US Politics, October 2018: next week will be even longer

thread title cribbed from Raymond C., if ppl hate it feel free to delete or rename or whatever

anyway here's something that sucks to start the month off

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/30/nyregion/democrats-brooklyn-county-committee-seddio.html?action=click&module=In%20Other%20News&pgtype=Homepage&action=click&module=News&pgtype=Homepage

good mourning!

Where's the tax returns?

("Where's Wallace, String?")

Wonder how widespread that situation in Brooklyn is and how long it would take to reform once brought to light.
Really hoping it is going to be looked at now. &it's not going to be putting people off voting for the party at a time that everybody who can vote Dem should be being encouraged to. Reminds me of Labour 2 years ago where people were being excluded from the party by a stagnant inner party at a crucial time.

this was linked in the previous thread. long story short, Kavanaugh very obviously perjured himself, a lot

https://www.currentaffairs.org/2018/09/how-we-know-kavanaugh-is-lying

question - if Dems get the house back and the Speaker position, they can just take Nunes off of the Intelligence committee, right?

Yeah.

I think?

i thought the parties assigned their own committee memberships and leaders.

They do.

I don't understand how media considers the renegotiation of NAFTA some sort of win for Trump? Thing is almost the same as it used to be and dude campaigned on pulling away from it altogether.

It's like the bull took a shit in the china shop and exited without causing damage and everyone was happy despite all the shit

I don’t know the details of the Canada side of the deal yet, but iirc trump was pivoting to boasting about how great the new name of it will be, and how bad “nafta” is

That's probably why he changed the deal. Reportedly he wanted to rename it USMC in honor of the Marine Corp, because he is such a patriot, but I guess it is now USMCA?

The win is that the deal starts with the US letters.

America first!

lmao

John Oliver pointed out the farcical idea of Kavanaugh pere having a tradition of keeping Calendars to relate these old family stories over Xmas from. & the tradition being all of 4 years old at the oldest.
Oh & Kavanaugh sr being sat behind his son in the courtroom. So the idea of bnostalgia for this perfect time when his dad was till around is a little odd to say the least.

Anyway, I think congress still needs to ratify the deal if I understand and that will most probably after the midterms so who knows what happens to USMike D over the next 2-3 months.

from the press conference the other day:

REPORTER: But are you going to notify Congress you’re pulling out of NAFTA.

TRUMP: What we’re probably going to do is call it the “USMC,” like the United States Marine Corps, which I love. General [John] Kelly likes it even more. Where is General Kelly? He likes that. USMC. Which would be US, Mexico, Canada. But it will probably or possibly be just USM. It will be United States and Mexico.

the USMC. the United States Mexico Canada. great name

what's great about it is that the name lets everyone know exactly which countries are involved. not like that pesky North American free trade agreement, an enigma wrapped in a hot dog

One thing for sure, Guatemala will never join the USMC.

i thought the parties assigned their own committee memberships and leaders.

― |Restore| |Restart| |Quit| (Doctor Casino), Monday, October 1, 2018 10:57 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

They do.

― The Silky Veils of Alfred (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Monday, October 1, 2018 10:59 AM Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Would he still be the chair of the committee with a party change?

i can't get over that it's a plus that it has the same initials as the marines

Would he still be the chair of the committee with a party change?

― fuck the NRA (Neanderthal

No, no. The Republican would become the ranking member.

why can't we just call it the United States Act

full mental crackpot

I'm sure he traded Chapter 19 for the name.

Thing is almost the same as it used to be and dude campaigned on pulling away from it altogether.

If the goal was to end NAFTA, it's a failure for Trump. If the goal was to threaten to pull away in order to extract concessions from Canada, it's less of a failure.

Trump doesn't have goals, he has feelings

Dairy market seems to be the only concessions and as I said in the Canadian thread, it looks like the opening will be quite lesser than the one initially planned in the TPP. Steel and aluminium still an unknown.

Patent protection for biologics and copyright extension both seem significant too.

But yeah, we're basically going over the same points on both threads.

"biologics" is such a freaky word

It is, but I inject one every couple weeks anyway (the sticker price is $3000 a month!)

If the goal was to end NAFTA, it's a failure for Trump.

Ah, but if it is renamed USMC, then NAFTA has disappeared. Voila!

So he can tell supporters he “repealed NAFTA” in advance of the midterms. Lame

lmao they're not even trying to make this look like a real investigation

“I thought it was going to be an investigation,” a Yale classmate of Brett Kavanaugh and Deborah Ramirez said, of the F.B.I.’s renewed inquiry. “But instead it seems it’s just an alibi for Republicans to vote for Kavanaugh.” https://t.co/H24YpATyAD

— The New Yorker (@NewYorker) October 1, 2018

xxxxpost Patent protection for health care products and copyright extension are significant, but they don't seem significant to Trudeau cause really they were barely discussed. That these things weren't significant to Trudeau is another debate in the Canadian thread yeah and I agree with you that these lost might be tough to swallow. The big five things Trudeau cared about were: sunset clause, chapter 19, cars, steel/aluminium and dairy. Also, Mexico is still in the deal which is a big plus for both Mexico and Canada. Steel/aluminium seems to be the major concession so far, by virtue of not being resolved.

Anyway, the US are the US, almost ten times the population and economy of Canada, that the status quo was extensively preserved can't be a win for Trump, who promised so much more about the 'bad deal' that was NAFTA.

I hope AMLO refuses to support any deal with Mexico that doesn’t include mutual right to live and work permanently in the other country. Partly because I want to move to Mexico.

Not because I hate America mind I just think it would be fun

If the Dems win both houses in November is there going to be an investigation and an investigation into the previous one. Or is the utter transparency of this being fake gong to speak for itself

this presser on trade is going off the rails quick wow

as ever, Mnuchin auditioning for role of Nazi simp and sidekick in next Indiana Jones movie

Trump to female reporter: "I know you're not thinking, you never do."

Trump: "She's shocked I picked her, she's in a state of shock."
Vega: I'm not, thank you Mr. President.
Trump: "I know you're not thinking, you never do."
Vega: "I'm sorry?"
Trump: "Go ahead" pic.twitter.com/hhfFHDNSXk

— Lis Power (@LisPower1) October 1, 2018

That any woman could vote for him, and this party, is beyond me.

wtf

https://theintercept.com/2018/09/29/the-unbearable-dishonesty-of-brett-kavanaugh/

They supplemented this article with a picture of an old Yale yearbook showing Kavanaugh’s grandfather. Apparently Kav didn’t bust his butt to get in, but had the benefit of being a legacy admission.

he was a legacy: His grandfather, Everett Edward Kavanaugh, also went to Yale for undergrad, as this yearbook shows.

So Trump just went on about having seen some unnamed Democratic Senator in compromising situations and seemed to be threatening to reveal it if this person keeps going after Kavanaugh.

— Paul McLeod (@pdmcleod) October 1, 2018

there's no way he's thinking about anyone in particular here is there

or does he think Al Franken is still in the Senate??

10-d chess, publicly threatening blackmail

it was Teddy Kennedy

Trump to female reporter: "I know you're not thinking, you never do."

Trump: "She's shocked I picked her, she's in a state of shock."
Vega: I'm not, thank you Mr. President.
Trump: "I know you're not thinking, you never do."
Vega: "I'm sorry?"
Trump: "Go ahead" pic.twitter.com/hhfFHDNSXk

— Lis Power (@LisPower1) October 1, 2018

WTF? how do i get me some press credentials so i can be the only fucker that calls him on his bullshit crap in person.Like how has not one reported said " Kindly Fuck off Mr President " on live tv yet ?

because the chud hordes would immediately start harassing them out of a job and nobody needs that headache

how do i get me some press credentials

i think you just have to wear a lanyard with a little homemade badge that says "christian conservative news channel" or something similar

maybe trump is getting a dem senator confused with whatever he's got on lindsay graham

well there's Menendez and the underage hookers story

it's hillary clinton

maybe Trump is just saying whatever nonsense he thinks is expedient at the moment

“I was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he likes beer, and he’s had a little bit of difficulty, I mean he talked about things that happened when he drinks. This is not a man that said that he was perfect with respect to alcohol. I’m not a drinker and I can honestly say I never had a beer in my life. One of my only good traits. I don’t drink. I never had a glass of alcohol. I never had alcohol. For whatever reason. Can you imagine if I had? What a mess I would be. I would be the world’s worst. ”

maybe he would be a delightful drunk , couldnt be much worse imo

If i was the FBI and Trump had been acting to me the way he has been recently I might just go off and do a proper investigation just to spite him.

to his credit this is the only true thing he's ever said. we're making progress here, people. xp

It's fun to stay in the USMCA

Trump uh....otm?

everytime Trump hates on trudeau I can't help but think of the film Canadian Bacon

A crazy story:

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/a23471864/devin-nunes-family-farm-iowa-california/

I was surprised at how vocal he was about the fact that he likes beer, and he’s had a little bit of difficulty...

