A story in the @washingtonpost that I was close to “rescinding” the nomination of Justice Gorsuch prior to confirmation is FAKE NEWS. I never even wavered and am very proud of him and the job he is doing as a Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court. The unnamed sources don’t exist!
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 19, 2017
Trump was especially upset by what he viewed as Gorsuch's lack of gratitude for a Supreme Court seat. BUT Gorsuch had actually handwritten him a letter of thanks. https://t.co/2LcKg4pBF1 pic.twitter.com/YDIXXkdmCC
— Ashley Parker (@AshleyRParker) December 19, 2017
Chroist Jaysus, these Repubs. Actual Washington Post headline, in case you think I’m exaggerating: “Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination”:
For nearly eight months, President Trump has boasted that appointing Neil M. Gorsuch to the Supreme Court ranks high among his signature achievements.
But earlier this year, Trump talked about rescinding Gorsuch’s nomination, venting angrily to advisers after his Supreme Court pick was critical of the president’s escalating attacks on the federal judiciary in private meetings with legislators…
The president worried that Gorsuch would not be “loyal,” one of the people said, and told aides that he was tempted to pull Gorsuch’s nomination — and that he knew plenty of other judges who would want the job…
Trump was especially upset by what he viewed as Gorsuch’s insufficient gratitude for a lifetime appointment to the nation’s highest court, White House officials said. The judge sent the president a handwritten letter dated March 2, thanking him for the nomination and explaining how grateful he was, according to a copy obtained by The Post.
“Your address to Congress was magnificent,” Gorsuch wrote. “And you were so kind to recognize Mrs. Scalia, remember the justice, and mention me. My teenage daughters were cheering the TV!”
Aides said Trump did not immediately receive the note, but it was retrieved by legislative affairs director Marc Short and then viewed by Trump on March 10, helping ease his concerns…
The incident that so angered Trump came shortly after a federal judge had issued a nationwide stop to the president’s travel ban targeting a list of majority-Muslim countries. At the time, the president disparaged the “so-called judge” on Twitter, writing that the ruling “put our country in such peril.”…
Gorsuch, meanwhile, was moving through the confirmation process, doing rounds of courtesy meetings with senators on Capitol Hill — including the one with Blumenthal, which quickly became news after the senator shared their private discussion with reporters.
“I told him how abhorrent Donald Trump’s invective and insults are toward the judiciary,” Blumenthal told The Post in an interview. “And he said to me that he found them ‘disheartening’ and ‘demoralizing’ — his words.”
The remarks angered the president, who attacked Blumenthal on Twitter, saying the senator misrepresented Gorsuch’s comments. But at the time, at least, he also felt that Gorsuch himself was being disloyal.
In a meeting with House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) and Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), Trump attacked the judge in sharp terms, surprising his fellow Republicans.
McConnell was so concerned that he made a point of repeatedly telling Trump to stay the course on Gorsuch — and that he would make sure the judge made it through the confirmation process with as few hiccups as possible.…
Expecting “loyalty” from a Supreme Court Justice is about as perverse a misunderstanding of the institution as you can imagine and also totally unsurprising from Trump. https://t.co/J6G141AVcK
— Julian Sanchez (@normative) December 19, 2017
A reminder that there is not a thing this president does that is motivated by civic concern, a theory of government, or anything but himself. https://t.co/ZvmgzoG95D
— Tom Nichols (@RadioFreeTom) December 19, 2017
Looking for the pony in the manure pile…
I mean, think how many dumb ideas the president has that we never learn about.
— Josh Barro (@jbarro) December 19, 2017
MisterForkbeard
I like the part where McConnell promises to avoid doing oversight and promises that the nominee will automatically be approved.
danielx
From what I’ve read, a hell of a lot. One of the reasons Kelly stopped so many visitors…
Jim, Foolish Literalist
A bit surprised to see that weak ass shit from Barro. Seems to me just a few weeks ago, “you should see the crazy stuff we block” was the an article being roundly mocked on twitter– maybe the one with the “Committee to Save America” line. I’d be surprised if he wasn’t one of the ones mocking it.
David Hyland
Love the post title, Anne!:) Thank you.
