The Commentariat -- January 16, 2016
Afternoon Update:
Carol Morello, et al., of the Washington Post: "Iran released Washington Post correspondent Jason Rezaian and three other detained Iranian Americans on Saturday in exchange for seven people imprisoned or charged in the United States, U.S. and Iranian officials said, a swap linked to the imminent implementation of a landmark nuclear deal between Tehran and six world powers." ...
... The Post has live updates here. ...
... From the liveblog (1:58 pm). Swati Sharma: "Yeganeh Salehi, the wife of Jason Rezaian, was arrested along with her husband on July 22, 2014. Although she was released on bail, she was ordered not to leave Iran. Until Saturday. According to U.S. officials, Salehi is allowed to leave Iran." The Post still doesn't know if Salehi is on the plane with Rezaian.
... From the liveblog (1:05 pm). Ariana Cha: "The family of an American man who disappeared in Iran in 2007 said the news of prison exchange appears to confirm their fears he may no longer be alive. Robert Levinson, a retired FBI agent, traveled to the Iranian island of Kish to investigate corruption, then vanished. Iran has denied knowledge of his whereabouts but his family believes he is being held there." ...
... From the liveblog (11:39 am). Niraj Cokshi: "U.S. officials tell the Associated Press that Iran plans to release a fifth American, though that decision is unrelated to the prisoner exchange. From Vienna, AP diplomatic writer Matt Lee reports that the other released American is a student who was detained in Tehran in recent months."
We shouldn't have to swap prisoners. These [Americans] were taken illegally in violation of international law and they should have been released without condition, but you know, the Iranians have treated this president with disrespect for years and he continues to take it. I would not take it as president. -- Chris Christie
The fact of the matter is that this tells us everything we need to know about the Iranian regime. That they take people hostage in order to gain concessions. And the fact that they can get away with it with this administration I think has created an incentive for more governments to do this around the world.... Governments are taking American hostage because they believe they can gain concessions from this government under Barack Obama. -- Marco Rubio ...
... Somebody might oughta slap that little turd upside the head. -- Constant Weader
... Thomas Erdbrink & Rick Gladstone of the New York Times: "Iran announced Saturday that it had released four Iranian-Americans as part of a prisoner exchange with the United States, a move that came as the United States and Iran were negotiating the final steps before the expected lifting of oil and financial sanctions related to its . Obama administration officials confirmed the prisoner-swap arrangement, calling it the result of diplomacy that intensified after the nuclear deal had been reached last July."
Dan Roberts of the Guardian: "... a surge in opinion polls has brought [Sen. Bernie] Sanders a neck-and-neck position in Iowa, a steady lead in the New Hampshire primary due a week later, and validation from the most unlikely of quarters -- Secretary Clinton's own campaign team. The surprise early state polling has provoked a flurry of activity from Clinton's Brooklyn headquarters. A gaze that had been fixed on potential Republican opponents has swung back to focus on the challenger in Clinton's own party."
*****
Peter Baker of the New York Times: "President Obama gave interviews at the White House on Friday to three popular YouTube figures: Adande Thorne, a self-described 'vlogger, time traveler, professional cuddler and professional gamer' who has 3.7 million subscribers and goes by the screen name sWooZie; Destin Sandlin, who hosts a show called 'Smarter Every Day' for 3.5 million subscribers; and Ingrid Nilsen, who goes by MissGlamorazzi and hosts a channel 'for curious minds and adventurous hearts' with 3.9 million subscribers":
Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The Justice Department official overseeing President Barack Obama's drive to commute the sentences of drug offenders serving long prison terms has decided to resign.... Pardon Attorney Deborah Leff took the job on an acting basis in April 2014 and was formally appointed to the post in November of that year. Under her tenure the pace of commutations has picked up significantly, but a backlog of clemency applications has also mushroomed in response to an initiative the administration announced in 2014 to encourage commutation applications from federal drug prisoners who had served more than ten years behind bars and met other criteria.... Just last week, the Justice Department announced plans to dramatically increase the staffing of Leff's office by hiring 16 attorneys."
Julian Hattem of the Hill: "House Republicans have abandoned their ambitions to sue the Obama administration over the nuclear deal with Iran.... Now, on the eve of the deal's implementation, the dream has drifted away, and been supplanted by a handful of legislative efforts designed to prevent the U.S. from lifting sanctions against Iran."
