The Commentariat -- February 7, 2021
Isaac Stanley-Becker of the Washington Post: "The White House on Saturday said President Biden's statement that his predecessor should not receive intelligence briefings did not represent a final decision on the matter, which will instead be resolved by intelligence officials.... Biden has the unilateral authority to deny intelligence access to anyone he chooses, and his remarks seemed to suggest he considered Trump enough of a risk to do so. But his aides said he would leave that decision to his intelligence team.
Dan Diamond, et al., of the Washington Post: "A few weeks after taking office, [President] Biden and his team are confronted with numerous challenges, including smoothing over chaotic operations, boosting flagging morale and staffing up agencies that dwindled. To achieve their policy goals, they must move quickly to communicate a sense of mission, build expertise, improve performance, assure stability and regain public confidence, analysts say. 'They're going to have the traditional challenge of transition, but now they'll have to address the institutional damage [Trump did],' Max Stier, president and chief executive of the nonpartisan Partnership for Public Service, said of the Biden team. 'You had a president who went to war with his own workforce,' Stier added. 'It's not like you flip a switch and the loss of expertise and harm to morale reverse themselves.'... Civil servants have hunkered in a defensive crouch as Trump and his allies demanded political loyalty, tested their professionalism and called them the intransigent 'deep state.'" MB: Since the federal bureaucracy a/k/a deep state is huge, a conventional rhetorical question is, "How much damage can one president* do" Answer: "Trump."
There's A High Monetary Cost to Trump's Lies, Too. Toluse Olorunnipa & Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "... Donald Trump's onslaught of falsehoods about the November election ... has now left taxpayers with a large, and growing, bill. The total so far: $519 million. The costs have mounted daily as government agencies at all levels have been forced to devote public funds to respond to actions taken by Trump and his supporters, according to a Washington Post review of local, state and federal spending records, as well as interviews with government officials. The expenditures include legal fees prompted by dozens of fruitless lawsuits, enhanced security in response to death threats against poll workers, and costly repairs needed after the Jan. 6 insurrection at the Capitol. That attack triggered the expensive massing of thousands of National Guard troops on the streets of Washington.... Although more than $480 million of the total is attributable to the military's estimated expenses for the troop deployment through mid-March, the financial impact of the president's refusal to concede the election is probably much higher than what has been documented thus far, and the true costs may never be known."
Maggie Haberman & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "One of the lead defense lawyers for Mr. Trump [-- David Schoen --] has informed Senate leaders that he is an observant Jew who strictly adheres to the commandment against working on the Sabbath, and thus would be unable to participate in any proceeding that stretched past sundown on Friday or met on Saturday.... In a statement Saturday evening, a spokesman for [Majority Leader Chuck] Schumer said an allowance would be made for Mr. Schoen, but did not elaborate on how.... [Conversations with the relevant parties about the structure of the trial continue.'"
"Just Following [Trump's] Orders" Does Not Work Out Well. Ed Pilkington of the Guardian: "As prosecutors from the House of Representatives prepare to present their case against Donald Trump at his impeachment trial ... for incitement of insurrection, supporters who heeded his call on 6 January to 'fight like hell' and went on to storm the Capitol Building are finding themselves in far greater legal peril.... The mob of fervent Maga acolytes who broke into the US Capitol following an incendiary rally headlined by Trump could face prison for up to 20 years. One month after the events which left five people dead including a US Capitol police officer, there is no sign of the Department of Justice and FBI letting up in their relentless pursuit of the insurrectionists.... Already the number of people who have been arrested, either by the FBI, Capitol police or local Washington DC officers has reached 235, spanning more than 40 states. As the investigation widens and deepens, the focus is tightening on anyone considered to have acted as a coordinator of the action in an attempt to take out the ringleaders."
