Sunday, April 30, 2017
Saturday, April 29, 2017
It Didn't Start Well
JAN. 21
“I made a speech. I looked out, the field was — it looked like a million, million and a half people.”
Friday, April 28, 2017
Epic Idea
Looks like you can pick any team, any number and any "name".
Go for it.
Example NFL:
Example MLB:
Thursday, April 27, 2017
Today's Tweet
Jason Chaffetz leaves D.C. for 3-4 weeks with a foot problem. Dodgin' the line of fire with foot problems must be a Republican thing.— Tea Pain (@TeaPainUSA) April 27, 2017
Today's Quote
Lots more immediate than my usual quotes and chatterings.
“While the president has denied having invested in Russia, he has said little or nothing about Russian investment in his businesses and properties in the United States or elsewhere. This should concern all Americans and is yet another reason why his refusal to release his tax returns should be met with considerable skepticism and concern.”
“While the president has denied having invested in Russia, he has said little or nothing about Russian investment in his businesses and properties in the United States or elsewhere. This should concern all Americans and is yet another reason why his refusal to release his tax returns should be met with considerable skepticism and concern.”
--Adam Schiff, US Congress (D-CA28)
Sonny Perdue
Sonny Perdue is our new Sec'y of Agriculture (by a vote of 87-11).
Follow the Wikipedia link and read the bio, because I'm not gonna spend much time here bitchin' about his "commitment to the American farmer", which is code for "take good care of ADM and Monsanto, and the little guys will be plenty grateful for the crumbs".
What I dislike most is that a guy born 70 years ago, and named George Ervin Perdue III - a full-sized adult grown-ass man - is still called Sonny.
That's what I really don't love about The South.
Follow the Wikipedia link and read the bio, because I'm not gonna spend much time here bitchin' about his "commitment to the American farmer", which is code for "take good care of ADM and Monsanto, and the little guys will be plenty grateful for the crumbs".
What I dislike most is that a guy born 70 years ago, and named George Ervin Perdue III - a full-sized adult grown-ass man - is still called Sonny.
That's what I really don't love about The South.
Management By Bromide
People in seats of power need to know stuff. And they need to have a much deeper understanding of the problems than most folks. Simplistic bullet-point pronouncements just ain't gonna cut it.
WaPo:
“In over half of American households, the single largest expense is child care, even exceeding the cost of housing.”
— Ivanka Trump, assistant to the president, in Berlin, April 25, 2017
Ivanka Trump, the president’s daughter, has said she wants to help craft a solution to a vexing problem for American families: the soaring cost of child care. In a forum in Berlin, speaking without notes, she made an interesting observation — that in “over half” of American households, the cost of child care exceeded the cost of housing.
Is this the case?
And when you look just the tiniest bit past the facade, we're right back to "they don't know what the fuck they're doing".
But that's too simple too.
With 45* trying to bully his way thru everything in sight, Ivanka and Jared traipse about rounding off all the jagged edges and softening every harsh reality.
So there's Ivanka, trying to make it all OK with people - like she's smoothing it over after the drunk-n-abusive step dad goes on his daily rampage (thanks, driftglass).
So there's Ivanka, trying to make it all OK with people - like she's smoothing it over after the drunk-n-abusive step dad goes on his daily rampage (thanks, driftglass).
So we have the standard Trump approach to everything - uncertainty. He wants to keep everybody guessing (he said as much during the campaign). It's his signature move. In confusion there is opportunity. So you make opportunity by creating confusion.
But it's even worse than having an enabling apologist working on you. Keep one of Mike's Own Proverbs in mind:
Never forget that a smiling hyena will still eat your children
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
Overheard Today
Ivanka Trump is a feminist in exactly the same way Steve Bannon is a black Dominican rabbi.
hat tip = @rmasher2
hat tip = @rmasher2
Daily Outrage
Because, apparently, they are the assholes we've suspected they are for 35 years.
Vox:
Republican legislators liked this policy well enough to offer it in a new amendment. They do not, however, seem to like it enough to have it apply to themselves and their staff. A spokesperson for Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) who authored this amendment confirmed this was the case: members of Congress and their staff would get the guarantee of keeping this Obamacare regulations. Health law expert Tim Jost flagged me to this particular issue.
