The Seattle Chapter of Drinking Liberally meets on Tuesday night for an evening of political conversation over cocktails. There will be primary elections in Florida and Arizona and some runoff elections in Oklahoma along with lots of local and state-wide issues to discuss.
We meet every Tuesday at the Roanoke Park Place Tavern, 2409 10th Ave E, Seattle. You’ll find us in the room at the rear of the tavern beginning about 8pm.
Can’t make it to Seattle? There are 255 chapters of Living Liberally, including 22 in Washington state, seven in Oregon and three in Idaho. Find a chapter near you. Or consider starting your own chapter.
Looks like Manafort is angling for a plea deal.
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/27/politics/wsj-manafort-plea-deal/index.html
They all will. And why not sing? Trump wouldn’t take a bullet for anyone. Why should they take the fall for him? If you live by the law of the jungle, when a ship starts taking water, it’s every rat for himself.
It is good that she lost.
The Chinese firm obtained Clinton’s emails in real time as she sent and received communications and documents through her personal server, according to the sources, who said the hacking was conducted as part of an intelligence operation.
The Chinese wrote code that was embedded in the server, which was kept in Clinton’s residence in upstate New York. The code generated an instant “courtesy copy” for nearly all of her emails and forwarded them to the Chinese company, according to the sources.
https://dailycaller.com/2018/08/27/china-hacked-clinton-server/
Admittedly, it’s not nearly as intriguing as the Trump doorman story.
I am absolutely shocked to learn that someone with such a long career of very close association with the Clintons behaved dishonestly in public.
Michael Cohen’s attorney has acknowledged being an anonymous source for the disputed CNN Trump Tower story and also admitted lying on TV about his involvement.
Lanny Davis told BuzzFeed News on Monday evening that he was a source for the story claiming that President Trump had personal prior knowledge of a controversial Trump Tower meeting with Russians — a story the Cohen camp has since repudiated.
Kudos to these new organizations for outing their source once it became apparently that the source was a fucking liar:
The New York Post and the Washington Post each has publicly named Mr. Davis as their confirming source for their Trump Tower meeting stories, despite initial grants of anonymity.
https://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2018/aug/27/lanny-davis-admits-he-was-source-cnn-trump-tower-s/
Trump. More of him. This is how you’ll get it.
The consumer confidence index jumped to 133.4 from a revised 127.9 in July, the Conference Board said Tuesday. That’s the highest level since October 2000 and beats the previous postrecession peak of 130 in February.
What happened: The present situation index, a measure of current conditions, climbed to 172.2 from 166.1. That’s also the highest level since 2000.
The future expectations index advanced to 107.6 from 102.4.
https://www.marketwatch.com/story/consumer-confidence-soars-to-18-year-high-2018-08-28
Dishonesty seems to run in the family.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/kushner-companies-fined-lying-about-rent-regulated-tenants_us_5b84aaf1e4b0cf7b002e5609
@3 There are lots of ways to get more crime. Gutting the FBI and firing prosecutors is one of them. I assume you’re pro-organized crime, because that seems to be what you want.
I doubt Doctor Dumbfuck is on Putin’s payrolls. He probably just gambles on Russian natural gas futures.
Also, I notice he hangs out on HA in the mornings. Probably while panhandling on downtown Medford’ sidewalks for free coffee.
@4 Buy, buy, buy. On credit, of course. That clock eventually will stop ticking when the batteries wear out.
Imagine what higher interest rates will do to household budgets in the not-too-distant future.
The economy Republicans built:
“Four in 10 Americans are struggling to pay for their basic needs such as groceries or housing, a problem even middle-class households confront, according to a new study from the Urban Institute.”
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/almost-half-of-americans-cant-pay-for-basic-needs/
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Of course, it’s their own fault because of laziness, according to Republicans. If they’d hold down four jobs instead of just three, they would have the groceries they need to survive, and maybe even pay some of their utility bills, too.
Another vid that should be on here and has not been. I do not think voters are dumb. I do not think Republican voters are stupid. I agree with Harry Truman who said voters when given a choice between a Republican or a Dem who says they will govern republican lite or a corporatist will choose the Republican.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7hvqcRAWZis
Medford Oregon? They don’t take well to panhandlers.
@2 Daily Caller? Got a legit news source?
