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[UberTag]

I feel like the GOP is sitting on a slew of inconsequential surgeries, ie Chaffetz's foot and McCain's eye, that they can pull out when they want to dodge shit.

If none of this stuff is urgent or life-threatening or announced ahead of time, that's EXACTLY what they're doing.
There's no way to interpret it otherwise.

 

[smokeymicpot]

If they didn't already, Bernie crowd will despise her after reading that.

Bernie crowd doesn't know what they want.

 

[whyamihere]

Still, Trump remains popular among the electoral base that won him the election: 90 percent of respondents who say they voted for him continue to approve of his performance, as do 63 percent of Iowans from rural areas. Fifty-seven percent of self-identified born-again Christians back Trump, as do 51 percent of Protestants and a 47-percent plurality of Catholics.

If 10% of Trump voters voted for Clinton in 2016 in Iowa, she would've won the state.

(Also some who disapprove probably won't admit they voted for him)

 

[sc0la]

I feel like the GOP is sitting on a slew of inconsequential surgeries, ie Chaffetz's foot and McCain's eye, that they can pull out when they want to dodge shit.

Got to get this stuff in before those are bones plans go into effect. Wait, congress doesn't have to deal with those....

Probably posted but http://pagesix.com/2017/07/15/kamal...ow&utm_source=P6Twitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

Dems' rising star meets with Clinton inner circle in Hamptons

Someone is getting ready for 2020.

*find on page* mook
...
*no matches found*
*wipes brow*

 

[teiresias]

If none of this stuff is urgent or life-threatening or announced ahead of time, that's EXACTLY what they're doing.
There's no way to interpret it otherwise.

"Amidst the rioting engulfing the country as the world economy collapses and civilization reverts to a hunter-gather model, Senate Majority Leader McConnell addressed reporters and claimed there was no way to prevent a breaking of the country's debt ceiling or a government shutdown due to the unforeseen need for him to spend time at home recovering from an emergency chin tuck and neck lift."

 

[Valhelm]

My exact thoughts while reading it.

"I just can't trust her. I prefer Liberal Icon™ Tulsi Gabbard!"

Nearly all of my friends are Bernie voters and nobody gives a shit about Tulsi Gabbard.

She's only popular among the Bernie-Trump crossover voters on Reddit who don't mind her Islamophobia and don't know about her Hindu nationalism.

 

[Plinko]

Probably posted but http://pagesix.com/2017/07/15/kamal...ow&utm_source=P6Twitter&utm_medium=SocialFlow

Dems' rising star meets with Clinton inner circle in Hamptons

Someone is getting ready for 2020.

Please, I beg you: keep Robby Mook 1000 MILES from that campaign.

Edit: LOL sc0la

 

[nature boy]

 

[whyamihere]

nothing will happen this week on any of those things though.

 

[GusBus]

*find on page* mook
...
*no matches found*
*wipes brow*

Yup. No 2016 leftovers, please. Hoping they can hire some serious campaign leadership this time around.

 

[neurosisxeno]

nothing will happen this week on any of those things though.

I'm sure he'll sign some bullshit executive orders on 1-3 of those things.

 

[Valhelm]

Anybody know anything about AZ politics?

If something happens to John McCain, could his seat go to somebody even farther right like a Joe Arpaio/Jan Brewer type?

 

[UberTag]

Please, I beg you: keep Robby Mook 1000 MILES from that campaign.

Isn't he on indefinite book tour duty?
Why the hell would you want a loser campaign director back anyhow?

This isn't some sports league where coaches simply play musical chairs to other posts after getting canned following a lost season. If you drop the ball in politics, that's it. You should be banished to a career sounding like a pompous ass on some cable news entertainment network.

I'm sure he'll sign some bullshit executive orders on 1-3 of those things.

Signing paperwork shoved in his lap in between TV binge watching / tweeting sessions shouldn't equate to "much will be accomplished".
But in Trump's mind it'll be enough to justify him taking time off until after Labor Day.

