The Commentariat -- January 2, 2019
Afternoon Update:
How Stupid Does Trump Think We Are? Damian Paletta & Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "President Trump made two false claims about his demands for a new border wall just hours before he is set to meet with congressional leaders Wednesday.... In a Twitter post Wednesday morning, Trump wrote that Mexico would be paying for the wall along the U.S. border under the parameters of a trade deal he has tentatively inked with Mexico and Canada. This is not true. That deal has not been approved by Congress, which means the parameters of the pact are not in effect. And even if the trade agreement is approved, it would not in any way create a stream of money designated for the construction of a border wall. The second false point in Trump's Twitter post Wednesday is his statement that 'much of the Wall has already been fully renovated or built.' This is also not true. The U.S.-Mexico border is roughly 2,000 miles long. Trump's demand for $5.6 billion to build new sections of wall would finance 200 miles of wall, and less than 100 miles has already been constructed or renovated, according to Department of Homeland Security Officials." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Here's the funny part. "... the White House said the meeting was supposed to serve as a way for Democrats to learn more about the situation on the U.S.-Mexico border." Evidently, Trump thinks he going to mansplain the Great Wall of Trump to Chuck & Nancy by telling them he's asking them for a down payment on said Great Wall because Mexico is really paying for it & it's almost all built anyway. It is curious that Trump thinks these Washington veterans just fell off a turnip truck. Then again, what do I know? I don't have my face on the cover a book somebody else wrote titled The Art of the Deal.
I will provide lockstep support for Donald Trump's agenda, regulatory appointments, and oppose all oversight because this might undermine #1 and #2, but I will occasionally Express Concern About Tone. -- Scott Lemieux, in LG&M, translation of Mitt Romney's op-ed, linked below ...
... Eli Okun of Politico: "... Donald Trump responded to a harsh op-ed from Sen.-elect Mitt Romney Wednesday morning, admonishing him to 'Be a TEAM player & WIN!' 'Here we go with Mitt Romney, but so fast! Question will be, is he a Flake? I hope not,' Trump tweeted. 'Would much prefer that Mitt focus on Border Security and so many other things where he can be helpful. I won big, and he didn't. He should be happy for all Republicans.'" ...
... Trumpery Is Thicker than Blood. Emily Stewart of Vox: Mitt's niece Ronna Romney McDaniel, who is the chair of the Republican National Committee, sided with the boss: In a tweet she wrote, "POTUS is attacked and obstructed by the MSM media and Democrats 24/7. For an incoming Republican freshman senator to attack @realdonaldtrump as their first act feeds into what the Democrats and media want and is disappointing and unproductive." Stewart notes, McDaniel "stopped using her full name publicly after Trump reportedly joked about the matter with her.... In June 2018, McDaniel tweeted that anyone who does not embrace Trump's 'agenda of making America great again will be making a mistake.'" ...
If you want to know which way the wind blows, it doesn't hurt to look at the weather vane. -- Robert Farley, in LG&M ...
... Jack Crosbie of Splinter: "You can see by the headline [on Romney's op-ed], which is way too long, that this is going to be a lecture from America's stern conservative dad on how President Trump is bad and uncouth. Romney prefers the gentler Republican cruelty of past decades -- you know, the kind that doesn't endorse statements like 'grab them by the pussy' but still tries to erode women's rights and expand the gap between rich and poor at every possible opportunity." ...
Romney thing is just this: he's ostentatiously shorting Trump, ie, betting he is impeached/convicted or forced to resign. And reminding party he would do all the usual stuff the donors and activists want without the drama. And figuring that’s how he wins nomination in '20. -- Richard Yeselson, in a tweet, via Martin Longman, linked below ...
... Steve M.: "Romney is sticking to a position so indefensible that even most mainstream media pundits have abandoned it: that Trump's presidency isn't a crisis and that it's still possible for him to be a good president and a decent person, at which point Romney will readily embrace him.... But if Romney thinks this puts him in a good position for 2020 in the event of Trump doesn't run again, I think he's mistaken.... GOP voters will never abandon Trump no matter what he does, which means that only a Republican perceived as pro-Trump ... will be able to take the nomination if Trump falls. No one will beat Trump in the 2020 primaries if he runs -- certainly not Romney. And no one who seemed in any way aligned with the evil Democrats and Deep Staters who brought about Trump's downfall will stand a chance if Trump is gone. Romney may be acting in a calculated way, but if so, he's calculating wrong." ...
