Congratulations to our resident New England Patriots fans for what must be one of the most amazing comebacks in sports history. Must say I had checked out after Lady Gaga to watch Mercy Street on PBS, thinking the Pats had blown it. Tuned in the last half hour for the stunning turnaround.
Yes, Craig…. they won the fucking Super Bowl!
YEEEEEEEH AAAAAW!!!
COOOOOEEEEELLLLLL!!!!
Congrats Renee.
Hate the result myself. The cosmos doesn’t owe me squat, but you’d think I could get a little bit back from the shit I’ve put up with over the last four months.
Ah well. Gonzaga is still unbeaten and #1 in the AP poll. Looks like they might be on the inside track to a #1 seed in the tournament in 5 weeks. My Dodgers are loaded and healthy at the moment and poised for a run at a 5th consecutive NL West title and just maybe that elusive World Series. And my Raiders are back baby!
Make that 4 records. Brady’s the only 4 time MVP.
A tip of the hat to the Falcons…. They played a good game.
congrats to pats fans on the trail.
like travis, I too had hoped for a parade down peachtree st. with a lot of im-peach balloons and posters carried aloft amidst many pointed middle fingers at you-know-who; but, alas, we now have to put up with him bragging about the win and bringing the next bowl game to w. palm bch. so he can just look out the MaL window to see it.
he’s not only taking credit for winning pop vote, the economy recovery and the good jobs stats, now he crows he won the super bowl too. bet he immediately brings the team to the wh so he can tell them how great he is and do photos hugging brady… probably make them wear his dumb hats.
btw, mercy street was terrific last night. hope you guys who watched the game/ads instead get to see the reruns later in the week. just the historical detail on medical knowledge and treatments is worth watching aside from the well done acting and script.
What a show last night. Congrats to all. Lady Gaga IS that high flying asset that trump was referring to when he met Obama in the WH.
trump might be a winner, but he is no leader. We saw a lot of rich people winning last night, but it a game….not our lives like today. We have no leadership, just thieves.
and about those ads
daily beast:
Super Bowl Ads Celebrate Multiculturalism, Take on Trumpism
This year’s crop of Super Bowl commercials presented poignant narratives tackling immigration and pluralism—two things that President Trump is very much against.
and
https://youtu.be/LhP5sDUnF6c
and another that got nixed and “fixed” by faux & co
usatoday: 84 Lumber website crashes after commercial about immigration
….it was hardware chain 84 Lumber that really brought immigration to the forefront this year. It also caused Twitter to explode with commentary on immigration and the company’s website went down amid all the attention. It’s back up now.
The full commercial won’t appear on television during the big game after it was rejected by Fox. The full ad, which is nearly six minutes long, is available on the company’s Twitter account.
here’s the full one fox wouldn’t run
Watched Mercy Street and echo all the above praise. Caught the last play of the Super Bowl. Made me grouchy but have to hand it to the Pats for fighting back. It snowed last night. It has been ages since we had a snow that would stick in Tacoma.
That Michigan guy is pretty good at QB. 🙂
Had to check in and say WOW! Well done Pats, what a game. #1 son & partner came over and we ate tons of food. He left in the 3rd quarter and as he was leaving I teased: well, if you go now you’re going to miss the greatest comeback ever! I love being right LOL! We spent much of the 4th quarter on the phone.
And now boys and girls…get ready…SPRING TRAINING begins this month too!!!
Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Better late than never.
I finally dragged myself out of bed and downed a couple mugs of coffee.
I know Bill Maher joked about how we’ve politicized everything…. including football games… I largely ignored it. I’d be willing to bet that every owner of all 32 teams was a frump supporter… after all, they’re all billionaires.
Already ordered our championship sweatshirts! Now I’m gonna listen to Boston sports talk radio… it’ll be fun for me… 🙂
Patd, Jamie — yes, doesn’t seem like Mercy Street gets near the attention it deserves. Phenomenal show, one of the best Civil War depictions I’ve seen. Although I am generally squeamish about hospital dramas they keep the gory stuff to a minimum. However, could have done without the catheter scene.
Off to Orlando soon, will be offline rest of day. Going to VA with dad for a checkup this afternoon.
Enjoy your joy, RR. Politics aside.
I am always amazed when I see someone just by shear will changes an outcome. When LeBron James came back from a 3 game deficit and now this. Wow
RR -there is nothing like snatching victory from the jaws of defeat – the best fan high and to have it happen at the Superbowl — nobody has it better than you*!
