The Commentariat -- August 10, 2015

Internal links removed.

Afternoon Update:

Kristina Wong of the Hill: "The Pentagon said Monday it will submit a plan to lawmakers on closing the Guantánamo Bay detention facility 'sometime' after Congress comes back from its August recess. 'We would expect it to go up sometime after recess," said Pentagon spokesman Navy Capt. Jeff Davis. "It's still in progress, it's very close to completion.... On Monday, the Pentagon said [Defense Secretary Ash] Carter and the Pentagon "continue to support" the president's goal of closing the facility. " ...

... Earlier Today. Tim Mak & Nancy Youssef of the Daily Beast: "The White House wants to quickly cut the number of detainees at Guantánamo Bay. One man is standing in the way: President Obama's Defense Secretary, Ash Carter. Carter and the White House are increasingly at odds about how to whittle down the number of detainees held in Guantánamo Bay, hampering the administration's push to close the detention center by the end of its term."

Ooh! Must-See TV! Brian Stelter of CNN: "Donald Trump and the Fox News Channel are about to televise their dispute. Trump has been booked for a 7 a.m. Tuesday interview on 'Fox & Friends,' co-host Steve Doocy said on Twitter on Monday afternoon.... Fox has dramatically ratcheted down its coverage of Trump. It has barely covered Trump's criticisms of [Megyn] Kelly and the two other debate moderators, Chris Wallace and Bret Baier." ...

Jon Karl of ABC News: "Donald Trump may soon do what Republican leaders have been asking the billionaire candidate to do -- pledge not to run as an independent candidate for president, a senior Trump adviser told ABC News." CW: Uh-oh, Donald is about to tell another "senior adviser," "You're fired."

I think in general if anyone focuses on racial discord we're going to get more. If we focus on unity we're going to get more of that. The families of the massacre in Charleston showed us the way. -- Scott Walker, in South Carolina on the anniversary of the police killing of black teen Michael Brown

... Igor Bobic of the Huffington Post: "Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker (R) says the proper way to address racial issues in America is by concentrating on what brings people together rather than focusing on "racial discord." Doing the latter, the presidential candidate argued Sunday, could risk generating even more unrest.... Other presidential candidates -- Republican and Democrat -- have called for a broader conversation about systemic racism in the nation's justice system in the wake of high-profile shootings of unarmed black men across the country. Bipartisan calls for criminal justice reform have also grown in and out of Washington...." ...

     ... CW: You're so right, Scottie. If you don't talk about black people, they will go back to their quiet places, singing hymns at the church by the old plantation. Of course, they might get stopped, booked or shot by the cops on their way to church, but well, let's not mention that.

AP: "A Michigan lawmaker [state Rep. Todd Courser (RTP)] said he won't resign after sending an email to Republican supporters falsely claiming he was caught having sex with a male prostitute and said in a statement released Monday he was the target of a blackmail attempt.... 'My actions in and around these events in the email that was sent to misdirect attention were my doing both in planning and execution,' Courser said in a nearly 30-minute audio file posted on his campaign website.... He blames former staffers for conspiring with others to bring him down and vowed to learn the identity of the alleged blackmailer." ...

     ... CW: Doncha just love the way these micreants always see themselves as the victims? ...

... Paul Egan of the Detroit Free Press: Michigan Gov. Rick "Snyder [R] said House Speaker Kevin Cotter, R-Mt. Pleasant, is handling the situation appropriately and proactively by ordering an investigation by the House business office, which began Friday. 'This is something that does need to be investigated, very clearly,' Snyder told reporters. A possible affair between [state Rep. Cindy] Gamrat [RTP] and [state Rep. Todd] Courser [RTP], though 'not something that should happen,' is an issue for voters, not the state, to decide, Snyder said."

*****

American "Justice," Ctd. Sandhya Somashekhar, et al., of the Washington Post: "So far this year, 24 unarmed black men have been shot and killed by police - one every nine days.... Those 24 cases constitute a surprisingly small fraction of the 585 people shot and killed by police through Friday evening.... Most of those killed were white or Hispanic, and the vast majority of victims of all races were armed. However, black men accounted for 40 percent of the 60 unarmed deaths, even though they make up just 6 percent of the U.S. population. The Post's analysis shows that black men were seven times more likely than white men to die by police gunfire while unarmed." ...

... Andrew Kahn & Chris Kirk of Slate: "Thousands more [black Americans] have suffered subtler forms of discrimination in the criminal justice system, where social science research shows striking racial disparities at nearly every level -- from arrest rates, to bail amounts, to sentence lengths, to probation hearing outcomes.... Black Americans are more likely to have their cars searched.... are more likely to be arrested for drug use.... are more likely to be jailed while awaiting trial.... are more likely to be offered a plea deal that includes prison time.... may be excluded from juries because of their race.... are more likely to serve longer sentences than white Americans for the same offense.... are more likely to be disenfranchised because of a felony conviction.... are more likely to have their probation revoked." With charts.

CW: Twenty-six-year-old David Daleiden, the "mastermind" behind the Planned Parenthood videos (hmm, he must have been 23 years old when his mind mastered this three-year-old plot), thinks he knows more about abortion & women's reproductive needs than does "57-year-old Cecile Richards, who has given birth to three children and publicly discussed her own abortion, really understands what abortion is." Rebecca Traister, in a moving essay, sets the boy straight." Like Sen. Barbara Boxer, "I just don't like lectures by men about what it's like." Much less, lectures by arrogant boys.

E. J. Dionne: "If you wondered why President Obama gave such a passionate and, yes, partisan speech on behalf of the Iran nuclear deal Wednesday, all you had to do was tune in to the Republican presidential debate the next night.... The candidates gathered together by Fox News in Cleveland suggested that the hardest decision the next president will face is whether killing Obamacare or voiding the Iran deal ought to be the first order of business.... In the short run, Obama simply has to win enough votes for his Iran deal. For the long run, he has to convince Americans that his measured approach to the world is the safest path for the country. Defending this view aggressively is no vice."

