Tuesday Reads: The Daily Drumpfistan Detritus
Posted: October 10, 2017 Filed under: Afternoon Reads | Tags: Bob Corker, Harvey Weinstein, Marcia Blackburn, Rex Tillerson. Kremlin Caligula, Stephen Miller 58 Comments
Good Morning Sky Dancers!
I’m trying not to count the days and ways our country has been held hostage by a Russian and NAZI installed madman. I really think we’re beginning to witness an implosion of the Republican party. They have so many niche interest groups that there are nothing but internecine battles between them. The only way they hold it all together is by a group gestalt of hating what they perceive as “other”.
Most of us fall into the group of other one way or another. People of color, people not practicing the right form of Christianity or not Christian at all, the GLBT community, the creative class, intellectuals and professors, recent immigrants from certain countries, any one not fixated on the second amendment to the exclusion of all others, or people not deemed symbolically patriotic enough all make the enemies’ list one way or another. It’s the season for attacking the wonderful work of Planned Parenthood too. Nothing like lies and strawmen to whip up the country’s basket of deplorables.
Here’s today’s news in Republican acts we despise. Let’s start with her ickinesss Marcia Blackburn. Blackburn specializes in being a gender traitor.
Twitter is barring a top Republican Senate candidate from advertising her campaign launch video on the service because a line about her efforts to investigate Planned Parenthood was deemed “inflammatory.”
GOP Rep. Marsha Blackburn, who is running to replace retiring Sen. Bob Corker, launched her campaign last week with a video proclaiming herself “a hard core, card-carrying Tennessee conservative.” In her announcement video, she boasts: “I fought Planned Parenthood and we stopped the sale of baby body parts. Thank God.”
Twitter decided the line violated its ad policies, according to an email obtained by POLITICO. A Twitter spokeswoman didn’t immediately return a request for comment. The video is still on Twitter, but the campaign is barred from paying to promote it.
The line refers to her work leading a House select committee investigating Planned Parenthood following a 2015 controversy in which videos shot by undercover conservative journalists appeared to show the group profiting from the sale of fetal body tissue. Democrats have argued the panel’s inquiry was a waste of taxpayer funds, intended to concoct a reason to shut down the group.
Planned Parenthood consistently denied wrongdoing and never faced criminal charges.
Then, Miller, a staunch immigration hawk, was conspicuously left out of the bipartisan dinner meeting where that DACA framework had been formed. By the morning after the dinner, Miller, sources say, was already in discussions with Capitol Hill offices about how to ensure conservative policy gains ended up in the final deal his boss might cut.
A hard-lined anti-immigration advocate, Miller strategized with Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) about a more specific, more conservative, set of extractions the White House would demand in the deal. Cotton was the natural choice—he is one of the Senate’s most conservative members on the immigration issue, and the co-author of legislation, dubbed the RAISE Act, to significantly limit the number of legal immigrants to the U.S.
Miller is a jerk for all jerks. He’s one of those folks that believe in their superior genes while the rest of us look at him and wonder if he ever got laid by anything he didn’t pay for.
Whenever Donald Trump gives a speech and you find yourself thinking, “I can’t believe anyone could be this hateful,” there’s a good chance that the man behind that speech was Stephen Miller, the prematurely balding 32-year-old who must have made a deal with the devil at some point wherein he traded his youth and morals for power. Well, The New York Times has a new profile of Miller that gives us a glimpse of his youth in liberal haven Santa Monica, California. And it turns out that he’s always been just the absolute worst. Some of the anecdotes in the piece have circulated before. A young Stephen Miller running for student government and getting booed for complaining about having to pick up his own trash when they have janitors to do that for them? Absolutely gross, but we’ve heard it. Miller calling a classmate and telling him that they could no longer be friends because of, among other things, said classmate’s Latino heritage? Awful, but already part of the Miller narrative. But the stories in this profile we haven’t heard before? Oh god, they’re…something.
Like the story of his weird “striptease” for the school newspaper editor?
Mr. Miller set off on a patriotic semi-striptease before the editor of the student newspaper, according to the editor, Ari Rosmarin, theatrically removing a button-down to reveal an American flag T-shirt in protest of an article he found inconsistent with the national interest. (The White House denied any symbolic unbuttoning, though officials confirmed Mr. Miller’s fondness for the T-shirt.)
Who does that? What an odd and bizarre thing to do, especially over an article in a school newspaper. Really? You found an article in your high school paper “inconsistent with the national interest”? It’s high school! Didn’t Miller have high school things to do? Like go on dates or work for minimum wage at a video store? But in fairness to Stephen Miller (I know, I know, he doesn’t deserve it, but hear me out), this particular story is more weird than infuriating. But make no mistake, Miller has plenty of infuriating stories. And perhaps none more so than this next anecdote from the piece.