 

[Bonen no Max'd]

pretty sure Mook met the same fate as Mark Penn after 2016, exiled from Clintonworld to just grift elsewhere

Anybody know anything about AZ politics?

If something happens to John McCain, could his seat go to somebody even farther right like a Joe Arpaio/Jan Brewer type?

it could, but it would also be a real pickup opportunity with a good candidate and favorable conditions. Arizona was the fifth closest Trump state last year, after Florida and before North Carolina.

 

[kirblar]

Isn't he on indefinite book tour duty?
Why the hell would you want a loser campaign director back anyhow?

This isn't some sports league where coaches simply play musical chairs to other posts after getting canned following a lost season. If you drop the ball in politics, that's it. You should be banished to a career sounding like a pompous ass on some cable news entertainment network.

Sadly, that's not how politics works. See: Bernie Sanders' campaign staff.

 

[Valhelm]

How come New Mexico seems to be so lefty and pro-Chicano whereas Arizona is basically apartheid South Africa?

Is it demographics or is it history?

 

[Autodidact]

Anybody know anything about AZ politics?

If something happens to John McCain, could his seat go to somebody even farther right like a Joe Arpaio/Jan Brewer type?

In Arizona, the appointee has to be of the same political party as the departing senator. Ducey would have to appoint a Republican, just as he'd have to appoint a Democrat if you reversed the party affiliation. The special election would be in November 2018, and the winner would finish the remainder of McCain's term, which expires in January 2023.

 

[sc0la]

How come New Mexico seems to be so lefty and pro-Chicano whereas Arizona is basically apartheid South Africa?

Is it demographics or is it history?

More retirees? IDK

 

[skullmuffins]

How come New Mexico seems to be so lefty and pro-Chicano whereas Arizona is basically apartheid South Africa?

Is it demographics or is it history?

Demographics must have a lot to do with it. New Mexico is around 10% native american and 48% latino, vs 5% and 30% in AZ. Non-hispanic whites are at 38% in NM and 55% in AZ.

 

[skullmuffins]

McCain's Surgery May Be More Serious Than Thought, Experts Say

The condition for which Senator John McCain had surgery on Friday may be more serious than initial descriptions have implied, and it may delay his return to Washington by at least a week or two, medical experts said on Sunday.
...
A craniotomy is an opening of the skull, and an eyebrow incision would be used to reach a clot in or near the left frontal lobes of the brain, neurosurgeons who were not involved in Mr. McCain's care said.

”Usually, a blood clot in this area would be a very concerning issue," said Dr. Nrupen Baxi, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City.

He added, ”The recovery time from a craniotomy is usually a few weeks."
...
But many questions have been left unanswered, including whether Mr. McCain had symptoms that prompted doctors to look for the clot. In June, his somewhat confused questioning of James B. Comey, the former F.B.I. director, led to concerns about his mental status, which he later jokingly dismissed by saying he had stayed up too late watching baseball the night before.

”Usually, a blood clot like this is discovered when patients have symptoms, whether it's a seizure or headaches or weakness or speech difficulties," Dr. Baxi said. ”Generally, it's not found on a routine physical because doctors would not know to look for it."

The cause of the clot has not been disclosed. The possibilities include a fall or a blow to the head, a stroke or certain brain changes associated with aging. Mr. McCain is 80.

He also has a history of melanoma, an aggressive skin cancer that can spread to the brain and cause bleeding. That cancer history could have prompted Mr. McCain's doctors to scan his brain even in the absence of symptoms, some doctors said. The pending pathology reports are expected to help explain what caused the bleeding.

The clot could have been in one of several locations: between the skull and the dura, the membrane that covers the brain; between the dura and surface of the brain; or inside the brain itself.

 

[Maengun1]

I've always vibed that nice, fun old people like retiring to Florida and mean, crabby old people like retiring to Arizona, lol. It's like the heat minus the beach.

