Boycotting Trump's State of the Union Address

[lpetrich]

With clips from last night's AOC Instagram video:

Ryan Saavedra on Twitter: "Socialist Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez viciously *mocks* Rush Limbaugh, who has stage 4 lung cancer, calls his reaction to being awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom "disingenuous"
Says that he, while having cancer, was a "joke," needed an "Opera moment," and was "nauseating" https://t.co/VrsIj1Cmlj" / Twitter

Ryan Saavedra on Twitter: "Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) claims that Trump "has started giving out cash to black Americans at his rallies"
She later suggests that Trump's "deliberately" trying to win over blacks and minorities and it's a conspiracy "being done with a very specific agenda" https://t.co/ng5TXuepYz" / Twitter

Ryan Saavedra on Twitter: "Socialist Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) is angry that Trump is fighting back against her far-left agenda of trying to implement socialism in the U.S.
AOC deflects by claiming that Trump is "introducing fascism, um, into the United States"
hat is not true https://t.co/1rYWAyxKhE" / Twitter


AOC says 'racist' Rush Limbaugh 'cheapens the value' of Presidential Medal of Freedom | Fox News

“First of all, the Presidential Medal of Freedom is an extraordinarily sacred award. We’re talking about putting someone on the same level as Rosa Parks, for example, in terms of their contributions to American progress,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Rush Limbaugh is a virulent racist.”

...
“To do it in the middle of a State of the Union, and not even dignify it with its own ceremony, as it has, there is all sorts of norms that are being violated," she said. "Not just for people’s humanity but also, it truly just cheapens the value of it.”

Ocasio-Cortez then mocked Limbaugh for “pretending to be surprised,” calling his reaction to receiving the prestigious honor “such a joke.” The White House had announced Limbaugh as a guest of the president earlier Tuesday.

“He had to like, pretend that this was some kind of Oprah moment, was so disingenuous, and to do that, and to give it to Rush Limbaugh when there were plenty of people in that audience that have contributed positively to the fabric of American society, much more, frankly, than he has, it’s red meat to his base,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “Trump knows what he’s doing… he wants to assert that Rush Limbaugh is somehow on the same level as Rosa Parks, and it’s truly nauseating.”

Huckabee hits back after AOC rips Trump over Rush Limbaugh honor | Fox News - that's former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee

“For her to complain about a person with State IV cancer who for longer than she has been alive has actually saved AM radio in this country and has been responsible for creating an extraordinary voice for people who are conservative,” Huckabee told, “Outnumbered Overtime.”

“Whether she likes that or not, she should admire the talent that he brought to the game and the condition that he is in right now,” Huckabee said.

...
Huckabee said that it was “beneath the dignity of Congress" for Ocasio-Cortez to not attend the president's speech.

 

[Trausti]

This is how precedents are set. What’s good for the goose and all that. In the future, members of Congress from the opposing party should boycott the State of the Union to highlight their grandstanding skills.

 

[ZiprHead]

This is how precedents are set. What’s good for the goose and all that. In the future, members of Congress from the opposing party should boycott the State of the Union to highlight their grandstanding skills.

 

[lpetrich]

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "I’m not “making claims” that Trump campaign allies are holding events in Black communities to hand out envelopes of cash.
I’m quoting the actual reporting [url]https://t.co/s8WgupWUhu https://t.co/j0wIBHW6Yx" / Twitter[/url]
noting
Trump allies are handing out cash to black voters - POLITICO - "Organizers have begun holding events in black communities where they lavish praise on the president while handing out thousands of dollars in giveaways."

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "While those responsible for this shadowy behavior will claim that it is legally above board, the fact of the matter is that it’s insulting and wrong.
They may not be legally registered as “campaign events” or rallies, but it should be clear to all what is going on." / Twitter

Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez on Twitter: "“Allies of Trump have begun holding events in black communities where organizers lavish praise on Trump as they hand out 10s of 1000s of dollars to lucky attendees.”
GOP will hop on me over the legal definition of a rally to distract from this garbage. They’re so predictable. " / Twitter

So the Trumpies have had to buy support for them.

 

[blastula]

3 minutes in, I also boycotted his usual garbled book report, after he slurred and sniffed and lied like a despot that this is the best economy ever and that the sotu is stronger than ever. This is the most embarrassing presidency in history relative to past desirable norms.

It looks like a lot of Americans passed on it too.

Donald Trump’s 3rd State of the Union Address Tumbles in Broadcast TV Ratings - Yahoo News

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

Now that I think about it, I have to change my mind about AOC boycotting the speech. That is much too respectful. Nancy Pelosi led the way.

I find it hilarious.

Of course, what I find hilarious is something that partisans either do hate, or would hate if they knew what was good for them.

Way to go Nancy. The last thing the system needs is respect.

