Photos of special challenge coins being distributed among Secret Service personnel and their families, expressing frustration at the requirement they work without pay because of the government shutdown pic.twitter.com/0Toz1zpiIV
— Jake Tapper (@jaketapper) January 23, 2019
Well, now that we've settled the very pressing issue of TV president's TV time, maybe we can get back to the not letting the whole country collapse?
— Schooley (@Rschooley) January 24, 2019
The government shutdown is by far the longest in U.S. history. It's put hundreds of thousands of people under financial stress and endangered our security. Join a National Call In Day to end it. @IndivisibleTeam has scripts and numbers for senators here: https://t.co/5iPvbaqeg5
— Hillary Clinton (@HillaryClinton) January 23, 2019
Majority of Americans want President Trump to agree to a budget without funding for a border wall, a new CBS News survey shows https://t.co/5CC62QGLKq pic.twitter.com/dyWAU2gqRw
— CBS News (@CBSNews) January 23, 2019
This to my knowledge is the first (at least "high quality") poll that directly pitted Pelosi and Trump. Good for the Speaker and not so good for the President. pic.twitter.com/wIGCH07to0
— (((Harry Enten))) (@ForecasterEnten) January 23, 2019
Americans respond to Lara Trump argument that government shutdown is a "bit of pain" worth it for the greater good of the border wall pic.twitter.com/bUSA6NsG3A
— David Frum (@davidfrum) January 23, 2019
The shutdown has forced Trump to confront his unpopularity in a way that previous events haven't. He's given two major televised speeches and hasn't moved the needle at all; instead, his approval rating has kept getting worse. https://t.co/jWhuL5JALJ
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) January 23, 2019
By my count, we're up to 11 lawsuits filed by federal employees who are being required to work without pay during the partial government shutdown. One was filed by fed employees seeking to remain anonymous because of the "sensitive nature" of their jobs https://t.co/xLN1rRjl0S pic.twitter.com/VZstFbfPpL
— Zoe Tillman (@ZoeTillman) January 23, 2019
Betty Cracker
We’re having a humongous thunderstorm right now. The power flickered but came back on. Hope it doesn’t go out altogether!
OzarkHillbilly
But jared has been talking to “moderate Democrats” open to negotiation, where “moderate” means “anti-Pelosi”.
Raven
Repost from last night”
rikyrah
Good Morning, Everyone ???
rikyrah
@Raven:
Sounds like quite a day, but I am glad that everyone came out okay ??
prufrock
@Betty Cracker: I was about to get out of bed to go run. One crack of lightning kept me under the blankets.
OzarkHillbilly
I love the pacifier on the “Challenge Coin”.
OzarkHillbilly
@Raven: Damn. Good thing you don’t smoke.
Anne Laurie
@OzarkHillbilly: Good catch!
Chetan Murthy
@OzarkHillbilly: Damn, that’s poetically brutal!
Betty Cracker
@Raven: Jeez! Glad no one was hurt.
RAVEN
@OzarkHillbilly: @rikyrah: I sure thought about that! I had a new padded harness on her and I can’t seem to get the smell off of it even though I’ve run it through the washer twice. Maybe it will evaporate.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Betty Cracker: Time to set up the camera and get good pics of the lightning.
OzarkHillbilly
@RAVEN: Hopefully, I’d give it a week or 2 outside, then try washing it again.
Baud
Nancy Pelosi must go!
@rikyrah: Good morning.
plato
Amazing how the 3rd rate press isn’t focusing on the real culprit at all, the mcturtle. He is the one keeping this shutdown going.
Raven
@OzarkHillbilly: OOO, ok I’ll do that. She seems to be ok this morning. What a trooper.
JPL
@Raven: I’m just glad everyone is okay.
Baud
@Raven: Poor baby.
Cermet
The Post has a story that the Feds are billing furloughed workers for their health care!
JPL
My wish is that Mueller has something concrete on trump that leads quickly to his removal. Country first!
Betty Cracker
Vanity Fair published an excerpt of ex-Trumpster Cliff Sims’ “Team of Vipers” tell-all. He trashes Kellyanne Conway in the snippet linked, which she surely deserves, but the the writing is just abominable. Sims was a communications aide in the White House. No wonder they can’t put out a simple press release that isn’t riddled with errors. Like Kay says, low-quality hires.
hitchhiker
Hugh Hewitt has been given space in the Washington Post this morning to wax stern about how genius McConnell is. At one point he claims that trump’s love of defense spending is part of what makes him okay with traditional Republicans, who care deeply about national security.
