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Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#255651: Sep 26th 2018 at 11:58:21 AM

I mean, at this rate it's still an ominous possibility that if the Dems make gains in the midterms, the Russians will "botch" a hack job on the RNC or something shortly afterward, get caught red-handed, and basically make it look like the correlation means that they've been on Soros's payroll since 2016.

And then the Democrats renew their efforts to sanction Russia and beef up our cybersecurity thus making the accusations appear obviously nonsensical. Like I get that this sounds like some kind of clever move on the Russian's part but it really isn't, it would be trivially easy for the Democrats to shut down any accusations of collusion by not colluding.

Lets keep in mind that the reason that collusion is hurting Trump so badly is because he and his team very likely actively and enthusiastically colluded, if Democrats don't do that (which they won't) and take a hard stance on Russia (which they will) then I see no reason to believe that such a tactic would be anything other than ineffectual.

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
Deadbeatloser22 from Disappeared by Space Magic (Great Old One) Relationship Status: Tsundere'ing
#255652: Sep 26th 2018 at 12:07:31 PM

So the theory I've seen was that Kav was a Sacrificial Lion to begin with so Bennett could be rammed through.

This may have been a die-hard Trumper scrambling though.

Edited by Deadbeatloser22 on Sep 26th 2018 at 8:07:17 PM

"Yup. That tasted purple."
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#255654: Sep 26th 2018 at 12:09:08 PM

[up][up]Maybe...but I'd doubt they do something so complex, that digs up dirt on an issue they already have problems with. If they wanted Bennet, they'd have put her in first and confirmed her.

The issue could have been Trump choosing who he did because of their opinion of him being criminally liable while in office, over other concerns.

Edited by Rationalinsanity on Sep 26th 2018 at 4:08:46 PM

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#255655: Sep 26th 2018 at 12:10:23 PM

If they wanted Bennet, they could have just put her in, and she probably would have been confirmed by now, discounting any potential skeletons in her closet.

Sending Kavanaugh in to fail just makes them look bad in multiple ways.

Edited by KarkatTheDalek on Sep 26th 2018 at 3:10:40 PM

Oh God! Natural light!
TobiasDrake (•̀⤙•́) (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Arm chopping is not a love language!
(•̀⤙•́)
#255656: Sep 26th 2018 at 12:12:54 PM

So the theory I've seen was that Kav was a Sacrificial Lion to begin with so Bennett could be rammed through.

I still remember back in 2016 when some people thought Trump had conspired with Hillary Clinton to win the Republican primary in order to then throw the general election by pretending to be completely terrible, thus winning her the vote in a landslide.

People have come up with all kinds of ideas to justify what they're seeing in this election cycle. Regardless of if you're a Republican or Democrat, taking Trump and his administration at face value is the hardest thing in the world to do because the reality is just so terrible.

Everyone on both sides of the aisle seems to be waiting for the "GOTCHA!"

Edited by TobiasDrake on Sep 26th 2018 at 1:14:10 PM

My Tumblr. Currently side-by-side liveblogging Digimon Adventure, sub vs dub.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#255657: Sep 26th 2018 at 12:15:15 PM

Even if there is, this administration is so psychotic that it's difficult to tell whether such a statement is genuine or just an attempt to cover their tracks. "We didn't really want Kavanaugh; we were just testing the waters. Wink, wink."

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
TheWanderer Student of Story from Somewhere in New England (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: Wishfully thinking
Student of Story
#255658: Sep 26th 2018 at 12:20:14 PM

So the theory I've seen was that Kav was a Sacrificial Lion to begin with so Bennett could be rammed through.

I think if that were true they would have withdrawn Kavanaugh sooner. It’s worth noting that even with at the breakneck speed that Republicans have pushed him along, he was first nominated in early July, IIRC. I think they literally can’t get another nominee through before the election even if they started this instant.

Note: I wouldn’t put it past Senate Republicans to push someone through during the gap until a new Congress comes into office, but it’s somewhat questionable if they would try to escalate that much at this point. I’d give it 50-50, maybe 60-40 odds in favor that they’d try something. Given my extremely low opinion of Senate Republicans, (we’re talking somewhere below the bottom of the Marianas Trench here) the fact that I think there’s any chance whatsoever that they wouldn’t try it says something.

