The Winning Way

Democrats Don’t Need Trump’s Voters To Retake The House | FiveThirtyEight:

...The GOP’s problem again comes back to Trump’s base being relatively small to begin with compared to the base support of past presidents. The latest poll from YouGov, for example, shows 88 percent of respondents who said they voted for Trump approve of his job performance. But 88 percent of the 46 percent of 2016 voters who chose Trump is just 40 percent. Overall, the YouGov survey found 54 percent of registered voters disapprove of Trump so far. If every person who currently disapproves of Trump’s job performance voted against the Republican Party’s House candidates in 2018, Democrats would almost certainly take control of the chamber.1...

VA Plans To Whack Old Vets

VA defends plan to cut thousands from elderly vets' benefits:

Veterans Affairs officials on Wednesday defended plans to strip tens of thousands of dollars in unemployment benefits from elderly veterans as responsible reforms to the department’s growing budget, but opponents promised to fight the idea...

A couple of points: First, SS has zero to do with either the budget or the VA. SS is something we paid for. VA disability falls into a completely different category, both morally and fiscally. Second, this would never, ever, in a billion years, be done to WW II or Korean vets, but since it is primarily Vietnam vets that would be impacted, why not continue the tradition of screwing them, especially since it is being proposed by a man whose war was avoiding STD's and using bone spurs to avoid serving his country. 

Pence Also Obstructs

COVER UP: NYT Bombshell Implicates VP Pence. He's Going Down.:

As Donald Trump himself confirmed, former FBI Director James Comey was fired because he was investigating Team Trump’s ties to Russia, but Trump wasn’t alone in making that decision. A bombshell report from the New York Times revealed that Vice President Mike Pence took part in this obstruction of justice.

The new report shows that a number of people in Trump’s inner circle have been involved in the Comey firing and subsequent cover-up. However, Pence’s corrupt involvement has been kept in “near secrecy,” according to the respected newspaper...

The Inhumanity Of The tRump

A Federal Judge Slams Trump: "Even the 'Good Hombres' Are Not Safe" | Mother Jones:

Today, a federal appeals court judge in California rebuked the Trump administration for its zealous deportation policy and for "ripping apart a family." Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals found that he had no power to stop the removal of Andres Magana Ortiz, but nevertheless took the time to write a short opinion blasting his deportation as "inhumane..."

tRump Comedy Writers Emerge

White House issues bizarre statement touting Trump’s ‘magnetic personality’ that ‘exudes positive energy’:

...“President Trump has a magnetic personality and exudes positive energy, which is infectious to those around him,” the statement from White House spokeswoman Hope Hicks reads. “He has an unparalleled ability to communicate with people, whether he is speaking to a room of three or an arena of 30,000. He has built great relationships throughout his life and treats everyone with respect. He is brilliant with a great sense of humor … and an amazing ability to make people feel special and aspire to be more than even they thought possible...”

Shocked, But Not Surprised At Family Values Hypocrisy

Senator who voted for anti-trans ‘bathroom bill’ busted in hotel with underage boy – DeadState:

This Tuesday, an Oklahoma State Senator was charged with child prostitution after being caught in a hotel room with an underage boy...

Ms. Lindsey Upset At Comey Over Fake Email

Graham: It’s ‘Stunning’ That Comey Acted On Fake Russian Intel In 2016 – Talking Points Memo:

...“I can’t imagine a scenario where it’s OK for the FBI director to jump in the middle of an election based on a fake email generated by the Russians and not tell the Congress,” Graham said Sunday on CNN’s “State of the Union.”

CNN reported last week that Comey used emails fabricated by Russian intelligence, in which a Clinton operative and DNC official discussed assurances from the Justice Department that it would quash the investigation, to justify his norm-breaking public announcements about the case. Comey believed the emails to be fake, but decided to disclose his findings out of concern that the credibility of the DOJ’s probe would be damaged if the emails leaked...

Bernouts Fooled By Russians

As I suspected.

Russia Duped Bernie Fans via Facebook, San Diego Dems Told - Times of San Diego:

...Mattes confessed that the Democratic National Committee didn’t do Sanders any favors, as revealed in the Russian-hacked emails made public on WikiLeaks. But Mattes insisted that “discouraged” Sanders voters who either voted against Clinton or didn’t go to the polls at all were sufficient to hand the White House to Trump...

