The Commentariat -- February 23, 2020
Mrs. Bea McCrabbie: I don't usually carry forward videos I've linked later on the day before, but this one was so clever & well-executed I thought it was worth it. Besides, "American Pie" is one of my all-time favorite pop songs. It was popular when my son was a toddler, and I overheard him walking around singing, "Bye, bye, Miss American Pie. Drove my Chevy to the levee 'cause ... my horse was dead." Many thanks to PD Pepe for the link. ~~~
Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders claimed a major victory in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday that demonstrated his broad appeal in the first racially diverse state in the presidential primary race and established him as the clear front-runner for the Democratic nomination. In a significant show of force, Mr. Sanders, a liberal from Vermont, had a lead that was more than double his nearest rivals with 50 percent of the precincts reporting, and The Associated Press named him the winner on Saturday evening." ~~~
~~~ Ryan Lizza of Politico: "On Saturday in Nevada, Bernie Sanders laid waste not just to his five main rivals but also to every shard of conventional wisdom about the Democratic presidential primaries. You could see the dominoes of punditry cliches falling inside the caucus rooms." The page includes the latest vote & delegate count. Pete Buttigieg, as of 1:40 am ET, came in a distant second in the popular vote, and Joe Biden a distant second in the delegate count. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times has Nevada's Democratic presidential caucus results here. Politico's caucus results are here. Early returns show Sanders having more support than all other candidates combined. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times has live updates of the Nevada Democratic caucuses here. The Washington Post's live updates are here. NPR's caucus liveblog is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) NBC News has declared Bernie Sanders the winner with about 4 percent of precincts reporting.
For the first time in American history, a Jewish person may become the presidential nominee of a major political party. So, as returns from a stunning state victory trickled in, ~~~
~~~ Joe Concha of the Hill: "MSNBC's Chris Matthews is under fire after comparing Sen. Bernie Sanders's (I-Vt.) decisive win in the Nevada caucuses to the Nazi invasion of France in 1940, with some on social media calling for the 'Hardball' host to resign. 'I was reading last night about the fall of France in the summer of 1940,' Matthews said during MSNBC's live coverage of the caucuses on Saturday. 'And the general, Reynaud, calls up Churchill and says, "It's over." And Churchill says, ?How can that be? You've got the greatest army in Europe. How can it be over?" He said, "It's over."' Criticism quickly poured in on social media over Matthews using the analogy. Sanders, who is Jewish, had most of his family killed in the Holocaust." Mrs. McC: Wait for Matthews to issue an "apology" where he says he wasn't comparing Sanders to Hitler and he's sorry if anyone might have been offended. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: A couple of days ago, there was news that Sanders blew up at NBC News execs before the Nevada debate for the coverage he gets on MSNBC. Among the criticisms, the New York Post reported, according to Tommy Christopher of Mediaite, ... Sanders vented at moderator Chuck Todd over comments he'd made on the air, uncritically citing a column that compared Sanders' supporters to Nazis. 'I do not appreciate your comment about my supporters,' Sanders reportedly told Todd, calling the remark 'offensive.'"
Holly Otterbein of Politico: "Nevada is a notoriously tough place for presidential candidates to attract volunteers. But Bernie Sanders has somehow amassed an army. Thousands of the Vermont senator's volunteers and aides in the state have knocked on 500,000-plus doors, two-thirds of which took place in February, according to his campaign. Those mega-fans helped propel his strong grassroots performances in Iowa and New Hampshire -- and now appear poised to help him turn out the vote and cinch a victory in Nevada." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Martin Pengelly of the Guardian: "Clint Eastwood has backed Mike Bloomberg for president, breaking with the Republican party he has supported for decades and even served in elected office." Mrs. McC: I'm beginning to wonder if Bloomberg's diabolical plot is to turn the Democratic party Republican.
