The poor, the outsiders, and the disappointed are all prospects for gang membership.
Are there gangs for happy WASPS, too? Well, there’s always the Episcopal Church, the Club for Growth and the Social Register.
First, this is a must-read on how a GOP economic strategy has crippled the Democrats for decades. [Broken link: https://www.rawstory.com/2018/02/gop-used-two-santa-clauses-tactic-con-america-nearly-40-years] [New link:] How the GOP Used a Two Santa Clauses Tactic to Con America for Nearly 40 Years | Thom Hartmann
Now, check out this story about how Russia is dumping its holdings of U.S. debt (“Treasuries” — T-Bills, T-Notes, T-Bonds, and TIPS). There are various theories as to why Russia is doing it, ranging from the benign (restructuring their portfolio) to the retaliatory (because of U.S. sanctions). But the Bitemaster sees something more sinister.
When there are more buyers of debt instruments, the lender can lower the interest rate it offers. When Russia gets out of the market, there are fewer buyers and the interest rate the U.S.Treasury has to pay goes up.
Which is just what has happened. So far, the cost to the U.S. is tiny: only a couple billion dollars. But if other countries follow, it could have long-term effects on the U.S. economy. And that is what I think is the plan behind Russia’s move.
And that could move voters towards the Democrats — except that the Democrats will be totally hamstrung by the gigantic national debt they would inherit from the Republicans.
Win or lose, the Dems are bleeped.
The Huffington Post article Can Anyone Take Down Nancy Pelosi? considers whether Nancy Pelosi could win a contest for Speaker of the House, should the Democrats regain the majority in this year’s midterm elections.
First, a bit of background:
Given the coolness towards Pelosi shown by a number of Democrats currently running for Congress (i.e., the people who might return the House to the Dems), Pelosi’s election to the speakership is by no means assured.
But would Pelosi be the best person for the job?
MrMild doesn’t think so, pointing out that under the leadership of Pelosi and Sen. Chuck Schumer, the Democrats have lost the presidency, the House and the Senate. Ouch!
Your Bitemaster has a different take: I’m concerned about her age and that of the other Democratic leaders in the House and Senate.
| Office | Office holder | Age |
|---|---|---|
| House Minority Leader | Nancy Pelosi | 78 |
| Deputy House Minority Leader / Minority Whip | Steny Hoyer | 79 |
| Senate Minority Leader | Chuck Schumer | 67 |
| Deputy Senate Minority Leader / Minority Whip | Dick Durbin | 73 |
Sure, these old folks are still capable of performing their duties, but in order to raise up the next generation of leaders we have to let them do some leading. So, Nancy, hold on to your congressional seat if you like, but please pass the leadership baton to the next generation.
[hat-tip to C. Northocote Parkinson]
“For any other governor in America, this would be earth-shattering,” Cynthia Nixon said on Friday of the corruption conviction of Alain E. Kaloyeros. “But in Andrew Cuomo’s Albany, it was just a Thursday.” https://nyti.ms/2ulJvEA https://twitter.com/NYTMetro/status/1017922651136970753/photo/1
Trump has been attacking Germany and Chancellor Angela Merkel since before he took office. Yet Merkel’s responses have been unnecessarily tame. She should have consulted me.
I have been drinking deeply from the bescumbered river of Trump’s tweets and can state with authority that the following riposte would get his attention:
I slept with Melania and she said that your dick is so small that she needed a magnifying glass to find it, but it didn’t matter since it’s been years since you could get it up.
Source: Ex-NATO Amb. Burns: Trump insults distract from Germany-Russia issue
Thanks to Novobatzky and Shea’s Depraved English, Maledicta, and Jeremy Sherman.
The annual White House Correspondents’ Association dinner featured comedian Michelle Wolf as this year’s headliner. Apparently her jokes caused some controversy.
Donald Trump hated Wolf’s performance, saying she “totally bombed (couldn’t even deliver her lines-much like the Seth Meyers weak performance).” Ha ha! Seth Myers totally killed at the dinner in 2011!
Publications such as The Hill were scandalized by Wolf’s routine, as were several journalists. (They should reread Martin Niemoeller’s famous poem.)
WHCA President Margaret Talev issued a groveling apology to her members. Why? Because her organization handles credentialing of the journalists who cover the White House and she is probably afraid that Trump will take that away from her.
Does it matter? Not really; there’s really no need for credentialed White House correspondents anymore. The latest insight into the President’s thinking doesn’t come from his press office, it comes from his Tweets.
What we need from the mainstream media these days is rigorous analysis, historical context and investigative journalism, which they do . . . passably.
Source: Journalists Push Back On Correspondents’ Association’s Response To Michelle Wolf | HuffPost
In response to Trump’s “zero tolerance” immigration policy, Rep. Maxine Waters called for zero tolerance of Trump administration officials:
And if you see anybody from that Cabinet in a restaurant, in a department store, at a gasoline station, you get out and you create a crowd. And you push back on them. And you tell them they’re not welcome anymore, anywhere. We’ve got to get the children connected to their parents.
Trump predictably fired back, calling Waters “an extraordinarily low IQ person.”
Did Pelosi, House Minority Leader, stick up for her fellow Democratic representative? Not on your life. Instead, she caved to Trump and called for more civility . . . on both sides:
Trump’s daily lack of civility has provoked responses that are predictable but unacceptable.
Pelosi is a coward.
Source: Nancy Pelosi rebukes Maxine Waters for comments on Trump administration
In the biggest primary upset of 2018, powerful Rep. Joe Crowley (D-N.Y.) lost his seat to progressive political newcomer Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Tuesday.
When asked whether she would accept a meeting with President Donald Trump, Ocasio-Cortez responded:
Probably not. I would probably want conditions. I would make demands, I’m not gonna give him a photo-op because he wants it.
She should have said, “I’ll know I’ve really arrived when he attacks me on Twitter. After that, we’ll see.”
Source: Top Democratic Congressman Loses Seat To N.Y. Democratic Socialist In Huge Upset | HuffPost
Now that President Trump has met with Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un and signed some sort of agreement, the world has been clamoring for my reaction to this momentous event.
On the other hand, Professor Hell points out that every time I try to see a plan in Trump’s actions, I’m wrong. And so it goes.
Sanofi’s sleeping pill Ambien has a long list of potential side effects, from dizziness to diarrhea to a midnight food binge. Racism is not among them, the French drugmaker said on Wednesday.
Sanofi responded after Roseanne Barr blamed “Ambien tweeting” for a racial slur against former Obama administration adviser Valerie Jarrett.
“While all pharmaceutical treatments have side effects, racism is not a known side effect of any Sanofi medication.”
Source: Sanofi to Roseanne: Racism Not Among Ambien’s Side Effects – Bloomberg