As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.
We'll have more on the impeachment inquiry report that was released early this morning, but meanwhile, this is an intriguing idea:
We can't see a downside to this idea. He's an articulate libertarian conservative who's already proven he stands by his political convictions, unlike his cowardly former caucus members. Let him be one of the faces of impeachment in the Senate.The thinking, according to these people, is that Amash would reach conservative voters in a way Democrats can’t, potentially bolstering their case to the public. He also would provide Democrats cover from GOP accusations that they’re pursuing a partisan impeachment; Amash is one of the most conservative members of the House and a vocal Trump critic.
On the other hand you have little putz Rep. Jeff Van Drew, who plans to switch to the Republican Party before casting a "no" vote on impeaching malignant moron Donald "Impeachable Me" Trump this week. What were this turncoat's convictions?
Van Drew didn’t just oppose the impeachment effort. He repeatedly touted his position on Fox News, winning direct praise from Trump on Twitter. “Thank you,” the president wrote in one tweet in September.
In turn, Democrats saw his support implode in polling and party leaders began distancing themselves from the congressman. This week the Democratic chairman of Atlantic County warned in a public letter that Van Drew would infuriate Democratic voters and could cost the party down ballot next year if he opposed impeachment. State Senate President Steve Sweeney (D., Gloucester), a longtime Van Drew ally, pointedly refused to endorse the congressman. [snip]
With activists furious about Van Drew’s stand, one New Jersey Democrat said that there was no way the congressman from Cape May County could win a primary and that party leaders would not have backed his reelection in 2020. (our emphasis)Five of his staffers have now resigned, saying Van Drew's decision doesn't align with their values. So, the little putz, afraid that supporting impeachment would cost him his seat in his Republican- leaning district, carefully took aim at his feet and unloaded with both barrels. Now an outcast from the Democratic Party, he's not welcome in his new party either (his Republican "friends" are calling him "desperate" and a "weasel"). Well played, asshole!
The partial China trade deal announced by the White (Supremacist) House on Friday likely exposed "(sh)art of the deal" Trump as the chaos- spreading, ineffectual buffoon that he is:
The White House called the deal a win. It said China had agreed to buy large quantities of American agricultural goods, giving farmers hit by the trade war some needed relief. It also means the United States economy will not suffer from new tariffs threatened for Sunday on Chinese-made goods that Americans love to buy, like toys and smartphones.
But the deal may be seen by Xi Jinping, China’s top leader, and his hard-line supporters as vindication of the intransigent stance they have taken since the spring, when a previous pact struck by Chinese moderates fell apart. Since then, China has asked that even a partial deal include tariff rollbacks. American officials resisted, debated, then relented.
In essence, a year and a half into the trade war, China seems to have hit on a winning strategy: Stay tough and let the Trump administration negotiate with itself. (our emphasis)Again, well played asshole!
On the petty grifting front, we have Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Seema Verma, who doesn't seem to know what it means to "pack light":
The government on Monday defended a top Trump administration health official who sought a reimbursement from taxpayers of $47,000, reportedly including a $5,900 Ivanka Trump-brand pendant, for items stolen during a work-related trip.
Seema Verma, who runs the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, ultimately received only $2,852.40, according to the Health and Human Services Department. [snip]
Verma also requested reimbursement for about $2,000 worth of stolen clothes, and another $2,000 to cover the cost of other lost possessions, including $325 for moisturizer and $349 for noise-cancelling headphones. (our emphasis)That $5,900 Ivanka Trump- brand pendant is just the thing for the brown- nosed climber this season.
In lieu of sending you to Infidel 753's link round-up for now, we'll detour you to Fair and Unbalanced for some items you may have missed this week.
