Althouse: At the Monday Night Café...

February 3, 2025

At the Monday Night Café...

... you can talk all night.

57 comments:

rhhardin said...: I wish institutions holding 401(K)s would stop changing their names and addresses every year so that last year's 1099R form would be the same in Turbotax from year to year.; 2/3/25, 6:09 PM
rehajm said...: A single leftie Senator claims he will hold up Trump’s cabinet nominees until USAID is restored. What’s the point of winning if you need permission from all of your opponents to accomplish anything?

…never mind. I know…; 2/3/25, 6:19 PM
MadisonMan said...: I think his intransigence only means that the nominees aren't approved smoothly or quickly.; 2/3/25, 6:20 PM
narciso said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/3/25, 6:22 PM
narciso said...: https://x.com/chrispavlovski/status/1886547061010584031; 2/3/25, 6:23 PM
narciso said...: https://x.com/nicksortor/status/1886554104333210062 oh; 2/3/25, 6:32 PM
narciso said...: https://nypost.com/2025/02/03/us-news/nj-gov-phil-murphys-claim-hes-protecting-migrant-at-his-home-wasmisinterpreted-rep-insists/; 2/3/25, 6:35 PM
Iman said...: “Everybody keeps talking about "you voted for cheaper eggs, gas, etc etc"
Ma'am/Sir, I solely voted for the liberal tears.
Single issue voter.

I'll pay $10 a f**ing egg to keep watching DJT take a blow torch to this whole diseased temple of thieves, traitors & pedos, burn it to the ground and piss on the ashes...”; 2/3/25, 6:36 PM
gadfly said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 2/3/25, 6:38 PM
gadfly said...: Surely you remember Tommy Tuberville?

https://apnews.com/article/senate-military-nominations-holds-tommy-tuberville-e38d853526de044ac59338d32d7a0e10; 2/3/25, 6:41 PM
boatbuilder said...: So now everybody knows who is in favor of USAID, and who isn't.

Has the American public ever been given the opportunity to let their elected officials know how they feel about USAID funding?

Now they can do that. Perhaps the Democrats will get the message.; 2/3/25, 6:42 PM
boatbuilder said...: +++; 2/3/25, 6:46 PM
BUMBLE BEE said...: C'mon man. Don't hold back. Tell us how you really feel. :-); 2/3/25, 6:49 PM
Mr. T. said...: Scotland's far left SNP (P stans for their trans pedos) wishes to return to the good old days when bubonic plague ruled Europe by banning feral and domestic cats.; 2/3/25, 6:54 PM
Jim at said...: A single leftie Senator claims he will hold up Trump’s cabinet nominees until USAID is restored.

Apparently that senator failed math.; 2/3/25, 6:54 PM
Original Mike said...: "I'll pay $10 a f**ing egg to keep watching DJT take a blow torch to this whole diseased temple of thieves, traitors & pedos, burn it to the ground and piss on the ashes...”

I'll pay $20!; 2/3/25, 6:55 PM
wildswan said...: The California High-Speed rail project is widely recognized as a doomed tangle of conflicting progressive requirements which will never straighten out into rails. But taxpayer dollars ars still being awarded - $ 6,120,913,307.00 in grants according to datarepublicans data base. https://datarepublican.com/award_search/ (keyword: FJW5LSYDQLF3). It's pretty sobering to think that if this high-speed rail project were discontinued the six-billion-dollar savings would only be a day and half of the Doge Boys quota. That's what a trillion dollars means. But this project will be around for a long time, I expect. It seems to be like the Hotel California - you can start it "but you can never leave."; 2/3/25, 7:01 PM
Peachy said...: Agree.; 2/3/25, 7:04 PM
Peachy said...: "Criticizing Musk for wanting to protect taxes is like crying because someone shut off your corruption tap."

