Althouse: Obama "didn't 'choke,' he colluded or obstructed, and it did the Dems and Crooked Hillary no good."

June 26, 2017

Obama "didn't 'choke,' he colluded or obstructed, and it did the Dems and Crooked Hillary no good."

4 Trump tweets from a few hours ago:

1. "The reason that President Obama did NOTHING about Russia after being notified by the CIA of meddling is that he expected Clinton would win.."

2. "...and did not want to 'rock the boat.' He didn't 'choke,' he colluded or obstructed, and it did the Dems and Crooked Hillary no good."

3. "The real story is that President Obama did NOTHING after being informed in August about Russian meddling. With 4 months looking at Russia..."

4. "..under a magnifying glass, they have zero 'tapes' of T people colluding. There is no collusion & no obstruction. I should be given apology!"

232 comments:

1 – 200 of 232 Newer› Newest»

Chuck said...: You left out the Tweet where Trump seems to be edging toward a concession that there won't be a "Repeal and replace Obamacare" bill...

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump · 9h9 hours ago

Republican Senators are working very hard to get there, with no help from the Democrats. Not easy! Perhaps just let OCare crash & burn!; 6/26/17, 4:53 PM
Sebastian said...: "I should be given apology!" Exactly. And the rest of us.

The Russia collusion madness demonstrates the real collusion between Dem officials, politicians, and media to pursue partisan gain at any cost.

The weakness of the myopic US elite must be comforting to the Russians.; 6/26/17, 4:58 PM
eric said...: There's a video of Obama saying there is no interference and no rigging in the election. He says he is responding to Trump and Trump needs to stop whining and accept whatever the outcome of the election is.

Did this happen after he found out in august?

I have a theory about Democrats. They do bad things and then accuse Republicans of doing those bad things to keep the focus off of them and on someone else.

So maybe their was Russian collusion during the campaign. With the white house and Hillary.; 6/26/17, 5:02 PM
Qwinn said...: Chuck is incapable of apology. He'd rather bring up a completely unrelated subject. Sad!; 6/26/17, 5:03 PM
Molly said...: It might not be right, and even if right, it might not be illegal or unethical, but it is consistent with the facts and logically coherent explanation.; 6/26/17, 5:04 PM
gilbar said...: you know the sign of a true 'life long republican'?
upon hearing news that democrats have committed treason;
he says: that's Nothing! the republicans are having political problems!!; 6/26/17, 5:04 PM
Ann Althouse said...: "You left out the Tweet..."

No. No omission. Intentional restriction of the topic to Russia stuff.; 6/26/17, 5:05 PM
Mike said...: I'm not sure what he's saying. That Obama "colluded and obstructed" so that ... Trump would win the election?

Honestly, the only defining philosophy he has is a hatred for Obama.; 6/26/17, 5:07 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Hmmm, those embers look to be cooling, so let's try some gasoline; 6/26/17, 5:07 PM
Dave from Minnesota said...: I follow news very closely. Good or bad news. But when I hear the word "Russia" on the TV or radio, I immediately get ADD and think about something else. I do not find this interesting. Its like white noise. So I wonder if people who don't pay much attention to current events think the same thing. Everyday. Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia Russia.
Its like my college Chemistry professor who said "ahhhhhhh" between every few words. The first day it drove me nuts. After a couple of weeks I didn't even notice he did that.; 6/26/17, 5:09 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: My favorite Trump Tweet from the other day:

Donald J. Trump‏Verified account @realDonaldTrump Jun 25
More

Hillary Clinton colluded with the Democratic Party in order to beat Crazy Bernie Sanders. Is she allowed to so collude? Unfair to Bernie!

I laughed out loud at this.; 6/26/17, 5:10 PM
Original Mike said...: "No. No omission. Intentional restriction of the topic to Russia stuff."

Get your own blog, Chuck.; 6/26/17, 5:13 PM
Kevin said...: Trump isn't going for no charges filed and a WAPO article on page 6.

He wants Mueller in the Rose Garden saying the whole thing was a waste of time. Put THAT in your darkness!; 6/26/17, 5:14 PM
Original Mike said...: Trump is correct.; 6/26/17, 5:14 PM
Chuck said...: I can see, frankly, why someone might see my "first" post, and think it was a distraction. I could have written more, or differently. Here's a different post, saying much the same thing as what I was thinking, but a bit more explicitly:

Wow; so much interest in the "Russia non-story" and the "crooked liberal media." Meanwhile, one-sixth (or more?) of the nation's economy hangs in the balance as the Senate tries to craft a reconciliation bill on the thinnest of margins. And the President puts out a Tweet that looks at least a little like a concession of failure. Weird, that the Russia story -- a story that Trump and his supporters claim has been a non-story from the beginning -- is garnering so much attention. Where is the massive Trump communications effort on health care reform? Because Trump's promises were huge. Coverage for everybody. Even if Republicans hated him for it. Lowered premiums. "Fantastic" coverage. Really gigantic promises. Life and death, or close to it, for a lot of people. On the day that CBO scored the Senate bill and said that 23 million people could lose coverage.

That's a bit more of what I was thinking about this.; 6/26/17, 5:15 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Eric,

My memory was it was after one of the debates, so mid October or so. There was no qualification of Obama's words either- Obama suggested the idea that election was being rigged was a complete fantasy. Yes, that statement doesn't really square with the WaPo story from a few days ago, does it?

I think the story in WaPo a few days ago was a complete hoax story- not one bit of it was really true.; 6/26/17, 5:16 PM
Big Mike said...: "I should be given apology!"

Sure seems that way, doesn't it?; 6/26/17, 5:17 PM
Anonymous said...: Colluding with Russia, does he even know the meaning of the word "collude"? To what lengths will he not go to distract from the investigation? Obama didn't interfere because he didn't want to be seen as interfering with the election. Trump was already yammering about the election being "rigged". What was Obama supposedly obstructing? What a monumental ignoramus is your Trump. How much more bizzare can your President get before it dawns on you people that he is nuts?

Keep the tweets coming oh mighty T-Rump.; 6/26/17, 5:18 PM
Hari said...: It's hard enough for the Trump opposition to draw blood when Trump has actually done something wrong (e.g., the Entertainment Tonight tape). Going after Trump when, as it appears to be the case with alleged Russian collusion, he has done absolutely nothing wrong is a sure fire recipe for disaster.

Trump can fight to a draw when he is dead wrong. When he is right, the opposition is screwed. That is just no starting to become obvious. By the time this is over, Trump will be standing stronger, and the Democrats and the press will be much weaker.; 6/26/17, 5:21 PM
Qwinn said...: Chuck:

1) Everyone here knows CBO scores aren't worth crap because of factors they are forced by law to ignore, and if you had a single conservative bone in your body you'd never use them to advance an argument.

2) We were all forced to talk about Russia for 8 months with no evidence to back up the accusations. Now the evidence is pointing the other way, so you want to drop it and are STILL trying to change the subject. No.; 6/26/17, 5:21 PM
Yancey Ward said...: Shorter Inga- Obama wanted Hillary! to lose, so did nothing.; 6/26/17, 5:24 PM
Fen said...: Cuck: "Weird that the fake Russia story has gotten so much attention"

Yes, that the media and Democrats got caught creating a fake scandal that has resulted in 4 investigations, to impeach or at least handicap a duly elected President of the United States... nothing to see here move along.

You are such a fucking fraud.; 6/26/17, 5:26 PM
Kevin said...: Where is the massive Trump communications effort on health care reform?

Tied up for months due to a fake Russia investigation?; 6/26/17, 5:26 PM
khesanh0802 said...: @Chuck 1643 So what? It's the truth and letting Obamacare crash and burn continues as an option.; 6/26/17, 5:28 PM
Chuck said...: Qwinn:

1)I am not going to vouch for CBO scoring in every/any particular case. The simple fact is, it is on the front/home page of the New York Times right now. I am not advancing any argument about who is right; I am advancing an observation about what is the biggest story in the country right now. And you can save your lecturing me about what a biased paper the Times is. I'm not a subscriber, or a fan. I'm a Journal guy. I have been wondering for a while why Trump fans spend so much time and energy Fisking the Times. Just subscribe to something better!

2)I don't recall anybody "forcing" me to talk about anything. I just want the FBI and the Special Counsel to investigate diligently and wrap it up. With as much transparency as possible.; 6/26/17, 5:29 PM
Mary Beth said...: That's a bit more of what I was thinking about this.

Doubling down on going off topic plus using the word "garnering". I agree with Original Mike, get your own blog.; 6/26/17, 5:30 PM
Molly said...: President Barack Obama on Thursday criticized Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump for refusing to say whether or not he will accept the result of the Nov. 8 election if he loses, calling that attitude "dangerous."

