Monday
Feb032020
The Commentariat -- February 4, 2020
Late Morning/Afternoon Update:
John Wagner of the Washington Post: "Debate over President Trump's removal from office resumed in the Senate on Tuesday morning as Trump prepared to deliver a State of the Union address to a joint session of Congress in the House chamber, where he was impeached in December. The historic trial is expected to wrap up Wednesday with an acquittal in the Republican-led Senate. The theme of Trump's speech Tuesday night will be 'the Great American Comeback,' a signal that he is eager to move forward after the impeachment proceedings." ~~~
~~~ Brian Stelter of CNN: "... Donald Trump's targeting of CNN is moving to yet another arena: The annual presidential lunch with television network anchors. CNN anchors are being excluded from Tuesday's lunch, three sources said on Monday night. Trump, like presidents before him, typically invites anchors from all the major networks to dine with him at the White House in advance of his State of the Union address. The lunch conversation is considered off the record, but it gives the anchors a sense of the president's state of mind before they anchor SOTU coverage. 'Despite Trump's persistent attacks on the news media, he's kept up such traditions,' Politico pointed out last year. CNN's Anderson Cooper and Wolf Blitzer attended last year's lunch. Blitzer has been attending these lunches longer than almost any other anchor -- 20 years in a row. Journalists from other networks are still planning on attending Tuesday's session, according to sources at those networks."
Ryan Devereaux of the Intercept: "A federal judge in Tucson, Arizona, reversed the conviction of four humanitarian aid volunteers on religious freedom grounds Monday, ruling that the government had embraced a 'gruesome logic' that criminalizes 'interfering with a border enforcement strategy of deterrence by death.' The reversal, written by U.S. district judge Rosemary Márquez, marked the latest rebuke of the Trump administration's crackdown on humanitarian aid providers in southern Arizona, and the second time in matter of months that a religious freedom defense has prevailed in a federal case involving the provision of aid to migrants in the borderlands." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: While this & a like decision in an earlier case are good news, it troubles me that the cases were decided on religious grounds. When my parents lived near Las Cruces, New Mexico, my father gave water & food to every migrant who happened by, and my father was not a religious person. I have no idea whether or not my father broke any laws on the books, but I know he followed the moral law. One should not have to demonstrate a religious affiliation or purpose to justify a simple act of decency.
More below as the Iowa fiasco continues into the late morning afternoon. ~~~
~~~ OR NOT ~~~
Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post has this right: "... the most important tally of the night has been reported, and it should worry Democrats. Even as the Iowa Democratic Party was trying to sort out the chaos in its reporting system, a party official announced that turnout was 'on pace' with what they had seen in 2016. In other words, it was mediocre. About 170,000 people participated in the 2016 Iowa Democratic caucuses, far short of the unprecedented 240,000 voters who turned out in 2008 and launched Barack Obama on his way to the White House. What was so exciting a dozen years ago was not only how many Iowans showed up, but who they were: young people, first-time caucusgoers, an ethnically diverse mix of voters in an overwhelmingly white state."
Nate Silver of 538 explains why Iowa "might have screwed up the whole nomination process[:]... The lead story around the 2020 Iowa Democratic caucuses is now -- and will forever be -- the colossal shitshow around the failure to release results in a timely fashion. Maybe there will eventually be a decent-sized Iowa bounce despite all of this. But there's a good chance that the candidates who did well Iowa get screwed, and the candidates who did poorly there get a mulligan.... There's very little importance in a mathematical sense to who wins 41 delegates. Iowa is all about the media narrative it produces and all about momentum, and that momentum, whoever wins, is likely to have been blunted."
The New York Times' latest liveblog is here (link corrected). "The Iowa Democratic Party will begin releasing results from the caucuses at 5 p.m. Eastern time.... [Iowa party] chairman Troy Price ... told the campaigns 'the majority' of results that it had in hand would be made public later Tuesday but he dodged questions from the campaigns about how much would be released and when final totals would become available." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McUltraCrabbie: What usefulness is a partial release? It can only misrepresent results. It's like declaring Hillary Clinton president because New York State, Washington, D.C., & Massachusetts had released their 2016 general election results.
~~~ The Washington Post's liveblog is here. And here's the Guardian's. The Guardian posts a link to the newest Gallup poll that shows Trump's approval rating at the highest evah.
Steve Peoples, et al., of the AP: "The Iowa Democratic Party said Monday night that results from the state's first-in-the-nation caucus were greatly delayed due to 'quality checks' and new reporting rules, an embarrassing complication that added a new layer of doubt to an already uncertain presidential primary season.... Long before any significant results were released, the candidates pressed ahead with post-election rallies claiming momentum." Mrs. McC: With no results announced, Pete Buttigieg delivered a speech implying he had won. Since there's more than one way to "win" in Iowa, he may be right. Besides, why not claim the prize? Klobuchar's campaign chairman said their internal count shows Klobuchar matched or bested Biden.
