DL Open Thread: Friday, October 6, 2023
Almost Penniless Rethugs, Part 1. Mike Lindell:
Almost Penniless Rethugs, Part 2. Rudy Giuliani:
Sadness.
Trump & Jim Jordan: Perfect Together:
There was only one way the chaos in the Republican-led House – likened Thursday by one of its members to a “stupid clown car” – could get more extreme.
Enter Donald Trump.
The ex-president dived into the mayhem following the ouster of House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, characteristically seeking to cast himself as kingmaker and to steal the spotlight for himself.
On a day of drama that recalled the pandemonium inside the Trump White House, the ex-president’s camp floated rumors of his potential first visit to the US Capitol since his mob ransacked it on January 6, 2021. Then Trump teased the possibility that he could even step in as speaker himself on an interim basis.
But the ex-president’s biggest bombshell was still to come – shortly after midnight, he endorsed Judiciary Chairman Jim Jordan for the job.
Hey, it’s all about him. BTW–look for this story to resurface:
To refresh your memory: Before Jordan got into politics he was an assistant wrestling coach (1987-1995) at Ohio State. He claims he didn’t know the team doctor was sexually molesting team members. But apparently it was an open secret and a number of team members from the time claim Jordan knew. They go on TV and say it.
The initial version of the scandal was put to rest when Jordan’s House colleagues just decided it didn’t matter. But Jordan’s explanation never really passed the laugh test. For someone outside the party leadership, what counts and what doesn’t is mostly up to the member’s constituents and the GOP caucus. Different story if you’re Speaker of the House. There’s little question that that whole pretty ugly saga would come in for a full review were Jordan to become Speaker.
Police Deep-Six Fake Swamy’s ‘Violent Protestors’ Tale. The real story?:
Vivek Ramaswamy’s campaign says at least two protesters upset about the Republican presidential candidate’s remarks in opposition to aid for Ukraine purposely rammed his car in Iowa in retaliation on Thursday, but police say there is no evidence to support the claim that the crash was intentional.
Police say they were dispatched to a coffee shop in the city shortly after 1 p.m. for a report of property damage. While there, they contacted a 22-year-old woman who reported that she had just eaten lunch at a nearby deli and was backing her car out of her parking spot when she accidentally struck a Ford Expedition that was across the street.
Police say the woman told them she was not there protesting anything, had no idea whose vehicle she had hit, did not intentionally cause the crash and did not flee the scene. Police say there is no evidence to substantiate the claim that protesters intentionally hit Ramaswamy’s campaign vehicle and sped off.
Hey, it’s almost the same thing.
Biden Reads Political Tea Leaves, Backs Wall Expansion. Al, I apologize in advance, but if this isn’t a recognition of political weakness, what is? ‘This immigrant issue could sink you, Joe. Time for some sacrificial Venezuelans–and Haitians–and Indians, I mean Indigenous Peoples–and ocelots…”:
The Biden administration’s decision to waive environmental, public health and cultural protections to speed new border wall construction has enraged environmentalists, Indigenous leaders and community groups in the Rio Grande valley.
“It was disheartening and unexpected,” said Laiken Jordahl, a borderlands campaigner with the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), amid concerns of the impact on essential corridors for wild cats and endangered plants in the area. “This is a new low, a horrific step backwards for the borderlands.”
This is the first time a Democratic administration has issued such waivers for border wall construction, and for Joe Biden, it’s a marked departure from campaign promises and his efforts to be seen as a climate champion.
The waivers were announced just a month after the Government Accountability Office, a nonpartisan watchdog agency, released a dire report finding that border wall construction during the Trump administration had destroyed towering saguaro cactuses in Arizona, threatened ocelots in Texas and dynamited Indigenous cultural sites and burial grounds. The report urged US Customs and Border Protection and the interior department to develop a plan to ease the damage.
Today’s Lead Story On Delaware Online?: “Here Are The Plans For The Former Pat’s Pizzeria Near UD In Newark”. Nope, not linking, not reading.
What do you want to talk about?
Trump Drops Lawsuit Against Michael Cohen. Just days before he was scheduled to testify in the suit:
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/05/nyregion/trump-michael-cohen-lawsuit-dropped.html
More bad news for Biden:
I’ve been following this number for 30 years and the number has never once matched the forecast.
Economists have predicted eleven of the last five recessions.
His political strength isn’t the point. He won’t quit the race unless he’s grievously ill, and he won’t lose the primaries unless someone better is obvious. Go ahead and name who’s going to beat him.