US Politics October 2023: "They were crying. People who have never cried before."

Trump says farmers and builders who have never cried before come up to him all the time crying and thanking him for all he’s done for them. pic.twitter.com/wvbmq9crYs

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) October 1, 2023

I never would've imagined he reeked that horribly but I guess that goes to show ya

“Sir, sir …”

It's Monday already. So when is Matt Gaetz gonna file his motion to vacate the chair and take down McCarthy? And will the House GOP become a pile of fulminating wreckage as a result? Enquiring minds want to know!

It's Monday already. So when is Matt Gaetz gonna file his motion to vacate the chair and take down McCarthy? And will the House GOP become a pile of fulminating wreckage as a result? Enquiring minds want to know!

It's been filed.

Congrats @LaphonzaB on your historic appointment to the Senate.

I look forward to your partnership & to having two incredible Black women serve consecutively when we elect @BarbaraLeeForCA as the next Senator from California.

— Ayanna Pressley (@AyannaPressley) October 2, 2023

my rep!

It would be hilarious if all the reporters at the Capitol just ignored Gaetz for the rest of the week. Odds are that his Big Challenge is going to fizzle like a damp squib anyway, so why let him posture and huff in front of two dozen microphones?

I don't get why ppl think Pressley's tweet is petty -- because there's a chance that Butler could decide to run for the seat herself? As of right now, she's not a candidate for 2024.

You can read it as kind of a warning shot, like “Don’t bother getting into the race.” But so what? Politics ain’t beanbag iirc.

Oh, it's petty -- that's why it works. I don't care either way. Butler's warming the seat and she'll likely vote close to 100% of the Senate party line; that's what matters to me.

Pressley is just reiterating her support for Lee. In a club as small and ambitious as the CA Congressional delegation little gestures like that get noted down in the ledger of who did what favors for whom.

The Senate is an institution that rewards seniority with committee chairperson appointments etc. I love Barbara Lee, but she would be 78 when she's first elected, and couldn't serve a second term starting at 84 or garner any kind of seniority in the Senate. So why is she doing it. Is it just for it to be a capstone to her career?

I concur. I'm going to vote for her, sure, but I wish someone younger was teed up for the job (someone who isn't Schiff). I guess Porter is younger.

you mean someone younger like Laphonza Butler, 44, who will be the incumbent?

https://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/a45414167/republican-party-government-shutdown/?fbclid=IwAR1cF0vlOPEVKt4TGijx3U3qNhiesMOqbUaQaY29BGPeoKEmkPnmelWZ4LA

I'm guessing Pressley already committed to supporting Lee

What Charles Pierce seems to be overlooking is that even if the Republican Party collapses all the people who vote for the current death cult edition of the GOP will not vanish at the same time and will be entirely available for whatever mischief a canny fascist charismatic can entice them into. We have more than a Republican Problem. We have a Death Cultist Problem.

I think Pierce realizes it perfectly.

Current Death Cult Edition is the name of my Nine Inch Nails tribute band.

Hasn’t it been shown that Trump motivates people to vote who would otherwise not participate in electoral politics? People who were too dumb to understand the usual Republican racist dogwhistles?

Without Trump around as their rallying point they may drop out again. Or split into various squabbling factions over who inherits his legacy after he kicks the bucket, making them easier to crush.

The fealty these fragile rubes show does worry me a little that when he dies their brains simply won't accept it and they'll finally snap. There's a theory that the uncertainty of covid pushed a bunch of people over the edge. How will they handle the death of their God-king?

it’s cute you guys think trump will ever concede his own death

Trump [To Satan]: "Then St. Peter said, Sir, we have saved the biggest, most beautiful rooms for you. Simply the best rooms."

Trump assumes his final shape in the sand wedges of Mar-a-Lago and rules Earth for the next 3500 years, when humanity starts scattering to other planets.

Better to reign in Hell than 'Sir' in Heaven

Looking forward to Juniorites and Ericists skirmishing in the streets...

