Patterico's Pontifications

12/15/2018

President Trump: Good Riddance To The Weekly Standard

Filed under: General — Dana @ 5:37 pm



[guest post by Dana]

What sad news to learn that The Weekly Standard is no more:

The Weekly Standard went out of business on Friday—killed by right-wing Colorado billionaire Philip Anschutz, who purchased the respected 23-year-old conservative journal from its original owner, Rupert Murdoch’s Newscorp, in 2009, for a reported $1 million.

“We are done,” Stephen F. Hayes, the Standard’s editor in chief, told his staff of nearly 40 Friday morning, after a brief meeting with executives of Anschutz’s Clarity Media Group in Washington, D.C.

Employees had their company email abruptly cut off on Friday; on Thursday, editors toiling to finish the final issue—which was emailed to an estimated 110,000 subscribers on Friday and will be circulated in a last print edition dated Dec. 17—had trouble gaining access to the Weekly Standard computer server, according to an email circulated among the staff.

There have been suggestions in the blogosphere that the publication will killed because of its anti-Trump tilt. However, that might not be accurate:

Some are suggesting the magazine — which shared parent ownership with The Post for its first 14 years — was killed for being too critical of President Trump. But none of our sources are buying that claim.

After all, as John Podhoretz, who co-founded the magazine with Bill Kristol, notes, not being a team player was always part of The Weekly Standard’s DNA.

And that was deliberate: “Our loyalty was to the ideas in which we believed,” he writes, “not to the Republican Party.” In that respect, it provided a vital platform for trenchant and incisive conservative opinionizing, as well as important hard-news reporting, feature writing and biting satire.

It’s also not definitively clear whether the publication was shuttered due to personal reasons or the result of a shrewd business decision:

The magazine’s owner, Clarity Media Group, is shifting subscriptions to the magazine version of another of its products, The Washington Examiner. But insiders doubt boosting the Examiner was truly sufficient reason not to just sell the Standard, and suggest a personal vendetta is at work.

Interestingly:

Murdoch patiently funded their magazine for 14 years, and it garnered praise for editorial excellence even as it consistently lost money—between $2 million and $4 million a year, according to a source familiar with the figures.

The magazine continued to lose similar amounts under Anschutz’s ownership, which didn’t prevent the billionaire from authorizing hires of new staff in the past two years before apparently losing enthusiasm.

Ironically, the Washington Examiner—the principal beneficiary of The Standard’s demise—is said to be even more unprofitable. Representatives of Clarity Media Group didn’t respond to a phone message seeking comment.

According to one reporter, Clarity’s CEO was a total jerk in a meeting wtih the newly unemployed:

I obtained audio of today’s staff meeting where Clarity Media Group announced the closure of The Weekly Standard. Clarity’s CEO told employees, “Don’t get on social media and attack anybody because it will put your severance in jeopardy”

Honestly, I really don’t know the real reason for TWS shutting down. What I do know is that there are now a number of talented writers currently out of work. And, that the closing of the publication comes in the midst of the Christmas season makes it even worse. Whether a publication swings left or right, we should root for their existence, and hope that they publish challenging and thoughtful pieces. Pieces that either confirm your positions held, or are so substantial and provocative that they become mini-revelations compelling readers to reconsider what they think about an issue. As far as the conservative point-of-view is concerned, it really is a blow to have one less voice extolling conservative principles and ideals. Even if one hasn’t agreed with everything put out by TWS, there is little doubt that they have always produced interesting, complex and challenging material. One’s mind can be sharpened in so many ways. I’m hoping and praying that these writers find work soon, and are able to once again be a public voice for the conservative movement.

With that, I was horrified to see the President of the United States attack The Weekly Standard after its closure was announced:

Untitled

W.T.F.!! Our president is happy to see a conservative publication shuttered, and its employees losing their jobs. Because he is so damn petty, vindictive, thin-skinned, and unable to rise above any criticism, he couldn’t just keep his yap shut but instead viciously rubbed salt in the wound of unemployed Americans who are now trying to figure out their next move. What an outrageous thing to do because you don’t like what was said about you. Boo-hoo, you big fat baby. Only a self-centered pustule of a human being would stoop so low. That he is our sitting president makes it worse. And what is so utterly ridiculous is that he doesn’t seem to realize that *he is* the sitting president. He won the election. None of Kristol’s preferred candidates won. This insipid man-child has yet again diminished his position by his behavior, and he has cast immense doubts on any claims made that he is concerned about unemployment in this country, and the livelihood of Americans. There is absolutely no excuse for this. There is also absolutely no defense that can be made on his behalf. He is a grown man, he owns his imbecilic behavior.

#BeBest, my ass.

(Cross-posted at The Jury Talks Back.)

–Dana

373 Responses to “President Trump: Good Riddance To The Weekly Standard”

  1. Interesting, Seth Mandel, newly named editor of the Washington Examiner, is not exactly on the Trump train himself.

    Dana (023079)

  2. Shall we name all the Trump-owned businesses that have failed? Who has the time? Who has the energy? There are just too damn many!

    Dana (023079)

  3. All I know about The Weekly Standard is what I read here.

    But that’s our Trump. To him, “graciousness” is how you say “thank you” in Spanish.

    nk (dbc370)

  4. This is more than Trump being petty and vindictive: This is Trump gloating that Americans are now unemployed. You can’t divorce the closing of the publication from its writers.

    Dana (023079)

  5. They did some good in the early days, lately they seem intent on echoing the left’s campaign against trump and abetting the fraid that underlay this witchhunt

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/15/fbi-steele-dossier-trump-comey/?fbclid=IwAR2k-ivGAWE_yYTV2ahfKRqhW2pCQNm–Md8y9IuMmjRTDzhyU4MNpEAaRM

    Narciso (d1f714)

  6. I’m always sorry to see people lose their jobs, regardless of who they are or why it happened, especially at Christmas. The President can afford to be more charitable–I have no idea why he thinks gloating like this is a good idea.

    Rochf (877dba)

  7. This is Trump gloating that Americans are now unemployed. You can’t divorce the closing of the publication from its writers.

    Do I really need to point out that Donald Trump cares nothing for anyone in the world but himself?

    Dave (1bb933)

  8. In the Obama administration did you see any real criticism among the media, except as will bill Maher that he did not annihilate the opposition, more readily.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  9. I thought the o’connor decision, the perfidy of how Mueller secured this bogus plea from general Flynn, might have some import, but no ots first to denounce, time and again, this is wht we will loose our birthright because the left has no scruples about silencing any opposition through lawfare through digital censorship we’ve seen the pitiful mess that the Tories have proven across the pond.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  10. Trumpistas keep telling themselves that what so many dislike about Trump is merely his “style,” i.e. something superficial that only an effete snob would regard as a real flaw — as though the way he talks and tweets told us nothing important about his character or priorities. At the same time, Trumpistas tell us how “authentic” Trump is, how candidly he tells us what he truly believes. WYSIWYG with Trump, they say — except when WYS is grotesque, in which case it’s merely style not substance, or he’s only “trolling the media” or “controlling the narrative.”

    Being a Trump apologist requires a high degree of intellectual inconsistency.

    Radegunda (694c3c)

  11. Being a Trump apologist requires a high degree of intellectual inconsistency.

    no it doesn’t

    you can be just average inconsistent and be just fine, as long as you tell the truth and be honest and have integrity

    and that’s all President Trump asks of people

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  12. It died because it stopped being conservative. Kristol tweeting like he was Andy Sullivan when Bush said marriage is the union of a man and a woman didn’t help.

    NJRob (4a4b3b)

  13. i wouldn’t click on a link to weekly standard any more than i’d click on a link to CNN Jake Tapper fake news

    trashy click-bait is trashy click-bait, and LOTS of the trashy click-bait sites are going down not just billy boy kristol’s

    did you see this from earlier this week?

    Verizon just admitted that the brand value of its media company, Oath, is almost nothing.

    trashy click-bait isn’t thriving in the age of President Trump that’s for sure

    he’s helping us all to raise the bar, and I for one love him for it and wish him every success in this endeavour

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  14. There have been a fair number of articles running around lately criticizing TWS on what seems like some grounds that resonated with me.

    – The flip-flop on Booker from mockery to positive coverage (huh?)
    – The attack’s is inn salena Zito who does great work
    – The refusal to cover elements of the (fabricated) dossier
    – Discussions as to whether the money was taking money from the left to bias coverage
    – Kristol saying he preferred the unelected Deep State to a republican election of Trump (a statement I strongly disagree with)

    Some of these are matter of fact, some I don’t know enough to tell if these were true. But my interest in TWS and respect for their work has dropped dramatically.

    I also never wish anyone to lose their job right before the holidays. But I found the reactions of JP and others at the magazine unaccountably childish. You run a money losing magazine for years then you are basically running a research or non-profit organization. If your sponsors don’t like your work, it’s game over. The price of freedom in a market economy is providing enough value to turn a profit. A conservative magazine of all places should understand that.

    The complete lack of understanding of that in the tweets I read from TWS employees makes me question if they really are conservatives and believe what they write. Because many of the tweets sounded like what I would hear from Democrats complaining about market forces.

    Trump’s writing style isn’t my style most of the time – this tweet is one. . But I honestly felt very disconnected from this piece when I read it. I don’t mourn the passing of TWS, I mourned the passing of a time when I trusted some of these conservative media voices in DC.

    I don’t now. if we could have a conservative media voice not so connected to DC or the establishment (whatever that means but let’s just use it as shorthand for DC conservatives who are a bit more attached to government and government power than I like), that would be nice.

    TWS was not it for me, and I shed no tears for the loss of what it had become. I believe strongly in freedom of speech – one of the most critical rights in protecting all the rest – and welcome the people there to continue to find employment and contribute their ideas. TWS shutting down does nothing to silence them ultimately. It only shutters a money losing entity that wasn’t meeting a market need.

    I suspect if they reflect accurately on their challenges, all of them will find an improvement in their ideas and writings and a better place to write at that better serves the market than TWS. I have run businesses in various forms for 20+ years. People who blame the customers or market are usually wrong in many ways – and failing to see their own mistakes. People don’t like to be confronted with their failing as kids or as adults. Markets are relentless that way, and that includes the market for ideas.

    Standard disclaimer: As always, I could be wrong in almost all the points above.

    PrincetonAl (41378a)

  15. “intent on echoing the left’s campaign against trump”

    This suggests that there is no principled conservative argument against Trump….just reactionary Leftist smear. But this proof is horribly incomplete. With Trump,the ends simply don’t justify the means. Selling out to our current-day P. T. Barnum leaves the conservative movement morally weaker and intellectually defenseless. We don’t need reality TV or rage-radio in the White House. You’re following a fatally flawed pied piper.

    AJ_Liberty (165d19)

  16. They don’t seem to be getting the message:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/SaysSimonson/status/1073634315119026176

    narciso (d1f714)

  17. I like the Charlie Sykes podcast. I wonder if that will keep goin’. RIP TWS.

    JRH (fe281f)

  18. going forward we should have a special christmas tree to honor President Trump and his accomplish

    this way the weekly standard can live on cause the weekly standard people could help buy an ornament for the tree

    life’s as big as you make it

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  19. Damn, it won’t.

    JRH (fe281f)

  20. Have you always been this much of a smart aleck, a 1980s Jason bateman?

    Narciso (d1f714)

  21. TWS went full NeverTrump, following in the footsteps of Kristol and they paid the price. I also did not like their attempt to smear Salena Zito. In addition, I understand they chose to go against the tide and kept it old school, eschewing ads and clicks. A bad decision in this day and age.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  22. 10… NeverTrump keep telling themselves that their daily trashing of the POTUS, never finding much to cheer about, but plenty to denounce, is not providing aid and comfort to the people who want to change America for the worse.

    They’re only fooling themselves.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  23. “Do I really need to point out that Donald Trump cares nothing for anyone in the world but himself?”

    Dave (1bb933) — 12/15/2018 @ 6:11 pm

    And yet you provide him rent-free space in that airy cranium of yours. 24x7x365. WINNING!!!!!

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  24. NeverTrump keep telling themselves that their daily trashing of the POTUS…is not providing aid and comfort to the people who want to change America for the worse.”

    Trump fans keep telling themselves that their uncritical boosting of everything the POTUS does, says, and tweets is not eroding moral standards among the half of the country who still has them.

    They’re only fooling themselves.

    Took the words right out of my mouth.

    Demosthenes (09f714)

  25. is not providing aid and comfort to the people who want to change America for the worse.

    Anyone who supports Trump is doing far more damage to the USA than any leftist. Because you are not merely tolerating or condoning corruption and incompetence in high office, you are justifying and rationalizing it. You have taken the position that as long as you have power, principles do not matter.

    The only exception to that is someone like Kevin M., who at least admits we have a corrupt and incompetent President. But most of the Trump supporters here have not.

    Kishnevi (65f98d)

  26. If they were making money would these loser writers be out of a job?

    mg (8cbc69)

  27. thats some knee slapping blame, Kishnevi.
    lmmfao @ you.

    mg (8cbc69)

  28. Even they understand:
    https://mobile.twitter.com/nprpolitics/status/1073911188214276096

    All the comments indicate cognitive dissonancr

    Narciso (d1f714)

  29. You would think bill kristols would understand feedback, but he is in firm denial.

    I probably read as much commentary as national review in the early days, but both increasingly have lost the plot.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  30. Colonel Haiku (2601c0) — 12/15/2018 @ 8:21 pm

    Thank you for the personal attack.

    Dave (1bb933)

  31. Personal attack? I hope it was just an observation, my apologies if I expressed that less than thoughtfully.

    Colonel Haiku (2601c0)

  32. And yet you provide him rent-free space in that airy cranium of yours. 24x7x365. WINNING!!!!!

    Take a week. I have warned you several times now.

    Patterico (bd09f6)

  33. thats some knee slapping blame, Kishnevi.
    lmmfao @ you.

    You too.

    Patterico (bd09f6)

  34. Wierd wtf point by the author. When did this site turn into lgf?

    Pieter Nosworthy (1cec30)

  35. Trump was not elected by the weekly standard editorial staff. They went down the toilet with jeb bush. President trump was not elected by elitists and their running dog neo-con artists, free traders and pro open border donor class. 90% percent of republican party voted for trump and support him today. The republican base had to put up with this donor class scum buying primary elections as they had the money. BUT! the republican base has the votes. the weekly standard is no longer useful in fooling the republican base bye bye!

    lany (0aaf5f)

  36. I agree with everything Dana wrote about Trump’s tweet. But his fanboys adore him precisely because he’s an asshole like this. And then they imitate him.

