Wednesday
Mar272024
The Conversation -- March 27, 2024
Nothing to See Here, Folks. Climate Change Is a Hoax. Joel Achenbach of the Washington Post: "The melting of polar ice due to global warming is affecting Earth's rotation and could have an impact on precision timekeeping, according to a paper published Wednesday in the journal Nature.... In just a few years it may be necessary to insert a 'negative leap second' into the calendar to get the planet's rotation in sync with Coordinated Universal Time. 'Global warming is managing to actually measurably affect the rotation of the entire Earth,' said study author Duncan Agnew, a geophysicist at the University of California at San Diego. 'Things are happening that have not happened before.'"
Molly Escobar, et al., of the New York Times: "... Donald J. Trump has spent more than $100 million since leaving office, on lawyers and other costs related to fending off various investigations, indictments and his coming criminal trials, according to a New York Times review of federal records. The remarkable sum means that Mr. Trump has averaged more than $90,000 a day in legal-related costs for more than three years -- none of it paid for with his own money. Instead, the former president has relied almost entirely on donations made in an attempt to fight the results of the 2020 election. Now, those accounts are nearly drained, and Mr. Trump faces a choice: begin to pay his own substantial legal fees or find another way to finance them." The article details how the Big Grifter pulled in cash, where he put it, and how he moved it to pay his lawyers.
Noah Berlatsky in Public Notice: "All indications are that Tuesday's bridge collapse in Baltimore [was an accident,] but ... the bridge collapse..., for many on the right, [is] an opportunity to spread conspiracy theories, encourage chaos, push bigotry and resentment, stoke fears, and do Donald Trump's bidding by smearing [President] Biden.... The right's go-to response of panic and paranoia makes us all less safe by sowing confusion and promoting a reactionary brand of politics.... Georgia congresswoman and reliable conspiracy theorist goon Marjorie Taylor Greene rushed to her keyboard to call for a 'serious investigation' into what she said might be 'an intentional attack.'... South Carolina Rep. Nancy Mace on Newsmax incoherently blamed the collapse on Biden's infrastructure bill, alleging it only devoted '$40 billion for traditional roads and bridges.' (Mace voted against the infrastructure bill but then tried to take credit for it anyway.)... American Conservative Union Chairman Matt Schlapp suggested the container ship failure was somehow caused by 'drug-addled' employees and covid lockdowns. Fox host Maria Bartiromo, meanwhile, linked the disaster to 'the wide open border.'"
Oh My Stars, a Hostile Work Environment. Rachel Bade of Politico: "The ramifications of NBC's decision yesterday to part ways with former RNC Chair Ronna McDaniel just two days after her paid network debut on 'Meet the Press' are just starting to shake out. But they could be expensive. McDaniel expects to be fully paid out for her contract -- two years at $300,000 annually -- since she did not breach its terms, according to a person close to McDaniel. That means that her single, not-quite-20-minute interview Sunday could cost NBC more than $30,000 per minute, or $500 per second. That might be just the beginning of the fallout following yesterday's announcement from NBCUniversal News Group Chair Cesar Conde that the deal, first announced on Friday, would be canceled. McDaniel spoke yesterday with Bryan Freedman, renowned lawyer to the estranged cable-news stars, to discuss legal options even beyond recouping the dollar value of her contract.... McDaniel ... is exploring potential defamation and hostile work environment torts after MSNBC's top talent -- momentarily her colleagues -- took turns Monday blasting her on air."
Florida. Edward Moreno & Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: “The Walt Disney Company and Gov. Ron DeSantis of Florida have reached a settlement over control of a special tax district that includes the Disney World theme park in Orlando, the company said on Wednesday.... In response to Disney's criticism of a Florida education law that opponents called 'Don't Say Gay,' Mr. DeSantis took over the tax district, appointing a new board and ending the company's long-held ability to self-govern Disney World as if it were a county. Before the takeover took effect, however, Disney signed contracts -- quietly, but in publicly advertised meetings -- to lock in development plans worth some $17 billion over the next decade. An effort by Mr. DeSantis and his allies to void the contracts resulted in Disney suing Mr. DeSantis and the tax district in federal court. The new appointees then sued the company in state court." This is a breaking news story & will be updated. The AP's report is here.
