;)
The Commentariat -- July 14, 2016
Afternoonish Update:
Patricia Murphy of Roll Call: "Donald Trump is planning to announce that Indiana Gov. Mike Pence is his choice for his vice presidential running mate, according to a Republican with direct knowledge of the decision." -- CW
Ted Sherman & Tim Darragh of NJ.com: "David Samson -- the embattled former chairman of the powerful Port Authority of New York and New Jersey -- pleaded guilty Thursday afternoon to using his considerable clout to coerce one of the nation's largest airlines to accommodate his desire for a regularly scheduled, non-stop flight to a South Carolina summer home.... A close confidant of Gov. Chris Christie, Samson was chairman of the Port Authority when the [Bridgegate] scandal broke, but was not charged with any wrongdoing in connection with the lane closures. However, his name repeatedly came up as the story unfolded." -- CW ...
... MEANWHILE.... Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "'Listen, no matter what phone call he [Trump] makes to me today, I will take a deep breath and prepare for tomorrow,' [Chris] Christie told MSNBC's Nicolle Wallace in an interview from Mendham, New Jersey. 'I'm a competitive person, so I'm not gonna say it won't bother me if I'm not selected,' Christie continued. 'Of course it bothers you a little bit, because if you&'re a competitive person like I am and you're used to winning like I am, again, you don't like coming in second. Ever.'" CW: Uh, Gov. Chrisco, the word is that you came in third. Is that better?
Mrs. Ginsburg Regrets. Nolan McCaskill: "Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on Thursday acknowledged her critical comments on Donald Trump's presidential campaign were 'ill-advised,' expressing her regret in a statement that fell short of an apology. 'On reflection, my recent remarks in response to press inquiries were ill-advised and I regret making them,' she said in a statement. 'Judges should avoid commenting on a candidate for public office. In the future I will be more circumspect.'" -- CW ...
... Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: Ginsburg's statement was "issued Thursday by the court's public information office.... She did not offer an apology to Trump, who had demanded one." Thanks to Patrick for the link. -- CW
*****
Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Obama on Wednesday vented his frustration over persistent tensions between law enforcement and minority communities following a nearly four-hour meeting with representatives from both groups. 'Not only are there very real problems, but there are still deep divisions about how to solve these problems,' he told reporters at the White House. 'There is no doubt that police departments still feel embattled and unjustly accused. And there is no doubt that minority communities, communities of color, still feel like it just takes too long to do what's right." -- CW ...
... Dave Weigel of the Washington Post: "South Carolina's Tim Scott, the sole black Republican in the Senate, delivered a bristling and personal speech Wednesday in which he talked of being questioned by police simply because of his race. 'There's a deep divide between the black community and law enforcement -- a trust gap,' Scott said. 'I do not know many African American men who do not have a very similar story to tell, no matter their profession, no matter their income, no matter their disposition in life.'" -- CW
Seung Min Kim of Politico: "Supreme Court nominee Merrick Garland may be the most prominent casualty of the GOP-controlled Senate's election-year resistance on the federal judiciary -- but the pace of overall judicial confirmations under Mitch McConnell is on track to become the slowest in more than 60 years. Under the McConnell-led Senate, just 20 district and circuit court judges have been confirmed at a time when the vacancies are hampering the federal bench nationwide, according to the Congressional Research Service. During George W. Bush's final two years in the White House, Senate Democrats in the majority shepherded through 68 federal judges...." -- CW
Steven Mufson of the Washington Post: "House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Tex.) said Wednesday his committee was issuing subpoenas to the New York and Massachusetts state attorneys general, who have issued their own subpoenas as part of probes into whether ExxonMobil misled the public and investors about what it knew about the dangers of climate change decades ago.... Smith said the committee was also issuing subpoenas to eight environmental organizations to obtain documents related to their efforts to encourage the state attorneys general to pursue their Exxon investigations.... Ken Kimmell, president of the Union of Concerned Scientists, said..., 'It's beyond ironic for Chairman Smith to violate our actual free speech rights in the name of protecting ExxonMobil's supposed right to misrepresent the work of its own scientists and deceive shareholders and the public." ...
