Lamar Alexander’s rationale for the preordained conclusion that will probably be ratified today is that Trump’s behavior was “inappropriate” but didn’t rise to an impeachable offense. “Inappropriate” is what a high school teacher tells a student cussing in class. It’s what a manager tells an employee who wears jeans on a day that isn’t casual Friday. It’s not the word for the rampant criminal activity perpetrated in this White House.
We all know that the next time Republicans control the House, a Democratic President will be impeached, for something. And we know that if a Democrat wins the White House, he or she will be picked to death about minutiae like clothing, attitude and perceived slights. We know that having a Senate majority will mean that some of our agenda will get passed, but not all, because some of the same Democrats who appear poised to vote to acquit Trump have to appease Republicans.
And all this in a country with a clear majority wanting the Democrats to rule. As the X-rays clearly show, this was broken long ago — the vote to acquit will just make it clear to everyone: IOKIYAR is the law of the land.
Baud
Who? Manchin?
Doug Jones will probably lose anyway so he won’t be around to be a thorn in the Dem president’s side.
JPL
trump was a really bad boy, but that’s why they love him.
zhena gogolia
JPL
Talk radio won.
schrodingers_cat
Protestors were shot at on the Gandhi death anniversary in Delhi yesterday. I am tired of this know-it-all cynicism. I for one am glad for a cogent and principled opposition party, the Democratic party.
Baud
@schrodingers_cat:
Word. I’m sorry but at times it almost feels indulgent. Especially since this is a result we would have predicted with 99% confidence before the process even began.
Just Chuck
@zhena gogolia: It’s not a matter of failed courage on Collins’ part, it’s her running a continuing _scam_ that an unskeptical press establishment continues to fall for. Every. Single. Time. It’s long past time Collins was called out for the complete fraud she is.
Betty Cracker
Eugene Robinson has an interesting take on the primary race:
I’ve been dreading a drawn-out race because the infighting gets so damned ugly. But maybe Robinson is right.
?BillinGlendaleCA
@Baud: Exactly, the result was predictable, but the House still needed to condemn this behavior via impeachment.
zhena gogolia
@Baud: I guess the fabulous performance by Schiff and the whole Democratic team (plus the Bolton revelation in the middle) made me have a glimmer of hope that there would be a few people who would do the right thing
ETA: And I suppose the upside of that is that their performance might (SHOULD) energize our people to get him out in November.
Baud
@zhena gogolia:
Those people are not like you and me.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
For me, the problem with all that is one candidate and his most vociferous supporters. I don’t see anyone else capable or willing to do damage to get an edge.
OzarkHillbilly
Well than, I guess rigging elections is definitely not criminal and Sen. Alexander won’t object in the least if I rig his next election against him.
Odie Hugh Manatee
The Constitution is little more than rough toilet paper for Republicans. I would hope that one day Democrats would get a chance to make them eat this decision by using it against them but we all know that they would impeach a Democrat for the same thing.
Our nation is broken, probably beyond repair.
Probably Not an Asshole mistermix
@OzarkHillbilly: Lamar’s retiring. That’s why Moscow Mitch had him take the fall to provide cover for (I guess) Collins to vote for witnesses (not sure about the vote count).
O. Felix Culpa
@Baud: No, they’re not. They have ceded reason and ethics to power and greed. They are evil, empty shells. It’s like watching the Body Snatchers in real time.
Probably Not an Asshole mistermix
@JPL:
Then, video killed the radio star and Fox News won.
patrick II
I could live easier with the move towards autocracy in the hopes (less and less likely) that the pendulum will swing back. Except for climate change. We have no time and we have hours and hours of lawyers parsing words like “inappropriate”. It’s like shuffling the chairs on the Titanic if somehow moving the chairs made the ship sink faster.
Gin & Tonic
Well, no quid, no quo. Pompeo met with Zelensky in Kyiv (where it is now past 4:00 pm), but then said there are no plans to give him the WH visit he so plainly wants.
mali muso
Feeling increasingly glad that we went ahead and took the plunge of going through all the bureaucratic hoops, paperwork and cost to apply for Canadian immigration last year. As of last month, we have the documents all approved and now I can at least know that I’ve got an escape hatch for my 3 year old bi-racial daughter. What a world.
Patricia Kayden
JMG
The votes today are Joe Biden’s best campaign ad. HE is the Democrat Trump and the Republicans fear. It’s hard to imagine Biden frightening anyone at all, even infants, but here we are.
