Quote of the Day

"The piss from Trump's Russian prostitutes could be splattering on the side of Sean Hannity's face and he'd still defend Trump."

- From a YouTube comments section.

An(other) Inconvenient Truth

An impulsive egomaniac who has flaunted his glaring disrespect for rules, procedure and tradition; yeah, that's the guy who's not going to fire the special prosecutor whose investigation threatens his presidency. Yup.

Republicans couldn't be more disingenuous if they tried.

Like That Tina Turner Song

As the sordid saga of this poor excuse of a human being, let alone POTUS, keeps unraveling, many liberals have found a measure of solace and have even sought to champion Republicans of the "Never Trump" persuasion who have dared to openly criticize Donald Trump in public, in this particular case, ex-FBI director James Comey who, in his upcoming memoirs, A Higher Loyalty, paints an acutely disparaging picture of the president. But Esquire's Charles P. Pierce, a fierce critic of Trump and his administration, isn't ready to send love letters to folks who may cringe at Trump's bigotry and vulgarity but are pretty much on board, otherwise. And he's not making an exception for Comey who he considers "a self-reverential careerist who should be marked lousy by history."

I hold no brief for James Comey. He seems to me as he always has: an ambitious careerist with an unseemly affection for his own rectitude. His clumsy, unforgivable meddling in the last week of the 2016 presidential campaign should mark him lousy in American political history for all time. And now he’s pitching a book about how he is the primary martyr of the Never Trump movement, getting fired for us all...No, I don’t trust anybody in this tangled catastrophe. I distrust some people less than I distrust others but, before everyone chooses sides on straight-arrow James Comey, I thought I ought to make that as clear as possible.

Tell us how you really feel, man. Ha!

[Esquire: James Comey Is No Hero]

The Pardon of Scooter Libby

As pundits and reporters publicly wonder why Trump would pardon former Chief of Staff for then-VP Dick Cheney, Scooter Libby, why don't the rest of us acknowledge the red 800lb. elephant in the room?

This pardon sends a clear signal to all compromised members of the Trump Cartel that they will be pardoned if they take the fall for him. Plus, it opens the door for VP Mike Pence to do the same for Trump if he were found guilty of a crime, a precedent set by Gerald Ford when he pardoned Richard Nixon. I mean, what do I know? I'm just a lowly, news-watching citizen...

Of course, while disingenuously accusing the FBI of treason for his own self-interest, Trump is pardoning a man who, lest we forget, committed actual treason, by revealing the name of a CIA agent, ending her career and, more importantly, jeopardizing the lives of untold others. (Maybe Cheney has even more dirt on Trump?) But it wouldn't be Trump if contradiction and hypocrisy aren't part of the mix.

Oh, and, btw, from what I understand, those indicted and convicted under NY state can't receive a presidential pardon. You hear that Ivanka? You might have to visit both your dad and hubby at Rikers. Ah, if only...

RNC = SHT

[My apologies to the great music critic J. D. Considine for biting off his infamous review of the 1987 self-titled album by the band GTR for the above headline.]

With House Speaker Paul Ryan [R-WI] announcing he will not seek re-election there has been hand wringing by the likes of The View's Meghan McCain, warning those rejoicing over this news that the nice GOPers are being ousted and it's the Trump Army that will be rolling into town. Now, only a full-on Republican partisan could see a granny-starving, Ayn Rand-loving scoundrel like Ryan as one of the good guys but she does have a partial point: the Republican Party is now joining such respected media entities as Breitbart and Fox um, News, as purveyors of propaganda (and supporters of potential treason) with a new website, paid by the Republican National Committee, aimed at discrediting former FBI head James Comey.


It is both disingenuous (citing Dems who disagreed with Comey's handling of HRC's emails, not the Russia investigation but not making the clear distinction) and a disgrace but that's American politics in the Year of Our Lord 2018. The Democrats will clutch their pearls and mock faint but they better recover soon enough to fight back, because this is the opening salvo in a non-stop campaign season by a party that sees themselves drowning in a voter-instigated blue tsunami in November.

If the Russians don't provide lifeboats, of course.

[Esquire: The Republican Party Has Drowned Itself in Trumpism. LyinComey.com Proves It.]

Michael Cohen: Gangster

The folks at Vox break down the infamous origin story of President Trump's decades-long fixer and it ain't pretty.

