11.15.21: The Ghost of Nightmare Past

On July 21, 2013, we wrote this:

A gun provided George Zimmerman with false sense of strength and the ego to believe that he was in control of circumstances when the truth is his actions came from a place of fear and he wasn't in control. 

This was one of the comments we made with regard to the Zimmerman-Martin verdict at the time, but fast forward to the cusp of a verdict in the trial of Kyle Rittenhouse in Kenosha, Wisconsin, and one could say...

A gun provided Kyle Rittenhouse with false sense of strength and the ego to believe that he was in control of circumstances when the truth is his actions came from a place of fear and he wasn't in control.  

Same sh*t, different gun.

 

11.14.21: Governor Sununu Got It Right, Doing Nothing Is Not A Win

There is no doubt that both parties are guilty of doing nothing, but when New Hampshire Governor Chris Sununu (R) said that he couldn't live, professionally, in an environment where doing nothing is considered a win, one would conclude that he meant that for his own party. 

Whether you agree with the infrastructure and or the Build Better Better legislation that fact remains that it is in fact, legislation; something that Republicans have quite a lot of trouble with outside of tax cuts. The American Enterprise Institute's Matthew Continetti, previously editor-in-chief at the conservative Washington Free Beacon explained that after so many failed infrastructure weeks under the previous president, we finally got it and it's toxic for Republicans to support it. 

And not to make light of things, but deaths threats over infrastructure, really? It's sad to know that there are large groups of people who agree with these individuals making threats who are so gone from the reality of living in a civil society. Needless to say there is no place for this behavior in American politics as it is obviously dangerous, but also profoundly sad.

Speaking of doing nothing, Director of the Economic Council for the President, Brian Deese didn't have any good answers for what to do about inflation in the short term, particularly for Americans in the middle of the country. Comparatively, the Build Back Better bill will have a more immediate impact of the everyday lives of Americans than the infrastructure bill, but as fmr. Senator Claire McCasklill (D-MO) warned, Democrats may not implement it fast enough for the mid-terms.

Mr. Deese also didn't touch Mr. Todd's immigration question as to whether we should open it up to help with supply chain issues, so we'll touch it. The answer to the question is 'yes,' but here's how to initially approach it. We have a truck driver shortage so what the Administration should do is approach Poland and work to recruit Polish truck drivers shut out of Britain in the wake of Brexit. This would be beneficial on a foreign policy scale as well. It would deepen the dialogue between Warsaw and Washington to work together on the Law and Justice Party's flouting of EU regulations and getting the Polish government more in line with the EU so that collectively they can confront Belarus who is trying to destabilize Europe and the Russians as well who have amassed troops on the Ukrainian border. 

Yes, we realize that none of that was discussed on today's program, but it's a good illustration of how with targeted immigration we can achieve goals at home and abroard.

And with the accurately labeled 'political football' that is Russia in this country (frustrating in and of itself), as entertaining as the Steele dossier is, we never put much stock in it because there wasn't a need to do so. There were so many other implicating actions that the dossier was irrelevant. As bad as all that was, the 2020 election and what the president did in its aftermath makes it pale in comparison. 

And this is why you have to throw the book at Steve Bannon for not complying with a subpoena, a Congressional one. If this were you or me - working schmucks with no political friends and no podcast - we would be seeing the police showing up at our doors and bringing us in to testify. Frankly, that a-hole shouldn't get special above-the-law treatment. And if he refuses to testify and goes to prison for a year, it will be a better year for all of us - not having to hear about what a blowhard has to say about primary elections.

As for former chief of staff Mark Meadows, he should focus on this because he could be next. He punk'ed out of his Congressional testimony; no guts which is the sign of a punk.

There, yeah, we said it...

But we wouldn't call Kyle Rittenhouse that, 'misguided,' yes. We're following the trial but not the subtle nuances such as what we learned today from the discussion which was that Mr. Rittenhouse's mother drove him to Kenosha. If in fact that is the case, that is indeed reckless endangerment of a minor... We think the panel got it right that in that case, no one's going to be happy with the verdict.