Animal Cruelty Masquerading as Satire. Anita Hassan & David Li of NBC News: "Pigeons with tiny Make American Great Again hats glued to their heads were released in downtown Las Vegas this week in what appears to be a sarcastic statement of loyalty to ... Donald Trump and a mock protest of Nevada's coming Democratic presidential caucuses. A group calling itself P.U.T.I.N., Pigeons United To Interfere Now, claimed responsibility for the stunt. The pigeons were set loose Tuesday, according to the group." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Congressional Races. Mike DeBonis & Michael Scherer of the Washington Post: "As [Bernie] Sanders builds what could eventually be an insurmountable delegate lead, many Democratic House and Senate candidates are approaching a dramatic shift in their campaigns, as they recalibrate to include praise of capitalism and distance themselves from the national party. Top campaign strategists from both parties view Sanders's success as a potentially tectonic event, which could narrow the party's already slim hopes of retaking the Senate majority and fuel GOP dreams of reclaiming the House, which it lost amid a Democratic romp in 2018.... With an emphatic victory in Saturday's Nevada caucuses, Sanders has won two of the first three contests, and lost the third -- the Iowa caucuses -- in a squeaker. He also holds leads in polls in many of the Super Tuesday states that vote March 3 -- a point by which nearly 4 in 10 delegates nationally will have been chosen."
Trump's Kiss-Ass Policy Running Full Force. Peter Baker of the New York Times: "Even for an administration that has been a revolving door since Day 1, this has become a season of turmoil. At a moment when first-term presidents are typically seeking a stable team to focus on their re-election, President Trump has embarked on a systematic attempt to sweep out officials perceived to be disloyal." Baker runs down a list of prominent personnel Trump has sacked. "Johnny McEntee, a 29-year-old loyalist just installed to take over the Office of Presidential Personnel and reporting directly to Mr. Trump, has ordered a freeze on all political appointments across the government. He also convened a meeting to instruct departments to search for people not devoted to the president so they can be removed, according to people briefed about the session, and informed colleagues that he planned to tell cabinet secretaries that the White House would be choosing their deputies from now on." According to Baker, "career professionals" are to be purged, too. ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: That would seem to include civil servants. I don't see how Trump can get away with that, as the Civil Service Reform Act should protect at least some of them from adverse reassignments, demotions, suspensions or dismissals.
Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Trump's tendency to shoot the messenger puts the people working for him in a precarious position..... There is talk [among intelligence officials] of 'trying to hide' stuff, one of the former officials said, who like others spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe private discussions. 'Some people believe the president can't be trusted with this politically sensitive information anymore. There's a sense that he's installing his guy [(Ric) Grenell] and they're going to come in and try to look for stuff, and they're not trustworthy.'... The decision to move another Trump loyalist, Kash Patel, into a senior advisory position at the intelligence director's office further cemented that impression. Patel, a former aide to Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and most recently the top counterterrorism official on the National Security Council, has infuriated CIA and FBI personnel over his efforts to prove a conspiracy in the intelligence community to bring down the president by investigating his campaign's possible ties to Russia in 2016."
This Is Astonishing. Elizabeth Thomas & Ashley Brown of ABC News: "White House national security adviser Robert O'Brien is denying new U.S. intelligence reports that Russian actors are interfering to help ... Donald Trump win a second term, but he admitted he has not looked at or sought out materials surrounding those reports. 'I haven't seen any intelligence that Russia is doing anything to attempt to get President Trump reelected,' O'Brien told ABC News' George Stephanopoulos on Saturday, saying it amounted to 'a non-story.'... The interview came on the heels of recent reports that the Office of the Director of National Intelligence told lawmakers that Russia is meddling in the 2020 race, with a preference for the Trump campaign. O'Brien characterized the reporting on the classified briefing as 'leaks.'" Mrs. McC: AND if you wonder how this astounding claim is possible, read Crowley & Sanger, linked next. ~~~
~~~ Michael Crowley & David Sanger of the New York Times: "When President Trump's national security adviser, Robert C. O'Brien, convenes meetings with top National Security Council officials at the White House, he sometimes opens by distributing printouts of Mr. Trump's latest tweets on the subject at hand. The gesture amounts to an implicit challenge for those present. Their job is to find ways of justifying, enacting or explaining Mr. Trump's policy, not to advise the president on what it should be. That is the reverse of what the National Security Council was created to do at the Cold War's dawn -- to inform and advise the president on national security decisions. But under Mr. O'Brien, the White House's hostage negotiator when Mr. Trump chose him to succeed John R. Bolton in September, that dynamic has often been turned on its head.... In the fourth year of his presidency and in his fourth national security adviser, Mr. Trump has finally gotten what he wants -- a loyalist who enables his ideas instead of challenging them." Mrs. McC: We're paying these goombahs not to do their jobs but to stroke Trump & push his Fox-generated "ideas." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Maureen Dowd: "This was another bad, crazy week trapped in Trump's psychopathology. No sooner was the president acquitted than he put scare quotes around the words justice and Justice Department and sought to rewrite the narrative of the Mueller report, whose author warned that Russia was going to try to meddle in the U.S. election again.... Trump, who moved from a Fifth Avenue penthouse to the White House, is sinking deeper into his poor-little-me complex, convinced that he is being persecuted.... Now, in a frightening new twist, the president is angry at his own intelligence team for trying to protect the national interest. He would rather hide actual intelligence from Congress than have Adam Schiff know something that Trump thinks would make him look bad politically."
