US Politics, June 2018: This is a total goat rodeo.

never forget

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DezHKYvUcAUdoS8.jpg:large

Does this tweet seems suspicious to anyone else? pic.twitter.com/aviQcvMuFt

— popular comedy account “the pixelated boat” (@pixelatedboat) June 4, 2018

I'll give you suspicious.

BREAKING: EPA aide tells House investigators she did personal tasks for Pruitt, was asked to help get used Trump hotel mattress.

— AP Politics (@AP_Politics) June 4, 2018

um

i uh waht

I take this to read that it's a mattress Pruitt used IN a Trump hotel -- which is weird enough and begs questions -- but if it's Trump's mattress from a hotel, then even more uh.

I dunno, collecting any detritus which poses a grave public health hazard because it's been in direct physical contact with the body of Donald Trump seems well within the purview of the EPA.

doing things which fall within the purview of the epa seems distinctly out of character for scott pruitt tbf tho

Wondering at what point even the hardcore 'who cares about Melania'-ers will begin to admit that this is strange.

this is another thing I hate about this presidency, they're so shady and perpetually dishonest that it's turning everyone into truthers

A CNBC reporter mentioned seeing her last week around the West Wing or the like, so I've been skeptical if amused. Supposedly she's turning up at an event in the WH today.

could have been a ghost tbf

As for the mattress

https://www.apnews.com/a21259d0e3a4431791ee32813f838a59/Aide:-EPA's-Pruitt-sought-used-Trump-hotel-mattress

In a letter to committee Chairman Trey Gowdy, they say Hupp carried out personal errands for Pruitt. They include helping him find a place to live in Washington, D.C., and book a Rose Bowl trip. There also were discussions to secure a used mattress from the Trump hotel.

A CNBC reporter mentioned seeing her last week around the West Wing or the like, so I've been skeptical if amused. Supposedly she's turning up at an event in the WH today.

Said event is closed to the press, of course. I'll wait for a proof-of-life photo holding up USA Today.

my bet is at this point they are just letting the speculation continue until she shows up like nothing happened. Queue SHS being her horrible self and chastising the lame stream media for freaking out so much about it.

"Her nose has ALWAYS looked like that."

she's getting work done to look even more like him

not gonna lie that would be great

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, I have the absolute right to PARDON myself

As has been stated by numerous legal scholars, Congress has the absolute right to define what is and isn't impeachable and in my view, any president who PARDONED themselves has committed an impeachable abuse of power.

Lucky for Trump, you aren't among the many Congresspeople who will look in the complete opposite direction when/if he decides to do so (although I look forward to several of them issuing very stern and completely inefficacious Maverick-esque statements condemning such an action).

xxp If Melania and Donald decided to pursue a whole Genesis P. Orridge/Lady Jaye thing I would totally be there for it.

too bad half of the people in Congress are sycophants for this idiot

and in my view, any president who PARDONED themselves has committed an impeachable abuse of power

But Aimless, what if the investigation was a total partisan WITCH HUNT led by totally Flawed, Compromised Democrats, and the president did nothing wrong, and the phony "Crimes" were just a distraction from doing the people's true business, which is MAGAing?

Huh? What then?

I mean, in such a circumstance the President has not only the right but the Duty to make the FAKE INVESTIGATION go away, so that he can get back to serving the pee, um, people.

brb, changing the DUMPLINGS! autoreplace to PARDON MYSELFs.

i am exasperated and ready to separate from civilization for a week. here are three things that nate silver said this morning:

1) In general, election-related punditry (i) is a few weeks behind the actual data, but once it catches up to the shift in the polls it both (ii) exaggerates swings and (iii) overestimates precision (underestimates uncertainty).Nate Silver added,

2) So instead of:

"Over several months, the House has gone from modestly favoring Democrats to more like a toss-up; it's a meaningful-ish change but a wide range of outcomes remain plausible"

We get:

"OMG a BLUE WAVE was ALL BUT ASSURED and now SUDDENLY Democrats are BLOWING IT!"

3) ou can also find examples of people erring in the other direction and denying that there's been *any* good news for the GOP.

Need to hold these 3 ideas in your head at once:

1. It's gotten a bit better for the GOP
2. It's still pretty good for Dems
3. Uncertainty is very high

don't know why i didn't just embed those tweets

uncertainty (and stakes) is high

this will dent GOP prospects, no matter what the outcome

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/04/immigration-dreamers-house-republicans-617945

they finally found someone who looks enough like Melania

https://www.politico.eu/article/melania-trump-conspiracy-to-return-to-public-eye-monday/

I don't see the resemblance myself.

https://am12.akamaized.net/med/cnt/uploads/2018/05/Screen-Shot-2018-05-11-at-10.31.04-PM-1200x785.jpg

I can't see how any republican would want Trump to stay where he is instead of mild mannered Pence - unless they enjoy how he attracts all attention to smoke screen their evildoing

There is also likely an extent to which the GOP recognizes that formally recognizing Trump's illegitimacy calls into question their own complicity/legitimacy/judgment. If your brain only recognizes the short-term consequences of your decisions, I guess doubling down on a dumb play makes sense.

