Trump loves chaos, because it takes away from his incompetence as president of the 🇺🇸, CEO and chairman of his companies, casinos, as well as university student, husband and father. Add to that he doesn’t read, comprehend simple economic theory and has no grasp of ethics either personal or business related. Yes, he sure loves chaos, bring it on says the fat man and his magats stand and applaud in unison. Good luck in the coming years, we’ll certainly need it, regardless of where we live.
Both strategies will require patience and careful management. The Freedom Cacus's only "skill" is hurling live grenades from the cheap seats. they have neither the skill nor the cunning to pull this off, even by accident.
I appreciate the balanced perspective here. My fears revolve around a corporate media so afraid to make waves that it is on bended knees. Combine that with the base supporters ever willing to believe what the admin tells them and unwilling to see contradictions or ask questions.
“On things like the border bill, Thune will lay out red lines his more moderate members won’t cross or for which the impacts (to wit, for farm-state Senators) and optics will be disastrous.”
Those farmers can pick the crops themselves. Or maybe just get the neighbors to all help like a good old fashioned barn raising.
Could not get past the third paragraph before memorializing this:
"Every vote will be a tightrope walk, and Trump’s most rabid supporters see opportunities for grandstanding and delay as a feature, not a bug. (House Rep.) Johnson’s job isn’t just herding cats—it’s herding feral, rabid cats who hate each other."
Still waiting for the nation's medical establishment to find its spine and balls and do two things:
1. Rise up in massive, public and noisy revolt against RFK Jr's quackery in general and his assault on the polio vaccine in particular. Where are the open letters in the NYT? Where are the press conferences? Where is the social media and podcast blitz?
2. Publicly pressure the legislatures, AGs and law enforcement in states whose abortion laws are causing women with objectively non-viable pregnancies to die because doctors fear that taking measures to save them will be interpreted as performing an abortion to create iron-clad safe harbors for all those involved in providing reproductive health care and their organizations. Are they waiting for Doctors Without Borders to send a mission to do it for them?
Let's all keep calm and carry on. Thank you, Rick, for this timely pep talk. Since my brain exploded a little over a month ago, I've decided to become a stoic. tRumPutin can't rile me up if I refuse to let him. I am focused on the things I can do now. I'll save the weeping and rending of clothing for tomorrow.
Rick, this was so uplifting I actually paid up. We were lucky to have met you at the Texas Tribune festival this past fall. You were informative and , dare I say, charming. Would love to hear your thoughts on ABC, Disney, and the kissing of Trump's ass.
I believe that’s exactly what he intends to do; use the 3%ers, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, etc as his own little private army or police force.
Also theee are 1000s if Republican county sheriffs & their deputies that are extremely pro-trump & anti immigrant, just itching to throw their weight around.
While the politics of chaos unfold in Washington, the MAGAts will be rolling their own fiery barrels of tar down the streets, glorying in the flames as the errant sparks and embers fan out to torch the surroundings. Don't expect outrage as their own homes and businesses get burned out, and their lives reduced to ashes. They will be grinning to see that everyone else, especially those undeserving minorities and misfits, gets burned along with them.
SALT stands for state and local tax [deduction from income tax], which the Trump tax cut bill limited to $10,000, which is waay to low for Northeastern and California liberals.
The last time I checked, the SALT deduction wasn't contingent upon one's party affiliation. There are plenty of Republicans who would benefit from an increase in the ceiling as well.
Thank you for mentioning the Tar Barrels of Ottery St. Mary. I am quite knowledgeable about weird English folk customs, but that one escaped me until now. The mention is particularly pertinent since it celebrates Guy Fawkes' Night.
May all who attempt to blow up representative democracy be treated like Guy Fawkes.
"Don’t think that Team Trump will be a unified body for a moment. Expect all the palace intrigue, score-settling, buddy-fucking, infighting, DC smoke-signaling, and agenda-driving from everyone on his team.
Wilson Rule 4: Good organizations leak on purpose. Bad organizations just leak."
No truer words have been written.
This whole Trump constellation is a group of maniacally egotistical, assholic, weird white men who didn't become billionaires by deferring to team play and group think.
Musk, the human equivalent of gramma's memory ward bedpan, will not only bow to no one, it's a decent bet he becomes subversive; probably already has. RFK is certifiably weird and likely has undiagnosed mental health problems that rival Nancy Mace's need for attention and supremacy.
And then there's JD. Vance's whose only agenda is to still be around when when Trump's triglyceride level hits 2,000. His agenda is feeding making sure Trump's daily Big Mac count is in double digits
Musk will bulldoze his hillbilly ass.
It will be spectacular, in a Hindenburg sorta way. And I haven't even mentioned Bannon, Don Jr, Vanky, Judge Boxed Wine and all the thumb suckers at State TV.
