The first plank of fmr. VP Joe Biden's climate change policy is to beat Donald Trump. True. Bernie Sanders said today that, yes, Donald Trump is the most dangerous president in modern American history but we need to take on the fossil fuel industry. Also true.
The point is that Donald Trump is going to do nothing to reverse the effects of climate change, and in fact is rolling back regulations to do more damage to the environment. Our suggestion would be not to call the problem at hoax, which it's obviously not given the unprecedented severity and frequency of the natural disasters we're living through; but we need to lead on climate change and set the agenda for the rest of the world. The United States should be at the forefront of technologies that can create a more energy efficient world, creating the tools and systems that other countries will buy. Instead, because of the stubbornness and frankly fecklessness of the Republican politicians in the pockets of the fossil fuel industry, we're ceding this leadership to China.
Thanks for indulging that digression, and now onto the topic of the week - abortion and the bills that are being passed by states' conservative legislatures. Senator Tom Cotton (R-AR) stated that he believes that life begins at conception, but that there is a lack of democratic debate to come up with a legislative compromise. Several times he brought up the fact that the issue has been decided by unelected judges, which Eugene Robinson due noted and continued to explain that it can not be decided any other way because there is no consensus. However, the problem with having such a democratic debate to create legislation is that views, hence the legislation, would disproportionately not represent where the country stands on this issue. As Chuck Todd noted, by a 2 to 1 margin the country believes that Roe vs. Wade should remain as is. So Mr. Cotton's rhetoric sounds reasonable, it wouldn't represent where the country is on this issue. It would be a political decision, which brings us to Bernie Sanders' answer on abortion. Mr. Sanders said that it should be a medical decision and not a political one. As a medical decision, a woman's right to medical privacy about decisions that she makes with regard to her body should be her own. Those decisions should not be made through a political or religious lens.
It is this column's belief that a man does not have the right to rule over the decisions on what a woman does with her body. Do you think that men would stand for a law that said if a man commits a rape that he should be castrated? Think about it.
Conservatives such as Pat Robertson, Kevin McCarthy and even the president have expressed the view that the draconian Alabama abortion legislation that provides no exceptions goes too far. In the bill the doctor performing the abortion can receive up to 99 years in prison, a longer sentence than than the rapist. Other conservative states are rushing to pass like bills in the hopes that this issue will go to the Supreme Court where conservative advocates believe the conservative court will overturn Roe. Again, Eugene Robinson explained that it was unlikely to even reach the court. But if it were to reach the court, Janet Napolitano explained that the timing of decision would coincide with the presidential election season. And as Heidi Przybyla explained, the abortion issue front and center in the fall of 2020 will motivate suburban woman, particularly, to abandon the Republican party.
Chuck Todd pointed out that the hard right has been focused on the court like a laser, and one of the reasons for that focus is this very issue. However, this column would contend that there is something larger at play. The right writ large sees there voting majority perpetually in a more perilous position and the courts are the only way to save their agenda.
If Donald Trump wins reelection it will be with another electoral college win while losing the popular vote... Again. Republicans are fortunate that the Senate disproportionately stays in control of a minority of the population so getting rid of the electoral college is not an option. Conservatives are hoping the courts will help them advance their agenda, despite what Mr. Cotton says about unelected judges.
Panel: Rich Lowry, The National Review, Janet Napolitano, fmr. Governor of Arizona; Heidi Przybyla, NBC, Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post
Sunday, May 19, 2019
Sunday, May 05, 2019
5.5.19: Dems... Follow Your Leader
Suffice to say that the Democrats are divided on whether they should impeach the president or not. However, right at the top of this column there is some advice to be had - follow your leader. Nancy Pelosi, as the panel acknowledged, understands this president and the dynamic better than everyone. Impeachment shouldn't be off the table, as she said, but she also knows that the Senate will never vote for removing Donald Trump.
