U.S. Politics: The Jeff Sessions: The Killing of a Keebler Elf

[Maithanet]

There's already speculation that Trump might push Murkowski too hard and she reverts back to independent.  She already won one election without the Republican party, and there's a good chance she could spin it as "standing up to Washington". 

Probably just wishful thinking on Democrats part, but Senators can be a prickly bunch, and Murkowski isn't on the ballot again until 2022. 

[DMC]

So yeah, looks like Grassley is making it clear to Trump firing Sessions will not have the desired results:

 

1 hour ago, OldGimletEye said:

Republican Party says, “Damn we slick”.

Sanders then says, “Uh, yeah, LOL not so much.”

https://www.vox.com/2017/7/26/16048136/bernie-sanders-daines-single-payer

This was actually a pretty good idea by Daines, just poorly executed due to a lack of subtlety.  When you openly admit your amendment is purely a stunt to damage your opponents, they then don't have to vote for it as they can say "clearly, this was purely a stunt intended to damage us."

[OldGimletEye]

On 7/27/2017 at 9:34 AM, dmc515 said:

This was actually a pretty good idea by Daines, just poorly executed due to a lack of subtlety.  When you openly admit your amendment is purely a stunt to damage your opponents, they then don't have to vote for it as they can say "clearly, this was purely a stunt intended to damage us."

Well that's a good point. But, given what conservatives really think about universal healthcare, and given the Republican Party is the party that represents conservatism, why would anyone think Republicans suddenly changed their tune about single payer?

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

Because everyone knows they're openly manipulating you. Well, everyone but you. 

[DMC]

13 minutes ago, OldGimletEye said:

Well that's a good point. But, given what conservatives really think about universal healthcare, and given the Republican Party is the party that represents conservatism, why would anyone think Republicans suddenly changed their tune about single payer?

That's true.  It'd be hard to come up with a way to do that that actually is subtle.

[Fez]

31 minutes ago, Mexal said:

Also, I hate today's media with a passion. All this focus on Scaramucci accussing Preibus of leaking a publicly available disclosure form when they should be spending their time on the story above and healthcare. No one gives a fuck about Scaramucci.

Yep, but at the same time:

Really hard to ignore someone who literally talks like a character on The Sopranos.

 

15 minutes ago, Maithanet said:

There's already speculation that Trump might push Murkowski too hard and she reverts back to independent.  She already won one election without the Republican party, and there's a good chance she could spin it as "standing up to Washington". 

Probably just wishful thinking on Democrats part, but Senators can be a prickly bunch, and Murkowski isn't on the ballot again until 2022. 

She was never an independent. She won in 2010 as a write-in candidate, but was still a registered Republican and the national GOP supported her, not Joe Miller. She has moved significantly towards the center since that election though, and it's paid off. In 2016 she won almost entirely due to Democratic and independent voters (the Democrat last year came in fourth place with under 12%). Its a balancing act though, she's never won an outright majority in any of her races and she needs to keep the few Republicans who keep voting for her and not Joe Miller or other independent candidates. 

Collins is the one who I think might bolt. If Democrats can get to 50-50 after the mid-terms*, I could see her switching sides. But only if she's still in the Senate. I think there's a good chance she runs for Governor in 2018 (and since her senate seat isn't up until 2020, its a free run for her) and that she'll easily win.

*Even trickier than it seems now, since there's a decent chance Democrats are going to lose a seat this fall. Menendez's corruption trial starts in September and if he's out of the senate before January, Chris Christie will get to name his replacement (probably himself). And in the meantime, beginning Sept. 6 Menendez will have to be in New Jersey for the trial on Mondays-Thursdays, which means on most votes this fall Democrats will be short an extra vote.

[DMC]

18 minutes ago, Fez said:

*Even trickier than it seems now, since there's a decent chance Democrats are going to lose a seat this fall. Menendez's corruption trial starts in September and if he's out of the senate before January, Chris Christie will get to name his replacement (probably himself). And in the meantime, beginning Sept. 6 Menendez will have to be in New Jersey for the trial on Mondays-Thursdays, which means on most votes this fall Democrats will be short an extra vote.

I agree it's incredibly unlikely the Dems get to 50 - best case scenario seems to be holding all their own seats and picking up Heller's.  Only other GOP seat that's remotely possible is Flake's.  However, losing Menendez would probably be a good thing - rather have a fresh nominee than have him run for reelection in 2018 after (at best) being indicted.  Also doubt Christie would want to appoint himself, figure you should probably give it some time considering your approval is currently at 15% rather than having to run for the seat next November.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

18 hours ago, Fez said:

The two names that really strike out are McCain (who seems to be determined just to anger everybody I guess) .

Why McCain? He's in the twilight of both his political and actual life, and now has a major medical diagnosis. He's in legacy mode now, and I suspect he will be very defiant against Trump. 