Of course that's based on nothing (and Florida also voted R so).

 

[JesseEwiak]

How come New Mexico seems to be so lefty and pro-Chicano whereas Arizona is basically apartheid South Africa?

Is it demographics or is it history?

Basically, what other people have said. But, here's a far more reaching answer I stole from someplace else.

Phoenix drives the state's politics. There's a fair amount of old money in Scottsdale and a fair amount of new money there and in Paradise Valley. (Both of these are suburbs of Phoenix). There are a couple of demographic trends driving the Phoenix area's conservatism:

1) Conservatives from Orange County, CA and other conservative parts of California see Phoenix as a reasonably-priced alternative to their current homes. Lots of people in Phoenix emigrated from California. So many, in fact, that AZ natives sometimes display "NotCal" stickers on their cars. (This is a play on NorCal, which is something I guess Northern Californians put on their cars). Land and houses are dirt cheap in Arizona compared to, say, southern California.

2) There are a whole lot of Mormons in Arizona (5-6% of the population statewide). It's an oft-repeated truism that the greatest concentration of Mormons outside of Utah is in Mesa, AZ, a Phoenix suburb. There really are a lot of Mormons in Mesa, so their political power is concentrated. Mormons (or LDS, as they often prefer) tend to be pretty conservative, politically speaking, but as with any group, there's a wide range of opinions.

3) Most people in Arizona moved there from somewhere else. Arizona has long had a reputation as a libertarian and/or conservative place, so it tends to attract people who find those things attractive.

4) Arizona has a libertarian history and a "low" tax burden. Barry Goldwater was from Arizona, for example. Fiscal conservatives tend to be really tax-averse, and so tend to move to places with low tax burdens. I put "low" in quotes because I didn't find taxes to be especially low. Property taxes were very low (and the schools reflected this, IMHO) but sales tax is effectively 9.5% in the Phoenix area and 8.5% elsewhere. Also, while local government is weak and hands-off, homeowners' associations (HOAs) tend to be pretty strong and demand annual fees.

It seemed to me that although Arizona is perceived as a low-tax, small-government paradise, taxes aren't all that low and HOAs collect revenue and act (in some ways) like an unelected strong local government.

 

[Autodidact]

I've always vibed that nice, fun old people like retiring to Florida and mean, crabby old people like retiring to Arizona, lol. It's like the heat minus the beach.

Of course that's based on nothing (and Florida also voted R so).

True, but Trump only won Florida because of massive, unprecedented turnout in the rural panhandle. If the state had followed a "normal" pattern, Hillary would've won.

Also, how much of a chance would redistricting victim #1 Gwen Graham have at the Florida governorship? She's proved she knows how to win in Republican territory.

 

[mo60]

How come New Mexico seems to be so lefty and pro-Chicano whereas Arizona is basically apartheid South Africa?

Is it demographics or is it history?

Arizona technically swung significantly to the democrats on the presidential level last year. Arizona has technically mostly elected republican govenors, house and senate representatives in the last few decades or so but democrats can sometimes be really competitive on the presidential and senate level depending on the election. Also arizona doesn't have a lot of the same demographics that typically make a state like florida competitive or new mexico strongly democratic now even though this is slowly changing.

 

[GrapeApes]

A spokesperson for U.S. Senator Dean Heller confirms an investigation is underway following a break-in at his Las Vegas campaign office.

https://twitter.com/g_knapp/status/886731566570905600

I know it isn't Trump but one can wish. Just so the history books can refer to this as Stupid Watergate.

 

[Autodidact]

OMG

Will they try to blame the Rosen campaign?

 

[ShadowSwordmaster]

WTF

 

[mo60]

This is starting to remind me of watergate. Why would someone break into Heller's campaign office?

 

[kirblar]

This is starting to remind me of watergate. Why would someone break into Heller's campaign office?

Starting? DNC hack was a direct equivalent.

