This Now This clip tells us what Sandy Hook, CT moms Michele Gay and Alissa Parker are trying to do about gun carnage in this country…
Update: And by the way, this is typical, but distinctly unhelpful, which is par for the course with this guy (and I really don't give a damn about what he said in the first sentence of that statement, because the second sentence totally negated it as far as I'm concerned).
…and Chris Hayes tells us about the type of voters “Trumpism” is alienating in Texas, which I’m also sure played a role in the retirement of Repug U.S. House Reps Will Hurd and Pete Olson…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about the commentary from Shep Smith of Fix Noise about the Gropenfuhrer’s ruinous incompetence on the issue of the U.S. and the rest of the global economy (it’s really darkly humorous I think to see what a pass Mango Mussolini gets on this issue from our corporate media since he has the magic “R” after his name – if he were a Dem, he would get savaged around the clock)…
…and with the prior clip in mind, I should point out what I guess we all already know by now, and it is that the U.S. stock market took another nose dive today – given that, I was looking for a song about money and privilege that befits our Orange Pustule, and I came up with this.
Like many, many, MANY other people I realize, I have spent years (and probably decades now that I think of it) doing what I can to call for what I would call common sense gun reform in this country (in light of the latest horror show on this issue that we can all read about here). I’m not saying this in an effort to say, “hey, I’m so great – look at me.” Far from it. There are probably marches and protests that I could have participated in but didn’t for whatever reason. I’ve written to politicians of both parties, I’ve written to newspapers, I’ve tried to discuss the issue with family and friends (trying not to incur anyone’s wrath, but trying to win the day with the most intelligent persuasion I could muster), and I’ve posted all kinds of content online that I tried to make as well informed as I could (along with videos sympathetic to my point of view of course), in particular at this dippy little blog that you happen to be reading at this moment (and as always, thank you for that).
But really, nothing has worked. I would say that too many Democrats have not shown what I would consider the necessary fortitude on this issue, with notable exceptions such as Connecticut Dem Sen. Chris Murphy, as well as Dem Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia, who have horrific first-hand experience viewing the carnage from gun violence that I hope and pray none of us ever have to experience (it’s bad enough others had to go through that ordeal). And of course, the “party of Lincoln,” for my money, have been the most steadfast advocates for our nihilistic status quo on the issue of guns among anyone else in this country.
Are we really going to go through this ridiculous cycle once more? No, I’m not saying the proper measure of expressions of sympathy for the victims and their families and friends is “ridiculous” in any way. You know what I mean – our side quite rightly IMHO says that we should reduce clip sizes on assault weapons (or banning them entirely and advertising a buy-back policy, which makes more sense to me – and please spare me another lecture on “fully automatic versus semi-automatic”…both kinds will kill you equally dead), enable sharing of bullet tracing data along with gun purchases in a federal database, mandating a background check for ANY GUN PURCHASE OF ANY KIND WHATSOEVER, ALONG WITH A MANDATORY WAITING PERIOD OF AT LEAST A WEEK (and yeah, I’m sure that will put the whole “gun show” industry out of business – too freaking bad!), federalizing gun laws to strict standards (and getting rid of the whole “gun law reciprocity” BS favored by this guy among others), sharing mental health data across the country if someone wants to buy a gun, particularly in matters of spousal or domestic partner abuse (another common thread in all of this), more federal $$ to police right-wing sites online (yeah, I know which Orange Pestilence will go bananas over that – heh)…I think that covers a lot of where we come down on this. And of course, the other side, as usual, will offer virtually nothing in response.
Well, in my quest to come up with some kind of a deterrent given this horrible vacuum we deal with on this issue that leads to ever more violence, ever more destruction, ever more ruin, I came up with an idea. And I’ll admit that it’s by no means the best idea out there, but I don’t see anyone else coming up with anything close to a solution on this, so here goes.
Apparently the shooter in our latest gun atrocity actually managed to NOT kill himself also. Given that, I think we should make an example of this life form.
Here’s what I mean – if this person is found guilty by a jury of his peers, then instead of lifetime incarceration or death by a mix of chemicals, electricity or what have you, then we should go “full medieval” on this person, tie him to a stake, disembowel him and hack off his limbs. And with the TV cameras rolling of course. And HBO could broadcast it or another cable service, or standard cable networks – whatever. Hell, they could make it a Pay Per View event. The video clips might end up running on YouTube, Hulu or Netflix forever.
Aw, c’mon conservatives – you KNOW something like this is what you’ve dreamed of! Make a statement to the entire world that this country has truly descended into the dark ages in the Trumpian era, just like you’d been planning for really ever since Richard Nixon’s “Southern Strategy.” This will satisfy your lust for violence and uphold what constitutes law and order as far as you’re concerned. Stop “talking the talk” and try “walking the walk” instead!
Yes, the ACLU, God bless them, will sue to try and prevent this. But with the Gropenfuhrer and #MoscowMitch packing the courts at record speed, and with a conservative majority on the High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, I’d lay even money that this could pass legal muster.
