Trump

[gransoporro]

Same story as sitting down with Mueller.

It is not going to happen.

Best case, he gives written answers full of “I do not recall”.

[Puja]

Same story as sitting down with Mueller.

It is not going to happen.

Best case, he gives written answers full of “I do not recall”.

You are missing one very crucial difference which might lure him:

Live. Nationwide. Television.

Puja

[Digby]

Interesting to see Mike Pence continue in a similar vein with his status as a non entity in his battle with Nikki Haley to be the next VP candidate, faced with a chance to step up and defend a member of his staff over unfair accusations from Trump, Jennifer Williams, Pence has opted to stay silent in the background and hope nobody notices he's there. Inspiring stuff from Pence.

[morepork]

It's got to be worth goading him a bit more. He took the bait with the government shut down in August and that was live TeeVee. Came across as you would expect he would, which is badly. Now they have a (very) public impeachment hearing and I would be quietly bricking it if I were the GOP. President Dumbfuck may be considering blundering in.

[gransoporro]

Interesting to see Mike Pence continue in a similar vein with his status as a non entity in his battle with Nikki Haley to be the next VP candidate, faced with a chance to step up and defend a member of his staff over unfair accusations from Trump, Jennifer Williams, Pence has opted to stay silent in the background and hope nobody notices he's there. Inspiring stuff from Pence.

I can imagine how strong Pence thinks his position is, based on this fact.

Actually Pence and his team separated themselves from the witness once she notified she would testify. So do not expect support now.

[gransoporro]

Same story as sitting down with Mueller.

It is not going to happen.

Best case, he gives written answers full of “I do not recall”.

You are missing one very crucial difference which might lure him:

Live. Nationwide. Television.

Puja

Too many people, including his family, will tell him it is a BAD idea. He will come up with some “kangaroo court” excuse to tell his base he could have sat on that chair, was it not for the fact that the inquiry is illegal/unfair/an attempt to overturn elections.

[Digby]

Interesting to see Mike Pence continue in a similar vein with his status as a non entity in his battle with Nikki Haley to be the next VP candidate, faced with a chance to step up and defend a member of his staff over unfair accusations from Trump, Jennifer Williams, Pence has opted to stay silent in the background and hope nobody notices he's there. Inspiring stuff from Pence.

I can imagine how strong Pence thinks his position is, based on this fact.

Actually Pence and his team separated themselves from the witness once she notified she would testify. So do not expect support now.

Pence has been bollock free since 2016, which I suppose means he can at least now sit down to eat lunch with a female friend even if his wife isn't there

[Digby]

Nunes is just outstanding at asking questions, in particular how he basically doesn't ask questions, mostly he just rants and takes up his own time. It's even more a problem when he has nothing to say

[Digby]

I'll say this for Nunes, until these hearings and actually hearing more from him I was under the impression he was a simpleton. Now I think he's much brighter than I'd been under the impression of, which makes him far more odious an individual given his behaviour is something he has more control over than I'd been operating under the assumption of

[Puja]

Sondland's testimony was certainly something. Pretty much every Republican defence torn to shreds in one session. Could be massive, although I still don't think it's enough to get the GOP to abandon him.

Puja

[gransoporro]

Sondland's testimony was certainly something. Pretty much every Republican defence torn to shreds in one session. Could be massive, although I still don't think it's enough to get the GOP to abandon him.

Puja

Not yet. In line at the bus stop to be thrown under are:
Pompeo
Giuliani

Perry and Mulvaney to a lesser extent.

Pence denies everything and he is the only one. Either they have the goods or he will not go under the bus. Or he is trying to protect his year as POTUS, and he is gambling.


The standard of proof for Trump to be dropped is really, really high. They have to have multiple recordings and witnesses that he said or ordered “no investigation no aid”. But he knows and ordered Giuliani to say that bit.

Until then it is all hearsay and opinions for the GOP. Doesn’T matter if the “guilty beyond reasonable doubt” standard was met.

[Digby]

How the Republicans are going about this, attacking Republican appointed public servants, attacking ambassadors, trying to out the whistleblower, even attacking decorated serving military officers simply isn't going to help them, not even close. I get they've got a problem with Trump insisting the call was perfect, it would be much easier to say mistakes were made but it's not impeachable, but what they're doing is so at odds with reality and respectful treatment of others how do they possibly envisage not taking a worse hit for it in the polls?

[morepork]

"I don’t know him very well. I have not spoken to him much," Trump told reporters. "This is not a man I know well. He seems like a nice guy though."


Brilliant tactic. Never been tried before, Should throw them. What a fucking gumby.

[gransoporro]

How the Republicans are going about this, attacking Republican appointed public servants, attacking ambassadors, trying to out the whistleblower, even attacking decorated serving military officers simply isn't going to help them, not even close. I get they've got a problem with Trump insisting the call was perfect, it would be much easier to say mistakes were made but it's not impeachable, but what they're doing is so at odds with reality and respectful treatment of others how do they possibly envisage not taking a worse hit for it in the polls?

Have you met the Trump base, about 30% of the population or 2/3 of GOP?

I guess you never understood the ongoing support for Berlusconi either. Nothing to be ashamed about it, mind you!

Point is, the president election is all about character. Trump had the right character for these voters. They will not lose that 30%. They may end up with being only that 30%, but there are other affinities of interest with other groups, so it is unlikely.

