This Man Should Not Be President

Been feeling pretty sick the last few days, but I can't say my health improved by reading Trump's "interview" with the NYTimes.  As Charlie Pierce notes, this is the exposure of a man in cognitive decline.  Trump was never a smart man, but he is now a stupid man in serious cognitive decline.

As Ezra Klein points out, Trump also manifests the Dunning-Kruger effect, where the least competent people often feel they are the most competent.  You simply don't know what you don't know.

In either case, Donald Trump - left to his own words and devices - incriminates himself at every step.

And it's still not enough to get Republicans to put country over party.

Change Has A Body Count

Mexico - as a country - has many of the hallmarks of a democracy.  The one thing it truly lacks is the "rule of law," the idea that the law applies to everyone from the weak to the powerful.

Mexico is trying to professionalize their courts and police forces.  The effort is going poorly, but it's really the only hope for Mexico in the long run.

Feeling Like Poop

Here's Josh Marshall, guest blogger.

Abusive Relationship

Martin Longman says that having Trump for a president is like being an abusive relationship.  I think that's not quite right, though the dynamic is at play.

The GOP is in an abusive relationship with Trump.  He is destroying them and everything they stand for, but they will never leave him.  Once he's dead or out of office, they will turn on him, as they mostly did with Dubya.  If the Democrats sweep into control of both Houses of Congress next November, we will start to hear whispers about how Trump was never a real Republican.  Those whispers have already started among the Libertarian/Neo-Con set that never really warmed to him. 

America needs a center-right party to function, though they should be punished for foisting this orange fartblossom on us.  I think 20 years as a minority party in all levels of government should be sufficient to root out the rot.

Disturbing

You have a sitting member of Congress wanting to "purge" the FBI and DOJ.  As Josh Marshall points out, this is part of a broader trend of the Republican party embracing authoritarianism.  As he notes, this preceded Trump, but it is in large part accelerating under him.

Language and ideas like this are why it's so critical that Democrats win control of at least one House of Congress next November.  Someone needs to put the breaks on this frightening movement of one of America's two political parties into the realm of Vladimir Putin's political ideas.

Your Christmas Present

I give you the words of Jeff Flake:

“When you look at some of the audiences cheering for Republicans sometimes, you look out there and you say, ‘Those are the spasms of a dying party,’ ” Sen. Jeff Flake (R-Ariz.) said on ABC’s “This Week.” “By and large, we’re appealing to older white men, and there are just a limited number of them.”

In 2012, the conventional wisdom amongst the GOP was that Romney had failed to turn out enough white, male voters.  Trump managed to max out white men, by appealing to their sense that white men can't have as much fun as they used to, telling off color jokes and grabbing a little tush in the office.  I mean, what's a white guy to do if he can't be an asshole?

The problem is that the more Trump appeals to his asshole base, the more he loses those of us white guys who aren't assholes (I narrowly exempt myself), and energizes, well, everyone else.

Flake again:

“If we continue to go down that path, just to drill down on the base, then I think you have a lot of people realize there’s no future for them in this party,” Flake said. 

There is also the part where older people tend to...well, they die.  And increasingly, people under the age of 40 see no place for themselves in the Party of Trump.

Charlie Dent weighs in - implicitly - on the erosion of democratic norms under Trump.

“Before Donald Trump became president, the litmus test, it was really about the ideological purity and conformity” with Republican ideas, Dent said. “Now the litmus test has changed: It’s loyalty to the man.”

“If I set myself on fire for them, they would complain that the temperature of the flame isn’t hot enough,” the GOP lawmaker said, explaining how Trump was “a factor” in his decision to retire after his term ends next year. “It’s not about ideology anymore, it’s about loyalty to the president.”

If only there was something Dent and Flake could do now to limit Trump's power... If only they held some sort of leadership position in the US Congress...

Racist Is As Racist Does

Donald Trump, Ladies and Gentlemen. 