"That is dangerous because when you try to sow the seeds of doubt in people's minds about the legitimacy of our elections, that undermines our democracy," Obama said at a campaign rally in Miami where he asked people to vote for the Democratic presidential nominee, Hillary Clinton.

The above taken from a news article, reporting on an Obama speech, here: https://www.efe.com/efe/english/portada/obama-trump-s-refusal-to-say-if-he-ll-accept-election-result-is-dangerous/50000260-3074090; 6/26/17, 5:32 PM
Chuck said...: Mary Beth I thought that putting "garnering" in italics would immunize me from prosecution.; 6/26/17, 5:33 PM
traditionalguy said...: I hear the Twitter Trump Train a coming. It's rollin round the bend. The Dems ain't seen no election sunshine since they don't know when. They're all stuck in Trump Prison. And the time keeps draggin on. But that train keeps a-rollin and making America great again.; 6/26/17, 5:33 PM
Earnest Prole said...: Hey Dems, get in, I'm driving to Reno; 6/26/17, 5:37 PM
Hari said...: Inga writes, "Colluding with Russia, does he even know the meaning of the word "collude"?

What if the Russians had Hillary's emails and what if they let Obama know that? If Obama looked the other way in the face of credible evidence that the Russians were interfering with the election, because he was afraid that they would escalate and dump Hillary's emails (including those Obama had sent to her unsecured server) then it very well may be that Obama is guilty of something far worse than anything Trump has been accused of; whether that something is defined as collusion is besides the point.

Trump is making a political case, using language far less precise than would be appropriate for a legal case. But what Democrat in congress has offered any evidence of collusion as it applies to Trump?; 6/26/17, 5:38 PM
Anonymous said...: Pretty amazing that Trump blames Obama for not doing anything about something Trump denied even happened, the Russia hacking. Oh how fascinating how his goal posts keep moving down the field in some insane game he plays in his own mind, as the investigation progresses. I suspect he'll move the goal posts several times more before it's all over. I bet Trump's lawyers are getting ulcers.

Never has there been such a schizophrenic Presidency. Good work Trumpists. Even as Trump gets a minor victory in the SC today, he tweets insanely and shits all over his small victory.; 6/26/17, 5:39 PM
Fen said...: Inga: "Obama didn't interfere... Trump already yammering about rigged election"

During the 2000 handcounts, not a single Democrat recount volunteer accused their Republican counter-parts of cheating. Because the word from DNC was that any accusations of cheating might result in judges halting the handcounts.

Likewise, Obama didn't draw attention to Russian Hacking because there was already Democrat hacking. He didn't want to give investigators a reason to look too closely. And he assumed Hillary would win and use the power of the Executive Branch to clean up any loose ends.

Inga: "What was Obama obstructing?"

Any investigation into vote fraud or hacking by Democrats. Much worse than the Mumble Something Mumble Trump is accused of.

Inga: "Trump nuts"

Do you see a pattern here? You accuse everyone you disagree with as "nuts". What's more likely, that everyone else is nuts or you are nuts?; 6/26/17, 5:40 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Colluding with Russia, does he even know the meaning of the word "collude"?"

Says the side that has falsely accused Trump and his campaign of colluding with Putin to throw an American election for over a year.

We can expect alot more of this type of thing from Inga/Chuck as we move forward.; 6/26/17, 5:41 PM
traditionalguy said...: Chuck seems lost. He needs to get Newt's new book, Understanding Trump. Newt reads it on Audible. And Donald Trump Jr. reads his preface to the book revealing that special Trumpian, Scots-Irish secret weapon: Loyalty to his friends.; 6/26/17, 5:42 PM
Left Bank of the Charles said...: Trump's tweets are just saying they can't prove it not that it didn't happen.; 6/26/17, 5:42 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Pretty amazing that Trump blames Obama for not doing anything about something Trump denied even happened, the Russia hacking"

This is clearly the new talking point issued to the lefty/"lifelong republican" ground troops.

Who cares what Trump claimed? YOU guys claimed the Russians hacked the election....but that creates a messaging problem for obambi, the lefties earth-bound Messiah.

How to make fun of Trump without conceding that obama and his minions were actually in charge during the time of all the nefarious derring do?

Obama must be protected at all costs!; 6/26/17, 5:43 PM
Drago said...: Left Bank of the Charles: "Trump's tweets are just saying they can't prove it not that it didn't happen."

This is inadvertantly amusing as all get out.

But something is not quite right with it, possibly because Trump would do something small slightly differently guaranteeing to explode lefty and "lifelong republican" heads in a way that is hilarious and revealing.

Not to worry Left Bank, yours was a game effort.; 6/26/17, 5:45 PM
buwaya said...: "I am not going to vouch for CBO scoring in every/any particular case."

You should ignore CBO scoring in anything at all. Also all their projections. I've been checking CBO forecasts vs reality for almost 20 years now. Its one of my little hobbies.

"I am advancing an observation about what is the biggest story in the country right now."

And its the biggest story because - the Times prints it and says it is? You are being taken in by several propaganda methods here.

"I have been wondering for a while why Trump fans spend so much time and energy Fisking the Times."

Because the Times is the Mouth of Sauron. The enemies of your people use the Times as the initiation point for their memetic warfare. Winston Churchill would have understood the situation just as Trump does.

This isn't normal politics, this is much more like the Cold War.; 6/26/17, 5:45 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: With 4 months looking at Russia under a magnifying glass, they have zero 'tapes' of T people colluding. There is no collusion & no obstruction.

"Looking at Russia" is an excuse to investigate all of Trump's associates, some of whom:

* Have done business in Russia

* Have acquaintances or associates who are Russians

* Have traveled in Russia

* Have watched RT television shows

* Anything else at all.

If a Trump associate has done any such activity, then maybe he is a cut-out for Trump paying Putin to meddle in the US election. That possibility must be investigated by our entire Intelligence Community.

During such investigations, such an associate will be trapped into lying about something to an FBI agent. Then the Trump associate can be threatened with prosecution for lying, and ultimately the associate can be pressured to testify against Trump.

This is the operation that was being conducted by "Crazy Comey the Leaker" and now is being conducted by Robert "The FBI Whitewasher" Mueller.

If Mueller can obtain Trump's tax documents and release them to the public, then one of his major goals will be accomplished. The Deep State believes that releasing those tax documents to the public will be the key to removing our elected President Trump from office.; 6/26/17, 5:45 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Just for a moment let's look at the mechanics of the healthcare bill(s). In that way, Chuck, you might get a clue to Trump's position. No matter what the Senate passes it has to go to a reconciliation committee, made up of Senators and members of the House, to be reconciled with the House bill. What comes out of the reconciliation will be a far cry from the pure Senate bill. Why should Trump expend capital on a bill that will change dramatically? He spent time on the House bill because if the House failed to pass their version there would be no bill in the Senate. I also think that he believes McConnell is capable of making the compromises necessary to bring the Senate bill to a vote and he will be more successful if Trump just cheerleads, as he is doing.

Trump may not look very subtle or very bright to you, but he happens to be both. Remember he is not a lawyer. He does not think or react like a lawyer. I know that's disappointing to you, but it's a great joy to me.

As far as Obama is concerned: I agree with those above who remember Obama saying definitively during the campaign that there was no Russian interference, but I'll be damned if I can find it right now, this is the closest thing I can find at the moment.; 6/26/17, 5:46 PM
Drago said...: buwaya: "And its the biggest story because - the Times prints it and says it is? You are being taken in by several propaganda methods here."

Being "taken in"?

LOL

Oh, I think not. Much more like voluntarily opting in to help get off the other lefty losing issues such as the now validated travel restrictions (with some side notes thrown in) as well as the complete collapse of the Russia Collusion lie.; 6/26/17, 5:47 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: The Trump Tweets seem to destabilize our friends on the Left. They read them -- and then get riled up and lose all focus.

Collusion! Putin! Russia!

It's lost much of its zing, doncha think?; 6/26/17, 5:47 PM
Hari said...: Inga writes, "Oh how fascinating how his goal posts keep moving down the field in some insane game he plays in his own mind, as the investigation progresses."

An alternate explanation is that as the investigation progresses, it becomes obvious that there is no evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians, but there is evidence that Obama chose to go easy on the Russians when Obama believed that Hillary's win was a forgone conclusion.; 6/26/17, 5:48 PM
Drago said...: Hari: "An alternate explanation is that as the investigation progresses, it becomes obvious that there is no evidence that Trump colluded with the Russians, but there is evidence that Obama chose to go easy on the Russians when Obama believed that Hillary's win was a forgone conclusion."