X; 2/3/25, 7:08 PM
Dave Begley said...: Brian Schatz of HI can’t stop confirmation process. He doesn’t have the votes.; 2/3/25, 7:23 PM
Dave Begley said...: Trump’s second term is 100x better than his first term. He learned.; 2/3/25, 7:24 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: If a Turkey runs away, does that make it a chicken?; 2/3/25, 7:31 PM
RCOCEAN II said...: If you dream of being a vinyl record,
Does that make you groovy?; 2/3/25, 7:32 PM
john mosby said...: On Morning Schmoe today, they highlighted the strange case of Fr Calvin Robinson, a biracial English priest of the Anglican Catholic Church, associated with the Utrecht communion of Old Catholics and suchlike. He hangs out with Laurence Fox (DS Hathaway on Inspector Lewis) and decries the decline of British civilization. This brought him to the attention of an ACC parish in Grand Rapids MI, which hired him.

So Fr Calvin spoke at the March for Life (abortion is one of the issues that spawned the ACC’s breakaway from the mainstream Anglican communion), gave a rah-rah speech, and closed by jokingly giving the Musk salute. The audience got the joke and laughed uproariously. Well, Fr Calvin’s ACC bishop did not get the joke, and revoked his license to preach and do sacraments. His parish apparently will keep him - once you’re a breakaway, further breaks dont take much effort.

Why Schmoe and Mika wanted to highlight this, I have no idea. Probably a thousand people know who Fr Calvin is. Now all the Morning Toe viewers do, too. This guy definitely belongs to the school of no such thing as bad publicity.

(Yes, yes. Insert obvious joke about how it’s now 2 thousand….)

JSM; 2/3/25, 7:32 PM
Mason G said...: "and piss on the ashes..."

Trump could balance the budget if he charged an admission fee so others could do likewise.; 2/3/25, 7:33 PM
Mason G said...: "It's pretty sobering to think that if this high-speed rail project were discontinued the six-billion-dollar savings would only be a day and half of the Doge Boys quota. That's what a trillion dollars means."

You've got to start somewhere.; 2/3/25, 7:34 PM
Kakistocracy said...: A counter argument here is that Trump's tariffs on Mexico and Canada have been a complete fiasco that have generated a strong backlash from all corners of the US electorate and have served to focus the economic spotlight on the downsides of tariffs, from lost jobs and business to higher prices. They've also shown how interdependent the North American economy is, while also demonstrating that there is such a thing as retaliatory tariffs as well.

On the campaign trail, Trump presented tariffs as a tax that other countries would pay, rather than the reality of them being a tax that importers pay and pass on to consumers, causing inflation and often lost US jobs and growth as higher prices often lead to lower sales. There was no mention of retaliatory tariffs targeting American exports either.

Politically, Republicans know their states will be targeted and therefore suffer the most economically, which will make them unlikely to remain loyal to Trump on this issue, and perhaps others as well as his popularity takes a hit.

Overall, Trump's tariff fiasco and the immediate backlash may serve as a cautionary tale against repeating it. Trump himself seemed more than ready to use any excuse to pause the tariffs in talking with Mexican president Sheinbaum and will probably do the same with Trudeau when they talk. I'm sure the message to Trump from all corners of the political spectrum is to end the tariffs with some token gesture from Canada and Mexico, move on, and refrain from repetition of another tariff fiasco with allies in the future.; 2/3/25, 7:47 PM
Deep State Reformer said...: Joe Biden Signs With Talent Agency CCA

What talent does JFB have other than bald-face lying?; 2/3/25, 7:51 PM
Leland said...: Disinformation bot doing his thing.

In the real world: https://issuesinsights.com/2025/01/29/americans-embrace-trump-tariffs-see-foreign-investment-boost-in-u-s-as-likely-result-ii-tipp-poll/
"Americans Embrace Trump Tariffs, See Foreign Investment Boost In U.S. As Likely Result: I&I/TIPP Poll"

"A strong plurality of 49% answered that they supported tariffs either “strongly” (20%) or “somewhat” (29%), while 34% responded that they opposed the move “somewhat” (16%) or “strongly” (18%). "

I did read some old media polls showing results for polls with the leading question "Do you support tariffs if they would increase the price of goods?" I suspect if they did that, then people might be inclined to not like them. So far, they have got better passage for all vessels through the Panama Canal. Columbia to take back murderers and rapists on their own dime. Venezuela to take back gang bangers. Mexico to put troops on the border to stop human trafficking and illegal drug trade.