MJS
@Betty Cracker: I don’t think Robinson is right. As tired as I am of some of the hectoring being done by the Rick Wilsons of the world, they’re right that this election is a referendum on Trump. Whoever can explain why they are the best person to run against Trump should be the candidate, and it shouldn’t take one day past Super Tuesday to land on that candidate. If it does, it won’t be portrayed by the press as “Democrats taking their time to get this right”, it will be portrayed as infighting, dissension, and weakness when compared with the Republican support for Trump. We don’t need it.
OzarkHillbilly
@Probably Not an Asshole mistermix: Damn. And I was so looking forward to hacking the TN voting machines.
Betty Cracker
@Baud: Maybe, but Sanders does seems to be getting more media scrutiny recently thanks to his front-runner pack status. The Rogan controversy and yesterday’s discovery of Sanders’ comments on George Wallace probably wouldn’t have made a ripple in 2016 because no one took him seriously.
I think Robinson is saying maybe it’s better to vet all our candidates in our primary so everything is on the table before we make a decision. Of course, it’s gonna play out how it’s gonna play out; this herd of cats isn’t going to make a strategic decision one way or another.
Hildebrand
@Baud: Yep. Everyone but Shouty McWaggyfinger’s supporters see the real danger – Trump and the Republicans. They will continue to whinge about ‘neo-libs selling us out’.
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
Agree. Nothing we can really do except ride the wave and hope for the best.
MattF
@zhena gogolia: Admiring Susan Collins is simply an error. Mitch has his majority, so Susan has Daddy’s permission to say a naughty word. I’ll bet that Trump’s reaction will be relatively restrained and that she will vote to acquit.
BroD
Lame-ar has the gravitas of a kleenex.
Probably Not an Asshole mistermix
@MJS:
Wilson’s right, but it’s very hard to guess who is the “best” to beat Trump in with an electorate as diverse as the US and with our fucked up electoral college. You can imagine scenarios where any of them (except for a couple like Tulsi) could beat Trump, and other scenarios where anyone could lose to him. My take is that the candidate isn’t as important as GOTV, registration, fighting voter suppression, etc.
JMG
Collins thinks she’s in the sweet spot. She can vote for witnesses to look “independent” and then vote to acquit because there wasn’t enough evidence to convict. Trouble is, normal people don’t think like that. Both sides in Maine will only remember she was against them when it counted.
MJS
@MattF: You’re right, but then I really hope her opponent hangs the acquittal vote around her neck. “Susan Collins heard the evidence. She claimed she wanted to hear more. But when her Republican colleagues decided there would be no witnesses, no more evidence, she fell in line and voted to acquit the most corrupt president in history.”
Baud
@JMG: I agree. Too cute by half as they say.
zhena gogolia
@Gin & Tonic:
Maybe it’s better. Can you imagine what a shitshow it would be?
JPL
@Gin & Tonic: Can’t afford to upset Putin.
zhena gogolia
I confess I now pray for something I would never have prayed for in my life before.
snoey
@Betty Cracker: We need a tough primary that ends with a winner soon enough to be sure that the convention is a marketing rollout and not a shitshow.
ETA and there will be ratfuckery to try and make it one.
zhena gogolia
@JMG:
It’s certainly changed the calculus for me. I’m all in for Biden now. I never thought I’d say that, but it’s true. Pam Bondi and Joni Ernst convinced me.
MattF
The WordPress ad that covers the top section of the page is… very irritating.
ETA: And, it’s not just WordPress. Why do advertisers think that pissing me off is a good idea?
Betty Cracker
@Probably Not an Asshole mistermix:
Agree with you there. This year, all I’m doing for my favored primary candidate is donating money. I’m putting 100% of my volunteer hours into registration and voter ID efforts.
zhena gogolia
@JMG:
Everyone sees through this quite easily.
Dorothy A. Winsor
Click on it. You won’t be sorry.
donnah
I’ll take the blame for being Donna Downer, but it is without hyperbole that I say that the country has taken a terrible hit. When a political party will blindly follow a leader who envisions himself as a monarch and he sees the country as his personal property, we shouldn’t expect them to turn on him. He gets them what they want. It’s clear that they no longer have morals, values, or courage.
I’ve contacted both of my senators and will continue to do that. And I’m ready to do what I can to move forward to help elect a Democrat to win in November. I didn’t have high hopes for witnesses in the impeachment trial but I was hopeful that there would be some degree of guts from the Republicans. Stupid of me.
