The Commentariat -- December 15, 2019
Afternoon Update:
Karoun Demirjian & Steven Mufson of the Washington Post: "House Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerrold Nadler accused Senate Republicans of violating their oath to be impartial jurors in an impeachment trial, as GOP senators defended their right to work for President Trump's acquittal.... Senators take an oath to 'do impartial justice' at the start of any impeachment trial -- but several Republican senators argued that impartiality doesn't cover politics.... 'Senators are not required, like jurors in a criminal trial, to be sequestered, not to talk to anyone, not to coordinate. There's no prohibition,' Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.) said on 'This Week,' calling impeachment 'inherently a political exercise' and Trump's impeachment a 'partisan show trial.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: These yahoos are too dumb to realize that the more they make a travesty of the Senate "trial," and the more they boast about deciding for Trump before they hear evidence, the more obvious it will be to Americans who pay only scant attention to the news that the Senate proceedings are a sham. I think this tactic could blow up in their faces. For better or for worse, Americans will equate the Senate trial with a criminal trial, and they've all watched enough teevee to know jurors are excused if deemed for some reason to be partial & can be prosecuted if they are found to have lied about some specific bias or foreknowledge they might have.
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"Impeach." New York Times Editors: "... the story told by the two articles of impeachment approved on Friday morning by the House Judiciary Committee is short, simple and damning: ... Donald Trump abused the power of his office by strong-arming Ukraine, a vulnerable ally, holding up hundreds of millions of dollars in military aid until it agreed to help him influence the 2020 election by digging up dirt on a political rival. When caught in the act, he rejected the very idea that a president could be required by Congress to explain and justify his actions, showing 'unprecedented, categorical and indiscriminate defiance' in the face of multiple subpoenas. He made it impossible for Congress to carry out fully its constitutionally mandated oversight role, and, in doing so, he violated the separation of powers, a safeguard of the American republic.... The president insists he is innocent of any wrongdoing, yet he refuses to release any administration documents or allow any administration officials to testify -- though, if his assertions are in fact true, those would presumably exonerate him..... Republican legislators ... have been working overtime to abet the president's wrongdoing. They have spread toxic misinformation and conspiracy theories to try to justify his actions and raged about the unfairness of the inquiry.... [Mitch] McConnell there was 'no chance' the Senate would vote to convict. For now, that leaves the defense of the Constitution, and the Republic, to the House of Representatives." ~~~
~~~ Rebecca Leber of Mother Jones: "It's significant, and rather unusual, for the Times to take such a firm stand on impeachment. Editorial page editor James Bennet shed light on their reluctance to call for earlier impeachment inquiries both of Trump and for Andrew Johnson in 1868, Richard Nixon in 1974 and Bill Clinton in 1998...."
The Emptiest Suit in the Senate. Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (R-S.C.), chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, said Saturday that he's made up his mind that President Trump should be acquitted, dismissed the notion that he has to be a 'fair juror' and said he doesn't see the need for a formal trial in the Senate. Graham, a staunch defender of the president, made the comments overseas during an interview with CNN International at the Doha Forum in Qatar.... On Saturday, a clip of Graham during the impeachment of President Bill Clinton made the rounds on social media, showing the then-representative make an appeal to his colleagues not to rush through the process or make a judgment before it's over.... Graham said then, 'Members of the Senate have said, "I understand everything there is about this case, and I won't vote to impeach the president." Please allow the facts to do the talking.... Don't decide the case before the case's end.'" The CNN story is here. ~~~
~~~ Aliza Worthington of Crooks & Liars: "Whatever you do, DON'T remind [Lindsey] of [1998 video of Lindsey begging Democrats to consider the impeachment of Bill Clinton carefully,] by tweeting that video to him at @LindseyGrahamSC . DEFINITELY don't call him at his Washington, DC office at (202) 224-5972 to applaud him for his 1998 plea to his fellow senators to 'Please let the facts do the talking.' I certainly hope you will NOT write to him at his DC office to remind him of his 1998 concern that 'people have made up their mind in a political fashion that will hurt this country long term. Here is the address at which you should NOT write him: 290 Russell Senate Office Building, Washington, DC 20510. And, for the love of all things holy, PLEASE REFRAIN from clicking this link to send 2019 Lindsey Graham a message about when 1998 Lindsey Graham urged, 'Do justice to the case. Don't decide the case before the case is in.' Thank you." ~~~
~~~ Burgess Everett of Politico: "Sen. Lindsey Graham is inviting Rudy Giuliani to testify before the Senate Judiciary Committee about his recent trip to Ukraine. In an interview airing on Face the Nation Sunday, the Senate Judiciary Committee chairman said that Giuliani ... could appear before his committee separately from the impending Senate impeachment trial."
