The Senate faces a difficult and damaging situation; there is no doubt. However, it's only be made worse by the Senate itself. And it all goes back to the biggest wretch in what has been called, "the world's most deliberative body," and that would be Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY). He, above anyone else, has poisoned the nomination process of the Supreme Court and it all started with refusing to give former Supreme candidate Merrick Garland a hearing when Barack Obama was president. Then he changed the rules for a 60-vote benchmark to confirm a Justice, going with a simple majority once Donald Trump won the presidency. Now he's trying to ram through the nomination of Judge Brett Kavanaugh before the midterm elections, anticipating the possibility that Republicans may lose control of the Senate in November.
Mitch McConnell has single-handedly politicized and poisoned the Supreme Court beyond repair, and as long as he is the leader of the Republican caucus in the Senate, it should be given no quarter, ever.
This brings us to the Senate's performance with regard to the sexual assault allegation brought forth by Dr. Christine Blasey Ford against Judge Kavanaugh, which in agreement with Chris Matthews she had the duty as a citizen to come forward. To be clear, Senators on both sides have done a disservice to the American people, but considering that Republicans are in control and chair the Judiciary Committee, they shoulder much more of the blame.
Not to leave out the fact that Senate Republicans have made the following statements:
Senator Dean Heller (NV) - "This is a hiccup." Really? Sexual Assault is a hiccup?
Senator Orrin Hatch (UT) - "This woman who ever she is, is mixed up." He's had a misogynistic attitude his entire Senate career.
And last but not least, Senator Mitch McConnell (KY), "We're going to plow right through it, and do our job." What a tool. It? There is a person involved and her name is Dr. Christine Blasey Ford.
In Chuck Todd's interview with Senator David Perdue (R-GA), he stated the Judge Kavanaugh has been vetted six times by the FBI. Well, there should be a seventh time because as Mr. Todd pointed out he has not been vetted about this incident, which Mr. Perdue thinks unnecessary. Then Mr. Todd posed the question of what Mr. Perdue did in these types of situations when he was in the private sector, to which he answered that he would seek to be thorough and get all the information in determining the truthfulness of the allegation. But do you see the contradiction here? Now that he's a senator, he finds it unnecessary to use all of the resources available, namely the FBI looking into it, to get to the truth of the matter.
As Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) pointed out, the Republicans have predetermined this to be a he said/ she said because they have not called for the FBI to look into it. She also said that Republicans failed the test in 1991 with Anita Hill and they are doing no better in 2018; no doubt.
With all that said, it's easy to see that the Democrats are playing politics here as well in there attempts to delay the vote on Judge Kavanaugh or scuttle it altogether, retribution for Merrick Garland. Though after watching the hearings, the real issue is that Judge Kavanaugh lied to the Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) about not knowing that he received stolen confidential emails while Mr. Kavanaugh worked in the Bush White House. That should have already been a disqualifying instance.
As Helene Cooper of The New York Times pointed out, it's incredibly difficult for a woman to come forward to report a sexual assault. This is backed up by the point that Senator Murray made that there was a time when young women were told by their parents not to say anything. One could accept that that still happens. When young boys are sexually assaulted by the clergy, they may not report it for decades out of shame, just one of many reasons. It's a similar situation in both cases.
On Thursday, the American people will hear from Judge Kavanaugh and Dr. Blasey Ford, and they'll make the determination of which person is more credible, but if you've been paying attention Mr. Kavanaugh's credibility is already suspect and he's undeserving of a lifetime appointment to the United States' highest court.
Panel: Chris Matthews, MSNBC; Eliana Johnson, Politico; Jonah Goldberg, The National Review; Helene Cooper, The New York Times
Sunday, September 23, 2018
Sunday, September 16, 2018
9.16.18: The President Lacks Empathy Which Means A Lack of Success
"Unseemly" is the word the The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan used to describe President Trump's politicizing of Hurricane Maria hitting Puerto Rico last year. In the days leading up to Hurricane Florence hitting the Carolinas, the president through Twitter blamed the Democrats for inflating the number of deaths in Puerto Rico for the purpose of making him look bad.
The panel also talked about presidents having empathy, to which, again, Ms. Noonan explained the Mr. Trump doesn't have the normal presidential reactions. How about a decent human reaction - to feel for people whose lives have been shattered. PBS's Yamiche Alcindor said that it's like the president is saying the dead aren't dead. Words matter, and the president has to keep his eye on the ball and right now that is helping North and South Carolina mitigate the devastation and not just go down there for a photo-op. Having empathy or in other terms being the Consoler-in-Chief is a critical part of being president. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explained that acknowledgement of error shows empathy and even strengthens a president's support. However, as we know all too well, not for this president. Mr. Trump will never apologize or admit fault, unless it is pointed in someone else's direction.
Brock Long, the FEMA Administrator, explained that the situation in the Carolinas is still unfolding and that life safety is the main concern right now for FEMA. Mr. Long described recovery efforts in terms of four legs of a chair - federal government, local government, private sector and the citizening - and that each leg had to be working to be effective. However, if the local government is incapacitated then it's up to FEMA to shoulder the responsibility and marshal and distribute the resources. That's what FEMA does for American citizens... All American citizens.
It's understandable that Administrator Long doesn't want to get into the politics as a FEMA administrator shouldn't, but he did say that the number for the death toll in Puerto Rico are all over the place, which they clearly are not. But in addition to that he said that he didn't know why the studies were conducted. What? This makes one question his ability to be the head administrator, seriously. These studies were commissioned by the government to determine what exactly happened and hence how your agency can improve in its response.
Whether admitted or not, we can only hope that Mr. Long has learned the lessons of Hurricane Maria and will do a better job for the people of North and South Carolina, while continuing to help Puerto Rico.
And speaking of help, President Trump is beyond it.
His former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, has flipped this week, something the ever-infuriating Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz even said was a terrible day for the president. Terrible, indeed. As Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said in his interview, the longer you wait the more time in prison you'll get. No doubt as Mr. Manafort waited too long and now he is trying to avoid prison before the day comes where he'll have to be fitted for adult diapers.
Mr. Manafort has come to realize that because of both the state and federal charges against him that a pardon by Mr. Trump will not get him out of jail time. And he's also understanding that as everyone knows, loyalty when it comes to Mr. Trump is a one-way street. As Ms. Kearns Goodwin explained, administration officials need to be loyal to their jobs, not to a single person. Yet for Mr. Trump, you have to give it personally to get it, but that you wait for the latter in vain. Now, special counsel Robert Mueller is 'inside' the room during the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians back in June of 2016. Also, there was seemingly a quid quo pro between Mr. Manafort and Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch and close friend to Vladimir Putin, which Mr. Mueller's team will now have insight into the relationship.