Concise.

Nice.; 6/26/17, 5:49 PM
Anonymous said...: "Says the side that has falsely accused Trump and his campaign of colluding with Putin to throw an American election for over a year"

Yes indeed and don't forget the investigation is not over.; 6/26/17, 5:49 PM
khesanh0802 said...: @ Buwaya Here's a pretty good summary of how faulty the CBO forecasts are.; 6/26/17, 5:51 PM
buwaya said...: Lawyers should never run anything.
The profession is fatally prone to corruption and an obsession with words - not communication, just the tools of communication, independent of meaning. So they fight about words in order to put something over on honest people.

The world should be run by engineers, who say little that's intelligible, but understand each other implicitly.; 6/26/17, 5:51 PM
Fen said...: "Chuck seems lost"

He's not, he's a fucking Moby, a concern troll.; 6/26/17, 5:52 PM
The Vault Dweller said...: I think Trump is right on this. I remember the tone coming out of the white house before the election was over. All the while it looked like Clinton would win easily. But despite talk in the press about possible Russian interference the White House downplayed it all the time in the press. Assuring people over and over it had not affected the election in progress at all. Not to say, there weren't people concerned. They just didn't appear to exist in the administration at the time.; 6/26/17, 5:53 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Yes indeed and don't forget the investigation is not over."

Keep hope alive. Republicans couldn't win without such dedication to leftist pipe dreams.; 6/26/17, 5:53 PM
Drago said...: Remember, Inga is still convinced that the "russian dossier" was true, true!, TRUE!

LOL; 6/26/17, 5:54 PM
Mike Sylwester said...: Our country's Intelligence Community and our country's Judiciary are disgracing themselves.

They seem to be competing to be the institution that disgraces itself the worst.

Do these two institutions imagine that our country's population will dismiss and forget about their disgraceful antics? Do they imagine that they will regain the population's respect quickly?

The disgrace will last for decades.; 6/26/17, 5:55 PM
Original Mike said...: "Looking at Russia" is an excuse to investigate all of Trump's associates, some of whom:
* Have done business in Russia
* Have acquaintances or associates who are Russians
* Have traveled in Russia
* Have watched RT television shows
* Anything else at all."

Apparently Scaramucci's crime at the heart of the CNN "massive fuckup" was to say hi to a Russian in a restaurant. And Inga calls us nuts.; 6/26/17, 5:55 PM
Bay Area Guy said...: Mueller....Mueller.....Mueller .....anyone?; 6/26/17, 5:55 PM
Fen said...: Question: How do we know the Left doesn't really believe the Russians hacked the

Answer: Not a single one of them has called for a return to paper ballots.; 6/26/17, 5:56 PM
buwaya said...: The CBO was just as useless in the Clinton and Bush administrations, and under any partisan leadership in the House. They are hopeless at predicting tax revenues. They are not so bad at predicting expenditures, that's dead easy in comparison, but even there they have made large errors on occasion.; 6/26/17, 5:56 PM
Anonymous said...: As the investigation progresses Trump's tweeting becomes more and more bizzare. If he has nothing to hide he would shut his mouth and not make himself appear guilty as sin. No innocent person acts in such a odd manner. At least not if they're smart.; 6/26/17, 5:57 PM
Drago said...: Original Mike: "Apparently Scaramucci's crime at the heart of the CNN "massive fuckup" was to say hi to a Russian in a restaurant. And Inga calls us nuts"

Don't forget that Sessions supposedly nefarious third "secret meeting with a Russian!" was actually a handshake and quick word on a receiving line in a crowded room during a reception after a speech.

And that was precisely the "meeting" that Comey conspiratorially alluded to in his last hearing that the left used for the next few days headlines.

It doesn't take much to keep the lemmings like Inga "on the hook".; 6/26/17, 5:58 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "If he has nothing to hide he would shut his mouth and not make himself appear guilty as sin"

I don't think Inga is capable of realizing how she contradicts herself with each posting.

I bet you and Chuckie would love for Trump and team to shut up and not comment while the democrats continue their campaign of innuendo and smears.

Those days are over Ossoff fans.; 6/26/17, 6:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I should be given apology!

Of course Trump has been palling around with Russians. Where else would he have learned to drop his articles like that?; 6/26/17, 6:00 PM
Anonymous said...: "It doesn't take much to keep the lemmings like Inga "on the hook"."

It doesn't take much to keep Trump sychophants hanging on to the delusion of a rational Trump Presidency.; 6/26/17, 6:00 PM
Leigh said...: Lest we forget, Obama also did NOTHING after the DNC servers were hacked. He ordered a "full investigation" into this presumptively Russian hacking and Debbie Wasserman Schultz REFUSED to give the DNC servers to the FBI or Dep't of Homeland Security. And what did Obama do when DWS obstructed this investigation? NADA. NADA. Why? Because it was Pakistani bad guys (the Awan Brothers) who worked in the House IT Dep't who had hacked the DNC servers; they were sponsored by DWS and paid top dollar. The truth -- that a Pakistani spy ring was responsible -- would have shredded this Russian fairy tale to bits.; 6/26/17, 6:02 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "It doesn't take much to keep Trump sychophants hanging on to the delusion of a rational Trump Presidency."

The guy who keeps winning is not rational.

Uh huh.

Hows that 9th circuit/4th circuit ruling working out for you? Was the supreme court ruling rational enough for you? It was only 9-0 after all on the main point.

But remember, it was just 9-0. It wasn't like it was 10-0, so you've got that going for you. Which is nice.; 6/26/17, 6:02 PM
Anonymous said...: "I bet you and Chuckie would love for Trump and team to shut up and not comment while the democrats continue their campaign of innuendo and smears."

Au contraire! His tweets are the best thing about him. Keep the tweets coming!; 6/26/17, 6:03 PM
Drago said...: You know, after obama and Hillary handed Putin 20% of our uranium reserves (with a very nice payout to Billy boy in speech fees as well as a sweet, sweet contribution to the Clinton Global Slush Fund) and then obama promises to be "more flexible" for his boyfriend Putin in what had to be one of the sweetest, tenderest and almost loving, touching diplomatic moments ever captured on camera, it's hardly surprising that obama didn't have it in his heart to stand up to what the Russians have been doing with full leftist support for about 90 years.; 6/26/17, 6:05 PM
Fen said...: Inga: "If Trump has nothing to hide he would shut up and stop defending himself"

Mint Libtard. Thanks.; 6/26/17, 6:05 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Au contraire! His tweets are the best thing about him. Keep the tweets coming!"

Except every dem talking head is screaming at Trump to stop tweeting.

LOL

It can be tough for you guys to comment without minute by minute talking point updates.; 6/26/17, 6:05 PM
Anonymous said...: By all means, he should defend himself, the more bizarrely, teh mo' betta, lol!; 6/26/17, 6:07 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "By all means, he should defend himself, the more bizarrely, teh mo' betta, lol!"

Yes, of course. It's worked out so well for the dems thus far!; 6/26/17, 6:08 PM
Anonymous said...: Dems aren't telling him to stop tweeting, it's Republicans that wish he'd shut his trap. We love it when he tweets.; 6/26/17, 6:08 PM
Fen said...: I think I understand Inga's divorce. She would nag him till he hit her, a kind of narcissistic masochism. But since he left her, she comes to Althouse to sate her fetish.

We shouldn't be doing this for free.; 6/26/17, 6:09 PM
Original Mike said...: "Don't forget that Sessions supposedly nefarious third "secret meeting with a Russian!" was actually a handshake and quick word on a receiving line in a crowded room during a reception after a speech."

How do you know that the Russian didn't hand Sessions a microdot containing Hillary's emails during that handshake? Admit it, Drago, you don't!; 6/26/17, 6:10 PM
Drago said...: Oh wait.

This is one of those ploys, isn't it?

Inga whips this one out about once every couple of weeks or so, particularly after a big lefty loss somewhere.

Probably a defense mechanism.; 6/26/17, 6:10 PM
Drago said...: Original Mike: "Admit it, Drago, you don't!"

That's not bad. You might consider applying for a reporters job with CNN. They have 3 brand new openings, aka #IngaCNNWinning

LOL; 6/26/17, 6:11 PM
Anonymous said...: The investigation is ongoing, Carter Page was interviewed for 10 hours so far, I've heard. I wonder what he said?; 6/26/17, 6:11 PM
Anonymous said...: Fen, you certainly have an active fantasy life.; 6/26/17, 6:13 PM
Original Mike said...: "The investigation is ongoing, Carter Page was interviewed for 10 hours so far, I've heard. I wonder what he said?"

