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
Tuesday
Oct162018
The Commentariat -- October 17, 2018
Afternoon Update:
Carlotta Gall & David Kirkpatrick of the New York Times: "His killers were waiting when Jamal Khashoggi walked into the Saudi consulate in Istanbul two weeks ago. They severed his fingers and later beheaded and dismembered him, according to details from audio recordings described by a senior Turkish official on Wednesday. Mr. Khashoggi was dead within minutes, and within two hours the killers were gone, the recordings suggested. The leaking of such details, on the same day Secretary of State Mike Pompeo was visiting Turkey, reflected an escalation of pressure by the Turkish government on Saudi Arabia and the United States for answers on the fate of Mr. Khashoggi, a prominent dissident journalist who wrote for The Washington Post. Fifteen days after he entered the consulate in Istanbul and was never seen coming out, the Saudis have yet to give an explanation." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: AND our President* is covering for the men responsible for this atrocity. He says they're just as innocent as Bart O'Kavanaugh. What are our children to think? What are we to think? ...
... Trump's $100MM Prize. Ben Hubbard of the New York Times: "This summer, Saudi Arabia promised the Trump administration $100 million for American efforts to stabilize areas in Syria liberated from the Islamic State. That money landed in American accounts on Tuesday, the same day that Secretary of State Mike Pompeo landed in the Saudi capital, Riyadh, for discussions with the kingdom's leaders about the fate of a missing Saudi dissident.... Brett McGurk, the United States envoy to the coalition fighting the Islamic State, dismissed the idea that Mr. Pompeo's visit and the disbursement of funds were connected. The Saudis had
... Dexter Filkins of the New Yorker: "... , if there is any lesson to be learned from this terrible affair, it's how blind so much of official Washington and the American press were to M.B.S.'s true nature.... [Jared] Kushner threw the Administration's support behind him. Not long after, and not least because of the White House's boost, M.B.S.'s chief rivals, including his cousin, the crown prince, Mohammed bin Nayef, were dispatched. It was ugly, but no one seemed to mind. President Trump's visit to the Saudi kingdom -- his first trip abroad -- was an orgy of mutual admiration and monarchical excess. The truth is that M.B.S.'s violent, impulsive character was visible early on.... The most widely publicized display of M.B.S.'s autocratic streak came in November, 2017, when M.B.S. ordered the roundup of as many as five hundred members of the Saudi royal family. Imprisoned in a five-star hotel, princes and other royals were held captive until they signed over substantial shares of their fortunes.... I heard credible reports that at least some of the men held in the Ritz-Carlton were tortured."
Chris Strohm, et al., of Bloomberg: "Special Counsel Robert Mueller is expected to issue findings on core aspects of his Russia probe soon after the November midterm elections as he faces intensifying pressure [from Deputy A.G. Rod Rosenstein] to produce more indictments or shut down his investigation, according to two U.S. officials. Specifically, Mueller is close to rendering judgment on two of the most explosive aspects of his inquiry: whether there were clear incidents of collusion between Russia and Donald Trump's 2016 campaign, and whether the president took any actions that constitute obstruction of justice, according to one of the officials, who asked not to be identified speaking about the investigation.... There's no indication, though, that Mueller is ready to close up shop, even if he does make some findings, according to former federal prosecutors. Several matters could keep the probe going, such as another significant prosecution or new lines of inquiry." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: If Mueller really is going to wrap up the Trumpy questions soon, I have a feeling his report will be so nebulous that Trump will skate.
"A Natural Instinct for Science." Get Ready to Guffaw. Jonathan Chait: "In yet another of his current spate of lunatic ramblings he has decided to share with various media, this time the Associated Press, Trump was asked about the report [by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change].... Trump asserted that, contrary to the scientific conclusion that pumping heat-trapping gases into the atmosphere has caused an upward ratcheting of temperatures, he sees it as random unexplainable variation: 'I agree the climate changes, but it goes back and forth, back and forth.' When the interviewer noted that scientists have concluded otherwise, Trump asserted his own scientific credentials. 'My uncle was a great professor at MIT for many years. Dr. John Trump,' he said. 'And I didn't talk to him about this particular subject, but I have a natural instinct for science, and I will say that you have scientists on both sides of the picture.' So Trump's claim to scientific competence rests on his belief that science is a matter of instinct, and this instinct is passed on genetically, as evidenced by his uncle. Those lucky few possessed of this gift can look at two competing hypotheses and know which one is correct, without needing to study the evidence, or even having a clear understanding of what 'evidence' means."
Nick Miroff & Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "The number of migrant parents entering the United States with children has surged to record levels in the three months since President Trump ended family separations at the border, dealing the administration a deepening crisis three weeks before the midterm elections. U.S. Border Patrol agents arrested 16,658 family members in September, the highest one-month total on record and an 80 percent increase from July, according to unpublished Homeland Security statistics obtained by The Washington Post. Large groups of 100 or more Central American parents and children have been crossing the Rio Grande and the deserts of Arizona to turn themselves in, and by citing a fear of return, the families are typically assigned a court date and released from custody.... Trump has been receiving regular updates on the border numbers, telling senior policy adviser Stephen Miller and Chief of Staff John F. Kelly that something has to change, according to senior administration officials."
Donald Trump Is Still a Liar. Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "President Trump was in rare form on Tuesday. With no official events, he spent much of the day tweeting, including calling Stormy Daniels 'horseface' and continuing to cast doubt on the idea that he would hold Saudi Arabia's leaders responsible for Jamal Khashoggi's disappearance.... Trump was also interviewing with the Associated Press. And arguably more than in his '60 Minutes' interview this weekend, the falsehoods and fanciful claims were flying. Trump downplayed his relationship with Michael Cohen, suggested separating kids from their parents at the border hadn't been that big a deal, and doubled down on the idea that the Saudis may escape blame for Khashoggi. [Following] is the transcript, with our annotations and analysis."
