;)
Thanksgiving Day
Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The Justice Department is seeking to question former Vice President Mike Pence as a witness in connection with its criminal investigation into ... Donald J. Trump's efforts to stay in power after he lost the 2020 election, according to two people familiar with the matter. Mr. Pence, according to people familiar with his thinking, is open to considering the request, recognizing that the Justice Department's criminal investigation is different from the inquiry by the House Jan. 6 committee, whose overtures he has flatly rejected. Complicating the situation is whether Mr. Trump would try to invoke executive privilege to stop him or limit his testimony, a step that he has taken with limited success so far with other former officials." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The Guardian's story is here. ~~~
~~~ Marie: He's "considering it"? I have a suggestion: just break into pence's house at 6 am, drag him by the collar of his Jesus pajamas out into his front yard & cuff him.
Ben Goggin & Kate Tenbarge of NBC News: "Some right-wing media figures and influencers have doubled down on the use of inflammatory rhetoric against the LGBTQ community in the wake of Saturday night's shooting at a Colorado gay club that killed five. The rhetoric mirrors what LGBTQ advocates have warned about for months, most notably false claims that children are being sexualized or 'groomed' by LGBTQ people and events.... Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at Harvard Law School's Cyberlaw Clinic, said that the repetitive messaging from [Tucker] Carlson and others has opened the door for violence against LGBTQ people. 'The way they soften up the support for this kind of violence is essentially by making it seem morally justified in the minds of people who believe this,' Caraballo said. 'The way they do this is by constantly painting LGBT people as pedophiles and groomers, and so people feel morally justified in carrying out this violence.'"
Beyond the Beltway
** Alaska. Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Representative Mary Peltola, Democrat of Alaska and the first Alaska Native woman to serve in Congress, on Wednesday won a full term in the House, according to The Associated Press, holding back three conservative challengers. Ms. Peltola first won the seat in an August special election to finish the term of Representative Don Young, a Republican who died in March. Her victory, which flipped the seat for Democrats for the first time i 50 years, was considered an upset against Sarah Palin, the former governor and vice-presidential candidate." ~~~
~~~ Swan Song for a Turkey. Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "... having lost her bid for Congress after years out of the spotlight, [Sarah] Palin is a much diminished force. She was, in many ways, undone by the same political currents she rode to national prominence, first as Senator John McCain's vice-presidential nominee in 2008 and later as a Tea Party luminary and Fox News star. Along the way, she helped redefine the outer limits of what a politician could say as she made dark insinuations about Barack Obama's background and false claims about government 'death panels' that could deny health care to seniors and people with disabilities. Now, a generation of Republican stars follows the template she helped create.... Next to Mr. Trump's lies about a huge conspiracy to deny him a second term, or Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene's casual allusions to political violence, Ms. Palin's provocations more than a decade ago can seem almost quaint." ~~~
~~~ In the spirit of the holiday, leave us not forget the historic Palin Turkey Massacre of 2008. Mind you, this was supposed to be a photo-op wherein Gov. Sarah pardoned a turkey to demonstrate her executive props:
** Emily Cochrane of the New York Times: "Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, a centrist Republican, won a fourth full term on Wednesday, according to The Associated Press, overcoming a conservative backlash against her independent streak and her vote to convict ... Donald J. Trump for incitement of insurrection after the Capitol riot on Jan. 6, 2021. Ms. Murkowski was declared the winner after securing more than 50 percent of the vote, a mandated threshold under the state's new ranked-choice system. She defeated Kelly Tshibaka, a conservative rival backed by Mr. Trump and the state Republican Party, and Pat Chesbro, a Democrat.... Ms. Murkowski is now positioned to remain a pivotal swing vote in the chamber and to wield significant seniority on the Senate Indian Affairs Committee and the Appropriations Committee, which controls government funding."
