by Merus at 3:08 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: A few deleted; let's nose this thing back in the direction of more signal, less noise.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 3:41 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 3:41 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
@Taniel
What new map wins: Democrats are on track to win at least a sixth of all the pick-ups they need to gain the House in Pennsylvania alone.
posted by chris24 at 3:47 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
What new map wins: Democrats are on track to win at least a sixth of all the pick-ups they need to gain the House in Pennsylvania alone.
posted by chris24 at 3:47 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
When we invariably hear that the activist court is gerrymandering for Democrats:
G. Elliott Morris, data journalist for The Economist, tweets "Been seeing takes saying new PA map is a Dem gerrymander. Nope! Still has a 3% bias toward the GOP (per mean-median test). And per my models, Democrats don’t even win a majority of PA’s seats until they win the House popular vote by 16 (SIXTEEN) points."
posted by Justinian at 4:03 PM on February 19, 2018 [39 favorites]
G. Elliott Morris, data journalist for The Economist, tweets "Been seeing takes saying new PA map is a Dem gerrymander. Nope! Still has a 3% bias toward the GOP (per mean-median test). And per my models, Democrats don’t even win a majority of PA’s seats until they win the House popular vote by 16 (SIXTEEN) points."
posted by Justinian at 4:03 PM on February 19, 2018 [39 favorites]
Just make the entire state at large and allocate seats based on IRV like an Australian Senate ballot. That will make the vote totals match the seats. Plus it would let third parties get their foot in the door with a 6% popular vote threshold for a seat.
No more bullshit line games. It's not like the Constitution even has house districts in it. The only residency requirements are state based.
posted by Talez at 4:11 PM on February 19, 2018 [27 favorites]
No more bullshit line games. It's not like the Constitution even has house districts in it. The only residency requirements are state based.
posted by Talez at 4:11 PM on February 19, 2018 [27 favorites]
NYT says a narrow majority of Americans now support the Republican tax plan, after a big GOP ad campaign.
CAN OUR SIDE PLEASE START POINTING AT WHAT THE GOP IS CUTTING TO PAY FOR THIS? THIS IS NOT AN ARGUMENT THEY SHOULD BE WINNING. IT'S THE DUMBEST PLAN SINCE TAX PLANS.
Sorry for capslock but this was a capslock moment.
posted by saysthis at 4:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [77 favorites]
CAN OUR SIDE PLEASE START POINTING AT WHAT THE GOP IS CUTTING TO PAY FOR THIS? THIS IS NOT AN ARGUMENT THEY SHOULD BE WINNING. IT'S THE DUMBEST PLAN SINCE TAX PLANS.
Sorry for capslock but this was a capslock moment.
posted by saysthis at 4:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [77 favorites]
Humans are horrifically bad at judging costs. The tax bill passed and the world did not literally, immediately end. That's apparently good enough to get 1 in 10 people to change their mind, which is what the polling shows.
Does everyone remember that whole sequester thing? I'm sure many do, but while a majority of individuals opposed sequestration in 2013 I'm willing to bet real money an overwhelming majority today wouldn't remember it even happened.
posted by Room 101 at 4:57 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
Does everyone remember that whole sequester thing? I'm sure many do, but while a majority of individuals opposed sequestration in 2013 I'm willing to bet real money an overwhelming majority today wouldn't remember it even happened.
posted by Room 101 at 4:57 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
This 34 second clip of Rex Tillerson trying to dance around whether he called the President a moron, while consistently avoiding denying it, needs to be seen to be believed.
Tillerson's whole 60 Minutes interview defies belief. For instance, here's how the US's chief diplomat views the administration's ongoing inability to appoint ambassadors amid Tillerson's decimation of State Department personnel:
In a normal timeline, his behavior and remarks would have dominated the news as unbefitting a Secretary of State in a time of crisis instead of being submerged to background noise by the howling nonsense coming out of the White House.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:49 PM on February 19, 2018 [58 favorites]
Tillerson's whole 60 Minutes interview defies belief. For instance, here's how the US's chief diplomat views the administration's ongoing inability to appoint ambassadors amid Tillerson's decimation of State Department personnel:
Margaret Brennan: There are 41 embassies without confirmed ambassadors and that's even in places where there are crises. No ambassador in South Korea, Saudi Arabia, in Turkey. How do you explain that?And his working relationship with his volatile and unpredictable boss:
Rex Tillerson: Well, there's been no dismantling at all of the State Department. We've got terrific-- people, both foreign service officers, civil servants, that have stepped into those roles around the world--
Margaret Brennan: On an interim--
Rex Tillerson: --and have stepped in--
Margaret Brennan: --basis.
Rex Tillerson: --here. It is an interim basis. So clearly, it is not with the same kind of support that I wish everyone had. But our foreign policy objectives continue to be met.
Margaret Brennan: But some of these don't even have nominees. I mean 41 embassies without ambassadors in them.
Rex Tillerson: Well, some of these are in the process. It's not a question of people being…are neglecting the importance of it. It's just the nature of the process itself.
Margaret Brennan: So one of the other challenges that you have here-- is sometimes the president's message doesn't jive with your own. I think you'd acknowledge that.And his longstanding association with Vladimir Putin:
Rex Tillerson: Well, as I said, the president communicates in his own style, his own way, his own words. And from time to time I will ask him, "Are you changin' the policy? Because if we are, obviously I need to know, and everyone needs to know."
Margaret Brennan: Well you would've thought he'd talk to you about changing the policy before he tweeted.
Rex Tillerson: And-- and to finish the thought, that has never happened. Every time I've talked to him he says, "No, the policy hasn't changed." And I say let-- then I'm good. That's all I need to know.
Margaret Brennan: You've said you had a very close relationship with Vladimir Putin. You've done huge deals with him. Photos of you toasting him with champagne. And all that closeness raised eyebrows It even inspired a Saturday Night Live skit. [...]Even though this was recorded before Mueller's Russian indictments on Friday, 60 Minutes could have at least asked Tillerson about how he balances his close relationship with Putin and Putin's interference in the 2016 election. And then there's Tillerson's suspicious behavior earlier this week when he broke protocol by meeting Putin-leaning Turkish President Recep Erdogan without a translator, aides, or a note-taker (which apparently means that the US has no official transcript, much like Trump's meeting with Putin last summer).
Rex Tillerson: The relationship that I had with President Putin spans 18 years now It was always about What could I do to be successful on behalf of my shareholders, how Russia could succeed.
Margaret Brennan: How different was it walking into the Kremlin as secretary of state?
Rex Tillerson: It was different-- because-- and I had to think very, very h-- carefully about that, And the only thing I said to him was "Mr. President, same man, different hat."
In a normal timeline, his behavior and remarks would have dominated the news as unbefitting a Secretary of State in a time of crisis instead of being submerged to background noise by the howling nonsense coming out of the White House.
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:49 PM on February 19, 2018 [58 favorites]
If you want a preview of tomorrow morning's twitter tirade, right now the #MAGAsphere is attacking the highschooler who filmed those interviews from inside while the shooting was happening, saying his dad is in the FBI and he was coached to be anti-Trump. Clearly. There's no way Trump doesn't end up attacking these kids directly too.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:00 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:00 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
Does everyone remember that whole sequester thing? I'm sure many do, but while a majority of individuals opposed sequestration in 2013 I'm willing to bet real money an overwhelming majority today wouldn't remember it even happened.
I mean, I count myself among the reasonably informed, and I only remember sequestration in an oh yeah, right, that thing sense, when the time comes to agree to ignore it again for another while.
Which was really the point of it.
posted by Dashy at 6:04 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I mean, I count myself among the reasonably informed, and I only remember sequestration in an oh yeah, right, that thing sense, when the time comes to agree to ignore it again for another while.
Which was really the point of it.
posted by Dashy at 6:04 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I also want to take my hobby horse out for a canter: The US is not the only democracy in the world.
IIRC, the US Government CREATED the modern German Bundestag, with some modifications to the US Constitution. Showing that there's always room for improvement.
posted by mikelieman at 6:10 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
IIRC, the US Government CREATED the modern German Bundestag, with some modifications to the US Constitution. Showing that there's always room for improvement.
posted by mikelieman at 6:10 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Marion Marechal-Le Pen is speaking at this year's CPAC, after Mike Pence. (You might remember when her aunt was spotted in Trump Tower.)
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:14 PM on February 19, 2018 [13 favorites]
It wouldn't pass the SC, because political speech is some of the freest free speech that we have (and for good reasons), but I still like the idea. Give people some time to breathe before they actually enter the polling booth.
I would like to see broadcasters' licenses conditioned with "You cannot accept political advertising, but must devote 3 out of 24 hours of broadcasting ( 1 out of every 8 ) to Public Affairs content" If it's not newsworthy ( and there's a lot of wiggle room in that! ) , it doesn't belong outside those windows.
I would also like a pony. Please leave in the back-yard and close the gate when you leave. Thanking you in advance.
posted by mikelieman at 6:16 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
I would like to see broadcasters' licenses conditioned with "You cannot accept political advertising, but must devote 3 out of 24 hours of broadcasting ( 1 out of every 8 ) to Public Affairs content" If it's not newsworthy ( and there's a lot of wiggle room in that! ) , it doesn't belong outside those windows.
I would also like a pony. Please leave in the back-yard and close the gate when you leave. Thanking you in advance.
posted by mikelieman at 6:16 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Trump spent the weekend tweeting about Russia. He lied, a lot.
Here are the three biggest whoppers from a very long list. (Zack Beauchamp | Vox)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [7 favorites]
Here are the three biggest whoppers from a very long list. (Zack Beauchamp | Vox)
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:19 PM on February 19, 2018 [7 favorites]
Marion Marechal-Le Pen is speaking at this year's CPAC, after Mike Pence.
For those unfamiliar, Le Pen isn't just a rightist. She's homophobic, anti-Muslim, anti-EU, and pro-Putin. Inviting her is a massive signal about where the GOP has found itself.
posted by Justinian at 6:21 PM on February 19, 2018 [50 favorites]
For those unfamiliar, Le Pen isn't just a rightist. She's homophobic, anti-Muslim, anti-EU, and pro-Putin. Inviting her is a massive signal about where the GOP has found itself.
posted by Justinian at 6:21 PM on February 19, 2018 [50 favorites]
Their risky financing maneuvers all took place during a very long stretch of near-zero interest rates. Now that they're rising, the pressure will be intense.
Traditionally, each property would have the assets in their own LLC, and they'd just declare bankruptcy, letting the bank take the property and the loss, and use the loss on their books to offset any remaining tax liabilities. I think, to them, they feel they're too high profile to do it without the BRAND taking a hit.
posted by mikelieman at 6:23 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Traditionally, each property would have the assets in their own LLC, and they'd just declare bankruptcy, letting the bank take the property and the loss, and use the loss on their books to offset any remaining tax liabilities. I think, to them, they feel they're too high profile to do it without the BRAND taking a hit.
posted by mikelieman at 6:23 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
"For those unfamiliar, Le Pen isn't just a rightist. She's homophobic, anti-Muslim, anti-EU, and pro-Putin. Inviting her is a massive signal about where the GOP has found itself."The Dog Whistler.
posted by Pinback at 6:23 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump Dating (aka OKStupid)
AV Club: “Yes, there’s a new dating site catering specifically to Trump supporters, and they weren’t even clever enough to come up with the tagline “Make America Date Again.” The site is called Trump.Dating, and declares in its opening statement, “we believe that by matching patriotic and political viewpoints as a base foundation of the relationship, it will allow one to focus on what really matters”—like, say, complaining to the manager that there’s nowhere for you to sit when when you inevitably go on a date to Papa John’s.”
The guy featured on the front page splash photo is a convicted sex offender.
posted by porn in the woods at 6:28 PM on February 19, 2018 [52 favorites]
AV Club: “Yes, there’s a new dating site catering specifically to Trump supporters, and they weren’t even clever enough to come up with the tagline “Make America Date Again.” The site is called Trump.Dating, and declares in its opening statement, “we believe that by matching patriotic and political viewpoints as a base foundation of the relationship, it will allow one to focus on what really matters”—like, say, complaining to the manager that there’s nowhere for you to sit when when you inevitably go on a date to Papa John’s.”
The guy featured on the front page splash photo is a convicted sex offender.
posted by porn in the woods at 6:28 PM on February 19, 2018 [52 favorites]
Trump just tweeted his full and unwavering support for Romney.
I guess he wants an easy win for once instead of backing a shitty horse.
posted by Talez at 6:38 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
I guess he wants an easy win for once instead of backing a shitty horse.
posted by Talez at 6:38 PM on February 19, 2018 [2 favorites]
The site is called Trump.Dating
So if you don't share their political viewpoints, you're unpatriotic. Their home page title tag literally says "Your 'America First' Partner Await" (at least in the Google cache; the site won't load for me).
like, say, complaining to the manager that there’s nowhere for you to sit when when you inevitably go on a date to Papa John’s
"Why isn't there a White History Month? #MAGA"
posted by kirkaracha at 6:40 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
Only heterosexual individuals have an option to join the free site, which asks users to identify as a “straight man” or a “straight woman” before signing up.matching patriotic and political viewpoints as a base foundation of the relationship
...
...although Trump.dating demurs from openly engaging in white supremacist rhetoric in its promotional copy, the all-white stock photo models, references to being on the “same team,” and splitting of hairs between “Scandinavian/Mediterranean/Eastern European/Western European” under the “ethnicity” part of the “about me” section make the implication clear enough.
So if you don't share their political viewpoints, you're unpatriotic. Their home page title tag literally says "Your 'America First' Partner Await" (at least in the Google cache; the site won't load for me).
like, say, complaining to the manager that there’s nowhere for you to sit when when you inevitably go on a date to Papa John’s
"Why isn't there a White History Month? #MAGA"
posted by kirkaracha at 6:40 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
“Trump is a phony, a fraud. His promises are as worthless as a degree from Trump University. He's playing members of the American public for suckers...Dishonesty is Donald Trump's hallmark.”
Mitt Romney, March 3, 2016
posted by Dashy at 6:45 PM on February 19, 2018 [46 favorites]
Mitt Romney, March 3, 2016
posted by Dashy at 6:45 PM on February 19, 2018 [46 favorites]
The Romney campaign is going to be bananas.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:58 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:58 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
In a normal timeline, his behavior and remarks would have dominated the news as unbefitting a Secretary of State in a time of crisis instead of being submerged to background noise by the howling nonsense coming out of the White House.
In a normal timeline, the revelation that the president-elect spent the money of his eponymous foundation on oversized portraits of himself would cloud the whole administration. Now it is not even background noise.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:03 PM on February 19, 2018 [46 favorites]
In a normal timeline, the revelation that the president-elect spent the money of his eponymous foundation on oversized portraits of himself would cloud the whole administration. Now it is not even background noise.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 7:03 PM on February 19, 2018 [46 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS - WILLIAM HENRY HARRISON MEMORIAL EDITION
** PA redistricting:
Two special elections tomorrow night, including a good chance at a flip in KY House 49.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:20 PM on February 19, 2018 [38 favorites]
** PA redistricting:
-- As noted earlier, the PA Supreme Court handed down its remedial Congressional maps today. The expectation is that this will transform a 13-5 GOP seat advantage to anywhere between 10-8 GOP to 10-8 Dem. So, this is a big help in the Dem quest to flip the House.** PA-18 special:
- Interactive Google map of the new districts.
- Here's a look at 2016 presidential results in old vs new districts. And here's a look at the Partisan Voting Index for old and new.
- The PA GOP is not happy, and plans to take legal action. Overall reaction from Legal Twitter is: good luck with that. A GOP backbencher has also floated impeaching the PA SC justices, but so far, the party seems reluctant to go that far.
- As noted upstream, this is for US House maps, only. PA legislature maps are specified differently under the state constitution.
- There was a big tussle on Elections Twitter about whether this was a Dem gerrymander. Short answer: no, it's not.
-- The old House maps will hold for this special election, which is next month. The candidates will end up in different districts in the new map. Dem Lamb is in the new PA-17, where he has an excellent shot against incumbent Keith Rothfus (new district PVI is only R+3). GOPer Saccone will end up in the new PA-18, where he would have almost no shot (PVI is D+12). This is going to set up a weird general, either way.** 2018 Senate:
-- Latest polling has Saccone up about 5.5 points, which is not great in a Trump 58-39 district.
-- National Journal write-up of the race.
-- UT: Romney formally entered the race the other day. McConnell is encouraging Trump to back him. [UPDATE: I see above he just did it].** 2018 House:
-- TX: Probable Dem nominee Beto O'Rourke has been getting a lot of attention lately. After outraising Sen Cruz for two straight quarters, he is continuing to raise at a prodigious pace - $2.2M in the first 45 days of this year. Cruz is seeming a bit nervous. And his approval is underwater. Polling has O'Rourke eight points down. NYT backgrounder.
This is still definitely in the 2nd tier for Dem flips (1st: NV, AZ | 2nd: TX, TN, maybe MS), but O'Rourke is certainly looking like a solid candidate.
-- FL: Gov. Scott has been playing Hamlet for a while about running agains Sen Nelson, but he's supposedly inching closer to yes.
-- TN: Drama continues to swirl as Republicans seem nervous about Rep Marsha Blackburn's electability, yet she seems a lock to win the primary. Former Rep Stephen Fincher left the race and is calling for Sen Bob Corker to run again. Corker, though, is apparently trying to get White House backing before jumping back in. No word there yet, but Corker is saying he'll decide one way or the other this week. Dem Phil Bredesen is polling surprisingly well against either candidate.
-- VA: The Republicans will almost certainly be running a crazy person (either EW Jackson or Corey Stewart) agains popular incumbent Kaine, and the state GOP is getting worried about what this means for House and local races (state offices are in odd-numbered years).
-- MS: Also from the NYT article, Trump personally pressing MS gov Bryant to take the seat Sen Cochran is expected to vacate shortly. The problem is that Bryant doesn't want it, and that makes it likely the nominee would be very far right Chris McDaniel, setting up a Roy Moore-like situation. Also note that MS has a considerably higher African-American population than AL does.
-- ND: Analysts are calling this race a tossup, but Heitkamp wins on intensity, and likely GOP nominee Cramer is reminiscent of the guy she beat in 2012.
-- WI-07: I have to repeat this, but: the manager of Bon Iver is running against Sean from Real World: Boston.** Odds & ends:
-- FL-17: Rep Rooney not running again. District went Trump 62-35, Romney 58-41. GOP retirements are at an all time high.
-- More from that NYT article: McConnell ready for losses in House and Senate, concedes they are lagging on fundraising, recruitment.
-- IL-03: Dem primary continues to heat up as progressive Marie Newman tries to knock off conservative Dem incumbent Dan Lipinski. A NARAL-aligned PAC is dumping in $413k for ads on Newman's behalf.
-- New PA maps probably mean a lot of upheaval in PA races for the next little while, as everyone decides what to do. One impact is that the interesting Dem primary for Lloyd Smucker's seat in old PA-16 is probably all for nought, as his new seat is much more Republican.
-- First poll is out for the Kansas governor's race, and our old friend Kris Kobach is not doing so well. He's trailing newly promoted governor Jeff Colyer 23-21 in the GOP primary. One poll, obviously, but the general vibe seems to be that he's not catching fire as you might expect.====
-- Interesting chart on impact of partisan lean on special election results. As we've mentioned before, biggest swing is in GOP leaning districts.
-- Keep an eye on Arizona governor, as well. Gov Ducey was not expected to be terribly vulnerable, but the Republican Governors Association is booking a bunch of ad air time. He also looked vulnerable in an early poll, and of course, we might expect local Dems to fired up with at least one, possibly two Senate seats up for grabs.
-- Despite big Dem gains back in November, the GOP still controls the Virginia House of Delegates. They're using that remaining power to stomp on Dem-sponsored bills, some 85% so far.
-- Number of registered Republicans in California are about to fall behind the number of registered independents.
Two special elections tomorrow night, including a good chance at a flip in KY House 49.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:20 PM on February 19, 2018 [38 favorites]
Marion Marechal-Le Pen is speaking at this year's CPAC, after Mike Pence
As ever, where there are nazis there is Russian money.
posted by Artw at 7:24 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
As ever, where there are nazis there is Russian money.
posted by Artw at 7:24 PM on February 19, 2018 [18 favorites]
Wisconsinites, the spring primary is tomorrow (including a jungle primary for state Supreme Court candidates among two progressives and a conservative). Candidate information. Polling place information. Bring valid ID.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:29 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 7:29 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
GOPer Saccone will end up in the new PA-18, where he would have almost no shot (PVI is D+12)
I've been wanting to vote against this asshole for months, and I may finally get my chance! (LOL no I won't, he won't run against Doyle. I kind of wish he would because it would be a collosal waste of money and I'm all for parting evil dipshits from their Benjamins.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:33 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
I've been wanting to vote against this asshole for months, and I may finally get my chance! (LOL no I won't, he won't run against Doyle. I kind of wish he would because it would be a collosal waste of money and I'm all for parting evil dipshits from their Benjamins.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:33 PM on February 19, 2018 [4 favorites]
Let me tell of the glee around here at our buddy Keith Rothfus being thrown into a competitive district....
posted by Chrysostom at 7:36 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:36 PM on February 19, 2018 [8 favorites]
Re: Both sides were duped.
Last year sometime, an economist I know mentioned a 2014 book titled Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia, written by a senior fellow at the London School of Economics who is also the son of a Russian dissident. I only half-listened at the time, but I just downloaded it to my Kindle in light of the revelations from last week. A snippet:
Last year sometime, an economist I know mentioned a 2014 book titled Nothing Is True and Everything Is Possible: The Surreal Heart of the New Russia, written by a senior fellow at the London School of Economics who is also the son of a Russian dissident. I only half-listened at the time, but I just downloaded it to my Kindle in light of the revelations from last week. A snippet:
“In the twenty-first century the techniques of the political technologists have become centralized and systematized, coordinated out of the office of the presidential administration, where Surkov would sit behind a desk on which were phones bearing the names of all the “independent” party leaders, calling and directing them at any moment, day or night. The brilliance of this new type of authoritarianism is that instead of simply oppressing opposition, as had been the case with twentieth-century strains, it climbs inside all ideologies and movements, exploiting and rendering them absurd. One moment Surkov would fund civic forums and human rights NGOs, the next he would quietly support nationalist movements that accuse the NGOs of being tools of the West. With a flourish he sponsored lavish arts festivals for the most provocative modern artists in Moscow, then supported Orthodox fundamentalists, dressed all in black and carrying crosses, who in turn attacked the modern art exhibitions. The Kremlin’s idea is to own all forms of political discourse, to not let any independent movements develop outside of its walls. Its Moscow can feel like an oligarchy in the morning and a democracy in the afternoon, a monarchy for dinner and a totalitarian state by bedtime.”posted by xyzzy at 7:48 PM on February 19, 2018 [93 favorites]
USA today could do better than referring to domestic abuse as "drama" in their headline about spousal abuse in government.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [12 favorites]
xyzzy: “The Kremlin’s idea is to own all forms of political discourse, to not let any independent movements develop outside of its walls.”I've linked it before, but Adam Curtis' HyperNormalisation [Caution: Graphic Violence] discusses Surkov as the author of the times we live in. Curtis has been exploring these ideas for some time, as in clips entitled "Oh Dearism" included in Charlie Brooker Wipe programs in 2009 [Caution: Graphic Violence] and 2014. The latter of which specifically discusses Surkov's role in destabilizing the mechanisms of democracy worldwide.
posted by ob1quixote at 9:06 PM on February 19, 2018 [16 favorites]
The Romney campaign is going to be bananas.
Spineless Masochist Mitt Romney Laps Up Trump Endorsement Like a Very Good Boy "Thank you Mr. President for the support. I hope that over the course of the campaign I also earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah."
The hero Nevertrump deserves.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:07 PM on February 19, 2018 [37 favorites]
Spineless Masochist Mitt Romney Laps Up Trump Endorsement Like a Very Good Boy "Thank you Mr. President for the support. I hope that over the course of the campaign I also earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah."
The hero Nevertrump deserves.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:07 PM on February 19, 2018 [37 favorites]
Enough talking and finish your meatloaf, Mitt.
posted by rhizome at 9:13 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 9:13 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
Fred Clark has written about how evangelicals tend to believe that everyone actually knows God is real and the Bible is true and so on. People just pretend not to, because they want to keep sinning.
See also the alt-right/WN types dismissing liberal antiracism as “virtue-signaling”.
posted by non canadian guy at 9:20 PM on February 19, 2018 [37 favorites]
See also the alt-right/WN types dismissing liberal antiracism as “virtue-signaling”.
posted by non canadian guy at 9:20 PM on February 19, 2018 [37 favorites]
NYT says a narrow majority of Americans now support the Republican tax plan, after a big GOP ad campaign.
One of the problems progressives have is they believe if they make a cogent argument once, that settles the issue. The right wing knows that even if they don't have one, they can just repeat their taking points over and over and their audience will come to believe it as gospel.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:38 PM on February 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
One of the problems progressives have is they believe if they make a cogent argument once, that settles the issue. The right wing knows that even if they don't have one, they can just repeat their taking points over and over and their audience will come to believe it as gospel.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:38 PM on February 19, 2018 [24 favorites]
The talking points are cover. It's about affinity, not ideas. Or consequences. No one has to believe any of it. If some do, great.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:41 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:41 PM on February 19, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Kremlin’s idea is to own all forms of political discourse, to not let any independent movements develop outside of its walls.
Very interesting, thanks. So, in economic terms, it's a type of ideological oligopoly, or monopolistic competition then, huh?
In other words, like soda pop or laundry detergent in the US, or like beer used to be. There are tons of brands, but they're all controlled by 2 or 3 (or 1) producer. It creates the illusion of choice without any actually being there.
Where then can we find our microbrewed ideology?
posted by msalt at 9:59 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
Very interesting, thanks. So, in economic terms, it's a type of ideological oligopoly, or monopolistic competition then, huh?
In other words, like soda pop or laundry detergent in the US, or like beer used to be. There are tons of brands, but they're all controlled by 2 or 3 (or 1) producer. It creates the illusion of choice without any actually being there.
Where then can we find our microbrewed ideology?
posted by msalt at 9:59 PM on February 19, 2018 [11 favorites]
Mr. World: But ultimately, everything is all systems interlaced, a single product manufactured by a single company for a single global market. Spicy, medium, or chunky. They get a choice, of course.
Of course!
But they are buying salsa.
posted by benzenedream at 10:11 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
Of course!
But they are buying salsa.
posted by benzenedream at 10:11 PM on February 19, 2018 [6 favorites]
BuzzFeed, Manafort Under Scrutiny For $40 Million In “Suspicious” Transactions: "As the special counsel investigated President Donald Trump’s former campaign manager Paul Manafort, authorities obtained details on “suspicious” banking activity that was first unearthed in 2014 and 2015. Those records were part of an FBI operation to track international kleptocracy that ultimately failed, but which Robert Mueller’s team resurrected."
I was kind of prepared to dismiss this, because a vague definition of "suspicious transaction" is hard to trust, but oh come on:
Also, I'm not in banking, but even I'm generally aware what an astonishingly big deal it is for Suspicious Activity Reports, which are very much supposed to be kept secret, to leak. Jason Leopold seems to have a hell of a source at FinCEN.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 PM on February 19, 2018 [26 favorites]
I was kind of prepared to dismiss this, because a vague definition of "suspicious transaction" is hard to trust, but oh come on:
Eight banks filed 23 “suspicious activity reports” between 2004 and 2014, which includes the years that Manafort and his consulting company, Davis Manafort Partners, worked for Yanukovych. These reports, reviewed by BuzzFeed News, show that between October 2008 and July 2013, Manafort’s personal and business accounts received about $30 million from banks in offshore havens such as Cyprus, Kyrgyzstan, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.How is that even possible?
...
For instance, in June 2006, Wachovia Bank officials noted that a Manafort company account registered two cash withdrawals of $7,500 apiece about four hours apart and at different branches.
Wachovia officials also flagged $25,000 in “fraudulent charges” at Duane Reade stores in New York City in September 2007. Bank officials said the debit card was in Manafort’s possession during that time.
Also, I'm not in banking, but even I'm generally aware what an astonishingly big deal it is for Suspicious Activity Reports, which are very much supposed to be kept secret, to leak. Jason Leopold seems to have a hell of a source at FinCEN.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 PM on February 19, 2018 [26 favorites]
A Facebook Executive Apologizes to His Company—and to Robert Mueller
posted by Artw at 11:01 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:01 PM on February 19, 2018 [10 favorites]
Do You Believe Her Now? - "It’s time to reexamine the evidence that Clarence Thomas lied to get onto the Supreme Court — and to talk seriously about impeachment." Jill Abramson
Clarence Thomas Decided Three Cases Where AEI Filed A Brief After AEI Gave Him A $15,000 Gift
Clarence Thomas' Criminal Behavior on Financial Disclosure
posted by the man of twists and turns at 11:28 PM on February 19, 2018 [93 favorites]
Lying is, for lawyers, a cardinal sin. State disciplinary committees regularly institute proceedings against lawyers for knowingly lying in court, with punishments that can include disbarment. Since 1989, three federal judges have been impeached and forced from office for charges that include lying. The idea of someone so flagrantly telling untruths to ascend to the highest legal position in the U.S. remains shocking, in addition to its being illegal. (Thomas, through a spokesperson, declined to comment on a detailed list of queries.)Clarence Thomas Sexually Harassed Me. Yes, He Should Be Impeached., Angela Wright-Shannon
The impeachment of Clarence Thomas is a pipe dream. In this fantasy, Justice Thomas is actually brought to justice, removed for lying under oath during his Senate confirmation hearing. The pipe dream, which is gathering steam thanks to Jill Abramson’s exploration of Thomas’ lies in New York Magazine this week, is as realistic as the one where President Trump is impeached for bragging about sexually assaulting women.see also:
I would know. In 1991, I was a metro editor at The Charlotte Observer, lobbying to become a columnist, when I was subpoenaed to testify at Thomas’ confirmation hearings after a colleague leaked word to Sen. Joe Biden that I was writing a column about my experiences working with Thomas. The column, though not intended for publication at the time, expressed my conviction that Anita Hill was telling the truth about Thomas — who, as Hill’s boss, allegedly tried to date her and engage in lengthy conversations about sex and pornography. I believed Hill because I had experienced similar behavior from him:
Clarence Thomas Decided Three Cases Where AEI Filed A Brief After AEI Gave Him A $15,000 Gift
Clarence Thomas' Criminal Behavior on Financial Disclosure
posted by the man of twists and turns at 11:28 PM on February 19, 2018 [93 favorites]
"The talking points are cover. It's about affinity, not ideas."The talking points aren't cover at all. They're integral to the whole strategy - they're how you create affinity…
posted by Pinback at 11:46 PM on February 19, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes, Clarence Thomas should absolutely be impeached, but umm.... do you guys really think now is a great time for that, given who would be appointing his replacement?
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:03 AM on February 20, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 1:03 AM on February 20, 2018 [28 favorites]
It isn't practical until at least 2018 and I would hold off for 2020 or later, but tbh, I'm not sure how much worse Trump could do than Thomas. Though, that may not be a challenge I want to offer to the universe.
posted by bootlegpop at 2:45 AM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by bootlegpop at 2:45 AM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
It's not that he would do worse than Thomas but that a replacement would be much younger. Replacing Thomas with a liberal justice is the only chance Democrats will have to make a paradigm shift on the court for maybe 25 years and having Thomas replaced with a younger conservative would scuttle that.
Replacing Kennedy with a true liberal would be important but replacing Thomas would be a revolution.
posted by Justinian at 2:56 AM on February 20, 2018 [24 favorites]
Replacing Kennedy with a true liberal would be important but replacing Thomas would be a revolution.
posted by Justinian at 2:56 AM on February 20, 2018 [24 favorites]
USA today could do better than referring to domestic abuse as "drama" in their headline about spousal abuse in government.
I know, they forgot to add something about "tumultuous" or "tempestuous" relationships.
posted by Ralston McTodd at 4:32 AM on February 20, 2018
I know, they forgot to add something about "tumultuous" or "tempestuous" relationships.
posted by Ralston McTodd at 4:32 AM on February 20, 2018
Drudge has been running an item for the last couple days that is steadily increasing in prominence: “Fake videos on the rise”. Perhaps Matt knows about something that’s about to be released on which certain people would like doubt to be cast....
posted by MOWOG at 4:55 AM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by MOWOG at 4:55 AM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
Today in Democrats never learn, a report on the Conor Lamb campaign in PA-18: Next Month Don't Bet On Conor Lamb Doing As Well As Jon Ossoff Did
In contrast, Lamb has no what we call a "yinzer accent." He is always wearing suits and talks about Public service as if he is doing these guys some sort of favor by running. When he does talk about labor, it's very very stiff. Recently, he came out and addressed 500 members of the Carpenters Union. After he left, the members mocked him for being so uptight and elitist. These are the guys he should be firing up to knock on doors and go all out and instead he just seems like another politician to them.posted by T.D. Strange at 5:30 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Instead of hammering home on free trade, prevailing wage, and coal mine pension issues, which affect thousands of members in our district, Lamb barely talks to the press and when he does it’s all this vague crap about public service.
Still many of us in the district want to help him, but we can’t if his campaign is being run by a close knit group of his family members. They want labor to provide an army of ground troops for them, but we can’t do it unless he listens to us and appeals to our members in ways that appeal to them instead of talking down to them about public service
TIL that there is a place in which "doesn't have a Yinzer accent" can be an electoral negative
posted by delfin at 5:42 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by delfin at 5:42 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
The district he's running in is divided between very population-dense uppercrusty white suburbs where a whole lot of people aren't actually *from* here and definitely aren't Yinzers, and a large swath of rural rust belt. So, like, if someone wants to try to square that circle, go right on ahead.
Our new PA map has Lamb in a much less rural district and he is definitely not the ideal candidate there, so we'll see what happens going forward.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:47 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Our new PA map has Lamb in a much less rural district and he is definitely not the ideal candidate there, so we'll see what happens going forward.
posted by soren_lorensen at 5:47 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
T.D. Strange: "Today in Democrats never learn, a report on the Conor Lamb campaign in PA-18: Next Month Don't Bet On Conor Lamb Doing As Well As Jon Ossoff Did"
First sentence: "As you've probably noticed, I think Conor Lamb's campaign is a train wreck."
Polls show Lamb outperforming Trump by about 15 points right now. Yeah, sounds disastrous.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:02 AM on February 20, 2018 [20 favorites]
First sentence: "As you've probably noticed, I think Conor Lamb's campaign is a train wreck."
Polls show Lamb outperforming Trump by about 15 points right now. Yeah, sounds disastrous.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:02 AM on February 20, 2018 [20 favorites]
Remember that kerfuffle about trump.dating? Turns out the guy from the couple on the front page is a sex offender, statuatory rapist, and child pornographer.
posted by Talez at 6:08 AM on February 20, 2018 [33 favorites]
When the Riddlebergers’ friend, Jeff Hyde, ran for chairman of the Guilford County GOP in 2011, concerned associates worried that his candidacy would be torpedoed by revelations about Barrett Riddleberger’s past conviction of indecent liberties with a child, stemming from a videotape of him having sex with a 15-year-old girl when he was 25.Make dating great again indeed.
posted by Talez at 6:08 AM on February 20, 2018 [33 favorites]
Wow. I wake up, I check Twitter and...
This morning's Daily Trump Temperament Advisory System.
posted by Talez at 6:20 AM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
This morning's Daily Trump Temperament Advisory System.
posted by Talez at 6:20 AM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Yeah, Lamb's (current) district is a weird one in which to try to have mass appeal. Hell if I know what's going to happen there - it's not my district and he wouldn't be my ideal candidate, but I've thrown money at his campaign and am hoping for the best.
But also I just desperately want it to be over so I can stop seeing Rick Saccone's campaign ads, which are running nonstop during the Olympics and are about a breath shy of I SAW CONOR LAMB AND NANCY PELOSI DANCING WITH THE DEVIL IN THE WOODS, AND THEN HE ATTACKED ME IN THE FORM OF A YELLOW BIRD WHO WANTED TO RAISE MY TAXES.
posted by Stacey at 6:23 AM on February 20, 2018 [41 favorites]
But also I just desperately want it to be over so I can stop seeing Rick Saccone's campaign ads, which are running nonstop during the Olympics and are about a breath shy of I SAW CONOR LAMB AND NANCY PELOSI DANCING WITH THE DEVIL IN THE WOODS, AND THEN HE ATTACKED ME IN THE FORM OF A YELLOW BIRD WHO WANTED TO RAISE MY TAXES.
posted by Stacey at 6:23 AM on February 20, 2018 [41 favorites]
Another indictment:
"On Tuesday, the special counsel filed the following criminal information document in D.C. federal district court. The document describes false statements made by Alex Van Der Zwaan." (lawfareblog)
posted by bluecore at 6:35 AM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
"On Tuesday, the special counsel filed the following criminal information document in D.C. federal district court. The document describes false statements made by Alex Van Der Zwaan." (lawfareblog)
posted by bluecore at 6:35 AM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Spineless Masochist Mitt Romney Laps Up Trump Endorsement Like a Very Good Boy "Thank you Mr. President for the support. I hope that over the course of the campaign I also earn the support and endorsement of the people of Utah."
The hero Nevertrump deserves.
Instead of "Mitt," I'm going to refer to him as "Reek" from now on. He is so abject and pathetic. If he doesn't lose (given that this is ruby red Utah) I hope he gets a credible challenge.
With a very few exceptions, the Republican party is Reeks all the way down. The most they do is furrow their brows and go "tsk tsk."
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 6:36 AM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
As noted last night - even if Saccone wins, he's likely just renting the seat for 10 months. He lives in the new PA-18, which is basically Pittsburgh. It's heavily Democratic (PVI D+12), and will have a Dem incumbent running in what's largely the same outlines as his current district. So he's very unlikely to win there.
He could run out of district, but that's not usually a successful strategy. He could move, but the old PA-18 that he would be representing is going to be scattered across four new districts, so he probably wouldn't have a lot of traction, especially as a freshman.
Obviously, I want Lamb to win - Saccone is awful. But the new maps mean that a Saccone win here is likely to be short-lived.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:40 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
He could run out of district, but that's not usually a successful strategy. He could move, but the old PA-18 that he would be representing is going to be scattered across four new districts, so he probably wouldn't have a lot of traction, especially as a freshman.
Obviously, I want Lamb to win - Saccone is awful. But the new maps mean that a Saccone win here is likely to be short-lived.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:40 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
Reek was abused and tortured—there’s a reason he’s like that.
Republicans just chose it.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:42 AM on February 20, 2018 [32 favorites]
Republicans just chose it.
posted by schadenfrau at 6:42 AM on February 20, 2018 [32 favorites]
yeah, it sounds like mueller is using gates's testimony to catch van der zwaan in a lie. presumably he's looking for a plea deal from van der zwaan that he can use to get further goods on manafort.
posted by murphy slaw at 6:55 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 6:55 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
delfin: "TIL that there is a place in which "doesn't have a Yinzer accent" can be an electoral negative"
He's got a law degree from Penn, if he was speaking with a blue-collar accent it would be gross and condescending. And it's pretty rare for Pittsburgh politicians to have a Pittsburgh accent, most of them have standard white american accents.
posted by octothorpe at 7:16 AM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
He's got a law degree from Penn, if he was speaking with a blue-collar accent it would be gross and condescending. And it's pretty rare for Pittsburgh politicians to have a Pittsburgh accent, most of them have standard white american accents.
posted by octothorpe at 7:16 AM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Oh. Interesting.
I wasn't sure who Van der Zwaan was. Apparently his father-in-law is Russian oligarch German Khan, a founder of Alfa Group (which owns Alfa Bank), who is suing BuzzFeed over publication of the Steele Dossier. Alfa Bank is the bank which had that weird server connection between the server in Trump tower that is still perplexing.
posted by bluecore at 7:17 AM on February 20, 2018 [47 favorites]
I wasn't sure who Van der Zwaan was. Apparently his father-in-law is Russian oligarch German Khan, a founder of Alfa Group (which owns Alfa Bank), who is suing BuzzFeed over publication of the Steele Dossier. Alfa Bank is the bank which had that weird server connection between the server in Trump tower that is still perplexing.
posted by bluecore at 7:17 AM on February 20, 2018 [47 favorites]
If true, I really want to know about that server in Trump Tower that was communicating with Alfa Bank.
@AlexParker
37 minutes ago
Van der Zwaan’s father-in-law is Russian oligarch German Khan, a founder of Alfa Group (which owns Alfa Bank), who has sued BuzzFeed over publication of the Steele Dossier
posted by mikelieman at 7:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
@AlexParker
37 minutes ago
Van der Zwaan’s father-in-law is Russian oligarch German Khan, a founder of Alfa Group (which owns Alfa Bank), who has sued BuzzFeed over publication of the Steele Dossier
posted by mikelieman at 7:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
The lawyer also allegedly lied about his talks with someone else, referred to by the government as "Person A.” Van Der Zwaan deleted and failed to produce emails sought by the special counsel and a law firm, prosecutors said.
This guy is being questioned about a high profile FBI case. I'm guessing that a few more three letter agencies are interested in the case also, like maybe the NSA or DIA. Why would a lawyer think that deleting e-mails is a good tactic?
posted by rdr at 7:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
This guy is being questioned about a high profile FBI case. I'm guessing that a few more three letter agencies are interested in the case also, like maybe the NSA or DIA. Why would a lawyer think that deleting e-mails is a good tactic?
posted by rdr at 7:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
This guy is being question about a high profile FBI case. I'm guessing that a few more three letter agencies are interested in the case also, like maybe the NSA or DIA.
If I'm reading tea leaves, I'd say that Mueller is going DEEP into the criminal aspect of this on the Russian side, and when all that is done, then tying the Trump Crime Family in on the way back up seems like a good strategy.
posted by mikelieman at 7:23 AM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
If I'm reading tea leaves, I'd say that Mueller is going DEEP into the criminal aspect of this on the Russian side, and when all that is done, then tying the Trump Crime Family in on the way back up seems like a good strategy.
posted by mikelieman at 7:23 AM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
Boston Globe: States returning to paper ballots
Bonus Axios: States without paper ballots
posted by Chrysostom at 7:48 AM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
Bonus Axios: States without paper ballots
posted by Chrysostom at 7:48 AM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
Donald Jr. is promoting conspiracy theories against student survivors of the Florida shooting.
#RT @GrahamLedger: Could it be that this student is running cover for his dad who Works as an FBI agent at the Miami field office Which botched tracking (he down the Man behind the Valentine day massacre? Just wondering. Just connecting some dots…
The photo in the linked article is of the student with "EXPOSED" in red on his forehead.
Minors who have just survived massacres are not exempt from political attacks by the ruling family if they appear to be dissidents or are related to possible dissidents. This is happening right now.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:29 AM on February 20, 2018 [135 favorites]
#RT @GrahamLedger: Could it be that this student is running cover for his dad who Works as an FBI agent at the Miami field office Which botched tracking (he down the Man behind the Valentine day massacre? Just wondering. Just connecting some dots…
The photo in the linked article is of the student with "EXPOSED" in red on his forehead.
Minors who have just survived massacres are not exempt from political attacks by the ruling family if they appear to be dissidents or are related to possible dissidents. This is happening right now.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:29 AM on February 20, 2018 [135 favorites]
Trump is now urging PA republicans to fight the new district map.
posted by octothorpe at 8:35 AM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 8:35 AM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Here are some links backing up the German Khan thing, in case others are (like me) reluctant to share things we only know from tweets.
This Washington Post story says Alex Van der Zwaan (just indicted by Mueller) is the son in law of Russian Oligarch German Khan.
This Forbes link says: "German Khan's Alfa Group, which he shares with fellow billionaires and college buddies Mikhail Fridman and Alexei Kuzmichev, is the biggest financial and industrial investment group in Russia."
For completeness, here again is the most recent CNN story about the Trump computer serverwhich was found to be communicating (almost exclusively) with an Alfa Bank computer server.
And the Politico story about Alfa Group suing Buzzfeed over their publication of the Steele Dossier.
I don't know quite what to make of this new information, but it sure is interesting!
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:37 AM on February 20, 2018 [33 favorites]
This Washington Post story says Alex Van der Zwaan (just indicted by Mueller) is the son in law of Russian Oligarch German Khan.
This Forbes link says: "German Khan's Alfa Group, which he shares with fellow billionaires and college buddies Mikhail Fridman and Alexei Kuzmichev, is the biggest financial and industrial investment group in Russia."
For completeness, here again is the most recent CNN story about the Trump computer serverwhich was found to be communicating (almost exclusively) with an Alfa Bank computer server.
And the Politico story about Alfa Group suing Buzzfeed over their publication of the Steele Dossier.
I don't know quite what to make of this new information, but it sure is interesting!
posted by OnceUponATime at 8:37 AM on February 20, 2018 [33 favorites]
Why would a lawyer think that deleting e-mails is a good tactic?
it's sort of crazy how people with extensive educations consistently forget that every email in their mailbox exists, at the absolute bare minimum, in the inbox of the sender or recipient(s). to say nothing of copies on an unknowable number of intermediary servers in between.
it's like thinking that if you make a poster and stick it up all over town, you can prevent anyone from seeing it by deleting the Adobe Illustrator file you printed it from.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:43 AM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
it's sort of crazy how people with extensive educations consistently forget that every email in their mailbox exists, at the absolute bare minimum, in the inbox of the sender or recipient(s). to say nothing of copies on an unknowable number of intermediary servers in between.
it's like thinking that if you make a poster and stick it up all over town, you can prevent anyone from seeing it by deleting the Adobe Illustrator file you printed it from.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:43 AM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
And the Politico story about Alfa Group suing Buzzfeed over their publication of the Steele Dossier.
Yeah that's why Buzzfeed hired investigators to prove the Steele Dossier is true. So if anyone ends up finding and releasing the pee tape, it will likely be them.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:44 AM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah that's why Buzzfeed hired investigators to prove the Steele Dossier is true. So if anyone ends up finding and releasing the pee tape, it will likely be them.
posted by Jacqueline at 8:44 AM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
Milo Yiannopoulos Drops Lawsuit Against Simon & Schuster, But We’ll Always Have His Editor’s Notes
posted by Artw at 8:51 AM on February 20, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:51 AM on February 20, 2018 [25 favorites]
Deleting emails only works if they're AcidWashed, BleachBitted, and then treated with uranium.
posted by delfin at 8:53 AM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by delfin at 8:53 AM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
This Washington Post story says Alex Van der Zwaan (just indicted by Mueller) is the son in law of Russian Oligarch German Khan.
There's something so satisfying about how these rich oligarchs, who have for decades been working in shadows siphoning off funds and avoiding taxes in unsavory, if not less than legal ways, now have Trump to thank for the USG getting up in their business and exposing all their shit.
posted by Talez at 8:59 AM on February 20, 2018 [56 favorites]
There's something so satisfying about how these rich oligarchs, who have for decades been working in shadows siphoning off funds and avoiding taxes in unsavory, if not less than legal ways, now have Trump to thank for the USG getting up in their business and exposing all their shit.
posted by Talez at 8:59 AM on February 20, 2018 [56 favorites]
Milo Yiannopoulos Drops Lawsuit Against Simon & Schuster, But We’ll Always Have His Editor’s Notes
TBH the court transcripts of him trying to represent himself were solid gold. I regret we won't be treated to more of that hilarity.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:00 AM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
TBH the court transcripts of him trying to represent himself were solid gold. I regret we won't be treated to more of that hilarity.
posted by Existential Dread at 9:00 AM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
Fingers crossed S&S do him for costs. Maybe it will distract him from his new college tour.
(Stay the fuck away if that runs into trouble, ACLU. I know you’re itching to jump in but just stay the fuck away)
posted by Artw at 9:08 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
(Stay the fuck away if that runs into trouble, ACLU. I know you’re itching to jump in but just stay the fuck away)
posted by Artw at 9:08 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
The talking points are cover. It's about affinity, not ideas. Or consequences. No one has to believe any of it. If some do, great.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:41 PM on February 19 [2 favorites +] [!]
Yeah, my first draft said the talking points were repeated until their base believed them, but upon momentary reflection, I realized that, no, their base already believed them. That's why they're the base. So I changed "their base" to "their audience," because they need more than the base to win. They need the marginally involved and mostly uninformed folks to support them as well. This is the main target for the oft-repeated false talking points (or "lies" in common parlance). While solidification of group identity is certainly a happy by-product of the repeated-lies tactic, the main purpose is to rope in more people.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:09 AM on February 20, 2018
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:41 PM on February 19 [2 favorites +] [!]
Yeah, my first draft said the talking points were repeated until their base believed them, but upon momentary reflection, I realized that, no, their base already believed them. That's why they're the base. So I changed "their base" to "their audience," because they need more than the base to win. They need the marginally involved and mostly uninformed folks to support them as well. This is the main target for the oft-repeated false talking points (or "lies" in common parlance). While solidification of group identity is certainly a happy by-product of the repeated-lies tactic, the main purpose is to rope in more people.
posted by Mental Wimp at 9:09 AM on February 20, 2018
Haven't see this posted yet. "Is Anyone Listening" is a long-form piece, by the Washington Post's outstanding features writer Eli Saslow, on Rachel Crooks, who was assaulted by Trump and is now running for office in Ohio.
Not quite sure what I think of this piece yet. Curious to see others' thoughts.
posted by martin q blank at 9:10 AM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
Not quite sure what I think of this piece yet. Curious to see others' thoughts.
posted by martin q blank at 9:10 AM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
#RT @GrahamLedger: Could it be that this student is running cover for his dad who Works as an FBI agent at the Miami field office Which botched tracking (he down the Man behind the Valentine day massacre? Just wondering. Just connecting some dots…
In my hate-fugue I forgot to mention the extreme reflectivity of Junior's Mirror: attacking and undermining the FBI with a claim that somebody's "running cover for his dad" is really something special.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:10 AM on February 20, 2018 [78 favorites]
In my hate-fugue I forgot to mention the extreme reflectivity of Junior's Mirror: attacking and undermining the FBI with a claim that somebody's "running cover for his dad" is really something special.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:10 AM on February 20, 2018 [78 favorites]
Yeah, my first draft said the talking points were repeated until their base believed them, but upon momentary reflection, I realized that, no, their base already believed them. That's why they're the base.
Let me be more direct: racist separatism or supremacism isn't about ideas and the policy talking points are cover for animus, resentment and reaction. See Lee Atwater and dogwhistles.
That's why they can change them like dirty socks. And forget what it was they were saying yesterday with a shrug. None of it matters.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:16 AM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Let me be more direct: racist separatism or supremacism isn't about ideas and the policy talking points are cover for animus, resentment and reaction. See Lee Atwater and dogwhistles.
That's why they can change them like dirty socks. And forget what it was they were saying yesterday with a shrug. None of it matters.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:16 AM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
"Is Anyone Listening" is a long-form piece, by the Washington Post's outstanding features writer Eli Saslow, on Rachel Crooks, who was assaulted by Trump and is now running for office in Ohio.
So of course Trump attacked her again during his meltdown on Twitter this morning.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:30 AM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
So of course Trump attacked her again during his meltdown on Twitter this morning.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:30 AM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
I would never assault a woman (where there are security cameras).
posted by paper chromatographologist at 9:35 AM on February 20, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by paper chromatographologist at 9:35 AM on February 20, 2018 [35 favorites]
One of these days Trump's going to screw himself Wildely with these tweets.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:36 AM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:36 AM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's not even a denial. "I don't know her" "We didn't kiss in the lobby" He didn't say he never kissed her.
posted by lumnar at 9:46 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by lumnar at 9:46 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
"You know I’m automatically attracted to beautiful — I just start kissing them. It’s like a magnet. Just kiss. I don’t even wait."
posted by kirkaracha at 9:49 AM on February 20, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 9:49 AM on February 20, 2018 [17 favorites]
While solidification of group identity is certainly a happy by-product of the repeated-lies tactic, the main purpose is to rope in more people.
"I'm just telling YOU what THEY don't want YOU to know."
posted by Talez at 9:51 AM on February 20, 2018
"I'm just telling YOU what THEY don't want YOU to know."
posted by Talez at 9:51 AM on February 20, 2018
"Why do all these women keep claiming I actually did all the stuff I've bragged about doing?"
posted by Jacqueline at 9:52 AM on February 20, 2018 [52 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 9:52 AM on February 20, 2018 [52 favorites]
I feel like the only reason he brought up the security cameras is because he's already long since conveniently "lost" the tapes since it's his building and his cameras and he can spin absence of evidence as evidence of absence all day.
posted by jason_steakums at 9:53 AM on February 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 9:53 AM on February 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
Who keeps security tapes for 12 years anyway?
posted by Jacqueline at 9:55 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 9:55 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
Who keeps security tapes for 12 years anyway?
12 years ago is post-Sarbanes-Oxley. If he expected any legal action, he'd be on notice to preserve the tapes.
posted by ocschwar at 9:58 AM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
12 years ago is post-Sarbanes-Oxley. If he expected any legal action, he'd be on notice to preserve the tapes.
posted by ocschwar at 9:58 AM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Who keeps security tapes for 12 years anyway?
Let's hope it's these idiots.
cc: Robert Mueller
posted by melissasaurus at 10:00 AM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
Let's hope it's these idiots.
cc: Robert Mueller
posted by melissasaurus at 10:00 AM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
Who keeps security tapes for 12 years anyway?
Let's hope it's these idiots.
Unfortunately that would be expensive and we know how cheap DJT is.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 10:02 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Let's hope it's these idiots.
Unfortunately that would be expensive and we know how cheap DJT is.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 10:02 AM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
Lordy, I hope there are tapes.
posted by GrammarMoses at 10:04 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by GrammarMoses at 10:04 AM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
But really, it is kind of hilarious that he's essentially saying "Hey, you know that shady company Bayrock that I was involved in with that shady guy Felix Sater -- you know, the one with the Russian mob connections? For the Trump Soho deal; the one in which my kids were investigated for fraud until they paid off the DA; remember that? Yeah, so, just wanted to let you all know that there are cameras outside their offices and I may or may not have the recordings going back 12+ years that show the comings and goings into those offices. Just wanted to throw that info out into the public domain..."
posted by melissasaurus at 10:06 AM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by melissasaurus at 10:06 AM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
Why do all these women keep claiming I actually did all the stuff I've bragged about doing?
In the Access Hollywood tape he also said, "I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her." On October 6, 2016, CNN's Erin Burnett reported that he had used that exact approach on a friend of hers.
In the Access Hollywood tape he also said, "I’ve got to use some Tic Tacs, just in case I start kissing her." On October 6, 2016, CNN's Erin Burnett reported that he had used that exact approach on a friend of hers.
I have known this woman for years, she told me that when she heard this she could only think of one thing, and that is what Donald Trump did to her, and I want to quote what she told me. She said, "The Tic Tacs. That's exactly what Trump did to me. Trump took Tic Tacs, suggesting I take them also. He then leaned in,"--I'm reading this--"catching me off guard, and kissed me almost on the lips. I was really freaked out."posted by kirkaracha at 10:22 AM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
With all the experience he has at lying, you would think Trump would be better at it. Mind = boggled.
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:23 AM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:23 AM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
“The majority of the Russian ad spend happened AFTER the election,” he wrote. “We shared that fact, but very few outlets have covered it because it doesn’t align with the main media narrative of Trump and the election.”
The notion that Russian ad spending post election rules out or contradicts Russian interference in the election ignores the fact that Trump filed his 2020 campaign with the FEC on his inauguration day. Trump never stopped raising campaign funds for a moment and started officially spending on his 2020 campaign 16 days after winning the 2016 election, well before his inauguration.
So basically Russia immediately started interfering in the 2020 election and the Facebook VP is being obtuse.
posted by srboisvert at 10:26 AM on February 20, 2018 [48 favorites]
The notion that Russian ad spending post election rules out or contradicts Russian interference in the election ignores the fact that Trump filed his 2020 campaign with the FEC on his inauguration day. Trump never stopped raising campaign funds for a moment and started officially spending on his 2020 campaign 16 days after winning the 2016 election, well before his inauguration.
So basically Russia immediately started interfering in the 2020 election and the Facebook VP is being obtuse.
posted by srboisvert at 10:26 AM on February 20, 2018 [48 favorites]
Rich white men get away with bad lies more often, what motivation would he have to get better at it?
posted by rhizome at 10:27 AM on February 20, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 10:27 AM on February 20, 2018 [15 favorites]
With all the experience he has at lying, you would think Trump would be better at it. Mind = boggled.
trump isn't a liar, he's a bullshitter. bullshitters don't care about things like consistency or plausibility.
posted by murphy slaw at 10:31 AM on February 20, 2018 [63 favorites]
trump isn't a liar, he's a bullshitter. bullshitters don't care about things like consistency or plausibility.
posted by murphy slaw at 10:31 AM on February 20, 2018 [63 favorites]
Can Mike Pence Keep His 2020 Fantasies to Himself?
Amid an unending political inferno, should we take a break? Not a real one, of course, for anyone reading this is already too far in, but we can avert our eyes, at least for three minutes, from the direct Trump sun and contemplate instead the Mike Pence moon. It’s quiet, waxing and waning, giving off a soft, reflected light. We can’t know the thoughts of the man in the Pence moon unless we go, Michael-Wolff-style, into his head. If any time permits such an exercise, it’s now. You’re Mike Pence. And here’s what you’re feeling these days.posted by kirkaracha at 10:43 AM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
“The Canaries Are Dying”: How Trump Is Making Republicans Pick Their 2018 Poison
...Republican candidates are facing an impossible strategic choice, one that is to some degree independent of the president’s approval rating or any economic factor: tack toward Trump, and potentially lose the center, or forgo Trumpian red meat and watch the base stay home. “What you do when you appeal to that 33 percent is you peel off another 50 percent of the voters who will go, ‘Fuck you, I will crawl over broken glass to vote against you because you are a goddamn Donald Trumper.’”posted by kirkaracha at 10:45 AM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
‘Fuck you, I will crawl over broken glass to vote against you because you are a goddamn Donald Trumper.’
Ahh, I see my new t-shirt has arrived.
posted by saturday_morning at 10:57 AM on February 20, 2018 [110 favorites]
Ahh, I see my new t-shirt has arrived.
posted by saturday_morning at 10:57 AM on February 20, 2018 [110 favorites]
I almost forgot he pulled this same "better hope there aren't tapes - I mean haha what tapes, who said anything about tapes" thing with Comey.
posted by jason_steakums at 11:11 AM on February 20, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 11:11 AM on February 20, 2018 [28 favorites]
Ah, the evasion continues. They pushed the White House press briefing back to 3pm, with "Public Safety Medal of Valor Awards" scheduled for 3:30. Then, a few minutes later, they moved it to 2:50. I presume Sanders shows up a bit later, spends 20 minutes reading a letter from a child named "Rutabaga" who loves Trump so much he wants to perform annual maintenance on a White House furnace, then says "gosh, look at the time" and sprints for the exits when someone tries to ask about any of the dozens of crises that are before us.
Oh, and the national debt just hit $15 trillion.
posted by zachlipton at 11:16 AM on February 20, 2018 [42 favorites]
Oh, and the national debt just hit $15 trillion.
posted by zachlipton at 11:16 AM on February 20, 2018 [42 favorites]
‘Fuck you, I will crawl over broken glass to vote against you because you are a goddamn Donald Trumper.’
I don't even care how much an individual Republican votes for or against Trump's agenda. I am hoping for as many Democrats as possible to be elected in November because there is an actual fascist in the White House and thus we need a divided government ASAP. Sure, some of those Democrats will likely also be terrible (from a Libertarian perspective), but a few terrible Congresspeople can't do as much damage as Trump can do without an opposition Congress to stop him.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
I don't even care how much an individual Republican votes for or against Trump's agenda. I am hoping for as many Democrats as possible to be elected in November because there is an actual fascist in the White House and thus we need a divided government ASAP. Sure, some of those Democrats will likely also be terrible (from a Libertarian perspective), but a few terrible Congresspeople can't do as much damage as Trump can do without an opposition Congress to stop him.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:19 AM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Many Trump Voters Think We Need a White History Month (Ed Kilgore | NY Mag)
One of the things that will surely get you labeled a fake-news-disseminating social-justice warrior on George Soros’s payroll is the suggestion that there just might be some racial resentments underlying the Trump movement in American politics. A new finding from Public Policy Polling helps shows why the racism suspicion persists, and why it enrages those who are suspected.posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:22 AM on February 20, 2018 [22 favorites]
Respondents to a national survey of registered voters were asked if they had a favorable or unfavorable opinion of Black History Month. As a follow-up, they were asked if there should be a White History Month. Overall respondents favored Black History Month by a 57-18 margin, and opposed a White History Month by a 58-22 margin. Ho-hum.
But if you break out responses by self-reported 2016 presidential voting, it gets more interesting. Trump voters support Black History Month by a meh 38-25 margin (Clinton voters support it 75-10). Meanwhile, a plurality of Trump voters (37-35) think we need a White History Month (Clinton voters oppose it 8-77).
I would bet the farm I do not own that if asked about support for a White History Month these Trump supporters would claim it’s a product of their anti-racism: If there’s going to be a Black History Month it needs to be balanced with one for white people to ensure race neutrality. A parallel argument is that everybody ought to be able to express pride in one’s race. This was the claim famously made by a New Jersey deli owner who in 2015 put up a sign in his window commemorating March as “White History Month”:
Jim Boggess, proprietor of Jimbo’s Deli on Main at 22 Main St., says, “No matter what you are – Muslim, Jewish, black, white, gay, straight – you should be proud of what you are. I shouldn’t have to feel bad about being white.” Jimbo immediately lost so much business that he had to close his deli, and he complained that “[i]t was only supposed to be a white thing, but people read more into it than that.” Damn political correctness!
It may be too much to expect people like Boggess to understand the systematic destruction and distortion of African-American history that made Black History Month necessary. But you do wonder what a White History Month would look like. Would it focus on America’s all-but-forgotten 44 white presidents? The long-lost tradition of white literature from James Fenimore Cooper to John Grisham? The economic contributions of Fortune 500 CEOs over the decades?
Textbooks for a White History Month would be easy to devise: Just go to a library and pull out any standard American or World History school textbook published before about 1970. And that, of course, gets to the hiding-in-plain-sight itch that the idea of a White History Month scratches: bringing back the mythical civilization that was uncomplicated by multiculturalism or any sense that racial injustice may have contributed to the predominance of Europeans and their progeny.
Longing for a return to White History isn’t the only sentiment behind the MAGA slogan. But pretending it’s not there at all is an act of denial as egregious as the desire to turn back the clock and exult in the unity and strength of American Greatness as defined in the 1950s.
Andrew Ti of "Yo Is This Racist" calls it "White History Eleven Months".
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:29 AM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 11:29 AM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Mod note: A few deleted; agreed that "white history month" is very stupid but let's not have ten one-liner comments responding to every stupid garbage thing.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:31 AM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 11:31 AM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
‘Fuck you, I will crawl over broken glass to vote against you because you are a goddamn Donald Trumper.’
Ahh, I see my new t-shirt has arrived.
Seen in Puerto Vallarta yesterday.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:33 AM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
Ahh, I see my new t-shirt has arrived.
Seen in Puerto Vallarta yesterday.
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 11:33 AM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
Here's a little nugget from this Time article on Trump's weekend meltdown:
Trying to mitigate that situation only made things worse. Knowing the President’s fondness for Fox, the White House booked spokesmen to try to direct Trump toward a little less fanciful readings of the indictments.
WH staffers have to communicate to their boss indirectly via Fox News.
posted by PenDevil at 11:47 AM on February 20, 2018 [56 favorites]
Trying to mitigate that situation only made things worse. Knowing the President’s fondness for Fox, the White House booked spokesmen to try to direct Trump toward a little less fanciful readings of the indictments.
WH staffers have to communicate to their boss indirectly via Fox News.
posted by PenDevil at 11:47 AM on February 20, 2018 [56 favorites]
Speaking of endorsements, can I ask what Our Revolution was smoking to give Dennis Kucinich their endorsement for OH Governor?
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:06 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by NoxAeternum at 12:06 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Speaking of endorsements, can I ask what Our Revolution was smoking to give Dennis Kucinich their endorsement for OH Governor?
My ability to parse that Twitter thread was broken by rampant confusion of Kucinich and Kasich.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:21 PM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
New PA House ratings from Sabato and Cook. No surprise, most move to the left.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:24 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 12:24 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Some members of Our Revolution that I've encountered seem to be more interested in throwing bombs into the political system than advocating for real change, but that kind of organization level endorsement makes me question the validity of the whole thing.
posted by xyzzy at 12:26 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 12:26 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Speaking of endorsements, can I ask what Our Revolution was smoking to give Dennis Kucinich their endorsement for OH Governor?
Man Kucinich has really jumped the shark. I had no idea. Like he's a nutter now. I used to think he was pretty great. :(
posted by dis_integration at 12:28 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
Man Kucinich has really jumped the shark. I had no idea. Like he's a nutter now. I used to think he was pretty great. :(
posted by dis_integration at 12:28 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
Oh wow, Kucinich - There's a blast from the leftist past. I remember liking him in 2008, but as it is these days, he seems to be on the Jill Stein path.
posted by MysticMCJ at 12:29 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by MysticMCJ at 12:29 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Poll: Dems lead GOP by 15 points in generic House ballot
It’s Quinnipiac.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
It’s Quinnipiac.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
Sanders doesn't have much to do with Our Revolution these days, does he? I think it's a self-governing clown car at this point and should change its name so as not to get its cooties all over Bernie.
Endorsing Kucinich over Richard Cordray is a bad joke.
posted by Justinian at 12:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Endorsing Kucinich over Richard Cordray is a bad joke.
posted by Justinian at 12:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
healthcare update:
Short-term health plans skirting ACA-required benefits and protections to be expanded, Amy Goldstein, WaPo
Trump administration unveils alternative to Obamacare, Tami Luhby, CNNMoney
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 12:34 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Short-term health plans skirting ACA-required benefits and protections to be expanded, Amy Goldstein, WaPo
The Trump administration is proposing to significantly broaden Americans’ ability to rely on short-term health plans that do not comply with the Affordable Care Act’s benefits requirements and consumer protections.Trump eases rules on insurance sold outside of ObamaCare, Peter Sullivan, The Hill
Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar announced Tuesday morning that a rewrite of federal rules would extend the time consumers can hold such health plans from three months to 12 months.
Seema Verma, administrator of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, echoed that portrayal of the rewrite as health reform. [...]
The proposed rule is the second that officials have designed since October, when Trump issued an executive order intended to widen the availability of health plans that skirt important ACA insurance provisions.
The order is part of the administration’s strategy to circumvent parts of the sprawling 2010 health-care law — President Barack Obama’s primary domestic legacy — through executive actions. The moves are an alternate route given the Republican-led Congress’s failure last year to dismantle much of the law — although Trump is still urging lawmakers to try again, despite GOP Senate leaders’ reluctance.
Trump administration unveils alternative to Obamacare, Tami Luhby, CNNMoney
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 12:34 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
that's the "great coverage" that Trump was talking about, btw
posted by thelonius at 12:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 12:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
"the president doesn't really think the FBI failed to stop the parkland shooter because it was too involved in investigating Russia, does he?"
actual question put to the press secretary just now.
she blames a "deranged shooter" and says "he is making the point we would like our FBI agencies to not be focused on something that is clearly a hoax that the trump campaign interfered in or colluded in the election"
follow up from the reporter now that SHS admits Russia interfered (she clarified the campaign didn't participate) on what hes doing and she blames Obama. "we spent a lot of time on cybersecurity focusing on protecting the fairness of our elections" but cant list a single action.
pathetic
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:37 PM on February 20, 2018 [20 favorites]
actual question put to the press secretary just now.
she blames a "deranged shooter" and says "he is making the point we would like our FBI agencies to not be focused on something that is clearly a hoax that the trump campaign interfered in or colluded in the election"
follow up from the reporter now that SHS admits Russia interfered (she clarified the campaign didn't participate) on what hes doing and she blames Obama. "we spent a lot of time on cybersecurity focusing on protecting the fairness of our elections" but cant list a single action.
pathetic
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 12:37 PM on February 20, 2018 [20 favorites]
Barack Spinoza: "Poll: Dems lead GOP by 15 points in generic House ballot
It’s Quinnipiac."
538 average back up to D+8.6 (48.3/39.7).
posted by Chrysostom at 12:37 PM on February 20, 2018 [15 favorites]
It’s Quinnipiac."
538 average back up to D+8.6 (48.3/39.7).
posted by Chrysostom at 12:37 PM on February 20, 2018 [15 favorites]
Poll: Dems lead GOP by 15 points in generic House ballot. It’s Quinnipiac.
Ds lead among independents by 11 points, 47-36.
The trend shows the Dem lead has *expanded* overall and among Inds in the last month.
Kinda goes against the conventional wisdom, doesn't it?
---
Q poll: Americans say 80-16% "Dreamers" should get a path to citizenship.
On the blame game:
63-27% say Trump wants them deported
55-32% say Hill Republicans want them deported
85-8% say Hill Democrats want them to stay
posted by chris24 at 12:37 PM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ds lead among independents by 11 points, 47-36.
The trend shows the Dem lead has *expanded* overall and among Inds in the last month.
Kinda goes against the conventional wisdom, doesn't it?
---
Q poll: Americans say 80-16% "Dreamers" should get a path to citizenship.
On the blame game:
63-27% say Trump wants them deported
55-32% say Hill Republicans want them deported
85-8% say Hill Democrats want them to stay
posted by chris24 at 12:37 PM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
New PA House ratings from Sabato and Cook. No surprise, most move to the left.
It still is amazing that anyone looks at even the new results and tries to claim this is a "Democrat gerrymander." It's still way more R-leaning than our statewide elections would otherwise indicate.
New PA-17 is going to be very interesting. Tom Prigg is currently the favorite to challenge Rothfus.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:38 PM on February 20, 2018
It still is amazing that anyone looks at even the new results and tries to claim this is a "Democrat gerrymander." It's still way more R-leaning than our statewide elections would otherwise indicate.
New PA-17 is going to be very interesting. Tom Prigg is currently the favorite to challenge Rothfus.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:38 PM on February 20, 2018
Yeah, my thing about "support for Assad from people who have no reason to support Assad" being the clearest indicator to me that Russian influence is a real problem... From last year...
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:39 PM on February 20, 2018 [21 favorites]
The Bashar al-Assad regime in Syria has had a quiet but well-funded lobbying effort in Washington since well before he began murdering his own people. But that influence campaign’s clearest triumph came only this month, when it succeeded in bringing Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-Hawaii) to Damascus and having her parrot Assad’s propaganda on her return.Gabbard and Kusinich both endorsed by Our Revolution. Our Revolution needs to be very careful to ensure that they are not just being used as a tool by people who have their own reasons for "throwing bombs into the political system."
...
Former congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) also joined the trip, which is no mere coincidence. Khawam arranged for Kucinich to meet Assad multiple times, most recently in 2013. Khawam donated to Kucinich’s campaigns and in related Federal Election Commission filings listed himself as a self-employed physician.
posted by OnceUponATime at 12:39 PM on February 20, 2018 [21 favorites]
WaPo headline now: "White House press secretary: Russia meddled in 2016 election but it had no impact"
What? Is there a new definition of meddled that I don't know about?
posted by Melismata at 12:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
What? Is there a new definition of meddled that I don't know about?
posted by Melismata at 12:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
WaPo headline now: "White House press secretary: Russia meddled in 2016 election but it had no impact
man talk about burying the lede, the head should be "Huckabee Sanders Has A Portal Into Alternate Universe Where Russians Didn't Meddle That Allows Her To Assert Counterfactuals"
posted by murphy slaw at 12:47 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
man talk about burying the lede, the head should be "Huckabee Sanders Has A Portal Into Alternate Universe Where Russians Didn't Meddle That Allows Her To Assert Counterfactuals"
posted by murphy slaw at 12:47 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
@kylegriffin1 (MSNBC)
American voters support stricter gun laws 66-31%, the highest level ever measured by @QuinnipiacPoll.
Support for:
• Universal background checks 97-2%
• Nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons 67-29%
• Mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases 83-14%
---
@Mikel_Jollett
For years the conventional wisdom in Washington has been that the gun debate is over and gun safety lost.
That has changed.
Latest Quinnipiac poll shows a **21 POINT SWING** in favor of STRICTER gun laws in the past 3 years. GRAPH
posted by chris24 at 12:47 PM on February 20, 2018 [81 favorites]
American voters support stricter gun laws 66-31%, the highest level ever measured by @QuinnipiacPoll.
Support for:
• Universal background checks 97-2%
• Nationwide ban on the sale of assault weapons 67-29%
• Mandatory waiting period for all gun purchases 83-14%
---
@Mikel_Jollett
For years the conventional wisdom in Washington has been that the gun debate is over and gun safety lost.
That has changed.
Latest Quinnipiac poll shows a **21 POINT SWING** in favor of STRICTER gun laws in the past 3 years. GRAPH
posted by chris24 at 12:47 PM on February 20, 2018 [81 favorites]
So for everyone who said "even Sandy Hook didn't change minds", well, yes it did, but the influence didn't trickle up/couldn't get past the NRA money roadblock.
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 12:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
soren_lorensen: "New PA-17 is going to be very interesting. Tom Prigg is currently the favorite to challenge Rothfus."
I would bet not Prigg, personally. Either Ray Linsenmayer or Beth Tarasi, is my guess. Maybe Conor Lamb, if he wins the special.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:54 PM on February 20, 2018
I would bet not Prigg, personally. Either Ray Linsenmayer or Beth Tarasi, is my guess. Maybe Conor Lamb, if he wins the special.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:54 PM on February 20, 2018
chris24: "Latest Quinnipiac poll shows a **21 POINT SWING** in favor of STRICTER gun laws in the past 3 years."
And it shows 97% to 2% support for universal background checks, including 97% to 3% *among gun owners*.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [26 favorites]
And it shows 97% to 2% support for universal background checks, including 97% to 3% *among gun owners*.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [26 favorites]
Our Revolution needs to be very careful to ensure that they are not just being used as a tool by people who have their own reasons for "throwing bombs into the political system."
The fact that they're organized as a 501(c)4 and therefore don't have to disclose where their donations come from doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:57 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
The fact that they're organized as a 501(c)4 and therefore don't have to disclose where their donations come from doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
posted by Uncle Ira at 12:57 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
also, if Huckabee Sanders is correct, the advertising department at facebook must be freaking the fuck out because she's proven decisively that their product doesn't work
posted by murphy slaw at 12:57 PM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 12:57 PM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
Our Revolution needs to be very careful to ensure that they are not just being used as a tool by people who have their own reasons for "throwing bombs into the political system."
The fact that they're organized as a 501(c)4 and therefore don't have to disclose where their donations come from doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
I’d like to see a complete audit of their financials and operations going back through all of 2016.
Truth and reconciliation requires truth.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:59 PM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
The fact that they're organized as a 501(c)4 and therefore don't have to disclose where their donations come from doesn't inspire a lot of confidence.
I’d like to see a complete audit of their financials and operations going back through all of 2016.
Truth and reconciliation requires truth.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:59 PM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
@ReutersUS: BREAKING: Trump says he has signed a memorandum recommending that bump stocks - like those used in Las Vegas shooting - be declared illegal
So basically, in response to this mass shooting, Trump is getting around to recommending we maybe do something about a previous one?
posted by zachlipton at 1:00 PM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
So basically, in response to this mass shooting, Trump is getting around to recommending we maybe do something about a previous one?
posted by zachlipton at 1:00 PM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
They're totally hoping this one minor change will be enough to dampen the groundswell. We can't let that happen. Not that I think the Parkland kids will.
posted by chris24 at 1:02 PM on February 20, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 1:02 PM on February 20, 2018 [50 favorites]
Whether the outcome was changed is a stupid question. Put aside that the margin was only 80k votes, and it would've taken a VERY small amount of influence to move that many one direction or the other, the outcome isn't the point. We can say definitively that Watergate did not change the outcome of the 1972 election. We can say almost definitively that it had no effect whatsoever on the actual vote. It was still a crime by the President of the United States and a political crime against the very idea of democratic elections. The same would be true of the investigation into Trump treason if he had won by 800,000 or 8 million votes, or if Clinton had won. Russian interference was a crime. If they had help, the Americans involved committed treason. Period. The ultimate outcome is the least important part.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:03 PM on February 20, 2018 [64 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:03 PM on February 20, 2018 [64 favorites]
> So basically, in response to this mass shooting, Trump is getting around to recommending we maybe do something about a previous one?
It's like closing the barn door after the horses in the next barn over have also bolted...
And crossing over from the gun violence thread:
Tweet: The same people that said 13 and 14 year olds were perfectly mature enough to date Roy Moore are now saying 17 and 18 year olds are too immature to have opinions on gun control.
I just threw up in my mouth a little. I'd kinda purged my memories of Roy Moore.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [57 favorites]
It's like closing the barn door after the horses in the next barn over have also bolted...
And crossing over from the gun violence thread:
Tweet: The same people that said 13 and 14 year olds were perfectly mature enough to date Roy Moore are now saying 17 and 18 year olds are too immature to have opinions on gun control.
I just threw up in my mouth a little. I'd kinda purged my memories of Roy Moore.
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [57 favorites]
Primaries Matter, Too Dept:
Daily Beast: Texas’ Anti-Islam, Anti-Vaccine, Born-Again Christian Candidate Is a Democrat --
A contentious primary in San Antonio features two Democrats, one of whom seems more like an extreme-right Republican.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
Daily Beast: Texas’ Anti-Islam, Anti-Vaccine, Born-Again Christian Candidate Is a Democrat --
A contentious primary in San Antonio features two Democrats, one of whom seems more like an extreme-right Republican.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump's having serious, serious trouble putting medals on these dudes. Dropped the first one or failed to clasp it. Must not let myself cringe sympathetically.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:05 PM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:05 PM on February 20, 2018 [5 favorites]
@ReutersUS: BREAKING: Trump says he has signed a memorandum recommending that bump stocks - like those used in Las Vegas shooting - be declared illegal
So basically, in response to this mass shooting, Trump is getting around to recommending we maybe do something about a previous one?
And remember, the NRA, which saw the writing on the wall after Las Vegas enough to state it wouldn't oppose a regulation against bump stocks, prefers that it be done so by regulation, not by law, as the former can be quietly dropped later, once the furor dies down.
posted by Gelatin at 1:08 PM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
So basically, in response to this mass shooting, Trump is getting around to recommending we maybe do something about a previous one?
And remember, the NRA, which saw the writing on the wall after Las Vegas enough to state it wouldn't oppose a regulation against bump stocks, prefers that it be done so by regulation, not by law, as the former can be quietly dropped later, once the furor dies down.
posted by Gelatin at 1:08 PM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
@michaeldweiss (CNN)
Another seeming victory for Chris Steele. Dossier says German Khan and other Alfa founders did "favors" for Putin. Khan's son-in-law wrote a report for Yanukovych's Justice Ministry designed to help keep Yulia Tymoshenko in jail on politicized charges. That counts as a favor.
posted by chris24 at 1:10 PM on February 20, 2018 [43 favorites]
Another seeming victory for Chris Steele. Dossier says German Khan and other Alfa founders did "favors" for Putin. Khan's son-in-law wrote a report for Yanukovych's Justice Ministry designed to help keep Yulia Tymoshenko in jail on politicized charges. That counts as a favor.
posted by chris24 at 1:10 PM on February 20, 2018 [43 favorites]
They're totally hoping this one minor change will be enough to dampen the groundswell.
I think you're right, but it seems like they're doing a comically bad job of reading the room: looking at the public conversation it's hard to imagine this doing anything to dampen people's enthusiasm. It's not going to shut anybody up, it's a visible gap in the gun lobby's armor. It should and will be met with reasonable questions like "if we can ban bump stocks under the 2nd Amendment, why not assault rifles? Why not all semi-automatics?"
posted by contraption at 1:29 PM on February 20, 2018 [17 favorites]
I think you're right, but it seems like they're doing a comically bad job of reading the room: looking at the public conversation it's hard to imagine this doing anything to dampen people's enthusiasm. It's not going to shut anybody up, it's a visible gap in the gun lobby's armor. It should and will be met with reasonable questions like "if we can ban bump stocks under the 2nd Amendment, why not assault rifles? Why not all semi-automatics?"
posted by contraption at 1:29 PM on February 20, 2018 [17 favorites]
If we can ban bump stocks under the 2nd Amendment, why not assault rifles? Why not all semi-automatics?
I think the 4th Circuit Court just did us a huge favor. All we need to do is work on accepting the classification of high-end arms as weapons of war. The 2nd Amendment remains in effect, hunters aren't disadvantaged, and we can start getting killing machines out of circulation.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 1:40 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
I think the 4th Circuit Court just did us a huge favor. All we need to do is work on accepting the classification of high-end arms as weapons of war. The 2nd Amendment remains in effect, hunters aren't disadvantaged, and we can start getting killing machines out of circulation.
posted by CheeseDigestsAll at 1:40 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
it's a visible gap in the gun lobby's armor. It should and will be met with reasonable questions like "if we can ban bump stocks under the 2nd Amendment, why not assault rifles? Why not all semi-automatics?"
which is why the NRA's longstanding approach to even the politest mention of gun control has always amounted to scorched earth. Because they know what a gap in one's armor amounts to, which is vulnerability. Goliath after all was brought down a single well hurled stone (if you believe those old stories).
posted by philip-random at 1:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
which is why the NRA's longstanding approach to even the politest mention of gun control has always amounted to scorched earth. Because they know what a gap in one's armor amounts to, which is vulnerability. Goliath after all was brought down a single well hurled stone (if you believe those old stories).
posted by philip-random at 1:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Wow - Alex Leary (@learyreports) says:
An aide to [Florida] state rep. shawn Harrison, using state email, sent me this: "Both kids in the picture [Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg] are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen."
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
An aide to [Florida] state rep. shawn Harrison, using state email, sent me this: "Both kids in the picture [Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg] are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen."
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [38 favorites]
WSJ, Rob Barry, Russian Trolls Tweeted Disinformation Long Before U.S. Election, in which the same folks who went all in on the election previously spread tales of tainted Thanksgiving turkeys from Walmart and contaminated water.
Moscow Times is also reporting that Marat Mindiyarov, one of the former Russian trolls who gave interviews to US media outlets after the indictment, has been arrested for phoning in a bomb threat, "a charge he denies."
posted by zachlipton at 1:45 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Moscow Times is also reporting that Marat Mindiyarov, one of the former Russian trolls who gave interviews to US media outlets after the indictment, has been arrested for phoning in a bomb threat, "a charge he denies."
posted by zachlipton at 1:45 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
“Both kids in the picture [Emma Gonzalez and David Hogg] are not students here but actors that travel to various crisis when they happen."
Trump and Alex Jones aren’t outliers. They are the R base. We need to crush them. There’s no future compromising or hoping for sanity.
posted by chris24 at 1:46 PM on February 20, 2018 [77 favorites]
Trump and Alex Jones aren’t outliers. They are the R base. We need to crush them. There’s no future compromising or hoping for sanity.
posted by chris24 at 1:46 PM on February 20, 2018 [77 favorites]
Link
It probably doesn't need to be said, and they probably already know it, and anyone reporting on them certainly knows it, but these kids are going to get weird shit and threats and conspiracy theories thrown their way from now until probably forever. There's considerable bravery and sacrifice involved in speaking out the way they have.
posted by Artw at 1:48 PM on February 20, 2018 [68 favorites]
It probably doesn't need to be said, and they probably already know it, and anyone reporting on them certainly knows it, but these kids are going to get weird shit and threats and conspiracy theories thrown their way from now until probably forever. There's considerable bravery and sacrifice involved in speaking out the way they have.
posted by Artw at 1:48 PM on February 20, 2018 [68 favorites]
Van Der Zwaan's plea; statement of the charges [pdfs].
posted by melissasaurus at 1:50 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by melissasaurus at 1:50 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
And Don Jr. retweeting the attacks on them today, he's usually about a day ahead of his dad as the crazy filters from Alex Jones/Russiabots, to Rush/Drudge, and then FOX, where the elected Republicans pick it up.
Don Jr. is snorting the straight koolaid powder before Trump drinks the rest of the pitcher. He's definitely going to attack those kids in public when his dementia brain catches up to the Russian talking points of 2 days ago.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:52 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Don Jr. is snorting the straight koolaid powder before Trump drinks the rest of the pitcher. He's definitely going to attack those kids in public when his dementia brain catches up to the Russian talking points of 2 days ago.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:52 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
these kids are going to get weird shit and threats and conspiracy theories thrown their way from now until probably forever
r/The_Donald, Gateway Pundit, and One American News Network are already on it: The far-right smear campaign against students who survived the Parkland massacre.
posted by peeedro at 1:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
r/The_Donald, Gateway Pundit, and One American News Network are already on it: The far-right smear campaign against students who survived the Parkland massacre.
posted by peeedro at 1:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
If we can ban bump stocks under the 2nd Amendment, why not assault rifles? Why not all semi-automatics?
I always thought Dems should be originalist when it comes to the 2nd amendment. You have the right to bear arms, when those arms are barrel loaded, single ball shot muskets.
posted by PenDevil at 1:55 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
I always thought Dems should be originalist when it comes to the 2nd amendment. You have the right to bear arms, when those arms are barrel loaded, single ball shot muskets.
posted by PenDevil at 1:55 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
Right wingers: These kids are being coached! They're saying what adults tell them to say!
Me: Fuck's sake, have you ever met a teenager
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:58 PM on February 20, 2018 [80 favorites]
Me: Fuck's sake, have you ever met a teenager
posted by scaryblackdeath at 1:58 PM on February 20, 2018 [80 favorites]
Mod note: Let's take the stuff about the students/gun control etc over to the Florida shooting thread, to keep it all together.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:01 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:01 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Someone upthread was asking about Alfa Bank / Spectrum Health and Jared Kushner’s “Stealth Data Machine.”
Daly Koss had more which turns into a bit of a rabbit hole.
posted by adamvasco at 2:05 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Daly Koss had more which turns into a bit of a rabbit hole.
posted by adamvasco at 2:05 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
There's one thing that ties the florida shooting to this present political thread that worries me.
So the right has absolutely mainstreamed and accepted insane conspiracy theories involving crisis actors and similar. This isn't the first time - pizzagate is a great example. And this sort of thinking is becoming more and more prevalent at higher levels.
At the same time, we have been (and are still, most likely) legitimately experiencing Russian manipulation that sounds like it should be a crazy conspiracy theory at a causal glance... We have been looking at this for a long time here, and have given it a ton of scrutiny, so we know it to be legitimate. Any critical thinking shows it as such. And it would be accurate in many ways to label it a conspiracy, especially if it plays out with as much former knowledge of the activity within the GOP as it looks like it could.
Unfortunately, the same sort of person who believes in high school massacre "crisis actors" as well as things like "pizzagate" is not the same sort of person who gives things scrutiny. Clearly.
I would love to believe that as we pull back the curtain on more of the intertwinement of the current administration and Russian espionage that people at large can differentiate between totally fabricated conspiracy theories like pizzagate and the honest-to-god proven espionage that has occurred here, that coincidentally excels at producing the crazy conspiracy theories as part of their own disinformation campaigns.
What I am afraid of is a totally false equivalence made between the Russian espionage conspiracy and the batshit-crazy conspiracy theories... making it entirely too easy for those who have been convinced in the theories to truly believe that there is an equivalent conspiracy in our own governance to cover up the "Democratic" crimes while pursuing the "Republican" crimes, or to dismiss any findings WRT Russian espionage as pizzagate-like fringe belief.
Of course, we have plenty in the administration that are taking the stance of "Why not both!" and promoting the idea that a horrific school shooting has ties to a left-wing conspiracy while dismissing Mueller's findings entirely... but I can very easily see how a "what can we really believe" mentality would catch on more with the public at large as the investigation reveals more and bears fruit... making any further disinformation campaigns against Democratic candidates in particular much more effective than they are at present, and possibly opening up the gate for many on the Republican side as well (which will be harder to scrutinize if fabricated, given what we've seen). I realize that there's a crowd that is happily going to go along with that sort of thinking no matter what - what I worry about more is the amplification of that sort of institutional distrust and willingness to accept disinformation amongst significantly more people.
Yet another thing that plays beautifully into the whole objectives of causing chaos, dividing the American people more, and disrupting our democracy.
posted by MysticMCJ at 2:23 PM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
So the right has absolutely mainstreamed and accepted insane conspiracy theories involving crisis actors and similar. This isn't the first time - pizzagate is a great example. And this sort of thinking is becoming more and more prevalent at higher levels.
At the same time, we have been (and are still, most likely) legitimately experiencing Russian manipulation that sounds like it should be a crazy conspiracy theory at a causal glance... We have been looking at this for a long time here, and have given it a ton of scrutiny, so we know it to be legitimate. Any critical thinking shows it as such. And it would be accurate in many ways to label it a conspiracy, especially if it plays out with as much former knowledge of the activity within the GOP as it looks like it could.
Unfortunately, the same sort of person who believes in high school massacre "crisis actors" as well as things like "pizzagate" is not the same sort of person who gives things scrutiny. Clearly.
I would love to believe that as we pull back the curtain on more of the intertwinement of the current administration and Russian espionage that people at large can differentiate between totally fabricated conspiracy theories like pizzagate and the honest-to-god proven espionage that has occurred here, that coincidentally excels at producing the crazy conspiracy theories as part of their own disinformation campaigns.
What I am afraid of is a totally false equivalence made between the Russian espionage conspiracy and the batshit-crazy conspiracy theories... making it entirely too easy for those who have been convinced in the theories to truly believe that there is an equivalent conspiracy in our own governance to cover up the "Democratic" crimes while pursuing the "Republican" crimes, or to dismiss any findings WRT Russian espionage as pizzagate-like fringe belief.
Of course, we have plenty in the administration that are taking the stance of "Why not both!" and promoting the idea that a horrific school shooting has ties to a left-wing conspiracy while dismissing Mueller's findings entirely... but I can very easily see how a "what can we really believe" mentality would catch on more with the public at large as the investigation reveals more and bears fruit... making any further disinformation campaigns against Democratic candidates in particular much more effective than they are at present, and possibly opening up the gate for many on the Republican side as well (which will be harder to scrutinize if fabricated, given what we've seen). I realize that there's a crowd that is happily going to go along with that sort of thinking no matter what - what I worry about more is the amplification of that sort of institutional distrust and willingness to accept disinformation amongst significantly more people.
Yet another thing that plays beautifully into the whole objectives of causing chaos, dividing the American people more, and disrupting our democracy.
posted by MysticMCJ at 2:23 PM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Pennsylvania: "Acting Secretary of State Robert Torres today said the Department of State is taking necessary steps to implement the remedial congressional map released Monday by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. ... The department is making the operational changes in plenty of time for the May 15 primary election."
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:43 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 2:43 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
Yet another thing that plays beautifully into the whole objectives of causing chaos, dividing the American people more, and disrupting our democracy.Russian state actors have been doing this for awhile, the real issue is that the mainstream media is increasingly buying into it. Operation Infektion was a conspiracy pushed by Russian state actors that laid the blame for the development and spread of HIV at the feet of the CIA. Prior to that, a similar campaign blamed the CIA for the assassination of President Kennedy. Every once in awhile a supposedly legitimate news organization would dabble in these theories. Or there would be a movie, or documentary. Fringe tinfoil hatters would buy into this stuff and publish their little magazines and newsletters, hold conventions, listen to their weird AM radio show, etc. etc. But the internet magnifies the effect of these campaigns in scale and speed.
And now we're in a situation where the NYT and WaPo will report on these stories as if they're legitimate or spend an inordinate amount of time on what would normally be seen as small potatoes stories because they're being amplified by botnets. I believe, but cannot prove, that Democrats are more vulnerable to this sort of media pummelling than Republicans are because of institutional bias that causes the media to "overcorrect" in an attempt to avoid the appearance of being liberally biased. Hence the success of the anti-Hillary campaign by Russian state actors, causing the NYT to report on the stupid email story and/or Killaryghazi for hundreds of days in a row.
I agree that you're right to be concerned. The entire point of these efforts is to erode trust in our institutions. Consider all the stories of Democrats getting duped by Russian botnets into getting Al Franken fired.
posted by xyzzy at 2:57 PM on February 20, 2018 [19 favorites]
(Sorry, I meant to also mention that I am trying as often as possible to use the phrase "Russian state actors" as opposed to "Russians" because I don't have issues or concerns about the average Russian. It's the Kremlin that concerns me.)
posted by xyzzy at 2:58 PM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 2:58 PM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
Emily Jane Fox, Vanity Fair, “This Is the New War”: Jared Kushner, Amid a Showdown with Kelly, Prepares for Battle with a Weekend in the Caribbean, in which Jared and Ivanka do what they do best: go on vacation whenever anything happens. They made it back just in time to learn that Mueller is investigating Jared's efforts to court investors during the transition.
Kelly's new policy would seem to dictate that Jared's interim security clearance gets cut off on Friday, and Sanders is now insisting that nothing about that will impact any of his work, which obviously raises some questions. And the mood isn't great:
Kelly's new policy would seem to dictate that Jared's interim security clearance gets cut off on Friday, and Sanders is now insisting that nothing about that will impact any of his work, which obviously raises some questions. And the mood isn't great:
The person close to the White House described the interplay in all its delicacy: “You have Jared, who’s been floating ideas of who his father-in-law will replace Kelly with, on one side; and Kelly, who’s basically saying ‘fuck you, Jared.’”Or we could just ask his predecessor, @danpfeiffer:
Kushner and I had the same title and he sits in my old office. There are only three options:posted by zachlipton at 3:13 PM on February 20, 2018 [51 favorites]
1. Sanders is lying
2. Kelly is lying and Kushner is keeping his interim clearance
3. Kushner’s new portfolio includes staring at the wall from 9-5
And now we're in a situation where the NYT and WaPo will report on these stories as if they're legitimate or spend an inordinate amount of time on what would normally be seen as small potatoes stories because they're being amplified by botnets.
Or because their content platform metrics tell them such reporting is profitable. That's the only potato being weighed right now, especially at the NYT.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:15 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
Or because their content platform metrics tell them such reporting is profitable. That's the only potato being weighed right now, especially at the NYT.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:15 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
yes, xyzzy, the term "Russian state actors" is an important clarification, but for anything before the breakup of the USSR, the best term would be "Soviet state actors". While that group was the first to engage in and refine the disinformation practice, many of the current evildoers arose after the Cold War, emerging from the New Russian Oligarchy, some answering more to billionaires other than Putin. It's a complex network of public/private malefactors, some doing it for Mother Russia, others for Dear Leader Vladimir, others for a neo-nazi ideology and others just for the rubles.
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:18 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:18 PM on February 20, 2018
It's a complex network of public/private malefactors, some doing it for Mother Russia, others for Dear Leader Vladimir, others for a neo-nazi ideology and others just for the rubles.
Their motivations don't bear on their alignment. This is being done at the bidding, through the funding and according to the direction of the Russian state and its leaders. It's a coordinated operation.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:20 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Their motivations don't bear on their alignment. This is being done at the bidding, through the funding and according to the direction of the Russian state and its leaders. It's a coordinated operation.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:20 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Yes, oneswellfoop, it would definitely be more accurate to delineate between the USSR and Russian, but I mostly want to avoid painting "Russians" as evildoers. I frequently fall into the trap of saying "the Chinese" do this or "the North Koreans" do that, and it's a lazy shorthand that treads dangerously close to racism and/or xenophobia. I'll slip up, I'm sure, but I'm making an effort.
posted by xyzzy at 3:25 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 3:25 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Did someone say "epistemic closure"? Or did someone say "a fool and his money ..."?
NYT: Fox News Plans a Streaming Service for ‘Superfans’
NYT: Fox News Plans a Streaming Service for ‘Superfans’
Fox News is set to announce Fox Nation, a stand-alone subscription service available without a cable package. The streaming service, expected to start by the end of the year, would focus primarily on right-leaning commentary, with original shows and cameos by popular personalities like Sean Hannity. [...] “Fox Nation is designed to appeal to the Fox superfan, [...] the folks who watch Fox News every night for hours at a time, the dedicated audience that really wants more of what we have to offer.”posted by RedOrGreen at 3:28 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
... The network was still discussing the cost of a subscription.
The network was still discussing the cost of a subscription.
Your soul?
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:32 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
Your soul?
posted by oneswellfoop at 3:32 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
WaPo, Ashley Parker, Pence was set to meet with North Korean officials during the Olympics before last minute cancellation
posted by zachlipton at 3:34 PM on February 20, 2018 [34 favorites]
Vice President Pence departed for a five-day, two country swing through Asia earlier this month having agreed to a secret meeting with North Korean officials while in South Korea at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games.So Pence was going to go to a meeting to mean-mug the North Koreans in person (they previously needed binoculars to see it), but they cancelled on him and arranged meetings with South Korea directly. Such a display of leadership.
But on Saturday Feb. 10, less than two hours before Pence and his team were set to meet with Kim Yo Jong, the younger sister of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, and Kim Yong Nam, the regime’s nominal head of state, the North Koreans pulled out of the scheduled meeting, according to Pence’s office.
The North Korean decision to withdraw from the meeting came after Pence had used his trip to denounce their nuclear ambitions and announce the “toughest and most aggressive” sanctions against the regime yet, while also taking steps to further solidify the U.S. alliance with both Japan and South Korea.
It also came as Kim Jong Un, through his sister, invited South Korean President Moon Jae-in to Pyongyang to begin talks “soon” — a development that would likely cause consternation in Washington, where the Trump administration has been leading a campaign to put “maximum pressure” on the Kim regime to give up its nuclear program. Moon said through a spokesman that he would try to make it happen.
...
The president and vice president were in agreement on the goal of the meeting: Pence would privately meet with the North Koreans not to open any negotiations with Kim’s regime, but to deliver the administration’s tough stance against North Korea face-to-face, two White House officials said.
posted by zachlipton at 3:34 PM on February 20, 2018 [34 favorites]
The North Korean decision to withdraw from the meeting came after Pence had used his trip to denounce their nuclear ambitions and announce the “toughest and most aggressive” sanctions against the regime yet
I see bad cop/crazy cop is working out great.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:44 PM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
I see bad cop/crazy cop is working out great.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:44 PM on February 20, 2018 [10 favorites]
I cannot overemphasize how ridiculous it is trying to follow this KY HD-49 race. The county and state aren't posting anything, so we're watching the campaign handwrite results as the clerk announces it, and then put a picture of the piece of paper on Facebook.
The world's finest democracy!
posted by Chrysostom at 4:17 PM on February 20, 2018 [29 favorites]
The world's finest democracy!
posted by Chrysostom at 4:17 PM on February 20, 2018 [29 favorites]
Kushner and I had the same title and he sits in my old office. There are only three options:
1. Sanders is lying
2. Kelly is lying and Kushner is keeping his interim clearance
3. Kushner’s new portfolio includes staring at the wall from 9-5
4. Kushner gets full access to classified information without even a fig leaf of "interim clearance" because fuck you, that's why
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:28 PM on February 20, 2018 [47 favorites]
1. Sanders is lying
2. Kelly is lying and Kushner is keeping his interim clearance
3. Kushner’s new portfolio includes staring at the wall from 9-5
4. Kushner gets full access to classified information without even a fig leaf of "interim clearance" because fuck you, that's why
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:28 PM on February 20, 2018 [47 favorites]
ELECTION RESULT
Dem GAIN in Kentucky House 49:
GOP lead in the Kentucky House is cut to 62-37 (1 vacancy).
posted by Chrysostom at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [91 favorites]
Dem GAIN in Kentucky House 49:
Belcher [D] 68.45%This is a Democratic margin overperformance of about 86 points (compared to the district's 2016 presidential margin).
Johnson [R] 31.55%
GOP lead in the Kentucky House is cut to 62-37 (1 vacancy).
posted by Chrysostom at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [91 favorites]
The president might not be the worst person named Donald Trump. Junior needs to fall hard, before he can complain from a position of greater power about his country's brown poor not smiling and dancing for him with sufficient enthusiasm.
Washington Post: Donald Trump Jr. says he likes India’s poor people because they ‘smile’
“I think there is something about the spirit of the Indian people that is unique here to other parts of the emerging world [...] You go through a town, and I don't mean to be glib about it, but you can see the poorest of the poor and there is still a smile on a face [...] It is a different spirit than that which you see in other parts of the world where people walk around so solemn, and I think there is something unique about that. It doesn’t exist elsewhere.”
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Washington Post: Donald Trump Jr. says he likes India’s poor people because they ‘smile’
“I think there is something about the spirit of the Indian people that is unique here to other parts of the emerging world [...] You go through a town, and I don't mean to be glib about it, but you can see the poorest of the poor and there is still a smile on a face [...] It is a different spirit than that which you see in other parts of the world where people walk around so solemn, and I think there is something unique about that. It doesn’t exist elsewhere.”
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yes, Clarence Thomas should absolutely be impeached, but umm.... do you guys really think now is a great time for that, given who would be appointing his replacement?
Jill Abramson on Clarence Thomas, James Bennet, and Our Chaotic Media Age, interviewed by Isaac Chotiner
Jill Abramson on Clarence Thomas, James Bennet, and Our Chaotic Media Age, interviewed by Isaac Chotiner
I actually felt more hopeless finishing the piece, even though the piece is partially about the idea that maybe Thomas could get impeached.posted by the man of twists and turns at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, I mean, in some ways I share your sense of pessimism because I don’t think there’s a chance in hell that this Senate, which won’t even touch gun control, is going to vote to impeach Clarence Thomas, even if the House in the fall went Democratic and took an impeachment vote. So, I’m a realist, too. But I guess my despair is rooted in: How did we let the extreme right wing take over all branches of this country? It’s really kind of unbelievable to me because I don’t think most Americans believe in this extreme ideology, and I think most Americans are truth-tellers and do not approve of the fact that Clarence Thomas has sat on the court all these years protected and encased by protective armor based on lies. But somehow the architecture of the right wing has become so strong and politically adept that it’s managed to seize control of the Supreme Court, the Congress, and the presidency. And I feel a tremendous sense of disappointment in my own generation, Isaac. I think that my generation, the generation that grew up in the ’60s, we were supposed to be such idealists. We were going to change the world, and look what we have.
...
My No. 1 thing is something called News Items that a friend of mine named John Ellis at Fox News puts out really early in the morning, which is a great global aggregation of news that most of the time I don’t see anywhere else during the day. So, that’s No. 1. ... I do. I do. It’s great. It’s a great product.
...
Yeah. I know. Poor [Editorial page editor] James Bennet, who I think is a genius. ... Because I think that he’s a great journalist, and I don’t think that he is wrong to include on his pages a variety of different voices.
I am trying as often as possible to use the phrase "Russian state actors" as opposed to "Russians" because I don't have issues or concerns about the average Russian. It's the Kremlin that concerns me.)
posted by xyzzy at 5:58 PM on February 20
This is an excellent point, xyzzy, and just like crediting news writers here, we should work on being better about it.
posted by Dashy at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 5:58 PM on February 20
This is an excellent point, xyzzy, and just like crediting news writers here, we should work on being better about it.
posted by Dashy at 4:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
This is a Democratic margin overperformance of about 86 points (compared to the district's 2016 presidential margin).
You ever read something and wonder if language stopped working midway through?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:40 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
You ever read something and wonder if language stopped working midway through?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:40 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
My girlfriend has a bottle of Korbel stocked for if & when Don Jr. gets sucked into the Mueller tornado. I've got one for Jared. Lately I've been feeling pretty thirsty.
posted by theodolite at 4:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 4:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [23 favorites]
There are some mitigating circumstances - Belcher has held the seat before, and Johnson is an authentic crazy person (she's the widow of the child molester who killed himself). But even so, that's a big shift.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 4:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
The House race in 2016 (as opposed to the Presidential) was 50.5-49.5 in favor of Johnson (R) so that's a pretty dang good shift there as well. Though, yeah, this was another Gropey Old Pedophiles (or enablers) race.
posted by Justinian at 4:48 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by Justinian at 4:48 PM on February 20, 2018
You ever read something and wonder if language stopped working midway through?
Electoral margins run from -100 to 100. In this case, the presidential margin was -49D and this election's margin is +36D.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:49 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
Electoral margins run from -100 to 100. In this case, the presidential margin was -49D and this election's margin is +36D.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 4:49 PM on February 20, 2018 [6 favorites]
There are some mitigating circumstances - Belcher has held the seat before, and Johnson is an authentic crazy person (she's the widow of the child molester who killed himself).
listen, at times like these it's encouraging that democrats can beat authentic crazy people
posted by murphy slaw at 4:49 PM on February 20, 2018 [66 favorites]
listen, at times like these it's encouraging that democrats can beat authentic crazy people
posted by murphy slaw at 4:49 PM on February 20, 2018 [66 favorites]
Electoral margins run from -100 to 100. In this case, the presidential margin was -49D and this election's margin is +36D.
I realize how the numbers work, the sheer magnitude of the swing is still bonkers.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:54 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
I realize how the numbers work, the sheer magnitude of the swing is still bonkers.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 4:54 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
I *can* start reporting margin vs last election for the seat, if people want.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 4:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Then what would I add to the discussion? Make me feel useful.
posted by Justinian at 4:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 4:56 PM on February 20, 2018 [12 favorites]
Re: Fox Nation streaming service, it's the first time I've been pleased that network neutrality has been junked in the US. They are actually allowed, now, to block it.
posted by Merus at 5:06 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Merus at 5:06 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm on my wife's laptop at the moment, and she's left her reading list open. There's a Washington Post story at the top of the list with the headline "Trump: Bonkers, paranoid or trapped?", so I clicked on it expecting it to be about his latest Twitter tantrum or whatever. Turns out the story is from March 5th, 2017.
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:23 PM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 5:23 PM on February 20, 2018 [14 favorites]
I don't know how to read those KY numbers - Percentage wise, it looks good. Final numbers would be abysmal turnout if this wasn't a special election.
What I want to believe is that the Democratic base in KY is energized and engaged. There's a larger registered base there than you'd think, but KY is politically very very strange. Let's just say that no state can be "neutral" in the Civil war without having some political after-effects, and there's a rich history of corruption and organized crime. Despite that, there ARE a surprising amount of Democratic voters in some of the more rural areas (and not just Southern Democrats) who have felt completely abandoned by the Democratic party, and one need look no further than the candidates who have run historically in order to understand why. Many of the candidates have shared identical viewpoints to their Republican candidates. This isn't both-sideism - at times, they have literally been indistinguishable when it comes to major points like abortion, gun control, and environmental policy. It's been incredibly depressing.
I'd love to believe that seeing the first hand effects of Bevin as governor has energized the base, and that there are also many who are motivated to vote against Trump and his ilk, and that the Democratic base is feeling that it's in their interest to actively vote against the crazy, even if they are not enamored with the Democratic candidates.
I'd love to believe is that there will be some lasting power out of this, and that while rural KY will likely never be awash with progressives, maybe we will start seeing people who aren't afraid to at least be openly Democratic outside of the urban areas.
What I suspect, though, is that this was largely about reaction to the child molester.
I don't think what I would love to see is impossible, but having lived there up until a few years ago, I'm incredibly skeptical... I would love to find out that my skepticism has been misplaced. It's really not a state full of Kim Davises and coal miners, despite what you tend to read about KY - and it would make me incredibly happy for the rest of the nation to see that.
posted by MysticMCJ at 5:38 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
What I want to believe is that the Democratic base in KY is energized and engaged. There's a larger registered base there than you'd think, but KY is politically very very strange. Let's just say that no state can be "neutral" in the Civil war without having some political after-effects, and there's a rich history of corruption and organized crime. Despite that, there ARE a surprising amount of Democratic voters in some of the more rural areas (and not just Southern Democrats) who have felt completely abandoned by the Democratic party, and one need look no further than the candidates who have run historically in order to understand why. Many of the candidates have shared identical viewpoints to their Republican candidates. This isn't both-sideism - at times, they have literally been indistinguishable when it comes to major points like abortion, gun control, and environmental policy. It's been incredibly depressing.
I'd love to believe that seeing the first hand effects of Bevin as governor has energized the base, and that there are also many who are motivated to vote against Trump and his ilk, and that the Democratic base is feeling that it's in their interest to actively vote against the crazy, even if they are not enamored with the Democratic candidates.
I'd love to believe is that there will be some lasting power out of this, and that while rural KY will likely never be awash with progressives, maybe we will start seeing people who aren't afraid to at least be openly Democratic outside of the urban areas.
What I suspect, though, is that this was largely about reaction to the child molester.
I don't think what I would love to see is impossible, but having lived there up until a few years ago, I'm incredibly skeptical... I would love to find out that my skepticism has been misplaced. It's really not a state full of Kim Davises and coal miners, despite what you tend to read about KY - and it would make me incredibly happy for the rest of the nation to see that.
posted by MysticMCJ at 5:38 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
Sean at RCP has a twitter thread about the PA map, partisanship, and the nebulous nature of what constitutes a gerrymander. It's worth a read. I like the warning he gives to Republicans at the end in a "be careful what you wish for" kind of way:
tl;dr - there isn't a truly objective way to define a "fair" district map. Reasonable people could argue either for a map which doesn't take partisanship into account at all and reasonable people could argue for a map where partisanship is used to produce results where the number of reps is broadly representative of the overall popular vote. But no matter what you believe is fair, R or D, the Republican map did none of it.
posted by Justinian at 5:38 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Of course if that's your position, be prepared for New York Democrats to draw a 27-0 map by baconmandering out New York City. Trust me, it can be done.A NY state district map with 27 thin ribbons of New York City utterly dominating 27 broad swaths of upstate NY would make me laugh so hard. So. Hard. But the thread is worth reading.
tl;dr - there isn't a truly objective way to define a "fair" district map. Reasonable people could argue either for a map which doesn't take partisanship into account at all and reasonable people could argue for a map where partisanship is used to produce results where the number of reps is broadly representative of the overall popular vote. But no matter what you believe is fair, R or D, the Republican map did none of it.
posted by Justinian at 5:38 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Final numbers would be abysmal turnout if this wasn't a special election.
But that's typical of specials. That Florida one last week was super high, and that was a low 20s turnout. People just don't know about them.
(also, 6 pm is criminally early for a poll closing time)
posted by Chrysostom at 5:43 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
But that's typical of specials. That Florida one last week was super high, and that was a low 20s turnout. People just don't know about them.
(also, 6 pm is criminally early for a poll closing time)
posted by Chrysostom at 5:43 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
Funny how politics is never subject to laws as airtight as the felony murder rule.
posted by rhizome at 5:44 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by rhizome at 5:44 PM on February 20, 2018
A NY state district map with 27 thin ribbons of New York City utterly dominating 27 broad swaths of upstate NY would make me laugh so hard.
Here's what the NY "baconmander" would look like.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:46 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
Here's what the NY "baconmander" would look like.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:46 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
What I want to believe is that the Democratic base in KY is energized and engaged. There's a larger registered base there than you'd think, but KY is politically very very strange.
I'd love to believe that seeing the first hand effects of Bevin as governor has energized the base, and that there are also many who are motivated to vote against Trump and his ilk, and that the Democratic base is feeling that it's in their interest to actively vote against the crazy, even if they are not enamored with the Democratic candidates.
I assure you that's not the case in Bullitt County. My entire extended family is split between Bullitt and Adair, and as far as I can tell there's not much Trump backlash at all. The state does have a history of holding on to the last bastion of Southern Democrats longer than anywhere else, but that was hanging on by a thread for a decade and Trump was the final tipping point for the red wave. What's left of Democratic voters especially in places like Bullitt are the blue collar union types that flipped overwhelmingly to Trump and still believe he's going to save all the factories, and they don't care about much else other than that. And the institutional Democratic party has been deader than dead for 20 years, every race is a contest to sound the most like a Republican. I also bet almost anything Bevin is reelected, especially if KY Democrats can't do any better than Andy Brashear to challenge him, and they can't.
Don't read literally anything into this KY race, it's a very weird situation. Dan Johnson was a legitimate psycho who no one could believe got reelected, and that was before the pedophilia scandal and his suicide. His wife was the Republican, any other Republican who wasn't the wife would've won.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd love to believe that seeing the first hand effects of Bevin as governor has energized the base, and that there are also many who are motivated to vote against Trump and his ilk, and that the Democratic base is feeling that it's in their interest to actively vote against the crazy, even if they are not enamored with the Democratic candidates.
I assure you that's not the case in Bullitt County. My entire extended family is split between Bullitt and Adair, and as far as I can tell there's not much Trump backlash at all. The state does have a history of holding on to the last bastion of Southern Democrats longer than anywhere else, but that was hanging on by a thread for a decade and Trump was the final tipping point for the red wave. What's left of Democratic voters especially in places like Bullitt are the blue collar union types that flipped overwhelmingly to Trump and still believe he's going to save all the factories, and they don't care about much else other than that. And the institutional Democratic party has been deader than dead for 20 years, every race is a contest to sound the most like a Republican. I also bet almost anything Bevin is reelected, especially if KY Democrats can't do any better than Andy Brashear to challenge him, and they can't.
Don't read literally anything into this KY race, it's a very weird situation. Dan Johnson was a legitimate psycho who no one could believe got reelected, and that was before the pedophilia scandal and his suicide. His wife was the Republican, any other Republican who wasn't the wife would've won.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
especially if KY Democrats can't do any better than Andy Brashear to challenge him, and they can't.
I think House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins is thinking about running as well.
And just to clarify, Johnson was only elected once, in 2016.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:00 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins is thinking about running as well.
And just to clarify, Johnson was only elected once, in 2016.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:00 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
His wife was the Republican, any other Republican who wasn't the wife would've won.
Counterpoint: It gets harder and harder to say "well, the Republicans only lost that safe seat because they ran the worst possible lunatic; you can't count on that happening again" every time it happens again. "The worst possible lunatic" has become a selling point for GOP primary voters, and it's a problem for their general elections.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:07 PM on February 20, 2018 [54 favorites]
Counterpoint: It gets harder and harder to say "well, the Republicans only lost that safe seat because they ran the worst possible lunatic; you can't count on that happening again" every time it happens again. "The worst possible lunatic" has become a selling point for GOP primary voters, and it's a problem for their general elections.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:07 PM on February 20, 2018 [54 favorites]
Must you crush my hope so immediately? I was having a nice few minutes there!
Pretty much everything you’ve said is giving very specific voice to my skepticism (I shall name it T.D. Strange from now on.) Despite that, I still believe that there’s a base there, and if nothing else, the healthcare swings in just the past couple of years have also had some real tangible impact in ways many other policies have not - positive, as the amount of people who suddenly had insurance would show, followed by immediate negative, as what they gained was gutted.
I think many in the cities had a real wake up call with Bevin as well. A lot of “how bad can it be / what does it really matter” was answered rather immediately and forcefully.
posted by MysticMCJ at 6:12 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Pretty much everything you’ve said is giving very specific voice to my skepticism (I shall name it T.D. Strange from now on.) Despite that, I still believe that there’s a base there, and if nothing else, the healthcare swings in just the past couple of years have also had some real tangible impact in ways many other policies have not - positive, as the amount of people who suddenly had insurance would show, followed by immediate negative, as what they gained was gutted.
I think many in the cities had a real wake up call with Bevin as well. A lot of “how bad can it be / what does it really matter” was answered rather immediately and forcefully.
posted by MysticMCJ at 6:12 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't know what to think of Missouri's map. 6 and 8 are really sparsely populated and CoMo can't carry all the blue for 4.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:22 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:22 PM on February 20, 2018
Nate and friends over at 538 talked about "toxic candidate" syndrome in December. The nuts and bolts added up to a new definition of Conservatism that is more anti-establishment than strictly ideological and that the base watches Fox, which is increasingly anti-establishment and is less prone to building bridges between the political ruling class and the base that elects them than it historically has been.
The final verdict was that the GOP can't really do a thing to fix it. They could eliminate primaries (they won't), impeach Trump (they won't), or pray that Trump loses in 2020 and assume that will lead to the shedding of the most toxic elements of the base (it won't.) One thing they didn't mention as a possibility is that Fox will try to become more responsible or shift ideological gears away from radicalism and return to conservatism.
posted by xyzzy at 6:27 PM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
The final verdict was that the GOP can't really do a thing to fix it. They could eliminate primaries (they won't), impeach Trump (they won't), or pray that Trump loses in 2020 and assume that will lead to the shedding of the most toxic elements of the base (it won't.) One thing they didn't mention as a possibility is that Fox will try to become more responsible or shift ideological gears away from radicalism and return to conservatism.
posted by xyzzy at 6:27 PM on February 20, 2018 [7 favorites]
Those are our federal districts, btw. I'm having a hard time tracking down a current red/blue map for our state house and senate districts.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:28 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:28 PM on February 20, 2018
More interesting details on the Alpha Bank connection to the Russian oligarch's son who pled guilty today. (courtesy of everybody's favorite whipping boy, Reddit.)
posted by msalt at 6:28 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by msalt at 6:28 PM on February 20, 2018
I don't know what to think of Missouri's map.
Missouri maps are drawn by the legislature, subject to gubernatorial veto. In 2011, the governor was Democrat Jay Nixon, so we might presume that the map wasn't egregious. And the actual process seems reasonably bi-partisan.
Just from a brief look around, MO isn't listed on various "10 worst gerrymandered states" lists, either, and this article indicates that it's less than a seat difference.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:35 PM on February 20, 2018
Missouri maps are drawn by the legislature, subject to gubernatorial veto. In 2011, the governor was Democrat Jay Nixon, so we might presume that the map wasn't egregious. And the actual process seems reasonably bi-partisan.
Just from a brief look around, MO isn't listed on various "10 worst gerrymandered states" lists, either, and this article indicates that it's less than a seat difference.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:35 PM on February 20, 2018
Although I do see that the map was vetoed by Nixon, and the legislature overrode it.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:40 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 6:40 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
tivalasvegas: "With all the experience he has at lying, you would think Trump would be better at it. Mind = boggled."
There has to be consequences for poor results; from what we seen the Cheeto hasn't suffered real consequences ever.
posted by Mitheral at 7:18 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
There has to be consequences for poor results; from what we seen the Cheeto hasn't suffered real consequences ever.
posted by Mitheral at 7:18 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
> I think House Minority Leader Rocky Adkins is thinking about running as well.
Let's see here... key vote on requiring ultrasounds 24 hours prior to an abortion, 100% rating and endorsement from NRA, and then some - yet low ranks from the conservative organizations as well, and impossible to find any actual stated positions on anything. Looks like a perfect example of the sort of KY "Democrat" that I was mentioning above.
It is not really reassuring to think that he and Andy Brashear are the top contenders. I'm going to hang on to the little bit of trivia that no Republican has ever served consecutive terms as Governor of Kentucky, because quite frankly - there's not much else to hang onto other than blind hope and a desire to fund and support any strong candidates from over here in Washington State.
posted by MysticMCJ at 7:22 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
Let's see here... key vote on requiring ultrasounds 24 hours prior to an abortion, 100% rating and endorsement from NRA, and then some - yet low ranks from the conservative organizations as well, and impossible to find any actual stated positions on anything. Looks like a perfect example of the sort of KY "Democrat" that I was mentioning above.
It is not really reassuring to think that he and Andy Brashear are the top contenders. I'm going to hang on to the little bit of trivia that no Republican has ever served consecutive terms as Governor of Kentucky, because quite frankly - there's not much else to hang onto other than blind hope and a desire to fund and support any strong candidates from over here in Washington State.
posted by MysticMCJ at 7:22 PM on February 20, 2018 [3 favorites]
One thing they didn't mention as a possibility is that Fox will try to become more responsible or shift ideological gears away from radicalism and return to conservatism.One of the biggest problems in contemporary media is that, in a publicly traded company, the need for ever increasing ad revenue becomes paramount to ideology. And ad revenue comes primarily from outrage. So the same problems that leads NYT to profile nazis also causes Fox to court conspiracy theories.
All of these media companies will end up eating themselves, but I think Fox will do it first. There's no actual ideology behind the network... they're just the "conservative" side of the ouroboros. Radicalism is an inevitability of their business model.
posted by weed donkey at 7:29 PM on February 20, 2018 [9 favorites]
Rep. Schiff (at a live event, no link) thinks we could see a Democratic memo within a few days, after negotiations with the FBI are complete.
posted by zachlipton at 7:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 7:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [11 favorites]
So the right has absolutely mainstreamed and accepted insane conspiracy theories involving crisis actors and similar.
