Patterico's Pontifications

1/16/2018

WaPo Runs “Insider” Account of “Sh*thole Countries” Meeting

Filed under: General — Patterico @ 9:30 am



Because you just can’t get enough of that sweet sweet “sh*thole countries” story, the Washington Post is here for you with an “insider” account of that immigration meeting. It’s chock-full of anonymous sources “familiar with the meeting” so you know it will be totally accurate:

When President Trump spoke by phone with Sen. Richard J. Durbin around 10:15 a.m. last Thursday, he expressed pleasure with Durbin’s outline of a bipartisan immigration pact and praised the high-ranking Illinois Democrat’s efforts, according to White House officials and congressional aides.

The president then asked if Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), his onetime foe turned ally, was on board, which Durbin affirmed. Trump invited the lawmakers to visit with him at noon, the people familiar with the call said.

But when they arrived at the Oval Office, the two senators were surprised to find that Trump was far from ready to finalize the agreement. He was “fired up” and surrounded by hard-line conservatives such as Sen. Tom Cotton (R-Ark.), who seemed confident that the president was now aligned with them, according to one person with knowledge of the meeting.

Trump told the group he wasn’t interested in the terms of the bipartisan deal that Durbin and Graham had been putting together. And as he shrugged off suggestions from Durbin and others, the president called nations from Africa “sh*thole countries,” denigrated Haiti and grew angry. The meeting was short, tense and often dominated by loud cross-talk and swearing, according to Republicans and Democrats familiar with the meeting.

Profanity bleeped for you delicate readers. The story repeats the Rich Lowry spin that Trump actually said “sh*thouse countries” and not “sh*thole countries” — providing the fig leaf for Senators Cotton and Perdue and DHS Secretary Nielsen to say that they didn’t remember hearing that exact precise particular precise exact precise phrase, but the president’s language was tough don’t you know.

Here’s a detail that Trump supporters will likely find too delightful to discount in its entirety:

Attendees who were alarmed by the racial undertones of Trump’s remarks were further disturbed when the topic of the Congressional Black Caucus (CBC) came up, these people said.

At one point, Durbin told the president that members of that caucus — an influential House group — would be more likely to agree to a deal if certain countries were included in the proposed protections, according to people familiar with the meeting.

Trump was curt and dismissive, saying he was not making immigration policy to cater to the CBC and did not particularly care about that bloc’s demands, according to people briefed on the meeting. “You’ve got to be joking,” one adviser said, describing Trump’s reaction.

LOL. You want the story to be true just so you can believe that.

On the whole, it’s Michael Wolff-style journalism on a newspaper scale, which means the reaction will be exactly the same as the reaction to Wolff’s book. Clowns to the left of me — meaning Leftists and Big Media (but I repeat myself) — will adopt the story in its entirety, saying that the story rings true, which it does. Jokers to the right — Trump supporters — will say the allegations of the story are all false because the sources are anonymous. (Settle down, Trump supporters. I’m not really saying you’re jokers. I’m just doing a song riff).

Here I am, stuck in the middle with you, noting that the story may well be true in all particulars or false in many. That’s the nature of stories based on anonymous sources.

As I always say, you don’t really need these somewhat questionable Trump “insider” stories, because it’s enough to look at what public Trump says. If you’re looking for a narrative that says he’s leaning towards Grahamnesty for DREAMers, and has to be pulled back from the brink by Congresscritters from the right, you don’t need this article. You need only watch the video of the meeting where he told DiFi that a clean DACA bill would be A-OK, only to have Kevin McCarthy yank him back a few steps rhetorically.

I guess what puzzles me about the story is the way it shows various lawmakers spending a ton of time and energy trying to get Trump on their side, as if the man were driven by policy. That makes sense for advisors, since they have zero actual political power. But Trump told lawmakers at the recent televised meeting that he’ll sign anything they pass:

And, Chuck, I will say, when this group comes back — hopefully with an agreement — this group and others from the Senate, from the House, comes back with an agreement, I’m signing it. I mean, I will be signing it. I’m not going to say, “Oh, gee, I want this or I want that.” I’ll be signing it, because I have a lot of confidence in the people in this room that you’re going to come up with something really good.

That’s Public Trump, not some caricature dreamed up by anonymous sources and leftist reporters. The quote is right there in the video.

So, GOP Senators, my advice to you is to stop talking to Trump about this stuff, except to the extent necessary to make him feel important. Go work out whatever you’re going to work out. Then, when it’s time to sign it, give Trump a fancy signing ceremony in front of lots of TV cameras and a big pen so he can sign his name really large. Nobody has ever signed their name so large, not even John Hancock, that I can tell you! And everything will work out just fine.

[Cross-posted at RedState and The Jury Talks Back.]

188 Responses to “WaPo Runs “Insider” Account of “Sh*thole Countries” Meeting”

  1. And still it was sourced to Durbin previously, which has previously had issues with veracity going back to 2013

    narciso (d1f714)

  2. sounds like Princess Lindsey’s the one selling out to Team Hepatitis

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  3. Your last paragraph is right on, Patterico.

    Woodrow Wilson in 1920 all over again. Sad.

    nk (dbc370)

  4. Anonymous = didn’t happen

    David Longfellow (8cba7a)

  5. I pray that Trump’s public statements of going to a merit based immigration policy is true and will be implemented.

    NJRob (a2ce40)

  6. WaPo is staffed with onanistic macacas.

    Colonel Haiku (6724fa)

  7. Agree NJRob!

    Colonel Haiku (6724fa)

  8. The lack of seriousness by the Democrat party on anything of substance is revealed today by the testimony of the Homeland Security Secretary. With all the issues facing the country from a DHS perspective — even the SUBSTANCE of the broken immigration debate — all the Dem Senators wanted to ask her about today was Trump’s comment.

