US Politics, March 2018: Why do people leave the White House for good?

Lots of chatter about a "blood bath" with more @realDonaldTrump staff changes. Top of the list - H.R. McMaster to be replaced by @AmbJohnBolton . Sources say McMaster departure is "imminent". More changes expected as well

— John Roberts (@johnrobertsFox) March 14, 2018

This made me laugh before I gagged.

I actually took a screenshot of my favorite troll a couple days ago. I laughed so hard I couldn't even respond. When someone can't even insult you correctly ( you're all welcome. Enjoy) pic.twitter.com/KcTGns82xw

— Stormy Daniels (@StormyDaniels) March 9, 2018

AhdjtjfnjdhG

Well well

NEWS: A Trump Organization lawyer is listed in the arbitration demand for the Michael Cohen LLC that paid 30K to Stormy Daniels in October 2016—tying the president’s company to efforts to silence the former porn star for the first time. https://t.co/aX1EFZD15y

— Rebecca Ballhaus (@rebeccaballhaus) March 15, 2018

I still don’t get why this stuff matters. Does anyone doubt her story? Even the most hardcore trump ppl know he’s very capable of what she claims. They just don’t care.

ppl know he’s very capable of what she claims

So far, her claims have been rather limited, due to her NDA situation. The entire story might be more interesting than the hints and winks we've had up to now. You're right that this is just a sideshow to the whole shit show that is Trump but I do think the endless rain of shit is wearing down some of his less-fringey supporters.

And now there's this loopiness!

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/03/14/buzzfeed-stormy-daniels-trump-462261

And reminder that it's less the story, more the money.

Statistical evidence that the payoff came straight from the Trump campaign: https://medium.com/@whstancil/statistical-model-strongly-suggests-the-stormy-daniels-payoff-came-from-the-trump-campaign-7c09c300cb18

FWIW it’s precisely what resulted in criminal charges against John Edwards, so if they’re fishing around for something black and white and not Russia to impeach on in 18 months, this would do.

https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/bookmark/white-house-advisor-anthony-scaramucci-inks-book-deal-1094654

THE MOOCH

On the tenth anniversary of the first bank bailout (Bear Stearns)

😙👌 https://t.co/dhEp5xPMZs

— (peter kagan &) 🌬The Wind (@peg_mclaugh) March 15, 2018

xpost Ten Days That Rocked My World

yes:

Bennet (D-CO)
Carper (D-DE)
Coons (D-DE)
Donnelly (D-IN)
Hassan (D-NH)
Heitkamp (D-ND)
Jones (D-AL)
Kaine (D-VA)
Manchin (D-WV)
McCaskill (D-MO)
Nelson (D-FL)
Peters (D-MI)
Shaheen (D-NH)
Stabenow (D-MI)
Tester (D-MT)
Warner (D-VA)

what is even the point of these people

good ol' Dougie delivers again

glad to see my boy Bill Nelson willing to disappoint again

the usual suspects

Stabmenow

More on what went on at the black site Haspel ran

https://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2018/03/gina-haspel-black-site-torture-cia/555539/

Stockholm Syndrome: noun. This sentence: "Anthony Scaramucci, the hedge fund advisor turned White House Communications Director to President Donald Trump (for just 10 days in July), has signed a book deal for The Blue Collar President: How Trump Is Reinventing the Aspirational Working Class, a spokesperson at publisher Hachette confirmed Wednesday to The Hollywood Reporter. "

ah yes, the aspiration of owning the libs

I'm somewhat impressed by how many variations of trolling they managed to pack into that title. Like, nothing about it reflects reality in the slightest. Well done, Mooch.

The Cybernetic President: How Trump is Literally Terraforming Venus With His Bare Robotic Hands

I guess we'll need to wait for some poor souls to actually read the thing to discover whether it's stockholm syndrome or just craven opportunism (though I suppose it could be both)

I guess imaginary VP Tim Kaine isn’t worried about running for real VP in 2020

I still remember the thrill of his VP announcement, the goosebumps, the enthusiasm rising impossibly higher

that was me the last time I saw a picture of Jake Gyllenhaal at the beach!

lol

These days, Jake has reverted to his nightcrawler persona. Jake doesn’t take his shirt off at the beach anymore.

THE TRUMP ADMINISTRATION BRACKET: Who will outlast them all?

I'd say Stephen Miller - he's a virulent racist, unnecessarily combative on TV, and a completely subservient lackey. he's a five-tool player.

agreed Miller like a cockroach will scurry out of the wreckage even after Trump goes down

heyo

The Trump administration announced Thursday it is enacting new sanctions on Russia, including individuals indicted last month by special counsel Robert Mueller, in a sweeping new effort to punish Moscow for its attempts to interfere in the 2016 US election.

The measures come a month-and-a-half after the administration missed a congressionally mandated deadline to impose the new sanctions, which led to questions over President Donald Trump's willingness to punish Moscow for its cyber intrusion. The new measures, however delayed, amount to the most stringent punishment yet by Trump for Russia's election interference.
In announcing the measures, the administration also disclosed a Russian attempt to penetrate the US energy grid, and said the new sanctions would punish actors for their participation in other major cyberattacks.

https://www.cnn.com/2018/03/15/politics/russia-sanctions-trump-yevgeniy-viktorovich-prigozhin/index.html

Prez just said abt St. Patrick's Day parade that he "used to watch it all the time"

who doesn't love a parade

pretty sure he means on TV, which is the safe zone for the NYC stagger

Michael Hayden, former head of the CIA, uses a lot of words here to say that when Gina Haspel tortured people she was just following orders https://t.co/6OXqcyWw7r pic.twitter.com/m59RnklfFI

— Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) March 14, 2018

Trump rewatching a worn out VHS recording of a St. Patrick's Day parade from 1993 on a loop like a five-year-old with a Disney movie is a thing I can completely imagine.

have to say coming after the CIA honcho for torture of all things is kinda ?

"It's what we do."

that was me the last time I saw a picture of Jake Gyllenhaal at the beach!

― morning wood truancy (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn), Thursday, March 15, 2018 9:41 AM (forty-five minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

alfred i got to interview jake g. on the phone for the prince of persia movie and he was a big sweetie :)

Jake's bod fluctuates acc to the practical needs of the moment, kinda like Cory Booker's bloviating

alfred i got to interview jake g. on the phone for the prince of persia movie and he was a big sweetie :)

― The Desus & Mero Chain (upper mississippi sh@kedown),

how big?

Lord

we're talking about world-historic matters, Ned.

From abroad, I encourage this development.

Alfred it's not the size of the Sword of the Enlightened Warrior it's how you swing it

Trump aide tells me he frequently mentions in meetings about the Japanese dropping bowling balls on cars. No one knows exactly where he got the story from.

— Josh Dawsey (@jdawsey1) March 15, 2018

a few people have speculated that he *probably* picked this up from David Letterman

Worth reiterating the banking bill could have gotten full support of genuinely red state Dems -- Donnelly, Heitkamp, Tester, Manchin, Jones -- and still failed by 5-6 votes since it needs 60

It's blue/purple state Ds (in Va., Delaware, Michigan, Colorado) who put it over the top

— Jeff Stein (@JStein_WaPo) March 14, 2018

wait didn't clinton get impeached for lying about getting blown by Lewinksy? Cant Trump get impeached for lying about his sex fails??