** The New Rudy Is Just Like the Old Rudy. Clyde Haberman (Maggie's dad) in BuzzFeed News: "What is going on with Rudy Giuliani? The man who long enjoyed the flattering if empty sobriquet 'America's mayor' often comes across as completely unhinged these days, as when he screamed 'Shut up, moronShut up, shut up!' at an antagonist on Fox News not that long ago.... The reality, as clear-eyed New Yorkers could tell you, is that this is the same tower of truculence Giuliani has always been: a kiss-up, kick-down kind of guy, someone fittingly described by the late columnist Jimmy Breslin as 'a small man in search of a balcony.'"
Jonathan Martin & Nick Corasaniti of the New York Times: "Representative Jeff Van Drew of New Jersey, a moderate Democrat who is among his party's staunchest opponents of impeaching President Trump, told aides on Saturday that he is planning to switch parties and declare himself a Republican as soon as next week, just as the House is casting its historic votes on articles of impeachment. At a White House meeting on Friday, Mr. Van Drew sought Mr. Trump's blessing for the move, which could be critical to his ability to avoid a primary challenge next year, and the president urged him to make the jump, according to two Democrats and one Republican...." A Politico story is here.
Evan Semones of Politico: "... Donald Trump on Saturday lit into Fox News' decision to interview two of his politico foes -- James Comey and Rep. Adam Schiff.... 'Hard to believe that @FoxNews will be interviewing sleazebag & totally discredited former FBI Director James Comey, & also corrupt politician Adam 'Shifty'Schiff,' Trump tweeted. 'Fox is trying sooo hard to be politically correct, and yet they were totally shut out from the failed Dem debates!' In a subsequent tweet, Trump likened the conservative cable network to 'Commiecast MSNBC' and 'Fake News CNN,' saying they'd 'die together as other outlets take their place.' Fox announced this week that the former FBI director and House Intelligence Committee chairman would sit for separate interviews with Chris Wallace on 'Fox News Sunday.'"
"Truth Decay." David Smith of the Guardian: "... as impeachment looms, [Donald Trump's] allies appear to be waging an increasingly frantic political and media counter-offensive that puts truth itself in the dock. A bewildering array of fake news, warped facts and conspiracy theories have been propagated in the past week by conservative media, Republican politicians, White House officials and the president in his own defence.... Trump has far more tools at his disposal than Richard Nixon or Bill Clinton did when facing impeachment in the 1970s and 90s. No matter how outlandish, his assertions are amplified and seldom questioned by loyal hosts on Rupert Murdoch's Fox News network.... [The false assertions are] further augmented by social media.... This calibrated, multi-pronged Republican assault has left the nation in what some call a state of 'truth decay' as all sense of shared reality breaks down. The tactics offer a chilling preview of how the president intends to fight next year's election." --s
Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "Carter Page fought the law, and the law lost. The former Trump campaign adviser was one of the first four suspects identified by the FBI in the early days of its investigation of President Trump's 2016 campaign aides, and the only one of that group to have his electronic communications secretly targeted by a U.S. foreign intelligence court. But when the dust settled three years later, he was also the only one of the four without a criminal conviction -- a feat all the more remarkable in that he did much of it without a lawyer.... Page had declared that the year-long surveillance of his communications was an abuse of government power, and he received a significant measure of vindication last Monday in a 434-page report from Justice Department Inspector General Michael E. Horowitz. Horowitz concluded that the FBI made 17 significant errors or omissions in its applications to the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to surveil Page. 'It doesn't vindicate anyone at the FBI who touched this, including the leadership,' Horowitz told Congress."
