CONFIRMED: Treasurer of this pro-Trump PAC is notorious Ponzi schemer Steven Hoffenberg, convicted of a $460M fraud. https://t.co/JLQhLMmk0u
— Kenneth P. Vogel (@kenvogel) June 14, 2016
This guy was LITERALLY one of the people we based a LEVERAGE villain on! Cool! https://t.co/lZdM6DPy8l
— John Rogers (@jonrog1) June 14, 2016
At some point the Irish bookies will establish a line on the probability that Trump’s entire acceptance speech in Cleveland is “The Aristocrats…”
Omnes Omnibus
Golly.
Kropadope
For all the awful people supporting Trump, it’ll be hard to hold Trump responsible for someone running a SuperPAC. After all, they aren’t allowed to coordinated with one another **wink wink**
dmsilev
A Ponzi schemer, huh? OK, so their plan is for that guy to convince 10 people to vote for Trump, and each of those people will convince 10 other people to vote for Trump, and then each of those people….
the Conster, la Citoyenne
I just can’t see him making it through the convention. I can’t see how the convention won’t turn into a giant ugly shit show, and how Republicans could possibly pull off pretending that they’re in control. Even with the horse race press willing to play along. It’s scary.
Mnemosyne
Well, if you can’t trust a convicted fraudster with your money, who CAN you trust?
dmsilev
@Mnemosyne: That’s not fair. Trump University is only a civil trial, not a criminal case.
Yet.
trollhattan
Trump is now Leading The Polls in some SuperMax somewhere.
I know I have to take his non-zero possibility of winning seriously, but for five damn months? I dunno if I kin do it, kiptin.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
I think my mother is heading into dementia. She’s had a lot of memory problems over the last year or so. I thought that the reason she didn’t respond to my email letting them know I’d been sexually assaulted as a kid was a combination of being too angry and not knowing what to say, but Dad told me today that it’s that she doesn’t remember it despite him showing it to her twice.
I’m not looking forward to this.
Howard Beale IV
(Trump) Hey-I really don’t associate with the best crooks, but you have to admire this guy for what he did. (/Trump)
dmsilev
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: So sorry to hear that. Stay strong.
bluehill
Here’s some more satire that’s disgustingly true.
http://www.theonion.com/blogpost/its-honor-continue-being-valued-over-countless-hum-53094
“I don’t want to get too sentimental or anything, but it really means the world to me how often you as Americans, through your words and your actions, make it known that I am more important to you than the lives of your fellow citizens.
You see, I’m just a humble lightweight, magazine-fed semi-automatic rifle; I never expected this kind of outpouring of affection. But time and time again, you’ve shown me how much I matter to you. To see so many people—people who could be working to protect and care for human lives—actively devoting their time and energy to making sure I’m the one who’s protected and cared for instead—it’s beyond touching.”
Mary G
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Sorry you have to go through that. One of my friends got a lot out a support group, might be worth looking around?
JaneE
Is Trump actually trying to lose the election or blow up the GOP convention just for the fun of it? Every day you think he has sunk as low as a human can go and then he proves you wrong. Rich people losing their money to fraud is a big laugh to most of his supporters, but accusing Iraq vets of stealing money during the war is something else again. What next?
trollhattan
@JaneE:
Confession: for the first time in…ever I so want to watch the RNC convention.
NotMax
Not surprising at all.
*cough* Rick Scott *cough*
*cough* Ralph Reed *cough*
Et cetera, et cetera, et cetera.
Fourberie ain’t the green badge of dishonor it used to be.
Le sigh.
Smiling Mortician
@bluehill: That’s brilliant. Reminds me of their coverage immediately following 9/11, actually.
Adam L Silverman
@the Conster, la Citoyenne: Republicans aren’t in control. At the national level there is no functioning GOP as an institution anymore.
Adam L Silverman
@trollhattan: Bundy Buncher and Y’all Qaeda member Blaine Cooper endorsed him from jail yesterday.
