Patterico's Pontifications

1/21/2021

Peaceful Transition of Power? YMMV

Filed under: General — Dana @ 10:20 am



[guest post by Dana]

So Mitch McConnell asserts that “the greatest nation in history carried out another peaceful transfer of power.” Technically, that’s certainly true. The inauguration of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris was as peaceful as one could hope and went off without a hitch. But to say that we have just experienced a “peaceful transfer of power” ignores the last four years. Specifically, though, it ignores the last two months and the ramp-up to the inauguration itself. By choosing to gloss over the chaos that was sowed by a sitting president and instead present an illusion of kumbayah goodwill is a way of denying reality. And that does a disservice to our nation and the American people. We must not be lulled into a sense of “Oh, that was then, this is now…” thinking lest our country once again be consumed by yet another narcissistic showboat with no substance and manages to get his hands on the levers of power. We spent the past two months watching in disbelief as a deranged president refused to accept the results of a legitimate election. We then saw court after court after court toss more than 60 baseless complaints submitted by his team of lawyers. In the former president’s fever-dream state, he became laser-focused – not on the American people or matters of State – but on himself and his insatiable quest to retain power and protect his political future. His actions sabotaged any real hoped-for “peaceful transfer of power”. All that mattered to him, and all that consumed him his every waking moment was keeping the White House and protecting the Trump Brand. With all of his chest-thumping and constant fomenting of anger in his followers, which ultimately culminated in the debacle at the U.S. Capitol on Jan. 6, I’m unable to fully agree that we experienced a peaceful transfer of power. Because frankly, peaceful followed reality and reason right out the door two months ago. They became faint specks in the rearview mirror as chaos and obsession took the wheel. After all, there was a very real reason why it was necessary to deploy 25,000 National Guard troops to the Capitol.

We need to remember, clearly and sharply, the events of the past four years, but particularly those of the past two months. They should not be glossed over, whitewashed, or allowed to be tempered by time. To do so is to invite folly. We should not let anyone forget or ignore what that witless ape from a gaudy, gilded New York City penthouse was really all about:

Goodbye to Donald J. Trump, the man who wanted to be Conrad Hilton but turned out to be Paris Hilton.

Well, that sucked.

Memo to MAGA and all its myriad fellow-travelers: Maybe Death of a Salesman as presented by Leni Riefenstahl just wasn’t the show Americans were dying to tune into this season.

And, while we’re at it, maybe turning your party over to Generalissimo Walter Mitty, his hideous scheming spawn, and the studio audience from Hee-Haw was not just absolutely aces as a political strategy.

Think on it, Cletus. I know this whole thing still sounds like your idea of a good time — how’s that working out for you?

Let me refresh your memory: On the day Donald Trump was sworn in as president, Republicans controlled not only the White House but both houses of Congress. They were in a historically strong position elsewhere as well, controlling both legislative chambers in 32 states. They pissed that away like they were midnight drunks karaoke-warbling that old Chumbawumba song: In 2021, they control approximately squat. The House is run by Nancy Pelosi. The Senate is run, as a practical matter, by Kamala Harris. And Joe Biden won the presidency, notwithstanding whatever the nut-cutlet guest-hosting for Dennis Prager this week has to say about it.

Donald Trump is, in fact, the first president since Herbert Hoover to lead his party to losing the presidency, the House, and the Senate all in a single term. Along with being the first president to be impeached twice and the first game-show host elected to the office, that’s Trump’s claim to the history books. Well, that and 400,000 dead Americans and the failed coup d’état business.

You Trumpish Republicans sneered that Joe Biden was too corrupt and too senescent to win a presidential campaign, that he was one part mafioso and one part turnip.

That turnip kicked your dumb asses from Delaware to D.C.

So you rioted. Real smart move, Cletus.

Five Americans are dead. Barricades have been erected around the Capitol. Thousands of federal troops have been deployed to the streets of Washington. State capitols have been obliged to prepare for siege. Americans blame you for this — and they are not wrong.

“Trust the plan,” the QAnon cultists say. Is this what you were planning? I know you are stupid, but you are not that stupid.

“Oh, but he fights!” you’ll say — over and over and over. He didn’t fight — he tweeted. He’s ten feet tall on social media and a pushover in real life. Trade deficit: up. Unemployment rate: rising. Abortion rate: rising. Beijing: rising. The coronavirus body-count: rising.

“But the judges!” you protest. Fair point: Trump’s absurd attempts to overturn the election through specious legal challenges were laughed out of court by the very men and women he appointed to the bench. Even his judges think he’s a joke.

Everybody has figured that out. Except you.

And so, goodbye, Donald J. Trump, the man who wanted to be Conrad Hilton but turned out to be Paris Hilton. Au revoir, Ivanka and Jared, Uday and Qusay — there’s a table for four reserved for you at Dorsia. So long, Melania — it’s still not entirely clear what you got out of this, but I hope it was worth it. A fond farewell to Ted Cruz’s reputation and Mike Pence’s self-respect, Lindsey Graham’s manhood and Fox News’s business model. In with “Dr.” Jill Biden, out with “Dr.” Sebastian Gorka.

–Dana

325 Responses to “Peaceful Transition of Power? YMMV”

  1. Of course, McConnell finds himself in a rather sticky wicket with regard to his vote on conviction. We’ll see how much he will try to look the other way to protect his own leadership role.

    Dana (fd537d)

  2. Wow Dana, you have accomplished what years of reading Patterico never has… a first time comment and probable cancellation if you continue to be the dominant contributor to this site.
    What a bile filled rant utterly devoid of logic or insight or anything else that could be called “dialogue”. I guess I should be satisfied that you have shown us the raw emotional you behind all your other posts.

    WG Jones (8566d7)

  3. You Trumpish Republicans sneered that Joe Biden was too corrupt and too senescent to win a presidential campaign, that he was one part mafioso and one part turnip.

    Well, not exactly. There is an implied “couldn’t” in there that overplays the point. I think the suggestion was that he shouldn’t. He is corrupt and decrepit but we’ve learned Americans are generally ok with corrupt and decrepit.

    Also, “one part mafioso and one part turnip” is making claims I’ve never heard. He can be compared to Fredo but mafioso would only be used as a joke. I think one part Fredo and two parts turnip would align better with what Trumpish Republicans claimed.

    studio audience from Hee-Haw … Trumpish Republicans sneered … Real smart move, Cletus

    pot, kettle is on the phone.

    frosty (f27e97)

  4. That piece by Williamson is hilarious. Good find.

    Time123 (52fb0e)

  5. ‘Twould seem that Kevin Williamson didn’t get Joe Biden’s “Unity” memo.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  6. Senator McConnell tweeted:

    I look forward to working together everywhere we can and differing respectfully when we must.

    In 2017, Senate Democrats opposed every single one of President Trump’s cabinet nominees, requiring breaking filibusters to get them approved. Mr Biden’s first nominee was just approved 84-10.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  7. We need to remember, clearly and sharply, the events of the past four years, but particularly those of the past two months. They should not be glossed over, whitewashed, or allowed to be tempered by time.

    Indeed:

    Why Joe Biden’s First Campaign for President Collapsed After Just 3 Months

    Here’s how TIME described why the fallout was so intense:

    ‘[T]he Biden brouhaha illustrates the six deadly requirements for a crippling political scandal.

    1) A Pre-Existing Subtext. “The basic rap against Biden,” explains Democratic Pollster Geoff Garin, “is that he’s a candidate of style, not substance.”

    2) An Awkward Revelation. The Kinnock kleptomania was particularly damaging to Biden since it underscored the prior concerns that he was a shallow vessel for other people’s ideas.

    3) A Maladroit Response. Top Aide Tom Donilon claimed that Biden failed to credit Kinnock because “he didn’t know what he was saying. He was on autopilot.”

    4) The Press Piles On. Once textual fidelity became an issue, reporters found earlier cases in which Biden had failed to give proper citation to Humphrey and Robert Kennedy. By themselves these transgressions would not have been worth noting.

    5) The Discovery of Youthful Folly. During his first months at Syracuse University Law School, in 1965, Biden failed a course because he wrote a paper that used five pages from a published law-review article without quotation marks or a proper footnote. Since Biden was allowed to make up the course, the revelation was front-page news only because it kept the copycat contretemps alive.

    6) An Overwrought Press Conference. With a rambling and disjointed opening statement, Biden failed to reap the benefits of public confession, even though he called himself “stupid” and his actions “a mistake.” Part of the problem is that he contradicted himself by also insisting that it was “ludicrous” to attribute every political idea.

    The “final blow” for the campaign came when Newsweek unearthed C-SPAN footage of Biden rattling off his academic accomplishments, including saying that he graduated in the top half of his law school, when in fact, he ranked 76th out of 85.

    Biden announced he was dropping out of the race on Sept. 24, 1987.’

    source- https://time.com/5636715/biden-1988-presidential-campaign/

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  8. To a few of us here today, this is a solemn and most momentous occasion; and yet, in the history of our Nation, it is a commonplace occurrence. The orderly transfer of authority as called for in the Constitution routinely takes place as it has for almost two centuries and few of us stop to think how unique we really are. In the eyes of many in the world, this every-4-year ceremony we accept as normal is nothing less than a miracle.

    Mr. President, I want our fellow citizens to know how much you did to carry on this tradition. By your gracious cooperation in the transition process, you have shown a watching world that we are a united people pledged to maintaining a political system which guarantees individual liberty to a greater degree than any other, and I thank you and your people for all your help in maintaining the continuity which is the bulwark of our Republic.

    Ronald Reagan, Jan 20th 1981

    and Trumpies continue to besmirch this great man by equating him and Trump.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  9. It is a continual wonder to me that Republicans insist on claiming Biden is senile and close to death. He’s older, talks a little slower and more gently, which is fine. I always thought before that he bloviated before and appreciate that now he measures his words.

    But actual evidence in the last couple of months that he is a turnip, a drooling idiot in a basement? Only if your eyes are focused purely on Fox News. He’s out of the basement, he’s getting work done, he walks down avenues, greets people, hugs his wife and already has fired three Trump hacks, has signed decrees and is planning more things – more productive effort in his first day than Trump ever managed.

    Many of the conservative commenters I read seems sincerely convinced that in a few months he’ll be dead or in a coma and then Dread Harris will be ruining the country. Who knows what the future will bring, but I think the actual chances are about the same as The Storm that the Qsters were waiting so patiently for.

    Victor (4959fb)

  10. It was a peaceful inauguration, sort of, made peaceful by tens of thousands to keep the peace. It wasn’t a peaceful transfer of power.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  11. the first game-show host elected to the office

    I would vote for Alex Trebeck over Trump easy. Even now.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  12. In 2017, Senate Democrats opposed every single one of President Trump’s cabinet nominees, requiring breaking filibusters to get them approved. Mr Biden’s first nominee was just approved 84-10.

    There was no filibuster for nominations in 2017, DiK. The Douchebag from Nevada took care of that in 2013.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  13. No mention of the riots during President Trump’s inauguration?

    https://legalinsurrection.com/2021/01/flashback-new-video-emerges-of-riots-at-trumps-2017-inauguration/

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  14. So you rioted. Real smart move, Cletus.

    This part will insult a group that is obsessed with being respected.

    Time123 (dba73f)

  15. @8.

    https://theintercept.com/2021/01/04/trump-reagan-showtime-documentary/

    ‘Trump is to Reagan much like crack is to cocaine: cheaper, faster-acting, and less glamorous. Still, in their essence, they are the same thing.’

    Trump is a Reagan Creation. He is ‘you.’

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  16. It is almost immediately apparent, however, that Biden will not be governing from the center (except what might look like “the center” from academe, or California or New York).

    First acts:

    * Stopping deportations of illegals, even those convicted of things like drink driving.

    * Killing Keystone XL and the jobs it would bring in building or after.

    * Stopping fracking on federal land, even though natural gas is the most responsible hydrocarbon to use. If all coal was replaced by natural gas, our CO2 production would plummet.

    * Firing people in “independent” agencies before their term expires, contrary to all precedent, because big Democrat donors want them gone.

    I expect that many non-political employees in the government will find themselves transferred to Barrow or Guam solely because they came on in the last regime. People complained bitterly when W tried to remake the DoJ, then stood silently as Obama did the same. It will not surprise me if this silence repeats.

    Biden is the happy-face front man for a hard left party. The media is already starting to close ranks behind him. The WaPo has closed comments on a number of controversial actions yesterday, citing some capacity issue with their system. Democracy dies in censorship and silence.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  17. There was no filibuster for nominations in 2017

    You are quite correct. Instead they used Senate rules that allowed “up to” 30 hours of debate on each one after cloture. Then took that 30 hours on every one.

    Still, not a filibuster, but something else with the same effect. This did not end until about 2019, when McConnell had enough and they “nuked” it down to 3 hours.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  18. Mr Jones wrote:

    Wow Dana, you have accomplished what years of reading Patterico never has… a first time comment and probable cancellation if you continue to be the dominant contributor to this site.
    What a bile filled rant utterly devoid of logic or insight or anything else that could be called “dialogue”. I guess I should be satisfied that you have shown us the raw emotional you behind all your other posts.

    C’mon, Mr Jones! If I could put up with four years of never Trumpism, you can put up with that.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  19. Trump is a Reagan Creation. He is ‘you.’

    I doubt that Reagan had anything to do with Trump. IF Trump was Reagan’s creation, it would have happened in his final years.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  20. Just a reminder that Williamson is the guy living in his ivory tower, but declared that others livelihoods and cities must die.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  21. Mr Jones also mistakes the Kevin Williamson quotes for Dana’s stuff. Although Dana could have made that clearer, actually.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  22. @11. They’ve been rigged, too. 😉

    And Trebek was Canadian-born.

    Still, as every Nixon apologist remembers, The Big Dick’s credo: ‘What America needs re leaders to match the greatness of her people.”

    Yes, America needs another Jack Barry. Certainly a Dan Enright. Or maybe just settle on Sonny Fox.

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1950s_quiz_show_scandals

    The American quiz show scandals of the 1950s were a series of revelations that contestants of several popular television quiz shows were secretly given assistance by show producers, to prearrange the outcome of ostensibly fair competitions. The 1950s quiz show scandals were driven by a variety of reasons, including greed, willing contestants, and the lack of regulations prohibiting such conspiracy in game show productions.

    😉

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  23. Time123 (dba73f) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:13 am

    So you rioted. Real smart move, Cletus.

    This part will insult a group that is obsessed with being respected.

    Glasshouses? I’m pretty sure there are several alternatives that would insult any number of groups obsessed with being respected. But different rules for different groups correct?

    frosty (f27e97)

  24. Mr 123 wrote:

    So you rioted. Real smart move, Cletus.

    This part will insult a group that is obsessed with being respected.

    Which, I would guess, was Mr Williamson’s intention all along.

    Those of us in Flyover Country knew what the oh-so-sophisticated in New York City thought of us. Wm F Buckley, Jr, might have been a sophisticate himself, but he was smart enough to not insult others despite all of his high browness on Firing Line. He did, after all, want to keep National Review going.

    Bill Kristol destroyed The Weekly Standard through his insistent never Trumpism. Had he allowed some pro-Trump articles, the magazine might have survived, but no, he’d rather burn it to the ground. National Review has survived, just barely, because some of its articles were not anti-Trump, but Mr Williamson seems to want to put the magazine the rest of the way out of business. With print opinion journals already teetering on the edge, he just might do it.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  25. “contrary to all precedent”

    An NLRB general counsel hasn’t been asked to resign since 1950, when President Truman asked for the resignation of Robert Denham because of an anti-union bill, Bloomberg Law reported.

    So, no there’s a precedent and if Mitch can dig up precedents from the 19th Century to justify his Garland maneuvers, I don’t see why 1950 doesn’t count.

    Also I thought Republicans believed in the unitary executive.

    And finally, the theory that a president with a power to fire somebody who openly opposes his agenda doesn’t do so, seems kind of a faded doctrine. Biden was elected in part with the support of labor. The counsel in question was explicitly anti-labor. Under what theory was Biden required to wait 10 months while the guy continues to enact policy contrary to the administration’s agenda if, again, he has the power to fire him?

    Victor (4959fb)

  26. @19. Then you slept through the 1980s.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  27. Dana, to be fair, Trump was an abomination.

    The issues that he pretended to care about were just part of his grift. Hopefully, someone will rise who legitimately represents the guy with a high-school education and/or those living outside the media centers. Someone who can actually get things done rather than hold rallies.

    Whatever got working-class people to think that a NY billionaire had their back is beyond me though. All he did was regurgitate talk-radio memes and “fight” ineffectively in public for what he despised in private. I’m betting Jared got some good stock tips though.

    Look to a red-state governor for a real champion. They will at least have a track record you can test.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  28. (that last was to Dana in Kentucky)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  29. Words I would like to hear:

    “I don’t care if the Dow goes up or down. What I care about is whether people in Kentucky have jobs, can pay their mortgage and have hope for the future. I would think that this would be good for the markets, but if not, so be it.”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  30. Wow Dana, you have accomplished what years of reading Patterico never has… a first time comment and probable cancellation if you continue to be the dominant contributor to this site.
    What a bile filled rant utterly devoid of logic or insight or anything else that could be called “dialogue”. I guess I should be satisfied that you have shown us the raw emotional you behind all your other posts.

    WG Jones (8566d7) — 1/21/2021 @ 10:45 am

    WG Jones,

    I suggest that if you have any issues with my “bile filled rant utterly devoid of logic or insight or anything else,” take it up with management. Email addy is on the sidebar.

    BTW, please clarify: exactly who is cancelling whom??

    Dana (fd537d)

  31. Time123 (dba73f) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:13 am

    So you rioted. Real smart move, Cletus.

    This part will insult a group that is obsessed with being respected.

    Glasshouses? I’m pretty sure there are several alternatives that would insult any number of groups obsessed with being respected. But different rules for different groups correct?

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:30 am

    I’m not the first person to come up with cultural resentment as the motivating force in Trump’s base. One of his supporters, if not a passionate one described him as The Only Middle Finger Available.

    Part of why I don’t feel like a democrat is my dislike for identity politics and oppression Olympics. Part of why i no longer feel like a republican is their enthusiastic embrace of that deeply flawed world view.

    Time123 (52fb0e)

  32. Victor (4959fb) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:32 am

    And finally, the theory that a president with a power to fire somebody who openly opposes his agenda doesn’t do so, seems kind of a faded doctrine.

    Yes, it started fading a little before noon yesterday and now is completely gone. I’m expecting a bright and glorious return about 10 minutes before the next R POTUS is sworn in.

    frosty (f27e97)

  33. President Plagiarist is deep in swamp committee mode: “I have a plan. It’s over 198 pages long.”

    Let’s form a committee, write a report, submit recommendations, rent a barn, call Mickey and Judy and put on a show, eh Joe?!

    No wonder he had Winnie’s bust removed from the Oval:

    “Action This Day!” – Winston Churchill

    ‘Churchill made things happen. Above all, in his management of the WWII, Churchill made things happen. He scribbled memoranda and despatched these with amazing frequency to his commanders in the field and stamped his red ‘Action this Day’ labels on documents, urging a speedy resolution. He demanded commitment and action alike from his colleagues and staff – just as he did from himself – and his constant prodding resulted in hundreds of different ideas and initiatives.’ -source, Churchill.org

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  34. Dana, to be fair, Trump was an abomination.

    The issues that he pretended to care about were just part of his grift. Hopefully, someone will rise who legitimately represents the guy with a high-school education and/or those living outside the media centers. Someone who can actually get things done rather than hold rallies.

    Whatever got working-class people to think that a NY billionaire had their back is beyond me though. All he did was regurgitate talk-radio memes and “fight” ineffectively in public for what he despised in private. I’m betting Jared got some good stock tips though.

    Look to a red-state governor for a real champion. They will at least have a track record you can test.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:48 am

    You mean Sherrod Brown from OH? He’s been a working class populist for years.
    Much of what Warren wanted to do; Tariffs, Protectionism, lose monetary Policy, Consumer Finance were all similar to the things Trump said he wanted to do.

    But Trump added a ethno-nationalism to the populist rhetoric. I think he loses a lot of support when you drop that part.

    He also promised simple, easy to understand solutions to complex problems. That helps in sales.

    Time123 (dba73f)

  35. Victor (4959fb) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:32 am

    And finally, the theory that a president with a power to fire somebody who openly opposes his agenda doesn’t do so, seems kind of a faded doctrine.

    Yes, it started fading a little before noon yesterday and now is completely gone. I’m expecting a bright and glorious return about 10 minutes before the next R POTUS is sworn in.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 12:00 pm

    Remember all those times I (and others like me) said that part of the danger of Trump is that democrats would accept his violation of norms and do the same thing to accomplish goals I didn’t like? Here’s your first example. Trump made the presidency more powerful. I hope that Biden follows through on his promise to restore those norms but I don’t see much evidence of it so far (He’s keeping Director Wray so i guess that’s something). This is evidence to the contrary. I’m afraid we might have what proponents of the unitary executive wanted; a more powerful presidency.

    Time123 (dba73f)

  36. He also promised simple, easy to understand solutions to complex problems. That helps in sales.

    Reality is so much different than the sales pitch, eh?

    Dana (fd537d)

  37. W tried to fire a lot of people in the Justice department and this was opposed by all right-thinking people (including, if my memory is correct, our host).

    Clinton fired all the US Attorneys on Day one. This was fine. Trump did it and it was the End of the Republic.

    When similar actions get different results, I usually can find the “D/R” filter at work.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  38. Frosty,

    Who’s your example of Trump firing somebody completely against his agenda that he had the power to? The best I can think of was threats to fire Mueller because Trump threatened his agenda of hiding or lying about his behavior in the 2016 election. Am I missing another example?

    And it seems kind of inconsistent to apparently criticize Biden for not acting as quickly as Churchill and also criticize him for acting too quickly. Would Churchill have hesitated to fire somebody obstructing the agenda of his administration?

    Victor (4959fb)

  39. Reality is so much different than the sales pitch, eh?

    Not to a really good salesman.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  40. Words I would like to hear:

    “I don’t care if the Dow goes up or down. What I care about is whether people in Kentucky have jobs, can pay their mortgage and have hope for the future. I would think that this would be good for the markets, but if not, so be it.”

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/21/2021 @ 11:50 am

    I’d love to see a president and press secretary make real wages the thing we talk about, and not the stock market. Used the bully pulpit to move everyone’s focus from how much the stock of Boeing has changed and how what they’re paying their employees.

    Time123 (dba73f)

  41. Trump was a pretty poor salesman, btw. As Lincoln suggested, he could only fool some of the people all of the time.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  42. how much the stock of Boeing has changed and how what they’re paying their employees.

    Or Amazon.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  43. I think this transition of power, ugly though it was, fits the definition of “peaceful transition of power”

    nate (1f1d55)

  44. Trump supporters now dominate the republican party and are working on all out control. Purging rinos and conservative free trade economic libertarians from authority in the party. The ten republicans who voted for impeachment will be primaried. Never trumpers have no party unless they join the dope smokers over at the libertarian party. Republican party tells never trumpers don’t let the door hit you on the way out!

    asset (5ca115)

  45. And so, just over 24 hours into Swampland, as much of the nation still awaits Covid vaccine and $2000 emergency Covid aid, we get these inspiring words:

    “Gimmie a break, man.” – President Plagiarist, 3:07 PM, EST, 1/21/2021

    Swell.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  46. @41 He has 75.000,000 voters who want revenge on never trumper rinos. What do never trumpers have besides a discredited donor class and their so called intellectual running dogs.

    asset (5ca115)

  47. re: “Trust the plan,” the QAnon cultists say. Is this what you were planning? I know you are stupid, but you are not that stupid.

    Would anyone bet American money on this?

    John B Boddie (d795fd)

  48. @24.