*a little Jim Harbaugh humor 49’ers should not have fired him
Like I said to my M-I-L, don’t bet against Tom Brady.
Have to click on the photo to turn it right side up, but that sort of goes with the song. lol
putin the terrible demands that b.o. apologize. It’s just a p.r.* gimmick. They must be sliding in the ratings.
*p.r. = putin republicansky
Craig…. enjoy your father and Toby.
KGC… yup… the 49ers NEVER should have fired Jim Harbaugh.
Pogo… I thought they were going to lose when the score went 28-3… next time I’ll follow your advice.
xr
for a minute there I though you meant Pussy Grabber was asking Obama for an apology…
Can’t wait for OReally to explain – have you noticed how all the creepy rightwing crud are abusers of women
From a non-exercise level it looks like Mr. Peebody upped his impeachment a few months with his equivalency of Putin killing off critics, opponents and journalists and the U.S. not doing the same. Those whispers around the Capitol are getting louder and less contained. We can assume that he will never step down so only a couple of involuntary removals remain. Article II or 25th Amendment.
kgc, I’ve noticed in some cases their female “creepy rightwing crud are abusers of women” also
The last 3 major U.S. sports championships were all lop-sided advantages overcome by the trailing team, defying probability and requiring the maximum amount of time to complete. How convenient for advertisers! Certainly not rigged.
The GOP won’t throw out a perfectly good puppet. Especially considering all that effort is better expended drafting executive orders for him to sign, because apparently he’ll sign anything you put in front of him.
why aren’t the guys who caught the ball…. like Edelman fer inst… given as much praise as the trumpster who threw it? it takes two you know. maybe 3 or 4 or a whole g*damn team sometimes to make the quarterback pretty boys look good.
have you noticed how all the creepy rightwing crud are abusers of women ? – Ms Cracker
Pussy grabbers
Money grubbers
Gun toters,
Poison promoters,
Airtime hoggers,
Lynch noose carriers,
Lie flingers,
War mongers,
Responsibility shirkers,
Terrified by horses, stairways, disagreement, & shadows.
Make America Greet Again
Three Weeks of Chaos in the trump Swamp :
America Farced !
Boy Howdy Pussy Grabber said he didn’t know what he was signing when he appointed Banhim to the NSC but not to worry he is completely in charge bigly
Wait….Travis is a Dodgers fan, too? Excellent! 🙂
kgc, thanks for alerting us to that. here’s a recap of it and more on intramural mess in wh from new York mag: Trump Not ‘Fully Briefed’ on Order That Gave Bannon NSC Role: Report
The Times reports that in response to the chaos of the first few weeks, Trump has directed his chief of staff, Reince Priebus, to implement a more orderly process for executive orders — including having the president looped in “much earlier in the process.” And the sloppily executed travel restrictions aren’t what’s bothering the president:
Many interpreted that to mean that Bannon made himself a regular on the National Security Council Principals Committee and Trump didn’t realize it until after he’d signed the executive order. But it’s not clear what Trump is angry about. Thrush retweeted a remark from Time’s Zeke Miller that suggested Bannon did tell Trump about his new NSC role before the order was signed [….]
Time’s Bannon cover story notes that the president added his CIA director as a regular attendee of NSC meetings:
It’s possible Trump was angry about the omission of Pompeo, not Bannon’s elevated role. Either way, it’s incredible that Trump may have signed an executive order he didn’t fully comprehend and that someone was willing to leak that to the press.
btw re bannon, last week us news and world report wrote:
President Donald Trump’s appointment of his senior adviser Steve Bannon as a member of his National Security Council’s principals committee may require the approval of the Senate, but the appointment is so unusual the law regarding the Council has never been tested.
“Obscure law requires Sen confirmation for WH aide like Bannon to serve on NSC,” Jonathan Alter, a Newsweek columnist and MSNBC contributor, wrote on Twitter Monday night, pointing to a line in the U.S. code that defines the council’s membership. [….]
Whether Bannon really requires Senate approval depends on the language of Trump’s presidential memorandum naming him to the committee, and whether the principals committee is subject to the same rules as the Council itself.
U.S. Code 50, section 3021, defines the members of the council as the president, vice president, secretaries of state, defense, energy and “the Secretaries and Under Secretaries of other executive departments and of the military departments, when appointed by the President by and with the advice and consent of the Senate, to serve at his pleasure.”
[….]