5 Questions For Trump Supporters

Politically speaking, we live in very fractured times to say the least. What once were differences of opinion have become ideological lines in the sand that have strained families and severed friendships. As someone who has strongly partaken of this stance, I'm not pointing fingers but I'm willing to acknowledge that sometimes bringing things out into the open can help clarify things even with those who have become intransigent in their defense of the indefensible. With that in mind, if you have an otherwise reasonable person in your midst who continues to support the current POTUS, these 5 questions might help you shed light on why the remain in his corner. Or, who knows? A change of mind would not be the craziest thing they did, right?

1- Do you actually believe a rich businessman who instead of “draining the swamp” filled it with other rich businessmen is NOT part of the establishment? That establishment Republicans are against a man who is making them all rich(er) with his tax cuts? And that exploding the deficit—which was the Tea Party’s biggest and most vocal concern—is now OK because your guy is doing it?

2- Do you actually believe that 19 indictments; 5 guilty pleas; legal warrants to search Paul Manafort and Michael Cohen, respectively; and the cooperation of Michael Flynn, Rick Gates and George Papadopolous are all some made up witch hunt?

3- Do you actually believe that in a free country a government agency should be making a list of journalists who criticize the current administration?

4- Do you actually believe improved relationships with the despicable likes of Rodrigo Duterte and Vladimir Putin, while weakening our bonds with Emmanuel Macron, Angela Merkel and even Theresa May (after the recent poison attack) is a good thing?

5- Do you actually believe that people who have appointed themselves the family/moral values arbiters of our country and yet support a man who is a confirmed and proven bigot, liar, sexual predator and thief, aren’t hypocrites?

Good luck!

Never Be The Same

Responding to some mildly vitriolic political diatribe—by current standards, anyway—posted by a Trump supporter on her Facebook page, a friend emphasized her desire for civility and the need for all of us to recognize that one day this current president will no longer be in office, but we will still have to contend with each other, namely the family and friends with whom we’ve disagreed or even feuded over our feelings regarding POTUS45.

My immediate reaction, aside from disagreement, was to refer to Chris Rock’s most recent comedy special, Tambourine, in which he talks about how his infidelity—among other things—led to the end of his marriage. But there was one particular aspect that came to mind: how once it’s confirmed that there’s been betrayal, a relationship can never be the same.

Aside from the fact that the presidency of this vulgar bigot and con man has further coarsened the public discourse for decades to come, I feel there are a great many of us who have felt betrayed by those from our inner circle who support a morally decrepit individual of this magnitude. It goes much deeper than disagreeing about political ideology, it’s the realization that people we loved and/or respected have decided to stand with a monster. And what that reveals about them.

Yes, in many if not most instances, these folks will remain in our lives long after the Orange Nightmare has subsided. But as anyone who has remained in a relationship tainted by betrayal can attest to, it will never be the same.

The Democrats Are To Blame

Yes, indeed. It's their fault. The feeble approach that has allowed the toxic partisan cesspool that is American politics to fester, is the Democrats’ crown of thorns. Like a clueless albeit well-meaning dude who continues to pursue a romantic relationship with a lesbian, the Democrats repeatedly fail to understand the political playbook the Republicans are incredibly well versed in: “Winning isn’t everything; it's the only thing”, to quote the old sports cliché.

Someone once said that the social values of the ‘90s alternative rock community—ethnic and sexual tolerance, respect for women’s rights, etc—didn’t fully permeate the American social fabric because the flannel shirt made the average person feel kinda itchy. In other words, Americans are not the most tolerant of folks and are certainly not creatures of nuance and subtlety—otherwise, the “freaks” would stay in Podunk, USA—especially in the bloodsport that is politics. Civility is perceived as cowardice; to be reasonable and measured is deemed a lack of leadership; and to be fair to your opponent is for the gutless and weak. This is the world in which our politics operate. It is a sad state of affairs but it is our current reality.

So, instead of adapting to this new paradigm, the Democrats have decided to be the only ones who abide the old rules and put forth banalities like “When they go low, we go high” instead of going all Sopranos on these fuckers. We’re getting our asses kicked by Johnny Sack while Little Carmine wants to mediate and talk it out. The current inhabitant of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave is an avowed and self-incriminating sexual predator with almost two dozen accusations lodged against him, not to mention a scandal involving an adult film actress that may have campaign finance implications and, ultimately, bring about felony indictments. Meanwhile, the Democrats made Al Franken resign over a couple of boneheaded indiscretions.

