Nothing to see here as far as the "party of Lincoln" and "Curtsy Kyrsten" are concerned of course - just the U.S. Senate telling the Capitol police force that their lives aren't worth the time and trouble of an investigation into a riot that could have killed them all...
...and this Now This clip tells us about all of the Senate a-holes who voted against the 1/6 commission, along with the same in the House...
...and Francesca Fiorentini and Dr. Rashad Richey tell us that the “Qanon Shaman” nut job’s latest defense is trying to prevent the theft of a congressional muffin...really? (no word as to whether or not he lives on Drury Lane)...
...and the last clip was pretty ridiculous, but this one is scary IMO - it has to do with just how many people out there believe the Qanon garbage and where they get their media (assuming they get any media at all - Cenk and Ana tell us more)...
...and speaking of our corporate media, Robert Reich tells us about the dangers of collective amnesia when it comes to the 1/6 revolt along with other important issues...
I have to admit that I didn’t really realize just how badly broken an institution the United States Senate is until today.
Yes, I strongly suspected that the attempt to form a bipartisan commission to look into the January 6th insurrection would fail (as noted here). But now that it has, for what it’s worth, I’m more enraged than I thought I would be (and yes, I’m just a guy and my lone opinion in the scheme of things isn’t worth anything I’ll admit).
The vote was 54-35 as noted here, but of course, since we’re talking about the U.S. Senate, 60 is the only number that matters (unless you’re talking about reconciliation, which is another discussion).
To be fair, here are the six Republicans who voted in favor of the commission (though of course they’ll stab us in the back soon again to make sure their wingnut base is kept at “full froth”):
Bill Cassidy
Susan Collins
Lisa Murkowski
Rob Portman
Mitt Romney
Ben Sasse
And here are the 9 Repugs and 2 Dems who were absent for the vote (here):
Apparently, Patty Murray had to return home early because of a personal matter. And it seems that there was also some typical BS in “the world’s greatest deliberative body” on a vote over a technology bill related to China yesterday that pushed the 1/6 commission vote until today.
Aside from Murray, though, as far as I’m concerned, every one of these thoroughly compromised frauds who bailed on today’s vote should be forced to explain why on the Senate floor (including this beyond-useless life form from PA, as well as you-know-who).
There is now no excuse whatsoever to NOT abolish the filibuster. And I read a comment from someone on Twitter saying, “Oh, don’t pressure Manchin and Sinema too much, or they’ll flip to become Republican and we’ll lose our majority.”
To which I say – FUCK THEM! Knuckling under to blackmail is the worst thing we can do. Besides, unless they support utterly destroying the filibuster, they might as well be Republicans anyway.
And in case we needed a reminder about why all of this is so important, I offer the following...
...and also, in case anyone still has any doubts about what we’re up against on the other side, Farron Cousins tells us death threats against lawmakers have increased by over 100 percent (which, to me, is even MORE of a reason for the committee that just got voted down...and even though I think Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao is the most contemptible life form on two legs, as much as I despise him, I know it’s wrong to incite violence against him – again, I’m just one guy and definitely not a big deal, but I feel I should say that)...
...and also, in case yet again you thought the other side would somehow find a spine and stand up to the Trumpist insanity that spawned what happened on 1/6...well, you won’t get it from FL guv Ron #DeathSantis for sure, as Francesca and Jayar tell us (and OF COURSE there are "carve outs" in this insane "de-platforming" bill for some, including a certain entertainment company that has a rodent for a logo)...
...and to present an example of the U.S. Senate actually doing something good, I give you this video of Dem Elizabeth Warren (mentioned in the prior clip) grilling JP Morgan Chase chairman and CEO Jamie Dimon on why his bank is still charging overdraft fees which a regulator recommended that they waive...which DImon says they did waive for people under COVID-related stress, or words to that effect, but personally I’d like more info on that because I don’t trust Dimon as far as I can pee...and yeah, as Ana says, “regulators” are supposed to FREAKING REGULATE! And when it comes to “QE,” this is what Ana is talking about (she's rocking it on these segments by herself IMO)...
...and returning to our regularly scheduled COVID plague, David Pakman tells us that our U.S. vaccination map is starting to look a lot like the 2020 electoral map, with the predictable indicators, you might say...
...and David Shuster of Rebel HQ tells us about the recent protests on the one-year anniversary of the death of George Floyd...
...and I’ll admit that I’m a little overdue on this one, but this New York Times clip tells us how the rest of the world views the U.S. on the issue of climate change (and yeah, it’s pretty damn bad, and we deserve all of the ridicule for this issue in particular)...
