Politico — Rep. Jim Clyburn suggested Wednesday that his House colleague Rep. John Conyers should be held to a different standard when it comes to the possibility of resignation over allegations of sexual assault, saying that Conyers’ status as an elected member of Congress places him in a different category from media and entertainment figures who have had similar accusations leveled against them.
Clyburn (D-S.C.) was walking inside the Capitol with the Congressional Black Caucus chairman, Cedric Richmond (D-La.), when a reporter asked the two about public figures who have been recently accused of sexual misconduct and have promptly been fired or otherwise removed from their positions. Richmond replied that he would need to hear examples of such figures, prompting multiple reporters to offer the names of Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein and TV anchors Charlie Rose and Matt Lauer.
“Who elected them?” Clyburn replied as he and Richmond got into an elevator, whose doors closed before the South Carolina congressman could respond to a follow-up question. A video of the exchange was posted to Twitter by NBC News producer Alex Moe.
- Daily Beast: Democratic Women Express Disgust With the Party’s Response to John Conyers ‘You can’t call on Roy Moore to step down… as long as you’re circling the wagons for people like John Conyers.’
- Business Insider: A Democratic congresswoman walked out of meeting on sexual harassment, saying, ‘I don’t have time for meetings that aren’t real’
Seeing men lose their jobs is exactly what will ultimately hold Trump accountable for his sexual misconduct. Excusing them is how he escapes scrutiny.
The Democrats should be at the forefront of this subject; where is their “women’s card”? So this comes with conditions, has restrictions when it involves one of their own? Actions speak louder than words; hypocrisy reigns supreme. They’ve lost their cred. Why should anyone vote for them? Why vote at all if both Parties rot from the head down?
The witch hunt nonsense is just that: nonsense. Where there was smoke, there were fires, and in many cases, raging forest fires. The perps’ actions just didn’t happen; these were not out of character bizarre behaviors that happened suddenly; coworkers and more importantly higher ups knew yet allowed these cancers to stay put and grow. Imagine working in such an atmosphere – is this work or does it define subjection? More importantly, the accused acknowledged the incidents (except perhaps Weinstein, who has many issues, to be kind.) How we react and progress from this seismic sea change reflects on the health of our society and those we choose to lead us. Times change. They have changed. This is very very good. Are you pioneers for progress or are you enablers? This is not a gray area. The fact certain Politicians don’t get this is a mark of their true character. Perhaps that is best reason to vote: nothing will change unless we change it. Or them.
Thank You, Thank You, Ronan Farrow. The dark dank musty halls of business as usual have been flooded with sunlight.
Thank You Mia Farrow for being an exemplary Mom and raising such a son.
Sj, your last couple of sentences hit exactly what I was trying to convey last night. Considering the lack of any real mechanisms to address sexually related abuse of power in the congress, which Craig noted yesterday, the mechanism for addressing these problems when they occur among the critters is the ballot box.
One thing is clear to me- there needs to be a completely bipartisan, or better yet, independent office with the power to investigate and where appropriate – and by that I mean where the allegations are substantiated- remove from office critters who commit sexual misbehavior in the course of their service in the congress. That mechanism through the ethics committees apparently does not exist in any real way.
I’m watching Conyers’ accuser on Today. She seems very credible. Should he lose his seat? Well, yes, assuming the allegations are substantiated through a forum with the power to make that happen. Should he step down? Yes, if her allegations are true. Will he? That’s a matter of character. Lisa Bloom and his accuser are talking along the lines I have been talking. Leave the decisions in the hands of the ethics committee and office of compliance, and try to make the process more effective going forward.
This is what will hold Trump accountable for sexual misconduct? Man, Craig, I wanna live in a world where I could believe that. Not. Gonna. Happen.
And, I think Donny actually likes this sh/+storm because the media isn’t paying as much attention to other stuff he’s done or is doing.
That fat, little, Nork tick can’t even get much traction with a missile launch.
Well, for now.