    As for TWS: Given its tiny distribution and lack of profitability, it nevertheless “punched above its weight class” in influence for many, many years. Its history of so doing was itself an intangible asset, one that its closure now will deliberately forfeit, because there are certainly other potential patrons who might have undertaken to subsidize it in the future in the same name and with some sort of continuity of management and writers. But when you own a business, you have the right to close it regardless of whether you might have ended up better off economically by selling it; and if you work for a business owned by such a patron, one which has no obvious and demonstrable value as a generator of income on a net basis over time, then you need to keep your resume updated and your options flexible. I’m reasonably sure that some of the best writers will land on their feet elsewhere, and some of the others will decide that this is a propitious time to retire. But the market in which it’s wandered, somewhat gracelessly during the Trump Tribulations, and in which it’s now found itself being shut down, may also change quite dramatically depending on Trump’s own fortunes. And a day may come when the targets of Trump’s tweet get their own satisfaction while watching Trump and Trumpism replaced within the GOP as part of a resurgence of genuine conservatism.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  37. Patterico,

    That’s greatly unfair of you. Kishnevi directly attacked all Trump supporters and inferred he would side with leftists over them as he said that Trump supporters are doing far more damage to the USA. He also called defending our borders in a previous post to be as anti-founding as possible considering he cited the Declatarion of Independence as his reasoning.

    Laughing at the post instead of insulting the individual is an offense worthy of suspension, but not the words that were posted to cause the laughter?

    I get that you are personally disgusted by Trump, but that seems to be coloring your responses to people and how people get away with being vicious towards others. It feels like as long as you insult Trump and his supporters all is permitted. But the reciprocal response is a punishable offense.

    NJRob (4d595c)

  38. 36 msnbc, cnn and the liberal media already have never trump establishment republican trained seals to flop around the liberal host yelling trump sucks! Its like black conservatives only a small number are needed to come on the media.

    lany (0aaf5f)

  39. And a day may come when the targets of Trump’s tweet get their own satisfaction while watching Trump and Trumpism replaced within the GOP as part of a resurgence of genuine conservatism.

    I wish I could share your optimism.

    Dave (1bb933)

  40. , https://pastelink.net/kkzm singletrail_niederösterreich, https://pastelink.net/kioy partnersuche_türkische_frauen, https://pastelink.net/kjjm treffen_online_bekanntschaft,

    Iarfsiwi (aa3338)

  41. The Weekly Standard was always much better than Bill Kristol, and once posted things that would have easily been classified as “alt-right adjacent” in the present climate. But that was back when it could still be classified as a conservative magazine that cared about publishing conservative ideas, rather than a parade of hall monitors and mediocrities charged with reading out people who weren’t in the neoconservative clique.

    After Breitbart saw the future of conservatism and followed it, to the horror of all neoconservatives, being owned by Bill Kristol turned from an occasional embarrassment into an unrecoverable liability, like having Kevin Williamson on your masthead.

    And given both its relentless boosterism for the war in Iraq and its uncritical joining with the Communist voices against the conservative voices in their own party, crocodile tears about missing fortunes just prior to “the holiday season” are quite out of place. One or two conservative articles amid Yet Another Reason Why We Must Stay in Iraq or Yet Another Uncritical Restatement of The Latest Anti-Trump Talking Points is just mixing wine with sewage, and there are far better places to discuss those ideas seriously.

    Their death was richly deserved, they will not be mourned by those who take conservatism seriously, and their fall is all the worse for the good they could have done.

    Timmy (22505b)

  42. This was a business decision; no more, no less.

    Per a Denver Post article, the Colorado based Clarity Media Group folded TWS because of the declining numbers and projections were bleak. Per the DP piece, the conservative pub ‘has not been profitable throughout its existence.’ That really says it all.

    There ain’t no Charlie Kane in this script; Clarity ain’t runnin’ a charity.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  43. W.T.F.!! Our president is happy to see a conservative publication shuttered

    — To use his parlance, they were “not nice” to him, and that is ALL he cares about.

    Icy (1302ec)

  44. It will make money for Anschutz now. He will be able to write off its appraised value as a business loss, dollar for dollar from his net income. The way Trump has been writing off nearly a billion dollars in business losses from his bankruptcies, and paying no income tax for like forever.

    nk (dbc370)

  45. But that was back when it could still be classified as a conservative magazine that cared about publishing conservative ideas, rather than a parade of hall monitors and mediocrities charged with reading out people who weren’t in the neoconservative clique.

    This description does not exactly make for an instructive contrast with the parade of hall monitors and mediocrities charged with reading out people who are currently not riding on the Trump train.

    After Breitbart saw the future of conservatism and followed it…

    Said future being, I suppose, “every behavior we always said we hated about the left, except now it’s OK because we will be the ones acting that way to them.“ That’s how I see it, anyway. And in that regard, I have been very disappointed with Kristol’s conduct over the last couple of years. (Which still doesn’t mean that his behavior excuses Trump’s.)

    Their death was richly deserved, they will not be mourned by those who take conservatism seriously, and their fall is all the worse for the good they could have done.

    The only part of this statement that is true is the last one. They could’ve done much more good by keeping to the high road and being the organ of the loyal conservatives who see Trump as an existential threat to the movement.

    Demosthenes (7fae81)

  46. You know it was a left partisan who attacked your family, one of his associates is hip deep in the second dossier business, you cant tell friend from for neither could red state, unwilling to acknowledge a common enemy except for trump,

    Narciso (d1f714)

  47. I think Podhoretz and Brooks have better takes. Anschutz and McKibbin murdered The Standard, vindictively so. They refused to sell the magazine and then fired everyone right before Christmas.

    Paul Montagu (8d207c)

  48. Ah Brooks who reveres Obama to this day, as for podhoretz I still respect the old man,

    Narciso (d1f714)

  49. This “right before Christmas” whine regarding TWS is quite tiresome. If you work at TWS you have connections, powerful connections, and the writers have other gigs as well. Gimme a break. Especially the writers. Of course those of us who do real productive work know that getting cut right before the New Year has advantages in that new projects are staffing up, etc. I haven’t read that thing in years, decades possibly, but I don’t recall anyone at TWS caring much about regular Joe Lunchbuckets getting laid off. Plus any respectable professional should know enough to keep sufficient bank to carry oneself and family for a few months. Especially as these things don’t happen overnight. Very, very few layoffs catch people, especially professional people, by surprise.

    JSkorcher (4db2c4)

  50. “his fanboys adore him precisely because he’s an asshole like this. And then they imitate him.”

    And there’s no self awareness that this lowers the overall quality of discourse…we never move beyond the trivial and personality stuff…making self government monumentally more difficult. Some here believe that there is some evolutionary advantage or freshness that comes from politicians always saying what’s on their minds and intentionally manufacturing drama…..and scoring imaginary gotcha points…as if someone actually “wins” by kicking Bill Kristol while he’s down. Maybe this is a byproduct of reality TV which divides us into popcorn-gobbling voyeurs and those of us intrinsically embarrassed by bad behavior. At least TWS attempted serious conversation….with references, studies, and commentary by those with some expertise. You know…some intellectual rigor…as opposed to the unconventional instincts and undisciplined yelping of our President. It’s a sad day when we can’t tell which of these we need more of…

    AJ_Liberty (165d19)

  51. you cant tell friend from for neither could red state…

    The enemy of my enemy is not necessarily my friend.

    Demosthenes (844457)

  52. NJRob (4d595c) — 12/15/2018 @ 11:53 pm

    What you read as personal insults by me was merely a statement of fact.

    Trump is corrupt and incompetent. To think otherwise is to be deluded: it means you think, contrary to ever available bit of evidence, that on Jan 20, 2017 Trump stopped acting the way he acted all his life and started being honest, Anyone who supports him without acknowledging that (and I pointed out Kevin as an example of someone who supports him but does acknowledge the faxt that he is corrupt and incompetent) is doing lasting damage, because they are saying they don’t actually care about corruption. They do not care about principle. They only want to keep their hands on the levers of power.

    And there seem to be a lot of people who fit that description in these comment threads. Whether they are deluded or are hypocrites, I can of course not tell. But they are helping destroy the American ideals they say they love.

    If you are like Kevin, then I am not talking about you.
    Otherwise look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are supporting corruption in high office.

    Kishnevi (78c1a3)

  53. Granted from Wiki but rather useful in its brevity

    Demosthenes grew interested in politics during his time as a logographer, and in 354 BC he gave his first public political speeches. He went on to devote his most productive years to opposing Macedon’s expansion. He idealized his city and strove throughout his life to restore Athens’ supremacy and motivate his compatriots against Philip II of Macedon. He sought to preserve his city’s freedom and to establish an alliance against Macedon, in an unsuccessful attempt to impede Philip’s plans to expand his influence southward by conquering all the other Greek states.

    After Philip’s death, Demosthenes played a leading part in his city’s uprising against the new king of Macedonia, Alexander the Great. However, his efforts failed and the revolt was met with a harsh Macedonian reaction. To prevent a similar revolt against his own rule, Alexander’s successor in this region, Antipater, sent his men to track Demosthenes down. Demosthenes took his own life, in order to avoid being arrested by Archias of Thurii, Antipater’s confidant.

    JSkorcher (4db2c4)

  54. What you read as personal insults by me was merely a statement of fact.

    Trump is corrupt and incompetent. To think otherwise is to be deluded: it means you think, contrary to ever available bit of evidence, that on Jan 20, 2017 Trump stopped acting the way he acted all his life and started being honest, Anyone who supports him without acknowledging that (and I pointed out Kevin as an example of someone who supports him but does acknowledge the faxt that he is corrupt and incompetent) is doing lasting damage, because they are saying they don’t actually care about corruption. They do not care about principle. They only want to keep their hands on the levers of power.

    And there seem to be a lot of people who fit that description in these comment threads. Whether they are deluded or are hypocrites, I can of course not tell. But they are helping destroy the American ideals they say they love.

    If you are like Kevin, then I am not talking about you.
    Otherwise look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are supporting corruption in high office.

    kishnevi,

    I could not agree more with you, but I will ask you to keep the commentary about the argument and not the person.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  55. I could not agree more with you, but I will ask you to keep the commentary about the argument and not the person

    I was trying to keep it as general as possible. By “you” in the last paragraph I meant everyone here (should have been clearer about that). The only person I specified was being cited as an example of doing things the right way.

    Kishnevi (78c1a3)

  56. Actually, in the midst of writing a long comment trying to articulate why I thought kish’s comment problematic, I found myself unable to say why in a convincing way, so I am reversing myself. I think the comment is fine.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  57. Patterico,

    That’s greatly unfair of you. Kishnevi directly attacked all Trump supporters and inferred he would side with leftists over them as he said that Trump supporters are doing far more damage to the USA. He also called defending our borders in a previous post to be as anti-founding as possible considering he cited the Declatarion of Independence as his reasoning.

    Laughing at the post instead of insulting the individual is an offense worthy of suspension, but not the words that were posted to cause the laughter?

    I get that you are personally disgusted by Trump, but that seems to be coloring your responses to people and how people get away with being vicious towards others. It feels like as long as you insult Trump and his supporters all is permitted. But the reciprocal response is a punishable offense.

    False. This is not difficult to process. Any attack on another person here is a violation of the blog commenting rules. Let’s look at three offenses here — mg’s, Colonel’s, and yours — and I will take time out of my morning to patiently re-explain the rules to you and how they have been violated. I will also talk about kish’s comment, which I initially threw a flag on but am now reversing myself.

    1:

    thats some knee slapping blame, Kishnevi.
    lmmfao @ you.

    “I am laughing at you” is a personal attack on kishnevi. “I am laughing at your argument” is not. Now: “I am laughing at your argument” is not something I want to see here. The rule against personal attacks is not the only rule, and I will quickly become irritated at anyone who deliberately tries to put his toe on the line with such remarks. Still, for now, the difference between the two is obvious. One is an attack on the person and the other is an attack on the argument.

    2:

    And yet you provide him rent-free space in that airy cranium of yours. 24x7x365. WINNING!!!!!

    “airy cranium” = personal attack. This one is easy. And the Colonel has been warned several times. In fact, I am going to un-moderate mg right now and lower his punishment to a warning, because as I type this all out loud, the Colonel’s repeated offenses seem more worthy of the weeklong pause than mg’s.

    3:

    I get that you are personally disgusted by Trump, but that seems to be coloring your responses to people and how people get away with being vicious towards others.

    Your opinion about my psychology is a criticism of me and not just my arguments. If you want to say you think that one offense is as bad as another, you are free to. The moment you say that you believe the reason is my Trump hatred, you have made it about me. That is not permitted. I will just give you a warning. In the future, if you have a problem with the way I am running my comment section, email me. Do not personally attack me in my comments. That includes repeating your complaint here in different words. I am serious about this.

    Now, kish’s comment:

    What you read as personal insults by me was merely a statement of fact.

    Trump is corrupt and incompetent. To think otherwise is to be deluded: it means you think, contrary to ever available bit of evidence, that on Jan 20, 2017 Trump stopped acting the way he acted all his life and started being honest, Anyone who supports him without acknowledging that (and I pointed out Kevin as an example of someone who supports him but does acknowledge the faxt that he is corrupt and incompetent) is doing lasting damage, because they are saying they don’t actually care about corruption. They do not care about principle. They only want to keep their hands on the levers of power.

    And there seem to be a lot of people who fit that description in these comment threads. Whether they are deluded or are hypocrites, I can of course not tell. But they are helping destroy the American ideals they say they love.

    If you are like Kevin, then I am not talking about you.
    Otherwise look in the mirror and ask yourself why you are supporting corruption in high office.

    I don’t think criticizing a cross-section of people who think a particular way is a personal attack, especially when it’s phrased in such a way that it does not necessarily apply to any particular named commenter here. “You, NJRob, are an idiot” is clearly a personal attack. “All Trump supporters who ignore his criminality are idiots” is clearly not one — maybe that doesn’t apply to you. “All Trump supporters are idiots” is closer to the situation we are discussing here. It arguably is insulting to people here, even though it doesn’t name a person, because it would clearly apply to anyone here who supports Trump.

    kish’s comment is not clearly directed at any one person. But it boils down to the statement “If you do not think Trump is incompetent and corrupt then you are deluded or possibly a hypocrite.” Is that the same as the “All Trump supporters are idiots” example I gave? It’s not exactly the same but it’s getting there.

