US Politics November 2017

It never occurred to me that there were so many countries in the world because none of them are named like Trumpsylvania or Trumpland so why would I even be interested.

back then, world didn't want me
now i'm hot, world all on me, i said
back then, world didn't want me
now i'm hot, world all on me, i said
back then, world didn't want me
now i'm hot, world all on me

Were we expecting a Flynn thing today or no? jw

News about Flynn was they had plenty on him to make an arrest, but I haven't seen anything saying an actual arrest would be happening.

An update on Rand's situation! Uh.

NEW: statement from lawyer of alleged @RandPaul attacker, Rene Boucher: #RandPaulAttack pic.twitter.com/AsYIE9kc1j

— Brooke Singman (@brookefoxnews) November 6, 2017

Some more talk:

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/new-details-rand-paul-assault-sneak-attack-possible-political-dispute-n818021?cid=sm_npd_nn_tw_ma

Alleges they hadn't spoken in years, plus a property dispute.

I don't condone just indiscriminately beating the shit out of libertarians but I'm uh not exactly shedding tears over here

Rand was out there with a leaf blower moving all the leaves from his yard into the other guy's

If only there had been a good guy with a gun

There's probably like a nine inch wide strip abutting the dude's yard that Paul passively aggressively refuses to mow where the grass is like four feet high now and, y'know, at a point enough is enough already.

https://www.politico.com/story/2017/11/06/john-mccain-injury-achilles-tendon-244599

they're in a shambles over there

drudge siren

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/wonk/wp/2017/11/06/in-gop-plan-taxes-go-down-for-most-americans-but-wealthy-get-the-biggest-cut/?hpid=hp_hp-more-top-stories_wonk-tax-410pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.08bade778946

By 2027, at least 28 percent of Americans would see their taxes rise, the report says. Many of those taking a hit would be people who make less than $48,000 a year.

Paul Ryan must not believe those folks work hard enough

did we ever find out if Trump met the Pen Pineapple Apple Pen guy

This strikes me as imagery straight out of a Mirror Universe Ben Garrison cartoon:

a lot going on in this paragraph: https://t.co/ImQkPtzuHG pic.twitter.com/1xXYnz3hK9

— Betsy Woodruff (@woodruffbets) November 6, 2017

We all need a Trump hat to puke in.

I just might have a problem that you'd understand

lol

#BREAKING: ObamaCare signups set new record despite Trump cutting outreach funding https://t.co/aYOK6esxxv pic.twitter.com/QMEBanXKR1

— The Hill (@thehill) November 6, 2017

Ah, clarity.

Rand Paul and neighbor have been sparring over yard waste and leaves blown on each other's lawns for years, a neighbor tells @DrewGriffinCNN

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) November 6, 2017

Wow, and that's what it took to get a flying tackle out of the blue? And they hadn't even been talking? It sounds like years and years of passive aggression finally blowing up.

It sounds like insane excuse making to me!

sounds like Buscemi and the nunchuck guy in Ghost World

couldn't have happened to a nicer asshole

Wow, hadn't heard that the neighbor attacked his asshole, too.

Knowing how persnickety people get about their lawns, this seems like a fairly plausible situation. I even feel kind of bad for Paul because he seems to have been pretty seriously injured. He's still a colossal asshole though.

why does a senator have time to be out blowing leaves, he should be calling donors.

better for him to be blowing leaves than blowing interns amirite

CALLED IT

I have a coworker who explained his batshit crazy neighbor's harassment to me while we were waiting around in his office and this reminded me of it. People are absolutely fucking crazy about neighborhood junk, especially in the suburbs.

My neighbor and I have dying trees all along the property line. Tree people have quoted thousands of dollars' worth of near-urgent work. I don't like my neighbor very much and am dreading ever having to discuss splitting the costs.

I feel certain my neighbors have fantasies about attacking me over yard stuff. I'm just thankful I'm not part of an HOA.

The transcript of Carter Page at the House Intelligence Committee is out.

https://intelligence.house.gov/uploadedfiles/carter_page_hpsci_hearing_transcript_nov_2_2017.pdf

Paul Ryan must not believe those folks work hard enough

Wasn't it a big talking point in the Bush era that some percentage of people "don't pay taxes" (i.e. poor people) and that we needed "tax equality" so they payed their fair share and rich people would pay less, etc, etc. Sounds like the same agenda they've just gone back to hiding it.

Adam Schiff Asking Carter Page Whether He's Invoking The Fifth Amendment Is Something Else. pic.twitter.com/aNchV7MnTG

— Chris Geidner (@chrisgeidner) November 7, 2017

https://i.imgur.com/ZfIilSM.png

wow, such an opportunity

Thread, but starting summary

#CarterPage transcript for #TrumpRussia invest. is up. You should know:

-Met w/ Gazprom/Rosneft
-Clovis made him sigh NDA (knew of trip)

— Rep. Eric Swalwell (@RepSwalwell) November 7, 2017

wow at the 5th amendment exchange with schiff

the best people, the very smartest

i remember first hearing carter page bumble through an interview with judy woodruff last year just thinking lol this guy is going to be great in the coming months

Is that a transcript of the full 7 hours !?

208 pages! This is like a novella.

Some nice word salad here

Totally weird ass passage where Schiff notes that Page testimony doesn’t match with his emails. That triggered this on meetings vs outreach. pic.twitter.com/XYzmSqJfHV

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) November 7, 2017

The audacity of these knuckleheads, from Trump on down. Just do all this shitty, shady stuff, and when called on it sort of shrug. Tbf, I guess it's worked for Trump all his life.

Damn. I almost believe that he actually doesn’t understand the illegal or wrongs he has probably committed. He has, like, only “word-concepts.” Those are topically related to the issues under discussion, but also nonsensical. Wordy word salad.

there are no misdeeds, only opportunities for legal entanglement

Diving into this a bit, I keep reading Carter Page as Dennis Reynolds from "It's Always Sunny ... "

Mr. Page, did you ever communicate with Paul Manafort?

No, never. Well ... not directly.

Not directly? What does that mean? Did you or didn't you?

No, I did not. I did not. Absolutely. I mean, not directly.

And so on. I understand Page's concern, he's overthinking it, knowing that the odds of him being proven a liar or perjurer or criminal or whatever increase the more definitive his claims, and yet ... elsewhere he has no problem categorically denying stuff, or babbling on and on in a confusing and contradictory manner. It's just absolutely bonkers that he would open himself up like this. I mean, the sheer hubris of a guy who would show up without a lawyer, half plead the fifth for fear of prosecution for contradictions in his statements and yet willingly offer to provide copies of emails and stuff that could very well introduce statements that contradict his babbling ...

Anyway, Carter Page, ladies and gentlemen, one of the greatest fictional characters of all time.

Gentlemen, I'm afraid that I must plead the fifth. But before I do, I feel that it's only right and proper to provide you with a thorough accounting of the thoughts and experiences which have informed my decision. Chapter one...

Yeah, I've been reading the transcript. He constantly talks in circles. The man needs a lawyer, if only to stop him from contradicting himself in consecutive sentences. He reads like a man whose brain is floating like a cork in choppy waters. He recalls all his prepared talking points, but he cannot connect them to the questions he has been asked. It is bizarre.

It seems like he's casting about for ways to deny that his communications with or about Russians were of any substance beyond general goodwill sentiments, but it's clear the documents the committee has contradicts this. It's also striking that the republicans on the committee don't show him any more sympathy than the democrats. They are all annoyed that he hasn't delivered the required documents, that he can't stay on topic or answer questions clearly, and that he's not particularly forthcoming.