Attention spans being what they are these days, will the cases of Weinstein, Conyers, Lauer, etc., be just a quickly-forgotten blip on the screen when something else happens?
How Misogynistic Male Reporters Shaped The Coverage Of The 2016 Election
I want to be associated with everything and anything that Pogo has said on this subject.
bId… I agree with Donny loving this stuff. In the meantime, he can continue to turn our country into a banana republic while most of the media once again follows the shiny object.
I did watch a bit of Lawrence O’Donnell last night…. he didn’t mention any of this. He’s keeping his eyes on the disastrous tax bill. I will continue to watch him at times.
“I want to be associated with everything and anything that Pogo has said on this subject.
bId… I agree with Donny loving this stuff.”
renee, as they say nowadays “metoo”
the times they are achangin’. only 5 years ago this was considered humorous, the way of the world with no repercussions, retaliations or holding the perp accountable…. ??? it’s a puzzlement and harkens back to the insensitive days of minstrel shows, vaudeville, ethnic and misogynistic jokes of old.
no laughing matter here in excerpts from today’s wapo: Trump veers past guardrails, feeling impervious to the uproar he causes
….
If there are consequences for his actions, Trump does not seem to feel their burden personally. The Republican tax bill appears on track for passage, putting the president on the cusp of his first major legislative achievement. Trump himself remains the highest-profile man accused of sexual improprieties to keep his job with no repercussions.
Trump has internalized the belief that he can largely operate with impunity, people close to him said. His political base cheers him on. Fellow Republican leaders largely stand by him. His staff scrambles to explain away his misbehavior — or even to laugh it off. And the White House disciplinarian, chief of staff John F. Kelly, has said it is not his job to control the president.
[…]
In Missouri, he was talking about taxes, but he might as well been describing his mind-set.
“Hey, look, I’m president,” Trump said. “I don’t care. I don’t care anymore.”
Don’t women talk about these things with their family members? I know how I would react if I were to be given specifics of evil-doing. What about their significant others? etc…
A beautiful morning glory to the trail and I see we still have our heads into the mash of sexual abuse, predation, pedophilia, sexual mockery and violence against women, men and children. There are degrees of separation. In my state, pete domenici’s name is plastered everywhere even though he had an affair with a senator laxalt’s daughter and a child with her while still married. He hid it from the citizens during his entire tenure. Should we rip his name off of the courthouse in Albuquerque? What about ted kennedy? ‘I will drive-of that bridge when I get there’ senator…a woman died. He still served in the senate. Where, when and how do we draw the line?
Meanwhile, the little man at justice is dodging questions…evading and lying. Now there is a dangerous and double standard.
sj…agree about Ronan (he has his Mia’s eyes) Ronan’s father is woody allen…known perv, pedophile and victim groomer.
Farrow was born in New York City to actress Mia Farrow and filmmaker Woody Allen. In 2013, however, his mother raised speculation that singer-actor Frank Sinatra was Farrow’s biological father.
sure would be fun if Muller could figure out a connection for his investigation to one of the women accusing Trump, get him under oath: Perjury Trap
I would also like for Mueller to verify the existence of the wee-wee leaks vid and id russia’s finest from the vid, interview them.
good idea, craig & bw, and good segue from shiny object du jour to holding the twit accountable to possibly pre-empting his next dangerous provocation and on-going destruction of democracy.
focus, folks, focus
we do have that bodyguard testifying to Congress that Russia offered prostitutes, so it’s a good bet Mueller is taking a look at that. Hurry Up Bob!
As for the double standard, I do not mean to diminish it as much as point-out how slowly reform progresses. We have had a sexual abuser on the SCOTUS since bush, hiney-grabber, nominated thomas in 1991.
speaking of double standard and the unable-to-speak twit victims, very unfair unlevel field he has played on with help of high-paid lawyers & alleged mob friends who intimidate the prey of past picadillos.
and along those lines, wonder if larry flynt’s offer of $10 million in October to anyone providing impeachable offense info has tempted any of those twit victims to break their silence.