The president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said Friday and yesterday that the cooperation of Mr. Manafort with the special counsel's office has nothing to do with the president or his campaign, which is yet to be seen. However, one should take heed of Ms. Alcindor's insight that it's more about the financials, specifically Mr. Manafort's and what he knows about Mr. Trump's financial ties to the Russians, which are substantial. That angle of the story seems to be somewhat off the radar, but it's likely to become one of the most significant developments in how Mr. Trump is beholden to Russian oligarchs and hence the Kremlin.
The most damaging information is yet to come, there is now little doubt.
Panel: Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian; Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS; Rich Lowry, The National Review
The panel also talked about presidents having empathy, to which, again, Ms. Noonan explained the Mr. Trump doesn't have the normal presidential reactions. How about a decent human reaction - to feel for people whose lives have been shattered. PBS's Yamiche Alcindor said that it's like the president is saying the dead aren't dead. Words matter, and the president has to keep his eye on the ball and right now that is helping North and South Carolina mitigate the devastation and not just go down there for a photo-op. Having empathy or in other terms being the Consoler-in-Chief is a critical part of being president. Presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin explained that acknowledgement of error shows empathy and even strengthens a president's support. However, as we know all too well, not for this president. Mr. Trump will never apologize or admit fault, unless it is pointed in someone else's direction.
Brock Long, the FEMA Administrator, explained that the situation in the Carolinas is still unfolding and that life safety is the main concern right now for FEMA. Mr. Long described recovery efforts in terms of four legs of a chair - federal government, local government, private sector and the citizening - and that each leg had to be working to be effective. However, if the local government is incapacitated then it's up to FEMA to shoulder the responsibility and marshal and distribute the resources. That's what FEMA does for American citizens... All American citizens.
It's understandable that Administrator Long doesn't want to get into the politics as a FEMA administrator shouldn't, but he did say that the number for the death toll in Puerto Rico are all over the place, which they clearly are not. But in addition to that he said that he didn't know why the studies were conducted. What? This makes one question his ability to be the head administrator, seriously. These studies were commissioned by the government to determine what exactly happened and hence how your agency can improve in its response.
Whether admitted or not, we can only hope that Mr. Long has learned the lessons of Hurricane Maria and will do a better job for the people of North and South Carolina, while continuing to help Puerto Rico.
And speaking of help, President Trump is beyond it.
His former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, has flipped this week, something the ever-infuriating Harvard Law Professor Alan Dershowitz even said was a terrible day for the president. Terrible, indeed. As Congressman Adam Schiff (D-CA) said in his interview, the longer you wait the more time in prison you'll get. No doubt as Mr. Manafort waited too long and now he is trying to avoid prison before the day comes where he'll have to be fitted for adult diapers.
Mr. Manafort has come to realize that because of both the state and federal charges against him that a pardon by Mr. Trump will not get him out of jail time. And he's also understanding that as everyone knows, loyalty when it comes to Mr. Trump is a one-way street. As Ms. Kearns Goodwin explained, administration officials need to be loyal to their jobs, not to a single person. Yet for Mr. Trump, you have to give it personally to get it, but that you wait for the latter in vain. Now, special counsel Robert Mueller is 'inside' the room during the Trump Tower meeting with the Russians back in June of 2016. Also, there was seemingly a quid quo pro between Mr. Manafort and Oleg Deripaska, the Russian oligarch and close friend to Vladimir Putin, which Mr. Mueller's team will now have insight into the relationship.
The president's lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, said Friday and yesterday that the cooperation of Mr. Manafort with the special counsel's office has nothing to do with the president or his campaign, which is yet to be seen. However, one should take heed of Ms. Alcindor's insight that it's more about the financials, specifically Mr. Manafort's and what he knows about Mr. Trump's financial ties to the Russians, which are substantial. That angle of the story seems to be somewhat off the radar, but it's likely to become one of the most significant developments in how Mr. Trump is beholden to Russian oligarchs and hence the Kremlin.
The most damaging information is yet to come, there is now little doubt.
Panel: Doris Kearns Goodwin, presidential historian; Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS; Rich Lowry, The National Review
Sunday, September 09, 2018
9.9.18: Everyone's Joined In Outrage
There's certainly a lot to comment on from this past week, but it's important to start with what Senator Ben Sasse (R-NE) explained in his interview today which was as long as we're focused on the daily incompetence of the president, there is no longer term vision or policy that is being executed. Granted it's almost impossible not to discuss anything without factoring the president into the equation, despite what Budget Director Mick Mulvaney said to donors the other day that if you take Mr. Trump out of the equation, Republicans will do very well in these midterm elections. Not much of a pep talk.
According to the anonymous op-ed in The New York Times written by a senior administration official, the public should take some 'cold comfort' in the fact that there are adults in the room. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, is not one of them. She's the ultimate enabler to be certain. She explained that the team has tightened this week because of the op-ed, as they are "joined in our outrage." Aptly put considering that a majority of Americans are joined in their outrage about the performance of this president. Everyone's raging...
Chuck Todd asked Ms. Conway if the president is in charge of his presidency, to which you'd never get any other answer than 'of course.' But it's clear, as the panel discussed, that we have learned nothing new from the op-ed or from the excerpts of Bob Woodward's upcoming book Fear, except to confirm what we've been hearing on a daily basis. Case in point is Ms. Conway herself. She received a request from Mr. Woodward to interview the president for the book, and even though she does have direct access to the president, she decided herself to bury the request instead of informing the president about it. She admitted as much today.
Any which way, an 'unelected cabal' of people in an administration, especially this one, is not how the country should be run. As Cornell Belcher and Danielle Pletka agreed, it's both slightly comforting, but also terrifying.
And of course, what the op-ed achieved was to bring out even more authoritarian tendencies on the part of Donald Trump, ignorantly accusing The New York Times of treason. Also, when Mr. Todd asked Ms. Conway what law was broken that would precipitate President Trump telling Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the leak, she of course didn't have an answer.
In terms of the Republicans in Congress, for the most part they're just keeping their heads down with nothing to say with the exception of the aforementioned Mr. Sasse who did in fact describe this administration as a reality show today. But writ large, Republicans haven't done a single thing in the form of any real oversight of this president or administration.
Instead, they're only, obviously, interested in their own power to in the case of confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, protecting their interests in the event that they lose power. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today accurately described every one of the Mr. Kavanaugh's answers as evasive and numbingly repetitious. Throughout the hearings, Mr. Kavanaugh repeatedly said that he would not answer a 'hypothetical' question so there was no gaining any insight into his judicial philosophy because so much of the documentation on Mr. Kavanaugh was withheld from the public.
Mr. Todd brought up Senator Kamala Harris's inquiry to Mr. Kavanaugh as to whether he had spoken to anyone at the president's lawyer's firm about the Mueller investigation. Mr. Durbin answered that Ms. Harris had heard that such a conversation may have taken place so she asked the nominee about it. It was the only definitive answer he gave, which was a 'no' answer, however it took him two days to answer with that one-word response.