    Bill Kristol destroyed The Weekly Standard through his insistent never Trumpism. Had he allowed some pro-Trump articles, the magazine might have survived, but no, he’d rather burn it to the ground. National Review has survived, just barely, because some of its articles were not anti-Trump, but Mr Williamson seems to want to put the magazine the rest of the way out of business. With print opinion journals already teetering on the edge, he just might do it.

    What a shame. Telling the truth in right wing media is a bad business model. I can’t help but wonder how much longer Chris Wallace will survive at Fox News.

    Purple Haze (848fb6)

  49. I will support and defend every post and comment Dana has written. If that was WG Jones first comment on this site, I hope it’s his last. Get lost, troll.

    Donald Trump has come and gone
    Come and gone, come and gone
    His words have turned to turds

    The Republican party probably won’t begin to repair itself until 2022 or 2024. This is why the House must submit the article of impeachment, and the Senate must convict, so that Trump will be barred from ever holding office again.

    I look forward to your next Weekend Open Thread, Dana, because I have a story to tell.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  50. Mr time:

    The reason I say a governor is that, unlike Trump, they know, or have learned, how government works. They have a track record at governing.

    Trump’s solutions might have been simplistic, but he couldn’t get even them enacted. It should not be that hard to build an effing wall, for example. Since he could not get even his own Congress to do what he wanted, he resorted to executive orders which have no permanency, as we see today.

    People laughed at Reagan for being an actor, but he had 8 years as a successful governor where he learned the ropes. He was a nationalist and a populist, of sorts, but that was not more than a part of his message.

    Today, you cite Sherrod Brown, but not all populists are Democrats and not all Democrats support the working man. Both parties have focused on the upper middle class for decades, and this led to Trump (it could as easily have led to Bernie, a horror of a different sort). There are plenty of red-state governors out there to pick from. A Democrat governor of a red state, or a Republican governor of a blue state might be a good place to look, too.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  51. @50, those are all good points. I picked Brown because i was familiar with him. Here’s hoping you get what you want. 😀

    Time123 (dba73f)

  52. He has 75.000,000 voters who want revenge on never trumper rinos.

    As they say, asset, fight the real enemy.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  53. Who’s your example of Trump firing somebody completely against his agenda that he had the power to?

    About 50 people in the FBI/DOJ, starting with Comey, USA’s from areas prosecuting Trump pals.

    There were the Inspectors General of nearly every department over a couple of weeks…3 years into the admin

    Richard Cordray from the CFPB, went all the way to the SCOTUS which specifically validated Trump’s ability to firing him. Paving the way for Biden, and any president, to do it too across any agency.

    There’s a wikipedia page dedicated to tracking them.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  54. I will support and defend every post and comment Dana has written.

    Well, thank you, GG. I really appreciate that. And I’ll look forward to your story this weekend.

    Dana (fd537d)

  55. Victor (4959fb) — 1/21/2021 @ 12:11 pm

    Who’s your example of Trump firing somebody completely against his agenda that he had the power to?

    You and Time123 seem to be thinking that I’m either criticizing Biden for doing this or trying to somehow support Trump.

    I’m criticizing you, and others like you, that are now playing the whatabout game. You try to hide the whatabout by adding conditionals to make a false distinction. We are 1 day in and already “it’s ok for Biden to do this because Trump” is trotted out. One of the hobbies here has been fisking Trumpers for trying that with BO.

    This one

    Also I thought Republicans believed in the unitary executive.

    is also going to make for an especially fun time. Beside’s the double-standard and the whataboutism, if R’s are routinely called racists nazis do you really think implying that they are inconsistent is going to have an effect?

    frosty (f27e97)

  56. Good news. Biden will keep FBI Director Wray in his job, as he should.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  57. @52 Trumpsters are fighting the real enemy conservative free trade economic libertarian rinos and their donor class. Populists are against free trade and immigration. Conservative economic libertarians are for them and only give lip service to social conservative values to fool the lower economic class into voting for republicans corporatists who take their marching orders from the wealthy class.

    asset (5ca115)

  58. Frosty, I didn’t say you were doing either.

    My comment was that i was correct that Trump’s violation of norms would become the new norms and that the GOP should push back on them as a means of limiting government power.

    I’m not saying that it’s good that Biden is doing this, I’m saying that it’s the entirely predictable outcome of accepting Trump’s similar actions.

    If you believe, as I do, that we need to limit government this was bad when Trump did it, bad when Biden did it, and it’s bad that the party which claims to want limited government didn’t push back.

    IIRC Victor is a liberal who doesn’t give a rip out limited government so I assume his comment is about unitary executive is just a way to dunk on Trump supporters. But I could be wrong.

    Time123 (52fb0e)

  59. Good news. Biden will keep FBI Director Wray in his job, as he should.

    Paul Montagu (77c694) — 1/21/2021 @ 1:19 pm

    That’s the right action and I’m glad he did it.

    Anyone want to wager about whether this is used as proof by the GOP conspiracy theorists that Wray is some sort of nefarious anti-trumper?

    Time123 (52fb0e)

  60. A significant part of the docile GOP is being led by Fox News and Talk Radio….that’s why serious people can tout Tucker Carlson as a potential Presidential candidate….despite Tucker never having run anything or served in government. I do get Williamson’s exasperation….but it’s targeted at the wrong person….Cletus. It should be targeted at Rupert and those who control the Talk Radio narrative. Trump won right wing media….Williamson needs to explain how it doesn’t happen again.

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  61. Michael Ellis, a Trump appointee at the N.S.A. who was sworn in on Tuesday, has been placed on leave
    The Biden administration on Wednesday put Michael Ellis, a Trump loyalist who was sworn in on Tuesday as the top lawyer for the National Security Agency, on administrative leave, a U.S. official said on Wednesday.
    ……
    Mr. Ellis was a former staff member for Representative Devin Nunes of California, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, and an early member of the Trump administration. He was involved in several high-profile matters, including providing intelligence to Mr. Nunes and putting the reconstructed transcript of President Donald J. Trump’s call with his Ukrainian counterpart in a highly classified computer system.

    In November, the Pentagon selected Mr. Ellis, then an official on the National Security Agency’s staff, to become its general counsel, a Civil Service job that does not end with the administration. Trump administration officials had asked the Pentagon’s top lawyer to choose Mr. Ellis, according to people briefed on the process.
    ……
    Mr. Ellis will be difficult to fire, though an inspector general investigation into his appointment could make his removal — or resignation — possible.

    However, even if Mr. Ellis’s appointment passes muster with the inspector general, former officials said that the Biden administration would not have to allow him back into the National Security Agency job. He can be reassigned to a variety of legal posts within the Defense Department, such as reviewing contracts with defense companies or overseeing military construction agreements in far-flung bases.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  62. …..and $2000 emergency Covid aid….

    I would agree with your criticism if the aid was $2,000 each month. A $2,000 one-off check won’t help anyone beyond one month.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  63. Judge says Amazon won’t have to restore Parler web service

    Amazon won’t be forced to immediately restore web service to Parler after a federal judge ruled Thursday against a plea to reinstate the fast-growing social media app, which is favored by followers of former President Donald Trump.

    U.S. District Judge Barbara Rothstein in Seattle said she wasn’t dismissing Parler’s “substantive underlying claims” against Amazon, but said it had fallen short in demonstrating the need for an injunction forcing it back online.
    ……..
    Parler has stayed online by maintaining its internet registration through Epik, a U.S. company owned by libertarian businessman Rob Monster. Epik has previously hosted 8chan, an online message board known for trafficking in hate speech. Parler also gets support against denial-of-service and other attacks from DDoS-Guard, a company whose owners are listed as residing in Russia, public records show.
    ……

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  64. Trumpsters are fighting the real enemy conservative free trade economic libertarian rinos and their donor class. Populists are against free trade…

    Opposition to free markets isn’t conservative or Republican, asset, that’s Democrat-speak.

    Paul Montagu (514ecc)

  65. Time123 (52fb0e) — 1/21/2021 @ 1:27 pm

    My comment was that i was correct that Trump’s violation of norms would become the new norms and that the GOP should push back on them as a means of limiting government power.

    Like Kevin M pointed out, this isn’t new. I had issues with this back when W did it. I didn’t think it was good when Clinton did it. By the time Trump did it the “it’s only bad when your guy does it” rule was in place. I didn’t think it was a good idea then either but I also said it wasn’t really a violation of norms at that point.

    Same, with EOs. I thought BO abused them, DJT abused them, and JB is getting off to a good start. I won’t complain that they violate norms though because they are the new normal.

    frosty (f27e97)

  66. It’s almost like they had no plan.

    “What we’re inheriting is so much worse than we could have imagined,” Jeff Zients, Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, said on a call with reporters.

    I don’t know why they would be surprised, this was patently obvious from January of 2020 on.

    The problem that the new admin is going to have isn’t so much the Vaccine, we have two vaccines, mid Feb. we’ll have a 3rd (and 500k dead Americans), so hitting 100M in 100 days isn’t an insurmountable problem. I also note that they say 100M doses, does a dose mean 1 shot, or the full vaccination, it’s supposed to be the latter, but they had been doing the former so it was always half as good/twice as bad as the shortcoming already was.

    The main problems are still getting arms to a location at a time where you have care workers, vaccines, needles, vials, prep kits…It’s not that you have to fix one, you have to make sure the supply chain align’s all of those things, and the DPA would have been the thing to use to ensure that we had sufficient supplies, well the DPA and funding for it. That’s why when Trump said he was going to use it, I thought that maybe that was a good thing, but they never actually did use it in any significant way.

    Even if we get 100M vaccinated completely by the 100 day mark, that only takes us to 1/3rd done, by the time we hit 250M vaccinated, which combined with the 50M by then who would have been infected, that will take us to herd immunity. Unfortunately, the pace of infection has increased so fast that even with it flattening, and I hope going down, by the beginning of summer, that is still double the infected today. With better treatment, the fatality rate is going to be somewhat lower, so that’s still going to have us somewhere in the 750k death range.

    It didn’t have to be like this, universal common sense promoted by the president, could have knocked that down by some number, 10%? 50%? We’ll never know. The EU/EEA is at about the same death toll as us, but with 50% (and a bit) more people, so that’s also 40% less deaths per capita, and Europeans aren’t smarter than us. Heck, we both share an idiot fringe of anti-stuff people, it’s 5G man(because radio waves bro, or something…5G runs on the same frequencies that have been used for a century, and it’s barely rolled out, but I digress).

    So…yay, someone might be trying to actively plan this thing. Boo, a year late in planning killed A LOT of people for reasons…own the libs, I guess. That showed ’em!

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  67. Trump Businesses See Sharp Revenue Decline at Key Properties
    ……
    Newly released data from the Office of Government Ethics shows that the minimum revenue generated by Mr. Trump’s businesses fell by nearly 40% from a year earlier, and declined even more at some of the company’s most lucrative properties.

    The issues facing the Trump Organization are likely to get worse in the coming months. Some of the business’s partners and clients said they would cut ties to Mr. Trump after his supporters stormed the Capitol in an effort to overturn President Biden’s election win.

    Eric Trump, who has been running the Trump Organization since his father took the White House, said in an interview Thursday that the family business was in strong financial shape.

    “I have 75 million people who would follow my father to the ends of the Earth,” he said. “He’s got probably the most famous brand in the world. The opportunities for somebody like that are going to be endless.”
    …..
    The disclosure, which covers 2020 and the first few weeks of 2021, shows business plunging at key Trump Organization properties. The Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C., saw revenue fall to around $15 million compared with more than $40 million in 2019. The Trump National Doral Miami golf resort posted revenue of about $44 million, down over 40% compared with 2019.
    ……
    The latest disclosure is the first data to indicate the impact of Covid-19. It shows Mr. Trump’s businesses taking in at least $278 million over the reporting period, down from at least $446 million in 2019.
    ……
    “I have 75 million people who would follow my father to the ends of the Earth,” he said. “He’s got probably the most famous brand in the world. The opportunities for somebody like that are going to be endless.”

    More yokels to grift.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  68. Mitch just asked the Dems to delay the Senate impeachment trial till Feb. I’m 100% for that, I’d say there is nothing that makes it important enough to do before we get Covid actually boxed up. Summer…2022…fine. At the end of the day, Trump can be charged with federal crimes now, regardless, and if the only thing is convicting him to then vote on excluding him forever, then there’s no time pressure.

    Let’s do it in December, give everyone a Christmas present.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  69. https://greenwald.substack.com/p/the-new-domestic-war-on-terror-is

    Dana and his elite friends like Bill Kristol are just as much part of the problem as AOC and Bernie. You consciously voted against the more conservative of the two existing candidates. The arrogance and dismissiveness you vent toward all Trump supporters will come back to bite you when you try to run Mitt v3 as the Reaganesque candidate we should all support…LOL

    Greenwald nails what the game is and both lefties and Kristolites have been exposed for the stupendous hypocrisy they display.

    Kentucky Guy (c154ef)

  70. Williamson stole all my best material!

    “The Third Lady”!

    “Uday and Qusay”!

    Allahpundit also took exception to the “peaceful transfer of power” rubbish:

    I’m too pessimistic to believe that this country, in its advanced state of civic decay, is capable of what he’s asking. But it’s nice to have a “unity” message coming from the top, even if it’s destined to evaporate on contact with Biden’s policy agenda in Congress.

    There was one glaringly false note in the speech. Early on, Biden said that “we come together as one nation, under God, indivisible to carry out the peaceful transfer of power, as we have for more than two centuries.” There was no “peaceful transfer of power” this time. The fact that no one died today, which was a serious enough concern to warrant deploying thousands of troops, doesn’t make the process “peaceful.” That’s a canard that we like to cite on Inauguration Day to flatter ourselves about our presidential transitions, as if there’s something uniquely American about one administration making way for another without bloodshed. It’s not unique; other nations have done it for many years. But the canard is especially irritating this year, two weeks after a cop was murdered at the Capitol and major political figures, including the former vice president of the United States, barely escaped a mob attack with their lives because Trump just couldn’t accept that he’d lost.

    Even if the Capitol attack had never happened, it’d be ludicrous to say after the last two months that power was transferred “peacefully.” Trump pulled every lever he could, legal or otherwise, to undo the election or convince supporters that Biden’s presidency would be illegitimate even if he did end up being sworn in. Nothing peaceful about that. It’s a declaration of perpetual war, just a cold war instead of a hot one. The peaceful transfer of power isn’t worth much if the country you’re left with afterward is effectively ungovernable.

    Dave (1bb933)

  71. Kentucky Guy (c154ef) — 1/21/2021 @ 2:47 pm

    Glennwald lost me in the first sentence when he put scare quotes around “terrorism”. Who knew that Trump’s most ardent fans are now talking like the chanters at a CodePink rally.
    But I would like to know who her elite friends are. I doubt it’s Bill Kristol, but who knows, there could be a whole cabal, right?

    Paul Montagu (514ecc)

  72. Also, for everyone concerned about Trump hiding concentration camps, it looks like he’s still trying all the way to the end.

    frosty (f27e97)

  73. @ Kentucky Guy,

    Dana and his elite friends like Bill Kristol are just as much part of the problem as AOC and Bernie.

    First, it’s her, not his. You do realize that AOC and Bernie are elected officials and that legislators and lawmakers and sitting members of Congress have vastly more power and influence than does a private citizen expressing their viewpoint at a blog, right? But it does beg the question: exactly what “problem” do see us as being part of? The “problem” of calling it as I see it? The “problem” of not being loyal to the Republican Party (and looking the other way when the Party backs a liar and incompetent person to lead)? Or the “problem” of expecting and demanding more from the President of the United States? Rather I should stay quiet and be a good conservative for the sake of the Republican Party instead?

    You consciously voted against the more conservative of the two existing candidates.

    You have absolutely no idea who I voted for. All you’re doing is assuming. But more importantly, you’re really going to have to define “conservative” here.

    The arrogance and dismissiveness you vent toward all Trump supporters will come back to bite you when you try to run Mitt v3 as the Reaganesque candidate we should all support…LOL

    When I write about Trump supporters specifically, I make efforts to differentiate between Trump’s diehard loyalists from Republicans who plugged their noses and voted for him as the lesser of two evils. I don’t believe the latter group venerates and adores Trump as does the former group. Further, I have no qualms about being dismissive toward the former group either. Somewhere along the line they willingly sacrificed their own integrity and conscience and pledged their allegiance to a contemptible individual, who is clearly corrupt, self-serving, and motivated by little else other than self-interest and protecting his brand.

    So if you believe me to be a “problem,” well, I’ll gladly accept that badge of honor.

    Dana (fd537d)

  74. Also, for everyone concerned about Trump hiding concentration camps, it looks like he’s still trying all the way to the end.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/21/2021 @ 3:44 pm

    We know Trump offered to hide concentration camps. Your effort to dismiss this point last time I linked it was that you don’t read the Washington Post. Trump offered this in exchange for help with an election. Of course that deal is off the table. Trump still tried to help China more than Biden probably ever dreamed. Remember, every accusation is a confession with that type of guy.

    I also agree with Dana… if someone thinks Trump was more conservative than Biden they need to explain what the hell that means. On accountability for the government, spending, or putting America ahead in foreign policy, Trump is dead last in modern presidents.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  75. @39. Trading P.T. Barnum for Professor Harold Hill is not trading ‘up.’

    “You can’t cheat an honest man. Never give a sucker an even break or smarten up a chump.” – Larson E. Whipsnade [W.C. Fields] ‘You Can’t Cheat An Honest Man’ 1939

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  76. You consciously voted against the more conservative of the two existing candidates.

    I think Nomad is talking about Biden, because in nearly every way, he was the more conservative candidate from the 2 major parties. Trump’s populist neo-mercantilist and authoritarianism focused viewpoint is closer to Hugo Chavez than Reagan, or Thatcher, or Bush I/II, or Clinton even.

    Little c-conservatism is normalcy, respecting history, science, precedence, competence, those are conservative concepts. Sure, he has liberal views on some things, but even those are traditional little c liberal policies. He’s mostly normal, you know, other than being another OFWG, which is also pretty conservative.

    Also, Nomad just continues to try to fight trolling battles, when there are real, actual, battles that need to addressed. Namely, Covid and the economic and national security issues surrounding it, and foreign policy, and dealing with domestic terrorists, those are immediate problems, today. Nomad, conveniently ignores all of that, to jump 50 layers deep to talk about not being “loyal” to King Trump, and maybe the (R) party too.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  77. It will be interesting to see how people on both sides of the Divide deal with a lack of Trump. Honestly, DJT reminds me of that line from “Ghostbusters” about choosing the form of your destroyer.

    I keep waiting for people just to ignore Trump, and move on. But I don’t think that is going to happen. Ever. The Two Minute Hates will happen daily.

    DJT reveals what is, um, nonoptimal in everyone, I think.

    Simon Jester (a5de65)

  78. I would still like to hear whoever it is define “conservative”. It might a constructive exercise for him to take the time and thought to do so. That is if he is really interested in dialogue…about which I’m rather doubtful.

    Dana (fd537d)

  79. Hi Simon Jester,

    There is paying attention to him and letting him consume one’s thoughts throughout the day, and then there is recognizing that, in his wake, he left our country more divided than ever. He effectively tapped into frustration and anger that eventually manifested itself in the ugly events at the Capitol just a mere two weeks ago. I believe we need to not forget or brush it away, especially not this soon. We need to learn whatever lessons there are in order to be able to make sure such a destructive presence does not succeed in landing in the Oval Office again. Politics is an ugly business. And it seems to draw ugly characters out of the woodwork. That I am still looking back in hindsight and trying to regroup after the past two months is a good thing for me. I think it would be a good thing for our country too. But I understand that you feel otherwise. Hope things are going well with you and the family.

    Dana (fd537d)

  80. @Dana@78 I don’t know that I know what “conservative” is any more. And I’m sure that I don’t know what Conservative is at this point. I’m also having trouble with the current definitions of liberal and Liberal. Also moderate. And communist (which seems to mean “stuff I don’t like if I say I’m on the political right.” but it’s hard to tell). DEFINE YOUR TERMS, PEOPLE!

    Nic (896fdf)

  81. Nic,

    Same.

    Dana (fd537d)

  82. It’s been a day since he was president, and 2 weeks and a day from the desecration of the capital, so I’m not over the last 4 years yet.

    I have noticed my stress level has actually dropped pretty significantly since Trump was “deplatformed”, that was the best day in 5 years.

    It’s going to take a few years to figure out just how many years it’s going to take to dig ourselves out of the mess he left behind.

    Give it at least a few weeks with radical normalcy to start freaking out that Biden team isn’t magical Covid gnomes and going to fix this whole thing in a month. They’re already starting out with the message that 100k people are going to die be the end of next month regardless, which is a better than telling us that all is going to be perfect…in two weeks. Sometimes honest discussions about reality sucks.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  83. It’s going to take a few years to figure out just how many years it’s going to take to dig ourselves out of the mess he left behind.

    Time Magazine’s cover is LOL-worthy.

    Dave (1bb933)

  84. Dana, I always appreciate your kindness and courtesy. I always disliked Trump. I continue to think that the media have worked really hard to create hatred in general. This gets blamed on Trump, who is just a jerk who did and said stupid things. Not really a surprise, given his history. It was all there.

    Hatred consumes. And too many people hate.

    People I *know* to be good and clear thinking people are reacting to Biden as if he is an angel. I understood some of the adoration stuff with Obama. But Biden? Biden’s history is really odious, and I think that it will be all sanitized.

    Is there enough “perfume in Araby” to sanitize him? I don’t know, but looking at the press, they are sure trying.

    All politicians are jerks. I have no trouble writing that. They are not devils or angels.

    But like the Boggart’s in “Harry Potter,” Trump cannot handle being laughed at. Hatred feeds him and his followers. And I think that too many people (I am not referring to you) are so invested in their hatred of Trump that they will not let it go, and in turn deify one of the least accomplished hack politicians in modern times. I think that Biden should just change his name to “Nottrump.”

    At least that would better describe the situation.

    It’s going to be a rough couple of years.

    Simon Jester (a5de65)

  85. Trump failed a peaceful transition of power. His Proud Boys are still standing by to kill more people protecting our capitol. His Q anon supporters are upset the cleansing didn’t happen (meaning the execution of the ‘bad’ American leaders). Granted, a lot of this stuff is silly or stupid, and over time I bet it becomes harder to believe this ever happened or was a real threat to the continued existence of the country. But a peaceful transition of power did not happen. There was violence, and we needed thousands of troops to force a transition of power.

    I do not want to talk about Trump every time Biden screws up, as he has already done a couple of times, killing a lot of good jobs in a totally counterproductive way. I’d love to forget Trump. But the fact is we need to know what he’s up to for the rest of his life, we need justice too.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  86. 83.It’s going to take a few years to figure out just how many years it’s going to take to dig ourselves out of the mess he left behind.

    Shorter: Reaganomics.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  87. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci had to call out President Science’s lie on vaccine distribution on Day 1. Day. One.

    Glad the media is doing its job of seeking the truth.

    Oh wait…

    Hoi Polloi (139bf6)

  88. The FBI has increased the reward to $75,000 for information leading to the Trump supporter who set pipe bombs at the Capitol to stop the electoral vote count. They do not know who did it, and if they don’t catch him, he’ll do it again.

    That is not Reaganomics. It’s ridiculous to ignore the real issue that Birthers took it all the way to bombs.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  89. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci had to call out President Science’s lie on vaccine distribution on Day 1. Day. One.

    Link to President Biden’s lie on vaccine distribution?

    Dave (1bb933)

  90. Mr M wrote:

    “I don’t care if the Dow goes up or down. What I care about is whether people in Kentucky have jobs, can pay their mortgage and have hope for the future. I would think that this would be good for the markets, but if not, so be it.”

    You might want to check my site at 7:00 AM tomorrow.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  91. Appreciate your comments, SJ. Love the Boggarts reference. Watched the entire series of films over Christmas and loved them all over again.