I don't think you're allowed to sire in heaven

One of the TVs at my gym is tuned to Fox, where the headline is “Violent Surge Strikes Nation’s Capitol” (or words to that effect) because of course nothing else is happening this week

Violent CRIME surge, sorry

Gaetz is some bizarre amalgam of Jack Nicholson, Jack Lord, the Grinch Who Stole Christmas, and random coke fiends from college

Also the old Slim Jim mascot and the bad guy from Lazy Town

Worst. Eric. Ever.

Mangini too?

I didn't watch a lot of TV in the 90s but how in the world did I never see the Slim Jim commercials? Holy hell are those cocaine-driven.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zesUjgzBauc

Weird. I never saw that either. I just remember the Macho Man Slim Jim ads.

oh I remember that one

https://www.npr.org/2023/10/02/1203165609/henry-cuellar-carjacked

so if mccarthy gets shitcanned which looks likely, what happens? My guess is that all the GOP, even mccarthy, will vote to support Gaetz or some other shithead; but what if they can't? do we just go speakerless? I'm assuming Jeffries doesn't get to lead.

Pointless digression from Slim Jim ad:

Messin' with Sasquatch is apparently a completely different product.

Nowadays basically every TV ad campaign is for car insurance, and one is hard pressed to remember which goes with which. Apparently the cavemen ads are for a different company than the flightless bird one and maybe the lady with the name tag is the same but maybe a different one, and J.K. Simmons is one of those campaigns but I can't remember which one. Broadcast television is, effectively, a side hustle being conducted by the car insurance industry.

House Democrats were meeting on Tuesday morning to consider whether to bail out Mr. McCarthy. But their gathering in the basement of the Capitol ahead of the vote became less of a strategy session and more of an airing of grievances against Mr. McCarthy, in which even the most moderate Democrats savaged him and his record. “I think he’s likely the most unprincipled person to ever be speaker of the House,” said Representative Abigail Spanberger, a conservative-leaning Democrat from Virginia who is considering a run for governor. “He’s disdainful, he lies about us, he lies about the process of governance.”

oh boy

Democrats’ closed door meeting went longer than two hours before ending. Representative Jeffries showed a video of McCarthy attempting to blame a potential government shutdown on Democrats, angering the room.

Why would Dems save him? That seems like an incredibly dumb subplot from The West Wing.

Yeah, if nothing good is going to come of the current congress, anyway, is it better to have a craven, backstabbing asshole like McCarthy, or an incompetent lunatic like whoever may replace him? With an election year coming up, hell, give it to someone crazy.

i suppose we could still get Speaker Trump now

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xk8mm1Qmt-Y

Jefferies then added that McCarthy's reign at the top was "short like leprechauns"

Yeah, give it to Trump. It would be like having the world's worst substitute teacher. Congress would just watch movies all day while he napped.

It's pretty clear that any new GOP speaker will have to be ready to crash the government at the next opportunity. Which is a terrible idea for them, I think, but it seems like a lesson they have to keep learning.

"Maybe this time people will love us for it!"

yessssss

Every Democrat I’ve spoken with has come out of the meeting ready to sink McCarthy. The leadership wants to have consensus position. Jeffries will soon put out a statement. McCarthy speakership very much in doubt at this moment.

— Manu Raju (@mkraju) October 3, 2023

in other words he's a huge champion of all the causes that have been getting the GOP slaughtered electorally the last 6 years

Johnson: “Someone asked me today in the media, ‘People are curious, what does Mike Johnson think about any issue?’ I said, ‘Well, go pick up a Bible off your shelf and read it. That’s my worldview.”

So he's totally cool with divinely-ordered genocide? Sounds about right.

We're not that curious

hope he doesn't wear any mixed fabrics!

