Seth Meyers tells us about the Gropenfuhrer holding another hate fest, this time in our beloved commonwealth (gotta love the “fib bit” thing; totally fits for him - I personally think we should start a tourism boycott of places where Our Treasonous Orange Meat Sack spews his bile, and if that includes PA, so be it)…
Update 8/18/19: And yeah, this sure figures, doesn't it?
…and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Minnesota farmers unhappy with Trump (I wonder how many of those MAGA, Trump-cheering idiots in PA and New Hampshire know about this, or care)…
…and Farron Cousins of Ring of Fire tells us about “Adolf Twitler” musing about trying to purchase Greenland – video basically ends at about 3:20 (and I think this is way too damn funny in response)…
…and Willie Geist of “Morning Joe” talks with Jonathan Swan about companies pushing back against Generalissimo Trump on immigration – about freaking time (“the benefits of tax reform have worked themselves through the economy,” huh? Not for me, they haven’t – and about China and agriculture, see the first video…Joe Scar takes a while to ask his question, but I think Swan is right about people overcompensating on the whole “wobbles” thing…and my 401(k) is breaking even at this point, but that’s about it, so to hell with that talking point)…
…and here are a couple of more memorable tunes to commemorate the 50th anniversary of Woodstock.
Rachel Maddow tells us about a recent Pentagon white paper on how Russians move in and take over in countries that they consider “targets,” and it looks like the US of A qualifies for that, sadly…pretty damn amazing “A” block on Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao (sorry she hurt her leg on vacation, but I would definitely say that took lemons and made lemonade, you might say)…
To me, it will be absolutely beyond belief if congressional Democrats (to say nothing of Democrats in McConnell's home state) can’t make the case that maybe investment in a Kentucky aluminum plant by a Russian targeted for sanctions might not have been necessary if “Moscow Mitch” hadn’t blocked all of the infrastructure bills that could have helped stimulate actual U.S. investment, instead of having to go “hat in hand” to a foreign hostile power (and I don’t think it would take too much imagination to tie the actions of the “Grim Reaper” to blocking election security bills either).
This tells us about McConnell blocking infrastructure spending in December 2016.
This tells us about McConnell doing the same thing earlier this year because he was apparently PO’ed that “Adolf Twitler” vetoed a short-term funding bill that passed the Senate by unanimous consent (particularly pathetic that we’re talking about the same political party for both of these cretins).
This tells us that, in spite of that, McConnell does indeed take his lead from the Orange Pustule on the issue of pretending to care about infrastructure.
And oh yeah, trying to wreck the climate vis-à-vis infrastructure is definitely a feature, not a bug (here).
Also, blocking infrastructure spending goes back at least to the Obama Administration, as noted here (and probably much further than that).
So, McConnell, in addition to blocking smart investment in his state (which would be economically stimulative also, let’s not forget), is also responsible for the treason of allowing a foreign hostile power to embed itself in his state so it can wield economic influence and subvert any and all sanction in the event that it decides to interfere in our elections again.
Didn’t we used to shoot or hang people in the past who did stuff like this? Just asking...
…and I thought this was a pretty good summation of the news that Dem U.S. House Reps Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib will now be barred from entering Israel (I think this video pretty much says it)…
…and oh yeah, the Dow lot 3 percent of its value on 8/14 (Cousins kind of bungles the start but regroups and does a good job IMHO – I’d never heard his “three little pigs” analogy before, but yeah, it fits)…
…and here’s another great Woodstock tune to commemorate the 50th anniversary.
It looks that that mistake from Iowa’s Fourth District in the U.S. House of Representatives showed his true color again today (I would say “colors” but apparently only white registers as far as Steve King is concerned; I really hope the voters in King’s district finally wake the hell up and dispatch King to wingnut talk radio and Fix Noise, where he would have nothing whatsoever to do with public life ever again– to do something about this, click here)…
…and Seth Meyers gives us the latest on Generalissimo Trump’s conspiracy theory BS, as well as that nut Jeanine Pirro…I’m getting the message that Meyers is probably more than fed up over having to provide a voice of reason in opposition to this insanity, and I don’t blame him at all, but he’s holding up pretty well to his credit…
…and Sam Seder and The Majority Report let us know about the truly awful Ken Cuccinelli telling us that, well, that stuff on the Statue of Liberty from Emma Lazarus really didn’t apply to that brown-skinned horde on the southern border – JFC (and great point about what tax breaks really are - “cultivating a more favorable electorate” indeed)…
…and John I. of “The Damage Report” tells us about Chris Cuomo giving it back to a wingnut heckler…and GREAT point about the Gropenfuhrer trying, stupidly as you might expect, to try and attach the issue of gun control to this somehow – I don’t think anyone else in the universe besides Mango Mussolini imagines any kind of equivalency here…
…and according to Lex Luthor Scott, we need to cut taxes to find our way to prosperity– again…please – as actor Bradley Whitford said forever ago about the Repugs, “Tax cuts are their Jesus” (Farron Cousins explains)…
…and as most of us know, tomorrow marks the 50th anniversary of Woodstock (from 8/15 – 8/18/69) – here is one legendary tune, and I’ll plan to have at least one more soon.