... Martin Longman in the Washington Monthly: "... while it is only implied [in Romney's op-ed], the verdict is clear. If we must start by repairing our highest office because the person presently serving in that position is a no-character lying racist and sexist who is destructive to our democratic institutions, then the highest priority must be the removal of Trump from office.... Before Donald Trump came along, Mitt Romney held the land-speed record for mendacity in American politics. In 2012, our own Steve Benen tallied 917 falsehoods from Romney, which was a lowball and partial estimate of the actual number.... Romney is replacing Orrin Hatch in the Senate, and we last saw Sen. Hatch trading away his posterity for a Medal of Freedom. At least Romney isn't saying that Trump is a great president or that he doesn't care if he committed a few felonies during the campaign.... The unmistakable message is that Romney has no interest in carrying water for Trump and he'll vote to remove him from office with enthusiasm. In fact, he's basically committed to that now because the last thing Romney needs is for Trump to get reelected so he can exact revenge on him a second time. However cynically you look at this, it's not what Orrin Hatch would have done."
Eli Okun: "Incoming House Judiciary Chairman Jerry Nadler blasted the Trump administration Wednesday for the recent deaths of two migrant children in government custody, placing the blame squarely on the White House and its policies.... The zero-tolerance policies [are] ... 'a deliberate creation of the Trump administration, which is trying to make things as miserable as possible. And if kids die, they're apparently willing to have that.'"
*****
An Uplifting Annual Message from the President* of the United States:
HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE, INCLUDING THE HATERS AND THE FAKE NEWS MEDIA! 2019 WILL BE A FANTASTIC YEAR FOR THOSE NOT SUFFERING FROM TRUMP DERANGEMENT SYNDROME. JUST CALM DOWN AND ENJOY THE RIDE, GREAT THINGS ARE HAPPENING FOR OUR COUNTRY!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) January 1, 2019
... Home Alone. Anne Gearan & Erica Werner of the Washington Post: "President Trump invited congressional leaders to the White House for a briefing on border security, the first face-to-face session involving Republicans and Democrats as the partial government shutdown entered its second week. The briefing will occur one day before Democrats take control of the House.... Trump also used Twitter on the first day of 2019 to insult a retired U.S. commander in Afghanistan, sing the praises of an ultranationalist former aide and tell America to chill and 'ENJOY THE RIDE.'... Trump ... bash[ed] retired Army Gen. Stanley McChrystal over remarks McChrystal made Sunday, calling the president untruthful and immoral. 'General' McChrystal got fired like a dog by Obama. Last assignment a total bust. Known for big, dumb mouth. Hillary lover!' Trump opined.... The president's very first words of the new year were an endorsement of a pro-Trump book by former White House aide Sebastian Gorka.... 'One thing has now been proven. The Democrats do not care about Open Borders and all of the crime and drugs that Open Borders bring!' Trump tweeted Tuesday morning.... Trump also tweeted congratulations to newly inaugurated Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro...." More on Bolsonaro linked below.
Daniel Politi of Slate has the latest on the shutdown standoff. In a couple of tweets yesterday & the day before, Trump all but said he would not sign the Democrats' planned bill that would fund all of the government except the wall (and thus end the shutdown). Congress is already in agreement on spending levels in that bill. They also would put forward a second, contentious bill that addressed border security. "For now, GOP lawmakers appear happy to follow Trump's lead on this and have said they won't approve anything that doesn't have the president's approval."
David Sanger of the New York Times: "Nearly two years into his presidency and more than six months after his historic summit meeting with Kim Jong-un of North Korea, President Trump finds himself essentially back where he was at the beginning in achieving the ambitious goal of getting Mr. Kim to relinquish his nuclear arsenal. That was the essential message of Mr. Kim's annual New Year's televised speech, where he reiterated that international sanctions must be lifted before North Korea will give up a single weapon, dismantle a single missile site or stop producing nuclear material. The list of recent North Korean demands was a clear indicator of how the summit meeting in Singapore last June altered the optics of the relationship more than the reality." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: No, no, no. This has to be fake news. First of all, Trump & Kim "fell in love." (Oct. 2018) Sanger must have misinterpreted a lovers' spat or something. Second of all, "A group of 18 House Republicans has formally nominated President Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize .... for his efforts to denuclearize the Korean Peninsula and end the 68-year-old war between North and South Korea." (May 2018)
Josh Israel of ThinkProgress: "There has been an exodus of generals from the Trump administration.... Now, the man who once surrounded himself with generals faces the second half of his term as persona non grata with the people he once found the most impressive." --s
Thomas Heath of the Washington Post: "The Defense Department's top spokeswoman, who had been under investigation since May over whether she mistreated employees, abruptly resigned Monday night within hours of the departure of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis. Dana W. White said on Twitter: 'I appreciate the opportunity afforded to me by this administration to serve alongside Secretary Mattis, our service members and all the civilians who support them. It has been my honor and privilege. Stay safe and God bless.'... Charles E. Summers, Jr., replaced White, becoming 'acting' assistant to the defense secretary, according to the Pentagon. Patrick Shanahan, a former Boeing executive and the No. 2 man at the Pentagon, became acting secretary Monday night, replacing Mattis who resigned after disagreements with President Trump.... At least two complaints were filed against White. The probe focused in part on how staff members carried out personal tasks for her, such as retrieving her dry cleaning, getting her lunch and driving her to work during a snowstorm. At least five staff members had been abruptly transferred or removed from their jobs since White, a Trump Administration political appointee, took over in April 2017."