What I've read, Inga, is that the Dems are blocking Page from testifying to the committee.; 6/26/17, 6:14 PM
Fen said...: Narcissistic Masochist: "We love it when he tweets"

So you want Trump to tweet harder. We get it. Now put your panties on and go back inside. You're scaring the neighborhood kids and the police are in route.

Inga: "Told ya so told ya so. Shame! SHAME!!"

Bayview Clinic Halfway House. Yes. Hi Pam. Me again. Yes, she got out again.; 6/26/17, 6:16 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "The investigation is ongoing, Carter Page was interviewed for 10 hours so far, I've heard. I wonder what he said?"

Probably a complete rehash of the complete investigation in which he cooperated with the FBI in 2013 which led to the arrest of 2 russian diplomats and for which Page was a witness and not a suspect and for which the FBI vouched for the results. In fact, transcripts were leaked which capture the Russians discussing how Page was just some American businessman who wanted to broker a deal between entities in the Oil and Gas space and it had nothing to do with any collusion.

How could it. It was 2013!

But that doesn't matter. Page was questioned for a number of hours and the deep staters committed another felony by leaking that information.

Meanwhile, Page has already made himself available to all the investigative committees for open testimony.....but the dems stonewalled it.

Just as the dems/lefty Deep staters are stonewalling requests for info related to the fake dossier.

Just as the dems/lefty deep staters are stonewalling requests for information related to who unmasked who and when and for what purpose.

Gee, that's alot of stonewalling going on the by the dems.

I wonder why that would be?

As someone said, that investigation is just starting....except the collusion investigation has been going on for over a year and has involved all intelligence agencies here as well as foreign intelligence agencies....and.....nothing.; 6/26/17, 6:17 PM
walter said...: eric said...I have a theory about Democrats. They do bad things and then accuse Republicans of doing those bad things to keep the focus off of them and on someone else.
--
Hardly a theory at this point. Collusion with the media, actual violence.; 6/26/17, 6:18 PM
Humperdink said...: "I should be given apology!"

Yessiree!!! Especially after Chuck Scheemer (D-Prevaricator) went on the senate floor to state Trump was under FBI investigation. Days earlier, Comey had told the gang of eight that Trump was not under investigation. Scheemer (D-Prevaricator) is member of the gang of eight.; 6/26/17, 6:20 PM
Anonymous said...: Original Mike based on another loony tweet by Trump, who is far from being a reliable witness, lol.

http://www.businessinsider.com/trump-tweet-carter-page-testimony-2017-5

President Donald Trump tweeted Wednesday that Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee "don't want" Carter Page, an early foreign-policy adviser to his campaign, to testify as part of the committee's probe into Russia's election interference.

"So now it is reported that the Democrats, who have excoriated Carter Page about Russia, don't want him to testify," Trump tweeted. "He blows away their case against him & now wants to clear his name by showing 'the false or misleading testimony by James Comey, John Brennan. ... 'Witch Hunt!"

It is unclear if Page's testimony had been originally scheduled, however. Page wrote a letter to the committee last week indicating that he would testify in an open session sometime in early June, but he told Business Insider at the time that he and the committee were "still working out the details" of when he would appear.

Schiff told Business Insider through his spokesman that he and Conaway still have to review relevant documents before scheduling witness interviews.

"Mr. Conaway and I have agreed to review relevant documents before interviewing witnesses, as you would expect in a comprehensive investigation," Schiff said. "And while we anticipate interviews to begin shortly, we have agreed that the pace of those interviews will be dictated by the needs of the investigation and not the preferences of outside parties.”; 6/26/17, 6:23 PM
Anonymous said...: Fen, are you Trump's love child?; 6/26/17, 6:24 PM
My name goes here. said...: Chuck,

I will help translate. When Trump tweets the following:

Republican Senators are working very hard to get there, with no help from the Democrats. Not easy! Perhaps just let OCare crash & burn!

He is saying that he is open to democrats adding their ideas and changing the legislation. I do not know the names of any moderate or sensible democrats in the senate (I am not saying they do not exist, I am saying I do not know who they would be). But, if 10 democrat senators got together as a voting bloc, they could influence this legislation bigly. The addition of 10 dems would probably mean that some GOP members (Cruz, Paul, etc.) would not vote for the bill, but the end product would be oodles better than what the GOP is left to craft alone. And they would give themselves a greater voice in the conference committee.

This tweet is rude-ish and a bit crass, but it is far far better than telling the democrats to meet in conference room 6 while the legislation is written behind a locked door in different room where you do not let them attend.

IMHO.; 6/26/17, 6:25 PM
Drago said...: Inga falls for the Schiff-ty lie about the committee not having enough time to prepare for Page.

The republicans have said they've reviewed all available materials and were ready months ago.

Just as with the other witnesses, the dems DONT want these guys anywhere near a camera and testifying because that harms the continuing leak/smear campaign.

Once these guys actually testify in open court about their dealings everyone will know what a farce it is so the dems, surprise surprise, are using "process" reasons to keep them from testifying.

So what do we have?

Trump associate witnesses saying they will testify immediately, but dems blocking them.
Dems/lefties stonewalling for months multiple information requests from oversight committees.
Dems (like Rice) saying they will plead the fifth.

Hmmmmmm.; 6/26/17, 6:26 PM
n.n said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/26/17, 6:27 PM
Original Mike said...: "Original Mike based on another loony tweet by Trump, who is far from being a reliable witness, lol."

No Inga, Trump's tweet is based on the news stories, not the other way around.; 6/26/17, 6:28 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Fen, are you Trump's love child"

It's clearly a disappointment to you that you are not Soro's love child. Though he probably appreciates your efforts.

BTW, if you have a few dollars left over from the Help Leftist Venezuela food/medicine/energy/toilet paper raffle, perhaps you could kick a few more into the Former CNN Reporters "We Screwed The Pooch" Fund.

That group just added 3 new victims.; 6/26/17, 6:28 PM
n.n said...: Obama is Pro-Choice. He thought he could abort the baby and birth her, too.

As it turned out, they Planned poorly. And it wasn't a baby that lurked at the twilight fringe, but rather a witch, an Ass, a Ditch. So the hunt began in earnest to abort the baby that got away.

Anyway, morning after regrets.; 6/26/17, 6:28 PM
Swede said...: These tweets are glorious.

Not a goddamn thing the left can do but sputter and spin.

Inga's like that lawyer from SNL, the one Martin Short played.; 6/26/17, 6:29 PM
Anonymous said...: "No Inga, Trump's tweet is based on the news stories, not the other way around."

OK, fine. Based on what "sources"?; 6/26/17, 6:30 PM
Anonymous said...: "Not a goddamn thing the left can do but sputter and spin."

Nope, no sputter and spin, I love his tweets. I would be very dissapointed were he to stop. That would be very.... sad. You have no idea how hard the left laughs every time Trump tweets. I really don't know why you think we want him to stop, because every time he tweets he proves how unstable and undisciplined he is. We love it.; 6/26/17, 6:35 PM
Original Mike said...: "OK, fine. Based on what "sources"?"

Well, certainly not Adam Schiff: "Rep. Adam Schiff (Calif.), the committee's Democratic leader, did not respond to emails seeking comment on the blocked testimony."; 6/26/17, 6:37 PM
Michael K said...: "To what lengths will he not go to distract from the investigation?"

Poor Inga. Let's talk about health care. You make some sense there.

I don;t agree but you seem to have some sense, The Trump/Russia thing ?

No sense at all.

Obama is trying to hide things with this fake Obama Presidential Library thing but I don't think they will be able to make it stand.

Susan Rice is probably going to prison.

Maybe more of Hillary's staff.; 6/26/17, 6:37 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "OK, fine. Based on what "sources"?"

LOL

Trump riffs off CNN, NYT, Wash Post and million other MSM outlets and the lefties go crazy demanding his sources!

Inga, his sources are your beloved media reports! Thats what makes it all so fun.; 6/26/17, 6:40 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "We love it."

There is not a single person in this nation, right center or left, who believes you and your pals "love it".

Not a single one.

The riots, murders, attempted murders, torching of businesses and generalized mayhem and attacks were our first "clues".

LOL; 6/26/17, 6:41 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/26/17, 6:47 PM
Bad Lieutenant said...: That's a bit more of what I was thinking about this.

Doubling down on going off topic plus using the word "garnering". I agree with Original Mike, get your own blog.

...

Two words: silent treatment; 6/26/17, 6:47 PM
Anonymous said...: OM, from your link at the Free Beacon, again I ask, this story is based on what "sources"? You don't like unsourced stories, why should I accept this story from the Free Beacon? Schiff's not responding to the query means absolutely nothing.

