The Commentariat -- July 27, 2021
Afternoon Update:
White, Christian, heterosexual males are 25 percent of the population, and they are not satisfied to hold only 85 percent of the power. -- Matthew Dowd, a white, Christian, heterosexual male, on the teevee Tuesday
Eli Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "President Biden said that the federal government was considering making vaccines mandatory for its workforce -- what would be a significant escalation in push to expand vaccine coverage as the coronavirus surge from the Delta variant sends shockwaves through the country. 'That's under consideration right now,' he said in response to a reporter's question at an appearance Tuesday. 'If you're not vaccinated, you're not nearly as smart as I thought you were.' There are at least 4 million federal employees, a figure that includes civilian workers, members of the military, and members of the U.S. Postal Service, according to recent estimates, making the government the country's largest employer. It could not be learned if the discussions about vaccine requirements would also apply to members of the military."
Yasmeen Abutaleb, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommended Tuesday that vaccinated Americans wear masks indoors in certain circumstances -- the latest step in the nation's escalating fight against the highly transmissible delta variant of the coronavirus. The agency advised that vaccinated people who live in high-transmission places wear masks in indoor public spaces, according to three people familiar with the guidance. It also recommended that vaccinated people with vulnerable household members, including young children and those who are immunocompromised, wear masks indoors in public spaces." The article is free to nonsubscribers. CNN's report is here.
Paul Waldman of the Washington Post: "... in the world's richest country we have more vaccine doses than we know what to do with, and we're terribly worried about not hurting the delicate feelings of those who insist on putting everyone else at risk... Being nice to those who refuse to be vaccinated is getting awfully tiresome.... After a year and a half of this pandemic, and so much suffering and death, it's hard to care about their feelings.... At the very least, we should start taking every step possible to prevent those actively refusing to participate in our mutual effort to prevent each other from getting sick and dying from doing more harm.... There's no perfect answer to how far ... restrictions should go, but at a minimum we ought to say that if you want the freedom not to be vaccinated, a business or organization should have the freedom to tell you to stay away until either you're vaccinated or the pandemic is over."
Mary Jalonick of the AP: "'This is how I'm going to die, defending this entrance,' Capitol Police Sergeant Aquilino Gonell recalled thinking, testifying Tuesday at the emotional opening hearing of the congressional panel investigating the violent Jan. 6 Capitol insurrection. Gonell told House investigators he could feel himself losing oxygen as he was crushed by rioters -- supporters of ... Donald Trump -- as he tried to hold them back and protect the Capitol and lawmakers. He and three other officers gave their accounts of the attack, sometimes wiping away tears, sometimes angrily rebuking Republicans who have resisted the probe and embraced Trump's downplaying of the day's violence. Six months after the insurrection, with no action yet taken to bolster Capitol security or provide a full accounting of what went wrong, the new panel launched its investigation by starting with the law enforcement officers who protected them. Along with graphic video of the hand-to-hand fighting, the officers described being beaten as they held off the mob that broke through windows and doors and interrupted the certification of Democrat Joe Biden's presidential win."
Maeve Sheehey of Politico: "The two House Republicans participating in the Democratic-led investigation into the Jan. 6 Capitol attack issued pointed rejoinders to their party's leadership, defending their own conservative credibility, during the select panel's first hearing on Tuesday. An emotional Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois spent much of his questioning time criticizing fellow Republicans who 'have treated this as just another partisan fight.' While he didn't mention House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy by name, the GOP leader has chastised Kinzinger and Rep. Liz Cheney of Wyoming for serving on the panel, calling them 'Pelosi Republicans' in a bid to link them to the Democratic speaker who appointed them." ~~~
~~~ It's All Nancy's Fault. Mike Lillis of the Hill: "House GOP leaders teed off on Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) Tuesday morning, accusing her of neglecting her duty to defend the Capitol on Jan. 6 and demanding answers about her role in the violent attack that injured more than 140 police officers.... They also did not answer reporters' questions about why Sen. Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), who was Senate majority leader on Jan. 6, should not bear the same responsibility they say Pelosi does for the security lapses.... Pelosi's office quickly issued a statement pushing back against the charges. The statement noted that congressional leaders do not oversee the everyday decisions surrounding Capitol security -- a responsibility of the Capitol Police Board -- while asserting that the Speaker never denied a request to active the National Guard."