    The issue here is that it is a legitimate point, one that needs to be made in the marketplace of ideas, that people who allow corruption and incompetence to go unremarked on pose a danger to democracy. I think that as long as kish makes the point generally and tries not to attack anyone personally, he’s making a fair point. The Colonel does the same kind of thing in reverse all the time — and I believe he does it pointedly and passive aggressively — but I think that people need to be able to make generalized comments about the dangers that they believe are posed by particular viewpoints held by NeverTrumpers.

    “All NeverTrumpers are idiots” adds little value. “If you are willing to overlook Trump’s positive policy gains and hyper-focus on his personal flaws, you are short-sighted” is a comment that deserves to be articulated in the marketplace of ideas, and I will permit comments like that as long as they don’t get pointedly personal (“and you are an example of such a short-sighted person”). IOW, there is a trade-off here, between legit arguments and the need to avoid personal attacks, and I am willing to give some leeway to allow people to do the former.

    This is a content neutral view I am expressing here, on a difficult subject.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  58. I am confused why the Trump supporters here who seem to feel the closure of TWS is indeed something to applaud and will no shed no tears over it, nonetheless seem angry and bitter? Trump is the president, as I emphatically point out in the post. Why is that not enough? Why can he not be subject to criticism as seen fit by conservatives whose very job was to write about politics? Why is your “happiness” at seeing the outfit shuttered tinged with such hostility?

    Their death was richly deserved, they will not be mourned by those who take conservatism seriously, and their fall is all the worse for the good they could have done.

    This is incorrect. I am a conservative, and take very seriously the principles upon which I stand and believe to be in the best interest of the nation. Who are you to determine for all of us whether or not good was done? I say it was. I say that anytime someone writes a thoughtful piece and presents a well reasoned argument in support of conservative ideals, good has been done. This continuing hostility does nothing to help the coalesce the conservative movement.

    Dana (023079)

  59. I’m willing to hear debate about the ideas I have just expressed, but I will NOT tolerate “you are just saying x because you hate Trump” comments, because those are personal to me. It’s a distinction that I require people to be able to understand to comment here, and if the distinction escapes you then find a different site to comment on.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  60. The easiest way to clarify the difficult distinction I am trying to make here is this:

    If the main point of your comment is to offend, it does not add to the conversation.

    If your comment offends, but the offense is a side effect of a legitimate point, and not the intended result, then the offended party needs to buck up.

    Distinguishing between the two can be difficult, but ask yourself: are you making it about the particular person involved or about a trend of thought their argument represents? The former is less valuable and the latter is more valuable.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  61. Ok, that’s addressed to someone else. Whew!

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  62. Dana, you may be conservative, but the Weekly Standard wasn’t any longer. It failed and only existed because it had a benefactor. When it moved left, that benefactor decided to close shop.

    It didn’t have any buyers no matter how much Podhoretz may wish otherwise.

    To quote the man who was happy to see towns in Pennsylvania die,

    “The truth about these dysfunctional, downscale communities is that they deserve to die. Economically, they are negative assets. Morally, they are indefensible. “

    NJRob (4d595c)

  63. Patterico,

    when a comment excludes one person and no one else, the grouping is implied.

    NJRob (4d595c)

  64. So kish doesn’t believe in borders, well we don’t grant Israel that luxury, the law abiding and the criminal neither know distinction, especially when the persecutor in the case of Mueller, has inflicted injury time and again, with little accountability.

    Narciso (46632a)

  65. Dana, you may be conservative

    Seriously??

    Dana (023079)

  66. I bunked with the food services officer in Carl Vinson. Which should start you, right away, knowing I have a story to tell you. He could turn anyone around. He was just not who you expected him to be. which just goes to show you how messed up you can be.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  67. Dana,

    that’s not questioning your conservative beliefs, it’s a comparison to the lack of them at the Standard.

    Grammatical structure.

    NJRob (4d595c)

  68. a lot of people what make like they be all conservative and give President Trump a hard time would have been perfectly happy if we’d elected a snotty harvard pedo like Mitt Romney

    and it’s Christmastime oh Christmastime!

    how lovely are Trump’s branches

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  69. happyfeet,

    I don’t want to see Romney referred to as a “pedo” on my posts again. Thank you.

    Dana (023079)

  70. By turn “anyone around” I meant he could turn a problem child into Sailor Of The Month. And believe me, I wanted to be the officer who could turn a problem child into Sailor Of The Month. It would have made my life so much easier. But his guy could, and I couldn’t.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  71. people here including Mitt Romney called Roy Moore a pedo all day long

    they smeared him and smeared him it was so sad

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  72. Do you think I enjoyed writing people off? It’s basically saying I failed.

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  73. Coronello, how’s the FIAT?

    Steve57 (0b1dac)

  74. It might actually be a plausible defense to claim that Trump, in large part, is too incompetent to be corrupt.

    Icy (1302ec)

  75. “Being a Trump apologist requires a high degree of intellectual inconsistency.”
    Radegunda (694c3c) — 12/15/2018 @ 6:29 pm

    If only we could follow the consistent example of NeverTrumper Kristol, who regularly savaged Patrick Fitzgerald but sees nothing but wholesome goodness from Mueller, because Kristol likes Bush or he had the right Ivy League pedigree, or whatever.

    https://www.mediamatters.org/research/2006/04/10/kristol-attacked-fitzgeralds-politically-motiva/135370

    Munroe (dc811f)

  76. Steve,

    he can’t answer you.

    NJRob (4d595c)

  77. or he had the right Ivy League pedigree

    ivy league trash tribal up together and protect each other

    they have no other principles you see

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  78. The weekly standard fired Lee Smith because he cast doubt on the fusion dossier, the ark of the covenant, that underplays this witchhunt.

    Narciso (46632a)

  79. Well it bears nothing that brocks coffee catch of prog contributions which had sought to but dissident voices is untouched.

    Narciso (46632a)

  80. the weekly standard people are cowards (simpering cowards) like John McCain what sold out to Soros Comma George cause of they’re more interested in their social status and class prerogatives than they are in doing conservatism all up in it (remember how McCain lied and lied and lied about obamacare and border security)

    Perfect end to 2017 Aug 15: Roy Moore leads in GOP AL Sen primary. Sep 26: Moore wins runoff. Dec 12: Dems win seat.

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  81. people here including Mitt Romney called Roy Moore a pedo all day long

    Romney said he believed Leigh Corfman, and that Moore was unfit and should step aside. That’s not a smear because her account was credible.

    Paul Montagu (8d207c)

  82. Well the GOP spent 30 million in the primary in Alabama, that’s just poor budgeting so you could end up with the man who let Eric Rudolph escape justice for 5 years.

    Narciso (46632a)

  83. I hate Mitt Romney he’s a snotty totty

    of low moral character

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  84. No hes merely a fool, were he too stay silent but instead he joins the progs in their designated two minute hate.

    Narciso (46632a)

  85. he’s disgusting

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  86. I expect him to be the new Jeff Flake, but who knows? Away from the Matriarchy he might turn out to be the Republican Harry Reid.

    nk (dbc370)

  87. Anyway, why feed a fed horse? Let bygones be bygones, and look to a bright new future with two more Republicans (such as they are) in the Senate and the helm of the ship of state in the strong, albeit smaller than average, hands of Mr. Donald J. Trump, the President.

    nk (dbc370)

  88. Patterico,

    when a comment excludes one person and no one else, the grouping is implied.

    Except that is not what happened here. Re-read, carefully this time.

    Patterico (e55d19)

  89. happyfeet,

    I don’t want to see Romney referred to as a “pedo” on my posts again. Thank you.

    I already said this, happyfeet. That you ignored me is a problem.

    Patterico (e55d19)

  90. “I exclude x and anyone like him” is not a statement that excludes only x, and it irritates me to have to explain that because the concept is a simple enough not to require elaboration.

    Patterico (e55d19)

  91. i honestly don’t remember you saying that and it doesn’t really sound like something you’d say cause i’ve never had the impression you really were that concerned about Mitt Romney one way or the other but if you say you did you must have

    maybe i just moved on from that thread before seeing your comment or did we interact about this?

    but for sure now i know there’s certain things you can’t say about Mitt Romney

    I’ve taken to spelling his named Mhitt Rhomney of late btw (funny spelling)

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  92. mittens was completely incompetent when being bruised by a women named Crawley.

    mg (8cbc69)

  93. Calling Mitt a “pedo” is not a commenting rule violation, IMO, because the junior Senator from Utah does not comment here. I don’t like the smear, because it’s a smear, but I think anyone here should free to insult public figures (without resorting to profanity), and the commenter’s credibility may be judged accordingly.

    Paul Montagu (8d207c)

  94. i think it’s a righteous smear cause of how he’s very selective about who is and who isn’t entitled to due process and equal protection

    but it’s not allowed

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  95. Feeling sorry for sloppy journolists who cost the company $2mil a year every year would be out of character for me.

    mg (8cbc69)

  96. i think it’s a righteous smear cause of how he’s very selective about who is and who isn’t entitled to due process and equal protection

    i heard he kills puppies or something too

    Dave (1bb933)

  97. >b> What, what what!

    The weekly Standard went out of business?

    It had/has very good articles about all sorts of things.

    If it is unprofitable. this is nothing new, and the decent thing would be to try to sell it to domone else who wants it.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  98. Calling Mitt a “pedo” is not a commenting rule violation, IMO, because the junior Senator from Utah does not comment here. I don’t like the smear, because it’s a smear, but I think anyone here should free to insult public figures (without resorting to profanity), and the commenter’s credibility may be judged accordingly.

    It’s not a violation of “the” rule against personal attacks on commenters. It’s “a” commenting violation because I said it is and I already asked happyfeet to stop it, because it’s false and nasty and ugly and I don’t like it.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  99. Calling the first lady a hooker, from our daffy physicist is allowed I guess.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  100. The only exception to that is someone like Kevin M., who at least admits we have a corrupt and incompetent President. But most of the Trump supporters here have not.

    To some degree I view the #neverTrumps and the Trumpists as two sides of the same coin — tribalists who are willing to use any fact, inference or innuendo to argue their case, even if they’d never believe the same fact, inference or innuendo if it cut the other way.

    Not that either tribe will agree.

    I support the Trump administration as the least statist option available in a mostly-statist world. And I’ll defend him against attacks that would never be thrown against a member of the Statist Club. Maybe this is “whataboutism” but there’s a point when the hypocrisy is so blatant that someone has to point it out.

    Given another option (which cannot come from the monolithically statist Dems) — a Cruz, a Romney, a Mike Lee, a Paul Ryan or a Tom Cotton, I’ll spend a significant amount of money on the challenger. Someone to the left of Trump (Kasich comes to mind) will cause me grief.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  101. It’s not a violation of “the” rule against personal attacks on commenters. It’s “a” commenting violation because I said it is and I already asked happyfeet to stop it, because it’s false and nasty and ugly and I don’t like it.

    A simple solution would be to apply a reciprocal rule. Catch what you pitch.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  102. our daffy physicist

    Really?

    For the record, I have (truthfully) referred to the Third Lady as a sex worker (not a hooker), because she has appeared in pornography.

    While she has openly admitted that her marriage is transactional, and what her husband brings to the relationship is his wealth, I avoid calling her a hooker.

    Dave (1bb933)

  103. Cruz and cotton, the rest carry damaged narratives.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  104. BTW, I was a charter subscriber all those years ago. I ended my subscription not because I disagreed but because I had plenty of places online to get similar commentary for free, including the Standard itself.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  105. Cruz and cotton, the rest carry damaged narratives.

    Consider their opponent.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  106. “Our daffy physicist”, however, does violate the commenting rules for the personal attack of calling Dave physicist daffy.

    Paul Montagu (8d207c)

  107. i honestly don’t remember you saying that and it doesn’t really sound like something you’d say cause i’ve never had the impression you really were that concerned about Mitt Romney one way or the other but if you say you did you must have

    maybe i just moved on from that thread before seeing your comment or did we interact about this?

    but for sure now i know there’s certain things you can’t say about Mitt Romney

    It has nothing to do with being concerned about Mitt Romney. The “certain things you can’t say” are repetitive statements with no conceivable basis in fact, that could theoretically get you hauled into court — that is, if you were not so inconsequential to Romney, which you are.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  108. While she has openly admitted that her marriage is transactional, and what her husband brings to the relationship is his wealth, I avoid calling her a hooker.

    Over recorded history, 99% of all human marriages have been transactional, if only for convenience.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  109. A simple solution would be to apply a reciprocal rule. Catch what you pitch.

    Allow Romney to call happyfeet a pervert and pedo?

    I honestly don’t know what you mean.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  110. I wonder if National Review will survive?

    At various times (even before Trump) they have hinted about being in financial straits.

    Dave (1bb933)

  111. A simple solution would be to apply a reciprocal rule. Catch what you pitch

    If the goal is to improve the quality and tone of the comments, allowing retaliation for bad behavior (which I think is what you mean) seems like the surest way NOT to achieve it…

    Dave (1bb933)

  112. While she has openly admitted that her marriage is transactional, and what her husband brings to the relationship is his wealth, I avoid calling her a hooker.

    This is true of me as well, at least as far as my public statements go. My friends know whether it is also true of my private statements.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  113. If the goal is to improve the quality and tone of the comments, allowing retaliation for bad behavior (which I think is what you mean) seems like the surest way NOT to achieve it…

    Ah. No, that will not be my rule. That is how things descend.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  114. Mhitt Rhomney would you like a bite of my vheggie bhurger i bet you would

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  115. This is the outfit that has been pushing erdogans line:

    https://mobile.twitter.com/davereaboi/status/1074368353903489024?p=v

    narciso (d1f714)

  116. Over recorded history, 99% of all human marriages have been transactional, if only for convenience.

    Many things are true of recorded human history that we would not want to emulate today. While your cited fact is true, the seeming implication (this was true for all of human history so it’s fine now) is not a valid argument by itself.

    Patterico (115b1f)

  117. I would argue that many current marriages are transactional, at least in part. Few are for blind love.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  118. Viewing the other person’s qualities in choosing a spouse is always subjective and related to one’s needs. Sometimes this is security, or enabling a lifestyle, or otherwise supportive in a concrete way. That does not make it wrong in and of itself. Now, if Melania let on that she thought the man was a pig and felt unclean every time he touched her, but did it solely for the money, then perhaps one would judge her poorly. But I don’t hear that.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  119. Here is an excellent article about books about the 2008 ffinancial crisis. I’ve been meaning to review it to decide which books maybe I should buy. This is in their books/ Arts section.

    https://www.weeklystandard.com/robert-f-bruner/10th-anniversary-of-the-financial-crisis-of-2008-crash-course

    At least their archives, so far, are still online.

