US Politics, December 2019: Profound procedural deficiencies

apologies if this has been covered but good to see harris getting back to business
https://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/stephen-miller-kamala-harris-senators-letter-white-nationalist_n_5ded8571e4b00563b8534265

I'm with Josh Marshall--the Dems shouldn't be trained monkeys doing ever more elaborate tricks for a Senate audience that has folded its arms and refuses to be impressed. It's wasted effort and it does make the dems look weak. The point isn't to change Republicans' minds, which is impossible--the point is to demonstrate that the Republicans are unwilling to put any bounds on his power or behavior. That's about the best the Dems can do right now.

President Trump abused the powers of his high office through the following means:

(1) Directing the White House to defy a lawful subpoena by withholding the production of documents sought therein by the Committees.

(2) Directing other Executive Branch agencies and offices to defy lawful subpoenas and withhold the production of documents and records from the Committees — in response to which the Department of State, Office of Management and Budget, Department of Energy, and Department of Defense refused to produce a single document or record.

(3) Directing current and former Executive Branch officials not to cooperate with the Committees — in response to which nine Administration officials defied subpoenas for testimony, namely John Michael “Mick” Mulvaney, Robert B. Blair, John A. Eisenberg, Michael Ellis, Preston Wells Griffith, Russell T. Vought, Michael Duffey, Brian McCormack, and T. Ulrich Brechbuhl.

they left out bolton

goofytown

looking forward to perlstein's upcoming book about the trump era

at the rate he's working through GOP presidential history we may all be living in Waterworld by the time he gets to it.

rebuttal: waterworld will actually be good for the world, not bad. we need water to live

(Ben Garrison takes notes furiously for his next cartoon.)

water water everywhere and you have to flush ten fifteen times

it seems like as i get older and older, i have to flush more times. must be a problem with water pressure laws and the epa

Have to wonder how many of the ten-to-fifteen were because he was unwittingly attempting to flush his drooping, wizened scrote after his boys had sunk to the bottom of the bowl.

^hurtling toward the borderline of very bad fanfic

how ironic that an Old Lunch post would make me regurgitate my old lunch

speaking of Old Lunch, here comes mine

― master of nuggets (Neanderthal), Tuesday, December 10, 2019 6:42 AM (six hours ago) bookmarkflaglink

https://www.nbc.com/saturday-night-live/video/rookie-cop/2868167

http://media2.s-nbcnews.com/j/msnbc/Components/Photos/040416/040416_campaign_daily_vlarge5p.grid-4x2.jpg

they left out bolton
― Peaceful Warrior I Poser (Karl Malone)

Bolton wasn't subpoenaed.

parties that are not organized along ideological lines are useless; the 'moderate' Dems can gtfo

at least the Republicans figured this out and all turned into cavepeople

If the Dems can't muster the votes for impeachment, they are well and truly fucked

um

House Democrats can push their sham impeachment all they want.

President Trump's re-election is 𝗶𝗻𝗲𝘃𝗶𝘁𝗮𝗯𝗹𝗲. pic.twitter.com/O7o02S26nS

— Trump War Room (Text TRUMP to 88022) (@TrumpWarRoom) December 10, 2019

If the Dems can't muster the votes for impeachment, they are well and truly fucked

they overwhelmingly have the votes, only 2 Dems are on the record as opposing it. The "moderates" referenced above don't even have the 18 necessary to pass the procedural blocks they would need to throw up.

TBF, there's nothing stopping them from throwing up anyway.

*VLTF*

Lemieux thinks the trade vote after the articles of impeachment announcement was the right thing to do:

Politically, the passage of USMCA will almost certainly have the same material impact most of the other political events that have happened since Trump was elected have had — i.e. none. Trump’s approval ratings are incredibly stable and a trade deal coverage of which will be quickly drowned our by impeachment is not going to change that. If the deal is good for labor on the merits, and labor groups themselves at least think it is, then passing it is the right thing. And I really don’t understand how so many people who understand how inane the Halperin/Cillizza school of punditry is will turn around and assess everything House Dems do through a lens of completely baseless speculation about MESSAGING.

Also:

Among the biggest victories was an agreement to remove intellectual property protections for the pharmaceutical industry, which Democrats warned could undermine efforts to make health care more affordable. Democrats also persuaded the White House to strengthen the deal’s enforcement provisions, and obtained commitments to ensure Mexico is adhering to labor reforms.

Those changes were critical to winning the support of labor unions, including the influential AFL-CIO, which endorsed the revised pact just moments before Ms. Pelosi’s announcement.

In fact, the deal addressed so many of the Democrats’ concerns that some Republicans appeared skeptical of the final agreement and suggested that Mr. Lighthizer had given away too much.

Senator John Cornyn, Republican of Texas, voiced concern that Mr. Lighthizer had potentially spent more time talking with House Democrats than Republicans on the final product. And Senator Patrick J. Toomey, Republican of Pennsylvania and one of the most ardent critics of the deal, railed against both the original deal and the new changes, including the removal of the pharmaceutical provision.

“It’s clearly moved way to the left,” Mr. Toomey told reporters. “It seemed to be just a one-way direction in the direction of Democrats.”

just a one-way direction in the direction of Democrats... whose votes will be absolutely vital to passing the implementing legislation. But, of course, crafting the agreement in a way that allows it to pass and take effect instead of being thrown in the trash is a small consideration compared to bitching about the Democrats.