 

[lpetrich]

Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "Everyone is so focused on that fact Speaker @TeamPelosi ripped it, but not *why* she did. https://t.co/3M7W1xXWOH" / Twitter

Rashida Tlaib on Twitter: "I would have shredded it. #justsaying" / Twitter

Opinion | In Private, Republicans Admit They Acquitted Trump Out of Fear - The New York Times

Senator Patty Murray, a thoughtful Democrat from Washington State, still remembers “the fear that dominated the Senate leading up to the Iraq war.”

“You could feel it then,” she told me, “and you can feel that fear now” — chiefly among Senate Republicans.

Like Senator Herbert Lehman of New York when he confronted Joe McCarthy's demagoguery, and Senator George McGovern's early opposition to the Vietnam War -- both were largely abandoned by their colleagues.

Many Republican Senators fear Trump and his followers turning against them, even though they concede much of what Trump's critics say about him.

In private, many of my colleagues agree that the president is reckless and unfit. They admit his lies. And they acknowledge what he did was wrong. They know this president has done things Richard Nixon never did. And they know that more damning evidence is likely to come out.

...
I have asked some of them, “If the Senate votes to acquit, what will you do to keep this president from getting worse?” Their responses have been shrugs and sheepish looks.

They stop short of explicitly saying that they are afraid.

House impeachment managers: Trump won?t be vindicated. The Senate won?t be, either. - The Washington Post

As the trial progressed, a growing number of Republican senators acknowledged that the House had proved the president’s serious misconduct.

Throughout the trial, new and incriminating evidence against the president came to light almost daily, and there can be no doubt that it will continue to emerge in books, in newspapers or in congressional hearings. Most important, reports of former national security adviser John Bolton’s forthcoming book only further confirm that the president illegally withheld military aid to Ukraine until Kyiv announced the sham investigations that the president sought for his political benefit.

...
By denying the American people a fair trial, Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) also deprived the president of something that he desperately sought — exoneration.

 

[Rhea]

Now that I think about it, I have to change my mind about AOC boycotting the speech. That is much too respectful. Nancy Pelosi led the way.

I find it hilarious.

Of course, what I find hilarious is something that partisans either do hate, or would hate if they knew what was good for them.

Way to go Nancy. The last thing the system needs is respect.

I was really torn on how to respond to this despot. (No pun intended)
I do believe that the chamber is something we want to respect. And that the office of president is something we want to respect. So I’m pondering deeply how I feel about this.

On the one hand, we should all want to model the behavior that we consider appropriate.
And on the other, the GOP has shit on the rules of decorum, and wiped Trump’s butt with them. And so the power of decorum is not saving our country from this fiasco. The values of decorum, and deliberation, and thoughtful governance, and care for the American people and the Constitution are being strangled and choked by the grasping GOP and their deranged cult leader. And in that context, a civil war has been brought to the chamber, and it is right to fight it off, starting with showing it for what it is; at this step, a speech unworthy of the chamber.

I don’t take this lightly. I didn’t immediately cheer when I saw that. I’ve been thinking about it deeply.
The GOP is choking our nation. This is not a drill.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

I don’t take this lightly. I didn’t immediately cheer when I saw that. I’ve been thinking about it deeply.
The GOP is choking our nation. This is not a drill.

This wasn't a happy moment at all. 2020 is going to be hell and Trump is already aiming at those who are his enemies... in the US.

 

[Elixir]

Now that I think about it, I have to change my mind about AOC boycotting the speech. That is much too respectful. Nancy Pelosi led the way.

I find it hilarious.

Of course, what I find hilarious is something that partisans either do hate, or would hate if they knew what was good for them.

Way to go Nancy. The last thing the system needs is respect.

I was really torn on how to respond to this despot. (No pun intended)
I do believe that the chamber is something we want to respect. And that the office of president is something we want to respect. So I’m pondering deeply how I feel about this.

On the one hand, we should all want to model the behavior that we consider appropriate.
And on the other, the GOP has shit on the rules of decorum, and wiped Trump’s butt with them. And so the power of decorum is not saving our country from this fiasco. The values of decorum, and deliberation, and thoughtful governance, and care for the American people and the Constitution are being strangled and choked by the grasping GOP and their deranged cult leader. And in that context, a civil war has been brought to the chamber, and it is right to fight it off, starting with showing it for what it is; at this step, a speech unworthy of the chamber.

I don’t take this lightly. I didn’t immediately cheer when I saw that. I’ve been thinking about it deeply.
The GOP is choking our nation. This is not a drill.

Yup. Playing nice and trying to uphold the level of decorum to which we were accustomed is a fool's game. We need to get rid of this administration and override the idiots that have fallen for its propaganda - as soon as possible and by any means available. To me, this furthers my conviction that Bloomberg's billions need to be leveraged into the game, whether by allowing Bloomy himself to be a big player or even the nominee, or just smartly allocating whatever financial resources he is willing to commit.

