When you go to a restaurant the menu often gives you a choice between two or more items. The vegetables, the bread, the starch even how the protein is handled, braised, fried or blackened . Choices go to buying a car, it comes in ninety-nine colors or your custom color. Well, it seems there is a diversion brewing, in Republican minds at least, that the Congress can censure the orange guy instead of impeachment.
What does censuring do? Nothing really. It is like have a teacher in an elementary school writing a note saying you wrote on the restroom wall. And, the school is in some state you never have visited. It is a footnote to your life that no one sees or bothers with.
What does impeachment do? A lot. Your name is forever forced to live next to BJ Clinton. Even if you are one who has sex with a pro while your wife is feeding a baby. Impeachment is the Grand grand jury of the House. People with serious thought and questions who will decide if you get to go to trial in the Senate.
Just being considered for impeachment adds your name to the list of people like Nixon. But, in this case Nixon is being rehabilitated because the lout in the White House is so much worse. Yet, the very same people pushing censure are defending self-admitted crimes. The guy admits to criminal activity and the greedy old perverts are prostrating themselves to do some serious boot licking.
Give me impeachment AND censure!
whatever, but make sure it’s fresh and not canned.
that also goes for the broccoli or asparagus choice.
another day. another abuse of power.
the hill:
Two Republican members of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sens. John Cornyn (R-Texas) and Susan Collins (R-Maine), are warning President Trump not to fire intelligence community Inspector General Michael Atkinson.
The New York Times reported Tuesday afternoon that Trump has discussed firing Atkinson because the intelligence official found a whistleblower’s complaint about Trump’s July 25 phone call with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky credible and took action to advance it.
[…]
Asked if Trump should fire Atkinson, Cornyn said “no” and added, “I think it would be counterproductive.”
Cornyn added that he had only heard that the president was thinking about firing Atkinson from reporters and he had not received any confirmation from sources in the administration.
Collins said she had “absolutely no idea” whether Trump in fact has considered firing Atkinson but warned it would be a mistake.
“It’s obviously something that I would oppose. I have a lot of regard for the inspector general and believe that he did what he thought was right,” she said.
Sen. Mark Warner (Va.), the Democratic vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, warned that firing Atkinson would be an “abuse of power.”
“It’s hard to imagine a clearer abuse of power than firing the Inspector General simply because he did his job and followed the law, instead of covering up accusations of wrongdoing against the President,” Warner tweeted Tuesday afternoon.
.
Biden just picked up Tim Ryan’s endorsement because Ryan thinks he can win in the rust belt and among minorities and doesn’t see another candidate with his touch in those states and with those groups.
As a bone-white full-moon sets in a cold, pale-blue sky, the blinding yellow-green Sun emerges from the other side of the heavens.
Awesome.
(You have about 60 seconds to possibly witness the phenomenon, yourself, or much more time if you are west of me.)
The sky is lavender & the clouds blush pink here.
Happy weed-out-the-weasels Wednesday.
golden bright morning sun here promising warmth for chicken coop wherein waterer was frozen solid overnight. betsy & buffy however cheerily flew down from their roost to greet the new day no matter the icey inside or the snow without.
Last night the moon rose here as a huge orange disc, dead full. When I went to bed I looked out where I park and the moonlight was so bright I checked to see whether the security light on that side of the house was on – it wasn’t. And it is a glorious bright sunny day here – that was at 13 degrees F. at 7:00 a.m. and has warmed up to a blistering 21.
The words that should strike fear into the WH today – “Ambassador Taylor please raise your right hand…Do you swear or affirm that your testimony today will be the truth and nothing but the truth?”
i wonder why the Sun-worshipping religions fell out of favor- they make much more sense than religions with anthropomorphic ghost-dieties.
i suppose it may be because it’s difficult to assert that the Sun needs 10% of your income (with a straight face).
Sun is god…..fire is son of god.
Pretty simplistic as far as religions go, but I like it; and it’s easy to remember all the rules.
Start cooking that Turkey.
If that Turkey makes a deal with Erdogan, today, to extradite Fethullah Gullen to Turkey, than just lock the Turkey up, post-haste.
That dirty son-of-a-mule (Erdogan) shouldn’t even be allowed on American soil after his security attaché brutally assaulted peacefully-protesting American citizens the last time he disgraced our nation with his visit.
And so it begins….
Bink, LOL!!! That 9:58 is a brilliant observation. And as to the 10:06, damn Skippy.
Thanks. Can any legitimate authority intervene if Trump tries to extradite Gullen at Erdogan’s demand?
If there is even a whisper from official channels concerning Gullen, you’ll know for certain that Trump is a puppet of a Dictatorial Islamic foreign regime, and needs to be removed from office (procedurally), ASAP.
Nice job, Republicans. USA! USA!
Idiots.
OK, I’m fired up! Enjoy the show, gird your loins, have a good day.
I’m trying to live off the gird.