Panel: Leigh Ann Caldwell, NBC News; Claire McCaskill, fmr. Senator from Missouri; Eugene Scott, The Washington Post; Matthew Continetti, American Enterprise Institute 

11.7.21: Thanks to Democrats, Their Lose is America's Gain

The Democrats didn't so much receive a drubbing on Tuesday, but given that perception is everything and the major embarrassment of losing the gubernatorial race in the high profile state of Virginia, one could reasonably say that Democrats got the wind knocked out of them in a big way and doubled over got a huge shiner of a black eye that's not going away soon enough.

The New York Times' Peter Baker said it most concisely in that voters don't object to voting for Republicans, just Trump himself. That may have gotten lost in the conversational mix, but it's profound in saying that as long as Trump isn't on the ballot (or actively campaign for a particular candidate), Republicans are acceptable. 

But let's face it, Terry McAuliffe ran a poor race and didn't do what New Jersey Governor Phil Murphy was describing in speaking about kitchen table issues. Like pandemic fatigue, voters have Trump fatigue, which is mostly being perpetuated from the Democrats, specifically Mr. McAuliffe. And give credit to Governor-elect Glen Youngkin for running on local concerns, keeping his opponent on his back foot, and while acknowledging that the former president is on your team, he gave him a stiff Heisman, that's for sure.

Mr. Youngkin gave fellow Republicans a blueprint on how to deal with questions about Trump and Senator Rick Scott (R-FL) wasted no time in employing that strategy today in his interview. He completely evaded any question with regard to the former president's recent statements or why 4 in 5 Republicans think the election of Joe Biden was illegitimate. 

Instead, he railed against the Democrats spending, its 'socialist' agenda and the national debt, which is at $30 trillion - all the fiscal responsibility issues Republicans take up again when they are not in control of Congress. Racking up $8 trillion in debt over four years of Trump with nothing to show for it but a tax cut defies trusting the rhetoric of Mr. Scott. 

Ironically, the Democrats' lose however is America's gain, thanks to... the Democrats, who finally got their act together enough to stop wasting time and pass the bipartisan infrastructure bill. Don't think it wasn't in reaction to the Virginia result. 

The entire strategy by progressives in the House to hold up the infrastructure bill until their budget agenda (the reconciliation bill) was passed first was flawed and not well thought out. It would have had to still pass through the Senate where it would be amended by moderate Democrats. In such a divisive political climate, don't take one big win, take a series of big wins. And when you have an easy one sitting right in front of your face, you grab it, and don't look back. 

Panel: Sara Fagen, Republican Strategist; Donna Edwards, The Washington Post; Peter Baker, The New York Times; Amna Nawaz, NPR

One more thing...

Since we made a football reference earlier, we have to weigh in about Aaron Rogers of the Green Bay Packers testing positive for Covid-19 this week.  We don't have an issue with his decision to not be vaccinated, which is his right. Not at all. What we do take issue with is that he was dishonest about it or at the very least deceptively coy. When asked if he was vaccinated, he responded, "Yeah, I'm immunized." There's no other way to interpret that other that thinking he received the vaccine.  This week he said he isn't an anti-vaxer, just a critical thinker. Really? His critical thinking could use some critiquing. 

10.31.21: Today's "Meet The Press" Missed The Mark

First and foremost, we have a bone spur to address with "Meet The Press" today. The program was too much, and perhaps becoming, inside the beltway talk. President Joe Biden is in Rome for the G20 Summit and it wasn't even brought up at all let alone as a topic of discussion. The fact that the G20 came to an agreement of a 15 percent minimum corporate tax means that companies won't be able to hide their money in tax shelter countries, which will give a big boost to American tax revenue, helping to pay for the reconcilliation package. Or simply that our president is on the world stage and it didn't seem to matter.