“It doesn’t require Senate confirmation to serve on the principals committee, which isn’t part of NSC as such,” wrote Laurence Tribe, a professor of constitutional law at Harvard University. “The role Bannon has been given is crazy and dangerous but it doesn’t seem to violate any law, though it probably should.”
tho’ there may be many negatives about him, at least he deserves a great big atta boy for this which hasn’t been reported much:
President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee, Neil Gorsuch, on Tuesday night called former President Obama’s nominee, according to multiple reports.
Gorsuch made the call to Merrick Garland immediately following the announcement of his nomination “out of respect,” according to an NBC News reporter. [the hill]
also consider cnn story: Neil Gorsuch in 2002: Merrick Garland ‘grossly mistreated’ by Senate
Gorsuch in his 2002 essay referred to the lengthy nominations of Garland and Roberts to the US Court of Appeals in Washington DC.
“Both were Supreme Court clerks. Both served with distinction at the Department of Justice. Both are widely considered to be among the finest lawyers of their generation,” he wrote.
Still, their nominations languished.
“So much for promoting excellence in today’s confirmation process,” Gorsuch wrote
Trump blames Obama holdovers for the leaks ….
so it’s all Obama’s fault ..everything Trump has done is because Obama did it
cnn: Martellus Bennett skipping White House visit: ‘I’m not going to go’
“I haven’t thought about it. I am not going to go,” the New England Patriots tight end said. “I can elaborate later on in life; right now I am just trying to enjoy this … People know how I feel about it, just follow me on Twitter.”
Bennett added that he is “not really worried” about potential backlash over skipping the White House visit from the team’s owner, Robert Kraft, and said that he and his teammates avoid talking politics in the locker room.
“You just don’t bring that to work. We all have our beliefs. We accept people for who they are,” he said.
[…]
Bennett is an outspoken supporter of the “Black Lives Matter” movement and has slammed Kanye West for meeting with Trump in December.
“So Kanye didn’t take the time to vote. And now he holding on to Trump’s coattail like Peter Pettigrew to Lord Voldemort. Kanye Pettigrew,” Bennett tweeted.
Reports from McDill AFB that the floater has told the assembled airmen that the media is now hiding from the public lots of terrorists acts happening in the U.S. You may have one happening in your neighborhood right now and not know it. The guy is off the charts bananas and living in his own alternative universe. Time to put a net on him and reel him down to this planet. Would Pence be worse? Possibly, especially that he would be given free hand to change things to his liking.
Corey – Indeed! I have been a Dodgers fan since 1975, shortly after Charley Finley began selling or trading off my beloved Oakland A’s 3-time WS champs. I needed a new team because so many of my guys went to the Yankees, and since my mom was a Giants fan and I absolutely refused to become a Giants fan, I went totally opposite her just to be an ornery little cuss. Becoming a Dodgers fan came with that added bonus of having yet another reason to hate the Giants and the Yankees. 🙂
I don’t really hate the Yankees all that much anymore. I did grow up a little. But don’t ask me about the Giants…I haven’t grown up that much and still hate them.
I wondered if anyone from the winning SB team would skip the WH visit. Now we know there’s at least one. I like what Martellus Bennett said about not talking politics at work. Wish I could figure out how to avoid it too.
We’ve discussed in the past the nature of work and what to do about increase in population vs decrease in employment. Here’s a little more data to add to the mix.
Here’s What Happened When Sweden Tried To Implement A 6-Hour Workday
Corey
Travis and I bleed Dodger Blue as well. Their various marital discord problems of the owners have sort of made them the Housewives of Beverly Hills of baseball teams, but it is California and lifestyle arrangements will be made. lol
BB, and is he having Sean Sp(liar)icer push all those terr’ist acts out into the media? If so I haven’t noticed. Note to the orange guy – put up or shut up.
Here in Minnesota we remember the 25,000 fans whose heads were exploded last year in terrorist attacks committed by the timberwolves basketball team.
Oh, the humanity. Oh, the humanguish.
Not only have humor and politics been replaced by surrealism, football has too.
Oh, the humonguity.
Pussy Grabber claims the media is keeping things from us..why doesn’t he just tweet those things
The YUGE number of terror attacks hidden by the MSM isn’t just Trump’s brand of crazy. This has all the markings of Stevil BananaNazi. It started with Kellyarse ~mis-speaking~ about the Bowling Green “massacre” that wasn’t. They are going to keep floating this line of bull with the hope it will take root…or maybe as a distraction. What are they doing quietly that they don’t want us to notice ? Anything?
darn, we’re having to get a room at VA hospital. Dad’s got double pneumonia.
