;)
The Commentariat -- January 21, 2018
Afternoon Update:
Sean Sullivan, et al., of the Washington Post: "President Trump and Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) pressed the Senate Sunday to end a government shutdown that reached its second day, with Trump lashing out at Democrats and urging Republicans to change the rules if the standoff there isn't resolved.... Trump wrote on Twitter, 'If stalemate continues,' then Republicans should use the 'Nuclear Option' to rewrite Senate rules and try to pass a long-term spending bill with a simple majority."
They Danced with Trump. Craig Timburg, et al., of the Washington Post: At Trump's inaugural events a year ago, "... prominent business leaders and activists from [Russia] attended inaugural festivities, mingling at balls and receptions -- at times in proximity to key U.S. political officials.... FBI officials were concerned at the time because some of the figures had surfaced in the agency's investigation of the Trump campaign's ties to Russia, the officials said.... Some Russian guests at Trump's inauguration said they got tickets through U.S. political contacts. One venue for credentials was the Presidential Inaugural Committee, which provided a slew of perks ... to donors who gave at least $25,000. Only U.S. citizens and permanent residents are legally permitted to contribute to an inaugural committee. Several U.S. business executives with ties to Russia together donated $2.4 million to the inaugural committee, campaign finance records show."
All the Best People, Ctd. Robert O'Harrow of the Washington Post: "A former Trump campaign worker appointed at age 23 to a top position in the White Houses drug policy office had been let go from a job at a law firm because he repeatedly missed work, a partner at the firm said. While in college, late in 2014 or early in 2015, Taylor Weyeneth began working as a legal assistant at the New York firm O'Dwyer & Bernstien. He was 'discharged' in August 2015, partner Brian O'Dwyer said in an interview. 'We were very disappointed in what happened,' O'Dwyer said. He said that he hired Weyeneth in part because both men were involved in the same fraternity, and that the firm invested time training him for what was expected to be a longer relationship. Instead, he said, Weyeneth 'just didn't show.' In a résumé initially submitted to the government, Weyeneth said he worked at the firm until April 2016." Mrs. McC: What's the big deal? Trump "just doesn't show" for the better part of every day.
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The Comments function appears to be working. Those who signed up may continue to use their exalted "membership" status, or not, as they prefer. I don't intend to sign up anyone else as it's no longer necessary. -- Mrs. Bea McCrabbie
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Vera Haller, et al., of the Washington Post: "From Beijing to Buenos Aires, from Denver to Dallas, from California to the Carolinas, hundreds of thousands of activists once again took to the streets to protest the policies and presidency of Donald Trump. The number of participants might not have eclipsed the millions who marched in cities a year ago, but the 'resistance' still brought out swarms of people from Los Angeles to Philadelphia. Saturday's march made clear how a movement that began as a protest has evolved. A year of the Trump presidency, coupled with the galvanizing experience of the #MeToo moment, has made activists eager to leave a mark on the country's political system. As a result, a key component of Saturday's demonstrations was an effort to harness the enthusiasm behind the Women's March and translate that into political sway at the polls this fall." ...
... Sarah Larson of the New Yorker describes the scene in Washington, D.C. ...
... New York Times: "A year after millions of people turned out for the Women's March and took to the streets en masse to protest President Trump's inauguration, demonstrators gathered o Saturday in cities across the United States, galvanized by their disdain for Mr. Trump and his administration's policies. deluge of revelations about powerful men abusing women, leading to the #MeToo moment, has pushed activists to demand deeper social and political change. Progressive women are eager to build on the movement and translate their enthusiasm into electoral victories in this year's midterm elections." ...