Oh Canada, a country whose GDP per capita is lower than Mississippi, will retaliate with a tariff on US goods.; 2/3/25, 8:05 PM
Leland said...: Nope, Canada gave in too, with offers to also stop human trafficking and illegal drug trade.; 2/3/25, 8:07 PM
Aggie said...: Has anybody heard what USAID's annual budgetary outlay is?; 2/3/25, 8:07 PM
Kakistocracy said...: What’s the difference between this agreement and the $1.3 bn border security spending package Canada announced in December?; 2/3/25, 8:11 PM
Peachy said...: Perhaps Schatz and Schitt and meet in the outhouse after school?; 2/3/25, 8:12 PM
Kakistocracy said...: I really think Treasury Secretary Bessent worked Trump over this weekend, which is why we didn't see the Saturday implementation that Trump desperately wanted to do on Friday.

The problem is, I don't know how much personal capital he used up in the process. He's gonna need more.; 2/3/25, 8:12 PM
Enigma said...: Here's a big issue:

* 71.6 million people received social security benefits in 2023
* $1.39 trillion was spent in benefits in 2023
* 72.9 million received benefits in December 2024
...

One trillion: $1,000,000,000,000

https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/chartbooks/fast_facts/2024/fast_facts24.html
https://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/quickfacts/stat_snapshot/; 2/3/25, 8:27 PM
Scott Patton said...: Scott Adams said there's absolutely no upside to being able to smell. (Apparently he's experienced both states - I missed the beginning of the story); 2/3/25, 8:29 PM
FullMoon said...: Selena Gomez is getting a bad rap.; 2/3/25, 8:29 PM
Enigma said...: With hindsight, Trump survived his first term only because the Deep State players toyed with him as a cat toys with a mouse. Otherwise there would have been assassination attempts (or success) back then. Only after Jan 6 did that take him seriously and get physical, per the Mar-a-Lago raid.; 2/3/25, 8:31 PM
robother said...: In the Eighth Air Force, they knew that taking flak meant that you were over the target. Nothing's changed. What I have learned the last week is that the grants and other money flowing to the NGOs is even more important than the US Gov't employees in this fight. QED.; 2/3/25, 8:40 PM
Mason G said...: If you want to avoid eating something that's spoiled, being able to smell helps.; 2/3/25, 8:41 PM
Enigma said...: His main talent is to find ways to receive payments for services that are arbitrary and hard to value, and his second talent is to avoid prosecution. See his history of pay-to-play in Delaware. Also see the profitability of the books and art and TV shows of Hunter, Obama, the Clintons, the convicted former mayor of Baltimore, etc.; 2/3/25, 8:48 PM
Original Mike said...: "A counter argument here is that Trump's tariffs on Mexico and Canada have been a complete fiasco that have generated a strong backlash from all corners of the US electorate and have served to focus the economic spotlight on the downsides of tariffs, from lost jobs and business to higher prices. They've also shown how interdependent the North American economy is, while also demonstrating that there is such a thing as retaliatory tariffs as well."

All that in one day? Sure…; 2/3/25, 8:57 PM
Original Mike said...: I believe it's $50B, but don't quote me on that.; 2/3/25, 8:58 PM
FullMoon said...: Great news. Hopefully Bianca's outfit will start a trend with the attractive female celebs. Oscars next?

"Kanye West claimed Don Lemon “started the rumor” that his wife, Bianca Censori, was kicked out of the Grammys 2025 for her revealing look.

“This the goofball that started the rumor that me and my wife got kicked out the Grammies [sic],” he captioned a photo via Instagram of Lemon smiling Monday.

