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You are here: Home / Organizing & Resistance / Enhanced Protest Techniques / G7 Open Thread: Good News (If We Can Keep Him to It)

G7 Open Thread: Good News (If We Can Keep Him to It)

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More immediately:

If you’re in a paranoid mood (remember, even paranoids have real enemies!): It has been widely assumed that Trump’s ‘special guest nation’ at this G7 would be… Russia. What price a scenario where Putin rejects his puppet’s down-at-heels hotel, and tells him he’d prefer to introduce his own ‘security arrangements’ at Camp David?

Reader Interactions

155Comments

  2. 2.

    Gin & Tonic

    Isn’t this just par for the course? Asshole does (or threatens to do) something monumentally idiotic, then when he reverses course, we’re supposed to be grateful. Fuck that. This isn’t “good news” in any sense of the word, it’s fucking hostage-taking.

  4. 4.

    Mart

    Trump is acting like a snowflake, crumbling under the America haters’ lies. We need Trump to hold that line, and never give an inch to the bastards. It’s so demoralizing.

  5. 5.

    Mary G

    As somebody who’s had rent some banquet rooms at hotels, I know they’re often booked way in advance. especially conventions. It’s like ten months away. Will he even be able to find a big enough hotel or resort willing to kick out everybody’s who’s already reserved. That Soneland guy owns hotels, maybe he can bail them out.

  6. 6.

    dmsilev

    His full-bodied whine is worth reading just for the schadenfreude:

    I thought I was doing something very good for our Country by using Trump National Doral, in Miami, for hosting the G-7 Leaders. It is big, grand, on hundreds of acres, next to MIAMI INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, has tremendous ballrooms & meeting rooms, and each delegation would have … its own 50 to 70 unit building. Would set up better than other alternatives. I announced that I would be willing to do it at NO PROFIT or, if legally permissible, at ZERO COST to the USA. But, as usual, the Hostile Media & their Democrat Partners went CRAZY! Therefore, based on both Media & Democrat Crazed and Irrational Hostility, we will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020. We will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately. Thank you!

    Also, someone please check me if I’m wrong, but I think his claim of “I would have offered this at zero cost if I could” is another lie. Granted, even without any information that’s the smart way to bet.

  8. 8.

    TS (the original)

    I was reading about the G8 meeting at Camp David in 2012 & noticed this paragraph

    Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda for negotiations, which take place primarily amongst multi-national civil servants known informally as “sherpas”. Effective organization at the sherpa level is understood to be essential for the success of a summit meeting.

    So there will be nothing of substance coming out of next years event – if trump is still president*

    wiki – 38th G8 summit

  9. 9.

    rikyrah

    I guess folks spelling out how absolutely illegal this was f first got through to someone in the legal team.
    Mulvaney was also on the hook for approval of this.

  13. 13.

    Jinchi

    “We will no longer consider Trump National Doral, Miami, as the Host Site for the G-7 in 2020. We will begin the search for another site, including the possibility of Camp David, immediately.”

    I’m a little puzzled. Didn’t Mulvaney say that Doral won out in a competition with a dozen other sites? Why do they need to begin a new search?

  16. 16.

    Duane

    @dmsilev: Trumpov finally is held accountable for something and he cries like a spoiled brat. Get used to it fat bastard. You ain’t seen nothing yet.

  17. 17.

    Chetan Murthy

    @TaMara (HFG): One prays that “Mart”‘s morals are sufficiently destroyed that they’re called back to where they came from. Heh indeed, they picked the wrong place to troll.

  19. 19.

    dmsilev

    @Jinchi: All of the other sites, when they heard that they were up against Doral, spontaneously combusted after realizing how thoroughly they were outclassed. Kind of sad, really.

  24. 24.

    Jinchi

    @mrmoshpotato:

    Trump’s been talking about inviting Russia since the last meeting in August.

    Trump says Russia might be invited to next year’s G7 Summit, though other leaders disagree

    https://www.businessinsider.com/trump-putin-g7-2019-8

    Mulvaney also said that there were ongoing discussions about whether Mr. Trump would invite Russian President Vladimir Putin.

    https://www.cbsnews.com/news/trump-doral-g7-summit-next-year-trump-national-miami-white-house-says-today-dismissing-concerns-over-ethics-optics/

  27. 27.

    Gin & Tonic

    @Jinchi:

    Why do they need to begin a new search?

    I know this is a wild and crazy theory, but maybe they were lying about having conducted a search in the first place?

  28. 28.

    Mai naem mobile

    I know there’s no way it would happen but I would love to see it at a Hyatt facility(Gov Pritzker D-Ill) is a Hyatt heir. Just to wind Trumpov up. Realistically I bet there’s only a few places that can handle this kind of event. So I googled this – it’s been held in Denver, Dorado PR, Williamsburg , Houston , Sea Island and Camp David.

  29. 29.

    Mary G

    @Jinchi: Macron’s been cozying up to Putin for a while, making a lot of Europeans nervous. (CNN in August) Trump and Macron agree that Russia should be invited to next year’s G7 conference, senior admin official says

    ETA: Two more outs, Astros! Go!

  31. 31.

