Friday Stuff

Let’s go out and work to make sure that the singing of this song by the U.S. House Dem caucus is indeed a taste of what’s to come (here)…

Democrats broke into this chant after House Republicans voted to repeal Obamacare https://t.co/Zoye1Vtk7z pic.twitter.com/grXgyHg9VB

— TIME (@TIME) May 4, 2017

...and you'd better get used to this, all you House Repug idiots who voted for that travesty yesterday - these are protesters outside the office of that turd Fred Upton, a guy who flipped to a "yes" at the last minute...



…and even though the “Gropenfuhrer” lies like the rest of us breathe, it’s still important to hold him to account on this issue in particular…

‘I will protect Medicare and Medicaid’ – President Trump, who just cut over $800 billion from Medicaid pic.twitter.com/JquGPNfQkq

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 5, 2017

…as well as hold to account the rest of the Repug caucus behind this disgusting turn of events (and it figures that they didn’t even know what was in the legislation they voted for)…

Republicans didn't even bother to read their own health care bill before passing it pic.twitter.com/uQaMsSROPc

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 5, 2017

…and Xeni Jardin and Dan Savage talk to Chris Hayes about what the Repugs did on this issue, as well as their ongoing attacks against the LGBTQ community (Jardin’s commentary is particularly powerful, for good reason)…



…oh, and we really did a good job of “supporting the troops” with this Trumpian garbage, didn’t we?...

Veterans are taking to social media to protest Trumpcare pic.twitter.com/HdF12leDa9

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 5, 2017

…and I thought Rep. Joe Kennedy summed all of this up pretty well…

Rep. Joe Kennedy had some choice words for Paul Ryan about the GOP health care bill pic.twitter.com/7LY4yGQS9f

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 5, 2017

…and I feel like we need a musical message in response, among other things – hope this will do.

Thursday Stuff

Yeah, those soulless life forms in the U.S. House did it all right – one great response is here (of course, Dem Rep. Espaillat got gaveled for speaking truth to kleptocracy)…



…and I’m going out of order again with K.O.’s great commentaries – this is his most recent one in response to today’s utterly awful vote by the U.S. House, all to give President Tiny-Handed Clueless Egomaniac a “victory”…



…and Rachel Maddow tells us that the U.S. Senate Repugs have apparently settled on a strategy on Generalissimo Trump and his ties to Russia, and that is to claim that the so-called Christopher Steele dossier is wrong, when in reality, it’s been proven to be right over and over again…yep, when all else fails, just deny reality once more (also, when it comes to Michael Flynn, it’s nothing but the sounds of proverbial silence)…



…and happy birthday to Mike Dirnt of Green Day (yeah, we’re all “still breathing,” despite the Dickensian-era workhouse conditions the “party of Lincoln” would impose on us if they could – and speaking of health care, all the best to Dirnt’s wife in her continued recovery).

Wednesday Stuff

(“Bri-Fi” has problems on other issues to be sure, but credit where it’s due...those clowns in his party are going to try and inflict "Trumpcare" on us again with a vote tomorrow - to fight back, click here.)

And with that in mind, all the very best to Jimmy Kimmel and his brave little boy (here)…

Jimmy Kimmel gave a passionate defense of Obamacare after his newborn's open-heart surgery pic.twitter.com/oMkTRRaByn

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 2, 2017

…and Sam Seder tells us about the budget deal where Number 45 lost "bigly" (and Mo Brooks is lucky that other stupider life forms reside in the U.S. House so he's not the dumbest of all - re, people who "deserve" health care and those who supposedly don't)...



...and K.O. brings the heat again against the "Gropenfuhrer," and in particular his war against free speech...



…and Rachel Maddow talks with historian Michael Beschloss in a similar vein, echoing Generalissimo Trump’s infatuation with dictators…



…and you have to crank the volume for this a bit…sorry that I couldn’t hear the question from the lady in the audience about Social Security, so I can’t really comment on it one way or the other…PA's senatorial mistake Scott Wagner starts haranguing the guy with the camera at about 4:50 before he finally loses it…didn’t know that exercising free speech rights was considered “trespassing” – yeah, “unhinged” is one way to describe PA’s Trumpian candidate for governor (here...more here)…



…and if you like this tune, I should note that the band is coming to the Mann Music Center in these parts on July 31st.

Tuesday Stuff

It's called, zilch, bupkus if you prefer, Mr. "President" (and this is a thoroughly predictable reply from the Anger-Control-Issue-Child-In-Chief)...

Is President Trump ROOTING for a government shutdown? pic.twitter.com/s3VXj1pjJh

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 2, 2017

...and for the record, a spokesman for Andrew Jackson could not be reached for comment...

When it comes to the Civil War, Donald Trump hasn't got a clue pic.twitter.com/SySxgSEPtY

— NowThis (@nowthisnews) May 2, 2017

…and Rachel Maddow talks to Gina McCarthy, former EPA head under Obama (sorry I didn’t have much to say about last weekend’s climate march – wonder if those clueless meat sacks in Harrisburg who cheered Generalissimo Trump give a fig about this stuff? I wonder if they realize that their hero might end up enacting policies that may ULTIMATELY KILL THEM)…



...and another "Foxy" bites the dust, and that would be Bill Shine (Chris Hayes talks to Gabriel Sherman, who broke the story)...



...and while we're discussing the Formerly Roger Ailes BS Factory, I give you “This Day In Doomsy History” once more (more or less – a little early this time) from 5/09/09…more "quote cropping" to try and make Dems look bad of course...



…and I give you a typically crass worldview from the “Trumpsters” on display once more here – the ironic thing I guess is that Ross is probably telling the truth 100 percent (and funny how this Ross-related item seemed to disappear)…put me in enough of a cynical mood to hear this great song.

Monday Stuff

Rachel Maddow interviews Vladimir Kara-Murza, vice chairman of Open Russia (to me, this man is the definition of guts and bravery – of course, this is another casualty of life under election-stealer Vlad Putin…an update is here)…



…and I agree with Kyle K.’s analysis of this exchange between Bill Maher and Elizabeth Warren recently (NSFW – and I think his comment about the anti-establishment candidate was spot-on, and I hope he’s right at the very end)…



Update: I know Kyle has a point in criticizing Maher for attacking the voters, but I just happened to see some polling data on the GA-06 U.S. House Race between Jon Ossoff and Karen Handel, and apparently it’s a virtual tie.

How the hell could this have happened? Is it because Jon Ossoff suddenly forgot how to run a good campaign and present himself as a candidate who could make a difference? Or that, somehow, Karen Handel found a way to actually address core issues important to the voters of that district?

I’m sure the answer to all of these questions is No. It’s probably because the district is being inundated with negative ads against Ossoff and the typical dog whistles from the right that work a majority of pretty-much-low-information voters into a lather. And of course, the response goes out to donations all over the place to try and outspend people who seem to be able to drop a grand like I would drop a $20 bill (thank you once more, High Court of Hangin’ Judge JR, For Citizens United!).

Given that, how is Maher wrong?

I should note that I have no data to back up my argument. I admit that I’m saying this based on past experience, and as always, I’d love to be incorrect on this.

But I don’t think I am. And unfortunately, that makes Maher exactly right.

Update 5/5/17: Concerning GA-06, though, this definitely is good news.

...and I have to tell you that this absolutely knocked me out - of course, the last time someone in this country proposed something like this, he was roundly ridiculed...



…and I’m kind of in the mood for something mellow – hope you are too.