Rick Scott Is Still a Crook. Kevin Sack & Patricia Mazzei of the New York Times: Early in his tenure as Florida's governor, Rick Scott (R) got caught making policy that "would have created vast potential markets for the chain of 32 urgent-care clinics that Mr. Scott had co-founded.... To shield himself from future conflict charges, Mr. Scott, who is now running to unseat the incumbent senator Bill Nelson, created a $73.8 million investment account that he called a blind trust. But ... his trust has been blind in name only. There have been numerous ways for him to have knowledge about his holdings: Among other things, he transferred many assets to his wife and neither 'blinded' nor disclosed them. And their investments have included corporations, partnerships and funds that stood to benefit from his administration's actions. Only in late July, when compelled by ethics rules for Senate candidates, did Mr. Scott disclose his wife's holdings. That report revealed that his wife, Ann Scott, an interior decorator by trade, controlled accounts that might exceed the value of her husband's. Their equity investments largely mirrored each other, meaning that Mr. Scott could, if he wanted, track his own holdings by following his wife's."
*****
** Trump Ramps up Propaganda Campaign for Saudi (Alleged) Murderers. Zeke Miller, et al., of the AP: "... Donald Trump Tuesday criticized rapidly mounting global condemnation of Saudi Arabia over the mystery of missing journalist Jamal Khashoggi, warning of a rush to judgment and echoing the Saudis' request for patience. In an interview with The Associated Press, Trump compared the case of Khashoggi, who Turkish officials have said was murdered in the Saudis' Istanbul consulate, to the allegations of sexual assault leveled against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh during his confirmation hearing.... 'Here we go again with, you know, you're guilty until proven innocent. I don't like that. We just went through that with Justice Kavanaugh and he was innocent all the way as far as I'm concerned.' The Oval Office interview came not long after Trump spoke Tuesday with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. He spoke by phone a day earlier with King Salman, and he said both deny any knowledge of what happened to Khashoggi. Trump's remarks were his most robust defense yet of the Saudis, a U.S. ally he has made central to his Mideast agenda. They put the president at odds with other key allies and with some leaders in his Republican Party who have condemned the Saudi leadership for what they say is an obvious role in the case." ...
... Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: You have to suspect Trump is expecting a big payoff for his Saudi PR campaign. OR Trump is already so beholden to the Saudis (for reasons unknown to us) that he has no choice but to cover for them. ...
... Scott Lemieux in LG&$: "Give [Trump] this: he's a peerless troll. I assume Ed Whelan will be using his temporary leave of absence to prove that Khashoggi was actually murdered by the same mysterious stranger that killed Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman. It seems worth noting at this point that during the 2016 campaign Trump reiterated his belief that the five innocent African-America boys he had called on to be executed were guilty, and this received less media coverage than emails revealing Neera Tanden's real feelings about David Brock." ...
... Carol Morello & Loveday Morris of the Washington Post: "Secretary of State Mike Pompeo came to Turkey on Wednesday touting a Saudi promise to punish those responsible for the disappearance of a journalist at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, even as Turkish officials awaited further Saudi permissions to continue their investigation. With his brief visit to Ankara to meet with the Turkish president and foreign minister, Pompeo has touched down in the two countries most involved in the disappearance -- and suspected killing -- of Jamal Khashoggi, who wrote critically of the Saudi government he once served. Pompeo pronounced his trip 'incredibly successful' because of the Saudi commitment to a transparent investigation, even though he acknowledged that his discussions did not address the elemental issue of whether Khashoggi is alive or dead." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Even the dimmest wit can see that Pompeo's "incredibly successful" trip was a, well, transparent hoax. The Saudis promised to investigate themselves? Really? Sorta like Trump investigating his own shenanigans with Russians & determining there was "no collusion."
... BBC News: "US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has held talks with the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan about ... Jamal Khashoggi. The meeting in Ankara comes amid fresh allegations in the Turkish media that Mr Khashoggi was killed inside the Saudi consulate in Istanbul.... [Turkey's] Yeni Safak newspaper reports that Saudi consul can be heard saying: 'Do this outside. You're going to get me in trouble.'... A search was due to be conducted on Tuesday of the consul's residence, some 200m (656ft) away from the consulate. But that has now been delayed because no Saudi official can be present for what has been billed as a joint investigation, Turkish officials say. The consul, Mohammad al-Otaibi, left Turkey on a commercial flight bound for Saudi Arabia earlier in the day." ...
... Even Chuck Todd was incensed by the U.S. Secretary of State's running this cheery public relations opportunity for MBS:
... Thanks for the smiles & chuckles & chummy banter, Mike! Because murder & dismemberment is ever so humorous. But I'll bet you made sure there were no bone saws around before you entered the palace. ...
... Washington Post Editors: "... the best metaphor for Mr. Pompeo's diplomacy seemed to be what reporters witnessed outside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul, where Mr. Khashoggi was last seen Oct. 2: the arrival of a cleaning crew with buckets, mops and fluids. Mr. Pompeo, who smiled broadly as he greeted Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, appeared less intent on determining the truth than in helping the de facto Saudi ruler escape from the crisis he triggered. The Saudis are said to be preparing a cover story that will attribute Mr. Khashoggi's murder to the excesses of a team that was dispatched to interrogate him. That would deflect blame from the crown prince, who in fact is believed to have ordered and overseen the operation.... The only way to determine the truth about what happened to Mr. Khashoggi is to establish an independent international commission. 'The Saudis cannot investigate themselves,' wrote David Kaye, the [United Nations'] special rapporteur on freedom of expression, and Agnes Callamard, the [U.N.'s] special rapporteur on summary executions, adding that 'the Saudi responsibility seems practically irrefutable.'" ...