Yarrow
They’re voting on the Tax Theft.
Dying in prison and leaving his family penniless would be too good for him.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
I find this admirable and funny. Too late now.
MisterForkbeard
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: I don’t think Barro is serious with that first tweet. It’s all about setup for the 2nd tweet, which is the joke.
Brachiator
Earth to Beltway. Der Trump don’t give a shit about institutions. He likely doesn’t give a shit about the Constitution.
All the dipshits who wanted a president who would run the government like a business are getting exactly what you want, an autocrat who will give you the business.
From the time he secured the nomination, we’ve seen that Trump has a hangup about gratitude and loyalty. No one should act surprised.
It’s going to be a long, cold, lonely winter.
tobie
Well, the phuckers did it according to my CNN news alert. Let’s make them regret this at the ballot box in 2018.
TenguPhule
@Yarrow:
I would like to test this hypothesis.
Yarrow
Oh, goody. Something to look forward to.
Major Major Major Major
Open thread‽
It’s cold enough in the bedroom that we finally had to turn on the radiator.
And… I decided on Friday to write a short story for submission by January 15th. I’ve got 3,500 words so far on the story itself, but I hit a snag this morning, and I ended up getting 1,300 words of character details down today, to help me navigate the plot and get to what the story’s really about. I learned a lot about my character! It felt really productive. This is my first attempt at the short form in several years, and I think it’s going to end up very well (for once).
The finished product will probably be around 7,500 words. I think this can fit in 6,000 but I don’t know if I can do it.
Anyway, this is while my novel is still fermenting untouched, so it’s good to be back on the saddle.
Raven Onthill
They have passed it. Me, on Twitter, to the Senators who did this thing: you will not have a peaceful retirement. There’s going to be a lot of angry people. They will remember that we held the world in our hands, and you threw it away.
JGabriel
Josh Barro:
Putin’s Asset is such a flaming narcissist and unfiltered blabbermouth that I’m pretty sure hear about *all* of his dumb ideas, eventually – just as the Russians hear about all the state secrets he brags to them about knowing.
GregB
I think these people are in a power induced state of psychosis. They can’t see how monstrous and criminal it seems from the bleachers.
Brachiator
@tobie:
I think the House has to vote on the bill again because of some technical violation. After that, I’m sure that Trump will be so ecstatic that he may soil himself while signing the bill.
Yarrow
I hate them all so much.
Major Major Major Major
@Brachiator: The senate passed the new version that takes out the parts the parliamentarian struck. The House has to concur on that version.
Yarrow
@Brachiator: It would be kind of funny if something happened that meant the House couldn’t vote on it tomorrow. Even better if whatever that something was, or another something, meant they couldn’t vote on it at all.
JGabriel
@Brachiator:
So that’s why Trump so frequently starts to leave his bill-signings before he’s done.
JGabriel
Yarrow:
Right there with you.
ArchTeryx
@Yarrow: Good luck with that. Unless they simply strike down the legislative fillibuster, no ACA repeal bill will get through the Senate in 2018. They used their shot at reconciliation already with the tax horror. Unless they retain Congress after 2018, they have no shot.
It’s up to us to make sure they don’t. Period. They get 2 more years of Congress with Trump in the White House, we’re done. By the time they get through with us in 2020 liberalism itself will be illegal and registering Democrat will be a capital crime.
Villago Delenda Est
Josh Barro is an utter waste of skin.
Aleta
fucking ghouls
blood running down from the corners of their mouths
Major Major Major Major
@ArchTeryx: reconciliation is per budget year, I believe they could take one more crack in the lame duck technically. ???
Elizabelle
I am so glad I am not in the US to see this.
Fuckers. I hope they get terrorized, and then voted out in 2018. And prosecute Corker and anyone else who took a literal bribe for passing this monstrosity.
The American public did not vote for this. The GOP forgets that, and may it be at their literal peril.
danielx
@GregB:
I’d say sewers rather than bleachers, but no, they probably can’t. How much time do you suppose a US Senator spends in the company of people whose assets, never mind incomes, are less than six figures? It’s a completely foreign world to them.