    Dana (fd537d)

  92. Reaganomics: Reaganomics is a popular term referring to the economic policies of Ronald Reagan, the 40th U.S. president (1981–1989). His policies called for widespread tax cuts, decreased social spending, increased military spending, and the deregulation of domestic markets. These economic policies were introduced in response to a prolonged period of economic stagflation that began under President Gerald Ford in 1976.

    It was a policy that didn’t work out as planned. It was also less bad than the policies of the previous decade, but less bad is still not good. What came out of Reaganomics was the economic policy of GHWB, and Bill Clinton, which were dramatically better, because more data is better. One of the things we’ve learned over the last 20 years is that there is a disconnect between the inflation, spending, and the credit market. It doesn’t function in the same way as it did in the 60’s, 70’s and 80’s. It probably changed in the 90’s, where we could have made some significantly different decisions wrg to economic policy, but hindsight and all that.

    So, just throwing out silly things like Reaganomics!!! out adds nothing but Troll silliness. If you have a point, make the point, define your terms, and spell out what the point is.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  93. Meanwhile, Dr. Fauci had to call out President Science’s lie on vaccine distribution on Day 1. Day. One.

    Glad the media is doing its job of seeking the truth.

    While we wait for you to provide a link, we can certainly deduce that you know about this (or some interpretation therein) specifically because the media reported on it.

    Dana (fd537d)

  94. The much nicer Dana wrote:

    I will support and defend every post and comment Dana has written.

    Well, thank you, GG. I really appreciate that. And I’ll look forward to your story this weekend.

    Darn! And here I thought he was talking about me! 🙂

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  95. Appreciate your comments, SJ. Love the Boggarts reference. Watched the entire series of films over Christmas and loved them all over again.

    Ergh, my wife will sit through one of those if she’s just flipping channels. It’s Raising Arizona for me, and Princess Bride…Spaceballs as well. Those all date to a very specific, most of them came out in 1987. A year when I blew an ACL and broke a wing, so I had a LOT of time stuck in a bed or on the couch.

    I used to say Top Gun, but if you’ve watched it recently, it doesn’t hold up well. I probably watched it 40 times in 86 or 87, and none since, but oof-dah.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  96. Trump Ally At Voice of America Replaced By News Executive He Recently Demoted

    The Biden administration continued its swift sweep of the leadership at the Voice of America and its parent agency on Thursday. It pushed out VOA’s director, a Trump ally named Robert R. Reilly who had been appointed just last month.

    According to two people with knowledge, Reilly and his deputy, former State Department official Elizabeth Robbins, were escorted from the building. Robbins has told colleagues she is on “administrative leave.”

    Their patron, former U.S. Agency for Global Media CEO Michael Pack, resigned Wednesday at Biden’s request after a stormy seven-month term in which he said he had to “drain the swamp” at VOA and USAGM. Some of Pack’s loyalists who were still at the agency were trying as late as Thursday afternoon to force out the executives and senior VOA staff that Pack targeted, according to four people with knowledge.
    ……
    The new acting director of Voice of America is Yolanda Lopez, a veteran journalist who had led VOA’s News Center until last week. On Jan. 12, Lopez was stripped of all editorial oversight of the English-language news hub after one of her White House reporters posed pointed questions to then-Secretary of State Mike Pompeo about his remarks, made after the presidential election, about a second Trump administration.
    ……
    The acting CEO of U.S. Agency for Global Media is Kelu Chao, a former top VOA news executive who had surfaced as a named whistleblower in a civil lawsuit against the agency.
    ……
    Pack’s pick as head of the Office of Cuba Broadcasting, Jeff Shapiro, also resigned. And according to five people with knowledge, the Biden administration also intends to replace the newly appointed heads of Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, Radio Free Asia and the Middle Eastern networks. Those broadcasters are technically not-for-profit companies funded by the U.S. government.

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  97. Ergh, my wife will sit through one of those if she’s just flipping channels. It’s Raising Arizona for me, and Princess Bride…Spaceballs as well. Those all date to a very specific, most of them came out in 1987. A year when I blew an ACL and broke a wing, so I had a LOT of time stuck in a bed or on the couch.

    I really love all three of those movies too. I didn’t see them until later because a babies and more babies arrived in the 80’s, so otherwise occupied.

    Dana (fd537d)

  98. The Commandant of Stalag 13 wrote:

    You consciously voted against the more conservative of the two existing candidates.

    I think Nomad is talking about Biden, because in nearly every way, he was the more conservative candidate from the 2 major parties. Trump’s populist neo-mercantilist and authoritarianism focused viewpoint is closer to Hugo Chavez than Reagan, or Thatcher, or Bush I/II, or Clinton even.

    Little c-conservatism is normalcy, respecting history, science, precedence, competence, those are conservative concepts. Sure, he has liberal views on some things, but even those are traditional little c liberal policies. He’s mostly normal, you know, other than being another OFWG, which is also pretty conservative.

    Did Sergeant Schultz write this for you? President Biden just banned fracking on federal lands, just reinstituted the Obysmal Administration Title IX rules forcing public schools to accept boys who think they’re girls as girls, he not only supports an unlimited abortion license but wants to kill the Hyde Amendment to force the taxpayers to pay for it, he will allow transgenders into the military, to have the taxpayers pay for their ‘transition,’ he wants a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan, ke killed the Keystone XL pipeline project, he wants to mandate plug-in electric cars by 2035, and has basically adopted every program from Bernie Sanders’ and Elizabeth Warren’s campaign positions, albeit with slightly longer timelines.

    Where’s the conservatism there?

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  99. Biden’s Inauguration Scores Bigger TV Ratings Than Trump’s

    President Biden’s inaugural address on Wednesday attracted about a million and a half more viewers than tuned in for Donald J. Trump’s inaugural speech four years ago, according to preliminary data from Nielsen.

    Nearly 40 million people watched Mr. Biden’s address on the major cable news stations and the three big broadcast networks. In 2017, 38.3 million viewers watched his predecessor’s first speech as president, the Nielsen data shows.
    …….
    The numbers held steady for Mr. Biden’s festivities throughout Wednesday. From 11 a.m. to 4 p.m., an average combined audience of 29.4 million viewers were watching the six networks on Wednesday, versus the 27 million who watched four years ago. In the five-hour block, CNN had the biggest audience (7.7 million viewers) among the major broadcast and cable networks, and Fox News had the smallest (2.1 million).
    …….
    CNN was the ratings leader, drawing roughly 10 million viewers from roughly 11:45 a.m. to 12:15 p.m., when Mr. Biden took center stage. Only 2.7 million watched Mr. Biden’s address on Fox News, the lowest of the major networks and a sharp reversal from four years ago, when nearly 12 million viewers tuned in to Mr. Trump’s preferred cable news network.
    ……..
    The numbers from Wednesday could sting Mr. Trump, who frequently mocked television personalities for any evidence of sliding Nielsen figures. ……
    ………

    Rip Murdock (d2a2a8)

  100. NASA lends 3.9-billion-year-old moon rock to the Biden White House

    Astronauts chipped the 3.9-billion-year-old rock off of a lunar boulder back in 1972.

    So the ancient stone it should be right at home with the President Plagiarist, now two months into his 79th year.

    The sample was collected by the Apollo 17 crew at the Taurus-Littrow landing site on Luna in mid-December, 1972 – a month after Biden was elected to the U.S. Senate- years before the Pet Rock, the Betamax and the Polaroid SX-70, all museum pieces as well, were on the market. Two of the crew, Ron Evans and Gene Cernan, are dead; the last surviving crewman is Harrison ‘Jack’ Schmitt, now 85, then a geologist-astronaut and later a GOP U.S. Senator from New Mexico.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  101. @DanaInKY@99 I think you may be confusing Conservative with conservative, though, again, I’m not really sure what either of those mean any more. Frex, not allowing fracking on federal lands could be considered conservative because it is retaining the lands in their more natural state it is not Conservative, because Conservatives tend to support the fossil fuel industry. Or, the Hyde amendment is an increase in federal government control and denial of local control over how money might be spent, which is not conservative, while support of an anti-abortion position is Conservative.

    Nic (896fdf)

  102. https://www.whitehouse.gov/briefing-room/press-briefings/2021/01/21/press-briefing-by-press-secretary-jen-psaki-january-21-2021

    DR. FAUCI: Well, I can tell you my impression of what’s going on right now — the team. I’m — I don’t know if I can extrapolate other things.
    But one of the things that was very clear as recently as about 15 minutes ago, when I was with the President, is that one of the things that we’re going to do is to be completely transparent, open, and honest. If things go wrong, not point fingers, but to correct them. And to make everything we do be based on science and evidence.

    I mean, that was literally a conversation I had 15 minutes ago with the President, and he has said that multiple times.

    Did it occur to Dr. Anrhony Fauci that the reason President Biden told him, not 15 minutes before the briefing he was giving, to tell the truth is that it occurred to him and his collection of coronavirus advisers that…. maybe he wouldn’t?

    Joe Biden is describing him as his chief medical adviser because he knows that there are many people, particularly those who were distrustful, really really distrustful, of Donald Trump, who regard Dr. Anthony Fauci as the opposite and the epitome of authority on the coronavirus.

    So he’s keeping him on, and describing him as the top authority and kicking him upstairs to the World Health Organization, but I don’t think he’s actually relying on him as his main source for advice.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  103. @93

    I asked for a link to President Biden’s alleged lie about vaccine distribution.

    The article you linked has no quotes from President Biden.

    Dave (1bb933)

  104. Joe Biden is a lot of things, but completely honest he isn’t. Serious about his job, yes. Good, yes maybe. Trying to avoid doing any real harm when he does things for political reasons, yes, and that’s a point in his favor.

    But completely straight, no.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  105. A Trump supporter accused President Biden of lying about vaccine distribution.

    But the Trump supporter is the one lying. In TrumpWorld, every accusation is a confession.

    Dave (1bb933)

  106. President Biden just banned fracking on federal lands

    Did he ban fracking, did he ban exploration? Because, he promised that too, it’s not going to happen, but we will have a shortage of natural gas because 95% of it comes from federal lands (It’s actually less than 2%)

    just reinstituted the Obysmal Administration Title IX rules forcing public schools to accept boys who think they’re girls as girls

    That doesn’t do what you think it does. The SCOTUS last year ruled in Bostock that discrimination due to sexual identity is discrimination and justiciable. But the EA doesn’t do what you claim it does.

    he not only supports an unlimited abortion license but wants to kill the Hyde Amendment to force the taxpayers to pay for it

    Please provide a source that says he wants an unlimited abortion license, also what is an abortion license, limited or otherwise? The Hyde Amendment isn’t under the power of the president to “kill”. It passed in 1976, the democrats had supermajorities for a very large amount of the time in the 45 years between and they didn’t. So that is not a thing.

    he will allow transgenders into the military, to have the taxpayers pay for their ‘transition,’

    And…if a lady man or man lady or a lady lady man man wants to serve their country, my country, why should their parts matter. One of us spent a very long time in the Army, and at no point did a dingle dangle really matter. Paying for it…meh, we could “transition” every member of the military…twice…for cost an F-35.

    he wants a $1.9 trillion stimulus plan

    Sure, please look at it and tell me what we shouldn’t do. Also, how does that compare to the last $4T stimulus, or the $2T deficit the tax cuts added, or the other $4T, all in the last 4 years, $6T of which were not impacted by Covid. Those completely and absolutely far left Chamber of Commerce has endorsed it.

    he killed the Keystone XL pipeline project, he wants to mandate plug-in electric cars by 2035

    I don’t think the Keystone XL actually has much of a benefit, especially in the next 100, or 200 years, the oil sands production has dried up, prior to Covid, so if it was for built for defensive purposes, that’s one thing, but it’s benefits have been massively overstated. But I think this wasn’t the best time to end the job of 8K people (it directly employs a few hundred, and will permanently add 33 over ten years when it’s completed in 2024, but sure). Can you link to a source that he wants to mandate EVs by 2035, MANDATED.

    and has basically adopted every program from Bernie Sanders’ and Elizabeth Warren’s campaign positions, albeit with slightly longer timelines.

    I bet Sanders and Warren would be really surprised about that, and by slightly do you mean, a month, a year, a decade, or never?

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  107. Pet peeves are not principles. The corrupt criminal traitor’s success was due entirely to his proficiency in pandering to people who do not know the difference.

    And all that is besides the point. His crimes stand alone, all by themselves, regardless of what the Cletuses think.

    We cannot just walk away from the orange sewer rat. If we try, we’ll get bitten on the butt. America needs to corner him, and stomp him hard. Not by some phony-baloney political stunt of an impeachment. By criminal prosecution and asset forfeiture.

    We’ll see what Merrick Garland does. But he should keep the Cletuses off the jury.

    nk (1d9030)

  108. @66

    It’s almost like they had no plan.

    “What we’re inheriting is so much worse than we could have imagined,” Jeff Zients, Biden’s coronavirus response coordinator, said on a call with reporters.

    I don’t know why they would be surprised, this was patently obvious from January of 2020 on.

    The problem that the new admin is going to have isn’t so much the Vaccine, we have two vaccines, mid Feb. we’ll have a 3rd (and 500k dead Americans), so hitting 100M in 100 days isn’t an insurmountable problem. I also note that they say 100M doses, does a dose mean 1 shot, or the full vaccination, it’s supposed to be the latter, but they had been doing the former so it was always half as good/twice as bad as the shortcoming already was.

    The main problems are still getting arms to a location at a time where you have care workers, vaccines, needles, vials, prep kits…It’s not that you have to fix one, you have to make sure the supply chain align’s all of those things, and the DPA would have been the thing to use to ensure that we had sufficient supplies, well the DPA and funding for it. That’s why when Trump said he was going to use it, I thought that maybe that was a good thing, but they never actually did use it in any significant way.

    Even if we get 100M vaccinated completely by the 100 day mark, that only takes us to 1/3rd done, by the time we hit 250M vaccinated, which combined with the 50M by then who would have been infected, that will take us to herd immunity. Unfortunately, the pace of infection has increased so fast that even with it flattening, and I hope going down, by the beginning of summer, that is still double the infected today. With better treatment, the fatality rate is going to be somewhat lower, so that’s still going to have us somewhere in the 750k death range.

    It didn’t have to be like this, universal common sense promoted by the president, could have knocked that down by some number, 10%? 50%? We’ll never know. The EU/EEA is at about the same death toll as us, but with 50% (and a bit) more people, so that’s also 40% less deaths per capita, and Europeans aren’t smarter than us. Heck, we both share an idiot fringe of anti-stuff people, it’s 5G man(because radio waves bro, or something…5G runs on the same frequencies that have been used for a century, and it’s barely rolled out, but I digress).

    So…yay, someone might be trying to actively plan this thing. Boo, a year late in planning killed A LOT of people for reasons…own the libs, I guess. That showed ’em!

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0) — 1/21/2021 @ 2:39 pm

    So… this is such a big lie and the sycophant media is dutifully propagating this.

    The DOD is literally coordinating the distribution of the federally purchased vaccinates.

    The Trump admin left the states determine how best to deploy the vaccinations, under CDC guidance. And if any states are “f’ing” this up (and yes, there are a few) then it’s on the states, not the federal government.

    Setup up and enacting the mere logistic of this is tough enough (ie, ensuring the supplies are properly refrigerated and that the destination depo has the infrastructure).

    I don’t think we want to see these sort of things nationalized. The states are better equipment to determine the means and method of the distribution, not the federal government.

    For instance, in the St. Louis area there are 3 major hospital organization that are soliciting the public to signup to get scheduled to recieve the vaccine shortly, based on tiered classifications. There’s also talks with the State and CVS to be another vaccination site. There’s also talks for the mobile M*A*S*H* sites in coordination with local heath centers and he State HHS in locations to help alleviate travel in the more remote sites. The Missouri government and local institution like the hospital systems and CVS are far better equipped to determine the deployment strategies.

    Remember, the locations has to manage the population getting the 2nd dose. I seriously doubt the Feds can do a better job.

    whembly (c30c83)

  109. Joe Biden said he would give 100 million Americans vaccines in 100 days. Other people working for Biden have said that it could happen. Dr. Anthony Fauci perhaps can be interpreted as expressing doubt because he said it was “doable” and “feasible”

    https://www.nbcnews.com/meet-the-press/meet-press-january-17-2021-n1254547

    …– the issue of getting 100 million doses in the first 100 days, is absolutely a doable thing. What the president-elect is going to do is where it need be, to invoke the DPA to get the kinds of things we need, whatever they may be, be they tests, be they vaccines or what have you…. But the feasibility of his goal is absolutely clear, there’s no doubt about that, that that can be done.

    I think, though, the 100 million vaccine doses by the end of April really may be depending on one or two more vaccines being approved.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  110. It’s not like Biden isn’t going to do a silly things, but I don’t care about any of these. I guess the Keystone one is silly in a time when we’re going to pay them instead of the Canadians.

    We’re in the honeymoon period. For today, I love’s him bunches.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  111. So… this is such a big lie and the sycophant media is dutifully propagating this.

    whembly

    That is hilarious, good one.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  112. 88. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/21/2021 @ 5:17 pm

    The FBI has increased the reward to $75,000 for information leading to the Trump supporter who set pipe bombs at the Capitol to stop the electoral vote count. They do not know who did it, and if they don’t catch him, he’ll do it again.

    Well the purpose of the pipe bombs they think. was not to explode, but to be defused. To draw police away from the Capitol.

    Meanwhile, the woman who stole Nancy Pelosi’s laptop and talked of sending it to a friend (?) in Russia (!) who would sell it to Russian intelligence has absconded.

    Nancy Pelosi’s office says the laptop was just used for presentations (and that would explain why it was out in the open) but I think you could wonder if there was some sensitive personal information on it, too, or password or log in information.

    That is not Reaganomics. It’s ridiculous to ignore the real issue that Birthers took it all the way to bombs.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  113. @112

    So… this is such a big lie and the sycophant media is dutifully propagating this.

    whembly

    That is hilarious, good one.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0) — 1/21/2021 @ 7:13 pm

    There was a “plan”… not “no plan”.
    https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/strategy-for-distributing-covid-19-vaccine.pdf

    You can comment on whether or not this OWS was inadequate or whatever… but it’s literally the opposite of “not having a plan”.

    whembly (c30c83)

  114. That is not Reaganomics. It’s ridiculous to ignore the real issue that Birthers took it all the way to bombs.

    I don’t know if it’s all the same people. It’s people who got drawn in,

    But the “Oath Keepers” and the “3 percenters” and the crazy legal theories (Sovereign citizens) have been around for over 10 years.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  115. Man, that’s funny.

    See, the other 275 posts on here. Wait, if I add them all again, do you promise to actually pay…hah.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  116. It’s not very important for many people to get the second dose! And still less important to get it in the precise time frame that was approved. It’s likely actually to create stronger immunity the more t is delayed. Certainly up to about 3 or 4 months after the first dose.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  117. Well the purpose of the pipe bombs they think. was not to explode, but to be defused. To draw police away from the Capitol.

    Hmmm that’s fascinating and I guess I buy it. There was a lot of sophstication to this deal and I imagine Russia is the reason for some of it.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  118. It’s not very important for many people to get the second dose! And still less important to get it in the precise time frame that was approved. It’s likely actually to create stronger immunity the more t is delayed. Certainly up to about 3 or 4 months after the first dose.

    Until J&J’s is available, then the tested timeline is the appropriate one. They tested 2 doses in 2 to 10 weeks, they picked the most effective interval. As someone used to say, “it is what it is”.

    A better argument is

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  119. …a single dose, which gets you to ~70%, and twice as many people.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  120. ” But a peaceful transition of power did not happen. There was violence, and we needed thousands of troops to force a transition of power.”

    As you typically do when you phone in a campaign because you know the political machine is going to do the entire job of vote counting for you, and nobody actually trusts your numbers because of all the other times your elections have been sketchy in the past.

    I’m so glad that our nation’s most prominent businesses have united with our most prominent government agencies to…uh…”fight fascism.”

    “Joe Biden is a lot of things, but completely honest he isn’t. Serious about his job, yes. Good, yes maybe. Trying to avoid doing any real harm when he does things for political reasons, yes, and that’s a point in his favor.”

    Whatever Joe Biden WAS is irrelevant. Good and serious people against doing harm do not loudly declaim that transgender men should be put in women’s prisons. Senile over-the-hill salesmen only able to push the last message do. They also repeat orders spoken in their earpieces, like ‘salute the Marines’.

    He does not write his tweets, his speeches, or his executive orders. President Puddingbrain is a cardboard cipher for whatever his advisers want. And his advisers merely want to loot the remaining middle class and small businesses of this country for themselves and their cronies in whatever the most efficient manner is available, whether its ‘increased foreign aid’ funneling money to the State Department foreign offices or ‘maintaining OUR COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE’ funneling everything through the ‘scientists’ running the Bold New Weathermen, taking the Solyndra model to a massive scale. Every Republican who wants any future for themselves or their country beyond Trump will now commit themselves to 24-7 obstructionism that will make both the Obama years and the Democrat obstruction look like amateur hour. Already they speak of sending troops back to Iraq. Iraq!

    The Democrats did not transition “peacefully” in 2017, and have shown no concrete examples of actually changing their ways. Their calls for unity are false and hollow. We owe them nothing but everything they did to Trump at minimum, and far, far worse if it comes to that.

    Squishyhead (9b99c6)

  121. With regards to Biden, it will be interesting to see whether the people actually want aggressive environmentalism (and other federal regulation/intervention) or just wanted “not-Trump”. If Biden is wrong and oversteps, we can see 2010 all over again and a stiff swing back right…to counter him. Either way, it’s nice to see policy surpassing personality discussion….though I see FNC..at least Hannity… is just pivoting over to hyperventilating about Hunter Biden. Yes, I get that there is a thin national security thread there, but it sure seems like it’s getting an almost fanatical mean-spirited focus…..as in, must destroy Hunter as a proxy for his father (just as Jesus would do).

    Here, I think Williamson’s article certainly isn’t trying to build any bridges or set its own positive path forward, but the venting is understandable. Many of us don’t want a repeat of this outsider, bull-in-the-China-shop experiment. But I still think conservative thinkers have to strategize how to win back the dominant right wing media which enabled Trump….and has also enabled much of the conspiracy nonsense which has infected the Right. There has to be a positive conservative policy agenda….and not just anger, hate, and bile. Conservatism needs to move past Trump’s self promotion….and sometimes accidental conservatism…..to a well-reasoned smart alternative to the Left’s nannyism, victimization, and class warfare. I don’t think Trumpism has cut to the bone yet….it’s too schizophrenic, undisciplined, and loosely anchored. People want to be led…not lorded over or bullied. National Review should ultimately beat the National Enquirer…but there needs to be a plan….

    AJ_Liberty (a4ff25)

  122. Nomad, I’m sure you know where to find that evidence for the extra votes being counted. Are they under here…no…here…no…

    Also, care to show the violence the “left” that inflicted on the country in 2017. I don’t remember there being a riot at the capital killing police officers. I’m sure you can remind us.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  123. @Col Klink@123 It wasn’t actual violence, per se, he just felt really violated by the ladies in the pink kitty hats.

    Nic (896fdf)

  124. I already posted a link to the actual violence earlier in the thread. It’s there for those who choose to read the post and watch the video.

    Carry on carrying that heavy water.

    NJRob (f3168c)

  125. It’s not very important for many people to get the second dose! And still less important to get it in the precise time frame that was approved. It’s likely actually to create stronger immunity the more t is delayed. Certainly up to about 3 or 4 months after the first dose.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca) — 1/21/2021 @ 7:25 pm

    Sammy,

    Don’t make untrue and misleading statements about Covid vaccines on my posts. I believe our host has already warned commenters about doing this.