If we are looking at this era in American politics from the near distant future, I hope we see it as the last gasp of the viability of racist politics.  For years - since Nixon - the GOP has been winning elections by wedding racists with economic elitists.  The election of 2016 was a stark example of the divide in our country between those who feel comfortable living with different people (city and some suburban dwellers) and those who don't (exurban and rural dwellers).  It required a perfect run of luck in a few Rust Belt states.  But Trump has perfectly exposed what the base of the GOP truly is. 

Will it make a difference?

Pay Attention To The Pros

When word came out that Roy Moore was a creepy perv, you saw some fairly quick denunciations from members of Congress.  That accelerated over a week.  Then, about a week out of the election, they began to walk back their criticism (Jeff Flake and Richard Shelby being the exceptions).  My guess is that Moore's polling cratered, but then began to rebound as Republicans "came home."

Right now, GOP professionals believe that the GOP are headed for a "bloodbath" next November.  A lot can change, but we've already seen a lot of announced retirements.  Expect more as we get closer to the summer.  Guys will see what Jeff Flake saw and simply give up the fight. 

The Last Refuge Of Scoundrels

Turtle-American Mitch McConnell gave an interview where he predicted that 2018 would be about bipartisanship.  Of course, some of that is a reflection that he barely has the votes to pass a resolution in favor of apple pie once Doug Jones takes office.  Some is to create a cloak from whence to whine under when Democrats gain a small advantage in the Senate next November.

We have also seen paeans to bipartisanship from Doug Jones and Ralph Northam.  This has created apoplexy in some left-wing circles, because...politicians always speak the truth and never try and spin things?

Bipartisanship is traditionally thought to be popular - and among some Americans it still is.  So what would bipartisan legislation look like?

McConnell says he will allow votes on a DACA fix and Murray-Alexander, which was the price for getting the votes to pass the Kick America In the Nuts Act of 2017.  He will have those votes, and then it will promptly go down to defeat in the House, proving that Jeff Flake and Susan Collins are either dupes or cynics.  Still, from the Senate perspective, look for DACA, CHIP and probably Murray-Alexander to get votes and pass.  Whether they pass the House...

As far as new legislation, they probably need to address the opiod epidemic in some form.  There is, in fact, no good reason why there hasn't been significant legislation to address a plague that is killing tens of thousands of Americans every year, except that the GOP can't govern for shit.

McConnell is positioning himself to be - I can't believe I'm saying this - the moderate in comparison to Paul Ryan.  The House is unlikely to pass Murray-Alexander, though they might take up DACA and CHIP.  Opiod legislation would be popular, but since it would require the government addressing corporate malfeasance by Big Pharma, it will need to pass with Democratic votes.

Ryan can also be counted on to produce a draconian bill to slash entitlements.   Hopefully, he will do so, because you simply can't have too many attack ads.  But that legislation will die in the Senate, if McConnell even allows it to come to vote.

So "bipartisanship" for McConnell will likely come down to deals he made with GOP Senators to get a party-line vote on the odious tax bill to allow votes on popular legislation that will die in the House.

UPDATE: As I was drafting this, I kept getting distracted.  I forgot one obvious area that the Democrats and Republicans could come together: infrastructure.  However, this is CLEARLY a case where Democrats should withhold support unless it's a good bill.  Infrastructure spending is a good thing, and unless it meets Democratic objectives, they shouldn't vote for it, especially if their votes are required for passage.

Susan Collins

Is an idiot.

Checking In On PVI

Cook's Partisan Voting Index is a tool to examine the partisan voting make up of each voting district.  Basically, how much does each district tilt towards Republicans or Democrats.  Some of this can be modified by the powers of incumbency, but waves tend to wash away those powers.  Given how unpopular the GOP's legislative agenda is, I don't think incumbency is going to be a bulwark against the coming blue wave.

Democrats hold an 11% advantage in the generic ballot.  To give you some perspective, Alabama has a PVI of +14 towards the GOP, and Doug Jones was able to eek out a win there.