    I was intending actually to link this article online before somewhere if it fit a topic..By the way, the cover story of the same issue (dated November 26, 2018) was “The Futuee of the Southern Past” (mainly about Robert E. Lee and Washington & Lee University and its name and the name of a church he attended while president of that college.)

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  120. But I don’t hear that.

    She’s under an NDA, like everyone else Trump has sex does business with…

    Dave (1bb933)

  121. John Podhorestz:

    https://www.commentarymagazine.com/politics-ideas/murder-weekly-standard/

    That this is an entirely hostile act is proved by the fact that he and Anschutz have refused to sell the Standard because they want to claim its circulation for another property of theirs. This is without precedent in my experience in publishing, and I’ve been a family observer of and active participant in the magazine business for half a century.

    I think maybe something like that has hapepned (rather rarely) before. And I think oit never helped the weaker publication.

    John Podhoretz is asking people who are Standard subscribers but not yet a COMMENTARY reader, to write him using that link. he hopes its subscribers will demnd refunds.

    The label doesn’t say when it runs out.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  122. So who is avenattis latest mark, the Ukrainian lobbyist who worked with fusion gps has she been in the phantom zone for the last two months

    narciso (d1f714)

  123. Plenty of good trade schools for these journolists to get schooled for a new gig.

    mg (8cbc69)

  124. “I am confused why the Trump supporters here who seem to feel the closure of TWS is indeed something to applaud and will no shed no tears over it, nonetheless seem angry and bitter? Trump is the president, as I emphatically point out in the post. Why is that not enough? Why can he not be subject to criticism as seen fit by conservatives whose very job was to write about politics? Why is your “happiness” at seeing the outfit shuttered tinged with such hostility?”

    Trump supporters had to fight what was (ostensibly) their own party that (ostensibly) represented their own interests the hardest, TWS then serving as the diehard ‘Republican Guard’ after all their Iraq war boosterism tends to cause people to harden in their resolve to see them destroyed, especially once they start uncritically echoing the arguments of Russia-haunted Communist sympathizers like Louise Mensch, John Schindler, Max Boot, and Ekaterina Young.

    They shall, perhaps, inevitably find other rich men to fund their “Conservatism PLUS imperialism!” or “Conservatism PLUS uncritical relentless anti-Trumpism!” escapades, once the reputation of conservatism has recovered enough to attract a trusting and innocent audience again.

    But their level of betrayal and unrepentant attitude demands neither forgiveness nor sympathy. A site without comments, a magazine without subscribers, and a mission without victory conditions attracts no one worth engaging with.

    Timmy (b97d8a)

  125. She’s under an NDA, like everyone else Trump has sex does business with…

    As I said above about tribal belief and inferences.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  126. 124, they would drift toward auto mechanics and dentistry para chingar when you or your car are strapped down with nowhere to go.

    urbanleftbehind (3d4138)

  127. I would argue that many current marriages are transactional, at least in part. Few are for blind love.

    Ahem…

    Trump supporters had to fight what was (ostensibly) their own party that (ostensibly) represented their own interests the hardest, TWS then serving as the diehard ‘Republican Guard’ after all their Iraq war boosterism tends to cause people to harden in their resolve to see them destroyed, especially once they start uncritically echoing the arguments of Russia-haunted Communist sympathizers like Louise Mensch, John Schindler, Max Boot, and Ekaterina Young.

    So it’s not that Trump is anti-conservative, anti-democracy, anti-rule of law. It’s that his critics are pro-communist, or something because of feelings and stuff, completely unsupported by reality, of course. Reject reality and replace it with FEELZ.

    That is pure, blind, love. 100% emotional, 0% rational.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (459213)

  128. As I said above about tribal belief and inferences.

    For Many Trump Employees, Keeping Quiet Is Legally Required

    Extrapolating general truths from specific observations is the foundation of the Scientific Method!

    Dave (1bb933)

  129. well Omidyar (pro Iranian funder of the intercept) has been providing stipends to many ostensibly right wing figures, through his so called Democracy Fund, he did fire matt taibbi, so even political sympathies don’t prevent good personal choices, then again he hired him as well, so 10 demerits,

    narciso (d1f714)

  130. that’s a LOT of demerits

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  131. we grieve for the enemy rather than our own servicemen,

    https://twitter.com/SaraCarterDC/status/1074327334726062081

    narciso (d1f714)

  132. seems to be the standard at the networks, we know sgt Schultz, was a pyromaniac, joy reid and co, committed sundry financial crimes, imagine what bag of dingbats has not been revealed at MSNBC,

    narciso (d1f714)

  133. @129:

    “In his businesses and presidential campaign, Trump requires nearly everyone to sign legally binding nondisclosure agreements prohibiting them from releasing any confidential or disparaging information about the real estate mogul, his family or his companies.”

    Truly shocking. Really. Such NDAs are boilerplate in the private sector. I’ve signed one for each company I’ve left.

    Munroe (e041c4)

  134. well we know of joe scarborough, and his human resource management skills and lack thereof, as for cnn what kind of blazing dumpsterfire are we likely to find there, we know there was at least allegation of blatant homophobia, according to one lawsuit, then of course you have the 267 congressional harassment settlements, that list does not seem to circulate,

    narciso (d1f714)

  135. and star trek discovery is bringing back pickard, who lived about 200 years after the events of that series,

    narciso (d1f714)

  136. its not love of Trump with me, its that the republican party has become a fraudulent sting operation. And its knee slapping funny watching the carnage. Last 3 speakers were not conservative.

    mg (8cbc69)

  137. even as President Trump wanders I’m keeping him in sight he’s a candle in the window on a cold dark winter’s night

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  138. @ Munroe: Two questions, one of which calls for an integer of zero or above as its answer, and the other of which is yes/no:

    (1) How many, if any, of the NDAs that you signed oblige you to use a pseudonym?

    (2) Did any of them oblige you to refrain from disclosing something of which you had personal knowledge, the public disclosure of which would have been embarrassing to a then-candidate for political office?

    Beldar (fa637a)

  139. they drove newt out for mostly stylistic reasons, and left Hastert who was the boss tweed of the party, well more like Capone,

    narciso (d1f714)

  140. schumer and Pelosi are waiting for an event to bring this to pass:

    https://babalublog.com/2018/12/16/venezuelas-gun-ban-is-working-out-perfectly-for-the-socialist-agenda/

    narciso (d1f714)

  141. Joint Johnny Boehner is hooked on marijuana, man.

    mg (8cbc69)

  142. we have a marijuana initiative at work where we’re getting all up into cannabis marketing and such and it’s kinda gross to be honest, how it’s being executed

    not classy

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  143. this was the goal in the first place:

    https://www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2018/12/16/boris-johnson-warns-public-would-feel-betrayed-second-brexit/

    why they really silenced Cambridge analytica,

    narciso (d1f714)

  144. JSkorcher (4db2c4) — 12/16/2018 @ 8:27 am

    I’d like to know what this comment means.

    Demosthenes (7fae81)

  145. Truly shocking. Really. Such NDAs are boilerplate in the private sector. I’ve signed one for each company I’ve left.

    I never said or suggested it was shocking.

    I said that failure of anyone close to Trump to disparage him doesn’t necessarily mean they have nothing bad to say.

    Dave (1bb933)

  146. the NDA’s are a non-issue

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  147. President Snowflake: criticism of me can’t possibly be legal, can it?

    A REAL scandal is the one sided coverage, hour by hour, of networks like NBC & Democrat spin machines like Saturday Night Live. It is all nothing less than unfair news coverage and Dem commercials. Should be tested in courts, can’t be legal? Only defame & belittle! Collusion?

    The man’s understanding of the Constitution he swore an oath to preserve, protect and defend is, um, unequalled.

    Dave (1bb933)

  148. I question whether NDAs for public officials are even legit.

    Paul Montagu (8d207c)

  149. I question whether NDAs for public officials are even legit.

    They are unenforceable. There’s the executive privilege and classification, but public employee’s can be compelled by Congress, the courts, as well as open records requirements, to disclose. It’s important to note, Trump’s NDA’s are inapplicable on their face, no White House employee’s work for Trump, they work for the United States government, not for Trump, Trump is also an employee of the federal government. As such, they violate the 1st amendment. Disclosure of classified information is already illegal, and a president can claim executive privilege, although Trump admin officials don’t seem to understand how that works.

    It’s obvious that even Trump’s own lawyers know they’re worthless, else why would Omarosa, et al, not have been in violation, and Trump go after them for not just disclosing private info, but recording meetings and releasing them.

    Like so many things that involve Donald Trump, done with incompetence, and for TV effect, just actually not valid other than in the funny papers.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (b47205)

  150. Under Garcetti, public employee’s can be fired for disclosing private information, but that’s the extent of the limitation.

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (b47205)

  151. @144. It’s a taxing situation; have a brownie w/your mellow blend java, Mr. Feet.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  152. @139. He burns at both ends, Mr. Feet; less tweets; more sleep.

    DCSCA (797bc0)

  153. Melania is a rape victim. Most man-woman marriages are rape due to the inequality of power between men and women, both physical and economic. When it comes to an old male billionaire and a young, poor, migrant girl far from home, it is doubly so.

    nk (dbc370)

  154. So it’s not that Trump is anti-conservative, anti-democracy, anti-rule of law.

    The greatest dander to the Rule of Law in the United States comes from its courts and their constant usurpation of the Law for narrow political ends. Such as every last judge that substitutes his beliefs about Trump, the man for evidence, the Law and objective fact.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  155. I said that failure of anyone close to Trump to disparage him doesn’t necessarily mean they have nothing bad to say.

    Nor does it mean they do.

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  156. * dander danger

    Kevin M (6fea79)

  157. Dander was good.

    dan·der
    /ˈdandər/
    noun
    noun: dander
    skin flakes in an animal’s fur or hair.

    Bad judges and bad lawyers are the dandruff on the shoulders of the robe of Justice.

    nk (dbc370)

  158. BTW, Kevin, I hope you won’t let kishnevi’s compliments turn your head. That’s what happened to poor John McCain — he got to liking the attaboys he got from the Democrats and the media every time he mavericked from the Republican agenda. Maintain your own judgments when it comes to Trump.

    nk (dbc370)

  159. I think too much of the standards work in yhr last two years, especially the last six month has been category error, perhaps its O’sullivans law

    https://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2018/12/a-no-nonsense-judges-looks-at-the-flynn-prosecution.php

    Narciso (d1f714)

  160. Powerline does its usual specious pleading. Its defense boils down to this: Flynn lied to the FBI, but he should`not have been charged because the FBI agents involved did not make sure a man who already knew lying to the FBI is a crime knew lying to the FBI was a crime.

    And even if true…Ignorantia juris non excusat.

    Kishnevi (836963)

  161. Poor, poor, innocent, naive, unsophisticated, inexperienced, babe-in-the-woods, three-star general, former Director of National Intelligence, White House Chief of Staff, Mike Flynn. He never stood a chance against the Machiavellian machinations of those evil madmen bent on world domination at the FBI and DOJ.

    nk (dbc370)

  162. Except the two 302s are at variance with each other and the last was rewritten after strzok was assigned to human resources.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  163. Maintain your own judgments when it comes to Trump
    I merely cite him as an example of how one can, without contradicting facts or compromising principles, support Trump.

    I do apologize for the harshness of my tone last night and this morning. But I do think, in reference to the world at large, a lot of Trump supporters have jettisoned either their minds or their morals, and that represents a huge problem. Conservatives were in effect the last ones defending the idea that public officials need to have integrity, and if, to support Trump, they abandon that, no one will be left to defend it.

    But thinking the “Deep State” is trying to bring down Trump for its own selfish ends, which most people here believe, is not the same as saying Trump is not corrupt…and most people here have not said that. So I had no right to imply they believe that.

    So I apologize to them. In particular to NJRob, since I was mostly sparring with him.

    Kishnevi (836963)

  164. Sorry, Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency. Clapper was DNI.

    nk (dbc370)

  165. Except the two 302s are at variance with each other and the last was rewritten after strzok was assigned to human resources.

    Except Flynn told the FBI the same story he told VP Pence. And we know that Flynn lied to Pence, no less that Donald Trump (in a tweet) saying he lied to Pence. Which means he also lied to the FBI.

    Kishnevi (836963)

  166. I think Trump is corrupt as a person, but I don’t think he has been corrupt as President. I think he has tried very hard to have a law-abiding administration. You also said “incompetent”, and he might be, just going by his own promises that he has not kept, but he has had a goodly number of successes too.

    nk (dbc370)

  167. See I blame trump for this, it was done at his initiative. He didn’t take care to make it clear to pence this was a strategic decision as a result when ended up in the same (redacted redacted) with valerie plame 14 years earlier, Comey was the deputy then

    Narciso (d1f714)

  168. “And even if true…Ignorantia juris non excusat.”
    Kishnevi (836963) — 12/16/2018 @ 7:11 pm

    As if Flynn’s guilt or innocence is the central issue. It’s not. He lied. He’s guilty.

    The issue is prosecutorial discretion, and how it has become a tool to tip the scales in cases of political significance.

    “No reasonable prosecutor would bring such a case” could’ve applied to his offense. I guess he just had bad luck.

    Munroe (fc4a14)

  169. Actual NYT headline: “Beto O’Rourke Places Well in Iowa Poll, Behind Biden and Sanders”. Do they read what they write?

    nk (dbc370)

  170. No one edits the times, there isn’t enough aspirin in the world, so the solon doc brown and then c Thomas Howell as a latino.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  171. Hes doing some things right, hes been precluded from doing others, and hes unwilling to others (like cutting entitlement) you give more deference to people who actually screwed this country for eight years.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  172. nk (dbc370) — 12/16/2018 @ 7:52 pm
    Defensible at least. Biden and Bernie are default choices, the ones you pick because you know no others.

    The one thing I am sure of is that I have NFI who will be thr Democratic candidate, but I won’t vote for them.