Like the HHS official who was just put on administrative leave for promoting conspiracy theories during the Trump campaign after CNN found this out?
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:55 PM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
Like the HHS official who was just put on administrative leave for promoting conspiracy theories during the Trump campaign after CNN found this out?
Jon Cordova serves as the principal deputy assistant secretary for administration at HHS. A KFile review of Cordova's social media accounts found that he pushed stories filled with baseless claims and conspiracy theories, including stories that claimed Gold Star father Khizr Khan is a "Muslim Brotherhood agent" and made baseless claims about Sen. Ted Cruz's personal life.The Best People™.
"Mr. Cordova is currently on administrative leave while we look into this issue further," a HHS spokesperson said in a statement.[...]
Prior to joining HHS, Cordova served as a Trump delegate from California to the Republican National Convention and worked in communications for Donald Trump's campaign in California.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:55 PM on February 20, 2018 [16 favorites]
(Meanwhile CNN interviewed Trump supporters who'd been duped by the Russian disinformation campaign. As you'd expect, they were not inclined to admit they'd been used.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:02 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:02 PM on February 20, 2018 [18 favorites]
A link to Wikipedia is hardly "courtesy of Reddit..." and the sources in the Wiki entry (largely NYT, Slate, Newsweek, BI etc articles) are from mid 2017 at latest.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:04 PM on February 20, 2018
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:04 PM on February 20, 2018
ELECTION RESULT
Or, result-ish, since this is Mississippi, and they do a top two runoff if no one exceeds 50%. Also, MS special elections are run without party labels, so it can be tricky to figure out who's what. But, here are the results for Mississippi House 60, with nominal party listed.
This district went Trump 73-24, so I guess we can say the Dem slightly underperformed.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:21 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Or, result-ish, since this is Mississippi, and they do a top two runoff if no one exceeds 50%. Also, MS special elections are run without party labels, so it can be tricky to figure out who's what. But, here are the results for Mississippi House 60, with nominal party listed.
Shanks [R] 43.1%So, the two Republicans go to the runoff. We can take pleasure that Giles, who is a literal white supremacist, got very few votes.
Morrow [R] 38.5%
Mock [D] 16.8%
Giles [x] 1.6%
This district went Trump 73-24, so I guess we can say the Dem slightly underperformed.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:21 PM on February 20, 2018 [13 favorites]
Also, with 97% of precincts in, we can discuss the Wisconsin Supreme Court primary. This is a nominally non-partisan race, top two vote getters advance to the general. This is to replace one of Walker's conservative justices on the court; a liberal win here would cut the conservative advantage to 4-3.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [33 favorites]
Screnock [R] 46.4%So, the R took top spot, but the combined D vote is about 7% more, which bodes well for the general. This would be a big win - the justices serve for 10 years.
Dallet [D] 35.9%
Burns [D] 17.7%
posted by Chrysostom at 8:30 PM on February 20, 2018 [33 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** PA redistricting:
** 2018 House:
====
As noted earlier, in tonight's special elections, one Dem flip and one GOP hold. Three more specials next Tuesday (KY HD-89, CT HD-120, NH HD-Belknap 3).
posted by Chrysostom at 9:01 PM on February 20, 2018 [36 favorites]
** PA redistricting:
-- Legal experts say that any litigation by the GOP has almost no chance of succeeding.** 2018 Senate -- FL: Gravis poll has Sen Nelson up 44-40 on likely opponent gov Scott. Also noted: likely governor matchups are all competitive, and FL generic congressional ballot is D+3.
-- Deep dive into election implications by the Crosstab.
-- District by district race evaluations from DKE, starting here.
-- Sabato and Cook update race ratings, most move left.
-- 538: No, the new maps are not a Dem gerrymander
-- Meanwhile, the bill for non-partisan redistricting has a staggering 109 cosponsors (71 D, 38 R). Despite more than half of all members sponsoring it, the bill is bottled up in committee by GOP leadership.
** 2018 House:
-- Noted earlier, new Quinnipiac generic ballot poll has Dem lead at 15 (53/38). After bottoming out around D+5, the 538 average has drifted back up to D+8.5.** Odds & ends -- PPP poll in Wisconsin: Trump approval 44/52. Gov Walker approval 43/52.
-- DCCC posts best Jan fundraising ever, bringing in $9.3M.
====
As noted earlier, in tonight's special elections, one Dem flip and one GOP hold. Three more specials next Tuesday (KY HD-89, CT HD-120, NH HD-Belknap 3).
posted by Chrysostom at 9:01 PM on February 20, 2018 [36 favorites]
WSJ, Gerald F. Seib, Russia’s Real Goal: Continue Democracy’s Decline
posted by zachlipton at 9:08 PM on February 20, 2018 [48 favorites]
It now rates the U.S. as a “flawed democracy” because of a polarized political system and a decline in trust in its institutions. Spain’s score fell because it tried to stop an independence referendum in Catalonia by force. France’s score fell because its legislature passed a law expanding the government’s emergency powers.This article's cries for bipartisanship and centrism are misguided, but the broader point here is profoundly important, and echos something Rep. Schiff was discussing at an event tonight. I've been thinking a lot about Brian Beutler's Mainstream Media, Embrace Your Liberalism. Reversing a remarkable stretch of slow and inconsistent progress, the word is increasingly turning illiberal, in the broad sense of that term. Just look to Turkey, the Philippines, and the rise of far-right authoritarian parties in Europe. The biggest attack is not just on American institutions, but on democracy itself. And it's profoundly important for our institutions, particularly the press, to commit themselves to defending it.
The Freedom House report notes that both Russia and China are trying to step into the vacuum created by a decline in the power of the democratic model. “A confident Chinese president Xi Jinping recently proclaimed that China is ‘blazing a new trail’ for developing countries to follow,” the report notes. “It is a path that includes politicized courts, intolerance for dissent, and predetermined elections.”
Perhaps most distressing, the reports together suggest that a decline in confidence in American democracy, as well as the Trump administration’s failure to promote democracy abroad, are contributing to the trend.
posted by zachlipton at 9:08 PM on February 20, 2018 [48 favorites]
The network was still discussing the cost of a subscription.
The subscriber list will be the biggest target of confidence men you ever did see. I mean, that's just a mailing list that should be labeled Suckers. Man, there really are times when I regret these damnable ethics of mine.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 9:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [24 favorites]
The subscriber list will be the biggest target of confidence men you ever did see. I mean, that's just a mailing list that should be labeled Suckers. Man, there really are times when I regret these damnable ethics of mine.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 9:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [24 favorites]
I share the concern about trends toward authoritarian, xenophobic, illiberal government in many places - but I'm also truly heartened by this Pew Research survey indicating that through one lens, the number of democratic nations around the world is at a 40-year high.
I worry a lot that despair is yet another thing that acts in favor of oligarchs and disinformation-mongers, and for my own sanity, I try to keep an eye out for the positive news that doesn't get much attention. I don't want to be an ostrich and shut out important but true bad news; but I also can't muster the energy to resist as hard as possible if I'm drowning in despair. It's so easy for Americans like me to overlook things that are happening outside our borders, especially when there's so little coverage in most of our media. But according to this, in a lot of countries, democracy is growing stronger ... and I choose to believe that here in the U.S., we're reacting to this crisis by getting more involved than we have in decades, and with a lot of luck and a lot of hard work, we can be another one of these countries where democracy grows over the next ten years.
Eyes on the prize.
posted by kristi at 9:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [39 favorites]
I worry a lot that despair is yet another thing that acts in favor of oligarchs and disinformation-mongers, and for my own sanity, I try to keep an eye out for the positive news that doesn't get much attention. I don't want to be an ostrich and shut out important but true bad news; but I also can't muster the energy to resist as hard as possible if I'm drowning in despair. It's so easy for Americans like me to overlook things that are happening outside our borders, especially when there's so little coverage in most of our media. But according to this, in a lot of countries, democracy is growing stronger ... and I choose to believe that here in the U.S., we're reacting to this crisis by getting more involved than we have in decades, and with a lot of luck and a lot of hard work, we can be another one of these countries where democracy grows over the next ten years.
Eyes on the prize.
posted by kristi at 9:53 PM on February 20, 2018 [39 favorites]
Limited access to the subscriber list will be sold to Republicans (for the right price).
posted by Yowser at 9:54 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Yowser at 9:54 PM on February 20, 2018 [1 favorite]
The subscriber list will be the biggest target of confidence men you ever did see. I mean, that's just a mailing list that should be labeled Suckers. Man, there really are times when I regret these damnable ethics of mine.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:42 PM on February 21 [+] [!]
Well I mean if you're not gonna do it who will?
posted by saysthis at 9:55 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:42 PM on February 21 [+] [!]
Well I mean if you're not gonna do it who will?
posted by saysthis at 9:55 PM on February 20, 2018 [4 favorites]
Checking the Twitter rounds before bed and it's times like these I'm glad to know that Chris Meloni is the anti-Adam Baldwin.
posted by Talez at 10:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Talez at 10:36 PM on February 20, 2018 [2 favorites]
CPAC has literal right wing fascists flying in from the continent but apparently Dinesh D'Souza is indefensible and will no longer be attending.
*bangs head on the table until the stupid stops hurting*
posted by Talez at 10:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
*bangs head on the table until the stupid stops hurting*
posted by Talez at 10:42 PM on February 20, 2018 [8 favorites]
New Yorker, Amy Davidson Sorkin, At Guantánamo, Are Even the Judges Giving Up?
In other news, Politico, Arthur Allen, Shulkin says he has White House backing to purge VA
posted by zachlipton at 11:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
What he found is that, whatever his feelings about the defense, on a legal level the blame—and the solution—lay elsewhere. There were, he said, “questions that we need answered, frankly, from a court superior to me.” Spath thought that Baker’s reading of the Military Commissions Act could lead to absurd outcomes, because the defense could then bring the trial to a halt anytime it wanted to, by denying the accused representation. But, he said, maybe Baker was reading the law correctly; maybe Congress, in other words, had put together something that sloppy and absurd and ill-functioning. (It wouldn’t be the first time.) “We need somebody to tell us, is that really what that says, despite, obviously, every other court system in America thinking differently.” With that, Spath seems to have glimpsed what many critics of the military-commissions law have argued all along: the proceedings had revealed “significant flaws” in the military-commission process, Spath said. “We’re going to continue to spin our wheels and go nowhere until somebody who owns the process looks in and does something.” And, at another point, he said, “We need action. We need somebody to look at this process. We need somebody to give us direction. I would suggest it sooner than later.”NYT, Charlie Savage, U.S. Misses Deadline to Repatriate Detainee Who Pleaded Guilty, in which a Guantánamo reached a plea deal where he'd be sent back to Saudi Arabia within four years, time's up, and he's still there.
What was remarkable to him is that almost no one seemed as alarmed as he was. “I held a general officer in contempt. That should have stood out,” Spath said. He is right about that. (As is so often the case, Carol Rosenberg, of the Miami Herald, whose reporting from Guantánamo should be counted as a valuable national resource, was the only reporter there.) The Cole case is still at the pretrial-hearing stage. So is the 9/11 case, which sometimes has to compete with it for courtroom space. That case, as I’ve written before, ought to be our trial of the century: the conspirators who murdered more than two thousand people in Manhattan, at the Pentagon, and on United Flight 93, finally in front of a jury, albeit a military one. Is it also headed for a procedural train wreck?
On Friday, Spath said that he had seriously considered dismissing the Cole case, and only decided not to because he felt that that would reward the defense’s “clear misbehavior and misconduct.” (The defense would disagree with that assessment.) But the dismissal of both the Cole and 9/11 military-commissions cases, and the immediate reopening of the cases in normal, civilian courts, would actually be the wisest move, whatever the political barriers. Federal courts have an excellent record of convicting terrorists and sending them to maximum-security or, in some cases, supermax prisons. Military commissions do not, and it is looking as if they never will. Perhaps a plea deal of some sort, as Savage’s reporting suggested, is an option. But it is time to declare military-commission bankruptcy, and move on to the federal courts. Getting the 9/11 trial right is too important not to.
In other news, Politico, Arthur Allen, Shulkin says he has White House backing to purge VA
The White House has given Veterans Affairs Secretary David Shulkin the green light to quash an internal rebellion among conservative foes of his leadership, he told POLITICO late Tuesday.Brandon Friedman summed the situation up: To be clear, the Trump administration is so awful we're rooting for the side led by the guy who stole money from taxpayers meant for veterans.
The embattled Cabinet head said he’d begun investigating what he called “subversion” at the agency, and those who have defied his authority “won’t be working in my operation.”
Shulkin’s new chief of staff, Peter O’Rourke, is meeting with each staffer suspected of defying Shulkin “individually and as a group to determine, now that there is a clear direction where we are going, where people are going to stand," he said. "Those who crossed the line in the past are going to have to be accountable for those decisions."
posted by zachlipton at 11:04 PM on February 20, 2018 [27 favorites]
CPAC has literal right wing fascists flying in from the continent but apparently Dinesh D'Souza is indefensible and will no longer be attending.
To be fair, Dinesh D'Souza IS indefensible. They just have the reasons backwards. Idiocy, heartless cruelty and blatant lying are fine among conservatives, but a party running voter suppression based on fraudulent claims of voter fraud can't really tolerate a guy convicted of voter fraud.
posted by msalt at 12:16 AM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
To be fair, Dinesh D'Souza IS indefensible. They just have the reasons backwards. Idiocy, heartless cruelty and blatant lying are fine among conservatives, but a party running voter suppression based on fraudulent claims of voter fraud can't really tolerate a guy convicted of voter fraud.
posted by msalt at 12:16 AM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
I came here to say what msalt just said. Fuck Convicted Felon Dinesh D’Souza forever. : . )
posted by adamgreenfield at 3:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by adamgreenfield at 3:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Convicted Felon Dinesh D’Souza is not just a convicted felon and massively stupid, vile person, his ex-wife also says he's an abuser.
posted by chris24 at 4:13 AM on February 21, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 4:13 AM on February 21, 2018 [17 favorites]
Kentucky Center for Investigative Reporting has an epilogue update to their article published before Rep. Dan Johnson's suicide which details last night's KY special election and the campaign of his wife Rebecca Johnson.
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
PUBLIC LANDS NEWS!
Formatted and condensed in a manner not only inspired by but shamelessly stolen from Chrysostom's election news updates.
** Public comment period open on scoping phase of new management plans for lands declared removed from Grand Staircase-Escalante and for lands within the smaller, recently declared boundary of Bears Ears National Monuments.
** The Trump budget is generally not good for public lands.
** Diversity in the outdoors: Outside reports on a couple projects, see @NativesOutdoors and @IndigenousGeotags on Instagram.
If this comment is helpful, I'll try to put together more like it in the future.
posted by compartment at 5:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [113 favorites]
Formatted and condensed in a manner not only inspired by but shamelessly stolen from Chrysostom's election news updates.
** Public comment period open on scoping phase of new management plans for lands declared removed from Grand Staircase-Escalante and for lands within the smaller, recently declared boundary of Bears Ears National Monuments.
-- I'll try to use the phrase "declared removed" (or some other suitably qualified phrase) until the courts definitively decide whether or not the removals are lawful. Grand-Staircase Escalante National Monument (GSENM) in particular may have a strong legal case, because the boundaries were defined by Congress in a 1998 land swap with Utah.** Land that Trump declared removed from Bears Ears and GSENM is now open to mining claims under the 1872 Mining Act.
-- Public comment period on scoping phase of GSENM resource management plan is open at least until March 28. Here's the official announcement, here's the press release, and here's where to go if you wish to comment.
-- Public comment period on scoping phase of Bears Ears Monument Management Plan is open until March 19. Here's the official announcement, here's the press release, and here's where to go if you wish to comment.
-- The BLM's online commenting tool has an extremely 1996-ish appearance. It's not the most intuitive-to-use system. When you follow the link, you'll be presented with a wall of text. The red text will instruct you on how to submit a comment.
-- Public meetings will be held on both management plans but dates have not yet been announced. Comment periods on the individual plans will be open for 15 days after the meetings, or until the dates above, whichever is later.
** The Trump budget is generally not good for public lands.
-- It calls for reducing the maintenance backlog in parks by opening other public lands for sale or for drilling/mining.** Some good news: Zinke issues an order that should improve wildlife migration corridors in the West.
-- It would cut at least 1,200 Park Service positions. Some sources say that it calls for parkways (i.e., scenic roads) managed by NPS in the Washington, DC area may be sold off, but I'm having trouble finding a primary source to confirm that.
-- It would cut funding for the Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) by about 98%.
-- The LWCF, which Zinke has previously supported, helps the government purchase land that would connect public land parcels (useful for hunters and hikers trying to cross land with checkerboard public-private ownership) or acquire inholdings in national parks. In the Southwest, a good example of the usefulness of the LWCF is Petrified Forest National Park. Congress passed and George W. Bush signed a law expanding the park’s authorized boundaries in 2004, with the intent that new inholdings would be purchased from willing sellers. Park acreage has been expanded with some purchases, and also by acquiring lands previously managed by BLM, but overall the process has been hamstrung by LWCF funding problems. Private inholdings within the new boundary remain off-limits to the general public.
** Diversity in the outdoors: Outside reports on a couple projects, see @NativesOutdoors and @IndigenousGeotags on Instagram.
If this comment is helpful, I'll try to put together more like it in the future.
posted by compartment at 5:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [113 favorites]
Texas might surprise folks this year. (FYI, Harris County is Houston.)
@profJKAiyer
In Harris County—First day of early vote--Republican EV is up 25% from 2014–2807 to 3509. Dem EV up 300% 1276 to 3833. cc: @bjrottinghaus @MarkPJonesTX @ProfJonTaylor
posted by chris24 at 5:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [52 favorites]
@profJKAiyer
In Harris County—First day of early vote--Republican EV is up 25% from 2014–2807 to 3509. Dem EV up 300% 1276 to 3833. cc: @bjrottinghaus @MarkPJonesTX @ProfJonTaylor
posted by chris24 at 5:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [52 favorites]
While Twitter requiring phone numbers might help for about 3 hours, it's not going to come even close to stopping bots. I used to work for a crappy SEO company that made a ton of fake Google accounts. They got around the phone number requirement by registering hundreds of phone numbers from around the country for cents each and connecting them all through VOIP to a single landline phone sitting on my manager's desk. If anyone ever tried to call one of the numbers, he'd pick up and feign innocence.
So yeah, Twitter is, as usual, doing the bare minimum.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 6:01 AM on February 21, 2018 [38 favorites]
So yeah, Twitter is, as usual, doing the bare minimum.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 6:01 AM on February 21, 2018 [38 favorites]
The subscriber list will be the biggest target of confidence men you ever did see. I mean, that's just a mailing list that should be labeled Suckers. Man, there really are times when I regret these damnable ethics of mine.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:42 PM on February 21 [+] [!]
You could funnel the proceeds into a Blue SuperPAC and no-one would be the wiser. In fact, if you've got the skills to really soak that sucker list, I'd call it a moral imperative.
posted by whuppy at 6:05 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 1:42 PM on February 21 [+] [!]
You could funnel the proceeds into a Blue SuperPAC and no-one would be the wiser. In fact, if you've got the skills to really soak that sucker list, I'd call it a moral imperative.
posted by whuppy at 6:05 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mod note: Re, the Public Lands comment and similar: these super long comments are tough on people using mobile devices, so in future in might be better to make it a pastebin post, and then link that. Thanks.
posted by taz (staff) at 6:10 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by taz (staff) at 6:10 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Russian police have reportedly arrested a man who has claimed to be a worker at a so-called troll factory in St. Petersburg
posted by Artw at 6:24 AM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:24 AM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
I was wondering what was going on with the public lands shenanigans, compartment, thanks. Will take it to MeTa as needed, but I think chrysostom's election posts as well as this public lands post are pertinent and helpful. /$0.02.
posted by yoga at 6:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [45 favorites]
posted by yoga at 6:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [45 favorites]
Trump’s ‘tougher on Russia’ claim fits a pattern of striving to one-up Obama
To hear President Trump tell it, he is tougher than former president Barack Obama. He is smarter than Obama — more shrewd, more effective, more respected. The 45th president is, by his own accounting, superlative to the 44th in almost every way.Trump’s Jealous Obama Obsession Includes Claiming Obama Never Used the Oval Office
...
“If you watch Trump, he understands that there are two ways to be really tall, and one is to have your opponent be really short,” said Newt Gingrich, former House speaker and a Trump ally. “He spends a fair amount of his time shrinking his opponents.”
...
Trump’s self-comparisons to Obama come in nearly every realm, and range from the substantive to the superficial. He often exaggerates the truth, brushes over nuance, and engineers his own reality.
Apparently, the ways Trump attempts to demonstrate his superiority over Barack Obama extend to allegedly greater use of the Oval Office. Every tour stop would include an emphasis on this point.posted by kirkaracha at 6:46 AM on February 21, 2018 [20 favorites]
“Obama never used the Oval, but Trump is different,” the president would say, referring to himself in the third person as he often does, according to people who have witnessed the tours:
As his guests marveled at the space, Trump would press them, asking if Obama had ever shown them the West Wing’s inner sanctum.
When he was invariably told no, Trump appeared to beam with pride.
If Obama didn't use the oval office as much it was because he was busy in the actual office where real work gets done next door.
That's just one more thing that bugs me about Trump. Not only is he making up bullshit that shows he's "better" than Obama but the things he's making up don't actually make him seem better to anyone that stops to think about it for a moment.
posted by VTX at 6:58 AM on February 21, 2018 [20 favorites]
That's just one more thing that bugs me about Trump. Not only is he making up bullshit that shows he's "better" than Obama but the things he's making up don't actually make him seem better to anyone that stops to think about it for a moment.
posted by VTX at 6:58 AM on February 21, 2018 [20 favorites]
> the things he's making up don't actually make him seem better to anyone that stops to think about it for a moment.
People not stopping to think about it for a moment is what got him elected.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:05 AM on February 21, 2018 [32 favorites]
People not stopping to think about it for a moment is what got him elected.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:05 AM on February 21, 2018 [32 favorites]
Greenwald is a fucking numpty.
posted by bootlegpop at 7:24 AM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by bootlegpop at 7:24 AM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
Twitter is, as usual, doing the bare minimum. VF article on Twitter's self inflicted systemic ineptitude.
“JUST AN ASS-BACKWARD TECH COMPANY”
posted by rc3spencer at 7:33 AM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
“JUST AN ASS-BACKWARD TECH COMPANY”
posted by rc3spencer at 7:33 AM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
ICE cracks down in LA, meanwhile immigration legislation progress isn't looking great.
US Immigration Commission, 1911: "Is it not a great thing that one who comes from another land can become a citizen here, and have a vote whcih will count just as much as that of the President himself? Is it not a great thing that each foreigner coming here can have every right that anyone born in this country can have? Is it not worth your while by your behavior and industry to do your best to obtain this right for yourself and your family?"
Historically, about 1 in 10 of us in the US has been foreign-born according to US Census data going back to 1850.
posted by hexaflexagon at 7:36 AM on February 21, 2018 [19 favorites]
US Immigration Commission, 1911: "Is it not a great thing that one who comes from another land can become a citizen here, and have a vote whcih will count just as much as that of the President himself? Is it not a great thing that each foreigner coming here can have every right that anyone born in this country can have? Is it not worth your while by your behavior and industry to do your best to obtain this right for yourself and your family?"
Historically, about 1 in 10 of us in the US has been foreign-born according to US Census data going back to 1850.
posted by hexaflexagon at 7:36 AM on February 21, 2018 [19 favorites]
> Somewhere, just now, a writer is angrily throwing out a draft of their latest column exaggerating Trump's flaws to humorous effect, furious that the President's lies have once again outpaced the speed of satire.
Does he know that Kim Jong-Il carded a 38 under par in one round of golf? Surely TRUMP! could do even better. Maybe he could even become the first person to somehow get around an 18-hole course in fewer than 18 shots.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:36 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Does he know that Kim Jong-Il carded a 38 under par in one round of golf? Surely TRUMP! could do even better. Maybe he could even become the first person to somehow get around an 18-hole course in fewer than 18 shots.
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:36 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Boston Globe on ICE activity in a sanctuary city: Arrests of undocumented immigrants in Boston are up 50 percent.
The increase was largely due to a surge in “noncriminal” arrests, a figure that more than tripled from 343 to 1,106, the data showed.posted by adamg at 7:42 AM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
Artw: "Glenn Greenwood very upset."
He's upset that journalists are doing journalism?
posted by octothorpe at 7:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
He's upset that journalists are doing journalism?
posted by octothorpe at 7:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
Fox News chyron seen in my office building's lobby: "WH: Trump Has Shown There Are 'Consequences' For Election Meddling."
And yes, that's technically true....
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [23 favorites]
And yes, that's technically true....
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [23 favorites]
He's upset that journalists are doing journalism?
But don't you see?! It's just exactly 100% like memes calling the Parkland kids crisis actors!!! (A real actual argument he really actually made in a reply.)
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
Obama got shit for taking time to do NCAA tournament brackets from the same people who have no problem with Half-Day Trump golfing every weekend.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:00 AM on February 21, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 8:00 AM on February 21, 2018 [50 favorites]
Student walkouts across Florida, and in Maine and NJ happening now.
posted by rc3spencer at 8:05 AM on February 21, 2018 [86 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 8:05 AM on February 21, 2018 [86 favorites]
Photos from one of the walkouts.
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by showbiz_liz at 8:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [36 favorites]
Florida lawmaker explains why he voted against discussing a weapons ban
"I think the worst scenario — the absolute worst scenario — is that we go out, and we ban guns and we tell everybody that we've solved this problem, and we haven't," he told CNN. "And then you're going to have another attack and people are going to ask, 'Why? I thought we solved this with this gun ban.' And that didn't do anything to change the circumstance."
Personally, I think the worst scenario - the absolute worst scenario - is 1,516,863 gun-related deaths on US territory since 1968*, but that is a quality strawman, sir.
* by way of comparison, there have been 1,396,733 American war deaths since the founding of the United States. That figure includes American lives lost in the revolutionary war, the Mexican war, the civil war (Union and Confederate, estimate), the Spanish-American war, the first world war, the second world war, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the Gulf war, the Afghanistan war, the Iraq war, as well as other conflicts, including in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Somalia and Haiti.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:28 AM on February 21, 2018 [87 favorites]
"I think the worst scenario — the absolute worst scenario — is that we go out, and we ban guns and we tell everybody that we've solved this problem, and we haven't," he told CNN. "And then you're going to have another attack and people are going to ask, 'Why? I thought we solved this with this gun ban.' And that didn't do anything to change the circumstance."
Personally, I think the worst scenario - the absolute worst scenario - is 1,516,863 gun-related deaths on US territory since 1968*, but that is a quality strawman, sir.
* by way of comparison, there have been 1,396,733 American war deaths since the founding of the United States. That figure includes American lives lost in the revolutionary war, the Mexican war, the civil war (Union and Confederate, estimate), the Spanish-American war, the first world war, the second world war, the Korean war, the Vietnam war, the Gulf war, the Afghanistan war, the Iraq war, as well as other conflicts, including in Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, Somalia and Haiti.
posted by The Card Cheat at 8:28 AM on February 21, 2018 [87 favorites]
Garbage person Jim Hoft is whining:
John Whitehouse: jim hoft says cpac cancelled his panel and called gateway pundit a neo-nazi website
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:32 AM on February 21, 2018 [25 favorites]
John Whitehouse: jim hoft says cpac cancelled his panel and called gateway pundit a neo-nazi website
posted by Johnny Wallflower at 8:32 AM on February 21, 2018 [25 favorites]
Greenwald is a fucking numpty.
"Numpty" implies that Glenn doesn't know what he's doing. If his handlers have given him no choice but to attack anybody blaming them, that makes him a tool/traitor/quisling, not a numpty.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:43 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
"Numpty" implies that Glenn doesn't know what he's doing. If his handlers have given him no choice but to attack anybody blaming them, that makes him a tool/traitor/quisling, not a numpty.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:43 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Student walkouts across Florida, and in Maine and NJ happening now.
Aren't all Maine high schools on winter break right now? I know many are planning to participate in upcoming walkouts.
posted by mikepop at 8:48 AM on February 21, 2018
Aren't all Maine high schools on winter break right now? I know many are planning to participate in upcoming walkouts.
posted by mikepop at 8:48 AM on February 21, 2018
Point taken. Greenwald is worse than a fucking numpty.
posted by bootlegpop at 8:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by bootlegpop at 8:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Correction on Maine, organizing for Mar 14
posted by rc3spencer at 8:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 8:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Green Bay Press-Gazette: Dozens of active Green Bay area voters went to cast their ballot in Tuesday’s primary election only to find they had been removed from voter rolls.
Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney attributed many problems voters experienced on Tuesday to a multistate electronic tracking system the state started using in 2016 to update its statewide voter rolls.
Wisconsin, huh? The state Trump "won" by 20,000 votes (140,000 going to Stein and Johnson), huh? Huh.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:59 AM on February 21, 2018 [68 favorites]
Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney attributed many problems voters experienced on Tuesday to a multistate electronic tracking system the state started using in 2016 to update its statewide voter rolls.
Wisconsin, huh? The state Trump "won" by 20,000 votes (140,000 going to Stein and Johnson), huh? Huh.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:59 AM on February 21, 2018 [68 favorites]
Mueller levels new claim of bank fraud against Manafort
Politico: New Charges Filed in Manafort-Gates Case
Politico: New Charges Filed in Manafort-Gates Case
New charges have been filed in Special Counsel Robert Mueller's criminal case against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and aide Rick Gates, but the charges were put under seal by the court, obscuring the nature and import of the development.posted by Doktor Zed at 9:02 AM on February 21, 2018 [17 favorites]
The new charging document filed in federal court in Washington could be a superseding indictment, adding new charges or even new defendants to the charges filed last October, accusing Manafort and Gates of money laundering and failing to register as foreign agents for their work related to Ukraine, among other crimes.
Last week, prosecutors told the court they'd received new evidence that Manafort took part in "a series of bank frauds and bank fraud conspiracies" in connection with a loan he sought in 2016. Mueller's team said Manafort obtained the loan using “doctored profit and loss statements” that overstated "by millions of dollars" the income of his consulting business.
Is there any actual evidence that Greenwald is some kind of secret Russian agent? Can we not get all conspiracy-minded about this guy just because we disagree with his take on Russia-related matters? One of the intended effects of Russian meddling in the elections was to sow distrust on all sides of the political spectrum. Accusing people we disagree with of espionage plays right into that.
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:04 AM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by One Second Before Awakening at 9:04 AM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
chris24: "Texas might surprise folks this year. (FYI, Harris County is Houston.)"
Yeah, the day 1 early vote in TX was a pleasant surprise. Definitely need more data at this point, though.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 AM on February 21, 2018
Yeah, the day 1 early vote in TX was a pleasant surprise. Definitely need more data at this point, though.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:06 AM on February 21, 2018
Is there any actual evidence that Greenwald is some kind of secret Russian agent?
Not really. He's just more willing to carry water for Putin than to examine his anti-American prejudices and persecution narratives, and has been full-on "I'm not pro-Trump, I just constantly defend his supporters" since Hillary was "just as bad."
We probably don't need a full-on GG derail, but he's also become a bad journalist.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:10 AM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Not really. He's just more willing to carry water for Putin than to examine his anti-American prejudices and persecution narratives, and has been full-on "I'm not pro-Trump, I just constantly defend his supporters" since Hillary was "just as bad."
We probably don't need a full-on GG derail, but he's also become a bad journalist.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:10 AM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Is there any actual evidence that Greenwald is some kind of secret Russian agent?
Greenwald circa 2018 is the kind of person for whom the title “useful idiot” may well have been invented. He doesn’t need to be on anyone’s payroll for his blind spots to be of utility to the very people you mention. Let’s not strawman fair-minded critiques of Greenwald, here, either.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:15 AM on February 21, 2018 [26 favorites]
Greenwald circa 2018 is the kind of person for whom the title “useful idiot” may well have been invented. He doesn’t need to be on anyone’s payroll for his blind spots to be of utility to the very people you mention. Let’s not strawman fair-minded critiques of Greenwald, here, either.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 9:15 AM on February 21, 2018 [26 favorites]
One of the intended effects of Russian meddling in the elections was to sow distrust on all sides of the political spectrum. Accusing people we disagree with of espionage plays right into that.
Has Greenwald ever actually said that anything similar to "Russian meddling" happened, much less said that it was intended "to sow distrust on all sides of the political spectrum?" All I've seen from him is "whatabout the deep state, the establishment, the warmongers" when Russian interference is mentioned.
I really don't think it matters whether he's actually controlled in some way or simply has chronic and untreatable contrarianitis. As aspersioncast said, he's carrying their water either way.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:16 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Has Greenwald ever actually said that anything similar to "Russian meddling" happened, much less said that it was intended "to sow distrust on all sides of the political spectrum?" All I've seen from him is "whatabout the deep state, the establishment, the warmongers" when Russian interference is mentioned.
I really don't think it matters whether he's actually controlled in some way or simply has chronic and untreatable contrarianitis. As aspersioncast said, he's carrying their water either way.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:16 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Hmmm, this PA Supreme Court justice impeachment thing might be gathering steam:
* Rep Ryan Costello [PA-06] calls for impeachment
* PA GOP chair says, "might be time to start thinking about impeachment."
* Sen Ryan Toomey says impeachment is, "a conversation that has to happen."
We'll see if cooler heads prevail. Seems like it would certainly drive up Democratic turnout this fall.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:17 AM on February 21, 2018 [26 favorites]
* Rep Ryan Costello [PA-06] calls for impeachment
* PA GOP chair says, "might be time to start thinking about impeachment."
* Sen Ryan Toomey says impeachment is, "a conversation that has to happen."
We'll see if cooler heads prevail. Seems like it would certainly drive up Democratic turnout this fall.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:17 AM on February 21, 2018 [26 favorites]
He’s the kind of fellow the word “unwitting” was created for.
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:18 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Huffy Puffy at 9:18 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
We probably don't need a full-on GG derail.
Trust me, nobody needs a full-on GG derail. It'll take you months to get the fecal stains out. (Wait, you're not talking about GG Allin?)
Oh...Glenn Greenwald. See, here's the thing: I know circular firing squads are inveterately the left's drug of choice, but whenever I see people cite Greenwald or Assange approvingly — and these days, I'm getting to feel the same way about Chelsea Manning and even Ed Snowden — I kinda subtly slide their counter into my mental "useful idiot" column. It doesn't even take the litmus test of sudden, inexplicable support for Assad. Just, "Hey, Glenn Greenwald wrote this awesome thing, and I think you should listen to it."
Because as we've observed here before, there's a certain kind of person on the left for whom America is and always will be the Biggest of Bads, and for whom anything that will tend to reflect poorly on America is something worth propagating and amplifying. Greenwald has well and truly found his vein with this cohort, and even if he's narrowly right from time to time, it's for the wrong reasons.
At that, I'd probably rather spend time with GG Allin. And he's been dead and in the ground lo this past quarter-century.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:20 AM on February 21, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trust me, nobody needs a full-on GG derail. It'll take you months to get the fecal stains out. (Wait, you're not talking about GG Allin?)
Oh...Glenn Greenwald. See, here's the thing: I know circular firing squads are inveterately the left's drug of choice, but whenever I see people cite Greenwald or Assange approvingly — and these days, I'm getting to feel the same way about Chelsea Manning and even Ed Snowden — I kinda subtly slide their counter into my mental "useful idiot" column. It doesn't even take the litmus test of sudden, inexplicable support for Assad. Just, "Hey, Glenn Greenwald wrote this awesome thing, and I think you should listen to it."
Because as we've observed here before, there's a certain kind of person on the left for whom America is and always will be the Biggest of Bads, and for whom anything that will tend to reflect poorly on America is something worth propagating and amplifying. Greenwald has well and truly found his vein with this cohort, and even if he's narrowly right from time to time, it's for the wrong reasons.
At that, I'd probably rather spend time with GG Allin. And he's been dead and in the ground lo this past quarter-century.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:20 AM on February 21, 2018 [29 favorites]
Danny Sjursen - Tom Dispatch - Trump’s $700 Bn. Bag of Goodies for the Military-Industrial Complex .....
As Americans experience acute income inequality, the rising cost of a college education, and ongoing deindustrialization in the heartland, the country’s runaway spending continues to rise precipitously. The planned 2019 Pentagon budget is now expected to hit a staggering $716 billion — more than much of the rest of the world’s defense spending combined..
posted by adamvasco at 9:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
As Americans experience acute income inequality, the rising cost of a college education, and ongoing deindustrialization in the heartland, the country’s runaway spending continues to rise precipitously. The planned 2019 Pentagon budget is now expected to hit a staggering $716 billion — more than much of the rest of the world’s defense spending combined..
posted by adamvasco at 9:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
Mod note: Let's call it good, on the Glenn Greenwald thing.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Will Trump's "listening session" with the school shooting survivors later this afternoon be broadcast? Or is it expected to happen behind closed doors? The circumstances suck, but watching high school students destroy the President on live TV would be glorious.
(School shooting / gun control discussion goes here -- this comment is just a question for our expert Trump watchers about the likelihood of TV coverage.)
posted by Jacqueline at 9:25 AM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
(School shooting / gun control discussion goes here -- this comment is just a question for our expert Trump watchers about the likelihood of TV coverage.)
posted by Jacqueline at 9:25 AM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
I've just been generally disappointed in the reaction of a few people on the left to news that Russian state actors did do some amount of playing to both sides (even if it was lopsided towards the right). There's been a lot of, "Well but not me and my pet issues, and if you imply I was in any way influenced at all by any of it, or even unwittingly used as ammunition by any bad actors, I'm going to go on a 30-tweet explanation of how wrong you are!" Like, just chill? It's not a great look.
I've grown increasingly thankful for the decade or so of Zen training I engaged in. Sometimes it's okay to just, like, not. For a little while.
Anywhoodle, Chrysostom this whole impeachment business is certifiably fucking bananas and I do not have enough red thumbsdown postcards on my desk for the number of people who need to get one right now. For those playing the home game from other states, our Supremes are elected by the people of the Commonwealth. Some of them quite recently on a platform of being opposed to gerrymandering. Which apparently is something that the PA GOP is using as ammunition? Every single time someone uses "this law enforcement officer is biased against people who break the law" as a proof that they should be removed, I lose another tiny piece of my goddamn mind.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:29 AM on February 21, 2018 [47 favorites]
I've grown increasingly thankful for the decade or so of Zen training I engaged in. Sometimes it's okay to just, like, not. For a little while.
Anywhoodle, Chrysostom this whole impeachment business is certifiably fucking bananas and I do not have enough red thumbsdown postcards on my desk for the number of people who need to get one right now. For those playing the home game from other states, our Supremes are elected by the people of the Commonwealth. Some of them quite recently on a platform of being opposed to gerrymandering. Which apparently is something that the PA GOP is using as ammunition? Every single time someone uses "this law enforcement officer is biased against people who break the law" as a proof that they should be removed, I lose another tiny piece of my goddamn mind.
posted by soren_lorensen at 9:29 AM on February 21, 2018 [47 favorites]
So CPAC has invited both LaPierre and LePen II: Fascionista. Huh. I'm thinking I may actually take a little jaunt down to National Harbor to point (specific) fingers. Sign suggestions welcome; I'm thinking "You're bad, and you should feel bad" might cover it.
posted by aspersioncast at 9:33 AM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by aspersioncast at 9:33 AM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
We'll see if cooler heads prevail. Seems like it would certainly drive up Democratic turnout this fall.
The reason I'm so interested in this (aside from the fact that it is, genuinely, interesting) is that I realized a few days ago that the inverse of 'all politics are local' is true, in that - as goes prosecution of local politics, so goes prosecution of national politics. What we're seeing right now is a ground-up fight for local government: if this is indicative of future, higher-up races (ie battleground and tipping-point regional races on up to actual federal elections) then we need to pay attention right now - to the tactics being used, the lengths gone to, the norms breached, the specific tactics to threaten, intimidate, and abuse power, all of it - we need to take note now so that when those tactics are used elsewhere, we have a canny and effective response to them.
If it infects the GOP psyche that 'impeachment' is the way to get rid of those troublesome judges, we need to know that, and know how to counter it.
posted by eclectist at 9:35 AM on February 21, 2018 [25 favorites]
The reason I'm so interested in this (aside from the fact that it is, genuinely, interesting) is that I realized a few days ago that the inverse of 'all politics are local' is true, in that - as goes prosecution of local politics, so goes prosecution of national politics. What we're seeing right now is a ground-up fight for local government: if this is indicative of future, higher-up races (ie battleground and tipping-point regional races on up to actual federal elections) then we need to pay attention right now - to the tactics being used, the lengths gone to, the norms breached, the specific tactics to threaten, intimidate, and abuse power, all of it - we need to take note now so that when those tactics are used elsewhere, we have a canny and effective response to them.
If it infects the GOP psyche that 'impeachment' is the way to get rid of those troublesome judges, we need to know that, and know how to counter it.
posted by eclectist at 9:35 AM on February 21, 2018 [25 favorites]
> Will Trump's "listening session" with the school shooting survivors later this afternoon be broadcast? Or is it expected to happen behind closed doors? The circumstances suck, but watching high school students destroy the President on live TV would be glorious.
I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled for some reason. If there's one thing Trump loves and is good at, it's listening to and feigning empathy for people whose interests do not align with his own, especially after many of them have made a public display of their opposition.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:37 AM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled for some reason. If there's one thing Trump loves and is good at, it's listening to and feigning empathy for people whose interests do not align with his own, especially after many of them have made a public display of their opposition.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:37 AM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
If it infects the GOP psyche that 'impeachment' is the way to get rid of those troublesome judges, we need to know that, and know how to counter it.
Impeaching Gorsuch would be a fine first step.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:38 AM on February 21, 2018 [14 favorites]
Impeaching Gorsuch would be a fine first step.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:38 AM on February 21, 2018 [14 favorites]
I've just been generally disappointed in the reaction of a few people on the left to news that Russian state actors did do some amount of playing to both sides (even if it was lopsided towards the right). There's been a lot of, "Well but not me and my pet issues, and if you imply I was in any way influenced at all by any of it, or even unwittingly used as ammunition by any bad actors, I'm going to go on a 30-tweet explanation of how wrong you are!"
I'm seeing a lot of this in my circles right now, too. (Well, not the tweeting bit, having left Twitter a long time back, but IRL. I bet you can imagine how much less fun these conversations are to have in person.)
I chalk a lot of it up to the humiliation of having been taken in. When I raise the possibility of someone's having been turned into a zombie rediffusion node by effective Troll Factory PSYOP, I try to do so in a way that doesn't feel to them like I'm judging them, because I'm actually not. We're all amazingly susceptible to this stuff, just like we're susceptible to advertising. It works: after all, confirmation bias is a hell of a drug.
This is why there's no shame in 'fessing up that, yeah, it's worked on you...just so long as you take concrete steps to prevent it from working a second or subsequent time. And this is the angle I try to come at this difficult conversation from. I don't know if that will lower the temperature in your circles, but it seems to work in mine.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:38 AM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm seeing a lot of this in my circles right now, too. (Well, not the tweeting bit, having left Twitter a long time back, but IRL. I bet you can imagine how much less fun these conversations are to have in person.)
I chalk a lot of it up to the humiliation of having been taken in. When I raise the possibility of someone's having been turned into a zombie rediffusion node by effective Troll Factory PSYOP, I try to do so in a way that doesn't feel to them like I'm judging them, because I'm actually not. We're all amazingly susceptible to this stuff, just like we're susceptible to advertising. It works: after all, confirmation bias is a hell of a drug.
This is why there's no shame in 'fessing up that, yeah, it's worked on you...just so long as you take concrete steps to prevent it from working a second or subsequent time. And this is the angle I try to come at this difficult conversation from. I don't know if that will lower the temperature in your circles, but it seems to work in mine.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:38 AM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled for some reason.
Yeah my money is on either cancelled or the participants have all been very very carefully hand-picked to be unlikely to directly confront Trump. But I have a few hours left to dream...
posted by Jacqueline at 9:40 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah my money is on either cancelled or the participants have all been very very carefully hand-picked to be unlikely to directly confront Trump. But I have a few hours left to dream...
posted by Jacqueline at 9:40 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
So CPAC has invited both LaPierre and LePen II: Fascionista
Correction: They invited LePen III: This One’s Blonde
posted by Sys Rq at 9:41 AM on February 21, 2018 [14 favorites]
Correction: They invited LePen III: This One’s Blonde
posted by Sys Rq at 9:41 AM on February 21, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'm sorry, I think my brain just exploded: Alex Trebek to moderate PA gubernatorial debate
posted by Chrysostom at 9:42 AM on February 21, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:42 AM on February 21, 2018 [20 favorites]
Mueller, Manafort, pressure, fraud, etc. < NBC news on developments in Manafort case.
posted by rc3spencer at 9:42 AM on February 21, 2018
posted by rc3spencer at 9:42 AM on February 21, 2018
Oh, I'll play your game, you rogue.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:43 AM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:43 AM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
More heat on Manafort from Mueller: Mueller Asking If Manafort Promised Banker White House Job In Return For Loans (NBC)
Incidentally, professor and political correspondent Jared Saxton got this reaction to the news of Mueller's latest round of charges against Manafort from someone on the outer circles of Trumpland:
Federal investigators are probing whether former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort promised a Chicago banker a job in the Trump White House in return for $16 million in home loans, two people with direct knowledge of the matter told NBC News.Naturally, neither Calk nor the White House will comment, with Calk and his flaks avoiding contact and not returning calls for weeks.
Manafort received three separate loans in December 2016 and January 2017 from Federal Savings Bank for homes in New York City and the Hamptons.
Stephen Calk, who was announced as a member of candidate Trump's council of economic advisers in August 2016, is the president of Federal Savings Bank.
Special Counsel Robert Mueller's team is now investigating whether there was a quid pro quo agreement between Manafort and Calk. Manafort left the Trump campaign in August 2016 after the millions he had earned working for a pro-Russian political party in Ukraine drew media scrutiny. Calk did not receive a job in President Donald Trump's cabinet.
Incidentally, professor and political correspondent Jared Saxton got this reaction to the news of Mueller's latest round of charges against Manafort from someone on the outer circles of Trumpland:
Just got in touch with one of my old sources inside the Trump Campaign who raised alarms about Russian interference. According to him, "Everyone knows the jig is up."posted by Doktor Zed at 9:44 AM on February 21, 2018 [61 favorites]
He told me the feeling when Mueller got appointed was that maybe this investigation might end up with a hazy narrative of what happened, but the minute people read the Manafort indictment "the air came out of the balloon."
WaPo is screaming "breaking!!!" in a red banner but I just yawned, about Melania's parents:
posted by Dashy at 9:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
The parents of first lady Melania Trump have become legal permanent residents of the United States and are close to obtaining their citizenship, according to people familiar with their status, but their attorney declined to say how or when the couple gained their green cards.It has been __0__ days since the last scandal, but I am still yawning here.
Immigration experts said Viktor and Amalija Knavs very likely relied on a family reunification process that President Trump has derided as “chain migration” and proposed ending in such cases.
The Knavses, formerly of Slovenia, are living in the country on green cards, according to Michael Wildes, a New York-based immigration attorney who represents the first lady and her family.
...
The Knavses are now awaiting scheduling for their swearing-in ceremony, according to a person with knowledge of the parents’ immigration filings.
posted by Dashy at 9:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
Will Trump's "listening session" with the school shooting survivors later this afternoon be broadcast? Or is it expected to happen behind closed doors? The circumstances suck, but watching high school students destroy the President on live TV would be glorious.
Depending on the school administration, they may be choosing only the most polite and pliable kids to avoid embarrassing the school (re: embarrassing the administrators themselves). Or they may not give a damn and they may be perfectly happy to let the students give him hell.
I gotta say the emergence of these powerful student voices isn't the least bit shocking. That school has like 3000 kids. In a school like that, there are always standout student leaders who leave you thinking "Holy shit is kid really only 15/16/17?" And after a situation like this shooting, you have even more students now fully invested because this is about their lost friends and their continued survival. They're motivated as hell. The only smart things to do are either get behind them or get out of the way.
When I was a kid in California, I was in a statewide Youth in Government program that did a mock government in Sacramento during a legislative recess. Governor Pete Wilson came to talk to the assembled group (something like a couple thousand of us). He unwisely threw the floor open to questions, thinking he'd get some "what's it like to be governor?" bullshit. Instead, teenagers came at him about hardcore legislative and administrative stuff from his tenure. They came at him with receipts. Motherfucker did not know what to do.
I was a tech for the student TV crew that interviewed him immediately after that and we couldn't figure out how to fix the picture so he wasn't so green but at the moment that was the dude's actual color.
So the staff might arrange a softball for Trump. Or he might be in for literally the single worst experience of his presidency. Fuck putting him in a room with Bob Mueller. Put him in a room with teen survivors of a school shooting.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [115 favorites]
Depending on the school administration, they may be choosing only the most polite and pliable kids to avoid embarrassing the school (re: embarrassing the administrators themselves). Or they may not give a damn and they may be perfectly happy to let the students give him hell.
I gotta say the emergence of these powerful student voices isn't the least bit shocking. That school has like 3000 kids. In a school like that, there are always standout student leaders who leave you thinking "Holy shit is kid really only 15/16/17?" And after a situation like this shooting, you have even more students now fully invested because this is about their lost friends and their continued survival. They're motivated as hell. The only smart things to do are either get behind them or get out of the way.
When I was a kid in California, I was in a statewide Youth in Government program that did a mock government in Sacramento during a legislative recess. Governor Pete Wilson came to talk to the assembled group (something like a couple thousand of us). He unwisely threw the floor open to questions, thinking he'd get some "what's it like to be governor?" bullshit. Instead, teenagers came at him about hardcore legislative and administrative stuff from his tenure. They came at him with receipts. Motherfucker did not know what to do.
I was a tech for the student TV crew that interviewed him immediately after that and we couldn't figure out how to fix the picture so he wasn't so green but at the moment that was the dude's actual color.
So the staff might arrange a softball for Trump. Or he might be in for literally the single worst experience of his presidency. Fuck putting him in a room with Bob Mueller. Put him in a room with teen survivors of a school shooting.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [115 favorites]
Will Trump's "listening session" with the school shooting survivors later this afternoon be broadcast? Or is it expected to happen behind closed doors? The circumstances suck, but watching high school students destroy the President on live TV would be glorious.
I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled for some reason.
I just don't believe it will happen. There's just no way he faces anyone who is willing to contradict him.
posted by winna at 9:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
I wouldn't be surprised if it gets cancelled for some reason.
I just don't believe it will happen. There's just no way he faces anyone who is willing to contradict him.
posted by winna at 9:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
For a lot of the workers and staffers inside the campaign it's become a paranoid life filled with lawyers. A lot of them who got in to have a job in national politics or a future media gig in "Trump TV" regret having helped Trump and fallen into this.
I take everything from Jared Yates Sexton with varying levels of salt, but assuming this is true there isn't enough salt to wash the taste of schadenfreude away. Boo fucking hoo. As I believe Colbert said, "Two weeks in the White House, a lifetime in jail."
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:55 AM on February 21, 2018 [23 favorites]
I take everything from Jared Yates Sexton with varying levels of salt, but assuming this is true there isn't enough salt to wash the taste of schadenfreude away. Boo fucking hoo. As I believe Colbert said, "Two weeks in the White House, a lifetime in jail."
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:55 AM on February 21, 2018 [23 favorites]
Mod note: A few comments deleted. Let's take the Florida students/gun control stuff back over to the Florida shooting/gun control thread please, and not fill this thread up with speculating what will happen at a press conference that may or may not happen.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:59 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 9:59 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Rep Ryan Costello [PA-06] calls for impeachment
Costello has nothing to lose by trying. With the revised district 6 scooping up the very urban Reading and Pennsylvanians on both sides revved up, the days of "Thanks to Rep. Ryan Costello for Reaching Across The Aisle and Finding Bipartisan Solutions!" billboards on US 202 are over. He either tacks hard to starboard or he goes home. Screaming "THEFT!" is one way to motivate our local dingbat patrol.
posted by delfin at 10:12 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Costello has nothing to lose by trying. With the revised district 6 scooping up the very urban Reading and Pennsylvanians on both sides revved up, the days of "Thanks to Rep. Ryan Costello for Reaching Across The Aisle and Finding Bipartisan Solutions!" billboards on US 202 are over. He either tacks hard to starboard or he goes home. Screaming "THEFT!" is one way to motivate our local dingbat patrol.
posted by delfin at 10:12 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
we couldn't figure out how to fix the picture so he wasn't so green but at the moment that was the dude's actual color.
It was probably just a reflection of the room itself.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:12 AM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
It was probably just a reflection of the room itself.
posted by elsietheeel at 10:12 AM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
During yesterday's briefing, Sanders threw out a weird line, and a lot of people feared she was talking about the Russians killed in Syria: "He has done a number of things to put pressure on Russia and to be tough on Russia. Just last week, there was an incident that will be reported in the coming days, and another way that this president was tough on Russia."
And yep, they're really going there. Bloomberg, Jennifer Jacobs, White House Considers Citing Russian Deaths in Syria as Sign of U.S. Resolve
Both the Pentagon and Russia are trying to play down the attacks, presumably in the shared interest of not starting a world war, and now Trump wants to jump in and be all "see, I'm so tough on Russia, I killed Russians." The article helpfully points out that he could confront Russia in "easier ways," such as implementing the damn sanctions Congress passed or publicly call out Russian meddling rather than continuing to spread doubts.
posted by zachlipton at 10:16 AM on February 21, 2018 [44 favorites]
And yep, they're really going there. Bloomberg, Jennifer Jacobs, White House Considers Citing Russian Deaths in Syria as Sign of U.S. Resolve
Both the Pentagon and Russia are trying to play down the attacks, presumably in the shared interest of not starting a world war, and now Trump wants to jump in and be all "see, I'm so tough on Russia, I killed Russians." The article helpfully points out that he could confront Russia in "easier ways," such as implementing the damn sanctions Congress passed or publicly call out Russian meddling rather than continuing to spread doubts.
posted by zachlipton at 10:16 AM on February 21, 2018 [44 favorites]
Wisconsinites: State voter roll purge causes snafu for some in spring primary, future elections. Keep your voter registration up to date when moving, even if it's within your own state.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 10:23 AM on February 21, 2018 [10 favorites]
I take everything from Jared Yates Sexton with varying levels of salt
May I ask why? I mostly look to him more for like reactions and summaries rather than breaking his own news. I liked his rally coverage quite a bit, though. It would be good to know what they are, if he may have flaws.
posted by bootlegpop at 10:25 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
May I ask why? I mostly look to him more for like reactions and summaries rather than breaking his own news. I liked his rally coverage quite a bit, though. It would be good to know what they are, if he may have flaws.
posted by bootlegpop at 10:25 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
White House Considers Citing Russian Deaths in Syria as Sign of U.S. Resolve
It's like the time the White House seriously believed that Democrats would happily approve when Trump fired Comey, because we didn't like him either. Except this time it'll end human civilization.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:26 AM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
It's like the time the White House seriously believed that Democrats would happily approve when Trump fired Comey, because we didn't like him either. Except this time it'll end human civilization.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:26 AM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
For a lot of the workers and staffers inside the campaign it's become a paranoid life filled with lawyers. A lot of them who got in to have a job in national politics or a future media gig in "Trump TV" regret having helped Trump and fallen into this.
I take everything from Jared Yates Sexton with varying levels of salt, but assuming this is true there isn't enough salt to wash the taste of schadenfreude away. Boo fucking hoo. As I believe Colbert said, "Two weeks in the White House, a lifetime in jail."
Haha. Play shitty games, win shitty prizes, lie down with dogs and get up with fleas, etc. If I had kids, I'd be pointing this out as a Life Lesson right now. "See what happens when you get caught up with shady people? Your reputation will get tarnished and you might get in legal trouble. Even if you're just greedy and/or opportunistic and not truly sleazy or criminal! Keep your noses clean!"
Those are some enormous chickens about to come home to roost.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:41 AM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
Bloomberg: Mueller's interviewing Sam Nunberg tomorrow.
Nunberg, he who Trump abandoned at a McDonalds when his order took too long.
Nunberg, he who said Trump "screws everyone" in yesterday's MSNBC interview.
Godspeed, O Nunberg.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [59 favorites]
Nunberg, he who Trump abandoned at a McDonalds when his order took too long.
Nunberg, he who said Trump "screws everyone" in yesterday's MSNBC interview.
Godspeed, O Nunberg.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:45 AM on February 21, 2018 [59 favorites]
Bernie Sanders did an interview with Vermont Public Radio today. In which he says he isn't sure about Russian meddling and Trump and appears to blame Clinton for not stopping it.
What is he thinking? Not a great look in light of his votes against the Magnitsky Act and other sanctions.
posted by Justinian at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [85 favorites]
What is he thinking? Not a great look in light of his votes against the Magnitsky Act and other sanctions.
posted by Justinian at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [85 favorites]
(Nunberg's also a vile, racist buddy of Roger Stone and I wish nothing but ill on him, but I think his grievance will supersede shitbird kinship here)
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
"Nunberg was on Trump’s payroll from mid-2011 to August 2015. A possible line of questioning could regard Trump’s activities in Moscow during the 2013 Miss Universe pageant that the president once owned." -- BloombergOH BOY
posted by Jacqueline at 10:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [34 favorites]
Huh, this could be interesting:
A coalition of law firms led by David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, and The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today announced the filing of four landmark lawsuits challenging the winner-take-all method states use to allocate their Electoral College votes.posted by Chrysostom at 10:55 AM on February 21, 2018 [61 favorites]
“Why didn’t the Clinton campaign do something” didn’t Hillary call Trump out at a debate? She did do something, she made it ridiculously public, and nobody seemed to care.
It is so incendiary that Mitch McConnell has not gotten any flack for his role in all this. He’s such a sniveling scumbag who decided to shove fair elections under the rug in order to have tax cuts for his rich buddies and to take health care away from people, and nobody seems to give a fuck.
posted by gucci mane at 11:02 AM on February 21, 2018 [96 favorites]
It is so incendiary that Mitch McConnell has not gotten any flack for his role in all this. He’s such a sniveling scumbag who decided to shove fair elections under the rug in order to have tax cuts for his rich buddies and to take health care away from people, and nobody seems to give a fuck.
posted by gucci mane at 11:02 AM on February 21, 2018 [96 favorites]
Washington Post: Donald Trump Jr. says he likes India’s poor people because they ‘smile’
That's because they're One of the Good Ones.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:02 AM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
That's because they're One of the Good Ones.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:02 AM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
“Why didn’t the Clinton campaign do something”
because it wasn't their goddamn job? this is like the bronze medalist in an olympic footrace asking why the silver medalist didn't prevent the gold medalist from doping.
posted by murphy slaw at 11:04 AM on February 21, 2018 [52 favorites]
because it wasn't their goddamn job? this is like the bronze medalist in an olympic footrace asking why the silver medalist didn't prevent the gold medalist from doping.
posted by murphy slaw at 11:04 AM on February 21, 2018 [52 favorites]
because it wasn't their goddamn job? this is like the bronze medalist in an olympic footrace asking why the silver medalist didn't prevent the gold medalist from doping.
Heh, aren't the Russians now accusing the Americans of poisoning the curling athlete's food?
posted by Melismata at 11:10 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Heh, aren't the Russians now accusing the Americans of poisoning the curling athlete's food?
posted by Melismata at 11:10 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Whoa, that MSNBC interview with Nunberg. He's like Carter Page crossed with some character in Super Troopers.
posted by rc3spencer at 11:26 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 11:26 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
CNBC: Trump's former bodyguard makes $15,000 a month from a GOP 'slush fund'
The Republican Party's been paying off Schiller. Wonder why.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:29 AM on February 21, 2018 [54 favorites]
The Republican Party's been paying off Schiller. Wonder why.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:29 AM on February 21, 2018 [54 favorites]
Josh Marshall: Why The Trump/Russia ‘Skeptics’ Are Wrong
The whole thing is good, but this paragraph refutes one of the common complaints very clearly:
The whole thing is good, but this paragraph refutes one of the common complaints very clearly:
First, the manifest disorganization of the Trump operation and whether they had their shit together enough to conspire with anyone. This has always struck me as a basic misunderstanding of how spy work operates. Perhaps also human nature. Spies looking to infiltrate, compromise and direct a foreign organization look precisely for chaotic and disorganized contexts. They look for gullible people. They look for pleasers. They look for people who are desperate, broke, blackmail-able. These are all features, not bugs. This must have made the Trump campaign an irresistible target for Russia. Because it had all the key vulnerability points in spades. I think anyone who makes this argument really doesn’t know what they’re talking about.posted by murphy slaw at 11:35 AM on February 21, 2018 [84 favorites]
First, the manifest disorganization of the Trump operation and whether they had their shit together enough to conspire with anyone. This has always struck me as a basic misunderstanding of how spy work operates.
This is exactly right. Why should we insist that Trump and his friends willingly colluded with Russia in the belief they could ascend to the presidency, when they may have merely unwillingly colluded with Russia to avoid the dissemination of the audio-visual depiction of micturation?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:39 AM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is exactly right. Why should we insist that Trump and his friends willingly colluded with Russia in the belief they could ascend to the presidency, when they may have merely unwillingly colluded with Russia to avoid the dissemination of the audio-visual depiction of micturation?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:39 AM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
While we are talking about Kusinich and Gabbard supporting Assad, and Trump wanting to brag about cluelessly shooting at the wrong people in the chaos, this is happening in Syria.
Kareem Shaheen for the Guardian: "'It's not a war. It's a massacre': scores killed in Syrian enclave"
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:44 AM on February 21, 2018 [47 favorites]
Kareem Shaheen for the Guardian: "'It's not a war. It's a massacre': scores killed in Syrian enclave"
Amnesty International said “flagrant war crimes” were being committed in eastern Ghouta on an “epic scale.”Colin Dwyer for NPR: "No Words Will Do Justice': Onslaught On Syrian Suburb Kills Some 200 Civilians"
...
Seven hospitals have also been bombed since Monday morning in eastern Ghouta, which was once the breadbasket of Damascus but has been under siege for years by the Assad government and subjected to devastating chemical attacks. Two hospitals suspended operations and one has been put out of service.
“We are standing before the massacre of the 21st century,” said a doctor in eastern Ghouta. “If the massacre of the 1990s was Srebrenica, and the massacres of the 1980s were Halabja and Sabra and Shatila, then eastern Ghouta is the massacre of this century right now.”
...
In Geneva, the UN children’s fund issued a blank “statement” to express its outrage at the casualties among Syrian children, saying it had run out of words.
Medical organisations said at least five clinics and hospitals, including a maternity centre, were bombed on Monday, some of them multiple times. An anaesthetist was killed in the attacks. Another two facilities were hit on Tuesday.
"This could be one of the worst attacks in Syrian history, even worse than the siege on Aleppo. The sheer intensity of airstrikes is leveling the city, and killing civilians without any regard or mercy," Zedoun Al Zoebi, CEO of the UOSSM, said in a statement Monday.Reading these stories makes me feel panicky and choked up. I wish I could do something. I don't know what to do.
"Medicine and medical supplies have not been allowed into the city for months now, and there is virtually no medical care available for these people as they suffer severe trauma wounds. To systematically target and kill civilians amounts to a war crime and the international community must act to stop it."
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:44 AM on February 21, 2018 [47 favorites]
"We have 17 intelligence agencies, civilian and military, who have all concluded that these espionage attacks, these cyberattacks, come from the highest levels of the Kremlin, and they are designed to influence our election."
— Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 in the third 2016 presidential debate
posted by Dashy at 11:47 AM on February 21, 2018 [100 favorites]
— Hillary Clinton on Wednesday, October 19th, 2016 in the third 2016 presidential debate
posted by Dashy at 11:47 AM on February 21, 2018 [100 favorites]
No puppet! No puppet! You're the puppet! (SLYT)
posted by bstreep at 11:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by bstreep at 11:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [17 favorites]
A coalition of law firms led by David Boies of Boies Schiller Flexner LLP, and The League of United Latin American Citizens (LULAC) today announced the filing of four landmark lawsuits challenging the winner-take-all method states use to allocate their Electoral College votes.
Ah yes, David Boies, dependable loser of many high-profile cases you've heard of!
posted by rhizome at 11:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Ah yes, David Boies, dependable loser of many high-profile cases you've heard of!
posted by rhizome at 11:49 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Nunberg, he who Trump abandoned at a McDonalds when his order took too long.
“On Trump Force One there were four major food groups: McDonald’s, Kentucky Fried Chicken, pizza and Diet Coke,” the authors write in the book, according to the Post.posted by kirkaracha at 11:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
...
Trump once tweeted in 2012: "I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke."
First, the manifest disorganization of the Trump operation and whether they had their shit together enough to conspire with anyone. This has always struck me as a basic misunderstanding of how spy work operates.
I'd just like to repost something I originally ran across during the election, a thousand lifetimes ago:
"The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia is a 1997 geopolitical book by Alexander Dugin. The book has had a large influence within the Russian military, police, and foreign policy elites and was allegedly used as a textbook in the General Staff Academy of Russian military.
...In the United States, Russia should use its special forces within the borders of the United States to fuel instability and separatism. For instance, provoke "Afro-American racists". Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics.""
Back then, of course, 'Trump has been compromised by the Russians' was a hilarious meme rather than our actual surrealist reality
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
I'd just like to repost something I originally ran across during the election, a thousand lifetimes ago:
"The Foundations of Geopolitics: The Geopolitical Future of Russia is a 1997 geopolitical book by Alexander Dugin. The book has had a large influence within the Russian military, police, and foreign policy elites and was allegedly used as a textbook in the General Staff Academy of Russian military.
...In the United States, Russia should use its special forces within the borders of the United States to fuel instability and separatism. For instance, provoke "Afro-American racists". Russia should "introduce geopolitical disorder into internal American activity, encouraging all kinds of separatism and ethnic, social and racial conflicts, actively supporting all dissident movements – extremist, racist, and sectarian groups, thus destabilizing internal political processes in the U.S. It would also make sense simultaneously to support isolationist tendencies in American politics.""
Back then, of course, 'Trump has been compromised by the Russians' was a hilarious meme rather than our actual surrealist reality
posted by showbiz_liz at 11:50 AM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
> bstreep:
"No puppet! No puppet! You're the puppet! (SLYT)"
I'm still holding out for the eventuality that he was telling the truth as he knew it, that he wasn't able to see how he was used.
Like, it's still possible that Trump was installed.
posted by rhizome at 11:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
"No puppet! No puppet! You're the puppet! (SLYT)"
I'm still holding out for the eventuality that he was telling the truth as he knew it, that he wasn't able to see how he was used.
Like, it's still possible that Trump was installed.
posted by rhizome at 11:51 AM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
So with these additional charges against Manafort, does that indicate that he isn't cooperating with Mueller? And this is to turn up the heat on him to cooperate? Or could it be a signal to other players that the jig really is up, and Mueller has those goods too?
posted by Twain Device at 11:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Twain Device at 11:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump once tweeted in 2012: "I have never seen a thin person drinking Diet Coke."
how is there always a tweet? how can trump's mirror be so reliable?
posted by murphy slaw at 11:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [30 favorites]
how is there always a tweet? how can trump's mirror be so reliable?
posted by murphy slaw at 11:53 AM on February 21, 2018 [30 favorites]
So with these additional charges against Manafort, does that indicate that he isn't cooperating with Mueller?
We won't know anything about them until they're unsealed.
posted by rhizome at 11:57 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
We won't know anything about them until they're unsealed.
posted by rhizome at 11:57 AM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Whoa, that MSNBC interview with Nunberg. He's like Carter Page crossed with some character in Super Troopers.
"I'm a supporter of [Trump]. He screws everyone."posted by kirkaracha at 12:01 PM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
@DavidNakamura:
posted by zachlipton at 12:04 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
White House says press sec Sarah Sanders will join Ivanka Trump's presidential delegation to the Winter Olypmics closing ceremony. Idaho Republican Sen. Jim Risch also going with delegation.I, for one, was not aware that Sarah Sanders is an athlete, but hey, sending her to another continent is one way to avoid having to do press briefings for a little while. Ivanka having dinner with President Moon ought to be a scandal all of its own though.
Ivanka leaves Washington tomorrow morning, will attend a dinner with South Korean Pres. Moon and some Olympic events in which U.S. athletes are competing. She will fly commercial, per WH, but did not specific if it will be coach/biz/first class.
WH says no plans for Ivanka to meet with anyone from North Korean delegation. Purpose of her visit is to reaffirm the US-ROK alliance and celebrate American athletes. WH official adds that Ivanka is a "winter sports enthusiast."
Official notes Ivanka had been involved in promoting the Los Angeles bid for 2028 games. Asked why @PressSec is going, one WH official said she's a senior WH adviser but notably adds that as a woman she will "highlight women in sports and the success female athletes have had."
posted by zachlipton at 12:04 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
I didn't believe the Diet Coke tweet was real when I first saw it, too on the nose. The thing I noticed when I checked the Trump Twitter Archive is that you see him learning in realtime how to troll on twitter with the followup tweets:
Oct 15, 2012 Lots of response to my comment on Diet Coke- let's face it, it doesn't work- just makes you hungry.
Oct 16, 2012 Diet Coke tweet had a monster response--dammit, I wish the stuff worked.
Oct 22, 2012 People are going crazy with my comments on Diet Coke (soda). Let's face it--this stuff just doesn't work. It makes you hungry.
And now twitter troll has gone pro.
posted by peeedro at 12:06 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
Oct 15, 2012 Lots of response to my comment on Diet Coke- let's face it, it doesn't work- just makes you hungry.
Oct 16, 2012 Diet Coke tweet had a monster response--dammit, I wish the stuff worked.
Oct 22, 2012 People are going crazy with my comments on Diet Coke (soda). Let's face it--this stuff just doesn't work. It makes you hungry.
And now twitter troll has gone pro.
posted by peeedro at 12:06 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
An article on the White House website: Innovative Policies to Improve All Americans’ Health
There's also nothing in there as to what more effective health policies they are pursuing if access to insurance coverage isn't the priority anymore, because they aren't doing anything.
posted by zachlipton at 12:11 PM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Health policy that is predominantly focused on expanding insurance coverage risks missing other policies that can improve the health of our citizens. This Administration is focused on reversing the harm caused by the ACA by fostering competition, choice, and innovation while also addressing the many factors beyond insurance that influence health. The Administration is particularly concerned about the opioid crisis that exploded during the ACA expansion. In 2016, synthetic opioids such as fentanyl became the primarily reason for overdose deaths amount opioid users (see graph above).Setting aside the fact that the end of the last sentence is gibberish, this really seems to be an official argument from the Council of Economic Advisors that it's bad to help poor people get health insurance because they'll get addicted to painkillers.
There's also nothing in there as to what more effective health policies they are pursuing if access to insurance coverage isn't the priority anymore, because they aren't doing anything.
posted by zachlipton at 12:11 PM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Milo Yiannopoulos is reduced to shilling for supplements on InfoWars and I hope he has something to treat my sides*.
* Product is not endorsed or approved by the Federal Drug Administration to treat sides
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:15 PM on February 21, 2018 [29 favorites]
* Product is not endorsed or approved by the Federal Drug Administration to treat sides
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:15 PM on February 21, 2018 [29 favorites]
White House says press sec Sarah Sanders will join Ivanka Trump's presidential delegation to the Winter Olypmics closing ceremony.
Maybe they plan to fire Sanders and leave her on the other side of the world with no ride home, judging from past events.
posted by mikepop at 12:19 PM on February 21, 2018 [60 favorites]
Maybe they plan to fire Sanders and leave her on the other side of the world with no ride home, judging from past events.
posted by mikepop at 12:19 PM on February 21, 2018 [60 favorites]
There's also nothing in there as to what more effective health policies they are pursuing if access to insurance coverage isn't the priority anymore, because they aren't doing anything.
if the poor and uninsured die quickly, then the average health of the nation will improve.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
if the poor and uninsured die quickly, then the average health of the nation will improve.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
"how is there always a tweet? how can trump's mirror be so reliable?"
Rule 45.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:22 PM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Rule 45.
posted by iamkimiam at 12:22 PM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
rhizome: "Ah yes, David Boies, dependable loser of many high-profile cases you've heard of!"
He won Perry v. Brown, overturning California Prop 8.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:34 PM on February 21, 2018 [11 favorites]
He won Perry v. Brown, overturning California Prop 8.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:34 PM on February 21, 2018 [11 favorites]
There's a new CA-49 poll that's kind of worrying, as it shows (after respondents were read negative information about the candidates) the two top Republicans getting 18% of the vote each, with the highest Democrat (Applegate) at 17%. With California's top-2 jungle primary, there's a small but terrifying risk that Democrats could be shut out entirely from a potentially winnable seat if they split the vote.
posted by zachlipton at 12:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 12:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [10 favorites]
Re: a bit of discussion a week or two ago about how California Democrats might snatch defeat from the jaws of victory because of the primary system. Here is some polling out of Issa's district which, if replicated in the vote, would mean a Republican win in the district even though Democratic candidates would receive considerably more total votes.
This is a real thing.
posted by Justinian at 12:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
This is a real thing.
posted by Justinian at 12:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
The other unspoken thing here is that the American Ambassador to South Korea won't be a member of the delegation, which would be expected, because Trump still hasn't officially nominated anyone to the role, so there is no such person to send.
No; this is an imperial presidency, in which sending one of the children to act as representative is not only acceptable, it is an honor. After all, it's what the royal family does.
posted by nubs at 12:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
No; this is an imperial presidency, in which sending one of the children to act as representative is not only acceptable, it is an honor. After all, it's what the royal family does.
posted by nubs at 12:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
apparently zach and I follow the same people on twitter.
posted by Justinian at 12:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 12:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
He won Perry v. Brown, overturning California Prop 8.
I wouldn't go as far in describing his significance to the eventual result, but sure, that's one.
posted by rhizome at 12:40 PM on February 21, 2018
I wouldn't go as far in describing his significance to the eventual result, but sure, that's one.
posted by rhizome at 12:40 PM on February 21, 2018
Let's face it--this stuff just doesn't work. It makes you hungry.
That he seems to think Diet Coke is supposed to do something beyond merely being Coke with fewer calories just hints at the notion that he was actually using it as a diet aid, either for meal-replacement or apetite-suppression. I mean, I knew he was stupid, but, like, wow.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:40 PM on February 21, 2018 [75 favorites]
That he seems to think Diet Coke is supposed to do something beyond merely being Coke with fewer calories just hints at the notion that he was actually using it as a diet aid, either for meal-replacement or apetite-suppression. I mean, I knew he was stupid, but, like, wow.
posted by Sys Rq at 12:40 PM on February 21, 2018 [75 favorites]
Some geeky political levity for you: Metal Gear Voice Actor Reads The Mueller Indictment As Colonel Campbell
posted by Servo5678 at 12:56 PM on February 21, 2018 [28 favorites]
The workings of this information campaign sound ripped from the pages of Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty, where information control and manipulation were a central plot point. Paul Eiding, the voice of radio support team member Colonel Roy Campbell, read a segment of the indictment and, today, posted it to YouTube.This is up there with Billy West reading Trump tweets as Zapp Brannigan.
The dramatic reading is a humorous yet chilling reminder that politics has reached new levels of absurdity. If things continue down this path, the president will soon be wearing an eyepatch and fighting Raiden using his super-powered exoskeleton.
posted by Servo5678 at 12:56 PM on February 21, 2018 [28 favorites]
murphy slaw: "if the poor and uninsured die quickly, then the average health of the nation will improve."
I can't figure out if this is /hamburger but it turns out that isn't the case. Providing minimum healthcare to the poor is in fact cheaper than not even ignoring knock on effects like a healthier workforce.
posted by Mitheral at 12:59 PM on February 21, 2018
I can't figure out if this is /hamburger but it turns out that isn't the case. Providing minimum healthcare to the poor is in fact cheaper than not even ignoring knock on effects like a healthier workforce.
posted by Mitheral at 12:59 PM on February 21, 2018
[the largest possible /hamburger was implied, sorry]
posted by murphy slaw at 1:06 PM on February 21, 2018
posted by murphy slaw at 1:06 PM on February 21, 2018
For a lot of the workers and staffers inside the campaign it's become a paranoid life filled with lawyers. A lot of them who got in to have a job in national politics or a future media gig in "Trump TV" regret having helped Trump and fallen into this.
Fais, Eaton, and Leppard
Attorneys at Law
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:08 PM on February 21, 2018 [67 favorites]
Fais, Eaton, and Leppard
Attorneys at Law
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:08 PM on February 21, 2018 [67 favorites]
If it infects the GOP psyche that 'impeachment' is the way to get rid of those troublesome judges, we need to know that, and know how to counter it.
Impeaching Gorsuch would be a fine first step.
Second step. Thomas first, for lying under oath in his confirmation hearings. I seem to recall Republicans once insisted lying under oath was a big deal.
(Though no Republican Senator will vote to remove Thomas from the bench.)
posted by Gelatin at 1:10 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
rhizome: "Ah yes, David Boies, dependable loser of many high-profile cases you've heard of!"
He won Perry v. Brown, overturning California Prop 8.
David Boies represented Harvey Weinstein. Google for a thorough and thoroughly disgusting article in the New Yorker and a multitude of articles elsewhere. (Intentionally not linking to limit derail)
posted by jointhedance at 1:10 PM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
He won Perry v. Brown, overturning California Prop 8.
David Boies represented Harvey Weinstein. Google for a thorough and thoroughly disgusting article in the New Yorker and a multitude of articles elsewhere. (Intentionally not linking to limit derail)
posted by jointhedance at 1:10 PM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
Those are some enormous chickens about to come home to roost.
obligatory Previously, according to MetaFilter bylaws
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:12 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
obligatory Previously, according to MetaFilter bylaws
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:12 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
If it infects the GOP psyche that 'impeachment' is the way to get rid of those troublesome judges, we need to know that, and know how to counter it.
If one ruling party is just going to keep removing judges when they don't agree with the constitutional decisions of those judges why even have a constitution?
posted by Talez at 1:16 PM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
If one ruling party is just going to keep removing judges when they don't agree with the constitutional decisions of those judges why even have a constitution?
posted by Talez at 1:16 PM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
More numbers from Texas.
@TXElects
Day One total early voters for the state's 15 most populous counties:
REP 47,029 (4% below 2014, 7% below 2016)
DEM 49,375 (102% above 2014, 10% above 2016)
0.42% of registered voters in those counties cast ballots in person yesterday or returned ballots by mail #txlege
posted by chris24 at 1:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [31 favorites]
@TXElects
Day One total early voters for the state's 15 most populous counties:
REP 47,029 (4% below 2014, 7% below 2016)
DEM 49,375 (102% above 2014, 10% above 2016)
0.42% of registered voters in those counties cast ballots in person yesterday or returned ballots by mail #txlege
posted by chris24 at 1:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [31 favorites]
Second step. Thomas first, for lying under oath in his confirmation hearings. I seem to recall Republicans once insisted lying under oath was a big deal.
(Though no Republican Senator will vote to remove Thomas from the bench.)
posted by Gelatin at 5:10 AM on February 22 [2 favorites +] [!]
I was thinking about this the other day, and almost answered a comment elsewhere that suggested removing Thomas now would be a bad idea because of who's in the White House, but it clicked for me that nope, with even just one impeachment for sexual harassment, the dam breaks. Sexual harassment allegations should cost you your job in politics, not just because it needs to be taken more seriously by society in general, but because once there's enough pressure to do something about it, there's no way Trump and most of the GOP caucus would survive the resulting shitstorm. The dam just has to crack in one spot.
Roy Moore lost because he was sufficiently disgusting, and #metoo is deservedly crushing careers and ruining reputations outside of politics. It's high time the inner citadel fell.
posted by saysthis at 1:34 PM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
(Though no Republican Senator will vote to remove Thomas from the bench.)
posted by Gelatin at 5:10 AM on February 22 [2 favorites +] [!]
I was thinking about this the other day, and almost answered a comment elsewhere that suggested removing Thomas now would be a bad idea because of who's in the White House, but it clicked for me that nope, with even just one impeachment for sexual harassment, the dam breaks. Sexual harassment allegations should cost you your job in politics, not just because it needs to be taken more seriously by society in general, but because once there's enough pressure to do something about it, there's no way Trump and most of the GOP caucus would survive the resulting shitstorm. The dam just has to crack in one spot.
Roy Moore lost because he was sufficiently disgusting, and #metoo is deservedly crushing careers and ruining reputations outside of politics. It's high time the inner citadel fell.
posted by saysthis at 1:34 PM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
Again, I am excited by these TX early numbers. At the same time, I remember how favorable early voting was to Hillary in FL and NC.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [8 favorites]
Roy Moore lost because he was sufficiently disgusting, and #metoo is deservedly crushing careers and ruining reputations outside of politics. It's high time the inner citadel fell.
I agree that it's worth trying, even if the effort is doomed, so as to put so many Republican senators on the record as saying that Thomas' record of sexual harassment, and lying about it under oath, is hunky-dory with them, because it gets them a reliable SCOTUS vote. And then let the voters respond accordingly.
If the subsequent voter backlash is sufficient to hand the Democrats a supermajority in the Senate -- not likely, of course -- well, there's no double jeopardy clause for impeachment.
posted by Gelatin at 1:51 PM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
I agree that it's worth trying, even if the effort is doomed, so as to put so many Republican senators on the record as saying that Thomas' record of sexual harassment, and lying about it under oath, is hunky-dory with them, because it gets them a reliable SCOTUS vote. And then let the voters respond accordingly.
If the subsequent voter backlash is sufficient to hand the Democrats a supermajority in the Senate -- not likely, of course -- well, there's no double jeopardy clause for impeachment.
posted by Gelatin at 1:51 PM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Re Texas early voting, we're having a weird ice storm in north texas today. Weird only in that it was 70 degrees yesterday, tornadoes last night, ice storms today, snow tonight, 70 tomorrow. Ya know, early spring in Texas. But, because the current weather is ice falling from sky, I'm picking up all the neighborhood kids from schools. (Why yes, I do have a mom-mobile instead of my hot red camaro of days yore.) But after I drop off kids who don't live at my house, if the roads aren't flooded, I think I'm taking Sullen Teenage Boy with me to go vote. I've been taking him to vote since he was in a stroller. I think he'd be cranky if I went without him. Then again, cranky seems to be default state this year. Teenagering is hard.
Oh, and speaking of teenagers in Texas, one school board near Houston is threatening any kids who take part in the 17 minute walkout with suspension for 3 days, with all the academic and other penalties associated. Other school districts are responding diametrically, by saying that kids should experience the protections given to them by the constitution. I haven't heard anything from our school board, but I can assure you that I'm watching them carefully.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 2:05 PM on February 21, 2018 [45 favorites]
Oh, and speaking of teenagers in Texas, one school board near Houston is threatening any kids who take part in the 17 minute walkout with suspension for 3 days, with all the academic and other penalties associated. Other school districts are responding diametrically, by saying that kids should experience the protections given to them by the constitution. I haven't heard anything from our school board, but I can assure you that I'm watching them carefully.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 2:05 PM on February 21, 2018 [45 favorites]
Because Pennsylvania politics wasn't enough of a soap-opera, Shannon Edwards the aide that Rep. Tim Murphy had his career-ending affair with, is now running for congress in Pittsburgh against incumbent Rep Mike Doyle. Even in the new district map, she has zero chance but at least the race will be less boring.
posted by octothorpe at 2:10 PM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 2:10 PM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, the White House "Listening Session" has come around to Trump saying we can give guns at schools to "a lot of people," such as Marine veterans, so that's where we are now.
posted by zachlipton at 2:16 PM on February 21, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:16 PM on February 21, 2018 [10 favorites]
House Republicans are going to treat any gun bill just like they did the DACA bills:
Jim Jordan tells me background bill w/out conceal carry reciprocity is a no go. "Would let bureaucrats take away individual's liberties”
Sure, have a vote on the barest minimum, insufficient response, but only if you also accept this insane right wing policy wet dream off the NRA wishlist.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
Jim Jordan tells me background bill w/out conceal carry reciprocity is a no go. "Would let bureaucrats take away individual's liberties”
Sure, have a vote on the barest minimum, insufficient response, but only if you also accept this insane right wing policy wet dream off the NRA wishlist.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:20 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
Mod note: The listening session/Florida/gun stuff is happening over in the Florida shooting aftermath thread.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:22 PM on February 21, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 2:22 PM on February 21, 2018 [9 favorites]
Another link on the Kushner clearance story making the rounds yesterday and today:
Kushner Resists Losing Access as Kelly Tackles Security Clearance Issues, Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Maggie Haberman, NYT
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 2:23 PM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Kushner Resists Losing Access as Kelly Tackles Security Clearance Issues, Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Maggie Haberman, NYT
posted by Sockin'inthefreeworld at 2:23 PM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Kushner Resists Losing Access as Kelly Tackles Security Clearance Issues, Julie Hirschfeld Davis and Maggie Haberman, NYT
Remember when lying on your SF-86 was a felony?
posted by Talez at 2:27 PM on February 21, 2018 [56 favorites]
Remember when lying on your SF-86 was a felony?
posted by Talez at 2:27 PM on February 21, 2018 [56 favorites]
A lot of stories on the Kushner/Kelly conflicts quote "a person familiar with Mr. Kushner's thinking." This NYT story sounds a lot like it's quoting both men directly.
One person familiar with Mr. Kushner’s thinking, who insisted on anonymity to describe it, denied that he felt personally targeted by Mr. Kelly or was agitating to have him removed. Another White House official denied that Mr. Kushner had ever raised the issue of the intelligence summary in his discussions with Mr. Kelly over his clearance.posted by msalt at 2:30 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
Kushner Resists Losing Access as Kelly Tackles
My eye skimmed over this headline too quickly and for a moment I sincerely genuinely thought Kelly had bodily tackled Kushner in some sort of West Wing scuffle
and honestly
I didn't feel as surprised as I should have
because that's where we are: every day is a new episode of Veep outtakes
posted by halation at 2:32 PM on February 21, 2018 [11 favorites]
My eye skimmed over this headline too quickly and for a moment I sincerely genuinely thought Kelly had bodily tackled Kushner in some sort of West Wing scuffle
and honestly
I didn't feel as surprised as I should have
because that's where we are: every day is a new episode of Veep outtakes
posted by halation at 2:32 PM on February 21, 2018 [11 favorites]
Talez:
Remember when lying on your SF-86 was a felony?
Pepperidge farm cannot recall.
posted by onehalfjunco at 2:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Remember when lying on your SF-86 was a felony?
Pepperidge farm cannot recall.
posted by onehalfjunco at 2:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [18 favorites]
Sexual harassment allegations should cost you your job in politics
And everywhere else, for that matter.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:52 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
And everywhere else, for that matter.
posted by jenfullmoon at 2:52 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
am trying as often as possible to use the phrase "Russian state actors" as opposed to "Russians" because I don't have issues or concerns about the average Russian. It's the Kremlin that concerns me.)
posted by xyzzy at 5:58 PM on February 20
This is an excellent point, xyzzy, and just like crediting news writers here, we should work on being better about it.
Particularly since a lot of 'Russian state actors' are not even Russian these days. The Russian civilians killed in Syria were mercenaries working for a foreign registered company (apparently merc work isn't legal in Russia).
posted by srboisvert at 3:18 PM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 5:58 PM on February 20
This is an excellent point, xyzzy, and just like crediting news writers here, we should work on being better about it.
Particularly since a lot of 'Russian state actors' are not even Russian these days. The Russian civilians killed in Syria were mercenaries working for a foreign registered company (apparently merc work isn't legal in Russia).
posted by srboisvert at 3:18 PM on February 21, 2018 [3 favorites]
Trump has ordered flags to be flown at half staff in memory of Billy Graham, a man who, at various times, proclaimed AIDS could be a "judgement" from God (he backtracked on that one), spent his time spreading anti-Semitic conspiracy theories with President Nixon, and urged Nixon to step up the war in Vietnam.
posted by zachlipton at 3:22 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:22 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
Billy Graham was shitty, but I'm pretty sure Obama or Clinton would have done the same.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:24 PM on February 21, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:24 PM on February 21, 2018 [13 favorites]
Billy Graham was shitty, but I'm pretty sure Obama or Clinton would have done the same.
Billy Graham was a humble servant who prayed for so many - and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans.
posted by scalefree at 3:31 PM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Billy Graham was a humble servant who prayed for so many - and who, with wisdom and grace, gave hope and guidance to generations of Americans.
posted by scalefree at 3:31 PM on February 21, 2018 [1 favorite]
Since I posted the link to Sanders' original comments here is his new statement about Russian interference. Much better than the interview, they correctly seem to have decided to get in front of this story. It's an unequivocal statement and nothing like the interview.
posted by Justinian at 3:32 PM on February 21, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:32 PM on February 21, 2018 [9 favorites]
Trump had a "listening session" with survivors of the MSD massacre today. His staff gave him notes to at least try to keep him on point. Of special interest, #5: I hear you. Also, bonus note: Trump has his shirts monogrammed with "45" on the cuffs.
posted by scalefree at 3:41 PM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 3:41 PM on February 21, 2018 [21 favorites]
Right, because he's garbage.
posted by rhizome at 3:49 PM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 3:49 PM on February 21, 2018 [6 favorites]
Since I posted the link to Sanders' original comments here is his new statement about Russian interference.
Bernie's policy people doing damage control continue to be much better than his first instincts. Maybe they should be running.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:52 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
Bernie's policy people doing damage control continue to be much better than his first instincts. Maybe they should be running.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:52 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
lmao our president has to have empathy talking points.
posted by gucci mane at 3:53 PM on February 21, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 3:53 PM on February 21, 2018 [19 favorites]
Now imagine that staffer being Stephen Miller.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:57 PM on February 21, 2018 [50 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:57 PM on February 21, 2018 [50 favorites]
There are three reasons a person might need that note.
1) They both have a profound personality disorder that precludes empathy to a sociopathic degree, and are very stupid.
2) They have an organic degenerative brain disorder.
3) They genuinely knew nothing about the nature of the "listening" event or its circumstances, including having never even heard about the shooting. This would require never watching the news, including Fox News.
(he watches Fox News)
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:04 PM on February 21, 2018 [13 favorites]
1) They both have a profound personality disorder that precludes empathy to a sociopathic degree, and are very stupid.
2) They have an organic degenerative brain disorder.
3) They genuinely knew nothing about the nature of the "listening" event or its circumstances, including having never even heard about the shooting. This would require never watching the news, including Fox News.
(he watches Fox News)
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:04 PM on February 21, 2018 [13 favorites]
Trump's "how to be a human" note may have been from Ivanka
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:07 PM on February 21, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 4:07 PM on February 21, 2018 [19 favorites]
Now imagine that staffer being Stephen Miller.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:57 AM on February 22 [2 favorites +] [!]
I hate Miller particularly because he seems free of the slime of scandal and greed and crime that make many other members of this administration at least recognizably human, albeit evil. Miller is like the offspring of a burning cross and a Swastika that was baptized by Ben Stein, a being of pure hateful ego. Of all the people in the administration, he's one of the few for whom you don't hear implications of criminal behavior. He is exactly what he wants to be seen as, which, unfortunately, is completely legal and not prosecutable.
I really hope someone tells me I'm wrong.
posted by saysthis at 4:08 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:57 AM on February 22 [2 favorites +] [!]
I hate Miller particularly because he seems free of the slime of scandal and greed and crime that make many other members of this administration at least recognizably human, albeit evil. Miller is like the offspring of a burning cross and a Swastika that was baptized by Ben Stein, a being of pure hateful ego. Of all the people in the administration, he's one of the few for whom you don't hear implications of criminal behavior. He is exactly what he wants to be seen as, which, unfortunately, is completely legal and not prosecutable.
I really hope someone tells me I'm wrong.
posted by saysthis at 4:08 PM on February 21, 2018 [12 favorites]
Since I posted the link to Sanders' original comments here is his new statement about Russian interference.
Bernie's policy people doing damage control continue to be much better than his first instincts
It’s not the first time Bernie has said what he actually thinks (the Dems cater too much to those “identity politics”! Etc etc etc) only to cover his ass with a press release later. Somehow he keeps getting away with it while other candidates couldn’t get the benefit of the doubt if their life depended on it.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:11 PM on February 21, 2018 [57 favorites]
Bernie's policy people doing damage control continue to be much better than his first instincts
It’s not the first time Bernie has said what he actually thinks (the Dems cater too much to those “identity politics”! Etc etc etc) only to cover his ass with a press release later. Somehow he keeps getting away with it while other candidates couldn’t get the benefit of the doubt if their life depended on it.
posted by schadenfrau at 4:11 PM on February 21, 2018 [57 favorites]
As if this listening thing is about anything other than Trump getting to play act the monarch and hold an audience to hear his subjects complaints.
Man fuck that guy.
posted by notyou at 4:11 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
Man fuck that guy.
posted by notyou at 4:11 PM on February 21, 2018 [15 favorites]
Seems to me someone got through Trump's info filter and he saw some account of President Obama meeting with parents from Sandy Hook and realized he was supposed to, y'know, do something. Initially his people wanted to keep him away from the whole thing. He probably didn't want anyone saying Obama did something he wouldn't.
So naturally his people did their best to set up the friendliest environment they could manage and coach him on it. Naturally, they wanted a splashy photo-op where President Obama and his people did all they could to make their meeting in Sandy Hook about the parents and survivors. And naturally everything this regime did still turned out to be a clusterfuck.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:03 PM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
So naturally his people did their best to set up the friendliest environment they could manage and coach him on it. Naturally, they wanted a splashy photo-op where President Obama and his people did all they could to make their meeting in Sandy Hook about the parents and survivors. And naturally everything this regime did still turned out to be a clusterfuck.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 5:03 PM on February 21, 2018 [4 favorites]
ABC News: Russian troll farm financier also backs Russian mercenaries in Syria: Officials
Yevgeny Prigozhin — a Russian businessman and restauranteur dubbed “Putin's chef" by the Russian media — is deeply involved in the Wagner Group, officials said, a paramilitary firm based in southern Russia. According to those officials, the firm deployed mercenaries in Syria who tried to strike U.S. special operations forces earlier this month. The attack failed, two intelligence officials told ABC News, as the mercenaries were decimated by U.S. airstrikes during their advance. According to a senior U.S. official, Prigozhin finances the Wagner Group’s current operations in both Syria and Africa.
So. The close Putin associate charged by Mueller with attacking the US elections also owns the "mercenaries" (with tanks) that attacked US forces in Syria, ending in hundreds of Russian dead. This seems OK.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:03 PM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
Yevgeny Prigozhin — a Russian businessman and restauranteur dubbed “Putin's chef" by the Russian media — is deeply involved in the Wagner Group, officials said, a paramilitary firm based in southern Russia. According to those officials, the firm deployed mercenaries in Syria who tried to strike U.S. special operations forces earlier this month. The attack failed, two intelligence officials told ABC News, as the mercenaries were decimated by U.S. airstrikes during their advance. According to a senior U.S. official, Prigozhin finances the Wagner Group’s current operations in both Syria and Africa.
So. The close Putin associate charged by Mueller with attacking the US elections also owns the "mercenaries" (with tanks) that attacked US forces in Syria, ending in hundreds of Russian dead. This seems OK.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:03 PM on February 21, 2018 [22 favorites]
Trump's not wearing a wedding ring in the closeups of his notes.
posted by kirkaracha at 5:04 PM on February 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 5:04 PM on February 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
Latest ad from Amy McGrath trying to depose Andy Barr in Kentucky's 6th district.
posted by coffee and minarets at 6:03 PM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by coffee and minarets at 6:03 PM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
Every single county in West Virginia has reported school closures for tomorrow as teachers participate in a walkout over their pay.
posted by zachlipton at 6:06 PM on February 21, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 6:06 PM on February 21, 2018 [27 favorites]
Conservatives are also making a move in Arizona to get rid of community college faculty contracts, as well as eliminate the process by which faculty can even engage in making recommendations on policy.
posted by darkstar at 6:43 PM on February 21, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by darkstar at 6:43 PM on February 21, 2018 [9 favorites]
Latest ad from Amy McGrath trying to depose Andy Barr in Kentucky's 6th district.
That's her first ad from a long while ago, and she's got a lot of work to do to win her primary first.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 PM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
That's her first ad from a long while ago, and she's got a lot of work to do to win her primary first.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:01 PM on February 21, 2018 [2 favorites]
In a nonpolitical context I don't care who wears a wedding ring and who doesn't, but after all the shit Obama took (and caved into) about wearing a USA pin on his suit* personal jewelry is on the table.
Because nothing says Land of the Free like required expressions of loyalty.
* Not to mention the khaki suit.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:06 PM on February 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
Because nothing says Land of the Free like required expressions of loyalty.
* Not to mention the khaki suit.
posted by kirkaracha at 7:06 PM on February 21, 2018 [7 favorites]
Best comments from that Twitter thread linked above, on the “How to Sound Human” crib notes photo:
This is a guide for how to get pissed off customers out of the customer service department
The irony is, of course, that conservatives have been falsely accusing the children who are protesting for tougher gun control of acting or being coached...
Good to be prepared. You never know if you might lose your place under pressure and blurt our “I smell you”
Glad he didn’t mix that up with his campaign cheat sheet - imagine him shouting lock her up, build the wall, and drain the swamp to those kids.
Really makes you feel nostalgic for “Message: I care.”
Oh, look! He has his IQ monogrammed on his cuff.
#6. Cash check from NRA
#7. Everyone at the Mar-a-Lago disco party was very sad about the shooting.
#8. NO COLLUSION.
He used bullet points to discuss gun violence
And this is why mommy drinks
posted by darkstar at 7:14 PM on February 21, 2018 [46 favorites]
This is a guide for how to get pissed off customers out of the customer service department
The irony is, of course, that conservatives have been falsely accusing the children who are protesting for tougher gun control of acting or being coached...
Good to be prepared. You never know if you might lose your place under pressure and blurt our “I smell you”
Glad he didn’t mix that up with his campaign cheat sheet - imagine him shouting lock her up, build the wall, and drain the swamp to those kids.
Really makes you feel nostalgic for “Message: I care.”
Oh, look! He has his IQ monogrammed on his cuff.
#6. Cash check from NRA
#7. Everyone at the Mar-a-Lago disco party was very sad about the shooting.
#8. NO COLLUSION.
He used bullet points to discuss gun violence
And this is why mommy drinks
posted by darkstar at 7:14 PM on February 21, 2018 [46 favorites]
Really makes you feel nostalgic for “Message: I care.”
I'm glad someone brought that up, I thought I was the only one who remembered that!
posted by Chrysostom at 7:28 PM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm glad someone brought that up, I thought I was the only one who remembered that!
posted by Chrysostom at 7:28 PM on February 21, 2018 [5 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** PA redistricting:
** 2018 House:
** PA redistricting:
-- The PA GOP has again petitioned the SCOTUS for a stay of the new state lines. The stay request is considered very unlikely to be granted, as it basically a) cites the same Elections Clause logic that was rejected by Alito last time, b) complains the timeline is too short, but the GOP never asked the PA SC to make any changes to timing, and c) complains that the PA Constitution doesn't provide for fair districts, which the SCOTUS would have no role in determining. Also, they spelled Nate Cohn's name wrong in it. There may also be another suit filed in district court, the logic of which escapes me.** AZ-08 special -- Leading candidate for the GOP nomination Steve Montenegro has gotten wrapped up in a sex scandal. What complicates the issue is the primary is in six days, and there have already been a lot of mail-in votes. The district went 58-37 Trump, but if Montenegro is the nominee, he'd likely be vulnerable, especially given the reason for the special is former incumbent Trent Franks's sexual issues (and that the Dem nominee will be a woman). You will be unsurprised that Montenegro is the religious right's candidate, backed by James Dobson.
-- Talk of impeaching the justices also seemed to gathering some steam today. This still seems somewhat unlikely to come to pass. They'd need a majority of House members to impeach, which seems possible. But then they'd need every single GOP Senator to convict to hit the 2/3 they would need.
-- There was some talk of Common Cause and NAACP suing over a possible Voting Rights Act issue with one of the Philly districts having a reduced African-American population. Michael McDonald here on why that would be unlikely to succeed, and may even just be a bluff.
-- The State Senate has at last scheduled a hearing for the independent redistricting commission bill, which has been bottled up by months. No movement yet on the House side.
** 2018 House:
-- New PPP polls of battleground districts (still a lot of generic candidates, since there are active primaries):** Odds & ends:-- IA-01: Speaking of Rod Blum, he looks to have himself in some ethics trouble after failing to disclose a company he worked for. Might be significant in a tight race.
- CA-25: Generic D 44 / Knight 42
- CA-39: Generic D 45 / Generic R 43
- CA-49: Generic D 50 / Generic R 41
- FL-27: Generic D 54 / Generic R 39
- IA-01: Finkenauer 43 / Blum 42
- KS-02: Davis 44 / Generic R 42
- KY-06: Generic D 44 / Barr 43
- ME-02: Generic D 45 / Polian 44
- MI-11: Generic D 45 / Generic R 42
- MN-03: Phillips 46 / Paulsen 43
- NJ-11: Sherill 40 / Generic R 42
- NY-19: Generic D 42 / Faso 42
- TX-23: Generic D 43 / Hurd 44
- WA-08: Generic D 44/ Rossi 43
-- DCCC adds six seats to its "Red to Blue" program. [FL-18, NJ-02, NJ-03, NM-02, VA-02, WA-05]
-- Discussed earlier, Dems might be headed towards the nightmare scenario in Issa's CA-49: having the majority of votes, but being locked out of the top two slots in the primary.
-- More positive news from new Philly DA Larry Krasner, who is no longer pressing charges for marijuana possession, and has now dropped cash bail for a list of low-level crimes.posted by Chrysostom at 8:37 PM on February 21, 2018 [42 favorites]
-- Long-term trends favor Dems in TX, but it's more complicated than that.
-- But maybe the Dems' new bottom-up approach in TX is really working.
-- WP interview with DLCC head Jessica Post on how Dems are winning special elections.
Let's check in on some of the details of governing at various agencies, shall we?
Inside Health Policy, DOJ Argues Risk Corridor Language An Error; Updated HHS Budget Scrubs Text (alternate link). So the government has been refusing to pay health insurance companies the risk corridor funding they're supposed to get, there's a big lawsuit over that, and it turns out they accidentally included language in the HHS budget to fully fund them because of an "accounting error." They've amended the budget proposal, and really, let those among us who haven't accidentally proposed paying out $12B in insurance funding that we've been steadfastly refusing and screwed up our legal case to pay cast the first stone.
Mother Jones, A Government Scientist Resigned in Protest After the Trump Administration Demanded Sensitive Oil Data, in which political appointees at Interior were demanding access to sensitive scientific data about oil and gas deposits before its public release, despite policies governing the dissemination of that information. The policies are important not just to ensure the accuracy of scientific information, but also because it's the kind of economic data that can move markets.
Politico, State Department report will trim language on women's rights, discrimination, in which a top aide to Tillerson orders that the annual human rights report strip out passages on family planning and say less on racial, ethnic, and social discrimination.
posted by zachlipton at 9:14 PM on February 21, 2018 [32 favorites]
Inside Health Policy, DOJ Argues Risk Corridor Language An Error; Updated HHS Budget Scrubs Text (alternate link). So the government has been refusing to pay health insurance companies the risk corridor funding they're supposed to get, there's a big lawsuit over that, and it turns out they accidentally included language in the HHS budget to fully fund them because of an "accounting error." They've amended the budget proposal, and really, let those among us who haven't accidentally proposed paying out $12B in insurance funding that we've been steadfastly refusing and screwed up our legal case to pay cast the first stone.
Mother Jones, A Government Scientist Resigned in Protest After the Trump Administration Demanded Sensitive Oil Data, in which political appointees at Interior were demanding access to sensitive scientific data about oil and gas deposits before its public release, despite policies governing the dissemination of that information. The policies are important not just to ensure the accuracy of scientific information, but also because it's the kind of economic data that can move markets.
Politico, State Department report will trim language on women's rights, discrimination, in which a top aide to Tillerson orders that the annual human rights report strip out passages on family planning and say less on racial, ethnic, and social discrimination.
posted by zachlipton at 9:14 PM on February 21, 2018 [32 favorites]
Ex-Workers at Russian Troll Factory Say Mueller Indictments Are True
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:35 PM on February 21, 2018 [24 favorites]
Trump has his shirts monogrammed with "45" on the cuffs.
It's probably his password.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:14 PM on February 21, 2018 [34 favorites]
It's probably his password.
posted by Joe in Australia at 11:14 PM on February 21, 2018 [34 favorites]
Nathaniel Rakich, 538 - The 18 (!) Governorships Democrats Could Pick Up This Year
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 4:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news? I burned out and took about a month or two off and am now careening around trying to catch up. But it's also been one of the most relaxing and productive periods in my life for years.
My goal now is to remain focused on a few key issues of my choosing--including volunteering for those--but I'd like to find a relatively non-invasive way to otherwise keep on top of the major stories. Ideally with perspectives from both sides. I don't want to return to constantly refreshing social media mixed with podcast and WaPo binges and I also don't want to enter a bubble.
Do you have a set amount of time you allow yourself to read a few websites? Restricted your number of podcasts to a certain number? I have ~60 podcasts, all enjoyable and informative, but obviously keeping up on that number is untenable for someone trying to moderate their intake of news and analysis. I really like the policy ones even though they're not great for keeping news-current. Do you have time to read books?!
I think the one thing I don't want to do so much is use social media for news because that's what usually derails me the most.
I also don't want to go anywhere that's going to go on and on about how evil Nancy Pelosi is, or what houses Bernie Sanders bought, or whether he's racist, or uses "neoliberal" as a synonym for "stuff I don't like", or whether Jill Stein is in league with Russians, or basically anywhere that's devoted to drawing arbitrary lines in the sand between people on the left because that is absolutely the #1 thing that results in me blowing a gasket and losing all hope for the future.
posted by Anonymous at 5:49 AM on February 22, 2018
My goal now is to remain focused on a few key issues of my choosing--including volunteering for those--but I'd like to find a relatively non-invasive way to otherwise keep on top of the major stories. Ideally with perspectives from both sides. I don't want to return to constantly refreshing social media mixed with podcast and WaPo binges and I also don't want to enter a bubble.
Do you have a set amount of time you allow yourself to read a few websites? Restricted your number of podcasts to a certain number? I have ~60 podcasts, all enjoyable and informative, but obviously keeping up on that number is untenable for someone trying to moderate their intake of news and analysis. I really like the policy ones even though they're not great for keeping news-current. Do you have time to read books?!
I think the one thing I don't want to do so much is use social media for news because that's what usually derails me the most.
I also don't want to go anywhere that's going to go on and on about how evil Nancy Pelosi is, or what houses Bernie Sanders bought, or whether he's racist, or uses "neoliberal" as a synonym for "stuff I don't like", or whether Jill Stein is in league with Russians, or basically anywhere that's devoted to drawing arbitrary lines in the sand between people on the left because that is absolutely the #1 thing that results in me blowing a gasket and losing all hope for the future.
posted by Anonymous at 5:49 AM on February 22, 2018
Nathaniel Rakich, 538 - The 18 (!) Governorships Democrats Could Pick Up This Year
Here in Maryland, I'm still undecided between Baker and Jealous, and will have to see them debate before I can make up my mind, and that's not at all a bad position to be in.
Also LOL at 538 for failing to color in the west half of the state.
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
MetaFilter megathreads.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:58 AM on February 22, 2018 [23 favorites]
Here in Maryland, I'm still undecided between Baker and Jealous, and will have to see them debate before I can make up my mind, and that's not at all a bad position to be in.
Also LOL at 538 for failing to color in the west half of the state.
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
MetaFilter megathreads.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:58 AM on February 22, 2018 [23 favorites]
> RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
I hope this doesn't sound dismissive, but that actually sounds like a legit good question for Ask. There are a probably a lot of people who are not in this thread who would like to see the answers who would never see these because they never come here.
Just a suggestion!
posted by Tevin at 6:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
I hope this doesn't sound dismissive, but that actually sounds like a legit good question for Ask. There are a probably a lot of people who are not in this thread who would like to see the answers who would never see these because they never come here.
Just a suggestion!
posted by Tevin at 6:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
What The Fuck Just Happened Today. There's an email list you can sign up for to get the daily synopses in your inbox.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 6:02 AM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
What The Fuck Just Happened Today. There's an email list you can sign up for to get the daily synopses in your inbox.
posted by rabbitrabbit at 6:02 AM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
The Weekly Sift
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:05 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
The Weekly Sift
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:05 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
I subscribed to various daily summaries from Axios, truthout, Politico, the Atlantic, Just Security, Brookings, Lawfare blog, Pacific Standard. So I just go through my email at the end of the day.
And of course, this here thread occasionally.
I tend to avoid all television/cable centered news sources.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:12 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
I subscribed to various daily summaries from Axios, truthout, Politico, the Atlantic, Just Security, Brookings, Lawfare blog, Pacific Standard. So I just go through my email at the end of the day.
And of course, this here thread occasionally.
I tend to avoid all television/cable centered news sources.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:12 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
In addition to What The Fuck Just Happened Today, I like getting the Right Richter e-mail newsletter from Will Sommer. I'm paranoid that we'll end up seeing some kind of mass outbreak of violence stemming from alt-right extremists and that newsletter gives me a feel for the pulse of the alt-right.
For anyone that hasn't been keeping up with POTUS news and wants to dive in, I always recommend the excellent summary that OnceUponATime has put together and constantly updates: 2016 Active Measures
posted by VTX at 6:19 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
For anyone that hasn't been keeping up with POTUS news and wants to dive in, I always recommend the excellent summary that OnceUponATime has put together and constantly updates: 2016 Active Measures
posted by VTX at 6:19 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
If I need a quick "what's going on", I scroll through the Metafilter mega-threads and look for links.
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:19 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by tofu_crouton at 6:19 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
My major problem with going with PSA (which I love) and Metafilter threads is that listening to bipartisan podcasts like Deep State Radio, Left, Right, & Center, the 45th, and places like Lawfare that actively engage hardcore conservatives has done a lot for helping me understand where caricatures fail--and where they're unfortunately all too real.
posted by Anonymous at 6:33 AM on February 22, 2018
posted by Anonymous at 6:33 AM on February 22, 2018
I have a few layers of "What's going on?!"
Is the world literally about to end? NYT push notifications will clear that up for me with a glance.
Is something super juicy/horrific happening right this very second? Twitter. If it's all quiet on the Twitter front I know that there's no breaking news happening.
Is it the end of the day and I just want to skim what all fuckery has occurred? Megathread, scan for links, take the temperature of the general zeitgeist, scroll back if it seems like I'm missing something.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:36 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Is the world literally about to end? NYT push notifications will clear that up for me with a glance.
Is something super juicy/horrific happening right this very second? Twitter. If it's all quiet on the Twitter front I know that there's no breaking news happening.
Is it the end of the day and I just want to skim what all fuckery has occurred? Megathread, scan for links, take the temperature of the general zeitgeist, scroll back if it seems like I'm missing something.
posted by soren_lorensen at 6:36 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
> RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
Fight Fire with Phire by MetaFilter's own.
posted by komara at 6:38 AM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Fight Fire with Phire by MetaFilter's own.
posted by komara at 6:38 AM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Perhaps take the 'how does one keep up' to Ask or Talk?
posted by doornoise at 6:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by doornoise at 6:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
I know the "how do you keep up with the news" thing is getting a bit much, but nobody said "support your local newspaper" yet, and I think someone should say that.
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:16 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:16 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
On track to outpace yesterday's 'Obama never used the oval office' lie, Trump tweets that he "never said 'give teachers guns'" in a tweet which proposes giving teachers guns.
There's a whole string of tweets. "ATTACKS WOULD END!" "Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT!"
posted by kirkaracha at 7:19 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
There's a whole string of tweets. "ATTACKS WOULD END!" "Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive. GREAT DETERRENT!"
If a potential “sicko shooter” knows that a school has a large number of very weapons talented teachers (and others) who will be instantly shooting, the sicko will NEVER attack that school. Cowards won’t go there...problem solved."Must be offensive, defense alone won’t work!"
posted by kirkaracha at 7:19 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
I get 99% of my news on Twitter from journos I followed during the election, and from their referrals. It is not the most time-efficient way because there's a firehose of hot takes. For example, they're live-tweeting CPAC right now.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:21 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 7:21 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
so let me get this straight:
- school shooters are "crazy people"
- school shooters will rationally analyze the threat profile for their target school before engaging in spree killing
posted by murphy slaw at 7:22 AM on February 22, 2018 [84 favorites]
- school shooters are "crazy people"
- school shooters will rationally analyze the threat profile for their target school before engaging in spree killing
posted by murphy slaw at 7:22 AM on February 22, 2018 [84 favorites]
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news?
Asked in AskMe. (My first question on the green, so hopefully it will be OK.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
Asked in AskMe. (My first question on the green, so hopefully it will be OK.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
RealTalk: How does everyone keep up with the news? I burned out and took about a month or two off and am now careening around trying to catch up. But it's also been one of the most relaxing and productive periods in my life for years.
Feedly, twice daily scans, I read maybe one article in 50, plus these threads to see what's actually getting talked about, plus Vox once a day, plus occasional podcast side ventures when someone throws one at me. I discuss the news with no one unless I'm drunk, at which point I overload pretty much everyone within hearing range, so I've learned to shut up about it, which cuts down on people going "hey did you hear about [thing]". That's my diet.
posted by saysthis at 7:30 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Feedly, twice daily scans, I read maybe one article in 50, plus these threads to see what's actually getting talked about, plus Vox once a day, plus occasional podcast side ventures when someone throws one at me. I discuss the news with no one unless I'm drunk, at which point I overload pretty much everyone within hearing range, so I've learned to shut up about it, which cuts down on people going "hey did you hear about [thing]". That's my diet.
posted by saysthis at 7:30 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
I personally have no problem with Trump having a written "I hear you" note, and I kind of wish people wouldn't treat that as some showstopping sign of insincerity, inhumanity, etc. The reason it indicates such in Trump's case is that he specifically lost all benefit of the doubt, years ago, on the question of possessing empathy.
But, like, couples usually write up their vows at weddings, which doesn't make them less heartfelt. If I wanted to comfort a friend on the phone who had lost someone, I might write up notes in preparation, because it would be easy for even basic things to slip my mind as the back-and-forth went to various places. Sometimes people could use more pre-planned structure in emotionally raw situations, not less.
Again, with Donald himself, it's practically irrelevant either way -- as Alexandra Erin pointed out, he probably had to be coached not to congratulate the kids for getting to be on TV with him.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:33 AM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]
But, like, couples usually write up their vows at weddings, which doesn't make them less heartfelt. If I wanted to comfort a friend on the phone who had lost someone, I might write up notes in preparation, because it would be easy for even basic things to slip my mind as the back-and-forth went to various places. Sometimes people could use more pre-planned structure in emotionally raw situations, not less.
Again, with Donald himself, it's practically irrelevant either way -- as Alexandra Erin pointed out, he probably had to be coached not to congratulate the kids for getting to be on TV with him.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:33 AM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]
Really not a good look for not only Sanders, but his campaign staff to be acting like Trump and Stein on this.
@IsaacDovere (Politico)
wonder why Bernie Sanders just issued a long defensive statement about his views on the Russian interference? Stay tuned for story from me posting shortly....
- Sanders said today "real question" is "what was the Clinton campaign" doing on Russian, conveyed story as true that he'd read about "a guy who was on my staff" who was actually a volunteer, said guy had shared info w/Clinton campaign but Brooklyn denies. Bernie blames Hillary for allowing Russian interference
- Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver also said despite what's in Mueller indictment about Russian support for Sanders, "The factual underpinning of that in the indictment is what? Zero. ... I have not seen any evidence of support for Bernie Sanders.”
@Evan_McMullin
Retweeted Edward-Isaac Dovere
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump claimed 2016 elections were rigged, received Kremlin support, opposed critical sanctions on Moscow, and now attempt sow doubt over U.S. intel and law enforcement findings on Putin’s interference. On this matter, they’re two sides of the same coin.
@AshaRangappa_ (Former FBI CI Special Agent, CNN analyst, editor Just Security)
Retweeted Evan McMullin
Also Trump now blames Obama and Bernie blames Hillary for "not stopping" the Russians in 2016. They just always seem to be on the same page when it comes to Russia. 🤔
posted by chris24 at 7:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
@IsaacDovere (Politico)
wonder why Bernie Sanders just issued a long defensive statement about his views on the Russian interference? Stay tuned for story from me posting shortly....
- Sanders said today "real question" is "what was the Clinton campaign" doing on Russian, conveyed story as true that he'd read about "a guy who was on my staff" who was actually a volunteer, said guy had shared info w/Clinton campaign but Brooklyn denies. Bernie blames Hillary for allowing Russian interference
- Sanders' campaign manager Jeff Weaver also said despite what's in Mueller indictment about Russian support for Sanders, "The factual underpinning of that in the indictment is what? Zero. ... I have not seen any evidence of support for Bernie Sanders.”
@Evan_McMullin
Retweeted Edward-Isaac Dovere
Bernie Sanders and Donald Trump claimed 2016 elections were rigged, received Kremlin support, opposed critical sanctions on Moscow, and now attempt sow doubt over U.S. intel and law enforcement findings on Putin’s interference. On this matter, they’re two sides of the same coin.
@AshaRangappa_ (Former FBI CI Special Agent, CNN analyst, editor Just Security)
Retweeted Evan McMullin
Also Trump now blames Obama and Bernie blames Hillary for "not stopping" the Russians in 2016. They just always seem to be on the same page when it comes to Russia. 🤔
posted by chris24 at 7:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
I personally have no problem with Trump having a written "I hear you" note, and I kind of wish people wouldn't treat that as some showstopping sign of insincerity, inhumanity, etc. The reason it indicates such in Trump's case is that he specifically lost all benefit of the doubt, years ago, on the question of possessing empathy.
Well, yes, but people aren't objecting to the abstract concept of notes for emotive conversations, they're objecting to Trump using these specific notes in this specific scenario given his specific history. We don't need to take everything to the "But what if everyone were criticized for using notes, wouldn't that world be terrible?" extrapolation. We are talking about US President Donald Trump's specific actions, no one is applying this same standard to random individuals at weddings. We don't need to be so careful with our outrage. We're allowed to be mad at what this specific garbage person, with their particular garbage history, is doing in the presidency without having to explain how we might evaluate the different actions of a different person, with a different history, in a different scenario.
posted by melissasaurus at 7:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
Well, yes, but people aren't objecting to the abstract concept of notes for emotive conversations, they're objecting to Trump using these specific notes in this specific scenario given his specific history. We don't need to take everything to the "But what if everyone were criticized for using notes, wouldn't that world be terrible?" extrapolation. We are talking about US President Donald Trump's specific actions, no one is applying this same standard to random individuals at weddings. We don't need to be so careful with our outrage. We're allowed to be mad at what this specific garbage person, with their particular garbage history, is doing in the presidency without having to explain how we might evaluate the different actions of a different person, with a different history, in a different scenario.
posted by melissasaurus at 7:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
I seriously do not know what is so difficult about issuing a statement saying, "We oppose any outside nation attempting to influence our electoral process. We had nothing to do with what these foriegn agents decided to amplify in order to sow discord and confusion among the American people. We stand by our policy positions of [insert bland policy statements here]. We look forward to the conclusion of this investigation and are eager to work on policies that will prevent something like this from ever happening again."
