I say YES. YOU say NO....Numero Tre! Enjoy!

IllinoisLady

A little Rachel truth.

Long time ago ( not sure it still goes on ) there were people ( you can imagine which side they were on ) who liked to turn Rachel's last name into madcow. I'm sure she is still laughing at those same people with where she is and where they are.

IllinoisLady

Yes, Mr. maybe you have had one too many concussions as someone said. Go home and enjoy passing GO and not being able to play or collect money. And as also said -- what about concerns over steroids' and fertility. Another one too smart to hear what he is actually saying which puts him in the stupid as a box of rocks category.

Beaverntx

Re the Peter Principle, it is old but still true that people often rise to their level of incompentency! That can be seen over and over as in the example above. It is one of my favorites as it so often helps explain something to me. Glad you mentioned it Illinois.

Betrayal

Agree that while Peter Principle may have fallen out of favor and vogue, its tenets are still evident today. Just think of how the dunce got elected to be 45.

Above player is as dumb as a box of rocks and perhaps his imagined fertility issues would be a blessing so he can not reproduce. One moron from that family tree is enough?

IllinoisLady

'It is over': Chris Christie tells GOP donors it's time to dump Trump and his 2020 election complaining

Chris Christie/Shutterstock Tom Boggioni and

Raw Story

November 07, 2021

In a speech to major GOP donors on Saturday night, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) warned conservatives that it is time to leave Donald Trump and his complaints about the 2020 election behind and move on, reports CNN .

Using the election of Republican Glenn Youngkin as Virginia's new governor after successfully keeping his distance from the former president as an example, Christie said the time of Trump has passed.

With CNN's Maeve Reston writing that the former governor was speaking in Las Vegas at the Republican Jewish Coalition conference in a bid to start a possible 2024 GOP presidential bid, she noted he was the only featured speaker to take on Trump.

"While the others have largely tip-toed around the former President, Christie was the only one to argue that Tuesday night's Republican gains -- namely winning Virginia's gubernatorial race and keeping New Jersey's much closer than expected -- demonstrated that the party must chart a new path forward that advances beyond the grievance politics that have defined the Trump era. If they do not, he warned, they will jeopardize the gains they made last week among women and suburban voters who fled the party during Trump's presidency," she wrote.

According to the report, Christie told the crowd, "We can no longer talk about the past and the past elections -- no matter where you stand on that issue, no matter where you stand, it is over," Christie said. "Every minute that we spend talking about 2020 -- while we're wasting time doing that, Joe Biden, Kamala Harris, Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer are laying ruin to this country. We better focus on that and take our eyes off the rearview mirror and start looking through the windshield again."

The report adds, "In a subsequent interview with CNN, Christie said that with the 2022 elections looming, it is time for Trump to decide whether he wants to be 'a leader for tomorrow or a figure of yesterday.' He added that he believes Trump can be a 'very positive force for Republican candidates' in 2022 if he will 'begin talking about the future and tell the truth about the election and move on.' But he acknowledged that he had 'not a clue' about whether Trump would heed that advice."

Christie hopes to be a 2024 candidate. I think he is forgetting that ship seems to have taken off some time back. If my memory is not fault ( don't think it is ) Christie was hugging Trump at the time. Birds of a feather will likely have to fly away together in 2024 far from Washington.

Spookiesmom

that will fry assollinies orange face

IllinoisLady

DOJ officials offer reasons why Steve Bannon's criminal referral is languishing

Steve Bannon/Creative Commons Tom Boggioni and

Raw Story

November 07, 2021Faced with pressure from lawmakers as well as political commentators over the fact that it has been sixteen days since the House voted to send Steve Bannon's criminal referral to the Department of Justice only for nothing to happen, CNN is reporting thatDOJ officials are pushing back

Earlier on Saturday, CNN political analyst Chris Cillizza noted that MSNBC commentator Kurt Bardella expressed disgust that no indictment has been issued for contempt of Congress with a tweet that bluntly stated, "How the f*ck is Steve Bannon still a free man?" CNN is now reporting the DOJ officials believe they have good reasons for the delay.