... Aaron Blake of the Washington Post: "For the second time this week, President Trump on Tuesday seemed to preview the Saudi line when it comes to the disappearance and potential murder of Washington Post contributor Jamal Khashoggi in Turkey. Even if you set aside Trump's repeated emphases that the Saudis deny wrongdoing -- which is a Trump tell if there ever was one -- his comments betray an apparent willingness to float and parrot Saudi talking points in a way that shouldn't escape notice. On Monday, Trump appeared to preview the Saudi line that 'rogue killers' could be responsible for Khashoggi's death. By midafternoon, reports indicated that the Saudis may indeed soon admit Khashoggi was killed but would blame it on a botched interrogation.... On Tuesday, Trump seemed to scale back the Saudis' denial yet again. After saying Monday that King Salman has issued a 'flat denial,' Trump updated that statement to say on Twitter that Salman's son, the crown prince, had 'totally denied any knowledge of what took place in their Turkish Consulate.'" ...
... ** "Rogue Killers" Are Really, Really Close to MBS. David Kirkpatrick, et al., of the New York Times: "One of the suspects identified by Turkey in the disappearance of the Saudi dissident Jamal Khashoggi was a frequent companion of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman -- seen disembarking from airplanes with him in Paris and Madrid and photographed standing guard during his visits this year to Houston, Boston and the United Nations. Three others are linked by witnesses and other records to the Saudi crown prince's security detail. A fifth is a forensic doctor who holds senior positions in the Saudi Interior Ministry and medical establishment, a figure of such stature that he could be directed only by a high-ranking Saudi authority. If, as the Turkish authorities say, these men were present at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul where Mr. Khashoggi disappeared on Oct. 2, they might provide a direct link between what happened and Prince Mohammed. That would undercut any suggestion that Mr. Khashoggi died in a rogue operation unsanctioned by the crown prince.... The New York Times has confirmed independently that at least nine of the 15 suspects identified by Turkish authorities worked for the Saudi security services, military or other government ministries. The presence of a forensic doctor who specializes in autopsies suggests the operation may have had a lethal intent from the start." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: The article is enhanced by photos of the sort one would see on those white boards police use (at least in TV shows) to keep straight the suspects & their relations to the victim & each other. Or maybe the NYT is trying to help Trump, who doesn't read words, see how ridiculous his Saudi public relations push is. ...
... Kimberly Dozier & Spencer Ackerman of the Daily Beast: "According to two sources familiar with the version of events circulating throughout diplomatic circles in Washington, the Saudis will place blame for Khashoggi's murder on a Saudi two-star general new to intelligence work. That line is in keeping with ... Donald Trump's Twitter-borne speculation that 'rogue killers' may be responsible for whatever happened to Khashoggi inside Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on Oct. 2. Three other former U.S. officials did not have direct knowledge of the inchoate Saudi line but told The Daily Beast they expect Riyadh to blame a fall guy." ...
... The Silent Hand of Jared. Hunter Walker of Yahoo! News: "With a mounting uproar over the disappearance of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, President Trump's son-in-law Jared Kushner has been playing a critical role in the White House's response to the situation, according to multiple sources. A senior Trump administration official said Kushner has a close relationship with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, the heir to the Saudi throne, and the pair have been in direct phone conversations about Khashoggi." ...
... OMG! Lindsey Is Not a Cream Puff After All! Zachary Basu of Axios: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) said on Fox & Friends Tuesday that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman (MBS) 'can never be a leader on the world stage,' and that regardless of what President Trump does, Graham is going to move to 'sanction the hell out of Saudi Arabia' over the disappearance of journalist Jamal Khashoggi." ...
... Robin Wright of the New Yorker has a very good summary of where things stand as of this morning & covers several particulars that were buried in other stories I've linked over the past couple of days.
... Ben Hubbard & Daniel Victor of the New York Times: "Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, told reporters in Ankara on Tuesday that investigators who searched the [Saudi] consulate on Monday and Tuesday were looking into 'toxic materials, and those materials being removed by painting them over.' Turkish news outlets, citing unnamed sources, have reported that Mr. Khashoggi was drugged, and that parts of the consulate and the nearby consul's residence were repainted after the journalist's disappearance. Later in the day, the Saudi consul, Mohammed al-Otaibi, left the country, the Turkish Foreign Ministry said. (This is an update of a story linked this morning.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: And do remember that last week the Saudis were claiming Khashoggi left the consulate of his own volition. ...
... ** Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. David Frum of the Atlantic slams Bob Woodward's methodology, starting with the rosy picture Woodward presents of Mohammed bin Salman in his book Fear, in his recounting -- and endorsing -- the assessment of Derek Harvey, a Michael Flynn acolyte whom H.R. McMaster fired. "Fear made headlines with its revelations of anti-Trump grumblings by senior officials within Trump's own White House. But it's better understood as a work that originated as a pro-Trump book -- and despite its spectacular anecdotes, as a book whose pro-Trump bias still provides its architecture and rationale.... Fear either ignores -- or outright denies -- the most serious concerns about the Trump presidency.... Trump is leading the most unethical White House and most corrupt administration in modern U.S. history, arguably in all of U.S. history. But that does not rate attention from Woodward, perhaps because those scandals do not perturb his sources.... I count not a single instance in the whole book where a factual claim by a Woodward source is assessed or evaluated in any way.... By relying on Trump's enablers [to tell the administration's story], America's most legendary reporter has largely missed the biggest part of what they enabled."