    Kishnevi (836963)

  173. The market for sanity in the democratic party is a niche one, ask James webb, veto seems like decaf McNally (the Baltimore one)

    Narciso (d1f714)

  174. John Kasich, is always a possible candidate?

    Colonel Klink (Ret) (096217)

  175. 175, yeah I hate how the Problem Solver and the Rust Belt Opoid caucuses are being tossed away like the used toilet paper young people keep under the bed.

    urbanleftbehind (3d4138)

  176. HF, if you haven’t already, please retire the pejorative “Lobsterpot Bimbo”: http://www.yahoo.com/news/jake-tapper-shuts-down-susan-211515907.html

    urbanleftbehind (3d4138)

  177. No matter which candidate they still are talinh the road to Paris, see the climate conference for their utter certitude. Maybe if some cut the power lines and blocked delivery to their estates they would realize the foolishness.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  178. Taking, and yet their emissions are not going down, maybe they should reevaluate cause and effect.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  179. At best it would merely be a net gain in emissions in electrical generation to feed our computing obsession and a transfer of driving responsibility (delivery drivers, ubers) but not the elimination of the trip.

    urbanleftbehind (3d4138)

  180. he has had a goodly number of successes too

    Promised to put pro-life judges who would overturn Roe on the Supreme Court; both his nominees swore, under oath, that they are not pro-life.

    Promised “a complete and total ban” on Muslim immigration; never delivered.

    Promised Mexico would pay for 100% of a wall on the border; now trying to stick taxpayers with the bill.

    Promised to eliminate the $20T+ national debt in eight years; added $1T to it last year instead.

    Promised to implement the death penalty for cop-killers by executive order; never delivered.

    Promised to end birth-right citizenship by executive order; never delivered.

    Promised to institute severe torture as routine practice; never delivered.

    Promised summary executions of the wives, mothers and children of suspected terrorists; never delivered.

    Promised summary execution of Bowe Bergdahl; never delivered.

    Promised to replace Obamacare with something that would “cover everyone” “much better” at “a tiny fraction of the cost”…LOL

    Trade deficit with China: setting all-time records every month.

    Overhyped deregulation amounted to a whopping $4 savings per person in 2018; pure propaganda to con the gullible.

    North Korea: still has nukes, still has ICBMs, laughing their @sses off.

    40 seats lost in the House of Representatives

    Dave (1bb933)

  181. 181
    Well theoretically one delivery driver could take on several trips at once and reduce the overall mileage,

    But I look for expiration dates and a delivery driver won’t.

    Kishnevi (836963)

  182. It’s a metaphor for the state of Europe, we need more electricity and reliably produced not less, soecially when the cooling cycle begins

    Narciso (d1f714)

  183. There was a powerline about the good works that the standard did in the past, but it’s more important to hear Kristol and Brooks commit seppuku.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  184. Rule 7: “A tactic that drags on too long becomes a drag.”

    nk (dbc370)

  185. So the dems have been crapping on us for two years when does that become a drag it seems they were rewarded at the margins for being jackasses.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  186. That was rhetorical, the beatings will continue till morale improves, the markets are probably spooked by what ever crazy carp comes out of norma Desmond’s noggin.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  187. I meant Dave’s Etude* in D** minor, “Trump’s Unfulfilled Promises”.

    *An etude is a short song, usually written for pedagogical or instructional use.
    **The D is for Democratic Underground.

    nk (dbc370)

  188. A minor key is usually characterized by a sad, plaintive tone.

    nk (dbc370)

  189. ut thinking the “Deep State” is trying to bring down Trump for its own selfish ends, which most people here believe, is not the same as saying Trump is not corrupt…and most people here have not said that. So I had no right to imply they believe that.

    So I apologize to them. In particular to NJRob, since I was mostly sparring with him.

    Kishnevi (836963) — 12/16/2018 @ 7:29 pm

    Thank you. Truce is proposed.

    I do find most of Trump’s personal actions distasteful. I just accept that if he was a leftist they would be ignored. It’s the double standard that angers me so much. I hate having to defend him for things that are personally reputable and rarely do so. I just know that if we allow the left to set the rules of engagement, they will not hesitate to continue the double standard.

    I prefer using Reagan’s M.A.D. strategy no matter how repulsive others may feel about it.

    And as long as Trump proposes conservative judges and policy that’s relatively aligned with my own, I can stomach him. If he joins Schumer and Pelosi, I’ll call for his head as I did Roberts when he sold out over Obamacare in a completely nonsensical decision.

    NJRob (4d595c)

  190. nk (dbc370) — 12/16/2018 @ 10:00 pm

    Sorry I had to deploy the ACME 50 megaton truth-bomb, but sometimes you have to accept a little collateral damage to ensure a mission-kill on the target…

    Dave (1bb933)

  191. burnee is more conservative than susie collins

    mg (8cbc69)

  192. As a disenfranchised American who do I sue?

    mg (8cbc69)

  193. Well I guess the recent PP ruling was Collins’ quid from Kavanaugh.

    urbanleftbehind (3d4138)

  194. Precisely, urbanleftbehind.
    I doubt Kavanaugh is as conservative as some think. Probably a toady for the Bush doctrine.

    mg (8cbc69)

  195. “I doubt Kavanaugh is as conservative….”

    The PP “case” is hardly a good litmus test for Kavanaugh’s bonafides. The case was not technically about abortion (the two Louisiana facilities did not even perform them or market in fetal body parts). It was about whether the state could shutter a Medicaid provider without showing that they were incompetent in providing the services that they provided….and that a Medicaid recipient had standing to sue the state. It gets more attention because of the PP hook but it really does relate to a broader legal principle that I’m not sure that the appeals court got wrong. But I guess in this era of Trump, everyone is supposed to reflexively vote against their political opponents…the law be damned. It’s actually a good thing when a justice arrives at a conclusion that may go against his personal preference…..let’s discuss the legal reasoning…not just the box score.

    AJ_Liberty (165d19)

  196. “And as long as Trump proposes conservative judges and policy that’s relatively aligned with my own, I can stomach him.”

    1. Do you really believe a 1000-mile, $25B wall that will have to navigate the Rio Grande and the inevitable myriad legal challenges is the best way to control illegal immigration?

    2. Do you really believe that a U.S. trade deficit of ~$600B costs the American taxpayer in a manner similar to the budget deficit?

    3. Do you believe that we have gained market advantage by exiting TPP and letting China set the trade rules in that region?

    4. Do you believe that banning travelers from the seven rogue countries will meaningfully influence terrorists’ plans?

    5. Did dropping out of the Paris accords improve our negotiating position with the world?

    It’s not just that Trump is a bully and degrades the Presidential office….it’s that so much of Trumpism is so ill-conceived….and is cynically designed to play on people’s basest fears and ignorance. This is bad for society….and bad for the GOP…where good people have to accept bad reasoning in order to score some conservative jurists. The jury is still out on the long-term blowback….

    AJ_Liberty (165d19)

  197. the Paris accords are the gayest accords ever even the french people know how gay they are

    that’s why they’re doing riots all up on macron and his dirty grandma-wife

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  198. 1. Do you really believe a 1000-mile, $25B wall that will have to navigate the Rio Grande and the inevitable myriad legal challenges is the best way to control illegal immigration?

    2. Do you really believe that a U.S. trade deficit of ~$600B costs the American taxpayer in a manner similar to the budget deficit?

    3. Do you believe that we have gained market advantage by exiting TPP and letting China set the trade rules in that region?

    4. Do you believe that banning travelers from the seven rogue countries will meaningfully influence terrorists’ plans?

    5. Did dropping out of the Paris accords improve our negotiating position with the world?

    It’s not just that Trump is a bully and degrades the Presidential office….it’s that so much of Trumpism is so ill-conceived….and is cynically designed to play on people’s basest fears and ignorance. This is bad for society….and bad for the GOP…where good people have to accept bad reasoning in order to score some conservative jurists. The jury is still out on the long-term blowback….

    AJ_Liberty (165d19) — 12/17/2018 @ 5:25 am

    1) It’s a start.

    2) Depends.

    3) Yes. As we see by China renegotiating their own tariffs.

    4) It’s a start. We need a pause on all immigration.

    5) Yes.

    Your last paragraph doesn’t add to the conversation and just makes you feel good about yourself. It’s the equivalent of saying, “I’m so much smarter than all those rubes.”

    NJRob (4d595c)

  199. I think Trump earned his pay just by dropping out of the Paris climate accords. Next to DACA, that was the most irresponsible, feckless, and illegal thing Obama did while President-elect.

    No, don’t say it! Congress passed Obamacare and, likewise, had granted the President (any President) authority for lifting the Iran sanctions.

    nk (dbc370)

  200. Let me rephrase that: That was the most irresponsible and feckless and, next to DACA, the most illegal thing Obama did while President-elect.

    nk (dbc370)

  201. Here’s another group that’s dissolving, but this one for good reason.

    Statewide organizers operating under the Women’s March banner announced this week that they are dissolving their group in protest of national leaders’ association with speakers seen as anti-Semitic.

    Spokane is on the sensible side of the state.

    Paul Montagu (262c5b)

  202. “Your last paragraph doesn’t add to the conversation”

    It certainly is a lament for the days when conservatism was about time-tested ideas…..and not about eye-poking and how good it makes one feel.

    “I think Trump earned his pay just by dropping out of the Paris climate accords”

    I’m fairly agnostic about climate change drum beating….it just seems like a backdoor for more central planning and speculative energy regulation….but the climate accords required very little beyond reporting. Please correct me if I’m wrong on that. I do agree that process should matter….and Obama should have sought Congressional support….but there is also something important about engaging the world. Maybe in 10 years we learn that climate change only has a miniscule human component…or maybe we learn something different. Both sides have to beware of putting the politics out front of the science. It’s OK to say that we simply don’t know enough at this point. There doesn’t seem to be much gained from disengagement…

    AJ_Liberty (165d19)

  203. I think Trump earned his pay just by dropping out of the Paris climate accords.

    i agree with this very much

    cowardly poop-face John McCain wanted to stay in the accords cause of the great barrier reef needed more fishies

    but he was a dumb-ass

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  204. Planned parenthood is a fraud, engaging in criminal behavior, fusion was covering for them then as they did with Theranos, it too should be shuttered and its assets sold.

    Climate change is all about systems of control emisserating the masses, not touching the rich.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  205. What had Iran done that merited unfreezing 150 billion dollars, nothing, in fact it has been our key state adversary in Afghanistan as well as Iraq, Pakistan Is probably no 2,

    Narciso (d1f714)

  206. Planned parenthood is a fraud

    it’s still one of the best places around to get a safe abortion at a fair price

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  207. Cavanaugh is who could get through the possum Senate, squaring the balance, Corker was a corrupt tool for Islamists of Shia as well as Sunni stripe (Chattanooga was the flag)

    Narciso (d1f714)

  208. AJ Liberty says:

    It’s not just that Trump is a bully and degrades the Presidential office….it’s that so much of Trumpism is so ill-conceived….and is cynically designed to play on people’s basest fears and ignorance. This is bad for society….and bad for the GOP…where good people have to accept bad reasoning in order to score some conservative jurists. The jury is still out on the long-term blowback….

    NJ Rob replies:

    Your last paragraph doesn’t add to the conversation and just makes you feel good about yourself. It’s the equivalent of saying, “I’m so much smarter than all those rubes.”

    Let’s unpack a bit. Because this exchange summarizes a lot of the heat in the Trumpers vs. RINO debate. In Mr. Liberty’s original thrust, he asserts that the Trumpian programs are “cynically designed”. Unless I’ve missed something, that’s mind reading, or a statement of opinion. It’s calling the Trump Administration an organization of deceivers, playing on the worst instinct of their voters. In other words, it’s language that’s going to tick someone off. In policy debates with someone, it is best to assume sincerity and intelligence. If you don’t — well things get ugly, and you just might miss learning something.

    In Mr. Rob’s response, we also get some mind reading. He assumes Liberty holds certain beliefs because it “makes him feel good”. Do you really think that. Mr. Rob ? Liberty’s given a list of policy positions which suggest he’s thought about this stuff. You might think he’s wrong, but I don’t think he’s taken on these beliefs just to give himself some jollies.

    Appalled (d07ae6)

  209. Theresa May is another tool, she has never been for leave, at the home office, she gave terrorist more passes than ferris bueller, entrenching londonistan ever deeper.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  210. I’m not getting this “OMG, they were fired during Christmas” – what the Atheist Muslim and Jewish W/S writers?

    They presumably, don’t care that its Christmas.

    What even odder is people like J-pod and David Brooks brought this up to.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  211. In policy debates with someone, it is best to assume sincerity and intelligence.

    Fair point, but I don’t give Trump’s sincerity and intelligence the benefit of the doubt, and with good reason.

    Paul Montagu (262c5b)

  212. they knew for a long long time that their stupid little hate magazine wasn’t gonna make it and they did nothing to try to fix their brand or toe down the hate speech

    this is how markets are supposed to work praise Jesus

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  213. Has he actually done anything that is an abuse of state power like Obama did on multiple occasions of course not, the immigration pause was a very narrow diktat, but the powers that be want every restriction on citizens in this country and no scrutiny on those coming in.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  214. If W/S had been a conservative magazine it would’ve supported Trump in 2016, for the simple reason that he was 50% conservative and Hillary was 0% conservative.

    I had a hard time understanding how a W/S conservative could cheerlead for McCain in 2008, and then support Hillary in 2016.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  215. oopers *tone* down the hate speech i mean

    i said toe but i meant tone

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  216. The W/S made it clear in 2016, they were willing to have Ginsberg SCOTUS for 20 years and a Hillary Presidency, because Trump wasn’t “conservative”.

    And they continued to act like Trump was worse than Pelosi and Schumer.

    No wonder real conservatives stopped taking them seriously.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  217. toe verb
    toed; toeing
    transitive verb

    3 : to drive (something, such as a nail) obliquely
    also : to clinch or fasten by or with nails or rods so driven
    https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/toe

    nk (dbc370)

  218. I’m very intelligent.
    I know a lot of words.
    I know all the best words.
    But I like the short ones best.

    nk (dbc370)

  219. Everyone down the line knew the parkland shooter was going to snap, but it served the purpose to blame law abiding citizens, the bureau couldn’t get near the pulse shooter for bulger protocol reasons, the DOJ was used by Obama like fahrenheits fireman to set blazes not to put them out.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  220. rcocean:

    I looked to see if the WS supported Hillary in 2016. Google hid the endorsement from me, because I sure didn’t find one, and I think this would have been widely reported. They did say this:

    https://www.weeklystandard.com/stephen-f-hayes/donald-trump-is-crazy-and-so-is-the-gop-for-embracing-him

    You may call this an effective support for Hillary (I did the same thing and the people in my life, depending on their political persuasion, either yelled at me for effectively supporting Trump or effectively supporting Hillary.) But it isn’t a Hillary endorsement.