Did Bart really admit to a "little bit of difficulty?" Other than ralphing because, you know, jalapenos.

I think it's pretty clear that beer has at least belatedly caused him some difficulty.

so let's pretend "devil's triangle" is a drinking game. Well i don't remember anyone referencing drinking games in my HS yearbook but it they did i'm pretty certain that person would have had some nights they don't remember.

i'm still lmao at his suggestion that "devil's triangle" is "quarters, but with three beers in a triangle"

like

lmao

you fuckin clown

i wish they would have asked him for further clarification on the rules .

"Please demonstrate using this left over Bud Light from the Obamacare Repeal Party..."

i wish they would have asked him for further clarification on the rules .

what's the point, he doesn't know them

yeah it is so insane that a) he is getting away with making up a fake drinking game and b) he thinks "drinking game" is a good exonerating lie re: him being a problem drinker

so much of this "he was a football player at a prep school with a sterling reputation" stuff is just really so:

https://i.pinimg.com/236x/32/40/89/3240899a94f327172b96760d55db65ac--simpsons-quotes-los-simpsons.jpg

i have been thinking about how the american legal system is portrayed in the simpsons... a lot.... lately......

it's based on a series of blowjobs iirc

so angry

Cubs’ co-owners supporting Brett Kavanaugh through super PAC

The Ricketts family didn’t always get along with Trump. Trump tweeted in February 2016, “I hear the Rickets family, who own the Chicago Cubs, are secretly spending $’s against me. They better be careful, they have a lot to hide!” It’s all water under the bridge now, apparently.

This Fuckin' Guy...

one of the Ricketts looks like Ted Cruz, too

https://www.sbnation.com/lookit/2017/6/28/15886618/tom-ricketts-cubs-ted-cruz-side-by-side-photo

Imagine going through life like that...

I agree that it's unfair, but do they really have to take it out on the rest of us?

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/mutual-friend-ramirez-kavanaugh-anxious-come-forward-evidence-n915566

WASHINGTON — In the days leading up to a public allegation that Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh exposed himself to a college classmate, the judge and his team were communicating behind the scenes with friends to refute the claim, according to text messages obtained by NBC News.

https://media4.s-nbcnews.com/j/newscms/2018_40/2584646/1810101-kavanaugh-ramirez-inline-circles-mn-1125_253d7ff4658f8f1e515e24eb06ecabe6.fit-2000w.jpg

SO NOT GONNA.. oh wait

tonight on pbs

https://theintercept.com/2018/10/01/new-dark-money-documentary-shines-light-into-the-shadows-cast-by-the-super-rich/

man those guys look so innocent

the peace sign is a nice touch

I assume that's Squeeeee

is that mike love in the cap?

Let's just say that Judge Brett Kavanaugh is the sort of person who would've been drinking buddies with guys named Squi and PJ.

Is that one guy wearing YAGA tee? I haven't thought about those in, like, 25 years!

I loved my YAGA caps in '93.

THEY'RE STILL GOING!: http://www.yagaclothing.com

And of course I now see why I saw so much of their stuff back then: They operate out of Galveston.

@SenSanders: If Brett Kavanaugh knew about Deborah Ramirez's allegation of sexual assault before the publication of the Sept. 23 New Yorker story, then he lied to Congress. That's a federal crime. https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/mutual-friend-ramirez-kavanaugh-anxious-come-forward-evidence-n915566

I hope it works against him, but lol at the shocking news that Kavanaugh might have **lied**

Wait a second, this guy’s a liar?!?

Flake has said it wouldmean rejecting his nom

WTF? how do i get me some press credentials so i can be the only fucker that calls him on his bullshit crap in person.Like how has not one reported said " Kindly Fuck off Mr President " on live tv yet ?

― (•̪●) (carne asada), Monday, October 1, 2018 12:16 PM (six hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I keep wondering the same damn thing. It would be worth losing the job over, because that reporter would be a hero to everyone.

Well, except for the death threat crowd.

lyingest liar who ever lied is a liar: more at 11

I mean, yeah, there's have to be a GoFundMe and a sort of Underground Railroad but I think that together, we could all make it work.

Flake has said

Of all sad words of tongue or pen, the saddest are these "Flake has said..."

What happens to a Flake deferred

The texts between Berchem and Karen Yarasavage, both friends of Kavanaugh, suggest that the nominee was personally talking with former classmates about Ramirez’s story in advance of the New Yorker article that made her allegation public. In one message, Yarasavage said Kavanaugh asked her to go on the record in his defense. Two other messages show communication between Kavanaugh’s team and former classmates in advance of the story.

busted

Grassley already said he dgaf

it's going to take him a while to catch up to what this means. he's turning 100.

it's more damning than the other lies. i "get" the cynicism but he is done.

What are the odds Kavanaugh will be found in contempt of Congress, disbarred, impeached from his appellate court seat, or pay any substantial price for lying under oath and witness tampering? Even if Congress flips Democratic, I'm sure the "hasn't he suffered enough?" crowd would make it difficult to force the issue.

I'm not going to take the lazy "none of this matters" view but only the Flakes, Murkowskis, and Collinses could be persuaded to gaf.

though I'll gladly be proven wrong, partly why I'm writing this now cos I usually am

You like beer?

never touched the stuff, look at my calendar

On, and on, and on. I feel like I know too much about this guy's life.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-01/kavanaugh-college-visit-to-bar-erupted-in-fight-classmate-says-jmqwga1s

maybe Infinity War was released not as entertainment but to show us there's another way....

"They had just come from seeing the English reggae band UB40 at a nearby venue in New Haven, Connecticut, when they saw a man who resembled the lead singer. The man told the trio he wasn’t the singer and brusquely told them to stop looking at him. Kavanaugh couldn’t let the comment pass, according to one of the two friends with Kavanaugh that night."

so he continued to argue that the guy was the singer?

I'm sure the "hasn't he suffered enough?" crowd would make it difficult to force the issue

I would like to introduce this crowd to some women I know who vote

tbf if this epic asshole gets confirmed I would not be especially surprised if impeaching the buttface for perjury doesn't end up being an issue in the 2020 primaries

The invaluable Marcy Wheeler breaks down the bullshit of Rachel Mitchell's release.

Did he really say under oath that he drank legally because of the grandfather clause?

Because that is some straight bullshit and very easily disproved. My sister (born 1968, so 18 in 1986) could buy booze in the District (and often did). But it became illegal the second it was brought into Virginia or Maryland (which it often was).

Seems like the sort of legal distinction that would be noticed by someone with a legal background. Like, say, a lawyer. Or a judge. Or a panel of Senators who are ON THE FUCKING JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

he'll just say he meant he drank at 18 thanks to his grandfather, Klaus Kavanaugh

Klaus sure could party, it is true. I saw him do an epic keg stand at I Felta Thigh at UVA in like 1982.

Felta Kuti

stop

I wondered why UB40 was trending on Twitter.

so good

UB40...Mario Cart...This Administration Is Kicking It Old School.

chris dudley

this guy is a mean spirited prank on america

In Lighter News: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/01/beto-orourke-musical-review-855385

“Basically, the show documents the life of Will Rogers, the ‘lassoing fool,’ who rose from being an insignificant side show attraction to one of the more prominent political pundits and cultural statesmen in our history. Yet it is produced and directed in such a showy, glitzy, and ultimately, tacky manner, that one cannot help feeling disgusted throughout the show. Keith Carradine in the lead role is surrounded by perma-smile actresses whose only qualifications seem to be their phenomenally large breasts and tight buttocks.”

In a statement sent to POLITICO shortly after this story was published, O’Rourke offered an apology.

"I am ashamed of what I wrote and I apologize. There is no excuse for making disrespectful and demeaning comments about women," he said.

If he thinks that perma-smiles, phenomenally large breasts, and tight buttocks are easy or simple to achieve simultaneously, I'd like to see him try to meet those qualifications.

beto should never have posted that to ilx but you have to remember the board was different in the early 2000s

Starting today, the Trump administration will deny visas to same-sex domestic partners of diplomats and U.N. officials https://t.co/6YezBb6JqV

— columlynch (@columlynch) October 2, 2018

Damn! How petty can you get?

OUR GOD IS A MIGHTY GOD

Stephen Miller v. Terry Branstad. Branstad won. - US considered ban on student visas for Chinese nationals https://t.co/4CKT0HPCpu

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) October 2, 2018

Stephen Miller, being Stephen Miller, wanted a total ban on Chinese students, without discriminating between students in national security-relevant fields of study. pic.twitter.com/fW0eYR5b0M

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) October 2, 2018

whatta maroon

dang, those were the best students when I was teaching in the usa, and I was teaching in the humanities! nice university system, if you can keep it.

I know the answer to this one - but do these people not read, understand or think before opening their mouths

A similar things happening here with the govt wanting to ban Huawei (thus China) from the tender for our 5G network because "omg security concernz".

