40 thoughts on “What goes around…”

  3. NYTimes editorial board on the subject:

    President Trump doesn’t use his pardon power often, but when he does, he abuses it for all it’s worth.
    In less than four years in office, Mr. Trump has made a mockery of mercy, doling out clemency to some of the most deplorable people in the country, an alarming number of whom happen to be his friends, while ignoring tens of thousands of more deserving applicants.
    On Wednesday, Mr. Trump once again granted pardons to some of his closest allies: Paul Manafort, his former campaign chairman; Roger Stone, his longtime confidant; and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law, Jared Kushner. These grants, along with 26 others, followed 20 Mr. Trump issued a day earlier, many to a rogues’ gallery of wrongdoers who shouldn’t have been on anyone’s mercy list. These included four Blackwater security guards convicted in connection with the killing of Iraqi civilians, three corrupt Republican former members of Congress and two figures who pleaded guilty as part of the special counsel’s Russia investigation.
    Sure, Mr. Trump has tossed a bone to a few people sentenced under outrageously harsh three-strikes laws, like Weldon Angelos, who got 55 years in prison for selling marijuana while carrying a handgun. But those are the exceptions. In general, if you are not a xenophobic sheriff, a right-wing troll, a homicidal military officer, an old friend or a turkey, your odds of being pardoned by this president hover around zero.
    What makes Mr. Trump’s clemency record even worse is how paltry it is. As the old joke goes, the food is terrible, and the portions are too small. To date, Mr. Trump has issued a not-so-grand total of 94 pardons and sentence commutations — fewer than any president but George H.W. Bush in more than 100 years. He may add a few more to that list, of course, if only by pre-emptively pardoning his lawyers and family members.
    Mr. Trump’s stingy, self-serving approach to clemency is due in part to his transactional view of the law as something to punish his enemies and to protect himself, his friends and his allies.  [continues]

  4. horseyat seattletimes titled his toon and oped “putting ‘the Don’ in Donald”

    It has been clear for a long time that the model of leadership President Donald Trump most admires and seeks to emulate is the mob boss.

    Maybe this comes from years of brushing elbows with Mafia kingpins and lesser thugs while he was expanding his New York real estate empire and buying into gambling casinos. Maybe it has to do with his bromance with Russian President Vladimir Putin, the godfather of the world’s biggest kleptocracy. Whatever the reason, Trump believes power can and should be used for his own benefit. He freely flouts laws that get in his way, expects the people under him to be totally loyal and is quick to seek revenge against anyone who crosses him or betrays him.

    For Trump, the most glorious thing about being a mob-boss president is the unlimited pardon power that comes with the job. [continues]

  5. Maybe the “swamp” he was draining was federal prison…and he was draining the “swamp” of his henchmen, so they won’t rat him out.  Maybe.

  8. No COVID bill signing?  With SFB in Florida to play golf (or rather cheat at golf) will he find time to sign the big budget and COVID bill? Doubts are beginning to be made public.  I am fifty-fifty on this but just to be sure I am preparing to be furloughed for three weeks.

  9. WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives on Thursday aim to win quick passage of legislation providing $2,000 in direct payments to Americans as part of a coronavirus economic relief initiative after President Donald Trump unexpectedly insisted on the provision.

    The stakes in this long-shot bid are enormous, as millions of Americans desperately await some sort of new assistance from Washington in a COVID-19 pandemic that is spiraling out of control in the United States and other nations.
    Late on Monday, Congress overwhelmingly approved an $892 billion emergency coronavirus aid bill that contains a one-time, $600 payment to individuals to help them cope with a U.S. economy hobbled by the pandemic.
    The aid was attached to $1.4 trillion in funding to keep the federal government operating through this fiscal year, which ends on Sept. 30, 2021.
    […]
    But with his warning, he put the coronavirus aid in limbo as well as the ability of the federal government to operate normally beyond next Monday, when existing money runs out.
    […]
    In order to avoid a government shutdown, Congress could keep operations running by passing a fourth stopgap funding bill before midnight Monday. For that option to work, lawmakers would need Trump’s cooperation at a time when he is still consumed by his loss to Biden in the Nov. 3 presidential election.
    The stopgap bill would not include coronavirus aid, however.
    [continues]