    Dana (fd537d)

  126. Not a new phenomena, it’s incredibly commonplace, it’s part of anti-science wing of QAnon, been going on for a year.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  127. The GOP Hit Rock Bottom. Can Conservatives Recover?
    ……..
    …….. The right must disavow its extremists or be destroyed by them. Republicans—or preferably, in my view, members of a new and truly conservative party—must tame their violent, conspiracy-loving fringe. They can start by proving that it’s the fringe and not the whole carpet.

    There is no time for feeble “whataboutism.” Endorsing Trumpist lies and violence in the name of fighting leftist lies and violence is a road to ruin. The left has its share of radicals, but Joe Biden defeated them at the ballot box. They didn’t take over the Democratic Party, as they did the GOP. And you aren’t going to lecture me about the dangers of socialism when I’ve spent my life warning of its failures and terrors.

    The best thing conservatives can do to hold off the far left is to deal with the rising far right. If Trumpists continue to dominate the Republican Party, the Biden administration won’t be able to withstand the pressure from progressives to fight fire with fire.

    Nobody should want to rerun the Spanish Civil War, with the extremes dominant and everyone in the middle forced to pick a side or become irrelevant—if not worse. The American right will be doomed, and deservedly so, if its vanguard is violent mobs with Confederate flags. Meanwhile, Democrats should accept any hands from the right that are extended in good faith. Do progressives want to gloat in revenge or achieve their stated goals, like reducing inequality? If they realize that they can’t do both, much may be achieved.
    ……
    ……[T]he Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol was the rock-bottom moment that asked if the Republican Party wants to go through the pain of rehabilitation and live, or die in ignominy. There can be no pretending it didn’t happen. Conservatives must get through the whole 12-step recovery program in record time.

    Accepting reality is the most important step back from the brink. Mr. Trump lost, and fairly so. …….
    ……..

    Rip Murdock (f56c1e)

  128. A psa running on mark levin’s show is telling populist trump supporters that they should welcome back rinos and never trumpers into control of the republican party as conservative economic free trade libertarianism not populism should control the republican party. The donor class lincoln project republicans and neo-cons like bill kristol should be running the g.o.p. Interesting as mr. spock says.

    asset (25c05a)

  129. He has 75.000,000 voters who want revenge on never trumper rinos.

    It’s far less than that, and if so, they are far stupider than I already think they are. Do you think you’re playing Risk here, and if they don’t give you Kamchatka you’ll suicide against them?

    Much like how there were no Italian fascists in 1949, three years from now and no one will admit to having supported Trump.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  130. Opposition to free markets isn’t conservative or Republican, asset, that’s Democrat-speak.

    Support of unfettered outflows of capital and unfettered inflows of labor is Libertarian-speak. Both the GOP and the Democrats have reservations to some degree, and that degree ebbs and flows.

    While it is easy to demonstrate that those flows are great for everyone in the long run, as was said long ago “people eat in the short run.” They also vote against things they see as hurting them, which can be seen as a limiting factor in a different free market, namely free elections.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  131. BTW, if you take a look at Biden’s 198-page Covid plan, it is about 196 pages of bureaucrat-talk and maybe a tidbit of meat, here and there.

    Picked at random:

    The federal government will center equity in its COVID-19 response, providing PPE, tests, vaccines, therapeutics and other resources in a fair and transparent way. A targeted, stakeholder- and data-informed vaccination communication campaign will be launched to encourage vaccination in all communities. Additionally, the CDC will work with states and localities to update their pandemic plans. Finally, through prioritizing diverse and inclusive representation in clinical research and strengthening enforcement of anti-discrimination requirements, the federal government will increase access to effective COVID-19 care and treatment.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  132. asset–

    The next successful GOP candidate will have to find a new coalition. Trump broke the Reagan coalition (and it was probably about time, as a 1980 solution doesn’t work in 2020). This will have to include many of the Trump supporters, missing maybe the racists, plus as much of the Old GOP as possible.

    The GOP of 2012 is dead. Ain’t coming back. Many of its ideas are still valid, but the idea that outsourcing work and importing labor doesn’t hurt actual VOTERS has run its course. And Reagan understood that, too. Witness his successful efforts to bring auto manufacturing to the South.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  133. https://hotair.com/archives/john-s-2/2021/01/21/national-guard-kicked-capitol-forced-sleep-parking-garage/

    Biden learned from Obama. Once the photoshoot is over, he has no more use for the military. He tossed our soldiers in the trash.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  134. Off-topic: Suit blames sanctuary policy in shooting death

    In a politically explosive new lawsuit, the husband of a woman gunned down in her West Side driveway in 2019 contends her “senseless” death would never have happened but for Albuquerque’s “sanctuary policy,” which bars city police coordination with federal immigration officials.

    The Nov. 19, 2019, shooting death of Jacqueline “Jacque” Vigil, 55, came just weeks after Albuquerque police responded to a series of auto burglaries and a shooting incident allegedly involving Luis Talamantes-Romero, a Mexican national in the United States illegally who was charged last November in her slaying. He is incarcerated and awaiting sentencing in Texas on illegal re-entry charges.

    “This senseless death was the result of the Defendants’ indifference regarding an escalating pattern of criminal violence by known illegal aliens…” states the wrongful death lawsuit filed Thursday by her husband Sam Vigil in state District Court in Albuquerque.

    Vigil’s lawsuit also alleges that Albuquerque’s “sanctuary policy” enabled Talamantes-Romero, his family and his associates to use the city as a “home base” for crime.

    Vigil was in her car headed to the gym when she was shot to death in the pre-dawn hours. She was the mother of two New Mexico State Police officers and worked at a child day care center. She legally immigrated to the U.S. two decades earlier from Colombia and married Vigil.

    and more…

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  135. @NJRob@134 Someone should probably ask Ryan McCarthy what the plan was for quartering or transferring the Nat Guard after the inauguration.

    Nic (896fdf)

  136. He has 75.000,000 voters who want revenge on never trumper rinos.

    This is one of Trump’s more popular lies.

    According to the certified results from all states and DC, Donald Trump received 74,216,722 votes in the election.

    That only rounds up to 75,000,000 in TrumpWorld.

    Dave (1bb933)

  137. “Biden learned from Obama. Once the photoshoot is over, he has no more use for the military. He tossed our soldiers in the trash.”

    You’re behind on your partisan talking points, NJRob.

    https://twitter.com/SenDuckworth/status/1352436356560130048

    Unreal. I can’t believe that the same brave servicemembers we’ve been asking to protect our Capitol and our Constitution these last two weeks would be unceremoniously ordered to vacate the building. I am demanding answers ASAP. They can use my office.
    I meant ASAP when I said it. Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight. I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.
    Update: Just received text from Guard Commander: the last Guardsmen will clear the garage by 2330 tonight.
    Update: Troops are now all out of the garage. Now I can go to bed.

    The last tweet was made at least an hour before your post.

    Davethulhu (f31045)

  138. Biden learned from Obama. Once the photoshoot is over, he has no more use for the military. He tossed our soldiers in the trash.

    Please work harder on telling the truth, fellow citizen!

    If you bother to read the article, you’ll find that the Capitol Police (over whom Biden has no authority whatsoever) asked the soldiers to move.

    Dave (1bb933)

  139. On CNN last night, Anderson Cooper reported that Pelosi may submit the article of impeachment to the Senate as early as Friday morning. If she does, the trial will begin on Monday.

    Cooper’s guest was the impeachment manager at the first Senate trial. He said that trial lasted three long weeks, because evidence had to be presented and testimony given. However, McConnell wouldn’t allow questions and answers from witnesses, like Bolton, so as to derail the prosecution.

    This trial though my last as little as three days. McConnell is no longer majority leader, so he’s not in a position to control the trial. Besides, the evidence is overwhelming, and it’s on video. Trump’s speeches and tweets are a matter of public record. For two months he stoked anger and resentment over the election, making false claims of voter fraud and election theft, driving his cult into a frenzy.

    Did he incite an insurrection? Probably not, but he certainly laid the groundwork for one. I doubt it can be proven that his speech on the morning of January 6 caused a violent mob to storm the Capitol, but it could be shown to be a contributing factor. This siege was a long time in planning, by enraged cultists on social media and in chat rooms; talk radio and certain news outlets fueled the flames. The insurrectionists probably would have stormed the Capitol whether Trump gave a speech or not. These guys came prepared, with weapons, chemical sprays and pipe bombs, hand ties for hostages.

    Something like that doesn’t happen overnight. It certainly doesn’t happen because of one speech, although that might have been the cue. That Trump gleefully watched the armed and deadly insurrection on television for hours, before sending in support troops, is damning. I’m sure that watching his cultists invade and ransack the House and Senate, while Representatives and Senators, ran into secure rooms, made him feel oh so happy. These are my people! We love you!

    It’s all so abhorrent. The last time the Capitol was under siege was in the War of 1812, and that was by the British army, not American citizens. Nothing can excuse this type of behavior. Trump lied, and people died or were grievously injured. There is no defense to anything like that, not in the United States of America. We are supposed to be the shining city on a hill, representing a beacon of freedom, liberty, equality, the rule of law, and democracy to the world. Four years of Trump, and we are no longer a shining city on a hill. We are an embarrassment, a dark light on a corrupt society, a failure at self-governance.

    When the Speaker presents the article of impeachment to the Senate, the trial will proceed forthwith. It will not be about removing Trump from office, because he’s already been voted out. It will be about prohibiting him from ever holding office again. That, I think, would be a good thing, but I don’t trust these Republicans to make the just decision.

    Cooper’s nest guest was AOC. She said members were afraid of other members, because one Republican tried to carry a handgun onto the House floor. Typical liberal rhetoric against the 2nd amendment, I know, but she does have a point. Possession of a firearm on Capitol grounds, especially in Congress, has been prohibited since the Civil War.

    Was this Representative going to use his firearm to defend himself or others, or was he going to use it to threaten or shoot other members? That’s why firearms are not allowed in the Capitol. But Trump can provoke his cult to storm the Capitol?

    I don’t know and cannot explain what happened to the Republican party. Trump is an anathema. Or so I hope. He did not attend the inauguration, but Cruz did. He wore a mask that had “come and take it” printed on each face side. What is that? Is it a defense of the 2nd amendment, or a call for armed resurrection? Trump lied. People died. It’s as simple and obvious as that.

    The Republican party is tearing itself apart, as well as the rest of the nation. A peaceful transition? I don’t think so.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  140. Oh Dave, I know you are a little lazy progressive, unable to do your own research, so here you go:

    https://www.cnn.com/2021/01/21/politics/biden-covid-vaccination-trump/index.html

    https://thehill.com/policy/healthcare/535327-fauci-we-are-not-starting-from-scratch-on-vaccine-distribution

    “Salute the Marines”

    LOL. The next four years are going to be grand.

    Hoi Polloi (139bf6)

  141. If you bother to read the article, you’ll find that the Capitol Police (over whom Biden has no authority whatsoever) asked the soldiers to move.

    So the Democrat-led Congress approved the move?

    Hoi Polloi (139bf6)

  142. Hoi,

    It’s funny that in comment 141 you tease Dave for not doing his research and then in comment 142 you make a lazy assertion that was easily checked on google.

    News of the guardsmen’s situation, which was first reported by Politico, drew swift outrage from lawmakers who tweeted their concern over the situation.

    Sen. Mike Lee, a Utah Republican, wrote, “Very upset by this story but I have been in touch with the Utah National Guard and they are taken care of. My staff and I are investigating what happened here and will continue working to fix this situation.”

    Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat, tweeted, “Just made a number of calls and have been informed Capitol Police have apologized to the Guardsmen and they will be allowed back into the complex tonight. I’ll keep checking to make sure they are.”

    And Sen. Kyrsten Sinema, a Democrat from Arizona, tweeted, “This is outrageous, shameful, and incredibly disrespectful to the men and women keeping the U.S. Capitol safe and secure. We need it fixed and we need answers on how it happened.”

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  143. That only rounds up to 75,000,000 in TrumpWorld.

    They’re counting the stolen votes.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  144. ” But a peaceful transition of power did not happen. There was violence, and we needed thousands of troops to force a transition of power.”

    As you typically do when you phone in a campaign because you know the political machine is going to do the entire job of vote counting for you, and nobody actually trusts your numbers because of all the other times your elections have been sketchy in the past.

    I’m so glad that our nation’s most prominent businesses have united with our most prominent government agencies to…uh…”fight fascism.”

    “Joe Biden is a lot of things, but completely honest he isn’t. Serious about his job, yes. Good, yes maybe. Trying to avoid doing any real harm when he does things for political reasons, yes, and that’s a point in his favor.”

    Whatever Joe Biden WAS is irrelevant. Good and serious people against doing harm do not loudly declaim that transgender men should be put in women’s prisons. Senile over-the-hill salesmen only able to push the last message do. They also repeat orders spoken in their earpieces, like ‘salute the Marines’.

    He does not write his tweets, his speeches, or his executive orders. President Puddingbrain is a cardboard cipher for whatever his advisers want. And his advisers merely want to loot the remaining middle class and small businesses of this country for themselves and their cronies in whatever the most efficient manner is available, whether its ‘increased foreign aid’ funneling money to the State Department foreign offices or ‘maintaining OUR COMMITMENT TO CLIMATE CHANGE’ funneling everything through the ‘scientists’ running the Bold New Weathermen, taking the Solyndra model to a massive scale. Every Republican who wants any future for themselves or their country beyond Trump will now commit themselves to 24-7 obstructionism that will make both the Obama years and the Democrat obstruction look like amateur hour. Already they speak of sending troops back to Iraq. Iraq!

    The Democrats did not transition “peacefully” in 2017, and have shown no concrete examples of actually changing their ways. Their calls for unity are false and hollow. We owe them nothing but everything they did to Trump at minimum, and far, far worse if it comes to that.

    Squishyhead (9b99c6) — 1/21/2021 @ 7:32 pm

    Gawain, As long as people like this, people captured by conspiracy theories and dark fantasies, are representative of the GOP the improvements you look for are unlikely.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  145. Did he incite an insurrection? Probably not, but he certainly laid the groundwork for one. I doubt it can be proven that his speech on the morning of January 6 caused a violent mob to storm the Capitol, but it could be shown to be a contributing factor.

    What in the world does that have to do with an impeachment trial? The trials is not about finding guilt. So many many lawyers make that mistake. It is about “should we remove this assh0le or not?.” In this case it is closer to “should we bar this assh0le from ever running again?”

    Impeachment is a political decision, and as such facts are not the only important thing.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  146. Gawain, As long as people like this, people captured by conspiracy theories and dark fantasies, are representative of the GOP the improvements you look for are unlikely.

    This is nothing new. Crackpot theories have abounded in both parties since forever. Most of the Democrat Party believes that Marxism just hasn’t been done right.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  147. Gawain, As long as people like this, people captured by conspiracy theories and dark fantasies, are representative of the GOP the improvements you look for are unlikely.

    This is nothing new. Crackpot theories have abounded in both parties since forever. Most of the Democrat Party believes that Marxism just hasn’t been done right.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:41 am

    The difference is that the crazies are running the asylum at the GOP. Trump was president and he sold these fables. Cruz and Hawley and a fifth of the senate caucus signed on. I don’t think Cruz believes his lies. I think he’s decided that acting like he does is the best way to get broad support from his base.

    I know their are crazies on the left, but when the Dems had the opportunity to pick a candidate they picked a centrist Dem. No one as crazy as Trump even ran. The closest was Williamson and she finished where she should have, at the bottom.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  148. Trump will be gone soon politically, and he’s not exactly the picture of health anyway. There will shortly be a scramble for support of the bulk of the Trump base, but simply pandering to them isn’t enough. A candidate who can co-opt them through policy choices, plus hold onto large portions of #neverTrump, also through policy choices, will be golden.

    There will always be people in the fringes of those 2 camps who will refuse to deal with anyone who deals with the other camp. F ’em. They go to the corn field.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  149. I know their are crazies on the left, but when the Dems had the opportunity to pick a candidate they picked a centrist Dem.

    They did. Alas, in 2016 the GOP had no such candidate. They had a Nixon Republican versus a Goldwater Republican versus a crazy former Democrat.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  150. Was it a dream …?

    I could have sworn that there was a time when people saw Biden as Obama’s impeachment insurance. Is it a false memory?

    nk (1d9030)

  151. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/21/2021 @ 3:54 pm

    We know Trump offered to hide concentration camps.

    This is not a true statement. I pointed this out during the last exchange.

    Your effort to dismiss this point last time I linked it was that you don’t read the Washington Post.

    This is also not a true statement. I found another link that described facts inconsistent with your statements. When you complained about that I got around that subscription link as you suggested and found essentially the same thing.

    That’s 2 lies.

    Trump offered this in exchange for help with an election. Of course that deal is off the table. Trump still tried to help China more than Biden probably ever dreamed. Remember, every accusation is a confession with that type of guy.

    You’ve offered no proof of this this and the Trump admin officially acknowledged Chinese genocide, i.e. the opposite of hiding it. Since then, and after the US called out China on this, Biden told a story about a private dinner with Xi in Tibet. We exchanged a POTUS who likes dictators with another that has cozy private dinners with dictators.

    if someone thinks Trump was more conservative than Biden they need to explain what the hell that means.

    Biden promised a number of things to the hard left during the campaign. All of the “moderates”, “true conservatives”, and NeverTrumpers assured everyone he was really a moderate and this was just talk. Biden is starting to deliver on some of those hard left promises. I think the people who need to explain themselves are all of the “moderates”, “true conservatives”, and NeverTrumpers.

    frosty (f27e97)

  152. #145

    Gawain, As long as people like this, people captured by conspiracy theories and dark fantasies, are representative of the GOP the improvements you look for are unlikely.

    In the next few weeks, Republicans are going to be confronted with the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Republican Senators are going to have to figure out how they navigate this. Do they try to pettifog their way out of this (by arguing that the whole thing is moot, somehow) or do they take the opportunity of arguing that the whole post-election Trump act following the election was a bridge too far. I don’t know how this goes. The right-wing media ecosystem influences the GOP base, which makes or breaks the fortunes of Republicans during primary season. The money for Fox comes from the same folks who believe in Q…

    But people got into politics because they wanted to lead, to make a difference. Some of them probably believed that civics stuff in school, or all the words they mouthed when the right was the Tea Party. Some of them still believe that “Character Matters”, even when the character doesn’t have the last name of Clinton. Leadership means, sometimes, ignoring your base and not worrying about the consequences.

    I think there will be a preference cascade involved with this. If some GOP (besides Romney) decide impeachment is worth doing, then others will join. That may take time — I think we need to know more about the origins of the attack on the capitol. (Claiming Trump’s January 6 speech was some kind of incitement is dubious. Claiming his baseless assertion of fraud incited the mob isn’t.) Mitch is not wrong by wanting to delay things until February.

    Appalled (1a17de)

  153. Biden promised a number of things to the hard left during the campaign. All of the “moderates”, “true conservatives”, and NeverTrumpers assured everyone he was really a moderate and this was just talk. Biden is starting to deliver on some of those hard left promises. I think the people who need to explain themselves are all of the “moderates”, “true conservatives”, and NeverTrumpers.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:27 am

    What specifically did he promise the hard left? His most economically leftist positions, pausing college loans and the stupid eviction moratorium, are extension of Trump actions.

    Regarding Concentration Camps; The reporting is based on statements from John Bolton. AFIAK there hasn’t been credible refutation of the claim.

    “According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which he thought was exactly the right thing to do,” Bolton writes. Another official said something similar, “which meant we could cross repression of the Uighurs off our list of possible reasons to sanction China, at least as long as trade negotiations continued.”

    Trump generally has been silent in public about China’s treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighurs, who are subject to an Orwellian program of surveillance and repression. Roughly 1 million people have been detained without trial, subjected to “reeducation” and other harsh treatment.

    Pompeo accused China of Genocide the day before his term ended. So it appears they weren’t willing to hide it once there was no benefit to them in doing so. Unless you can show that this action was done in coordination with the incoming Biden administration and as part of a strategy going forward it hardly supports your point.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  154. #145

    Gawain, As long as people like this, people captured by conspiracy theories and dark fantasies, are representative of the GOP the improvements you look for are unlikely.

    In the next few weeks, Republicans are going to be confronted with the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Republican Senators are going to have to figure out how they navigate this. Do they try to pettifog their way out of this (by arguing that the whole thing is moot, somehow) or do they take the opportunity of arguing that the whole post-election Trump act following the election was a bridge too far. I don’t know how this goes. The right-wing media ecosystem influences the GOP base, which makes or breaks the fortunes of Republicans during primary season. The money for Fox comes from the same folks who believe in Q…

    But people got into politics because they wanted to lead, to make a difference. Some of them probably believed that civics stuff in school, or all the words they mouthed when the right was the Tea Party. Some of them still believe that “Character Matters”, even when the character doesn’t have the last name of Clinton. Leadership means, sometimes, ignoring your base and not worrying about the consequences.

    I think there will be a preference cascade involved with this. If some GOP (besides Romney) decide impeachment is worth doing, then others will join. That may take time — I think we need to know more about the origins of the attack on the capitol. (Claiming Trump’s January 6 speech was some kind of incitement is dubious. Claiming his baseless assertion of fraud incited the mob isn’t.) Mitch is not wrong by wanting to delay things until February.

    Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:31 am

    One of the differences I see between the parties is that the official leaders of the Dems seem to be able to lead their base while the official leaders of the GOP are lead by their base. Look at Kevin McCarthy’s changing statements about what happened on Jan-6 as an example.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  155. frosty, your accusations are confessions. I can see why I usually ignore your unserious defenses of Trump’s behavior. I know it’s a frustrating time for die-hard Trump fans but no need for this. Trump lost, partly because of Bolton’s revelations that Trump was completely fake when it came to China and otherwise protecting American interests. Because you take things to a personal attack with so many commenters here I usually ignore you.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  156. frosty:

    Lies matter. Character matters. Devotion to actually having a Republic matters.

    People did not vote for Biden because he might be a moderate. They voted for him because he wasn’t Trump. Based on what we’ve seen since election day, that was a pretty darn good reason.

    Appalled (1a17de)

  157. frosty:

    Lies matter. Character matters. Devotion to actually having a Republic matters.

    People did not vote for Biden because he might be a moderate. They voted for him because he wasn’t Trump. Based on what we’ve seen since election day, that was a pretty darn good reason.

    Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:43 am

    Appalled, I’ve asserted many times that Biden is a Moderate or centrist Democrat. Tha’ts not the same thing as a moderate. There will be Dems who are to the left of him on some issues, and dems who are to the right of him on some issues.

    It’s not hard to find prominant examples of both; Warren and Sanders to the left, Bullock and Mnuchin to his right.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  158. Based on what we’ve seen since election day, that was a pretty darn good reason.

    Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:43 am

    It’s also illuminating about Americans. There are tens of millions of folks who are still supporting Trump after we came a lot closer to losing the country than seemed possible. We had Trump considering martial law from a pillow dealer’s plans, we had white supremacists building a gallows, we had Trump’s friends stealing intel to send to Russia (Trump’s other friends). Trump’s reaction while it went down was to egg it on and refuse to help, to explain why the capitol deserved it.

    And a lot of Team R guys hate democrats so much, they are not bothered by this at all. They are much more upset that Trump might get in trouble. It’s illuminating.

    My personal belief is that China and Russia both are happily turning Americans against eachother. The democrats who really despise republicans, and the republicans who really despite democrats are doing/being foundational harm. But I also can’t show Trump supporters much respect if they go to the Endless Debate Theater stage defending Trump after he’s tried to steal the election. That level of devotion shows a person who is not good.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  159. Appalled, I’ve asserted many times that Biden is a Moderate or centrist Democrat. Tha’ts not the same thing as a moderate.

    Time123, I like that phrasing and think it is accurate. It’s interesting to me how many online will insist the whole democratic party is really super conservative (by some comparison to Denmark or whatever), and of course we hear that the democrats are socialists. Truth is we’re just supposed to be scared of not toeing the line and opening our wallets for grifters.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  160. “I know their are crazies on the left, but when the Dems had the opportunity to pick a candidate they picked a centrist Dem.”

