I don't buy Exxon or Mobil, but this just might have made me pull in and fill up!
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Brexit deal: key points from the draft withdrawal agreement [Click] The Brexiteers are NOT going to like this…
ReplyDeleteImpact crater 19 miles wide found beneath Greenland glacier [Click]
How to survive a wildfire: let's copy tactics from nature [Click]
I can't post a link to the Facebook comment by David Gerrold and Google won't let me post the whole thing at once. So, starting from where I ended it yesterday here is the second part.
ReplyDelete" So what's going on behind that wall of silence? I suspect that various scenarios and game plans are being discussed — i suspect that Trump is not part of those conversations. The man has nothing substantial to contribute. His deterioration may have become so severe that he is no longer even pretending to do the job. But what scenarios? What game plans?
Hard to say. Based on the evidence, the Republican party is as much divorced from reality as Trump. The obstructionist wing of the Republican party is not going to give up their long-held beliefs that all Democrats have horns and tails and listen to Metallica records played backward.
Perhaps a few Republicans have finally figured out that they have gotten as much out of Trump as they can. They got their tax breaks and they got their hands on public lands and they got all the judges they can get. But Trump's increasingly bizarre behavior has become a national and international liability. Whatever advantage there might be to keeping him, there is greater advantage for the party in discarding him now before he does even greater damage to their 2020 chances. There might be a chance for the Republicans to save something out of this mess if they cut certain losses now.
The above analysis is viable only if there are any Republicans who are still in touch with the realities of the situation, and based on the evidence, the above is more in the realm of wishful thinking than probability."
No time to read it now, but thanks, Susan!
DeleteNext Part: So ... something might be up. Or maybe not. Maybe the silence is just evidence that no one has any idea what to say right now. Maybe they've noticed that certain words and deeds have created a backlash severe enough to be noticeable. Or maybe ... maybe ... maybe ... who knows? Anyone who does know hasn't said, and there haven't been any reliable leaks or rumors.
ReplyDeleteThere is one other possibility as well — and this is also a speculation — various lawyers have been quietly informed about various impending subpoenas and indictments. They may have been presented with situational ultimatums. This would put an additional spin on all of the above speculations — additional pressure on an already untenable situation.
Chaos theory (crudely explained) suggests that when a curve reaches a point where further acceleration is impossible, it breaks. That instance is called "a catastrophe." At that point, there is no predictability because the curve is no longer a predictor. The 1929 stock market crash is a textbook example.
It is possible that we have reached that point in American politics — where the fascist wing of the Republican party and Donald Trump have pushed the American government to the limits of where it can go without breaking. It is possible that the badministration has reached its own inevitable catastrophe point.
Last Part: The one thing that is clear to me, has been clear for a long time, is that there is a faction in the Republican party that does not consider consequences — a belief system so divorced from reality that self-awareness is impossible. The result is a behavior that defies common sense. Had there been any common sense in the party, they would have found a way to stop Trump before he even got in reach of the nomination. Had there been any common sense, they'd have sabotaged his election campaign. Had there been any common sense, they'd have learned something from the failures of the Bush administration. The Republican party abandoned common sense when they embraced the racists and the religious fanatics — so hungry for power that they adopted the tactics of Richard Nixon instead of the policies and strengths of Dwight D. Eisenhower.
ReplyDeleteJust as the Democrats have had to periodically reinvent themselves to remain relevant, it may be that it is long past time for the Republicans to reinvent themselves. But don't hold your breath. The people who hijacked the Republican party as an access to power are not going to give up their hold on the party, nor will they willingly give up their hold on our government.
If I were bold enough to predict anything, I would say it's time to fasten our seatbelts, it's going to be a bumpy ride.
What a pithy, thoughtful, comforting and fearful article. Thank you Susan. I will read it aloud to Wil and mull it, to be sure.
DeleteYes. The US has not seen the collapse of a major political party since that of the Whigs just before the Civil War; but various other countries have shown that it can certainly happen today--and very quickly. I see no way to predict what may be on the other side of the GOP crash barrier, but hope for something more like the GOP was in its better days.
Deletehttps://www.vanityfair.com/news/2018/11/trumps-post-midterms-blues-roil-the-white-house
ReplyDelete"On Saturday morning, Trump skipped attending a rain-soaked ceremony at the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery to honor the Battle of Belleau Wood. When his absence became a scandal, the White House said the decision had been made because Marine One reportedly could not fly in the rain, and Secret Service did not want Trump traveling by motorcade. One Republican briefed on the internal discussions said the real reason Trump did not want to go was because there would be no tent to stand under. “He was worried his hair was going to get messed up in the rain,” the source said. “[John] Bolton and everyone was telling him this was a big mistake.” A former administration official said Trump hates being outside in wet conditions. “What I honestly think? He woke up and said, ‘It’s pouring rain. This is a joke and I’m not doing this.’”