Larry Summers, in a Washington Post op-ed, says something about corporate policy that other people think is interesting. As far as I can tell, he says corporations should -- on their own -- take a longer view & "more generously share the fruits of corporate success with their workers, customers and other stakeholders." CW: I think this is pretty much what Jeb! or Scottie or Li'l Randy would say if they could handle long sentences with fancy words; i.e., let corporations figure out for themselves what is good for America & we will all prosper & live happily ever after. The End. ...

... Because Capitalism Is Awesome. Anahad O'Connor in the New York Times: "Coca-Cola, the world's largest producer of sugary beverages, is backing a new 'science-based' solution to the obesity crisis: To maintain a healthy weight, get more exercise and worry less about cutting calories.... The beverage giant has teamed up with influential scientists who are advancing this message in medical journals, at conferences and through social media.... Coke has provided financial and logistical support to a new nonprofit organization called the Global Energy Balance Network.... Health experts say this message is misleading and part of an effort by Coke to deflect criticism about the role sugary drinks have played in the spread of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. They contend that the company is using the new group to convince the public that physical activity can offset a bad diet despite evidence that exercise has only minimal impact on weight compared with what people consume." CW: Coke's effort seems to be just the sort of long-term thinking that Larry Summers is promoting.

Michael Meeropol & Robert Meeropol, in a New York Times op-ed: "OUR parents, Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, were executed on June 19, 1953, after being convicted of conspiracy to commit espionage.... In the public's mind they were executed for providing our archenemy, the Soviet Union, with the ability to destroy our country with atomic bombs..... The newly released 46-page transcript [of the grand jury testimony of our uncle David Greenglass] -- along with previously released testimony and other records -- demonstrates conclusively that our mother was prosecuted primarily for refusing to turn on our father. We now call on President Obama to acknowledge that Ethel Rosenberg was wrongly convicted and executed."

Annals of Joke Journalism. McKay Coppins of BuzzFeed: "As Donald Trump faces a growing backlash from conservative media over his recent attacks on a Fox News host, one prominent right-wing outlet remains firmly in his corner: Breitbart News, which has set itself apart by plastering its homepage with fawning headlines about the candidate, and all-caps assaults on his critics. But ... many inside the company believe Trump has provided undisclosed financial backing to the outlet in exchange for glowing coverage.... According to four sources with knowledge of the situation, editors and writers at the outlet have privately complained since at least last year that the company's top management was allowing Trump to turn Breitbart into his own fan website -- using it to hype his political prospects and attack his enemies.... Breitbart executive chair Steve Bannon responded to questions with a statement denying that the company has ever had a 'financial relationship' with the candidate." ...

... Rick Hasen: " If this is true (and I have no idea if it is), it would raise some serious campaign finance issues. The media exemption to the ban on corporate contributions/coordinated spending with candidates does not apply to media owned or controlled by a candidate." ...

... Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Who Needs Breitbart? Driftglass points out that Trump has pretty much taken over the mainstream teevee media, too, phoning in his "interviews," where he ran roughshod over the interviewers, at the five-major-networks-minus-one. ...

... Charles Pierce: "Now comes Sunday morning, and we discover that it continues to be impossible for our elite political press to admit what is plainly before its eyes -- that one of the two political parties that we have allowed ourselves through inertia and custom to have has become demented, and that the political health of the nation in general is in peril unless that dementia can be overcome. Because of this inability to attach itself to obvious reality, the elite political press has rendered itself incapable of performing the necessary function of calling out con-men and identifying nutty ideas before they reach the mainstream political life of the country and turn it into a SuperFund site."

Presidential Race

CW: Who would win in a three-way race among Hillary, Jeb! & Trump? The conventional wisdom is that Clinton would win, because Trump would cut almost exclusively into Jeb!'s territory. I'm not so sure. Since Trump has no discernible political ideology, he is free to develop (& defend) any agenda he wants for the general election; you can bet he would focus-test his platform for maximum popularity. Also, he's the antithesis of Obama -- crude vs. classy, thoughtless vs. cerebral, careless vs. careful, etc. etc., & American voters tend to like "regime change" every eight years. Trump could easily peel off working-class men who might have voted for Clinton in a two-way. Minority turnout is bound to be lower in 2016 than it was in the last two presidential elections; besides, Jeb! would pick off some of Hillary's Latino voters. Or what about a Bernie-Scottie-Trump race? Again, I could envision a Trump win. Democrats, too, should be careful what we wish for.

Ber-nie! Ber-nie! Ber-nie! Jeff Mapes of the Oregonian: "Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' insurgent campaign for president received a big boost Sunday when as many as 28,000 showed up for a high-decibel rally at the Moda Center [in Portland, Oregon]. The crowd packed the basketball arena -- with a capacity of up to 19,000 -- as thousands more couldn't get inside and listened in on loudspeakers.... The senator received waves of thunderous applause as he vowed to fight for universal health benefits, paid family leave, paid sick leave, free public college tuition, a $15 minimum wage, expanded Social Security benefits and a major public works program to rebuild crumbling infrastructure." Thanks to Kate M. for the lead. ...

... Jamil Smith of the New Republic defends BlackLivesMatter attacks on Bernie Sanders. Smith writes, "Sanders, rather than letting the protesters have their say and responding, left the stage." CW: News reports (like this one by CNN) indicate that it was that the event's organizers, not Sanders, who made the decision to end the rally without allowing Sanders to speak. Based on these reports, Smith's characterization is misleading. ...

... Mark Hensch of the Hill: "Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.) said on Sunday that 2016 Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.) is a life-long defender of minorities.... 'Bernie has become somebody I have tremendous respect for and is an ally of mine in addressing issues in the United States Senate that affect minority communities,' he ... told host George Stephanopoulos on ABC's 'This Week.'"

Anne Gearan of the Washington Post: "After months of remaining largely above the partisan fray -- and often appearing cautious to a fault -- Hillary Rodham Clinton has begun taking more risks and landing some punches against Republicans.... The more aggressive posture comes as Clinton has suffered an erosion in her public image, with more potential voters saying they view her unfavorably than at any point since she entered the 2016 race and fewer people saying they find her trustworthy.... Clinton's stepped-up tempo has included almost daily attacks on the better-known contenders among the wide Republican field, particularly billionaire front-runner Donald Trump and former Florida governor Jeb Bush." ...

