Peking Lame Duck

Politico reports on Obama's crafty next move - flee!

Lame duck swims to Asia

Let's hope he has enough energy left to pivot after the swim.

If President Barack Obama expects to escape the spate of brutal post-election news by traveling 6,000 miles and 12 time zones to Asia, he’s in for a surprise.

Regional players are taking stock of whether the U.S. president once seen as a global rock star will now have diminished heft on the world stage, and some are delivering their verdict well ahead of his arrival Monday for an eight-day trip to China, Burma and Australia.

Global Times, an English-language newspaper published by China’s state-run People’s Daily, has carried two withering editorials in recent days.

“The lame-duck president will be further crippled” in the wake of a GOP victory, the newspaper warned in one before the voting was complete. “He has done an insipid job, offering nearly nothing to his supporters. US society has grown tired of his banality.”

Whoa. If the ranks of the right-wing bloggers ever thin in this country we have a deep bench in Beijing.

Comments

[Beasts of England]

The reps need to work their messaging hard: co-equal branches of the government. Lame duck president. Any so-called urgent business, e.g., Pre-K, immigration, environment, could have been properly enacted when they controlled the legislative and executive branches - not now by executive order. New legislature needs a chance to employ their ideas vis-à-vis their historic voter's mandate. Et cetera...

[derwill]

So if, thanks to Reid, it only takes 51 votes for the Senate to confirm a judge appointment now, does it also take only 51 votes to officially deny confirmation? Can the Senate keep making Obama send nominee after nominee for the same position until he finally finds one the GOP likes?

[James D.]

Can the Senate keep making Obama send nominee after nominee for the same position until he finally finds one the GOP likes?

YES!

I certainly hope we see that demonstrated, come January.

[RickB]

Derwill,

Nominations are usually withdrawn when it becomes apparent consent will be denied. Consent requires a majority of those present rather than 51 votes, it's the same for denial.

[James D.]

Since pretty much all of Zero's cabinet appointments have been, at best, unmitigated disasters, and have in several cases openly and unapologetically violated the law, there's not the slightest reason to give him any deference at all.

[jimmyk]

Nothing says winning in 2016 like encouraging their megalomaniac, raging narcissistic Messiah

Maybe the strategy is to make Hillary look like George Washington by comparison.

Derwill, isn't it actually harder now? Since before 41 Rs could block a nomination, but now it takes 51.

[Jack is Back!]

Talk of covering up neck tats reminds me of Frederick's first soccer game this year. There was a youngish girl by the concession stand talking on her cell phone.. She had a pierced lip with stud. Neck tats. Tats on her arms and legs and on side of her head shaved, the other a full head of purple hair.

The discussion she was having was how she didn't get the job. I just burst out laughing but she was oblivious as to why😀

[Porchlight]

DrJ,

Something similar happened to me a while back. A mild-mannered librarian with whom I had always gotten along stopped by my office. He said, "These Republicans, they think the government can't create jobs."

I said, "They're right. Only the private sector can create wealth and only that wealth can create jobs."

He was shocked. We still say hello in passing but other than that, he hasn't spoken to me since.

[NKontheNovreboot]

Cloture politics-- before Pederast Harry (alleged!) nuked the 60 vote judicial rule, 5 Repubs had to vote for cloture (to reach 60) to bring the appointment to a vote. Once 5 Lib Repubs agreed, appointment quickly approved. When Harry nuked 60 votes ZERO repubs were needed. Unless the repubs restore the 60 vote rule, only FOUR Repubs needed to get to 50, so Slo Joe can be the 51st (assuming all senators vote) to move the appointment to a 51 majority confirmation vote. Obummer can easily get 4 silly Repubs to vote for Cloture, so McConnell will have to take the heat and not move the appointments for a vote (as Majority Leader).

[derwill]

Thanks for the answers. I remember when the opposition party used to confirm the president's nominees out of deference to the office and the voters who put him there unless the nominee had something egregiously bad in his/her background. I think the only ones still playing by those old gentlemen's rules are the GOP.

[Eric in Boise]

The opening sentence in NK's Pelosi article:

In a private call with her restive — and shrinking — flock

I looked up the definition for "restive" because it seems like it ought to be the opposite of "restless". Turns out it's pretty close in meaning; almost a synonym.

Here's the interesting thing, though. Per that same definition, a restive PERSON is "unable to stand still", while a restive ANIMAL "refuses to move".

Ain't English grand? :)

[RickB]

Reid has no pull any longer with nine members of his caucus. King and Manchin are unlikely to respond to threats and there are others who don't wish to have Fascist affirmation votes thrown in their faces in '16. It should be relatively easy for six like minded members of the soon to be minority caucus to make sure that Reid never has enough votes to ruin any more political careers except his own.