Michael Scherer, et al., of the Washington Post: :The biggest donors in Republican politics largely shunned Ron DeSantis after his presidential campaign began to falter last summer. So his allies turned to donors the Florida governor still held sway over because of his day job." The reporters provide many examples of the cozy relationships between DeSantolini & his donors who had business before the state. James Uthmeier, Gov. Ron's chief-of-staff, was indignant: "Anybody working closely with the governor, such as I do, knows he is a man of unwavering principle and he would be the last person to grant access or state favor in exchange for political support, as your article suggests." Blah-blah.
New Hampshire Congressional Race. Mariana Alfaro of the Washington Post: "Rep. Ann Kuster (D-N.H.), chair of the influential New Democratic Coalition, will not seek reelection this year.... Kuster has led the centrist New Democratic Coalition in a thinly divided House, which gave the group more influence in the chamber." In a statement, Kuster said she was retiring because she was sick of one of her constituents and neighbors, Marie Burns, sending her all those emails urging her not to be such a wuss.
Virginia. Machine Gun Youngkin. Gregory Schneider & Laura Vozzella of the Washington Post: "Gov. Glenn Youngkin has vetoed an assault weapons ban and a slate of other gun-control bills passed by the Virginia General Assembly, but he signed a pair of firearm-related measures into law: One bans a device that turns a semiautomatic firearm into a machine gun, and the other allows a parent or guardian to be charged with a felony for allowing a child who has been deemed a threat to have access to a gun."
~~~~~~~~~~
** Abbie VanSickle of the New York Times: "A majority of the Supreme Court appeared deeply skeptical on Tuesday of efforts to severely curtail access to a widely used abortion pill, questioning whether a group of anti-abortion doctors and organizations had a right to challenge the Food and Drug Administration's approval of the medication. Over nearly two hours of argument, justices across the ideological spectrum seemed likely to side with the federal government, with only two justices, the conservatives Samuel A. Alito Jr. and, possibly, Clarence Thomas, appearing to favor limits on the distribution of the pill.... The challenge involves mifepristone, a drug approved by the F.D.A. more than two decades ago that is used in nearly two-thirds of abortions in the country. At issue is whether the agency acted appropriately in expanding access to the drug in 2016 and again in 2021 by allowing doctors to prescribe it through telemedicine and to send the pills by mail."
~~~ For details of the hearing, you might want to visit the New York Times liveblog of oral arguments "over the availability of a commonly used abortion pill, raising the possibility that it could sharply curtail access to the drug -- even in states where abortion access remains legal." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ Marie: Here's something I learned from the liveblog: Erin Hawley, who represents the anti-abortion doctors, is married to Running Man Josh Hawley (R-Mo.).
Presidential Race
Reid Epstein & Maya King of the New York Times: "President Biden, after being interrupted at an event in North Carolina on Tuesday by protesters angry about his approach to the war in Gaza, told the audience that the demonstrators 'have a point,' adding, 'We need to get a lot more care into Gaza.' Mr. Biden's remark, which drew cheers and applause from the crowd at a community center gymnasium in Raleigh, came after the White House and the Biden campaign had spent weeks trying to keep pro-Palestinian protesters away from the president's events, hoping to keep the spotlight on his domestic agenda. In Raleigh on Tuesday, more than 200 people invited by the White House attended an event where Mr. Biden and Vice President strong> Kamala Harris spoke about the Affordable Care Act and their administration's health care record. The interruption came from a group of about half a dozen people."
M.J. Lee & Jeff Zeleny of CNN: Former President Barack Obama's "engagement with the Biden campaign is expected to intensify as the general election kicks into higher gear, and aides said he has already agreed to several campaign appearances before November as he works to help rebuild [President] Biden's winning coalition from 2020. Obama's biggest embrace of Biden's reelection effort comes Thursday at a star-studded Manhattan fundraiser featuring Biden, Obama and former President Bill Clinton. The three presidents will sit for a rare conversation, moderated by Stephen Colbert."