Major Major Major Major
In other news, I booked flights to (and alas from) japan in April.
NotMax
Mentioned because items below are ones some here take a cotton to. Shall likely repeat for the daytime crowd if memory doesn’t fail.
Amazon’s upcoming Digital Day sale includes:
Save up to 80% off best-selling Marvel graphic novels
Save up to 75% off on Kindle best-selling books.
Mnemosyne
So I may have semi-good news about my knee: the physical therapist looked at the MRI report and said that I partially re-tore my ACL but didn’t tear anything else. I still want to hear it from the orthopedist, but if that’s the case, that would be great news compared to what I was expecting to hear.
Weird thing about ligament/tendon damage — apparently a sprain/strain hurts a lot more than a full tear. Who knew?
danielx
K, the editor is bollixed….how unfortunate.
Major Major Major Major
@Mnemosyne: good to hear it.
Yarrow
@Mnemosyne: That is good news. Would you still need surgery? Better get it in quick before they gut health insurance and bring back lifetime maximums. Did you ever do your sleep study?
GregB
Long live The Plutocrat Protection Act.
Elizabelle
@Mnemosyne: Very good to hear. Recover on.
@Major Major Major Major: Glad to hear your short story is coming along so well.
Elizabelle
Don’t know if it was mentioned elsewhere, but Bernard Law has died.
Cardinal of Boston during the sexual abuse scandal, fled to Rome to avoid US prosecution. Aged 86.
Mike J
@NotMax: I’m off funny books
Villago Delenda Est
@Elizabelle: Now resting comfortably in a sulfur hot tub.
frosty
@Mnemosyne: Good news on the knee. Best wishes for minimal damage.
frosty
@Mike J: So cute. Fuckem.
Elizabelle
@Villago Delenda Est: With Dead Scalia.
Yarrow
@Elizabelle: May he toil in Hell.
Speaking of kids, CHIP still hasn’t been funded. It’s day 80. States have sent out notices that enrollment will be stopped January 1 and the program will end January 31. A lot of parents with kids who are on CHIP went to Washington to ask Congress to fund it. Sample family:
I would imagine a lot of kids are on CHIP in WV. Someone in a previous thread was talking about Manchin’s reelection. If Republicans control both houses of Congress and the presidency and throw kids off health care in WV, I’d think that might help him. It’s a pretty easy talking point and ready made ad. Not that I want them to not fund CHIP, but I can see negative consequences for Republicans if it happens.
Mnemosyne
@Yarrow:
I consulted Dr. Google and it sounds like surgery would be up to the orthopedist. If I do really well with physical therapy and the knee regains stability, I might not need surgery (assuming the physical therapist read the report correctly, of course). If it’s still unstable even after PT, then he would have to go in and re-do the original ACL repair.
The sleep study went fine — G even said he felt that I snored less the night I did it. Now I have to wait and see what my doctor says. If I don’t hear from her by the new year, I’ll probably call her, but it’s a little lower priority for me right now.
And now I should probably go do my knee exercises. Good night, all, and thank you for the healing thoughts.
Yarrow
@Mnemosyne: Sounds good. Glad the sleep study went well. If you snored less while doing it, that might mean you benefited from it. Will be interesting to hear what they say.
Major Major Major Major
@Yarrow: I don’t think they can bring back lifetime maximums without support from democrats.
Brachiator
@Elizabelle:
May he roast in hell.
Yarrow
@Major Major Major Major: They might be able to work it through the court system if they can’t pass it through Congress. Whatever they can to kill people and steal their money, that’s what they’ll do.
clay
@Major Major Major Major: Was anything significant taken out by the parliamentarian?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Elizabelle: At least some good news, may the Cardinal rot in hell.
And to get you all in the holiday spirit…decorations from here in Glendale. I did something different this year; since I got a new phone, I decided to take all the pictures for this album with the phone*.
*There are some good reasons to do this: the phone has the fastest lens I have, it has really good Optical Image Stabilization, it’s easier to carry around, and it reduces the chances of folk calling the cops because some dude is taking pics of their house at night.