It's not that they all like him, but the Republicans who dislike Trump are afraid of facing the anger of Trump voters, if they allow him to be removed from office. Besides, working with people you loathe is an integral part of politics.

Yeah I agree with Aimless re:

I can't see how any republican would want Trump to stay where he is instead of mild mannered Pence

They don't love Trump as much as they fear the thousands of froth-beflecked redhatters in their districts, who will call for their heads if they fail to bow down to the EmperOrange.

conspiracy nerds a-frothin'

There was an American witness.

Melania. https://t.co/wQOrGHGjL3

— emptywheel (@emptywheel) June 4, 2018

It's no surprise yet totally surreal to see liberals attacking Trump on North Korea **from the right**. The significance of the summit is not that it might restrain Kim Jong Un, but that it might restrain Trump from starting a catastrophic war.

— Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) June 4, 2018

There was that Pelosi comment (which was admittedly terrible and counter productive) about Trump’s cancellation letter and some pundits speculating that he’s “getting played” but is this honestly something lots of liberals are doing? I feel like people are more just worried he’s going to cancel it again.

I don't know is it actually beneficial that he goes through with it . Isn't it a kudos getting operation from North Korea.
Only benefit I can see coming from this is that Trump looks even more absurd tahn he does already when it doesn't go the way he want sit to.

Moon may go to the summit, in which case it will be a SK-NK affair

if you didn't read the Schwarz thread:

And if Trump is being duped by anyone, it's not Kim Jong-un, but Moon Jae-in. Everyone everywhere should support that duping, which could be incredibly good for Koreans and the world.

— Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) June 4, 2018

Who cares about the world, I'll bet they don't even have an America.

I agree w Schwartz re: support the duping, any semblance of an agreement that avoids returning to the rhetoric from 2017 should be supported. Hopeful that Trump is not talking about it in terms of it being a “long process” etc. problem is Schwarz endorses Tim Shorrock’s reporting in that thread and that guy has been overly optimistic.

on the lighter side

The Hill reports:

The Pentagon’s inspector general has officially launched an investigation into allegations of misconduct by former physician to the president Ronny Jackson, a spokesman confirmed Monday.

“What I can tell you is that the DoD Office of Inspector General has initiated an investigation into allegations related to Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Ronny L. Jackson,” inspector general spokeswoman Dwrena K. Allen said in a one-sentence email.

Jackson faces a slew of allegations that he drank on the job, overprescribed medications and created a hostile work environment. The unconfirmed accusations came to light after President Trump nominated Jackson to become secretary of Veterans Affairs.

Rear Admiral (Lower Half) Ronny L. Jackson

heh heh heh

Rear Admiral (Lower Half)

so he was a proctologist huh

Hey, the surgeon general would HAVE to be a proctologist to ensure that all the BS from this administration keeps flowing freely! (plays shitty political song on the piano while wearing a star-spangled porkpie hat and an expression of weary desperation)

Only benefit I can see coming from this is that Trump looks even more absurd tahn he does already when it doesn't go the way he want sit to.

Doesn't this just set him up to play the card of how victimized he is, how undermined by the deep state, how unfairly treated by the media? He and his crowd will never admit to having been played.

For people who do not read the canadian politics thread, some federal govt. actions that might be encouraging!

http://www.cbc.ca/news/politics/steel-tariff-maple-syrup-toilet-paper-1.4686833

In retaliating against U.S. tariffs on Canadian steel and aluminum, Canada crafted a list of quirky, mismatched targets for its own tariffs that may look more like MacGyver's shopping list than a strategic plan to bring about a change to U.S. policy.

From pizza and quiche to strawberry jam, ketchup and mustard, the tariff target list Foreign Affairs Minister Chrystia Freeland released today seems completely remote from steel and aluminum. (What does hair lacquer have in common with a steel girder?)

"This list was clearly drawn strategically to exert maximum pain politically for the president," said Maryscott Greenwood of the Canadian American Business Council.

"The idea is, you look at a map of the congressional districts of the United States, you look at which members of Congress are in leadership positions and then you look at the big industries in those districts and then you draw up your list accordingly," she said. "And this list was clearly drawn up with this in mind."

heh

those clever bastards

My Trump Home Mattress Collection by Serta is setting records--they are really phenomenal. You can order them at http://t.co/oeCVxEGZ

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 18, 2012