Michael Gold & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Days before Easter, Mr. Trump posted a video on his social media platform in which he encouraged his supporters to buy the 'God Bless the USA Bible,' named after the ballad by the country singer Lee Greenwood, which Mr. Trump plays as he takes the stage at his rallies. 'All Americans need a Bible in their home, and I have many. It's my favorite book,' said Mr. Trump, who before entering politics was not overtly religious and who notably stumbled while referencing a book of the Bible during his 2016 campaign. 'It's a lot of people's favorite book.' Though Mr. Trump is not selling the Bible, he is getting royalties from purchases.... Priced at $59.99, plus shipping and tax, the 'God Bless the USA Bible' includes a King James Bible and a handwritten version of the chorus of Mr. Greenwood's song, and copies of the Constitution, the Bill of Rights, the Declaration of Independence and the Pledge of Allegiance." The AP story is here.
He Has the Best Words. Colby Hall of Mediaite: "... Donald Trump appeared to announce he supports Obamacare -- or at least is not running to end the ACA -- but that's the least newsworthy part of his latest ALL CAPS rant, which features misspellings and malapropisms.... Trump is blaming President Joe Biden [for claiming Trump wants to end the ACA] or some mythical figure named 'CROOKED JOE BUDEN' in his social media post, whom he claims 'DISINFORMATES AND MISINFORMATES ALL THE TIME.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: No doubt there are many public figures who are bad at grammar & spelling and who otherwise write poorly. Most have the sense to have aides proof their public statements.
Trump: Too Many Tuesdays, Not Enough Crime. Ed Mazza of the Huffington Post: "President Joe Biden's campaign on Monday released an unusually blunt statement tearing into Donald Trump as 'feeble, confused, and tired' after an appearance marked by verbal stumbles as well as a bizarre social media post in which he likened himself to Christ. 'He spent the weekend golfing, the morning comparing himself to Jesus, and the afternoon lying about having money he definitely doesn't have,' the statement said.... [Trump made] a rambling appearance..., which included several gaffes, including an odd moment when the former president insisted that 'you can't have an election in the middle of a political season.' The former president added: 'We just had Super Tuesday, and we had a Tuesday after Tuesday already.' Trump also vowed to 'bring crime back to law and order.'" MB: Well, he's certainly done that. (Also linked yesterday.)
Only the Delusional Need Apply. Josh Dawsey of the Washington Post: "Those seeking employment at the Republican National Committee after a Trump-backed purge of the committee this month have been asked in job interviews if they believe the 2020 election was stolen, according to people familiar with the interviews, making the false claim a litmus test of sorts for hiring. A group of senior Trump advisers have been in the RNC building in recent days conducting the interviews.... RNC staffers were told en masse in early March that they were being let go but could reapply for jobs, and the application process has included an interview with the Trump advisers. The Trump advisers this week are vetting both former employees and some laid-off employees -- whose last day is Friday -- to decide how many can either return or stay with the RNC."
Meryl Kornfield & Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "Robert F. Kennedy Jr. announced Tuesday that tech lawyer and megadonor Nicole Shanahan would join his independent presidential ticket as his running mate, a move that would provide Kennedy with more ballot access as he pursues his long-shot bid for the White House. Kennedy, 70, announced his pick in her California hometown, miles from the hub of the technology industry. Shanahan, 38, has grown to prominence as a Bay Area lawyer with deep Silicon Valley ties and was previously married to billionaire Google co-founder Sergey Brin.... From 2013 to last year, campaign finance records show Shanahan, who has remained relatively unknown in politics, supported Democrats. She made a $25,000 donation in 2020 in support of Joe Biden. She has contributed up to the maximum limit to his campaign and donated millions to a Kennedy super PAC, including $4 million toward a commercial it ran for him during the Super Bowl."
The Trials of Trump, Etc.