[Digby]

How the Republicans are going about this, attacking Republican appointed public servants, attacking ambassadors, trying to out the whistleblower, even attacking decorated serving military officers simply isn't going to help them, not even close. I get they've got a problem with Trump insisting the call was perfect, it would be much easier to say mistakes were made but it's not impeachable, but what they're doing is so at odds with reality and respectful treatment of others how do they possibly envisage not taking a worse hit for it in the polls?

Have you met the Trump base, about 30% of the population or 2/3 of GOP?

I guess you never understood the ongoing support for Berlusconi either. Nothing to be ashamed about it, mind you!

Point is, the president election is all about character. Trump had the right character for these voters. They will not lose that 30%. They may end up with being only that 30%, but there are other affinities of interest with other groups, so it is unlikely.

But that, talking only to the base, ensures a huge defeat in any number of elections, a general, several senate seats, it's absurd. And worse they could be doing long term damage to the party with this behaviour, and they're doing so at a point in time when the Dems are making a harder shift to the left than we've seen for a long time which takes things further away from what Republicans would see as progressive.

I really don't see what they're seeing as the net benefit from their daft, and frankly disgusting behaviour

[gransoporro]

How the Republicans are going about this, attacking Republican appointed public servants, attacking ambassadors, trying to out the whistleblower, even attacking decorated serving military officers simply isn't going to help them, not even close. I get they've got a problem with Trump insisting the call was perfect, it would be much easier to say mistakes were made but it's not impeachable, but what they're doing is so at odds with reality and respectful treatment of others how do they possibly envisage not taking a worse hit for it in the polls?

Have you met the Trump base, about 30% of the population or 2/3 of GOP?

I guess you never understood the ongoing support for Berlusconi either. Nothing to be ashamed about it, mind you!

Point is, the president election is all about character. Trump had the right character for these voters. They will not lose that 30%. They may end up with being only that 30%, but there are other affinities of interest with other groups, so it is unlikely.

But that, talking only to the base, ensures a huge defeat in any number of elections, a general, several senate seats, it's absurd. And worse they could be doing long term damage to the party with this behaviour, and they're doing so at a point in time when the Dems are making a harder shift to the left than we've seen for a long time which takes things further away from what Republicans would see as progressive.

I really don't see what they're seeing as the net benefit from their daft, and frankly disgusting behaviour

That 30% guarantees that only aligned candidates will win primaries. It is not absurd if your job depends literally on them. If they are not winning primaries they cannot be elected. They can worry about beating the democrat candidate after.

You can see how much they are attached to their job. That, my friend, is dedication.

[Digby]

Have you met the Trump base, about 30% of the population or 2/3 of GOP?

I guess you never understood the ongoing support for Berlusconi either. Nothing to be ashamed about it, mind you!

Point is, the president election is all about character. Trump had the right character for these voters. They will not lose that 30%. They may end up with being only that 30%, but there are other affinities of interest with other groups, so it is unlikely.

But that, talking only to the base, ensures a huge defeat in any number of elections, a general, several senate seats, it's absurd. And worse they could be doing long term damage to the party with this behaviour, and they're doing so at a point in time when the Dems are making a harder shift to the left than we've seen for a long time which takes things further away from what Republicans would see as progressive.

I really don't see what they're seeing as the net benefit from their daft, and frankly disgusting behaviour

That 30% guarantees that only aligned candidates will win primaries. It is not absurd if your job depends literally on them. If they are not winning primaries they cannot be elected. They can worry about beating the democrat candidate after.

You can see how much they are attached to their job. That, my friend, is dedication.

It's barking mad. The voting demographics are skewing badly against them on both the ethnicity and age front, and the best they can offer is to deny the downright bleedin' obvious for a fat orange wanker who isn't even a Republican. Trumps isn't going to be around forever, whether by dint of the 2020 election or his age and BMI, so what then? A future that panders to the Tea Party and other less stable still? They're set to undermine the conservative voice for a significant period and that's not good for those voters who want that or actually for the Democrats who could use a decent opposition

[morepork]

Shouty fat notes for the gentleman of limited voabulary:

Trumpet notes.png

[Mikey Brown]

Shouty fat notes for the gentleman of limited voabulary:

Trumpet notes.png

[Stom]

Shouty fat notes for the gentleman of limited voabulary:

Trumpet notes.png

That’s epically good

[morepork]

"If it weren't for me, Hong Kong would've been obliterated in 14 minutes," Trump said in a wide-ranging interview with "Fox & Friends" on Friday morning. He added that Xi has "got a million soldiers standing outside of Hong Kong that aren't going in only because I asked him, 'Please don't do that, it's going to make a tremendous negative impact on the trade deal.'"

[gransoporro]

#priorities

[morepork]

#fuckmyarse

[gransoporro]

#heisdoingitalready

[morepork]

One for the "how the fuck can someone this intellectually hamstrung possibly be an effective public servant" files:

Rick Perry, Energy Secretary, responsible for the science and technology of energy supply and management, including raioactive waste:

"Energy Secretary Rick Perry said in an interview that he told President Donald Trump that he was God's "chosen one" to lead the United States, just as he chose the kings to lead Israel in the Old Testament.

Perry, who will reportedly soon be leaving the Cabinet, explained that nothing in the universe is accidental and that God "is still very active in the details of the day-to-day lives of government."

"Barack Obama didn't get to be the president of the United States without being ordained by God. Neither did Donald Trump," he said in a Fox News interview that aired Sunday, adding that God has used "individuals who aren't perfect all through history."

You don't have to work stuff out because God has a plan. Just kick back.