Mullings An American Cyber Column By Rich Galen

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A Clowder of Cats

Rich Galen

Thursday May 23, 2019

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Herding cats. Can't do it. Can't herd A cat much less a clowder of cats.
SIDEBAR
I didn't know until I looked this up that a collective noun for a group of cats is a "clowder." It is also pointed out that if the cats are unsure of one another, the group can be called a "glaring" of cats."
You can decide the preferred term for any group of the cats getting into a Members Only elevator in the U.S. Capitol.

END SIDEBAR
Put aside your political inclinations and let's look at what happened on Capitol Hill and in the White House on Wednesday.
On Capitol Hill, Speaker Nancy Pelosi seemed to be losing ground in keeping her caucus under control when it comes to instituting impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump.
Keep in mind, I had trouble understanding what was going on among Republicans during the 1998 impeachment year against Bill Clinton and I was actually in many of the meetings.
So, my pretending to understand what's going on in the Democratic clowder in 2019, is just plain silly.
Nevertheless, Pelosi had to hold a Come to Nancy meeting to let her caucus vent a little. Or, maybe a lot. After the meeting she made a rare mistake - but a big mistake.
In a rambling statement to reporters in a Capitol hallway, Pelosi said, "We believe that the President of the United States is engaged in a coverup."
Well, them's fightin' words to any clowder OR glaring of cats you choose to say them to.
I think Pelosi is trying to hold back her felines because she wants the courts to rule on Congressional subpoenas and to see if Trump and his underlings decide to disregard a court ruling.
That would make an impeachment proceeding much more understandable to people like me for whom reading the 438-page Mueller Report is as likely as my watching the Game of Thrones from beginning to end between now and Memorial Day.
Or between now and Judgement Day.
But, Pelosi by claiming Trump "is engaged in a cover up," she provided him an opportunity to retaliate which he did about an hour later.
It seems that Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer were due to meet with Trump in the White House on a new infrastructure plan. Schumer said he brought along a "35-page plan" which Trump is as likely to read as … oh, I already did that joke.
Armed with Pelosi's charge, Trump (a) made the bicameral Democratic leadership wait for 15 minutes, then (b) came into the room and strode directly to the lectern with no handshakes or greetings, then (c) spoke for about 3 minutes, and then (d) walked out.
After that, according to the Associated Press:
Trump strode to the Rose Garden where aides had gathered reporters and TV cameras for his demand that Congress drop its investigations.
Trump said that he wouldn't negotiate on any major policy initiative until the House Democrats "get these phony investigations over."
Later in the afternoon the Trump legal team appears to have its second federal court ruling this week. According to CNBC.com:
federal judge in New York City [Judge Edgardo Ramos] on Wednesday said Deutsche Bank and Capitol One can turn over financial documents related to President Donald Trump and his businesses in response to subpoenas from House Democrats.
This subpoena demanded financial records for Trump and "his three older children," Don, Jr., Eric, and Ivanka.
The Trump clan's lawyers argued that the "demand for the documents lacks a legitimate legislative purpose," but the judge ruled that "there is such a purpose" and that while the subpoenas are "undeniably broad" they are "clearly pertinent."
If Speaker Pelosi thinks she is getting pressure from her crowder to open impeachment proceedings now, just wait until these documents come into the Capitol and begin to leak to the cable news nets.
Futurist John Naisbitt is quoted as having said, "Leadership involves finding a parade and getting in front of it."
Before you can lead the cats, you have to get them aimed in the same direction.
In the Secret Decoder Ring page today: Links to a web page of collective nouns for groups of animals, to the video of Nancy Pelosi's hallway remarks, to the AP's coverage of the abbreviated White House meeting, and to CNBC's article on the federal judge's ruling.
The Mullfoto is another scooter shot. This one, two teenagers riding double on one scooter.

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