“3 decades of innovating music and they always KOONS like this.”; 2/3/25, 8:59 PM
planetgeo said...: Trump's accomplishments are so spectacular, and their pace is so incredible that I can see a point coming soon where the left's humiliation and complete despair at seeing their entire vision of fundamental transformation being dismantled before their eyes that they go DEFCON 3 and turn their imported insurrectionists loose on us before we deport too many of them.; 2/3/25, 9:00 PM
FullMoon said...: (Don Lemon. 10
Lemon later shared a video on Instagram, saying that the Grammy winner and Censori were not kicked out of the award show and were invited. ); 2/3/25, 9:05 PM
DINKY DAU 45 said...: It's excellent now that Elon. Musk⅚ has keys to the payment mechanism of thevtreasury', your SS. Numbers and all the vitals AND who got the nuclear codes? Did you see em at Mar a Logo and musk has all his business $$ in tight with China an d oh it's getting good now Hey elected a criminal and why all the hair on fire of course he's gonna hire criminals and do criminal things! Beautiful! Hey you never know get the brown ones out maybe the Germans next and of course any foreigners with funny names!They got the info now lookout baby you may e getting a visit. Best deals ever made with Canada and Mexico and now he says who the he'll made those deals.Too many hamburgers the brain is melting.We are a nation of laws! April fools; 2/3/25, 9:14 PM
Ampersand said...: Yes. He'll take this information to his secret lair, and use it to get rich beyond his wildest dreams. Scary.; 2/3/25, 9:20 PM
Aggie said...: Yeah, good one. Totally not gibberish at all, STINKY. By the way it's 45 & 47 now, and who knows?; 2/3/25, 9:20 PM
Kakistocracy said...: Let's see... oil prices up, US stock market down. Inflation up, employment down. Trump, once again, proves he's as incompetent at government as he was at business.

I'll give it til the first round of US inflation data that includes the impact of this. Doubt it will last a year.; 2/3/25, 9:41 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I don't know anything about economics. But maybe somebody here can answer this for me. Why would... knowledgeable people compare the economy of the Great Depression with the economy of 2025, one hundred years later? Call me crazy, but maybe, just maybe, the fundamentals are a bit different?

Like I said. I really don't know.; 2/3/25, 9:42 PM
Jamie said...: A counter argument here is that Trump's tariffs on Mexico and Canada have been a complete fiasco that have generated a strong backlash from all corners of the US electorate and have served to focus the economic spotlight on the downsides of tariffs, from lost jobs and business to higher prices. They've also shown how interdependent the North American economy is, while also demonstrating that there is such a thing as retaliatory tariffs as well.

A counter to your counter-argument is that the speed with which our neighbors negotiated delays to the tariffs that were going to hurt them a whole lot more than they would hurt us has demonstrated to the American public that we have tools other than our military to use in order to further our interests.

And... retaliatory tariffs? I understand Canada's tariff on dairy coming from outside their country, for instance, has been something like 150-400% (depending on the source - I gather we were and are in the 200% range?) for some time now. So who was retaliating? We or Canada?; 2/3/25, 9:53 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: I mean just the culinary variety today compared to 100 years ago. You don't think if Mexico and Canada aren't around nobody else is going to step in?

And even then. If nobody was smart enough to figure how to make money, Mexican food and derivates are just one of a myriad of choices Americans have in abundance.; 2/3/25, 10:00 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Mexicans and Canadians know what they stand to lose better than our so-called experts.; 2/3/25, 10:02 PM
Narayanan said...: because it is D talking point and pride that FDR saved USA!!; 2/3/25, 10:11 PM
Lem Vibe Bandit said...: Omg. How did I miss the "conflu" pun? It's hilarious.

I'm just hearing about it now on this new Matt Orfalea video .

I'm still out of the loop, all these years later.; 2/3/25, 10:24 PM
Mr. T. said...: Stock market is doing fine, Bidenflation is down.

Might want to try some basic math and economics next time.

Oh that's right!
Your side thinks math is toxic masculinity or toxic colonial heteronormity.

Or something...; 2/3/25, 11:24 PM