Adam L Silverman
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I am so sorry to read that. Keeping good thoughts on this end. I’d use the parentheses for hugs things, but now I think it means I’ve involuntarily converted you to Judaism or something.
rikyrah
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
I am sorry for your mother and your family having to go through this. You all are in my prayers.
NotMax
@Adam L. Silverman
“Look at my
African-Americanfelon over there!”Adam L Silverman
@NotMax: He has a long list of those already in his native Arizona.
Luthe
A fool and his money are soon parted, and there are lots of fools among the Trumpenproletariat.
wag
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
That completely sucks. I’m very sorry to hear it.
danielx
Through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole….Vivid image of Melania Trump wearing red dress and screaming “off with their heads!”
NotMax
@danielx
Picture her more blurting out something a la Leona Helmsley.
trollhattan
@Adam L Silverman:
Wow, were they holding out for somebody better? He’s probably a better fake rancher than Dubya was.
Major Major Major Major
Oh man, I love Leverage!
NotMax
@efgoldman
Christie makes anal leakage look good (and preferable) in comparison.
SiubhanDuinne
@trollhattan:
Oh, me too. I actually entered the dates into my calendar a couple of months ago so I wouldn’t accidentally counter-schedule anything. Wouldn’t miss it this year.
Adam L Silverman
@trollhattan: I have no idea. Here’s the link:
http://www.rawstory.com/2016/06/felons-for-trump-jailed-oregon-militant-blaine-cooper-endorses-likely-gop-nominee/
(that is not a picture of him in jail…)
Miss Bianca
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Yow. So sorry to hear it. That’s very tough to deal with.
Omnes Omnibus
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I am sorry. You have my good thoughts. And If the timing ever works, a drink from me in Madison.
Omnes Omnibus
@Major Major Major Major: Parker rules!
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Omnes Omnibus: I’ll be in Madison the weekend of December 2-4, when the Gophers play the Badgers at LaBahn.
Miss Bianca
I want to be able to say “Nobody puts Satire in the corner…” I *want* to be able to say it. And believe it! But I’m not so sure events of late haven’t proved me wrong.
SiubhanDuinne
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
That’s rough on many levels. I’m so sorry.
Major Major Major Major
@Omnes Omnibus: She’s cool. Big Eliot fan myself.
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Sounds dreadful, so sorry to hear that.
James E Powell
Question – What are the chances Trump can find a VP candidate from the traditional political world?
Luthe
@efgoldman: The residents of Camden have suffered enough as it is. They don’t need more. The inhabitants of the surrounding upper-class towns, otoh…
Adam L Silverman
@James E Powell: Depends on what you mean as traditional. Gingrich is a leading candidate.
SiubhanDuinne
@Adam L Silverman:
Speaking as one who was briefly, and long ago, one of his Congressional constituents, that statement does not bring me unalloyed joy.
danielx
@NotMax:
Help me understand: you mean you can’t see Leona Helmsley screaming “off with their heads!”?
? Martin
Well, Trump will have a VP candidate by the convention, someone of his choosing. If he would drop out post-convention, there’s no way the VP candidate doesn’t become the candidate.
So the GOP won’t get to choose the replacement, Trump will have already done that. I’m sticking with Michele Fiori. I know she’s a long shot, but she’s the perfect Trump running mate.
Major Major Major Major
Anybody ever made mozzarella sticks? Asking for a friend.
Mnemosyne
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym:
Ugh. If he hasn’t already, he should get her evaluated by a doctor to make sure there isn’t something else going on, but dementia of any kind is very tough on everyone.
SiubhanDuinne
@efgoldman:
Well, I hope you’re right, but I’m thinking that if Trump implodes, as he very likely will, Newt would then inherit the nomination. I still think Hillary would win, but it would be a lot harder and a lot closer. Newt has an ability to sound reasonable. He’s not, of course, but he manages to fool a lot of people along the way.
father pussbucket
@James E Powell:
Gingrich wants to bring back HUAC; that’s probably sociopathic enough to qualify.
jl
@SiubhanDuinne: I share your fears. But Lil’ Newtie seems to have gotten the notion into his brilliant head that his path to success is to out Trump Trump. So he came up with the idea of new HUAC, aimed at Muslim-Americans or something, right?