So, what do we see?  Let's take the PVI GOP +5 districts.  These are districts that barely tilt Republican.  Many of them are in blue states like California, New York and New Jersey.  I think we can count on 80% of those states flipping to the Democrats.  That's 40 seats of the 50 that have a PVI tilt of 5% or less.  I could easily see that number creep up to all 50, but let's keep it at 40.

If we go up to a PVI of GOP+10, that adds 56 more seats. Lets be conservative and say that Democrats win 20 of those. 

That's 60 seats.  Democrats need 24 seats to get the House majority.

On the Senate side, the following states have elections in 2018 that have a GOP PVI of +5 or less:
Arizona (potentially two open seats)
Florida (D-inc)
Nevada (R-inc)
Ohio (D-inc)
Pennsylvania (D-inc)
Wisconsin (D-inc)

What about 10 points?
Indiana (D-inc)
Mississippi (R-inc)
Missouri (D-inc)
Texas (R-inc)

The two most endangered Democrats are Jon Tester (R+11), Joe Manchin (R+19) and Heidi Heitkamp (R+17).  But incumbency has some advantages when the wave is headed your way. 

The "Moderates" Always Cave

TPM walks through the Kick America In the Nuts Act of 2017, and it clearly illustrates the great truth of American politics: the GOP moderates always cave.

Bob Corker, who showed real spine in voting against the bill when it didn't matter, will vote FOR the bill now that it does.  All the while, his concerns about the deficit that allegedly lead to his "no" vote the first time have evaporated, even though the deficit looks to be made even worse by this bill.  There is also a provision that will personally enrich him.  Corker is a prime example of a Republican who talks the talk, but simply can't walk the walk. 

Susan Collins and Jeff Flake are going to vote for it based on nebulous promises from the world's biggest cynic, Mitch McConnell, and then Collins whines when people note that she's getting played by saying she's tired of the cynical press.  We know, for historical fact, that in a similar situation 8 years ago, Republicans demanded that Scott Brown be seated before there was a vote on ACA.  Now, they are rushing this bill through before Doug Jones can be seated.  Gee, Susan, why are people cynical about McConnell?

Here's my question.  This odious piece of plutocratic fellation, will pass in the next few days.  At that point, Flake and Collins lose all leverage.  Maybe Collins could become an independent and caucus with the Democrats, but that's about as likely as flowers in Maine in January.  What happens to Flake and Collins when the GOP ignores their demands?

We've seen time and time again that Republicans are craven before the demands of power and wealth.  They know they are likely going to see major defeats next November, and they simply don't care. 

We are governed by the worst people.

American Plutocracy

The Times notes that the Kick America In The Balls Act of 2017, which will be "rammed down our throats" in the next few days, isn't creating inequality, it is a product of it.  The only people who really want this bill are a slice of the 1% and the Deplorables who will support, simply because "suk it libtards harharhar."

It's not even ALL the 1%, as this video demonstrates.  You have a millionaire somewhat bravely explaining how we have warped the tax code to reward wealth over work.  By the way, "Putting Work Over Wealth" is a nice bumpersticker, Democrats.  You're welcome.

But the donor class is whom this Congress serves.  We've had Republican members of Congress basically say that their donors won't pick up the phone if they aren't showered with money. 

We are governed by the worst people.

The Coming Crisis

All the signs point to the GOP killing the Mueller probe.  They are about to get their precious tax cuts for the super-rich, presumably whatever use they have had for Trump is close to over.  Trumpism has cost them a Senate seat in Alabama and a shot at the Virginia governor's mansion.  Yet, there are growing signs that the GOP is gearing up to delegitimize Mueller's probe by the usual bullshit conspiracy crap that has already turned their party into an intellectual and moral wasteland. 

Firing Mueller would be the Saturday Night Massacre on steroids, and it certainly seems that the Republican Congress is perfectly fine to go along with it.  When Nixon did it, it was the beginning of the end for him.  That is unlikely to be the case here.  Roughly 40% of Americans would cheer them on in eviscerating the rule of law in this country, because libtards suck it harharhar.