According to CNN's Zachary Cohen and Evan Perez, the DOJ isn't ignoring its critics but is instead proceeding slowly out of fear they won't get it right and have their case thrown out or dismantled.

The CNN report notes, "…the longer it takes for the Justice Department to make a decision on whether to prosecute Bannon, the more questions swirl around whether this was the right strategy for congressional investigators. Democratic critics, already frustrated with Attorney General Merrick Garland over other moves, have focused their impatience over the Bannon referral on Garland because he has ultimate say on whether Bannon is prosecuted."

DOJ officials were prepared for the criticism because they have already become aware of Garland's "methodical" approach to cases and the Bannon case presents its own set of problems, they explained.

"Justice Department officials tell CNN that prosecutors don't feel pressure to act more quickly. Given that criminal referrals are rare and even more rarely enforced by the department, the Bannon decision will be dissected for years to come so the lawyers have to be sure they get it right, officials say," CNN report before adding that a change in leadership at U.S. Attorney level also has caused a delay.

'The referral also came amid a transition at the Washington, DC, US Attorney's Office, which is handling the matter. The Senate approved the new US attorney, Matthew Graves, on October 28 and he took office Friday, " the CNN report states before adding, "At Justice, the two weeks it has taken to review the referral isn't seen as consequential, officials say."

The report adds "members of the House select committee that's investigating the Capitol riot believe a quick indictment of Bannon is needed — not only to send a message to other potential witnesses but also to reaffirm the power of the congressional subpoena."

I hope this too is truly a matter of being sure. While it seems right this does seem to be becoming a catch-all excuse for moving slowly. Given that though and despite my personal impatience I would much rather see it drag a bit longer if it means that we GET the job done that needs doing so much.

IllinoisLady

I so hope that Stacy Abrams will get that Nobel Prize. I think of all the times the orange fool asked for it like he thought it was possible for a man of his extremely questionable non-stature to actually coerce enough people to easily get it bestowed. I suppose since he seemed to have had any number of people bend over backwards his whole life long he well may have thought someone would do a thing like that for him. Such an undeserving piece of putrid manure doesn't deserve the title he is able to claim as 45. Still makes me want to cry over the desecration of our cherished high office that so many have upheld in dignity.

I'm aware that no one who has received this wonderful honor has ever had to ask for it themselves which is how it should be.

IllinoisLady

And something dear to me as I've been wondering how this got started and as they say -- what's in a name.

'Let's go Brandon': Here's a short history of insulting presidential nicknames

Vice President Joe Biden speaks with U.S. and coalition personnel during a visit to an undisclosed location in Southwest Asia, March 7, 2016. Biden's visit is part of his tour of the Middle East, which began March 7. (U.S. Air Force photo/Staff Sgt. Kentavist P. Brackin) Matthew Rozsa and

Salon

November 07, 2021

For those of you who have been mercifully spared this information, supporters of Donald Trump have started using the phrase "Let's Go Brandon" as a code for "Fuck Joe Biden." The craze began after an NBC Sports reporter at a NASCAR race in Alabama mistook the profane chant by some fans as an expression of support for driver Brandon Brown. Realizing that "Let's Go Brandon" does indeed sound a bit like muffled version of the vulgar insult (if sufficiently muffled), it quickly caught on as a stand-in attack on the incumbent president.

Now it's everywhere: On Trump campaign merchandise and among Republican politicians, on weapons parts and, of course, as a trending hashtag on Twitter. A Southwest Airlines pilot even came under investigation for uttering the phrase from the cockpit to a planeload of passengers.

"Let's Go Brandon" is an imaginative troll, specific to the age of the internet — but it's unlikely to have the staying power of the immortal presidential nickname "OK," which over the last 180-plus years has become the most frequently used word on the planet. While its origins remain controversial, historians have confirmed that it was widespread during the 1840 election, when incumbent President Martin Van Buren was running against former U.S. Army Gen. William Henry Harrison. Prior to that election, "OK" had been employed for a few years by New Englanders as a comical shorthand for "all correct" — that is, as an acronym for "oll korrect" or "ole kurreck," implying that the speaker was uncultivated or perhaps a non-English speaker.

