The Washington Post offers tips on how to keep your EV battery running in frigid temperatures. The link at the end of this graf is supposed to be a "gift link" (from me, Marie Burns, the giftor!), meaning that non-subscribers can read the article. Hope it works: https://wapo.st/3u8Z705
Thursday
Nov172016
The Commentariat -- Nov. 18, 2016
The nonsuburban electorate will decide that the system has failed and start looking around for a strongman to vote for -- someone willing to assure them that, once he is elected, the smug bureaucrats, tricky lawyers, overpaid bond salesmen, and postmodernist professors will no longer be calling the shots.... One thing that is very likely to happen is that the gains made in the past forty years by black and brown Americans, and by homosexuals, will be wiped out. Jocular contempt for women will come back into fashion.... All the resentment which badly educated Americans feel about having their manners dictated to them by college graduates will find an outlet. -- Richard Rorty, 1998
Afternoon Update:
Julie Davis of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump moved quickly on Friday to begin filling national security posts at the top echelons of his administration, announcing that he had tapped a group of hawks and conservative loyalists who reflect the hard-line views that defined his presidential campaign." -- CW
Mark Mazzetti & Julie Davis of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has selected Representative Mike Pompeo, a hawkish Republican from Kansas and a former Army officer, to lead the C.I.A., his transition team said Friday. Mr. Pompeo, who has served for three terms in Congress and is a member of the House Intelligence Committee, gained prominence for his role in the congressional investigation into the 2012 attack on the American diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya. He was a sharp critic of Hillary Clinton on the committee." -- CW
Rosalind Helderman of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump, who has repeatedly bragged he never settles lawsuits despite a long history of doing so, is nearing a deal to end the fraud cases pending against his defunct real estate seminar program, Trump University, according to a person familiar with the negotiations. If finalized, the settlement would eliminate the possibility that Trump would be called to testify in court in the midst of his presidential transition. A deal would end three suits against him, including a California class action case that was scheduled to go to trial later this month, as well as a second suit in that state and one brought by New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman." -- CW ...
.... Update: Steve Eder of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump has reversed course and agreed to pay $25 million to settle a series of lawsuits stemming from his defunct for-profit education venture, Trump University, finally putting to rest fraud allegations by former students, which have dogged him for years and hampered his presidential campaign. The settlement was announced by the New York attorney general on Friday, just 10 days before one of the cases, a federal class-action lawsuit in San Diego, was set to be heard by a jury. The deal, if approved, averts a potentially embarrassing and highly unusual predicament: a president-elect on trial, and possibly even taking the stand in his own defense, while scrambling to build his incoming administration. It was a remarkable concession from a real estate mogul who derides legal settlements and has mocked fellow businessmen who agree to them." -- CW
*****
Gardiner Harris & Melissa Eddy of the New York Times: "In his strongest public comments since the election, President Obama on Thursday sharply criticized the spread of fake news online and said that ... Donald J. Trump would not remain in office for long if he failed to take the job seriously. Mr. Obama made his remarks at a news conference in Berlin beside the German chancellor, Angela Merkel, one of his closest allies on the Continent.... Ms. Merkel was unusually sentimental. 'It is hard to say goodbye,' she said. But instead of basking in the glow of what was supposed to be his valedictory tour of Europe, Mr. Obama used the moment to make a passionate and pointed attack on bogus news stories disseminated on Facebook and other social media platforms, twice calling such false reports a threat to democracy in his hourlong news conference." -- CW ...
... Anthony Faoila & David Nakamura of the Washington Post: "President Obama wrapped up his final visit to Europe on Thursday by issuing a plaintive warning to Western democracies not to 'take for granted our system of government and our way of life' as he prepares to relinquish the international stage to his successor, President-elect Donald J. Trump. 'Democracy is hard work,' Obama said at a news conference after meeting [in Berlin] with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, one of his closest international partners." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Get Used to It, Donald. Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Obama won't try to call off protests against Donald Trump, he said Thursday, ignoring pleas from ... [Trump's] advisers to denounce the nationwide demonstrations. 'I would not advise people who feel strongly or are concerned about some of the issues that have been raised over the course of the campaign, I would not advise them to be silent,' Obama said during a joint news conference with German Chancellor Angela Merkel. Obama said protests are just something Trump would have to get used to as the leader of the free world." -- CW ...
David Remnick of the New Yorker followed President Obama around on the last days of the campaign, election night, and also spoke with Obama a couple of times after the election. Quite a good read, tho Remnick acknowledges that the President is too politic to say what he really thinks.
Greg Miller of the Washington Post: "Director of National Intelligence James R. Clapper Jr. said Thursday that he has submitted his letter of resignation to President Obama, cementing his long-declared plan to leave his job as the nation's spy chief when a new president is sworn in. 'I submitted my letter of resignation last night, which felt pretty good,' Clapper said in testimony Thursday morning before the House Intelligence Committee. 'I have 64 days left and I would have a hard time with my wife for anything past that.' U.S. officials emphasized that Clapper's resignation was unrelated to the election victory of Donald Trump, who has publicly dismissed the work of U.S. spy agencies on critical issues, including Russia's interference in the election and Moscow's involvement in the war in Syria." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Shane Goldmacher & Andrew Restuccia of Politico: "Donald Trump's team has brought a semblance of stability to a transition operation that has weathered days of reports of infighting, as the president-elect also began offering olive branches to his former Republicans critics, including announcing plans to meet with 2012 GOP nominee Mitt Romney. They held conference calls. They announced visitors to Trump Tower. They revealed that Trump 'landing teams' will soon descend on top agencies, including the Department of Defense. They provided a list of world leaders with whom ... [Trump] has spoken. They established a basic flow of basic information for the first time. And by late Thursday, the State Department and Pentagon revealed that they'd been in touch with Trump's team for the first time." -- CW ...