    RepubAnon

    @dmsilev: Yes, the Trump henchmen just strongly implied that they didn’t even look at other sites- otherwise, they’d simply have gone with the first runner-up.

    Of course, all the other sites under consideration were probably other Trump properties.

  33. 33.

    NotMax

    A small selection of anagrams for Trump Doral:

    Trump A Lord
    Adult Mr Pro
    Rump To Lard
    La Turd Prom
    Palm Or Turd
    Old Rump Rat
    Mr Pol A Turd

    ;)

  39. 39.

    West of the Rockies

    @Mary G:

    Beto might make a good state senator, maybe even a solid US representative, but presidential material he is not.

  40. 40.

    Mart

    @Mary G: Thanks for your support. Trying (failed) to note that the only reason they love him is he is an asshole who never stops punching down on libs, the press, and the deep state; and never backtracks / apologizes for anything. This kind of mealy mouth – now we are going to Camp David because of “them” – is the only thing that will hurt him with the base. Hope for more of it.

  42. 42.

    hilts

    OT

    Congrats to the Houston Astros for winning the ALCS!

    Fuck those goddamn motherfucking NY Yankees and fuck that ratfucking, shit for brains Donald Trump.

  44. 44.

    Jim, Foolish Literalist

    It’s like ten months away. Will he even be able to find a big enough hotel or resort willing to kick out everybody’s who’s already reserved.

    I think Camp David had hosted the G7 before, I suspect that’s the fallback.

    @Mary G:

    “Tulsi is not being groomed by anyone. She is her own person. Obviously has served this country, continues to serve this country in uniform, in Congress, as a candidate for presidency so I think those facts speak for themselves.”

    Wow, that’s just… I’ve always been a bit skeptical of him, but that’s just… he’s an idiot.

  48. 48.

    TS (the original)

    @Mary G: They will defend him to the death – of every Kurd in Syria. They deserve to go 100% out of this world for the horror they have wrought with the emails and other Hillary attacks. Who is getting paid to do this for Trump?

    @Gin & Tonic: Indeed it is – so disappointed in Beto who only has to say “Hillary Clinton named no-one”. Every last person who attacks/attacked Hillary Clinton helps/helped elected trump.

  49. 49.

    Kelly

    @Mary G:

    I know they’re often booked way in advance. especially conventions.

    @TS (the original): Effective organization at the sherpa level is understood to be essential for the success of a summit meeting.

    The G7 meeting rotation must have been known years in advance. Any normal administration would have had people start working on the meeting a couple years ago.

  50. 50.

    Millard Filmore

    @Mary G:

    [renting convention space] It’s like ten months away. Will he even be able to find a big enough hotel or resort willing to kick out everybody’s who’s already reserved.

    Is Camp David permanently ready?
    What a bookend to his presidency if he can’t find ANY place for the summit.

  52. 52.

    Mart

    @mrmoshpotato: Someone has got to have the conviction to stand up to the dirty Commies and lose the family farm if we are gonna keep America great. (I guess I am in a snarky mood this morning.)

  53. 53.

    Frankensteinbeck

    @rikyrah:

    I guess folks spelling out how absolutely illegal this was f first got through to someone in the legal team.

    Naah. That would never stop Trump. What I bet happened is that someone got through that the other countries would not show up if he did it, that Doral is such a shithole they can’t clean it up enough for a major summit.

    @Mary G:

    I took this as sarcasm

    So did I. It sounded like classic cheering conservatives on in their march off the cliff sarcasm to me.

  54. 54.

    Mary G

    @Millard Filmore: He can kick people out of Camp David, I would think. He thinks it’s a dump, and Obama had his G7 or 8 there, but he may be boxed in. I’m sure Congress has already voted him money for the preparation, and I’m sure they’d give him more to fix it up. It’s sickening to think he’ll name a big room after Ivanka, though.

    ETA: I think the reason he backed off the Doral is that the other countries pitched a fit about the horrible weather and its being completely unsuitable for security to be effective.

  56. 56.

    hilts

    CREW Statement on G-7 Doral Announcement

    President Trump’s decision to award the G-7 Conference to his own property was outrageous, corrupt and a constitutional violation. It was stunningly corrupt even for a stunningly corrupt administration. His reversal of that decision is a bow to reality, but does not change how astonishing it was that a president ever thought this was appropriate, or that it was something he could get away with.

    The President’s reversal shows that pressure works, that those fighting to hold the line for an ethical government can still sometimes dial down his corruption. The president deserves no plaudits for doing the right thing only after public outcry forced him not to do the wrong thing. This was one corrupt conflict of interest. He’s racked up well over 2,000 of them. So we’ll keep fighting. Even late on a Saturday night

    h/t https://www.citizensforethics.org/press-release/crew-statement-on-g-7-doral-announcement

    Trump is the dumbest and most corrupt person to occupy the White House. Given all the atrocities he’s committed since taking office, he deserves zero credit for this reversal. I look forward to celebrating the removal of this malignant cancer from the White House.

  57. 57.

    Jinchi

    @TS (the original):

    so disappointed in Beto who only has to say “Hillary Clinton named no-one”.

    I think it’s hilarious that Clinton named no-one, so Tulsi decides to point the finger at herself.

  58. 58.