    Through a nomination and primary process that was also rife with fraud, self-dealing, bribes, payoffs, and the allegations thereof, and in which they argued in court that ultimately, their processes were just theater and that they could do literally anything they wanted to pick the nominee no matter how the votes turned out. So it’s no big surprise that they treat the government’s processes the same way they treated the primary caucuses.

    You’re not crazy if there really is an active, admitted-in-court conspiracy to deny your voice.

    Caucus Counter (9d816e)

  161. Gawain’s Ghost (b25cd1) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:06 am

    He wore a mask that had “come and take it” printed on each face side. What is that? Is it a defense of the 2nd amendment, or a call for armed resurrection? Trump lied. People died.

    On each side? Really?!? One side could be excused as a 2nd amendment motto but 2 sides? No, 2 sides has to clearly be a threat to every man, woman, and child.

    It’s as simple and obvious as that.

    We may need to bring back fainting couches.

    frosty (f27e97)

  162. “I know their are crazies on the left, but when the Dems had the opportunity to pick a candidate they picked a centrist Dem.”

    Through a nomination and primary process that was also rife with fraud, self-dealing, bribes, payoffs, and the allegations thereof, and in which they argued in court that ultimately, their processes were just theater and that they could do literally anything they wanted to pick the nominee no matter how the votes turned out. So it’s no big surprise that they treat the government’s processes the same way they treated the primary caucuses.

    You’re not crazy if there really is an active, admitted-in-court conspiracy to deny your voice.

    Caucus Counter (9d816e) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:53 am

    Can you provide support for the bolded part?

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  163. Through a nomination and primary process that was also rife with fraud, self-dealing, bribes, payoffs, and the allegations thereof, and in which they argued in court that ultimately, their processes were just theater and that they could do literally anything they wanted to pick the nominee no matter how the votes turned out. So it’s no big surprise that they treat the government’s processes the same way they treated the primary caucuses.

    You’re not crazy if there really is an active, admitted-in-court conspiracy to deny your voice.

    Caucus Counter (9d816e) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:53 am

    To be honest, I held that against Team D when Hillary was nominated. I thought Bernie vs (pre-mutation) Ted Cruz would have been a real contest of two true ideas.

    But Trump proved that America needs some of that conspiracy. It sounds kinda messed up, but there’s no real reason why a political party shouldn’t run its affairs a bit. The GOP should have seen what Trump was. I know I did. My warnings about him probably sounded silly in 2012 but it was predictable that he couldn’t be trusted with power. The GOP could have had its leaders go to a backroom and emerge with a compromise ticket that cut the Trump cancer out. the GOP would have paid a price for it, like a cancer patient pays a price for saving their life.

    You’re right about how things really work on team D primaries. you’re probably right that this is bad. I just point out there are things that are a lot worse, such as Team R.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  164. Can you provide support for the bolded part?

    Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:59 am

    I don’t recall that court case either, to be clear

    Dustin (4237e0)

  165. -> another peaceful transfer of power.”

    Peaceful if you ignore the riots at both the tRump and Biden inauguration.

    Inconveniently, it was the same rioters for both.

    BillPasadena (5b0401)

  166. How does the GOP get a new message out (let alone who should deliver it)? FNC and Talk Radio are the principle vehicles followed distantly by the other news networks (CNN, ABC, etc) that much of the base eschews. FNC and Talk Radio will have to want to get back to normal political discourse and politicians inside the Overton Window. Do Hannity, Ingraham, Carlson, et al want to do that….being that they have been so blatantly pro-Trump from the start? Do they fear losing market share to OANN if they don’t stick with angry, unbalanced coverage? A lot of this is driven by how people want to approach politics….so there’s a chicken and egg effect….moderation has rarely been the ticket to success in Talk Radio or news opining. I think we’ve painted ourselves into a corner….and it’s going to take Goliath to knock a wall down…

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  167. That impeachment is a political process is of no doubt. Trump has already been impeached, for a second time. The Senate trial will not be about removal from office, because Trump has already been voted out. It will be about whether he should ever be allowed to hold office again. Thus, it will be a political not a criminal trial.

    In other words, Trump cannot be sent to prison for violations of oath of office, but rather be barred from holding office. Leave the prosecutions for tax, bank and wire fraud to the respective states. There’s no pardon for those crimes.

    Trump left office in ignominy, disgraced and without defense for his political offenses. The Republicans who continue to defend him are just as ignominious.

    Trump lied and people died. That should be the rallying cry, because it is true. I don’t know what is going to happen to the Republican party in its current Trump cult mode, but I suspect it will burn down to the ground, along with the brand name and all Trump properties. The Trump organization is losing hundreds of millions, and the brand name now is Trash.

    Get out while you can now. There is no future in Trumpism, only failure. Trumpism is the sucking hole that will drag you down into ignominy. The more you associate yourself with him, the more you associate yourself with his atrocious behavior. The Republican party, the Evangelical movement, is doomed as long as it associates itself with Trump. And that’s just a fact, because Trump is a false prophet and a failed president.

    It’s time to rid ourselves of this horrible man. Let him rot in exile, along with all his properties.

    He should be known as persona non grata in political circles for the rest of time. Keep him out of office, and let the state prosecutions begin.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  168. Gawain said;

    I don’t know what is going to happen to the Republican party in its current Trump cult mode, but I suspect it will burn down to the ground, along with the brand name and all Trump properties.

    I see 3 likely paths

    1. Trump uses his prodigious marketing skill to keep his position as the embodiment of his base’s fears and resentment. He remains a powerful figure in GOP politics. This pushes the GOP further in to crazy land as anyone not completely insane, or willing to pretend to be get’s primaried.
    2. Trump starts his own party and uses it to grift morons of donations and sell swag Qidiots and their ilk. This weakens the GOP and allows the dems to gain more power in one election. I don’t see this lasting because failure never does.
    3. It turns out that no one really liked Trump because he wasn’t really a conservative and saying that he was popular is Fake News that the Lib Media uses to smear good hard working conservatives.

    It’s very possible that all three happen sequentially.

    What I don’t see happening is any sort of return to sanity by the conspiracy theorists.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  169. Mr Finkelman wrote:

    It’s not very important for many people to get the second dose! And still less important to get it in the precise time frame that was approved. It’s likely actually to create stronger immunity the more t is delayed. Certainly up to about 3 or 4 months after the first dose.

    Yeah, because if a majority of the population have only a 52% (Pfizer in one study) or 70% (Modena) immunity, the government can mandate facemasks and try to control our lives for much, much longer!

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  170. Mr M wrote:

    Much like how there were no Italian fascists in 1949, three years from now and no one will admit to having supported Trump.

    Why don’t you call me out on that on January 22, 2024.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  171. Let me be more specific, Mr M: I have said that yes, President Trump is an [insert slang term for the rectum here] but policy is what matters, and most of Mr Trump’s policies were the right ones. And in three years, I’ll say the same thing.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  172. @172, Probably you will. Especially since you’ve put this down as a marker. But i think Trump will be like Romney, McCain, & GW Bush; after he’s been gone for a little but we’ll find out he was no true conservative and defense of him will evaporate.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  173. nk circa #151, I think you meant another kind of insurance.

    And McCain was a hedge against the voters not willing to make either sort of “historic” change the Dems were prodding them to make. Until he got upstaged by Lauren Boenerts’ mama.

    urbanleftbehind (719fb9)

  174. The Ghost of Mr Gawain wrote:

    On CNN last night, Anderson Cooper reported that Pelosi may submit the article of impeachment to the Senate as early as Friday morning. If she does, the trial will begin on Monday.

    From The Hill:

    GOP senators say only a few Republicans will vote to convict Trump
    BY ALEXANDER BOLTON – 01/22/21 06:00 AM EST

    Republicans say the chances that former President Trump will be convicted in an impeachment trial are plummeting, despite lingering anger among some Republicans over his actions.

    Only five or six Republican senators at the most seem likely to vote for impeachment, far fewer than the number needed, GOP sources say.

    A two-thirds majority vote would be necessary for a conviction, something that would require at least 17 GOP votes if every Democrat votes to convict Trump.

    Senators say a few things have moved in Trump’s favor.

    One significant development is that Trump decided not to pardon any of the individuals charged with taking part in the Capitol riot, which would have lost him more Republican support.

    “I thought if he pardoned people who had been part of this invasion of the Capitol, that would have pushed the number higher because that would have said, ‘These are my guys,’” said one Republican senator, who requested anonymity to speak about how GOP senators are likely to vote.

    GOP senators are also worried about a political backlash from the former president’s fervent supporters.

    They have observed the angry response to House Republican Conference Chairwoman Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.), who is facing calls to resign from the House GOP leadership team after voting last week to impeach Trump.

    A second Republican senator said the Republican Party needs to rebuild and warned it will be tough to bring Trump’s base into the party tent ahead of the 2022 midterm elections and the 2024 presidential election if GOP senators vote in large numbers to convict Trump.

    “I do think his supporters would be very upset,” the lawmaker said.

    At the same time, this lawmaker warned of the dangers of the party being too beholden to Trump.

    “The Republican Party is going to have to have a discussion about its future. At some point it’s going to have to become about something more than a person,” the lawmaker said.

    Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) on Thursday proposed delaying the start of the trial until mid-February. He is asking for the House impeachment managers to wait until Thursday to present the article of impeachment to the Senate. He wants to give Trump’s legal team until Feb. 11 to submit its pre-trial brief.

    This represents a third factor that could blunt political momentum among Republicans to convict Trump, as with each passing day his presidency recedes further and further into the past.

    “For the most part, there is a real strong consensus among our members that this is after the fact. He’s out of office and impeachment is a remedy to remove somebody from office, so there’s the constitutional question,” the second GOP senator said.

    “That’s my sense of where most of our members are going to come down,” the source added.

    There’s more at the original.

    Chuck Schumer is an idiot, but one thing he does know how to do is count. Mitch McConnell is a brilliant tactician, who also knows how to count.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  175. nk circa #151, I think you meant another kind of insurance.

    I know what you mean, now, but the thought never even crossed my mind when I posted the comment. It’s a beautiful day.

    nk (1d9030)

  176. Hoi Polloi (139bf6) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:23 am

    So the Democrat-led Congress approved the move?

    You shouldn’t blame them either because D’s or something. But whatever you do you absolutely can’t blame Biden because it’s just not his fault and you need to say that over and over again until you believe it. As penance for even thinking this you need to say 5 hail camels and 10 our joes.

    frosty (f27e97)

  177. Mr 123 wrote:

    But i think Trump will be like Romney, McCain, & GW Bush; after he’s been gone for a little but we’ll find out he was no true conservative and defense of him will evaporate.

    Is Mr Trump a “true conservative”? No, I doubt that he is. But he understood the conservative impulse, and put bluntly what many conservatives wished that previous Republicans hadn’t mealy-mouthed. His condemnation of illegal immigration was full-throated, while so many others tried to couch their words in much softer tones. He understood that most conservative voters think that the ‘transgendered’ are mentally ill, and he set his policies with no sympathy for the ‘transgendered’ at all. He is probably not a Christian at all, but he set his policies in ways that the evangelicals liked.

    The left were clutching their pearls when he described [insert slang term for feces here]hole countries as [insert slang term for feces here]hole countries, but conservatives knew and understood that yes, people were fleeing [insert slang term for feces here]hole countries precisely because they were [insert slang term for feces here]hole countries, and were glad to hear the President not mealy-mouth that.

    We might not like the fact that he is a serial philanderer, that he was on wife number three, or anything like that, but he was the one who got at least some of what conservatives wanted done.

    Donald Trump may be gone as far as a future officeholder, but I guarantee that you will see Republican candidates telling the public what hey want to hear, in the terms they want to hear it, in the future.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  178. Mr Snowman wrote:

    You shouldn’t blame them either because D’s or something. But whatever you do you absolutely can’t blame Biden because it’s just not his fault and you need to say that over and over again until you believe it. As penance for even thinking this you need to say 5 hail camels and 10 our joes.

    In Latin!

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  179. Dana (Kentucky Version):

    Interesting (and depressing) article. I wonder what Mitch is hoping for here. A swift exit ramp from Trump? Or just the whole thing calming slowly down, as the focus goes to something else.

    Appalled (1a17de)

  180. @146

    Did he incite an insurrection? Probably not, but he certainly laid the groundwork for one. I doubt it can be proven that his speech on the morning of January 6 caused a violent mob to storm the Capitol, but it could be shown to be a contributing factor.

    What in the world does that have to do with an impeachment trial? The trials is not about finding guilt. So many many lawyers make that mistake. It is about “should we remove this assh0le or not?.” In this case it is closer to “should we bar this assh0le from ever running again?”

    Impeachment is a political decision, and as such facts are not the only important thing.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:37 am

    tbf Kevin, finding someone guilty over statutory laws *can* only help to get more bipartisan appeal to convict.

    whembly (ef8c84)

  181. Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:43 am

    Lies matter. Character matters. Devotion to actually having a Republic matters.

    There is very little evidence for this. We had 2 terms of Clinton, 2 terms of Obama, HRC was a serious candidate for POTUS, we had Trump, and now we’ve got JB/KH.

    This is something that is almost exclusively used as part of a one-sided argument.

    frosty (f27e97)

  182. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:42 am

    I can see why I usually ignore your unserious defenses of Trump’s behavior.

    If only this were true. What usually happens is you drop some whopper of a lie in a comment. I point out the lie. You double down but then eventually do this sort of fade away when you can’t defend it.

    Because you take things to a personal attack with so many commenters here I usually ignore you.

    As you say,

    your accusations are confessions

    frosty (f27e97)

  183. #182

    I say:

    Lies matter. Character matters. Devotion to actually having a Republic matters.

    You say:

    There is very little evidence for this.

    You then cite Bill, Hillary, Obama, Trump and Biden as evidence to the contrary.

    That reveals a mindset that political power is everything or just nihilism. And it isn’t all that true, anyway.

    Bill Clinton, through his lack of character, lost his party the white house in 2000. He also set back the cause of dealing with sexual harassment back a good 20 years. (Because the feminists had to line up behind Clinton…) Harvey Weinstein has a lot to be grateful for…

    Hillary — well, I don’t think she’s happy now, and she wasn’t happy all those years when power kept eluding her. And it eluded her because people don’t trust her.

    Obama wasn’t that big a fibber. But his whopper on Obamacare (if you like your plan…) cost him Congress for 6 years.

    Trump — I think his sins are finding him out, don’t you? If he had never discovered Twitter, I think we would be working on season 20 (or so) of the Apprentice.

    On Biden — not sure what you consider a lie so I won’t comment.

    Appalled (1a17de)

  184. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:42 am

    I can see why I usually ignore your unserious defenses of Trump’s behavior.

    If only this were true. What usually happens is you drop some whopper of a lie in a comment. I point out the lie. You double down but then eventually do this sort of fade away when you can’t defend it.

    Because you take things to a personal attack

    You mean like when you incorrectly called Dave’s assertion that Trump offered to cover up Chinese Genocide a lie?

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  185. Hoi Polloi (139bf6) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:23 am

    So the Democrat-led Congress approved the move?

    You shouldn’t blame them either because D’s or something. But whatever you do you absolutely can’t blame Biden because it’s just not his fault and you need to say that over and over again until you believe it. As penance for even thinking this you need to say 5 hail camels and 10 our joes.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 8:19 am

    You could try to find out who made the dumb decision and blame them. That would be an idea.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  186. “You shouldn’t blame them either because D’s or something. But whatever you do you absolutely can’t blame Biden because it’s just not his fault and you need to say that over and over again until you believe it. As penance for even thinking this you need to say 5 hail camels and 10 our joes.”

    Tammy Duckworth sorted the issue out.
    Ted Cruz pointed fingers on twitter.

    Which one actually cares about the troops?

    Davethulhu (f31045)

  187. Donald Trump may be gone as far as a future officeholder, but I guarantee that you will see Republican candidates telling the public what hey want to hear, in the terms they want to hear it, in the future.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/22/2021 @ 8:22 am

    I hope they can at least avoid is support of white nationalism. But that will risk alienating the GOP base.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  188. @186

    Hoi Polloi (139bf6) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:23 am

    So the Democrat-led Congress approved the move?

    You shouldn’t blame them either because D’s or something. But whatever you do you absolutely can’t blame Biden because it’s just not his fault and you need to say that over and over again until you believe it. As penance for even thinking this you need to say 5 hail camels and 10 our joes.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 8:19 am

    You could try to find out who made the dumb decision and blame them. That would be an idea.
    Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 8:52 am

    It’s a great idea.

    One problem… that’s not the rule.

    How do we change the rule so that its not so one-sided?

    whembly (ef8c84)

  189. So it’s no big surprise that they treat the government’s processes the same way they treated the primary caucuses.
    You’re not crazy if there really is an active, admitted-in-court conspiracy to deny your voice.

    On what evidence were the “government’s processes” corrupted?
    Where’s the evidence that the Dem primary/nomination process was rigged?
    What “admitted-in-court conspiracy”?

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  190. Whembly, My suggestion is consistent with my previous statements.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  191. Reconcile the idea that Biden’s to blame for troops in garages, a problem identifies instantly when he took over, and Trump is not to blame for kids in cages (because Obamaaaaaaaaaa did it).

    The buck stops here right? So how long does Biden get to put out this one issue, among a lot of important issues? Apparently less time than Trump got, since these troops were on floors for weeks with Trump.

    Personally, I just don’t care too much. When I was in the Army the issued me a nice sleeping bag and a mat to go under it. I could sleep in a ditch or a garage with that, no problem at all. These soldiers need to be tough to survive and protect our country (and apparently the transition of power now). God bless ’em but this concern they need to be in hotels does not make any sense to me.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  192. The orange conman ran the con for as long as the con lasted and then walked away. That’s what conmen do.

    Now some people refuse to accept that they were conned, while others find it so distasteful that they just want to forget all about it and move on. That is also typical of cons.

    The analysis is really simple when you keep it real, folks. Of course, you would first need to accept that there is a difference between reality and how you feel reality ought to be.

    nk (1d9030)

  193. You mean like when you incorrectly called Dave’s assertion that Trump offered to cover up Chinese Genocide a lie?

    Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 8:50 am

    remember, I literally provided proof. He’s calling people liars after they state a claim and back it up, because he refuses to agree with it. That is not what lying is. Maybe qanon is right and all the claims Trump did bad things were fake news, and all the many, many insiders who say Trump did all these unethical things are also deep state liars, and all this mass of information is wrong, and we need a cleansing purge of those who do not love Trump… but those who saw all that, explain what it clearly means, are not “liars.” It’s the kind of accusation that is a confession, because it’s such a dishonest way of calling someone a liar. It’s intended entirely to create a personal fight, blow up the sober discussion, because a sober look at the facts simply does not work in Trump’s favor.

    This is the product of Russian interference. I am sure frosty, like many of Trump’s die hard supporters, do not realize how much manipulation is going on.

    I have no love for Biden, but let’s just stop making politics so crushingly desperate and important. Let’s back off a bit and realize most Trump fans, most biden fans, most intependents, they have other things to do, families, jobs or a job search, love for this nation, and this constant fight against information is doing a lot of harm to everyone.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  194. Reconcile the idea that Biden’s to blame for troops in garages, a problem identifies instantly when he took over, and Trump is not to blame for kids in cages (because Obamaaaaaaaaaa did it).

    The buck stops here right? So how long does Biden get to put out this one issue, among a lot of important issues? Apparently less time than Trump got, since these troops were on floors for weeks with Trump.

    Personally, I just don’t care too much. When I was in the Army the issued me a nice sleeping bag and a mat to go under it. I could sleep in a ditch or a garage with that, no problem at all. These soldiers need to be tough to survive and protect our country (and apparently the transition of power now). God bless ’em but this concern they need to be in hotels does not make any sense to me.

    Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 9:08 am

    Blame is the wrong way to look at it, even if it is the fastest way to create outrage and count coupe on your political enemies.

    As president Biden is responsible for the situation and needs to improve it. That’s true if he caused it personally or if it’s the result of decisions made before he took office.

    It looks like the situation has been addressed so that’s OK. It would be good to understand what happened so that the process can be improved to prevent similar problems going forward. My guess is that this was failure to plan, they brought people in quickly and didn’t think all of the logistics through. The solutions they found on the fly weren’t good ones. But I could be wrong. Would be good to find out, even if it doesn’t results in political advantage for either team.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  195. most of Mr Trump’s policies were the right ones. And in three years, I’ll say the same thing.

    More likely you’ll be saying ” ______ has policies that remind me of Trump’s, but _______ is smarter and far more able. If only we’d had this choice in 2016!”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  196. I hope they can at least avoid is support of white nationalism. But that will risk alienating the GOP base.

    What?! So, it 2016 the entire GOP woke up and said “You know, I’m just fed up with all these brown people, why don’t we just oppress them again?”

    You confuse loud with many.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  197. As president Biden is responsible for the situation

    Granted, he is in charge of the troops after all. I don’t understand why this situation is a big deal, though. The world is on fire with problems and we need soldiers who can adapt to unpleasant conditions. I’m all for saying ‘thanks’ but I am tired of politicians one-upping eachother on this kind of thing.

    And you can’t (and have not attempted to) reconcile that with the excuses Trump’s fans offered for Trump’s responsibility for kids in cages, or frankly for those same troops. It’s a game. We can’t and shouldn’t put 20,000 soldiers in hotels at the drop of a hat. They came to DC because of an emergency.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  198. RIP Hank Aaron (86).

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  199. tbf Kevin, finding someone guilty over statutory laws *can* only help to get more bipartisan appeal to convict.

    Perhaps. Senator Spector sure thought so. But the political question is more important. “‘Eff him? Yea or Nay?”

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  200. RIP Mila Furlan, 65 “Ambassador Delenn” (Babylon 5) “Danielle Rousseau” (Lost)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  201. We should not have had soldiers there in the first place except as a Color Guard for the Flag.

    Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana!
    Day-O, all y’all!
    (Deo! for the Tridentines.)

    nk (1d9030)

  202. As president Biden is responsible for the situation

    Granted, he is in charge of the troops after all. I don’t understand why this situation is a big deal, though. The world is on fire with problems and we need soldiers who can adapt to unpleasant conditions. I’m all for saying ‘thanks’ but I am tired of politicians one-upping eachother on this kind of thing.

    And you can’t (and have not attempted to) reconcile that with the excuses Trump’s fans offered for Trump’s responsibility for kids in cages, or frankly for those same troops. It’s a game. We can’t and shouldn’t put 20,000 soldiers in hotels at the drop of a hat. They came to DC because of an emergency.

    Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 9:24 am

    Reason’s it’s a big deals
    1. showing respect for people who serve in the military is important.
    2. There’s a theme that the Dem’s hate the military, this re-enforces that.
    3. Part of the GOP base has a military fetish so this triggers that.
    4. Having someone come help you and then treating them poorly is just shabby behavior no matter how you look at it. This could have been done better.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  203. I hope they can at least avoid is support of white nationalism. But that will risk alienating the GOP base.

    What?! So, it 2016 the entire GOP woke up and said “You know, I’m just fed up with all these brown people, why don’t we just oppress them again?”

    You confuse loud with many.

    Kevin M (ab1c11) — 1/22/2021 @ 9:22 am

    I’ll counter that several leaders in the conservative movement felt Biden’s speech was personally attacking them because he said racism was bad.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  204. 4. Having someone come help you and then treating them poorly is just shabby behavior no matter how you look at it. …..

    The Pentagon had no problem letting the soldiers sleep on the marble Capitol floor prior to the inauguration. They only got cots when it became a PR problem.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  205. We should not have had soldiers there in the first place except as a Color Guard for the Flag.