... CW: Smith is a notorious climate-change denier who has abused his subpoena power before to try to intimidate scientists.
Linda Hirshman in Politico Magazine: "If what [Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg] did is a disgrace to the court, she's in illustrious company. Supreme Court justices have been messing in politics, including campaign politics, since the ink was still wet on the Constitution. In 1800, just a decade after the court was founded, so many of its justices were out campaigning for John Adams that the opening of the court term had to be delayed." Et-cetera. -- CW ...
... Charles Pierce: "... anyone who thinks that RBG's honest assessment of the vulgar talking yam is on a par with A.) Antonin Scalia's hunting trips with Dick Cheney, or B.) the majority in Bush v. Gore including one justice (Scalia) whose son got a job with the administration that poppa helped install and another (Thomas) whose wife did, too, needs to seriously examine their consciences more than they did." -- CW ...
... CW: Yesterday a commenter here mentioned that Ginsburg's remarks were nothing compared to Justice Scalia's comments: "... some of Scalia's speeches where Obama was one step below dog and Democrats needed therapy." I didn't have time to research it yesterday, but I took a peak this morning & can't find anything Scalia said that was in any way equivalent to Ginsburg's remarks about Trump. If, as is quite possible, you know something I don't, please enlighten us. And I ask again of commenters who make assertions that are not generally known -- especially when casting aspersions -- that you back up your claim with a link to a reputable report. That doesn't mean you have to "prove" that Trump said Mexican immigrants were rapists, but it does mean that if some fact or remark you cite isn't well-known or at least readily Googled, you should make it easy for other readers to verify it.
Greg Miller of the Washington Post: "The architect of the CIA's brutal interrogation program was hired for the job through a secret contract in late 2001 that outlined the assignment with Orwellian euphemism.... The abuses of that program have been documented extensively over the past decade, but the initial contracts between the CIA and the psychologists it hired to design the torturous interrogation regimen were surrendered by the agency for the first time earlier this month as part of an ACLU lawsuit.... The contracts ... show how ... [two] Air Force veterans with no significant expertise in interrogation -- were given wide rein to design punishing interrogation regimens for dozens of detainees and then evaluate whether their methods worked, all while securing increasingly lucrative follow-on contracts." -- CW
Matt Zapotosky of the Washington Post: "Su Bin, 51, a Chinese national ... who admitted helping Chinese military officers as they hacked into the computer systems of U.S. defense contractors and stole significant information was sentenced Wednesday to three years and 10 months in prison, authorities said." -- CW
Annals of Journalism, Ctd.
Jim Fallows notes that three articles we linked here yesterday, by Nicholas Confessore of the NYT, Greg Sargent of the WashPo, & Jim Dwyer of the NYT, "demonstrate the way in which the press is trying to adjust to the new realities created by a man like Trump." -- CW ...
... New Rules. Jay Rosen, in a Washington Post op-ed: Since Donald Trump does not behave like a traditional candidate bound by at least some slippery standard of truth-telling, journalists "will have to explain to the public that Trump is a special case, and the normal rules do not apply." -- CW
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd.
Luke Russert gives NBC two days' notice that he's quitting the network Friday -- right before the political conventions -- to spend more time with himself. CW: The Boy Russert is one of the main reasons (#2 after Joe Scarborough )I stopped watching MSNBC. In that regard, the kid did me a personal favor.
Joe Concha of the Hill: "Sean Hannity said Wednesday that flying potential vice presidential candidate Newt Gingrich to meet Donald Trump on a private jet was a favor to an old friend. CNN reported Wednesday afternoon that the Fox News host flew Gingrich to meet Trump in Indiana as the presumptive nominee closes in on his running mate choice.... Hannity has always maintained he's a talk show host, not a journalist, and therefore should not be held to same ethical standards. This week Fox News suspended Gingrich's contributor agreement, citing a potential conflict of interest if Gingrich was selected as Trump's running mate." CW: I'd like to know why "talk show host" Rachel Maddow isn't flying Elizabeth Warren around the country in the luxury the Senator deserves.
