US Politics February 2019: This is one of the great losers of all time.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/31/us/politics/trump-wall-investigations-interview.html

“I lost massive amounts of money doing this job,” he said. “This is not the money. This is one of the great losers of all time. You know, fortunately, I don’t need money. This is one of the great losers of all time. But they’ll say that somebody from some country stayed at a hotel. And I’ll say, ‘Yeah.’ But I lose, I mean, the numbers are incredible.”

So, has anybody suggested he resign yet?

I did the other day

https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/427773-gop-poised-to-rebuke-trump
they're gonna write a sternly worded letter, i tell you what

Why do H4berman and crew still drag themselves to Trump and record and write down these words of lunacy?

Does he actually exude pheromones or something? Are aliens among us?
Hate to think of the guy as the first evil mutant or something.

Assuming news of who Jr called is accurate then congratulations, Trump team, this may be your first apparent exoneration in 2 years. Weird, though, how dad seems just as surprised as anyone else.

Then again...

Wait wait wait. @DonaldJTrumpJr calling Howard Lorber, after his Trump Tower meeting with a Russian agent is supposed to be GOOD news for him?

Howard Lorber.

This Howard Lorber? pic.twitter.com/zE9cAbz5DG

— Eric Schmeltzer (@JustSchmeltzer) February 1, 2019

Why do H4berman and crew still drag themselves to Trump and record and write down these words of lunacy?

hey, we're outta the nuke agreement

all part of Putin's plan

On Christie book:
TRUMP: He was not nice to my people. Some of them. Some of them he was.
HABERMAN: Well your family, he was not totally nice to your family.
TRUMP: No, but he was unbelievably nice to me, actually.
HABERMAN: So, you’re fine with it?"https://t.co/qVgJIXEuVi

— Maggie Haberman (@maggieNYT) February 1, 2019

This is a very serious security situation we are creating by letting the Russians off the hook, perhaps opening the door to a 21st century arms race. Gotta admit that I did not expect to see the word "fantastic" in the statement about it. https://t.co/STuJ4DduGC

— Alexandra Bell (@atomicbell) February 1, 2019

Long term Bolton goal realized

Standard negotiation strategy: set a timer for something to stop working

Coulter just called her former hero a "lunatic"

Maybe she’s a single issue racist

love 2 see right wing infighting

A subset of stupidity is made up of trump supporters who would abandon him because Ann Coulter said so

She was Deep State all along!

It's nice to a circular fire squad not involving Dems/leftists for once.

oh good

BREAKING: Gov. Ralph Northam yearbook page shows blackface and Klan photohttps://t.co/6A89ejp5Ho

— The Virginian-Pilot (@virginianpilot) February 1, 2019

just teens being teens nbd

he was 25

oh didn't even notice it was medical school year book

it was the 80s man nbd

is GOP angling to try and get him to resign or something

weird that this didn't come out ahead of the election tbh

GOP's oppo research is awful, look at all the Trump stuff they got absolutely blindsided with

idk what there is to say about this really apart from it's obviously racist, he should apologize for it, and then move on

Florida's secretary of state resigned last week after blackface photos emerged. Can't he resign? Is the lieutenant governor a Dem?

I imagine there was a renewed effort to dredge up dirt on Northam because of this nonsense: https://www.vox.com/2019/2/1/18205428/virginia-abortion-bill-kathy-tran-ralph-northam

Yes, and african anerican

Xp

Wait, it's not even him? his yearbook photo is on a page across from the offensive stuff? why should he resign?

oh, I see. it's on his personal page? ouch.

what sort of yearbook editor even puts that photo in wtf

yeah, and in 1984.

the year Revenge of the Nerds came out

anyway yeah idgaf about Northam, this guy seems fine: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Justin_Fairfax

Fairfax gave the commencement speech at my nephew's graduation, he seems awesome - I was impressed

you know maybe the GOP did find the photo but chose not to release it because they were afraid their base would vote for him instead

lol I had the same thought

"if our guys find out he's a racist, they might vote FOR him!"

lmao

Virginia's governors serve only one term (usually). So I guess this means Northam won't be a senator. Ok.

a lot of people have said there is nothing he can say to excuse that, but someone came up with a good one: "I am proud to have included in my yearbook a picture of the two racists I killed with my bare hands."

haha

Northram's statement:

“Earlier today, a website published a photograph of me from my 1984 medical school yearbook in a costume that is clearly racist and offensive.

“I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now.

“This behavior is not in keeping with who I am today and the values I have fought for throughout my career in the military, in medicine, and in public service. But I want to be clear, I understand how this decision shakes Virginians’ faith in that commitment.

“I recognize that it will take time and serious effort to heal the damage this conduct has caused. I am ready to do that important work. The first step is to offer my sincerest apology and to state my absolute commitment to living up to the expectations Virginians set for me when they elected me to be their Governor.”

I am deeply sorry for the decision I made to appear as I did in this photo and for the hurt that decision caused then and now. and I resign.

fixed

the silver lining in these poll numbers for Schultz is that he has so, so much room to grow

These numbers almost defy belief. Everybody thinks Howard Schultz sucks. https://t.co/CuXPangLDy pic.twitter.com/RcRlJg5pcw

— Josh Marshall (@joshtpm) February 2, 2019

It’s a breathtaking failure to read the room

a costume that is clearly racist and offensive

He should have to specify which one!

To add insult to injury the poll also says he would throw the election to Trump pic.twitter.com/pUF6mO0Bo3

— Will Jordan (@williamjordann) February 2, 2019

(...Beto would really defeat trump, right now? makes me doubt the legitimacy of the poll a little, but maybe that's right because so many people would vote for absolutely anyone other than trump?)

(sorry, i know there are a million other threads for this. i just posted the schultz one here because he's not a potential democratic nominee)

A lot of what Beto has going for him right now is he's not a baby boomer.

pls post interesting things here and terrible things in the dem nominee thread that i can't deal with

Was thinking last night that a good campaign song for a Biden/Beto ticket would be Eddie Rabbit's "Drivin' My Life Away"

"oooh I'm Biden my life away, lookin' for a Beto day..."

he should apologize for it, and then move on

you know it's 2019, right? I give him four days.

this person seems not brain smart

I love the folks who want the Democratic Party to follow the electoral disaster of the current Labour Party, a party which is polling behind the most incompetent Tory government ever. That tragedy should be rejected not celebrated. And shows how wrong this person is. https://t.co/ZUv5g56YtN

— Neera Tanden (@neeratanden) January 31, 2019

a party which is polling behind

incorrect

the most incompetent Tory government ever

correct

Some nice irony here, as conservatives seeking to punish Virginia Dems for supporting abortion rights are going to get the conservadem out of office, to be replaced with someone far to his left on the verge of Dems also taking the statehouse this fall.

— Erik Loomis (@ErikLoomis) February 1, 2019

Indeed, Fairfax could complete Northam's term and then be elected in his own right, getting more time in office than either would have alone.

Neera Tanden also freaked out over Kamala Harris being called a "centrist corncob" because she didn't know what it meant

Some amazing defenses of Northam on a gay politics blog (loaded with Hillary zealots) include, literally, "1984 was a different time."

If anything, it was worse in 1984 because the civil rights movement was not ancient history.

The other thing: it was Northram's medical school yearbook when the dude was 25.

I love how Republicans assume all high school/college kids went through "racially offensive costume" phases, and not, y'know, just them

"Come on, who hasn't thrown on a Klan hood for a laugh?"

Who even knew med school yearbooks were a thing?

I think they're more of a vanity thing? The craziest aspect of the story is that he concedes he's either the one in blackface or the one in the Klan robe, but he doesn't know which one. Because, you know, it could have been either. Depends on what day of the week it was. M-W-F, blackface. S-Tu-Thurs-Sat, Klan robe.

Common snide response I've seen:

Conservatives: Oh, this guy's a racist, but because he's a Dem you're OK with it?!
Dems: No, we're not, we think he should resign.
Conservatives: ... Oh.
Dems: Now what are you going to do about Steve King, or Trump?
Conservatives: ...

lol

Ralph Northam Should Not Resign Over a 35 Old Picture. He Should Resign Because He Supports Infanticide. https://t.co/0Lv1hMKMuq

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 2, 2019

the year Revenge of the Nerds came out

― Οuτις

I get the larger point but, um, RotN is not exactly a landmark of wokeness. One of the rapiest "comedies" ever iirc.

I think that is the larger point

in fairness it was two years before Soul Man

NEWS: Northam is calling Va Dems and telling them that’s *not* him in the yearbook photo and he will make a statement this afternoon to say the same. In other words, he is NOT quitting as of right now.