...and I need a mellow tune as a bit of a "palate cleanser" because, to be honest, I feel like I'm reaching the end of my rope with all of this, so the timing for JT here is perfect.
Someone should find a way to come up with some kind of a memorial for the victims of gun violence in this country, on the order of “the wall” for those lost in the Vietnam War, and allow plenty of room for expansion since I’m sure more names will be added in perpetuity, though I would LOVE to be wrong on that; such a memorial should stretch from the end of one of the chambers of the U.S. Capitol to the other so our lawmakers should have to pass it EVERY SINGLE DAY on their way to work as a testimony to their collective failure to address the epidemic of gun violence. I realize that’s a woefully insufficient solution, but maybe it’s high time that we start shaming these cretins (in response to another mass shooting, this time in San Jose, with reporting in the following video from Vaughn Hillyard and Pete Williams of NBC News...I mean, it’s just another day with a “y” in it, so of course we have another gun-related tragedy, right?)...
...and Chris Hayes gives us a segment on the Biden Administration looking into the “lab leak hypothesis” when it comes to the origins of COVID...I’m not sure how productive an exercise that actually is, but yeah, whatever...I think Hayes says at the end here (kind of diplomatically) that we shouldn’t let Fix Noise mislead us yet again with more of their BS talking points (and I don't wish COVID on anybody, but if I did, it would be this asshat...the Repug KY senator I mean)...
...and the Morning Joe people talk about Republican politicians not meeting with the mother of Ofc. Brian Sicknick, who wants these soulless life forms to support a commission to look into the 1/6 insurrection (to tell you the truth, I’m tired of hearing these explanations from people like Barnicle and especially Michael Steele who, as far as I’m concerned, helped build this Frankenstein monster of an alleged “political party” by not calling these people to account when they should have to prevent their rise to power)...
Update: Yep, nothing but bad faith actors - but we knew that, right? (here).
...and with the prior clip in mind, here is your periodic reminder that the "party of Lincoln" is composed overwhelmingly (but not exlusively) of utter cowards (including this numbskull from our beloved commonwealth)...
...and I think Beau has an interesting theory about Former Generalissimo Trump and Baby Newton Leroy Gingrich teaming up for an updated version on the “Contract on America”...nothing against Beau, but unfortunately he’s probably right...I take from this that the Repugs will have their BS messaging all ready in time for next year, and the Dems had better have the same thing (but good messaging I mean) – I think Beau is absolutely right about the mid-terms being an opportunity to root out Trumpism and us being stuck with these life forms for a while if we don’t (knowing, of course, that Trumpism is just the latest iteration of what the Repugs are all about anyway)...
...and David Doel tells us about the AP sacking Emily Wilder, most likely for her pro-Palestinian advocacy, proving yet again that the very worst thing that someone in corporate media can do is to piss off a conservative (in all likelihood, the militarist wingnut in the U.S. Senate from Arkansas, as noted here)...
...and Mehdi Hasan and Robert Reich give us their take on the “labor shortage” (no disrespect to Hasan or Reich at the end, but the discussion about that anti-Semitic lunatic Marjorie Taylor Greene...and I remembered the “e”...was pointless; none of this matters unless her constituents say “enough is enough”...and I don’t know about the politics “on the ground” in her district, but I’m tempted to say that her antics don’t phase them in the least, sadly)...
Ana and Cenk of TYT tell us that TX Repug Guv Greg Abbott is set to sign off on a bill allowing people to carry guns without a permit if they’re not already banned by state and federal authorities...what could go wrong (all kinds of loopholes to the federal background check system, etc...and yeah, as Cenk says, the cops want to be able to ask about the gun if the person possessing it is the “wrong” skin color)...
...and John and Adrienne Lawrence of The Damage Report tell us that Trumpsters are still going nuts (did they ever stop?), believing that Biden is illegitimate, but the clip also looks at the context of polls where Dems viewed Dubya and Trump the same way (I would argue that there are actual grounds FOR REAL on 43 and 45, but hey, that’s just me I guess...sorry the bar graph is hard to read)...
...though Farron Cousins tells us here that what passes for Republican strategists are apparently mad at Biden because #46 isn’t agitating their beloved, Fix-Noise-ingesting base enough (Biden should hold a press conference in a tan suit and ask for Grey Poupon for his hot dog...the wingnuts will be in a lather for months)...
...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 5/25/10, in which we learn about the trash miniseries “The Kennedys,” which was due to air on The US History Channel that year (produced by utter scumbag Joel Surnow of “24,” pictured above) but was dropped due to commendable pressure from filmmaker Robert Greenwald and others as noted here...the program ended up airing on ReelzChannel in this country in February the next year, as noted here...