Mr. Kavanaugh should not be confirmed for a lifetime appointment as a Supreme Court Justice as he is the epitome of an activist jurist. In the moment, as Mr. Durbin rightly outlined, he would rule for President Trump to deem any legal action against the president unconstitutional, essentially putting Mr. Trump above the law. And then in the long term, Mr. Kavanaugh, despite what he's said in these hearings, will acquiesce to the hard right and decide again Roe vs. Wade should it come before the court. Unfortunately, Republicans will successful jam this nominee through before the midterms, where they are anticipating losing control of Congress.
Our completely Republican-controlled government did the only two things it could in these two years of absolute control - confirm hard right Supreme Court judges and pass a massive unnecessary tax cut for the wealthiest Americans.
Panel: Katy Tur, NBC; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Cornell Belcher, Democratic Strategiest; Erick Erickson, The Resurgent
One More Thing...
The president really needs to learn how to say 'anonymous' to fain any sort of outrage. Or maybe just the meds were kicking in, anyone's guess...
Update: And if we were betting on who the anonymous op-ed writer is, this column predicts it's National Security Advisor, John Bolton.
According to the anonymous op-ed in The New York Times written by a senior administration official, the public should take some 'cold comfort' in the fact that there are adults in the room. Kellyanne Conway, counselor to the president, is not one of them. She's the ultimate enabler to be certain. She explained that the team has tightened this week because of the op-ed, as they are "joined in our outrage." Aptly put considering that a majority of Americans are joined in their outrage about the performance of this president. Everyone's raging...
Chuck Todd asked Ms. Conway if the president is in charge of his presidency, to which you'd never get any other answer than 'of course.' But it's clear, as the panel discussed, that we have learned nothing new from the op-ed or from the excerpts of Bob Woodward's upcoming book Fear, except to confirm what we've been hearing on a daily basis. Case in point is Ms. Conway herself. She received a request from Mr. Woodward to interview the president for the book, and even though she does have direct access to the president, she decided herself to bury the request instead of informing the president about it. She admitted as much today.
Any which way, an 'unelected cabal' of people in an administration, especially this one, is not how the country should be run. As Cornell Belcher and Danielle Pletka agreed, it's both slightly comforting, but also terrifying.
And of course, what the op-ed achieved was to bring out even more authoritarian tendencies on the part of Donald Trump, ignorantly accusing The New York Times of treason. Also, when Mr. Todd asked Ms. Conway what law was broken that would precipitate President Trump telling Attorney General Jeff Sessions to investigate the leak, she of course didn't have an answer.
In terms of the Republicans in Congress, for the most part they're just keeping their heads down with nothing to say with the exception of the aforementioned Mr. Sasse who did in fact describe this administration as a reality show today. But writ large, Republicans haven't done a single thing in the form of any real oversight of this president or administration.
Instead, they're only, obviously, interested in their own power to in the case of confirming Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court, protecting their interests in the event that they lose power. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today accurately described every one of the Mr. Kavanaugh's answers as evasive and numbingly repetitious. Throughout the hearings, Mr. Kavanaugh repeatedly said that he would not answer a 'hypothetical' question so there was no gaining any insight into his judicial philosophy because so much of the documentation on Mr. Kavanaugh was withheld from the public.
Mr. Todd brought up Senator Kamala Harris's inquiry to Mr. Kavanaugh as to whether he had spoken to anyone at the president's lawyer's firm about the Mueller investigation. Mr. Durbin answered that Ms. Harris had heard that such a conversation may have taken place so she asked the nominee about it. It was the only definitive answer he gave, which was a 'no' answer, however it took him two days to answer with that one-word response.
Mr. Kavanaugh should not be confirmed for a lifetime appointment as a Supreme Court Justice as he is the epitome of an activist jurist. In the moment, as Mr. Durbin rightly outlined, he would rule for President Trump to deem any legal action against the president unconstitutional, essentially putting Mr. Trump above the law. And then in the long term, Mr. Kavanaugh, despite what he's said in these hearings, will acquiesce to the hard right and decide again Roe vs. Wade should it come before the court. Unfortunately, Republicans will successful jam this nominee through before the midterms, where they are anticipating losing control of Congress.
Our completely Republican-controlled government did the only two things it could in these two years of absolute control - confirm hard right Supreme Court judges and pass a massive unnecessary tax cut for the wealthiest Americans.
Panel: Katy Tur, NBC; Danielle Pletka, American Enterprise Institute; Cornell Belcher, Democratic Strategiest; Erick Erickson, The Resurgent
One More Thing...
The president really needs to learn how to say 'anonymous' to fain any sort of outrage. Or maybe just the meds were kicking in, anyone's guess...
Update: And if we were betting on who the anonymous op-ed writer is, this column predicts it's National Security Advisor, John Bolton.
Sunday, September 02, 2018
9.2.18: Americans Need To Be Reconditioned
Both senators interviewed on today's "Meet The Press" respectively spoke in measured tones, just how you would think United States senators would exercise their discourse. It's like you almost get the feeling that in the senate, at least, both parties do want to work together but alas cannot because of pressure from unyielding base supporters who have been conditioned to think that politics is a zero-sum proposition when really it is not. What the United States Senate really has really suffered from is poor leadership in these past years. Harry Reid wasn't great but Mitch McConnell is much worse. Instead of fulfilling the role of what it means to be a senator, like the late John McCain, Mr. McConnell changes the rules and runs the chamber simply to enhance his own power. He will also acquiesce to and excuse the president's poisonous rhetoric and unethical actions to enhance his zero-sum agenda.
All of this is antithetical to what John McCain stood for, and that's why in his late vote on the Senate floor he bucked his party and didn't vote to kill the Affordable Care Act. Under Mr. McConnell, the chamber didn't procedure in regular order on this vote and Mr. McCain had made that known, then stuck it in Mr. McConnell's face.
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) gave the example of bipartisanship in the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act. However, he has to go soft on criticism of the president inasmuch as the bill was named after Senator McCain, which the president never acknowledged when he signed it.
Our politics is petty, but we expect our political leaders not to be; to rise above this pettiness to show us a better way. Unfortunately, it starts at the top and Mr. Trump has shown us that he is the most petty, thin-skinned, vindictive politician that Washington has ever seen.
Chuck Todd posed a suggestion, from the Democratic base, to Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) that Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee who will participate in hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court should walk out, to which Ms. Klobuchar rightly pushed back on. Not to participate would be politically unwise. However, Senator Klobuchar did explain that this isn't a normal time because the president citing executive privilege will not release 100,000 documents concerning Mr. Kavanaugh and that over 100,000 documents that she has seen can not be made public. This on top of the fact that Mr. Kavanaugh has been nominated by a president that has been implicated in campaign finance crime (by Michael Cohen under oath), and that Senator McConnell denied Merrick Garland a hearing when he should have gotten one. But honor and the institution of the Senate matter not to Mitch McConnell, just the zero-sum win - not just to get more in the deal but to take it all.