Story TK

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) February 2, 2019

Worst case scenario, he's lying.
Best case scenario, he's got at least two racist knuckle-walkers he considers good enough friends to post their picture on his medical school yearbook page.

Jesus, dude, walk away.

then why did he already apologize? did he think it MIGHT have been him but he couldn't remember?

Nice, the Shaggy defense

I don't get it -- he acknowledged yesterday he was one of the two people in the photo?

The narcissism of politicians never ceases to amaze me.

jus resign and go away

Deep down, he just wants to be the Dem Kavanaugh.

Shoulda kept better calendars then...

To see Max mocked by Neera Tanden is not a bad thing but a good thing

So this just happened at my airport. Obv no way of knowing why he did it but sure not getting paid for weeks didn't help. Horrifying:

https://www.local10.com/news/florida/security-issue-at-orlando-airport-halts-flights-officials-say

jfc

it's as if the material conditions of life have some bearing on mental health

they can be exacerbating

A Transportation Security Administration agent was killed Saturday morning after jumping from a hotel balcony into the atrium of Orlando International Airport, authorities said.

was killed? uh, no. this person died and in the most public way they could possibly choose. presumably this TSA agent thought the public needed to witness it and to acknowledge their humanity and their extreme distress.

"If anything, it was worse in 1984 because the civil rights movement was not ancient history."

1984 was a different time for some things, mainly gay rights (I'm constantly surprised by homophobic jokes in things like Friends which to me isn't even very old) but it certainly wasn't for fucking racism. When did Gimmie a Break run the Joey Lawrence singing Mammy episode? Everyone knew blackface was wrong in the early 80's. Gimmie a break!

(except for, apparently, Ted Danson)

Also, regardless of how good a Gov this guy is, you can't really walk this shit back after apologizing for it. What a dummy. Resign.

as noted upthread, his replacement is actually a big improvement, so yeah there's no downside to him resigning.

1984 was not 1884 and even if it was no one wants a reanimated confederate corpse for a liberal governor

RotN was, intentionally and by design, as racist, homophobic, and misogynist as could be. I was just throwing it out as context for 1984

what's RotN?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mRG2oAQhso

revenge of the nerds: the two towers

As cited upthread, "Revenge of the Nerds".

Here’s a video that was running on mtv in 1983
https://youtu.be/OG3PnQ3tgzY

what a talent show!

I’m surprised I was alive in the 80s. It seems like an extraordinarily different kind of amoral civilization

But ohhh, the coke

Your grandparents probably supported eugenic sterilizations.

Moral progress in the last 70 years has proceeded faster than at any other period. It's the silver lining of the apotheosis of opposing elements in Nazism and similar nationalisms of the early 20th century.

^at least in Western democracies. Which accounts for the allegiance/mentorship of reactionary elements with the worst in Russia, Uganda, etc...

A Transportation Security Administration agent was killed Saturday morning after jumping from a hotel balcony into the atrium of Orlando International Airport, authorities said.

was killed? uh, no. this person died and in the most public way they could possibly choose. presumably this TSA agent thought the public needed to witness it and to acknowledge their humanity and their extreme distress.

How sure are you that the floor of the airport wasn't from Mexico?

I’m surprised I was alive in the 80s.

I thought you said you were 29.

That's why he's surprised.

mathperson

I'm 29 and was alive in the 80s

Intetesting that McConnell is leaking this ahead of time
https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/mcconnell-privately-cautioned-trump-about-emergency-declaration-on-border-wall/2019/02/01/5ff1262c-2646-11e9-81fd-b7b05d5bed90_story.html?utm_term=.c4287bf1480b

Which signals he cant keep his caucus in line and would be willing to bring something to the floor to appease them/confront Trump

29yos were alive in a single "eighty" unless we can agree that life begins at conception

“I did not shoot the sherif. How can I be so sure? Because I have such a vivid memory of shooting the deputy.”

— Tim Stanley (@timothy_stanley) February 2, 2019

'Willful Ignorance.' Inside President Trump's Troubled Intelligence Briefings

In the wake of President Donald Trump’s renewed attacks on the U.S. intelligence community this week, senior intelligence briefers are breaking two years of silence to warn that the President is endangering American security with what they say is a stubborn disregard for their assessments.

Citing multiple in-person episodes, these intelligence officials say Trump displays what one called “willful ignorance” when presented with analyses generated by America’s $81 billion-a-year intelligence services. The officials, who include analysts who prepare Trump’s briefs and the briefers themselves, describe futile attempts to keep his attention by using visual aids, confining some briefing points to two or three sentences, and repeating his name and title as frequently as possible.

What is most troubling, say these officials and others in government and on Capitol Hill who have been briefed on the episodes, are Trump’s angry reactions when he is given information that contradicts positions he has taken or beliefs he holds. Two intelligence officers even reported that they have been warned to avoid giving the President intelligence assessments that contradict stances he has taken in public.

I was alive in 89

Trump needs to be removed from office. If a democratic president was displaying this behavior, i don’t think the party would enable it.

lmao Northam's wife prevents him from actually moonwalking at press conference to prove he was a fan of Michael Jackson, presumably to justify blackface

so he says he's not in the photo, but he did wear blackface in med school

well, that's very different

I was alive in 89

Many people have forgotten that 2019 is still very new on the scene. It seems like its been here for ages.

xp and his nickname was "Coonman"

the drumming on that Soundgarden song is immense imo

holy shit

The freezing prisoners at the Metropolitan detention Center in Sunset Park are banging out SOS for all of us to hear. #SunsetParkGulag pic.twitter.com/f9O8KIVAxZ

— Brad Lander (@bradlander) February 1, 2019

that's about 2 miles from me

(and Lander is my councilman)

Apparently said detention center received a court order to attend an evidentiary hearing on 2/5. Good.

Glad all their lies are being swiftly refuted.

soto lol

xp and his nickname was "Coonman"

Come together with your Klan

:D

Northam’s game is to survive 48 more hours. Let Super Bowl and then SOTU take the media glare away and ride it out. Then apology tour.

— Advance Guy Notes (@AdvanceGuyNotes) February 2, 2019

Trump's perma-tan is the result of “good genes,” according to a senior administration official who would speak only on the condition of anonymity. https://t.co/Tu6LCCBbjo

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell) February 2, 2019

they lie about the dumbest shit

when i was a kid, the only thing i knew about trump was that he refused to admit his hair was a toupée

right-o! it appears to be not a toupee, but some strange, cyclonic hyper-comb-over

he admits he takes antibiotics for a skin condition, right? rosea or something? he probably uses makeup to counteract the blotchiness.

Christian Bale’s combover from American hustle explains everything you need to know about Trump’s Hair.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hjDnwNoE_GA

A truly glorious human specimen.

Here is the Trump "tan" that the New York Times just described as "sun-kissed" and "vibrant"

This is real and undoctored, straight off the TV pic.twitter.com/vWbieYI0uN

— Seth Abramson (@SethAbramson) February 3, 2019

How Trump Survived Explosion in Max Factor Factory

not surprising, but new MO senator josh hawley basically spent his two years as attorney general using his office to run his senate campaign and broke a bunch of laws doing it.

https://www.kansascity.com/news/politics-government/article225334655.html

the chief law enforcement official of the state breaking a bunch of laws? imagine that!

fuck missourians for not knowing wtf to do when they get shown something

BANGOR, Maine (AP) — Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) had the best fundraising quarter of her career after she delivered a pivotal vote that helped seat Brett Kavanaugh on the Supreme Court, according to documents filed with the Federal Election Commission.

The Bangor Daily News reports that after announcing her decision to vote in favor of Kavanaugh’s nomination during a speech on the Senate floor in early October, Collins raised $1.8 million in the final quarter of 2018.

The records show that of the nearly $900,000 Collins received from individual donors who contributed more than $200 to her campaign, just $19,000 came from individuals with Maine addresses.

reminds me that i registered susancollins2020.com the day that she made her fucking terrible speech about kavanaugh

haha awesome. i hope her people end up offering you a significant amount of money for it, that you can then turn around and donate to her opponent.

fuck her

i expect to make as much money off of it as i did doonaldjtrump.com (losing a couple hundred $ on hosting costs)

but yeah, fuck her. god, i still fill the goosebumps of rage when i remember that day

fuck missourians for not knowing wtf to do when they get shown something

Clever post!

heavy conservatism backed by the surety of 'common sense' is archetypal in missouri, it's nauseating

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/a-watershed-moment-trump-faces-crossroads-amid-mounting-threats-on-all-sides/2019/02/02/0f019554-2587-11e9-81fd-b7b05d5bed90_story.html

not MORE isolated than ever but AS isolated AS ever

that IS a watershed moment

But will he finally become presidential with his state of the union speech??????????