... Amanda Maile & Morgan Winsor of ABC News: "As Women's March participants filled the streets in dozens of cities, many carrying anti-Trump signs, the president took to Twitter to comment on the protests Saturday. With apparent sarcasm, Trump tweeted, 'Beautiful weather all over our great country, a perfect day for all women to march. Get out there now to celebrate the historic milestones and unprecedented economic success and wealth creation that has taken place over the last 12 months. Lowest female unemployment in 18 years!'... From New York City to Los Angeles and many cities in between, thousands of women and their allies took to the streets Saturday, vowing to show up at the polls this year for midterm elections amid outrage over President Donald Trump's agenda. The president's tweet came after thousands of women and their allies poured out for the Women's March, marking one year since Trump took ffice. The main event for the 2018 Women's March, entitled 'Power to the Polls,' will take place Sunday in Las Vegas, where organizers will launch a national voter registration and mobilization initiative. Hundreds of other anniversary marches and events will be held elsewhere in the nation -- and around the world -- on both Saturday and Sunday." ...
... Diane Pathieu & Evelyn Holmes of ABC-7-Chicago: "Women's March Chicago organizers said more than 300,000 people packed Grant Park and surrounding streets Saturday, marching for change and women's rights.... Saturday's second annual march was titled 'March to the Polls' and aimed to mobilize women to not only vote, but also run for office and support female candidates. It was one of dozens of marches held around the country Saturday.... Nearly 400 similar marches were held in solidarity in D.C. and across the country.... Last year, about 250,000 women -- and men -- attended the Chicago event, which was held a day after ... Donald Trump was inaugurated." ...
... Andrea Castillo & Michael Livingston of the Los Angeles Times: "Calling for equal rights for women and waving 'Dump Trump' signs, tens of thousands of demonstrators converged on downtown Los Angeles on Saturday to take part in the second Women's March in L.A., one of dozens of similar protests held around the country.... Delivering the most impassioned speech of the day, [actor Viola] Davis reminded the women in the crowd that they must fight for their liberties and their rights, saying that 'it is through human dedication and effort that we move forward.'"
Once more, SNL reports all the news that's unfit to contemplate:
Thomas Kaplan & Sheryl Stolberg of the New York Times: "With the federal government one day into a shutdown, the House and Senate reconvened on Saturday for a new round of bitter partisan bickering and public posturing that seemed to cloud the path to a resolution despite initial talk of a compromise.... The Senate met for a rare weekend session at noon -- less than 11 hours after it went into recess..., [and Mitch McConnell & Chuck Schumer sniped at each other on the Senate floor].... The White House is taking a firm stance against entertaining immigration demands while the government is closed.... A bipartisan group of about 18 lawmakers, calling themselves the Common Sense Coalition, met Saturday afternoon in the office of Senator Susan Collins, Republican of Maine, in an effort to find a way forward. Senator Joe Manchin III, Democrat of West Virginia, said the group hoped to present a proposal to Senate leaders either later Saturday or Sunday." ...
... Wait, Maybe This Will Help. Allegra Kirkland of TPM: "The Trump campaign on Saturday released a new campaign ad calling congressional Democrats 'complicit' in all murders committed by undocumented immigrants. The spot seems unlikely to ease tensions on Capitol Hill as the Senate tries to negotiate a compromise on the fate of the 700,000 immigrants who entered the U.S. illegally as children in order to reopen the shuttered federal government. 'Democrats who stand in our way will be complicit in every murder committed by illegal immigrants,' a narrator says, as images of House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) appear on the screen. The 30-second ad blames Democrats for endorsing these acts of 'pure evil' by refusing to allow ... Donald Trump to build a wall on the U.S.-Mexico border." Mrs. McC: Which, um, won't stop illegal immigration from Central America & which, um, Schumer seemed to agree to Friday. But great ad! ...
... Robert Costa, et al., of the Washington Post: "So far, Trump, McConnell and House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) have struck a defiant tone, refusing to consider any of the Democratic demands on immigration or other issues until there is a bipartisan agreement to reopen the federal government." ...
... Paul Kane of the Washington Post: "Republicans are unified behind the belief that, until the government opens, there will be no more negotiations over the fate of hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants brought here as children." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Obviously, what this tells you is that Republicans, as a whole, have every intention to send Dreamers back to the country from which they came as infants or children. If not, then "conceding" to Democrats on DACA would be a Big Whup Nothing Burger that would demonstrate how Republicans cared about the kids, after all. They don't. And let's remember that the GOP policy is not just cruel, racist & xenophobic, it's stupid. Who could be better for an economy with an aging population than a large group of young, well-educated, English-speaking, non-criminals? Oooh, ooh, Mr. Kotter, I know. Norwegian ones. ...