The next stage in the "OK" story comes because Van Buren's nickname was "Old Kinderhook," a reference to his hometown in upstate New York. Van Buren supporters capitalized on the term's prevalence by forming "O.K. Clubs," urging Democrats to "Vote for O.K." and saying that it showed Van Buren was "all correct." Seizing an opportunity, Harrison's Whig Party tried to flip the script, claiming that Van Buren's political patron, Andrew Jackson, had signed papers as president "O.K." because he was too ignorant to know better that it was not "Oll Korrect." (It was commonly believed that Jackson was only semi-literate, which wasn't true, although he lacked much formal education.)

Harrison defeated Van Buren, but not because of the mocking usage of "OK." Both campaigns embraced the term and, more importantly, the Whigs developed a number of innovative techniques to push Harrison to victory. Harrison was further boosted by an economic depression that caused widespread hardship; under these conditions, almost anyone could have beaten Van Buren. But perhaps the popular phrase can still be meaningfully linked to that historical event: No prior election had ever had turnout above 60 percent, but in 1840 voter turnout was more than 80 percent — an inconceivably high proportion, then or now. (The 2020 election had the highest turnout in 120 years, and nevertheless only about two-thirds of registered voters even bothered.) It seems plausible that "OK" became so popular in large part because people heard it constantly that year.

It also didn't help Van Buren's image to be known as "OK." He never commanded the grassroots popularity that war hero Andrew Jackson had, and was widely perceived by the public as distant and stuffy — in contemporary terms, part of the "elite." Harrison was also a military veteran, dubbed "Old Tippecanoe" by the Whigs, in reference to a battle he fought in 1811 against the Native American confederacy under the legendary Shawnee chief Tecumseh. Compared to that colorful history (however it may appear to us today), Van Buren seemed like a nonentity, and being called "OK," a word that already had the connotation of "somewhat all right," clearly didn't help.

That helps us focus on the secret of effective presidential epithets — they zero in on a highly distinctive quality of the person in question and skewer it. Think of the catchy insulting monikers from recent history. "Tricky Dick" Nixon has an appealing rhythmic and percussive quality, but also captures the fact that Nixon was seen as a shifty and unscrupulous character long before the Watergate scandal. "Teflon Ron" Reagan was effective because no amount of scandal ever stuck to the relentlessly upbeat Reagan — partly because the press loved him and the Republican Party protected him, and partly because he literally had no idea what was going on in his own administration. "Slick Willie" Clinton perfectly encapsulated the unctuous salesman-cum-preacher mode so distinctive to the 42nd president — and doesn't it seem even more accurate today? George W. Bush was mocked as "Dubya," partly to differentiate himself from his dad and partly to point out that he was a prep-school kid from the uppermost level of society, masquerading as a Texan.

Trump's favorite nickname for his 2016 election opponent, "Crooked Hillary," was idiotic in substance but mercilessly effective. It was grotesquely unfair — Hillary Clinton has been investigated more thoroughly than almost anyone in current public life, and has never faced criminal charges of any kind — but that wasn't necessarily a drawback in the gruesome context of that campaign. The simplistic epithet captured the intense mistrust many on the right felt toward Hillary, going clear back to her husband's first election in 1992. Not coincidentally, it also confirmed the misogynistic stereotype of a conniving, untrustworthy woman.

"Let's Go Brandon" is entirely different. Unlike the other insults reviewed here, there is no deeper meaning that's specific to Joe Biden in any way. Describing him as "China Joe" or "Sleepy Joe" at least conveys specific insults, regardless of their merits. As I suggested earlier, "Let's Go Brandon" is a specific product of this era, but it asserts nothing about Biden rather than overt hostility — at a moment when the president appears embattled amid falling approval ratings.