Georgia. Ava Sasani of the New York Times: "The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday reinstated the state's ban on abortions after six weeks of pregnancy, temporarily restoring the law that had been blocked by a lower court last week. The decision reverses last week's ruling by Judge Robert C.I. McBurney of the Fulton County Superior Court, who had said the six-week ban was unconstitutional when the state legislature approved it in 2019 -- more than three years before the U.S. Supreme Court revoked the constitutional right to abortion. The Georgia Supreme Court also denied a request by abortion providers and advocates for a 24-hour notice before reinstating the ban." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Georgia. Fredreka Schouten & Tierney Sneed of CNN: "The Georgia Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to block counties from offering early voting on Saturday, rejecting an emergency request from Republicans. Counties in Georgia are not required to offer early voting on Saturday, but many have said they will do so, after Democrats successfully sued to challenge instructions from state officials claiming that early voting the Saturday after Thanksgiving was unlawful. The move is a victory for Democrats, including Sen. Raphael Warnock, who is seeking reelection in a December 6 runoff election against Republican Herschel Walker."
Georgia. Herschel Walker's Primary Residence Is in ... Texas. Andrew Kaczynski & Em Steck of CNN: "Republican Herschel Walker is getting a tax break intended only for a primary residence this year on his home in the Dallas, Texas, area, despite running for Senate in Georgia. Publicly available tax records reviewed by CNN's KFile show Walker is listed to get a homestead tax exemption in Texas in 2022, saving the Senate candidate approximately $1,500 and potentially running afoul of both Texas tax rules and some Georgia rules on establishing residency for the purpose of voting or running for office. Walker registered to vote in Atlanta, Georgia, in 2021 after living in Texas for two decades and voting infrequently. In Texas, homeowner regulations say you can only take the exemption on your 'principal residence.': (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) The New York Times story is here.
Kansas. Julia Shapero of the Hill: "A Kansas judge on Wednesday blocked a state law that banned doctors from prescribing abortion pills via telemedicine. Shawnee County District Court Judge Teresa Watson granted a Wichita reproductive clinic;s request for a temporary injunction, after the Kansas Court of Appeals overturned her previous ruling. Watson initially denied the clinic's request for an injunction. However, the appeals court in June found that Watson 'diverged from well-established Kansas caselaw' in her decision and sent the issue back to the lower court, according to the Topeka Capital-Journal."
Pennsylvania. Bob Brigham of the Raw Story: "The GOP nominee for governor in Pennsylvania lost by fourteen points in the midterm elections, but supporters of Doug Mastriano are expanding their election denial efforts despite the lopsided outcome. On Tuesday, The Philadelphia Inquirer reported Mastriano supporters are now seeking to force hand recounts in multiple Pennsylvania counties.... '... Recounts change election results very little, if at all,' the newspaper reported. 'But the baseless efforts threaten to sow confusion about the validity of this month's election, tie up state courts, and disrupt officials' ongoing work to audit and certify results by Monday's deadline. It's the latest front for an election denial movement that helped lift Mastriano to prominence, and has repeatedly tried to find and exploit vulnerabilities in the state's election system.'"
Way Beyond
Brazil. Jack Nicas & André Spigariol of the New York Times: After losing the presidential election, "... President Jair Bolsonaro ... reluctantly agreed to begin the transition of power -- while his allies inspected the election results for evidence of anything amiss. This week, his campaign claimed to have found it: a small software bug in the voting machines. On Tuesday, the campaign filed a request to effectively overturn the election in Mr. Bolsonaro's favor, saying the bug should nullify votes from about 60 percent of the voting machines. Of the remaining votes, Mr. Bolsonaro would win 51 percent, the campaign said, making him the victor instead of the leftist former president who defeated him, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva.... Independent experts said the bug had no impact on the integrity of the vote. And then, late Wednesday, Brazil's elections chief dismissed the complaint and fined the three conservative parties behind it $4.3 million for filing it." ~~~
~~~ But of Course. Elizabeth Dwoskin & Gabriela Sz Pessoa of the New York Times: "... members of Bolsonaro's inner circle are meeting with advisers to ... Donald Trump to discuss next steps. Brazilian congressman Eduardo Bolsonaro, the president's son, has visited Florida since the Oct. 30 vote, meeting Trump at Mar-a-Lago and strategizing with other political allies by phone. He spoke with former Trump strategist Stephen K. Bannon, who was in Arizona assisting the campaign of GOP gubernatorial candidate Kari Lake, about the power of the pro-Bolsonaro protests and potential challenges to the Brazilian election results, Bannon said. He lunched in South Florida with former Trump campaign spokesman Jason Miller, now CEO of the social media company Gettr, and discussed online censorship and free speech, Miller said."