Someone leaked 3 months' worth of Trump's daily schedules to Axios; you can read them all here:

https://www.axios.com/read-trumps-private-leaked-executive-time-schedules-00e9313a-3066-4988-a6dc-711a47de661e.html

Basically, he now spends 60% of his day on "Executive Time."

I generally take my executive time done around 10am

More fibre in you diet will help executive time go a lot quicker.

"Be right back, gotta go make an executive decision."

Don't get mad about Jesse Watters's ignorance, there will always be people who believe nothing can or should change. 150 years ago Watters would have been incredulous at the idea there could be any other source of indoor lighting except whale oil. https://t.co/uiVX0FxIca

— Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) February 3, 2019

JUst being reminded of the idea that Trump was picking up so called facts which were actually details from the film Sicario. Isn't it that film that rather significantly features people smuggling things through a tunnel disguided in the boot of a stationary car?
Which would ten dto undermine the whole idea of a wall being effective.
THought about this a few days ago and wondered if somebody showed him the film saying that it was a more realistic view of how drugs were smuggled and more nefarious activity was carried out. & he then extrapolated that all details in the film were likely to be constants. While somehow ignoring the get around of any wall.

Oh that & things like aeroplanes & drones being pretty significant disadvantages to walls as effective deterrents.

you're suggesting he learns

xp jfc they work better!

Trump's certainly changed his worldview to accommodate the additional information he was fed from the trailer for Day of the Soldado, "it's crazy they're killing people on the streets with a gun they can stick their finger sideways and make it shoot fast, it's the most terrible thing you've ever seen."

Sometimes feel like we need a rolling AOC thread...

The average NFL salary is $2.1 million, so most players would never experience a 70% rate.

The owners who refuse to hire Kaepernick would, though. https://t.co/AnST2lCiU9

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2019

I’m proud to announce that my #StateOfTheUnion guest will be @AnaMariaArchil2.

Ana Maria is the NY14-er who famously jumped into the elevator with Sen. Flake to elevate the stories of survivors everywhere.

She‘s living proof that the courage within all of us can change the 🌎. https://t.co/OLSeNbP4Z2

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2019

I’m proud to announce that my #StateOfTheUnion guest will be @AnaMariaArchil2.

Ana Maria is the NY14-er who famously jumped into the elevator with Sen. Flake to elevate the stories of survivors everywhere.

She‘s living proof that the courage within all of us can change the 🌎. https://t.co/OLSeNbP4Z2
— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 4, 2019

not to be a cynic but if this is proof of anything isn't it that even "moderate" or "principled" Republicans will do exactly what McConnell wants them to do when the chips are down? it's not like they actually changed Flake's mind.

it's not like they actually changed Flake's mind

but they definitely changed his calculations

a lot of good it did the republic.

i'm not dragging the women who did that. they are heroes. but i'm not sure we can take away anything particularly hopeful from it.

there is plenty in that action to be hopeful about, but no single act of resistance is going to change the republic, but this act demonstrated that actions do have impacts. it invites emulation. understanding politics, as practiced in a nation of 330 million people, requires a breadth of vision. there are a thousand fronts in the war against entrenched power. join one.

sorry about the doubled up 'buts'

never apologize for doubled up buts

https://m.youtube.com/watch?reload=9&v=fK9hK82r-AM

(Double Dutch Bus)

so not only is Northam hanging on, there is a sex assault allegation vs the lt gov (by a righty blog)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/politics-news/virginia-lt-gov-fairfax-denies-sexual-assault-allegation-northam-faces-n966671

Clearly Fairfax should have said he wasn't sure if it was him.

WaPo apparently declined to publish those allegations ahead of the election. seems kinda flimsy and this seems like some quality ratfucking to me, esp since it didn't come out until there was some question that Fairfax might actually end up governor.

yup

A Russian-born lobbyist who attended the controversial Trump Tower meeting in June 2016 received a series of suspicious payments totaling half a million dollars before and after the encounter.

Documents reviewed by BuzzFeed News show that Rinat Akhmetshin, a Soviet military officer turned Washington lobbyist, deposited large, round-number amounts of cash in the months preceding and following the meeting, where a Russian lawyer offered senior Trump campaign officials dirt on Hillary Clinton.

The lobbyist also received a large payment that bank investigators deemed suspicious from Denis Katsyv, whose company Prevezon Holdings was accused by the US Justice Department of laundering the proceeds of a $230 million Russian tax fraud.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/emmaloop/trump-tower-meeting-russian-lobbyist-akhmetshin-suspicious-p

To visualize Trump’s natural appearance, awhile back tried matching the rest of his artificially tanned face to the natural skin color around his eyes.
cc: @GreatDismal pic.twitter.com/rzhvFFYofc

— Ron Martínez (@ronmartinez) February 4, 2019

When I went to see GG Allin in 1992, he got through maybe half a song before turning around and shitting on the floor. Seconds later, what had been a full (if small) room was an empty room, as we all turned around and sprinted for the exit. As we got to the next room (followed by flying chairs, thrown by GG) the bartender laughed at us, saying, "Where are you going? Isn't this what you wanted? Get back in there and party with him!"

This story reminds me of that one.

holy shit eliza xp

US wants to avoid pulling what may be thousands of migrant children from 'sponsor' homes to rejoin parents, saying it "could be traumatic to the children." https://t.co/F4QSj2esun

— AP West Region (@APWestRegion) February 3, 2019

Give him a lamp and the lyrics to "In Dreams" and he's set. xxp

I lean toward believing the Fairfax accusation because his statement reminded me of what other liars said in similar positions.

I'm not sure what an honest statement of innocence looks like tbh

at least he dothn't protest too much to the degree of publicizing a doctor's note about whether or not he has a mole on his dick like my child-rapist ex-mayor did

Can we step away from the virginia nonsense to focus on that horrifying AP article stevie posted?

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/04/us/politics/trump-inaugural-committee-subpoena.html

"President Trump’s inaugural committee was ordered on Monday to turn over documents about its donors, finances and activities to federal prosecutors in Manhattan, according to two people familiar with their investigation into the committee’s activities."

This mueller stuff is such a tease

Whoa just looked up and realized i am in front of trump international. Gotta stop walkin and ilxing

xp Treeship that is not Mueller, it's SDNY

hock up and dispense a loogie for me

Treeship awakens to find himself in front of the Trump Bldg covered in blood w/tufts of orange hair stuck in his fingernails.

Airports around the world renamed Treesh International

It’s not illegal if you were sleepwalking

Now Thune and Collins are both issuing warnings, this is p unusual
https://thehill.com/blogs/floor-action/428465-senate-gop-warns-trump-against-using-national-emergency-for-border-wall

I lean toward believing the Fairfax accusation because his statement reminded me of what other liars said in similar positions.

― Your sweetie-pie-coo-coo I love ya (Alfred, Lord Sotosyn)

this is a good point, I think

BREAKING: President Trump has invited a boy who was bullied for his last name to the State of the Union. Jimmy Pisstape, 8, says it will be the “proudest day of his life”

— who pixelates the boatmen? (@pixelatedboat) February 5, 2019

OF COURSE pic.twitter.com/198pXaa4UN

— Ben Collins (@oneunderscore__) February 5, 2019

Lovely company gg keeps. also has tucker ever not looked like the prverbial dog that's been shown a card trick?

Whenever I see someone on the left appear on Fox News, I think about this old 2006 blog post that really nailed the whole dynamic. Can’t seem to recall the author’s name... pic.twitter.com/79lAAUpqXe

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 5, 2019

Ooooh, right right https://t.co/b5QQxVPcZA

— Parker Molloy (@ParkerMolloy) February 5, 2019

good morning!

Unimpeachable self-own service right there

feel like we should poll which of those options are most applicable to glenn, could be a hotly-contested field

this meuller shit it taking way too long. this is setting up to be the biggest anticlimax in political history if nothing comes of it.

Definitely think the punchline is going to be "The Aristocrats!" at any rate.

https://www.indy100.com/article/trump-nepal-bhutan-nipple-button-india-john-walcott-cnn-white-house-8763576

Donald Trump mispronounced Bhutan and Nepal as “Button and Nipple” in a White House meeting with intelligence officials.