My head completely exploded.
Baud
In other tales of idiocy (The Hill)
Immanentize
@Raven: so, it’s been a whole night, is Lil Bit Ok? Does your watch still work?
Immanentize
@Anne Laurie: I want one of those coins!
JPL
@Betty Cracker: I assume they were the best no/low quality hires though.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: The kid’s sister is edging into the anti vax thing, which the kid being a nurse and all is not going down well.
Immanentize
@Baud:
We are tilting toward sectarian clashes. If my kid (born or unborn) was harmed by measles because of another’s “religious objections,” I might get energetically anti-sect.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Immanentize: Check Ebay.
Raven
@Immanentize: Ha, yea all seems well. I finished her 7 eye meds for the morning and she seems as normal as the little squirt can be. I’m trying to figure the watch out, I bought it for the swim capability but I really like the health monitor aspect.
Pogonip
@Cermet: Money is taken out of a Fed’s paycheck to cover his “share” of the cost of health insurance. If you can’t have the money taken out, because you weren’t paid anything, OPM or your agency’s payroll office has to send you a bill. You can either send the money in (not recommended because 99% of the time it won’t get posted right) or wait till you start getting paid again when your payroll office will take extra deduction till you are all caught up. Yet another expensive shutdown snafu.
Immanentize
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
I am seriously curious — WHY?
Is she really afraid that the vaccines will hurt her child? Does she think her kids will just maybe get lucky? That the diseases vaccines protect against just aren’t dangerous? Is she otherwise anti-science? Is it a “I’m smarter than others?”, Does she think it’s a big government conspiracy to plant chips in our pristine bodies?
rikyrah
@Cermet:
Phuck Outta Here ??
Baud
@?BillinGlendaleCA: Awful.
@Immanentize: Agree. Lots of ugliness ahead.
Pogonip
@Baud: In 1962, a year or so before measles vaccine became available, I was so close to dying that my parents were calling funeral homes. Except in the case of allergies, refusal to vaccinate should automatically make the parent unfit.
Immanentize
@Raven: I’m glad. My wife had an I-watch and she really liked it. Also for the email notices in case of work emergencies (she was on call a lot). She could exercise and not have to have her phone with her all the time.
John S.
Wow, so all those polls show that Trump support is down to the crazification factor. He is literally only playing to the 27%.
That’s going to work out well for him and the Republicans in the next election.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Immanentize: Who knows, the kid’s sister is a bit loony. Last year she took her daughter out of school to home school her.
ETA: The reason the kid mentioned it was that her niece didn’t get a flu shot this year. She had the flu last year and was running a temp of 104 for a couple of days. It could be the sister lost faith in the vaccine due to it not working last year(last year’s formulation wasn’t on target).
Baud
@Pogonip: I’m afraid it’ll take a major outbreak for people to get tough on this issue.
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: And in that theme: Trapped in a hoax: survivors of conspiracy theories speak out
His is one of four stories they highlight. The other 3 are:
Marcel Fontaine- Falsely accused of being the Parkland shooter
Lenny Pozner- Targeted after he lost his child at Sandy Hook
Brianna Wu- Attacked by #gamergate trolls
Raven
@Immanentize: Cool, preparing it for swim is a little complicated but I think I’ll just need to get used to it.
Baud
Cory Gardner has been freed up to pretend he’s not a Republican.
OzarkHillbilly
@Raven:
And right now it says you are in toxin overload after swimming in a gasoline filled pool.
Immanentize
@?BillinGlendaleCA: not yet there…. But you are right, they will be.
Elizabelle
Request: Let’s do a Hello Schlemazel thread every morning, which niece Laura can read to him. As long as we know he is still with us.
Saw this on Adam’s overnight thread with the 4 white rightwing guys.
So: good morning, Schlemazel. I hope they are keeping you comfortable, and that you get some quality time with your family. You are in my thoughts, every day.
ETA: now to check the threads for any further news of Schlemazel.
Baud
@OzarkHillbilly:
The same lie Stein voters tell themselves about Hillary.
Baud
@Elizabelle: Thanks, EB.
Elizabelle
@Baud: Good morning, bud.
Cermet
@rikyrah: Please, try to say what you mean – or are you having trouble like the orange fart cloud?
Chyron HR
@Baud:
The same lie these exact same people tell themselves about Hillary.
p.a.