Demon "Christians"

Greg Gianforte is what toxic Christianity looks like:

...But the ugliness of toxic Christianity is being laid bare for the whole world to see. This seems like the moment in Pinocchio when the boys on Pleasure Island are almost all the way transformed into donkeys. Five years ago, I prophesied that the American church was being exorcised in the same way as the Gerasene demoniac in Mark 5. Our demons are being cast into a herd of pigs that are racing furiously down a cliff to throw themselves into the lake of fire. The demonic pigs of 2012 were so tame compared to the demonic pigs of 2017. I’m just waiting for the part where they finally throw themselves off the cliff and the church wakes up in its right mind...

Let The Singing Begin

Report: Russian Billionaire Linked To Manafort Seeks Immunity To Testify | HuffPost:

A Russian oligarch who secretly employed Donald Trump’s campaign manager, Paul Manafort, offered to testify before congressional committees investigating Russia’s meddling in the U.S. election, but only if he’s granted immunity from prosecution, The New York Times reported Friday...

So Will This Be Called Terrorism?

Man shouting 'anti-Muslim slurs' kills 2 on Portland train, police say - CNN.com: 

Two men were fatally stabbed Friday on a crowded commuter train in Portland, Oregon, when they confronted a passenger who was "yelling a gamut of anti-Muslim and anti-everything slurs," a police spokesman said...

Can The Electors Be Arrested?

I wonder how they feel right now about not doing their damn Constitutionally mandated jobs to protect the country from thieves, liars, crooks, and raging orange incompetents? Today we learn that frat boy Kushner was trying to set-up secret communication links with the Russians, and this is just the latest dribble in the flood of nasty, yellow, treasonous water that has cascaded out of the tRump White House.

Some enterprising journalist, who is not afraid of being assaulted, ought to track them down and ask them to "share their thoughts" on being the spineless losers who let this ramshackle mess sashay into D.C.  So what if they got a fine? I'm sure a million GoFundMes would spring up to pay the fines of any who did their patriotic duty and said no to a sexual predator being allowed in the Oval Office.

Update: Just saw this (Sunday morning) concerning the electors and overturning the election. Interesting read.

We Can Shoot Back You Putz

Texas Governor Greg Abbott Jokes About Shooting Reporters | HuffPost:

Texas Gov. Greg Abbott (R) appears to be a pretty good shot ― and a horrible comedian.

A Texas Tribune reporter snapped a photo of Abbott showing off his target sheet on Friday, after which the governor “jokingly” pointed to the bullet holes and threatened the media.

“I’m gonna carry this around in case I see any reporters,” Abbott said, according to reporter Patrick Svitek...

Sounds Like Treason To Me

Florida GOPer Helped Russian Hacker Disseminate Dems’ Voter Turnout Data – Talking Points Memo:

A Republican political operative in Florida asked the alleged Russian hacker who broke into Democratic Party organizations’ servers at the height of the 2016 campaign to pass him stolen documents, according to a report Thursday by the Wall Street Journal.

In return, that operative received valuable Democratic voter-turnout analyses, which the newspaper found at least one GOP campaign consultant took advantage of the information. The hacker went on to flag that same data to Roger Stone, a longtime confidant of Donald Trump’s who briefly advised his presidential campaign, and who is currently under federal investigation for potential collusion with Russia...

Maybe the prosecutions should begin at low level and work their way up to the Mango Menace.

Sleepy Ben Continues Snoozing

Ben Carson: Poverty ‘To Large Extent’ Is ‘A State Of Mind’ – Talking Points Memo:

In an interview published online on Wednesday, Ben Carson, the secretary of housing and urban development, described poverty as a “state of mind.”...

Jesus Loves Tax Havens

Minnesota Republican dodges question about tax havens by invoking Jesus:

Pressed about her lack of support for an amendment that would close loopholes for offshore tax havens, a Minnesota Republican dodged the question in favor of talking about her religious beliefs...

Daily PUMA Nails Stein Recounts

Daily PUMA -- Stein's Role In Recounts:

...So basically, if one wants to screw up a Presidential Election and has figured out how to change, alter, subtract or add votes to gin the vote for a specific candidate, all one would have to do is then add in a few more uncounted votes into the voting box, thus ruining the validity of ANY recount!..

Kicking Howdy Trey

‘Trey Gowdy needs to have his ass kicked’: Ex-CIA agent blasts lawmaker for grandstanding at Brennan hearing:

...“Trey Gowdy should have his ass kicked. He knows the difference,” Mudd said of Gowdy trying to use the words interchangeably. “If you are an American citizen and CIA is collecting intercepts of Russians of what you said, is it fair to go to court and say that is evidence of something you did wrong?”...