** Annals of "Journalism", Ctd. Judd Legum of ThinkProgress: "As the nation inched closer to the first government shutdown since 2013, the New York Times figured out who to blame: Democrats.... Under Senate rules [the funding bill] would require 60 votes for passage. Theoretically, a majority of Republicans could have gotten behind the plan and Democrats could have 'blocked' it. But that's not what happened. Only 45 Republican Senators supported the Republican plan.... Unmentioned is that more than 60 Senators supported a bipartisan deal that would have provided permanent protection for DREAMers, enhanced border security and kept the government running." --safari ...
... MEANWHILE, Trump is having "his party" at Mar-a-Lago, where lucky partygoers can spend as much as $250K/couple, & Trump can cash in personally for use of the space. ...
... Update. As MAG writes in today's Comments, it looks as if Donnie had created to so much havoc in Washington, his babysitters wouldn't let him go to his own party. A small price to pay for a lifetime of douchebaggery. BUT don't worry. The party went on without him, & he sent a short video message telling how great he was & how horrible Democrats were. ...
... David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post on Trump's Celebration of Me event tonight: "By holding the event at his own club, Trump will be able to collect tens of thousands of dollars in fees for food, ballroom rental and other costs. In effect, he will have transformed his supporters' political donations into revenue for his business. Again." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Next Trip: Davos! where Trump can schmooze with the world's high & mighty. What a populist! ...
... ** Ashley Parker & others at the Washington Post have a great report on Trump's ignorance of "his own" supposed policies, his constant vacillation & his opposing signals on DACA & other matters related to the shutdown.... 'Negotiating with President Trump is like negotiating with Jell-O,' Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) complained on the Senate floor Saturday, some 12 hours into the shutdown. 'It's next to impossible.'" ...
... Julie Davis & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "One year to the day after taking office with vows to bring the dysfunction of Washington to heel, President Trump on Saturday found himself thrust into the most perennial of political crises, bitterly casting blame on Democrats for a government shutdown he said they had orchestrated to mar the anniversary.... Inside the White House, Mr. Trump, the neophyte president who has styled himself the ultimate dealmaker, remained remarkably disengaged from the complex process of hammering out a politically palatable deal that could provide a way out of the morass.... On Saturday, the president was left alternately defiant and angry, self-pitying and frustrated. He argued to aides that he did not deserve the blame he was taking, but without a credible deal on the table, there was little for him to do. Irritated to have missed his big event in Florida, Mr. Trump spent much of his day watching old TV clips of him berating President Barack Obama for a lack of leadership during the 2013 government shutdown, a White House aide said, seeming content to sit back and watch the show." ...
... Matthew Yglesias of Vox: "Trump's intervening behavior [for the funding bill] wound up salting the earth by leaving everyone feeling that he might screw them over at any moment. Consequently, nobody is quite sure exactly who is shutting down the government or what it is the White House is trying to achieve by rejecting a bipartisan proposal that would avert a shutdown.... [C]ongressional Republicans are less unified on immigration than on most issues, and Trump is more invested in immigration than on most issues. Consequently, his actual personal leadership as president of the United States is critical to moving the system forward. But the mere fact that the circumstances require Trump to act like a real president doesn't change the fact that he's a lazy, ill-informed conspiracy theorist prone to tweeting cryptic pronouncements about delicate policy issues based on Fox & Friends segments. Welcome to 2018." --safari ...
