७ फेब्रुवारी, २०१९

In politics, calls for civility are always bullshit.

I've said it a hundred times, and I'm saying it again this morning, because I'm looking at this WaPo headline: "The exquisite shade of Nancy Pelosi’s applause at the State of the Union."

Incivility is loved and celebrated!

The columnist Monica Hesse writes:
The lasting visual image from Tuesday night’s State of the Union address was captured by photographer Doug Mills. It featured House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) applauding President Trump in a way that can only be described as . . . withering? Pitying? Lucille Bluth-like in its contemptuousness?
Only? I can think of some other descriptions: Rude. Out-and-proud assholean.
At his lectern, the president mentioned bipartisanship and turned to acknowledge Speaker Pelosi; she rewarded him by cocking her head, arching an eyebrow, and inventing, as comedian Patton Oswalt would put it online, a clap that somehow managed to be a profanity.

Its power was in its restraint. Pelosi was not booing the president. She was acknowledging his words. She was providing him, in the technical sense, with exactly what he was hoping for: approval. But this was a derogatory clap, make no mistake. This was mockery wearing a half-baked costume of politeness.
And it wasn't just that clap, it was the entire performance in her perch over his left shoulder
Her lips mostly remained either pursed or puckered, as if the entire speech was a bit of gristle that must be endured before it could be discreetly spit into a napkin. 
Gross. But somehow, because she's on your team, you're praising what would be appallingly disgusting if it were done by an old Republican.
She shuffled papers in front of her...  as if marking time for when it would all be over. Her applause was sparing, weary... Often, she was... bordering on rude.
Bordering on rude. Yeah. No. It was rude. Just plain rude. But it's funny to see that the border with rude is a border you care about it. But it's a metaphorical border, and you will draw and redraw it so that all your people are on the not rude side and all your opponents are on the other side. It's a weird, twisty-turny wall, and built out of bullshit.

१८७ टिप्पण्या:

Patrick म्हणाले...

100%

Danno म्हणाले...

Love that assholean usage in the post.

Michael K म्हणाले...

She was also orchestrating the Democrat claque by signaling when to rise, when to sit and when to boo.

Plus, chewing her cud, of course,.

WK म्हणाले...

Can you build a wall on a metaphorical border?

Danno म्हणाले...

Actually I loved Althouse' entire analysis, it was bordering on genius.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Love that assholean usage in the post.

Now the Ashmolean Museum will never be the same for me.

Fernandinande म्हणाले...

Its power was in its restraint.

What power? The power to get in the news?

I bet she'd have gotten in the news a lot more if she hadn't shown any restraint and flipped Trump the bird.

Jimmy म्हणाले...

The Democrat performance during the SOTU pretty much proved what sad sheep they really are...Pelosi dictates how they act, respond, and present themselves to the public. 'assholean' indeed. Despite her recent surgery, the Professor is in fine fine form this morning.

Meade म्हणाले...

Blackface -> Paleface -> Rudeface

Democrats without Borders.

Infinite Monkeys म्हणाले...

At least she wasn't doing the facecrime of smirking. Or was she?

Meade म्हणाले...

On sexual assault/believe all women — about-face.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

"Assholean"

#!

The left adore their rich white rude leftwing fascists. They like their pants and their nuanced eye rolls, and their clever rudeness.

Did you know rich white Pelosi lives behind walls? It's true. But the media will not point it out for you. Doesn't fit the narrative.

Lucid-Ideas म्हणाले...

How many times have I seen this...

This only ever happens with women or gay dudes. This snark. This passive-aggressiveness. The backhanded inability to contain a hurricane of emotion. Vile hatred that manifests itself in body-language downgraded only because they can't just outright murder the person right there for everyone to see. The not-so-resting-bitch-face. The words "watch your ass" said under one's breath.

I've said it once if I've said it a thousand times, these claims the world would be more peaceful if women were in charge are humongous falsehoods. Some of the meanest people I've ever known are women. To each other. To men. To the children of people they don't like. Bitterness and scorn unrivaled to anything you might see in men, which exists but manifests itself differently.

Henry म्हणाले...

Rationalization as an art form.

Molly म्हणाले...

Wait until some conservative white Congressman treats Nancy Pelosi with the same contempt during one of her speeches. Then we'll find out that in fact, "politics IS beanbag."

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent म्हणाले...

And it was all for naught. The American public liked the speech. Unsurprisingly, neither Pelosi nor the WaPo chick are hip to the nuances of the dickmove and how the average person reacts to it.

Sebastian म्हणाले...

"Bordering on rude. Yeah. No. It was rude. Just plain rude. But it's funny to see that . . ."

OK, fine. So you can call BS on their BS.

But the question is where the Althouses will draw the line in actual politics: will you give the a**holes power, cuz women's bodies, or not?

DrSquid म्हणाले...

Didn't watch the SOTU. Saw the video, looks like a performing seal to me.

Nonapod म्हणाले...

Nancy Pelosi has always seemed like an especially nasty spirited person to me.

My father spent his formative years in Baltimore in the early 1950s when her father was mayor. He has all sorts of stories of D'Alesandro corruption (including one indicating that her brother was part of a criminal gang who raped a girl). I guess it's not surprising that such an awful person would spring from such a sordid family.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Well, Pelosi could have given Trump the teen-movie slow clap. It would have fit in with the high-school Mean Girl vibe.

Browndog म्हणाले...

Bordering on rude. Yeah. No. It was rude. Just plain rude. But it's funny to see that the border with rude is a border you care about it. But it's a metaphorical border, and you will draw and redraw it so that all your people are on the not rude side and all your opponents are on the other side. It's a weird, twisty-turny wall, and built out of bullshit.

That's some damn fine writing, right there.

Lucid-Ideas म्हणाले...

Regarding the "watch your ass" comment, did anyone see that? Jacky Rosen was seen mouthing what looked like "watch your ass" to Sen. Sinema when she rose to clap for Trump's comments on DUI and criminal justice reform. Interesting Sinema didn't wear white to SOTU either.

Does anybody else get a distinct "mean girl" vibe off a huge number of these Dem female lawmakers? I do. I get a huge 'Tracy Flick' vibe off them. All of them little pocket Hitlers with color coordinated white pockets. Nobody 'picked Flick' for them when they were in school, now revenge is a dish best served cold.

AustinRoth म्हणाले...

The Left is seriously committed to ensuring only the most rabid voters (and of course our NPC MSM) support them.