Quint Forgey of Politico: "Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders each declared triumph -- and war on each other -- after a technical meltdown prevented the release of results from the Iowa caucuses, plunging the Democratic field into chaos. The former South Bend mayor was the most aggressive out of the gates, anointing himself 'victorious' in a speech to supporters and releasing unverified internal counts that the campaign said showed it was 'on our way to winning' the delegate count.... Sanders' campaign quickly followed suit, releasing its own unverified internal caucus numbers that portrayed the Vermont senator with a sizable lead in the Iowa delegate race." ~~~
~~~ Natasha Korecki, et al., of Politico: "The biggest 'winner' might have been Joe Biden. According to the Iowa entrance poll, he was hovering close to the viability threshold of 15 percent statewide. But the questions surrounding the vote-counting served to obscure a potentially poor performance. The former vice president, facing potentially ugly headlines going into New Hampshire and beyond, couldn't get out of Iowa fast enough."
Nick Corasaniti, et al., of the New York Times: "The app that the Iowa Democratic Party commissioned to tabulate and report results from the caucuses on Monday was not properly tested at a statewide scale, said people who were briefed on the app by the state party. It was quickly put together in just the past two months, said the people, some of whom asked to remain anonymous because they were not authorized to speak publicly. And the party decided to use the app only after another proposal for reporting votes -- which entailed having caucus participants call in their votes over the phone -- was abandoned, on the advice of Democratic National Committee officials, according to David Jefferson, a board member of Verified Voting, a nonpartisan election integrity organization." There were quite a few top chefs pissing in this broth; it was a recipe for epic fail, partly because none of the chefs even bothered to taste the broth. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: Is this going to be the second presidential election in succession where Democrats lose because they can't handle technology? And -- as comes as no surprise to me -- the second where the DNC is one of the culprits. New York's Intelligencer kinda captures the chaos. Scroll down the page (it won't be there forever).
@12:45 pm ET, MSNBC reported the Iowa Democratic party held a conference call with the campaigns; the call got very heated; and the party "hung up on the campaigns" as campaign reps began asking questions.
Mrs. McCrabbie @11:55 pm ET Monday: Glad I didn't skip my teevee show.No Iowa results yet. According to the New York Times liveblog (linked below), "Party officials said the results had been delayed because of efforts to do 'quality control' before data was made public. 'We found inconsistencies in the reporting of three sets of results,' said Mandy McClure, the party's communications director. 'In addition to the tech systems being used to tabulate results, we are also using photos of results and a paper trail to validate that all results match and ensure that we have confidence and accuracy in the numbers we report. This is simply a reporting issue, the app did not go down and this is not a hack or an intrusion...." Gee, maybe the Iowa caucuses shouldn't be "first in the nation." ~~~
~~~ Eric Levitz of New York: "The 'first-in-the-nation' Iowa caucuses died Monday night after a protracted battle with advanced-stage omnishambles. Or so we can hope. Iowa's eccentric, endearing -- and wildly anti-democratic -- nominating contest has always been an indefensible institution. There is no reason why the most politically-engaged and/or time-rich citizens of America's 31st most populous state should have the power to veto presidential candidates before anyone else in the country has a say. And yet, few of Iowa's bitterest critics ever dreamed it would subject the country to something like this."
New York Times reporters are liveblogging the Iowa caucuses. "The Iowa presidential caucuses begin at 8 p.m. Eastern time at more than 1,600 sites across the state. The caucuses vary in length; small gatherings can be over in minutes, larger ones can last up to two hours. The first results are expected at 8:30 p.m. Eastern time, with most results in hand by 11 p.m. Seven Democratic candidates are mounting competitive campaigns in Iowa. They are Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, former Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusets, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Ind., Senator Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota, the former tech executive Andrew Yang and the former hedge fund investor Tom Steyer. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' results page is here. The Times also has results graphics on its front page.
~~~ The Washington Post's liveblog is here. The Post's results page is here, with results graphics currently on its front page, too.
~~~ The NBC News liveblog is here. Gee, It's not even 8:45 pm ET, & NBC News has already predicted candidate Trump won the GOP caucuses. ~~~
~~~ Cristina Cabrera of TPM: "... Donald Trump and his reelection campaign seized on the chaos of Monday's Iowa Democratic caucuses, the results of which are still unknown as of Tuesday morning due to technical issues with the tallying process. 'The Democrat Caucus is an unmitigated disaster,' Trump tweeted early Tuesday. 'Nothing works, just like they ran the Country.' He then patted himself on the back, claiming that he was 'the only person' who won 'a very big victory' in Iowa." Mrs. McC: Can't blame him for that. Thanks, Iowa, for giving Trump a couple of great talking points!
Let's see how this turns out: ~~~
~~~ Ryan Lizza of Politico: "If you were an alien visiting Iowa this weekend and were asked to guess the order of Monday's results based on nothing but watching the top four Democrats speak, you would predict a Bernie Sanders victory, followed by Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg and Joe Biden.... The alien would notice that Sanders' events, at least the two big ones this week with musicians, are large and electric, that Biden's are small and sleepy, and that Warren and Buttigieg's fall somewhere in between. The Iowa caucuses reward enthusiasm, especially at the end. The famous three-step strategy that every campaign attempts to implement was popularized by former Rep. Dave Nagle and is often summarized as: Organize, organize, and get hot at the end. In the final weekend of every caucus I have covered, the 'hot' candidates were apparent from their final events."