@9. “Four in 10 Americans are struggling to pay for their basic needs”
But the stock market is up big time. What are they complaining about? Why don’t they just sell some of their stocks? – Godwin.
or
“Let them eat cake” – Godwin.
@6 Or you create prohibition and then create the FBI to fight the crime created by prohibition, and then as is normal, as government job holders like having jobs when prohibition goes away the FBI stays to fight well drugs. The FBI could go away entirely and it would show how little impact the FBI has on crime in these United States. The FBI does do a lot of enforcement of the espionage act, but the act should have gone away after WWI but the peace treaty was never passed by the US Senate. So the FBI uses it to keep their agents employed though are plenty of other federal agencies doing the same job.
@ 5
Dishonesty seems to run in the family.
Now do the Rodhams and Mezvinskys.
@ 9
Include teenagers in a survey and you’ll significantly skew your results.
I ‘struggled’ until I finished professional school. Comes with not wanting my parents to pay my way.
Not exactly a surprise.
“I’d Rather Be Russian Than Democrat”
https://www.rawstory.com/2018/08/kkk-invites-trump-supporters-speak-id-rather-russian-democrat-shirts-go-viral/
Looks like the Red States have a bunch of happy campers.
https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/montana-had-highest-suicide-rate-country-then-budget-cuts-hit-n904246
Take a Look.
I now know the members of the party elite will not actually watch this and will be very upset with me, but here goes. Continuation of discussion on the ‘DCCC rule changes.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QjzL0aPAFsQ
Will these rule changes have any effect on Washington states Democratic primary and caucus. We do have those some of you may even participate in them. In all I doubt Bernie Sanders will be the parties nominee in 2020 should he run. And should the new socialist gal in New York run she will not get the nomination, but she maybe to young to run. And your favorite lady on the Seattle city council certainly will not be allowed to the get the votes from Washington state as your favorite daughter. A real shame that has no possibility of happening in the Democratic parties nomination process.
14 – EXACTLY RIGTH!
Government jobs NEVER ago away! Government employees think they have a “right” to a good job with benefits and that their descendants deserve the same unto Eternity. Why not? You do have to show up on time, stay all day (most of the time, anyway!) and do average work, and you will be promoted right along the way. Then it’s retirement with a great pension and a comfortable lifestyle.
I’d like to see the FBI’s role reduced to law enforcement support rather than law enforcement itself. They would be better at simply providing forensic support, for example, to state and local law enforcement agencies rather than being involved in the actual business of such things as make in arrests. Under NO circumstances should ANY of these new FBI agents be allowed to carry firearms or even have access to the same, and the current FBI agents should be forced to turn-in heir weapons.
One final thing – it’s time to get new defined benefit retirement plans for ALL government employees and to amend Civil Service rules to make it much easier to dismiss under-performing government employees everywhere. These leaches have had it too good for far too long. It’s time for them to have similar pay and benefits more like that which exists in the private sector.
Promise?
Sanders not being a Democrat may have some effect on his chances.
It tends to work that way most of the time.
Here ya go, our Diplomat In Chief solidifying his relationship with the Japanese prime minister:
“‘I remember Pearl Harbor,’ Trump told Abe … ‘I’m on to the Japanese,’ the president reportedly added ….”
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/donald-trump-shinzo-abe-pearl-harbor_us_5b856cbbe4b0162f471cd52a
Roger Rabbit Commentary: This is worse than anything Hillary ever did, dreamed of doing, or might have done. Trump is stupid. His followers are clueless. We’re looking at you, Doctor Dumbfuck.
@10 “I do not think Republican voters are stupid.”
Of course you don’t. You’re not smart enough to comprehend they are.
@10 “I do not think Republican voters are stupid.”
Of course you don’t.
@14 This is what you get when the short bus breaks down and the special ed kids don’t make it to classes.
@15 Glad to oblige. Can you tell me how many lines there are on Hillary’s rap sheet? I can’t even find a parking ticket there, even though you bozos spent 30 years and $100 million of taxpayer dough trying to lock her up. No matter how much you wish she was a criminal, she isn’t. Pity you.
@16 “I ‘struggled’ until I finished professional school.”
Didn’t we all? Think you’re unique? No pampered pussies here. You can find plenty of those in the White House and GOP Congress.
@20 “Government jobs NEVER ago away!”