    And I think the part of the story about the CBC’s support is EXACTLY true because I read an account on Friday – can’t figure out where, just skimming thru the internet, but I think it was sourced to Lindsay Graham on the record — which said the comment came in the context of Durbin and Trump saying any comprehensive reform would need to continue the policies in place which give preferential treatment to immigrants from Haiti and several African nations. It was in response to the issue of maintaining those preferences that Trump said “Why do we want to have so many people come here from sh!thole/sh!ithouse countries”.

    So, the WaPo story’s account that it was part of a Dem strategy to get the CBC on board to offset losses from House GOP members would be perfectly in tune with what I think was the first report of the context for the comment. The CBC would be supportive of the deal if the preferences were maintained, and Trump questioned the justification for those preferences.

    shipwreckedcrew (56b591)

  9. And I think the part of the story about the CBC’s support is EXACTLY true because I read an account on Friday – can’t figure out where, just skimming thru the internet, but I think it was sourced to Lindsay Graham on the record — which said the comment came in the context of Durbin and Trump saying any comprehensive reform would need to continue the policies in place which give preferential treatment to immigrants from Haiti and several African nations.

    Just in from Guinness..status in place for World’s longest run- on sentence..whew!

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  10. Question who assigns judges to cases as to prevent conflicts say with dhs and state?

    narciso (21eb6d)

  11. Kernel playing with matches again..reading his Thesaurus. Shipwreck could learn from you.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  12. Do the democrats ever get tired of the school yard antics? I guess when you’re giving deep state and DNC corruption a smoke screen you can’t let up lest the folks see the entire thing is a lying sham.

    BTW, Patterico, Trump does not sign his name “really large”. He signs it really Yuuuge!

    Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7)

  13. I’m totally pleased with myself that I guessed a guy was from sh!thole Uzbekistan because he had a “jon” in his name. Nice guy.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  14. At one point, Durbin told the president that members of that caucus — an influential House group — would be more likely to agree to a deal if certain countries were included in the proposed protections, according to people familiar with the meeting.

    Trump was curt and dismissive, saying he was not making immigration policy to cater to the CBC and did not particularly care about that bloc’s demands, according to people briefed on the meeting. “You’ve got to be joking,” one adviser said, describing Trump’s reaction.

    Score one for the President if this anecdote actually happened.

    JVW (42615e)

  15. “Because you just can’t get enough of that sweet sweet “sh*thole countries” story,

    Projection apex.

    “Do the democrats ever get tired of the school yard antics?

    Not when they have an MSM (and political blogs) to Pete and Repeat every ridiculous talking point.

    harkin (8256c3)

  16. Imagine…two months lead time on the Mid Terms

    INSHALLA!

    https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/16/paul-manafort-trial-timeline-341128

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  17. So, GOP Senators, my advice to you is to stop talking to Trump about this stuff, except to the extent necessary to make him feel important. Go work out whatever you’re going to work out.

    Standard issue ‘Weekly Standard’– ‘course the real issue ain’t the Senate, but gettin’ anything passed through the stubborn House, past the Freedom Caucus, etc.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  18. Then, when it’s time to sign it, give Trump a fancy signing ceremony in front of lots of TV cameras and a big pen so he can sign his name really large. Nobody has ever signed their name so large, not even John Hancock, that I can tell you! And everything will work out just fine.

    Tell him it repeals Obamacare too. He loves doing that.

    Dave (445e97)

  19. @ narciso: Who ends up being the judge in a criminal case is going to depend in the first instance on where the indictment is filed, which in turn is subject to the Sixth Amendment’s requirement that the accused shall enjoy his right to speedy trial “in the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed,” referring to federal judicial districts as established (and changed from time to time by Congress) in the Judiciary Act (versions of which date back to the first one, in 1789).

    Some federal districts themselves have administratively split into different “divisions,” each of which has its own list of sitting federal district judges (including senior-status district judges who are choosing to still hear cases).

    From the available federal judges who sit where the indictment is filed, assignment is typically done randomly; in the old days, some districts drew names from a hat or used a board-game-type spinner, but now I think that’s based on results from a computerized random number generator used by the clerk’s docketing software.

    The randomly assigned judge then considers (usually based on the identity of the litigants) whether he or she has any disabling conflicts of interest or other impediments to hearing the case, and if so, he or she should recuse himself, in which case another judge is randomly assigned. The grounds for recusal or disqualification are far, far narrower than most laypeople think, and factors like the judge’s own race or ethnicity or sexual preference or professional history are extremely unlikely to be given any weight at all. (Thus, as Trump’s own lawyers admitted after he was attacking the judge presiding over the Trump University litigation, they had no statutory grounds for seeking a disqualification and would likely have been sanctioned — punished with fines or worse — if they’d tried such nonsense.)

    The guilty pleas already on record from the Uranium One investigation were in the Southern District of New York. If one presumes that future additional criminal defendants may be indicted, and that the underlying crimes were also committed in the Southern District of New York (because, e.g., overt acts in furtherance of a conspiracy, like sending a conspiratorial email or placing a purchase order on a stock exchange), then that’s likely to be heard by a sitting judge of the SDNY, possibly including senior-status judges who are still electing to hear cases and participating in the random assignment process.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  20. Standard issue:

    Same lying bastard republicans in the Senate as in the Outhouse..

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  21. Projection apex.

    I thought the irony was clear.