Katie Benner of the New York Times: "The Justice Department notified former officials this week that they could testify to the various committees investigating the Trump administration's efforts to subvert the results of the presidential election and the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, according to a letter obtained by The New York Times. Witnesses can give 'unrestricted testimony' to the House Oversight and Reform Committee and the Senate Judiciary Committee, the department said. Both panels are scrutinizing the bid by officials in the Trump White House to force the Justice Department to undermine President Biden's victory, as well as the events leading up to the Capitol riot, as Congress convened to formally tally the electoral results." ~~~
~~~ Evan Perez of CNN: "The Justice Department formally declined to assert executive privilege for potential testimony of at least some witnesses related to the January 6 Capitol attack.... The decision paves the way for some former Justice Department officials to testify on what they witnessed in the chaotic days between ... Donald Trump's November election loss and early January when he tried to use the Justice Department and other means to advance false claims that he won."
Abha Bhattarai of the Washington Post: "Walmart will begin offering free college tuition and books to its 1.5 million U.S. employees, the latest effort by the country's largest private employer to attract and retain workers in a tight labor market. The retail giant said Tuesday that it will invest nearly $1 billion over the next five years in career training and development programs for workers who want to pursue majors in high-demand fields, such as business administration, supply chain and cybersecurity. The company had previously required its Walmart and Sam's Club workforce to pay $1 a day to participate in the program.... Walmart's Live Better U education program, which will be free beginning Aug. 16, was created three years ago to help employees advance within the company.... More than 52,000 employees have participated and 8,000 have graduated since 2018." MB: Walmart just made itself an attractive employer for young people and anyone who wants to work toward a college degree. I never thought I'd say, "Good for Walmart." I'm saying it now.
California. Katie Shepherd of the Washington Post: "An attacker robbed former senator Barbara Boxer near her home in Oakland, Calif., on Monday, shoving the longtime lawmaker and snatching her cellphone before fleeing by car.... 'I said, "How can you do this to a grandmother?"' said Boxer, who served as a Democratic senator from California.... The attack on 80-year-old Boxer follows the Oakland City Council's decision last month to cut the police department's budget by about $18 million in favor of funding social services and violence-prevention programs."
~~~~~~~~~~~
The Washington Post is liveblogging developments in the House select committee on the January 6 insurrection. The first hearing is scheduled to begin today at 9:30 am ET. ~~~
~~~ Jeremy Herb, et al., of CNN: "In its opening act, the House select committee investigating the January 6 attack on the Capitol holds its first high-profile hearing Tuesday with testimony from four officers who will give firsthand accounts of the horrors they witnessed and endured as rioters stormed the building. The officers are expected to recount the harrowing attacks they faced on January 6, including being beaten with a flagpole, getting crushed in a doorway, being the target of racial slurs and facing rioters who tased them. The committee also is expected to show never-before-seen videos depicting the violence from that day, just as House impeachment managers did during the impeachment trial of ... Donald Trump." ~~~
~~~ Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-Miss.), chair of the committee, in a Washington Post op-ed: "Many of the Jan. 6 rioters have stated in their court pleadings that they stormed the Capitol believing they were acting on behalf of, or even at the behest of, then-President Donald Trump. The protection of our democracy demands that we comprehensively investigate what drove Americans to riot and violently assault Capitol Police, Metropolitan Police and other law enforcement officers to access the inner sanctum of Congress and private offices of top congressional leaders, including the speaker of the House.... The committee will provide the definitive accounting of one of the darkest days in our history." ~~~
~~~ Marianna Sotomayor of the Washington Post: "Democrats are seeking to elevate the role of Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) on the committee examining the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol, scheduling her to deliver one of the two opening statements at the panel's first public hearing Tuesday, according to two people familiar with the decision. The move is intended to present the committee as a bipartisan effort following Republican leadership's decision not to participate in the panel.... During a closed-door meeting last week, Rep. Adam B. Schiff (D-Calif.) proposed to [Speaker Nancy] Pelosi and Cheney that having the Wyoming congresswoman speak after Chairman Bennie G. Thompson (D-Miss.) would present a 'strong visual' for the committee's goals and intentions as it embarks on a months-long process to investigate the insurrection, according to a person familiar with the conversation, who, like others, spoke on the condition of anonymity...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Pundits have been talking about Nancy Pelosi's outsmarting Kevin McCarthy. Looks as though Liz Cheney outsmarted McCarthy, too -- not that outsmarting Kevin is all that difficult.
Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "President Biden on Monday announced that the United States will end its combat mission in Iraq by year's end, his latest effort to push American diplomacy past a post-9/11 worldview and shift its focus away from terrorism and the Middle East and toward threats like China and cyberwarfare. Welcoming Iraqi Prime Minister Mustafa al-Kadhimi to the Oval Office, Biden promised ongoing support for democracy in Iraq, including elections this fall, but he said the military mission there will change.... The Iraq announcement came three months after Biden announced the full withdrawal of U.S. troops from Afghanistan, and just one week after he started transferring prisoners from Guantánamo Bay in hopes of eventually shutting down the prison. Taken together, the moves represent what has become a pillar of Biden's foreign policy: ending two decades of what he sees as an outdated reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and focusing on an increasingly aggressive China, which he sees as the biggest threat to American security." (This is an update of a story linked yesterday afternoon.)
Nomaan Merchant of the AP: "President Joe Biden is making his first visit to an agency of the U.S. intelligence community, looking to emphasize his confidence in national security leaders after his predecessor's incendiary battles against what he often derided as the 'deep state.' Biden is scheduled Tuesday afternoon to visit the Office of the Director of National Intelligence, which oversees the 17 U.S. intelligence organizations. The White House said in a statement that Biden intends to express 'admiration for their work and underscore the importance for our national security of intelligence collection and analysis free from political interference.'... Donald Trump visited the Central Intelligence Agency on his first full day in office, praising the agencies but also airing personal grievances. Standing in front of CIA's memorial wall with stars marking each of the officers who have died while serving, Trump settled scores with the media and repeated false claims about the size of his inauguration crowd.... Trump would go through four permanent or acting directors of national intelligence in four years and engaged in near-constant fights with the intelligence community."
Arsenic & Old Lead. Dino Grandoni of the Washington Post: "The Environmental Protection Agency announced Monday it will set stricter requirements for how coal-fired power plants dispose of wastewater full of arsenic, lead and mercury -- a major source of toxic water pollution in rivers, lakes and streams near electric generators across the country, from Wyoming to Pennsylvania. In a new rulemaking process that kicked off Monday, President Biden's team is aiming to undo one of the Trump administration's major regulatory rollbacks. Last year, the Trump EPA weakened rules forcing many coal plants to treat wastewater with modern filtration methods and other technology before it reached waterways that provide drinking water for thousands of Americans.... It is ... an example of how the Biden administration is grappling with decades of neglect on water issues under Democratic and Republican presidents as it pushes for billions of dollars from Congress to replace lead pipes and fix aging sewage systems."
Lisa Mascaro, et al., of the AP: "Senators and the White House are locked in intense negotiations to salvage a bipartisan infrastructure deal, with pressure mounting on all sides to wrap up talks and show progress on President Joe Biden's top priority. Despite weeks of closed-door discussions, senators from the bipartisan group blew past a Monday deadline set for agreement on the nearly $1 trillion package. Instead they hit serious roadblocks over how much would be spent on public transit and water infrastructure and whether the new spending on roads, bridges, broadband and other projects would be required to meet federal wage requirements for workers. They're also at odds over drawing on COVID-19 funds to help pay for it. Republican negotiator Sen. Rob Portman of Ohio, who took the lead in key talks with a top White House aide, insisted the bipartisan group was 'making progress.'"