... Nancy Cook of Politico: "The Trump transition team filed the last pieces of necessary paperwork late Thursday afternoon that enables it to start receiving briefings and go into federal agencies.... Mike Pence signed the [Memorandum of Understanding] as did the White House chief-of-staff Denis McDonough. A huge part [of the] agreement is ensuring the confidentiality of government secrets and processes." -- CW
He'll be a real general now.Eric Lichtblau, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has selected Senator Jeff Sessions, a conservative from Alabama who became a close adviser after endorsing him early in his campaign, to be the attorney general of the United States, according to officials close to the transition.... Mr. Sessions, a former prosecutor elected to the Senate in 1996, serves on the Judiciary Committee and has opposed immigration reform as well as bipartisan proposals to cut mandatory minimum prison sentences.... While serving as a United States prosecutor in Alabama, Mr. Sessions was nominated in 1986 by President Ronald Reagan for a federal judgeship. But his nomination was rejected by the Republican-controlled Senate Judiciary Committee because of racially charged comments and actions. At that time, he was one of two judicial nominees whose selections were halted by the panel in nearly 50 years." -- CW
"Dr. Strangelove" Lives! (Only the Enemy Is Different.) Matthew Rosenberg & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has offered the post of national security adviser to Lt. Gen. Michael T. Flynn, potentially putting a retired intelligence officer who believes Islamist militancy poses an existential threat in one of the most powerful roles in shaping military and foreign policy.... Mr. Trump and General Flynn both ... post on Twitter often about their own successes, and they have both at times crossed the line into outright Islamophobia. They also both exhibit a loose relationship with facts: General Flynn, for instance, has said that Shariah, or Islamic law, is spreading in the United States (it is not). His dubious assertions are so common that when he ran the Defense Intelligence Agency, subordinates came up with a name for the phenomenon: They called them 'Flynn facts.'... He would enter the White House with significant baggage. The Flynn Intel Group, a consulting firm he founded after he was fired by President Obama as head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, has hazy business ties to Middle Eastern countries and has appeared to lobby for the Turkish government. General Flynn also took a paid speaking engagement last year with Russia Today...." The post does not require Senate confirmation. CW: Kubrick warned us about this. ...
... Greg Miller of the Washington Post profiles Flynn. Here's an excerpt: "... Flynn has also shown an erratic streak since leaving government that is likely to make his elevation disconcerting even to the flag officers and senior intelligence officials who once considered him a peer. Flynn stunned former colleagues when he traveled to Moscow last year to appear alongside Russian President Vladimir Putin at a lavish gala for the Kremlin-run propaganda channel RT, a trip Flynn admitted he was paid to make and defended by saying he saw no distinction between RT and U.S. news channels such as CNN." -- CW
... Katie Little of CNBC: "President-elect Donald Trump has offered the top Central Intelligence Agency post to Rep. Mike Pompeo, who has accepted, NBC News reported on Friday." CW: Pompeo originally supported Rubio but switched to Trump as Trump racked up primary wins. Guardian: "As a congressional candidate in 2010, Pompeo had to personally apologise for a tweet his campaign sent out promoting an article that called his opponent Raj Goyle, an Indian-American Democrat, a 'turban topper' who 'could be a muslim, a hindy, a buddhist etc who knows'. His campaign also put up billboard ads encouraging people in the area to 'vote American'."
Drumpf Dynasty, Episode 27. Julie Davis & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Jared Kushner, the son-in-law of President-elect Donald J. Trump, has spoken to a lawyer about the possibility of joining the new administration, a move that could violate federal anti-nepotism law and risk legal challenges and political backlash.... Mr. Trump is urging his son-in-law to join him in the White House, according to one of the people briefed.... Mr. Kushner ... believes that by forgoing a salary and putting his investment fund, his real estate holdings and The New York Observer into a blind trust, he would not be bound by federal nepotism rules, according to one of the people briefed." -- CW
... David Nakamura, et al., of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump plans to meet this weekend with ... Mitt Romney, a fierce critic during the campaign, to discuss his transition operation and a potential role as secretary of state, people close to the transition said Thursday. Trump's outreach to Romney ... could help bridge the divide between [Trump's] advisers and the GOP establishment, and send a signal to foreign capitals that Trump is interested in a more conventional figure as the nation's top diplomat. Also Thursday, Newt Gingrich, the former Republican House speaker, said in an interview with McClatchy News Service that he would not have an official role in Trump's administration, despite having previously been identified as a potential secretary of state." -- CW ...
... Antonio Vielma of CNBC: "... Mitt Romney will meet with Donald Trump this weekend to discuss the secretary of state position, a source close to the president-elect with direct knowledge of his thinking told NBC News." CW: Really? Romney said in 2012 that Russia was the U.S.'s "top geopolitical threat." Is he now willing to make nice to Putin at the Dear Leader's behest? ...
... Julian Broger & David Smith of the Guardian: "David Petraeus -- the former US army general and CIA director who was prosecuted for mishandling classified information -- has entered the race to become Donald Trump's secretary of state, diplomatic sources said on Thursday. Petraeus resigned in November 2012 after the FBI discovered he had had an affair with his biographer, Paula Broadwell, and had shared classified information with her.... Petraeus, who was also a US commander in Afghanistan and Iraq, has made flattering remarks about Trump since the election." CW: Well, this seems perfect. Donald Trump has had a least one affair while married to another woman and reputedly more. Also, he seems destined to blab secrets; i.e., "mishandle classified information." So why would he have any objection to Petraeus' little misadventures? More seriously, Petraeus is not John Bolton or Rudy Giuliani, which is a huge plus. ...
... A Bigger Blabbermouth than Trump? Louis Nelson of Politico: "Donald Trump's campaign manager Kellyanne Conway stopped short on Thursday of criticizing former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani for publicly discussing what role he and others might have in [Trump's] ... Cabinet but said, 'These conversations are always best in private.'" -- CW ...