Sexual blackmail is a very useful ‘diplomatic’ tool. Get the target’s defenses down, have a pheromone swathed ‘guest’ make a gross pass, proceed to the camera equipped room, and prove the adage, ‘an erection has no conscience.’
another shiny object coming our way. this one might not however take the mind off the Russia collusion investigation. may open up some otherwise closed mouths.
ny times: White House Plans Tillerson Ouster From State Dept., to Be Replaced by Pompeo, Within Weeks
The White House has developed a plan to force out Secretary of State Rex W. Tillerson, whose relationship with President Trump has been strained, and replace him with Mike Pompeo, the C.I.A. director, within the next several weeks, senior administration officials said on Thursday.
Mr. Pompeo would be replaced at the C.I.A. by Senator Tom Cotton, a Republican from Arkansas who has been a key ally of the president on national security matters, according to the White House plan. Mr. Cotton has signaled that he would accept the job if offered, said the officials, who insisted on anonymity to discuss sensitive deliberations before decisions are announced.
It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Trump has given final approval to the plan, but he has been said to have soured on Mr. Tillerson and in general is ready to make a change at the State Department.
John F. Kelly, the White House chief of staff, developed the transition plan and has discussed it with other officials. Under his plan, the shake-up of the national security team would happen around the end of the year or shortly afterward.
[….continues…]
msn: Collins: Health-care fix will pass before tax bill
Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said early Thursday that she expects legislation to lower health-care premiums to pass Congress before senators take a final vote on a $1.5 trillion tax reform bill that would repeal ObamaCare’s individual mandate.
Collins, speaking to reporters at a Christian Science Monitor breakfast, said it’s a mistake to scrap the individual mandate without making other reforms to the health-care system.
“When you take out that one provision from the ACA it causes premiums to go up as healthier, younger people leave the market place,” she said, referring to the Affordable Care Act.
[…continues…]
I agree, patd, you can see the noose marks on trump’s gooey neck. The tillerson move has been in the works for months and haley at the UN thought she had a chance by her nasty nork talk. Hah! She never had a chance at sos.
china orders the election heist via russia and both xi and putie are using proxy kim to lure and entice our humperdoo of a prez. The perfect pudgy, patsy, puppet, pissing, pg-ing, phony potus.
bw, well done. I pass on to you today’s agnew alliteration award.
the important rest of that aca story…. but will lucytwit pull the football away at the last minute as he’s done before?
excerpt from the hill:
Senate GOP leaders at the urging of conservatives have added to the tax package a provision that would repeal ObamaCare’s requirement that people purchase health coverage. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that could cause insurance premiums to rise and increase the number of uninsured by 13 million people by 2027.
To mitigate the impact, GOP leaders plan to pass legislation negotiated by Senate Health Committee Chairman Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.) that would reinstate cost-sharing reduction payments to insurance companies.
It will be paired with legislation sponsored by Collins and Sen. Bill Nelson(D-Fla.) that would set up health reinsurance programs for older and sicker individuals.
The measures are likely to be attached to a government stopgap funding bill, Collins said.
“I have met with the president of the United States about this and have gotten his endorsement, I’ve met with the Republican leadership and with the members of the Finance Committee,” she said. “They are most likely to be on the continuing resolution.”
“Assuming the tax bill passes the Senate, we then turn to the CR and those two bills will be put on the CR,” she said.
“While the tax bill is in conference, the CR will presumably become law and then the tax bill come back from conference,” she said. “So I’m going to know whether those provisions made it and that matters hugely to me.”
The discussions over the past several days have underscored the experience, thoughtfulness, and intellectual honesty of the TrailMixers. I appreciate all of you and your comments and am so glad to be included here
Don’t know if you needed to hear that, but I needed to express it.
mrdd, while there certainly are times each of us leave our senses, for the most part I find this bunch pretty level headed, and by blog standards exceedingly so. And I very much appreciate your contributions.
patd, Nikki’s problem with becoming SoS is that she ain’t a white he. Her recent bellicosity toward the norks would serve to disqualify her in any other administration but in this … mess … that attitude would tend to help her overcome her gender and heritage disadvantage. If the Times is right, it isn’t enough. SF has to reign in all that rampant diversity we’ve seen in the office of the chief diplomat.