I mean, as long as we’re not going to address this issue in a manner that makes actual sense, let’s do this in a way to puff up ourselves on the world stage like the clueless, narrow-minded ignoramuses we’ve turned into as a country (with notable exceptions of course) and provide at least a minimal deterrent. U-S-A! U-S-A! U-S-A!...
(And with all due respect to Cenk, I think guns are a worse issue than corruption, though both are terrible…I read online that, when the cops got to the Walmart, there were so many people with weapons they didn’t know who to try and apprehend first – more here)…
…and I realize I could go after a lot of politicians for the reasons Cenk just noted (including plenty of Dems, including the subject of this piece), but I’m going to highlight these two in particular since they’re particularly craven and compromised on this issue (more here)…
…and before you feel any impulse of gratitude towards “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey on this issue, you should know this (from here)…
(The Center for Responsive Politics) asserts on Open Secrets that Toomey received $79,908 in pro-gun rights money during the 2016 cycle. But that number doesn’t just count contributions from pro-gun rights groups like the NRA or the SCI – the overwhelming majority of that $79,908 is from individuals who CRP classifies as pro-gun rights based on other donations they have made.
If someone donates to a pro-gun rights group like the NRA and also donates to a candidate the group has supported at some point, CRP decides that the donation made to the candidate is motivated by gun rights. Even though the NRA didn’t support Toomey in 2016, CRP classified some individual contributions as gun rights money because the NRA has given to Toomey in the past.
Now to the clip…
...and I don't believe I need to offer an explanation for this tune - here it is.
Update 1 8/4/19:
The House passed two gun safety bills months ago, but you continue to block them.
Since you tweeted your prayers, another American community, Dayton, has been shattered by gun violence.
Americans are dying, and you’re blocking us from helping them.
And that assclown Kevin McCarthy blamed video games of course (here). Because, as we know, video games are all over the place in Japan and they have the exact same problem we do (smh).
Update 4 8/4/19: Hard to correctly communicate what I think of the utter cowardice behind this statement…
We took the lead in winning World War II and we put men on the moon. Yeah, if we summon the courage and political will, we can definitely fix this (and something in that spirit is here).
Update 5 8/4/19: And speaking of cowardice (here and here...and yes, Cornyn actually DID compare gun violence to homelessness)...if this isn’t a reason for Beto O’Rourke to suspend his presidential campaign and run against Cornyn instead for the U.S. Senate, I don’t know what is.
Update 8/6/19: Gee, "No Corporate Tax" Pat, I would consider "remaining alive and unharmed" to be "popular" too (here).
I definitely agree with Chris Hayes – this is truly a fine report by Trymaine Lee about what has happened to coal mining in the Powder River Basin of Wyoming (and yeah, Generalissimo Trump is lying again, Part The Infinity as Charlie Pierce might say)…
…and one thread in common with the prior clip and this one is the role of venture capitalism; Sam Seder and David Dayen talk at the recent Netroots Nation conference about the closing of Hahnemann University Hospital in Philadelphia (and the role of Paladin Healthcare in this travesty – definitely an unfortunate aspect of “gentrification”…when I read about the real estate exemption of deductibility for tax purposes, I wanted to throw my keyboard right out the window – and by the way, after watching this clip, all I can say is, if you underestimate the Bernie Sanders campaign, you do so at your peril…sorry I’m a little late on this story…more here)…
…and Jefferson Smith sits in here for Thom Hartmann and reminds us of FDR’s popularity with younger Dem voters and how that translated into generational change, you might say – definitely a formula we need to repeat…
…and speaking of younger voters, Kyle drags Art Laffer in exactly the manner that he deserves (well, Laffer – aptly named IMHO – was right at the very end anyway about him being fat and old…NSFW)…
…and David Pakman tells us that the Gropenfuhrer is making noises like he’s actually turning on Fox; I’ll bet money – not much on my budget – that Mango Mussolini, in an effort to monetize EVERY BLOODY THING ABOUT THIS RUINOUS REGIME, will indeed find a way to put together an Official All-Trump Network…
…and I guess it really isn’t that surprising to find out the The Sainted Ronnie Reagan truly was a racist, given what his political party has turned into (as well as this of course), as Farron Cousins tells us…
…and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 8/3/10; remember when Repugs used to run ads like this (referencing the LBJ “Daisy” ad of course – Bill Cooper lost and ended up supporting Bill Huizenga, who eventually won, even though Huizenga is a mess, as noted here…what I would call some fitting current-day context is here)…
…and usually by now we’ve managed to escape to our blue-state paradise for a week or so, but our plans will be a little different this year; here’s a seasonal tune I feel like hearing to conjure up some happy memories (sigh).