    TS (the original)

    @Mary G: President Obama had a G8 there. Putin did not come – he sent his Prime Minister. It was originally planned for Chicago but the concern re protesters had it moved to Camp David. I have a memory of them all watching football – must have been FA Cup or World Cup or similar.

    The Google tells me it was the Champions League

    Edit: Angela Merkel – the only woman in the room, should meet up with Nancy Pelosi

  61. 61.

    lgerard

    Traditionally, the host country of the G8 summit sets the agenda

    The agenda for the 2019 Summit:

    The 2016 election and how trump won despite those corrupt Ukrainians

  62. 62.

    Mnemosyne

    @Mary G:

    I’m guessing that the FAA and the city of Miami pitched a fit at the prospect of shutting down Miami International Airport for a full week. Not to mention the airlines going berserk.

  63. 63.

    Mary G

    @Mnemosyne: I didn’t even think of that. I thought the foreign leaders would object that somebody would land a plane on them. These people are so inept.

  64. 64.

    Mary G

    Breaking: Mulvaney will appear on Fox Sunday to retract the "Good Morning" part of his Doral, Syria, "of course we're fucking criminals, we do crimes all the time" speech.— Christopher Moore (@TheAuthorGuy) October 20, 2019

  65. 65.

    Ruckus

    @Gin & Tonic:
    Come on, lighten up. He doesn’t mean anything, just because he’s trying to steal everything not tied down, destroy the entire federal government, and get himself named king forever…….. Oh and make a billion or so doing the only thing he knows, how to be a massive fucking asshole. So he’s only successful at that last bit, ya gotta admit that does take a special “talent,” that the vast majority of the world knows him to be that massive of an asshole. Now that’s reality TV.

  67. 67.

    Ruckus

    @Mnemosyne:
    GWB showed up in Columbus one morning as I was on my way to the airport to fly to an event for work. Everything stopped for better than a half hour, I sat on the freeway about a mile from the airport, with my plane delayed I of course missed my connection in Atlanta and arrived hours late to the event. All so asshole could come and talk to other assholes who were willing to give him money for his reelection campaign. I can imagine what Miami would be like, shut down for a week……..

  68. 68.

    tokyokie

    @Ruckus: Thursday I tried going to a screening of The Birds at an arthouse in Dallas, taking the train from Fort Worth to avoid the traffic. Except the train halted in the station just before the stop where Lord Fatass was holding one of his hatenannies and sat there for about 45 minutes so that his Lardship’s motorcade could pass through. So I missed the movie. My friend and I went and got ice cream instead, and the Woodstock for Stupid White People event had wrapped up before I started home. But talking to people on the DART platform, they’d been to the Texas State Fair and were trying to get home when the motorcade was making his departure, and the Secret Service stopped all commuter rail traffic again, and they had to get off the damn train, then reboard a half-hour or so later. But hey, DART’s clientele is overwhelmingly black, so no problem. Assholes. I said my missing the movie made me hate the asshole even more, to which one of the fairgoers laughed and said, “Hell, I’ll vote for you!”

  70. 70.

    smike

    @NotMax:
    I know this was a while ago, and this thread may be aging, but I have to say that

    Old Rump Rat
    Mr Pol A Turd

    sounds perfect. Bumper sticker, that.

  72. 72.

    Marcopolo

    This is a little OT. We are obviously having out political difficulties and I think our media is also doing coverage of the Brexit situation in Great Britain, but in case people aren’t aware there are massive anti-government protests occurring in a number of other countries right now:

    Chile capital hit by violent protests over metro fare hikes; state of emergency declared(happening now)

    https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/second-wave-of-demonstrations-rock-bolivia-as-thousands-protest-morales-1.4635590(actually a few days ago)

    I don’t blame the Lebanese rioters setting Beirut alight – they are hungry, poor and furious(happening now)

    Protesters bar Haiti’s president from visiting historic site

    The underlying context for these protests is gov’t corruption and economies that are not working for the vast majorities of the population. Then we also have the protests in Hong Kong, and it looks like Spain is on the edge of new large scale protests over Catalan sovereignty. I’d imagine if we had a functioning government that the US would have diplomats in Ecuador & Chile working behind the scenes to try to calm things down. But probably not this administration.

  73. 73.

    piratedan

    imho the right thing to do would be to host it in Puerto Rico, then you can justify the costs of helping to rebuild the island as being tied to the summit itself, you restore the infrastructure needed and still would have a stellar viable locale for the meeting, since you would have to rebuild the island anyway, it suits the purpose and solves a problem… which is why during this administration it will never happen.

  75. 75.

    Marcopolo

    I’m also wondering if anyone here has any thoughts as to what this trip, which is seems to be happening abruptly and out of the blue, is all about:

    Pelosi Leads High-Level Bipartisan Delegation to Jordan

    Amman, Jordan — Speaker Nancy Pelosi is leading a bipartisan Congressional delegation to Jordan for meetings with King Abdullah II and top U.S. government officials.

    “This evening, our bipartisan delegation was honored to meet with His Majesty King Abdullah II, Crown Prince Al Hussein bin Abdullah II, Prince Feisal bin Al Hussein, Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and senior Jordanian officials,” Speaker Pelosi said. “We expressed our continued appreciation for the strategic partnership between the U.S. and Jordan and engaged in a constructive dialogue on regional stability, counterterrorism, security cooperation, Middle East peace, economic development and other shared challenges.”