... Patrick Healy of the New York Times: "With Americans shouldering $1.2 trillion in student loan debt, and about eight million of them in default, Hillary Rodham Clinton on Monday will propose major new spending by the federal government that would help undergraduates pay tuition at public colleges without needing loans. Mrs. Clinton does not go as far as her Democratic presidential opponents in promising to end tuition debt altogether, since her plan would still require a family contribution that could involve parents taking out loans to cover some tuition.... Colleges would have to hold down costs and show improvements on graduation rates...." ...

... CW: By contrast, Jeb! opposes President Obama's proposal to make community colleges tuition-free, calling it "poll-driven ... free stuff." According to PolitiFact, in-state tuition in state-run universities under his administration went up 56 percent, though that's less than the national average of about 75 percent." That's funny; his father & brother both wanted to be known as "the education president," & they at least partially succeeded. Meanwhile, as Healy points out, "Gov. Scott Walker of Wisconsin, signed a two-year budget last month that cuts spending for the University of Wisconsin system by $250 million," & as Valerie Strauss of the Washington Post put it, "savage[d] public education in the state." As Strauss notes, Walker also removed tenure protection for UW professors, expanded the voucher system, "and create[d] a new 'special needs' voucher law that cuts into protections for special needs students." Strauss elsewhere assessed "the public education mess that has developed in [Ohio] under [John Kasich's] leadership." In the Huffington Post, James Moore demonstrated that Rick Perry's education cuts were a "civic disaster." Laura Camera of Politics K-12: "During his tenure [as governor of New York state], [George Pataki] often proposed funding freezes and cuts to the state university system as part of his strategy to eliminate a $4 billion budget shortfall. Chris Chrisie also slashed New Jersey's state funding of education, & he'd like to punch teachers in the face. With all this, Diane Ravitch gives Bobby Jindal the prize: "All in all, the Jindal legislation is the most far-reaching attempt in the nation to de-fund, dismantle, and obliterate public education."

Paul Krugman: "The shared premise of everyone on the Republican side is that the Obama years have been a time of policy disaster on every front. Yet the candidates on that [Cleveland debate] stage had almost nothing to say about any of the supposed disaster areas. And there was a good reason they seemed so tongue-tied: Out there in the real world, none of the disasters their party predicted have actually come to pass. President Obama just keeps failing to fail. And that's a big problem for the G.O.P. -- even bigger than Donald Trump."

Rebecca Leber of the New Republic: "The GOP's all-of-the-above energy policy is nothing like [President] Obama's.... Bush and Walker endorsed his energy policy only to the extent that it supports the continued development of fossil fuels."

She should really be apologizing to me, you want to know the truth.... This wasn't meant to be much of an insult. She asked me a question. It was an inappropriate question. It was a ridiculous question. Even the other candidates came up to me and said that that was absolutely out of line. She asked me a question that was nasty, and I gave her a pretty tough answer. -- Donald Trump, on Megyn Kelly, today on "Morning Joe"

Robert Costa & Philip Rucker of the Washington Post on the Trump campaign's efforts to turn Donald's vanity candidacy into an actual presidential campaign with policy positions & stuff. Trump isn't helping. He seems to think saying, "I will be the greatest jobs president this country has ever seen," is an economics policy platform. CW: Maybe Trump suffers from attention-deficit disorder &/or perhaps lacks reading skills. At any rate, he does not appear to have the ability to focus on anything that is not himself. Bullying behavior almost always points to some other deficiency the bully is trying to obscure.

I will be phenomenal to the women. I want to help women. -- Donald Trump, Sunday, on CBS's "Face the Nation"

Shawna Thomas & John Lapinski of NBC News: "If Donald Trump's comments about Fox News anchor Megyn Kelly are hurting his standing in the Republican primary, it's not showing in the numbers. According to the latest NBC News Online Poll conducted by SurveyMonkey, Trump is at the top of the list of GOP candidates that Republican primary voters would cast a ballot for if the primary were being held right now. The overnight poll was conducted for 24 hours from Friday evening into Saturday.... None of that stopped Trump from coming in at the top of the poll with 23 percent. Sen. Ted Cruz was next on the list with 13 percent.... [Ben Carson got 11%] In overall support, [Carly Fiorina] came in fourth with 8%...." Marco Rubio also received 8%, beating Jeb Bush & Scott Walker, who both came in at 7%. CW: These results should give you a good idea at how transitory early polling is.

... "The GOP's Carly Conspiracy." digby, in a Salon essay, delves into the reasons for Fiorina's sudden surge "shocked the beltway Villagers all the way down to the soles of their Sperry Top-Siders." CW: In an aside, digby reminds us that Fiorina -- who repeatedly gave Donald Trump what-for for his remarks about Megyn Kelly -- is herself not above making sexist remarks.

The thing is, income inequality is due to some people working harder and selling more things. -- Rand Paul, to Chris Wallace of "Fox 'News' Sunday"

... The Most Interesting Man in Politics Is a Nitwit. Dave Jamieson of the Huffington Post: "Asked if his flat tax plan would further separate the haves from the have-nots, GOP presidential hopeful Sen. Rand Paul (Ky.) said Sunday that income inequality is the result of some Americans working harder than others, rather than economic policies.... An analysis by the Tax Foundation found that under the plan, households earning more than $1 million per year would see their after-tax incomes rise by 13 percent. Households earning between $50,000 and $75,000 per year, meanwhile, would see their after-tax income rise only by 3 percent." Li'l Randy thinks that's "a good thing." ...

... David Atkins in the Washington Monthly: "... giving the ludicrously wealthy more money does not, in fact, put that money back in the economy. They do not lead to economic growth, but they do contribute to increasing inequality. That's because the very rich tend to hoard their wealth.... We also know that the majority of the very rich don't actually produce real goods, but work in the financial sector goosing the short-term shareholder value of corporations.... This makes them wealthy, but actually worsens the health of the economy as a whole....We also know well by now that supply-side economics is a complete failure and that wealth does not, in fact, trickle down.... The entire Republican field is filled with candidates making provably false claims with horrific policy consequences...."