** The Right's Moral Bankruptcy. Paul Krugman of the New York Times: "... J.D. Vance, the author of 'Hillbilly Elegy,' who is now a Republican Senate candidate in Ohio..., noted that some prominent Democrats don't have children, and he lashed out at the 'childless left.' He also praised the policies of Viktor Orban, the leader of Hungary, whose government is subsidizing couples who have children, and asked, 'Why can't we do that here?' As The Washington Post's Dave Weigel, who was there, pointed out, it was odd that Vance didn't mention Joe Biden's newly instituted child tax credit, which will make an enormous difference to many poorer families with children. It was also interesting that he praised Hungary rather than other European nations with strong pronatalist policies [such as France].... So why did Vance single out for praise a repressive, autocratic government with a strong white nationalist bent? That was a rhetorical question.... When politicians rant about values, or attack other people's personal choices, it's usually a sign that they're unable or unwilling to propose policies that would actually improve American lives."
Shayna Jacobs of the Washington Post: "Thomas J. Barrack, a wealthy investor and ex-adviser to ... Donald Trump, pleaded not guilty to charges related to foreign lobbying at his first court appearance in New York since his arrest in California last week. Barrack, 74, and his co-defendant Matthew Grimes, 27, were arraigned Monday in federal court in Brooklyn, where they are charged with failing to register as agents of a foreign government while covertly working on behalf of the United Arab Emirates. Barrack, who is also accused of lying to the FBI, is free on a $250 million bond." MB: Though not explicited stated in the story, it appears Grimes also pleaded not guilty.
Jamelle Bouie of the New York Times: The "Founding Fathers"' "fears and apprehensions are the subject of a recent book by Dennis C. Rasmussen, a political scientist at Syracuse University. In 'Fears of a Setting Sun...', Rasmussen walks readers through the later-in-life correspondence of Jefferson, Washington, Alexander Hamilton and John Adams, each of whom feared for the fate of the American republic following their service in the government they created. And for good reason.... '...the founders' correspondence was "littered with predictions of imminent collapse.'... Adams wrote ... to [his son] John Quincy that, 'If there is any Thing Serious in this World, the Selfishness of our Countrymen is not only Serious but melancholy, foreboding ravages of Ambition and Avarice which never were exceeded on this Selfish Globe.'... To Rufus King, Hamilton wrote that 'the prospects of our Country are not brilliant. The mass is far from sound.'... 'The source of Jefferson's frustration and despondency,' Rasmussen writes, 'was not the continued failure of the South to finally put slavery on the road to extinction, but rather the North's opposition to its expansion.'"
Jacey Fortin of the New York Times: "Michael B. Enzi, a long-serving United States senator from Wyoming who had a reputation as a low-key, consensus-seeking conservative and who led the Senate Budget Committee for several years before he retired in January, died on Monday, days after a bicycle accident. He was 77." The Guardian's obituary is here.
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Tuesday are here.
John Wagner of the Washington Post: "President Biden said Monday that long-term symptoms of covid-19 could be considered a disability under federal civil rights laws, an announcement timed to coincide with the 31st anniversary of the landmark Americans With Disabilities Act. 'Many Americans seemingly recovered from the virus still face lingering challenges like breathing problems, brain fog, chronic pain and fatigue,' Biden said during a ceremony in the Rose Garden at the White House, where he signed a proclamation commemorating the 1990 law that passed with bipartisan support. 'These conditions can sometimes rise to the level of a disability,' Biden said."
Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "The Department of Veterans Affairs, which runs one of the nation's largest health systems, announced Monday it would mandate coronavirus vaccines for its front-line workers, becoming the first federal agency to do so and signaling what some experts said could be a national pivot to such requirements. Faced with the explosive growth of a new virus variant, the state of California and the city of New York gave workers a choice: Get vaccinated or face weekly testing. And an array of hospitals from coast to coast, including the prestigious Mayo Clinic, declared they would require staff to get vaccinated, following a joint plea from the nation's major medical groups. Health-care leaders say the moves represent an escalation of the nation's fight against the coronavirus -- the first concerted effort to mandate that tens of millions of Americans get vaccinated, more than seven months after regulators authorized the shots and as new cases rip through the nation." The article is free to nonsubscribers.
Jeremy Diamond & Kate Sullivan of CNN: "The White House has decided to maintain existing coronavirus travel restrictions amid surging cases triggered by the Delta variant, White House press secretary Jen Psaki said Monday.... The Biden administration has been under growing pressure from the travel industry and US allies to lift pandemic-era restrictions limiting who can travel to the US."
An Unvaccinated Nitwit.Roni Rabin of the New York Times: "... many inoculated Americans are losing patience with vaccine holdouts who, they say, are neglecting a civic duty or clinging to conspiracy theories and misinformation.... The country seemed to be exiting the pandemic; barely a month ago, a sense of celebration was palpable. Now many of the vaccinated fear for their unvaccinated children and worry that they are at risk themselves for breakthrough infections. Rising case rates are upending plans for school and workplace reopenings, and threatening another wave of infections that may overwhelm hospitals in many communities.... Some vaccinated people believe the federal government should start using sticks rather than carrots, like lottery tickets." MB: Count me among those who are "losing patience" with the nitwits. Some of the vaccinated people interviewed suggested sticks to use against the unvaccinated. I think it would be appropriate to require them all to wear tinfoil dunce caps when they go out in public.
Dan Diamond of the Washington Post: "Congressional investigators expanded their inquiry Monday of political interference at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention under ... Donald Trump, citing newly obtained documents and additional reports of the administration's meddling in government scientists' work. The expanded investigation centers on efforts to blunt the CDC's Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Reports (MMWRs), which offer public updates on scientists' findings. The reports had been considered sacrosanct for decades and untouchable by political appointees in the past, but Trump appointees pushed last year to edit the findings, worried that they undermined Trump's more optimistic spin on the coronavirus pandemic.... The subcommittee is requesting interviews with Anne Schuchat, a former CDC deputy director; Nancy Messonnier, a former senior official who held a variety of leadership roles at the CDC during the pandemic; and six current career staff members at the CDC and the Department of Health and Human Services. The subcommittee also is requesting interviews with former Trump appointees Kyle McGowan, Amanda Campbell and Nina Witkofsky, who served as top political appointees at the CDC last year." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Jonathan Weisman of the New York Times: "Representative Clay Higgins, Republican of Louisiana and an outspoken coronavirus skeptic who has drafted legislation to make vaccine mandates a federal crime, announced this weekend that he, his wife and his son have Covid-19. The announcement on Facebook, which did not provide details on symptoms, raised many questions. Mr. Higgins said he and his wife had previously been infected with the coronavirus in January 2020, at the dawn of the pandemic.... He did not say whether he had gotten an antibody test to confirm a previous infection, nor has he said whether he has been vaccinated against the coronavirus.... Mr. Higgins also asserted, without proof, that the Chinese Communist Party created the novel coronavirus as a biological warfare agent, calling it 'weaponized.' Republicans have increasingly stated, with no evidence, that the coronavirus is human-made and leaked from a laboratory in Wuhan, China -- some say intentionally. Although President Biden has ordered an intelligence assessment of the theory, most scientists continue to believe that the virus emerged naturally from animals. A senior virologist at the Wuhan Institute of Virology has strenuously denied the virus was created or leaked from her lab." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Tajikstan. Robyn Dixon of the Washington Post: "After the president of Tajikstan's sister died in the hospital reportedly of covid-19, her three sons attacked and beat up the country's health minister and a senior doctor, according to local media. The reports, widespread in Tajik media, cast a rare spotlight on the sudden surge of covid-19 cases in this Central Asian country that for a time denied it had any infections. In a change, the latest surge seems to be hitting right at the top levels of the nation's leadership. The incident came just weeks after the death of President Emomali Rahmon's mother-in-law, also reportedly of covid-19. The government has faced criticism over its denials and inaction after covid-19 spread in the country last year, and its failure to stem a disastrous new wave of infections. The latest spike in cases, initially denied by authorities, has hit wealthy and influential families in Tajikistan." MB: Seems a little like Tennessee.