Beltway Syndrome.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Pelosi was so effective that Trump's speech only garnered 76% approval on extreme right-wing CBS poll.

Pelosi was effective in symbolically preaching to the choir. I only watched the speech this morning, and Pelosi's antics definitely were noticeable to most people, so Hesse should consider the idea that one reason for why Trump's speech was so well received by the broader public had much to do with these antics themselves.

There are times and places for displaying ones disrespect for ones enemies, but this isn't one of those times. I was afraid going into Tuesday evening that Trump would do something similar rhetorically to what Pelosi actually did through her actions- he surely doesn't always behave in ways I consider respectful to adversaries (for the record, I consider Twitter a proper avenue for showing how you disrespect someone), but Trump didn't do that Tuesday night, and the contrast with Pelosi's behavior is definitely to Trump's advantage, not Pelosi's.

tastid212 म्हणाले...

Pelosi made me laugh during the SOTU because she was so obviously multi-tasking. On the one hand, she knew that her conduct and appearance would be visually assessed by the TV audience, as she was right behind DJT. On the other, she was frantically reading the speech so she could signal the women in white how to behave -- at one point frantically waving them to stand up. Total political theater and, as such, complete BS.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

I think the radicals who run and work for WaPo are disappointed the hive-mind gals in white uniforms didn't bring actual poop to throw.

Cassandra म्हणाले...

No words for how much I enjoyed this post.

I may have to come back this afternoon between meetings and savor it, like a fine wine :p

Henry म्हणाले...

Lucille is accustomed to an opulent and decadent lifestyle, which she funds with misappropriated Bluth Company money. She treats herself to repeated spa treatments and face lifts, and is known to abuse alcohol and prescription drugs and to mistreat her housekeepers. According to the narrator, she has never made eye contact with a waiter. Lucille is extremely manipulative, narcissistic, amoral, domineering, and emotionally abusive to her children—some more than others. She furtively wrests control of the Bluth Company board from Michael. She has a tight grip on her youngest son Buster, who, as a result of his mother's dominance and sheltering, is unstable, socially inept, and prone to panic attacks. She also insinuates that her daughter Lindsay is fat and lazy. She has also admitted that she never cared for Gob. In the finale, it is revealed that she is the mastermind behind the Bluth Company's illegal actions.

-- Wikipedia

William म्हणाले...

After all that Botox, it's difficult for her face to express subtle expressions. She has to resort to broad physical gestures to make her points......I don't think she was overtly contemptuous. That's as much as one can reasonably hope for in these circumstances.

Nonapod म्हणाले...

Eh, I think Pelosi is a bit more Cruella De Vil than Lucille Bluth, a bit more blatanlty sadistic.

Limited blogger म्हणाले...

Nancy should be very proud or her performance

wendybar म्हणाले...

She wasn't the only one who was rude. This is from Glenn Beck who was seated above and behind the circus clowns. He is not a fan of President Trump. Listen to what he experienced there and how he was treated compared to the ones who are supposed to be working for us!

Limited blogger म्हणाले...

At Trump's next 5 SOTU's maybe AOC can be perched behind him?

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

There is a definite lack of empathy in many political partisans. Pelosi and Hesse have an inability to understand how those actions played to the people who are neither right wing nor left wing. That behavior would have probably been OK if Trump hadn't done exactly the opposite.

Someone above mentioned it- Sinema's actions were interesting to me, too. I think if Sinema were a senator from California or New York, she would have been dressed in white and would not have behaved so differently from the rest of the Democratic caucus (she was much like Manchin and for the same reason). Of course, Sinema is a senator from Arizona, and I am sure she is looking to either get reelected in 5 1/2 years, or hopes to run for governor at some point. She at least has empathy, and it showed Tuesday night.

wendybar म्हणाले...

Opps..forgot the link.... https://www.glennbeck.com/radio/president-trumps-sotu-speech-was-even-more-impressive-when-you-see-what-the-cameras-didnt-show

tcrosse म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Henry म्हणाले...

It is a clever comparison, since it evokes a sense that Trump is one of her messed-up children.

Would have worked as a full-on satirical sketch taking them both down.

Bay Area Guy म्हणाले...

I think it's "calls for civility of your opponents" is always bullshit.

But, advising your own "team" so to speak to tone it down a bit, may not be so bad.

Limited blogger म्हणाले...

Show's how good Pence was, decorum personified

matism म्हणाले...

What else would one expect a Communist to do???

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Today's wireless communication technology must offer a more invisible way to manage a claque, to tell them when to applaud and, more importantly, when to stop. Stalin used something of the sort. You would think that one of the tech moguls who bankroll her would come up with something.

अनामित म्हणाले...

Nancy looked creepy and insecure clapping in Trump;s face like that.

rhhardin म्हणाले...

Calls for pc are another matter.

Hagar म्हणाले...

AA is harder on Pelosi than I am in this case.
I mostly wondered if the rumors about Pelosi beginning to lose it were true, watching her shuffle her outsize papers with the printed speech as if she had lost her place in it throughout, sometimes seeming to forget to sit back down, etc.

But Pelosi being "queen of the mean girls" is true.

I have been thinking that her style of running her caucus probably works better for the party when they hold both Houses and the Presidency. That's how they could ram through Obamacare with zero Republican votes, etc.
Holding just the House and needing at least some Republican votes to pass any legislation they want, Pelosi's way does not work.
But then the legislation does not matter so much to Pelosi, as that she gets her way.

Mike (MJB Wolf) म्हणाले...

Rude. Out-and-proud assholean.

Yes it is this absolutely, all the while claiming it is Trump that has destroyed comity on the Hill. She's a bitch!

Michael K म्हणाले...

Yancy, good point about Sinema.

Steve Bannon is going to be at a townhall meeting about the border in a town south of Tucson tomorrow night. We're going.

It will be interesting to see how many protestors are there,

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

I've said it once if I've said it a thousand times, these claims the world would be more peaceful if women were in charge are humongous falsehoods. Some of the meanest people I've ever known are women. To each other. To men. To the children of people they don't like. Bitterness and scorn unrivaled to anything you might see in men, which exists but manifests itself differently.

+1

Kevin म्हणाले...

Thank goodness we have the media to separate the racist and rude facial expressions from the glorious and sublime.

Bay Area Guy म्हणाले...

@Michael K,

"Steve Bannon is going to be at a townhall meeting about the border in a town south of Tucson tomorrow night. We're going."