  10. the hill:

    […]
    Now, Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.), one of Trump’s most loyal Senate allies, and House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are trying to salvage the $2.3 trillion package, GOP sources said.
    Graham is pushing for a vote on $2,000 stimulus checks, instead of the $600 direct payments in the bipartisan bill, and a sunset of Section 230 in the Communications Decency Act that shields social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter from lawsuits for content posted on their sites. Trump on Wednesday vetoed the National Defense Authorization Act for, among other things, not including a repeal of Section 230.
    A Senate GOP aide said it makes sense for Graham to be involved with efforts to save the coronavirus-omnibus measure given the senator’s close relationship with Trump, who has recently soured on other Senate Republicans.
    […]
    Graham on Wednesday said Congress should vote on language boosting the size of the stimulus checks and Section 230 of the Communications Decency Act.
    “I support President @realDonaldTrump’s demand to increase direct payments for long-suffering Americans to $2,000 per person. And I also support his call to end Section 230 Big Tech legal liability protection. Let’s vote,” he tweeted.
    […]
    McCarthy told colleagues that Trump hasn’t made up his mind about whether to veto the massive COVID relief and omnibus package, which he could hold at his desk until after the new Congress convenes on Jan. 3. If Trump doesn’t take action on the legislation during the 10 days that he’s allotted by the Constitution, excluding Sundays, it would result in a pocket veto and Congress could not vote to override it.
    Instead, lawmakers in the new Congress would have to begin negotiating another package, something leaders want to avoid since it took more than seven months to strike a deal on the bill passed earlier this week.

  11. Boy do I agree with Keith.  But will that happen or will it be Gerald Ford redux?   I sure hope it’s the former. An example needs to be set and it needs to be set NOW. 

  12. wapo:

    House Democratic leadership attempted to advance the measure by “unanimous consent,” but the effort was blocked by Republican leadership.
    Trump has hinted he will not sign a $900 billion emergency economic relief package into law unless these larger stimulus payments are approved. Many Democrats also support the higher payments, while most Republicans do not. But Trump’s late-stage intervention now puts the entire package in jeopardy, and the government will shut down on Tuesday if there is not a resolution.
    House Democrats also blocked a measure sought by Republicans to reevaluate U.S. spending on foreign aid, something Trump also pushed for earlier this week.
    “Today, on Christmas Eve morning, House Republicans cruelly deprived the American people of the $2,000 that the President agreed to support,” House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said in a statement. “If the President is serious about the $2,000 direct payments, he must call on House Republicans to end their obstruction.”

  16. from austinamerican statesman:

    The backstory is pretty simple. Every year in which there is not a pandemic, there’s a holiday party in the White House press room basement. It’s a festive event, and White House staffers usually drop by for some camaraderie. It’s a shame there was no party this year.

    On the other hand, considering the state of relations between the White House staff and White House press corps at this moment in history, there was the possibility the camaraderie would devolve into combat and that presidential communications expert Martha Kumar’s famed and flavorful rum cake would have been sent flying.

    Anyway, the annual highlight of the basement party (in addition to the rum cake) is Clugston’s reading of his poem…..

    “Well, for the first time in more than two decades there was no holiday party in the WH press basement,” Clugston recently said in a note distributed with this year’s version. “Since 1998, you’ve allowed me to read my annual poem at the party, recapping the year’s presidential and political headlines. COVID may have cancelled our party, but it didn’t cancel the poem!”

    Take that, COVID.

    And, my newspaper buddies, take this, courtesy of Clugston, the poet laureate of the White House press room basement. Enjoy and have a safe holiday season:

    ’Twas the night before Christmas and in the White House,
    One creature was stirring, but it wasn’t a mouse.