Lorraine Woellert of Politico: "OneWest Bank, a mortgage lender founded and run by Steven Mnuchin until last year, discriminated against blacks, Hispanics and Asians and avoided putting branches in minority communities, according to a federal complaint filed by two California housing watchdogs. The redlining accusation, filed with the Department of Housing and Urban Development, was made against CIT Group Inc., which purchased OneWest in a $3.4 billion deal that closed last year. Mnuchin, Donald Trump's campaign finance chairperson and a leading candidate for the job of Treasury secretary, is on CIT's board." -- CW: As we know, Trump should be comfortable with that, too, what with his launching his real estate career by discriminating against minorities applying to rent Fred Trump's units.
Binyamin Appelbaum of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump claimed credit on Thursday night for persuading Ford to keep an automaking plant in Kentucky rather than moving it to Mexico. The only wrinkle: Ford was not actually planning to move the plant. [Emphasis added.] Mr. Trump wrote on Twitter shortly after 9 p.m. that Ford's chairman, William Clay Ford Jr., had just told him that Ford 'will be keeping the Lincoln plant in Kentucky -- no Mexico.' Minutes later, Mr. Trump wrote in a second post: 'I worked hard with Bill Ford to keep the Lincoln plant in Kentucky. I owed it to the great State of Kentucky for their confidence in me!' Mr. Trump won 62.5 percent of the state's popular vote in the presidential election." CW: At 6:48 am ET today, Mr. Trump wrote a third tweet: 'I worked hard to get the sun to come up, and it worked! No wonder Americans have confidence in me!' ...
... ** The Fake News President. Paul Waldman: "But I can promise you that in a very short time, millions of Trump supporters will be convinced that he saved thousands of jobs in Kentucky with just the force of his will. As Jesse Singal observed, within minutes of Trump sending his bogus tweet, the story was spreading in its fake version through the conservative media ecosystem.... Trump is providing us a preview of what he'll do as president: He'll construct his own fake world for those who support him to inhabit, in which he's always right and deserves credit and praise for everything good that happens anywhere, whether he had anything to do with it or not. If there's positive news, he'll say it happened because of him. If there isn't any, he'll just make something up and take credit for that." -- CW
Do Stop by if You're in Town. Rajeev Syal of the Guardian: "Donald Trump has reportedly left civil servants amused and befuddled by extending an unusual and un presidential invitation to [British PM] Theresa May. Downing Street refused to deny a leaked transcript in which the president-elect told the British prime minister: 'If you travel to the US you should let me know.'" -- CW ...
... Jerry Markon, et al., of the Washington Post: Trump's "5 p.m. session with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Trump's first with a foreign leader since the election, has raised questions among some in Washington's foreign policy community because Trump has apparently not been briefed by the State Department. Officials said Wednesday that the transition team has not reached out to State. A former State Department official said such a meeting with a foreign leader would normally be preceded by numerous briefings from key diplomats, which is considered especially important here because the Japanese are concerned about comments Trump made on the campaign trail. [Trump] ... repeatedly said that Japan, along with South Korea, should pay more for their defense and that he would make them pay more for hosting U.S. military bases."-- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Get Trump's Hands Off my Medicare! Paul Krugman: "'I'm not going to cut Social Security like every other Republican and I'm not going to cut Medicare or Medicaid,' [Donald Trump] declared [during the campaign], under the headline 'Why Donald Trump Won't Touch Your Entitlements.' It was, of course, a lie. The transition team's point man [lobbyist Michael Korbey] on Social Security is a longtime advocate of privatization, and all indications are that the incoming administration is getting ready to kill Medicare, replacing it with vouchers that can be applied to the purchase of private insurance. Oh, and it's also likely to raise the age of Medicare eligibility.... First, the attack on Medicare will be one of the most blatant violations of a campaign promise in history.... What's crucial now is to make sure that voters do, in fact, realize what's going on. And this isn't just a job for politicians. It's also a chance for the news media, which failed so badly during the campaign, to start doing its job." ...
... CW: Even if the media do their jobs, Democrats need to get off the dime here. We should be seeing ads right now condemning Ryan & Trump's man Korbey. We're not. Voters won't know they've been betrayed till after the deed is done.
New York Times Editors: "According to rough estimates by the Migration Policy Institute, of the country's 11 million unauthorized immigrants, about 820,000 have criminal records. About 300,000 of those have felony convictions and are presumably the bad people Mr. Trump is talking about.... And yet he also said that two million to three million would go, a population about the size of Chicago's. He would have to haul away a lot of terrific people, and terrorize many more, to hit that mark. This would require a vast conscription of state and local law enforcement against people who pose no threat. It would mean a surge in home and workplace raids, investigations and traffic stops.... If Mr. Trump begins a senseless purge, all segments of society -- religious congregations, factories, farms, colleges and universities, private individuals -- will need to speak out and defend the vulnerable." -- CW
Trump's Five-Year Lobbying Ban Is a PR Stunt. Isaac Arnsdorf: "K Street quickly cast doubt on the effectiveness of Donald Trump's five-year lobbying ban on transition and administration officials, saying the rule would both deter top talent from joining Trump's team and expand the use of loopholes. On its face, Trump's ban would last longer than any policy hitherto in force. But it's already become increasingly common for former officials to find ways to use their influence without registering as lobbyists. Trump's ban will probably intensify that trend, and its announcement probably had more to do with protecting the president-elect's anti-establishment image than actually disrupting the revolving door, lobbyists and legal experts said." -- CW
** Dangerous Times. Matt Yglesias of Vox: "We are used to corruption in which the rich buy political favor. What we need to learn to fear is corruption in which political favor becomes he primary driver of economic success. Many American administrations have featured acts of venal corruption, and Trump's will likely feature more than most. The larger risk, however, is that Trump's lack of grounding in ideological principles or party networks [or moral restraint] will create a systemically corrupt government.... Those who support the regime will receive favorable treatment from regulators, and those who oppose it will not.... It is entirely possible that eight years from now we'll be looking at an entrenched kleptocracy preparing to install a chosen successor whose only real mission is to preserve the web of parasitical oligarchy that has replaced the federal government as we know it." -- CW
The Troubles They'll See. Mark Schmitt of the New York Times: "It's doubtful that Donald J. Trump has even a grade-school civics class idea of how a bill becomes a law, so it's long been assumed that his legislative agenda will be House Speaker Paul Ryan's..... Even with one-party control, [passing legislation is] always a high-wire act.... Keeping the process on track requires a president who is fully engaged, making calls to the Hill, intervening to resolve conflicts, and providing technical support through competently staffed federal agencies. It helps a lot if the president is popular and members want to be associated with him; Ronald Reagan's approval rating was almost 60 percent around the time Congress enacted his sweeping tax and budget cuts in 1981. Even right after the election, Mr. Trump's favorability ratings were comparable to Richard M. Nixon's in the depths of Watergate, and he lost the popular vote. Nor does Mr. Trump have warm relationships with members of Congress. Most have never met him, and others he has viciously attacked." -- CW ...