Presidential Race
Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times: "On the grounds of the Old State Capitol [in Springfield, Illinois], where nearly 160 years ago Abraham Lincoln held forth on 'a house divided,' Hillary Clinton on Wednesday lamented the Party of Lincoln's transition to the Party of Trump, casting the present moment as an indelible stain on Republican history.... She waded with care into the thickets of national reckonings over both police violence and violence against the police, hoping to position herself as an unlikely agent of harmony.... But during her half-hour remarks, Mrs. Clinton trained her attention largely on Mr. Trump, whose campaign she called 'as divisive as any we have seen in our lifetimes.'" -- CW
Abby Phillip & Dan Balz of the Washington Post: "The Democratic National Convention is likely to open with a showcase of some of the party's biggest stars, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont, and first lady Michelle Obama, according to a source with knowledge of the convention planning. Although the speaking schedule isn't yet set in stone, the jam-packed Monday night is also expected to include Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.), and Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-Mass.) will introduce Warren in Philadelphia. Sanders's name will be entered into the nomination, prompting a roll call vote of delegates for both candidates." -- CW ...
Looking ahead to the Democratic convention -- Bill Clinton, Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama, Michelle Obama, Elizabeth Warren -- they're all going to be out there swinging for the fences. But the Republicans, it'll be like a hostage video of people forced on stage. -- Rick Wilson, GOP strategist ...
... Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "When Democrats gather for their national convention in Philadelphia, the list of speakers praising Hillary Clinton's presidential candidacy is expected to feature the president, the vice president, the first lady, a former president and a galaxy of well-known political luminaries. But when the Republican convention opens next week in Cleveland..., Donald Trump will showcase an assortment of family members, defeated primary opponents and politicians whose names barely register with the general public. Many of the GOP's past, current and future leaders are staying away from the spotlights.... The star-power disparity between the conventions speaks volumes about the state of the two parties -- one is united and marching together toward what it hopes will be its fifth win of the past seven presidential elections, while the other remains divided and still not fully accepting its new standard bearer." -- CW ...
Nick Gass of Politico runs down the list of people slated to speak at the GOP convention. -- CW
Eleven cities potentially in a blow up stage.... Anger. Hatred. Hatred! Started by a maniac!... And some people ask for a moment of silence for him. For the killer! -- Donald Trump, Tuesday ...
... ** Josh Marshall of TPM: "[Tuesday] night on Bill O'Reilly's show and then separately at a rally in Westfield, Indiana..., Trump claimed that people - 'somebody' - called for a moment of silence for mass killer Micah Johnson.... There is no evidence this ever happened.... Trump made it up.... A would-be strong man, an authoritarian personality, isn't just against disorder and violence. They need disorder and violence.... This is the kind of florid and incendiary language Adolf Hitler used in many of his speeches.... What he's saying here is that millions of African-Americans are on the streets inspired by and protesting on behalf of a mass murderer of white cops.... This is just an up is down straight up lie served up for the purpose of stoking fear, menace and race hate." -- CW ...
... Kevin Drum: "This kind of talk from a major-party candidate for president should be front-page news everywhere. Instead, it warrants a few words in various campaign roundups. Blacks, Hispanics, Muslims, foreigners of all stripes: they're all grist for Trump's crusade to convince white voters that they're surrounded by rapists, murderers, terrorists, and assorted other predators who want to take their jobs away and impoverish them. It's his whole campaign.... I'm increasingly scared that Donald Trump can make it seem [as if the country is about to implode], and that the press -- always in search of a dramatic narrative -- will go off in search of ways to leverage this into more eyeballs, more clicks, and more paid subscriptions." -- CW
Trump Finds Another Way to Cash in on His Presidential Bid. Steve Eder of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump is demanding more than $10 million in damages from a former campaign adviser he accuses of leaking confidential information to the news media, court documents made public on Wednesday showed. Mr. Trump has had a long and complicated relationship with the adviser, Sam Nunberg, who was fired from the campaign nearly a year ago after he posted racially charged Facebook posts under the candidate's name. Lawyers for Mr. Trump have taken Mr. Nunberg to arbitration, asserting that he violated a nondisclosure agreement by leaking 'false and defamatory information' to reporters...." -- CW ...