The Cutest Kid in Politics Is a Nitwit.

We need to repeal Dodd-Frank. It is eviscerating small businesses and small banks. Over 40 percent of small and mid-size banks that loan money to small businesses have been wiped out since Dodd-Frank has passed. -- Sen. Marco Rubio (Fla.), speaking in Thursday's GOP presidential nomination debate

The actual figure is 14 percent. There's certainly a big difference between 14 and 40 percent.... But it's not entirely clear this is all the fault of the law. The number of banks has plunged in the last two decades, so the best case that Rubio could make is that the law has possibly increased the pace of closures. But he cannot so sweepingly blame the law -- and he needs to get his numbers straight. -- Glenn Kessler of the Washington Post

Beyond the Beltway

Jim Salter & Jim Suhr of the AP: "One year after the shooting that cast greater scrutiny on how police interact with black communities, the father of slain 18-year-old Michael Brown led a march in Ferguson, Missouri, on Sunday after a crowd of hundreds observed 4½ minutes of silence." ...

... John Eligon & Mitch Smith of the New York Times: "St. Louis County police officers shot and critically injured a man who fired at them [In Ferguson, Mo.,] late Sunday night.... The shooting came after rival groups began shooting at each other on the west side of West Florissant Avenue, the center of the Ferguson protests.... 'They were criminals; they weren't protesters,' [Chief Jon] Belmar said of the groups exchanging gunfire."

Faith Karimi & Faith Almasy of CNN: "An unarmed college football player who was fatally shot by an officer in Texas did not comply with initial calls to surrender, authorities said. The officer involved was in the last stages of his field training when he shot Christian Taylor, 19, multiple times at a car dealership in Arlington, Police Chief Will Johnson said. Footage released by a security company after the incident shows a man described as Taylor wandering around the dealership lot. In the video, which has been edited, he kicks out the windshield of a car on the lot. Officers are shown walking onto the dealership's parking lot a few moments later."

Tim Carpenter of the Topeka Capital-Journal: Neighbors of Kansas Gov. Sam Brownback's brother Jim have accused the Linn County farmer of terrorizing the community. "Adversaries say he has woven a liquor-infused tapestry of fear colored by intimidation, abuse and lies. The saga features stalking, death threats, trespassing, drive-by gunfire, massive explosions, cattle theft, loan defaults, hit-and-run driving and marital strife. Linn County Sheriff's Department files bulge with complaints about him." Jim reportedly invokes his brother's name when threatened with arrest & cites the connection to the governor as his source of "invincibility." CW: Meanwhile of course Sam is terrorizing the whole state in a less violent way.

Way Beyond

Omar Al-Jawoshy & Tim Arango of the New York Times: "Facing widespread protests against government corruption and poor services as well as a crucial call for change from the country's top Shiite cleric, Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi on Sunday proposed to radically reshape the dysfunctional political system of Iraq that has been entrenched since the American invasion in 2003. The proposals ... were wide ranging and included a new corruption inquiry and eliminating what has been a hallmark of the American-imposed system: sectarian and party quotas in the appointment of top officials. Dramatically, Mr. Abadi also vowed to eliminate the three vice presidency positions, largely ceremonial jobs that come with expensive perks."

News Lede

Washington Post: "An Iranian court held its final hearing Monday in the trial of a Washington Post journalist [Jason Razaian] facing charges including espionage, and a decision could come within the week, his laywer said."

The Commentariat -- August 9, 2015

Internal links removed.

William Broad of the New York Times: "Twenty-nine of the nation's top scientists -- including Nobel laureates, veteran makers of nuclear arms and former White House science advisers -- wrote to President Obama on Saturday to praise the Iran deal, calling it innovative and stringent. The letter, from some of the world's most knowledgeable experts in the fields of nuclear weapons and arms control, arrives as Mr. Obama is lobbying Congress, the American public and the nation's allies to support the agreement. The two-page letter may give the White House arguments a boost...." CW: Really? Why heed he words of people who know what they're talking about when you could listen to Ted Cruz & Mike Huckabee?

Jason Kolnos of the Cape Cod Times: President Obama went golfing Saturday afternoon with Larry David at a Martha's Vineyard club in Oak Bluffs. Looks like David didn't curb Obama's enthusiasm:

Getty photo via Politico.

Presidential Race

John Wagner of the Washington Post: "A planned speech in Seattle by presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders celebrating the anniversary of Social Security and Medicare was scuttled Saturday after protesters from Black Lives Matter took the stage and demanded that the crowd hold Sanders 'accountable' for apparently not doing enough, in their view, to address police brutality and other issues on the group's agenda.... Local reports put the size of the Saturday afternoon crowd in Seattle in the thousands. Sanders was scheduled to appear later Saturday at a large-scale rally organized by his campaign."

... The Seattle Times report, by Jim Brunner, is here. "'If you do not listen to us, your event will be shut down,' one of the protesters told organizers, who relented and said they could speak before Sanders.... The ... protesters refused to let Sanders take the microphone, prompting rally organizer Robby Stern to say the event was over...." (With video.) ...

     ... Updated story: "An estimated 15,000 supporters packed Hec Edmundson Pavilion and an overflow area as Sanders took the stage to thunderous applause and delivered an hourlong populist stemwinder about his plans to wrest the country from the control of billionaires." ...

... CW: These brats really annoy me. Were this my event, I'd have asked the cops to cuff these screamers & carry them away. Bad optics? Fuck optics. They can buy their own damned soapboxes. ...

... ** David Atkins, in the Washington Monthly, come at this from a philosophical analysis that sure beats my visceral reaction (tho the result would be the same): "... if these actions have done more damage than good, the fault lies not with the protesters so much as the event coordinators who have handed the disruptive agents the microphone at these events." ...

... Evan McMorris-Santoro of BuzzFeed: "Hours after Black Lives Matter protesters shut down a Bernie Sanders rally here, the Vermont senator's populist Democratic presidential campaign once again attempted to cast Sanders as the candidate of a modern civil rights movement. Before a crowd of more than 12,000 at the Alaska Airlines Arena on the campus of the University Of Washington, a new public face for the Sanders campaign appeared. Symone Sanders, a volunteer organizer with the D.C.-based Coalition for Juvenile Justice, was announced as the new national press secretary of Sanders' campaign and was tasked with introducing the 73-year-old senator."

