Short Attention Span Musing

...Apparently, the U.S. Senate thinks it's better to look good than to be good.

From NPR -

The Senate's dress code just got more relaxed. Some insist on staying buttoned-up

There's a lot for lawmakers to be stressed about these days, from the looming threat of a government shutdown to debates over additional funding for Ukraine. But one of the most divisive issues on Capitol Hill suddenly seems to be what senators can wear to work.

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer directed the Senate's sergeant-at-arms to stop enforcing its unwritten dress code — only for its 100 members — starting this week.

There may be much angst among Senators over their dress code, but some things don't bother them.

From USA Today -

Read the full indictment: Menendez faces second round of corruption charges

Sen. Bob Menendez, D-N.J., is facing corruption charges after being indicted Friday in the Southern District of New York.

It marks the second time the New Jersey lawmaker has been indicted in the last 10 years − previously facing corruption charges in 2015.

They can wear tutus and propeller beanies or suit and ties or whatever.  It doesn't matter, as long as they don't take bribes.

Which is what Menendez (allegedly) did.

FWIW, this isn't a partisan thing - the political class in New York and New Jersey seem to believe that society's law or even standards of simple decency do apply to them, regardless of professed partisan affiliation.

We still have to claim Andrew Cuomo and Anthony Weiner as Democrats.

Of course, Republicans still have Chris Christie and, of course, Cheeto.

And Arizona State Senator John Kavanagh is from New Jersey, too.

...And speaking of Cheeto, it wasn't a good week for him.

From Good Morning America, via Yahoo! -

'You were warned': Judge reprimands Trump's lawyers in New York AG's $250M fraud case

A judge in New York expressed frustration at Donald Trump's defense counsel while considering sanctioning the defendants and their lawyers for making frivolous arguments in the state's civil case against the former president and others.

"When I first heard those arguments, I thought that was a joke," said Judge Arthur Engoron, who added that he has repeatedly ruled on and been upheld on some of the arguments rehashed by defense.

"The rule on sanctions is if you've been warned, don't do it. You were warned," Engoron said.

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/24/2023

Nada.

As in "nothing official scheduled as of this writing."

As in, "regular Arizonans should be verrrry worried."

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one.

Dear attorneys for Cheeto and his followers: Get your money up front

In other words, wait for any retainer checks to clear.

From Mother Jones -

Trumpworld Lawyers Keep Getting Stiffed on Fees

Robert Costello represented Giuliani and Bannon. Neither paid him.

Working as Donald Trump’s lawyer, or just being his lawyer’s lawyer, is a tough gig. The former president’s tight-fisted ways, not to mention his legal problems, are trickling down through Trumpworld’s legal ecosystem.

On Tuesday, Rudy Giuliani’s lawyer, Robert Costello, sued the former New York mayor for more than $1.3 million in allegedly unpaid legal fees dating back to 2019. That lawsuit, Costello says, is a consequence of Trump’s own refusal to pay Giuliani for years of work as Trump’s personal attorney.

Lawyers for Trump have landed in legal jeopardy due to his lies. They’ve been forced to testify against him, sanctioned, fined, stripped of law licenses, sued, and indicted. But none are in as much trouble as Rudy.

Another blast form the (recent) past: Kari Lake is running for a U.S. Senate seat

Last month, Axios thought this poorly-kept secret was a big deal; now, it's Politico.

Former newscaster and failed 2022 candidate for AZ Governor (she lost in the general election, even though she is still insisting that she didn't).

From Politico -

Kari Lake to launch Arizona Senate bid next month

Arizona Republican Kari Lake will launch a Senate run as soon as early next month, according to three people familiar with her plans.

Lake, an ardent supporter of former President Donald Trump who refused to concede her narrow loss in Arizona’s governor race last year, has been hinting at a bid for months. She has been active in national politics since her 2022 loss and this week alone she’s headlining events in Iowa and Michigan.

Blast from the (recent) past: Michelle Ugenti-Rita is running for the Maricopa County SD2 seat

Former state legislator and failed 2022 candidate for AZ Secretary of State (she lost in the R primary) Michelle Ugenti-Rita is running for the 2nd district seat on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors.

From Maricopa County's website -

(Note: I'd link to the committee paperwork, but the County's hyperlink to that isn't working)

SD2 is currently held by R Thomas Galvin.  As of May, he formed a committee to run for re-election.