I’m not going to watch any of Trump’s televised gloating, either before the SuperBowl or his SOTU address. The republicans will be insufferable and now, more than ever, so we have to shake this off and get to the business of electing a Democrat. Get out the vote, write postcards, make calls and donations, whatever it takes. Like Joyce Vance said, the Republicans will be emboldened more than ever before, and they’ll act like Trump gave them a blank check. We have to triple down.
BroD
John Delaney quits race, blames his failure on God.
zhena gogolia
OzarkHillbilly
@Baud: Well that and stick a paddle in the water every now and again.
Probably Not an Asshole mistermix
@BroD:
I’m sad to think that he’s at home listening to Regina Spektor:
Nobody laughs at God in a hospital
Nobody laughs at God in a war …
Marcopolo
Morning folks. The dread I feel is all about Trump’s psychology. He made that “perfect” Ukraine call the day after he believed the Mueller report let him off the hook. I’m pretty sure there’s causality between the two and with the Senate vote to acquit, I’m pretty sure his mental make up will assure he will do something similarly illegal & undemocratic, though probably worse. And after going through this impeachment process (which, yes, we did have to) to reach this outcome I’m pretty sure anyone who witnesses whatever this new Trump lawlessness is will be a hell of a lot less likely to speak out about it.
We’re moving further down that path towards Banana Republic territory—hell, we are probably on the other side of the boundary now. Ain’t no way to sugar coat it.
Of course, that means we really really really need to get him out of office in November. To that end, I’m writing postcards reminding MO Dems to reregister to vote if they’ve moved, I’ll be starting up actual campaign work next month, and I make small monthly donations to a handful of groups who are working to hold onto what we have: Vote riders, fair fight 2020, moms demand action, Wisconsin Dems, aclu, planned parenthood, Florida forward action, run for Something, and the National Democratic redistricting committee.
I know a lot of folks here are doing similar things. Thanks so much for being in the fight alongside me. And if you haven’t yet started please join us.
MJS
@zhena gogolia: Worst. Chief of Staff. Ever. Apparently doesn’t understand that “pro-Trump” equates to “pro-Putin” and “pro-Russian invasion.” Aligning with Trump ultimately means “no more Ukraine.”
rp
I’ve long thought that impeachment isn’t about Trump — it’s about Senate. Of course there was little chance that they were going to remove Trump, but the very fact that they won’t shows that we can’t move forward unless the Dems control both the House and the Senate. And hanging the impeachment around their necks is the best way to make it happen
EDIT: And I think there’s a side benefit in potentially undermining Sanders by galvanizing the mainstream, anti-Trump dem vote.
Probably Not an Asshole mistermix
@donnah:
How about Rebecca Realist?
Also, I don’t think there’s anything wrong with expressing your disgust and despair once in a while, as long as it doesn’t turn into long-term cynicism.
Gin & Tonic
@zhena gogolia: You may be right. Word in Kyiv is Ukraine just wants to keep its head down. “We’re better off if we’re not in the news.”
Betty Cracker
@Gin & Tonic: Can’t blame them. They are balanced on a knife’s edge.
SFAW
@MJS:
That’s been her modus operandi. She could have stopped Rapey McKavanaugh in Committee, but she voted to forward his nom to the full chamber, where she knew he would get confirmed. That way she could screech “But-but-but I voted AGAINST confirmation!!! Why’n’t you LOVE me for that???” So she’s either disingenuous or a moron. Perhaps both.
zhena gogolia
@SFAW:
Wait a minute. Didn’t she vote for confirmation?
OzarkHillbilly
@SFAW: Definitely both.
O. Felix Culpa
@zhena gogolia: Yes she did. Roll call link (sorry, FTFNYT).
SFAW
@zhena gogolia:
One of the “benefits” of being an old fart is that I sometimes forget unpleasant shit like that. Thanks for the correction, apologies for the error.
O. Felix Culpa
I vote for disingenuous. No one who makes it to the Senate could be that stupid. On second thought, she (and most if not all of her GOP colleagues) appear to be moral morons. So perhaps both after all.
zhena gogolia
Gin & Tonic
@zhena gogolia: Very simplistic analysis. As is fairly typical, Zelensky has an “inside guy” and an “outside guy.” Yermak is the “outside guy” – he was responsible for some of the prisoner exchanges with Russia, he was largely responsible for a fairly quick resolution of the Iran plane shootdown aftermath. There is, again as is fairly typical, friction with the “inside guy,” Andriy Bohdan, both in style and in their areas of responsibility. But continuing to suggest kissing up to Trump is not necessarily a foolish tactic for a country which continues to need US and EU assistance.
