December 14, 2018

Trump is considering Jared Kushner to be the new chief of staff

https://talkingpointsmemo.com/news/trump-considering-kushner-chief-of-staff

Just like Mussolini's son in law story, this isn't gonna end good for Jared

December 11, 2018

"Baby It's Cold Outside"

presented without comment

December 10, 2018

I'd be okay with Beto, or Booker, or Harris, or Brown, or Gillibrand, or...

Or Klobuchar, or Warren, or that what's-his-face Congress guy from California, or that kooky good old boy from West Virginia. Really, anyone but Avenatti (who my voice-to-text still writes out as "have a naughty" ) but he was never really a thing.

And yeh yeh, I'm good with Hillary, Joe, and Bernie too, even if I personally think it's past time to pass the torch. Whoever. At some point I'll land on a preference, I reckon, but I trust this party not to nominate a bum steer, and I'm pretty damn comfortable with our range of options.

One thing I'm not gonna tolerate is a circular firing squad. None of our major candidates are unacceptable. We need to disagree agreeably here, and get out there and fight like hell next year.

December 8, 2018

If I took over an international super criminal organization dot-dot.

I think is put motion detectors in the air conditioning ducts. That seems to be the main way international spies infiltrate organizations like that. It's beyond me why they don't take more security precautions with their air conditioning ducts

What would you do?

December 7, 2018

With Kelly gone I'm afraid we've seen the last of the restrained, mature, focused Trump of days past

November 28, 2018

Santa's bogus socialism

Are there really "gifts for everyone according to their own needs"? I don't think so!! It's not socialism if you get gifts from Santa according to your parents' income. He's a crony capitalist.

Who appointed Santa Claus the world's gift-bestower? And what are the checks and balances on his enormous power over the world's children?

Is the magic toy workshop in compliance with OSHA standards? Are the elves unionized? Do we know if he's even following EEO hiring standards rather than just favoring elves over other job applicants?

How do even know if these so-called reindeer aren't being drugged so they can fly around the world in one night? PETA needs to investigate!!!

November 23, 2018

Another Day of Being a Terrible President

Source: Talking Points Memo

Most of the press commentary was that he ‘went off script’. But that’s not it exactly. On a live call he pressed the people he was talking to on gratuitously political points, asked hem to agree with him on trade deals or keeping bad people out of the country or even his pet peeves about new military technology he clearly doesn’t understand. As usual, he pressed them to agree with various false or nonsensical points.

https://twitter.com/joshtpm/status/1065693146124873730?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1065693146124873730&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Ftalkingpointsmemo.com%2Fedblog%2Fanother-day-of-being-a-terrible-president

Read more: https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/another-day-of-being-a-terrible-president

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"Cozentina fence"

November 20, 2018

Can anyone point out any substantive criticism of Pelosi?

I'm just appalled that over a dozen members of the House are vowing not to support Nancy Pelosi for speaker this January. She's had a number of against the odds legislative successes as opposition leader, and when she was speaker before she ran a fair House.

Is there any reason at all given by critics other than a vague mention of "change"? I'm not saying only post criticisms you personally endorse. But is there any mention at all of any issues of politics or political management to justify replacing her?

Or is this just a Will Rogers moment? Does the Cat Party just automatically resist shows of herding like what the Party of Lemmings does?

November 10, 2018

People calling for Trump's impeachment remind me of Miguel Hidalgo

People calling for Trump's immediate impeachment and removal, confident that 20 Republican Senators will go along with it once they read Mueller's report, remind me of Miguel Hidalgo

When he started the Mexican War of Independence, Father Hidalgo was convinced that the righteousness of his cause would carry the day. And so he proceeded to go directly after his enemies with direct attacks, getting thousands of his followers slaughtered and himself arrested, tried by the Spanish Inquisition, and then executed.

Eventually, tactically savvy conservatives slowly took over the war for independence and established a monarchy and dictatorship in the wake of the chaos. Mexico had to wait another hundred years before it got a real Revolution

All because Miguel Hidalgo thought the righteousness of his cause meant he didn't have to use smart tactics to win. Or possibly, a lifetime reading Rousseau, Locke, and Montesquieu didn't leave him prepared for how to go about fighting a war.

The war for protecting the American Constitution is a war I want to wage non-violently, of course. But there are two tactical alternatives facing the resistance against Trump's fascism. One way is to dash toward immediate impeachment and hope we can get to a senate removal vote (based on evidence from the Mueller probe and public pressure from a perfectly informed and irate electorate).

This direct attack is like how Hidalgo would swarm the peones against the battlements, hoping that he had more peasants than the Spanish Army had bullets. It was not an effective strategy.

The other way takes more time. We have to win back our democracy democratically. We have to knock on doors, stir up votes, support progressive legislation in Congress, work for politics that improves people's lives, and earned the respect and support of the public we wish to serve.

Just as Miguel Hidalgo thought righteousness and a benevolent God would rescue his poorly armed peones from defeat, there are those of us who think a Congress from on high will come down, deus ex machina, and impeach away our troubles, thus saving the Republic.

I don't think we get off that easy. Our long march to Bataan will need to run through every voting precinct in every red, blue, and purple district of the country. We did good last Tuesday. We need to keep on keeping on, you keep on putting in the sweat, and do better in 2020.

Our children are counting on us

November 1, 2018

We live in a time of great uncertainty and confusion