I honestly wonder if we don't wind up with political violence on the left if this happens.  That would be very, very bad, as it would allow Trump the opportunity to go full Reichstag Fire.

Suicide Squad

Matthew Yglesias basically says that the GOP is floundering its way off the deep end.  As they get pummeled in places like Virginia, losing the suburban vote.  As they lose narrowly in Alabama, of all places.  As they see their poll numbers decline below head lice...

Their decision seems to be to go "all in" on being shitty.

Tax breaks for billionaires?  What a compelling message to voters!

Ending net neutrality?  People LOVE their cable companies!

Depriving children of health insurance?  Who doesn't love making kids sicker!

Deporting DREAMers?  Who cares about kids (see above)!

It seems the thinking goes something like this: Republicans are likely going to get creamed next November.  They will still have Trump's veto pen, should they lose control of both chambers, so these horrible decisions will stay on the books until 2021.  Maybe they will "sink in" like Obamacare.  Except, no.

The minute Democrats get control of all three bodies of government, you can expect that Kick America In the Ball Act of 2017 to be repealed.  In fact, Democrats (should?) will run hard against it, so I would expect even higher rates of taxation on capital.  Efforts to screw around with healthcare will simply lead to more expansion of health care coverage.  Immigration reform will top the docket.

I guess all these Republican Congressmen who are about to get tossed out of office are preparing a place for themselves in the private sector.  Seven figure annual paydays for selling out the rest of us.

UPDATE: Krugman believes in the K Street angle, too.

The Day America Forfeited It's Claims To Justice

I can't look at this without weeping.

Shivving The Refs

As they quiver in the wake of Alabama's election results, Republicans have to worry about their connection to the toxic politics of Trump.  As Scott Lemieux points out, Trump did not repeal the laws of gravity.  He won because he won an improbably close set of elections in a unique electoral environment.  The specific weaknesses of Hillary Clinton matched up well with the specific strengths of Donald Trump.

Yet, for some reasons, Republicans still feel compelled to defend this Cheetoh colored fart cloud.

The attacks on Robert Mueller's investigation are the latest example of how far Republicans will go to defend the indefensible.  A calm exemplar of this is Andrew McCarthy's piece that gently hints that maybe Mueller's probe is fatally flawed because some of the people who worked for him had...opinions.  The Editorial Board corrects this.  We know, for instance, that FBI agents in the NY office had a very low opinion of Hillary Clinton.  This may have contributed to the email nontroversy, but the FBI didn't file charges in the end, because they are the FBI, not the Stasi. 

In the debate over Al Franken, I've argued that Democrats have to defend our expectations of what we want from our institutions.  The Republicans have become a party of nihilists, wrecking the fabric of our civic life in the pursuit of power in the service of great wealth.  Now they are turning their sights on the institutions of law enforcement.

We are ruled by the worst people.

Read More David Roberts

Roberts writes a piece where he catalogs how the Right has cauterized themselves off from reality, and how that plays out in our institutions.  In particular, he looks at the Al Franken case where the Democrats have held themselves to standards of morality that Republicans reject on some levels. I do think however, the resignation of Trent Franks is a counterargument to the idea that Republicans don't care at all.

What often goes unargued in these pieces is the fact that basic institutions and norms are under attack from Hair Furor on a daily basis.  When Democrats step up and have a liberal lion like Franken resign, they aren't simply clarifying their political message against Trump and Moore (though that helps).  They are also standing up for institutions that don't have sexual offenders in them. 

That's important, too.

Ready! Fire! Aim!

The Democratic Republican party is in disarray!  Trump of course, is claiming he was right all along.  In fact, McConnell and the establishment GOP was right that Roy Moore was unelectable. That won't stop the recriminations from flowing against Steve Bannon's plan to unleash the id of the GOP - naked and foaming at the mouth - upon an unsuspecting electorate.

There were a few reasons to accept a Roy Moore victory - mainly that Republicans would have to spend quite a lot of time defending his presence in the Senate.  A Jones victory brings several positives to the Democrats.

First, any win is precious for a party still reeling from Clinton's loss.

