I want this to be true. I just see a consolidation and subversion of power going on. Trump is the tinsel to distract while the damage is being done.


Bold emphasis is mine.

Fox Business interview with Trump ended with the question, why are you so popular?

lol

This, this, this. Wide spread voter suppression in key states back by a legal system that is totally in Trump's back pocket. I have a hard time seeing how anybody feels good about the chance to beat Trump. I will not believe he will lose till he does.

It's not a coincidence Trump is pushing Obamagate as a thing now

The top 7 private health insurance companies made $35 billion last year in profits.

Trump has a cult following and whoever he tells his flock to vote for, they will. If he throws all his support behind his son or daughter, do you really not think they would be the favorite? He's made every Republican but Romney bend the knee and I imagine would scare off many people who would challenge his kid.

Don Jr has the better chance because he's male and more obnoxiously stupid. Ivanka is fairly quiet and I just don't see her doing well in a demographic that doesn't care much for women or Jews.


Their politics are near polar opposites.

I mean we did recently elect the dullard son of a previous President, based largely on their collective adjacency to a man in mental decline, who became famous by making movies with monkeys. Let's not give ourselves too much credit.

Here's a super fun report from the National Association of Insurance Companies, which shows health insurance profits dropped every year from 2011 to 2015. Quite significantly actually. Profits rebounded in 2016, but then positively skyrocketed in 2017 and 2018 (and has continued - and this is before the ending of the individual mandate).

https://naic.org/documents/topic_ins...ind_report.pdf

Hmm, I wonder what happened in early 2017.

(Also to note that insurance companies actually lost money on Comprehensive Hospital and Medical plans in 2014, 2015, and 2016.)

This kinda fits with that: Results | International Survey on Coronavirus

(yes, limited sample, online, from early April, yadda yadda. Still, interesting to see. )

Good luck with that.

McCain, Amash, and various others on multiple issues say hello. So does literally every election held since he took office.


That only matters - practically, it matters constitutionally, moraly, etc. in all cases - in an extremely close election, which is historically rare. Such efforts simply cannot effect major swings, which is what Trump would need unless what happens in November is markedly different than what has happened in every.single.other.election.

Anyone notice how the GOP has had to walk back "Obama didn't leave Trump a pandemic plan" to "Obama left Trump an inadequate pandemic plan" because Trump was so unprepared that he didn't even realize that there was a plan that he ignored until he starting talking about it not existing and then people pointed out that it did?

Anyone also notice how GOP approval of the President remains high and unchanged, so I'm really just wasting electrons by posting here about his gobsmacking incompetence that is killing tens of thousands of Americans and made the entire two months of social distancing we all did pointless?

Is Ron DeSantis deciding at the last minute to close down polling places in Democratic neighborhoods for "public health" reasons and the Supreme Court 5-4 saying that's fine really that much of a stretch? It seems more likely than not to me at this point.

And it also looks like this will be a close election. Biden is polling slightly better than Hillary did. That's not the makings of a landslide either way--even if things were fairly contested.

I know it’s Sportsdigs level old but how did all that Katie Hill stuff never garner a mention here. Home girl was banging a paid staffer girl among other nonsense

Honestly, that's a pretty awesome story. Not really sure, other than a lot of personal drama and interpersonal baggage, what the big deal is.

Wait, what? At the very least she was in a position of power of the staffer she was having the affairs with (while the Kelly thing was not true, the Morgan thing was).

What happened to her was ridiculously fucked up, but let's not act like she did nothing wrong here:


https://amp.theatlantic.com/amp/article/601198/

And yet, they were all adults. She showed some very poor judgement regarding her ambition and her personal life, and she fucked up mixing things up. Yet, so much of what she did, has been done by men before, and she's paying the price for some of it by being a woman. There is a certain double standard here. I ended up marrying a woman who was my employee at one point. It's common, it happens, it was still against the rules. It did work out for me in the end. The staffer was knowingly putting herself in that position as well. Still, they simply showed the sort of judgement that we see everywhere up and down the spectrum of rich to poor of people who end up doing ID (as in Freud's ID) related things and fully believe that they will never pay the price for them. Plus, from my own perspective, my wife has already said that any public office runs are strictly out the question for us.