Paul Rosenberg in Salon: "... GOP candidates share a dependence on two broad-spectrum lies: First, that they're better at producing overall growth -- for example: Trump boasting, 'I will be the greatest jobs president that God ever created,' or Bush promising '4 percent growth as far as the eye can see' -- and, second, that growth by itself will benefit everyone." Rosenberg identifies six factors that would actually raise the pay &/or benefits of ordinary workers and documents Republican opposition to measures to implement or legislate each of those factors. CW: Condensed & pumped up a bit, this would be a good stump speech; in fact, I believe it is Bernie's stump speech.

Jill Colvin & Bill Barrow of the AP: "Donald Trump on Sunday professed his love for women and said he would be their best advocate if elected president, dismissing the firestorm of his own making that has consumed the Republican presidential campaign. 'I apologize when I'm wrong, but I haven't been wrong. I said nothing wrong,' said Trump, who called in to four Sunday news shows, skipping only Fox News, the network with which he is feuding.... Trump contended on CBS' 'Face the Nation' that it's Bush who has the problem with women, thanks to a comment the former Florida governor made last week when discussing cutting off federal money for Planned Parenthood." ...

She had blood coming out of her eyes. Or blood coming out of her wherever. -- Donald Trump, speaking on CNN Friday night about Fox "News" host Megyn Kelly ...

Trump's base is more the people who used to have season tickets to the Roman Colosseum. Not sure that they vote in great numbers, but they like blood sport. -- John McQuaid, publisher of the conservative New Hampshire Union Leader

... Jonathan Martin & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Even before Friday night, prominent Republican women said they were worried about how female voters would respond to Mr. Trump's prominence on the debate stage, where he defended imprecations like 'fat pigs' and 'bimbo' to describe women -- and his rivals did not chide him. But Mr. Trump's comment Friday night about Ms. Kelly caused a new bout of consternation among senior Republican leaders, who saw it as the latest evidence that they would not be able to fully conduct a primary campaign as long as he was overwhelming the race." ...

... Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "Unlike undocumented immigrants, John McCain or Rosie O'Donnell, the Fox News anchor enjoys a huge following among the network's viewers, who happen to make up the core of the Republican primary electorate. So picking a fight with Kelly -- as Trump did when he chided her during a tough debate question about insults he's lobbed at women, dissed her in the spin room, and tweeted his complaints about her -- carries risks that Trump's other feuds do not." ...

... Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "For decades, Donald Trump has made flippant misogyny as much a part of his trademark as his ostentatious lifestyle.... In a 2006 book, he wrote of women as objectified collectibles: 'Beauty and elegance, whether in a woman, a building, or a work of art is not just superficial or something pretty to see.' He once sent New York Times columnist Gail Collins a copy of something she had written about him with her picture circled and 'The face of a dog!' written over it."

... Maureen Dowd on Donald Trump's remarks about Megyn Kelly (& other women). ...

Zeke Miller of Time: "On Saturday morning, Trump released a statement criticizing [Erick] Erickson [see yesterday's Commentariat], adding anyone suggesting Trump was referring to menstruation was 'a deviant.'... Not yielding any ground, Trump noted that Erickson has a history of making controversial statements about he's had to apologize for. 'Not only is Erick a total loser, he has a history of supporting establishment losers in failed campaigns so it is an honor to be uninvited from his event,' he said. 'Mr. Trump is an outsider and does not fit his agenda.'"

... CW: I'm not at all sure Trump was suggesting that Kelly posed tough questions because she was menstruating, as most reporters & pundits -- including Erick Erikson -- have assumed. Maybe he was, & if so, his remark is not only boorish (it was boorish & petty whatever he meant), it's nonsensical. Kelly's hormonal balance had nothing to do with the nature of her questions. The debate was a teevee show, like "Celebrity Apprentice." It's scripted. Whoever wrote the questions -- the moderators and/or others -- you can bet a panel of Fox "News" suits vetted them before air time. I'm sure Roger Ailes is loving this. ...

... ** Max Fisher of Vox: "... it's hard to believe that this is actually what's going on here, that this is really about sexism or 'decency' at all, given that Erickson himself has a long history of overt sexism that is every bit as bad as Trump's, if not worse.... It's pretty clear that, when Erickson says he is uninviting Trump for sexism, this is a lie. It's obvious from Erickson's own statement that he himself loves sexism and thinks that hating and disparaging women is not only great fun, but that anyone who tells him not to hate and disparage women is themselves a 'feminazi' or, worse, a fun-hating 'male feminist.'... Fox News has employed Erickson and given him a platform to espouse his hatred of women for years. That Fox News then tried to challenge Trump for advocating these same ideas shows the network's role in creating this problem, and its hypocrisy is now pretending to oppose it." Fisher cites numerous examples of Erickson's commentary on feminazis & specific women like Michelle Obama & Hillary Clinton. ...

... Greg Cwik of New York: "... top [Trump campaign] adviser Roger Stone has either been fired (Trump's version) or quit (Stone's). 'Top adviser' is a relative term on the Trump campaign: As Gabriel Sherman reported earlier this week, the staff consists of only 3-4 people at any one time - the number fluctuates as people leave/ are fired -- and this latest development is a continuation of infighting that's been going on for some time." ...

... OR, as the headline to Ben Schreckinger & Katie Glueck's Politico story screams, "Trump camp in crisis." ...

Charles Pierce: " The party has bigger problems than Donald Trump...." ...