AP: "U.S. authorities fired tear gas into Mexico during the first hours of the new year to repel about 150 migrants who tried to breach the border fence in Tijuana. U.S. Customs and Border Protection said in a statement later Tuesday that the gas was used to target rock throwers apart from the migrants who were trying to cross. 'No agents witnessed any of the migrants at the fence line, including children, experiencing effects of the chemical agents, which were targeted at the rock throwers further away,' the statement said. An Associated Press photographer saw at least three volleys of gas launched onto the Mexican side of the border near Tijuana's beach that affected the migrants, including women and children, as well as journalists. The AP saw rocks thrown only after U.S. agents fired the tear gas. The agency said agents saw 'toddler sized children' being passed over concertina wire with difficulty. It said its agents could not assist the children because of the rocks being thrown. Agents responded with smoke, pepper spray and tear gas, it said. The AP journalist also saw plastic pellets fired by U.S. agents. The agency said 25 migrants were detained while others crawled back into Mexico through a hole under the fence. Customs and Border Protection said that under its use of force policy the incident would be reviewed by its Office of Professional Responsibility."
Franco Ordoñez of McClatchy DC: "The Trump administration is expected to take steps to block a historic agreement that would allow Cuban baseball players from joining Major League Baseball in the United States without having to defect, according to an official familiar with the discussions. The administration wants to reverse an Obama-era ruling that says the Cuban government doesn't run the island's professional baseball league. Such a position gave MLB space to negotiate and reach the deal with Cuban baseball and circumvent the U.S. embargo against Cuba. Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Florida ... vowed to fight the deal.... MLB officials said they had been in regular contact with the Trump administration during the months of negotiations, including in the last several days with top officials at the White House and State Department who were supportive of the arrangement." --s
Mitt Romney in a Washington Post op-ed: "The departures of Defense Secretary Jim Mattis and White House Chief of Staff John F. Kelly, the appointment of senior persons of lesser experience, the abandonment of allies who fight beside us, and the president's thoughtless claim that America has long been a 'sucker' in world affairs all defined his presidency down.... On balance, his conduct over the past two years, particularly his actions this month, is evidence that the president has not risen to the mantle of the office.... With the nation so divided, resentful and angry, presidential leadership in qualities of character is indispensable. And it is in this province where the incumbent's shortfall has been most glaring." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: In case you were thinking, "What a shame Mitt didn't become president," he also writes this: "It is not that all of the president's policies have been misguided. He was right to align U.S. corporate taxes with those of global competitors, to strip out excessive regulations, to crack down on China's unfair trade practices, to reform criminal justice and to appoint conservative judges. These are policies mainstream Republicans have promoted for years." Republicans stick with Trump because they like all of his policies, especially the ones that really suck. Trump is just like them, except way less slick. ...
... Paul Krugman: "The 2017 tax cut has received pretty bad press, and rightly so. Its proponents made big promises about soaring investment and wages, and also assured everyone that it would pay for itself; none of that has happened. Yet coverage actually hasn't been negative enough.... At least 90 percent of Americans will end up poorer thanks to that cut.... Since the tax cut isn't paying for itself, it will eventually have to be paid for some other way -- either by raising other taxes, or by cutting spending on programs people value. The cost of these hikes or cuts will be much less concentrated on the top 10 percent than the benefit of the original tax cut."