... Tarini Parti of BuzzFeed: "Trump, who was supposed to be celebrating this weekend at a high-dollar fundraiser at his exclusive Florida resort, is now stuck in Washington. But while the White House says Trump is working the phones, other than an ultimately unsuccessful meeting with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer on Friday, the president has been largely sidelined from deal-making, with congressional leadership and a few of his top aides taking the lead. And some senators from both parties say negotiating with Trump himself to find a way out of the shutdown is essentially impossible." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: This whole shutdown fiasco can largely be attributed to Trump's suffering from the Dunning-Kruger effect, that is, "people of low ability suffer from illusory superiority, mistakenly assessing their cognitive ability as greater than it is." In Trump, this effect extends to all aspects of his life. Not only did someone else -- Tony Schwartz -- write "Trump"'s best-selling book The Art of the Deal, I expect that his subordinates & lawyers were the actual people responsible for any major deals "he" made. They made good money for engineering those deals & no doubt flattered him for his essential input or whatever, and now the whole country is suffering under their ruses. I'd guess Dr. Jackson didn't test for Dunning-Kruger. ...
... AND MEANWHILE, mike pence is in the Middle East, managing to keep himself far from the madding crowd once again. Matthew Nussbaum of Politico reports. ...
... Wherein a thoughtful Eric Trump -- the smart one -- explains why the shutdown "is good for us." Julia Manchester of the Hill reports.
Nunes Keystone Kops, Ctd. Charlie Savage & Sharon LaFraniere of the New York Times: "Republican aides on the House Intelligence Committee have prepared a memorandum that is said to accuse law enforcement officials of improperly obtaining a ... warrant ... targeting a former Trump campaign adviser [Carter Page].... House Republicans are calling for the declassification and release of the report, while Democrats say that it is full of misinformation and is a political stunt. People familiar with the report said that its main allegation was that law enforcement officials failed to adequately explain to the intelligence court judge that they were relying in part on research by an investigator, Christopher Steele, that had been financed by the Democratic National Committee and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign. That, the report is said to claim, suggests that the judge was misled." Mrs. McC BTW: You can probably discredit what "expert" Stephen Vladeck tells the Times about Steele; according to Guardian reporter Luke Harding, Steele didn't know who Fusion GPS's clients were. Vladeck assumes Steele did know. ...
... Betsy Woodruff of The Daily Beast: "House Republicans are moving in the direction of releasing a controversial memo produced by Rep. Devin Nunes and the majority staff of the House intelligence committee.... [T]he memo's release is far from guaranteed. But a House Republican leadership aide told The Daily Beast that its release is very likely...Nunes' staff wrote the memo based on top secret intelligence that the FBI showed to a tiny number representatives and staff ... Democrats ... said that because members cannot see the underlying intelligence, they cannot fairly assess whether or not the memo characterizes it correctly. Any efforts for [Adam] Schiff [D-Calif. ] and his staff to release a counter-memo would almost certainly be stymied; such a release would require a vote of by House intelligence committee, which is deeply divided along partisan lines." --safari
Sean Wilentz in a New York Times op-ed: "Donald Trump ... [in his first year in office] has been a colossal failure. The truest measure of his performance comes from comparing his first year not with those of the best ... -- but with those of the worst.... Yet the first years of these failed presidencies were not always so bad, and in nearly every case not as bad as Mr. Trump's.... Mr. Trump's first year has been an unremitting parade of disgraces that have demeaned him as well as the dignity of his office, and he has shown that this is exactly how he believes he should govern. Most important, he is the first president to fail to defend the nation from an attack on our democracy by a hostile foreign power -- and to resist the investigation of that attack. He is the first to enrich his private interests, and those of his family, directly and openly. He is the first president to denounce the press not simply as unfair but as 'the enemy of the American people.' He is the first to threaten his defeated political opponent with imprisonment. He is the first to have denigrated friendly countries and allies as well as a whole continent with racist vulgarities.... Mr. Trump's first year portends a very unhappy ending."
Gail Collins argues that the future is Hillary's -- and Hillarys.