William Saletan of Slate runs down the remarkable passel of lies Bill Barr has told about the Russia investigation. It's quite a stunning list and a prime example of what David Smith of the Guardian calls "truth decay." The actual truth is that any defenses of Trump require the defenders to lie. And they're happy to do it.
David Rogers of Politico: "... Donald Trump's border wall is facing a surprising new legal hurdle down in Texas: an obscure legislative provision crafted by House Republicans in 2014 when the GOP was targeting then-President Barack Obama's budget powers. The amendment, carried forward into current law, has resurfaced with a vengeance in El Paso, Texas. U.S District Court Judge David Briones has been quoting back its words in a series of rulings against Trump's decision to take $3.6 billion from military construction projects to expedite his wall. As first adopted, the Republican language specifically prohibited Obama from taking any step to 'eliminate or reduce funding for any program, project, or activity as proposed in the President's budget request' until it's cleared with Congress. The triggering event was a relatively narrow dispute in 2013 over funding for space exploration. But when they were enacted in Jan. 2014, the restrictions applied government-wide. And a year later, under full Republican control, Congress added the word 'increase' alongside 'eliminate or reduce' funding. What goes around, in other words, comes around. But what's most remarkable is how much the legislative phrasing -- aimed squarely at Obama -- applies directly to the current fight involving Trump."
Donald Trump's ideal woman is vapid, accommodating & pretty. The Trumpettes oblige:
~~~ Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post rips supposed anti-bullying crusader Melania Trump for her response-excuse (actually, Stephanie Grisham's response-excuse) re: Donald Trump's bullying 16-year-old Greta Thunberg. ~~~
~~~ Otillia Steadman of BuzzFeed News: "At the Doha Forum in Qatar..., in a room packed with high level officials from around the world, [Ivanka] Trump answered admiring questions about her pet project advocating for women's economic development from a spokesperson for her own government, who is also working on the project.... The forum typically hosts tough interviews, and an array of senior leaders took hard questions before and after Trump spoke."
Courtney Kube & Carol Lee of NBC News: "The Trump administration intends to announce the drawdown of about 4,000 troops from Afghanistan as early next week, according to three current and former U.S. officials. The withdrawal will leave between 8,000 and 9,000 U.S. troops in Afghanistan, the officials said. The announcement would come just days after Special Representative for Afghanistan Reconciliation Zalmay Khalilzad rejoined diplomatic talks with the Taliban, which had broken down in September.... The U.S. has between 12,000 and 13,000 troops in Afghanistan now. The officials would not say when the drawdown would begin, but did characterize it as a phased withdrawal that would occur over a few months." --s
Presidential Race 2020
Ruby Cramer of BuzzFeed News: "Cory Booker has asked his fellow presidential candidates to sign a letter petitioning the Democratic National Committee to make its debate qualification rules less exclusionary. All seven participants in next week's debate, as well as Julián Castro, who also has not qualified, have signed the letter, a DNC official said on Saturday afternoon. Booker, the 50-year-old New Jersey senator who has struggled to move beyond low single digits in national and early-state polls, failed to qualify for the Democratic debate next week in Los Angeles.... Booker has upped his criticisms of the DNC's process over the last two weeks, particularly since Sen. Kamala Harris ended her campaign. The party, he said, is enforcing 'artificial rules' that would have hurt successful past candidates like Bill Clinton and Barack Obama while allowing billionaires like Tom Steyer to get onto the debate stage.... In a statement provided on Saturday, DNC communications director Xochitl Hinojosa defended the debate qualification criteria as 'extremely low.'" ~~~
~~~ Alex Thompson & Elena Schneider of Politico: "The Democratic National Committee is pushing back against a request from the party's presidential candidates to change debate requirements to allow Cory Booker and Julián Castro to appear on the January stage." The article includes a longer statement from the DNC & a complaint about Booker from a gutless unnamed "rival campaign operative."