SFAW
@O. Felix Culpa:
Wisconsin voters might disagree.
Betty Cracker
Do we expect any Democrats to vote for acquittal? I’ve seen speculation that Jones, Sinema and Manchin might. Hope that turns out to be wrong.
geg6
@JMG:
Agreed. Gave my first donation to him the other day. And I would NEVER have seen that coming.
I really love Warren (and I gave to her, too) but I am more and more convinced that we have to go with Biden. They don’t do this shit to people they think they can beat. They are terrified of Biden’s power among the GOP base who aren’t all Trump zombies.
oldgold
LAMAR !lambar.
chris
@mali muso: Welcome to Canada! Maybe.
Bear in mind that Canada historically has been behind the curve on political movements. I am hoping for the best but cynically braced for the worst. There is are a lot of Trumpanzees here and we too are experiencing “post-truth” politics. Keep an eye on Doug Ford, Jason Kenney and the leadership race taking place in the Conservative Party.
JPL
@geg6: I hope Harris comes out to support him this weekend and if Amy gets below fifteen percent, she throws her support his way.
zhena gogolia
@geg6:
Plus Bernie is Putin’s candidate so he can lose handily to Drumpf. I’d like to see some enterprising reporter look into Sanders’s campaign contributions and the extent of Russian troll activity promoting him and tearing down others.
WaterGirl
@Betty Cracker: I would bet $100 that Jones will not vote for acquittal.
schrodingers_cat
@zhena gogolia: When I pointed that out, I got called names by none other than the blogfather himself who seldom jumps into the comments. You backed me up. I remember.
zhena gogolia
@schrodingers_cat:
Yes.
Betty Cracker
@WaterGirl: It wouldn’t surprise me if you’re right, even if he is the most at-risk Dem since he’ll be up in 2020 in Ala-goddamn-bama. Jones seems to have a ton of integrity.
MattF
@geg6: I sorta agree, although I’m displeased with myself for borrowing RW political-odds analysis to make my choices. But their fear of Biden is palpable, and he’s the only one they really fear.
MattF
@WaterGirl: Are you-all gonna do anything about those ads that are covering the navigation buttons at the top of the page? Annoying!
O. Felix Culpa
@SFAW: It makes me sad to admit you have a point there.
JMG
zhena gogolia
@JMG:
I met Obama right after he won North Carolina!
WaterGirl
@MattF:
First of all, I use an ad blocker so I was not aware of what you are referring to.
Second, I just went to Chrome, which I never use except for testing, and I have no ad blocker there. I see an annoying banner ad, but it is not covering the white bar. Can you send me a screen capture of what you are seeing?
Can you tell me what device/browser combination you using when the white bar is covered?
edit: screen captures can be sent to me by email to watergirl or through site feedback – report a problem – which also accepts email attachments.
edit 2: thank you for sending the screen captures!
A Ghost To Most
I hope you all have enjoyed the mutton busting portion of this rodeo, and the clowns will soon perform. Prez Mushmelon will then move on to bareback and bullriding, and some serious nutcutting.
But seriously, it’s more important to keep a sunny disposition than admit we are standing neck deep in shit.
Avalune
Completely unrelated to the topic but I want to throw this out there because I’m curious about your opinion on the matter…
I work at a community college. One of the professors in psychology, with a doctorate, first asked about signing up for two of his own classes in order to defer his student loans. We just kind of looked at him like he was crazy. Ultimately, he used his tuition reimbursement and signed up for two intro to psych classes taught by another professor. Dr. Such and Such in Psych 101. What say you about this exploit?
Jinchi
It sounds like they’ve already got the articles ready to go if Biden wins the election.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: I’m getting it too on chrome on an Android device. It is a drop down that appears when you screen scroll. Can’t send you a screen grab now, sorry. And it does interfere with the navigation buttons by covering them hence inhibiting your excellent design enhancements.
PenAndKey
Feel like sharing any tips? I know it has annoyed people at times when I bring it up, but for the last few years I’ve seriously considered sitting my wife down and telling her that as much as she wants to never leave where she grew up we need to do what’s best for our kids and move elsewhere. Being from Wisconsin, heading just a couple hundred miles north seems like a good compromise. The only issue? That CRS algorithm is absolutely brutal even if she and I are middle class college degree holders.
Betty Cracker
@geg6:
Can Biden peel those people off through his sheer white maleness, absent any explicit appeals to them? If he does have to appeal directly to the very small pool of Obama-Trump voters, do you think he can he chase their votes without alienating key constituencies within the Democratic Party?