Rebecca Burns & David Dayen of The Intercept: "The stock market has experienced its worst performance in December since the early 1930s ... in part thanks to a grinch named Steve Mnuchin. The treasury secretary's inexplicable maneuver on Christmas Eve eve ... sent markets into a volatile tailspin.... This was an unforced error that temporarily snagged the 10 percent of America that own 84 percent of all stocks. But Mnuchin's boneheaded actions reflected his dominant characteristics. He is a sycophant willing to debase himself, no matter how strongly, at the altar of Donald Trump.... But the sycophancy in this case mashed up with Mnuchin's other main trait: He's a rather dim gentleman.... A request for comment from the Treasury Department on whether or not Steve Mnuchin is a dunce was not returned." --s
Presidential Election 2020. Edward-Isaac Dovere, now of the Atlantic: Washington Gov. Jay Inslee (D) will run for president with "a single-minded focus: pulling the country back from the climate-change brink."
Richard Pérez-Peña of the New York Times: "The American man who was arrested last week in Russia on a spying charge is a Marine Corps veteran who was in Moscow to attend a wedding, his family said on Tuesday. Russia's Federal Security Service, known as the F.S.B., said on Monday that the American, Paul N. Whelan, had been detained on Friday 'during an act of espionage,' and that a criminal case had been opened against him. Conviction on a spying charge in Russia carries a prison sentence of up to 20 years." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Sam Fulwood III of ThinkProgress: "Citing low pay, widespread disrespect and potential opportunities in other fields, frustrated public-school teachers walked away from their classrooms in record numbers during 2018, according to a recent Wall Street Journal report based on U.S. Department of Labor figures.... Public education employees, including person in jobs as varied as community-college faculty, school psychologists and janitors, quit their jobs at the fastest rate since such figures were first compiled in 2001." --s
Sean Ingle of the Guardian: "The World Anti-Doping Agency has been accused of being 'played by the Russians' and a 'total joke' after it confirmed it had not retrieved or received crucial doping data from the Moscow laboratory by its 31 December deadline. The Wada president, Sir Craig Reedie, who had been 'confident' the data would be collected a few weeks ago, admitted he was 'bitterly disappointed' at the news that one of Wada's strict conditions, set when it controversially lifted the three-year suspension on the Russian Anti-Doping Agency in September despite enormous anger from anti-doping groups and athletes, had not been met.... Wada's independent Compliance Review Committee will consider its options when it meets on 14 January. However the prospect of Russia being banned from the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo seems slim.... Many athletes, however, remain angry that Wada and the IOC has not been tougher on Russia given the country has never formally admitted to a sophisticated state-sponsored doping programme involving more than 1,000 athletes and 30 sports." --s
Beyond the Beltway
Connor Sheets of AL.com: "Towering high above the streets of Gadsden, [Alabama,] the Etowah County Detention Center is an outsized presence in the small northeast Alabama town.... Etowah County Sheriff Todd Entrekin runs that jail. And he makes a lot of money doing it. Earlier this year, he acknowledged that he keeps money budgeted for jail food that goes unspent, saying in a press conference that he kept more than $750,000 between January 2015 and December 2017. But records show he had already pocketed more than twice that amount.... Entrekin is not alone in keeping leftover funds intended to feed inmates. He and other Alabama sheriffs have argued that a Depression-era state law allows them to keep state jail food funds. But Entrekin - who lost his bid for re-election earlier this year and will step down as sheriff next month - is the only Alabama sheriff whose jail houses hundreds of immigration detainees for the federal government. Lawyers and other experts say that he may have run afoul of a number of federal laws by receiving the immigration money." --s
Way Beyond
Travis Waldron of the Huffington Post: "Brazil Is About To Show The World How A Modern Democracy Collapses. Far-right president Jair Bolsonaro is a threat to Brazilian democracy -- and a model for authoritarianism that leaders around the world will follow.... While he has pitched his surge to power as the result of a 'populist' revolt, his base of support mirrors that of ... old coup masters: wealthy financial elites, segments of the population willing to trade the rights and lives of the poor and marginalized for their own safety and economic prosperity, and traditional parties and politicians who refuse to acknowledge their own roles in creating the monster before folding themselves into his arms. Much like the military once did, Bolsonaro has threatened his leftist political opponents with violence and imprisonment. He has promised to deliver a political 'cleansing never seen before in Brazil,' and threatened media outlets that report news unfavorable to him.... This is not exclusively a Brazilian phenomenon. Countries around the world, from Hungary to Turkey to the Philippines, have turned to noisy leaders who promise instant renewals and silver-bullet solutions under the banner of a right-wing, nativist 'populism' ― the preferred term of news outlets, even though the key constituencies backing these candidates tend to comprise the nations' elite." ...