If he keeps that up, he’ll go down with Trump and Trumpism.
danielx
@Adam L Silverman:
Lord bless us and save us, the memory of Callista Gingrich’s hair was becoming mercifully dim until you brought to mind. You couldn’t part that helmet do with a fire axe, not to mention the only Villager eyes crazier than Michele Bachmann’s.
Those would be reasons #10,701 and #10,702 why that odious troll Newt (and his Neuticles) should never again be permitted to get anywhere or anything close to a governmental position higher than shit picker in Oconee.
trollhattan
Donny plagerizes Wiggum? Just watched an ’08 Simpsons episode in which Ralphie told Lisa he’s running for president to “Make America great again.” Explains so much.
pseudonymous in nc
@JaneE:
No, he’s dancing the dance with the mob. He’s gone from the bubble of his bullshit high-leverage fraudulent reality-show life into the campaign bubble where everything he flings out is received with hateful joy by the fuckheads who go to his events for their 60 Minutes’ Hate.
cckids
@? Martin:
Well, she lost her primary tonight, so she’ll be free to campaign with him.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
Is it socially acceptable to want to punch Cristiano Ronaldo in the face, really hard?
Gretchen
Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I’m sorry that your mother isn’t able to respond. Maybe it would help if another mother in that situation responds. I hope so. My son was abused by a neighbor. I thought I was doing everything I could to protect him and I failed him. I kick myself every day for failing to see the danger and failing to protect him. Looking back, I was aware of dangers and protected him from those I was aware of, but it wasn’t enough. I’m still kicking myself, and worrying about what dangers face my grandson that I won’t see until it’s too late. I’m sure your mother also thought that she was protecting you, and was blindsided by dangers she didn’t anticipate. I hope you can forgive her, and wish you peace in what you have to deal with now. I’m so sorry this happened to you, and wish I could have prevented it, and what happened to my son. Peace.
Carl W
@father pussbucket:
So what’s up with that? I guess I’m not too surprised that a RWNJ would want to create a new version of the HUAC. But I thought the original HUAC was pretty much universally reviled these days, and that you’d want to at least name the new version something else. Am I wrong about the “almost universally reviled”? Even if the HUAC is only reviled by half the country, isn’t a call to bring it back under the same name pretty stupid politically?
amk
@cckids:
She came in third? Sweet.
Also. Too. The chicken woman lost.
Major Major Major Major
@efgoldman: Plus, people lie to the pollsters because of political correctness.
Tissue Thin Pseudonym
@Gretchen: There’s nothing that I need to forgive my mother for, or my father, either. My abuse happened in school, junior high school, by a group of girls. It was a part of a huge amount of bullying that I went through in those years, as happens to a lot of kids with undiagnosed high functioning autism (and in 1982, that means all of us that had high functioning autism). My parents knew about the bullying and did the best the could. The villains here are the girls who did it, and the principal that allowed his school to get out of control.
When I thought my mother was too angry to respond, I didn’t mean to imply that I thought she was mad at me for anything. Telling them about the sexual assault part is just very likely to rekindle her anger at the school, if she grasps it. The main reason that it took me 35 years to tell them is because, since all of the instances were fully clothed, it took three decades for me to really comprehend that it was sexual assault and to realize how much more profoundly those instances had scarred me than all of the other bullying.
My parents may not have had a good idea about how to help me, but that wasn’t for a lack of effort or desire. They were just dealt a shit hand. Not their fault.
ruemara
@SiubhanDuinne: The man called for a return of the HUAC. Mask is off, forever.
SiubhanDuinne
@danielx:
Two narcissistic and bombastic septuagenarians, each married three times (each currently to a much younger and high-maintenance woman notthattheresanythingwrongwiththat), each with — shall we say charitably — unconventional ideas about what’s wrong with the country and how to fix it. Now that I think it through, this ticket does offer its own appeal.
Elizabelle
Florida, Florida. Front page of NY Times website now.