Mr. Todd also brought up the notion that the memorial for John McCain was also a memorial for an era of political civility and that calling of 'higher purpose.' The Cook Political Report's Amy Walter responded by saying that that era had already left some time ago, which is unfortunately true. On the other hand, The New York Times Magazine's Mark Leibovich explained that yesterday's memorial at the National Cathedral was very Trump specific, and it was. This column wholeheartedly agrees with Mr. Leibovich that the most poignant moment yesterday came from President Barack Obama who explained to everyone's surprise that he and Senator McCain would talk alone at times in the Oval Office, and though they disagreed they both never doubted that they were always on the same team.
American need to be reconditioned to realize that we can have differences but we're all on the same team. Sadly, Mr. Trump will never be the leader inclined to even think about this, especially when he's only interested in what the presidency can do for him and not the country writ large. Division works to only his advantage, and not the country's. that the
As much as Congressman Ron DeSantis seems like a mindless sycophant of Donald Trump, he has the advantage at this moment over his Democratic opponent Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum in the Florida gubernatorial race, despite the detestable 'monkey it up' statement by Mr. DeSantis and the ensuing racist robocalls sponsored by a neo-nazi group. Mr. Gillum, interviewed on today's program, said he was pleased that the DeSantis campaign denounced the robocalls, but he also said that Mr. DeSantis should take more personal responsibility for his statements, which Mr. DeSantis has refused to apologize for. Mr. Gillum unrealistically wants Medicare for all and to abolish ICE, to which Republicans in the state will apply many dog whistles or messaging less subtle. There's also the issue of the a bribery investigation in Tallahassee, which Mr. Gillum answered for very forthrightly. Though he is not implicated and is not a target, saying he has nothing to hide, Mr. Todd applied the point of perception vs. reality. The bottom line is that Mr. Gillum is much better suited for the governor's position being in charge of a municipality. There's no doubt this will be the toughest, potentially dirtiest race we see this election season. (It's already started that way.)
Panel: Kimberly Atkins, The Boston Herald; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Matthew Continetti, The Washington Free Beacon; Mark Leibovich, The New York Times Magazine
All of this is antithetical to what John McCain stood for, and that's why in his late vote on the Senate floor he bucked his party and didn't vote to kill the Affordable Care Act. Under Mr. McConnell, the chamber didn't procedure in regular order on this vote and Mr. McCain had made that known, then stuck it in Mr. McConnell's face.
Senator Dan Sullivan (R-AK) gave the example of bipartisanship in the passing of the National Defense Authorization Act. However, he has to go soft on criticism of the president inasmuch as the bill was named after Senator McCain, which the president never acknowledged when he signed it.
Our politics is petty, but we expect our political leaders not to be; to rise above this pettiness to show us a better way. Unfortunately, it starts at the top and Mr. Trump has shown us that he is the most petty, thin-skinned, vindictive politician that Washington has ever seen.
Chuck Todd posed a suggestion, from the Democratic base, to Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) that Democrats on the Senate judiciary committee who will participate in hearings of Judge Brett Kavanaugh for the Supreme Court should walk out, to which Ms. Klobuchar rightly pushed back on. Not to participate would be politically unwise. However, Senator Klobuchar did explain that this isn't a normal time because the president citing executive privilege will not release 100,000 documents concerning Mr. Kavanaugh and that over 100,000 documents that she has seen can not be made public. This on top of the fact that Mr. Kavanaugh has been nominated by a president that has been implicated in campaign finance crime (by Michael Cohen under oath), and that Senator McConnell denied Merrick Garland a hearing when he should have gotten one. But honor and the institution of the Senate matter not to Mitch McConnell, just the zero-sum win - not just to get more in the deal but to take it all.
Mr. Todd also brought up the notion that the memorial for John McCain was also a memorial for an era of political civility and that calling of 'higher purpose.' The Cook Political Report's Amy Walter responded by saying that that era had already left some time ago, which is unfortunately true. On the other hand, The New York Times Magazine's Mark Leibovich explained that yesterday's memorial at the National Cathedral was very Trump specific, and it was. This column wholeheartedly agrees with Mr. Leibovich that the most poignant moment yesterday came from President Barack Obama who explained to everyone's surprise that he and Senator McCain would talk alone at times in the Oval Office, and though they disagreed they both never doubted that they were always on the same team.
American need to be reconditioned to realize that we can have differences but we're all on the same team. Sadly, Mr. Trump will never be the leader inclined to even think about this, especially when he's only interested in what the presidency can do for him and not the country writ large. Division works to only his advantage, and not the country's. that the
***
As much as Congressman Ron DeSantis seems like a mindless sycophant of Donald Trump, he has the advantage at this moment over his Democratic opponent Tallahassee mayor Andrew Gillum in the Florida gubernatorial race, despite the detestable 'monkey it up' statement by Mr. DeSantis and the ensuing racist robocalls sponsored by a neo-nazi group. Mr. Gillum, interviewed on today's program, said he was pleased that the DeSantis campaign denounced the robocalls, but he also said that Mr. DeSantis should take more personal responsibility for his statements, which Mr. DeSantis has refused to apologize for. Mr. Gillum unrealistically wants Medicare for all and to abolish ICE, to which Republicans in the state will apply many dog whistles or messaging less subtle. There's also the issue of the a bribery investigation in Tallahassee, which Mr. Gillum answered for very forthrightly. Though he is not implicated and is not a target, saying he has nothing to hide, Mr. Todd applied the point of perception vs. reality. The bottom line is that Mr. Gillum is much better suited for the governor's position being in charge of a municipality. There's no doubt this will be the toughest, potentially dirtiest race we see this election season. (It's already started that way.)
Panel: Kimberly Atkins, The Boston Herald; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Matthew Continetti, The Washington Free Beacon; Mark Leibovich, The New York Times Magazine
Sunday, August 26, 2018
8.26.18: An American Hero Leaves Us With a Huge Void in Leadership
We'll stay out of the Trumpster fire this week except to say that in comparing President Trump and the late Senator John McCain, there is no comparison. Mr. Trump said that Mr. McCain wasn't a war hero because he got captured [by the North Vietnamese] and he thinks heroes don't get captured. You can imagine this column's feeling on that, even if you've only been reading for the past two weeks. Mr. McCain's response was that the president didn't owe him apology, but did owe an apology to every other POW who fought for this country. More recently, President Trump gave a speech at Fort Drum in New York and signed a new military authorization bill in front of the troops. The bill was purposely name after Senator John McCain and the president never once mentioned his name, a obvious slight to the late senator.
The reason that President Trump tries to tear down people with integrity is because he has none. This column over the years has both praised the late Arizona senator and denounced some of his political stances, but would not question the man's integrity. There's now a huge void in American political leadership that no one seems capable of stepping up to fill.