MEANWHILE. Daniel Bice of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "The two top officials overseeing Milwaukee's host committee for the 2020 Democratic National Convention were sidelined Monday amid allegations of a toxic work culture. In a letter to staff obtained by the Journal Sentinel, the board said it had retained an attorney to investigate 'concerns about the work environment' for the Milwaukee 2020 Host Committee. During the investigation, Liz Gilbert, president of the host committee, will not be in the office and 'will not have direct contact with staff,' the letter says. Adam Alonso, the chief of staff for the group, has been placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the probe. Both will be paid as the investigation moves forward. The letter gives no timeline when Carmen N. Decot, a partner with Foley & Lardner, will finish her probe. The abrupt move comes less than six months before the start of the Democratic National Convention. The host committee -- the civic, nonpartisan arm of the convention -- is responsible for raising $70 million to stage the July event at Fiserv Forum and recruit some 15,000 volunteers."
The Petty, Petit, Picayune President*. Matthew Chapman of the Raw Story: "On Monday, the Wall Street Journal reported that ... Donald Trump's campaign ejected Jennifer Jacobs, a reporter for Bloomberg News, out of a campaign event in Iowa. The decision, according to the report, is in accordance with the campaign's 'pledge no longer to approve credentials for the news organization.' Trump cracked down on credentials for the organization as its CEO, Michael Bloomberg, has mounted a campaign for president and blanketed the airwaves across the country with advertisements slamming the president." The Wall Street Journal report is here.
Nicholas Fandos & Catie Edmondson of the New York Times: "In their final appeals in President Trump's impeachment trial, House Democrats argued on Monday that he had corrupted the presidency and would continue to put American interests at risk if the Senate failed to remove him from office. Mr. Trump's defenders, denouncing the case against him, said he had done nothing wrong and should be judged by voters.... The abbreviated closing arguments constituted the substantive end of Mr. Trump's impeachment trial, the third such proceeding in American history. In a mark of just how entrenched both sides were in their positions, senators skipped a period of deliberation and instead made their way to Senate floor one by one to announce their positions ahead of Wednesday's final vote on the House's abuse of power and obstruction of Congress charges. In 1999, the Senate spent three days weighing President Bill Clinton's fate during his impeachment proceeding."
Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Centrist Democratic Sen. Joe Manchin (W.Va.) on Monday urged the Senate to censure President Trump for holding up military aid to Ukraine in order to spur an investigation into former Vice President Joe Biden, predicting a formal reprimand could pick up bipartisan support. 'I do believe a bipartisan majority of this body would vote to censure President Trump for his actions in this matter. Censure would allow this body to unite across party lines, and as an equal branch of government to formally denounce the president's actions and hold him accountable,' Manchin said in a speech on the Senate floor. Manchin's proposal has received little traction among Senate Republicans who control the schedule, but it could gain the support of a handful of Republicans who have expressed concern over Trump's actions, including Sens. Susan Collins (R-Maine), Mitt Romney (R-Utah) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska). Manchin warned that if the Senate failed to respond in a bipartisan way to Trump's attempt to solicit foreign influence in the 2020 election, it would represent a serious setback for the chamber." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates of the Senate impeachment proceedings are here. ~~~ (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
~~~ Nicholas Fandos: "The key to the House's abuse of power charge against President Trump has always been whether he conditioned official acts ... on investigations into his political rivals. As they closed their defense on Monday, Mr. Trump's team insisted again that he did not -- but the denial was narrowly tailored in light of new disclosures.... [For instance, Michael] Purpura ... said that 'none of the House witnesses ever testified that there was any linkage between security assistance and investigations.'... That is strictly true. But John R. Bolton ... has written in a manuscript that Mr. Trump told him directly that he would only release the assistance on help with the investigations. He has also offered to testify, but senator refused to call him to the trial."
