Congrats to @SpeakerPelosi for inventing the “fuck you” clap. #sotu pic.twitter.com/eueoUf9IBT
— Patton Oswalt (@pattonoswalt) February 6, 2019
At his 1974 State of the Union address, Richard Nixon insisted that "one year of Watergate is enough" and called for the investigations to end.
Eight months later, he resigned the presidency.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 6, 2019
I’m totally feeling the message of unity. https://t.co/taklayR41m
— Daniel W. Drezner (@dandrezner) February 5, 2019
Still can't quite get over that the guy who criticized his predecessor with "Sure he's good at reading a speech off a teleprompter," is terrible at reading a speech off a teleprompter.
— Schooley (@Rschooley) February 6, 2019
Weird to see half the chamber all white, and then the Democrats on the other side.
— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) February 6, 2019
The women all in white is a pretty potent image, evoking the suffrage movement and reminiscent of “white out” games in sports, where the home team attempts to convey a unified message: this is our house. pic.twitter.com/RMbftkwrlZ
— Matt Viser (@mviser) February 6, 2019
WHOA. “An economic miracle is taking place in the US, and the only things that can stop it are foolish wars, politics, and ridiculous partisan investigations. If there is going to be peace and legislation, there cannot be war and investigation”. HOLY HELL. #SOTU
— Mueller, She Wrote Podcast (@MuellerSheWrote) February 6, 2019
No irony at all watching Republicans cheer the notion of "No investigations." ….. oh my.
— Crowley Report (@crowleyreport) February 6, 2019
Ahh, this is straight white nationalist semi-fascist class-baiting.
Guy made his career stiffing working class Americans and hiring undocumented workers.— Charles P. Pierce (@CharlesPPierce) February 6, 2019
The speech has gotten so disjointed I imagine it written with letters cut out of magazines like a ransom note.
— Dana Houle (@DanaHoule) February 6, 2019
This speech is just amazingly ugly in every way. Not just vile and filled with lies and harmful language, but also formless, all over the place, and free of anything that looks like a theme or idea.
— Mark Sumner (@Devilstower) February 6, 2019
You could read this cold and most of it wouldn't sound nearly as bad as it does coming from Trump. Not because he's so terrible (he's not a good reader), but because so much of it obviously isn't his language or cadence.
— Mig Greengard (@chessninja) February 6, 2019
Boy, they couldn't get out of there fast enough!! A stampede to the exits as the exhausted audience rushes to the nearest open bar. I know I did.
— Bette Midler (@BetteMidler) February 6, 2019
I seldom feel pity any more — it has been ground out of me, like most of my vestigial humanity — but based on what I'm seeing about this speech I feel pity for those of you who have to turn in 800 words about it tonight
— AccomplishedTheHat (@Popehat) February 6, 2019
My SOTU wrap: I thought this State of the Union address had a better-than-usual chance to be newsworthy, and it was utterly newsless. https://t.co/wAoOEBqr4y
— Nate Silver (@NateSilver538) February 6, 2019
Not much was new. We were done by 11:30. https://t.co/BB2TxLepzh
— Sal Rizzo (@rizzoTK) February 6, 2019
poleaxedbyboatwork
Only saw clips of the noxious campaign rally, but was struck by how eager (even now!) the entire GOP caucus was to bark and dance like trained seals at every stinking herring Trump callously pitched to them like paper towels to the Puerto Rican people.
Even if one grants that Trump is a hostage to his base, that don’t mean they gotta follow. But they are. Enthusiastically. Rapturously. Good Germanly.
Given Trump’s obvious legal and political exposure, it suggests that many, if not most (if not all) in the GOP caucus are compromised and enmeshed and — worst of all — invested in Trump’s net of criminality and deceit.
One of the great many reasons why it’s vital for Dems to get their oversight on toot-fucking-suite is it will allow squishy media folks to (finally) say out loud what everyone who’s paid the least particle of attention already knows — the president of these United States is a criminal law-breaker who is unfit to serve. For manifold reasons, the Russian connex being but one.