Running straight to BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS! MAN THE FINGER-POINTING TORPEDOS is a fucking awful look.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:55 AM on February 22, 2018 [26 favorites]
Running straight to BATTLE STATIONS! BATTLE STATIONS! MAN THE FINGER-POINTING TORPEDOS is a fucking awful look.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:55 AM on February 22, 2018 [26 favorites]
sounds like someone is trying to kneecap bernie's 2020 run before it begins and sow further discord in america; wonder who that could be
posted by entropicamericana at 7:55 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 7:55 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
sounds like someone is trying to kneecap bernie's 2020 run before it begins and sow further discord in america; wonder who that could be
Egg made Sanders and Weaver say those things?
posted by chris24 at 7:57 AM on February 22, 2018 [31 favorites]
Egg made Sanders and Weaver say those things?
posted by chris24 at 7:57 AM on February 22, 2018 [31 favorites]
sounds like someone is trying to kneecap bernie's 2020 run before it begins and sow further discord in america; wonder who that could be
A truly diabolical piece of seven dimensional anti-Sanders chess from....*checks notes* Bernie Sanders.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:58 AM on February 22, 2018 [90 favorites]
A truly diabolical piece of seven dimensional anti-Sanders chess from....*checks notes* Bernie Sanders.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 7:58 AM on February 22, 2018 [90 favorites]
I seriously do not know what is so difficult about issuing a statement saying, "We oppose any outside nation attempting to influence our electoral process.
I thought these tweets from team Bernie about Russia were really good, and have been sharing them widely in my Bernie-friendly groups on Facebook.
1:
What the Russians did in the 2016 election cycle deserves unconditional condemnation. That includes all of their conduct - whether it was active support of any candidate or active opposition
5:39 PM · Feb 21, 2018
2:
As someone who campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government.
3:
The key issues now are:
1) How we prevent the unwitting manipulation of our electoral and political system by foreign governments.
2) Exposing who was actively consorting with the Russian government’s attack on our democracy.
4:
Mueller's indictment provides further evidence that the Russian government interfered in 2016. It also shows that they tried to turn my supporters against Hillary Clinton in the primary and general election. I unequivocally condemn such interference.
7:18 PM · Feb 21, 2018
5:
The findings of Robert Mueller's investigation must be taken seriously at every level of government, and he must be allowed to investigate without any interference from the White House or Congress.
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:59 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
I thought these tweets from team Bernie about Russia were really good, and have been sharing them widely in my Bernie-friendly groups on Facebook.
1:
What the Russians did in the 2016 election cycle deserves unconditional condemnation. That includes all of their conduct - whether it was active support of any candidate or active opposition
5:39 PM · Feb 21, 2018
2:
As someone who campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government.
3:
The key issues now are:
1) How we prevent the unwitting manipulation of our electoral and political system by foreign governments.
2) Exposing who was actively consorting with the Russian government’s attack on our democracy.
4:
Mueller's indictment provides further evidence that the Russian government interfered in 2016. It also shows that they tried to turn my supporters against Hillary Clinton in the primary and general election. I unequivocally condemn such interference.
7:18 PM · Feb 21, 2018
5:
The findings of Robert Mueller's investigation must be taken seriously at every level of government, and he must be allowed to investigate without any interference from the White House or Congress.
posted by OnceUponATime at 7:59 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Highly trained, gun adept, teachers/coaches would solve the problem instantly, before police arrive
oh my god seriously
like i knew it was coming, but
I am a teacher. I would not call myself 'gun adept,' but I know how to handle guns. I have fired an AR-15, on occasion -- well, the knockoff version, anyway, an SKS, since AR-15s are considerably pricier, and also I'm short and an SKS has a shorter barrel, making it a smaller and more comfortable gun for someone of my height.
You could not train me enough to enable me to feel 'adept' enough to defend my students in a shooting. PARTICULARLY IF THE SHOOTER IS ONE OF MY STUDENTS. There is no way I'm going to be focused on anything but trying to get kids to safety. There is no way I'm abandoning my classroom to join some kind of spontaneous posse of colleagues TO GO HUNT DOWN AN ARMED AND ACTIVE SHOOTER, PARTICULARLY IF IT MIGHT BE ONE OF OUR STUDENTS. This is a place of learning, it's not fucking Rainbow Six Siege.
I know someone, a fellow teacher, who intervened in an attempted school shooting. The odds of that working are incredibly slim, and that teacher was lucky -- but so was the student, because the student was tackled and restrained and arrested, not shot dead. It's impossible to train all of us to intervene -- for one thing, most of us aren't physically big enough. My acquaintance pulled this off in part because he was the assistant football coach. But that's the kind of intervention we want, to the extent intervention is possible. We don't want a school where kids think 'instant shooting' is A POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF ANY KIND EVER FOR FUCK'S SAKE CAN YOU JUST GO PLAY A VIDEO GAME OR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF TWEETING BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE THIS KIND OF FANTASY BEGINS TO MAKE SENSE
i am sorry i am really incredibly extremely mad right now
posted by halation at 7:59 AM on February 22, 2018 [202 favorites]
oh my god seriously
like i knew it was coming, but
I am a teacher. I would not call myself 'gun adept,' but I know how to handle guns. I have fired an AR-15, on occasion -- well, the knockoff version, anyway, an SKS, since AR-15s are considerably pricier, and also I'm short and an SKS has a shorter barrel, making it a smaller and more comfortable gun for someone of my height.
You could not train me enough to enable me to feel 'adept' enough to defend my students in a shooting. PARTICULARLY IF THE SHOOTER IS ONE OF MY STUDENTS. There is no way I'm going to be focused on anything but trying to get kids to safety. There is no way I'm abandoning my classroom to join some kind of spontaneous posse of colleagues TO GO HUNT DOWN AN ARMED AND ACTIVE SHOOTER, PARTICULARLY IF IT MIGHT BE ONE OF OUR STUDENTS. This is a place of learning, it's not fucking Rainbow Six Siege.
I know someone, a fellow teacher, who intervened in an attempted school shooting. The odds of that working are incredibly slim, and that teacher was lucky -- but so was the student, because the student was tackled and restrained and arrested, not shot dead. It's impossible to train all of us to intervene -- for one thing, most of us aren't physically big enough. My acquaintance pulled this off in part because he was the assistant football coach. But that's the kind of intervention we want, to the extent intervention is possible. We don't want a school where kids think 'instant shooting' is A POSSIBLE OUTCOME OF ANY KIND EVER FOR FUCK'S SAKE CAN YOU JUST GO PLAY A VIDEO GAME OR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF TWEETING BECAUSE THAT'S THE ONLY PLACE THIS KIND OF FANTASY BEGINS TO MAKE SENSE
i am sorry i am really incredibly extremely mad right now
posted by halation at 7:59 AM on February 22, 2018 [202 favorites]
i swear on the grave of the anthony scaramucci's career if we start arguing about bernie sander's potential 2020 campaign now i will burn the entire fucking internet to the ground
posted by Tevin at 8:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [131 favorites]
posted by Tevin at 8:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [131 favorites]
plus we're hardly done arguing about his 2016 campaign apparently
posted by entropicamericana at 8:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by entropicamericana at 8:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
It's probably for the best if you get started now, Tevin.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by ArgentCorvid at 8:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [21 favorites]
Sanders is a United States Senator and former Presidential candidate, with a large base of support. I'm disappointed to see him go this route. He has a responsibility to address this issue in a way that doesn't add noise and confusion to the situation. We're investigating and discussing possible acts of treason and foreign interference in an election by people who helped elect the current President. If he doesn't know facts, he shouldn't be speculating or casting blame. He's been a politician in the public eye long enough to know this.
posted by zarq at 8:08 AM on February 22, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by zarq at 8:08 AM on February 22, 2018 [22 favorites]
Sanders is a United States Senator and former Presidential candidate, with a large base of support. I'm disappointed to see him go this route. He has a responsibility to address this issue in a way that doesn't add noise and confusion to the situation.
It's also not a good look that his Twitter is sounding all the right notes but his mouth isn't.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:09 AM on February 22, 2018 [31 favorites]
It's also not a good look that his Twitter is sounding all the right notes but his mouth isn't.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:09 AM on February 22, 2018 [31 favorites]
2:
As someone who campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government.
Good. Finally. Those are the responses he should be giving.
posted by zarq at 8:10 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
As someone who campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government.
Good. Finally. Those are the responses he should be giving.
posted by zarq at 8:10 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's also not a good look that his Twitter is sounding all the right notes but his mouth isn't.
Exactly. Rightwing nutjob twitterverse is all over his and Weaver's statements blaming Clinton and dismissing evidence. He should know and do better, not leave it to his 'cleanup in aisle 2" social media person.
posted by chris24 at 8:13 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Exactly. Rightwing nutjob twitterverse is all over his and Weaver's statements blaming Clinton and dismissing evidence. He should know and do better, not leave it to his 'cleanup in aisle 2" social media person.
posted by chris24 at 8:13 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Rightwing nutjob twitterverse is all over his and Weaver's statements blaming Clinton and dismissing evidence.
I get that we don't want him adding his imprimatur to their rantings, but it's not like they wouldn't already be blaming Clinton and dismissing evidence without his input.
posted by zarq at 8:15 AM on February 22, 2018
I get that we don't want him adding his imprimatur to their rantings, but it's not like they wouldn't already be blaming Clinton and dismissing evidence without his input.
posted by zarq at 8:15 AM on February 22, 2018
Yes, the tweets are fine. He needs to have a quick sit-down with his social media director and get some written talking points to memorize.
And he's not the only one on the left who find themselves now with verbal/twitter diarrhea on the topic of "my work/campaign being used by Russian state actors is everyone else's problem, but not mine [even though no one actually implied that I'm in the employ of the FSB, just that something I wrote/did was amplified by them through not fault of my own.]." My advice is chill the heck out. It sucks to think that maybe something you did was used by a bad actor to do something bad, and the human impulse is to start deflecting madly and preempt any implication you did it on purpose, but it makes you look guilty and defensive and plays into harmful bothsides media narratives.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:20 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
And he's not the only one on the left who find themselves now with verbal/twitter diarrhea on the topic of "my work/campaign being used by Russian state actors is everyone else's problem, but not mine [even though no one actually implied that I'm in the employ of the FSB, just that something I wrote/did was amplified by them through not fault of my own.]." My advice is chill the heck out. It sucks to think that maybe something you did was used by a bad actor to do something bad, and the human impulse is to start deflecting madly and preempt any implication you did it on purpose, but it makes you look guilty and defensive and plays into harmful bothsides media narratives.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:20 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
Can someone electable age in Vermont come to the front and continue his legacy while bringing a fresh perspective to the seat, allowing Bernie to retire?
posted by mikelieman at 8:21 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 8:21 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
As someone who campaigned hard for Hillary Clinton from one end of this country to another, it is an outrage that she had to run against not only Donald Trump but also the Russian government.
This conveniently ignores that Clinton ran in the 2016 primaries against Bernie Sanders and the Russian government.
posted by peeedro at 8:27 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
This conveniently ignores that Clinton ran in the 2016 primaries against Bernie Sanders and the Russian government.
posted by peeedro at 8:27 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Yes, the tweets are fine. He needs to have a quick sit-down with his social media director and get some written talking points to memorize.
I think you're assuming that the problem is what Bernie remembers, but it might be what he believes that is an issue. If he really believes the whole thing is BS, that's not fixable by memorizing talking points.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
I think you're assuming that the problem is what Bernie remembers, but it might be what he believes that is an issue. If he really believes the whole thing is BS, that's not fixable by memorizing talking points.
posted by Mental Wimp at 8:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
I read this in a tweet & now I can't find it so I'll just do my best. The whole point of "arm the teachers" is not meant to be a serious policy proposal but a distraction from real gun reform proposals like banning assault weapons, raising the age of ownership & universal background checks. As long as everybody's chattering & arguing about how workable or not the preposterous idea is, they're not engaging on real solutions. The necessary response is to ignore the shiny object & keep attention on actual reform policies.
posted by scalefree at 8:36 AM on February 22, 2018 [66 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 8:36 AM on February 22, 2018 [66 favorites]
I personally have no problem with Trump having a written "I hear you" note, and I kind of wish people wouldn't treat that as some showstopping sign of insincerity, inhumanity, etc.
I see this as just further evidence that Trump is a senile dotard. Ivanka is his enabler just as Nancy had to literally whisper in Reagan's ear during speeches to cover up his dementia.
posted by JackFlash at 9:01 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
I see this as just further evidence that Trump is a senile dotard. Ivanka is his enabler just as Nancy had to literally whisper in Reagan's ear during speeches to cover up his dementia.
posted by JackFlash at 9:01 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Speaking as a former teacher, the idea of carrying a gun in my classroom is so completely wrong I have difficulty expressing it.
Just the risk of one of my students taking it and shooting a fellow student accidentally should be sufficient reason to scuttle the idea.
Because, yes, the students will try to get a teacher's gun to play with. And people get shot accidentally all the damn time in America. Some of my former students I wouldn't trust around a rubber band, the idea of having a gun around them gives me chills.
Not that they were malicious (well, mostly) but that they were as inquisitive as a barrel of kittens and had about the same level of self control, situational awareness, and thoughtful concern for the well being of themselves and others. Hell, some of them would probably pull the trigger just to see what happened.
posted by sotonohito at 9:13 AM on February 22, 2018 [44 favorites]
Just the risk of one of my students taking it and shooting a fellow student accidentally should be sufficient reason to scuttle the idea.
Because, yes, the students will try to get a teacher's gun to play with. And people get shot accidentally all the damn time in America. Some of my former students I wouldn't trust around a rubber band, the idea of having a gun around them gives me chills.
Not that they were malicious (well, mostly) but that they were as inquisitive as a barrel of kittens and had about the same level of self control, situational awareness, and thoughtful concern for the well being of themselves and others. Hell, some of them would probably pull the trigger just to see what happened.
posted by sotonohito at 9:13 AM on February 22, 2018 [44 favorites]
*bridge falls over onto high school*
Teens: We need basic safeguards to prevent this from happening again.
National Unsafe Bridge Association: Left-wing groups are cynically exploiting this unavoidable tragedy.
Trump: This could've been prevented by building MORE, not less, unsafe bridges!
Alt-right: The bridge was blown up by radical leftist groups with an INSANE safe-bridge agenda! #BRIDGEGATE #FALSEFLAG
Marco Rubio: *uncomfortably stammers*
posted by dephlogisticated at 9:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [80 favorites]
Teens: We need basic safeguards to prevent this from happening again.
National Unsafe Bridge Association: Left-wing groups are cynically exploiting this unavoidable tragedy.
Trump: This could've been prevented by building MORE, not less, unsafe bridges!
Alt-right: The bridge was blown up by radical leftist groups with an INSANE safe-bridge agenda! #BRIDGEGATE #FALSEFLAG
Marco Rubio: *uncomfortably stammers*
posted by dephlogisticated at 9:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [80 favorites]
What I'm wondering is who stands to profit from making schools and teachers a new audience for both guns and defensive measures. None of that is free.
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by ZeusHumms at 9:25 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
We can meet in the middle, everybody. We can ban assault rifles, and high capacity magazines and increase gun liability laws, and improve background checks.
And once we've done that we can also arm teachers with Louisville Sluggers.
posted by birdheist at 9:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
And once we've done that we can also arm teachers with Louisville Sluggers.
posted by birdheist at 9:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
Thus spake a wag elsewhere on the Internet:
"How do you know the guy saying that 'the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to give a good guy a gun too' isn't just secretly trying to sell two guns?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:34 AM on February 22, 2018 [97 favorites]
"How do you know the guy saying that 'the only way to stop a bad guy with a gun is to give a good guy a gun too' isn't just secretly trying to sell two guns?"
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 9:34 AM on February 22, 2018 [97 favorites]
@samknight_one (DC Sentinel)
The teens are seeing conservatives for what they are: an enemy to defeat rather than people who can be won over with magic rhetoric. It owns
@lauraolin
Retweeted Sam Knight
Would love to bottle this and distribute it as an aerial spray to every Democratic elected official and party operative ... like an asthma spray for understanding we don’t live in an episode of the West Wing
posted by chris24 at 9:44 AM on February 22, 2018 [95 favorites]
The teens are seeing conservatives for what they are: an enemy to defeat rather than people who can be won over with magic rhetoric. It owns
@lauraolin
Retweeted Sam Knight
Would love to bottle this and distribute it as an aerial spray to every Democratic elected official and party operative ... like an asthma spray for understanding we don’t live in an episode of the West Wing
posted by chris24 at 9:44 AM on February 22, 2018 [95 favorites]
I've caught some flak for defending blue dog folks like Joe Manchin and Joe Donnelly here on a strategic basis. With that in mind, this is how you move the country left.
When you ask Marie Newman why she is running for office against another Democrat, she responds simply: “I’m not”.
The former marketing consultant and anti-bullying expert is mounting a primary challenge to Illinois third district Representative Dan Lipinski – a seven-term Democrat who has voted against abortion access, spoken out against LGBT rights, and refused to back Barack Obama for president.
...The 51-year-old sits comfortably in his decidedly blue district, which elected Democrats to Congress in 24 of the last 25 elections. Since he took office in 2004, Mr Lipinski has faced few competitive primary opponents. In 2016, he faced no challengers in the primary or the general races.
This doofus inherited his daddy's solid blue seat and has spent his time in office being a conservative prick that weakens the party. This is the perfect opportunity to show him the door. Every reliable blue seat should pull so far left that they shift the whole Overton Window. Those reps should be on TV every day talking about universal basic income, the power of unions, the need for regulations, and pointing out in explicit terms the corruption of the other side. We need a sea of Ted Lieus, and challenging seats like this one is how to do it.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [85 favorites]
When you ask Marie Newman why she is running for office against another Democrat, she responds simply: “I’m not”.
The former marketing consultant and anti-bullying expert is mounting a primary challenge to Illinois third district Representative Dan Lipinski – a seven-term Democrat who has voted against abortion access, spoken out against LGBT rights, and refused to back Barack Obama for president.
...The 51-year-old sits comfortably in his decidedly blue district, which elected Democrats to Congress in 24 of the last 25 elections. Since he took office in 2004, Mr Lipinski has faced few competitive primary opponents. In 2016, he faced no challengers in the primary or the general races.
This doofus inherited his daddy's solid blue seat and has spent his time in office being a conservative prick that weakens the party. This is the perfect opportunity to show him the door. Every reliable blue seat should pull so far left that they shift the whole Overton Window. Those reps should be on TV every day talking about universal basic income, the power of unions, the need for regulations, and pointing out in explicit terms the corruption of the other side. We need a sea of Ted Lieus, and challenging seats like this one is how to do it.
posted by leotrotsky at 10:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [85 favorites]
@KThomasDC: Trump said he's considering pulling ICE out of California: "We're getting no help from the state of California. Frankly, if I wanted to pull our people from California you would have a crime nest like you would never seen in California."
So the President is threatening to bring high crime to a state he doesn't like because...wait...hold up...this is an actual option? How do we get started? Do we have to sign something or press one on our telephones or what exactly?
posted by zachlipton at 10:04 AM on February 22, 2018 [89 favorites]
So the President is threatening to bring high crime to a state he doesn't like because...wait...hold up...this is an actual option? How do we get started? Do we have to sign something or press one on our telephones or what exactly?
posted by zachlipton at 10:04 AM on February 22, 2018 [89 favorites]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Will Remove “Nation of Immigrants” From Mission Statement
posted by kirkaracha at 10:05 AM on February 22, 2018 [57 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:05 AM on February 22, 2018 [57 favorites]
So the President is literally threatening to bring high crime to a state he doesn't like because...wait...hold up...this is an actual option? How do we get started? Do we have to sign something or press one on our telephones or what exactly?
Para la gente española, oprima dos...
posted by Freon at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Para la gente española, oprima dos...
posted by Freon at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Trump said he's considering pulling ICE out of California: "We're getting no help from the state of California. Frankly, if I wanted to pull our people from California you would have a crime nest like you would never seen in California."
"no please mister president don't throw us in that briar patch" –california
posted by entropicamericana at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2018 [76 favorites]
"no please mister president don't throw us in that briar patch" –california
posted by entropicamericana at 10:07 AM on February 22, 2018 [76 favorites]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services Will Remove “Nation of Immigrants” From Mission Statement
The new mission statement is full of creepy fascist dogwhistles:
The new mission statement is full of creepy fascist dogwhistles:
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.posted by Jacqueline at 10:10 AM on February 22, 2018 [22 favorites]
Parkland teenage heroes detail CNN manipulation for town hall broadcast. CNN.
posted by rc3spencer at 10:12 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by rc3spencer at 10:12 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
Oops, I think they spelled "Reichland" wrong.
posted by kirkaracha at 10:12 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 10:12 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Marion LePen was predictably fascist. Nazi-ishly so, on a stage Pence was on an hour later.
@Hadas_Gold (CNN)
“There is a youth ready for this fight in Europe today,” LePen says at CPAC … ‘who want to protect from eugenics…”
posted by chris24 at 10:13 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
@Hadas_Gold (CNN)
“There is a youth ready for this fight in Europe today,” LePen says at CPAC … ‘who want to protect from eugenics…”
posted by chris24 at 10:13 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Trump said he's considering pulling ICE out of California: "We're getting no help from the state of California. Frankly, if I wanted to pull our people from California you would have a crime nest like you would never seen in California."
As a Californian: ahahahahahahahaha. I bet Jerry Brown is quaking in his boots about that crime nest.
This is what happens when you turn your state blue, peeps! We used to be Republican, you know. But if you start voting in Democrats, and then more Democrats, and then a competent Democratic governor, you too can have nice things! Texas, do you hear me?
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:14 AM on February 22, 2018 [58 favorites]
As a Californian: ahahahahahahahaha. I bet Jerry Brown is quaking in his boots about that crime nest.
This is what happens when you turn your state blue, peeps! We used to be Republican, you know. But if you start voting in Democrats, and then more Democrats, and then a competent Democratic governor, you too can have nice things! Texas, do you hear me?
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:14 AM on February 22, 2018 [58 favorites]
Parkland teenage heroes detail CNN manipulation for town hall broadcast. Fuck CNN.
So that appears to be a student with pro-gun talking points about putting veterans in schools with guns who didn't participate in the CNN town hall asserting without evidence that CNN pressured him to ask scripted questions. Outrage bait and grains of salt all around!
posted by peeedro at 10:20 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
So that appears to be a student with pro-gun talking points about putting veterans in schools with guns who didn't participate in the CNN town hall asserting without evidence that CNN pressured him to ask scripted questions. Outrage bait and grains of salt all around!
posted by peeedro at 10:20 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Parkland teenage heroes detail CNN manipulation for town hall broadcast. CNN.
I'm no lover of CNN but this seems to be a bullshit counternarrative pushed with full force by the conservosphere to drown out all positive coverage of the event.
From CNN: "There is absolutely no truth to this. CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night's town hall, nor have we ever. After seeing an interview with Colton Haab, we invited him to participate in our town hall along with other students and administrators from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Colton’s father withdrew his name from participation before the forum began, which we regretted but respected. We welcome Colton to join us on CNN today to discuss his views on school safety."
Also: "In a longer statement, CNN confirmed Haab was invited by the network to participate but his father decided to withdraw his name from participation. CNN said Haab wanted to give an extensive speech and not just ask a question, something the network said the forum was not designed for. CNN noted the subject Haab wanted to address, arming teachers, was discussed at length in the 2-hour long town hall event."
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:22 AM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
I'm no lover of CNN but this seems to be a bullshit counternarrative pushed with full force by the conservosphere to drown out all positive coverage of the event.
From CNN: "There is absolutely no truth to this. CNN did not provide or script questions for anyone in last night's town hall, nor have we ever. After seeing an interview with Colton Haab, we invited him to participate in our town hall along with other students and administrators from Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School. Colton’s father withdrew his name from participation before the forum began, which we regretted but respected. We welcome Colton to join us on CNN today to discuss his views on school safety."
Also: "In a longer statement, CNN confirmed Haab was invited by the network to participate but his father decided to withdraw his name from participation. CNN said Haab wanted to give an extensive speech and not just ask a question, something the network said the forum was not designed for. CNN noted the subject Haab wanted to address, arming teachers, was discussed at length in the 2-hour long town hall event."
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:22 AM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
When Trump loses California in 2020 by five million votes, he's gonna say it's because two million more illegal immigrants came in when he removed ICE.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:22 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 10:22 AM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
“There is a youth ready for this fight in Europe today,” LePen says at CPAC … ‘who want to protect from eugenics…”
I'm guessing this is some kind of perversion of the word so that it means the opposite of what she's saying?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm guessing this is some kind of perversion of the word so that it means the opposite of what she's saying?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services administers the nation’s lawful immigration system, safeguarding its integrity and promise by efficiently and fairly adjudicating requests for immigration benefits while protecting Americans, securing the homeland, and honoring our values.
Oh Hi, Stephen Miller! The flabby use of modifiers and enthrallment to the Rule of Threes reveals it's you everytime!
posted by notyou at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [42 favorites]
Oh Hi, Stephen Miller! The flabby use of modifiers and enthrallment to the Rule of Threes reveals it's you everytime!
posted by notyou at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [42 favorites]
CNN said Haab wanted to give an extensive speech and not just ask a question, something the network said the forum was not designed for
Indeed, I can see several pages worth of text in his hand in the video. Which...maybe he had prepared a number of questions so he could ask the best one in the moment, but if you're a live TV producer and someone who is supposed to read something short and ask one question shows up with pages of notes, you're going to be nervous.
posted by zachlipton at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
Indeed, I can see several pages worth of text in his hand in the video. Which...maybe he had prepared a number of questions so he could ask the best one in the moment, but if you're a live TV producer and someone who is supposed to read something short and ask one question shows up with pages of notes, you're going to be nervous.
posted by zachlipton at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
Or he’ll just have the DOJ cook up some false crime statistics.
posted by gucci mane at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018
posted by gucci mane at 10:24 AM on February 22, 2018
It's worth reading this transcript of some of Trump's remarks in full. His pronouncements are always bonkers when they're distilled into news copy, but they at least sound more like a presentation of bad ideas instead of addled rambling. Reading his stream of consciousness is another experience entirely:
posted by zachlipton at 10:33 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
"I will tell you, background checks, I've called many senators last night, many congressmen and Jeff and Pam and everybody in this room, I can tell you, Curtis, they're into doing background checks that they wouldn't be thinking about maybe two weeks ago. We're going to do a strong background check, we're going to work on getting the age up to 21 instead of 18, we're getting rid of the bump stocks and we're going to be focusing very strongly on mental health."The man is living so far in the past...the MPAA's rating system started in 1968.
"We're going to be talking about mental institutions and when you have some person like this you can bring them into a mental institution and they can see what they can do but we've got to get them out of our communities."
"We have to look at the internet because a lot of bad things are happening to young kids and young minds and their minds are being formed, and we have to do something about maybe what they're seeing and how they're seeing it. And also video games. I'm hearing more and more people say the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people's thoughts. And you go one further step and that's the movies. ... maybe they have to put a rating system for that."
posted by zachlipton at 10:33 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
I'm guessing this is some kind of perversion of the word so that it means the opposite of what she's saying?
Yes, in the context of her speech she was railing against the Muslim invasion of Europe and France, so this can be read as brown people are going to bastardize our white bloodlines and heritage.
posted by chris24 at 10:42 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yes, in the context of her speech she was railing against the Muslim invasion of Europe and France, so this can be read as brown people are going to bastardize our white bloodlines and heritage.
posted by chris24 at 10:42 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
"We're going to be talking about mental institutions and when you have some person like this you can bring them into a mental institution and they can see what they can do but we've got to get them out of our communities."
Chilling.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:44 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Chilling.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:44 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Yes, in the context of her speech she was railing against the Muslim invasion of Europe and France, so this can be read as brown people are going to bastardize our white bloodlines and heritage.
In a neo-nazi context, it's probably specifically referring to the time Sarkozy said in a speech that France must integrate cultures, using a word that means "intermixing" but which can also be translated as "miscegenation;" their interpretation being that he demanded enforced racial intermarriage. Yes, it's insane, but you shoulda seen how often "crypto-Jew Sarkozy wants to breed out whites" showed up last year on /r/the_donald and other alt-right forums.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
In a neo-nazi context, it's probably specifically referring to the time Sarkozy said in a speech that France must integrate cultures, using a word that means "intermixing" but which can also be translated as "miscegenation;" their interpretation being that he demanded enforced racial intermarriage. Yes, it's insane, but you shoulda seen how often "crypto-Jew Sarkozy wants to breed out whites" showed up last year on /r/the_donald and other alt-right forums.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
What would permanently solve this is institutionalizing Trump against his will, with a mandatory 2 day hold. Let him see what it's like.
If we're lucky he'd spend a couple of days trying to convince the psychiatrists and therapists that he's the President of the United States.
posted by zarq at 10:49 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
If we're lucky he'd spend a couple of days trying to convince the psychiatrists and therapists that he's the President of the United States.
posted by zarq at 10:49 AM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
If we're lucky he'd spend a couple of days trying to convince the psychiatrists and therapists that he's the President of the United States.
posted by zarq at 10:49 AM on February 22 [+] [!]
MAKE THIS MOVIE, PLEEZ.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by zarq at 10:49 AM on February 22 [+] [!]
MAKE THIS MOVIE, PLEEZ.
posted by Mental Wimp at 10:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]
I wonder how the Pepe avatars react to their God-Emperor taking a swipe against violent video games?
Groveling and worshiping as usual. They have no opinions of their own. Look how they about-faced on Net Neutrality.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Groveling and worshiping as usual. They have no opinions of their own. Look how they about-faced on Net Neutrality.
posted by leotrotsky at 11:00 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
They have no opinions of their own.
Not true: they love liberal tears and the feeling of domination. Those count as opinions.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
Not true: they love liberal tears and the feeling of domination. Those count as opinions.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
"My name is Donald J. Trump, millionaire. I own a mansion and a yacht."
posted by kirkaracha at 11:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:03 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
TBH, I almost didn't make the joke because mental health and suicide are serious topics, and the GOP, NRA and Trump are treating them in the most offensive manner I can possibly imagine. They're vilifying an entire group of people using inflammatory language because their precious guns are being threatened. Heaven forbid anyone try to take away the gun-lovers' deity-given right to hunt, shoot at and kill human beings and other animals.
We don't treat mental illness in this country. Or the assorted symptoms that come from inflicted trauma. We throw drugs at it and/or lock it away rather than dealing with it properly. What's worse, we're incapable of recognizing the aftermath of PTSD. There's a thread on the front page now about an actor whose career and life self-destructed after he was sexually assaulted in public. Commenters in the thread don't appear to be aware of what PTSD is, or its effects. Or they're simply ignoring it. I can't even blame them for their ignorance. We're all ignorant or undereducated.
We need education on this topic as a nation. We need to understand mental health better. And tackle its problems intelligently. We need to treat people with empathy and compassion and not simplistically place people with illnesses in a box labeled "potentially dangerous to society" and lock them away. Or turn them into lab rats. That's part of psychology's legacy. In the not so distant past, that's exactly what was done to people who didn't quite fit into our culture or had illnesses.
Instead we get smug NRA representatives who declare mental illness and "crazy people" the problem, rather than the weapons they champion. We get a President who wants to arm teachers and give them bulletproof vests, rather than tackling the problem of guns and bullets. And an entire political party who takes money from people who don't give a flying fuck about dozens of dead children.
We deserve better than those assholes.
posted by zarq at 11:06 AM on February 22, 2018 [34 favorites]
We don't treat mental illness in this country. Or the assorted symptoms that come from inflicted trauma. We throw drugs at it and/or lock it away rather than dealing with it properly. What's worse, we're incapable of recognizing the aftermath of PTSD. There's a thread on the front page now about an actor whose career and life self-destructed after he was sexually assaulted in public. Commenters in the thread don't appear to be aware of what PTSD is, or its effects. Or they're simply ignoring it. I can't even blame them for their ignorance. We're all ignorant or undereducated.
We need education on this topic as a nation. We need to understand mental health better. And tackle its problems intelligently. We need to treat people with empathy and compassion and not simplistically place people with illnesses in a box labeled "potentially dangerous to society" and lock them away. Or turn them into lab rats. That's part of psychology's legacy. In the not so distant past, that's exactly what was done to people who didn't quite fit into our culture or had illnesses.
Instead we get smug NRA representatives who declare mental illness and "crazy people" the problem, rather than the weapons they champion. We get a President who wants to arm teachers and give them bulletproof vests, rather than tackling the problem of guns and bullets. And an entire political party who takes money from people who don't give a flying fuck about dozens of dead children.
We deserve better than those assholes.
posted by zarq at 11:06 AM on February 22, 2018 [34 favorites]
Canceling NASA's High Priority Missions: Bad Policy, Bad Precedent, Bad for Science "But the current budget proposal cancels several high priority missions recommended in decadal surveys, undermining a 50-year-old process that has long had bipartisan support from the executive and legislative branches of government along with the scientific community. "
posted by dhruva at 11:06 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by dhruva at 11:06 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Canceling NASA's High Priority Missions: Bad Policy, Bad Precedent, Bad for Science "But the current budget proposal cancels several high priority missions recommended in decadal surveys, undermining a 50-year-old process that has long had bipartisan support from the executive and legislative branches of government along with the scientific community. "
CHINA is LAUGHING AT US.
At this point, whatever. I'm sure China and Europe will love being able to cherry pick our most talented scientists and at this point Europe is a much nicer place to live anyway. It's not like we haven't done this before and it probably won't be the last time an administration engages in the dumbening of science in the United States and the United States as a whole.
posted by Talez at 11:26 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
CHINA is LAUGHING AT US.
At this point, whatever. I'm sure China and Europe will love being able to cherry pick our most talented scientists and at this point Europe is a much nicer place to live anyway. It's not like we haven't done this before and it probably won't be the last time an administration engages in the dumbening of science in the United States and the United States as a whole.
posted by Talez at 11:26 AM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Kevin Hassett, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, smiles constantly as he talks, no matter how grim the subject. I can't decide if it's persuasive or creepy.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:26 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:26 AM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
I miss the days when the USSR made the United States feel inadequate and the Western world used science as a dick measuring/waving tool.
posted by Talez at 11:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Talez at 11:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
MAKE THIS MOVIE, PLEEZ.
Paging Armando Ianucci, to the white courtesy phone!
Guys, I'm freaking out. I'm feeling that scream just kind of hanging out in my throat threatening to come out. I just got a push notification from NYT about Trump doubling down on the arm teachers gambit and suggesting bonuses and even though I know this is all ludicrous theater brought on by the ravings of an ignorant psychopath, I feel like I literally need to stop people in the street and do an interpretive dance to get across how fucking unhinged this is.
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
Paging Armando Ianucci, to the white courtesy phone!
Guys, I'm freaking out. I'm feeling that scream just kind of hanging out in my throat threatening to come out. I just got a push notification from NYT about Trump doubling down on the arm teachers gambit and suggesting bonuses and even though I know this is all ludicrous theater brought on by the ravings of an ignorant psychopath, I feel like I literally need to stop people in the street and do an interpretive dance to get across how fucking unhinged this is.
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:28 AM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
@kira_lerner:
Facebook is setting up a booth in the CPAC exhibit hall.
Two attendees just told me they saw proof on Facebook this morning that the Parkland students are crisis actors. Facebook reps here told me they’re not going to talk about that.
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on February 22, 2018 [42 favorites]
Facebook is setting up a booth in the CPAC exhibit hall.
Two attendees just told me they saw proof on Facebook this morning that the Parkland students are crisis actors. Facebook reps here told me they’re not going to talk about that.
posted by Artw at 11:29 AM on February 22, 2018 [42 favorites]
The Best People Dept:
President Trump’s nominee to lead the Indian Health Service has withdrawn his name from consideration for the position, a spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Humans Services said Wednesday.posted by Chrysostom at 11:31 AM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
The withdrawal of the nominee, Robert Weaver, follows Wall Street Journal reports that said he had inaccurately represented his qualifications to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs after his nomination in October.
Kevin Hassett, Chair of the Council of Economic Advisers, smiles constantly as he talks, no matter how grim the subject. I can't decide if it's persuasive or creepy.
You would be smiling too if you had gotten rich writing a book called DOW 36,000 -- in 1999 -- and you still have the credibility to get a job as leader of Trump's economic policy.
posted by JackFlash at 11:33 AM on February 22, 2018 [14 favorites]
You would be smiling too if you had gotten rich writing a book called DOW 36,000 -- in 1999 -- and you still have the credibility to get a job as leader of Trump's economic policy.
posted by JackFlash at 11:33 AM on February 22, 2018 [14 favorites]
The withdrawal of the nominee, Robert Weaver, follows Wall Street Journal reports that said he had inaccurately represented his qualifications to the Senate Committee on Indian Affairs after his nomination in October.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:31 AM on February 22 [3 favorites +] [!]
So...sometimes lack of qualifications disqualifies? I can't see the pattern in the GOP/Trump nominee relations.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:38 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:31 AM on February 22 [3 favorites +] [!]
So...sometimes lack of qualifications disqualifies? I can't see the pattern in the GOP/Trump nominee relations.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:38 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Facebook is setting up a booth in the CPAC exhibit hall.
Facebook and Google are both sponsors of this year's CPAC, Twitter is not a sponsor but "is lending CPAC organizers its so-called “Twitter Mirrors” so that participants can more easily post selfies to their accounts."
posted by peeedro at 11:38 AM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
Facebook and Google are both sponsors of this year's CPAC, Twitter is not a sponsor but "is lending CPAC organizers its so-called “Twitter Mirrors” so that participants can more easily post selfies to their accounts."
posted by peeedro at 11:38 AM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ajit Pai’s Plan Will Take Broadband Away From Poor People (Gigi Sohn and Amina Fazlullah for Wired, Feb. 21, 2018)
In short: Pai has long been against affordable broadband for poor people, and is now not expanding the number of carriers, rolling back a Wheeler-era designation of 9 new providers; but it's much worse:
Meanwhile, getting ahead of the end of net neutrality in the US (coming April 23), Northeastern University's Wehe project helps users check to see how neutral their connections are.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:40 AM on February 22, 2018 [40 favorites]
In short: Pai has long been against affordable broadband for poor people, and is now not expanding the number of carriers, rolling back a Wheeler-era designation of 9 new providers; but it's much worse:
Pai proposes to make the Lifeline subsidy available only to those companies that own their facilities, like the wires, towers, and other infrastructure that make up networks. The problem here? Seventy-five percent of Lifeline customers get their service from businesses that resell the capacity of companies like Sprint and T-Mobile. When the FCC opened the Lifeline subsidy to mobile phones back in 2008, these resellers came roaring into the market, increasing competition and reducing prices so that many subscribers pay little or nothing for service. Eliminating the carriers favored by three-quarters of the market will ensure that Lifeline prices will increase and quality of service will decrease.Emphasis mine -- the Trump administration is actively trying to kill people by "making government smaller" or some bullshit.
If resellers are forced out of the Lifeline program, some low-income Americans may find themselves unable to use their Lifeline subsidy at all. This result could have dire consequences—some Lifeline customers may find themselves without access to critical services like 911.
Meanwhile, getting ahead of the end of net neutrality in the US (coming April 23), Northeastern University's Wehe project helps users check to see how neutral their connections are.
Wehe offers apps for both Android and iOS that test the speeds of several popular apps, including Netflix, YouTube, Spotify, and Skype, by downloading data cloned from those apps and sending that data from Wehe's servers. Then the app downloads random data from the same servers and compares the data-transfer rates. Wehe tracks how quickly the cloned data downloads, compared with the random data. The apps can test both mobile connections and, via WiFi, home broadband connections.I hate that we have to test systems to see if they're being throttled, but I'm glad there's a public institution that is stepping up where the Federal government is stepping down.
By gathering data from many people using their devices in different places and at different times, Wehe can get a better sense than any individual user of whether certain apps or services are treated differently than others. Wehe’s apps have been downloaded more than 150,000 times, and at least 100,000 people have used them.
Wehe project lead David Choffnes says the group hopes to release anonymized data sets this spring, so that regulators, users, watchdog groups, and broadband providers themselves can analyze the data. The team is already working with the French telecommunications regulator Arcep and has a contract with Verizon to provide measurements of video-streaming quality over cellular networks.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:40 AM on February 22, 2018 [40 favorites]
At this point, whatever. I'm sure China and Europe will love being able to cherry pick our most talented scientists and at this point Europe is a much nicer place to live anyway.
It's Canada you really need to worry about since so few Americans are bilingual. England just slashed academic pensions in half and triggered a strike and they were already wickedly underpaid. So any potentially mobile academic there is going to be looking abroad for greater stability and pay.
posted by srboisvert at 11:42 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
It's Canada you really need to worry about since so few Americans are bilingual. England just slashed academic pensions in half and triggered a strike and they were already wickedly underpaid. So any potentially mobile academic there is going to be looking abroad for greater stability and pay.
posted by srboisvert at 11:42 AM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Ted Cruz speaking at CPAC, in an apparent effort to out-stupid George H.W. Bush's famous line about wanting the US to be more like The Waltons and less like The Simpsons, has reportedly come up with a real humdinger:
"The Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and Republicans are happily the party of Homer, Bart, Maggie and Marge." [Twitter link]
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:43 AM on February 22, 2018 [49 favorites]
"The Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and Republicans are happily the party of Homer, Bart, Maggie and Marge." [Twitter link]
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:43 AM on February 22, 2018 [49 favorites]
But...Lisa is the smart and successful one!
posted by Chrysostom at 11:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [77 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [77 favorites]
FWIW, I thought you could still call 911 on a cell phone without it being on an active plan.
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by snuffleupagus at 11:45 AM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
He then followed up by saying "You don't win friends with salad", to thunderous applause.
posted by cell divide at 11:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by cell divide at 11:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [27 favorites]
Homer was a union president
Marge is on record as a Carter voter, and once torpedoed Mr. Burns' political campaign because he was weak on the environment
Bart is Bart
Maggie is a stupid baby who shot a 100-year-old man, so I'll give him that one.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [99 favorites]
Marge is on record as a Carter voter, and once torpedoed Mr. Burns' political campaign because he was weak on the environment
Bart is Bart
Maggie is a stupid baby who shot a 100-year-old man, so I'll give him that one.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:46 AM on February 22, 2018 [99 favorites]
Some links I don't think I've seen here yet...
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL STATE OF THE WORLD’S HUMAN RIGHTS ANNUAL REPORT 2017-18
"The report, The State of the World’s Human Rights, covers 159 countries and delivers the most comprehensive analysis of the state of human rights in the world today.Dan De Luce at Foreign Policy: "Trump Administration Turns Away Iranian Christians"
“The transparently hateful move by the US government in January to ban entry to people from several Muslim-majority countries set the scene for a year in which leaders took the politics of hate to its most dangerous conclusion,” said Salil Shetty, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
...
“The specters of hatred and fear now loom large in world affairs, and we have few governments standing up for human rights in these disturbing times. Instead, leaders such as al-Sisi, Duterte, Maduro, Putin, Trump and Xi are callously undermining the rights of millions,” said Shetty.
The group of refugees, mostly Christians along with other non-Muslims, have been stranded in Vienna for more than a year, waiting for final approval to resettle in the United States. Now they face possible deportation back to Iran, where rights advocates say they face potential retaliation or imprisonment by the regime in Tehran for seeking asylum in the United States.Amnesty International Petition: Stop the bombing of people in Eastern Ghouta Syria
U.S. Vice President Mike Pence has vowed action to alleviate the suffering of Christians in the region and the administration has condemned Tehran’s treatment of religious minorities. But critics say the decision on the Iranian Christians shows the administration had failed to live up to its own rhetoric.
Tell the Syrian and Russian governments to end the attacks and lift the siege on Eastern Ghouta immediately.The Economist: How Putin Meddles in Western Democracies -- and Why the West's Response is Inadequate
The most important lesson is that the Western response has been woefully weak. In the cold war, America fought Russian misinformation with diplomats and spies. By contrast, Mr Mueller acted because two presidents fell short. Barack Obama agonised over evidence of Russian interference but held back before eventually imposing sanctions, perhaps because he assumed Mr Trump would lose and that for him to speak out would only feed suspicions that, as a Democrat, he was manipulating the contest. That was a grave misjudgment.FACT CHECK: Why Didn't Obama Stop Russia's Election Interference In 2016?
"Obama spent the end of his presidency trying to bring Russia into a multilateral agreement to end the Syrian civil war, but Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov ultimately never committed.Aaron Blake at WaPo: "Jared Kushner is showing us exactly why anti-nepotism laws exist"
So Obama's team had to manage many spinning plates in addition to the active measures campaign it detected by the middle of 2016."
When I first wrote about Kushner's appointment to the White House back in January 2017, I noted that part of the reason such laws exist is that family members often serve as the best partners in corrupt enterprises. But another big reason was that nepotism takes merit out of the equation and creates complications for those who have to work alongside the president's family members, who they may feel are above reproach.EPIC FOIA: IRS Agrees to Fulfill EPIC's Request for Trump Tax Records
The IRS acknowledged that it will fulfill EPIC's FOIA request seeking certain tax records of President Trump and the President's businesses. It marks the first time, to EPIC's knowledge, that the IRS has agreed to process a third-party FOIA request for the President's tax information. EPIC is seeking tax records relating to settlements with the IRS, which the agency is required to disclose to the public upon request.OpenSecrets.org: "All the President's Profiting"
By keeping his assets in a family-managed trust, which he can revoke at any time, Trump and his family are in the unique position to profit directly from his public service. Special interests in Washington have caught on. Those seeking to curry favor with Trump are not only donating to his reelection campaign but holding fundraisers and galas at his resorts, private clubs and hotels – the proceeds of which benefit him and his family.posted by OnceUponATime at 11:47 AM on February 22, 2018 [41 favorites]
To track this new influence-buying and presidential profiteering, the Center for Responsive Politics has created this page to track payments to Trump properties from Trump-related entities and beyond.
And to prove he's not just stupid, but vile also...
@ddale8 (Toronto Star)
Ted Cruz says Bill Clinton calling Obamacare "the craziest thing in the world" is one of the only times he ever agreed with Bill Clinton - then he adds, "Other than about Hillary."
---
Yes, family man, "Christian", and erstwhile porn watcher Cruz is saying he endorses Bill having cheated on Hillary.
posted by chris24 at 11:47 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
@ddale8 (Toronto Star)
Ted Cruz says Bill Clinton calling Obamacare "the craziest thing in the world" is one of the only times he ever agreed with Bill Clinton - then he adds, "Other than about Hillary."
---
Yes, family man, "Christian", and erstwhile porn watcher Cruz is saying he endorses Bill having cheated on Hillary.
posted by chris24 at 11:47 AM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
*image of Ted Cruz and Marco Rubio warily circling each other with cooking pots on their heads as a crowd of CPAC attendees cheers them on*
posted by saturday_morning at 11:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by saturday_morning at 11:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
Clarification on the April 23 date, via Jon Brodkin on Ars Technica:
But there's some (possibly) good news in the FCC's actions: Why states might win the net neutrality war against the FCC -- FCC might have doomed its preemption case by renouncing authority over broadband. (Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica, Feb. 22, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Federal Register publication happened on Thursday this week*, which means that certain minor portions of the repeal order will take effect on April 23. But there's still no date [tweet] for the official repeal of the core rules against blocking, throttling, and paid prioritization.* Pai labeled the rule "Restoring Internet Freedom," which gets me singing along with Janis Joplin - "Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose, and nothin' ain't worth nothin' but it's free"
The repeal is contingent on US Office of Management and Budget [OMB] approval of modified information collection requirements, the FCC said [PDF]. Later, the FCC will publish another document in the Federal Register "announcing the effective date(s) of the delayed amendatory instructions," the FCC said. "The Declaratory Ruling, Report and Order, and Order will also be effective upon the date announced in that same document."
But there's some (possibly) good news in the FCC's actions: Why states might win the net neutrality war against the FCC -- FCC might have doomed its preemption case by renouncing authority over broadband. (Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica, Feb. 22, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:48 AM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
> But...Lisa is the smart and successful one!
Shhh! Popular culture has never been the Republicans' strong suit, an lizard-person Ted Cruz can only do so much.
>> At this point, whatever. I'm sure China and Europe will love being able to cherry pick our most talented scientists and at this point Europe is a much nicer place to live anyway.
> It's Canada you really need to worry about since so few Americans are bilingual.
Young career scientists are a fairly mobile bunch - I've lived in Boston and then Sydney, Australia, and looking at the snow outside in upstate New York right now, I feel like a fool for letting the Obama-era golden age tempt me back to the US.
(OK, not really, I had other reasons for moving back, but that's the general idea. Two of our most recent graduate students are now employed in Bonn, and McGill in Montreal is a perennially popular destination.)
And do NOT get me started on the administration canceling NASA priorities.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Shhh! Popular culture has never been the Republicans' strong suit, an lizard-person Ted Cruz can only do so much.
>> At this point, whatever. I'm sure China and Europe will love being able to cherry pick our most talented scientists and at this point Europe is a much nicer place to live anyway.
> It's Canada you really need to worry about since so few Americans are bilingual.
Young career scientists are a fairly mobile bunch - I've lived in Boston and then Sydney, Australia, and looking at the snow outside in upstate New York right now, I feel like a fool for letting the Obama-era golden age tempt me back to the US.
(OK, not really, I had other reasons for moving back, but that's the general idea. Two of our most recent graduate students are now employed in Bonn, and McGill in Montreal is a perennially popular destination.)
And do NOT get me started on the administration canceling NASA priorities.
posted by RedOrGreen at 11:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
I wonder who showed Ted Cruz the scripts for the next season of the Simpsons, in which Lisa is disenfranchised, impoverished and stripped of legal rights before ultimately being murdered in prison.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:51 AM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
"The Democrats are the party of Lisa Simpson and Republicans are happily the party of Homer, Bart, Maggie and Marge."
And Lisa Simpson is our next U.S. President after President Trump. Original air date: March 19, 2000 (!!!)
posted by Jacqueline at 11:53 AM on February 22, 2018 [64 favorites]
And Lisa Simpson is our next U.S. President after President Trump. Original air date: March 19, 2000 (!!!)
posted by Jacqueline at 11:53 AM on February 22, 2018 [64 favorites]
He is too young to actually having watched the early episodes.
posted by Namlit at 11:59 AM on February 22, 2018
posted by Namlit at 11:59 AM on February 22, 2018
I can see Bart becoming some shitass 4chan troll.
posted by Artw at 12:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Artw at 12:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
I can see Bart becoming some shitass 4chan troll.
Although as I have just been reminded, Springfield's most successful Republican mayoral candidate did try to have him assassinated on multiple occasions.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:03 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
Although as I have just been reminded, Springfield's most successful Republican mayoral candidate did try to have him assassinated on multiple occasions.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 12:03 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
But...Lisa is the smart and successful one!
thatsthejoke.jpg
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:15 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
thatsthejoke.jpg
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:15 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Republicans on the Simpsons are clearly delineated.
Homer also beat up President Bush the Elder.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
Your guilty conscience may force you to vote Democratic, but deep down inside you secretly long for a cold-hearted Republican to lower taxes, brutalize criminals, and rule you like a king.What People Think Happens When They Vote Republican
Homer also beat up President Bush the Elder.
posted by kirkaracha at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
Barack Obama agonised over evidence of Russian interference but held back before eventually imposing sanctions, perhaps because he assumed Mr Trump would lose and that for him to speak out would only feed suspicions that, as a Democrat, he was manipulating the contest. That was a grave misjudgment.
What a cynical, uncharitable reading. How about -- Obama wanted to tread lightly because it's a horrible precedent for the executive branch to intervene in an election in a way that helps his party and hurts the other? In other words, because he supports democracy and has integrity.
posted by msalt at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [26 favorites]
What a cynical, uncharitable reading. How about -- Obama wanted to tread lightly because it's a horrible precedent for the executive branch to intervene in an election in a way that helps his party and hurts the other? In other words, because he supports democracy and has integrity.
posted by msalt at 12:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [26 favorites]
Significantly, Manafort does not propose any sureties to make up the difference in the effective equity value of the property he proposes as security and the $10 million bond. The fact that Manafort has not been able to find any responsible surety to cosign a bond for this package suggests that neither those closest to him, nor anyone else, is willing to assume the risk of being a surety for him.
Politico: Judge Rejects Manafort's Latest Bail Offer "The Court has determined that in the absence of additional security or assets pledged by a surety, it will not accept as security the Alexandria property that has already been pledged in its entirety as collateral for the loan on the Bridgehampton property," [Judge Amy Berman] Jackson wrote in an order Thursday afternoon.[...] "Notwithstanding the information provided to the Court concerning the borrower's understanding of the transaction, none of the loan documents submitted to the Court specifies that the security for the bank loan must be forfeited in any particular order," Jackson wrote.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:20 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Politico: Judge Rejects Manafort's Latest Bail Offer "The Court has determined that in the absence of additional security or assets pledged by a surety, it will not accept as security the Alexandria property that has already been pledged in its entirety as collateral for the loan on the Bridgehampton property," [Judge Amy Berman] Jackson wrote in an order Thursday afternoon.[...] "Notwithstanding the information provided to the Court concerning the borrower's understanding of the transaction, none of the loan documents submitted to the Court specifies that the security for the bank loan must be forfeited in any particular order," Jackson wrote.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:20 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
He wanted to protect democracy but we ended up with this guy who's tearing the house down from the inside.
A horrible precedent vs a horrible reality (in hindsight).
posted by Slackermagee at 12:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
A horrible precedent vs a horrible reality (in hindsight).
posted by Slackermagee at 12:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
What a cynical, uncharitable reading. How about -- Obama wanted to tread lightly because it's a horrible precedent for the executive branch to intervene in an election in a way that helps his party and hurts the other? In other words, because he supports democracy and has integrity.
As someone who believes Barack Obama may well be the finest person to ever hold the office of President, I am inclined to agree with the cynical, uncharitable reading. Obama knew that Trump was a presidential candidate sponsored and enabled by a foreign enemy, and he chose to tread lightly because he hoped and assumed the problem would go away, and he and his legacy wouldn't have to deal with the horrendous blow-back caused by accusing a major party candidate of being enabled and sponsored by a foreign enemy. In addition, he might have seen a risk that he would boost Trump's fortunes by intervening, which is not a selfish decision but a pragmatic one.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:28 PM on February 22, 2018 [44 favorites]
As someone who believes Barack Obama may well be the finest person to ever hold the office of President, I am inclined to agree with the cynical, uncharitable reading. Obama knew that Trump was a presidential candidate sponsored and enabled by a foreign enemy, and he chose to tread lightly because he hoped and assumed the problem would go away, and he and his legacy wouldn't have to deal with the horrendous blow-back caused by accusing a major party candidate of being enabled and sponsored by a foreign enemy. In addition, he might have seen a risk that he would boost Trump's fortunes by intervening, which is not a selfish decision but a pragmatic one.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:28 PM on February 22, 2018 [44 favorites]
What a cynical, uncharitable reading. How about -- Obama wanted to tread lightly because it's a horrible precedent for the executive branch to intervene in an election in a way that helps his party and hurts the other? In other words, because he supports democracy and has integrity
Obama had so much integrity he let James Comey conceal a counter terrorism investigation into Trump while hyping a bogus “investigation” against Clinton. Obama knew too. He should’ve said something, not fold when Mitch McConnell cried partisanship.
There’s a place for partisanship. Even for the President. And that place was when your opponents were conspiring with a foreign intelligence service to steal the election from your party and undo everything you ever worked for. This is absolutely on Obama too.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [43 favorites]
Obama had so much integrity he let James Comey conceal a counter terrorism investigation into Trump while hyping a bogus “investigation” against Clinton. Obama knew too. He should’ve said something, not fold when Mitch McConnell cried partisanship.
There’s a place for partisanship. Even for the President. And that place was when your opponents were conspiring with a foreign intelligence service to steal the election from your party and undo everything you ever worked for. This is absolutely on Obama too.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [43 favorites]
Although as I have just been reminded, Springfield's most successful Republican mayoral candidate did try to have [Bart] assassinated on multiple occasions.
And like many Republican voters, his father placed less value on the wellbeing of his own child than on the cheap buzz generated from the promise of bad things happening to his enemies ("I don't agree with his Bart-killing policy, but I do approve of his Selma-killing policy.")
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:30 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
And like many Republican voters, his father placed less value on the wellbeing of his own child than on the cheap buzz generated from the promise of bad things happening to his enemies ("I don't agree with his Bart-killing policy, but I do approve of his Selma-killing policy.")
posted by Atom Eyes at 12:30 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
@BenjySarlin: Extended "Lock her up" chants at CPAC in February of 2018
It will never end.
posted by zachlipton at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
It will never end.
posted by zachlipton at 12:46 PM on February 22, 2018 [38 favorites]
Bad news for the integrity of our elections:
U.S. official focused on election security being shoved aside [Reuters]
"Matthew Masterson, currently chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and a former Ohio state official, has been passed over for a second four-year term as one of the agency’s four commissioners, according to sources familiar with the matter.
It is up the House speaker to recommend a nominee for the commissioner post that Masterson currently holds, with the president then making a formal nomination.
Masterson has been a popular figure among state election officials, many of whom have praised his expertise and leadership on cyber security issues and expressed chagrin at his pending departure. The agency was created by Congress in 2002 to assist states in complying with federal election standards.
[...]
“It is pretty remarkable that in this environment, given the importance of this issue, that the speaker would choose this moment to not reappoint the person doing the most work in this area,” said Judd Choate, Colorado’s election director and the immediate past president of the National Association of State Election Directors."
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:54 PM on February 22, 2018 [27 favorites]
U.S. official focused on election security being shoved aside [Reuters]
"Matthew Masterson, currently chairman of the U.S. Election Assistance Commission and a former Ohio state official, has been passed over for a second four-year term as one of the agency’s four commissioners, according to sources familiar with the matter.
It is up the House speaker to recommend a nominee for the commissioner post that Masterson currently holds, with the president then making a formal nomination.
Masterson has been a popular figure among state election officials, many of whom have praised his expertise and leadership on cyber security issues and expressed chagrin at his pending departure. The agency was created by Congress in 2002 to assist states in complying with federal election standards.
[...]
“It is pretty remarkable that in this environment, given the importance of this issue, that the speaker would choose this moment to not reappoint the person doing the most work in this area,” said Judd Choate, Colorado’s election director and the immediate past president of the National Association of State Election Directors."
posted by Emmy Rae at 12:54 PM on February 22, 2018 [27 favorites]
I'm not a fan of Obama for a variety of reasons, but I'm not going to fault him for not knowing the perfect way to handle the next President quite possibly being the agent of a hostile foreign government or, at best, compromised.
I don't think there's much that Obama could have done that wouldn't have risked violent insurrection in response to the perception that he was dictatorially overriding the democratic process.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2018 [32 favorites]
I don't think there's much that Obama could have done that wouldn't have risked violent insurrection in response to the perception that he was dictatorially overriding the democratic process.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:04 PM on February 22, 2018 [32 favorites]
More Mueller indictment coverage:
Masha Gessen: The Fundamental Uncertainty of Mueller’s Russia Indictments
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 1:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Masha Gessen: The Fundamental Uncertainty of Mueller’s Russia Indictments
It is true that the indictment tells us nothing about connections between the Russian efforts and the Trump campaign, and the Trump victory. It is also true that Moscow is laughing, at least in part because the Kremlin had no grand plan to elect Trump... Trump’s tweet about Moscow laughing its ass off was unusually (perhaps accidentally) accurate. Loyal Putinites and dissident intellectuals alike are remarkably united in finding the American obsession with Russian meddling to be ridiculous.Matt Taibbi: #Russiagate Skeptics Take a Beating
This is what's made me nervous about #Russiagate from the very beginning, i.e. that reporters have been asked continually to accept major assumptions on faith, when a) the visible facts suggest a wide range of possibilities, and b) the authorities have not exactly been beacons of rectitude in their dealings with reporters, either historically or in this particular case.Adrian Chen, author of the original NYT story on the Internet Research Agency:
In #Russiagate, official and quasi-official sources have been all over the place in their dealings with the press. There is a long list of screw-ups and retractions and even a few outright disasters, like BuzzFeed's publication of Christopher Steele's dossier, which has put the company in serious legal trouble.
Tried to tamp down the troll farm panic on @chrislhayes show last night. It's 90 people with a shaky grasp of English and a rudimentary understanding of U.S. politics shitposting on Facebook.Branko Marcetic: Russiagate Targets the Left
What appears to have happened here is a marked collapse of basic journalistic standards. Various news outlets and pundits have created a narrative about Russian material support for left-wing presidential candidates based on precisely three references in a thirty-seven-page document that don’t actually provide evidence of such a thing.Video: Glenn Greenwald And James Risen Debate The Trump/Russia Investigation
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 1:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
OpenSecrets.org: "All the President's Profiting"This played a role in my life this morning. My wife's organization is on that list and she sighed over what she called the story that won't die; they had done business with the Trump orgs before he was a candidate and had signed a multi-year deal. Last year before their fall event they finally had gotten so disgusted they cancelled, forfeiting their money spent and leaving them scrambling to find spaces for their events with just a week or two to go. I started to mention what exact racist gross outburst was the straw that broke the camel's back and got their board to where they'd be willing to flush the money, but there have been so many how do you know which one after a few months?
By keeping his assets in a family-managed trust, which he can revoke at any time, Trump and his family are in the unique position to profit directly from his public service. Special interests in Washington have caught on. Those seeking to curry favor with Trump are not only donating to his reelection campaign but holding fundraisers and galas at his resorts, private clubs and hotels – the proceeds of which benefit him and his family.
It's pretty minor compared to the other ways this stuff is corrupt and gross, but even folks like them who washed their hands of him are now in this shitty position where they're lose-lose. They can't make any sort of public statement of disgust, lest they get the troll armies after them and, more significantly for their purposes, potentially have Trump and his various appointees decide they're gonna fuck them over. But on paper they're still gonna look like they're buying favor since there's cancellation contingencies and they'll still be on the hook for a small payment this fall for their last scheduled use of the space.
Also gross is that now if you have any ethics you have to steer clear of the Old Post Office building, which is just lovely. Many of his other properties have never been anything but gaudy junk but getting his sleaze all over that location is unforgivable.
posted by phearlez at 1:09 PM on February 22, 2018 [14 favorites]
NPR: FACT CHECK: Why Didn't Obama Stop Russia's Election Interference In 2016?
posted by Jacqueline at 1:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 1:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
More Mueller indictment coverage:
... posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles
Suuure.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [64 favorites]
... posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles
Suuure.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [64 favorites]
It's 90 people with a shaky grasp of English and a rudimentary understanding of U.S. politics shitposting on Facebook.
Uh, and that’s only one small portion of just what’s publicly known about the scope of Russian activities. They also, at minimum:
1) accessed voter registration information at the state and individual county level across the entire country and targeted in swing states
2) hacked emails from the DNC and Podesta group and
3) coordinated politically strategic releases of the contents of those stolen emails with US actors
4) approached the Trump campaign with offers of further coordination
The Facebook posts are only one part of the full operation, and we also know even those were microtargeted to the county and precinct level in swing states, not “rudimentary”.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [64 favorites]
Uh, and that’s only one small portion of just what’s publicly known about the scope of Russian activities. They also, at minimum:
1) accessed voter registration information at the state and individual county level across the entire country and targeted in swing states
2) hacked emails from the DNC and Podesta group and
3) coordinated politically strategic releases of the contents of those stolen emails with US actors
4) approached the Trump campaign with offers of further coordination
The Facebook posts are only one part of the full operation, and we also know even those were microtargeted to the county and precinct level in swing states, not “rudimentary”.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [64 favorites]
“There is a youth ready for this fight in Europe today,” LePen says at CPAC … ‘who want to protect from eugenics…”
Anti-choicers in France are describing abortion rights as eugenics, because it's a choice one is allowed to make after pre-natal diagnoses of fatal illnesses or major handicaps.
posted by Tobu at 1:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
Anti-choicers in France are describing abortion rights as eugenics, because it's a choice one is allowed to make after pre-natal diagnoses of fatal illnesses or major handicaps.
posted by Tobu at 1:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
@hsu_spencer: An federal a grand jury in Virginia has filed a 32-count indictment charging ex-Trump campaign chiefs Paul J. Manafort, Jr., and Richard W. Gates III with federal tax and bank fraud allegations.
I'll post a PDF as soon as I have one.
posted by zachlipton at 1:30 PM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
I'll post a PDF as soon as I have one.
posted by zachlipton at 1:30 PM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
More Mueller indictment coverage:
Coverage, noun. 1. An amount by which something or someone is covered.
[...] Before laying sod on that clay, the ground needs two inches of coverage with topsoil.
or, "the Mueller investigation was smeared with a two inch coverage of bullshit"
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
Coverage, noun. 1. An amount by which something or someone is covered.
[...] Before laying sod on that clay, the ground needs two inches of coverage with topsoil.
or, "the Mueller investigation was smeared with a two inch coverage of bullshit"
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
Masha Gessen: The Fundamental Uncertainty of Mueller’s Russia Indictments
Politico writer and foreign policy consultant Molly McKew @MollyMcKew throws some shade:
Politico writer and foreign policy consultant Molly McKew @MollyMcKew throws some shade:
I'm not really sure why we have so many Russians writing about US politics & telling us with authority that we should see ourselves as the Kremlin sees us rather than believe the assessments of US+allied intelligence agencies. But that's what Putin wants.posted by Doktor Zed at 1:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
I'm not really sure why we have so many Russians writing about US politics & telling us with authority
This is a shitty take that focuses on someone's national origin instead of what they have to say, about which there is plenty to discuss.
posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is a shitty take that focuses on someone's national origin instead of what they have to say, about which there is plenty to discuss.
posted by zachlipton at 1:35 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
@BenjySarlin: Extended "Lock her up" chants at CPAC in February of 2018
It will never end.
Conservatism has always at its heart been about the powerful hurting and dominating the weak- they used to hide it behind vague language and dog whistles, but eventually somebody was bound to start selling the hard stuff, and now it turns out that that's what the Republicans wanted all along.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:36 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
It will never end.
Conservatism has always at its heart been about the powerful hurting and dominating the weak- they used to hide it behind vague language and dog whistles, but eventually somebody was bound to start selling the hard stuff, and now it turns out that that's what the Republicans wanted all along.
posted by Pope Guilty at 1:36 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
And here's the new Manafort/Gates indictment. 32 counts of filing false tax returns, failure to declare foreign accounts, and bank fraud.
posted by zachlipton at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
I'm not really sure why we have so many Russians writing about US politics & telling us with authority
Pretty sure they study us as much as we study them.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Pretty sure they study us as much as we study them.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Manafort-Gates indictment for today, .pdf.
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by MonkeyToes at 1:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
What I'd really like is for the folks who are still, for some weird reason not convinced that the Russians interfered or that the whole thing is being blown out of proportion to put their cards on the table.
What evidence would convince you?
What's the minimum bar that would need to be cleared for you to admit that you had it all wrong and the Russian government really did interfere in the 2016 election to Trump's benefit?
I don't find our obsession with the investigation ridiculous at all and I don't understand how anyone could without being remarkably ignorant of the facts. Perhaps the evidence already exists and we can provide it for you or maybe you'll have some irrationally high bar before you'll believe it but I'd really like to know if they're ignorant of the facts or something else.
posted by VTX at 1:38 PM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]
What evidence would convince you?
What's the minimum bar that would need to be cleared for you to admit that you had it all wrong and the Russian government really did interfere in the 2016 election to Trump's benefit?
I don't find our obsession with the investigation ridiculous at all and I don't understand how anyone could without being remarkably ignorant of the facts. Perhaps the evidence already exists and we can provide it for you or maybe you'll have some irrationally high bar before you'll believe it but I'd really like to know if they're ignorant of the facts or something else.
posted by VTX at 1:38 PM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]
What I'd really like is for the folks who are still, for some weird reason not convinced that the Russians interfered or that the whole thing is being blown out of proportion to put their cards on the table.
I don't think you'll find many people like that here but maybe ask over at /r/The_Donald?
(Make a new Reddit account first, though, because just posting in that subreddit gets you preemptively banned from several others who don't want to deal with Trump trolls.)
posted by Jacqueline at 1:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't think you'll find many people like that here but maybe ask over at /r/The_Donald?
(Make a new Reddit account first, though, because just posting in that subreddit gets you preemptively banned from several others who don't want to deal with Trump trolls.)
posted by Jacqueline at 1:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
We should all remember that, even if the "silver bullet" proving collusion can't be found (an unnecessarily high standard, I think), the proof of obstruction of justice is a lot easier.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:41 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 1:41 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Politico writer and foreign policy consultant Molly McKew @MollyMcKew throws some shade
I've mentioned before that I know Molly McKew personally. Gessen's takedown of her credentials shouldn't be so easily dismissed. She's not a reporter, she's not an academic, she is not engaged in the pursuit of truth. She's a lobbyist who is paid by shady people to promote their worldview. She's currently hawkish on Russia so she gets a lot of media play but that doesn't mean that her background and motives are above examination.
posted by peeedro at 1:43 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
I've mentioned before that I know Molly McKew personally. Gessen's takedown of her credentials shouldn't be so easily dismissed. She's not a reporter, she's not an academic, she is not engaged in the pursuit of truth. She's a lobbyist who is paid by shady people to promote their worldview. She's currently hawkish on Russia so she gets a lot of media play but that doesn't mean that her background and motives are above examination.
posted by peeedro at 1:43 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
IANAL, but srsly: it's time to flip as hard as anyone ever flipped, Paul.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:44 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:44 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
FLIP LIKE NADIA COMANECI, PAUL.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:45 PM on February 22, 2018 [40 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:45 PM on February 22, 2018 [40 favorites]
If Manafort flips he’s going to eat a polonium avocado toast within a week. I genuinely do not understand why he’s not in protective custody, bail and home detention should’ve never been on the table.
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:46 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 1:46 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
Goucher College poll of Maryland senate primary:
Ben Cardin 61%
Chelsea Manning 17%
So yeah, sorry Chelsea. Maybe try a city council or something before jumping right in to Senator?
posted by Justinian at 1:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Ben Cardin 61%
Chelsea Manning 17%
So yeah, sorry Chelsea. Maybe try a city council or something before jumping right in to Senator?
posted by Justinian at 1:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Washington Post: Special Counsel Mueller Files New Charges In Manafort, Gates Case
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:49 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
New charges were filed Thursday against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his business partner, ratcheting up the legal pressure on them as they prepare for a trial later this year.The WPost has a copy of the indictment here.
A new indictment has long been expected in special counsel Robert S. Mueller III’s prosecution of Manafort and his right-hand man, Rick Gates, on fraud and money laundering charges. Manafort served as President Trump’s campaign chairman from June to August 2016. Gates also served as a top official on Trump’s campaign. The new indictment contains 32 counts, including tax charges.[...]
The new charges come as Gates’ legal strategy and defense team are still in question. His three lawyers have asked to leave the case, a request the judge is considering. The details of those discussions have not been described publicly, beyond a court filing that said they involve “highly sensitive matters” that would “potentially be prejudicial to (Gates) as well as embarrassing.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:49 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
And here's the new Manafort/Gates indictment. 32 counts of filing false tax returns, failure to declare foreign accounts, and bank fraud.
Conjecture: the point of these new charges is that they are pardon-proof, because failing to report income on your federal taxes, and bank fraud perpetrated in New York City, are also state offenses on the same facts under New York state law, and easily proven as such with the same evidence that Mueller is producing about federal offenses.
Ya think?
posted by msalt at 1:50 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
Conjecture: the point of these new charges is that they are pardon-proof, because failing to report income on your federal taxes, and bank fraud perpetrated in New York City, are also state offenses on the same facts under New York state law, and easily proven as such with the same evidence that Mueller is producing about federal offenses.
Ya think?
posted by msalt at 1:50 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
The new indictment quotes plenty of text from emails Manafort and Gates wrote to their tax guys and each other, along with thrilling tales of office file conversion:
To create the false 2016 P&L, on or about October 21, 2016, MANAFORT emailed GATES a .pdf version of the real 2016 DMI P&L, which showed a loss of more than $600,000. GATES converted that .pdf into a “Word” document so that it could be edited, which GATES sent back to MANAFORT. MANAFORT altered that “Word” document by adding more than $3.5 million in income. He then sent this falsified P&L to GATES and asked that the “Word” document be converted back to a .pdf, which GATES did and returned to MANAFORT. MANAFORT then sent the falsified 2016 DMI P&L .pdf to Lender D.posted by theodolite at 1:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [22 favorites]
It's frustrating to read hot takes from 2016 Russian election meddling skeptics who are super into throwing shade on the credibility of everyone else but take it as read that people should trust them. Yes, a skeptical take can be important, but if you're going down that road maybe don't make the thrust of the piece about how much everyone you disagree with is some kind of tool, since that sounds enough like the narrative Putin wants pushed and we've got plenty of reason to scrutinize voices on the left who want to push that narrative. You should take care to establish your credibility and what sets you apart from those similar voices or else you invite skepticism yourself.
posted by jason_steakums at 1:53 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 1:53 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
He then sent this falsified P&L to GATES and asked that the “Word” document be converted back to a .pdf, which GATES did and returned to MANAFORT.
I feel like a not insignificant motivator in Gates flipping on Manafort would be "God damn it Paul I've shown you a thousand times how to print to PDF, this is a waste of my time and yours, GAAAHHHH"
posted by jason_steakums at 1:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [90 favorites]
I feel like a not insignificant motivator in Gates flipping on Manafort would be "God damn it Paul I've shown you a thousand times how to print to PDF, this is a waste of my time and yours, GAAAHHHH"
posted by jason_steakums at 1:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [90 favorites]
You have to love multiple charges of both filing a false tax return and filing a false amended tax return.
posted by rhizome at 1:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 1:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
To create the false 2016 P&L, on or about October 21, 2016, MANAFORT emailed GATES a .pdf version of the real 2016 DMI P&L, which showed a loss of more than $600,000. GATES converted that .pdf into a “Word” document so that it could be edited, which GATES sent back to MANAFORT. MANAFORT altered that “Word” document by adding more than $3.5 million in income. He then sent this falsified P&L to GATES and asked that the “Word” document be converted back to a .pdf, which GATES did and returned to MANAFORT. MANAFORT then sent the falsified 2016 DMI P&L .pdf to Lender D.
As with so many other jobs, tax fraud: not as glamorous as it looks on TV.
(Also, Jesus fuck, half of what I do all day is putz around with all sorts of annoying emails, Word files, and PDFs -- so where the hell are my jillion dollar rugs?)
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:57 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
As with so many other jobs, tax fraud: not as glamorous as it looks on TV.
(Also, Jesus fuck, half of what I do all day is putz around with all sorts of annoying emails, Word files, and PDFs -- so where the hell are my jillion dollar rugs?)
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:57 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
Ben Cardin 61%
Chelsea Manning 17%
So yeah, sorry Chelsea. Maybe try a city council or something before jumping right in to Senator?
On the plus side, now she can go back to enjoying Pizza & Parcheesi nights with the Alt-Right.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Chelsea Manning 17%
So yeah, sorry Chelsea. Maybe try a city council or something before jumping right in to Senator?
On the plus side, now she can go back to enjoying Pizza & Parcheesi nights with the Alt-Right.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
God damn it Paul
See also:
See also:
In addition, Lender D questioned MANAFORT about a $300,000 delinquency on his American Express card, which was more than 90 days past due. The delinquency significantly affected MANAFORT’s credit rating score. MANAFORT falsely represented to Lender D that he had lent his credit card to a friend, GATES, who had incurred the charges and had not reimbursed him.posted by theodolite at 2:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
And here's the new Manafort/Gates indictment. 32 counts of filing false tax returns, failure to declare foreign accounts, and bank fraud.
Ah yes, the Al Capone method.
posted by Talez at 2:01 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ah yes, the Al Capone method.
posted by Talez at 2:01 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
MANAFORT falsely represented to Lender D that he had lent his credit card to a friend, GATES, who had incurred the charges and had not reimbursed him.
Is there a Hanlon's Razor for arrested development? This is some college roommate shit.
posted by rhizome at 2:01 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Is there a Hanlon's Razor for arrested development? This is some college roommate shit.
posted by rhizome at 2:01 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Is Rick Gates actually Ted from Scrubs
posted by jason_steakums at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by jason_steakums at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
From the indictment:
United States citizens also are obligated to report information to the IRS regarding foreign bank accounts.
Thanks Obama (and Congressional Democrats).
posted by melissasaurus at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]
United States citizens also are obligated to report information to the IRS regarding foreign bank accounts.
Thanks Obama (and Congressional Democrats).
posted by melissasaurus at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]
31.In late 2015 through early 2016, MANAFORT applied for a mortgage on the Howard Street condominium from Lender B for approximately $3.4 million. Because the bank would permit a greater loan amount if the property were owner-occupied, MANAFORT falsely represented to the lender and its agents that it was a secondary home used as such by his daughter and son-in-law and was not held as a rental property. In an email on January 6, 2016, MANAFORT noted: “[i]n order to have the maximum benefit, I am claiming Howard St. as a second home. Not an investment property.” Later, on January 26, 2016, MANAFORT wrote to his son-in-law to advise him that when the bank appraiser came to assess the condominium, his son-in-law should “[r]emember, he believes that you and [MANAFORT’s daughter] are living there.”Paul, is you emailing your family about a criminal fucking conspiracy?
In related news, Gates fired his lawyer Tom Green and is reportedly not going to take a deal.
posted by zachlipton at 2:02 PM on February 22, 2018 [43 favorites]
Mueller: Mr. Gates, please tell the Grand Jury about any other criminal acts Mr. Manafort perpetrated that you directly witnessed.
Gates: So he sends me the falsified Word file; then he tells me to print it, scan it to PDF, and then email it back to him. If that's not a fucking felony, I don't know what is!
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [52 favorites]
Gates: So he sends me the falsified Word file; then he tells me to print it, scan it to PDF, and then email it back to him. If that's not a fucking felony, I don't know what is!
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [52 favorites]
Reading about interwar Germany and the squabbling on the left about how to respond to the Nazis and the right was always so maddening. C’mon! Put aside your differences and stamp out the anti-Enlightenment nastiness burbling up over there! That’s the real threat! Why couldn’t they see it? Why wouldn’t they act?
Watching it unfold in real time, I still don’t know.
posted by notyou at 2:06 PM on February 22, 2018 [35 favorites]
Watching it unfold in real time, I still don’t know.
posted by notyou at 2:06 PM on February 22, 2018 [35 favorites]
I assume we can all agree Manafort isn't refusing to cooperate because he's governed by a particular and ironclad set of principles which prevent him from betraying those around him? In which case the only explanation I can see for his continued holding out is that he's convinced a presidential pardon is at the end of the rainbow.
Hope they have a bunch of state charges waiting.
posted by Justinian at 2:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Hope they have a bunch of state charges waiting.
posted by Justinian at 2:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
WaPo, Fahrenthold, Two weeks after Trump chose him for ambassador, nominee pledged money for a gala at Trump’s club
Also, it's the same guy from Trump ambassador nominee promoted fringe conspiracy theories on Twitter.
posted by zachlipton at 2:09 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
Two weeks after President Trump nominated Florida businessman Leandro Rizzuto Jr. to be ambassador to Barbados, Rizzuto pledged thousands of dollars to fund a gala at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago Club, the gala’s organizer said.Yeah, there's nothing suspicious about picking someone for a cushy patronage job and then turning around and handing out tens of thousands of dollars that will soon wind up in your pocket, right?
Rizzuto and his wife, Denise, have committed to be “underwriters” for next year’s Trumpettes USA gala at the club in Palm Beach, Fla., according to Toni Holt Kramer, the founder of the Trumpettes.
The Trumpettes are a group of Palm Beach-based socialites and Trump supporters whose galas aren’t intended to raise money for charity — instead, most or all of the money they bring in goes to pay Trump’s club.
Also, it's the same guy from Trump ambassador nominee promoted fringe conspiracy theories on Twitter.
posted by zachlipton at 2:09 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
MetaFilter: It's 90 people with a shaky grasp of English and a rudimentary understanding of U.S. politics shitposting
posted by kirkaracha at 2:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [83 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 2:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [83 favorites]
It's 90 people with a shaky grasp of English and a rudimentary understanding of U.S. politics shitposting
and seriously, how is this any different from most people who voted for Trump?
posted by philip-random at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
and seriously, how is this any different from most people who voted for Trump?
posted by philip-random at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
@The_RGA (Republican Governors Association), 9am Eastern today: With @EricGreitens, the people of Missouri have a leader in office focused on returning money to the pockets of taxpayers – not government. goo.gl/QXTfUA
Let's just take a great big sip of water and fast-forward a few hours and see how that's holding...oh:
@BryanLowry3: BREAKING: St. Louis prosecutor's office indicts @EricGreitens "on a Felony Invasion of Privacy charge." More to come on KansasCity.com #moleg
posted by zachlipton at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [48 favorites]
Let's just take a great big sip of water and fast-forward a few hours and see how that's holding...oh:
@BryanLowry3: BREAKING: St. Louis prosecutor's office indicts @EricGreitens "on a Felony Invasion of Privacy charge." More to come on KansasCity.com #moleg
posted by zachlipton at 2:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [48 favorites]
Kansas City Star: Missouri Governor Eric Greitens Indicted for Felony Invasion of Privacy Couldn't happen to a nicer misogynist asshole.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:20 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:20 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
FWIW he's accused of taking naked pictures (or picture?) of a woman without her consent and then somehow transmitting it so he could access it later. I assume that means he took it on his phone and then texted or emailed it to himself but that part is speculation.
posted by Justinian at 2:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
The 32-count indictment is separate and apart from the pending case against the two men in federal court in Washington, D.C. Mueller told the DC court in the filing that the allegations in the indictment did not give rise to venue in DC and that the defendants had declined to waive venue, forcing Mueller to proceed in Virginia.
Manafort: You can't force me to go to trial in DC, sucker!
Mueller: Then I'll try you in Virginia.
Manafort: Doh.
posted by JackFlash at 2:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
Manafort: You can't force me to go to trial in DC, sucker!
Mueller: Then I'll try you in Virginia.
Manafort: Doh.
posted by JackFlash at 2:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
In related news, Gates fired his lawyer Tom Green and is reportedly not going to take a deal.
I think the purpose of this indictment is to force him to take a deal. He's a 45 year old with 4 young kids and financial issues facing at least a decade in prison.
posted by chris24 at 2:26 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
I think the purpose of this indictment is to force him to take a deal. He's a 45 year old with 4 young kids and financial issues facing at least a decade in prison.
posted by chris24 at 2:26 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Sounds like both Gates and Manafort have gotten the pardon message.
It's the gritty reboot of The Lady or the Tiger: Pardon or Polonium.
posted by notyou at 2:31 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's the gritty reboot of The Lady or the Tiger: Pardon or Polonium.
posted by notyou at 2:31 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
Just for context re the indictment: Filing fraudulent FBARs is a really really bad idea. Like one of the stupidest tax-related things someone could do. Beyond the criminal aspect, the civil penalties are quite harsh -- they can impose a penalty of up to 100% of the highest balance of the account for willful failure to report [pdf from KPMG]. Reputable firms take FBAR compliance very seriously. This really is stupid Watergate.
posted by melissasaurus at 2:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by melissasaurus at 2:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]
Manafort has daughters to think about. I do think he's willing to just go to prison.
posted by ocschwar at 2:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by ocschwar at 2:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
So it sure looks like the $16M in fraudulent loans from "Lender D" (a lender that was apparently happy to hand over millions after Manafort pulled the "oh my buddy ran up $300K on my AmEx, but he's good for it" card) is the same $16 million NBC reported about yesterday.
In yesterday's story, the question was whether Manafort promised the president of Federal Savings Bank, Stephen Calk, a White House job in exchange for approving $16M of dodgy loans. And today, we've got an indictment over $16M worth of dodgy loans during the same time period (there is a discrepancy; the indictment says two loans the the NBC story says three).
NBC reported that at least one bank employee is cooperating with Mueller. If this progresses in the way it seems like it's bound to, it's going to wind up linking Manafort's financial shenanigans directly with selling government jobs.
Oh and Manafort is behind on his mortgage right now.
posted by zachlipton at 2:34 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
In yesterday's story, the question was whether Manafort promised the president of Federal Savings Bank, Stephen Calk, a White House job in exchange for approving $16M of dodgy loans. And today, we've got an indictment over $16M worth of dodgy loans during the same time period (there is a discrepancy; the indictment says two loans the the NBC story says three).
NBC reported that at least one bank employee is cooperating with Mueller. If this progresses in the way it seems like it's bound to, it's going to wind up linking Manafort's financial shenanigans directly with selling government jobs.
Oh and Manafort is behind on his mortgage right now.
posted by zachlipton at 2:34 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
Filing fraudulent FBARs is a really really bad idea. Like one of the stupidest tax-related things someone could do.
Equally dumb is lying to a federal judge in a bond hearing in which he pledges a piece of encumbered property as collateral that he has already pledged as collateral to a bank to cover the mortgage on another piece of property. This guy is incapable of playing anything straight.
posted by JackFlash at 2:41 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
Equally dumb is lying to a federal judge in a bond hearing in which he pledges a piece of encumbered property as collateral that he has already pledged as collateral to a bank to cover the mortgage on another piece of property. This guy is incapable of playing anything straight.
posted by JackFlash at 2:41 PM on February 22, 2018 [19 favorites]
...Yeah, there's nothing suspicious about picking someone for a cushy patronage job and then turning around and handing out tens of thousands of dollars that will soon wind up in your pocket, right?
Also, it's the same guy from Trump ambassador nominee promoted fringe conspiracy theories on Twitter.
Draining the swamp, so it can be replaced with a cesspool!
posted by TedW at 2:42 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, it's the same guy from Trump ambassador nominee promoted fringe conspiracy theories on Twitter.
Draining the swamp, so it can be replaced with a cesspool!
posted by TedW at 2:42 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
In related news, Gates fired his lawyer Tom Green and is reportedly not going to take a deal.
EXCEPT. But wait, there's more.... @chrisgeidner: JUST IN (and contra Daily Beast): Tom Green just entered an appearance in the DC case as Rick Gates' lawyer. Green then filed a notice Gates does not oppose his other lawyers withdrawing from the case.
I don't know how long it's going to take before someone writes the book on WTF has been happening with Gates' defense, but it's a very strange story.
posted by zachlipton at 2:44 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
EXCEPT. But wait, there's more.... @chrisgeidner: JUST IN (and contra Daily Beast): Tom Green just entered an appearance in the DC case as Rick Gates' lawyer. Green then filed a notice Gates does not oppose his other lawyers withdrawing from the case.
I don't know how long it's going to take before someone writes the book on WTF has been happening with Gates' defense, but it's a very strange story.
posted by zachlipton at 2:44 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
zachlipton: "@BryanLowry3: BREAKING: St. Louis prosecutor's office indicts @EricGreitens "on a Felony Invasion of Privacy charge." More to come on KansasCity.com #moleg"
Looks like Greitens's burning bridges with the GOP MO legislature is coming back to haunt him:
posted by Chrysostom at 2:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Looks like Greitens's burning bridges with the GOP MO legislature is coming back to haunt him:
@JmartNYT: GOP MO Sen @robschaaf tells me re: Greitens: “If he doesn’t resign the House...should move swiftly to bring this to a resolution”Greitens is in police custody at the moment.
posted by Chrysostom at 2:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [13 favorites]
Greitens is in police custody at the moment.
this isn't the republican perp walk i really want right now but i'll take it
posted by murphy slaw at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [41 favorites]
this isn't the republican perp walk i really want right now but i'll take it
posted by murphy slaw at 2:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [41 favorites]
Guys, I'm scared. The news this afternoon is reaching Friday levels of madness, and it's a Thursday. I'm not sure I can handle tomorrow.
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:52 PM on February 22, 2018 [33 favorites]
EXCEPT. But wait, there's more.... @chrisgeidner: JUST IN (and contra Daily Beast): Tom Green just entered an appearance in the DC case as Rick Gates' lawyer. Green then filed a notice Gates does not oppose his other lawyers withdrawing from the case.
Tomorrow's going to be interesting...
Buzzfeed's Zoe Tillman @ZoeTillman reports: "Judge in the Paul Manafort/Rick Gates case just scheduled a sealed hearing for Friday on Gates' lawyers' motion to withdraw"
And: "Another hearing announcement in the Manafort/Gates case: The judge has moved Friday's sealed hearing on Gates' lawyers' motion to withdraw as his counsel from 10am to 10:30am (that sound you heard was every reporter's blood pressure spiking each time one of these orders comes in)"
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:54 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Tomorrow's going to be interesting...
Buzzfeed's Zoe Tillman @ZoeTillman reports: "Judge in the Paul Manafort/Rick Gates case just scheduled a sealed hearing for Friday on Gates' lawyers' motion to withdraw"
And: "Another hearing announcement in the Manafort/Gates case: The judge has moved Friday's sealed hearing on Gates' lawyers' motion to withdraw as his counsel from 10am to 10:30am (that sound you heard was every reporter's blood pressure spiking each time one of these orders comes in)"
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:54 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Manafort has daughters to think about. I do think he's willing to just go to prison.
From the texts that came out it seems like his daughters are pretty shocked he's not already there
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [32 favorites]
From the texts that came out it seems like his daughters are pretty shocked he's not already there
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [32 favorites]
I know! I too have been experiencing Friday levels of dyspepsia, disgust, and exhilaration this afternoon, and my cupboards contain no Girl Scout Cookies or cake whatsoever to see me through. *unwrapping Butterfinger* It's pretty disorienting.
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
PA GOP has filed suit in district court, seeking an order to hold the election under the old maps. This looks like it would fail on the same lack of merit as we expect the SCOTUS request for stay to fail, *plus* there are standing problems (you shouldn't normally go from a state supreme to a federal district).
posted by Chrysostom at 2:57 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 2:57 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
> this isn't the republican perp walk i really want right now but i'll take it
You know what they say: "If you can't walk the perp you want, walk the perp you're with."
posted by komara at 3:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [51 favorites]
You know what they say: "If you can't walk the perp you want, walk the perp you're with."
posted by komara at 3:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [51 favorites]
"And here's the new Manafort/Gates indictment. 32 counts of filing false tax returns, failure to declare foreign accounts, and bank fraud."
PLEASE be a draft of what the Trump family will be charged with. PLEASE!
posted by mikelieman at 3:09 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
PLEASE be a draft of what the Trump family will be charged with. PLEASE!
posted by mikelieman at 3:09 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
I don't think there's much that Obama could have done that wouldn't have risked violent insurrection in response to the perception that he was dictatorially overriding the democratic process.
posted by Jacqueline at 1:04 PM on February 22 [23 favorites +] [!]
I think Obama's calculus was that Hillary would win and her administration would complete the investigation and hold Russia's feet to the fire through ratcheting up of sanctions. And I agree that given the data at the time, that was the wisest course of action. Trump winning was a black swan.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by Jacqueline at 1:04 PM on February 22 [23 favorites +] [!]
I think Obama's calculus was that Hillary would win and her administration would complete the investigation and hold Russia's feet to the fire through ratcheting up of sanctions. And I agree that given the data at the time, that was the wisest course of action. Trump winning was a black swan.
posted by Mental Wimp at 3:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]
PLEASE be a draft of what the Trump family will be charged with. PLEASE!
Mueller: Mr. Gates, did you ever witness then-candidate Trump engaging in any of these nefarious activities?
Gates: *blanches in terror* Oh shit, please, PLEASE don't make me talk about that. It was all "carbon copies" this and "mimeograph" that with Trump; he makes Paul look like Steve Jobs.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:15 PM on February 22, 2018 [20 favorites]
Mueller: Mr. Gates, did you ever witness then-candidate Trump engaging in any of these nefarious activities?
Gates: *blanches in terror* Oh shit, please, PLEASE don't make me talk about that. It was all "carbon copies" this and "mimeograph" that with Trump; he makes Paul look like Steve Jobs.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:15 PM on February 22, 2018 [20 favorites]
Missouri Governor Eric Greitens Indicted for Felony Invasion of Privacy Couldn't happen to a nicer misogynist asshole.
This is actually really fucking horrible on a lot of levels in terms of "yes everyone who does good is also a misogynistic asshole". Because before Greitens took over as governor, he was doing a lot of good for veterans with The Mission Continues, trying to get veterans into selfless service with nonprofits. He did a lot of good for a lot of people and STILL, motherfucker, STILL he had to be a goddamn asshat towards women because he fucking could.
posted by corb at 3:17 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
This is actually really fucking horrible on a lot of levels in terms of "yes everyone who does good is also a misogynistic asshole". Because before Greitens took over as governor, he was doing a lot of good for veterans with The Mission Continues, trying to get veterans into selfless service with nonprofits. He did a lot of good for a lot of people and STILL, motherfucker, STILL he had to be a goddamn asshat towards women because he fucking could.
posted by corb at 3:17 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast is standing by her reporting that Green is out as Gates lawyer and claims it will simply take a day or two to make it formal. So the plot thickens.
posted by Justinian at 3:23 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 3:23 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
@chrisgeidner:
UPDATE: Asked to confirm that he is representing Rick Gates — and about the Daily Beast reporting that he was fired, Tom Green tells me, "It is ludicrous and I am representing him."
"Y'know just for a day or two"
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
UPDATE: Asked to confirm that he is representing Rick Gates — and about the Daily Beast reporting that he was fired, Tom Green tells me, "It is ludicrous and I am representing him."
"Y'know just for a day or two"
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Guys, I'm scared. The news this afternoon is reaching Friday levels of madness, and it's a Thursday. I'm not sure I can handle tomorrow.
I keep thinking about the new push for gun control we're seeing from teenagers. They're pushing against a massively corrupt and incompetent government for the sake of public safety. Part of me thinks that same massive corruption and incompetence is gonna be their biggest hurdle. The NRA and general Republican intransigence on gun control will be tough enough. But to keep the mic and to keep the media's attention, they're also gonna have to overcome the endless revolving shitshow of scandals from the White House.
It's not even a matter of "Hey, fellow Repubs, sit tight and this will blow over." It's more like "Look, in another 48 hours we'll have another catastrofuck from the White House."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:31 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
I keep thinking about the new push for gun control we're seeing from teenagers. They're pushing against a massively corrupt and incompetent government for the sake of public safety. Part of me thinks that same massive corruption and incompetence is gonna be their biggest hurdle. The NRA and general Republican intransigence on gun control will be tough enough. But to keep the mic and to keep the media's attention, they're also gonna have to overcome the endless revolving shitshow of scandals from the White House.
It's not even a matter of "Hey, fellow Repubs, sit tight and this will blow over." It's more like "Look, in another 48 hours we'll have another catastrofuck from the White House."
posted by scaryblackdeath at 3:31 PM on February 22, 2018 [12 favorites]
The new indictment quotes plenty of text from emails Manafort and Gates wrote to their tax guys and each other, along with thrilling tales of office file conversion:
Seriously, if that's the depth and breadth of Mueller's investigation, Kushner and Junior are shitting their pants at the moment, because those financial shenanigans are part and parcel with their personal identities.
posted by mikelieman at 3:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [21 favorites]
Seriously, if that's the depth and breadth of Mueller's investigation, Kushner and Junior are shitting their pants at the moment, because those financial shenanigans are part and parcel with their personal identities.
posted by mikelieman at 3:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [21 favorites]
"yes everyone who does good is also a misogynistic asshole".
Sounds like a thin veneer of flag and uniform worship over a standard issue Republican dirtbag TBH - opposes Medicaid expansion, supports right to work, involved in the usual raft of corrupt and democracy-undermining practices.
posted by Artw at 3:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [25 favorites]
Sounds like a thin veneer of flag and uniform worship over a standard issue Republican dirtbag TBH - opposes Medicaid expansion, supports right to work, involved in the usual raft of corrupt and democracy-undermining practices.
posted by Artw at 3:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [25 favorites]
I can't speak to what he's done for veterans but as governor I don't think Eric Greitens has done a single good thing for the people of Missouri. I strongly disagree with basically everything he stands for, including undermining worker's rights, attacking abortion rights, rolling back environmental protections, catering to corporations. This is the same (candidate for) governor who MeFites were making fun of back in the before-time of 2016 because he released a ridiculous ad that was basically just himself firing an automatic weapon for a really long time. I was stunned and appalled that he won. And that was well before I knew about the cheating and blackmail.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 3:58 PM on February 22, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by the turtle's teeth at 3:58 PM on February 22, 2018 [30 favorites]
"yes everyone who does good is also a misogynistic asshole".
Sounds like a thin veneer of flag and uniform worship over a standard issue Republican dirtbag TBH - opposes Medicaid expansion, supports right to work, involved in the usual raft of corrupt and democracy-undermining practices.
posted by Artw at 7:33 AM on February 23 [+] [!]
Ugh.
If you live in Missouri and want to kick him right in the legacy-balls while he's down, there's a referendum petition to stop right-to-work from becoming law.
Nothin' quite like the whiff of dismantling everything a SIRD (standard issue Republican dirtbag, I'm keeping that) worked for through a union-sponsored citizen referendum while he's on trial for weirdly non-consensual naked pictures. Poetic justice sauteed in butter of progress, flavored with a sprig of progressivism and sweaty union dues dollars. Hell I'm not even from Missouri but I'm gonna go buy a bottle to save for when that one passes.
posted by saysthis at 4:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
Sounds like a thin veneer of flag and uniform worship over a standard issue Republican dirtbag TBH - opposes Medicaid expansion, supports right to work, involved in the usual raft of corrupt and democracy-undermining practices.
posted by Artw at 7:33 AM on February 23 [+] [!]
Ugh.
If you live in Missouri and want to kick him right in the legacy-balls while he's down, there's a referendum petition to stop right-to-work from becoming law.
Nothin' quite like the whiff of dismantling everything a SIRD (standard issue Republican dirtbag, I'm keeping that) worked for through a union-sponsored citizen referendum while he's on trial for weirdly non-consensual naked pictures. Poetic justice sauteed in butter of progress, flavored with a sprig of progressivism and sweaty union dues dollars. Hell I'm not even from Missouri but I'm gonna go buy a bottle to save for when that one passes.
posted by saysthis at 4:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
This is the same (candidate for) governor who MeFites were making fun of back in the before-time of 2016 because he released a ridiculous ad that was basically just himself firing an automatic weapon for a really long time.
Shill for the child-murder industry then? Yeah, double fuck that guy.
posted by Artw at 4:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
Shill for the child-murder industry then? Yeah, double fuck that guy.
posted by Artw at 4:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
The group of refugees, mostly Christians along with other non-Muslims, have been stranded in Vienna for more than a year, waiting for final approval to resettle in the United States. Now they face possible deportation back to Iran, where rights advocates say they face potential retaliation or imprisonment by the regime in Tehran for seeking asylum in the United States.
The Trump administration cannot give preferential treatment to Christian refugees without furthering endangering their repeated attempts at implementing a defacto Muslim Ban. Now given how repeatedly and consistently stupid they have been about their Muslim Ban it seems strange to be suddenly strategic in this particular instance.....unless it isn't really about religion and is instead about complexion.
posted by srboisvert at 4:06 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Trump administration cannot give preferential treatment to Christian refugees without furthering endangering their repeated attempts at implementing a defacto Muslim Ban. Now given how repeatedly and consistently stupid they have been about their Muslim Ban it seems strange to be suddenly strategic in this particular instance.....unless it isn't really about religion and is instead about complexion.
posted by srboisvert at 4:06 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
Everyone in Missouri hates him. Lol that this felony is going to prevent him from having guns.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [25 favorites]
Can we just revisit that Greitens ad? It was SO SO SO BAD.
posted by the turtle's teeth at 4:10 PM on February 22, 2018
posted by the turtle's teeth at 4:10 PM on February 22, 2018
Everyone in Missouri hates him.
He did get 1.5million votes more than his Democratic opponent so they couldn't hate him that much.
Apparently the circular firing squad is getting started early. Texas Democrats are currently engaged in taking eachother behind the woodshed.
posted by Justinian at 4:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
He did get 1.5million votes more than his Democratic opponent so they couldn't hate him that much.
Apparently the circular firing squad is getting started early. Texas Democrats are currently engaged in taking eachother behind the woodshed.
posted by Justinian at 4:13 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
This is actually really fucking horrible on a lot of levels in terms of "yes everyone who does good is also a misogynistic asshole". Because before Greitens took over as governor, he was doing a lot of good for veterans with The Mission Continues, trying to get veterans into selfless service with nonprofits. He did a lot of good for a lot of people and STILL, motherfucker, STILL he had to be a goddamn asshat towards women because he fucking could.
Moral licensing turns out to be a hell of a drug.
A Lion's Club gambling, smoking, stripping and sex show I walked in on as a 15 year old in a Mississauga hockey arena in the eighties let me know really early on that people who sometimes do good are not necessarily good people.
These were people in a charitable service club.
posted by srboisvert at 4:18 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
Moral licensing turns out to be a hell of a drug.
A Lion's Club gambling, smoking, stripping and sex show I walked in on as a 15 year old in a Mississauga hockey arena in the eighties let me know really early on that people who sometimes do good are not necessarily good people.
These were people in a charitable service club.
posted by srboisvert at 4:18 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
Apparently the circular firing squad is getting started early. Texas Democrats are currently engaged in taking eachother behind the woodshed.
But this is what the party should be doing. She's clearly a ridiculously unsuitable candidate but has money and funding to possibly prevail through the primary.
posted by Talez at 4:20 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
But this is what the party should be doing. She's clearly a ridiculously unsuitable candidate but has money and funding to possibly prevail through the primary.
posted by Talez at 4:20 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm not disputing his electoral win, but since he's been in office he's had a terrible, hostile relationship with the state legislature and his own party. This KC Star article has the receipts on why he's a terrible governor.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:22 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 4:22 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
Betsy Woodruff at the Daily Beast is standing by her reporting that Green is out as Gates lawyer and claims it will simply take a day or two to make it formal. So the plot thickens.
Woodruff - who's been updating her original story - reports, "[...] Gates—for the time being, at least—isn’t flipping. And Green is out, replaced with Barry Pollack, of Miller Chevalier, according to sources familiar with the matter."
Pollack, coincidentally or not, is also an attorney for Julian Assange. So the plot keeps thickening...
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:27 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
Woodruff - who's been updating her original story - reports, "[...] Gates—for the time being, at least—isn’t flipping. And Green is out, replaced with Barry Pollack, of Miller Chevalier, according to sources familiar with the matter."
Pollack, coincidentally or not, is also an attorney for Julian Assange. So the plot keeps thickening...
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:27 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
Illinois governor drinks chocolate milk to demonstrate his commitment to diversity
what
posted by Jacqueline at 4:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [40 favorites]
what
posted by Jacqueline at 4:32 PM on February 22, 2018 [40 favorites]
WaPo, Ellen Nakashima, Karen DeYoung and Liz Sly, Putin ally said to be in touch with Kremlin, Assad before his mercenaries attacked U.S. troops
I'm really out of evens here. We've got Prigozhin coordinating his war with Russian and Syrian officials, an increasingly hot war when we all thought the cold war was over a long time ago, leaked intelligence reports about highly sensitive communications intercepts, fights over oilfields. I've got no idea who is leaking what and what their motives are for doing so. None of this is good. I'm so tired.
posted by zachlipton at 4:39 PM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
I'm really out of evens here. We've got Prigozhin coordinating his war with Russian and Syrian officials, an increasingly hot war when we all thought the cold war was over a long time ago, leaked intelligence reports about highly sensitive communications intercepts, fights over oilfields. I've got no idea who is leaking what and what their motives are for doing so. None of this is good. I'm so tired.
posted by zachlipton at 4:39 PM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
Putin's catspaw army (under Prigozhin's name) is going to keep attacking US forces and eventually it'll go the other way, leaving hundreds of US dead instead of Russian. Then what? These are very, very dark uncharted waters.
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 4:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
leaked intelligence reports about highly sensitive communications intercepts, fights over oilfields.
There's also alot of money sloshing around the markets right now, and if anything blows up in the region, it's going to hit a very fragile, over-leveraged market pretty hard. Also, domestically, we've just had a mass shooting, Mueller seems to be ramping up to something substantial, and finally, election season is about to start in earnest. I'm with you - this is a scary time.
posted by eclectist at 5:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
There's also alot of money sloshing around the markets right now, and if anything blows up in the region, it's going to hit a very fragile, over-leveraged market pretty hard. Also, domestically, we've just had a mass shooting, Mueller seems to be ramping up to something substantial, and finally, election season is about to start in earnest. I'm with you - this is a scary time.
posted by eclectist at 5:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [11 favorites]
But this is what the party should be doing. She's clearly a ridiculously unsuitable candidate but has money and funding to possibly prevail through the primary.
It's not clear why she's unsuitable; there's a possible reference to her being pro-choice in the Democrat oppo research.
posted by Merus at 5:49 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's not clear why she's unsuitable; there's a possible reference to her being pro-choice in the Democrat oppo research.
posted by Merus at 5:49 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Illinois governor drinks chocolate milk to demonstrate his commitment to diversity
what
Add this to his Carhartt wardrobe, pristine unused workshop and his harley and biker vest.
posted by srboisvert at 5:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
what
Add this to his Carhartt wardrobe, pristine unused workshop and his harley and biker vest.
posted by srboisvert at 5:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's not clear why she's unsuitable
Well, she did publish an article in which she wrote “I’d rather have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia” than live in Texas. Which seems potentially suboptimal for someone running for office in Texas.
posted by Justinian at 5:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Well, she did publish an article in which she wrote “I’d rather have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia” than live in Texas. Which seems potentially suboptimal for someone running for office in Texas.
posted by Justinian at 5:56 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
FWIW he's accused of taking naked pictures (or picture?) of a woman without her consent and then somehow transmitting it so he could access it later.
Cue latest "Has #metoo gone too far?" editorial by a concerned female Baby Boomer in three...two...one...
posted by happyroach at 6:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Cue latest "Has #metoo gone too far?" editorial by a concerned female Baby Boomer in three...two...one...
posted by happyroach at 6:00 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Even one of Moser's Democratic Primary opponents is basically like 'DCCC: wyd?'
But yeah, despite a general belief that the party shouldn't get that involved in attacking candidates in primaries, there's some reasons she wouldn't be the best candidate.
posted by zachlipton at 6:02 PM on February 22, 2018
But yeah, despite a general belief that the party shouldn't get that involved in attacking candidates in primaries, there's some reasons she wouldn't be the best candidate.
posted by zachlipton at 6:02 PM on February 22, 2018
It's not clear why she's unsuitable; there's a possible reference to her being pro-choice in the Democrat oppo research.
From the DCCC brief, this
Well, she did publish an article in which she wrote “I’d rather have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia” than live in Texas. Which seems potentially suboptimal for someone running for office in Texas.
She's just really really acerbic.
posted by saysthis at 6:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
From the DCCC brief, this
In 2017, Moser paid over $50,000 in campaign money to her husband’s DC consulting firm. More than 1 of every 6 dollars spent by her campaign went straight into her husband’s DC company’s bank account. (BACKUP)is something she needs to explain. The rest feels not prima facie awful but...
Well, she did publish an article in which she wrote “I’d rather have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia” than live in Texas. Which seems potentially suboptimal for someone running for office in Texas.
She's just really really acerbic.
Oh, wow, your house cost five times what your childhood BFF paid for hers in exurban Dallas and it's half the size? You pay more taxes than most residents of Mississippi earn in a year and you don't get a vote in Congress? What's that you say-child care is eye-poppingly expensive and the public schools hit-or-miss at best? Well, news flash: There's a term for this tragic phenomenon. It's called LIVING IN A CITY.She...hates everyone equally, is what I'm getting?
Do you know what you get for the premium you pay for living here in our nation's capital? Access to an unparalleled array of (mostly free) cultural attractions, the company of interesting multilingual neighbors, walkable public transportation, the luxury of browsing the Bill of Rights during your lunch break, and excellent restaurants. That's not good enough for you? Then move. On my pathetic writer's salary, I could live large in Paris, Texas, where my grandparents' plantation-style house recently sold for $129,000. Oh, but wait-my income would be a fraction of what it is here and I'd have very few opportunities to increase it. (Plus I'd sooner have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia, but that's a story for another day.) Living in a city, especially one with as many big-money job possibilities as this one, comes with a heavy surcharge-that's just the way it goes.
...
[In reference to DC]True, I'd rather not raise my children directly next door to a deaf-mute drug addict who openly smokes crack in the back yard and throws beer cans over our fence and regularly passes me notes reading "NEED 1$ [sic]," but we all make choices in life. At least I'm not hauling up five flights of stairs to a railroad walkup or trudging nine blocks to the nearest laundromat. (After spending my twenties in London and then New York, I've enjoyed those privileges plenty.)
posted by saysthis at 6:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
Well, she did publish an article in which she wrote “I’d rather have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia” than live in Texas.
No, she said she didn't want to live in Paris, TX:
No, she said she didn't want to live in Paris, TX:
On my pathetic writer's salary, I could live large in Paris, Texas, where my grandparents' plantation-style house recently sold for $129,000. Oh, but wait-my income would be a fraction of what it is here and I'd have very few opportunities to increase it. (Plus I'd sooner have my teeth pulled out without anesthesia, but that's a story for another day.)posted by bradf at 6:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Day 2 of Texas early voting, 15 largest counties:
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 76,523 / 71,012 / 44,463
GOP: 69,362 / 83,459 / 75,764
posted by Chrysostom at 6:25 PM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 76,523 / 71,012 / 44,463
GOP: 69,362 / 83,459 / 75,764
posted by Chrysostom at 6:25 PM on February 22, 2018 [29 favorites]
With the deadline looming on the expiration for Jared's interim security status, CNN has a scoop: Sources: Mueller Probe Stymies Kushner Security Clearance
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]
Jared Kushner has been unable to obtain a full security clearance in part because of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation, according to two sources familiar with the matter.And because this is Stupid Watergate, "The situation is especially complicated for Kushner because the FBI isn't sharing information with the White House that would typically be relevant in a background investigation for security clearance. That's because sharing such information could compromise the special counsel's probe."
Kushner, President Donald Trump's son-in-law and senior adviser, is unlikely to obtain the full clearance as long as the special counsel's probe is ongoing, one of the sources said.
Kushner's application for a top-level security clearance has been held up for over a year in part because it cannot be completed while the special counsel's team continues to probe Kushner's contacts with Russians and his financial dealings with foreigners, the sources said. During that time, Kushner has been able to access the government's most sensitive secrets thanks to an interim security clearance. But that access could soon be cut off -- unless Trump steps in with a waiver.
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:33 PM on February 22, 2018 [24 favorites]
Putin's catspaw army (under Prigozhin's name) is going to keep attacking US forces and eventually it'll go the other way, leaving hundreds of US dead instead of Russian. Then what? These are very, very dark uncharted waters.
If history is any indication, blame someone else and kick their ass. e.g. Iran or North Korea.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:35 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
If history is any indication, blame someone else and kick their ass. e.g. Iran or North Korea.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:35 PM on February 22, 2018 [1 favorite]
Sources: Mueller Probe Stymies Kushner Security Clearance
Not to mention it's totally distracting him from bringing peace to the Middle East.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
Not to mention it's totally distracting him from bringing peace to the Middle East.
posted by kirkaracha at 6:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
[Moser is] just really really acerbic.
Also, she's heavily connected to Bernie Sanders -- her husband is a partner in Revolution Messaging, which received $28 million from Sanders' campaign -- and Hillary beat Bernie 2-1 in this congressional district's primary. That's a more numeric way to say she might be too lefty for the district.
posted by msalt at 6:41 PM on February 22, 2018
Also, she's heavily connected to Bernie Sanders -- her husband is a partner in Revolution Messaging, which received $28 million from Sanders' campaign -- and Hillary beat Bernie 2-1 in this congressional district's primary. That's a more numeric way to say she might be too lefty for the district.
posted by msalt at 6:41 PM on February 22, 2018
Hillary beat Bernie 2-1 in this congressional district's primary. That's a more numeric way to say she might be too lefty for the district.
That's why we have primaries. If the people of the district feel she's "too lefty," let them choose one of the other candidates. The DCCC attacking a Democratic candidate makes the story about the DCCC and dredges up a lot of Bernie Bro baggage from 2016. Plus it just looks shitty.
posted by bradf at 7:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
That's why we have primaries. If the people of the district feel she's "too lefty," let them choose one of the other candidates. The DCCC attacking a Democratic candidate makes the story about the DCCC and dredges up a lot of Bernie Bro baggage from 2016. Plus it just looks shitty.
posted by bradf at 7:05 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
I don't have a dog in that district, but Mosers husband was Obama's videographer, and did a lot of work for the Obama campaigns. That's why she was living in D.C.
I have been to Paris Texas. It took about 10 minutes. It's a sleepy, teeny little place that would seem like death to anyone who wanted the convenience of city life. Either you're a small town person or you're not, but the dccc really changed up her words to make it seem like she was saying something she didn't say.
Also, the lady who got the dccc nod and the Emily list nod is a huge donor to Emily list and the Dems party. She is an attorney for a firm who has successfully fought against workers rights, and who has put on their website verbiage suggesting they won that case stacking the jury with trump supporters.
Just saying, not all dogs are grey in the dark.
Edit to add, someone should explain the Streisand effect to the dccc.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
I have been to Paris Texas. It took about 10 minutes. It's a sleepy, teeny little place that would seem like death to anyone who wanted the convenience of city life. Either you're a small town person or you're not, but the dccc really changed up her words to make it seem like she was saying something she didn't say.
Also, the lady who got the dccc nod and the Emily list nod is a huge donor to Emily list and the Dems party. She is an attorney for a firm who has successfully fought against workers rights, and who has put on their website verbiage suggesting they won that case stacking the jury with trump supporters.
Just saying, not all dogs are grey in the dark.
Edit to add, someone should explain the Streisand effect to the dccc.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 7:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [10 favorites]
[Moser is] just really really acerbic.
Also, she's heavily connected to Bernie Sanders -- her husband is a partner in Revolution Messaging, which received $28 million from Sanders' campaign -- and Hillary beat Bernie 2-1 in this congressional district's primary. That's a more numeric way to say she might be too lefty for the district.
posted by msalt at 10:41 AM on February 23 [+] [!]
She honestly might just be too big of an asshole for any district.
posted by lalex at 10:47 AM on February 23 [1 favorite +] [!]
None of these sound like reasons for the DCCC not to stfu and let her primary from the left. Consider:
posted by saysthis at 7:25 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Also, she's heavily connected to Bernie Sanders -- her husband is a partner in Revolution Messaging, which received $28 million from Sanders' campaign -- and Hillary beat Bernie 2-1 in this congressional district's primary. That's a more numeric way to say she might be too lefty for the district.
posted by msalt at 10:41 AM on February 23 [+] [!]
She honestly might just be too big of an asshole for any district.
posted by lalex at 10:47 AM on February 23 [1 favorite +] [!]
None of these sound like reasons for the DCCC not to stfu and let her primary from the left. Consider:
For evidence of the national party's failure, look no further than Texas' 7th Congressional District. Hillary Clinton won the 7th, which covers wealthy parts of Houston and its suburbs and has been trending Democratic. But the Democratic candidate for Congress, James Cargas, lost after receiving virtually no support from national Democrats.The dubious lack of women's reproductive rights on Cargas's website in a district that went for Hillary and that is currently represented by a Trumpite swamp monster seems... If you're the DCCC, why directly try to push Moser out of this race? Why is she awful? (Except for the campaign money to her husband's consulting firm. She seriously needs to answer for that. But why not just let Cargas unload on her for that and gain points for standing for transparency in government or something? "Look, he can win primaries! He stands for actual policies! He's not just a default Democrat!") This is befuddling.
Cargas had only $62,000 to spend on his campaign against incumbent John Culberson's $1.9 million. He still managed to pull in 44 percent of the vote. Imagine if the national party had actually tried.
posted by saysthis at 7:25 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'd think if you were the DCCC and things seemed likely to go your way anyway there'd be every reason NOT to confirm what everyone thinks about them.
posted by Artw at 7:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
This is befuddling.
I mean, is it? The DCCC reliably undercuts progressive candidates in favor of corporatists pretty much every time, that's basically why they exist. I'm not sure why anyone is surprised they're doing what they always do in this one race.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:45 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
I mean, is it? The DCCC reliably undercuts progressive candidates in favor of corporatists pretty much every time, that's basically why they exist. I'm not sure why anyone is surprised they're doing what they always do in this one race.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:45 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
Yeah, I don't think the centrist core of the Democratic party and it's odd ideas of "electable" basically moderate bipartisan types only is really a surprise to anybody these days.
posted by Artw at 7:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 7:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [6 favorites]
Cathy Myers, running for the WI-01 Democratic nomination against Paul Ryan*, has a new video ad. Highlights her progressive and feminist credentials, and an implicit poke at both Ryan and her opponent Randy Bryce, who won't debate her and is perfectly happy with the widespread impression he is already the chosen opposition to Ryan -- to the extent people push back at Myers and ask her not to "split the vote" like Stein or November Sanders voters (sigh). Anyway, she's catching up to him on Facebook, making slow but steady progress on Twitter, but continues to be largely ignored by the celebrity and national fundraising and media circuits. It is a primary and it isn't held until August, so I hope she can make better inroads and we can have a fair decision by the voters of the district. For my money, this is a similar dynamic to the DCCC discussion directly above.
* Again, I am involved with her campaign.
A Lion's Club gambling, smoking, stripping and sex show I walked in on ... These were people in a charitable service club.
I am not doubting you, just wondering how that could even happen in a Lions Club (there is an international code of ethics). My dad was childhood friends with the son of the founder, Melvin Jones, whose personal code – "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else" – became a guiding principle for public-spirited people the world over according to the organization. As someone connected in a couple of ways to Rotary International, the worst I've seen is an all-in-good-fun casino night fundraiser, and some perhaps too-heavy drinking..... Anyway, SMH, YMMV, hopefully that was a rogue club and not in my experience representative.
Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney attributed many problems voters experienced on Tuesday to a multistate electronic tracking system the state started using in 2016 to update its statewide voter rolls.
Wisconsin, huh? The state Trump "won" by 20,000 votes (140,000 going to Stein and Johnson), huh? Huh.
OK, just to be clear, the state has had its independent Government Accountability Board, with a staff director selected by a board of retired judges appointed by legislative leaders of both parties, "reformed" into a revival of sorts of the old, unlamented State Elections Board which is run more "by" the board, who are now appointed as partisan representatives (the GAB was literally the only non-partisan election authority in the country). The ultimate goal here is not gubernatorial control per se but paralysis (the GAB was assisting a probe into coordination shenanigans by the state GOP and some key PACs, but that got torpedoed by a judge who really ought to have recused himself because of connections to those self-same PACs, etc.). The current chair of the commission is a Milwaukee attorney appointed by the Democratic Assembly Minority Leader (GOP gets the next crack at chair in 2019, tit for tat style). It appears there was a good-faith effort to clean up voting registration records using a postcard reply process that attempted to identify people who had moved without changing their registration. (I don't recall getting a postcard myself, for instance. It looks like about 12% of the electorate may have been included.) Obviously this is broadly similar to various voter "caging" strategies that ultimately can prove detrimental to less affluent and minority voters, so I hope that gets a review after these complaints, but it doesn't appear to have been an intentional suppression effort [and with same-day registration still possible, is easily correctable, I should note]. I would prefer that we had retained the GAB, but that's long gone at this point and we need to be on guard for the next round of the commission being GOP-dominated.
posted by dhartung at 7:53 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
* Again, I am involved with her campaign.
A Lion's Club gambling, smoking, stripping and sex show I walked in on ... These were people in a charitable service club.
I am not doubting you, just wondering how that could even happen in a Lions Club (there is an international code of ethics). My dad was childhood friends with the son of the founder, Melvin Jones, whose personal code – "You can't get very far until you start doing something for somebody else" – became a guiding principle for public-spirited people the world over according to the organization. As someone connected in a couple of ways to Rotary International, the worst I've seen is an all-in-good-fun casino night fundraiser, and some perhaps too-heavy drinking..... Anyway, SMH, YMMV, hopefully that was a rogue club and not in my experience representative.
Wisconsin Elections Commission spokesman Reid Magney attributed many problems voters experienced on Tuesday to a multistate electronic tracking system the state started using in 2016 to update its statewide voter rolls.
Wisconsin, huh? The state Trump "won" by 20,000 votes (140,000 going to Stein and Johnson), huh? Huh.
