Kevin McCarthy goes on Meet the Press and shows that he's a lousy human being

He may be the Jeff Bezos of the U.S. House of Representatives, just with less money.

Cheeto hates Bezos, not because Bezos, though a vile human being, is still a better one than Cheeto, but because Bezos is wealthier than Cheeto.

Similarly, McCarthy is hated by Matt Gaetz, who's pretty vile himself.

Yet McCarthy, with his appearance on NBC's Meet the Press, while hated by Gaetz, proved that he is still pretty bad himself.

It's as if being despised by someone who's a lousy human being may not be a positive character reference.

Meet the Press' transcript is here.

McCarthy showed four things with his appearance:

1. While he was deposed by extremists in his own caucus (in fact, Gaetz made the motion to get rid of him), he blames Democrats for his ouster and hopes everyone else does too.  Notwithstanding the cluster-copulate that the R caucus in the House has become.

2. He may not be as pro-Putin/anti-Ukraine as Cheeto and Paul Gosar, but it's a matter of degree, not a matter of substantive difference.

3. Like most other Rs, he conflates being anti-immigrant with being anti-Hamas' attack on Israel.

4. He wants to be Speaker again; at least, he didn't rule it out.

From the transcript (emphasis added by me), though I recommend reading it in its entirety -

Actually, he showed a few other things, but those were the high points.

Cheeto throws Sidney Powell under the bus

At least he didn't say she only fetched coffee.

From CNN -

After Sidney Powell pleads guilty in Georgia case, Trump claims she was ‘never’ his attorney, despite their past ties

Former President Donald Trump claimed Sidney Powell was “never” his attorney in a social media post Sunday, three days after she pleaded guilty in the Georgia election subversion case.

Despite Trump’s claims, Powell was briefly an official member of Trump’s legal team in 2020, and Trump stayed in contact with her on election-related matters even after she was ousted from his campaign.

Dear attorneys for Cheeto:

This turn of events proves something - not only should  you wait for the retainer check to clear before doing anything for him, his campaign, or one of his companies, you should probably photocopy that check before depositing it,

Me

How long before Cheeto insists that he can yell "fire!" in a crowded theater?

From CNN -

Trump ‘does not have the right to say and do exactly what he pleases,’ Judge Chutkan says, issuing gag order

A federal judge on Monday issued a gag order on former President Donald Trump, limiting what he can say about special counsel Jack Smith’s federal prosecution into his alleged attempt to subvert in the 2020 presidential election.

The order restricts Trump’s ability to publicly target court personnel, potential witnesses, or the special counsel and his staff. The order did not impose restrictions on disparaging comments about Washington, DC, – where the jury will take place – or certain comments about the Justice Department at large, both of which the government requested.

[snip]

Trump will appeal Chutkan’s order, he said in a post on his social media website Truth Social.

“WILL APPEAL THE GAG ORDER RULING. WITCH HUNT!” he wrote.

I don't really expect Cheeto to yell "fire" in a crowded theater, but I *do* expect him to do two things:

1. He will claim victimhood and defy the order.  He'll egg on his supporters and then he'll chime in.

2. He will claim victimhood and fundraise off of the order..  It's always about the grift for him.

McCarthy makes his case...for being Cheeto's running mate

Certainly not as a decent human being, but that would utterly disqualify him from being one of Cheeto's hangers on.

However, he's got the "petty, vindictive, and cowardly" part of the job description down pat, to the point where the Rs who voted against him may be thinking that they'd change their votes if only he were like them all the time.

From CNN, dated 10/4 -

McCarthy behind move to kick Pelosi out of her office, sources say – so he can move into it

Kevin McCarthy was behind interim Speaker Patrick McHenry’s move to kick former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and former Majority Leader Steny Hoyer out of their office spaces, two Republican sources told CNN.

GOP Rep. Garret Graves told reporters on Wednesday that McCarthy is getting the office that McHenry has ordered her to vacate.

She didn't even vote to depose McCarthy; she didn't vote to keep him, either.  She was out of town, escorting the body of a friend, Sen. Dianne Feinstein.

From the vote to depose McCarthy -

Yes, McCarthy didn't even have the fortitude to face the target of his ire.  Nope, he did dirt to someone who did nothing to him but waited until she was a continent away to do it.

Basically, he exhibited the epitome of cowardice.