Something Something Russia Cough Fart

The Huawei equipment concerns are legit, though

yeah I was gonna say, weren't there a lot of router backdoors discovered?

Yeah doesn’t really seem like the same thing

good mourning!

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is I think 10% mainland Chinese. I guess it has a particularly esteemed reputation in Asia? Anyway, huge percentage, more than half the international student body, almost 6000 students, and they pay full tuition. Banning Chinese students would have destroyed the university system as it stands. No doubt that was an ulterior motive for President Asshole's chip on their shoulder minions.

The Huawei equipment concerns are legit, though

― El Tomboto, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 6:25 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah honestly that's probably a good idea. banning chinese students not so much.

UPDATED: kavanaugh criticized Ramirez to Senate investigators for calling around about the incident.

And he told them he “probably” attended the same wedding but doesn’t have any recollection.

Texts show a photo from the wedding was sent to his team 3 days earlier. https://t.co/hkNbpofnzn

— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 2, 2018

It's one thing to lie about big things, but the true standard of a liar is when they lie about little things when they don't have to.

haha josh yes that was the place I had in mind

so much better than the “native undergrads” who were like into the Chief. and they like beer.

Kavanaugh is fucked, I feel. Or if they push him through the republicans will lose voters. The Ramirez texts thing is so blatantly sneaky.

i'm sure the rightwing press will be falling over themselves to report the facts in good faith on this one

I didn’t say all of MAGA country would turn on him. But it looks really bad, will put Flake et al in an uncomfortable position, and demoralize enough Republican voters to hurt them in the midterms. I have a crystal ball trust me here

They already made the calculation: push him through, lose voters.

Doesn't a good man deserve the chance to defend himself? Multiple times? Every time something new comes up? Again and again?

I heard that Washington Post reporter interviewed on NPR yesterday about his new book, about Russian interference and what not. It is remarkable how many times Flynn and the WH lied about his contacts with Russians, again and again and again, until finally, he relented. What is that Mark Twain line, something about telling the truth means you never have to keep your story straight?

Btw, one downside of this Bart circus is it has to play out as it is playing out. There is no easy way for him to bow out, because his reputation will remain in tatters and that is a tacit admission of guilt at this point. He has to gamble on the process playing through, but hopefully he will be voted down.

If Bart were a celebrity this is the point where he would be announcing that he is heading to rehab and hopes people will respect his privacy.

I still think they'll ram him through tbh, though I hope I'm wrong (obv). And yes it will have electoral/popularity costs down the line, though we may be overimagining those.

JiC - I mean he could easily do the "for the sake of my family and the country I have asked president trump to withdraw my name from consideration" and top it off with another entitled grievance rant about how it's all a smear and his life has been ruined like kuzco the emperor-llama whining in the rain. his base would buy it, he'd get a book deal and troll bots would spend thirty years demeaning his accusers just like they're going to do anyway. he's not doing that because his ego and his privilege and his toxic masculinity won't let him, not because there's no way out.

he could do it, but his reputation and career would be in tatters. He has to gamble on the chance of exoneration, or appointment despite everything.

but yeah, his ego and whatnot is why he is willing to gamble on that.

his reputation will be fine with republicans, the story's already been written that it's a giant smear and he's the victim. guaranteed he will be allowed to coach basketball or w/e in his social circles for as long as he likes. and it's not like being confirmed will win him back respect among everybody else.

His reputation is toast no matter what, and his career would go on fine. He is still a Circuit Judge, and there really was only one possible promotion from that, and only a minuscule number of people get that promotion. And he clearly does not deserve it. It's only entitlement that keeps him from withdrawing.

I agree. Clarence Thomas is on the Supreme Court but his reputation is in the trash can. Such is the fate of National Lampoon’s Bart O’Kavanaugh.

his base would buy it, he'd get a book deal

kavanaugh's true american flaw is that he probably wouldn't even get the book deal

This book would end up on the sidewalk bargain tables after 10 months.

that's where i found my copy of the starr report

oh man i was working in a DC bookstore when the starr report came out

correction: i found my copy on the sidewalk, in a pile of free stuff with john grisham paperbacks

i was working as a waitress in a cocktail bar

That much is true

xxxp Karl, hope you have the WSJ’s full 5 volume set of their Whitewater editorials on the shelf next to that.

oooof, i'm so glad to have never read a single one of those editorials during that era

Clarence Thomas is on the Supreme Court but his reputation is in the trash can

To whom? Not to conservatives who think he's the new Rufus Peckham. Reputation doesn't matter to these people.

“incredible new U.S.-Mexico-Canada agreement called USMCA.” = INUSMCA

not USMC

Here's a new one: NRCC ad that dramatically portrays a woman who's unable to visit a doctor because Medicare for All has become law. https://t.co/SrOLsf06VX

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) October 2, 2018

Bart already lost his Harvard gig under pressure, and his position on the circuit court is threatened if he withdraws for legal/ethical reasons.

no it's not. who's going to remove him? and he would be withdrawing "for his family," not for legal/ethical reasons.

“But the administration did not offer this dire forecast, premised on the idea that the world will fail to cut its greenhouse gas emissions, as part of an argument to combat climate change. Just the opposite: The analysis assumes the planet’s fate is already sealed.“

https://www.washingtonpost.com/national/health-science/trump-administration-sees-a-7-degree-rise-in-global-temperatures-by-2100/2018/09/27/b9c6fada-bb45-11e8-bdc0-90f81cc58c5d_story.html

Great stuff.

this man is a red flag porcupine

Older anti-Reaganites thought nuts like James Watt had precisely this in mind: these Christians thought the world was doomed anyway, so why not hasten its demise?

W used to say "I'll be gone, you'll be gone"

That doomsday theology stuff seems as antithetical to decent government as like taliban ideology

With enough Florence's and Sandy's this failure of an administration will be voted out. Hopefully not too late, but honestly human self-destruction seems likely if not in this way tham in a nuclear winter. Other biota will survive and nature will say "well THAT species didn't work out!"

This is why I'm trying to get humans to mars NOW!

It’s such a disgrace that we haven’t been able to lead the world in the move to renewable energy. It’s not designing time machines, the technological challenges are surmountable with enough politica will.

Lovelock's Gaia theory seems to hinge upon an objective homeostatic force taht wouldn't value human above anything else that was messing up the ability for the planet to heal itself and might just remove anything that was causing too much danger.
He has a thing about the world feeling as easy in a state of lengthy ice age as one that would nourish the human race.

That sounds fake. I think we could solve this problem (or could have — maybe the time has passed) if it wasn’t for capitalism and its demand for constant growth in the short term.

Indeed, China is leading the way on renewable energy! Of all places, the middle kingdom.

And also lazy short sighted politicians

How can the people protect themselves from terrible leaders!

Honestly i think the recklessness on this front is some sick death drive shit. It demands a psychoanalytic explanation because there’s never been a real reason to not address this. Investing in green technology would have created jobs, it would have liberated us from dependence on places like Saudi Arabia, it was just win win win win win

And republicans wouldn’t move an inch.

And not all of these guys really believe jesus is coming back. They don’t behave as if they truly fear god. It’s a con.

Dr. c, we might be talking past one another. I am not talking about the excuse he gives, I just mean that if he drops out because of so many irrefutable instances of lying, doesn't that open him up to disbarment? Impeachment?

I think he’d say that he’s not doing it bc of that, it’s to spare his family from the Witch Hunt

sure. But it's already been established that it doesn't matter what he says. He is gambling for the illusion of exoneration, by way of Investigation or by way of appointment to the Supreme Court.

The real power structure of the world revolves around powerful money - of course - our democracy is an afterthought - look at the "new nafta" - it has strong similarities to whatever the TPP was supposed to be - these decisions are made without concern for the common person or the future of the earth - why develop green technologies ? what money is in it?

Its so cynical and yet when do voters ever get a real choice, a democrat who really will cause radical break ups and regulations and reign in the "free market" - hopefully this November!

huge percentage, more than half the international student body, almost 6000 students, and they pay full tuition

The university I'm at had the most Chinese undergraduate students in the country a few years ago and it's tapered off a bit but there's still like 3,500 of them, paying 40K in tuition and fees which is $140,000,000 to the university every year. Not to mention all the housing, restaurants, and grocery stores (and luxury car dealers) that cater to them. It would be catastrophic to lose that.

I just mean that if he drops out because of so many irrefutable instances of lying, doesn't that open him up to disbarment? Impeachment?

It opens by one millimeter a door that has to be opened 3 feet to pass through.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQgu0MpnKq8

I just mean that if he drops out because of so many irrefutable instances of lying, doesn't that open him up to disbarment? Impeachment?

impeachment from his current job or from the court would require a majority vote in the House; removal would then require a 2/3 majority in the senate. i don't see that happening. disbarment i don't know about but is there any requirement that sitting judges, or any judges, be bar-licensed lawyers? afaik, if he were disbarred, that would just become one of the arguments used in favor of impeachment, and one easily dismissed as "clearly the american bar association has joined the left-wing smear campaign against this good man."