OK, just to be clear, the state has had its independent Government Accountability Board, with a staff director selected by a board of retired judges appointed by legislative leaders of both parties, "reformed" into a revival of sorts of the old, unlamented State Elections Board which is run more "by" the board, who are now appointed as partisan representatives (the GAB was literally the only non-partisan election authority in the country). The ultimate goal here is not gubernatorial control per se but paralysis (the GAB was assisting a probe into coordination shenanigans by the state GOP and some key PACs, but that got torpedoed by a judge who really ought to have recused himself because of connections to those self-same PACs, etc.). The current chair of the commission is a Milwaukee attorney appointed by the Democratic Assembly Minority Leader (GOP gets the next crack at chair in 2019, tit for tat style). It appears there was a good-faith effort to clean up voting registration records using a postcard reply process that attempted to identify people who had moved without changing their registration. (I don't recall getting a postcard myself, for instance. It looks like about 12% of the electorate may have been included.) Obviously this is broadly similar to various voter "caging" strategies that ultimately can prove detrimental to less affluent and minority voters, so I hope that gets a review after these complaints, but it doesn't appear to have been an intentional suppression effort [and with same-day registration still possible, is easily correctable, I should note]. I would prefer that we had retained the GAB, but that's long gone at this point and we need to be on guard for the next round of the commission being GOP-dominated.
posted by dhartung at 7:53 PM on February 22, 2018 [4 favorites]
Also, the lady who got the dccc nod and the Emily list nod is a huge donor to Emily list and the Dems party.
I'm not sure that's exactly right. I don't think the DCCC has endorsed any of the 6 Democratic candidates, just warned against Moser. Also, I think you might be referring to Sherry Merfish, who is a big Emily's List donor and has endorsed Lizzie Fletcher. So any connection is one step removed.
Also worth noting: Moser attacked the DCCC last August directly with an article in Vogue.
The DCCC reliably undercuts progressive candidates in favor of corporatists pretty much every time, that's basically why they exist.
According to this article (admittedy The Intercept, by Ryan Grim), they haven't intervened in any other primary this year, and haven't anywhere since 2014.
posted by msalt at 7:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
I'm not sure that's exactly right. I don't think the DCCC has endorsed any of the 6 Democratic candidates, just warned against Moser. Also, I think you might be referring to Sherry Merfish, who is a big Emily's List donor and has endorsed Lizzie Fletcher. So any connection is one step removed.
Also worth noting: Moser attacked the DCCC last August directly with an article in Vogue.
The DCCC reliably undercuts progressive candidates in favor of corporatists pretty much every time, that's basically why they exist.
According to this article (admittedy The Intercept, by Ryan Grim), they haven't intervened in any other primary this year, and haven't anywhere since 2014.
posted by msalt at 7:55 PM on February 22, 2018 [5 favorites]
NRA chief singles out Soros, Bloomberg as ‘socialists’
Lawyer and blogger David Schraub points out that
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [48 favorites]
Lawyer and blogger David Schraub points out that
One of the weirder things about antisemitic conspiracy theories encompassing everything, even mutually contradictory things is that one can somehow manage to knit them all together in a single person.Some conservatives are apparently trading the dog whistles in for bullhorns.
So it is that NRA chieftain Wayne LaPierre informs a pulsing CPAC crowd that socialism is coming on the backs of ... George Soros. And Michael Bloomberg. And Tom Steyer. (Also, they're all backed by the ghost of Saul Alinsky -- because let's throw in another Jew for good measure).
Soros, as you may recall, grew up under Communist oppression and has devoted a substantial portion of his life to bringing market values to former Eastern bloc states. Bloomberg is perhaps America's most prominent independent political figure, apparently holding down the "Democrats are too liberal but socialism sounds great!" political bloc. Steyer is a run-of-the-mill Democratic Party donor. Each of them made their wealth in ways that are, shall we say, not typically part of the socialist revolutionary gameplan. And none of them have shown the slightest interest in anything but bog-standard liberal (or in Bloomberg's case, Wall Street centrist) political engagement.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:07 PM on February 22, 2018 [48 favorites]
According to this article (admittedy The Intercept, by Ryan Grim), they haven't intervened in any other primary this year, and haven't anywhere since 2014.
Yes, but they can fund their chosen candidate in the primary, even if a more viable progressive candidate exists.
Anyway, my question about Moser still stands: none of the issues raised are serious enough to warrant a rebuke from on high, and that district can judge for itself whether they like her politics. It's a very strange, and suggestive, intervention.
posted by Merus at 8:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
Yes, but they can fund their chosen candidate in the primary, even if a more viable progressive candidate exists.
Anyway, my question about Moser still stands: none of the issues raised are serious enough to warrant a rebuke from on high, and that district can judge for itself whether they like her politics. It's a very strange, and suggestive, intervention.
posted by Merus at 8:08 PM on February 22, 2018 [2 favorites]
NYT, Julie Hirschfeld Davis, What Do Jotted Talking Points Say About Trump’s Empathy?, in which we're told Hope Hicks wrote the note. I also don't think judging Presidents by what the victims of tragedies say about them is a particularly useful metric, and the father of one of those killed in Parkland had good things to say (Trump even signed his son's MAGA hat, sigh), but this is not a good review:
Samantha Fuentes, who was shot in both legs during the Parkland assault, said she had felt no reassurance during a phone call from the president to her hospital room last week.posted by zachlipton at 8:12 PM on February 22, 2018 [42 favorites]
“He said he heard that I was a big fan of his, and then he said, ‘I’m a big fan of yours too.’ I’m pretty sure he made that up,” she said in an interview after being discharged from the hospital. “Talking to the president, I’ve never been so unimpressed by a person in my life. He didn’t make me feel better in the slightest.”
Ms. Fuentes, who was left with a piece of shrapnel lodged behind her right eye, said Mr. Trump had called the gunman a “sick puppy” and said “‘oh boy, oh boy, oh boy,’ like, seven times.”
I am not doubting you, just wondering how that could even happen in a Lions Club (there is an international code of ethics).
For the same reason there are horrific sex scandals involving churches and charities: people.
posted by orange ball at 8:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [20 favorites]
For the same reason there are horrific sex scandals involving churches and charities: people.
posted by orange ball at 8:14 PM on February 22, 2018 [20 favorites]
Ms. Fuentes, who was left with a piece of shrapnel lodged behind her right eye, said Mr. Trump had called the gunman a “sick puppy” and said “‘oh boy, oh boy, oh boy,’ like, seven times.”
In the future, if you're wondering: "Sick puppy. oh boy, oh boy, oh boy," is when I decided to kick your ass.
posted by Freon at 8:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [41 favorites]
In the future, if you're wondering: "Sick puppy. oh boy, oh boy, oh boy," is when I decided to kick your ass.
posted by Freon at 8:19 PM on February 22, 2018 [41 favorites]
It's dementia.
The president of the United States, commander in chief, possessor of the football, is literally, unironicallly, undeniably demented.
posted by ocschwar at 8:22 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
The president of the United States, commander in chief, possessor of the football, is literally, unironicallly, undeniably demented.
posted by ocschwar at 8:22 PM on February 22, 2018 [18 favorites]
“Talking to the president, I’ve never been so unimpressed by a person in my life. He didn’t make me feel better in the slightest.”
Another one of the Parkland kids on MSNBC earlier:
Stoneman Douglas student shooting survivor Sam Zeif was asked if he felt like he was heard at the White House. He answered, “I know I was heard because I saw it on Trump’s little card.”
These kids are savage AF. I want them all to run for congress in 2020, why the hell not. Some 18year old gun nut girl won in West Virginia in 2014, these kids are better than her.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:26 PM on February 22, 2018 [129 favorites]
Another one of the Parkland kids on MSNBC earlier:
Stoneman Douglas student shooting survivor Sam Zeif was asked if he felt like he was heard at the White House. He answered, “I know I was heard because I saw it on Trump’s little card.”
These kids are savage AF. I want them all to run for congress in 2020, why the hell not. Some 18year old gun nut girl won in West Virginia in 2014, these kids are better than her.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:26 PM on February 22, 2018 [129 favorites]
Lots of CPAC types on NPR right now splitting all kinds of hairs to deny having anything to do with fascism.
posted by Artw at 8:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:37 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'll stop calling NPR the mouthpiece of normalized fascism when it stops being it.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:40 PM on February 22, 2018 [37 favorites]
I mean, at least I guess they are raising the subject of white supremicism, but they’re letting some real low flying fruit unconvincing denials go by.
posted by Artw at 8:41 PM on February 22, 2018
posted by Artw at 8:41 PM on February 22, 2018
Loony Left update: the actual socialists now have tote bags
posted by The Whelk at 9:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 9:24 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
@matthewamiller:
One thing that really comes through in the new indictment is just how bad Manafort's cash crunch was when he told Tom Barrack in early 2016 that "I really need to get to Trump." To work for him for free. Hmm.
posted by chris24 at 9:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
One thing that really comes through in the new indictment is just how bad Manafort's cash crunch was when he told Tom Barrack in early 2016 that "I really need to get to Trump." To work for him for free. Hmm.
posted by chris24 at 9:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [36 favorites]
To work for him for free.
not so much "free" as "in return for renumeration not provided by Trump"
posted by murphy slaw at 9:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
not so much "free" as "in return for renumeration not provided by Trump"
posted by murphy slaw at 9:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [8 favorites]
ACLU, The Criminalization of Private Debt, in which you thought debtors’ prisons were abolished in 1833, but they're increasingly making a comeback.
Examples include the single mother arrested for failure to appear in court on a $176 medical debt; the notice to appear was given to a colleague at the restaurant where she worked and she never got it, a man arrested by seven US Marshals over a 29-year-old $1,500 student loan, or the disabled Indiana woman raising three kids entirely on Social Security disability benefits who didn't have $110 for her landlord and was sentenced to 30 days for contempt; a stranger in the courtroom paid the debt for her, and the Indiana Court of Appeals eventually found the sentence violated the state constitution.
posted by zachlipton at 10:10 PM on February 22, 2018 [55 favorites]
Examples include the single mother arrested for failure to appear in court on a $176 medical debt; the notice to appear was given to a colleague at the restaurant where she worked and she never got it, a man arrested by seven US Marshals over a 29-year-old $1,500 student loan, or the disabled Indiana woman raising three kids entirely on Social Security disability benefits who didn't have $110 for her landlord and was sentenced to 30 days for contempt; a stranger in the courtroom paid the debt for her, and the Indiana Court of Appeals eventually found the sentence violated the state constitution.
posted by zachlipton at 10:10 PM on February 22, 2018 [55 favorites]
the Indiana Court of Appeals eventually found the sentence violated the state constitution
In a just society, a judge who hands down such a sentence should immediately lose their office and be disbarred. They have one job, and that is to uphold their state's constitution.
posted by maxwelton at 10:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [20 favorites]
In a just society, a judge who hands down such a sentence should immediately lose their office and be disbarred. They have one job, and that is to uphold their state's constitution.
posted by maxwelton at 10:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [20 favorites]
Why Does Donald Trump Jr. Sound Like Such a Terrible Asshole? A Voice Coach Explains
Donald Trump Jr. is a terrible asshole and a person with the voice and demeanor of a terrible asshole. There are no doubt other men in the United States who inherit vast wealth from their families, spend their time liking social media posts accusing the teenage survivors of a school shooting of being paid actors, and believe people in deep poverty should smile more, but do they sound like Donald Trump Jr. while doing those things?posted by kirkaracha at 10:22 PM on February 22, 2018 [17 favorites]
What is it about Trump that makes him sound like such a terrible asshole? I reached out to Brendan Houdek, the head of speech pathology at New York Speech Coaching, to better understand the self-presentation of the large adult son of the United States.
"Illinois governor drinks chocolate milk to demonstrate his commitment to diversity"
I can clear this up from personal acquaintance: He's a fucking moron. Like a serious fucking moron. It's a total mystery how he ended up with a) a Dartmouth degree or b) so much money, because he's a complete fucking moron. He is the definition of a mediocre white man failing up.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [59 favorites]
I can clear this up from personal acquaintance: He's a fucking moron. Like a serious fucking moron. It's a total mystery how he ended up with a) a Dartmouth degree or b) so much money, because he's a complete fucking moron. He is the definition of a mediocre white man failing up.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 10:29 PM on February 22, 2018 [59 favorites]
What is it about Trump (Jr.) that makes him sound like such a terrible asshole?
So obvious... he learned from his father, who pinned the 'asshole meter' for me in the late '80s...
Meanwhile, Ted Rall, whom I occasionally agree with and hate myself for it, has a point of view of the "Russian Influence Problem".
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:33 PM on February 22, 2018
So obvious... he learned from his father, who pinned the 'asshole meter' for me in the late '80s...
Meanwhile, Ted Rall, whom I occasionally agree with and hate myself for it, has a point of view of the "Russian Influence Problem".
posted by oneswellfoop at 10:33 PM on February 22, 2018
Ted Rall is putting up a pretty big straw man there. Is that the new tactic of the tankies? At this point they have to admit there was Russian influence but now they're going to throw their hands up and say "what do you want to do? nuke Russia?" No one NO ONE is saying we have to nuke Russia or even go to war with Russia, all people are saying is it would be nice if there were some damn consequences for the Russian troll farm/Putinism that delivered the election to a madman.
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 10:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Homo neanderthalensis at 10:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [16 favorites]
srboisvert: "Add this to his Carhartt wardrobe, pristine unused workshop and his harley and biker vest."
I don't want to defend this asshole but I've been in lots of working hobby shops that look just like that. Really there only seem to be two types regardless of the activity levels within: eat off the floor and Woodwright's Shop.
I am curious though what ?poster? was on the wall that need to be taken down for the shoot while still leaving a UV shadow.
posted by Mitheral at 10:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't want to defend this asshole but I've been in lots of working hobby shops that look just like that. Really there only seem to be two types regardless of the activity levels within: eat off the floor and Woodwright's Shop.
I am curious though what ?poster? was on the wall that need to be taken down for the shoot while still leaving a UV shadow.
posted by Mitheral at 10:47 PM on February 22, 2018 [3 favorites]
"Illinois governor drinks chocolate milk to demonstrate his commitment to diversity"
I can clear this up from personal acquaintance: He's a fucking moron. Like a serious fucking moron. It's a total mystery how he ended up with a) a Dartmouth degree or b) so much money, because he's a complete fucking moron. He is the definition of a mediocre white man failing up.
To be fair, I think he makes a good point when not taken out of context.
I can clear this up from personal acquaintance: He's a fucking moron. Like a serious fucking moron. It's a total mystery how he ended up with a) a Dartmouth degree or b) so much money, because he's a complete fucking moron. He is the definition of a mediocre white man failing up.
To be fair, I think he makes a good point when not taken out of context.
“This chocolate syrup represents diversity,” Stoudemire said, before squirting a healthy dash of brown syrup that immediately sank to the bottom of the glass.posted by heathkit at 10:48 PM on February 22, 2018 [15 favorites]
“When you look at most organizations, diversity sits at the bottom of the organization,” Stoudemire continued. “You don’t get inclusion until you actually stir it up.”
Rauner then stirred the syrup into the milk, turning it brown, and he took a sip and pronounced it good.
“Diversity is the mix, and inclusion is making the mix work,” Stoudemire said, concluding his analogy.
In a just society, a judge who hands down such a sentence should immediately lose their office and be disbarred. They have one job, and that is to uphold their state's constitution.
Whoa, there. What is or isn't constitutional is something that changes when higher courts make a ruling. They can even change their mind (e.g. Plessy v. Ferguson -> Brown v. Board of Education). Plus you have the problem where state constitutions can be voluminous documents pasted together from all sorts of contradictory legislation and voter propositions (California's is over 100 pages long).
Superior courts overturning lower courts on constitutional grounds is a pretty common, everyday thing, not evidence of egregious wrongdoing on the part of a judge.
posted by ryanrs at 10:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
Whoa, there. What is or isn't constitutional is something that changes when higher courts make a ruling. They can even change their mind (e.g. Plessy v. Ferguson -> Brown v. Board of Education). Plus you have the problem where state constitutions can be voluminous documents pasted together from all sorts of contradictory legislation and voter propositions (California's is over 100 pages long).
Superior courts overturning lower courts on constitutional grounds is a pretty common, everyday thing, not evidence of egregious wrongdoing on the part of a judge.
posted by ryanrs at 10:51 PM on February 22, 2018 [9 favorites]
Why Does Donald Trump Jr. Sound Like Such a Terrible Asshole? A Voice Coach Explains
"Coming up after the break... that mysterious text on tins -- is there any relationship with what's actually inside? Also, cigars -- what are they, really? Stay tuned for our exclusive investigation. But first, this message from our sponsor, an inedible dead dove in a bag marked 'DEAD DOVE - DO NOT EAT'."
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [27 favorites]
"Coming up after the break... that mysterious text on tins -- is there any relationship with what's actually inside? Also, cigars -- what are they, really? Stay tuned for our exclusive investigation. But first, this message from our sponsor, an inedible dead dove in a bag marked 'DEAD DOVE - DO NOT EAT'."
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 11:21 PM on February 22, 2018 [27 favorites]
Trump Used Notes to Remember How to Empathize
Thank you very much for reading this article on the White House gun violence listening session. Obviously, this article was a huge success and I had a lot of very good ideas in it. In conclusion, I want to remind you that I ::checks notes:: hear... ::squints:: you.posted by kirkaracha at 11:23 PM on February 22, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oh! "I hear you." Yes. That.
You're welcome.
What was that? I couldn't quite make that out. Did you say I didn't actually say anything?
To be fair, I think he makes a good point when not taken out of context.
That's a pretty decent metaphor, under the circumstances (white dude talking to mainstream media). Eyebrows McGee almost owes the man an apology.
posted by Merus at 12:02 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
That's a pretty decent metaphor, under the circumstances (white dude talking to mainstream media). Eyebrows McGee almost owes the man an apology.
posted by Merus at 12:02 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
To be fair, I think he makes a good point when not taken out of context.
“This chocolate syrup represents diversity,” Stoudemire said, before squirting a healthy dash of brown syrup that immediately sank to the bottom of the glass.
“When you look at most organizations, diversity sits at the bottom of the organization,” Stoudemire continued. “You don’t get inclusion until you actually stir it up.”
Rauner then stirred the syrup into the milk, turning it brown, and he took a sip and pronounced it good.
“Diversity is the mix, and inclusion is making the mix work,” Stoudemire said, concluding his analogy.
As a person of color I'm mostly upset that the internet doesn't seem to have a video of ;"It's really, really good," Rauner said after taking a sip of the sugary drink. "Diversity!"
mmm, diversity. But I wouldn't want him dating my daugher.
What a terrible metaphor, especially when taken in context. At least the idea of America as a "melting pot" acknowledges the stewed up, amalgamation of olla podrida that actually exists. The idea that "reasonable example for our organization/group/tribe" is homogeneous whiteness adulterated with a bit of color might also be considered offensive to some.
And while I'm at it, diversity wasn't added to American whiteness like chocolate syrup. It has been consistently tamped down like in a french press.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:12 AM on February 23, 2018 [52 favorites]
“This chocolate syrup represents diversity,” Stoudemire said, before squirting a healthy dash of brown syrup that immediately sank to the bottom of the glass.
“When you look at most organizations, diversity sits at the bottom of the organization,” Stoudemire continued. “You don’t get inclusion until you actually stir it up.”
Rauner then stirred the syrup into the milk, turning it brown, and he took a sip and pronounced it good.
“Diversity is the mix, and inclusion is making the mix work,” Stoudemire said, concluding his analogy.
As a person of color I'm mostly upset that the internet doesn't seem to have a video of ;"It's really, really good," Rauner said after taking a sip of the sugary drink. "Diversity!"
mmm, diversity. But I wouldn't want him dating my daugher.
What a terrible metaphor, especially when taken in context. At least the idea of America as a "melting pot" acknowledges the stewed up, amalgamation of olla podrida that actually exists. The idea that "reasonable example for our organization/group/tribe" is homogeneous whiteness adulterated with a bit of color might also be considered offensive to some.
And while I'm at it, diversity wasn't added to American whiteness like chocolate syrup. It has been consistently tamped down like in a french press.
posted by ActingTheGoat at 12:12 AM on February 23, 2018 [52 favorites]
Doesn't the melting pot analogy imply that the goal is to have everything all melt together into an even paste? A melting pot that has chunks in it isn't a melting pot.
It also sort of implies that if you put all the ingredients in the same place *_*_*magic happens*_*_* when in reality you have to actually make an effort to make sure there's diversity throughout the organisation.
Analogies are a poor way to discuss nuanced issues because they're usually leaky but 'you can't just bring a bunch of black people in at the bottom and say you're diverse now' is a reasonable point to make in America in 2018.
posted by Merus at 12:30 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
It also sort of implies that if you put all the ingredients in the same place *_*_*magic happens*_*_* when in reality you have to actually make an effort to make sure there's diversity throughout the organisation.
Analogies are a poor way to discuss nuanced issues because they're usually leaky but 'you can't just bring a bunch of black people in at the bottom and say you're diverse now' is a reasonable point to make in America in 2018.
posted by Merus at 12:30 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
Maybe he should have made salad dressing, instead.
posted by heathkit at 12:33 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by heathkit at 12:33 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
NYT: The director of United States Citizenship and Immigration Services informed employees in a letter on Thursday that its mission statement had been revised to “guide us in the years ahead.” Gone was the phrase that described the agency as securing “America’s promise as a nation of immigrants.”
posted by neroli at 5:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by neroli at 5:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
The milk thing just made me think of brown people as something white people devour, which is probably not what he was going for. Don't use food for that lesson, maybe, white people.
posted by emjaybee at 5:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by emjaybee at 5:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
I mean Rauner can make whatever analogy he wants, but how about if he stopped pushing punitive policies that disadvantage people of color, how about that? Or how about he stopped using African-American teachers in low-income schools as literal boogeywomen in his ads about how EVEN BLACKS WITH JOBS are freeloading on the state by WANTING THEIR EARNED INCOME AND BENEFITS. Or how about he stopped palling around with white supremacists? Or how about he stopped talking about how "black people love him!" because he has one black friend, who is someone he pays? It's offensive not so much because of the metaphor, but because Rauner pretending he's into diversity (racial or otherwise -- basically his whole staff is upper middle class white dudes, they're called "the frat bros") when he has been the worst governor for minorities since 1950 is super fucking offensive. And when he was in the private sector, his company was ROUTINELY cited as an example of a shitty, undiverse place to work that made no diversity efforts, and he's been sued (there are ongoing lawsuits) by just about every woman and minority who had the misfortune of working for him in the private sector. Rauner governs of, by, and for rich white dudes. He gives zero shits about the rest of the state, and considers minorities in Chicago, in particular, parasites who want to steal his money.
"I don't want to defend this asshole but I've been in lots of working hobby shops that look just like that. "
Yeah -- with Rauner, it's set dressing. He grew up on the North Shore, went to Dartmouth, has billions and billions of dollars, Martin Shrekeli'd the price of a lifesaving drug for fetuses with heart problems so that babies DIED or their parents ended up in medical bankruptcy, killed a shit-ton of elderly people in nursing homes by cutting costs so far that there was no care in the nursing homes he owned, etc. When he's in Chicago, he goes to cocktail parties on the North Shore in a tux and is an Ivy League frat bro billionaire. When he goes downstate, he wears Carhartts and pretends to have a workshop and DROPS HIS Gs. When he gives a speech downstate, he's "goin' to get those Chicago Democrats runnin'" and when he gives one upstate he's all "I will be pushing my agenda forward despite the meretricious attacks from Democrats." The Carhartts and fake workshop are fucking offensive because they're the basest form of pandering intended for a stereotype of downstate Illinoisians that identifies us as STUPID HICKS.
Rauner's there for rich white guys on the North Shore who go to cocktail parties. He thinks downstaters are badly-educated morons, minorities are parasites even if they have jobs, poor people deserve it and should get paid LESS because his current billions aren't enough, women should do what he tells them or get fired, public school children should feel lucky they get to go to school at all, and babies and old people should die if they don't have money. And he's the worst sort of "leader" -- successes are ALL HIM, failures are always his subordinates' fault. He's been through three complete staff turnovers in three years, and had to fire MULTIPLE PEOPLE for failing to vet their social media and find out they were raging white supremacists. (And not like obscure stuff from five years ago dug up by a reporter going through hundreds of pages of posts -- like tweeting about how great Nazis are and posting prominent articles on alt-right websites THE WEEK BEFORE THEY GOT HIRED.)
So I hope Rauner enjoyed his chocolate milk. But don't pretend it was anything other than offensive to see him acting like he gave a shit about diversity while running racist attack ads and doing everything in his power to destroy minority communities in Illinois.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:11 AM on February 23, 2018 [96 favorites]
"I don't want to defend this asshole but I've been in lots of working hobby shops that look just like that. "
Yeah -- with Rauner, it's set dressing. He grew up on the North Shore, went to Dartmouth, has billions and billions of dollars, Martin Shrekeli'd the price of a lifesaving drug for fetuses with heart problems so that babies DIED or their parents ended up in medical bankruptcy, killed a shit-ton of elderly people in nursing homes by cutting costs so far that there was no care in the nursing homes he owned, etc. When he's in Chicago, he goes to cocktail parties on the North Shore in a tux and is an Ivy League frat bro billionaire. When he goes downstate, he wears Carhartts and pretends to have a workshop and DROPS HIS Gs. When he gives a speech downstate, he's "goin' to get those Chicago Democrats runnin'" and when he gives one upstate he's all "I will be pushing my agenda forward despite the meretricious attacks from Democrats." The Carhartts and fake workshop are fucking offensive because they're the basest form of pandering intended for a stereotype of downstate Illinoisians that identifies us as STUPID HICKS.
Rauner's there for rich white guys on the North Shore who go to cocktail parties. He thinks downstaters are badly-educated morons, minorities are parasites even if they have jobs, poor people deserve it and should get paid LESS because his current billions aren't enough, women should do what he tells them or get fired, public school children should feel lucky they get to go to school at all, and babies and old people should die if they don't have money. And he's the worst sort of "leader" -- successes are ALL HIM, failures are always his subordinates' fault. He's been through three complete staff turnovers in three years, and had to fire MULTIPLE PEOPLE for failing to vet their social media and find out they were raging white supremacists. (And not like obscure stuff from five years ago dug up by a reporter going through hundreds of pages of posts -- like tweeting about how great Nazis are and posting prominent articles on alt-right websites THE WEEK BEFORE THEY GOT HIRED.)
So I hope Rauner enjoyed his chocolate milk. But don't pretend it was anything other than offensive to see him acting like he gave a shit about diversity while running racist attack ads and doing everything in his power to destroy minority communities in Illinois.
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 6:11 AM on February 23, 2018 [96 favorites]
To be fair, I think he makes a good point when not taken out of context.
Er... maybe I'm being uncharitable here, but I'm actually pretty disgusted at the assumption that in a heterogenous solution of brown and white components, the brown sinks to the bottom until the white guy with a spoon can be arsed to do something to make them intermingle.
posted by Mayor West at 6:14 AM on February 23, 2018 [46 favorites]
“This chocolate syrup represents diversity,” Stoudemire said, before squirting a healthy dash of brown syrup that immediately sank to the bottom of the glass.
“When you look at most organizations, diversity sits at the bottom of the organization,”
Er... maybe I'm being uncharitable here, but I'm actually pretty disgusted at the assumption that in a heterogenous solution of brown and white components, the brown sinks to the bottom until the white guy with a spoon can be arsed to do something to make them intermingle.
posted by Mayor West at 6:14 AM on February 23, 2018 [46 favorites]
The milk thing just made me think of brown people as something white people devour, which is probably not what he was going for. Don't use food for that lesson, maybe, white people.
He's just appealing to his base. Republicans like people who "tell it like it is".
posted by Talez at 6:15 AM on February 23, 2018
He's just appealing to his base. Republicans like people who "tell it like it is".
posted by Talez at 6:15 AM on February 23, 2018
posted by 23skidoo : The point of my chocolate should not be to make your milk more desirable.
This, and your ratios statement are brilliant, and kinda blew my mind.
Agree that if food is to be used as a metaphor, (a thing which I think should probably be avoided), the salad does make a good metaphor, especially in America where there is this vast amount of cultural/regional food called salad. Everything from confections of jello and whipped cream to panzanella and tabouli is a salad. Frankly, you can throw just about anything edible in a bowl, dress it, and have a yummy salad.
Much like America. If you throw us in a bowl, cover us in olive oil, and put on the right music, I think we can all get along just fine.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 6:33 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
This, and your ratios statement are brilliant, and kinda blew my mind.
Agree that if food is to be used as a metaphor, (a thing which I think should probably be avoided), the salad does make a good metaphor, especially in America where there is this vast amount of cultural/regional food called salad. Everything from confections of jello and whipped cream to panzanella and tabouli is a salad. Frankly, you can throw just about anything edible in a bowl, dress it, and have a yummy salad.
Much like America. If you throw us in a bowl, cover us in olive oil, and put on the right music, I think we can all get along just fine.
posted by SecretAgentSockpuppet at 6:33 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
What I'd really like is for the folks who are still, for some weird reason not convinced that the Russians interfered or that the whole thing is being blown out of proportion to put their cards on the table.
What evidence would convince you?
I take it that this is aimed at me, so I'll take a crack at it.
With the reporting on the Internet Research Agency, it is clear that an organization whose leadership has some ties to the Russian government made an effort to disseminate propaganda during the run up to the 2016 election. I said as much above when talking about the Muller indictment ("I think most of it is likely true").
However, this doesn't get us very far in understanding the nature of the IRA and its impact on the election. Only a fraction of its budget was dedicated to American propaganda purposes; the timing of its activities doesn't track with the election; its attempts at intervention were often quite amateurish; not all of the interventions were made on the pro-Trump side (Joy-Ann Reid -- no Trump supporter -- was the bots' most promoted pundit); it is still unclear how close, exactly, it is with the Russian government; etc.
As many commentators have noted, it would be a difficult thing indeed to prove any effect of this activity on the election's outcome. Looking at the ads, I highly doubt that any minds were changed by a Bernie coloring book meme or a Hillary-vs-Jesus meme. And the scale of its activities were dwarfed by other electoral social media efforts. I will again refer to this article in the Washington Post: "There's still little evidence that Russia's 2016 social media efforts did much of anything."
Let me try another angle: I think all of us would agree that right-wing claims that voter fraud is a serious issue in American elections are ridiculous. Instances of voter fraud are vanishingly small, but do exist, so it would be wrong to say that they have absolutely no impact on the elections. Nevertheless, I think it would be fair to say that claims of voter fraud's importance are wildly overblown. But even attempts of voter fraud do have a material effect on the election (if the vote is counted, the outcome is different; if the vote is not counted, at least an attempt was made to change the outcome), which is more evidence of an effect on the outcome than can be demonstrated from the IRA's activities.
So in the absence of convincing evidence that the IRA had any effect on the election (again, see the WaPo article), I would turn the original question around: what would it take to convince you that the IRA's activities were incredibly marginal to the election outcome, to the point where there seems little justification for all the attention that is being focused on them? Because that is the situation as it appears to me.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 6:34 AM on February 23, 2018
What evidence would convince you?
I take it that this is aimed at me, so I'll take a crack at it.
With the reporting on the Internet Research Agency, it is clear that an organization whose leadership has some ties to the Russian government made an effort to disseminate propaganda during the run up to the 2016 election. I said as much above when talking about the Muller indictment ("I think most of it is likely true").
However, this doesn't get us very far in understanding the nature of the IRA and its impact on the election. Only a fraction of its budget was dedicated to American propaganda purposes; the timing of its activities doesn't track with the election; its attempts at intervention were often quite amateurish; not all of the interventions were made on the pro-Trump side (Joy-Ann Reid -- no Trump supporter -- was the bots' most promoted pundit); it is still unclear how close, exactly, it is with the Russian government; etc.
As many commentators have noted, it would be a difficult thing indeed to prove any effect of this activity on the election's outcome. Looking at the ads, I highly doubt that any minds were changed by a Bernie coloring book meme or a Hillary-vs-Jesus meme. And the scale of its activities were dwarfed by other electoral social media efforts. I will again refer to this article in the Washington Post: "There's still little evidence that Russia's 2016 social media efforts did much of anything."
Let me try another angle: I think all of us would agree that right-wing claims that voter fraud is a serious issue in American elections are ridiculous. Instances of voter fraud are vanishingly small, but do exist, so it would be wrong to say that they have absolutely no impact on the elections. Nevertheless, I think it would be fair to say that claims of voter fraud's importance are wildly overblown. But even attempts of voter fraud do have a material effect on the election (if the vote is counted, the outcome is different; if the vote is not counted, at least an attempt was made to change the outcome), which is more evidence of an effect on the outcome than can be demonstrated from the IRA's activities.
So in the absence of convincing evidence that the IRA had any effect on the election (again, see the WaPo article), I would turn the original question around: what would it take to convince you that the IRA's activities were incredibly marginal to the election outcome, to the point where there seems little justification for all the attention that is being focused on them? Because that is the situation as it appears to me.
posted by Noisy Pink Bubbles at 6:34 AM on February 23, 2018
If a food metaphor is needed, how about gumbo? It's spicy, it's exciting, it's made of various ingredients that all contribute to the dish and elevate it to something far beyond a mere sum of its parts while still retaining their own unique identities.
And there's probably some white rice around, too.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:35 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
And there's probably some white rice around, too.
posted by Faint of Butt at 6:35 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
ICE Age
What has changed is the role of interior enforcement. The travel ban reinforced the role of visa officers and passport control as the gatehouses of a Fortress America still notionally free to pretend things were still normal within its walls. The ban’s companion order, “Enhancing Public Safety In The Interior of the United States,” has burned more slowly, and its most consequential provisions—like doubling the ranks of ICE agents—have taken longer to set in. But a year in, ICE has begun to turn all of society into a checkpoint, moving beyond CBP’s legal right to ignore all constitutional restraints in a hundred-mile strip beyond every land and sea border. Interior removals and arrests are up some forty percent over 2016. At the outset of the Trump era liberals like Timothy Snyder wrung their hands about an imminent suspension of democracy by a far-right clique bent on total seizure of power. This has proven entirely unnecessary. Congress has been obliging, Democratic resistance token at best, and the ICE/CBP state of exception completely satisfactory within its generous spatial constraints. A permanent regime of racialized state terrorism has once again proven fully compatible with the cherished norms of the American republic.posted by the man of twists and turns at 6:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [36 favorites]
Development on the Gates plea deal:
NYT: Rick Gates, Trump Campaign Aide, to Plead Guilty in Mueller Inquiry and Cooperate
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
NYT: Rick Gates, Trump Campaign Aide, to Plead Guilty in Mueller Inquiry and Cooperate
posted by Strange Interlude at 7:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
ABC: Former Trump Aide Richard Gates Poised To Plead Guilty, Cooperate With Special Counsel, Sources Say
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:06 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
President Trump’s one-time campaign aide Richard Gates is expected to plead guilty in the special counsel’s criminal case against him, setting up the potential for Gates to become the latest well-informed Trump insider to assist in the investigation into Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential contest, according to sources close to the matter.[...]On Preview: The NYT confirms ABC's scoop.
Gates has for weeks been vacillating between fighting the charges and pleading guilty, and remained undecided through much of this week, according to the sources. Legal teams for President Trump and Manafort appeared to be unaware as late as Thursday about Gates’ intentions.[...]
This was a “gut-wrenching decision” for the 45-year-old former campaign official, a source familiar with his thinking told ABC News. Gates also faced a significant financial burden, the source added.
Despite speculation for weeks that Gates was close to or had made a deal, the source told ABC News, a deal with the special counsel’s team did not come together until the middle of this week, and prior to that deal it had looked unlikely.
The exact terms of the deal are still unclear. The special counsel’s office declined to comment.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:06 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
The IRA was only one small part of the Russian operation against America, but whatever it takes to keep minimizing it to yourself, I guess.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:09 AM on February 23, 2018 [53 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:09 AM on February 23, 2018 [53 favorites]
The IRA was only one small part of the Russian operation against America
and "a Bernie coloring book meme or a Hillary-vs-Jesus meme" is only one small part of what the IRA did. They weren't all about wholesome memes for wholesome teens. They did a lot of disingenuous, racist, shitty, nasty stuff as well. Yes, there were Americans who responded to that, and those responses were genuine, and that sucks. But the fact that divisions exist in American society doesn't somehow make it okay for a foreign power to hone in on those divisions and try to make them worse.
posted by halation at 7:15 AM on February 23, 2018 [24 favorites]
and "a Bernie coloring book meme or a Hillary-vs-Jesus meme" is only one small part of what the IRA did. They weren't all about wholesome memes for wholesome teens. They did a lot of disingenuous, racist, shitty, nasty stuff as well. Yes, there were Americans who responded to that, and those responses were genuine, and that sucks. But the fact that divisions exist in American society doesn't somehow make it okay for a foreign power to hone in on those divisions and try to make them worse.
posted by halation at 7:15 AM on February 23, 2018 [24 favorites]
his use of chocolate milk was ill-advised
What's amazing about the Rauner Ovaltine Incident is that you don't have to analyze it really far to get that it's bad. It should be immediately apparent that a sweet-drink metaphor is a bad look for diversity, that it trivializes the issue and makes you look like you're not taking it seriously. Like, it's a fucking joke on Seinfeld for god's sake (about the black and white cookie in that case).
posted by dis_integration at 7:17 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
What's amazing about the Rauner Ovaltine Incident is that you don't have to analyze it really far to get that it's bad. It should be immediately apparent that a sweet-drink metaphor is a bad look for diversity, that it trivializes the issue and makes you look like you're not taking it seriously. Like, it's a fucking joke on Seinfeld for god's sake (about the black and white cookie in that case).
posted by dis_integration at 7:17 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
zachlipton: @The_RGA (Republican Governors Association), 9am Eastern today: With @EricGreitens, the people of Missouri have a leader in office focused on returning money to the pockets of taxpayers
THAT'S NOT THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT. Yeah, I'll take business-speak of "reducing taxes by right-sizing government" or some other spin on reducing public services, but this makes it sound like the only thing government does is take money from taxpayers. Which makes sense when Greitens was actively fighting his own party for senators to turn down a pay raise for themselves, but it's also significantly limiting the public understanding of what government does. Oh, that's also the idea of the GOP, right -- make government weak enough that you can drown it in a bathtub and let private businesses run rampant.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:23 AM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
THAT'S NOT THE ROLE OF GOVERNMENT. Yeah, I'll take business-speak of "reducing taxes by right-sizing government" or some other spin on reducing public services, but this makes it sound like the only thing government does is take money from taxpayers. Which makes sense when Greitens was actively fighting his own party for senators to turn down a pay raise for themselves, but it's also significantly limiting the public understanding of what government does. Oh, that's also the idea of the GOP, right -- make government weak enough that you can drown it in a bathtub and let private businesses run rampant.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:23 AM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
There should be a corresponding 'lemonade analogy'
Republicans are like pee in your lemonade. No matter how sweet and tart and delicious the lemonade is, one drop of pee ruins it.
posted by ian1977 at 7:24 AM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
Republicans are like pee in your lemonade. No matter how sweet and tart and delicious the lemonade is, one drop of pee ruins it.
posted by ian1977 at 7:24 AM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
70,000 votes in three states. Hundreds of millions Twitter and Facebook interactions. DNC and Podesta hacked and the emails repeatedly and strategically released to help Trump (Wikileaks released the first Podesta emails an hour after the Access Hollywood tape came out.) And the email hacks also exacerbated the frenzy on the missing Clinton emails since many conflated the issue. Millions possibly funneled to the NRA and other organizations.
Yeah, I'm gonna say Russia had an impact on the election.
posted by chris24 at 7:30 AM on February 23, 2018 [95 favorites]
Yeah, I'm gonna say Russia had an impact on the election.
posted by chris24 at 7:30 AM on February 23, 2018 [95 favorites]
I don't think there's much that Obama could have done that wouldn't have risked violent insurrection in response to the perception that he was dictatorially overriding the democratic process.
Well, maybe, but we have a situation now where Republicans dictatorially overriding the democratic process has become so commonplace as to barely warrant a shrug -- or at best, a "both sides do it" thumbsucker -- from the so-called "liberal media."
But while the media is hopeless, the Florida schoolchildren are the latest example of how loyal Americans are standing up to Republican tyranny. And though the electoral deck is stacked against us, we are the majority.
posted by Gelatin at 7:37 AM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
Well, maybe, but we have a situation now where Republicans dictatorially overriding the democratic process has become so commonplace as to barely warrant a shrug -- or at best, a "both sides do it" thumbsucker -- from the so-called "liberal media."
But while the media is hopeless, the Florida schoolchildren are the latest example of how loyal Americans are standing up to Republican tyranny. And though the electoral deck is stacked against us, we are the majority.
posted by Gelatin at 7:37 AM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
Yeah, I'm gonna say Russia had an impact on the election. . . .don't forget Russians communicating and meeting many times with campaign staff, during the campaign. Failure on the campaign's part to report to the FBI said interactions ,ever.
Hacking entry of voter databases in 21 states,
Manafort and co changing the RNC platform to remove sanctions and Ukraine-related issues during the convention.
Carter Page's face making any sound whatsoever.
Repeated insistence from the IC that the Russians turned their activities to the election, activities that have been successful in several other countries.
posted by rc3spencer at 7:39 AM on February 23, 2018 [36 favorites]
Hacking entry of voter databases in 21 states,
Manafort and co changing the RNC platform to remove sanctions and Ukraine-related issues during the convention.
Carter Page's face making any sound whatsoever.
Repeated insistence from the IC that the Russians turned their activities to the election, activities that have been successful in several other countries.
posted by rc3spencer at 7:39 AM on February 23, 2018 [36 favorites]
> 70,000 votes in three states.
Yeah, given the tightness of the margin and the fact that almost everyone expected Trump to lose, I don't see how Russian meddling could not have affected the outcome of the election.
With a margin that close, every little thing mattered - especially Comey's ham-fisted intervention, but every little thing. The Clinton campaign being tempted to compete in Texas. Obama deciding to hold back on accusations in the interest of comity. The emails. The MAGA hats. Every detail mattered in an election that close. How can anyone possibly assert that Russian meddling didn't matter?
posted by RedOrGreen at 7:40 AM on February 23, 2018 [68 favorites]
Yeah, given the tightness of the margin and the fact that almost everyone expected Trump to lose, I don't see how Russian meddling could not have affected the outcome of the election.
With a margin that close, every little thing mattered - especially Comey's ham-fisted intervention, but every little thing. The Clinton campaign being tempted to compete in Texas. Obama deciding to hold back on accusations in the interest of comity. The emails. The MAGA hats. Every detail mattered in an election that close. How can anyone possibly assert that Russian meddling didn't matter?
posted by RedOrGreen at 7:40 AM on February 23, 2018 [68 favorites]
Disingenuously.
posted by riverlife at 7:44 AM on February 23, 2018 [37 favorites]
posted by riverlife at 7:44 AM on February 23, 2018 [37 favorites]
Republicans are like pee in your lemonade. No matter how sweet and tart and delicious the lemonade is, one drop of pee ruins it.
Weirdly, the rule doesn't apply to hotel beds
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:45 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Weirdly, the rule doesn't apply to hotel beds
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 7:45 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
So in the absence of convincing evidence that the IRA had any effect on the election (again, see the WaPo article)
Said WaPo article is from Dec 2017 - a bit early for Mr. Bump to draw definitive conclusions about the influence of Russian social media disruption, given that under increasing pressure from the FBI & Congressional Committees, the various social media platforms are finding more and more Russian posters and dissemination of Russian-originated social media.
what would it take to convince you that the IRA's activities were incredibly marginal to the election outcome,
Doesn't matter. Still illegal. Whether they achieved their supposed goals or not, however marginal their influence. See indictment of 13 Russian citizens connected with the IRA.
If members of Trump campaign staff and/or family and/or Presidential staff (all the way up the ladder to Trump himself) were in contact with and helped and/or organized and/or knew about the activities of the IRA (again, regardless of how effective the IRA may or may not have been) - that's even more illegal, in the sense that there would be additional laws broken.
Even if cooperation by Trump people with the IRA or other Russian actors cannot be proven, the investigation has uncovered financial shenanigans between members of Trump staff and Russians, including tax evasion and failure to declare foreign income. See Manafort & Gates, and who knows what else the Mueller crew may be on the trail of. It's well known that Trump himself has had financial dealings with Russian entities. And he still hasn't released his tax returns.
If anyone lied to the investigators or failed to disclose pertinent and relevant information while being questioned on their ties with Russia, also illegal. If anyone was fired, or documents were hidden or destroyed, or investigators lied to in order to distract or halt the investigation, also illegal.
to the point where there seems little justification for all the attention that is being focused on them?
Do you know what happened with Watergate? Nixon's staff decided that it would be a good idea to tap some of the phones of the DNC staff. So they broke in to their office at the Watergate complex and installed two phone taps - one of which apparently never worked, and the other broke shortly after they installed it. So they broke in again, and that's when the burglars were caught.
You could, I suppose, argue that the Watergate crew & Nixon's re-election campaign never achieved what they were hoping for - phone taps on the DNC so they could get inside information. But that doesn't fucking matter. The break-in was illegal, the taps were illegal, the President attempting to cover it up was illegal.
You're doing the same thing - carping that the IRA didn't influence the election so we should ignore and dismiss the whole Russia thing. But it doesn't fucking matter the extent to which the IRA may or may not have achieved their goals. The attempt to interfere was illegal, Trump staff involvement is illegal, tax evasion is illegal, and we still have no idea what else Mueller may know or be discovering about who was involved to what extent. Russia "hacking" social media is the canary in the coal mine that clued people in to the fact that the current administration is dirty and corrupt - the breadth and depth of that corruption is a long way from its final determination.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:47 AM on February 23, 2018 [107 favorites]
Said WaPo article is from Dec 2017 - a bit early for Mr. Bump to draw definitive conclusions about the influence of Russian social media disruption, given that under increasing pressure from the FBI & Congressional Committees, the various social media platforms are finding more and more Russian posters and dissemination of Russian-originated social media.
what would it take to convince you that the IRA's activities were incredibly marginal to the election outcome,
Doesn't matter. Still illegal. Whether they achieved their supposed goals or not, however marginal their influence. See indictment of 13 Russian citizens connected with the IRA.
If members of Trump campaign staff and/or family and/or Presidential staff (all the way up the ladder to Trump himself) were in contact with and helped and/or organized and/or knew about the activities of the IRA (again, regardless of how effective the IRA may or may not have been) - that's even more illegal, in the sense that there would be additional laws broken.
Even if cooperation by Trump people with the IRA or other Russian actors cannot be proven, the investigation has uncovered financial shenanigans between members of Trump staff and Russians, including tax evasion and failure to declare foreign income. See Manafort & Gates, and who knows what else the Mueller crew may be on the trail of. It's well known that Trump himself has had financial dealings with Russian entities. And he still hasn't released his tax returns.
If anyone lied to the investigators or failed to disclose pertinent and relevant information while being questioned on their ties with Russia, also illegal. If anyone was fired, or documents were hidden or destroyed, or investigators lied to in order to distract or halt the investigation, also illegal.
to the point where there seems little justification for all the attention that is being focused on them?
Do you know what happened with Watergate? Nixon's staff decided that it would be a good idea to tap some of the phones of the DNC staff. So they broke in to their office at the Watergate complex and installed two phone taps - one of which apparently never worked, and the other broke shortly after they installed it. So they broke in again, and that's when the burglars were caught.
You could, I suppose, argue that the Watergate crew & Nixon's re-election campaign never achieved what they were hoping for - phone taps on the DNC so they could get inside information. But that doesn't fucking matter. The break-in was illegal, the taps were illegal, the President attempting to cover it up was illegal.
You're doing the same thing - carping that the IRA didn't influence the election so we should ignore and dismiss the whole Russia thing. But it doesn't fucking matter the extent to which the IRA may or may not have achieved their goals. The attempt to interfere was illegal, Trump staff involvement is illegal, tax evasion is illegal, and we still have no idea what else Mueller may know or be discovering about who was involved to what extent. Russia "hacking" social media is the canary in the coal mine that clued people in to the fact that the current administration is dirty and corrupt - the breadth and depth of that corruption is a long way from its final determination.
posted by soundguy99 at 7:47 AM on February 23, 2018 [107 favorites]
With a margin that close, every little thing mattered
Total votes for the spoiler candidates that trolls pushed on Facebook and etc. as alternatives for people unwilling to vote for Hillary (Stein for UM/MSU college kids and other Berners, Johnson for the manosphere and "genteel" republicans) were more than the margin of Trump's victory in states like Michigan.
(Florida too, if memory serves)
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:47 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
Total votes for the spoiler candidates that trolls pushed on Facebook and etc. as alternatives for people unwilling to vote for Hillary (Stein for UM/MSU college kids and other Berners, Johnson for the manosphere and "genteel" republicans) were more than the margin of Trump's victory in states like Michigan.
(Florida too, if memory serves)
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:47 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
You could, I suppose, argue that the Watergate crew & Nixon's re-election campaign never achieved what they were hoping for - phone taps on the DNC so they could get inside information. But that doesn't fucking matter. The break-in was illegal, the taps were illegal, the President attempting to cover it up was illegal.
Nixon also won 49 states and 61% of the vote in '72. The EC was 520 - 17. So it definitely didn't affect the election. Still illegal.
posted by chris24 at 7:50 AM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
Nixon also won 49 states and 61% of the vote in '72. The EC was 520 - 17. So it definitely didn't affect the election. Still illegal.
posted by chris24 at 7:50 AM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
I'm a little late on the chocolate milk derail but I didn't see anyone explicitly mention that drinking milk has become a white supremacy dogwhistle online, as in the genetic distribution of people who are able to digest lactose in adulthood is a white, non-jewish, European identifier. Adding chocolate to the mix still sends a wink-wink to the Illinois nazis.
posted by peeedro at 7:53 AM on February 23, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by peeedro at 7:53 AM on February 23, 2018 [26 favorites]
I'd also like to point out that it doesn't really matter if Russian meddling changed a single vote.
It isn't acceptable for a foreign government to be mucking around in our elections [1]. Attempts by a foreign power to interfere in US elections, regardless of whether or not those attempts succeeded, are a hostile act and need to be treated as such.
The idea that we should just ignore the fact that Russia actively worked to get Trump elected unless we can prove beyond the shadow of any doubt that their efforts were responsible for his election is absurd.
I'll agree that some on the more right wing and corporate branches of the Democratic Party are trying to use Russian interference to divert attention from their own failures in the 2016 election, but that doesn't make Russian interference acceptable or people bringing it up wrong.
The meddling in our elections was a direct attack on the integrity of our government and our success as a democracy. It cannot be permitted to go unanswered, much less permitted to be repeated in 2018.
And, thanks to the Congressional Republlicans it is virtually assured that it will be repeated, in 2018 at the very least and possibly in 2020, because the USA has taken no measures to prevent future meddling, Trump has refused to implement sanctions against Russia for past meddling and Congress has refused to penalize Trump for his lawless capitulation to Russian interests. It seems almost inevitable that in 2018 we will see Russian efforts to support Republicans in the election, so far that's paid off very well for both of the Russians and the Republicans.
[1] It also isnt' acceptable for our government to be mucking around in foreign elections, and the fact that the USA has been sending out the CIA to ratfuck foreign elections since there was a CIA is a very bad thing and needs an apology, an immediate end to all US interference in foreign elections, and in my ideal world some prison time or other penalties for those who ordered it.
posted by sotonohito at 7:55 AM on February 23, 2018 [61 favorites]
It isn't acceptable for a foreign government to be mucking around in our elections [1]. Attempts by a foreign power to interfere in US elections, regardless of whether or not those attempts succeeded, are a hostile act and need to be treated as such.
The idea that we should just ignore the fact that Russia actively worked to get Trump elected unless we can prove beyond the shadow of any doubt that their efforts were responsible for his election is absurd.
I'll agree that some on the more right wing and corporate branches of the Democratic Party are trying to use Russian interference to divert attention from their own failures in the 2016 election, but that doesn't make Russian interference acceptable or people bringing it up wrong.
The meddling in our elections was a direct attack on the integrity of our government and our success as a democracy. It cannot be permitted to go unanswered, much less permitted to be repeated in 2018.
And, thanks to the Congressional Republlicans it is virtually assured that it will be repeated, in 2018 at the very least and possibly in 2020, because the USA has taken no measures to prevent future meddling, Trump has refused to implement sanctions against Russia for past meddling and Congress has refused to penalize Trump for his lawless capitulation to Russian interests. It seems almost inevitable that in 2018 we will see Russian efforts to support Republicans in the election, so far that's paid off very well for both of the Russians and the Republicans.
[1] It also isnt' acceptable for our government to be mucking around in foreign elections, and the fact that the USA has been sending out the CIA to ratfuck foreign elections since there was a CIA is a very bad thing and needs an apology, an immediate end to all US interference in foreign elections, and in my ideal world some prison time or other penalties for those who ordered it.
posted by sotonohito at 7:55 AM on February 23, 2018 [61 favorites]
I am also a little late to the milk derail, but I didn't see anyone explicitly mention that pretty bad person Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner did not make the bad chocolate milk analogy.
posted by mcdoublewide at 8:00 AM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
The clunky corporate metaphor was the brainchild of Hyatt Hotels diversity and inclusion executive Tyronne Stoudemire, who appeared alongside Rauner on Wednesday at the downtown Chicago Thompson Center to discuss workplace diversity at a Black History Month event.Not defending anyone here, just a fan of accuracy.
Enlisting Rauner as his lanky magician's assistant, Stoudemire, who is black, poured a glass of milk to represent the white men who lead most organizations (including, um, the state of Illinois).
posted by mcdoublewide at 8:00 AM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Yeah, the chocolate milk derail is dumb, and everyone is misreading the story.
posted by neroli at 8:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by neroli at 8:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
And, thanks to the Congressional Republlicans it is virtually assured that it will be repeated, in 2018 at the very least and possibly in 2020, because the USA has taken no measures to prevent future meddling, Trump has refused to implement sanctions against Russia for past meddling and Congress has refused to penalize Trump for his lawless capitulation to Russian interests. It seems almost inevitable that in 2018 we will see Russian efforts to support Republicans in the election, so far that's paid off very well for both of the Russians and the Republicans.
It will be bit tougher to pull off surreptitiously, but a lot less necessary now that the RNC will do their work for them. The rank and file were persuaded last time around and largely remain persuaded and no longer need to be enticed with the same kind of info op...
To my mind, the 2018 question is how much of that base will be chagrined enough by developments around the administration to stay home -- and there's too much time between now and November to know what the mood will be by then.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:02 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
It will be bit tougher to pull off surreptitiously, but a lot less necessary now that the RNC will do their work for them. The rank and file were persuaded last time around and largely remain persuaded and no longer need to be enticed with the same kind of info op...
To my mind, the 2018 question is how much of that base will be chagrined enough by developments around the administration to stay home -- and there's too much time between now and November to know what the mood will be by then.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:02 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Oh, thanks for the context mcdoublewide. I guess it was just a dumb symbol.
posted by peeedro at 8:05 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by peeedro at 8:05 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
the genetic distribution of people who are able to digest lactose in adulthood is a white, non-jewish, European identifier.
The milk thing is stupid, but don't lend it credibility by accepting the assertion that Jews are largely lactose intolerant, or the framing that Jews are not as "European" as anyone else living in Europe for thousands of years. "European" is not an ethnicity.
Signed, a blue eyed, cheese-eating Jew of Hungarian, Romanian and Ukrainian (and thus both Sephardic and Ashkenazi) extraction.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:06 AM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
The milk thing is stupid, but don't lend it credibility by accepting the assertion that Jews are largely lactose intolerant, or the framing that Jews are not as "European" as anyone else living in Europe for thousands of years. "European" is not an ethnicity.
Signed, a blue eyed, cheese-eating Jew of Hungarian, Romanian and Ukrainian (and thus both Sephardic and Ashkenazi) extraction.
posted by snuffleupagus at 8:06 AM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
It will be bit tougher to pull off surreptitiously
I think the danger is they feel emboldened to not even try surreptitiously this time. They got away with disinformation campaigns and the Republicans said, "Thank you, please do it again!", the next time may not just be facebook ads, it could be direct changing of vote totals and deleting minority registered voters from the rolls, knowing Republicans will do nothing and dutifully bend the knee to the puppetmaster as long as they get to kick the poors and liberal tears.
Hell we can't know they didn't already do that in 2016, because Republicans have blocked any real investigation into the full extent.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:08 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
I think the danger is they feel emboldened to not even try surreptitiously this time. They got away with disinformation campaigns and the Republicans said, "Thank you, please do it again!", the next time may not just be facebook ads, it could be direct changing of vote totals and deleting minority registered voters from the rolls, knowing Republicans will do nothing and dutifully bend the knee to the puppetmaster as long as they get to kick the poors and liberal tears.
Hell we can't know they didn't already do that in 2016, because Republicans have blocked any real investigation into the full extent.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:08 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
The other factor that must be emphasized in these political debates is that Mueller leveled criminal charges against the IRA: conspiracy to commit wire fraud and bank fraud, five counts of aggravated identity theft, and criminal conspiracy to defraud the United States. Likewise, the hacking of the DNC's e-mail servers by a Russian intelligence–linked operative is a criminal act. The e-mails from that hack offered by Wikileaks - which US intelligence now considers a "a non-state hostile intelligence service often abetted by state actors like Russia" - were not the usual D.C. leaking and gossip; they were stolen goods.
Illegal interference by Russian turned the 2016 election into a crime scene. And the Rump Republicans and the current occupier of the Oval Office have been trying to cover it up.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:10 AM on February 23, 2018 [62 favorites]
Illegal interference by Russian turned the 2016 election into a crime scene. And the Rump Republicans and the current occupier of the Oval Office have been trying to cover it up.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:10 AM on February 23, 2018 [62 favorites]
The release of DNC emails (and the suppression of RNC emails) gave legs to the Clinton-killer mythology with regard to Seth Rich. That was pretty harmful.
posted by puddledork at 8:18 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by puddledork at 8:18 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
I think the danger is they feel emboldened to not even try surreptitiously this time.
Did you guys listen to that Radiolab interview with the people in Florida who put on the "Hillary and Bill in a cage" flash mob at the behest of Russian state agents?
The people who called them had Russian accents. (Their marks didn't identify them as Russian, and one guy was at first skeptical because he thought they might be Muslims, but the agents definitely made zero attempt to present themselves as born-and-raised red-blooded 'mericans.) The money they paid came from foreign banks. Like the people they paid saw that and were just like, "huh, okay" and moved on, but it's not like the origin of the money was masked from the people they were paying.
Two of the three people they interviewed clearly stated that they absolutely don't care about any of the above. They'd do it again. But they all admit that they never would have done it in the first place if someone hadn't contacted them and asked them, in great detail, to create this street theater.
None of that was surreptitious. I can't even imagine what it would look like for future actions to be less surreptitious.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:18 AM on February 23, 2018 [68 favorites]
Did you guys listen to that Radiolab interview with the people in Florida who put on the "Hillary and Bill in a cage" flash mob at the behest of Russian state agents?
The people who called them had Russian accents. (Their marks didn't identify them as Russian, and one guy was at first skeptical because he thought they might be Muslims, but the agents definitely made zero attempt to present themselves as born-and-raised red-blooded 'mericans.) The money they paid came from foreign banks. Like the people they paid saw that and were just like, "huh, okay" and moved on, but it's not like the origin of the money was masked from the people they were paying.
Two of the three people they interviewed clearly stated that they absolutely don't care about any of the above. They'd do it again. But they all admit that they never would have done it in the first place if someone hadn't contacted them and asked them, in great detail, to create this street theater.
None of that was surreptitious. I can't even imagine what it would look like for future actions to be less surreptitious.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:18 AM on February 23, 2018 [68 favorites]
Trump just read The Snake at CPAC and made explicity clear four or five times that the snake and immigrants are the same thing, in case anyone was confused
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:24 AM on February 23, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:24 AM on February 23, 2018 [56 favorites]
If indeed the bots promoted Joy Reid a lot, it’s no coincidence she is a lefty, outspoken black woman, perhaps calculated by the bots to harden white intransigence.
But even beyond this, the message I am getting is the Russians wanted to stir shit up all over. Hedge their bets. They likely did not dream of the level of their success. Consider the much more likely outcome: President Hillary spends the first year of her presidency, after a difficult, racially charged campaign, kneecapped by a steady drip of leaks suggesting her campaign was boosted by a botnet promoting Joy Reid and the other support the Russians may have given to the Dems.
posted by Rumple at 8:40 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
But even beyond this, the message I am getting is the Russians wanted to stir shit up all over. Hedge their bets. They likely did not dream of the level of their success. Consider the much more likely outcome: President Hillary spends the first year of her presidency, after a difficult, racially charged campaign, kneecapped by a steady drip of leaks suggesting her campaign was boosted by a botnet promoting Joy Reid and the other support the Russians may have given to the Dems.
posted by Rumple at 8:40 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
Trump just read The Snake at CPAC and made explicity clear four or five times that the snake and immigrants are the same thing, in case anyone was confused
Presidential victory speech annotated: what Trump said and what he meant
Presidential victory speech annotated: what Trump said and what he meant
Now it’s time for America to bind the wounds of division – have to get together...I pledge to every citizen of our land that I will be president for all Americans, and this is so important to me.posted by kirkaracha at 8:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
...
We will call upon the best and brightest to call upon their tremendous talent for the benefit of all.
...
We’re going to get to work immediately for the American people. And we’re going to be doing a job that hopefully you will be so proud of your president.
... it’s no coincidence she is a lefty, outspoken black woman, perhaps calculated by the bots to harden white intransigence.
That was pretty much Steve Bannon's strategy.
posted by mcdoublewide at 8:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
That was pretty much Steve Bannon's strategy.
“The Democrats,” he said, “the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.”
posted by mcdoublewide at 8:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Noisy Pink Bubbles: "So in the absence of convincing evidence that the IRA had any effect on the election (again, see the WaPo article), I would turn the original question around: what would it take to convince you that the IRA's activities were incredibly marginal to the election outcome, to the point where there seems little justification for all the attention that is being focused on them?"
Even if we assume these activities were not material to the outcome of the election - which is not established - that isn't the question. The DNC break in at the Watergate was not material to the 1972 election, but it was still a big deal.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:57 AM on February 23, 2018 [22 favorites]
Even if we assume these activities were not material to the outcome of the election - which is not established - that isn't the question. The DNC break in at the Watergate was not material to the 1972 election, but it was still a big deal.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:57 AM on February 23, 2018 [22 favorites]
mcdoublewide, I don't think Steve Bannon gets credit for Joy Reid being black.
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:58 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 8:58 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
That was pretty much Steve Bannon's strategy.
“The Democrats,” he said, “the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.”
Except they didn’t crush anyone. Clinton still won the popular vote. Despite the greatest rat fucking in history, despite a literal foreign enemy dedicating its considerable state resources to criminal interference in the election, despite 25 years of a conspiratorial smears of Hillary Clinton’s character, despite the fact that an entire cable news network dedicated itself to her defeat, despite the ongoing harassment of her supporters, despite the entrenched misogyny of this fucking country (Clinton outperformed Obama with women, of all races, and underperformed with men, of all races), despite all of that, despite the most stacked deck in fucking history,
SHE STILL WON 3 MILLION MORE VOTES.
The Republican Party of Russia is skating by on foreign interference, media complicity, gerrymandering, and voter suppression. They’re not crushing anything. They are cheating as hard as they possibly can and getting lucky.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:02 AM on February 23, 2018 [154 favorites]
“The Democrats,” he said, “the longer they talk about identity politics, I got ’em. I want them to talk about racism every day. If the left is focused on race and identity, and we go with economic nationalism, we can crush the Democrats.”
Except they didn’t crush anyone. Clinton still won the popular vote. Despite the greatest rat fucking in history, despite a literal foreign enemy dedicating its considerable state resources to criminal interference in the election, despite 25 years of a conspiratorial smears of Hillary Clinton’s character, despite the fact that an entire cable news network dedicated itself to her defeat, despite the ongoing harassment of her supporters, despite the entrenched misogyny of this fucking country (Clinton outperformed Obama with women, of all races, and underperformed with men, of all races), despite all of that, despite the most stacked deck in fucking history,
SHE STILL WON 3 MILLION MORE VOTES.
The Republican Party of Russia is skating by on foreign interference, media complicity, gerrymandering, and voter suppression. They’re not crushing anything. They are cheating as hard as they possibly can and getting lucky.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:02 AM on February 23, 2018 [154 favorites]
House news: Gonzales moves ratings for 16 races, 15 towards Dems. None of which are PA races.
* AZ-02 (Open — Martha McSally, R) Tossup => Tilts Dposted by Chrysostom at 9:10 AM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
* CA-10 (Jeff Denham, R) Leans R => Tilts R
* CA-25 (Steve Knight, R) Leans R => Tilts R
* CA-45 (Mimi Walters, R) Likely R => Leans R
* FL-07 (Stephanie Murphy, D) Tilts D => Leans D
* IL-06 (Peter Roskam, R) Likely R => Leans R
* IA-01 (Rod Blum, R) Leans R => Tilts R
* MI-11 (Open — Dave Trott, R) Leans R => Tilts R
* NC-13 (Ted Budd, R) Solid R => Likely R
* NH-01 (Open — Carol Shea Porter, D) Toss-up => Tilts D
* NJ-02 (Open — Frank A. LoBiondo, R) Leans R => Toss-up
* NJ-05 (Josh Gottheimer, D) Toss-up => Tilts D
* NJ-07 (Leonard Lance, R) Likely R => Leans R
* WA-05 (Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R) Solid R => Likely R
* WI-03 (Ron Kind, D) Likely D => Solid D
* WA-08 (Open — Dave Reichert, R) Tilts D => Toss-up
(and thus both Sephardic and Ashkenazi)
Now what I want to know is which accent you do the Kiddush prayers with.
posted by Talez at 9:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Now what I want to know is which accent you do the Kiddush prayers with.
posted by Talez at 9:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
what would it take to convince you that the IRA's activities were incredibly marginal to the election outcome, to the point where there seems little justification for all the attention that is being focused on them?
This has been addressed more or less on the it doesn't matter if it worked, it's still a crime but I feel like it's worth pointing out that when it comes to election suppression it's almost impossible to prove something didn't work and it's pretty reasonable to assume that it had follow-on effects. If someone stood around outside a polling place and was loudly verbally abusive to any person of color trying to enter, would we give it a pass if every single PoC he yelled at continued in anyway? I think we'd clearly think it deserves attention, even if visibly it didn't "work." Because it's reasonable to think maybe someone saw that happening and never even approached the entrance. Because one of those people who were yelled at will remember it next time and think just not worth it this election. Because the incident itself might have colored their outlook right before they walked in and made a decision on a ballot initiative.
Or most importantly: because if we let this time go, more folks will be emboldened to break this law next time and maybe then it will work.
posted by phearlez at 9:25 AM on February 23, 2018 [38 favorites]
This has been addressed more or less on the it doesn't matter if it worked, it's still a crime but I feel like it's worth pointing out that when it comes to election suppression it's almost impossible to prove something didn't work and it's pretty reasonable to assume that it had follow-on effects. If someone stood around outside a polling place and was loudly verbally abusive to any person of color trying to enter, would we give it a pass if every single PoC he yelled at continued in anyway? I think we'd clearly think it deserves attention, even if visibly it didn't "work." Because it's reasonable to think maybe someone saw that happening and never even approached the entrance. Because one of those people who were yelled at will remember it next time and think just not worth it this election. Because the incident itself might have colored their outlook right before they walked in and made a decision on a ballot initiative.
Or most importantly: because if we let this time go, more folks will be emboldened to break this law next time and maybe then it will work.
posted by phearlez at 9:25 AM on February 23, 2018 [38 favorites]
Last I checked, things like attempted murder and attempted arson are still crimes even if they didn't actually have the desired effect.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:29 AM on February 23, 2018 [43 favorites]
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:29 AM on February 23, 2018 [43 favorites]
Last I checked, things like attempted murder and attempted arson are still crimes even if they didn't actually have the desired effect.
The Republican response: “Is there a Nobel Prize for attempted chemistry?”
posted by Talez at 9:36 AM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Republican response: “Is there a Nobel Prize for attempted chemistry?”
posted by Talez at 9:36 AM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
I think that we've established that, even if NPB is arguing entirely in good faith, we are operating under such different standards of evidence and proof of harm that neither side is likely to convince the other of anything.
I'm not sure that point by point refutation of NPB's assertions is achieving anything useful for the thread at this point.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:36 AM on February 23, 2018 [24 favorites]
I'm not sure that point by point refutation of NPB's assertions is achieving anything useful for the thread at this point.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:36 AM on February 23, 2018 [24 favorites]
Kiddush or Kaddish?
‘T’ not ‘S’ — I’m not sure which way is which.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:38 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
‘T’ not ‘S’ — I’m not sure which way is which.
posted by snuffleupagus at 9:38 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
"T" is Sephardic. I got in trouble in Hebrew school because they wanted us to use the Israeli Sephardic pronunciation and I insisted on using the Ashkenazi pronunciation like my Zayde.
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:41 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 9:41 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
As expected, USA Today's Brad Heath @bradheath reports, "BREAKING: Special counsel Robert Mueller has filed a superseding information against ex-Trump aide Rick Gates, reducing the charges to conspiracy and false statements. A plea hearing is set for 2 p.m."
The felony indictment can be found here, courtesy of Big Cases Bot @big_cases: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4386230-Information-Felony.html
Brad Heath @bradheath adds: "The new charges against Gates include an accusation that he lied to the FBI on Feb. 1, 2018."—specifically about a meeting discussing Ukraine in early 2013 that was attended by Manafort, an unnamed lobbyist, and an unnamed member of Congress.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
The felony indictment can be found here, courtesy of Big Cases Bot @big_cases: https://www.documentcloud.org/documents/4386230-Information-Felony.html
Brad Heath @bradheath adds: "The new charges against Gates include an accusation that he lied to the FBI on Feb. 1, 2018."—specifically about a meeting discussing Ukraine in early 2013 that was attended by Manafort, an unnamed lobbyist, and an unnamed member of Congress.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
Interesting development from garbage person in Florida. Scott endorses raising AR 15 age limit, and not arming teachers (sort of.)
posted by rc3spencer at 9:46 AM on February 23, 2018
posted by rc3spencer at 9:46 AM on February 23, 2018
specifically about a meeting discussing Ukraine in early 2013 that was attended by Manafort, an unnamed lobbyist, and an unnamed member of Congress.
Hint: begins with Dan and ends with aRohrabacher
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [38 favorites]
Hint: begins with Dan and ends with aRohrabacher
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [38 favorites]
The Missouri GOP is blaming George Soros for the Eric Greiten's scandal
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:53 AM on February 23, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:53 AM on February 23, 2018 [10 favorites]
Hint: begins with Dan and ends with aRohrabacher
I was hoping Sessions, but I don't know if they would refer to him as a member of Congress, even if he was one at the time.
posted by gladly at 9:57 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
I was hoping Sessions, but I don't know if they would refer to him as a member of Congress, even if he was one at the time.
posted by gladly at 9:57 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Scott endorses raising AR 15 age limit, and not arming teachers (sort of.)
Don't let it fool you. This is Scott trying to save his Senate bid by doing the barest minimum in response to the shooting. It does not ban assault rifles, as students and families have demanded; it does not even impose a waiting period, which is what the NRA adamantly opposes.
Moreover he knows damn well this is a safe move, because there is no way it will pass the Florida House -- that august body that, if you remember, on Tuesday decided porn was more dangerous than assault rifles.
Full rundown of Scott's proposal here.
(mods, sorry, knee-jerk post. just realized this may belong in shooting response thread. I can put it there if you want.)
posted by martin q blank at 10:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]
Don't let it fool you. This is Scott trying to save his Senate bid by doing the barest minimum in response to the shooting. It does not ban assault rifles, as students and families have demanded; it does not even impose a waiting period, which is what the NRA adamantly opposes.
Moreover he knows damn well this is a safe move, because there is no way it will pass the Florida House -- that august body that, if you remember, on Tuesday decided porn was more dangerous than assault rifles.
Full rundown of Scott's proposal here.
(mods, sorry, knee-jerk post. just realized this may belong in shooting response thread. I can put it there if you want.)
posted by martin q blank at 10:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]
Regarding the Russian troll farms: 20 years ago, I read Philip Agee's diary of his CIA work in Latin and South America, and I still remember how surprised I was that he didn't spend much time and energy on cloak-and-dagger stuff. He was far more occupied with funding and supporting publications and journalists critical of whatever democratic socialist government the CIA was trying to undermine. IIRC, he supported hard-left communist zines, newspapers, and pamphlets just as much as hard-right publications. Some of the descriptions I've seen of the Internet Research Agency's strategy could have been lifted word-for-word from Agee's book.
So, knowing that this has been a large chunk of the gameplan for imperial intelligence agencies since at least the British, what conclusions can we draw? First, this strategy is probably at least somewhat effective at undermining societies and governments, otherwise the US and USSR wouldn't have devoted so many resources to it during the Cold War. Second, it should have been obvious to our national security apparatus that social media would make this strategy even more effective and even more difficult to completely identify and eradicate. To let Twitter and Facebook operate without significant oversight for so long was......not prudent from their perspective. Third, it makes total sense that the Russians would have planned to increase their efforts after the election. They probably viewed their work undermining the Clinton campaign as mere preparation for undermining the legitimacy of her election result and presidency, which was their ultimate goal.
posted by johnny jenga at 10:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [37 favorites]
So, knowing that this has been a large chunk of the gameplan for imperial intelligence agencies since at least the British, what conclusions can we draw? First, this strategy is probably at least somewhat effective at undermining societies and governments, otherwise the US and USSR wouldn't have devoted so many resources to it during the Cold War. Second, it should have been obvious to our national security apparatus that social media would make this strategy even more effective and even more difficult to completely identify and eradicate. To let Twitter and Facebook operate without significant oversight for so long was......not prudent from their perspective. Third, it makes total sense that the Russians would have planned to increase their efforts after the election. They probably viewed their work undermining the Clinton campaign as mere preparation for undermining the legitimacy of her election result and presidency, which was their ultimate goal.
posted by johnny jenga at 10:01 AM on February 23, 2018 [37 favorites]
Dems are taking it to Scott despite his attempts to pretend to act.
@MarcACaputo (Politico)
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for gov with the best gun-control cred among liberals, criticizes Gov. Scott for not proposing an “assault weapons ban” GILLUM STATEMENT
- And Sen. Bill Nelson, facing a likely challenge from Gov. Scott, also weighs in for failing to ban AR-15 sales. Nelson also says Scott chose to “only listen to the NRA” but it should be noted that that NRA doesn’t like Scott’s proposal to limit long gun buys to 21& older. NELSON STATEMENT
- That ALL top Florida Democrats are campaigning on gun control is a tectonic shift in politics in the nation’s biggest swing state
- I touched on that here when Phil Levine announced his $725k Media buy. A major statewide candidate for governor advertising gun control is new as is the universal gun control message of Democrats. As Democrats go on offense, Levine launches TV ad to ban 'assault rifles'
posted by chris24 at 10:03 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
@MarcACaputo (Politico)
Tallahassee Mayor Andrew Gillum, the Democratic candidate for gov with the best gun-control cred among liberals, criticizes Gov. Scott for not proposing an “assault weapons ban” GILLUM STATEMENT
- And Sen. Bill Nelson, facing a likely challenge from Gov. Scott, also weighs in for failing to ban AR-15 sales. Nelson also says Scott chose to “only listen to the NRA” but it should be noted that that NRA doesn’t like Scott’s proposal to limit long gun buys to 21& older. NELSON STATEMENT
- That ALL top Florida Democrats are campaigning on gun control is a tectonic shift in politics in the nation’s biggest swing state
- I touched on that here when Phil Levine announced his $725k Media buy. A major statewide candidate for governor advertising gun control is new as is the universal gun control message of Democrats. As Democrats go on offense, Levine launches TV ad to ban 'assault rifles'
posted by chris24 at 10:03 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
I love how Mueller handled Gates. You had all the rightwing nutjobs saying on all the previous indictments "Is that all?" "that's minor", etc. So this time Mueller brings a 32 count indictment and then the next day Gates pleads to two relatively basic charges when we already know how deep and bad it was and all the receipts Mueller had. A bit of a hint on just how much he had against the others. And how much cooperation he's getting in exchange.
posted by chris24 at 10:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [49 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 10:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [49 favorites]
None of that was surreptitious. I can't even imagine what it would look like for future actions to be less surreptitious.
How about 300 Russian Mercs under a foreign flag attacking US military positions?
posted by srboisvert at 10:18 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
How about 300 Russian Mercs under a foreign flag attacking US military positions?
posted by srboisvert at 10:18 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
You really have to hand it to Gates, who is such a genius he lied to the FBI not only after Mueller had indicted Flynn for lying to the FBI, but while he, himself, was under indictment. Which...if it's finding it necessary to lie about Ukraine-related matters under such circumstances, I'm pretty concerned for his safety.
Notably, the day he lied to the FBI earlier this month is the same day his defense team quit. Sounds like we're starting to unravel a little bit of the mystery of his legal representation.
posted by zachlipton at 10:23 AM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
Notably, the day he lied to the FBI earlier this month is the same day his defense team quit. Sounds like we're starting to unravel a little bit of the mystery of his legal representation.
posted by zachlipton at 10:23 AM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
The Missouri GOP is blaming George Soros for the Eric Greiten's scandal.
Shouldn't they be blaming adulterer/blackmailer Eric Greiten's dick for the Eric Greiten's scandal?
posted by kirkaracha at 10:23 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
Shouldn't they be blaming adulterer/blackmailer Eric Greiten's dick for the Eric Greiten's scandal?
posted by kirkaracha at 10:23 AM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
[Nazi Saluter] Laura Ingraham Says ‘Liberals Are Kind of Like Herpes’ At CPAC
“A friend of mine, who happens to be a religious figure, said, ‘Laura, you’re talking to the CPAC people. You guys gotta have a good time, you gotta laugh. Remember what Tim Allen once said about the Clintons?’” Ingraham recalled.posted by kirkaracha at 10:26 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
“I said, ‘What did Tim Allen say about the Clintons?’ I couldn’t remember the line,” Ingraham continued. “He said, ‘Well, you could apply it to liberals in general: Liberals are kind of like herpes. Just when you think you have it beat, they come back again.’ There’s no cure, OK? You can only keep it at bay.”
The story was met with laughter and applause from the CPAC crowd.
i have my father's gun and a scorching case of liberalism
posted by murphy slaw at 10:29 AM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 10:29 AM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
Shouldn't they be blaming adulterer/blackmailer Eric Greiten's dick for the Eric Greiten's scandal?
Well, no. As far as they're concerned, the scandal is that he's been caught.
I'm just impressed by the statement's contribution to the ongoing degradation of the word "political" into a nonsense pseudo-swear word, pure meaningless syllables of hate. Time to throw it on the pile with "liberal", "acorn", and a mispronounced "antifa".
posted by Quindar Beep at 10:34 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, no. As far as they're concerned, the scandal is that he's been caught.
I'm just impressed by the statement's contribution to the ongoing degradation of the word "political" into a nonsense pseudo-swear word, pure meaningless syllables of hate. Time to throw it on the pile with "liberal", "acorn", and a mispronounced "antifa".
posted by Quindar Beep at 10:34 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
the Indiana Court of Appeals eventually found the sentence violated the state constitution
In a just society, a judge who hands down such a sentence should immediately lose their office and be disbarred. They have one job, and that is to uphold their state's constitution.
My lawyer told me just this week that judges in Indiana don't have to be lawyers.
Why, yes, they're elected; why do you ask?
posted by Gelatin at 10:37 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
In a just society, a judge who hands down such a sentence should immediately lose their office and be disbarred. They have one job, and that is to uphold their state's constitution.
My lawyer told me just this week that judges in Indiana don't have to be lawyers.
Why, yes, they're elected; why do you ask?
posted by Gelatin at 10:37 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
[Nazi Saluter] Laura Ingraham Says ‘Liberals Are Kind of Like Herpes’ At CPAC
@sarachad_ (Sarah Chadwick, Parkland Survivor/Burn Artist): Someone said Laura Ingraham was a discount Ann Coulter, and I haven’t stopped thinking about that since.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 10:38 AM on February 23, 2018 [53 favorites]
@sarachad_ (Sarah Chadwick, Parkland Survivor/Burn Artist): Someone said Laura Ingraham was a discount Ann Coulter, and I haven’t stopped thinking about that since.
posted by Mister Fabulous at 10:38 AM on February 23, 2018 [53 favorites]
Er... maybe I'm being uncharitable here, but I'm actually pretty disgusted at the assumption that in a heterogenous solution of brown and white components, the brown sinks to the bottom until the white guy with a spoon can be arsed to do something to make them intermingle.
Take a look at the 2014 gubernatorial map for Illinois.
posted by srboisvert at 10:45 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Take a look at the 2014 gubernatorial map for Illinois.
posted by srboisvert at 10:45 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
if [Gates is] finding it necessary to lie about Ukraine-related matters [while under indictment], I'm pretty concerned for his safety. Notably, the day he lied to the FBI earlier this month is the same day his defense team quit. Sounds like we're starting to unravel a little bit of the mystery of his legal representation.
That day was February 1, just 3 weeks ago, in the middle of negotiations with Mueller's team about a plea. Gates must be under incredible pressure, and I hope he is at least considering witness protection.
The good news is, it seems pretty likely that one or more Trump lieutenants explicitly offered him a pardon if he didn't cooperate with Mueller (or threatened him with harm if he did). Since he's now cooperating, that should help the obstruction of justice case a bit.
posted by msalt at 10:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
That day was February 1, just 3 weeks ago, in the middle of negotiations with Mueller's team about a plea. Gates must be under incredible pressure, and I hope he is at least considering witness protection.
The good news is, it seems pretty likely that one or more Trump lieutenants explicitly offered him a pardon if he didn't cooperate with Mueller (or threatened him with harm if he did). Since he's now cooperating, that should help the obstruction of justice case a bit.
posted by msalt at 10:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
Interesting that the false statement in the new Gates indictment is from February 1, 2018 — after speculation that Gates had hired Tom Green and was already starting to negotiate a plea.
posted by stopgap at 10:47 AM on February 23, 2018
posted by stopgap at 10:47 AM on February 23, 2018
That day was February 1, just 3 weeks ago, in the middle of negotiations with Mueller's team about a plea. Gates must be under incredible pressure, and I hope he is at least considering witness protection.
I was wondering if someone like Gates or Manafort could even get witness protection. They seem pretty high profile. Would the government even make the offer?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:49 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was wondering if someone like Gates or Manafort could even get witness protection. They seem pretty high profile. Would the government even make the offer?
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 10:49 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
The good news is, it seems pretty likely that one or more Trump lieutenants explicitly offered him a pardon if he didn't cooperate with Mueller (or threatened him with harm if he did). Since he's now cooperating, that should help the obstruction of justice case a bit.
For the rhetoric students in the audience, the "a bit" at the end of the sentence there is an example of understatement of the century.
posted by notyou at 10:52 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
For the rhetoric students in the audience, the "a bit" at the end of the sentence there is an example of understatement of the century.
posted by notyou at 10:52 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
@matthewamiller (MSNBC Justice Analyst)
I can’t even imagine what was going through Gates’ mind to lie during his proffer, when the only way your statements can be used against you is if you lie.
posted by chris24 at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
I can’t even imagine what was going through Gates’ mind to lie during his proffer, when the only way your statements can be used against you is if you lie.
posted by chris24 at 10:55 AM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
I can’t even imagine what was going through Gates’ mind to lie during his proffer, when the only way your statements can be used against you is if you lie.
Probably depends on how much money you expect to be paid and from whom in exchange for lying to cover for them.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:58 AM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
Probably depends on how much money you expect to be paid and from whom in exchange for lying to cover for them.
posted by Jacqueline at 10:58 AM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
The Missouri GOP is blaming George Soros for the Eric Greiten's scandal
Do they also have an adult check under the bed at night to make sure George Soros isn't hiding there?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
Do they also have an adult check under the bed at night to make sure George Soros isn't hiding there?
posted by DevilsAdvocate at 10:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
sign me up for the remake of My Blue Heaven featuring Manafort trying to apply his high-roller style of wheeling and dealing to get by in a dying factory town in the rust belt
posted by murphy slaw at 11:00 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 11:00 AM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Regarding the Russian troll farms: 20 years ago, I read Philip Agee's diary of his CIA work in Latin and South America, and I still remember how surprised I was that he didn't spend much time and energy on cloak-and-dagger stuff. He was far more occupied with funding and supporting publications and journalists critical of whatever democratic socialist government the CIA was trying to undermine. IIRC, he supported hard-left communist zines, newspapers, and pamphlets just as much as hard-right publications. Some of the descriptions I've seen of the Internet Research Agency's strategy could have been lifted word-for-word from Agee's book.
That reminds me of another thing I read, so long ago I can't remember where. That while the cold war was on, the US government prioritized being seen as the beacon of liberal rights in opposition to the Communists. So they would support the arts and liberal critique both in the US and in the rest of the West. When the Berlin wall came down, US support disappeared and so did a lot of liberal expression (both arts and critique). If someone remembers this article/book, I'd be very interested...
posted by mumimor at 11:04 AM on February 23, 2018 [12 favorites]
That reminds me of another thing I read, so long ago I can't remember where. That while the cold war was on, the US government prioritized being seen as the beacon of liberal rights in opposition to the Communists. So they would support the arts and liberal critique both in the US and in the rest of the West. When the Berlin wall came down, US support disappeared and so did a lot of liberal expression (both arts and critique). If someone remembers this article/book, I'd be very interested...
posted by mumimor at 11:04 AM on February 23, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's hard for me to understand why Trump hasn't already fired Mueller. Gates was Manafort's right hand and remained closely involved with the campaign after Manafort was fired. Gates and Manafort were in such financial straits despite their ties to pro-Russian interests that they committed a string of bank frauds, yet they offered to work for Trump for free. Did someone ask them to do this? Who? I bet Mueller knows, now.
Why did Trump allow this to happen? Does he think the consequences of firing Mueller would be worse than Mueller getting to the bottom of his campaign's Russian connections? Does he simply have supreme confidence in his ability to talk his way out of this situation? Does he merely intend to wait for indictments before pardoning everyone? Am I placing too much faith in his ability to act on a rational basis? (Yes.)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:05 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Why did Trump allow this to happen? Does he think the consequences of firing Mueller would be worse than Mueller getting to the bottom of his campaign's Russian connections? Does he simply have supreme confidence in his ability to talk his way out of this situation? Does he merely intend to wait for indictments before pardoning everyone? Am I placing too much faith in his ability to act on a rational basis? (Yes.)
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:05 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Anyone who doesn't think the Russian government interfered to Trump's benefit is of course seriously mistaken. And if you include the DNC hack, ensuing emails, and their effects via the news reporting and Comey stuff, then the interference not only could have affected the outcome (which in itself is a very low threshold, since literally hundreds of factors influence an outcome when it's that close), but probably significantly affected vote totals (since the estimated effect for just the Comey letter is 1-2 points).
But it's also an open, interesting, and entirely separate question whether the IRA and other specifically social media interventions actually had a measurable effect on the vote totals. This has nothing to do with minimizing the Russian interference, downplaying the investigation, exculpating anyone from collusion, etc, and insofar as the debate here is around the political implications of debating the IRA effect size, this is a separate issue. But it does matter to anyone who is (a) interested in campaign effect sizes, especially social media campaigns, and (b) is interested in the baseline Trump vote absent the Russian boost, either for a retrospective understanding of 2016, or a forward-looking model of 2018 or 2020 under the (hopefully not too optimistic) assumption that Russian state interference will be lessened then.
And lots of professional folks who have no interest in either boosting or undercutting the investigation are currently very interested in this empirical question. For instance, Nate Silver, who has no leftist bone in his body, discussed how to guess the social-media-interference effect size last week. I know that many political scientists are also interested in this question, and like Silver, most think that (a) the social media interference might have swung the election because when it's that close, anything could have, but (b) it is unlikely to have swayed very many votes, probably statistically indistinguishable from noise. And of course the reason is that there is a vast literature showing that advertising, speeches, campaign materials, and social media have almost no discernible effect on anything at the national scale. By all accounts, the Russian social media operation was huge and sophisticated -- the size of a moderately-large SuperPAC. But at less than 1% of campaign activity (by spending or staff levels), it is very unlikely it made a significant percentage difference in the electoral outcome, particularly given that even 100% of campaign activity has almost no effect (though again, it may have flipped the election, because anything and everything may have). It's of course always possible that the Russian state actors finally hit on the formula for producing big effects from social media interference, but the general feeling among professionals is that these sorts of claims (eg, by Cambridge Analytica) are almost always overblown when you dig into them, and in the general din of social media it is very hard to empirically show significant national-scale effects for anything.
Anyway, whichever way you think it goes, it's an open empirical question that lots of professionals are actively interested in, and while obviously the time to explore the question is ideally not in the context of folks who may be using the issue to attack the Mueller investigation, it remains worth thinking about, because it has important implications for how we understand campaigns, social media, 2016, and strategies for 2018 and 2020.
posted by chortly at 11:12 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
But it's also an open, interesting, and entirely separate question whether the IRA and other specifically social media interventions actually had a measurable effect on the vote totals. This has nothing to do with minimizing the Russian interference, downplaying the investigation, exculpating anyone from collusion, etc, and insofar as the debate here is around the political implications of debating the IRA effect size, this is a separate issue. But it does matter to anyone who is (a) interested in campaign effect sizes, especially social media campaigns, and (b) is interested in the baseline Trump vote absent the Russian boost, either for a retrospective understanding of 2016, or a forward-looking model of 2018 or 2020 under the (hopefully not too optimistic) assumption that Russian state interference will be lessened then.
And lots of professional folks who have no interest in either boosting or undercutting the investigation are currently very interested in this empirical question. For instance, Nate Silver, who has no leftist bone in his body, discussed how to guess the social-media-interference effect size last week. I know that many political scientists are also interested in this question, and like Silver, most think that (a) the social media interference might have swung the election because when it's that close, anything could have, but (b) it is unlikely to have swayed very many votes, probably statistically indistinguishable from noise. And of course the reason is that there is a vast literature showing that advertising, speeches, campaign materials, and social media have almost no discernible effect on anything at the national scale. By all accounts, the Russian social media operation was huge and sophisticated -- the size of a moderately-large SuperPAC. But at less than 1% of campaign activity (by spending or staff levels), it is very unlikely it made a significant percentage difference in the electoral outcome, particularly given that even 100% of campaign activity has almost no effect (though again, it may have flipped the election, because anything and everything may have). It's of course always possible that the Russian state actors finally hit on the formula for producing big effects from social media interference, but the general feeling among professionals is that these sorts of claims (eg, by Cambridge Analytica) are almost always overblown when you dig into them, and in the general din of social media it is very hard to empirically show significant national-scale effects for anything.
Anyway, whichever way you think it goes, it's an open empirical question that lots of professionals are actively interested in, and while obviously the time to explore the question is ideally not in the context of folks who may be using the issue to attack the Mueller investigation, it remains worth thinking about, because it has important implications for how we understand campaigns, social media, 2016, and strategies for 2018 and 2020.
posted by chortly at 11:12 AM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
Why did Trump allow this to happen? Does he think the consequences of firing Mueller would be worse than Mueller getting to the bottom of his campaign's Russian connections? Does he simply have supreme confidence in his ability to talk his way out of this situation? Does he merely intend to wait for indictments before pardoning everyone? Am I placing too much faith in his ability to act on a rational basis?
i think the image you have to keep in your mind is that several times a week, trump says "that's it, i'm gonna shitcan mueller" and then there is a montage of every member of his family and the white house staff running towards him in slow motion shouting NOOOOOO and then they dogpile on him eight feet deep until the impulse passes
posted by murphy slaw at 11:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
i think the image you have to keep in your mind is that several times a week, trump says "that's it, i'm gonna shitcan mueller" and then there is a montage of every member of his family and the white house staff running towards him in slow motion shouting NOOOOOO and then they dogpile on him eight feet deep until the impulse passes
posted by murphy slaw at 11:13 AM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
That day was February 1, just 3 weeks ago, in the middle of negotiations with Mueller's team about a plea.
NYC Southpaw @nycsouthpaw notes, "The header indicates the criminal information was filed February 2nd, one day after Gates’ alleged false statement to the Special Counsel (and a day after his defense team withdrew), but not assigned until today."
Also, the Daily Beast's Betsy Woodruff @woodruffbets admits, "Even good sources can sometimes lead you in the wrong direction. Here's the corrected story: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ex-trump-staffer-rick-gates-russia-probe"
(It would be very interesting to learn exactly who her source was and what motives they'd have for steering her to an incorrect conclusion about Gates's ongoing story.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:15 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
NYC Southpaw @nycsouthpaw notes, "The header indicates the criminal information was filed February 2nd, one day after Gates’ alleged false statement to the Special Counsel (and a day after his defense team withdrew), but not assigned until today."
Also, the Daily Beast's Betsy Woodruff @woodruffbets admits, "Even good sources can sometimes lead you in the wrong direction. Here's the corrected story: https://www.thedailybeast.com/ex-trump-staffer-rick-gates-russia-probe"
(It would be very interesting to learn exactly who her source was and what motives they'd have for steering her to an incorrect conclusion about Gates's ongoing story.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 11:15 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
A touch random but someone said something about Illinois and the governor's race and I just want to mention that longtime friend of John Green and mathematician (finished his PhD at MIT at the age of 25) Daniel Biss is running on the Democratic ticket and I think that's pretty rad. I'm in PA but still, good luck to him!
posted by lazaruslong at 11:15 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by lazaruslong at 11:15 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Has it been established whether the Internet Research Agency's work itself benefited from the content of hacked Democratic emails and campaign data? Perhaps their ads were able to be unusually well-targeted due to this benefit.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:16 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:16 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
IL gov: Polling has been a bit all over the place, but the consensus is that Pritzker is in first, maybe 5 points ahead of both Biss and Kennedy.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:20 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:20 AM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
I just spent a fruitless 15 minutes on google to see if "Putin's chef" (the oligarch who owns the Internet Research Agency) had any obvious business dealings with TrumpCo (his catering company runs a chocolate museum!), and it occured to me that someone must have tried to run down any business links between TrumpCo and the List of Sanctioned Oligarchs, and lo, Newsweek did back in January, but it's all kinda meh:
The heads of two Russian state gas and oil companies, Alexey Miller at Gazprom and Igor Sechin at Rosneft, are both on the list. The controversial Russia dossier compiled by former British intelligence officer Christopher Steele alleges that former Trump foreign policy adviser Carter Page met with Sechin during a trip to Russia during the 2016 presidential campaign. Page later admitted to meeting with Rosneft representatives during the trip.posted by notyou at 11:21 AM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
Roman Abramovich, a Russian billionaire and owner of the Chelsea Football Club, is also among the oligarchs on the Treasury Department’s list. Abramovich is known to be a close friend of Trump's daughter Ivanka and her husband, Jared Kushner. In 2014, the Kushners spent four days in Russia after Abramovich's wife, Dasha Zhukova, invited them.
Billionaire Oleg Deripaska is also on the list. An aluminum magnate, he has sued former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort and his business partner Rick Gates for over $25 million in damages for allegedly stealing $1.1 million from his company.
Manafort allegedly offered to provide Deripaska with personal briefings about the 2016 presidential campaign. The two men have business ties going back decades, despite the fact that Deripaska was repeatedly denied a U.S. visa due to alleged links with organized crime.
Another figure on the oligarch list is Dmitry Rybolovlev, the president of the Monaco football club, who paid Trump $95 million for a beachfront mansion in Florida in 2008. The price was more than double what Trump paid for the house four years earlier, and Rybolovlev had never visited the property before he bought it.
It's hard for me to understand why Trump hasn't already fired Mueller.
I think even Trump (or at least his handlers) realizes that would be the last straw for a lot of Americans.
I asked my mild-mannered accounting department coworkers a while back, "If Trump fires Mueller then we riot, right?" and they all agreed "YES!" complete with raised fists. We'll just explain our absence that day as "attending a department team-building exercise."
You can preregister for your local contingency protest here.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:28 AM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
I think even Trump (or at least his handlers) realizes that would be the last straw for a lot of Americans.
I asked my mild-mannered accounting department coworkers a while back, "If Trump fires Mueller then we riot, right?" and they all agreed "YES!" complete with raised fists. We'll just explain our absence that day as "attending a department team-building exercise."
You can preregister for your local contingency protest here.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:28 AM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
rc3spencer: Scott endorses raising AR 15 age limit, and not arming teachers (sort of.)
martin q blank: This is Scott trying to save his Senate bid by doing the barest minimum in response to the shooting.
Except there's Al Hoffman Jr., a prominent Republican donor in Florida, who has very strong feelings about banning the sale of military-style firearms to civilians:
Chrysostom: A prominent Republican political donor demanded on Saturday that the party pass legislation to restrict access to guns, and vowed not to contribute to any candidates or electioneering groups that did not support a ban on the sale of military-style firearms to civilians. [...]
Mr. Hoffman announced his ultimatum in an email to half a dozen Republican leaders, including Jeb Bush and Gov. Rick Scott of Florida. He wrote in the email that he would not give money to Mr. Scott, who is considering a campaign for the Senate in 2018, or other Florida Republicans he has backed in the past, including Representative Brian Mast, if they did not support new gun legislation.
I wonder how the NRA will counter Al - will they step up their funding of candidates, or smear Mr. Hoffman? I somehow see the latter more likely, as the NRA is actually pretty cheap (or they've realized that they can buy a vote for less than $10,000 per senator or representative + a good NRA rating that makes for good publicity).
posted by filthy light thief at 11:29 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
martin q blank: This is Scott trying to save his Senate bid by doing the barest minimum in response to the shooting.
Except there's Al Hoffman Jr., a prominent Republican donor in Florida, who has very strong feelings about banning the sale of military-style firearms to civilians:
Chrysostom: A prominent Republican political donor demanded on Saturday that the party pass legislation to restrict access to guns, and vowed not to contribute to any candidates or electioneering groups that did not support a ban on the sale of military-style firearms to civilians. [...]
Mr. Hoffman announced his ultimatum in an email to half a dozen Republican leaders, including Jeb Bush and Gov. Rick Scott of Florida. He wrote in the email that he would not give money to Mr. Scott, who is considering a campaign for the Senate in 2018, or other Florida Republicans he has backed in the past, including Representative Brian Mast, if they did not support new gun legislation.
I wonder how the NRA will counter Al - will they step up their funding of candidates, or smear Mr. Hoffman? I somehow see the latter more likely, as the NRA is actually pretty cheap (or they've realized that they can buy a vote for less than $10,000 per senator or representative + a good NRA rating that makes for good publicity).
posted by filthy light thief at 11:29 AM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
the DNC hack, ensuing emails, and their effects via the news reporting
The DNC email hack seems to be easily conflated with the Clinton server investigation, enough that I really doubt the average voter was parsing the difference.
I think it's key to note the synergy between the two EMAILS!! issues.
The DNC hack -- which produced at most a risotto recipe -- was a huge nothingburger that would not have gotten the attention it did if it weren't for Her Emails.
At the same time, the dribble of risotto recipes and utterly banal emails did a brilliant job of whetting the public appetite, and indeed setting the expectation, that something was there with the server investigation, and that we'd see those emails any second now too. That Clinton was dirty, and the evidence would show up, since it had already had started to ...
I'm betting a timeline of DNC news and email releases would even show an effort to keep a steady stream of news coming. There's a reason they didn't dump those emails in April. That was strategic maneuvering, and I don't doubt that its direction came from, what did Hillary call it, the highest levels of the Kremlin.
posted by Dashy at 11:35 AM on February 23, 2018 [23 favorites]
The DNC email hack seems to be easily conflated with the Clinton server investigation, enough that I really doubt the average voter was parsing the difference.
I think it's key to note the synergy between the two EMAILS!! issues.
The DNC hack -- which produced at most a risotto recipe -- was a huge nothingburger that would not have gotten the attention it did if it weren't for Her Emails.
At the same time, the dribble of risotto recipes and utterly banal emails did a brilliant job of whetting the public appetite, and indeed setting the expectation, that something was there with the server investigation, and that we'd see those emails any second now too. That Clinton was dirty, and the evidence would show up, since it had already had started to ...
I'm betting a timeline of DNC news and email releases would even show an effort to keep a steady stream of news coming. There's a reason they didn't dump those emails in April. That was strategic maneuvering, and I don't doubt that its direction came from, what did Hillary call it, the highest levels of the Kremlin.
posted by Dashy at 11:35 AM on February 23, 2018 [23 favorites]
Gates has for weeks been vacillating between fighting the charges and pleading guilty, and remained undecided through much of this week, according to the sources. Legal teams for President Trump and Manafort appeared to be unaware as late as Thursday about Gates’ intentions.[...]
This was a “gut-wrenching decision” for the 45-year-old former campaign official, a source familiar with his thinking told ABC News.
Wouldn't be gut wrenching if he didn't have some significant goods to give up. If he could get a deal without giving up much it would have been the easiest decision he could make.
posted by jason_steakums at 11:36 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
This was a “gut-wrenching decision” for the 45-year-old former campaign official, a source familiar with his thinking told ABC News.
Wouldn't be gut wrenching if he didn't have some significant goods to give up. If he could get a deal without giving up much it would have been the easiest decision he could make.
posted by jason_steakums at 11:36 AM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Politico, Trump directs Pentagon to schedule military parade for Veterans Day
posted by zachlipton at 11:38 AM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House-backed military parade are beginning to take shape.How is this real life?
The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
posted by zachlipton at 11:38 AM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
i guess the nice thing about november 11th as a date is that it will distract trump from lashing out after he sees his congressional majority evaporate?
posted by murphy slaw at 11:40 AM on February 23, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 11:40 AM on February 23, 2018 [10 favorites]
Will the parade be funded by the taxpayer, or have they secured sponsorship from Wonder Bread and Cirque de Soleil?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:41 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:41 AM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
Nothing says "thank you for your service" quite like taking away your vacation day..
posted by ocschwar at 11:42 AM on February 23, 2018 [108 favorites]
posted by ocschwar at 11:42 AM on February 23, 2018 [108 favorites]
The memo also said that the parade route should begin at the White House and end at the Capitol.
So the tanks can shell the Democrats.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:43 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
So the tanks can shell the Democrats.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:43 AM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Preview of Trump on the lead tank.
posted by kirkaracha at 11:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 11:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
November 11th is Armistice Day (even if the names have changed) in the Commonwealth. It celebrates "thank god the War--First World, originally, now all wars since -- is over". A dick-swinging military parade is exactly the opposite of what it's for.
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [55 favorites]
posted by Quindar Beep at 11:46 AM on February 23, 2018 [55 favorites]
Somebody said this in a previous thread, but I think the ideal sign for the parade protest is "We're sorry he's making you do this".
posted by J.K. Seazer at 11:47 AM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 11:47 AM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
@EamonJavers: Trump on his son in law: “Jared is truly outstanding.” Calls him an extraordinary deal maker. Calls the security clearance system “broken” and says whether or not to give Jared a waiver on his security clearance will be up to chief of staff John Kelly. “I won’t make that call.”
I don't think this is a position Kelly wants to be in, or should be in. We also just had a press conference in which Trump wasn't asked anything about Manafort or Gates; WTF?
posted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
I don't think this is a position Kelly wants to be in, or should be in. We also just had a press conference in which Trump wasn't asked anything about Manafort or Gates; WTF?
posted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
Oh, and whatever the fuck this is happened. @gabriellahope_: Asked about newest sanctions against NoKo, @POTUS says: “If the sanctions don’t work we’ll have to go to Phase 2. Phase 2 maybe a very rough thing. May be very, very unfortunate for the world."
posted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on February 23, 2018 [45 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:48 AM on February 23, 2018 [45 favorites]
We also just had a press conference in which Trump wasn't asked anything about Manafort or Gates; WTF?
He only took questions from OANN (between Fox News and Infowars in insanity level) and the Washington Examiner before leaving to a chorus of shouts about Manafort/Gates. I wouldn't blame the pool for this one.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [34 favorites]
He only took questions from OANN (between Fox News and Infowars in insanity level) and the Washington Examiner before leaving to a chorus of shouts about Manafort/Gates. I wouldn't blame the pool for this one.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:51 AM on February 23, 2018 [34 favorites]
"Phase 2 maybe a very rough thing. May be very, very unfortunate for the world."
Nice world you have there. Shame if something happened to it.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:52 AM on February 23, 2018 [34 favorites]
Nice world you have there. Shame if something happened to it.
posted by uncleozzy at 11:52 AM on February 23, 2018 [34 favorites]
"VOTE HARLEY ROUDA -- PISS OFF PUTIN"
Harley not holding back against Rohrabacher.
posted by chris24 at 11:56 AM on February 23, 2018 [44 favorites]
Harley not holding back against Rohrabacher.
posted by chris24 at 11:56 AM on February 23, 2018 [44 favorites]
Manafort on Gates: "Notwithstanding that Rick Gates pled today, I continue to maintain my innocence. I had hoped and expected my business colleague would have had the strength to continue the battle to prove our innocence. For reasons yet to surface he chose to do otherwise. This does not alter my commitment to defend myself against the untrue piled up charges contained in the indictments against me."
haha, he said "piled up charges"
that just means "a lot of charges"
he really should have said trumped up ...
on second thoughts maybe piled up is better
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:57 AM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
haha, he said "piled up charges"
that just means "a lot of charges"
he really should have said trumped up ...
on second thoughts maybe piled up is better
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:57 AM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
Calls the security clearance system “broken” and says whether or not to give Jared a waiver on his security clearance will be up to chief of staff John Kelly. “I won’t make that call.”
Yes by all means let's delegate the security clearance system from the executive to an unelected person with zero experience, that's much better
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yes by all means let's delegate the security clearance system from the executive to an unelected person with zero experience, that's much better
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Politico:
In response to last week’s deadly shooting in Florida, two prominent gun safety groups are joining with Tom Steyer, the Democratic billionaire activist, in a push ahead of the midterm elections to register high school students to vote around gun issues.posted by Chrysostom at 11:59 AM on February 23, 2018 [53 favorites]
Steyer’s NextGen America group is working with Giffords — the group founded by former Arizona Rep. Gabby Giffords and her husband, Mark Kelly, after she was shot in 2011 — and Everytown for Gun Safety, founded by former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The effort is kicking off with a $1 million donation from Steyer.
Trump just read The Snake at CPAC and made explicity clear four or five times that the snake and immigrants are the same thing, in case anyone was confused
Toronto Star's Daniel Dale @ddale8 (who's been performing heroically with his reporting from CPAC) notes: "CPAC gives a standing ovation to Trump's reading of The Snake."
Incidentally Trump was supposed to leave CPAC at 10:50 this morning, but instead he powered through his address for about another three-quarters of an hour, soaking up the applause in what his most extremist rally speech since his acceptance as presidential candidate at the RNC in 2016. He also lead the crowd in chanting "Lock her up!" against his former presidential campaign opponent and in booing a sitting senator over his healthcare vote last summer, revelling in the ritual humiliation of Clinton and McCain. All this happened while in D.C., the third member of his presidential campaign plead guilty in the Russian interference probe.
Whenever Trump's under attack and feeling insecure, he instinctively looks for approval from his most radical supporters, whether his Twitter followers or his rally crowds, who then cheer on his upping the ante in extremism. It's a terrifying vicious circle in US politics.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:02 PM on February 23, 2018 [61 favorites]
Toronto Star's Daniel Dale @ddale8 (who's been performing heroically with his reporting from CPAC) notes: "CPAC gives a standing ovation to Trump's reading of The Snake."
Incidentally Trump was supposed to leave CPAC at 10:50 this morning, but instead he powered through his address for about another three-quarters of an hour, soaking up the applause in what his most extremist rally speech since his acceptance as presidential candidate at the RNC in 2016. He also lead the crowd in chanting "Lock her up!" against his former presidential campaign opponent and in booing a sitting senator over his healthcare vote last summer, revelling in the ritual humiliation of Clinton and McCain. All this happened while in D.C., the third member of his presidential campaign plead guilty in the Russian interference probe.
Whenever Trump's under attack and feeling insecure, he instinctively looks for approval from his most radical supporters, whether his Twitter followers or his rally crowds, who then cheer on his upping the ante in extremism. It's a terrifying vicious circle in US politics.
posted by Doktor Zed at 12:02 PM on February 23, 2018 [61 favorites]
The NRA gave an award to Ajit Pai solely for being a monster. It's a liberal-tears bounty system and a clear sign that they don't actually care about guns as anything but a source of income: the ultimate product they manufacture is domination and cruelty.
The Hill: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai received the National Rifle Association's (NRA) “Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award” at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
The NRA-sponsored award was given to Pai in recognition of months of heavy criticism over his successful push to repeal the agency’s net neutrality rules. Pai led the push to repeal the rules, which were overwhelmingly supported by the public, in December.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [43 favorites]
The Hill: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai received the National Rifle Association's (NRA) “Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award” at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
The NRA-sponsored award was given to Pai in recognition of months of heavy criticism over his successful push to repeal the agency’s net neutrality rules. Pai led the push to repeal the rules, which were overwhelmingly supported by the public, in December.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [43 favorites]
whether or not to give Jared a waiver on his security clearance will be up to chief of staff John Kelly. “I won’t make that call.”
i wonder if the white house would accept delivery of an engraved desk plaque reading "THE BUCK STOPS … LOOK OVER THERE!"
posted by murphy slaw at 12:06 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
i wonder if the white house would accept delivery of an engraved desk plaque reading "THE BUCK STOPS … LOOK OVER THERE!"
posted by murphy slaw at 12:06 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Also at CPAC, here's a flier they were handing out for The Man Who Invented E-Mail, who is now running as an independent against Elizabeth Warren in Massachusetts, because the MA Republican party wasn't sufficiently right wing for him.
posted by adamg at 12:06 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by adamg at 12:06 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Sarah Chadwick, Parkland student and boss of the sick burn:
We should change the names of AR-15s to “Marco Rubio” because they are so easy to buy.posted by FelliniBlank at 12:26 PM on February 23, 2018 [124 favorites]
Weirdly, Laura Ingraham quote-tweeted her as if it was an own?
HOW TEENS SPEAK TO AND ABT ADULTS: “We shd change the names of AR-15s to ‘Marco Rubio’ bc they are so easy to buy,” Stoneman Douglas sophomore Sarah Chadwick tweeted.
Sure, go after the grieving kid who's putting forth coherent policy recommendations and sharp wit with a "these kids today" tone argument, I'm sure that's a winner.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:35 PM on February 23, 2018 [24 favorites]
HOW TEENS SPEAK TO AND ABT ADULTS: “We shd change the names of AR-15s to ‘Marco Rubio’ bc they are so easy to buy,” Stoneman Douglas sophomore Sarah Chadwick tweeted.
Sure, go after the grieving kid who's putting forth coherent policy recommendations and sharp wit with a "these kids today" tone argument, I'm sure that's a winner.
posted by murphy slaw at 12:35 PM on February 23, 2018 [24 favorites]
Post-Dispatch walks through how the impeachment of indicted MO governor Greitens would work. It's a little different than in most states.
posted by Chrysostom at 12:36 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 12:36 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
HOW TEENS SPEAK TO AND ABT ADULTS
you literally just compared all persons who hold a particular political affiliation to an infectious disease which has considerable social stigma attached to it, but sure, go ahead, chide The Teens for being totes inappropes, i guess
posted by halation at 12:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [66 favorites]
you literally just compared all persons who hold a particular political affiliation to an infectious disease which has considerable social stigma attached to it, but sure, go ahead, chide The Teens for being totes inappropes, i guess
posted by halation at 12:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [66 favorites]
I'm just glad no-one at Fox News or in the White House accuses politicians of being easy to buy. That could be a bad influence on the TEENS.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Can someone enlighten me: do just angry old white men listen to LI? Because I'm trying and failing to see any other demographic that wouldn't recognize that Marco Rubio/AR-15/ease of own thing was brilliant and should be tweeted hither and yon
posted by angrycat at 1:00 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by angrycat at 1:00 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
President Donald Trump’s plans for a White House-backed military parade are beginning to take shape.
The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
So who's gonna stand in front of the first tank with their groceries?
That'd make one hell of a visual.
Even better when you get hauled away and arrested.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:00 PM on February 23, 2018 [22 favorites]
The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster.
So who's gonna stand in front of the first tank with their groceries?
That'd make one hell of a visual.
Even better when you get hauled away and arrested.
posted by leotrotsky at 1:00 PM on February 23, 2018 [22 favorites]
@lauren_hoggs
Hey @FLOTUS you say that your mission as First Lady is to stop cyber bullying, well then, don’t you think it would have been smart to have a convo with your step-son @DonaldJTrumpJr before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory which in turn put a target on my back & created a safe space for people all over the world to call me and my family horrific things that constantly re-victimizes us and our community. I’m 14 I should never have had to deal with any of this and even though I thought it couldn’t get worse it has because of your family.
---
@ASankin
Adult political figures trying beat teens at Twitter owns is the social media equivalent of getting involved in a land war in Asia.
posted by chris24 at 1:01 PM on February 23, 2018 [186 favorites]
Hey @FLOTUS you say that your mission as First Lady is to stop cyber bullying, well then, don’t you think it would have been smart to have a convo with your step-son @DonaldJTrumpJr before he liked a post about a false conspiracy theory which in turn put a target on my back & created a safe space for people all over the world to call me and my family horrific things that constantly re-victimizes us and our community. I’m 14 I should never have had to deal with any of this and even though I thought it couldn’t get worse it has because of your family.
---
@ASankin
Adult political figures trying beat teens at Twitter owns is the social media equivalent of getting involved in a land war in Asia.
posted by chris24 at 1:01 PM on February 23, 2018 [186 favorites]
> specifically about a meeting discussing Ukraine in early 2013 that was attended by Manafort, an unnamed lobbyist, and an unnamed member of Congress.
Hint: begins with Dan and ends with aRohrabacher
Ding ding!
LA Times: Gates Plea In Russia Investigation Centers On Meeting With California Congressman
So, yeah, "reminisced and talked mostly about politics."
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:03 PM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
Hint: begins with Dan and ends with aRohrabacher
Ding ding!
LA Times: Gates Plea In Russia Investigation Centers On Meeting With California Congressman
Rohrabacher, who is traveling overseas, declined to speak with a Los Angeles Times reporter who reached him on his cellphone. Instead, he directed questions to his spokesman, a change in his usual interaction with the press."Weber" presumably refers to Vin Weber, a lobbyist at the Mercury Group and former GOP Minnesota congressman who was caught writing bad checks in the House banking scandal of 1992. Shortly before Manafort left the Trump campaign, he told Yahoo News's Michael Isikoff, that in 2012 Manafort personally recruited him in a $2.2 million campaign aimed at influencing U.S. policy toward Ukraine but refused to tell him who was behind the effort.
“I can’t do any interviews off the cuff,” he said before hanging up.[...]
Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs said the subject of Ukraine only came up “in passing” because the men “reminisced and talked mostly about politics.”
“As the congressman has acknowledged before, the meeting was a dinner with two longtime acquaintances - Manafort and Weber - from back in his White House and early congressional days,” Grubbs said in an email. “It is no secret that Manafort represented [Ukrainian political leader] Viktor Yanukovych's interests, but as chairman of the relevant European subcommittee, the congressman has listened to all points of view on Ukraine. We may only speculate that Manafort needed to report back to his client that Ukraine was discussed.”
So, yeah, "reminisced and talked mostly about politics."
posted by Doktor Zed at 1:03 PM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs
Dana must have shuffled through quite a pile of applications to find the perfect name for his new Vile Goon Lackey position.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:09 PM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]
Dana must have shuffled through quite a pile of applications to find the perfect name for his new Vile Goon Lackey position.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:09 PM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]
In case there was ever any doubt what the base wants:
@PhilipWegmann: Speaker talking about the beauty of naturalization ceremonies draws loud, sustained booing at CPAC.
On a related note, I realize we've had a huge tragedy in the meantime, but the fact that the Senate kinda tried for three whole days on DACA, gave up, went home, and now we just don't talk about that anymore is a national disgrace.
posted by zachlipton at 1:10 PM on February 23, 2018 [80 favorites]
@PhilipWegmann: Speaker talking about the beauty of naturalization ceremonies draws loud, sustained booing at CPAC.
On a related note, I realize we've had a huge tragedy in the meantime, but the fact that the Senate kinda tried for three whole days on DACA, gave up, went home, and now we just don't talk about that anymore is a national disgrace.
posted by zachlipton at 1:10 PM on February 23, 2018 [80 favorites]
Mueller is about to take a big step closer to Trump (Philip Bump | WaPo)
Remember that Mueller’s mandate isn’t only to suss out what Russian interference in 2016 looked like. It’s specifically to determine the answer to the question first prompted by Papadopoulos: Did anyone from Trump’s campaign help? While Gates was involved in the campaign more directly than Papadopoulos — he was deputy chairman — his work almost certainly paled next to how significant Manafort’s was.posted by Barack Spinoza at 1:12 PM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
That’s the clear utility for Mueller in Gates cooperating. Gates was privy to a big chunk of Manafort’s financial transactions that are being questioned by prosecutors, and his willingness to aid their cause makes it much, much more possible that they’ll be able to convict Manafort. Just as the admission of guilt by that attorney, Alex van der Zwaan, may have made it more possible that Gates would be convicted, upping the pressure on him to flip, knowing that Gates would take the witness stand against him would give Manafort a lot of incentive to figure out a deal with Mueller’s team, too.
And getting Manafort to agree to cooperate would be huge. Save flipping a member of Trump’s family, like son-in-law Jared Kushner, there are few people who were higher in the Trump campaign infrastructure during 2016. Manafort is much more likely to be aware of efforts to shift the direction of the campaign, including any ways in which those shifts crossed ethical or legal lines.
We hasten to note that there is no public evidence at this time that Trump campaign staff directly sought to aid Russian interference efforts. But significant moments at which the campaign drifted close to that point involve Manafort directly.
... With Gates cooperating, Mueller’s team gains important leverage over someone who certainly can answer a number of outstanding questions about the campaign and the people working on it. It’s still very much the case that Trump himself may never be implicated in aiding the Russian effort and exonerated of having had any knowledge about it. But Manafort is one of the few people who might know what Trump knew — or Manafort might be able to himself put pressure on people, like Kushner or Trump Jr., who are even closer to the president.
“Collusion” has not been proved. Manafort is innocent until proved guilty. But moving Gates from hostile to friendly certainly puts a lot more pressure on Trump and his senior team than existed 24 hours ago.
Circling back for a second to the "lock her up" chants at CPAC....
It reminds me of this interview with Luke Harding:
"GROSS: Now, you mentioned that after Viktor Yanukovych won the presidency in Ukraine, and his campaign was managed by Paul Manafort, Yanukovych imprisoned his opponent, Tymoshenko. And that seems to be almost like an echo of the Trump campaign - people saying, lock her up, lock her up, about Hillary.
HARDING: Yeah. I mean, there are some astonishing parallels between what happened in Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych between 2010, let's say, and 2014, when the country kind of fell into war and what's been happening into sort of 2016 and - first of all, this - the lock her up - Yanukovych actually really did lock up Yulia Tymoshenko.
She spent several years in jail. She was persecuted, harassed. And I think Yanukovych's people would say, well, she did bad things. She stole money in the 1990s. Frankly, every Ukrainian politician from the '90s, almost, has stolen money. So it looked very much like a case of selective justice and kind of political repression. And, of course, we had this kind of motif throughout 2016.
I remember vividly watching Michael Flynn addressing the Republican convention in Cleveland, looking really sober and serious, saying, you know, lock her up, lock her up; if I had done the tenth of the things that Hillary had done - well, of course, now we know that Flynn was secretly on Moscow's payroll, hadn't declared that, hadn't declared much else. But first, the desire for vengeance to lock up your particular political opponents is very kind of former Soviet Union. "
Rick Gates' associate Alex Van Der Zwaan helped write the legal documents under which Tymoshenko was imprisoned. Mueller just indicted him for lying about these events, and he pled guilty. And now so has Gates... So we may get to hear some testimony about the role of Manafort in that story.
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:14 PM on February 23, 2018 [49 favorites]
It reminds me of this interview with Luke Harding:
"GROSS: Now, you mentioned that after Viktor Yanukovych won the presidency in Ukraine, and his campaign was managed by Paul Manafort, Yanukovych imprisoned his opponent, Tymoshenko. And that seems to be almost like an echo of the Trump campaign - people saying, lock her up, lock her up, about Hillary.