Don’t let facts interfere with your idiocy: “Total government (i.e., the sum of state, local, and federal) employment has decreased by over 580,000 jobs [as of 2012] since the end of the recession, the largest decrease in any sector since the recovery began in July 2009.”
https://www.brookings.edu/blog/jobs/2012/08/03/a-record-decline-in-government-jobs-implications-for-the-economy-and-americas-workforce/
This blog needs better trolls. Ours aren’t worth warm spit.
Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-CA) didn’t just steal campaign funds; he concealed the theft by claiming it went to wounded warriors:
“Hunter referred to a count in the indictment which described an occasion when he was broke and wanted money to buy golf items. Margaret Hunter allegedly advised him to use campaign funds and write it off as ‘golf balls for wounded warriors,’ according to the document.”
What a slimeball.
https://www.military.com/daily-news/2018/08/24/duncan-hunter-denies-fraudulent-wounded-warrior-purchases-blames-wife.html?ESRC=army_180828.nl
30,
Sure he’s dishonorable, criminal slimeball.
But if faced with a choice between voting for a “corporatist” Democrat and voting for a dishonorable, thoroughly corrupt, criminal slimeball Republican white guy, many “traditional conservative white guys” might as well vote for the dishonorable, thoroughly corrupt, criminal slimeball Republican white guy.
— Alternate version —
But if faced with a choice between voting for a “radical extremist” Democrat and voting for a dishonorable, thoroughly corrupt, criminal slimeball Republican white guy, many “traditional conservative white guys” might as well vote for the dishonorable, thoroughly corrupt, criminal slimeball Republican white guy.
Because reasons.
Plus, also, Democrats should stop with the “identity politics”.
/s
The U.S. “unsuspends” joint military exercises with South Korea because Little Rocket Man is still building nukes.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-stops-suspension-of-joint-military-exercises-with-south-korea/
#artofthedeal
A Texas jury has convicted a white cop of murder for shooting an unarmed black kid.
https://www.cbsnews.com/news/roy-oliver-former-texas-police-officer-guilty-of-murder-in-fatal-shooting-of-black-teen-jordan-edwards/
@31 Plus, “traditional conservative white guys” would rather be Russians than Democrats. You know, Vlad admirers like their leader. See #17 for details.
Here’s a suggestion: If they like Russia that much, they should go live there.
“President Donald Trump … pleaded with evangelical leaders for political help … on Monday, warning of dire consequences to their congregations should Republicans lose in November’s midterm elections. ‘This November 6 election is … a referendum on your religion, … free speech and the First Amendment. … [T]hey will overturn everything that we’ve done and … do it … violently. And violently. There is violence. When you look at Antifa — these are violent people,’ Trump said, describing what would happen should his voters fail to cast ballots.”
https://www.cnn.com/2018/08/28/politics/trump-evangelicals-midterms/index.html
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Perhaps the most incredible and irresponsible demagogy uttered by a sitting president since before the Civil War.
#36. He sounds like a plantation owner from the south terrified the north is gonna free his slaves.
A proposal to rename the Richard Russell Senate Office Building — named for a segregationist and civil rights opponent — to the John McCain Senate Office Building is colliding with Republican opposition.
https://www.nbcnews.com/politics/congress/proposal-rename-senate-office-building-after-mccain-stirs-backlash-n904551
Roger Rabbit Commentary: Of course it is. The GOP is a racist party.
“Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., who holds Russell’s senate seat and sits in one of the building’s offices, criticized Schumer’s proposal. ‘This is a guy that was a giant of the Senate. So this renaming thing because of one issue is somewhat troubling,’ Perdue said. ‘The fact that it’s been brought into the John McCain thing I thought was inappropriate.'”
“Inappropriate”: To honor McCain, a war hero and Senate giant, and stop a honoring Russell, a racist and Senate obstructionist. Well, there you have it, that’s today’s Republican Party in a nutshell.
Of course, the irony of the whole thing is that Russell was a Democrat in those days, and McCain is a Republican; and it’s the Republicans — McCain’s own party — who are agin’ it.
Florida, the Parkland kids might just be doing it. And this without a large part of Broward County reporting….
Governor – currently 1.4 million, yes million more D votes than R votes in the primary (the Democratic Primary total is almost 200K more votes than Rick Scott (R) got in the general in 2014)
AG – 1.3 million, yes million more D votes than R votes in the primary
Sec Of Agriculture, sure it’s not sexy but 1.3 million more D votes than R votes
Those would all be flips.