Wonderful morning shadenfreude thinking of the toxic narcissist ranting and raving at his despicable handlers and staff about his having to cave on SOTU address!
Immanentize
@Elizabelle:
Thank you.
Smoke gets in my eyes.
BruceFromOhio
@Immanentize: You’ve neatly highlighted the hazard of having unprotected sects.
JPL
@Elizabelle: Thank you for posting that. ,
Immanentize
@Baud:
How could you continue living otherwise?
Perhaps true in both cases.
Immanentize
@BruceFromOhio: oooo. That was good.
Elizabelle
Here’s the Schlemazel thread (“I Have Some Terrible News”) John Cole put up. It’s where Laura came for the updates.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Immanentize: The one thing she said is her sister has a “chemist” friend who told her the vaccine wasn’t any good.
Lapassionara
@Elizabelle: Thank you. Also, has anyone seen a comment from Leto or Avalune recently?
debbie
@Baud:
I just listened to that Mercedes chick stating over and over that Nancy Pelosi refused to come to the table to negotiate. NPR was too obsequious to point out that it was Trump who stomped out of the room the last time they met.
Waking up to these polls has done wonders to ameliorate a very, very cold morning.
debbie
@Pogonip:
That means the government also isn’t taking out taxes. I’m surprised the government wouldn’t in effect be depositing its share. It seems too honorable.
JPL
@Lapassionara: Several days ago he posted that he was out of the hospital but still achy. I’m not sure if he has posted since then though. I imagine that he still has a long road to complete recovery filled with days of physical therapy.
SFAW
@JPL:
According to Traitor Turtle, that means you are NOT a member of the Democrat Party.
debbie
@Elizabelle:
Thanks from a person who can’t possibly keep up with all the posts around here.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Raven: Poor Lil Bit! I’m glad she’s ok. Mr DAW got some sort of fitness watch for Christmas too. Garmond, I think? He’s working on getting it to lower his daily goal, which seems off point to me.
My writers group met last night. They always meet in the library right next door and I usually walk to it along a path through trees and some open area. Last night, that proved to be nearly knee deep in snow. I had to stop several times to take deep breaths because it was such hard work. To make up for it, I let someone drive me home. Again, that would be from next door.
OzarkHillbilly
@Elizabelle: I hope my eloquence gave him a laugh.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@OzarkHillbilly: Roald Dahl’s daughter died of complications from measles. He’s written about the death and urged use of the vaccine.
Odie Hugh Manatee
@Elizabelle: “He has struggled with acceptance all of his life, I hope for the the first time in his life that he realizes just how much he is loved.”
I was falling asleep last night and I thought about him and wished him the best. This jackal sits here with tears in his eyes after reading the above quote.
Good morning, Schlemazel. You are in my thoughts.
debbie
@Elizabelle:
I just posted again in that thread and trust Laura Too will continue to check it.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@p.a.: That was a totally unnecessary fight too. He just couldn’t let Pelosi have the last word. Instead he had to announce he was going to give that speech in the House whether the wanted it or not.
Someone on here said Pelosi is giving Trump a master class in how the US government (theoretically) works because he had no knowledge of it before he took office and learned bad habits from the Rs.
Elizabelle
@OzarkHillbilly: Fuck yes.
I wonder if Laura read the whole post or just … excerpted.
=====
If the Secret Service is laughing behind Trump’s back … (and the things they must see that we have no idea of) … The pacifiers! Are we sure that is real?
Elizabelle
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
I know. That one caught me in my chest too.
Barbara
@?BillinGlendaleCA: This is my brutal take on the anti-vaxer mindset: People who wish to feel “special” and “different” seize on vaccinations as a way to “separate” themselves from those conformists who “mindlessly” follow the “herd.” To which I say, people stand out for being exceptionally musical or artistic or athletic or kind or generous or thoughtful, but nobody actually stands out for simply setting themselves in opposition to others for no good reason. I totally understand why pediatricians get exasperated with these parents. They aren’t being thoughtful or concerned about their children. They are just looking for a completely fake way to stand out.
raven
@Dorothy A. Winsor: Most people I know have a Garmin. I was drawn to this because of the health monitor:
My recent stroke made me think this might come in handy.
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
I’m just wondering why no one cares about secure communications anymore. Shouldn’t they be seizing all of these devices?
bemused
Re: Kushner news. It’s hard to wrap my mind around the total absence of reality from trump, his family and just about everyone surrounding him. Whopping delusion goes hand in hand with massive privilege issues.
