US Politics, October 2018: next week will be even longer

it's going to take him a while to catch up to what this means. he's turning 100.

it's more damning than the other lies. i "get" the cynicism but he is done.

What are the odds Kavanaugh will be found in contempt of Congress, disbarred, impeached from his appellate court seat, or pay any substantial price for lying under oath and witness tampering? Even if Congress flips Democratic, I'm sure the "hasn't he suffered enough?" crowd would make it difficult to force the issue.

I'm not going to take the lazy "none of this matters" view but only the Flakes, Murkowskis, and Collinses could be persuaded to gaf.

though I'll gladly be proven wrong, partly why I'm writing this now cos I usually am

You like beer?

never touched the stuff, look at my calendar

On, and on, and on. I feel like I know too much about this guy's life.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-10-01/kavanaugh-college-visit-to-bar-erupted-in-fight-classmate-says-jmqwga1s

maybe Infinity War was released not as entertainment but to show us there's another way....

"They had just come from seeing the English reggae band UB40 at a nearby venue in New Haven, Connecticut, when they saw a man who resembled the lead singer. The man told the trio he wasn’t the singer and brusquely told them to stop looking at him. Kavanaugh couldn’t let the comment pass, according to one of the two friends with Kavanaugh that night."

so he continued to argue that the guy was the singer?

I'm sure the "hasn't he suffered enough?" crowd would make it difficult to force the issue

I would like to introduce this crowd to some women I know who vote

tbf if this epic asshole gets confirmed I would not be especially surprised if impeaching the buttface for perjury doesn't end up being an issue in the 2020 primaries

The invaluable Marcy Wheeler breaks down the bullshit of Rachel Mitchell's release.

Did he really say under oath that he drank legally because of the grandfather clause?

Because that is some straight bullshit and very easily disproved. My sister (born 1968, so 18 in 1986) could buy booze in the District (and often did). But it became illegal the second it was brought into Virginia or Maryland (which it often was).

Seems like the sort of legal distinction that would be noticed by someone with a legal background. Like, say, a lawyer. Or a judge. Or a panel of Senators who are ON THE FUCKING JUDICIARY COMMITTEE

he'll just say he meant he drank at 18 thanks to his grandfather, Klaus Kavanaugh

Klaus sure could party, it is true. I saw him do an epic keg stand at I Felta Thigh at UVA in like 1982.

Felta Kuti

stop

I wondered why UB40 was trending on Twitter.

so good

UB40...Mario Cart...This Administration Is Kicking It Old School.

chris dudley

this guy is a mean spirited prank on america

In Lighter News: https://www.politico.com/story/2018/10/01/beto-orourke-musical-review-855385

“Basically, the show documents the life of Will Rogers, the ‘lassoing fool,’ who rose from being an insignificant side show attraction to one of the more prominent political pundits and cultural statesmen in our history. Yet it is produced and directed in such a showy, glitzy, and ultimately, tacky manner, that one cannot help feeling disgusted throughout the show. Keith Carradine in the lead role is surrounded by perma-smile actresses whose only qualifications seem to be their phenomenally large breasts and tight buttocks.”

In a statement sent to POLITICO shortly after this story was published, O’Rourke offered an apology.

"I am ashamed of what I wrote and I apologize. There is no excuse for making disrespectful and demeaning comments about women," he said.

If he thinks that perma-smiles, phenomenally large breasts, and tight buttocks are easy or simple to achieve simultaneously, I'd like to see him try to meet those qualifications.

beto should never have posted that to ilx but you have to remember the board was different in the early 2000s

Starting today, the Trump administration will deny visas to same-sex domestic partners of diplomats and U.N. officials https://t.co/6YezBb6JqV

— columlynch (@columlynch) October 2, 2018

Damn! How petty can you get?

OUR GOD IS A MIGHTY GOD

Stephen Miller v. Terry Branstad. Branstad won. - US considered ban on student visas for Chinese nationals https://t.co/4CKT0HPCpu

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) October 2, 2018

Stephen Miller, being Stephen Miller, wanted a total ban on Chinese students, without discriminating between students in national security-relevant fields of study. pic.twitter.com/fW0eYR5b0M

— Ankit Panda (@nktpnd) October 2, 2018

whatta maroon

dang, those were the best students when I was teaching in the usa, and I was teaching in the humanities! nice university system, if you can keep it.

I know the answer to this one - but do these people not read, understand or think before opening their mouths

A similar things happening here with the govt wanting to ban Huawei (thus China) from the tender for our 5G network because "omg security concernz".

Something Something Russia Cough Fart

The Huawei equipment concerns are legit, though

yeah I was gonna say, weren't there a lot of router backdoors discovered?

Yeah doesn’t really seem like the same thing

good mourning!

University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is I think 10% mainland Chinese. I guess it has a particularly esteemed reputation in Asia? Anyway, huge percentage, more than half the international student body, almost 6000 students, and they pay full tuition. Banning Chinese students would have destroyed the university system as it stands. No doubt that was an ulterior motive for President Asshole's chip on their shoulder minions.

The Huawei equipment concerns are legit, though

― El Tomboto, Tuesday, October 2, 2018 6:25 AM (three hours ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

yeah honestly that's probably a good idea. banning chinese students not so much.

UPDATED: kavanaugh criticized Ramirez to Senate investigators for calling around about the incident.

And he told them he “probably” attended the same wedding but doesn’t have any recollection.

Texts show a photo from the wedding was sent to his team 3 days earlier. https://t.co/hkNbpofnzn

— Leigh Ann Caldwell (@LACaldwellDC) October 2, 2018

It's one thing to lie about big things, but the true standard of a liar is when they lie about little things when they don't have to.

haha josh yes that was the place I had in mind

so much better than the “native undergrads” who were like into the Chief. and they like beer.

Kavanaugh is fucked, I feel. Or if they push him through the republicans will lose voters. The Ramirez texts thing is so blatantly sneaky.

i'm sure the rightwing press will be falling over themselves to report the facts in good faith on this one

I didn’t say all of MAGA country would turn on him. But it looks really bad, will put Flake et al in an uncomfortable position, and demoralize enough Republican voters to hurt them in the midterms. I have a crystal ball trust me here

They already made the calculation: push him through, lose voters.

Doesn't a good man deserve the chance to defend himself? Multiple times? Every time something new comes up? Again and again?

I heard that Washington Post reporter interviewed on NPR yesterday about his new book, about Russian interference and what not. It is remarkable how many times Flynn and the WH lied about his contacts with Russians, again and again and again, until finally, he relented. What is that Mark Twain line, something about telling the truth means you never have to keep your story straight?

Btw, one downside of this Bart circus is it has to play out as it is playing out. There is no easy way for him to bow out, because his reputation will remain in tatters and that is a tacit admission of guilt at this point. He has to gamble on the process playing through, but hopefully he will be voted down.

If Bart were a celebrity this is the point where he would be announcing that he is heading to rehab and hopes people will respect his privacy.