... Julie Pace & Chad Day of the AP: "Such a legal dispute is highly unusual for a presidential candidate. It reflects Trump's efforts to aggressively protect the secrecy of his campaign's inner workings, as he has for years fought to protect the secrecy of his businesses and family.The AP reported last month that Trump requires nearly everyone in his campaign and businesses to sign legally binding nondisclosure agreements prohibiting them from releasing any confidential or disparaging information about the real estate mogul, his family or his companies. Trump has also said he would consider requiring such agreements in the White House." -- CW
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Donald Trump's lawyer cited a laundry list of legal precedents Wednesday as he fought in court to keep potentially embarrassing deposition videos of the presumptive GOP nominee from going public, but one of those points seemed to resonate a bit more than others: an invocation of the litigation over Hillary Clinton's private email server." -- CW
Robert Samuels & Shawn Boburg of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump once wished for a 'proper president' who could save the country. Eventually, he decided he was the perfect person for the job." This is a long piece detailing Trump's dips into the political pool. -- CW
Gail Collins: "I am embarrassed to admit how much I've enjoyed the Donald Trump vice-presidential search. There's nothing like a bunch of egomaniacs humiliating themselves in public to cheer up a dark day.... None of the options are really all that terrific. But then you've got to be in a pretty bad place to begin with if you're yearning for the spot beneath Donald Trump." -- CW ...
... You won't want to miss the part about Christie & Jared Kushner's father. But before you get all outraged by about Trump's crooked relation, bear in mind that Chelsea Clinton's father-in-law also served a stint in the federal pen for swindling investors in a series of "wealthy" Nigerian scams.
Yamiche Alcindor of the New York Times: "With thousands of protesters expected to descend on Cleveland for next week's Republican National Convention, city officials have devised intricate plans to handle mass arrests should chaos break out on the streets, identifying jail facilities to house more than 975 arrested protesters and keeping courts open for 20 hours daily to process cases.... Cleveland is bringing in roughly 2,500 law enforcement officers from as far away as California, Texas and Florida to bolster its own convention-dedicated force of about 500 officers." -- CW ...
... Heavy Artillery, Yes; Water Pistols, No. Mary Jordan & Wesley Lowery of the Washington Post: "The Republican National Convention opens in Cleveland with a giant welcoming party Sunday in a national political climate so divisive that violence is expected and unprecedented police presence is in place.... The fact that Ohio has an open-carry law, allowing people to walk into crowds carrying a rifle if they have a permit, compounds safety concerns.... State laws mean 'you might see a sidearm or a big gun,' even though Secret Service have banned water pistols, large backpacks and tennis balls." CW: This is outrageous! I fervently believe I have a Second Amendment right to bear water pistols.
Trump Bros. Thomas Edsall of the New York Times: "While white male college-educated voters are not commonly seen as part of the Trump-led nationalist movement that rejects globalism and multiculturalism, poll data shows that a substantial percentage of them do belong in this camp.... Bias against women in leadership roles often accompanies bias against racial and ethnic minorities and may contribute to the willingness of white men -- both college and non-college -- to accept flawed leadership from Trump rather than grant authority to women -- or to African Americans or Hispanics." -- CW
Beyond the Beltway
Sam Levin of the Guardian: "Police in California have released graphic body-camera footage of officers repeatedly shooting an unarmed teenager, including multiple shots that were fired as the adolescent was gravely wounded, lying on his back and barely moving. The release on Wednesday of video of the killing of Dylan Noble, a 19-year-old shot at a gas station in Fresno on 25 June, occurred just hours after the police department told the Guardian it would not release the footage." -- CW
Way Beyond
A Team of Wingnuts. Heather Stewart of the Guardian: "Speaking after visiting the Queen in Buckingham Palace, [Britain's new Pm Theresa] May made a direct pitch for the political centre ground.... But while her language was centrist and conciliatory, May's first cabinet appointments suggested a shift to the right, with Boris Johnson appointed as foreign secretary and veteran right-wingers David Davis and Liam Fox back in government as secretary for Brexit and international trade respectively." -- CW ...