Elizabelle
@Barbara: re anti-vaxxers:
And they’re better parents and better stewards of their children too. In their tiny minds.
Because they won’t subject their preciouses to to all those chemicals. Big Pharma!
Kay
@Betty Cracker:
That book excerpt reveals what I think we knew- Trump himself is the source for the bullshit blind quotes we read.
They print his lies and we don’t even know the lies are coming from him, so we can’t even employ the foolproof “Trump said it, so it’s therefore a lie”. We’ve probably gotten a full 50% more lies than even we know. Their “source” in the White House is the president. Who is a liar. Good God.
OzarkHillbilly
His Hyper-Realistic Fingernail Tattoo Went Viral. Now He Plans to Help More People
When looking, one doesn’t just do a double take, it’s a triple-quadruple take.
It’s now up to about $5K, definitely a worthy cause if one is so inclined.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@raven: Oh good point about the heart monitoring.
Kay
I live in the middle of nowhere and I don’t make “deals” with fancy people, but I do engage in a lot of negotiations in the course of my work – daily, hourly, some days and I have literally never encountered this Trump Family approach that involves bragging loudly about what a great “dealmaker” you are while failing, week after week, to get a deal on anything. I haven’t encountered a single person who does that- not a lawyer, not a litigant, not a mediator, not privately and not publicly. It must be very high powered and limited to the very biggest, most stupendous “deals”.
I’m going to a mediation this morning. I’ll keep looking for an example, but so far I don’t think this is real. This might happen only in movies and now, in the White House.
rikyrah
@Elizabelle:
Wonderful idea.
Good Morning, you Dear Guy..
You are in my prayers ?
Please be in comfort.
rikyrah
@Odie Hugh Manatee:
That got me too???
OzarkHillbilly
@Kay:
No, it’s because the worst you deal with is mere simpletons, not complete and utter morons,
rikyrah
Thread
??Crystal4Obama✊? (@crystal4obama) Tweeted:
1. I am tired already of these uninformed views of Kamala Harris. Our own Folks are so quick to dog a Black Woman, but don’t question these white folks running running our country into the ground. If fact, you make $ or expand your platforms off chaos and complaints.
https://twitter.com/crystal4obama/status/1088357832490008576?s=17
OzarkHillbilly
JPL
@Dorothy A. Winsor: I wonder what would happen if you had the watch on while traipsing through the snow.
Mark Damico
Trump is out of his league here. Pelosi knew she held the only card that meant anything. If Trump had agreed with her right away…said “Yes, we shouldn’t have the SOTU until the government is open.” he would have looked magnanimous…like a leader…like a President. AND he would have blunted the backlash from his tantrum about trying to do it anyway. But Pelosi KNEW he wouldn’t do that. She KNEW he would try to bully his way to getting what he wanted. She KNEW he couldn’t act like a real President.
To paraphrase a line from Jerry Maguire…She had him at hello.
MomSense
@Raven:
Oh no! Damn that is scary.
Dorothy A. Winsor
@rikyrah: The irrational reaction to Kamala Harris suggests she’s a frighteningly strong candidate. Go, Kamala!
@JPL: I wondered that same thing. I suspect it would have been hooting alarms, or whatever it does.
Ken
@Immanentize:
Are they real, or just a photoshopped image?
Dorothy A. Winsor
@Ken: I clicked on the pics in the Tapper tweet and I don’t see a pacifier, but I might not be looking in the right place. I did see a banner that reads “Shit happens.”
ETA: Oh wait. Now I see it in the margin on the lower right. I had to go to Twitter and click, not try to do it from this post.
matt
Boy I don’t know. Federal employees who are showing up to work thinking they’ll get back pay, with Trump’s track record.. People ought to watch out for themselves a little better.
zhena gogolia
@Lapassionara:
He appeared on the Schlemazel thread.
Hi, Schlemazel — I’ve been thinking of you and praying for you every day. We miss you!
JPL
@matt: Congress passed and he signed a bill stating that they would receive back pay.. He might try, but won’t be able to.
NonyNony
@OzarkHillbilly:
She has to continue to think that. Because if she didn’t then she murdered her child through her negligence.
The vaccine has to be worse, because the alternative is too terrible to contemplate.
This is what a lot of the fear and paranoia around vaccination is. Your child has autism – it can’t be a thing that just happens, and if it’s genetic or even developmental that makes it your “fault” to some degree. But if the vaccine manufacturers are doing something that hurts children to make a profit – ah NOW you have a Devil you can blame! And that makes it neither a random event nor your fault – it’s their fault!