So PGretweets fake news from the most loathed political group -racist- and the lovely Sukabee says the point is we need to protect America — I’ll bet that picture in her closet is so horrendous that it would turn people into stone (mixed I know but whatever)
Like every other woman who works except for Mary Kay and Avon, it’s mans world and everyone put up with shit less pay, crappy promotions, bad assignments, grab ass and more. I am glad to see this conversation taking place. As I have said before I am quite happy to throw any Democrat under the bus to have the moral high ground on this issue. Grand Old Preverts on on the low road to hell
I cannot believe the number of men who think it is ok to take off your clothes without asking
Well, the Post is reporting that McCain is back on the Goop train – and is supporting the tax bill. Damn.
KC, that taking the clothes off thing strikes me as simply weird. OK, in college I went to a costume party as an Indian brave dressed only in a loin cloth, but adult males exposing themselves, particularly in the workplace, is just so idiotic I can’t imagine anyone doing it.
finally …
WAPO: Pelosi calls on Conyers to resign, citing ‘credible’ sexual harassment allegations
Guardian: Fifth woman accuses Senator Al Franken of sexual misconduct
TODAY Co-Hosts Knew About Matt Lauer Allegations, Variety Reporter Tells CNN
pogo, could be the compromise with susan Collins reported above was enough to pull McCain and others in. but I don’t think they’ll pull it off. too complicated and iffy given goper & twit track record.
she said:
“Assuming the tax bill passes the Senate, we then turn to the CR and those two bills will be put on the CR,” she said.
“While the tax bill is in conference, the CR will presumably become law and then the tax bill come back from conference,” she said. “So I’m going to know whether those provisions made it and that matters hugely to me.”
dream on, susan, the football awaits.
“I cannot believe the number of men who think it is ok to take off your clothes without asking”
kgc, and unless they look like michelangelo’s david or rodin’s thinker, why would they expose themselves to gasps, giggles or worse?
well, it must be so if they’ve given faux newspeak a date already…. or is this just wishful thinking from the few left at state?
fox news: Rex Tillerson expected to step down in January, plans discussed for Pompeo to take place
excerpt from nbc: Conyers hospitalized, Pelosi calls on him to resign
[…]
Earlier Thursday, Conyers’ political consultant said the lawmaker had been hospitalized in Detroit.
Sam Riddle, the consultant, told WDIV-TV that Conyers, 88, was hospitalized due to stress and he blamed the “media assault” stemming from the allegations against the lawmaker.
“The congressman’s health is not what it should be and a lot of that is directly attributable to this media assault,” Riddle said, adding that “the reality is these serial accusers have done this before, we’re used to it.”
Conyers is “resting comfortably in an area hospital, he’s doing OK, as well as can be expected for a gentleman that is approaching 90 years of age,” Riddle said.
Schumer not doing interviews because he doesn’t want to answer Franken questions, get tangled up as Pelosi did re: Conyers. So he’s silenced at critical moment in tax debate. Thanks Al.
Donald Trump and Barack Obama ended up at the same barber shop. As they sat there, each being worked on by a different barber, not a word was spoken. The barbers were both afraid to start a conversation, for fear that it would turn nasty. As the barbers finished their shaves in silence, the one who had Trump in his chair reached for the aftershave. But Donald was quick to stop him, jokingly saying, “No thanks. My wife, Melania, will smell that and think I’ve been in a brothel.” The second barber turned to Barack and said, “How about you, Mr. Obama?” Barack replied, “Go right ahead, my wife Michelle doesn’t know what the inside of a brothel smells like.”