Yes. I don't think we've seen anything close to that. Terrible, illegal stuff, but nowhere near that level.

On it being a close election; 2016 was the only time in modern history that a candidate won as much as Hillary did in the popular vote and lost. Nothing else has even come close. At least Michigan and Wisconsin - I don't know as much about Pennsylvania - aren't nearly as friendly to Trump as they were. As in, the GOP has been getting their clock cleaned hard. And without those states, Trump has no chance.

Which is exactly the reason it's not ok anymore. Male politicians abused their power and position for decades and centuries. Which is why the acceptance of the practice was changed.

It doesn't make it ok that men used to get away with it. The whole point is that it should not be acceptable anymore. If we are going to acknowledge unequal power dynamics we should do it for all folks.

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Certainly haven't seen anything like closing a bunch of voting locations and then forcing people to stand in line for hours to vote during a pandemic.

The multiple standards track is so intriguing to me. One group can literally get away with almost anything (with time) and the other has to be a saint. I hate it both ways.

But the aide was also in a relationship with the man too wasn't she? He wasn't her boss.

Now, here, I'm being a bit purposely obtuse. I know they were a 'married' package, and one could conclude that the two could be perceived as one, but it doesn't necessarily mean that either.

It's always a complicated situation they either should have dealt with before they decided a life in the public was the way they wanted things to go. Unless, they were all going the same direction all along and they all thought they were going to benefit from it, which is completely understandable too. We don't really know the depths of that. Guys boinked and continue to boink their secretaries all the time. Pilots and flight attendants. Each person needs to be held to the appropriate standard for their line of work, but again, that doesn't necessarily mean that people were abusing their situation either.

Another IG down. Trump fires the state department IG.

It's a shame that Dems aren't allowed to do anything more than write angry tweets.

The horrible thing about the Katie Hill situation was the revenge-porn angle. I wonder if she would have had to resign without. Having the picture gave it the national attention that forced action.

It'll be really fun when the Supreme Court starts dismantling the administrative state starting in the summer session so a unitary executive will have even more unchecked power to do something like this

SI

Bingo

I'm pretty sure she would have. This was a year after the Me Too rules on sexual affairs with Congressional staffers was enacted. Now Hill's conduct wouldn't have fallen under this since it was a Campaign staffer instead, but was still seen as unethical among Democrats at the time.

Remember she resigned the same year as Franken did due to Me Too concerns. I'm positive she'd be pressured to stepped down.

Amash announced he isn't going to run after all.

Weird how the President keeps retweeting white supremacists.

Great news for Biden.

Is he going to throw his support to Vermin Supreme?

A well written and examined piece about Q anon, where it came from, and where it's going. Doesn't seem worth your time at first glace, but it raises some thoughts in ones head.

QAnon Is More Important Than You Think - The Atlantic

Interesting article PM, I did not realize how much of their movement is centered around the evangelical right. I clicked one of the links there to see the current list of Q candidates that are running/have run for Congress. All but one Republican or independent/Libertarian. Thankfully most of them have lost or dropped out already.

So Trump retweets and shows support for a Neo-Nazi. One son posts that Biden is a pedophile. And the other goes on Fox News claiming this virus is all a hoax.

Wonderful day in America.

Obama: “Do what you think is right. Doing what feels good—what’s convenient, what’s easy—that’s how little kids think. Unfortunately a lot of so-called grown-ups, including some with fancy titles and important jobs, still think that way, which is why things are so screwed up.”

— Philip Rucker (@PhilipRucker) May 17, 2020

Eric Trump says the virus is a hoax.

When will we ever hit the bottom of the morality expected or accepted from the greatest and highest office in the world (or used to be)?