It has to get through the Senate first, right? And idiot might still not sign it.

Sure. My point is I didn't get the complaints earlier today about the announcement of this trade deal. I said to a friend on his FB page that this was exactly the kind of "optics" twaddle that my most anti-Dem friends crow denounce. Of course it may not go anywhere -- so what? If the deal's good for American workers, why the hell wouldn't you promote it?

xp i agree with perlstein

the democrats should have presented a calvalcade of charges. it can all be connected anyway, in some kind of RICO way. he is essentially corrupt and is using the office for personal gain.

It has to get through the Senate first, right? And idiot might still not sign it.

OK, now explain how THAT will look bad for Democrats...they take the one thing King Asshole really, really wants and turn it into a poison pill he rejects, in an election year.

the naming of the FBI investigation Crossfire Hurricane seems really corny. Were the FBI trying to make themselves look cool by naming things after 47 year old Rolling Stones songs?

Special guest investigation namer: Martin Scorsese

Xpost sounds like a Stevie Ray Vaughn song

President Trump will sign an executive order defining Judaism as a nationality, not just a religion, thus bolstering the Education Department's efforts to stamp out "Boycott Israel" movements on college campuses https://t.co/0avw7eseMc

— NYT Politics (@nytpolitics) December 10, 2019

OK, now explain how THAT will look bad for Democrats...they take the one thing King Asshole really, really wants and turn it into a poison pill he rejects, in an election year.

If you're not speaking rhetorically, Asshole has done this more than once, iirc: cheerlead certain developments, but by the time it gets to his desk changes his mind (or has his mind changed), campaigns against it, and rejects it, usually while crossing his arms like an angry toddler. He doesn't give a shit.

I know...but it's hard to see how that's bad for Democrats, unless you're Chris Cilizza.

This whole Judaism as a nationality thing is really disturbing. What if I don't want to be considered a different nationality other than American? Do I have a choice? I don't personally want to be associated with Israel at all.

Can he just declare anything a nationality at will?

xpost Everything is bad for the Democrats, always.

it's very odd. israeli and jewish are not the same thing.

if students were saying they wanted to boycott jewish businesses i would have an enormous problem with that. but boycotting israel, while still in my view not so great, is really different.

There are other places to debate this, and other people better at debating it, but while I agree with you, the BDS movement specifically is as I understand it tied to certain more extreme anti-Israel ideas than divestment, not to mention the conspicuousness of Israel getting more or less uniquely singled out for boycott, as opposed to any of the many human rights violating, international law flouting countries.

The bullshit of course is not in that debate, but in Asshole changing the terms of the debate exclusively so that he and his fellow assholes can push their wrongheaded, vindictive policies.

I don't think it's just about that debate though. Feels like a step towards revoking American citizenship.

luv2live in this glorious gilded age

eema Verma who, as a senior figure in the Trump administration, has made it more difficult for poor Americans to access health coverage, has filed a claim of $47,000 for the loss of her luggage while on a three-day work trip.

According to Politico, Verma filed the claim on 28 August 2018 after having her luggage stolen while giving a speech in San Francisco. Her expenses included 20 pieces of jewellery, which sounds reasonable for a three day-work trip – if you are Snoop Dogg.

She had originally estimated the cost of those pieces at $20,000, but came back with the higher $43,065 price tag after visiting a jeweler three weeks after the theft. Because sometimes you’re just that rich that you forget about that extra 20 grand you dropped at the jewelers.

Verma is the head of the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS), which is responsible for Medicare, the US health insurance program for seniors and Medicaid, the program for low-income Americans.

The jewellery claim included 11 pairs of earrings, five necklaces and three pendants. In evidence that shows money does not equal class, one of those pendants was this Ivanka Trump gold, prasiolite and diamond pendant, which looks like it was picked by the claw machine in an arcade.

The government spends approximately $5,700 per Medicaid patient. That means that the bill she tried to get the taxpayer to foot (the CMS only granted a $2,852.40 reimbursement) is roughly equivalent to what the government spends on eight Medicaid patients yearly.

You may be wondering what she was doing with all that jewellery. Swapping out weights in the gym for travel-friendly lifting? Not quite – according to a CMS spokesperson, Verma takes a large collection of jewelry when she travels, because she “travels to Washington DC from Indiana each week to work at CMS.”

It really feels like we're finally encroaching on that moment when we collectively realize that there's a whole lot more of us than there are of them.

let's fucking hope so

Does it? I'd say there are way more apathetic people than those who give a shit.

xp

Yeah, I fantasize about that happening all the time, but probably nothing more than a fantasy given all the technology that enables the police state.

Would certainly welcome a Get Out/The Purge style film except about class where lower classes leading The Purge are the heroes. NB: I have never seen The Purge.

They could all wear Bernie masks. Chilling.

not to mention the conspicuousness of Israel getting more or less uniquely singled out for boycott, as opposed to any of the many human rights violating, international law flouting countries.

― Josh in Chicago, Wednesday, December 11, 2019 9:12 AM (thirty-five minutes ago) bookmarkflaglink

c'mon, you know this kind of whatabout-ism is extremely dumb. the logical endpoint here is that you either have to protest every single terrible human rights-violating country simultaneously or somehow we all have to collectively decide which one is the absolute worst and focus on that one exclusively.