I consider Geddy Lee NSFW

Its so blatant and obvious that our congress is beholden to bribery - is this what the founding fathers intended? PEPSICOLA making the laws?
When is there ever any serous talk of campaign finance reform? Of course at this point it seems evern foreign governments can buy our government so I guess its never going to get any better.

I like where this is going.

Now do the "Lock and Key" video!

xxp

here's a relief:

Sen. Bill Nelson voting no for Kavanaugh because of his "temperament" and "it was very apparent by the way he conducted himself in interviews by the way I asked 6 times, the White House did not make hims available .. The testimony of Dr. Ford was compelling. It was real..."

— Marc Caputo (@MarcACaputo) October 2, 2018

He was no on Gorsuch too.

You can bet if there is ever another challenge to this bullshit "citizen's united" decision he is going to drink a huge COORS and vote that corporations can give as many billions of dollars as they need to win elections

Oh sweet do COORS come in huge now?

Yeah there's a new "Kavanagh Kegger" size - 20oz

https://poll.qu.edu/national/release-detail?ReleaseID=2574

Collins pushing for Swetnick accusations to be investigated + Flake's recent public comments makes me think tide may be turning for the crucial swing votes.

“I was very troubled by the tone of the remarks,” Flake said of Kavanaugh’s Thursday performance before the Senate Judiciary Committee.

“The interaction with the members was sharp and partisan, and that concerns me,” he added. “I tell myself, you give a little leeway because of what he’s been through. But on the other hand, we can’t have this on the court. We simply can’t.”

The Atlantic’s Elaina Plott later asked Flake about the comment, which was made during a joint interview with Sen. Chris Coons (D-DE) at The Atlantic Festival.

Did it mean he wouldn’t vote to confirm Kavanaugh, even if the FBI cleared Kavanaugh of the sexual misconduct allegations against him? Plott reported that she asked Flake.

“I didn’t say that,” a “rattled” Flake responded, per Plott. “I wasn’t referring to him,” Flake added.

----

lol

That doomsday theology stuff seems as antithetical to decent government as like taliban ideology

clash of fundamentalisms baby

he was obviously talking about RBG. watch it ginsburg, flake is keeping an eye on your tone

Other biota will survive and nature will say "well THAT species didn't work out!"

In other words, hurry down doomsday, the bugs are taking over

https://youtu.be/fyAyUxMvMXk

Ra-di-ation. Yes, indeed. You hear the most outrageous lies about it. Half-baked goggle-box do-gooders telling everybody it's bad for you. Pernicious nonsense. Everybody could stand a hundred chest X-rays a year. They ought to have them, too.

I preefer Talking heads "Nothing but Flowers"

MEANWHILE AT SCOTUS

https://www.pressherald.com/2018/10/01/frog-divides-supreme-court/

flakes very much in character

It’s only Tuesday??

Two pieces of mail delivered to the Pentagon mail facility on Monday have initially tested positive for ricin, according to a US defense official. The two suspicious envelopes were addressed to Secretary of Defense James Mattis and to Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral John Richardson, the official told CNN.

It’s only Tuesday??

Sen. @JeffFlake on Judge #Kavanaugh: "The interaction with the members was sharp and partisan and that concerns me. And I tell myself you give a little leeway because of what he's been through. But, on the other hand, we can't have this on the Court. We simply can't." pic.twitter.com/0horDp9iGn

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 2, 2018

And David Brock has a few things to share

Brett and I were part of a close circle of cold, cynical and ambitious hard-right operatives being groomed by GOP elders for much bigger roles in politics, government and media. And it’s those controversial associations that should give members of the Senate and the American public serious pause.

Call it Kavanaugh's cabal: There was his colleague on the Starr investigation, Alex Azar, now the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Mark Paoletta is now chief counsel to Vice President Mike Pence; House anti-Clinton gumshoe Barbara Comstock is now a Republican member of Congress. Future Fox News personalities Laura Ingraham and Tucker Carlson were there with Ann Coulter, now a best-selling author, and internet provocateur Matt Drudge.

At one time or another, each of them partied at my Georgetown townhouse amid much booze and a thick air of cigar smoke. In a rough division of labor, Kavanaugh played the role of lawyer — one of the sharp young minds recruited by the Federalist Society to infiltrate the federal judiciary with true believers. Through that network, Kavanaugh was mentored by D.C. Appeals Court Judge Laurence Silberman, known among his colleagues for planting leaks in the press for partisan advantage.

When, as I came to know, Kavanaugh took on the role of designated leaker to the press of sensitive information from Starr's operation, we all laughed that Larry had taught him well. (Of course, that sort of political opportunism by a prosecutor is at best unethical, if not illegal.)
Another compatriot was George Conway (now Kellyanne's husband), who led a secretive group of right-wing lawyers — we called them "the elves" — who worked behind the scenes directing the litigation team of Paula Jones, who had sued Clinton for sexual harassment. I knew then that information was flowing quietly from the Jones team via Conway to Starr's office — and also that Conway's go-to man was none other than Brett Kavanaugh.

That critical flow of inside information allowed Starr, in effect, to set a perjury trap for Clinton, laying the foundation for a crazed national political crisis and an unjust impeachment over a consensual affair....

etc

https://thehill.com/policy/defense/409483-suspicious-substance-discovered-in-envelope-sent-to-pentagon

man they're recycling plot points from earlier seasons now, getting lazy programmers

Another onetime senior employee at Renaissance recalls hearing [Robert] Mercer downplay the dangers posed by nuclear war. Mercer, speaking of the atomic bombs that the U.S. dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki, argued that, outside of the immediate blast zones, the radiation actually made Japanese citizens healthier. The National Academy of Sciences has found no evidence to support this notion. Nevertheless, according to the onetime employee, Mercer, who is a proponent of nuclear power, “was very excited about the idea, and felt that it meant nuclear accidents weren’t such a big deal.”

xxxpost
Flake probably referring to the behavior, not to the man

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/10/why-i-wouldnt-confirm-brett-kavanaugh/571936/

OMG alfred I read that as “David Brooks” and had a heart attack and died.

David Brock is a weirder guy than David Brooks

Mercer: that which does not kill me makes me a moron

And a worse person. He wrote a book defaming Anita Hill. Almost forgot

He apologized for it. Brooks has never apologized for anything.

He never did anything as bad—he just writes columns and gets interviewed on NPR. Brock is an extremely untrustworthy character. Switching from a hard right political mercenary to an equivalent position on the left is very strange. If you really had that radical a change of heart you’d leave politics because you’d recognize that your judgment isn’t to be trusted.

He’s an opportunist.

where's the

A YEARLONG @NYTIMES INVESTIGATION INTO TRUMP’S TAXES JUST DROPPED https://t.co/22oWnOa0LK

— Sam Dolnick (@samdolnick) October 2, 2018

Oh man, i want to read this right now so bad. Tempted to just wuit my job and run to the nearest coffee shop.

before the NY Times fails

The Times’s findings raise new questions about Mr. Trump’s refusal to release his income tax returns, breaking with decades of practice by past presidents. According to tax experts, it is unlikely that Mr. Trump would be vulnerable to criminal prosecution for helping his parents evade taxes, because the acts happened too long ago and are past the statute of limitations. There is no time limit, however, on civil fines for tax fraud.

i don't think it will amount to anything beyond trump being upset that everyone now knows he got his money from daddy

Love to know who exactly they're dragging here:

“I built what I built myself,” Mr. Trump has said, a narrative that was long amplified by often-credulous coverage from news organizations, including The Times.

But a lawyer for Mr. Trump, Charles J. Harder, provided a written statement on Monday, one day after The Times sent a detailed description of its findings. “The New York Times’s allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and highly defamatory,”

ah, yes, this piece of shit again

100%, huh?

more and more the old man seems like King Lear - will ivanka or Baron be the first to instigate war?

Gosh, imagine if the Times had been able to spare a couple of reporters for this assignment back in late 2015 and early 2016.

How long have they been working on it?

President Trump: "It's a very scary time for young men in America when you can be guilty of something that you may not be guilty of."

Full video here: https://t.co/eIalSfbn4x pic.twitter.com/QOIB2tE8DF

— CSPAN (@cspan) October 2, 2018

Here is what can be said with certainty: Had Mr. Trump done nothing but invest the money his father gave him in an index fund that tracks the Standard & Poor’s 500, he would be worth $1.96 billion today. As for that $1 million loan, Fred Trump actually lent him at least $60.7 million, or $140 million in today’s dollars, The Times found.

none of these tax returns are recent, correct? the interesting bit isn't so much how he "built" his empire but how he managed to recover after going broke over and over again

Yeah thats where the dodgy russian mob stuff is supposed to come in

By age 3, Mr. Trump was earning $200,000 a year in today’s dollars from his father’s empire. He was a millionaire by age 8. By the time he was 17, his father had given him part ownership of a 52-unit apartment building. Soon after Mr. Trump graduated from college, he was receiving the equivalent of $1 million a year from his father. The money increased with the years, to more than $5 million annually in his 40s and 50s.