From today's "Meet The Press" and from other tributes every citizen of this country and others around the world should know that Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was:
self-knowingly flawed,
proud,
patriotic,
always thinking in terms of a cause bigger than himself,
egotistic,
forgiving,
hot-tempered,
a political maverick,
gracious in defeat,
able to issue an apology,
deeply committed to the notion that the U.S. as the exceptional nation,
willing to reach across the aisle,
a able to disagree with a fellow legislator yet call him or her friend,
a hero,
a true American.
He embodied all the traits that make us all Americans. It can't be overstated and his was a voice that we desperately need in these times with such a divisive president who has no inclination to lead all that call themselves Americans.
Here are a few examples to illustrate the larger-than-life legacy of John McCain.
At the Al Smith Dinner in 2008. Note his words about then-Senator Barack Obama (starting at 1:40)
Highlights of his best political moments, including when he corrected a woman on the campaign in 2008 about his president opponent Barack Obama
A New York Times Retrospective
Photos of an American Hero
Senator McCain, thank you for your service, sir.
Panel: Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Joshua Johnson, NPR; Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Susan Page, USA Today; David Brody, Christian Science Network
The reason that President Trump tries to tear down people with integrity is because he has none. This column over the years has both praised the late Arizona senator and denounced some of his political stances, but would not question the man's integrity. There's now a huge void in American political leadership that no one seems capable of stepping up to fill.
From today's "Meet The Press" and from other tributes every citizen of this country and others around the world should know that Senator John McCain (R-AZ) was:
self-knowingly flawed,
proud,
patriotic,
always thinking in terms of a cause bigger than himself,
egotistic,
forgiving,
hot-tempered,
a political maverick,
gracious in defeat,
able to issue an apology,
deeply committed to the notion that the U.S. as the exceptional nation,
willing to reach across the aisle,
a able to disagree with a fellow legislator yet call him or her friend,
a hero,
a true American.
He embodied all the traits that make us all Americans. It can't be overstated and his was a voice that we desperately need in these times with such a divisive president who has no inclination to lead all that call themselves Americans.
Here are a few examples to illustrate the larger-than-life legacy of John McCain.
At the Al Smith Dinner in 2008. Note his words about then-Senator Barack Obama (starting at 1:40)
Highlights of his best political moments, including when he corrected a woman on the campaign in 2008 about his president opponent Barack Obama
A New York Times Retrospective
Photos of an American Hero
Senator McCain, thank you for your service, sir.
Panel: Tom Brokaw, NBC News; Andrea Mitchell, NBC News; Joshua Johnson, NPR; Hallie Jackson, NBC News; Susan Page, USA Today; David Brody, Christian Science Network
Sunday, August 19, 2018
8.19.18: "Truth Isn't Truth," Mr. Giuliani Has No Shame
There is something obviously wrong with the fact that President Trump has a list of individuals who he has targeted to revoke their security clearances because they have been critical of his performance as president. A letter, signed onto by over 70 intelligence officials, rebukes the president's actions of revoking fmr. CIA Director John Brennan's security clearance for what are purely political reasons and not because Mr. Brennan divulged any information vital to national security.
That takes us to the interview with Mr. Brennan who is correct in saying that he now has the proverbial target on his chest for the president's defenders. He did walk back his 'treasonous' comment in a way but not really, not like the panel concluded. Mr. Brennan said that collusion is evident, despite Mr. Giuliani's pathetic rebuttals which we'll get to in a few moments, because the Trump campaign knowingly tried to solicit damaging material from foreign nationals on their political opponent. Then Mr. Trump himself, during a press conference, uttered the statement, "Russia, if you're listening...," to which we come to find out that after hours that same day the Russians did in fact act. Where Mr. Brennan in a way walked back his statement was that he said there's no proof of conspiracy. This is where things became conflated inasmuch as Mr. Brennan's 'treasonous' comment was in response to Mr. Trump taking sides with Mr. Putin over the U.S. intelligence community on Russian election meddling. You would have to concede that saying it is 'treasonous' behavior is not completely out of bounds, but over the line for a former CIA director.
The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson explained that though the president is within his legal right to revoke a security clearance, it's not acceptable when done for the wrong reasons, namely vindictive political ones. So in line with John Brennan, the president is abusing his power, but that begs the rhetorical question of whether we could expect anything less from Mr. Trump given what we've seen so far.
Commenting on Ret. Adm. William McRaven's letter, Hugh Hewitt would have advised him to 'save his bullets' in defending Mr. Brennan. However, the letter goes much further in being critical of the president, and it comes from a man who oversaw the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. He also pointed out the collusion is not conspiracy, and the latter hasn't been proven, which Mr. Brennan conceded. However, the one key word left out is the word 'yet.' This column's guess is that conspiracy may not be proven, collusion must certainly, but what will certainly find is that the president has been compromised and subject to blackmail due to his extensive financial ties to Russian oligarchs. Again, always follow the money.
And because White House Counsel Don McGahn is cooperating with the Special Counsel's investigation, Mr. Giuliani doesn't feel the president needs to sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller's team to tell the truth and not worry about committing perjury because it's only a version of the truth.
Then Mr. Giuliani, the annoying ignoramus he has become, explained it with "Truth isn't truth."
Cemented is the fact the Mr. Giuliani is actually worse than President Trump inasmuch as he was a prosecutor who lead FBI agents, FBI agents in the same office who he now refers to as storm troopers. Giuliani has no shame, or to use Mr. Trump's favorite phrase, "He's a disgrace." He tried to explain that politicians are meeting with people to look for 'dirt' on their opponents so collusion isn't even possible. When Mr. Todd pointed out that it's illegal to do so from representatives of a foreign government, Mr. Giuliani responded that they didn't know they were representatives of the Russian government and continued to contend today that they weren't. Unbelievable...
Going back to Mr. McGahn for a moment, let's make clear that being White House counsel is not the same as being the president's lawyer. The White House counsel is the lawyer for the office of the presidency and protects the presidency from the person in the office. In a simpler way, Mr. Gahn advises the president on what he can or cannot do legally as president. With his 30 hours of testimony and cooperation with the Special Counsel, it's clear that Mr. McGahn has no intention of going down with the Trump ship.
Panel: Carol Lee, NBC; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS News Hour; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Hugh Hewitt, Salem Radio Network
One More Big Thing...
The Catholic Church continues to despicably betray public trust. Over 300 priests abused over 1,000 children over the course of decades in Pennsylvania, according to the report issued by the state's Attorney General. Outlined in the report was a child pornography ring run by priests in the Pittsburgh area with particular child being given gold crosses to designate that they were susceptible to victimization. Utterly sickening. Carol Lee explained that this is only one state and there's no way to fix this because the perpetrators - the priests and the hierarchy covering it up - tasked with correcting this systematic abuse and torture are the same people in this culture of secrecy. As Ms. Alcindor pointed out, before being rudely interrupted by Mr. Hewitt, this is extremely dangerous the world over because of how developing countries rely on the Catholic Church in schools and hospitals and through so many segments of society. There was a 'playbook' for the Church on how to deal with it - see below:
Mr. Hewlitt said that Cardinal Donald Wuerl in Washington DC, who oversaw the Pittsburgh Archdiocese at the time should resign, which the Cardinal said he would not do. No, he shouldn't resign... He should be arrested immediately. Period. Hard stop.