... Jonathan Chait: A few days after the election, Paul Ryan "casually and somewhat cryptically stated that the mandate Trump won included the passage of Paul Ryan's plan to transform Medicare into capped premium support. This might come as a surprise to the people in small towns and the Rust Belt who listened to Trump's promise not to touch retirement programs. But there's increasing evidence Republicans are serious about this. Tom Price, chairman of the House Budget Committee, says that Republicans will pass Medicare privatization in a budget reconciliation bill this year. A budget reconciliation bill can be passed with a majority in the Senate, and cannot be filibustered, but it can only make changes to taxes and spending." -- CW ...
... The Banana Republic of Trump. CW: Charles Pierce, like many pundits, thinks the Trump-Putin bromance is likely a function of Russian oligarchs' financial ties to Trump. But Pierce provides a clue at the end of his post that makes me think it ain't only the money; to wit: "... Putin has been playing footsie
with nationalist movements all over Europe...." You know who else plays footsie with nationalist movements all over Europe? Steve Bannon. And Bannon apparently has quite a hold over Trump. It's true that Trump has long admired dictators, but Bannon may be the eminence dangereux behind Trump's particular fondness for Putin. I suspect, BTW, what Trump admires about dictators is their mastery of the systemic corruption Matt Yglesias fears Trump will initiate here. ...... Update: According to the NYT story on Gen. Flynn, he also has been urging Trump to work with Putin. This is what happens when you choose a know-nothing president who must rely on smart, informed but perverted advisors to make decisions.
... CW: Also, too, no one has benefited more than Donald Trump from the systemic corruption of our major political parties. The Bush family and its circle of financial backers tried to crown Jeb! as the nominee by raining $95MM on him before the first debate was scheduled. Clinton forcefully foreclosed on other potential candidates with her own massive war chest and her connections. She almost pulled it off in 2008, too, when she used the same tactics. Now Nancy Pelosi is once again using her long string of favors to House members as the means to continue her reign as minority leader. The Democratic party is absolutely ossified. Trump, despite his multiple disqualifying attributes, got 60MM votes because he wasn't Jeb! or Hillary.
Mark Stern of Slate: "The Federalist Says Steve Bannon Isn't Anti-Semitic Because Jewish Girls Really Are Whiny." Read the whole post. It's short.
Heather Caygle & John Bresnahan of Politico: "Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan will challenge House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for the top Democratic post, the first real test of her leadership since Democrats lost the House in 2010.... Ryan, a seven-term lawmaker who represents the kind of Rust Belt terrain where Donald Trump and Republicans outperformed in the election, says Democrats can't continue on their current path." ... CW
Paul Waldman: "... there's at least some evidence that Democrats are considering joining with Republicans to pass [Trump's huge infrastructure bill]. That would be a terrible mistake.... Obstruction is generally something you're unlikely to pay a price for, because most voters will decide that 'Washington' isn't working, and put blame on the party that holds the White House, even if the fact that it isn't working is completely the other party's fault.... [Trump is] a demagogue and a dangerous fool, and while Democrats aren't going to question the legitimacy of his presidency the way Republicans did with Obama, he shouldn't ever be treated like an ordinary president with whom Democrats just have some substantive disagreements. So, absent an incredibly powerful reason to cooperate with him on any particular bill, the last thing Trump should get from Democrats is a clean slate and a hand extended in cooperation." -- CW ...
... David Cole in the New York Review of Books: "... if Bush [II] could be stopped, notwithstanding widespread popular support, a large-scale attack on US soil leading to a war footing, and a history of judicial and congressional acquiescence in similar prior periods, Trump is also stoppable. He doesn't have anything like the popular support Bush had after 9/11. And the recent history of the repudiation of Bush's abuses will make it harder to repeat them.... Much of what Trump has proposed is patently illegal. Torture violates the Constitution, international law, and the Geneva Conventions. Deporting or singling out Muslims for discriminatory treatment violates the freedom of religion. Congress cannot expand libel, whose contours are determined by the First Amendment. The right to terminate a pregnancy remains protected by the Constitution, and the Supreme Court strongly reaffirmed that right just last year.... [Stopping Trump] will take an engaged citizenry, a persistent civil society, a vigilant media, brave insiders, and judges and other government officials who take seriously their responsibility to uphold the Constitution.... We live in a constitutional democracy, one that is expressly designed to check the impulses of dangerous men. It will do so if and only if we insist on it." CW: Cole will be the national legal director of the ACLU beginning in January.