    “Our bipartisan delegation is visiting Jordan at a critical time for the security and stability of the region,” said Speaker Pelosi. “With the deepening crisis in Syria after Turkey’s incursion, our delegation has engaged in vital discussions about the impact to regional stability, increased flow of refugees, and the dangerous opening that has been provided to ISIS, Iran and Russia.”

    At the U.S. Embassy in Amman, the delegation received detailed briefings by Chargé d’Affaires Karen Sasahara, senior diplomats and military officials and had the opportunity to thank members of the U.S. Marine detachment.

    “As ever, we bring the deep gratitude of the U.S. Congress and the American people to the brave men and women serving our country overseas,” Speaker Pelosi concluded.

    The Members of the bipartisan Congressional delegation are:

    Speaker Nancy Pelosi
    Ranking Member Mac Thornberry, House Armed Services Committee
    Chairman Eliot Engel, House Foreign Affairs Committee
    Chairman Bennie Thompson, Homeland Security Committee
    Chairman Adam Schiff, House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence
    Congressman Ron Kind, House Ways and Means Committee
    Congresswoman Susan Davis, House Armed Services Committee
    Congressman Stephen Lynch, Chairman, House Oversight and Reform Subcommittee on National Security
    Congresswoman Elaine Luria, House Armed Services Committee

    Well, now everyone here knows what is keeping me awake right now. :)
    Hope everyone is having a good weekend, back off to bed for me now.

  76. 76.

    Ruckus

    @tokyokie:
    Always fun having assholes in your midst. Especially assholes who seem to take joy in watching others suffer. IOW republicans. Makes life seem so much, what’s that word, it’ll come to me, eventually………..

  77. 77.

    hervevillechaizelounge

    @tokyokie:

    I recently re-watched The Birds and I liked it a lot less as an adult. Tippi Hedren’s motivation made absolutely no sense—all of her (nonsensical) actions are performed solely to move the plot along. I also took exception to Suzanne Pleshette’s character; is she supposed to be a lesbian? An old maid?

    The camera work is still absolutely stunning, though, and the mise-en-cine is great.

  78. 78.

    JAFD

    Good morning, jackals and jackalettes !

    The Ironbound Recreation Ctr is about two miles from the end of the EWR runways, and if wind is from west or south, landing planes are close enuf overhead you can almost wave at passengers. (Then stroll to Krug’s Tavern for ‘the best burger in Jersey’ and pick up some fresh-baked at Teixeira’s Bakery for dessert)

    PBO gave speech in my neighborhood, in ’15, tied up traffic till 10 PM. I wonder if ’twill be like that, often, if Sen Booker gets elected, whenever he visits home….

    Have great week, y’all and all youse !

  80. 80.

    tokyokie

    @hervevillechaizelounge: I haven’t seen The Birds on a big screen since it came out (and I was a 9-year-old whose mother paid little attention to the movies he was viewing). And because of Lord Fatass, I still haven’t. (The Hitchcock series is only one screening on Thursdays.)

  81. 81.

    TS (the original)

    @Marcopolo:

    “As ever, we bring the deep gratitude of the U.S. Congress and the American people to the brave men and women serving our country overseas,” Speaker Pelosi concluded.

    Rather telling who is not mentioned in this message. And where is the reporting on this in the media? I’m still looking.

  83. 83.

    prostratedragon

    @Marcopolo: In one of his recent rambles TFG said something about “the King” being unhappy with something he had done over there (and of course not caring about that). I wondered at the time whether he meant Abdullah. Context made it unlikely to have been anyone else. Too late in the evening to scout it out now.

  84. 84.

    Mary G

    @prostratedragon: Jordan is packed to the rafters with refugees from Syria and even Iraq and ISIS. They probably don’t want to take any more and NP is trying to do Pompeo’s job, because he won’t. Just a guess by me.

  85. 85.

    Gvg

    @piratedan: Hurricane season, same as Doral only more so. Also I doubt there is time. Purto RICO needs a Democratic President and IMO they need to become a state. I know it needs to be ther choice. I have wanted to see polling on what they think for a while now but haven’t come across any. Of course they probably want to avoid notice from Trump right now. He is spiteful.

  87. 87.

    Bruce K

    @hilts: As a Yankees fan (hey, I was born right over Coogan’s Bluff), I’m sad, but the Astros were the better team, and they deserved to go to the Series.

    As for Trump, I hope he dies in Sing Sing and his name becomes poison for the next ten generations (assuming the human race lasts that long).

  88. 88.

    Aleta

    Wonder what the bill will be for that time the aides scouted Doral. Will we learn there’s also a preposterous cancellation fee at “this late date.” Scamalot strikes again.

  90. 90.

    Frank McCormick

    @Gin & Tonic: I took it as a sign that he is sufficiently beleaguered that he can me made to back down. Now, what he does and/or says later today…

  91. 91.

    Chyron HR

    @germy:

    Reporter: “How did you keep your campaign afloat for 9 months while polling below one percent and receiving no contributions the entire time?”
    Tulsi’s Brain: “Don’t say Russians. Don’t say Russians.”
    Tulsi: “It was the Russians.”
    Tulsi’s Brain: “D’OH!”