Congressman Unable to See Own Face in Mirror. Christopher Massie of BuzzFeed: "Alabama Rep. Mo Brooks [RTP-White] said on Thursday that Barack Obama is the most 'racially divisive' president since the days when American presidents supported slavery." Here's Brooks in 2014 talking about the "war on whites."
Robert Barnes of the Washington Post: "The Supreme Court will decide whether former Virginia governor Robert F. McDonnell was rightly convicted of corruption for his efforts on behalf of a businessman who bestowed money and gifts on the governor and his family.The court announced Friday that it would intervene in the long-running saga of McDonnell and his wife, Maureen, and the case provides the justices a fresh opportunity to define what kind of political conduct crosses the line into criminal behavior....In recent years, the Supreme Court has limited the legal scope of what is considered public corruption." CW: Yes, it has. I'd say, "In recent years, the Supreme Court has all but announced it favored public corruption."
Margaret Talbot of the New Yorker on an "especially promising ... series of public-service announcements launched by the N.B.A. in late December. Directed by Spike Lee, they feature N.B.A. players voicing their personal worries about American gun violence.... Gun-rights supporters jumped all over the ads, which also feature victims of gun violence, as soon they appeared. 'You're vilifying Americans who are scared right now, who have the right to bear arms,' Meghan McCain [-- John McCain's daughter --] said. 'It doesn't help though, when it is just the President, when it's Spike Lee, when it's just these basketball players who, I assume every single person on there is liberal.'" CW: Well, sure, because they're all black or at least blackish. You'll have to check with Mo Brooks (see link above), but I'll bet they're all "racially divisive," too.
Clifford Krauss of the New York Times: "The world is awash in crude oil, with enough extra produced last year to fuel all of Britain or Thailand. And the price of oil will not stop falling until the glut shrinks. The oil glut -- the unsold crude that is piling up around the world -- is a quandary and a source of investor anxiety that once again rattled global markets on Friday."
Capitalism Is Awesome, Ctd. Hiroko Tabuchi of the New York Times: "Walmart, whose supercenters once transformed the way Americans shop, announced on Friday that it would close a record number of stores in the United States and overseas, as it fights to hold its ground in a retail landscape under siege by the behemoth Amazon. The giant retailer, based in Bentonville, Ark., said in a statement that it would shutter 154 stores in the United States, or about 3 percent of its locations, as well as 115 stores overseas. It will also end its Walmart Express small-store format, which failed to catch on in urban areas. As many as 10,000 employees could lose their jobs in the United States and 6,000 elsewhere, it added." CW: Good for local retailers, bad for underserved urban areas. ...
... Patch has the full list of stores that are closing.
Presidential Race
Gail Collins: "There's a Democratic debate Sunday night! The party honchos scheduled it in the middle of a three-day weekend, obviously in a bid to ensure maximum attention. The American public, perky from eight straight hours of football playoffs, will totally be in the mood for a serious policy dialogue."
Emailgate All Over Again. Cory Bennett of the Hill: "A second congressional committee has launched an investigation into the security of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton's private email server. House Science, Space and Technology Committee Chairman [and the Anti-Science Guy] Lamar Smith (R-Texas) sent letters this week to four companies that played roles in maintaining and protecting the server.... The investigation will run alongside a similar inquiry led by Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman [and America's Dumbest Senator] Ron Johnson (R-Wis.)." CW: This should all be riveting.
Robert Schlesinger of US News: "Dear Republican establishment: The horns of your dilemma were laid bare [Thursday] evening. You've spent the last few months worrying about the damage Donald Trump will do to the GOP brand; the latest debate proved that there is indeed a candidate who can take on the tyrant of Trump Tower directly and deftly. But that candidate is Texas Sen. Ted Cruz, who may actually stir more loathing in the Republican establishment breast than even Trump."
Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "The harshest and most antagonistic phase of the Republican presidential race began in earnest on Friday as the candidates departed the debate hall for the campaign trail, leaving behind any pretense of good will that might have remained.... Mr. Trump, appearing on MSNBC's 'Morning Joe,' accused Mr. Cruz of being 'inappropriate' in raising questions about whether Mr. Trump's mother's citizenship status -- she was born in Scotland -- disqualifies him from running for president. And Mr. Trump said the Texas senator's remark about his 'New York values,' a dig at the real estate mogul's perceived liberal tendencies, was 'disgraceful.'... Though he had pledged to stay above the Republican-on-Republican attacks, Mr. Rubio on Friday was even sharper in his questioning of Mr. Cruz's devotion to conservative principles than he was during the debate." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Dana Milbank: "Republicans like to blame Trump for hijacking the party, but equally to blame are the others in the race for letting it happen -- and continuing to do so, now just two weeks from the Iowa caucuses. Thursday night's debate was another depressing development: Any of four men on the stage -- Marco Rubio, Jeb Bush, Chris Christie or John Kasich -- could have been a viable alternative to the fear and demagoguery offered by Trump and Ted Cruz. Instead, they cluttered the stage and quarreled among themselves, offering little beyond faint echoes of Trump's rage." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
... Charles Pierce has some thoughts on the debaters. For the most part, one would not describe them as positive, although he did enjoy it when "He, Trump ... squash[ed] that demagogic bug [being Cruz] in just that way and, just for a second, I began to see the sense behind He, Trump's poll numbers." CW: I object when Pierce, or anyone, describes Marco and Tedas "oily" & "oleaginous"; Pierce means "greaser," whether he realizes it or not, & it's decidedly not P.C. to use such a term when referring to a person of the Hispanic persuasion. Pierce should cut that out. But he won't. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Trip Gabriel of the New York Times: Donald Trump's campaign threw Gabriel out of a Trump event. According to the operative who, along with a cop, forcibly removed Gabriel from the venue, Gabriel was being ejected on orders from Trump's Iowa state campaign director -- a day after the Times published Gabriel's piece critical of Trump's Iowa operation. CW: That's how "freedom of the press" would work in a Trump administration. As Gabriel notes, "It was not the first time the Trump campaign had excluded members of the news media from its Iowa events. After The Des Moines Register published an editorial in July calling on Mr. Trump to quit the Republican race..., reporters from The Register were barred from Mr. Trump's rallies." ...
... Hadas Gold of Politico: "The campaign has either removed from events or withheld press passes for journalists from BuzzFeed, Fusion, The Des Moines Register and The Huffington Post."
Jennifer Jacobs of the Des Moines Register: "Donald Trump has rented space at an Urbandale movie theater and will give Iowans free tickets to a showing of the Benghazi movie that critics of Hillary Clinton have been eagerly awaiting.... The movie depicts the terrorist raid on the U.S. diplomatic compound in Benghazi, Libya on Sept. 11, 2012. It reportedly makes no mention of Clinton, then the U.S. Secretary of State, but has again raised the topic of the Democratic presidential candidate's role in the tragedy...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)...
... Adam Goldman & Greg Miller of the Washington Post: The former CIA chief in Benghazi says a pivotal scene in the movie "13 Hours" is fictional: there was never a "stand-down order." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Elliot Smilowitz of the Hill: "... Donald Trump took aim at rival Ted Cruz in a series of Saturday morning tweets, taunting Cruz over challenges to his citizenship and reports that he did not disclose campaign loans." ...
... Mike McIntire of the New York Times: "...Ted Cruz, already facing scrutiny for not disclosing a Goldman Sachs loan he used for his 2012 Senate campaign, also failed to disclose a second loan, from Citibank, for the same race, according to a letter he sent Thursday to federal election officials. The one-page letter said that the 'underlying source' of money for a series of personal loans Mr. Cruz made to his Senate campaign in Texas included both bank loans, which totaled as much as $1 million. Both loans were 'inadvertently omitted; from the required filings, the letter said.... The latest disclosure casts further doubt on his oft-stated story of having liquidated his entire family savings of slightly more than $1 million to fuel a come-from-behind win in the Republican primary. The tale has become part of a campaign narrative of a populist, scrappy Mr. Cruz putting everything on the line to overcome a wealthy establishment opponent." ...
... Will Weissert of the AP: "Ted Cruz has said that after working on George W. Bush's 2000 campaign, being passed over for a senior position with the new administration was 'a crushing blow.' Turns out, it was his own choice. Cruz was offered a job as White House associate counsel shortly after Al Gore conceded the race in December, but he rejected it, members of the Bush transition team told The Associated Press. Cruz thought he was in line for the more senior role of deputy White House counsel."
... Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times: "Ted Cruz made fake apologies to New Yorkers after disparaging Donald Trump as an avatar of "New York values." ...
