33 thoughts on “March Madness”

  1. It’s March Madness, where the top 16 lawsuits and investigations go head to head to see who will bring down the former president. Make those brackets!

  2. more games afoot in critterville.  what are the odds on the ceiling lift and will the lemmings jump off the cliff?

     

     

  3. click here for Colbert’s monologue :

    President Biden addressed the nation before financial markets opened on Monday in an effort to restore calm. Elsewhere, former VP Mike Pence thinks his former boss should be held accountable for Jan 6th, and friend of the show Michelle Yeoh made history at the Oscars.

  4. about another game, david horsey writes Trump and DeSantis go biblical | The Seattle Times

    There are moments when one might wonder if President Donald Trump and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis are running for president or for messiah.
    At the recent CPAC conference in Washington, D.C., the former president proclaimed to the sparsely attended gathering of right-wing activists, “I am your warrior. I am your justice. And for those who have been wronged and betrayed, I am your retribution.”
    That kind of speechifying echoes the strongman rhetoric favored by fascist dictators, but it also has an Old Testament resonance; the vengeful, God-anointed king raised up to battle the forces of worldly wickedness.
    The “God picked me” talk was even more explicit in a DeSantis television campaign ad last year when the Florida governor was running for reelection. In the video touting DeSantis, an announcer declared, “And on the eighth day, God looked down on his planned paradise and said, ‘I need a protector.’ “
    Apart from making God sound like the developer of a fancy retirement community in Orlando, the ad definitely implied that DeSantis is the Chosen One of the Lord.
    DeSantis may not actually believe he has been called to rule by a higher power (unless that means big-money GOP donors). Trump, by contrast, very likely thinks he is bigger than Jesus. More significantly, both know the path to the Republican presidential nomination runs through the evangelical churches of America whose members voted 80% for Trump in 2020.
    The disturbing thing is that many of those evangelicals, particularly those who are part of the Christian nationalist or Patriot Church movement, would be eager to back a candidate with dictatorial tendencies (and, in Trump’s case, a very un-Christian personal morality), as long as he employs his unchecked power to ban abortions, suppress LGBTQ rights and assert that the United States is, once and for all, a Christian nation.
    For those of us who favor democracy, however flawed it may be, a competent, ethical politician will do just fine. No messiahs need apply.

     

  5. Another fighter goes down. Pat Schroeder has died.  I first came across her when I was at Lowry AFB, Denver, Colorado. She had just been elected to the House and was on the Armed Services Committee.  Although most personnel were on base for training, temporary life in Denver, anytime there was an issue that could not be resolved on base she could be contacted for help.  And, help she did.  We saw some of the old school officers turn purple.Later on I would occasionally be on the same flights to and from D.C. with her. I think she was powerful because she was smarter than many of the idiots she had to deal with everyday.

  10. BB, thanks for the link on schroeder.  didn’t realize that she’s the one behind these often used (still to this day) quotes:

    the first woman to serve on the House Armed Services Committee and a liberal Democrat known for her barbed wit, notably coining the term “Teflon president” to lambaste President Ronald Reagan

    and

    When she arrived in Washington, there were only 14 women in the House, several of whom were widows filling out the terms of their deceased husbands. She described the institution as “an overaged frat house.”

  11. PatD, so glad you grabbed Colbert’s cold open, Trump investigations as March Madness. One of their funniest yet.

    Watched Trump’s Iowa speech last night. He sure is worried about DeSantis.

    Thanks to Trump, DeSantis made the headline for Trump’s speech in the only statewide paper, the influential Des Moines Register (Iowans actually read newspapers, in the top ten states for highest literacy rate — New Hampshire is first).

    Nothing like elevating your opponent’s profile.  
    “Trump takes aim at Ron DeSantis in first Iowa visit of 2024 caucus presidential campaign
    Trump returned to Iowa a clear leader in national presidential polling. Though his support is slipping, he dismissed Ron DeSantis’ large crowds”

  12. Tuckums goes silent.  
    https://www.iheart.com/podcast/1119-countdown-with-keith-olbe-99705496/

    “Wait – what?
    After a lurid week of claiming the entire January 6 Insurrection was just “peaceful sight-seers” disturbed by “hooligans” and insisting that the greatest conspiracy in the history of the country had been effected to transform the country and weaponize this and lie about that, Tucker Carlson suddenly, abruptly, completely and without explanation DROPPED THE JANUARY 6TH VIDEO STORY LAST NIGHT. No Jacob Chansley. No withheld video. No punish Liz Cheney.
    It’s quiet. It’s too quiet.
    What happened? The Department of Justice released three videos implicating Chansley, putting him within feet of a Senator (probably Chuck Grassley) during mid-evacuation. A New York State Supreme Court judge let the OTHER voting machine company’s defamation lawsuit against Fox proceed. For all we know, Rupert Murdoch called Carlson and said “shut your pie hole.” But the sudden silence was almost universal. Seen a tweet from a Congressman lately? Even Elon Musk stopped trying to convince people – on Saturday.”

  13. patd – she had to be fast and sharp against the good ol’ boys.  She took a lot of abuse from them, many were influential and attacked her by closing Lowry AFB and Fitzsimmons Army Hospital.  One thing back in the 70’s in the military was pay mess ups.  A call to her office and the snafu was quickly corrected.  The Air Force finance center was at Lowry, that lasted the longest before being shut down.
    NY Times 1990 – The Prime of Pat Schroeder (probably behind paywall).