    Come, Mister tally man, tally me banana!
    Day-O, all y’all!
    (Deo! for the Tridentines.)

    nk (1d9030) — 1/22/2021 @ 9:30 am

    Usually when I disagree with you I’m just stupidily missing sarcasm. The overwhelming display of power saved lives, in my opinion. All those chubby rioters who overwhelmed a small capitol police department because they wanted a civil war decided to get their hair done when a legitimate war fighting capability arrived. Better yet, the really stupid ones thought the military was going to be their side and just ‘cleanse’ us of those awful people we elected.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  206. Questions no one asked: Why was everyone standing for the national anthem on Wednesday? Isn’t it a slavery song still?

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  207. I’ll counter that several leaders in the conservative movement felt Biden’s speech was personally attacking them because he said racism was bad.

    I’d be interested in knowing which ones.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  208. All those chubby rioters who overwhelmed a small capitol police department because they wanted a civil war decided to get their hair done when a legitimate war fighting capability arrived.

    The correct term is Gravy SEALS.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  209. Kevin Karl Rove, Rand Paul, Hannity and Carlson

    Those are pretty mainstream leaders.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  210. 1. showing respect for people who serve in the military is important.
    2. There’s a theme that the Dem’s hate the military, this re-enforces that.
    3. Part of the GOP base has a military fetish so this triggers that.
    4. Having someone come help you and then treating them poorly is just shabby behavior no matter how you look at it. This could have been done better.

    Time123 (f5cf77) — 1/22/2021 @ 9:33 am

    good points, 2 and 3 particularly. As far as politics goes, I get it. I am just annoyed by it.

    I just don’t think it’s disrespectful or poor treatment to expect military leaders to work out how to get soldiers what they need in ugly conditions. They need food, bathrooms, some way to sleep, like a bag or a tent, maybe cots (I don’t like cots). We actually need our soldiers to be better than ‘where is my air conditioner’ if we’re going to deal with the world we’ve got today.

    Disrespect, in my opinion, is pretending we don’t know that our soldiers have been at war for 20 years. A lot of Americans have been in the military and training and short field problems and deployments often mean sleeping in an improvised position with a crappy tent, or on the top of a vehicle. And that is not even much to ask compared to losing friends or worrying about life insurance or missing a birth of a child. i don’t mean to sound macho, because in honesty I am not that sort of person, but it’s more respectful to thank our soldiers for being tough and adapting to living in a garage for a few weeks, because the nation needed democracy to win.

    We should love it when soldiers deal with ‘crappy’ conditions. We should be bragging about the lessons learned, both by the soldiers, and by our enemies. If we need to occupy a weird space, we can make it work and our soldiers can do so happily. I assure you Chinese soldiers are not complaining that the hotel shampoo isn’t hypoallergenic, and I want our troops to be superior.

    I can’t be the only person who noticed how overweight some of the guardsmen were. That’s COVID partly (no PT). But it’s something else, something going on with the soul of our country, with our screens and games and fast food. I just don’t want to sit back.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  211. “most of Mr Trump’s policies were the right ones”

    But pretty much every GOP politician holds quite similar policy positions. They are going to be for keeping taxes low, reducing business regulations, federalism for social issues, strong defense, and originalist or non-activist judges. The differences will be in experience, knowledge, temperament, vision, attention to detail, leadership, character, and communication skills. Can the executive build bipartisan consensus to achieve significant and lasting legislation….or is it mostly just rule by executive orders….where many can’t make it through the courts and the rest are reversed as soon as he leaves office? I will give Trump credit for sticking with Kavanaugh where most other politicians would have probably pulled the rip cord. However, in most everything else he scores pretty low on actual leadership skills…..unless handing it to the liberals and purported rinos is important to you. Beyond justices, his legacy will be pretty minimal and incomplete. As in, we don’t know how important moving the consulate to Jerusalem will be or how wise it was to get out of the Iran deal. It’s too early.

    AJ_Liberty (ec7f74)

  212. Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 8:50 am

    You mean like when you incorrectly called Dave’s assertion that Trump offered to cover up Chinese Genocide a lie?

    I don’t remember Dave being part of it and that wasn’t the assertion. Dustin made the assertion that Trump hid (past tense, not ignored, not offered to hide) concentration camps. The assertion has now shifted to “offered to cover-up”. The link provided for the first claim didn’t support it. I went to that link after Dustin had an issue with me using a different one. He’s now saying something that isn’t true about that too. I also haven’t seen any evidence of this new “offered to cover up” assertion.

    And no, I don’t think it’s a personal attack to point out that someone is knowingly saying something that is not true.

    Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 9:13 am

    remember, I literally provided proof. He’s calling people liars after they state a claim and back it up, because he refuses to agree with it. That is not what lying is.

    No, you did not. You may think you did which might avoid the idea that you are knowingly saying something that isn’t true. I went to the link you provided. It did not provide proof that Trump hid concentration camps. There is also the problem of the Uyghur Human Rights Policy Act which is the opposite of hiding it.

    What happened is you made a series of overblown statements because it’s what you generally do. One of those statements was simply false. I pointed it out and instead of admitting that you’d overstated it you had to double down. You could have admitted a mistake. If you can provide a link that shows Trump “hid concentration camps” I’d admit I was wrong.

    Let’s back off a bit and realize most Trump fans, most biden fans, most intependents, they have other things to do, families, jobs or a job search, love for this nation, and this constant fight against information is doing a lot of harm to everyone.

    This would be a good thing. But there is no evidence from your comments that you want to do this. You just want people who disagree with you to stop.

    frosty (f27e97)

  213. Some Appalled guy wrote:

    Interesting (and depressing) article. I wonder what Mitch is hoping for here. A swift exit ramp from Trump? Or just the whole thing calming slowly down, as the focus goes to something else.

    Senator McConnell, allegedly, did not like Donald Trump from the beginning, but did his duty to advance the Republican agenda as Majority leader. I’m pretty sure that he’d be happy to see the former President just fade away.

    But he also knows that Mr Trump is still popular with Republicans, and that a strong majority of Republican voters are primarily populist now. Given that Kentucky is a poor state, and he’s seen it all here, he understands that, even if populism isn’t really his thing personally. He knows one thing: he needs to keep the Trump voters engaged with the Republican Party, and if too many Republican senators vote for conviction, the GOP will lose those voters in 2022 and 2024.

    The only successful path for conservatism is to preserve the Republican Party.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  214. The overwhelming display of power saved lives, in my opinion. All those chubby rioters who overwhelmed a small capitol police department because they wanted a civil war decided to get their hair done when a legitimate war fighting capability arrived. Better yet, the really stupid ones thought the military was going to be their side and just ‘cleanse’ us of those awful people we elected.

    I agree, Dustin. I am bemoaning the Reality that makes you right. A Reality that an orange con man inflicted on America.

    nk (1d9030)

  215. NPR has published an interesting report stating that military veterans were overrepresented in the group at the attempted coup at the Capitol:

    But many of those who stormed the Capitol were military veterans themselves, who had once sworn to protect the Constitution. In fact, an NPR analysis has found that nearly 1 in 5 people charged over their alleged involvement in the attack on the U.S. Capitol appear to have a military history.

    NPR compiled a list of individuals facing federal or District of Columbia charges in connection with the events of Jan. 6. Of more than 140 charged so far, a review of military records, social media accounts, court documents and news reports indicate at least 27 of those charged, or nearly 20%, have served or are currently serving in the U.S. military. To put that number in perspective, only about 7% of all American adults are military veterans, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

    The report goes on to say that some of those military members are currently serving in some capacity.

    Dana (fd537d)

  216. Also, I’m stealing this phrase of yours:

    All those chubby rioters who overwhelmed a small capitol police department because they wanted a civil war decided to get their hair done when a legitimate war fighting capability arrived.

    nk (1d9030)

  217. Mr 123 wrote:

    I hope they can at least avoid is support of white nationalism. But that will risk alienating the GOP base.

    This is where you have swallowed the credentialed media’s lies. The white nationalist segment of the GOP is very, very small. But what the left are doing is guaranteed to make that grow: promoting idiocy like Black Lives Matter, when it’s obvious that Black Lives Only Matter when they are taken by a white policemen, but not at all when they are being slaughtered en masse by other black men in our cities, by championing Affirmative Action, and things like that.

    The Norfolk Virginian-Pilot is starting a series on black disadvantage and neighborhood segregation that will do nothing other than piss off white voters who are just as poor as the black community in Hampton Roads. The Philadelphia Inquirer and its oh-so-woke staff are putting out a newspaper and website that seems devoted to complaints of the black segment of the population, even though there are just as many poorer whites in the metro area. Treat everybody equally, and the push towards white hostility toward the black population disappears, but that’s the opposite of what the left are doing these days.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  218. Mr M wrote:

    most of Mr Trump’s policies were the right ones. And in three years, I’ll say the same thing.

    More likely you’ll be saying ” ______ has policies that remind me of Trump’s, but _______ is smarter and far more able. If only we’d had this choice in 2016!”

    Well, that’s quite possible, but that does not mean I didn’t support Mr Trump because of his policies.

    In 2016, my initial support went to Scott Walker. When he bailed, I contributed, twice, to Carly Fiorina’s campaign. By the time the Pennsylvania primary came around, only Donald Trump and Ted Cruz remained active candidates; I voted for Mr Cruz. In the general election, I voted for Gary Johnson, because I assumed that Hillary Clinton would carry the Keystone State, and my vote would be noticed more if cast for the Libertarian. No one was more surprised than I was when Mr Trump carried Pennsylvania!

    This year, because my wife hated President Trump so much, I voted Libertarian, just to placate her; I knew that President Trump would carry the Bluegrass State, by a wide margin. If the election were determined by the popular vote, I would have had to have voted for President Trump.

    To me, it’s all about policy. If President Trump was an [insert slang term for the rectum here], so what? It’s policy that matters to me! If President Trump had been getting a billion dollar bribe from Vladimir Putin, I wouldn’t have cared as long as his policies were the ones of which I approved.

    The personality of the President means nothing to me; I’ve never met a President, and doubt I ever will. It’s the President’s policies which affect this nation, affect almost everyone in the country; that/s what’s important to me.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  219. Trumps dismissed ushers before Bidens’ arrival
    …….
    The no-shows apparently included chief usher Timothy Harleth. Sources familiar with what happened confirm that Harleth, a former executive of Trump Hotels hired by Melania Trump, was summarily fired by the Trumps before they left—not by the Bidens, as has been widely reported.
    …….
    Sidelining the ushers and sacking their boss amidst the most chaotic, intense several hours for any White House—moving one president and his family out and another in—was perhaps the final break with precedent at the end of a wholly unorthodox transition, several sources confirmed. ……

    Harleth was considered an unabashed Trump loyalist in White House circles but had told associates he was hoping to stay on with the new regime. That was never going to happen beyond a decent interval, insiders told National Journal, mainly because of his close ties to the Trumps and ongoing friction between him and the scrupulously nonpartisan household staff. In November, he fired some long-serving residence staff, depriving Jill Biden and her East Wing team of more institutional experience and complicating the transition.
    …….

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  220. You mean like when you incorrectly called Dave’s assertion that Trump offered to cover up Chinese Genocide a lie?

    I don’t remember Dave being part of it and that wasn’t the assertion. Dustin made the assertion that Trump hid (past tense, not ignored, not offered to hide) concentration camps. The assertion has now shifted to “offered to cover-up”. The link provided for the first claim didn’t support it. I went to that link after Dustin had an issue with me using a different one. He’s now saying something that isn’t true about that too. I also haven’t seen any evidence of this new “offered to cover up” assertion.

    And no, I don’t think it’s a personal attack to point out that someone is knowingly saying something that is not true.

    Sorry i meant to type Dustin. The evidence for the claim is from John Bolton. I provided a link to details in comment 154.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  221. The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/22/2021 @ 10:21 am

    when it’s obvious that Black Lives Only Matter when they are taken by a white policemen when they can be used for political gain

    FIFY

    frosty (f27e97)

  222. Meet Your Local Republican Insurrectionist

    At least 21 state and local Republican officials attended the Jan. 6 rally in Washington, D.C., that turned into a violent riot, according to a new HuffPost tally, many of whom are now under pressure to resign.

    They traveled from 16 different states, arriving for the “Stop the Steal” demonstration on the White House Ellipse, where they watched President Donald Trump tell incendiary lies about having been robbed of reelection. He then told the crowd of thousands to march on the Capitol.

    In the crowd that day were 13 members of state Houses or Assemblies; three state senators; a county commissioner; a city council member; a GOP congressional district chair; a district director; and a co-chair of the Michigan Republican Party. The group also includes a QAnon conspiracy theorist; a self-described member of a fascist militia; and a man who once declared that “the only good Democrat is a dead Democrat.”

    Only two of those GOP officials appear to have breached the Capitol property itself that day, and have since been arrested…..
    …….
    All are now facing calls to resign, but only one has done so. And although most have since condemned the violence, vandalism, and looting at the Capitol — which led to the deaths of five people — many have sought to deflect blame. Of the 21 GOP officials in HuffPost’s tally, at least 13 have made statements attempting to blame the violence on “antifa” or “paid provocateurs.”

    The FBI says there is no evidence “antifa” orchestrated that day’s chaos. ……

    Here are the names of the state and local GOP officials that were part of that mob. (This list does not include the federal lawmakers in attendance.)
    ……..

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  223. RIP ‘Hammering’ Hank Aaron.

    A home run life.

    Do dinner w/t Babe tonight, Hank.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  224. Rip:

    Going to the rally was not illegal. I wish people could draw the distinction between a lawful assembly and an illegal insurrection.

    Appalled (74f2a1)

  225. Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:38 am

    Regarding Concentration Camps; The reporting is based on statements from John Bolton. AFIAK there hasn’t been credible refutation of the claim.

    “According to our interpreter, Trump said that Xi should go ahead with building the camps, which he thought was exactly the right thing to do,” Bolton writes. Another official said something similar, “which meant we could cross repression of the Uighurs off our list of possible reasons to sanction China, at least as long as trade negotiations continued.”

    Trump generally has been silent in public about China’s treatment of the mostly Muslim Uighurs, who are subject to an Orwellian program of surveillance and repression. Roughly 1 million people have been detained without trial, subjected to “reeducation” and other harsh treatment.

    The rule here seems to be that unless there’s an official statement knowledging it that it’s actively being denied or hidden.

    But let’s see what we’ve got. We’ve got Bolton claiming an interpreter said Trump said go ahead. And you say there is no credible refutation. Except in the article you linked:

    U.S. trade representative Robert Lighthizer rejected Bolton’s account Wednesday. “Absolutely untrue. Never happened. I was there,” he said of that Xi meeting during a Senate Finance hearing. “I was at the meeting … nothing like that happened … Completely crazy.”

    Presumably, Lighthizer’s comments in front of a Senate committee aren’t credible and Bolton’s comments, in a book he wants to make money from, on what an interpreter told him are.

    I’m not sure how anyone reads this and concludes “Trump hid concentration camps”. You can say a number of things, e.g. didn’t want to sanction, didn’t want to include in the trade negotiations, etc.

    But this was already common knowledge. I think Bolton’s best point is that Trump didn’t do as much as he could or that he didn’t do as much as Bolton thought should be done. But this wasn’t hiding it.

    Now the allegation is that

    Trump offered this in exchange for help with an election.

    Basically, Bolton is saying that in his opinion Trump overlooked Chinese human rights violations for political gain. You can’t get “offered this in exchange for help” from that.

    Pompeo accused China of Genocide the day before his term ended. So it appears they weren’t willing to hide it once there was no benefit to them in doing so. Unless you can show that this action was done in coordination with the incoming Biden administration and as part of a strategy going forward it hardly supports your point.

    I don’t understand your point here but I wouldn’t get to deep into this. I suspect Biden will walk back that declaration. I also suspect Dustin got upset because I pointed out Biden mentioned a cozy dinner with Xi when he was swearing in new admin officials. It’s hard to make a big deal about Trump’s China policy now that Trump is gone and it’s tougher given the relationship between China and the Biden family.

    frosty (f27e97)

  226. Good Lord, if we completely eschewed diplomatic meetings with every country with a thug leadership, we’d have diplomatic relations with Europe, Japan and Israel.

    We had diplomatic relations with the USSR under Josef Stalin. We had diplomatic relations with Nazi Germany, not only before the war, but after the war started.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  227. @225-
    As the excerpt states, only two of the 21 have been arrested for invading the Capitol. It doesn’t say that going to the rally was illegal. I assume the calls for resignations have to do with propagating falsehoods about the election results.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  228. Trump’s natural inclination was not to interfere in how another nation treats its citizens, believing it is none of our business.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  229. Time123 (f5cf77) — 1/22/2021 @ 10:44 am

    I missed @154. I didn’t follow the whole thread. I responded frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 11:35 am

    Describing this as “hid” gets at one of the reasons a section of NeverTrump can’t be taken seriously. Words have meaning and “hid” implies something more than “remained silent in public” or “didn’t make a condition of a trade deal”.

    It would be enough to say Trump thought the trade deal was more important than the ongoing human rights violations. I’d have an issue with that. I have issues with all recent administrations on China. The problem is words nows have to be stretched beyond reason, sometimes until they become a lie, for political points. The other problem is that isn’t really any different than any other administration and it also doesn’t score points on Trump.

    We’ve been ignoring Chinese human rights violations for a very long time. It’s not a secret. Trump didn’t invent that and he didn’t “hide” anything.

    frosty (f27e97)

  230. Basically, Bolton is saying that in his opinion Trump overlooked Chinese human rights violations for political gain. You can’t get “offered this in exchange for help” from that.

    Pompeo accused China of Genocide the day before his term ended. So it appears they weren’t willing to hide it once there was no benefit to them in doing so. Unless you can show that this action was done in coordination with the incoming Biden administration and as part of a strategy going forward it hardly supports your point.

    I don’t understand your point here but I wouldn’t get to deep into this. I suspect Biden will walk back that declaration. I also suspect Dustin got upset because I pointed out Biden mentioned a cozy dinner with Xi when he was swearing in new admin officials. It’s hard to make a big deal about Trump’s China policy now that Trump is gone and it’s tougher given the relationship between China and the Biden family.

    The point is that the Trump administration ignored Chinese human rights violations in an effort to get their trade deal. Previous administration have made those types of violations clear and spoken out about them. What Trump did was cowardly and immoral. The effort that was ultimately fruitless as they never got the deal they wanted. The fact that Pompeo recognized the genocide on his way out the door doesn’t really change that. Better late then never but it doesn’t have any impact on the immoral decision Trump made.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  231. Ex-Houston police officer claimed he only breached the Capitol during riots to see ‘historical art’

    When federal agents asked Houston police officer Tam Dinh Pham why he was in Washington during the pro-Trump riot at the U.S. Capitol earlier this month, he said he had traveled there on business and then attended the president’s rally on a whim. But most importantly, Pham told the agents, he did not go inside the Capitol during the attempted insurrection.
    ……
    Pham, 48, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of unlawful entry of the Capitol and violent entry and disorderly conduct on Capitol grounds. He is one of more than a dozen off-duty police officers under investigation for allegedly participating in the violent and chaotic insurrection earlier this month.
    ……
    The federal investigators interviewed Pham in his Richmond, Tex., home on Jan. 12. After denying that he had gone inside the Capitol during the riots, a special agent asked to review the images in his phone.

    Although there were no pictures dated Jan. 6, the agent checked Pham’s “deleted” folder and found videos and images of him inside the Rotunda, including one shot of him posing in front of a statue of former president Gerald Ford affixed with a “Trump 2020” flag, federal officials said.

    Once the agent showed Pham the digital proof that he was, indeed, inside the Capitol, she reminded him that it was illegal to lie to a federal agent.

    That’s when Pham changed his story, federal agents said, while insisting he just wanted to see art in the Capitol.
    …….
    Uh-huh. That’s the ticket!

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  232. Time123 (f5cf77) — 1/22/2021 @ 10:44 am

    I missed @154. I didn’t follow the whole thread. I responded frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 11:35 am

    Describing this as “hid” gets at one of the reasons a section of NeverTrump can’t be taken seriously. Words have meaning and “hid” implies something more than “remained silent in public” or “didn’t make a condition of a trade deal”.

    It would be enough to say Trump thought the trade deal was more important than the ongoing human rights violations. I’d have an issue with that. I have issues with all recent administrations on China. The problem is words nows have to be stretched beyond reason, sometimes until they become a lie, for political points. The other problem is that isn’t really any different than any other administration and it also doesn’t score points on Trump.

    We’ve been ignoring Chinese human rights violations for a very long time. It’s not a secret. Trump didn’t invent that and he didn’t “hide” anything.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 11:54 am

    We cross posted.

    If your contention is that hid is incorrect and should be dialed back to “helped china hide” or ‘declined to speak out on’ or ‘ignored’ I don’t see much to argue about. It wasn’t clear to me from your previous comments that this was your point.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  233. The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/22/2021 @ 11:40 am

    My money is on Biden rescinding the genocide accusations, removing any restrictions on Chinese trade, and it being hailed as a new era in diplomacy and a return to normalcy.

    frosty (f27e97)

  234. @234, I’ll bet that he doesn’t rescind the accusations of Genocide.

    Time123 (f5cf77)

  235. Did Bolton say Trump just insufficiently focused on China? I thought he offered active help hiding the camps in exchange for the same damn thing he kept asking everyone for: announcing investigations in a way that helped Trump beat Hillary or Biden.

    As far as i’m concerned, Trump taking the actions he did makes him much more complicit in the concentration camps, rather than being soft for the sake of foreign policy. It’s that darkness, that hypocrisy about china in particular, that totally undermines Trump’s grand sweeping China paranoia. In fact, Bolton’s claims taken a step farther make it seem Trump is simply retaliating for not getting the help he sought. After all, Trump praised the tienanmen square massacre. why did he change?

    Dustin (4237e0)

  236. Time123 (f5cf77) — 1/22/2021 @ 11:58 am

    Previous administration have made those types of violations clear and spoken out about them.

    Obama kowtows to China on human rights, critics say

    Pressing Asia Agenda, Obama Treads Lightly on Human Rights

    Barack Obama’s Shaky Legacy on Human Rights

    Are you thinking about Bush? This was easier before China expanded its international influence.

    frosty (f27e97)

  237. Pompei calling it genocide at the last second is such an ultimate b-tch move it’s actualy hilarious. I saw a cop do that. Play super super nice, then say something extremely escalating the second backup arrives, then take a step back so the trainee can solve the problem.

    hey, I get it, China’s a really complex and terrible problem. But Trump’s administration seems to have been focused on making it harder for America to solve, after taking the easy path with all the world’s worst.

    And don’t get me started with North Korea. Trump makes Madeline Albright look like a realist on North Korea!

    This challenge for Biden to not do the actual thing Trump did for his entire term of office is frankly amazing, even if I agree Biden must not repeat Trump’s failure on China. it’s all BS intended to comfort Trump fans.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  238. Frosty, I’m not claiming the Obama was perfect, but I’d not hard to find examples of his administration, and him personally, raising Chinese human rights concerns. It happened consistently over his 2 terms. One example is below.

    The state visit by China’s president, Hu Jintao, to the US was today overshadowed by Beijing’s poor record on human rights, with Barack Obama twice referring to the matter in public.
    The US president spoke about a need to recognise human rights during a ceremony on the White House lawn to welcome Hu at the start of his state visit, and again during a joint press conference.

    The move indicates a toughening approach by Obama towards China after strained relations during the last 12 months over North Korea, Iran, the strength of the Chinese economy, and other issues.

    Obama also called on China to engage in talks about Tibet with the Dalai Lama, saying he had been candid in his talks with Hu. He said that while he recognised the US and China were at different stages of development, there were fundamental values such as freedom of speech, religion and assembly that transcended culture.

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  239. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 12:19 pm

    Did Bolton say Trump just insufficiently focused on China?

    You linked the original article. Presumably, you had the chance to read it.

    I thought he offered active help hiding the camps in exchange for the same damn thing he kept asking everyone for: announcing investigations in a way that helped Trump beat Hillary or Biden.