[clarice]

Happy cruisin' ladies.

[Old Lurker]

Getting cloture is not the same as getting confirmation, though. Reps could allow them all to come to a vote but simply vote them down. No need for games.

[rse]

I heard the Pres of GT say something similar a few years ago. That governments must facilitate everything and because the public sector and Big Business cannot employ everyone, there also needs to be a small entrepreneurial sector.

He said small. It is as if everyone is guilty that everyone does not live courtesy of taxpayers. As Richard Pipes said in the book I quoted in the last 2 posts, most people have no idea what to attribute the prosperity they take for granted to.

That reality means we are constantly looking for the solution in places that created the problem.

[Porchlight]

From WaPo. Although I am sad when they die, I love reading the obituaries of people who actually did something real. I also love invention-by-accident stories.

S. Donald Stookey, chemist who created kitchen staple CorningWare, dies at 99

Dr. Stookey was director of fundamental chemical research at Corning when, in 1957, he drew national attention for developing Pyroceram, a product that could endure the intense heat generated by air resistance and encountered by missiles in flight.

After the product’s military uses had been explored — it was used on nose cones of guided missiles— Corning announced its workaday relevance for home cooks. Suddenly, instead of dirtying sinkloads of pans and serving dishes, they could bring casseroles and lasagnas from freezer to stove to dinner table in one attractive, shatter-proof dish.

***

[Dr. Stookey] said his creation was serendipitous. He had left a plate of photosensitive glass in a furnace heated to 900 degrees Celsius (1,652 degrees Fahrenheit) — 300 degrees higher than he intended. He cursed when he realized his mistake. He thought he would open the oven to find a pool of molten glass, which would have ruined the furnace. He imaged himself filling out reams of paperwork accounting for the error.

But the plate — astonishingly — had not melted. Instead, it had turned opaque, with a milky-white appearance. Impatiently, he reached in with tongs to remove the glass. When the tongs slipped from his grip, the plate bounced on the floor, clanging like steel.

[NKontheNovreboot]

OL@4:06-- yes in theory, but even susan collins isn't goofy enough to do that.... is she?

[Porchlight]

RIP Dr. Stookey. I use your invention every day.

[clarice]

BTW if I see Ramirez with a sign saying "Jane won", someone around here will be TOAST.

[Old Lurker]

Get out the butter and jam, Clarice. You KNOW those gals will pull that off.

[Some Guy]

Reid's biggest mistake was to declare 'they aint no rules in a knife fight' so the new majority is now free to make the rules as they see fit.

In the past, no majority leader was so stupid as to throw out Senate traditions. But then no speaker or majority leader was ever so stupid to "deem & pass" a law originating out of the wrong chamber.

If we had a legitimate 4th Estate, these clowns would be laughingstocks and sent to pasture.

[Iggy]

Barry's Chief of Stuff;
“Is there one thing you can say to American voters they’re going to see that’s different, given the message they sent on Tuesday,” NBC News White House correspondent Chris Jansing asked.
“They’re going to see Washington working better if this president has his way,” McDonough replied.
The thing about delusional people is, those in their orbit, though sane often share the delusions.

Would Barry have even lowered the lifeboats on the Titanic or would he have hung on the near vertical stern ordering everyone tumbling into the icy waves to,
"remain calm, all is well after all, you're got me!"

[Some Guy]

How long 'til some strawberries go missing in the White House?

[Skoot]

The Corning Glass museum tour is great. I visited while a child and was fascinated.

Comandante Obola has apparently ordered more troops to Iraq and the bad guys have TOW's now. Great

[NKontheNovreboot]

The McDonough pissant: Boy you can hear ValJar's sneering rodent voice in all of these sycophants. Clear as a bell.

[NKontheNovreboot]

"Jay Carney.. a thoroughly unreliable and incompetent little shit let me down.... but the strawberries, the strawberries, THAT's where I had them.... I could prove the existence of a second key with geometric logic..."

[Miss Marple]

I think McDonough looks like a vampire.

[Some Guy]

As of right now, doesn't it sound as though the White House staff, Pelosi, Reid, etc. aren't going anywhere?

Not a single one of them is going to take the blame for this disaster?

That's a special kind of genius. Very special.

Bless their hearts.

[Miss Marple]

Huckabee opining on military policy is worrisome. I REALLY don't want him to run.

[FTL]

Huckabee cannot run. He can be Dukakis'ed almost instantly with one name: Maurice Clemmons.