"Let's Go Brandon" also does not strike me as an especially effective way to "own the libs," although there's some anecdotal evidence that Democrats and their supporters find it troubling. Hardly anyone personally identifies with Joe Biden to such an intense degree that they feel genuine distress when he is attacked. It's Trump supporters who feel that way about their hero, thanks to an unhealthy dose of narcissism by proxy and a profound buy-in to Trump's malignant normality. While millions of people are no doubt invested in Biden's success as president, they don't view him as an untouchable idol.

Finally, the insult fails because it implies that there is some taboo against criticizing Biden, which the last few weeks of plummeting poll numbers and policymaking headaches should have proven is spectacularly untrue. This is another example of Trump supporters' performative subversiveness, in which privileged white people play-act as victims while shilling for fascism. It's the obnoxious, quasi-jokey wish fulfillment that oozes from Trump's pores, boiled down to a single childish slogan.

As always with the Trump movement and Republicans, there's a powerful element of projection to "Let's Go Brandon," which exposes more about the people using it than about its target. In addition to revealing Trump supporters to be childish, vulgar and obsessed with their hero to an unhealthy degree — none of which is a big surprise — it also shows how much they dread being humiliated. "Let's Go Brandon" attempts to taunt Biden with the thing they fear most desperately — being publicly regarded as a joke.

Should Democrats respond with their own demeaning nickname for Trump? That depends on whether you think anything could ever stick to a man who seems impervious to ridicule, and whose innumerable lies, multiple apparent criminal acts and massive incompetence have never affected the intense loyalty of his faithful. It's not like there's a shortage of ample material for his opponents: Trump's followers can serve for the rest of world history as the ultimate example of "sore losers," for instance, as their champion is the only president to refuse to gracefully accept being fired by the American people, and had an extensive history of being a sore loser long before his claims about the 2020 election.

It probably won't happen, for the same set of reasons that Republican politicians usually move in lockstep but Democrats don't. The anti-Trump constituency has no coherent shared ideology beyond supporting "democracy" — which means different things to different people — much less a consistent message. It doesn't help that many liberals still believe in the failing creed, "We go high," fearing that playing dirty will both degrade themselves and backfire politically. But if a catchy disparaging epithet for Trump that nettled his followers actually got traction, from the Democrats' point of view that would be OK.

IllinoisLady

Republicans looking to replace Trump are flocking to Las Vegas to 'kiss the ring' of billionaire donor: report

Tom Boggioni

November 07, 2021

Senator Ted Cruz (Gage Skidmore)

According to a report from Politico, Miriam Adelson -- the widow of billionaire mega-GOP donor Sheldon Adelson -- is reopening the checkbook after her husband's death with the intent of carrying on his work and supporting conservative causes and candidates.

After a period of mourning, during which she retreated from sight, Adelson is reportedly meeting with Republican Party bigwigs with the 2022 midterm approaching and is willing to continue the multi-million dollar stream of donations to the GOP that she and her husband made during the past decade.

With a fortune estimated at approximately $30 billion, Politico reports that GOP leaders such as House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) have been courting Adelson and that list has grown even bigger as potential challengers to Donald Trump as both the face of the party and the 2024 GOP presidential nominee are making the pilgrimage to Las Vegas to "kiss the ring."

As Politico's Alex Isenstadt reports, "...the list of figures Adelson met with this week included House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy and National Republican Senatorial Committee Chair Rick Scott, who are helping to guide the party's midterm efforts. She also huddled with a group of Republicans regarded as potential presidential hopefuls in 2024: former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, former U.N. Ambassador Nikki Haley, Vice President Mike Pence, Texas Sen. Ted Cruz and Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis."

The reason, he notes, is the Adelson history of writing big checks that can make or break a candidacy.

'The ring-kissing underscores Adelson's unmatched influence in megadonor circles. Over the past two decades, Adelson and her husband regularly cut seven-and-eight-figure checks that had the power to make or break Republican candidates. The Adelsons were the biggest donors to federal candidates and super PACs in three of the last five elections, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, a nonpartisan research group that tracks political giving," Isenstadt wrote. "During last year's campaign, the couple gave more than $91 million to bolster former President Donald Trump's reelection effort, making them Trump's biggest financial backer."