I watched a video of his talk at Oxford Union and it was brilliant. The guy is really insightful. Don't know about his political instincts, but his cultural, economic and societal instincts are really good. He's a wall street guy, who has joined forces with main street to fight wall street.

Hope you share with us how the meeting goes.

Retail Lawyer म्हणाले...

The Dems certainly have a problem with aesthetics. I thought it might go away with Hillary, but it continues to fester. This is why
Semina and AOC seem like breaths of fresh air.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

Bay Area Guy gets the distinction with this:

"But, advising your own "team" so to speak to tone it down a bit, may not be so bad"

You are only really ever responsible for your own civility or lack thereof. Calling on others (particularly opponents since that is when it is almost always done in politics) to be civil is, like Althouse writes over and over, bullshit. However, controlling your own behavior isn't bullshit, nor is advising such for your friends and allies.

rcocean म्हणाले...

"But, advising your own "team" so to speak to tone it down a bit, may not be so bad."

No. The tone police can go fuck themselves. The Republicans never have a shortage of these pompous fools who never get upset at the D's but LOVE to attack their own side.

Of course, its not clear anymore what side national review, Bill Kristol, etc. are on anymore.

Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

In politics, calls for civility are always BS-->except for when the calls aren't BS-->the exceptions walled off by Althouse, e.g. using kids-->about face.

Wince म्हणाले...

There's maybe an extra level of complexity here.

I think in her mind Pelosi with her condescending clap wanted to impart "I'm applauding Trump's words about civility, but those Trump words are bullshit".

But that was Pelosi presuming the audience shares her convictions about Trump's presumed illegitimacy, the "DC bubble" perspective shared by the WaPo writer.

Meanwhile, most viewers outside the "resistance" were likely judging each of the two politicians, Trump and Pelosi, on their words and actions during the speech.

Hence, Pelosi's clapping came across as Pelosi's bullshit civility, in no small part due to her "entire performance in her perch over his left shoulder".

Richard Dolan म्हणाले...

Perfect. Brava.

rcocean म्हणाले...

The Democrats have behaved disgracefully ever since Trump was elected. They don't give a damn that we the people elected him. They're just going to oppose Everything and obstruct. Even when Trump pushes something - like infrastructure - they supposedly support, they still refuse to get on-board. Every negotiation with Trump is turned into a chance to attack him.

And.. the American people rewarded the D's with the House and re-elected most of the D Senators. If the D's ever get control of Congress and the POTUS its going to scary.

Dear corrupt left, go F yourselves म्हणाले...

I think Americans preferred Trump.

Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

BTW, calls against civil disobedience are calls for civility in politics.

When BLM decides to snarl traffic for no good reason except to flaunt that they aren't stuck commuting for work (or going to doc appointments or kids stuff or emergency services), I call for civility = not BS.


IMHO.

Yancey Ward म्हणाले...

anti de-Sitter space doesn't get the distinction and EDH does. It really is that simple, guys.

Persuasion isn't done on your allies or your enemies- the first case isn't necessary, and the latter case isn't possible in this age of politics in America. You persuade those who can be either and enemy or an ally- Pelosi wasn't doing that Tuesday night and Trump was. The after speech polls demonstrated that Trump won that battle pretty handily, which actually surprised me because I thought Trump would likely do something similar to what Pelosi did.

Birches म्हणाले...

The reason this post is effective is that Althouse would be just as cutting for the other side.

narciso म्हणाले...

when you own the whole board:


https://bigleaguepolitics.com/ralph-northam-appointed-a-domestic-abuser-despite-being-warned/

Drago म्हणाले...

The article is a perfect representation of how leftists/LLR's/NeverTrumpers write of todays dems, which is perfectly in accord with how writers in the Soviet Union wrote about Stalin, or NK writers writing KJU, or Cuban writers writing about Castro.

The only thing missing, so far, is someone on the left/LLR side calling Pelosi "sort of a God", "a Light-bringer" with a really finely creased pant-suit.

Big Mike म्हणाले...

For me, the lasting image of Pelosi is the picture in yesterday’s Althouse post of her signaling the women in white to stand in response to Trump’s remarks about more women than ever before in Congress. It showed me that, first, as in 2009-2010, she has an iron grip on her caucus and, second, that her tin political ear doesn’t catch the political danger of the women in white sitting on their hands in response to excellent black and Hispanics employment but wildly celebrating themselves. In November 2010 a lot of Democrats in the House of Representatives who slavishly followed Pelosi’s lead found themselves out of a job on the morning after the election. Will history repeat itself ten years later?

Char Char Binks, Esq. म्हणाले...

Pelosi's face looked oddly asymmetrical. Maybe she was having a stroke.

etbass म्हणाले...

"...these claims the world would be more peaceful if women were in charge are humongous falsehoods."

Amen, from a father of five women and a husband to one.

narciso म्हणाले...

oh, well carry on:

https://legalinsurrection.com/2019/02/former-espn-host-jemele-hill-made-assassination-joke-during-trump-sotu/

Howard म्हणाले...

I get it, her crime was she was mocking a 'tard.

Drago म्हणाले...

Birches: "The reason this post is effective is that Althouse would be just as cutting for the other side."

It is this very level-headed and even-handed, some would say on this issue "objective" analysis that Althouse delivers consistently on key issues that will inevitably lead to significant viral and public shaming attacks followed by de-platforming attempts based on smears leveled by leftists and their smear-merchanting LLR allies.

Just as we have seen with the "muh principles" fake conservatives from the now defunct Cuckly Standard joining forces with the left to deplatform any and all critics of the left on Twitter, instagram, facebook, Youtube, Gofundme, etc.

stlcdr म्हणाले...

Political Oscars.

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

And.. the American people rewarded the D's with the House and re-elected most of the D Senators. If the D's ever get control of Congress and the POTUS its going to scary.


It already was.

Obamacare partially gave us 2% new normal growth. It did not unleash as Pelosi said, all these jobs. Now throw on top higher taxes, rebuilding Obamacare and Green New Deal.

We are dead in the water. Keep what you have now and stockpile., because that’s it. Unless you’re the elite voted in ones and connected.

Lucid-Ideas म्हणाले...

In other Althouse blog posts I and other commenters have made reference to "female bitterness" or "toxic femininity".

SOTU is a perfect example of this phenomenon which is extremely difficult - especially for men - to describe. It's a mode of being. Something that has to be seen and demonstrated to become aware of it. You saw it last night with Pelosi. With the Dem female lawmakers. You saw it with Hillary. It manifests itself in all forms of communication, almost always subconsciously as revenge. Where revenge is temporarily impossible it manifests as scorn.