Personally I accept a worldview were shit just happens and sometimes there’s nothing we can do about it. But I can see how that would be scarier for some than the world where Someone is out to Get them through nefarious means. Random shit happening can’t really be stopped, but you can at least hope that nefarious actors might someday be brought to justice.
OzarkHillbilly
@NonyNony: Denial is not a river in Egypt.
MomSense
Good morning, Schlemazel. I hope you are feeling comfortable and less confused. We are carrying on here, blasting our mockery through the interwebs. Anne Laurie has mastered the art of posting things to inspire our vitriol. This morning she posted photos of a new challenge coin the Secret Service made. It features a closed sign on government and a tiny little pacifier. I don’t think the man baby in Chief noticed or he’d be twooping (tweeting on the toilet) non stop by now. I hope you find comfort from a visit with your niece Laura. We’ve already welcomed her into the pack. Sending a hug to you.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Schlemazel, we miss you. We struggle on with jackal snark as best we can.
chopper
@OzarkHillbilly:
i’m amazed that the WH thinks they can split the caucus by talking to ‘moderate’ dems in the house after watching pelosi completely posterize trump. who goes after the queen when she’s at the peak of her power?
O. Felix Culpa
@MomSense: Dear Schlemazel – What MomSense said. We miss you and send you love and hugs.
bemused
@Kay:
Trump and family believe they are superlatively special people who can do whatever they want to do, a one of kind species.
OzarkHillbilly
@chopper: It speaks to how immune to facts and logic their bubble is
Immanentize
@chopper:
Also, didn’t they notice how thoroughly Nancy SMASH took out the frat boy opposition? You’ld think Team Trump would see how the House is opperating. But of course not. No one has broken yet. Is Kushner going to try out and out cash bribes?
bemused
@OzarkHillbilly:
Any news on the child, health and if he will be adopted?
laura
Schlemazel, sending you some love today.
Rest in comfort dear heart.
You are missed.
OzarkHillbilly
@bemused: No. I suspect the child is with the mother’s family.
Gelfling 545
Good morning, Shlemazel. Hope they are keeping you comfortable. We’ve been having a little laugh watching Nancy Pelosi wipe the floor with Trump. Probably the first time he’s been useful for something. Still, we miss your distinctive take on events.
SFBayAreaGal
Dear Schlemazel – Lots of love and hugs to you and your family.
Mary G
Shlemazel , your niece Laura is a wonderful person, and we appreciate her letting us know how you’re doing. We miss you very much.
Barbara
@Elizabelle: Or, in other words: “my children are more important than yours.”
Sebastian
@Baud:
Of course she does. She knows she killed her own child, saying it out loud would mean to accept it and I don’t think thatbis possible. She’ll either go nuts or kill herself. There is very little in between.
Frankensteinbeck
@Immanentize:
Bear in mind that Kushner is profoundly stupid and egotistical. His entire modus operandi is to say a buzzword and then pat himself on the back for his own genius. This is the kind of strategy he will assume is brilliant and only he can pull off. He will probably be unaware he failed.
Sebastian
@?BillinGlendaleCA:
Dude, my ex is a NURSE and keeps spouting bullshit how the flu vaccine is useless.
Sebastian
@MomSense:
Schlemazel, buddy. What MomSense said. Sending you love and hugs, hang in there bud! We are holding the fort for you. Come back soon!
TomatoQueen
Good morning to you Schlemazel, thinking of you every day.
Kayla Rudbek
@RAVEN: try wiping it down with rubbing alcohol
Uncle Cosmo
@RAVEN: Here’s an (untested) suggestion from “Who Knew? 10,001 Easy Solutions to Everyday Problems”:
And if you lay a hot dog on top of the cloth, you’ll produce Frankfurt On Der Odor…
(I’ll let myself out now…)
Srsly, if you try this, let us know if it works.
The Pale Scot
@OzarkHillbilly:
Oh Damn.. whoever it designed deserves a bonus
Miss Bianca
@Kay: why, it’s almost as if all that “But her emails!” noise was bullshit from beginning to end, isn’t it?
satby
@MomSense: @O. Felix Culpa: @Mary G: Schlemazel, adding my own miss you and sending love and hugs from Mexico. Know the jackals think of you and wish you were online with us every day. We miss your voice, and think you were really strong going through all you have. Much love to you, my friend.