Would be funny if he told people to read Dianetics instead

liberals had created “a completely amoral society”

I somehow suspect that the maine shooter is not a liberal, could be wrong

Johnson’s own predictions of American decline have been widely noted. In 2004, he called same-sex marriage a “dark harbinger of chaos and sexual anarchy that could doom even the strongest republic”.

'sexual anarchy' mmmmmrrrraaoooowwwwww count me in

Real "Omen" vibes here
https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-apps/imrs.php?src=https%3A%2F%2Farc-anglerfish-washpost-prod-washpost%252Es3%252Eamazonaws%252Ecom%2Fpublic%2FPTHGH5BV2BEFPB4MEMR5PTDAZM%252EJPG&w=992&h=662

Did he specify which Bible?

Fuck this:

https://theintercept.com/2023/10/27/palestine-israel-free-speech-retaliation-senate/

ON FRIDAY, THE U.S. Senate passed a unanimous resolution condemning what it called “anti-Israel, pro-Hamas student groups” across the country following a day of walkouts. Hundreds of students, led by Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace, walked out of classes at Columbia University, Princeton University, New York University, and dozens of other colleges in what they described as a demand for a ceasefire in Gaza and end to U.S. military support to Israel. The Senate resolution condemned student groups for ostensibly supporting Hamas as part of a broader government and corporate pushback on protests over the war.

…

What a grotesquely immoral country. And especially fuck the never-not-bloodthirsty Democrats. I think I'm done with voting*

*as a totally useless absentee, overseas voter so don't worry about it

Israel is such a third rail in Washington, especially in the Senate

It's just so disgusting to see this continued false equivalency that making even the mildest statement that maybe Palestinian civilians don't deserve to be bombed is reframed as "pro-Hamas".

In his conversation with Hannity, Johnson indicated he would had no plans to try to move legislation opposing gay marriage, saying, "This has been settled by the Supreme Court" in its 2015 Obergefell opinion. The high court ruled that banning same-sex marriage is unconstitutional.

"So, that's the decision," Johnson said. "... I'm a constitutional law attorney — I respect that, and we move forward."

Oh good, I guess that's settled.

Roe vs. Wade was settled law as well iirc

You don't think by "move forward" he means tee up a full-blast barrage of softball anti-LGBTQ cases to a clearly receptive SCOTUS, do you?

haha you fucking LIAR

DeSantis’s office, meanwhile, has backed away from its initial claim it worked directly with the consul general to “help get weapons and ammunition”.

^^^^ for Israel of course

I hope whoever is running for the next Gov of Florida is keeping a running tally of the amount of money this dude has just spent on whatever BS comes next to mind. From the textbooks, to the caravans to this crap -it's all got to be just a bunch of crap to send free money to cronies. It has to be a pretty colossal number and obviously none of it budgeted per say. Fiscal conservative my a$$.

Matt Gaetz is probably running. Surely he’ll clean this mess up.

Pence out

^^Lotsa different ways to read that.

At least now he will be finally free to tell the truth about January 6th (sad lol)

This can go in lots of threads (Trump, anti-semitism) but I'll put it here. I know we're trying to wean off twitter, and some of you can't see or follow this thread, but I don't know how else to convey this insanity that apparently just happened:

Standby. Hearing is beginning now for Jan 6 defendant Vitali Gossjankowski. Feds seek to jail him while awaiting sentencing, for text messages allegedly targeting law enforcement https://t.co/fTv3IPuJGM

— Scott MacFarlane (@MacFarlaneNews) October 30, 2023

This is like a scene from a screenplay draft:

GossJankowski was convicted on six counts. Three felonies. Including assault on police. Feds argue his post-trial conduct is “vile and reprehensible." Feds allege GossJankowski has engaged in “deranged and dangerous” conduct … especially considering “volatile” state of the world. They say he made “offensive” texts to federal agent on case, invoking Jewish faith of agent. They say one message told agent “go f** yourself” among other things. And mocked appearance of agent. And he allegedly tried voice call to agent too.

GossJankowski is yawning at defense table as prosecutor makes argument.