Amir Khalid
Mitch McConnell greased the skids for Ann Gorsuch’s boy probably more to spite Obama than to help Trump. When you take that into consideration, Trump’s “big achievement” is really no achievement at all.
We learned long ago that Trump’s White House staff must talk him out of saying/doing dumb things every day, or even every hour when he’s really feeling like a genius. Someday I’d like to see a list of their successful dissuasions.
Re Trump and his expectation of personal loyalty to him from Government servants, it’s an integral part of his mistaken belief that as POTUS he is the boss of America; whereas, as any citizen of a democracy should know, it is America that is the boss of POTUS.
Aleta
@Mnemosyne: Glad to hear this good news. I learned something last week. My dentist said that pain itself causes inflammation. The injury to a muscle or nerve etc is the primary cause of course, but the body’s response to pain signals from the nerves is to create inflammation, he said.
Major Major Major Major
@clay: Unfortunately no. Apparently part of it was about the fucking short name of the bill (perhaps it didn’t match, I don’t know the specifics) which is… I mean, what a bunch of fucking clowns.
efgoldman
@Elizabelle:
I don’t believe in heaven and hell, but if there is…..
Chet Murthy
@Major Major Major Major:
Aleta
Increasing the debt is a way of eliminating social programs. No need for publlic debate or voting, just get the country into bad economic shape so there’s little room for argument.
Yarrow
@Amir Khalid:
It’s his proudest achievement:
Major Major Major Major
@Chet Murthy: Seriously though, the title? How do you fuck up the title?
Elizabelle
Headlines up on the Boston Globe site:
and links to the Globe’s reporting on the sexual abuse scandal that brought him down and sent him into exile in Rome, where he was protected by Pope Ratzinger. (And may we find out why that cretin resigned his office; very strange. Long live Pope Francis.)
Elizabelle
@efgoldman: I wonder if Law believed in Hell. He’s dead, that’s good. But if he still thought he had a soul, I wonder if he worried about its eventual destination. I hope he realized he might be Hellbound.
I have always thought that the conservative Catholics canonized JP 2 so quickly to head off any further investigation into what he did and did not do WRT the priest abuse scandals. Telling seminary graduates they must be “perfect” — which JP2 did — seems to me the height of neglect.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Major Major Major Major: With this gang, easy.
Major Major Major Major
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Looks like Sanders lodged the complaint and they had to change the title because it didn’t have “budgetary impact”.
Amir Khalid
@Mike J:
Someone mentioned this already. (Was it you?) Extracting oil in the ANWR would be unprofitable at current oil prices, has been for some time, and will likely continue to be since the world is finally moving away (if very slowly) from it and other fossil fuels. I’m sure someone like Rex Tillerson would know that getting to drill there isn’t really helpful to the oil industry. Why do Republicans keep going on about it?
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Major Major Major Major: We’ve been to Tokyo, madame wants to go to Nara where mom grew up.
frosty
@Amir Khalid:
Cleek’s Law of course.
piratedan
@Yarrow: something that would be apropos would be to have those aforementioned Senators dig a grave for everyone that they’ve killed with their new legislation… at least it would keep them busy enough to stop fucking over anyone else in the country….
danielx
@Elizabelle:
How does it go?
I have never wished death on anyone, however, I have read several obituaries with great pleasure.
Major Major Major Major
@Amir Khalid:
cleek’s law, shibboleths, and perhaps murkowski isn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer.
MisterForkbeard
@tobie: At this point, any time the media calls Collins, McCain, Corker or Flake a “moderate” we need to nail their fucking ass to the wall. It needs to be clear that voting Republican, for ANY Republican, means voting to fuck everyone but the 1%. They voted for a bill with literal goddamn bribery in it, with portions specifically targeted at enriching the President and key members of the Senate, and they did it for sham “promises” that mean nothing and won’t be fulfilled.
Oh, and the bill was written so quickly and so awfully that no one even has a full idea of how it will affect tax law, other than being a giant disaster. Way to go, Republicans.
Mike J
@Amir Khalid: Alaskan Republicans go on about it because every citizen of Alaska gets a check for allowing oil drilling.