    The claim you originally made was that Trump hid camps. The statement was made in the past tense. You didn’t mention an offer. You’ve provided no evidence for that claim.

    If you are now claiming that he offered help hiding them in exchange for an investigation into something else do you have any evidence for that? If so can you give a link?

    frosty (f27e97)

  240. Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 12:30 pm

    Once again, I don’t think we disagree.

    frosty (f27e97)

  241. Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 6:31 am

    In the next few weeks, Republicans are going to be confronted with the second impeachment of Donald Trump. Republican Senators are going to have to figure out how they navigate this. Do they try to pettifog their way out of this (by arguing that the whole thing is moot, somehow)

    Alan Dershowitz’s argument in a Wall Street Journal Op-ed. He says Belknap is not that much of a precedent and even then Senators who felt he was guilty voted to acquit him on the grounds he was out of office. But Warren Hastings was out of office in 1787. I think the way to interpret Article II Section 4 is that removal from office is an automatic penalty upon impeachment, not that holding an office from which to be removed is a prerequisite for an impeachment process to take place.

    They didn’t follow through with Nixon because having been elected twice, he could not be elected president again because of the 22nd amendment, regardless of the fact that he did not serve even 1 1/2 full terms. And presidents don’t usually go for lower office. So they didn’t bother. But he could have become Senator Nixon again if the voters of New Jersey had agreed to that.

    or do they take the opportunity of arguing that the whole post-election Trump act following the election was a bridge too far.

    The problem is that the House ddn;t chare him with that, but they went a bridge too far.

    Now this may not matter, either way, to most Senators, and whether the Senators to whom this would matter could be the difference getting 2/3 for conviction or not, I don’t know. The House managers are looking for more evidence – presumably that Trump actually wanted the storming of the Capitol to happen. Indictment first, investigation later. I don’t think you can say he wanted the pipe bomb at the RNC and that is thought to have been part of it. Of course that may have not been intended to explode, but still. Trump is charged with instigating what happened with his speech. That’s just wrong.

    I don’t know how this goes. The right-wing media ecosystem influences the GOP base, which makes or breaks the fortunes of Republicans during primary season. The money for Fox comes from the same folks who believe in Q…

    We have to see how right-wing media ecosystem approaches the stolen election meme. Fox I think is not letting any of its hosts repeat that – I’m not sure

    I think there will be a preference cascade involved with this. If some GOP (besides Romney) decide impeachment is worth doing, then others will join. That may take time — I think we need to know more about the origins of the attack on the capitol. (Claiming Trump’s January 6 speech was some kind of incitement is dubious. Claiming his baseless assertion of fraud incited the mob isn’t.) Mitch is not wrong by wanting to delay things until February.

    This is also to give Trump some time to find lawyers.

    The baseless assertion of fraud and </i. the efforts to get people to do things they were not entitled to do 0 going even to the extent of trying to get Congress to reject Electoral votes is enough to impeach. But something more had to create that mob. Trump was surely in contact with some people involved in some protest activity – and there's the argument he should have known better what might be planned – and also the issue of what did he do while this was all going on, but we don't know that. Nancy Pelosi and Hillary Clinton were pretending they thought he might have been talking to Putin! (like as if that could remain secret! Or would make sense.)

    https://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/534767-clinton-i-would-love-to-see-if-trump-was-talking-to-putin-the

    Clinton told Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) on the former senator’s podcast “You and Me Both” that she hopes to see Trump’s phone records to determine if he spoke with Putin on Jan. 6, the day a mob of his supporters raided the Capitol in deadly riots.

    “We learned a lot about our system of government over the last four years with a president who disdains democracy, and as you have said numerous times has other agendas,” Clinton said. “What they all are, I don’t think we yet know.”

    “I hope historically we will find out who he’s beholden to, who pulls his strings,” she continued. “I would love to see his phone records to see whether he was talking to Putin the day that the insurgents invaded our Capitol.” ..

    Clinton said she agreed with Pelosi that Congress should create a panel similar to the 9/11 Commission to investigate what happened on Jan. 6 and whether any connections between the president and Russia were possible.

    Yeah, Trump couldn’t want to stay president by himself. He had to be ordered to do so by ladimir Putin. NOT! Maybe Nancy Pelosi actually believes that is possible but I don’t think Hillary Clinton does.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  242. Time123 (ae9d89) — 1/22/2021 @ 12:30 pm

    Once again, I don’t think we disagree.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 12:36 pm

    that’s boring. Maybe we could violently dispute wording or spelling? 😀

    Time123 (ae9d89)

  243. 225. Appalled (74f2a1) — 1/22/2021 @ 11:34 am

    Going to the rally was not illegal. I wish people could draw the distinction between a lawful assembly and an illegal insurrection.

    There was supposed to be a rally at the Capitol. I don’t know if the organizers were surprised things did not go as outlined in the permit. I mean that’s a big question. Most of the news media doesn’t even seem to know anything was planned before Trump gave that speech. A rally was scheduled. Also scheduled, or talked about online, was “Operation Occupy the Capitol.”

    https://www.adl.org/blog/extremists-and-mainstream-trump-supporters-plan-to-protest-congressional-certification-of

    Extremists and Mainstream Trump Supporters Plan to Protest Congressional Certification of Biden’s Victory

    January 4, 2021

    …Various organizers have filed for at least four permits related to the January 6 rallies. These include a Capitol lawn “Stop the Steal/Wild Protest” organized by right-wing provocateur Ali Alexander, a “Trump March” at Freedom Plaza organized by Women for America First, a march led by James Epley of South Carolina from the Mall to the Capitol lawn and a “MAGA Wild” rally organized by the Eighty Percent Coalition, a reference to a November Gallup poll that found that more than 80% of Republicans do not trust the election results. A fifth event, “Operation Occupy the Capitol” is being promoted on social media, but it is not clear who is promoting the event.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  244. Now I think it is plausible that whoever came up with the description “wild” and put it in the name if the more public event scheduled for January 6, 2021 at the Capitol knew about “Operation Occupy the Capitol” And someone got Donald Trump to use the word “wild” back in December.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  245. Another day wasted by President Plagiarist; still stalled Covid vaccine distribution; still no emergency $2000 for suffering citizens.

    ‘Come on, gimmie a break’ croaks Joe; Patton would give you a shovel–then have you digging latrines.

    Get your two-months-into-your-79th-year-ass in gear, Scranton boy; or is it Wilmington this week.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  246. Nancy is #3 on the royalty totem pole; so, dear, as a responsibe office of the gov’t, who kicked America’s National Guard out of the warm snug Capitol to sleep in parking garages like a bunch of homeless bums, dear?

    And was was “Dr.” Biden doing a photo-op handing out candies to hill guardsmen and women?

    And why the vindictiveness of wasting time w/another impeachment when reports are the GOP Senate support for it has eroded will likely not convict? Where are your priorities old lady?

    Where is the $2000 emergency Covid aid for hutng citizens and the immediate distribution of more vaccine — your boy is in charge, now.

    Let them eat ice cream–not cake, eh, Nancy? And you wonder why 74-pus million voted for the other guy and pissed off Americans rattled your office, eh, Nancy.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  247. DCSCA wrote:

    Get your two-months-into-your-79th-year-ass in gear, Scranton boy; or is it Wilmington this week.

    The Wilmington where he helped top destroy the public school system?

    Let’s face it, President Biden can issue all of the executive orders he wants, but they can’t make Pfizer or Moderna produce vaccine any faster than they are already doing, can’t make mask manufacturers work more than 24 hours a day, and can’t make test producers make testing kits any faster than they already are. Production of these things is already maxed out, and efforts to go faster can only wind up with compromised standards.

    Now Joltin’ Joe wants the public schools opened for in-person instruction by May . . . which leaves four weeks before the end of the school year. We might as well simply declare the entire school year as lost, because it really has been. More than double, and sometimes more than triple, the number of failing grades are being given out, and that’s with some systems banning “F”s, and with many teachers grading more generously. They want to get the vaccine to teachers, but neither vaccine is approved for anyone under 16 (Moderna) or 18 (Pfizer), so what good does getting the teachers vaccinated do?

    Here in the Bluegrass State, the Fayette County schools — Lexington: second largest school system in the state — is still closed to in-person learning, and won’t even attempt to open until February 8th, but the Fayette County schools basketball teams are playing! Basketball is a physical, contact, no-masks sport, and that’s OK, but in-person instruction, nope, can’t have that.

    Last fall, when Governor Beshear ordered all schools closed, he still allowed the state high school football playoffs to continue.

    Most of the smaller school systems are having in-person classes.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  248. DCSCA wrote:

    Nancy is #3 on the royalty totem pole; so, dear, as a responsibe office of the gov’t, who kicked America’s National Guard out of the warm snug Capitol to sleep in parking garages like a bunch of homeless bums, dear?

    And was was “Dr.” Biden doing a photo-op handing out candies to hill guardsmen and women?

    My question is: why are the National Guard still there in the first place?

    They were supposed to prevent the protests that never happened from doing whatever during inauguration day, but inauguration day has passed. Today is the anniversary of Roe v Wade, the Dred Scottesque decision that declared the unborn to be unpersons, but the normal marches had all been canceled weeks ago.

    Why are the National Guard still there?

    Oh, wait, I know! The Speakess of the House plans to deliver teh Article of Impeachment to the Senate on Monday, supposedly beginning the impeachment trial on Tuesday. Perhaps President Biden, who is the Commander-in-Chief now, thinks that he needs to keep the Guard there until the impeachment trial is over, and if it results in a conviction, for however many days or weeks after that in case there are protests.

    At some point, we need to have a national capital not under armed guard.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  249. Is it crass of me to think that this story of “kicking the NG to a garage” is over done and needlessly politicized?

    They’re in the freaking guard. When deployed in the MidEast, they’d likely sleep on rocky grounds at times.

    I get the optics are bad… but, the National Guard are fine. In fact, I’d wager they’d rather do this than be in the MidEast!

    whembly (c30c83)

  250. I agree, Dana. Bring them home now. Lets not abuse these guys with their time. They were called for an emergency and now we know just how much fight is in the rioters.

    Honestly, if the whole Cap police was properly prepared, they could handle it from here.

    And why the vindictiveness of wasting time w/another impeachment

    Because Donald Trump commited the worst crime against the country of any president, by a massive margin, and he must be impeached for it. It’s not a waste of time. It’s like any serious crime. The sense justice can be done cools sentiments. The next time these guys try to steal an election will go a lot differently, depending on how honorable the GOP is on this matter.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  251. I get the optics are bad… but, the National Guard are fine. In fact, I’d wager they’d rather do this than be in the MidEast!

    whembly (c30c83) — 1/22/2021 @ 1:56 pm

    No doubt. It’s a hell of a story too.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  252. https://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/article/drug-overdose-data-report-San-Francisco-fentanyl-15873680.php

    In the meantime, California is destroying businesses but handing out free needles in the name of “safety. “

    NJRob (06048f)

  253. Whembly @250-

    Spot on. Dumbest story out there.

    Rip Murdock (f56c1e)

  254. Sammy #242 —

    Impeachment is political. You don’t escape having to deal with it by declaring it moot. Not when Trump’s opposition runs the body making the decision. Somebody on the fence can’t get by with saying “I am voting no because the Constitution says you can’t do this.” No court is going to enjoin the Senate from considering impeachment. No lawyer expecting payment from Trump has the intellectual horsepower to bring that argument to court.

    That said, if Trump is “removed” and barred from holding office ever again, I do expect him to litigate whether the bar from holding office is proper.

    Appalled (1a17de)

  255. Thousands of National Guard Troops to Begin Leaving DC This Weekend
    ……
    Arrangements are being made for 15,000 of the 25,600 Guard soldiers and airmen in D.C. to return home over the next 10 days, officials said.
    …….
    Approximately 7,000 Guard troops are expected to remain in D.C. through the end of January, according to a National Guard Bureau news release.

    Demobilization can be complex and include equipment turn-in, travel arrangements and COVID-19 screening.

    “Maybe they come off mission today, tomorrow or the next day and begin to then turn in their equipment,” Nordhaus said.

    Guard members said they were prepared for just about anything going into the Inauguration but were pleasantly surprised that it turned into a peaceful day.
    …….

    Rip Murdock (f56c1e)

  256. That said, if Trump is “removed” and barred from holding office ever again, I do expect him to litigate whether the bar from holding office is proper.

    Given that “bar” is in the Constitution, it should have the same success as any of his election lawsuits.

    Rip Murdock (f56c1e)

  257. #257

    The Constitution expressly forbids a Bill of Attainder (special legislation directed against a single person). Unlike Trump’s myth making about election fraud, he would actually have an argument.

    Appalled (1a17de)

  258. One of the wealthiest obtuse cultists in the U.S. Senate doesn’t believe suffering Americans should get more Covid aid.

    Le guess, le who:

    Pierre Delecto.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  259. whembly (c30c83) — 1/22/2021 @ 1:56 pm

    They’re in the freaking guard. When deployed in the MidEast, they’d likely sleep on rocky grounds at times.

    I think one issue was they only had one bathroom. In the ME they’d be digging their own latrines. I think DC has slightly better standards than SF or LA so just going in the street is discouraged.

    frosty (f27e97)

  260. Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 2:10 pm

    Impeachment is political. … Somebody on the fence can’t get by with saying “I am voting no because the Constitution says you can’t do this.”

    They can. It remains to be seen if they can get re-elected after doing that but they certainly can.

    frosty (f27e97)

  261. The update is that Speaker Pelosi will submit the article of impeachment on Monday.

    https://hotair.com/archives/allahpundit/2021/01/22/go-pelosi-deliver-article-impeachment-senate-monday-says-schumer/

    Technically, that means the trial will begin on Tuesday, but probably won’t actually be held until the week after next, so as to give the Trumpublicans time to prepare a defense.

    Several prominent former and current Republican officials are urging the Senate to convict. But several others see a problem with that.

    https://hotair.com/archives/allahpundit/2021/01/22/report-dozens-influential-republicans-including-trump-officials-lobbying-senate-gop-convict-trump/

    Convict Trump and alienate his cult base. Acquit Trump and live with his conspiratorial nonsense for the next two to four years, maybe longer. Most Republicans are afraid of the Trump cult, fearful of being primaried in 2022 or 2024. A few want to take up the Trump mantel and become the next leader of the cult.

    Also, bills are being introduced to expel Brooks, Cruz and Hawley from Congress. Those are probably going nowhere.

    When the article of impeachment is submitted and the trial commences, and there will be a trial, if the Republican defense in on process grounds–the Senate doesn’t have the Constitutional authority to convict a former President, blah, blah, blah–it will be a weak defense.

    Let the voters decide! they will say. Well, the voters have already decided and the electoral votes have been counted. Biden won, end of story. The only question at trial is whether Trump incited an insurrection and caused his crazed cult to storm the Capitol with deadly effect.

    I believe he did, with deliberation. Trump imagines himself as wannabe Hitler, Stalin, Mao, name the authoritarian dictator. Problem is that he couldn’t even motivate his cult troops to storm the Capitol effectively and overturn the election. He’s a complete failure, as are his lunatic fringe supporters, and now it’s obvious.

    There should and will be a trial. It won’t be about removing him from office, but about prohibiting him from ever running for or holding office again.

    This trial will be held in public. Every Republican and Democrat will have their vote recorded. Democrats will vote to convict, of course. Just have the Republican votes to acquit on the record.

    These next few weeks will be interesting and troublesome. We are watching the self-emulation of a political party. It’s sad and tragic, but it’s all because the party chose fealty to an individual over loyalty to principles.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  262. @NJRob@253

    IDK if you remember why needle distribution exists as a thing, but the reason the programs were put into place was to stop the rest of us from having to deal with rapidly spreading AIDS and having to support current or former drug users in their expensive AIDS treatments for the rest of their lives. Pence, IIRC, canceled the needle exchange program in Indiana and ended up with a huge HIV epidemic.

    Nic (896fdf)

  263. I think one issue was they only had one bathroom. In the ME they’d be digging their own latrines. I think DC has slightly better standards than SF or LA so just going in the street is discouraged.

    You don’t dig a latrine, and haven’t for 25 years, unless you’re on patrol, and even then you don’t because you don’t want to get shot with your a$$ hanging out. Well, you do in basic still, but that’s the last time.

    The closest you get is if you are in an Airborne unit, and then it’s those old style ones linked. Mostly you get these specific ones, trucked or helicoptered along with everything else in hour 3.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  264. I did see people do it for punishment, a sgt used to have a dude dig one large enough for a platoon, sgt would use it, and make them immediately make him fill it in. If it’s 110 out, that’s a serious punishment.

    Having been a boot a decade before that, a latrine is quite possibly as bad as being shot. I know it’s worse than being shot at. That’s a tiny exaggeration.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (1367c0)

  265. #257

    The Constitution expressly forbids a Bill of Attainder (special legislation directed against a single person). Unlike Trump’s myth making about election fraud, he would actually have an argument.

    @258-

    No he wouldn’t. The prohibition on bills of attainder applies to criminal statutes, not impeachments.

    “Bills of attainder . . . are such special acts of the legislature, as inflict capital punishments upon persons supposed to be guilty of high offences, such as treason and felony, without any conviction in the ordinary course of judicial proceedings. If an act inflicts a milder degree of punishment than death, it is called a bill of pains and penalties. . . . In such cases, the legislature assumes judicial magistracy, pronouncing upon the guilt of the party without any of the common forms and guards of trial, and satisfying itself with proofs, when such proofs are within its reach, whether they are conformable to the rules of evidence, or not. In short, in all such cases, the legislature exercises the highest power of sovereignty, and what may be properly deemed an irresponsible despotic discretion, being governed solely by what it deems political necessity or expediency, and too often under the influence of unreasonable fears, or unfounded suspicions.” The phrase “bill of attainder,” as used in this clause and in clause 1 of § 10, applies to bills of pains and penalties as well as to the traditional bills of attainder. J. STORY, COMMENTARIES ON THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES 1338 (1833)

    Footnotes omitted.

    See also United States v. Lovett, 328 U.S. 303 (1946):

    The clause thus prohibits all legislative acts, “no matter what their form, that apply either to named individuals or to easily ascertainable members of a group in such a way as to inflict punishment on them without a judicial trial. . .

    There is no right to be a federal government official, elected or otherwise, so a ban is not a punishment.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  266. Prioities, priorities. Impeachment is a waste of government time and taxpayer resources. And does nothing to speed getting Covid vaccine out and into the arms of citizens nor get emergency $2000 Covid aid to suffering Americans. Queen Nancy and her royalists have learned nothing.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  267. Impeachment is a waste of government time and taxpayer resources.

    No, a $2k check to everybody in the country is.

    If we don’t get justice, next time will be bloodier. Peaceful transitions of power in democracy are far and away the most important thing we’ve got as a nation and Trump screwed around with them.

    . And does nothing to speed getting Covid vaccine out

    Maybe Trump shoulda coulda worked on that in the entire year he had where he jerked around, or even at the end of the year when this was literally his only important task as a lame duck. But no, he had to try to steal the election.

    I don’t see how impeachment will slow the vaccine down. I only see desperation.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  268. remember, Trump didn’t develop any vaccines. Sure, he… um… approved some smart researchers doing what they were going to do anyway. Trump’s roll was to get organized so those vaccines could be rolled out efficiently. He didn’t do his job at all. His plan was to pretend no plan is conservative.

    Biden won’t do any worse.

    DCSCA, didn’t you say the people want to be entertained? Watching Trump testify in his impeachment trial sure sounds like fun to me.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  269. Pfizer Will Ship Fewer Vaccine Vials to Account for ‘Extra’ Doses

    As long as the COVID vaccine is held by private companies, “getting Covid vaccine out” won’t happen.

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  270. Hoi Polloi (139bf6) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:22 am
    Oh Dave, I know you are a little lazy progressive, unable to do your own research, so here you go:

    1) Calling me a progressive is a misrepresentation of my position, and a violation of the rules of this blog.

    2) Neither of the articles you linked – both of which I had already read – contains any lie uttered by *President Biden* about vaccine distribution.

    3) Fauci admitted grave problems with President-Reject Trump’s distribution efforts. “You can’t say it was absolutely not usable at all” – um, OK.

    4) The lies you repeat are damaging to our country, fellow citizen! Please tell the truth instead!

    Dave (1bb933)

  271. And now they’re going after Liz Cheney.

    https://hotair.com/archives/allahpundit/2021/01/22/report-house-republicans-threaten-boycott-meetings-liz-cheney-remains-conference-chair/

    I don’t know Liz Cheney, other than to say she is the daughter of a former vice-president. I don’t live in her district or state, so I can’t vote for her. I would if I could, but that’s beside the point.

    The Trumpublicans are coming after her, because she dared to vote for impeachment. I find that disgraceful and beyond reproach. But this is your Republican party, in fealty to Trump.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  272. An FAA Employee And QAnon Follower Was On The FBI’s Radar. Then He Stormed The Capitol

    A Federal Aviation Administration employee who subscribed to the QAnon conspiracy theory was already under FBI investigation when he took part in the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol, federal authorities disclosed this week.

    The FBI initiated an investigation into Kevin Strong, a FAA employee in San Bernardino, California, on Dec. 30, a week before the Capitol siege. A witness told the FBI that Strong believed he had “Q clearance” and that World War III was going to occur on Jan. 6. Strong, the witness said, hung a “WW1WGA” flag at his home, and believed QAnon would cover the cost of a truck he recently purchased.

    Strong is now facing federal charges. An affidavit from FBI Special Agent Erin Norwood states that there is probable cause that Strong violated a law that makes it a crime to enter a restricted building without lawful authority with intent to impede or disrupt the orderly conduct of government, as well as a law that makes it illegal to disrupt the orderly conduct of a session of Congress.
    ……….

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  273. IDK if you remember why needle distribution exists as a thing, but the reason the programs were put into place was to stop the rest of us from having to deal with rapidly spreading AIDS and having to support current or former drug users in their expensive AIDS treatments for the rest of their lives. Pence, IIRC, canceled the needle exchange program in Indiana and ended up with a huge HIV epidemic.

    Nic (896fdf) — 1/22/2021 @ 2:42 pm

    I know full well why the left demanded needle distribution and yet they encourage drug use and expanding legalization of these devastating drugs.

    Why aren’t they demanding the kinds of draconian actions they have done due to the Wuhan flu when the consequences are shown as more severe due to drug use?

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  274. Dave (1bb933) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:11 pm

    1) Calling me a progressive is a misrepresentation of my position, and a violation of the rules of this blog.

    Is that actually a rule? It happens on a routine basis. I don’t care myself, just asking for a friend.

    frosty (f27e97)

  275. GG,

    the majority of the party is going after Cheney because she voted opposite their will.

    Pretty simple. You go against the party. Don’t expect their support.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  276. @268. Except it’s not.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IN5EZwanClY

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  277. Whembly wrote:

    I get the optics are bad… but, the National Guard are fine. In fact, I’d wager they’d rather do this than be in the MidEast!

    And I wouldn’t. At least in the Middle East, if they were fighting, it wouldn’t be against other Americans.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  278. Dave (1bb933) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:11 pm

    You are just acting in bad faith now. You know full well that CNN used anonymous sources to say Biden’s administration alleged that Trump had no plan and that they had to build one from the ground up. So they are lying and making excuses already.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  279. NJRob (eb56c3) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:23 pm

    Why aren’t they demanding the kinds of draconian actions they have done due to the Wuhan flu when the consequences are shown as more severe due to drug use?

    That is a very good question.

    frosty (f27e97)

  280. @272. What goes around comes round; welcome to 1964.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  281. Dustin wrote:

    Because Donald Trump commited the worst crime against the country of any president, by a massive margin, and he must be impeached for it. It’s not a waste of time. It’s like any serious crime. The sense justice can be done cools sentiments. The next time these guys try to steal an election will go a lot differently, depending on how honorable the GOP is on this matter.