... Birtherism 2.0. Laurel Calkins & Kevin Cirilli of Bloomberg: "... Ted Cruz should be disqualified from the race because he isn't a 'natural-born citizen,' a fellow Texan claims in a 'birther' challenge filed against the senator in a U.S. court. The suit seeks a court definition of the term to clarify whether Cruz -- who was born in Canada to an American mother -- can or can't serve if elected. 'This 229-year question has never been pled, presented to or finally decided by or resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court,' Houston attorney Newton B. Schwartz Sr. said in his 28-page complaint. 'Only the U.S. Supreme Court can finally decide, determine judicially and settle this issue now.'... Schwartz, 85, said in a phone interview he isn't connected to any particular campaign, though he personally 'probably' supports Bernie Sanders...." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Peace on Earth & Mercy Mild; Shoot 'em for the Newborn Child. Michael Barbaro of the New York Times: "Mr. Rubio on Friday told employees of Sturm, Ruger & Co., a gun manufacturing company [in Newport, New Hampshire], that he sought to buy a weapon on Dec. 24 and found that the store he went to 'was packed' with young and old customers, some of them, he said, worried that President Obama would further restrict their right to purchase guns. He did not say whether the gun was meant as a gift or where the store was. 'I went to go purchase a handgun on the 24, on Christmas Eve,' he said, lamenting efforts by Democrats to 'stigmatize gun owners.'" ...
... The Mentalist. Steve Benen: "Marco Rubio recently launched a television ad in which he insists President Obama is trying to take away Americans' guns. ABC's George Stephanopoulos asked the senator the other day to defend the claim, which appears to be completely at odds with reality. 'Well,' Rubio replied, 'if he could he would.' In other words, the Republican presidential candidate lied in his campaign commercial, but he feels justified in doing so because of what he imagines the president might be secretly thinking.... Rubio is to play the role of a mind-reader: sure, the president isn't actually doing scary things, but if we imagine his secret thoughts, we find evidence of how correct we are about his nefarious agenda." ...
... Ed Kilgore: Marco Rubio's "long march back from a fatally miscalculated stand as a champion of comprehensive immigration reform -- a.k.a. 'amnesty' -- has now culminated in the retroactive claim that the terrorist threat justified his abrupt about-face on the subject. It is clear, he said in [Thursday] night's Republican candidates' debate, that all border crossings, legal or illegal, must now be given fresh scrutiny."
Adios, Arbusto! Anna Palmer & Ben White of Politico: "Politico talked to nearly two dozen major donors [to Jeb!'s campaign], and most say they are waiting for what one veteran Republican and former Bush 43 administration appointee described as the 'family hall pass' to jump to another campaign after the New Hampshire primary." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)...
... AND Just in the Nick of Time. Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "Sen. Lindsey Graham on Friday endorsed Jeb Bush for president, a major get for the former Florida governor who has struggled to gain traction in the contest." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Greg Sargent: "And Lindsey Graham endorsed Jeb Bush... Shockingly, Donald Trump's response was basically, it's not surprising that one loser endorsed another loser. Also, you losers really are losers, losers!"
Eliza Collins & Daniel Strauss of Politico: "Chris Christie has gone into damage control mode after Florida Sen. Marco Rubio began hammering him on his record with Planned Parenthood, pointing to comments from 1994 that say he made private donations to the organization." CW: That's the GOP. A candidate has to do "damage control" for supporting women's health.
Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "John Kasich pinned his presidential campaign's future on New Hampshire in a new interview where he said he'd drop out if he struggles during the state's February primary.'If I get smoked in New Hampshire, then you know kind of the ballgame is over ... because then it becomes very hard to raise money,' Kasich said during an interview on WABC Radio's "Election Central with Rita Cosby."
MEANWHILE. Andrew Kaczynski & Megan Apper of BuzzFeed: Also-ran "Rand Paul says he's going to spend 'every waking hour' trying to stop Donald Trump from getting the Republican nomination.... Still, Paul said he would support Trump should he win the nomination." ...
... The trouble is, Li'l Randy, the Donald never sleeps.
Beyond the Beltway
Scott Atkinson, et al., of the New York Times: "Michigan's attorney general opened an investigation Friday into lead contamination in Flint's drinking water, and the governor [-- Rick Snyder (R) --] asked President Obama to declare a disaster as National Guard troops fanned out across this anxious city to help distribute bottled water, water filters and testing kits.... The governor sent two requests Thursday night to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which this week has been distributing its own surplus supplies of bottled water, saying that the crisis was beyond the state's ability to manage. One asks that the president declare a state of emergency, allowing for immediate assistance like water, food and generators; the other asks him to declare a major disaster, allowing for millions of dollars in loans and grants to residents and the state for long-term needs like new water pipes, an improved filtration plant or temporary housing for residents." ...
