Prominent Holocaust historian: McConnell is our von Hindenburg. Good thing Godwin suspended his eponymous Law.If the US has someone whom historians will look back on as the gravedigger of American democracy, it is Mitch McConnell.[. . .]Whatever secret reservations McConnell and other traditional Republican leaders have about Trump s character, governing style, and possible criminality, they openly rejoice in the payoff they have received from their alliance with him and his base: huge tax cuts for the wealthy, financial and environmental deregulation, the nominations of two conservative Supreme Court justices (so far) and a host of other conservative judicial appointments, and a significant reduction in government-sponsored health care (though not yet the total abolition of Obamacare they hope for). Like Hitler s conservative allies, McConnell and the Republicans have prided themselves on the early returns on their investment in Trump.

HahahahahahaDonald Trump wrote: œThe Republicans don t win and that s because of potentially illegal votes, which is what I ve been saying for a long time, I ve had friends talk about it when people get in line that have absolutely no right to vote and they go around in circles. Sometimes they go to their car, put on a different hat, put on a different shirt, come in and vote again.

When this shit is over, the media will be giving him their both-sides weasel treatment - "to his critics, he was blah de blah... but to his fans, he was an unlikely derp de derp... and one thing is certain... his legacy... will surely prove to be as divisive... as his presidency." I will vomit.But what a perfect representation of this point in human history he is. Worst of the worst. Straight up irredeemable garbage, presented as garbage. Just in case anybody had any lingering doubts about the raw shittiness of human power structures, here he is to illustrate the point reductio ad absurdum.

curry pervert wrote:HahahahahahaDonald Trump wrote: œThe Republicans don t win and that s because of potentially illegal votes, which is what I ve been saying for a long time, I ve had friends talk about it when people get in line that have absolutely no right to vote and they go around in circles. Sometimes they go to their car, put on a different hat, put on a different shirt, come in and vote again. Its just like œdrain the swamp, It doesn t matter if it s true. It doesn t even matter if he believes it. It only matters if people want to believe it and can huckabee/Conway proclaim it on tv? If so, then it will survive as just another distraction.

This just in, another bombshell:

I don't have TV (watch everything in other ways) but I've had some hotel stays for work recently, and I'll put on CNN in the room. Jesus. People get played so hard. I follow American politics but not via the corporate news cycle. The 24-hr-pay-attention cycle that CNN, Rachel Maddow, etc, perform is business. It's private profit. And it lacks good analysis and perspectives that are freely and widely available so many other places.

Andrew. wrote:Jesus. People get played so hard.Guy in the mailroom at work, we talk politics a lot [*ahem* while strictly complying with the Hatch Act *ahem*]. Smart, thoughtful dude, early 50s, has lived and worked all over and seen things. MSNBC is a staple of his media diet; I don't think I've seen an hour of Maddow, total. We're on the same page far more than not, but the difference in emphasis is telling. The other day he bet me ten bucks that not only will the House impeach, but the Senate will convict. "OK, so we settle up January 21, 2021?" I asked. "No way," he replied, "end of next summer at the latest!" Told him I was not looking forward to taking his money. Turns out I'm the second person in the lab to take this wager.Even public broadcasting here (with notable exceptions) is regularly maddening. Ben Bernanke was on NPR yesterday, and after five minutes of ego massage, the host gives him a happy ending by asking how often people come up to him on the street to thank him for saving the economy. Later in the show, interviewing a Yellow Vest, the same host stammers in befuddlement So...I mean, you got your way on the carbon tax, and you're still not satisfied? I mean, what is it that you want?And these are the non-fake mainstream broadcast media! Half the country gets its news from the Dear Leader himself, either directly or via surrogates!

About six months before the 2016 election, I told my brother (MAGA-hat-wearing, Fox News aficionado) that a Trump presidency would be the end of the GOP, and that he would probably resign by June 2018 if he was elected. I'm still fairly confident in the first opinion.

Happy holidays to my non-essential colleagues! Hope you didn't have any bills due and weren't going to be incurring any unusual expenses. You could always start a GoFundMe. And we know who's gonna pay for the tens of billions in lost economic output from the shutdown, don't we? That's right, MEXICO IS GOING TO PAY FOR THE SHUTDOWN!