I find that acceptable.

The GOP Talent Vacuum

Watching the downfall of a generation of Washington Republicans - The Washington Post:

...If the GOP is to survive at all after Trump, it most likely will need to turn to governors or ex-lawmakers who did not carry Trump’s water or attempt to defend the indefensible. I raise that now because it will reflect on the actions of Republicans on Capitol Hill for the next couple of years. Keep in mind how self-destructive their behavior is as you wince watching Capitol Hill Republicans flack for Trump, explain why ongoing possible violations of the emoluments clause are no big deal, brush off reckless disclosure of top-secret information to the Russians or refuse to chastise the president for cuddling up to dictators. As painful as it is to watch these performances, some satisfaction can be derived from knowing that these Republicans are doing incalculable damage to their ambition for future leadership in the party.

You Know It's Coming

FORESEEN CONSEQUENCES | Gin and Tacos:

...It would not surprise me if a lot of the Republicans and conservative media figures have their "the day after Trump is gone" pieces in the can already. Even Fox News has to be planning ahead despite their comical efforts to keep this unfolding disaster away from the dead octogenarian eyes of their remaining viewers; a slew of "What went wrong and why are we not at fault for failing to mention any of this before it actually went wrong?" pieces exist in the ethers, awaiting only the push of a button to be unleashed and accepted unquestioningly. Revisionist history as absolution is the only thing the right does as effectively as phony moral outrage and IOKIYAR-ism...

President Pence Coming?

Why Trump will likely resign as Mueller pursues 'Putingate' | TheHill:

The decision to name the universally-respected former FBI Director Robert Mueller as special counsel on the Russian election scandal is a defining moment in modern American history that sets off a chain reaction that probably leads to the ultimate resignation of President Trump...

...And Another Devil Got Its Horns

Former Fox News Chairman Roger Ailes Dead, An Influential And Destructive Force In Media And Politics, Has Died | HuffPost:

Roger Ailes, the Fox News co-founder who resigned amid a sexual harassment scandal, died on Thursday, his wife, Elizabeth Ailes, confirmed in a statement. The network’s former chairman and CEO was 77...

Matt Taibbi's "eulogy".

DC Documents-- So Do We

James Comey and the Revenge of Washington’s Professional Class - The New Yorker:

...James Comey, the fired F.B.I. director, began his career as an associate at the powerhouse law firm of Gibson, Dunn & Crutcher. Later, during his years of government service, he routinely documented conversations with his superiors as a method of self-preservation. During the Bush Administration, he documented his resistance to the use of torture, which helped extend his career from a conservative epoch to a liberal one. “A showboat,” President Trump called Comey, last week, in defending his decision to fire the man. Perhaps, but one with the daily routines of a clerk...

I routinely "journaled" my conversations with superiors for many years, and in my place of employment I later discovered, I was far from the only one. In fact, that practice seems fairly common in all phases of government employment. We might no have had video, but we had ink.

Fox Asks GOP To Apologize To Clinton

Hell freezes over: Fox News co-host says Republicans should apologize to Hillary Clinton - Palmer Report:

In a development which truly signifies that hell has indeed frozen over, Fox News is now making the case that Republicans should apologize to Hillary Clinton. That message is coming in the form of an online op-ed from The Five co-host Juan Williams, who makes a compelling argument that in light of recent developments, the Republican Party owes Hillary an apology for the things it said about her with regard to classified information and her emails.

Pierce On tRump On Comey On Blitzen...

Why James Comey's Firing Is a Turning Point for Trump:

..And irony takes a big swig of Virginia Gentleman, shoots up some fine Afghan H, and walks into a propeller blade...

He can certainly turn a phrase.

Dropping Shoes

Report: FBI raid in Annapolis is just the first of numerous Trump-Russia warrants being executed - Palmer Report:

In the wake of Donald Trump’s firing of FBI Director James Comey to try to sabotage the Trump-Russia investigation, a number of political insiders predicted last night that the FBI would strike back in a major way today (link). Sure enough, the FBI just raided a GOP fundraising firm in Annapolis (link). But word is now that this is just one of numerous Trump-Russia warrants that are being executed...

I wanted to make at least one more post before I leave for the hospital. I am having surgery tomorrow. I will post again when I return. I hope.