    There in the Oval, at the desk, in his chair,
    Sat President Trump with a menacing glare.

    Stockings were hung, but the mood was sour,
    As he agonized over the transfer of power.
        
    POTUS dozed off after tweeting a thread,
    While visions of “YMCA” danced in his head.

    He dreamed of the year and all that took place,
    From impeachment acquittal to a presidential race.

    Coronavirus arrived causing sickness and fear,
    But Trump said, like a miracle, it will soon disappear.

    Dozens of Democrats ran White House campaigns,
    Nancy ripped Trump’s speech in a show of disdain.

    “Where is Hunter?” POTUS demanded nonstop,
    While Sleepy Joe – from his basement – rose to the top.

    America wept when George Floyd couldn’t breathe,
    Protesters and looters then took to the streets.
    Trump called in the troops, hoping clashes would stop,
    And he walked through the park to a church photo op.

    A conservative court was supremely complete,
    After putting Coney Barrett in RBG’s seat.

    Birx and the Task Force attempted to teach,
    While Trump suggested injections of bleach.

    After spiking a fever, plus a positive test,
    He flew to Walter Reed for treatment and rest.

    All of a sudden, there arose such a clatter,
    POTUS jumped up to see what was the matter.

    When who should appear at the door with a knock,
    But Anthony Fauci, the NIH doc.

    He wore a gray suit with a blue shirt and tie,
    Standing just five feet, seven inches high.

    With a New York accent, he discussed medicine with ease,
    Diagnosing allergies and infectious disease.

    “Mr. President, sir, I have a favor to ask.
    To help slow the spread, please wear a mask.”

    Throughout the West Wing, the infected, they came,
    As Fauci took notes and called them by name:

    “Now Kayleigh! Now Meadows! Now Hope Hicks and Miller!
    Don’t minimize COVID, it can be a killer!

    “On Kellyanne! On Christie! For crying out loud!
    Keep socially distant and avoid the large crowd!”

    Trump hailed new vaccines and promised protection,
    But was clearly unwilling to lose the election.

    Mail-in ballots were viewed with suspicion,
    As Biden pushed forward his plans of transition.

    Rudy and his team took the battlegrounds to court,
    But all the legal challenges came up short.

    And I heard Trump exclaim, as he walked out the door:
    “Merry Christmas to all! See you in ’24!”

  17. Another round of stimulus checks will keep some afloat for another month, and, it will keep others shopping online…, and, I hope they will use it to support small businesses.
    However, what happens in the coming months? Salaries and hours have been reduced. There will be no cost-of-living raises. The slide continues for most. We need more than a single, stimulus check. We need systemic changes. C’mon, Georgia! We need Ossoff and Warnock to get things done.

  18. One box of Krustaez coffee cake mix
    *Ignore instructions/no oil and no egg

    Instead, do the following:
    1/3 cup unsweetened applesauce 
    1 can of apple pie filling (because I’m too lazy to peel and cook apples this morning)
    Mix applesauce and apples with the cake flour packet
    Grease a 13 x 9 pan with plant-based butter
    Spread out the mixture and top with 1/2 of the cinnamon-sugar packet (unless you loooove sugar)
    Bake for 40 minutes and enjoy a coffee cake/cobbler creation 

  19. Of course if he doesn’t sign anything, it becomes a pocket veto which means given the number of  days left, everything dies and it would be up to the new Congress to start all over again.

     

  20. Merry Christmas to all especially x-r and sweetie.   
    I think if a public policy adversely impacts you you should be compensated.  A lot of people are not impacted financially but a lot of people are.  Why should they bear the burden of keeping all of us safe.   We are bored but we aren’t hungry and we have a roof over our heads and medical care.
    Thank goodness it rained so we also have heat.
    I’m very happy Trump was defeated.  I still have a hard time accepting so many people voted for him.
     
