On Saturdays, the True Blue Report “Blue Ribbon” will be awarded to individuals or groups with the most successful, dramatic, or encouraging act of resistance in the previous week.
Some winners will be named in the body of the diary and you can nominate other worthy ribbon winners in the comments.
It was not a good week for team DJT, which means it was a very good week for us!
Everyone expected the Congressional Budget Office report release on Monday would contradict all the empty promises made about Trumpcare, so DJT’s minions spent several days ahead of time badmouthing the CBO, mostly by claiming they got it wrong about how many people would sign up for coverage under the ACA. Of course none of them mentioned the CBO estimates were thrown off by the ways insurance companies and Rcon governors successfully sabotaged Obamacare, but that is another story.
Anyway, the attempts to discredit the CBO didn’t work. When the report was released, everyone latched onto the key numbers that make Trumpcare look the worst: millions will lose their insurance, the immediate effect on premiums would make them increase, older people would pay a LOT more, and many of the folks most strongly supportive of “repeal and replace” would be hurt the worst.
In addition to that, Trumpcare was still being attacked from the right, with prominent conservatives saying they wanted a straight repeal because too many elements of Ocare were still a part of DonTCare.
Some were worried that in a year where all kinds of crazy things have happened, the usually nonpartisan CBO might have been unduly affected by some kind of political pressure to give DJT the result he wanted, so in that respect the report was also a relief.
Whip numbers took a nosedive, and we only need three R defectors in the Senate to kill the bill. Who knows what will happen as more deals are made, but this week at least we are justified in feeling encouraged in our hope that Rand Paul is right and the bill has no chance of passing.
More than three dozen names are listed as helping with the CBO Report, so we give blue ribbons to them all!
DJT continued to insist that President Obama committed a felony by having his “wires tapped” in Trump Tower, even after:
Senate Intelligence Committee chair Richard Burr and ranking member Mark Warner issued a statement earlier Thursday, saying "based on the information available to us, we see no indications that Trump Tower was the subject of surveillance by any element of the United States government either before or after Election Day 2016."
His ability to continue the lie without apology makes him look more and more unhinged. During a press availability with Chancellor Merkel, DJT continued to repeat the wiretap allegations and started rambling about Fakes News anchor Bret Baier and somehow trying to make it seem as though he got the story from him. He also referred to Baier as a talented legal mind even though he apparently does not have a law degree. Making Bret Baier a higher authority than the Senate Intelligence Committee helps convince more persuadables that DJT is completely unmoored from reality and unable to accept any authority outside his own twisted mind.
Judge Derrick K. Watson, the judge in Hawaii who issued a restraining order against Travel Ban II, is the only individual stand out this week. DJT was furious when news of the second travel ban reached him right before a “campaign rally” in Tennessee, and in complaining about the ruling he unwittingly confirmed the judge’s contention that Travel Ban II was not substantively different in intent from Travel Ban I!
I’m out of time—please add other nominees for ribbons in the comments!
In issuing the restraining order, Watson smacked down the idea that the travel ban was intended to be religiously neutral, using DJT’s own words against him:
The Government appropriately cautions that, in determining purpose, courts should not look into the “veiled psyche” and “secret motives” of government decisionmakers and may not undertake a “judicial psychoanalysis of a drafter’s heart of hearts.” … The Government need not fear. The remarkable facts at issue here require no such impermissible inquiry. For instance, there is nothing “veiled” about this press release: “Donald J. Trump is calling for a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States.” (emphasis mine)
Maybe someday DJT will realize that words have consequences and he can’t take stupid things back after they come out of his mouth. Between what he said and what 9iu11ani said there is no hiding the fact that this Travel Ban has nothing to do with national security and everything to do with the irrational fear of Muslims among the RWNJs who swept him into office and who work beside him in the White House. The best thing about the travel ban being halted again is that this makes one more promise he made to the deplorables that he will not be able to keep.
We are halfway through the first 100 days and by now they hoped they would have made a lot more progress. Instead they are stalled on “repeal and replace”, he will not effect a total and complete shutdown of Muslims entering the United States, and he can’t deflect from the Russia investigation by blaming non-existent wiretapping on president Obama.
Blue Ribbon to Judge Watson for stopping Travel Ban II before it could even get started!
Since I am running late anyway, I will throw in an honorable mention for whoever leaked the two pages of DJT’s 2005 tax returns to David Cay Johnston who then shared them with Rachel Maddow, because I am not one of the people who was disappointed. I continue to think it was a significant show because it was the first we had seen of *any* DJT federal return and there was important information to be gleaned from the document. I hope whoever leaked that document is able to come up with more.
But apparently Stephen Colbert was one of the people who was underwhelmed by the reveal. As much as I love him, I could not laugh at this clip, although I know what he is getting at:
Previous TRUE BLUE REPORT diaries
Mar 17: They know DJT is lying. Here’s one sad reason they follow him anyway.