Orlando, Orlando.
1) pop star stalked and killed by a fan
2) 49 dead in massacre at LGBT nightclub and now
3) toddler from the Heartland pulled underwater by a gator.
EconWatcher
I see a low but terrifying possiblity of Trump being elected, and a high probability that he will explode like a supernova and leave the GOP a smoldering ruin. This country will be very different after November, one way or another.
Elizabelle
@EconWatcher: I see the good guys turning out to vote, and Trump not being elected. No one I know takes this election lightly, and there is only so much stupidity out there. Even if it’s loud and brazen.
But I am not sure he will be the nominee, after Labor Day or even before. The press is wired for Republicans, and I wonder what else can happen this year.
seaboogie
@Elizabelle: I really do not miss living in Florida – most especially Miami – that place is nucking futz. And gators are kind of everywhere. Waterline at night is not where you want to be – even at Disney.
JGabriel
@Carl W:
You would think, but no, it’s still venerated on the right. Ann Coulter, for instance, has repeatedly defended and written of her admiration for Joe McCarthy.
Betty Cracker
@Elizabelle: Horrible tragedy. People who live here know better than to splash around the edge of a lake at night or any time you can’t see into the water clearly, but those folks likely didn’t understand the danger. What really surprises me is that it happened on a Disney property; they’re known for controlling every little thing. Anyway, I just can’t imagine the horror for all involved.
Elizabelle
@Betty Cracker: Yeah, that it was a Disney property stood out. I’d expect they control for nature in their properties, as much as they can.
And my wondering about the signage is not going to bring that little boy back.
PS: you are up late! I am finishing coffee and heading — a bit late — to school.
seaboogie
@Betty Cracker: Agree with you on all points. Visitors – especially to Orlando – envision a Disney-fied fantasy of your place. The reality is much, much different. When I lived in Miami, I carried one of those window-breaking tools in my car in case I ever ended up in a canal – saw too many memorials for that point not to be driven home. And when I walked my water-loving golden retriever – he learned that canals were “bad water“.
opiejeanne
@? Martin: Michele Fiori. I am impressed. I don’t remember if they’ve met.
Elizabelle
@seaboogie: Yeah, I’d be terrified for my pets. Enough reason to visit, and keep the pets on leash or further north.
Good point about the canals.
EconWatcher
@Elizabelle:
I agree with you; I am actually now seriously doubting that Trump will be the nominee, after the events of the last two weeks.
Paul Ryan was never a real leader, but he’s the best they’ve got, and it’s pretty obvious he is spooked. I’ll bet there are some wild conversations going on behind closed doors. They don’t have any good choices; they face immolation whether they support Trump or oppose him.
But the attack on the federal judge in particular has really forced their hand. And they know there’s more where that came from. He isn’t going to pivot, and he isn’t going to stop.
opiejeanne
@pseudonymous in nc: Jared Yates Sexton described Tuesday’s Trump rally https://storify.com/case_face/a-trump-rally-in-greensboro-anger-in-here-is-palpa
seaboogie
@opiejeanne: That was pretty damn scary…not for the ultimate vote, but for the eruption of all hatred and stupidity without restraint.
Joey Maloney
I want odds that he gets up there with the whole family and acts it out.
Patricia Kayden
@trollhattan: Me too. I’ll watch this one because it looks like it’s going to be off the chain. Anything could go down!
Bruce K
Is it possible that Trump is so reliant on Charisma that he treated both Intelligence and Wisdom as dump stats?
Applejinx
“The Aristocrats”, and then he drops the mic.
And then he picks it up and says “Meet your new president, you LOSERS” and out walks Hillary Clinton and he hugs her. “I was fooling all you idiots the whole time, losers! I intended this all along!”
Hell, Trump Ocean Club International Hotel and Tower is a giant vagina. Why not?
msb
@ Tissue Thin Psuedonym
I’m sorry to hear about your mom. Our family unfortunately has a lot of experience with this. We learned several important lessons about “the long good bye”.