 

[Aaron Strife]

Iowa Trump approval ratings:

Approve: 43
Disapprove: 52

https://uw-media.desmoinesregister.com/amp/480236001

I'd love to win the governor's seat there.

That's pretty good (for us obviously). IA-1 is still on the table and maybe IA-3 and Ernst's seat too.

If there's a special election for McCain's seat that could end up being pretty good for us. We would get two chances to pick up an AZ seat next year and that'd be an easier hat trick than beating Cruz for getting to 51. That being said I certainly don't wish anything bad on McCain and I'm pretty sure he plans on dying a senator.

 

[Autodidact]

Awkward Ann is rested and ready, peons.

 

[Box of Kittens]

If 10% of Trump voters voted for Clinton in 2016 in Iowa, she would've won the state.

(Also some who disapprove probably won't admit they voted for him)

It's worth noting that something like three-fourths of Hoover's 1928 voters stuck with him in 1932. These percentages sound small but are actually quite significant, not to mention what it implies about nearby states like Wisconsin.

 

[Valhelm]

In Arizona, the appointee has to be of the same political party as the departing senator. Ducey would have to appoint a Republican, just as he'd have to appoint a Democrat if you reversed the party affiliation. The special election would be in November 2018, and the winner would finish the remainder of McCain's term, which expires in January 2023.

What the hell is that rule

Just hold a goddamn special election

 

[Autodidact]

What the hell is that rule

Just hold a goddamn special election

Certain states such as mine (OK) hold the special election as soon as possible after a vacancy. Our governor can't even appoint an interim replacement.

Yay federalism.

 

[Ogodei]

In Arizona, the appointee has to be of the same political party as the departing senator. Ducey would have to appoint a Republican, just as he'd have to appoint a Democrat if you reversed the party affiliation. The special election would be in November 2018, and the winner would finish the remainder of McCain's term, which expires in January 2023.

The way to game that (in a hypothetical situation where the governor was a D) would be to have Ann Kirkpatrick run like hell to the courthouse and change her registration, get appointed, and then aisle-cross as soon as the first vote came up

 

[balladofwindfishes]

McCain's Surgery May Be More Serious Than Thought, Experts Say

I kind of feel bad we were making fun of is gibberish at the Comey hearing, as it sounds like it was an early warning symptom for this.

For a man his age, this is a very worrying issue for him. There's likely going to be quite a few awkward weeks for McConnell coming up unless McCain decides to suddenly resign, even then, it'll take awhile to appoint someone.

 

[Autodidact]

I think Awkward Ann should stick to House races. In fact, a hypothetical poll a few months ago showed her beating McSally in AZ-02, so the voters evidently wouldn't mind if she hopped districts.

I really want McSally to lose, partly because she won so narrowly in 2014 and partly because I get irrationally angry seeing her in Gabrielle Giffords's old spot.

 

[Diablos]

I think BCRA is going to pass. Collins is basically saying Medicaid is the major concern for 8-10 Senators, but she did not say a single fucking thing about anything else ACA-related. That tells me they just need to work through some small Medicaid hurdles a couple more times perhaps and it will finally pass.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

I think BCRA is going to pass. Collins is basically saying Medicaid is the major concern for 8-10 Senators, but she did not say a single fucking thing about anything else ACA-related. That tells me they just need to work through some small Medicaid hurdles a couple more times perhaps and it will finally pass.

I don't really see how they pass it without McCain, or waiting 2-3 weeks for him to recover. The former doesn't leave them any possible path without Paul or Collins and the latter causes the CBO report to be released, basically killing the entire thing via a disastrous media cycle.

Also I think you guys are panicking a little too much about Heller.

 

[sc0la]

Trump broke in because heller waffled on the bill. He really is that stupid that he would break into an allied party members office instead of the opposition.

 

[Diablos]

I don't really see how they pass it without McCain, or waiting 2-3 weeks for him to recover. The former doesn't leave them any possible path without Paul or Collins and the latter causes the CBO report to be released, basically killing the entire thing via a disastrous media cycle.