Fred Trump’s real estate empire was not just scores of apartment buildings. It was also a mountain of cash, tens of millions of dollars in profits building up inside his businesses, banking records show. In one six-year span, from 1988 through 1993, Fred Trump reported $109.7 million in total income, now equivalent to $210.7 million. It was not unusual for tens of millions in Treasury bills and certificates of deposit to flow through his personal bank accounts each month.

I really can't more of this

otm

absolutely unthinkable that the illegal behavior between Fred and Donald Trump described in the NY Times article is not happening with Donald Trump and his own children

— Simon Maloy (@SimonMaloy) October 2, 2018

In an interview, Mr. Von Ancken said that because neither he nor The Times had the working papers that described how he arrived at his valuations, there was simply no way to evaluate the methodologies behind his numbers. “There would be explanations within the appraisals to justify all the values,” he said, adding, “Basically, when we prepare these things, we feel that these are going to be presented to the Internal Revenue Service for their review, and they better be right.”

The I.R.S. determined that the Trumps’ assets were worth $57.1 million, 38 percent more than the couple had claimed. From the perspective of an I.R.S. auditor, pulling in nearly $5 million in additional revenue could be considered a good day’s work. For the Trumps, getting the I.R.S. to agree that Fred Trump’s properties were worth only $57.1 million was a triumph.

Cool fucking system.

"That makes me smart"

this all reminds me of that The State sketch, where the warden says the only way out of prison is to walk out the open gate, but that the open gate is "off limits", and is shocked when an inmate escapes that way for the first time.

tbf every super-rich american family does this estate tax-avoidance stuff (and i'll bet the scheme to fuck over new york city renters is not unique either)

the longest of the long cons.

SCHUMER: of Dems take over the Senate, we will have to look at setting the SCOTUS nominee requirement back up to 60 votes

— Lisa Desjardins (@LisaDNews) October 2, 2018

smdh

he should promise to only do that under a Democratic president just to be extra fair

any chance of him being challenged for his leadership position?

in other "failing to read the room" news:

Nancy Pelosi Not On Board With Impeaching Brett Kavanaugh “That would not be my plan.”

I like the artful use of the passive voice though. "It's not my plan, but, hey, if y'all are considering it, I might play!"

ha, true

self-made
u just affiliated

That NYT story is pretty thorough, and shouldn't be hand-waved away with "all rich people do this." There are a bunch of straight-up illegal activities detailed in the story, though mostly (AFAICT) past the statute of limitations.

I’m sure he continued to do similar things in recent years

You've convinced me, he shouldn't be president.

it definitely does answer the question of how someone so incredibly inept and moronic could have any sort of "business" success whatsoever. I always assumed this guy had *some* sort of business acumen back in the 80's

But a lawyer for Mr. Trump, Charles J. Harder, provided a written statement on Monday, one day after The Times sent a detailed description of its findings. “The New York Times’s allegations of fraud and tax evasion are 100 percent false, and highly defamatory,”

so much of his defense for all the various scandals going on amounts to "nuh uh."

Oh I missed that. nvm.

CHARLES J. HARDER

CHAZ HARDSLAB

Stump Beefknot esq

…I'm hearing from my producers that it's actually "Beefknob", I regret the error

What my father really gave me is a good (great) brain, motivation and the benefit of his experience-unlike the haters and losers (lazy!).

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 29, 2013

lol

these lazy losers who didn't get $413 million from their fathers

I was too lazy to ask my dad

I haven't read the story but I know of one particular reporter who's about to connect a lot of dots this week

One story I'm looking back at today: this @propublica story about @realDonaldTrump selling condos to Eric Trump in 2016 for much below market price in April 2016. https://t.co/MMz4rBkyEI https://t.co/iMkFgYmAFZ

— David Fahrenthold (@Fahrenthold) October 2, 2018

Yeah that...wait.

In 80s letter preemptively leaked to Federalist, Kavanaugh reportedly suggested to Beach Week friends that they "warn the neighbors that we’re loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us" https://t.co/SiERhqFWO6

— Jon Swaine (@jonswaine) October 2, 2018

Sensitive stomach bro give him a break

it is kinda funny how none of this came out about Gorsuch, as Harris pointed out

xpost Oh, I'm sorry.

Seriously, what the shit

lol amazing, ”brett was the most organized designated rager coordinator” pic.twitter.com/azfiEzjAqd

— Kilgore Trout (@KT_So_It_Goes) October 2, 2018

what talent!

surely this diplomatic talent will make him the Brennan of the right when he joins the Court

Bork would have never

T or F: if, during his second hearing, brett kavanaugh would have just admitted that he drank way too much during his youth and did a bunch of things he regretted doing, he'd be sailing toward a confirmation right now despite the whole him being a sexual assaulter thing

Absolutely true.

Hell, he'd already be sworn in at this point.

kiiiiind of ironic that a candidate for the highest court in the land didn't understand how important it was to tell the truth

Or to shut up and not incriminate yourself at the very least

someone ask him if he likes big butts

someone ask Clarence Thomas

Seriously, one of the creepier parts about one of Jeffrey Toobin's recent books about SCOTUS was learning that Thomas kept a framed photo of a former clerk and her female companion on his desk; Toobin adduced it as an example of his warmth.

"he drank way too much during his youth and did a bunch of things he regretted doing" is kind of the narrative the Dems are trying to push though

still I agree that it would've been a vastly preferable strategy, given the sheer amount of "holy shit Brett K lied about a lot on Thursday" takes I've seen these last couple days. the "he said she said" thing doesn't work when one party obviously has something to hide.

It's the coverup, etc.

not convinced that any republican has any strategy beyond "triggering the libs" to be honest

big bucks no cucks trump 2020

occurs to me to mention that I actually organized a post-HS-graduation beach week for a dozen friends of mine. Of course it was a completely teetotal LAN party at a beach rental, with parental chaperones. It was a lot of fun!

is Beach Week really less of a "thing" outside greater DC? Would've assumed it was popular anywhere within driving distance of a beach

a letter was sent to trump, too?

The substance in the president’s letter is suspected to be ricin and it’s believed to be connected to the Pentagon letter, I’m told.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) October 2, 2018

Huckleberry's gone entirely round the bend

Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) released a statement on Tuesday calling on President Donald Trump to renominate alleged sexual abuser Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court should his current nomination fail.

Graham opened by sharing his admiration and empathy for Kavanaugh and his family, imploring other senators to “not quit on him,” before diving into the senator’s suggestion to the president.

“I believe Judge Kavanaugh will be confirmed to the Supreme Court very soon,” Graham said. “However, if his nomination were to fall short, I would encourage President Trump to re-nominate Judge Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court. It would ― in effect ― be appealing the Senate’s verdict directly to the American people.”

Graham also noted that the midterm elections are “only 35 days away” and “a new group of senators” might view Kavanaugh’s nomination “very differently after hearing from the voters in their states.”

lol, please listen to graham and renominate kavanaugh if he doesn't get confirmed, that's a fantastic idea

I did think that Kavanaugh's frequent protesting about the fact that he went to Georgetown and Yale hurt his case a lot, since every truly crazy party I've been to during my HS/college years was at a rich/privileged school like that. the house parties my buddies threw in high school were mostly centered around kitchen table drinking games and a single case of Busch Light.

hell, I went to one party in grad school and when they served Absolut and Welch's cranberry juice I wept with gratitude.

come on...a football player at a prep school involved with heavy drinking and sexual assault? that dog don't hunt.

My friends who went to privileged DC area private schools have been mocking the guy relentlessly, right down to Mark Judge's choice of hideout.

Anyone call him Barf Kavanaugh yet?

is Beach Week really less of a "thing" outside greater DC? Would've assumed it was popular anywhere within driving distance of a beach

My prep school had a strict zero tolerance policy for underage drinking—1 strike expulsion—because... their reputation was almost destroyed during the hazy eighties

we have lots of beaches in California, I've never heard of "beach week"

Yeah this is such an East Coast thing.

I forgot we didn’t invite you to ILX beach week.

The best part of the yearbook by far was “Rehoboth Police Department Fan Club.” I don’t know why that’s not getting more play.

Grew up Philly area, people went to the Jersey Shore. My understanding is DC area went to Bethany and other Delaware beaches.

Exclusive: We obtained a handwritten 1983 letter that Brett Kavanaugh wrote to his high school buddies: "We're loud, obnoxious drunks with prolific pukers among us." My story with @katekelly @RebeccaRuiz @SteveEder https://t.co/wLkn7T5nlL

— David Enrich (@davidenrich) October 2, 2018

yeah but her emails

FFFFF,

Bart

fuck

Love Rehoboth.

