Kevin Koster commented on Fox & Friends Regurgitate Trump’s Conspiracy Theory: Any Recession A Media Conspiracy Against His Re-Election
2019-08-20 12:10:55 -0400
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I’d love for these hypocrites to watch their own programming from 8 years ago, when they were frantically doing anything they could to talk down the economy while President Obama was trying to clean up their mess.
For those who were asleep for the past decade, the history isn’t that complicated.
In the 2000s, under the failed stewardship of Dick Cheney in the W White House, the US economy expanded a massive amount of consumer debt in multiple forms while the major companies gouged the consumers as much as they could. In the short term, this had appeared to be a growing economy, but the signs all pointed to a bubble that would burst – particularly in terms of real estate, where too many people were buying property they couldn’t afford. Cheney and his cronies had hoped the economy would float at least until mid 2009, so they could escape office and claim that they’d left a wonderful situation for the next White House. Instead, the whole thing imploded starting at the end of 2007 and accelerating through 2008.
During the 2008 campaign, Fox News desperately tried to paint the situation as totally fine, with Sean Hannity frantically shouting down any guest who dared admit the truth.
As soon as President Obama was elected and took office, Fox News and the Right Wing immediately turned on a dime and declared that the economy was practically in a depression, and that it was all the fault of the Democratic Party and President Obama somehow. Throughout Obama’s first term, the GOP and their friends in Right Wing media repeatedly talked down the economy. When President Obama announced his plans to stimulate the economy, Rush Limbaugh countered at CPAC with a hysterical scream of “I HOPE HE FAILS!!!!” All the way up to Election Day 2012, Right Wingers kept banging the drum that the economy was in ruins thanks to that terrible Obama and that they hoped he would be a one term president. When President Obama defied them and was re-elected instead, the Right Wing media simply continued talking down everything that happened in the economy. Among their tactics, by the way, was a refusal to extend unemployment benefits and a refusal to allow the ACA expansions to go into effect in multiple states. This was partly to kneecap the programs, but it was also intended to put the clamps on Middle Class and working class families across the country – payback for their temerity and potentially planting a seed for them to feel anger at the Dems and vote another way come 2016.
As soon as Trump squeaked through in 2016 and Mike Pence became the acting president, Fox News and the Right Wing turned on a dime once again and suddenly the economy was all roses. Even when farmers were getting pounded by ill-advised tariffs. Even when Middle Class employees were suddenly targeted for massive tax increases in the GOP Tax Transfer of 2017.
And now that we hear today about the economy showing extremely ominous signs (enough that Right Wing radio shows regularly have commercials warning their elderly listeners to buy gold to be ready for the oncoming problem…), the Right Wing media wants you to believe that any discussion of the problems Pence has created is just sour grapes and an attempt to talk down this White House.
What an incredibly brazen example of projection and what a daring attempt to rewrite history. It’s too bad that some of us actually have memories of the recent past, or maybe this trick could have worked.
For those who were asleep for the past decade, the history isn’t that complicated.
In the 2000s, under the failed stewardship of Dick Cheney in the W White House, the US economy expanded a massive amount of consumer debt in multiple forms while the major companies gouged the consumers as much as they could. In the short term, this had appeared to be a growing economy, but the signs all pointed to a bubble that would burst – particularly in terms of real estate, where too many people were buying property they couldn’t afford. Cheney and his cronies had hoped the economy would float at least until mid 2009, so they could escape office and claim that they’d left a wonderful situation for the next White House. Instead, the whole thing imploded starting at the end of 2007 and accelerating through 2008.
During the 2008 campaign, Fox News desperately tried to paint the situation as totally fine, with Sean Hannity frantically shouting down any guest who dared admit the truth.
As soon as President Obama was elected and took office, Fox News and the Right Wing immediately turned on a dime and declared that the economy was practically in a depression, and that it was all the fault of the Democratic Party and President Obama somehow. Throughout Obama’s first term, the GOP and their friends in Right Wing media repeatedly talked down the economy. When President Obama announced his plans to stimulate the economy, Rush Limbaugh countered at CPAC with a hysterical scream of “I HOPE HE FAILS!!!!” All the way up to Election Day 2012, Right Wingers kept banging the drum that the economy was in ruins thanks to that terrible Obama and that they hoped he would be a one term president. When President Obama defied them and was re-elected instead, the Right Wing media simply continued talking down everything that happened in the economy. Among their tactics, by the way, was a refusal to extend unemployment benefits and a refusal to allow the ACA expansions to go into effect in multiple states. This was partly to kneecap the programs, but it was also intended to put the clamps on Middle Class and working class families across the country – payback for their temerity and potentially planting a seed for them to feel anger at the Dems and vote another way come 2016.
As soon as Trump squeaked through in 2016 and Mike Pence became the acting president, Fox News and the Right Wing turned on a dime once again and suddenly the economy was all roses. Even when farmers were getting pounded by ill-advised tariffs. Even when Middle Class employees were suddenly targeted for massive tax increases in the GOP Tax Transfer of 2017.