Jonathan Easley of the Hill: "Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) won't officially join the Democratic Party even though he was appointed to a leadership position within the Senate Democratic Conference this week. 'I was elected as an Independent and I will finish this term as an Independent,' Sanders said at a breakfast Thursday morning hosted by the Christian Science Monitor." -- CW
Paul Waldman: The filibuster may survive. "... at least four Republican senators have gone on record saying that the filibuster should stay.... It's too early to know exactly what will happen, particularly since we don't know how the impulsive, vindictive buffoon in the Oval Office is going to inject himself into this process." -- CW
Gene Robinson: "The Democratic Party cannot just wait for the next Barack Obama to come along.... Instead, Democrats need to do what Republicans did, which is to build from the ground up and start winning state and local elections. A Democratic rebound has to begin with the basics: getting people who agree with you to vote. Less than 60 percent of those eligible to cast ballots in last week's election bothered to do so. Conservatives who say this is 'a center-right nation' may be right in terms of who votes, but they're wrong in terms of who could vote." -- CW
Renae Merle of the Washington Post: "JPMorgan Chase hired hundreds of friends and relatives of potential clients in order to win business in China, an international bribery scheme, federal officials said Thursday, that netted the Wall Street bank more than $100 million. JPMorgan agreed to $264 million in fines to settle civil and criminal charges, an amount discounted in return for the bank's cooperation with the investigations. The bank, which was accused of violating the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act, acknowledged wrongdoing as part of the settlement, an usual admission in such cases." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Chris Mooney of the Washington Post: "This is the second year in a row that temperatures near the North Pole have risen to freakishly warm levels. During 2015's final days, the temperature near the Pole spiked to the melting point thanks to a massive storm that pumped warm air into the region.... 'It's about 20C [36 degrees Fahrenheit] warmer than normal over most of the Arctic Ocean, along with cold anomalies of about the same magnitude over north-central Asia,' Jennifer Francis, an Arctic specialist at Rutgers University, said by email Wednesday." CW: Nothing to worry about, folks. It's just weather. Sometimes it's hot; sometimes it's cold. Climate change is a hoax.
Christopher Ingraham of the Washington Post: "Americans have never been more interested in looking up the Ku Klux Klan online than they are right now, according to search data from Google Trends... Comparisons to other, presumably high-volume search terms give some sense of the magnitude. For several days this month, about as many people were searching for the Ku Klux Klan as were looking for Kim Kardashian and college football, combined. In November, interest in the Ku Klux Klan is about twice as high as it was at its previous 12-year peak back in March of this year, when Donald Trump did not immediately renounce an endorsement from former Klan leader David Duke. Interest in the Klan also spiked in November 2008, after the election of the first black president." -- CW
Beyond the Beltway
Rod Nordland of the New York Times: "Turkey now has handily outstripped China as the world’s biggest jailer of journalists, according to figures compiled by the Committee to Protect Journalists. The jailings are the most obvious example of an effort to muzzle not just the free press, but free speech generally. More than 3,000 Turks have faced charges for insulting the president, including a former Miss Turkey, Merve Buyuksarac...." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
News Lede
New York Times: "Leon G. Billings, "the largely unheralded chief architect of the 1970 Clean Air Act.' has died at the age of 78. "Mr. Billings was also instrumental in drafting the 1972 Clean Water Act, as well as amendments, passed in 1977, to both landmark antipollution laws." CW: Will Congress completely dismantle the Clean Air Act or will Trump merely refuse to enforce it?
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Reader Comments (31)
I turned to my dogs this evening and said, "Really? These people (Romney, Haley, et al) who trashed Trump for the past year now think he wants their advice and is considering them for his administration? Really? He's meeting with all of them for one reason - to spike the ball. Are they that stupid?"
My dogs perked up momentarily when I said "ball," but lost interest and did not answer. However, I think Charles Pierce agrees with me.
After nearly thirty years of distinguished service in the House of Reps, four as Speaker, and five as Minority Leader, I want to thank Ms Pelosi for her service to her country, and wish her a long and happy retirement. Please.
Is there precedent of an IRS tax audit lasting more than four years? Maybe if the case is yuuge?
@Nancy: Speaking of dogs: After Trump made fun of Cruz's wife and accused Ted's father of involvement in a JFK killing plot, Ted was furious––"If you think I'm going to be a servile puppy dog, you are badly mistaken" and "Trump is a pathological liar, utterly immoral!" But yesterday who did we see going into Trump Tower but Ted Cruz who'd love the job as A.G. and now says, "Looking forward to working with Donald Trump." Sit! Good boy! Lie Down.
So the Trumps are trying to get around this nepotism thingy. What if, they say, Jared would work for nothing––in other words he wouldn't be a paid employee. Bottom line–-only the rich would be able to by pass the nepotism law––nice work. Do you hear that people out in the boondocks? Now that's some change you can believe in. Oh, and by the way, your medicare might be out the window––are you listening all you people that thought it was such a nifty idea to put a golden haired buffoon in the White House.
@PD, you forgot "Roll over."
If Trump doesn't offer the AG job to Cruz, you can be sure the puppy dog will pee on the Oval Office carpet. Sen. Cruz can always find some reason to shut down the government, and he will. The kids are too old for "Green Eggs & Ham" now. I suggest the compleat Harry Potter series.
Marie
Update: I see Trump chose Sessions for AG. Roll up the Oriental rugs, Donald.
Tim Ryan is a hunk of a guy––forceful, personable, thinks he can shake things up as House Dem. leader. Loves Nancy, but thinks he would be able to send his messages to working class people because that's from whence he came––he was once pro-life but because of personal experience and listening to women he has changed his mind about the whole issue and is now pro-choice.
The senate race I'm crossing my fingers about is N.C.'s (D) Roy Cooper and (R) Pat McCory. (who is contesting it because it's so close–-wants a re-count)The other race to keep an eye on is in Louisiana where none of the 23 contenders (David Duke was one of them) won and so the two with the most votes will be in the running and voted on Dec. 10th. Foster Campbell (been in the state senate for 24 yrs) is the democrat who presents as someone who could rally the troops–-a good old boy with firm liberal convictions. At the present there are 48 Dems and 51 Rep. in the Senate. If we go up just one notch–-to 49–- it might just make a difference in our leverage.`
Watching the Obama/Merkel speeches yesterday was a little like seeing two old friends parting ways not because of acrimony but because of circumstances beyond their control. These two leaders worked so well together and worked well through some of the differences they have had.