1) he signed his letter "bart", lol
2) remember his excuse about the "FFFFFFFFourth of July" reference in the yearbook? that a friend of theirs would stretch out the F's when he said a certain word? god, this is all so dumb

i lived a six-hour drive away and still went to ocean city, md for a week

had a good time, but man what a terrible idea

I want to hear about bret’s sick run ins with the cops there and whether they were chill or not

Maybe it’s just me but stories like these play into the narrative of “fake news” and theNYT’s agenda. They prove nothing and come across as piling on not to mention missing the point.

I wish more of the coverage were based on his clearly partisan comments on Thursday. That point alone should merit disqualification regardless of his sexual and/or drunken history. I believe lawyers call it the principle of “actual or apparent conflict.”

The fact that he lied so much is relevant

I don’t care that he drank a lot. I am frequently wasted when I post to ilx. (Working on changing this).

I don't know, I don't think that NYT article is missing the point

My parents were pretty lenient with me in high school, but no fucking way they would green light (much less fund) a week a at beach house sans parental supervision. I don't recall any Beach Week thing in high school (Pittsburgh) but I guess I went to a lamer high school than mookie ;)

There was definitely a Beach Week for seniors in college between end of exams and graduation. I stayed on campus and worked THANK GOD.

anti-Clinton gumshoe Barbara Comstock is now a Republican member of Congress.

Not for long. She is about to lose bigly. And I will cackle with juvenile glee.

And since there have been many xxxps I will just say it's really touching how the blue-collar Red State MAGA hat diner bubbas are totally going all out in support of the guy who went to Georgetown Prep sand Yale Law and vacationed at Rehoboth.

I hear you; maybe it’s just making the same point for the millionth time.

Yeah.

Also the obnoxious, loutish, fuck the police drunk he seems to be is different than just a little buzz. He wasn’t Buzz O’Kavanaugh. It does show a character flaw.

just the signing of the the letter FFFFF, bart, and the lying about what it means in the hearing disqualifies him

what an awful person. we're going to make him our next supreme court justice?

So is it confirmed avenatti was right that this is a reference to date rape?

actually maybe the FFFFF really is about their friend stuttering, according to the NYT article. kinda weird and unfunny and mean to their "friend", but probably in character

maybe I'm misinterpreting it

The vibes of mid-Atlantic beaches are very particular, and it is an area of interest to me. I am still a little boggled about the specific choice of Rehoboth for this preppy kegger crew.

Fwiw I have been going to Rehoboth annually since my precambrian childhood; indeed I was just there a few weeks ago. Then as now, it's about 40% gay and 40% families with young children; 20% everybody else (Amish, Balmer folks, occasional Philly goombahs).

There is a small but loud 20-something party crowd, but it's not really a great destination for teenagers, unless their parents bring them.

Downscale partiers go to Dewey Beach. Families that prefer a quieter vibe go to Bethany. Cape May (NJ) has a a quainter, politer vibe, while simultaneously being very New Jersey.

Anyway the ultimate destination for yr true bacchanalian reveler is Ocean City (Maryland) and always has been.

Why did Bart and Squi and Jughead (or whatever) choose the gayest beach south of Fire Island, and one of the most stroller-friendly? I have an answer, but I will withhold it for now.

My friends who went to DC area private schools in the first half of the ‘80s/knew guys who did say the FFFF thing was in a song by the Mentors, a band fratty douchebros really liked because of that song.

Yeah it’s absolutely weird that they didn’t go to Ocean City

Maybe they all were really nostalgic for Funland, like me.

the only time I spent at Rehoboth Beach was with.....David Brock! about 18 years ago I was briefly friends with him, and I spent a weekend at his house there, around the time of his conversion from right to left. I hated his book about Hill but it was hard to hate him as a person

Silby gets it.

the only time I spent at Rehoboth Beach was with.....David Brock! about 18 years ago I was briefly friends with him

Wait hold on

Sounds like a fair number of G'town Prep families may have had beach homes in Rehoboth, so kids would have access to family homes?

xpost I mean not that I'm asking you to tell yer life story but how did that all happen!

YMP have you camped at Cape Henlopen State Park before? We did that several times and it's a real winner for a quiet stay. Nice little walk through the pines and past the old Army installation to the beach.

I don't get up there anymore b/c of living in Seattle.

xp I was friends at the time with his best friend from Berkeley

boy am I sorry I looked up the lyrics to that song, suzy

quincie do you go to the beach

We went there (Henlopen)! Official high school senior trip.

we went to Rehobeth, Bethany and Dewey as a family.

I went to the beach this year! It was in Nicaragua.

the letter is about a condo in Ocean City though?

xxpost I've been in DC for like 15 years and have never made it to the Delaware/MD beaches. Not really feeling keen on them atm.

tobo otm

BK kinda has admitted drinking excessively and regretting behavior. i thought we were going after him for sexual assault (and lying about his actions in the Bush years, which the gen public doesnt care about).

that mentors song came out in 1985. i definitely saw the phrase “findum, fuckum, and flee” on playground graffiti.

xp

I have heard enough Dewey stories from former Dewey group house bros that I an def never renting a place there.

I love camping at Cape Henlopen. Good times.

Anyway Quincie is on the right track. The Bart crowd wanted to party, obv, but they also weren't very creative or adventurous about it.

They went where their parents already had houses, yes. But more to the point they went where their parents took them when they were kids. Their wildness always and only happened inside their rich white preppy-ass comfort zone. Sad!

Oh and, their parents totally let them have the keys to their vacation houses, eschew eschewed chaperoning, and looked the other way. many even bought the keys. Because Beach Week. Privilege is a hell of a drug, yo.

My friends who went to DC area private schools in the first half of the ‘80s/knew guys who did say the FFFF thing was in a song by the Mentors, a band fratty douchebros really liked because of that song.

― suzy, Wednesday, 3 October 2018 9:35 AM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

the only time I spent at Rehoboth Beach was with.....David Brock! about 18 years ago I was briefly friends with him, and I spent a weekend at his house there, around the time of his conversion from right to left. I hated his book about Hill but it was hard to hate him as a person

― Dan S, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 7:38 PM (two minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Dude; what?

he wasn't terrible

Crud, that got garbled by kindletyping

I mean bought the kegs.

The parents in question figured they had good enough lawyers and they also dgaf

Also kinda amazed by the Brock story

hmmm, i wd've hated him as a person

I thought the Mentors song refered to an earlier usage. Or was a song based around an existing saying rather than one they coined.
I was thinking that I was mainly aware of them years later, late 80s rather than early.

Singer El Duce may be more infamous as somebody accused of killing Kurt Cobain or rumoured to be hired to do so.

tobo otm

BK kinda has admitted drinking excessively and regretting behavior. i thought we were going after him for sexual assault (and lying about his actions in the Bush years, which the gen public doesnt care about).

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Wednesday, 3 October 2018 9:44 AM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I hate that the pyrometer details of drunken escapees are being used as a smoke screen for the actually bad stuff and being used to reinforce the utterly odious ‘boys will be boys’ narrative that seems to go along with this.

I still don’t trust David Brock.

Drunken escapees

New band name thx

I don't totally, either, but he's on our side

xp morbs, I would have thought I would too

Oh, the beach. Haven't been in four years now, but next summer? Heck yes.

lmao https://acculturated.com/poptimism-killed-intelligent-rock-music/

crossing the streams sorry

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Jb0W0lHCVQA

@ morbs - the drinking is one way back towards the assault claims. Kav spent half his hearing time denying he'd ever been a drinker to the point of blacking out or forgetting things, to the point where he was making up insultingly implausible garbage to paint himself as a saintly little college boy who just liked a little beer now and then, like any true american. proving that this was completely absurd makes his story less plausible and corroborates a detail shared in the accounts of all of his accusers (thus supporting the point that they are remarkably consistent and also not generic).

as a bonus it proves he lied to the senate. in any universe where collins and murkowski vote "no" to protect themselves on the center, they'll have cover to protect themselves on the right: "I was totally all set to vote yes on this great constitutional originalist but I was deeply disturbed that he would lie to my colleagues in the senate."

Mindy Moderate's speechwriers aren't quite so perspicacious.

I keep seeing "Mindy" itt and I'm like who?

Ditto "Huckleberry," which confuses me because of the two Huckabees in the news, and "Huckleberry" is neither.

Fwiw I have no trouble with Yertle and Yam. But after a web there are just too many people in the news and it's enough just to keep track of all the real names. Gah.

Web = while, Christ I need to go buy a computer

actually all the nicknames are stupid and ppl should stop already

Huckleberry = Lindsey Graham
Mindy = Murkowski?

Maybe I'm completely wrong.

Great job America

The video of Trump mocking Christine Blasey Ford’s testimony at his rally. Remember, aides were initially surprised at his restraint on the matter. pic.twitter.com/p75xQrDeJD

— andrew kaczynski🧐 (@KFILE) October 3, 2018

Mindy moderate is collins
Huckleberry is graham

I think both come from Charles Pierce at Esquire

Huckleberry = Lindsey Graham
Mindy = Murkowski?