He jumped, uninvited, into the final stretch of a girls’ track meet, apparently intent on proving his athletic supremacy over the opposite sex.
This is obviously insanely disrespectful, and just such a gross “look at me” stunt, but it’s also just super dumb. If I wait at the last stretch of a marathon and, being well-rested, “beat” the people who have run the previous 26 miles, that obviously doesn’t make me athletically superior to them. Anyone who thinks that it does would have to be a complete moron
We all know that Trump’s on a daily search for his manhood and gets away with most of it because of his money and sheer audacity. Trump hates the narrative that makes him look like anything less than the superior master race. He’s such a nitwit he offered to prove the “moran” narrative wrong by taking an IQ test. Do we really believe he’d achieve a score above room temperature?
President Donald Trump, scorned by reports that Rex Tillerson called him a “moron” earlier this year, told Forbes in an interview released Tuesday that he has a higher IQ than his secretary of state.
The comment underscores the volatility between the two men after multiple reports that their relationship has frayed over the secretary of state’s comment. Trump and Tillerson, along with Secretary of Defense James Mattis, will have lunch together at the White House on Tuesday afternoon.
“I think it’s fake news, but if he did that, I guess we’ll have to compare IQ tests,” Trump said. “And I can tell you who is going to win.”
I really haven’t wanted to delve very deeply into this swamp but here’s a bit on sexual predator Harvey Weinstein. The Drumpf history of predation has been tough enough to read. This man is a nightmare waiting to happen. Most of the time women warn each other about the pussygrabbers. I was warned early in the 1980s to never get in the Senator’s elevator with Strom Thurmond. He was a notorious ass grabber. Hollywood is full of these kinds of stories. I really hope we can eventually rid ourselves of this but since we got the Pussy Grabber elected knowing what we know about him, I’ve given up all hope of any one treating any one with respect and kindness from the Republican Klan.
And now … “RNC chairwoman calls on Clinton to speak out about Weinstein”. Weren’t they just telling her to shut up and go away?
Republican National Committee (RNC) Chairwoman Ronna Romney McDaniel suggested on Saturday former Democratic presidential nominee Hillary Clinton should speak out about the sexual assault allegations against former campaign donor and film mogul Harvey Weinstein.
“Whose side is Hillary Clinton on: Harvey Weinstein’s or his victims?” McDaniel said in a tweet.
So, we just continue to learn that some people were just not raised right. Here’s yet another example and go read the byline from WAPO as well as the rest of the article.
Frustrated by his Cabinet and angry that he has not received enough credit for his handling of three successive hurricanes, President Trump is now lashing out, rupturing alliances and imperiling his legislative agenda, numerous White House officials and outside advisers said Monday.
In a matter of days, Trump has torched bridges all around him, nearly imploded an informal deal with Democrats to protect young undocumented immigrants brought to the country as children, and plunged himself into the culture wars on issues ranging from birth control to the national anthem.
In doing so, Trump is laboring to solidify his standing with his populist base and return to the comforts of his campaign — especially after the embarrassing defeat of Sen. Luther Strange in last month’s Alabama GOP special election, despite the president’s trip there to campaign with the senator.
Sen. Bob Corker’s brutal assessment of Trump’s fitness for office — warning that the president’s reckless behavior could launch the nation “on the path to World War III” — also hit like a thunderclap inside the White House, where aides feared possible ripple effects among other Republicans on Capitol Hill.
After a caustic volley of Twitter insults between Trump and Corker, a Tennessee Republican who chairs the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, few GOP leaders came to the president’s defense Monday — though few sided openly with Corker, either. The most vocal Trump defender was the one under the president’s direction, Vice President Pence.
Trump in recent days has shown flashes of fury and left his aides, including White House chief of staff John F. Kelly, scrambling to manage his outbursts. He has been frustrated in particular with Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, who was reported last week to have earlier called the president a “moron.” Trump’s Sunday morning Twitter tirade against Corker caught staffers by surprise, although the president had been brooding over the senator’s comment a few days earlier about Trump’s “chaos” endangering the nation.
One Trump confidant likened the president to a whistling teapot, saying that when he does not blow off steam, he can turn into a pressure cooker and explode. “I think we are in pressure cooker territory,” said this person, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to talk candidly.
Meanwhile, Puerto Ricans are dying and California is burning and people are missing and dying. Maybe Kremlin Caligula should take a lesson from Nero. Ah, I forget! He doesn’t read.
Powerful wildfires fanned by strong winds ravaged parts of Northern California’s wine country on Monday, killing at least 11 people and destroying some 1,500 structures.
More than a dozen blazes continued to burn across eight counties since the weekend, while over 20,000 people in the paths of the fast-moving infernos fled their homes, fire officials said.