Jordan Fabian of the Hill: "President Trump on Tuesday called adult-film star Stormy Daniels 'Horseface' and threatened to 'go after' her after he won a court victory over his alleged mistress. '"Federal Judge throws out Stormy Danials [sic] lawsuit versus Trump. Trump is entitled to full legal fees." @FoxNews Great, now I can go after Horseface and her 3rd rate lawyer in the Great State of Texas. She will confirm the letter she signed! She knows nothing about me, a total con!" he tweeted. The tweet comes one day after a federal judge in California threw out Daniels's defamation lawsuit against Trump and ordered Daniels to repay the president's legal fees." (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... Michael Shear & Eileen Sullivan of the New York Times: "President Trump referred to the pornographic film actress Stephanie Clifford as 'Horseface' in a tweet on Tuesday, adding her to a long list of women he has attacked by demeaning their looks, mocking their bodily functions or comparing them to animals.... Mr. Trump's tweet landed in the final days of a congressional election cycle in which Republican candidates are already struggling to woo female voters. The president's language is unlikely to be helpful to them.... Mr. Trump has accused women of having 'fat, ugly' faces and of repelling voters because of their looks. He called one woman a 'crazed, crying lowlife' and said another was a 'dog' who had the 'face of a pig.' He said Hillary Clinton's bathroom break during a 2015 presidential debate was 'too disgusting' to talk about. He has repeatedly mocked women for being overweight." The story lists some of Trump's more misogynistic comments.
Yer Inspirational Quote of (Yester)Day:
... Erin Donnelly of Yahoo! News: "Ivanka Trump was up bright and early Tuesday morning to share an inspiring message: 'The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.'... The Socrates Trump is quoting is actually a character who appears in author, self-help coach, and former gymnast Dan Millman's writing. A quick Google search shows the quote -- which has been altered in later editions of the book -- originating from Millman's Way of the Peaceful Warrior, in which it is uttered by a spiritually minded gas station attendant nicknamed Socrates. Nick Nolte played this Socrates in a 2006 film adaption of the book.... In the spirit of 'building the new,' the first daughter deleted her original tweet and reposted the quote with a note clarifying that it didn't come from that Socrates [by adding, '(note: a fictional character not the philosopher)'].... This isn't the first time the White House adviser has faced fallout after tweeting a quote. In June, she quoted a 'Chinese proverb' that turned out to be fake." Thanks to PD Pepe (note: a real character & something of a philosopher) for the lead. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: In my extensive research on the subject, I found this citation, attributed to just plain Socrates, on quite a number of "inspirational" Websites. For $4.95 + shipping, you can even buy a fridge magnet with the misattribution. Also, see Akhilleus' (note: a pseudonym for a real person not the fictional character) commentary in yesterday's thread.
Fifty years. It's a long time. -- Donald Trump (note: a despicable character not the philosopher)
... Mark Landler of the New York Times: "In what has become a recurring ritual of the fall, President Trump and the first lady, Melania Trump, traveled [to Lynn Haven, Florida,] on Monday to survey the destruction of another hurricane, this one named Michael, which last week laid waste to the Florida Panhandle. 'This was beyond any winds we've seen for -- I guess -- 50 years,; Mr. Trump said, before he and Mrs. Trump handed out plastic water bottles to storm victims at an aid distribution center in this hard-hit town. 'They say that 50 years ago, there was one that had this kind of power.'... 'We've seen mostly water. And water can be very damaging and scary, when you see water rising 14 or 15 feet. But nobody's ever seen anything like this. This is really incredible.' Still, for someone whose presidency has been interrupted repeatedly by these freakish storms, Mr. Trump remains stubbornly unwilling to acknowledge the threat of climate change." (Also linked yesterday.)
Trump Has a Surprise for the Interior Department's Deputy IG. Laura Strickler of NBC News: "The White House appears to be replacing the agency watchdog at the Interior Department who is in the midst of two investigations into Secretary Ryan Zinke, drawing criticism from government oversight groups. In an internal email sent last Friday, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson announced to his staff that after just seven months at the agency, the assistant secretary for administration, Suzanne Israel Tufts, was moving over to the Interior Department to be the acting inspector general. Acting inspectors general do not need Senate confirmation. But the internal announcement came as news to the Interior Department IG's office, which said in a statement to NBC News, 'The Office of Inspector General has received no official communication about any leadership changes.'... Tufts' previous experience includes working for the Trump campaign recruiting and training lawyers deployed by the Republican National Lawyers Association to watch the polls on Election Day 2016.... Tufts ... would be replacing Deputy Interior Inspector General Mary Kendall. Kendall has been running the agency's watchdog investigations and audits team of 265 employees for 10 years." ...
Secretary Zinke and the Interior Department are awash in wave after wave of scandal and corruption, and they decide now is the perfect time to get rid of the current IG. After looking around, the best person they could find is a Trump political operative at HUD who turned a blind eye to Secretary Carson's $31,000 dining set. -- Rep. Raul Grijalva (Az.), top Democrat on the House Natural Resources Committee
Let's see what Mitch is lying about now. Steven Dennis of Bloomberg: "Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell blamed rising federal deficits and debt on a bipartisan unwillingness to contain spending on Medicare, Medicaid and Social Security, and said he sees little chance of a major deficit reduction deal while Republicans control Congress and the White House. 'It's disappointing, but it's not a Republican problem,' McConnell said Tuesday in an interview with Bloomberg News.... 'It's a bipartisan problem: unwillingness to address the real drivers of the debt by doing anything to adjust those programs to the demographics of America in the future.'... Republicans in December 2017 also passed a tax cut projected to add more than $1 trillion to the debt over a decade after leaders gave up on creating a plan that wouldn't increase the debt under the Senate's scoring rules. At the time, McConnell told reporters, 'I not only don't think it will increase the deficit, I think it will be beyond revenue-neutral.'... The Office of Management and Budget has projected a deficit in the coming year of $1.085 trillion despite a healthy economy. And the Congressional Budget Office has forecast a return to trillion-dollar deficits by fiscal 2020." ...