Beyond the Beltway
California. Quint Forgey of Politico: "California voters most likely to participate in the September recall election are virtually split over whether to oust Gov. Gavin Newsom from office, according to a survey released Tuesday. The poll -- conducted by University of California, Berkeley's Institute of Governmental Studies and cosponsored by the Los Angeles Times -- showed that 47 percent of likely voters support recalling the Democratic governor, while 50 percent oppose the effort. That difference falls within the poll's margin of error."
Florida. Giulia Heyward, et al., of the New York Times: "More than a month after the terrifying collapse of a condominium tower in Surfside, Fla., the last victim's remains were identified on Monday, bringing the final death toll to 98 and capping a tedious, painstaking effort to account for every resident who had been killed.... The disaster is now officially one of the deadliest structural building failures in American history.... While the search for bodies at the collapse site concluded on Friday, teams of police officers continued to search off-site through millions of pounds of debris for evidence, victims' remains and personal items belonging to residents."
Texas. Eva Moravec & Elise Viebeck of the Washington Post: "Texas House Speaker Dade Phelan (R) has signed a warrant for the arrest of a Democratic legislator -- the first one he has signed since dozens of Democrats fled the state earlier this month in a bid to prevent Republicans from passing new voting restrictions. Phelan signed the warrant Sunday, directing law enforcement to take Rep. Philip Cortez into custody and bring him to the House after Cortez returned to Austin to negotiate with Republicans, then abruptly went back to D.C. Although the warrant is unlikely to be carried out now, as it is not enforceable outside Texas, the move escalates the showdown between Texas Republicans and Democrats over voting access less than two weeks before the House's special legislative session is scheduled to end."
Texas. A Crook After His Own Heart. Myah Ward of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Monday night endorsed Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton for reelection, even as the incumbent faces a criminal indictment on fraud charges and a separate FBI corruption investigation.... [Trump passed over] George P. Bush -- grandson and nephew of two former presidents, and the last remaining member of the political dynasty in public office -- [who] made the trek to Florida to ask for Trump's endorsement for attorney general a couple of weeks ago, tweeting that he appreciated Trump's 'friendship & kind words as we work together to Keep America Great.'"
Texas. Timothy Bella of the Washington Post: "Santos and David Rodriguez were handcuffed in a Dallas police car when an officer began to play Russian roulette with the hope of getting them to confess to stealing $8 from a gas station vending machine. Santos, 12, and David, 13, had been pulled from their beds by Dallas police officer Darrell Cain in the early-morning hours of July 24, 1973. The White officer had already once pulled the trigger of his .357 Magnum revolver during his interrogation of the Mexican American boys, who said they did not commit the petty theft.... The second time the officer fired his gun, he shot Santos in the head. The killing of the 12-year-old rocked Dallas and the nation, and resulted in Cain being convicted of murder.... Cain, who died in 2019 at 75, was sentenced to five years in prison, but ended up serving only half of his sentence for a murder described by one critic as 'one of the worst cases of racism with impunity.'... Nearly 50 years later, Dallas police have apologized to Bessie Rodriguez, the mother of Santos and David...." MB: A horrifying story.
Way Beyond
Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "A billionaire telecoms tycoon, Najib Mikati, was appointed Monday to form Lebanon's next government, handing him the challenge of trying to pull the small Mediterranean country out of a downward economic spiral. Mr. Mikati, 65, is the third politician delegated by the Parliament to form a government since the huge explosion nearly a year ago in the port of Beirut that killed more than 200 people and led to the cabinet in charge at the time resigning. Since the August blast, the country has continued to sink, with frequent protests against the political elite, chronic traffic jams, and the currency losing 90 percent of its value, leading to acute shortages of fuel, medicine and electricity."
