US Politics, February 2018: Our country was founded by geniuses, but it’s being run by idiots

Holy shit this is real

https://i.imgur.com/iIsUabw.jpg

good god

i... ummmm

Is that a battle ax or a bundle of dynamite?

....

literally the go-to historical symbol for fascism

lol josh

isn't that axe one of France's symbols?

https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/b/b7/Armoiries_r%C3%A9publique_fran%C3%A7aise.svg/280px-Armoiries_r%C3%A9publique_fran%C3%A7aise.svg.png

That looks like a rolling pin, which suits France.

I didn't know fascism had a standard icon!

Is that a battle ax or a bundle of dynamite?

stronger together!

http://www.tasteofcinema.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/04/Ran14.jpg

wikipedia sez

During the first half of the 20th century both the fasces and the swastika (each symbol having its own unique ancient religious and mythological associations), became heavily identified with the authoritarian/ fascist political movements of Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini. During this period the swastika became deeply stigmatized, however the fasces did not undergo a similar process.

The fact that the fasces remained in use in many societies after World War II may have been due to the fact that prior to Mussolini the fasces had already been adopted and incorporated within the governmental iconography of many governments outside Italy. As such, its use persists as an accepted form of governmental and other iconography in various contexts.

lol guys fasces go all the way back to rome. its the symbol of consular power aka imperium.

I remember seeing some of the Charlottesville shitheads with fasces painted on their (sigh) shields.

Here's George Washington leaning on fasces

https://www.historyisfun.org/wp-content/uploads/2013/08/thumb_Hubard%20statue%20of%20George%20Washington_web.jpg

Here's a dime with fasces

http://wwwcdn.numismaticnews.net/wp-content/uploads/item0922afacecut.jpg

Not to blow any minds here but

https://www.washingtonian.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/02162016-lincoln-994x555.jpg

i don't care! this is unprecedented!!

More like faeces amirite

okay at this point these sheriffs know what it means and what they're doing sry

#notallsherrifs

https://rosamondpress.files.wordpress.com/2011/10/cult88.jpg

Omarosa’s Shocking Big Brother Reveal: Mike Pence Is Pretty ‘Scary’ Too

Unfortunately, as Omarosa explained to a panel of C-list celebrities on Monday night’s episode, {impeachment} could actually make things worse.

“Can I just say this? As bad as y’all think Trump is, you would be worried about Pence,” she said. “So everybody that’s wishing for impeachment might want to reconsider their lives.”

Omarosa then threw some slightly more specific shade at Vice President Mike Pence: “We would be begging for days of Trump back if Pence became president. He’s extreme. I’m Christian, I love Jesus, but he thinks Jesus tells him to say things. I’m like, ‘Jesus ain’t saying that.’ He’s scary.”

Maybe the omnipresence of Karen Pence is actually to keep Mike from giving Jesus a tuggy under the table.

it's susan rice's turn in the barrel. who cares if the russians meddled in our election with cooperation from the trump team, when there's "entitlement" spending to cut : )

http://thehill.com/homenews/senate/373508-gop-senators-question-unusual-letter-susan-rice-sent-herself-on-trump

It strikes us as odd that, among your activities in the final moments on the final day of the Obama administration, you would feel the need to send yourself such an unusual email purporting to document a conversation involving President Obama and his interactions with the FBI regarding the Trump/Russia investigation," they wrote in a letter to Rice.

Maybe because it struck her and Obama as weird that despite their warnings the Trump administration went and appointed Flynn to NSA anyway, which sort of makes informing the incoming Trump administration about security breaches and criminals in their midst ... awkward.

"From a national security perspective, however, President Obama said he wants to be sure that, as we engage with the incoming (Trump) team, we are mindful to ascertain if there is any reason that we cannot share information fully as it relates to Russia."

Seriously.

congratulations to new wapo op-ed writer megan mcardle, author of things like

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/Ck4YRRoXIAA_q5Z.jpg:small

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DV7PLyUW4AAJkPK.jpg:small

lol

mostly sad

The Washington Post: Imagine the Possibilities

even if your building does wind up catching ablaze you can always minimize casualties by teaching kids to run directly into the fire

it's possible one of those kids was adolf hitler. would more lives have been saved by letting them burn to a crisp? it's hard to say

oh looooord re: mcardle at WaPo

also

FBI Director Chris Wray says the FBI submitted a partial report on Rob Porter's background check in MARCH. A completed report in late JULY. Shared follow-up info in NOVEMBER. And closed the file in January.

— Jeremy Diamond (@JDiamond1) February 13, 2018

FBI once again revealing their blatant prejudices against white male GOP-ers. So sad. Such a talented guy. I wish him well in his future endeavors.

guess they were just going to give him temporary security clearances forever? why even bother

Sen. Jack Reed just got FBI Director Wray and other intel chiefs to admit that the president has never asked them to focus on or disrupt Russian election meddling.

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) February 13, 2018

FBI Director Christopher Wray testifies that he's observed no "inherent political bias" at the FBI.

— Kate Brannen (@K8brannen) February 13, 2018

FBI Director Wray testimony under oath suggests @PressSec Sanders is lying. https://t.co/LnEjQ4zDTG

— Ted Lieu (@tedlieu) February 13, 2018

FBI Director Wray tells intel hearing FBI continues to have “grave concerns” about Nunes memo.

— Jim Acosta (@Acosta) February 13, 2018

It's hard to overstate what a blow FBI Director Wray's sworn testimony is to the White House, which for the past week has been advancing a conflicting timeline of events on Rob Porter.

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) February 13, 2018

is this bad?

in precisely what way will it be a 'blow' to the white house, philip

democracy dies in darkness but lightbulbs cost money so ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

xpost You know how it's annoying if someone like blows directly in your face? It will be a 'blow' in that way.

"democracy dies in darkness, but everything dies, do you really think we're so much better?" seems more trumpian xp

It's hard to overstate what a blow FBI Director Wray's sworn testimony is to the White House

^ implicitly overstates what a blow it is

BREAKING -- @kaitlancollins is reporting that just before Rob Porter resigned amid allegations of spouse abuse, the White House was considering PROMOTING him to Deputy Chief of Staff. #CNN

— Brooke Baldwin (@BrookeBCNN) February 13, 2018

xp to Hunt3r
I was alluding to McArdle's impeccable sprinkler logic. She's a total fucking idiot that I honestly though no one had given any thought to since 2008 or so--somehow I've blessedly missed encountering her wherever she ended up after her embarrassing tenure at the Atlantic. Not that I read WaPo op-eds either and her working for Bezos makes a lot of sense

why is it that every year there's this disproprotionate freakout about the president's proposed budget when there is literally no chance it will be passed legislatively? I remember us going through this whole rigamarole last year because, well, it was only one year ago. obviously things like ending public service loan forgiveness and sending harvest boxes to the poor are godawful ideas, but unless I'm wrong there's no chance they actually become law.

If only I'd realized before developing this stupid 'moral center' that I could've enjoyed unbridled success by being as awful a (white male American) person as possible.

Of all the perpetual BS, I'm surprised this Porter stuff is sticking.

it's only because of their own doing