Water protection for AZ doesn't seem to be his thing.

Caveat:  I live in SD2, but have not decided who to vote for.

Hunter Biden may be a lousy human being, but I hope he wins his lawsuit against the IRS.

I've said it before - Hunter Biden is  a poor excuse for a human being (being a deadbeat dad will earn someone that designation).

But he's now suing the IRS for talking about his taxes.

From Politico -

Hunter Biden sues IRS, alleging violation of his privacy

Hunter Biden is suing the IRS over disclosures two agents there made to Congress and the media about his taxes.

The lawsuit says two longtime IRS criminal investigative agents, Gary Shapley and Joseph Ziegler, illegally revealed tax details when they publicly raised concerns about the handling of the criminal investigation into the first son. It also accuses the IRS of failing to keep the two men from sharing Biden’s financial information.

Bottom line: if silence was good enough for Cheeto, it's good enough for Hunter Biden.  

And if yapping about Biden was fine, why wasn't yapping about Cheeto?

While I'm no fan of Hunter Biden, I'm *really* not a fan of hypocrisy.

NBC's Meet The Press interviews Cheeto

Meet The Press (MTP) has a new host, Kristin Welker.

NBC celebrated the change from Chuck Todd as host with an interview of Cheeto.

OK - it was a ratings grab by NBC; the suits there don't actually care about Welker or Todd.

Cheeto was his usual self - arrogant, misogynistic, and hostile.

His disdain for women was on full display - he blamed Nancy Pelosi for the insurrection of January 6, 2021 and regularly talked over Welker - when he didn't just loudly refuse to answer one of her questions.

NBC's transcript of the interview is here, but I suggest watching the video of the interview in order to see Cheeto being Cheeto.

Interestingly, Cheeto's raging misogyny might help MTP address one of its glaring problems.

Like most other Sunday morning talkfests, MTP tends to give a platform to many Republican "insiders" of the DC genus but Cheeto has such a hold on R politicians and their thinking, that his misogyny might motivate them into avoiding any outlet hosted by a woman.

Is the opposite of "limited value" "unlimited value"?

If so, who has it?

BTW - I saw the video, and heard the laughter.  "Misunderstood"?

My  ass.

From CBSNews -

Bodycam shows Seattle cop joking about "limited value" of woman killed by police cruiser. He claims he was misunderstood.

A city watchdog agency is investigating after a body-worn camera captured one Seattle Police Department union leader joking with another following the death of a woman who was hit and killed by a police cruiser as she was crossing a street.

Daniel Auderer, the vice president of the Seattle Police Officers Guild, responded to the Jan. 23 crash scene where another officer, Kevin Dave, struck and killed Jaahnavi Kandula, 23, in a crosswalk. Dave was driving 74 mph on the way to an overdose call, and Auderer, a drug recognition expert, was assigned to evaluate whether Dave was impaired, CBS affiliate KIRO-TV reported.

It seems to be time to state one thing clearly: all public officials, be they hired, appointed, or elected, work for civil society and the people in it.

And if any of those folks are contemptuous of their employers?

They should rethink their chosen path in life.

Betcha there was some laughter in 2013 in the Pearce household when then-Deputy Sean Pearce used his vehicle to kill John Harding and didn't even get points on his insurance.

I admit - when I first saw the video of the Pearce crash, I thought it was accidental.

Then two agencies went all in on protecting him.

Now I have reason to doubt that the killing was accidental.

Well, at least Rep. Lauren Boebert is running her plays out of the R playbook

Of course, those plays come in three steps:

1. Be arrogant and inconsiderate of others.

2. When that behavior is criticized, deny everything.

3. When caught in a way that can't denied, "apologize" in such a way that makes the one the victim.

The bad behavior:

From KRDO (a radio station in Colorado Springs) -

Rep. Lauren Boebert booted from ‘Beetlejuice’ show after disturbance and vaping complaints

Congresswoman Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a performance of Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre in Denver Sunday night. She's accused of taking pictures, causing a disturbance, and vaping during the show.

KRDO obtained the incident report that confirmed two people were escorted out during Sunday's performance.