... Republicans blew a $2 trillion hole in the federal deficit to fund a tax cut for the rich. To now suggest cutting earned middle-class programs like Medicare, Social Security and Medicaid as the only fiscally responsible solution to solve the debt problem is nothing short of gaslighting. -- Chuck Schumer, responding to Mitch
Think Brownshirts. Kelly Weill & Will Sommer of the Daily Beast: "In a speech at [Manhattan's Metropolitan Republican Club]..., Proud Boys leader Gavin McInnes waved a sword at anti-fascist protesters and celebrated the assassination of a socialist Japanese politician. McInnes, a Vice co-founder, dressed up as the Japanese assassin who killed the politician, complete with glasses that made his eyes into a racist caricature of a Japanese person's eyes.... The Republican club';s role hosting the event highlights how the Proud Boys have managed to insinuate themselves with mainstream Republicans, even as they increasingly make the news for their violence. But the New York Republicans aren't alone -- the Proud Boys have already managed to make their way into other mainstream GOP campaign events and conservative media. Representatives Mario Diaz-Balart and Devin Nunes have posed for pictures with Proud Boys on the campaign trail. Fox News anchor Tucker Carlson posed in a Fox green room with two Proud Boys and Republican operative Roger Stone earlier this year. Stone has himself taken steps to be initiated into the Proud Boys and ... used the Proud Boys as a security force at the Dorchester Conference, a Republican event in Oregon. By then, the Proud Boys were already notorious in Oregon for a series of bloody Portland brawls. But Dorchester board member and former Oregon legislator Patrick Sheehan defended the Proud Boys&' attendance...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Election 2018
You might want to open the following AJC stories in a private window. I seem to have used up my AJC allotment for the month.
Georgia. Tyler Estep of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Voting advocates and civil rights groups have homed in on Gwinnett County in a lawsuit filed over what they deem to be its 'excessive rejection of mail ballots because of voters' innocent errors and discrepancies.' The suit, filed late Monday in U.S. District Court in Atlanta, names Secretary of State Brian Kemp, [Mrs. McC: who is also the GOP nominee for governor,] the state elections board and the Gwinnett County elections board as defendants. It ... asks a judge to order that all rejected absentee ballots and absentee ballot applications be reviewed and be reinstated if at all possible. A separate letter sent to Gwinnett County officials by the Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights Under Law made similar suggestions. Both actions come amid media reports, including those by The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, that found Gwinnett County was throwing out a disproportionate number of such ballots. Through Sunday, Gwinnett County had rejected about 8.5 percent of absentee ballots, an AJC analysis found. Across Georgia, less than 2 percent had been rejected. Gwinnett's 390 rejected ballots accounted for about 37 percent of the total rejected ballots statewide. Analysis by the Lawyers Committee suggested that the rejections affected Asian, black and Latino voters at greater rates than white voters. More than 60 percent of Gwinnett residents are non-white." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: An honorable secretary of state or other official who had any responsibility for election management would have recused himself from overseeing any aspect of an election in which he was a candidate. But a lot of Republicans are just not into "honorable." So it oughtta be a law. ...
... Mark Niesse of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: "Voters across Georgia rushed to the polls on the first day of in-person early voting Monday, with 69,049 people casting their ballots. That's a sharp increase from the last midterm election in 2014, when 20,898 people showed up on the first day of in-person early voting, according to numbers from the Georgia Secretary of State's Office. Some early voters in Cobb County had to wait in lines for more than two hours, and others in Fulton County encountered delays because of technical difficulties." ...
... ** Jim Crow Extraordinaire. Mark Niesse: "Government officials in an east Georgia county told about 40 African-American senior citizens to get off a bus taking them to vote Monday, leading to complaints of voter suppression. The bus, run by the group Black Voters Matter, was preparing to depart from a senior center operated by Jefferson County when the center's director said they needed to disembark, said LaTosha Brown, a co-founder of Black Voters Matter.... Black Voters Matter had received permission in advance for the event at the senior center, Brown said.... A county clerk had called the senior center raising concerns about allowing the bus to take residents from the senior center in the city of Louisville, south of Augusta.... Jefferson County's administrator said Tuesday that the county government considered the event at the senior center 'political activity,' which isn't allowed during county-sponsored events. Black Voters Matter is a nonpartisan group encouraging African-Americans to vote in the election, but the county government considered the event political because Jefferson County Democratic Party Chairwoman Diane Evans helped organize it, County Administrator Adam Brett said in a statement." ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: Do they teach a course in voter suppression in Georgia? Can you get college credit for it? An advanced degree? Maybe you think Republicans are dumb, but they're better than I am at thinking up ways to keep black citizens from exercising their right to vote. Kicking elderly voters off a bus on the way to the polls is just not a tactic I could have dreamed up.
Alaska. Awwwk-ward. Annie Zak, et al., of the Anchorage Daily News: "Alaska Lt. Gov. Byron Mallott abruptly resigned from office Tuesday after the disclosure of recent unspecified 'inappropriate comments,' complicating the crowded race for Alaska governor three weeks before the election. Details about what Mallott said, and to whom, were not immediately clear, though Gov. Bill Walker described the remarks as inappropriate overtures to a woman earlier this week. A new lieutenant governor, Health and Social Services Commissioner Valerie Nurr'araaluk Davidson was immediately sworn in Tuesday afternoon. In a brief statement, Davidson said she was 'profoundly disappointed' by Mallott's conduct, adding "respect for women, and the dignity of all Alaskans, is our responsibility.'... Walker, elected on an independent ticket with Mallott in 2014, faces Democrat Mark Begich and Republican Mike Dunleavy. Walker said Davidson would assume Mallott's role as his running mate, although Mallott will officially remain on the ballot."