Farron Cousins tells us about the U.S. Army veteran in Montana who fractured a boy’s skull when the 13-year-old did not remove his hat for the national anthem – and no, I never in my life thought I would ever be typing these words either (I’m glad Cousins looked beyond the headlines a bit here…because one life was severely traumatized, another will be also…a Stars and Stripes story on this is here)…
…and speaking of out-of-control behavior from the MAGA crowd, I give you this video of an incident that took place uncomfortably close to Le Manse Doomsy…
…and the prior two clips make this moment featuring “the paper of record” even more absurd as far as I’m concerned (Sam Seder continues his discussion with Heather Digby Parton; I’d be perfectly happy just posting clips of the two of them discussing news stories of the day – hope you would too – more on the headline in question is here)…
…and hey, who knew that Tucson, AZ city council meetings could be such a bangin’ good time; apparently “green shirt guy” was just the tip of the proverbial iceberg when it came to making a public statement…
…and believe it or not, yesterday marked the fifth anniversary of the passing of Robin Williams (the clip is definitely NSFW but funny as hell of course)…
…and this post started out pretty dark for a good reason given the initial clip, but I’m going to try and end it on a high note with this summer tune.
I think this is a Nail. Hammer. Head. commentary from Chris Hayes, a superb example of connecting the dots, something our corporate media in general steadfastly refuses to do (here)…
…and I have to admit that it never occurred to me that the Mississippi ICE raid could be payback for losing a lawsuit, but knowing the regime of Generalissimo Trump, it wouldn’t surprise me in the least (to get workers to stop complaining…and yeah, so what if the little girl is crying her eyes out…as long as the usual suspects get their freaking tax cuts – I’d honestly like to know which Democrats Ashlee Marie Preston is accusing when it comes to benefiting from this horror show, though Cenk makes a great point right after Preston’s inanity about the Dems not pushing back the way they’re supposed to)…
…and Kyle tells us about “Operation Clean Sweep” in Boston, and that’s a pretty benign name for the awfulness that they’re doing with the homeless population – “When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail” indeed (and yes, we should have a national program for sheltering the homeless, but all you have to do is yell “Section 8 Housing” and people totally lose what’s left of their minds…NSFW)…
…and the whole Jeffrey Epstein thing really isn’t my “beat,” as it were (here), and I’m not sold on the veracity of this clip, but this is interesting if nothing else; the only thing I have to say about this is the highly unoriginal observation that anyone who had sex with minors, otherwise known as rape, that was facilitated by Epstein should go to prison, and I don’t care what their political party is/was…
…and Sam Seder and the Majority Report crew talk with Heather Digby Parton about Our Treasonous, Tiny-Handed Orange Dictator Wannabe (interesting to draw a line here back to the ‘60s protests, which I think is completely correct)…
…and here comes another summer tune – hope the weather is fine where you are too.
Chris Hayes tells us about corporate America’s sucking up to the Gropenfuhrer in the way of high-priced fundraisers (and Josh Marshall makes a GREAT point about Citizens United saying that speech is really public – can’t try to put that metaphorical genie back in the bottle by making speech private again when it’s con-vee-nient – also, Elie Mystal just kills it here)…
…and Brian Tyler Cohen brings us Shep Smith responding to our Treasonous, Tiny Handed Orange Wannabe Dictator (not surprised to see Smith handle “Adolf Twitler” like a boss – nicely done)…
…and I thought this was an informative NowThis clip about automatically blaming mental illness as a cause of gun violence – yes, look at the data, but DO SOMETHING ABOUT THE FREAKING GUNS TOO!!!...and I realize “red flag” laws are literally better than nothing, but I don’t see how they could be of much use unless accompanied by supporting data that truly indicates that the subject whose gun is being apprehended is truly a threat…
…and with the dominant theme of the week in mind, I now bring you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 8/7/12 – Tucson survivors “demand a plan” from Obama and Willard Mitt Romney on gun violence; should have intended this message for Congress also, but it was definitely spot-on (and yeah, speaking of weapons of death, it seems like we have a story nearly every day anymore as noted here, and in a related vein, this is typically deplorable also...I blame the hospital administrator too)...