Poobah, I’d be more than a little skeptical of that Mediaite article – for instance I didn’t know there was a Samantha Guthrie on the Today show. So it goes something like this – Variety Reporter tells CNN reporter that Variety’s sources say that friends said co-hosts told them they had heard about Matt’s stuff … getting into quite a few layers of hearsay there. It may all turn out to be as Variety asserts, but it’d never fly in court.
AS to Al, sigh… I don’t think ethics will be too interested in his groping before he took office, in fact not sure they have jurisdiction to care. They will and should be interested in the “grabbed my butt” reports after he took office. I agree with you, Poobah, thanks a lot, Al. Ironically enough, I found the initial report by Ms. Tweeden to have been the least credible of all the reports – plus it was pre Senator Franken. Love to talk more but gotta run.
Pogo, i agree with waiting for the facts, but I fully expect we are going to learn that NBC was well aware of Matt’s behavior for a long time and chose to protect the half billion in Today Show profits until articles about to be published and they had no choice. Now they must reckon with possibility that other on-air personalities such as Guthrie and Al Roker knew about it and looked the other way. These network morning shows are all about creating a warm and fuzzy family environment to comfort viewers. A sexual predator as host and co-dependent sidekicks complicates that.
Having worked in newsrooms large and small—there is no chance the journalists at Today were unaware of Lauer’s behavior. Journalists see and talk about everything, especially newsroom machinations and personalities (which is usually the basis for machinations).
It’s simply that nothing was said. Now, they appear complicit. Professing shock makes them more actors than journalists.
As a fellow veteran of many newsrooms I totally agree Mr. D. Journalists are nosy by nature, especially about each other.
OK as of today we are up to five Franken accusers in 2 weeks. Where is the Ethics Committee investigation? Where is Schumer? Silence.
Looks like Al wasn’t good enough after all
X-R who would get appointed in his place
“Where is Schumer?”
craig, it is possible that his silence concerns “the deal” and he doesn’t want to do or say anything that the twit can use to kill it. everyone hoping to see some necessary aca fixes passed needs to be on tiptoes until they’re done so as not to scare off the cooperative gopers and mainly not to hint at taking away glory from the twit.
Nice try PatD, maybe. But I think Schumer & Pelosi fumbling, failing to deal with Franken/Conyers cost their focus on GOP tax scam, helping it pass. They’ll probably end up caving on spending bill too. Both of them are useless.
Craig
Where is the ethics investigation?
You’ve been around DC long enough, where do you think it is.
The senate is controlled by the Republicans they have no interest in an investigation as long as the left is tearing the Democratic party apart and doing their job for them.
Good job Craig,
As to Schumer if he is scared to come out and act like a leader, don’t blame Al.
Ya know given the rampant sexism on team Obama guess where the next shoe is going to drop.
Better get out the hazmat suit, 2018 is going to be one for the books.
Jack
jack, it’s only a matter of time that boredom sets in about dirty ole dem guys grabbing at female t & a….been there, done that old story for media… and they turn to more sensational stuff of pouncing on pages, well-placed porn here and there, false outings, hits and hints on anything lgbtq (roy moore style) etc. like the addict, one keeps ramping up the fix. feed the beast.
Don’t forget Schumer and Pelosi also raise millions from corporations who want these tax cuts.
Pat
What I’m noticing here and else where is that the outraged lefties keep conflicting serious criminal behavior such as Conyers is accused of with boorish behavior such as Franken is accused of. In doing so they give cover to the horrendous behavior Charlie Rose or Conyers are accused of and reduce it to where it starts looking like boys will be boys.
Jack
wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a bit of happy hacker help from Russia going on now to pump up the outrage and widen divisions. story today on troll extent
from nbc:
A zealous band of Russian trolls flooded Twitter with hundreds of thousands of divisive posts in 2016 — accusing Democrats of satanic practices and supporting rape — in an attempt to influence the presidential election, according to a new analysis of a Twitter database by NBC News.
The effort tricked thousands of users into spreading graphic racial epithets across social media, interweaving provocative content with disinformation and falsehoods.