** Ben Protess & William Rashbaum of the New York Times: [Juan Merchan,] "the New York judge presiding over one of Donald J. Trump's criminal trials, imposed a gag order on Tuesday that prohibits him from attacking witnesses, prosecutors and jurors, the latest effort to rein in the former president's wrathful rhetoric about his legal opponents.... Mr. Trump cannot make, or direct others to make, statements about witnesses' roles in the case. Mr. Trump is also barred from commenting on prosecutors, court staff and their relatives -- if he intended to interfere with their work on the case. Any comments whatsoever about jurors are banned as well, the judge ruled....Mr. Trump is not prohibited from attacking [Manhattan District Attorney Alvin] Bragg, who has received numerous death threats in recent months....
In a rambling and angry post on his social media site on Tuesday, Mr. Trump made an ominous reference to [Michael] Cohen..., one of Mr. Bragg's main witnesses..., claiming without explanation that his former fixer was 'death.' He also referred to one of Mr. Bragg's prosecutors in pejorative terms. Both comments would now arguably violate the gag order.... Justice Merchan is just the latest judge to impose a gag order on the former president.... In a separate order Tuesday, Justice Merchan issued a stern warning to Mr. Trump's lawyers as well. He reminded them to behave professionally, or risk being held in contempt." (Also linked yesterday.) ~~~
~~~ CNN's report is here. Judge Merchan's order, via the New York court system, is here. (Also linked yesterday.)
~~~ Marie: Nearly every day of every year since Donald Trump became a candidate for president* in 2015, this depraved mobster has proved again that he is remarkably unqualified to hold any public office, including janitor at a local jail.
"Smart Thermostats." Kyle Cheney of Politico: Donald Trump's deputy White House counsel, Pat Philbin, testified Tuesday in a disbarment hearing for Jeffrey Clark, a DOJ official whom Trump ever-so-briefly made acting attorney general. "It was Philbin's first public testimony about the chaotic final days of the Trump presidency since he left the White House.... Philbin's description of his interactions with Clark shed new light on the frenzied effort by Trump to remake the Justice Department into a tool of his bid to cling to power.... His testimony followed Richard Donoghue, a former acting deputy attorney general.... Philbin, who testified for about two hours on Tuesday, described Clark as wildly misinformed about claims of election fraud -- countenancing a theory about 'smart thermostats' being used to manipulate voting machines -- and not sufficiently cognizant of the havoc it would wreak on the country if his plan succeeded."
Drew Harwell of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's social media start-up surged in its first day of trading as a public company Tuesday, a stock-market debut that helped deliver the Republican presidential candidate a multibillion-dollar fortune. The newly merged Trump Media & Technology Group, which owns the social network Truth Social, saw its share price climb roughly 35 percent in its first morning on the Nasdaq exchange.... Trump owns 60 percent of Trump Media, or roughly 78 million shares, a stake now worth more than $5 billion. The company's valuation, however, stands at odds with its business performance." (Also linked yesterday.)
Karla Adam & Salvador Rizzo of the Washington Post: "A British court ruled Tuesday that WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange will not be extradited immediately to the United States to face hacking and espionage charges and that U.S. officials must first provide assurances to British authorities that he would be able to rely on free-speech protections and not incur the death penalty in a U.S. trial. The U.K. High Court in London gave U.S. officials three weeks to provide the assurances and said Assange would be able to appeal his extradition if those promises were not forthcoming. A decision on whether Assange will be granted a full appeal hearing has been pushed back to May 20, provided the United States grants the assurances. Assange is expected to remain for now in London's Belmarsh prison, where he has been held since 2019."
Patrick Svitek & Isaac Arnsdorf of the Washington Post: "A lawsuit accusing Matt Schlapp, the influential leader of the Conservative Political Action Conference, of sexual misconduct is being ended, according to both sides. The lawsuit began last year when a Republican operative, Carlton Huffman, alleged that Schlapp groped him without his consent during a political trip to Georgia in October 2022, then said in the suit that Schlapp also defamed him by denying the allegation and attacking his credibility.... The terms of the resolution were not disclosed."