...and with our 35th president in mind, I should note that yesterday also marked the 60th anniversary of JFK launching his goal of landing a man on the moon before a joint session of Congress (here - speech in the clip with the same theme is an address to Rice University in 9/62)...
...and happy belated 63rd birthday to Paul Weller (of The Jam and Style Council).
Brian Tyler Cohen tells us that Peter Douchebag of Fix Noise recently tried to goad White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki into taking some kind of imaginary blame for COVID casualties in this country, despite this and this – yeah, unmitigated gall at a minimum by this lickspittle, meaning Douchey of course (and gee, nepotism much?)...
...and K.O. informs us that, collectively, the “party of Lincoln” doesn’t want to go along with a committee to look into what happened on 1/6 (some exceptions are here, with strings attached of course)...fine – let’s just go right to the special prosecutor, then (NSFW/H)...
...and this Don Winslow video reminds us of what happened on 1/6 before our corporate media tries to flush it down the memory hole, framed against the mind-numbing stupidity of the remarks from GA Repug U.S. House Rep Andrew Clyde...
...and John and Viviana V. tell us about this life form named Anthony Bouchard of Wyoming, who apparently is running for the U.S. House against Liz Cheney; most Repugs have some kind of baggage, and in Bouchard’s case, it’s a real doozy...seems he impregnated a 14-year-old girl when he was 18, so he’s basically guilty of statutory rape – oh, but the girl killed herself tragically...this guy has no business whatsoever in public life, and probably should be in prison at this point (and Bouchard called it a “Romeo and Juliet” romance – from what I remember from that play, Romeo killed himself – just sayin’)...
...and Lawrence O’Donnell speaks with Neal Katyal, Former U.S. Principal Deputy Solicitor General, who discusses the Biden Administration’s appeal of Judge Amy Berman Jackson’s decision to release the Bill Barr memo on not prosecuting Trump during the Robert Mueller probe (yeah, I think this is definitely disappointing by Biden also...I get it that presidents are loathe to do anything that could limit their power or authoritah based on past precedent, but the best I can say about this move is that it’s an unforced error)...
...and RIP Muscle Shoals drummer Roger Hawkins, who rocked it on many famous tunes, including this one.
Rachel Maddow tells us the latest on the infrastructure bill...and I don’t think Biden should cut anything to make idiot Republicans happy...OF COURSE the “party of Lincoln” doesn’t want broadband investment since that means that folks in rural areas would be able to get media aside from Fox, Sinclair and right-wing radio...
...and David Pakman tells that only half of rural voters know the COVID relief came from Dems...yet another example of crappy messaging on social media by team “D” (with the Repugs being typically lying dishonest actors as usual) though, as noted above, broadband access is critical for rural voters to find out what’s is going on since these folks mostly get their info from TV and radio, which is pretty much a dinosaur unless you’re talking about satellite vs. commercial...
...and Thom H. tells us how the Repugs have become the party of bullies (and I’m shocked to give props to Meghan McCain, but she’s right)...
...and John and Viviana V. of The Damage Report tell us that the Capitol police security bill BARELY passed 213-212 – kind of torn on “the squad” making a stand here, but they’re definitely right to wonder why this vote was scheduled NOW BEFORE any findings of the 1/6 commission (that has yet to be seated of course); the problem with what happened on 1/6 wasn’t because the Capitol police didn’t have enough funding...it was because Trumpsters like Chris Miller didn’t get help to the cops in time, and the complaint about funding the cops vs. providing relief where it’s needed to people who are likely to be stopped by police is also very spot-on...
...and Letitia James, the New York AG, has joined the criminal and civil legal effort by SDNY against the Gropenfuhrer (with the same, tired predictable response of course – Farron Cousins explains)...
...and more info on that is here..
...and this clip from More Perfect Union tells us that Don Mullen Jr., formerly of Goldman Sachs, is trying to make $$ off the COVID-19 housing crisis along with other scumbag equity firm managers at Pretium Partners and Ares Management (can’t think of a pit in hell deep enough for life forms like this guy)...
...and I'm not going to try and wax any of his lyrics to try and sound clever, but I'll just say happy 80th to "mistah Bob"; whether or not he chooses to actually enjoy it is up to him.
Gee, it sure didn’t take “Bibi” too long to break the cease fire between the Israelis and Palestinians, did it (David Doel tells us that the Israeli security forces recently raided the al-Aqsa mosque)...
...and Brian Tyler Cohen tells us that Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy recently complained about the House mask mandate, which is being kept in place by Pelosi (and rightly so) because the idiots in McCarthy’s own caucus won’t get vaccinated...