And now that we hear today about the economy showing extremely ominous signs (enough that Right Wing radio shows regularly have commercials warning their elderly listeners to buy gold to be ready for the oncoming problem…), the Right Wing media wants you to believe that any discussion of the problems Pence has created is just sour grapes and an attempt to talk down this White House.
What an incredibly brazen example of projection and what a daring attempt to rewrite history. It’s too bad that some of us actually have memories of the recent past, or maybe this trick could have worked.
Kevin Koster commented on Trump Attacks Fox’s Juan Williams After He Says US ‘Not Winning’ China Trade War
2019-08-20 05:09:03 -0400
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It surprises me that there is any story here.
First, Juan Williams actually was articulating a REPUBLICAN talking point, if anyone was watching it carefully. He was taking the same basic position as various non-Trump Right Wingers, like Max Boot and George Will. Meaning: A light criticism of Pence’s childish spokesman as “inarticulate” and potentially unhelpful to the US economy.
Second, Williams was, as usual, fairly meek about his conservative criticism of Pence’s childish spokesman, which really just invited the usual tantrum from that person.
Third, Williams has already meekly retreated, making an appearance where he tried to explain away how he asked for a photo with Pence’s childish spokesman, as though that mattered in the slightest.
We need to keep our eye on what is actually important – not what Pence’s childish spokesman rants about on Twitter. Pence is the one making the policy decisions that are causing problems for everyone. The spokesman is nothing more than a distraction, and an irrelevant one at that.
I find it interesting that the Right Wing is trying to play a silly game about how “the Left wants a Recession”, which is an utterly false premise. The Dems are NOT “the Left” and other than Bill Maher making snarky comments to get attention, we are not seeing any sane person advocating for a massive recession. What we are seeing is that the incompetence and idiocy of the Pence White House has destabilized the US economy, between the lack of any focus to the policy and the open meanness of the Tax Transfer that skyrocketed the tax burdens of Middle Class employees and Blue State residents across the country. (The only focus Pence has had over the past 2 1/2 years has been toward erasing ALL of the policies of the Obama White House and ramming the most cravenly partisan gargoyles into our judiciary. Past that, Pence has been happy to understaff much of the government and to leave the rest of the world where the US stands on anything other than blustering tantrums. The result hasn’t been hard to understand – instability and an obvious slide into recession from the stronger economy that President Obama had worked to shepherd after the huge GOP recession of 2007-2009.)
If the Right Wing wanted to look at the economic situation with ANY honesty, they would acknowledge that Pence has squandered the economic conditions he inherited from an actual functioning White House, and that we need to be prepared for the inevitable dip into negative numbers. “The Left” isn’t cheering for the numbers to go down – actual Left economists are simply noting that the numbers ARE GOING DOWN without cheering or booing. They’re acknowledging reality – something Fox News is incapable of doing. We went through something similar, noted on this website, when Sean Hannity was throwing tantrums in 2008 rather than acknowledging the major recession that was hitting the US during an election year.
And speaking of Hannity, has he spoken up for his “good friend” Williams yet? I noted that Brit Hume and one other commentator gave Williams condescending little pats on the head, but nothing from Hannity yet, to my knowledge.
First, Juan Williams actually was articulating a REPUBLICAN talking point, if anyone was watching it carefully. He was taking the same basic position as various non-Trump Right Wingers, like Max Boot and George Will. Meaning: A light criticism of Pence’s childish spokesman as “inarticulate” and potentially unhelpful to the US economy.
Second, Williams was, as usual, fairly meek about his conservative criticism of Pence’s childish spokesman, which really just invited the usual tantrum from that person.
Third, Williams has already meekly retreated, making an appearance where he tried to explain away how he asked for a photo with Pence’s childish spokesman, as though that mattered in the slightest.
We need to keep our eye on what is actually important – not what Pence’s childish spokesman rants about on Twitter. Pence is the one making the policy decisions that are causing problems for everyone. The spokesman is nothing more than a distraction, and an irrelevant one at that.
I find it interesting that the Right Wing is trying to play a silly game about how “the Left wants a Recession”, which is an utterly false premise. The Dems are NOT “the Left” and other than Bill Maher making snarky comments to get attention, we are not seeing any sane person advocating for a massive recession. What we are seeing is that the incompetence and idiocy of the Pence White House has destabilized the US economy, between the lack of any focus to the policy and the open meanness of the Tax Transfer that skyrocketed the tax burdens of Middle Class employees and Blue State residents across the country. (The only focus Pence has had over the past 2 1/2 years has been toward erasing ALL of the policies of the Obama White House and ramming the most cravenly partisan gargoyles into our judiciary. Past that, Pence has been happy to understaff much of the government and to leave the rest of the world where the US stands on anything other than blustering tantrums. The result hasn’t been hard to understand – instability and an obvious slide into recession from the stronger economy that President Obama had worked to shepherd after the huge GOP recession of 2007-2009.)