Another piece of advice for the Democrats would be more in the vain of Frank Lunz and that would be to stop saying that the Democrats should keep investigating. What they should say is that they will continue with 'rigorous oversight.' Use the word 'oversight' in place of 'investigation' and they'll keep opinion on their side. In this hyper-sensitive political climate, oversight is something the House must do whereas investigations sound politically motivated. As Eddie Glaude Jr. pointed out, Congress has an obligation to perform oversight.
The Mueller report didn't work out exactly how Democrats had hoped. As Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) so eloquently put it, they have a hair on their biscuit. However, there is little doubt that that hair has fallen out of Donald Trump's head, which is more like a wig throw over an entire breakfast. Part of that hairpiece is the Attorney General of the United States, William Barr who we've come to find out did indeed lie to Congress and then defied a subpoena to turn over the unredacted Mueller Report to congressional leaders and to appear in front of the Judiciary Committee. It's hypocritical of Mr. Kennedy to say that the Democratically-controlled House isn't acting completely in good faith, given what we had to endure when Republicans controlled it and had 6 years of hearings on Benghazi. Even if he were correct in saying that some of the House requests are politically motivated, that's just too bad. Republicans have no qualms about that when the situations are reversed. For Kristen Soltis Anderson to say that the Democrats are upset that William Barr gave Mr. Mueller's report a 'C,' not only trivializes the reports findings but put it in a juvenile context that questions the validity of her political commentary as a whole.
As for Mr. Barr, he had a decision as to whether or not to be the top law enforcement officer of the United States or Mr. Trump's personal attorney, and he chose the latter. He defied a subpoena to appear before congress, something that every other citizen of this country is compelled to do under the law and that he lied to the body, he should resign. That call shouldn't be controversial. However, he will not and impeaching anyone from the administration, let alone the president, will never happen and one need to look no further than Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) for the example. He is someone who you just see doesn't care about anything anymore except winning at the expense of Democrats, the health of the country be damned in the process. (But we digress.)
More grievously, and frankly worrying, is that the Administration is doing nothing in terms of Russian meddling in our elections. Mr. Trump's interactions with Vladimir Putin have been disgraceful inasmuch as they have not put the interests of United States security first. He didn't discuss meddling with the Russian president this week though they continue to do it. However, Mr. Kennedy said to today that the Russians are clever and they don't just go into your office and say we're Russians. Really? Hmmmm… That was about the dumbest thing to say as you can imagine. It's been talked about somewhere... about a meeting that the Trump campaign set up in the offices of the Trump Tower with individuals who they knew to be Russian. It's simply inexcusable to use such an example as that. Mr. Kennedy also added that the dispute between the House of Representatives and the White House is dangerous for the stability of our democratic institutions, and they should negotiate. This column agrees that it is a dangerous time and Mr. Barr has presented Congress with a Constitutional crisis (a politically perilous time Gerrald Seib from the Wall Street Journal called it), however since when do we negotiate the law?
Barack Obama had many detractors on both sides of the aisle when it came to foreign policy, but Donald Trump is on an incompetency scale all his own. Mr. Putin leads our president around by the nose it seems, and acts with impunity in defying the administration's foreign policy. Yet, Mr. Trump wants to recast the United States relationship with Russia. With regard to Venezuela, Putin backed Maduro telling the dictator not to step down as Russia has his back. Mr. Putin also met with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un earlier this week and now Kim is firing off more missiles. Yet, Mr. Kennedy says that we need to keep talking to Kim.
Politico's Eliana Johnson made the good point that Mr. Trump welcomes impeachment to create the foil to help him in his reelection bid. Don't give it to him. Mr. Trump likes to play victim while bullying his way around the law. It's presidential harassment he says of the oversight. To that, the Democrats should stay in a presidential harassing kind of mood and continue pressing for answers.
Panel: Kristen Soltis Anderson, the Washington Examiner; Gerrald Seib, the Wall Street Journal; Eliana Johnson, Politico; Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton University
One more thing...
Did you ever notice that when you see photos and videos of Kim Jung Un with his people in North Korea, he's the only one overweight? Just saying...