... CW: As Akhilleus pointed out in yesterday's commentary, Republicans hate the federal government right up until the moment they start crying, "Help me! Help me!" Then, when the feds do help, they start hating the federal government again. Also read Diane's report in yesterday's comments thread & safari's comments re: Michigan's lucky-ducky "emergency managers." Akhilleus wrote, "I doubt it was made clear to Flint residents that the Emergency Manager was there to create the emergencies, not solve them." One good thing about Snyder's cry for help is that it puts the Flint fiasco in the national spotlight; ergo, the Times story.
Laura Gunderson of the Oregonian: "Holding signs that read 'Birders against bullies,' protesters took to the street in Bend, a two-hour drive from where a group of occupiers have held the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for two weeks." ...
... Les Zaitz of the Oregonian: "Oregon State Police on Friday arrested one of the protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge after he drove into town, accusing him of having a stolen vehicle. The man was identified as Kenneth Medenbach, 62, of Crescent. He was arrested on suspicion of unauthorized use of a motor vehicle, a class C felony punishable by up to five years in prison. He was to be booked into the Deschutes County Jail in Bend with bail set at $10,000, officials said. According to federal court records, Medenbach is currently facing federal charges in Medford[, Oregon,] and was released from custody in November. A condition of his release was that he would not 'occupy' any federal land. He was accused of illegally camping on federal property." ...
... Elliot Njus of the Oregonian: "A meeting where armed protesters occupying the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge planned to announce their exit strategy has been called off for want of a venue.... Steven Grasty, judge of the Harney County Court, which functions as the county commission, said earlier this week that county won't let any group affiliated with the occupiers use its property.... Grasty issued a statement Friday saying Bundy didn't follow the proper procedure to use the fairgrounds. He also noted that the county 'has publicly stated it would not allow the facility to be used by those who are committing criminal activities.'"
Stephen Losey of the Air Force Times: "Robins Air Force Base in Georgia has taken down a flyer advertising a 'Martin Luther King Jr. Fun Shoot' scheduled for the holiday honoring the slain civil rights leader. In a statement to Air Force Times, Robins apologized for the advertising tying the event to the holiday honoring King, who was shot by an assassin in Memphis in 1968." CW: As a result of criticisms lodged against the event, organizers announced they would reschedule the event to February 12 & rename it "Abe Lincoln Fun Shoot." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
News Ledes
Guardian: "Burkina Faso security forces have freed more than 120 hostages from a hotel seized by al-Qaida-linked fighters in the capital of Ouagadougou, but a second assault has begun at another hotel nearby, according to reports. 'Three jihadists were killed. They were an Arab and two black Africans,' Simon Compaore, the country's security minister, said of the raid which concluded early on Saturday morning. Up to 20 people had been killed and 33 people wounded in the attack, with forces still determining the number of casualties. Islamic extremists invaded the Splendid Hotel and the Cappuccino cafe on Friday night. The militants took control of the five-storey hotel, which is popular with UN staff and foreigners, burning cars outside and firing in the air to drive back crowds." ...
... New York Times Update: "Twenty-eight people were killed and 56 were wounded in the attack that loudly announced the end to a long, mostly peaceful stretch in Burkina Faso."
Guardian: "Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro has declared an economic emergency, seeking broad powers to address a crippling recession in the oil-dependent country after official figures showed that inflation has spiralled to 141%."
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Reader Comments (10)
It's such wonderful news to hear of the release of four American prisoners, including the Washington Post reporter, from Iran. Diplomacy works especially when the diplomats are persons of capability and good will. I can't imagine the situation with a President Trump, or any one of the other clowns whose idea of getting along in the world is to name-call and attack rather than try to work things out. That's just one reason why it's so vital to have a civil debate in the Democratic primaries rather than Clinton and Sanders camps trying to eat each other, and that applies to supporters as well as the candidates and their surrogates. Whoever emerges as the candidate should be as unscarred as possible; we can't afford a Republican takeover.
So just the other day Iran released a group of U.S. soldiers that had strayed into their territorial waters without incident, and now the Washington Post reporter Jason Rezaian has been released, along with three other Iranian-Americans.
No bombs exploded. No bloodshed. No further hatred spread.
Damn. If this had been a GOP administration, those would've been two golden opportunities to rachet up the war machine and start the bidding for more government contracts. I bet Cheney is furious.