A Good Time Was Had by All, Including the Deceased. Eli Rosenberg of the Washington Post: "Dennis Hof, the Nevada brothel owner and Republican candidate for state assembly, died Tuesday at one of his brothels after a birthday party, officials said. He was 72. Hof, a candidate for the state Assembly in a district in southern Nevada, died in his sleep in the hours after a celebration that featured pornography star Ron Jeremy, former Arizona sheriff Joe Arpaio and anti-tax activist Grover Norquist, according to his campaign manage Chuck Muth. Many thanks to MAG for the link. Mrs. McC: I know I should be all sad about Hof's untimely death, but I can't stop smiling about Arpaio (thanks for the pardon, Donald!) & Norquist partying at a bordello to show off their conservative family values. Wonder how they happened to be invited.
Election 2020
Dana Milbank: "Poor Elizabeth Warren. She took President Trump's bait and submitted to a DNA test to demonstrate her Native American genealogy -- and, in so doing, may have doomed her presidential campaign before it began. Now the Massachusetts senator is not only enduring Trump's 'Pocahontas' insults (at least when he's not calling another woman 'Horseface') but also being disparaged by Indian tribes. 'Senator Warren is undermining tribal interests with her continued claims of tribal heritage,' proclaimed the Cherokee Nation, decrying her 'inappropriate and wrong' use of a DNA test, a 'mockery' that dishonors 'legitimate' tribal citizens.... It's disgusting that the episode has also set off the worst in some, such as Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), who joked on Fox News that it would be 'terrible' if a DNA test found he had Iranian ethnicity. No, Senator. What's 'terrible' is that Trump has found a new, high-tech way to stoke tribalism and division. And Warren fell for it." ...
... Masha Gessen of the New Yorker: "Warren ended up providing one of the clearest examples yet of how Trumpian rhetoric shifts the political conversation. The woman who is hoping to become the most progressive Democratic [presidential] nominee in generations is not merely letting herself get jerked around by a Trumpian taunt. She is also reinforcing one of the most insidious ways in which Americans talk about race: as though it were a measurable biological category, one that, in some cases, can be determined by a single drop of blood.... Warren ... has allowed herself to be dragged into a conversation based on an outdated, harmful concept of racial blood -- one that promotes the pernicious idea of biological differences among people -- and she has pulled her supporters right along with her."
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "Chief Justice John Roberts is vowing to keep the Supreme Court out of the political fray despite the intense and divisive fight over the nomination of ... Brett Kavanaugh. At the outset of an appearance at the University of Minnesota on Tuesday, Roberts said he wanted to make some comments prompted by what he euphemistically called 'the contentious events in Washington in recent weeks.... We do not serve one party or one interest, but we serve one nation,' the chief justice said..., citing [Kavanaugh]. 'I want to assure all of you that we will continue to do that to the best of our abilities, whether times are calm or contentious.'" ...
... Mrs. McCrabbie: A brief speech comprised of phony platitudes isn't going to cut it, John. I don't want to be contentious or partisan, so I'll just call balls & strikes the way you do & hand down my opinion that you're full of it.
** Aram Roston of BuzzFeed News: "For months in war-torn Yemen, some of America's most highly trained soldiers worked on a mercenary mission of murky legality to kill prominent clerics and Islamist political figures.... Former Navy SEALs ... were working for ... a private US company that had been hired by the United Arab Emirates, a tiny desert monarchy on the Persian Gulf.... The company that hired the soldiers ... is Spear Operations Group, incorporated in Delaware and founded by Abraham Golan, a charismatic Hungarian Israeli security contractor who lives outside of Pittsburgh.... 'There was a targeted assassination program in Yemen,' he told BuzzFeed News. 'I was running it. We did it. It was sanctioned by the UAE within the coalition.' The UAE and Saudi Arabia lead an alliance of nine countries in Yemen, fighting what is largely a proxy war against Iran. The US is helping the Saudi-UAE side by providing weapons, intelligence, and other support.... Golan said that during his company's months-long engagement in Yemen, his team was responsible for a number of the war's high-profile assassinations, though he declined to specify which ones." Read on.
Way Beyond
... O Cannabis! Patrick Butler of CBC News: "Recreational marijuana is legal as of today, but the vision of what a pot-permissive Canada looks like remains somewhat hazy. [Mrs. McC: Ha ha.]... Online sales are available in all provinces and territories, whether via private retailers or through government-run websites. E-commerce giant Shopify, which will manage online sales for four provinces, is confident its system will be able to handle the volume. But there are distinctions across the county with respect to age limits and retail models. Minimum age limits for purchasing and consuming cannabis vary, but most provinces mirror their rules for alcohol. In most provinces and all territories, adults are allowed to possess four marijuana plants per household for recreational use. That's the limit the federal government imposed when it passed the Cannabis Act in June. Quebec and Manitoba are the two holdouts. Both fiercely opposed that decision and enacted their own rules banning growing cannabis plants at home -- a move some lawyers argue could eventually result in a constitutional challenge." ...
... AP: "A federal official said Canada would pardon people with convictions for possessing up to 30 grams of marijuana, the new legal threshold, with a formal announcement due later on Wednesday. The use of medical marijuana has been legal in Canada since 2001 and Justin Trudeau's government has spent two years working toward expanding that to include recreational marijuana. The goal is to better reflect society's changing opinion about marijuana and bring black market operators into a regulated system."
Slovenly Guest Has Overstayed His Welcome. Dan Collyns of the Guardian: "Ecuador has laid out a stringent new set of house rules for Julian Assange, warning the whistleblower to avoid online comments about political issues -- and ordering him to clean his bathroom and take better care of his cat, or risk losing his pet. Assange, who has been living in Ecuador's UK embassy since June 2012, must obtain approval for all visitors from diplomatic staff three days in advance. He is expressly banned from activities which could be 'considered as political or interfering with the internal affairs of other states,' according to the memo seen by the Guardian."
News Lede
New York Times: "Mario Buatta, one of the country's leading interior decorators, who was widely known as the Prince of Chintz, died on Monday in Manhattan. He was 82."