You never go into these relationships with the idea of becoming bosom buddies––doesn't work that way even though Trump seems to think he can have those kinds of relationships. This man is so out of the loop and so ill prepared for the HUGE job he has taken on I predict he's gonna tell us after a time that he just can't continue–-too difficult, too taxing,––––ah, dream on.
@PD Pepe: Roy Cooper ran against North Carolina Gov. Pat McCrory for the governorship, not for the U.S. Senate. According to Raleigh's ABC affiliate, posted yesterday, "Gov. Pat McCrory, a Republican, is trailing Democrat Roy Cooper by 5,000 votes with more ballots yet to be counted and Gov. McCrory is challenging votes in 52 of North Carolina's 100 counties."
Marie
@PD: Yes, you are dreaming! So far, President-Elect Buffoon has chosen people loyal to him, regardless of their ability to do the job. Now we have a Confederate as AG-- back to the 3/5 rule? I listened last night to the young man trying to kick out Nancy Pelosi, and he sounds genuine, but he was whining about the loss of the blue-collar worker vote and how we must genuflect to them and woo them over, back to the Democratic Party. I am heartily sick of giving the hallowed Rust Belt ignoramuses all this credit. They did NOT vote on economic issues, they voted their guts against brown people and women. They believed every word from a proven liar. That is all. As for Medicare and SS going away, that has been the goal all along of Confederates. So, Rust Belt idiots, enjoy your shorter lifespans. You sold your souls to the devil, and I just can't feel sorry for you. (I don't think my recovery is going well, do you??)
@Jeanne: Looks like we're recovering, or not, at the same pace. Personally, I think being angry at & horrified by "Rust Belt idiots" is a mature, reasonable response that should last forevah! Hell, I'm still mad at them for Reagan.
Marie
Ah gee, Marie––of course the S.C. race I mentioned was for the governorship––had the senate on my mind. Thanks so much for the correction.
HOW TRUMP COULD DISMANTLE CURRENT ENVIRONMENTAL POLICY: (with video––this is good)
http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/trump-dismantle-current-environmental-policy/
"Donald J. Trump would not remain in office for long if he failed to take the job seriously."
Fail or succeed, I don't think Trump will last long. People are beginning to realize that he has no judgment, no insight, no nothing even close to the cognitive requirements of the job. The pressure to have Jared Kushner, no matter how, only shows me that he has to rely on others for the basics, and Jared doesn't know the basics.
And this orange person, with no experience with truly difficult interpersonal interactions, and no nuance at all in his thinking, has no possibility of gaining the skills to conduct himself at a high level.
He's 70 years old: he's going to have a stroke or go mad.
My prediction: he won't last a year.
Years ago actor Lesley Jordan played this hilarious character on "Will & Grace" named Beverley Leslie—and he always reminded me of Jeff Sessions. Height, accent and all!
Here's a clip from "Attention all Republicans"
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oifkmM7CCvM
The actor is a funny character, whereas Sessions is a humorless jackass.
@CW: Roll up those priceless Orientals is right!
The Hagiography of St. Trumpy
NPR's morning host continues his Trump Victory Tour, not just normalizing Trump but allowing Trump shills and voters to come on and tout his genius with zero pushback. I just don't get it.
This morning, he interviewed a woman from the Pennsylvania coal fields whose husband is a coal miner. And naturally she voted for Trump, why wouldn't she, because if he loses his job, where will he go? The fact is, that coal mining jobs in Pennsylvania and elsewhere are going away. In 2015, 2,000 coal industry jobs were lost in eastern Kentucky alone, the state coal production was down over 20% from the year before. A big part of this is the fact that power plants don't need as much coal because--guess why? Record high temperatures continue right on into the winter largely because of carbon emissions. Can Donald Trump change that? Well, this lady thinks he can. Also, Obamacare. Bad, bad, bad. This lady's daughter has terribly high premiums. David Greene, the interviewer, asked if her daughter was insured under Obamacare. Oh, well. She's not sure. Maybe not. But nonetheless, it's all Obama's fault and Obamacare is terrible. No pushback on that one, but he did kindly suggest that repeal was an option. But Trump? Great. The best.
A couple of days ago, he interviewed the Rev. Darrell Scott of Cleveland, someone who is barely on this planet. He was allowed a full five minute rant about the wonders of Trump, how Trump will bring back inner cities and help black Americans. And then, in an amazing moment of leading the witness, Greene pushed the Trump hagiography along by helpfully suggesting to Rev. Scott that a lot of the problems of the inner cities are the fault of Democrats who take them for granted. Yes! Shouted the Reverend, they surely do...and then off on another pro-Trump rant. Why is this guy even on? He's a nut.
This is the same guy who a couple of months ago, went on CNN and congratulated Trump (then, obviously, still a candidate) for bailing out the auto industry and bringing Detroit back from the brink. Trump! The guy who said the auto industry could go to hell. Who had nothing whatsoever to do with the bailout, who was, in fact, against it. But this is the guy they invite on to bloviate unchecked--abetted, even--for five minutes. Scott also went on to defend and support Bannon. KKK Steve! Oh, he's a good friend. Not racist at all. Went to Harvard. Too smart to be racist. Fuck's sake. (Even if you don't look up the video of Scott's CNN bullshit, look at the screen grab and check out the expression on the face of former Detroit mayor, Dennis Archer as Scott goes on about how Trump saved the city. It's priceless.)
This morning I see that Trump is taking non-stop victory laps for a decision made by Ford about a production plant in Louisville, a plant that they weren't planning on closing anyway. Google it. There is not a single headline I've found so far that mentions this. It's all "TRUMP! WOW! HE SAVED JOBS!!"
Get used to it, kids. This is how it's going to be from here on out. Here's what I want to know. How is it that when a Republican is elected, the honeymoon lasts four years. Look at the deference given to an reprehensible lying loser like The Decider. When a Democrat is elected, the honeymoon lasts four minutes. Everything Obama did was noted, in headlines, with severe qualifications. Trump isn't even in office yet and they're already dusting off a spot on Mount Rushmore.