MattF
@WaterGirl: I’ve taken screenshots and I’ll figure out how to send them to you any minute now… And I’m using iPad Air/Safari, current versions of everything.
ETA: I’ve got your email address around here somewhere…
Immanentize
@Avalune: It sounds like he was asking the College to partner in loan fraud. Very poor idea.
Avalune
Follow up to my own comment – I’m sure he knows the professor and I do know the professor knows why he is in her class, so I doubt she’ll make him take tests or do homework but I really wish she would.
Full disclosure, Dr. Grumpy Pants is not my favorite coworker, so I may be a little biased. He goes out of his way to act like I do not exist when he needs something from my department and is just a typical aged grumpy white dude who is almost assuredly a republican (and as such would probably poop all over someone else trying to pull this crap to get out of paying their debt, which makes me even more aggravated with him).
zhena gogolia
@Avalune: sounds positively Trumpian.
Immanentize
@Avalune: If he is not taking exams, etc. He is not appropriately registered in the class. As it is, it is a scam that your institution is permitting. I would ask for an opinion from counsel.
As a community college, I assume you are part of a State system. Your school really can’t allow the State to get you in trouble over his loan deferral scam. Every state system I know of has a separate CC counsel office or a CC consortium organization that would help here. Also, are you unionized? Getting in trouble with federal loan agencies could mean your entire loan system will be audited. Believe me, not worth it.
Avalune
@Immanentize: Yep – that’s why we looked at him like seriously? But he got all the dean/president/hr sign off to do the intro classes with another professor, so I registered him but this version is only slightly less icky than his original.
dnfree
Here’s a minor question. When I was growing up, and until recently, people in the US whined and people in Great Britain whinged. When did that change and why? Is it nationwide or regional?
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: Thank you. So you on a mobile device, then? Phone or tablet?
If you can’t get a screen capture now, might you be able to later?
I really need screen captures, because without that, I won’t be able to get anyone’s attention on this.
WaterGirl
@dnfree: Illinois person here. I have never once heard “whinged” except on this blog.
Immanentize
@Avalune: It is bad. But clearly now above your pay grade. Sad. I hate assjoles like that.
mad citizen
@Avalune: 1) I think he should have kept this scheme to himself.
2) Back when we had a moral nation, this would be an outrage. Today, not so much.
Similar scheme to in my state, if you’re a state worker you’re not supposed to be able to retire, start collecting your pension, and then get a new state job. Yet one of my cousins told me a couple years ago she had done that very thing. Retired, then six months later her old boss hired her back.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: You need to hang around the Irish more.
Avalune
I love whinged but I really don’t hear that outside GB.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
The article from the Lewiston (ME) Sun-Journal is now behind a paywall, but they had a story a couple of months ago that really crystalized Collins for me, even after the Kavanaugh vote exposed her for a fraud. A reporter asks how she’s going to make her case to voters in Maine, and she says (from memory) You know who’s going to be Chair of the Appropriations Committee in the next Congress? and she points to herself. In the pre-trump days, those kinds of things mattered. She’s betting they will again, under or after trump. That’s who she is. As cynical, partisan and personally ambitious as McConnell.
zhena gogolia
@Avalune:
Was he honest with the administration about why he was doing it?
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: phone. Oneplus. Android 10. Oxygen 10.3.0
Baud
@Betty Cracker:
IMHO Biden’s disadvantage is also his advantage. He doesn’t excite progressives but he also is probably the least likely to excite the minority of Republican voters who are tired of Trump to come out to vote.
schrodingers_cat
@Avalune: Make him take the tests and attend all classes.
zhena gogolia
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
Cecily Strong does a great imitation of her on SNL.
david
“The Pentagon announced Thursday that 64 American troops sustained mild traumatic brain injuries as a result of the Iranian missile strikes on two military bases in Iraq …”
SIXTY-FOUR! No deaths, no other reported injuries; but, 64 TBIs. Did Iran really bomb the bases, or did a clown with an oversized mallet just go from soldier to soldier bopping them the noggin?
zhena gogolia
@Baud:
I don’t give a fuck about the progressives. If they can’t vote to save the country, we’ll do it without them. They’re the ones who got us into this mess.
Avalune
@mad citizen: I wonder if his buddies think it’s “smart.” That’s what they call it when a white dude tricks the government but it’s appalling when a poor poc does it. Funny how that works.
mad citizen
@donnah: Really loved this comment and marcopolo’s a few down from this. It’s really troubling. I think/hope their party goes the way of the Whig Party. I think postcards to voters is something I need to do that would fit me. Maybe send all of mine to the state south of me, Kentucky. (Neither of our Senators are up in 2020 (Ned Ryerson just got his seat in 2018))
I also fear that at some point this year I’m going to be in public and be triggered by something MAGA or just R-related, and just lose it.
