Youseff wrote:

Roger Dorn wrote:Well yeah I mean I'm convinced we are heading towards suspended elections in 4 years. This is the beginning of an autocracy.

for the record, I don't think this will happen, but if it did, I can guarantee lots of principled conservatives and brain dead Trump automatons would be cheering it on in their own unique ways.

Really sad, and I believe it. This coming from somebody who was a registered R up until 2 years ago. I would hope more R's like JH would step up but I'm fearful the party is heading towards consistent backing of Trump.

drsmooth wrote:

pacino wrote:

drsmooth wrote:

pacino wrote:i would imagine he actually wouldn't give a #$!&@ how he gets on the Court as long as he gets there

squeaking in forever makes you That Guy Who Squeaked In. Pretty sure he, & others, gives a #$!&@

his vote will be no less valid. it may matter if he attends cocktail parties, i guess.

uh, ok thiink what you "think"

perhaps you should actually explain why you think it will matter to Gorsuch himself whether he gets confirmed with 50 or 60 votes rather then simply dismissing me.

you moved the goalposts in your response to the dude, for whatever reason, but I was speaking about Gorsuch himself. Why would he care?

Roger Dorn wrote:

Youseff wrote:

Roger Dorn wrote:Well yeah I mean I'm convinced we are heading towards suspended elections in 4 years. This is the beginning of an autocracy.

for the record, I don't think this will happen, but if it did, I can guarantee lots of principled conservatives and brain dead Trump automatons would be cheering it on in their own unique ways.

Really sad, and I believe it. This coming from somebody who was a registered R up until 2 years ago. I would hope more R's like JH would step up but I'm fearful the party is heading towards consistent backing of Trump.

see the mitch mcconnell article i just posted. republicans could not care less about what trump is doing to democracy

td11 wrote:

Roger Dorn wrote:

Youseff wrote:

Roger Dorn wrote:Well yeah I mean I'm convinced we are heading towards suspended elections in 4 years. This is the beginning of an autocracy.

for the record, I don't think this will happen, but if it did, I can guarantee lots of principled conservatives and brain dead Trump automatons would be cheering it on in their own unique ways.

Really sad, and I believe it. This coming from somebody who was a registered R up until 2 years ago. I would hope more R's like JH would step up but I'm fearful the party is heading towards consistent backing of Trump.

see the mitch mcconnell article i just posted. republicans could not care less about what trump is doing to democracy

this has arguably been the end game of the GOP since the 90s

pacino wrote:perhaps you should actually explain why you think it will matter to Gorsuch himself whether he gets confirmed with 50 or 60 votes rather then simply dismissing me.

I already did, but you don't apparently understand the implications of being confirmed for the Supreme Court by nuclear option v 60+ vote, in the context of the history of Supreme Court judicial appointments.

Being appointed to the SC is the capstone of his career. This guy has devoted his life to the law. He's excelled at every level. He's not going to want to be that guy who was grudgefucked in to his seat. Will he turn down the seat? Probably not. But that's not how a guy like him has done things, or likes to do things.

think you guys might be diving down the slippery slope a little going from muslim ban and shitty but not groundbreaking ethics violations to the outright destruction of the core of democracy.

JUburton wrote:think you guys might be diving down the slippery slope a little going from muslim ban and shitty but not groundbreaking ethics violations to the outright destruction of the core of democracy.

they're already breaking all kinds of norms and rules. don't think it's too big of a leap at all

donald fucking trump is the leader of the free world

drsmooth wrote:

pacino wrote:perhaps you should actually explain why you think it will matter to Gorsuch himself whether he gets confirmed with 50 or 60 votes rather then simply dismissing me.

I already did, but you don't apparently understand the implications of being confirmed for the Supreme Court by nuclear option v 60+ vote, in the context of the history of Supreme Court judicial appointments.

