US Politics, April 2020 -- Where's the Vax Returns?

Hits the rare Democratic Messaging Trifecta of being narratively incoherent, irrelevant to normal people's lives, and reinforcing of the dominant themes of the opponent's campaign https://t.co/KCblfERUxK

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) April 17, 2020

KING AND KAINE ON THE ATTACK!!!!!!

Washington (CNN) Senate Democrats grilled Vice President Mike Pence over coronavirus testing and President Donald Trump's tweets during a tense phone call Friday afternoon on the pandemic response.

A Democratic Senate aide told CNN that "almost every question" from Democratic senators on the call "has been about testing," and said that the administration "has not given clear answers."
The source said that at one point, Sen. Angus King of Maine, an independent who caucuses with Democrats, said to Pence and everyone on the call, "I have never been so mad about a phone call in my life."

...Despite signaling to governors earlier this week that that they would decide when to reopen their states, however, Trump sent a series of tweets on Friday calling to "LIBERATE" Virginia, Minnesota and Michigan, three states with Democratic governors. Michigan and Minnesota have seen protests in recent days as people grow concerned about the economic fallout from the pandemic with protesters voicing opposition to stay-at-home orders.
Near the end of Pence's call with Senate Democrats, Virginia Sen. Tim Kaine pressed the vice president on Trump's tweets to "LIBERATE" those states, according to another Senate Democratic aide. Kaine, the aide said, "asked Pence why the President was trying to incite division in the midst of a global pandemic."

Pence did not answer the question, the aide said, but instead, "tried to deflect by talking about how they are working respectfully with governors, and Kaine jumped back in to say that those tweets are not at all respectful."

get 'em! you show 'em kaine!!!!

https://www.cnn.com/2020/04/17/politics/coronavirus-testing-trump-pence-democrats/index.html

"these leaders, in washington, they are, i tell you with all due regret and sadness, not as good as they could be, nor, indeed, as good as some would say in darker moments, as they should be. some would say.."

lol, i jumped the gun before i even got to the punchline:

Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, according to the aide, closed the call saying that all of the Senate Democrats agreed with what Kaine had just said.

in his schmendricky whine

don't hate on Ezra

I've read and listened to him long enough to know that he doesn't actually find it surprising. "Weird" was probably not the best choice of words there.

‘gee whiz I’m starting to think Paul Ryan isn’t the wonky idealistic deficit hawk that we guilelessly marketed to you for a solid decade’

like I know this guy isn’t stupid, but

just say What It Is, Ezra. just acknowledge that it’s a never ending loop of the Globetrotters dunking on the Washington Generals in the service of billionaires, until we all die. or get the fuck off my screen bc otherwise it’s just insulting.

some say the generals won six games. the generals themselves claim to have won 3 times - one game each in 1954, 1958 and 1971. this is the story of those 3 games

what i don't understand is why the billionaires continuing funding the globetrotters, even after so many years. what was in for them? why do they even play games? why don't they just do tricks?

a never ending loop of the Globetrotters dunking on the Washington Generals in the service of billionaires, until we all die

more like a COVention amirite

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/campaigns/full-steam-ahead-rnc-chairwoman-says-gop-plans-to-stage-august-convention-despite-coronavirus

plz avoid delegates in the aftermath

Cool -- they'll die!

Too bad for all those living in North Carolina... well, the not-stupid ones.

yeah, this gathering won't affect only the unwashed wingnuts

The governor of NC and they mayor of Charlotte (both Democrat) might have something to say about that.

If you thought the response to the financial crisis was a complete policy success with a backlash caused by too much oversight and transparency, you would do everything Pelosi has been doing https://t.co/qZ3wlXGnjY

— 'Weird Alex' Pareene (@pareene) April 18, 2020

I guess that's better than nominating Shalala (older than Biden!) for VP, which is what Thomas Friedman recently proposed.

huh? She was a Cabinet secretary and for 14 years the president of the University of Miami. That's "expertise."

What's the complaint -- that she'd be too soft? that she can't oversee a budget?

Read Dayen's follow-up tweets:

Katie Porter actively lobbied for this job
8:20 PM · Apr 17, 2020

The key committees that prep you for this oversight panel would be Oversight and Financial Services. Porter is on both.
Shalala is on Rules and EdLabor.
8:54 PM · Apr 17, 2020

The governor of NC and they mayor of Charlotte (both Democrat) might have something to say about that.

it almost seems inevitable. the GOP leadership doubtlessly knows that too. why revise your own convention plans when you can instead let your opponents cancel it for you and fan the flames of grievance politics? it gets their voters fired up, and also contributes to the idea that if they do lose the election in Nov, it's because democrats cheated. win-win!