With increased resources headed to the region to battle the wildfires, “hopefully we’ll start seeing some turnaround throughout the course of today and into tomorrow,” Scott McLean, deputy chief of the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection, or Cal Fire, said Tuesday on “TODAY.”
It’s autumn which is the time to reap what you sow.
What’s on your reading and blogging list today?
peej
Carissa
dakinikat
ecocatwoman
grayslady
mablue2
NW Luna
peggysue22
skydancingguestblogger
Mona (aka Wonk the Vote)
Sky Dancing 
No Drumpf tweets on any of this !! At least 13 dead as fires rage in Northern California
http://www.cnn.com/2017/10/10/us/california-fires-napa/
Trump spoke about it this afternoon, said he had called Gov. Brown and offered federal help.
Guess General Kelly gave him an order!
Yup, the republicans are out selling us a line of bullshit that we can be grateful for all the wonderful military men who surround Trump and keep him in line. What bullshit.
Think it’s up to 15, 200 missing, unaccounted for. My cousins in Santa Rosa, are screaming for help he said “how many have to lose their homes” how long before we look in the air and see them spraying………..I just want to cry, heard from a friend down in LA, and she’s got 16 grandchildren she is worrying about.
It just gets more overwhelming reading this stuff day after day and knowing full well that those who can do something refuse to act.
I have no use for Corker but what he said should raise the alarm yet it seems to have little effect on the other GOP congress critters who continue to put party before country.
Trump is not a nice person. He has few friends or allies. He is two faced and changes positions often as he tweets. He cannot be counted on to do the right thing.
He is mean, miserable, misinformed. His ignorance is profound. He is without a center. There is nothing there to embrace. So why are they so hesitant to act? Are they that fearful of losing their seats that they can ignore the problem? What does it take when we hear rumors that they work overtime to “contain” him? Give me a break!
Mueller needs to work faster before we all become embers. This abusive asshole needs to go.
GOPer congresscritters just want to get their horrendous agenda pushed through and a compliant idiot to sign the bills. They’d sell their souls to the devil to do it, but thankfully it seems they’re too inept even with control of congress and the WH.
Ayup
The next group in line after Kremlin are all deplorable. It’s so depending on the next elections. I hope people vote out the Rs.
Great post, Dak. I think that Karan was trying to say that our whole culture is debased which is true but she said it very badly.
She’s backtracking … no idea what’s going on.
“So why are they so hesitant to act?”
I’m going to make a guess here and say that DJT has the goods on many, many people in the GOP. He might be hideous at governing, but he’s good at vindictiveness and revenge.
It’s my impression that the GOP is really on the mat and the count is at 9. As Dak wrote, they’re a conglomeration of many groups, all with their own agenda, each is intransigent and cannot come to any sort of agreement with other groups that huddle under the GOP tent. They have become their own worst nightmare and they did it to themselves when they invited the teaparty to participate in 2008. Allowed the Birthers to join their ranks. Opened the door to the Breitbarters, The Infowars Nuts and the 4Chan’ers. When they opened the doors to the KKK and Nazi’s. When they praised Putin and took assistance from Russia, not only in the presidential election, but in Congressional and State elections. The GOP is in the throes of self immolation. I just hope they hurry before the stress of watching our Country go down the shitter kills us all. I just hope that Mueller has the goods and is ready to prosecute all those who have betrayed their country and their fellow citizens for power.
I’ve been in hiding for a while, my health has been challenging me almost daily. Glad to see you’re all still here.
Peace,
Mouse
Xoxo
Hi, and xoxo right back at you.
It’s good to see you, Mouse. All the best. I have missed you!
Mouse! Good to hear from you. Hugs for you.
Thanks Luna, hugs to you too.
Hi mouse! (She says from her hiding place.) 😮
Too bad we’re not hiding in the same place. Hi, back at ya!
Take care Mouse! Good points (as always). tRump very well could have the goods on a lot of them. Not exactly the most ethical bunch are they…
Thank you. I hope to be back soon. I miss reading everyone’s comments and Posts.
Take care all.
Miss you, too.
Thanks for this great post, Dak.
Feel better, Mouse, I’ve missed your words, glad to see you again.
You are so right when you say that the GOP is in the throes of self-immolation, they just don’t see it because they believe they know best, of course this has lead to thier totally losing brand identity and honest leadership.
A friend, Pete, a died-in-the-wool Republican, said the other day, “God, I’m sorry I voted for trump,he’s killing our party, there is no Republican Party anymore”
Now here’s a guy who remembered the Eisenhower Republican Party and was blind to the changes that have taken place over the last 30 or so years.
