A tornado approaching Elie, Manitoba. (from here (en.wikipedia.org))
Senator Charles Schumer isn’t someone I like or respect. Still, I doubt he intended to threaten two Supreme Court justices. Nevertheless, he got so carried away with himself that is clearly what he did.
What’s the story? Schumer made a speech to a pro-abortion mob in front of the building where the Supreme Court was in session. The Court was considering a controversial case (at least to pro-abortion mobs) related to the abortion issue. While making his speech, Schumer put his foot in his mouth. Schumer to Kavanaugh, Gorsuch: You Will “Pay The Price” (realclearpolitics.com) contains both a video and a transcript of his speech. Here are the key words. Judge for yourself.
Inside the walls of this court, the Supreme Court is hearing arguments, as you know, for the first major abortion right cases since Justice Kavanaugh and Justice Gorsuch came…
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Citizen Tom 
Another powerful argument for term limits and occasional cognitive exams.
Tom,
What is sad to me is he was angry about defending the killing of living babies forming in their mother’s wombs.
I asked a woman her views about the women’s argument that they resent men making decisions to deny them their rights to decide if they want to abort.
Her answer was they have a right to choose to take measures not to conceive..
However, once they become pregnant they no longer have rights.
Of course there are always exceptions like rape or incest which is a different issue to consider.
Regards and goodwill blogguing.
Schumer is a creep, but I don’t think this was intended to be a threat (in spite of a bad choice of wording).
Truly, the only reason this is a bad deal is the fact we know how this would be received if a Republican stated the same.
big deal, not bad deal.
@Liz
Remember what they did to Senator Trent Lott? Lott just said nice things about Senator Strom Thurmond at the old guy’s birthday party. The Democrats thought what Lott said was too nice. So they ran Lott out of the Senate.
”Remember what they did to Senator Trent Lott? Lott just said nice things about Senator Strom Thurmond at the old guy’s birthday party. The Democrats thought what Lott said was too nice. So they ran Lott out of the Senate.“
George W. Bush was in the White House and Lott was the Senate Majority Leader. But the Democrats somehow magically ran Lott out of the Senate? Seems a little revisionist.
Trump recently tried to blame Obama for his own administration’s debacles in getting out the COVID-19 test kits. I can only guess that the conspiracy theory on this one will be that Clintons were hiding the test kits in the secret basement of their child sex trafficking pizza parlor. 💩
@tsalmon
With respect to Lott, that is one way to look at it. You insist on psychobabbling. What is the term, the precise cognitive distortion that is involved, when we selectively ignore facts?
With respect to the slowness in getting out the test kits, I have not got a specific opinion. Did not listen Trump’s speech (Don’t live to listen to him.).
I would just observe the obvious. When has Trump had time to reform the CDC? Have not Democrats done all they could to prevent him from implementing his agenda. You are not proud of the resistance? If you don’t want to be blamed for getting in the way, then don’t get in the way.
Here is a write up on the subject:
https://www.city-journal.org/overregulation-of-diagnostic-testing-coronavirus
The CDC does kinda suck. But not as much as the FAA, which is slightly better than the FDA. In order of craptastitude: FDA>FAA>CDC
I wouldn’t say it’s any particular president’s fault.
Yes. When all the fighters keep missing their targets, it’s never the squadron commander’s fault.
@tsalmon
Logic does not work with a faulty premise. Trump’s fighters are usually on target.
Supposedly, the USA is the nation best prepared for this kind of health emergency. It is unfortunate that an excess of regulations prevented much of the testing that should have already been done. Those regs have been waived, BTW.
It is true that when one puts on the boss’ hat, one takes on the responsibility for the plate they’re getting.
So, the best thing to do is acknowledge the problem (in this case regulations), and fix it. Looks like that is what has been done.
Or, one could do a Hillary and just say “I accept full responsibility”…”what are you going to do about it?”…”Hey! I said I accept full responsibility now drop the subject”
Do nothing, and go on as usual.
Liz,
You must not be drinking enough of Trump’s (anti-viral?) koolaid. Trump said that the CDC’s testing was “perfect”, you know like his “perfect” phone calls, his biggest inauguration crowd ever, his best economy in history, need I go on. That’s because our leader is a self proclaimed “very stable genius”. Trump tells us “anyone who wants a test can get a test”. His advisors say that this is really Trump speak for “you shouldn’t want a test”. Our President has to have BS translators for everything he says, even in an international health crisis. This really is hilarious, you know the way a heart attack is hilarious.