    Patterico (fedbee)

  22. From the available federal judges who sit where the indictment is filed, assignment is typically done randomly; in the old days, some districts drew names from a hat or used a board-game-type spinner, but now I think that’s based on results from a computerized random number generator used by the clerk’s docketing software.

    Minor math-geek quibble:

    I’d be a bit surprised if it’s really done randomly – that could lead a particular judge getting no cases for a long time, while some other judge is snowed under with the workload of several.

    There must be some kind of feature to spread cases more or less evenly, even if the judge that gets any particular case is unpredictable.

    Dave (445e97)

  23. More chef stabbings needed in Boston by sh!t heads from sh!thole countries. Round these sh!t heads up and grease em.

    mg (8cbc69)

  24. 26, I thought it was the fine female doctors getting stabbed by those cretins…

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  25. Does anyone remember the Buck Henry/Bob Newhart movie First Family? I swear there’s a scene during a signing ceremony where he makes the rep from Guam jump for the pen. And he’s not a tall man.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  26. they don’t practice jumping in Guam cause of it can tip over

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  27. Senator from Rhode Island Trailer

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  28. Got the island part right. This must be one of the first SNL movies, right?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  29. I’ll have a cheecone sammich with a live cheecone

    https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_First_Family_(album)

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  30. You know, President Trump should have gotten one of those sunroof puppet thingies for London.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  31. Here’s the cognitive test that our semi-literate Dotard-in-Chief passed during his physical exam. Note that it’s a test to detect early symptoms of Alzheimer’s, not raging delusional psychosis.

    No word if he was given information to prepare ahead of time or cheat (preparation would obviously be out of character, but cheating not so much…).

    Dave (445e97)

  32. (Someone should have warned the IT guys who maintain mocatest.org’s website.)

    Beldar (fa637a)

  33. I’ll have a cheecone sammich with a live cheecone

    OMG, I remember listening to that album as a young kid. So hilarious. Haven’t thought about it in decades…

    Chiang Kai-shek: “A club sandwich would be fine, thank you.”

    JFK: “Would you like that with a little mayo?”

    Chiang Kai-shek: “Please! Not to mention that name!”

    Dave (445e97)

  34. Here’s a prior version if Dave’s link is still swamped and you’re curious about the Montreal Cognitive Assessment.

    When my ex was an intern working the county charity hospital’s ER in the mid-1980s, she had to administer mental status exams for every patient she wrote up. The standard questioning ran something like, “Do you know your name? Do you know where you are? Do you know what year it is? Do you know who’s President?” Her favorite patient from this rotation struggled with the answer to the last one. “Is it … Wal … Wal … Waldale, maybe?”

    That’s why he lost 49 states!

    Beldar (fa637a)

  35. @10 If I remember correctly Martin Luther did some of his best work in the sh!essehaus.

    Luther would have relished his role in promoting hops. If anyone loved and appreciated good beer, it was this stout, sensual and gregarious monk. His letters often mentioned beer, whether it was the delicious Torgau beer that he extolled as finer than wine or the “nasty” Dessau beer that made him long for Katharina’s homebrew. “I keep thinking what good wine and beer I have at home, as well as a beautiful wife,” he wrote. “You would do well to send me over my whole cellar of wine and a bottle of thy beer.” Days before he died, in February 1546, in one of his last letters to his wife, he praised Naumburg beer for its laxative properties. Luther suffered excruciating agonies from constipation, and it was therefore with immense satisfaction that he announced his “three bowel movements” that morning.

    The Other Reformation

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  36. Hilarious early SNL, dave.

    the uh rubber ducky is Jon-Jons. The rubber Schwan is mine..

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  37. That sounds more like the Alert and Oriented test you get after a car crash. You guys volunteering to check if Trump goes out in clean underwear?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  38. That’s some Papal Bull there Pin.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  39. Dave (445e97) — 1/16/2018 @ 1:12 pm

    Caroline: Daddy, it’s the Malayan ambassador, he’s come for dinner!

    JFK: Tell him, it’s tomorrow night.

    felipe (023cc9)

  40. Re assignment of federal judges.

    The now use a computer program which isn’t quite “random” — the computer program takes into consider the number of defendants in a case, and the number of counts in the indictment, and its then assigned a “weight” according to certain identified parameters. Based on this “weight” the case is assigned by the computer to the Judge whose current docket is best able to accommodate the demands of the case as determined by the weighting system. This system is “anonymous” as the Clerk’s office doesn’t know at any given time which judge is deemed by the system to have the “lightest” case load, nor do they know how much any individual case assignment changes the status on a judge-by-judge basis.

    But this system is important in small districts where true “randomness” can cause two judges with the same number of cases to have dramatically different work demands because of the nature of the cases randomly assigned.

    And, I believe the earlier Uranium One cases were filed in the District of Maryland, not the SDNY, as they were signed by Rosenstein, the US Attorney in Maryland at the time.

    shipwreckedcrew (56b591)

  41. You remember the Buck Henry/Bill Murray Earl of Sandwich skit?

    “Do*chbag! What have you been up to lately?”