Only thing that's certain is WE will get the short stick
BTW, little by little the idea of Heggie and Patel being confirmed is being normalized. Joni Ernst "stands tall' in a Leaning Tower of Pisa manner. She's about one Scaramucci from folding. "But we still have Collins and Murkowski", said the joker to the thief. After that, it's a collection of Tuberville and Lady G's
One the things I like to remind people of who are panicked about the media is that the media has always been driven by human conflict more than by ideological debate. This kind of Real Housewives of DC drama is something that reporters cannot resist. We were actually in a worse position in the halcyon Manufacturing Consent Uncle Walter days, when there were three TV networks and a handful of prominent regional newspapers.
Everybody with a microphone and a keyboard is gonna want in on the sinking of the Trumptanic. State media cannot sanewash this or prevent it from getting out.
I think the focus needs to be kept primarily on the Repubs who have made this all possible in the first, second and third places.
Concentrating on the Mango Maniac's orangeness or wacked-out mental state tends to take the responsibility off of those who didn't impeach, who obstructed, didn't object, didn't do anything when it mattered.
Those who continue to kiss the cinnamon ring, and the new crawlers, including that fuckface from France and idiot Prince William who went crawling down to Mar-a-fucko, all puckered up.
McConnell, Barr, "Judge" Cannon, the Extreme Court Six, the list is updated daily.
Trump loves chaos, because it takes away from his incompetence as president of the 🇺🇸, CEO and chairman of his companies, casinos, as well as university student, husband and father. Add to that he doesn’t read, comprehend simple economic theory and has no grasp of ethics either personal or business related. Yes, he sure loves chaos, bring it on says the fat man and his magats stand and applaud in unison. Good luck in the coming years, we’ll certainly need it, regardless of where we live.
Both strategies will require patience and careful management. The Freedom Cacus's only "skill" is hurling live grenades from the cheap seats. they have neither the skill nor the cunning to pull this off, even by accident.
I appreciate the balanced perspective here. My fears revolve around a corporate media so afraid to make waves that it is on bended knees. Combine that with the base supporters ever willing to believe what the admin tells them and unwilling to see contradictions or ask questions.
Rick, you have such a way with words. You offer us the grim realities with humor. The not funny with hope.
“On things like the border bill, Thune will lay out red lines his more moderate members won’t cross or for which the impacts (to wit, for farm-state Senators) and optics will be disastrous.”
Those farmers can pick the crops themselves. Or maybe just get the neighbors to all help like a good old fashioned barn raising.
Democrats need to do the 2008 GOP strategy, block, harass, impede, and loudly attack everything republican.
Could not get past the third paragraph before memorializing this:
"Every vote will be a tightrope walk, and Trump’s most rabid supporters see opportunities for grandstanding and delay as a feature, not a bug. (House Rep.) Johnson’s job isn’t just herding cats—it’s herding feral, rabid cats who hate each other."
Well done. Now back to work...
Feral cats are easier to herd than domestic cats because of their stronger social instincts (feral cats live in colonies with alpha leaders).
More like herding rabid weasels.
I did not know that weasels could suffer rabies...
Well, if there are rabid squirrels, raccoons and opossums ...
and MAGA Republicans most certainly can. It’s endemic in them.
Still waiting for the nation's medical establishment to find its spine and balls and do two things:
1. Rise up in massive, public and noisy revolt against RFK Jr's quackery in general and his assault on the polio vaccine in particular. Where are the open letters in the NYT? Where are the press conferences? Where is the social media and podcast blitz?
2. Publicly pressure the legislatures, AGs and law enforcement in states whose abortion laws are causing women with objectively non-viable pregnancies to die because doctors fear that taking measures to save them will be interpreted as performing an abortion to create iron-clad safe harbors for all those involved in providing reproductive health care and their organizations. Are they waiting for Doctors Without Borders to send a mission to do it for them?
Amen on both points, Ollie.
A Secretary of Polio cannot stand.
Let's all keep calm and carry on. Thank you, Rick, for this timely pep talk. Since my brain exploded a little over a month ago, I've decided to become a stoic. tRumPutin can't rile me up if I refuse to let him. I am focused on the things I can do now. I'll save the weeping and rending of clothing for tomorrow.
Rick, this was so uplifting I actually paid up. We were lucky to have met you at the Texas Tribune festival this past fall. You were informative and , dare I say, charming. Would love to hear your thoughts on ABC, Disney, and the kissing of Trump's ass.
Rick , what happens when Trump “deputizes” the Proud Boys and other neo-Nazi militias to intimidate and enforce Steven Miller’s Eichmann agenda?