... Bonnie Malkin, et al., of the Guardian: "The world of politics, diplomacy and celebrity has reacted with a mixture of amusement and horror to the news that Boris Johnson has been appointed Britain's new foreign secretary.... When [U.S.] State Department spokesman Mark Toner heard the news, he struggled to keep a straight face -- a broad smile breaking out more than once -- before saying the US 'looked forward' to working with Johnson." -- CW
Hollande's Bad Hair Day. Aurelien Breeden of the New York Times: "The investigative and satirical newspaper Le Canard Enchaîné reported on Wednesday that President François Hollande's personal hairdresser has been paid 9,895 euros -- over $10,000 -- per month since Mr. Hollande was elected in 2012, about the same amount as a government minister's salary. The report is especially jarring for Mr. Hollande, 61, a Socialist who campaigned on the promise that he would be a 'normal' and exemplary president but who has seen his private life spill into the open on several occasions." ...
... CW: It's pretty clear our favorite socialist is not spending $10K/month on a hairdresser.
NEW. Through the combined detective work of Akhilleus & Unwashed, we have learned why Queen Elizabeth always carries a handbag. Never let it be said that our conversations here have no utility. Unwashed has uncovered an instance in which QE2 was more than likely able to put that ubiquitous purse to good use:
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Reader Comments (20)
The statement that Trump made about people on the streets supporting the cop murderer is not a lie. He really believes it. The correct term is delusional.
"Eleven cities potentially in a blow up stage.... Anger. Hatred. Hatred! Started by a maniac!..."
At first glance, I thought this was a reference to Trump. Seriously.
We will learn very shortly who will don the cap of Vice P. from the Don himself. If it will be Mike Pence it means a lackluster choice. In all his years in Congress he never passed a single bill. He has only been Indiana's governor for one year and already had a disaster––that anti-discrimination law that brought shouts of fury and indignation. Even the local paper had a front page capital letter message––FIX THIS NOW. When Pence finally came to the podium to address the press he stood mute for minutes before he said that he would fix it ( which brought back memories of Jan Brewer, after thanking her three stooges, Larry, Barry and Terry, lost her voice) but later that same day said it didn't need to be fixed.
We have had bad VP choices before––Dan Quayle in 1988, Spiro Agnew in 1968 but Bush and Nixon won anyway. The Koch brothers who have been absent from the GOP money dumps because they distain Trump might come around with $$$ if Pence becomes VP since they be real chummy with Mike–––why? I can't imagine.
Watched some of the GOP platform negotiations last night. At one point a young gay woman pleaded for an amendment to change the wordings of the anti-discrimination wording in the marriage section. She said that the Republican Party was closing itself off from millions of people just like herself. The vote? Only this woman and another woman (single parent who also spoke up) voted yea––all the rest nay. Very sad.
On confronting Trump with his lies: In all the interviews I've seen the interviewer gives up––Chris Matthews did a pretty good job with the abortion thing but that was different than pressing him about a lie. Don't let Trump do his sly segue maneuvers ––keep drilling–-don't let up. I'm waiting for this kind of confrontation.
"Eleven cities potentially in a blow up stage.... Anger. Hatred. Hatred! Started by a maniac!... And some people ask for a moment of silence for him. For the killer!"
Forgot to mention that, to quote the late and sorely missed Molly Ivins, this latest lying rant from Donaldo probably sounded better in the original German.
Bet he wishes he could enter the arena in Cleveland after descending from the clouds like that other guy--whatsisname--in that film "Triumph of the Will".
Heil Drumpf!
@Akhilleus. Rachel Maddow shares your sentiments. She's reading up on Hitler, & not just because it's summer & she hates beach books.
Marie
"Pussy cat, Pussy cat where have you been?
I've been to London to look at the Queen.
Pussy cat, Pussy cat, what did you there?