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  42. Sorry, forgot the “e”.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  43. That’s what you get from a Diet of Worms

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  44. 41, great… we dodged a Depends Diva for someone carrying a loaded diaper, though I guess that’s a logical next step if this is to be believed

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  45. Did Al Franken take over for Buck Henry? Never heard any woman groping stories about that guy.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  46. our semi-literate Dotard-in-Chief

    How I yearn for the days when we had a Republican president who earned respect from the media, academia and the cultural elite, and got it. LOL

    random viking (6a54c2)

  47. 41, great… we dodged a Depends Diva for someone carrying a loaded diaper, though I guess that’s a logical next step if this is to be believed

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb) — 1/16/2018 @ 1:30 pm

    Someone watched Blaze last night.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  48. Doktor Ronny sez our Captain owes his ‘good health’ to genetics. You know– Aryan.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  49. President Trump’s making improvements every day in the way America does stuff

    and that’s a good feeling

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  50. The article is a good example of why all the Sturm Uund Drang is such an unproductive waste.

    crazy (d99a88)

  51. @ narciso: I hadn’t seen reports like this one before I speculated about the SDNY above.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  52. @35. The Second Opinion; our Captain likes bananas w/his strawberries; so listen to Doktor Ronny and ignore your lying eyes:

    “… dementia describes a group of symptoms affecting memory, thinking and social abilities severely enough to interfere with daily functioning. Though dementia generally involves memory loss, memory loss has different causes. So memory loss alone doesn’t mean you have dementia. Alzheimer’s disease is the most common cause of a progressive dementia in older adults, but there are a number of causes of dementia. Depending on the cause, some dementia symptoms can be reversed.”

    Symptoms

    Dementia symptoms vary depending on the cause, but common signs and symptoms include:

    Cognitive changes

    •Memory loss, which is usually noticed by a spouse or someone else
    •Difficulty communicating or finding words
    •Difficulty reasoning or problem-solving
    •Difficulty handling complex tasks
    •Difficulty with planning and organizing
    •Difficulty with coordination and motor functions
    •Confusion and disorientation

    Psychological changes

    •Personality changes
    •Depression
    •Anxiety
    •Inappropriate behavior
    •Paranoia
    •Agitation
    •Hallucinations

    source – http://www.msyoclinic.org

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  53. Who knew Corey Booker could do imitations?! His ‘Howard Dean’ today was good. He can perform it for President Winfrey at her inaugural.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  54. Personality changes

    Nine out of ten still meets the metric.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  55. Woodenswordviking has a sense of humor and He’s Nordic…not known for humor.

    Lighten up more, peoples..

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  56. No racial intent, intended..

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  57. You hit it. Narcissism explains most of Trump.

    If a convention of cannibals came to the White House, he’d brag about how much he enjoyed a human-burger sandwich last week, and that he hears it is particular good with ketchup and a side of slaw.

    If he thought such a statement would get him a few moments of adulation.

    Bored Lawyer (998177)

  58. Ach!

    Consensus on narcissism..most welcome indeed.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  59. The morality party holdouts defend the high ground of what, I have no idea.

    http://justoneminute.typepad.com/main/2018/01/my-woody-allen-boycott-gains-traction.html

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  60. What is said in public, and what is said in private, may actually differ. Also you might SAY you are going to do something, and THEN actually do something else.

    This seems to confuse a LOT of people about Trump.

    Here is what happened – Trump intentionally allowed the press into the negotiations where we was very professional and conciliatory. message – when this thing goes boom it won’t be my fault. GOPe and Dems decided it was a perfect opportunity to ram through a very poor amnesty deal. Part of that effort was the action to make Trump look like he was betraying his base. Trump got the crap deal, and called it what it was, garbage. Embarrassed and outfoxed, and realizing the failure of the deal would fall on Dems head, Durbin lied or exaggerated what Trump said. The media, naturally realizing the Dems would get blamed for collapse of the deal, decided to run with their old saw of Republican X is a racist.

    The deal trump will sign will include the border wall, and end to chain migration for the DACA kids, and probably the end of the lottery visa program. that is the deal on the table, and the only one he might ever agree to. It is actually a very fair deal to all concerned, which is why the media won’t report on it, and the dems will pretend some other deal is possible.

    And if they decide to shut down the government over this…well, go for it. I can’t imagine that would change a single person’s mind.

    Look, a deal for DACA must include provisions to prevent DACA for being necessary every again. Absent that, why should the president ever agree? Most people would go along with that. The Dems realize they have exactly zero basis to oppose that position, so they have to muddy up the waters with something else.

    George Orwell's Ghost (a815b9)

  61. Shorter GOG..

    Trump has always escaped accountability.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  62. Keep it simple, stupid or..

    KISS!

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  63. Look, Trump is a real estate developer. That was his job for many years. Guess what – they are all like Trump. They bluster and brag, they say outrageous things, they have public and private persona, they never let a slight go unanswered. They also get their way. they beat the public, the unions, the mafia, petty politicians, the environmental shakedown artists. They routinely curb stomp these guys.

    A huge percentage of this is designed to elicit exactly the response we see from the Dems and the media. Cause them to underestimate you, cause them to get so angry they make foolish mistakes, cause them to overvalue inconsequential things. If most politicians and journalists had ever actually worked in real jobs for a living, they would know exactly how this game works. But apparently they have never seen this type of con-man work before. It is just crazy they keep falling for it.

    George Orwell's Ghost (a815b9)

  64. You sound like Ted Bundys Mum.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  65. If he thought such a statement would get him a few moments of adulation.

    Sounds like the m.o. of every Democrat. It’s called “pandering”, but we’ll call it narcissism from here on out, ok?

    random viking (6a54c2)

  66. Republicans fell for the con man’s patter, so why not Democrats?

    DRJ (15874d)

  67. The good news is Trump is undoing the main “accomplishments” of the so-called Obama Legacy.

    “Donald Trump continues to baffle. Never Trump Republicans still struggle to square the circle of quietly agreeing so far with most of his policies, as they loudly insist that his record is already nullified by its supposedly odious author. Or surely it soon will be discredited by the next Trumpian outrage. Or his successes belong to congressional and Cabinet members, while his failures are all his own. Rarely do they seriously reflect on what otherwise over the last year might have been the trajectory of a Clinton administration.”