"Congressional officials said one of the key witnesses, former informal adviser to the Trump campaign Carter Page, was scheduled to testify at a closed hearing of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

But Democrats on the committee blocked the testimony, asserting they needed more time to prepare."; 6/26/17, 6:48 PM
buwaya said...: Thats "What's the Matter with Kansas?" Thomas Frank that got canned.

What most people don't get is that Frank is a conservative turncoat, an ex-Gingrichite, and a natural anti-populist never-Trumper.; 6/26/17, 6:48 PM
Anonymous said...: Nope, we lefties love love love it when Trump tweets, why wouldn't we? It's you folks who might want him to shut his tweeter.; 6/26/17, 6:50 PM
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...: Operation KAOS is back.

I was missing the tweets.; 6/26/17, 6:51 PM
buwaya said...: Re Thomas Frank, I was fooled.
Its another Thomas Frank.; 6/26/17, 6:53 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Nope, we lefties love love love it when Trump tweets, why wouldn't we?"

Sorry. The vast bulk of lefties and talking heads are screaming for him to stop.

Maybe if you tell yourself something different over and over again even you will believe it.; 6/26/17, 6:54 PM
Drago said...: "But Democrats on the committee blocked the testimony, asserting they needed more time to prepare."

The Dems are very, very, very slow readers.; 6/26/17, 6:55 PM
Original Mike said...: "You don't like unsourced stories, ..."

First off, when have I ever said that?

As to blocking Page's testimony, one source would be Carter Page:

"Page outlined what he plans to tell Congress in testimony in four letters sent to the House and Senate intelligence oversight panels between May 22 and June 8.

The letters reveal Page was set to appear before the committee on June 6 and urged that some of his testimony be public."

And lastly, cut the crap. You want an investigation? Then let's get to it.; 6/26/17, 6:55 PM
Anonymous said...: Me too ARM!; 6/26/17, 6:55 PM
Drago said...: Meanwhile, it was clear that the Russians certainly didn't fear any actions by our Red Line drawing and Red Line erasing preezy.

Why should they? The Russians have no fear whatsoever of Weaponized Hashtag Campaigns or Weaponized James Taylor Tunes.; 6/26/17, 6:58 PM
Anonymous said...: OM,
I'm with you. Absolutely, let Carter Page testify! I will call Schiff's office to complain. I want to hear what that turkey, Page has to say. Testimony under oath, in a public hearing too!; 6/26/17, 6:58 PM
David said...: Boom! Russia be gone.; 6/26/17, 7:00 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "OM,
I'm with you. Absolutely, let Carter Page testify! I will call Schiff's office to complain. I want to hear what that turkey, Page has to say. Testimony under oath, in a public hearing too!

Lol

As if the lefty leaders listen to you! They know you guys will do as you are told.

By all means, call Sciff-tys office to tell him to do something that he has already demonstrated he has no intention of doing.

Page will testify once the Democrats run out of stalling tactics, and not a moment before.; 6/26/17, 7:02 PM
Anonymous said...: Oh bull crap Drago, we lefties know you Trumpists cringe every time Trump tweets some insane shit, lol....at east the smart ones amongst you do.; 6/26/17, 7:03 PM
Original Mike said...: Save your breath, Inga. Schiff et al. will drag this out as long as possible. Because they know they've got bupkis. Even Schiff alludes to that in the linked article:

"On Sunday, Schiff appeared to back off his earlier comments somewhat. Pressed on ABC News to explain the nature of the evidence of collusion, the lawmaker said: "Well, I think there is evidence. I can't go into the particulars of our closed investigation. But I also think there is also evidence of obstruction. But in both cases, I would say, whether there is some evidence doesn't mean there is proof beyond a reasonable doubt.""

They're stalling.; 6/26/17, 7:05 PM
readering said...: At some point for a critical mass of voters the light switch will go off that this guy is a charlatan. What will happen at that point I'm not sure. But it will be interesting to see (as the Chinese would put it).; 6/26/17, 7:08 PM
readering said...: Maybe that should read, light switch will go on!; 6/26/17, 7:08 PM
rhhardin said...: Guys could see that Obama was a piece of shit in 2008.; 6/26/17, 7:11 PM
Anonymous said...: The only ones reporting that Carter Page is being blocked from testifying are righty publications, lol.; 6/26/17, 7:11 PM
Francisco D said...: Inga,

With you, Chuck, the Deep State and CNN on the side of the Resistance, I have every hope for victory.

Im not tired of winning.; 6/26/17, 7:13 PM
Original Mike said...: The Democrats need to shit or get off the pot, as my father used to say.; 6/26/17, 7:14 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "The only ones reporting that Carter Page is being blocked from testifying are righty publications, lol."

Yes, those would be the ones that called out the lefty publication for publishing a BS story which has led to the firing within 48 hours if 3 senior personnel, prompted an utter and complete retraction AND, best of all, a public apology to the Trump staff member

Inga calls this #LeftyWinning.; 6/26/17, 7:31 PM
Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves said...: If O-Care crashes and burns - I suppose the liars on the left will blame the GOP.; 6/26/17, 7:34 PM
Fen said...: Inga: "The only ones reporting that Carter is being blocked are Righty publications. LOL"

The only ones NOT reporting that Carter is being blocked are Lefty publications. LOL.

"I think of a man, and then take away reason and accountability" - Jack Nicholson, As Good As It Gets; 6/26/17, 7:34 PM
Chuck said...: khesanh0802 said...
Just for a moment let's look at the mechanics of the healthcare bill(s). In that way, Chuck, you might get a clue to Trump's position. No matter what the Senate passes it has to go to a reconciliation committee, made up of Senators and members of the House, to be reconciled with the House bill. What comes out of the reconciliation will be a far cry from the pure Senate bill. Why should Trump expend capital on a bill that will change dramatically? He spent time on the House bill because if the House failed to pass their version there would be no bill in the Senate. I also think that he believes McConnell is capable of making the compromises necessary to bring the Senate bill to a vote and he will be more successful if Trump just cheerleads, as he is doing.

Trump may not look very subtle or very bright to you, but he happens to be both. Remember he is not a lawyer. He does not think or react like a lawyer. I know that's disappointing to you, but it's a great joy to me.

It's called a "Conference Committee," chief. There is no "reconciliation committee" apart from the standing committees on budgeting in both houses of Congress (and they have a lot of power under reconciliation). Especially Mike Enzi in the Senate. The bill in the Senate is known procedurally as a reconciliation bill. Because it is a reconciliation bill, there won't be a normal Conference Committee to negotiate Senate/House differences. To a great extent (way too complicated to summarize here) the House is going to have to vote up or down on something out of the Senate.; 6/26/17, 7:36 PM
Drago said...: It's very very important to "lifelong republican" Chuck that obambi policies and action vis a vis Russia not be discussed.

Some conclusions are unavoidable.; 6/26/17, 7:41 PM
Anonymous said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 6/26/17, 7:42 PM
wwww said...: There's an app that puts all of the presidential tweets on an official looking "statement from the President of the USA."; 6/26/17, 7:45 PM
Chuck said...: My name goes here. said...
Chuck,
I will help translate. When Trump tweets the following:
"Republican Senators are working very hard to get there, with no help from the Democrats. Not easy! Perhaps just let OCare crash & burn!"
He is saying that he is open to democrats adding their ideas and changing the legislation. I do not know the names of any moderate or sensible democrats in the senate (I am not saying they do not exist, I am saying I do not know who they would be). But, if 10 democrat senators got together as a voting bloc, they could influence this legislation bigly. The addition of 10 dems would probably mean that some GOP members (Cruz, Paul, etc.) would not vote for the bill, but the end product would be oodles better than what the GOP is left to craft alone. And they would give themselves a greater voice in the conference committee.
This tweet is rude-ish and a bit crass, but it is far far better than telling the democrats to meet in conference room 6 while the legislation is written behind a locked door in different room where you do not let them attend.
IMHO.

