Who will best race for the base (those who spoke up just after the announcement) …
Brett Kavanaugh's record as a judge and lawyer is clear: hostile to health care for millions, opposed to the CFPB & corporate accountability, thinks Presidents like Trump are above the law – and conservatives are confident that he would overturn Roe v. Wade. I'll be voting no.
— Elizabeth Warren (@SenWarren) July 10, 2018
Cory Booker Rips Trump's 'Self-Serving' SCOTUS Pick: He Chose Kavanaugh As a 'Get Out of Jail Free Card' On Russia Probe (VIDEO) https://t.co/Tw0enzmVoB pic.twitter.com/ciRnnUztEY
— Mediaite (@Mediaite) July 10, 2018
Trump’s Supreme Court Justice nominee, Judge Kavanaugh, represents a direct and fundamental threat to the rights and health care of hundreds of millions of Americans. I will oppose his nomination to the Supreme Court. #SCOTUSpick
— Kamala Harris (@KamalaHarris) July 10, 2018
President Trump’s Supreme Court nominee Brett Kavanaugh will be a rubber-stamp for an extreme, right-wing agenda pushed by corporations and billionaires. We must mobilize the American people to defeat Trump’s right-wing, reactionary nominee.
— Bernie Sanders (@SenSanders) July 10, 2018
Serious concerns I have about Judge Kavanaugh in addition to the obvious health care & separation of power issues: He ruled that the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau was unconstitutional (reversed by full Circuit Court) & went out of his way to dissent against net neutrality
— Amy Klobuchar (@amyklobuchar) July 10, 2018
The nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh will threaten the lives of millions of Americans for decades to come and will morph our Supreme Court into a political arm of the right-wing Republican Party.
— Terry McAuliffe (@TerryMcAuliffe) July 10, 2018
We all know what’s at stake with Kavanaugh’s nomination: The freedom for women to make our own choices. Equal rights. Civil rights. All of the values we hold most dear. Stopping this will take all of us, fighting as hard as we can, raising our voices again and again. pic.twitter.com/TfhDaxoNQi
— Kirsten Gillibrand (@SenGillibrand) July 10, 2018
We will not stand by as Trump attempts to use the Supreme Court as the political arm of the presidency.
The progress of our nation will not be rolled back without a fight. I urge NYers to make their voices heard & call on the Senate not to confirm Brett Kavanaugh #ScotusPick https://t.co/yJUPw14CF9
— Andrew Cuomo (@andrewcuomo) July 10, 2018
Trump’s wolf in judge’s clothing is wrong for choice, wrong for equality, and wrong for America. GOP senators, we're watching. If you vote for this nominee, we'll vote you out. https://t.co/jP6pf1YF5O
— Eric Garcetti (@ericgarcetti) July 10, 2018
Oh My God we’re all gonna die (which is a true statement.)
To the victor goes the spoils. Unfortunately Donald Trump is President, has the power & the picks to form a judicial legacy of potentially whopper proportions. Which Judges retire or die is luck of the draw. Eventually the pendulum will swing back to the Democrats. And so it goes: the river of history flows on. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west.
.
Reading the various tweets above reminded me of dialogue from Monty Python’s Life of Brian.
Brian: Look, you’ve got it all wrong! You don’t need to follow me. You don’t need to follow anybody! You’ve got to think for yourselves! You’re all individuals.
Crowd: Yes! We’re all individuals!
Brian: You’re all different!
Crowd: Yes! We are all different!
hope the twit is slow to nominate the appellate vacancy kavanaugh is leaving.
dems, why waste time & breath on this one when there are worse standing in line to take his place? and who knows, this one may be “soutor” in the long run.
meanwhile, more drip drip dripping can be heard
the guardian:
Vladimir Putin’s former chief of staff has a secret investment in an American energy company hailed by Donald Trump as creating jobs for American workers.
Alexander Voloshin – who served as Boris Yeltsin’s chief of staff before working for Putin between 2000 and 2003 – has an undisclosed stake in American Ethane, a Houston-based firm that recently signed a multibillion dollar export deal with China.
Voloshin is part of a consortium of Russian investors in American Ethane that at one point included the oligarch and billionaire Roman Abramovich.
The revelation comes ahead of Trump’s four-day visit to the UK, beginning on Thursday, and his summit on 16 July with President Putin in Helsinki.
In November 2017, Trump presided over a series of trade agreements with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping. One of the biggest was a $26bn (£20bn) deal to supply liquid ethane to China, struck between privately owned American Ethane and a large Chinese conglomerate.
Trump applauded and nodded vigorously as American Ethane’s CEO, John Houghtaling, signed a “historic” memorandum of understanding with his Chinese partner.