HARDING: Yeah. I mean, there are some astonishing parallels between what happened in Ukraine under Viktor Yanukovych between 2010, let's say, and 2014, when the country kind of fell into war and what's been happening into sort of 2016 and - first of all, this - the lock her up - Yanukovych actually really did lock up Yulia Tymoshenko.
She spent several years in jail. She was persecuted, harassed. And I think Yanukovych's people would say, well, she did bad things. She stole money in the 1990s. Frankly, every Ukrainian politician from the '90s, almost, has stolen money. So it looked very much like a case of selective justice and kind of political repression. And, of course, we had this kind of motif throughout 2016.
I remember vividly watching Michael Flynn addressing the Republican convention in Cleveland, looking really sober and serious, saying, you know, lock her up, lock her up; if I had done the tenth of the things that Hillary had done - well, of course, now we know that Flynn was secretly on Moscow's payroll, hadn't declared that, hadn't declared much else. But first, the desire for vengeance to lock up your particular political opponents is very kind of former Soviet Union. "
Rick Gates' associate Alex Van Der Zwaan helped write the legal documents under which Tymoshenko was imprisoned. Mueller just indicted him for lying about these events, and he pled guilty. And now so has Gates... So we may get to hear some testimony about the role of Manafort in that story.
posted by OnceUponATime at 1:14 PM on February 23, 2018 [49 favorites]
Uhhhh. CNBC, Christina Wilkie, RNC started paying Trump campaign's rent at Trump Tower after it stopped covering Trump's legal bills for Russia probe
posted by zachlipton at 1:19 PM on February 23, 2018 [61 favorites]
Soon after the Republican National Committee came under pressure for paying legal bills for President Donald Trump and his eldest son in the special counsel's Russia probe, it started covering expenses for the president's re-election campaign.The RNC decided to stop using its legal defense fund to pay for Dowd, Sekulow, and Trump Jr's lawyers, and then just randomly thought that was a good time to start paying rent into the President's pocket.
The RNC is using campaign funds to pay Trump's company more than $37,000 a month in rent, and to pay thousands of dollars in monthly salary to Vice President Mike Pence's nephew, John Pence, party officials confirmed this week. The rent pays for office space in the Trump Tower in New York for the staff of Trump's re-election campaign. John Pence is the Trump campaign's deputy executive director.
Campaign finance experts who spoke to CNBC said this type of spending by a party committee on behalf of a campaign is highly unusual but legal, and it appears the RNC disclosed it correctly.
"This is permissible and it's being reported properly, but why they are doing it is a mystery," said Brendan Fischer, senior counsel for the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center. "One would think the RNC could be spending their money more effectively right now on the 2018 campaign, rather than spending it to pay Trump's rent."
posted by zachlipton at 1:19 PM on February 23, 2018 [61 favorites]
But let's be honest here, the demographic donating to the RNC who don't expect that money to go directly into Trump's pocket must be a small demographic indeed.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:22 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:22 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
"This is permissible and it's being reported properly, but why they are doing it is a mystery"
that word, i do not think it means what you think it means
posted by murphy slaw at 1:28 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
that word, i do not think it means what you think it means
posted by murphy slaw at 1:28 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Mueller got the grand jury to return another superseding indictment against Manafort on February 16th, with a judge ordering it to be unsealed today. We're still awaiting that document, but suffice it to say that Manafort is one extremely indicted man.
Now that he has Gates cooperating, Mueller may be willing to put more of his cards on the table against Manafort.
posted by zachlipton at 1:31 PM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
Now that he has Gates cooperating, Mueller may be willing to put more of his cards on the table against Manafort.
posted by zachlipton at 1:31 PM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
And getting Manafort to agree to cooperate would be huge
I mean...I think if he cooperates, he dies? Like literally is murdered. Or lives in fear of something happening to his family. Forever.
Idk man, I think they have a better chance of flipping Jared. It would fit the stupid Shakespeare theme.
posted by schadenfrau at 1:38 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
I mean...I think if he cooperates, he dies? Like literally is murdered. Or lives in fear of something happening to his family. Forever.
Idk man, I think they have a better chance of flipping Jared. It would fit the stupid Shakespeare theme.
posted by schadenfrau at 1:38 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Now that he has Gates cooperating, Mueller may be willing to put more of his cards on the table against Manafort.
Doesn't seem like it (yet) - @ZoeTillman:
Ok, we have the new superseding indictment against manafort: it lodges many of the same charges as the original Oct indictment but removes charges against Gates. And it removes four counts against Manafort for failure to report foreign bank accounts.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:39 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Doesn't seem like it (yet) - @ZoeTillman:
Ok, we have the new superseding indictment against manafort: it lodges many of the same charges as the original Oct indictment but removes charges against Gates. And it removes four counts against Manafort for failure to report foreign bank accounts.
posted by Exceptional_Hubris at 1:39 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
I mean...I think if he cooperates, he dies? Like literally is murdered. Or lives in fear of something happening to his family. Forever.
Idk man, I think they have a better chance of flipping Jared.
Letting everyone see what happens to Manafort may well be the strategic play, here. Like you, I don't see how he gets out of this. Others, who may still be able to get out, may find that outcome... motivating.
posted by halation at 1:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Idk man, I think they have a better chance of flipping Jared.
Letting everyone see what happens to Manafort may well be the strategic play, here. Like you, I don't see how he gets out of this. Others, who may still be able to get out, may find that outcome... motivating.
posted by halation at 1:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
It would fit the stupid Shakespeare theme.
It can always fit that theme. After Manafort/Gates are drained, Jared will still be hanging around and available to sacrifice.
I like to think that Jared's endgame is trading Trump for his dad.
posted by rhizome at 1:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
It can always fit that theme. After Manafort/Gates are drained, Jared will still be hanging around and available to sacrifice.
I like to think that Jared's endgame is trading Trump for his dad.
posted by rhizome at 1:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
Rohrabacher was on Trump's shortlist for Secretary of State, only to be passed over for someone else with deep ties to Russia.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:45 PM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:45 PM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
It would fit the stupid Shakespeare theme.
It can always fit that theme. After Manafort/Gates are drained, Jared will still be hanging around and available to sacrifice.
Today's Stupid King Lear is tomorrow's Stupid Titus Andronicus.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:46 PM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
It can always fit that theme. After Manafort/Gates are drained, Jared will still be hanging around and available to sacrifice.
Today's Stupid King Lear is tomorrow's Stupid Titus Andronicus.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:46 PM on February 23, 2018 [30 favorites]
Day 3 of Texas early voting, 15 largest counties:
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 105,177 / 98,291 / 61,282
GOP: 99,224 / 118,048 / 98,679
posted by Chrysostom at 1:48 PM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 105,177 / 98,291 / 61,282
GOP: 99,224 / 118,048 / 98,679
posted by Chrysostom at 1:48 PM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
John Pence is the Trump campaign's deputy executive director.
Oooh, so now the Pences are in as well. That's nice
posted by mumimor at 1:48 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Oooh, so now the Pences are in as well. That's nice
posted by mumimor at 1:48 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'm not so sure Manafort is under the death risk people think. The partisan insanity and battle over impeachment seems something Putin would sit back and enjoy. He has no loyalty to Trump, he just wants to fuck up and diminish the US. What better way than that chaos? It's not like we're going to find out things we don't know or suspect about Russian involvement. We'd just be confirming suspicions about Trump.
posted by chris24 at 1:53 PM on February 23, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 1:53 PM on February 23, 2018 [21 favorites]
The president has directed the Department of Defense to organize a parade that would take place on Nov. 11 – Veterans Day – according to an unclassified Feb. 20 memo written by National Security Adviser H.R. McMaster
Oh my god, they are basically treating him like a six year old who can send people to the cornfield.
DC has always had a Veterans Day parade, and it has always included a lot of military equipment and soldiers.
So the Pentagon is essentially being like "Oh yes, Mr President, you can have a NEW AND INNOVATIVE military parade on VETERANS DAY, no one has ever done that before, you are so mighty" and then just planning for an extra large of the thing they were already fucking doing as a harm mitigation technique, because they can't say 'this is dumb, we already have this and it is fine' lest the lack of happy thoughts be interpreted as a reason to do something terrible.
posted by corb at 1:53 PM on February 23, 2018 [73 favorites]
Oh my god, they are basically treating him like a six year old who can send people to the cornfield.
DC has always had a Veterans Day parade, and it has always included a lot of military equipment and soldiers.
So the Pentagon is essentially being like "Oh yes, Mr President, you can have a NEW AND INNOVATIVE military parade on VETERANS DAY, no one has ever done that before, you are so mighty" and then just planning for an extra large of the thing they were already fucking doing as a harm mitigation technique, because they can't say 'this is dumb, we already have this and it is fine' lest the lack of happy thoughts be interpreted as a reason to do something terrible.
posted by corb at 1:53 PM on February 23, 2018 [73 favorites]
So we may get to hear some testimony about the role of Manafort in that story.
Indeed, the indictment includes a discussion of the millions of dollars worth of work Manafort did in unregistered lobbying to attack Tymoshenko on behalf of Yanukovich and Ukraine's Ministry of Justice.
There are also new charges related to how he "secretly retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favorable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States," paying them millions to take pro-Ukraine positions. The effort was managed by "a former European Chancellor."
posted by zachlipton at 1:54 PM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
Indeed, the indictment includes a discussion of the millions of dollars worth of work Manafort did in unregistered lobbying to attack Tymoshenko on behalf of Yanukovich and Ukraine's Ministry of Justice.
There are also new charges related to how he "secretly retained a group of former senior European politicians to take positions favorable to Ukraine, including by lobbying in the United States," paying them millions to take pro-Ukraine positions. The effort was managed by "a former European Chancellor."
posted by zachlipton at 1:54 PM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ari Melber, MSNBC: Mueller filing NEW charges against Paul Manafort, connected to secret payments to former European politicians.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [35 favorites]
Oooh, so now the Pences are in as well. That's nice
Gates also worked closely with Pence for months on the transition, inauguration and post transition.
posted by chris24 at 1:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [12 favorites]
Gates also worked closely with Pence for months on the transition, inauguration and post transition.
posted by chris24 at 1:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [12 favorites]
The RNC is using campaign funds to pay Trump's company more than $37,000 a month in rent, and to pay thousands of dollars in monthly salary to Vice President Mike Pence's nephew, John Pence, party officials confirmed this week
The detailed version of the CNBC story reveals that Pence Jr. gets, in fact, $12,000 a month in salary from the RNC.
In case you read "thousands" and thought, oh, a few thousand a month, that's about what I earn, that's normal. They're just normal folks. All of this nepotism is perfectly normal, right?
posted by Dashy at 1:58 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
The detailed version of the CNBC story reveals that Pence Jr. gets, in fact, $12,000 a month in salary from the RNC.
In case you read "thousands" and thought, oh, a few thousand a month, that's about what I earn, that's normal. They're just normal folks. All of this nepotism is perfectly normal, right?
posted by Dashy at 1:58 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Jared is truly outstanding.
Jared and the Holograms
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Jared and the Holograms
posted by snuffleupagus at 1:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Hey, zachlipton, you holding up OK so far, buddy? You were pretty pre-Friday-ed out yesterday. We should really have stockpiles of electrolyte drinks, power bars, and hot towels on hand for these occasions.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [18 favorites]
The partisan insanity and battle over impeachment seems something Putin would sit back and enjoy. He has no loyalty to Trump, he just wants to fuck up and diminish the US.
I think there's something Putin wants even more than that: minimal sanctions on his friends. Allowing the Ｏｍｎｉｇａｔｅscandal to result in a emboldened political movement against Russian oligarchs would not be in Putin's interests.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:00 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
I think there's something Putin wants even more than that: minimal sanctions on his friends. Allowing the Ｏｍｎｉｇａｔｅscandal to result in a emboldened political movement against Russian oligarchs would not be in Putin's interests.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:00 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
And Girl Scout cookies.
From Caroline O: Per @NBCNews, Mueller has filed MORE charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort for allegedly paying off European politicians to take certain positions on Ukraine, "including by lobbying in the U.S."
These new charges could potentially tie Paul Manafort's alleged crimes to the change the Trump campaign made to the GOP platform in 2016 (softening language about arming Ukraine to defend against Russia).
That was the only change to the GOP platform requested by team Trump.
posted by Dashy at 2:01 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
From Caroline O: Per @NBCNews, Mueller has filed MORE charges against former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort for allegedly paying off European politicians to take certain positions on Ukraine, "including by lobbying in the U.S."
These new charges could potentially tie Paul Manafort's alleged crimes to the change the Trump campaign made to the GOP platform in 2016 (softening language about arming Ukraine to defend against Russia).
That was the only change to the GOP platform requested by team Trump.
posted by Dashy at 2:01 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
Holy fuck if Mueller's work starts bringing down the Nazi politicians in Europe, too? Daaaaamn.
I think Mueller knows as well as I do the identity of the courier shuffling data between his good friend Donald Trump and his good friend Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. This party ain't over until Nigel Farage is over.
If Mueller could have the Brexit vote declared invalid that would also be helpful, thanks
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [55 favorites]
I think Mueller knows as well as I do the identity of the courier shuffling data between his good friend Donald Trump and his good friend Julian Assange at the Ecuadorean Embassy in London. This party ain't over until Nigel Farage is over.
If Mueller could have the Brexit vote declared invalid that would also be helpful, thanks
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [55 favorites]
Texas continues to be surprising.
@gelliottmorris (The Economist new data guy, formerly of Pew and Decision Desk)
Early voting data from Texas is just bonkers. % change over 2014:
Democrats: ⬆️70%
Republicans: ⬇️8%
This is the first midterm since 2006 when Democrats are casting more early ballots than Republicans.
https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/earlyvoting/index.shtml
CHARTS
---
@joshchafetz (Cornell Law prof)
Replying to @gelliottmorris
Does voting surge in primaries correlate with increased vote share in the general?
@gelliottmorris
Replying to @joshchafetz
Yes sir
posted by chris24 at 2:12 PM on February 23, 2018 [43 favorites]
@gelliottmorris (The Economist new data guy, formerly of Pew and Decision Desk)
Early voting data from Texas is just bonkers. % change over 2014:
Democrats: ⬆️70%
Republicans: ⬇️8%
This is the first midterm since 2006 when Democrats are casting more early ballots than Republicans.
https://www.sos.state.tx.us/elections/earlyvoting/index.shtml
CHARTS
---
@joshchafetz (Cornell Law prof)
Replying to @gelliottmorris
Does voting surge in primaries correlate with increased vote share in the general?
@gelliottmorris
Replying to @joshchafetz
Yes sir
posted by chris24 at 2:12 PM on February 23, 2018 [43 favorites]
Ari Melber, MSNBC: Mueller filing NEW charges against Paul Manafort, connected to secret payments to former European politicians.
Here's Mueller's new indictment—and shit just got real.
Ari Melber @TheBeatWithAri:
Here's Mueller's new indictment—and shit just got real.
Ari Melber @TheBeatWithAri:
Breaking: New indictment against Paul Manafort in Mueller Russia probe:Here's the write-up by the Associated Press: Mueller files new charge against Paul Manafort
Count 1: Conspiracy against the United States
Count 2: Conspiracy to launder money
Count 3: Unregistered agent of a foreign principal
Count 4: False and misleading FARA statements
Count 5: False statements
Special counsel Robert Mueller is accusing President Donald Trump’s former campaign chairman of secretly paying former European politicians to lobby on behalf of Ukraine.posted by Doktor Zed at 2:13 PM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
The new allegation against Paul Manafort comes in a newly unsealed indictment made public Friday. The indictment followed a guilty plea by Manafort’s longtime business associate, Rick Gates.
The indictment accuses Manafort of paying the former politicians, informally known as the “Hapsburg group,” to appear to be “independent” analysts when in fact they were paid lobbyists. Some of the covert lobbying took place in the U.S.
The indictment says the group was managed by a former European chancellor. Court papers accuse Manafort of using offshore accounts to pay the group more than 2 million euros.
Manafort Left an Incriminating Paper Trail Because He Couldn’t Figure Out How to Convert PDFs to Word Files
The article itself is basically just puff around the juicy excerpt from yesterday's indictment:
The article itself is basically just puff around the juicy excerpt from yesterday's indictment:
Manafort and Gates made numerous false and fraudulent representations to secure the loans. For example, Manafort provided the bank with doctored [profit and loss statements] for [Davis Manafort Inc.] for both 2015 and 2016, overstating its income by millions of dollars. The doctored 2015 DMI P&L submitted to Lender D was the same false statement previously submitted to Lender C, which overstated DMI’s income by more than $4 million. The doctored 2016 DMI P&L was inflated by Manafort by more than $3.5 million. To create the false 2016 P&L, on or about October 21, 2016, Manafort emailed Gates a .pdf version of the real 2016 DMI P&L, which showed a loss of more than $600,000. Gates converted that .pdf into a “Word” document so that it could be edited, which Gates sent back to Manafort. Manafort altered that “Word” document by adding more than $3.5 million in income. He then sent this falsified P&L to Gates and asked that the “Word” document be converted back to a .pdf, which Gates did and returned to Manafort. Manafort then sent the falsified 2016 DMI P&L .pdf to Lender D.posted by J.K. Seazer at 2:13 PM on February 23, 2018 [31 favorites]
So, all in one week, Mueller has:
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:17 PM on February 23, 2018 [104 favorites]
Do not fuck with Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
- issued a massively expanded indictment against Gates and Manafort.
- secured a guilty plea from Gates, including an admission of the crime of lying to Mueller AFTER Flynn had ALREADY been forced to plead guilty to lying to Mueller.
- showered his divine blessings upon the cooperative Gates by issuing a massively reduced superseding indictment.
- showered his righteous fury upon the non-cooperating Manafort by issuing yet another massively expanded superseding indictment.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:17 PM on February 23, 2018 [104 favorites]
The effort was managed by "a former European Chancellor."
I'm guessing Gerhard Schröder. Google for "Schröder Putin" for details of their long relationship.
posted by Slothrup at 2:17 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
I'm guessing Gerhard Schröder. Google for "Schröder Putin" for details of their long relationship.
posted by Slothrup at 2:17 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
octothorpe: "Because Pennsylvania politics wasn't enough of a soap-opera, Shannon Edwards the aide that Rep. Tim Murphy had his career-ending affair with, is now running for congress in Pittsburgh against incumbent Rep Mike Doyle. Even in the new district map, she has zero chance but at least the race will be less boring."
And now she's accused of putting out a hit on her husband. Colorful!
posted by Chrysostom at 2:17 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
And now she's accused of putting out a hit on her husband. Colorful!
posted by Chrysostom at 2:17 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Sending Manafort a message. Plea and it'll be MUCH easier on you. Otherwise Gates is gonna burn you.
@KenDilanianNBC
While the charges to which Gates pleaded guilty carry a prison term of up to 71 months under federal guidelines, his agreement could result in probation if he cooperates substantially, @PeteWilliamsNBC reports
posted by chris24 at 2:21 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
@KenDilanianNBC
While the charges to which Gates pleaded guilty carry a prison term of up to 71 months under federal guidelines, his agreement could result in probation if he cooperates substantially, @PeteWilliamsNBC reports
posted by chris24 at 2:21 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
How many of these "former senior European politicians" just spoke at CPAC? (Farage and Le Pen?)
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:21 PM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:21 PM on February 23, 2018 [7 favorites]
Oooh, so now the Pences are in as well. That's nice
My office mate and I entertain ourselves during the day by working out exactly what needs to happen to end up with someone not horrible in charge of the country.
We've decided that Mueller should dig up grounds to impeach both Trump and Pence, but delay so that Congress doesn't pull the trigger on impeachment until after the Democrats retake the House in November and are seated in January so that we don't just end up with President Paul Ryan.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:24 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
My office mate and I entertain ourselves during the day by working out exactly what needs to happen to end up with someone not horrible in charge of the country.
We've decided that Mueller should dig up grounds to impeach both Trump and Pence, but delay so that Congress doesn't pull the trigger on impeachment until after the Democrats retake the House in November and are seated in January so that we don't just end up with President Paul Ryan.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:24 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Schroder seems like a really really good guess, but there's some reason to suspect other names from Mercury's belated lobbying disclosure:
Throughout 2013, the firm also set up "educational events" and meetings that featured Ukrainian government officials and other experts on Ukraine and the EU. It is not clear from the documents whether Mercury's experts were also paid. Among the firm's listed experts were Alfred Gusenbauer, Austria's former chancellor, and Romano Prodi, Italy's former prime minister. The firm said it also arranged meetings with legislators and congressional staffers as well as think tanks and the media.posted by zachlipton at 2:24 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
Count 1: Conspiracy against the United States
Translation: You, sir, are a fucking traitor
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:27 PM on February 23, 2018 [23 favorites]
Translation: You, sir, are a fucking traitor
posted by FelliniBlank at 2:27 PM on February 23, 2018 [23 favorites]
As the new Manafort indictment was coming out with news of his efforts on behalf of Russia in Europe, Farage was saying this at CPAC.
@ddale8
Farage says it's fake news that he has shady ties to Russia.
"I've never met a Russian operative or agent," Farage says. "I may be guilty of drinking THE ODD. RUSSIAN. VODKA."
posted by chris24 at 2:30 PM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]
@ddale8
Farage says it's fake news that he has shady ties to Russia.
"I've never met a Russian operative or agent," Farage says. "I may be guilty of drinking THE ODD. RUSSIAN. VODKA."
posted by chris24 at 2:30 PM on February 23, 2018 [15 favorites]
there's some reason to suspect other names
Ooh! Nice, because that led me to this:
Ooh! Nice, because that led me to this:
For a tyrant, however, Kazakhstan's ruler has some unusual advocates: former German and Austrian Chancellors Gerhard Schröder and Alfred Gusenbauer, and former British and Italian Prime Ministers Tony Blair and Romano Prodi, as well as former Polish President Aleksander Kwaniewski and former German Interior Minister Otto Schily.posted by Slothrup at 2:30 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
We've decided that Mueller should dig up grounds to impeach both Trump and Pence, but delay so that Congress doesn't pull the trigger on impeachment until after the Democrats retake the House in November and are seated in January so that we don't just end up with President Paul Ryan.
Both Trump and Pence have more chance of winning re-election than a disgraced President Paul Ryan would. Throw the bums out ASAP IMHO.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:31 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
Both Trump and Pence have more chance of winning re-election than a disgraced President Paul Ryan would. Throw the bums out ASAP IMHO.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:31 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm starting to think this Mueller fella has his shit together.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 2:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [36 favorites]
Has Nigel Farage's plane home reached international waters yet? Just curious.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Texas continues to be surprising.Because not everyone here is very familiar with the US election system, it should be stressed that the votes in question are actually not votes for the 2018 midterm elections -- they are votes cast in the party primaries that will determine the candidates who represent each party in the midterm elections, which are not until November.
@gelliottmorris (The Economist new data guy, formerly of Pew and Decision Desk)
Early voting data from Texas is just bonkers. % change over 2014:
Democrats: ⬆️70%
Republicans: ⬇️8%
This is the first midterm since 2006 when Democrats are casting more early ballots than Republicans.
Signs of high Democratic voter engagement are potentially a good sign but they should be read in context. Among other things, the incumbents in most Texas districts are Republicans. Incumbents usually get their parties' nominations without a primary opponent. So the difference in level may be at least partly attributable to Democratic voters turning out to support their preferred challengers and Republicans staying home in the primary stage because their incumbent legislators are in many cases running for the nomination unopposed.
posted by Nerd of the North at 2:37 PM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
March 2014.
Merkel fury after Gerhard Schroeder backs Putin on Ukraine: Former chancellor says Russia's actions have been misunderstood and should be regarded in their historical context
posted by chris24 at 2:39 PM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
Merkel fury after Gerhard Schroeder backs Putin on Ukraine: Former chancellor says Russia's actions have been misunderstood and should be regarded in their historical context
posted by chris24 at 2:39 PM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
More on Facebook at CPAC... they’re demoing a shooting game?
posted by Artw at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Artw at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [5 favorites]
Always remember that the Republican Party made a conscious choice over decades to become the party of racist ignorance rather than the party of guys like Mueller. They could have made the opposite choice. Perhaps that would have meant fewer years in control. I don't know. But they could have done it and they decided to go with racism, ignorance, and kleptocracy.
Imagine how the country would look if the opposition party had made the other choice? It might be functional!
posted by Justinian at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
Imagine how the country would look if the opposition party had made the other choice? It might be functional!
posted by Justinian at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
Like Paul Manafort, former European "social democrat" leaders seem to have a taste for the good life that only sweet sweet autocratic cash can support.
posted by Slothrup at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Slothrup at 2:41 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Well, maybe not Schroeder.
@patdennis
NEW: Can confirm that the politicians named in the new Manafort Indictment are (likely) Alfred Gusenbauer, Austria's former chancellor, and Romano Prodi, Italy's former prime minister.
Per: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-manafort-lobbying-firm-foreign-agent-20170428-story.html
Source documents per FARA https://www.fara.gov/docs/6170-Exhibit-AB-20170428-29.pdf
posted by chris24 at 2:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
@patdennis
NEW: Can confirm that the politicians named in the new Manafort Indictment are (likely) Alfred Gusenbauer, Austria's former chancellor, and Romano Prodi, Italy's former prime minister.
Per: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/politics/ct-manafort-lobbying-firm-foreign-agent-20170428-story.html
Source documents per FARA https://www.fara.gov/docs/6170-Exhibit-AB-20170428-29.pdf
posted by chris24 at 2:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Oh man, if Mueller uncovers evidence of Russian interference in Brexit and other European elections, I just...
I mean...
At what point is China like, “there appears to be a World War starting, we might have to take sides.”
I mean, it’s fucking Russia. They’re not economically strong, but they still have like half the world’s nukes, no? Much like Glenn Close, they can’t be ignored.
posted by schadenfrau at 2:44 PM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
I mean...
At what point is China like, “there appears to be a World War starting, we might have to take sides.”
I mean, it’s fucking Russia. They’re not economically strong, but they still have like half the world’s nukes, no? Much like Glenn Close, they can’t be ignored.
posted by schadenfrau at 2:44 PM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
Breaking: Top Justice Dept. official alerted White House 2 weeks ago to ongoing issues in Kushner’s security clearance (WaPo)
A top Justice Department official alerted the White House two weeks ago that significant information requiring additional investigation would further delay the security clearance process of senior adviser Jared Kushner, according to three people familiar with the discussion.posted by Barack Spinoza at 2:47 PM on February 23, 2018 [21 favorites]
The Feb. 9 phone call from Deputy Attorney General Rod J. Rosenstein to White House Counsel Donald McGahn came amid growing public scrutiny of a number of administration officials without final security clearances. Most prominent among them is Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, who has had access to some of the nation’s most sensitive material for the last year while waiting for his background investigation to be completed.
A week after the call from Rosenstein, White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly announced that staffers whose clearances have not been finalized will no longer be able to view top-secret information — meaning that Kushner could stand to lose his status as early as Friday.
... Bob Bauer, who served as White House counsel in the Obama administration, said administration officials should view Rosenstein’s alert as a strong reason to revoke Kushner’s interim top-secret access.
“It seems to me that he should have restricted access to highly classified material until the resolution of those issues,” Bauer said.
Kushner’s inability to obtain a final clearance has frustrated and vexed the White House for months. As someone who meets regularly with foreign officials and reads classified intelligence, he would typically have a fast-tracked background investigation, security clearance experts said.
During the last six months, McGahn privately discussed the slow pace of Kushner’s background investigation with other senior aides, including with Kelly in the fall, according to a top administration official. Kelly expressed frustration with Kushner’s access to classified material on an extended interim clearance, according to the official. But McGahn and Kelly decided to wait for the FBI to complete its background investigation and took no action at the time to change his access.
Their wait-and-see mode ended abruptly last week, when Kelly issued a new policy that would block staff with interim clearances from receiving top-secret information as of Friday.
The changes were prompted by intense scrutiny that has followed domestic-abuse allegations against Rob Porter, the president’s former staff secretary, who was also working under an interim top-secret clearance. The move puts a “bull’s eye” on Kushner, a senior official told The Post last week.
Kelly has told associates that he is uncomfortable with Kushner’s uncertain security clearance status and his unique role as both a family member and staffer, according to people familiar with the conversations. He has said he would not be upset if the president’s son-in-law and his wife, Ivanka Trump, left their positions as full-time employees.
Rick Gates has asked a judge to allow him to take his kids on Spring Break to Boston, so they can learn about great American patriots. :'( *sniff*
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:49 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:49 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award
Motherfucker, please. In a 1999 speech at Harvard, Heston said, "I served in World War II against the Axis powers." Yeah, according to a bio he defended the Aleutian Islands as a gunner on a B-25 during 1944 and '45, facing "extreme weather" that "was as dangerous as enemy aircraft." He also "slipped on a patch of ice and was run over by an ambulance." He's just like Ronald Reagan, a phony Democrat-turned-Republican that exaggerated his cushy WWII service.
Japan actually invaded the Aleutian islands Attu and Kiska in June 1942, but they were recaptured in 1943, before Heston enlisted.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
Motherfucker, please. In a 1999 speech at Harvard, Heston said, "I served in World War II against the Axis powers." Yeah, according to a bio he defended the Aleutian Islands as a gunner on a B-25 during 1944 and '45, facing "extreme weather" that "was as dangerous as enemy aircraft." He also "slipped on a patch of ice and was run over by an ambulance." He's just like Ronald Reagan, a phony Democrat-turned-Republican that exaggerated his cushy WWII service.
Japan actually invaded the Aleutian islands Attu and Kiska in June 1942, but they were recaptured in 1943, before Heston enlisted.
posted by kirkaracha at 2:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
We've decided that Mueller should dig up grounds to impeach both Trump and Pence, but delay so that Congress doesn't pull the trigger on impeachment until after the Democrats retake the House in November and are seated in January so that we don't just end up with President Paul Ryan.
"President Pelosi" has a nice ring to it. How sweet the sounds of heads kabooming at the thought of San Francisco Nancy as President. I also think she'd do a great job.
But just as sweet is the thought of Granny Starver Ryan out on his ear in disgrace. He probably would have a cushy wingnut-welfare gravy train awaiting, but I want to see his political career over.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
"President Pelosi" has a nice ring to it. How sweet the sounds of heads kabooming at the thought of San Francisco Nancy as President. I also think she'd do a great job.
But just as sweet is the thought of Granny Starver Ryan out on his ear in disgrace. He probably would have a cushy wingnut-welfare gravy train awaiting, but I want to see his political career over.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 2:55 PM on February 23, 2018 [11 favorites]
More on Facebook at CPAC... they’re demoing a shooting game?
Literally yesterday.
Literally yesterday.
“We have to look at the Internet because a lot of bad things are happening to young kids and young minds and their minds are being formed, and we have to do something about maybe what they’re seeing and how they’re seeing it,” Trump said. “And also video games. I’m hearing more and more people say the level of violence on video games is really shaping young people’s thoughts."posted by chris24 at 2:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
The effort was managed by "a former European Chancellor."
I'm guessing Gerhard Schröder. Google for "Schröder Putin" for details of their long relationship.
I was thinking the shadow-Hitler from that Dennis Hopper episode of the Twilight Zone
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm guessing Gerhard Schröder. Google for "Schröder Putin" for details of their long relationship.
I was thinking the shadow-Hitler from that Dennis Hopper episode of the Twilight Zone
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 2:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
Jim Carrey as Charlton "From my cold, dead hands" Heston, "Cold Dead Hand"
posted by kirkaracha at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [3 favorites]
In a 1999 speech at Harvard, Heston said, "I served in World War II against the Axis powers." Yeah, according to a bio he defended the Aleutian Islands as a gunner on a B-25 during 1944 and '45, facing "extreme weather" that "was as dangerous as enemy aircraft." He also "slipped on a patch of ice and was run over by an ambulance." He's just like Ronald Reagan, a phony Democrat-turned-Republican that exaggerated his cushy WWII service.
Let's not do this. I am tired of this when veterans do it and I am even more tired when anyone else does. If you join up for a war, you don't have a say in how you are sent or where or how you fight. You do as you are told. There are plenty more things to nail Charleton Heston on than his WWII service, which was no different than thousands of other people who didn't serve on a combat front. They are still WWII vets and there is just no need to go there.
posted by corb at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [65 favorites]
Let's not do this. I am tired of this when veterans do it and I am even more tired when anyone else does. If you join up for a war, you don't have a say in how you are sent or where or how you fight. You do as you are told. There are plenty more things to nail Charleton Heston on than his WWII service, which was no different than thousands of other people who didn't serve on a combat front. They are still WWII vets and there is just no need to go there.
posted by corb at 2:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [65 favorites]
Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs said the subject of Ukraine only came up “in passing”
This sounds a lot like Session's "Somehow, the subject of Ukraine came up."
The subject of Ukraine sure does come up a lot with these guys. But only after you jog their memory a bit.
posted by diogenes at 3:01 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
This sounds a lot like Session's "Somehow, the subject of Ukraine came up."
The subject of Ukraine sure does come up a lot with these guys. But only after you jog their memory a bit.
posted by diogenes at 3:01 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
@patdennis
NEW: Can confirm that the politicians named in the new Manafort Indictment are (likely) Alfred Gusenbauer, Austria's former chancellor, and Romano Prodi, Italy's former prime minister.
What about the aforementioned Tony Blair? C'mon, man, I need to see that greasy little crapweasel get burned in effigy.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:02 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
NEW: Can confirm that the politicians named in the new Manafort Indictment are (likely) Alfred Gusenbauer, Austria's former chancellor, and Romano Prodi, Italy's former prime minister.
What about the aforementioned Tony Blair? C'mon, man, I need to see that greasy little crapweasel get burned in effigy.
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:02 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
If you join up for a war, you don't have a say in how you are sent or where or how you fight.
You don't have a say in where you go, but you do have a say in how you talk about it afterwards.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [68 favorites]
You don't have a say in where you go, but you do have a say in how you talk about it afterwards.
posted by kirkaracha at 3:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [68 favorites]
Rohrabacher spokesman Ken Grubbs said the subject of Ukraine only came up “in passing”
yeah they mainly talked about adoptions am I right
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:08 PM on February 23, 2018 [22 favorites]
yeah they mainly talked about adoptions am I right
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:08 PM on February 23, 2018 [22 favorites]
adopting pro-Putin policies
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:14 PM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 3:14 PM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
"Let's not do this. … There are plenty more things to nail Charleton Heston on than his WWII service…"I think reading it as trying to nail Heston on his service is a little uncharitable. I read it as pointing out that the NRA's Courage Under Fire award is named for someone who literally was never called on to show courage under fire except in fantasy settings.
posted by Pinback at 3:37 PM on February 23, 2018 [33 favorites]
@AlexLealWrites
It fascinates me how people who worked for Trump, who were connected to Yanukovich (who IS Putin), are believed to have kept the various facets of their lives in sealed compartments while they did campaign stuff for Trump.
@RadioFreeTom (NeverTrumper)
Retweeted AlexLealWrites
This is key. For people trying to figure out why Manafort's work is a big deal as it relates to Trump, remember this: When you read a story about this stuff, just replace "Yanukovich" with "Putin." Because that's how it worked. /1
- To deal with the Yanukovich regime was to be dealing with Putin and Russian intelligence. Manafort was a not a naif; he knew who he was really working for. /2
- And because the Russians would know just how much money trouble Manafort was in, and how much of it was, how-you-say, ILLEGAL, they had him by the balls. Now think about that. The top man in a presidential campaign was under the thumb of the Russian intel services. /3
- In fact, the top man next to a possible president *and* his deputy, *and* several of the people in the candidate's family, *and* maybe even the candidate himself, all had dirty financial laundry known in detail to the Kremlin. Normal people would worry about this. /4
- At this point, Trump will have two choices about what to say:
1. I knew Manafort was dirty and that's why I hired him
2. I am hopeless incompetent and had no idea that the guy I've known for decades and who ran in the same financial dirty deal circles I did was dirty. /5
- That is, Trump and his family can either say they were crooks, or they were too stupid to breathe without an instruction manual. These indictments don't leave much room for a third option. That's why all of this matters, even if there's "no collusion!" alleged in the docs. /6
- In the better GOP I joined as a young man, this kind of entanglement with an enemy of the United States would have instantly ruled out any candidate for dog catcher. In today's GOP, so long as it triggers the libtards... well, what the heck. Patriotism is for saps, I guess. /7x
posted by chris24 at 3:53 PM on February 23, 2018 [74 favorites]
It fascinates me how people who worked for Trump, who were connected to Yanukovich (who IS Putin), are believed to have kept the various facets of their lives in sealed compartments while they did campaign stuff for Trump.
@RadioFreeTom (NeverTrumper)
Retweeted AlexLealWrites
This is key. For people trying to figure out why Manafort's work is a big deal as it relates to Trump, remember this: When you read a story about this stuff, just replace "Yanukovich" with "Putin." Because that's how it worked. /1
- To deal with the Yanukovich regime was to be dealing with Putin and Russian intelligence. Manafort was a not a naif; he knew who he was really working for. /2
- And because the Russians would know just how much money trouble Manafort was in, and how much of it was, how-you-say, ILLEGAL, they had him by the balls. Now think about that. The top man in a presidential campaign was under the thumb of the Russian intel services. /3
- In fact, the top man next to a possible president *and* his deputy, *and* several of the people in the candidate's family, *and* maybe even the candidate himself, all had dirty financial laundry known in detail to the Kremlin. Normal people would worry about this. /4
- At this point, Trump will have two choices about what to say:
1. I knew Manafort was dirty and that's why I hired him
2. I am hopeless incompetent and had no idea that the guy I've known for decades and who ran in the same financial dirty deal circles I did was dirty. /5
- That is, Trump and his family can either say they were crooks, or they were too stupid to breathe without an instruction manual. These indictments don't leave much room for a third option. That's why all of this matters, even if there's "no collusion!" alleged in the docs. /6
- In the better GOP I joined as a young man, this kind of entanglement with an enemy of the United States would have instantly ruled out any candidate for dog catcher. In today's GOP, so long as it triggers the libtards... well, what the heck. Patriotism is for saps, I guess. /7x
posted by chris24 at 3:53 PM on February 23, 2018 [74 favorites]
1. I knew Manafort was dirty and that's why I hired him.
2. I am hopeless incompetent.
This also works if you replace "Manafort" with "Flynn".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:58 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
2. I am hopeless incompetent.
This also works if you replace "Manafort" with "Flynn".
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:58 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Nerd of the North: "Signs of high Democratic voter engagement are potentially a good sign but they should be read in context. Among other things, the incumbents in most Texas districts are Republicans. Incumbents usually get their parties' nominations without a primary opponent. So the difference in level may be at least partly attributable to Democratic voters turning out to support their preferred challengers and Republicans staying home in the primary stage because their incumbent legislators are in many cases running for the nomination unopposed."
True, and I'll note that it's the primary early vote going forward. That said, there are six retirements, and they are all GOP. So one would expect some enthusiasm there.
Possibly also relevant: so far, 20.3% of voters in the Dem primary are 1st time primary voters. It's 7.7% on the GOP side.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:04 PM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
True, and I'll note that it's the primary early vote going forward. That said, there are six retirements, and they are all GOP. So one would expect some enthusiasm there.
Possibly also relevant: so far, 20.3% of voters in the Dem primary are 1st time primary voters. It's 7.7% on the GOP side.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:04 PM on February 23, 2018 [19 favorites]
So in the absence of convincing evidence that the IRA had any effect on the election
Wait, so you're basing your whole opinion on whether or not the activities of the IRA were effective? WHAT?
You're not concerned that Trump, a man whose organization is widely thought to be financed by Russian oligarchs through laundered money, may have traded (or is trading) favors with those same oligarchs?
You're not concerned that those same Russian oligarchs, at Putin's direction have laundered money and donated through 501(c) organizations into GOP affiliated super PACs?
You don't find it suspicious and worth investigating the fact that the one and only change the Trump campaign wanted made to the 2016 GOP platform was to make it more pro-Russia?
You think it's just fine that Trump is so weirdly pro-Russia and refuses to implement sanctions against them when Russian affiliated actors (the IRA as well as various teams of hackers thought to be linked to Putin and the FSB) have clearly been acting to his benefit?
Your stance is that, since the IRA specifically cannot be proven to have had an effect, we should all just dust off our hands and go home?
I mean, what if one of the Russian hacker groups obtained data of the voter registration roles so that they could provide the data to Cambridge Analytica and they advised the GOP on which states it would be most helpful to purge voter rolls? We know that a bunch of state voter databases were compromised and we know that a couple of states purged those voter roles. Are you telling me that every single one of those purged voters who was going to vote went ahead and voted even though there were extra hurdles? Did that have an effect?
The trolls farms and the IRA are just the tip of the ice berg. It's entirely possible that a HUGE chunk of GOP and/or GOP super PACs are funded by laundered Russian money from Putin affiliated oligarchs. It's entirely possible that the reason Trump has never released his tax returns (a monstrously huge red flag in and of itself) is because it's the start of a paper trail that will show he's neck deep in laundered Russian money and sit solidly in Putin's pocket.
But the troll farms probably weren't very effective so let's not find any of that out. Is that what you're saying?
posted by VTX at 4:12 PM on February 23, 2018 [58 favorites]
Wait, so you're basing your whole opinion on whether or not the activities of the IRA were effective? WHAT?
You're not concerned that Trump, a man whose organization is widely thought to be financed by Russian oligarchs through laundered money, may have traded (or is trading) favors with those same oligarchs?
You're not concerned that those same Russian oligarchs, at Putin's direction have laundered money and donated through 501(c) organizations into GOP affiliated super PACs?
You don't find it suspicious and worth investigating the fact that the one and only change the Trump campaign wanted made to the 2016 GOP platform was to make it more pro-Russia?
You think it's just fine that Trump is so weirdly pro-Russia and refuses to implement sanctions against them when Russian affiliated actors (the IRA as well as various teams of hackers thought to be linked to Putin and the FSB) have clearly been acting to his benefit?
Your stance is that, since the IRA specifically cannot be proven to have had an effect, we should all just dust off our hands and go home?
I mean, what if one of the Russian hacker groups obtained data of the voter registration roles so that they could provide the data to Cambridge Analytica and they advised the GOP on which states it would be most helpful to purge voter rolls? We know that a bunch of state voter databases were compromised and we know that a couple of states purged those voter roles. Are you telling me that every single one of those purged voters who was going to vote went ahead and voted even though there were extra hurdles? Did that have an effect?
The trolls farms and the IRA are just the tip of the ice berg. It's entirely possible that a HUGE chunk of GOP and/or GOP super PACs are funded by laundered Russian money from Putin affiliated oligarchs. It's entirely possible that the reason Trump has never released his tax returns (a monstrously huge red flag in and of itself) is because it's the start of a paper trail that will show he's neck deep in laundered Russian money and sit solidly in Putin's pocket.
But the troll farms probably weren't very effective so let's not find any of that out. Is that what you're saying?
posted by VTX at 4:12 PM on February 23, 2018 [58 favorites]
Your stance is that, since the IRA specifically cannot be proven to have had an effect, we should all just dust off our hands and go home?
Hey, it’s the NFL offseason. Might as well move some goalposts online.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:20 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hey, it’s the NFL offseason. Might as well move some goalposts online.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 4:20 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Nerd of the North: "Signs of high Democratic voter engagement are potentially a good sign but they should be read in context. Among other things, the incumbents in most Texas districts are Republicans. Incumbents usually get their parties' nominations without a primary opponent. So the difference in level may be at least partly attributable to Democratic voters turning out to support their preferred challengers and Republicans staying home in the primary stage because their incumbent legislators are in many cases running for the nomination unopposed."
Also, Texas was just as Republican with incumbents in 2014 where the comparisons are coming from.
posted by chris24 at 4:23 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Also, Texas was just as Republican with incumbents in 2014 where the comparisons are coming from.
posted by chris24 at 4:23 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
Wait, so you're basing your whole opinion on whether or not the activities of the IRA were effective? WHAT?
Here's a radical suggestion:
The two of you are not going to convince each other of anything.
Perhaps you should stop trying.
It's not getting you anywhere.
There isn't enough actual evidence of anything yet for us to pin down exactly what happened.
Even if Trump were recorded on video and a dozen corroborating eyewitnesses swore on Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children that they had witnessed The Donald and Vlad Putin sign a blood oath in the presence of Satan himself that TrumpCo would parcel off and sell the United States to Russia in exchange for the Presidency, 40% of the country would still declare it a massive conspiracy and refuse to believe it had actually happened.
For fuck's sake, let it go.
posted by zarq at 4:27 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Here's a radical suggestion:
The two of you are not going to convince each other of anything.
Perhaps you should stop trying.
It's not getting you anywhere.
There isn't enough actual evidence of anything yet for us to pin down exactly what happened.
Even if Trump were recorded on video and a dozen corroborating eyewitnesses swore on Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children that they had witnessed The Donald and Vlad Putin sign a blood oath in the presence of Satan himself that TrumpCo would parcel off and sell the United States to Russia in exchange for the Presidency, 40% of the country would still declare it a massive conspiracy and refuse to believe it had actually happened.
For fuck's sake, let it go.
posted by zarq at 4:27 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
I'll have you guys know I wrote and deleted three comments making all kinds of Frozen puns based on the lyrics to LET IT GO before sanity prevailed.
So now we can be very sure that people associated with Trump's campaign at the highest levels were laundering money for the Russians. We also know that the FBI is investigating organizations like the NRA for funneling laundered Russian money to Trump. Like... it's getting super hard not to start looking like Charlie Kelly in front of his wall of crazy and ranting about Pepe Silva.
This is the first time I'm concerned that we're not buying into conspiracy theories enough.
posted by Justinian at 4:35 PM on February 23, 2018 [83 favorites]
So now we can be very sure that people associated with Trump's campaign at the highest levels were laundering money for the Russians. We also know that the FBI is investigating organizations like the NRA for funneling laundered Russian money to Trump. Like... it's getting super hard not to start looking like Charlie Kelly in front of his wall of crazy and ranting about Pepe Silva.
This is the first time I'm concerned that we're not buying into conspiracy theories enough.
posted by Justinian at 4:35 PM on February 23, 2018 [83 favorites]
Kathryn Ruemmler, former White House counsel representing Susan Rice, responded to Grassley's letter requesting more information about that email Rice sent herself on her way out the door:
President Obama and his national security team were justifiably concerned about potential risks to the Nation’s security from sharing highly classified information about Russia with certain members of the Trump transition team, particularly Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn. In light of concerning communications between members of the Trump team and Russian officials, before and after the election, President Obama, on behalf of his national security team, appropriately sought the FBI and the Department of Justice’s guidance on this subject. In the conversation Ambassador Rice documented, there was no discussion of Christopher Steele or the Steele dossier, contrary to the suggestion in your letter.posted by zachlipton at 4:59 PM on February 23, 2018 [29 favorites]
METAFILTER: concerned that we're not buying into conspiracy theories enough
posted by philip-random at 5:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by philip-random at 5:05 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
Love the Rice letter. Takes a bullshit attack from Rs and uses it to hammer again that Trump had dirty traitors working for him.
posted by chris24 at 5:07 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by chris24 at 5:07 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Even if Trump were recorded on video and a dozen corroborating eyewitnesses swore on Mary Malone and her nine blind illegitimate children that they had witnessed The Donald and Vlad Putin sign a blood oath in the presence of Satan himself that TrumpCo would parcel off and sell the United States to Russia in exchange for the Presidency, 40% of the country would still declare it a massive conspiracy and refuse to believe it had actually happened.
Trump would try to grope Mary and then compliment her on her attractive children and then ICE would try to arrest them. Putin would probably also realize he should just start bribing Satan directly. 40% of the country would still declare it a massive conspiracy and refuse to believe it had actually happened. Also I think the eponymous Mary Malone is dead. This is not a good idea.
Erstwhile, the encrappening of America continues apace:
Trump's family planning grants emphasize abstinence, other conservative priorities: Of note, Planned Parenthood not explicitly banned from Title X funding, but overall funding down by $15 million and abstinence education up because that always worked so why not more of it
Tax law ignites White House power struggle
posted by saysthis at 5:28 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Trump would try to grope Mary and then compliment her on her attractive children and then ICE would try to arrest them. Putin would probably also realize he should just start bribing Satan directly. 40% of the country would still declare it a massive conspiracy and refuse to believe it had actually happened. Also I think the eponymous Mary Malone is dead. This is not a good idea.
Erstwhile, the encrappening of America continues apace:
Trump's family planning grants emphasize abstinence, other conservative priorities: Of note, Planned Parenthood not explicitly banned from Title X funding, but overall funding down by $15 million and abstinence education up because that always worked so why not more of it
Tax law ignites White House power struggle
At stake is who has ultimate authority to shape the nuances of the tax cuts and other rules as part of the $1.5 trillion Republican tax overhaul: Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin and the IRS have that power now, but White House budget director Mick Mulvaney and some of his GOP allies in Congress want the Office of Management and Budget to have the final say.My suggestion is put both in a sack, toss them in the river, and let whoever floats control implementation. Alternatively, appoint a duck. Treasury is supposed to be independent, right? We really, really, really don't want grimy Republican Congressperson hands on the levers of Treasury, right? There's a good reason we let them make their own calls, right? This is kinda the cell membrane that keeps Trump & the GOP from directly printing currency and magicking up tax laws to use against political opponents, right? Am I reading this wrong?
...
The fight centers on a Reagan-era agreement that exempts IRS regulations from review by the OMB's Office of Information and Regulatory Affairs. Powerful factions close to the White House and on Capitol Hill say the agreement is outmoded, especially given Trump's zeal to slash regulations, and should be modified or scrapped.
posted by saysthis at 5:28 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
Rohrbacher's spokesman essentially admitted that Manafort was working for Yanukovych, which was ......probably not something 'ol Paulie wanted out in the open right this moment.
posted by johnny jenga at 5:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by johnny jenga at 5:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [28 favorites]
The Toronto Star's Daniel Dale sat through Trump's 75-minute CPAC address so we wouldn't have to: Minute By Minute At Donald Trump’s Wild, Rambling CPAC Speech
Twenty minutes in, having observed “Boy, have they committed a lot of atrocities when you look.” without identifying who "they" are, referred to the Paris Climate Accords as "wealth-knocking-out", mocked John McCain (without mentioning his name—"I don’t want to be controversial"), and admitted to his bald spot, Trump asked the crowd, "You don’t mind if I go off script a little bit?" Then things go downhill.
Incidentally, Dale makes a very astute observation about Trump's tactics with his misleading statements: "An interesting thing Trump does in some speeches is say that he has to make sure to be precise because if he isn't he'll be fact-checked in the papers. So he performs Attention to Accuracy, in a way other politicians don't, while being exceptionally dishonest."
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:50 PM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
Twenty minutes in, having observed “Boy, have they committed a lot of atrocities when you look.” without identifying who "they" are, referred to the Paris Climate Accords as "wealth-knocking-out", mocked John McCain (without mentioning his name—"I don’t want to be controversial"), and admitted to his bald spot, Trump asked the crowd, "You don’t mind if I go off script a little bit?" Then things go downhill.
Incidentally, Dale makes a very astute observation about Trump's tactics with his misleading statements: "An interesting thing Trump does in some speeches is say that he has to make sure to be precise because if he isn't he'll be fact-checked in the papers. So he performs Attention to Accuracy, in a way other politicians don't, while being exceptionally dishonest."
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:50 PM on February 23, 2018 [16 favorites]
Ruemmler: "I trust this satisfies your need for information on this topic."
Legalese snark is the best.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:51 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Legalese snark is the best.
posted by FelliniBlank at 5:51 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Rohrbacher's spokesman essentially admitted that Manafort was working for Yanukovych, which was ......probably not something 'ol Paulie wanted out in the open right this moment.
Follow-up question: How illegal is it for Rohrbacher to have known Manafort was secretly working as the agent of a foreign government since 2013 and not informed law enforcement?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:13 PM on February 23, 2018 [34 favorites]
Follow-up question: How illegal is it for Rohrbacher to have known Manafort was secretly working as the agent of a foreign government since 2013 and not informed law enforcement?
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 6:13 PM on February 23, 2018 [34 favorites]
Dear MetaFilter Megathread,
How are you? I am fine. I was away at camp and played rocks kipping and ate the hotdogs. Then I saw about Gates and had to login to see the zitegiste and weltanshoung because it was so awesom. I like muller do you? When I grow out of this timeline I want to be a speshal counsel and keep all the leeks.
I like pacman too ok bye
petbest
posted by petebest at 6:15 PM on February 23, 2018 [118 favorites]
How are you? I am fine. I was away at camp and played rocks kipping and ate the hotdogs. Then I saw about Gates and had to login to see the zitegiste and weltanshoung because it was so awesom. I like muller do you? When I grow out of this timeline I want to be a speshal counsel and keep all the leeks.
I like pacman too ok bye
petbest
posted by petebest at 6:15 PM on February 23, 2018 [118 favorites]
Treasury is supposed to be independent, right?
WSJ: Treasury Official, Critical of Parts of Tax Law, Quits
Top tax policy guy thinks these are very worrying signs:
WSJ: Treasury Official, Critical of Parts of Tax Law, Quits
Top tax policy guy thinks these are very worrying signs:
@M_SullivanTaxposted by melissasaurus at 6:16 PM on February 23, 2018 [20 favorites]
Strange happenings at the vortex of tax policy. This is highly unusual. Dana is a superb veteran tax attorney who was dedicated to public service. Folks waiting for guidance will undoubtedly have to wait longer now.
Between Trier’s resignations, power struggle between Mulvaney and Treasury, new potential oversight by OIRA , 2 for 1, AND huge amount of pressure to produce tons of post-TCJA guidance Office of Tax Policy is in an unprecedented shitstorm.
Not even pretending anymore.
@LevineJonathan (The Wrap)
CPAC communication director Ian Walters at Reagan dinner
“We elected Mike Steele as chairman because he was a black guy, that was the wrong thing to do”
- At dinner, sitting with @alexnazaryan who can confirm. Comment was met with gasps at our table
- Michael Steele is literally right outside the dinner right now
@redsteeze (Stephen Miller, Fox)
Replying to @LevineJonathan
This was said on stage?
@LevineJonathan
Replying to @redsteeze
Yes he was standing right next to @mschlapp — dinner still underway
(Matt Schlapp is chair of American Conservative Union which hosts CPAC)
posted by chris24 at 6:16 PM on February 23, 2018 [49 favorites]
@LevineJonathan (The Wrap)
CPAC communication director Ian Walters at Reagan dinner
“We elected Mike Steele as chairman because he was a black guy, that was the wrong thing to do”
- At dinner, sitting with @alexnazaryan who can confirm. Comment was met with gasps at our table
- Michael Steele is literally right outside the dinner right now
@redsteeze (Stephen Miller, Fox)
Replying to @LevineJonathan
This was said on stage?
@LevineJonathan
Replying to @redsteeze
Yes he was standing right next to @mschlapp — dinner still underway
(Matt Schlapp is chair of American Conservative Union which hosts CPAC)
posted by chris24 at 6:16 PM on February 23, 2018 [49 favorites]
The Party of Lincoln, folks.
posted by uncleozzy at 6:24 PM on February 23, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by uncleozzy at 6:24 PM on February 23, 2018 [27 favorites]
Strange happenings at the vortex of tax policy. This is highly unusual. Dana is a superb veteran tax attorney who was dedicated to public service. Folks waiting for guidance will undoubtedly have to wait longer now.
This is Bad For America and all, but literally the only thing the Republicans would possibly impeach Trump for would be incompetently bungling the implementation of their tax bill, sooo
posted by jason_steakums at 6:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
This is Bad For America and all, but literally the only thing the Republicans would possibly impeach Trump for would be incompetently bungling the implementation of their tax bill, sooo
posted by jason_steakums at 6:32 PM on February 23, 2018 [6 favorites]
The Party of Lincoln, folks.
I am not a Know-Nothing. That is certain. How could I be? How can any one who abhors the oppression of negroes, be in favor of degrading classes of white people? Our progress in degeneracy appears to me to be pretty rapid. As a nation, we begin by declaring that "all men are created equal." We now practically read it "all men are created equal, except negroes." When the Know-Nothings get control, it will read "all men are created equal, except negroes, and foreigners, and catholics." When it comes to this I should prefer emigrating to some country where they make no pretence of loving liberty--to Russia, for instance, where despotism can be taken pure, and without the base alloy of hypocracy.posted by kirkaracha at 6:54 PM on February 23, 2018 [40 favorites]
A nice dose of perspective (i.e., reminder how batshit crazy this timeline is) from writer and journalist Haley Edwards (@haleybureau):
“Imagine if Huma Abedin had just pled down to conspiracy against the United States, Robby Mook was under federal indictment for money laundering, and a grand jury had just indicted 13 Russian nationals, accusing them of attempting to tank Donald Trump’s presidential effort.”
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [56 favorites]
“Imagine if Huma Abedin had just pled down to conspiracy against the United States, Robby Mook was under federal indictment for money laundering, and a grand jury had just indicted 13 Russian nationals, accusing them of attempting to tank Donald Trump’s presidential effort.”
posted by Barack Spinoza at 6:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [56 favorites]
@KevinMKruse nails the similarities between Trump and his cronies and famous Hollywood villains. The resemblances are uncanny and hilarious.
posted by chance at 7:07 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by chance at 7:07 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
The problem with "Republicans Would be Screaming Bloody Murder if the Democrats Were the Real Criminals, Chapter 217" is that people talk about it like it's hypothetical. Republicans are, in fact, already screaming bloody murder, because in Republican reality, the Democrats really were colluding with Russia, and Hillary really did run a child sex ring out of a pizza restaurant, and Obama really is a Muslim terrorist. It doesn't actually matter what the truth is; the truth is whatever encourages Republicans to wage war on their enemies.
posted by J.K. Seazer at 7:22 PM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 7:22 PM on February 23, 2018 [25 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** PA-18 special: Money continues to flow into this race. End Citizens United PAC has made a six figure ad buy for Lamb [D], pro-Trump PAC dumping in $1M for Saccone [R].
** 2018 House:
** PA-18 special: Money continues to flow into this race. End Citizens United PAC has made a six figure ad buy for Lamb [D], pro-Trump PAC dumping in $1M for Saccone [R].
** 2018 House:
-- Noted upstream, updated ratings from Gonzales - 15 races move left, one moves right.** 2018 Senate:
-- Harry Enten: Special election results are indicative of House results, but watch those error bars.
-- DKE: There's been talk that the special election results may not carry over to higher turnout races, but 2014 results indicate otherwise.
-- UT-04: Dan Jones poll has incumbent Love [R] leading likely challenger McAdams [D], 49-43.
-- KS-03: PPP poll has possible challenger Welder [D] leading incumbent Yoder [R], 49-42.
-- TX: O'Rourke [D] continues to dominate incumbent Cruz [R] in fundraising.** Odds & ends:
-- David Byler is building out a Senate predictions model. Could be a very interesting series.
-- Some reasons that electoral vote litigation mentioned the other day might not work out.posted by Chrysostom at 7:28 PM on February 23, 2018 [29 favorites]
-- Noted earlier, 538 on the 18 GOP-held governorships the Dems have some chance to flip. Note that, as with their earlier article on possible Dem pickups, a lot of these are a bit of a stretch.
-- Democratic Governors Association putting $20M into 8 targeted races, looking specifically at fighting gerrymandering.
-- Hey, you! Do you blame the DNC when you mean "mainstream Dems," even in House races? Then read this guide to the alphabet soup of Dem organizations.
Trump's family planning grants emphasize abstinence, other conservative priorities.
This means abstaining from guns, right? To keep the members of your family alive? Right?
posted by wenestvedt at 7:39 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
This means abstaining from guns, right? To keep the members of your family alive? Right?
posted by wenestvedt at 7:39 PM on February 23, 2018 [4 favorites]
Psst, Chrysostom - I think your David Byler link was supposed to go somewhere else? It currently goes to the alphabet soup story ...
posted by kristi at 7:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by kristi at 7:43 PM on February 23, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was thinking the Chancellor in question has to be Schröder too, but I'm confused about Manafort paying Euro-pols to take PRO-Ukraine positions fits in with the general pro-Putin thing, and with the RNC softening language on Ukraine's defence etc. Is there perhaps a resource out there that sets out these putative links in a form adapted to the meanest understanding?
posted by runincircles at 7:48 PM on February 23, 2018
posted by runincircles at 7:48 PM on February 23, 2018
The pro-Ukraine positions in question were pro-Yanukovych positions. His Party of Regions, the political party Manafort was working for, has a longstanding collaboration agreement with United Russia, Putin's party (until now; Putin is running as an independent). Yanukovych spent his time in Ukrainian politics blowing up a deal that would have brought the EU and Ukraine closer together, instead taking Russian bailouts and forging closer cooperation with Russia, with protests over that decision soon turning into violent clashes. With the country on the verge of civil war, Yanukovych skedaddled the hell out of Ukraine and has been in exile in Russia ever since; he left behind quite the palace, complete with its own zoo. "I supported the ostriches, what's wrong with that?" he would eventually respond when asked about the zoo.
In short, pro-Ukraine didn't mean anti-Russia when Yanukovych is around.
posted by zachlipton at 8:04 PM on February 23, 2018 [17 favorites]
In short, pro-Ukraine didn't mean anti-Russia when Yanukovych is around.
posted by zachlipton at 8:04 PM on February 23, 2018 [17 favorites]
kristi: "Psst, Chrysostom - I think your David Byler link was supposed to go somewhere else? It currently goes to the alphabet soup story ..."
nat: "And the DGA link goes to some KS 03 polling."
Well, shucks. Correct links:
Byler piece
DGA story
Sorry about that!
posted by Chrysostom at 8:23 PM on February 23, 2018 [10 favorites]
nat: "And the DGA link goes to some KS 03 polling."
Well, shucks. Correct links:
Byler piece
DGA story
Sorry about that!
posted by Chrysostom at 8:23 PM on February 23, 2018 [10 favorites]
Some reasons that electoral vote litigation mentioned the other day might not work out.
It doesn't mention reasons #1 and #2, which are that the two names most associated with the litigation are Lawrence Lessig and David Boies. They are numbers 1 and 2 on the "brilliant legal losers" top 10.
posted by Justinian at 9:14 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
It doesn't mention reasons #1 and #2, which are that the two names most associated with the litigation are Lawrence Lessig and David Boies. They are numbers 1 and 2 on the "brilliant legal losers" top 10.
posted by Justinian at 9:14 PM on February 23, 2018 [2 favorites]
- At dinner, sitting with @alexnazaryan who can confirm. Comment was met with gasps at our table
The only surprising thing is that the comment was still met with gasps. Anyone with two eyes and a half-functioning prefrontal cortex knew that Steele was the token black guy brought out to Uncle Tom whenever the Republicans needed to insist that this new policy that totally fucks blacks and hispanics isn't intentionally racist.
posted by Talez at 9:45 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
The only surprising thing is that the comment was still met with gasps. Anyone with two eyes and a half-functioning prefrontal cortex knew that Steele was the token black guy brought out to Uncle Tom whenever the Republicans needed to insist that this new policy that totally fucks blacks and hispanics isn't intentionally racist.
posted by Talez at 9:45 PM on February 23, 2018 [13 favorites]
So what I'm taking away tonight is that people actually read my links.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:46 PM on February 23, 2018 [90 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:46 PM on February 23, 2018 [90 favorites]
With the country on the verge of civil war, Yanukovych skedaddled the hell out of Ukraine and has been in exile in Russia ever since;
This is where the shit really hit the fan. Among all of the transgressions the West has committed, Putin has never really forgiven the West for shafting Yanukovych. Hell, it's the reason why he annexed Crimea in the first place.
posted by Talez at 9:48 PM on February 23, 2018
This is where the shit really hit the fan. Among all of the transgressions the West has committed, Putin has never really forgiven the West for shafting Yanukovych. Hell, it's the reason why he annexed Crimea in the first place.
posted by Talez at 9:48 PM on February 23, 2018
Oh I missed this one. Sheldon Adelson is tired of just buying MoCs and Senators and is now just going to buy the State Department directly.
JFC there is no bottom to this barrel of shit.
posted by Talez at 9:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
JFC there is no bottom to this barrel of shit.
posted by Talez at 9:57 PM on February 23, 2018 [9 favorites]
Chrysostom: So what I'm taking away tonight is that people actually read my links.
We do! And I really appreciate them. I think a lot of the rest of us do too.
Also, thanks for letting us know, indirectly, that Harry Enten is now at CNN. (I knew he'd left 538, but I didn't know where he'd gone.)
posted by nangar at 10:20 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
We do! And I really appreciate them. I think a lot of the rest of us do too.
Also, thanks for letting us know, indirectly, that Harry Enten is now at CNN. (I knew he'd left 538, but I didn't know where he'd gone.)
posted by nangar at 10:20 PM on February 23, 2018 [8 favorites]
Count 1: Conspiracy against the United States
Translation: You, sir, are a fucking traitor
Correct me if I'm wrong, legal experts, but this doesn't really mean "conspiracy against the say foreign policy interests of the United States" like treason conspiracy, it means in context "conspired together to obstruct justice in the context of federal law". It sounds juicy as hell but there are actually statutes for the other thing. Two people shuffling Word and PDF documents to defraud a bank and/or evade taxes are guilty of conspiracy against the United States, to cite a completely hypothetical example that sounds so stupid no one would actually ever be charged with.
posted by dhartung at 11:26 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Translation: You, sir, are a fucking traitor
Correct me if I'm wrong, legal experts, but this doesn't really mean "conspiracy against the say foreign policy interests of the United States" like treason conspiracy, it means in context "conspired together to obstruct justice in the context of federal law". It sounds juicy as hell but there are actually statutes for the other thing. Two people shuffling Word and PDF documents to defraud a bank and/or evade taxes are guilty of conspiracy against the United States, to cite a completely hypothetical example that sounds so stupid no one would actually ever be charged with.
posted by dhartung at 11:26 PM on February 23, 2018 [14 favorites]
Oh I missed this one. Sheldon Adelson is tired of just buying MoCs and Senators and is now just going to buy the State Department directly.
Hey, they may actually be on to something, here. Let all those Republican billionaires line up to donate funds for other government expenses they support, too.
They can start with the Department of Defense. Maybe the Koch brothers would like to spring for the next aircraft carrier. Foster Friess can buy the next B-2 bomber. Robert Mercer can pick up the next round of fighters, and Peter Thiel can pay for the ordnance used in the continuing war in Afghanistan.
I mean, as long as GOP billionaires so desperately want the US to have these things, I say let them pay for them. We can then start to free up the funds for universal health care, free college tuition, and cleaning up the environment for the rest of us.
posted by darkstar at 11:33 PM on February 23, 2018 [17 favorites]
Hey, they may actually be on to something, here. Let all those Republican billionaires line up to donate funds for other government expenses they support, too.
They can start with the Department of Defense. Maybe the Koch brothers would like to spring for the next aircraft carrier. Foster Friess can buy the next B-2 bomber. Robert Mercer can pick up the next round of fighters, and Peter Thiel can pay for the ordnance used in the continuing war in Afghanistan.
I mean, as long as GOP billionaires so desperately want the US to have these things, I say let them pay for them. We can then start to free up the funds for universal health care, free college tuition, and cleaning up the environment for the rest of us.
posted by darkstar at 11:33 PM on February 23, 2018 [17 favorites]
Count 1: Conspiracy against the United States
Translation: You, sir, are a fucking traitor
Correct me if I'm wrong, legal experts,
No, you have it essentially correct. 18 USC 371 begins with "If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States", so it's a catch all for "You committed a crime, and y'all indicted under this conspired to do it."
But the real artistry in Mueller's charging of Manafort is WHAT he's charging. Now the Trump Crime Family has never been know for their brainpower, but what's the optics for pardoning Manafort for:
Count 1: Conspiracy against the United States
Count 2: Conspiracy to launder money
Count 3: Unregistered agent of a foreign principal
Count 4: False and misleading FARA statements
Count 5: False statements
Now, to me, if Trump pardons Manafort for that, there's no political upside. Trump pardons Financial Criminal Fraud really doesn't anger me up. SURE, Hannity is going to spin it as the biggest travesty of justice ever conceived, but really, there's noting there that you look at and go, "That's politically motivated".
posted by mikelieman at 1:14 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
Translation: You, sir, are a fucking traitor
Correct me if I'm wrong, legal experts,
No, you have it essentially correct. 18 USC 371 begins with "If two or more persons conspire either to commit any offense against the United States, or to defraud the United States", so it's a catch all for "You committed a crime, and y'all indicted under this conspired to do it."
But the real artistry in Mueller's charging of Manafort is WHAT he's charging. Now the Trump Crime Family has never been know for their brainpower, but what's the optics for pardoning Manafort for:
Count 1: Conspiracy against the United States
Count 2: Conspiracy to launder money
Count 3: Unregistered agent of a foreign principal
Count 4: False and misleading FARA statements
Count 5: False statements
Now, to me, if Trump pardons Manafort for that, there's no political upside. Trump pardons Financial Criminal Fraud really doesn't anger me up. SURE, Hannity is going to spin it as the biggest travesty of justice ever conceived, but really, there's noting there that you look at and go, "That's politically motivated".
posted by mikelieman at 1:14 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
The chants during Trump's long speech at CPAC are uniformly stupid. "Lock her up!", "Build that wall!", and "U.S.A.". They fail to recruit the power of chanting to express anything. During the Women's march and occasionally since there have been new, lively chants of call and response, capable of being tailored to new situations. But these three-beat clunkers are an intellectual and aesthetic disaster, which is no surprise.
posted by stonepharisee at 1:41 AM on February 24, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by stonepharisee at 1:41 AM on February 24, 2018 [15 favorites]
Schröder, Prodi, Gusenbauer and Prodi are prominent senior European politicians. Le Pen and *gasp* Farage are emphatically not. The former leverages her position of undue influence due to instability in the overall French landscape. Farage is a three-card trick shyster who has never been elected to a national position.
posted by stonepharisee at 1:46 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by stonepharisee at 1:46 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
yes but Fararge is asked on to BBC Question Time disproportonately for a variety of reasons no-one can fucking understand. This gives him a huge platform he does not deserve.
I just tried to google Farage & BBCQT only to find every single link is old cached discussions. Even though I know there's been a lot of complaints more recently about this. Weird
posted by Wilder at 2:25 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
I just tried to google Farage & BBCQT only to find every single link is old cached discussions. Even though I know there's been a lot of complaints more recently about this. Weird
posted by Wilder at 2:25 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
Farage is involved up to the gills. Partly with having successfully (along with Aaron Banks, Putin's propaganda forces, and other bad actors) engineered Brexit. But also he just seems to be connected and communicating with pretty much everyone involved.
Putin wants to destroy the E.U. as much as the U.S.
Admittedly it may just be wishful thinking, there was a twitter thread yesterday about there possibly being 3 sealed warrants for the U.K. -- no supporting evidence so I didn't post it earlier, but it's amusing seeing hundreds of British people waxing rapturous about one of our fellow countrymen being extradited to face charges by the U.S.
It's also won by @Jlm1956J with: He's making plans for Nigel!
posted by Buntix at 4:55 AM on February 24, 2018 [46 favorites]
Putin wants to destroy the E.U. as much as the U.S.
Admittedly it may just be wishful thinking, there was a twitter thread yesterday about there possibly being 3 sealed warrants for the U.K. -- no supporting evidence so I didn't post it earlier, but it's amusing seeing hundreds of British people waxing rapturous about one of our fellow countrymen being extradited to face charges by the U.S.
It's also won by @Jlm1956J with: He's making plans for Nigel!
posted by Buntix at 4:55 AM on February 24, 2018 [46 favorites]
Watching CPAC and knowing these people have power, it slowly feels like we're slipping into a Neo-Dark Age.
posted by Talez at 7:02 AM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Talez at 7:02 AM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
For those who follow the work of Kurt Eichenwald he is now in day three of melting down utterly because people object to him defending a YouTube bigot. He's reached "calling the alt right nazis is an offence to all holocaust survivors".
posted by Artw at 7:14 AM on February 24, 2018
posted by Artw at 7:14 AM on February 24, 2018
A VOA-linked website (that looks exclusively targeted at Russia) has some recordings which it purports to be Russians describing the U.S. counter-attack in Syria.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:15 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 8:15 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
For those who follow the work of Kurt Eichenwald he is now in day three of melting down utterly because people object to him defending a YouTube bigot.
It’s kind of amazing how he can be so selectively shit at basic journalistic legwork.
posted by holborne at 8:31 AM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
It’s kind of amazing how he can be so selectively shit at basic journalistic legwork.
posted by holborne at 8:31 AM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
Teen Confronts DCCC-Endorsed Candidate Over His 100 Percent NRA Rating
In which kids continue to lead the way, and the DCCC endorses the most conservative Dem candidate in a VERY flippable target district (PVI R+2), because yes, that's exactly how they always work, every time.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:39 AM on February 24, 2018 [24 favorites]
In which kids continue to lead the way, and the DCCC endorses the most conservative Dem candidate in a VERY flippable target district (PVI R+2), because yes, that's exactly how they always work, every time.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:39 AM on February 24, 2018 [24 favorites]
Very disturbing twitter thread on how "NOBODY is talking about how the online depression community has been infiltrated by alt-right recruiters deliberately preying on the vulnerable. "
The alt-right is using the same tactics used by ISIS to recruit suicide bombers and convince people to fight in Syria, and specifically targeting mental health support communities.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:44 AM on February 24, 2018 [60 favorites]
The alt-right is using the same tactics used by ISIS to recruit suicide bombers and convince people to fight in Syria, and specifically targeting mental health support communities.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:44 AM on February 24, 2018 [60 favorites]
Donald Trump wants to promote abstinence.
I have no words. My brain is just broken after that one.
posted by Talez at 8:46 AM on February 24, 2018 [11 favorites]
I have no words. My brain is just broken after that one.
posted by Talez at 8:46 AM on February 24, 2018 [11 favorites]
To be fair, Donald Trump promotes abstinence whether he means to or not.
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 8:58 AM on February 24, 2018 [56 favorites]
posted by Two unicycles and some duct tape at 8:58 AM on February 24, 2018 [56 favorites]
Favorite tweet behind Artw's link: "For someone who hates socialism so much Eichenwald sure does like being publicly owned"
posted by Lyme Drop at 9:01 AM on February 24, 2018 [81 favorites]
posted by Lyme Drop at 9:01 AM on February 24, 2018 [81 favorites]
the DCCC endorses the most conservative Dem candidate in a VERY flippable target district (PVI R+2), because yes, that's exactly how they always work, every time
Yyyeah, and there's some truth to that, but in this case (unless I'm misreading stuff) they're also endorsing the only Democratic candidate that's ever won an election before.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:06 AM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
Yyyeah, and there's some truth to that, but in this case (unless I'm misreading stuff) they're also endorsing the only Democratic candidate that's ever won an election before.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:06 AM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
Republicans have been all about one set of rules for them (or at least the Republican ruling class) and another set of rules for everyone else for decades now. Trump promoting abstinence is just this year's version of Newt Gingrich preaching the sanctity of marriage.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:07 AM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:07 AM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
Donald Trump wants to promote abstinence.
Sure, it means more ladies available for him *taps side of forehead*.
posted by PenDevil at 9:11 AM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
Sure, it means more ladies available for him *taps side of forehead*.
posted by PenDevil at 9:11 AM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
CNN and the Washington Post have posted lengthy and interesting biographic articles on Robert Mueller, the former, a straightforward profile of Mueller, the latter contrasting his life with that of his coeval, Donald Trump.
Both describe his short time in private practice, having served as an assistant attorney general Justice Department’s criminal division under G. H. W. Bush, and his return to public service at the District of Columbia United States Attorney's Office. From the Post:
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:18 AM on February 24, 2018 [85 favorites]
Both describe his short time in private practice, having served as an assistant attorney general Justice Department’s criminal division under G. H. W. Bush, and his return to public service at the District of Columbia United States Attorney's Office. From the Post:
But by 1995, he was ensconced in the $400,000-a-year luxury of a white-collar litigation job in the Washington office of a Boston law firm, Hale and Dorr. It was not a happy time.*From CNN: "'He'll meet with the client, they'll explain the problem and he'll say "Well, it sounds like you should go to jail then,"' [Mueller biographer Garrett] Graff said. 'There is not a lot of gray in Bob Mueller's worldview.'"
“He hated it,” said Wilner, his longtime friend. “He couldn’t stand selling his services to defend people he thought might be guilty[*]. . . . There was no hesitation for Bob in leaving a lucrative job to . . . do what he thought was helping make the world a better place.”
So one day, Mueller called the District’s local prosecutor, U.S. Attorney Eric H. Holder Jr., and asked for a job, not handling the office’s big national cases, but working the line, prosecuting homicides on the streets of D.C. He wanted no title, no supervisory position. He told Holder that he was shaken by all the killings in Washington, then the nation’s murder capital, and that he just wanted to try homicide cases.
“I was taken aback,” Holder recalled. He reminded Mueller that coming to work at the “Triple Nickel” — as the prosecutors’ office at 555 Fourth Street NW was called — would mean a pay cut of more than 75 percent, a big step down in stature and a daunting job. The District, plagued with a crack cocaine epidemic and about 400 homicides a year, was a nightmare for prosecutors, who faced huge caseloads and witnesses who were too scared to talk.
Mueller said he knew what he was getting into. Holder hired him, but insisted on giving him a title — senior litigation counsel — and eventually made him head of the homicide section. Day to day, though, Mueller was “just a line guy,” Holder said. “He would be in those parts of Washington that were most affected by the violence. . . . He would be interviewing people at crime scenes, going to people’s homes to build cases, working with street cops.”
He got a kick out of answering his phone, “Mueller, Homicide.”
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:18 AM on February 24, 2018 [85 favorites]
The Onion: ‘Please, I'll Tell You Everything,’ Whimpers Rick Gates After Mueller Threatens To Send Him Back To White House [fake]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:20 AM on February 24, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by 1970s Antihero at 9:20 AM on February 24, 2018 [17 favorites]
Reuters: Exclusive: U.S. prepares high-seas crackdown on North Korea sanctions evaders - sources
They're afraid they'll provoke a fight by doing something provocative, so they want to send in a more vulnerable ship to do it.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:27 AM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
The Trump administration and key Asian allies are preparing to expand interceptions of ships suspected of violating sanctions on North Korea, a plan that could include deploying U.S. Coast Guard forces to stop and search vessels in Asia-Pacific waters, senior U.S. officials said.That's... that's the exact opposite of how that shit works, guys. You're supposed to put Coasties on a Navy ship so you have Coast Guard law-enforcement authority and training backed up by the Navy's guns, and... and... I mean it's not like we've never... oh my fucking god.
...But U.S. officials said privately that such action, especially the use of boarding crews, would be decided on a case-by-case and with utmost caution. Some U.S. officials believe the risk could be minimized if Coast Guard cutters, which carry less firepower and technically engage in law-enforcement missions, are used in certain cases rather than warships.
They're afraid they'll provoke a fight by doing something provocative, so they want to send in a more vulnerable ship to do it.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:27 AM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
In which kids continue to lead the way, and the DCCC endorses the most conservative Dem candidate in a VERY flippable target district (PVI R+2), because yes, that's exactly how they always work, every time.
As the father of college-aged millennial all I can say is just wait for this generation to really get going. The Parkland students have been amazing and it seems like they’re activating other millennials.
posted by photoslob at 9:28 AM on February 24, 2018 [19 favorites]
As the father of college-aged millennial all I can say is just wait for this generation to really get going. The Parkland students have been amazing and it seems like they’re activating other millennials.
posted by photoslob at 9:28 AM on February 24, 2018 [19 favorites]
They're afraid they'll provoke a fight by doing something provocative, so they want to send in a more vulnerable ship to do it.
I'd be more inclined to think that they're sending a vulnerable ship in order to provoke a fight that will end in US losses. You think they're beyond trying for Stupid Gulf of Tonkin?
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:43 AM on February 24, 2018 [26 favorites]
I'd be more inclined to think that they're sending a vulnerable ship in order to provoke a fight that will end in US losses. You think they're beyond trying for Stupid Gulf of Tonkin?
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:43 AM on February 24, 2018 [26 favorites]
T.D. Strange’s terrifying twitter link on the online grooming strategies of the alt-right (they’re targeting depressed men with organized tactics, because of course they are) prompted me to make this Ask.
If anyone knows how to counter this stuff, or has hand resources that explain why Jordan Peterson is a garbage person etc etc, please consider sharing. I’m not the best at organizing anything, but sharing resources and strategies seems like a start.
Plus I really want links for the next time some creeper links a garbage human.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:44 AM on February 24, 2018 [28 favorites]
If anyone knows how to counter this stuff, or has hand resources that explain why Jordan Peterson is a garbage person etc etc, please consider sharing. I’m not the best at organizing anything, but sharing resources and strategies seems like a start.
Plus I really want links for the next time some creeper links a garbage human.
posted by schadenfrau at 9:44 AM on February 24, 2018 [28 favorites]
If anyone knows how to counter this stuff, or has hand resources that explain why Jordan Peterson is a garbage person etc etc, please consider sharing. I’m not the best at organizing anything, but sharing resources and strategies seems like a start.
Peterson's a Jerry Sandusky truther. You can start there.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:47 AM on February 24, 2018 [9 favorites]
Peterson's a Jerry Sandusky truther. You can start there.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:47 AM on February 24, 2018 [9 favorites]
Is there any good argument for keeping the DCCC instead of funneling donations to individual candidates and maybe standing up some other national strategy organization that doesn't suck?
posted by contraption at 9:55 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by contraption at 9:55 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
"For someone who hates socialism so much Eichenwald sure does like being publicly owned"
This, along with Sarah Chadwick's bruuuuuuutal Marco Rubio "so easy to buy" pwnage, have furnished me with the solid, bellyshaking laughs I've gone without for all too long — testimony, truly, to the healing power of jollity. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:56 AM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
This, along with Sarah Chadwick's bruuuuuuutal Marco Rubio "so easy to buy" pwnage, have furnished me with the solid, bellyshaking laughs I've gone without for all too long — testimony, truly, to the healing power of jollity. Thank you, thank you, thank you.
posted by adamgreenfield at 9:56 AM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
Donald Trump wants to promote abstinence.
That just leads to saddlebacking.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:58 AM on February 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
That just leads to saddlebacking.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:58 AM on February 24, 2018 [3 favorites]
Is there any good argument for keeping the DCCC instead of funneling donations to individual candidates and maybe standing up some other national strategy organization that doesn't suck?
No. Especially not in the primaries, give directly to the candidates you want to help. No one who isn't a Democratic party paid lobbyist or independent billionaire should be supporting the DCCC or DNC, your money can be better spent literally anywhere else on the left spectrum. Indivisible, Flippable, etc are already doing a lot of work the DCCC should be, support them instead if you must contribute to an umbrella effort. There's also Swing Left, but they're collecting money for the ultimate winner of a Dem primary...who might turn out to be someone terrible.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:05 AM on February 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
No. Especially not in the primaries, give directly to the candidates you want to help. No one who isn't a Democratic party paid lobbyist or independent billionaire should be supporting the DCCC or DNC, your money can be better spent literally anywhere else on the left spectrum. Indivisible, Flippable, etc are already doing a lot of work the DCCC should be, support them instead if you must contribute to an umbrella effort. There's also Swing Left, but they're collecting money for the ultimate winner of a Dem primary...who might turn out to be someone terrible.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:05 AM on February 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
Some U.S. officials believe the risk could be minimized if Coast Guard cutters, which carry less firepower and technically engage in law-enforcement missions, are used in certain cases rather than warships.
Coast Guard morale must be at an all time high, especially after the Trump admin tried to cut their budget by 14% last year and cancel the contract for a new cutter.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:08 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
Coast Guard morale must be at an all time high, especially after the Trump admin tried to cut their budget by 14% last year and cancel the contract for a new cutter.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:08 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
No one who isn't a Democratic party paid lobbyist or independent billionaire should be supporting the DCCC or DNC, your money can be better spent literally anywhere else on the left spectrum.
Also, having received a fundraiser call from the DNC a few minutes ago, they're rude AF. I spent a few soul-crushing months cold-calling for a living, so I know, but duuuude.
posted by Ruki at 10:12 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
Also, having received a fundraiser call from the DNC a few minutes ago, they're rude AF. I spent a few soul-crushing months cold-calling for a living, so I know, but duuuude.
posted by Ruki at 10:12 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
T.D. Strange’s terrifying twitter link on the online grooming strategies of the alt-right (they’re targeting depressed men with organized tactics, because of course they are)
Every day I'm thankful that I wasn't found/picked up by these assholes in circa-2006. I would have been easy prey. I was a reliable leftist voter (voting mostly for Australian Democrats/Greens) but I had just gotten out of a long term relationship (which wasn't my choice), horribly depressed, and I see kernels of niceguyism and borderline GG in my old writing.
posted by Talez at 10:43 AM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
Every day I'm thankful that I wasn't found/picked up by these assholes in circa-2006. I would have been easy prey. I was a reliable leftist voter (voting mostly for Australian Democrats/Greens) but I had just gotten out of a long term relationship (which wasn't my choice), horribly depressed, and I see kernels of niceguyism and borderline GG in my old writing.
posted by Talez at 10:43 AM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
Metafiler's own Maciej Cegłowski's The Great Slate?
posted by art.bikes at 11:06 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by art.bikes at 11:06 AM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
A technical question for Our Lawyerly Brethren (or anyone who knows the answer I guess): I know some states don't allow prosecution for crimes that have already been charged at the federal level. I take that to mean implicitly that other states do allow such a thing. Given that, can state prosecutors use acceptance of a pardon at the federal level as evidence of guilt at the state level?
posted by Justinian at 11:15 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:15 AM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
The general concept of trying in both state and federal jurisdictions appears to be "dual sovereignty," but I can't find a list of states or anything that have legislated to reject it. If anything, it seems like it might be more just a policy.
posted by rhizome at 11:20 AM on February 24, 2018
posted by rhizome at 11:20 AM on February 24, 2018
Right, but I'm wondering if a state which does try someone who took a pardon federally can use acceptance of that pardon as evidence that they admitted guilt.
posted by Justinian at 11:25 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Justinian at 11:25 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
The general concept of trying in both state and federal jurisdictions appears to be "dual sovereignty," but I can't find a list of states or anything that have legislated to reject it. If anything, it seems like it might be more just a policy.
No state waives its right to dual sovereignty under the DOJ's "Dual and Successive Prosecution" policy. The federal government believes its interests are vindicated by prosecution in state court unless there are specific and serious issues of malfeasance or miscarriage of justice.
I'm honestly surprised the policy is still standing. Sessions must have just a little bit of honor left because I thought he'd be chomping at the bit to pull in more state drug offenders who got off lightly into federal court to be absolutely fucking reamed.
posted by Talez at 11:46 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
No state waives its right to dual sovereignty under the DOJ's "Dual and Successive Prosecution" policy. The federal government believes its interests are vindicated by prosecution in state court unless there are specific and serious issues of malfeasance or miscarriage of justice.
I'm honestly surprised the policy is still standing. Sessions must have just a little bit of honor left because I thought he'd be chomping at the bit to pull in more state drug offenders who got off lightly into federal court to be absolutely fucking reamed.
posted by Talez at 11:46 AM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
i.e. Dylann Roof was convicted of murder in South Carolina and received LWP but he was charged not with murder but with hate crimes in federal court and for that he received the federal death penalty.
posted by Talez at 11:52 AM on February 24, 2018
posted by Talez at 11:52 AM on February 24, 2018
CPAC communication director Ian Walters at Reagan dinner
“We elected Mike Steele as chairman because he was a black guy, that was the wrong thing to do”
(Here's video of that incident, it's even worse out loud somehow)
Matt Schlapp tried to combine apologizing to Michael Steele with doubling down on racism, and hoo boy did it not go over well; this is quite the video. It starts off as an apology for a few minutes, but as Schlapp digs in on how Steele criticizes the President and ultimately describes the remarks as merely "unfortunate" and tells Steele he needs to "have some grace," it just keeps getting worse and worse. This video is a pretty amazing display of the party's racism.
posted by zachlipton at 12:05 PM on February 24, 2018 [47 favorites]
“We elected Mike Steele as chairman because he was a black guy, that was the wrong thing to do”
(Here's video of that incident, it's even worse out loud somehow)
Matt Schlapp tried to combine apologizing to Michael Steele with doubling down on racism, and hoo boy did it not go over well; this is quite the video. It starts off as an apology for a few minutes, but as Schlapp digs in on how Steele criticizes the President and ultimately describes the remarks as merely "unfortunate" and tells Steele he needs to "have some grace," it just keeps getting worse and worse. This video is a pretty amazing display of the party's racism.
posted by zachlipton at 12:05 PM on February 24, 2018 [47 favorites]
And this is a pretty amazing display of the party's depravity too:
@TimAlberta: Mona Charen, who stunned #CPAC by rebuking conservatives for excusing the behavior of Donald Trump and Roy Moore, was just escorted outside by 3 security guards after her speech. More in @POLITICOMag story later.
To clarify: they were protecting her, not removing her
You can see in this thread she went there on Moore, Trump, and Le Pen:
@TimAlberta: Mona Charen, who stunned #CPAC by rebuking conservatives for excusing the behavior of Donald Trump and Roy Moore, was just escorted outside by 3 security guards after her speech. More in @POLITICOMag story later.
To clarify: they were protecting her, not removing her
You can see in this thread she went there on Moore, Trump, and Le Pen:
The only reason she was here is she's named Le Pen. And the Le Pen name is a disgrace. Her grandfather is a racist and nazi. She claims she stands for him."posted by zachlipton at 12:14 PM on February 24, 2018 [80 favorites]
CROWD: BOOOOOOOOOOOOO
CHAREN: "The fact that CPAC invited her is a disgrace."
This video is a pretty amazing display of the party's racism.
"Hey, just because the guy said something racist doesn't mean he's a racist," was essentially Schlapp's conclusion.
posted by rhizome at 12:19 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
"Hey, just because the guy said something racist doesn't mean he's a racist," was essentially Schlapp's conclusion.
posted by rhizome at 12:19 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
Matt Schlapp tried to combine apologizing to Michael Steele with doubling down on racism, and hoo boy did it not go over well
The Trump policy of never ever choosing an apology rather than an attack has fully infused the party. There will be no truth and reconciliation commission so long as the GOP survives in its current incarnation.
And please, Michael Steele, just leave the Republican Party. You must know on some level that they don't want you. Just walk away, and there will be an end to the horror.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:22 PM on February 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
The Trump policy of never ever choosing an apology rather than an attack has fully infused the party. There will be no truth and reconciliation commission so long as the GOP survives in its current incarnation.
And please, Michael Steele, just leave the Republican Party. You must know on some level that they don't want you. Just walk away, and there will be an end to the horror.
posted by Rust Moranis at 12:22 PM on February 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
Steele was on with Joy Reid last night and he was not without grace. He said it was sad and unfortunate and stupid, but he didn't sound angry.
posted by xyzzy at 12:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 12:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Michael Steele was absolutely selected as RNC chair on the "I guess we'll just get one ourselves!" principle and it was immediately obvious from the way every other prominent Republican consistently ignored and undermined him.
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:25 PM on February 24, 2018 [17 favorites]
posted by Pope Guilty at 12:25 PM on February 24, 2018 [17 favorites]
Steele was elected on the 6th ballot, as he points out, so it's hardly like the party all jumped immediately to tokenism.
To me, the most amazing part is when Schlapp is basically trying to argue that racist attacks against Steele are fair game because Steele has criticized Trump. That's what the argument boils down to: 'yeah, the words were unfortunate, but you attacked Trump.' And that sums up so much of what conservatism has turned into: you said something bad about the dear leader, and we're going to attack back. Never mind that there's not even a coherent timeline to this argument (Steele had been out of office for years before he ever breathed a word about Trump); Schlapp is basically saying 'you should have expected this when you decided to open your mouth.' And that's conservatism in 2018.
posted by zachlipton at 12:37 PM on February 24, 2018 [52 favorites]
To me, the most amazing part is when Schlapp is basically trying to argue that racist attacks against Steele are fair game because Steele has criticized Trump. That's what the argument boils down to: 'yeah, the words were unfortunate, but you attacked Trump.' And that sums up so much of what conservatism has turned into: you said something bad about the dear leader, and we're going to attack back. Never mind that there's not even a coherent timeline to this argument (Steele had been out of office for years before he ever breathed a word about Trump); Schlapp is basically saying 'you should have expected this when you decided to open your mouth.' And that's conservatism in 2018.
posted by zachlipton at 12:37 PM on February 24, 2018 [52 favorites]
as Steele, dumbfounded, tries to explain that he's not actually the person who "brought race into this."
To people like Schlapp, he brought race into it by being black
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:40 PM on February 24, 2018 [79 favorites]
To people like Schlapp, he brought race into it by being black
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 12:40 PM on February 24, 2018 [79 favorites]
A Slate article I just read pointed out that Steele's opponent belonged to a "whites only" club. Christ on a cracker.
posted by xyzzy at 12:40 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by xyzzy at 12:40 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
> Schlapp digs in on how Steele criticizes the President and ultimately describes the remarks as merely "unfortunate" and tells Steele he needs to "have some grace,"
Schlapp probably had to make a conscious effort to not use the word "uppity" during this exchange.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:43 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
Schlapp probably had to make a conscious effort to not use the word "uppity" during this exchange.
posted by The Card Cheat at 12:43 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's just 110% trolling at this point. Say something outrageous, then when the other person asks what the fuck is wrong with you, just tell them to calm down. If you're in an internet argument with people under 35 make sure to add xD and :^) for good measure.
posted by Talez at 12:57 PM on February 24, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by Talez at 12:57 PM on February 24, 2018 [10 favorites]
House Intel Democrats just released, with some redactions, their response to the Nunes memo (PDF).
posted by zachlipton at 1:07 PM on February 24, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:07 PM on February 24, 2018 [44 favorites]
If anyone knows how to counter this stuff, or has hand resources that explain why Jordan Peterson is a garbage person etc etc, please consider sharing. I’m not the best at organizing anything, but sharing resources and strategies seems like a start.
Forgive me if this is obvious, but seems like a good first step would be making public posts in these forums (fora?) calling out Peterson and others for this behavior.
posted by msalt at 1:15 PM on February 24, 2018
Forgive me if this is obvious, but seems like a good first step would be making public posts in these forums (fora?) calling out Peterson and others for this behavior.
posted by msalt at 1:15 PM on February 24, 2018
House Democrats just released, with some redactions, their response to the Nunes memo
At this very goddamned moment, Devin Nunes is speaking (with Schapp) at CPAC. He's accusing the Democratic party of being the real Russia colluders, undermining the investigation and the intelligence community, and claiming that "the Media and Hollywood and San Francisco" are conspiring against him and the real hard-working Americans "who get their hands dirty."
Now he's being given the "American Defender of Freedom" award.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:21 PM on February 24, 2018 [37 favorites]
At this very goddamned moment, Devin Nunes is speaking (with Schapp) at CPAC. He's accusing the Democratic party of being the real Russia colluders, undermining the investigation and the intelligence community, and claiming that "the Media and Hollywood and San Francisco" are conspiring against him and the real hard-working Americans "who get their hands dirty."
Now he's being given the "American Defender of Freedom" award.
posted by Rust Moranis at 1:21 PM on February 24, 2018 [37 favorites]
Uhh, did we know until now that the FBI interviewed Page in March 2016 "about his contact with Russian intelligence?" Because that's way earlier than I was aware of, and as the memo points out, it was "the very month candidate Trump named him as a foreign policy advisor."
posted by zachlipton at 1:22 PM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 1:22 PM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
A March FBI interview with Page is definitely not mentioned in this Feb. 2 timeline of memo-related events in WaPo.
posted by Andrhia at 1:40 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Andrhia at 1:40 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
I attended the MN CD6/SD38 convention this morning. For those outside Minnesota, this includes the congressional district previously held by Michele Bachmann and currently held by Tom Emmer (less nuts, but more unabashed in supporting the Trump agenda). It’s very red, very single-issue, and pretty blatantly gerrymandered. According to veteran attendees, attendance for CD6 DFL was way up today over previous years. Emmer got booed every time he was mentioned. Most of the 6 candidates for governor spoke, and honestly they all sound pretty good.
Points of interest: MN DFL has rules where delegates, alternates, and committee members must be evenly represented by gender (if someone identifies as non-binary and wants to serve as one of those positions, they get tallied as whichever gender isn’t already represented). Before voting, an announcement was made to encourage everyone to promote candidates in under-represented demographics (I.e. women and POC) whenever possible. The MN GOP apparently does not do this or have rules like those.
I’ll be an alternate at the congressional and state DFL conventions.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:47 PM on February 24, 2018 [29 favorites]
Points of interest: MN DFL has rules where delegates, alternates, and committee members must be evenly represented by gender (if someone identifies as non-binary and wants to serve as one of those positions, they get tallied as whichever gender isn’t already represented). Before voting, an announcement was made to encourage everyone to promote candidates in under-represented demographics (I.e. women and POC) whenever possible. The MN GOP apparently does not do this or have rules like those.
I’ll be an alternate at the congressional and state DFL conventions.
posted by Autumnheart at 1:47 PM on February 24, 2018 [29 favorites]
it really feels like we got a months worth of news in the last three days
posted by murphy slaw at 1:50 PM on February 24, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 1:50 PM on February 24, 2018 [12 favorites]
The rumor of Page getting an FBI visit is mentioned in this September 2016 Politico article: The mystery of Trump’s man in Moscow.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:01 PM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 2:01 PM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
This memo is a master class in how redactions make everything look as suspicious as possible.
posted by zachlipton at 2:04 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:04 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
Who else is googling the court case in footnote 10?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:10 PM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 2:10 PM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
The first letters of each paragraph should have spelled out WEHAVETHEPISSTAPE
I consider this a lost opportunity.
posted by delfin at 2:19 PM on February 24, 2018 [50 favorites]
I consider this a lost opportunity.
posted by delfin at 2:19 PM on February 24, 2018 [50 favorites]
I didn't follow the original controversy too closely because I had alien death virus for three weeks. Why are the dems letting the WH redact their memo? Why not read it into the record, Pentagon Papers style?
And, frankly, all of this is just undermining Congressional intelligence oversight, making the agencies less likely to be forthcoming due to partisan oneupmanship. When the next big CIA or FBI scandal erupts, we can look back and thank Republican committee leaders who used intelligence information to score political points, further weakening an already precarious relationship.
posted by xyzzy at 2:28 PM on February 24, 2018
And, frankly, all of this is just undermining Congressional intelligence oversight, making the agencies less likely to be forthcoming due to partisan oneupmanship. When the next big CIA or FBI scandal erupts, we can look back and thank Republican committee leaders who used intelligence information to score political points, further weakening an already precarious relationship.
posted by xyzzy at 2:28 PM on February 24, 2018
Why are the dems letting the WH redact their memo? Why not read it into the record, Pentagon Papers style?
Because a) they don't need to and b) they're responsible adults.
posted by Talez at 2:35 PM on February 24, 2018 [9 favorites]
Because a) they don't need to and b) they're responsible adults.
posted by Talez at 2:35 PM on February 24, 2018 [9 favorites]
Speaking as a San Franciscan who would love nothing more than to conspire against Devin Nunes, I am finally compelled to point out:
Despite the relative apathy in his district to all his crazy shenanigans (NYT, LA Times), Nunes could be facing a bumpy election season (Mother Jones), while Democratic challenger Andrew Janz (recently added to Pod Save America’s Crooked 7 Fund!) is currently accepting support in his efforts to repeal and replace Devin Nunes.
Also, just for fun, whoever is behind the Fire Devin Nunes Twitter account is seriously dedicated to collecting and sharing all the best anti-Nunes articles, memes and sick burns!
posted by KatlaDragon at 2:35 PM on February 24, 2018 [15 favorites]
Despite the relative apathy in his district to all his crazy shenanigans (NYT, LA Times), Nunes could be facing a bumpy election season (Mother Jones), while Democratic challenger Andrew Janz (recently added to Pod Save America’s Crooked 7 Fund!) is currently accepting support in his efforts to repeal and replace Devin Nunes.
Also, just for fun, whoever is behind the Fire Devin Nunes Twitter account is seriously dedicated to collecting and sharing all the best anti-Nunes articles, memes and sick burns!
posted by KatlaDragon at 2:35 PM on February 24, 2018 [15 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: BIG CPAC STRAW POLL RESULTS: 93% APPROVE OF THE JOB PRESIDENT TRUMP IS DOING (Thank you!). 50% say President Trump should Tweet MORE or SAME (funny!). 79% say Republicans in Congress should do a better job of working with President Trump (starting to happen).
Does that mean half of the people taking the CPAC poll think Trump should knock it off with the damn tweets? And he's advertising that fact? funny!
posted by zachlipton at 2:44 PM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
Does that mean half of the people taking the CPAC poll think Trump should knock it off with the damn tweets? And he's advertising that fact? funny!
posted by zachlipton at 2:44 PM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
I didn't follow the original controversy too closely because I had alien death virus for three weeks. Why are the dems letting the WH redact their memo? Why not read it into the record, Pentagon Papers style?
Because they want to keep the Russia investigation secure, which means not revealing any information that would tip either their hand or the FBI's. If they ran into a politically motivated stonewall they could read the memo into the record, but it seems they were satisfied that the classifications here were legit.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:47 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
Because they want to keep the Russia investigation secure, which means not revealing any information that would tip either their hand or the FBI's. If they ran into a politically motivated stonewall they could read the memo into the record, but it seems they were satisfied that the classifications here were legit.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:47 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
Huh. That's counter to some of the talking head chatter on the news today, where it was opined on various occasions that redaction was not necessary. Thanks!
posted by xyzzy at 2:49 PM on February 24, 2018
posted by xyzzy at 2:49 PM on February 24, 2018
Not a great job of redaction. And that wasn't even a hard one. I know there's been some work done where if you know the font and you know how wide a redaction is you can brute force possibilities for the redacted word.
posted by Justinian at 2:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 2:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [6 favorites]
Isn't it illegal to reveal classified information like that even if it's obvious what it is?
posted by J.K. Seazer at 3:01 PM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by J.K. Seazer at 3:01 PM on February 24, 2018 [1 favorite]
I was about to say that the subject line of the Democratic memo being "Correcting the Record - The Russia Investigations" was A+ trolling given that the much maligned Clinton campaign attempt to push back on online garbage was called "Correct the Record". Then I realized something which seems obvious in retrospect but I haven't seen spelled out.
"Correct the Record" was, literally, a cyberop to push back on Russian meddling in the campaign through the spreading of fake news and slander online. This was the Clinton camp trying to deal with it. We can argue about how effectively they did so but that's what it was. And in return her campaign was mocked and ridiculed and accused of paying shills to spread fake news online... including here on Metafilter.
Everybody who mocked the Clinton campaign (and I thought stupid thoughts about this, though thank god I never posted any) for Correcting the Record was buying in to the Russian disinfo campaign. Everyone who posted that someone was a CtR shill was an unwitting agent of the Russian disinfo campaign. It is very easy to point at the dumbass Republicans who attended Russian-organized rallies with Clinton effigies in prison cells. The Republicans are complicit and participated a lot more, sure, but the effect was far more broad and plenty of folks in the middle and on the left, including us, bought into it to at least some extent.
I don't know why I hadn't put 2+2 together with "Correct the Record" before. I guess its too painful to think about the campaign that deeply. They tried to push back on the Russians and were pilloried. Anyone who did so should reevaluate their actions in light of everything we've learned since Trump became President.
posted by Justinian at 3:51 PM on February 24, 2018 [74 favorites]
"Correct the Record" was, literally, a cyberop to push back on Russian meddling in the campaign through the spreading of fake news and slander online. This was the Clinton camp trying to deal with it. We can argue about how effectively they did so but that's what it was. And in return her campaign was mocked and ridiculed and accused of paying shills to spread fake news online... including here on Metafilter.
Everybody who mocked the Clinton campaign (and I thought stupid thoughts about this, though thank god I never posted any) for Correcting the Record was buying in to the Russian disinfo campaign. Everyone who posted that someone was a CtR shill was an unwitting agent of the Russian disinfo campaign. It is very easy to point at the dumbass Republicans who attended Russian-organized rallies with Clinton effigies in prison cells. The Republicans are complicit and participated a lot more, sure, but the effect was far more broad and plenty of folks in the middle and on the left, including us, bought into it to at least some extent.
I don't know why I hadn't put 2+2 together with "Correct the Record" before. I guess its too painful to think about the campaign that deeply. They tried to push back on the Russians and were pilloried. Anyone who did so should reevaluate their actions in light of everything we've learned since Trump became President.
posted by Justinian at 3:51 PM on February 24, 2018 [74 favorites]
CNN: Rep. Adam Schiff's memo seeks to undercut Republican claims of FBI surveillance abuses. Trump calls it a 'bust.'
Helpful framing, guys.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:55 PM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
Helpful framing, guys.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 3:55 PM on February 24, 2018 [14 favorites]
Washington Post: Russian spies hacked the Olympics and tried to make it look like North Korea did it, U.S. officials say
Russian military spies hacked several hundred computers used by authorities at the 2018 Winter Olympic Games in South Korea, according to U.S. intelligence. They did so while trying to make it appear as though the intrusion was conducted by North Korea, what is known as a “false-flag” operation, said two U.S. officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a sensitive matter.posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 4:10 PM on February 24, 2018 [17 favorites]
Because it's never too early to add more nonsense to the news cycle, the HPSCI Majority released an error-filled, potentially unauthorized response to the Minority's response to the Nunes Memo (which presumably they were keeping in reserve while holding up the Dems' memo cleared):
https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/democrat_memo_charge_and_response.pdf
Not a great job of redaction.
@pwnallthethings (thread):
Come on, CNN, that's an all-caps "BUST", 'cos Trump really means it. Since his lawyers have no doubt forbidden him to comment about Mueller's recent indictments, he's channeling all that pent-up rage into a disturbing Twitter rant about the Schiff Memo ("SO ILLEGAL", "This whole Witch Hunt is an illegal disgrace", etc.). All the fell-good vibes he soaked up at CPAC have dissipated like breath fogging a mirror's surface.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:18 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/democrat_memo_charge_and_response.pdf
Not a great job of redaction.
@pwnallthethings (thread):
Also in other news: the FBI had *four* sub-inquiries into individuals linked to the Trump campaign by September 2016.CNN: Rep. Adam Schiff's memo seeks to undercut Republican claims of FBI surveillance abuses. Trump calls it a 'bust.'
For my money: Manafort, Gates, Flynn, Papadopoulos (and obviously Page).
Papadopoulous speaks to diplomat-guy in May 2016, who tips off FBI ~ June/July
Flynn's "let's kidnap Gulen" meeting with Turkey was September 19 (Woolsey tips FBI off to this shortly after)
Manafort and Gates were on FBI's radar for money laundering for a looong time per SCO.
Come on, CNN, that's an all-caps "BUST", 'cos Trump really means it. Since his lawyers have no doubt forbidden him to comment about Mueller's recent indictments, he's channeling all that pent-up rage into a disturbing Twitter rant about the Schiff Memo ("SO ILLEGAL", "This whole Witch Hunt is an illegal disgrace", etc.). All the fell-good vibes he soaked up at CPAC have dissipated like breath fogging a mirror's surface.
posted by Doktor Zed at 4:18 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
A good summary. Go to the thread for screenshots showing the memo detail mentioned in some of the tweets.
@aravosis
1) So the House GOP Intelligence committee has finally released the Democratic memo about Trump’s collusion with Russia, Carter Page, and the Steele (aka Pee Pee) memo. Let’s pull out some of the good stuff.
2) The Dem memo confirms that “the FBI assessed [Trump campaign top foreign policy aide Carter Page] to be an agent of the Russian government.” That doesn’t sound good.
3) The FBI did not use Steele’s dossier as justification for beginning the Russia probe, which started in July 2016. The FBI didn’t get Steele’s memo until mid-September, 7 weeks AFTER the probe was begun.
4) The initial FISA warrant to spy on Page was granted by a GOP-appointed judge, and then renewed by 3 different judges — four different federal judges in total — all appointed by GOP presidents. They were Republican judges who approved spying on Page.
5) Page had already left the Trump campaign by the time the FBI got the warrant to eavesdrop on him. So there was not tapping of the Trump campaign.
6) The FBI corroborated parts of the Steele dossier, and presented that to the FISA court, but that’s such a secret it got blacked out in the memo. Oh yeah, and the evidence corroborating Steele contradicts what Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee.
7) As we suspected, the FISA court renewed the wiretap on Carter Page 4 times because it kept yielding useful information. The info was so useful that it got censored from the Democratic memo.
8) Devin Nunes lied. The FBI told the FISA court all about Steele, and that the memo was paid for by people who wanted “to discredit” Trump’s campaign. And DOJ never paid Steele for the dossier — Nunes lied about this.
9) And Nunes lied about the Yahoo news story. Nunes claimed the DOJ used the Yahoo story as proof of the Steele dossier. No. The article was used to quote Page’s denials of secret Moscow meetings, which makes the meetings all the more suspect.
10) And finally, those FBI lovebirds with the texting fetish had zero to do with the FISA warrant. Nunes lied about that too.
11) Some interesting footnotes. First of all, I’m still shocked that the Trump campaign didn’t go the FBI the second they were told the Russians had stolen “thousands” of Hillary’s emails. That’s un-American, un-patriotic behavior.
12) Nor did the Trump campaign go to the FBI a few months later when they saw the news go public that, in fact, Hillary’s emails HAD been stolen, just as the Russians had an intermediary tell Papadopoulos. How do you not THEN call the FBI?
13) Bottom line: Four Republican federal judges found sufficient evidence that former top Trump campaign foreign policy aide Carter Page was acting as a Russian agent, to issue a FISA warrant permitting the FBI to spy on him. And, they received useful info during that spying.
14) And for some reason, Devin Nunes and Donald Trump and Paul Ryan don’t want you to know that one of Trump’s former top foreign policy aides was credibly suspected of working for the Russians. You do the math.
posted by chris24 at 4:18 PM on February 24, 2018 [99 favorites]
@aravosis
1) So the House GOP Intelligence committee has finally released the Democratic memo about Trump’s collusion with Russia, Carter Page, and the Steele (aka Pee Pee) memo. Let’s pull out some of the good stuff.
2) The Dem memo confirms that “the FBI assessed [Trump campaign top foreign policy aide Carter Page] to be an agent of the Russian government.” That doesn’t sound good.
3) The FBI did not use Steele’s dossier as justification for beginning the Russia probe, which started in July 2016. The FBI didn’t get Steele’s memo until mid-September, 7 weeks AFTER the probe was begun.
4) The initial FISA warrant to spy on Page was granted by a GOP-appointed judge, and then renewed by 3 different judges — four different federal judges in total — all appointed by GOP presidents. They were Republican judges who approved spying on Page.
5) Page had already left the Trump campaign by the time the FBI got the warrant to eavesdrop on him. So there was not tapping of the Trump campaign.
6) The FBI corroborated parts of the Steele dossier, and presented that to the FISA court, but that’s such a secret it got blacked out in the memo. Oh yeah, and the evidence corroborating Steele contradicts what Carter Page told the House Intelligence Committee.
7) As we suspected, the FISA court renewed the wiretap on Carter Page 4 times because it kept yielding useful information. The info was so useful that it got censored from the Democratic memo.
8) Devin Nunes lied. The FBI told the FISA court all about Steele, and that the memo was paid for by people who wanted “to discredit” Trump’s campaign. And DOJ never paid Steele for the dossier — Nunes lied about this.
9) And Nunes lied about the Yahoo news story. Nunes claimed the DOJ used the Yahoo story as proof of the Steele dossier. No. The article was used to quote Page’s denials of secret Moscow meetings, which makes the meetings all the more suspect.
10) And finally, those FBI lovebirds with the texting fetish had zero to do with the FISA warrant. Nunes lied about that too.
11) Some interesting footnotes. First of all, I’m still shocked that the Trump campaign didn’t go the FBI the second they were told the Russians had stolen “thousands” of Hillary’s emails. That’s un-American, un-patriotic behavior.
12) Nor did the Trump campaign go to the FBI a few months later when they saw the news go public that, in fact, Hillary’s emails HAD been stolen, just as the Russians had an intermediary tell Papadopoulos. How do you not THEN call the FBI?
13) Bottom line: Four Republican federal judges found sufficient evidence that former top Trump campaign foreign policy aide Carter Page was acting as a Russian agent, to issue a FISA warrant permitting the FBI to spy on him. And, they received useful info during that spying.
14) And for some reason, Devin Nunes and Donald Trump and Paul Ryan don’t want you to know that one of Trump’s former top foreign policy aides was credibly suspected of working for the Russians. You do the math.
posted by chris24 at 4:18 PM on February 24, 2018 [99 favorites]
Never forget:
NYT 10/31/16: Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia
posted by chris24 at 4:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [37 favorites]
NYT 10/31/16: Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia
posted by chris24 at 4:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [37 favorites]
Also worth noting that the Republican federal judges were assigned to the FISA court and supervised by Chief Justice Roberts.
posted by JackFlash at 4:32 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by JackFlash at 4:32 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
WaPo, Philip Rucker, Joshua Partlow and Nick Miroff, After testy call with Trump over border wall, Mexico’s president shelves plan to visit White House
Tentative plans for Mexican President Enrique Peña Nieto to make his first visit to the White House to meet with President Trump were scuttled this week after a testy call between the two leaders ended in an impasse over Trump’s promised border wall, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.Mexican officials apparently thought they had a deal where they would visit and Trump would simply not talk about the wall, but nobody seems to have gotten that through the President's thick skull:
Peña Nieto was eyeing an official trip to Washington this month or in early March, but both countries agreed to call off the plan after Trump would not agree to publicly affirm Mexico’s position that it would not fund construction of a border wall that the Mexican people widely consider offensive, said the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss a confidential conversation.
Speaking by phone on Feb. 20, Peña Nieto and Trump devoted a considerable portion of their roughly 50 minute conversation to the wall, and neither man would compromise his position.
One Mexican official said Trump “lost his temper.” But U.S. officials described him instead as being frustrated and exasperated, saying Trump believed it was unreasonable for Peña Nieto to expect him to back off his crowd-pleasing campaign promise of forcing Mexico to pay for the wall.
Trump said that he would not be bound by any such agreement and could not commit himself to not talking about the wall.posted by zachlipton at 4:42 PM on February 24, 2018 [39 favorites]
Never forget: NYT 10/31/16: Investigating Donald Trump, F.B.I. Sees No Clear Link to Russia
Yes, Comey was denying (lying) about information he had about Carter and Papadopoulos, two members of the Trump campaign, on the very same day he was releasing unsubstantiated information about Clinton emails to the Republicans.
Talk about having your thumb on the scale. Which is why:
"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders."
That separation is designed to prevent the cops enthusiasm or prejudices from corrupting a prosecution. Comey crossed the line from cop to prosecutor, directly defying the recommendations of the ethics department at Justice.
posted by JackFlash at 4:44 PM on February 24, 2018 [42 favorites]
Yes, Comey was denying (lying) about information he had about Carter and Papadopoulos, two members of the Trump campaign, on the very same day he was releasing unsubstantiated information about Clinton emails to the Republicans.
Talk about having your thumb on the scale. Which is why:
"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups: the police, who investigate crime; and the district attorneys, who prosecute the offenders."
That separation is designed to prevent the cops enthusiasm or prejudices from corrupting a prosecution. Comey crossed the line from cop to prosecutor, directly defying the recommendations of the ethics department at Justice.
posted by JackFlash at 4:44 PM on February 24, 2018 [42 favorites]
My favorite detail from that WaPo story:
A few hours after the two presidents spoke, officials said, Kushner called Peña Nieto to help smooth things over.posted by box at 4:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [16 favorites]
@realDonaldTrump: “Congressman Schiff omitted and distorted key facts” @FoxNews So, what else is new. He is a total phony!
@brianstelter:
posted by zachlipton at 5:25 PM on February 24, 2018 [81 favorites]
@brianstelter:
Holy moly. The @FoxNews anchor said "Congressman Schiff, he ARGUES the REPUBLICAN memo omitted and distorted key facts." Trump just deleted 5 words from the quote to allege the opposite meaning.@RepAdamSchiff: Wait a minute, Mr. President. Am I a phony, or sleazy, a monster or little? Surely you know the key to a good playground nickname is consistency. I thought you were supposed to be good at this.
SCHIFF is the one who's alleging the Republicans -- quote -- "omitted and distorted key facts." That's the exact quote from @RepAdamSchiff's Twitter feed.
Trump MISquoted two different @FoxNews reports tonight. Either he truly misunderstood what he heard on TV, which is worrisome, or he purposefully misquoted it, which is also worrisome.
posted by zachlipton at 5:25 PM on February 24, 2018 [81 favorites]
The @FoxNews anchor said "Congressman Schiff, he ARGUES the REPUBLICAN memo omitted and distorted key facts." Trump just deleted 5 words from the quote to allege the opposite meaning.
He literally omitted and distorted right there
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:32 PM on February 24, 2018 [35 favorites]
He literally omitted and distorted right there
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:32 PM on February 24, 2018 [35 favorites]
Just another Saturday night in Trumptown.
posted by notyou at 5:37 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by notyou at 5:37 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
>He is a total phony
Picturing Trump in a red hunting cap.
posted by lumnar at 5:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
Picturing Trump in a red hunting cap.
posted by lumnar at 5:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [8 favorites]
And now he just called into Jeanane Pirro:
Trump now on Janeane Pirro’s show:
“There is no collusion. No phone calls — I had no phone calls, no meetings, nothing.”
“I don’t want to sound braggadocios. I was a far better candidate. She was not a good candidate. She went to the wrong states.”
He then lists states he won.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:12 PM on February 24, 2018 [28 favorites]
Trump now on Janeane Pirro’s show:
“There is no collusion. No phone calls — I had no phone calls, no meetings, nothing.”
“I don’t want to sound braggadocios. I was a far better candidate. She was not a good candidate. She went to the wrong states.”
He then lists states he won.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:12 PM on February 24, 2018 [28 favorites]
Trump's 10 minutes in to a live phone rant on Jeanine Pirro. Absolutely insane and unhinged, going on about NO COLLUSION and Hillary never went to Wisconsin and Schiff is a really bad guy and Warner's the one talking to Russians and we really all have to come together and I did very well with the hispanics. Pirro keeps trying to speak and he won't let her.
He also said "Devin Nunes, I must say, will in the future be greatly rewarded for all his help and his great work." God I hope that's another obstruction charge for both of them. He's still talking.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:13 PM on February 24, 2018 [67 favorites]
He also said "Devin Nunes, I must say, will in the future be greatly rewarded for all his help and his great work." God I hope that's another obstruction charge for both of them. He's still talking.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:13 PM on February 24, 2018 [67 favorites]
Either he truly misunderstood what he heard on TV, which is worrisome, or he purposefully misquoted it, which is also worrisome.
I have concerns.
(Trump is a straight up xenophobic fascist. but bald-faced lie #61324 is "worrisome".
posted by benzenedream at 6:15 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
I have concerns.
(Trump is a straight up xenophobic fascist. but bald-faced lie #61324 is "worrisome".
posted by benzenedream at 6:15 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
And this is some rare good news, one of my best law professors is running for Michigan Supreme Court: Samuel Bagenstos Announces Run For Michigan Supreme Court
Sam Bagenstos is one of the smartest and most dedicated people I've ever met.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:15 PM on February 24, 2018 [24 favorites]
Sam Bagenstos is one of the smartest and most dedicated people I've ever met.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:15 PM on February 24, 2018 [24 favorites]
I’d just like to say that as a Canadian this whole CPAC thing was confusing AF until I googled CPAC United States
posted by Bovine Love at 6:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Bovine Love at 6:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [12 favorites]
He just described the visa lottery as an actual lottery that foreign countries have where they put in the names of all their bad guys to get rid of them. Then he rambled about his military parade, repeatedly saying that "the generals would love to do it." Now he's complimenting Jesse Watters on his ratings. Pure madness.
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:25 PM on February 24, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 6:25 PM on February 24, 2018 [16 favorites]
"Devin Nunes, I must say, will in the future be greatly rewarded for all his help and his great work."
According to this live Twitter thread, unfortunately, he said “Congressman Nunes, if this continues to go forward, I really think someday he’s gonna be greatly honored”. It's plausibly deniable, just like most things he says.