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Reader Comments (11)
BUSTERS: a Boob story: Once again women solve problems, come up with the best ideas and continue to amaze.
https://www.pbs.org/newshour/show/these-tight-knit-retirees-are-helping-breast-cancer-survivors-feel-like-boobless-wonders?utm_medium=event&utm_source=playlist__link
Not a fan in any way, but I am deeply saddened to read that former Sen Mike Enzi has died after being in a bicycle accident. Nobody deserves that.
The microcosm affecting the macrocosm (and funny): https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/olympics/2021/07/27/olympic-wardrobe-regulations/. Sally Jenkins is great and much less mean spirited than MoDo.
Rocky: I couldn't agree more. Bicyclists incorporate health, thrift, and fun most every time they ride. Joe and Jill ride bicycles; the former guy and first lady...I don't think so!
The former guy (First Loser) doesn’t ride bicycles. He rides a tricycle. With a really yuuuuge seat to accommodate that fat ass. Melanie doesn’t ride either. She really doesn’t care.
What a long strange trip that was with Boris and Natasha and their horde of crooks, grifters, losers, and liars snaking around the White House corridors working up newer and ever more egregious plots for self enrichment and spreading their slimy tentacles across the landscape, making life sadder, more difficult, and far worse for millions.
I'm. with you, Marie.
And here I've long been complaining about the Party of Resentment.
But the anti-vaxx idiots have pushed me over the edge.
For years I've had trouble with the inequality party, the racist party, the anti-abortion party, the assault weapon party, the no-tax party, but have attempted to keep my resentments of its thoughtless, stupid, destructive selfishness under some control but I've given up.
I'm now a proud charter member of my own Resentment Party.
All here are welcome to join.
I watched the 1-6 hearing today, and was surprised at some of the honest emotionalism that overtook a couple of the MOCs, notably Kinzinger. It appeared real, verklempt.
But the BESTEST part was we did not have to look at or listen to Gym Jordan. Such a good feeling! The absence of that a-hole produced major endorphins. Who would have thought that nothing was something?
Here's Adam Kinzinger at today's hearing:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eydFcfHGyio
Ken,
Can I join your party? But despite the very real and visceral feelings of resentment, I would prefer we call it the Sane, Responsible, and Humane Party. None of those adjectives remotely describe any in the Trump-McConnell-McCarthy Party of insane, irresponsible, inhumane Traitors.
Staphylodoofus on the rise…
MTG, m for moron, t for tachythanatous, g for gasbag, tweets out a question meant to display her supreme knowledge of contagious diseases, wondering whether those left-wing commie ‘merica haters at the CDC will soon be testing for…wait for it…”staff infections”. That’s right, “staff infections”. I guess that’s what happens when confederate congressional staffers listen to too many Trump Lies.
Anyway, glad to know the traitors are keeping their Merck Manuals handy. For flattening their press clippings.
https://mobile.twitter.com/mtgreenee/status/1419489724985643008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1419489724985643008%7Ctwgr%5E%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.joemygod.com%2F2021%2F07%2Fqanon-rep-its-segregation-to-require-proof-of-vax-why-dont-they-test-for-aids-or-staff-infections%2F
Staphylodoofus on the rise…
MTG, m for moron, t for tachythanatous, g for gasbag, twitters a question meant to display her supreme knowledge of contagious diseases, wondering whether those left-wing commie ‘merica haters at the CDC will soon be testing for…wait for it…”staff infections”. That’s right, “staff infections”. I guess that’s what happens when confederate congressional staffers listen to too many Trump Lies.
Anyway, glad to know the traitors are keeping their Merck Manuals handy.
For flattening their press clippings.
@Akhilleus: I think a staff infection is where a person at the morning MTG "brain"-storming meeting says something that vaguely comports with reality, a horrifying development that could make even Margie mask up, at least until the infected staffer is shown the door.