If and when someone else claims the office I'm certain the GOP and the cult of personality around Trump will raise the bar of expectations dramatically.

When the Senate voted to acquit, people were saying things like "now they will feel like they can just do anything they want," and it was genuinely hard to imagine what that would look like.

Pompeo recommended Trump remove State Dept inspector general: reports https://t.co/V34ADbWkR1 pic.twitter.com/j2FpyUwxei

— The Hill (@thehill) May 17, 2020

No reason to think this is as bad as it could get, but the picture is coming together. Just shameless. And I realize this isn't news, nor is this story going to change the mind of anyone in the cult.

Susan Collins is concerned.

Every time Trump does something since his impeachment trial, people retweet Susan Collins' "I'm sure he's learned his lesson" quote. Took two years to go from "Lean GOP" edge that she had for a decade to probably the 3rd most vulnerable Senator behind Jones and Gardner this November

Just pray that no one in the Supreme Court announces retirement

I’m sure McConnell would never put through a nomination in an election year


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If only the Obama administration had left them instructions on what to do if that does happen.

Well, you mean, put it into a binder, right?

They were just loose pages. How could you hold on to them all?

Reminds me of the videos of white people struggling in infomercials.

What is awesome/horrifying is that I'm sure it was effective, for their purposes.

WH: Oh sure, we got caught in a complete lie saying they didn't leave us a plan, but seriously, look at these papers, that doesn't even count.

Cult45: Damn that Obama, But Her Emails, Lock Her Up, whatever we're doing now...

They are just going full carnival barker on Obamagate. A crime so obvious and significant that we're still waiting for someone, anyone to define it.

Trump selling his own snake oil is one thing, but to see talking heads repeatedly try and frame this entirely undefined fart as "the biggest political scandal in American history!!" with a straight face is not entirely surprising, yet still somehow feels like a new low.

Internal polling has to be ugly considering how hard they're ramping up the campaign.

I love the fact that the GOP has become so well known as the conspiracy party that they're opening most Obamagate talk by telling everyone that this isn't actually a conspiracy.

New: The State Dept. IG removed from his job Friday was looking into whether @secpompeo made a staffer walk his dog, pick up his dry cleaning and make dinner reservations for Pompeo and his wife, according to two congressional officials, per @JoshNBCNews and @mitchellreports

— Ken Dilanian (@KenDilanianNBC) May 17, 2020

She's been "vulnerable" since she won - Maine is purple & weird. But no part of what she's done or voted for in the Senate has ever mattered in that calculus.

QS you're much more in this world than me, and if you posted this I assume it's important, but I don't get this one. Is it weird a Cabinet level official would have staffers pick up dry cleaning and make dinner reservations? I just kind of assume that's what powerful people make interns and low level staff do.

I believe all of that would be an ethics violation for a Cabinet member.


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Cabinet members aren't allowed secretary's/personal assistant's?

They are not allowed to use government employees for personal errands or chores. Now, the end result likely would have been a small fine (basically paying back the hours of government time used for personal errands), so I wonder if there were other things about to be found out as well.

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The "whistleblower racket" is "causing great injustice". Topped off with a call out to Susan Collins...

The audacity and ignorance of this unfettered moron continues to shatter glass floors in the darkest basement of my expectations.

No, it was three years after Franken resigned with many democrats now regretting that decision. There were several prominent democratic leaders that did not want her to stay. I think she would have without the public shaming that the pictures brought.

A year after Franken resigned I should have said. Franken resigned in January 2018. And there are plenty who pushed Franken out that have expressed no regrets over it - Senator Gillibrand for one.

NEWS:

House Dems have learned that the State Department IG fired by Trump had mostly completed an investigation into the decision by @SecPompeo to fast track $8 billion in arms to the Saudis, I'm told.

Dems are looking at a possible link.

New piece:https://t.co/VoTMnyIPQ8

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 18, 2020

This is fine.