Psychologically I think this has a lot to do with lacking the ability to deal with conflict physically as men have historically done as well as the chivalric appreciation for what dealing with it physically means. It's one weapon - THE weapon - they have that can most damage male and female opponents. These women do not forgive and they do not forget personal injury, slight, or being disadvantaged. No rule or sound judgement is too sacred to violate in the cause of obtaining redress. No lie to foul. No target to off-limits for attack.

When you view it this light Kavanaugh and Trump become crystal clear. Who cares if it's true or not? Who cares if it's right? They must be attacked.

Howard म्हणाले...

Drago wants affirmative action for Trumpites on privately owned social media platforms conservatives didn't build.

Drago म्हणाले...

Howard: "I get it, her crime was she was mocking a 'tard."

I see Howard has decided that, since everything else has failed, why not break the glass and resurrect the very same slur used against Eisenhower, Reagan, Ford, HWBush and GWBush.

This time its GOT TO WORK, eh Howard?

Besides the fake racist charges, this play from the dem playbook is one of the oldest.

Drago म्हणाले...

Howard: "Drago wants affirmative action for Trumpites on privately owned social media platforms conservatives didn't build."

Looks like Howard doesn't want to "bake that cake", or otherwise live up to any of the left's "Rules".

Filed Under: Utterly Predictable.

And, just for the sake of accuracy and to avoid being called a racist, according to obama, there is no such thing as a privately owned social media platform....because "you didn't build that!!"

And if you disagree with that, that's just obama-hatin' racism. Straight up!

History did not begin anew this morning Howard. Much as you'd like it to.

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

President Nicolas Maduro’s authoritarian regime seems to be serious about its threat to block humanitarian aid from entering Venezuela.

Support this Omar.

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

These women do not forgive and they do not forget personal injury, slight, or being disadvantaged. No rule or sound judgement is too sacred to violate in the cause of obtaining redress. No lie to foul. No target to off-limits for attack.

Not being picked Prom Queen.

Martin म्हणाले...

Trump knew exactly what he was doing. Pelosi would have to do something in response to him, and anything she did would have a downside. There are fundamental disconnects between the rising socialist/millennial wing of her Party and its more liberal/Boomer-GenX members, and between all of them and the other 40-50% of the country. Anything she did, including doing nothing, would message all of them, and it is not obvious that anything could satisfy them all.

She chose what she chose, which probably did not hurt her with either wing of her Party but did hurt with the rest of the country. That choice was probably inevitable, and I have to think that in setting this up, it was more-or-less what Trump expected.

Whether any of the efforts by all concerned to rally their bases and deepen the antagonisms is good for the country in the long run is a fair question, but the Left declared war on the half of the country that voted for Trump rather than accept a disappointing election result and move on to do better next time, so imho they can wear the shirt for all of it.

But, we keep being told that Trump is stupid.

roesch/voltaire म्हणाले...

Why this is almost as bad as Paul Ryan's poker face mock of Obama.

Drago म्हणाले...

roesch/voltaire: "Why this is almost as bad as Paul Ryan's poker face mock of Obama."

Sometimes teammates get in a tiff.

Gunner म्हणाले...

If a man did any of the weird old person shit Pelosi did over Trump's shoulder, the media would say that guy was in late stage dementia.

Quaestor म्हणाले...
ही टिप्पणी लेखकाना हलविली आहे.
Unknown म्हणाले...

Aren't these the same people who had a meltdown when Alito indicated his disagreement with Obama?

https://www.mrc.org/articles/cooper-accuses-justice-alito-breaking-decorum-obamas-state-union-rant

Howard म्हणाले...

Blogger Lucid-Ideas said...

In other Althouse blog posts I and other commenters have made reference to "female bitterness" or "toxic femininity".... SOTU is a perfect example of this phenomenon ... subconsciously as revenge... manifests as scorn.... Psychologically ...has a lot to do with lacking the ability to deal with conflict physically as men have historically done as well as the chivalric appreciation for what dealing with it physically means. .,.. These women do not forgive and they do not forget personal injury, slight, or being disadvantaged. ...

When you view it this light Kavanaugh and Trump become crystal clear. Who cares if it's true or not? Who cares if it's right? They must be attacked.


Women have changed the way the game is played. Too fucking bad. Adapt or die. But remember, you still have to go easy on the beaver or else you will get stomped for exploiting your toxic male power dynamic. Not fair you say? You know better than I that life's never fair.

Seeing Red म्हणाले...

Unless you’re female, Howard.

Howard म्हणाले...

Look at Drago gettin all serious and shit. Time to buy some big-boy panties that don't wad up

Skeptical Voter म्हणाले...

Tsk Tsk. Did our gentle host actually refer to Nancy Pelosi and her claque as "out and proud assholes"? I'll spot her a few points for accuracy, but mark her down on civility.

There are those who thought that Pelosi had some sort of signaling activity--letting her claque know when to stand up and mostly when to sit down. Let's just say that if I was a baseball manager, and the team's third base coach had missed so many signs---waving a runner around third base into an out at home plate--well. I'd soon have a new third base coach. I don't know what all that shuffling the boards was about. Maybe she couldn't believe what she was reading---or else wanted to shut her ears.

Howard म्हणाले...

Seeing Red: quit crying like a baby. you couldn't pay me anything to be a split tail. we still run everything, beer comes in a trillion flavors, girls like to get their hookup freak on and the world is our urinal. what more do you want. besides, deep down, they still secretly want to be man-splained. you just need to pick your spots more carefully.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

Boy I'll be glad when the SOTU coverage is over. I have never watched one before, and I don't really understand the desire to sit through a long stretch of political grandstanding. I still say go back to a written SOTU, but of course it is highly unlikely that the political whores in Washington will give up an opportunity to showboat on prime time TV.

Original Mike म्हणाले...

Blogger roesch/voltaire said..."Why this is almost as bad as Paul Ryan's poker face mock of Obama."

I don't think "civility bullshit" includes actually being civil.

narciso म्हणाले...

actually she's more like Mallory archer, from the animated series,

traditionalguy म्हणाले...

Imperial Pelosi was a perfect foil to contrast with DJT's always free Americans schitk. She was wearing her silver House Mace lapel pin to show that the her House Leadership Office is co-equal to a President. The Mace is taken from the old Roman Caesar's symbol of authority which was a Facist bundle of sticks representing Rome's absolute power.