That takes us to the interview with Mr. Brennan who is correct in saying that he now has the proverbial target on his chest for the president's defenders. He did walk back his 'treasonous' comment in a way but not really, not like the panel concluded. Mr. Brennan said that collusion is evident, despite Mr. Giuliani's pathetic rebuttals which we'll get to in a few moments, because the Trump campaign knowingly tried to solicit damaging material from foreign nationals on their political opponent. Then Mr. Trump himself, during a press conference, uttered the statement, "Russia, if you're listening...," to which we come to find out that after hours that same day the Russians did in fact act. Where Mr. Brennan in a way walked back his statement was that he said there's no proof of conspiracy. This is where things became conflated inasmuch as Mr. Brennan's 'treasonous' comment was in response to Mr. Trump taking sides with Mr. Putin over the U.S. intelligence community on Russian election meddling. You would have to concede that saying it is 'treasonous' behavior is not completely out of bounds, but over the line for a former CIA director.
The Washington Post's Eugene Robinson explained that though the president is within his legal right to revoke a security clearance, it's not acceptable when done for the wrong reasons, namely vindictive political ones. So in line with John Brennan, the president is abusing his power, but that begs the rhetorical question of whether we could expect anything less from Mr. Trump given what we've seen so far.
Commenting on Ret. Adm. William McRaven's letter, Hugh Hewitt would have advised him to 'save his bullets' in defending Mr. Brennan. However, the letter goes much further in being critical of the president, and it comes from a man who oversaw the operation that killed Osama Bin Laden. He also pointed out the collusion is not conspiracy, and the latter hasn't been proven, which Mr. Brennan conceded. However, the one key word left out is the word 'yet.' This column's guess is that conspiracy may not be proven, collusion must certainly, but what will certainly find is that the president has been compromised and subject to blackmail due to his extensive financial ties to Russian oligarchs. Again, always follow the money.
And because White House Counsel Don McGahn is cooperating with the Special Counsel's investigation, Mr. Giuliani doesn't feel the president needs to sit down for an interview with Robert Mueller's team to tell the truth and not worry about committing perjury because it's only a version of the truth.
Then Mr. Giuliani, the annoying ignoramus he has become, explained it with "Truth isn't truth."
Cemented is the fact the Mr. Giuliani is actually worse than President Trump inasmuch as he was a prosecutor who lead FBI agents, FBI agents in the same office who he now refers to as storm troopers. Giuliani has no shame, or to use Mr. Trump's favorite phrase, "He's a disgrace." He tried to explain that politicians are meeting with people to look for 'dirt' on their opponents so collusion isn't even possible. When Mr. Todd pointed out that it's illegal to do so from representatives of a foreign government, Mr. Giuliani responded that they didn't know they were representatives of the Russian government and continued to contend today that they weren't. Unbelievable...
Going back to Mr. McGahn for a moment, let's make clear that being White House counsel is not the same as being the president's lawyer. The White House counsel is the lawyer for the office of the presidency and protects the presidency from the person in the office. In a simpler way, Mr. Gahn advises the president on what he can or cannot do legally as president. With his 30 hours of testimony and cooperation with the Special Counsel, it's clear that Mr. McGahn has no intention of going down with the Trump ship.
Panel: Carol Lee, NBC; Yamiche Alcindor, PBS News Hour; Eugene Robinson, The Washington Post; Hugh Hewitt, Salem Radio Network
One More Big Thing...
The Catholic Church continues to despicably betray public trust. Over 300 priests abused over 1,000 children over the course of decades in Pennsylvania, according to the report issued by the state's Attorney General. Outlined in the report was a child pornography ring run by priests in the Pittsburgh area with particular child being given gold crosses to designate that they were susceptible to victimization. Utterly sickening. Carol Lee explained that this is only one state and there's no way to fix this because the perpetrators - the priests and the hierarchy covering it up - tasked with correcting this systematic abuse and torture are the same people in this culture of secrecy. As Ms. Alcindor pointed out, before being rudely interrupted by Mr. Hewitt, this is extremely dangerous the world over because of how developing countries rely on the Catholic Church in schools and hospitals and through so many segments of society. There was a 'playbook' for the Church on how to deal with it - see below:
Mr. Hewlitt said that Cardinal Donald Wuerl in Washington DC, who oversaw the Pittsburgh Archdiocese at the time should resign, which the Cardinal said he would not do. No, he shouldn't resign... He should be arrested immediately. Period. Hard stop.
Sunday, August 12, 2018
8.12.18: The Darker Shades in Between The Trump Administration's True Colors
Former Congresswoman Donna Edwards summed it up best when she described Omarosa Manigault-Newman's disclosures during her interview as a 'mixed bag.' Yes, Mrs. Manigault-Newman admits that she was complicit when bearing close witness to many of President Trump's abhorrent statements, but how could she not have already known about Mr. Trump's discriminatory housing practices in New York or his bigoted campaign again the Central Park 5 or his ridiculous birtherism statements against his predecessor.
In a way, Mrs. Manigault-Newman is very much the same as Donald Trump inasmuch as that if a person no longer serves self-interest, that person needs to be taken down. With that said, it's not surprising or shocking to realize or assess that Mr. Trump is a bigot and a misogynist, at the very least in his public statements. This column will leave the label of 'racist' to others, but there's no doubt Mr. Trump uses race to divide this country and never defends minorities... Oh Hell with it, he's racist.
At every opportunity to do the right thing on race relations in this country, Mr. Trump goes the other way, and ultimately he fails us all. In a tweet, not a statement but a tweet, Mr. Trump condemned all types of racism. All types? What does that even mean when white supremacists will be demonstrating across the street from The White House TODAY in Lafayette Park? The New York Times' David Brooks called the tweet 'distancing,' which can be interpreted as saying enough to cover yourself but really in effect saying nothing at all. However, if the recording of Mr. Trump using the 'n' word exists and comes out, especially in October, as Mrs. Manigault-Newman contends, there's really going to be a political explosion in this country, and rightfully so.
In the meantime, in terms of Mrs. Manigault-Newman's book causing her 'awakening' to the ways of Trump, one could say there is some truth to that, but in terms of her charges to the president's character, there's truth to that as well. Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R) of bathroom legislation fame did not find Mrs. Manigault-Newman credible at all and stated that recording conversations was highly unethical. That's as far as he could go given the obviously distasteful statements and non-statements by Mr. Trump. The rest of the panel did push back on him a bit arguing that that deceptive act is the product of a deceptive culture in The White House. Also, NBC's Kristen Welker who covers the White House every day said that her descriptions of the goings-on were very familiar. What can not be disputed as evidenced by the recording we heard today of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly and by the Non-Disclosure Agreement is that this is an administration that bullies and shows no hesitation to harass legally or otherwise if you cross it. As for General Kelly, his credibility and legacy takes a hit every day he remains on the job. Mrs. Manigault-Newman cited that Mr. Kelly did refer to multiple domestic abuser Rob Porter, former the White House secretary, as a man of great integrity.