Second, Jones is a reliable vote against Republican legislation in a Senate body that is already a struggle to find 50 votes for an unpopular legislative agenda.  Tax reform might have died last night.

Third, Jones opens the door to Democrats taking control of the Senate next fall.  That would give them subpoena power and the possibility that they could block radical appointees.

But most importantly, Jones' win in crimson Alabama should unleash a war between Bannon's populist wing and the establishment GOP.  To a degree, that establishment is capturing Trump via legislation.  If an open rupture occurs over candidates like Moore, that could greatly advantage Democrats.

My fondest hope is that Bannon leads his moronic followers out of the GOP into a quixotic third party bid for white supremacists. 

Thank You, Black People

Doug Jones just won the Alabama Senate seat.  In some ways, Roy Moore was a win-win for Democrats, as his presence in the Senate would be a millstone around the neck of the GOP.  Doug Jones winning means that the Democrats now have a legitimate chance to at least get to 50-50 in the Senate next November.  The building Blue Wave should protect most Democratic incumbents, and it should result in a win in Nevada.  Arizona and Tennessee are kind of interesting, as is -  don't laugh - Texas.

Doug Jones will almost certainly lose re-election in 2020, because Roy Moore is unlikely to be the Republican nominee.  Of course, my fondest hope and dream is that Steve Bannon looks at how the institutional GOP - guys like Richard Shelby - turned their back on dear sweet Roy and his one Jewish lawyer and that cost him victory in a very tight race.  As of now, the write-ins look to be within the margin of victory.

I think Steve Bannon should form a third party made up of real, gawd feerin Muricans like Roy Moore and run against those DC establishment types.  This is a great idea, Steve.  Start recruiting by Ammon Bundy for Nevada and Joe Arpaio for Arizona to run for Senate on the Murican Party line!  That will show those cucks who's boss!

Anyway... I want to take a moment and sincerely thank black people.  I want to thank you for so many things, not least of all our 44th president.  But I also want to note that it was literally Selma, Alabama's vote returners that pushed Doug Jones ahead of Roy Moore to stay.  (I saw it on Twitter, I don't care if it's true.)  African American voters, especially women, are the reason - the only reason - a credibly accused child molester, a religious bigot, a man opposed to the Constitution, civil rights and basic human decency is not going to be a US Senator.

Fifty-four years ago, Alabama governor, George Wallace, stood in the school house door to oppose desegregation and equal rights.

Today, African Americans stood in lines at the polling place doors to oppose a different but equally poisonous form of bigotry.  Everyone - black or white or brown - who voted for Doug Jones today is a fucking hero in my book.

So, thank you.

Loopholes! We Got Loopholes!

Jon Chait makes a point I've been making.  The GOP Kick America In The Nuts Bill of 2017 is so poorly written, so shoddily put together that it will create a massive wave of tax avoidance that would make the Greeks blush.

Once item of good news: We could get hammered by the end of the SALT deduction (State And Local Tax), but Connecticut could simply change from an income tax to a payroll tax, raise the same amount of money, protect its citizens and the services those taxes pay for....and punch an even bigger hole in the deficit.

My Theory

Jennifer Rubin is ostensibly a conservative blogger at WaPo.  Yet I'm hard pressed to find a more vitriolic anti-Trump voice.  Today, she takes on two targets: the Know Nothing Trump Voter and the media who can't stop going on Cleetus Safaris.  You've no doubt read a few Cleetus Safari pieces, where the intrepid NYTimes reporter heads to some godforsaken, dying mill town and comes back with the revelation that white people who don't know shit about shit voted for Trump.

What Rubin explores at the end of her piece is the counterpoint.  For every embittered WWC male who blames his lack of employment on coloreds instead of Wall Street there's a pissed off suburban woman or two who has had enough. 