I frighted a little mouse under the chair."
Ms May got her blessings from the Queen and luckily isn't suffering from knee problems because her curtsey was quite courteous. I get such a kick out of that purse carrying by her Majesty––she is seldom without it even in her own rooms. I'd love to know what's in it–-some secret something that no one is privy to but her.
Maybe some poison for all those mousies.
http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nydn-front-pages-2016-gallery-1.2482879?pmSlide=1.2710799
Take a look.
SCOTUS press office released RBG statement saying that she should not have commented on DJT. The wording is pretty close to "I should not have said out loud that DJT is a faker."
I can imagine her sitting there with a prim smile.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/ginsburg-expresses-regret-over-remarks-criticizing-trump/2016/07/14/f53687bc-49cc-11e6-bdb9-701687974517_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-top-table-main_ginsburg-1030a-lede%3Ahomepage%2Fstory
@Patrick: Yes, I felt the same way about RBG's 'apology.'
Her words remain out there. An out-maneuver that one would think DT might appreciate! Gotcha, Don!
Looks like one of the leading speakers at the Republican madhouse (i.e. convention) will be Tim Tebow. My guess he will be the prime speaker on international issues.
Madame's Purse, or What's in the Bag, Lady?
What's in that purse Queen Elizabeth totes around with her?
Ya know, I've given this a thought or two over the years. She's a queen. What could be in that thing? Nuclear codes? Prob'ly not. It's a constitutional monarchy. Other schmoes decide when to drop the hammer.
A pack of Gauloises, for a getaway to the loo for a few puffs? Queen of the Brits dragging on a French fag would make the Fleet St. boys jump for joy, but I don't think so. How about a pack of Zig Zags and a dime bag? After all, the Beatles once piled into a bathroom at Buckingham to get high, why not the queen? I mean, she does have that kind of other worldly detachment thing going. But then again, I've never seen her giggle for no particular reason. Nope. Not getting high.
A vibrator? Nah. Now and then she smiles but not that kind of smile.
Perhaps she uses the purse to clip nice silverware from fancy restaurants. I know she's rich and all, but maybe she gets bored sometimes and a little bit of harmless kleptomania keeps her sane.
Well, in most purses you'll likely find a compact, some lipstick, Kleenex, some change, shopping list, maybe a card for the bus or the subway, a license and a few credit cards, but out of all that, she'd only need the first three. Pretty boring, if you ask me.
So I looked it up. A bunch of articles claim to offer the secret of the queen's purse, but all they reveal that's different is the fact that she may (or may not, hence not really a fact) keep a £5 note for dropping in the box at church, which I thought pretty cheap. I know southern Baptists whose yearly salary couldn't buy a single piece of china from the Buckingham butler's pantry who give a lot more than that every week. But then again, since she's also the head of the Church of England (thanks, Henry!) it would be like tithing to herself.
Supposedly she owns two or three hundred of these bags. Shades of Imelda Marcos! There must be a Royal Purse Room in the palace. It's just off the east-by-southeast Armory and Royal Tchotchke room, I'd guess.
Then it came to me. Whenever she goes to some state dinner where they serve inedible dishes smothered in unpronounceable sauces, she needs a secret weapon to keep from either starving or puking. I mean, the queen paying homage to the porcelain god? Not good. So what's in the bag? A wrapped up baloney sandwich with Colman's mustard.
Maybe she gives each new prime minister a bite.
Mystery solved. Life's funny, in'it?
News Flash!
Donald J. Trump (the J stands for Jumping Anaconda! but keep it under your hat) has announced how he will run his administration.
Gee whiz, I didn't know he could dance.
But a good time will be had by all, see? Well, most. Okay. Some. Christ, just him, okay? Satisfied? Losers.
This must be when the old bag breaks out the Colman's.
@Akhilleus: I read years ago that she kept her speech & other notes in the bag. This makes sense when she's traveling, but in Buckingham Palace??? I also read elsewhere that Prince Charles has a valet who loads the toothpaste on his highness's toothbrush because that's a task too arduous or demeaning for a prince of the realm. So can't the Queen get a lackey to carry her notes (including those 5-pounders that represent her grand contributions to the Church of Henry & Elizabeth)?