  92. 92.

    germy

    @Chyron HR:

    Tulsi: ”Because HRC…has been one of the leaders who’s created this warmongering establishment…she and they know I can’t be controlled. They’re not going to be able to manipulate me. If I become president there is no Hillary Clinton puppetmaster.”— Alexandra Jaffe (@ajjaffe) October 19, 2019

    The whole “warmonger” comment from a woman who signed up voluntarily for a war, reenlisted, and went for a commission.— Mardi Parker (@AimlessinNewEng) October 19, 2019

  93. 93.

    Barbara

    @Frankensteinbeck: I suspect both. I don’t know who called him, but it must have been made clear by someone that he can’t do stuff like this and expect house members and senators to stand up for him during an impeachment process. He reportedly talks to McConnelll 3x daily.

    Also, he might have been told that Putin would not bother coming if the others stayed home. Well duh, you might say, but he just isn’t that smart.

  96. 96.

    germy

    Gabbard isn't a Russian agent. She's a closet illiberal nationalist and bigot who has always been more comfortable caping for the global, authoritarian far-right. War deepened her existing hatred of Muslims, she champions those who oppress them and is championed by oppressors.— Zeddy (@Zeddary) October 19, 2019

    As such, she's precisely the sort of opportunistic dope that falls ass backwards into getting signal boosted by Russian outlets.— Zeddy (@Zeddary) October 19, 2019

  99. 99.

    Ken

    @prostratedragon: Wild speculation here, but that’s the best kind. Imagine this scenario:

    Trump called Jordan to try to get them to cooperate with his whole Ukraine/server/pizza-basement fantasy. During the call he said something absolutely abhorrent and illegal. (Patience, I’m getting to the wild and unbelievable part.)

    Jordan, as a functioning government, taped their side of the call. After Trump’s betrayal of the Kurds, Jordan is now furious. They let the Democrats know about the recording, and the delegation is there to hear it and bring back copies.

  100. 100.

    trnc

    I wonder if some heads of state told DT no way were they going to line his pockets or go to freakin’ Miami in the summer.

    @germy:

    The whole “warmonger” comment from a woman who signed up voluntarily for a war, reenlisted, and went for a commission

    Let’s not start smearing people who enlist in the military. It’s wrong on it’s face, and I guarantee will not work as a political statement anyway. Better to point out that it’s easy for Tulsi to take potshots from the sidelines and that the AUMF vote was made to get the inspectors back into Iraq, It was yet another bad faith republican administration that prematurely shut down the inspections and started the war on false pretenses.

    ETA: I do think it’s fair to point out Tulsi’s hypocrisy, but we don’t want to tear down service members in general.

  101. 101.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @trnc: Ah yes, the holy service members, elevated above the rest of us mere citizens and never to be criticized. I agree that it’s a bad look politically to attack those serving in the military, but I’m disturbed by the cult of the military that has grown in our country. Our armed forces deserve adequate resources and quality leadership while serving and when they return. They deserve our thanks and gratitude for serving (as do teachers, social workers, EMTs, etc.), but not our adulation as if they’re some special class apart. I think that’s a dangerous trend in a democracy.

  102. 102.

    trnc

    @rikyrah:

    I guess folks spelling out how absolutely illegal this was f first got through to someone in the legal team. Mulvaney was also on the hook for approval of this.

    I’d love to think this is true, but how is it any different legally than all the business his hotels are getting from foreign governments (which is also illegal, but he isn’t being penalized)? Is it the fact that he himself made the choice for Doral and would leave the G7 members no other options?

  104. 104.

    trnc

    @O. Felix Culpa:

    They deserve our thanks and gratitude for serving (as do teachers, social workers, EMTs, etc.), but not our adulation as if they’re some special class apart. I think that’s a dangerous trend in a democracy.

    You state my sentiment exacty, then make me out to be a cult member.

  105. 105.

    Dorothy A. Winsor

    Mark Esperanto, Secretary of Defense, “The ceasefire is holding up very nicely. There are some minor skirmishes that have ended quickly. New areas being resettled with the Kurds.” USA soldiers are not in combat or ceasefire zones. We have secured the Oil. Bringing soldiers home!— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2019

    His name is Esper, you idiot.

  107. 107.

    chopper

    @Frankensteinbeck:

    and trump’s talk about ‘doing it for free’ is horseshit. you know he’d spend god-knows how many untold hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars ‘sprucing up’ the place.

  109. 109.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @trnc: Did not intend to attack you or suggest you’re a cult member. (And your ETA arrived after I wrote my comment.) I’m glad we agree about the dangers of military cult-worship in our country.

  110. 110.

    Brachiator

    Trump withdraws his Doral resort as the location for next year’s G7. The move had prompted bipartisan criticism

    I’ve largely been away from the Internets for a while. This is a nice bit of good news.

    @hervevillechaizelounge:

    I recently re-watched The Birds and I liked it a lot less as an adult. Tippi Hedren’s motivation made absolutely no sense—all of her (nonsensical) actions are performed solely to move the plot along.