Feds allege GossJankowski doxxed agents on Instagram. Sharing emails of Feds. And allegedly saying “I bet they are Jewish and ultra-parasitic leftists." And allegedly shared phone number of detective on line
Prosecutor alleges GossJankowski has doxxed the prosecutor himself. Urging IG followers to call and tell prosecutor about 1st amendment. Prosecutor says GossJankowski even posted a “sealed” court filing from case. Prosecutor tells judge Paul Friedman, “This defendant has abused your trust and should be detained." He says GossJankowski posted screenshots of a DOJ email with staff names included.

Defense argues GossJankowski hasn’t actually violated a release condition or broken the law. He says the posts are not “case-related”
Defense characterizes the messages as a “release of steam." Defense: “He just has a strong beef with how he was treated” by Feds.

Judge Paul Friedman interjects when defense says GossJankwowski’s posts are eventually taken down. Judge mentions incident in which Roger Stone allegedly posted image of Judge Amy Berman Jackson w/ a target included. Friedman says Jackson needed US Marshals protection after. Judge, speaking broadly, says the threats against judges aren’t from people in “public life”… but from their followers He’s not naming names. But leaning into this point emphatically

Flash: Judge has ordered Jan 6 defendant Vitali GossJankowski jailed immediately. And GossJankowski begins resisting federal agents. Table is nearly toppled. He’s resisting several agents. Marshals order courtroom cleared as GossJankowski is physically resisting agents who are trying to cuff him. He makes gutteral screams and fights off agents. A computer plunges off defense table in the scrum. Other agents from elsewhere in courthouse run into Judge Friedman’s courtroom to corral GossJankowski, who is huge and strong.

Judge has already exited. Seven to eight agents finally get GossJankowski under control. He’s going straight to DC jail.

GossJankowski is built like a Division-1 linebacker. Took a while for Feds to contain him.

wow he really took it to the man. rot in hell fuckface

Geez, surprising this was accomplished without tasing him or shooting.

just needed someone behind him yelling GO TO SLEEP

He was the guy tazing cops during J6, I think

https://www.cnn.com/2023/10/29/politics/ron-desantis-florida-allies-big-paychecks/

(I think GrossJankowski is Deaf, btw, not that that means he isn't also a terrible person.)

Got some Moe Tucker vibes going on (in many ways):

https://media.wusa9.com/assets/WUSA/images/a6cdfc16-cd44-4dc5-b6f7-63b4bbb82da4/a6cdfc16-cd44-4dc5-b6f7-63b4bbb82da4_1140x641.jpg
https://moderndrummer.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/04/Moe_tucker2.jpg

or Roy Orbison

and we know Tucker's politics

who is huge and strong.

How this particular detail is written and added on is funny, like how the robots will come for your medication in the Sam Waterson SNL bit

Defense argues GossJankowski hasn’t actually violated a release condition or broken the law. He says the posts are not “case-related”
Defense characterizes the messages as a “release of steam." Defense: “He just has a strong beef with how he was treated” by Feds.

Defense full of shit here on multiple fronts.

Geez, surprising this was accomplished without tasing him or shooting.

Totally surprising.

Your honour, I believe what this court has failed to take into consideration is that my client had and continues to have a particularly strong beef.

https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2023/10/30/22/77193921-12690567-image-a-28_1698705531730.jpg

The Tom Cruise body swap is nearly complete

Again with the clown shoes

Hey, they're Beatle boots, he's hip.

I just hope they're super painful

XP Ron DaNasty

https://static.wikia.nocookie.net/rutlesriki/images/2/2a/Out_of_Me_Head.png/revision/latest?cb=20111202012546

“Mr. Ron if you’re nasty”

if you're lickin, that's WROND

https://variety.com/2023/film/news/joe-biden-worried-ai-mission-impossible-dead-reckoning-1235775115/

God Has Abandoned Us: U.S. Politics November 2023