My point isn't in the specifics, but the generic. This IG is not being targeted for poor job performance, or something equivalent that a proper government would care about. This is undoubtedly personal/targeted because the IG is either looking into something, or has spoken about something that surely actually happen, which would if revealed prove unflattering to the asshole-in-chief and his minions. So, a person whose entire role in government is supposed to be about preserving accountability and transparency is going to get discarded in order to eliminate any such thing.


I don't care about dry cleaning and the like on a deep level, but, incidentally... I believe people who abuse their power and authority in such ways are piles of shit, in general, regardless of whether it's illegal.

A more tidy summary than I am capable of

Trump's Weekend of Scandal Was Hiding in Plain Sight - The Bulwark

Sounds like the IG was investigating if Pompeo green-lit arms sales to the Saudis that weren't allowed by Congress.

But hey, Ken Dilanian, be sure to run with the "he was having people pick up dry cleaning" story that you were fed. That'll help muddy the waters real good.

Journalism seems hard until you realize that it's really just verbatim copying of copy from GOP "sources."

The Malkin thing should have gotten more notice because she is a full on neo-Nazi at this point. Put out a book recommendation list that included Mein Kampf, Turner Diaries, Protocols of the Elders of Zion, and a bunch more like that in which she praised them.

Market is up 1000 points, everything is opening up again now or soon, the CBO says the economy will rebound in the 3rd and 4th quarters. Trump seems to be a heavy favorite and especially with as weak as Joe Biden and the D's are coming off as usual. Ugh not sure I can do another 4 years of this clown and whatever comes in 2024.

There's absolutely zero data that suggests Trump is the favorite, let alone a heavy favorite.

I think there is something to be said that "so goes the economy, so goes Trump"

Even with a good economy he hasn't built a path to being a heavy favorite in November. Trump's problem remains the fact that he's spent the last 3 and half years doing nothing to pull more voters in. He doesn't have the patience and fortitude to reach out and work with people that don't already worship him.

Unless something game changing happens Trump is trying thread the needle with the electoral college again. He may be able to pull it off, but saying he's the favorite because of a strong economy would be treating him like a traditional incumbent when he's anything but that.

I kind of hope some nation develops a vaccine but holds it til the 4th of November

Just keep selling that snake oil...

Trump says he’s taking hydroxychloroquine in case he gets coronavirus | KRON4

Countdown to Trump tweets about Cavuto...

Fox News's Neil Cavuto is stunned by Trump's announcement that he's taking hydroxychloroquine: "If you are in a risky population here, and you are taking this as a preventative treatment ... it will kill you. I cannot stress enough. This will kill you." pic.twitter.com/e6D5alfAgc

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) May 18, 2020

There is no way he is taking it. Just a bullshit statement is my guess. Doctor should lose their license if that is true.

I do agree but think a possible wildcard is China. Blaming China and even possibly getting into some sort of confrontation (e.g. supporting Taiwan and like) can distract and increase support for a "war time" President.

That is assuming he can build up support throughout the world, be seen as a leader and unify world "readiness to blame" someone/thing. But then we are talking about Trump ...

Uh ... no.

Trump can easily win because the Electoral College is a thing that allows unpopular candidate to win a national race. I'd still wager he wins but loses the popular vote by like 7-8 million.

No chance. Just another example of him paying no regard to how words spoken by the "President of the US" have a major impact on those who may not be wise enough to not understand he is full of BS.

Of all the vile enablers on Fox News I actually like Cavuto. He at least tries to be as unbias as he can. At least when I have heard him.

I'm guessing we'll get a "I was just being sarcastic" tweet later. Or something about how he was trying to trick the media. There is no chance he is taking that for preventative measures considering the nasty side effects, especially on the elderly.

If my Facebook feed is representative, Trumpers won't be taking any vaccines.

I have a lot of HS friends saying that.

Placebo.

Yeah, I was thinking people are telling him its hydroxychloroquine but it's really a placebo just so he'd stop asking for it.