    —- Victor Davis Hanson

    http://www.nationalreview.com/article/455453/president-trump-undoes-obama-legacy-commonsense-nobama

    Colonel Haiku (6724fa)

  68. Corey Booker
    Pampers or cloth diapers?
    You chump

    mg (8cbc69)

  69. VDH used to speak for himself and it was impressive. Now he seems to be specializing in speaking for other people, whether it’s true or not.

    DRJ (15874d)

  70. Sad.

    DRJ (15874d)

  71. My first reaction when I got to the “Naming” section of the Montreal Cognitive Assessment’s earlier version that I linked above: “Oh, there’s Lion Ted! And the next one looks a little like Crooked Hillary, followed by Low Energy Jeb!” Or so said the Trump in my imagination, anyway.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  72. Rarely do they seriously reflect on what otherwise over the last year might have been the trajectory of a Clinton administration.

    Actually they do reflect, which serves as a constant source of torment for the anti-Trump crowd.

    random viking (6a54c2)

  73. His just not saying what you want him to. He’s more a jacksonian (meaning scoop)

    narciso (d1f714)

  74. The doctor said today he saw no reason to order the mental test, but he did it because Trump asked for the test. That suggests Trump was prepared for it. You can do better on it if you have practiced.

    DRJ (15874d)

  75. I don’t think Trump is impaired. The test is easy for normal people, especially the way it is typically administered. I had it a month after a car wreck with a concussion, vertigo and loss of consciousness. I passed with a high score even though I was so impaired I couldn’t drive.

    DRJ (15874d)

  76. If VDH wrote something I found myself not agreeing with, I would say the same, DRJ.

    mg (8cbc69)

  77. ‘Speaking the truth in a time of deceit is a revolutionary act’

    https://www.city-journal.org/html/crudeness-and-truth-15668.html

    narciso (d1f714)

  78. I’m glad Hillary didn’t win, random viking, and now that she hasn’t I am moving on. I hope for much more than Not Hillary from President Trump and any Republican President. He has delivered in some areas but he has not delivered on repealing Obama Care, immigration or staffing the federal agencies.

    DRJ (15874d)

  79. The torment of the 65 percent is the electoral minority tyranny of the 35 cents. Anti-demo/republicans rejoice.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  80. he’s never been even a little bit snotty, Mr. VDH

    i guess cause of he’s a businessman and a scholar both what has to deal with all sorts of people not just fancytrash

    these prissy juvenile nevertrumps aren’t very relevant to the sort of life he’s led, but it’s polite of him to take notice of them i think

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  81. thanks Mr. narciso people forget the sleazy CIA’s every bit as corrupt as the gestapo FBI

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  82. Numbers bouncing around like bi- polar tweakers.

    https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/latest_polls/

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  83. Speaking the truth

    Trump

    lol

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  84. The trajectory of a Clinton administration would not necessarily have been what the neverTrumpers wanted, but it certainly was what the anti-Trumpers wanted. I think they are two different sort of political animals. The neverTrumpers hate Trump because of “who” he is i.e. vulgar, obnoxious etcetera. The anti-Trumpers hate him because of “what” he is i.e. not Hillary!. NeverTrumpers most likely agree with his policies so far but are revolted by the man. Anti-Trumpers are pro high taxes, pro open immigration, pro big government and all the costs and regulations that go with it, want to waste as many trillions as possible on climate nonsense, want to run from ISIS and Lil’Kim so they basically want for America what America’s enemies want but more of it with them in charge. So their disappointment has metastasized into an uncontrollable 24/7/365 continuous diatribe of hate and name calling.

    Other than that they are I-dentical!

    Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7)

  85. President Trump said he was gonna take money away from the filthy debased palestinians and guess what

    zero pinocchios on that one booba!

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  86. Its more in the manner of the rizzotto press, the journalist and the Rhodes echo chamber:

    narciso (d1f714)

  87. Rarely do they seriously reflect on what otherwise over the last year might have been the trajectory of a Clinton administration.”

    DO you agree with VDH on this, mg?

    I don’t. I think about it and while I’m not Never Trump, VDH might call me that because I don’t trust Trump, I criticize him, and I expect far more from him than his supporters seem to.

    DRJ (15874d)

  88. The trajectory of a Clinton administration would not necessarily have been what the neverTrumpers wanted, but it certainly was what the anti-Trumpers wanted.

    perverted Mitt “no proof no problem” Romney actively campaigned for a Democratic senate this year

    this is just who he is (poor character)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  89. “I am moving on.”

    January 16, 2018 — The day an anti-Trumper moved on. One down, thousands to go….

    random viking (6a54c2)

  90. So their disappointment has metastasized into an uncontrollable 24/7/365 continuous diatribe of hate and name calling.

    You’re referencing the Obama regime, right?

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  91. This is the ideal male body. You may not like it, but this is what peak performance looks like.

    https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DTskNQ1U0AA0TY7.jpg

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  92. Moochelle and Jugears loved your negative attention.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  93. mg,

    I’m sorry for the caps and if that sounded cross. I think maybe we agree but even if we dlnt, I wasn’t trying to be argumentative.

    random viking,

    I voted for Ttump. Your snark is wasted on me.

    DRJ (15874d)

  94. people are really starting to smell the stink of filth and corruption wafting off the gestapo fbi

    For those who grew up in proud FBI families, including this columnist, the disclosures about these investigations are dispiriting. As Mr. Kallstrom notes, it’s bad enough for the American people if a politician is bending the law.
    It’s far worse if the two top institutions responsible for upholding the law – the FBI and Justice Department – are found to have compromised themselves.