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Reader Comments (16)
You would think that Bolsonaro would seek advice from winners, not losers.
Just now picturing a meeting of the division managers of all the basement dwelling baseball teams, where they treated themselves to lunch and told one another how they got to where they are.
All stories that could be reduced to "they cheated" and "kill the umpire..."
Happy Thanksgiving to All!
I'm "surprised" I haven't yet seen the great R plans to combat crime and inflation, those subjects that were so pressing a few weeks ago.
But today I'm settling in for baking and a quiet vegetarian Thanksgiving with family. Happy Thanksgiving to all!
@NiskyGuy:
Happy Thanksgiving to you & yours, too.
I think you did see the R plan for fighting crime and you just didn't recognize it: something in the nature of "thoughts and prayers" crossed with "lock 'em up!"
And I know you've seen the Grand Ole Party Inflation Buster Plan: cut taxes on the rich only so that nobody else can afford to buy anything: prices for everything but super-yachts & McMansions will plummet. Bingo! Inflation is over. Recession? Well, yeah. But Republican donors will barely feel it.
Is this that day when the neighbors, who's families have lived here
for generations, invite us newcomers for a day long festival of food
and drinks, and teach us how grow corn and squash, and hunt game?
Then the next day we go over and kill them and take all their stuff
and their land, and the ones who got away, we force them to go west
(to Ohio).
Happy Thanksgiving to all. My pie crust for pecan pie is cooling.
Happy Thanksgiving to all the RC denizens.
Thanksgiving, otherwise known as the Day Commemorating That Time When Religious Fanatics Over from England Invited the Local Savages (who saved them from starvation) Over to Dinner, Only to Later Murder Them and Steal Their Lands.
But let’s not talk about that, cuz that makes the traitors uncomfortable. Better to say that Jesus won and white Christians beat the hell out of those heathen savages so we could build Disneyworld, casinos, and 7-11s.
And if you think this sounds a bit anachronistic here in the 21st century*, here’s Trump treason lawyer Jenna Ellis on her hate spewing show:
“…the five people killed that night had ‘no evidence at all that they were Christians’ and that ‘they are now reaping the consequences of having eternal damnation.’ Ellis continues, ‘We should be having that conversation, instead of just the tragedy of what happened to the body, we need be talking about what happened to the soul and the fact that they are now in eternal separation from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.’”
Right. And because there’s “no evidence they were Christian” it’s A-OK to treat them like savages (infidels, their Islamic brothers and sisters in religious terrorism call them) and murder them Willy-nilly.
But it’s wrong to say that Republicans whip up violence against those they hate and fear. How dare anyone say that! Those gay people are burning in hell, and that’s not our fault! They asked for it! Hooray for the Second Amendment! Praise Jesus our heroes have automatic weapons to mow down those icky queers.
I’m sure there were plenty of religious fanatics at that first apocryphal feast who would agree.
The country was built on religious fanaticism, genocide, and slavery, but you can’t teach that at school because it might upset raging assholes like Jenna Ellis.
Pass the cranberry sauce.
*Funny how when we were kids, the idea of the TWENTY FIRST CENTURY seemed so promising, if remote. Poverty and hunger would be eradicated and we’d all have flying cars like the Jetsons. Little did we know that a huge number of us were yearning for the dark ages, for pogroms, inquisitions, book burnings, an end to democracy and regular public executions of those they hate. Maybe 22nd Century? Nah, those fuckers will still be here. Like cockroaches.
Sorry to be such a Debbie Downer this morning. Haven’t had my tea yet. Going to walk Rocket, have some tea, watch a little parade action, then get set for the National Dog Show program.
THEN it’ll be “pass the cranberry sauce”.
The fifth paragraph in Ak's entry above "the five people killed that
night" brings back memories of that email we got from the niece in
Ohio.
She complained about our harassing the family about COVID
vaccinations. We were encouraging, and to them it's harrassment
if they're against it.