Also I think you guys are panicking a little too much about Heller.

McCain will be back. It might not pass when anticipated but it'll pass.

Heller has been way too silent and Sandoval is trying to get on both sides of the issue which speaks volumes.

 

[benicillin]

I think BCRA is going to pass. Collins is basically saying Medicaid is the major concern for 8-10 Senators, but she did not say a single fucking thing about anything else ACA-related. That tells me they just need to work through some small Medicaid hurdles a couple more times perhaps and it will finally pass.

I am shocked.

 

[BlastProcessing]

If none of this stuff is urgent or life-threatening or announced ahead of time, that's EXACTLY what they're doing.
There's no way to interpret it otherwise.

The dude had a 5mm clot in his head. You don't fuck around with those.

Isn't he on indefinite book tour duty?
Why the hell would you want a loser campaign director back anyhow?

This isn't some sports league where coaches simply play musical chairs to other posts after getting canned following a lost season. If you drop the ball in politics, that's it. You should be banished to a career sounding like a pompous ass on some cable news entertainment network.


Signing paperwork shoved in his lap in between TV binge watching / tweeting sessions shouldn't equate to "much will be accomplished".
But in Trump's mind it'll be enough to justify him taking time off until after Labor Day.

Losing is experience just like winning is. I don't think there is a single political operative worth their salt who hasn't lost a heartbreaker. It's what they take from those losses that separates the good from the bad. Mook is young and we don't really know how he moves on from here, but I wouldn't be surprised if in a few elections from now, he gets some Senator a longshot win.

 

[Spoiled Milk]

Mook is young and we don't really know how he moves on from here, but I wouldn't be surprised if in a few elections from now, he gets some Senator a longshot win.

Or... You do nothing for 20 years, then run a senator's campaign until a prostitute tries to extort you, do nothing again for 6 years, do Fox stuff for 5, get fired for opioid addiction, come back briefly and then get fired for racist remarks because you can't handle a black guy fixing your computer.

Sorry bob lol maybe the next life will be more forgiving

 

[sc0la]

Or... You do nothing for 20 years, then run a senator's campaign until a prostitute tries to extort you, do nothing again for 6 years, do Fox stuff for 5, get fired for opioid addiction, come back briefly and then get fired for racist remarks because you can't handle a black guy fixing your computer.

Sorry bob lol maybe the next life will be more forgiving

Who's bob?
Edit Oh mook is bob? I thought this was a real persons story you were recounting.
Double edit: Ooooooh.

 

[Spoiled Milk]

Who's bob?
Edit Oh mook is bob? I thought this was a real persons story you were recounting.

No, I mean Bob Where's the Beef Beckel.

 

[balladofwindfishes]

McCain will be back. It might not pass when anticipated but it'll pass.

Heller has been way too silent and Sandoval is trying to get on both sides of the issue which speaks volumes.

I was on vacation for five days and only half paying attention to the news, and even I know Sandoval is still very much against the bill.

McCain may or may not be back. What he has is very serious for a man his age. It could be a month or more for him to be back, depending on how his surgeries go. They don't have time. They were riding on a flurry of "PASS NOOWWOWOOWOWOWOW" that got the House in trouble last time and McCain stopped that cold. Now the bill sits in limbo for weeks as the CBO report comes out, Senators get called, and the GOP gets a taste of life moving on. They're growing sick of this entire thing, and the solution won't be "pass anything!!!" it'll be "just give it up Mitch, it's over"

 

[Spoiled Milk]

Omfgggggg where has this picture BEEN all my life!

Poor Bob!

 

[sc0la]

I mean usually the the encyclopedic knowledge of useless political trivia comes from benji, but I'll take it.

 

[Spoiled Milk]

I contribute tons of political trivia (and meme material). I just don't get as much engagement from it because everyone has me on ignore already.