Trump saying he fired an inspector due to the guy being investigated telling him to is a much bigger scandal and would be grounds for impeachment in any normal setting. But the focus of his press conference will be on his dumb lie about taking that drug.

I mean, it's Trump, so it could easily be just a bald-faced lie, but it could just as easily be a physician just trying to get Trump to stop bugging him/her about the drug.

The War on Reality is real:

Trump Campaign's New 'Investigative' Website Promotes 'Truth Over Facts'

Maybe we'll finally get to the bottom of the Bowling Green Massacre.

Remember the Pensacola shootings?


Somehow Al Queda was able to infiltrate a U.S. military program.

Too bad Dems aren't allowed to investigate anything.

Are you saying this is Trump's fault? or just incompetent vetting process?

The guy came here Aug 2017. Not sure when he was actually approved to take the program but early enough in Trump's tenure where it's plausible this fell under Obama's admin.

Don't know. Don't care.

It's clearly something that needs investigating.

Wait...what?

I'm surprised he hasn't said he had the virus and it was nothing. Just to say the virus isn't worth worrying about.

I think for a lot of people on the right it's going to be a badge of honor to not get any vaccine that's made available. I'm guessing most that say they aren't going to get the vaccine will go ahead and get it and then claim they didn't though.

Their cult leader gets away with lying all of the time. You know they're going to as well.

That's my guess, too. But the anti-vax movement does seem to be growing on the right.

After seeing the statement from his doctor that confirms that they discussed it and agreed it would be worth taking but seems to be very careful to not actually say that he gave it to him, this is 100% what happened.

As expected, Trump is going bananas about Cavuto.

I don't care what the President is or isn't taking. It's a distraction.

As Florida re-opens, COVID-19 data chief gets sidelined and researchers cry foul

I was part of the naive group that thought that MAGA would die out as it ran into Democracy and Reality.

What I didn't anticipate was how quickly, thoroughly, unabashedly, and unreservedly it would simply fight to eliminate Democracy and Reality instead.

I thought it was a political movement. That its adherents would be moved by the same cost-benefit calculus that has historically moved American citizens. Even the Confederacy--a literal treasonous slave empire whose entire existence was repugnant to the United States--was ultimately an economic cost-benefit decision. The Confederate States had an economic system based on slavery. The United States was refusing to let slavery expand into the new territories. Thus, it made sense to fight the United States to try and preserve slavery. If there would have been some invention that would have let the South prosper economically without slavery, it would have taken that instead of a Civil War. It would not have ignored reality just to keep on a self-destructive path.

But MAGA? It is about identity. It is not about politics. It is certainly not about economics. It is about identity.

And what do we do when reality steps on our identity? We fight reality. We ignore reality. We pretend reality does not exist. All those girls who didn't want to date me in high school and college? I wasn't going to let that get in the way of my identity as a non-loser. I simply would pretend that reality didn't exist. The guy who made the basketball team over me? That's because the coach was friends with his dad. Not because I'm not as good at basketball as I believe I am.*

So we are now facing a problem--COVID 19--that causes Pollyannas like myself to say "Surely this time will be different. They can't really hide dead bodies, can they? Fear of disease is some Limbic System shit. People just aren't wired to ignore contagious diseases. We are about to get a hard dose of reality. But that will be good b/c we need reality to help stop this horrible horrible virus."

I was, once again, naive and wrong. They are going to hide the bodies--literally.

Are enough of us paying attention? Will it matter in November? Will Barr/Putin make it all a laughable exercise in fake democracy? I have no idea. But that's what keeps me up at night.

I have MAGA friends. I have (a lot of) MAGA relatives. I wish them no ill will. I hope they continue to live the happy lives they have been living. I just will do everything in my power (which isn't much, granted) to keep them away from the levers of power. They cannot be reasoned with. They cannot be negotiated with. And their need to continue to deny reality is more harmful than any right/left political position can be.

*This second example is fake. I was so bad at sports that even I couldn't fool myself into thinking otherwise. There's reality, and then there's REALITY, you know?