Heather Murphy of the New York Times: "The Hallmark Channel pulled four TV ads featuring brides kissing each other on Thursday after a targeted campaign by a conservative group. Asked to explain why the ads had been rejected, an employee of Hallmark's parent company said the channel did not accept ads 'that are deemed controversial,' according to an email exchange shared with The New York Times. A spokesman for Hallmark said the women's 'public displays of affection' violated the channel's policies, but he declined to comment on why a nearly identical ad featuring a bride and groom kissing was not rejected.... Tensions over the ads coincided with a potential shift at the Hallmark Channel. This month Bill Abbott, Crown Media's chief executive, announced that he was 'open' to airing Christmas movies that feature L.G.B.T.Q. families, according to The Advocate." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Besides discriminating against gay couples, by eliminating those ads, the network is leaving viewers with the impression that the advertiser Zola, a wedding Website service, is strictly for straight couples. Like millions of Americans, I object to the "Cars for Kids" ad. I wonder if the networks will stop running the ad because we hate it. I hate the ads for something that is supposed to straighten bent penises; it features a bent banana. The "conservative" group is just a stupid bigotry-advocacy organization. The channel made a huge mistake in caving to them. Now I won't be watching their fabulous boy-meets-girl-at-Christmas movies (as if I would have done), just in case the movies might have scenes where the couples kiss.
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Reader Comments (3)
If you want to cleanse your mind for a moment from the political mayhem may I suggest you watch the extraordinary documentary, "The Biggest Little Farm"––biodiversity at its best and the cinematography is breathtaking.
As for that ad for crooked penises, Marie, I agree–and Hallmark's bent for only straight is short sighted and hateful. My pet peeve has always been those ubiquitous pharmaceutical ads whose contraindications are enough to choke a horse. And the people are always happy, shiny people as REM used to sing about. Makes me sick!
bits belated & not so
Akhilleus -
How absolutely horrific to have been so young when hit by a car! (Bad at any age, of course, but c’mon!) Shall I assume - if ice cream served as antidote - that suffering was minimal? I hope so. (As a wee one, I’d get warm chocolate pudding to soothe.)
Oddly, I came across the following tweet from a well-wisher to Charlie Pierce:
“I was hit by a car and dragged for half a block when I was 4 years old (1957). Driver didn't know he hit me and my dad got his attention by throwing his cigarette lighter at the guy's car. “
Given ages and time frame . . . same a-hole behind the wheel?
Victoria -
I salute your perseverance and stamina. While playing catch-up on the hearings (reading from transcripts, commentary), I found myself rapidly descending into Migraine Territory (Gaetz & Jacket-less Gym Jordan led the way) and had to stop. Maybe I should keep warm chocolate pudding at the ready?
Mrs. Bea & PD re: crooked penises -
Whenever I see that energetic and upturned Amazon arrow, whether in ads or on boxes delivered to our building . . .
Re: All Jews Think Alike
Despot-us is simply not cleaver enough to hide his bigotry despite lip service to the contrary:
I remember when he called-out Jon Stewart for not being proud of his heritage (and referring to him as “Little Jon Stewart”, as he later did “Little Adam Schiff” [le petit juif].) In truth, Stewart legally replaced his (Jewy-sounding) surname with his middle name as a way of cleansing his identity of a toxic father. (Well done, I say!). Reminds me of a director who, after meeting my parents, told me how “WASP-y” they were. Guess they’d neglected to tawk loudly with hands flailing, flaunt ostentatious duds & Jew-els and push audience members aside to grab their seats first.
Wish I could transfer a fab Seasons Greetings e-card received from a friend’s artist friend: Fatty, plastered up-against-the-wall (mo f-er) by layers of duct tape, face red with fury, matching his way-too-long tie.
PD -
“ Hallmark's bent for only straight “
Nice!