In the Watergate era, the oversight committees ran *concurrently* with the special prosecutor’s investigations, and they served the purpose of educating a timid and unbelieving electorate. Am decidedly of the opinion that waiting on Mueller (who FSM knows when he’ll fucking finish) is a tactical and strategic error of the gravest order.
Let Mueller do Mueller, fine. He’s the lever for prosecution in the legal sense. But I’d like to see another fulcrum point applied in this mess that ain’t dependent upon the glacial pace of the criminal justice system. (To say nothing of the fact that the Mueller report may or may not ultimately getta fair hearing, being an adjunct of and subordinate to the Trump administration being investigated.)
If it can be credibly established that the Trump administration is shot-through with corruption, venality and rank criminality (and it can), this will reinforce the Mueller investigation, and it will go a long way toward pulling back the curtain on this roiling rolling travesty. It will do the honorable and necessary work of documenting the atrocities and helping those who are willing to have the scales fall from their eyes.
And it will make it politically tenable to not feel compelled to say, as Stacey Abrams did tonight (in the only low point of her address, imo) that “I still don’t want the president to fail”.
Well, I do want him to fail. Because he never learns Because he only gives a shit about 40 percent of the country. And because he’s not just a unrelentingly horrible person, he’s an unindicted criminal. The very fact that anyone feels compelled to say, out loud, that they don’t want Donald Trump to fail is a stark reminder of just how far we still have to go in achieving a national consensus.
imo
sukabi
Putin’s response to the SOTU
oatler.
@poleaxedbyboatwork: Hear hear!
Balconesfault
@poleaxedbyboatwork: Right now we have a three pronged assault on Trump’s corruption:
1) Mueller
2) SDNY and NY AG
3) House Dems (I also suspect Burr will start issuing subpoenas the moment the dam breaks … but if he gets out ahead he knows McConnell wouldn’t bat an eye over replacing him no matter appearances)
Investigations will proceed in the House … but Nancy knows that regular headlines need generated on Progressive Legislation being passed by the House (even as each bill dies in McConnell’s pocket) to defuse allegations that the Dems only care about taking out Trump.
Debbie(Aussie)
@oatler.: seconded
NotMax
Actually was going to listen to the thing. However, stretched out on the couch to rest my eyes a half hour prior and regained consciousness more than seven hours later.
A clear case of the body being smarter than the mind.
Presume Dolt 45’s message was delivered in his usual all anus, no sphincter manner.
rikyrah
Was not watching, so I didn’t believe the top tweet was real…
When I found out that it was…
??????
poleaxedbyboatwork
@Balconesfault:
Wholeheartedly agreed re: House Dems. In fact, am of the opinion that Dems in the House should send all sorts of bills to the Senate — a veritable this-is-us wish-list! It demonstrates the priorities of the Democratic agenda, and it serves as a stark reminder to the electorate (should they care to, you know, actually notice) about what’s possible should the obstructionist Repubs be removed from office and Dems take the Senate and presidency.
My only point is, impeachment being an inherently political process, Dems in the House (separate and apart from the Mueller investigation and SDNY et al., which are constrained by the strictures of the law) would do well to start educating the American electorate on what is known and knowable that at present can only be gleaned obliquely by the criminal justice system while it grinds away.
“Reading indictments” cannot compare, imo, to dramatic bombshells revealed in open hearings.
And to that point, think it’s well within the House Dems’ capabilities to do both (produce legislation and conduct investigations) with happy-warrior vigor.
OzarkHillbilly
@poleaxedbyboatwork: Walking and chewing gum at the same time is well within the capabilities of the Democratic Party. Unlike the Republicans.
Cermet
I see Nancy Smash has thrown down her gauntlet and the orange fart cloud had better start getting to work rather than continue to sit in his own shit stinking up the ameikan government. He either needs to do his job or flush himself down the toilet to allow real government workers to do their jobs.
JPL
So twitter tells me that if the investigations on trump continue, we’ll have economic collapse and war. Mueller must be closing in on him and he knows it. nice
NotMax
@JPL
Not to mention dandruff and athlete’s foot.