Instead, in discussing the reconcilliation package with Secretary of Energy Jennifer Granholm and Virginia Gubernatorial candidate Terry McAuliffe (D), Mr. Todd kept coming back to the question of what is not in the bill, instead of maybe asking about the 'pay-for's' on what's in the package. Dare we say that there was a bit of harping on it on the part of Mr. Todd. We get it, but make the point ask the tough question and then move on. 

That tough question, which really didn't come through should have been on prescription drugs. Talk about an industry that has the United States and the world frankly, with Covid, by the collective cajones. 

The free Covid-19 vaccine most of us are getting isn't free; the government paid the pharmaceutical companies for the doses, of course. And 20 years after the prescription drug 'donut hole' the American people still can not negotiate on the price of drugs and continue to pay the premium. 

The impatience of the American people never ceases to amaze, everything to be done yesterday in a country of over 330 million people, and that's why you see the president's poll numbers dragging right now, but as Secretary Granholm made the point, they can rebound when the Democrats pass these two massive bills. Next summer when Americans start seeing construction on roads and bridges and then send their 5 year olds to universal Pre-K, things may turn around. 

The other thing that the secretary mentioned, plugging her boss, is that the president is working for the middle class, and let's face it there is a big corporate machine that works against the little guy. See above for our prescription drug example, and the Sacklers are still billionaires. It takes time and it takes wading through an avalache of opposition rhetoric backed by a lot of cash.

Case in point, the panel's discussion of mayoral races and police funding. Interestingly, maybe because it isn't a tough contest, no one on the panel cited the New York City mayoral race where candidate Eric Adams (D) who was a former police officer is sloganing that a safe city is a prosperous city and that better policing, not less, is answer. That's the model that Democratic mayoral candidates should think about. 

And when it comes to the Virginia gubenatorial race, from afar it has seemed like Mr. McAuliffe's to win or lose all along. He was already sucessful in the position and should have been able to capitalize greatly on that progress. However, the mire that Republicans sift around in politically these days, culture wars all day, everyday, then requiring a response brings everyone down sapping the energy from voters' enthusiam.

But make no mistake, it would be a catastrophic lose for the Democrats and a signal that Americans short attention spans are fully functioning. 

Panel: Kristen Welker, NBC News; Anna Palmer, Punchbowl News; Cornell Belcher, Democratic Strategist; Brad Todd, Republican Strategist

10.24.21: Should Mitch McConnell Be Physically Punished?

Back from a two-week hiatus, we have to say that not much has changed given today's "Meet The Press" with an independent, Senator Angus King (M), trying to thread a legislative needle, Democrats being hammered during their very public and messy legislative sausage making, and Republicans saying 'no' to anything and everything.

One thing is for sure, Senator Roy Blunt (R-MO) who is not running for reelection doesn't give a shit about anything with the exception of the small bit of power he can still wield in the Senate, which is not the 'world's most deliberative body' because you can not call it that when their is zero deliberation, and that was Senator King's point when discussing the filibuster. Mr. Blunt for his part had not one constructive answer to any of Ms. Mitchell's questions.

In the Senate as it is, having the majority means nothing except when it comes to appointing judges, which is now the chamber's basic function as legislating takes a back seat. Senator King said that there should be filibuster reform but to achieve it, you have to 'thread the needle' of retaining minority rights while also not effectively giving them a veto on everything the majority wants. 

The filibuster as it stands now exacerbates the disproportionate representation in the Senate. Because every state has two senators the country a disproportionate amount of senators represent fewer people. E.g. Two senators for California's 40 million people and two senators for South Dakota's 860,000 people. Given that, there needs to be reform because as it stands whether the Republicans are the majority in the senate or the minority, they have control. 

Because Democrats always like to bite off more than they can chew, we'd suggest a first step. One this one rules change to the filibuster and that would be to make it standing, meaning that if a Senator wants to filibuster a bill he or she must stand up and hold the floor with pertinent rhetoric on why they oppose it.

Democrats should make that one change and then stick it to Republicans by bringing a slew of bills to the floor so that they have to physically make octogenarians like Mitchell McConnell and Chuck Grassley stand at the podium for 8 to 12 hours and then have a vote. 