LMFAO.
I can tell you what to call a chief executive who blows off the farthest extremists in his own party, and who consolidates the rest of his party with firm conservative credentials and gravitas, and who can corral some centrist Democrats with sound policy and real personal credibility... and who wins with successful legislation. Do you like the sound of that guy? That guy has massive experience, in negotiating hard legislative deals.
I can tell you what that guy's name is; his name is Governor John Kasich. Best of all, some of his greatest legislative achievements have been on health care in particular.
And soon, we are going to know the name of the guy who couldn't pull any of that off. Can you guess his name?; 6/26/17, 7:45 PM
khesanh0802 said...: I wonder whether Obama thought he was going to get a free pass from Trump when he decided to allow the WaPo to run interference for him. He should have known better, but he really is not very good at understanding or dealing with people. Trump will most likely find something to hang around Obama's neck. Obama would be better advised to take the Bush ex-presidency approach, but his ego won't let him.; 6/26/17, 7:45 PM
Anonymous said...: What does it mean when someone says "I think there is evidence. . . . I also think there is also evidence of obstruction"?
It means there isn't any evidence. If there were, he would have said "There is evidence . . . there is also evidence of obstruction". Adding "I think" shows that he can't say that there is any, and thus that there is in fact no evidence that he knows of. He's just hoping he can convince casual listeners that some has already shown up, while hoping some will turn up eventually, so he won't look like a liar or a fool for implying that it already had.
Rhetoric can be very revealing.; 6/26/17, 7:46 PM
Sebastian said...: Here's what's really going on:

"A new wave of leaks targeting the Trump administration has actively endangered ongoing intelligence and military operations being conducted by the United States and its allies, sparking anger and concern inside and outside the White House, according to multiple conversations with senior U.S. officials intimately familiar with the situation.

The classified leaks, which are being handed to sympathetic journalists by former Obama administration officials who left the government and by holdovers still serving in the Trump administration, have damaged a number of ongoing operations, ranging from American efforts to prevent Russian infiltration of the United States to Israeli efforts against ISIS, sources said."

Dems screwing the country for partisan advantage. Why do the Russians even need to "interfere"in American affairs when they have Dems tearing the place down?; 6/26/17, 7:47 PM
Chuck said...: Hey Drago; tune in to Fox News tonight. They are doing everything they can, to avoid talking about health care reform.

I just saw Tucker Carlson do a story on Alaskans who want to change "Columbus Day" to "Indigenous Peoples' Day." That was after more on the Russia "story." Instead of the massively complicated, consequential, nation-altering health care bill.; 6/26/17, 7:48 PM
Fen said...: Inga: "We Lefties love it when Trump hits home runs. Keep doing that"

Sure thing.

Weird that you think playground mind games will work on adults. Is that because they work on you? Trump is going around the corrupt Democrat Media to speak directly to the public. Do you really expect us to believe you like that?

Please stop projecting your stupidity onto others. Try to come up with excuses that don't insult our intelligence.; 6/26/17, 7:50 PM
wwww said...: Here it is! https://twitter.com/RealPressSecBot

THE WHITE HOUSE
Office of the Press Secretary
----------------------------
For Immediate Release
June 26, 2017

Statement by the President

..."under a magnifying glass, they have zero "tapes" of T
people colluding. There is no collusion & no
obstruction. I should be given apology!

###; 6/26/17, 7:50 PM
wwww said...: They are doing everything they can, to avoid talking about health care reform.

Why would they want to talk about health care reform?

Such a drag!!! only losers and beta males talk about policy. I should be given apology!; 6/26/17, 7:52 PM
Anonymous said...: Fen, you really have an active fantasy life.....lol.; 6/26/17, 7:53 PM
steve uhr said...: That Trump is one fun guy. Will be dearly missed.; 6/26/17, 7:55 PM
Fen said...: "What does it mean when someone says - "

The qualifier "I think" provides some cover for libel/slander. My guess is that someone from team Trump gave Schumer a warning he could be sued for knowlingly slandering the President - claiming Trump was under FBI investigation when he knew he was not.

So now word has gone out to preface lies with "I think" or "I believe".

It's also a tell that they don't have anything. People confident about the evidence know that truth is a solid defense against libel/slander - they don't feel any need to add qualifiers that undermine their message.; 6/26/17, 7:58 PM
Anonymous said...: "..."under a magnifying glass, they have zero "tapes" of T
people colluding. There is no collusion & no
obstruction. I should be given apology!"

LOL! I love how he refers to himself as "T".; 6/26/17, 7:58 PM
Leigh said...: @Hari's earlier comment is worth repeating (the Inga/Chuck hijacks are ruining this thread; it's hard to resist correcting their irrational logic, I know, but please, I beg of you, try. When you see their names, just keep scrolling on by):

@Hari's comment:

It's hard enough for the Trump opposition to draw blood when Trump has actually done something wrong (e.g., the Entertainment Tonight tape). Going after Trump when, as it appears to be the case with alleged Russian collusion, he has done absolutely nothing wrong is a sure fire recipe for disaster.

Trump can fight to a draw when he is dead wrong. When he is right, the opposition is screwed. That is just now starting to become obvious. By the time this is over, Trump will be standing stronger, and the Democrats and the press will be much weaker.

6/26/17, 5:21 PM
______________________________

Amen, @Hari. The Dems are digging their own ditch and Trump knows it. With those four simple tweets, he just handed them a few more shovels. Dig away, Dems. Dig away. (And when you get tired, go to some college like Evergreen, vandalize the campus and shut it down, roam the grounds with baseball bats and start screaming about intersectionality, "staying your white asses home," selective "free speech" and fluid non-binary alphabet soup. Show us all how smart you are! Make these students' parents proud.)

Few seem to notice that Trump's approval ratings are inching up and appear directly correlated (inversely related?) to the media's ever-heightening hysteria about the empty Russian collusion theory. The longer this goes on and keeps ratcheting up, the more the Dems help Trump. Maybe Mueller will finally catch some Trump staffer violating Starbuck's "terms of service" for using its wi-fi without buying coffee. Won't that be news the "every-day" fly-over dolts can relate to! I can see the outrage now.

Who doesn't love being told they are too stupid to realize Obamacare's math never worked? Who doesn't love being lied to, and forced to buy an insurance policy that delivers NOTHING until they've first forked out $6,500 in deductibles? What a lovely secret Santa present the Dems delivered in 2009 on Christmas Eve! And who doesn't relish being surveilled at every traffic light, and having their every keystroke and google search recorded and collected by Big Brother? Who doesn't love getting targeted by the IRS for being conservative? Or losing their business and getting sued for standing on their religious beliefs, refusing to bake and decorate a cake? But what the masses truly adore is our Stalinesque FBI's "show me the man and I'll find you the crime" culture. Keep it up, Dems. Keep it up.

Here's a sampling of the "every-day" earthlings Facebook's Zuckerburg recently mingled with, while he studied them on a social studies field trip. The reports are not encouraging. "Russia! Russia! Russia!" story is, apparently, getting little traction in the heartland.

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/339295-as-part-of-us-tour-zuckerberg-visits-iowa; 6/26/17, 7:58 PM
dreams said...: I think the fever has broke. Trump MAGA!; 6/26/17, 7:59 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Atta boy, Chuck. Kasich for president in 2016! Here's what Forbes has to say about Kasich' Medicaid expansion.

Some key points:

- "Although Kasich has urged other states to follow his lead, his unilateral expansion should instead serve as a warning sign to other states. When he first proposed expanding Medicaid under Obamacare, the Kasich administration predicted just 365,000 able-bodied adults would sign up in the first year, with that population growing to 447,000 by 2020.

But within seven months, the program had already exceeded its first-year projections. Altogether, more than 650,000 able-bodied adults have been added to Kasich’s unilateral Medicaid expansion. That skyrocketing enrollment has led to major budget overruns for Ohio.

The Kasich administration initially projected Obamacare expansion would cost taxpayers $3.9 billion between January 2014 and January 2016. But in reality, Ohio’s Medicaid expansion has cost taxpayers $6.8 billion so far, meaning the expansion has already run $2.9 billion over budget."

- "As a result of these exploding costs, Medicaid now consumes more than half of Ohio’s entire general fund operating budget, leaving less funding for public safety, education and other critical priorities."

- Cost overruns in Kasich’s Medicaid expansion also mean fewer resources for the most vulnerable. Tens of thousands of children and adults with developmental disabilities are languishing on Medicaid waiting lists, unable to receive needed services.

Instead of working to reduce these waiting lists, state budgeters are forced instead to find funding to keep Kasich’s Medicaid expansion afloat. Funds that could have and should have gone to the truly needy will now go to pay for 650,000 able-bodied adults to receive welfare.

Vote Kasich, Chuck, he really knows how to run health care!; 6/26/17, 8:00 PM
Anonymous said...: I'm on topic Leigh. One of the tags is "Trump rhetoric", which I am opining on. If you don't like it, too damn bad.; 6/26/17, 8:04 PM
Drago said...: "lifelong republican" Chuck: "Hey Drago; tune in to Fox News tonight."