[Extraneus]

We should take it easy on McDonough. Obama doesn't need a better chief of staff.

As for Lynch, I hope people are doing oppo research on her. He doesn't need deference regarding appointments, either.

[Miss Marple]

FTL, He sure is talking like he is thinking about it. This is the type of stuff he pulls:

First he says we should tell the Saudis, Kuwaitis and others to put THEIR boots on the ground and that we should tell them to clean up their own back yard and stay out of it.

But IF we have to go in, because we cannot abandon the Middle East, it should be apocalyptic.

See how he likes to have it both ways? What a jerk he is.

[Extraneus]

The First Fight of the Lame Duck

The lame duck session hasn’t yet convened, but its first major battle — over how best to thwart the executive action on immigration the president is expected to issue in the coming months — is already underway. Conservatives are pushing to include a measure attempting to deny the government the funds it needs to administer the amnesty in a must-pass spending bill, the so-called continuing resolution. That would include the funds to issue green cards and work permits.

Yet...

Senator Harry Reid is sure to oppose a continuing resolution with this restriction, and even if it got past the Senate, President Obama would almost certainly veto it. That raises the specter of a government shutdown, the prospect of which is not going over well with House leadership. According to a leadership aide, leaders will consult with members about how best to respond to an executive amnesty “in a way that keeps the government open.” One of the options cited by the aide is including the forthcoming amnesty in the lawsuit that House speaker John Boehner is filing against President Obama for taking unilateral actions that he considers executive overreach.

Some Republicans are already strategizing about how to avoid the blame for a shutdown: One Senate aide says a preemptive move to prevent an amnesty or a move in the immediate wake of one will put the onus on the president. Others think there’s no way for Republicans to avoid looking like obstructionists.

[Extraneus]

Voters surely wouldn't want the Republicans to look like obstructionists, especially on such a popular issue as executive amnesty.

[narciso]

the Saudis and the emirates, are very much the Islamic state's quartermasters, and recruitment wing, how do they miss that, there might a few errant personnel, like one of the junior princes, who do enlist against them, but that's few and far between,

[Miss Marple]

MY question is why we haven't actively recruited members of the black community to oppose this amnesty? Get them on our side for a change. Apparently we are the only ones who worry about jobs being taken from them.

[Frau Lehrerin a.D.]

Stephanie - great piece by Tom DeLay. Fie on Justice Ruth "ACLU Toady" Ginsburg for tarnishing her place on the Supreme Court when she called Majority Whip DeLay an "exterminator."
Dale Gribble, indeed.

Thanks for speaking up for the San Gabriel mountains, matt, smog and all. They need a closer look than just a drive-by. It's a marvel to go from the desert to the mountains and then to the ocean in one day. Top that eastern WA!

[Extraneus]

Flint, Michigan.

At $188, is this America's cheapest house?

Such a deal.

[Miss Marple]

http://www.mediaite.com/online/clay-aiken-donors-claim-they-were-duped-into-appearing-in-docuseries/

HAHAHAHA! Be sure you read the letter from Steve Tyler. It is a doozie!

[Jack is Back!]

Frau,

DeLay is an "exterminator" FWIW.

Don't know if anyone here can help but at least I can ask and see.

I used to have a copy of Microsoft Project loaded on my computer but for some reason I 86ed it and now I need a scheduling platform to do some work for the church and school. Been fooling around with some freeware scheduling software that use Gannt, PERT and CPM but they are all crap.

Anyone know a good scheduling freeware? Prefer CPM or Ganntt.

I might even considering paying a minor amount by I don't need to pay in the $100's for this one off exercise.

[Frau Unterleib]

"As for Lynch, I hope people are doing oppo research on her.
OMG, Ext, more Rethuglican war on lady parts?

[Extraneus]

Five free Microsoft Project alternatives

[Frau Unterleib]

JiB - I understand but think IYKWIM could also be used.

[henry]

Per Gateway Pundit, Ferguson grand jury verdict is about to come out. Reports of Guard helicopters & armored vehicles in vicinity, corporate closing, school district warnings.

[Miss Marple]

henry, Why is this happening on a Friday night? Good heavens. The weekend will be taken up with rioting.

[FTL]

JiB,

So far as I know, MS Project is the only product at its price point or below. I haven't looked in a couple of years, but a quick search just now for alternatives brought up the same tired ones I looked at before.

I do have a client that uses http://www.smartsheet.com/ (hosted) internally, and they seem pretty happy with it, but I don't know much about its capabilities other than its feature list says it will chart to Gantt.

I remember doing CPM on paper when I was in school. Funny that.