It's been interesting to see the divisions on Twitter and blogs about Franken stepping down.  Roughly there are two schools: "He had to go, because you can't tolerate that behavior" and "How come only our guys are held accountable, why don't Democrats play hardball."  The calculus of jettisoning Franken is driven, I think, by the anger among a very sizable portion of the population and one that could swing dramatically in Democrat's direction.  Roy Moore, should he win tomorrow, becomes a cudgel for Democrats to pummel the hypocrisy and greed for power at the expense of decency of the Republican Party. 

Rubin - who was an avid supported of Mitt Romney - is one of millions of Republican leaning women who are abandoning the GOP in the Age of Trump.  If Democrats catch a wave next November, it will be on the wind of millions of angry sighs from exasperated women.

Not Quite Surrounded

Very good article about the long standing prevalence of white supremacists and authoritarians in America.  However, I don't like the word "surrounded."  This is about 27-35% of the population that has managed to distribute themselves advantageously around the country.  I'm hopeful the actuarial table carries most of them away, but they will always be there.

Le Sigh....

Time for the monthly "Democrats Are In Disarray" story from a major news source.  Democrats have always been a fractious bunch, but the idea that they don't have a coherent message is irrelevant.  My comment below the story:

Here's a question: Why do Democrats need one message? Why shouldn't a Democrat running in a Philly suburb run on one thing, and another in rural Nebraska run on another? Why shouldn't one candidate stress economic fairness while another focuses on criminal justice and immigration reform? That's not to say the latter candidate isn't for economic fairness, too, but rather each candidate should run an authentic campaign for them and their constituencies.

I don't see why Democrats need to produce one bumper sticker for Arizona and Upstate New York simultaneously.  Stand for economic fairness.  Stand for minorities.  But until you have a presidential candidate, you don't need a national message.  You need hundreds of local ones, providing they fit within the bigger tent.

Lies And The Lying Liars Who Tell Them

Al Franken began his political career by writing about the mendacity of the Right Wing Wurlitzer in the book with the same title as this post. 

How sad that the day he had to resign saw this little nugget from the WaPo.  Trump is a profoundly, profoundly dishonest person.  As the story notes, he is also a liar who uses his lies to be cruel and belittle people.

I'll say again and as many times as I need to.  Donald Trump is the logical end point of two decades of the Right creating a narrative about the world that is false and divisive.  The tax "plan" worming its way through Congress is proof enough that the entire Republican Party lives in a world of lies and ignorance.

Sorry, Comity Police, but that's just how it is.  And, no, David Brooks, it wasn't caused by Trump.  It has been there all along.

FFS Alabama

Roy Moore like Vladimir Putin more than Ronald Reagan.  While the Cult of Reagan is ridiculous, it appears to be dying.  Many have quipped that Reagan would be called a RINO by today's Republicans, but this is an amazing quote.

I haven't heard anything, but it's an appalling missed opportunity if Democratically aligned independent groups weren't trying to convince Alabama Republicans to write-in ANYONE but Moore.  They should've thrown resources behind Lee Busby.  All they need at this point is about 10% of the electorate who can't vote for either guy, but might vote for Moore because of the R next to his name, to stay home next week.  Or vote for a write-in. 

There is an excellent chance that Roy Moore becomes a gift to Democrats as a foil, but there is another argument.  I think Franken had to resign, because he had lost public confidence.  Some Democrats are pissed, because Trump is still in office despite doing much worse.  But Democrats need to be the party that stands for the institutions of this country.  That means Franken needed to go and Roy Moore needs to be defeated by any means necessary, including a little ratfucking. 

Russianalia

There are little snippets coming out seemingly every few hours.  This piece of the timeline. That meeting is clarified. 

I have to confess, I'm struggling to maintain interest in the arcane sub-details.  I can only imagine how others feel.

Some of this is just journalists obsessing over the evolution of a story.  I'm already convinced of Trump's guilt, so what do I care about an additional damning detail about who emailed whom?

Still, I don't think it's having as a big an impact on average people as Trump's own outrageously shitty behavior is.

Franken

I get torn back and forth on the saga of Al Franken.  His behavior was demeaning and inappropriate, if every word is true it's perhaps a little worse than that.  He denies that all of the allegations are true, but the pattern for people who harass is pretty clear - it's never a one time thing. 

