Bear Pit: now the sole domicile of politics at LuLa

[faberryman]

Spin instructor apologizes for calling herself educator to get vaccine

https://thehill.com/homenews/news/536910-spin-instructor-apologizes-for-calling-herself-educator-to-get-vaccine

"In my profession of health and wellness as a teacher, it’s my priority daily to keep my community and their respiratory systems operating at full capacity so they can beat this virus if they are infected by it. I can only teach to them if I am healthy myself.”

Query: is spin instructor really a profession? I am leaning toward vocation.

Also, doesn't it seem a little disingenuous to apologize after you get the shot? Sort of like apologizing for taking the last cookie.

[Robert Roaldi]

Tucker says Ms Greene has been given a bad time for having "bad opinions", https://www.huffingtonpost.ca/entry/tucker-carlson-marjorie-taylor-greene_n_6019145dc5b622df90f686dd. I guess that's true. He also states that she only just got there and hasn't voted on anything yet, so is not a true threat. In that strict sense, he's perhaps right. But people aren't tearing her a new one because of her votes in the House, it's because of the numbskull things she has said and continues to say. Surely that's allowed, isn't it? You don't have to wait for someone to do actual physical harm before you criticize them, do you?

[faberryman]

Tucker says Ms Greene has been given a bad time for having "bad opinions"...

Sounds right to me. If you have bad opinions, you get given a bad time for having them. What am I missing? It is a contemporary phenomenon. You didn't hear Jack the Ripper complaining about getting bad press in Victorian times. He just went about his business.

This is more of that if you have a headache, stop banging your head against the wall. You even have a couple of options: stop having bad opinions or start watching conservative media. Your choice. It's like Alan watching CNN and complaining Trump doesn't get enough praise. Duh. No one is complaining about Marjorie Taylor Greene over on Newsmax and OAN.

More of that cancel culture whining stuff.

I was watching the news last night and they were doing a special on the Capitol riot. They cut to this backstage scene down at the Ellipse, and Kimberly Guilfoyle was watching Trump on the video monitors inciting the crowd, and she was moving around doing what some people call dancing, but it just looked like maybe someone was repeatedly tasing her. You don't hear me whining about her being an idiot or anything. Don Jr. was providing the commentary: "Go girl, go. Isn't she great?" I suppose reasonable minds could differ.

[Peter McLennan]

Hopefully, they’ll use the footage from that command centre in the impeachment hearings.  Most damning.  Shot by Jr. on his phone, it’s a very revealing peek behind the scenes.

[faberryman]

Trump has filed his response to the article of impeachment. It is like an answer to a complaint, long on denying and short on legal authority. Basically, the argument is Trump didn't do it, and even if he did, he is no longer the president so you can't do anything about it. Hard to believe it took them 14 pages to say that, but it was double-spaced. I am more of a singled spaced, with a space between paragraphs, kind of guy, so you can complete your thought before the reader has to turn the page. Also, you don't waste as much paper. The constitution doesn't address the issue though, so you can wing it.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/02/us/politics/trump-brief-defense-impeachment.html

[digitaldog]

Trump has filed his response to the article of impeachment.

And misspelled “United” at the very top:

To: The Honorable, the Members of the Unites State Senate:

You can't make this stuff up. Everything the Trump team does ends up this way. No wonder we're approaching half a million dead Americans from Covid 19.

[faberryman]

And misspelled “United” at the very top. You can't make this stuff up. Everything the Trump team does ends up this way. No wonder we're approaching half a million dead Americans from Covid 19.

Must have gotten the Kraken lady to type it up. They also made some style errors. You only use one means of emphasis. You don't use bold and underline; it's one or the other. Same with italics and underline; it's one or the other. I don't even know why they underlined and italicized the "To the Honorable..." line anyway. And italicizing "Respectfully represents"? What's that all about? Forget the italics, what does it even mean? Are they just buttering up their client? All this and we haven't even gotten one-third of the way down the first page. The only thing missing is a bunch of goofy fonts. Maybe a nice rodeo font at the top? Fake script always looks good too. Maybe 24pt? It's amateur hour at Mar-A-Lago.