But wait, there’s more…
About the same number of Rs showed up to vote for U.S. Senator as voted R for Governor. There was no D primary so, yeah…there’s that.
Where there is a two party primary
House Races, District 1
37,000 more D votes (Flip)
House District 3
52,000 more D votes (flip)
District 6
57,000 more D votes (flip)
District 7
57,000 more D votes (hold)
District 15
55,000 more D votes (flip)
District 17
51,000 more D votes (flip)
Distrcit 18
52,000 more D votes (flip)
District 22
58,000 more D votes (hold)
District 26
33,000 more D votes (flip)
District 27
41,000 more D votes (flip)
in fact in not a single district where both parties are holding primaries is the combined total of R votes within wishful general election distance of Republican victory in November. The Boulder is very large and the hill quite steep. Good luck GOP!
Florida is about to become very seriously blue. Thanks NRA!
You built that!
@37 More like a guy terrified the slaves will take over the plantation and put him on trial. Instead of trying to incite a civil war, he should be thinking on his sins.
The death toll in Puerto Rico from Hurricane Maria has been officially revised from 64 to a number eerily similar to those killed in 9/11 — 2,975 (Maria) vs. 2,980 (9/11, not counting the 16 hijackers).
https://www.nbcnews.com/storyline/puerto-rico-crisis/hurricane-maria-death-toll-puerto-rico-may-be-closer-2-n904426
TV personality Abby Huntsman, daughter of Jon Huntsman (no nepotism there), is leaving Fox for ABC.
https://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/index.ssf/2018/08/abby_huntsman_leaving_fox_news.html
Rabbit Commentary: Rats. Water. Ship.
42,
She’s contracted to join The View to “reinforce” Meghan McCain. But there’s a bunch of speculation that McCain can no longer stomach the charade and will not be returning.
Unable to sleep, Ms. McCain seems to spend almost all of her time now furiously scrubbing her hands and weeping. Doesn’t make for good television.
If you want to view somebody with an entirely different perspective on just about everything, check out ShoeOnHead on YouTube. June’s got some interesting things to say about MGTOW, feminism and other subjects. It’s quite funny and interesting.
@myself
It would appear that the FL sec if State website as of about 9pm Eastern was totally effed up.
Had over 2.5 million D votes in The Gov primary. Now it’s reading 1.4million
Unlike our trolls, I issue corrections.
I guess one repudiation wasn’t enough for ex-Sheriff Joe:
McSally – 52%
Ward – 29%
Arpaio – 19%
Hopefully this abject defeat is the permanent final end of his reprehensible political career.
44,
Check it out. A dude who’s fond of anti-feminism.
How original.
36,
PornSweat is facing a big turning point with the Thumper Base and he’s panicking. The PornAbortion payoffs are going to turn a ton of them off permanently. He needs to pull as many of them as he can inside the Orange Event Horizon and sell them on the SexyPizzaDungeon/DerpState Klownspiracy theories before the truth gets out.
@48 Trump is inciting violence against Democrats. We’ll now be lucky to get through this election cycle without a Democratic candidate somewhere getting shot by a rightwing crazy on a mission for God.
It is a new day and here is another Jimmy Dore vid. On censure ship something three or more folks on here are trying to do. Hopefully this annoys and I have not heard anything from Goldie that I’m breaking a rule or anything. Here is another vid from a jag off comedian.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1glTX3c8ttY
A lot of Monkey Business here at HA. Especially when Puffy is around.
https://www.tallahassee.com/story/news/2018/08/29/desantis-accused-making-racist-slur-gillum/1131912002/
Why is everyone so politically correct!? Puffy? I mean it could be a lot worse. We could be talking about monkeys and rope.
@51 Maybe the loon will come back from the dead and “monkey up” this thread.
@51 Yep, the GOP nominee for Florida governor just called his black opponent a “monkey” on Fox teevee. They can’t help themselves. It’s who they are now.
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/ron-desantis-andrew-gillum-monkey-this-up_us_5b86ad7ae4b0162f471e75da
GOP = party of racists
@47
Did you at least check out some of her videos, or are you relying on groupthink?
@50 “censure ship”
Good grief. Get a spelling dictionary and learn how to use it. You’re talking to Ph.D.s, M.A.s, J.D.s, and M.D.s here.