This crystallizes why the Democratic base is angry: the Republicans can do whatever the fuck they want and the Democrats seemingly do nothing to make them accountable. Granted, there are plenty of times when not having a majority in Congress cuts you off at the knees but even when they do have the upper hand or a bit of temporary leverage—as in the recent government shutdown—they manage to find a way to somehow fuck it up. It also explains the internal California rebellion brewing in the form of opposition towards Diane Feinstein’s return to the Senate. There’s a feeling that the current representatives on the Hill are adopting a ‘Well, what can we do?’ stance and getting steamrolled, unleashing the ire of rank and file Democrats who are simply sick and tired of the mild-mannered, milquetoast bullshit. And it’s been this way for over a decade.

Barack Obama, for all his positive attributes, lacked the necessary fire-breathing intensity to be a 21st century POTUS which, frankly, was quite surprising considering how this is part and parcel of the cut-throat and often ruthless world of Chicago politics from whence he sprung. Say what you will about the currently toxic Bill Clinton, but do you think Mitch McConnell would’ve pulled that Merrick Garland fiasco on his watch, let alone intimidate him into not disclosing to the American people that the Russians were actively involved in meddling with our elections? Even his fiercest detractors know Slick Willie don’t play that.

This is who we are in 2018: a country where those who love flying the family values flag and plant it on the moral high ground, aided by their spiritually bankrupt religious leaders, are bending over backwards to defend the character of a man who is nothing short of a disgusting human being. These same people and their political leaders see us not as fellow Americans who they ideologically oppose but enemies who must be crushed. It’s in the way the terrorist NRA spokespeople refer to us; it’s in the laws the Republicans try to pass or alternately repeal in order to harm us; it’s in the conversations of the average conservative who hates us, despite many of them sucking on the teat of what our taxes afford them. And to top it off, they’ll commit and/or defend treason if it perpetuates this orange quicksand they so gleefully and hypocritically endorse.

If this were a game they wouldn’t be content with just winning: they want to also whack us with 2x4s and have us walk home in our underwear in the rain. And they will avail themselves of every avenue, legal or not, to achieve nefarious results. The deportation of otherwise law abiding undocumented folks residing here for decades? That’s nothing—wait until someone decides that naturalized American citizens aren’t really Americans. Then US-born, first generation Americans will be next. You don’t think so? I bet you didn't think you'd see an American president having a cozy relationship with Nazis, right? Or a sworn US enemy, either.

And the Democrats? They seem to be under the delusion that this is all just a misunderstanding that can be resolved by winning the midterm elections. OK, then. I guess they're pretty sure the Russians won't meddle again this time.

Maybe I can interest them in some Nebraska beachfront property...

Sign of the Times

So, the revamped NYT OpEd page, how's that going?

"For the Times...the question...[is] how hospitable the op-eds should be to illiberal and sometimes unscientific positions—where do facts end and values begin? For many Times readers—and many scientists, for that matter—questioning the science of global warming is not different in kind than, say, not ruling out the possibility that the world may be flat. And many Times readers believe, with some justification, that only one of the political parties is truly a full citizen of the reality-based community. What is the responsibility to provide equal time in such circumstances? These are not at all simple lines to draw."

Yes, they are. They need to stop with this equal time nonsense. In other words, it's one thing to debate a scientific fact (ie, what is the extent of climate change damage?) but when people deny its proven existence, they just kicked themselves out of the convo and earned Alex Jones loon status.

"The other fact is that there are just more opinions in the world than ever before—it turns out everyone does have one—and, these days, who cares whether those opinions are amateur or professional?"

I do. Plenty of people, as well. (Including the NYT staffers who let Bennet have it at his recent town hall meeting.) This kind of erroneous thinking is how you end up with the Tomi Lahren's of the world. I don't see the NY Post looking to address a more liberal viewpoint from their readers as some sort of OpEd mission. Yes, the Post is a rag and the Fox News print arm of their GOP propaganda operation that should never be compared to any reputable publication, but the Times should be thriving for excellence and disseminating facts, not unqualified opinion in the pursuit of some misguided notion of editorial democracy.

Otherwise, they should hire me. Yes, seriously. They could and have been doing much worse.

[“The Newsroom Feels Embarrassed”: Backfires And Explosions At The New York Times As A Possible Future Chief Re-Invents The Paper’s Opinion Pages]

Liberal Slumber

I firmly and truly believe there is a corrosive, malignant infection that has grabbed ahold of a number of conservatives/Republicans, which is fueling their drive not to oppose the rest of us but to crush us. Because that's the game plan: not oppose but destroy. They don't want to just win the game, they want to beat us with 2x4s afterwards and have us walk home in our underwear in the rain. I'm not kidding. 

And the sooner Democrats/liberals/progressives wake up to this the better off we'll all be.