    “The FBI gets its strength from the trust of the American people,” Mr. Kallstrom says. “When you lose that…”

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  95. But I won’t vote for him again. I learned my lesson. He didn’t become Presidential as promised. He’s still Trump the con man.

    DRJ (15874d)

  96. Comrade Ben!, you really either need to keep abreast of the polls or stop quoting them. People who continuously fib (Isay fib because I realize you do it to feel good) about such things are mentally ill you know. As of today comrade, 35 cents is actually 45 cents. Denial does not look pretty. It’s still a minority so you kvetch is valid (if you believe in mob rule rather than the constitution) so you really needn’t fib. In fact you could keep us thusly informed on a daily basis.

    Tuesday, January 16, 2018

    The Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll for Tuesday shows that 45% of Likely U.S. Voters approve of President Trump’s job performance. Fifty-four percent (54%) disapprove.

    Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7)

  97. @ DRJ (#78): I liked the doc. Trump sized up his stage-worthiness and predicted the outcome of this press conference very accurately.

    I don’t think Trump cheated or practiced for the test. There are several other comparable tests, and several versions of this one; he wouldn’t know which one the doc picked unless the doc helped him cheat, which I don’t believe that guy, wearing that uniform and with his history, would do.

    I don’t think Trump has cognitive difficulties. His mental weirdness doesn’t resemble Alzheimer’s. The test isn’t hard for anyone with a third-grade education, but it does take some short periods of sustained concentration. Trump clearly was motivated to request this test, and to pass it, and I am confident that the doc had Trump’s full attention, because — consistent with my hypothesis above, about Trump and the Trump Brand and his overwhelming narcissism, giving his full attention to this test was what was clearly best for the Trump Brand.

    This test didn’t measure his capacity to care about others, or to identify with others. It wasn’t a psychological evaluation of any sort. To use entirely nonclinical language, I’d say he’s completely full of himself. And that’s entirely consistent with cognitive functionality. Those abilities are on display with the showmanship he’s just arranged: He has to be able to think logically and rationally in order to have put this together. But that’s the most rational way for an extreme narcissist to go about his narcissism, isn’t it?

    Beldar (fa637a)

  98. So five years ago, they searched the operatives home, but they found nothing. Makes you wonder how hard they looked. Adam Brookes a London times reporter has an interesting series on Uk’s dealing with chinese
    Agents.

    narciso (d1f714)

  99. It would be good to know the real story, not the narrative downer handed the times:

    https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/aussie-complaints-to-be-filed-with-fbi-on-clinton-foundations-dealing-down-under/

    narciso (d1f714)

  100. @79… I was so impaired I couldn’t drive.

    Ahhh, yes, DRJ, but as Captain of our ship-of-state he’s steamed over a tow line or two already- and Typhoon Kim is dead ahead.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  101. People who continuously fib (Isay fib because I realize you do it to feel good) about such things are mentally ill you know.

    https://twitter.com/realDonaldTrump/status/953273134655987716

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  102. To be clear, this is in reference to Trump’s comment about approval ratings

    Davethulhu (fab944)


  103. Doktor Ronny sez our Captain owes his ‘good health’ to genetics. You know– Aryan.

    DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/16/2018 @ 1:47 pm

    The Aryans can afford great doctors after Obama gave them pallets of cash.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  104. It’s ok to let people keep their own money if they live in sh!thole countries like Iran, right?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  105. Hoagie:

    See Jane. Does Jane see Dick? See Dick run. If these words are clear say Uh Huh!

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  106. “REPORTER: “Did you tell the current president about his predecessors’ exercise routine and does this president ask you about how he could follow his predecessors’ example to be as fit as Barack Obama was? “

    Are you suggesting the President should start smoking?

    harkin (8256c3)

  107. No. If Trump smoked he might live to 300 according yo his official quack

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  108. Trump has incredible genes like Wolverine.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  109. Remember this fellow with a paste jar:
    https://mobile.twitter.com/ThomasWictor/status/953419689601916928?p=v

    He was wrong on virtually every issue, but they treated him like a wiseman

    narciso (d1f714)

  110. You sound like Al Bundy’s wife.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  111. 96. He always reminds me of Farscape’s Dominar Rygel XVI in more ways than one…

    crazy (d99a88)

  112. That was a great show, you see how sci-fi treated it, back in the golden age

    narciso (d1f714)

  113. I liked the doc… His mental weirdness doesn’t resemble Alzheimer’s

    Impressed by a man in a uniform, eh. Except, you see, his ‘weirdness’ does. Put your politics aside and any agenda in a drawer and just believe what your lying eyes keep showing you. Certainly the ‘symptoms’ of an early dementia of sorts seem apparent as described by the Mayo Clinic (see #56.)

    If Trump was your parent, a relative, your child’s teacher, an uncle, a bus driver, train engineer or licensed pilot, you’d want to have him checked more closely with a thorough examination specifically for the disease or its any related to the symptoms. The nation would be better served if Doktor Ronny had perused the Trump medical family history as well– which nobody asked him about. After all, in his presentation, he said repeatedly our Captain’s present health stemmed from his genetics.

    And doctors can be wrong; my own late father had a cold, went the doctor, was given a check-up, cleared to go home w/some OTC meds– and literally ten days later dropped dead in his bedroom. The silent killer… the doctor simply didn’t catch it.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  114. it would be nice if mr ted nugent would bring mr president trump some wild game meat to improve his diet then he would more closely resemble mr secretary governor president roosevelt without the bipolar

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  115. yes yes venison with the fancy mustard i love that

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  116. agree, and no worries DRJ, your a pro, I’m a hack.

    mg (8cbc69)

  117. Watched and enjoyed first two episodes of season 4 (I think) of Black Mirror last night. Watched all of the Electric Dreams on Amazon last week. Some -especially the last 2 – were pretty good!