But it's not just him; it's the entire GOP caucus.

From The Hill, dated 10/4 -

House GOP takes revenge on Democrats after McCarthy ousting

Allies of toppled former House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) are fuming at Democrats for failing to back him amid his historic ejection — leaving Democrats arguing the GOP has no one to blame but themselves.

Republican ire hasn’t just been centered on the eight members of their own conference who ignited and backed the vote to oust McCarthy, but also the Democrats who voted in unison to remove him.

No has explained why members of the Democratic caucus should be thought of as responsible for fixing the Republicans' mess. 

The Rs (including McCarthy) *chose* to embrace and empower their most radical members; that's on them.  

They made this mess; they need to clean it up.

I'm not a Biblical person, but this reminds me of a saying taken from Hosea 8:7, emphasis added by them..

In other House Speaker news, Cheeto has endorsed one of the Rs who are declared candidates for the speakership.

From AP -

Donald Trump endorses Jim Jordan to succeed Kevin McCarthy as House speaker

Former President Donald Trump is backing Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio, the pugnacious House Judiciary Committee chairman and longtime Trump defender, to succeed Kevin McCarthy as House speaker.

“Congressman Jim Jordan has been a STAR long before making his very successful journey to Washington, D.C., representing Ohio’s 4th Congressional District,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social site early Friday. “He will be a GREAT Speaker of the House, & has my Complete & Total Endorsement!”

Not surprising the someone deemed liable for raping someone thinks so highly of someone noted for using his position to protect sexual predators.

Get your popcorn out, and fasten your seatbelts - this is shaping up to be an entertaining but bumpy ride.

Paul Penzone not seeking a 3rd term and will resign in January

Let the political games of musical chairs and idle speculation begin.

From AZFamily -

Penzone won’t seek 3rd term as Maricopa County Sheriff, will step down in January

Maricopa County Sheriff Paul Penzone says he will not seek a 3rd term and will be stepping down as Sheriff in January 2024.

“I have decided that I will not pursue a third term,” said Penzone during an emotional news conference Monday afternoon. “Not because I leave this office in any way, shape, or form disappointed; it has all been incredible. It is the greatest privilege and blessing that anyone could’ve asked for, especially in a profession like this.” Penzone said.

Penzone also announced he would be stepping down before his current term is up, "I think it’s appropriate for me to depart of the office in January and clear the way so during the last year of my term going into elections, there aren’t distractions. It gives me a chance to pursue some opportunities to serve the public in several ways and to do some things that present themselves as incredible options and opportunities."

I'm not much into musical chairs, but I can do idle speculation with the best of them.

Caveat: No actual humans were talked for this.

I have no idea who the Democratic nominee will be; the R nominee will (probably) be someone who should be in prison used to work for Joe Arpaio.

As for Penzone's next gig, if it's not elected, I could only guess - maybe he's going to be the commissioner of the World Pickleball Tour.

OK, that's probably not going to happen. :)

Some speculation is that he plans to run for an elected office, so I'll talk about that.

US Senate - could happen, but probably not, and for two reasons.  1. Ruben Gallego has been in the race for a while.  2. Kyrsten Sinema is still lurking; a Sinema candidacy is expected to give the race to the R nominee.

US House of Representatives - could happen, but that will depend on other chips falling in a way that's favorable to him.  

If he entered the race against R David Schweikert, he'd almost certainly cause at least two of the announced candidates in the crowded Democratic primary there to withdraw.  I don't think it will happen, but given his documented history of taking on entrenched office holders with ethics issues, this one isn't out of the realm of possibility.

If he entered the race to replace Gallego in Congress, he would lose in the primary there - the candidates there have been active since before the moment that Gallego announced his intent to run for Senate.

If he entered the race for the seat held by Greg Stanton, well, I suppose it *could* happen, but I expect that he wouldn't enter that race unless Stanton announces that he won't seek another term.

Arizona Corporation Commission - the only state-level seats on the 2024 ballot.  Seems too low profile for him.

City Council, School Board, Justice of the Peace, and Constable slots - Not only do I not know where he lives (eligibility for those is residency-specific), I think those are too low profile.

State Legislature - he's highly respected; why would he want to lose that?  In other words, not gonna happen...though if he were to join the lege, he could serve as a counterbalance to John Kavanagh.

What I think will happen is that he will accept a position with the Biden Administration.