Gosh, it looks like #MitchMcTreason won’t do anything to help ensure the integrity of our elections – can’t say that I’m one bit surprised…
…and when Farron Cousins says this stuff, yeah, that’s one thing, but when Joe Scarborough says the same thing with more emphasis – well (and I watched some clips of Majority Leader McTurtle in supposedly high dudgeon over this, blaming “the left” as usual of course, but I didn’t think what he said was noteworthy enough to include here – and by the way, to do something about this U.S. senatorial mistake, click here)…
Update 8/5/19: You're a real sick son of a bitch, #MassMurderMitch (here),
…and I’m not sure how I missed this (I’m playing catch-up here a bit, I realize)…I know there are lefties out there who genuinely despise Bernie Sanders, and I have to admit that I’m not totally sure why (I know he’s a lightning rod for good and maybe bad), but he has been in the forefront of economic populist issues for a while now, and with the possible notable section of Elizabeth Warren, I don’t know anyone else who can make that claim, as Kyle K. reminds us (NSFW…and apparently Bernie was yelling at the debate last night and that put some people off – sounds like it’s time to fetch the fainting couch)…
…and with all of the yammering by Mango Mussolini about the city of Baltimore, I thought this was a particularly ironic response by Cenk and Ana…
…and yeah, I realize these are more lies from the Gropenfuhrer, this time about 9/11, in light of the health care bill for first responders that was FINALLY passed and signed into law (Ari Melber and Barbara Res tell us)…
…and last Monday marked the 45th anniversary of the death of “Mama” Cass Elliot; I think this is a fitting tune for the occasion (and this clip is actually 50 years old - smh).
I know this really isn’t a surprise, but it looks like the Repugs in Congress were definitely carrying water for Sean Inanity and Fix Noise and others on that accursed network in the matter of their questioning of Special Counsel Robert Mueller last week, which I realize is "dog bites man" stuff (I'm not going to comment on all of the "BUT LOOK OVER THERE!" idiocy of Congressional Republicans, though I will only add that NOT ONE STINKING WORD of the Steele Dossier has been disproven, and that wasn't even the impetus behind Mueller's investigation anyway - it was George Papadopoulos running his mouth to that Australian diplomat in Great Britain - and one of the congressional Repugs was actually dumb enough to give away the game and preface his question by saying “According to Gregg Jarrett” – heh – more here…)...
…and kudos to CNN anchor Victor Blackwell for showing some commendable humanity in the face of the rank racism and prejudice emanating from our Orange Pustule in An Oval Office – Brian Tyler Cohen explains...
Oh, and when it comes to “infested” areas of this country, I give you this...
By most measures, the poorest area in the United States is McCreary County in Kentucky. Poverty is so awful there that the life expectancy is six years lower than the rest of the nation. It's in the 5th Cong. Dist. Their congressman is Hal Rogers, a Republican. Fuck you. https://t.co/oOk5nxMZuG
Update 8/4/19: I think this is a terrific post on this subject from Jon Perr of Daily Kos.
…and speaking of red state “infestation,” you might say, it looks like something in the neighborhood of 15, 600 people may have died because their states refused Medicaid expansion under the Affordable Care Law - John I. and Ana of TYT explain…
Update 7/30/19: Sad but true here...
As a healthcare lawyer I know: losing rural hospitals devastates communities, in terms of access to care + local jobs. ZERO states that have refused to expand Medicaid are controlled by Dems. Health policy is state policy. GOP state legislators are killing people + communities. https://t.co/C6PBCZPhJR
..and I have to admit that I found this item to be typically ridiculous involving MoDo of the New York Times – “my dad was a cop, so I automatically am one of the rabble, like you,” or something…hey, good for Carl Hulse on getting his book published, and sure, go ahead and have a party, but don’t get snippy when you get called out for the very behavior that shows the media/political/industrial complex for what it truly is, which is a gaggle of self-important opportunists – made me recall this clip (I know there are some “Worst Person” segments out there somewhere with Dowd, but I wasn’t able to track down any of them…c’est dommage)…
…and Robert Reich calls out the Repugs for more typical propaganda on raising the federal minimum wage…
…and this seasonal tune goes out to the pitching staff of our own Philadelphia Phillies, except for Aaron Nola and possibly Hector Neris…we were at the game on Saturday against Atlanta, and it’s always a fun time at the ballpark for any reason, but the top of the third inning may have been the worst exhibition of allegedly major league baseball that I’d ever seen…those hideous burgundy uniforms didn’t help either (it was ‘70s retro night, and the best part of that was the movie parodies of “Close Encounters Of The Third Kind” and “Monty Python And The Holy Grail” with the Phanatic)…yes, Atlanta is a good hitting team, and the REAL problem with the pitching as far as I’m concerned is poor drafts when Ruben Amaro was the GM, but what’s done is done.
I get impatient with Fareed Zakaria of CNN since I think he dances across that pundit line between intelligence and idiocy with disturbing frequency, but I have to admit that he absolutely nailed it here on the matter of U.S. defense spending, as Kyle K. tells us (Kyle gets points for mentioning Smedley Butler, but he loses those points for also mentioning that fool Jimmy Dore)…
…and this clip is about a week old, but I think it’s still noteworthy unfortunately…Rachel Maddow tells us about a three-year-old forced to choose which parent to stay with, her father or mother, and yeah, this has to do with the border atrocities again (makes me recall the climactic scene of this a bit) – the family was ultimately allowed to stay in the U.S., but the medical circumstance on the part of one of the parents (heart surgery apparently) should have precluded any discussion about separation, and Maddow's report also notes the religious protests…oh, but please tell me again, New York Times and MSNBC, how Trump “won” the Mueller hearing and how it was a supposedly a great day for the GOP…we have a “president” who is completely and utterly compromised by a foreign hostile power – what planet do you people live on? And oh yes, “Old Gray Lady,” how I so crave your “Trump Voter In Trump Country” profiles (here) – definitely being sarcastic...