The Guardian's liveblog is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Sarah Kendzior in The Globe and Mail: "The Senate impeachment trial of Donald Trump was never a matter of law. It was always a matter of power.... The way that Mr. Trump gets out of crimes is not by actually proving his innocence, but by declaring that crimes are not crimes when he commits them.... The President does not want to be punished but he loves to get caught. He flaunts every crime he gets away with because it showcases the degradation of law, which ironically was furthered by his opponents' blind faith in it.... But the trial still had witnesses. We, the people, are the witnesses.... We are so tired of being witnesses that we feel like a captive audience. But it is important to remain a witness in a time of autocratic consolidation.... It doesn't feel empowering to be a witness under a regime determined to destroy the very concept of truth. But the truth always matters. If the truth didn't matter, they wouldn't work so hard to suppress it." --s
"It's Payback Time." Gabriel Sherman of Vanity Fair: "With Senate Republicans on track to acquit Donald Trump on Wednesday, Washington is bracing for what an unshackled Trump does next. Republicans briefed on Trump's thinking believe that the president is out for revenge against his adversaries. 'It's payback time,' a prominent Republican told me last week. 'He has an enemies list that is growing by the day,' another source said. Names that came up in my conversations with Republicans included Adam Schiff, Jerry Nadler, Mitt Romney, and John Bolton. 'Trump's playbook is simple: go after people who crossed him during impeachment.' Several sources said Bolton is at the top of the list.... 'Trump has been calling people and telling them to go after Bolton,' a source briefed on the private conversations said. The source added that Trump wants Bolton to be criminally investigated.... According to a former official, the White House is planning to leak White House emails from Bolton that purportedly allege Bolton abused his position at the National Security Council." Emphasis added. ~~~
~~~ Brian Schwartz of CNBC: “Several of ... Donald Trump's most loyal donors and supporters are telling other conservative financiers to shun former national security advisor John Bolton's political action committee and super PAC as he prepares to publish a memoir that is reportedly critical of the administration.... The move by these donors to take on Bolton is the latest example of how Trump has command of those who fund the Republican Party.... 'He's dead to everyone,' said a longtime aide of a Trump megadonor." ~~~
~~~ Rhea Mahbubani of Business Insider: Matt Schlapp, the chairman of the Conservative Political Action Conference [CPAC], lashed out at Sen. Mitt Romney in a tweet Friday, saying that he will not be welcome at the 2020 gathering. Schlapp's move followed the senator's decision to break ranks and vote with 47 Democratic senators who sought witnesses and additional documents during ... Donald Trump's impeachment trial Friday."
Sarah Blaskey of the Miami Herald: "... Donald Trump has repeatedly said all Americans should 'stand proudly' during the national anthem, and publicly chastises those who don't as disrespectful of the troops. But during the national anthem at his own Super Bowl watch party Sunday night, a brief video posted to Instagram shows Trump greeting guests, adjusting his chair, and straightening his suit jacket as other attendees -- including first lady Melania Trump and their teenage son -- stand with their hands over their hearts. As 'The Star Spangled Banner' crescendoes, Trump raises both of his hands in the air, and twirls them around as if conducting the music. The video was included in an Instagram story by a real estate agent for a Russian-American firm who frequents Mar-a-Lago and other Trump properties and events." You can watch Trump clowning his way through the anthem on this YouTube video.
Jonathan Chait explains why some Trumpbots -- like Steve Doocy & Matt Schlapp -- are defending Trump's misplacing the KC Chiefs in the wrong Kansas City. "The stupidity is the point...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) As for Adam Steinbaugh's Sharpie "correction" to the Kansas state map embedded yesterday? Better go with it. ~~~
~~~ SharpieGate 1.0. Nathalie Baptiste of Mother Jones: "Last September, as powerful Hurricane Dorian barreled towards the Bahamas, Donald Trump tweeted that several southern states, including Alabama, would be in its path.... Instead of admitting that he made an error, the president doubled down [altering an official map with a Sharpie]. Emails just released to Buzzfeed News and other media outlets show the internal panic over Trump's false claim at NWS and its parent agency, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.... The emails show NOAA officials confirming that the White House's map was 'doctored' and referred to the Trump administration's attempt to cover up the president's mistake as 'crazy.' As worry spread throughout both NWS and NOAA, agency forecasters and scientists feared retaliation if they contradicted the president by providing accurate information about the deadly storm." --s
Jake Johnson of Common Dreams: "... Jared Kushner is once more under intense scrutiny after new reporting revealed that his lucrative financial relationship with Israel has deepened even as his influence over U.S. Middle East policy -- from his leading role in Trump's effort to 'derail' a U.N. vote against Israel to his sway over the president's Jerusalem move -- has continued to grow. According to a report published Sunday by the New York Times, Kushner's real estate firm received a $30 million investment from Menora Mivtachim -- one of Israel's largest financial institutions -- just before he accompanied Trump on his first diplomatic trip to Israel last year.... The deal ... was not made public.... And the Menora deal is just one component of Kushner's sprawling and complex financial ties with Israel, the Times makes clear." --s
Jonathan Swan, et al., of Axios: "Veterans Affairs deputy secretary James Byrne was fired Monday morning..., the White House confirmed.... VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said he dismissed Byrne 'due to loss of confidence in Mr. Byrne's ability to carry out his duties.' Wilkie said the decision 'is effective immediately.'... The VA has come under fire after a House staff member said she was sexually assaulted at the VA hospital in Washington. The White House was disappointed by the way Wilkie and the VA handled the situation, according to three sources.... Facing pressure from the White House, Wilkie asked for Byrne's resignation Monday.... VA press secretary Christina Mandreucci denied that Byrne's dismissal was related to the sexual assault investigation, but did not elaborate further.... The staff member's complaint of sexual assault was investigated by the agency's Office of Inspector General, but no charges were brought. In a letter to the House Veterans Affairs Committee Chair Mark Takano (D-Calif.) last month, Wilkie called the staffer's claims of sexual assault 'unsubstantiated' and defended the VA as a 'safe place for all veterans.' The agency IG Michael Missal then pushed back in a letter to Wilkie, saying he had thoroughly briefed Wilkie and Byrne on the decision: 'Reaching a decision to close the investigation with no criminal charges does not mean that the underlying allegation is unsubstantiated,' he said." ~~~
~~~ Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "Mr. Byrne, who was confirmed by the Senate just five months ago, was closely involved in the agency's Office of Accountability and Whistle-Blower Protection. The office was set up by the Trump administration in 2017 to root out malfeasance and has become a target of accusations that it retaliated against the very people it was meant to protect." ~~~
~~~ Andrea Goldstein, the victim of the alleged assault, describes in a Jezebel opinion piece the effects Wilkie's dismissive letter had on her: "Secretary Wilkie's continued refusal to take ownership of the hostility and sexual violence at VA further perpetuated this hostile culture by both revictimizing a veteran in public and denying the culture of harassment and assault whose existence is well documented."