Ryan Goodman & Justin Hendrix of Just Security: New video footage obtained by Just Security, and published in [in this story], shows connections between [Roger] Stone and leaders of the Proud Boys who may have planned some aspects of the attack. The footage shows Stone and Proud Boys leaders Enrique Tarrio and Ethan Nordean (a.k.a. Rufio Panman) participating together in a demonstration the night before the December 12th 'Stop The Steal' rally in Washington DC.... Extraordinary video footage recently published by the Wall Street Journal shows Nordean in a lead role in the Proud Boys' assault on the Capitol [Jan 6]. The FBI also showed images of Nordean inside the Capitol. Tarrio was not present that day. He had been arrested on the Monday afternoon shortly after he drove into Washington D.C. He was found to be in possession of two high capacity firearm magazines, and charged for possession." The article goes on to establish that, via Roger Stone, there are only two degrees of separation between Trump and the violent groups Proud Boys & Oath Keepers, and those close ties are specific to the events of Jan. 6. ~~~
~~~ Adam Rawnsley of the Daily Beast: "When Oath Keeper Rob Minuta provided security for Roger Stone on the day of the Capitol riot, it wasn't his first time providing muscle for a top Trump aide. Imagery obtained by The Daily Beast shows Minuta marched alongside former Trump National Security Adviser Mike Flynn when he attended a similar march in Washington, D.C. in December which sought to overturn the 2020 election. His appearance in similar roles for Flynn and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones at pro-Trump rallies after the election highlights the troubling network of connections between members of the far-right militia and some of Trump's closest advisers and supporters." ~~~
~~~ Matthew Rosenberg of the New York Times: "Where others see disgrace, [Michael] Flynn, 62, has found redemption. Recast by ... Donald J. Trump's most ardent supporters as a MAGA martyr, Mr. Flynn has embraced his role as the man who spent four years unjustly ensnared in the Russia investigation. He was one of the most extreme voices in Mr. Trump's 77-day push to overturn the election.... Mr. Flynn went so far as to suggest using the military to rerun the vote in crucial battleground states. At one point, Mr. Trump even floated the idea of bringing Mr. Flynn back into the administration, as chief of staff or possibly F.B.I. director, people familiar with the conversations told The New York Times. And now, safely pardoned and free to speak his mind, Mr. Flynn has emerged from the Trump presidency much as he entered it -- as the angry outsider who pushes fringe ideas, talks of shadowy conspiracies and is positioning himself as a voice of a far right that, in the wake of the Capitol riot, appears newly, and violently, emboldened." MB: It isn't only Trump who profits from the crazy, which is another reason the crazy won't stop.
Triumph of the Trumpists
Wyoming. Amy Wang of the Washington Post: "The Wyoming Republican Party on Saturday formally censured Rep. Liz Cheney (R-Wyo.) because she voted to impeach Donald Trump last month, making the congresswoman the latest in a string of high-profile Republicans punished by their state or local party apparatuses for daring to criticize the former president.... Cheney was rebuked by her state GOP's central committee 'by a resounding margin,' with fewer than 10 members voting against the censure in the Saturday voice vote, the Casper Star-Tribune reported." The AP's story is here.
Michigan. Kathleen Gray of the New York Times: "Ron Weiser, a wealthy real estate developer from Ann Arbor, was elected chair of the Michigan Republican Party on Saturday, bringing along a vice chair who has caused consternation among some factions of the party because of her fierce support of ... Donald J. Trump.... The election partially hinged on who was the more loyal supporter of Mr. Trump, with supporters of Mr. Weiser saying [Laura] Cox[, who has chaired the state party for the last two years,] had failed the party when Joseph R. Biden Jr. won the state by more than 154,000 votes, flipping a key state that went for Mr. Trump in 2016.... [Weiser] won the election for party chair by a two-to-one ratio."