Maybe Trump made the lawyers jazz it up thinking that would persuade some Democratic senators of the righteousness of his cause. Another explanation might be that since the lawyers wouldn't let Trump argue massive voter fraud, they let him pick out the fonts and stuff. In that case, it was probably a fair trade. Bold and underline is probably the lesser sin. And it adds that signature Trump touch: tacky. To be honest, I am actually a little surprised they didn't put one of those embossed gold foil stars and a ribbon on the last page to make it look official. Maybe have it delivered to the Senate by a servant in livery. Where are Gilbert and Sullivan when you need them?

[MattBurt]

Must have gotten the Kraken lady to type it up. They also made some style errors. You only use one means of emphasis. You don't use bold and underline; it's one or the other. Same with italics and underline; it's one or the other. I don't know why they underlined and italicized the "To the Honorable..." line anyway. And italicizing "Respectfully represents"? What's that all about. And we haven't even gotten one-third of the way down the first page. What a bunch of amateurs.

For some reason this reminds me of a very abrasive woman I used to do IT support for. She wanted me to set her email client up to always mark the messages with "high importance", the red exclamation point. I told her that was for marking individual emails as you send them for the most important ones. She replied that all (redundant emphasis added for levity) her emails were the most important.

[John Camp]

The Kraken.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrIJLWISdlQ

I'm thinking Alan is the chick in the white, Slobo is the guy in the armor and TechTalk is the Medusa.

In doing my research, I found out that Kraken is pronounced Crack-un, not Krake-un.

[Robert Roaldi]

Must have gotten the Kraken lady to type it up. They also made some style errors. You only use one means of emphasis. You don't use bold and underline; it's one or the other. Same with italics and underline; it's one or the other. I don't even know why they underlined and italicized the "To the Honorable..." line anyway. And italicizing "Respectfully represents"? What's that all about? Forget the italics, what does it even mean? Are they just buttering up their client? All this and we haven't even gotten one-third of the way down the first page. The only thing missing is a bunch of goofy fonts. Maybe a nice rodeo font at the top? Fake script always looks good too. Maybe 24pt? It's amateur hour at Mar-A-Lago.

Maybe Trump made the lawyers jazz it up thinking that would persuade some Democratic senators of the righteousness of his cause. Another explanation might be that since the lawyers wouldn't let Trump argue massive voter fraud, they let him pick out the fonts and stuff. In that case, it was probably a fair trade. Bold and underline is probably the lesser sin. And it adds that signature Trump touch: tacky. To be honest, I am actually a little surprised they didn't put one of those embossed gold foil stars and a ribbon on the last page to make it look official. Maybe have it delivered to the Senate by a servant in livery. Where are Gilbert and Sullivan when you need them?

This stuff is way more entertaining than anything on TV.

I was listening to an NPR Fresh Air podcast today about what will happen to QAnon. It was an interesting conversation with a journalist who has been paying attention to them. He said that they seem to be in slight disarray, since prophecies about Trump's second term didn't come tp pass. According to him there is a faction that is pinning its hopes on March 4. Apparently March 4 is the old inauguration day and the faction expects Trump to triumph on that date. Maybe he'll ride in on an Appaloosa with 6-guns blazing or maybe he will appear in a break in the clouds. I got 10 cents says he'll be playing golf because I'm no high roller. It's probably because of guys like me that the Trump casino went belly-up.

[faberryman]

This stuff is way more entertaining than anything on TV.