Why make legislating physically punishing?  Let's throw that back the other way and ask haven't the American people been physically punished enough with unaffordable housing and healthcare, crappy employment and covid? Is it a little cynical to physically punish Mitch McConnell? Yes, but it's justified.

Stand up and make a case or shut the hell up, right? Since when is the United States an apartheid state where it's minority rule?

Specifically, voting rights for all Americans are being curtailed by conservative state legislatures and what used to be a bipartisan no-brainer of reauthorizing the Voting Rights Act is no more since The Supreme Court's 2013 decision to eliminate the pre-clearance provision in which states wanting to change election laws had to have approval from the Justice Dept. States like Texas and Arizona are running wild in changing their laws to suppress and potentially nullify votes. No Republicans voted to reauthorize the Act. 

Again, Roy Blunt not helpful with his disingenuous answer that a voting rights bill would be a national take over of voting, empty rhetoric. Look at it this way, states set their own minimum wage, but there is a baseline national minimum wage, which is $7.25 by the way. What the voting rights bill establishes is some basic minimums like making presidential election day a national holiday. 

But here's the rub, the bill also institutes a reauthorization of the pre-clearance provision. The Republican minority is saying 'no' to that, and what the minority in the Senate wants, it gets.

 

Panel: Ayesha Rascoe, NPR, Maria Teresa Kumar, Voto Latino; Eugene Daniels, Politco; Brendan Buck, Republican Strategist

 

10.3.21: Doesn't Matter How the Watch Works, It Just Has To Keep The Time

There's a point in the film Sicario where Emily Blunt's character asks the sicario, Benecio del Toro, if there is anything she should know about the drug trade, and he responds: You're asking me how a watch works, for now let's just keep our eye on the time.

Deciphering the negotiations going on between the Democrats in Congress is just like asking someone how a watch works and for the owners of that watch, the American public, we're not concerned about the repair process just whether it works once you're done.

In other words, one shouldn't fret about the intermediate steps that without overbearing media coverage would be part of the larger work of what is called legislating...

Make no mistake, however, that time is a factor, as the panel outlined in a number of ways. Former Homeland Security Secretary Jeh Johnson outlined it most concisely explaining that the Democrats may not have control of congress after the midterms, for which campaigning will start next year and perhaps a four-year presidential term so the window is now for the Democrats. USA Today's Susan Page called it the 'last train leaving the station,' as to say that it's unknown when the Democrats will have another opportunity like this to pass transformational legislation. 

Senator Bernie Sanders (I-VT) called the Democrats' budget bill the most significant piece of legislation in our life times, while Punchbowl News' Jake Sherman explained that the legislation is the culmination of everything Nancy Pelosi has been fighting for for thirty years. All this means that it will take time to get Democrats unified on their priorities and what the cost will be. At the moment, the media is asking every legislator what their number is on this budget bill, but it isn't asked as to gain insight, just to get something on the record because we'll only know what the number is when they arrive at it.

The Wall Street Journal's Peggy Noonan said that she didn't understand why the Democrats wouldn't give the president a legislative win by bringing the infrastructure bill to a vote and getting it passed then go to the budget. It's sound logic of moderation, but as outlined above most Democrats are looking at both as the only opportunity to forward their agenda. And the president himself is on record as saying that the two bills are linked. 

What is inexcusable and hopefully not the case is that the progressives in the Democratic party are willing to scuttle both bills if they don't get what they want in the budget bill. That's like taking the watch in for repair, paying in advance, and getting it back still broken. 

Panel: Susan Page, USA Today; Peggy Noonan, The Wall Street Journal; Jake Sherman, Punchbowl News; Jeh Johnson, fmr. Homeland Security Secretary.

9.26.21: A Sick Patient and The Poison Drip

The Democratic party is like a sick patient that doesn't realize that the remedies for what ails it are right there in front of its face, while it inexplicably continues to accept the poison drip from the Republicans.