When I was in college, I took up smoking so I'd have something to do with both hands when I went to fraternity parties: cigarette in one hand, beer (I went to Wisconsin) in the other. So I'm thinking that QE2 just doesn't know what to do with her her left hand in social & ceremonial situations, & the purse is the means to keep her left arm occupied, while her right hand does the shaking & dubbing & teensy royal backhanded fuck-you-inglorious-commoners wave.
Marie
Marie,
"Fuck-you-inglorious-commoners wave" I think is the official title of that particularly sterile salute. Staffers probably elbow each other and gurgle "Oi! Here comes the FYIC!"
But toothbrush loading? Really? Holy plaque removal, Jeeves. Well, he should enjoy it while he can. The way the old girl is going, Chuck's manservant will be lathering on the Fixodent before he has a chance to pick up the royal sceptre. Douchebag.
Unwashed,
Ha-ha-ha. You got it dude. I think the extra strong Colman's might be called for.
Whoa. The Republican Convention (aka the Trumpotheosis) is sure to be something to write home about. That is, if your home has burned down, been bulldozed, and a Dollar General built on the site.
So, wow. Let's take a gander at the gleaming roster of speakers aligned to praise Donaldo to the rafters. A golfer who is known more for taking off her clothes than actually playing golf (no major victories in a 15 year career), Tim Tebow (to bring in the failed pro football fan-evangelical-kneel-down-in-the-endzone-vote), Trump's kids, a guy who runs the Trump winery (to attract the far-right oenophilic vote), his chauffeur (blue collar! blue collar!), a guy he once saw falling down in Central Park while waving a Reagan-Bush sign, the owner of the company that sews KKK hoods, and a Wall Street inside trader who was never actually prosecuted; winners all.
Sounds like the line-up for one of those almost-immediately-canceled talk shows with hosts like Tony Danza and Pat Sajak where the guests are the author of a self-help book for recovering pedophiles and a lady who heroically woke a sleeping passenger on the BMT before the train got to his stop.
Fun? Like you read about.
This is the guy who wants to be our president, kids. Aren't you proud?
@Akhilleus: Here's a link to the toothpaste story.
Marie
Marie,
I don't even think the dowager countess of the fictional Downton Abbey had someone load her toothbrush (fangs too big anyway). But someone to hold a urine sample bottle????
Christ, the Brits shouldn't be worried about a Brexit, they should consider our examle and formulate a Rexit.
I'm in full agreement with Charlie Pierce's outrage that Trump's latest flagrant and disgraceful lie has not prompted more opprobrium. Just think of the universal wig flipping had Hillary Clinton shoveled out a whopper like this one.
Do all politicians lie? I dunno about all but I'd say most do. But in many cases (this doesn't include Republicans who lie almost as often as they breathe), the lies are things like campaign promises they know there is little chance of fulfilling, or Hillary's claims that her e-mail gaffes were no big deal.
Trump lies to promote hatred and instability. And because of that, his lies descend to the level of unbridled evil. And even worse than his lies is his sense of invulnerability surrounding the lying. He doesn't seem to care that his lies are easily disproved, easily seen through. He doesn't give a shit. He is a proponent and past master of the Big Lie and he's not about to give up on that. Just imagine him as president calling an emergency press conference to say that some Chinese muckymuck called him a name and threatened to nuke New York so we have to bomb Beijing right away.
Trump is such a reflexive and consistent liar, he could make inveterate prevaricators like Bush and Cheney look like Parson Weems' cherry tree vintage George Washington.
It is an absolute sin that more media outlets are not picking up on this outrageous, bald-faced lie and examining its startling implications. And saying that it's just Trump being Trump, so what's the big deal, is the same sort of excuse one would laugh at it were it used by a serial killer's defense attorney. If it were just Trump being Trump, I wouldn't care. But when it becomes Trump being presidential candidate, we're at an entirely new level of untruth and consequences.