    Bovine feces. A few hundred, maybe a couple thousand, got into the Capitol and raised some Hell, but that’s it. There was no serious way that they were going to steal the election, and you know it.

    Were it an actually organized coup d’etat, they’d have had guns and slaughtered a bunch of congressmen, so that President Trump could declare martial law. There was no organization, there was no coordination, and they were less destructive than the BLM rioters last summer.

    Well, you’re going to get your second impeachment trial, and, once again, it will fail.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  282. https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2021/01/bidens-first-day-a-preview-of-coming-attractions.php

    In his first day as president, Joe Biden had something for almost everyone in his far-left coalition. For the climate alarmists, he signed an executive order revoking the permit for the Keystone XL pipeline. For the radical LGBT crowd, he signed an executive order that I read as calling on schools across the country to allow transgender athletes to participate in the sport of their gender identity. (It says, “Children should be able to learn without worrying about whether they will be denied access to the restroom, the locker room, or school sports.”)

    For the pro-illegal immigration crowd, he instructed the Department of Homeland Security to stop deporting illegal aliens. For the pro-abortion folks, the new administration announced that Biden will soon revoke the Mexico City Policy, that prohibits U.S. funding for nongovernmental groups that provide or refer patients for abortions.

    As for the BLM racemongers, Biden had already nominated a Black racist to head the Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice.

    None of these moves has anything to do with helping our economy or combatting the pandemic. Some of them will clearly make the lives of many Americans worse.

    Revoking the Keystone XL pipeline will damage the economy and cause unemployment. The order on transgender athletes portends harm to female athletes.

    The decision to stop deportations helps illegal immigrants, not Americans. It will lead to more crime and to a new flood of illegal immigration that will deprive Americans in the lower economic strata of employment opportunities and/or wages.

    There are two ways of looking at Biden’s maiden initiatives. Maybe he wanted straight away to check boxes with the left-most elements that supported him, so as to get the most controversial or unpopular items out of the way early, while the honeymoon (if any) is still on and well before the next election.

    But maybe the early hard-left moves reflect what the Biden presidency will be — a preview of coming attractions.

    It’s going to be a devastating 4 years from which we may never recover.

    NJRob (eb56c3)

  283. It’s going to be a devastating 4 years from which we may never recover.

    4 years??

    The multiple-brain surgery plagiarist is two months into his 79th year.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  284. Pretty simple. You go against the party. Don’t expect their support.

    She didn’t vote against the party, she voted to impeach one criminal president who happens to be in her political party, and it’s a testament to how far the GOP has gone downhill that only nine others voted with her.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  285. @285. Except she did.

    Who says it’s downhill? Welcome to 1964.

    Glorious.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  286. Is that actually a rule? It happens on a routine basis. I don’t care myself, just asking for a friend.

    frosty (f27e97) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:24 pm

    It’s amusing to me that guys like you offer so many personal attacks, deny you care if you are insulted, and complain you were insulted more than anybody, while also saying anyone who calls you out needs a fainting couch.

    I mean let’s be honest, you know what you are.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  287. Bovine feces. A few hundred, maybe a couple thousand, got into the Capitol and raised some Hell, but that’s it. There was no serious way that they were going to steal the election, and you know it.

    I definitely disagree. Things worked out. But they got pretty close to that Senate chamber. They were prepared and serious about hostages. Some of the planners talked about sexually assaulting hostages. They had a gallows built. Trump was getting advice to use these events to call for martial law. He clearly actually wanted Mike Pence and Georgia (and other states, according to that phone call) to overturn the election, to actually steal it. That is not imagination or BS. That is Trump, 100%, real.

    He failed. The timing of that Georgia phone call recording was basically divine intervention, taking a ton of energy out of Trump’s legitimacy, with the GOP Senate. There were a few holdouts saying they wouldn’t go quietly into the night, but it would have been a lot louder.

    Had those things lined up different, that call never got recorded and leaked, the rioters made it into the Senate chamber instead of following a black cop the wrong way, a few hostages get taken while Trump is explaining why Pence was too weak, and why these riots should happen, I do believe we would be living through something a lot different.

    Would it have worked out anyway? Probably. But not certainly. Things change. Trump is definitely the kind of president who makes things change.

    He must be impeached. Failed coups precede successful ones.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  288. And I wouldn’t. At least in the Middle East, if they were fighting, it wouldn’t be against other Americans.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:27 pm

    The Trump fans who entered the capitol aren’t really Americans anymore.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  289. Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has announced that the impeachment trial will begin the week of February 8th. So, even after the Speakess of the House delivers the Article of Impeachment to the House on Monday, January 25th, the Senate will wait two weeks to take action on it.

    I guess it just wasn’t that urgent after all.

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  290. It may have been unintentional on Schumer’s part, but I would not call it a gaffe:

    https://www.foxnews.com/politics/schumer-unfortunate-trump-gaffe-senate

    Trump does give his supporters wood.

    nk (1d9030)

  291. So, even after the Speakess of the House delivers the Article of Impeachment to the House on Monday, January 25th, the Senate will wait two weeks to take action on it.

    I guess it just wasn’t that urgent after all.

    The delay is to give Trump time to prepare a defense.

    The delay represented a compromise between the two party leaders in the Senate. Senator Mitch McConnell, Republican of Kentucky and the minority leader, had initially proposed delaying another week, until Feb. 15, to get the trial underway in person. He had cited the need for Mr. Trump’s legal team, hired only on Thursday, to prepare to give a full defense.
    …….
    Doug Andres, a spokesman for Mr. McConnell, said the leader was “glad” Democrats had agreed to a slower timeline.

    “Especially given the fast and minimal process in the House, Republicans set out to ensure the Senate’s next steps will respect former President Trump’s rights and due process, the institution of the Senate, and the office of the presidency,” he said. “That goal has been achieved. This is a win for due process and fairness.”

    Rip Murdock (80e6b4)

  292. Dustin wrote:

    The Trump fans who entered the capitol aren’t really Americans anymore.

    Oh, so now you are using the Joseph McCarthy tactic. That’s good to know!

    What, I have to ask, makes people “really American”? Because if we are going to define it by beliefs, I can see a whole bunch of unAmerican Americans. The Black Lives Matter and Antifa rioters? UnAmerican! Abortion supporters? UnAmerican! Those who would take away our First and Second Amendment rights? UnAmerican!

    The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c)

  293. I think prison would be a more salutary lesson than impeachment. And not just for Trump. Every rioter who entered the Capitol should get the maximum sentence upon conviction.

    I can hear you asking: “Why so harsh?” General deterrence. We have seen that Trump’s supporters are the same kind of self-indulgent babies he is. The caught ones getting a solid spanking and long timeout will make the uncaught ones content themselves with only venting their pet peeves on the internet.

    nk (1d9030)

  294. He must be impeached. Failed coups precede successful ones.

    Actually, he HAS been impeached. The trial is simply mot regarding removing.him from office.

    He’ll beat the rap and embrace the martyrdom.

    As to a ‘successful coup’ — where have you been? Oh. Right. On the bottom of the deck. 74-plus million have succeeded— s Liz Cheney is discovering as well.

    Welcome to 1964, Dustin.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  295. As a progressive, I can confirm that Dave is absolutely not a progressive.

    Davethulhu (f31045)

  296. What, I have to ask, makes people “really American”?

    The most essential American quality is peaceful transition of power. We disagree, we get pissed about it a lot, we campaign and vote, and we do it again whether we get our way or not. Refusing to follow the will of the American people while plotting to take hostages and hope for civil war if you don’t get your way is a betrayal of the country. I didn’t make the ‘gravy seals’ in “CIVIL WAR 1/6/2021” T-shirts America’s enemies. They did that on their own, purposefully.

    They wanted a cleansing of those they didn’t agree with. They wanted to kill people like me. They failed miserably, but that’s what they wanted and why should I treat them like my friends, or try to have unity with them?

    This is the real reason the GOP is terrified of impeachment proceedings, of more testimony about the many little betrayals, of that Georgia phone call to reverse the outcome, of those tweets about pence ‘failing’ or Liz Cheney not giving her dear leader his loyalty. The GOP is already losing, but it’s going to be catastrophic losses as more and more Americans realize what this was really about, what they might have been voting for.

    That’s bad news for whatever in the hell people mean by ‘conservative’ these days. I don’t care.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  297. @Gawain’s Ghost@272 I don’t agree with Liz Cheney on a lot of things, but she took a risk at possible cost to herself in order to do the right thing, and that is a thing I can respect.

    @NJRob@274

    “I know full well why the left demanded needle distribution and yet they encourage drug use and expanding legalization of these devastating drugs.”

    You may want to check in with the Libertarians on how far left they are, I think they might disagree. And I don’t know how legalized MJ is related to needle exchanges, HIV, or Covid, but OK.

    Why aren’t they demanding the kinds of draconian actions they have done due to the Wuhan flu when the consequences are shown as more severe due to drug use?

    I have no idea what you are trying to say here. You are being very unclear.

    Nic (896fdf)

  298. Actually, he HAS been impeached. The trial is simply mot regarding removing.him from office.

    right right, but that had to happen. We must have the proceedings, and I mean a real one with witnesses and a real trial. A real spectacle. You’ll love it, it’s entertainment. I’ll love it, as biden’s whole agenda just took a back seat. Maybe I’ll get really lucky and those checks won’t happen either.

    Dustin (4237e0)

  299. As a progressive, I can confirm that Dave is absolutely not a progressive.

    Heh! I would call myself a progressive if it still meant what it meant to Theodore Roosevelt:

    I have tried to set before you my creed. I believe in property rights, but I believe in them as adjuncts to, and not as substitutes for, human rights. I believe that normally the rights of property coincide with the rights of man; but where they do not, then the rights of man must be put above the rights of property. I believe in shaping the ends of government to protect property; but wherever the alternative must be faced, I am for man and not for property. I am far from underestimating 84the importance of dividends, but I rank dividends below human character. I know well that if there is not sufficient prosperity the people will in the end rebel against any system, no matter how exalted morally; and reformers must not bring upon the people permanent economic ruin, or the reforms themselves will go down in the ruin. But we must be ready to face any temporary disaster—whether or not brought on by those who will war against us to the knife—if only through such disaster can we attain our goal. And those who oppose all reform will do well to remember that ruin in its worst form is inevitable if our National life brings us nothing whatever but a swollen and badly distributed material prosperity. In other words, I feel that material interests are chiefly good, not in themselves, but as an indispensable foundation upon which we should build a higher superstructure, a superstructure without which the foundation becomes worthless. Therefore I believe that the destinies of this country should be shaped primarily by moral forces, and by material forces only as they are subordinated to these moral forces. I 85believe that material wealth is an exceedingly valuable servant, and a particularly abhorrent master, in our National life. I think one end of government should be to achieve prosperity; but it should follow this end chiefly to serve an even higher and more important end—that of promoting the character and welfare of the average man. In the long run, and inevitably, the actual control of the government will be determined by the chief end which the government subserves. If the end and aim of government action is merely to accumulate general material prosperity, treating such prosperity as an end in itself and not as a means, then it is inevitable that material wealth and the masters of that wealth will dominate and control the course of national action. If, on the other hand, the achievement of material wealth is treated, not as an end of government, but as a thing of great value, it is true—so valuable as to be indispensable—but of value only in connection with the achievement of other ends, then we are free to seek through our government, and through the supervision of our individual activities, the 86realization of a true democracy. Then we are free to seek not only the heaping up of material wealth, but a wise and generous distribution of such wealth so as to diminish grinding poverty, and, so far as may be, to equalize social and economic no less than political opportunity. — Theodore Roosevelt, American Problems, pp. 84-86

    nk (1d9030)

  300. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:51 pm

    It’s amusing

    You don’t seem amused. You seem caught in a perpetual cycle of Freudian slips and bouts of projection with random bits of vivid imagination thrown around.

    frosty (fc141b)

  301. DCSCA (f4c5e5) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:50 pm

    By your “logic”, DCSCA, the party voted against Liz. Bottom line, she concluded that Trump’s offenses were impeachable, and they were. Just like McCarthy said, Trump was responsible for the MAGA domestic terrorist attack.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  302. Dustin (4237e0) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:36 pm

    What, I have to ask, makes people “really American”?

    The most essential American quality is peaceful transition of power

    The cowboy is an American icon, there is nothing there that says peaceful transition of power. The muscle car is another icon, same. America was born in a revolution and we’ve had a civil war. We’ve got the right to bear arms in the constitution. Peaceful transition of power? It’s certainly something to hope for but I don’t think it would make it on the top 10 list if you did a survey.

    frosty (fc141b)

  303. In the category of “you voted for him so this is your fault”, I see that Biden has appointed a rabid champion of net neutrality to chair the FCC.

    (*ducks*)

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  304. As a progressive, I can confirm that Dave is absolutely not a progressive.

    I agree. He is merely a fellow traveler.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  305. Sorry, I’m poking bears tonight.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  306. You don’t seem amused. You seem caught in a perpetual cycle of Freudian slips and bouts of projection with random bits of vivid imagination thrown around.

    frosty (fc141b) — 1/22/2021 @ 5:54 pm

    Deep thoughts by jack frosty

    Dustin (4237e0)

  307. As a progressive, I can confirm that Dave is absolutely not a progressive.

    I agree. He is merely a fellow traveler.

    Have you met any actual progressives? They’d want no more to do with Dave than you do with Kamala Harris.

    Not to recognize that someone can be left of you and still be conservative, albeit moderately, is the same myopia that led purists to sit out 2008 and 2012 because McCain and Romney were allegedly RINOs, and leftists to vote for Nader in 2000 because there wasn’t a “dime’s worth of difference” between Bush and Gore.

    lurker (59504c)

  308. Speaking of non-peaceful transitions, Trump was on the cusp of firing Acting AG Rosen and replacing him with a dutiful stooge (Jim Clark), who would try to overturn the GA election results by legal hook or crook. Trump didn’t pull the trigger because DOJ leadership was prepared to resign en masse in protest.

    Paul Montagu (77c694)

  309. Had those things lined up different, that call never got recorded and leaked, the rioters made it into the Senate chamber instead of following a black cop the wrong way, a few hostages get taken while Trump is explaining why Pence was too weak, and why these riots should happen, I do believe we would be living through something a lot different.

    How about that political prosecution of John Hinckley? Reagan survived, didn’t he?

    lurker (59504c)

  310. lurker (59504c) — 1/22/2021 @ 7:29 pm

    It was a joke.

    Dave seems to be at the left edge of conservatives these days. He may be reacting more to his dislike of Trump than to what he ends up defending from the Democrats.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  311. Not to recognize that someone can be left of you and still be conservative, albeit moderately, is the same myopia that led purists to sit out 2008 and 2012 because McCain and Romney were allegedly RINOs, and leftists to vote for Nader in 2000 because there wasn’t a “dime’s worth of difference” between Bush and Gore.

    If you don’t know me well enough by no to see that I understand that, nothing I say will convince you.

    Kevin M (ab1c11)

  312. @302. ROFLMAOPIP. Conservative whine; bitter dregs.

    Liz Cheney gets 2022 primary challenger after voting to impeach Trump.

    thehill.com/homenews/campaign/535063-liz-cheney…

    ‘Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) will face a primary challenge in 2022 after voting last week to impeach former President Donald Trump.’

    “Reality. What a concept.” – Robin Williams

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  313. Only one?

    nk (1d9030)

  314. @290. Gee, if it goes the way some want it, they could impeach dead Herbert Hoover for just being a dick; then The Big Dick for Watergate; then dead LBJ for lying about the Gulf of Tonkin incident; ad then dead Ronald Reagan for Iran/Contra– and especially Bedtime for Bonzo. 😉

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  315. It was a joke.

    Sorry. I deserve it for all the times I complain when people take mine seriously.

    lurker (59504c)

  316. @314. Take Curly’s cue: “Day ain’t over yet.” 😉

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  317. @303. What, I have to ask, makes people “really American”?

    You should certainly ask what image it projects to the world of what it is to be ‘an American’…. for instance:

    “Out here, due process is a bullet.” – Col. Mike Kirby [John Wayne] ‘The Green Berets’ 1968

    ____

    First question I was asked when moving overseas by some Brits at a social gathering was ‘where do you keep your guns.’ They weren’t kidding. Their image and concept of America and Americans was one of a violent culture; hardly ‘peaceful.’ It was formed by what they heard and saw- from cowboy-and-Indians-movies to first hand experences when the Yanks were ‘oversexed, over paid and over here’ encamped across Britain.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  318. DCSCA, you have no idea. I’ve never been overseas, to Britain or Europe, but if I ever do travel to a foreign country, I wouldn’t say “I’m an American.” I would say, “I’m from Texas.”

    I have travelled across the United States on my summer vacations when I was a teacher. It’s a funny thing, but when you’re a Texan, the moment you step foot across the state lines, you’re a hero everywhere you go.

    This is true. There’s something about the myth of Texas. It has to do with the story of the Alamo, movies about cowboys, ranches and oil wells, and a television series. But it goes much farther than that. In the original Dracula by Braham Stoker, do you know what kills the evil, blood sucking vampire? It’s not sunlight, holy water or a cross, a wooden stake. It’s a Texan with a Bowie knife. Doesn’t get bigger than that.

    When you travel around the country, meet someone and ask where they’re from, they will give you the name of a city. But a Texan will say, “I’m from Texas.” Because it means something.

    I flew out to California to visit a friend. He was going through a divorce and was very depressed, so I went out there to cheer him up. His soon-to-be ex-wife had thrown him out of their house and accused him on molesting their daughters. It was a bad situation. He was renting a room in some house in San Francisco; this is what he was reduced to. I thought, the first thing we have to do is get the hell out of here.

    So we toured Central California like no one else. “Take me to the Chamber of Commerce,” I said. This is where you go when you’re in a city for the first time. The Chamber has maps, brochures of tourist sites, interesting places to visit, hotels and restaurants, and it’s all for free! So we went on a journey for fun. I had to get him out of that room.

    One day we went to a coffee shop and met some Australians. As soon as they learned I was a Texan, they said in Cockney English, “From Texas are you mate? From Dallas are you then. How many wells you got down there?”

    This is what I’m talking about. If you say you’re an American, they’ll ask you about politics, guns and all that. If you say you’re a Texan, they’ll ask you about oil wells and ranches. It’s a strange dichotomy.

    Gawain's Ghost (b25cd1)

  319. @319. Except we did; we were transferred there because of a multinational oil firm.

    DCSCA (f4c5e5)

  320. Texas! Whatever. They know Chicago better.

    nk (1d9030)

  321. For Al Capone and Michael Jordan internationally, shooting and carjacking domestically. And dont call the South Side of Chicago “South Chicago” unless its east of aupbout Yates Avenue.

    urbanleftbehind (3678bd)

  322. The Dana in Kentucky (facd7c) — 1/22/2021 @ 1:45 pm

    Let’s face it, President Biden can issue all of the executive orders he wants, but they can’t make Pfizer or Moderna produce vaccine any faster than they are already doing,

    But they can pretend it will. Trump didn’t use the Defense Production Act to increase supplies of Covid testing or PPE but he did for vaccines. The Biden people say that production of some things, like a type of glass vial can be speeded up, but that is not really a change in policy. We’re already up to 1 million shots a day (which equal 100 million in 100 days but only 50 million people if everyone gets two shots) but there can be some more if more vaccines are approved, and that seems likely, but it’s one of those things that they don’t put into their plans.

    Governor Cuomo said he was going to buy more vaccine from Pfizer, only to announce the next day that that is not legal, since the FDA emergency approval doesn’t allow them to sell it (one version: apparently more accurate s that it all goes to the federal government – the Governor of Michigan asked fr the FDA pr whoever to give Pfizer permission to sell it. The vaccine is all committed through maybe March or April, but I think actually some manufactured in the USA can be sold to other countries – Biden isn’t going to stop since he wants everyone on the whole world to be vaccinated and he wants to do something for the poorest countries. And this should go on until this disease is extinct in nature. And it’s a problem the longer some countries delay. (and now there is the argument that the more cases worldwide, the greater the chances and the spread of more contagious or vaccine resistant mutation.

    The vaccine companies also argue that some of the raw material or accessories are imported and we don;t need roadblocks.

    Pfizer by the way cut back on the amount of vaccine it was supplying to Europe because the contract called for so many and so many doses to be delivered, and if they figured out how to stretch the supply (the vials are in fact overfillled) why then, they can deliver less!

    can’t make mask manufacturers work more than 24 hours a day, and can’t make test producers make testing kits any faster than they already are. Production of these things is already maxed out, and efforts to go faster can only wind up with compromised standards.

    Tehey say they arre going to look for some bottlenecks and deal with them quickly.

    Now Joltin’ Joe wants the public schools opened for in-person instruction by May . . . which leaves four weeks before the end of the school year. We might as well simply declare the entire school year as lost, because it really has been. More than double, and sometimes more than triple, the number of failing grades are being given out, and that’s with some systems banning “F”s, and with many teachers grading more generously. They want to get the vaccine to teachers, but neither vaccine is approved for anyone under 16 (Moderna) or 18 (Pfizer), so what good does getting the teachers vaccinated do?

    Eliminates excuses for the teacher’s unions for not going back to in-school teaching, with the accompanying teacher and school evaluations in places. Children under 10 have such robust immune systems that they are at little risk. Whoever does not get real sick does not spread the virus much (unless you gather a lot of mildly infected people together and don’t exchange the air very often) and whoever s more contagious also gets more sick, as anyone should have guessed but it took weeks for medical experts to come to that conclusion (just announced by British Prime Minister Boris Johnson)

    Actually we don’t need so many years of school. Finland gets along with 2 years less till high school graduation. This lost time is recoverable. And for those who didn’t lose they can go further.

    Here in the Bluegrass State, the Fayette County schools — Lexington: second largest school system in the state — is still closed to in-person learning, and won’t even attempt to open until February 8th, but the Fayette County schools basketball teams are playing! Basketball is a physical, contact, no-masks sport, and that’s OK, but in-person instruction, nope, can’t have that.

    People pay more attention to sports. Supposedly all the basketball players can be tested. It worked for the NBA. Of course they’re not in a bubble at Disney World.

    Most of the smaller school systems are having in-person classes.

    Probably on a voluntary basis and on the grounds a significant minority of families don’t have good Internet access.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  323. 274. NJRob (eb56c3) — 1/22/2021 @ 4:23 pm

    I know full well why the left demanded needle distribution and yet they encourage drug use and expanding legalization of these devastating drugs.

    I don;t think so. They were probably the chief campaigners against Oxycontin. Stopping prescriptions had predictable effects. Opioid deaths are aybe declining again because of Narcan.

    By the way I think people should be in jail because of what they do, not because of who they are. The elimination of most bail (or conditions) led to an upsurge in crime.

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)

  324. 255. Appalled (1a17de) — 1/22/2021 @ 2:10 pm

    Sammy #242 —

    Impeachment is political. You don’t escape having to deal with it by declaring it moot. Not when Trump’s opposition runs the body making the decision. Somebody on the fence can’t get by with saying “I am voting no because the Constitution says you can’t do this.” No court is going to enjoin the Senate from considering impeachment. No lawyer expecting payment from Trump has the intellectual horsepower to bring that argument to court.

    It won;t stop the trial but can be given as a reason for voting not to convict.

    The argument will probably be made.

    Now I think that Article II, Section 4 of the United Sates constitution

    https://constitutioncenter.org/interactive-constitution/full-text

    The President, Vice President and all civil Officers of the United States, shall be removed from Office on Impeachment for, and Conviction of, Treason, Bribery, or other high Crimes and Misdemeanors.

    does not establish the power of impeachment, which seems to be assumed, but sates that removal from office is always a consequence of impeachment and does not require a separate vote.

    That said, if Trump is “removed” and barred from holding office ever again, I do expect him to litigate whether the bar from holding office is proper.

    But how does he get standing?

    Sammy Finkelman (dcc9ca)


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