And gee, are the 217 Representatives feeling a bit, erm, defensive over their vote? Politico reports: "Most GOP members not holding town halls." Out of the 217, only 14 are holding town halls to explain and defend their vote.
Republican Representative Rod Blum (IA) has been "going so far as to require attendees [at his town halls] to register in advance and provide IDs at the door - all in an effort to limit participation to residents of the 1st District" in an effort to avoid too much criticism. Here's his exchange with a reporter:
Q: Well I think some would make the case that you represent all Iowans. The decisions that you make impact all Iowans, so shouldn't all Iowans have a voice at the table, or at least, have the option to?He then stormed out, "leaving the reporter, his film crew, and a bunch of bewildered children in his wake."
A: Heh. I don't represent all Iowans. I represent my — the 1st District of Iowa. That'd be—that'd be like saying—shouldn't I be able to — you know I live in Dubuque — go vote in Iowa City during the election because I'd like to vote in that district instead.
Q: Would you still take donations from a Republican in Iowa City?
A: Hah. I'm done. This is ridiculous. This is ridiculous. You're gonna sit here and just — just badger me.
In other news, Newsweek came out with a truly bizarre take on two well-known women, suggesting "Let’s review [Ivanka Trump's] uncanny similarities with Hillary Clinton." What do they have in common? The idea that both of them “start[ed] on third base thanks to her man,” is truly offensive and insulting to Clinton. Hillary and Bill started out at the same time, at the same level, and worked together to advance themselves. They both worked their way up from modest backgrounds through lots and lots of hard work. The idea that Ivanka started life "on third base" is, on the other hand, entirely accurate. She's a third-generation rich person, having a wealthy grandfather as well as a wealthy father. She "joined the family business a year after graduating from college." And yeah, "her man" refers to her father. A rather creepy reference. Something you'd expect to find in an "incest-oriented subreddit."
Oh, and MSNBC newsperson Joy Reid was less than impressed with Ivanka's new book.
Philadelphia Federation of Teachers makes their entrance to Clark Park.
Interesting insight into Donald Trump's character. This fellow who writes books on golf met with Trump three years ago and as he's about to leave, Trump complains he hasn't been asked any tough questions yet. The fellow obliges and
[Trump] dropped my arm like it had caught fire spontaneously, stepped back at least a yard, made that kind of constipated furious pig face he makes, slapped my back, doubled over and popped up laughing like you can’t believe and declared, "Yeah, it’s fun, isn’t it?"
There's also a question on Russian money and a reminder in the piece that the NY Times and the WaPo were working with Steve Bannon's GAI before the election.
Marching band.
Paul Grubb, Helen Gym and Ben Sears.
One of the problems near the end of Trump's first 100 days in office was a spending bill passed by both Houses of Congress. It contained lots of heartening news for liberals, but as a Tweet made clear: "Trump is clearly frustrated that media aren't playing spending deal as a W-I-N." Why was that? The WaPo said "Democrats are united against him, Republicans seem hopelessly divided, and Trump’s top priorities are no closer to being law than when he was running for president." Democrats were happy with what they got: "Funding for Planned Parenthood; more money, not less, for domestic programs; and not a dime spent on building Trump’s wall. Oh, and Obamacare remains in place, and Trump will have to agree to pay subsidies to keep it alive." Alas, when the House passed the AHCA, that called the celebratory party to an end, but it's really not clear that the AHCA victory s a lasting one.
Joie Kathos Hip Hop Artist
Jim Moran.
This is interesting. The President appears to be caught in a vicious cycle. He doesn't make much progress getting legislation passed. He goes on the campaign trail and speaks to crowds of pre-screened people. That energizes his followers, but has less and less effect on opponents. That takes time and attention and energy away from getting legislation passed. Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
From the LA Times: "Babies and children listed in Homeland Security's immigrant database of alleged criminals."
Yeah, this raises the old question: "Stupid or Evil?" Does the Trump Administration do things because they're understaffed and/or incompetent or because they just don't give a damn?