@tsalmon
Why are you worried about getting a test for a disease that is a hoax?😕
Does Joe Biden make sense to you?😖
Biden reminds me of the times when they’d make a five year old king (and someone else was in charge).
But I’ll admit Trump’s press conference wasn’t all that.
Joe Biden is screwing up the Trump administration’s poor coronavirus response and messaging?
Thanks to the dismissal of the the vaccine from the likes of Rush Limbaugh, did you know that people in red states were more likely to die from swine flu than people in blues states?
@tsalmon
Do you know what the odds of dying from the flu are?
You are trying too hard to find something to complain about.
Well mister, I know I look to Rush Limbaugh for all my medical decisions and I’ve never died!
(more seriously…I’d have to see the data but there are a lot of other factors that would have far more impact on death rates, decision to get the vaccines and so forth. Including socioeconomic and the big elephant in the room…age)
I was curious.
https://www.fatherly.com/news/map-cities-united-states-highest-anti-vaccination-rates/
Looks like the states with the most anti-vaxxers are New York, Washington, and New Jersey (bet there are a lot in California too).
So much for that.
“Do you know what the odds of dying from the flu are?”
Dying of the flu? Nope, the proximate cause is stupidity.
@tsalmon
Well, since you are so smart, you can do your own research. I just wonder if you think running around calling people stupid about a subject about which you know so little is smart.
Observation: One of the main differences between red states and blue states is that red states are more rural in character. You don’ suppose that has more to do with vaccination rates than Rush Limbaugh. I don’t know the answer, and I doubt we can know. Polling data has gotten less and less accurate. People don’t want to be bothered.
Not sure only the “stupid” die of the flu. Flu vaccines aren’t so effective. Less effective in the elderly (the ones with the highest risk) with immune systems that don’t create a high Ig titer.
Don’t be obtuse. I was speaking specifically to the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic. Apparently, the Republican radio punditry at that time thought the vaccine was a partisan conspiracy by our Kenyan President. In contrast, the antivacs kooks seem less partisan than just a product of the solipsistic tendencies that seem to run rampant in well educated elites across the political spectrum – there just happens to be more of these on the coasts.
@tsalmon
The swine flu goes back to a 1919 epidemic. Every now and then experts worry about a big recurrence. Whether the vaccine would do any good is a guess. Hardly worth calling anyone stupid.
Don’t be obtuse. I was speaking specifically to the 2009 H1N1 flu pandemic.
Ah, you’re speaking specifically of people who died of H1N1 AND were not against flu vaccinations typically, only for that particular year.
And this vaccination came out late, after millions had already been effected. And there was a vaccine shortage initially.
I’m thinking this bunch you’re speaking of is quite rare.
Link to your “proof” please (nothing I need to join to read though, please….if this is really a “thing” such proof shouldn’t be hard to find.
Just thinking further, not sure of the point of this tangent anyway.
The Coronavirus isn’t the flu, and there is no vaccine.
The point? What is “the point” of always blaming and deflecting to Joe Biden, the Clintons, Obama, the media, the various institutional elements of the so-called “deep state” (which always just turns out to be “the state”)? What’s ”the point ” of providing a link to credible news sources when you always just shoot the messenger (because Trump’s Medal of Freedom awardee, Rush Limbaugh, was awarded that honor because he is always a reliable source of truth in journalism … right)? Whenever Trump sails the ship of state up on the rocks, “the point is you always say It’s someone else’s fault. The buck stops everywhere, anywhere but where it belongs at the top with Trump.
Obama used to be criticized for being too calculating on what he said. Here is Trump’s rambling mystification at a pandemic that he felt was in unpredictable despite the fact that, before becoming president, Trump criticized the Obama administration’s actually very effective Ebola handling:
“Well, I just don’t think — I just don’t think that somebody is going to — without seeing something, like we saw something happening in China,” Mr. Trump said. “As soon as they saw that happening, they essentially — not from the White House. I mean, you know, we don’t need a lab in the White House. But they saw something happening.” Sure, but Joe Biden is old and incoherent.
Don’t worry though, the self-proclaimed “very stable genius will cure the virus with narcissism:
“I like this stuff. I really get it,” he said at the C.D.C. on Friday. “People are surprised that I understand it. Every one of these doctors said, ‘How do you know so much about this?’ Maybe I have a natural ability. Maybe I should have done that instead of running for president.”
Yep, maybe he should have failed at that instead.
@tsalmon
Credible news source? For psychobabble?
If all you are going do is list a series of unsupported accusations, what is there discuss?