It’s weird how the party that’s supposed to be good with money has never understood supply and demand when it comes to oil prices. Every country on earth that has oil (including the US and Malaysia) has been pumping full tilt for a decade and nobody will slow down Imagine how silly you’d look if electric cars really took off and you’d left all that profit in the ground.
Mike J
Literally trying to kill us all.
Feathers
@Mike J: What I’ve never understood about the recent surge in US oil production is, wouldn’t you want to leave it in the ground, buy everybody else’s oil, have domestic stocks in reserve, should they be necessary at some point in the future? But I guess no one thinks that way anymore.
Elizabelle
WaPost front page on this piggish tax bill:
I want to see Paul Ryan and Mitch McConnell pursued by angry citizens and constituents. I want them afraid to eat out in most American restaurants. For people throwing bread or soup at them.
Elizabelle
@Feathers: Agreed. That is thinking strategically. Fossil fuels is all about extraction; grab, smash, go. Microcosm of business gone way bad.
I think this tax bill vote will be the high water mark for these Republican congresscritters. I think they just lit their own funeral pyres.
Gravenstone
@Mike J: Bring on Captain Tripps!
Mike J
@Gravenstone: Laws yes. M-O-O-N, that spells pandemic.
Amir Khalid
@Feathers:
Petronas used to do something similar. It would exploit the price premium for “sweet” Malaysian crude oil by exporting all of it, and importing regular, cheaper crude oil for domestic consumption at Government-subsidised prices. (Low oil prices and the loss of that premium have led to the phase-out of these subsidies, as well as to a lack of new twin-tower skyscrapers in Kuala Lumpur.)
Amir Khalid
@Mike J:
Isn’t the US a party to international conventions restricting the use of biological weapons? Also too, wasn’t the alleged stockpiling of such weapons one of the W administration’s justifications for invading Iraq?
joel hanes
@Amir Khalid:
Extracting oil in the ANWR …
Why do Republicans keep going on about it?
Cleek’s Law
Gravenstone
@Elizabelle: Food hell, imma slinging cutlery.
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Mike J: Anything to make a buck
Marx was right, capitalists will sell the rope to their own hanging
sukabi
@Elizabelle: you’re too kind. I’d like to see them homeless, begging for someone to throw bread or soup at them….which is exactly where those a$$holes are trying to put 98.9% of us.
Yarrow
@Elizabelle: Bread and soup are food and people will not be able to afford to throw that at others. Your general point that the people who voted for this bill should be hounded and shamed so that they can’t appear in public is a good one, though.
Mike J
@Yarrow: Perhaps they could throw the bread and the soup after their bodies had processed and excreted it.
Elizabelle
@Yarrow: I want them to be afraid of us. They deserve it. They are thieves and whores. (Requisite apology to sex workers.)
Thinking today will be a good day to stay off the intertubes. Frankfurt Christmas Market awaits!
Yarrow
@Mike J: Indeed. We might need to go back to chamber pots since they won’t budget any money to fix our infrastructure. Those contents have to go somewhere!
Mike J
@Yarrow: I just posted about the sad lack of chamber pots on twitter when somebody posted a picture of nazis protesting outside Twitter HQ.
Yarrow
@Mike J: Nazis are protesting outside Twitter HQ?
Yarrow
We can help them with that other line of work. Like federal inmate, maybe.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Yarrow: The Nazis are revolting…yes they are.
Mike J
@Yarrow: Yep. They threw a buncha them off.
Amir Khalid
@Yarrow:
There’s still a chance that someone will get to fling those words right back in McConnell’s face.
eclare
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Nazis are protesting Twitter? JFC. Chandler Bing voice, could this year be any stranger?
eclare
@Mike J: Hahaha…
Kathleen
@sukabi: I would like to add “drowning in their own pool of vomit, urine, drool and feces.”
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
@Mike J: I hate San Francisco Nazis
J R in WV
@Amir Khalid:
Same reason coal mines are not opening up all over. It isn’t profitable at current energy costs, and we’re now crossing the point where solar-generated power is less expensive than gas turbine generator plants. Once we have a cost effective method for storage until the sun comes back up we’re really in the no-fossil-fuel era.