    Remember the pink bunny on the Great Wall of China  (about 1/2 way down is the reference)?  Yup, Rep. Pat Schroeder.
    Where was Hugh Hefner when the world needed him most? Last week, controversy raged over whether Representative Patricia Schroeder of Colorado had indeed worn a rabbit suit, or part of one, when she visited the Great Wall of China on Easter Sunday as part of a House delegation. Mrs. Schroeder has reportedly said yes, no, maybe, can’t remember, and only the head. Denver talk shows have buzzed and growled, as though Colorado law prohibited impersonating a rabbit on Easter. But Mrs. Schroeder told reporters, “If you ever want to borrow a rabbit suit, I know where you can get one.” NY Times 1979

  17. https://www.washingtonpost.com/national-security/2023/03/11/texas-abortion-pill-hearing-kacsmaryk/

    It’s not under seal, they just didn’t want the public to know about it.

    “Kacsmaryk said he would delay putting the hearing on the public docket until late Tuesday to try to minimize disruptions and possible protests, and asked the lawyers on the call not to share information about it before then, the people said.”

    “The lawsuit seeks to revoke Food and Drug Administration approval of mifepristone, one of two drugs used in a medication abortion.”

    “The FDA has repeatedly deemed the two-step medication abortion protocol to be safe and effective. But the lawsuit argues that the regulatory agency never should have approved mifepristone back in 2000, claiming the government purposely ignored what the plaintiffs contend are harmful side effects.”

    So, this wouldn’t just impact Texas. It would impact access to medication across the country.

    “Kacsmaryk was nominated by President Donald Trump and is known for his conservative views on issues like same-sex marriage and abortion.”

    “By waiting to publicize the time of the hearing, Kacsmaryk and his staff could make it difficult for the public, the media and others to travel to the courthouse in Amarillo. The remote, deeply conservative city has few direct flights except from Dallas or San Antonio and is at least a four-hour drive from any of the state’s major, heavily-Democratic cities.”

    ps – If he can gain followers, Duh-Santis may be more dangerous than Orange Adolf.

  18.  
    DeSantis goes no where.   He plays well enough “in Florida” to allow him to think he’s hot stuff,  but put him in a real world and he’ll huff and puff himself to political Zero faster than Dukakis in a tank or Gary Hart on the “Monkey Business”.  He’s a nitwit in addition to being entirely too full of himself.   He’ll fold like a $2 suitcase.
    There’s also some as yet unexplored situation of his wife’s heading up some unexamined hurricane charity about which there are QUESTIONS.

  20. Old Man Winter must be a republican.   He went and hid long enough for the azalias to bloom and then jumped out from behind a tree and stomped on all the little flowers.   

  21. Trump and DeSantis basically tied in new national CNN poll of likely GOP voters (March 8-12)

    DeSantis leads college grads 18pts, Trump leads non-college 14pts

  23. How will  DuSantis play with Evangelicals who like tRUMPsky’s worldview, but don’t like his persona?   

  24. BiD, DeSantis owns Florida evangelicals, fluently speaks (and believes in) their language. He and his wife brought back water from the Sea of Galilee to use for baptizing their future children 

  26. So, Evangelicals will gravitate to someone more palatable than tRUMPsky.   Are other Republicans going to stand down until they see what happens to Ron?   You just know Ted Cruz wants to run, again. 

  28. refreshing when comics crack up uncontrollably laughing. laughter is so contagious. enjoy a moment or two of same with oliver & meyers  beginning halfway through this. 

    John Oliver talks about Ron DeSantis’ bizarre dating technique, discusses his reaction to an article written about him by The Times and shares why he doesn’t have guests on Last Week Tonight.

  29. My Bracket (left side) has anything with Jack Smith’s name attached as 1:10;  Fani’s Georgia Election interference is a little behind at 2:5 (merits very high but value limited by GA legislature and Gov and their stupid new recall law), tied with the Presidential Records Act suit (misnamed Classified documents).  On the right side I think the smart money is on anything involving Trump Properties and Fraud so I’ll give that one 3:5 meeting Stormy’s suit (5:2) in the semis, with the Presidential Records suit meeting Trump Properties Fraud in the final.

  30. In spite of all that has been going on for the last couple of days, there is one little side diversion that piques my thoughts, that the “leak” of President Jimmy Carter asking President Biden to deliver his eulogy.  I think of those I know who passed on their own time table this seems a bit like getting the tableau set. 
     
    When you think about this it makes wonderful sense.  Although not of the same branch of religion, Baptist and Roman Catholic, it is the importance and weight of this transition that is so good.  I do think Jimmy is the most hidden of the U.S. presidents, and will be seen by history as more important than what we thought in 1983.

    The other part of this is that I think President Carter is near his finale.
    oh yeah, I did drink the swill of Billy Beer, I was there.

  32. The NYT obituary for Pat Schroeder is amazing. I remember how much I admired her at the time but didn’t fully appreciate the scope of her legacy. She affected my career in a big way as an HR manager charged with writing and implementing new policies and procedures based on her legislative accomplishments. Work became a better place thanks to Pat Schroeder’s work.

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