    Colonel Haiku (3f1823)

  118. ASPCA knows “weird”. He lives it every day. And strawberries 🍓!

    Colonel Haiku (3f1823)

  119. if you had the village people presidents you would have roosevelt in a cowboy hat and trump in a hard hat who would the rest be?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  120. Teriyaki Venison Jerky

    mg (8cbc69)

  121. oh gosh i think that show’s too dark and dispiriting – the jodi foster one was about as much fun as getting raped on a pinball machine – but i love the david slade one about the surly robots

    i think it’s episode 4

    that one should have its own show

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  122. mr roosevelt could be the policeman as well I suppose and we have to wait for miss warren for the indian

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  123. why’s it gotta be black?

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  124. when i look at mirrors i don’t see colour because i’m white

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  125. “Donald Trump chasing me around the bedroom in his tighty whities isn’t something that you ever forget.”

    https://www.today.com/video/stormy-daniels-friend-says-daniels-described-trump-chasing-her-in-hotel-room-1137942083715

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  126. happyfeet – was at a party and they had thick bacon smoked with habanero with a honey glaze and they were standing upright in these serving vases placed all over. Quite a treat. I hovered over the ones by the oyster bar.

    mg (8cbc69)

  127. i don’t know why the mirror’s black

    it’s probably in solidarity with something

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  128. Trump… Harshing the Dimocrat and #NeverTrump memos for well over a year now…

    Colonel Haiku (3f1823)

  129. That’s actually normal behavior. How abnormal.

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  130. that sounds so special

    i’m a have to see if lil brudder can do something like that

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  131. VDH is The Man. He’s been an interesting and thought-provoking author and speaker on the scene for more than two decades now.

    Colonel Haiku (3f1823)

  132. i’m a send him some of these this summer and commission some brisket [amazon widger search: Aviditi 246C Insulated Shipping Containers]

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  133. “ If Trump smoked he might live to 300 according yo his official quack”

    Next thing you know he’ll be claiming he could slow the ocean’s rise.

    harkin (8256c3)

  134. https://goo.gl/images/bZmn4M

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  135. @119. it would be nice if mr ted nugent would bring mr president trump some wild game meat to improve his diet then he would more closely resemble mr secretary governor president roosevelt without the bipolar

    Bully!

    “Dr. Melik: You mean there was no deep fat? No steak or cream pies or… hot fudge?
    Dr. Aragon: Those were thought to be unhealthy… precisely the opposite of what we now know to be true.
    Dr. Melik: Incredible.” – ‘Sleeper’ 1973

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  136. I’ve only been reading him since 2001, almost always a bracing exercise, because he focuses on real not appearances

    narciso (d1f714)

  137. Presidents have recovered from periods of low popularity before. For example, Clinton’s rating fell to just 37 percent in June 1993 before quickly regaining ground, and he went on to win re-election. Harry S. Truman held the approval of less than 40 percent of Americans for significant chunks of his first term and was also re-elected. He went on to set Gallup’s lowest-ever approval mark, at just 22 percent in 1952.

    Trump’s lowest point in Gallup’s weekly polling — 35 percent —

    https://apnews.com/a4b3a9338ccb4118a9566419c69c2243

    Admiral Ben Bunsen Burner (e96021)

  138. The Aryans can afford great doctors after Obama gave them pallets of cash.

    Residuals from the ‘Indiana Jones’ franchise helps, too.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  139. DCSCA (797bc0) — 1/16/2018 @ 4:48 pm

    I just watched The Donald…Pleasance movie Death Line. It’s about no-go areas in London * spoiler.

    Ever seen it?

    Pinndpuller (16b0b5)

  140. Keep phukin’ dat chicken 🐓 Been Burned!

    Colonel Haiku (3f1823)

  141. Too many “n’s” oh my.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  142. If you bother to watch Doktor Ronny’s presser, focus less on his act and more on the audience of Sarah and her WH brood watching intensely from the chairs by the podium. They knew what was going to be said– and unsaid– and hung every word to be sure it all came out just the way they and the Captan wanted it– and to prep for any tweaks to spin. The tell was Doktor Ronny’s repeated insistence our borderline obese and fast-foot-junkied, 71 1/2 year old Captain would be in good health for the rest of his term and into another. That’s quite a guestimate to please an audience of one. So doktor’s orders: extra whipped cream w/those strawberries and three scoops of Dolly Madison vanilla tonight, Captain, sir!

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  143. 140, the Digital Underground video “Same Song” from Nothing But Troubles soundtrack stayed in MTV heavy rotation far longer than the movie was in theatres.

    urbanleftbehind (6eb13a)

  144. @148. Lived it.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  145. Cory Booker looks like Coby Bell from Burn Notice and Prison Break.

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  146. The Humpty Dance

    Here’s your chance

    To do The Hump

    Pinandpuller (16b0b5)

  147. Since the WaPo has been so even-handed on Trump back through the primaries and campaign, this is sure to be a solid piece of reporting!