Another piece of advice for the Democrats would be more in the vain of Frank Lunz and that would be to stop saying that the Democrats should keep investigating. What they should say is that they will continue with 'rigorous oversight.' Use the word 'oversight' in place of 'investigation' and they'll keep opinion on their side. In this hyper-sensitive political climate, oversight is something the House must do whereas investigations sound politically motivated. As Eddie Glaude Jr. pointed out, Congress has an obligation to perform oversight.
The Mueller report didn't work out exactly how Democrats had hoped. As Senator John Kennedy (R-LA) so eloquently put it, they have a hair on their biscuit. However, there is little doubt that that hair has fallen out of Donald Trump's head, which is more like a wig throw over an entire breakfast. Part of that hairpiece is the Attorney General of the United States, William Barr who we've come to find out did indeed lie to Congress and then defied a subpoena to turn over the unredacted Mueller Report to congressional leaders and to appear in front of the Judiciary Committee. It's hypocritical of Mr. Kennedy to say that the Democratically-controlled House isn't acting completely in good faith, given what we had to endure when Republicans controlled it and had 6 years of hearings on Benghazi. Even if he were correct in saying that some of the House requests are politically motivated, that's just too bad. Republicans have no qualms about that when the situations are reversed. For Kristen Soltis Anderson to say that the Democrats are upset that William Barr gave Mr. Mueller's report a 'C,' not only trivializes the reports findings but put it in a juvenile context that questions the validity of her political commentary as a whole.
As for Mr. Barr, he had a decision as to whether or not to be the top law enforcement officer of the United States or Mr. Trump's personal attorney, and he chose the latter. He defied a subpoena to appear before congress, something that every other citizen of this country is compelled to do under the law and that he lied to the body, he should resign. That call shouldn't be controversial. However, he will not and impeaching anyone from the administration, let alone the president, will never happen and one need to look no further than Senator Lindsay Graham (R-SC) for the example. He is someone who you just see doesn't care about anything anymore except winning at the expense of Democrats, the health of the country be damned in the process. (But we digress.)
More grievously, and frankly worrying, is that the Administration is doing nothing in terms of Russian meddling in our elections. Mr. Trump's interactions with Vladimir Putin have been disgraceful inasmuch as they have not put the interests of United States security first. He didn't discuss meddling with the Russian president this week though they continue to do it. However, Mr. Kennedy said to today that the Russians are clever and they don't just go into your office and say we're Russians. Really? Hmmmm… That was about the dumbest thing to say as you can imagine. It's been talked about somewhere... about a meeting that the Trump campaign set up in the offices of the Trump Tower with individuals who they knew to be Russian. It's simply inexcusable to use such an example as that. Mr. Kennedy also added that the dispute between the House of Representatives and the White House is dangerous for the stability of our democratic institutions, and they should negotiate. This column agrees that it is a dangerous time and Mr. Barr has presented Congress with a Constitutional crisis (a politically perilous time Gerrald Seib from the Wall Street Journal called it), however since when do we negotiate the law?
Barack Obama had many detractors on both sides of the aisle when it came to foreign policy, but Donald Trump is on an incompetency scale all his own. Mr. Putin leads our president around by the nose it seems, and acts with impunity in defying the administration's foreign policy. Yet, Mr. Trump wants to recast the United States relationship with Russia. With regard to Venezuela, Putin backed Maduro telling the dictator not to step down as Russia has his back. Mr. Putin also met with North Korean dictator Kim Jung Un earlier this week and now Kim is firing off more missiles. Yet, Mr. Kennedy says that we need to keep talking to Kim.
Politico's Eliana Johnson made the good point that Mr. Trump welcomes impeachment to create the foil to help him in his reelection bid. Don't give it to him. Mr. Trump likes to play victim while bullying his way around the law. It's presidential harassment he says of the oversight. To that, the Democrats should stay in a presidential harassing kind of mood and continue pressing for answers.
Panel: Kristen Soltis Anderson, the Washington Examiner; Gerrald Seib, the Wall Street Journal; Eliana Johnson, Politico; Eddie Glaude Jr., Princeton University
One more thing...
Did you ever notice that when you see photos and videos of Kim Jung Un with his people in North Korea, he's the only one overweight? Just saying...
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