…and I would say that this is a completely apt wingnut response to the prior clip, unfortunately, from Sam Seder and the “Majority Report” crew…I think Sam is completely spot-on with his “wingnut self-help” theory…kind of scares me how well I know people like the ones profiled in this clip – not passing judgement of course since, as people, they’re no better or worse than I, but my God, are they brainwashed and misinformed!…
…and Ana and the TYT folks tell us about Daniel Leonard of Toms River, NJ, whose life apparently would be fulfilled if freshman Dem U.S. House Rep Rashida Tlaib were to be killed – oh, and for good measure, let’s make fun of Ilhan Omar again; if something is medically wrong with Leonard, then I hope he gets the help he needs, but as far as I’m concerned, he should be removed from his position on the school board and face prosecution for this…
..and speaking of Omar, I give you this in the annals of Repugs Behaving Badly, Part The Infinity as Charlie Pierce might say; this has to do with someone who has declared to run against the freshman Dem U.S. House rep (again, as with Leonard, if this person needs medical help, I hope she gets it, but if you have these anxiety issues, why would you even dream of a job in public life?)…
…and it looks like Robert Greenwald and Brave New Films have done it again, this time with a feature on voter disenfranchisement in Georgia; I’m old enough to recall the days when we would complain at the U.N. if third-world countries or even industrialized nations would pull crap like this…
…and wow, this sure is some Grade A snark aimed at someone in public life who deserves it by the truck load (and to help Sara Gideon, vying to be the Dem challenger against Susan Collins, please click here)…
…and I don’t know if all of this means that “moderation” is the watch word for the day or not, but I do know that this is a cool tune, so here it is.
Apparently Special Counsel Robert Mueller, being the “by the book” guy that he is, pretty much steered whatever questions he got about Mango Mussolini’s obstruction and all-but-legally-provable collusion with Russia in the 2016 election back towards his report, but as Brian Tyler Cohen points out, that was still pretty damn incriminating by itself…of course, the Trumpsters will just yell that it’s all a plot to malign their hero and nothing more (and just how big a boob is Ken Buck anyway?)…
…and with that in mind, Robert Reich gives us the real reasons to try and remove the Gropenfuhrer (one of the most clear-headed cases I’ve heard yet in support of the “I” word)…
…and yeah, this is great – cops in Louisiana make jokes about AOC getting shot and rightly get fired…let’s see if these clowns get shuffled around to a police department somewhere else (as Cenk and Ana tell us)…
…and John I. of The Damage Report and Jordan Uhl tell us that Fix Noise thinks a $15 wage is funny (and no, you don’t tip at McDonald’s – I flipped burgers for them, so I can definitely say that; the real takeaway for me is the exchange by John and Uhl at the very end)…
…and Thom Hartmann speaks “across the pond” with Victoria Jones about Boris Johnson, the new PM of Great Britain (yep, it’s all playing out exactly the way our former ol’ buddy Vlad Putin wants...not sure how Thom could have forgotten about Roger Ailes)…
...and happy 75th birthday to guitarist Jim Armstrong of the band Them, with that singer who went onto a least a little bit of fame as a solo artist, you might say.
This clip from David Pakman includes one of the best discussions about the debit versus the deficit that I’ve heard in a long time; as I and others have pointed out many times before, this issue is something the Repugs use as a cudgel to go after Dems, but when the “party of Lincoln” has any control of government at all…crickets (story has to do with the Gropenfuhrer exploding the deficit to $1 trillion, an amount that is way beyond sinful as far as I’m concerned…not saying Dems are totally innocent on this stuff either, but as Pakman notes, Obama made some progress in cutting the debt down a bit before he was done)…
…and I would say that “something broke” for me too concerning the North Carolina hate fest last week with Adolf Twitler – Farron Cousins explains (and kudos to Benjamin Dixon also)…
…and it looks like some life forms are getting rich over keeping kids in cages, believe it or not, as Kyle K. tells us (and why exactly are these entities considered “non-profit” if they’re pulling in this kind of dough, as Kyle asks?)…
…and it looks like vets in the weed industry have been denied home loans that were supposed to be guaranteed by the VA; I’m not all the way there yet on legalization for recreational use, but I’m there on everything else when it comes to pot, and this Repug/Trumpian policy is typical garbage (and kudos to Dem U.S. House Rep Katherine Clark of MA for fighting it)…
…and a hat tip goes out to David Corn on Twitter for reminding us that yesterday would have been the 75th birthday of legendary Dem U.S. Senator Paul Wellstone of Minnesota; this clip features a tribute from former Dem Senator Al Franken, and yes, I know he has been in the news today (here); I know there were multiple allegations against Franken, and that’s definitely not good, but I know that Franken asked for a Senate ethics committee investigation, but he was denied of that, and that’s not good either…
…and I think we’re going to get some heavy weather in these parts that will break up the heat a bit – hope everyone takes all the needed precautions and can find a cool place to ride things out for a while.