He then went on to incorrectly identify both as being part of India, national security correspondent John Walcott told CNN’s Brooke Baldwin.

just missed the Feb thread title

no u don't understand button and nipple are the names of my dogs, who live in india

From the Nepal to the Bhutan never satisfied - Graces Jones 2020

I heard that anecdote about nepal like thirty years ago. This stff is getting recycled

None of it https://t.co/k2SY2NnTpB

— Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (@AOC) February 5, 2019

From the Nepal to the Bhutan never satisfied - Graces Jones 2020

― nashwan

kudos

ILXors turning into Rachel Maddow: extremely annoying

This is a bombshell from CNN: Saudi Arabia and the UAE have given US military equipment, including armored vehicles, to Al Qaeda-linked militias to buy their loyalty in the Yemen war https://t.co/gAamzlCiEd

— Evan Hill (@evanchill) February 5, 2019

just imagine, an unprecedented event

lol yeah who could have possibly foreseen this

Sureoly it would be better for the budget to cut out the middle man?

hey remember when al qaeda did 9/11 turns out they're pretty cool actually

It's like how Germans were bad but now they are good and our friends. It's just like that.

Al-Queda may have done some things, but we have some big deals with them coming up. Jobs!

I lol'd at "pariah caucus"
https://www.politico.com/story/2019/02/04/congress-house-republicans-committee-assignments-stripped-1145320

our Forever War must have a well-armed enemy xp

if the us didn't sell missiles so the saudis could blow up school buses full of kids, someone else would, so really when you say maybe the us shouldn't do that you're asking to snatch food out of the mouths of hardworking american families

Saudis did 9/11. Which iirc Trump was basically saying on the campaign trail but now something seems to have happened to change his tune. Its a mystery,..

he touched the orb iirc

https://encrypted-tbn0.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcT4LFSDOlfbY87Y7TmhVAAicG_GqswANr18_PHYKj5V1akINZ-b

This was pretty good:

Oh hey. Sorry for the delay. Not on twitter all the time, Congressman. This may take a while and I know how busy you must be but let's start with substance then move to process. Shall we? 1/ https://t.co/SUwGMdH43t

— Juliette Kayyem (@juliettekayyem) February 4, 2019

“Sold to an ally, lost to an enemy” wtf

Everyone knew saudi arabia promotes sunni extremism.

They have a Sunni disposition.

our Forever War must have a well-armed enemy xp

― a Mets fan who gave up on everything in the mid '80s (Dr Morbius), Tuesday, February 5, 2019 4:12 PM (one hour ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I presume this is the US take on the Taleban, just imagine the arms they'd want to buy!

The GOP is trying to make Dan Crenshaw their AOC, so it's extra sweet when he gets dunked on so easily and throughly.

The GOP trying to create their own AOC feels like when right-wingers do 'comedy'.

i forget was Dan Crenshaw on SNL a comedy appearance

No, it was a Lorne Michaels sucking up appearance.

Resurfaced video from 2007 shows Kellyanne Conway threatening to perform an abortion "with a gun." https://t.co/xNh78VPe2X

— HuffPost (@HuffPost) February 5, 2019

gee wonder if the mainstream media is gonna talk about this

A top healthcare aide to Nancy Pelosi told insurance executives why Dem leadership doesn't like Medicare for All:

"Creates winners & losers"=insurance companies would lose
"Stakeholders are against"=stakeholders like insurance companies https://t.co/dQLj2PVUdw by @ryangrim pic.twitter.com/RiZRlLb2Us

— Jon Schwarz (@schwarz) February 5, 2019

if the caucus moves to M4A, Pelosi will move with it

I think he was on a different comedy show called S&L. xps

if the caucus moves to M4A, Pelosi will move with it

sure would help if she would just support it, like the majority of the people she represents

If only the majority of the people controlled the majority of the $$$. #makesuthink

Harris will be speaking before Abrams, which is fine; Sanders will be speaking after Abrams, which is fine. Somewhere in that mix Trump will do whatever it is that he does. Can we all move on now, please? https://t.co/UmMMS5lUdY

— corey robin (@CoreyRobin) February 5, 2019

I lol'd: https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/02/05/why-wait-state-union-when-this-robot-can-generate-speech-you/?utm_term=.84b799a40dfb

Madam Speaker, Mr. Vice President, Members of Congress and my fellow Americans:

It's the large soft month, we must go forward to establishing a words and become a time we ended this heart.

I began to developing a partnerships with confidence within its means for us begin working to invest month our Secretary of Health half a billion over the next 5 years. I've been renewed and American here in espionage and science Study?

That's the United States must increase in our economy is addicts. The constant extension of college?

I also protect the unalienable sources.

Now is our unfair traffic control talks on a bipartisan Simpson-Bowles Commission I believe the best idea. What would you for directions that secured victim. The world: Freedom is at the most for our Bipartisan campaign financial security assistance should quickly to cripple our armed for modernizing our help!

We have in 6 years. Here in Americans—Democracy.

May God bless the United States of America.

Quiet thread today. We bought alcohol for the SOTU or are gonna watch Time Share on Netflix?

No force on this earth could compel me to watch the state of the union, if he calls for a pogrom I’m sure I’ll hear about it somehow

I am going to clean the kitchen floor

i've got laundry to fold.

I'm thinking about sticking my hand in the garbage disposal just to see what it's like

I can't even listen to that guy talk in 10-second soundbites, so no. I'll be slogging my way through The Wire.

c'mon don't you want to see the night donald trump finally becomes president??

i can't wait to read the "trump surprises with pivot to center" articles tomorrow it's going to be AWESOME

In my very rich fantasy life AOC gets up and walks out mid-speech.

Fingers crossed Pelosi brings a leaf blower and blasts Trump's toupee off mid-speech.

if he calls for a pogrom I’m sure I’ll hear about it somehow

When I heard he had a plan to end HIV transmission in the US by 2030 my immediate response was "I bet it's 'round up the gays'".

"trump surprises with pivot to center, declares national emergency"

I’m in DC for a conference and ppl want to go out for a SOTU bar bingo thing and i am just...who are you

Well, they’re DC people

xps "slogging"?!?!? why u braek hart

you couldn't pay me to listen to the SOTU

do we need to go to Treeship's house and stage an intervention so he doesn't watch it and then post here? ;)

I’m making dinner with a friend and we’ll probably listen to music after

No risk of me watching this thing

I will, without Negronis.

I'm a "DC person," I guess, though I live in Arlington. I am doing everything I can to stay away from the speech, the coverage of the speech, the coverage of the coverage of the speech, the snarky internet reactions to the coverage of the coverage, and the metacommentary on the internet snark. My intention is to drink heavily and read about English history. Make Mercia Great Again.

I'm currently reading an anthology of Philip Kerr's first three novels - private detective stories set in 1930s Berlin. Seems close enough to the present that I don't need to watch the speech.

if we made a list of 100 ILX politics thread tropes, one of them would have to be the back-and-forths about how we will and absolutely won't watch whatever televised political event is about to happen

let me just play my part:

"you know i'm gonna watch it! i fucking hate this shit, i love it"

I will totally be watching the SOTU tonight if in one of these episodes Jim Rockford buys a TV which picks up transmissions from this precise night several decades in the future and then just sits around for forty-five minutes gazing into the abyss instead of trying to figure out who coldcocked his dad this time. I dunno, I haven't seen the entire series yet so I can't say with certainty that it doesn't happen at some point.

NYT right now: "Trump’s State of the Union Address Unlikely to Bring Harmony"

better call my bookie back

https://proxy.duckduckgo.com/iu/?u=https%3A%2F%2Fsophiaharvey.files.wordpress.com%2F2013%2F02%2F104.jpg&f=1

Oh you want Trump to bring some harmony is what you want, huh

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YgQwBFbNm1A

that may have been the best joek I've ever made on ILX

It was pretty good, yo.

I got an advance download of the speech, sucked. One or two OK bits, most of it pretty garbage. The last one wasn't that good, and this is just more of the same. C-.

In other words, I predict tonight ... he becomes president.

Me, on the other hand, I'm drinking a beer, baking a frittata, listening to These New Puritans, fighting a cold that feels like pneumonia with no real symptoms (it makes sense to me) and gonna go to bed early after staying up late taking my kid to Panic! at the Disco.

I just started my taxes, and it looks like I'm going to owe bigly. Thanks, Trump!

so Northam is really staying put huh

Dems shoulda tabbed him to respond with "Waitin' for the Robert E Lee"

Okay, now he's just being absurd

https://i.imgur.com/LshTEml.png

No idea how anyone can stand to watch this 'less they're getting paid to

I gave up and am listening to Shar-day and reading Louise Glück.