Did I deflect to Joe Biden, the Clintons, Obama, the media? Not really. You were the one complaining about Trump blaming Obama for the screwups at the CDC. I just pointed out Trump’s statement sort of made sense, given all the “help” and cooperation he has gotten from Democrats. Even in this comment you can’t stop ranting about Obama and comparing him to Trump.
You don’t like Trump? Think he is full of himself? I did not vote for him because I personally like the man. I DON’T KNOW HIM, AND NEITHER DO YOU.
I voted for Trump because I preferred him to the alternative. I preferred where he stands on the issues, I think he is relatively competent.
Do I think you know what you are talking about? No. You are too ready to believe the crony capitalist news media. You need to be more skeptical. They lie. They are propagandists, and deep down I think you know it, but you don’t want to believe it.
Well TSalmon, you brought up Obama and his “wonderful” handling of the ebola situation. Which was not handled well. At all.
I do wish everything didn’t fall back immediately to political posturing. There seem two camps and one is the Trump is to blame camp. Which (as mentioned), with the juxtaposition of the ROK was a lot more prudent (it’s worth noting that the ROK is now being praised for the decrease in incidences one day ago…first time in 11 days there were less than 400 new cases. Goody).
Then, there’s the camp that says nothing to see here….I’m not in that one either.
I think this is going to be a problem. Just looking at the rate of increasing cases, and the way it seems to be spread. And the fact we’ve never come up with a cure for the common cold and this is the common cold virus.
Northern Italy is a disaster right now.
They have universal healthcare and all their tests are free and they are in far worse shape than we are. That’s what they get for listening to WHO recommendations.
This is a depressing thread (original article at the end, can be read through Google translate)
“Crony capitalist news media” – talk about “babble”.
Crony capitalism is rent seeking behaviors that involve a corrupt nexus between government and private interests. Your real complaint about news media isn’t that it ud supported by government, but that it is critical of Trump’s government – a demographic market for credible, factual news information that is increasingly competitive and recently very profitable, or in other words, the good old fashion capitalism of selling us what we want. By comparison, Fox News and similar media are now essentially an arm of the Executive Branch of government where Trump supports them through his elected position and they support him to get reelected, or in other words, crony capitalism.
Other examples of crony capitalism: Trump’s attempt to have the G7 Summit at his own resort, Trump’s record stays at his own resorts during the term of his presidency, Trump’s corporate welfare to farm interests to pay them off for his disastrous tariff policies which now far exceeds Obama’s American automaker bailout package, or how about the Trump administration’s history breaking family nepotism? Even the Republican Re-election machinery is for sale with up to 5-7 percent of the average person’s Republican Party donation going to line the pockets of Trump’s family and for profit making cronies. I could go on and on – the corruption is not even very well hidden any more, and it goes all the way back to Trump’s corrupt inauguration bash.
Do I like Trump? Who cares? You’re right – I don’t know him – just what he says and does. I just think Trump is corrupt and incompetent, and keep giving you examples cause they are easy to find unless one keeps his head in the sand. It’s not like it’s a big secret: married three times, cheated on all three wives (publicly bragged about the first two), paid off porn stars, admitted assaulting women, appeared (clothed thank God) in three soft porn movies, ran and bankrupted casinos, ran meat market beauty pageants, stiffed creditors and contractors, stole from his own charitable foundation to pay law suits and buy portraits of himself, Trump University, questionable loans from Russians, family tax cheating on his inheritance, won’t release his tax returns, and on and on and on.
I’m at a loss as to what you say Trump is doing that you like: the nonexistent Great Wall of Racism, separating innocent children fro their mothers, tax cuts for himself, a North Korea policy where even his former Chief of Staff John Kelly said Trump got owned, ending the war in Afghanistan by declaring defeat and going home, the thriving stock market which he takes credit for only when it’s up, subsidizing farmers and the coal industry to buy contributions and votes, new regressive taxation schemes in the form of tariffs (but if you play political nice with Trump you get an exemption), and on and on?
If you see Trump as your model leader for your dream of a supposed return to Christian culture then it naturally makes me wonder if there must be some other Christ you’ve heard about.
@tsalmon
Your solution to any debate is to attack Trump or Fox or Limbaugh or somebody.
Large corporations own most of the news media. These corporations all have an interest either in getting something out their government cronies or just keeping the government off their backs. Therefore, since politicians fear the news media, owning a news media outlet has value even when that outlet is not especially profitable.
Did Trump attempt to hold the G7 summit at one of his resorts? Gosh! Who knew? Did he keep it a secret?