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Reader Comments (17)
Tough time to be a right wing zealot these days.
Simultaneously on the watch for RADICAL ISLAMIST TERRURISTS, but finding a soft spot in the heart for fundamentalist Saudi Arabia.
Maybe we could make some positive change with this new romance between Evangelicals and the Wahhabi Saudis and send a few groups of the #MAGA deplorables to Riyadh on a cultural exchange program.
THE YEARS OF MAGICAL THINKING:
Can 'Intuitionism 'explain America's political crisis?
Some believe if we could just give people who believe in kooky conspiracy stories and think, for instance, that Trump will make America great, the right information––give them the hard facts–- they'd come around; that obviously isn't working. The complexity of this illogical way of thinking is taken up in a new book "Enchanted America: How Intuition & Reason Divide Our Politics."
This is a most engaging piece–-from New York Magazine––even gives you questions to ascertain your own magical thinking–-if any.
http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2018/10/enchanted-america-tries-to-explain-conspiracy-thinking.html
Let's not forget the NPD. It's a CROWN PRINCE befriending the little
brain.
And here's another piece that caught my eye: The Heritage Foundation's new, secretive clerkship boot camp that is going to further Trumpify the courts. (from Slate)
https://slate.com/news-and-politics/2018/10/heritage-foundation-judge-clerk-boot-camp.html
LETTER FROM THE 400 POUND MAN ON A BED IN NEW JERSEY:
To Whom it may concern:
Whatever despicable action that has taken place during this Trumpian era I must confess it all falls on me; be it computer hacking during the campaign–-Putin only gave me his blessings–-to the killing and dismembering of the journalist––this I orchestrated with my rogue riders. In other words I will take the blame––it's sort of like Rita Hayworth singing "Put the Blame on me, boys". Sadly, I'm not anybody special–-in fact I'm pure fiction, but believe me when I tell you it's all my fault.
Sincerely, only when necessary.
Any attempt to suss out the essential motivations for anything Trump does has to rely on two of his primary concerns: money and ego.
As Marvin suggests, Trump is fascinated with power, titles, and the accouterments of royalty. Just look at the god-awful gaudiness of Marred a Lago or the embarrassing ostentation of the Trumpy penthouse. Gilt without guilt, if you will. As peripatetic New Yorker Fran Lebowitz once said, Trump is a poor man's idea of a rich man. Trump's personal approach to decorating is a gauche person's idea of good taste. It's all garish, vulgar show. But he loves it. He needs the phony gold trappings to feel important. And to have a crown prince call him up for a favor, it's probably more than his tiny brain could withstand.
But money and power play a role as well. As a practitioner of the Rat Bastard School of Business, Trump knows very well how partners can be screwed. He's done it himself too many times to count. Trump also realizes that the Saudis don't fuck around. Look at Richard Branson. Branson had a deal with the Saudis that would have had them investing a billion dollars in his company. It also involved a project he was bringing to Riyadh. After last week's news of MBS's hit squad's work, Branson said he was declining to go to their upcoming "Davos in the Desert" shindig. Fine, sez MBS, then you can go fuck yourself. The deal was peremptorily canceled, no discussion (you can do that shit when you're a prince). Saudi Arabia promised swift retaliation to any other company or country giving them the evil eye over what they probably see as the insignificant squashing of a pesky bug.
Trump must have a lot to lose by pissing off MBS in order to so obsequiously kowtow to him. The Saudis are already making noise about raising oil prices. Were prices at the pumps to skyrocket just ahead of the midterm elections, it might reflect badly on the Party of Traitors. Trump can't take any chances. What's the life of a journalist and something as inconsequential as freedom of the press when it comes to personal money and power for him, not to mention regular pats on the orange fright wig from royalty?
But the corruption at work here is so stark as to be blinding in its obviousness. Helping a foreign power (an Islamic foreign power, at that) cover up a murder, for money and to win an election?
Why, it's almost as bad as the first time he got elected in 2016.
So I see now some the Saudis have figured out that no amount of subterfuge, lies, misdirection, or help from their lapdog, little donnie trumpy, will suffice. Time to fess up.
Yes, we killed that pain in the ass journalist, but MBS had NOTHING to do with it! It was some flunky general. We'll be cutting his head off in the desert tomorrow.
So, wait...here we have an absolute monarchy, a place where the royal family is treated like gods, where the word of the crown prince, Mohammed bin Salman is like a voice from heaven, where no one pees without his permission.
But some servile general decided to go around the prince and take matters into his own hands in the case of Jamal Khashoggi?
And if you believe that, I've got a book right here on the implications of the Peace of Westphalia for the development of modern Europe, written solely by Donald J. Trump, noted historian and wordsmith.
...and one more thing...
So the little dictator is crying now that we can't do anything to hurt his "deal" with Saudi Arabia, that "deal" for $110 billion in military stuff that actually isn't a deal at all.
Trumpy sez that everyone wanted that deal, the Russians, the Chinese, hell, even the Micronesians were in line, but HE, the Great Donaldo, got the deal.
Okay, let's say, for a second, that there actually is a deal, not some casual words passed back and forth over a hookah that included a lot of "could be's" and "maybe's" and "we'll see's".
First the US is the primary source of weapons systems, bullets, bombs, and spare parts, including, but especially, for military fighter planes, also bought from the US. Okay. The Saudis are not going to make a deal with Russia or China to resupply and maintain their American built air force. You're not gonna swap out parts from a Chinese plane into an American jet, and you're not gonna strap a Russian built bomb onto an F-15. Ain't happenin'.
And as for leverage, the Saudis aren't the only ones with access to that as an arm twister. If Trump were a real president, not the weak, corrupt crook he's always been, and if he really wanted to exert pressure on the Saudis in this matter of the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, he could cut off all shipments of spare parts. The Saudi Air Force would be grounded within two weeks, maybe one.