Sure, you could be watching the SOTU, but OTOH

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6D3pnhNnCDA

http://i66.tinypic.com/34pnlud.png

i love it when the president helps me make the case that it's socialism or barbarism

— Sarah Jones (@onesarahjones) February 6, 2019

I've never seen so many huge ass ears in my life.

But also

I reckon between a third and half of Dems rose to applaud Trump saying America would never be socialist.

— Osita Nwanevu (@OsitaNwanevu) February 6, 2019

grow up

Defending ppl who applaud this asshole is the grown up thing to do apparently

Ocasio-Cortez is not clapping for anything-- not even bipartisanship.

— Kassy Dillon (@KassyDillon) February 6, 2019

Yeah, I am glad she didn't seem to join in on the fucked up USA chants. All of it was so gross.

I never get to see these things on tv. People are so fucked up.

Is RBG there with the other justices?

I wonder if there is a term for when the "wall of gammon" isn't angry or pink.

RBG was not there, only 4 justices planned to attend (a couple have never attended- its not required or customary)

Roberts, Kagan, and the Trump Twosome were the only two SCOTUS attendees.

bad for the blood pressure to attend imo

hell it's stressful just reading this!

make it end already

Roberts, Kagan, and the Trump Twosome were the only two SCOTUS attendees.

I am sincerely hoping that this means Lord Alfred has had so many sophisticated cocktails that basic math temporarily eludes him.

Roberts+ Korsuch+Beavis only count as one man.

Justice Kertis

*Gorsuch

*whatever the fuck his name is.

As usual Roth is the only Trump whisperer you really need

The stories he tells about workers gladly giving up their paychecks for his drowsy racist fantasies and the villains working against him are mostly just sounds he makes to keep himself interested; he might have noticed that they drew louder-than-usual hoots from the seething grandparents and dead-ender rubes at his rallies, but he also might not have. His lies, though, are more elemental. They are never anything more than the opposite of truth. If Trump keeps insisting that he’s not being investigated for his relationship to Russia in gratuitous and unconvincing ways, it’s not because he’s trying to leverage some advanced placement Dealpoint or exploit some hidden businessman’s trick or angle. It’s because he’s literally fucking being investigated for his relationship with Russia and because he very much wants people to think he’s not, and because that’s honestly the best he can do because his brain is an old donut bobbing around in a toilet.

Trump is so relentlessly dishonest and so plainly diminished and so sorely overmatched that, at this point, he can only be taken at his word. This isn’t to say that you should believe what he’s saying, although you surely don’t need me to tell you that. It just means that what he does, from here until whenever his helicopter leaves the White House lawn for the last time, will never be anything but what it appears to be.

Congrats to @SpeakerPelosi for inventing the “fuck you” clap. #sotu pic.twitter.com/eueoUf9IBT

— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 6, 2019

Did Stacey Abrams say anything outstanding?

Not really watched the response speech before or probably likely to in the future. & wondered to what extent it was a response or is it just an alternative viewpoint on the current state of the union.
Can't see Trump being able to stick close enough to a script for it to be guaranteed to be what the response could feed off.

lmao amazing

https://preview.redd.it/jsilt832ate21.jpg?width=690&auto=webp&s=472e1aae7f5766c8e4249f91f4348b30b45e7de3

otm

oh god the transcript

Transcript: pic.twitter.com/TNpQ2zHevJ

— jordan (@JordanUhl) February 5, 2019

I liked the Stacey Abrams speech, there's a transcript on Vox. How was Bernie?

handsome, charismatic, very much a leader

bwahahaha

Fox, apoplectic over its own polling showing wide public support for @AOC and @ewarren's wealth tax proposals, literally blames the fact that schools teach kids to be fair:

"The idea of fairness has been promoted in our schools for a long time." pic.twitter.com/GowAZWYWpZ

— Steve Morris (@stevemorris__) February 5, 2019

not watching but I'll cosign anything peggy says. deeply adept! sure! https://t.co/sfD5LClDyj

— Italian Alex Pareene (@pareene) February 6, 2019

'cut to the muscle'? so, uh, not that deep?

^^^ The things you say when you’re huffing Reagan’s embalming fluid during the SOTU.

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) February 6, 2019

Friends and colleagues know me and know I would be in Washington right now unless something was up. I am home with John and we have entered a new phase. He is my love and we have been a team for nearly 40 years.

— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) February 6, 2019

I will be taking each day as it comes. We thank people for their friendship and support and ask for prayers and privacy during this difficult time.

— Rep. Debbie Dingell (@RepDebDingell) February 6, 2019

aw man

meanwhile, in virginia

NEWS: AG Mark Herring had a private meeting this morning with the legislative black caucus, Del. Lamont Bagby confirms.

Asked if Herring discussed a photo of his own, Bagby said “He’ll talk about it.”

Before he could say more, the House min ldr pulled him into a private room.

— Jonathan Martin (@jmartNYT) February 6, 2019

jfc

wtf is going on there

What if it turns out Northam's offense is the least damaging?

oh my god

AG is third in line if the governor and lt. governor both go down; not sure who would be next

why did the GOP wait til after the election to dump all this crap?

this whole thing seems profoundly manipulative

NEW: Virginia’s Democratic attorney general says he wore blackface at a college party in 1980, deepening state scandal. -AP

— Connor Ryan (@connortryan) February 6, 2019

GOP wielding Dems actual principles against themselves

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2019-02-06/ap-newsalert-virginia-s-democratic-attorney-general-says-he-wore-blackface-at-a-college-party-in-1980-deepening-state-scandal

Statement from Virginia AG Mark Herring: "In 1980, when I was a 19-year-old undergraduate in college, some friends suggested we attend a party dressed like rappers we listened to at the time, like Kurtis Blow, and perform a song. It sounds ridiculous even now writing it."

— Grace Segers (@Grace_Segers) February 6, 2019

the fact that this all seems so deeply calculated by the *more* racist party ... it's hard not to go into circle-the-wagons mode

these are the breaks

i would not expect UVA freshmen to be listening to kurtis blow in 1980, but i guess dave matthews hadn't been invented yet

I'm imagining the scramble to find an aide to wiki a rapper's name from 1980.

They should have just done this: http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=V0m1OZ5xGh0

uh meanwhile

Justin Fairfax said “fuck that bitch” as he tried to discredit his accuser during a private meeting Monday night, sources tell @NBCNews’ @GeoffRBennett and me.

— Jonathan Allen (@jonallendc) February 6, 2019

I suppose I've been laboring under the misapprehension that parading around in blackface was one of the easiest things in the world to avoid doing. Never realized I was such a paragon of self-control.

OK I retract my earlier support

if these VA guys were Republicans, Yam would just issue a blanket blackface pardon

(is the AG a Democrat?)

nm i see he is

I hesitate to defend these guys but it's worth bearing in mind that this is a power struggle, and the alternative to these three people is much, much worse.

next in line is Republican
congrats VA!

I went to UVa in the mid 90s. I definitely saw some blackface frat shenanigans.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2019/02/02/troubling-history-behind-ralph-northams-blackface-klan-photo/?fbclid=IwAR2Z40F03o8OGhcruiO7hNhxhcEvG29THDnOfrlgZxCtUaT8uZ5RhN9h9KQ&utm_term=.863ac2643efd

like, this is not a "all other things being equal, how should this behavior be judged" because all things are not equal in the current scenario, it might be best for the people (and Democrats) of Virginia to acknowledge that they elected some people with questionable things in their past but consider how disqualifying those things are given the stakes.

oops left out a word

like, this is not a "all other things being equal, how should this behavior be judged" scenario

these guys should all just have a serious come-to-jesus moment, beg forgiveness, commit to being better stewards of the public good, and then note the highly political timing of the release of this info and stick together as a party

which might be happening, idk

what the fuck is wrong with all these people?

anyway, I didn't watch the state of the union and I've read minimal things about the State of the Union, but it is interesting at least from an anecdotal vantage that maybe for his first couple people did give him the benefit of the doubt, or did give him a chance, and this time around just did not give a fuck.

Bump this thread whenever another fraternity gets caught throwing a racist party

sad lol

The voting ballot divide: racists or rapists.

like, this is not a "all other things being equal, how should this behavior be judged" because all things are not equal in the current scenario, it might be best for the people (and Democrats) of Virginia to acknowledge that they elected some people with questionable things in their past but consider how disqualifying those things are given the stakes.

― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Wednesday, February 6, 2019 12:13 PM (seven minutes ago)

the blackface stuff...it seems like we have reached a point as a country, or at least a party, where this sort of stuff is just not tolerated anymore. equivocating on this would send a pretty shitty message and potentially damage the party's standing in the eyes of the public at a time where we are trying to BUILD political capital, not squander it for these nobodies

fairfax has been accused of sexual assault and apparently just called the woman a b----. he can fuck off

It’s time for Pusha T to embrace his political destiny as governor of Virginia

— Dad (@fivefifths) February 6, 2019

This is . . . pretty good? As these things go? As a white woman I can't accept it on behalf of POC, but it reads as sincere.

Please see my statement below. pic.twitter.com/FBDcgxHOq9

— Mark Herring (@MarkHerringVA) February 6, 2019

yeah that's a decent way forward IMO but as you note I'm not the audience either

Yeah, personally ok this, seems far less creepy and more genuinely contrite than Northram

agreed

How hard can it be to find #problematic shit in any member of the VA GOP’s past I mean get an intern on that

otm

also, that is how to apologize IMO

fairfax's COS is flat out denying the "fuck that bitch" comment. says it simply didn't happen.

I'm a little skeptical of that one myself

How hard can it be to find #problematic shit in any member of the VA GOP’s past I mean get an intern on that

the difference is that stuff actually *earns* GOP votes

An '80s Polaroid of the candidate in a klan hood carries roughly the same political weight as a flag pin on the lapel with yer average GOP voter. Its absence is troubling and raises questions/eyebrows.

This is not a *defense* of Herring, but the year of his Kurtis Blow party, Neil Diamond starred in a "Jazz Singer" remake that features a "funny" blackface scene. People used to be more racist/get away with more racism! https://t.co/Ce5BBIZ4Et

— Dave Weigel (@daveweigel) February 6, 2019

People used to be more racist/get away with more racism!

For whom is this supposed to be news?

Remaking the jazz Singer pretty much had to have some homage to Jolson didn't it?
Wonder if it is a film that has now been relegated to the past and now not something that anybody would think of remaking. In an age full of remakes, like.

lol @ Shakey's contrib upthread

“What was a slow-moving train wreck is now like a bullet train wreck,” said Chris LaCivita, a Republican strategist and a veteran of numerous Virginia political wars. “The reports of Republicans’ demise in the Commonwealth of Virginia have been greatly exaggerated.”

He said the scandals provide Republicans with an opportunity, but one they have to approach with care. “Don’t gloat, don’t overplay your hand,” he said. “At the end of the day, voters want candidates who speak to their concerns and issues. You can’t run campaigns in the modern age based solely on the fact that a party’s top messengers have problems.”

Dan Scandling, a Republican and former aide to Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), said that before the scandals Republicans were facing “ long slow walk in the wilderness. As long as President Trump was on top of the ticket, everything was going to cascade down from the White House and be a hundred pound weight on your head.”

Now, Scandling said, “the window of opportunity is back open.”

“The swing voters are going to tap the brakes now,” he said. “And the minority community is going to look at the Democrats and say, ‘Really?’ Have you been pulling the wool over our eyes all these years?”

that sounds like gloating to me

TS: candidates who were racists 35 years ago or candidates who are racists now.

The VA GOP has done something truly diabolical here that only works because all three top Dems are compromised. Dems won't turn over power, so now they'll be painted as hypocritical.

For all those wondering, the line of succession for Virginia Governor Ralph Northam is Governor Northam (Democrat)➡️ Lt. Gov. Fairfax (Democrat)➡️
AG Mark Herring (Democrat)➡️
House Speaker Kirk Cox (Republican)➡️The Republican controlled House of Delegates elects a new governor

— Yamiche Alcindor (@Yamiche) February 6, 2019

there is no way all three of those Dems resign, esp not with such a calculated hit job clearly underway

Maybe I don't understand succession correctly but not everyone has to resign at the same time. You don't just automatically get a Republican. Here's just one way you could do it.

Step 1. Northam resigns. Fairfax becomes governor.

Step 2. Fairfax appoints someone less compromised, like Tom Periello, as his new Lieutenant Governor.

Step 3: Fairfax and Herring resign simultaneously.

Step 4: Periello appoints a new Lieutenant Governor and Attorney General.

that's what I was thinking

hmm yeah that could work. although that's a lot of resignations, and you just know none of these guys want to bow out this way.

Such a weird scenario

You make legislative confirmation of a Democratic LG nominee contingent on a public pledge to resign.

Enforce it with the threat of legislative impeachment for anyone who doesn't follow the plan.

Republicans control the House of Delegates and state Senate, why would they play along?

^^ my thought exactly

really not sure that the middle of a scandal is the best time to be pulling these highly contrived partisan moves tbh

As was pointed out on Twitter, the only reason that the Republican Speaker in VA is there is because there was a tie at the ballot box and the race was decided by a fershlugginer coin flip.

Kirk Cox was not elected in a statewide election. The three Democrats were.

Installing Cox as governor by "conveniently" "discovering" preexisting flaws in the D officials all at once is amusing, on a nakedly Machiavellian level. But I am not sure it will fly. I have lived in this here Commonwealth since. 1976. With all its well-documented problems there are some pockets of decency.

Kinda feeling torn between a) acknowledging that everyone does dumb shit when they're young that they hopefully learn from and then ultimately grow and become better people as a result, and that thoughtfully addressing those dumb mistakes of youth and taking responsibility for them (as opposed to being a squirrelly little shit about it, looking at you Kavanaugh et al) can go a long way, and b) feeling like anyone who's done shit this dumb + compromising maybe should consider a career in the private sector because politicians (particularly dem politicians) ideally should be held to a higher standard (and yes I know that's pretty much a la-di-da utopian af notion but still).

I'm extra torn, because there are dumb things you do when you're young and then there are things so dumb that you should know they're dumb, even when you're young. Like, it never occurred to me to ever put on black face or want to put on black face because I always understood it to be wrong. No one had to sit me down and teach that to me, let alone when I was in my college years. You can't undo the past, which is why the AG's apology might be enough but the gov first admitting it was him and then backing off, while still admitting he'd done things like it in the past, is a pretty bad look.

Yeah, that's why I'm leaning b). Like I totally buy that people who harbor horrible ideas in their early twenties are capable of turning it around and becoming decent people later in life. I'm just not particularly convinced that those people need to be elected officials.

Per the Wapo article I posted above, minstrel shows were still popular in cville into the 1970s and people have lauded their participation in minstrel shows in very, very recent obituaries. It's all sorts of fucked up.

No one had to sit me down and teach that to me

really? you just magically grasped the history of blackface as a child?

Like, you probably still have some internal work to do, my dudes, so why not do it while you're like selling real estate or something instead of representing a diverse constituency.

xposts

I mean I know I'm biased here cuz it's a Dem but I don't think Herring should be stepping down over this

Northam should definitely go though

(I say this as someone who has children that are of the age where I need to explicitly explain why certain depictions of various ethnicities are racist and not ok)

xp

I love Elie Mystal and his headline made me LOL "Virginia A.G. Admits To Wearing Blackface As We Enter The ‘I Am Spartacus’ Part Of Black History Month"

I would argue that there's a pretty distinct difference between an eight-year-old's tragic mispronunciation of Niger (ahem, guilty) and someone in their early 20s thinking it's totally cool to engage in Stepin Fetchit cosplay.

i want to know who’s funding the outlet that broke these stories

xpost Yeah, no one told me it was bad, I just knew. My parents never instilled in me much of anything more than the general importance of education, but at the same time whatever their political or personal leanings (my dad definitely leaned conservative, though he never told me who he voted for) I never once saw them treat anyone less than respectfully, so I guess they lead by example? Now, on the other hand, as a family we watched "Airplane!" last year, and my kids looked at me and said, "um, isn't this kind of racist?" And I had to explain, yeah, it's racist - and sexist, and homophobic, and etc., and that's sort of what makes it funny. It's OTT offensive. And that was tough to explain to them. But I've never felt the need to teach them about racism and so on because they've always seemed to grasp it, but have no problem talking about it as needed. I think having diverse schools and good teachers/curriculum clearly makes a difference!

maura otm, follow the money

xpost I saw an interview with one of his medical school classmates, iirc, and they said everyone knew about the pictures and were shocked it took this long for them to come out.