Chuck Schumer, head of the Senate Democrats, is calling on Kavanaugh to withdraw from the nomination process.

Edited by TheWanderer on Sep 26th 2018 at 3:20:56 PM

| Wandering, but not lost. | If people bring so much courage to this world...◊ |
Fourthspartan56 from Georgia, US Since: Oct, 2016 Relationship Status: THIS CONCEPT OF 'WUV' CONFUSES AND INFURIATES US!
#255659: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:00:18 PM

Conspiracy theories about Trump just like the ones about Trump are from the fact that many people simply refuse to understand how terrible the Republicans are, it has to be a plan or there have to be issues on both sides or something to ignore how frothing insane Republican ideology is.

Many people are just really invested in either not caring or assuming that our politics must involve some sanity.

Edited by Fourthspartan56 on Sep 26th 2018 at 4:00:23 AM

"Einstein would turn over in his grave. Not only does God play dice, the dice are loaded." -Chairman Sheng-Ji Yang
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#255660: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:12:46 PM

Is this already on? Third woman comes forward with sexual misconduct allegation against Kavanaugh, further roiling confirmation process

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#255662: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:24:27 PM

From the sounds of things, the GOP is closing ranks around him. Only Flake has even come close to expressing reservations about the process.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
SeptimusHeap from Switzerland (Edited uphill both ways) Relationship Status: Mu
#255663: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:25:00 PM

You know, I recall that there is someone named Feuerstein or so to who all these "originalist" SCOTUS judges are connected to. The chief of some kind of legal academy apparently. Someone know his name?

"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for Nature cannot be fooled." - Richard Feynman
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#255664: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:25:45 PM

For a little more detail and since follow up, here's today's What The Fuck Just Happened Today feed:

https://whatthefuckjusthappenedtoday.com/2018/09/26/day-615/

Day 615: "A total low-life."

1/ In a sworn declaration, a third accuser said said she witnessed efforts by Brett Kavanaugh and his friend Mark Judge between 1981 and 1983 to get girls "inebriated and disorientated" so they could be "gang raped" in side rooms at house parties by a "train" of boys who were lined up and waiting for their "turn" inside the room. Julie Swetnick swore that Kavanaugh and Judge would "'spike' the 'punch' at house parties" with "drugs and/or grain alcohol," and that she witnessed Kavanaugh "being overly aggressive with girls," not taking "No" for an answer, and being "verbally abusive towards girls by making crude sexual comments" intended to demean them. In her declaration, Swetnick alleges an incident in 1982 in which she says she was the victim of a "gang rape" Kavanaugh was present for. "During the incident, I was incapacitated without my consent and unable to fight off the boys raping me," Swetnick says. "I believe I was drugged using Quaaludes or something similar placed in what I was drinking." Kavanaugh's first accuser, Christine Blasey Ford, said Judge was present when Kavanaugh allegedly sexually assaulted her 36 years ago. All 10 Democrats on the Judiciary Committee called for Trump to "immediately withdraw the nomination or order an FBI investigation into all the allegations." (New York Times / CNBC / Washington Post / Wall Street Journal / CNN / Yahoo News / ABC News)

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/26/politics/julie-swetnick-allegation-kavanaugh/index.html

Read the sworn declaration by Kavanaugh accuser Julie Swetnick: "In approximately 1982, I became the victim of one of those “gang” or “train” rapes where Mark Judge and Brett Kavanaugh were present." (NBC News)

https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/supreme-court/read-sworn-declaration-kavanaugh-accuser-julie-swetnick-n913336

2/ Kavanaugh dismissed Swetnick's allegations as "ridiculous and from the Twilight Zone," claiming he is the victim of "grotesque and obvious character assassination." "I don't know who this is and this never happened," Kavanaugh said. In prepared testimony ahead of Thursday's Senate hearing, Kavanaugh admits that he was "not perfect" in high school and "in retrospect, I said and did things in high school that make me cringe now." Kavanaugh denied Ford's allegation "immediately, unequivocally, and categorically." (Washington Post / New York Times / Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/jockeying-over-evidence-kavanaugh-hearing-842711