Kyle Cheney of Politico: "... Roger Stone, sentenced to 40 months in prison this week for impeding the congressional investigation into Russia's interference in the 2016 election, moved Friday to disqualify the judge in his case, claiming her remarks at his sentencing rendered her unable to fairly rule on his bid for a new trial. Stone's lawyers say, in particular, that Judge Amy Berman Jackson's decision to assert that jurors in the case 'served with integrity' strikes at the heart of Stone's motion for a new trial, which they indicated is largely based on whether at least one juror was inappropriately biased against him.... Stone's latest motion appears to be a last-ditch, longshot bid to forestall his imminent prison sentence. But it will also likely reach the receptive ears of the president, who has repeatedly amplified criticism of Jackson and repeated false claims about the nature of the charges against Stone." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Mrs. McCrabbie: I am impressed at the lengths to which wingers will go to criticize Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Dean Balsamini of the New York Post: "The lefty darling set tongues wagging when she donned a luxe designer dress for her Wednesday appearance on 'The View.'" After seeing the Post's story, AOC tweeted, "Yep! I rent, borrow, and thrift my clothes. (It's also environmentally sustainable!)"
Mark Stern of Slate: "On Friday evening, by a 5-4 vote, the Supreme Court allowed the Trump administration's wealth test for immigrants to take effect in Illinois. All four liberal justices dissented from the order, which changes relatively little.... What's most remarkable about the decision is Justice Sonia Sotomayor's withering dissent, which calls out -- with startling candor -- a distressing pattern: The court's Republican appointees have a clear bias toward the Trump administration.... Put simply: When some of the most despised and powerless among us ask the Supreme Court to spare their lives, the conservative justices turn a cold shoulder. When the Trump administration demands permission to implement some cruel, nativist, and potentially unlawful immigration restrictions, the conservatives bend over backward to give it everything it wants. There is nothing 'fair and balanced' about the court's double standard that favors the government over everyone else. And, as Sotomayor implies, this flagrant bias creates the disturbing impression that the Trump administration has a majority of the court in its pocket." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
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Reader Comments (15)
That this is the centennial of the passage of the 19th Amendment -- after 70+ years of struggle to achieve the right of women to vote -- is apt. Women of every color, caste and talent will elect the next president. If get out the vote means anything, this is the year and the election that puts women on the top of that heap.
"The Democratic Leadership Council (DLC) was a non-profit 501(c)(4) corporation[1] founded in 1985 that, upon its formation, argued the United States Democratic Party should shift away from the leftward turn it took in the late 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s. One of its main purposes was to win back white middle class voters with ideas that addressed their concerns.["
Chris Matthews may have been describing the utterly overwhelming defeat of France by the german army led by von Rundstedt in 1940. It was sudden and rendered the idea of the Maginot Line ridiculous. It changed the whole idea of attack by armies, and the french were stunned.
So Sanders' victory must seem to the DNC and the pundits. I don't begrudge Matthews and what he said.