[OldGimletEye]

Now conservative sorts of people, let's be clear about something here:

http://ritholtz.com/2017/07/more-minimum-wage-misdirection-stuart-varney-edition/

Quote

Zane Tankel, franchisee of some 38 Applebee’s casual dining restaurants in NYC, Westchester, and Rockland, appeared recently with Stuart Varney to wail on the minimum wage:

You when say, “Do my favorite conservative policy cause my personal bidness experience...”, it’s not a very compelling argument conservative sorts of people. Like when Bernie Marcus says, “If you cut my taxes, growth will expand, I knows cause of my bidness experience!!! Trust me!”

That’s not compelling, at all. You need to be clear about what model you're working in, even if done kind of casually. And then present some econometric evidence that your model is likely to be true.

And the question here, with regard to the minimum wage, what most people care about, I think, is it’s aggregate affects, not it’s alleged effect at one business, which you know nobody can verify.

Quote

You catch his drift – you raise the price of something and you must get less of it…yadda, yadda, Econ101, blah, blah, blah. 

Yes, yes, conservative sorts of people, we all know about your basic partial equilibrium labor model. But, you know, conservative sorts of people that may not be the best model out there. Perhaps the real world is a bit more complicated. In fact, conservative sorts of people, I’d recommend this.
 

But, anyway, Stuart Varney is a conservative idiot. Has been for years.

[Fragile Bird]

So you guys are going to get an Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Kansas Governor Brownback. Is this a new post? Our former PM Harper appointed one, a sop to his base, but I can't remember if it was in imitation of the US,

I was reading comments on one of the stories about the news and someone said that when he was a senator, he would wash the feet of new hires in office on their first day....

So creepy! Going to work for Christ, eh?

And speaking of Harper, Harper muzzled the 23,000 scientists on the federal payroll when he was PM. I saw a story yesterday that Scott Pruitt had a meeting with him a few months ago, and then, boom came the muzzle order against US scientists.

[Fez]

40 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

Why McCain? He's in the twilight of both his political and actual life, and now has a major medical diagnosis. He's in legacy mode now, and I suspect he will be very defiant against Trump. 

Because the day before McCain had voted for the BCRA, less than six hours after giving his speech about how bad this process was.

At least he's been consistent in his inconsistency.

[DMC]

26 minutes ago, Fez said:

Because the day before McCain had voted for the BCRA, less than six hours after giving his speech about how bad this process was.

Yeah I thought this was pretty damn confounding - especially considering he made a whole point to emphasize every word of "I will not vote for the bill as it is today" (paraphrase) in the speech.

[DMC]

49 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

So you guys are going to get an Ambassador for Religious Freedom, Kansas Governor Brownback. Is this a new post? Our former PM Harper appointed one, a sop to his base, but I can't remember if it was in imitation of the US,

Wikipedia says ours was created by an an act in 1998, so if Harper created it yeah I'd assume it's an imitation.  I was not aware such a post existed, that's funny.

53 minutes ago, Fragile Bird said:

I was reading comments on one of the stories about the news and someone said that when he was a senator, he would wash the feet of new hires in office on their first day....

Yep.  Surprised Brownback wasn't appointed High Sparrow.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

43 minutes ago, dmc515 said:

Yeah I thought this was pretty damn confounding - especially considering he made a whole point to emphasize every word of "I will not vote for the bill as it is today" (paraphrase) in the speech.

This is pretty much what he has always done. Say something "Maverickish" then vote party line.

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

3 hours ago, Mexal said:

No one gives a fuck about Scaramucci.

I do. I want to get to know him before the boneitis takes him. 

[DMC]

10 minutes ago, Manhole Eunuchsbane said:

This is pretty much what he has always done. Say something "Maverickish" then vote party line.

Sure it's just the timeframe and explicitness was....more severe than normal.

6 minutes ago, Tywin et al. said:

I do. I want to get to know him before the boneitis takes him. 

His only regret is that he has....boneitis.

ETA:  I do think Mooch versus Preebs in a bro-down is a pretty hilarious actualization of the Trump administration.  I feel like by the end of his term he's just going to co-promote PPV matches with Vince McMahon between his Cabinet and staff that will include John Cena, The Undertaker, and Ted Dibiase (Million Dollar Man).

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

2 minutes ago, dmc515 said:

Sure it's just the timeframe and explicitness was....more severe than normal.

To be fair, he just had a chunk of his head removed. Not sure why we would expect him to get any better at this point. The whole "Butter Emails" routine at the Comey hearing was probably worse.

[Manhole Eunuchsbane]

Scaramucci is a fucking Spiderman villain.

https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/736x/46/67/a8/4667a8ff554012099b35e26b062269be--spiderman-comic-amazing-spiderman.jpg

[all swedes are racist]

@OldGimletEye, go on chapo 

[Fragile Bird]

I dunno, but the thread title might have to be changed to the Cain and Abel edition. Priebus could be gone before Sessions....