A bit of background is helpful here. Obamacare requires all members of Congress and their staff to purchase coverage on the individual market, just like Obamacare enrollees. The politics of that plank were simple enough, meant to demonstrate that if the coverage in this law were good enough for Americans than it should be good enough for their representations in Washington.
That’s been happening for the past four years now. Fast-forward to this new amendment, which would allow states to waive out of key Obamacare protections like the ban on pre-existing conditions or the requirement to cover things like maternity care and mental health services.
If Congressional aides lived in a state that decided to waive these protections, the aides who were sick could be vulnerable to higher premiums than the aides that are healthy. Their benefits package could get skimpier as Obamacare’s essential health benefits requirement may no longer apply either.
Vox:
Republican legislators liked this policy well enough to offer it in a new amendment. They do not, however, seem to like it enough to have it apply to themselves and their staff. A spokesperson for Rep. Tom MacArthur (R-N.J.) who authored this amendment confirmed this was the case: members of Congress and their staff would get the guarantee of keeping this Obamacare regulations. Health law expert Tim Jost flagged me to this particular issue.
A bit of background is helpful here. Obamacare requires all members of Congress and their staff to purchase coverage on the individual market, just like Obamacare enrollees. The politics of that plank were simple enough, meant to demonstrate that if the coverage in this law were good enough for Americans than it should be good enough for their representations in Washington.
That’s been happening for the past four years now. Fast-forward to this new amendment, which would allow states to waive out of key Obamacare protections like the ban on pre-existing conditions or the requirement to cover things like maternity care and mental health services.
If Congressional aides lived in a state that decided to waive these protections, the aides who were sick could be vulnerable to higher premiums than the aides that are healthy. Their benefits package could get skimpier as Obamacare’s essential health benefits requirement may no longer apply either.
Today's Tweet
On the day Obama imposed sanctions for election interference, Flynn spoke to the Russian ambassador 5x. It wasn't to trade borscht recipes.— George Takei (@GeorgeTakei) April 26, 2017
Tuesday, April 25, 2017
Today's Keith
Posing the question - can we impeach TV POTUS in the same way Bill O'Reilly got whacked?
In a system that makes no delineation between right and wrong; when the only things that matter are winning or losing, and profit or loss - we may need first to use tools other than those in Articles 1 and 2 in order to bring those proper Impeachment tools to bear.
We'll have to play the game as it's been set up.
In a system that makes no delineation between right and wrong; when the only things that matter are winning or losing, and profit or loss - we may need first to use tools other than those in Articles 1 and 2 in order to bring those proper Impeachment tools to bear.
We'll have to play the game as it's been set up.
John Oliver
Quick reminder on where 45* stands on getting the Executive Branch up and running:
They’ve stopped even pretending. The US Embassy in the UK is promoting Mar-a-Lago on its website. https://t.co/C84tkA2Gs0— Josh Schwerin (@JoshSchwerin) April 24, 2017
Today's Tweet
You can't be anti-participation trophies and pro Confederate statues. They are the world's biggest participation trophies.— Larry Beyince (@DragonflyJonez) April 24, 2017
Monday, April 24, 2017
Redneck Participation Trophies
April is the "unofficial" Confederate History month because there's a Democrat in the Governor's Mansion right now. As soon as that changes, I suspect we'll be right back to the Dixie Rising bullshit that comes back on us like malaria every few-to-several years.
And this junk is everywhere.
There are some pretty solid efforts now to get these things relegated to the museums where (I think) they belong - they are some pretty great pieces of art, after all. And they depict a facet of our history that needs to stay front and center, even if the monuments to the "heroes" who led a bloody traitorous insurrection (in support of White Supremacy and the "right" to own human beings as chattel) should be removed from the public square.
Piling On
And happy to do it. I don't watch this crap anymore, even as an exercise in scouting the other team.
It's way past time for turning O'Reilly out to pasture. Somebody's sure to make a deal, and that's what it looks like has happened, allowing him to stay with his podcast, which I have to assume is approved and/or supported by DumFux News.