... Ernesto Londoño of the New York Times also profiles Bolsonaro and notes that Trump is a fan. "While his victory in October was decisive, Brazilians remain deeply divided about their new president, a former army captain who has hailed the country's military dictators and made numerous disparaging remarks about women and minority groups.... The Brazilian and American presidents have similar views, temperaments and styles, increasing the likelihood of closer relations between two countries that have been uneasy allies in the past."
Justin McCurry of the Guardian: "The expected arrival of large numbers of foreign, blue-collar workers in Japan over the coming five years has raised fears of a sharp rise in incidences of exploitation.... In December, the country's parliament passed legislation that will soon open the door to an estimated 345,000 thousand foreign workers, in what is being called the end of Japan's traditional opposition to large-scale immigration. The world's third-biggest economy is battling its tightest labour shortage in decades due to its low birthrate and rapidly ageing society.... A labour ministry investigation found that of the 6,000 firms that hire a total of 260,000 technical trainees, about 70% had broken labour regulations on illegal and unpaid overtime." --s
Jamie Fullerton of the Guardian: "Vietnam has introduced a new cybersecurity law, which criminalises criticising the government online and forces internet providers to give authorities' user data when requested, sparking claims of a 'totalitarian' crackdown on dissent. The law, which mirrors China's draconian internet rules, came into effect on 1 January and forces internet providers to censor content deemed 'toxic' by the ruling communist government. The Vietnam government has intensified a crackdown on criticism since 2016, jailing dozens of dissidents. Spreading information deemed to be anti-government or anti-state online is now illegal in the country[.]" --s
Way, Way Beyond
Kenneth Chang of the New York Times: "... scientists, engineers and well-wishers ... at the Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Laboratory celebrated the moment that NASA's New Horizons spacecraft made its closest approach to a small, icy world nicknamed Ultima Thule.... That is the latest triumph in a journey that started in 2006, first on a mission to explore Pluto. Thirteen years and more than four billion miles later, New Horizons has provided humanity's first glimpse of a distant fragment that could be unchanged from the solar system's earliest days."
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Reader Comments (20)
Fatty’s New Year’s Day message: “Enjoy the ride”. Isn’t that what Ethan Frome said to Mattie just before they crashed into that tree?
Does he really think we’re all on some sort of Disney amusement park ride?
I guess that would make him Goofy.
Brazil was the last country in the Western Hemisphere to abolish slavery. Intertwined with the long history of its racial and social inequality and exploitation some describe it as deep rooted pattern of corruption. Bolsonaro is this country's brutal Messiah and isn't it typical that our self same Messiah, although we surely can't tag the word "brutal? on to him, can we? wants to be all buddy-buddy with this brute. And since Patrick Shanahan who is playing Mattis' part and knows little about foreign policy but knows a hell of a lot about Boeing's business will let Pompeo deal with Bolsonaro when the two go to Brazil shortly. It should go as well as Mike's sit downs with Kim and Vlad and the saucy prince: Happy talkie talk that goes nowhere.
And yes, I do believe Ethan whispered to Mattie, "Enjoy the ride" and what's his name will end up the same. Or we can go with Aunt Lydia in "The Handmaid Tale" who says, "Have I let myself become a bother?"
You think?????
@PDPepe: I think: Trump lacks the capacity for introspection; i.e., "Have I let myself become a bother?"
The rest of us in unison, "Why yes you have!"
The Rat is back!
Oh, goodie.
So Mittens Rombot has returned to the national stage (getting tired of the mansion on the beach with the elevator in the garage--pronounced gaah-rajh, no doubt).
He must have been deep into it with his advisors and political tea leaf readers to make so bold a statement, criticizing the Glorious Leader for being, well, a schmuck. Because here's the thing. Romney, who wishes dearly to be seen as an elder statesman of gravitas and moral fortitude, is nothing of the kind. He blows with the wind. He is as opportunistic as the most craven teabagging Confederate schemer.
You may recall that during the 2016 election, the Rat gave out with some criticisms of the Orange Monster. Trump slapped him around a few times and that was that. Two nano-seconds after he was elected, Romney was barking at the back door for a bone. Trump opened the door, Romney lay down, played dead, rolled over, and jumped through a few hoops. Trump smacked him with a rolled up newspaper, chased him out of the yard, and told him to pee somewhere else.