1. Get a diagnosis to rule out everything else it could be.
2. If it is dementia, plan ahead as much as possible: for support in the home, for moving to a residential facility, etc., etc. The worst decisions are those made in a hurry after some event that takes everyone by surprise, such as an accident at home.
3. Understand that, as much as you may want to help and plan ahead, the person affected (and spouse/partner) will deal with the illness as they choose to do.
4. It’s amazing how long love for the ill person lasts, even as they lose the things you loved most about them. Love has proved to have more shapes than we knew.
sherparick
@efgoldman: I think Irony is holding her hand and sobbing with her. Meanwhile, I expect the Onion to just suspend operations for the next six months saying it can’t compete with the NY. Times, Politico, and Fox News.
satby
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: That’s really tough, I sympathize. She’ll have good days and bad days,but it will progress. There are some medications that may help, you can encourage her or your dad to talk with her doctor about them. It appeared to give my mom about a year more of ok cognitive function before it really started downhill.
Immanentize
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: ufta. I am so sorry for you, your dad and of course for your mom. I am.counting, once again, my blessings in all regards. Hang in there….
bemused
Hoffenberg is a Trump clone. From politico article he initially had a $1 million price tag to give an interview. He was furious a reporter pointed out it was a fed crime to file false information on FEC form and threatened to sue. He’s now a “born again Christian” and would never file false information. A spokesperson said the media has treated Hoffenberg very, very bad over the years.
sherparick
@pseudonymous in nc: All he understands is that he is still getting great ratings and therefore “winning.” And the Republican Base (remember over 50% of Republicans believe President Obama was born in Kenya and is Muslim), loves him still and is showing up for his events in mass. And he is promising to thump all the people they want to see thumped (to be “strong” in their language): Obama, Hilary Clinton, Muslims, Hispanics, immigrants, Blacks, uppity women, environmentalists, hippy “libtards” as they so affectionately say it, and to allow them to let their freak flag (also known as the Stars and Bars) fly by abolishing the “tyranny of politically incorrect” (e.g. being held accountable for saying and doing racists, sexist, and homophobic language and acts.) So the Republican establishment pols and donor class are probably ordering their sixth scotch at this point, but I don’t think they can get rid of him. They find themselves in the the position of the CIA regarding Mr. Kurtz in Apocalypse Now of having created a monster they can no longer control.
Is it just my impression, or does Hilary find running against Trump liberating? Suddenly their is humor, and rhythm, and just joy of combat in her speeches and interviews.
Aimai
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: im so, so sorry that this is all hitting at the same time. I am also dealing with my mother’s memory loss and I find I just have less flexibility and resilience dealing with my own stuff as a result. Its like there is just so much energy to go around. Holding you in the light.–aimai
Emma
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Immediate evaluation is key because there are meds that can regulate these diseases (a bit) and slow the descent (a bit). Find your local support groups and associations. They really have the best info. Good luck.
Dan
@sherparick:
Hillary’s been dealing with awful blowhard white men all her life to get where she is today. For her to think that the last obstacle between her and her long-awaited goal is a dude who’s the apotheosis of awful blowhard white men has to be weirdly satisfying. I’ve been training for this all my life, she thinks. Let’s do this. Let’s slay this fuckin’ dragon.
Also, she can just let ‘er rip now in the general; she had to walk a very careful line in the primary with Sanders. So there’s a relief in her feeling free to be blunt and say what she really thinks.
Uncle Cosmo
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: My mother lived on her own in the little row house where she raised us for nearly 10 years after Dad passed–cooking her own meals, cleaning, working in the garden. Then at 94 she started forgetting things like turning off the burners & the faucets… We laid her to rest last August, in the middle of her 103rd year–but really it had been The Long Goodbye since she started the descent into dementia.
I hear you. The Long Goodbye is nothing to look forward to. Do what you can, trust that something inside her knows who you are even when she seems not to recognize you, accept that it’s not your fault you can do what seems so little, & you will get through it.
Uncle Cosmo
@SiubhanDuinne:Newt is “a stupid man’s idea of what a smart person sounds like.”