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:26 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
According to this live Twitter thread, unfortunately, he said “Congressman Nunes, if this continues to go forward, I really think someday he’s gonna be greatly honored”. It's plausibly deniable, just like most things he says.
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:26 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
Everything Trump the last few days has been with the aim of changing the subject from gun control. He's going to throw shit out onto the airwaves so people have some red meat to chew on. Don't fall for it, everything the guy says is inconsequential, or already known, and at any rate not an emergency to deal with.
posted by rhizome at 6:29 PM on February 24, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 6:29 PM on February 24, 2018 [24 favorites]
Well, that and change the subject from the fact that his campaign manager was charged with "conspiracy against the United States" and another campaign official plead guilty and flipped against him.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:43 PM on February 24, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:43 PM on February 24, 2018 [32 favorites]
Every time Trump tweets Trumpy bullshit some folks think its an attempt to distract from something else. But the thing is he tweets bullshit constantly. Basically every day. And he tweeted bullshit constantly before he was running for President. It's just what he does. I see no evidence or any particular reason to think that it's anything but it appears to be, the deranged ravings of a narcissistic moron.
It may have the effect of distracting us from gun control but he's not doing it for that reason. He can't help himself.
posted by Justinian at 6:45 PM on February 24, 2018 [98 favorites]
It may have the effect of distracting us from gun control but he's not doing it for that reason. He can't help himself.
posted by Justinian at 6:45 PM on February 24, 2018 [98 favorites]
A West Virginia judge has dismissed coal tycoon Bob Murray's defamation suit against John Oliver and HBO; Murray plans to appeal.
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:48 PM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 6:48 PM on February 24, 2018 [23 favorites]
David Smith in Teh Guardian: Trump at CPAC: the invasion of the body snatchers is complete
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:53 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
“Congressman Nunes, if this continues to go forward, I really think someday he’s gonna be greatly honored”
Yeah, in Russia.
posted by diogenes at 6:58 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
Yeah, in Russia.
posted by diogenes at 6:58 PM on February 24, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's just what he does.
In both senses, though. It's who he is, and it's also his one and only tactic. (Or as he probably sees it, talent. He thinks he's some kind of ringmaster.*) He's employed it throughout his careers. But not every outburst is tactical, and he's getting worse and worse at it.
*Circus, not One
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:05 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
In both senses, though. It's who he is, and it's also his one and only tactic. (Or as he probably sees it, talent. He thinks he's some kind of ringmaster.*) He's employed it throughout his careers. But not every outburst is tactical, and he's getting worse and worse at it.
*Circus, not One
posted by snuffleupagus at 7:05 PM on February 24, 2018 [4 favorites]
@ZcohenCNN
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that Ivanka Trump briefed South Korean President Moon about the new NK sanctions.
Asked if she had the appropriate security clearance, Mnuchin said, “She has the appropriate access to brief the president.”
@brianklaas (WaPo columnist)
Retweeted Zachary Cohen
The president’s chief adviser, a general, has allowed the president’s unqualified daughter (who lacks permanent security clearance) to brief a key ally on diplomatic decisions involving the risk of nuclear war. This snapshot belongs in an authoritarian banana republic.
posted by chris24 at 7:07 PM on February 24, 2018 [141 favorites]
Treasury Secretary Steven Mnuchin announced that Ivanka Trump briefed South Korean President Moon about the new NK sanctions.
Asked if she had the appropriate security clearance, Mnuchin said, “She has the appropriate access to brief the president.”
@brianklaas (WaPo columnist)
Retweeted Zachary Cohen
The president’s chief adviser, a general, has allowed the president’s unqualified daughter (who lacks permanent security clearance) to brief a key ally on diplomatic decisions involving the risk of nuclear war. This snapshot belongs in an authoritarian banana republic.
posted by chris24 at 7:07 PM on February 24, 2018 [141 favorites]
From the most heavily redacted section of the House Minority Anti-Memo Rebuttal, The Intelligencing: This Time It's Treasonal, "DOJ also documented evidence that Page [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~], anticipated [~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~] and repeatedly contacted [~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~] in an effort to present himself as [~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~] (15) [~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~] (16) Page's efforts to [~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~] also contradict his sworn testimony to our Committee."
Hmmmmmm. I wonder who he repeatedly contacted. Say, that minds me, did Jefferson Beauregard Sessions ever get jail time for perjuring himself in front of the Senate during his confirmation hearings?
posted by petebest at 7:12 PM on February 24, 2018 [12 favorites]
Hmmmmmm. I wonder who he repeatedly contacted. Say, that minds me, did Jefferson Beauregard Sessions ever get jail time for perjuring himself in front of the Senate during his confirmation hearings?
posted by petebest at 7:12 PM on February 24, 2018 [12 favorites]
Trump's 10 minutes in to a live phone rant on Jeanine Pirro.
Actual question from Brilliant Legal Mind Jeanine Pirro:
posted by Justinian at 7:42 PM on February 24, 2018 [15 favorites]
Actual question from Brilliant Legal Mind Jeanine Pirro:
Your approval rating is soaring. When you talk about the economy & low unemployment & the stock market & great things that have been happening, you have accomplished all of this. To what do you attribute these incredible advances?Quite the hard hitting interview.
posted by Justinian at 7:42 PM on February 24, 2018 [15 favorites]
Your approval rating is soaring. When you talk about the economy & low unemployment & the stock market & great things that have been happening, you have accomplished all of this. To what do you attribute these incredible advances?
Which side is Lisa Simpson again?
posted by ipe at 7:54 PM on February 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
Which side is Lisa Simpson again?
posted by ipe at 7:54 PM on February 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
Here's a weird thing. Buzzfeed: A Former Manager At The Russian "Troll Factory" Is Now Living In The US, Report Says
Agata Burdonova, 31, was an English-language specialist who worked as a manager at the IRA, according to TV Rain, an independent Russian news agency that has broken a number of stories about the Internet Research Agency. She moved to Bellevue, Washington, on Dec. 7, and has thoroughly documented her move on her social media accounts. [...] Burdonova is not among the 13 Russians that the Department of Justice’s special counsel has accused of violating a series of US laws in connection to the 2016 election. [...] A spokesperson for the special counsel's office declined to comment on Burdonova's presence in the United States.
So an IRA manager, not indicted, living here for 2 months. Gotta be a cooperator of some sort, right?
Here's another weird thing. Washington Post: Police, yelling, power turned off: Confrontation over Trump’s Panama hotel escalates
(See also. SF Gate: Trump officials fight eviction from Panama hotel they manage)
Trump's managers retreated behind the glass walls of an office where they were seen carrying files to an area where the sounds of a shredding machine could be heard, according to two witnesses aligned with the owners. The legal complaint also accused Trump's team of improperly destroying documents.
(See also. Newsweek in November: Trump made millions of dollars from drug money laundering in Panama: report)
Weird things.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [64 favorites]
Agata Burdonova, 31, was an English-language specialist who worked as a manager at the IRA, according to TV Rain, an independent Russian news agency that has broken a number of stories about the Internet Research Agency. She moved to Bellevue, Washington, on Dec. 7, and has thoroughly documented her move on her social media accounts. [...] Burdonova is not among the 13 Russians that the Department of Justice’s special counsel has accused of violating a series of US laws in connection to the 2016 election. [...] A spokesperson for the special counsel's office declined to comment on Burdonova's presence in the United States.
So an IRA manager, not indicted, living here for 2 months. Gotta be a cooperator of some sort, right?
Here's another weird thing. Washington Post: Police, yelling, power turned off: Confrontation over Trump’s Panama hotel escalates
(See also. SF Gate: Trump officials fight eviction from Panama hotel they manage)
Trump's managers retreated behind the glass walls of an office where they were seen carrying files to an area where the sounds of a shredding machine could be heard, according to two witnesses aligned with the owners. The legal complaint also accused Trump's team of improperly destroying documents.
(See also. Newsweek in November: Trump made millions of dollars from drug money laundering in Panama: report)
Weird things.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:24 PM on February 24, 2018 [64 favorites]
is it just me, does the setup at the Trump Panama (a “hotel condominium” where rooms are individually owned by investors who receive income based on occupancy for their units) seem
a) tailor-made for money laundering
b) like a deal you would only do if you couldn’t obtain traditional financing
posted by murphy slaw at 8:55 PM on February 24, 2018 [47 favorites]
a) tailor-made for money laundering
b) like a deal you would only do if you couldn’t obtain traditional financing
posted by murphy slaw at 8:55 PM on February 24, 2018 [47 favorites]
Oakland Mayor Alerts Undocumented Residents of Potential ICE Raids.
This is the mayor's release, warning of an ICE "operation in the Bay Area...starting as soon as within the next 24 hours."
posted by zachlipton at 9:52 PM on February 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
This is the mayor's release, warning of an ICE "operation in the Bay Area...starting as soon as within the next 24 hours."
posted by zachlipton at 9:52 PM on February 24, 2018 [13 favorites]
Day 4 of Texas primary early voting, 15 largest counties:
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 139,720 / 126,121 / 79,689
GOP: 134,505 / 157,275 / 126,129
posted by Chrysostom at 10:10 PM on February 24, 2018 [25 favorites]
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 139,720 / 126,121 / 79,689
GOP: 134,505 / 157,275 / 126,129
posted by Chrysostom at 10:10 PM on February 24, 2018 [25 favorites]
Dave Weigel piece about the IL-03 primary we've been discussing a bit (Lipinski vs Newman). Also, the candidates had their sole debate the other day.
posted by Chrysostom at 10:26 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 10:26 PM on February 24, 2018 [2 favorites]
I forgot about this, but Greitens wasn't even Missouri's first choice among republicans. It was Tom Schweich who committed suicide after being harassed.
From another piece on Greitens
From another piece on Greitens
One week later, the Republican front-runner for governor, Tom Schweich, committed suicide after complaining of smear tactics that included the false statement that he was Jewish. Greitens—who, ironically, is Jewish, on his mother’s side—called Schweich’s death “a tragic indictment of Missouri politics.” He declared himself an “outsider” candidate who would restore ethics and decency.posted by fluttering hellfire at 11:52 PM on February 24, 2018 [7 favorites]
Xi Jinping plans to end constitutional term limits for the Presidency of China. Commentators on the BBC World News just now said that it's expected he will be successful.
It will be mildly interesting I suppose to see whether Trump tries to tweet-castigate China for this or trips over himself rushing to congratulate a dictator cementing his grip on power as he did with Erdoğan in Turkey last year.
posted by XMLicious at 5:18 AM on February 25, 2018 [17 favorites]
It will be mildly interesting I suppose to see whether Trump tries to tweet-castigate China for this or trips over himself rushing to congratulate a dictator cementing his grip on power as he did with Erdoğan in Turkey last year.
posted by XMLicious at 5:18 AM on February 25, 2018 [17 favorites]
For those who follow the work of Kurt Eichenwald he ...
...has been and continues to be an abusive asshole, an example among thousands of mediocre white men who get an undeserved following instead of the PoC and women who are doing actual professional journalism.
Broadly accurate.
Anyway, since yesterday, when he was freaking out at everybody for being mean to a nazi he wanted to be his friend, he has since moved on to threatening to sue the nazi and then all kinds of desperate pleading because the nazi won't respond to his DMs.
posted by Artw at 7:09 AM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
...has been and continues to be an abusive asshole, an example among thousands of mediocre white men who get an undeserved following instead of the PoC and women who are doing actual professional journalism.
Broadly accurate.
Anyway, since yesterday, when he was freaking out at everybody for being mean to a nazi he wanted to be his friend, he has since moved on to threatening to sue the nazi and then all kinds of desperate pleading because the nazi won't respond to his DMs.
posted by Artw at 7:09 AM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
LOL, Mr. Tax Cut Is Making Me Popular is back down to 35%, matching his all-time low and at his lowest ever among Rs at 80%.
President Donald Trump's approval rating in a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS stands at 35%, down five points over the last month to match his lowest level yet.posted by chris24 at 7:14 AM on February 25, 2018 [25 favorites]
The slide follows a January bump in approval for the President, a finding that appeared connected to a bullish stock market and strong reviews for the economy. His new rating matches a December poll, which marked his lowest approval rating in CNN polling since taking office in January 2017.
The President also earns his lowest rating yet among Republicans, though he is still viewed positively among his own partisans. Overall, 80% of self-identified Republicans say they approve of the President, one point below his previous low mark of 81%, hit in late September of last year. Just 13% of Republicans say they disapprove of the President's performance. Approval for the President stands at just 5% among Democrats and 35% among independents.
Xi Jinping plans to end constitutional term limits for the Presidency of China. Commentators on the BBC World News just now said that it's expected he will be successful.
I was surprised to find out that he's only been in the chief spot since 2013. So this is only the end of his first/start of his second term. That's a tremendous amount of hubris, to extend your term limits so early. A lot can happen in 5 years.
posted by dis_integration at 7:15 AM on February 25, 2018
I was surprised to find out that he's only been in the chief spot since 2013. So this is only the end of his first/start of his second term. That's a tremendous amount of hubris, to extend your term limits so early. A lot can happen in 5 years.
posted by dis_integration at 7:15 AM on February 25, 2018
Huh, State Democrats fail to endorse Feinstein
posted by The Whelk at 7:38 AM on February 25, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by The Whelk at 7:38 AM on February 25, 2018 [25 favorites]
Hmm.
She seems to have woken up a little lately but some of those are very bad votes. She voted against Sessions at least.
posted by Artw at 8:14 AM on February 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
She seems to have woken up a little lately but some of those are very bad votes. She voted against Sessions at least.
posted by Artw at 8:14 AM on February 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
Indeed, looking over her voting record, she seemed to be swimming with what she saw a the inevitable tide of politics at a change of administration, and to have become spooked since then. I'd say her future likely voting record would probably be solidly anti-T, but it sure took a lot of bad stuff to wake her up (and by then many important positions had been filled with kleptocrats and incompetents.
posted by stonepharisee at 8:37 AM on February 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by stonepharisee at 8:37 AM on February 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's nearly Easter time (we're in Lent and there's bunnies in the store) and insane Facebook is starting to spawn their "CADBURY IS TAKING EASTER OFF EGGS TO APPEASE THE MUSLUMZZZ" meme that hateful little twerp Glenn Lazarus came up with.
You know what? I'm fucking done apologizing for the imagined sins of an entire religious group. These people posting this shit need to be called out as the fucking pawns they are for people that don't even give a shit about said Facebook poster's imagined place in an imagined social strata. They just go where the votes are and stir up shit against "the other". And when people question their pawn-like nature I'm just going to start hitting with bible quotes like Leviticus 19:33 and pointing out their eagerness to suspend all critical thinking when they're presented with something that threatens to mess with their privilege of being at the top of this imagined social strata (When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression).
I'm not going to feel bad for starting conflict anymore. I'm not going to apologise for rocking the boat of their world view. I'm not going to lack the courage of my convictions anymore. People just want to live their fucking lives. The people who crave power seek to divide those people to keep that power and they appeal to people who are so eager to throw the other under the bus if they get to be the imaginary kings of society.
Fuck these bigots.
posted by Talez at 8:53 AM on February 25, 2018 [74 favorites]
You know what? I'm fucking done apologizing for the imagined sins of an entire religious group. These people posting this shit need to be called out as the fucking pawns they are for people that don't even give a shit about said Facebook poster's imagined place in an imagined social strata. They just go where the votes are and stir up shit against "the other". And when people question their pawn-like nature I'm just going to start hitting with bible quotes like Leviticus 19:33 and pointing out their eagerness to suspend all critical thinking when they're presented with something that threatens to mess with their privilege of being at the top of this imagined social strata (When you’re accustomed to privilege, equality feels like oppression).
I'm not going to feel bad for starting conflict anymore. I'm not going to apologise for rocking the boat of their world view. I'm not going to lack the courage of my convictions anymore. People just want to live their fucking lives. The people who crave power seek to divide those people to keep that power and they appeal to people who are so eager to throw the other under the bus if they get to be the imaginary kings of society.
Fuck these bigots.
posted by Talez at 8:53 AM on February 25, 2018 [74 favorites]
Some interesting additional detail in the new CNN poll. Trump has 70% disapproval from white college women, and 58% disapproval from non-college white women.
@RonBrownstein (Atlantic, CNN)
House R's face maximum vulnerability in white-collar districts in blue Metro areas, like OC, NJ, suburbs of PHI/CHI/DEN/MPS. But can D's extend their gains to white-collar seats in red states (ATL/HOU/DAL)? And blue-collar seats in blue states? The places that will decide the 2018 midterm elections
- New @CNNPolitics poll shows big troubles for Trump w/women voters that r key to these opportunities. In poll, 70% (!) of college + wh women disapprove-which is key to suburban openings. But also 58% of non-college wh women disapprove-key to contesting some blue-collar rural seats
posted by chris24 at 9:22 AM on February 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
@RonBrownstein (Atlantic, CNN)
House R's face maximum vulnerability in white-collar districts in blue Metro areas, like OC, NJ, suburbs of PHI/CHI/DEN/MPS. But can D's extend their gains to white-collar seats in red states (ATL/HOU/DAL)? And blue-collar seats in blue states? The places that will decide the 2018 midterm elections
- New @CNNPolitics poll shows big troubles for Trump w/women voters that r key to these opportunities. In poll, 70% (!) of college + wh women disapprove-which is key to suburban openings. But also 58% of non-college wh women disapprove-key to contesting some blue-collar rural seats
posted by chris24 at 9:22 AM on February 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
Huh, State Democrats fail to endorse Feinstein
No excuse for a California senator to consistently fall to the right of the majority of her party. Seats don't get safer than that. There should be an Elizabeth Warren type firebrand there. Ideally a young one. Sen Feinstein, thank you for your service, but you're 86 years old, for pete's sake. Retire.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:47 AM on February 25, 2018 [38 favorites]
No excuse for a California senator to consistently fall to the right of the majority of her party. Seats don't get safer than that. There should be an Elizabeth Warren type firebrand there. Ideally a young one. Sen Feinstein, thank you for your service, but you're 86 years old, for pete's sake. Retire.
posted by leotrotsky at 9:47 AM on February 25, 2018 [38 favorites]
Manafort's inability to edit PDFs created an email trail which pinpointed when and how he doctored documents to make fraudulent loan applications.
Blithering incompetence is not always your friend. I am looking forward, when all this is over, to enjoying many more such revelations. A small pleasure, but in times like these you takes what you gets.
posted by Devonian at 9:47 AM on February 25, 2018 [45 favorites]
Blithering incompetence is not always your friend. I am looking forward, when all this is over, to enjoying many more such revelations. A small pleasure, but in times like these you takes what you gets.
posted by Devonian at 9:47 AM on February 25, 2018 [45 favorites]
Fire and Fury author and Tony Blair accuse each other of lying
Apparently "Wolff claims that Blair was angling for a job as a Middle East peace envoy", which on the face of it is preposterous, what with Jared doing such an upstanding job there.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:10 AM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Apparently "Wolff claims that Blair was angling for a job as a Middle East peace envoy", which on the face of it is preposterous, what with Jared doing such an upstanding job there.
posted by Joe in Australia at 10:10 AM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
Wolff also did an interview for Dutch TV that did not go well for him, because the interviewer pressed him hard on the affair claims he made to Bill Maher, leading Wolff to eventually admit he doesn't know what he's talking about. Then he cancelled the rest of his interviews with the Dutch press.
Can we get some kind of US-NL journalist exchange program going, because they seem damn good at doing what our talking heads won't?
posted by zachlipton at 10:17 AM on February 25, 2018 [54 favorites]
Can we get some kind of US-NL journalist exchange program going, because they seem damn good at doing what our talking heads won't?
posted by zachlipton at 10:17 AM on February 25, 2018 [54 favorites]
I am also not at all comfortable with this present situation where I believe Tony Blair could actually be telling the truth about something. That makes my brain hurt.
posted by zachlipton at 10:18 AM on February 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:18 AM on February 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
"State Democrats fail to endorse Feinstein"
Indeed, looking over her voting record, she seemed to be swimming with what she saw a the inevitable tide of politics at a change of administration, and to have become spooked since then. I'd say her future likely voting record would probably be solidly anti-T, but it sure took a lot of bad stuff to wake her up (and by then many important positions had been filled with kleptocrats and incompetents.
I think Feinstein, like a LOT of her colleagues, believed in voting to confirm unless a nominee was so manifestly unfit that they couldn't even get nominated. This chart of Senate votes on nominees shows that even Maggie Hassan and Tim Kaine voted to confirm Pompeo; to me, that chart suggests that a lot of Dem Senators started out confirming most nominees (even Harris voted to confirm the first four) before switching to No votes, and I think it's because the calls kept coming and the pressure kept growing and they realized people were paying attention and actually cared about this stuff for a change.
Feinstein is definitely more conservative than I would like, and I would be happy to be represented by someone more progressive. But it bothers me when people are quick to demonize her and forget all the many good things she's done - and to ignore how many other Democratic senators have also voted for Trump nominees and Republican initiatives, perhaps out of now outdated respect for norms that have been destroyed by the anti-American Republican majority.
Just in the past year, Sen. Feinstein has read the Glenn Simpson/GPS Fusion testimony into the record, re-introduced legislation to protect Americans from excessive health insurance rate hikes, something she's been pushing since at least 2015, and read into the record the 14 key cases where the Supreme Court upheld Roe’s core holding when speaking against confirming Gorsuch, just to name a few.
If she had no more progressive challenger, I'd be fine with voting for her again. She's not perfect, by any means, but she's no Dan Lipinski.
posted by kristi at 12:25 PM on February 25, 2018 [40 favorites]
Indeed, looking over her voting record, she seemed to be swimming with what she saw a the inevitable tide of politics at a change of administration, and to have become spooked since then. I'd say her future likely voting record would probably be solidly anti-T, but it sure took a lot of bad stuff to wake her up (and by then many important positions had been filled with kleptocrats and incompetents.
I think Feinstein, like a LOT of her colleagues, believed in voting to confirm unless a nominee was so manifestly unfit that they couldn't even get nominated. This chart of Senate votes on nominees shows that even Maggie Hassan and Tim Kaine voted to confirm Pompeo; to me, that chart suggests that a lot of Dem Senators started out confirming most nominees (even Harris voted to confirm the first four) before switching to No votes, and I think it's because the calls kept coming and the pressure kept growing and they realized people were paying attention and actually cared about this stuff for a change.
Feinstein is definitely more conservative than I would like, and I would be happy to be represented by someone more progressive. But it bothers me when people are quick to demonize her and forget all the many good things she's done - and to ignore how many other Democratic senators have also voted for Trump nominees and Republican initiatives, perhaps out of now outdated respect for norms that have been destroyed by the anti-American Republican majority.
Just in the past year, Sen. Feinstein has read the Glenn Simpson/GPS Fusion testimony into the record, re-introduced legislation to protect Americans from excessive health insurance rate hikes, something she's been pushing since at least 2015, and read into the record the 14 key cases where the Supreme Court upheld Roe’s core holding when speaking against confirming Gorsuch, just to name a few.
If she had no more progressive challenger, I'd be fine with voting for her again. She's not perfect, by any means, but she's no Dan Lipinski.
posted by kristi at 12:25 PM on February 25, 2018 [40 favorites]
Feinstein is definitely more conservative than I would like, and I would be happy to be represented by someone more progressive. But it bothers me when people are quick to demonize her and forget all the many good things she's done
She sure does seem to catch more visceral lefty hatred than other Dems from blue states. I mean, Schumer has actually quite a bit more power than Feinstein, but somehow doesn’t attract quuuuite the level of vitriol.
I was going to be cute about it, but you know what? I’m fucking tired. It’s because she’s a woman.
She’s a woman, so no one needs to contextualize anything. They don’t need to wonder whether their dislike is proportional, whether they’ve actual weighed the totality of her tenure like she was a real human person. They feel the hate, and look here’s something easy to rationalize it with. BAM.
I’m so tired.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:37 PM on February 25, 2018 [45 favorites]
She sure does seem to catch more visceral lefty hatred than other Dems from blue states. I mean, Schumer has actually quite a bit more power than Feinstein, but somehow doesn’t attract quuuuite the level of vitriol.
I was going to be cute about it, but you know what? I’m fucking tired. It’s because she’s a woman.
She’s a woman, so no one needs to contextualize anything. They don’t need to wonder whether their dislike is proportional, whether they’ve actual weighed the totality of her tenure like she was a real human person. They feel the hate, and look here’s something easy to rationalize it with. BAM.
I’m so tired.
posted by schadenfrau at 12:37 PM on February 25, 2018 [45 favorites]
For me it’s because she’s old. Too old. Maybe she’s still sharp. Maybe she has good positions. But it isn’t good for democracy to be led by people over 80. It is better to have new perspectives. I’m sensitive to this issue because my House rep has been in office literally my entire life. But it’s true across the board.
posted by kerf at 12:42 PM on February 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by kerf at 12:42 PM on February 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
She's 86. She isn't going to live to see the end of this next term.
Actuarial tables disagree with you. Not by a lot, sure, but she's not knocking on death's door. In any case I'm all for getting some younger folks in there.
Democratic leadership currently looks like the shuffleboard court in Miami Beach.
posted by Justinian at 12:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
Actuarial tables disagree with you. Not by a lot, sure, but she's not knocking on death's door. In any case I'm all for getting some younger folks in there.
Democratic leadership currently looks like the shuffleboard court in Miami Beach.
posted by Justinian at 12:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [5 favorites]
She doesn't have good positions. I've had her as my Senator for my entire political life, and for that whole time she has been consistently disappointing, while her counterparts (both women, Boxer and now Harris) have been generally great. She seemed retrograde for a Dem when I was a teenager, and that hasn't improved significantly in the last 20 years. She's done some good things, and has voted with the party to enact important legislation, but this is California in the age of Trump; I don't want a reliable D vote, I want someone at the vanguard.
posted by contraption at 12:50 PM on February 25, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by contraption at 12:50 PM on February 25, 2018 [19 favorites]
People forget, perhaps, that this too-conservative-for-her-electorate stuff has dogged Feinstein her entire career from when she was President of the Board of Supervisors and lost two campaigns for Mayor (she finally won after succeeding the wake of Moscone and Milk's assassinations). Her politics have always been confounding to Bay Area progressives (just one critique I found quickly). I think she obviously was someone who was winning when California was still the land of Nixon and Pete Wilson, but the place has changed and some room-reading may be appropriate.
posted by dhartung at 12:56 PM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by dhartung at 12:56 PM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
US Embassy in Jerusalem to open in May — in time for Israel’s 70th anniversary
I honestly didn't think Trump was going to go through with this: he never does anything for anyone without a payoff.
They're basically going to slap a badge on the existing US consulate in Arnona and call it an embassy, but it's going to be done in time for a symbolically-important date for Israel. Unfortunately, it's also going to be six months before the critical 2018 midterms and Trump has been invited to attend, so it's also a political move on the part of the Republicans. This also explains why [Republican mega-donor] Sheldon Adelson reportedly offered to pay for the move: he really wanted it to be done now.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
I honestly didn't think Trump was going to go through with this: he never does anything for anyone without a payoff.
They're basically going to slap a badge on the existing US consulate in Arnona and call it an embassy, but it's going to be done in time for a symbolically-important date for Israel. Unfortunately, it's also going to be six months before the critical 2018 midterms and Trump has been invited to attend, so it's also a political move on the part of the Republicans. This also explains why [Republican mega-donor] Sheldon Adelson reportedly offered to pay for the move: he really wanted it to be done now.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
As a Jew I would really appreciate it if Sheldon Adelson stopped acting like the worst anti-Semitic stereotype on earth.
posted by saturday_morning at 1:12 PM on February 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by saturday_morning at 1:12 PM on February 25, 2018 [12 favorites]
Wolff also did an interview for Dutch TV
Per the article, the interview hasn't aired yet, the article is by Erik "God how I hate Michael Wolff" Wemple, beloved of redstate (former link) and fox news, as well as the GOP.
The brouhaha in question (Trump is having an affair with Haley, yawn) has nothing to do with Erik "why didn't I think of that" Wemple's role as media critic for the Washington Post except his refusal to get over himself as the lone voice in the wilderness willing to discredit Michael Wolff (ha!) and help everyone slide back into a normalized coma instead of fucking fixing the proctocracy his industry helped create. Dear Mainstream Media, Why So Liberal?. I think Aaron Blake and Erik Wemple are wasting our time.
posted by petebest at 1:18 PM on February 25, 2018
Per the article, the interview hasn't aired yet, the article is by Erik "God how I hate Michael Wolff" Wemple, beloved of redstate (former link) and fox news, as well as the GOP.
The brouhaha in question (Trump is having an affair with Haley, yawn) has nothing to do with Erik "why didn't I think of that" Wemple's role as media critic for the Washington Post except his refusal to get over himself as the lone voice in the wilderness willing to discredit Michael Wolff (ha!) and help everyone slide back into a normalized coma instead of fucking fixing the proctocracy his industry helped create. Dear Mainstream Media, Why So Liberal?. I think Aaron Blake and Erik Wemple are wasting our time.
posted by petebest at 1:18 PM on February 25, 2018
The two perspectives on Dianne Feinstein are not contradictory. Yes, she is pretty conservative for a deep-blue state Democrat. A lot of that is because centrism and compromise is generally speaking how you succeed.
And if there's one thing guaranteed to generate a lot of visceral, inarticulable hatred in the U.S., it's a powerful, successful woman. Ask Hillary Clinton. Ask Republicans why they love to make Nancy Pelosi the emblem of Democrats in all of their TV ads.
posted by msalt at 1:23 PM on February 25, 2018 [19 favorites]
And if there's one thing guaranteed to generate a lot of visceral, inarticulable hatred in the U.S., it's a powerful, successful woman. Ask Hillary Clinton. Ask Republicans why they love to make Nancy Pelosi the emblem of Democrats in all of their TV ads.
posted by msalt at 1:23 PM on February 25, 2018 [19 favorites]
I’m sensitive to this issue because my House rep has been in office literally my entire life
Mine too (perhaps the same one?). I’m hopeful, because I got to meet Alyse Galvin, who’s running against Don Young as a (progressive) independent, a couple weeks ago when she came up to Fairbanks, and she would be *awesome*. Seriously—you should send her money. But...there’s a guy (Dimitri Stein) running as a Democrat, too, and the primary’s not until August, apparently (Alyse can run in the primary too, apparently it’s in litigation right now in general) so they’re going to be spending all their time and energy running against each other and not against Don Young. It’s so frustrating.
posted by leahwrenn at 1:35 PM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mine too (perhaps the same one?). I’m hopeful, because I got to meet Alyse Galvin, who’s running against Don Young as a (progressive) independent, a couple weeks ago when she came up to Fairbanks, and she would be *awesome*. Seriously—you should send her money. But...there’s a guy (Dimitri Stein) running as a Democrat, too, and the primary’s not until August, apparently (Alyse can run in the primary too, apparently it’s in litigation right now in general) so they’re going to be spending all their time and energy running against each other and not against Don Young. It’s so frustrating.
posted by leahwrenn at 1:35 PM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
A lot of that is because centrism and compromise is generally speaking how you succeed.
Is it, though? I feel like that's what the party has been trying and it seems like it could be going better.
posted by contraption at 1:41 PM on February 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
Is it, though? I feel like that's what the party has been trying and it seems like it could be going better.
posted by contraption at 1:41 PM on February 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
Remember that Feinstein became Senator in 1992. That was after the trend towards hyper partisanship began but well before it became so entrenched. I am quite willing to believe that moderation and compromise was far more valuable in a senator in 1992 than in 2018. Because 2018 and 1992 aren't particularly comparable politics wise.
Times have changed and she hasn't quite kept up. I do not share people's visceral dislike for her (which I agree seems rooted at least partly in misogyny) but I'd be quite happy to see her replaced with a young firebrand.
My #1 target for replacement would be Tom Carper from Delware. Feinstein would be somewhere in the top 5.
posted by Justinian at 2:03 PM on February 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
Times have changed and she hasn't quite kept up. I do not share people's visceral dislike for her (which I agree seems rooted at least partly in misogyny) but I'd be quite happy to see her replaced with a young firebrand.
My #1 target for replacement would be Tom Carper from Delware. Feinstein would be somewhere in the top 5.
posted by Justinian at 2:03 PM on February 25, 2018 [27 favorites]
My #1 target for replacement would be Tom Carper from Delware. Feinstein would be somewhere in the top 5.
Feinstein is 37th on Progressive Punch, Carpenter is 42. The Dems in that range are the dregs of the caucus like Micheal Bennett, Bill Nelson, and then into everyone's favorite set of backstabbing red staters Heitkamp and Manchin, etc. Feinstein is BY FAR the most out of step with her state in that range.
Also notable are both Virginia Senators Kaine at 38 and Warner at 43, they're both looking increasingly worse as Virginia turns bluer and they stay...not very blue at all.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:14 PM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Feinstein is 37th on Progressive Punch, Carpenter is 42. The Dems in that range are the dregs of the caucus like Micheal Bennett, Bill Nelson, and then into everyone's favorite set of backstabbing red staters Heitkamp and Manchin, etc. Feinstein is BY FAR the most out of step with her state in that range.
Also notable are both Virginia Senators Kaine at 38 and Warner at 43, they're both looking increasingly worse as Virginia turns bluer and they stay...not very blue at all.
posted by T.D. Strange at 3:14 PM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Does anyone read the Feinstein comments down here?
posted by uosuaq at 3:19 PM on February 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by uosuaq at 3:19 PM on February 25, 2018 [9 favorites]
So I actually like Erik Wemple, excepting his insistence on refering to himself as "the Erik Wemple Blog." When something goes wrong in journalism, ranging from government attacks on a free press to a forged email about the CNN town hall, he is usually the one getting everyone's side of the story and sorting it out. He's not generally as much of a big picture press critic as, say, Jay Rosen, but he does important work, and a review of his work makes it clear he's not some kind of GOP shill (discussing Fox's upcoming streaming service, he promised to eat his column if Hannity and friends somehow upped their standards for the new network).
And I don't think he's wrong to be asking questions about Wolff. Wolff's insinuation on national television is serious business, and rumors about her sex life aren't part of the many, many valid reasons to attack Nikki Haley. If Wolff wants to be thought of as a serious journalist, or even an un-serious one, it's not remotely unreasonable to press him when he reports rumors that he himself won't even stand behind.
It's not some betrayal of the Resistance to raise reasonable concerns about the truth of the information we're reading here.
posted by zachlipton at 3:24 PM on February 25, 2018 [14 favorites]
And I don't think he's wrong to be asking questions about Wolff. Wolff's insinuation on national television is serious business, and rumors about her sex life aren't part of the many, many valid reasons to attack Nikki Haley. If Wolff wants to be thought of as a serious journalist, or even an un-serious one, it's not remotely unreasonable to press him when he reports rumors that he himself won't even stand behind.
It's not some betrayal of the Resistance to raise reasonable concerns about the truth of the information we're reading here.
posted by zachlipton at 3:24 PM on February 25, 2018 [14 favorites]
Axios, Swan, Exclusive: Trump privately talks up executing all big drug dealers
Axios, Swan (again), Exclusive: Trump privately pushing personal pilot to run FAA
"He says that a lot," said a source who's spoken to Trump at length about the subject. "He says, 'When I ask the prime minister of Singapore do they have a drug problem [the prime minister replies,] 'No. Death penalty'."He reportedly acknowledges he can't do that, but may want legislation requiring five-year mandatory minimums for dealing as little as two grams of fentanyl and more anti-drug education in schools.
"He often jokes about killing drug dealers... He’ll say, 'You know the Chinese and Filipinos don’t have a drug problem. They just kill them.'"— A senior administration official to Axios
But the president doesn't just joke about it. According to five sources who've spoken with Trump about the subject, he often leaps into a passionate speech about how drug dealers are as bad as serial killers and should all get the death penalty.
Axios, Swan (again), Exclusive: Trump privately pushing personal pilot to run FAA
The president’s personal pilot is on the administration's short list to head the Federal Aviation Administration. Trump has told a host of administration officials and associates that he wants John Dunkin — his longtime personal pilot, who flew him around the country on Trump Force One during the campaign — to helm the agency, which has a budget in the billions and which oversees all civil aviation in the United States.posted by zachlipton at 3:36 PM on February 25, 2018 [22 favorites]
What I'm hearing: One industry insider equated this to the Seinfeld episode when Cosmo Kramer used his golf caddy as a jury consultant. A senior administration official told me that comparison is completely unfair. The source confirmed Trump recommended Dunkin and that he’s sat for an interview for the post. That source said he was impressive.
“He’s on the list because he's the president’s pilot, but if he gets the job it won't be because he's the president's pilot,” the source said.
I find that hard to believe only because I can’t imagine him being all that down on serial killers.
Also if this is the response to the opioid crisis wouldn’t that mean executing a bunch of drug company CEOs? That’s way too close to a sensible policy for him to be into.
I mean gonna go with believing what he actually means is “black people”.
posted by Artw at 4:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [31 favorites]
Also if this is the response to the opioid crisis wouldn’t that mean executing a bunch of drug company CEOs? That’s way too close to a sensible policy for him to be into.
I mean gonna go with believing what he actually means is “black people”.
posted by Artw at 4:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [31 favorites]
Come on, that's completely unfair. He also means Mexicans.
posted by saturday_morning at 4:28 PM on February 25, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by saturday_morning at 4:28 PM on February 25, 2018 [36 favorites]
@samstein: Michael Steele, the first African-American RNC chair, confirms to me he was not invited to the RNC’s “trailblazer luncheon” celebrating “the outstanding achievements of African-American Republican leaders”
posted by zachlipton at 4:57 PM on February 25, 2018 [69 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:57 PM on February 25, 2018 [69 favorites]
two grams of pure fent is enough to kill a large number of folks. That shit is dosed in MICROgrams.
posted by some loser at 5:03 PM on February 25, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by some loser at 5:03 PM on February 25, 2018 [7 favorites]
But the president doesn't just joke about it. According to five sources who've spoken with Trump about the subject, he often leaps into a passionate speech about how drug dealers are as bad as serial killers and should all get the death penalty.
The only thing that makes me not immediately pack my bags back to Australia is that he's not calling for extrajudicial assassinations like Duterte. That shit is just banana republic authoritarianism.
posted by Talez at 5:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
The only thing that makes me not immediately pack my bags back to Australia is that he's not calling for extrajudicial assassinations like Duterte. That shit is just banana republic authoritarianism.
posted by Talez at 5:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm hardly surprised Steele wasn't invited, given that he publicly disagreed with Trump. But it does mean that the Republicans have mostly written off their big "we totally have diversity too" event because without Steele they're basically limited to Ben Carson - surely Clarence Thomas wouldn't agree to be designated as a "Republican Leader"?
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:06 PM on February 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
you forgot about … umm … er … alan keyes?
posted by murphy slaw at 5:09 PM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 5:09 PM on February 25, 2018 [4 favorites]
The only thing that makes me not immediately pack my bags back to Australia is that he's not calling for extrajudicial assassinations like Duterte.
Maybe not in so many words, or in public. But we all know what he really thinks.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:11 PM on February 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
Maybe not in so many words, or in public. But we all know what he really thinks.
posted by Faint of Butt at 5:11 PM on February 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
He's a habitual criminal surrounded by criminals and the party he represents is fond of chanting "lock her up" - i doubt any kind of judicial process is anything he has envisioned.
posted by Artw at 5:18 PM on February 25, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Artw at 5:18 PM on February 25, 2018 [14 favorites]
The Intercept: Koch Document Reveals Laundry List of Policy Victories Extracted from the Trump Administration [via Boing Boing]
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:23 PM on February 25, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:23 PM on February 25, 2018 [11 favorites]
"He often jokes about killing drug dealers... He’ll say, 'You know the Chinese and Filipinos don’t have a drug problem. They just kill them.'"— A senior administration official to Axios
China's drug problem is growing not shrinking.
posted by srboisvert at 5:33 PM on February 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
China's drug problem is growing not shrinking.
posted by srboisvert at 5:33 PM on February 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
Update on All the Nunes That's Fit to Print:
Daily Beast: GOP Refuses to Ask Twitter for Private Messages in Russia Probe—Twitter could be key to unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding the Trump-Russia nexus. If only Devin Nunes and company would look.
This morning, Nunes picked up the anti-media theme, telling Fox and Friends, "The one thing that's clear in this whole Russia fiasco is that the media is dead," and went on to say, semi-coherently, "So when they attack people like me, it actually means I'm over the target, and I'm getting to them, 'cause they have to attack me in order, number one, to please their masters, their billionaire masters, and number two, they also have to do this because they're in on this. Don't forget that many of the people that criticize me were shown the memo long before the American people. Or not the memo. They were shown the dossier. They were shown the Christopher Steele dossier." Co-host Pete Hegseth helpfully ended their interview: "You're pointing out the collusion between the Democrats and the media. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, appreciate your time."
Meanwhile, Howard Dean Howard told MSNBC's Alex Witt, "I think [Nunes] is going to jail, actually, eventually," and, responding to Nunes' claims on Fox and Friends,"Devin Nunes is a liar, and I think he may go down for something much worse than that."
BONUS—Citizens for Ethics @CREWcrew:
Daily Beast: GOP Refuses to Ask Twitter for Private Messages in Russia Probe—Twitter could be key to unraveling some of the mysteries surrounding the Trump-Russia nexus. If only Devin Nunes and company would look.
Sources would not share with The Daily Beast specifically whose DMs committee Democrats wanted to subpoena Twitter to acquire. But in hearing transcripts, Democrats have indicated they want DMs concerning Donald Trump Jr. and Trump consigliere Roger Stone—both of whom have been linked to WikiLeaks, which famously released hacked emails from the Democratic National Committee during the 2016 campaign.[...]Yesterday at CPAC, where he was being fêted, Nunes responded to the release of the Schiff memo, "We wanted it out because we think that it is clear evidence that the Democrats are not only trying to cover this up, but they’re also colluding with parts of the government to cover this up." He went on to say, "What you’re really seeing is the collapse of the media. It’s really sad. Most Americans now understand that no matter where you’re getting your news from, it’s going to be biased."
Democrats are getting restless. They’ve urged in committee hearings dominated by Nunes’ accusations of surveillance malfeasance that the Republicans are blocking access to witness documentation, including travel records and communications logs. The DMs fall in that category.[...]
Nunes, the committee chairman, has wide-ranging authority for subpoenas under the committee bylaws (PDF). He hasn’t seen fit to subpoena Twitter for the DMs, but has subpoenaed Fusion GPS, the political research consultancy that sponsored ex-British spy Christopher Steele’s dossier. That followed on an August subpoena (PDF) to the FBI and Justice Department for documentation surrounding their “relationship” to Steele and the dossier. More recently, Nunes has announced unilateral plans to investigate Trump investigators and members of the Obama administration, either at the current Justice Department or the State Department under John Kerry.
This morning, Nunes picked up the anti-media theme, telling Fox and Friends, "The one thing that's clear in this whole Russia fiasco is that the media is dead," and went on to say, semi-coherently, "So when they attack people like me, it actually means I'm over the target, and I'm getting to them, 'cause they have to attack me in order, number one, to please their masters, their billionaire masters, and number two, they also have to do this because they're in on this. Don't forget that many of the people that criticize me were shown the memo long before the American people. Or not the memo. They were shown the dossier. They were shown the Christopher Steele dossier." Co-host Pete Hegseth helpfully ended their interview: "You're pointing out the collusion between the Democrats and the media. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, appreciate your time."
Meanwhile, Howard Dean Howard told MSNBC's Alex Witt, "I think [Nunes] is going to jail, actually, eventually," and, responding to Nunes' claims on Fox and Friends,"Devin Nunes is a liar, and I think he may go down for something much worse than that."
BONUS—Citizens for Ethics @CREWcrew:
Did you know that Devin Nunes' mother is the treasurer of his joint fundraising committee? The FEC sent her a letter this week that the numbers don't add up on on its year end report. http://docquery.fec.gov/pdf/854/201802190300098854/201802190300098854.pdfposted by Doktor Zed at 5:34 PM on February 25, 2018 [52 favorites]
Yo momma's so unbound by generally accepted accounting principles that she's forced to rely on the inability of the Federal Election Commission to take action due to the required supermajority among its partisan commissioners
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:54 PM on February 25, 2018 [139 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:54 PM on February 25, 2018 [139 favorites]
you forgot about … umm … er … alan keyes?
Keyes said nasty stuff about Trump during the primaries, so he's a no.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:11 PM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
Keyes said nasty stuff about Trump during the primaries, so he's a no.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:11 PM on February 25, 2018 [2 favorites]
the Democrats are not only trying to cover this up, but they’re also colluding with parts of the government to cover this up
it’s like linguistic framing, for idiots. collusion is bad, so the democrat party must do it! and worse still, CONGRESSPEOPLE are COLLUDING with the GOVERNMENT!
posted by murphy slaw at 6:14 PM on February 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
it’s like linguistic framing, for idiots. collusion is bad, so the democrat party must do it! and worse still, CONGRESSPEOPLE are COLLUDING with the GOVERNMENT!
posted by murphy slaw at 6:14 PM on February 25, 2018 [18 favorites]
Keyes said nasty stuff about Trump during the primaries, so he's a no.
Um...looks like J.C. Watts is still alive.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:55 PM on February 25, 2018
Um...looks like J.C. Watts is still alive.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:55 PM on February 25, 2018
But these days, for the Republican Party, the United States Government IS the Enemy, the Socialist Boogeyman, while working with Russian Oligarchs in the Post-USSR period is the pinnacle of Free Enterprise in the world today. Except Top Oligarch Vladimir needs to tell somebody in his own "Culture Ministry" to downplay the respect for the Old Soviet Days, as they are showing by coming down hard on the "Death of Stalin" movie. You'd think the Putinites would love that movie... maybe they're just not Jeffrey Tambor fans...
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:46 PM on February 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by oneswellfoop at 7:46 PM on February 25, 2018 [8 favorites]
T.D. Strange: "Indivisible, Flippable, etc are already doing a lot of work the DCCC should be, support them instead if you must contribute to an umbrella effort. "
In general, I support direct candidate donations, but you might want to consider the DLCC, which works on state legislative races. These are important, but there are roughly 40 billion of them. I'm open to being educated otherwise, but I have not heard any complaints that they're squeezing out progressives or anything.
You might also consider donating to your state party, for similar reasons.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
In general, I support direct candidate donations, but you might want to consider the DLCC, which works on state legislative races. These are important, but there are roughly 40 billion of them. I'm open to being educated otherwise, but I have not heard any complaints that they're squeezing out progressives or anything.
You might also consider donating to your state party, for similar reasons.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [3 favorites]
How can I keep being astounded by these assholes' limitless amoral grift and utter absence of conscience?:
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 7:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [45 favorites]
The Hill: "Trump [re-election] campaign uses image of Fla. shooting survivor in email asking for donations" (also CNN, Mother Jones, Fox61)I am fucking livid.
posted by Fiberoptic Zebroid and The Hypnagogic Jerks at 7:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [45 favorites]
Keyes said nasty stuff about Trump during the primaries, so he's a no.
I believe Frederick Douglass was a Republican. Maybe they could invite him as an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:22 PM on February 25, 2018 [32 favorites]
I believe Frederick Douglass was a Republican. Maybe they could invite him as an example of somebody who’s done an amazing job and is getting recognized more and more, I notice.
posted by Joe in Australia at 8:22 PM on February 25, 2018 [32 favorites]
WSJ: White House Legal Team Considers Ways Trump Could Testify Before Mueller
in which lawyers for the president of the united states, the most powerful man on earth, try to come up with a tightly constrained set of circumstances that they can allow their client to speak to a special prosecutor without committing perjury or incriminating himself
in which lawyers for the president of the united states, the most powerful man on earth, try to come up with a tightly constrained set of circumstances that they can allow their client to speak to a special prosecutor without committing perjury or incriminating himself
President Donald Trump’s lawyers are considering ways for him to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller, provided the questions he faces are limited in scope and don’t test his recollections in ways they say could unfairly trap him into perjuring himself, a person familiar with his legal team’s thinking said.posted by murphy slaw at 8:35 PM on February 25, 2018 [6 favorites]
Mr. Trump’s legal team is weighing options that include providing written answers to Mr. Mueller’s questions and having the president give limited face-to-face testimony, another person familiar with the matter said.
“Everything is on the table,” this person said.
Under oath in front of a federal grand jury, just like Clinton was required to. This is a solved problem.
posted by kirkaracha at 8:51 PM on February 25, 2018 [85 favorites]
posted by kirkaracha at 8:51 PM on February 25, 2018 [85 favorites]
He probably told his lawyers "Hey, every time I've been questioned for anything I've lied like crazy and never was held responsible for anything I said, so why should it start now?"
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:53 PM on February 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by oneswellfoop at 8:53 PM on February 25, 2018 [1 favorite]
listen, we’re willing to give your way a try with the oath and the jury and everything, we’re just saying we can’t guarantee that he won’t commit criminal offenses while he’s up there and we reserve the right to call a mulligan
posted by murphy slaw at 8:56 PM on February 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 8:56 PM on February 25, 2018 [15 favorites]
> murphy slaw:
"in which lawyers for the president of the united states, the most powerful man on earth, try to come up with a tightly constrained set of circumstances that they can allow their client to speak to a special prosecutor without committing perjury or incriminating himself"
The subtext being: They know he's gonna have to talk to Mueller.
posted by rhizome at 9:12 PM on February 25, 2018 [24 favorites]
"in which lawyers for the president of the united states, the most powerful man on earth, try to come up with a tightly constrained set of circumstances that they can allow their client to speak to a special prosecutor without committing perjury or incriminating himself"
The subtext being: They know he's gonna have to talk to Mueller.
posted by rhizome at 9:12 PM on February 25, 2018 [24 favorites]
The idea of accepting written statements. Like it is WELL DOCUMENTED he barely can read a full paragraph. Why on earth would any investigator or prosecutor accept a written statement to be coming from him and not a surrogate? They might as well have his press secretary be questioned in his place.
posted by threeturtles at 9:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by threeturtles at 9:47 PM on February 25, 2018 [11 favorites]
Mueller holds all the leverage here, at least outside of Saturday Night Massacre scenarios. He can subpoena Trump any time he wants, and both the Nixon and Clinton cases established the President isn't immune from criminal proceedings. If Mueller drops the subpoena hammer, Trump doesn't have a way out, all he can do is stall trying to quash it, which won't go anywhere. All of this is still Mueller playing nice and negotiating terms, which tells me he doesn't NEED Trump to testify to anything. The only reason he even wants to talk to Trump is for the historical record, and to spring his perjury traps (which must be LEGION) when he's good and ready. And all this is coming from the Trump side, which tells me this is the best story they can put out there, and it ain't good.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:02 PM on February 25, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:02 PM on February 25, 2018 [19 favorites]
All of this is still Mueller playing nice and negotiating terms, which tells me he doesn't NEED Trump to testify to anything.
Actually if he plays that angle and gives Trump the cold shoulder, there's a good possibility Trump will eventually come to him and blather on about whatever, advice of lawyers be damned. Being treated as unimportant has got to just burn for that egomaniac.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:35 PM on February 25, 2018 [30 favorites]
Actually if he plays that angle and gives Trump the cold shoulder, there's a good possibility Trump will eventually come to him and blather on about whatever, advice of lawyers be damned. Being treated as unimportant has got to just burn for that egomaniac.
posted by jason_steakums at 10:35 PM on February 25, 2018 [30 favorites]
Who says Mueller is negotiating terms (apart from Trump's lawyers?)
posted by mumimor at 12:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 12:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
it is WELL DOCUMENTED [that Trump] barely can read a full paragraph. Why on earth would any investigator or prosecutor accept a written statement to be coming from him and not a surrogate?
Just make it like a college exam. He has to sit in a room with an empty booklet and a #2 pencil and no notes or books or help, and he has 3 hours to write essay answers to 25 previously unknown questions that Mueller gives him.
And he knows that everyone in the world will be able to read his answers. I would pay per view to watch him scribble in real time. Even if they didn't have the over the shoulder cam to read as he wrote.
posted by msalt at 12:25 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
Just make it like a college exam. He has to sit in a room with an empty booklet and a #2 pencil and no notes or books or help, and he has 3 hours to write essay answers to 25 previously unknown questions that Mueller gives him.
And he knows that everyone in the world will be able to read his answers. I would pay per view to watch him scribble in real time. Even if they didn't have the over the shoulder cam to read as he wrote.
posted by msalt at 12:25 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
He's a habitual criminal surrounded by criminals and the party he represents is fond of chanting "lock her up" - i doubt any kind of judicial process is anything he has envisioned.
Whenever someone starts ranting about Hillary Clinton being crooked, I've started asking, "Can you rephrase that as a federal criminal indictment, and you can check out Paul Manafort's if you're unfamiliar with the format"
posted by mikelieman at 12:46 AM on February 26, 2018 [31 favorites]
Whenever someone starts ranting about Hillary Clinton being crooked, I've started asking, "Can you rephrase that as a federal criminal indictment, and you can check out Paul Manafort's if you're unfamiliar with the format"
posted by mikelieman at 12:46 AM on February 26, 2018 [31 favorites]
Conservative Mona Charen on why she spoke out about her own side’s hypocrisy at [the CPAC] conference of her peers.
I wish the interview had gone further and that the interviewee had gone further, but this is where we are: a dyed-in-the-wool conservative author and columnist has to be escorted out of CPAC by security for her own safety.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
I wish the interview had gone further and that the interviewee had gone further, but this is where we are: a dyed-in-the-wool conservative author and columnist has to be escorted out of CPAC by security for her own safety.
posted by Joe in Australia at 1:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
the Democrats are not only trying to cover this up, but they’re also colluding with parts of the government to cover this up
Perhaps when 45's investigative team get back from searching for Obama's fraudulent birth certificate in Hawaii, they can get onto this?
posted by Devonian at 2:17 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Perhaps when 45's investigative team get back from searching for Obama's fraudulent birth certificate in Hawaii, they can get onto this?
posted by Devonian at 2:17 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Here's a legal question. Let's say that Mueller indicts Kushner, subpoenas him to testify before a Grand Jury, and subpoenas Trump to testify before a Grand Jury. Trump responds by getting Mueller fired.
What happens to Kushner's indictment? Is Kushner still compelled to testify or plead the Fifth (or be pardoned)? Is Trump still compelled to testify or plead the Fifth (or attempt to pardon himself)? Can a new Acting Attorney General quash the already-issued subpoenas and end the investigation?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
What happens to Kushner's indictment? Is Kushner still compelled to testify or plead the Fifth (or be pardoned)? Is Trump still compelled to testify or plead the Fifth (or attempt to pardon himself)? Can a new Acting Attorney General quash the already-issued subpoenas and end the investigation?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Just make it like a college exam. He has to sit in a room with an empty booklet and a #2 pencil and no notes or books or help, and he has 3 hours to write essay answers to 25 previously unknown questions that Mueller gives him.
Or he could just obey a lawful subpoena, as the Constitution requires.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:54 AM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
Or he could just obey a lawful subpoena, as the Constitution requires.
posted by snuffleupagus at 3:54 AM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
President Donald Trump’s lawyers are considering ways for him to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller, provided the questions he faces are limited in scope and don’t test his recollections in ways they say could unfairly trap him into perjuring himself, a person familiar with his legal team’s thinking said.
The President of the United States is advised not to say things to people because he might immediately and voluntarily commit a felony, which would be unfair.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:54 AM on February 26, 2018 [53 favorites]
The President of the United States is advised not to say things to people because he might immediately and voluntarily commit a felony, which would be unfair.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:54 AM on February 26, 2018 [53 favorites]
President Donald Trump on Saturday night alleged that the Democratic response to the so-called “Nunes memo” showed that “a lot of bad things happened on the other side.”
“Not on this side, but on the other side,” he continued in a phone interview with Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro. “And somebody should look into it. And what they did is really fraudulent and somebody should be looking into that. And by somebody, I’m talking about you know who.”
... he's talking about Erik Prince, isn't he?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:58 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
“Not on this side, but on the other side,” he continued in a phone interview with Fox News’ Jeanine Pirro. “And somebody should look into it. And what they did is really fraudulent and somebody should be looking into that. And by somebody, I’m talking about you know who.”
... he's talking about Erik Prince, isn't he?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:58 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
What happens to Kushner's indictment? Is Kushner still compelled to testify or plead the Fifth (or be pardoned)? Is Trump still compelled to testify or plead the Fifth (or attempt to pardon himself)? Can a new Acting Attorney General quash the already-issued subpoenas and end the investigation?
An indictment survives the departure of a prosecutor, but a new AG could drop the case (with leave of the court, under Federal rules). Similarly, a subpoena once it issues remains valid despite a change of prosecutors but could be withdrawn.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:01 AM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
An indictment survives the departure of a prosecutor, but a new AG could drop the case (with leave of the court, under Federal rules). Similarly, a subpoena once it issues remains valid despite a change of prosecutors but could be withdrawn.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:01 AM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
How trivial is it for the AG to obtain leave of the court to drop an indictment?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:06 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:06 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
"If former U.S. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney continues gathering signatures as part of his U.S. Senate run this year, he may well be kicked out of the Utah Republican Party via a bylaw change adopted Saturday over the objections of party chairman Rob Anderson."
posted by octothorpe at 4:14 AM on February 26, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 4:14 AM on February 26, 2018 [30 favorites]
I have no experience with criminal matters (Federal or state) but my understanding is that Federal courts typically drop prosecutions when the government says the case is dead given that while the judge can refuse to dismiss the case can't really continue without the prosecution.
However, this isn't a typical situation. My gut says a US District Court would probably not take on the role of resisting a Saturday Night Massacre scenario by that means, it's too political, but I could be wrong.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:15 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
However, this isn't a typical situation. My gut says a US District Court would probably not take on the role of resisting a Saturday Night Massacre scenario by that means, it's too political, but I could be wrong.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:15 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Here's the text of Rule 48 (Dismissal) and the advisory notes for anyone curious. Its usual functions include imposing judicial oversight of plea-bargains and providing a hedge against prosecutorial shenanigans (in the same way the civil version of the rule discourages frivolous lawsuits). We don't have an inquisitorial system, the court can order the government to proceed but it cannot actually run the prosecution itself (as it does in civil law countries).
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:30 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:30 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
* Or, more precisely, gather and consider evidence ("inquire") itself -- civil law countries still have prosecutors and it would still be weird and maybe impossible (not sure) to continue a case through trial without one participating.
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:43 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by snuffleupagus at 4:43 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
CNN: In Russia probes, Republicans draw red line at Trump's finances
Congressional Republicans are refusing to investigate whether Trump has financial links to Russia, often citing their faith that Mueller is investigating it. The difference being that Mueller, unlike Congressional Republicans, can be fired by the Trump administration.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:48 AM on February 26, 2018 [47 favorites]
Congressional Republicans are refusing to investigate whether Trump has financial links to Russia, often citing their faith that Mueller is investigating it. The difference being that Mueller, unlike Congressional Republicans, can be fired by the Trump administration.
"I don't see the link at this stage," Rep. Mike Conaway, the Texas Republican leading the House Russia investigation, told CNN. "Deutsche Bank is a German bank -- I don't see the nexus."here ya go buddy, you're welcome
But Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch, the chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, has declined to join Wyden in these efforts. And he has rejected Wyden's requested to review Trump's tax returns in a private session.Prior to the election, Trump repeatedly promised to release his tax returns. If he is "right" to do so it is because doing so would incriminate him.
"We're not going to do that," Hatch said in the Capitol. "He doesn't want to give up his tax returns, and I believe he's right."
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 4:48 AM on February 26, 2018 [47 favorites]
"If former U.S. GOP presidential nominee Mitt Romney continues gathering signatures as part of his U.S. Senate run this year, he may well be kicked out of the Utah Republican Party via a bylaw change adopted Saturday over the objections of party chairman Rob Anderson."
Clippy: It looks like you're trying to turn your state into a christofascist fiefdom. Would you like help?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
posted by Talez at 5:12 AM on February 26, 2018 [33 favorites]
Clippy: It looks like you're trying to turn your state into a christofascist fiefdom. Would you like help?
[ ] Yes
[ ] No
posted by Talez at 5:12 AM on February 26, 2018 [33 favorites]
“Deutsche Bank is a German bank -- I don't see the nexus."
They don’t even have “Russia” in their name. Check and mate, losers!
What an insultingly stupid kind of obfuscation.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:19 AM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
They don’t even have “Russia” in their name. Check and mate, losers!
What an insultingly stupid kind of obfuscation.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 5:19 AM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
"I don't see the link at this stage," Rep. Mike Conaway, the Texas Republican leading the House Russia investigation, told CNN. "Deutsche Bank is a German bank -- I don't see the nexus."
Do they not have google in Texas? It's the first hit:
Deutsche Bank fined for $10 billion Russian money-laundering scheme
posted by bluecore at 5:22 AM on February 26, 2018 [51 favorites]
Do they not have google in Texas? It's the first hit:
Deutsche Bank fined for $10 billion Russian money-laundering scheme
posted by bluecore at 5:22 AM on February 26, 2018 [51 favorites]
Regarding Utah, from the end of the linked article:
UtahPolicy.com reached out to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox about the change and what it could mean for the Utah GOP. Cox said he does not know what the ultimate effect will be until he has a chance to meet with lawyers from the Utah A.G.'s office. "We will be reviewing everything. And the repercussions of their actions," said Cox.
I'll be surprised if this little rebellion isn't swiftly put down.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:23 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
UtahPolicy.com reached out to Lt. Gov. Spencer Cox about the change and what it could mean for the Utah GOP. Cox said he does not know what the ultimate effect will be until he has a chance to meet with lawyers from the Utah A.G.'s office. "We will be reviewing everything. And the repercussions of their actions," said Cox.
I'll be surprised if this little rebellion isn't swiftly put down.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:23 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's impossible to put down because it's literally throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. It'll just be rules lawyering all the way down until they can get a passable facsimile to what they want.
posted by Talez at 5:37 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by Talez at 5:37 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Gee, who'd have thought that the same far right wing types who took the "throw everything you can and see what sticks" approach to abortion with the blessing and support of the supposedly moderate Republicans would use the same technique to drag their party further to the right and install themselves as a sort of Christian/Right-Wing Guardian Council to make sure that only candidates they approve of could be official Republicans?
posted by sotonohito at 5:47 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by sotonohito at 5:47 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
"throwing shit at the wall and seeing what sticks. It'll just be rules lawyering all the way down until they can get a passable facsimile to what they want."
I'm not sure what that means, but what will happen is that the AG will sue the Utah GOP in Utah court and the bylaws will be invalidated as in violation of the law. "Rules lawyering" is also known as "lawyering."
(Or, maybe, something will happen through the Sec'y of State instead.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:56 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'm not sure what that means, but what will happen is that the AG will sue the Utah GOP in Utah court and the bylaws will be invalidated as in violation of the law. "Rules lawyering" is also known as "lawyering."
(Or, maybe, something will happen through the Sec'y of State instead.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:56 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
"I don't see the link at this stage," Rep. Mike Conaway, the Texas Republican leading the House Russia investigation, told CNN. "Deutsche Bank is a German bank -- I don't see the nexus."
Donald Trump's Russia Accomplices
It's always been the entire Republican party colluding with Russia, and now in the coverup. Republicans are the party of treason. All of them.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:11 AM on February 26, 2018 [42 favorites]
Donald Trump's Russia Accomplices
It's always been the entire Republican party colluding with Russia, and now in the coverup. Republicans are the party of treason. All of them.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:11 AM on February 26, 2018 [42 favorites]
To quote my best friend who is a Utah native, "OMG the Utah GOP hegemony is out of their minds. This makes me sick because they don't have the good sense that God gave graham crackers."
posted by Catblack at 6:12 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Catblack at 6:12 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
> President Donald Trump’s lawyers are considering ways for him to testify before special counsel Robert Mueller, provided the questions he faces are limited in scope and don’t test his recollections in ways they say could unfairly trap him into perjuring himself, a person familiar with his legal team’s thinking said.
Limited in scope, like the President's intellectual capacities.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Limited in scope, like the President's intellectual capacities.
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Ivanka Trump Says Asking About Her Dad’s Sexual-Assault Allegations Is ‘Inappropriate’
She wants to stay out of it but still say he's innocent*. One or the other, Ivanka, you can't have both.
*Because he said so.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:36 AM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
She wants to stay out of it but still say he's innocent*. One or the other, Ivanka, you can't have both.
*Because he said so.
posted by Capt. Renault at 6:36 AM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
I'm not sure what that means, but what will happen is that the AG will sue the Utah GOP in Utah court and the bylaws will be invalidated as in violation of the law. "Rules lawyering" is also known as "lawyering."
Yes but if the AG sues and things go badly for Utah GOP they'll rescind the changes, slightly alter them, and put them out again trying for the same result but what meets the letter of the law.
posted by Talez at 6:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yes but if the AG sues and things go badly for Utah GOP they'll rescind the changes, slightly alter them, and put them out again trying for the same result but what meets the letter of the law.
posted by Talez at 6:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
I don't want to derail with a lot of drawn out speculation, but at some point the ballot is certified and the election happens, and then the general committee meeting for quelling internal strife.
The letter of the law says both methods to get on the ballot are valid, so there's only so much recalibration possible.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:51 AM on February 26, 2018
The letter of the law says both methods to get on the ballot are valid, so there's only so much recalibration possible.
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:51 AM on February 26, 2018
The Washington Post: Supreme Court declines Trump request to take up DACA controversy now. DACA will remain in place unless and until an appellate court stays the district court injunctions.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:56 AM on February 26, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 6:56 AM on February 26, 2018 [33 favorites]
Trump’s lawyers keep talking about Trump being interviewed by Mueller as a “perjury trap.” But that’s not an actual thing. It’s like calling a barn filled with hay “an arson trap.” It’s only a “trap” if you’re an arsonist.
posted by octothorpe at 7:08 AM on February 26, 2018 [123 favorites]
posted by octothorpe at 7:08 AM on February 26, 2018 [123 favorites]
If Mueller didn't want the President to lie to him he shouldn't have worn that fancy suit
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:10 AM on February 26, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:10 AM on February 26, 2018 [16 favorites]
As I recall, Trump endorsed Romney for this race (and Mitt accepted it, his dignity wraithdom complete). But it looks like the new sabotage against him is coming from his right? So basically, his situation is kind of like Luther Strange's was? Another round of "Dear Deplorable Leader may have chosen him, but... we all know His Trumpness says a lot of things", with new elements of ratfuckery?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 7:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
> The Hill: "Trump [re-election] campaign uses image of Fla. shooting survivor in email asking for donations"
I honestly thought this would be a story about the Trump campaign using the image of one of the vocal Parkland student proponents of gun control: "Liberal crisis actors like this want to take your freedom away! Will you donate money to help us protect your freedom?, etc."
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
I honestly thought this would be a story about the Trump campaign using the image of one of the vocal Parkland student proponents of gun control: "Liberal crisis actors like this want to take your freedom away! Will you donate money to help us protect your freedom?, etc."
posted by The Card Cheat at 7:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
if romney ran as an independent, is his name recognition good enough to overcome the lack of party endorsement? have the far-right crazies even been mooting names to run against him/in his stead?
posted by murphy slaw at 7:24 AM on February 26, 2018
posted by murphy slaw at 7:24 AM on February 26, 2018
For people following approval ratings, an interesting cautionary take from Charles Franklin. The tl;dr is that effects from type-of-poll (live, internet, robocall) are mixed up with house effects from pollsters making it harder to figure out what the "true" approval level is at any point, especially if there hasn't been a lot of polling that day/week.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:32 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 7:32 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
I'd like to think an independent Romney run combined with a strong Democratic candidate could lead to a Dem pickup, which doesn't sound so absurd after Alabama.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:35 AM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:35 AM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
It’s worth reading the details about that Utah GOP Mitt-petition thing. Here’s a funny bit (Anderson is the state party chair):
posted by notyou at 7:39 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
So Anderson and a few other of the elected state leaders face the right-wingers – who are clearly very angry with Anderson.I hope Rob Anderson is good with spreadsheets.
‘Oh, and Saturday they denied my whole (state) convention committee list – every one of them,” said Anderson.
So he doesn’t have any help, at least for now, to run the scheduled April 21 convention in the Maverik Center.
posted by notyou at 7:39 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
So he doesn’t have any help, at least for now, to run the scheduled April 21 convention in the Maverik Center.
It's just a regular old Republican ratfucking. You do everything in your power to set the person up to fail and then complain that the person failed and should be replaced. Ignore the man behind the curtain. He's saying we failed him? Excuses.
posted by Talez at 7:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's just a regular old Republican ratfucking. You do everything in your power to set the person up to fail and then complain that the person failed and should be replaced. Ignore the man behind the curtain. He's saying we failed him? Excuses.
posted by Talez at 7:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94: "I'd like to think an independent Romney run combined with a strong Democratic candidate could lead to a Dem pickup, which doesn't sound so absurd after Alabama."
Never say never in politics, but the Dem in Utah is pulling maybe 20 points right now. Even if Romney is forced to run as an independent, I strongly suspect we see a Lieberman situation, and Romney still wins.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:00 AM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
Never say never in politics, but the Dem in Utah is pulling maybe 20 points right now. Even if Romney is forced to run as an independent, I strongly suspect we see a Lieberman situation, and Romney still wins.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:00 AM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
The giveaway continues apace, Interior Dept. panel weighs lower royalty payments for offshore oil and gas drilling (WaPo):
posted by peeedro at 8:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
An Interior Department advisory panel is considering whether the federal government should sharply cut the royalty rate that oil and gas firms pay for deepwater drilling while expediting energy development on federal land in Alaska and elsewhere.Proposals include lowering offshore extraction royalties, accelerating the ANWR lease sales, and a rules change to reduce royalties paid on coal extracted from federal land.
The recommendations by members of the Royalty Policy Committee, who hail from the energy industry or from states with significant drilling or mining activity, will be taken up Wednesday when the panel formally meets in Houston. The group had lapsed during President Barack Obama’s second term, but Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke revived it in October as a way to promote energy exploration in the United States.
Earlier iterations of the committee, which was established during the Clinton administration, focused largely on technical questions, such as how to maximize the federal government’s royalty collection process. By contrast, the current panel’s subcommittees and working groups have drafted more sweeping policy proposals, posted online, that aim to make leasing federal resources more attractive.
posted by peeedro at 8:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
Echoing SecretAgentSockpuppet's statement upthread "I have given up despair for Lent. We must be the change we want to see." -- The world, on the whole, is better than it looks - how to be a a cynical optimist
Related question: is it normal that local politicians don't identify their parties on their mailers or signs, or is this the era of Trump and low levels of political affiliation? It's generally a tell when a candidate or supporter says that they'll get money for increased police presence by "moving money around" and not raising taxes, but I had to ask about funding to get that insight.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:19 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
An optimist can and should be angry about the injustices of the world. The difference is an optimist thinks it can all be fixed, and a pessimist thinks that we're just going to hell in a handbasket.Time to see if I can do some very last minute get-out-the-vote work for my upcoming city election, after getting an at-home visit from a supporter of Republican mayoral candidate, but not hearing anything from the current Democratic mayor.
Related question: is it normal that local politicians don't identify their parties on their mailers or signs, or is this the era of Trump and low levels of political affiliation? It's generally a tell when a candidate or supporter says that they'll get money for increased police presence by "moving money around" and not raising taxes, but I had to ask about funding to get that insight.
posted by filthy light thief at 8:19 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
I'd say it's pretty common not to have the party on the sign.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:21 AM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 8:21 AM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
it is impossible to separate her role in her family from her role in government, and has and will continue to put her into positions where she has to chose between those dual responsibilities, one to the exclusion of the other.
I don't see that White House staffers who serve without Senate confirmation at the pleasure of the President have dual responsibilities. They are supposed to serve the President or resign. The President is sworn to serve the Constitution. This administration is rotten because the President is rotten and appropriately surrounds himself with rotten people.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don't see that White House staffers who serve without Senate confirmation at the pleasure of the President have dual responsibilities. They are supposed to serve the President or resign. The President is sworn to serve the Constitution. This administration is rotten because the President is rotten and appropriately surrounds himself with rotten people.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
I don’t think it’s terribly appropriate to ask Ivanka if she believes her father’s accusers because it allows her to insert doubt into the narrative. We know Trump has sexually assaulted people, he admitted it. Asking other parties over and over “if they think he really did it” just perpetuates the idea that it’s a matter of debate. A fact is either true or false, it doesn’t matter if people “believe” it, as though it will stop being a fact if you get enough signatures.
Stop wasting people’s time with these bogus interrogatives and come up with the evidence that he did it, if you want to put that story in front of people. Stop giving influencers the chance to talk their way out of established facts.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:26 AM on February 26, 2018 [66 favorites]
Stop wasting people’s time with these bogus interrogatives and come up with the evidence that he did it, if you want to put that story in front of people. Stop giving influencers the chance to talk their way out of established facts.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:26 AM on February 26, 2018 [66 favorites]
Related question: is it normal that local politicians don't identify their parties on their mailers or signs, or is this the era of Trump and low levels of political affiliation?
Signs almost never have the party on them. They’re limited to “So and so for County Commissioner” because there isn’t room for anything else.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:29 AM on February 26, 2018
Signs almost never have the party on them. They’re limited to “So and so for County Commissioner” because there isn’t room for anything else.
posted by Autumnheart at 8:29 AM on February 26, 2018
I don't see how Utah has a Republican Party after this.
Mitt can probably pay for his own campaign, and run as an independent of he wants to. However, there surely have got to be other effects that are going to follow from the fact that their party committee is locked in a stalemate that seemingly cannot be resolved for at least a year. They just fired their lawyer, and seemingly just decided to eschew any sort of planning for a convention.
Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but do the Utah Republicans even have a campaign apparatus right now?
posted by schmod at 8:33 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mitt can probably pay for his own campaign, and run as an independent of he wants to. However, there surely have got to be other effects that are going to follow from the fact that their party committee is locked in a stalemate that seemingly cannot be resolved for at least a year. They just fired their lawyer, and seemingly just decided to eschew any sort of planning for a convention.
Maybe there's something I'm missing here, but do the Utah Republicans even have a campaign apparatus right now?
posted by schmod at 8:33 AM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Utah politics 101. For the big races, the Democrats always put in place either Republicrats, staunchly conservative people who pose as Democrats, or, in the case of Jenny Wilson, someone who could never win. Putting up Wilson, as opposed to Peter Corroon who has already lost the governor's race once, anyway no one will beat this Republican candidate. The Republicans don't even necessarily like Romney, they have an addiction to spitting, frothing at the mouth, politics and Romney is too serene, if you can call it that.
posted by Oyéah at 8:33 AM on February 26, 2018
posted by Oyéah at 8:33 AM on February 26, 2018
Ms. Trump's has one policy if you ask her about Roy Moore:
“There is a special place in hell for people who prey on children,” Trump told the AP. “I’ve yet to see a valid explanation, and I have no reason to doubt the victims’ accounts.”And a different policy when it comes to her father:
...an anonymous Jane Doe who filed a federal lawsuit alleging Trump raped her when she was 13 years old was told by a judge that her hearing would be scheduled for December 16 — after the presidential election. She filed her lawsuit in June; she claims that Trump and Jeffrey Epstein — now a registered sex offender who, in 2008, was convicted of soliciting an underage girl for sex and sentenced to 18 months in prison —raped her at several parties during the summer of 1994.posted by kirkaracha at 8:35 AM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
Utah doesn't need a Republican party for the Republican candidates to still win.
A Romney independent run would be interesting in a trainwreck sort of way, and he'd probably still win, but the Democrat still wouldn't have a chance, there's a lot of ways to split an 70 or 80pt margin.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:37 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
A Romney independent run would be interesting in a trainwreck sort of way, and he'd probably still win, but the Democrat still wouldn't have a chance, there's a lot of ways to split an 70 or 80pt margin.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:37 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
"Related question: is it normal that local politicians don't identify their parties on their mailers or signs, or is this the era of Trump and low levels of political affiliation?"
"They’re limited to “So and so for County Commissioner” because there isn’t room for anything else."
The party name or logo will fit -- House and Senate candidates manage it frequently -- but municipal-level races are frequently non-partisan by law -- you can't identify with a party and won't be identified by party on the ballot. What offices this covers varies WIDELY (and, definitionally, on a town-by-town basis), but if you're running for Dog Catcher and it's a non-partisan race, it's definitely to your advantage to have a zillion yard signs out so people get familiar with your name without tying it to a party, while also leveraging your party's infrastructure to mobilize voters on your side. The idea would be informed Democrats would vote for you because they know about you through the party; informed Republicans won't because they're pretty sure you're a Democrat, but uninformed voters on both sides may pick the name that sounds more familiar, which you accomplished with your yard signs, as long as there's no partisan affiliation that turns half of them off.
This is a better idea in theory than practice because the fact that "Joe for Dog Catcher" signs appear in the same yard with "Hillary for President" and "Schumer for Senate" signs every time kinda gives it away, but you'd be surprised how many people are just not that observant.
But in general, it might be the law that they can't identify a party, or it might be a strategy for an unknown candidate (and therefore not already inextricably tied to a party in the minds of voters) to reach a broad swath of voters without automatically excluding himself from consideration by declaring a "side."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:38 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
"They’re limited to “So and so for County Commissioner” because there isn’t room for anything else."
The party name or logo will fit -- House and Senate candidates manage it frequently -- but municipal-level races are frequently non-partisan by law -- you can't identify with a party and won't be identified by party on the ballot. What offices this covers varies WIDELY (and, definitionally, on a town-by-town basis), but if you're running for Dog Catcher and it's a non-partisan race, it's definitely to your advantage to have a zillion yard signs out so people get familiar with your name without tying it to a party, while also leveraging your party's infrastructure to mobilize voters on your side. The idea would be informed Democrats would vote for you because they know about you through the party; informed Republicans won't because they're pretty sure you're a Democrat, but uninformed voters on both sides may pick the name that sounds more familiar, which you accomplished with your yard signs, as long as there's no partisan affiliation that turns half of them off.
This is a better idea in theory than practice because the fact that "Joe for Dog Catcher" signs appear in the same yard with "Hillary for President" and "Schumer for Senate" signs every time kinda gives it away, but you'd be surprised how many people are just not that observant.
But in general, it might be the law that they can't identify a party, or it might be a strategy for an unknown candidate (and therefore not already inextricably tied to a party in the minds of voters) to reach a broad swath of voters without automatically excluding himself from consideration by declaring a "side."
posted by Eyebrows McGee at 8:38 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Around here, County Commissioners and Judge signs will say "Strong Conservative" or something similar to let you know they are totally Republicans.
Meanwhile, no one puts "liberal" on their signs because that is still worse than Hitler so you get occasional "for change!" or "a new direction!" or something like that.
posted by emjaybee at 8:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
Meanwhile, no one puts "liberal" on their signs because that is still worse than Hitler so you get occasional "for change!" or "a new direction!" or something like that.
posted by emjaybee at 8:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
i looked into the senate history for Utah, and interestingly, Hatch's seat was previously occupied by Frank "Ted" Moss, a democrat who served for three terms. Moss won the seat with less than 40% of the vote because the republicans split over McCarthyism.
Hilariously, one of Orrin Hatch's criticisms of Moss in their matchup was that Moss had served in the senate for too long.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:53 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
Hilariously, one of Orrin Hatch's criticisms of Moss in their matchup was that Moss had served in the senate for too long.
Among other issues, Hatch criticized Moss' 18-year tenure in the Senate, saying "What do you call a Senator who’s served in office for 18 years? You call him home."a trumpist split would make an interesting historical parallel but it seems unlikely that a democratic candidate with such weak polling could take advantage of it.
posted by murphy slaw at 8:53 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
President Trump on Monday criticized the officers who failed to confront the shooter at Stoneman Douglas High School, boasting that “I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.”
Please proceed, Mr President.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:02 AM on February 26, 2018 [40 favorites]
Please proceed, Mr President.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:02 AM on February 26, 2018 [40 favorites]
I bet he really does believe that.
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:03 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 9:03 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump says that gun-free zones are a magnet for slaughter, which makes me wonder why Mar-a-Lago is a gun-free zone. It's probably the Democrats' fault.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:04 AM on February 26, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:04 AM on February 26, 2018 [44 favorites]
You can't even usually tell what party a candidate is from by looking at their websites. For instance, neither of the candidates for PA-18, Lamb or Saccone , identify their party on their websites.
posted by octothorpe at 9:05 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by octothorpe at 9:05 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
“I think it’s a pretty inappropriate question to ask a daughter if she believes the accusers of her father when he’s affirmatively stated there’s no truth to it...I don’t think that’ s question you would ask many other daughters. I believe my father, I know my father, so I think I have that right as a daughter to believe my father.”
That's an incredibly weak defense of her father. She didn't say all the evidence shows my father didn't do what he is being accused of. She didn't say I know my father and I know he wouldn't do such things. She said that she has a right as a daughter to believe her father.
posted by rdr at 9:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
That's an incredibly weak defense of her father. She didn't say all the evidence shows my father didn't do what he is being accused of. She didn't say I know my father and I know he wouldn't do such things. She said that she has a right as a daughter to believe her father.
posted by rdr at 9:07 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
"I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon”
Sure you would, Donald. A protester jumps on the stage and you try to cower behind the podium. But you'd run into gunfire. Sure you would.
posted by martin q blank at 9:15 AM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
Sure you would, Donald. A protester jumps on the stage and you try to cower behind the podium. But you'd run into gunfire. Sure you would.
posted by martin q blank at 9:15 AM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
OMG the Utah GOP hegemony is out of their minds. This makes me sick because they don't have the good sense that God gave graham crackers.
When you have the market completely cornered and people have no choices you can make your crackers out of sawdust.
posted by srboisvert at 9:17 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
When you have the market completely cornered and people have no choices you can make your crackers out of sawdust.
posted by srboisvert at 9:17 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
Is there any evidence for Trump running after, say, 1970?
Anyway, we've seen what Trump does in the face of theoretical threats when a protestor rushes the stage or when someone unfurls a sign and gets the shit beaten out of them in the audience: a moment of dull stupified alarm followed by allowing himself to be shuffled offstage by handlers.
And of course we all remember him heroically administering life-saving aid to an injured elderly guest, which took the form of being grossed out by the gross dying guy bleeding his gross blood on the nice marble.
"So what happens is, this guy falls off right on his face, hits his head, and I thought he died. And you know what I did? I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. I couldn’t, you know, he was right in front of me and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him… he’s bleeding all over the place, I felt terrible. You know, beautiful marble floor, didn’t look like it. It changed color. Became very red."
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [52 favorites]
Anyway, we've seen what Trump does in the face of theoretical threats when a protestor rushes the stage or when someone unfurls a sign and gets the shit beaten out of them in the audience: a moment of dull stupified alarm followed by allowing himself to be shuffled offstage by handlers.
And of course we all remember him heroically administering life-saving aid to an injured elderly guest, which took the form of being grossed out by the gross dying guy bleeding his gross blood on the nice marble.
"So what happens is, this guy falls off right on his face, hits his head, and I thought he died. And you know what I did? I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away. I couldn’t, you know, he was right in front of me and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him… he’s bleeding all over the place, I felt terrible. You know, beautiful marble floor, didn’t look like it. It changed color. Became very red."
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [52 favorites]
"I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon”
As always: It's not the five deferments to evade the draft and/or Vietnam that is so offensive. The draft was always an awful thing. Military service isn't for everyone, and no one is "lesser" for not serving. Vietnam was a horror show.
What's gross is pulling a tough guy routine after doing all that. He didn't dodge Vietnam on moral or pacifist principles. We're not talking about Muhammad Ali here.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:32 AM on February 26, 2018 [77 favorites]
As always: It's not the five deferments to evade the draft and/or Vietnam that is so offensive. The draft was always an awful thing. Military service isn't for everyone, and no one is "lesser" for not serving. Vietnam was a horror show.
What's gross is pulling a tough guy routine after doing all that. He didn't dodge Vietnam on moral or pacifist principles. We're not talking about Muhammad Ali here.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 9:32 AM on February 26, 2018 [77 favorites]
The idea would be informed Democrats would vote for you because they know about you through the party; informed Republicans won't because they're pretty sure you're a Democrat, but uninformed voters on both sides may pick the name that sounds more familiar, which you accomplished with your yard signs, as long as there's no partisan affiliation that turns half of them off.
In Richmond, the Democrats endorse candidates for nonpartisan races and add them to the sample ballots that they distribute outside the polling places on election day. So someone can take that and use it as a guide to vote a straight Democratic ticket including the nonpartisan races. Dunno if they do this statewide or just in strong Democratic precincts.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:35 AM on February 26, 2018
In Richmond, the Democrats endorse candidates for nonpartisan races and add them to the sample ballots that they distribute outside the polling places on election day. So someone can take that and use it as a guide to vote a straight Democratic ticket including the nonpartisan races. Dunno if they do this statewide or just in strong Democratic precincts.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:35 AM on February 26, 2018
Or [Trump] could just obey a lawful subpoena, as the Constitution requires.
The Constitution also requires that the POTUS not accept payments from foreign governments, and Trump has been in blatant disregard of that clause from day one.
IANAL, but in my opinion, the set of those with standing to sue for "a president in obvious and blatant disregard of the Constitution" should be any and every American citizen.
posted by Gelatin at 9:40 AM on February 26, 2018 [32 favorites]
The Constitution also requires that the POTUS not accept payments from foreign governments, and Trump has been in blatant disregard of that clause from day one.
IANAL, but in my opinion, the set of those with standing to sue for "a president in obvious and blatant disregard of the Constitution" should be any and every American citizen.
posted by Gelatin at 9:40 AM on February 26, 2018 [32 favorites]
I might be missing something about Utah and Romney but as I read things it sounds like
(1) You can get on the primary ballot by getting N signatures or
(2) You can get on the primary ballot by being approved by the convention
There's still a primary after that, and (absent big legal action) the winner is the Republican nominee. This doesn't seem to be about Romney running as an independent with someone else being the nominee, because however he gets on it he seems sure to win the primary?
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:40 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
(1) You can get on the primary ballot by getting N signatures or
(2) You can get on the primary ballot by being approved by the convention
There's still a primary after that, and (absent big legal action) the winner is the Republican nominee. This doesn't seem to be about Romney running as an independent with someone else being the nominee, because however he gets on it he seems sure to win the primary?
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:40 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
"I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon”
The level of unawareness to say something so delusional in front of this audience will be covered as merely "Trump being Trump", i.e. the reality TV star with no filter who is somehow occupying the Oval Office. From an objective standpoint, though, this looks like classic psychological decompensation. The recent events in Mueller's investigation have unquestionably put a terrible strain on his psyche, so, like the raging narcissist he is, he's slipping into inappropriate behavior and making bizarre claims in order to reassure his ego, c.f. Trump's one-sided call-in to Fox's Jeanine Pirro show on Saturday night.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [30 favorites]
The level of unawareness to say something so delusional in front of this audience will be covered as merely "Trump being Trump", i.e. the reality TV star with no filter who is somehow occupying the Oval Office. From an objective standpoint, though, this looks like classic psychological decompensation. The recent events in Mueller's investigation have unquestionably put a terrible strain on his psyche, so, like the raging narcissist he is, he's slipping into inappropriate behavior and making bizarre claims in order to reassure his ego, c.f. Trump's one-sided call-in to Fox's Jeanine Pirro show on Saturday night.
posted by Doktor Zed at 9:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [30 favorites]
I think the point is they think he can't get on the Republican primary ballot except by signature, because the convention is stacked against him with these hardliners now, and if they succeed in foreclosing the signature route, he'd be shut out of the Republican ticket and thus force to run indy. But its not clear how many hardliners there really are, and if the full convention could overrule them and vote in Romney as the nominee and all this is smoke. It does seem like "one weird trick!" politics...but Utah is a weird place.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
(1) You can get on the primary ballot by getting N signatures or
the issue is that the republican party central committee is saying "no, you can't get on the primary ballot by collecting signatures".
IANAL but presumably the secretary of state has to legally disabuse them of this notion or romney won't be able to participate in the republican primary.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
the issue is that the republican party central committee is saying "no, you can't get on the primary ballot by collecting signatures".
IANAL but presumably the secretary of state has to legally disabuse them of this notion or romney won't be able to participate in the republican primary.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:45 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Peter Thiel Got His Revenge on Gawker. He May Yet Regret It
posted by Artw at 9:47 AM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by Artw at 9:47 AM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
Republicans are the party of treason. All of them.
Remember, remember, the 8th of November
The G.O.P. Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Russians and Treason
Should ever be forgot.
posted by Justinian at 9:57 AM on February 26, 2018 [64 favorites]
Remember, remember, the 8th of November
The G.O.P. Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Russians and Treason
Should ever be forgot.
posted by Justinian at 9:57 AM on February 26, 2018 [64 favorites]
New CNN/ORC Poll, generic D 2018 congressional advantage: 16%
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:01 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:01 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon
You can only believe this is you have never in your life been in a life threatening situation. I have a few too many times in my fifty years on the planet. So far I am about at 1/3 run away. 1/3 freeze, 1/3 help. If you had ask me before any of these experiences I would have said "Of course I'd be a hero". Would I be a hero now? I'd say it is pretty damn random. I like think I'd try to be a hero but I haven't always been so there's that. [edit - none of these were at the level of running towards gunfire]
posted by srboisvert at 10:09 AM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
You can only believe this is you have never in your life been in a life threatening situation. I have a few too many times in my fifty years on the planet. So far I am about at 1/3 run away. 1/3 freeze, 1/3 help. If you had ask me before any of these experiences I would have said "Of course I'd be a hero". Would I be a hero now? I'd say it is pretty damn random. I like think I'd try to be a hero but I haven't always been so there's that. [edit - none of these were at the level of running towards gunfire]
posted by srboisvert at 10:09 AM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
Voluntarily approaching a rampage killer toting an assault rifle without a weapon or the means to provide medical assistance is not being a hero, it's being very silly
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:15 AM on February 26, 2018 [27 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:15 AM on February 26, 2018 [27 favorites]
You can only believe this is you have never in your life been in a life threatening situation. I
My reaction was 100% to run for my life. This disturbed me after the fact. It bothered me that I could do nothing to protect the students being run over by a SUV, too. So I guess running for my life was really all I could do. But it's humbling, yeah, to learn that one's response won't be "OK! Hero time!".
posted by thelonius at 10:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
My reaction was 100% to run for my life. This disturbed me after the fact. It bothered me that I could do nothing to protect the students being run over by a SUV, too. So I guess running for my life was really all I could do. But it's humbling, yeah, to learn that one's response won't be "OK! Hero time!".
posted by thelonius at 10:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
TBH the fundamental stupidity of that action is the best argument yet for why Trump might actually have done it.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 10:18 AM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94: Voluntarily approaching a rampage killer toting an assault rifle without a weapon or the means to provide medical assistance is not being a hero, it's being very silly
I think the argument is that you draw some fire from the shooter, whose ammunition is finite. But obviously that's open to debate, and I sure wouldn't expect anyone to do it.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:22 AM on February 26, 2018
I think the argument is that you draw some fire from the shooter, whose ammunition is finite. But obviously that's open to debate, and I sure wouldn't expect anyone to do it.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 10:22 AM on February 26, 2018
"I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon”
I hope he will and I believe he should be encouraged to do so.
posted by GrammarMoses at 10:27 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
I hope he will and I believe he should be encouraged to do so.
posted by GrammarMoses at 10:27 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
Jon Meis sprayed the Seattle Pacific University shooter with pepper spray whilst the shooter was reloading - if there's an opening, and the NRA very much wants there not to be an opening by pushing for large magazine, it's possible to tackle these fuckers unarmed, otherwise running and hiding probably IS the best choice.
posted by Artw at 10:31 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:31 AM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
Maximum tough guy schtick is very much on brand for Trump; for school shootings, for North Korea, for Iran, the Vietnam War he skirted, for beating up rally protesters, for torturing terrorism suspects and shooting ISIS with bullets dipped in pig's blood, for football rules getting too soft, for going to war with the media when all he really wants is their approval, it's the idea that a "GET TOUGH" tweet is a solution. It's a fiction rooted in the white male privilege of promising violence but never having to follow up. It speaks to the scared and insecure, his base.
posted by peeedro at 10:32 AM on February 26, 2018 [44 favorites]
posted by peeedro at 10:32 AM on February 26, 2018 [44 favorites]
please let some wag at the next press event egg him on into claiming that he would have tackled John Hinckley Jr. and he doesn't understand why Ronald Reagan didn't do so
posted by murphy slaw at 10:33 AM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 10:33 AM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
Lawrence Adams, who threw chairs at the Cafe Racer shooter, is a fucking hero in my mind, but he denies it and gives that accolade to the barrista who called the cops while shot.
Absolutely nobody knows how they would respond and it's all down to random circumstance and opportunity. Really the bets thing would be to not have a society saturated with guns in the first place.
posted by Artw at 10:34 AM on February 26, 2018 [37 favorites]
Absolutely nobody knows how they would respond and it's all down to random circumstance and opportunity. Really the bets thing would be to not have a society saturated with guns in the first place.
posted by Artw at 10:34 AM on February 26, 2018 [37 favorites]
Rust Moranis: "New CNN/ORC Poll, generic D 2018 congressional advantage: 16%"
Which is nice to see! But you gotta stick with the average, there's house effects and methodology effects - the best way to account for outliers is to stick it in the blender.
I like the 538 average because simple averages like the RCP are running into possible issues for reasons outlined here. 538 does some weighting to account for that.
538 average is currently: D+10 (48.2/38.2)
posted by Chrysostom at 10:38 AM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
Which is nice to see! But you gotta stick with the average, there's house effects and methodology effects - the best way to account for outliers is to stick it in the blender.
I like the 538 average because simple averages like the RCP are running into possible issues for reasons outlined here. 538 does some weighting to account for that.
538 average is currently: D+10 (48.2/38.2)
posted by Chrysostom at 10:38 AM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
It's a fiction rooted in the white male privilege of promising violence but never having to follow up.
Don't give him even that much credit, yesterday he was quoted fantasizing about executing drug dealers. He'd absolutely follow through on those fantasies as soon as he feels safe doing so, and as long as he can lead from behind giving the order to shoot. And now he's building up a budding paramilitary force eager to follow those orders in ICE/CBP.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:41 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Don't give him even that much credit, yesterday he was quoted fantasizing about executing drug dealers. He'd absolutely follow through on those fantasies as soon as he feels safe doing so, and as long as he can lead from behind giving the order to shoot. And now he's building up a budding paramilitary force eager to follow those orders in ICE/CBP.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:41 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Reporters should just start asking Trump whether he thinks he'd be a superstar in increasingly-ridiculous hypothetical scenarios
A lot of people right here on metafilter think they might be able to beat a wolf in a fight.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
A lot of people right here on metafilter think they might be able to beat a wolf in a fight.
posted by paper chromatographologist at 10:42 AM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
And now he's building up a budding paramilitary force eager to follow those orders in ICE/CBP.
Except for the fact that nobody wants to work for ICE. There's a big difference between "talking tough" and "willing to put yourself on the line." I surmise that many (most?) of the tough-talking MAGA-hats would wilt if they were expected to do the hard work putting their talk into action.
It's the liberal kids like Emma Gonzalez who are backing up talk with work, for which I am very thankful.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:59 AM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
Except for the fact that nobody wants to work for ICE. There's a big difference between "talking tough" and "willing to put yourself on the line." I surmise that many (most?) of the tough-talking MAGA-hats would wilt if they were expected to do the hard work putting their talk into action.
It's the liberal kids like Emma Gonzalez who are backing up talk with work, for which I am very thankful.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 10:59 AM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
My defensive handgun classes were taught by former military and current SWAT members. They taught us that if someone pulled a gun, we should only pull our own gun if our lives or the lives of our loved ones were being directly threatened (i.e. the gun is pointed at us or someone is coming at us with another weapon). Otherwise, we should run away and/or hide.
They taught this because they'd studied a lot of crime reports while developing their self defense classes and their conclusion was that armed third parties intervening trying to be heroes usually just resulted in more people getting shot -- hitting a bystander, being mistaken for the bad guy and being shot by police, etc.
They also liked to say that self defense enthusiasts should spend less money and time on guns, ammo, and range practice and instead buy a pair of running shoes and go jogging because the latter was statistically more likely to save our lives. They were very clever teachers -- these were nominally handgun classes but about half the instruction was focused on teaching us how to avoid ever needing to use our guns.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:05 AM on February 26, 2018 [96 favorites]
They taught this because they'd studied a lot of crime reports while developing their self defense classes and their conclusion was that armed third parties intervening trying to be heroes usually just resulted in more people getting shot -- hitting a bystander, being mistaken for the bad guy and being shot by police, etc.
They also liked to say that self defense enthusiasts should spend less money and time on guns, ammo, and range practice and instead buy a pair of running shoes and go jogging because the latter was statistically more likely to save our lives. They were very clever teachers -- these were nominally handgun classes but about half the instruction was focused on teaching us how to avoid ever needing to use our guns.
posted by Jacqueline at 11:05 AM on February 26, 2018 [96 favorites]
President Trump on Monday criticized the officers who failed to confront the shooter at Stoneman Douglas High School, boasting that “I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.”
I believe Trump should award himself a medal for his hypothetical bravery. Perhaps something modeled after this flying pig medallion.
posted by scalefree at 11:09 AM on February 26, 2018 [15 favorites]
I believe Trump should award himself a medal for his hypothetical bravery. Perhaps something modeled after this flying pig medallion.
posted by scalefree at 11:09 AM on February 26, 2018 [15 favorites]
This idiot could have really used Jacqueline's handgun training. I'm actually surprised that she got prosecuted successfully.
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:14 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:14 AM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
hi folks, it's your friendly neighborhood field organizer popping back up again-- if any of y'all happen to live in Texas' 32nd district-- currently held by pete sessions-- we got us a primary out here. gotv is next weekend. my own personal panic levels are extremely high. memail me.
posted by dogheart at 11:16 AM on February 26, 2018 [32 favorites]
posted by dogheart at 11:16 AM on February 26, 2018 [32 favorites]
scalefree, the Flying Pig Medal for Hypothetical Bravery will be a part of my rhetorical toolkit forever. Thank you.
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:17 AM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 11:17 AM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
Remember, remember, the 8th of November
The G.O.P. Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Russians and Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Justinian my only alteration would be to suggest line three be "I know of no reason Republican Treason" because the Russian government wouldn't have been successful without the active connivance of the GOP and it avoids the whole issue with blaming Russian people as a whole?
posted by winna at 11:22 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
The G.O.P. Treason and plot;
I know of no reason why Russians and Treason
Should ever be forgot.
Justinian my only alteration would be to suggest line three be "I know of no reason Republican Treason" because the Russian government wouldn't have been successful without the active connivance of the GOP and it avoids the whole issue with blaming Russian people as a whole?
posted by winna at 11:22 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
Look At This Stupid Baby
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) challenges Trump to his face on his plan to arm teachers, tells him "we need to listen to educators and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat."
Trump responds by crossing his arms and quickly changing topic
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:23 AM on February 26, 2018 [32 favorites]
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) challenges Trump to his face on his plan to arm teachers, tells him "we need to listen to educators and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat."
Trump responds by crossing his arms and quickly changing topic
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:23 AM on February 26, 2018 [32 favorites]
“I tried to help,” she told WJBK after her sentencing on Wednesday, before wryly adding: “And I learned my lesson that I will never help anybody again.”
There's a person not learning any fucking lesson at all.
posted by Artw at 11:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [27 favorites]
There's a person not learning any fucking lesson at all.
posted by Artw at 11:24 AM on February 26, 2018 [27 favorites]
@CaseyCagle (Lt. Gov of Georgia): I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
It's disturbing the extent to which we're not even bothering to pretend this isn't about straight-up bribery anymore.
posted by zachlipton at 11:26 AM on February 26, 2018 [122 favorites]
It's disturbing the extent to which we're not even bothering to pretend this isn't about straight-up bribery anymore.
posted by zachlipton at 11:26 AM on February 26, 2018 [122 favorites]
Here's Stephen Miller nodding off during a meeting on school shootings. Guess he was tired after being up all night playing CS:GO.
posted by PenDevil at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by PenDevil at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2018 [18 favorites]
It's disturbing the extent to which we're not even bothering to pretend this isn't about straight-up bribery anymore.
Much like many safety regulations, labor standards, civil rights laws, and other liberal priorities on which Republicans have declared war, they now openly brag about wanting to return to a spoils system. We have the laws and norms we do that oppose that system because we tried it already, and it didn't work.
posted by Gelatin at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Much like many safety regulations, labor standards, civil rights laws, and other liberal priorities on which Republicans have declared war, they now openly brag about wanting to return to a spoils system. We have the laws and norms we do that oppose that system because we tried it already, and it didn't work.
posted by Gelatin at 11:36 AM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
@CaseyCagle (Lt. Gov of Georgia): I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
"I was going to hand out corporate welfare to benefit a single large corporation but now that they've made a marketing decision I don't like, I don't wanna."
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:37 AM on February 26, 2018 [52 favorites]
"I was going to hand out corporate welfare to benefit a single large corporation but now that they've made a marketing decision I don't like, I don't wanna."
posted by soren_lorensen at 11:37 AM on February 26, 2018 [52 favorites]
“Reinstate” was not the word I was hoping for there. Maybe “remove” or “cancel” or “dissolve”.
posted by erisfree at 11:38 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by erisfree at 11:38 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
“As I have said before, it is important that as adults we take the lead and responsibility in helping our children manage the many issues they're facing today. This means encouraging positive habits on social media and technology, even limiting time online and understanding the content they are exposed to on a daily basis.”
These words were spoken by...Melania. The mind boggles.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:43 AM on February 26, 2018 [27 favorites]
These words were spoken by...Melania. The mind boggles.
posted by Rust Moranis at 11:43 AM on February 26, 2018 [27 favorites]
It makes perfect sense if you pretend she was talking about helping Trump.
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:47 AM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:47 AM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
For reference, from the 2016 campaign: The Presidential Candidates Ranked By Their Usefulness In A Bar Fight. Trump came in at 13 out of 14, only beating out the most hated man in Congress, Ted Cruz.
Another big talker who prefers that other people take the consequences of his barreling around. It’s baffling that so many of Trump’s fans still think he’s a tough guy when everyone who has been in so much as a playground dustup knows that anyone who feels the need for that much bluster is going to fold like a paper crane once an actual fight starts. Trump is going to be a screamer, a cryer, and a bleeder. He’s also going to be the guy who immediately starts shouting “No fair!” and tries to get everyone to stop the fight and start over because of some bullshit rule he just made up like everybody was supposed to take their jackets off first, and if they won’t stop, the win doesn’t really count.posted by scalefree at 11:48 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
Trump is going to howl bloody murder the second someone lands the first punch on him — which will be instantly — and he’s going to be out the back way almost immediately after Cruz. The best you can hope for is that he won’t be able to resist insulting the kitchen staff and gets his ass kicked on the way out.
He’s going to break into a run as soon as they belt-and-ear hurl him out the door, and he’ll be on television recounting his made-up heroics while you’re still getting punched by some biker who’s wearing an enormous signet ring. Do not have Donald Trump on your side in a bar fight.
Was about to say...you're assuming that she actually gives a shit about what's going on, regardless of whether it's about her husband.
posted by Melismata at 11:48 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Melismata at 11:48 AM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
@CaseyCagle (Lt. Gov of Georgia): I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
I love how he thinks Delta care about what he thinks. Cagle doesn't realize the company is literally larger than the state of Georgia in every metric. It's like a minnow coming up to a shark and saying "I WON'T PUT MYSELF IN YOUR MOUTH IF YOU EAT MY BEST FRIEND".
posted by Talez at 11:53 AM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
I love how he thinks Delta care about what he thinks. Cagle doesn't realize the company is literally larger than the state of Georgia in every metric. It's like a minnow coming up to a shark and saying "I WON'T PUT MYSELF IN YOUR MOUTH IF YOU EAT MY BEST FRIEND".
posted by Talez at 11:53 AM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
President Trump on Monday criticized the officers who failed to confront the shooter at Stoneman Douglas High School, boasting that “I really believe I’d run in there even if I didn’t have a weapon.”
...said man terrified of medium-size bird. 🦅
posted by leotrotsky at 11:55 AM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
...said man terrified of medium-size bird. 🦅
posted by leotrotsky at 11:55 AM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
Earlier today, Trump was talking with a gathering of state governors about guns, and mental health, and said
posted by filthy light thief at 11:57 AM on February 26, 2018 [76 favorites]
"You know, in the old days we had mental institutions, had a lot of them, and you could nab somebody like this because, you know, they did. They knew he was -- something was off," Trump said. "We're going to have to start talking about mental institutions, because a lot of the folks in this room closed their mental institutions also."Nope, that was your nigh-sainted predecessor, Ronny: Ronald Reagan’s shameful legacy: Violence, the homeless, mental illness -- As president and governor of California, the GOP icon led the worst policies on mental illness in generations (Dr. E. Fuller Torrey for Salon, Sept. 29, 2013)
President Reagan never understood mental illness. Like Richard Nixon, he was a product of the Southern California culture that associated psychiatry with Communism. Two months after taking office, Reagan was shot by John Hinckley, a young man with untreated schizophrenia. Two years later, Reagan called Dr. Roger Peele, then director of St. Elizabeths Hospital, where Hinckley was being treated, and tried to arrange to meet with Hinckley, so that Reagan could forgive him. Peele tactfully told the president that this was not a good idea. Reagan was also exposed to the consequences of untreated mental illness through the two sons of Roy Miller, his personal tax advisor. Both sons developed schizophrenia; one committed suicide in 1981, and the other killed his mother in 1983. Despite such personal exposure, Reagan never exhibited any interest in the need for research or better treatment for serious mental illness.Ronnie put personal wealth ahead of the well-being of people of California, and as president, he did it all over again at a national level.
...
By 1975 board-and-care homes had become big business in California. In Los Angeles alone, there were “approximately 11,000 ex-state-hospital patients living in board-and-care facilities.” Many of these homes were owned by for-profit chains, such as Beverly Enterprises, which owned 38 homes. Many homes were regarded by their owners “solely as a business, squeezing excessive profits out of it at the expense of residents.” Five members of Beverly Enterprises’ board of directors had ties to Governor Reagan; the chairman was vice chairman of a Reagan fundraising dinner, and “four others were either politically active in one or both of the Reagan [gubernatorial] campaigns and/or contributed large or undisclosed sums of money to the campaign.” Financial ties between the governor, who was emptying state hospitals, and business persons who were profiting from the process would also soon become apparent in other states.
posted by filthy light thief at 11:57 AM on February 26, 2018 [76 favorites]
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) challenges Trump to his face on his plan to arm teachers, tells him "we need to listen to educators and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat."
As much as we (justifiably) rage about Democrats in power not doing enough, this whole Trump shitshow has really left me deeply grateful for the Democrats in statewide office in Washington. I fucking love my governor so much, and I only feel bad more people don't have someone as great in their state.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:57 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
As much as we (justifiably) rage about Democrats in power not doing enough, this whole Trump shitshow has really left me deeply grateful for the Democrats in statewide office in Washington. I fucking love my governor so much, and I only feel bad more people don't have someone as great in their state.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 11:57 AM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
Rust Moranis: The Hill: Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Ajit Pai received the National Rifle Association's (NRA) “Charlton Heston Courage Under Fire Award” at the Conservative Political Action Conference on Friday.
As noted by Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica, that was likely an ethics issue, and not the only one from a Republican with the FCC:
posted by filthy light thief at 12:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
As noted by Jon Brodkin for Ars Technica, that was likely an ethics issue, and not the only one from a Republican with the FCC:
Accepting the award is almost certainly a violation of government ethics rules, according to Walter Shaub [tweet], who was director of the US Office of Government Ethics from 2013 to 2017. Pai has not publicly responded to the accusation.But at this point, these are just two more blips of "this is not normal" in the jagged line marking the descent from normalcy in the past year plus under Trump.
Also on Friday, FCC Commissioner Michael O'Rielly called for the re-election of President Donald Trump during his appearance at CPAC. Advocacy group American Oversight called for an investigation of O'Rielly, saying that he violated a rule against "engaging in partisan political activity while on duty."
posted by filthy light thief at 12:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
It's bad enough that they already hire history teachers based on their ability to coach varsity football. Now they are going to screen them based on their score at the firing range?
posted by JackFlash at 12:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by JackFlash at 12:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
What Jacqueline's gun-safety instructor said matches with every account I've read from any gun-safety-expert type person ever. Yet it feels out of step with the NRA's famous radicalization of late. I wonder which aspects of the change are comparable to the GOP's shift from merely selling nonsense to becoming high on its own supply.
I'll grant that most NRA members do in fact have guns and many have probably used them on the range or whatever, but there seems to be this real disconnect that's intertwined with modern conservatism's suspicion of expertise of any kind. If the trend continues, we can expect more loud voices in the gun-wild community to just outright pooh-pooh the whole idea of "safe practices" with respect to guns. They'll call standard advice like "assume every gun is loaded even if you just emptied it" liberal gobbedlygook.
And such bluster isn't quieted by real-life accidents or failures on the part of "good guys with guns", because they can always just blame the individual. Like how a religious cult can say that anyone who dies from their practices (e.g "breatharians" who die from their insistence that spiritually-attuned people can live without food or water, or snake-handlers who succumb to venom) obviously lacked faith, weren't doing it right, etc. The gun-clinger equivalent will be "they were a coward" or "their gun wasn't powerful enough" or such.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:05 PM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
I'll grant that most NRA members do in fact have guns and many have probably used them on the range or whatever, but there seems to be this real disconnect that's intertwined with modern conservatism's suspicion of expertise of any kind. If the trend continues, we can expect more loud voices in the gun-wild community to just outright pooh-pooh the whole idea of "safe practices" with respect to guns. They'll call standard advice like "assume every gun is loaded even if you just emptied it" liberal gobbedlygook.
And such bluster isn't quieted by real-life accidents or failures on the part of "good guys with guns", because they can always just blame the individual. Like how a religious cult can say that anyone who dies from their practices (e.g "breatharians" who die from their insistence that spiritually-attuned people can live without food or water, or snake-handlers who succumb to venom) obviously lacked faith, weren't doing it right, etc. The gun-clinger equivalent will be "they were a coward" or "their gun wasn't powerful enough" or such.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:05 PM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
Now they are going to screen them based on their score at the firing range?
The other stupid thing Trump said today is that armed teachers have to have "natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golfball or putting."
So it's batting averages and golf handicaps that will determine which teachers pack heat.
posted by peeedro at 12:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
The other stupid thing Trump said today is that armed teachers have to have "natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golfball or putting."
So it's batting averages and golf handicaps that will determine which teachers pack heat.
posted by peeedro at 12:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
InTheYear2017: What Jacqueline's gun-safety instructor said matches with every account I've read from any gun-safety-expert type person ever. Yet it feels out of step with the NRA's famous radicalization of late. I wonder which aspects of the change are comparable to the GOP's shift from merely selling nonsense to becoming high on its own supply. NRA support and limited funding.
FTFY.
Also, NRA support = free media coverage, and who can say no to free money and promotion? Clearly not Mark Rubio.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:11 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
FTFY.
Also, NRA support = free media coverage, and who can say no to free money and promotion? Clearly not Mark Rubio.
posted by filthy light thief at 12:11 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
What Jacqueline's gun-safety instructor said matches with every account I've read from any gun-safety-expert type person ever.
This is what completely blows my mind about gun culture in America.
I've had training from police instructors and military instructors. I don't want to sound like I'm puffing my chest because it's been very basic and brief, but still. Training from professionals. I've talked a lot with martial arts instructors and bouncers about violence, too. And it has always, always been like that: Get the hell out of the way. Deescalate and avoid violence if at all possible. Minimize casualties. Bullets go through people and walls and hit something else, and shooting in a live situation is not easy.
The most astounding thing about the NRA and gun rights activists is how they constantly act like they've never had any real training with guns at all. And sometimes these people have been cops or military or whatever. Did they just forget all that shit? Do they deliberately decide to blow it all off because the tough-guy movie-logic bullshit is better marketing than the sober recognition of facts? Or is there just some Rambo school of marksmanship that I've somehow never encountered?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:16 PM on February 26, 2018 [76 favorites]
This is what completely blows my mind about gun culture in America.
I've had training from police instructors and military instructors. I don't want to sound like I'm puffing my chest because it's been very basic and brief, but still. Training from professionals. I've talked a lot with martial arts instructors and bouncers about violence, too. And it has always, always been like that: Get the hell out of the way. Deescalate and avoid violence if at all possible. Minimize casualties. Bullets go through people and walls and hit something else, and shooting in a live situation is not easy.
The most astounding thing about the NRA and gun rights activists is how they constantly act like they've never had any real training with guns at all. And sometimes these people have been cops or military or whatever. Did they just forget all that shit? Do they deliberately decide to blow it all off because the tough-guy movie-logic bullshit is better marketing than the sober recognition of facts? Or is there just some Rambo school of marksmanship that I've somehow never encountered?
posted by scaryblackdeath at 12:16 PM on February 26, 2018 [76 favorites]
The other stupid thing Trump said today is that armed teachers have to have "natural talent, like hitting a baseball or hitting a golfball or putting."
Terrific. Trump is reputed to be a notorious cheat on the golf course.
posted by Gelatin at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
Terrific. Trump is reputed to be a notorious cheat on the golf course.
posted by Gelatin at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
So am I correct that the current line of the day is that they think institutionalization for whoever they decide is 'dangerously' mentally ill is more feasible/productive/good than just... not letting those people buy guns?
posted by nakedmolerats at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by nakedmolerats at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2018 [10 favorites]
Look At This Stupid Baby
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) challenges Trump to his face on his plan to arm teachers, tells him "we need to listen to educators and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat."
Trump responds by crossing his arms and quickly changing topic
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:23 AM
First of all, holy crap on that video.
Second, I've been thinking more and more lately how this reminds me of the man-baby president in Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and specifically his nurses's song:
" 'Let's have a song first,' said the President. 'Sing another one about me, Nanny … please.'
THE NURSE'S SONG
This mighty man of whom I sing,
The greatest of them all,
Was once a teeny little thing,
Just eighteen inches tall.
I knew him as a tiny tot.
I nursed him on my knee.
I used to sit him on the pot
And wait for him to wee . . . "
" . . . It soon began to dawn on me
He wasn't very bright,
Because when he was twenty-three
He couldn't read or write . . . "
etc.
Yup, upon re-reading, it holds up.
posted by robotdevil at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) challenges Trump to his face on his plan to arm teachers, tells him "we need to listen to educators and they should not be foisted upon this responsibility of packing heat."
Trump responds by crossing his arms and quickly changing topic
posted by The Card Cheat at 11:23 AM
First of all, holy crap on that video.
Second, I've been thinking more and more lately how this reminds me of the man-baby president in Charlie and the Great Glass Elevator, and specifically his nurses's song:
" 'Let's have a song first,' said the President. 'Sing another one about me, Nanny … please.'
THE NURSE'S SONG
This mighty man of whom I sing,
The greatest of them all,
Was once a teeny little thing,
Just eighteen inches tall.
I knew him as a tiny tot.
I nursed him on my knee.
I used to sit him on the pot
And wait for him to wee . . . "
" . . . It soon began to dawn on me
He wasn't very bright,
Because when he was twenty-three
He couldn't read or write . . . "
etc.
Yup, upon re-reading, it holds up.
posted by robotdevil at 12:18 PM on February 26, 2018 [17 favorites]
Do they deliberately decide to blow it all off because the tough-guy movie-logic bullshit is better marketing than the sober recognition of facts?
Let's just say the sober recognition of facts has not been the Republican forte since at least the Reagan administration.
posted by Gelatin at 12:19 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
Let's just say the sober recognition of facts has not been the Republican forte since at least the Reagan administration.
posted by Gelatin at 12:19 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
"You know, in the old days we had mental institutions, had a lot of them, and you could nab somebody like this because, you know, they did. They knew he was -- something was off," Trump said. "We're going to have to start talking about mental institutions, because a lot of the folks in this room closed their mental institutions also."
We just had a shooting in the wealthy town of Winchester. A mentally ill man shot and killed a 22-year-old woman in front of a public library. He was well known to both the police and neighbors, who reported that he tried to slam into their front doors and had taken to keeping baseball bats to protect themselves, since the police "weren't doing anything." Statements like this are probably very comforting to them. It's comforting to me, even though I'd never vote for Trump in a million years.
Actually, I don't want to fight about mental illness in Metafilter; never mind.
posted by Melismata at 12:26 PM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
We just had a shooting in the wealthy town of Winchester. A mentally ill man shot and killed a 22-year-old woman in front of a public library. He was well known to both the police and neighbors, who reported that he tried to slam into their front doors and had taken to keeping baseball bats to protect themselves, since the police "weren't doing anything." Statements like this are probably very comforting to them. It's comforting to me, even though I'd never vote for Trump in a million years.
Actually, I don't want to fight about mental illness in Metafilter; never mind.
posted by Melismata at 12:26 PM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
As an addendum... this ironic fact, that the gun-savviest people are the first to dispel the"only wimps fear guns" macho mythmaking, is especially rich considering the whole "You can't discuss gun control unless you can name the AR-15's ideal ammo caliber and its first five albums" bullcrap. Again, actual expertise/knowledge is only used where useful, otherwise rejected.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:34 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 12:34 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
@CaseyCagle (Lt. Gov of Georgia): I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
I think I get it now: free-market conservatism is when the big government uses its power over the market to force companies to take action in support of the big government's political agenda
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:34 PM on February 26, 2018 [40 favorites]
I think I get it now: free-market conservatism is when the big government uses its power over the market to force companies to take action in support of the big government's political agenda
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:34 PM on February 26, 2018 [40 favorites]
We just had a shooting in the wealthy town of Winchester.
Actually, it was a stabbing. And he was stopped by a 77-year-old man (who also got stabbed, but not fatally). Like the guy in Florida, there had been many warning signs, neighbors calling police, etc. Unlike in Florida, however, he was unable to just walk into a store and buy an AR-15 and just open fire inside the library, because this is Massachusetts and we have some pretty strict laws about gun ownership. In fact, on Friday, police in the nearby town of Burlington arrested a guy who had an AR-15 he wasn't legally allowed to have.
posted by adamg at 12:36 PM on February 26, 2018 [62 favorites]
Actually, it was a stabbing. And he was stopped by a 77-year-old man (who also got stabbed, but not fatally). Like the guy in Florida, there had been many warning signs, neighbors calling police, etc. Unlike in Florida, however, he was unable to just walk into a store and buy an AR-15 and just open fire inside the library, because this is Massachusetts and we have some pretty strict laws about gun ownership. In fact, on Friday, police in the nearby town of Burlington arrested a guy who had an AR-15 he wasn't legally allowed to have.
posted by adamg at 12:36 PM on February 26, 2018 [62 favorites]
They taught this because they'd studied a lot of crime reports while developing their self defense classes and their conclusion was that armed third parties intervening trying to be heroes usually just resulted in more people getting shot -- hitting a bystander, being mistaken for the bad guy and being shot by police, etc.
A concrete example is always handy if you're arguing with anyone:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Empire_State_Building_shooting
"The day following the shooting, Kelly confirmed that all of the bystanders had been wounded as a result of police gunfire"
"Nine bystanders were wounded by stray bullets fired by the officers and ricocheting debris, but none suffered life-threatening injuries"
posted by srboisvert at 12:40 PM on February 26, 2018 [15 favorites]
A concrete example is always handy if you're arguing with anyone:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2012_Empire_State_Building_shooting
"The day following the shooting, Kelly confirmed that all of the bystanders had been wounded as a result of police gunfire"
"Nine bystanders were wounded by stray bullets fired by the officers and ricocheting debris, but none suffered life-threatening injuries"
posted by srboisvert at 12:40 PM on February 26, 2018 [15 favorites]
FWIW, no Professional who used firearms I know has any issue with uniform, national licensing and registration, and a lot of the arguments I hear against registration amount to, "I may have to commit armed rebellion against the lawful government of the United States, and don't want them to know about my firearms."
posted by mikelieman at 12:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by mikelieman at 12:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
re: Jaqueline's Handgun Training, Rule #1
posted by j_curiouser at 12:44 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by j_curiouser at 12:44 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
"I may have to commit armed rebellion against the lawful government of the United States, and don't want them to know about my firearms."
i suspect if you are committing armed rebellion against the lawful government of the United States, the unlicensed firearm is going to be pretty low on the list of charges you're facing
posted by murphy slaw at 12:47 PM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
i suspect if you are committing armed rebellion against the lawful government of the United States, the unlicensed firearm is going to be pretty low on the list of charges you're facing
posted by murphy slaw at 12:47 PM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
They taught this because they'd studied a lot of crime reports while developing their self defense classes and their conclusion was that armed third parties intervening trying to be heroes usually just resulted in more people getting shot -- hitting a bystander, being mistaken for the bad guy and being shot by police, etc.