** Ronna Fired After Working One Day. Jeremy Barr of the Washington Post: "Amid a chorus of on-air protest from some of the network's biggest stars, NBC announced Tuesday night that former Republican National Committee chair Ronna McDaniel will no longer be joining the network as a paid contributor. In a memo, NBCUniversal News Group Chairman Cesar Conde told staff that he had listened to 'the legitimate concerns' of many network employees.... In his memo to employees, Conde apologized to employees 'who felt we let them down' and said he took responsibility for the botched hiring.... One by one, [MSNBC hosts] took to the airwaves to deliver that message to their bosses in front of their live audiences Monday.... NBC delivered the news of its course correction to its employees before informing McDaniel...." (Also linked yesterday.) The New York Times story is here. Politico's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Paul Campos, in LG&$, explains why it is impossible for news outlets to employ Republican contributors: "... being a card-carrying Republican means by definition: (1) Supporting Donald Trump. (2) Supporting Trump's claims that his attempts to overthrow the government three years ago were legitimate, as opposed to seditious. (3) Trashing the entire mainstream American news media establishment.... In other words, the problem with Ronna McDaniel is precisely that she is a loyal member of Donald Trump's Republican party, which for those not scoring at home is now exactly synonymous with the Republican party, period."
Zachary Basu & Sara Fischer of Axios: "The overnight collapse of Baltimore's Francis Scott Key Bridge drove a surge in online conspiracy theories Tuesday, many of them promoted by "verified" accounts with huge followings on X....Rampant misinformation during mass casualty events is not a new phenomenon. But under Elon Musk's ownership of X, the platform has changed from an essential real-time news source to a breeding ground for conspiracy theories.... Within hours, X accounts with hundreds of thousands of followers were promoting baseless claims that the Dali had been the victim of a cyber-attack or had intentionally rammed into the bridge.... Some verified right-wing accounts speculated that corporate diversity and inclusion initiatives were to blame for the disaster -- a claim also embraced during a spate of recent aircraft safety issues. Several antisemitic accounts with blue check marks claimed that the 'attack' was perpetrated by Israel."
~~~~~~~~~~
Alabama State House Election. Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "Democrat Marilyn Lands on Tuesday decisively won an Alabama state House seat in a long-held Republican district, notching a special-election victory after centering her campaign on promoting access to abortion and in vitro fertilization.... Lands beat Republican Teddy Powell by a wide margin -- about 25 percentage points -- in a politically moderate section of northern Alabama that Donald Trump won by a single percentage point in 2020.... National Democrats including President Biden's campaign weighed in on the outcome, saying Lands's win shows how their candidates can win tough races by highlighting abortion as a focal point. Republicans were quieter." The AP story is here.
Texas. This. Irritates. Me. David Goodman of the New York Times: "Nearly nine years after his indictment on charges of felony security fraud, Ken Paxton, the Texas attorney general, reached a deal with prosecutors on Tuesday to avoid a criminal trial that had been set to begin next month. The deal, announced by the prosecutors and lawyers for Mr. Paxton during a hearing in Houston, does not involve any admission of guilt but requires Mr. Paxton to pay nearly $300,000 in restitution, take legal ethics classes and perform 100 hours of community service. At the hearing, the judge in the case, Andrea Beall, asked questions but observed that the agreement had been made between the parties and the court could not block it.... For Mr. Paxton, a three-term Republican incumbent, the agreement amounted to another victory over opponents who have long hoped that his legal troubles would lead to his political undoing." (Also linked yesterday.) The Texas Tribune report is here.
~~~~~~~~~~
Israel/Palestine, et al. The Washington Post's live updates of developments Wednesday in the Israel/Hamas war are here: "Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin urged Israel to abandon military plans for a ground offensive in Rafah, the southern Gaza city where the majority of Palestinians have crowded to escape fighting in other parts of the enclave. 'The number of civilian casualties is far too high and the amount of humanitarian aid is far too low,' Austin told Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant during a meeting in Washington.... Israeli forces are continuing their week-long raid on al-Shifa Hospital in Gaza City, the Israel Defense Forces said Wednesday.... The head of Hamas's political operations, Ismail Haniyeh, met with Iran's foreign minister in Tehran on Tuesday, Iran's Press TV reported. Israel Defense Forces spokesman Daniel Hagari condemned the move as a sign that Iran and Hamas 'want to escalate the region.'"