Natasha Bertrand & Mona Zhang of Politico: "A businessman facing federal charges over an alleged plot to trade political donations for help obtaining marijuana licenses around the country was working on a medical cannabis research deal with the Department of Veterans Affairs just weeks before his indictment. Andrey Kukushkin [is] a Ukraine-born cannabis investor whose multi-state marijuana projects and political donations were allegedly illegally funded by a Russian national.... Kukushkin was indicted alongside the businessmen Lev Parnas and Igor Fruman ... and their associate David Correa.... The VA's proposed Cooperative Research and Development Agreement, known as a CRADA, with Kukushkin's company, Oasis LLC, has not been previously reported. National security experts say the arrangement raises red flags, given the level of access Kukushkin and his alleged Russian funder would have had to government scientists, including one who does work with the Pentagon." --s
Matthew Cole of The Intercept: "The commander of the Navy SEALs [Naval Special Warfare Command, Rear Adm. Collin Green,] who found himself at odds with ... Donald Trump over disciplining a notorious member of his force has informed the Navy that he will step down a year early, according to three people familiar with the decision.... His departure follows two years during which he sought to repair the vaunted military unit's image after a slew of criminal charges against SEALs, including war crimes, murder, drug use, and sexual assault.... Green's departure is unusual in part because it comes as his current tour length of two years is being extended to three, meaning he has effectively declined a final year in the job and won't seek a third star." --s
Mike Brest of the Washington Examiner: "Conservative radio hos Rush Limbaugh revealed that he had been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer. On his radio show Monday, Limbaugh, 69, also said that he would likely miss some time on the program while he undergoes treatment." Thanks to safari for the lead.
News Lede: The New York Times' coronavirus updates are here. A guide to protect yourself from this & other viruses is linked under PSAs.
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Reader Comments (22)
I watched the caucuses for quite a while last night, and was really having a "warm fuzzies" moment-- everyone seemed to be excited and having fun, and I was semi-regretting my badmouthing the whole idea of IA having an outsized importance in the choice of candidates for president-- and now this... I am beginning to think that official Democratism is doomed. I know we all joke about snatching defeat from success, but this is not a good harbinger of things to come. How is it that we lose to bumbling, mean-spirited, incompetent con artists? Too naive? Too optimistic? Too academic? First thing to do, adjust the calendar for campaigns. IA is too small, too eccentric, too "folksy" to have this mind of schedule. Primaries should be all on one day, as election day is. So embarrassing. This on top of a Senate that is nonfunctional except to feather the nest of the dumbass presidunce, and is nonrepresentational of the more populous states, is just too much. grrrrrr
www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/03/how-to-protect-yourself-from-coronavirus
The above is a simple guideline for protecting oneself from contagion. The NYT did not publish this.
On a lighter side, here's the first installment of videos to come about Greta's trip from the US to Portugal on Sailing La Vagabonde. She seems like a normal kid, even willing to help out with the grocery shopping before departure. Her dad seems pretty real also.
This morning I sent an email to a Republican senator from a state of previous residence (AK) berating her about her anticipated vote of acquittal tomorrow. Won't make any difference, of course. But I now inhabit the high ground, and she doesn't. Some cleansing, at least--
mind= kind...Fingers not cooperating today. Am out-of-sorts. Plan to NOT watch presidunce lie his way through the SOTU...
BERNIE SANDERS IS THE ONLY CANDIDATE WHO CAN SAVE AMERICA:
Says Juan Cole in this wide-awake piece whose emphasis on Global Warming is a monumental warning that to our peril we are still dithering about.
https://www.truthdig.com/articles/bernie-sanders-is-the-only-candidate-who-can-save-america/
And speaking of Bernie: Listened to his speech last night and was impressed: He covered everything and did it extremely well. He shows no signs of fatigue or search for words unlike Biden whose speech began almost every other sentence with, "Well, folks.."