If that happens, there will be a certain synchronicity to that - Penzone's predecessor was pardoned by Biden's predecessor.

Basically, one skell pardoned another.

If Biden hires Penzone, it will be a situation where one decent human being hires another.

Wait, didn't they get Capone for tax evasion?

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

Like Cheeto, he did a lot of bad things, most them far worse than tax evasion, but the pragmatic part of me says "hey, whatever works."

From The Messenger -

Trump’s Tax Representative Said in 2020 He ‘Agrees’ With $26.6 Million Appraisal of Mar-a-Lago (Exclusive)

Former President Donald Trump has sought to discredit a New York judge’s blockbuster ruling threatening his business empire by arguing that Mar-a-Lago alone is worth more than a billion dollars.

But less than three years ago, his tax representative told Palm Beach County officials that Trump “agrees” his private club in South Florida is worth just $26.6 million, according to records obtained by The Messenger.

“The petitioner agrees with the determination of the property appraiser or tax collector,” Michael Corbiciero, the CEO of the tax consulting firm Marvin F. Poer & Co., attested in a letter dated Nov. 16, 2020.

Maybe the next time that Cheeto, he should enter to a song.  Of course, that song should be Fortunate Son, written by John Fogerty, and performed by Creedence Clearwater Revival.

From Austin Community College -

[snip]

But when the tax man comes to the door,
Lord, the house looks like a rummage sale.

A court ruling may remove the core of Cheeto's self identity

Before he committed treason...before he bankrupted a casino...even before he was a media "personality"...he was a a real estate developer in New York City.

For most folks in that line of work, their favorite building materials seem to be concrete, wood, and drywall; based on the judge's ruling, it seems that Cheeto's were smoke, mirrors, and bullshit.

From The Hill -

Trump could lose control of famed properties under New York fraud ruling

A major loss Tuesday in former President Trump’s New York civil fraud case raises the potential for him to lose control of some of his famed properties and ability to do business in the state.

A New York judge ruled Tuesday that state Attorney General Letitia James (D) proved core elements of her far-reaching case, narrowing the scope of the trial that is set to begin as soon as Monday.

The decision finds Trump, two of his adult children — Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. — and their businesses liable for fraud after James’s office sued them last September. They have denied any wrongdoing and vowed to appeal.

"Smoke, mirrors, and bullshit."

Those are the basic building materials in his political career, too.

The MAGA crowd has a new dance-the hypocritical two step: Cheeto wants to overturn the Constitution while claiming it protects him

Pointed at this by Taegan Goddard's Political Wire.

From PBS -

Trump argues First Amendment protects him from ‘insurrection’ cases aimed at keeping him off 2024 ballots

Attorneys for former President Donald Trump argue that an attempt to bar him from the 2024 ballot under a rarely used “insurrection” clause of the Constitution should be dismissed as a violation of his freedom of speech.

The lawyers made the argument in a filing posted Monday by a Colorado court in the most significant of a series of challenges to Trump’s candidacy under the Civil War-era clause in the 14th Amendment. The challenges rest on Trump’s attempts to overturn his 2020 loss to Democrat Joe Biden and his role leading up to the violent Jan. 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Was The Nuremburg Defense taught at Trump U?

A lot of Cheeto's lackeys seem to be using it, AKA the "I was just following orders" defense.

From Politico -

Trump’s co-defendants are already starting to turn against him

The finger-pointing among Donald Trump’s inner circle has begun.

And as his four criminal cases march toward trials, some of his aides, allies and co-defendants are pointing at the former president.

Cheeto could try the same gambit, but would have to point a finger at his liege. And if when he does that (face facts - Donnie *never* accepts responsibility for his own bad acts), he should probably avoid being anywhere that can be blown up or even has windows above ground level (to avoid spontaneous defenestration).

Cheeto may also want to avoid being near other people - his liege has shown a willingness to have others killed in order to get to those he considers to be disloyal.

Harvard U has a repository of Nuremburg war crimes trials stuff here.

Cheeto gives Fredo a reason to turn on him

From Huffington Post via Yahoo! -

Trump Biographer Thinks He Just Threw Eric Trump ‘Under The Bus’

Donald Trump biographer Tim O’Brien suggested the former president tossed one of his own sons “under the bus” in a recently released deposition.