[….]
The objective was to “sow doubt and discord in America,” McFaul said. “That’s part of a grander strategy of making everything relative. There is no truth. There is no democracy versus autocracy.”
Russians, who literally invented the word “disinformation,” or dezinformatsiya, to define the practice of spreading a deliberate lie in order to deceive, digitized their craft and injected it right into our election.
[….]
In the end, the troll strategy was an export of methods Russia has used for years domestically to get citizens to see themselves not as part of a nation but as members of smaller ethnic and identity-based groups, and play all sides against each other.
“They want us fighting among ourselves,” said McFaul, the former ambassador. “Then we’re distracted. We’re not talking about Syria. We’re not talking about American leadership. We’re questioning whether democracy will survive. We’re less of a player internationally — and that’s good for Russia.”
Jack, PatD, so these women coming forward are just media pawns? Unless they’re accusing Republicans?
why aren’t Dems talking about the tax cuts in terms of service cuts
the rich don’t care
the poor will be paying more and getting less
I have been trying to imagine what I would have done if a colleague suddenly took of their clothes
I’m sure I would have left but I don’t know if I would have been shocked speechless
craig, you bring up a good question, where ARE the accusations against the republicans…. not all sexual predators in critterville are dems.
so far in this cycle, PatD, only Republicans have driven out a member of Congress for sexual impropriety. Barton announced today he won’t run for reelection.
Jim Clyburn, No. 3 House Democrat, calls on John Conyers to resign https://t.co/sIGNeHe6ki
Once Conyers is gone expect some Democrats to demand equal treatment for Franken. Schumer can no longer hide from this. Zero Tolerance.
Something to look forward to: Who will get the Tillerson exit interview trashing Trump?
I heard this morning that Conyers is not planning to seek re-election. Of course it was on MSNBC so who knows? If it’s true, the dems have driven out as many as the pugs. (Of course Conyers is 88, so his retirement shouldn’t come as much of a surprise)
Nope….. Franken does not equal Conyers.
bear that in mind.
nope Pogo, so far only Republicans hold the high ground on ejecting a sex predator:
Conyers’ attorney, Arnold Reed, told reporters at a Thursday afternoon press conference that the senior Democrat would not be “pressured” by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi to leave the office he’s held for 50 years. “Nancy Pelosi did not elect the congressman and she sure as hell won’t be the one to tell the congressman to leave. He is not going to be pressured by Nancy Pelosi or anyone else to step down.”
Sturg, black caucus Democrats are planning to argue that it’s racist to expel Conyers and excuse Franken.
The effort to spread the damage of sexual allegations to various names is not going to get the real perverts tossed out. Yes, if the guy did real stuff get him out. But, the “whatabout?” is wrong. Each case has to be looked at individually. So what if Sen X is caught with a pile of fish and a pro in his summer home? You cannot compare Sen X with Rep T who has been caught with a tween girl in a hot tub? You cannot compare Rep C who had fourteen different married women visit him at home while his wife is in the Vatican. With Sen O who has pics in a spreadsheet of ten year olds, without clothes. We have to keep in mind the surroundings, not just slice and dice just to be pure. Cads/Bastards are not the same as perverts or sex offenders.
Does being the puriest mean anything? The sad thing is it looks like most people expect the Dems to be less criminal or nasty then the r’s. That is a scary thought. Voters put them in to office inspite of being nasty people. “Voting against their own interests”
4.1 earthquake. It hit. I did not register it in my life activities. My martini sat next to me and, well maybe that is why I held it. But, then I may have picked it up to take a sip. That is probably when my dog ran and climbed into the bed. She was kind of screwy just before then. Of course she was playing with the cats and they are all screwy. Which is to say, I did not recognize an earthquake as opposed to the one in 2011.
so what is your point BB? Should Franken and/or Conyers resign or not? I think they should so that Democrats can maintain the high ground to pursue Roy Moore and Donald Trump.
Cc….in re your 5:48………
And?