F म्हणाले...

"on the border of rude."

Is that like a national border? With a wall?

Daniel Jackson म्हणाले...

Behaviorally, Ms Pelosi seems narcissistic and certainly obsessive compulsive. She cannot sit still; her facial contortions listening to someone else have the spotlight; she moves in the background to draw attention to only her. There is only HER narrative, which, frankly, is becoming clear to all--stonewalling.

Hence, "Bordering on rude. Yeah. No. It was rude. Just plain rude. But it's funny to see that the border with rude is a border you care about it."

Moreover, the Narcissist merely proved her point about barriers and walls, or in this case, HER barriers and HER walls: they are immoral.

Sally327 म्हणाले...

Nancy Pelosi is just wh*ring herself out for the attention and approval of those in her circle who don't just want Trump defeated, they want him to feel scorned and humiliated. In other circumstances she'd be all girly flirtatious and deferential with him, if she were hitting him up for a campaign contribution for example.

Trump looks gracious and Pelosi seems ill-bred. One would have expected the opposite. He really does have magical powers!

walter म्हणाले...

Very charitable interpretation of a woman who can no longer control her mouth movements or has bad dentures. She also talked to herself.
The paper shuffling was a blatant attempt to distract.
The feed I had from C-Span mostly framed out Pence, but left Spaz in full view doing her thing.
If that played well with Dems, SAD!


Lucid-Ideas म्हणाले...

@Howard

From Althouse earlier post, "It's the ultimate in Alinsky's rule #4 — 'Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.'"

Lefty Women are not going to like this. My point being, if they want it to get nasty, I think a larger cohort of people than they anticipate are willing to go there. Women included. An argument could be made Hillary is not POTUS for this very reason. If these chicks want cruelty, it's cruelty they'll get. Their estimation of whose squeamish vs. who's not is off. By miles.

walter म्हणाले...

I did appreciate C-SPAN's stoic after SOTU host fielding viewer calls of a variety of perspectives.
The guy simply asked a helpful clarifying question here and there but offered no interpretation or bias of his own.
But..no insights from Sinbad, who was providing color commentary for CNN.
Can't have everything..

Howard म्हणाले...

Blogger Lucid-Ideas said...

@Howard

From Althouse earlier post, "It's the ultimate in Alinsky's rule #4 — 'Make the enemy live up to their own book of rules.'"


Don't care about this distraction because the map is not the terrain.

Lefty Women are not going to like this. My point being, if they want it to get nasty, I think a larger cohort of people than they anticipate are willing to go there. Women included. An argument could be made Hillary is not POTUS for this very reason.

Hillary is a hateful cunt whom know one likes. Your theory is a second order factor at most.

If these chicks want cruelty, it's cruelty they'll get. Their estimation of whose squeamish vs. who's not is off. By miles.

Sounds like pride walking into an ambush

Bay Area Guy म्हणाले...

Obscure, ditzy, female WaPost Columinist writes:

Her lips mostly remained either pursed or puckered, as if the entire speech was a bit of gristle that must be endured before it could be discreetly spit into a napkin.

If you replace the word, "speech" with [BLANK], you get Kamala Harris on Willie Brown.

Her lips mostly remained either pursed or puckered, as if the entire [BLANK] was a bit of gristle that must be endured before it could be discreetly spit into a napkin.

MBunge म्हणाले...

A reminder that Pelosi's average approval rating stands at around 37%.

https://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/other/nancy_pelosi_favorableunfavorable-6673.html

Odd how that never seems to come up.

Mike

Nonapod म्हणाले...

Apparently Amy Kobuchar is pretty cruel too.

iowan2 म्हणाले...

Destroying the norms of the House of Representatives.

I thought saying that, would feel a lot better. The left seems to get a lot of joy out of it.

Drago म्हणाले...

Howard: "Hillary is a hateful cunt whom know one likes. Your theory is a second order factor at most."

Howard/Hillary--->Reminiscent of the Bolshevik/Menshevik break.

Anne in Rockwall, TX म्हणाले...

Drago said...
Birches: "The reason this post is effective is that Althouse would be just as cutting for the other side."

It is this very level-headed and even-handed, some would say on this issue "objective" analysis that Althouse delivers consistently on key issues that will inevitably lead to significant viral and public shaming attacks followed by de-platforming attempts based on smears leveled by leftists and their smear-merchanting LLR allies.

This is frightening, Drago.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Howard: "Hillary is a hateful cunt whom know one likes

...who carried California in a landslide in 2016. Knowbody knows how.

Leland म्हणाले...

Not just rude to Trump; Pelosi's direction of her delegation from the podium was pathetic. How embarrassing to get elected to public office only to be told how to act and behave by an old woman standing at the front of the room. Welcome back to kindergarten Democrats.

dreams म्हणाले...

Yeah.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

As IF trump has never been rude or an asshole.

Trump has been destroying the norms of the Whitehouse and our democracy. Goose/ gander. He deserves no respect.

Drago म्हणाले...

Annie C: "This is frightening, Drago."

Hardly.

Althouse has her own blindspots as well. Just not on this issue.

Drago म्हणाले...

Inga: "As IF trump has never been rude or an asshole."

LOL

As if the democrats long before Trump came along had never been rude or an a**hole......

Wilbur म्हणाले...

I half-expected the Democrats - at least the women dressed in white - to perform some sort of prearranged stunt. Something like walking out en masse, or standing and turning their backs to the President, or chanting some leftist incantation. Maybe even throwing a shoe (they'd bring a spare) at him.

Would not have surprised me at all.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

Also, he’s gleefully destroying the norms of the US Presidency.

You people sound like snowflakes, complaining about rude treatment of the Asshole in Chief.

What knots you people must have to tie yourselves in.

Drago म्हणाले...

#OnlyReadsHeadlines Inga: "Trump has been destroying the norms of the Whitehouse and our democracy."

LOL

The entire point of the obama presidency and modern left/liberal/dem movement is to FUNDAMENTALLY TRANSFORM AMERICAN SOCIETY!!!

In other words, alter every norm there is in America, as they have been telling us for 40 years.

Too funny.

I guess it was normal for obama and crew to go full East German Stasi and have Commie-voter Brennan launch an Agent Provacateur action against an internal political opponent while lefty-allies in the FBI and DOJ weaponized the law enforcement agencies to take a hoax democrat/Putin work product (via another foreign agent) to launch unfounded "investigations" based on clear lies all the while the FBI/DOJ-NSD allowed democrat opposition research firms FusionGPS and Crowdstrike to have full access to the FISA702 databases for use in their opposition research.