The president was promoting “American prosperity and trade” in deals that would generate “thousands of American jobs”, the White House announced.
In fact, the chief beneficiaries of the Trump-endorsed deal live and work in Moscow. One of them is Voloshin, who spent three years at Putin’s side, and headed his first presidential administration.
[….continues…]
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Just returned from Cave 3. Mini-sub is ready if needed. It is made of rocket parts & named Wild Boar after kids’ soccer team. Leaving here in case it may be useful in the future. Thailand is so beautiful.
3:05 PM – 9 Jul 2018
bbc:
6:05
Elon Musk’s mini submarine was not needed
The US tech billionaire behind SpaceX and Tesla has mounted an impressive PR campaign: developing, testing, and transporting a mini-submarine to the cave system, from where he updated his social media accounts with news of his arrival.
With an established rescue tactic already in place that has so far worked well, the Thai authorities had no use for the submarine.
“Even though their equipment is technologically sophisticated, it doesn’t fit with our mission to go in the cave,” said rescue chief Narongsak Osotthanakorn.
Happy Birthday Nicola Tesla
The good and the bad.:
1. Two more kids are out of the cave. ?
2. Kavanaugh starts the meet and greets on his way to the Court.
Make that 3 kids.
Make that all the kids and the coach. Great news and great work by all involved.?
Great news indeed Pogo. Now let’s see if Trump takes credit.
This will make four justices appointed by a president who lost the popular vote.
wapo:
Rudolph W. Giuliani continues to work on behalf of foreign clients both personally and through his namesake security firm while serving as President Trump’s personal attorney — an arrangement experts say raises conflict of interest concerns and could run afoul of federal ethics laws.
Giuliani said in recent interviews with The Washington Post that he is working with clients in Brazil and Colombia, among other countries, as well as delivering paid speeches for a controversial Iranian dissident group. He has never registered with the Justice Department on behalf of his overseas clients, asserting it is not necessary because he does not directly lobby the U.S. government and is not charging Trump for his services.
[…continues….]
2 tho’ts on “is not charging Trump for his services”
1. Julie wouldn’t get paid even if he charged
2. old adage “you get what you pay for”
2 days ago NPR: Religion, The Supreme Court And Why It Matters
… for most of U.S. history, the court, like the country, was dominated by Protestant Christians. But today, it is predominantly Catholic and Jewish.
[…continues…]
Yeah… I kinda agree with sj on this one. I do want to see the Dems in Congress and the Senate fight. They need to show the voters they aren’t going to just roll over. It’ll be a good lesson for the electorate on why whom you vote for matters… or it won’t be ( ya can’t fix stupid).
In the meantime… great news from Thailand!
chuck should ask him this question again to see if he says the samething
nbc news:
In his confirmation hearing in May 2006, Kavanaugh was asked by Sen. Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., if he considered Roe v. Wade to be an “abomination.”
“If confirmed to the D.C. Circuit, I would follow Roe v. Wade faithfully and fully. That would be binding precedent of the court,” Kavanaugh said, referring to the legal principle of stare decisis. “It’s been decided by the Supreme Court.”
But when Schumer pressed Kavanaugh for his personal opinion of Roe, Kavanaugh did not directly answer, instead saying that the Supreme Court had upheld Roe “repeatedly” and that it would not be “appropriate” to share his own views.
have heard this morning a lot of tsk tsking about rudy being there in the room….
excerpt from nat’l law journal:
The Scene Inside the East Room for Trump’s Big Kavanaugh Reveal
Big Law partners. Current and former U.S. Justice Department lawyers. Judges and ex-law clerks. Washington’s legal elite gathered Monday night in the East Room for President Trump’s unveiling of Brett Kavanaugh’s nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court. Here’s what it was like inside the White House.
[….]
And there was the president’s personal attorney Rudy Giuliani, seated beside Leo. A cadre of U.S. Justice Department officials were seated just two rows behind: Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, U.S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco and DOJ Office of Legal Policy head Beth Williams, the department’s point person on judicial nominees.
Francisco, exiting the room, said he was “very excited” about the new nominee, while Republican senators who attended shook Rosenstein’s hand. Giuliani, too, shook hands with Rosenstein, a moment that would be captured in a social media photo later Monday. Rosenstein oversees the special counsel’s probe of Russia’s interference in the 2016 presidential election.
It was an ordinary new product roll-out. Very glossy he is, but underneath the lid you’ll find 1920s technology.
borkborkbork
During his last confirmation hearings — Dick Durban questioned Brett’s relationship to the the truth certainly they will be checking
When you cheat to win you don’t always get the spoils
Notice that Mr Kavanaugh wears a blue tie in public.
Optics.
Excellent news about our fellow beings in Thailand. Not all is lost in this world.