"As if the possible defenestration of two Cabinet officials and the replacement of the chief of staff weren’t enough of a sign of extreme dysfunction, yesterday Melania’s office issued an unprecedented statement attacking the deputy national security adviser, Mira Ricardel, who had reportedly clashed with the First Lady’s staff on her tour of Africa last month. A source said the president approved the First Lady’s statement and supports Ricardel’s firing. “The president called Johnny DeStefano today and said, ‘Get the bitch out of here or you’re gone,’” a source briefed on the conversation recalled.
Fear of Trump’s rage has spread throughout the Cabinet. According to one Republican, Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross has told people he’s afraid to visit the White House because he doesn’t want to be fired."
Makes you wonder just how severely codependency is staffing our government. Healthy people would decline to work there. Those who are there now are getting a black mark on their resumes (just by staying there). It is a very fragile government at the moment. While Mueller only gets stronger. Bumpy ride for sure. I’m most concerned about the civil war that may erupt among the people, and in a flash.
DeleteMichael Avenatti arrested by LAPD for alleged domestic abuse.
ReplyDeleteReality or a set up?
https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.nbcnews.com/news/amp/ncna936426
I'm waiting for the rest of the info to come to light, but his ex-wife came forward and said he was never, ever abusive in any way. So, yeah, I'm thinking set-up. But you know, if so it just highlights Republican hypocrisy because they willingly overlooked testimony and put a sexual predator on the Supreme Court.
DeleteMelania Never Met Nat’l Secretary Aide She Publicly Bashed, Ousted [Click] Did Clara Petacci ever exert such influence on Mussolini? Certainly Edith Wilson exerted far greater control after her husband was incapacitated.
ReplyDeleteDo the Dems Need Nancy Pelosi? [Click] Here’s hoping sanity and reasonable political calculation prevail.
Trump helps the publishing industry again— 1965 political thriller reissued with new title [Click]
The Threat to Trump’s Economy [Click]
Theresa May Faces New Resignations [Click] Is the UK Conservative Party’s goose cooked?
Killer Tulips Hiding in Plain Sight [Click] Oh, shit. Antifungal resistance is here.
BTW, farmers in NW Washington export tulip bulbs to Holland on an industrial scale, for sale as Dutch tulips.
This from Michael Avanetti: "First Mueller and now me. When we are fully exonerated I am coming for you Jacob Wohl aka Surefire," Avenatti tweeted about the former hedge fund manager who has been accused of playing a central role in a smear campaign against special counsel Robert Mueller.
ReplyDelete"TMZ and BuzzFeed News had first reported that Avenatti was arrested on suspicion of domestic violence. Early reports indicated the incident involved Avenatti's estranged wife, Lisa Storie-Avenatti, but her lawyer released a statement to NBC News denying those accounts.
"Ms. Storie-Avenatti was not subject to any such incident on Tuesday night," the statement said. "Further, she was not at Mr. Avenatti’s apartment on the date that this alleged incident occurred. My client states that there has never been domestic violence in her relationship with Michael and that she has never known Michael to be physically violent toward anyone. My client requests that the media respect her privacy and that of the parties young son."
The LAPD did not disclose the identity of the reporting party or the exact nature of the injuries.
Image: Michael Avenatti
Michael Avenatti, shown here last month, was arrested Wednesday in Los Angeles for alleged domestic abuse, which he denies. Willy Sanjuan / Invision/AP
Avenatti became a well-known fixture on cable news for representing Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford. She claims she had a sexual relationship with Trump in 2006, which he has denied, and was paid hush money to keep silent.
The Vermont Democratic Party said in a statement late Wednesday that it was canceling events over the weekend at which Avenatti was to speak and would refund all ticket sales.
It would seem the Brexit draft agreement is, shall we say, less than popular. I saw this afternoon that the Brexit secretary resigned. Mrs. May has run through quite a few Brexit secretaries..
ReplyDeleteWhat a mess!
I saw that two or three (I disremember the exact number) more cabinet ministers resigned today. Could this be how the Tories' electoral relevance ends? Which reminds me that all four of the GOP US representatives elected from Orange County, CA have lost their races to Democratic challengers. ALL FOUR!
DeleteDoesn't sound like the Orange County I remember from the 1960s. (I went to college in Long Beach and then Pasadena.)
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