"This Land Is His Land." Kathleen McLaughlin of the Guardian: "It's become the new class war of the West ... a creeping, pervasive and underreported threat to public lands in the West: a widening class battle between private landowners -- oftentimes newcomers with little knowledge of the region's history or law -- and the general public expecting to use public lands.... While public lands advocates battle the Trump administration over its plans to scale back national monuments, some private landowners -- whether by tying up land access cases in courts or by putting up physical gates -- present a rising threat to the millions of acres set aside for public use.... According to a study from the Center for Western Priorities, 4 million acres of public lands in the Rocky Mountain West ... are considered 'landlocked,' blocked off by private landowners who control adjacent properties or roadways. Two million of those landlocked acres are in Montana." --safari
Christina Caron of the New York Times: "Carl Higbie, who resigned on Thursday from the federal agency that funds AmeriCorps and SeniorCorps, said on Saturday that he regretted making disparaging remarks in the past about black people, Muslims, gays and lesbians. 'There are certain comments that I made that are inexcusable,' Mr. Higbie said in a phone interview on Saturday, adding that many of them stemmed from 'my own ignorance.' Mr. Higbie, who also apologized on Twitter on Friday, was appointed by President Trump in August as chief of external affairs for the Corporation for National and Community Service, which encourages Americans to support their communities through volunteer service."
Time Warp: June 25, 2013: "The Supreme Court on Tuesday effectively struck down the heart of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 by a 5-to-4 vote...'Our country has changed,' Chief Justice John G. Roberts Jr. wrote for the majority."
Katie Rogers & Ken Vogel of the New York Times: "Representative Patrick Meehan, a Pennsylvania Republican who has taken a leading role in fighting sexual harassment in Congress, used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle his own misconduct complaint after a former aide accused him last year of making unwanted romantic overtures to her, according to several people familiar with the settlement. A married father of three, Mr. Meehan, 62, had long expressed interest in the personal life of the aide, who was decades younger and had regarded the congressman as a father figure, according to three people who worked with the office and four others with whom she discussed her tenure there. But after the woman became involved in a serious relationship with someone outside the office last year, Mr. Meehan professed his romantic desires for her ... and he grew hostile when she did not reciprocate.... She initiated the complaint process started working from home and ultimately left the job. She later reached a confidential agreement with Mr. Meehan's office that included a settlement for an undisclosed amount to be paid from Mr. Meehan's congressional office fund." ...
... Ha Ha. Good Move, Pauly. Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "A Republican congressman was removed from the House Ethics Committee on Saturday after it was reported that he used thousands of dollars in taxpayer money to settle a misconduct complaint by a former staffer. Rep. Patrick Meehan (R-Pa.), who denies wrongdoing, reached a settlement with the aide after she claimed last year that he made unwanted romantic overtures toward her, according to a report published in the New York Times. The fourth-term lawmaker now faces an investigation by the ethics panel, according to a spokeswoman for House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.)."
Zoya Tierstein of Mother Jones: "Conservation Hawks, is part of a coalition of grassroots organizations trying to pull conservatives into the conversation about rising temperatures.... There's a small but growing alliance of concerned conservatives who want to reclaim climate change as a nonpartisan issue. This motley crew of lobbyists, Evangelical Christians, and far-right radicals call themselves the 'eco-right.'" --safari
Capitalism is Awesome, Ctd. Jay Weaver, et al. of McClatchy DC: "Gold has become the secret ingredient in the criminal alchemy of Latin American narco-traffickers who make billions turning cocaine into clean cash by exporting the metal to Miami.... NTR Metals, a South Florida precious-metals trading company, had bought nearly $1 billion worth of Peruvian gold supplied by narcos.... The United States depends on Latin American gold to feed ravenous demand from its jewelry, bullion and electronics industries.... But much of that gold comes from outlaw mines deep in the jungle where dangerous chemicals are poisoning rainforests and laborers who toil for scraps of metal, according to human rights watchdogs and industry executives. The environmental damage and human misery mirror the scale of Africa's 'blood diamonds,' experts say." --safari
Beyond the Beltway
American "Justice," Ctd.