Amy's speech began with her rendition of the old tale of the old guy sobbing over the death of FDR and being asked whether he knew the president: "No", he replied, "But he knew me." She then riffed on this with multiple examples of how she knows whatever and will be there and fix the problems. It was effective to those who were holding up the many "Amy" signs and with her husband and daughter by her side she looked for all the world like a contender.
Didn't hear Warren's speech cuz it was past midnight and I headed for bed.
Thanks Victoria for the info on protecting ourselves from the coronavirus; too bad we can't do the same for that other virus that has been with us since 2017.
From Omen to Oh, man...
Back when the first Akhilleus and his Argive compatriots set off for Troy, Omens were the first things they looked for. Omens litter ancient Greek literature. A dead bird, earthquake, horse going lame, cold cup of coffee, almost anything could be interpreted as a good or bad omen. The Romans were even crazier. If a bird flew over your left shoulder, it meant this. Over the right, it meant that. But augury could be an iffy career choice. Interpret the signs incorrectly (or in a way that some consul could look back at and decide it was time to hang another soothsayer) and you could forget about retiring in your old age.
Do Democrats believe in omens? No? Well maybe they should believe in "Oh, man"s. Signs that dark things are moving around under the bed or in the closet (or sitting on the front porch swing and cackling whenever you leave for work) are routinely, criminally, ignored by Democrats.
A few signs that augured bad shit for Democrats (and democracy) over the years?
Sign number one: The Powell Memo. I don't know how many Democrats were aware of this at the time, but it certainly foretold some dirty weather ahead. As in category 5 hurricanes. Weekly.
Sign number two: the Gingrich Revolution. Instead of reading the tea leaves that clearly said "You are fucked if you ignore this", Democrats did what they always do. Ignored it. Even worse, some (too many) pretended they were cool with it and still others decided it wouldn't be a bad idea to adopt some of the new thinking: government is bad, people are stupid, ratfuck everything and everyone.
Both signs pointed directly down the road to the ascension of Trumpism. And Democrats are still befuddled. The nomination of Hillary Clinton was as damaging as it was historic. Another sign.
But now there are two more (out of many) signs of things to come (and things that are here right now. Sitting on that front porch swing, which is getting pretty fucking crowded).
Yesterday, while waiting for Iowa returns which never came, I listened intently to an interview on NPR with journalist Maria Ressa and filmmaker Ramona Diaz who has just completed a documentary about the media attacks and disinformation campaign that have helped propel a murderer, Trump BFF Rodrigo Duterte, to unprecedented power in the Philippines.
One of their most striking observations is the seminal importance of social media, specifically, Facebook, in assisting the spread of lies and the hoisting of the Duterte pennant of murder and authoritarianism.
"RESSA: ... let me put it in context 'cause what is happening in the Philippines is exactly what's happening in the United States. It is exactly what is happening in many democracies around the world, which is - you say a lie a million times, it becomes a fact. Right? You take a fissure of society. You create us against them, and then you fuel anger and incite hate. You manipulate people for a political purpose."
And then this:
"[NPR host Ailsa] CHANG: Right. We learn from this film that most people in the Philippines are on Facebook and that the methods used by Cambridge Analytica, a lot of them - now, this is the firm that exploited Facebook to affect the 2016 election in the U.S. This film says that Cambridge Analytica tested out its methods in the Philippines first. I mean, why do you think they chose the Philippines as the testing ground or this - the petri dish, if you will?
RESSA: Because 100% of Filipinos on the Internet are on Facebook. It's extremely powerful. Part of the reason President Duterte is extremely popular is because of these information operations on social media, which is part of the reason you have to look at Facebook and its culpability in this."
Cambridge Analytica. Remember them? Helped Tailgunner Ted Cruz, then Trump ratfuck the public, then helped the Brexit liars. Yeah, those guys. They play Facebook like a wingnut hurdy-gurdy.
Now look at the news this week. Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg hires far right-wingers to control the news Facebook users will be getting in the run up to the next election. He's not even leaving it to the ratfuckers to work in the dark. He's giving them office space!
Is that a bad sign? No. It's more like a seventy car train wreck. It's that kind of sign.
Want another?
The Iowa Caucus clusterfuck. STILL no idea who won on the Democratic side? Oh, it's just a computer glitch. A glitch that will be used by Trump and the Party of Traitors to cast doubt on any electoral outcome they don't like. Handed to them on a silver platter.
Back in grad school, I spent a lot of time poring over semiotic books and articles, learning to read the signs and symbols in various forms of texts, films, poetry, photographs (thanks, Roland), literature. Hell, you could even find a book on the semiotics of baseball cards. It could be daunting.
This ain't anything like that. You don't need no degree in semiotics to read the signs and symbols and represent the decline of democracy and another potentially crushing defeat for Democrats too obtuse to pay attention. We're not talking about translating a rose or deciding why Antonioni decided to use the color red in three important shots. We're talking about giant billboards, with a vulture poised on top, saying "TURN AROUND NOW, MORONS! CERTAIN DEATH AHEAD".