I usually just check in with Maddow to get an early read on your talking points for the next day.; 6/26/17, 8:04 PM
Anonymous said...: "Keep it up, Dems. Keep it up."

Oh we certainly will.; 6/26/17, 8:06 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: I should be given apology!

This is presidential, to you? No tag for calling out a single critical thing about Trump, even his infantile temperament and petty, self-centered distractibility?

Seriously, he has enough personal lawyers. Why do you shill so tough for his failing political tantrums? It's almost as if no shenanigan of his is a waste of time for you.; 6/26/17, 8:07 PM
Seeing Red said...: The standard was set by the dems.

We have to pass it to find out what's in it!

What us the problem?

Roll back that device tax, some manufacturers might come home.; 6/26/17, 8:07 PM
Drago said...: steve uhr: "That Trump is one fun guy. Will be dearly missed."

Well, over the next 7.5 years you should be able to store up plenty of fond memories of the Trump Presidency.

And, ironically, we have you and yours to thank for it.

Life is funny that way.; 6/26/17, 8:08 PM
Michael said...: Trump would prefer for Obamacare to remain intact and collapse on its own. 100% Democrat problem. He might then pull a fast one and go all in for single payer and a smooth route to term 2. The Dems are too enraged that HRC lost to recall that DJT is a NY liberal with solid stands on gay marriage etc. Meanwhile in addition to the pen and the phone he has signed over forty bills into law while the hapless Dems are pursuing their fevered dreams. It is spectacular to watch. He is wrong footing them daily. They are scoring own goals weekly. He is banking in empty netters. Good times.; 6/26/17, 8:08 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Try to come up with excuses that don't insult our intelligence.

What intelligence?; 6/26/17, 8:08 PM
Chuck said...: khesanh:
Just please admit that your "Forbes" link wasn't to any reporting. It was an op-ed column written by a functionary of the Koch Brothers' pet foundation, Americans for Prosperity.

Now I am not a Koch Brothers-hater. They have done some very good things. I'll never brand them as evil incarnate as the lefties are wont to do.

But the Koch Brothers have a thing, about Kasich and Medicare expansion. It's an issue that drives them a little crazy.

Just sayin'.; 6/26/17, 8:10 PM
Chuck said...: Michael said...
Trump would prefer for Obamacare to remain intact and collapse on its own. 100% Democrat problem. He might then pull a fast one and go all in for single payer and a smooth route to term 2.

Then, he'll run as a Democrat in 2020? Fascinating. Might make sense.; 6/26/17, 8:12 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Well, over the next 7.5 years you should be able to store up plenty of fond memories of the Trump Presidency.

I get the impression I like George W. Bush. Wouldn't hire him to wipe a window, but that's how it goes.

How many disasters will have to occur on Trump's watch before accountability starts becoming more important to Republicans than partisanship or nationalism?; 6/26/17, 8:17 PM
Drago said...: TTR: "Who wipes your ass for you?"

The list is both lengthy AND distinguished.; 6/26/17, 8:17 PM
Drago said...: TTR: 'How many disasters will have to occur on Trump's watch before accountability starts becoming more important to Republicans than partisanship or nationalism?"

We should have that discussion when the first one happens.; 6/26/17, 8:18 PM
Fen said...: Ritmo: "What intelligence?"

Case in point. If all you can muster is personal insults, at least come up with something better than "I know you are but what am I ?"

Try to be funny or at least entertaining. Don't be boring.; 6/26/17, 8:21 PM
Drago said...: "lifelong republican" Chuck: "Then, he'll run as a Democrat in 2020? Fascinating. Might make sense."

Given your demonstrated predictive and political analytics performance to date, I'm going to have to assign zero probability to that mental meandering.; 6/26/17, 8:21 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: We should have that discussion when the first one happens.

The definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting different results.

After all his anti-Jeb primary campaigning, what policy is Trump pushing for that differs from the last Republican to deregulate and crash a global economy built for billionaires, and invade the wrong country for a trillion dollars while killing a million Iraqis?

Sure, he hasn't gone that far, yet. But he seems to be a step in those directions from anything visible.

What's up with his cozying up to the Saudis? Doesn't he realize that the Meccan Caliphate is as destabilizing and evil as any pretender to their throne? Does he actually think the Meccan Caliph needs to be propped up and defended against his Persian antagonist?; 6/26/17, 8:23 PM
Michael said...: Toothless

Why you wipe my ass motherfucker.; 6/26/17, 8:24 PM
Swede said...: Such viciousness tonight!

Not quite "shooting Republican congressmen" vicious, but you can see where it's heading.

Sad.; 6/26/17, 8:25 PM
Anonymous said...: "We should have that discussion when the first one happens.

Start with health care.

So how many jobs has he kept in the US? Ford moving to Mexico, Carrier moving to China.

Botched raid in Yemen.; 6/26/17, 8:26 PM
Laslo Spatula said...: STOP PIG-FUCKING, PEOPLE!

THE PIG HAS BEEN FUCKED, AND FUCKED RELENTLESSLY! OBSESSIVELY!

FUCKED AND FUCKED, THE PIG HAS BEEN!

IT IS UNSEEMLY, ALL OF THE PIG-FUCKING!

THERE MUST COME A TIME WHEN YOU STOP FUCKING THE PIG, OR FOREVER LIVE LIFE AS NOTHING BUT A PIG-FUCKER!

YOU HAVE FUCKED THE PIG ENOUGH!

YOUR DEAR DEAD GRANDMOTHER IS IN HEAVEN, WATCHING YOU PIG-FUCK!

IS THAT WHAT YOU WANT YOUR DEAR DEAD GRANDMOTHER TO SEE OF YOU?

LET THE PIG GO UN-FUCKED FOR AWHILE!

STOP WITH THE PIG-FUCKING, ALREADY!

i am laslo.; 6/26/17, 8:27 PM
walter said...: You go Ruthless Umlaut.; 6/26/17, 8:28 PM
Drago said...: TTR: "The definition of insanity is repeating the same action and expecting different results."

With all due respect to my distinguish colleague, I am forced to rise and request The Chair review the last submission for "germaneness".

Harrumph harrumph.; 6/26/17, 8:29 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Ford moving to Mexico, Carrier moving to China."

Lol; 6/26/17, 8:30 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Start with health care."

...........and....what?

Lol; 6/26/17, 8:32 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: I don't remember doing anything of the sort, Michael ("I can't wipe my own ass") whatever-your-last-name-is. But I imagine it would be much saggier than anything I've seen lately - or ever, really. In any event, good of you to admit to everyone here how lazy and entitled you are. Wow, that's pretty pathetic.

Is that what you elites do all day? Wipe each other's asses?

Pretty gross.; 6/26/17, 8:32 PM
Anonymous said...: Drago, how dare you laugh at all those soon to be unemployed Americans! You pig fuc... um, never mind.; 6/26/17, 8:32 PM
buwaya said...: Where has that Ritmo gone, that gentle soul with an interest in Brazilian music and a bit of Portuguese?
These days it's all aggro all the time.
This is not healthy.
I recommend a long tropical vacation, brown foreign girls, and matrimony.; 6/26/17, 8:34 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Oh, trust me and don't you worry, Mr buwaya puti. I'm well on my way to that. Well on my way.; 6/26/17, 8:35 PM
Fen said...: Gosh, it's almost like there is a concerted effort by 2 Lefties and a Moby to derail the thread. Can't imagine why.

Meanwhile, in Soros Boiler Room #3...; 6/26/17, 8:36 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Chuck you are correct that it is a "Conference" committee. My bad.

However, you are incorrect that the House must accept the Senate bill. A quote from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities " If the House and Senate adopt different versions of a reconciliation bill, they must then work out the differences between the two, usually through a House-Senate conference committee. Both bodies then take an up-or-down vote on the final, compromise version. If they approve it, the bill goes to the President for signature."

The "Reconciliation" process - created in the Congressional Budget Act of 1974 - is used in the Senate on spending bills to avoid a filibuster. That is why there are several parts of the ACA not under consideration - they have nothing to do with spending. After the Senate passes its bill there WILL be a conference committee to " reconcile" the House and Senate bills, and then there will be an up or down vote on the reconciled bill in the House and Senate The important point being that that bill will not be subject to filibuster either.