We know the true colors of this president and his administration, but it's the darker shades in between those colors that are even more troubling.
Conversely, there is Ohio Governor John Kasich (R-OH) who could indeed win over independents and conservative Democrats if he were to run for president; however, he would have trouble getting the nomination in the Republican party because of the base, which is solidly off the reservation of reality in its unquestioned support of Donald Trump. Make no mistake, Gov. Kasich espouses some seriously conservative policies but after not even two years of Trump, people want to hear a message of lifting other people up, bringing them together and being for something instead of constantly instilling fear.
What was disappointing is that Gov. Kasich's experience, which Chuck Todd noted, is used against him. Honestly, this is just plain stupid. Having experience in governing should be required, not a disqualifying attribute. Again, this is a product of the Republican base.
Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC; Donna Edwards (D-MD), former Congresswoman; Pat McCrory (R-NC), former Governor; David Brooks, The New York Times
One more thing...
Democrats have to run away from Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) because she is so demonized by Republicans and the right writ large. But here's the reality... The reason she is so demonized is because she's such a strong leader for Democrats and was a better Speaker of the House than Paul Ryan or John Boehner could have ever have hoped to have been. She would get the caucus behind her and get the votes unlike the chaos you see in the Republican-runned House right now. And as Donna Edwards noted, she has raised $90 million for Democrats this election cycle. This column gets it, conservative Democrats are leery of Mrs. Pelosi because of her progressive agenda, which she should make no apologies for just as hard right conservatives like Mark Meadows (R-NC) would make no apologies for his. But make no mistake, it's Mrs. Pelosi's effectiveness that Republican politicians really fear, and it would be a glaring omission if we didn't say that, let's face it, our society has been much more complicit when it comes to tearing down female political leaders, which is a disgrace. Yet, Donald Trump goes there all the time, without hesitation.
In a way, Mrs. Manigault-Newman is very much the same as Donald Trump inasmuch as that if a person no longer serves self-interest, that person needs to be taken down. With that said, it's not surprising or shocking to realize or assess that Mr. Trump is a bigot and a misogynist, at the very least in his public statements. This column will leave the label of 'racist' to others, but there's no doubt Mr. Trump uses race to divide this country and never defends minorities... Oh Hell with it, he's racist.
At every opportunity to do the right thing on race relations in this country, Mr. Trump goes the other way, and ultimately he fails us all. In a tweet, not a statement but a tweet, Mr. Trump condemned all types of racism. All types? What does that even mean when white supremacists will be demonstrating across the street from The White House TODAY in Lafayette Park? The New York Times' David Brooks called the tweet 'distancing,' which can be interpreted as saying enough to cover yourself but really in effect saying nothing at all. However, if the recording of Mr. Trump using the 'n' word exists and comes out, especially in October, as Mrs. Manigault-Newman contends, there's really going to be a political explosion in this country, and rightfully so.
In the meantime, in terms of Mrs. Manigault-Newman's book causing her 'awakening' to the ways of Trump, one could say there is some truth to that, but in terms of her charges to the president's character, there's truth to that as well. Former North Carolina Governor Pat McCrory (R) of bathroom legislation fame did not find Mrs. Manigault-Newman credible at all and stated that recording conversations was highly unethical. That's as far as he could go given the obviously distasteful statements and non-statements by Mr. Trump. The rest of the panel did push back on him a bit arguing that that deceptive act is the product of a deceptive culture in The White House. Also, NBC's Kristen Welker who covers the White House every day said that her descriptions of the goings-on were very familiar. What can not be disputed as evidenced by the recording we heard today of her firing by Chief of Staff John Kelly and by the Non-Disclosure Agreement is that this is an administration that bullies and shows no hesitation to harass legally or otherwise if you cross it. As for General Kelly, his credibility and legacy takes a hit every day he remains on the job. Mrs. Manigault-Newman cited that Mr. Kelly did refer to multiple domestic abuser Rob Porter, former the White House secretary, as a man of great integrity.
We know the true colors of this president and his administration, but it's the darker shades in between those colors that are even more troubling.
Conversely, there is Ohio Governor John Kasich (R-OH) who could indeed win over independents and conservative Democrats if he were to run for president; however, he would have trouble getting the nomination in the Republican party because of the base, which is solidly off the reservation of reality in its unquestioned support of Donald Trump. Make no mistake, Gov. Kasich espouses some seriously conservative policies but after not even two years of Trump, people want to hear a message of lifting other people up, bringing them together and being for something instead of constantly instilling fear.
What was disappointing is that Gov. Kasich's experience, which Chuck Todd noted, is used against him. Honestly, this is just plain stupid. Having experience in governing should be required, not a disqualifying attribute. Again, this is a product of the Republican base.
Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC; Donna Edwards (D-MD), former Congresswoman; Pat McCrory (R-NC), former Governor; David Brooks, The New York Times
One more thing...
Democrats have to run away from Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) because she is so demonized by Republicans and the right writ large. But here's the reality... The reason she is so demonized is because she's such a strong leader for Democrats and was a better Speaker of the House than Paul Ryan or John Boehner could have ever have hoped to have been. She would get the caucus behind her and get the votes unlike the chaos you see in the Republican-runned House right now. And as Donna Edwards noted, she has raised $90 million for Democrats this election cycle. This column gets it, conservative Democrats are leery of Mrs. Pelosi because of her progressive agenda, which she should make no apologies for just as hard right conservatives like Mark Meadows (R-NC) would make no apologies for his. But make no mistake, it's Mrs. Pelosi's effectiveness that Republican politicians really fear, and it would be a glaring omission if we didn't say that, let's face it, our society has been much more complicit when it comes to tearing down female political leaders, which is a disgrace. Yet, Donald Trump goes there all the time, without hesitation.
Sunday, August 05, 2018
8.5.18: President Trump vs. The Trump Administration
Chuck Todd began today's program by asking the question of whether President Trump is feeling liberated or besieged, but really it seems like the president is feeling like he has nothing left to loss. His campaign associates are either on trial, cooperating with the Feds or about to or looking at a pending indictment. "Collusion is not a crime," is the president's and his attorney Rudy Giuliani's, which is catchy but ultimately ineffective because conspiring with a foreign government to effect the outcome of a U.S. federal election is a crime. And that's what the president's campaign did and then attempted to cover it up with a weak adoption story.
Also, the president now understands that his eldest son, Donald Trump Jr. may have perjured himself to a Senate congressional committee, which is also a crime. How do we know all this? From solid reputable journalism, that's where so it stands to reason, in Trump world that is, that he would call the media the enemy of the people.
