US Politics, March 2020 — There’s a very good chance you’re not going to die.

how does oil and TP help with poop removal

+ people covering for the weekend and also most traders make more money when the market is more volatile.

good news everyone! the trump presidency is over!

The coronavirus is quite likely to be the Trump presidency’s inflection point, when everything changed, when the bluster and ignorance and shallowness of America’s 45th president became undeniable, an empirical reality, as indisputable as the laws of science or a mathematical equation.

It has taken a good deal longer than it should have, but Americans have now seen the con man behind the curtain. The president, enraged for having been unmasked, will become more desperate, more embittered, more unhinged. He knows nothing will be the same. His administration may stagger on, but it will be only a hollow shell. The Trump presidency is over.

https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2020/03/peter-wehner-trump-presidency-over/607969/

whew, that was close

ah well, nevertheless

nobody cares what the Atlantic thinks

see, the thing that's different about THIS time is that americans are going to see his incompetence up close, i mean really notice it. it's unmistakable. surely they will come to their senses now!!!

the atlantic still publishes good stuff every once in a while

Trump has finally run out of hinges

Tremendous hinges. The best.

deal supposedly reached for coronavirus relief between House and White House.

hoping like hell Nancy didn't cave. or that they didn't gut the 3 months extended sick leave

cmon, covid, please:

It is my great honor to declare Sunday, March 15th as a National Day of Prayer. We are a Country that, throughout our history, has looked to God for protection and strength in times like these....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) March 13, 2020

I think the hyde anendment was the real sticking pt

Xp

cos of course abortion is what's important right now.

seething. can't even read a friend's anguished post talking about how she couldn't make an emergency appointment with her PCP for an asthma treatment because they were afraid she had COVID and referred her to call the CDC to get tested...

...without seeing someone say "this is why the libs shouldn't be in charge" (dafuq?)

I will probably get in a fist fight with someone I met 24 hours earlier online

I read that Atlantic piece yesterday. I part ways with any kind of political certitude since 2016, but I am inclined to agree with their conclusion that this is a turning point for Trump, especially having just watched the lowlights from today's press conference: the "I don't take responsibility at all" for the slowness in testing, and the claim to not be aware of the pandemic unit being disbanded in 2018 (one of those statements where it's equally alarming whether he's lying or telling the truth). And then there's the lifeless, robotic monotone as he prattles on. I think it's been so drilled into his head that he must try not to rant invective in these situations, that this is the best approximation of calm he can muster.

If I were a cynic, which is something I'm not, I'd say that fake empathy from a president is better than zero empathy. But--without getting into specific cases--I do believe that presidents are usually able to find something within that is genuine in situations like this. With Trump, there is nothing there.

https://newrepublic.com/article/156901/dismantled-state-takes-pandemic

Oof

had no idea about the HHS and CMS fight. fuckin hell.

The president, enraged for having been unmasked, will become more desperate, more embittered, more unhinged.

Ah, but is he more isolated? If not, good. I want him crowd surfing in a mosh pit by Monday.

increasingly isolated, sources say

Brooke Gladstone of On the Media points out on this week's show that when Shithead goes into "presidential" address mode, his sleepy singsongy monotone sounds like he's trying to hypnotize you.

What Will Mitch Do?

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/03/13/us/politics/trump-coronavirus-relief-congress.html

As Mr. Trump was criticizing Democrats, Ms. Pelosi and Mr. Mnuchin were speaking for the 10th time of the day about the legislation. Ms. Pelosi announced the deal after they concluded their 13th call, and shortly after Mr. Mnuchin met privately with the president to urge him to accept it.

In the hours after that, the deal seemed in peril as White House officials insisted they were still reviewing text and aides rushed to make technical changes.

“Look forward to signing the final Bill, ASAP!” Mr. Trump tweeted just before 9 p.m., giving the first indication that he backed the measure and wanted Republicans to vote for it.

hopefully die of coronavirus

Lmao @ national day of prayer

we've got to pray just to get tax cuts today

When you want the virus to spread. pic.twitter.com/vupvnvrI4U

— Dennis Perrin (@DennisThePerrin) March 14, 2020

Katie Porter literally just did the math and you could guarantee COVID testing and treatment for every American for $420 billion (which would probably do a lot more to strengthen the markets than this). https://t.co/QH317tPT83

— Peter Labuza (@labuzamovies) March 12, 2020

Post from a friend:

An optimist’s take: the institutions have held! The greatest threat of the Trump administration is not the policies it professes (although I personally hate the fact that Mitch McConnell is running the country behind the curtain). No, it’s the existential threat to our democracy and the Orwellian denials of truth and the reliance on conspiracy theories that undermine faith in democracy. Now, absent any leadership from the top, the local and state institutions have acted swiftly and largely in unison (although not perfectly so, how could they?) to slow a global pandemic. Public schools decided to close on their own! Teachers stepped up to learn remote learning techniques. Shopping malls put out lots of sanitizer. The local movie theater is only allowing theaters to fill to 60% capacity. Sports are cancelled. Governors acted. Mayors did, too. Absent national leadership, which everyone knew was coming, everyone else did what was right (mostly) and created a language of social distancing and a persuasive argument to back it up #flattenthecurve I’m heartened. I hope I’m right. I also hope that this has bought the federal government time to make sure service workers and hourly earners don’t sink, because that’s where the federal government is needed most. In the meantime, the institutions have held! No get off your screen and go do a puzzle with your children. One day, I’m told, you’ll miss them.

So President Asshole has apparently been tested and is awaiting results. (Three guests at Mar a Loogie who shared space with him have tested positive so far.) Turd in chief finally concedes maybe shaking hands not so hot an idea right now.

Honest hot take: he might be an stupid asshole, but when he is not trying to bluster or brag or act like a pretend big boy, he sometimes comes off semi-normal.

(however fleetingly)

when he is not trying to bluster or brag or act like a pretend big boy

citation needed

i dunno, the very fact that he acknowledged he shakes hands out of habit and needs to get out of the habit in the name of public safety was out of character for him. he's still a stupid asshole, since that took forever for him to figure out.

Now, absent any leadership from the top, the local and state institutions have acted swiftly and largely in unison (although not perfectly so, how could they?) to slow a global pandemic.

This is what's struck me locally, all the cancellations have been voluntary and guided by local rather than state or federal guidance. Our local leaders (Democrats, Republicans, heads of institutions like universities, school systems, concert venues, etc) have acted quickly and calmly and given a consistent message of "Don't freak out, but take this seriously."

So President Asshole has apparently been tested and is awaiting results.

Apparently he said that before the White House physician sent out a letter stating that he had not been tested, because the physician saw no need. Once again, someone's lying and we have no idea (but a solid suspicion) who. I hope he stays untested, and infects his entire fucking family down to his grandchildren.

Why would Justin Amash vote "present" on last night's relief bill? I don't get that.

xpost i saw the letter posted before his live press conference. yeah, when in doubt assume he is lying, and yeah, I hope he catches it, but if he was lying he could have just said he tested negative and that he is the strongest least viral person ever, not 'we don't have the results yet cuz they take a day or two,' which is accurate.

xpost maybe amash was protesting the lack of anti-abortion provisions in the bill’s language. Seriously, I don’t know why you would ever be a member of the GOP unless that was your reason

Seriously, I don’t know why you would ever be a member of the GOP unless that was your reason

he's not in the GOP anymore but yeah

Independent but i mean tiger never looks a gift horse in the stripes or......uhh...ehh..

welp so...the gillum thing

https://nypost.com/2020/03/14/man-busted-with-andrew-gillum-in-hotel-room-with-meth-was-gay-escort/

https://www.slotsexpert.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/jackpot-slot.jpg

Amash apparently didn't think it went far enough so this was a protest vote. Dems voted for it but many were unhappy with the negotiations:

This is what I’m talking about. https://t.co/Lwws2q8lx8

— Justin Amash (@justinamash) March 14, 2020

Dems presented a much stronger bill. GOP/WH held it hostage for ~two days and chipped it away.

These negotiations were closed door so it is tough to say who demanded what, but Dems presented their original version so the tracked changes shows the result of GOP/WH negotiation.

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) March 14, 2020

ugh. i'm hoping that most of my friends are under the 500-employee range, but that is brutally insufficient.

xp Yesterday i thought “man, the worst thing for everyone is if he gets it and lives. but then of course, in a year he will claim that he DID get and lived, of course, and every gop douche will kiss his ass to get a bit of sun.

Then i saw gbx already posted pt 1 like, days ago.

Lemieux:

Look, I guess that House Democrats could have just keep holding out on this until next week. Maybe Republicans would have caved in growing desperation. On the other hand, this may be the first bill but it is certainly not the last. Each of the bills will by necessity have to expand the safety net so long as Democrats control the House. But each will probably also include some kind of additional compromise with a political party that is completely fine if you die, so long as they don’t have to pay the cost. It’d be nice if this reality was recognized. But no, all the blame just belongs to Democrats.

on the other hand,

Wasn't a bug but a feature https://t.co/860xwqSLGq

— David Dayen (@ddayen) March 15, 2020

i keep thinking i'm misunderstanding what she's saying, but if she's saying what she seems to be saying - mcdonalds and amazon should already be providing paid sick days, so we're not going to provide money for it either - then wtf

well, a different way to put that would be to insist that the corporations suck it up and eat the cost