“It’s a little too quiet” - US Politics February 2021

wasn't Nancy instrumental in shifting Reagan to how far right he was.
Heard he might have passed as human at one point prior to that.

There’s a Kitty Kelley book about the Reagans that said Nancy was known for giving the best blowies in Hollywood.

If Republican officials didn’t think the MAGA terrorists believed they were doing what Trump wanted them to do, why did so many of them call Trump and ask him to tell the mob to stop attacking the Capitol? https://t.co/YkRoS4Hl6E

— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) February 10, 2021

Senators coordinating with Trump during the riot, possibly to give the rioters more time, is a new angle that I wasn't expecting would come up in this trial.

Also, wondering if we are going to get more details about who gave the orders to limit the police and national guard presence.

On the one hand, I'm glad this new information is making it out to the public, but it makes the foregone result of this thing even more depressing.

it's not donald trump's fault the rioters went to the capitol, it was in fact pierre l'enfant, the architect of washington dc pic.twitter.com/rdOusGuq2t

— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) February 11, 2021

ok thats pretty funny actually, hats off

spectacular

Thing is, this is actually dumb, if you're familiar with the city.

Trump told people to "walk down Pennsylvania Avenue." Actually if you're at the Ellipse, Pennsylvania Avenue is not the direct route. You use Constitution Avenue or Madison Drive. I have lived/walked/biked/driven in DC since 1976 and Pennsylvania Ave. is almost useless and usually too much hassle.

OANN reporting something actually dumb, who would have thought?

Careful YMP, that might become part of their defense, "how could this be Trump's fault, he didn't even know how to get there".

Have any of the impeachment manager speakers actually called Trump outright dangerous yet? If I heard his people say "oh, this is all only because you're worried about losing to him in 2024" or something, my immediate response would be "no, this is because he is dangerous and got people killed."

All those campaign-rally clips from 2016 come in very handy right now.

Sounds like his description of the Ukraine phone call: "I thought it was very, very appropriate--it was a perfect beatdown."

(Kind of funny--I wanted to search something there, and Google auto-fill gives you "Trump first impeachment" and "Trump first wife" simultaneously.)

it's not donald trump's fault the rioters went to the capitol, it was in fact pierre l'enfant, the architect of washington dc

l'enfant terrible

"WAIT a FRENCH guy designed this town? Woll BURN IT DOWN!"

Have any of the impeachment manager speakers actually called Trump outright dangerous yet?

I don't know if they did yesterday, but just now they did.

I may listen to some of Trump's rebuttal just to see how well his lawyers can disguise its garbage logic as something credible. I doubt I could stand more than 10 minutes of that, even gritting my teeth.

It'll basically be 16 hours of random AOC and Maxine Waters and Cory Booker clips.

I have a feeling they will not have 16 hours of material to cover

tbf, the democrats have been repeating themselves quite a bit, even if the overall presentation is very solid

as cynical as I am about this whole thing I gotta admit the Dems are doing a great job here & I really do think there's going to be lasting political damage to the GOP. without the constant chaos and cruelty of the Trump administration swirling around 24/7 this stuff seems a lot crazier in retrospect than it did at the time.

Every election in the foreseeable future will feature side by sides of these GOP assholes assailing Trump and then defending him.

I agree the Dems have exceeded my expectations the last two days (and on a separate track so has the Biden White House, caveats assumed). But I don't agree the GOP will get damaged.

It takes almost no damage to either party to flip election results. It might get damaged enough!

and also, those "close" election results are only close because of massive voter suppression and gerrymandering, any movement in those areas tips the balance as well

But I don't agree the GOP will get damaged.

I think it's already damaged. The country-clubbers have put their wallets away, and the Trumplings don't have wallets.

I don't know how much traction this will have, but an interesting development nonetheless:

Exclusive: Dozens of former Republican officials in talks to form anti-Trump third party

https://www.reuters.com/article/us-usa-trump-party-exclusive/exclusive-dozens-of-former-republican-officials-in-talks-to-form-anti-trump-third-party-idUSKBN2AB07P

Meanwhile Sanders done good.

There’s also this

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/10/us/politics/republicans-leaving-party.html

But it was in 2016, during HRC’s primary campaign against Sanders, that Tanden was turned into a cartoon bogeyperson

lol at this framing

Thing is, this is actually dumb, if you're familiar with the city.

Trump told people to "walk down Pennsylvania Avenue." Actually if you're at the Ellipse, Pennsylvania Avenue is not the direct route.

something i noticed yesterday that made me LOL is that when he first brings up walking to the capitol in his speech, as hes saying it hes clearly trying and failing to remember the name of the street: "we’re going to walk down... we’re going to walk down... any one you want, but I think right here...". and then later in the speech he tries again and says pennsylvania avenue, which i'm is the only DC street he can name.

*which i'm sure is the only DC street he can name

I don''t imagine Trump does much walking... ever.

i liked that esquire piece, but this made me roll my eyes

The whole matter always seemed to me to be the living definition of the old saw about academic politics: that they are so vicious because the stakes are so small,

small to whom? i can think of some people for whom those particular stakes are rather big (but i guess they don't live in washington or new york).

I don''t imagine Trump does much walking... ever.

sure he does - the stories he can tell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x0Yf4UgkXvk

I don''t imagine Trump does much walking... ever.

Presidents are exempt from "Cart Paths Only"

small to whom? i can think of some people for whom those particular stakes are rather big (but i guess they don't live in washington or new york).

― lord of the ting tings (map),

Miamian here! I don't care about Tanden either way, whether in '16 or '20.

Trump walked across the street to a church once iirc. Carrying a Bible, too.

Oh, that's right. He Walks Hard.

and he knows how to hold them upside down too

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/CcpDPVKXIAEHDIT.jpg

I’m not devoting a lot of brain space to this, but does Trump’s right eye look droopy lately? I’m thinking of the OAN still frame, but I thought I’ve seen it before.

p much everything about him looks droopy

Helllloooo folks....

https://static.tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pub/images/droopy_1836.jpg

the Trumplings don't have wallets.

not sure what exactly you have in mind. but Trump's support and Trumpism 100% extend to wealthy suburbanites, country-clubbers, and Big-Donor-level pools of wealth.

_the Trumplings don't have wallets._

not sure what exactly you have in mind. but Trump's support and Trumpism 100% extend to wealthy suburbanites, country-clubbers, and Big-Donor-level pools of wealth.

There's a deeper look for someone to do about the radicalization of the suburbs. It is manifesting all over the country in the anti-mask COVID denialism. I just covered a school board meeting last night that was full of white suburbanites who were just seething with anger that their kids have to wear masks during in-person instruction. And by suburbs, obviously, I mean only a slice of them, because suburbs are also where Biden flipped votes. But I think there are a lot more white suburbanites who were turned on by Trump than turned off by him, and their combined levels of entitlement and aggression make them some of the most unpleasant people I've ever seen at public meetings.

hi! Cuban-American living in Miami middle class enclave here! Blue Lives Matter stickers have replaced Trump flags on SUVs (these households boast at times several SUVs), boat hitches, and motorbikes.

Yup. My glib generalization is "people who own car dealerships," but it's that whole suburban bourgeoisie, fast-food restaurant franchise holders, small business owners and office park workers, people with 2-4 years of college who go to megachurches and run the sports boosters clubs at the high schools. These people are just furious at the world right now. And after Jan. 6 I'm less sure than I used to be that they're not going to risk all of that by committing political violence. Some of them, clearly, will.

some of the most unpleasant people I've ever seen at public meetings.

lowest possible bar

A high bar, actually! Lots of competition.