WaPo:
A scathing investigation by the New York Times in early April about the allegations surrounding O’Reilly triggered an advertiser exodus from his top-rated program, “The O’Reilly Factor,” and brought out at least three more complaints against the opinionated host. It ultimately led the Murdoch family to invoke the termination clause on Wednesday, ending O’Reilly’s 21-year career at Fox. He has maintained that the complaints against him are unfounded, and plans to return to the air Monday with his “No Spin News” podcast.
It's way past time for turning O'Reilly out to pasture. Somebody's sure to make a deal, and that's what it looks like has happened, allowing him to stay with his podcast, which I have to assume is approved and/or supported by DumFux News.
WaPo:
A scathing investigation by the New York Times in early April about the allegations surrounding O’Reilly triggered an advertiser exodus from his top-rated program, “The O’Reilly Factor,” and brought out at least three more complaints against the opinionated host. It ultimately led the Murdoch family to invoke the termination clause on Wednesday, ending O’Reilly’s 21-year career at Fox. He has maintained that the complaints against him are unfounded, and plans to return to the air Monday with his “No Spin News” podcast.
Today's Tweet
More of the ridiculousness of religion-driven "law".
Wedding dresses hang from nooses in Beirut to protest law to let rapists go free if they marry victims @Patrick_Baz pic.twitter.com/JgbdDCDFkU— Naomi O'Leary (@NaomiOhReally) April 23, 2017
Sunday, April 23, 2017
Friday, April 21, 2017
Today's GIF
So much hyper-awesome goodness going on with this one, I don't even know where to start.
A Word For The Friendly Skies
Lol 😂 pic.twitter.com/46iO3IjC8K— Ffs OMG Vids 📽🔞 (@Ffs_OMG) April 20, 2017
Thursday, April 20, 2017
Well Said, Whoever
In a world of little moral courage, physical courage becomes common, but will always remain a poor substitute.
--anon
driftglass
From driftglass today:
On the one hand, as I said after the 2016 election, I have never gone wrong betting on the racism and arrogant ignorance of the Right: I've only erred occasionally on the point spread. And six months later my faith in the suicidal stupidity of the average Republican voter remains deep and abiding.
On the other hand, every election between now and 2020 is a referendum on President Stupid and his just-fucking-sack-the-place agenda.
Today's Today
We live forever as long as somebody picks up where we left off and carries it forward.
On this occasion, I'll take a moment to remember the main point:
Far better men than Putin and Trump have been trying to conquer the world for 40,000 years or more. And guess what - the world remains undefeated.
A moldy oldie for today's special birthday boy:
On this occasion, I'll take a moment to remember the main point:
Far better men than Putin and Trump have been trying to conquer the world for 40,000 years or more. And guess what - the world remains undefeated.
A moldy oldie for today's special birthday boy:
Seems Mildly Important
Reuters:
The first Russian institute document was a strategy paper written last June that circulated at the highest levels of the Russian government but was not addressed to any specific individuals.
It recommended the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets to encourage U.S. voters to elect a president who would take a softer line toward Russia than the administration of then-President Barack Obama, the seven officials said.
A second institute document, drafted in October and distributed in the same way, warned that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was likely to win the election. For that reason, it argued, it was better for Russia to end its pro-Trump propaganda and instead intensify its messaging about voter fraud to undermine the U.S. electoral system’s legitimacy and damage Clinton’s reputation in an effort to undermine her presidency, the seven officials said.
The current and former U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the Russian documents’ classified status. They declined to discuss how the United States obtained them. U.S. intelligence agencies also declined to comment on them.
The first Russian institute document was a strategy paper written last June that circulated at the highest levels of the Russian government but was not addressed to any specific individuals.
It recommended the Kremlin launch a propaganda campaign on social media and Russian state-backed global news outlets to encourage U.S. voters to elect a president who would take a softer line toward Russia than the administration of then-President Barack Obama, the seven officials said.
A second institute document, drafted in October and distributed in the same way, warned that Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton was likely to win the election. For that reason, it argued, it was better for Russia to end its pro-Trump propaganda and instead intensify its messaging about voter fraud to undermine the U.S. electoral system’s legitimacy and damage Clinton’s reputation in an effort to undermine her presidency, the seven officials said.
The current and former U.S. officials spoke on the condition of anonymity due to the Russian documents’ classified status. They declined to discuss how the United States obtained them. U.S. intelligence agencies also declined to comment on them.
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