If memory serves me correctly, an armed guard was also present at the Pulse nightclub shooting, but he never used his weapon, reasoning that if he opened fire in a dark club amidst a panicking crowd, he was much more likely to hit a bystander than the shooter.
I don't know. Conservatives love to act tough and to portray liberals as scolds, and they don't actually care about anything but tribalism -- witness the veteran with the great ad in which he assembled a rifle blindfolded and challenged his Republican opponent to do the same, but still lost -- but it's high time we moved the Overton window such that magical thinking about guns that obviously comes out of movies or video games is treated as the childish fantasy it is.
posted by Gelatin at 12:56 PM on February 26, 2018 [36 favorites]
If memory serves me correctly, an armed guard was also present at the Pulse nightclub shooting, but he never used his weapon, reasoning that if he opened fire in a dark club amidst a panicking crowd, he was much more likely to hit a bystander than the shooter.
I don't know. Conservatives love to act tough and to portray liberals as scolds, and they don't actually care about anything but tribalism -- witness the veteran with the great ad in which he assembled a rifle blindfolded and challenged his Republican opponent to do the same, but still lost -- but it's high time we moved the Overton window such that magical thinking about guns that obviously comes out of movies or video games is treated as the childish fantasy it is.
posted by Gelatin at 12:56 PM on February 26, 2018 [36 favorites]
i suspect if you are committing armed rebellion against the lawful government of the United States, the unlicensed firearm is going to be pretty low on the list of charges you're facing
Mainly they mean "menace some unarmed civilians".
posted by Artw at 1:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Armed rebellion's exactly what they're chest-puffing about, though. I see lots of people posting stuff like "If I have these 14 guns and the government bans assault rifles, how many guns do I have now? Answer == all 14, come and take them, haw haw haw."
It might be funnier if the Cliven Bundy fiasco hadn't taught them that having snipers taking aim at federal agents is generally okay if you're white, results in you going scot-free, and you only get killed and martyred if you make a special effort to get shot.
posted by delfin at 1:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
It might be funnier if the Cliven Bundy fiasco hadn't taught them that having snipers taking aim at federal agents is generally okay if you're white, results in you going scot-free, and you only get killed and martyred if you make a special effort to get shot.
posted by delfin at 1:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
"You know, in the old days we had mental institutions, had a lot of them, and you could nab somebody like this because, you know, they did. They knew he was -- something was off," Trump said. "We're going to have to start talking about mental institutions, because a lot of the folks in this room closed their mental institutions also."
Pleeeeeeeeeeease please please please please please, can someone in the media ask Trump to start looking into why those mental institutions closed?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [21 favorites]
Pleeeeeeeeeeease please please please please please, can someone in the media ask Trump to start looking into why those mental institutions closed?
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 1:02 PM on February 26, 2018 [21 favorites]
"i suspect if you are committing armed rebellion against the lawful government of the United States, the unlicensed firearm is going to be pretty low on the list of charges you're facing"
Don't blame me. That's the reason they give that they refuse to register their firearms. Something-Something Wiemar Republic....
posted by mikelieman at 1:04 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Don't blame me. That's the reason they give that they refuse to register their firearms. Something-Something Wiemar Republic....
posted by mikelieman at 1:04 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Wouldn't it then be a good idea to NOT give your name to the NRA then? Don't they basically have a giant database of gun owners?
posted by gucci mane at 1:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 1:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
The civil rebellion argument is farcical. If the US Military supports the Federal Government and doesn't care about massacring civilians, the US Military is going to crush any civil rebellion swiftly. If the US Military splits into factions... well, I imagine they can find their own guns without needing to keep them at home.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
More mental institutions and more medical lockups? Sure, that's how they do it in Russia: Three Pussy Riot Members Detained In Crimea:
Three members of the Russian Pussy Riot punk protest band have been detained in the Russia-annexed Crimea region.posted by notyou at 1:07 PM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
Olga Borisova said that she and another member of the band, Aleksandr Sofeyev, were detained on February 25 when they arrived in the Ukrainian peninsula.
Borisova later said that a third member of the group, Maria Alyokhina, was detained upon her arrival in Crimea on February 26. She said that Alyokhina texted her that she was with the police, after which communication stopped.
Crimean lawyer Emil Kurbedinov said on February 26 that the trio was brought to a medical institution for testing. He could not provide further details.
"Clueless" actress Stacey Dash is running for Congress in California
The former Fox news commentator has filed to run in a *heavily* Democratic district. I do not think this will go well for her.
posted by hanov3r at 1:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
The former Fox news commentator has filed to run in a *heavily* Democratic district. I do not think this will go well for her.
posted by hanov3r at 1:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
"Why are corporations finally turning against the NRA?"
- [T]here has been a perfect storm of articulate student outrage and savvy online activism, merging with a rising tide of resentment against Trump and Trump-affiliated organizations.
[...] Trump’s language often forces companies to take sides in political debates, and his unpopularity makes it safe—even necessary—to side against him.
[...] Corporations are becoming more democratic than democratic governance itself. Or, at least, they have proven to be far more responsive to political outcries and scandals than political parties. [...] National government in an age of Republican control is mostly unresponsive to liberal protests. So, many activists are focusing their ire on the business community. A corporation is a knot of products, services, and policies, and activists have seen that any one string can be grabbed, pulled, and scrutinized, until the company agrees to cut it away.
Businesses have to respond to political crises even faster than political parties do, says William Klepper, a professor of corporate leadership at the Columbia Business School.
It's doubly farcical because they have no reason to believe that a Republican government at any level will ever come after them.
It's not about rebelling against the government. It's about rebelling against Those People who pretend now and then that they're legitimately elected and entitled to enforce laws over Real Americans.
posted by delfin at 1:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's not about rebelling against the government. It's about rebelling against Those People who pretend now and then that they're legitimately elected and entitled to enforce laws over Real Americans.
posted by delfin at 1:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
A product line can't be gerrymandered.
posted by Chrysostom at 1:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 1:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [16 favorites]
"Clueless" actress Stacey Dash is running for Congress in California
She just needs to fill in her Wingnut Welfare resume a bit.
Here in my heavily Dem district, Shannon Edwards, the woman that Tim Murphy had an affair with (that resulted in him resigning and the current Special Election Madness with Conor Lamb vs. Rick Saccone) is running as a Republican, apparently. I can't figure out what she's thinking here because shit's a lot juicer than just "schtupped a married Congressman" and it's allll in the public record. So basically I'm expecting her to show up on Fox News as their in-house mental health expert (especially now that the right has suddenly gotten sooooo concerrrnnnnned about mental health) the day after she loses the election.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:15 PM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
She just needs to fill in her Wingnut Welfare resume a bit.
Here in my heavily Dem district, Shannon Edwards, the woman that Tim Murphy had an affair with (that resulted in him resigning and the current Special Election Madness with Conor Lamb vs. Rick Saccone) is running as a Republican, apparently. I can't figure out what she's thinking here because shit's a lot juicer than just "schtupped a married Congressman" and it's allll in the public record. So basically I'm expecting her to show up on Fox News as their in-house mental health expert (especially now that the right has suddenly gotten sooooo concerrrnnnnned about mental health) the day after she loses the election.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:15 PM on February 26, 2018 [1 favorite]
It's sounding like there's momentum moving toward passing the Fix NICS act, with the Senate putting it on the "hotline" for a vote soon if they can get unanimous consent. It's not a bad thing, the bill would try to enforce existing law to ensure that people who are already supposed to be disqualified from having guns don't pass background checks, but it also won't do much at all, and certainly doesn't count as taking action, which is why they're rushing to pass it. I presume a lot of folks will just say "see, we did something" and refuse to consider measures as basic as universal background checks after this.
Also, if we want to talk about mental illness, it's worth mentioning that fearing your mother may be deported is really bad for kids' mental health, so it's a good thing the Senate spent three days thinking about immigration before taking a vacation and pretending the issue no longer exists.
posted by zachlipton at 1:17 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Also, if we want to talk about mental illness, it's worth mentioning that fearing your mother may be deported is really bad for kids' mental health, so it's a good thing the Senate spent three days thinking about immigration before taking a vacation and pretending the issue no longer exists.
posted by zachlipton at 1:17 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Voluntarily approaching a rampage killer toting an assault rifle without a weapon or the means to provide medical assistance is not being a hero, it's being very silly suicidal.
It may suggest that you can add Suicidal Tendencies to Trump's psychological profile, or simply that he can add "physically" to his delusion that he is "Indestructible!" (classic pre-election meme that just keeps getting truer). Or just his knowledge that everywhere he goes he is accompanied by both Secret Service and personal bodyguards, all well-trained and equipped with guns. So he may rush in personally unarmed, but he'd be surrounded with friendly firepower.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:19 PM on February 26, 2018
It may suggest that you can add Suicidal Tendencies to Trump's psychological profile, or simply that he can add "physically" to his delusion that he is "Indestructible!" (classic pre-election meme that just keeps getting truer). Or just his knowledge that everywhere he goes he is accompanied by both Secret Service and personal bodyguards, all well-trained and equipped with guns. So he may rush in personally unarmed, but he'd be surrounded with friendly firepower.
posted by oneswellfoop at 1:19 PM on February 26, 2018
Re: armed rebellion against the government: I've been thinking a lot lately about how gun rights wackos talk out of both sides of their mouths here.
One argument against any sort of gun regulation is that it will not reduce violence because "if someone wants to commit violence, they can and will do it with other methods"--knife, bomb, whatever.
And yet a different argument is against regulation is : if there is ever need to foment violent rebellion against a repressive government, we need guns, specifically, to fight the government.
Arguing both sides here. If one needs to violently fight the government, isn't it also possible to do so using other methods?
In point of fact, the most high profile case of violent rebellion against the federal government during my lifetime was committed with a truck bomb made out of fertilizer. It killed 168 people, 108 of whom were federal employees. Nineteen of the dead were children, as there was a day care center in the Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City. This is now widely regarded as an act of domestic terrorism. The perpetrators were participants in the right wing militia movements. One was executed and another will die in prison.
posted by Sublimity at 1:19 PM on February 26, 2018 [41 favorites]
One argument against any sort of gun regulation is that it will not reduce violence because "if someone wants to commit violence, they can and will do it with other methods"--knife, bomb, whatever.
And yet a different argument is against regulation is : if there is ever need to foment violent rebellion against a repressive government, we need guns, specifically, to fight the government.
Arguing both sides here. If one needs to violently fight the government, isn't it also possible to do so using other methods?
In point of fact, the most high profile case of violent rebellion against the federal government during my lifetime was committed with a truck bomb made out of fertilizer. It killed 168 people, 108 of whom were federal employees. Nineteen of the dead were children, as there was a day care center in the Murrah Federal building in Oklahoma City. This is now widely regarded as an act of domestic terrorism. The perpetrators were participants in the right wing militia movements. One was executed and another will die in prison.
posted by Sublimity at 1:19 PM on February 26, 2018 [41 favorites]
I think we're supposed to do detailed gun control talk in the Parkland/gun thread.
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:22 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 1:22 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
Voluntarily approaching a rampage killer toting an assault rifle without a weapon or the means to provide medical assistance is not being a hero, it's being very silly suicidal.
I humbly submit that "suicidal" and "heroic" are not opposites. There are certainly people, usually security types, who have thrown themselves on top of suicide bombers and wrapped around them in order to contain the blast and save others. That is quite literally suicidal and yet I think we all agree it's heroic.
The problem with Trump's statement isn't that fighting against extreme odds can't be heroic, it's that Trump is a cowardly moron who would have done no such thing, and any plan that relies on civilians (or anyone else really) being suicidally heroic is not a plan, it's a wank fantasy for mall ninjas.
posted by Justinian at 1:23 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
I humbly submit that "suicidal" and "heroic" are not opposites. There are certainly people, usually security types, who have thrown themselves on top of suicide bombers and wrapped around them in order to contain the blast and save others. That is quite literally suicidal and yet I think we all agree it's heroic.
The problem with Trump's statement isn't that fighting against extreme odds can't be heroic, it's that Trump is a cowardly moron who would have done no such thing, and any plan that relies on civilians (or anyone else really) being suicidally heroic is not a plan, it's a wank fantasy for mall ninjas.
posted by Justinian at 1:23 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
filthy light thief: Trump said "We're going to have to start talking about mental institutions, because a lot of the folks in this room closed their mental institutions also."
EmpressCallipygos: Pleeeeeeeeeeease please please please please please, can someone in the media ask Trump to start looking into why those mental institutions closed?
He already has an idea of what to do for mental health: Trump Calls For Mental Health Action After Shooting; His Budget Would Cut Programs (NPR, February 15, 2018)
Less support for everyone else, what's new?
posted by filthy light thief at 1:25 PM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
EmpressCallipygos: Pleeeeeeeeeeease please please please please please, can someone in the media ask Trump to start looking into why those mental institutions closed?
He already has an idea of what to do for mental health: Trump Calls For Mental Health Action After Shooting; His Budget Would Cut Programs (NPR, February 15, 2018)
President Trump expressed grief Thursday over the school shooting in Florida and sought to comfort victims and their families in his first public address since the mass killing at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School left 17 people dead and many others injured.More support for traumatized military personnel, great!
"To every parent, teacher and child who is hurting so badly, we are here for you whatever you need, whatever we can do to ease your pain," he said.
His speech from the White House went on for more than six minutes but apart from offering sympathy it lacked specific details on how the administration could mitigate the scourge of on-campus shootings.
Trump did, however, resurrect a theme frequently raised by Republicans when confronted with widespread calls for gun-control reform: Calls to "tackle the difficult issue of mental health."
...
The president's 2019 budget proposal released Monday indicates there are a few areas where Trump would like to boost mental health resources.
The biggest injection of funding — $8.6 billion — would go toward the Department of Veterans Affairs to improve intervention for at-risk veterans. The budget also adds $1 million to the Children's Mental Health Services program, which a report from the Department of Health and Human Services indicates this year was funded at $119 million. According to the document, "Recipients use these funds to create networks that provide fully comprehensive care— including effective collaboration between child- and youth-serving systems such as juvenile justice, child welfare, and education."
But the budget blueprint also slashes spending for the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Administration by $665 million. Additionally, Bloomberg reported the National Institute of Mental Health would see a 30 percent reduction in funding — a half a billion dollar decrease — in 2019.
Less support for everyone else, what's new?
posted by filthy light thief at 1:25 PM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
@CaseyCagle (Lt. Gov of Georgia): I will kill any tax legislation that benefits @Delta unless the company changes its position and fully reinstates its relationship with @NRA. Corporations cannot attack conservatives and expect us not to fight back.
Delta employed 31,500+ people in Georgia at last count, back in 2016. They're literally the state's largest employer. They run the world's largest hub out of Hartsfield-Jackson. If Delta packs up and heads to say, Dallas and blames Cagle, the Lite Gov's election chances are gonna take a nosedive.
posted by zarq at 1:27 PM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
Delta employed 31,500+ people in Georgia at last count, back in 2016. They're literally the state's largest employer. They run the world's largest hub out of Hartsfield-Jackson. If Delta packs up and heads to say, Dallas and blames Cagle, the Lite Gov's election chances are gonna take a nosedive.
posted by zarq at 1:27 PM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
Seen on FB, re: arguing both sides....
"I support our troops but I have to be able to own an AR-15 just in case I need to lead an insurrection against our troops"
posted by hanov3r at 1:29 PM on February 26, 2018 [64 favorites]
"I support our troops but I have to be able to own an AR-15 just in case I need to lead an insurrection against our troops"
posted by hanov3r at 1:29 PM on February 26, 2018 [64 favorites]
WaPo, David A. Fahrenthold and Jonathan O'Connell, Trump Organization says it has donated foreign profits to U.S. Treasury, but declines to share details, in which they refuse to answer questions about how much money, where it came from, how they calculated "profit," or which Trump properties were even included.
The honor system is really not a winning strategy for the country when it comes to a Trump business and money.
And the Kuwaiti Embassy is having another party at Trump's DC hotel tonight.
posted by zachlipton at 1:34 PM on February 26, 2018 [33 favorites]
The honor system is really not a winning strategy for the country when it comes to a Trump business and money.
And the Kuwaiti Embassy is having another party at Trump's DC hotel tonight.
posted by zachlipton at 1:34 PM on February 26, 2018 [33 favorites]
Uhh... shouldn't voluntary donations to the US Treasury be public knowledge? No?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:35 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:35 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Bill making it legal to ban gays & lesbians from adopting passes in Georgia
"The Georgia state senate has passed a bill that would allow adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs. The bill would also prohibit the Georgia Department of Human Services from taking “adverse action” against such agencies."
The bill now heads to the House.
Assholes.
posted by zarq at 1:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [43 favorites]
"The Georgia state senate has passed a bill that would allow adoption agencies to refuse to place children with same-sex couples based on their religious beliefs. The bill would also prohibit the Georgia Department of Human Services from taking “adverse action” against such agencies."
The bill now heads to the House.
Assholes.
posted by zarq at 1:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [43 favorites]
Group led by Eric Holder sues Scott Walker over vacant legislative seats.
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [28 favorites]
posted by a snickering nuthatch at 1:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [28 favorites]
Facebook apologizes for promoting a VR shooting game at CPAC
posted by Artw at 1:43 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 1:43 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Ray Walston, Luck Dragon: Trump just read The Snake at CPAC and made explicity clear four or five times that the snake and immigrants are the same thing, in case anyone was confused
Songwriter’s Daughters Furious As Trump Hijacks Their Father’s Lyrics To Smear Immigrants -- It’s the last thing radical activist Oscar Brown Jr. would have wanted, they say. (Mary Papenfuss for HuffPo, Feb. 26, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 1:52 PM on February 26, 2018 [37 favorites]
Songwriter’s Daughters Furious As Trump Hijacks Their Father’s Lyrics To Smear Immigrants -- It’s the last thing radical activist Oscar Brown Jr. would have wanted, they say. (Mary Papenfuss for HuffPo, Feb. 26, 2018)
The daughters of the man who wrote “The Snake” ― a 1960s soul song that President Donald Trump has appropriated for his own anti-immigrant agenda ― blasted Trump on Sunday for twisting their father’s lyrics into a message of hate.Of course he distorted the song written by a radical black activist and onetime member of the Communist Party. How very Republican of him (see: GOP trying to claim Johnny Cash, and so many other instances of musical appropriation - though not all were Republican, just a lot of them).
The president is using the song, written by the late Oscar Brown Jr., to “serve his own campaign and climate of intolerance and hate — which is the opposite” of what the songwriter intended, one of his daughters, Maggie Brown, said Sunday on MSNBC [embedded video with autoplay].
Trump is “perversely using ‘The Snake’ to demonize immigrants,” said Maggie’s sister, Africa Brown. “My father never stood against immigrants. He was always standing up for people, and not about separatism.”
Oscar Brown Jr., a soul singer, radical black activist and onetime member of the Communist Party from Chicago, wrote the song in 1963. The song is based on an Aesop fable, “The Farmer and the Viper,” that warns that kindness can be betrayed.
posted by filthy light thief at 1:52 PM on February 26, 2018 [37 favorites]
wait wait wait - donald trump has russian helpers and agents helping him get elected and his favorite song to quote is by a member of the COMMUNIST PARTY!!!!
ohmygodwhendidthecommiestakeover??
WOLVERINES!!!
posted by pyramid termite at 1:57 PM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
ohmygodwhendidthecommiestakeover??
WOLVERINES!!!
posted by pyramid termite at 1:57 PM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
WaPo, Trump expected to visit California to view border wall prototypes. San Diego to go look at chunks of wall, then LA for a GOP fundraiser. This will go poorly.
posted by zachlipton at 2:03 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:03 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
I hope he gets stuck in traffic forever.
posted by Autumnheart at 2:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Autumnheart at 2:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
... or deported.
posted by bz at 2:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by bz at 2:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
So SCOTUS heard oral arguments in maybe the biggest case on the docket today, the Janus case which is the culmination of literally decades of conservative funded legal efforts to essentially illegalize public unions and undercut the Democratic party. Public unions were likely saved two years ago only by Scalia's death.
Gorsuch was unexpectedly silent. Which has some legal observers on the right worried, as it reminds them of Roberts' silence in the Obamacare case where he later saved Obamacare.
Truckloads of salt, and reading anything into oral arguments is often a fool's errand, but for Gorsuch to sit silent in this case after making a show of being a lecturing prick and frequent questioner in many others is at least notable.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
Gorsuch was unexpectedly silent. Which has some legal observers on the right worried, as it reminds them of Roberts' silence in the Obamacare case where he later saved Obamacare.
Truckloads of salt, and reading anything into oral arguments is often a fool's errand, but for Gorsuch to sit silent in this case after making a show of being a lecturing prick and frequent questioner in many others is at least notable.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
More mental institutions and more medical lockups? :
Locking people up is expensive.
Locking people up humanely very expensive.
That's why liberals and conservatives both signed on to de-institutionalization decades ago. Re-institutionalization has to be strictly regulated and well funded so that 1. the inmates are well looked after and that 2. the temptation to lock people up to put them away is kept to a minimum.
posted by ocschwar at 2:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
Locking people up is expensive.
Locking people up humanely very expensive.
That's why liberals and conservatives both signed on to de-institutionalization decades ago. Re-institutionalization has to be strictly regulated and well funded so that 1. the inmates are well looked after and that 2. the temptation to lock people up to put them away is kept to a minimum.
posted by ocschwar at 2:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
Chrysostom: A product line can't be gerrymandered.
I would like to introduce you to my line of premium Republican potato chips - made on the same product line as those other lie-beral branded chips (made by a totally unrelated company, believe me) but with real honest-to-Reagan conservative spices. They are advertised only on Fox News and AM radio, and they come in classic American flavors like "Loud Redneck Ketchup" and "AR-15 Zinger".
I think it's an idea whose time has come.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
I would like to introduce you to my line of premium Republican potato chips - made on the same product line as those other lie-beral branded chips (made by a totally unrelated company, believe me) but with real honest-to-Reagan conservative spices. They are advertised only on Fox News and AM radio, and they come in classic American flavors like "Loud Redneck Ketchup" and "AR-15 Zinger".
I think it's an idea whose time has come.
posted by RedOrGreen at 2:12 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
I believe Trump should award himself a medal for his hypothetical bravery. Perhaps something modeled after this flying pig medallion.
Hey now, I've actually legitimately earned that particular medal by actually doing something relatively hard unlike the hypothetical bullshit bravery talk.
posted by mmascolino at 2:15 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
Hey now, I've actually legitimately earned that particular medal by actually doing something relatively hard unlike the hypothetical bullshit bravery talk.
posted by mmascolino at 2:15 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
Couldn't find it in the readout of today's briefing so I'm not sure of the context but I have to give her points for difficulty in the mental gymnastics required to say this & not sprain your brain in the process: Sarah Huckabee Sanders just clarified that when President Trump said earlier that he'd have run into the school with the active shooter, he didn't really mean that he'd run into a school with an active shooter but rather that he'd "be a leader".
posted by scalefree at 2:20 PM on February 26, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 2:20 PM on February 26, 2018 [25 favorites]
Um
Georgia conservatives threaten Delta tax break after airline cuts ties with NRA
Georgia conservatives threaten Delta tax break after airline cuts ties with NRA
Conservatives in Georgia's Senate have a message for Delta Air Lines: Renew your relationship with the National Rifle Association or you will pay the price.posted by Existential Dread at 2:21 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
The state House had approved a tax break that could provide a $40 million benefit to the airline, but members of the Senate vowed to fight the deal after Delta dropped its discounted fares Saturday for members of the NRA.
I hope he gets stuck in traffic forever.
Traffic doesn't deserve that.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:21 PM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
Traffic doesn't deserve that.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:21 PM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
Georgia conservatives threaten Delta tax break after airline cuts ties with NRA
Apart from the naked corruption in coercing actions to benefit a fucking 501(c)4 non-profit, this seems like a great way to entice a leading employer in your state to considering friendlier environs in which to operate.
I would like to be a nation of laws again at some point plz
posted by Existential Dread at 2:24 PM on February 26, 2018 [63 favorites]
Apart from the naked corruption in coercing actions to benefit a fucking 501(c)4 non-profit, this seems like a great way to entice a leading employer in your state to considering friendlier environs in which to operate.
I would like to be a nation of laws again at some point plz
posted by Existential Dread at 2:24 PM on February 26, 2018 [63 favorites]
The most astounding thing about the NRA and gun rights activists is how they constantly act like they've never had any real training with guns at all.
I took ~30 hours of defensive handguns training from Insights in Bellevue WA because I wanted to be a responsible gun owner (there was no training requirement to get a concealed carry permit in WA) and I've since also taken the mandatory trainings for concealed carry permits in Nevada and Virginia.
One of the things I really liked about Insights is their instructors focused more on when it was morally justifiable to shoot someone vs. the instructors in the state-mandated trainings were more focused on whether it was legally justifiable to shoot. "Do you have to shoot in this situation?" is a very different perspective than "Can you shoot in this situation?"
Insights also spent half of their "defensive handgun" course teaching us how to NOT use our guns: proactively avoiding situations with the potential for violence, practicing situational awareness, deescalation techniques, running away, and PEPPER SPRAY ALL THE THINGS. Whereas the state-mandated classes mostly just covered basic gun anatomy/functions, safety rules, and some basic guidelines on where is legal to concealed carry and when it's legal to use deadly force in self defense.
I don't know if the state-mandated classes I took in Nevada and Virginia are representative of the mandatory classes in other states, but if they are, then that would help explain why so many people who have supposedly been "trained" have such a crappy perspective on armed self defense.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:27 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
I took ~30 hours of defensive handguns training from Insights in Bellevue WA because I wanted to be a responsible gun owner (there was no training requirement to get a concealed carry permit in WA) and I've since also taken the mandatory trainings for concealed carry permits in Nevada and Virginia.
One of the things I really liked about Insights is their instructors focused more on when it was morally justifiable to shoot someone vs. the instructors in the state-mandated trainings were more focused on whether it was legally justifiable to shoot. "Do you have to shoot in this situation?" is a very different perspective than "Can you shoot in this situation?"
Insights also spent half of their "defensive handgun" course teaching us how to NOT use our guns: proactively avoiding situations with the potential for violence, practicing situational awareness, deescalation techniques, running away, and PEPPER SPRAY ALL THE THINGS. Whereas the state-mandated classes mostly just covered basic gun anatomy/functions, safety rules, and some basic guidelines on where is legal to concealed carry and when it's legal to use deadly force in self defense.
I don't know if the state-mandated classes I took in Nevada and Virginia are representative of the mandatory classes in other states, but if they are, then that would help explain why so many people who have supposedly been "trained" have such a crappy perspective on armed self defense.
posted by Jacqueline at 2:27 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
A product line can't be gerrymandered.
No, but companies can be related in ways that makes it very difficult to tell that they have close ties to the NRA.
Local bike shops come to terms with their industry’s ties to the NRA
Honestly, Bell? Giro? I had no idea. And how much distance do we need from those companies? What about media outlets that advertise Bell or Giro, e.g.? Are they dirty?
posted by gurple at 2:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
No, but companies can be related in ways that makes it very difficult to tell that they have close ties to the NRA.
Local bike shops come to terms with their industry’s ties to the NRA
Honestly, Bell? Giro? I had no idea. And how much distance do we need from those companies? What about media outlets that advertise Bell or Giro, e.g.? Are they dirty?
posted by gurple at 2:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
"Clueless" actress Stacey Dash is running for Congress in California
Or as Twitter Moments put it, much more accurately:
Or as Twitter Moments put it, much more accurately:
Clueless star and conservative commentator Stacey Dash has filed paperwork to run for Congress in California’s 44th Congressional District.posted by FelliniBlank at 2:36 PM on February 26, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'm shocked at my continuing ability to be shocked at the Republican Party, because Kentucky Governor Matt Bevin is blaming the mass shooting crisis not on guns but on prescribed psychiatric drugs.
Congratulations Kentucky, you elected the new host for L Ron Hubbard's thetan.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [28 favorites]
Congratulations Kentucky, you elected the new host for L Ron Hubbard's thetan.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [28 favorites]
That was Dana Rohrbacher's line too,(posted on his Facebook and edited multiple times because people freaked out at him), which triples the likelihood that this hot take talking point is coming from somewhere that rhymes with smusha.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:43 PM on February 26, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:43 PM on February 26, 2018 [10 favorites]
"Hey, Governor Bevin! I have a gun! But don't worry, I'm off my meds!"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:45 PM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:45 PM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
To the KY Governor, in response to: “Fifty and one hundred years ago, children did not slaughter other children at school. What has changed? It isn’t the gun,”
50 and 100 years ago, we did not have a high proliferation of semi-automatic rifles, so the shootings were smaller.
We did have the shootings.
posted by Archelaus at 2:47 PM on February 26, 2018 [42 favorites]
50 and 100 years ago, we did not have a high proliferation of semi-automatic rifles, so the shootings were smaller.
We did have the shootings.
posted by Archelaus at 2:47 PM on February 26, 2018 [42 favorites]
It's true that massacres via assault rifle were much rarer in historic Deadwood. I guess people just respected each other.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:48 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:48 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
Is Bevin usually this atrocious as a speaker? I feel like 50 and 100, years ago governors did not slaughter the English language while speaking. What has changed?
posted by halation at 2:51 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by halation at 2:51 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Apparently if you talk about crisis actors enough times, even Youtube won't stomach your shit.
posted by Talez at 2:53 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Talez at 2:53 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
This is Bevin's second try at finding a scapegoat, last week he blamed video games.
It's almost like he's just repeating the NRA's talking points.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:56 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
It's almost like he's just repeating the NRA's talking points.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:56 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Honestly, Bell? Giro? I had no idea. And how much distance do we need from those companies? What about media outlets that advertise Bell or Giro, e.g.? Are they dirty?
Yeah, this is a direct bummer for me because they -- kinda -- can't help that their companies were bought by a monster factory and I desperately need new bike shoes, so I've been holding fire over the weekend to see how it shakes out. It doesn't look like Vista Outdoor or any of the subsidiaries have made a statement yet.
posted by rhizome at 3:01 PM on February 26, 2018
Yeah, this is a direct bummer for me because they -- kinda -- can't help that their companies were bought by a monster factory and I desperately need new bike shoes, so I've been holding fire over the weekend to see how it shakes out. It doesn't look like Vista Outdoor or any of the subsidiaries have made a statement yet.
posted by rhizome at 3:01 PM on February 26, 2018
Artw: Facebook apologizes for promoting a VR shooting game at CPAC
Meanwhile, Facebook and Google Struggle to Squelch ‘Crisis Actor’ Posts (Jack Nicas and Sheera Frenkel for New York Times, Feb. 23, 2018)
Talez: Apparently if you talk about crisis actors enough times, even Youtube won't stomach your shit.
And it looks like YouTube is taking it seriously? How many warnings will Infowars get?
posted by filthy light thief at 3:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
Meanwhile, Facebook and Google Struggle to Squelch ‘Crisis Actor’ Posts (Jack Nicas and Sheera Frenkel for New York Times, Feb. 23, 2018)
On Facebook and Instagram, which is owned by Facebook, searches for the hashtag #crisisactor, which accused the Parkland survivors of being actors, turned up hundreds of posts perpetuating the falsehood (though some also criticized the conspiracy theory). Many of the posts had been tweaked ever so slightly — for example, videos had been renamed #propaganda rather than #hoax — to evade automated detection. And on YouTube, while many of the conspiracy videos claiming that the students were actors had been taken down, other videos that claimed the shooting had been a hoax remained rife.20,000 more people will come to hate trolls, and humanity on the whole. I wonder if they're still likely to vote, or if they just swear off of social interactions all together.
...
Facebook and YouTube’s promises follow a stream of criticism in recent months over how their sites can be gamed to spread Russian propaganda, among other abuses. The companies have said they are betting big on artificial intelligence systems to help identify and take down inappropriate content, though that technology is still being developed.
The companies have in the meantime hired or said they plan to hire more people to comb through what is posted to their sites. Facebook said it was hiring 1,000 new moderators to review content and was making changes to what type of news publishers would be favored on the social network. YouTube has said that it plans to have 10,000 moderators by year’s end and that it is altering its search algorithms to return more videos from reliable news sources.
Talez: Apparently if you talk about crisis actors enough times, even Youtube won't stomach your shit.
And it looks like YouTube is taking it seriously? How many warnings will Infowars get?
posted by filthy light thief at 3:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
Trump has long vowed to slash government. Now the knives are finally coming out.: "More than 100 years later, the historic division (the Biological Survey Unit) is targeted for closure, part of a sweeping budget-cutting campaign by the Trump administration. With lawmakers poised next month to approve new priorities for agency funding for the first time since the president took office, the bureaucratic bloodletting can officially begin. The Biological Survey Unit is hardly the only entity facing extinction. Dozens of long-standing programs are slated for termination, and every agency, large and small, has submitted a plan to the White House for reorganization."
posted by dhruva at 3:04 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by dhruva at 3:04 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
It's almost like he's just repeating the NRA's talking points.
Paid crisis actor, you say?
posted by rhizome at 3:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
Paid crisis actor, you say?
posted by rhizome at 3:06 PM on February 26, 2018 [20 favorites]
NRA: National Russian Association. National Ruble Association.
In any case, anti-American--and anti-human--since at least the 1980s.
posted by riverlife at 3:10 PM on February 26, 2018
In any case, anti-American--and anti-human--since at least the 1980s.
posted by riverlife at 3:10 PM on February 26, 2018
soren_lorenson you just made me laugh out loud. Thank you.
posted by yoga at 3:14 PM on February 26, 2018
posted by yoga at 3:14 PM on February 26, 2018
Trump:
posted by bonehead at 3:17 PM on February 26, 2018 [24 favorites]
President Donald Trump said Monday he would have stormed into the Florida high school to stop the gunman perpetrating the nation's latest mass shooting "even if I didn't have a weapon" as he lambasted the inaction of a sheriff's deputy assigned to the school. (source)Criticizing Trump:
“So what happens is, this guy falls off right on his face, hits his head, and I thought he died. And you know what I did? I said, ‘Oh my God, that’s disgusting,’ and I turned away,” said Trump. “I couldn’t, you know, he was right in front of me and I turned away. I didn’t want to touch him… he’s bleeding all over the place, I felt terrible. You know, beautiful marble floor, didn’t look like it. It changed color. Became very red. And you have this poor guy, 80 years old, laying on the floor unconscious, and all the rich people are turning away. ‘Oh my God! This is terrible! This is disgusting!’ and you know, they’re turning away. Nobody wants to help the guy. His wife is screaming—she’s sitting right next to him, and she’s screaming.”(from a Howard Stern interview, via Daily Beast, as posted in this fantastic Reddit comment)
Thank God for the Marines. “What happens is, these 10 Marines from the back of the room… they come running forward, they grab him, they put the blood all over the place—it’s all over their uniforms—they’re taking it, they’re swiping [it], they ran him out, they created a stretcher. They call it a human stretcher, where they put their arms out with, like, five guys on each side,” shared Trump.
“I was saying, ‘Get that blood cleaned up! It’s disgusting!’ The next day, I forgot to call [the man] to say he’s OK,” said Trump, adding of the blood, “It’s just not my thing.”
posted by bonehead at 3:17 PM on February 26, 2018 [24 favorites]
That's the real Donald Trump. "President Donald Trump" is a character he plays. It's just like Stephen Colbert.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:22 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:22 PM on February 26, 2018 [6 favorites]
This one's an interesting reverse. Usually it's a pre-election Trump criticizing Obama for playing too much golf or something. This one is a little unique: the president persona calls out the real Donald.
posted by bonehead at 3:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by bonehead at 3:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
Was not expecting this. NLRB Throws Out Ruling in Conflict-of-Interest Controversy
The National Labor Relations Board threw out its most important ruling of 2017—a 3-2 victory for major U.S. corporations—following an internal agency report that found that a potential conflict-of-interest had tainted the vote.posted by zachlipton at 3:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [36 favorites]
The December ruling, called Hy-Brand, had reversed a controversial Obama-era “joint employer” decision empowering workers to pursue claims against, or seek collective bargaining with, major corporations that don’t sign their paychecks, such as franchisors or clients of contractors. The vote overturning that 2015 case included support from Trump-appointed William Emanuel, whose former law firm had represented one of the companies in the original case, Browning-Ferris.
In a report issued Feb. 9, NLRB Inspector General David Berry said Emanuel should not have cast a vote overturning Browning-Ferris. While Hy-Brand involved different companies, Berry wrote that the way the NLRB handled it amounted to a “do over” in which the new case was “merely the vehicle” to reconsider the old one—which at the time was still pending in federal court. Berry said the issue revealed “a serious and flagrant problem and/or deficiency” in the NLRB’s handling of conflict-of-interest issues.
Can Trump fire all the NLRB members, or is that a breach of their, uh, employee rights?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:36 PM on February 26, 2018
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:36 PM on February 26, 2018
You can only believe this is you have never in your life been in a life threatening situation. I have a few too many times in my fifty years on the planet. So far I am about at 1/3 run away. 1/3 freeze, 1/3 help.
My job used to be crisis intervention for people with severe mental illness. In the few (rare) situations where there seemed to be real threat of impending violence I'd say I also had about a 1/3 "success" rate to actually personally intervene versus either freezing or panicking and leaving immediately. It may help that in the situation where I stepped forward, I was putting myself between an elderly woman and a threatening young man.
In a situation with actual gunfire and not just yelling and swinging fists? Yeah, no, I'm under the nearest piece of furniture or running my ass off.
posted by threeturtles at 3:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
My job used to be crisis intervention for people with severe mental illness. In the few (rare) situations where there seemed to be real threat of impending violence I'd say I also had about a 1/3 "success" rate to actually personally intervene versus either freezing or panicking and leaving immediately. It may help that in the situation where I stepped forward, I was putting myself between an elderly woman and a threatening young man.
In a situation with actual gunfire and not just yelling and swinging fists? Yeah, no, I'm under the nearest piece of furniture or running my ass off.
posted by threeturtles at 3:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
WaPo, Trump expected to visit California to view border wall prototypes. San Diego to go look at chunks of wall, then LA for a GOP fundraiser. This will go poorly.
I hope he gets stuck in traffic forever.
... or deported.
I’m hoping he’s been lured to the Wall and we get a Cask of Amontillado type situation.
“For the love of God! Big fan of God, really, really big fan. Two Corinthians. Amazing stuff, believe me, Montresor. No collusion. Hilla-”
*clink*
posted by leotrotsky at 3:58 PM on February 26, 2018 [56 favorites]
I hope he gets stuck in traffic forever.
... or deported.
I’m hoping he’s been lured to the Wall and we get a Cask of Amontillado type situation.
“For the love of God! Big fan of God, really, really big fan. Two Corinthians. Amazing stuff, believe me, Montresor. No collusion. Hilla-”
*clink*
posted by leotrotsky at 3:58 PM on February 26, 2018 [56 favorites]
dogheart: "hi folks, it's your friendly neighborhood field organizer popping back up again-- if any of y'all happen to live in Texas' 32nd district-- currently held by pete sessions-- we got us a primary out here. gotv is next weekend. my own personal panic levels are extremely high. memail me."
Meanwhile:
Meanwhile:
Kirsten Gillibrand just met with #TX32 candidate Lillian Salerno. Gillibrand just gave her a $5000 check and her endorsement in the competitive race to take on US Rep Pete Sessions in the fallposted by Chrysostom at 4:07 PM on February 26, 2018 [23 favorites]
It never fucking ends. 20 states sue over Obamacare mandate — again. The argument here is that Congress repealed the tax penalty for not having health insurance, but the Supreme Court ruled that the tax was the entire reason the law was constitutional, so now they'd like the whole thing struck down.
posted by zachlipton at 4:23 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:23 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
Sublimity:
Not only is there the contradiction you pointed out, but for example the Dallas shooter was killed by a police robot. I get the impression that the people who talk about rebellion against the government are imagining gritting their teeth and blowing away a tyrant, but by the point in the future when any rebelling gets happening they probably won't even have the opportunity to see the robot that kills them or knocks them unconscious, much less to look a tyrant or a tyrant's lackey in the eyes while facing off man to man.
posted by XMLicious at 4:26 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Re: armed rebellion against the government: I've been thinking a lot lately about how gun rights wackos talk out of both sides of their mouths here.
Not only is there the contradiction you pointed out, but for example the Dallas shooter was killed by a police robot. I get the impression that the people who talk about rebellion against the government are imagining gritting their teeth and blowing away a tyrant, but by the point in the future when any rebelling gets happening they probably won't even have the opportunity to see the robot that kills them or knocks them unconscious, much less to look a tyrant or a tyrant's lackey in the eyes while facing off man to man.
posted by XMLicious at 4:26 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Locking people up humanely very expensive. That's why liberals and conservatives both signed on to de-institutionalization decades ago. Re-institutionalization has to be strictly regulated and well funded so that 1. the inmates are well looked after and that 2. the temptation to lock people up to put them away is kept to a minimum.
This. Institutionalization was abused horribly over the decades, aften against non-conformists on the left. Look up Ken Kesey's novel (or the movie of) "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" -- based on his work in a psychiatric ward -- or the real life story of Frances Farmer if you want examples.
Once politicians realized deinstitutionalization was a lot cheaper, though, it got out of control.
posted by msalt at 4:29 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
This. Institutionalization was abused horribly over the decades, aften against non-conformists on the left. Look up Ken Kesey's novel (or the movie of) "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" -- based on his work in a psychiatric ward -- or the real life story of Frances Farmer if you want examples.
Once politicians realized deinstitutionalization was a lot cheaper, though, it got out of control.
posted by msalt at 4:29 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
The White House has asked Rick Perry to cancel his trip to India and instead go to London to work out a deal with Saudi Arabia to build nuclear reactors in the kingdom, sources tell @AriNatter and me. I am not feeling any better for knowing this.
posted by scalefree at 4:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by scalefree at 4:31 PM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
They’ll probably just ask him which three reactors he plans to eliminate.
posted by box at 4:35 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by box at 4:35 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
or the real life story of Frances Farmer
Am tempted to say "which one?" - without undermining your central point there's an awful lot of sensationalized crap out there regarding Farmer with elements like the lobotomy being generally regarded as made up these days.
posted by Artw at 4:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
Am tempted to say "which one?" - without undermining your central point there's an awful lot of sensationalized crap out there regarding Farmer with elements like the lobotomy being generally regarded as made up these days.
posted by Artw at 4:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
The WaPo has an article on the Saudi nuclear talks with an AP byline, US opens tough Saudi nuke talks, in shadow of Iran deal:
posted by peeedro at 4:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
Energy Secretary Rick Perry will lead an interagency U.S. delegation to talks with the Saudis in London on Friday, two administration officials and three outside advisers said. The meeting comes as the Arab powerhouse explores a civilian nuclear energy program, possibly without restrictions on uranium enrichment and reprocessing that would be required under a U.S. cooperation deal.The Saudi position is using the threat to break out of nonproliferation agreements as the stick and the promise of giving billions in business to Westinghouse and other US firms as the carrot in an attempt to get the Trump administration to crack down further on Iran.
But there’s a catch: The Saudis have indicated they might accept such curbs if a separate nuclear deal with its arch-foe Iran is tightened, according to the officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they weren’t authorized to speak publicly on the matter.
The separate negotiations, over Saudi and Iranian nuclear capabilities, put American officials in the middle of the great balance-of-power of the modern Middle East. The Saudis are loath to sign away their ability to move closer to bomb-making capability while Iran is bound by a 2015 nuclear accord that will become increasingly lenient next decade.
posted by peeedro at 4:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [8 favorites]
I, for one, am comforted to know we're sending one of our best people to navigate such a delicate situation with implications for energy policy, nuclear proliferation, peace in the Middle East, and US commercial interests: *checks notecard*, the guy who forgot he wanted to eliminate the agency he's now responsible for.
posted by zachlipton at 4:48 PM on February 26, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 4:48 PM on February 26, 2018 [35 favorites]
he didn't really mean that he'd run into a school with an active shooter but rather that he'd "be a leader".
I think this entire presidency can be described as "Leading From The Rear".
posted by srboisvert at 4:58 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
I think this entire presidency can be described as "Leading From The Rear".
posted by srboisvert at 4:58 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
It never fucking ends. 20 states sue over Obamacare mandate — again.
I'm getting the sense the Supreme Court is less than amused having their time taken up with this stuff, as seen by their refusal to even hear the DACA case. I don't think that has a shot at prevailing.
posted by corb at 4:59 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
I'm getting the sense the Supreme Court is less than amused having their time taken up with this stuff, as seen by their refusal to even hear the DACA case. I don't think that has a shot at prevailing.
posted by corb at 4:59 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Locking people up is expensive.
Locking people up humanely very expensive.
For anyone wanting numbers, putting someone in a Texas state hospital costs about $400/day, and you can assume that's bare MINIMUM care. I'm not a math person, but it's easy to see how even if the government paid for rent/home health workers/medication/living expenses it's FAR cheaper to support someone to live in the community.
It's also better for individual health outcomes and happiness. The real problem, speaking as someone who spent years on the front lines of mental health treatment, is that people can't access outpatient mental healthcare. The government funded mental health agencies are VASTLY underfunded, with extremely long waiting lists. And of course access to any healthcare for the poor/unemployed is difficult in this country.
When you have to triage people asking for help to only let in the most dire and severe cases because there's not enough funding, people are going to be left in the cold. People will die, mostly by their own hands, but occasionally through violence. Then people talk about needing to do something, but never consider looking at how funding has been cut steadily since the 80s.
( Also my browser is about to give out...any hopes of a new thread soon?)
posted by threeturtles at 5:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
Locking people up humanely very expensive.
For anyone wanting numbers, putting someone in a Texas state hospital costs about $400/day, and you can assume that's bare MINIMUM care. I'm not a math person, but it's easy to see how even if the government paid for rent/home health workers/medication/living expenses it's FAR cheaper to support someone to live in the community.
It's also better for individual health outcomes and happiness. The real problem, speaking as someone who spent years on the front lines of mental health treatment, is that people can't access outpatient mental healthcare. The government funded mental health agencies are VASTLY underfunded, with extremely long waiting lists. And of course access to any healthcare for the poor/unemployed is difficult in this country.
When you have to triage people asking for help to only let in the most dire and severe cases because there's not enough funding, people are going to be left in the cold. People will die, mostly by their own hands, but occasionally through violence. Then people talk about needing to do something, but never consider looking at how funding has been cut steadily since the 80s.
( Also my browser is about to give out...any hopes of a new thread soon?)
posted by threeturtles at 5:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
that people can't access outpatient mental healthcare.
People even with very good insurance usually can't access solid outpatient mental healthcare.
When I was in the Army, when my PTSD got to a crisis, they were able to have me in an office three times a week for an hour each session. They could do that because my work was super understanding, because there was integration between clinic and work.
But now most mental health providers can only see one time a week, and most people can't afford to take time off work every week, and a lot of providers don't work on Saturdays.
posted by corb at 5:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
People even with very good insurance usually can't access solid outpatient mental healthcare.
When I was in the Army, when my PTSD got to a crisis, they were able to have me in an office three times a week for an hour each session. They could do that because my work was super understanding, because there was integration between clinic and work.
But now most mental health providers can only see one time a week, and most people can't afford to take time off work every week, and a lot of providers don't work on Saturdays.
posted by corb at 5:08 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
Mod note: Couple deleted; let's get back on track in here. So gun stuff over here, let's not get into spinning "I bet they want this terrible thing to happen" scenarios; and if folks want to talk about deinstitutionalization and mental health stuff broadly that should happen in another thread or in Chat or elsewhere. Going to try to refocus in here.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 5:14 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 5:14 PM on February 26, 2018 [4 favorites]
I'm getting the sense the Supreme Court is less than amused having their time taken up with this stuff, as seen by their refusal to even hear the DACA case.
The DACA case was highly unusual in that DoJ would typically be expected to ask for a stay of the district court injunction, but instead they asked SCOTUS to hear the entire case without a circuit court doing so first. Apparently it is unsurprising it failed. Indeed, this whole situation seems to benefit the Trump administration, since they can tell the base that they tried to end DACA, but were thwarted by the loathesome liberal judicial activists, thus postponing the crisis of actually having to deport DACA recipients.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:23 PM on February 26, 2018
The DACA case was highly unusual in that DoJ would typically be expected to ask for a stay of the district court injunction, but instead they asked SCOTUS to hear the entire case without a circuit court doing so first. Apparently it is unsurprising it failed. Indeed, this whole situation seems to benefit the Trump administration, since they can tell the base that they tried to end DACA, but were thwarted by the loathesome liberal judicial activists, thus postponing the crisis of actually having to deport DACA recipients.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:23 PM on February 26, 2018
It never fucking ends. 20 states sue over Obamacare mandate — again.
This probably has no chance, but for mundane legal reasons not anything about the court being sick of it or Congress later repealing parts of the law. First, the mandate is still technically on the books, all the budget deal repeal did was set the tax penalty to 0$, because they would've need 60 votes to change the actual text outside of reconciliation instructions. So textually speaking, nothing really changed in the law, at all.
Second, the severability argument was always weak. Its sort of a maximal position to say that one portion of a giant law being struck down automatically invalidates all other parts of the law, severability clause or not, and the Court didn't buy that position the first time around, nothing seemingly has changed to warrant revisiting that issue. What's left of Obamacare is mostly things that the government inarguably has the power to do, set the terms of Medicaid coverage requirements, set the terms of insurance plans sold on the exchanges, etc. None of that was part of the original constitutional case against the individual mandate, which undermined further the position that the entire law had to be struck down even at the time. With so many unrelated parts to one bill, severability was almost implied, and would be now.
Of course the mandate argument was originally seen as ridiculous when it was first cooked up by Randy Barnett and the legion of bad faith who pay him to cook up crackpot conservative legal theories, but the Court still took it upon itself last time to invent a new constitutional doctrine anyway, so never say never. But I would bet against this one going far.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
This probably has no chance, but for mundane legal reasons not anything about the court being sick of it or Congress later repealing parts of the law. First, the mandate is still technically on the books, all the budget deal repeal did was set the tax penalty to 0$, because they would've need 60 votes to change the actual text outside of reconciliation instructions. So textually speaking, nothing really changed in the law, at all.
Second, the severability argument was always weak. Its sort of a maximal position to say that one portion of a giant law being struck down automatically invalidates all other parts of the law, severability clause or not, and the Court didn't buy that position the first time around, nothing seemingly has changed to warrant revisiting that issue. What's left of Obamacare is mostly things that the government inarguably has the power to do, set the terms of Medicaid coverage requirements, set the terms of insurance plans sold on the exchanges, etc. None of that was part of the original constitutional case against the individual mandate, which undermined further the position that the entire law had to be struck down even at the time. With so many unrelated parts to one bill, severability was almost implied, and would be now.
Of course the mandate argument was originally seen as ridiculous when it was first cooked up by Randy Barnett and the legion of bad faith who pay him to cook up crackpot conservative legal theories, but the Court still took it upon itself last time to invent a new constitutional doctrine anyway, so never say never. But I would bet against this one going far.
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:39 PM on February 26, 2018 [9 favorites]
I was thinking about the YouTube/Facebook/Twitter problem the other day, and I remembered that visualisation someone built of the habits of Redditors, where all the alt-right shitlords were discovered to be part of a literal shrieking white-hot ball of rage of interconnected subreddits.
So, I imagine the same dynamic holds true of all the social media platforms, because their lame algorithm just assumes you want to see more of what you’ve already looked at. It’s a vortex that sucks people into to further radicalisation.
So, why not change the algorithm so that if YouTube or whatever realizes you watch a bunch of alt-right shitlord videos, it stops recommending them or suggesting them, and instead links to videos and advertisements that might actually help you stop being a garbage person? “Counselling services in your area”, “Your local animal shelter needs volunteers!”, “Give church a shot - what do you have to lose?”, “How to move out of your mom’s basement, by Philip DeFranco”, “How con artists use Holocaust denialism to identify easy marks”.
Make it so that if people want to stay in the ball of rage they have to actually work for it, because the algorithm never links to it, and never indexes it for searching.
posted by um at 5:51 PM on February 26, 2018 [84 favorites]
So, I imagine the same dynamic holds true of all the social media platforms, because their lame algorithm just assumes you want to see more of what you’ve already looked at. It’s a vortex that sucks people into to further radicalisation.
So, why not change the algorithm so that if YouTube or whatever realizes you watch a bunch of alt-right shitlord videos, it stops recommending them or suggesting them, and instead links to videos and advertisements that might actually help you stop being a garbage person? “Counselling services in your area”, “Your local animal shelter needs volunteers!”, “Give church a shot - what do you have to lose?”, “How to move out of your mom’s basement, by Philip DeFranco”, “How con artists use Holocaust denialism to identify easy marks”.
Make it so that if people want to stay in the ball of rage they have to actually work for it, because the algorithm never links to it, and never indexes it for searching.
posted by um at 5:51 PM on February 26, 2018 [84 favorites]
Make it so that if people want to stay in the ball of rage they have to actually work for it, because the algorithm never links to it, and never indexes it for searching.
This is absolutely what they should do, but it's unlikely to happen because there's no profit motive for putting in the effort. It would be an ongoing project requiring at least a few engineers continually devoted to it as the bad actors try to juke the system, and as a large corporation there's just no incentive internally or otherwise for them to spend money paying people to do things for the public good.
At some point we as a society are going to have to confront that issue.
posted by IAmUnaware at 6:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [22 favorites]
This is absolutely what they should do, but it's unlikely to happen because there's no profit motive for putting in the effort. It would be an ongoing project requiring at least a few engineers continually devoted to it as the bad actors try to juke the system, and as a large corporation there's just no incentive internally or otherwise for them to spend money paying people to do things for the public good.
At some point we as a society are going to have to confront that issue.
posted by IAmUnaware at 6:01 PM on February 26, 2018 [22 favorites]
YouTube Won’t Ban Neo-Nazi Group Chanting ‘Gas the K**kes, Race War Now’ Atomwaffen calls for genocide and has been linked to several murders, but the company site says a warning label is sufficient.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:28 PM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 6:28 PM on February 26, 2018 [34 favorites]
warning label slash badge of honor
posted by rhizome at 6:32 PM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 6:32 PM on February 26, 2018 [5 favorites]
Although Jared Kushner's temporary security clearance was set to expire on Friday, Politico reports Kelly and Kushner are stuck at an impasse after Trump's punt on clearance.
And tomorrow on Capitol Hill, tune in when Hope Hicks appears before the House Intel Committee after a month-long delay (CBS).
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
Trump's ad hoc decision not to intervene in the clearance process on behalf of his son-in-law and senior adviser in effect left Kelly and Kushner in limbo, prolonging an uncomfortable situation that White House aides say is unlikely to be resolved anytime soon.It would seem that neither Trump nor Kelly wants to be the one to make the call on Kushner's security clearance, which they apparently view as potentially toxic with Mueller's investigation complicating it.
Kelly does not plan to recommend to the president that he grant Kushner a waiver, but he is unlikely to resign if Trump ultimately decides to do so, according to a person familiar with his thinking.[...]
The president is hesitant to intervene in the process due to the potential blowback he would suffer in the news media if he were to give Kushner a pass, according to one White House aide, and on Friday, he officially passed the baton to Kelly.[...]
Since then, Kelly had grappled with how to handle the dozens of White House aides not operating on permanent clearances precisely because Kushner was among them, as The Washington Post first reported, even telling his closest confidants at one point that he planned to dismiss all of them — including Kushner, according to one of those confidants, who is also a senior administration official.
And tomorrow on Capitol Hill, tune in when Hope Hicks appears before the House Intel Committee after a month-long delay (CBS).
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:42 PM on February 26, 2018 [11 favorites]
Mona Charen: I’m Glad I Got Booed at CPAC
posted by Artw at 6:48 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:48 PM on February 26, 2018 [7 favorites]
Missouri legislature formally begins pre-impeachment investigation of governor.
posted by Chrysostom at 7:03 PM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 7:03 PM on February 26, 2018 [19 favorites]
Make it so that if people want to stay in the ball of rage they have to actually work for it, because the algorithm never links to it, and never indexes it for searching.
All the money says that the vast majority of their engagement metrics, which they use to sell ads to advertisers, depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords
And without them, their product of already dubious value — display ads on content don’t fucking work — Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube would be very far in the red
Their business models depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords. And as long as that’s true, they will continue to grow the SWHBORSL. Because the costs of that are socialized. On the backs of the rest of us.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:07 PM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
All the money says that the vast majority of their engagement metrics, which they use to sell ads to advertisers, depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords
And without them, their product of already dubious value — display ads on content don’t fucking work — Twitter, Facebook, and YouTube would be very far in the red
Their business models depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords. And as long as that’s true, they will continue to grow the SWHBORSL. Because the costs of that are socialized. On the backs of the rest of us.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:07 PM on February 26, 2018 [14 favorites]
WaPo, Joshua Partlow and David A. Fahrenthold, Bizarre legal brawl intensifies at Trump hotel in Panama. An international incident over the President's business affairs is precisely one of the things we feared when this all started, but the strangeness of this situation exceeds even our 2018 imaginations:
Last Thursday afternoon, the majority owner of the Trump International Hotel here in Panama arrived unexpectedly in the building’s swank Sky Lobby with an entourage.posted by zachlipton at 7:07 PM on February 26, 2018 [49 favorites]
He wanted to fire the Trump Organization, which has managed the hotel since it opened in 2011.
But the Trump Organization has refused to leave.
Since that first confrontation, police have been called multiple times to referee disputes between owner Orestes Fintiklis — who blames the company’s poor management and damaged brand for the hotel’s declining revenue — and the Trump Organization, which says it still has a valid contract to manage the place.
Offices have been barricaded. Several yelling matches have broken out. The power was briefly turned off, in a dispute over the building’s electronic equipment. At one point, Fintiklis — denied a chance to fire the hotel staff or even check into a room — played a tune on the hotel’s lobby piano as an apparent show of defiance.
On Monday, Panama’s federal prosecutors said they had opened an investigation into the Trump Organization, after Fintiklis complained that he had been unlawfully blocked from his own property.
All the money says that the vast majority of their engagement metrics, which they use to sell ads to advertisers, depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords
What I think we see happening is the discovery that that kind of thing exists, it propagates fast, and it's possible to craft messages so that they do get white hot and lucrative. That's why the content needs to be restricted.
They have to tighten the boundaries of acceptability, just like when salesmen became prohibited from selling cocaine once upon a time. You can still sell, just not that. But of course FB et al don't want to fence it off, even though there's plenty of other types of content they prohibit.
posted by rhizome at 7:16 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
What I think we see happening is the discovery that that kind of thing exists, it propagates fast, and it's possible to craft messages so that they do get white hot and lucrative. That's why the content needs to be restricted.
They have to tighten the boundaries of acceptability, just like when salesmen became prohibited from selling cocaine once upon a time. You can still sell, just not that. But of course FB et al don't want to fence it off, even though there's plenty of other types of content they prohibit.
posted by rhizome at 7:16 PM on February 26, 2018 [2 favorites]
even though there's plenty of other types of content they prohibit.
Like female nipples. But violent white supremacist rage? Go nuts.
posted by Talez at 7:45 PM on February 26, 2018 [15 favorites]
Like female nipples. But violent white supremacist rage? Go nuts.
posted by Talez at 7:45 PM on February 26, 2018 [15 favorites]
What Exactly Is Ivanka Doing?
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:54 PM on February 26, 2018 [62 favorites]
Ivanka Trump, by contrast, did not appear on any ballot line and even appeared to rule out a prominent role in the White House. “I’m going to be a daughter,” she said in an interview just after the election. Now, the president’s oldest daughter receives sensitive intelligence information without a proper security clearance and does work that is typically the province of experienced officials.Ivanka Should Quit
Nice try, Ivanka. Labeling something as “inappropriate” works if you’re a harried parent and you don’t have time to explain to your kids why they shouldn’t stick their dirty hands into the guacamole. But in adult-on-adult conversations, the “I” word almost always lands as an attempt to strike down the question and shame the questioner without explaining why the question is invalid. And it isn’t invalid. The president’s extramarital ways have been Page 1 news for a year and a half, and the topic continues to consume the press as new allegations about his conduct surface. If anything, it would be inappropriate to withhold such a vital question from public discussion, especially from an assistant to the president. ...Left unsaid, this is how banana republics and dictatorships operate.
As long as Ivanka Trump holds an official position in the White House and offers her views on public policy, it’s hard to imagine a Page 1 question she shouldn’t be asked. ...
If Ivanka Trump wants to recuse herself from the tough questions, here’s what she should do: Withdraw from the very public political life she has chosen. Reporters hang on what she says because she possesses political power. By resigning her position, by ceasing to advise the president, by ending her official role as the president’s emissary, that power will vanish and so will most of the press corps’ interest.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:54 PM on February 26, 2018 [62 favorites]
>>Make it so that if people want to stay in the ball of rage [on Twitter, YouTube, etc.] they have to actually work for it, because the algorithm never links to it, and never indexes it for searching.
>All the money says that the vast majority of their engagement metrics, which they use to sell ads to advertisers, depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords
I'm not so sure of that. It depends on the demographics of the group, and their purchasing power. I read once that rollerderby was one of the highest-rated shows in early TV, until demographics were created, and advertisers realized that the viewers had no money to buy anything.
Of course the platforms should disavow this stuff on principle, but the companies that advertise should also question -- and be asked -- whether these folks are really the customers they want?
posted by msalt at 8:16 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
>All the money says that the vast majority of their engagement metrics, which they use to sell ads to advertisers, depend on the shrieking white hot balls of raging shitlords
I'm not so sure of that. It depends on the demographics of the group, and their purchasing power. I read once that rollerderby was one of the highest-rated shows in early TV, until demographics were created, and advertisers realized that the viewers had no money to buy anything.
Of course the platforms should disavow this stuff on principle, but the companies that advertise should also question -- and be asked -- whether these folks are really the customers they want?
posted by msalt at 8:16 PM on February 26, 2018 [3 favorites]
Texas governor warns of Dems' strong early voting
“We’ve seen a surge of liberal enthusiasm in deep red states like Georgia, Alabama, and Oklahoma,” Abbott says in the email, as reported by The Dallas Morning News. “We had always hoped the liberal wave would never hit Texas, but these Early Voting returns aren’t encouraging so far.”posted by T.D. Strange at 8:19 PM on February 26, 2018 [43 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** 2018 Senate:
====
Three special elections tomorrow, with 1-2 decent shots at a flip.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:21 PM on February 26, 2018 [31 favorites]
** 2018 Senate:
-- UT: Discussed earlier, the far right is trying to block Romney from being the GOP nominee. There's a decent chance that this is illegal; if not, Romney seems quite likely to run and win as an independent.** 2018 House:
-- MS: Intrigue is notching up here, as state sen Chris McDaniel appears to be about to jump into the primary against incumbent Sen Wicker. Wicker is popular in the state, and McDaniel had been thought to be waiting for Sen Cochran to retire early, and run in the special. Big name Dems, in turn, have been basically giving the Wicker race a miss, seeing the Cochran seat as much easier to win, especially against McDaniel, who is extreme even for Mississippi. Now they'll have to decide what to run in, complicated by the fact that Wicker will probably win his primary.
-- TN: GOP worried as likely Dem challenger Bredesen looks popular. Related: Corker was supposed to decide last Friday if he was going to jump back in, but no word yet.
-- TX: Dem O'Rouke is still a longshot to beat Ted Cruz, but he's outraising him, and drawing big crowds in red areas. Even Dave Wasserman is raising an eyebrow. Even if he doesn't win, strong candidates at the top of the ballot help people lower down.
-- CO-06: PPP poll has possible Dem challenger Jason Crow up 44-39 over incumbent GOPer Mike Coffman. -- Here's the Baffler's take on House races.** Odds & ends:
-- CA-22: Bloomberg: Nunes is starting to look a little vulnerable.
-- Dem generic ballot advantage has been rebounding of late. 538 average is currently D+9.5 (47.5/38.0)
-- Mentioned earlier, Eric Holder's group, the National Democratic Redistricting Committee, has sued Wisconsin governor Walker over his failure to schedule special elections for two open legislature seats.
-- Yet Another Top Ten Governor's Races article, this one from Politico. (spoilers: IL, ME, NM, NV, AK, CT, FL, OH, MD, WI)
-- NJ legislature considering bill to let all prisoners vote. It would be only the third state to do so.
-- I linked this earlier, but this is an interesting Charles Franklin article on why adjusting for pollster effect is increasingly important (tl;dr: Gallup going to weekly is causing some ripple effects)
====
Three special elections tomorrow, with 1-2 decent shots at a flip.
posted by Chrysostom at 8:21 PM on February 26, 2018 [31 favorites]
T.D. Strange: "Texas governor warns of Dems' strong early voting"
Speaking of which:
Through Day 6 of Texas primary early voting, 15 largest counties:
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 186,796 / 170,839 / 101,131
GOP: 177,166 / 212,142 / 155,731
posted by Chrysostom at 8:24 PM on February 26, 2018 [26 favorites]
Speaking of which:
Through Day 6 of Texas primary early voting, 15 largest counties:
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 186,796 / 170,839 / 101,131
GOP: 177,166 / 212,142 / 155,731
posted by Chrysostom at 8:24 PM on February 26, 2018 [26 favorites]
-- TX: Dem O'Rouke is still a longshot to beat Ted Cruz, but he's outraising him, and drawing big crowds in red areas.
Finally got to meet Beto in person yesterday at a town hall north of Austin. If anything I'm more impressed than I already was, he has serious skills & a phenomenal memory. People are fired up for him & I can see why. Afterwards I got a photo of us on my phone & he got one on his. I hope his turned out better, the staffer apparently held my phone diagonally & most of his head is out of frame.
posted by scalefree at 8:53 PM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
Finally got to meet Beto in person yesterday at a town hall north of Austin. If anything I'm more impressed than I already was, he has serious skills & a phenomenal memory. People are fired up for him & I can see why. Afterwards I got a photo of us on my phone & he got one on his. I hope his turned out better, the staffer apparently held my phone diagonally & most of his head is out of frame.
posted by scalefree at 8:53 PM on February 26, 2018 [29 favorites]
The 80s were bizarre, but this is like living in the Bizarre-o 80s. For those of us of a certain age, the ridiculous boast that "I'd run in there, even if I didn't have a weapon" recalls the pathetic bombast of Jon Lovitz' mid-late 1980s pathological liar Tommy Flanagan on Saturday Night Live. "And I'd've grabbed him by the uzi, yeah that's the ticket! and graded all the junior AP essays on my way out the door as I dragged his ass to jail, and been spontaneously voted Prom King, plus reminded everyone about the things that Frederick Douglas is doing too, and I would've gotten that really hot girl Jessica's phone number that everyone's too scared to talk to, I really believe that!"
Too much? Yeah, you're right, not nearly enough. Sad.
posted by riverlife at 9:51 PM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
Too much? Yeah, you're right, not nearly enough. Sad.
posted by riverlife at 9:51 PM on February 26, 2018 [13 favorites]
So last night Discord went through and cleaned house on its white supremacist servers. Only slightly encouraging.
posted by Talez at 4:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by Talez at 4:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
Oh this is glorious. Nazis don’t realize they’re not a protected class claiming discrimination.
posted by Talez at 4:03 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Talez at 4:03 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
New study from the CATO Institute throws water on illegal immigrants = crime talking points:
Underlying both actions is the belief that illegal immigrants are a significant source of crime. This brief uses Texas Department of Public Safety data to measure the conviction and arrest rates of illegal immigrants by crime. In Texas in 2015, the criminal conviction and arrest rates for immigrants were well below those of native-born Americans. Moreover, the conviction and arrest rates for illegal immigrants were lower than those for native-born Americans. This result holds for most crimes.
posted by PenDevil at 4:07 AM on February 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
Underlying both actions is the belief that illegal immigrants are a significant source of crime. This brief uses Texas Department of Public Safety data to measure the conviction and arrest rates of illegal immigrants by crime. In Texas in 2015, the criminal conviction and arrest rates for immigrants were well below those of native-born Americans. Moreover, the conviction and arrest rates for illegal immigrants were lower than those for native-born Americans. This result holds for most crimes.
posted by PenDevil at 4:07 AM on February 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
As usual, I have to wonder how much the president's ludicrous narcissism is a bug, and how much is a feature, in terms of his political success. Some of his fans would do the "seriously, not literally" thing in this instance of "I'd have run in there!". But others would take it at face value because the'd say the same thing about themselves, as described by ricochet biscuit in the other thread.
I and others have suggested that reporters ask him whether he'd defeat [famous professional or Olympic athlete] in a one-on-one. He'd either equivocate or say yes. But what's hard for me to truly accept is that if he said yes, no one would learn anything about him, and hence his approval rating wouldn't budge. His supporters would be a mix of people willing to forgive it as "Trump being Trump", people who really do attribute strange physical powers to him, and people whose own sense of self is so fragile that they feel they, too, would be compelled to say they could out-snowboard Chloe Kim, just to avoid the embarrassment of admitting imperfection. When we think about authoritarianism, we think about the worshipper category a lot, but the others are also key to consider.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:10 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
I and others have suggested that reporters ask him whether he'd defeat [famous professional or Olympic athlete] in a one-on-one. He'd either equivocate or say yes. But what's hard for me to truly accept is that if he said yes, no one would learn anything about him, and hence his approval rating wouldn't budge. His supporters would be a mix of people willing to forgive it as "Trump being Trump", people who really do attribute strange physical powers to him, and people whose own sense of self is so fragile that they feel they, too, would be compelled to say they could out-snowboard Chloe Kim, just to avoid the embarrassment of admitting imperfection. When we think about authoritarianism, we think about the worshipper category a lot, but the others are also key to consider.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 4:10 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Michelle Goldberg lines it up pretty clearly in NYTimes: Either a Conspirator or a Sucker
Perhaps Trump didn’t realize that his campaign was being run by alleged Russian money launderers, that at least two of his foreign policy advisers had entanglements with Russian intelligence, and that his campaign had a heads up about Russian plans to dump stolen Clinton emails online. None of last week’s new information proves that Trump is too disloyal to his own country to be president. But the only alternative is that he’s too clueless.posted by mumimor at 4:34 AM on February 27, 2018 [63 favorites]
God it’s going to be easy to trick this clown into just admitting everything at a fucking rally or something. You just have to have enough people cheering, and he’ll say whatever he has to to keep the crowd going.
The scary part is what happens after that.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:11 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
The scary part is what happens after that.
posted by schadenfrau at 5:11 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
DUCK HUNT!
Yeah, after not tweeting anything besides a few tame retweets for three days, Donny is up and angry about Russia with four tweets so far. Bets on when the new Russia story breaks? Or just worked up watching Fox in "Executive Time."
posted by chris24 at 5:19 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Yeah, after not tweeting anything besides a few tame retweets for three days, Donny is up and angry about Russia with four tweets so far. Bets on when the new Russia story breaks? Or just worked up watching Fox in "Executive Time."
posted by chris24 at 5:19 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
"WITCH HUNT!"—Donald Trump (@realdonaldtrump), Twitter.com, February 27, 2018, 7:49 a.m.
"Nixon Sees 'Witch-Hunt,' Insiders Say" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, The Washington Post, July 22, 1973
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:21 AM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
"Nixon Sees 'Witch-Hunt,' Insiders Say" by Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein, The Washington Post, July 22, 1973
posted by Doktor Zed at 5:21 AM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Or just worked up watching Fox in "Executive Time."
And we have our answer!
@LisPower1 (MMFA)
Trump is spending his morning with his DVR and Fox News. The tweet about Turley is from Fox & Friends Sunday, while the tweet about Judge Nap is from last night.
Can’t wait til he gets to the Carter Page interview on Hannity.
posted by chris24 at 5:35 AM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
And we have our answer!
@LisPower1 (MMFA)
Trump is spending his morning with his DVR and Fox News. The tweet about Turley is from Fox & Friends Sunday, while the tweet about Judge Nap is from last night.
Can’t wait til he gets to the Carter Page interview on Hannity.
posted by chris24 at 5:35 AM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Come on, he's tweeting 'WITCH HUNT' on the morning of Hope Hicks's House Intel testimony. Make of that what you will.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:58 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 5:58 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
withch hunts would have been fine, if witches were real
posted by thelonius at 6:17 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by thelonius at 6:17 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Jonathan Swan: I’ve learned in past two days that Trump has talked up the Chinese, Filipino and Singaporean systems of killing drug dealers to even more people than I originally thought. List includes members of Congress (including some in leadership) & foreign leaders.
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:18 AM on February 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 6:18 AM on February 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
It’s time to say last rites over American conservatism
posted by Artw at 6:40 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 6:40 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
You just have to have enough people cheering, and he’ll say whatever he has to to keep the crowd going.
I'm picturing Mueller and Trump in an interrogation room, and Mueller's got two ancient tape cassette players. One's for recording, and the other's for the applause track.
Every time Trump says something useful, kachunk -- wild applause -- kachunk, Trump gets that smug grin of his, and keeps riffing.
Muffled sounds leak in from the observation booth, as his lawyers shout and pound on the one-way glass in desperation.
posted by dirge at 6:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
I'm picturing Mueller and Trump in an interrogation room, and Mueller's got two ancient tape cassette players. One's for recording, and the other's for the applause track.
Every time Trump says something useful, kachunk -- wild applause -- kachunk, Trump gets that smug grin of his, and keeps riffing.
Muffled sounds leak in from the observation booth, as his lawyers shout and pound on the one-way glass in desperation.
posted by dirge at 6:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
It’s time to say last rites over American conservatism
I love how these conservatism laments conveniently ignore Barry Goldwater, Oliver North, G Gordon Liddy, Anita Bryant, Jerry Falwell, etc in their whitewashed histories of their awful movement.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:48 AM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
I love how these conservatism laments conveniently ignore Barry Goldwater, Oliver North, G Gordon Liddy, Anita Bryant, Jerry Falwell, etc in their whitewashed histories of their awful movement.
posted by rc3spencer at 6:48 AM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
New study from the CATO Institute throws water on illegal immigrants = crime talking points
Republicans don't care about inconvenient things like facts, Data Clashes With Emotion As CPAC Immigration Panel Goes Off The Rails:
Republicans don't care about inconvenient things like facts, Data Clashes With Emotion As CPAC Immigration Panel Goes Off The Rails:
The only panel dedicated to immigration at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference quickly went off the rails Thursday, with audience members drowning out panelists’ presentation of data about the benefits of immigration with boos, laughter, and stories of “obvious illegal immigrants defecating in the woods, fornicating in the woods.”posted by peeedro at 6:51 AM on February 27, 2018 [48 favorites]
As David Bier, a policy analyst with the libertarian Cato Institute, attempted to lay out research proving that immigrants actually have lower crime rates than native-born Americans, contribute significantly to the economy and are assimilating just as well or better than past generations of immigrants, his fellow panelists derided his statements as “nutty” and angry audience members shouted him down.
“Sweetie, you’re too young to know,” one woman called out as Bier said that the economy has historically done well during periods of high immigration to the United States.
When he noted that the U.S. proportionally takes in very few immigrants and refugees compared to other nations, a man interjected, “You’re a dreamer!” and much of the crowd broke out in applause and jeers.
A couple of random shitty Trump administration stories:
"$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair"
Libraries Are a Space Where Everyone Belongs - No wonder the Trump administration is gunning for them
> I love how these conservatism laments conveniently ignore Barry Goldwater, Anita Bryant, Jerry Falwell, etc in their whitewashed histories of their awful movement.
Pat Buchanan's "culture war" speech was TWENTY SIX YEARS ago! That story is from 2012; “That speech was then, and is now, consistent with the heart and soul of the Republican Party,” Mr. Buchanan said. “The country-club and the establishment Republicans recoil from the social, cultural and moral issues which many conservatives and evangelicals have embraced.”
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:56 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
"$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair"
Libraries Are a Space Where Everyone Belongs - No wonder the Trump administration is gunning for them
> I love how these conservatism laments conveniently ignore Barry Goldwater, Anita Bryant, Jerry Falwell, etc in their whitewashed histories of their awful movement.
Pat Buchanan's "culture war" speech was TWENTY SIX YEARS ago! That story is from 2012; “That speech was then, and is now, consistent with the heart and soul of the Republican Party,” Mr. Buchanan said. “The country-club and the establishment Republicans recoil from the social, cultural and moral issues which many conservatives and evangelicals have embraced.”
posted by The Card Cheat at 6:56 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Still, speaking to TPM after the panel wrapped up, Bier said he still believes in the power of facts and research to convince conservatives of the benefits of immigration.Oh, honey. They're not conservatives any more and they are certainly not libertarians. They're fascists. Please stop giving them the cover of acting like you're on the same team. I won't respect libertarian ideas any more than I do now, but I certainly would gain some respect for the individuals who have those ideas if you'd just... stop letting these people use your relative respectability as a shield.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [39 favorites]
Republicans don't care about inconvenient things like facts, Data Clashes With Emotion As CPAC Immigration Panel Goes Off The Rails:
Cato's always been a free markets, open borders type shop. I wonder when someone there will realize they're now more at home with the Democratic party? I mean, there's plenty of room for classical liberals in the big tent of the Democrats. There we have actually policy discussions based upon facts!
I mean, you can disagree with the amount of reasonable regulation, but at least with the Democrats you're not getting shouted down by a bunch of ignorant know-nothing racists.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:03 AM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
Cato's always been a free markets, open borders type shop. I wonder when someone there will realize they're now more at home with the Democratic party? I mean, there's plenty of room for classical liberals in the big tent of the Democrats. There we have actually policy discussions based upon facts!
I mean, you can disagree with the amount of reasonable regulation, but at least with the Democrats you're not getting shouted down by a bunch of ignorant know-nothing racists.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:03 AM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
Thanks for this Doktor Zed - I consolidated the witch hunt images into one tweet for your convenience
posted by mikepop at 7:05 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by mikepop at 7:05 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
I promise you, none of those doofuses shouting at CPAC have cracked any Hayek recently, let alone Smith, Locke, Say, Malthus, or Ricardo.
posted by leotrotsky at 7:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by leotrotsky at 7:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
cato has always been about dissembling with facts and statistics, so i'm not surprised the modern republican party has no use for them anymore
posted by murphy slaw at 7:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 7:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
The only panel dedicated to immigration at this year’s Conservative Political Action Conference quickly went off the rails Thursday, with audience members drowning out panelists’ presentation of data about the benefits of immigration with boos, laughter, and stories of “obvious illegal immigrants defecating in the woods, fornicating in the woods.”
The Pope's hat gave him away.
posted by srboisvert at 7:12 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
The Pope's hat gave him away.
posted by srboisvert at 7:12 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ryan’s move to replace Election Commissioner worries state officials (TPM).
It’s all of them. The Republican Party is the party of treason.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:12 AM on February 27, 2018 [53 favorites]
Masterson’s likely departure comes at a time when issues of cyber-security — issues that Masterson has made a focus of his work — are emerging as a top priority for the commission.You don’t say.
It’s all of them. The Republican Party is the party of treason.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:12 AM on February 27, 2018 [53 favorites]
How is this still a thing? Same-Sex-Marriage Flashpoint: Alabama Considers Quitting The Marriage Business (NPR, Feb. 27, 2018)
posted by filthy light thief at 7:15 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Couples – gay or straight — looking for a marriage license in Pike County, Ala. won't get one from local probate judge Wes Allen.It's not like knee-jerk politicians have ever passed laws without thinking about even the most likely repercussions.
"We have not issued any marriage licenses since Feb. 9, 2015," Allen says.
That's when a federal judge struck down Alabama's ban on same-sex marriage. The state's then Chief Justice Roy Moore told local officials they weren't bound by the federal court ruling. That threw Alabama's marriage license system into chaos – some offices closed altogether.
...
After counties began refusing licenses, they braced for lawsuits. But no one has sued — that could be because Alabama's marriage law says probate judges may issue marriage licenses, not shall.
"Alabama's been one of the toughest states when it comes to access to marriage equality because of our marriage code and because the way it's written for judges to choose to issue licenses or not," says Eva Kendrick, state director for the Human Rights Campaign which advocates for LGBT rights.
She says access depends on where you live. Metropolitan areas like Birmingham and Montgomery are open for business, but remote rural areas are more of a patchwork, forcing people to travel elsewhere to get a license.
"In those counties Alabamians did not have equal access to marriage," says Kendrick.
The state Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would get rid of marriage licenses altogether. Instead, couples would submit a form affirming they've met the legal requirements for getting married, and then record a marriage contract at the probate office.
"Basically we're getting Alabama out of the marriage business," says Republican Rep. Paul Beckman, who is sponsoring the bill in the Alabama House, where it has passed the Judiciary Committee.
...
"I just think it cheapens the value of the most sacred relationship in the world," says Republican Phil Williams, the lone Senator to vote against the bill.
"When you take marriage and you reduce it to a mere contract, it's almost like you're just doing nothing more than recording the deed to your property at the courthouse," he says. "You're just taking the contract down there and the probate judge is just the clerk."
He says probate judges have greater responsibility, for instance, they're charged with making sure that couples are old enough and able to consent to marriage.
The bill is facing more opposition in the Alabama House. Democratic State Rep. Merika Coleman says the change isn't necessary if public officials would just do their jobs.
"It's unfortunate because there are some probate judges .... that do not want to adhere to the rule of law," says Coleman. "So because of that, now some legislators in the state of Alabama want to get out of the business of marriage in the traditional sense."
She's concerned the new system might not be recognized by other states or the federal government.
"Specifically on Social Security and with military benefits they ask for a marriage license," she says. "They do not ask for a marriage contract."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:15 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Thanks for this Doktor Zed - I consolidated the witch hunt images into one tweet for your convenience
You're welcome, although I should note that I've seen this on Twitter several times before when Trump brought up a "witch hunt". It's almost like Trump's deliberately echoing Nixon in the same way he transparently ripped off "Make America great again" from Reagan.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
You're welcome, although I should note that I've seen this on Twitter several times before when Trump brought up a "witch hunt". It's almost like Trump's deliberately echoing Nixon in the same way he transparently ripped off "Make America great again" from Reagan.
posted by Doktor Zed at 7:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
I promise you, none of those doofuses shouting at CPAC have cracked any Hayek recently
Oh I don't know about that. They seem to have picked up on his form of dictator approval.
In 1978, Hayek came into conflict with the Liberal Party leader, David Steel, who claimed that liberty was possible only with "social justice and an equitable distribution of wealth and power, which in turn require a degree of active government intervention" and that the Conservative Party were more concerned with the connection between liberty and private enterprise than between liberty and democracy. Hayek claimed that a limited democracy might be better than other forms of limited government at protecting liberty but that an unlimited democracy was worse than other forms of unlimited government because "its government loses the power even to do what it thinks right if any group on which its majority depends thinks otherwise".
Hayek stated that if the Conservative leader had said "...that free choice is to be exercised more in the market place than in the ballot box, she has merely uttered the truism that the first is indispensable for individual freedom while the second is not: free choice can at least exist under a dictatorship that can limit itself but not under the government of an unlimited democracy which cannot."
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Oh I don't know about that. They seem to have picked up on his form of dictator approval.
In 1978, Hayek came into conflict with the Liberal Party leader, David Steel, who claimed that liberty was possible only with "social justice and an equitable distribution of wealth and power, which in turn require a degree of active government intervention" and that the Conservative Party were more concerned with the connection between liberty and private enterprise than between liberty and democracy. Hayek claimed that a limited democracy might be better than other forms of limited government at protecting liberty but that an unlimited democracy was worse than other forms of unlimited government because "its government loses the power even to do what it thinks right if any group on which its majority depends thinks otherwise".
Hayek stated that if the Conservative leader had said "...that free choice is to be exercised more in the market place than in the ballot box, she has merely uttered the truism that the first is indispensable for individual freedom while the second is not: free choice can at least exist under a dictatorship that can limit itself but not under the government of an unlimited democracy which cannot."
posted by srboisvert at 7:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
The state Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would get rid of marriage licenses altogether. Instead, couples would submit a form affirming they've met the legal requirements for getting married, and then record a marriage contract at the probate office.
Is this some kind of weird Moon Law thing? Do these contracts have a gold fringe on them?
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:29 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
The state Senate has overwhelmingly approved a bill that would get rid of marriage licenses altogether. Instead, couples would submit a form affirming they've met the legal requirements for getting married, and then record a marriage contract at the probate office.
I fail to see how that makes one whit of difference from the current license arrangement. This is all so the judge doesn't need to sign anything?
posted by leotrotsky at 7:37 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
I fail to see how that makes one whit of difference from the current license arrangement. This is all so the judge doesn't need to sign anything?
posted by leotrotsky at 7:37 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
David Fahrenthold is currently (somehow) live-tweeting some apparent shit going down at the Trump building in Panama if anyone wants to rubberneck on some breaking news.
Edited to add: more from the WaPo journalist on the ground.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:45 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
Edited to add: more from the WaPo journalist on the ground.
posted by soren_lorensen at 7:45 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
Mod note: Couple comments deleted; sorry, we're not going down a rabbit hole of marriage in Israel; there's no way that doesn't lead us well off track.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:47 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:47 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Sen. Bob Corker will not run for reelection ending a period of seriously considering getting back in a marquee midterm contest.
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:58 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 7:58 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
"Specifically on Social Security and with military benefits they ask for a marriage license," she says. "They do not ask for a marriage contract."
Who asks for this? I signed up for SS without needing one, which is good, because I have no idea where one might be.
I got married in 1970, and have moved a few times, but I don't remember ever having possession of said document, although I sort of remember applying.
posted by MtDewd at 8:01 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Who asks for this? I signed up for SS without needing one, which is good, because I have no idea where one might be.
I got married in 1970, and have moved a few times, but I don't remember ever having possession of said document, although I sort of remember applying.
posted by MtDewd at 8:01 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
The Guardian: A senior career official in the US Department of Housing and Urban Development has alleged that she was demoted and replaced with a Donald Trump appointee after refusing to break the law by funding an expensive redecoration of Ben Carson’s office.
Helen Foster said she was told “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair” after informing her bosses this was the legal price limit for improvements to the HUD secretary’s suite at the department’s Washington headquarters.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [27 favorites]
Helen Foster said she was told “$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair” after informing her bosses this was the legal price limit for improvements to the HUD secretary’s suite at the department’s Washington headquarters.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [27 favorites]
Take it with a boulder of salt, given the source, but drudge says the Trump 2020 campaign has hired a manager (CNBC link): Brad Parscale. If true, this is the loudest possible alarm that 2020 will make the 2016 campaign look ethical, legal and democratic.
Please hurry up and indict him already, Mueller.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
Please hurry up and indict him already, Mueller.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
Supreme Court Ruling Means Immigrants Could Continue To Be Detained Indefinitely
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [58 favorites]
The U.S. Supreme Court ruled Tuesday that immigrants, even those with permanent legal status and asylum seekers, do not have the right to periodic bond hearings.The implications here are beyond horrifying.
It's a profound loss for those immigrants appealing what are sometimes indefinite detentions by the government. Many are held for long periods of time — on average, 13 months — after being picked up for things as minor as joyriding. Some are held even longer.
posted by scaryblackdeath at 8:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [58 favorites]
Antisemitic incidernts in US soar to highest level in two decades
posted by Artw at 8:18 AM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
posted by Artw at 8:18 AM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
I'm getting the sense the Supreme Court is less than amused having their time taken up with this stuff,
So, I'm genuinely curious: how's the Supreme Court doing these days? Last time I checked in, Gorsuch was being a blowhard and trying to mansplain to the female justices. Has he been paddled yet? How are they dealing with him? Thanks!
scaryblackdeath's preview: yeah, ok, the rulings are not getting any better, obv. But how are all the other justices dealing with the new reality?
posted by Melismata at 8:20 AM on February 27, 2018
So, I'm genuinely curious: how's the Supreme Court doing these days? Last time I checked in, Gorsuch was being a blowhard and trying to mansplain to the female justices. Has he been paddled yet? How are they dealing with him? Thanks!
scaryblackdeath's preview: yeah, ok, the rulings are not getting any better, obv. But how are all the other justices dealing with the new reality?
posted by Melismata at 8:20 AM on February 27, 2018
The EPA has dissolved a program that studied the effects of chemical exposure on children
The NCER is largely known for the funding it provides through its premiere program, Science To Achieve Results (STAR). Under the STAR program, grants are given to the Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers, which were established in 1988 to discover methods to reduce children's health risks from environmental factors. [...]. "The children centers were really the first and only centers to undercover the relationship with prenatal exposure to flame retardants and IQ deficiencies in children.” [...]"STAR has had numerous successes, such as in research on human health implications of air pollution, on environmental effects on children’s health and well-being, on interactions between climate change and air quality, and on the human health implications of nanoparticles. Those are just a few examples; many more could be cited," the report read.
If at any point in the future you find yourself feeling bad for Scott Pruitt, remember that he deserved much, much worse.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:20 AM on February 27, 2018 [40 favorites]
The NCER is largely known for the funding it provides through its premiere program, Science To Achieve Results (STAR). Under the STAR program, grants are given to the Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers, which were established in 1988 to discover methods to reduce children's health risks from environmental factors. [...]. "The children centers were really the first and only centers to undercover the relationship with prenatal exposure to flame retardants and IQ deficiencies in children.” [...]"STAR has had numerous successes, such as in research on human health implications of air pollution, on environmental effects on children’s health and well-being, on interactions between climate change and air quality, and on the human health implications of nanoparticles. Those are just a few examples; many more could be cited," the report read.
If at any point in the future you find yourself feeling bad for Scott Pruitt, remember that he deserved much, much worse.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:20 AM on February 27, 2018 [40 favorites]
Supreme Court Ruling Means Immigrants Could Continue To Be Detained Indefinitely
If Gorsuch was Garland, this would be a 4-4 ruling setting no precedent. Their influence on the judiciary will surely be the greatest and most monstrous legacy of both Senator McConnell and President Trump.
Well, actually, Trump could do a lot of more monstrous things. I take it back.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:22 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
If Gorsuch was Garland, this would be a 4-4 ruling setting no precedent. Their influence on the judiciary will surely be the greatest and most monstrous legacy of both Senator McConnell and President Trump.
Well, actually, Trump could do a lot of more monstrous things. I take it back.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:22 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
If and when there is a wave giving Dems control of Congress and the White House, packing the Supreme Court by expanding it to eleven seats should be a serious consideration. Yes, doing so would be a nakedly political power grab, but only in the service of correcting the nakedly political power grab of Mitch McConnell, and restoring the court to its proper role by marginalizing the extreme partisans. Pack the court with real justices, not Republican lapdogs.
posted by biogeo at 8:27 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
posted by biogeo at 8:27 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Mueller has filed to dismiss charges against Rick Gates following last week's guilty plea. (SLTwitter) Holy shit, he must have completely given up the goose for them to file this!
posted by Sophie1 at 8:28 AM on February 27, 2018 [61 favorites]
posted by Sophie1 at 8:28 AM on February 27, 2018 [61 favorites]
Mueller has requested the court drop all charges against Gates. Without prejudice, so they can file the same charges again later if they want to.
Daaaaaaannnng.
posted by Andrhia at 8:29 AM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
Daaaaaaannnng.
posted by Andrhia at 8:29 AM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
All charges? It says only charges 5-10 and 15-32?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:30 AM on February 27, 2018
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:30 AM on February 27, 2018
Here’s hoping that’s the cause of the WITCH HUNT tweet.
(And me having the chorus to Dragula stuck in my head all morning.)
posted by Artw at 8:37 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
(And me having the chorus to Dragula stuck in my head all morning.)
posted by Artw at 8:37 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Is it worth giving up Gates to get Manafort, when Manafort already seems so supremely Gotten? It would seem not. Surely Gates has allowed Someone Bigger to be Gotten.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:41 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:41 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
It seems to me that there are only two ways to read dismissing all these charges -- that Gates is innocent and the whole thing was a colossal mistake, which seems very unlikely -- or he gave Mueller something so valuable he gets basically a free pass.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:42 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 8:42 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
He gets a free pass if he cooperates fully; otherwise he gets life in prison.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Gates arguably also knows more about Trump than Manafort. He stayed with the Trump campaign longer than Manafort and was also part of the transition team that seemed to have such an inability to stop meeting with the Russian ambassador.
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by soren_lorensen at 8:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Ray Walston, Luck Dragon: It seems to me that there are only two ways to read dismissing all these charges -- that Gates is innocent and the whole thing was a colossal mistake, which seems very unlikely -- or he gave Mueller something so valuable he gets basically a free pass.
Gee, I wonder which possibility the White House is going to declare as the ultimate truth, independent of likelihood?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:52 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Gee, I wonder which possibility the White House is going to declare as the ultimate truth, independent of likelihood?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 8:52 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Cato's always been a free markets, open borders type shop. I wonder when someone there will realize they're now more at home with the Democratic party?
Cato has always been a political instrument of the Kock brothers since its founding by Charles Koch in 1974. There was a nasty lawsuit over control in 2012 in which the Koch brothers forced out a managing CEO with whom they disagreed. The Kochs control four seats on the board of directors.
Cato works for Koch.
posted by JackFlash at 8:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Cato has always been a political instrument of the Kock brothers since its founding by Charles Koch in 1974. There was a nasty lawsuit over control in 2012 in which the Koch brothers forced out a managing CEO with whom they disagreed. The Kochs control four seats on the board of directors.
Cato works for Koch.
posted by JackFlash at 8:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
>It seems to me that there are only two ways to read dismissing all these charges -- that Gates is innocent and the whole thing was a colossal mistake, which seems very unlikely -- or he gave Mueller something so valuable he gets basically a free pass.
He gets a free pass if he cooperates fully; otherwise he gets life in prison.
Wonder what the statute of limitations are on those various charges? The clock stops while the charges are filed but presumably they're not tolled after this dismissal. So they need to get the needed testimony/cooperation done before it expires, yes? Obviously they have the information and on-record depositions by now but if they will need Gates on the stand they'll want to still have active leverage I would think. Could be some indication of a forthcoming timeline.
posted by phearlez at 9:03 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
He gets a free pass if he cooperates fully; otherwise he gets life in prison.
Wonder what the statute of limitations are on those various charges? The clock stops while the charges are filed but presumably they're not tolled after this dismissal. So they need to get the needed testimony/cooperation done before it expires, yes? Obviously they have the information and on-record depositions by now but if they will need Gates on the stand they'll want to still have active leverage I would think. Could be some indication of a forthcoming timeline.
posted by phearlez at 9:03 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
The statute of limitations for USC 1001 is 5 years, and for conspiracy its also 5 years running from the date of the last overt act...which is arguably on going to this day. Mueller has well into Trump's 2nd term to bring charges.
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
I've been trying to figure this out. It seems there were separate superseding indictments filed in the United States District Court for the District of Columbia for Manafort and Gates. (Which is not what I originally thought.)
The one for Gates (filed 2/02/2018, about three weeks before the superseding indictment against Manafort was filed) had only two counts: Conspiracy Against the United States, and False Statements.
Gates has already pled guilty to both counts. Here is his guilty plea.
I can't load documentcloud documents at work, so this Lawfare Link doesn't work for me, but it says that the indictment hosted there was issued by "a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia charged Paul Manafort and Richard Gates on a total of 32 counts"
What I think is happening is that both of the Grand Juries Mueller empanelled issued indictments against Manafort and Gates. (I am not sure why that would be necessary, but I am not a prosecutor.)
Gates pled to the two charges in the superseding indictment issued by the DC court, and then the charges against him in the Eastern District of Virginia were dismissed.
So I don't think this means he is walking. This is just tidying up the loose ends of the plea deal. He will still serve whatever sentence he gets for the two charges he pled guilty to in the DC court.
posted by OnceUponATime at 9:14 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
The one for Gates (filed 2/02/2018, about three weeks before the superseding indictment against Manafort was filed) had only two counts: Conspiracy Against the United States, and False Statements.
Gates has already pled guilty to both counts. Here is his guilty plea.
I can't load documentcloud documents at work, so this Lawfare Link doesn't work for me, but it says that the indictment hosted there was issued by "a grand jury in the Eastern District of Virginia charged Paul Manafort and Richard Gates on a total of 32 counts"
What I think is happening is that both of the Grand Juries Mueller empanelled issued indictments against Manafort and Gates. (I am not sure why that would be necessary, but I am not a prosecutor.)
Gates pled to the two charges in the superseding indictment issued by the DC court, and then the charges against him in the Eastern District of Virginia were dismissed.
So I don't think this means he is walking. This is just tidying up the loose ends of the plea deal. He will still serve whatever sentence he gets for the two charges he pled guilty to in the DC court.
posted by OnceUponATime at 9:14 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Supreme Court Ruling Means Immigrants Could Continue To Be Detained Indefinitely
Per SCOTUSblog, they specifically ruled that the *statute* as written does not require bond hearings, and remanded back to the 9th Circuit to rule on the Constitutional questions.
"The Court said: That's not right, the statutes don't say that. But it remanded for the Ninth Circuit to consider whether the immigrant had valid constitutional claims regarding his detention."
We will see this case again. And I suspect that Breyer has laid out a nice path for the 9th in his dissent.
posted by anastasiav at 9:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Per SCOTUSblog, they specifically ruled that the *statute* as written does not require bond hearings, and remanded back to the 9th Circuit to rule on the Constitutional questions.
"The Court said: That's not right, the statutes don't say that. But it remanded for the Ninth Circuit to consider whether the immigrant had valid constitutional claims regarding his detention."
We will see this case again. And I suspect that Breyer has laid out a nice path for the 9th in his dissent.
posted by anastasiav at 9:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Yes - I disagree with the Court here, but it's not as simple as "now we can have internment camps."
posted by Chrysostom at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:23 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Cato's always been a free markets, open borders type shop. I wonder when someone there will realize they're now more at home with the Democratic party?
...
Cato works for Koch.
The Kochs should just come home to the Libertarian Party and bring all their delicious delicious Koch money with them.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:25 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
...
Cato works for Koch.
The Kochs should just come home to the Libertarian Party and bring all their delicious delicious Koch money with them.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:25 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
The farthest this ruling can go is "a law on the books says we can have internment camps," which should lead to the natural conclusion "that law is unconstitutional." Of course, with this court, that'd probably be a 5-4 case.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 9:27 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Zachary Cohen (CNN) tweets:
NSA/Cybercom chief Adm. Rogers tells lawmakers he has not been given the authority by President Trump or Defense Sec. Mattis to disrupt Russian cyber threats where they originate.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us.
posted by Devonian at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
NSA/Cybercom chief Adm. Rogers tells lawmakers he has not been given the authority by President Trump or Defense Sec. Mattis to disrupt Russian cyber threats where they originate.
We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no health in us.
posted by Devonian at 9:30 AM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
Korematsu v. United States was never overturned, and if you think the Roberts Court would be the one to do it...
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 9:31 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Forbes: Trump's Biggest Potential Conflict Of Interest Is Hiding In Plain Sight
posted by murphy slaw at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2018 [97 favorites]
But that's all small potatoes. The real money in the Trump empire comes from commercial tenants like the Chinese bank. Forbes estimates these tenants pay a collective $175 million a year or so to the president. And they do so anonymously. Federal laws, drafted without envisioning a real estate billionaire as president, require Trump to publicly disclose the shell companies he owns--but not the hundreds of businesses pouring money into them or even the extent of the money involved.when supercapitalist organ Forbes is pounding the pavement for the resistance, we are truly in the upside down…
"The public reading the [disclosure] form doesn't know who is paying the president," says Walter Shaub, who resigned as the federal government's top ethics official in July. The president likes it that way. Neither the White House nor the Trump Organization would provide a list of the president's tenants, much less reveal what they pay. Instead, Trump Organization lawyer Alan Garten provided a statement: "Following the election, the Trump Organization implemented a rigorous vetting process for all transactions, including leases, which includes a detailed review and approval by our chief compliance officer and outside ethics advisor." In other words, government ethics officials, charged with detecting conflicts of interest, have never seen the president's rent roll.
So we created one on our own, identifying 164 tenants, in virtually every industry, from all around the world, and then estimated payments, wherever possible, based on property records, debt prospectuses and conversations with real estate experts. When tenants refused to say how much space they rented, we made in-person visits and took rough measurements. (There were obstacles: The day after we sent questions to the Trump Organization , two security guards kicked a Forbes reporter out of a shopping area of one Trump property.) When we could not get more detailed information, we assumed tenants paid rates comparable to those for similar properties in their respective markets. We believe we've tracked the sources for 75% of the rent flowing into the president's coffers.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:32 AM on February 27, 2018 [97 favorites]
NSA/Cybercom chief Adm. Rogers tells lawmakers he has not been given the authority by President Trump or Defense Sec. Mattis to disrupt Russian cyber threats where they originate.
"I believe that President Putin has clearly come to the conclusion there's little price to pay here," Rogers said, adding that the US response to 2016 election interference has done little to deter additional meddling.
This seems pretty straightforward: Admiral Rogers, head of the NSA, is saying that the President is incompetent, at best. How long will he last?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:35 AM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
"I believe that President Putin has clearly come to the conclusion there's little price to pay here," Rogers said, adding that the US response to 2016 election interference has done little to deter additional meddling.
This seems pretty straightforward: Admiral Rogers, head of the NSA, is saying that the President is incompetent, at best. How long will he last?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 9:35 AM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
The Kochs should just come home to the Libertarian Party and bring all their delicious delicious Koch money with them.
The Kochs are full on nazis and the weak pseudo-fascism of the Libertarians isn't going to satisfy them now they've tasted the real thing.
posted by Artw at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
The Kochs are full on nazis and the weak pseudo-fascism of the Libertarians isn't going to satisfy them now they've tasted the real thing.
posted by Artw at 9:37 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
With Bernie's son Levi Sanders announcing a run for Congress, people have been taking a closer look. I feel like this tweet sums it up for me;
Ragnarok Lobster@eclecticbrotha
Holy shit, Levi Sanders is BernieBro Patient Zero.
Here's what he's talking about;
https://twitter.com/deanbarker/status/967753515203485696
posted by bongo_x at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2018 [49 favorites]
Ragnarok Lobster@eclecticbrotha
Holy shit, Levi Sanders is BernieBro Patient Zero.
Here's what he's talking about;
https://twitter.com/deanbarker/status/967753515203485696
posted by bongo_x at 9:41 AM on February 27, 2018 [49 favorites]
He also lives way outside the district he lives in - someone on Twitter compared it to running for office in NYC while living in Buffalo.
posted by Chrysostom at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 9:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
With Bernie's son Levi Sanders announcing a run for Congress, people have been taking a closer look. I feel like this tweet sums it up for me;
we got rid of hereditary nobility to avoid just this kind of inbreeding
posted by murphy slaw at 9:45 AM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
we got rid of hereditary nobility to avoid just this kind of inbreeding
posted by murphy slaw at 9:45 AM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
Wonder what the statute of limitations are on those various charges?
Dismissed without prejudice. Mueller just needs to dust off an indictment and refile them. Sword is still hanging over his head.
posted by mikelieman at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Dismissed without prejudice. Mueller just needs to dust off an indictment and refile them. Sword is still hanging over his head.
posted by mikelieman at 9:47 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
He must have tattled on EVERYONE. What's now stopping him from relocating to a non-extradition country tonight?
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by fluttering hellfire at 9:49 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
The Kochs are full on nazis and the weak pseudo-fascism of the Libertarians isn't going to satisfy them now they've tasted the real thing.
What? They didn't support Trump's campaign, and from everything I've heard, they're pretty crabby about the rise of the "alt-right" and the direction the Republican Party is headed.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:51 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
What? They didn't support Trump's campaign, and from everything I've heard, they're pretty crabby about the rise of the "alt-right" and the direction the Republican Party is headed.
posted by Jacqueline at 9:51 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Infowars has received a second Youtube strike for Parkland conspiracy theories, will be unable to post new content for two weeks, and is one strike away from being banned forever.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:52 AM on February 27, 2018 [57 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:52 AM on February 27, 2018 [57 favorites]
atomwaffen isn't disseminating false information - they really do want to do all the horrible things to jews that they say in their videos. so it's all good by youtube policy.
posted by murphy slaw at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 9:56 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
What? They didn't support Trump's campaign, and from everything I've heard, they're pretty crabby about the rise of the "alt-right" and the direction the Republican Party is headed.
The Kochs, like many ostensibly NeverTrump conservatives, prefer that their horrors are presented as genteel and under the radar, not that they don't exist at all. They don't mind the autocratic direction the country seems to be headed towards, they're happy to contribute billions towards resurrecting and expanding Jim Crow, they're essentially funding the entire climate science denial movement, and they're on the cusp of destroying not just organized labor but the ability for anyone to organize at all.
"Not supporting Trump" and "being 'crabby' about Nazis" aren't even barriers for being a kindasorta decent human being, and they barely qualify for those. That the rest of their behavior is as bad or worse than Trump and his cult more than wipes out any other goodwill.
posted by zombieflanders at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
The Kochs, like many ostensibly NeverTrump conservatives, prefer that their horrors are presented as genteel and under the radar, not that they don't exist at all. They don't mind the autocratic direction the country seems to be headed towards, they're happy to contribute billions towards resurrecting and expanding Jim Crow, they're essentially funding the entire climate science denial movement, and they're on the cusp of destroying not just organized labor but the ability for anyone to organize at all.
"Not supporting Trump" and "being 'crabby' about Nazis" aren't even barriers for being a kindasorta decent human being, and they barely qualify for those. That the rest of their behavior is as bad or worse than Trump and his cult more than wipes out any other goodwill.
posted by zombieflanders at 10:00 AM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
Woah, from that Forbes article about Trump real estate income:
posted by suelac at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2018 [83 favorites]
How, then, to consider the backroom discussions between federal officials and Walgreens Boots Alliance, one of the largest pharmacies in the world? Through its brand Duane Reade, it is the highest-paying tenant in Trump's skyscraper at 40 Wall Street in New York, with $3.2 million in annual rent, according to a 2015 prospectus. In October 2015, Walgreens Boots Alliance announced a $9.4 billion merger with rival Rite Aid, requiring a sign-off from antimonopoly regulators. After the deal failed to secure approval under President Obama, it then fell to the Trump administration, which arrived in Washington during the first quarter of 2017. According to federal disclosures, that was the same quarter Walgreens Boots Alliance began directly lobbying the White House on "competition policy issues." In September, despite objections by one of the two commissioners at the Federal Trade Commission, Trump's tenant got the green light for a slimmed-down, $4.4 billion version of the deal. In January, Trump announced he would nominate the commissioner who supported the deal, Maureen Ohlhausen, to be a federal judge.That right there: how is that not by itself deserving of a major federal investigation?
posted by suelac at 10:05 AM on February 27, 2018 [83 favorites]
DCCC Advised Candidates Not To Discuss Gun Control Policy Right After Vegas Shooting
Yet again proving themselves to be geniuses wit him their thumbs on the pulse of what constitutes “electability”.
posted by Artw at 10:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
Yet again proving themselves to be geniuses wit him their thumbs on the pulse of what constitutes “electability”.
posted by Artw at 10:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
Wonder what the statute of limitations are on those various charges?
Dismissed without prejudice. Mueller just needs to dust off an indictment and refile them. Sword is still hanging over his head.
Until statute runs out, yes. You can't permanently toll a SoL by filing and then dismissing without prejudice. I'm just wondering what, if anything, said limit might tell us about how quickly anything might need to proceed. Based on T.D.S.' statement the answer is "not very."
posted by phearlez at 10:07 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Dismissed without prejudice. Mueller just needs to dust off an indictment and refile them. Sword is still hanging over his head.
Until statute runs out, yes. You can't permanently toll a SoL by filing and then dismissing without prejudice. I'm just wondering what, if anything, said limit might tell us about how quickly anything might need to proceed. Based on T.D.S.' statement the answer is "not very."
posted by phearlez at 10:07 AM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
suelac: That right there: how is that not by itself deserving of a major federal investigation?
Scenario: you're in a football stadium, and your job is to catch snakes.
Problem: there are thousands of snakes, and you only have a pair of slippery gloves and about 25 grocery bags in which to hold said snakes.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
Scenario: you're in a football stadium, and your job is to catch snakes.
Problem: there are thousands of snakes, and you only have a pair of slippery gloves and about 25 grocery bags in which to hold said snakes.
posted by filthy light thief at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
That right there: how is that not by itself deserving of a major federal investigation?
I occasionally suspect the Trump administration's legal strategy is to commit so many crimes that Mueller is never able to finish his report.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [70 favorites]
I occasionally suspect the Trump administration's legal strategy is to commit so many crimes that Mueller is never able to finish his report.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:08 AM on February 27, 2018 [70 favorites]
What? They didn't support Trump's campaign, and from everything I've heard, they're pretty crabby about the rise of the "alt-right" and the direction the Republican Party is headed.
Nah. They love Trump. He made nice with them last year. And look what happened: Koch Document Reveals Laundry List of Policy Victories Extracted from the Trump Administration. The 13 points include the Republican tax bill, the attack on the inheritance tax, the gutting of the EPA Clean Power Plan and America's withdrawal from the Paris Accord.
posted by zarq at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
Nah. They love Trump. He made nice with them last year. And look what happened: Koch Document Reveals Laundry List of Policy Victories Extracted from the Trump Administration. The 13 points include the Republican tax bill, the attack on the inheritance tax, the gutting of the EPA Clean Power Plan and America's withdrawal from the Paris Accord.
posted by zarq at 10:13 AM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
So Mifsud is missing and wouldn't come out of hiding to see his newborn daughter. He's probably still alive. Probably.
Buzzfeed: The Professor At The Center Of The Russia-Trump Probe Boasted To His Girlfriend In Ukraine That He Was Friends With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
His email and cell phones went dead. And politicians, colleagues and journalists can't find him. Neither can Anna, his 31-year-old Ukrainian fiancee, who says he is the father of her newborn child. [...] Anna, who BuzzFeed News has agreed to identify only by her first name because she doesn’t want the attention, says she was seven months pregnant and engaged to Mifsud when he became the focus of world media attention as the professor who told Papadopoulos that Russia had “dirt” on Clinton. Shortly thereafter, he dropped from sight. He also cut off all contact with Anna, including phone calls and WhatsApp messages. That silence has held, even six weeks after the daughter Anna says he fathered was born.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:15 AM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
Buzzfeed: The Professor At The Center Of The Russia-Trump Probe Boasted To His Girlfriend In Ukraine That He Was Friends With Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov
His email and cell phones went dead. And politicians, colleagues and journalists can't find him. Neither can Anna, his 31-year-old Ukrainian fiancee, who says he is the father of her newborn child. [...] Anna, who BuzzFeed News has agreed to identify only by her first name because she doesn’t want the attention, says she was seven months pregnant and engaged to Mifsud when he became the focus of world media attention as the professor who told Papadopoulos that Russia had “dirt” on Clinton. Shortly thereafter, he dropped from sight. He also cut off all contact with Anna, including phone calls and WhatsApp messages. That silence has held, even six weeks after the daughter Anna says he fathered was born.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:15 AM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
Hope Hicks is going beyond "Bannon-ing" HPSCI, not asserting privilege but she is “following the orders of the White House” by refusing to answer questions on her time in the transition and after inauguration.
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [34 favorites]
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [34 favorites]
Yet again proving themselves to be geniuses wit him their thumbs on the pulse of what constitutes “electability”.
everyone knows you don't check for a pulse with your thumb..... or is that the joke here?
posted by some loser at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
everyone knows you don't check for a pulse with your thumb..... or is that the joke here?
posted by some loser at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
supercapitalist organ Forbes This is your regular reminder that people still don't understand the difference between Forbes the magazine and forbes.com/sites. The former is Maxim for capitalists. The later is Geocities for clickbait writers.
posted by persona at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by persona at 10:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
uh, "This story appears in the February 28, 2018 issue of Forbes"
posted by murphy slaw at 10:29 AM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 10:29 AM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
So Hope Hicks is telling Congress that she has been ordered by the White House to refuse to cooperate in their investigation? I am thinking of a word that rhymes with schmobstruction.
posted by prefpara at 10:30 AM on February 27, 2018 [63 favorites]
posted by prefpara at 10:30 AM on February 27, 2018 [63 favorites]
supercapitalist organ Forbes This is your regular reminder that people still don't understand the difference between Forbes the magazine and forbes.com/sites. The former is Maxim for capitalists. The later is Geocities for clickbait writers.
The link in question is published under forbes.com/sites, but is written by Forbes staff and, per the text at the top of the page, published in this week's print issue. That doesn't make it automatically all true, but it's an actual edited Forbes story, not something by one of the thousands of assorted "contributors" they have in their network.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
The link in question is published under forbes.com/sites, but is written by Forbes staff and, per the text at the top of the page, published in this week's print issue. That doesn't make it automatically all true, but it's an actual edited Forbes story, not something by one of the thousands of assorted "contributors" they have in their network.
posted by zachlipton at 10:30 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
@NBCNews: WATCH: NSA Director Rogers on Russian cyberattacks: "I believe that President Putin has clearly come to the conclusion there's little price to pay here, and that therefore I can continue this activity." "If we don't change the dynamic here, this is going to continue – and 2016 won't be viewed as something isolated, this is something that will be sustained over time ... Clearly what we've done hasn't been enough."
posted by zachlipton at 10:31 AM on February 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 10:31 AM on February 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
OMG. @arappeport: Mnuchin says he has had high level discussions with international counterparts about rejoining TPP, says renegotiating it is “on the table.”
You mean there might have been a reason to not just rip the thing up because Obama was part of it without even understanding what it was or what it would do?
posted by zachlipton at 10:35 AM on February 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
You mean there might have been a reason to not just rip the thing up because Obama was part of it without even understanding what it was or what it would do?
posted by zachlipton at 10:35 AM on February 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
Clearly what we've done hasn't been enough.
We've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas!
posted by SpiffyRob at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
We've tried nothing and we're all out of ideas!
posted by SpiffyRob at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
argh, why does congress continue to let these administration stooges get away with this shit? they need to either affirmatively plead the fifth, claim privilege (and open that can of worms), or get slapped with contempt of congress.
(i know this answer: republicans)
posted by murphy slaw at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
(i know this answer: republicans)
posted by murphy slaw at 10:36 AM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Mnuchin says he has had high level discussions with international counterparts about rejoining TPP, says renegotiating it is “on the table.”
The renegotiation is that the T now stands for Trump
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
The renegotiation is that the T now stands for Trump
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:38 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Brad Parscale's first official act as 2020 campaign manager: liking a tweet that calls Trump an idiot.
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by Rust Moranis at 10:40 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
That silence has held, even six weeks after the daughter Anna says he fathered was born.
This dude is either dead or hidden away in a Putin compound, he's never going to be seen again much less questioned in the Russia investigation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
This dude is either dead or hidden away in a Putin compound, he's never going to be seen again much less questioned in the Russia investigation.
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
From the Forbes article suelac linked:
Interesting definition of "most" there. I would have said "no one" or "only total idiots."
Trump practically advertised during the campaign that he had no respect for the Constitution on this or any other issue. His supporters have no excuse for not realizing that Trump would be compromised by his financial entanglements with foreign entities, past, present, or future.
posted by biogeo at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
The tragedy of this $175 million mess is that it was completely avoidable. Right after Trump was elected, most assumed the septuagenarian would divest his assets and engage in the biggest job in the world with clean hands.(My emphasis).
Interesting definition of "most" there. I would have said "no one" or "only total idiots."
Trump practically advertised during the campaign that he had no respect for the Constitution on this or any other issue. His supporters have no excuse for not realizing that Trump would be compromised by his financial entanglements with foreign entities, past, present, or future.
posted by biogeo at 10:42 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
I assume that they're not asserting executive privilege because much of the material in question is from before the inauguration, at which time nobody involved was actually part of the executive branch.
They'll probably try it at some point but that seems like a straight line to the courts.
posted by murphy slaw at 10:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
They'll probably try it at some point but that seems like a straight line to the courts.
posted by murphy slaw at 10:43 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Does anyone have a good read on why the White House has (seemingly) taken the approach of not actually asserting executive privilege?
Once they officially invoke privilege they have to acknowledge the basis for it and could be challenged in court (if Republicans would hahahahaha I can't even say it). And since Republicans aren't making them, why even give that much?
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:44 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Once they officially invoke privilege they have to acknowledge the basis for it and could be challenged in court (if Republicans would hahahahaha I can't even say it). And since Republicans aren't making them, why even give that much?
posted by T.D. Strange at 10:44 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Brad Parscale's first official act as 2020 campaign manager: liking a tweet that calls Trump an idiot.
Well, I'm sure maybe it was a backhanded insult in an otherwise nuanced post. Let's look at the full text of the tweet:
"idiot"
People's views evolve over time, I suppose, and he probably made this statement a long ti--
"7:29 AM - 27 Feb 2018"
The best people.
posted by Freon at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
Well, I'm sure maybe it was a backhanded insult in an otherwise nuanced post. Let's look at the full text of the tweet:
"idiot"
People's views evolve over time, I suppose, and he probably made this statement a long ti--
"7:29 AM - 27 Feb 2018"
The best people.
posted by Freon at 10:46 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
Does anyone have a good read on why the White House has (seemingly) taken the approach of not actually asserting executive privilege?
My impression:
My impression:
- They can do it later and slow things down.
- They’re attempting to silence even testimony regarding the transition, during which Trump was not the executive, and it’s not necessary to make that absurd argument at this time.
- The penalties for Republicans in contempt of a Republican Congress appear non-existent.
Brad Parscale's first official act as 2020 campaign manager: liking a tweet that calls Trump an idiot.
A perfect segue to Marcy Wheeler's article, Was the Trump Campaign Full of Spies or Just Idiots?
posted by zachlipton at 10:50 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
A perfect segue to Marcy Wheeler's article, Was the Trump Campaign Full of Spies or Just Idiots?
So the latest Memoghazi arguments might best be summarized this way: After Democrats convincingly argued Trump made a suspected Russian asset a key foreign policy advisor, Republicans insisted that doesn’t matter because the suspected Russian asset was a moron.Parscale's journey from the guy who handed out business cards to people looking at HTML books in a bookstore and underbidding on a Trump website to Presidential campaign manager in eight years is one of the strangest things about all this. To me, it speaks to Trump not really running a campaign so much as a digital grift and messaging operation, which is really even more scary.
This is supposed to help Trump undercut the Mueller investigation?
...
This makes the most damning single event unearthed so far as part of the larger Russia investigation—a June 9, 2016 meeting at Trump Tower—even more so. It implies that, less than two months before Donald Trump, Jr. accepted the meeting with a bunch of Russians offering dirt on Hillary Clinton by eagerly stating, “If it’s what you say I love it,” someone on the campaign may have learned the Russians were seeking to help by anonymously leaking emails.
Turns out the same people trying to minimize Trump’s own ties to suspected Russian spies somehow managed to force out a ton of new evidence about just how serious those ties were.
posted by zachlipton at 10:50 AM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
Was the Trump Campaign Full of Spies or Just Idiots?
this elides that for some purposes, idiots are the best spies
posted by murphy slaw at 10:51 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
this elides that for some purposes, idiots are the best spies
posted by murphy slaw at 10:51 AM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
It's important to note that SCOTUS has held that Executive Privilege does not apply to criminal procedure.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 AM on February 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:54 AM on February 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
From Nate Cohn: It's increasingly clear that Clinton didn't just win college educated white voters, but probably won them by a large, even double digit margin.
He is referencing this NYT Upshot story.
Keep that in mind when rightists go after education. An educated populace is a liberal populace.
posted by Justinian at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
He is referencing this NYT Upshot story.
Keep that in mind when rightists go after education. An educated populace is a liberal populace.
posted by Justinian at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
To me, it speaks to Trump not really running a campaign so much as a digital grift and messaging operation, which is really even more scary.