Like Really Way, Way Beyond. Ryan Autullo of the Austin-American Statesman: "A state district judge in Comal County[, Texas,] said God told him to intervene in jury deliberations to sway jurors to return a not guilty verdict in the trial of a Buda woman accused of trafficking a teen girl for sex. Judge Jack Robison apologized to jurors for the interruption, but defended his actions by telling them 'when God tells me I gotta do something, I gotta do it,' according to the Herald-Zeitung in New Braunfels. The jury went against the judge's wishes, finding Gloria Romero-Perez guilty of continuous trafficking of a person and later sentenced her to 25 years in prison. They found her not guilty of a separate charge of sale or purchase of a child. ... The Herald-Zeitung reported that Robison recused himself before the trial's sentencing phase and was replaced by Judge Gary Steele. The defendant's attorney asked for a mistrial, but was denied." ...
... Addy Baird of ThinkProgress: "A former assistant police chief [Todd Shaw] in Kentucky told a recruit who asked what he should do if he catches teenagers smoking marijuana, 'If black shoot them,' according to new documents released Friday.... Shaw continued, saying, '[C]all their rents … if mom is hot then fuck her ... if dad is hot then handcuff him and make him suck my dick. Unless daddy is black.... Then shoot him.'... Shaw resigned from the Prospect Police Department in suburban Louisville late last year.... Since then, Shaw has reportedly fought to keep his messages from being released to the media after local outlets requested them under public records laws, but they were released Friday." -- safari
Way Beyond
Juan Cole: "[O]n Friday, Turkey began cross-border shelling of the Kurdish-majority Afrin canton in northern Syria. There are also reports of busloads of Sunni Arab guerrillas of the rebel Free Syrian Army, who had been sheltered in Turkey, being sent into Afrin.... The Turkish attack comes after an announcement early this week by the Trump administration that it would arm and train a 30,000-man strong Kurdish force to police Syria's borders and make sure ISIL did not reemerge.... Ankara sees the Syrian Kurds as allies of the PKK, but its members and the US government both deny that allegation.... It is not clear whether the erratic Turkish president Tayyip Erdogan is grandstanding with these artillery strikes into Afrin or whether this is the beginning of an attempt by Turkey to occupy and/or ethnically cleanse the Afrin Kurdish enclave." --safari
Finally a Bit of (Temporary) Good News. Amy Held of NPR: "Thai police toppled an accused kingpin in the global multi-million-dollar wildlife black market, with the arrest on Friday of Boonchai Bach in Nakhon Phanom, near the Laos border along the Mekong river. For more than a decade, Boonchai is believed to have overseen a syndicate responsible for the illegal trade of wildlife poached in Asia and Africa, according to the anti-trafficking group Freeland, which describes him as a 'kingpin' who has evaded capture for years." --safari
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Reader Comments (11)
Government shutdown ruins Donnie Delusion's celebration.
Boo hoo.
"Standing tie-less in a black overcoat and white "Make America Great Again" hat, Trump says to the camera that he had to remain in Washington because of the shutdown.
"There shouldn't be a shutdown, but there is," he is quoted as saying. "It's caused by the Democrats. But we're gonna end up winning another victory." (CNN) "Pooped on Party"
...and, later this week, will he stay or will he go?
"Donald Trump was set to be the first U.S. president to attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in nearly two decades, but the government shutdown might have scrambled those plans."Grounded?"
CNBC has doubts.
Bea,
Adding your comment yesterday about Kelly's real job and today's Dunning-Kruger effect, the sum is Kelly is the chief of staff of the TEAM "POTUS". Trump's job is to play the public part of president.
Schumer's jello comment says it all.
In other words, the person with the elected title of POTUS is nothing more than the official clown.
I did a little research on Dunning-Kruger effect and NPD. Seems like Dunning-Kruger effect is a base part of NPD. Trump is the perfect model, he not only believes he is a lot smarter than reality ( Dunning-Kruger) he believes he is a genius smarter than anyone else.(NPD)
@Marvin Schwalb: As usual, excellent diagnosis.
This past Friday morning, I made a comment that not all Trumpbots were horrible human beings.