CW: After the kiddie debate, Tom Bevan of RealClearPolitics & Charles Pierce both asked Bobby Jindal if, as president, he really meant to sic the IRS on Planned Parenthood, as Jindal had just volunteered that he would. Even though it's against the law for the president to mess with the IRS, Jindal reconfirmed, twice, that he would. Jindal doesn't have a law degree but he has an advanced degree in political science from Oxford University, where he was a Rhodes scholar. After the big boys' debate, Pierce asked neurosurgeon Ben Carson how he would pay for the coming Alzheimer's epidemic:

What the hell, I thought. This guy is uniquely qualified to discuss this particular problem. He gave me some boilerplate about his tax plan, and he explained that Health Savings Accounts, started at birth, will cover the costs of the illness. This, of course, is completely bazats. Alzheimer's is going to cost the country approximately $20 trillion over the next 40 years. The estimated cost of unpaid Alzheimer's care -- usually supplied by aging spouses -- was $217 billion in 2014. HSAs are not going to cut it.

... There's the problem, exemplified in the answers to two Pierce questions. He could have asked the other 15 candidates policy questions, & he would have got similarly ridiculous answers. Not one of these jamokes makes sense. Even where they might be experts on a topic, or at least well-versed, their ideologies or misplaced bravado or something has rendered them incapable of devising & articulating rational policies -- on anything. We complain about the media concentrating on style instead of substance, but the truth is that on the GOP side, there is no substance. There is no there there. The public has now become accustomed to these empty suits. No wonder Donald Trump is enjoying such popularity right now: some Republicans like his style. And style has become everything. ...

David Atkins: "Scott Walker ... bizarrely continues to insist that there's some magical alternative solution to abortion in the rare cases where pregnancy threatens the life of the mother.... Scott Walker is provably wrong. There is no alternative to abortion in these cases to save women's lives. Walker lives in a magic fantasyland.... Just as with supply-side economics and deficit reduction, Scott Walker thinks he can ban all abortions without consequently enacting the state-sanctioned murder of every woman with an extreme ectopic pregnancy.... It would be nice if more journalists exposed that fact, rather than simply repeating the fantasies that they assert in their prepared remarks." Atkins suggests reporters, in this case those at the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel, could just Google the real story of ectopic pregnancies....

Greg Bluestein & Daniel Malloy of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution: Scott Walker says he's a "visionary." CW: Beam me up, Scottie.

Greg Bluestein: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz brought his no-compromise message to the RedState Gathering on Saturday, thrilling hundreds of hardened conservatives who flocked to Atlanta with a pledge to reject 'mealy-mouthed statements about acceptance and surrender.' Cruz received one ovation after another...."

... MEANWHILE, Dan Balz of the Washington Post was very impressed with the other candidates' performances: "... this wee's debate was a reminder that the party has able rivals who eventually could take [Trump] down -- and who also could mount a stiff challenge to Hillary Rodham Clinton in the general election."

Beyond the Beltway

Sandhya Somashekhar of the Washington Post: "A police officer in Arlington, Tex., shot and killed a 19-year-old Angelo State University student Friday after responding to a report of a burglary in progress at a car dealership. Christian J. Taylor, 19, was shot after an 'altercation' with an Arlington officer. Taylor was unarmed at the time, police said. He was one of 585 people shot and killed by police so far this year, according to a Washington Post database of fatal police shootings." Taylor was black. ...

... AP: "Police said on Saturday the suburban Dallas officer who shot and killed a college football player during a burglary call at a car dealership had never fired his weapon before Friday's shooting.... Police said [Officer Brad] Miller was a 49-year-old who had been with the department since September and who had been working under the supervision of a training officer since his graduation from the police academy in March. The police statement said Miller had no police experience before joining the Arlington police force." ...

... Nomann Merchant of the AP: "A Texas police chief promised transparency as the FBI joined the investigation into the death of a Texas college football player who was fatally shot by an officer during a burglary call at a car dealership."

AP: "A toxic and orange-brown sludge spilling from a shuttered gold mine into a south-western Colorado river has reached northern New Mexico.... About a million gallons of wastewater from Colorado's Gold King Mine began spilling on Wednesday when a clean-up crew supervised by the Environmental Protection Agency accidentally breached a debris dam that had formed inside the mine. No health hazard has been detected, but tests were being analysed. Federal officials said the spill contains heavy metals including lead and arsenic."

Missed this one. AP (August 6): "Three of the 16 Planned Parenthood facilities inspected in Florida last week were performing procedures beyond their licensing authority, and one facility was not keeping proper logs relating to fetal remains, officials [of Florida's Agency for Health Care Administration] announced Wednesday.... Florida Alliance of Planned Parenthood Affiliates Executive Director Laura Goodhue said in a prepared statement Wednesday night that the licensing violations resulted from the AHCA changing its definitions of gestational periods and that the centers were operating in compliance with Florida law.... Gov. Rick Scott ordered the inspections last week. He said he was troubled by recent videos describing the organization's procedures for providing tissue from aborted fetuses for research."

News Lede

New York Times: "Frank Gifford, a Hall of Fame running back and receiver ... and then became the low-key play-by-play voice of ABC's 'Monday Night Football,' died at his home in Connecticut on Sunday. He was 84."

The Commentariat -- August 8, 2015

Internal links removed.

White House: "In this week's address, the President celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Voting Rights Act by underscoring the importance of one of the most fundamental rights of our democracy – that all of us are created equal and that each of us deserves a voice":

** Adam Bernstein & Patricia Sullivan of the Washington Post: "Frances Oldham Kelsey "died Aug. 7 at her daughter’s home in London, Ontario. She was 101.... Kelsey, a medical officer at the Food and Drug Administration in Washington..., raised concerns about thalidomide before its effects were conclusively known. For a critical 19-month period, she fastidiously blocked its approval while drug company officials maligned her as a bureaucratic nitpicker. Dr. Kelsey, a physician and pharmacologist [was] later lauded as a heroine.... In July 1962, The Washington Post directed national attention on the matter — and on Dr. Kelsey — with a front-page article reporting that her 'skepticism and stubbornness ... prevented what could have been an appalling American tragedy.'... The global thalidomide calamity precipitated legislation signed by President John F. Kennedy in October 1962 that substantially strengthened the FDA’s authority over drug testing.” The law is still in force. ...

     ... CW: Just another of those "jobs-killing" regulations that Republicans want to quash. A remarkable woman, Kelsey first disapproved U.S. distribution of thalidomide after she had been on the job only a few weeks. Representatives from the pharmeceutical company, William S. Merrell, which had licensed the drug in the U.S. and "had large potential profits riding on the application, began to complain to her bosses and show up at her office, with respected clinical investigators in tow, to protest the hold-up." ...