Full transcript: Brett Kavanaugh's opening statement to the Senate Judiciary Committee. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/kavanaugh-testimony-transcript-843105

3/ Trump attacked Avenatti as a "third rate lawyer" who is "making false accusations" because he's "looking for attention." Avenatti also represents Stormy Daniels, who was paid by Trump's personal attorney to remain quiet about an alleged affair she had with Trump a decade ago. Trump capped off the tweet by calling Avenatti "a total low-life!" Avenatti responded by calling Trump a "habitual liar and complete narcissist" and a "disgrace as a president." (The Hill)

https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/408533-trump-blasts-avenatti-as-low-life-and-third-rate-lawyer

4/ Kavanaugh's second accuser is willing to testify publicly before the Senate Judiciary Committee, her attorney said. Deborah Ramirez's lawyer expressed concern about her testifying before the FBI is able to conduct an investigation into her claims, saying "we can't even talk to the Senate Judiciary Committee about what that would look like" because "they certainly haven't invited her" to testify. Senate Republicans blew off a scheduled phone call yesterday to discuss Ramirez's claims that Kavanaugh exposed himself to her when they were in college. (Axios / The Hill / CNN / Good Morning America)

https://www.cnn.com/2018/09/25/politics/deborah-ramirez-attorney-kavanaugh-cnntv/index.html

5/ Republican senators on the Judiciary Committee selected Arizona prosecutor Rachel Mitchell to question Kavanaugh and Ford. Mitchell is chief of the special victims division of the Maricopa County Attorney's Office, where she has worked for 26 years. Dr. Ford will testify under oath on Thursday, and Kavanaugh will testify separately later in the day. (Washington Post / New York Times)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/powerpost/arizona-prosecutor-rachel-mitchell-emerges-as-gop-choice-to-question-kavanaugh-and-accuser-at-hearing/2018/09/25/47964afa-c0ff-11e8-9005-5104e9616c21_story.html?utm_term=.301ddb07c14f

Senate Democrats have had no contact with Christine Blasey Ford ahead of her Senate Judiciary Committee testimony on Thursday. Ford's attorneys have been in contact with aides from both parties, but there has been no coordination between Ford's camp and Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/kavanaugh-christine-blasey-ford-hearing-democrats-841955

6/ A Democratic senator is seeking an injunction to stop a full Senate vote on Kavanaugh's nomination, citing "unprecedented obstruction of the Senate's advice and consent obligation" by the White House and Mc Connell. Jeff Merkley argued the handling of Kavanaugh's nomination is "an assault on the separation of powers" and violates the Constitution because the White House has interfered with the Senate's responsibility by blocking access to documents and labeling some "committee confidential." Merkley's filing is unlikely to succeed in stopping the vote. (Politico / The Hill)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/merkley-injunction-stop-kavanaugh-vote-843080

Chuck Grassley has scheduled a committee vote on the nomination for Friday and Mitch Mc Connell is planning to keep the Senate in session this weekend so he can begin the process of bringing Kavanaugh's nomination up for a final vote early next week. Senate Democrats accused Grassley and Mc Connell of pre-judging Ford's testimony before she'd even made it. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/jockeying-over-evidence-kavanaugh-hearing-842711

Sen. Diane Feinstein accused Kavanaugh of misleading the Senate about his handling of grand jury secrets during his time working for Independent Counsel Kenneth Starr in the late nineties. Feinstein charges that by directing officials to speak to reporters during the Bill Clinton investigation, Kavanaugh may have violated grand jury secrecy laws, even though he told Sens. Feinstein and Whitehouse during his testimony earlier this month that he never broke those rules. (Politico / The Hill)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/kavanaugh-confirmation-starr-vince-foster-842530

poll/ 59% of Americans oppose Kavanaugh's confirmation if Ford's claims are true, while 29% said they would support his confirmation either way. Among Democratic men, 54% believe Ford, compared to 57% of Republican women who believe Kavanaugh. (NPR / Marist / PBS News Hour)