The report notes that Adelson met with top Republicans at a dinner in May where she pledged her support for future campaigns but has yet to make any commitments to candidates as the election shapes up.

You can read more here.

IllinoisLady

Makes me wonder how much longer people are going to pretend they can't do w/o the orange loon since he has taken in a whole lot of money and no one has seen a dime of it. I know all have read that the spell is likely broken with Youngkin keeping the Loon away from him and proving you don't need that dark presence near you and are indeed possibly way better off if you keep yourself and him several states distance. I hope it is the REAL beginning of the end although I admit, up to now, the Loon's interferences have done more to help us than hurt us. Interesting times ahead as the Loon sees how much he is diminished in stature and how truly little he means to others -- no matter how much deference was paid before. He was a loser from long ago and much of his last yr. and Pres. Biden's first not quite full yr. have proven this over and over. Damaged has been and never going to be again.

IllinoisLady

And ya'll know it is going to happen.

IllinoisLady

Get him in jail and then throw the book away.

IllinoisLady

I so wanted to share this on my FB page but I knew the people who really should have many thoughts while having a good long look would just pass it by like it never existed.

exbrnxgrl

And you know what the best about those accomplishments are? Biden is not out there bragging about how only he, and he alone could do that. He has also not claimed to be the best at practically everything nor taken public credit for the accomplishments of others. A bit of fresh air after four long years of bloated bilious behavior

IllinoisLady

So true Exbrnxgrl. The breaths of fresh air just keep on coming, don't they !!!

ruthbru

Miriandra

Meh, I don't think "successfully end[ing] the forever Afghanistan war" is appropriate. I think he inherited a shit storm and did the best he could with a really nasty situation.

ruthbru

IllinoisLady

The moment I have realized God sitting in the temple of every human body, the moment I stand in reverence before every human being and see God in him – that moment I am free from bondage, everything that binds vanishes, and I am free. Swami Vivekananda

IllinoisLady

Love it Ruth but no offense of any of our smart Karen's. I think Rodgers has his foot firmly in mouth now and no redemption. Does he really have no concern for his family ?? Why are these people so allergic now to basic intelligence? Even if you don't want the best for yourself, why consign your loved ones to your limited view. Just too many questions.

IllinoisLady

I love this:

IllinoisLady

IllinoisLady

AliceBastable

Ruth, it's great your dog tale had such a happy ending! I've missed most of the last few days due to frustration with whatever access problem the site had.

I love George Takes.

DivineMrsM

I'm hoping the Dems manage to stick together to get this all done:

As the bipartisan infrastructure bill passes, here's what's next for Biden's economic plans

11/08/21 Jacob Pramuk/CNBC

While many Democrats let out a sigh of relief when the House passed a bipartisan infrastructure bill, the party has a grueling few weeks ahead of it to enact the rest of its economic agenda.

The more than $1 trillion package passed Friday that would refresh transportation, broadband and utilities fulfills one part of President Joe Biden's domestic vision. Democrats now have to clear multiple hurdles to enact the larger piece, a $1.75 trillion investment in the social safety net and climate policy.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer has said Democrats aim to pass the social spending bill by Thanksgiving. Meeting the deadline will require both chambers of Congress to rush while keeping nearly every member of a diverse Democratic caucus united — a challenge that has led to repeated roadblocks as lawmakers advanced the bills this year.

Biden on Saturday sounded sure that his party would line up behind a sprawling bill that it aims to sell on the midterm campaign trail next year.

"I feel confident that we will have enough votes to pass the Build Back Better plan," he told reporters.

Biden also signaled he could sign the infrastructure bill next week after lawmakers return to Washington. Asked Monday when the president would sign the bill, White House spokeswoman Karine Jean-Pierre said "I do not have a date, but it will be very soon."

His administration plans to send key officials around the country to sell the benefits of the package, NBC News reported, citing a memo from a White House official.

The House plans to take the next step in passing the social spending plan. The chamber will try to approve the bill during the week of Nov. 15 once it returns from a weeklong recess. With no Republican support expected, Democrats can lose no more than three votes for the package.