Even if it's an organized effort by the GOP, it's not like they're inventing a picture of the gov in fucking blackface and/or a klan robe, or an accusation of sexual assault or whatever. Now, why this is happening now ... who knows. Why did all the Al Franken stuff come out when it did?

the candidates are breaking these stories themselves!

politicians*

in both cases because they were "unearthed" and promoted by RW media outlets/opposition researchers

the candidates are breaking these stories themselves!

this is only true in Herring's case, I think?

minstrel shows were still popular in cville into the 1970s and people have lauded their participation in minstrel shows in very, very recent obituaries.

Robert Byrd (an actual Klan member) was in the Senate til his death in 2010

George Wallace renounced his racism and won a fourth and final term in 1982 with a large amount of black support. He also appointed several African-Americans to the state cabinet.

A lot worse than dressing up like Kurtis Blow in that dude's personal history.

Can't believe that anyone schooled in his personal history could have ever believed his renunciation of racism was the tiniest bit sincere.

The michael jackson thing he admitted to seems qualitatively different than the minstrel photo with the kkk guy.

OF COURSE Morbius is still getting mileage out of "Robert Byrd was in the Klan!!!"

xpost He became a born again Christian, right? Point being that he couldn't make anyone trust him except through his words and actions, whether they believed him or not. Whether that's enough to justify forgiving one of the most virulent racists in US history is a different debate, but I suppose related to what we're talking about now.

a morbs in the thread is worth a byrd in the klan

I am ok with all these jackasses resigning if it means less-->0 people wear blackface or push down heads for coercive oral sex.

xpost Speaking of the MJ thing, the only explanation I can think of for his confusing bullshitery is him being told there was a picture of him in blackface in the yearbook, him thinking of the admitted MJ incident and then immediately saying yeah, it's me, my bad, and then seeing the picture of someone in blackface next to someone in a Klan Kostume and thinking, whoa, I said I dressed up as MJ once, but that's not me hanging with a klansman! But that's not what he said. What he said only flies - and still doesn't excuse his actions - if he's not sure it's him in blackface or the klan uniform, because the implication is that he did it enough that he can't be sure. His heartfelt mea culpa only makes him look worse.

Is that second thing what the lieutenant governor is accused of?

Yeah. https://www.washingtonpost.com/local/virginia-politics/2019/02/06/daed33aa-2a30-11e9-b2fc-721718903bfc_story.html

Installing Cox as governor by "conveniently" "discovering" preexisting flaws in the D officials all at once is amusing, on a nakedly Machiavellian level. But I am not sure it will fly.

... have you ever met a Republican?

That sounds worse than wearing blackface in the 80s. xp

does it really even matter whether it's him in either the blackface or klan uni??

If this is all calculated perfectly by republicans to install a republican than hat’s off i guess.

Impressive stuff

when we said more black faces in government, we should have been specific.

— shalewa sharpe (@silkyjumbo) February 6, 2019

xp granny i think he’s claiming he thinks he’s neither but isn’t sure

right, but I'm saying it doesn't matter if he was in the pic or not. it's on his yearbook page! are we to believe he never saw it or had anyone inform him about what was on it???

The very existence of the GOP at this particular point in time seems to be overwhelmingly predicated upon their exploitation of any and every possible loophole. Like they only ever win because they're always using a fucking Game Genie.

I dont think i ever looked at my yearbook page for college. I have heard of people manipulating other people’s yearbook page for revenge. It’s improbable that this happened here but who knows.

isn't sure

because wearing a klan outfit or blackface was just not unusual enough to recall with any exactitude?

Have their been polls of black virginia voters on this? That’s whose perspective matters, not mine

again, NOBODY saw that page and was like "uh dude have you looked at your yearbook page????????"?? gimme a break

Med school yearbook page??? Idk

I am unaware if my grad school had anything like a yearbook. I’m assuming not but I don’t know.

I’m not defending the dude, but i do think it’s plausible he forgot about the existence of this photo and maybe he never even saw it

It caught him off guard, obviously

so you're not confident that there isn't a super racist photo on your college yrbook page, got it

They interviewed the yearbook guy who did yearbooks that year and Eastern VA Med actually stopped with the yearbooks in 2014 because of students posing in confederate uniforms.

lol @ my friend Shalewa being linked in this thread by someone who's not me or crüt.

I’m 99.9999999999999999999% sure but i also have never seen that yearbook xp

xpost in summary when Northam was going to school there, students submitted the pictures they wanted included on their pages.

I take this as a sign that there isn't going to be billions for a wall in whatever's taking shape:

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Wednesday that she would be willing to support any compromise border security legislation that emerges from a bipartisan committee and that she has urged the White House to adopt the same “hands-off” posture.

Her comments come as congressional negotiators are seeking a deal that has to be approved by Feb. 15 — and satisfy President Trump’s demand for border-wall funding — to avert another partial government shutdown.

Pelosi told reporters that she thinks the House and Senate negotiators could reach a deal by the end of this week if “left to their own devices.”

Pelosi said she relayed to Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Richard C. Shelby (R-Ala.), one of the lead negotiators, that “whatever you all come to an agreement on, bipartisan agreement, I will support it.”

My friends and I wrote some extremely suspect stuff in my HS yearbook, which at the time we thought was highly ironic and deeply hilarious. Just thinking about it makes me cringe. I'm pretty sure at some point, I tore up and threw away my yearbook. I'll never run for elected office but I'm sure glad it doesn't exist any longer.

xp

A friend wrote, "I like you even though you're gay" in my senior yearbook, which horrified but then he right and I almost emailed to thank him years later until I learned he worked as an orderly in a hospital.

it’s plausible he forgot about the existence of this photo and maybe he never even saw it

But his inability to state whether he is a person in the photo only depends upon his uncertainty whether he ever wore blackface or a klan robe and hood. If he knew he'd never done such a thing in his life, he would be certain he could not be in the photo. I'm sure as heck certain I never did anything like that, and I am older than he is.

Morbius is still getting mileage out of "Robert Byrd was in the Klan!!!"

idgi man, i was just telling young-uns who may not know. I myself thought Byrd had died closer to 2000. No "mileage" involved, I think Northam should've hit the ejector seat on Saturday.

Trivial, but funny: a right-wing Arkansas state senator is calling for a boycott of a Little Rock club because the band Eyehategod (who are great btw) put a picture of him eating a baby on the poster for their show.

yeeesh, it keeps getting worse for this guy

Ralph Northam Admits He Once Engaged In Pedophilia As Part Of Michael Jackson Costume https://t.co/FVTF1avy9M pic.twitter.com/GTT5JwxZS5

— The Onion (@TheOnion) February 6, 2019

He looks like a Halloween Nixon mask and a Reagan mask got melted together.

omigod

The very existence of the GOP at this particular point in time seems to be overwhelmingly predicated upon their exploitation of any and every possible loophole. Like they only ever win because they're always using a fucking Game Genie.

― But people get sick on earth in their human form (Old Lunch), Wednesday, 6 February 2019 20:56 (one hour ago) Permalink

I think Northam needs to go, Fairfax probably needs to go, and the AG may/not need to go (after nominating a new Dem Lt. Gov. and AG).

Having said that, Dems need to be crowdsourcing some serious research into every Republican officeholder in the country, pronto. There has to be a lot out there.

Even if Republicans that are caught do not step down, it rips off the mask of "non-racist" civility and helps tie their cryptoracist policies to explicitly racist actions.

how these things work these days:

On Friday, amid the news that Fairfax could be elevated to governor, Tyson said she vented her frustration on Facebook in a private post, which did not identify Fairfax by name.

"It was not my intention in that moment to inject myself into what has become a much larger political battle," Tyson said.

On Sunday night, while she was still undecided about publicly sharing her story, her private Facebook post was published by Big League Politics, the same conservative website that published a racist photo from Northam's medical school yearbook page.

Dems need to be crowdsourcing some serious research into every Republican officeholder in the country, pronto.

their voting base doesn't care/loves this shit. they will vote for the racist rapist EVERY FUCKING TIME

see: Florida

(after nominating a new Dem Lt. Gov. and AG).

as noted, they can't do this - legislature currently controlled by GOP

For instance, if you find the state senator introducing voting restrictions once used blackface, that may be evidence that could be used in a lawsuit arguing that the ostensibly neutral voting restrictions actually have a racist intent.

xp

that seems like p shaky legal reasoning these days see Trump and his Muslim ban

genuinely curious: is the implication in pointing out that these allegations were (supposedly) unearthed by conservative media supposed to be that their accuracy is in question, or that the stories, even if true, matter less? because I think what you're doing is pretty gross partisan BS

here is dr. tyson's full statement, and she does not hedge: https://www.politico.com/f/?id=00000168-c430-d6c0-a7ea-d43ce1560002

I'm not disputing their accuracy or veracity - which are fairly obvious - just pointing out that all of this is a clearly orchestrated effort to support Democratic constituencies penchant for (appropriately) punishing transgressions within their own elected officials. Which the GOP most definitely does not do. The other side sees this as a weakness to be exploited.