Popular vote or not, who is President holds the marbles. Gotta give the guy credit, he’s pandering to his base & keeping promises, no matter how repugnant. Yowza Yowza Yowza.
Will say I’m seeing more “Trump” stickers on cars lately & a customer came in the store wearing a rather unique “Trump” shirt, artfully (I must say) done. Folks are doubling down. To dismiss these people is short sighted: they’ve tasted blood & victory. Bottom rung on top. As crazy as this political era is, the world turned upside down, the new normal, I wouldn’t be surprised if the GOP ends up gaining seats in November. I hope they don’t, but would not be surprised.
Trump supporters believe he is the last chance to save white America so of course they are doubling down goopers support him by election time there will be no goopers left
In California they are barely a party
if the spoils went to the victor merrit garland would be on the supreme court
.A majority of Americans have to get up and do the Bork…especially ones with goopers who are up for re-election.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., on the Senate floor within hours of the nomination announcement.
“Robert Bork’s America is a land in which women would be forced into back-alley abortions, blacks would sit at segregated lunch counters, rogue police could break down citizens’ doors in midnight raids, and schoolchildren could not be taught about evolution,” Kennedy said.
it would be easy to substitute Kavanaghs name
I have no interest in living in Trump world of the ’50’s either the 1950’s or the 1850’s
In the heart of every Trump supporter there is a racist and they are clinging to a world that never existed
Unfortunately the GOP became the victors during most of the Obama figurehead-istration. They held the power. The Democrats were spayed, neutered, emasculated. And remain so.
Thinking back when the Dems won in 2008 how the GOP was considered “dead”, how many wags replaced the elephant symbol with a dinosaur. Just two years later, a different story. Reality. Bites.
We’re witnessing right now a global movement against the idea of liberal democracy and, in places like Hungary and Poland, its grounding in an independent judiciary. Mr. Trump and Senate Republicans appear happy to ride this wave to unlimited power. They will almost certainly win this latest battle, but it’s a victory that will come at great cost to the nation, and to the court’s remaining legitimacy.
Americans who care about the court’s future and its role in the American system of government need to turn to the political process to restore the protections the new majority will take away, and to create an environment where radical judges can’t be nominated or confirmed. As those tireless conservative activists would be the first to tell you, winning the future depends on deliberate, long-term organizing in the present, even when — especially when — things appear most bleak.
Follow The New York Times Opinion section on Facebook and Twitter (@NYTOpinion), and sign up for the Opinion Today newsletter.
Check please
Contrarians are boring
Katherine Graham Cracker,
I do hope the opposition can win against the current reality. I donate weekly to Democratic causes. I support worthy candidates. I am also a realist. There is only one world & this is where we live. Yep, it bites. But things eventually will change, given the right people in the right place. Hopefully the Dems will find & cultivate such leaders.
I think the world of you btw. And everyone else too.
I like that borkum riff, and I don’t mean the crappy tobacco. borkborkbork
sj… my experience is vastly different from yours. I see less and less trump signs anywhere I go in this state. Right now is summer and every summer it’s the same thing… people care less about politics and relax a bit. And every summer political junkies lament that no one cares. Then Labor Day comes and it’s political season all over again.
… and so it goes…
Trump pardons ranchers whose case sparked Bundy takeover of Oregon refuge https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/10/politics/hammonds-trump-pardon/index.html
I wonder if he would pardon landowners in the border who don’t want their land used for a wall, or, who are being offered diddly-squat if there was an incident? (I’m surprised he did this & actually think this may have been a decent thing to do.)
Isn’t “Bork” that sound that your legs make when you’re sitting on a plastic chair in short shorts in the summer and stand up quickly?
Scientists have discovered the world’s oldest color. It’s bright pink https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/10/health/oldest-color-pink-trnd/index.html
As long as Dems avoid bickering about things that don’t matter to working and retired Americans, we’ll win in November. We must talk about things that (still) hurt Americans, and tell folks in red districts, they’ll suffer from the same old crap if they vote for the same old corrupt jerk.
BORK is the sound that vintage ’94 Bollinger champagne makes when a servant uncorks one for a republican’s breakfast.
A recent Emerson College ePoll said that most Americans, especially Hispanics, feel that they are better off under President Trump than they were under President Obama.
Trump Tweet a little while ago. Amazing line of bullshit. I pulled the data from this poll and reviewed all the questions and response numbers. While it is true that more people feel they are better off “financially” now than 2 years ago – that’s about it. Hispanic numbers weren’t rolled in. Other poll results:
– More people would want Obama instead of Trump as President
– More people voted for Hillary than for Trump
– Trumps negatives are much higher than Obama’s
– More people would vote democratic than republican in the midterms
FAKE TWEETS!