It would then go to the Senate. To pass the bill under special budget rules, all 50 members of the Democratic caucus will have to support it.

Schumer will have to win over conservative Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin of West Virginia, who has not yet blessed a framework agreement on the legislation. The House could also send the Senate a bill that includes four weeks of paid leave for most American workers — a provision Manchin has opposed.

Once the Senate irons out any objections from Manchin or other Democrats, in addition to any constraints budget reconciliation rules put on the bill, it could approve a different version of the plan than the House does. The House would then need to vote on the Senate plan or go to a conference committee with the upper chamber to hash out disparities.

All told, Democrats will have to navigate a series of obstacles to get the bill to Biden's desk in the coming weeks. Pulling it off will require cooperation and trust between centrists and progressives who have disparate views about how large of a role the government should play in boosting households and combating climate change.

The infrastructure bill passed only after House progressives and centrists made a nonbinding pact to approve the social spending plan this month. Five centrist Democrats said they would vote for the larger bill if a coming Congressional Budget Office cost estimate projects it will not add to long-term budget deficits.

On Sunday, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi — who has pulled off a range of legislative high-wire acts in her career — expressed confidence that the centrists will honor their side of the deal.

"As has been agreed, when the House comes back into session the week of November 15th, we will act with a message that is clear and unified to produce results," she wrote to House Democrats.

The nonpartisan CBO could take weeks to release a cost estimate for the sprawling plan. However, the centrist holdouts in a Friday statement committed to voting for the legislation "in no event later than the week of November 15th."

If Democrats can push the bill through Congress this month, they will still have another big lift on their hands before the end of the year. Lawmakers need to raise or suspend the debt ceiling sometime in December — or risk the first-ever default on U.S. debt.

DivineMrsM

Someone on social media hashtagged “Let’s go Big Bird” in the comments on this meme.

DivineMrsM

Gov. Pritzker Signs COVID-19 Amendment To Illinois Right Of Conscience Act

Gov. J.B. Pritzker thanked lawmakers for ensuring the law "is no longer wrongly used against institutions who are putting safety and science first."

11/09/2021

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Monday signed into law a change to the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience Act that would allow those who refuse the COVID-19 vaccine to potentially face repercussions.

The law was adopted in 1978 to protect physicians from penalty or discipline for refusing to perform abortions because of a religious or moral objection. Democratic Attorney General Kwame Raoul asked Pritzker to encourage legislation to make clear the law was not intended to cover a contagious and deadly pandemic.

"Masks, vaccines, and testing requirements are life-saving measures that keep our workplaces and communities safe," said Pritzker, who thanked lawmakers for ensuring the law "is no longer wrongly used against institutions who are putting safety and science first."

Lawsuits have been filed by employees claiming they cannot be punished for refusing the shot because the law provides a conscience-based exemption. Some workers have even claimed exemptions from taking preventive steps such as wearing face coverings or testing for a coronavirus infection.

Democrats stressed that religious exemptions still exist under federal law, although experts dispute the availability of such exceptions under three federal statutes Pritzker's office cited.

Exemptions are being allowed under the Civil Rights Act around the country. Two key cases invoking the U.S. Constitution's Free Exercise of Religion clause are proceeding in Maine and New York. Both could be headed for the U.S. Supreme Court.

"I hope this provides clarity to the situation as we work to protect the public's health and beat back this pandemic that has taken so much from us," said Senate President Don Harmon, an Oak Park Democrat.

The law doesn't take effect until June 1, 2022. Democrats wanted an immediate effective date but the state constitution requires more votes than they could garner in floor action. Republican critics claim that leaves the door open for more lawsuits. Another vote after Jan. 1 could make the law effective then because fewer votes would be needed

Betrayal

Big Bird Has A New Word For Ted Cruz (msn.com)

This is so appropriate for Big Bird's response to the moron Ted Cruz.

IllinoisLady

By being yourself, you put something wonderful in the world that was not there before. -Edwin Elliot

There is only one you for all time. Fearlessly be yourself. -unattributed