March 3, 2019

Remember this? More true every passing day.

Trevor compares Trump to African dictators. I was just listening to some news and remembered this. Thought how it is becoming truer each day.

And here is a more recent elaboration by Trevor on how comedy has changed in the age of Trump where he elaborates more on the African dictator theme:

February 27, 2019

AOC Just Expertly Laid a Trap to Get Donald Trump's Tax Returns (Mother Jones)

https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/02/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-just-expertly-laid-a-trap-to-get-donald-trumps-tax-returns/https://www.motherjones.com/politics/2019/02/alexandria-ocasio-cortez-just-expertly-laid-a-trap-to-get-donald-trumps-tax-returns/

While Republicans on Wednesday repeatedly hammered Michael Cohen over his efforts to secure a lucrative media deal, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez used her time to focus on one of the most consequential topics concerning investigations into Donald Trump: his ever-elusive tax returns.

It was one of the more anticipated appearances by a lawmaker on the House Oversight and Reform Committee. Her clear and purposeful line of questioning, which appeared to lay the groundwork for the committee to subpoena the president’s tax returns while capturing the names of those in Trump’s inner circle who may know details of his financials, was widely praised.
https://twitter.com/tictoc/status/1100875276458684416
Check out the comments at the link. Here's a sample:
Matthew Miller
@matthewamiller
.@AOC just got there and she is asking better questions than 90% of members. Short, specific, factual, with no speechmaking. (Maybe it's because she just got there.)
4,338
1:48 PM - Feb 27, 2019

February 27, 2019

"Not one question so far from you and your colleauges has been asked about Pres Trump"

Cohen in response to ...was it Jordan? Cohen said the American people want to hear about Trump. "THat is what I came here to talk about." He is doing a remarkable job of calling them on their BS. He has pointed out very clearly what their game is numerous times now.

I wonder if he naturally speaks in sound bites or if that was a skill he cultivated.

February 21, 2019

Andrew McCabe appreciation thread. He has done so much for us!

I wish I had his email to send him a message of support. I often wonder on these appreciation threads if the person being appreciated ever sees them; if maybe someone they know forwards the thread to them. I feel a strong desire to express appreciation to him.

I have been very impressed with him in all the interviews I've heard and feel that what he is bringing out could (hopefully) be a game-changer. He comes across so rational, calm and thoughtful, and is highly articulate. One of the things that has struck me is how very much FBI and intel people give of themselves, often at cost to their personal lives, and sometimes at great cost.

Edited to add: listening to him on Chris Hayes just now, he also displayed a great deal of empathy. On Colbert last night, he was quite funny, in a very dry way. He interviews extremely well, which makes him really effective in conveying his message.

February 20, 2019

Lawrence asked McCabe if T thinks only people who like him should be allowed to investigate him

McCabe said he thinks that's true. That T and cronies have no idea how investigations work.

February 20, 2019

2017 Lawrence segment on Nunes: so important he covered it twice to call more attention to it

REposting a thread I posted March 24, 2017, because in light of McCabe's comments about Nunes, it is important to realize Paul Ryan's part in the Nunes' relationship with the WH. This from a Lawrence segment about Nunes running to the WH but conferring first with Paul Ryan. It was largely overlooked at the time and Lawrence thought it was so important that he did another segment on it a few days later.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/10028846433

Has everyone forgotten Ryan told Nunes to tell Trump? Why is Nunes taking all the Heat? (ODonnell)

Those of you who saw Nunes's presser after he went to Trump will remember him saying he first went to Ryan. Lawrence O'Donnell did a whole segment on this last night talking about how people seem to be completely overlooking this, and that Ryan is desperately hoping people will forget this. Many are demanding that Ryan remove Nunes but forgetting that it was Ryan who told him to go to the WH in the first place. In his later presser, which O'Donnell shows, he says Nunes fell on his sword for Ryan when he took Ryan out of the story and took full responsibility for going to the WH.

So why is Ryan not taking heat for this and Nunes is taking all of it? This is a really big deal and digs the corruption hole much deeper:

Transcript of Lawrence O'Donnell Thursday:
http://www.msnbc.com/transcripts/the-last-word/2017-03-23

snip

Everything Devin Nunes did yesterday was crazy, unprecedented just isn`t
the word for this. It was out of control crazy.