Ana Marie Cox makes a solid point that men like Franken aren't being denied due process, because they aren't being charged with crimes.  They are losing their jobs, and people lose their jobs for non-criminal reasons all the time.  Franken and Conyers held jobs of public trust, and their behavior violated that trust.

The fact that Trump remains president and Roy Moore stands a very good chance of becoming the next Senator from Alabama is, of course, troubling.  I get people who say that this "isn't fair."  Why should Democrats hold themselves to a higher standard? 

Probably because someone has to.  Right now, the Republican party is clothing itself in ignominy.  They are tolerating a mentally incapable, emotionally unstable serial predator as president.  They are likely about to welcome a pedophile into the Senate.  Their legislative agenda is morally outrageous, stealing from the sick to give to the rich.

I think a lot of Democrats feel that there will never be a reckoning for men like Trump.  There's ample reason to feel that way, looking at the last year and a half.  However, the reckoning always comes.  It may not feel like it, but eventually the hammer falls.

I have to believe that.

Survival Mode

Martin Longman makes an important point (of course).  Trump's rash decision to move the embassy to Jerusalem is going to get people killed.  Israelis and Palestinians will die, as the violence has already started.  But Americans will die, too.  My family is considering a trip to Europe this summer, and I've wondered what our reception would be as Americans.  And then there's North Korea.

Trump is a dangerous, unbalanced man.  He is mentally and cognitively impaired; he will never grow into the job.  He's a compulsive liar.  He's a dangerous narcissist and sexual predator.

So the idea that it's "too soon" to talk impeachment seems dangerously complacent.  Obviously, it is beyond unlikely that Trump will be impeached or removed from power, especially with the current Congress.  Even if Democrats capture the House and have the votes to impeach, it will be impossible to convict in the Senate without Republican votes.  That doesn't absolve Congress from their responsibility. 

Republicans have already demonstrated that they won't do a damned thing to hold Trump accountable.  At some point, Democrats need to go to the barricades.  They need to stop pretending that this is a normal difference of opinion.  This fecking lunatic will get millions killed, and anyone who doesn't work now to make it plain that he doesn't represent them should be held complicit.

Bring It On

Trump's decision to recognize Jerusalem as Israel's capital is a terrible, terrible idea.  It will inflame the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lead to increased animosity towards America in the Arab world.

What if that's the point?  One theory about Trump is that he's an expert at distraction.  With Mueller circling, why not create a crisis?  If Americans die in a terrorist attack that is a retaliation for this...doesn't that justify all of Trump's virulent anti-Islamic statements?  Don't you think Trump is secretly craving a 9/11 of his own?

Or maybe, he's really just good at distracting himself.  Maybe he wants to do all these crazy things - most of which are touchstones of the Far Right - to prove that he's a big boy president who can do big boy things.

I don't know which is more depressing.

Oh, and fuck you, Republicans, for saddling us with this bloated orange meatsack.

Populism

Catherine Rampell does a nice sketch of the rise of populism and the betrayal of right wing populists by the current GOP.  Essential to this - and Rampell catches it - is that populism is ultimately on some forms about scapegoating.  Even the populist left is guilty of this, in that much of their thinking is simplistic on many issues.  The right is not only guilty of scapegoating, but their targets are inevitably those who can least defend themselves.

The Enduring Mystery Of Our Age

Apparently, Mike Pence was open to staging a coup against Candidate Trump in October of 2016.  But, you know, he didn't.  Mr. Potter Cosplay Enthusiast Orrin Hatch basically confirmed the new Republican Party mantra: We're OK with pedophiles, as long as we can eviscerate the social safety net.

Basically, within a year Trump has ripped any spine or moral compass from the GOP (providing any existed in the first place).  He has exposed to anyone who cares to watch that all the worst things that Democrats have been saying about Republicans - they hate women's sexual freedom, they hate the poor, they hate minorities and immigrants, they serve the rich at the expense of the public good, they don't know how to govern - are all accurate representations of the Grand Old Party.