Or maybe they meant all of shootings at schools, malls, etc. Home-grown terror, armed with the assistance of politicians bought and paid for by the gun lobby. No…those get covered until something shinier comes along.
Craig
Hope your Dad gets well soon. I am imagining him home with Toby healthy and happy
Same
Poobah, best to your dad. Hope the antibiotics do the trick.
Flatus, did you catch the CLE-Washington game? Really great win for the Cavs with LeBron out in the 1st minute of OT. If not, go to ESPN.com and catch the highlights.
We send our best wishes for a swift and sure recovery for Pop Crawford.
– Xrepublican & Sweetie
nra terrorism.
craig, dad been hanging with geo h w ? secret bromance going on?
tell him we’re thinking of him and sending strong recovery vibes.
analysis of what’s behind media not covering terrorism stories from wapo:
There’s a concept in interactions with the press called “working the refs.” The idea is that it’s worth paying attention to trying to shape the coverage you receive before you receive it by offering criticisms that hopefully push the media where you want. Trump’s point about the media not reporting on terror attacks wasn’t necessarily that he thought the media was burying stories — though it very well may have been. Spicer, at least, was smart enough to understand that this was an opportunity to get the media to run with a lengthy list of terror attacks that, he hoped, would reinforce Trump’s broader message that terror attacks were a constant threat that demanded a strong response. Spicer, in other words, hoped to work the refs.
The problem with this effort is that it’s both transparent and irrational. Should the media write dozens of stories about terror attacks in Egypt in which a couple of people were wounded? Notice that in the first 25 attacks listed above, only three were in America. In none of those three was anyone killed.
with his list, he wants to divert the media from his own personal terrorism (on the environment) like the Dakota pipeline and this from wapo:
Trump tried and failed to build a wall in Ireland. That could mean big trouble for Europe.
Awaiting the morning glory and spotted this about Sarkosy. I would love to think that time wounds all heels and voila!
We can hope this will happen with the trump tower trash. Unprepared and without a mandate or popular vote, the stooges in the WH grasp onto old gop ideals, otherwise known as how to punish the women and humans of color.
Obama is such a great actor. So good, trump thinks Obama likes him.
Elder Crawford…sending you healing energy, a breath of clean air. Rest-up.
flynn son started the fake news of pizzagate and now anonymous takes down child porn sites. fake vs. real….the new political fight. Alternative facts in the alternative universe of the trump tower trash or the reality of the America in which many of us have been residing in for decades? Fake news? trump is pure bad news.
trump’s war on science continues and the WH energy plan? No solar! Again, no election mandate on taking us back to creationist times of GWB whom trump skewered during the primary shows. This is a massive disruption to our political system and the old US of AA will drop like a dud bomb on the international stage. trump is taking us down. Billionaires without borders playing RISK and not playing very well at all.
huffpo:
RANCHO PALOS VERDES, CALIF. ― Hillary Clinton may have lost her presidential bid, but she has not stopped being a present and vocal advocate for women and girls.
In a new video, which opened the MAKERS Conference in Rancho Palos Verdes, California on Monday night, Clinton told a room full of women: “Despite all the challenges we face, I remain convinced that, yes, the future is female.”
The former secretary of state went on to praise the Women’s March as proof of that future, speaking about the power the D.C. march and its sister marches had to spur millions of people ― many of whom had never marched before ― to action.
“Just look at the amazing energy we saw last month as women organized a march that galvanized millions of people all over our country and across the world,” Clinton said. “We need strong women to step up and speak out. We need you to dare greatly and lead boldly. So please, set an example for every woman and girl out there who’s worried about what the future holds and wonders whether our rights opportunities and values will endure.”
Clinton wrapped up her video with a reminder to all women: “Remember, you are the heroes and history makers, the glass ceiling breakers of the future.”
watch for twit to tweet about sending her to jail again. am sure they’ve weighed the distraction value that would be to take the spotlight off their disorderly conduct.
I watched a couple from Kentucky on tv explain ‘why’ they voted for trump because he will bring back jobs. Hmm…how is that millionaire, tea party gov doing in Kentucky? Same spiel as trump….a looking glass into bevin’s first year...perhaps an example of how trump will fail. mcconnel, paul….lots of money for Kentucky…none for the little people. And these humans were waiting on Obama to provide jobs? The wait will be longer and more painful for them under trump and bevin. The damage cannot be undone.
Craig…. here’s to hoping for all the best for your Dad. Sending as much love and light as I can muster.
Craig, all the pups (Sammy, Chase Manhattan and Oliver Berger) insist your father send that pneumonia packing. I do, too. Take care.