They haven't been paying much attention so far, so who knows?
Maybe there are signs Republicans should be aware of, but I haven't seen many. They make their own rules. That declaration, instead being used as a ha-ha by late night comedians, should have been a clarion call. They DO make their own rules. And now we have to abide by them as well.
And that's a yuuugge "Oh, man".
By the way. Omens, "oionos" in Ancient Greece, were represented as a vulture.
The current vultures all have Trump's face on them.
Oh, man.
Speaking of the coronavirus...
Does anyone, outside of the ignorant Trumpbots, believe that the United States will be properly protected by science denier Fatty and his incompetent science hating cabinet? Okay, he instituted a travel ban. But he institutes travel bans for everything. He's been regularly hamstringing researchers and cutting funding for healthcare, as well as continuing to find a way to restrict healthcare to the well off and the wealthy. He, of course, like the rest of the traitors in Congress, doesn't pay a penny for his healthcare.
Just as it should be, sez the one percenters.
The rest of us? Get out the masks and hope to hell that "epi" doesn't morph to "pan", as in "-demic".
@AK: If you read the Cole piece I posted you will see your comments correspond. Omens––a whole shitload of them.
Joseph Roth was one of the few writers in the 1930s in Germany who understood the consequences of the rise of fascism. He knew that the peddling of false hopes in a time of radical evil was immoral:
"“What use are my words,” Roth asked, “against the guns, the loudspeakers, the murderers, the deranged ministers, the stupid interviewers and journalists who interpret the voice of this world of Babel, muddied anyhow, via the drums of Nuremberg?”
“It will become clear to you now that we are heading for a great catastrophe,” Roth, after going into self-exile in France in 1933, wrote to the author Stefan Zweig about the ascendancy of the Nazis. “The barbarians have taken over. Do not deceive yourself. Hell reigns.”
Omens––we here all saw them––early on–-the "It can't happen here" cuz we be "the greatest country on earth" will come back to haunt us especially when the insects and bees disappear. Interesting bit on that last sentence:
Yesterday Joe went to our local Stop &Shop to fetch a few things and I asked him to buy more grapes and Halos. He came back empty handed of both those items. Why? There were NO grapes or Halos––I could maybe understand the halo but grapes? Just a glitch trucking wise or another bad omen.
@Akhilleus & @PD Pepe: Yeah, the canary in the coal mine died a long while back.
I heard that discussion on NPR also, and it gave me the chills. I wondered if I am going to be gamed because the only Facebook I encounter is subscribing to Charlie's Esquire columns and the comments are through Facebook. I get my news from there and from RC, knowing I am reading opinion but knowing the difference and trusting these two blogs. The rest is on MSNBC and CNN and NPR and that is about it. I read linked articles from TNYT and WP when they are provided, but I don't subscribe. I also read longer works in Vanity Fair. I refuse to participate on Facebook...so I like to think I am safe from misguided news, lies and damn lies. Maybe not?
From the article on Good Samaritans in the desert:
"While she anticipates a government appeal, Franke said Monday’s reversal provides a solid foundation for applying RFRA in similar legal contexts."
Of course it does. If you read RBG's dissent on the earliest (?) case about RFRA (Littler Sisters of the Poor? Cake baker? I forget), you can use the RFRA to justify any darn thing you want, if you say you are acting from sincere religious belief. The RFRA, and the judgments that have come from it, are among the most pernicious developments of the alliance between the GOP and the zealots. And 5 of 9 justices will swear its constitutional.
Madison wept.
Jeanne,
You may be safe but millions of low information voters are already being fed the line that it’s the Democrats who are liars and traitors and Biden who should be impeached immediately if elected. Trump is portrayed as a brave fighter for America, dammit. Signed, Mark Zuckerberg.
Bea,
Your right. It's long past time for a new, non-religious dispensation.
I have the trouble you do with the religious argument that requires a demonstrated sincere religious belief to justify behavior that falls outside written statutes, and as fewer people subscribe to an identifiable organized sect or have any religious convictions at all, but are yet are still willing to obey their conscience, the problem has become even more pronounced that it was for the conscientious objectors of yore.
This from Wikipedia:
"Belief in an external power or "being" or deeply held moral or ethical belief, to which all else is subordinate or upon which all else is ultimately dependent, and which has the power or force to affect moral well-being. The external power or "being" need not be one that has found expression in either religious or societal traditions. However, it should sincerely occupy a place of equal or greater value in the life of its possessor. Deeply held moral or ethical beliefs should be valued with the strength and devotion of traditional religious conviction. The term "religious training and/or belief" may include solely moral or ethical beliefs even though the applicant may not characterize these beliefs as "religious" in the traditional sense, or may expressly characterize them as not religious. The term "religious training and/or belief" does not include a belief that rests solely upon considerations of policy, pragmatism, expediency, or political views.
— Department of Defense, Instruction 1300.06[3]"
There's wiggle room here that courts must begin to take into account.
Doing the right thing just because it's right--not because some imaginary presence told you to--ought to be sufficient.