It was sexual allegations, proof of which was held by one Larry Flynt, which caused the fanny smacking of Gingrich, Hyde and maybe some other or two……fight back
this is getting ridiculous, a sixth woman accuses Franken, two more just today
Accusations are not proof. One of them said he touched her breast for 5 seconds (5 SECONDS) while taking a picture before she moved so his hand rested on her back. Come on Craig, a little reality is in order here. It really sounds to me more like a group jostle in a crowd hardly an intentional groping.
Conyers is something entirely different and should leave.
Sturg, in re your 6:17pm………
And?
The And? is Schumer will have to cave to the black Caucus. Franken and Keillor retire to a podcast.
Poobah, there are plenty of dems calling for Conyers to step down. IF and I do say IF he does do exactly what Barton did and announce that he won’t seek re-election, how do you distinguish the two?
From the Post:
And hell, with Barton it took a leaked nude selfie (gotta go wash my brain to get that image out of it) and recorded phone call to get him to resign seven days after the articles about it began to appear. Pelosi and Cliburn have now called for Conyers to step down. Word is he’s waiting until after the AL Senate election to announce (I wish he’d do it before if he’s going to). If he does retire I really don’t see the distinction you’re trying to draw.
Pogo, GOP leaders pushed Barton out. Dem leaders apparently so far can’t do the same with Conyers. That’s the distinction. Republicans expelled a bad guy, and Democrats can’t.
The lack of a mechanism in congress to cause a sitting critter to resign when the misconduct occurred when he or she was in office and involved his own staffers goes back to what I said earlier – that there needs to be just such a mechanism that is divorced from party politics. In my opinion the point is not that Conyers steps down, the point is that the decision is solely in the hands of the offending critter.
Schumer’s broke ass ……its a different game
It took time, Poobah – a week so far. And I don’t see a word from Barton about responding to pressure from leadership to retire, and I don’t see a single article over the past week that is titled “Repug Leaders Call on Barton to Leave Congress” or anything like it. I found one oblique mention of pressure from (unnamed) top repugs. And if Conyers retires – and I think he probably will – it will certainly be in part because of pressure from Dem leaders. Again, I really don’t see the distinction if Conyers does what is reported and announces his retirement. But then I can be thick at times.
Pogo, this is a telling situation. Pelosi is such a weak leader. She calls on a member to resign (four days after defending him as an “icon”) and his lawyer responds by insulting her.
My point exactly, Pogo, Ryan dealt with Barton behind the scenes, not by blustering in press conferences and confusing everyone in interviews as Pelosi did. Barton’s departure was not voluntary, I’d bet on that.
Check, please….
Tip your server Sturg.
I don’t get this new “trigger” in GOP tax bill. So you’re saying if you tank the economy taxes go back up and make everything worse? Nuts!
A little something so Craig can decide the lineup order
One last Oh Damn! for the month. Jim Nabors dies at 87
Hate it that Jim Nabors has passed. Marvelous voice and a great comic actor.
Hmmm, trigger…is that a gimmick or a gizmo? I forget.
I’m going to let all of you solve all the problems, I’m out of here for the weekend. Going to Chicago and do an early birthday celebration, The real day is next weekend but Mrs Jack is working. It is my Beatles birthday and there maybe a little ass grabbing going on, purely consensual.
Should the Dems resign? Should SFB resign? For political expedience they should. Will it matter in the long run? Some attacks on women are so egregious that the attacker needs to be tossed out of the game immediately. Should gay republicans resign? Many do once their cover is torn away. Pervs and criminals go immediately. Does being able to rehabilitate a man into a good person fit in? Can someone who has publicly flayed himself and seriously looked at how bad his actions are and vows to change be allowed to stay? Is one and done the rule? I do not know.
Flatus – the first time I told anyone about being groped was a decade after the attack. I did not want to tell anyone what happened. The only reason I said anything was a friend of mine was going to be meeting the man and I warned her to not get close to him. It is very difficult to talk about.