…better to live off the gird than die on your sneeze.
(^would have posted that if i didn’t already log-off)
Gym Jordan slapped down by Schiff, more to come
Hard to lose an opening statement, and Kent, Taylor knocked theirs out of the park.
Dana Milbank has done a good job of making the case against SFB simple.
Yes, it is just that simple. Mr. Goldman, please take heed.
Holy shit, this is some compelling testimony. All about that context.
Venice Floods: Climate Change Behind Highest Tide in 50 years.
BTW, I like both broccoli and asparagus. Roasted asparagus is pretty wonderful – definitely is tastier than steamed broccoli IMHO – but my god what it does to the odor of piss.
And Taylor is knocking it out of the park.
The format of questioning two witnesses at the same time is fascinating – wholly foreign to a run of the mill litigator like myself. It is effective as it’s being executed by Goldman.
Can’t wait to see Gym Jordan take on Taylor, who seems ready for battle.
Gym Jordan snicker
GOP counsel spoke in tongues even these skilled diplomats couldn’t understand.
I am curious as to why there was no additional path of impeachment leading to Russia. There is so much fertile ground there, starting with asking for emails going to telling the Russian spies who to kill, going on to several strange meetings with Putin, go delivering Syria. I like the highway going to treason.
Ratcliff or whatever is his name — hasn’t he been publicly discredited as a big fat inflator of pretty much everything about himself. Even SFB couldn’t bully him into the cabinet he’s a disgrace
When the facts are against you, argue the law.
When the law is against you, argue the facts
When the law and the facts are against you, have Devin Nunes, Jim Jordan, and Rep Ratcliff scream fact-free nonsense for an hour.
Finally. Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) asks the right question: “Does it embolden Russia when there is no aid being sent to Ukraine?” Kent: “It sends the signal to Putin that he can leverage that.”
Eric Trump tweet: “The Democrats are like the desperate ex girlfriend/boyfriend that you want absolutely nothing to do with!”
Just like his own mother dumped by his lecherous father?
Taylor and Kent gave me hope today that honest public servants exist, if we can keep them.
Doesn’t Gym understand that questions are addressed to witnesses and have a “?” at the end of the question? I’ve heard him blather and have not heard a question come out of that arrogant puss of his.
Rep. Peter Welch (D-VT) responds to Gym Jordan’s ridiculous monologue: “I’d be glad to have the person who started it all come in and testify. President Trump is welcome to take a seat right there.”
“ Eric Trump tweet: [non-sensical Eric Trump tweet here]” -CC
Metaphors are obviously not Beavis’ forté.
Beavis was on his phone all day, deep in thought: “Hmmm, I know I should tweet something to support Dad, just like he would, hmmm…”
Bink… methinks Eric looks more like Butthead…
I did have my tv on in my studio, but largely listened to the testimony while weaving. Every now and then I’d stop to see someone’s expression. I caught Bill Taylor laughing at one of Gym Jordan’s stupid rants. Yup Mr. Taylor…. that’s about all one can do with that clown.
WaPo is announcing that Deval Patrick is going to come to the party this week. Guess he won’t make the debate next week.
Trump and Erdogan today. Disgusting. No words.
One could tell that multiple times, during Republican questioning, Taylor just wanted to say, “Do you people not understand English?”
An incredible day. I can’t handle two weeks of this, it’s too intense. Will try to avoid making too much commentary for a while. Phew.
It is that time of the ‘run for prez’ season where people I have less idea who they are, except for Bloomingdale, than the bottom two thirds of the original cast of “Guess Who I Am” show.
Vox has a compendium of Nixon flicks and where to find them. I do enjoy watching All the President’s Men every now and then. It is like watching an episode of two of West Wing to bring my spirits up.
Did you dig the crazy shoulder pads on the gop attorney guy? They’re about 3” wider than his actual shoulders.
As a side note, CA 25 to replace Katie Hill is getting interesting.
On the right: Right Wing nutcase Papadopoulos with the even crazier Malania clone wife
On the far left: Cenk Uygur who attacked Hillary Clinton and is still groveling at the Bernie Throne
In favor of sanity candidate who might get overlooked in the squabble above: Christy Smith
1. While gymnie ranted I kept asking him, Do you have a question for the witnesses, “sir”?
2. Welch squashed gymnie by pointing out that eraserhead trump was the instigator of the Ukraine & impeachment mess. I coulda hugged him.
3. Testimony that the 2016 election tampering was OBVIOUSLY russian. repubs failed to protect putin !
4. Testimony revealed yet another phone call from sondland to the racist rapist that was followed by the ‘special guest ambassador’ blurting that the golf/wife cheater cared more about smearing the Bidens than about Ukraine.
5. Also obviously, the rippers fear that corruption may be disappearing from Ukraine.
LOCK THEM ALL UP !
Recycle them ALL for the folks who need organs or tissues.
Use all the leftovers for pig chow.
NEW THREAD