Err, no, this is Chait- he has no confusion at all about why the right does the various things it does.

As usual he's right.

Looks like the only connection is that the author is gay and is comparing how straight dating has become more like gay dating- whether women acknowledge that or not.

Agreed.

Well Schumer said he's support cloture but that he wouldn't whip in favor of it. If he himself and a couple other Senators vote yes on Cloture but it doesn't hit 60 then that could, potentially, be the best position to be going into a shut down. But if Matty and a couple other folks are correct that the shut down, in of itself, plays into Trump and the Muskrats hands it could by a pyric victory.

I got MattY's analysis too and it did give me pause. Seeing one of my favorite socialists and one of my favorite fanatic Republicans both saying he's wrong suggests his analysis has some merit to it so I do feel marginally better.

The continuing resolutions of the past were, by and large, simply a continuation of the status quos. Inviting the GOP to vote for them was an invitation to the GOP to lose nothing. This CR is full of items the GOP loves and the Dems hate. Voting for it is naked surrender to extortion. If Schumer had the spine that God(ess?) gave a jellyfish he'd have whipped a no vote and told the GOP to do what they would in the shutdown, own the results and come back to him when they were ready to offer a typical CR. This is pretty naked surrender to extortion on Schumers part and I haven't read anything from him that suggests he's avoiding anything Trump and the Muskrats wouldn't do anyhow. Looks like near total surrender to me and I have tried earnestly to give Schumer the benefit of the doubt in the past. What's he going to surrender on next?

Was more tongue in cheek than anything. I have a vague feeling like the West Coast liberal zone is somewhat more nimble than the East Coast liberal zone in adapting so it doesn't surprise me that San Fran is moving faster.

I'm willing to hold my fire until they actually vote yes, personally. If they go "no position" right up to the 11th hour and then vote no on cloture; basically a Sen. Collins stunt if they include some footsie; then I will have nothing but nice things to say about 'em.

Heck I imaging the current GOP would declare it bipartisan with one vote.

Obviously you can vote yes for the "Give Dems everything they want bill" or the "Agree that puppies are adorable bill" and anything similar. So long as you make sure you've read the thing.

But on every substantive bill the Dems should assuredly be a wall of no.

Yep, madness.

I'm with Saul and inMD. There should, absolutely, be a wall of No from the Dems right now. If ever the McConnel strategy was justified from the Dems it is absolutely, undeniably justified right fishing now. Until the Muskrats are reined in, normal constitutional order is followed on spending/cutting and, preferably, unless Trump pulls his head from his posterior on tariffs the Dems should be in full opposition mode. The GOP has their trifecta- let them own their policies in full if they can pass them.

Yeah I don't disagree per say but I read him daily and my own imperfect recollection of the events were that he had the MM controlled and it was the prostate cancer that prompted the new round of treatments that walloped his immune system which prompted the infection which ultimately felled him.

Works fine for the shouty left online fringe. In my opinion a lot of our problems source to a lot of our current class of Democratic pols being past their sell by date and/or being unable-unwilling to state and stand up for their principles and instead just outsourcing them to consultants and the groups. Hopefully should be resolvable by the current stint in the wilderness and primaries assuming that Trump doesn't blow the whole system to heck before the next election.

IIRC he whupped the cancer you're thinking about, they found new cancer in his prostate as he was wrapping up the previous cancer, they went after that cancer but the treatment KO'd his immune system and an opportunistic infection nailed him and the docs weren't able to shepherd Drum out of that.

I'm extremely sad about it. Another precious fragment of my beloved Blogosphere washed away in the river.

Agreed that this isn't a big deal yet but the fact that any right wing justices are willing to walk the walk they've been talking for the past 3 decades is better than them all going Alito right off the bat.

Still chewing on Book of Hours, the successor to Cultist Simulator.

Heck, I get it, kept promises are very rare in Trump land so it makes sense pointing them out.

We'll see. One of those promises you're waving at was that he'd fund government on tariffs instead of on income taxes. So if your claim is he's going to keep his promises* then by your own reasoning the tariffs should be expected to stay.

*And boy that'd be a gullible thing to assume vis a vis Trump.

Err sure Saul, my original point was, merely, that the example I gave was Trump "2.0" not Trump "1.0".

I agree, I hope the Dems are laying groundwork to field a candidate in every congressional district in the country and every swing states state legislative districts too.

I don't think I quite can make out what you're saying but, yes, I agree that plenty of damage seems to be leaking through the hoped for impasse between malice and incompetence that is Trump.

And the boys called me optimistic!