    Kinda standard for a horror movie. But it’s too bad that Hitch couldn’t follow up on one of the themes that he had embedded in the movie and had her become a more active protagonist. But he does allow her moral growth, rare in a standard horror film or most other films of the era in the way that they treated women characters.

    I also took exception to Suzanne Pleshette’s character; is she supposed to be a lesbian? An old maid?

    Does it matter? I kinda got vibes that she had been in love with the Rod Taylor character.

    And of course, it’s too bad that Hitch couldn’t end the film the way that it is rumored that he wanted.

  111. 111.

    Chyron HR

    @A Ghost To Most:

    It’s a perfectly cromulent point. Tulsi went to the recruitment office and 100% unironically said, “I want to see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth! Eat dead, burnt bodies! I mean, kill. Kill!”

  112. 112.

    artem1s

    @Ken:

    Patience, I’m getting to the wild and unbelievable part.

    Except we’re talking about Dump here. There is no ‘unbelievable’ part anymore.

    And Nancy doesn’t put on shows just to put on shows. Something serious is up. Maybe the intelligence community has decided to rely solely on the legislative branch of the government for leadership? Wouldn’t this normally something the Exec would have the VP be involved in? I’m a little concerned about their safety, frankly.

  113. 113.

    Another Scott

    ‘morning everyone.

    I don’t know why this wasn’t part of the Doral reporting, but I think it’s important. GovExec:

    Even if the Senate is able to advance its own spending bills, it would still have to reconcile them with the House. Democrats in the lower chamber have approved 10 of the 12 annual appropriations measures, largely along party lines. Earlier this week, House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., indicated lawmakers may need to pass another stopgap bill to avoid a shutdown in November.

    “We are prepared to cooperate with the administration and with our Republican colleagues to ensure that the government is funded and serving the American people and defending the American people,” Hoyer said. “The Senate has not passed any appropriations bills. We’re concerned about that, but we’re going to work very hard between now and Nov. 21 and thereafter if necessary—I hope it’s not necessary—to get agreement so that the government can be operational.”

    Democrats have included several policy riders in their spending bills that could hold up negotiations, related to wall funding, blocking the elimination of the Office of Personnel Management as an independent agency, abortion policy and withholding funding for Trump’s push to hold the next G-7 meeting at his resort in Doral, Florida.

    Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., said this week the two chambers have made little progress in setting the top-line funding level for each of the 12 annual spending bills. McConnell, meanwhile, highlighted the appropriations process as a way for Democrats to demonstrate they are willing to move critical legislation even as they attempt to impeach President Trump.

    […]

    (Emphasis added.)

    I find it hard to believe that Democrats would be willing to remove those G-7 provisions if Donnie was still insisting having it at one of his crappy properties.

    Grrr…

    Cheers,
    Scott.

  114. 114.

    trnc

    @O. Felix Culpa: OK, thanks. I think it’s possible Tulsi is trying to bait actual democrats into bashing the military so that members of the 101st Fighting Keyboardists have something to scream about (ie, military worshippers), so that’s something we need to watch out for.

  116. 116.

    trnc

    @Chyron HR:

    Tulsi went to the recruitment office and 100% unironically said, “I want to see blood and gore and guts and veins in my teeth! Eat dead, burnt bodies! I mean, kill. Kill!”

    And, I now know after looking it up, she literally enlisted during the war she is falsely claiming Clinton supported. I thought she had enlisted right after the attack.

  117. 117.

    sdhays

    @Another Scott: I think this is what has forced him to back down. Republicans don’t care, but they’re not willing to shut down the government over removing this language because they know it would be a big, big loser for them. And the Democrats definitely would go to the mat over keeping it.

  118. 118.

    trnc

    @Dorothy A. Winsor: Funny, I was thinking Mike Esper instead of Mark, but he’s not my cabinet member.

    I can’t tell you how happy it would make me for the press to bombard Stephanie Grisham with questions like “Has Secretary Esperanto made a statement today?”

  119. 119.

    sdhays

    @Marcopolo:

    The underlying context for these protests is gov’t corruption and economies that are not working for the vast majorities of the population.

    This is the underlying context for the Hong Kong protests too. If the Hong Kong government wasn’t completely captured by the wealthy crime bosses, the protests would be a lot smaller. The housing crisis there is severe and the gap between the rich and everyone else is huge and getter larger. And the government doesn’t care.

  120. 120.

    O. Felix Culpa

    @trnc: Good point. We have some of what you’re concerned about playing out in real time, right on this here blog. Because, as you suggest, the merest whiff of something less than veneration of our military is clearly cowardice and betrayal. //

  121. 121.

    sdhays

    @germy: What would it mean if Tulsi “goes all the way to the Democratic Convention” and she has 0 delegates? 5? 10? At what point does it stop being a “a tree fell in the woods, did it make a sound” sort of scenario? Saying “not enough to win” doesn’t really mean that much.

  122. 122.

    Barbara

    @trnc: I have become extremely suspicious of politicians who seem to be using military experience as a resume builder. Whether it’s Buttigieg or Gabbard or Tom Cotton or Joni Ernst, etc., it is a demand for an assumption the person has knowledge and expertise of military and foreign policy that usually goes well beyond whatever service level they attained or whatever job description they fulfilled. Why would a fighter pilot be especially knowledgeable about policy decisions? It is not inconsequential that they served, but service is not a proxy for good judgment or every kind of expertise that touches military affairs.