Yeah, Our Treasonous Orange Pustule sure has a way with the ladies, doesn’t he? Of course, it’s no “way” that anyone with any decency would ever want to imitate in any manner whatsoever, as Thom Hartmann explains (and that goes for his sidekick from Indiana also – more here and here, plummeting to new depths every day as per usual)…
…and Stephanie Ruhle tells us how the Gropenfuhrer’s nonsense is playing “outside the Beltway”; I for one don’t appreciate Ruhle’s “far left” framing in that question, but I realize we’re talking about The Comcast Network here…and “abide by the law – work with ICE?”WTF??!! ICE is breaking the law with their warrantless garbage for “detention cities” as opposed to “sanctuary cities”…what BS (more here)! And boy, is Mayor Lightfoot right at the very end about Dems having to present themselves as an alternative…
…and Farron Cousins tells us that you-know-who’s tweets can be introduced in evidence in court…yep, Dems can’t take anything for granted, but 45 can’t win without depressing Dem turnout, though I’m sure the other side and our bought-and-paid-for corporate media will launch more “BUT HER EMAILS!!!” garbage or something similar I’m sure, so our side needs to be ready.
(And by the way, here’s what concerns me – well, ONE of the things anyway: the Dem U.S. House majority is composed of the 43 seats in very swingy districts that could easily flip back to Team R, unfortunately…I hope Pelosi and company are savvy enough to show AOC and “the squad” partnering with other more middle-of-the-road Dems…for lack of a better way to put it…to neutralize the wingnut attacks about how Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Ayanna Pressley, Rashida Tlaib and Ilhan Omar are supposedly so extreme (sure)…the task next year isn’t just to beat Trump, but at a minimum, to hold onto the House, and dare we wish for the Senate?…yeah, Kyle, TYT and others will scream about how the four freshman Dems may be “selling out” – let them scream; purity tests don’t mean a damn thing if we lose elections)…
…and I feel like a owe people a bit of an apology for treating Rand Paul as merely an idiot; after watching this clip, I realize what a f*cking cowardly monster this guy truly is – he SERIOUSLY THINKS HE SHOULD BE APPLAUDED FOR DENYING HEALTH CARE TO 9/11 FIRST RESPONDERS…it’s pretty plain what Paul is from this video, but anyone in Kentucky who votes for him or supports him with these hateful remarks now in the public domain is as reprehensible as he is (Brian Tyler Cohen also tells us about Paul’s other lies, specifically on tax cuts raising revenue, which WILL NEVER, EVER HAPPEN!).
Update 7/26/19: Yep, definitely positive news here, but I'll celebrate when that Orange Pustule actually signs it into law.
…and I’m sure Elijah Cummings is speaking for nearly all of us here – kudos big time for this; still silence from this guy, though…
…and on the subject of race, I couldn’t let the week go by without this item from our illustrious Repug U.S. House rep from the commonwealth of PA (well, one of them – and yes, I’m definitely being tongue-in-cheek here), and that would be Mike Kelly, who considers himself “colored” also (here)…no word on whether or not Kelly will ever have to sit in the back of a bus if he takes mass transit…made me recall this item from the archives…
…and tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of Apollo 11 astronaut Neil Armstrong’s walk on the moon, along with Buzz Aldrin (here and here); I thought this was an interesting clip about the portrayal of outer space in the movies…
…and this selection is probably predictable, but all the same, here’s a tune for the occasion.
Brian Tyler Cohen tells us here that that corrupt, cowardly fool Rand Paul, Repug U.S. Senator from Kentucky of course, has blocked the bill to re-authorize the 9/11 health care fund for the first responders; Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao didn’t stand in the way of reauthorization by all appearances, but among other things, this shows once again that he can’t control his caucus (more here)…
…and if I were to take not that wild of a guess, I’m sure that a few voters who felt the way these life forms do as shown in this video managed to vote for Paul (and are getting ready to do the same for McTurtle next year as well, to say nothing of the Gropenfuhrer himself...yeah, he sure brings back the "many people" lying "tell" at the drop of the proverbial hat, doesn't he?)…
…and in a similar vein, I agree wholeheartedly with Farron Cousins for what it’s worth; this may be one of his best clips…
…and I think Sam Seder is spot-on here – Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator Wannabe is just going to keep stoking his base like there’s no tomorrow, and hopefully for him, there won’t be, electorally speaking (and on the matter of how well the stock market is supposedly doing, I give you this)…
…and with all this dreck in mind, I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 7/18/16; just taking a relatively short trip this time – don’t think I need to add much to this, except to say that it may be even more true now than it was when the HRC campaign first put it together and aired it…
...and please be careful with the heat, people (in particular for anyone in these parts).