News Ledes
Washington Post: "As a cargo ship the size of a skyscraper drifted dangerously close to a major Baltimore bridge that carried more than 30,000 cars a day, the crew of the Dali issued an urgent 'mayday,' hoping to avert disaster Tuesday. First responders sprang into action, shutting down most traffic on the four-lane Francis Scott Key Bridge just before the 95,000 gross-ton vessel plowed into a bridge piling at about 1:30 a.m., causing multiple sections of the span to bow and snap in a harrowing scene captured on video.... Maryland Gov. Wes Moore (D) hailed those who carried out the quick work as 'heroes' and said they saved lives, but the scale of the destruction was catastrophic and will probably have far-reaching impacts for the economy and travel on the East Coast for months to come." ~~~
~~~ The New York Times' live updates are here. CNN's live updates are here. ~~~
~~~ A Washington Post liveblog of developments is here: "Six people [-- bridge construction workers --] were presumed dead Tuesday evening, authorities announced as they shifted from a search and rescue operation to a recovery effort.... The governor declared a state of emergency, and Baltimore Mayor Brandon Scott (D) announced that the city has deployed its emergency operations plan. Vessel traffic into and out of the Port of Baltimore was 'suspended until further notice.'"
Share Article
Comments for this entry have been disabled. Additional comments may not be added to this entry at this time.
Reader Comments (11)
I have a strong feeling the DJT stock price is the same story as those NFTs he sold a while back, huge price the first day, fizzle in a week.
In fact, it seems like everything he does: Make a huge splash with some bullshit statement, correction on page 16 a few days later.
This stuff writes itself.
Last night I posted a comment about the stupidity of NBC’s hiring of a lying Trumpbot who helped in the attempt to steal the last presidential election.
If the idea was to attract more rightwing eyeballs—scratch that—ANY rightwing eyeballs, it went disastrously wrong.
My sense was that, firing McDaniel, the only sane thing they could have done, would do two things. First, it would make the PoT voters hate NBC even more.
Second, it would turn Ronna McDaniel into a martyr for the cause of anti-democratic authoritarianism by making her out to be a victim of the woke liberal mob.
Cue (almost typed “cur”, which would have been spot on) Mr. Al Capone’s Empty Safe, Geraldo Rivera. His reaction to NBC giving McDaniel the boot?
Waaaaahhh!! Old woke liberals censored poor Ronna! Waaaah!
Yup. This stuff writes itself. But it gets better. Geraldo, 80 years old, who walks with a cane, called the NBC, MSNBC journalists who criticized the hiring as too old, past their prime. All are quite a bit younger than Geraldo. Joe Scarborough is 60. Rachel Maddow is 50.
He whined that “This is CENSORSHIP!!”
No, Geraldo. It’s not. Governments censor people. Privately owned networks can hire and fire anyone they want. Does Fox, which employed Rivera for decades, have any voices that aren’t solidly in favor of treason? Any “woke” liberal personalities?
Hell no. Is that CENSORSHIP?
He said “People deserve a choice.” Sure. Okay. They can watch Fox. Or NewsAss, or Only Asinine News. Is he suggesting that Trump voters who are dedicated NBC viewers have no choice?
Then—hang on, this is great—he sez:
“But there are a lot of people who…agree with Ronna McDaniel, who is the most intimate insider NBC could ever have hired. It was a brilliant idea. She would have or could have spilled the beans on the fake electors and the alternate slates and so forth and so on.”
Hahahahahaha…sure Geraldo…Ronna McDaniel, who, on a phone call with the Fat Fascist talking to Michigan election officials, ordered them not to validate Biden’s victory, but instead send a slate of fake electors to DC to say that Trump won. So…she’s gonna rat herself out as a crook and a conniving co-conspirator in an attempt to illegally steal an election? Is that the idea?
Hey, Geraldo, marijuana is legal now. You don’t have to smoke it in secret anymore. Spark up another fatty. You ain’t high enough yet, dude.
If you didn’t hear Maddow’s response to hiring this Trumpish harpy, do check it out. It’s brilliant. She makes a devastating case. I’ll give you the short version.