Did Trump shield American entrepreneurs from the effects of the tariff policies? Gosh! Who knew? Did he keep it a secret? Of course not! And you would be jumping all over him if he had not done so.
Is Trump is stealing campaign contributions? Bull! You just list accusations and never prove any of them. If Trump had been doing that the Democrats and the Never Trump Republicans would have him in jail.
Was/Is Trump a philander? This complaint coming from a Democrat is just too absurd to take seriously. I am suppose to throw away my vote over this? So a Democrat can win?
Anyway, you just go on listing and listing and repeating all the crap you hear on the lying news media. I got a life. If you all want to do is castigate, libel, and slander, we have nothing to discuss.
Tom,
You are the one who brought up derided “crony capitalism” when you should know that Trump openly seeks to become the King of the Cronies. Do you think corruption is more dangerous when it is hidden or when it is out in the open? I think that it is more dangerous when it is out in the open because, like Trump’s attempt to have the G7 at his own resort, it means normalizing corruption.
The whole point of “crony capitalism” is not only to normalize it by doing it out in the open, but to make it legal and to make the actions of those who oppose it illegal. As one Banana Republican dictator put it, “for my friends everything, for my enemies, the law”.
In each of the items that I listed, I didn’t say that Trumps corrupt words or actions were a secret or that they were illegal. Most of his corruption is public record. On many occasions, Trump even brags about it: (the “perfect” letter). How can I be libeling Trump for what he does right in front of our faces? In fact, are you not libeling me by accusing me of libel simply because you choose to ignore, not only blatant corruption, but the outright promotion of corrupt crony capitalism? Since when does the plan for a more Christian form of governing mean following a leader who openly promotes and brags about vice, corruption and all other sorts of narcissistic selfishness, whether it’s legal and open, or he only wishes to make it so?
If you don’t want to discuss this further that’s fine, but it appears this is because you have no answer for the truth that you simply chose to ignore.
TSalmon, I’m reminded of an old joke that goes something like this:
“That’s it. I’m getting a divorce. Can’t take it any more…Mah wife is out. Every night.
Going from bar to bar, until after midnight. It’s drivin’ me nuts. I can’t take it.”
“Well, why is she doin’ it?”
“She’s lookin’ for me”
Context is everything.
I’ve tried to offer context many times to some your partial information, but it is like trying to fight a hydra.
Liz,
That’s fair. The problem is that you think that I disagree about the illusion of trying to bring every complex individual and social corruption issue down to us versus them, black versus white, Democrats versus Republicans, Liberals versus Conservatives, all or nothing ideological arguments.
I’m not making any of those arguments, and as I said earlier, such arguments are a sign of distorted thinking. I fully agree that it is more interesting than binary logic can explain, and context is just one element of what makes it difficult to assign such simplistic solutions to these issues.
I’m not trying to demonize Trump – I’m just showing him for what he unabashedly is and what he has always been. He is not the cause of the complex problems of nation’s increasing drift toward corrupt crony capitalism (or the open acceptance of vice as virtue) and neither are the Dems, but Trump is a symptom and a promoter of this complex pathology, a pathology which is caused by many contributing factors, the way that one unhealthy outcome may be the product of a number of underlying unhealthy factors, some of which may be one’s own unhealthy choices.
The concept of choosing an unabashedly corrupt leader, one whose moral compass swings in the winds of the populism of the moment, is not rational or moral. One can make a good argument against the current liberal cancel culture that destroys people for not living up to some impossible politically correct perfection, and equates the foolish flirting of an old news anchor with rape or sexual harassment. The cure to that cancel culture, however, is not to embrace unrepentant (or in the case of Trump, glorified) corruption just for the sick pleasure of trolling the Libs.
Do you see what I mean?
@tsalmon
That’s fair you say? You are not trying to demonize Trump you say? You explain you are just trying to show him as he is you say? Then you proceed once again with your unending litany of pathetic accusations.
If what Liz said was fair, why didn’t you listen? You use words “skillfully”, but you capture only the conotation. What they actually mean seems to escape you.
“I” did what? Have skillful words? Uh … thanks, I guess.
Why don’t you deal with the truth of the message rather than just shooting the messenger all the time? Or can you handle the truth? 😉
Seriously Tom, do you think that after a lifetime of promoting vice, Trump repented his sins and became what you strangely label as a “Christian Conservative’? Or more likely, do you think he’s just pandering to you until he gets re-elected? Everything about him is a fraud: he was a Democrat until it was a better con to be a Republican, he was for abortion until he couldn’t get your vote without being against it, he is going after LGBTQs accept where he needs a queer to support him, even his complexion and hair is some kind of clownish con job. Is any of that not true.