I believe that’s exactly what he intends to do; use the 3%ers, Oath Keepers, Proud Boys, etc as his own little private army or police force.
Also theee are 1000s if Republican county sheriffs & their deputies that are extremely pro-trump & anti immigrant, just itching to throw their weight around.
The Constitutional Sheriff movement.
Yep, that’s exactly what I had in mind when I wrote that.
The LEO analogue of the Sovereign Citizen movement.
They get their asses kicked.
While the politics of chaos unfold in Washington, the MAGAts will be rolling their own fiery barrels of tar down the streets, glorying in the flames as the errant sparks and embers fan out to torch the surroundings. Don't expect outrage as their own homes and businesses get burned out, and their lives reduced to ashes. They will be grinning to see that everyone else, especially those undeserving minorities and misfits, gets burned along with them.
SALT stands for state and local tax [deduction from income tax], which the Trump tax cut bill limited to $10,000, which is waay to low for Northeastern and California liberals.
The last time I checked, the SALT deduction wasn't contingent upon one's party affiliation. There are plenty of Republicans who would benefit from an increase in the ceiling as well.
Indeed. But the $10,000 limitation was created to stick it to the liberals.
Thank you for mentioning the Tar Barrels of Ottery St. Mary. I am quite knowledgeable about weird English folk customs, but that one escaped me until now. The mention is particularly pertinent since it celebrates Guy Fawkes' Night.
May all who attempt to blow up representative democracy be treated like Guy Fawkes.
And not become a folk hero the way Anonymous did with the visage of Guy Fawkes.
Although we have to blame that on the movie V For Vendetta.
It's gonna get ugly.
It's already.
"Don’t think that Team Trump will be a unified body for a moment. Expect all the palace intrigue, score-settling, buddy-fucking, infighting, DC smoke-signaling, and agenda-driving from everyone on his team.
Wilson Rule 4: Good organizations leak on purpose. Bad organizations just leak."
No truer words have been written.
This whole Trump constellation is a group of maniacally egotistical, assholic, weird white men who didn't become billionaires by deferring to team play and group think.
Musk, the human equivalent of gramma's memory ward bedpan, will not only bow to no one, it's a decent bet he becomes subversive; probably already has. RFK is certifiably weird and likely has undiagnosed mental health problems that rival Nancy Mace's need for attention and supremacy.
And then there's JD. Vance's whose only agenda is to still be around when when Trump's triglyceride level hits 2,000. His agenda is feeding making sure Trump's daily Big Mac count is in double digits
Musk will bulldoze his hillbilly ass.
It will be spectacular, in a Hindenburg sorta way. And I haven't even mentioned Bannon, Don Jr, Vanky, Judge Boxed Wine and all the thumb suckers at State TV.
Only thing that's certain is WE will get the short stick
BTW, little by little the idea of Heggie and Patel being confirmed is being normalized. Joni Ernst "stands tall' in a Leaning Tower of Pisa manner. She's about one Scaramucci from folding. "But we still have Collins and Murkowski", said the joker to the thief. After that, it's a collection of Tuberville and Lady G's
That was hilarious! You, Michael Walsh, are certifiably funny---where’s your Substack?
Technically I have one but never post
Can’t compete with the brilliance of guys like Rick
But thanks
Cynical ... but nicely put ;)
One the things I like to remind people of who are panicked about the media is that the media has always been driven by human conflict more than by ideological debate. This kind of Real Housewives of DC drama is something that reporters cannot resist. We were actually in a worse position in the halcyon Manufacturing Consent Uncle Walter days, when there were three TV networks and a handful of prominent regional newspapers.
Everybody with a microphone and a keyboard is gonna want in on the sinking of the Trumptanic. State media cannot sanewash this or prevent it from getting out.
I love the portmanteau coining "Trumptanic"!! Thank you for enlarging my already enormous store of insulting monikers for Orange Caligula.
I think the focus needs to be kept primarily on the Repubs who have made this all possible in the first, second and third places.
Concentrating on the Mango Maniac's orangeness or wacked-out mental state tends to take the responsibility off of those who didn't impeach, who obstructed, didn't object, didn't do anything when it mattered.
Those who continue to kiss the cinnamon ring, and the new crawlers, including that fuckface from France and idiot Prince William who went crawling down to Mar-a-fucko, all puckered up.
McConnell, Barr, "Judge" Cannon, the Extreme Court Six, the list is updated daily.
Oh goodness, Caroline, I didn't coin that; the Trumptanic has been around forever. One of my faves remains Cheeto Benito.
Ay, yi, yi yi
I am the Cheeto Benito
I love all my Nazis
I love them, I do
I love all my Nazis
I'll sic them on you
But I think my all-time favorite is Stupid Hitler.
"Stupid Hitler"!!! 👍