... Kelsey's New York Times obituary is here.

Carol Morello of the Washington Post: "Diplomats from the five countries that negotiated the Iran nuclear agreement with the United States have launched a coordinated lobbying effort on Capitol Hill, with some warning lawmakers that if Congress scuttles the accord, there may be no chance of resuming talks to get a better deal. 'The option of going back to negotiations is close to zero,' Philipp Ackermann, the deputy ambassador of the German Embassy, said in a briefing Thursday with reporters." ...

... Jim Fallows: "On Wednesday at American University, Barack Obama made the case for the Iran nuclear agreement, and against its critics.... Later that afternoon, the president met [on the record] in the Roosevelt Room of the White House with nine journalists to talk for another 90 minutes about the thinking behind the plan, and its likely political and strategic effects.... The context for Obama’s certainty is his knowledge that in the rest of the world, this agreement is not controversial at all." ...

... Jonathan Weisman & Jennifer Steinhauer of the New York Times: "The decision by Senator Chuck Schumer of New York to oppose the Iran nuclear deal has rattled the Democratic bulwark around the accord, emboldened the deal’s opponents in both parties, and set off a wave of condemnation from liberals for the man who hopes to lead Senate Democrats in the next Congress. But supporters of the accord said on Friday that Democratic defections would not be enough to bring it down."

Michael Shear of the New York Times: "President Obama will slip out of Washington on Friday afternoon for his annual Martha’s Vineyard vacation...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...

... CW: The President is going to make this a 16-day holiday, which of course upsets wingers to no end. Just to refresh their non-existent memories, FactCheck.org noted a year ago, "Before his two-week trip to Martha’s Vineyard in August [2014], Obama’s count was 125 full or partial days and [George W.] Bush’s total at the same point in his presidency was 407."

Larry Neumeister of the AP: "Another federal appeals court Friday ruled against Catholic church-affiliated groups that oppose being required to provide contraceptive care to employees through a third party. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals overturned a Brooklyn judge's ruling.... The appeals court in Manhattan said an Affordable Care Act provision that lets religion-related entities put the burden for providing contraceptive care services on third parties does not erode religious rights.... In a decision written by Judge Rosemary Pooler, the 2nd Circuit noted that six other appeals circuits have rejected similar cases brought for religious reasons since Judge Brian Cogan ruled in Brooklyn in December 2013. Four of those cases have been appealed to the Supreme Court.... The appeals court noted that the Supreme Court in a decision related to the Affordable Care Act has said the accommodation effectively exempts eligible organizations from the contraceptive coverage mandate."

Rebecca Shabad of the Hill: "The budget deficit for 2015 is expected to drop to roughly $425 billion, according to a report released Friday by the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office (CBO). That’s down from the $486 billion the CBO projected in March."

Presidential Race

Stupid Candidates Prepare to Dumb Down. Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Most of the candidates left Friday for Atlanta for the annual Red State gathering, hosted by Erick Erickson, a conservative commentator. With one debate complete, the rhythm of cattle calls and red-meat speeches to the Republican base continues." ...

... Erick Erickson claims he has disinvited Donald Trump from the Red State thing, & has invited Megyn Kelly to speak in his place. Because woman-hating, rabid anti-abortionist Erickson finds that Donald's dissing of Kelly was "a bridge too far." (I guess calling David Souter a "goat-fucking child molester" was a bridge worth crossing. Or writing that if President Obama were "shagging hookers..., marxist harpy" Michelle Obama “would go Lorena Bobbit [sic] on him....”) CW: Oddly enough, Erickson never had Trump on his agenda in the first place. ...

     ... Update. Robert Costa of the Washington Post: "In an interview with The Washington Post, Erickson said Trump had been scheduled to speak..., but he told Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s campaign manager, about an hour before midnight that Trump was no longer welcome. Trump’s campaign said in a statement that Erickson’s decision was 'another example of weakness through being politically correct. For all the people who were looking forward to Mr. Trump coming, we will miss you. Blame Erick Erickson, your weak and pathetic leader. We’ll now be doing another campaign stop at another location.'”

... The Atlanta-Journal Constitution is covering the candidates' speeches at Red State. Here's Marco. The folks loved Carly. Bobby whacked Jeb!, who is a no-show. Here's Rick Perry. Chris Christie was the first to speak. Later today, there should be more here.

And the Winner Is -- Fox "News"! Chris Ariens of TV Newser: "A whopping 24 million watched the debate from 9 p.m. ET to just past 11 p.m. ET.... This is now the highest non-sports cable program of all time, the highest-rated cable news program of all time, and Fox News’s most-watched program ever."

Frank Rich reviews that awful off-off-Broadway act, "Donald & the Disappointments." ...

... Charles Pierce: "Voting rights? What are those? Black lives matter? They do? Let's talk more about protecting the rights of Zygote-Americans.... This debate served two purposes, and two purposes only. The first was to make money for Fox News, and to reinforce its influence within party. It apparently did that splendidly, thereby ensuring that Roger Ailes's position as a kingmaker remained secure. The second was to be part of eternal auction of souls demanded by the new age of legalized influence-peddling." ...

... Ha Ha. Dana Milbank checks up to see how well the GOP candidates performances Thursday conformed to the Republican National Committee's "autopsy" of the 2012 election, which "concluded that to win future presidential elections Republicans would need to be more inclusive of women, be more tolerant on gay rights..., support comprehensive immigration reform..., and stand strong against 'corporate malfeasance.'”

She had blood coming out of her eyes. Or blood coming out of her wherever. -- Donald Trump, on Megyn Kelly

... Brian Stelter of CNN: "One day after he starred in Fox's GOP primary debate, [Donald] Trump lashed out at debate moderator Megyn Kelly and the network as a whole.... The television news world is buzzing about whether Fox News has turned against Donald Trump." ...