And in the name of the humanity of yourself and others, not just sufficient but necessary.
AK-- I know, but what can we do about that? Those people sold their souls four or more years ago-- and an entire network dominates their pitiful lives-- it's everywhere. We used to think if they just KNEW they were being used and abused, these people would realize it and kick the habit. I think that notion died almost immediately on dump's election day. I thought more people would realize what a bruiser and conman they had pinned their hopes upon, but they have not. I have heard farmers with no markets say they would vote for him again. What is that? A chance to vent hostility on people with education and jobs? They scream about how jobless people should just GET one. NPR had poverty front and center this morning, people not reveling in the stock market etc. And yes, the hostility is really scary-- I have given up comments anywhere but my prescribed reads. I don't converse with strangers anymore-- and I would not think of reading Breitbart etc. But they are winning the communication war and it is awful.
Yes, last night's Iowa fuck-up was/is a downer.
Dealt with it by sending this ancillary comment to yesterday's Krugman column, wherein he brandishes his lance again at the zombie ideas that seem to animate Republicans.
"All parties are coalitions. Today's Republican Party is, too; unfortunately a coalition of mostly--dare I say it? Sure I can. I'm not running for office--deplorables.
Sure, there are exceptions, but far too few.
Otherwise, we're looking at True Believers (ala Eric Hoffer), cynical manipulators of one issue (abortion, guns, gays, no tax, anti-government deregulators--take your pick) voters, those who would prefer not to know too much, and greedy old ( mostly white) folks, aka, altogether, the G(reedy) O(ld) P(arty).
No objective view of the Republican Party today could find any social value in what it does or represents.
Of course, that's the problem: It and its adherents have no interest in any society beyond me-myself-and I. That's why they stoke anger, resentment, call names and lie. They have no policies the country as a whole would benefit from or could get behind.
That this party and its leader are making most of the nation's critical decisions is the much bigger problem.
It is the entire nation's."
Said in another way, for Republicans the measure of man is not MAN but ME.
Not so much a comment on Krugman, I know as an expression of my own evidently deplorable state of mind.
Jeanne,
Quite. And worse, Facebook now dominates across enormous swaths of internet communications. I ran across an unfamiliar word in my reading last evening and, hustling over to M-W, ingested a helping of definition-etymology-historical usage (my American Heritage was out in the living room bookcase, otherwise it's still my go-to). Delighted with the word and the information, I thought I'd take the M-W'ers up on their offer to leave a comment and found (again) that commentary is barred without one should log in as a Facebook member.
To hell with that.
And it's not just on that site. It's an almost across the board situation on perhaps thousands of sites. I get why they do it but I refuse to bow to the Lord Zuckerberg and do as I am ordered. But millions do it anyway. Nothing against them, they're just going along. But it's just one more nail in the coffin. It might be different if Facebook was a largely anodyne, apolitical, safe space on the internet, but it's not. Especially now that the Fox'ers are in the hen house to stay.
And they're all watching what you say and do and you talk about.
I mentioned earlier that the Iowa cluster would be picked up by the trump-eters of conspiracy theories and used to cast doubt on the entire democratic (and Democratic) enterprise.
It didn't take long:
Don Jr: “The fix is in..AGAIN”
Eric Trump: “..they are rigging this thing."
Parscale: "Quality control=rigged?
And this is just the bullshit little cocked-up caucuses in Iowa where bringing along a plate of oatmeal cookies can change a whole room's opinion of whom to vote for.
Just listened to Schiff's closing plea.
Did nothing to cheer me up, but...
WOW!
My last gasp of hope lies in tonight's SOTU by IMPotus, which I won't watch or listen to, when during his monotone syncopated delivery of mispronunciations (e.g. criminiminals) that someone (RBG?) during a moment of pause pulls a Joe Wilson by declaring a loud "You Lie!"
I can just imagine his glare into the crowd for a moment or two before his face changes from orange to crimson, then his hair and arms start a-flailing, while he launches into a non-stop stream of invective, epithets, and expletives aimed at everyone. So much so that he pops his cork in his demented state and loses all continence, peeing and shitting his baggy Brioni pants for all the world to see. Would that be enough to invoke the 25th?
We aren't the only ones who think he's loosing his mind. #presidementia may be our only salvation before November.
Iowa has shown it's incompetence with paper ballots in the past and now with computers. This is true for both parties. To put it mildly it does not deserve to in the first 10 states to vote,
The DNC has shown itself at least a generation behind the GOP in IT. The DNC's shadow IT provider's vote app does not inspire confidence and some candidates are relying on it.
It's disturbing that attendence at the vote was down from '16. I'd expected an increase after the impeachment revelations. But maybe not. 538 had trump's popularity at 43.6% on feb. o4. Today one poll has him at 49%. Which would indicate a significantly positive boost from the impeachment. Early days?
@unwashed - my fantasy is for Idiotstick to have a massive stroke and spend the rest of his life drooling in a corner, shitting into a diaper.
Preferably sometime in October - too late for the Repugs to replace him on the ticket.