[henry]

Miss M, that is a question for Holder. Maybe they want to get amnesty off the talking head shows and feature social justice. Maybe they want national rioting as payback for Tuesday. Lock & Load, then pray for the St Louis County police.

[NKontheNovreboot]

If there is no True Bill?

"A Riot is an ugly thing....."

[Frau Justiz]

For Ginsburg's 2001 put-down of Tom DeLay, Thomas Sowell called her a cheap shot justice.

While giving a talk in far-off Australia on February 1st, U. S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg may have thought it was safe to take a cheap shot at a fellow American back home. Nor was she restrained by the fact that what she said was a lie.

Back in 1997, Congressman Tom DeLay (R-Texas) said, "when judges exercise powers not delegated to them by the Constitution, impeachment is a proper tool." He cited as an example, a judge who ordered a tax increase in Kansas City. "Do judges have the authority to raise taxes?" he asked. "Of course not."

In Australia, however, Justice Ginsburg declared: "Tom DeLay has advocated the impeachment of judges who render unpopular decisions that, in his view, do not follow the law." She added, "Mr. DeLay is not a lawyer but, I am told, an exterminator by profession."

Typical prog misrepresentation and attempt at ad hominem attack. Thomas Sowell wrote about the underlying issue.
LUN

[Miss Marple]

Well, national rioting as a payback is not going to do them any good, except maybe emotionally.

And rioting getting amnesty off the news reminds everyone of something that PO's them worse than amnesty, and it is the race-baiters.

I somehow think the magic is gone for the dems.

[Jack is Back!]

Ex,

Tried those. Too much work and then the print version is crap. There is one that uses Excel as a platform but for some reason it is advertised as freeware but then you launch it and they want a king's ransom.

Might have to go the "hand" route. Go to Staples and buy a nice plastic template:)

[Frau Justiz]

Bon voyage, lucky caro, Jane and AliceH.

[Danube on iPad]

The San Gabriels are best seen from a box at Santa Anita with a Margarita in hand. To

[FTL]

Weird.

I just went to Amazon to look for something, and they are advertising a product called Echo that is fascinating. At the advertised price point, I guess the NSA must be picking up a healthy chunk of the unit cost.

[Some Guy]

Speaking of Ferguson, did ya'll see the sweet story about the Gentle Giants poor mom?

http://atlantadailyworld.com/2014/11/07/michael-browns-mother-leslie-mcspadden-may-be-facing-felony-charges/

[Eric in Boise]

Michael Brown’s Mother Leslie McSpadden May be Facing Felony Charges

It might get a little warm in the comments section for that one, SG.

[Jack is Back!]

Yes, definitely. Bon Voyage Jane, Caro and AliceH. Enjoy. Eat, Drink and be Merry.

But check in and give us some news.

[henry]

FTL, Big Brother, on sale now!!!!!

[Jack is Back!]

FTL,

No need. I have Mrs. JiB and Frederick for all those functions:)

[pagar]

While we're waiting for the Ferguson eruption:

http://heyjackass.com/category/2014-chicago-crime-murder-stats/

"Week in Progress (Sun – Sat)
Shot & Killed: 6
Shot & Wounded: 18
Total Shot: 24
Total Homicides: 7"

[Dave (in MA)]

http://www.universalhub.com/2014/bolo-callous-jerk-police-say-man-watched-woman-die

Nice guy.

[Extraneus]

I'm thinking of trying that PrjectLibre on Monday. I used to use MS Project, too, and it's great for giant projects, but it's too much for simple Gantt charts with just a few tasks.

[Eric in Boise]

Bon voyage, ladies. Can you gloat a few times for me and the rest of us landlubbers?

[Miss Marple]

Bon voyage to Jane, AliceH, and caro!

Please enjoy the cruise and express my appreciation to those who did so much to encourage us over the last 6 years!

I sure wish I could go. Maybe I will hit the lottery or sell something extremely expensive next year!

[Iggy]

OK, back to dismantling my truck.

[Threadkiller]

Step 1, open hood.

[Some Guy]

I thought it was...

Step 1, open beer.

[henry]

I thought Step 1was Open Beer. Step 2 of course is Hold My Beer.

[Beasts of England]

Won't they wait to release the results of the grand jury until the Gentle Giant's mommy gets back from her speech at the UN? She shouldn't miss the festivities, should she? T-Shirts will be in demand.

[Threadkiller]

Iggy doesn't drink.

[Some Guy]

Iggy doesn't drink.

Then how can he work on a truck?

[NKontheNovreboot]

unpossible

[Miss Marple]

Beasts, Maybe they are waiting until she is over there speaking.