@20 My argument is simply that the FBI is a beuracrcy and it can be shut down tomorrow. There are other offices within the Federal government that unlike the FBI are sacrosanct as those agencies are called for specifically by the US constitution (postal workers for one example).
The majority of FBI employees do their jobs and do them well and really do work for the American people. Many would be transferred to other agencies if the FBI disbanded as their job would still need to be accomplished. I don’t think there is anything specific about there being a library of Congress in the Constitution, but those folks who work there do a great job for all of us. Sometimes in ways hidden from us, but don’t those employees deserve at least a living wage, or something they can be comfortable on and a decent retirement. Few federal employees get rich, and those that do have other income than their Federal wages.
The bosses at the FBI are supposed to fight for their agency and for all their employees and to try to get more resources. Certainly in the employment side there are going to be some folks who are lackluster all the time, some of the time, or have an off year. Most will actually get axed, leave of their own accord, or will not get promoted. The promotions thing is the big bugaboo as good employees passed over many times may not continue to be good employees. Some agencies also eat their young. Some agencies also have a penchant for promoting the wrong people, and because it is the federal government there is always some politics involved. The advantage federal employees have is they typically actually know their job, the laws surrounding their job, and are experts while the political hacks put in over them usually are not, and those federal employees will still be there come the next administration.
I do think what you said is a valuable contribution as it is why many American’s do get upset with government workers. It has some legitimate concerns, and repeats some old memes that are less true, though there is always some government employee who sill prove it true. Rather like safety, when you have a large enough group of people over the entire US there maybe one who actually builds a jet engine car and removed themselves from the gene pool and federal employment.
@4 And as a party hack you think within a box meaning by definition in your world Republicans are stupid. Especially the ones in Washington state. Your neighbors must just love you. Or you managed to get your neighborhood redlined under the old covenants only trading the word Republican for negro. Very traditionally Democrat of you there RR.
@27 You have access to her rap sheet. Please pray tell how? Also since the rap sheet includes arrests, since she has been arrested in a protest or two the rap sheet cannot be clean. Expunged perhaps? There are also sometimes suspicions on a rap sheet, but since she has not been a Seattle or King county or Washington state resident that kind of stuff would not make it onto the rap sheet. So does she have a permit to carry or not as that would be on her sheet.
Does her chauffeur have a permit to carry? What is her current residency and what state can she vote in? She still have a man in her life? Does he have a rap sheet?
@31 It is not the Republican who you are trying to persuade. That vote is likely to go Republican even if the candidate is their spouse, daughter, or mistress. It’s the independent voter you are trying to persuade. They are approximately 50% of the electorate. Now Republican and Democrats might prefer these independents do not show up, but independents ultimately decide many elections. Sure there are some places where 51% or more of the voters are of one party or the other, and any politician running in that area knows the score, and after being beat once moves someplace else if they want a chance or their friends change the boundaries to help them out.
@35 Why even Syrian, Libyan, African, Afghanistan, ect refugees avoid Russia like the plague.
@36 More creative, but they all do it, and maybe President Obama should have done more of it to keep a Democratic majority or to regain that majority.
@39 You leave out some important information such as whether Florida primaries are open or closed. IE to vote in the primary you actually have to be a Democrat or Republican. You also leave out total numbers of eligible voters and whether the turn out was low or high compared to historical norms. I do think Republican politicians are of course looking at the numbers and determining strategy, maybe much later today after the hangover has gone away. You could be reading more into the numbers than will be there in the general election.
The numbers could also make Democratic candidates and voters complacent and lazy. Thinking they have the election in the bag which is not true. They still gotta vote one more time to count.
@42 Good for Abby as ABC is a better gig. Has nothing to do with her dad situation, though ABC could nix the deal because of the dads situation.
@46 This is America there is always the Pheonix factor and he could rise from the ashes. Though enjoying retirement could be a nice option.
@64 All the pundits think there will be an opening at Justice though. Just seems to be disagreement over before or after the election. Sheriff Joe at justice!!!
@55 If that is the audience then this blog importance is not much. Ideally there should be teachers, plumbers, painters, and candle stick makers on here. Some might be more concerned over my spelling and others less so. Keep up the good work editor rabbit, I do have better things to do than point out your not so occasional spelling and grammar errors. Nor am I writing polished reports for all those highly educated individuals on here one or more of which you often call stupid, and gleefully point out their spelling errors, ect for minor points, and to bully them, in the hopes they shut up and go away.