The demand from the progressive side of the Democratic caucus that the reconcilliation bill, which The Cook Political Report's Amy Walter rightly explained doesn't have a name nor identity, must pass first before the infrastructure bill is only causing delays filled with uncertainty of whom stands where jeopardizing the passage of both.

Even without progressive and moderate Democrats at an impasse, the Biden Administration's agenda was always going to be at risk, but as the Democrats are wont to do, they make it harder on themselves. And then there is Dr. Strangebrew, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) administering the debt ceiling poison pill to threaten the faith and credit of the United States to pay its bills. Chuck Todd asked Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) if the failure of crafting bipartisan police reform legislation and Senator Tim Scott's (R-SC) rhetoric about Democrats being unwilling to changing their stance of 'defunding the police,' which Senator Booker refuted, explaining that there is no call for that in the bill, came from someone higher up in the party, like McConnell. Senator Booker to his credit didn't engage in any partisan accusations and declined to speculate, but please...

Senator Republicans move, follow and speak at the discretion of the Senate Minority Leader. And the longer the Democratic party sits illin', with inaction, the mad doctor McConnell will find an excuse and a way to kill infrastructure as well.

Ms. Walter also mentioned that Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) is a firm no vote on the $3.5 trillion reconcilliation bill, but has yet to come forward with a number that is acceptable to him. With all due respect to Mr. Manchin, as a senator you created a problem and didn't come to the table with a solution, which doesn't get anyone anywhere. You're either part of the solution, part of the problem, or part of the landscape. Credit to Ms. Walter once more for quoting Mike Tyson to sum it up: Everyone has a plan until you get punched in the face, and the Biden Administration keeps taking the jabs right in the eye.

The strychnine for democracy that is the former president keeps doing his part to coerce Republican state legislatures to do sham recounts to continue his poisoning of our democratic system by eroding faith in the process. (Why do we get that sinking feeling that when this all comes to a head, it's going to be truly 'fugly.' And though we appreciate Meghan McCaine reiterating that she thinks the former president is a Godzilla under the water, she is too dismissive and appeasingly nonchalant about the threat he poses. We guess she didn't catch the interview right before she came on with Bob Woodward and Robert Costa, who as Chuck Todd put it, reported on a failed coup attempt.

Sometimes the mess becomes much worse before you can get it all cleaned up, which is where the Biden Administration is right now, and the Democrats in Congress need to get their act together and lend a hand, heal themselves and heal a nation. Question is: Who's got the antidote? 

Come to think of it... Even if they had the antidote, half the people wouldn't accept it anyway. 

Panel: Meghan McCaine, The Daily Mail; Eddie Glaude, Jr., Princeton University; Amy Walter, The Cook Political Report; Leigh Ann Caldwell, NBC News

9.19.21: The Summer of Delta Ahead of Our Winter of Discontent

Is it just us or is it that when you actually listen to Dr. Anthony Fauci explain things, it's really not that complicated. The Biden Administration has put a plan in place to roll out booster shots according to FDA guidelines, which informs the CDC. Right now, the FDA is reccommending booster shots for people over 65 years old and individuals who work in high risk occupations, like ICU personnel or with unlying health conditions. 

In the meantime, Dr. Fauci explained that the the first priority is to get as many of the 70 million Americans who are unvaccinated vaccinated. Being optimistic, Dr. Fauci explained that if we can get a great number of those people vaccinated, we may not have a bad winter.

But knowing what we know and having seen what we've all seen, many of those people will not move from the status in which they are now. If we maintain the status quo on the vaccination rate across the country, this is going to continue as the shadow of foreboding in the winter of our discontent.

We sincerely hope that it doesn't come to pass and the winter is indeed mild in terms of Covid-19, however suffice to say that confidence hasn't been inspired. 