Some tower of moral strength and civic virtue.
So what's up? A couple of things, I would guess. First, it seems the Rat and his team have decided that Fatty is not long for the reins of power. Even if he's not impeached, his days as dictator are coming to a close and Romney doesn't want to be lumped in with all the Trumpish losers like Ryan and Graham and the entire Freeeedom Cock-us. He wants to be seen as "his own man".
Hold on a sec...hahahahahahahahaha.....Remember that time Fatty told the Rat to meet him for dinner? Look at these faces. Romney is trying to dislodge the dildo Trump shoved up his butt, and the look on Fatty's face says "Can you believe this loser?" Fatty looks like Old Scratch there, and Romney the guy who realized he was signing over his soul to the devil but couldn't care less as long as he got something juicy out of it, like Secretary of State.
And that picture may be reason number two. Fatty made the Rombot look like a sad clown. And he was. But it's taken him two years to say "I know you are, but what am I?"
Can you imagine Romney coming into the Senate at the height of Trump's triumphalist period, a couple of years ago? No way would he have come out with something like this op-ed piece, although it's no more true today than it was then. Just more obvious.
So here's the Rat, two years late and 47% short.
Another profile in porridge.
Brad Parscale, DiJiT's 2020 campaign mgr, tweeted that RMoney criticized DiJiT out of jealously (sic), saying that jealously (sic) is a dish best served warm.
I have no idea what that means, except it brings to mind DijiT's Moscow trip and Cactus Jack Garner's characterization of the office of VP.
How nice for Ak that RMoney is back on the scene. It'll be like when the dog finds that old bone he buried long ago, that he can now rag and worry again ... and I mean that in a good way. I think most people forget that RMoney was the biggest liar to run for prezdet, until the next mendacionator, who is on a whole different astral plane when it comes to mendacity.
Patrick Shanahan: Cutting the middle man out of the military-industrial complex.
@Akhilleus
Powerful Romney portrait, I think. Well done. Yes, we all remember the Mitt kiss-ass. Whadda man!
We also remember that Mitt was a professional vulture capitalist-- probably still is--and proud of it. By definition and the nature of their actions, both, these people are lowlifes, no different from the Pretender, just as Bea says above, a little more socially adept, less likely to piss on the carpet in public.
In the more things don't change department:
Have been re-reading some histories that among other things, recount mistreatment of the American Indians. No startling revelations. I think we all know how the agents and contractors commonly diverted footstuffs promised the Indians by treaty to their own private accounts.
Indians starved. The corruption went on for years.
Wonder how the inmates in Entrekin's jail did?
But did anyone care? The inmates weren't white either.
More greedy men giving vultures a bad name.
Matt Ford gives us more particulars re: Elizabeth Warren's dip into the muddy waters of running for the big brass ring, He says most candidates offer bromides about American greatness or describe in vague terms the issues they'd tackle as president. Warren goes a step further offering a grand unified theory for how things went awry in modern American democracy and framing her entire agenda around a single issue: Corruption.
https://newrepublic.com/article/152826/elizabeth-warrens-theory-everything
So here's some associative thinking for you (not "thinking" per se, more like stream of consciousness).
Patrick mentioned the Brad Parscale comeback to the Rat's op-ed piece. "Jealously (sic) is a drink (??) best served warm."
What? First it's not jealousy. Second, it's not a drink, and third, it was never "served warm".
Nice comeback there, Brad. Stick to your computer hacking. Oh wait, there's a call for you. Putin on line 2. Clearly there's no cultural literacy test given for Trump employees. Or spelling tests.
But that got me thinking. Maybe he meant "jalousie". And because a jalousie has slats, maybe he was thinking of Fatty's wall.
Which reminded me that Fatty was all over the Kelly interview in which General Misogynist stated that the idea of a wall was no longer, er, concrete. To which Fatty shot back, well, there's still concrete but some guys want to see through it, so we'll have some slats. And maybe some plexiglas so the border guards can see what's going on?
How 'bout possible "invaders" just stay away from the plexiglas/slats locations? And really, if they want to have a look-see over the wall, they have these things now called CAM-E-RAS. They're really cool.
These people are less than stupid. They are uniquely dense.
And I don't say that out of jalousie.
Now where's that warm drink I ordered for Mittens?
Akhilleus,
And here I had thought the Parscale tweet was just another joke I didn't get...
...The R's are known for their rarified sense of humor.l
Ken,
And don't forget those lovely smallpox blankets white men gave their native pals. Here ya go. Stay warm. Nyuk, nyuk, nyuk.