I am not sure how best to counter this exploitation.

support

sorry that should be "take advantage of"

Let northum stay in i guess

it reminds me of the right's appropriation of civil rights language to fit their own ends - they see a tactic that works for the other side and then adopt it and turn it back on them, and the left doesn't know how to handle it

shaky legal reasoning
― legislative fanboy halfwit (Οὖτις), Wednesday, February 6, 2019 5:24 PM (thirteen minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

Lol, you're the expert!

xp

my personal opinion is that Herring has come out the best of this so far, appoint that guy governor. But I doubt Northam (who already was refusing to step down) and Fairfax (who predictably denies everything) will step aside if there is any indication at all that they can weather this storm.

The Fairfax thing is the worst of these allegations by far. So northam stepping down for him to step up would be kind of grotesque.

I don't see why it matters whether Repub base cares about "this stuff". You force GOP to defend their people against the same allegations/"misbehavior" that resulted in Dems resigning/getting ousted.

lol how many times does it have to be pointed out that that's not how it works because GOP voters have no principles

Trump is a serial sex assaulter that bangs porn stars, robs poor people, is deeply and demonstrably racist, and has never cracked a Bible and his strongest base of support is "evangelical Christians"

oh I didn't realize these things involve a referendum

There is no downside to doing it. Even if you peel off 2% from non-racist independents in a particular race, it could help.

referendum? idgi

the downside is the GOP running Virginia, in this particular case.

Again, it also puts the lie to the GOP talking point that racism was solved in the 1960s.

do you seriously believe that if there was a pic of, say, Steve King in blackface he'd face no consequences because "the base loves that shit"?

Yeah, I would think Herring can still be governor. Who gets to appoint new Lt Governor and AG?

I feel like you guys want to think that I am saying these types behaviors by elected Democratic officials should not be brought to light and punished/reckoned with, which is not what I'm saying at all. I thought this was clear but idk. Blackface is wrong and worth losing office over. Same with sexual assault allegations.

The bigger picture is that the GOP over the last few years is weaponizing these things against Democrats far more successfully than Democrats have against the GOP, because their voting bases are different, and the latter just generally dgaf about how racist or rapey or corrupt their candidates are (and in some cases that makes them even *more* inclined to vote for them!) This is a problem for the party and I don't know what the solution is, as I've said repeatedly.

xp

I'm offended by orangeface.

Steve King in blackface he'd face no consequences because "the base loves that shit"?

Steve King was just re-elected btw, and then he went on to say even more white supremacist shit. for which he was punished by his caucus, but there's no one screaming for him to resign. so no, I don't think he would lose office.

he wasn't caught in blackface.
but I'll stop this cause you are prob the most hardheaded ilxor. love ya tho.

But is that really true? Roy Moore lost, the Kavanaugh hearing definitely damaged Kavanaugh, Rob Porter resigned. Steve King did eventually lose his committee posts. A lot of GOP politicians have been hurt by this. There's definitely a thing where the media goes crazy over anything bad that a Dem does, in order to be fair and balanced - I saw it pointed out on twitter that with these yearbook pages there were no media outlets who felt the need to say 'racially charged' or something like that - and that needs pushback. But I don't actually think the GOP is immune to this?

do you seriously believe that if there was a pic of, say, Steve King in blackface he'd face no consequences because "the base loves that shit"?

― A True White Kid that can Jump (Granny Dainger), Wednesday, February 6, 2019 4:51 PM (eight minutes ago) Bookmark Flag Post Permalink

I seriously believe this. I mean like a hypothetical Steve King blackface pic is arguably less offensive than some of the things he's already said.

The media would go nuts, dems would go nuts, but who's going to impose these consequences upon him?

If King resigned, wouldn't his successor pretty surely be Republican? I don't think his district is happy with him not being on any committee.

I'm not saying a GOP politician would definitely be allowed to just carry on as normal after video leaks of his Jim Crow-themed birthday party, but it's certainly conceivable that he'd coast to a relatively smooth reelection down the road.

Repubs have called for Northam to resign. They won't be able to avoid doing the same if same situation happens with a Repub.

Roy Moore lost

yes, highest profile instance of this for sure

the Kavanaugh hearing definitely damaged Kavanaugh

it didn't damage him at all. he got a lifetime appointment from which he can unilaterally get revenge on his perceived enemies, just like his fellow sexual assaulter Thomas.

Rob Porter resigned

replaced by a Republican. who is also probably as racist as every other Republican in Florida (which afaict is all of them, including my in-laws).

Steve King did eventually lose his committee posts.

this is an interesting and unexpected case. he is still in office, though he now has nothing to do, which is gratifying. he will probably be primaried from the right the next time he's up.

I have no idea what universe GD is living in tbh

Repubs have called for Northam to resign. They won't be able to avoid doing the same if same situation happens with a Repub.

lmao watch them

the one where you don't know everything ever

Steve King is an actual white supremacist, not a dumbass who posed for an offensive photo as an “edgy” joke

They won't be able to avoid doing the same if same situation happens with a Repub.

My impression is that if the cost of staying in power is to brand themselves as hypocrites, they'll choose hypocrisy every time.

and apparently where the GOP does not shy away from baldfaced hypocrisy for political gain

I wish I lived there tbh

xp

If repubs are fine with him and were fine with that ghoul in alabama bannon supported they’d be fine with anything

Their president is a career criminal. He ran a scam against people who wanted to become realtors through an online course.

Here is how the two-party system works in the US: both sides agree to a game of checkers, and one side truly believes that they're playing a game of checkers and generally tries to maneuver within an accepted set of rules, and the other side pays ample lip service insisting that they are playing the fairest and most god-fearing game of checkers ever even as their every crooked move reveals nothing but abject contempt for the game of checkers. And the first side will haplessly sputter 'b-but the rules!' while the second solemnly insists that they're following the rules to the letter even as they're very overtly pulling extra checkers out of their pockets and painting red squares black and slipping revised rulebooks into the box. And each side is behaving exactly as their supporters would have them behave.

p much

Deleting this tweet because the reaction proves me wrong and that's a good thing. But the more I think about it the more I think it is wrong to push anyone out of office for a 35 year old incident when his present life suggests he's not that guy anymore. pic.twitter.com/vVVp6UIrpc

— Erick Erickson (@EWErickson) February 2, 2019

Repubs are basically already being hypocritical about it, so, they'll have no problem doing that again.

ugh I hate Checkers burgers

Scrolling through Ericksons feed to find that tweet, yuck.

Repubs are basically already being hypocritical about it, so, they'll have no problem doing that again.

― Frederik B, Wednesday, February 6, 2019

Rich LOLwry aligned with Erick Erickson on a Sunday talk show, and you know what? For once I took him at his word. As a Beltway guy, he does worry about the NRO racists with college photos in the Reagan White House wearing blackface.

He probably feels differently now that Virginia is in a pickle.

actually, GOP's position: INFANTICIDE IS FINE, BLACKFACE ISN'T

My impression is that if the cost of staying in power is to brand themselves as hypocrites, they'll choose hypocrisy every time.

FOX NEWS HOST TO @tedcruz: You cool working with alleged child molester Roy Moore if he's elected?

CRUZ: Sure, no problem, that's up to the voters.

FOX NEWS HOST: And what about alleged groper Al Franken?

CRUZ: Now that's a very serious problem. I'm extremely concerned. pic.twitter.com/1QzMq0Hud5

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) November 30, 2017

The GOP's whole infanticide song and dance routine is so, so gross. I could barely even explain it last night to my spouse, who was so confused, without sighing myself into oblivion.

Ugh, NPR is all *affects serious voice* "These incidents have shone a spotlight on Virginia's complex racial history." Virginia's? Um, NPR, maybe try "the whole country's racial history."

They are colonially fucked up.

And all the military families gives it a dependa patriot give me my tricare and housing subsidies but down with socialism good tidings.

this shit is infuriating to me

More than 60% of the vote in Nov.; a victory in the state Supreme Court yesterday; and still Idaho's Medicaid activists must fight to protect their referendum victory: https://t.co/zQsUTfyk6r

— Taniel (@Taniel) February 7, 2019