Miscellaneous And Off Topic Subjects

[Dr. Strangelove]

I don't think the Rs much care how many Ds vote for Gorsuch. IMO, they're probably secretly hoping for a filibuster so they can pass the nuclear option and clear the way for DJT's next nominee -- someone like, say, Pryor -- who the Ds could actually filibuster with some credibility.

I guess, heh, of course, the Ds could maybe think they're going to reclaim the Senate in 2018...lol...but reality is that they have 4 years of this and 2 octagenarians currently sit on the Court with a third coming in two years. And while this nominee does nothing to change the Court, the next one most certainly will -- whether it's Kennedy, Ginsburg or Breyer who exit. So, they may want to keep their powder dry, especially when the nominee is so entirely credible.

Filibustering is probably a dumb move. I'm just saying that when the R's (inevitably) complain that Dems were partisan in their voting, it will ring hollow because virtually no R's voted for either Sotomayor or Kagan.

[hack]

This is a game the Rs know how to win and the Ds do not. It may be just a matter of fortitude. Do the Ds have someline like McConnell prepared to talk like McConnell. If he flipped sides he'd be selling it as reflecting the will of the majority. And that would be true. So in a sense the Ds are better positioned to do this than the Rs were when McConnell was so successful at it. Still, I bet they can't.

[Dr. Strangelove]

On another note, Flynn has put "Iran on notice". What that means he did not explain.

[hack]

Overdue library books.

[Dr. Strangelove]

Arcane question of Senate procedure. Susan Collins (R) and Lisa Murkowski (R) just said they will vote NO on DeVos. It sounds like Jeff Sessions could actually be the 50th vote (and Pence #51). Does Sessions still have a vote until he is sworn in as AG, even if he's been, hypothetically, confirmed?

[edindetroit]

I've got an 11 year old Lenovo lap top that won't die. Unfortunately, it's still running XP and slowwwwly; the processor won't handle 10 so I deal with it.

Have you thought about putting a Linux distribution on it? Might run quicker and give you a new OS to play with. Also, IOS belongs to Apple, for everyone else it's just OS.

[Whitley]

Arcane question of Senate procedure. Susan Collins (R) and Lisa Murkowski (R) just said they will vote NO on DeVos. It sounds like Jeff Sessions could actually be the 50th vote (and Pence #51). Does Sessions still have a vote until he is sworn in as AG, even if he's been, hypothetically, confirmed?

Session will have a vote until he is confirmed, so it looks like that will exactly play out with Sessions being #50 and Pence doing a tie breaking vote. And the dismantling of education will start the second DeVos is confirmed.

[*JD*]

[AlabamAlum]

Moved to keep Jeff from having an aneurysm.

I dine regularly at Dreamland (original location, mind you, not one of those slick new ones)

bbq in general Bama>>> just about anything in MI

Howevah... Can we talk about white sauce?. What were you THINKING?


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

White sauce was made for chicken. I don't care for it.

[hack]

Sorry. I just thought of that too. I want Jeff to be healthy and happy.

[Da Geezer]

DSL:

Filibustering is probably a dumb move. I'm just saying that when the R's (inevitably) complain that Dems were partisan in their voting, it will ring hollow because virtually no R's voted for either Sotomayor or Kagan.

The point, DSL, is that the Rs didn't filibuster, and the votes were taken. I agree with you that the Ds would be better off not using the filibuster in the case of Gorsuch. He is pretty clearly qualified, but of course, so was Bork.

Talent: It appears Gorsuch has a particular mistrust of the Chevron holding, and I think he would vote to overturn it. I suspect he would flip the burden of proof entirely and make the Executive prove it was not "legislating".

[Dr. Strangelove]

Number of stories leaking out that Trump ranted and berated the Mexican President during their phone call last week. This is leaking out from both the American and Mexican sides.

*The US doesn't need Mexico
*Trump doesn't need Mexico
*Mexico will pay for The Wall, like it or not
*Threatened to send US troops to Mexico to take care of the drug lords if Mexico couldn't take care of it.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-enrique-pena-nieto-mexico-phone-call-humiliating-threatening-2017-2

http://www.cnbc.com/2017/02/01/trump-to-mexico-take-care-of-bad-hombres-or-us-might.html

On another note, the state of Texas exports more to Mexico than the next ten countries combined

http://www.dallasnews.com/business/business/2017/01/31/memo-president-trump-mexico-helps-make-texas-economy-first

[Dr. Strangelove]

LOL...keep the leaks coming. Trump ranted and fumed at the Prime Minister of Australia

https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/national-security/no-gday-mate-on-call-with-australian-pm-trump-badgers-and-brags/2017/02/01/88a3bfb0-e8bf-11e6-80c2-30e57e57e05d_story.html?utm_term=.0b9e72715337

It should have been one of the most congenial calls for the new commander in chief — a conversation with the leader of Australia, one of America’s staunchest allies, at the end of a triumphant week.


Instead, President Trump blasted Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull over a refugee agreement and boasted about the magnitude of his electoral college win, according to senior U.S. officials briefed on the Saturday exchange. Then, 25 minutes into what was expected to be an hour-long call, Trump abruptly ended it.


At one point Trump informed Turnbull that he had spoken with four other world leaders that day — including Russian President Vladimir Putin — and that “This was the worst call by far.”

[CGVT]

Fake news! All of it!

[Dr. Strangelove]

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1iwdv54w7Ag"]Sean Spicer Has No Answers On Frederick Douglass - YouTube[/ame]