Mar 16: Mick Mulvaney's ignorant, callous, evil, Republicon definition of compassion
Mar 15: Message Discipline—Pushback against Rcon talking points re DJT 2005 tax return
Mar 14: Message Discipline 101—Pushback against Rcon talking points about Obamacare repeal
Mar 13: Culture, Civilization, Rural America, Working Families—the missing word is a “tell”
Mar 12: The Rcon definition of Christians is as wrong as the Rcon definition of Democrats.
Mar 11: Ribbons: A Day Without a Woman, Native Nations Rise, Voting Rights Act still lives
Mar 10: How to talk to people who have trouble understanding actions have consequences
Mar 9: Where’s the fire? The real reason Rs are trying to rush TrumpCare through Congress
Mar 8: Message Discipline 101: TrumpCare, RyanCare, GOPCare, DonTCare—what’s in a name?
Mar 7: How very hard it is for a woman to go a day without paid (or unpaid) work
Mar 6: Can DJT really be stumbling into the exact investigation we want?
Mar 5: How is it even possible that deplorables see a man of faith when they look at DJT?
Mar 4: Blue Ribbon Winners—Chris Hayes, Malcolm Nance, Cierra Fields
Mar 3: I’m glad Bannon, Conway, Carson, Sessions, Miller, et al. are in the DJT Administration
Mar 2: “In every major fire it always starts with smoke. And smoke is what kills you.”
Mar 1: Am I the only one whose skin crawled at the Carryn Owens BIRGing moment?
FEBRUARY
Feb 28: Spinspotting 101: Special Prosecutor for what? It’s so easy to answer that question
Feb 27: Spinspotting 101: I’ve seen no evidence because I haven’t looked for any evidence!
Feb 26: If Neil Gorsuch were a man of integrity, he would decline the S.Ct. appointment
Feb 25: True Blue Ribbons: Russia Flag trolling, Dixie Swastika grabbing, District Days demonstrating
Feb 24: There is no such thing as a compassionate conservative
Feb 23: Chief of Staff, Nat’l Security Advisor, GOP Head, President Bannon—too many hats!
Feb 22: DJT has a few questions for you—SMURF THIS POLL!
Feb 21: The end of “access journalism” means it’s time to #sendtheinterns
Feb 20: KAC lying low for now… can we banish her (and all her ilk) from the airwaves completely?
Feb 19: DeVos cartoon, Ruby Bridges, unearned unhappiness and childlike faith
Feb 18: Blue Ribbon Winners—Vice Adm. Harward, Melissa McCarthy, and intel whistleblowers
Feb 17: And Ain’t I an American?
Feb 16: Please tell your family and friends—If you regret your DJT vote, speak up NOW
Feb 15: R-supported forced childbirth laws deny the autonomy of women
Feb 14: What did the president know? Everything. When did he know it? From the beginning.
Feb 13: Coping with The Madness of King Donald by hoping political comedy will save us
Feb 12: The Poverty and Justice Bible
Feb 11: Blue Ribbon Winners: Swastika removers, Ninth Circuit Panel, and the Persisterhood!
Feb 10: The first three words of the Constitution are “We, the People” not “I, the President”
Feb 9: Who first inspired your political activism? Who inspires you now?
Feb 8: We cannot and will not be silenced—Here’s what to do if they try to silence you
Feb 7: Plain Talk Tuesday: Tell people the Affordable Care Act is the same as OBAMACARE
Feb 6: Interview Skills 101—Internalized oppression and what Ryan Lizza did right. BRAVO!
Feb 5: These protest signs with Bible cites will confuse and befuddle RWNJs
Feb 4: Blue Ribbon Winners: Temple B’Nai Israel, Judge Robart, CNN, Senate Phone Callers
Feb 3: Not rich, not smart, not a good businessman, not a winner—DJT is NOTHING he claims to be
Feb 2: Thursday action—Encouragement, thanks, and apologies (pick one or more)
Feb 1: July 7, 2009 to August 25, 2009 and September 25, 2009 to February 4, 2010
JANUARY
Jan 31: If you’re on overload that’s part of their plan—there’s more than one way to #resist
Jan 30: Interview Skills 101 for reporters attempting to interview KAC and other Rcons
Jan 29: Blessed are they who hunger and thirst after righteousness
Jan 28: Blue Ribbon Winners: Women's March participants and #NoMuslimBan demonstrators and...
Jan 27: I wish Steve Bannon would tell me to keep my mouth shut
Jan 26: Thursday Action—Have you ever written a letter to the editor? Here’s how to start
Jan 25: The Asch Conformity Study, inauguration crowds, and the importance of speaking out
Jan 24: #ResistTrumpTuesday—good news day or another paying dues day?
Jan 23: Spy the Lie 101: How to enjoy watching Rcon spokesbot interviews, even KAC!
Jan 22: Why I prayed for the President* today
Jan 21: The only silver lining in the midst of these clouds
Inaugural (!) diary: Stop expecting Republicons to make sense