It looks like Huckleberry Graham needed to retreat to his “safe space” on Fix Noise to tell us that everything is just fine with the migrant detention facilities; we also get to see VP Mike Pence feigning interest (and gee, here’s a thought – eventually, one way or another, I’m sure most of these people will get out; wonder how long it will take for them to be radicalized, assuming they aren’t already? Ana Kasparian, Brooke Thomas, and Jayar Jackson discuss…good point by Ana at the end about us giving up civil liberties under Bushco, sadly)…
…and Stephen Colbert tells us about the Gropenfuhrer vs. “the squad”; it seems like the gambit for our ruling cabal of criminals, frauds and idiots is to try and drive a wedge between the U.S. House Dem “frosh” class and the middle-of-the-road bunch that calls the shots in the House – yep, as Jeff Daniels said, time to press that race button again to try and bring independents over to the “party of Lincoln”; God willing it won’t work – as noted earlier, it’s all about revving up their base first and foremost – but we have about 15 months to find out, and more importantly, to do something in response…
…and I thought this was a pretty cogent analysis of the voting electorate in this country from Thom Hartmann (including more disgusting immigration games from Mango Mussolini…if, God forbid, our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator – God forbid – manages to pull off re-election next year, the blame indeed will fall directly at the feet of “boomer” white males, which is the generational cohort for yours truly)…
…and Robert Reich tells us about the pain inflicted by corporate welfare (hopefully I won’t have any more issues with putting up Reich’s great videos)…
…and RIP Supreme Court Justice John Paul Stevens – Rachel Maddow talks with Cliff Sloan, a former clerk for the acclaimed SCOTUS justice…
…and this may be my new favorite song (will be getting back to the summer tunes again soon).
Ana and the “Young Turks” crew tell us about the congressional testimony from AOC and the other Dem U.S. House freshman members after their trip to the border (good “collective mind” point made by Aida Rodriguez)…
…and of course, this led to the inevitable meltdown from “Mango Mussolini” (though there was some mild Repug push-back, if you can call it that, as noted here, but nothing so far from this guy…slightly NSFW)…
Update 7/18/19: Fitzpatrick may be poising himself on a glide path for re-election next year with votes like this; he still votes with Trump about 70 percent of the time on other stuff, but he's canny enough to know how to neutralize avenues where he could be challenged by a Dem...hate to admit this stuff, but it's true, and he's doing the right thing again.
…and Kyle mentions the Gropenfuhrer winning (for now) on an emoluments clause case (this is why Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao and his minions care more about packing the courts with right-wing nutjobs than anything else…commendable by Kyle not to drop any "F" bombs here; not sure I would have been able to restrain myself)…
...and happy 70th birthday to Trevor Horn of The Buggles (and Yes also - clip ends at about 3:32).
Brian Tyler Cohen presents this clip of AOC standing tall once again on the issue of what you could call “self-rationing” of health care; I detected an awful lot of empty seats at that hearing, and I’m sure you did also…maybe there was a good reason for that, I don’t know, but I’m just sayin’...
…and speaking of health care, yes, this is wonderful news…unfortunately, Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao may “table” it in the Senate, and please believe me when I tell you I want to be wrong (I trust McConnell on absolutely nothing...more here)…
…and I apologize for presenting this somewhat extended clip of lying from The Gropenfuhrer, this time on the environment, but it’s necessary to do so to show some commendable push-back from Shep Smith of Fix Noise (Cenk and Ana explain...more here)…
…and here’s a sentence I didn’t think I’d ever write – it looks like former Confederate general Nathan Bedford Forrest is going to get a commemoration today (here)…
…and yesterday marked the 40th anniversary of the carnage from Disco Demolition Night in Comiskey Park in Chicago (here; yeah, I’m inclined to look at it a bit as a “cultural event” also)…
…and I guess, as far as the Repugs and providing comprehensive health care to the vast majority of this country is concerned (referencing the first clip), the title of this tune says it all.
Rachel Maddow and Jacob Soboroff brought us this recent report about punishment and sexual assault against immigrants crossing over to this country from Mexico at a detention facility in Yuma, AZ ("alleged," let's not forget; more here - uh huh...don't hold your breath waiting for the USCCB to say anything about this too…and yes, I looked and I couldn’t find anything…this is all happening in our name, people!)...
…and I know I touched on this a bit on Wednesday also, but I don’t think it hurts to do it again…the “crotch couch” at Fix Noise is apparently thrilled that people in this country have to work multiple jobs – yeah, that sure figures, doesn’t it…love to see what kind of swag Hegseth and co. pull in annually (David Pakman tells us more…I would ask that you pay particular attention to this clip from about 4:00 to about 5:00)...
…and Farron Cousins tells us about the Gropenfuhrer auctioning off strippers as a golf promotion that’s supposed to benefit a children’s charity; the charity got wind of it and quite properly bailed (yeah, imagine what would happen if Trump didn’t have the magic “R” after his name…I still can’t believe that I’m talking about a sitting President of the United States here)…
…and John I. and Jayar Jackson of “The Damage Report” tell us about Dem U.S. House Rep Ilhan Omar responding to Swanson TV Dinner Fortune Heir Tucker Carlson and his racist insults…sadly, I’m afraid John and Jayar may be correct; one of these days, some numbskull is likely to take a shot at her or someone in our courageous Dem class of U.S. House reps (and please keep them in mind for the next clip also)…you don’t know how much I want to be completely wrong about that…
…and it’s time once more for another installment of “This Day in Doomsy History” (more or less) from 7/10/08. But before I go to the clip, I think I need to set this up a bit.