― DJI, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 8:47 PM (seven minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Maybe I'm completely wrong.

― DJI, Tuesday, October 2, 2018

Huckleberry is Charles Pierce's

Mindy is mine.

And they're not stupid.

I don't give a fuck what I call Lindsey Graham, nor should you.

goddammit why did i watch that video

( had one beer

I enjoy a tipple every now and then

the FFFF thing was in a song by the Mentors, a band fratty douchebros really liked because of that song.

I didn't know anyone liked the Mentors, and I saw the Mentors live. (They opened for the Revolting Cocks, a Ministry side project that, at the show I attended, had more women dancing onstage than dudes playing instruments.)

Why is Elton John holding up a pink sign at that rally?

he's still standing!

Mukowski Lisas and Red Hatters

a mentors fan on the supreme court

Iove maura's posts crossing the streams

cool

Diane Feinstein threatens to vote in favor of Kavanaugh's confirmation if voters annoy her.

Listen to her say, "I'm a vote on your side. Don't lose it."#BelieveSurvivors #MeToo #StopKavanaugh https://t.co/pLpUdaltCQ

— 🕉 Scap🌹☮ (@scapelliti) October 2, 2018

you can call various senators whatever you like, but it's precisely as witty as forks' replace-Trump-with-Drumpf plugin. and at least he didn't have to explain it

the only one of these nicknames that is funny is bart

none of the nicknames are ever funny. Christ all the fuckin dem bloggers calling Bush "Shrub" for eight years. sterling effort there

C-Plus Augustus is better, admittedly.

can we all at least agree that Drumpf is the least funny

still like the diaper don nickname for jr.

xp that reading of Feinstein's comment is incredibly disingenuous.

Codepink protesting Feinstein for some reason. Why is everyone thinking about Feinstein all the time https://t.co/bPThUoLBWb

— Quinoa🖕Appropriator (@MattAlwaysWrong) October 3, 2018

Let’s wear goofy costumes and annoy the lady who agrees with us and who the right wing is also currently attacking for trying protect the privacy of a sexual assault survivor.

that’s a dumb reading of what she says yeah

how should it be read o sages

my nicknames are funny bcz i employ them sparingly

Feinstein is a pain in the ass

xpost With some pragmatism as a opposed to the perennially unemployed Canadian view

Cot damn

I think I've been unemployed for about two months out of the last four years but go off king

Here we go again

nah I'm out, sorry for responding / encouraging at all, duly FPing myself

i fp'd lion in winter

Simon take a break

Everyone take a break it’s bedtime

"I had one beer. These are really evil people." FUCK him

what the hell? he was attacked by a puritan minister banging on about the wickedness of the unemployed

simon that is

one named after a middlebrow royal sitcom of a play, no less

none of the nicknames are ever funny. Christ all the fuckin dem bloggers calling Bush "Shrub" for eight years. sterling effort there

― she carries a torch. two torches, actually (Joan Crawford Loves Chachi)

just dropping in to co-sign this

I feel the need for special drugs to deal with the rage I’m feeling at the entire Kavanaugh situation (Trump’s latest comments included).

Sometimes I can laugh. Sometimes I can brush shit off as mere “trolling”. Not tonight. This is not funny, and yes, consider me “trolled”.

Fuck this bullshit.

Yeah me too and I realize I was a prick but I don’t regret it

I drove my wife to a clinic in Boulder last year for an abortion she could only get there (they killed the Kansan) at 8 months for a ‘non-viable’ pregnancy. It cost $18000 and a lot of our sanity for a long time, so anyone nitpicking the pushback against that smug fratboy fuck or whoever follows him, well I don’t care. It matters. I can tell you who else was in the waiting room; I can tell you why they pay the nurses a lot; I can also tell you why I had to drive to Denver at 100mph after the procedure because Boulder Hospital has been feuding with the clinic for years and they wanted to make sure my wife’s preeclampsia was actually addressed.

Anyway — I only post here when I’m mad or drinking and neither is helpful. But I can’t stand righteousness in the face of lived lives.

that's horrible liw, sorry to hear you and your wife had to go through that

it's ok we did and it's perverse that there's nowhere else in the country to go, dr. warren hern is 80 -- but i do want to apologize for always overreacting when i do chime in. i don't think i'd be very good at the day to day calmness of this place. but i think it's one of the most heartwarming places on the internet.

there's a lot to be said for a community of people who trust each other and have successfully self-regulated for decades.

i'm either busy or mad, and neither adds much to the world. i don't mind though, i have a life with r, my work and my dog.

well since there's some radio silence: fuck brett kavanaugh. it's enough to assume the SC is deeply, deeply partisan, it's another thing to toss judicial legitimacy out of the window at the same time that tent camps for kidnapped undocumented kids and the primacy of cypriot bank accounts are drawing new national boundaries.

when the times today admitted they were 'credulous' about trump's self-made man claim, i thought actually no, it's too late. whatever can be done should be done now -- protests above all -- because, as much as people think it's cool to harp on process losing legitimacy (brexit started with maastricht) it's tough to fill that blank. same with the kids. the damage is done and the idea that an election will turn it around (a la shakey) is naive.

above is a tangent; a loss of collective faith in the possibility of judicial authority bodes really badly.

i can't judge the drunkenness, but fuck a dick waving rapist

I thought the Collins nickname derived at least partially from who the other moderate republican vote on women's issues is. Not sure if it would be what it is if you couldn't make the coupling Murk and Mindy from it.
Though alliterative nicknames are a thing and have been for years.
& not sure if there is another reason for it beiong specifically Mindy. Would assume that that was supposed to be a stereotypical name for a MOR MIdwest housewife type from a certain era.

The GOP is already pushing this very heavily, ignoring all the stuff Kavanaugh lied about of course.

BREAKING: Fox’s @johnrobertsFox obtains letter from Ford ex-boyfriend alleging: dated for 6 yrs, never told of sex assault, Ford coached friend on taking polygraph, flew frequently w/o expressing any fear of flying/tight spaces/limited exits. Doesn’t want to b/c “involved”. pic.twitter.com/jVeW0qaJD0

— Shannon Bream (@ShannonBream) October 3, 2018

Prosecutor Rachel Mitchell: "Have you ever given tips or advice to somebody who was looking to take a polygraph test?"

Christine Blasey Ford: "Never." pic.twitter.com/k5Pm424f22

— Ryan Saavedra 🇺🇸 (@RealSaavedra) September 30, 2018

I think it's inevitable that a set up that's as partisan as this hearing and its consequences have become, at least from teh republican side, is going to be trying to poke holes in the alleged victims story. Unfortunatet#ly that's while ignoring the massive holes in the alleged perpetrator's story. Oh & the protocols for how this entire nomination/confiramtion is carried out from the start.

Wonder if any other party at any other point would put forward the person who was already notorious for writing opinions on the lack of culpability of a sitting President as the next candidate for the SCOTUS. Might think that was a reason to think twice in the first place, quite apart from everything else that has come up since.

Times is justifiably proud but unjustifiably smug about its big tax expose. Where was this 3 years ago? What's new? Except that it's too late? I cancelled my subscription last week after one too many unforced errors with major repercussions, esp. that bullshit Rosenstein story, as well as that ill-conceived Ford Twitter poll they tried to run. Felt a little bad, because the rest of the paper is good. But I've really been enjoying the Washington Post these days.

none of the nicknames work, either. the smart people better leave them to the GOP. it's not like comrade combover beat crooked hillary or anything

That's because everyone amplified Trump's idiotic nicknames while we were mocking him and them. Joke's on us.

Collins is not Midwestern btw.

Her first name is Susan.

I dont feel the need for nicknames for those people. In terms of trump, no name is more abhorrent to me at this point than the name trump—the word itself is an insult or more specificallt an obscenity.

Drumpf and Yam make him seem more likable—a vaguely ridiculous archie bunker type, which is what bannon said he thought was trump’s appeal. In reality he is a true sociopath spending his last decades on earth tearing apart the nation that gave him everything he ever wanted.

xp point I was trying to make was more that there is a stereotypically bland middle of the road type which in trying to build up the picture for I used midwestern when it's more white bread, average, characterless, wishy washy.
& I might be getting the inference intended a bit off but that's what I would take Mindy Moderate to boil down to.

Possibly also not able to take on a policy for their own driven reasons but just to go along with the herd or the position one is expected to take.

are we still discussing this

People certainly have just been.

"Trump" means fart and has always meant fart so there is no need to give him a funny nickname, even if Drumpf was funny.

Oh, look, the appraiser who reportedly cooked the numbers so the Trumps could cheat the tax authorities out of 50 to 75 percent of the proper valuation is "a favorite of New York City’s big real estate families" pic.twitter.com/aiC1vYk0Ro

— Tom Scocca (@tomscocca) October 3, 2018

Seems like an extremely broken system if people can do this without fearing their spot could be blown up at any moment by an audit

Yeah seriously why is nobody digging into that?