The denial:

From BBC (emphasis added by me) -

Lauren Boebert: Republican lawmaker kicked out of Beetlejuice show for disturbance

Republican lawmaker Lauren Boebert was escorted out of a theatre in Denver during a performance of the musical Beetlejuice, after being accused of disruptive behaviour.

An incident report, which does not name her, says two patrons were asked to leave after complaints of vaping, singing, and causing disturbance.

Her team confirmed the incident but denied that she was vaping.

"I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud!," Ms Boebert said on Twitter.

The fake apology:

From NBCNews (emphasis added by me) -

Video contradicts Lauren Boebert's denial that she was vaping at 'Beetlejuice' show

Surveillance video captured during the "Beetlejuice" musical in Denver on Sunday appears to show Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., vaping inside the theater, which contradicts her aide's claim that the smoke was emitted from fog machines.

The video, obtained by NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver, shows Boebert sitting in the theater next to a man she was with as people around her were still getting seated. It then shows her raise one of her hands to her face, and then a puff of smoke comes out of her mouth toward the person in front of her.

On Friday night, a day after the video was made public, Boebert apologized for her actions and acknowledged she was vaping inside the venue.

From Politico (emphasis added by me) -

[snip]

“There’s no perfect blueprint for going through a public and difficult divorce, which over the past few months has made for a challenging personal time for me and my entire family,” the Republican congressmember wrote on social media Friday night. “I’ve tried to handle it with strength and grace as best I can, but I simply fell short of my values on Sunday. That’s unacceptable and I’m sorry.

Boebert’s behavior drew ire from other audience members, including her use of a vape during the show. Initially, Boebert denied vaping and claimed that she was removed from the performance simply for being too enthusiastic.

“It’s true, I did thoroughly enjoy the AMAZING Beetlejuice at the Buell Theatre and I plead guilty to laughing and singing too loud!” Boebert wrote on social media.

Blowing smoke at someone else?  And blaming it on divorce?  

Really?!?

Legislative schedule - week starting 9/17/2023

This week looks to be about rationalizing the fraud perpetrated on the voters by the lege when the lege enacted (and expanded) school vouchers.

Note: HHR refers to a hearing room in the House building; SHR refers to one in the Senate building.

Note2: Generally, I'll only specify bills that look to spread propaganda.  Other bills may be more conventionally bad (think: corrupt or other misuses of public monies and/or authority).  My recommendation is that if an agenda covers an area of interest to you, read the entire agenda.

Note3: Each chamber's respective Rules Committee meets on Monday, the House's in HHR4 at 1 p.m. and the Senate's in Senate Caucus Room 1, also at 1 p.m.  Both committees serve as rubber stamps for bills leadership wants to be advanced and gatekeepers for measures that leadership wants stopped.

Note4: Meeting start times may be listed, but are flexible.  Before journeying to the Capitol or viewing the meeting online, verify the start time.

Note5: Watch for strikers, or strike everything amendments.  Those involve inserting language that replaces the entirety of a bill.  Those can be introduced at any time and can make a previously harmless bill into a very bad one. 

On Wednesday, 9/20

-

House Ad Hoc Study Committee on Empowerment Scholarship Accounts Governance and Oversight meets at 2 p.m.in HHR3.  The fix looks to be in here.

Not only is the committee slated to receive a presentation from Alan Maguire, one of the creators of the expenditure limit screwing over public education, the members of the committee include a person currently with the anti-society (but pro-corporate) group the Goldwater Institute, a person who was once with the same organization, later pulled a paycheck from the AZ Charter School Association, and now works for the Heritage Foundation, and one of Tom Horne's lackeys/accomplices,

Impeachment: A tale of two places

In Wisconsin, the Republicans there want to impeach a state supreme court justice before she takes office, not because she's done anything wrong but because she might rule in a way that they don't like.

From The Guardian (UK) -

Republicans threaten to impeach newly elected Wisconsin supreme court judge

Smarting after Janet Protasiewicz’s election to the state’s highest court, Republicans are now changing tack to challenge Democrats

Republicans in Wisconsin are threatening to remove from office the newly elected state supreme court justice Janet Protasiewicz if she refuses to recuse herself from cases involving gerrymandering. The effort comes on the heels of Republicans in the state senate advancing a move to oust the state’s top elections official.