Now that Elizabeth Warren is looking toward 2020, expect plenty of racist remarks from the Orange Monster, more references to Pocahontas.
And while we're at it, (White) America Firsters have been successful in eliminating or severely downplaying the genocide and forcible removal of Native Americans in history textbooks written for high school students by racist wingers to promote a "more positive" image of America (John Wayne good. Indians, nowhere to be seen).
You see, knowledge of any evil in our past, done in the name of the US of A is strictly verboten, mach schnell! I'm sure they think of such things as fake history. In typical right-wing zero-sum thinking, any reference to heinous or horrific acts by white men against native tribes means a win for the indians and a big loss for the cowboys.
Along the same vein, it's no surprise that Trump is a big fan of Brazil's new racist, authoritarian leader, Jair Bolsonaro (and vice versa). Bolsonaro is aggressively antagonistic toward minority groups including citizens descended from indigenous tribes. No wonder he and Fatty have such a mutual attraction.
The story (linked above) addressing the problems of the market's dodgy December, connected in part to Steven Mnuchin stepping on his dick (again), reminds us all of the fallacy, which underpins almost all R policy decisions and right-wing ideological finger-wagging, that rich people are both smarter and more morally upright (ergo deserving) than the rest of us.
Munchkin is surely rich (about $385 million worth), but just as surely could not, in any possible universe, be mistaken for a smart (never mind overly moral) guy.
Like Trump, he had almost everything handed to him, money, position, connections, power. Basically, all he's had to do was to lean on people who actually were smart, and hang on. The article indicates that he's made over $100 million from films. Films he had nothing to do with. He didn't write or direct them, he didn't produce them either (although money guys often get producer credits). He belongs to an investment group that funds films that make money. And it's not like they were savvy enough to finance up and coming artists on chancy pictures. It's no trick to make money off superhero movies. Even sucky superhero movies make money. The film "Daredevil", a godawful piece of dreck, continually laughed at by comics fans, still came in with a profit of over $100 million. So it's not like anyone can confuse Munchkin with Irving Thalberg.
One thing he is good at is self-service. He makes sure to drill taxpayers for every dime he can scarf. Like all the rest of the Trump family and cabinet.
But smart? I'm gonna say that on his best day he's not even as smart as Trump. And that bar couldn't be negotiated by a world class limbo artist.
Confederates have been saying--outright--for decades now, that the rich are the "job creators" and the drivers of the economy. This may be true, but only for a very few. The rest, like Trump and Munchkin, tag along for the ride and get rich off the backs of others. They aren't the engine, they're the caboose. And a draggy caboose at best.
So, in effect, Republicans are demanding that we all get together and pull that caboose up the hill, filled with the one percenters, and while we're at it, make sure their drinks are always fresh. Oh, yeah. And gigantic tax breaks while we're at it. Because Masters of the Universe Giant Brains like Munchkin, who decide it's a good idea to run around to all the networks when the stock market dips and shout that banks have enough just in case we have a repeat of 1929, are wicked smaht.
So don't worry!!!!!!
I never read Art of the Deal so I have a low I.Q. when it comes to negotiating deals, but I am dreading the idea of the Dems coming out of Trump's shutdown debacle by giving him some $$$ for his limp dick wall while securing some sort of DACA deal (that Fats would probably slow walk and knee cap later anyways). El Kilgore has a piece over on nymag.com on all of the talk around this subject.
I'm all for securing DACA protections but I didn't like the Wall-for-DACA deal before and I still don't like it now. A huge majority excepting only the extremist Fox Freaks think the DACA candidates should be allowed to stay. We shouldn't have to give Trump such a huge concession (permission to build "wall" that everyone knows is stupid) to achieve a policy victory that is already hugely popular.
If DACA gets put on the table and Dems don't play ball, the administration will send out all of its pithy gasbags to mendaciously lie until their faces turn blue about how Democrats hate latinos and poor DACA recipients, but Pelosi just needs to calmly look at the camera and remind everyone that Democrats under Obama created DACA, want it to continue, and are ready to fix what Trump broke any time as a separate matter.
@safari: Here's how the DACA for a wall deal should go. DACA becomes law. All of the billions for "border security" go to better facilities for migrants -- accommodations, medical facilities, courts, lawyers, etc. -- EXCEPT Trump gets 2,000 mm. of a 35-foot-high concrete wall. With any luck, Trump won't ask what "mm." means, but if he does, no doubt someone on his crack staff will tell him "miles." Later, it will be fun watching Trump stand in the desert giving speeches in front of his 6-1/2-foot-long wall. Of course when the camera pans out, you'll see migrants streaming in on either side.