Marie is worried that the media won't be enough in helping Americans realize that Republicans are getting ready to stab them in the back and kill Medicare? Forget about it. Americans will first have to wade through seven paragraphs of what a genius Paul Ryan is and how much money he's saving taxpayers before reading, in the very small print, about how their Medicare insurance is being taken away, which is fine if they're rich. If not....oh well...There's always leeches and opening the veins to be bled, à la medieval medical practices. Or, we could all just go to the emergency room and wait in line, à la the Decider's "medical plan".
Trump regularly rips the media--the media that is now treating him like a modern Pericles--for being unfair to Trump. I would shudder to think of what he would consider fair treatment.
Disgusting.
Steve Bannon Isn’t Anti-Semitic. In a sense true. Bannon like most of the alt-right don't like anyone except themselves.
MAG,
Funny clip. Well, what can one say? Small hands, small AG, small minds. It's a universal thing for the Trumpies.
Unfortunately, I don't think that Gen. Sessions, leader of the First Alabama of the Confederate States, is going to do much for Will & Grace fans. Maybe try to put them in jail...you know, supporting the "Gay Agenda".
@Akhilleus: On Trump's saving all those Ford jobs, most of the major media, even in the headlines, say something like, "Trump takes credit for saving Ford plant that wasn't going anywhere." Even NPR!
But, as Paul Waldman points out, that's not the story in Trump Wing World. "Those people" -- and sadly, that's how I now think of them -- are going to keep living in an alternate reality. Moreover, as Yglesias (I think) writes, media that rely on Trumpbot clicks already have a disincentive to be factual -- what Trumpophile is going to click on a "Trump lies again" story? It won't be till their Social Security check doesn't show up in their bank balance or their doctor tells them they don't have GREAT health coverage (or any at all) that it will slowly dawn on these suckers that getting all their major news from Trump's Twitter account might have been foolish.
Marie
Marie,
Nah. They'll just blame Obama. Or Hillary. Or Pelosi. Or the media....for lying to them all that time. Like the lady says in the NPR interview this morning. Even if Trump is wrong, "...his heart is in the right place." Meaning, to be factual, behind the rib cage. Trump's metaphorical heart is nowhere to be found once he steps away from the mirror.
But I'm glad some outlets are not completely overboard on the Trump bandwagon. That's okay. They make up for it in many other ways, mostly, any story that assumes this guy and the people around him are in any way okay, or normal. That, perhaps, is the biggest failure of the media, treating Trump and his band of sociopaths, haters, criminals, and liars as anything other than outright anti-American brigands out to destroy the country as we know it.
The really bad news is not that Trump claimed credit for something that was not even on the table. The problem is he heard that the factory wasn't moving and simply assumed is was because of his brilliance. He had no idea about the actual situation and never thought to check. In other words, the really bad news is he didn't lie.
Thank you, thank you for posting Richard Rorty's, an American philosopher, message in your yellow box above. Friends of ours knew him well while at Yale, and remarked what a interesting man he was. It is quite amazing that he foresaw the coming of our age of discontent and destruction way back in 1998.
@Marvin Schwalb: Excellent point.
Marie
What really scares me about Trump taking credit for Ford is that even though the Ford CEO corrected him before the election, I'm not seeing that happen now. The only way we can fight the misinformation in Trump's world will be to boycott anyone who enables him. The "Stronger Together" can work in a financial way. I will not buy from any company or support media that cowtows to Trump. If enough of us do it, and we are the majority, they will hear us through their bottom line.
The Pragmatic Thing to Do.
Thanks to Marie for focusing attention on the Rorty quote at the top of today's commentariat. This particular passage gets hauled out every now and then, often as part of the occasional philippic against the state of the state and its political vicissitudes. Some in the past (on both sides) have poo-poohed it as sky-is-falling whining but in the wake of the current debacle Rorty's assessment of our political reality resonates as positively oracular.
Rorty has been a bit of a maverick in philosophical circles, working in an area generally called Pragmatism. Without going into a load of boring history and bandied philosophical arguments, suffice it to say that for Rorty, the idea of Pragmatism, and philosophy in general, is action for the good. What can we do to make things better. He's not interested (or only tangentially) in what is "TRUE". Truth, for Rorty, or at least the search for it, can only stifle action, get in the way of actually Doing. (What he says is that the search for Truth can be a bit misleading: how do you know for sure when you've actually found it?).
I have to admit that my first encounter with Rorty was pretty startling. After reading his "Philosophy and the Mirror of Nature" I didn't know what the hell to think. I had been working my way through the classic analytical school of thinking and suddenly here comes this guy who says "Forget all that shit. If you can't use it to change the world, to make it a better place, then dump it all." Wow. But he had (has) a point. It took a few years but I would say that Rorty is now one of my favorite philosophers. Even though I still find a great deal of good stuff in the analytical school, even the more recent stuff: I've taken to guys like Stanley Cavell and Saul Kripke (who, even though not exactly pragmatists, ask some very pertinent, and fun questions).
Anyway, the above excerpt is from a series of lectures Rorty gave a few years ago, now collected as "Achieving Our Country". Rorty is confrontational but never curmudgeonly or boring. In these lectures he separates two major strains of thinking, of philosophizing if you will, on the left. He has no time for a lot of the work of those coming from a critical theory point of view (a phase I myself went through from Grad school on). Continental theories like post-structuralism and movements like post-modernism are all well and good for asking late night questions about the nature of semiology and investigating how cultural symbolism can be inverted by socio-political-economic re-readings of cultural texts. Rorty finds a more amenable home with people like Dewey, the great American pragmatist of the early to mid 20th century. They want to know how philosophy can inform and direct ACTION.