The efforts to remove Protasiewicz and the Wisconsin elections commission administrator, Meagan Wolfe, from office have been decried by Democrats and government watchdog groups as undemocratic and could affect the administration of elections in 2024.

It reeks of being a desperate ploy to retain their power there; anti-democracy and utterly craven but understandable - desperate ploys are the only thing they have left.

On the other hand, D.C. Republicans are just *petty*.

From Politico -

‘They did it to me': Trump says Biden impeachment inquiry might be motivated by revenge

Trump told former Fox and NBC host Megyn Kelly that GOP attempts to indict Joe Biden could be next.

Former President Donald Trump has “no idea” whether Republicans will vote to impeach President Joe Biden.

But he does have a theory on what motivated House Republicans to launch a Biden impeachment inquiry: revenge.

Cheeto did get one major thing wrong - he did it to himself.

If he wasn't a crook who fomented treason, he wouldn't have been impeached or indicted.

But acknowledging that wouldn't comport with his self-image of victimhood.

DeSantis goes full homicidal maniac in his quest for the White House

From NBCNews -

DeSantis administration advises against Covid shots for Florida residents under 65

In a deviation from federal recommendations, Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis' administration is advising residents under the age of 65 not to get the new Covid boosters from Pfizer and Moderna.

"What I have directed our department to do is to provide guidance that really recommends and advises against the use of these mRNA Covid-19 vaccines for anyone under 65," Florida Surgeon General Joseph Ladapo said at an online panel hosted by DeSantis on Wednesday.

[snip]

"With virtually every walking human being having some degree of immunity and the questions we have about safety and about effectiveness — especially about safety — my judgment is that it’s not a good decision for young people and for people who are not at high risk at this point in the pandemic," [FL Surgeon General} Ladapo said.

1. Wear a damn mask.

2. Get vaccinated. 

Putin's character didn't merit a high opinion before this, but supporting Cheeto doesn't improve things

Not hardly.

From AP - 

Putin says prosecution of Trump shows US political system is ‘rotten’

Russian President Vladimir Putin asserted Tuesday that the criminal cases against former U.S. President Donald Trump are political revenge that show the fundamental corruption of the United States.

“As for the prosecution of Trump, for us what is happening in today’s conditions, in my opinion, is good because it shows the rottenness of the American political system, which cannot pretend to teach others democracy,” Putin said at an Eastern Economic Forum gathering in Russia’s Pacific Coast city of Vladivostok.

Masters rethinking a 2024 run for AZ's US Senate seat

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

By "rethinking" I mean "Peter Thiel's financial largesse has its limits and he has no wish to throw good money after bad...even in his quest to buy a Senate seat."

But that was too long for a headline, so... :)

From Vanity Fair -

Blake Masters Might Be Getting Cold Feet About A Second Run for Senate in Arizona: Report

Blake Masters, the far-right venture capitalist who ran and lost in a 2022 Senate election in Arizona, is having second thoughts about trying and potentially failing for a second time, The Daily Beast reported Sunday.

Toward the end of August, multiple outlets reported that Masters was virtually guaranteed to enter the race. An Arizona-based GOP strategist who’d spoken to Masters told Politico that he was “pretty decisively in.” Now—not so much.

Apparently, Cheeto told Masters that he wasn't going to defeat Cheeto's favored candidate, Kari Lake, but on this, I expect that Thiel has more influence with Masters.

Expect the NRA/gun industry hissy fit to start in 3...2...1...

From CNN -

New Mexico governor orders suspension of open and concealed carry of guns in Albuquerque

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham has declared gun violence and drug abuse a public health emergency after a string of recent deadly shootings, some involving children.

The emergency order includes the suspension of open and concealed carry laws in Albuquerque and Bernalillo County, temporarily banning the carrying of guns on public property with certain exceptions, according to a statement from Lujan Grisham on Friday.

Lujan Grisham cited the shooting deaths of three children from July through September, as well as a pair of mass shootings in the state.

“The time for standard measures has passed,” said Lujan Grisham, a Democrat. “And when New Mexicans are afraid to be in crowds, to take their kids to school, to leave a baseball game – when their very right to exist is threatened by the prospect of violence at every turn – something is very wrong.”

The gun nuts are already freaking out; the NRA has been silent so far, but I expect the gun industry lobbying group to soon join them.