 

[ZiprHead]

Nancy Pelosi’s State of the Union stunt may have broken the law, Rep. Matt Gaetz says

Go pay your DUI fines, Matt.

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

Gaetz, in his letter, said Pelosi’s “unseemly behaviour certainly warrants censure.”

Jebus, the entire GOP needs to be fired from Congress. Satire isn't this bad.

 

[Keith&Co.]

where was Gaetz when two dozen Republicans stormed the SCIF, with their phones, in clear violation of the rules for the SCIF, to disrupt a 'secret' meeting that several of them were invited to?






Oh, yeah. At the head of the crowd... Fuck him.

 

[Worldtraveller]

This is how precedents are set. What’s good for the goose and all that. In the future, members of Congress from the opposing party should boycott the State of the Union to highlight their grandstanding skills.

You're right about the first part. For instance:
- Joe Wilson yelling at Obama during his SOTU address
- the dems are now perfectly within their rights to ask foreign intelligence services to dig up dirt on anyone in the GOP
- the next dem president can go golfing more than ever with no criticism whatsoever from the right wing media
- the next dem president doesn't have to release their tax returns; for that matter, they don't even have to file a financial statement, and it will be totally ok to keep their businesses running, and even funnel government money to their businesses.
- it's totally ok to give all of their family members security clearance, and cushy high paying government positions.
- none of their appointments have to be qualified for their actual positions
- they can have as many wives and mistresses as they want with no whining from the 'family values' wing (as long as they make pretend pious noises)

I probably missed a few (hundred), but yeah, precedents are good.

 

[Jason Harvestdancer]

We should bring back the older precedent of dueling on the House floor. I'll pitch in to buy each of them a cane.

 

[Keith&Co.]

We should bring back the older precedent of dueling on the House floor. I'll pitch in to buy each of them a cane.

I could support that. Change the impeachment process to Trump and Pelosi, each with a 5-iron, 3 minute rounds, Roberts tapping the bell. Nothing beyond basic first aid until one of them is unconscious....

 

[Jimmy Higgins]

We should bring back the older precedent of dueling on the House floor. I'll pitch in to buy each of them a cane.

That wasn't dueling, that was a brutal assault. I'm not certain dueling was legal in any of the three capital cities.

 

[Worldtraveller]

We should bring back the older precedent of dueling on the House floor. I'll pitch in to buy each of them a cane.

That wasn't dueling, that was a brutal assault. I'm not certain dueling was legal in any of the three capital cities.

Tomato, tomahto....

 

[lpetrich]

MRCTV.org on Twitter: "ICYMI: @AOC says she didn't attend the State of the Union because her guest has an ICE detainer and she wouldn't want to put the guest "in harm's way." https://t.co/AjvQmLuO1x" / Twitter - among her other reasons. She plans to give that detainee and his family a tour of the Capitol under conditions where they won't feel threatened.

Rep. Matt Gaetz on Twitter: "BREAKING: I'm filing an ethics complaint against @SpeakerPelosi for destroying @realDonaldTrump's State of the Union speech.
Her conduct was beneath the dignity of the House, and a potential violation of law (18 USC 2071).
Nobody is above the law. She must be held accountable. https://t.co/dXPPWQNtI8" / Twitter
He linked to pictures of his filed complaint.

Christine Pelosi on Twitter: "My dude, you are so triggered by her upstaging your man who alternatively eats, shreds, and hides papers comprising presidential records that you are handing her the narrative!
PS That speech destroyed itself. https://t.co/BCXSzeM7T3" / Twitter

 

[lpetrich]

We should bring back the older precedent of dueling on the House floor. I'll pitch in to buy each of them a cane.

That wasn't dueling, that was a brutal assault. I'm not certain dueling was legal in any of the three capital cities.

Yes, dueling might be fun. But present-day firearms would take a lot of the challenge out of it, I think. Like a  Semi-automatic pistol, a common military and police sidearm that loads the next bullet for each bullet it fires.

It would be more interesting if it was unarmed combat, but Donald Trump likely outweighs Nancy Pelosi by a sizable factor, and he could win on that alone. That's why boxing has weight classes.

Donald Trump physical exam 2019: Weight up to 243, cholesterol down
Born 1946 Jun 14, Height: 6'3" (190 cm), Weight: 243 lb (110 kg)

Nancy Pelosi: born 1940 Mar 26, height 5'5" (165 cm)

In reference to other possible duels,
Tulsi Gabbard: born 1981 Apr 12, height 5'8" (173 cm)
Hillary Clinton: born 1947 Oct 26, height 5'6" (167 cm)
Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: born 1989 Oct 13, height 5'4" (163 cm) or 5'5" (165 cm)

Given the age difference, TG could likely win against HC. But TG and AOC would be much more evenly matched. TG had military service, and I've found videos of her doing workouts, but AOC is no slouch. In her bartending years, she would drag big buckets full of ice, and in a parade, she ran for a little bit.