I'm not entirely ready to throw everything else overboard, but Rorty is absolutely worth your time. And he's not a difficult read. If you've ever tried to muddle your way through Hegel or Heidegger or Kant or (god forbid) Wittgenstein, you've probably said "Fuck that for a game of soldiers" and I don't really blame you. It can be a slog. But Rorty's writing is much more accessible and entirely worthwhile, especially now when we, as Democrats, need to find a way to action. We can't afford to sit around and ponder our navels while Trump and Ryan and the barbarian hordes are sharpening the long knives.
If you're interested, the above mentioned book of lectures is a good start, but I would suggest a little book of essays entitled "Philosophy and Social Hope". Rorty makes a stand for not being pigeonholed by titles such as "relativist", a favorite slam by wingers who believe Truth is immutable, and always in their corner. His goal is to diminish the distinctions between politics, philosophy, and the various sciences, distinctions, he maintains that have become destructive to an intention for action.
This sense that philosophy needs to come down from the ivory tower has become a serious problem for those working and studying in the field. A recent article in the Chronicle of Higher Education by Lee McIntyre, a research fellow at the Center for Philosophy and History of Science at Boston University, points out the painfully obvious failure of contemporary philosophy:
"...what seems problematic is the widespread philosopher's prejudice that we are somehow sullying our discipline any time we try to make a real-world connection.
Thus even when we have the chance to make a difference, philosophers often blow it. How many of us, when we teach ethics, have used the hypothetical example of whether torture is justified to get evidence in the face of a ticking bomb? But when a U.S. president actually endorsed the use of torture, there was mostly silence from the philosophical community, from both sides of the political spectrum. Few op-eds in national newspapers. Little attempt to make use of our terrific critical-reasoning skills in the public arena to cut through the fallacies of the politicians or the blowhards on cable TV. Too many preferred instead to brag of their brave political convictions to the captive audience in their classrooms."
It's a testament to well honed critical reasoning skills that Richard Rorty was able to so presciently and specifically describe the current Trump Horror.
Last night, I watched the latest screen version of "The Jungle Book" with my little man. We've been reading Kipling (he loves "Riki-Tiki-Tavi"). At one point, when things look very bad for all the animals due to the dominance of the vengeful tiger, Shere Khan, the panther, Bagheera, tells Mowgli to forget about trying to fight him as a wolf. "Fight him as a man!" he says, meaning, "Use your brain." It seems brainpower has been cast aside with the Rise of Trump. Critical thinking is anathema to Trumpism. Rorty exhorts us to do the same with threats like Trump. Don't bet bogged down in the nitty gritty of theoretical or factional infighting, find the way to action. Fight them with our brains.
You can certainly disagree with Rorty's points. Plenty do. But give him a look sometime. It might be the pragmatic thing to do.
So Koch Brothers sponsored wingnut, Mike Pompeo is the new CIA director?
*sigh*
It's gotten to the point where, no matter how big the downside is of any particular Trumpaldino appointee, you realize how much worse it could have been.
"Mike Pompeo? That ass? Well, I guess it's better than Louie Gohmert..." Kinda like "John Gotti for Attorney General? Well, at least it wasn't Ted Bundy."
Apples and Trees.
Holy White Supremacy Nuts, Batman!
So we've all begun to come down from the roof after hearing that cuckoo man Michael Flynn, a big fan of Mooslim conspiracy theories, is the new National Security Advisor. Well, you can all get back on the ladders and head right back up there. This guy's kid, Michael Jr., is even crazier.
Even worse, the guy sounds like a KKK Steve Approved White Supremacist who has been whining online about the lack of "all white" dating sites. Of course there are a few connections with reality, right-wing style, such as Obama and Clinton need to be jailed for treason and hung. Natch. He's also a big supporter of the well known, likely fact-based rumor that Marco Rubio is a closeted gay coke fiend who is fond of "foam parties", whatever the hell that is.
And worse than that? (C'mon, you knew there'd be even worse stuff.)
This maniac is his dad's CHIEF OF STAFF! The fucking chief of staff to the president's national security advisor is pushing rumors about a sitting senator snorting coke at gay foam (?) parties and asking serious questions about why we can't have dating sites just for white supremacists.
Sounds perfectly Trumpish to me, though. Where the hell do they find these people? Christ...
Don't worry...in four years, this jabroni will be replacing his dad in the NSA after the old man blows a gasket and authorizes a drone strike on NATO headquarters.
Moving right along...
Trump picks Jeff Sessions for AG.
Congratulations, Beverly Leslie!
“As democracy is perfected, the office of president represents, more and more closely, the inner soul of the people. On some great and glorious day the plain folks of the land will reach their heart's desire at last and the White House will be adorned by a downright moron." H. L. Mencken
@AK-
I guess you have not heard the latest. Ted Bundy has been resurrected and is the outright favorite to be Trump's new "Serial Killer" of young women. Trey Gowdy will take on the Clinton clan. Sarah Palin will take the Interior Post--then resign when she
finds out she can't fire civil servants for having abortions.
Ak: You be out of the loupe, lupe, loope, whatever. Foam parties
aren't just gay and lesbian. Anyone can rent a foam machine, kinda
like a snow machine for when you don't live in the snow belt, but
want snow. All you need is a huuuge room, like a marble lined
party room or an outdoor area like they have in Palm Springs or
North Beach or D.C. It's usually just a dance thing, dancing under
soapy foam that comes up to your whatever. It's usually done in
the nude, or skimpy little something that covers not much.
Jesus, to be young again.
A small thing that I do is to wonder airily and as nonchalantly as I can to frump supporters what the new eligible age for Medicare is going to be? And how the vouchers will work. And how volatile SS will be once it is privatised, and Wall St gets their grubby hands on all that loot. Taking lessons from a fact free world, I think I heard someone say that they will have to be 70 before qualifying for Medicare and SS. At least. They know it makes no never mind to me, I am covered. But they often are not, and even when they are quite wealthy people, they still somehow feel, what's the word, entitled, to the benefits of both these programs. I hope they lose some sleep.
Wow, this is powerful. She speaks for me. https://vimeo.com/191751334