If you were to re-elect Trump then he won’t need you anymore. How long before you think all the masks come off? You’re so worried about the enemy outside that you let him in your house.
@tsalmon
I did not shoot you. I just said you don’t know what you are talking about. Instead of dealing with the issues, calmly, one at a time, you are doing your level best to harm Donald Trump. Then you have the unmitigated gall to claim you are the messenger? You are being shot? No. You are demanding agreement and not getting it.
Trump is in fact the messenger of the people who voted for him, and all you have been doing is shooting at him. Fortunately, Trump is better at staying alive than the news media is at shooting.
Assuming he wins, will Trump’s second term be different from the first? Could it be different the way you suggest? Not likely.
Consider what Obama did. He doubled down on his agenda, which is what his core supporters wanted. Since Democrats will be out for Trump’s blood (That won’t change.), Trump will have to keep his supporters loyalty in his second term too. That loyalty is what has kept him from being removed from office.
What a president loses in his second term is the possibility of another term. He becomes a lame duck. That fact lessens his influence.
Another thought. Trump has always desperately sought the recognition and appreciation of the New York elite. He has always scoffed at his Christian detractors and considers them idiots. How long after reelection do you think it will take for Trump to do just what your guy, Ted Cruz, thought and, unencumbered by the need for his base, return to the liberal elite fold for the sake of the accolades he craves and can only get there?
OT (or perhaps I should say OTOT, this thread has done off the beaten trail)..
I’m kind of behind the power curve with the toilet paper. I didn’t realize the shelves would be dwindling for…that particular product. I bought a large pack today, and was going to get two but my boys said I “cannot condemn hoarding with the right hand whilst hoarding with the left”. So I refrained. 😆
This video is really funny so I just wanted to share.
Even if I were sick with the wu I would think this is funny.
It would probably hurt a lot to laugh, but I’d laugh anyway:
@Liz
A couple of months ago, and everyone would have wondered, “what is that about?”
Hahaha! Good to see someone keep their sense of humor. Personally, I think Nutella and Ritz Crackers May be worth their weight in Charmin. Here’s one backatcha:
@tsalmon
Shrug!
“Instead of dealing with the issues, calmly, one at a time, you are doing your level best to harm Donald Trump.”
You just don’t get it brother. The issue is corruption. Every issue, even for you.
When you say that public schools are somehow bad, their efficacy over time at equalizing opportunity is secondary to your contention that regardless they are corrupting the nascent minds of children. Am I wrong? Pick an issue that you find important and you eschew the pragmatic argument by making the moral argument determinative every single time. You even deify your moral opinions with selective scriptural quotes. Every argument with you jumps right to some biblical moral absolutism.
And yet, when it comes to the most important moral political decision, who you will elect to represent and lead you in your moral battle against those demonic, even witchy, hoards of philistine liberal Democrats, so-called Christian Conservatives choose to follow a famous, self proclaimed, lifelong libertine. And you don’t see the hilariously tragic irony in this? And you are baffled why other people who are interested in morality keep pointing this toad in your moral punch bowl out to you? 🙂
@tsalmon
The issue is corruption. So I am supposed to vote for a Democrat?
Now that’s funny!
That video was great!
I didn’t know SNL was funny again. 😆
Liz Warren is actually likable…”Not only did I not take money from a billionaire, I got to give one a swirly on live tv”. Priceless!! LOL
Trump has lambasted federal judges, made false allegations against jury members, accused law enforcement of political bias, used his pardon power as favors to his politically contributing cronies, publicly ridiculed witnesses and tried to illegally expose whistle blowers. All this has had the effect of endangering people’s lives and undermining confidence in the legal system Trump is sworn to enforce. Trump constantly attempting to turn us into a banana republic.
Schumer’s language was poorly chosen and he has walked it back, but get serious. The real threat to our constitutional institutions comes from open and spreading corruption straight from the top of our executive branch.
@tsalmon
The solution for all of America’s problems is to make unfounded accusations against Trump?😕
All Schumer did is admit his words were poorly chosen. Then he attacked Republicans for pointing out the obvious, that he had threatened two justices.
Of course he was threatening them. Remember Podesta’s “Wet Works at the vineyard” when Scalia was killed?
@Angel
No.
Ah.
Believe it or not, your comment went into the spam bucket. No idea why.
Anything with Podesta usually does.