    Appalled (d07ae6)

  221. Oddly the author didn’t put in his own book:
    https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/16/fbi-cia-doubted-dossier/
    Kind of the way we didn’t know for years the architect of Munich was on the company payroll.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  222. mortal engines looks kinda fun i think

    i might go if it’s at the theater down the way yonder

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  223. Do you think shipping the bulk of our manufacturing and large portions of our food production off shore is a good idea, why were we never consulted about this.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  224. nope

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  225. In Mr. Rob’s response, we also get some mind reading. He assumes Liberty holds certain beliefs because it “makes him feel good”. Do you really think that. Mr. Rob ? Liberty’s given a list of policy positions which suggest he’s thought about this stuff. You might think he’s wrong, but I don’t think he’s taken on these beliefs just to give himself some jollies.

    Appalled (d07ae6) — 12/17/2018 @ 6:47 am

    My response was actually critiquing his insult to Trump supporters, not his policy beliefs. His remarks in that last paragraph equate Trump supporters to animals, who only support Trump because of base emotions, not policy positions and he, in his wisdom, sees through this making him smarter than those who cannot. It’s an ego boost and didn’t add to the conversation. Since I chose to answer his questions, I also chose to respond to his snark.

    NJRob (4d595c)

  226. It’s a rather paltry selection, try another theater,

    Narciso (d1f714)

  227. that’s my theater i support cause it’s a neighborhood one like i had in NoHo (Laemmle) to where you don’t have to go somewhere ghastly like a mall

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  228. Catch it before it goes straight to video.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  229. poor little movie i bet it’s visually stunning if nothing else

    i loved Valerian just cause of that

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  230. Seriously, aquaman, swamped a genuinely original story.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  231. The W/S made it clear in 2016, they were willing to have Ginsberg SCOTUS for 20 years and a Hillary Presidency

    Whereas Donald Trump made that clear in 2008:

    “I know Hillary and I think she’d make a great president” – Donald Trump

    Dave (1bb933)

  232. Yes that was eight years, when we thought they couldn’t screw up star wars again.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  233. And The Weekly Standard supported Evan McMullin in 2016 (the only conservative on the ballot), not Clinton.

    Unlike those who compromised themselves and doomed the country by voting for Trump, they remained true to their conservative principles.

    Dave (1bb933)

  234. Sorry, I should have included a prominent trigger alert for cultists before using the word “principles”…

    Dave (1bb933)

  235. Rick Wilson thanks you for paying his bar bill,

    Narciso (d1f714)

  236. Hey happy, is the Davis a “Rats on the Floor” and sometimes at the bottom of the screen kind of Theatre? Back in the 70s and early 80s their were several single or few screen movie houses in the Loop that shared this unfortunate occurrence.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  237. Appalled: “…he asserts that the Trumpian programs are “cynically designed”. Unless I’ve missed something, that’s mind reading, or a statement of opinion. It’s calling the Trump Administration an organization of deceivers, playing on the worst instinct of their voters.”

    It certainly is my opinion….but it’s also based on what I don’t see: deeply-considered position papers rigorously addressing criticisms and laying out the policy case. Let’s take the wall for instance. There are serious questions about how a wall would impact farmers’ and land owners’ access to the Rio Grande…how it will impact treaty obligations….how it will impact flood plains and the inevitable environmental lawsuits. There are also serious questions about eminent domain to acquire the land and the roadways necessary to get the materials in place. Heck, there are serious challenges to even mixing concrete in the border climate that at least need to be considered if shipping wall sections becomes impractical.

    I would gladly withdraw “cynically designed” if there was any evidence of due diligence…of working the details…of trying to understand what drove the spikes in Mexican illegal immigration in the 90’s and 00’s, what’s changed, and what other measures have a greater chance of working better….and are more cost effective. It’s hard to have a non-cynical impression when details and evidence are so lacking….and supporters are so eager to effectively claim “Evidence! We don’t need no stinkin’ evidence”

    AJ_Liberty (3c84de)

  238. Well said, AJ.

    Trade policy – same story.

    Foreign policy – same story.

    Health care – same story.

    This administration’s policies are as unserious and superficial as Trump’s cartoon-level understanding of the world. He’s incapable of thinking about anything in terms that won’t fit comfortably on a bumper-sticker.

    Dave (1bb933)

  239. it’s super nice now

    it’s been around forever so i’m sure it’s had its ups and downs

    but this one has a restaurant attached now with pedestrian overpriced fare

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  240. If governments’ understandings generally were not unserious and superficial, theoretical physicists would not be able to euchre billions in grants from them with fairy tales about Higgs-Bosons so they could build and play with giant Hot Wheels tracks that they call particle accelerators.

    nk (dbc370)

  241. 239.

    There are serious questions about how a wall would impact farmers’ and land owners’ access to the Rio Grande…how it will impact treaty obligations….

    To explain this:

    The issue is: If you put a wall on the banks of the Rio Grande, that constitutes a levee, and there is treaty wityh Mexixo saying neither country will build a levee without getitng permisison from the other. And if you set it back from the river, that would entail taking land and hurting landowners along the U.S. side of teh river.

    There are also maybe some places where environmental issues – previous regulations about free travel of animals – affect the wall question.

    There are also one or more Indian reservations that cross the border, whose inhabitants have the right to travel within the reservation without inspection. For now, the reservation – one I saw on TV – has bollards to prevent cars from passing across, but not people.

    But all this has no effect on Trump’s request since that can would be kicked down the road if Congress gives him what he wants.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  242. Just build the dang wall.

    nk (dbc370)

  243. 240. Dave (1bb933) — 12/17/2018 @ 10:12 am

    He’s incapable of thinking about anything in terms that won’t fit comfortably on a bumper-sticker.

    he’s probably not limited, but he thinks anything longer than a bumper sticker doesn’t matter in political campaigns.

    The wall has become a proxy for a person’s position on illegal immigration, or immigration in general. (Because if someone just opposed illegal immigration, the simplest way to haqndle it would be to make much of what is now illegal, legal)

    Trump actually set up the Democrats – he wanted before to have new restrictions on legal immigraiton, even ones the Democrats aren’t willing to bargain over (they’ll repeal the diversity lottery as part of a larger package but not family reunification/chain migration) Schumer doesn’t think that if they did give him the $5 billon that would be the end of it. He said so.

    Trump’s for this because the Democrats don’t have the guts to argue, not just that this is waste of money, or that there is something better he could do to accomplish the same goals, or,”nyahh, nyahh nyahh nyahh nyahh, you don’t have the votes in Congress for the wall: Elections have consequences” but that the wall should not be built.

    And they are not saying all the reasons he gives for appropriating more money for wall: to prevent crime, drugs, diseases, or terrorism are nonsensical or insignificant even if you only care about what happens five years from now (this will have no immediate effect) or argue with arguments others make for the wall that Trump does not dare to use, like “the law should be enforced” “it’s an aspect of sovereignty” “otherwise you don’t have a country” “a wall worked other places” etc.

    So long as the Democrats don’t argue against any of this, he thinks he has the better of the argument and therefore thinks taking a tough stand, with the Democrats all in on the other side of the issue would, I guess, help his re-election chances.

    Trump will keep this up until and unless the issue starts working against him.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  244. Trump thinks highlighting the issue of immigration helps him; the Democrats think attention to the issue hurts them, and doing anything to build “the wall” also hurts them, since what they they want to do is finesse the issue. At least the leadership. They want to campaign on health coverage for people with pre-existing conditions and maybe wage levels, factory closings, automation.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  245. No sammeh, the wall doesn’t bli k the flow of the Rio grande

    narciso (d1f714)

  246. Just build the wall. We could have built it 10 years ago, when all the #fakecons voted to build it (but not to fund it).

    You really need to wonder if “the Wall” is just symbolism, why the Bi-partisan elite insist on sabotaging and dragging their feet or outright opposing it.

    Why should any REAL American be upset a border wall? Don’t you want border security?

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  247. talking about how you can’t build a wall in the rio grande valley is irrelevant.

    There are plenty of places we CAN build a wall at.

    The choice is NOT between a wall covering every square inch or no wall anywhere.

    rcocean (2e1c02)

  248. All about the lizards:

    https://pjmedia.com/instapundit/316038/

    narciso (d1f714)

  249. Unlike those who compromised themselves and doomed the country by voting for Trump, they remained true to their conservative principles.

    Dave (1bb933) — 12/17/2018 @ 9:08 am

    Wanted to make sure everyone knows what Dave thinks about Trump voters.

    “DOOMED!!!”

    NJRob (8ee854)

  250. Why should any REAL American be upset a border wall? Don’t you want border security?

    Because it’s a giant waste of money that won’t do anything significant to improve border security.

    Kishnevi (e266d6)

  251. As opposed to everything that has been done in 32 years.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  252. 247. narciso (d1f714) — 12/17/2018 @ 11:20 am

    No sammeh, the wall doesn’t bli k the flow of the Rio grande

    We’re not talking about a dam – we’re talking about a levee, which could, thereotically at least (when was tghe alssty time the Rio Grande overflowed its banks? – it’s disappearing instead)

    2010. narciso (d1f714) — 12/17/2018 @ 11:20 am

    cause flooding to occur in Mexico.

    Now Trump is not proposing that anyway, because he’s kicked that can down the road, but if you built it clear across the entire U.S. Mexican border, and you built it right on tghe baks of the Rio Grande, it would.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  253. #191 ——–

    Thank you. Truce is proposed.

    I do find most of Trump’s personal actions distasteful. I just accept that if he was a leftist they would be ignored. It’s the double standard that angers me so much. I hate having to defend him for things that are personally reputable and rarely do so. I just know that if we allow the left to set the rules of engagement, they will not hesitate to continue the double standard.

    I prefer using Reagan’s M.A.D. strategy no matter how repulsive others may feel about it.

    And as long as Trump proposes conservative judges and policy that’s relatively aligned with my own, I can stomach him. If he joins Schumer and Pelosi, I’ll call for his head as I did Roberts when he sold out over Obamacare in a completely nonsensical decision.

    NJRob (4d595c) — 12/16/2018 @ 10:37 pm

    Up until the Kavanaugh hearing, that’s where I was at.

    Post that hearing, I’m all fuck it and will obstinately oppose Democrats to the point of me handwaving any crap the Trump may pull.

    whembly (51f28e)

  254. #201 I think Trump earned his pay just by dropping out of the Paris climate accords.

    nk (dbc370) — 12/17/2018 @ 6:00 am

    Nah… he earned it when he beat Hillary Clinton.

    Paris Accords, But Gorsuch!, But Kavanaugh! and etc… are just gravy.

    whembly (51f28e)

  255. You know, there are a lot of people paid a lot of money to attack Donald Trump 24×7.

    I don’t have to. Ever. The position is taken.

    Even when I mildly disagree, I generally understand what the President is doing, why he’s doing it, and the constraints that he is under. So I don’t need to criticize.

    I know why he reduces things to bumper-sticker slogans and how it’s a part of his communications strategy. He can raise the intellectual level of his discourse when he needs to and he does, like in his speeches to AIPAC and so forth.

    If you are accusing him of being simple, you’re the one who doesn’t understand what’s going on.

    Ingot9455 (01eb06)

  256. As for The Wall, why does Israel have walls?

    Walls reduce illegal entry in the places they are used by 95%+.

    Ingot9455 (01eb06)

  257. What sounds nonsensical (and would greatly restrict the power of ongress to regulate what is, afetr all, interstate commerce) is the texas judge’s ruling saying that because Congres zeroed out the indivdidual mandarte the whole law is unconstitutional. And this is not an issue oif severability since a new Congress deliberately left the law in that state.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75)

  258. He can raise the intellectual level of his discourse when he needs to and he does, like in his speeches to AIPAC and so forth.

    i.e. when he reads words written by a grown-up, which he likely doesn’t agree with or entirely understand, verbatim off a teleprompter.

    Dave (1bb933)

  259. How many years did they promise an embassy in Jerusalem, 22 years

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/16/mueller-destroyed-evidence/

    Narciso (d1f714)

  260. #261 What sounds nonsensical (and would greatly restrict the power of ongress to regulate what is, afetr all, interstate commerce) is the texas judge’s ruling saying that because Congres zeroed out the indivdidual mandarte the whole law is unconstitutional. And this is not an issue oif severability since a new Congress deliberately left the law in that state.

    Sammy Finkelman (102c75) — 12/17/2018 @ 12:13 pm

    I don’t think that’s what the judge is saying here…

    See Josh’s analysis: https://reason.com/volokh/2018/12/15/understanding-the-new-obamacare-decision

    Recently a federal district court found that the Affordable Care Act was unconstitutional. The reaction was swift and brutal. One prominent law professor at Harvard described the case as “a political objection in legal garb,” and concluded that “there is every reason to believe that a strong, nonpartisan majority of justices will do their constitutional duty, set aside how they might have voted had they been members of Congress,” and uphold the law.

    Another Yale law professor likened the decision to the anti-canonical Dred Scott decision, which “distorted the Constitution, disregarded precedent, disrespected Congress and proclaimed that the basic platform of one of America’s two major political parties was unconstitutional.” A Slate columnist wrote that the decision should “force us to reconsider the role of the courts.” She added, “perhaps it’s an apt moment to re-examine first principles and think about why we believe in the judicial branch in the first place.”

    That decision, of course, was Florida v. HHS, decided in February 2011. Judge Roger Vinson of the Northern District of Florida found that Congress lacked the power to enact the Affordable Care Act’s individual mandate. Further, he found that protections for people with preexisting conditions—known as guaranteed issue and community rating (GI and CR)—could not be severed from the unconstitutional mandate. And, of course, we know that in 2012, the Supreme Court narrowly upheld the ACA.

    At times, covering the Affordable Care Act reminds me of the film Groundhog Day: the same script repeats itself over and over again, in slightly differently contexts. I wrote about the history of NFIB v. Sebelius in my first book, Unprecedented. And, in my second book, I wrote about the second attempt to Unravel the Affordable Care Act with King v. Burwell. Now, two years into the Trump Presidency, we are in the third phase of the never-ending efforts to undo Obamacare.

    In Texas v. United States, the Northern District of Texas found that the Affordable Care Act (ACA) is unconstitutional. The opinion had two main components. First, because the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 (TCJA) reduced the ACA’s shared responsibility payment to $0, the mandate to purchase insurance could no longer be saved as a constitutional fundraising tax. Second, he found that the remainder of the ACA could not stand without the “essential” mandate. Therefore, the entire law was set aside.