Yes, I’ve recently defended House Speaker Nancy Pelosi on the question of impeaching Adolf Twitler in An Oval Office (here). Even with public support moving solidly in their favor (here, among Dems anyway), I still think you need to slow-walk this somewhat to try and avoid the inevitable pitfalls (also, I think this would prolong the media exposure, which could be beneficial if Dem candidates present a solid alternative to the voters also and not just run on “I’m Not Trump”).
However, as far as I’m concerned, I’m not seeing much “fire” from the people in charge of “Team D” in Washington, D.C. Yes, I realize that there are SO MANY OUTRAGES from Our Clueless, Tiny-Handed Treasonous Orange Meat Sack that’s it’s hard to determine which ones to take on first, but I think I need to point out that the other side has NO PROBLEM WHATSOEVER blasting away at whatever real or imagined “target” they want. As usual, I see the Dems, as a party, being led on standing up to President Fergus Laing instead of leading the charge themselves. Worse, when some from the commendable U.S. House freshman class DO STAND UP, such as AOC, Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib or Ayanna Pressley, they are at best ignored and at worst vilified by Pelosi, Schumer, Hoyer, etc.
Much has been made of the role of the Teahadists in taking over Congress in 2010 (and as far as I’m concerned, there was nothing “spontaneous” about them, including the rant by that clown Rick Santelli that allegedly brought that wretched group into being). I would argue that two factors that loomed at least as large as the role of the tea heads was the congressional Dem cave-in on FISA (here) as well as the attacks on ACORN that eventually led to the group’s demise. The ACORN stuff was Repug Playbook 101 – when they’re out of power, focus on an “issue” which is actually inconsequential bullshit to rile their base (and also muck up the process of anything approximating good government). We know what eventually happened on FISA, and I don’t recall a spirited, unified party response on ACORN either (though a defense of ACORN is noted here).
And I guarantee you that one person who understood everything I just pointed out was Dem U.S. Senator Ted Kennedy, which is why he was so thoroughly vilified (like Bill Clinton, the worst personal stuff he did came from his own hand, you might say, instead of something from “the other side”). Even when this man had a freaking brain tumor, he still roared like the “liberal lion” he truly was. This clip is Kennedy speaking out against the NSA and warrantless surveillance; this is how the U.S. congressional Dem “leadership” should be reacting to the Trumpian outrages that seemingly inflict us without end (and once more, the truly sad part about this is that the U.S. Congress, including the Dems of course, gave Bushco what they wanted anyway despite Kennedy’s commendable push-back).
(Oh, and on a somewhat related note, I give you this and this. I think Cenk, Ana, Kyle K. and company kind of go overboard at times with their purity tests against corporate Democrats, but I agree with Cenk’s analysis over Amy McGrath and whether or not she supports “Schlitz” Kavanaugh. This one isn’t difficult, people – a “D” should not support Kavanaugh for ANY reason, and I don’t care if you’re talking about a red, purple, blue or whatever state. I’m inclined to agree that McGrath is getting crappy consulting on this one, and yeah, I blame Schumer too…kind of disgusting to see Pelosi get over-analyzed at every opportunity, while Schumer gets a pass by comparison for goofs like this.)
So with that admittedly boring setup out of the way, I now present Kennedy speaking out against warrantless surveillance…
...and happy belated 60th birthday to Suzanne Vega.
Actually, based on this, McConnell isn’t anywhere near 33 percent, though I’m sure that number will tighten up as the election goes forward (it also tells me, among other things, that it’s definitely time for Bob Menendez to declare that this will be his last term in the U.S. Senate…as I’ve said before, the Repugs ran that total stiff Bob Hugin against him last time, and they won’t make that mistake again)…and to help Dem U.S. Senate candidate Amy McGrath, click here (again, I’m not sold on reparations I admit, but my family never owned slaves or “redlined” anyone out of the housing they wanted either)…
…and Al Jazeera tells us about U.S. UK Ambassador Kim Darroch quitting; yeah “Mango Mussolini” (hat tip to Aliza Worthington at C&L for that one – heh) deserves a lot of blame here, but according to the report, let’s not forget Boris Johnson’s role in this too (Johnson may end up as the next British PM, which would make Trump and Putin happy of course)…
…and NowThis tells us about the arrest of that alleged monster Jeffrey Epstein (and Trump Labor Secretary Alex Acosta should have already been fired over it, but again, we're talking about someone working for the Gropenfuhrer)…
…and I know I’ve already spent waay too much time on that Fix Noise fathead Jesse Watters, but yeah, “many people” sure is a “tell,” isn’t it? (Sam Seder and the TMR crew explain)…
…and sticking with the network that remains The Demon Spawn of Roger Ailes, I realize it would be messed up to advocate violence, and I’m definitely not doing that, but if I did, I might be motivated to hope for someone to “go medieval” on Donald Luskin’s punk ass after watching this (that statistic on CEO earnings made me want to puke…and I think Luskin once said “I Am John Galt”…self-entitled prick)…
…and I feel like I need a bit of a “palate cleanser” of a musical selection after that clip, so here it is.