Trump provided the grift; Putin provided the campaign.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Trump provided the grift; Putin provided the campaign.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
They are all habitual criminals, some of the criminals are idiots, some of the criminals are spies, most of the spies are idiots because any smart spy would realize being in a super high profile position is a really dumb idea for someone who is supposed to be doing secret shit, and most of the group skews idiot as well because the same applies to criminal behavior.
posted by Artw at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Artw at 10:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
i propose a new term, "moronespionage"
posted by murphy slaw at 10:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 10:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
"nontelligence operative"
posted by middleclasstool at 10:59 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
posted by middleclasstool at 10:59 AM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
"Texas governor warns of Dems' strong early voting"
For what it's worth, I heard some buzz on some Texas progressive groups about a campaign to encourage folks to vote in the Republican primary AGAINST Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick because he's vile scum. I don't know how widespread that effort is, but it might be telling that these numbers may also include people crossing parties to the GOP side in the open primaries for strategic reasons. I know I've considered which party primary to vote in, since my local Dem ballot is unlikely to have many contested races.
posted by threeturtles at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
For what it's worth, I heard some buzz on some Texas progressive groups about a campaign to encourage folks to vote in the Republican primary AGAINST Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick because he's vile scum. I don't know how widespread that effort is, but it might be telling that these numbers may also include people crossing parties to the GOP side in the open primaries for strategic reasons. I know I've considered which party primary to vote in, since my local Dem ballot is unlikely to have many contested races.
posted by threeturtles at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
You mean there might have been a reason to not just rip [TPP] up because Obama was part of it without even understanding what it was or what it would do?
Funny enough, that line applies exactly as-is to a number of voices heard here (and elsewhere, to be sure — like on Facebook. Hmm...) in the lead up to 2016. Like the primarily young, primarily white protestors shouting down civil rights icon John Lewis during the Democratic National Convention, all while waving “NO TPP” signs.
Did I say “funny”? Ha! Ha? Ha.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Funny enough, that line applies exactly as-is to a number of voices heard here (and elsewhere, to be sure — like on Facebook. Hmm...) in the lead up to 2016. Like the primarily young, primarily white protestors shouting down civil rights icon John Lewis during the Democratic National Convention, all while waving “NO TPP” signs.
Did I say “funny”? Ha! Ha? Ha.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 11:00 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
I want to put in a plug here for mr_bovis's excellent FPP on Operation #OneMoreVote for net neutrality. The quick takeaway is that Fight for the Future is looking for calls to your Senators to save net neutrality, as we're seemingly one vote away from overturning the FCC's action under the Congressional Review Act.
So call your Senators and ask them to save net neutrality. Thanks.
posted by zachlipton at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
So call your Senators and ask them to save net neutrality. Thanks.
posted by zachlipton at 11:01 AM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
I never really understood the antipathy for TPP among progressive Sanders supporters. It struck me as more of a shibboleth than anything else. Trade is good! Sure, it's an imperfect deal. But has there ever been a perfect one?
posted by Justinian at 11:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:02 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
But don't get your hopes up too much, because a CRA resolution has to be passed by the House and the Senate, and is subject to a presidential veto. It's only different from passing a law saying "this agency action is null and void" because it's exempt from the filibuster.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:03 AM on February 27, 2018
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 11:03 AM on February 27, 2018
Pascale liking the "Idiot" tweet is just continuing a tradition. The very first tweet liked by @RealDonaldTrump, or at least the earliest "like" he has never retracted, is the last in the following chain:
Donald J. Trump, 1 Mar 2013: Continued success is built on building a brand people know will deliver. Unless you’re @KarlRove. Then you just blame the Tea Party.
Chest Strongwell @StrongChestwell:
@realDonaldTrump @KarlRove You act like it's Rove's fault the teabaggers marginalized the right as fundamentalists and fringe lunatics...
...in much the same way as you whine about China while championing free market principles...
... for one so self-posessed, you aren't very self-aware. You've hurt the GOP as much as anybody.
Maybe Donald thought the insult was directed at Rove and not himself, or something. But he's also famously retweeted people insulting him more bluntly, on more than one occasion. Momentary Trumpian ineptitude, or some staffer's cry for help? You decide.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:05 AM on February 27, 2018
Donald J. Trump, 1 Mar 2013: Continued success is built on building a brand people know will deliver. Unless you’re @KarlRove. Then you just blame the Tea Party.
Chest Strongwell @StrongChestwell:
@realDonaldTrump @KarlRove You act like it's Rove's fault the teabaggers marginalized the right as fundamentalists and fringe lunatics...
...in much the same way as you whine about China while championing free market principles...
... for one so self-posessed, you aren't very self-aware. You've hurt the GOP as much as anybody.
Maybe Donald thought the insult was directed at Rove and not himself, or something. But he's also famously retweeted people insulting him more bluntly, on more than one occasion. Momentary Trumpian ineptitude, or some staffer's cry for help? You decide.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:05 AM on February 27, 2018
You can also watch this amazing gif of Sen. Tester fouling Sen. Booker in a basketball game, which somehow has to do with net neutrality in a way that I don't particularly understand and don't really want to know because it would ruin the magic of this gif.
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 11:06 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
The EPA has dissolved a program that studied the effects of chemical exposure on children
The NCER is largely known for the funding it provides through its premiere program, Science To Achieve Results (STAR). Under the STAR program, grants are given to the Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers, which were established in 1988 to discover methods to reduce children's health risks from environmental factors. [...]
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:20 AM on February 27 [19 favorites +] [!]
My first PhD student was funded by STAR. She produced new methods for assuring that associations found in epidemiologic studies were real by properly bounding uncertainty and properly estimating confounding through measurement error. It makes me furious that the GOP focuses its attention and the country's discretionary spending almost exclusively on military protection and aggression, when the things that are actually killing most of us are health and safety issues here at home.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:07 AM on February 27, 2018 [47 favorites]
The NCER is largely known for the funding it provides through its premiere program, Science To Achieve Results (STAR). Under the STAR program, grants are given to the Children's Environmental Health and Disease Prevention Research Centers, which were established in 1988 to discover methods to reduce children's health risks from environmental factors. [...]
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:20 AM on February 27 [19 favorites +] [!]
My first PhD student was funded by STAR. She produced new methods for assuring that associations found in epidemiologic studies were real by properly bounding uncertainty and properly estimating confounding through measurement error. It makes me furious that the GOP focuses its attention and the country's discretionary spending almost exclusively on military protection and aggression, when the things that are actually killing most of us are health and safety issues here at home.
posted by Mental Wimp at 11:07 AM on February 27, 2018 [47 favorites]
Cook Political moves PA-18 special to Toss Up.
posted by Chrysostom at 11:09 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 11:09 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
The GOP is based on individual freedom and individual responsibility, in the sense that, if I am not the individual shooting children in a school, I am free from responsibility. If I am not the individual virus we failed to research, I am free from responsibility. If I am not the individual chemical we failed to regulate, I am free from responsibility.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:11 AM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:11 AM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
Justinian Some of it may have been pure shibboleth, but among the more techie crowd there was a lot of well justified opposition. Trade is good, sure. And leaving a power vacuum for China to fill isn't so great.
But TPP, what we could tell from the leaked portions (since during this time period the actual agreement was a tightly guarded secret that us plebes were denied access to and simply expected to support because trade is good) TPP included truly awful copyright sections that not only mandated all signatory nations abide by the US's informal policy of eternal copyright, but also actively engage in government activity to monitor the internet for copyright enforcement purposes.
TPP also permitted a disturbing amount of internet censorship and restriction by signatories.
I was opposed to TPP on those grounds, and still regard the rejection of TPP by the USA as one of the very few good things to have come from Trump's election. I don't like the fact that it has left a massive power vacuum in Asia for China to fill, but on balance I'd rather have that than the US being part of such a really horrible agreement.
Ideally the US government would have been working to make TPP just a free trade agreement rather than a free trade agreement wrapped in a horrible copyright, surveillance, and censorship regime. But, regrettably, most of the really awful parts of TPP were put in at the direction and insistence of the US negotiators.
Free trade good. Internet censorship and eternal copyright bad.
Worse, TPP also included a NAFTA Chapter 11 style setup for top secret "courts" to allow corporations in member nations to undermine and outright void hard won environment protection laws, and worker protection laws.
Free trade good. Letting foreign corporations nullify our (already pathetically weak) environmental and labor laws bad.
If trade agreements were about trade I'd be all for them. Since they're really anti-environment, anti-labor, and anti-freedom laws wrapped up in a shiny trade disguise I'm not.
posted by sotonohito at 11:14 AM on February 27, 2018 [78 favorites]
But TPP, what we could tell from the leaked portions (since during this time period the actual agreement was a tightly guarded secret that us plebes were denied access to and simply expected to support because trade is good) TPP included truly awful copyright sections that not only mandated all signatory nations abide by the US's informal policy of eternal copyright, but also actively engage in government activity to monitor the internet for copyright enforcement purposes.
TPP also permitted a disturbing amount of internet censorship and restriction by signatories.
I was opposed to TPP on those grounds, and still regard the rejection of TPP by the USA as one of the very few good things to have come from Trump's election. I don't like the fact that it has left a massive power vacuum in Asia for China to fill, but on balance I'd rather have that than the US being part of such a really horrible agreement.
Ideally the US government would have been working to make TPP just a free trade agreement rather than a free trade agreement wrapped in a horrible copyright, surveillance, and censorship regime. But, regrettably, most of the really awful parts of TPP were put in at the direction and insistence of the US negotiators.
Free trade good. Internet censorship and eternal copyright bad.
Worse, TPP also included a NAFTA Chapter 11 style setup for top secret "courts" to allow corporations in member nations to undermine and outright void hard won environment protection laws, and worker protection laws.
Free trade good. Letting foreign corporations nullify our (already pathetically weak) environmental and labor laws bad.
If trade agreements were about trade I'd be all for them. Since they're really anti-environment, anti-labor, and anti-freedom laws wrapped up in a shiny trade disguise I'm not.
posted by sotonohito at 11:14 AM on February 27, 2018 [78 favorites]
Thanks, sotonohito. I don't know that I agree with your analysis of TPP but that's neither here nor there. It's a good primer on why a progressive might oppose it so strongly.
posted by Justinian at 11:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by Justinian at 11:16 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Sotonohito hits the points that I paid attention to in opposing TPP. ISDS was a big one.
posted by rhizome at 11:18 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by rhizome at 11:18 AM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
TPP's worrisome IP/patent extensions were Really Not Great, and for that reason it was opposed by Doctors Without Borders, AMSA, and other public health oriented groups, since it had the potential to make medicines even less affordable.
posted by halation at 11:21 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
posted by halation at 11:21 AM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Brad Parscale's first official act as 2020 campaign manager: liking a tweet that calls Trump an idiot.
Much as we can only "favorite" comments here we want to keep track of whether we really like them or not, Maybe Parscale is just "liking" that tweet to start an enemies list.
posted by mikepop at 11:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Much as we can only "favorite" comments here we want to keep track of whether we really like them or not, Maybe Parscale is just "liking" that tweet to start an enemies list.
posted by mikepop at 11:24 AM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Sotonohito hits the points that I paid attention to in opposing TPP. ISDS was a big one.
ISDS is just so stereotypically bad you expect it to come from like, a Captain Planet villain
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:25 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
ISDS is just so stereotypically bad you expect it to come from like, a Captain Planet villain
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 11:25 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Clearly we need a constitutional amendment that likes are not endorsements
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:26 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 11:26 AM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
TPP's worrisome IP/patent extensions were Really Not Great
The thing is, those parts of the TPP were put in at American insistence. Because we don't have all that many manufacturing jobs anymore, but American companies do make a lot of money selling copyrighted intellectual property and licensing patents. Many of us now work in the "creative professions" generating IP in cubicals instead of generating products on factory floors. I guess draconian IP laws are sort of the dark underside of that development.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:28 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
The thing is, those parts of the TPP were put in at American insistence. Because we don't have all that many manufacturing jobs anymore, but American companies do make a lot of money selling copyrighted intellectual property and licensing patents. Many of us now work in the "creative professions" generating IP in cubicals instead of generating products on factory floors. I guess draconian IP laws are sort of the dark underside of that development.
posted by OnceUponATime at 11:28 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Maybe Parscale is just "liking" that tweet to start an enemies list.
Wait... have people been using MeFi favorites for something other than this?
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:32 AM on February 27, 2018 [56 favorites]
Wait... have people been using MeFi favorites for something other than this?
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:32 AM on February 27, 2018 [56 favorites]
cjelli: The Hatch Act prohibits executive branch employees from using their “official authority or influence for the purpose of interfering with an election or affecting the result thereof.”
If there were a document that was simply a bulleted list of all the times people in the Trump administration ran afoul of the Hatch Act, I can't even guess at how many pages long it would be. If you wanted to start your own tally, here's a Duck Duck Go Search for "trump hatch act" and the results list a half dozen people. When looking for such violations, don't forget that Retweets ≠ endorsements? Oh, yes, they do, say the Hatch Act police. (Callum Borchers for Washington Post, October 4, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:39 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
If there were a document that was simply a bulleted list of all the times people in the Trump administration ran afoul of the Hatch Act, I can't even guess at how many pages long it would be. If you wanted to start your own tally, here's a Duck Duck Go Search for "trump hatch act" and the results list a half dozen people. When looking for such violations, don't forget that Retweets ≠ endorsements? Oh, yes, they do, say the Hatch Act police. (Callum Borchers for Washington Post, October 4, 2017)
posted by filthy light thief at 11:39 AM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
And just to roll things back a smidge, is the idea that Mnuchin is a good negotiator with the political capital to get the TPP ball rolling again? If so, I'm skeptical.
posted by rhizome at 11:40 AM on February 27, 2018
posted by rhizome at 11:40 AM on February 27, 2018
So apparently the college organization that keeps bringing Nazis onto campus is having a meltdown over adult diapers.
posted by Artw at 11:47 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Artw at 11:47 AM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
From Artw's link:
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
Just this month, the president and campus coordinator for Turning Point USA at Kent State University announced her resignation, claiming the national organisation had lied about the incident to the press and left her to clean up the fallout on her own.It's called the Modern American Conservative Movement, and lady—you've been soaking in it.
“As of right now, I am in disbelief at how I went from being so upbeat, enthusiastic, and passionate about this organisation to being disgusted, frustrated, and embarrassed to have invested my entire senior year into an organisation founded by a college dropout who hires some of the most incompetent, lazy, and downright dishonest people I have ever encountered,” wrote former president Kaitlin Bennett in her scathing letter of resignation.
posted by Atom Eyes at 11:55 AM on February 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
TPP was full of terrible policies, and I see others have already stepped up to explain why. The constant characterization of this opinion as somehow making one a "Berniebro" is one of the most exhausting and disappointing things about the conversation here on MeFi and in "progressive" circles more generally. Our position is frequently tarred as reflexively anti-Hillary or something (even though her final position on TPP was also that it was not acceptable in its current form, but whatever), even though we frequently detail the substantive basis for our opposition AND even though the pro-TPP position generally breaks down to "trade is good and it says trade in the name so you should support it!" I'm sorry but that is some shallow analysis and basically invites treaty negotiators to slip lousy policies into nice-sounding documents.
Moreover, the remaining 11 parties went ahead and entered their own treaty without the US, called the CPTPP, and it appears that it is in fact substantially better on all these policies than the TPP was. (Note for those unfamiliar with Brad Delong: he worked in the Clinton treasury department and is not exactly a Bernie shill). So, it seems indisputable that the other 11 countries are better off for the TPP having been dropped. Frankly I think there's a real chance that American consumers will be better off, as the pharma provisions could have badly driven up costs and the ISDS provisions were almost inherently anti-consumer. In any event, there is nothing stopping the USA from joining the CPTPP on its terms if some future administration is willing to suck it up and negotiate in good faith.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 11:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Moreover, the remaining 11 parties went ahead and entered their own treaty without the US, called the CPTPP, and it appears that it is in fact substantially better on all these policies than the TPP was. (Note for those unfamiliar with Brad Delong: he worked in the Clinton treasury department and is not exactly a Bernie shill). So, it seems indisputable that the other 11 countries are better off for the TPP having been dropped. Frankly I think there's a real chance that American consumers will be better off, as the pharma provisions could have badly driven up costs and the ISDS provisions were almost inherently anti-consumer. In any event, there is nothing stopping the USA from joining the CPTPP on its terms if some future administration is willing to suck it up and negotiate in good faith.
posted by Joey Buttafoucault at 11:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
sounds like for her, the wearing-diapers-to-own-the-libs moment was a real [pun redacted]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 11:57 AM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Probably TPP talk should get its own thread? Re-cap of pros and cons, where it stands, and whether the US will actually get involved now?
posted by Tevin at 11:59 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by Tevin at 11:59 AM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
So apparently the college organization that keeps bringing Nazis onto campus is having a meltdown over adult diapers.
tl;dr:
-Group throws publicity stunt for 'free speech week' mocking the concept of safe spaces.
-The publicity stunt is, itself, mocked widely.
-Group gets really really upset and angry about being mocked.
You really can't make this stuff up folks.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:07 PM on February 27, 2018 [69 favorites]
tl;dr:
-Group throws publicity stunt for 'free speech week' mocking the concept of safe spaces.
-The publicity stunt is, itself, mocked widely.
-Group gets really really upset and angry about being mocked.
You really can't make this stuff up folks.
posted by showbiz_liz at 12:07 PM on February 27, 2018 [69 favorites]
Someone needs to tell Turning Point USA that it's really rude to include non-consenting parties in your kink.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
TPM: Huckabee Sanders on Russian Election Meddling: Thanks, Obama!
After National Security Agency director Adm. Mike Rogers told the Senate armed services committee Tuesday that President Trump has not yet directed his department to work to thwart Russian threats to the 2018 election, reporters peppered White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders with questions about why Trump hasn’t yet given Rogers authority to prevent impending 2018 election cyber attacks.posted by murphy slaw at 12:18 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
…
“He is in charge of the cyber command, why not give him the authority?” ABC News’ Jonathan Karl asked.
Sanders pushed back, claiming “nobody is denying him the authority” to foil attacks and then pivoted to say Trump has been “tougher on Russia than his predecessor.”
“Let’s not forget this happened under President Obama, it didn’t happen under President Trump,” she said. “If you want to blame somebody on past problems, then you need to look at the Obama administration. The President is looking at all the different causes and all the different ways that we can prevent it.”
The sheer fucking audacity. That’s (at best!) like blaming your parole officer for your own ensuing crime spree. The nerve of these people.
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:21 PM on February 27, 2018 [38 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 12:21 PM on February 27, 2018 [38 favorites]
"stop me before I shit on democracy again"
posted by idiopath at 12:31 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by idiopath at 12:31 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
Safe spaces at universities is something that reasonable people can disagree about and discuss, too. They really, really don't know how to do this right (duh).
posted by Melismata at 12:32 PM on February 27, 2018
posted by Melismata at 12:32 PM on February 27, 2018
So apparently the college organization that keeps bringing Nazis onto campus is having a meltdown over adult diapers.
Worth reading for the savage punchline alone: "Now every time Charlie [Kirk] tweets they tweet back pictures of him in a diaper."
posted by 6ATR at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
Worth reading for the savage punchline alone: "Now every time Charlie [Kirk] tweets they tweet back pictures of him in a diaper."
posted by 6ATR at 12:38 PM on February 27, 2018 [22 favorites]
“Let’s not forget this happened under President Obama, it didn’t happen under President Trump,” she said. “If you want to blame somebody on past problems, then you need to look at the Obama administration. The President is looking at all the different causes and all the different ways that we can prevent it.”
Let's not forget -- ever -- that Obama had Mitch McConnell briefed on the ongoing Russian ops to interfere with the US election, and McConnell refused to agree to a bipartisan statement condemning it. He essentially promised Obama that he'd deny the Russian interference that he knew existed for Republican partisan advantage.
And that strikes me as an overt act before two or more witnesses.
posted by Gelatin at 12:39 PM on February 27, 2018 [105 favorites]
Let's not forget -- ever -- that Obama had Mitch McConnell briefed on the ongoing Russian ops to interfere with the US election, and McConnell refused to agree to a bipartisan statement condemning it. He essentially promised Obama that he'd deny the Russian interference that he knew existed for Republican partisan advantage.
And that strikes me as an overt act before two or more witnesses.
posted by Gelatin at 12:39 PM on February 27, 2018 [105 favorites]
Has Mueller talked to Obama yet? I'll bet he could drop some real interesting stuff into the record.
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:42 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by Faint of Butt at 12:42 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
So apparently the college organization that keeps bringing Nazis onto campus is having a meltdown over adult diapers.
>>Worth reading for the savage punchline alone: "Now every time Charlie [Kirk] tweets they tweet back pictures of him in a diaper."
How could college students have predicted that if they appeared in a campus square wearing diapers, people would take pictures of them and tease them about it?!?
posted by msalt at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
>>Worth reading for the savage punchline alone: "Now every time Charlie [Kirk] tweets they tweet back pictures of him in a diaper."
How could college students have predicted that if they appeared in a campus square wearing diapers, people would take pictures of them and tease them about it?!?
posted by msalt at 12:46 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
Mueller bringing Obama in to testify would be a terrible idea, he'd be much smarter to get everything Obama would tell him from the intelligence officials handling the primary investigative work, free of any political taint having Obama involved would inevitably bring. It's not like Obama was the one monitoring the wiretaps and hacking attempts, he was reading about it in the PDB and from briefings.
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
Politico, Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence
posted by zachlipton at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded — a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access.That...that still means they have security clearances, just not top secret ones.
Kushner is not alone. All White House aides working on the highest-level interim clearances — at the Top Secret/SCI-level — were informed in a memo sent Friday that their clearances would be downgraded to the Secret level, according to three people with knowledge of the situation.
posted by zachlipton at 12:47 PM on February 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
The president has the ability to grant Kushner a permanent clearance, but Trump said Friday — the same day the memo was sent — that he was leaving the decision to his chief of staff.
This is important because President Trump has a history of consistently following through on things he says to people
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:52 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
This is important because President Trump has a history of consistently following through on things he says to people
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 12:52 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
This is important because President Trump has a history of consistently following through on things he says to people
I actually think in this case he's telling the truth because the only thing he hates more than telling the truth is making an actual decision. He'll pass this buck the same way he's passed the buck on firing people. He'll be such an asshole they want to leave, he'll get some crony to do his dirty work for him, but he's incapable of actually being the person to bring a hammer down for real.
posted by soren_lorensen at 12:57 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
“If you want to blame somebody on past problems, then you need to look at the Obama administration."
FOR. It's "...blame somebody FOR past problems." How are you the press secretary if you don't know American idioms? But you're right, I do blame somebody on past problems. I blame Trump on past problems, namely the personality problems of a whole horde of venal assholes that led them to gerrymander and disenfranchise us all into our current global meltdown.
posted by Don Pepino at 1:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
FOR. It's "...blame somebody FOR past problems." How are you the press secretary if you don't know American idioms? But you're right, I do blame somebody on past problems. I blame Trump on past problems, namely the personality problems of a whole horde of venal assholes that led them to gerrymander and disenfranchise us all into our current global meltdown.
posted by Don Pepino at 1:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
> That...that still means they have security clearances, just not top secret ones.
Once you get to the "in the room with POTUS and high-level officials" level, there really isn't anything that happens at the secret level. Assuming this downgrade actually means anything in a scenario where his father-in-law controls the entire classification system, he would be basically worthless in any capacity he has been serving where he required an interim TS clearance. He can maybe get into the facility, grab a bagel, and then be asked to leave so that the grown-ups can talk about grown-up stuff.
Back in the real world, he'll continue to sit in those meetings and do no actual work, because he's the President's son-in-law, and the President is a psychopath
posted by tonycpsu at 1:01 PM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
Once you get to the "in the room with POTUS and high-level officials" level, there really isn't anything that happens at the secret level. Assuming this downgrade actually means anything in a scenario where his father-in-law controls the entire classification system, he would be basically worthless in any capacity he has been serving where he required an interim TS clearance. He can maybe get into the facility, grab a bagel, and then be asked to leave so that the grown-ups can talk about grown-up stuff.
Back in the real world, he'll continue to sit in those meetings and do no actual work, because he's the President's son-in-law, and the President is a psychopath
posted by tonycpsu at 1:01 PM on February 27, 2018 [23 favorites]
Tommy Vietor, a person who would know, tweets:
Jared can't serve as the Middle East peace envoy with SECRET clearance. That job requires access to TOP SECRET, compartmented, extremely sensitive intel. Otherwise you're flying blind.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:06 PM on February 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
Jared can't serve as the Middle East peace envoy with SECRET clearance. That job requires access to TOP SECRET, compartmented, extremely sensitive intel. Otherwise you're flying blind.
posted by soren_lorensen at 1:06 PM on February 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
From David Priess, who wrote the book on the President's Daily Brief:
Kushner clearance reportedly downgraded to the Secret level—presenting an interesting decision ahead regarding access to the President’s Daily Brief:posted by zachlipton at 1:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
The PDB is technically Top Secret—but POTUS can still show it to whomever he damn well pleases. That should mean that anyone giving TS material to Kushner from this point on would violate law and/or regulations about mishandling classified material—
But POTUS, as the ultimate classification/declassification authority, can share PDB as he likes
Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded — a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access.
But...now how is he supposed to solve all the problems?
How???
posted by darkstar at 1:12 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
But...now how is he supposed to solve all the problems?
How???
posted by darkstar at 1:12 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
But POTUS, as the ultimate classification/declassification authority, can share PDB as he likes
I'd be surprised if that also meant Jared could talk about whatever's in the PDB.
posted by rhizome at 1:12 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'd be surprised if that also meant Jared could talk about whatever's in the PDB.
posted by rhizome at 1:12 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Jared can't serve as the Middle East peace envoy with SECRET clearance.
A pity he was doing such a bang up job what with the PA refusing to even talk to anyone as long as the US in involved.
posted by PenDevil at 1:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
A pity he was doing such a bang up job what with the PA refusing to even talk to anyone as long as the US in involved.
posted by PenDevil at 1:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Isn't the PDB already redacted down to a ten page ppt with BIG images?
posted by mumimor at 1:16 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 1:16 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
But POTUS, as the ultimate classification/declassification authority, can share PDB as he likes
It does, however, mean that if Trump starts unilaterally sharing the PDB with the Kush and then the Kush ends up being indicted for all sorts of criminal activity it should reflect incredibly badly on Trump in a way that in any reasonable world would make Clinton's email problem look like a paper cut compared to a gaping chest wound.
We don't live in that world but I wish we did.
posted by Justinian at 1:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
It does, however, mean that if Trump starts unilaterally sharing the PDB with the Kush and then the Kush ends up being indicted for all sorts of criminal activity it should reflect incredibly badly on Trump in a way that in any reasonable world would make Clinton's email problem look like a paper cut compared to a gaping chest wound.
We don't live in that world but I wish we did.
posted by Justinian at 1:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
But POTUS, as the ultimate classification/declassification authority, can share PDB as he likes
this assumes that Trump read/listened to the PDB and remembered any of it
posted by murphy slaw at 1:18 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
this assumes that Trump read/listened to the PDB and remembered any of it
posted by murphy slaw at 1:18 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
We're talking as if the PDB is a document that can be shared.
Narrator [aka WaPo]: it's not.
posted by Westringia F. at 1:22 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Narrator [aka WaPo]: it's not.
posted by Westringia F. at 1:22 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
When Sanders said “nobody is denying [Mike Rogers] the authority” (to try curtailing Russian interference), is she kind of implying that he has an obligation to go rogue? To what extent can the NSA combat the Kremlin without official White House say-so, and what things would they need authorization or instructions for?
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:23 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 1:23 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
> America is going to have to start from scratch.
Without unions!
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:24 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Without unions!
posted by The Card Cheat at 1:24 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm wondering what the PDB was like in the early days of the administration.
Acting Director of National Intelligence Mike Dempsey: "Welcome, Mr President. I'd like to start by talking about one of our primary concerns, which is your National Security Ad..."
* Michael Flynn coughs loudly *
Dempsey: "...Your National Sec... um... the Russians... You know what? Let's just talk about Venezuela!"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:27 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Acting Director of National Intelligence Mike Dempsey: "Welcome, Mr President. I'd like to start by talking about one of our primary concerns, which is your National Security Ad..."
* Michael Flynn coughs loudly *
Dempsey: "...Your National Sec... um... the Russians... You know what? Let's just talk about Venezuela!"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 1:27 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
A pity he was doing such a bang up job what with the PA refusing to even talk to anyone as long as the US in involved.
That might have been the end result of a couple of Trumpian strongarm tactics that backfired.
Kushner became friends with Saudi Arabia’s 31-year-old deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis summoned PA President Mahmoud Abbas to Riyadh in December. It was reported that King Salman and the Crown Prince demanded that Abbas take Kushner's deal with the Israelis that would have been wildly unfair and one-sided. A deal which would have left the Israeli settlements in place in the West Bank, would have given the Palestinians their own homeland, but denied them East Jerusalem as its capital. A non-starter. However, the official statements don't back up the rumors.
If the U.S., views the Saudis as a necessary part of the peace process, that could be one explanation of why Trump hypocritically hasn't tried to institute an immigration ban against Saudia Arabia. (This is also something Kissinger would likely have advised the Trump administration to do.)
posted by zarq at 1:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
That might have been the end result of a couple of Trumpian strongarm tactics that backfired.
Kushner became friends with Saudi Arabia’s 31-year-old deputy crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman. The Saudis summoned PA President Mahmoud Abbas to Riyadh in December. It was reported that King Salman and the Crown Prince demanded that Abbas take Kushner's deal with the Israelis that would have been wildly unfair and one-sided. A deal which would have left the Israeli settlements in place in the West Bank, would have given the Palestinians their own homeland, but denied them East Jerusalem as its capital. A non-starter. However, the official statements don't back up the rumors.
If the U.S., views the Saudis as a necessary part of the peace process, that could be one explanation of why Trump hypocritically hasn't tried to institute an immigration ban against Saudia Arabia. (This is also something Kissinger would likely have advised the Trump administration to do.)
posted by zarq at 1:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Judge Dissed by Trump Won't Block Border Wall in California
posted by zachlipton at 1:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
A federal court judge once accused by President Donald Trump of being biased against him because he’s “Mexican” and a “hater” paved the way for construction of a section of Trump’s proposed wall along the U.S. southern border.Here's a link to the order, -10 points from Bloomberg for failure to link.
U.S. District Judge Gonzalo Curiel in San Diego sided Tuesday with the Homeland Security Department, which asserted authority under federal immigration law to waive compliance with environmental protection statutes because 14 miles of existing fencing near San Diego is “no longer optimal for border patrol operations.”
The government argued in court papers that the law allowing it to sidestep environmental reviews “has been repeatedly upheld in the face of legal challenges.”
posted by zachlipton at 1:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
That might have been the end result of a couple of Trumpian strongarm tactic that backfired.
Well that and the move of the embassy to Jerusalem.
posted by PenDevil at 1:40 PM on February 27, 2018
Well that and the move of the embassy to Jerusalem.
posted by PenDevil at 1:40 PM on February 27, 2018
Well that and the move of the embassy to Jerusalem.
That would be the second strongarm tactic.
posted by zarq at 1:43 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
That would be the second strongarm tactic.
posted by zarq at 1:43 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Atlantic, Natasha Bertrand, Roger Stone's Secret Messages with WikiLeaks
Every time I wonder at all exactly how much is really there on collusion, I'm reminded how often these guys keep committing criminal offenses to try to cover up what they did.
posted by zachlipton at 1:48 PM on February 27, 2018 [54 favorites]
On March 17, 2017, WikiLeaks tweeted that it had never communicated with Roger Stone, a longtime confidante and informal adviser to President Donald Trump. In his interview with the House Intelligence Committee last September, Stone, who testified under oath, told lawmakers that he had communicated with WikiLeaks via an “intermediary,” whom he identified only as a “journalist.” He declined to reveal that person’s identity to the committee, he told reporters later.So Stone hasn't been charged with perjury why exactly? Among the messages, WikiLeaks to Stone the day after the election: "Happy? We are now more free to communicate."
Private Twitter messages obtained by The Atlantic show that Stone and WikiLeaks, a radical-transparency group, communicated directly on October 13, 2016—and that WikiLeaks sought to keep its channel to Stone open after Trump won the election. The existence of the secret correspondence marks yet another strange twist in the White House’s rapidly swelling Russia scandal. Stone and Trump have been friends for decades, which raises key questions about what the president knew about Stone’s interactions with Wikileaks during the campaign. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The depth of Stone’s relationship with WikiLeaks and Julian Assange has been closely scrutinized by congressional investigators examining whether Trump associates coordinated with Russia—or anyone serving as a cut-out for Moscow—to damage Hillary Clinton’s candidacy. Stone confirmed the authenticity of the messages, but called them “ridiculously out of context” and “a paste up.” He said that he provided the complete exchange to the House Intelligence Committee, but did not immediately respond to a request to provide his own record of the conversation to The Atlantic.
Every time I wonder at all exactly how much is really there on collusion, I'm reminded how often these guys keep committing criminal offenses to try to cover up what they did.
posted by zachlipton at 1:48 PM on February 27, 2018 [54 favorites]
> Presidential son-in-law and adviser Jared Kushner has had his security clearance downgraded — a move that will prevent him from viewing many of the sensitive documents to which he once had unfettered access.
Somehow, I find this even more infuriating. So Kushner has been in the room for discussions of sensitive compartmentalized information - long term, deep cover operations, hot tips shared by allies, the crown jewels of strategic negotiating positions, our most sensitive information gathering capabilities - and now we're just saying, "Oh, you shouldn't have heard all that, never mind" - really? That's it?
This is the guy, recall, who asked the Russian embassy to set up a secure communication channel - secure from monitoring by our intelligence services.
The only way this would make sense is if we could erase Kushner's memories, Eternal Sunshine-style, and then erase the memories of people to whom he's blabbed about all this, and so on. Or, at a minimum, put him under house arrest and cut off his access to his Russian handlers. And instead they're just going to say "Oopsies" and carry on?
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
Somehow, I find this even more infuriating. So Kushner has been in the room for discussions of sensitive compartmentalized information - long term, deep cover operations, hot tips shared by allies, the crown jewels of strategic negotiating positions, our most sensitive information gathering capabilities - and now we're just saying, "Oh, you shouldn't have heard all that, never mind" - really? That's it?
This is the guy, recall, who asked the Russian embassy to set up a secure communication channel - secure from monitoring by our intelligence services.
Kislyak reportedly was taken aback by the suggestion of allowing an American to use Russian communications gear at its embassy or consulate — a proposal that would have carried security risks for Moscow as well as the Trump team.He's been explicitly working for the other side! We've known about this - that WaPo story is from May 2017.
The only way this would make sense is if we could erase Kushner's memories, Eternal Sunshine-style, and then erase the memories of people to whom he's blabbed about all this, and so on. Or, at a minimum, put him under house arrest and cut off his access to his Russian handlers. And instead they're just going to say "Oopsies" and carry on?
posted by RedOrGreen at 1:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [44 favorites]
q: what's the difference between america's classified intelligence posture and a lightbulb?
a: you can unscrew a lightbulb!
posted by murphy slaw at 1:58 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
a: you can unscrew a lightbulb!
posted by murphy slaw at 1:58 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Chrysostom: "Cook Political moves PA-18 special to Toss Up."
This is in a district that the democrats haven't even bothered to contest since 2012.
posted by octothorpe at 2:02 PM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
This is in a district that the democrats haven't even bothered to contest since 2012.
posted by octothorpe at 2:02 PM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
So Stone hasn't been charged with perjury why exactly?
Because the ruling party in the US does not belong that the rule of law applies to them.
I know that's kind of unnecessary to repeat in here, but we for damn sure need to start repeating it loudly in public forums, until the GOP's constituency starts asking their own damned elected officials why they don't think they're bound by the laws of the nation.
posted by Mayor West at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
Because the ruling party in the US does not belong that the rule of law applies to them.
I know that's kind of unnecessary to repeat in here, but we for damn sure need to start repeating it loudly in public forums, until the GOP's constituency starts asking their own damned elected officials why they don't think they're bound by the laws of the nation.
posted by Mayor West at 2:03 PM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
He's been explicitly working for the other side! We've known about this - that WaPo story is from May 2017.
I strongly suspect Kushner has been feeding raw intel directly to the Russians and whoever else he's in drowning in debt to from the moment he walked in the White House until today, remember from last week!: Report: Kushner Requests More Intel Than Any Non-NSC Employee at White House
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:09 PM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
I strongly suspect Kushner has been feeding raw intel directly to the Russians and whoever else he's in drowning in debt to from the moment he walked in the White House until today, remember from last week!: Report: Kushner Requests More Intel Than Any Non-NSC Employee at White House
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:09 PM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
So I'm surprised this hasn't come up: Michael Wolff had a friendly interview on Australian breakfast TV the other day that turned suddenly unfriendly, because Australian breakfast TV does not give a single fuck:
It's not a smoking gun - the question is about something that Wolff's been claiming in press interviews but isn't in his book - but it's hella suggestive. (Naturally, The Erik Wemple Blog Featuring Erik Wemple considers this 'crumbling' rather than 'reverting to the mean'.) A timely reminder that Wolff is, at heart, a shitty journalist, and maybe don't take everything in Fire and Fury as having definitely happened the way Wolff says it did.
posted by Merus at 2:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
“You said during a TV interview last month that you are absolutely sure that Donald Trump is currently having an affair, while President, behind the back of the First Lady. I repeat, you said you were absolutely sure,” asked Fordham.It's not clear from the transcript here, but Wolff is pausing to allow the question to finish, and in a couple of places starts answering the question before deciding that he's going to flee the interview.
“Hold on, I can’t …” Wolff muttered in response.
“Last week, you backflipped and said, ‘I do not know if the President is having an affair.’ Do you owe the President and the First Lady an apology, Mr Wolff?” Fordham continued.
“I can’t hear you. Hello?” Wolff responded.
It's not a smoking gun - the question is about something that Wolff's been claiming in press interviews but isn't in his book - but it's hella suggestive. (Naturally, The Erik Wemple Blog Featuring Erik Wemple considers this 'crumbling' rather than 'reverting to the mean'.) A timely reminder that Wolff is, at heart, a shitty journalist, and maybe don't take everything in Fire and Fury as having definitely happened the way Wolff says it did.
posted by Merus at 2:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
Well this story has interesting timing. WaPo, Kushner’s overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leverage
posted by zachlipton at 2:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [48 favorites]
Officials in at least four countries have privately discussed ways they can manipulate Jared Kushner, the president’s son-in-law and senior adviser, by taking advantage of his complex business arrangements, financial difficulties and lack of foreign policy experience, according to current and former U.S. officials familiar with intelligence reports on the matter.Also in here: Tom Barrack asked the Qataris to invest in Kushner's troubled 666 Fifth Ave. project.
Among those nations discussing ways to influence Kushner to their advantage were the United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, the current and former officials said.
It is unclear if any of those countries acted on the discussions, but Kushner’s contacts with certain foreign government officials have raised concerns inside the White House and are a reason he has been unable to obtain a permanent security clearance, the officials said.
...
They could also have legal implications. Special counsel Robert S. Mueller III has asked people about the protocols Kushner used when he set up conversations with foreign leaders, according to a former U.S. official.
Officials in the White House were concerned that Kushner was “naive and being tricked” in conversations with foreign officials, some of whom said they wanted to deal only with Kushner directly and not more experienced personnel, said one former White House official.
posted by zachlipton at 2:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [48 favorites]
"run the government like a business" they said.
what we didn't realize was that the business in question was liquidation services.
posted by murphy slaw at 2:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
what we didn't realize was that the business in question was liquidation services.
posted by murphy slaw at 2:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
/ Every time I wonder at all exactly how much is really there on collusion, I'm reminded how often these guys keep committing criminal offenses to try to cover up what they did.
But apart from the the alleged money-laundering, the crime literally is the cover-up. If the Trump campaign team hadn't done all this cloak-and-dagger nonsense then proving collusion would be like proving Trump's in breach of the Emoluments Clause. That is, anyone can point to facts that support the argument, but maybe it's just a series of people choosing to stay at one hotel rather than another. I think Trump's team could have brazened out the collusion thing by claiming that pro-Russia policy shifts just reflect Trump's foreign policy positions. It's the secret meetings and emails that show there's something more to it.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
But apart from the the alleged money-laundering, the crime literally is the cover-up. If the Trump campaign team hadn't done all this cloak-and-dagger nonsense then proving collusion would be like proving Trump's in breach of the Emoluments Clause. That is, anyone can point to facts that support the argument, but maybe it's just a series of people choosing to stay at one hotel rather than another. I think Trump's team could have brazened out the collusion thing by claiming that pro-Russia policy shifts just reflect Trump's foreign policy positions. It's the secret meetings and emails that show there's something more to it.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
One more quote there:
posted by zachlipton at 2:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
Officials from the UAE identified Kushner as early as the spring of 2017 as particularly manipulable because of his family’s search for investors in their real estate company, current and former officials said.The scandals beyond Russia, including contacts with Turkey (Flynn put US military policy up for sale), Saudi Arabia, and the UAE, deserve far more investigation and attention.
posted by zachlipton at 2:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [20 favorites]
Even then, he also kept putting people in positions of power who were literally paid employees of either Russia itself or its client states.
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
From that WaPo article, Kushner's lawyer has a spokesman. Is that normal?
posted by Emmy Rae at 2:22 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Emmy Rae at 2:22 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
What's the betting the spokesman arrived unexpectedly and is working for free
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:24 PM on February 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 2:24 PM on February 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
Reminder that the Fifth Ave building is in the kind of trouble that will probably require a deep-pocketed foreign investor to get out of
Kushner is underwater on that building by a billion dollars. Literally. One billion dollars in debt on a building no one wants to buy or lease or live in.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
Kushner is underwater on that building by a billion dollars. Literally. One billion dollars in debt on a building no one wants to buy or lease or live in.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
From that WaPo article, Kushner's lawyer has a spokesman. Is that normal?
Great briefs have little briefs to recite all their fiction. And little briefs have lesser briefs and thus avoid conviction.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:32 PM on February 27, 2018 [32 favorites]
Great briefs have little briefs to recite all their fiction. And little briefs have lesser briefs and thus avoid conviction.
posted by Joe in Australia at 2:32 PM on February 27, 2018 [32 favorites]
Someone should take a look at all those family vacations Jared and Ivanka have taken over the past year.
Or I guess maybe someone already has.
posted by notyou at 2:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
Or I guess maybe someone already has.
posted by notyou at 2:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
>Reminder that the Fifth Ave building is in the kind of trouble that will probably require a deep-pocketed foreign investor to get out of
Kushner is underwater on that building by a billion dollars. Literally. One billion dollars in debt on a building no one wants to buy or lease or live in.
Yeah that's not something a deep-pocket investor gets you out of, that's something bankruptcy gets you out of. When you bring something to the table you can maybe convince creditors to take a bit of a haircut - write down your debt to 90% rather than get the 80% they get if they just call in the loan and liquidate. But what does Kushner's association with this operation do to improve things? If anything he's toxic because of his association with a toxic President. That property is likely more valuable with him severed from it.
As far as I understand the situation there's nothing that an additional investor would get out of involvement or they wouldn't need more outside money.
posted by phearlez at 2:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
Kushner is underwater on that building by a billion dollars. Literally. One billion dollars in debt on a building no one wants to buy or lease or live in.
Yeah that's not something a deep-pocket investor gets you out of, that's something bankruptcy gets you out of. When you bring something to the table you can maybe convince creditors to take a bit of a haircut - write down your debt to 90% rather than get the 80% they get if they just call in the loan and liquidate. But what does Kushner's association with this operation do to improve things? If anything he's toxic because of his association with a toxic President. That property is likely more valuable with him severed from it.
As far as I understand the situation there's nothing that an additional investor would get out of involvement or they wouldn't need more outside money.
posted by phearlez at 2:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
>> Politico, Kushner loses access to top-secret intelligence
> Speaking of which, Reuters: Trump son-in-law Kushner loses access to coveted intelligence briefing: sources
Well this story has interesting timing. WaPo, Kushner’s overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leverage
Kelly and his allies ("sources") are out to bury Javanka today. CNN reports Ivanka Trump's South Korea trip fuels White House tension, but their article spends a lot of time reviewing how much friction Ivanka's first daughter-cum-advisor status creates.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
> Speaking of which, Reuters: Trump son-in-law Kushner loses access to coveted intelligence briefing: sources
Well this story has interesting timing. WaPo, Kushner’s overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leverage
Kelly and his allies ("sources") are out to bury Javanka today. CNN reports Ivanka Trump's South Korea trip fuels White House tension, but their article spends a lot of time reviewing how much friction Ivanka's first daughter-cum-advisor status creates.
The decision to send her to South Korea did not sit well with some senior officials in the West Wing, two people familiar with the situation told CNN. The nuclear threat from North Korea and the tensions already boiling across the Korean Peninsula made any US delegation far more than ceremonial.“We wanted to protect them,” one Javanka confidante told Vanity Fair last week, “but you can’t protect people when they’re voluntarily sticking their head into the fucking guillotine.”
Kelly was not initially enthusiastic about her South Korea trip, a person close to President Donald Trump said, largely because the visit to the Korean Peninsula was far more than a typical Olympic closing ceremony.
"This isn't like going to Italy. The stakes are far higher and more complex," a person close to the President said, speaking on condition of anonymity to discuss the sensitive subject of the Trump family.
The concerns of Kelly and others about Ms. Trump — who has little experience in government or diplomacy, and hasn't played a role in discussions about North Korea — were aired in private, according to people familiar with the matter. Kelly was advised by those closest to him that it would be a losing battle to oppose Ivanka as the delegation's leader.[...]
The blurred line between staffer and daughter has long irked Kelly, according to people familiar with the matter, who say his regimented sense of order is tested by the implicit access being a child of the President affords.[...] He often feels that she tries to have it both ways, acting as a senior adviser to the president when it suits her and then as his daughter when it doesn't. Kelly has remarked privately that Ivanka is just "playing government," one source said, and has largely brushed aside her agenda, once disregarding her child tax credit as "a pet project."
Another source familiar with the President's thinking says Ivanka's influence on his decision making has been exaggerated. He generally doesn't heed her advice when it comes to serious policy debates, as he didn't when he made the decision to withdraw from the Paris climate accord. But she is looked at in the West Wing as one of few people who can soothe the President when he is indignant or angry.
posted by Doktor Zed at 2:44 PM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
Kelly and his allies ("sources") are out to bury Javanka today.
Call me a pessimistic party-pooper, but I take every one of these unsourced Titillating Tales of Palace Intrigue with a big fat grain o' salt.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:48 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Call me a pessimistic party-pooper, but I take every one of these unsourced Titillating Tales of Palace Intrigue with a big fat grain o' salt.
posted by Atom Eyes at 2:48 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
As far as I understand the situation there's nothing that an additional investor would get out of involvement or they wouldn't need more outside money.
The point is what the state-actor investor is getting from Kushner isn't return on the shitty real estate deal. It's unfettered access to the US intelligence services through Kushner.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:50 PM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
The point is what the state-actor investor is getting from Kushner isn't return on the shitty real estate deal. It's unfettered access to the US intelligence services through Kushner.
posted by T.D. Strange at 2:50 PM on February 27, 2018 [18 favorites]
Kelly still seems to think that the primary mission of the Trump White House is to govern. That's just absurd. Javanka are there to help dad extract as much money as at all possible from everyone and everywhere. This is the Springtime for Hitler presidency.
posted by mumimor at 2:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by mumimor at 2:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
Since it's really beat up on Jared day, it's also worth mentioning his buddy Josh Raffel is leaving the White House.
posted by zachlipton at 2:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 2:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Jared is kind of like your buddy who can hook you up with all the JSTOR you need, except instead of journal articles it's top secret US intelligence and instead of you it's the Legion of fucking Doom
posted by theodolite at 2:55 PM on February 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
posted by theodolite at 2:55 PM on February 27, 2018 [33 favorites]
Kelly and his allies ("sources") are out to bury Javanka today.
And on the defensive there was this very sympathetic happy warrior article detailing all the work Kelly has done to rein in the White House's chaos in this weekend's NY Times Magazine, How Long Can John Kelly Hang On?
posted by peeedro at 2:55 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
And on the defensive there was this very sympathetic happy warrior article detailing all the work Kelly has done to rein in the White House's chaos in this weekend's NY Times Magazine, How Long Can John Kelly Hang On?
posted by peeedro at 2:55 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Kelly still seems to think that the primary mission of the Trump White House is to govern. That's just absurd. Javanka are there to help dad extract as much money as at all possible from everyone and everywhere. This is the Springtime for Hitler presidency.
There are two factions in the Trump administration: Smash-and-grab kleptocrats and xenophobic authoritarians. The latter is Kelly's definition of "govern."
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:57 PM on February 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
There are two factions in the Trump administration: Smash-and-grab kleptocrats and xenophobic authoritarians. The latter is Kelly's definition of "govern."
posted by Holy Zarquon's Singing Fish at 2:57 PM on February 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
Everyone paying attention has known that unelected and non-Senate-confirmed Jared Kushner and Ivanka Trump should not have top-secret clearance from day one, on the simple basis of national security. Anyone in power who has failed to speak out against this administration has failed to protect America.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:03 PM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:03 PM on February 27, 2018 [36 favorites]
Let's check in on how Brad Parscale's first day as campaign manager is goin—oh. AP: Trump campaign chief lends name to penny stock tied to felon. Parscale also hired Eric's wife, shielding her pay from public disclosure.
posted by zachlipton at 3:07 PM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
posted by zachlipton at 3:07 PM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
Reminder that we have KY, NY, and CT special elections tonight, plus the primary for the special in AZ-08 (all GOP seats currently). By popular demand, I'll report out margin improvement versus both 2016 presidential and most recent race in the seat.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:08 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Chrysostom at 3:08 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
I do not believe for one single second that Kelly or anyone will prevent Jared Kushner from having access to whatever Top Secret info he wants. Trump showing him something declassifies it, and none of these people have any respect whatsoever for laws or norms or ethics. Why the fuck should they care about clearances? Who's going to inflict any consequences for their total disregard of them?
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 3:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
Call me a pessimistic party-pooper, but I take every one of these unsourced Titillating Tales of Palace Intrigue with a big fat grain o' salt.
Normally that's the case in Trumpland, where people get canned only when they either screw up egregiously and publicly* or ask too many questions about Russian interference in the election. The trifecta of negative headlines against Jared, however, looks like a full-court press to make sure his rescinded security clearance stays rescinded.
Speaking of palace intrigue and anonymous sources, did the megathreads take note how it was Jeff Sessions's turn in the barrel last week? CNN—Sessions Weathers Yet Another Trump Twitter Taunt: "The fact that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the man who stepped in for Sessions when he recused himself, was tapped with announce Friday's indictments further fired up Trump. One person close to the President said the mere image reignited Trump's anger at Sessions.
"'He will never get over Sessions recusing himself,' the source said, adding that Trump's anger toward the attorney general has led him to believe that Sessions is in over his head at the Justice Department."
And yet Sessions remains Attorney General and a loyal Trumpist...
* Coincidentally, Axios has learned that Josh Raffel, the senior White House communications official close to Javanka, will be leaving to return to the private sector. (File under Rats: ship, sinking.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:14 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Normally that's the case in Trumpland, where people get canned only when they either screw up egregiously and publicly* or ask too many questions about Russian interference in the election. The trifecta of negative headlines against Jared, however, looks like a full-court press to make sure his rescinded security clearance stays rescinded.
Speaking of palace intrigue and anonymous sources, did the megathreads take note how it was Jeff Sessions's turn in the barrel last week? CNN—Sessions Weathers Yet Another Trump Twitter Taunt: "The fact that Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, the man who stepped in for Sessions when he recused himself, was tapped with announce Friday's indictments further fired up Trump. One person close to the President said the mere image reignited Trump's anger at Sessions.
"'He will never get over Sessions recusing himself,' the source said, adding that Trump's anger toward the attorney general has led him to believe that Sessions is in over his head at the Justice Department."
And yet Sessions remains Attorney General and a loyal Trumpist...
* Coincidentally, Axios has learned that Josh Raffel, the senior White House communications official close to Javanka, will be leaving to return to the private sector. (File under Rats: ship, sinking.)
posted by Doktor Zed at 3:14 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
"$5,000 will not even buy a decent chair"
Sec. Carson's spending has escalated from $5,000 chairs to $31,000 dining room sets: Ben Carson’s HUD, Planning Cuts, Spends $31,000 on Dining Set for His Office
Sec. Carson's spending has escalated from $5,000 chairs to $31,000 dining room sets: Ben Carson’s HUD, Planning Cuts, Spends $31,000 on Dining Set for His Office
Mr. Carson “didn’t know the table had been purchased,” but does not believe the cost was too steep and does not intend to return it, said Raffi Williams, a HUD spokesman.posted by zachlipton at 3:14 PM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
“In general, the secretary does want to be as fiscally prudent as possible with the taxpayers’ money,” he added.
“In general, the secretary does want to be as fiscally prudent as possible with the taxpayers’ money,” he added.
"Specifically, the secretary uses 20 dollar bills to light his cigars", he went on to say.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
"Specifically, the secretary uses 20 dollar bills to light his cigars", he went on to say.
posted by Ray Walston, Luck Dragon at 3:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
It's possible the $31k dining set was manufactured by taxpayers, so what have they lost really
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 3:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
'As he toured facilities for the poor in Ohio last week, Mr. Carson, the neurosurgeon-turned-housing secretary, joked that a relatively well-appointed apartment complex for veterans lacked “only pool tables.” He inquired at one stop whether animals were allowed. At yet another, he nodded, plainly happy, as officials explained how they had stacked dozens of bunk beds inside a homeless shelter and purposefully did not provide televisions.
Compassion, Mr. Carson explained in an interview, means not giving people “a comfortable setting that would make somebody want to say: ‘I’ll just stay here. They will take care of me.’”'
posted by halation at 3:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [41 favorites]
Compassion, Mr. Carson explained in an interview, means not giving people “a comfortable setting that would make somebody want to say: ‘I’ll just stay here. They will take care of me.’”'
posted by halation at 3:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [41 favorites]
NBC News, Cynthia McFadden, William M. Arkin, Kevin Monahan and Ken Dilanian, U.S. intel: Russia ‘compromised’ seven states prior to 2016 election
posted by zachlipton at 3:20 PM on February 27, 2018 [88 favorites]
Top-secret intelligence requested by President Barack Obama in his last weeks in office identified seven states where analysts — synthesizing months of work — had reason to believe Russian operatives had compromised state websites or databases.This is like if we had a major terrorist attack on America, and 16 months later we were still arguing about whether it even happened. Not having an open and independent investigation into Russian actions during the election remains an astonishing failure.
Three senior intelligence officials told NBC News that the intelligence community believed the states as of January 2017 were Alaska, Arizona, California, Florida, Illinois, Texas and Wisconsin.
...
According to classified intelligence documents, the intelligence community defines compromised as actual "entry" into election websites, voter registration systems and voter look-up systems.
...
All state and federal officials who spoke to NBC News agree that no votes were changed and no voters were taken off the rolls.
...
To this day, six of the seven states deny they were breached, based on their own cyber investigations. It's a discrepancy that underscores how unprepared some experts think America is for the next wave of Russian interference that intelligence officials say is coming.
posted by zachlipton at 3:20 PM on February 27, 2018 [88 favorites]
All state and federal officials who spoke to NBC News agree that no votes were changed and no voters were taken off the rolls.
This is the first report I've seen that states that no voters were taken off the rolls. I'd prefer something a little stronger -- for example, could hackers have changed records to falsely show that someone had not voted in 3 straight elections, or changed someone's name slightly to match a convicted felon, which then dovetailed with Republican efforts to aggressively purge the rolls? In that scenario, the Russians would not have technically removed the voter from the roll, they just would have made it inevitable that American officials would.
Still, it's somewhat reassuring.
posted by msalt at 3:28 PM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
This is the first report I've seen that states that no voters were taken off the rolls. I'd prefer something a little stronger -- for example, could hackers have changed records to falsely show that someone had not voted in 3 straight elections, or changed someone's name slightly to match a convicted felon, which then dovetailed with Republican efforts to aggressively purge the rolls? In that scenario, the Russians would not have technically removed the voter from the roll, they just would have made it inevitable that American officials would.
Still, it's somewhat reassuring.
posted by msalt at 3:28 PM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Through Day 7 of Texas primary early voting, 15 largest counties:
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 226,171 / 210,852 / 118,965
GOP: 215,441 / 269,355 / 182,997
Interestingly, the relative party percentages in the primaries in 2014 and 2016 were quite close to the relative percentages in that fall's general election.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:29 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
Party: 2018 / 2016 / 2014
Dem: 226,171 / 210,852 / 118,965
GOP: 215,441 / 269,355 / 182,997
Interestingly, the relative party percentages in the primaries in 2014 and 2016 were quite close to the relative percentages in that fall's general election.
posted by Chrysostom at 3:29 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
I wonder what the Russians were hoping to get from California? Calexit (which did have Russian ties)? In Wisconsin and Florida, anything could have tipped the balance, but if they're hoping to turn California red, they're at least fifteen years too late.
According to the BBC article I just linked to, there was a Russian-led Texas secession movement as well. I suppose the rationale is, if you can't tip the scales to the Republicans, then urge the most prosperous states to leave.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 3:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
According to the BBC article I just linked to, there was a Russian-led Texas secession movement as well. I suppose the rationale is, if you can't tip the scales to the Republicans, then urge the most prosperous states to leave.
posted by Rosie M. Banks at 3:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
According to the BBC article I just linked to, there was a Russian-led Texas secession movement as well. I suppose the rationale is, if you can't tip the scales to the Republicans, then urge the most prosperous states to leave.
We have argued the dumbness of secession to death on this site so I won't go into that, but Texas has been plagued by dime-store revolutionary wannabes wailing "secession is still legal per the Texas constitution!" for several decades.
Not saying the Russian govt. didn't encourage them, but that stupid was (is) homegrown.
posted by emjaybee at 3:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
We have argued the dumbness of secession to death on this site so I won't go into that, but Texas has been plagued by dime-store revolutionary wannabes wailing "secession is still legal per the Texas constitution!" for several decades.
Not saying the Russian govt. didn't encourage them, but that stupid was (is) homegrown.
posted by emjaybee at 3:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
for example, could hackers have changed records to falsely show that someone had not voted in 3 straight elections, or changed someone's name slightly to match a convicted felon
From my understanding, in some states all you would need to change is one tiny piece of data (street number, person's middle initial, etc.) so that it didn't precisely match their actual information in order to completely invalidate a voter's registration.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
From my understanding, in some states all you would need to change is one tiny piece of data (street number, person's middle initial, etc.) so that it didn't precisely match their actual information in order to completely invalidate a voter's registration.
posted by Atom Eyes at 3:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
Why did 6/7 of the states deny they were breached?
posted by gucci mane at 3:38 PM on February 27, 2018
posted by gucci mane at 3:38 PM on February 27, 2018
Even if you don’t change anything it’s useful for targeting.
posted by Artw at 3:40 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
posted by Artw at 3:40 PM on February 27, 2018 [6 favorites]
It sounds like they were trying to probe for vulnerabilities in pretty much every state, and those are the seven where they found something, which could range from full access to voter databases to something quite minor. So I wouldn't read anything in particular into a specific plan for a state like California.
It's well past time though for public disclosure of the states, the exact vulnerabilities exploited, the access gained, and any rebuttals from the state officials responsible, so we can know what actually happened.
posted by zachlipton at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
It's well past time though for public disclosure of the states, the exact vulnerabilities exploited, the access gained, and any rebuttals from the state officials responsible, so we can know what actually happened.
posted by zachlipton at 3:42 PM on February 27, 2018 [13 favorites]
I wonder what the Russians were hoping to get from California?
I am quite sure their plan for Trump was he would lose and then a bunch of evidence mysteriously comes to light (California election rigged to expand Hilary popular vote), maybe he doesn't concede the election (as he threatened to), and chaos ensues.
As it stands, he won, a bunch of evidence mysteriously comes to light (Florida election rigged), the Left contests the election, and chaos ensues.
Also, there is a lot of skullduggery possible in tweaking results of congressional and Senate seats. However you don't have to actually alter the election to be able to sow reasonable doubt that you might have altered the election. In this analysis, I anticipate years of a slow drip-drip of leaks, ultimately from Russia via whatever means they choose, designed to stir the pot regardless of short term political developments.
This was going to be win-win for Russia whoever won the election, thanks to Trump's willingness to be a soft puppet.
posted by Rumple at 3:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
I am quite sure their plan for Trump was he would lose and then a bunch of evidence mysteriously comes to light (California election rigged to expand Hilary popular vote), maybe he doesn't concede the election (as he threatened to), and chaos ensues.
As it stands, he won, a bunch of evidence mysteriously comes to light (Florida election rigged), the Left contests the election, and chaos ensues.
Also, there is a lot of skullduggery possible in tweaking results of congressional and Senate seats. However you don't have to actually alter the election to be able to sow reasonable doubt that you might have altered the election. In this analysis, I anticipate years of a slow drip-drip of leaks, ultimately from Russia via whatever means they choose, designed to stir the pot regardless of short term political developments.
This was going to be win-win for Russia whoever won the election, thanks to Trump's willingness to be a soft puppet.
posted by Rumple at 3:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [17 favorites]
This story is batshit insane, I do not see much reason to consider its protagonist to be credible, and I feel rather weird about sharing it more, yet here we are. Remember the escort who posted video of her alleged ex (and Manafort buddy) Oleg Deripaska chilling on a yacht with Russian Deputy Prime Minister Sergei Prikhodko? Well, she has a new video: A self-described sex expert says she will spill information on Trump and Russia to get out of a Thai jail:
posted by zachlipton at 3:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [41 favorites]
“I am the only witness and the missing link in the connection between Russia and the U.S. elections — the long chain of Oleg Deripaska, Prikhodko, Manafort, and Trump,” Vashukevich said in a live Instagram video Tuesday, apparently shot as she was driven in an open-air police van through the Thai resort city of Pattaya. “In exchange for help from U.S. intelligence services and a guarantee of my safety, I am prepared to provide the necessary information to America or to Europe or to the country which can buy me out of Thai prison.”It's been a really weird day in news.
posted by zachlipton at 3:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [41 favorites]
A self-described sex expert says she will spill information on Trump and Russia to get out of a Thai jail
The John Mark Karr strategy. Bold!
posted by rhizome at 4:01 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
The John Mark Karr strategy. Bold!
posted by rhizome at 4:01 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
uh, honey, when you try to get state actors to bail you out of a foreign prison, it helps for you to be worth more alive to them than dead.
posted by murphy slaw at 4:07 PM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 4:07 PM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Or to not look like some weird honeypot for any dissenter foolish enough to bite.
posted by Artw at 4:08 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Artw at 4:08 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
ELECTION RESULT
GOP HOLD in Kentucky House 49:
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem improvement of about 28 points.
vs 2014 HD-49 result margin: Dem improvement of about 7 points. (2016 race was uncontested)
GOP lead in the Kentucky House is 63-37.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
GOP HOLD in Kentucky House 49:
Goforth [R] 66.8%Margin changes compared to previous races:
Smith [D] 33.2%
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem improvement of about 28 points.
vs 2014 HD-49 result margin: Dem improvement of about 7 points. (2016 race was uncontested)
GOP lead in the Kentucky House is 63-37.
posted by Chrysostom at 4:30 PM on February 27, 2018 [16 favorites]
ELECTION RESULT
Dem GAIN in New Hampshire House Belknap 3:
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem improvement of about 19 points.
vs 2016 HD-Belknap 3 result margin: Dem improvement of about 15 points. (composite results - this is a 4 seat district)
GOP lead in the New Hampshire House is 217-175-3 (plus 6 vacancies).
posted by Chrysostom at 4:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [38 favorites]
Dem GAIN in New Hampshire House Belknap 3:
Spagnuolo [D] 53.5%Margin changes compared to previous races:
Cartier [R] 46.5%
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem improvement of about 19 points.
vs 2016 HD-Belknap 3 result margin: Dem improvement of about 15 points. (composite results - this is a 4 seat district)
GOP lead in the New Hampshire House is 217-175-3 (plus 6 vacancies).
posted by Chrysostom at 4:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [38 favorites]
Actually changing US electoral databases would be an overt act of aggression. Accessing them without altering them is the sort of thing that sows doubt but is plausibly deniable. I mean, maybe it was reconnaissance? Maybe they changed things but we don't know? Maybe they didn't access them at all and the very accusation is a part of a conspiracy against the government !
It's effectively warfare by prank.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:58 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
It's effectively warfare by prank.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:58 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
New Hampshire has 400+ representatives? That's one state-wide rep for every 3,000 people? Do they get paid?
posted by Rumple at 5:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Rumple at 5:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Dem GAIN
At this rate, I’m getting the feeling quite a few state legislatures, governorships, school boards and judgeships might just flip this November, too, quite aside from the US Congress.
posted by darkstar at 5:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
At this rate, I’m getting the feeling quite a few state legislatures, governorships, school boards and judgeships might just flip this November, too, quite aside from the US Congress.
posted by darkstar at 5:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
It's effectively warfare by prank
Kind of like the whole 'take over California' secession thing.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:01 PM on February 27, 2018
Kind of like the whole 'take over California' secession thing.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:01 PM on February 27, 2018
NH House - There is a rep for every 3300 people, on average. They get $200/term, plus travel.
The NH Senate is normal, only 24 members.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:02 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
The NH Senate is normal, only 24 members.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:02 PM on February 27, 2018 [5 favorites]
To sort-of answer a question I raised earlier… it looks like Mike Rogers might be specifically requesting authorization to engage in cyberwarfare against Russian systems, not just to, like, strengthen American systems. That also basically answers the many voices I've seen (mostly from the left, a handful from the right) who are accusing him of waiting for some kind of "permission slip" to do the right thing and defend us from Russia.
But it's possible there are non-offensive actions the NSA could be taking, but is choosing not to without direction from the top; I'm unsure.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
But it's possible there are non-offensive actions the NSA could be taking, but is choosing not to without direction from the top; I'm unsure.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
CNN: US cyber chief says Trump hasn't told him to confront Russian cyber threat (warning: dubstep & video autoplays)
In summary:
'Yes, Russia is trying to undermine our institutions. NSA needs to be ordered by the President through the DoD to actively respond. For now, NSA is doing what's within its standing authority.'
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
In summary:
'Yes, Russia is trying to undermine our institutions. NSA needs to be ordered by the President through the DoD to actively respond. For now, NSA is doing what's within its standing authority.'
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:17 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
I thought Trump already delegated pretty much all decisionmaking to department heads.
posted by rhizome at 5:19 PM on February 27, 2018
posted by rhizome at 5:19 PM on February 27, 2018
The Post-Millennials Should Scare the Hell Out of the GOP
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
posted by T.D. Strange at 5:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Actually changing US electoral databases would be an overt act of aggression. Accessing them without altering them is the sort of thing that sows doubt but is plausibly deniable.
No one has reported that Russian hackers didn't alter the databases. The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls. That's a much more limited statement.
posted by msalt at 5:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
No one has reported that Russian hackers didn't alter the databases. The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls. That's a much more limited statement.
posted by msalt at 5:19 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
It's effectively warfare by prank
Election DBAs should just add a Metallica mp3 BLOB field to every record and let the DMCA police identify & sue the right Russion. /dork
posted by j_curiouser at 5:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
Election DBAs should just add a Metallica mp3 BLOB field to every record and let the DMCA police identify & sue the right Russion. /dork
posted by j_curiouser at 5:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [10 favorites]
The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls.
Third, unspoken, option: changing the voters.
posted by rhizome at 5:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
Third, unspoken, option: changing the voters.
posted by rhizome at 5:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
ELECTION RESULT
Dem GAIN in Connecticut House 120:
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem UNDERperformance of about .5 points.
vs 2016 HD-120 result margin: Dem improvement of about 27 points.
Dem lead in the New Hampshire House is extended to 80-71.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
Dem GAIN in Connecticut House 120:
Young [D] 50.8%Margin changes compared to previous races:
Cabral [R] 49.2%
vs 2016 presidential result margin: Dem UNDERperformance of about .5 points.
vs 2016 HD-120 result margin: Dem improvement of about 27 points.
Dem lead in the New Hampshire House is extended to 80-71.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [26 favorites]
The Post-Millennials Should Scare the Hell Out of the GOP
It’s probably why the GOP is trying so hard to murder them all.
posted by Artw at 5:39 PM on February 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
It’s probably why the GOP is trying so hard to murder them all.
posted by Artw at 5:39 PM on February 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
Tampering can be a lot more subtle than directly attacking the voting software or database itself -- you could just make a couple of the machines at a polling place in a heavily Dem district unstable or glitchy such that the process is slowed down, lines get long, people give up, etc.
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:43 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
posted by snuffleupagus at 5:43 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Dem lead in the New Hampshire House is extended to 80-71.
That's the Connecticut House, obviously. This is all manual cut and paste, so.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:44 PM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
That's the Connecticut House, obviously. This is all manual cut and paste, so.
posted by Chrysostom at 5:44 PM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
The Post-Millennials Should Scare the Hell Out of the GOP
Even with these numbers, the GOP will have control of the Senate until at least 2040 if not further and the House should be able to be gerrymandered to stay competitive up to D+9. That's why they're all in on all this bullshit now. They're planning for minority rule a'la South Africa.
posted by Talez at 5:51 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
Even with these numbers, the GOP will have control of the Senate until at least 2040 if not further and the House should be able to be gerrymandered to stay competitive up to D+9. That's why they're all in on all this bullshit now. They're planning for minority rule a'la South Africa.
posted by Talez at 5:51 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
CNN: Mueller team asks about Trump's Russian business dealings as he weighed a run for president
Several lines of questioning to witnesses have centered on the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which was held in Moscow, and unsuccessful discussions to brand a Trump Tower Moscow, two sources said.
A second area of focus was what happened during the event. The source said questions also focused on meetings Trump had with Russian business people or government officials, leading the source to believe the investigators were probing the possibility of "kompromat," or compromising material, on Trump.
Along these lines, the source said, investigators were interested in logistics surrounding Trump's hotel room in Moscow: Who was there? Who would have access to it? Who was in charge of security? Who was moving around with him during the trip?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:52 PM on February 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
Several lines of questioning to witnesses have centered on the 2013 Miss Universe pageant, which was held in Moscow, and unsuccessful discussions to brand a Trump Tower Moscow, two sources said.
A second area of focus was what happened during the event. The source said questions also focused on meetings Trump had with Russian business people or government officials, leading the source to believe the investigators were probing the possibility of "kompromat," or compromising material, on Trump.
Along these lines, the source said, investigators were interested in logistics surrounding Trump's hotel room in Moscow: Who was there? Who would have access to it? Who was in charge of security? Who was moving around with him during the trip?
posted by RobotVoodooPower at 5:52 PM on February 27, 2018 [25 favorites]
No one has reported that Russian hackers didn't alter the databases. The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls. That's a much more limited statement.
True, I should have parsed it more sceptically. That leaves room for things like inserting false voter records for future use/pranks; and, by changing biographical data, preventing legitimate voters from exercising their right to vote. I recall that there were indeed scattered reports of voters wrongly removed from electoral rolls because of false claims that they hadn't voted in years or unexpectedly denied the right to vote because their voting record didn't match their ID. There weren't enough of those reports to be election-changing even if true, though.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
True, I should have parsed it more sceptically. That leaves room for things like inserting false voter records for future use/pranks; and, by changing biographical data, preventing legitimate voters from exercising their right to vote. I recall that there were indeed scattered reports of voters wrongly removed from electoral rolls because of false claims that they hadn't voted in years or unexpectedly denied the right to vote because their voting record didn't match their ID. There weren't enough of those reports to be election-changing even if true, though.
posted by Joe in Australia at 5:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
The CT flip is particularly interesting, given that:
a) the GOP had a great 2016 there, and were thought maybe likely to flip one or both houses of the legislature this fall, especially because
b) Dem governor Malloy is quite unpopular
c) also this is a historically quite Republican area - I believe some version of the seat had been GOP-held for more than 40 years
posted by Chrysostom at 5:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
a) the GOP had a great 2016 there, and were thought maybe likely to flip one or both houses of the legislature this fall, especially because
b) Dem governor Malloy is quite unpopular
c) also this is a historically quite Republican area - I believe some version of the seat had been GOP-held for more than 40 years
posted by Chrysostom at 5:53 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Along these lines, the source said, investigators were interested in logistics surrounding Trump's hotel room in Moscow: Who was there? Who would have access to it? Who was in charge of security? Who was moving around with him during the trip?
It's real.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:59 PM on February 27, 2018 [63 favorites]
It's real.
posted by Rust Moranis at 5:59 PM on February 27, 2018 [63 favorites]
logistics surrounding Trump's hotel room in Moscow
I'll bet there were some interesting editorial meetings for this article. Do we mention the pee? Do we allude to the pee? Do we just not talk about the pee at all?
Last week's New Yorker has an article about the same time period, and they just went ahead and talked about the pee.
posted by diogenes at 6:06 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
I'll bet there were some interesting editorial meetings for this article. Do we mention the pee? Do we allude to the pee? Do we just not talk about the pee at all?
Last week's New Yorker has an article about the same time period, and they just went ahead and talked about the pee.
posted by diogenes at 6:06 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
It's real and fake and fake and fake and real. If (big if) an incriminating tape actually went public, it would be clouded by the noise of fake tapes (which are already in the hands of intelligence agencies around the world). The Russian forces delight in chaos for its own sake (which sure looks like a possible motive for compromising voter records, as discussed in this thread ).
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by InTheYear2017 at 6:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [3 favorites]
The micturating elephant in the room, as it were.
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by FelliniBlank at 6:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
ELECTIONS NEWS
** Special elections -- Dem pickups in the NH House and CT House tonight, plus a margin improvement of 28 points in a GOP hold in the KY House.
** PA-18 special -- Mentioned earlier, Cook Political has moved the race to Toss Up. The piece points out that internal polling on both sides has the race within the margin of error.
** 2018 House:
** Special elections -- Dem pickups in the NH House and CT House tonight, plus a margin improvement of 28 points in a GOP hold in the KY House.
** PA-18 special -- Mentioned earlier, Cook Political has moved the race to Toss Up. The piece points out that internal polling on both sides has the race within the margin of error.
** 2018 House:
-- Brookings with some very interesting data on challengers and fundraising for House races. Dems doing unusually well with both.** 2018 Senate:
-- Gonzales: GOP basing strategy on demonizing Nancy Pelosi again, that may have reached the end of its effectiveness.
-- FL: Quinnipiac poll has incumbent Dem Nelson up 46-42 over GOPer Scott. This is consistent with recent polling showing Nelson with a couple of point lead.posted by Chrysostom at 6:13 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
-- ND: Gravis poll has incumbent Dem Heitkamp up 43-40 over GOPer Cramer. Cramer is well known in the state - he's the sole Congressional rep - so he doesn't have a lot of room to grow with people who don't know him.
-- TN: Mentioned earlier, incumbent GOP Sen Corker re-confirmed he's out of the race. This sets up an almost certain contest between GOP Rep Blackburn and Dem former gov Bredesen.
How's Bredesen looking? I'm Tennessee-adjacent and if that goes blue, it may be good for the area.
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:15 PM on February 27, 2018
posted by fluttering hellfire at 6:15 PM on February 27, 2018
Report: Bannon Spent ‘Some 20 Hours’ In Mueller Interviews This Week
Jonathan Swan @jonathanvswan adds this significant detail: "Am told Robert Mueller himself walked into the room several times to talk to Steve Bannon. Not surprising given Bannon's seniority but it's quite rare for Mueller to attend interviews."
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
Jonathan Swan @jonathanvswan adds this significant detail: "Am told Robert Mueller himself walked into the room several times to talk to Steve Bannon. Not surprising given Bannon's seniority but it's quite rare for Mueller to attend interviews."
posted by Doktor Zed at 6:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [28 favorites]
More public lands news!
** Goings-on in Wyoming are going on:
** From a bipartisan group of former conservation officials, new opposition to a reinterpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act written by a former director of policy for the Charles Koch Institute.
** The DoD plans to introduce through DOI a legislative proposal to gain sole jurisdiction of about 300,000 acres of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) north of Las Vegas.
** Unrealistic timeframes: Grand Staircase Escalante management proposes to complete new management plans within 12 to 18 months without regard to ongoing legal challenges to the Trump boundaries. Zinke had previously ordered DOI NEPA studies to be completed within one year or less. See my comment upthread for info on commenting.
posted by compartment at 6:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [39 favorites]
** Goings-on in Wyoming are going on:
-- Wyoming becomes third state to introduce ALEC model legislation designed to criminalize pipeline protests, after Ohio and Iowa. ALEC’s model legislation draws from an earlier bill passed in Oklahoma.** Zinke proposes cutting 4,000 Department of Interior (DOI) jobs, reorganizing DOI jurisdictions roughly along watershed/ecoregions boundaries instead of state boundaries. Poor reception from both conservation groups and extractive industries.
-- Local protest by hunters/anglers puts the brakes on public land selloff along Clark Fork of the Yellowstone River. Land was transferred from feds and to state 20 years ago. Noteworthy b/c a lot of the pushback to GOP's proposed public-land selloff is coming from these land users.
** From a bipartisan group of former conservation officials, new opposition to a reinterpretation of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act written by a former director of policy for the Charles Koch Institute.
** The DoD plans to introduce through DOI a legislative proposal to gain sole jurisdiction of about 300,000 acres of the Desert National Wildlife Refuge (DNWR) north of Las Vegas.
-- DNWR is today 1.6 million acres, but already contains ~800,000 acres withdrawn for Air Force use until 2021 (i.e., the public is excluded). DoD is preparing a Legislative Environmental Impact Statement (LEIS) for a proposal to extend the withdrawal past 2021, and also withdraw an additional 300,000 acres. Public access would be limited to less than 500k acres.** Commerce Department recognizes outdoor recreation as a $374 billion industry.
-- Public comments on the LEIS are accepted until March 8. Go here to comment. Here is some background info from the RAND corporation.
** Unrealistic timeframes: Grand Staircase Escalante management proposes to complete new management plans within 12 to 18 months without regard to ongoing legal challenges to the Trump boundaries. Zinke had previously ordered DOI NEPA studies to be completed within one year or less. See my comment upthread for info on commenting.
posted by compartment at 6:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [39 favorites]
Crooked, Julissa Arce, The Supreme Court and GOP Leave Dreamers in Limbo
posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on February 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
Trump gave Congress six months to come up with a legislative solution to “fix DACA.” We are now a week away from that deadline and exactly zero bills have cleared the House or the Senate. Congress has had several opportunities to provide Dreamers peace of mind, but not even $25 billion in funding for a border wall was sufficient to persuade enough Republican Senators to give Dreamers legal status. The bipartisan McCain-Coons bill, which would have provided a path to citizenship for Dreamers and funding for Trump’s wall, fell six votes short of clearing a Republican filibuster. The White House has rejected offer after offer from the Democratic leadership, and deal after deal from bipartisan negotiators. At this point it is impossible to conclude anything other than that Republicans want to deport Dreamers.NYT, Liz Robbins, In a ‘Sanctuary City,’ Immigrants Are Still at Risk, in which sanctuary only goes so far:
They might be forced to act against interest, but the Supreme Court made that kind of reckoning less likely, and farther off. Republicans in Congress have been unwilling to act, even as the fate of 800,000 young people rested solely in their hands, and now that the Supreme Court has given them an out, it’s unlikely they will act before November. It is very likely that the only way through for Dreamers is a Democratic Speaker who will bring a bill to a vote in the House, and a Senate that can muster 60 votes for the solution Republicans pretend to want.
The issue may have become less salient, just as the need to keep it salient has become more important than ever. It is the obligation of everyone who claims to fight for Dreamers to not let their plight fade from the public imagination just because it is receding from the political limelight. It is cruel to keep Dreamers in limbo indefinitely; they deserve a future that is legally certain, and doesn’t hinge on a Supreme Court decision. They deserve Congress to act now, whether or not there is some deadline forcing the matter.
ICE agents have been appearing in New York’s courthouses and at people’s front doors, and, according to immigrant advocates, even entered a Manhattan church with a Spanish-speaking immigrant congregation. While the New York Police Department does not generally hand over detainees to ICE, it does, through a bureaucratic backdoor, essentially provide a road map: Arrest information is sent to the state, which shares it with the Federal Bureau of Investigation. ICE can now see that information.San Francisco Chronicle, Hamed Aleaziz, ICE confirms more than 150 arrests in California sweep and slams Schaaf’s early warning, in which ICE invited Fox News to come along, and their own press release states that only half of those arrested have any criminal history.
“It’s hardly a sanctuary,” said Muzaffar Chishti, the director of the Migration Policy Institute’s office at New York University School of Law. “The mayor of the City of New York does not hide people under his desk. We’re fully cooperating with ICE. People get deported from New York all the time.”
Immigration arrests of residents without criminal records more than tripled in New York after President Trump took office. Of the 2,976 arrests in 2017, 899 were of people without criminal convictions, up from 250 out of 1,762 in 2016, according to ICE statistics.
posted by zachlipton at 6:43 PM on February 27, 2018 [24 favorites]
Even with these numbers, the GOP will have control of the Senate until at least 2040 if not further
I bow to no one in my pessimism but it's not even clear that the GOP will have control of the Senate in 2019 (though 2021 is more plausible).
posted by Justinian at 6:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
I bow to no one in my pessimism but it's not even clear that the GOP will have control of the Senate in 2019 (though 2021 is more plausible).
posted by Justinian at 6:54 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
fluttering hellfire: "How's Bredesen looking? I'm Tennessee-adjacent and if that goes blue, it may be good for the area."
There hasn't been any recent public polling, but a Blackburn internal had her up just 44-39, and losing to him on favorables.
I wouldn't call him the favorite, but he definitely has a good shot.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:57 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
There hasn't been any recent public polling, but a Blackburn internal had her up just 44-39, and losing to him on favorables.
I wouldn't call him the favorite, but he definitely has a good shot.
posted by Chrysostom at 6:57 PM on February 27, 2018 [1 favorite]
Thank you for the public lands updates, compartment!
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by Barack Spinoza at 7:22 PM on February 27, 2018 [2 favorites]
Barack Spinoza, you're very welcome! I am kind of in love with the USA's public lands. Please accept my sincere apologies if that love is reflected in excessively long posts.
I forgot to mention, there's some news I heard recently regarding last year's proposed entrance fee increase for various national parks (doubling or nearly tripling entrance fees to $70). The comment deadline was extended last year after complaints from legislators in western states whose economies rely on tourism. The result was 140,000 comments from the public! I believe it's likely that the comments are overwhelmingly against fee increases.
The comment volume was sufficiently high that it required a contractor to go through the comments and sort/categorize them so the Park Service can respond appropriately to all the issues raised. That's happening now. The proposal was floated without any kind of serious economic modeling, so hopefully the scrutiny and level of interest will force that to happen.
posted by compartment at 8:14 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
I forgot to mention, there's some news I heard recently regarding last year's proposed entrance fee increase for various national parks (doubling or nearly tripling entrance fees to $70). The comment deadline was extended last year after complaints from legislators in western states whose economies rely on tourism. The result was 140,000 comments from the public! I believe it's likely that the comments are overwhelmingly against fee increases.
The comment volume was sufficiently high that it required a contractor to go through the comments and sort/categorize them so the Park Service can respond appropriately to all the issues raised. That's happening now. The proposal was floated without any kind of serious economic modeling, so hopefully the scrutiny and level of interest will force that to happen.
posted by compartment at 8:14 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
So the Georgia Senate is still threatening to blocking a tax break on jet fuel bill for Delta in retaliation for dropping the NRA partnership, it's not just the Lt. Gov.
Virginia and New York would be more than happy to have Delta instead.
As a policy matter I hate states and cities bidding to be the lowest common denominator like with the shameful display of who can offer the most bribes for the new Amazon HQ, but if it's taking jobs from red states in explicit reaction to using state power to force companies to abide by Republican propoganda, you know what? That's the free market. Live with your choices. And blue states will happily take the corporate refugees.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:18 PM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Virginia and New York would be more than happy to have Delta instead.
As a policy matter I hate states and cities bidding to be the lowest common denominator like with the shameful display of who can offer the most bribes for the new Amazon HQ, but if it's taking jobs from red states in explicit reaction to using state power to force companies to abide by Republican propoganda, you know what? That's the free market. Live with your choices. And blue states will happily take the corporate refugees.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:18 PM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Little stories from the WaPo that didn't even make the cut today:
Four Commerce Department appointees lose their posts after problems in background checks. The departed are Fred Volcansek, who served as executive director of SelectUSA, a program that promotes foreign investment in the US; Chris Garcia, acting head of the department’s minority business development agency; Edgar Mkrtchian, senior adviser to the International Trade Administration; and Justin Arlett, adviser to the director for the Economic Development Administration
White House severs ties with unpaid adviser to Melania Trump. The Office of the First Lady has "severed the gratuitous services contract" with Stephanie Wolkoff, it was reported earlier this month that her firm was paid $26m for inauguration services.
A year after Trump threatened to cancel the Air Force One program, White House and Boeing reach deal. The deal is 2 new planes for $3.9 billion. Trump claimed in Dec 2016 that "the costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Factcheckers at the time guesstimated the cost of the program to be $3.7 billion through 2026.
posted by peeedro at 8:23 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
Four Commerce Department appointees lose their posts after problems in background checks. The departed are Fred Volcansek, who served as executive director of SelectUSA, a program that promotes foreign investment in the US; Chris Garcia, acting head of the department’s minority business development agency; Edgar Mkrtchian, senior adviser to the International Trade Administration; and Justin Arlett, adviser to the director for the Economic Development Administration
White House severs ties with unpaid adviser to Melania Trump. The Office of the First Lady has "severed the gratuitous services contract" with Stephanie Wolkoff, it was reported earlier this month that her firm was paid $26m for inauguration services.
A year after Trump threatened to cancel the Air Force One program, White House and Boeing reach deal. The deal is 2 new planes for $3.9 billion. Trump claimed in Dec 2016 that "the costs are out of control, more than $4 billion. Cancel order!" Factcheckers at the time guesstimated the cost of the program to be $3.7 billion through 2026.
posted by peeedro at 8:23 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
From CNN:
This...is very hard to wrap my head around.
posted by darkstar at 8:26 PM on February 27, 2018 [78 favorites]
Investigators for special counsel Robert Mueller have recently been asking witnesses about Donald Trump's business activities in Russia prior to the 2016 presidential campaign as he considered a run for president, according to three people familiar with the matter.Folks, this is beginning to make Watergate pale to relative insignificance. We now have an FBI Special Prosecutor actually investigating how and to what degree the US President may be a Russian asset. And the “God and Country Party”TM are fully complicit in trying to quash the investigation.
Questions to some witnesses during wide-ranging interviews included the timing of Trump's decision to seek the presidency, potentially compromising information the Russians may have had about him, and why efforts to brand a Trump Tower in Moscow fell through, two sources said.
The lines of inquiry indicate Mueller's team is reaching beyond the campaign to explore how the Russians might have sought to influence Trump at a time when he was discussing deals in Moscow and contemplating a presidential run.
This...is very hard to wrap my head around.
posted by darkstar at 8:26 PM on February 27, 2018 [78 favorites]
Payday Report:
After 4 days of striking, the West Virginia teachers’ union has reached an agreement to end their historic work stoppage.posted by Chrysostom at 8:27 PM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Under the deal, the teachers would get a 5% raise during the first year. Initially, teachers had been offered 1% raise.
The state also agreed to appoint a task force to look into improving the troubled Public Employee Insurance Agency, which insures the teachers.
@realDonaldTrump
Such a beautiful map, thank you!
[retweets county-level map of 2016 election results]
I hate him so much, you guys.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:28 PM on February 27, 2018 [69 favorites]
Such a beautiful map, thank you!
[retweets county-level map of 2016 election results]
I hate him so much, you guys.
posted by Rust Moranis at 8:28 PM on February 27, 2018 [69 favorites]
The Times continues today's avalanche of bad news for Jared, burying this tidbit in Jared Kushner’s Security Clearance Downgraded:
The official said that intercepts in 2016 and 2017 indicated that Mohammed bin Zayed, the crown prince of Abu Dhabi and the U.A.E.’s de facto ruler, has seen Mr. Kushner as a target of influence by the wealthy, influential Persian Gulf state. The country has been a particularly influential player on policy issues that Mr. Kushner has directly overseen — including efforts to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians.posted by zachlipton at 8:29 PM on February 27, 2018 [14 favorites]
Such a beautiful map, thank you!
[retweets county-level map of 2016 election results]
cut to the map being thrown onto a bonfire, revealing the scrawled affectation "ROSEBUD"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:31 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
[retweets county-level map of 2016 election results]
cut to the map being thrown onto a bonfire, revealing the scrawled affectation "ROSEBUD"
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:31 PM on February 27, 2018 [12 favorites]
After 4 days of striking, the West Virginia teachers’ union has reached an agreement to end their historic work stoppage.
I've seen some reports that teachers are still really upset with the deal because there's no long-term fix for their health insurance, and future increases there could more than wipe out any kind of raise.
posted by zachlipton at 8:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
I've seen some reports that teachers are still really upset with the deal because there's no long-term fix for their health insurance, and future increases there could more than wipe out any kind of raise.
posted by zachlipton at 8:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
The Los Angeles Times's Chris Megerian @ChrisMegerian reports on Rep. Adam Schiff's HPSCI debriefing today:
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:35 PM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
Rep. Schiff says Hope Hicks refused to answer some questions on orders from the White House. “This is an effort to continue to put off this committee.”Meanwhile New York Times soft-pedals its headline: Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump
One of the things Hicks wouldn’t talk about was the drafting of a false statement about Trump Jr.’s meeting with a Russian lawyer during the campaign
Republicans declines to issue a subpoena. “Apparently there’s one rule for Steve Bannon and one rule for everybody else,” Rep. Schiff says.
Hope Hicks, the White House communications director, told House investigators on Tuesday that her work for President Trump, who has a reputation for exaggerations and outright falsehoods, had occasionally required her to tell white lies.Politico's Kyle Cheney @kyledcheney calls this "The opacity of Hope".
But after extended consultation with her lawyers, she insisted that she had not lied about matters material to the investigations into Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election and possible links to Trump associates, according to three people familiar with her testimony.
The exchange came during more than eight hours of private testimony before the House Intelligence Committee. Ms. Hicks declined to answer similar questions about other figures from the Trump campaign or the White House.
She also pointedly and repeatedly declined to answer questions about the presidential transition or her time in the White House, lawmakers who sat in on the testimony said, telling investigators that she had been asked by the White House to discuss only her time on the campaign. They added that she did not formally invoke executive privilege.
posted by Doktor Zed at 8:35 PM on February 27, 2018 [15 favorites]
continues today's avalanche of bad news for Jared
I tell ya, I’ve worked in companies where nepotism was rife and there is little that damages morale more than to see one of the boss’ incompetent friends or relatives get a job they are thoroughly incapable of doing, and everyone is just expected to work around it, pick up the slack, and make do despite Junior’s gross ineptitude.
Aside from having him foaming at the mouth, I’m not sure there’s a better sign that a leader is unfit as when he engages in nepotism as a staffing strategy.
posted by darkstar at 8:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
I tell ya, I’ve worked in companies where nepotism was rife and there is little that damages morale more than to see one of the boss’ incompetent friends or relatives get a job they are thoroughly incapable of doing, and everyone is just expected to work around it, pick up the slack, and make do despite Junior’s gross ineptitude.
Aside from having him foaming at the mouth, I’m not sure there’s a better sign that a leader is unfit as when he engages in nepotism as a staffing strategy.
posted by darkstar at 8:36 PM on February 27, 2018 [31 favorites]
Meanwhile New York Times soft-pedals its headline: Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump
The New York Times continues to aid and abet a criminal authoritarian regime, as they have for going on 3 years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:38 PM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
The New York Times continues to aid and abet a criminal authoritarian regime, as they have for going on 3 years.
posted by T.D. Strange at 8:38 PM on February 27, 2018 [30 favorites]
Hey at least it was just a $31,000 dining set at HUD, they didn't buy anyth—The Guardian, Jon Swaine, US housing department to spend $165,000 on own furniture as it faces $6.8bn budget cut
The amazing thing about this story though isn't the furniture purchase, but that it directly calls out HUD spokesman Raffi Williams, Spicer's former deputy at the RNC (and son of Fox News' Juan Williams), for lying about the dining room purchase:
posted by zachlipton at 8:45 PM on February 27, 2018 [68 favorites]
The amazing thing about this story though isn't the furniture purchase, but that it directly calls out HUD spokesman Raffi Williams, Spicer's former deputy at the RNC (and son of Fox News' Juan Williams), for lying about the dining room purchase:
Williams made false statements to the Guardian in emails last Friday while an article on Foster’s claims was being prepared.More of this kind of journalism please.
“When it comes to the secretary’s office, the only money HUD spent was $3,200 to put up new blinds in his office and the deputy secretary’s office,” Williams said in an email, declaring this information to be “on background” without prior agreement.
...
When asked on Tuesday to explain his misleading statement, Williams falsely stated that he had been asked only about spending on improvements to Carson’s office from what he called “the decorating budget”.
“That’s what you were asking about, was the decorating budget, and no table was bought with the decorating budget,” said Williams. He then claimed he had actually been unaware a table had even been bought. “I walked over there and there was no new table there, so I did not know,” he said. “I did not find out until much later.”
Williams then said that he had another phone call coming in and terminated the interview.
posted by zachlipton at 8:45 PM on February 27, 2018 [68 favorites]
i remember at the beginning of the investigation, the administration made a bunch of noises about how trump’s finances and pre-campaign events were “out of bounds”. given that it’s trump, it could just be bluster. on the other hand, if he thinks the investigation is getting too hot…
i’m freaking out again guise
posted by murphy slaw at 8:51 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
i’m freaking out again guise
posted by murphy slaw at 8:51 PM on February 27, 2018 [4 favorites]
retweets county-level map of 2016 election results
Which is a map of his 3+ million loss in the popular vote, not his historically pretty small win in the Electoral College.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
Which is a map of his 3+ million loss in the popular vote, not his historically pretty small win in the Electoral College.
posted by kirkaracha at 9:00 PM on February 27, 2018 [21 favorites]
Chrysostom, thank you so much for that great news on the West Virginia teacher's strike! I was so proud of them for bravely going on strike - and so pleased that their districts closed down in support - and I am thrilled to hear they got 5% instead of the insulting 1%.
posted by kristi at 9:02 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
posted by kristi at 9:02 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Hope Hicks Acknowledges She Sometimes Tells White Lies for Trump
Is that a reference to the supremacist neo-Nazis?
posted by JackFlash at 9:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
Is that a reference to the supremacist neo-Nazis?
posted by JackFlash at 9:11 PM on February 27, 2018 [8 favorites]
retweets county-level map of 2016 election results
Wait. Is it actually? The map he retweeted shows Orange and Riverside counties (California) as red. The NYT map says he lost both. Same for Washoe County in NV. I don't know what the heck this map is, but it sure doesn't look like the 2016 election results.
Which is perhaps a compelling example of why the President of the United States shouldn't retweet things sent by random strangers on the internet, something we all used to assume was a rule that didn't need to be stated.
posted by zachlipton at 9:12 PM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
Wait. Is it actually? The map he retweeted shows Orange and Riverside counties (California) as red. The NYT map says he lost both. Same for Washoe County in NV. I don't know what the heck this map is, but it sure doesn't look like the 2016 election results.
Which is perhaps a compelling example of why the President of the United States shouldn't retweet things sent by random strangers on the internet, something we all used to assume was a rule that didn't need to be stated.
posted by zachlipton at 9:12 PM on February 27, 2018 [35 favorites]
I noticed one or two counties off, but otherwise it's a dead ringer for 2012's map.
It's so stupid. Everything's so stupid.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:21 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
It's so stupid. Everything's so stupid.
posted by Rust Moranis at 9:21 PM on February 27, 2018 [9 favorites]
ffs, it's this one. Trump is a moron
https://www.snopes.com/trump-won-3084-of-3141-counties-clinton-won-57/
posted by bootlegpop at 9:26 PM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
https://www.snopes.com/trump-won-3084-of-3141-counties-clinton-won-57/
posted by bootlegpop at 9:26 PM on February 27, 2018 [11 favorites]
Actually, his looks even more inaccurate. Bang Head. Wall. Argh
posted by bootlegpop at 9:27 PM on February 27, 2018
posted by bootlegpop at 9:27 PM on February 27, 2018
Those are the 2020 county by county results.
posted by notyou at 9:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [53 favorites]
posted by notyou at 9:33 PM on February 27, 2018 [53 favorites]
His map also removed one of the two blue ares of Nevada by turning Washoe county red:
posted by bootlegpop at 9:40 PM on February 27, 2018
posted by bootlegpop at 9:40 PM on February 27, 2018
Another one. in Michigan Trump's map shows Muskegon (5th up on the left) as red, while Wikipedia has it at blue:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Michigan,_2016
posted by bootlegpop at 9:53 PM on February 27, 2018
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_presidential_election_in_Michigan,_2016
posted by bootlegpop at 9:53 PM on February 27, 2018
So, that map was posted by https://twitter.com/steffan_nancy
Here's that account on botometer. Look at the history of posts from that account - it's pretty obviously a propaganda account. Registered in January 2017, and 17.5k posts since then! Almost 40 tweets a day for the past 1.3 years
posted by heathkit at 10:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
Here's that account on botometer. Look at the history of posts from that account - it's pretty obviously a propaganda account. Registered in January 2017, and 17.5k posts since then! Almost 40 tweets a day for the past 1.3 years
posted by heathkit at 10:10 PM on February 27, 2018 [51 favorites]
Well, surely [hastily closes mouth]
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
posted by tivalasvegas at 10:37 PM on February 27, 2018 [7 favorites]
Trump tweeted a bot that posted a fake map, nothing new here. Nobody in the media will bat an eye. Sarah Huckabee Sanders will say the map is real.
posted by gucci mane at 11:45 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
posted by gucci mane at 11:45 PM on February 27, 2018 [19 favorites]
In addition, a bot then responded to his repost of a bot with a pro-NRA meme that had yet another map. However, this (probably also) fake map actually had Nevada and Michigan scored correctly.
posted by bootlegpop at 12:06 AM on February 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by bootlegpop at 12:06 AM on February 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
So, to be clear, the states all said that no votes or voter registration information was changed. But 6 of the 7 states also claim they weren’t breeched at all. Are they really the most reliable judges of what was done or not done here?
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:14 AM on February 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
posted by Weeping_angel at 2:14 AM on February 28, 2018 [3 favorites]
Actually changing US electoral databases would be an overt act of aggression. Accessing them without altering them is the sort of thing that sows doubt but is plausibly deniable. I mean, maybe it was reconnaissance? Maybe they changed things but we don't know? Maybe they didn't access them at all and the very accusation is a part of a conspiracy against the government !
The Russian playbook is designed to sow doubt, erode trust in government/civil society, and foment as much division and discord as possible. Yes, they've engaged in an actual conspiracy against the US government, but short of that they are happy to push completely asinine conspiracy theories. Actually meddling with vote tallies is great, but short of that they're also happy to sow distrust and confusion about election integrity. They astroturfed both a texas AND a california secession movement for the same reason they astroturfed support for Trump AND Jill Stein.
Also, this tactic of 'accessing but not altering' is of a piece with the Russian playbook for eroding confidence in NATO. Specifically, it reminds me of their habit of buzzing NATO airspace with fighter jets: you find the line in the sand, walk up to it, stick one foot over, jump around and taunt your enemy. Goad them. Dare them to retaliate against a nuclear-armed power. Then keep doing that until someone loses their shit, or until they draw their line back. In other words, even if the Russian government didn't cross that bright red line and fuck with our vote tallies, they walked an inch over it and started tapdancing. And because we have not responded AT ALL, they know they can get away with even more fuckery in the next election.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 2:50 AM on February 28, 2018 [55 favorites]
The Russian playbook is designed to sow doubt, erode trust in government/civil society, and foment as much division and discord as possible. Yes, they've engaged in an actual conspiracy against the US government, but short of that they are happy to push completely asinine conspiracy theories. Actually meddling with vote tallies is great, but short of that they're also happy to sow distrust and confusion about election integrity. They astroturfed both a texas AND a california secession movement for the same reason they astroturfed support for Trump AND Jill Stein.
Also, this tactic of 'accessing but not altering' is of a piece with the Russian playbook for eroding confidence in NATO. Specifically, it reminds me of their habit of buzzing NATO airspace with fighter jets: you find the line in the sand, walk up to it, stick one foot over, jump around and taunt your enemy. Goad them. Dare them to retaliate against a nuclear-armed power. Then keep doing that until someone loses their shit, or until they draw their line back. In other words, even if the Russian government didn't cross that bright red line and fuck with our vote tallies, they walked an inch over it and started tapdancing. And because we have not responded AT ALL, they know they can get away with even more fuckery in the next election.
posted by Vic Morrow's Personal Vietnam at 2:50 AM on February 28, 2018 [55 favorites]
The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls.
How about rolling back a prior change so that the voter goes to their older polling place after moving, then this ( In NY) becomes a manual exception, tripling the transaction time. Do it enough, and you got a Denial of Service attack at the polls.
I don't buy "The Russian State Attackers got in BUT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING" for a second.
posted by mikelieman at 2:54 AM on February 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
How about rolling back a prior change so that the voter goes to their older polling place after moving, then this ( In NY) becomes a manual exception, tripling the transaction time. Do it enough, and you got a Denial of Service attack at the polls.
I don't buy "The Russian State Attackers got in BUT DIDN'T DO ANYTHING" for a second.
posted by mikelieman at 2:54 AM on February 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
JFC The first thing we're going to have to do in power is pass a law that says 'Yes, actually, democracy does matter to us' just so everybody's on the same page.
Also, if I might rant a bit, regarding Carson's "$5K will not even buy a decent chair."
Here ya go. 40 bux. Next day delivery.
From all of us with absolutely crappy work chairs, Happy Sciatica, you groveling little lickspittle.
posted by eclectist at 3:32 AM on February 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
Also, if I might rant a bit, regarding Carson's "$5K will not even buy a decent chair."
Here ya go. 40 bux. Next day delivery.
From all of us with absolutely crappy work chairs, Happy Sciatica, you groveling little lickspittle.
posted by eclectist at 3:32 AM on February 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
Carson could afford to fit out his office any damn way he wants. It wouldn't even be a blip on his income. Like all Trumpists, he's a cheap bastard.
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:02 AM on February 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
posted by Joe in Australia at 4:02 AM on February 28, 2018 [12 favorites]
It turns out that the CNN scandal the President regurgitated from Tucker Carlson was based on the father of a Parkland student "accidentally" doctoring emails in order to make it appear that CNN was scripting questions for his son.
I'm concerned a president under siege may switch to live-tweeting InfoWars, or perhaps Jim Bakker's Prophecy & End Time News.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:28 AM on February 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
I'm concerned a president under siege may switch to live-tweeting InfoWars, or perhaps Jim Bakker's Prophecy & End Time News.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 5:28 AM on February 28, 2018 [6 favorites]
The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls.
Every time I hear this, I get reminded of the mess in Maricopa County (AZ) during the presidential primaries. It was chaos. Maybe it really was incompetence by the county recorder. But I have to wonder if this wasn’t a sort of dry run to see what tweaking voter rolls could do.
posted by azpenguin at 5:47 AM on February 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
Every time I hear this, I get reminded of the mess in Maricopa County (AZ) during the presidential primaries. It was chaos. Maybe it really was incompetence by the county recorder. But I have to wonder if this wasn’t a sort of dry run to see what tweaking voter rolls could do.
posted by azpenguin at 5:47 AM on February 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
The most they've said is that they didn't change votes, and just today, that they didn't remove any voters from the rolls.
On election day, there were a handful of MeFites in the megathread that mentioned they weren't on the voter rolls when they got to the polls, even though they hadn't moved. They had to jump through a bunch of hoops just to get a provisional ballot submitted. Maybe it's just confirmation bias, and I'm remembering it as bigger than it was, but it definitely caught my attention that day.
posted by diogenes at 6:09 AM on February 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
On election day, there were a handful of MeFites in the megathread that mentioned they weren't on the voter rolls when they got to the polls, even though they hadn't moved. They had to jump through a bunch of hoops just to get a provisional ballot submitted. Maybe it's just confirmation bias, and I'm remembering it as bigger than it was, but it definitely caught my attention that day.
posted by diogenes at 6:09 AM on February 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
MUELLER ASKING ABOUT TRUMP’S RUSSIA BUSINESS DEALS AND MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT
Mueller going for the throat. I'm pretty sure this was the line in the sand for the co-conspirators.
posted by Talez at 6:19 AM on February 28, 2018 [38 favorites]
Mueller going for the throat. I'm pretty sure this was the line in the sand for the co-conspirators.
posted by Talez at 6:19 AM on February 28, 2018 [38 favorites]
And now I'm going to fantasize about Mueller indicting Trump for sexually assaulting Miss Universe contestants.
(Not going to happen, but still.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:24 AM on February 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
(Not going to happen, but still.)
posted by snuffleupagus at 6:24 AM on February 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
one question i haven’t seen in this whole ben carson brouhaha:
why the fuck did he buy a dining set for an office?!?
posted by murphy slaw at 6:42 AM on February 28, 2018 [17 favorites]
why the fuck did he buy a dining set for an office?!?
posted by murphy slaw at 6:42 AM on February 28, 2018 [17 favorites]
The HUD Secretary's office suite contains an executive dining room.
posted by mmascolino at 6:45 AM on February 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
posted by mmascolino at 6:45 AM on February 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
On election day, there were a handful of MeFites in the megathread that mentioned they weren't on the voter rolls when they got to the polls,
On the one hand, I suspect that sort of snafu catches some people in every election and we just don't really pay attention.
On the other hand based on this NYT article, I think the issue warrants further investigation. Won't happen under this administration, though.
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:47 AM on February 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
On the one hand, I suspect that sort of snafu catches some people in every election and we just don't really pay attention.
On the other hand based on this NYT article, I think the issue warrants further investigation. Won't happen under this administration, though.
posted by OnceUponATime at 6:47 AM on February 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
The HUD Secretary's office suite contains an executive dining room.
That makes total sense. But what are the chances it didn't already have a table and chairs?
I really want to see this dining set. Also someone should let Carson know they have an Ikea in College Park.
posted by dis_integration at 6:49 AM on February 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
That makes total sense. But what are the chances it didn't already have a table and chairs?
I really want to see this dining set. Also someone should let Carson know they have an Ikea in College Park.
posted by dis_integration at 6:49 AM on February 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
a proposal, then: house homeless people in the executive dining room and let ben carson eat in the goddamn cafeteria
posted by murphy slaw at 6:50 AM on February 28, 2018 [35 favorites]
posted by murphy slaw at 6:50 AM on February 28, 2018 [35 favorites]
By the way, since NBC said every state but Illinois denied having been breached, I'd like to remind folks what we know about the Arizona hack and the Arizona Secretary of State's denial that it was linked to the coordinated Russian attack.
From the first link...
From the first link...
The Arizona attack was more limited and involved introducing malicious software into one state employee's computer, said Matt Roberts, communications director for the Arizona secretary of state's office.posted by OnceUponATime at 6:51 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
That office publicly reported a cyber incident in June after being contacted by the FBI, which led to it temporarily shutting down its election site to deal with the potential threat.
Roberts said he was uncertain if the FBI advisory was in reference to that same June incident, during which investigators found no evidence of any data exfiltration. In that episode, the FBI told Arizona officials the hackers were believed to be Russian and described it as an "eight out of 10" on a threat severity scale, Roberts said.
That makes total sense. But what are the chances it didn't already have a table and chairs?
Absolutely it does. The spin I saw on tv last night was a spokesperson saying that repairs would have been more costly than new furniture.
Consider me dubious.
posted by mmascolino at 6:56 AM on February 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
Absolutely it does. The spin I saw on tv last night was a spokesperson saying that repairs would have been more costly than new furniture.
Consider me dubious.
posted by mmascolino at 6:56 AM on February 28, 2018 [4 favorites]
repairs would have been more costly than new furniture
The existing furniture had suffered more than $31K worth of damage...? What the hell were people getting up to in the HUD Secretary's dining room?
posted by GrammarMoses at 7:00 AM on February 28, 2018 [29 favorites]
The existing furniture had suffered more than $31K worth of damage...? What the hell were people getting up to in the HUD Secretary's dining room?
posted by GrammarMoses at 7:00 AM on February 28, 2018 [29 favorites]
Another pull-quote from the article shared by zachlipton upthread: WaPo, Kushner’s overseas contacts raise concerns as foreign officials seek leverage
posted by filthy light thief at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2018 [39 favorites]
H.R. McMaster, President Trump’s national security adviser, learned that Kushner had contacts with foreign officials that he did not coordinate through the National Security Council or officially report. The issue of foreign officials talking about their meetings with Kushner and their perceptions of his vulnerabilities was a subject raised in McMaster’s daily intelligence briefings, according to the current and former officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive matters.Following this story, NPR's Ailsa Chang spoke with Carol Leonnig of The Washington Post about how officials in at least four countries had been discussing how to manipulate Jared Kushner. She says intelligence regarding these conversations have held up his security clearance. (Feb. 27, 2018)
Within the White House, Kushner’s lack of government experience and his business debt were seen from the beginning of his tenure as potential points of leverage that foreign governments could use to influence him, the current and former officials said.
CHANG: And your reporting noted that President Trump's national security adviser, H.R. McMaster, knew these alleged conversations were happening about Kushner but didn't officially report them. So when did other people in the White House start finding out about this?If not for our own intel agencies, we might not know that Kushner was being played by at least four countries who recognize him as a rube and an easy mark with in the administration.
LEONNIG: So we don't know exactly who knew what when in all of those months of the spring and the summer. But we do know that in those early months of the administration, H.R. McMaster, who was of course replacing the departed national security adviser Michael Flynn, started to grow concerned that Kushner was having conversations with foreign officials that he was finding out about after the fact through intercepts and intel information about those foreign officials.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2018 [39 favorites]
From the Times article linked upthread:
* The table is inside the secretary’s 10th-floor office suite.
* Original table is 50 years old.
* Department officials are supposed to request congressional approval for purchases over $5,000.00. They did not in this case because the dining set served a “building-wide need.”
* Decision to replace the desk was made by a “career staffer” from a list of pre-approved federal contractors
* Neither Mr. Carson nor his wife requested a new desk.
* Raffi Williams, (a HUD spokesman,) said that the old table was "covered in scratches, scuff marks and cracks."
* Emailed pictures from Mr. Williams of the old table looked "polished and not visibly scarred."
posted by zarq at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
* The table is inside the secretary’s 10th-floor office suite.
* Original table is 50 years old.
* Department officials are supposed to request congressional approval for purchases over $5,000.00. They did not in this case because the dining set served a “building-wide need.”
* Decision to replace the desk was made by a “career staffer” from a list of pre-approved federal contractors
* Neither Mr. Carson nor his wife requested a new desk.
* Raffi Williams, (a HUD spokesman,) said that the old table was "covered in scratches, scuff marks and cracks."
* Emailed pictures from Mr. Williams of the old table looked "polished and not visibly scarred."
posted by zarq at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2018 [2 favorites]
Mod note: Couple deleted; let's not launch off into the universe of possibility that is the HUD Secretary's Executive Dining Room; let's try to keep it more on track in here and heck, leave a little something to the imagination.
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2018 [10 favorites]
posted by LobsterMitten (staff) at 7:12 AM on February 28, 2018 [10 favorites]
strongly suggestive of either a leak... or a hack... we'll probably see some more anti-DCCC articles based on internal documents in the next few weeks or months.
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that these emails just sort of arrived unsolicited. And they will continue to arrive in a damaging drip, drip fashion leading up to the Democratic primaries. It feels kinda familiar somehow...
posted by diogenes at 7:14 AM on February 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that these emails just sort of arrived unsolicited. And they will continue to arrive in a damaging drip, drip fashion leading up to the Democratic primaries. It feels kinda familiar somehow...
posted by diogenes at 7:14 AM on February 28, 2018 [13 favorites]
theodolite: Jared is kind of like your buddy who can hook you up with all the JSTOR you need, except instead of journal articles it's top secret US intelligence and instead of you it's the Legion of fucking Doom
Except, it's not the Legion of Doom - it's United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, of whom at least three are considered allies and generally not categorized as acting against the U.S.' best interest.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:15 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Except, it's not the Legion of Doom - it's United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, of whom at least three are considered allies and generally not categorized as acting against the U.S.' best interest.
posted by filthy light thief at 7:15 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Except, it's not the Legion of Doom - it's United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico, of whom at least three are considered allies and generally not categorized as acting against the U.S.' best interest.
y'know, i love my next door neighbors but i'm still gonna be pissed if my kid is selling my credit card receipts and web history to them for pocket money
posted by murphy slaw at 7:23 AM on February 28, 2018 [41 favorites]
y'know, i love my next door neighbors but i'm still gonna be pissed if my kid is selling my credit card receipts and web history to them for pocket money
posted by murphy slaw at 7:23 AM on February 28, 2018 [41 favorites]
compartment: Zinke proposes cutting 4,000 Department of Interior (DOI) jobs, reorganizing DOI jurisdictions roughly along watershed/ecoregions boundaries instead of state boundaries. Poor reception from both conservation groups and extractive industries.
This is fascinating - managing the environment based on watersheds and ecoregions makes so much sense ... assuming you have the staff to manage those areas.
And this is not what people mean when they say "you're doing something right if you make both sides unhappy."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:34 AM on February 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
This is fascinating - managing the environment based on watersheds and ecoregions makes so much sense ... assuming you have the staff to manage those areas.
And this is not what people mean when they say "you're doing something right if you make both sides unhappy."
posted by filthy light thief at 7:34 AM on February 28, 2018 [7 favorites]
United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico are our allies, but we very rarely act in their best interests, and we're always trying to play them. I would be astonished if China, for instance, didn't want US influence to decline, and look at how this country treats Mexico! If anyone legit needs leverage, it's them.
But the point is that this is standard capitalist-nationalist leverage-seeking. It's not shocking that one country should try to exploit another's administrative weak points; it's shocking that a White House which is so very, very nationalist in public should be so incompetent about nationalism in private. Or rather, it's unsurprising that a White House which is very nationalist in public is in private mostly about graft for the ruling family.
It would be monstrous but simple if these people really were nationalists, but all they want is to leverage nationalism so that they can loot.
posted by Frowner at 7:37 AM on February 28, 2018 [16 favorites]
But the point is that this is standard capitalist-nationalist leverage-seeking. It's not shocking that one country should try to exploit another's administrative weak points; it's shocking that a White House which is so very, very nationalist in public should be so incompetent about nationalism in private. Or rather, it's unsurprising that a White House which is very nationalist in public is in private mostly about graft for the ruling family.
It would be monstrous but simple if these people really were nationalists, but all they want is to leverage nationalism so that they can loot.
posted by Frowner at 7:37 AM on February 28, 2018 [16 favorites]
UAE managed to get the President of the United States to accuse Qatar, host of the largest US military base in the region, of funding terrorism, on the basis of their own hacking operation planting literally fake news stories on Qatari government websites. An ally should be someone who is co-operated with, not someone who controls your government. America First, am I right?
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:37 AM on February 28, 2018 [21 favorites]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:37 AM on February 28, 2018 [21 favorites]
Trump this morning, on Twitter: "I have decided that sections of the Wall that California wants built NOW will not be built until the whole Wall is approved. Big victory yesterday with ruling from the courts that allows us to proceed. OUR COUNTRY MUST HAVE BORDER SECURITY!"
His "big victory" regarding the wall he claims "California wants built NOW" was in a lawsuit filed by the State of California against his wall.
posted by zarq at 7:40 AM on February 28, 2018 [16 favorites]
His "big victory" regarding the wall he claims "California wants built NOW" was in a lawsuit filed by the State of California against his wall.
posted by zarq at 7:40 AM on February 28, 2018 [16 favorites]
A majority of Americans oppose the wall; somehow I doubt California's Mexican-American demographics would lead to a different outcome.
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:45 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 7:45 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
I'm gonna go out on a limb and guess that these emails just sort of arrived unsolicited. And they will continue to arrive in a damaging drip, drip fashion leading up to the Democratic primaries. It feels kinda familiar somehow...
Under the circumstances — when it’s been confirmed that a foreign power has influenced our political process through criminal hacks and sophisticated media manipulation to publicize the ill gotten and sometimes altered contents of those hacks for their own ends, and is continuing to do so — it seems like journalistic malpractice, at best, not to include a critical discussion about sourcing and verification in the specific context of Russian political interference. At worst, you’re not asking questions because they might be inconvenient and you want the scoop. Which is not so much journalism as it is collusion.
I mean, I am not a journalist, but I’m also not a moron. So.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:47 AM on February 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
Under the circumstances — when it’s been confirmed that a foreign power has influenced our political process through criminal hacks and sophisticated media manipulation to publicize the ill gotten and sometimes altered contents of those hacks for their own ends, and is continuing to do so — it seems like journalistic malpractice, at best, not to include a critical discussion about sourcing and verification in the specific context of Russian political interference. At worst, you’re not asking questions because they might be inconvenient and you want the scoop. Which is not so much journalism as it is collusion.
I mean, I am not a journalist, but I’m also not a moron. So.
posted by schadenfrau at 7:47 AM on February 28, 2018 [27 favorites]
we have thread-sign the likes of which god has not seen:
NEW THREAD
NEW THREAD
NEW THREAD
posted by murphy slaw at 7:54 AM on February 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
NEW THREAD
NEW THREAD
NEW THREAD
posted by murphy slaw at 7:54 AM on February 28, 2018 [24 favorites]
That's quite a pernicious reference
posted by phearlez at 7:56 AM on February 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
posted by phearlez at 7:56 AM on February 28, 2018 [5 favorites]
Mr. Carson “didn’t know the table had been purchased,” but does not believe the cost was too steep and does not intend to return it, said Raffi Williams, a HUD spokesman.
“In general, the secretary does want to be as fiscally prudent as possible with the taxpayers’ money,” he added.
Raffi Williams, HUD Sucker's proxy.
posted by emelenjr at 8:01 AM on February 28, 2018 [28 favorites]
“In general, the secretary does want to be as fiscally prudent as possible with the taxpayers’ money,” he added.
Raffi Williams, HUD Sucker's proxy.
posted by emelenjr at 8:01 AM on February 28, 2018 [28 favorites]
-----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> ----->
PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN POLITICS THREAD
-----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> ----->
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:05 AM on February 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
PROJECT FOR A NEW AMERICAN POLITICS THREAD
-----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> -----> ----->
posted by East Manitoba Regional Junior Kabaddi Champion '94 at 8:05 AM on February 28, 2018 [9 favorites]
United Arab Emirates, China, Israel and Mexico are our allies
None of those countries are American allies, not if by alliance we mean a promise of mutual military protection.
If Gondor calls for aid, who shows up? Those are your allies. This is not hypothetical: when the United States requested military aid in 2001 (rightly or wrongly), these are the countries who sent support. Hint: mostly NATO.
This is important partly because revealing America's secrets to non allies is more troubling, and because the American habit of forgetting who your real friends are is extremely annoying.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:21 AM on February 28, 2018 [10 favorites]
None of those countries are American allies, not if by alliance we mean a promise of mutual military protection.
If Gondor calls for aid, who shows up? Those are your allies. This is not hypothetical: when the United States requested military aid in 2001 (rightly or wrongly), these are the countries who sent support. Hint: mostly NATO.
This is important partly because revealing America's secrets to non allies is more troubling, and because the American habit of forgetting who your real friends are is extremely annoying.
posted by justsomebodythatyouusedtoknow at 8:21 AM on February 28, 2018 [10 favorites]
suelac: "That right there: how is that not by itself deserving of a major federal investigation?"
Emoluments clause. It's the root of the worst Trump can inflict on the world. Republicans should have been all over it from day one but they are too deep in the grift.
posted by Mitheral at 10:25 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
Emoluments clause. It's the root of the worst Trump can inflict on the world. Republicans should have been all over it from day one but they are too deep in the grift.
posted by Mitheral at 10:25 AM on February 28, 2018 [1 favorite]
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posted by cortex (staff) at 8:59 AM on February 15, 2018 [14 favorites]