Craig, comfort for all in your dad’s struggle against pneumonia…
thanks all for your good vibes. guess the lesson here is that when you have an unusually bad cough, get it checked out, especially if your 89. otherwise he was asymptomatic. luckily we got in there early enough they’re feeling good about clearing out the pneumonia.
Huzzahs for Mr. Crawford the Elder!
Blondie, KY has a tea party governor, two repug senators,one the majority leader and 4 (of 5) pug house members. They had control of the house since 2011 and the Senate since 2015. And Kentucky’s jobs sectors over the past year – biggest loser – mining and logging with a 14.2% loss (it’s been in a virtual free fall since 2012). Biggest gain – Education and health services at 2.3% (pretty consistent gain since Jan. 2015). As you might expect, the trends are very similar to WV.
Here’s great tool at BLS to look at and compare economies at the state and national levels.
This graph does more to debunk the “Bad Obama” economy than any other – it’s payroll employment over the past decade.
Thank goodness you weren’t crossing any borders in your rush to Orlando. Hope Sturg and my fighter escort helped
Hope Mr. Crawford senior continues to improve.
Glad there was good news from the doc Mr.Cracker is 88 and gets a flu shot every year and has also had the pneumonia vaccine me too although I am not 88.
So Branson did take Obama to Necker Island. I am sooooooo jealous. It is on my bucket list of places I want to go after winning the lottery.
https://youtu.be/_apLLpsimvk
Patriots owner Robert Kraft has won 5 Super Bowl rings, but 1 belongs to Vladimir Putin (Kraft sez Puti stole it)
I’m sure Pussy Grabber will get it back for him
Craig: Sending positive healing messages, heartfelt prayers and loving thoughts out to the universe for your father’s speedy recovery.
.
Ms. Graham-Cracker!!!
Craig – I send my “Get Well”
About a year and a half ago I ended up with double pneumonia and me staying in the VA hospital with antibiotics flowing in. The doctors seemed confounded as I showed no symptoms, like near normal temperature, coughing but not the type expected. After several days of this one specialist from another facility came by and said that he had seen this before, but in senior citizens. At which point one of them practitioners of the medical arts asked me my age. I told them and all were satisfied that I was old and that the symptoms were therefore regular. Like not one of them bothered to read my chart or even ask me my age before then. Also, my treatment changed to something more appropriate for my age.
Program Notes: GREAT NIXON’S GHOST
Dan Aykroyd returns to SNL as Richard Nixon’s ghost, who is haunting the bathrobe-wearing Trump (Alec Baldwin) in the White House’s Lincoln Bedroom as Trump is hosting a White House pajama (isn’t that an Indian word?) party. Denis Leary pops up as a Petticoat Junctionish KellyanneJo Conjob, Rosie O’Donnell erupts from a cloud of sulfurous smoke as slovenly dominatrix Steve Bannon and Melissa McCarthy is a long johns-wearing Sean Spicer. There is a talk regarding Trump’s “crowd size.” The Landshark appears with a pizza (Pizzagate!) and Gen. Flynn declares war on Arkansas. Sen. Al Franken turns up as a haberdasher (shades of Harry Truman) who fits Trump for a new suit, but instead puts him into a straitjacket. Hijinks ensue.
Keith Olbermann narrates.
It could happen!
In the kellyanne goebbels alternative universe, peace is war, freedom is slavery, and ignorance is strength.
As conway has no decision-making function (in any sphere) it makes no more sense for the ‘news’ mob to consult her than it does to consult the groundhog on Feb 2d.
Obviously the only one of the Trailmix gang still taking their meds is the senior Mr. Crawford.
There’s enough mayhem in the White House to report on without having to inquire about doings in the alternative universe.
prof Irwin corey at 102 who always told us “never give up the ship” gave it up. r.i.p.
abc news:
In his first appearance before Congress as secretary of Homeland Security, John Kelly called President Trump’s executive order on immigration “lawful and constitutional” but said he should have delayed the order’s rollout “just a bit” so that members of Congress could be prepared.
“The thinking was to get it out quick so that potentially people that might be coming here to harm us would not take advantage of some period of time that they could jump on an airplane and get here,” Kelly said.
latimes:
Homeland Security secretary: The chaotic rollout of Trump’s travel ban is ‘all on me’
President Trump‘s Homeland Security secretary took responsibility Tuesday for the haphazard rollout of Trump’s restrictions on entry into the U.S., a striking claim because he was largely left out of the crafting of the order.