So, Chuck, you were right on the small thing and wrong on the big thing.; 6/26/17, 8:37 PM
Anonymous said...: And what Drago? And 22 million Americans will have no access to health care. Your granny will be kicked out of her nursing home when the Medicaid cuts hit. 42% of Medicaid goes for Long Term Care of the elderly. Premiums and deductibles will not be going down, surprise! But Drago the pig fuc... um never mind doesn't care.; 6/26/17, 8:37 PM
Leigh said...: For the few in need proof the FBI is Stalinesque, here's a timely example: McCabe caught in a sexual harrassment/discrimination sitch-a-wayshun; look what he did to his victim and her staunch defender, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn.

http://circa.com/politics/accountability/did-the-fbi-retaliate-against-michael-flynn-by-launching-russia-probe; 6/26/17, 8:42 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: Why, you say this thread had rails, Fen? At which comment were those tracks laid?

'Cause I certainly can't see anything in those four meager tweets of his that Dear Leader Donald twooted that were in any way stable or on-track. All that the post did was to quote them. Without comment. As if retweeting an unstable man's tweets in blog form constitutes learned commentary.

Boy, keeping this country maintained in his image is more effort than Dear Leader Trump thought it would be, isn't it?; 6/26/17, 8:42 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Drago, how dare you laugh at all those soon to be unemployed Americans! You pig fuc... um, never mind."

I was concerned the companies themselves were moving but then I recalled you are a bit of an idiot and you simply didn't understand how to communicate the primitive thought trapped in your brain.

What you meant to say was SOME jobs, though less than the number had Hillary been elected, were moving overseas according to Ford and Carrier corporate strategic plans developed when the companies believed Hillary would win.

As such, vendors and supply chains, years in the making when it was assumed Dems would continue punitive business policies, could not be completely abandoned.

What will be interesting will be the multi-year strategy execution plans corporations will put in place based on the surprising Nov results.

The real tell will be the fiscal 2018 activities since 2017 budgets, aligned with "Hillary Will Win" assumptions, were already set when Trump won.

I'm sorry if these concepts are beyond your comprehension.

You should have your daughter #197, the accountant, explain it to you.; 6/26/17, 8:45 PM
Michael said...: Inga

Curious about the 22 million figure. When we were having Obamacare jammed down our throats the rationale was to get the twelve million uninsured signed up as they were cluttering the gutters with their dead bodies. Seriously have we lost 10 million insured under Obamacare? These numbers are just tossed into the conversation without reference to where we are now. Today, at this moment, it is the law that you buy insurance or suffer the fine tax.; 6/26/17, 8:46 PM
Anonymous said...: Ah Drago, I know I've bested you when you start talking about my daughters, lol!; 6/26/17, 8:46 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: ..daughter #197 -

Lol. Is that like Willie, "Operator #10?"; 6/26/17, 8:47 PM
Drago said...: The Toothless Revolutionary: "Why, you say this thread had rails, Fen?"

Did it evah!!

You shoulda seen 'em! Big beautiful rails. As big as a wall. A great big beautiful wall! With solar panels!

I'm tellin' ya, they were a California high-speed rail engineer dream and far more "real" than the California choo-choo.; 6/26/17, 8:48 PM
Drago said...: TTR: "Lol. Is that like Willie, "Operator #10?""

Ha! I enjoyed that.; 6/26/17, 8:49 PM
madAsHell said...: Wel.....this morning hread went to hell n a hurry!!; 6/26/17, 8:50 PM
Drago said...: Inga: "Ah Drago, I know I've bested you when you start talking about my daughters, lol!"

Uh, yeah, sure. Okay.

Sort of like how those 3 CNN "journalists" bested Trump or how obambi's red line "bested" the Russians.; 6/26/17, 8:52 PM
madAsHell said...: Well......this thread went to hell in a hurry!!

I gotta stop using mobile devices.; 6/26/17, 8:52 PM
Anonymous said...: @Michael

http://time.com/4832809/health-care-bill-cob-score-uninsured/

"The Senate's version of the Obamacare repeal bill would result in an additional 22 million people losing insurance by 2026, the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office said in its analysis on Monday.

The bill would reduce the federal deficit $321 billion by 2026, an increase of $202 billion in savings from the version of the bill that passed the House of Representatives last month.

But much of those savings from come from reducing the funding for Medicaid, cuts the CBO estimates will amount to $772 billion. By 2026, 49 million Americans would be uninsured should this bill become law, in comparison with the 28 million people who would remain uninsured by that year if the Affordable Care Act remained in place. Lower income people between the ages of 50 and 65 would be among the biggest group of those without insurance. For people under 65, enrollment in Medicaid would fall 16% by 2026."; 6/26/17, 8:54 PM
Swede said...: So, getting back on track, why didn't Obama do anything about the Russians?

Seems pretty careless.

Or maybe he failed to see what a threat they were?

Or maybe they just weren't that big a threat?

Or maybe he was just exercising his flexibility with the Russians?

Because he had that. You know, after his last election.; 6/26/17, 8:56 PM
Swede said...: What if the Russians went to Obama and showed him what they had gotten off of Hillary's pissoir server?

Do you think maybe he was paralyzed with fear? That would certainly explain the inaction.

I mean, let's be honest, he was no profile in courage.; 6/26/17, 9:01 PM
narciso said...: http://circa.com/politics/accountability/did-the-fbi-retaliate-against-michael-flynn-by-launching-russia-probe; 6/26/17, 9:04 PM
Fen said...: Ritmo: "because I certainly didn't see anything in those four meager tweets"

Your silence on the matter speaks loudly.

The President of the United States just publicly accused his predecessor, a Democrat, of obstruction of justice and collusion with a foreign power.

Normally you would tear into such a political pinata.

But instead, you and yours want to change the subject.

Interesting...; 6/26/17, 9:06 PM
Swede said...: Say, whatever happened to that server anyway?; 6/26/17, 9:07 PM
Michael said...: Inga

Thanks. But the article says an "additional" 22 million will lose coverage. How many are not now covered? The article also notes that 28 million will be uninsured by 2026 under ACA. WTF! It seems that this CBO report is unveiling some rather bad news about the effectiveness of ACA. We have more uninsured today than when ACA went into effect.; 6/26/17, 9:08 PM
Bleach Drinkers Curing Coronavirus Together said...: The President of the United States just publicly accused his predecessor, a Democrat, of obstruction of justice and collusion with a foreign power.

Right.

No one takes Trump seriously. Even Trump.

No one - except you.

It's just like static noise. Brain noise.

Trump can't figure out the sound of what's inside his own head. Just an endless barrage of, "No, you!"

I guess that works for you, though.; 6/26/17, 9:09 PM
Fen said...: Newsweek. LOL.

Can I interest you in some Enron shares?; 6/26/17, 9:09 PM
Anonymous said...: Obama did what any normal intelligent President would've done. I'd hate to see how Trump would've handled a crisis like this one that he may have helped cause.

"Obama was acutely aware, and rightfully so, of the simple fact that if he was too vocal about the Russian interference he would seem to be intervening in the election, using national intelligence to aid the Clinton political campaign. Given that Trump had even gone so far as to say during a nationally televised presidential debate with Clinton that he might not accept the outcome of the election—another shocking breach of standard political norms by the mogul—Obama had to be especially cautious lest he fuel Trump’s paranoid claim that the election was rigged.

Did Obama do nothing? Did he dismiss it as fake news and throw a tantrum? No, he behaved like a president and ordered further investigation on what Russia may or may not have done. The Russians were warned to back off. Video feed to the Situation Room was cut off to minimize the chances of leaks.

Since the CIA is just one of numerous American intelligence agencies, Obama pressed to find out if others agreed. Eventually, a stunning 17-agency consensus would emerge that Russia was trying to interfere in the American election.

If Obama had sounded the alarm himself earlier and more forcefully, it almost surely would have backfired and looked political. That’s a judgment call, of course. But Obama made a decision in real time under difficult circumstances. What’s Trump’s excuse for continuing to obfuscate, distort and deceive?"

http://www.newsweek.com/obama-was-right-russia-629201; 6/26/17, 9:11 PM
Michael said...: Inga
Hang on to that copy of Newsweek. There are probably only a dozen or so published. Numismatic value.; 6/26/17, 9:13 PM
Qwinn said...: Inga just quoted someone saying that questioning the validity of an election was a "shocking breach of standard political norms."

Seriously.; 6/26/17, 9:20 PM
khesanh0802 said...: Here's a scathing analysis of CBO's inaccurate forecasts on Obamacare.; 6/26/17, 9:21 PM
walter said...: Bambang wins the internets.; 6/26/17, 9:44 PM
walter said...: ..and gives Umlaut something to busy himself with.; 6/26/17, 9:46 PM
Hari said...: Inga, Do you see a difference between the Russians interfering in the election on their own, and the Russians working with the Trump campaign to swing the election? Assuming the former happened without Trump's knowledge or assistance (and no evidence presented to date indicate otherwise) what precisely is the issue?; 6/26/17, 9:46 PM