Being appointed to the SC is the capstone of his career. This guy has devoted his life to the law. He's excelled at every level. He's not going to want to be that guy who was #$!&@ in to his seat. Will he turn down the seat? Probably not. But that's not how a guy like him has done things, or likes to do things.

i think he'll get over it rather quickly once he starts to get to rule on all the things he's wanted to for his entire life

td11 wrote:

JUburton wrote:think you guys might be diving down the slippery slope a little going from muslim ban and #$!&@ but not groundbreaking ethics violations to the outright destruction of the core of democracy.

they're already breaking all kinds of norms and rules. don't think it's too big of a leap at all

donald #$!&@ trump is the leader of the free world

well, at this point angela merkel is, though she may lose later this year

Italy allowed Fiat Chrysler to cheat its emissions tests:

"It's imperative that we break this cosy relationship between national testing authorities and their domestic carmakers," said Julia Poliscanova, a vehicle emissions specialist at Brussels-based campaign group Transport & Environment. "This problem is at the heart of Dieselgate."

The Italian report may raise questions for Fiat Chrysler (FCA) as it faces a U.S. criminal investigation for alleged emissions manipulation and German accusations that it, like VW (VOWG_p.DE), used "defeat devices" to confound nitrogen oxide (NOx) tests.

pacino wrote:

drsmooth wrote:i think he'll get over it rather quickly once he starts to get to rule on all the things he's wanted to for his entire life

ok

“I hear we have the wrong system. … And is the gentleman who’s the head of the FAA right now not a pilot?" Trump said in a meeting at the White House with airline and airport executives. "I’d like to find out because I think it maybe would be good to have a pilot — like a really good pilot that knows what’s going on. ... I would think you need a very sophisticated person in that job."

All due respect to pilots, running the FAA is not the same thing as flying a plane. The retired fighter pilots I know are good in their corporate positions, but have a healthy disdain for slow paced stuff. The only think that keeps them focused on the job is fear that that they could be flying "box car"s, their seemingly ubiquitous term for either commercial or freight. Uniformly they seem to have a little plane that they maintain for their own fun at a municipal airport.

<edit>
Oh, and there is part of the story that "his pilot" told him that the stuff at airports is crap, old crap, and they order it after it has become old crap, and that guy is smart, real sharp guy, so hee knwos what he is talking about. So the next head of the FAA could be Trump personal pilot.

The Peter Principle President

Woody wrote:The Peter Principle President

The peter peepee president?

Spicer, on Conway's open & shut violation of ethics laws: "KellyAnn has been counseled"

so, next, when will she be arrested, tried, convicted & jailed?

spicer has such a boner for MSNBC's Hallie Jackson

Spicer insisting that Gorsuch wasn't demoralized by drumpf's remarks about judiciary, but just kinda-sorta demoralized in general, I guess

press corps now gently telling spicer to his face that his explanation makes no sense

comedy gold

Youseff wrote:

Roger Dorn wrote:Well yeah I mean I'm convinced we are heading towards suspended elections in 4 years. This is the beginning of an autocracy.

for the record, I don't think this will happen, but if it did, I can guarantee lots of principled conservatives and brain dead Trump automatons would be cheering it on in their own unique ways.

It may not need to happen with Sessions as AG. How many blacks will even be allowed to vote? He's going to go full on voter fraud.

Monkeyboy wrote:

Youseff wrote:

Roger Dorn wrote:Well yeah I mean I'm convinced we are heading towards suspended elections in 4 years. This is the beginning of an autocracy.

for the record, I don't think this will happen, but if it did, I can guarantee lots of principled conservatives and brain dead Trump automatons would be cheering it on in their own unique ways.

It may not need to happen with Sessions as AG. How many blacks will even be allowed to vote? He's going to go full on voter fraud.

Well there's still a 15th amendment, and just maybe the attention the Sessions nomination received motivates black folks to show up to the polls in larger numbers. At least this is something many of my students think could happen.

I really do see among my students a recognition that politics may be more relevant to their lives than they thought 6 months ago.