The confusion surrounding the execution of the order is “all on me,” Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly told the House Homeland Security Committee. Kelly was making his first appearance before Congress since Trump temporarily halted refugees and barred entry for people to the U.S. from seven Muslim-majority countries.
Looking back, Kelly added, “I should have delayed it just a bit” to inform those directly affected by the order as well as members of Congress.
But the writing of the order and planning for its rollout was limited chiefly to a handful of senior White House advisors and agency lawyers, and Kelly found himself in the awkward position of defending the execution of a directive he didn’t see until the week it was issued and wasn’t told was coming until the day before it was signed.
mr ddog, terrific scenario. hope it gets reposted to snl writers. you share great minds on this with wapo
here’s their version and a different cast of characters:
Rosie O’Donnell as Steve Bannon? SNL could really make Trump angry if it wanted to.
TV writer Alan Sepinwall suggested that “SNL” go “full drag king on the whole administration,” that Alec Baldwin surrender the Trump character to a rotating cast of women such as Meryl Streep. (Why stop there? How about Rachel Dratch as chief of staff Reince Priebus? “SNL” hosting veteran Candice Bergen as national security adviser Michael Flynn?)….
the guardian:
Photographs of Donald Trump wearing a bathrobe have been shared on social media in response to his press secretary’s assertion he “definitely doesn’t wear one”.
An article published in the New York Times on Sunday painted an unsettling picture of life in the White House, with aides unable to locate light switches being forced to meet in the dark, visitors being left to find their own way out of the building after meetings and a “darkened, mostly empty West Wing”.
The president, it was reported, spent considerable time “watching television in his bathrobe” and marking up negative news reports with a black Sharpie.
The White House press secretary, Sean Spicer, said the story was “so riddled with inaccuracies and lies” that the New York Times owed Trump an apology.
Trump, too, tweeted that the report by the “failing” newspaper was “total fiction”.
Spicer took particular issue with the bathrobe report, which he said was “literally the epitome of fake news”.
“I don’t think the president owns a bathrobe,” he said. “He definitely doesn’t wear one.”
Some on social media wondered about the basis for Spicer’s assertion.
perhaps it’s only au naturel with sean
uh oh, another judge is gonna hear it for probable bias in the next twitter tempest of the twit
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/trump-immigration-ban-federal-judge-alex-kozinski_us_58993830e4b0c1284f27d7e9 :
Like Many Americans, A Judge On The Court Weighing Trump’s Refugee Ban Was A Refugee
Judge Alex Kozinski’s family fled communism when he was a child.
Trump will have to get himself a judge with a family straight off the Mayflower if he doesn’t want an “immigrant bias” on his lousy Hate Order.
I am sorry to learn of Professor Irwin Corey’s death. I wish he had made it to Gilbert Gottfried’s Amazing Colossal Podcast! to share some of his stories. By the way, Gottfried and his co-host Frank Santopadre are preserving some of Hollywood’s oral histories, much as Merv Griffin and Mike Douglas used to do with their talk shows. Highly recommend.
patd, should make for an interesting hearing. I wish I could watch it.
Oh no Craig! I’m sorry to hear about your dad. My Lady and I are thinking good thoughts for a swift recovery. Great news that the docs are positive. Both my folks struggle with this kind of thing too. Anytime my stepdad has a cough that lasts longer than a couple days, he goes to the VA to get checked out.
Patd – One wonders if HRC is now safe from email prosecution, since I’ve read that essentially the entire current WH senior staff is using private email servers.
Jamie – My sense of humor and snark meters are continuously malfunctioning, so I suspect my meds are interfering. I’d throw them out, but my doc seems to think I need to finish up six months of this dang chemo to make sure I’ve thoroughly kicked cancer’s ass this time. I think I’ll have a ceremony when I’ve taken the last of this medicinal poison.
garrison Keillor: If he only had a soul
the week:
The progressive veterans PAC VoteVets has released a firm ad demanding President Donald Trump start acting like a “legitimate president.” But to ensure Trump will actually see it, “we’re debuting this ad on @Morning_Joe and taking it to other morning shows you watch, too!” the organization tweeted at the president Monday morning.
Trump reportedly turns on his TV before 6 a.m. every morning to watch his shows, and oftentimes tweets his reactions to what he hears. “President Trump, I hear you watch the morning shows,” an Afghanistan war veteran says in the VoteVets ad. “Here’s what I do every morning.”