     
     
     

  22. KCG… we too are fine.  We are staying home for Christmas.  Today is     Rick’s birthday…  we usually go out for a nice birthday lunch to a much loved restaurant…   not today.  But we have our health… family is ok… and we are doing ok financially… we are thankful. 
    I too cannot believe all the people who still support the asshole in chief.  I think he could torture puppies and kittens on live television and a third of this country would say it was fake news.   I don’t fully get it.

  25. Happy birthday Rick

    Best wishes to XR & Sweetie

    We are fine here except that Chris works for a contractor on Lewis/McCord so if the big bill doesn’t get signed, he will be off work.  We are fortunate with a roof over our heads and food on the table.  The food banks here in Tacoma are overwhelmed so try to contribute there as often as possible.

    Hope all of your holidays are merry and bright if not as crowded as you might usually have.

     

  29. i see now how joe broke his foot.  having been the victim myself of  overly playful pets running rampant thru the house knee clipping the unwary on their way, it’s understandable how a probable 100+ pound 4-legged missile could trip up even the most cautious and secret service protected.

  30. cbsnews breakdown of GA voters in presidential election indicate that 15% unaffiliated turnout craig told us about might again tilt to biden. hope so./p>

    image001-13.png

  31. time for another culture break from ms. petri at wapo on various authors’ takes on 2020:

    Charles Dickens, “Low Expectations”:

    It was the worst of times. It was the worst of times. It was the season of darkness. It was the season of darkness. It was the winter of despair. It was the winter of despair.

    […]

    Homer, “2020liad”:

    Achilles, swift-runner, remained in his tent for months on months.

     

    He did a puzzle, many-pieced. And another puzzle, of a thousand pieces.

    He forged a sourdough loaf, a loaf of bronze.

    He sat in his tent a long time and did many puzzles

    While beyond his tent the battle raged.

    […]

    Dante, “Inferno”:

    Then Virgil led me to 2020 where there were many working in masks while other people came to them without the masks and shouted about their freedoms, and I asked, “For what are these people being punished?” and he said he did not know, and we walked quickly on.

    […]

    Jane Austen, “Thanks and No Thanks”:

    “That will do extremely well, 2020,” said Mr. Bennet. “You have delighted us long enough. Let the other years have time to exhibit.”

     

    Emily Dickinson, “Poems”:

    I did not — see

    The Voter Fraud —

    That Caught — A Leader’s — Eye

    I wish — I had

    Not spared a Thought

    For such —

    A Villainy.

    Henry David Thoreau, “Still At Walden Hope You’re All Doing Well”:

    How many men live lives of quiet desperation? I assume, lots! I’m still living on my multi-acre property with access to a large body of water and having a great time, but everyone who drops off packages for me looks worried. They should try individualism.

    George Orwell, “Don’t Look at Me”:

    2020 went just about as I expected it would.

     

  33. Several coworkers are either having company from out-of-town or will be visiting those outside of their home pods.  I am not looking forward to what the next two weeks may hold.   I really don’t want to go back to the office.  

  34. Rick says thanks for the birthday wishes.  Saying Merry Christmas now…  we are expecting a huge rain storm overnight with high winds.  We are preparing for a power outage.  We are getting almost 3 inches of rain tonight.  Snow will be gone.  Our generator is ready.

  36. Twitter misspoke. That claim about election fraud is bullshit. 
    Kudos on the KO clip. I wish he knew how to play nice in the sandbox so he’d have a bigger platform from which to speak. 
    so Rick’s a tweener?  Stuck between Festivus and Christmas?  Congratulations on making another year trammeling the grass rather than gazing up at it. 

  37. Well, it’s a little early, but regardless of how, why or with whom you celebrate, Merry Christmas to all of you.  🎄🎅
    I’m medicating myself against this damn cold and checking out for the night. 

  39. So if there is knocking at the door and it is after 10, and it is Christmas eve you might want to answer. Santa is passing out tamales. 
    Life is good.
    Merry Christmas all.
    Jack

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