11:42 AM – 10 Jul 2018
“As long as Dems avoid bickering about things that don’t matter to working and retired Americans, we’ll win in November.”
x-r, don’t hold your breath. bickering, back-biting and knifing our own is what got us to this mess… . AND not showing up to vote.
I thought bork-bork-bork-bork was the sound made by a fat guy walking along wearing corduroy pants……
Here’s the deal – vote and encourage your dem friends to vote. That is what will get us wins in November.
I had a staring contest with Bork at Haslam’s Book Store in St Pete on a Sunday morning when he was doing his book-signing. I won, he lost. I felt as if I had kicked him when he was down—I still wanted to give him the finger.
Haslam’s is a wonderful place. More than 30,000 new and used books in a family run store. Nothing like it around here; I miss it
I spent a lot of time at Haslams during law school, Flatus. Wonderful place. Hope they’re doing alright.
Dems shouldn’t back down on this nomination, plenty of room for causing trouble in a 50-49 divide.
POLITICO: “McConnell has no margin for error”
Craig, the only place that had a similar ambience was the stack area at Rutgers where they kept the really olde and valuable books. Looking at Wiki, they are now on their third generation and starting their second store. Unless they start selling vinyl, I can’t see their style of business continuing to thrive; they are absolutely dependent on voracious readers.
I hope McCain is able to muster the strength to cast a thoughtful ballot in whatever direction he thinks best. Meanwhile, strength to our side of the equation!
Ms Pat,
I meant bickering with rippers about shiny irrelevancies that they like to cast. Flag burning ? Agree with ’em. willie horton ? Find a half dozen murderers who escaped from prisons while repubs were governor, and blame ripper governors. Tariffs making jobs in America ? Call ’em repub tax hikes. Just don’t quibble.
We need a loooong meeting and chatting process with brett. Then we need a looooooooong hearing, with a zillion questions about his favorite execution, his favorite move against labor, and all his leaks during his time as ken starr’s assistant torquemada.
Opinion: Donald Trump is in for the trolling of a lifetime https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/10/opinions/donald-trump-is-in-for-the-trolling-of-a-lifetime-crilly/index.html
Troll him real good!
American Airlines coming out against Kava-NO already.
Anti-worker, anti-woman.
Just say NO to Kava-NO!
Where does Kava-NO stand on assault rifles, etc.?
Maybe the Parkland kids can assist in stalling/stopping him.
Flynn joins consulting firm ahead of criminal sentencing https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/10/politics/michael-flynn-consulting-job-stonington-russia-investigation/index.html
Nick Muzin ( Stonington Global) was a paid foreign agent for Qatar?
Flynn has got some brass ones.
Joey Allaham (Stonington Global), also a paid lobbyist for Qatar.
Flynn has some brass ones.
Flynn – Nick Muzin – BINIATTA TRADE – Russia – Trump!
Connect the dots, la-la-la-la!
Also, Trump – Flynn- Elliott Broidy’s emails – Watar – Nick Muzin- Biniatta Trade – Albania – Russia
Kava-NO thinks Trumpsky can pardon himself? If Trump gets the boot before we have a new SC Justice, Pence would pardon Trump, anyway. Although, if Pence lies about knowledge of Flynn…
I don’t know about others, but the absolute depth of the ignorance of Donald Trump is wearing me down. I can handle conservative even total right wing as long as we are dealing with the same basic facts of history. Then you can argue about policy to fix a problem, whatever it might be.
With Donald Trump he doesn’t have a clue about anything and simply spouts his garbled semi-understanding of whatever is going on and then loudly bullshits his way through questioning.
When it comes to the Trump Baby Blimp, I would like to see it flying wherever he goes between now and 2020 (or sooner if we get an impeachment). In the meantime, he will go on sucking on the Faux Spews teat and then expelling it all while blaming Obama.
Trump pardoned the Bundy’s — he is advocating gun violence and overthrowing the country but it is ok because he is rude when he does it and some people think that equals strength
While America wonders how it will survive without plastic straws I keep wondering if any of the reporters knows that the Boomer generation and earlier generations grew up with paper straws. We even had paper cups, plates and bowls. Perhaps the machines needed are no longer around, just like the machines to make vinyl records were scrapped years ago. But, new ones can be made.
Perhaps it’s up to the 5th estate to step in and, via the bill of rights, lead us to a better life! I’m not sure the Democratic party can do that. An opportunity for the press to save our country and democracy?
Only if they are serious journalists & not entertainers.
No more plastic straws at Starbucks, but the cold stuff comes in plastic cups.
If you are counting on the media — count again.
FIRP (fucking incompetent republican perverts)
https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/a-son-is-separated-from-his-father-at-the-border-then-comes-a-wrenching-call/ar-AAzTMLZ?ocid=spartanntp