... Where Lindsey Graham Agrees with Donald Trump. Mark Hensch of the Hill: "Sen. Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) is criticizing Fox News, saying the moderators of Thursday night's debate were too harsh with GOP rival Donald Trump. 'This was more of an inquisition than it was a debate,' Graham said on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe'” on Friday morning. 'It was a missed opportunity to talk about things that really mattered.' Graham charged that debate moderators Bret Baier, Chris Wallace and Megyn Kelly were particularly unfair in their questioning of Trump...." ...

... Gabriel Sherman of New York: "At the GOP primary debate Thursday night in Cleveland, Trump’s onstage clashes with the Fox moderators, and his postdebate complaints about the network’s treatment of him, were among the most talked-about story lines to emerge from the Quicken Loans Arena. What makes the confrontation all the more dramatic was that Fox News chairman Roger Ailes has, until this point, been a booster of the Trump candidacy, even to the chagrin of his boss, Rupert Murdoch.... For Trump's troubled campaign, Ailes could prove to be a tougher opponent than any he’s faced." ...

... CW: C'mon, people. This is all part of the Big Show. In the first act, Ailes has the moderators whack Trump. And why not? Aren't journalists supposed to nail the frontrunner? Ask the New York Times if you're not sure. And it's great teevee! Best ratings evah! In the second act, Trump extends the Fox debate by ripping Fox. Yay! More controversy. So exciting! Can hardly wait for the third act, starring Fox "News." Sure, a few Trump supporters may boycott Fox for a day or two, but you know they'll be back. Remember, it's a three-ring circus: Democrats, Republicans & the media, & the media are the ring that runs the show & owns the till. They are the winners of every election; Citizens United is a media company, for pete's sake. About three-quarters of the money we & our billionaire buddies donate to our favorite candidates goes to the "communications industry." Roger Ailes is just doing what he does to collect his huge cut. Trump is promoting himself of course, because that's the essential ingredient in his business model, & he knows the media run his publicity machine. Tune in next week today. ...

... Paul Waldman points to another rationale (and upside for) Fox "News" moderators' tough questions: "At this stage of the primary campaign, the Republican Party's interest lies in weeding out the weak candidates and testing the strong ones to see who can stand up to tough questions (and it also lies in cutting Donald Trump down).... So for the next eight or nine months until Republicans have their nominee, Fox is going to be tough on its candidates, like a drill sergeant getting them in shape for the battles to come. Once that nominee is chosen, the network's tone will shift on a dime, and he'll suddenly become the greatest American since Ronald Reagan.... In the meantime, Fox is the place to go if you want to see these candidates tested." ...

Still a pig.... Harold Meyerson in the American Prospect: "Somehow, the Fox News questioners never quite got around to asking the candidates what they planned to do to help actual existing Americans cope with a profoundly rigged economy and a climate growing annoyingly inhospitable to living things." The theme of the evening was "Fuck-You Republicanism." CW: Well, yeah, that's pretty much the only kind there is; they just dress it up & put lipstick on it in the general election.

... Steve M. Explains Donald Trump to Elite Shut-ins. "It's wrong to say that Trump fans 'don’t mind that Trump’s a narcissist' -- they savor his narcissism.... The reason they think he can fix everything is that he constantly reminds them how rich and successful he is. And it's thrilling to think that a rich, successful guy hates what they hate. It's as if they're joining with him in hate and experiencing the Trump wealth every time he thumps his chest."

Sahil Kapur of Bloomberg: "Jeb Bush's official campaign website on Thursday briefly featured two separate sections attacking two top Republican rivals, something he has not publicly done thus far in the 2016 presidential race.  One portion of his website went after ... Scott Walker.... 'The only job Scott Walker cares about creating is his own,' it read...." Another page attacked Marco Rubio. A Bush spokesman said the pages were just "draft pages that were taken down, we have lots of material to prepare for the debate as circumstances require." CW: What a shame Jeb! didn't get to weave the attacks into the Thursday's debate. Don't worry; the time will come. ...

     ... Steve M.: "Jeb insists he's running an upbeat, positive, optimistic campaign. He's said that 'tearing down other people won't help at all.' And it's true that he does seem gee-whizzy and aw-shucks-y most of the time on the trail (and in the debate last night). But he's a hypocrite. His allies leaked that 'asshole' story [linked here earlier in the week] -- but then he denied the report in last night's debate. And don't tell me the posting of the attacks was some campaign volunteer's accident. Bush is just another pol, but he wants to seem more high-minded than everyone else."

Beyond the Beltway

Jack Healy of the New York Times: "In a decision that surprised many in this community, a jury sentenced James E. Holmes to life in prison with no chance of parole on Friday, rejecting the death penalty for the man who carried out a 2012 shooting rampage that killed 12 people in a Colorado movie theater." ...

... The Denver Post story, by John Ingold & Jordan Steffen, is here.

Tom Jackman of the Washington Post: "The Fairfax County police officer who shot and killed an unarmed man in Springfield[, Virginia,] in 2013 has been fired, the Fairfax police confirmed Friday. Adam D. Torres, 32, fired one round which killed John B. Geer, 46, as Geer stood in the doorway of his townhouse, after a 42-minute standoff following a domestic disturbance call. No charges have been filed against Torres, but a special grand jury began hearing testimony and reviewing evidence in the case last week, and is scheduled to meet again Aug. 17."

Incredibly Stupid Tea Party Trick. Chad Livengood of the Detroit News: "State Rep. Todd Courser planned the distribution of a fictional email alleging he had sex with a male prostitute in a bid to conceal his relationship with Rep. Cindy Gamrat [R], according to audio recordings obtained by The Detroit News. Courser, a Lapeer Republican, said on one recording the email was designed to create 'a complete smear campaign' of exaggerated, false claims about him and Gamrat so a public revelation about the legislators’ relationship would seem 'mild by comparison.' Interviews with former House employees and the recordings show freshman lawmakers Courser and Gamrat, R-Plainwell, used their taxpayer-funded offices to maintain and cover up their relationship. Courser, 43, and Gamrat, 42, rose from the ranks of tea party activism.... The pair are socially conservative legislators who often invoke their Christian faith in pursuit of new legislation governing gun rights, abortion and marriage.” Both are married to other people & have children.