VoteVets Vice Chair Peter Kauffmann said in a statement: “Since the White House comment line is down, and Donald Trump hasn’t set up that veterans hotline he promised, we’re going to where we know Donald Trump is listening — Morning Joe, and the other shows that he obsesses over. He’s going to hear the message of this ad again and again. We’re officially putting Trump on notice.”
VoteVets thinks it’s working, too, noting that three minutes after their ad aired Monday, Trump slammed “any negative polls” as being “fake news.” Jeva Lange
Published on Feb 6, 2017
You want to be a legitimate president, Mr. Trump? Act like one.
remember last thread when I said “poor sean”? well… from the fix at wapo
President Trump, like most of the rest of the country, watched comedian Melissa McCarthy’s vicious takedown of White House press secretary Sean Spicer on this past week’s “Saturday Night Live.” And he wasn’t happy. Not because of how Spicer was portrayed — as a hectoring know-it-all — but reportedly because the actor who was impersonating Spicer was female.
[….]
So, the fact that “Saturday Night Live” chose a woman to play Spicer was Trump’s biggest problem with the sketch. And, according to a major Trump donor, that’s because a woman playing a man makes Spicer look weak. (That idea deserves its own blog post, or maybe book.) Spicer’s long-term viability in the job could also be affected by the impression, which (a) he had nothing to do with and (b) he had zero control or influence over.
[….]
It’s no surprise then — or it shouldn’t be any surprise — that Trump’s main takeaway from “Saturday Night Live” was not the show’s sendup of Spicer’s poor treatment of reporters or his bullying tactics but rather the fact that a woman was impersonating the press secretary rather than a man.
Trump’s obsession with appearances — and how it affects staff and policy decisions — is a central narrative of his White House. Spicer has now twice found himself on the wrong end of this particular worldview. One wonders how many more chances he’ll get.
Travis…. sorry to read about your health problems. Sending light and love your way. Hope you kick that cancer in the butt!
Travis
Make sure you are imbibing as many pharmaceuticals as necessary to give cancer the heave ho. We can let insanity run rampant once you are totally back to the full comedy malfunction setting.
Thanks Renee! All support is wonderful and very well appreciated.
I basically have kicked it already. The chemo is precautionary on the off chance that there are microscopic cancer cells left over after surgery that could rear their a$$hole heads. So I consider it kicked, but have to put up with the meds kicking back until June.
It’s all good for me to be another positive stat for survivors!
Jamie – Bring on the insanity! I just have to think a bit longer to recognize it sometimes. 🙂
Travis, I hate cancer. I’m glad you’re sending it packing. You’ll get there.
Glad Sr. Crawford is getting proper care & rest. All the best to him.
Dratch as Reince. Yes, please.
O’Donnell as BananaNazi & Streep as Trump. Double yes, please. Especially since Baldwin’s Trump isn’t funny. (I miss Darryl Hammond’s version.) Since Trump is, somehow, a caricature of himself, they have to travel the road of Melissa McCarthy.
looking for something to do besides make fun of the condom
Sent: 2/7/2017 10:39:12 AM
Subject: Political action: Looking Ahead
Betsy DeVos has just been confirmed as Secretary of Education in the Senate by a vote of 51 to 50. For the first time in our history a Vice-President voted to break a tie on a cabinet appointment. It is disappointing but not unexpected both that DeVos won and that 50 Republican senators have put party loyalty above the general welfare. This does not mean we stop our efforts to thwart Trump’s agenda. That effort needs to continue.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security is still accepting calls on Steve Bannon’s appointment to the National Security Council. It is not too late to let them know Bannon’s appointment is wrong and vitiates the professional, expert capacity of the NSC. The committee can be reached at 202.224.4751.
Later this week Rep. Tom Price’s nomination to be Secretary of Health and Human Services will come to the Senate for a vote. Price has a long history as a staunch opponent of Obamacare. He could start paring away at the program by asserting and testing his executive power as head of HHS by ending the individual coverage mandate and the requirement that health insurer’s cover the cost of contraceptives without waiting for congressional action. He also has a long history of using his position in Congress to enrich himself buying health company stocks he had privileged information about and political influence to affect their value. Call your senators to oppose Price’s appointment and ask them to vote no.
Protesting is good, protesting is necessary, protesting will bring some victories. But protesting alone is not sufficient to achieve the progressive vision and package of legislation we need to protect our freedoms. The Republicans need to be defeated at the polls and their majorities taken away.