  123. 123.

    sdhays

    @Barbara: Amen. The idea that being in the military “checks a box” for “foreign policy experience” is stupid. But it’s also dangerously widespread. The Beltway Media has operated with this idiotic assumption for as long as I can remember.

  125. 125.

    mrmoshpotato

    @germy:

    Creating chaos and disorder, fueled by her ego and angry supporters.

    Yeah. Like the WilmerBros were assholes after Hillary beat Vermont Jesus like a rented mule by 4 million+ votes.

    Ugh. This primary season is going to suck, isn’t it?

  127. 127.

    rikyrah

    @trnc:
    I learned a lot the past two days about the specificity of the details of government contracts. And this would have been a government contract. An explicit government contract. No.fudging.
    There. Are rules as to how they should be awarded. Rules about the contracts themselves. I mean, clear letter, no mushy middle, skate around the edge stuff.
    Mulvaney had already put his azz on the line with the approval of it.

    No. Some lawyer got up on a table and started screaming about the ways folks could go to jail.

    And, there were the handful of GOP Senators that didn’t hem or haw.
    But, explicitly said NO.

  130. 130.

    trnc

    @Barbara: Totally agree, and I was ecstatic that McCain’s military story didn’t vault him into the White House. I would say that most service indicates a willingness to risk your life, especially enlisting during an active war. I would make an exception for people like W who clearly got preferential treatment to avoid some of that risk.

  132. 132.

    J R in WV

    @Mart:

    Trump is acting like a snowflake, crumbling under the America haters’ lies. We need Trump to hold that line, and never give an inch to the bastards. It’s so demoralizing.

    @TaMara (HFG):

    @Mart: Oh, honey, you picked the wrong place to troll.

    @Chetan Murthy:

    One prays that “Mart”‘s morals are sufficiently destroyed that they’re called back to where they came from. Heh indeed, they picked the wrong place to troll.

    Now, see, I thot Mart was making a funny, being totally sarcastic. No chance, huh? Pretty funny from that perspective, tho.

  133. 133.

    J R in WV

    @Jim, Foolish Literalist:

    @Mary G:

    “Tulsi is not being groomed by anyone. She is her own person. Obviously has served this country, continues to serve this country in uniform, in Congress, as a candidate for presidency so I think those facts speak for themselves.”

    Wow, that’s just… I’ve always been a bit skeptical of him, but that’s just… he’s an idiot.

    Yes, an idiot. I had respected him, no more. Should just run for city council back home in El Paso, where he belongs.

  134. 134.

    prostratedragon

    @Ken: Yeah, something like that sounds really good unless we hear otherwise. And in this case “otherwise” might be a cover story.

  135. 135.

    sdhays

    @mrmoshpotato: But how many physical supporters will she have? I don’t get the rush to conflate her with Bernie 2016. Bernie went into the convention with a lot of delegates. Tulsi won’t. Bernie was basically the only person running against Clinton. Tulsi is one of 25 (or whatever the number is today). The only reason we’re even talking about her is because of Russia. And Russia is grooming her to be Jill Stein 2.0, not Bernie.

    Also, don’t forget that “Vermont Jesus” is running again and his problematic supporters are still supporting him. They are more likely to have a decent number of real delegates and are more likely to try to cause chaos. But I think the contested primary works against them on this too. When Bernie fails to win the nomination again, and so do 50 other actual Democrats, it kind of makes it harder to gin up the feelings of victimization. At least, there are a lot more people who will have supported candidates who also didn’t win the nomination, and those people won’t be particularly interested in letting Bernie-supporters make it all about them.

  136. 136.

    prostratedragon

    @Brachiator: What I remember from The Birds is how Melanie, for all her rich-girl brattiness, impressed people by her independence and the capabilities she had: the whole trip up to Bodega Bay on her own, operating the motor boat across the bay like there was nothing to it, things like that. The people up there were amazed. Remember when Mitch dabbed peroxide to her scalp wound? It was as if he was trying out an answer to some other question he was entertaining.

  138. 138.

    mrmoshpotato

    @sdhays: Fair point. I might just be catastrophing because of the shitshow it’s been so far with way too many people polling 1% still around, and their batshit ideas – looking at you Powerball Yang!

  139. 139.

    jimmiraybob

    @Mary G:

    Beto: “Obviously (Tulsi Gabbards) has served this country, ….”

    Correct me if I’m wrong, but didn’t Timothy McVeigh once serve this country? You know, before he didn’t.

  140. 140.

    J R in WV

    @trnc:

    ETA: I do think it’s fair to point out Tulsi’s hypocrisy, but we don’t want to tear down service members in general.

    As a veteran myself, I can promise you that the military services contain exactly the same proportion of idiots, criminals, and asses as the general population does. Tulsi is obviously a member of one of the set [idiots, criminals, asses] if not all three.

    One does not have to be a veteran to make that observation. Especially when a service member expresses hatred for a large population of people (Muslims), and refers to a person (Hillary) who specialized in making peace as Secretary of State as a warmonger, which is obviously both false and stupid.