We need to turn 4 or 5 states and get the Senate back to a 60 D/40R split.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Betty Cracker:
Jones strikes me as a person of integrity– and I doubt dumb enough to think this vote would save him. I could see Manchin dragging Specter’s “unproven” dodge out of mothballs. Sinema’s a fucking crank, as Suzanne always warned us. Oscar Madison wouldn’t bet on what she’s gonna do (it me, dragging an old guy’s reference out of mothballs cause the thought of Jack Krugman calling his bookie about impeachment briefly amuses me)
Ryan
On the upside, it seems pretty unlikely we’ll ever see a tan suit again.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@zhena gogolia: I think Cecily Strong is one of us, by which I mean not just on Team Resistance but a political junkie. I bet she’s been waiting for the news to make her Collins imitation relevant. I just wish more people hated Collins as much as she deserves to be hated.
Hildebrand
@WaterGirl: Both my Mom and Grandmother exclusively used ‘whinge’. Their roots were Welsh.
schrodingers_cat
What was the partisan breakup of the Senate during Watergate? Was it it controlled by the Ds?
ETA: Wikipedia says yes. So the 1970s Rs were not in charge. That’s why Nixon had to go.
Avalune
@zhena gogolia: So because the classes already started and were FULL, he had to get written permission from the professor teaching them and provide that to us before we could register him. It says right on the email – this is so he can defer his loans. So it’s documented in writing from his work account and in his record.
I actually hadn’t even thought about that…like not fully. I saw it and thought wow and included it but it only just now really sunk in.
Another fun fact – the DOE is auditing us this week. Lmao. Maybe I should polish up my resume?
Baud
@schrodingers_cat: Yes.
Immanentize
@WaterGirl: ok. I sent a screen capture on the report form
Baud
@Ryan: Win.
Barbara
@Jim, Foolish Literalist: The thing is, anyone else in her position would be trying to maximize their power, whereas Susan goes out of her way to make sure that she is never the deciding vote on anything difficult. She positively gives her power away. She has enough power that it should not matter whether she is Chair of the Appropriations Committee, she should be able to exercise influence without the title. She is such a big nothing.
zhena gogolia
@schrodingers_cat:
Yeah, my husband keeps reminding me of this. But there were also some Republicans who weren’t slime back then.
Omnes Omnibus
The end result of impeachment was known long before anyone started drafting the articles. It changes nothing. Trump was impeached because he should have been impeached. Out elected Democrats in the House and Senate have done their jobs honorably and well. The Republicans have been what they are. It is plain to anyone who an eye to see. November has the only vote that matters. Let’s work on that.
zhena gogolia
@Avalune:
Wow.
I doubt you need to polish your resume.
schrodingers_cat
@zhena gogolia: Possibly but if they were in charge they would have probably let Nixon skate.
Immanentize
@david: Iran originally reported 80 casualties. We are edging closer….
Shalimar
@JMG: Collins has spent her entire career talking moderate and voting with the team. That sweet spot worked for her for decades. But she lost her touch with Kavanaugh. Too many voters see the game now for her to keep playing.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Oh, so you’ve met my cousins?
Jinchi
I thought Canada had a pretty good trial run with the Harper administration. Trump-like candidates are popping up all over, undoubtedly sponsored by russian oligarchs and the western billionaires.
zhena gogolia
@Shalimar:
I’m on monthly donation to Gideon, McGrath, and Hickenlooper. And I just sent a big one to Uncle Joe. It’s the only thing that calms me down a little bit.
schrodingers_cat
The Rs are in car with no breaks and can only go faster. Orange Concealer is driving it so they are going to crash.They can’t get out of that car, I just hope that we can get out of the way when the inevitable crash occurs.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
@Barbara: I’m too tired to go back and check the votes and breakdowns of the Senate, but there have been so many moments over that last fifteen years– the second Bush term, Obama’s first, the first two years of trump–when alleged R moderates or people of alleged principle (not just Collins and Snowe but McCain, Flake, Corker…)
During the tax debate, a reporter asked Flake– who had started to make his impotent mewling noises– if he would use his vote as leverage to get something on trump– at the time a bill protecting Mueller was seen as a big deal; Flake looked genuinely confused by the question and said something to the effect of, well, none of this–you know, like, the Constitution– is more important than tax cuts (I’m sure he said ‘tax reform’)
MattF
@WaterGirl: I’ve emailed you screenshots.