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/majority-of-americans-oppose-kavanaugh-nomination-if-fords-allegation-is-true-poll-says

poll/ 49% of Americans age 15-34 say they are anxious about the midterm elections, 36% say they feel helpless, and 24% say they are proud. Overall, 64% young Americans say they're interested in the upcoming elections. (Associated Press-NORC Center for Public Affairs Research)

http://www.apnorc.org/projects/Pages/MTVAP-NORC-Young-People80%99s-Interest,-and-Anxieties,-over-the-Midterms-Increase-as-the-Election-Nears.aspx

Notables

Rudy Giuliani posed for pictures with a Canadian white nationalist mayoral candidate. Faith Goldy is a far-right You Tuber running for mayor in Toronto. She posted photos with Giuliani to her Instagram on Tuesday and tweeted about the encounter: "Just like Giuliani cleaned up the streets of NYC, our tough on crime playbook is going to run illegal guns & gangs right out of Toronto!" (Daily Beast)

https://www.thedailybeast.com/rudy-giuliani-photographed-with-white-nationalist-mayoral-candidate

Sen. Orrin Hatch quietly weighed in on a Supreme Court case that could prevent state and federal courts from prosecuting someone for the same crime. Hatch filed a brief on Sept. 11, in which he says the doctrine should be overturned. Overturning the dual-sovereignty doctrine established in Gamble v. United States would theoretically allow Trump to pardon people like Manafort for his federal crimes and simultaneously protect him from actions at the state level. (The Atlantic)

https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2018/09/trump-pardon-orrin-hatch-supreme-court/571285/?utm_source=twb

Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#255665: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:34:31 PM

While the number of public figures who refuse to denounce Goldy is worrying, she doesn't have a prayer. Polls have her in the low single-digit range, she's an outright neo-Nazi (14 words and all) running in a diverse metropolis.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#255666: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:42:25 PM

The problem with Kavanaugh is that Republicans show every indication that they are going to push him through over any and all objections, with a pro-forma hearing for Ford to which they intend to give no consideration.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
ironballs16 Since: Jul, 2009 Relationship Status: Owner of a lonely heart
#255667: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:57:10 PM

[up][up]

I'm hesitant to give Giuliani too much flak for that one, as it is reasonable that he wouldn't have any earthly idea what her policies are, or possibly even who she is.

[down]

Was this at a campaign event of hers, though, or was it for a party and/or happenstance meeting where he just thought she was a fan of his?

Edited by ironballs16 on Sep 26th 2018 at 5:01:19 AM

"Why would I inflict myself on somebody else?"
Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#255668: Sep 26th 2018 at 1:58:05 PM

It's his responsibility to find that out. Seriously, I know that the GOP has abandoned any semblance of accountability, but if you're going to support a candidate, even at the level of taking a selfie, someone should tell you what they stand for first.

Edited by Fighteer on Sep 26th 2018 at 4:57:44 AM

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Imca (Veteran)
#255669: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:02:49 PM

As we aproach the halfway point into Trump's first and hopefully last term in office, with no sign of the muller probe coming to an end, I had a thought/question.

While it won't do damage control at all, can he still be charged after he leaves office as you know a normal person? Or do ex-president have the same legal protections as a sitting one.

KarkatTheDalek Not as angry as the name would suggest. from Somwhere in Time/Space Since: Mar, 2012 Relationship Status: You're a beautiful woman, probably
Not as angry as the name would suggest.
#255670: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:04:40 PM

Pretty sure that he can be charged - Ford made the point of explicitly pardoning Nixon for Watergate (which pretty much killed his popularity right out of the gate - he never recovered from it).

Oh God! Natural light!
RainehDaze Nero Fangirl (4 Score & 7 Years Ago)
Nero Fangirl
#255671: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:08:41 PM

Also, there's all the stuff piling up that he's not liable for right now.

Fighteer Lost in Space from The Time Vortex (Time Abyss) Relationship Status: TV Tropes ruined my love life
Lost in Space
#255672: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:25:05 PM

Oh, yes, Trump can indeed be prosecuted once he leaves office. If he's impeached and/or resigns before 2020, Mike Pence will assume the Presidency, and I wouldn't put a pardon past him.