But hey, that's just a typical day in "Not Destroying Democratic Norms"-ville.........

LOL

Dad29 म्हणाले...

My wife said that Pelosi had a "Resting Bitch Face" throughout. That fits.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

Drago is in high dudgeon again, I see.

Yawn.

Drago म्हणाले...

Earlier In The Thread Inga: "As IF trump has never been rude or an asshole."

Later In The Thread Inga: "You people sound like snowflakes, complaining about rude treatment of the Asshole in Chief."

History begins anew literally every 10 minutes now for the lefties.

Discuss.

Drago म्हणाले...

Inga: "Drago is in high dudgeon again, I see."

Nonsense.

Lower Third/Intermediate Dudgeon is more than sufficient.

Drago म्हणाले...

Inga: "What knots you people must have to tie yourselves in"

We don't have hoax dossiers provided by foreign intelligence services personnel working with Putin's pals and paid for by democrat partisans to keep us warm at night like you do.

Drago म्हणाले...

All Pelosi proved was that all those "strong" "independent" democrat gals are quite easily led and directed by hand motions from the Commissar.

Drago म्हणाले...

Cue: Der Kommissar by After the Fire....

RNB म्हणाले...

The only way Pelosi could have embarrassed herself more would have been to stick her fingers in her ears and begin chanting, "I can't HEAR you! La-la-la-la-la-la-la..."

Rick म्हणाले...

Inga...Allie Oop said...
Also, he’s gleefully destroying the norms of the US Presidency.


Like accepting election outcomes. Maybe she means former Presidents not publicly criticizing current presidents.

Or maybe she's just repeating shit she read as gospel because she's not capable of evaluating it for herself.

robother म्हणाले...

Inga-bot picks up a phrase "destroying the norms of the US Presidency" and deploys it as a mantra to justify her Trump hatred and virtually any MSM/Deep State misconduct against his campaign or Presidency. Asking her to define these "norms" or enumerate any that Trump is destroying would be as fruitless as asking a Roomba to analyze its programming.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Drago:

This back and forth is a little like arguing over the arrangement of deckchairs on the Titanic. America has already been fundamentally transformed, continues to be transformed, and this transformation is aided and abetted by both political parties. Trump now says that he wants more legal immigration due to the low unemployment rate and would like immigrants to come in "the largest numbers ever." If Trump actually makes good on that promise, then he is a failure.

Jim at म्हणाले...

A certain person on this board was cheering and celebrating Pelosi's little antics as they happened in real time.

Out-and-proud assholean, indeed.

BUMBLE BEE म्हणाले...

Pelosi's facial contortion... suppressing a dreaded "cow fart"?

Drago म्हणाले...

J. Farmer: "@Drago: "America has already been fundamentally transformed, continues to be transformed, and this transformation is aided and abetted by both political parties."

Our Truthy-Meter rates this comment...."True".

J. Farmer: "Trump now says that he wants more legal immigration due to the low unemployment rate and would like immigrants to come in "the largest numbers ever." If Trump actually makes good on that promise, then he is a failure."

Agreed. However, Trump has said many things which were clearly designed to appear he was offering the dems everything they want.....only to have the dems say "No!!", which is the entire political point of it.

I suspect this is one of those times.

And, quite frankly, Trump has done this so often and to good effect you should at least recognize that possibility when you are pre-wringing your hands over the thing that hasn't happened.

Quaestor म्हणाले...

Or maybe she's just repeating shit she read as gospel because she's not capable of evaluating it for herself.

Every 7 to 15 years the human body renews its entire cell structure. Inga has been exclusively consuming shit for about that span with all too obvious results.

robother म्हणाले...

Maybe someone just brought it to her attention that Trump was inaugurated in pants rather than the Founding Father breeches. Her anger is best directed as John Quincy Adams (that old Boston Presidential norm-destroyer), but whadya-whadya...

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Drago:

However, Trump has said many things which were clearly designed to appear he was offering the dems everything they want.....only to have the dems say "No!!", which is the entire political point of it.

This is the most frequent defense of Trump's actions, but I tend to reject it for a couple of reasons. One, I don't think Trump is anywhere near as strategically-minded as people tend to give him credit for. Two, I don't think Trump operates on very solid foundations. I think he could easily be talked into supporting "the largest numbers ever" of immigrants into this country.

And, quite frankly, Trump has done this so often and to good effect you should at least recognize that possibility when you are pre-wringing your hands over the thing that hasn't happened.

I'll always recognize the possibility, but it will never stop me from pre-wringing my hands. Never underestimate the Establishment's ability to sell out on immigration. Now is the time to hold his feet to the fire and not just assume it's all going according to his plan. Trump goading Pelosi may give a serotonin boost to a certain portion of the population, but if he does not start getting immigration under control, it will be about as significant as a fart in the wind. Who do you think will be getting the last laugh when our cohort is a demographic insignificance?

Drago म्हणाले...

J. Farmer: "This is the most frequent defense of Trump's actions, but I tend to reject it for a couple of reasons."

Your rejection is officially rejected.

Why?

Actual data points.

Thanks for playing. You can return to your sandbox for more hypothetical and over-wrought musing.

narciso म्हणाले...

The spread was sponsored by Qatar probably:

http://acecomments.mu.nu/?post=379673

JaimeRoberto म्हणाले...

What are the norms that he's destroying? Can we get some examples?

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Drago:

Why?

Actual data points.


Can you identity some of the wins Trump has enjoyed by employing this tactic?

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“What are the norms that he's destroying? Can we get some examples?”

How about believing Putin over his own Intelligence Services...for one.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“What are the norms that he's destroying? Can we get some examples?”

How about believing Putin over his own Intelligence Services...for one.

How about letting Limbaugh and Ann Coulter dictate his Immigration policy.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

What are the norms that he's destroying? Can we get some examples?”

How about believing Putin over his own Intelligence Services...for one.

How about letting Limbaugh and Ann Coulter dictate his Immigration policy.

His about not releasing his tax returns, what is he trying to hide?