It would be pretty embarrassing for the UN and the GGM if while she is talking about the poor oppressed they were on TV making asses of themselves.

[Threadkiller]

Then how can he work on a truck?

Efficiently.

[Miss Marple]

E-mail I just received:

Miss Marple, the hardest thing in politics is changing the status quo. The easiest thing is to get cynical.

The Republicans had a good night on Tuesday, Miss Marple -- but believe me when I tell you that our results were better because you stepped up, talked to your family and friends, and cast your ballot.

I want you to remember that we're making progress. There are workers who have jobs today who didn't have them before. There are millions of families who have health insurance today who didn't have it before. There are kids going to college today who didn't have the opportunity to go to college before.

So don't get cynical, Miss Marple. Cynicism didn't put a man on the moon. Cynicism has never won a war, or cured a disease, or built a business, or fed a young mind. Cynicism is a choice. And hope will always be a better choice.

I have hope for the next few years, and I have hope for what we're going to accomplish together. If you do, too, join the Democratic Party, and let's keep building this movement:

http://my.democrats.org/Join-Democrats-Now

Thank you so much, Miss Marple.

Barack Obama

---------------------------

1. Changed my real name in e-mail to my screen name.

2. Bwahahahahahahaha!!!

[Frau Erinnerung]

Flashback: During the Watts riots, the prerecorded TV announcement was "Hope you are all enjoying the show tonight."

[Frau Erinnerung]

"I want you to remember that we're making progress. There are workers who have jobs today who didn't have them before."

CNBC stated troday that the "job" was a $40,000 job and 6 years ago it was a $60,000 job. Heck uva job, Barry!

[Extraneus]

2. Bwahahahahahahaha!!!

Heh.

[Bori]

MM,

Jeez, Miss Marple he is recycling his speeches in form letters. Can you get any more unoriginal and pathetic.

[Some Guy]

FTL,

Here is alternative video for Echo you all should see:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GijLoiVkmYI&list=PLrEnWoR732-BHrPp_Pm8_VleD68f9s14-

[Miss Marple]

Bori,

They are so clueless they don't even realize that they are blasting emails to people who have never joined the party, never donated a dime, never volunteered, never answered an email.

One would thnk tech wizards like they purport to be would have purged people like me.

But no. I get every groveling plea for money, every ridiculous claim of progress, etc.

All because on a whim I signed up to see what he was saying in 2008. HA!

[Extraneus]

Obviously you're a persuadable voter, MM.

[Threadkiller]

They'll purge you alright, MM.

[Stephanie accidentally OnT?]

I get those, too MM. Love how they try to personalize them but they come off creepy.

NEW THREAD

[narciso]

which puts their crack data skills in some doubt, doesn't it,

[AliceH]

Thanks, all! I leave for FLL tomorrow; Ship sails Sunday, but I likely won't be checking in on JOM until we return. I was forced to divert my extortionate-internet-use-fee budget on "resort/cocktail" style clothes, since it seems jeans/shorts & t-shirts aren't considered appropriate for the fancy evening do's. :(

I'm sure you can rely on Jane and caro, though.

[FTL]

One would thnk tech wizards like they purport to be would have purged people like me.

That whole "tech wizardry" thing was a cover for the massive poll fraud in 2012.

[henry]

Alice, the correct fork is the one you didn't just jam in some snoot's eye.

Have fun! Report when you can.

[rich@gmu]

DoT and OL-

good grief do I come across that way!!!lol, I can wear long sleeved shirts to cover them all and no piercings ...

found the place ... and thanks for all the advice so far. DrJ, I'll give Mrs. J a call tomorrow afternoon (we can take it to email). Many thanks.

Things finally seem to be turning around. Thank you everyone here.

[rich@gmu]

Posted by: FTL | November 07, 2014 at 06:44 PM -

think so?

[henry]

Rich, be positive. Be alert for unexpected questions --

What is your biggest failure? Have one, show you learned from it.

What was your least favorite class in college?

That kind of thing is what we use at my firm. My interviews start with "What do you want to know about us?"

Best of luck, have faith in yourself!

[Old Lurker]

Just pulling your chain Rich. Low hanging fruit, you know.

Do call Mrs DrJ

[Iggy]

My truck, while not actually dismantled, is far from being mantled.

[DrJ]

Rich,

Check your email.

[rich@gmu]

Thanks DrJ. I sent you and Mrs J a response.

[BR]

Obama going to AUSTRALIA ???!!!!

Bwahahahahaaaaa, doesn't he know that used to be a British penal colony?

Hope the Australians deny him entry on the basis that he's from an Ebola zone plus they don't take criminals anymore.