Later that same day, I went off to town to a doctor's appointment, then headed for the drugstore -- about 5 miles away -- to pick up a prescription. I made an interim stop, & when I got back to my car, it wouldn't start. A light came on that said the airbags were turned off. It was getting dark, so I hurriedly read thru my car manual to see how I could have inadvertently turned off the airbags. Nary a clue. I walked to a nearby gas station, but there were no mechanics there -- only a convenience store. A customer -- who fit my picture of a Trumpbot -- overheard me telling the store clerk what my problem was, & the customer said he thought it was probably the battery. That made some kind of sense (to make a long story short), & he walked with me to see if he could jump it. A friend of his -- who again looked like a guy who would never vote for Hillary -- came by & the two of them got my car started, by then, in the dark. The first guy told me there was a place I could buy a new battery up the street.
Without the help of those two probable Trumpies, I would have had to walk home, in the dark, in the cold, more than 10 miles -- then tried to figure out what to do about the car -- and probably walk another 10 miles back, in the light, in the cold. I am incredibly grateful to those two men. I just hope their likely favorite candidate doesn't annihilate us all.
Marie
Marie -- so I conclude from your dead battery story that those two were not Trump voters?
You didn't ask and they didn't tell. so we don't know.
So ... what? I have known many people who are good folks who believe ludicrous things and do stupid things.
Humans -- so messy.
One of many frustrations is 'Stormy Daniels'. The POTUS has an affair with a porn star and the reaction is.......... Given all the other Trumps, it appears that morality and legality are no longer of importance. Welcome to the white Christian nation.
BTW: The definition of the word 'Trumps'.
Activities that include immoral and illegal acts that apply to all people except one.
@Patrick: I don't know how the men voted or if they voted at all. But if I hadda guess, I'd guess they were people who did their civic duty & voted, but they usually voted for the wrong guy. Around where I live, there are a lot of people like that, & the 2016 presidential vote in this state was about 50-50. I think chances I made the right guess are high.
@Marvin Schwalb: Actually, SNL had a sketch last night about your point. It was a game show called "Does It Even Matter Anymore?" in which the host, played by guest host Jessica Chastain, asked the panel questions like, "The president has an affair with a porn star when his wife just gave birth & paid the porn star hush money right before the election. Does it even matter anymore?" Then the panelists had to pick the answer. It correct answer always was "Nope."
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/21/us/politics/congress-government-shutdown.html?
Looked at from a one person one vote perspective, as the Pretender--champion of democracy that he is--seems to be doing in his call for the Senate Repugnants to end the shutdown by invoking the nuclear option and eliminate the filibuster*, I would think that the intellectual consistency he is known for would have him then resign and hand over the Presidency (which would then properly sport a capital "P") to the woman who won the popular vote.
*ignoring for the sake of argument the R's who voted with the D's
It seems to me that Republicans might pause to consider what the optics will be if the Dreamers begin to be deported. If no solution is found it will be horrific. They will fully own it. What am I missing?
Marie's story about her car problem gave me chills. Luckily for her the two guys that helped her were like, I can conjure, many able bodied persons that would go the extra mile to help almost anyone in trouble. They are essentially people you can count on if you need a tire change or even a tow back to where you left your car and they do it for nothing because that's how they operate. They are the ones who will risk their life dragging you out of a burning building or a car crash. Yet, these are the same kinds of people who will vote for someone like Trump because he "speaks his mind" and wants to "drain the swamp" and they think he's on their side.
Yesterday at Home Depot we encountered Desi, a salesman (we wanted a particular Kohler toilet) who not only knew his stuff but happened to own the exact model we were interested in. At his desk we got talking. He told us stories about his life back in North Carolina where he swears he will never set foot in again (Desi is black) and how his grandmother let him a prime piece of land that "Some chicken producers wanted to buy but I said no–-they woulda ruined that land and there's nothing as precious as land like that, so I don't mind paying the taxes on it cuz one day my kids will inherit it." We talked for a long while about a lot of things and at the end I said, "Desi, I have got to ask: did you vote for Trump?" He did. We then spent another half hour learning that Desi, his love for the land, his painful recollection of his treatment in the south, voted for Trump because he would be getting extra money in his paycheck. When I pointed out the negatives and made a strong point about land preservation, he sat back in his chair and said––"Looks like I was just looking after my ass, doesn't it?"
And looks like half our congress, including the buffoon is doing exactly that.