Commonly misattributed to Krugthulu, but apparently an echo of Elizabeth’s Bowen’s 1936 jab at Aldous Huxley : “He is at once the truly clever person and the stupid person’s idea of the clever person.”
boatboy_srq
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: [[hug]]
Marshal your resources (support mechanisms, help groups etc). There are good resources out there for family and caregivers. AARP is a good place to start: they have excellent guidance information.
If it helps, keeping dementia sufferers engaged – community activities, performances, reading, group events, companionship – help mitigate the symptoms. Spend as much time with your Mum as you can.
And there are lots of us in the commentariat who can help if you need resources, advice or just someone to listen.
Dadadadadadada
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Acceptable? It’s mandatory!
satby
@Uncle Cosmo: 9 years is a long good-bye, condolences on her passing. Peace be upon her.
laura
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: I wish you luck. If possible, get her a good cognitive analysis, find all the available resources including any local council on aging. Start thinking about a plan for living for your mom and dad. He’s going to suffer from loss and caregiving demands.
For me, it was awful until I could come to acceptance -for the reality of the disease and then to have a way of making decisions. Guiding principles are will it minimize suffering or maximize joy.
Best wishes to you and your dad.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: So sorry to hear.
Avery Greynolder
Topical references? Steven Hoffenberg backed up his Ponzi scheme using fake assets: Uncollectable defaulted medical debt. This is the same stuff that John Oliver bought for pennies on the dollar to illustrate his debt expose. And it dovetails with Trump claiming billions of dollars of wealth that is backed only by his brand name.
hedgehog the occasional commenter
@Patricia Kayden: Gonna have to stock up on popcorn and booze….and possibly brain bleach.
Tom
@Major Major Major Major: Me, too.
Frankly I’m surprised it lasted five seasons since it was so blatantly anti-corporatist. I’m glad we got that much, though.
I’m in the midst of a re-watch and I’m up to “The Scheherazade Job”.
SFAW
According to Clueless News Network.com, there’s a new WaPo/ABC poll out on favorability. Apparently Deadbeat Donnie has successfully reversed his slide toward favorability, and is now at something like negative 41 (29 F, 71 U). Which says to me — borrowing a line from our hopefully-still-banned-lying-racist-misogynistic troll (Sprich vom Teufel nicht!) — that Combover Caligula is
VINCIBLE!
So SUCK IT, LIBTARDS!
Tom
@Elizabelle: Did Disney do any due diligence when they were looking for a place to build their theme park?
SFAW
@efgoldman:
Bullshit. Mateen was born in New Hyde Park. Now, although NHP is kind of a poorer cousin to Great Neck, there’s nothing wrong with it — childhood home of Al Oerter! –and certainly does not deserve Outlaw Joisey Whale’s trashing of it.
And by the way, Krispie ain’t no damn manservant. He’s an errand boy. Manservants generally have significantly more class than Krispie. Or, at least, in the movies they do.
grumpy realist
@danielx: It’s obvious–the alien that Trump supports on his head and whatever inhabits Mrs. Newt’s brow have a love affair going on.
No wonder Trump will pick Newt as his VP…..
SFAW
@grumpy realist:
Well, until she finds out that when he said he was “huuuge,” he was lying.
Paul in KY
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: Very sorry to hear that. One of the only ‘good’ things about dementia is that you can have fights/arguments & in a few hours they have forgotten all about that.
Paul in KY
@Elizabelle: I was driving down a 2 lane road one day in ruralish Dade County & was passed by a bass boat that must have been doing 80 mph in one of those canals!
Paul in KY
@msb: Excellent points all.
Paul in KY
@Tom: Any decent size body of water down there will have alligators. It is their natural habitat.
The Lodger
@SFAW: With those numbers, that’s quite the F/U ratio.
Original Lee
@Tissue Thin Pseudonym: So sorry to hear that. My dad had Lewy Body dementia, and it’s so tough to deal with a loved one whose mind is going in a direction we can’t follow.
Original Lee
We should have figured Satire was sick when Colbert changed comedy horses.