So who's going to get credit for freeing Jason? Since Republicans are incapable of acknowledging even the minutest of victories for Obama, praise surely goes to the Mullahs. Thanks guys!
http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/world/middleeast/iran-releases-washington-post-reporter-jason-rezaian.html?partner=rss&emc=rss&_r=0
I think it's time to bring back this little gem: The Screw You Strategy. (link below) It's a marvel to watch Christi, Cruz, Rubio et al. after being confronted with their "made up shit" and downright lies, try to weasel out of them and succeed! People evidently love to be screwed over while believing the opposite. There seems to be the problem of deafness permeating among these right wing followers. Obama has said multiple times he does not want to" take your guns away"––yet people and candidates are still touting that message. What is it going to take to awake the slumbering masses that follow the fellas who follow those "screw you" policies?
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2014/11/14/1344549/-Cartoon-The-screw-you-strategy?detail=email
Excellent story on Drumpf's business 'successes' : http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/business/what-donald-trumps-plaza-deal-reveals-about-his-white-house-bid.html
Read and be not impressed, appears his deals not so artful! Seems the 'talking yam' is mainly successful due to BRANDING! But, Hmmmm, how many neck ties and men's cologne can you sell ad infinitum?
Here's where, I'd say "oleaginous" is apt!
As I watch the rain turn to snow (outside my window), today Mr. Trump will be hosted in Portsmouth, NH by wanna-be prince-ling-maker and bicycle repair guy whose Senate aspirations were trounced by women in Massachusetts & NH, Scott Brown. Does the Donald fly in on TRUMPAIR to land in Manchester or get landing rights at PEASE? ...Yeah, they had to find a BIGGER venue then Scott's 'just folks barn' (which worked for Christie, et al). Can't wait to see the pics in tomorrow's paper!
PD posts:
"People evidently love to be screwed over while believing the opposite."
Too true. See:
http://www.mariakonnikova.com/books/the-confidence-game/
It's next on my reading list.
It may be an appropriate moment to mention the splendid David Remnick profile of John Kerry in the December 15 issue of The New Yorker. It is long but well worth reading for the detailed and fascinating portrayal of Kerry and his approach to diplomacy.
@safari: Good point. I suspect Tom Cotton is writing a thank-you note to ayatollah right now.
Marie
One thing missing from the discussion about Malheur National Wildlife Refuge is a little reference to Latter Day Saints and their focussed acquisition to freshwater supplies in the intermountain West. What does it say when elected representatives (who are LDS) say nothing about Mormons taking free stuff from the federal government and then turning around and telling the government to close the door to everyone else. What this Bundy debacle should tell people is that the LDS has sewn up most of the fresh water supplies of a non-federal nature and now they're trying for the next low hanging fruit. To say it simply: Catholics have their schools and hospitals and the LDS have their freshwater supplies to monetize the wealth of their congregants. And it's tax deductible, so we subsidize it.
On a different note from Donny Dumpster: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/17/business/what-donald-trumps-plaza-deal-reveals-about-his-white-house-bid.html?_r=0. (Trump) "He reads an entire crowd with the same precision that he reads an individual.” And this nugget: "There was, for instance, the moment in 1984 when he (The Dumpster) told The Washington Post he could handle the United States’ side of nuclear arms talks with the Soviets.
“It would take an hour and a half to learn everything there is to learn about missiles,” he boasted. “I think I know most of it anyway.” My take away from both the man who's name rhymes with "dumpster" and the LDS is that a significant minority of US citizens would prefer monarchy and being told what to do in a continuously confusing world. The instinct for sycophancy runs real deep with a lot of folks; that's why they're clannish and scary when armed with the levers of government and all their supporters have guns. Trump's supporters and the LDS love power, guns and concentration of power in a narrow hierarchy of men.
I’m going to side with Pierce on using the loaded words "oily" & "oleaginous" to describe Marco. Though Marco would love to have the support of Latino voters, they don’t identify with him. On the contrary. And the reasons are related to the difference between “oily” and “greasy.”
Just being from a Spanish-speaking country doesn’t make you Latino in the eyes of Mexicans or Puerto Ricans. They feel resentment toward Cubans, rather than affinity. It’s like – well, oil and water. Cuban immigrants are not perceived as “greasers” so let’s look for an alternate stereotype. How about casinos? Visualize a Spanish-speaking lounge lizard, handsome, not-too-dark skinned, white dinner jacket, hair slicked back with – yeah, oil. Meanwhile, back in the steamy kitchen, those short dark guys running around with trays of dirty dishes? Those are greasers.
Let’s keep the distinction. It’s useful.
Unctuous. Takes away all of the greasiness, but leaves the impression of slick hypocrisy we're all looking for.