The Sister District Project is pairing volunteers from blue states with races in red states to strengthen the chances of Democratic candidates. You may want to join this effort. Here is a passage from their home page:
“When you join the Sister District Project, you will be connected with your local Sister District team. After the primary elections in June, your team will be matched with a strategic, winnable race that needs your support. In 2017, your Sister Race will be a down-ballot race that is critical to helping Democrats defend or take back control of the states and bring fairness back to redistricting. As 2018 approaches, you will be matched with a swing congressional district, or other strategically important race, so that we can take back the House of Representatives and the State Legislatures.”
Right now, the project is supporting Stephanie Hansen for a Delaware state senate seat in a special election taking place on February 25th. The Delaware state senate presently is evenly divided between Democrats and Republicans so this race will determine which party gets the majority. The vacant seat was held by a Democrat who recently became Lt. Governor. She won the seat in 2014 with a margin of just 267 votes. This looks like a winnable and important race. You can go to the Sister District website at sisterdistrict.com to sign up to learn more about Stephanie Hansen and how to support her election.
We need to keep up our spirits and keep up the good work!
This post is on my blog and I hope you will sign up there. You will get an email automatically with the text of the most recent post and it gives you the opportunity to share comments with everyone. Go to takingactiontogether.wordpress.com.
Thanks everyone.
Brooke Buxbume
This Just In From Keith Olbermann
Let me thank you for watching #TheResistanceGQ. New data is in. The average audience is 3,665,517 views per episode – more than Fox News:
3,665,517 views per episode is an audience larger than Fox News achieved in prime time in the most recent data available (Monday night FNC average audience 3,612,000) and it’s 17% larger than the combined prime time Monday audience of CNN and MSNBC (3,138,00). Am I bragging, unhumbly? You bet! But more importantly these numbers should encourage YOU. Remember: WE are the majority.
Ah, memories of the ratings war between KO & O’Reilly. Good times.
BiD, as you know, Keith has that voice (and smarts to match).
Saw this on a comment posted at Daily Kos today. I was in one of those moods, and this got me giggling. Then my Lady looked, and she started giggling. Very soon we were guffawing.
Then we spotted the second mis-spelled word. It took us at least 30 minutes to get back under control.
At least we now have an Education Secretary that will help improve the quality of education in this country…wait…oh.
must have gone to one of Big Dumb Betsy’s God Schools
KGC
I showed your cartoon to Mrs. Jack
We had to open another bottle of wine, some things are not to be imagined.
to quote Mrs Jack “EEEEWWWWWW” then a second look a lol and “go Katherine !!!”
Jack
Then there is this cartoon
Jack
When I see that cartoon I have a desire for a hamburger royale*
pulp fiction allusion for you young’uns
Mr Crawford,
I hope your father gets well soon.
MY SNL CAST
Rosie O as the trump. Danny Devito as bannon. Linda Liu as melania. Tina Fey as prince rebus. Melissa McCarthy as Squeaky Spice. David Liesure as john kelly. A cockatoo in a tsarist general’s uniform, complete w/pickelhaube, as kellyanne goebbels.
In case anyone can shed light or perhaps a cautionary tale, the docs are bearing down on this. Dad’s pneumonia caused by pulmonary aspiration:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pulmonary_aspiration
He has to drink liquids in tiny sips, chew food slow and thoroughly. Basically his throat “plumbing” allows liquids to settle in his lungs and grow bacteria. There’s no medical procedure, just changing eating and drinking habits.
Less of an issue in younger folk because their immune systems stronger.
Fascinating xray with throat doc today. As Dad drank different liquids you could see it seeping toward the lungs. Anyone over 80 with hacking cough or feels like choking while drinking or eating worth getting checked out.
And of course a pneumonia vaccine would help. Ugh we thought his flu shot was enough.
Watched The American Experience:Oklahoma City. Good reminder that words, no matter how outlandish or fringe they may appear, just need one person to believe in them or worse, act upon them. The current President will never acknowledge that the nest which incubates domestic terrorism is one of his biggest constituencies. Not saying he believes as they do; he uses & exploits them for his rise to power, which is ironic, as being President is the biggest government job one can achieve – & he plays to the anti-government/gun/white Christian folks brilliantly.
Next week’s episode: Ruby Ridge. If it is like tonight’s offering (which also featured Waco extensively), will include insight from the Feds about how they screwed up. Some events are just looking for a spark to start a fire. Either deliberately or by mistake. Optics, baby. Optics.
Rachel Dratch would also be perfect as prince rebus, but I’d get a big kick out of seeing Fey perform with 5 0’clock shadow.
What works with the SNL parodying of the current President & his gang is that the casting directors think outside of the box. The unexpected is a very big part of the magic.