Xp

Is it something that is likey to be triggered by an investigation into the Trump Orgainisation, that people look further into the corrupt setting taht it was operating in.
THough yeah would be good if it was something that was monitored in a way that prevented distortion of that kind.

Calling people by dismissive or insulting nicknames is a form of micro aggression, or actual aggression, and should not be encouraged. Even if any of these were momentarily amusing, which they were not, the practice creates a model for a climate of hostility in many other real environments that are difficult for people to navigate and manage. DO NOT CALL our president stupid, dismissive nicknames. It is dumb, and the problems he has created are too real to risk popular acceptance. Resist. But only in sincere, meaningful, and EFFECTIVE ways.

Why give him a nickname if you can call him an imbecile?

It’s ok to be aggressive, micro or otherwise, against the worst person in the entire world.

Harder to go viral that way

xp

The nicknames are bad but he deserves as much respect as he gives to others, which is to say none. Jesus would even agree in this specific case.

lol that's a new level of hyperbole even for you

Who cares what ol nail-hands doofus-ix thinks

and lo jesus said unto them, 'fuck trump lmao'

It’s true. Check ur gnostic gospels

Yeah seriously why is nobody digging into that?

Probably at least somewhat because of this, coincidentally published in the NY Times the day before the Trump article:

I.R.S. Tax Fraud Cases Plummet After Budget Cuts

can anyone decipher this

The Failing New York Times did something I have never seen done before. They used the concept of “time value of money” in doing a very old, boring and often told hit piece on me. Added up, this means that 97% of their stories on me are bad. Never recovered from bad election call!

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 3, 2018

i understand what "time value of money" is...and i don't think he does

Thesis: nicknames are lame and suck
Antithesis: if we waste time thinking about how effective nicknames are trump WINS
synthesis : please kill me

is it just me or is that tweet, somehow, measurably less coherent than his usual? we're approaching "colorless green ideas sleep furiously" territory.

That time value tweet is too meta-trump to be actually trump imo. It is amazingly stupid tho
Xp

obviously the time spent illegally transferring all that money was equal to that much money so it evens out and is legal

i know that he's just trying to make a joke using a financial/policy term. but in doing so he conflates at least 3 different concepts, mixes measuring units, and the joke makes no sense

nicknames are beneath the dignity of many here. they are not effective. fortunately while 2scoops is president* we still have charles pierce

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a23579738/donald-trump-mock-christine-blasey-ford-sexual-assault/

Calling people by dismissive or insulting nicknames is a form of micro aggression, or actual aggression, and should not be encouraged. Even if any of these were momentarily amusing, which they were not, the practice creates a model for a climate of hostility in many other real environments that are difficult for people to navigate and manage. DO NOT CALL our president stupid, dismissive nicknames. It is dumb, and the problems he has created are too real to risk popular acceptance. Resist. But only in sincere, meaningful, and EFFECTIVE ways.

― Hunt3r, Wednesday, October 3, 2018 10:39 AM (twenty-three minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

i agree with this

it bothers me even more when people excoriate evil men and women via aspects of their physical appearance. mitch mcconell is not evil because he looks like a turtle

i am more than okay with specific value negative slurs such as piece of shit, garbage person, worthless stain etc

“mitch mcconell is not evil because he looks like a turtle”

turtlegangers are good not evil

giving you all annoying nicknames FYI

My wild guess is that he's talking about the figure "$413 million in today’s dollars" and is confused.

tweet reads like it's from trump_ebooks

Hey, at least his handlers stopped him tweeting “it was actually only $xm in the money of the day”

Trump bein his usual assholish self is a good thing in this case, cuz it makes it harder for the Senate swing votes to support his nominee. Keep it up, asshole!

I kinda don't care about NYT's "bombshell" tbh - it's too late, it confirms what anybody paying attention already knew/suspected, and it won't get prosecuted (if at all) until well after he's already gone from office.

Graham defends Trump's insulting of Dr. Ford last night. "Everything he said was factual," he says. "This is what you get when you go through a trailer park with a 00 bill." Audience gasps. Somebody in my row: "Are you fucking kidding me?"

— Rob Pegoraro (@robpegoraro) October 3, 2018

lol @ this code

"This is what you get when you go through a trailer park with a $100 bill."

to be fair that's a james carville line

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_value_of_money. trump appears to argue that the story boils down to: he's rich now because he made money early in life.

"This is what you get when you go through a trailer park with a $100 bill."

A tenured psychology professor?

"Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said, as the crowd applauded. “But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.”
"Everything he said was factual"
"Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said, as the crowd applauded. “But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.”
"Everything he said was factual"
"Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said, as the crowd applauded. “But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.”
"Everything he said was factual"
"Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said, as the crowd applauded. “But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.”
"Everything he said was factual"
"Upstairs, downstairs, where was it? I don’t know,” Mr. Trump said, as the crowd applauded. “But I had one beer. That’s the only thing I remember.”
"Everything he said was factual"

republcians hate women and constituents of theirs that happen to live in trailer parks

is it just me or did lindsey graham totally lose his fucking mind after mccain died? he's always been bad but i wouldn't have put him in the inner circle of hell until this fall

It seems like he needs a big shot to latch onto and now he’s all in for trump

It is his nature to be a sidekick

"I don't like what the president said last night," Sen. Lindsey Graham says about Pres. Trump's mockery of Dr. Ford at a rally.

Booed by the audience when he says Kavanaugh "was treated like crap," Graham responds, "Yeah, well boo yourself." https://t.co/03Z8GCYmx6 pic.twitter.com/WqrTvSEZhn

— ABC News (@ABC) October 3, 2018

sick burn, Aunt Pittypat

this is silly and anecdotal, but it seems like in recent years it's become more common and acceptable to boo or heckle public figures in public, on camera, at events where people once sat quietly. public heckling of public figures used to lead to the shaming of the public figure, both at the moment it occurred and afterward, in accounts of the event. that all seems to have changed. now the heckling and the booing is more common, but it's also standard practice for the person being booed to essentially say "fuck you" and move on. if a joe wilson type would yell "you lie!" at trump during a state of the union, for example, instead of sternly looking back at him, trump would be expected to say "no, you're the liar, and you're lucky i don't tell the lying media about what you did, you know what you did, a lot of people are saying that you did that, but i'm not going to say that because i'm a nice guy", or whatever. trump takes hitting back to the extreme, of course, but his childishness seems to have spread to other politicians in ways that were once unthinkable

I think Graham has been promised a 2020 cabinet position by Trump

Is he afraid to lose his senate seat? I’d rather be a senstor than work for Trump and get the jeff sessions treatment

remember when Republicans were aghast that Obama would weigh in on black men getting murdered cause it wasn't right for the President to involve himself with ongoing investigations? lol

i think he's really into the idea of becoming secretary of defense and getting to do smart and realistic things like convincing china to assassinate kim jong un and replace him with a US-controlled puppet

^^^

he wants out of the Senate and sees Trump as his ticket to the executive branch

lindsay graham wants to live his dream of incinerating random poor brown people around the world like he's been pining for for decades

My friends who went to DC area private schools in the first half of the ‘80s/knew guys who did say the FFFF thing was in a song by the Mentors, a band fratty douchebros really liked because of that song.

― suzy, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 11:35 PM (yesterday) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

wow this is basically a (obviously gross) stoner metal song not what i expected

DO NOT CALL our president stupid, dismissive nicknames. It is dumb, and the problems he has created are too real to risk popular acceptance. Resist. But only in sincere, meaningful, and EFFECTIVE ways.

― Hunt3r, Wednesday, October 3, 2018 2:39 PM (two hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

what is this, 2003

i mean if someone is trying to actively harm me and my loved ones and people I do not know but know to be on my wavelength I'm going to kick them in the nuts, fair fight or not. the complaint is just that all ur nicknames suck imo

but hey ive helped start this debate again...

friendly fire is very helpful. i'm sure that if ideologically-sympathetic non-"conservatives" tell each other off enough the GOP will lose this time

Question for those who might know better than me: Here in NJ I'm seeing lots of TV ads about what a piece of shit Bob Menendez is (which he kinda is), and lots of ads about what a swell guy Bob Hugin is (he's not, he's a rich pharma scumbag), but no pro-Menendez ads at all. Either he thinks he's got it in the bag, polls be damned, or he's already surrendered. Does anybody know which it is?

Bush Jr was the proper level of patronizing dismissiveness without sounding like nails on a chalkboard IMO

This FiveThirtyEight piece says things look bad for Menendez, but it's the only thing I've really read about the race.

I thought Ford’s testimony might stick because she went to a superior private school to BK, obviously posh etc so Graham can GTF with the trailer park shit.

It’s disgusting to imply, as graham did, that people with less money and education are more likely to lie