@Victoria: It would be all right to compare Trump's border wall to the Maginot Line. Trump isn't Jewish. It is not all right -- by any stretch of decency -- to compare Bernie's march to the convention in Milwaukee to the army of Nazi Germany's march to Paris in 1940. Bernie is Jewish. To implicitly compare him to Hitler offends my conscience. And I'm not Jewish. You're clearly a very smart person. I think you can see the difference.
I read the entire Slate piece because I wanted to know exactly what Sotomayor said rather than rely on Slate's "implications." It's pretty clear they implied correctly and "disturbing" is not the word here––it's so much more than that––it's catastrophic! Not that we are shocked, but that we are duly frightened that if we have a majority on the S.C. that is a patsy ( however they may try to cover it up) to a president (especially this loon) coupled with the fact that our A.G. does the same, then kiss our "impartial judicial system" bye, bye; some would say it's already a fait accompli.
To continue NJC's comment re: women: Caroline Fraser has written at length about Elizabeth Warren and mentions that criticism of her, from tabloids to newspapers of record, is often ad hominem, not referring to her experience (which is most impressive) but to her manner. Despite her support in Mass., her willingness to take hundreds of selfies, her surprise phone calls to voters, the Boston Herald has criticized her "self-righteous abrasive style." and "scolding self-righteousness." Bret Stephens said of Warren when she was at the top of the polls, praised Amy while finding Warren, "intensely alienating" and "a know-it-all." Of course David Brooks had to weigh in and said he'd hold his nose and vote for Warren if he had to but found her "deeply polarizing,"
And you can bet if Amy gains speed, which is not likely, the tomatoes will hit her too (Pete is already throwing). Fraser thinks whatever woman is going to win the highest office will have to display the same "ruthless pragmatism" as Obama (having to beat the odds at being the first black president) brought to his job: the uncompromising leadership that lays doubt to rest.
I personally think Warren would make an excellent president but I'm afraid the odds are against her. We've come so far, but not far enough.
"The few women who have held on to long-term power across the centuries from Elizabeth 1 to Margaret Thatcher and Nancy Pelosi have always wielded that ruthlessness. When you're in a knife fight, you don't ask to be liked." Fraser
And I don't doubt for a minute that Warren couldn't fit that bill.
Note to @Hattie: your mention of Malick: When I first saw his "Days of Heaven" I was blown away––I saw it again a few months ago and still think it is a one of the best. And thanks for your comment yesterday.
@PD Pepe: Thanks for your assessment of Elizabeth Warren. She does have a school-marmy "tone"; she somehow brings to life Sister Mary Elephant. (I personally have often displayed that same school-marmy tone, but I purposely modulate my voice an octave deeper, so it lines up more with male "scoldings." We're used to male politicians scoldings us, and we often don't mind them. When Bernie gets up there and yells -- and I do mean yells -- "The American people are sick and tired of ... whatever," hardly anyone objects. We thinks it's Larry-David funny.
The fact is that Warren & Sanders can say almost exactly the same thing, and Warren will grate while Sanders does not (at least to many people). I blame out culture, a culture that goes back to prehistory. Until we learn to accept the female voice as authoritative (why do you think female news anchors don't last long?), it's going to be difficult for women to seem "suitable" for the top job.
I accept your point, Mrs. McC. I'm sure Chris Matthews will apologize for his misstatements. I was resonating with the stunned DNC: their assumptions just got whupped, like the french generals were by the german army's advance. I wasn't implicitly taking Hitler's side.
So according to Reuters the presidunce plans to bring up racism
while he's in India. Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't trump
one of the most racist nut jobs in this country?
This is one of the most terrifying articles I have read- period. If this doesn't bring to mind the rise of fascism in pre-war Germany, I suspect only MAGA as a replacement for the USPS logo would be convincing. Its meticulously written and very thorough.
Jonathan Blitzer writes about Stephen Miller's history and how he has manipulated Trump and the government in detail. Embedding himself like a tick spreading Lyme's disease and eliminating anyone in between him and Trump. He is truly repugnant and unequivocally dangerous.