The sequence of what he did shows that the justification that he offered
yesterday for what he did is just not true. The first thing he did with
that information was tell the Speaker of the House, Paul Ryan.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED FEMALE: Why did you not discuss this with the Ranking Member
before you came to the White House?

NUNES: So yes – no, and I`m going to be meeting with Mr. Schiff at some
point to go talk about where we go with this investigation. But I have
been – I had to brief the speaker first.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O`DONNELL: I had to brief the speaker first. That`s the line that`s been
lost in all the coverage of this. That was Devin Nunes` second press
conference of the day.

That was at the White House after he spoke to the president. His first
press conference of the day was at the House of Representatives announcing
that he was on his way to speak to the president, and what he was going to
tell the president about.

So he didn't have time to speak to Adam Schiff, the senior Democrat on the
committee, which is the first thing an intelligence committee chairman is
supposed to do with new information.

That`s what we`re supposed to believe. He didn`t have time because he had
to tell the Speaker first before Adam Schiff?

Everything Devin Nunes did after telling the Speaker was something the
Speaker approved of. You don`t go running into the speaker`s office with
something like this and not get the word directly from the speaker of
exactly what he wants you to do next.

snip

You have every right to believe that Paul Ryan was very angry with Devin
Nunes exposing him as being involved in the delivery of this intelligence
information to the White House yesterday.

Because today, when Devin Nunes talked about it, he fell on his sword for
Paul Ryan. He completely took Paul Ryan out of that story. Devin Nunes
took full responsibilities for the decision to go to the White House.

Swalwell interviewed here as well:

February 19, 2019

Nicolle Wallace's advice to Republicans: 'This is your moment to get off of the Titanic, folks'

https://www.rawstory.com/2019/02/nicolle-wallaces-advice-republicans-moment-get-off-titanic-folks/

“This seems to me to be the off-ramp for anybody in the right-wing propaganda operation that says, ‘I’ve done enough. I’ve gone along with the lunacy around the wall. Now he’s doing something authoritarian in nature, usurping the power of Congress. I’ve done enough for this guy,'” Wallace said.

Trump has now managed to take lifelong Republicans and flipped what their ideology is all together. Meanwhile, former deputy FBI director Andrew McCabe is accused of all sorts of lies. She noted if anyone else had done what McCabe was accused of doing, the conversations about “treason” would be everywhere.

“Now [Trump is] taking a lifelong Republican [McCabe], who if he had done any of the things Donald Trump accused him of doing, he would have been treated differently,” Wallace continued. “He’s out of work because he’s allegedly lied to the inspector general, not because of any of thinks conduct around the Russia question or Russia investigation. This seems to me if there’s anybody left with a conscience in the right-wing propaganda operation, this is your moment to get off the Titanic folks.”

Video:
https://caching.grabien.com/c/streams/0561/TgT4PrCW_r__GJWNvQuB3w/1550583918/561157.mp4?key=TgT4PrCW_r__GJWNvQuB3w

February 15, 2019

Just on CNN: There is no Republican party. THere is just the Trump party. And they are going to

fall in line behind this, like they always do. Jeffrey Toobin on CNN.

Good to see them call it like it is.

February 14, 2019

Ingo the dog and his owl friends: some Valentines love to warm your hearts!

https://www.boredpanda.com/dog-ingo-owl-friends-tanja-brandt/?utm_source=google&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=organic

Ingo is Tanja Brandt's dog and she took the photos. She says, "I love the beauty, power, loyalty, courage, and friendship of animals. Many people could learn from them.”

Lots more at link. Besides being heartwarming, these are also stunningly beautiful photos.

February 13, 2019

"We are not elected to get re-elected. We are elected to govern and use our best judgment."

Heidi Heitkamp on Lawrence when he asked her how she felt now about her Kavanaugh vote, knowing it may well have cost her re-election. She said she has never regretted it. Also said something about history looking kindly on that vote, as well as her vote against the tax bill, even though it may not have been popular in her state.