It appears that Fix Noise wasn’t able to “control the narrative,” you might say, on the occasion of the U.S. Women’s Soccer Team winning yet another World Cup – kudos; Brian Tyler Cohen gives us his analysis…
…and Kyle tells us about Ro Khanna standing tall once again against Maria Bartiromo and her typical wingnut talking points against Bernie Sanders; I have to admit that the pro-Bernie folks are apt to overdo it at times as far as I’m concerned, but it kind of cracks me up a bit that he’s the only one of the current field who ran in ’16, which makes him the contender by default by my estimation, but all I keep hearing about from our corporate media is Biden and MAYOR PETE! – “oh, and by the way, Elizabeth Warren and Kamala Harris (both worthy IMHO) are tied for third”…
…and I give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 7/5/12; given that Dem state senator Katie Muth of our beloved commonwealth recently went viral reading the letter from constituent John Boyd who was able to work his way back from poverty (and reading it over that fathead Jake Corman who continually tried to yell over her), I thought it would be a good idea to revisit this clip from columnist Gil Smart, very much in a similar vein (and I was sorry to hear about this – hope Smart is OK).
(And by the way, I think it’s worth it to mention for about the thousandth time or so, that, to be honest, the example of Boyd is something that you would think Repugs would be happy about because it shows someone trying to be self-sufficient…I mean, you would think so, except for the fact that the Repugs just want to punish anyone who likely won’t vote for them of course, along with the fact that they HATE IT when government does anything constructive at all.)…
…and I also have to admit that I didn’t think Bruce with a pedal steel guitar would work for me, but it does.
Ana and Cenk of TYT tell us all about the unholy alliance between Turning Point USA and Geo Group and how Candace Owens is doing the hustle, you might say, for these criminals (to paraphrase Churchill, we’ve pretty much established what Owens is – all we’re negotiating over at this point is her price)…
…and Thom Hartmann gives us some potential reasons why, according Gallup, a majority of Americans are unhappy with the state of things right now (yeah, as Thom more or less says, take your pick)…
…and just when we need “the usual gang of idiots” more than ever – ugh…
...and I now give you today's regional weather forecast.
Yep, it looks like Generalissimo Trump broke the stoo-pid meter once again (here, and more unintended fun is here)...
Update: Hat tip to Daily Kos for this - I don't think we really need to add words to these pictures, do we? Well, maybe except to point out that we used to actually FIGHT regimes like these once.
Update 2: Truly, the memes will never die (here)...and of course, he also messed up the reference to the War of 1812.
…and Farron Cousins makes the case for letting Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Dictator Wannabe continue to live in his Fix-Noise-inflated bubble…
…and oh yeah, the tax bill that every single stinking congressional Repug voted for in December 2017 was nothing but a fraud (we knew that too I realize, but as Robert Reich tells us, now we have data to support that)…
…and I had this tune in mind after the Gropenfuhrer’s latest malaprop (oh, but it’s NEVER his fault of course).
Oh well, it looks like Generalissimo Trump is going to have his military parade, with all the appropriate trappings for a tin-pot dictator – wonder if this story has anything to do with this?...
…and the crew from “The Majority Report” tell us how some world leaders, notably Christine Lagarde, threw some serious shade at Lucretia Bourgeois, as Eric Idle calls her, at the recent G20 summit (and in a related story, I thought some of this was hilarious)…
…and c’est dommage (speaking of Lagarde)…it looks like Dana Loesch and NRA-TV got shot down, you might say – thoughts and prayers (more here)…
...and even though this is slightly NSFW I believe, this is an unusually restrained clip from Mike Molloy, though still an effective one I think, in which he notes the recent comments from former President Carter about the Gropenfuhrer...
…and Thom Hartmann “goes there,” you might say, on just how “in the tank” for Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator the “party of Lincoln” has gone since he parked his ample butt in that big chair in An Oval Office (and Thom mentioned the census – God only knows what that orange pustule is trying to do with that wretched citizenship question…I honestly don’t know what to do about the thorny, and quite well described, problem he sums up at the end, besides to keep fighting, that is)…
Rachel Maddow tells us about the protests against the immigrant detention in concentration camps on our border, as well as the DHS inspector general’s report on the utterly atrocious conditions in which these folks, including many children, are housed (trying not to vomit in my mouth as I watch this)…
…and John I. of The Damage Report tells us about AOC at the camps and her reaction, as well as that of others in the Dem congressional delegation, with the predictable wingnut caterwauling trying to drown them out (good point about how CBP is supposed to be better than ICE – yeah, you would think – oh, but once again, according to the USCCB, the images of the drowned Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and daughter Valeria after trying to cross the Rio Grande “silences politics”...yeah, maybe in the thoroughly compromised imaginations of these “faith leaders” it does…)…
…oh, but instead of our humanitarian “ticking time bomb” crisis at our border, what DO conservatives care about instead? How about a pair of shoes, as Farron Cousins tells us (more here)…
…and I guess communicating my sense of moral indignation gets tiresome at times, but please allow me to do so again once more anyway.