What is so damned mystifying is why Republicans allowed this to happen.  Why didn't they find a way to replace Trump on the ballot?  And now that he's president, why don't they simply boot him to the curb and replace him with Mike Pence.  Pence will sign everything Trump will sign and he'll stay off Twitter in the interim.

That's why a Doug Jones victory could be so bracing.  Right now, I think Roy Moore win the election.  And that just continues to prove John Oliver's joke that "Nothing matters anymore."  But if Jones can win, it shows a dramatic limitation to Trumpist politics.  And perhaps facing imminent electoral doom, Republicans will finally get off their ass and rid the country of the incompetents, traitors and crooks who currently occupy the West Wing.

War Pig

Jon Chait notes that Republicans have declared war on economics.

I think we can expand that to war on mathematics.

And climate science.

And pluralism.

And Hispanics.

And women.

And African American voting rights.

And the idea that police shouldn't kill people for no reason.

And Islam.

And legal marijuana.

And the idea that pedophilia is bad.

And children's health insurance.

And everyone else's health insurance.

Oh, and North Korea any minute now.

Hot Enough To Stretch Metal

I want you to read this shit and get back to me.

Gosh!  We don't have enough money to give those undeserving, lazy children health insurance, because we had to shower money on the 1% in an estate tax cut. 

I mean....ARRRRRGH.  We are talking about goddamned kids here!  And they are the "undeserving poor" whereas some moronic crotchspawn like Eric Trump deserves a few million more than he might otherwise get?

Socialism never sank deep roots in America for a number of reasons, but if it does gather steam - and it's already pretty popular among the Yutes - it will be because these fuckwads passed the steaming pile of dogshit the other night.

Go To The Mattresses

Loathsome human-turtle-snake hybrid Mitch McConnell thinks that Democrats would be fools to shutdown the government over DACA.

They would be fools not to.

Right now, most of the country is on their side on both the tax bill and the Dreamers.  But the Democrats have very little leverage to force change except through government shutdowns and debt ceiling votes.  Since Republicans control all branches of government, they will very likely be held responsible for any shutdowns or debt crises.  Democrats have to hang tough here. 

A lot of the "analysis" of the tax plan was that it was a "win" for the Republicans - even if it was an odious POS bill that funnels more and more money to the richest Americans.  Democrats and their supporters need a "win," too.  DACA should be that win.  It's popular, it's doable and it's worth it.

Plus - and I can't believe I'm saying this - Democrats shouldn't be afraid if shutdowns or debt defaults cause economic pain.  It will wind up hurting the Republicans.  And right now, purging the system of the sort of people who raise taxes on grad students so they can cut them on private jets is more important that GDP growth over the next few years.

Well, They Did It

Under cover of night, they went and passed an atrocious giveaway to the 1% that will likely hurt a great many poor and middle class people before all is said and done.  We don't even know all the crap they piled in there.  Maybe it gets better in reconciliation, but I can also see the House simply pass the Senate bill.

Next time any Republican (aside, I guess, from Bob Corker) talks about the deficit, you can go ahead and punch them in the throat.

Kakistocracy, An Ongoing Series

Today, possibly...probably...the GOP Senate will vote on and perhaps pass a major overhaul of the nation's tax code.  And they have no real idea what the hell is even in it.

When Democrats were passing the ACA, it took a full year.  There were numerous hearings, votes, amendments - remember the Cornhusker Kickback?  That was both added and then subtracted from the final bill through the amendment process.  It was sausage making at it's finest.

What the GOP is doing is political malpractice.  They are cutting taxes without any idea what the possibly side effects might be.  They are punishing grad students, teachers... you know, Book Learners...because they are just atrocious people.

It's so baffling, as there is clearly a tax bill out there that could be popular (this one isn't) and could pass with broad bipartisan support. 

We are currently ruled by the absolute worst people in America.  That's not hyperbole.  They are going to take healthcare away from the working poor so that they can give billionaires more money.  They are the worst people in America.