But not the stage:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rzFf1kpio_E

[faberryman]

The House Managers have filed their brief. Fix yourself a drink; it is 80 pages long. Style looks good so far. No rodeo fonts. I have just started my review. It's too bad this won't make any difference. I guess there is always hope.

https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/02/02/us/politics/impeachment-manager-brief.html

[digitaldog]

Progress:

Fox News Ratings Free Fall Is a ‘Self-Inflicted Wound,’ Insiders Say
The network fell behind CNN and MSNBC in key ratings figures for the first time in 20 years

[Chris Kern]

Progress:

Fox News Ratings Free Fall Is a ‘Self-Inflicted Wound,’ Insiders Say
The network fell behind CNN and MSNBC in key ratings figures for the first time in 20 years

Sigh.  Yes and no.  One reason Fox News' ratings have tanked is that the populist conspiracy aficionados have moved on to even loopier right-wing cable TV outlets.

"Nobody ever went broke underestimating the intelligence of the American public."
   — attributed to H.L. Mencken (1880-1956)

[faberryman]

As Arthur Hastings would say: "Good Lord!" Turns out even Newsmax is cutting off the MyPillow Guy.

Newsmax anchor walks away from Mike Lindell interview after he won't drop fraud claims

https://thehill.com/homenews/media/537049-newsmax-anchor-walks-away-from-mike-lindell-interview-after-he-wont-drop-fraud

Not sure that is the way to keep those Trump supporters who have abandoned Fox.

Newsmax and OAN both received cease and desist letters from Dominion Systems, and subsequently printed retractions of the crooked voting machine allegations. Dominion Systems could have easily bankrupted them with litigation. You'll notice that Rudy Giuliani and Sidney Powell have gone missing since Dominion Systems sued them for $1.3 billion each. When you answer the doorbell in your bathrobe a slippers, and the sheriff hands you a summons and complaint against you for $1.3 billion, it makes your eyebrows go up. Sheriffs always serve summons and complaints early in the morning so you are in your bathrobe and slippers for that extra little bit of theater.

[Robert Roaldi]

This is an article from Axios about a White House meeting held on Dec 18 sidling to the topic of imposing martial law, https://www.axios.com/trump-oval-office-meeting-sidney-powell-a8e1e466-2e42-42d0-9cf1-26eb267f8723.html. Attendees were Powell, Flynn, Trump, Rudy on the phone and some WH staffers. It's quite a bizarre tale.

[LesPalenik]

This is an article from Axios about a White House meeting held on Dec 18 sidling to the topic of imposing martial law, https://www.axios.com/trump-oval-office-meeting-sidney-powell-a8e1e466-2e42-42d0-9cf1-26eb267f8723.html. Attendees were Powell, Flynn, Trump, Rudy on the phone and some WH staffers. It's quite a bizarre tale.

Indeed, very bizarre. There is enough material there to make a full feature movie.

[faberryman]

Indeed, very bizarre. There is enough material there to make a full feature movie.

Obviously this Herschmann guy has taught kindergarten before.

"Finally Herschmann had enough. "Why the fuck do you keep standing up and screaming at me?" he shot back at Flynn. "If you want to come over here, come over here. If not, sit your ass down." Flynn sat back down."

Meanwhile, Trump is doodling on the Resolute Desk with his crayons.

[faberryman]

Trump's legal troubles now extend overseas. I wouldn't want the Scots investigating me. Have you seen Braveheart?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/02/trump-organization-finances-scottish-golf-courses-turnberry

[Robert Roaldi]

Trump's legal troubles now extend overseas. I wouldn't want the Scots investigating me. Have you seen Braveheart?

https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2021/feb/02/trump-organization-finances-scottish-golf-courses-turnberry

Yeah, I doubt there is much of a Trump "base" in Scotland for him to appeal to. I enjoy how Eric is trying to paint this as an impediment to investment, as if a couple of golf courses matter. It would be interesting to see how much real investment in Scotland the Trump clan actually made. Given the boasting history, nothing would surprise me. I remember reading a story about a Trump branded hotel (or maybe condo building) in Toronto that turned out to be a dud. It's not easy making bad real estate deals in Toronto, you almost have to be trying to fail. It may have turned out ok in the end though, I never read a follow-up story.