Unfortunately there are millions of Petes out there who would have voted for a squirrel if it ran on the Republican ticket, and will keep voting republican unless we are able to help them see, not only ‘What Happened’ but how they were duped into believing all those terrible lies about Hillz, and the lame, false unattainable promises, as well as how she was so right about the danger of having tRump’s hand so close to “the button.”
Our election was stolen. There has to be some legal way of dealing with the perpetrators. Hell, he’s there on a technicality that our founders could never have foreseen in the 1700’s.
The problem that confronts us now is the fact that the GOP will no doubt figure out that he must go.
Now, if they impeach him, we’d be stuck with Pence, who in my opinion, is at least as bad or worse on several issues. So, yes, getting tRump out of office is possibly a matter of life and death for all of us, but we are then put in the position of having republican voters thinking the ‘problem’ has been solved instead of realizing it has only been modified.
So we’re damned if we do and certainly damned if we don’t, and frankly I don’t know if the democrats are up to it – they don’t even seem to recognize that Sanders isn’t a Democrat for gawd’s sakes.
Take good care Mouse, we luv you.
I can’t decide if tRump is so delusional he really thinks he can fix everything, or if he’s in with the GOP plan to create a country of plutocrats. A country where the “right” people control the wealth and have the power.
So far, his decisions seem to be guided solely by his temperament at the time.
Trump has more than three years left in his term. What are we going to do?
https://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/trump-has-more-than-three-years-left-in-his-term-what-are-we-going-to-do/2017/10/09/6facbd80-ad2d-11e7-9e58-e6288544af98_story.html?tid=ss_fb&utm_term=.50fb66e124c4
I’d be very surprised if he makes it three years.
Trump Approval Dips in Every State, Though Deep Pockets of Support Remain
A comprehensive survey of more than 470,000 Americans finds Trump’s approval has fallen in every state since taking office
https://morningconsult.com/2017/10/10/trump-approval-dips-in-every-state-though-deep-pockets-of-support-remain/
I hope this means the Trump voters who now disapprove of him will be much more thoughtful about how they choose candidates in the future.
Someone of substance and public regard needs to simply state that “Hillary was right, about Trump on all points and we ignored her warnings instead of paying attention to what they were both saying.
It should say how Trump harvested American racism.
and misogyny ,,,
outrage and violence.
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/trump-likely-obstructed-justice-in-comey-firing-could-be-impeached-brookings-institute-says.html
That’s good news and I hope it comes to pass and Mueller takes the indictment route. I don’t think Congress will impeach him.
tRump’s been lying and obstructing justice since before he took office. I don’t see how firing Preet Bharara wasn’t obstruction. He obviously wanted cover from Sessions and that is why Sessions was named AG. He’s been hollering out loud he wants his AG to cover for him.
“Likely”, “May have” – my a$$ – what more do they need?
He can’t indict the president, unfortunately.
dak, thanks for trumps’ chart of “taking from the poor to give to the rich” to buy more military toys to bully other bullies or plan for the “Big One.” Now, we’re in trumps’ impotent phase where he is unraveling to such a degree that Corker, at last, has sent up warning flares about dangers we’ve known about for months: NK and his deplorable dislike of the right of dissent. One of the 3 adult child minders should take the codes away from him,asap. PLEASE!
I have friends with disabled kids dependent on medicaid and SCHIP. I’m so worried about their kids.
Hey, the little bit of WiFi I was able to ferret out by standing outside…that is no longer working. I can’t get any service on my phone. So I’m not sure if this will work.
The last few days have been so worrisome. I keep wondering when tRump is going to start WW3.
Hope everyone is safe and healthy.
-JJ Walts Sent from my iPhone
>
Love you, JJ!!
xoxo
Hugs for you JJ!
Hope all is well JJ.
Hold tight JJ, feel my hug? XOXO
Breaking news from the NYT:
How Israel Caught Russian Hackers Scouring the World for U.S. Secrets
OMGawdesses!!!!!
Watching Ronan Farrow on Rachel Maddow’s show, he is so Frank Sinatra’s son.
Thought so too. I got a flash of Frank’s face there for a second. But I like that he stands up for women.
The same Media blow dried blowhards who, a week ago, were telling Hillary to shut up and go away are now outraged that she took a few days to condemn Weinstein. Hello, she’s not the president -thanks to you- she has more important things to do than tweet.
They twist themselves into pretzels to blame her for everything
Saw a tweet that said something like “Remember, every woman is responsible for everything bad a man did whom she once knew.”
Clearly, Luna. Cherchez la Femme.
Same on MSNBC this morning. The gymnastics involved in condemning the Clintons without also condemning the Obamas would have impressed Olga Korbut.
Hmmm, I wrote a lengthy response to Mouse’s post that seems to have disappeared. Why might that happen?
rescued it from spam …
Thanks, Dak, everyone needs a Sherpa!