Jinchi
Agreed.
I always objected to the call to “let the voters decide” argument, because it was premature. Every actor in government was obligated to push back on Trump’s corruption, if only so that we could see which parts were completely corrupted themselves. Democrats passed that test, as did the civil services. The Judiciary and Justice Departments are teetering on the edge, and the Republican party and conservative establishment are completely lost.
Now it’s time for the voters to weigh in. Let’s hope whoever takes Trump’s place knows how to clean house.
catclub
Who? These are republican senators you are talking about.
All but 4 are automatically excused from any patriotic duty. The remaining 4 are still Republicans.
schrodingers_cat
@Jinchi: And the media which expects bipartisanship only from the Ds is also to blame.
catclub
I hope you are right, still remains to be seen in an election.
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: Not if they’re whiners! :-)
Just kidding, I know what you meant.
zhena gogolia
@catclub:
Well, I said something despairing to a young colleague who was born and raised in Russia. She said, “What did you expect? I’m always pessimistic about human nature.”
I was born and raised here, with hope and optimism. I guess we’re Russia now. Get over it.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Torture, trump, and corruption apologist (all in the name of Northern European, ‘the poor just need to work harder’ version of Jesus, of course) Marc Thiessen has a column today arguing that the Rs have fallen into the trap of the dastardly Schiff and Pelosi. Here’s hoping
WaterGirl
@Immanentize: thank you!
MattF sent the screen captures, so I am good there.
edit: your screen capture ended up being helpful, too. similar but different issues on phone vs. tablet.
catclub
@Jinchi: What I did not know about Hunter Biden.
He was/is a member of a big powerful law firm. Big powerful law firm got the account to represent Burisma
in US.
Burisma puts lawyer from big firm on its board. That is how Hunter Biden got there.
Nobody is asking to investigate why big powerful law firm hired Hunter Biden.
Betty Cracker
@Baud: That sounds about right. My hope is the horrifying reality of Trump’s presidency (rather than the unlikely prospect of it) will be a turnout machine in its own right, regardless of who the nominee is.
Splitting Image
@Jinchi:
Harper (2006-2014) was basically a counterpart to GW Bush (2001-2009), so yes, a few years behind the curve. Going back a little further, Preston Manning founded the Reform Party in the mid-80s to position himself as the Canadian Reagan and mount a takeover of the Conservatives as Reagan had previously done to the Republicans. Stuff that works for right-wingers in the States tends to get imported to Canada a few years later.
I’d say the one Canadian politician who stands out as being ahead of the curve was Honest Mike Harris, the Workingman’s Man, who was Premier of Ontario from 1995 to 2001. His style of administration was a proof of concept for all of the Republican governors who got elected in 2009-2010 (Christie, Kasich, Corbett, Snyder, etc.)
All that said, I did see one lunatic carrying signs for Trump back in 2016 and one guy wearing a Make America Great Again T-shirt after he was elected. In Toronto. Those people are out there.
Gin & Tonic
@Splitting Image: Skater kids in Kyiv wear MAGA hats, although I presume ironically.
Citizen Alan
@mali muso: I’m 50 and don’t have enough money in the bank to overcome the issues of age and health that would block me from emigrating. And I am trying hard not to be bitter as fuck towards my 84yo mother who guilt tripped me out of moving to Canada in 2004 when I could have gotten citizenship easily.
mali muso
@chris: Thanks! We are actively researching jobs and locations within the broader GTA region. While I’m aware that the political situation in the Great White North is no paradise and could be a few years behind where things are here, the healthcare benefits and lack of guns in schools is a big draw when thinking about my kiddo’s future. And with climate change bearing down, maybe the cold weather won’t be all that bad.
@PenAndKey: I can’t remember our exact CRS score now, but we applied through Express Entry – Federal Skilled Workers stream. Having a pretty good knowledge of French (thanks Peace Corps service!) helped me get some points and both hubby and I have graduate degrees, so that counted for something. Have you looked into the Provincial Nomination route?
@Citizen Alan: Ugh, I’m sorry to hear that. :(
Citizen Alan
@Omnes Omnibus:
I was completely resigned to the Senate trial being a sham that ended in acquittal. I could have lived with that. I was not prepared for the swine to forgo even a show trial and instead announce that Trump has dictatorial powers. I genuinely wonder now if we’ll have anything close to free and open elections in November and deeply regret now emigrating 15 years ago when I had the chance.