Pro tip: I was reading the article while watching "Hunters", the new series on Amazon. Not the best idea. However, the parallels were chilling.
The importance of the VP pick: Clinton sought to bring in the 'green' faction of the democratic party by picking Gore. Gore sought to bring centrist democrats in his ticket by choosing Lieberman. Bush W sought to project military power and finish pappy Bush's war by tapping Cheney. McCain sought to bring the Tea Party republicans in to the fold by picking Palin. Hillary wanted to solidify the establishment dems (I guess) by picking Cain (nothing against him - seems a solid centrist - just didn't see his VP nomination as a consolidating move). And, they say Obama picked a centrist white guy to assuage potential concerns about him being a left-leaning racist (total speculation). The point is, I think there is still a lot of room for Warren to move up in the race and move the media attention away from personality quirks, and it can happen if she starts to identify early and publicly her administration's 'brain trust'. Let's not forget Sander's health issues. If something should happen to force him to step aside, Warren would be the closest candidate ideologically to receive his delegates. Warren needs to stay in the race to the very end.
I admit that I am unaware of party rules about the picking of the VP except what is published on Google..." the Vice Presidential candidates are usually chosen by the leadership of a political party, with a strong influence by that party's presidential candidate". Since it seems pretty important in the general election, maybe Warren can start to exert some "influence". Who else is on her team? Who will be key in executing the plans?
You can bet your home, your retirement money, and all the ducats you ever have or ever will make that neither Chris Matthews nor the interminably insufferable Chuck Todd, nor any other “expert” political pundits, would ever refer to Trump supporters—or any Republican bloc—as Nazis, or make the weakest reference in that direction (even though Trump SUPPORTS Nazis, and many of his backers are the closest you will ever see to brownshirts). In the same way that it’s okay to criticize women candidates for their tone of voice or what they wear or how they look, the media have long since metabolized the understanding that it’s perfectly fine to attack Democrats full bore for the smallest perceived infractions but god help them if they treat the crooks, liars, and traitors of the GOP the same way.
Here's the Biltzer piece in The New Yorker that Anonymous referred to about spawn sputum S(&)M.
Here is a link, includes a video, about Matthews' rant after the New Hampshire debate wondering if Bernie would support Fidel Castro and his purges of dissent. All "socialists" are the same to Matthews and cause him to have vivid nightmares.
@NJC -
<<That this is the centennial . . . this is the year and the election that puts women on the top of that heap. >>
Thank you for posting this!
@Mrs. Bea McC & PD Pepe, interchangeably, while multitasking -
A most compelling thought re: a Mayor Mike party-conversion. (Cannot view anything featuring Eastwood since his Chair Soliloquy. Likewise, Jon Vogt, whose allegiance is personally disappointing since - unlike Eastwood, IMO - he’s a gifted actor.)
I’ve begun listening more clearly to Elizabeth Warren, newly inclined toward her post original dislikes, and agree (PD) that the odds are not favoring her at present. I believe she’s much to offer. (This will be my first election year not feeling - yet - 100% driven re: a candidate.)
Aiyup: The historical, ever-infuriating male-female double standard.
Re: Random Stuff -
What’s with the Nazi shite from Matthews (never liked) and Toady (ditto). Have despotus & friends gotten to them as well? Or has Stephen Miller’s “example” provided permission since he’s one-of-them? Ain’t no Bernie Bro / Sis (Cis?) yet would hope - were I not also descended from bodies burnt or bayoneted - that I’d still reflexively find their “analogies” horrifying.
Re: the consensus that Buttigieg’s been bashing Klobuchar, I found Amy demeaning Mayor Pete from the get-to. Illustrates how dramatically (at times, maddeningly) perceptions differ.
Re: AOC’s tweet: “Yep! I rent, borrow, and thrift my clothes. (It’s also environmentally sustainable!)” Right on, girlfriend!
peace, somehow
More Sunday reading. Julia Ioffe in GQ on why Russia is supporting Bernie.
https://www.gq.com/story/why-does-putin-love-bernie