But that's not Trump's speed, besides, that war in Yemen is fun. Lots of brown people being killed. Such excitement. And with pretty good compensation too!
And then, there's the Orb. And the Sword Dance, don't forget that.
So, as always with Trump, lies on top of lies surrounded by lies, marinated in mendacity.
Meanwhile, over in another ring in the Trumpy Circus, a turtle waddles up to a microphone, sticks his rotten head out of his stinking shell and sadly says that here in Trumpiania we can take care of rich people or the poor and middle class. Not both.
So, sorry, poor people and you middle class Americans, yer outta luck.
But hey, good luck with the rest of your short, miserable, healthcare and social security-less lives. We'll be thinking of you as we toast each other on the veranda.
Heh-heh.
Here's a rather long piece from ProPublica about the
shenaniganslies and maneuvers used by the Liar-in-Chief and his spawn for his real estate deals."Donald Trump claims he only licensed his name for real estate projects developed by others. But an investigation of a dozen Trump deals shows deep family involvement in projects that often involved deceptive practices."
Unwashed,
“Deceptive practices” is a metonym for “Trump Family”. But there are others too, such as “Scheme to defraud”, and “Felonius conduct”. Recently “Band of greedy traitors” has been added to the list.
Will let the Pretender and the Pretender's S of State work out our relations with Saudi Arabia. No doubt, they will do our nation proud.
My interest the last few days has strayed to the trial over Harvard admission policies (practices?), the claim being that Harvard discriminates against Asian applicants.
If one were to look only at applicant' grades and test scores, it is very likely they do. If they did not, white kids would be in the minority.
Of course, a predominantly Asian Harvard undergraduate population is not what the litigants are after. That amuses me.
I know that if some discrimination based on religion and or race were not in place, in the 1960's the majority of undergraduates at my university would have been Jewish--and I would not have been there.
The irony of unintended consequences aside, I'm reminded of the Supreme's gutting of the Voting Act. Playing the typical Repugnant game of let's pretend they decided voter protection was no longer necessary in our post racial world.
The same issues are at stake every time the Right attacks college admission practices and trots out their familiar argument from merit, basing it on the demonstrably erroneous assumption that in all other social and economic spheres racial discrimination is a thing of the past, so it no longer needs to be considered.
I would be more annoyed at the simple-minded silliness of the whole charade, if I were not so amused by the differing consequences it has in various circumstances.
Pay no attention to race in Texas--or Georgia--when deciding who can vote, and white man does just fine.
Deciding who gets into Harvard, white man screwed.
Who could not smile just a little?
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/10/16/us/harvard-bill-lee.html?
Yes. I believe the Saudi situation is exactly like the Kavanaugh situation. People made credible accusations and all we hear is bullshit. All guilty as hell.
@Ken Winkes: My mother said I got into the University of Wisconsin as an affirmative action admission: I lived in Florida & she figured the admissions office wanted to have some exotics in the class. She was probably right. Some schools that didn't have as good an academic reputation as Wisconsin's -- but were somewhat closer to Florida -- turned me down. But that meant I may have got the place of some kid from Illinois or Minnesota. It never occurred to me my admission was unfair to somebody else. What a brat!
It seems to me it's a good idea to have a student body with some diversity, and if the diversity a school wants doesn't come naturally, that means somebody gets a break & somebody else doesn't. Frankly, I don't see anything wrong with having a student body that's mostly Asian or mostly Jewish -- for some diversity, they could admit a few white & other color Christian kids in their affirmative action program.
I know a lot of black students complain that they're pegged as affirmative action kids, but I don't think I minded at all. I probably mentioned it if some such thing came up in conversation.
And I'd like to think if I'd gone to Radcliffe (I didn't apply), I would never have pulled a Bart O'Kavanaugh & used Radcliffe as an excuse for my horrible behavior: "You can't question me; I went to Radcliffe, you low-life scum."
It's not surprising that Trump accepts the denials of men like Bart, MBS, Roger Ailes, Roy Moore, etc. He assumes that prominent men speak from authority, & that (a) they should be believed or, at worst (b) their bad behavior is to be expected & excused.
As Masha Gessen points out in an article linked above, Elizabeth Warren got snookered into playing Trump’s game of Whack-a-Minority, one of his favorites, and she was beaten badly.
This unfortunate turn underscores my contention that Warren is not ready for a presidential run. She’s not a politician, not in the way Trump is, who, even if he’s never held elected office before he sleazed his way into the White House, has spent his entire life learning how to ratfuck his enemies and manipulate the press.
Warren is his better by many parsecs in terms of brains, heart, and morality, but that and five bucks will get you a venti mocha at Starbucks.
The problem is not that she lacks toughness. I’m sure she’s plenty tough. But Trump plays dirty and taking on an ignorant bully who constantly hits below the belt requires a certain skill set. Clinton had some of that, but she forgot other stuff.
I can’t say whether the press will give Trump a free ride and billions in free publicity next time around, but they’re still wedded to his every utterance. And the entirety of the powerful right wing media machine will treat her like a combination of Typhoid Mary and Mrs. Karl Marx.
If she got jobbed this badly, long before the main event begins, she’ll get croaked when Trump and the traitors really go to work on her.
And we’ll end up with four more years of fascism. I’d love to be proved wrong, but can we really afford a shot-in-the-dark candidacy at this point?
Just my opinion.
Bea says: ".... I don't see anything wrong with having a student body that's mostly Asian or mostly Jewish -- for some diversity, they could admit a few white & other color Christian kids in their affirmative action program."
Exactly.
I'm still smiling.
BTW, I've always believed geographic diversity did it for me, too.
A non-preppie from a small logging, dairy-farming community in the Northwest. My test scores alone wouldn't have done the trick.
I would like to see Kavanaugh announce publicly, "I am every bit as innocent as the Saudis are."