PenAndKey
@catclub: Maybe it’s because I’m a millennial Wisconsin resident, but in my experience I won’t count an election over and won until after every tally is in, the complaints are settled, and the official starts their first day on the job. I’ve seen far far too many elections that “mysteriously” have late night vote tally totals that are just enough to give the win to the GOP. And that’s not even including how often the EC has handed the presidency to someone who didn’t win the popular vote since Bush v Gore.
I have, but have found those to be pretty byzantine. Without a provincial nomination, though, I’m somewhat doubtful that we’d be able to get the points needed for a PR approval. And at 35 the clock isn’t exactly working in our favor since I doubt I’ll be able to convince my wife any time soon that it’s the way to go.
PenAndKey
[duplicate]
WaterGirl
@MattF: All of us can be reached by email:
nym at balloon-juice.com
Contact Us in the white bar (currently covered by the ad!) also lists the nym for each of us. That’s because of people like mistermix, dougJ and others who like to mix up their nyms from time to time.
Regardless of the current version of their nyms, they can still be reached at “mistermix at…. and dougJ at…”.
Emma from FL
@Avalune: Full time or adjunct? because these days it makes a huge difference.
SFAW
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
I hate her as much as 10 people, does that count? [I expect MomSense and Davis X. Machina do as well, but they can speak for themselves.]
Duane
@Citizen Alan: After this impeachment cover-up, anyone who believes the November elections will be free, open, and fair is a fool. Of course, IOKIYAR.
chris
@Splitting Image: Yes! I live in NS now but I still have the button that says, MIKE HARRIS MADE ME EAT MY DOG,
catclub
The fraction of ‘independent’ voters who are actually in favor of removing trump is encouraging. There are the Maga GOP holdouts and then the rest of the country sick of him.
chris
@mali muso: Welcome!
BTW anyone looking to immigrate should look beyond the GTA and/or Vancouver. It’s a huge country and Nova Scotia for instance is always looking for new people.
Suzy
@zhena gogolia: Joe Biden elected president, with large coattails… a democratic House and democratic Senate voting progressive laws… Oh what a sweet revenge it would be…
Just One More Canuck
@chris: Yeah the Joe Clarks and Robert Stanfields of the party are a distant memory
Just One More Canuck
@mali muso:
I’m in the GTA (Markham to be a bit more precise) – if you take the plunge, let me know if you want some information about where you are looking to end up
mali muso
@Just One More Canuck: Thanks, I will definitely take you up on that. We’re headed up there in April to officially “land” and activate our residency docs. Will spend a few days scouting out some of the cities where there are universities and colleges (my career is currently in higher ed, so that seems a logical place to start for now). Guelph, Hamilton and Waterloo are on our current list to investigate. I actually really like Ottawa and have visited on several occasions, but the cold weather differential between Toronto area and Ottawa is pretty daunting.
Bill Arnold
@Gin & Tonic:
Interesting. I wonder if Pompeo delivered threats (and/or maybe v.v.).
Just One More Canuck
@mali muso: Good luck – if you are okay with smaller cities, Peterborough (Trent U) and Kingston (Queens) are both nice places – house prices are much more reasonable
PenAndKey
@Just One More Canuck: I know this is a mostly dying thread, but what is the commute traffic around your area? It’s one of the few I’ve found in Canada that has good food quality career prospects so have been focused on that area if I ever make the plunge myself. That, and climate-wise it is very similar to the upper Mississippi valley climate I’m used to, so it’s got that going for it too.
Just One More Canuck
@PenAndKey:
Commuting from the suburbs to downtown is pretty good – the trains run frequently. My wife works downtown and it’s about a 45-minute ride from where we are. I work from home so it’s not an issue unless I have a meeting. Going across the city is pretty bad. A friend used to commute from Markham (northeast suburb – where I am) to Mississauga (west suburb) and wanted to shoot himself after a while- he took a job in the government downtown
Just One More Canuck
@Just One More Canuck: @PenAndKey: to finish my comment, if the job you’re looking at is in the suburbs, there would be lots of housing available nearby – there’s been a new housing boom lately. The schools are pretty good – my daughter’s high school has a great music program, and one of the only Latin programs in the area
mali muso
@Just One More Canuck:
Thanks for the info. We are definitely ok with small cities or suburbs, having lived in one here in the US for the past 15 years. Housing costs are definitely on our mind.
misterpuff
@O. Felix Culpa: Worse, she called a press conference to get the spotlight to announce that travesty.