Nebraska. This video Sen. Ben Sasse (R-Neb.) cut a couple of days ago has Nebraska Trumpbots hopping mad, Politico report: ~~~
Tankless Toilets? Felicia Sonmez & Derek Hawkins of the Washington Post: "Two Republican House members have been fined $5,000 for bypassing the security screening that was set up outside the House chamber in the wake of the Jan. 6 attack on the Capitol by a pro-Trump mob, a senior Democratic aide said Friday. Reps. Louie Gohmert (Tex.) and Andrew S. Clyde (Ga.) appear to be the first members punished under a new rule approved by the House on Tuesday night. Spokespeople for Gohmert and Clyde did not respond to requests for comment, but Gohmert issued a statement Friday night, explaining that he had stepped out to use the restroom and did not know that he needed to be rescreened on his way back in. 'Unlike in the movie The Godfather, there are no toilets with tanks where one could hide a gun, so my reentry onto the House floor should have been a non-issue,' Gohmert said in the statement.... Gohmert called the policy 'unconstitutional' and vowed to appeal the fine, citing ... the speech or debate clause..." of the Constitution. MB: Apparently, Louis thinks taking a piss is a form of speech. I leave it to you to try to follow his "logic." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Michael Grynbaum of the New York Times: "In just a few weeks, lawsuits and legal threats from a pair of obscure election technology companies have achieved what years of advertising boycotts, public pressure campaigns and liberal outrage could not: curbing the flow of misinformation in right-wing media. Fox Business canceled its highest rated show, 'Lou Dobbs Tonight,' on Friday after its host was sued as part of a $2.7 billion defamation lawsuit. On Tuesday, the pro-Trump cable channel Newsmax cut off a guest's [-- the MyPillow guy --] rant about rigged voting machines. Fox News, which seldom bows to critics, has run fact-checking segments to debunk its own anchors' false claims about electoral fraud. This is not the typical playbook for right-wing media, which prides itself on pugilism and delights in ignoring the liberals who have long complained about its content. But conservative outlets have rarely faced this level of direct assault on their economic lifeblood." ~~~
~~~ Marie: What really happened here, although there's no acknowledgment of it in Grynbaum's report, is that Dobbs the the other dodos got so accustomed to lying about politicians that they eased on in to lying about corporations. This is partially a "Capitalism Is Awesome" story, because libel law is much less forgiving of pundits who disparage corporations (or private citizens) with false statements than it is with those who falsely tar politicians. I don't think Hillary stands of chance to winning a judgment against Miss Margie Q over "Frazzledrip" (see Michille Goldberg's column, linked yesterday), but Dominion & Smartmatic could prevail against media lies that potentially diminish their bottom lines.
Jerry Lambe of Law & Crime: "A federal judge in California has ordered Herring Networks, the parent company of far-right conservative media organization One America News Network (OAN), to pay MSNBC and host Rachel Maddow $250,000 in attorney's fees stemming from a [frivolous] defamation lawsuit that was dismissed last year. Herring in July 2019 filed a lawsuit against Maddow which claimed the liberal host had defamed OAN when she discussed reports that one of the network's contributors also worked for the Russia state news organization Sputnik. Maddow went on to state that OAN 'literally is paid Russian propaganda,' which OAN's parent company claimed was false and defamatory.... Siding against OAN, U.S. District Judge Cynthia Bashant, an appointee of President Barack Obama, dismissed the suit with prejudice. Bashant reasoned that there was 'no set of facts that could support a claim for defamation based on Maddow's statement.'"
The Pandemic, Ctd.
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Saturday are here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Way Beyond the Beltway
AP: "Mario Draghi on Saturday secured preliminary support from two key parties for forming a new government.... The populist 5-Star Movement and the rightwing League both signalled support for a Draghi-led government, saying they were ready to put aside bitter rivalries for the good of the country and increasing the potential for a broad-based government of national unity. Draghi, 73, the former president of the European Central Bank, completed a first round of talks with political parties this week.... Italy's president asked Draghi this week to form a government after the resignation of ex-premier Giuseppe Conte, who lost support of a smal but key coalition party.
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Reader Comments (15)
The parent company of a right wing propaganda outlet is called Herring Networks?!? They beat me to the punch line.
Let's see if Senator Sasse votes for conviction in the Senate trial. Any bets?
No Sunday Sermon, just some reading material to while away the hours between awakening and the Super Bowl.
Read through this last year, when I was hoping Biden would win but fearing he would not. Kept it because I would have predicted that even if Biden won, he would not have the Senate.
It's a roadmap for action without legislation that charts territory beyond executive orders, and I thought it might be of interest.
https://prospect.org/day-one-agenda/277-policies-biden-need-not-ask-permission/
Don't know if the new Deep State occupants have this list or something similar taped to their office walls but would guess they have, and maybe a Sharpie they found lying around somewhere to check off--in the ink of irony, of course-- what they've done each day to restore sanity to our government.
@NiskyGuy: Okay, what is a Herring Network? Where several schools of herring get together for one humungous underwater classroom experience? Or like a dating thing maybe or a way to make friends with other corporate middle-level execs as a means to work your way up the fish ladder of success? Fans of Keith Haring who get together online to discuss his work but are so visually-oriented that they can't spell his name? You've stumped me.