However, more disturbing is that President Donald Trump doesn't seem to even be in charge of the country anymore. It's President Trump vs. the Trump Administration. In the past week the president said he would meet with Iran without preconditions, to which a few hours later Secretary of State Mike Pompeo outlined a number of preconditions. The heads of the administration's national security agencies took to the White House press room podium to declare that the Russian meddling and hacking effort is a threat and that these agencies are combating it. However, hours later at a rally the president said that Russian meddling was a hoax. Also, the president (the boss), simply 'expressing his opinion' stated that Attorney General Jeff Sessions should end the Mueller investigation, an order that Mr. Sessions seemingly ignored because he himself can not carry it out. A little closer to home, the president's daughter and administration official Ivanka Trump said that she didn't believe the press was the enemy of the people, and after the president insulted LeBron James, the first lady, Melania Trump stated her support for the work that Mr. James is doing with regard to opening a school for at-risk kids in Akron, OH. The New York Times' Helene Cooper said that Mr. Trump is redefining what a presidency is, which in this case is purely being a figurehead.
The institutions of this country are the only entities holding it up because they are certainly not getting any much needed leadership with the chief executive. And these rallies that the president holds are simply spoken word concerts where the president 'plays' his hits to make an aggrieved base of supporters forget about what the president is actually doing, which is instilling policies against their interests and putting our national security at risk.
In his interview, Senator Roy Blount (R-MO) said that he wouldn't approach the press's criticism the same way the president would, but explained that he thinks the president believes the coverage has been accurate, as if giving us a rational explanation for the president's statements which is obviously becoming more and more difficult to do. However, as the panel explained, Republican primary candidates seek the president's endorsement to win their respective primary races because as Republican strategist Mike Murphy put it, Mr. Trump's cult of personality owns the Republican base. However, Politico's Eliana Johnson explained that presidents don't usually get involved with primary races, but that President Trump has turned that on its head, which candidates are kowtowing to in a big way, the style as Robert Costa put it. Overall, they concluded that the midterm elections are going to be won or lost with Trump as the central figure.
As Republican primary candidates compete with each other to out-Trump the other, it will not bode well for them in their general contests against Democrats who look to at least take back the House.
This brings us to the NetRoots Nation conference held this week by progressives in the Democratic party, which seemed to be the Democratic equivalent to the Republicans CPAC conference. Ms. Cooper commented that the Democrats have a lot of issues to hammer out among themselves as well, which is certainly the case. However, Democrats will have an easier time in bringing these different viewpoints together for the sake of overall control. Mike Murphy was correct that the country wants a centrist but there isn't distribution for it.
A centrist Mr. Trump certainly is not as in all his time in office so far, he's only governed to 33 percent of the electorate and now he can't even govern his on administration.
Panel: Helene Cooper, The New York Times; Eliana Johnson, Politico; Robert Costa, The Washington Post; Al Cardenas, Republican strategist; Clint Watt, former FBI agent and NBC contributor; Mike Murphy, Republican strategist
Sunday, July 29, 2018
7.29.18: The Impossibility of Nothingness - Who Has Credibility Within All These Swirling Stories?
"It was such a nothing, there was nothing to tell."
-Donald Trump Jr.
Even a casual follower of the Trump Administration and the Russian investigation could tell you that there is no way that Donald Trump Jr. didn't tell his father about the Trump Tower meeting with Russian operatives. It's the impossibility of nothingness.
The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan asked that if Mr. Trump (senior) did know then what does it mean? Surprising that she couldn't come up with an answer so this column will provide one, and that is that Mr. Trump Jr. perjured himself to Congress. He did state in a Senate hearing that he had no told his father about it, but if this statement is proven false then that's a criminal act, not to mention that it does speak to then candidate Trump participating in collusion with a foreign government.
On the matter of proof, NBC's Andrea Mitchell mentioned the Mr. Trump Jr.'s blocked phones during the scheduling of the meeting, which Don Jr. does not remember. Special Counsel Robert Mueller knows exactly who was one the other end of those calls despite the blocked numbers. If you've read his last indictment of 12 Russians and the detail encompassed in it, then investigating who's blocked number that was probably only took half a morning.
As all this pertains to Michael Cohen, the president's lawyer/fixer, he's come to the realization that he's not going to be bailed out by the president and is therefore using the information (recordings and documents) that he has to save himself, but not only that there is an apparent tinge of vindictiveness to Mr. Cohen's actions - punitive repercussions so to speak for the president. And because of the recording, the Trump Organization's chief accountant Allen Weisselberg is being called before a grand jury, a man who has unrivaled knowledge of Mr. Trump's finances during the campaign and going back decades.
Sam Nunberg, on today's program, said that given that Mr. Cohen recorded conversations, that he's inclined to believe the president over Mr. Cohen. Honestly, this column doesn't understand why you would even want to talk to Mr. Nunberg at this point simply for the fact that he has no credibility at all. Really his opinion means nothing and he's not going to say anything that would draw additional attention to himself.
The vastly more informative interview, as you can imagine, came from the one with Michael Isikoff of Yahoo News who outlined a broader Russian infiltration of the the United States' conservative establishment through it's most powerful lobby, that National Rifle Association. The infiltration must be significant in terms of money laundered through the NRA then donated to Republican candidates because oddly, the NRA has been silent on this. It's unheard of that when this organization is attacked that it stays silent, but right now it has nothing to say, which would obviously lead someone to believe that there's something there. Mr. Isikoff also mentioned the dereliction of duty on the part of Congressional Republicans for not calling hearings and having individuals like Michael Cohen and Maria Butina, now in jail for allegedly being an unregistered Russian operative, testify in public. The explanation of this, in terms of House Republicans, is that a minority of Republicans in the form of the Freedom Caucus lead by Congressmen Jim Jordan (R-OH) and Mark Meadows (R-NC) want power so badly and they're holding the rest of the majority hostage.
Finally, Senator Rob Portman (R-OH) said that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo did a fine job in his Senatorial testimony this week on what was discussed during Mr. Trump's two-hour closed door one-on-one meeting with Vladimir Putin, followed by what Ms. Noonan said was an embarrassing press conference with the Russian president. It was a fine job depending on how you look at it, but the panel seemed to come to the conclusion that Mr. Pompeo doesn't really know what was said and all he could do was confirm that U.S. policies toward Russia haven't changed (e.g. sanctions because of Crimea, Syria policy, and the hot war in eastern Ukraine). Mr. Pompeo during the hearing did confirm that what the president says is U.S. policy. But therein lies the rub because the public pronouncements of the president and actual policy are distinctly at odds with one another.
The president this week in front of Veterans of Foreign Wars said, "Just remember, what you are seeing and what you are reading is not
what's happening," Trump said. "Just stick with us, don't believe the
crap you see from these people, the fake news."
For a president who supposedly doesn't read, he sure does have George Orwell's writing down pat.
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