First, she points to four historical figures. Shady, dangerous lunatics from America’s political past, all of whom presented themselves as fascist saviors, running for president. All of whom went nowhere, who stated the case that democracy should be cast aside, the entire government should be fired and lackeys of the would be dictators hired to make his schemes a reality, because, as they each maintained, “Only I can fix things.”
None of them went anywhere. Why? They didn’t have the support of one of the two biggest national parties. But now, a guy just like those lunatic crackpots does have that support. And Ronna McDaniel helped make that happen.
So, really, it’s not about red vs blue, Democrat vs Republican. It’s fascism vs democracy.
Geraldo clearly doesn’t get this.
Past his prime? Or just stupid? Hey, Geraldo. Look over here. Al Capone’s underwear drawer. Go see what’s inside.
Here’s another idea.
NBC wants to get an opinion from the right? Why don’t they do the same thing they do when they want the perspective of black, Latino, LGBTQ or other groups? Invite them on as unpaid interview subjects. If you’re from one of those groups, you don’t get paid jack for your opinion.
If you’re a white, Trumpy screecher, you get a $300,000 contract to talk crap. Invite Ronna on for a quick, unpaid sound bite.
But then you’re still gonna get unfiltered bullshit.
Just don’t bother. Trump voters aren’t watching you anyway.
One more thing about poor Ronna, the latest “victim” from TrumpWorld.
There’s a lot of talk on the right about Trump Derangement Syndrome. The idea is that liberals, progressives, Democrats, Never Trumpers, and others with functioning brains, are deranged because they’re worried about that nice Donald Trump. How silly.
I’m not suggesting that Trump Derangement Syndrome isn’t a thing. It is. And it’s rampant. But not on the left. It’s a pandemic on the right.
Just look at all the formerly Big Names in the Republican Party who have traded in whatever few ounces of decency and humanity they might have had in order to bow before the Orange Buddha.
Ronna even renounced her family name (remember, she used to go by Ronna Romney McDaniel) because the Fat Fascist didn’t like hearing the Romney name (just stack up the incredibly immature, puerile obsessions that swim around in that warped little brain…it’s fucking terrifying that this whiny infant had the nuclear codes). Somebody told me I had to renounce my family because he was scared of hearing the name, I’d tell him to change his diaper, get another baba, take a nap, and fuck off straight to hell.
But not Ronna. Or any of those other cowardly creeps. They’ve all joined the Thank You Sir, May I Have Another Whip Across My Back school.
So, yeah. Poor Ronna IS a victim. Of Trump Derangement Syndrome.
A morning for questions.
Wonder how much NBC owes Ronna for one day of work? I wonder what her contract said and how much it will cost NBC to get rid of her...
More morning wonderment: Will driving all but the election-denying loonies out of Republican Party management increase overall party support or decrease it? Another way maybe of asking the same question: What percentage of Republican functionaries will be driven away from party loyalty when such loyalty is tantamount to Pretender ass-kissing? And what effect might that possible diminished party support have in November?
GQP Doctors
Corporations
“35 major U.S. corporations — including famous names like Ford, Netflix and Tesla — paid less in federal income taxes between 2018 and 2022 than they paid their top five executives. All 35 were cumulatively profitable over that five-year span.”
Finally a conspiracy theory that makes sense.
"A weasel broke the Hadron Collider sending Earth to other reality, claims bizarre theory
A bizarre conspiracy theory claims that Earth was sent to an alternate universe after a weasel got caught in the Large Hadron Collider in 2016 - believers argue it led to Trump's election"
In the no duh! department (which can apparently garner one a Novel prize..):
https://www.washingtonpost.com/obituaries/2024/03/27/daniel-kahneman-dead/?
I know the proved that people don't always actually rationally but after watching people for a while, who ever really thought they did?
Ronna McTreason expects to be paid over half a million dollars for not a single day of work. Cuz that’s how they roll in TrumpWorld.
Also, how stupid NBC suits are.
If NBC has to pay her $600K for the next two years, they should call her in several days a week and have her hostess (is that a verb now? Maybe.) the green room. They should keep the real green room person on, but allow that person several paid days off a week and let Ronna take care of the guests.