    I agree with the first part of the ruling. Judge O’Connor was correct to find that the individual mandate can no longer be saved. However, I part company on the second part. The court should have only set aside the mandate, as well as the GI and CR ratings. The remainder of the ACA can be severed. I detailed these views in a four-part series on this case (I, II, III, and IV), and in draft article forthcoming in the Texas Review of Law & Politics. (Judge O’Connor cited the latter in FN 34.)

    Eugene was kind enough to let me write several posts about this important ruling. This first installment will place Texas v. United States in the context of the past eight years of Obamacare litigation. In many regards, Judge O’Connor’s ruling resembles that of Judge Vinson. In both cases, a coalition of conservative Attorneys General filed suit in a favorable division in a favorable district—Pensacola and Ft. Worth, rather than Tallahassee and Austin. And, both judges found that the individual mandate and core provisions of the ACA were unconstitutional. Moreover, both courts declined to issue a nationwide injunction, such that the case could be appealed in the normal course without immediate disruption to the federal government.

    However, there are also critical differences. First, Judge Vinson rendered a major constitutional law decision on a question of first impression: could a mandate to purchase insurance be supported by Congress’s powers under the Commerce and Necessary and Proper Clauses. The Florida court went out on a limb to find that Congress lacked such a power. This decision was without precedent. Ultimately, his opinion was vindicated by a majority of the Court, but at the time, Professors Tribe and Amar (referenced above) savaged the decision. Indeed, the activity/inactivity distinction remains controversial in constitutional discourse.

    In contrast, Judge O’Connor’s decision is far less audacious. His constitutional analysis concerning the mandate was supported by a majority of the Supreme Court. Critics can disagree with the factual predicate of his ruling—that the individual mandate survived the TCJA—but his constitutional analysis stands on a firm foundation. Moreover, Judge O’Connor’s ultimate conclusion on severability—that the entire ACA must fall if the mandate is unconstitutional—was supported by the NFIB joint dissenters. Assuming the intent of Congress in 2010 controls the severability analysis—I think it does, but the question is closer than many have recognized—Judge O’Connor’s sweeping ruling has the foundation of four votes on the Supreme Court.

    There is a second critical difference: timing. When Judge Vinson issued his ruling, the Affordable Care Act had not yet gone into full effect. At that juncture, there were some preliminary programs that had been rolled out, and the Administration was preparing to implement the remainder of the law. Seven years later, the ACA has been fully woven into the fabric of the American health care system. Pulling the emergency brake on the entirety of the law would be logistically impossible. For this reason, and many others, Judge O’Connor was prudent not to issue a nationwide injunction, as the states had requested.

    Third, the political dynamics are fundamentally different. In 2010, Obamacare’s unpopularity, fueled by the surging Tea Party, led to the Republicans winning the House of Representatives, and taking more seats in the Senate. The Republican party quickly coalesced around the legal arguments advanced by Randy Barnett and other members of this blog. In the words of Jack Balkin, the arguments concerning the mandate went from Off the Wall to On the Wall. 2018 is very different. The popularity of the ACA, in particular the GI and CR provisions, is well established. Republican politicians who voted to repeal the ACA struggled to defend their votes during the midterm elections. Many of these members lost their seats, in part at least, due to the efforts to unravel Obamacare. The Republican opposition to the law has faded significantly.

    Fourth, we have very different executive branches. The Obama Administration was singularly focused on defending the ACA at every juncture. First under the leadership of Deputy SG Neal Katyal (then-SG Elena Kagan wanted nothing to do with the case), and later with Donald Verrilli at the helm, the administration mounted a coordinated effort to save the law. Now the situation is quite different. Then AG Sessions declined to defend the constitutionality of the mandate, and concluded that GI and CR cannot be severed.

    Fifth, we have very, very different Presidents. President Obama viewed the ACA as the cornerstone of his domestic legacy. President Trump, in contrast, has targeted the repeal of Obamacare since he was on the campaign trail—but not really. He still favors protection for pre-existing conditions and other popular aspects of the law, but he opposes the unpopular aspects. Shortly after the decision, President Trump issued two celebratory tweets that maintain this ambiguous posture.

    Obamacare bad. Pre-existing conditions good.

    The sixth difference may be the most important. Had the Supreme Court set aside the ACA in June 2012, there would have been zero political appetite to restore the law in any regard. Republicans would have claimed the decision as a political victory, and moved on. Perhaps Mitt Romney would have won the election—we may never know.

    2019 is every different. If the Supreme Court were to hold that the law’s GI and CR provisions were unconstitutional, I suspect that Congress would re-enact those provisions with broad bipartisan support. There is no constitutional problem with Congress enacting these standalone insurance reforms, without the mandate. Indeed, to avoid any disruption, the Supreme Court could delay its ruling by a single tax year to give Congress a chance to act. (Justice Alito floated this option during oral arguments in King v. Burwell.)

    Moreover, states can enact their own GI and CR provisions as a fall back in the event that Texas is victorious. Many states already have restrictions that are more protective of those under the ACA. Finally, unlike with King v. Burwell, where states were at risk of losing millions in federal funding, here the states can be proactive and ensure no gaps in coverage. In other words, now that Congress zeroed out the penalty, the political fallout from a decision declaring that GI and CR were also unconstitutional would likely be short-lived.

    Seventh, in 2012, we had no idea what the Roberts Court would do with the ACA. However, NFIB told us what the Justices thought of the constitutionality of the mandate. And, recent reporting about the case suggests that Chief Justice Roberts was willing to set aside the mandate, as well as the GI and CR, but could not persuade Justice Kennedy to follow along with this narrower path. Now, Justice Kennedy is gone, and he is replaced by Justice Kavanaugh, who—based on the earliest of lights—may have a stronger respect for stare decisis than did his predecessor.

    It is not unthinkable for a majority of the Court to hold that the predicate of the saving construction no longer holds—the exaction does not raise revenue. Therefore, the GI and CR provisions cannot be salvaged. This sort of decision would reaffirm the Commerce and Necessary and Proper analysis in NFIB—an important rule I agree with. Moreover, that ruling would demonstrate the saving construction was a proper application of the judicial role, rather than an ad hoc exception to avoid a politically unpopular ruling. (Six years later, I have come to grips with the bulk of the saving construction, but still cannot accept the Chief’s analysis of direct taxes.)

    In future posts, I will break down the technical details of Judge O’Connor’s 55-page opinion. Here, my sole aim was to place this decision in the broader context of the ACA litigation, which I have been carefully covering for nearly 8 years.

    whembly (51f28e)

  261. Why should any REAL American be upset a border wall? Don’t you want border security?

    Because Donald Trump promised (and continues to promise) that Mexico would pay for 100% of it.

    If he admitted that he was lying the hundreds of times he made those promises, I could probably support it.

    Otherwise, to support it would be to condone his vile immorality.

    Dave (1bb933)

  262. Hard to believe how Paul Ryan gets zero criticism. I foresee him getting richer getting into the cannabis racket.

    mg (8cbc69)

  263. it’s disappointing

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  264. Josh B gets into the weeds with this next post:
    http://reason.com/volokh/2018/12/17/understanding-the-new-obamacare-decision

    whembly (51f28e)

  265. 266, he’s too busy carrying Ted Kennedy’s mantle as a snakehead for the Irish.

    urbanleftbehind (5eecdb)

  266. mg:

    Paul Ryan has received plenty of criticism. If he isn’t getting his usual level of abuse over the last week or two, it’s that he’s out of power in two weeks.

    I have no sympathy for Ryan — he makes Boehner look like Sam Rayburn. But I think trying to get the GOP legislators to do anything other than posture for the mantle of being the most pure and (lately) being the Trumpiest of the Trumpity is literally impossible.

    Appalled (d07ae6)

  267. Paul Ryan’s very lonely but that’s no excuse

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  268. The republican led house over the last few decades has failed miserably. They spent like drunk Kennedy’s without trousers.

    mg (8cbc69)

  269. It’s interesting to me how many commenters here insult Paul Ryan regularly, precisely because so very few members of the actual Republican Caucus in the House of Representatives share their opinions. Some recent history from October 2015:

    Several Republicans expressed interest in becoming Speaker. Kevin McCarthy, the House Majority Leader and second-in-command to the Speaker, was initially viewed as the favorite. However McCarthy unexpectedly dropped out of the race on October 8, and the caucus vote was postponed. Paul Ryan, Chairman of Ways and Means and the 2012 Republican Vice Presidential candidate, had witnessed Boehner’s difficulties managing a caucus with several prominent factions, and was initially unwilling to run. However, he received support from each of the factions and eventually declared his candidacy. Most Republicans withdrew and endorsed Ryan.

    In addition to Ryan, Daniel Webster of the Republican Party and House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi of the Democratic Party were also declared candidates. Ryan won the rescheduled caucus vote on October 28, and was elected Speaker of the House the next day, with 236 votes [of the GOP’s total 247 members] to Pelosi’s 184 and Webster’s 9. Three votes went to undeclared candidates.

    Rep. Daniel Webster (R-FL) ran again against Ryan for Speaker in the new Congress in 2017, and this time received one vote.

    In fact, their mutual respect for Paul Ryan is damned near the only thing that has united House Republicans for the better part of a decade. So it’s especially odd to me to see his critics here rejoice at his departure from the House in January — especially since he’ll be replaced by the self-same Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), whom the Freedom Caucus successfully opposed in 2015, but could not defeat in 2018.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  270. The republicans don’t have a team. They have been bought and paid for by soros, donohue, zuckerburg, bezos and beyond. These insipid dinks don’t give a damn for the common man. Just look at what they don’t accomplish but run on the same issue every election.
    Pathetic be the republican party.

    mg (8cbc69)

  271. be like x speaker johnny b. – get high and groove.

    mg (8cbc69)

  272. fine, and what did they accomplish with all that folderall,

    narciso (d1f714)

  273. they crafted a terrible tax bill, they didn’t do anything about Obamacare, again it’s left to judge O’Connor, to unravel the thing, but he can’t affirmatively put something together,

    narciso (d1f714)

  274. The lame azz ryan gave no support to Devon Nunez or Jim Jordan. Pathetic. Atleast the senate was united in the kavanaugh disaster.

    mg (8cbc69)

  275. the tax bill saved me money

    i enjoyed that

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  276. The republican led house over the last few decades has failed miserably. They spent like drunk Kennedy’s without trousers.

    Not true. By 2016 they had reduced the federal spending from 24.5% of GDP (all-time record under Obama) to 20.9% of GDP, which is lower than the average under Reagan. They had also reduced the deficit to 3.2% of GDP by the time Trump took office.

    Under the previous GOP majority, during the Bush administration, the deficit never rose above 3% of GDP and was closer to 1-2%.

    It is only under Donald Trump that spending has exploded – despite the healthy economy, the deficit last year rose to 4.4% of GDP, and will go up again this year.

    Dave (1bb933)

  277. that’s cause Paul Ryan gave up on Christmas and busted the caps to slop the sleazy pentagon piggies

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  278. that’s cause Paul Ryan gave up on Christmas and busted the caps to slop the sleazy pentagon piggies

    but it made donald trump happy which is the most (only) important thing in the world

    Dave (1bb933)

  279. What I like most about Paul Ryan is the people he makes unhappy.

    nk (dbc370)

  280. Well we needed the military increase after Obama fulfill his pledge that got him thr Iowa caucus.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  281. @ mg: Why would any Speaker of either party ever “support” Jim Jordan? Support him in what — his chairmanship of the Oversight and Government Reform Subcommittee on Health Care, Benefits, and Administrative Rules, which is the apex of his actual authority? He’s a nobody. Except as a loudmouth who’s occasionally kept his own party from being able to pass legislation, always to the delight of the Democrats, what’s he ever done? He’s an empty suit with a loud mouth, and it’s a cheap suit at that. He just lost spectacularly against the most GOPe opponent possible, Keven McCarthy, suggesting that even the tiny influence he once had is going to entirely disappear now that the GOP is again in the minority in the House. I’d support Jim Jordan if and only if it were in his desire to spend more time with his family as a retired congressman.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  282. This is classic. All the folks dissing on the Special Counsel have been doing Putin’s bidding, including Trump and all his flying monkeys. Can’t say as I’m surprised.

    Paul Montagu (1586ff)

  283. The Washington Post is Communist disinformation.

    nk (dbc370)

  284. The war in Iraq was a serious waste of money let alone lives. Thank you idiot neocon war mongering republicans.

    mg (8cbc69)

  285. when bush and the republicans ruled they spent more than anyone had at that time. And every year these goobers run on lowering the deficit. lmmfao.

    mg (8cbc69)

  286. The Washington Post is Communist disinformation.

    So the information received by the Senate Intelligence Committee must therefore be “communist disinformation”. Go with that.

    Paul Montagu (1586ff)

  287. Absolutely. The #FakeNewsMedia which feeds and is fed by its co-conspirators in #DeepState is the worst enemy of the American people.

    nk (dbc370)

  288. Paul Montagu (1586ff) — 12/17/2018 @ 4:56 pm

    Erasing all those texts on Strzok’s and Page’s government issued cell phones was a self-dissing inside job. Or, did Putin do that?

    Munroe (3693fe)

  289. In so far this began with the Russian connected fusion dossier, it is an act of dezinforma with the zinoviev letter

    Narciso (d1f714)

  290. Too bad Putin didn’t launch a disinformation campaign on rap. I guess that’s more of a domestic issue for him.

    Paul Montagu (1586ff)

  291. I will say this in favor of Jim Jordan and Devon Nunes: They voted for Paul Ryan to be Speaker.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  292. I hope Judge Sullivan has great bodyguards.

    mg (8cbc69)

  293. Erasing all those texts on Strzok’s and Page’s government issued cell phones was a self-dissing inside job. Or, did Putin do that?

    No, what Putin did, with the help of Trump and countless others, was to take a few folks in the DOJ who behaved poorly and used them to malign an entire law enforcement apparatus, and the Trumpalistas lapped it up.

    Paul Montagu (1586ff)

  294. He will need protection from the fbi and doj.

    mg (8cbc69)

  295. The doj should be disbarred.

    mg (8cbc69)

  296. “No, what Putin did, with the help of Trump and countless others, was to take a few folks in the DOJ who behaved poorly and used them to malign an entire law enforcement apparatus, and the Trumpalistas lapped it up.”
    Paul Montagu (1586ff) — 12/17/2018 @ 5:16 pm

    Sounds like Putin and those “few folks” have a lot in common.