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

Ehh...that's pretty small-bore. Considering that Clinton went to Russia and made a personal plea for Yeltsin, who was as sordid as the day is long, I don't think the US can get too much on a high horse about the sanctity of elections. The Russians interfere with us; we interfere with them. They spy on us; we spy on them. That's sort of expected skulduggery. I am not sure what more sanctions or punitive measures against Russia is supposed to accomplish. And I can't think of a single significant American interest that has been sacrificed to please the Russians. Can you?

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

So many more, but I’m sure you folks will find ways to rationalize his behavior even if it ties you up in knots like a pretzel.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

His about not releasing his tax returns, what is he trying to hide?

That is a custom that only began with Richard Nixon in the early 1970s as far as I know. So not releasing is actually more like returning to presidential norms than destroying them.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

So many more, but I’m sure you folks will find ways to rationalize his behavior even if it ties you up in knots like a pretzel.

That is a fair criticism of certain partisan-minded individuals. It's an unfortunate byproduct of the cult of personality that surrounds the presidency. But there are plenty of people, like Mickey Kaus, and dare I say myself, who are both willing to give the president due where credit is due and to hold his feet to the flame.

But I think you would have to agree that there is a problem from the other direction, as well. People who will simply bash and attack no matter what.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

How about Trump consistently praising authoritarians?

How about Trump’s hatred of NATO?

How about Trump’s ignorance regarding global warming and withdrawing from the Paris Climate Agreement?

How about Trump crawling up Kim Jung Un’s ass while saber rattling at Iran?

How about his daily, if not hourly lies?

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“It's an unfortunate byproduct of the cult of personality that surrounds the presidency.”

Indeed, cultish.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

How about Trump consistently praising authoritarians?

That's an example of continuing presidential norms, not violating them.

How about Trump’s hatred of NATO?

It's understandable. NATO was created to defend against a threat that hasn't existed for three decades.

How about Trump crawling up Kim Jung Un’s ass while saber rattling at Iran?

Agree with you on that one. Our non-proliferation strategy vis-à-vis NK and Iran is schizophrenic.

How about his daily, if not hourly lies?

Depends on the lie.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

Indeed, cultish.

But it's true of every presidency. All that changes is who is playing the role of the cultist and who the deprogrammers.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“But it's true of every presidency. All that changes is who is playing the role of the cultist and who the deprogrammers.”

Under Trump, the cultish mentality has become much more extreme.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

Under Trump, the cultish mentality has become much more extreme.

I am not quite sure how one can quantify such matters, but it seems to me that the cult attachment to Obama by his supporters was at least as strong as Trump's. And Albright's "special place in hell for women who don't support other women" did not strike me as an extremely reasonable or rational defense of Hillary's candidacy (vote for someone you have sex organs in common with!).

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

And how about Trump having lengthy meetings with Putin with no one else there but a translator who Trump had ordered to keep her mouth shut? Presidential records be damned.

tcrosse म्हणाले...

Inga is rationalizing her hate, but not owning it. I suggest that the hate came first.

Quaestor म्हणाले...

Inga stupidly wrote: And how about Trump having lengthy meetings with Putin with no one else there but a translator who Trump had ordered to keep her mouth shut?

How can a translator function with her mouth shut?

Morons are already damned.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

And how about Trump having lengthy meetings with Putin with no one else there but a translator who Trump had ordered to keep her mouth shut?

Not ideal but not earth shattering, either. One of the problems with the so called resistance is that it is very poor strategy to turn everything up to an 11. All that does is create scandal fatigue among the population.

But I'll repeat a question I asked earlier: can you think of a single example where the US has sacrificed a major interest of its own for the benefit of the Russians? If Trump truly were Putin's puppet, wouldn't you expect that to bear some fruit?

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Quaestor:

How can a translator function with her mouth shut?

I am pretty sure she meant that the translator was to keep her mouth shut outside the meeting about what transpired, not that she was supposed to keep her mouth shut during the meeting.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“How can a translator function with her mouth shut?

Morons are already damned.”

Then damn yourself, you moron. He ordered her to keep her mouth shut after the meeting was over.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/us/politics/trump-putin-meetings.html

“Trump and Putin Have Met Five Times. What Was Said Is a Mystery.”

You people OK with this? What if Obama had done this?

Jim at म्हणाले...

Two days later and somebody's still throwing a tantrum. I may yet watch that SOTU speech.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

Because I know you people won’t go read the article... because Cultists don’t want anyone to point out inconvenient facts.

“What’s disconcerting is the desire to hide information from your own team,” said Andrew S. Weiss, who was a Russia adviser to President Bill Clinton. “The fact that Trump didn’t want the State Department or members of the White House team to know what he was talking with Putin about suggests it was not about advancing our country’s national interest but something more problematic.

The mystery surrounding the meetings seems to have drawn attention from the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, who is examining ties between the president and Russia. And it has generated a furor in Congress, where Democrats are pushing to subpoena the notes of the president’s interpreters or perhaps the interpreters themselves.

Veterans of past administrations could not recall a precedent for a president meeting alone with an adversary and keeping so many of his own advisers from being briefed on what was said. When they meet with foreign leaders, presidents typically want at least one aide in the room — not just an interpreter — to avoid misunderstandings later. Memorandums of conversation, called Memcons, are drafted and details are shared with officials who have reasons to know what was said.”

Henry म्हणाले...

What if Obama had done this?

Okay with me.

Rick म्हणाले...

Under Trump, the cultish mentality has become much more extreme.

Are teachers having their students sing pledges to Trump?

It's also clear Inga doesn't know what "Presidential norms" even refers to since none of her examples are presidential norms.

How about his daily, if not hourly lies?

The "typical" family will save 2,500 / year. If you like your doctor you can keep your doctor.

In fact there's no presidential norm as universal as lying.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

You people OK with this? What if Obama had done this?

Honestly, it wouldn't have made my Top 50 list of complaints. And I actually have an example. The right made a big deal of Obama getting caught on hot mic telling Medvedev he'd have "more flexibility" to maneuver after the election. I never thought that was a big deal.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“I may yet watch that SOTU speech.”

I always knew you were dumb, but you admit to not watching it? What an uninformed idiot.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

“The right made a big deal of Obama getting caught on hot mic telling Medvedev he'd have "more flexibility" to maneuver after the election. I never thought that was a big deal.”

It wasn’t a big deal. What Trump is doing IS. Time will tell.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

It wasn’t a big deal. What Trump is doing IS. Time will tell.

Wait. So are off the record conversations between leaders a big deal or not?

Rick म्हणाले...

Cultists don’t want anyone to point out inconvenient facts.