I guess that's better than nominating Shalala (older than Biden!) for VP, which is what Thomas Friedman recently proposed.

wow! i completely missed that, even though i did hate-skim the piece when it came out. i like how his alternative to Shalala is Gina Raimondo (governor of RI), whose entire pre-politics career was venture capitalism

Just remember we are talking about the contents Thomas Friedman's brain. This explains much.

Read Dayen's follow-up tweets:

Katie Porter actively lobbied for this job
8:20 PM · Apr 17, 2020

The key committees that prep you for this oversight panel would be Oversight and Financial Services. Porter is on both.
Shalala is on Rules and EdLabor.
8:54 PM · Apr 17, 2020

Grancy doesnt want to be 'too divisive'

Apparently Trump called himself "the King of ventilators" today (got that second-hand from CNN, so I don't know). That does kind of go along with his The Wiz huckster persona.

The Producers 2, featuring opening number, "The King of Ventilators".

“Working class” used interchangeably with foaming white people example No. 45,890.

Does Baker have evidence these people are working class? Remember the Tea Party—which this mirrors—was disproportionately wealthier. The Tea Party, like this, is mostly racist bourgeois petulance https://t.co/78HkVgqDYO

— Adam H. Johnson (@adamjohnsonNYC) April 18, 2020

Posted today...sorry, I really do like this guy.

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

"A lot of our history, to be honest."

Somebody did some extremely basic WHOIS searching and found that the person who set up all the "reopen $STATENAME" protest web sites is in fact one guy in Jacksonville.https://t.co/ZG1to014QI

So, most of what's going on here is an organized astroturfing campaign.

— Colin McMillen (@mcmillen) April 18, 2020

you know i wish i could still feel shock

easily one of the funniest pictures i've ever seen https://t.co/9SeUv7FSAU

— california guy now (@InternetHippo) April 18, 2020

The only emperor is the emperor of ventilators

love how all these protesters in different places have the same fonts for their signs

New: Senate Republicans just held a conference call with President Trump, Mnuchin and Meadows. McConnell said that Democrats won't get the money they asked for for state and local governments or SNAP funding. Final haggling down to money for testing

Republicans just wanted money for the small business fund, Dems wanted $ for testing, state & local governments, & snap funding. Dems has previously given up on absentee voting for all, and some other things. All Dems may get now is $ for testing, unless they can somehow get another bill later for the items left out. Ugh.

New: Senate Republicans just held a conference call with President Trump, Mnuchin and Meadows. McConnell said that Democrats won't get the money they asked for for state and local governments or SNAP funding. Final haggling down to money for testing

Republicans just wanted money for the small business fund, Dems wanted $ for testing, state & local governments, & snap funding. Dems has previously given up on absentee voting for all, and some other things. All Dems may get now is $ for testing, unless they can somehow get another bill later for the items left out. Ugh.

New: Senate Republicans just held a conference call with President Trump, Mnuchin and Meadows. McConnell said that Democrats won't get the money they asked for for state and local governments or SNAP funding. Final haggling down to money for testing

Republicans just wanted money for the small business fund, Dems wanted $ for testing, state & local governments, & snap funding. Dems has previously given up on absentee voting for all, and some other things. All Dems may get now is $ for testing, unless they can somehow get another bill later for the items left out. Ugh.

New: Senate Republicans just held a conference call with President Trump, Mnuchin and Meadows. McConnell said that Democrats won't get the money they asked for for state and local governments or SNAP funding. Final haggling down to money for testing

Republicans just wanted money for the small business fund, Dems wanted $ for testing, state & local governments, & snap funding. Dems has previously given up on absentee voting for all, and some other things. All Dems may get now is $ for testing, unless they can somehow get another bill later for the items left out. Ugh.

Oops

Ugh.

unless they can somehow get another bill later for the items left out.

If the reopening of America goes sideways, like it most likely will, they'll get another shot.

https://www.kotaku.com.au/2020/04/former-white-house-press-secretary-blames-china-after-getting-bamboozled-over-bootleg-ps4-controller/

I thought the real punchline of his stupid tweet was that it came from “Twitter for iPhone”

The famous american-built smartphone

I only buy PS4 that are made right here in Detroit

I was adamant at the time that Pelosi would be a terrible Speaker. But I actually underestimated how ruthless she’d be in shutting out progressive members of her caucus. At some point you have to blame them for continuing to play nice. This is egregious.https://t.co/i5Rpo9HFKe pic.twitter.com/zhZJxy9ZTj

— Sam Sacks (@SamSacks) April 18, 2020

the facts, ma'am

https://prospect.org/coronavirus/unsanitized-donna-shalala-selection-bailout-oversight-panel/

i don't think your people know how to make a revolution