    Munroe (9ac6d0)

  297. These are the same folks that covered for hillatys real violations of statute, laufman at counterintelligence among others

    narciso (d1f714)

  298. Ah, Paul, if you only knew how many sleepless nights I’ve spent worried and outraged about Putin’s inhumane campaign against rap music. He’s a monster!

    nk (dbc370)

  299. Well the rissian banarama keeps me up at night
    https://t.co/q9bq5YLj3D

    Narciso (d1f714)

  300. Gosh, mg, that’s awfully bad news for Judge Sullivan, then, because federal judges are protected by the U.S. Marshals Service, which is part of the Department of Justice. It reports to the Deputy Attorney General, in fact, currently one Rod Rosenstein.

    Beldar (fa637a)

  301. Steele was a burned spy, ala Michael Weston, his no. 1 asset was dead, I imagine very few Russians wanted to have anything to do with him. So he made up sources except for Waldman, who worked for foreign ministry but would have no first hand info. Millian

    Narciso (d1f714)

  302. rosenstein justice is corrupt and racist

    they gave up on christmas to glorify the deep state, and then they charge the taxpayers for protection

    these people are sick

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  303. No, what Putin did, with the help of Trump and countless others, was to take a few folks in the DOJ who behaved poorly and used them to malign an entire law enforcement apparatus, and the Trumpalistas lapped it up.

    Whereas, we, being a good and kind people, have always had only the best things to say about Russia’s security apparatus, law enforcement, and system of justice; and have never engaged in any propaganda campaigns to turn the Russian people (and the whole rest of the world) against Putin’s government.

    nk (dbc370)

  304. Well this is the same outfit that stopped any further inquiries into uranium one, which was a Russian strategic acquisition

    Narciso (d1f714)

  305. They aren’t really training their best at bala shita (that’s the name of their camp peary) it’s more like spies like me.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  306. at least Russia doesn’t pretend not to be evil they’re out and proud unlike the cowardly americans

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  307. That’s the name of the fsb training facility.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  308. yup

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  309. The name that flagged the filter, Russians are good at killing everything that’s called zachista, selective targeting is not their bad, as Austin powers would say.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  310. Yeah, well, the Russians may be evil but they renounced socialism almost thirty years ago. When are we going to do it?

    nk (dbc370)

  311. They figure out what ocasio Cortez never will, now Putin does see the fall of the Soviet union in nationalist terms

    Narciso (d1f714)

  312. Good point Mr. nk

    it’s a mess and there’s a lot of people deeply invested in keeping it that way

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  313. When are we going to do it?

    Someday – maybe even in our lifetimes – a conservative may be elected president again.

    Dave (1bb933)

  314. Sorry for that last post – I got carried away by optimism.

    Dave (1bb933)

  315. Hope he has Marshal Raylan Givens for protection.

    mg (8cbc69)

  316. Like mittens?

    mg (8cbc69)

  317. A 302 written 22 days after the interview at a time when strzok was communicating with McCabe very frequently.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  318. and have never engaged in any propaganda campaigns to turn the Russian people (and the whole rest of the world) against Putin’s government.

    Strawman. Every nation does something or other to influence public opinion in another country, but what Putin did (and is still doing) was historically unprecedented. They even came up with a doctrine for it.

    Paul Montagu (1586ff)

  319. “historically unprecedented”

    Yeah, sooner or later, those two words were going to be combined.

    nk (dbc370)

  320. Those words you are using,…future cabinet members were mouthing Soviet propaganda in the 80s, that would be Kerry and Panetta for starters, that when the war could have turned blazing hot.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  321. why is the fbi muzzling the only person with credibility left in the Flynn investigation?
    fbissa Joe Pientka?

    mg (8cbc69)

  322. They laundered supposed Russian dezinforma, (I say supposed because they don’t identify the source. Btw Wolfe was allowed to have access to the scif even after he was suspected of being the leaker.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  323. This committee leaks like a sieve unverified info, they make this sub crowdstrike palaver to justify their failure to tackle any real intelligence

    Narciso (d1f714)

  324. Heard this today thought you’d enjoy it, Col. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V9CSQfdFJ20

    mg (8cbc69)

  325. For the doubters out there, and there are many, please educate yourselves. Here’s the truth. Between the willingness of Congress to turn almost everything into a federal crime, and the ability of federal prosecutors to stretch those statutes beyond imagination, there is no one in this country who could not be indicted were a prosecutor like Robert Mueller or Andrew Weissmann to scour their life’s records.

    https://dailycaller.com/2018/12/17/prosecutors-michael-flynn/

    Munroe (9f93c9)

  326. Anyone want to place any bets on how the Washington Post and NY Times will spin this if they don’t just ignore it completely?

    https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/dec/12/christopher-steele-hillary-clinton-was-preparing-t/

    NJRob (4d595c)

  327. Yet another narrative, just like they had to import reports from Russia in order to beat other russians

    Narciso (d1f714)

  328. turn almost everything into a federal crime

    LOL

    Dave (1bb933)

  329. And ignore actual statute violations, that involve classified info that involved assets as far apart as China and iran

    Narciso (d1f714)

  330. Munroe (9f93c9) — 12/17/2018 @ 9:06 pm

    Ms. Powell’s opinion piece had a shelf life of around nine minutes. The 302 on Flynn’s January 24 interview was released and it’s damning against Flynn because the recorded the conversations between Flynn and Kislyak contradict what’s in the 302. Even a faithful Trump supporter like McCarthy had to swallow the fact that Flynn lied.
    Flynn is famous enough. He could’ve set up a GoFundMe account and collected hundreds of thousands for his legal defense, just like Strzok did in about a week’s time.

    Paul Montagu (30514b)

  331. Yeah, sooner or later, those two words were going to be combined.

    Yeah, that grammar faux pas cratered the whole case. Oh darn.

    Paul Montagu (30514b)

  332. Ryan and McConnell have chosen to keep the names of the congressional sexual predators off limits to the taxpayers that paid the victims off. Republicans in D.C. have no shame. Sick puppies is what republicans are. Who in heck do these pervert protectors think they are? Ted Kennedy?

    mg (8cbc69)

  333. Ryans job is to put resolutions on the floor to stop the deep state, and he never did. Scum I tell you, scum is what he and the rest of his party have become.

    mg (8cbc69)

  334. Republican scum allows democrats to sexually harass women.
    Priceless.

    mg (8cbc69)

  335. Ryan is the first lame duck speaker in history

    he said i hate this job it sucks I NEVER wanted it (whine whine whine) i think i’ll stick around as long as possible and be a resistance butthole doing illegal head lice trash all up in it for my chamber of commerce suck-pony boyfriends

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  336. For the longest speakership since the 20s he had little to show for it.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  337. So why did they redact the memos, if you were here in the plane days, you would see the govt has something to hide, if you back twenty years before that to the real life raymond reddington Edwin Wilson, the govt conceived that he had been a company asset along when he cultivated qaddaffi.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  338. I know it’s getting hard for Trumpalistas to defend Flynn’s lies, but Eli Lake finds a way, sort of: Someone said some mean things, that Flynn is a traitor, and therefore he is owed an apology by someone. It’s one big, fat non-sequitur. Flynn was never charged for treason, but it is just a fact that he aligned with the Turkish government as an unregistered (and therefore illegal) agent, all the while working for the Trump campaign and transition. It’s not treasonous, but it is certainly unpatriotic and un-American to be working for a presidential candidate and president-elect while literally working on behalf of a foreign government. It’s also unpatriotic (not treasonous) to sit at the same table as Putin at a dinner that celebrated his state-controlled propaganda organ.

    Paul Montagu (ee29c5)

  339. But Larry barcella, which had a great publicist in Peter maas, his that story.

    I suspect the company wanted to poach Wilson’s network for Iran contra, one of them Billy Waugh was even in the hunt for bin laden, years later

    Narciso (d1f714)

  340. That’s because he is a Russian disinformation agent put in place through an unprecedentedly historical plot by General Gerasimov of the FSB to raise the fluoride levels in the nation’s watersheds and pollute and impurify our precious bodily fluids.

    nk (dbc370)

  341. I mean Paul Ryan.

    nk (dbc370)

  342. The Turkey that Lindsey Graham tells us is legit which has imprisoned hundreds of journalists whose Kushner equivalent was partying with Rick Wilson and dem congressman in doha.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  343. “Even a faithful Trump supporter like McCarthy had to swallow the fact that Flynn lied.”
    Paul Montagu (30514b) — 12/17/2018 @ 10:33 pm

    Flynn’s guilt or innocence is not the issue, a point I made @170 and many times before. But, when all you have is a hammer….

    Prosecutorial discretion used by the unelected to pick which political figure gets charged and which doesn’t is the issue. Deflection seems to be the only counter argument.

    Munroe (4ab2d5)

  344. Yes we have one side of the argument, the one James Wolfe relayed to the likes of ignatius.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  345. Prosecutorial discretion used by the unelected to pick which political figure gets charged and which doesn’t is the issue. Deflection seems to be the only counter argument.

    Rosy was picked by Trump and confirmed by the Senate, and Mueller answers to this person who was appointed and confirmed by our elected representatives. Every prosecutor has some degree of discretion but, far as we know, Mueller has been operating within the parameters given.

    Paul Montagu (ee29c5)

  346. Munroe, if you don’t charge a three-star general, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, now White House Chief of Staff, with the crime of lying to federal investigators, who you gonna charge? The junkie who lies about who his dealer is?

    Anyway, that’s not his real crime, either. His real crime is incompetence. If he didn’t know (see resume above) that the NSA would have each and every telephone conversation of the Russian ambassador, not just with him but with everyone permitted under FISA (no, they don’t need a warrant for that), on tape ….

    nk (dbc370)

  347. Except Sally Yates gave the signal to Wolfe to leak to his bffs, pence didn’t keep his eye on the ball and started whining

    Narciso (d1f714)

  348. So what kind of sentence would you give James Clapper, hes the Lillian hellman of the biz.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  349. I just noticed that the link at my comment at 12/17/2018 @ 6:25 pm didn’t take, so here’s a do-over:
    Historically unprecedented.

    Paul Montagu (ee29c5)

  350. I have given you chapter and verse, montagu, how the govt covers up its screwups going back 35 years.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  351. lindsey graham’s a bought and paid for sling-a-ding just like cowardly stunt pilot John McCain

    these people are viciously corrupt but you still can’t never give up on Christmas, that’s for sure

    it’s the most wonderful time

    of the year!

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  352. “Munroe, if you don’t charge a three-star general, former Director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, now White House Chief of Staff, with the crime of lying to federal investigators, who you gonna charge?”
    nk (dbc370) — 12/18/2018 @ 8:24 am

    Again. He lied. He’s guilty.

    He was also targeted by Comey, whereas others I don’t need to name weren’t. In fact, far from being targeted they were accommodated. The rule of law becomes the rule of the prosecutor.

    Munroe (59622e)

  353. lying to our trashy corrupt federal investigators shouldn’t be a crime in America

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  354. Highlights of the Flynn sentencing hearing in this thread: https://twitter.com/ryanjreilly/status/1075061464325611520

    Items that stood out for me:

    Judge Sullivan giving Flynn one final shot to withdraw his guilty plea. Judge asks if he wants to proceed.
    FLYNN: “I would like to proceed.”
    Because you’re guilty?
    FLYNN: “Yes, your honor.”
    Now proceeding.

    Judge Sullivan: So Flynn could’ve also been charged in that indictment unsealed in Virginia yesterday, right? Gov: Yes.
    Judge Sullivan: “Exposure to Mr. Flynn would have been significant?” Gov: Yes.
    “This crime is very serious.”
    “In the White House! In the West Wing!”
    “It’s a very serious offense.”
    “You can’t minimize that.”
    Judge Sullivan to Michael Flynn: “Arguably, you sold your country out.”

    I’m sure this is all an exciting lead up to the judge dismissing everything and indicting Hillary

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  355. lying to our trashy corrupt federal investigators shouldn’t be a crime in America

    I agree, with the provision “when you’re the target of the investigation”. It should be a crime to bear false witness against another person.

    nk (dbc370)

  356. “The rule of law becomes the rule of the prosecutor.”

    Flynn got a sweetheart deal in return for his cooperation. There were significant crimes he was not charged with. His idiot son also skated.

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  357. Just make sure like brennan, you find a patsy in the underwear bomber leak, or don’t even bother with one when it comes to Susan rice, you see how this works

    Narciso (d1f714)

  358. I’ve noted before how the patsy FBI contractor had no knowledge of the asset inside alqueda hence could not have leaked that info to Townsend or clarke.

    Narciso (d1f714)

  359. It should be a crime to bear false witness against another person.

    good point Mr. nk

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  360. Not Caesar’s wife, but Caesar. The more power you have over the lives, liberty, and property of other people, the less a prosecutor should allow you to skate for a crime, particularly a crime against the government which gave you that power.

    nk (dbc370)

  361. I have given you chapter and verse, montagu, how the govt covers up its screwups going back 35 years.

    What you’ve given, narc, is headache-inducing bad grammar/spelling in your ceaseless attempts to say “Hey! Look over there!” Half the time I can’t tell if you’re talking to me or yelling at clouds.

    Paul Montagu (ee29c5)

  362. Prosecutorial discretion used by the unelected to pick which political figure gets charged and which doesn’t is the issue. Deflection seems to be the only counter argument.

    Munroe (4ab2d5) — 12/18/2018 @ 7:57 am

    I agree with you about prosecutorial discretion. But to argue that because Hillary got off scot free for her corruption Trump should also get off scot free is simply condoning more corruption and more prosecutorial abuse.

    kishnevi (d764f4)

  363. “Flynn got a sweetheart deal in return for his cooperation.”
    Davethulhu (fab944) — 12/18/2018 @ 9:12 am

    Those sweetheart deals where you’re not even charged are even better. How does one get those?

    Munroe (1c5949)

  364. There is also the consideration that Trump’s ties with the Russian mafia and other assorted persons of ill repute were in of themselves more than enough reason for the IC and FBI to take a close at Trump’s doings.

    kishnevi (d764f4)

  365. You have to order the death of at least 5 people as with whitey bulger, but ultimately those have lapsed warranties as he found out in west virginia

    Narciso (d1f714)

  366. never give up on christmas #bluechristmas #letsbecarefuloutthere

    happyfeet (28a91b)

  367. “Those sweetheart deals where you’re not even charged are even better. How does one get those?”

    You roll over on your accomplices, as Flynn did. See my post at 359.

    Davethulhu (fab944)

  368. Oh wait, you’re doing a “But Hillary”. Never mind then.

    Davethulhu (fab944)


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