Trump on second place:

“No one remembers who came in second.” – Walter Hagen

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 30, 2013

“No one remembers who came in second.” – Walter Hagen

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) June 17, 2014

Also a couple of miscellaneous items:

“@realDonaldTrump: I would like to extend my best wishes to all, even the haters and losers, on this special date, September 11th.”

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) September 12, 2013

Amazing how the haters & losers keep tweeting the name “F**kface Von Clownstick” like they are so original & like no one else is doing it…

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 3, 2013

Sorry losers and haters, but my I.Q.

You know what I heard that weekend? Not one single comment about Robert E. Lee. But I did hear racial slurs and the chants, "Jews will not replace us!" and "Into the ovens!" Very fine people, indeed. https://t.co/ZoH0U1VC0L

— Larry Sabato (@LarrySabato) April 26, 2019

Robert E. Lee owned slaves and brutalized them.

Lee led an armed revolt against the United States to preserve and expand slavery.

And during that armed revolt, Lee's army captured free blacks in the North and enslaved them. https://t.co/hYRFhcn0tq

— Kevin M. Kruse (@KevinMKruse) April 26, 2019

Robert E. Lee owned 200 slaves (which he famously tortured) then led a rebellion to extend slavery which killed 620,000 people.

Saying you're not a racist, you just

What is this nonsense about Robert E. Lee, anyway?

It’s a stupid myth created to glorify the slave-owning South. That’s all. It’s not complicated.

Adam Serwer in The Atlantic two years ago:

This year, the removal of Lee’s statue in New Orleans has inspired a new round of commentary about Lee, not to mention protests on his behalf by white supremacists.

The myth of Lee goes something like this: He was a brilliant strategist and devoted Christian man who abhorred slavery and labored tirelessly after the war to bring the country back together.

The “Christian” part is true.

But even if one conceded Lee’s military prowess, he would still be responsible for the deaths of hundreds of thousands of

Stonewall UK is having its annual Workplace Conference.

https://twitter.com/stonewalluk/status/1121655162953580546

So far so good.

https://twitter.com/AimeeEvelyn202/status/1121725524353658880

Uhhhh…wait.

It’s not easy to read, so I’ll transcribe.

                               Trans Status     Wealth

      Nationality                                                        Class

       Gender Identity               ME        Race

       Disability                                                             Faith

                                        Sexual Orientation

Notice anything?

Anything missing?

Yes.

Sex.

Of course.

Women have ALL the privilege and power.

… Read the rest

On Tuesday

The UN has backed a resolution on combatting rape in conflict but excluded references in the text to sexual and reproductive health, after vehement opposition from the US.

…

The UK backed the resolution, but expressed regret about the omission on reproductive healthcare. Lord Tariq Ahmad of Wimbledon, the UK prime minister’s special representative on preventing sexual violence in conflict, said: “We emphasise the need for a survivor-centred approach. Survivor services should cater to all survivors – with no exception.”

But he added: “We deeply regret the language on services for survivors of sexual violence, recognising the acute need for those services to include comprehensive reproductive and separate sexual healthcare.”

The UK, he said, would continue to

It turns out that retaliating against witnesses is a crime.

The lawyer who represented Richard Nixon after he left the White House, William Jeffress, says Trump retaliatory action against Don McGahn could land him in prison for ten years. https://t.co/5E2V15mojp pic.twitter.com/1QpKKb77mX

— PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) April 25, 2019

Trump fired McGahn’s firm. If it can be established that he did it to retaliate, that could be ten years in the slammer.… Read the rest

More childish “No no no I won’t and you can’t make me!!” from the Trump House.

The White House will refuse to allow senior adviser Stephen Miller to testify before the House Oversight Committee, according to a letter obtained by The Washington Post.

Oversight panel Chairman Elijah E. Cummings (D-Md.) received a letter from the White House counsel Wednesday denying his request that Miller come before the committee to testify on the Trump administration’s immigration policies.

…

Few expected Miller to comply, given precedent that White House staff traditionally do not testify.

But Miller, Democrats worry, has had more power than a traditional White House staffer, particularly over immigration.

Miller was behind a controversial proposal to bus undocumented

Trump admits he told McGahn to fire Mueller.

As has been incorrectly reported by the Fake News Media, I never told then White House Counsel Don McGahn to fire Robert Mueller, even though I had the legal right to do so. If I wanted to fire Mueller, I didn’t need McGahn to do it, I could have done it myself. Nevertheless,….

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 25, 2019

It’s not clear if he meant to admit it, but admit it he did. He says the Fake New incorrectly reported that never told McGahn to fire Muller, so he’s saying he did tell McGahn to fire Mueller.

Not that we ever doubted it.… Read the rest

Originally a comment by Screechy Monkey on In Congress where it’s very partisan — obviously very partisan.

On a broader note: I’m getting really really tired of this constant use of “partisan” as a dismissive sneer. Not by people here, I mean in the discourse generally. Centrist political pundits are the worst for this.

In practically every other country on earth, it’s understood, accepted, and even appreciated that (1) voters have differing ideologies and policy preferences; and (2) political parties are a logical, sensible, and inevitable way to organize along ideological and policy lines and get things done. Of course, it’s generally acknowledged that there are times to set aside partisanship and come together in a crisis, or to … Read the rest