Trump, per a transcript of a deposition he gave in April in the New York attorney general’s office’s civil case alleging he inflated his net worth, was asked if he was “currently the person with ultimate decision-making authority for the Trump Organization.”

“My son Eric is much more involved with it than I am. I’ve been doing other things,” the former president replied. “And I guess you could say on something major, final decisions, whatever. But I’ve been much less involved in it than ... over the last five years, five or six years than ever before.”

There was “a little whiff of him throwing Eric under the bus there should any charges press further on,” O’Brien said on MSNBC on Sunday.

“No decision was ever made in the Trump Organization without Donald Trump approving it,” he added. “I think at one point in the deposition, he describes himself as, ‘The most honest man in the world,’ which is, of course, not true.”

If Cheeto's latest scheme to blameshift doesn't work, Junior should get worried - Cheeto has shown he is willing to throw absolutely anyone under the bus in order to avoid responsibility for his bad acts.

If Cheeto weighs 215 pounds, then I'm a Yankees fan

 Hint: I'm not.  Not even close. :)

I actually think he outweighs me, and I haven't seen 215 in decades.

And I'm not the only one who doesn't believe his self-reported height and weight.

From Salon -

"Lost 25 pounds and grew one inch": No one's buying Trump's self-reported 215-pound weight

“It doesn’t look like they put him on the scale," quipped CNN anchor Dana Bash

Former President Donald Trump's self-reported height and weight during his surrender to authorities in Georgia Thursday quickly sparked questions of their validity. The quadruple indictee listed his height as 6-foot-3 and weight as 215 pounds while being booked at the Fulton County Jail, digits that varied vastly from his previously reported numbers. During Trump's Manhattan arraignment earlier this year, he told police he stood at 6-foot-2 and weighed 240 pounds. The difference between the measurements would mean he "lost 25 pounds and grew one inch since his arraignment in April," noted Mediate's Aidan McLaughlin.

The self-reported figures also butt up against his last recorded weight during his presidency, according to The Messenger. The White House physician in 2019 listed his weight as 243 pounds, which was up by four pounds from his 2018 measurement. The outlet noted that Mark Meadows, Trump's former chief of staff who is two inches shorter than the former president, reported his weight at 240 pounds during his surrender, which would make him nearly 25 pounds heavier than Trump. MSNBC's Chris Hayes noted that Trump's self-reported measurements are identical to speedy star NFL quarterback Lamar Jackson.

Former mistress Stormy Daniels doesn't believe he weighs 215, either.

From the NY Daily News -

Stormy Daniels mocks Trump’s reported weight, explains why she knows ‘Tiny’ doesn’t weigh 215 lbs.

Stormy Daniels has joined the chorus of social media users who are skeptical of former President Donald Trump’s booking weight.

On Friday, the adult film actress and director took to X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, to explain why she doesn’t believe the 77-year-old controversial politician was telling the truth when he claimed to stand at 6-foot-3 and weigh 215 pounds, according to the official paperwork from his booking at Fulton County Jail in Georgia.

Is petulant a good campaign look for Cheeto?

If so, he's got the R nomination locked up.

From CNN (and I presume, the Fulton County Sheriff's Office) -

Maybe someone should send this pic to Mark Finchem, Kari Lake, and all of Cheeto's other sycophants/apologists in AZ.

For that matter, perhaps Kelli Ward and the other fake electors should be added to that list.

Prigozhin presumed to be dead; Cheeto wishes that he could deal with adversaries the same way that Putin does

If Vlad was responsible, at least he changed things up this time - it wasn't a spontaneous defenestration.

From AP -

Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin is presumed dead after a plane crash outside Moscow

Mercenary leader Yevgeny Prigozhin, who led a brief armed rebellion against the Russian military earlier this year, was presumed dead Wednesday after a plane crash north of Moscow that killed all 10 people on board.

Prigozhin was on the plane, according to Russia’s civil aviation agency, which cited the airline. The crash immediately raised suspicions since the fate of the founder of the Wagner private military company has been the subject of intense speculation ever since he mounted the mutiny.

Rudy, at his finest

Pic courtesy a Twitter user...and the Fulton County Sheriff's Office -

Wonder if Rudy farted during his photo session.

Hope that when Cheeto surrenders, his mugshot is also released.  He'll probably turn it into a grifting opportunity, offering autographed versions in exchange for a significant contributions to his campaign.