Not only that, but as Anna Palmer explained, when Congress comes into session, there will be investigations on Afghanistan which isn't going away. Then there is the infrasture bill yet to pass and the albatross of the $3.5 trillion reconcilliation budget bill. Of the latter, it's vital to note the stupid and stupid: First, Senator Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) playing games with the debt ceiling is an abdication of responsibility and a feckless, dirt level move, of which he is widely known for. But most Americans aren't ever paying attention to the debt ceiling and it only ever becomes an issue when there is a Democrat in the White House. 

And Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA) has got the debt ceiling debate wrong, but admittedly, he leaves the debate in a state of twisted metal and glass. The debt ceiling accommodates money already spent, not what is coming down the line. Not to mention that Republicans during the previous administration suspended the debt ceiling vote so that a tax cut could be done on reconcilliation. Yeah, pretty harsh on the Republican Senator we happen to like. 

The other stupid is the Democrats including immigration into the budget bill, and this should be obvious, right? First, it just made the mountain that much steeper to climb to get it passed. But what really bothers is that it's tucked into a budget bill instead of being stand-alone legislation. Totally sends the wrong message. If Democrats want to appear bold and moving forward, they must put these bigger issues on their own pedestals. 

Between the persistence of the delta and congressional inaction and rhetorical fighting, one would be tempted to wish for a normal harsh flu season.

Panel: Anna Teresa Kumar, Voto Latino; Anna Palmer, Punchbowl News; Rich Lowry, The National Review; Jeff Mason, Associated Press

9.12.21: The Spirit of The Nation

There are other methods, other than vaccines, to fight against the Covid-19 pandemic despite the Biden Administration mandating vaccination for millions in public and private sectors. As discussed by Chuck Todd and Surgeon General Dr. Vivek Murthy, instead of mandates, those other methods include masking and social distancing and testing to mitigate the spread. 

All of this was an academic conversation given that many Republican governors have banned mask mandates and have either remained silent about misinformation or spread it themselves, i.e. Governor Ron DeSantis (R-FL). Now Republican Governors are threatening to sue the Biden Administration for the mandates, to which the president has responded for them to 'bring it on.'

How that will go is that the Supreme Court will rule in favor of the Governors, in line with the court's federalist nature. States will be able to decide for themselves if they want to mandate vaccines. But here's the rub: the virus doesn't recognize state borders and will continue to spread. That's simply a fact. And while the governors thrwart efforts to combat the virus, our hospital systems will be overwhelmed. In Florida and Alabama, hospitals and funeral homes have ordered mobile morgues to store the dead.

Fighting the pandemic is no more a matter of not being equipped, but one of the unwillingness of Americans to rise above their own selfish interests for the public good. And we're not saying that means one must be vaccinated, but if one decides not to be vaccinated, do practice some mitigation for the safety of you and your family.

As Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) explained, we allocated $5.4 trillion dollars in covid relief and all those monies haven't been distributed yet. So his argument for the $3.5 trillion budget is too much money to be spent at this time given the covid-relief allocation. Perhaps it's unworkable legislatively, but it the Democrats should work through a budget that covers the $3.5 trillion, but with a provision for a lesser amount to be implemented at first, then if the spending bill is doing what it's supposed to, implement the rest of the money in the second five years of the 10-year budget proposal. Whether that's a workable solution or not, something has to give. Yes, it is politics 101 to negotiate support for one bill to leverage another, but it will be unforgivable on the part of Democrats if they do not get the 'hard' infrasture bill passed. Nuances aside, that's how it will be perceived.

Senator Manchin also explained that there are a number of factors such as inflation, employment numbers and of course Covid that could effect spending and how the country can recover. But of all the possible factors you can think of, it all comes back to eliminating the pandemic.

With regard to commemorating the 20th anniversary of 9/11, I think about this past Thursday when 3,160 people died of Covid-19, more in one day than died on September 11, 2001. The spirit of coming together as a nation is being lost, as Mrs. Goodwin explained. How far we've come...

Panel: Hallie Jackson, NBC News, Kimberly Atkins Stohr, The Boston Globe; Doris Kearns Goodwin, Presidential Historian; George Will, The Washington Post.