And Jesus if after us because of our lifestyle and we'll burn in hell
and the vaccine is made from aborted fetal kidney cells and has HIV
in it and everyone knows HIV is man made. It's a plot to depopulate
the world. The vaccine is a poisonous experimental jab.
The last paragraph is a real kicker:
We down here are:
Pro Trump
Pro God
Pro freedom
Pro America
Pro life
Pro gun rights &
Very Republican Patriots
She got no reply.
Forrest,
Understand why it's not likely you will reply to your niece, but should you ever have the occasion to communicate, you might mention that plot to depopulate the world ain't working.
We're up to eight billion...
@Akhilleus: You genuinely shocked me with Jenna Ellis's remarks. It's hard to believe any adult can think such things, much less say them to what I guess is a national audience. She is stark-staring mad. No wonder she's Trump's lawyer.
I suppose she thinks Jesus was a tall, white, straight guy with blond hair & a chiseled, muscular bod. If there really was a Jesus, which I highly doubt, that last part might be right, but he was a short, dark-complexioned fellow, and there's absolutely no reason to think he wasn't gay. In fact, some early, non-canonical texts suggest he & the disciples were a gay clique. Who was that naked young man in the Garden of Gethsemane? (Mark 14:51,52)
@Ken Winkes: They can't count that high, and the Earth is only
6,000 years old and Jesus rode out on a dinosaur. Those Christian
schools are fantastic, so says my neighbor Betsy DeVos.
Forrest, Thank you for Jesus on a dinosaur!! It reminded me of when I was teaching an AP Bio course in a Catholic School. I was copying material on Darwinian Evolution when a young woman wandered in and said " Oh, I just read that they found dinosaur foot prints next to a man's in a texan riverbed". My comment was "Yes, and it's been proven to be a hoax and if I taught that to my students they would flunk their exam". She reported that to our principal who later asked me what I was teaching. After I told her she said "that as long as I wasn't teaching abortion she didn't care". Thanks Giving today... I need that pecan recipe. My "failsafe" one just flopped.
Forrest,
Geeez!
Dede,
Geeez, as well. Good thing you weren’t teaching dinosaur abortions. No wonder they died out! I guess those dinosaurs Jesus rode voted Democratic. The cockroaches voted Republican. That’s why they’re still crawling around.
Reminds me of a story. When I first moved to NYC for grad school at NYU, I looked at apartments in the East Village. At one showing, I went in with the landlord, he flipped on the light and it was like a cockroach Charge of the Light Brigade. And these suckers were big! I decided I couldn’t arm wrestle a cockroach every night to see who slept in the bed. Eventually I found a place in the West Village. The place was tiny, but I was a grad student, so…The shower stall was so small, as I related to my brother at the time, that if you were in there and got a hard on, you couldn’t get out.
The stuff we put up with when we were young. But putting up with present day assholes and bigots, sorry….can’t do it.
@Dede: I don't think Marie would appreciate us turning this into
a cooking show, but anyway, mine flopped also. Tried a new recipe,
Craig Claiborne, shouldn't have.
Anyway, my mother's pie crust recipe always works. Flaky and
tasty. I've taught it to a number of people, and when I ask them later
if they're still doing it, no, too much work. Oh well.
@Forrest & Dede: I think the "secret" is to use ice water & use as little as possible. If the dough is easy to form into balls, you probably used too much water.
Also, be sure to refrigerate for at least an hour -- or overnight is okay, too -- before rolling it out.
My theory is the less "handling" the dough gets, the better the crust will be. It's just a theory.
Interesting how the Fascist in Chief is expressing outrage that special counsel Jack Smith’s wife was a producer of a documentary about Michele Obama. To the traitors, this proves Smith is incapable of being faaaiiirr to the Fat Fascist. Plenty of Party of Traitor sycophants weigh in as well, with vicious disapproval of Smith and his wife.
But no mention that Katy Chevigny is a career documentary filmmaker while the wife of Clarence Thomas, a career traitor and Christian nationalist, was—and still is— engaged directly in trying to overthrow the government. No suggestion that good ol’ Clarence has no business weighing in on cases his wife is I intimately involved in.
Surprised?