Bea,
Like your "deal" a lot!
It shoulda been your picture on the cover.
Trump Deal=Hurray for me and fuck you.
Everyone knows this. Schumer and Pelosi surely know this. You can't trust this guy. His deals benefit him and no one else. A Wall for DACA deal is no deal. Safari is correct. Trump will back out of any DACA deal as soon as he gets his money, and since we're talking money, here's what the WaPo says about that (from a piece linked this afternoon):
"The U.S.-Mexico border is roughly 2,000 miles long. Trump’s demand for $5.6 billion to build new sections of wall would finance 200 miles of wall, and less than 100 miles has already been constructed or renovated, according to Department of Homeland Security Officials."
So, 2,000 miles, minus 100 already built and the 200 more paid for by taxpayers at the cost of $5.6 billion.
Let's get the trusty ol' pencil out, shall we? 2,000 minus 300, that's 1700, divided by 200, gives us 8.5 increments of 200 miles, times 5.6.
Okay. That gives us 47.6 billion (or about $28 million/mile). Add in the $5.6 billion he demands now, and that's about $53.2 billion. Is that really how much this thing is going to cost? Hell no. We're talking Trump here. If an accurate accounting based on the government's own calculations says the Trump Boondoggle Wall will cost over $53 billion, you can pretty much add 50% on top of that (hey, Fatty has to make a small profit, right?).
(Even if the numbers are a little off--say 1500 miles rather than 1700, it's still an enormous amount of money, far more than Fatty or any of his racist supporters have thrown around thus far. I think Turtle Man McConnell once floated a figure of $12 billion. Only $40 billion off! A true Republican pol.)
And after, say, $80 billion has been spent, it won't make a damn bit of difference to anyone. Except the taxpayers, the services and infrastructure and programs that were deep-sixed to pay for it, and Trump's crony corporation pals who rake in all the money.
This is how Trumpies do government.
Hurray for us and fuck everyone else. Oh, and by the way, here's the check. We'll be waiting in the car.
Have you seen the video of Florida man @ McDonalds assaulting a black woman employee? She was not having it and he got arrested. It's hard to believe this old world but it is worthwhile to address real problems with racism by showing real evidence of the ugly minds out there.
Actually heard two Dems on NPR this morning decrying the funding of Marmalade Face's made-up wall by taxpayers, and using the word "blackmail" in relation to tying DACA in as a "deal." They are getting daring, the closer to the House triumph...it is about time. The "host" was being oh-so-helpful by pointing out that calling out the administration for corruption was...a bit "strong..." NPR must stand for Never Perceive Rightly... I was a bit heartened by the Dems finally refusing to be pushed around and squeezed into moderation...It is clear to me that NPR people have their marching orders, and they are to always question people on the left, and just stay mum with righties. I am constantly screaming as I dry my hair...
New York Times has a piece by Maggie Haberman titled "Trump Says Mattis Resignation Was ‘Essentially’ a Firing": "(but for those pesky bone spurs) "
"Mr. Trump said that he himself “would’ve been a good general, but who knows.”
I know! NOT!
Some gems from youse guys:
"Romney was barking at the back door for a bone. Trump opened the door, Romney lay down, played dead, rolled over, and jumped through a few hoops. Trump smacked him with a rolled up newspaper, chased him out of the yard, and told him to pee somewhere else." Ak
"It is curious that Trump thinks these Washington veterans just fell off a turnip truck." Mrs. M.
"I never read Art of the Deal so I have a low I.Q. when it comes to negotiating deals, but I am dreading the idea of the Dems coming out of Trump's shutdown debacle by giving him some $$$ for his limp dick wall while securing some sort of DACA deal (that Fats would probably slow walk and knee cap later anyways)" safari
"I am constantly screaming as I dry my hair..."Jeanne
"And here I had thought the Parscale tweet was just another joke I didn't get...
...The R's are known for their rarified sense of humor." Ken
And Pelosi's daughter said today on CNN when talking about how her mother will deal with the likes of the Art of the Deal guy:
"She'll cut your head off and you'll never know you're bleeding."
P.S. @AK: I say "mach schnell" whenever I want people––usually little people–-to hurry up and get going. My mother used this phrase repeatedly in my youth––everybody was too slow moving in her book.