"It's Occam's Shuriken! If the answer is elusive, never rule out ninjas!"
Rationalinsanity from Halifax, Canada Since: Aug, 2010 Relationship Status: It's complicated
#255673: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:51:17 PM

Doesn't stop New York from nailing him to the wall for fraud, etc.

Politics is the skilled use of blunt objects.
sgamer82 Since: Jan, 2001
#255674: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:54:16 PM

Some stories added to the WTF Just Happened Today feed since I posted:

Senate Democrats have had no contact with Christine Blasey Ford ahead of her Senate Judiciary Committee testimony on Thursday. Ford's attorneys have been in contact with aides from both parties, but there has been no coordination between Ford's camp and Democratic senators on the Judiciary Committee. (Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/kavanaugh-christine-blasey-ford-hearing-democrats-841955

Ford's attorneys have sworn and signed declarations from four people she told about her claims of sexual assault by Kavanaugh dating back to 2012. The documents were sent to the Senate Judiciary Committee. (USA Today)

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/2018/09/26/brett-kavanaugh-christine-blasey-ford-told-four-people-sexual-assault-claims/1429270002/

Jeff Flake said he does not believe that Kavanaugh is a "serial sexual predator," but called on the Senate Judiciary Committee to have an open mind because both Kavanaugh and Ford are "human beings." (USA Today / Politico)

https://www.politico.com/story/2018/09/26/flake-committee-kavanaugh-843579

Trump told advisers he is open to keeping Rod Rosenstein and that he wants to hear directly from Rosenstein about reports that he discussed secretly recording the president and recruiting cabinet members to remove him from office. (Wall Street Journal)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/trump-considers-keeping-rosenstein-on-advisers-say-1537916937

Former national security adviser H.R. Mc Master called it "wholly appropriate" for Gary Cohn to remove documents from Trump's desk. Cohn removed a letter from Trump's desk that would have pulled the U.S. out of a trade agreement with South Korea. (Washington Examiner)

https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/hr-mcmaster-wholly-appropriate-for-gary-cohn-to-remove-letter-from-trumps-desk

The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency spent $150,000 on government vehicles for personal use to travel to his home in North Carolina and drive him and his family around Hawaii. Kirstjen Nielsen ordered Brock Long to repay the government "as appropriate." (Wall Street Journal)

https://www.wsj.com/articles/fema-chief-brock-longs-unauthorized-travel-cost-government-151-000-inspector-general-report-shows-1537922908

The EPA placed the head of the children's health office on administrative leave, which is tasked with regulations and programs that account for the vulnerabilities of children, babies and fetuses. An EPA spokesman declined to give a reason for the administrative leave. (New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/climate/epa-etzel-children-health-program.html

Trump backed down from his threat to shut down the government if Congress didn't appropriate money for his border wall, saying "we're going to keep the government open." Trump previously called the bipartisan spending bill "ridiculous." (Washington Post)

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/ryan-says-trump-has-promised-to-sign-spending-bill-averting-shutdown/2018/09/26/da41bb40-c19b-11e8-a1f0-a4051b6ad114_story.html

Federal Reserve Chairman Jerome Powell said he's hearing a "rising chorus of concerns" from businesses about Trump's trade war with China. On Monday, Trump's 10% tariffs on about $200 billion of imports from China took effect. In retaliation, China instituted tariffs on U.S. goods worth $60 billion. (CNBC)

https://www.cnbc.com/2018/09/26/fed-chair-powell.html

Trump accused China of interfering in the midterm elections, telling the United Nations Security Council that "they do not want me or us to win, because I am the first president to ever challenge China on trade." (New York Times)

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/world/asia/trump-china-election.html

Raptorslash Since: Oct, 2010
#255675: Sep 26th 2018 at 2:58:17 PM

If Trump got rid of or gutted the Endangered Species Act, could a Democrat president bring it back?

Edited by Raptorslash on Sep 26th 2018 at 5:59:01 AM


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