  141. 141.

    sdhays

    @J R in WV: I’ve always been mystified that people have been willing to treat him as a serious Presidential candidate. I don’t dislike him (although his comment on Tulsi was a particularly stupid thing to say), but I’m a strong believer in making people put in the time and proving themselves BEFORE they get to be the Democratic nominee.

    He ran a good campaign in Texas, but he still lost. He was in Congress, but never made it to leadership of much of anything. Running for President now seems to show an impatience and, frankly, arrogance that I don’t like.

    I’m similarly mystified by Buttigieg’s support. Jumping from being a mayor of a small city in Indiana to being President is almost as insulting as the idea that a billionaire can jump to being President without first running for city council and working their way up.

  143. 143.

    jimmiraybob

    @Dorothy A. Winsor:

    “…New areas being resettled with the Kurds.” — Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 20, 2019

    Why is the first thing that comes to mind the Cherokee Trail of Tears.

  144. 144.

    Brachiator

    @prostratedragon:

    What I remember from The Birds is how Melanie, for all her rich-girl brattiness, impressed people by her independence and the capabilities she had: the whole trip up to Bodega Bay on her own, operating the motor boat across the bay like there was nothing to it, things like that. The people up there were amazed. Remember when Mitch dabbed peroxide to her scalp wound? It was as if he was trying out an answer to some other question he was entertaining.

    Very interesting observation, especially the last bit. Yep, even though Mitch initially takes her to be a flighty, irresponsible socialite, she does early on suggest that there is more to her than that. But I think it fair to say that the character development is uneven as the thriller elements become more predominant.

  145. 145.

    Matt McIrvin

    @sdhays: Been seeing some Bernie people bothsidesing it: “Tulsi and Hillary are both idiots who should go away.” Which, fine, Hillary’s not running.

    But the non-Gabbard supporters who are suddenly full of outrage over her shabby treatment worry me. Like, I suspect there’s a frighteningly large fraction of people in the US who recognize that Trump is an embarrassing fool but still are desperately grasping for some rationale for either supporting Trump, or just not supporting his opposition whoever that may be, and this is one more excuse on the pile. Find something the Democrats did that can be spun as wrong and get extremely outraged over it, like it’s so bad that it’s as bad as all of Trump’s crimes combined.

  147. 147.

    J R in WV

    @Brachiator:

    And of course, it’s too bad that Hitch couldn’t end the film the way that it is rumored that he wanted.

    Can you expound on the rumors? Have no idea about that, not being in a film culture to hear rumors about film.

  148. 148.

    J R in WV

    @sdhays:

    The idea that being in the military “checks a box” for “foreign policy experience” is stupid. But it’s also dangerously widespread. The Beltway Media has operated with this idiotic assumption for as long as I can remember.

    Senator McCain was just such a Foreign Affairs expert, was he not? Not! He wasn’t even an expert fighter pilot!

  149. 149.

    Ruckus

    @Barbara:
    This.
    I was an E5 in the navy. Crossed the Atlantic a number of times so I know all about naval warfare and how our large level of power fits into world domination. Not. I do know that a lot of officers at the time thought that is exactly what being an officer meant. And the reason I say that is that we pulled in the Norwegian naval port in Norway in a snow storm, the first US naval vessel to land there since WWII. Many of the sailors had to “man the rail” – stand at attention around the ship as a salute to the port we were arriving at. Remember the snow? The officers expected a band and the captain of the port and his delegation to meet us. What we got was 2 sailors with pony tails (you notice that sort of stuff when you have to have short hair and a 1/4 inch of skin above your ears-whitewalls they were called) who tied up the ship and then walked away, never having acknowledged anyone.

  151. 151.

    Fair Economist

    @J R in WV: The Birds ends with the characters trying to escape to San Francisco. Hitchcock’s rumored plan was for the last shot to be the Golden Gate Bridge – covered in birds. But supposedly they couldn’t figure out how to do the special effect.

  152. 152.

    Ruckus

    @J R in WV:
    Yes.
    The people who serve and expect something special for having done that, that serving supplies you with special knowledge about humanity or politics, that’s not service to your country. It’s why I do not like being thanked for my service. It’s condescending, even if it’s not meant that way.

  154. 154.

    Ruckus

    @Betty:
    Personally I think it’s a conservative concept, that we need to be at war and the last time we tried that it didn’t work so well and people were pissed off. So now, as we’ve been at some level of war for going on 17 yrs we need to thank and honor those that served so they will continue to do that and think that constant war is not only OK but normal.

  155. 155.

    Brachiator

    @J R in WV:

    And of course, it’s too bad that Hitch couldn’t end the film the way that it is rumored that he wanted.

    Can you expound on the rumors? Have no idea about that, not being in a film culture to hear rumors about film.

    Fair Economist nailed it.

    The Birds ends with the characters trying to escape to San Francisco. Hitchcock’s rumored plan was for the last shot to be the Golden Gate Bridge – covered in birds.

    I’ve seen what some people claim is a story board of the proposed final shots. Don’t know if they are genuine. But this would have been a hell of a conclusion to the film. It would have been as memorable as the final Statue of Liberty shot in Planet of the Apes.

    The short story on which the film is based suggests in its conclusion that the birds are attacking everywhere, and not just in the small English community in which the story is set.

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