Prime Example: Obama's statement to Medvedev that Obama will "have more flexibility after the election" has never been compared to Trump's alleged sins. To cultists Obama might as well never have spoken.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

Farmer, compare the hot mic with hours long meetings and then consider which was a big deal and which wasn’t.

Rick म्हणाले...

compare the hot mic with hours long meetings and then consider which was a big deal and which wasn’t.

The hot mic comment indicated Obama's plan to agree to something the public would not like. Remember the good old days when the left pretended to care about Democracy?

Inga's assertions are supported by only her fantasies of the bad orange man.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Inga:

Farmer, compare the hot mic with hours long meetings and then consider which was a big deal and which wasn’t.

Only one meeting was "hours long." The summit in Helsinki included a two-hour private conversation between the two that only included interpreters from each side. The other meetings were brief informal affairs, like on the sidelines at the G-20 summit or the APEC forum.

Inga...Allie Oop म्हणाले...

Rick doesn’t like hearing bad stuff about his golden god. Too damn bad.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Rick:

The hot mic comment indicated Obama's plan to agree to something the public would not like. Remember the good old days when the left pretended to care about Democracy?

That's a little over-the-top. Obama was stating a bland truism.

narciso म्हणाले...

Well as compared to looking the other way in smolensk and slashing missile interceptors in eastern Europe it's near beer, yes he pretended that the annexation of the Ukraine wasnt happening.

Jim at म्हणाले...

I always knew you were dumb, but you admit to not watching it? What an uninformed idiot.

Some of us have better things to do than sit around and watch a politician talk for 90 minutes. Some of us can actually get the gist of what was said by searching out various sources in the next day or so and then pay attention to follow-up.

And then some of us are vicious, snarling bints who sat their fat asses on the couch Tuesday night just so they could scream at the world until their drool runs dry.

Howard म्हणाले...

Blogger tcrosse said...

Howard: "Hillary is a hateful cunt whom know one likes

...who carried California in a landslide in 2016. Knowbody knows how.


They viewed Trump as an even more hateful cunt whom no one likes. An election with no humans running

Rick म्हणाले...

Obama was stating a bland truism.

What an odd belief. The truism is exactly what I wrote. The only difference between agreements before and after his election is the public's ability to include them in their voting decisions. Citing that fact indicates a desire they not have that opportunity.

Rick म्हणाले...

Inga...Allie Oop said...
Rick doesn’t like hearing bad stuff about his golden god.


If I had no effective response maybe I'd resort to distraction.

On second thought I start with more reasonable and supportable beliefs.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@Rick:

The only difference between agreements before and after his election is the public's ability to include them in their voting decisions. Citing that fact indicates a desire they not have that opportunity.

Of course. This is what all president's do. Every single election we hear about candidates moving to the left or the right for the primaries and then to the center for the general. It is pretty standard American politicking.

mccullough म्हणाले...

Trump and Putin could talk for two hours about how feckless Merkel has been. The idiocy of Germany is something they agree on.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@narciso:

Well as compared to looking the other way in smolensk and slashing missile interceptors in eastern Europe it's near beer, yes he pretended that the annexation of the Ukraine wasnt happening.

Or supporting a coup in the Ukraine in order to bring a pro-EU/pro-NATO government to power.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

I do agree with Inga on a certain point. Had Obama had a two-hour off the record meeting with Putin, the right would be criticizing him. So, yes, I do agree that people for the most part are hypocrites. Sort of like how the anti-war movement fizzled the minute Obama got inaugurated.

Rick म्हणाले...

Every single election we hear about candidates moving to the left or the right for the primaries and then to the center for the general.

Moving to represent a legitimate constituency is completely different from moving to satisfy a foreign country. This analogy is nonsense.

Meanwhile Inga / the left are frothing over exactly this issue regardless of whether you think it important. Their assertion that the supposition of Trump is outrageous while the fact of Obama remains unimportant is ridiculous and shows they invent the standard to match their political preference.

J. Farmer म्हणाले...

@mccullough:

Trump and Putin could talk for two hours about how feckless Merkel has been. The idiocy of Germany is something they agree on.

I think that Merkel has been a disaster for Europe, but "feckless" is certainly not the adjective I would use to describe her.

narciso म्हणाले...

yes, she's full of feck:

https://www.jihadwatch.org/2019/02/google-claims-motive-of-pulse-nightclub-mass-murderer-who-pledged-allegiance-to-isis-is-inconclusive

Marcus म्हणाले...

Why should meetings between heads of state be on the record?

THEOLDMAN

JaimeRoberto म्हणाले...

OK Inga, I get it. You don't like his policy positions. I don't see how he's violating presidential norms.

effinayright म्हणाले...

Inga...Allie Oop said...
“How can a translator function with her mouth shut?

Morons are already damned.”

Then damn yourself, you moron. He ordered her to keep her mouth shut after the meeting was over.

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/15/us/politics/trump-putin-meetings.html

“Trump and Putin Have Met Five Times. What Was Said Is a Mystery.”

You people OK with this? What if Obama had done this?
***********

Inga, tell us PRECISELY why demanding that a person you hire to perform a personal service as an interpreter cannot, as a matter of contract, be bound not to repeat anything you hear and translate can be released to the public.

C'mon, tell us.

Cue those crickets, please.

effinayright म्हणाले...

. She was wearing her silver House Mace lapel pin to show that the her House Leadership Office is co-equal to a President.
*****************

Beg to differ: the POTUS is a Constitutional officer chosen via direct state elections and the Electoral College, but the the SOTH is chosen only among House members. She's not a co-equal, especially as the POTUS is CINC.

Sprezzatura म्हणाले...

"Inga, tell us PRECISELY why demanding that a person you hire to perform a personal service as an interpreter cannot, as a matter of contract, be bound not to repeat anything you hear and translate can be released to the public."

Because they witnessed illegality being discussed.



That was easy.

Drago म्हणाले...

"Because they witnessed illegality being discussed."

What illegality?

Oh, right.

Presidentin' While Republican, in the First Degree as well Defeating A Democrat Candidate With Malice.

This is usually covered in the second year of law school.

Drago म्हणाले...

I'm still waiting for Mitt Romney to pay the 10 years back taxes the dems said he owed.....after apologizing for killing a woman with cancer that the dems claimed he gave her.

But remember, its only because of Trump that the democrats are compelled to attack....(wink wink)

DEEBEE म्हणाले...

Monica, the non coding journalist, who licks 78 year old politician’s something other than the face.