    Kevin M (752a26)

  148. I suspect the movie “The Post” is a bit of battlespace prep.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  149. Cory is a sniveling biotch, just like every other pansy jazz democrat.

    mg (8cbc69)

  150. less the j

    mg (8cbc69)

  151. I wish these meetings were videoed, only to watch Durbin and the Dems stand when Trump enters the room.

    Kevin M (752a26)

  152. …also known as Tony Dungy.

    urbanleftbehind (6eb13a)

  153. No even on the gifted, he is rather earnest.

    narciso (d1f714)

  154. If Fast and Furious had petered out after a couple of movies and went DTV or cable, he’d be the Vin Diesel role.

    urbanleftbehind (6eb13a)

  155. dicky durbin wants more sh!t heads from sh!holes countries to come and work in Illinois.
    Even though Blacks are still severely unemployed in Illinois. What a turd.

    mg (8cbc69)

  156. More Clinton shenanigans, this time it’s Australia that wants its money back:

    https://www.lifezette.com/polizette/aussie-complaints-to-be-filed-with-fbi-on-clinton-foundations-dealing-down-under/

    It’s amazing how the same people keep popping up in these scandals. This time it’s Alexander Downer, the Aussie who allegedly committed fraud in helping the Clinton Foundation when he was Foreign Minister. He also is a key player in the Steele dossier’s authenticity: supposedly he had a conversation with George Papadopoulos, then a campaign aide to President Donald Trump. Downer told the FBI that Papadopoulos told him Russia had “dirt” on Hillary Clinton. This is the latest spin on the dossier to keep the heat off of DOJ/FBI for using the dossier to surveil the Trump campaign.

    Lenny (5ea732)

  157. 165- F’EM if they can’t pass a drug test or get bogged down in some Facebook live braggadocio.

    urbanleftbehind (6eb13a)

  158. That film should have been a Geneva convention violation

    narciso (d1f714)

  159. To be fair, Mississippi was the part of the South with highest “Field to House” ratio and that’s where most of the Chicago crowd came from , thanks to the Illinois Central railroad. Most of my classmates would take their summer vacation down that way.

    urbanleftbehind (6eb13a)

  160. 161.I wish these meetings were videoed, only to watch Durbin and the Dems stand when Trump enters the room.

    … and to see Chief of Staff Kelly bark, “Mr. President! You forgot to put your pants on, again.”

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  161. Have you seen the DACA deal, NJRob? I hope it’s not true or Trump rejects it.

    DRJ (15874d)

  162. They may be able to bully some GOP senators into supporting it through this gas lighting that’s all this is.

    narciso (d1f714)

  163. @ Dave, if you’re still following this thread: Here’s a better discussion of how federal district judges are currently assigned cases, from a far more authoritative source (italics mine):

    How are judges assigned to cases?

    Judge assignment methods vary. The basic considerations in making assignments are to assure equitable distribution of caseloads and avoid judge shopping. By statute, the chief judge of each district court has the responsibility to enforce the court’s rules and orders on case assignments. Each court has a written plan or system for assigning cases. The majority of courts use some variation of a random drawing. One simple method is to rotate the names of available judges. At times judges having special expertise can be assigned cases by type, such as complex criminal cases, asbestos-related cases, or prisoner cases. The benefit of this system is that it takes advantage of the expertise developed by judges in certain areas. Sometimes cases may be assigned based on geographical considerations. For example, in a large geographical area it may be best to assign a case to a judge located at the site where the case was filed. Courts also have a system to check if there is any conflict that would make it improper for a judge to preside over a particular case.

    I ask unanimous consent from the House that this quotation be substituted for my prior answer.

    For purposes of your distribution analysis, you could consider that, for instance, the Southern District of Texas has something like 18 active judges plus another three or four senior-status judge who still accept cases regularly, and in 2016 they had 6,237 new filings. If they were using ping-pong balls from a spinning cage or a random number generator, would that be a large enough volume to overcome the deviations you describe? (I’m not a math geek; quite the opposite.)

    Beldar (fa637a)

  164. So, there are no s&Ytjoldx? And definitely not African.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  165. WWho would have thought. Rwanda.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  166. I would have bet that countries in the Balkans were just as bad Africa. Or as good. Take your pick.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  167. Well Rwanda was a million dead, within a one year period, the balkans were much less active over several

    narciso (d1f714)

  168. My bad narciso. It was an honest mistake.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  169. Yourobably had more acquaintance than I, they say the Congo has been a real river of blood.

    narciso (d1f714)

  170. The worst place in Africa is Libya. Obama helped bigly.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  171. you ever seen The Wild Geese?

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  172. The worst place in Africa is Libya. Obama helped bigly.
    papertiger (c8116c) — 1/16/2018 @ 9:51 pm

    Yes, thanks to Obama the slave trade is booming. And Clinton. Boy, did e dodge a bullet.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  173. Available on YouTube;

    https://youtu.be/uasbhm4GCeU

    The Wild Geese – A British multinational seeks to overthrow a vicious dictator in central Africa. It hires a band of (largely aged) mercenaries in London and sends them in to save the virtuous but imprisoned opposition leader.

    Full movie.

    papertiger (c8116c)

  174. … and to see Chief of Staff Kelly bark, “Mr. President! You forgot to put your pants on, again.”

    If only the press would stop covering for Trump!

    Kevin M (752a26)

  175. The republicans seem sleepy. They let that mother fu##ing Obama get away with turning this country into a sh!thole and these ingrated republicans and no Trumpers want to blame Trump. You mother fu##ers are treasonous pos. Hows obama taste, you homo loving ambulance chasers?

    mg (8cbc69)

  176. Yes Frederick forsyth who had been an mi 6 stringer told that story which is based on the real story of moises tsombe the leader of katanga orovice in zaire, the CIA went along with mobutu, who looted the country dry.

    narciso (d1f714)

  177. I forgot to adjust “sh!tholes” on some quoted lines. Sorry now I’m in limbo.

    Rev.Hoagie (6bbda7)


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