;)
JPL
Sean Spicer spoke with Eric Bolling after trump gave his rally speech, and no one warned him not to do tape interviews after drinking. Hollywood Reporter He has insightful insights. hmm
OzarkHillbilly
@JPL: They’re just setting the table for when the inevitable economic down turn comes, no matter what, it’s not their fault. Conservatism can not fail, it can only be failed.
NotMax
@JPL
A flash poll of Blaze TV’s entire viewing audience immediately after showed a split.
Shocked: 4
Ambivalent: 3
Don’t know: 9
OzarkHillbilly
Song of Parkland airs 7 February at 7pm on HBO
J R in WV
@poleaxedbyboatwork:
Poleaxed Fisherman, well said. And thanks for avoiding the rural translator you sometimes use for your well reasoned thoughts!
What a piece of work out Pres. is right now. And How German of the Republicans of the Congress and Senate, to applaud this weak sauce of fascism!!
HinTN
@Balconesfault:
This is exactly right. I want the House to bring to light that which Mueller, in due time, may or may not. But I want a demonstration of FUNCTIONAL governance most of all. It’s a reason to vote.
NotMax
Hoocudanode?
So much winning.
In other news,
BruceFromOhio
@OzarkHillbilly:
Whoa. From anyone else this is just another lyric … knowing the context makes this much more.
Thank you for sharing this.
NotMax
For the ‘Okay, if you say so’ file. (Not from The Onion.)
BruceFromOhio
@poleaxedbyboatwork: Hear, hear!
Well said, thank you.
But her emails!!!
@poleaxedbyboatwork:
Trump is less hostage to his base than the other Republicans are. The base to some extent bends to his will. If Trump came out tomorrow saying he never meant his wall had to be physical, but instead started pushing for a virtual wall composed of enhanced surveillance, more border patrol and developing the capacity to more quickly respond to and track down any border crossers his base would be on board by Friday so long as Fox and friends, Rush and Coulter got on board.
Trump is the base. The Republicans spent decades making their base into minitrumps. Now they have to clap like trained seals when he speaks because showing disrespect for leader is by proxy disrespecting his base.
NotMax
@But her emails!!!
Lyin’s and vipers and fears, oh my.
Melusine
It would be nice to see Dem MEN wearing white in a show of solidarity with their female counterparts. Like hell yeah, women deserved the right to vote, and we want to make sure every eligible voter in this country has the opportunity.
Maybe toss in some purple or green so it’s less klannish. Seriously, would it fucking kill them to coordinate their clothing choices for one night without a woman having to manage it? Bet they could do it for sportsball.
Skepticat
Very apropos that it seems to be her take on the golf clap.
gratuitous
An inquiring mind would like to know: Did Trump congratulate Pelosi on her regaining the Speakership? You know, like he congratulated Putin on his election victory after his aides gave him a note reading “DO NOT CONGRATULATE”?
raven
@Melusine: Now there’s an important issue.
J.A.F. Rusty Shackleford
@Melusine:
This is a bad idea as it would diminish the presence and statement of the women wearing white. Also, the white suits on men would look ridiculous. The entire caucus would like like they’re about to greet the guests of Fantasy Island. “The plane! The plane!”
H.E.Wolf
@raven:
Yes indeed! Women comprise more than half the population and “women’s issues” are relevant and beneficial to virtually all of us.
Wearing white, green, and/or purple, the colors of the 19th and early 20th century women’s suffrage movement, is a graceful way to honor women’s rights.
I see no down side to Congressmen participating in that visual statement, as a signal of their intent to provide legislative as well as sartorial support.
I noticed that Adam Schiff sported a white ribbon in his lapel. Were there other Democratic Congressmen participating in that fashion?
H.E.Wolf
I also noticed, with enthusiasm, that Congresswoman Lauren Underwood and at least one other African-American Congresswoman were wearing kente-cloth stoles: a powerful and eloquent statement.
The Lodger
@Melusine: Very few men can carry off wearing a white suit. Last I checked, Tom Wolfe and Steve Martin weren’t Members of Congress.
Melusine
@H.E.Wolf: Very nice!!