Update 2: This absolutely should be disqualifying.
...and given all of this gun-related insanity, is this really surprising?…
This was inevitable. America doesn't feel safe to those of who live here, thanks to the NRA. Why would foreign travelers feel safe surrounded by random men carrying around long guns that look like the front lines of a war, and knowing even people you can't tell could be packing? https://t.co/LmpdebdpcU
…also, Thom Hartmann speaks with Yosef Getachew of Common Cause Media and Democracy about Gatehouse merging with Gannett, the two biggest newspaper chains in this country apparently (Gatehouse, based in NY, bought the Bucks County Courier Times a couple of years ago and other papers in the Calkins newspaper chain, and anecdotally I hear that that’s a bad thing…and while, on the one hand, it’s a good thing to have diverse points of view, I would argue that it’s a bad thing if we don’t have the savvy to be discerning about who is trying to inform us and who is trying to con us)…
...and Cenk, John and Mark Thompson discuss the guy who we deported to Iraq who died without his insulin (Jimmy Aldaoud from Detroit – TYT with Cenk, John and Mark Thompson…and boy, am I glad that John made that point about Chicago, as well as his great “one of us” commentary at around 7:00)…
...and David Pakman tells us about Texas Republicans trying to suppress an apparent “hit list” of primary political candidates (and good point about Al Franken as far as I’m concerned – more here)…
…and yesterday marked the 50th anniversary of the iconic cover photo for the Beatles Abbey Road recording (here, and I know there’s yet another anniversary release of material – not sure if I’ll pony up some bucks for that or not) – here is a tune for the occasion.
Seth Meyers tells us about our Orange Pestilence visiting El Paso and Dayton in response to the recent gun-related tragedies (and yeah, “No Corporate Tax” Pat Toomey is full of crap, but we already knew that)…
…and Cenk and Francis Maxwell tell us about yesterday’s ICE raids in Mississippi – more here…good point about the Gropenfuhrer having to go to the Big House for hiring undocumented immigrants, among his myriad other abuses (and here is a comparable take from someone I respect in line with what Cenk said about the business owners being forced to do a “perp walk” also)…
…and Richard Nixon resigned 45 years ago today (here) – despite it all, I thought there was a lot of truth in his parting words, from someone who admittedly did wrong but I think realized it at least a little in the end (the ones from the White House podium before he took the helicopter…and I still think that, if Fix Noise had existed back then, he might have gotten away with the Watergate break-in and the cover-up that followed)…
…and apparently Kacey Musgraves is the latest target of the “shut up and sing” crowd, as noted here …sadly and stupidly typical.
Hey, Toledo, Dayton – what’s the diff to Mango Mussolini (and the outrage particularly from Brooke Thomas is palpable and absolutely called for)…
...and gee, it looks like that “Fancy Farm” gathering for Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao sure included a basket of deplorables, you might say, though they did apologize (and what snowflakes also, and I’m referring to McConnell’s campaign including the spokesman, as Cenk and Ana tell us)…
…and I’m not going to say straight up that Fix Noise is the source of all of this garbage, but they’re absolutely not doing one damn thing about it either except making it worse (here)…
Update: Elizabeth Warren does it again.
We need to call it out: Fox News is a hate-for-profit machine that gives a megaphone to racists and conspiracists. https://t.co/f1QkIE7sbB
I saw Baton Rouge Walmart trending on Twitter, and I said to myself, yep, I know what this is; fortunately, it wasn’t any worse…
And yes, I think this about says it…
Another shooting at a Walmart in Baton Rouge, this time it was two guys with guns in an altercation and a bystander is the one that got shot. You got to love these "good guys with guns". So glad there are so many of them out there. Protecting us.
…and I’m definitely not a fan of Dem U.S. House Rep Tim Ryan, but good for him knowing what his priorities are (and as awful as Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is, I see some stern words from Sen. Charles Schumer on this and other matters, but nothing else – and that’s a scary statistic about the Trumpian judges #MassMurderMitch is ramming through the Senate…and I hope more people pay attention too – long past time for this entire country, not just enlightened segments of it, to wake the f*ck up...I don't think Michael Brooks ever watched a "Snagglepuss" cartoon, or else he would have picked up on Sam's reference)…
…and yeah, I need a bit of a summer “palate cleanser” of sorts, even if it is an admittedly silly video like this one (with a bit of a literary theme I realize).
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).