In the commercial of something else I was watching this week, I switched to the Swedish cooking show on a PBS station & a Swedish chef said that flatfish start out round & gradually flatten out. Their "downside" eye gradually migrates to the other side so they have two eyes facing up. I looked it up to make sure he wasn't sending me off the deep end, so to speak, and, bless his sole, it's true. You are never to old to learn something new.
"Red Herring" first came to my mind.
More ancillary reading material, prompted by "unwashed."
https://www.mentalfloss.com/article/562812/where-did-phrase-red-herring-originate
Had no idea about the horses.
@unwashed: Yes, Red and Herring immediately came to mind, jointly and severally.
Jennifer Senior, NYT, has a column today re: "The Women who paved the way for MTG. It's fun to read in the sense that we get to bask again in the squirrelly salvo of past and present Republican dip-wads of the female persuasion ( notice that all the women portrayed in this category ARE Republican).
Senior cites two female scientists who have have argued that "we don't yet have, as a culture, a firm idea of how a female elected official looks or acts, though we have stereotypes galore for male politicians."
Well, shoot, I sez to meself––-throughout history we have had women in high places–- but wait–-the "as a culture" means something different, so ok, seems to me we have, , in this culture, plenty of elected female officials who we could compare and contrast in the past and in this present. Is our culture still grappling with what women should BE as women? We have always accepted the male disparity, why be surprised at the female's? Shocked with are when women who are mothers of a brood take to gun toting and present a lack of compassion for victims and their families. I think we need to come to terms with our humanity not in sexual identities but as human beings and like one of the above females in Senior's list once said, "You can't put lipstick on a pig" but you sure as hell can try.
Sorry–-forgot the link–-you know us girls–-always got our minds on three things at once:
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/07/opinion/marjorie-taylor-greene-republican-women.html?action=click&module=Opinion&pgtype=Homepage
PD,
When I read he Senior piece this AM hearkened back a bit farther than Senior did to earlier man(!)ifestations of persuasive female political and public figures.
Phyllis Schlafley came first to mind. Unlike the more recent inheritors of the contrarian mantle, she was at least educated enough to have one foot in history's mainstream while she worked like hell to turn back its clock to a time before birth control and women's liberation.
Thoughts of that Phyllis reminded me in turn of even more avowedly Christian conservatives, some of them influential preachers like Amie Semple McPherson whose message urged her followers to turn back, not to an abandoned age, but to Christ, Who has all the answers.
Both were True Believers, picking and choosing their facts to fit their predelictions.
The more recent crop Senior describes hews closer to the preacher tradition, methinks, touting beliefs where facts are in short supply, and outright looniness is rewarded with notoriety.
That change parallels the Republican Party's descent into fantasyland, a movement which keeps them in the spotlight, maybe, but which inevitably moves them and their party farther away from history's mainstream each day.
The likes of MTG may be notorious, too much in our faces for my taste, but their "policies" do not have popular support.
MTG et al are just the “cool girl” so expertly eviscerated by Gillian Flynn in Gone Girl. https://www.goodreads.com/work/quotes/13306276-gone-girl
Rep. Hakeem Jeffries gives the Republicans a piece of his mind about patriotism.
And Occam's Razor on RepubliQans
@RAS: I think Qccams Razor goes like this: Of any two possibilities, the answer that fits our prejudices is bound to be true.
Ergo, "Hillary Clinton is a politician who has worked for children's rights her entire career" doesn't stand a chance against "Hillary Clinton is a politician who eats babies in the basement of a D.C. pizza parlor."
Jim Hoft, the founder and editor-in-chief of far-right news site Gateway Pundit, was permanently suspended from Twitter Saturday after he violated the social media platform's "civic integrity policy."
CNN fact checker Daniel Dale called Gateway Pundit "One of the most dishonest websites in the conservative ecosystem, starting years before Trump arrived on the scene."
RAS
Good news.
And having just finished "Anti-Social" by Andrew Marantz, where I encountered a rogue's gallery of reptiles I knew nothing about, including Mr. Hoft, I have a better sense of just how good it is.
These people need to be driven way, way underground where they can play with one another in the murk and slime they love.