If the Right Wing wanted to look at the economic situation with ANY honesty, they would acknowledge that Pence has squandered the economic conditions he inherited from an actual functioning White House, and that we need to be prepared for the inevitable dip into negative numbers. “The Left” isn’t cheering for the numbers to go down – actual Left economists are simply noting that the numbers ARE GOING DOWN without cheering or booing. They’re acknowledging reality – something Fox News is incapable of doing. We went through something similar, noted on this website, when Sean Hannity was throwing tantrums in 2008 rather than acknowledging the major recession that was hitting the US during an election year.
And speaking of Hannity, has he spoken up for his “good friend” Williams yet? I noted that Brit Hume and one other commentator gave Williams condescending little pats on the head, but nothing from Hannity yet, to my knowledge.
Kevin Koster commented on Trump Makes Ignorant Threat Not To Debate On Fox After Polling Shows Him Losing Bigly To Top Dems
2019-08-20 04:51:00 -0400
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One has to really wonder if there will actually be any debates at all after the party conventions next year. The Pence White House is clearly terrified at the prospect of their spokesman being trapped on a stage for two hours with any of the Dem candidates, and the spokesman himself is clearly rattled.
Pence’s gang had already stated that they were intending to only debate on Fox News after the Dems sidestepped the GOP attempt to “gotcha” them into providing soundbites and ad clips for the 2020 Pence campaign. (The Dems wisely chose to avoid Fox News for any debate appearances)
Now we hear Pence’s childish spokesman saying that he doesn’t even want to go on Fox News to debate. Which means that he is too scared to debate, period. Not surprising.
I’d keep an eye on what actually comes from Pence and the people around him to be sure. The tweets from Pence’s childish spokesman are not worth anyone spending any further time examining.
Pence’s gang had already stated that they were intending to only debate on Fox News after the Dems sidestepped the GOP attempt to “gotcha” them into providing soundbites and ad clips for the 2020 Pence campaign. (The Dems wisely chose to avoid Fox News for any debate appearances)
Now we hear Pence’s childish spokesman saying that he doesn’t even want to go on Fox News to debate. Which means that he is too scared to debate, period. Not surprising.
I’d keep an eye on what actually comes from Pence and the people around him to be sure. The tweets from Pence’s childish spokesman are not worth anyone spending any further time examining.
Kevin Koster commented on Kudlow: Trump Looking At Buying Greenland Because He’s Such A Great Real Estate Investor!
2019-08-19 04:37:05 -0400
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There isn’t even news in this story. It’s a nonsensical distraction from the actual damage being done by the Pence White House.
Honestly, who cares what Pence’s childish spokesman says these days? He has fantasies about everything. Why should anyone waste even a moment of their time trying to think about them?
The one telling note here is that, as usual, Fox News is standing firmly with Pence’s spokesman no matter what he does – because they enjoy furthering the distraction and because they love what Pence is doing in the background while nobody is watching.
Honestly, who cares what Pence’s childish spokesman says these days? He has fantasies about everything. Why should anyone waste even a moment of their time trying to think about them?
The one telling note here is that, as usual, Fox News is standing firmly with Pence’s spokesman no matter what he does – because they enjoy furthering the distraction and because they love what Pence is doing in the background while nobody is watching.
Kevin Koster commented on Didn’t You Just Know Cuccinelli Would Run To Fox News For Cover After Racist Statue Of Liberty Remarks?
2019-08-18 09:33:39 -0400
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To answer Bemused, the Pence White House is hoping to make sure its bigoted base will turn out in enough numbers to allow them to squeak through again next year. They are also hoping that they can depress turnout by everyone else. This strategy worked for them in 2016. And they have the entire Right Wing media machine working in fascistic lockstep behind them – whether that be Breitbart, OANN, Limbaugh and his copycats or Fox News.
Less extreme Republicans are also falling into this, as they frankly love Pence’s policies – particularly the complete mess he’s made of our judiciary and the concentrated work his men have done to erase every single bit of work accomplished by President Obama’s people. I’ve even heard “mainstream” Republicans trying to excuse the tariffs and the skyrocketed taxes faced by Middle Class employees across the country because of Pence and his ilk. So we have an issue in that the Republicans have all tied themselves to this concrete block as it sinks into the quagmire.
The key to 2020 is whether enough of the swing state Dems have learned their lesson from the results of 2016, when they stayed home and allowed the deplorables to prevail by a hair. It is my fervent hope that these 2-3 million active voters across Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, etc will show up in force this time to assert that the US does not stand for bigotry and viciousness. I’d be even happier to see Texas actually stand up against this bunch. What this country needs right now is a firm stand that says “NO” to bigotry and enthusiastically tosses these criminals out of our White House.
Bemused is correct that Pence will try various little tricks over the next 15 months to see if they will increase his chances and depress turnout. I’m anticipating any or all of the following:
1. Watch out for Clarence Thomas announcing retirement next June and being replaced by a young gargoyle by October, just before the election. This is a maneuver intended to depress all the voters trying to correct the mess these people just made of the Supreme Court.
2. Watch out for further bellicose action towards Iran – these guys are hoping to provoke a confrontation that goes as big as possible, which would then lead to the old trope of “Hey, we’re in a war and you don’t change horses in the middle of the race!” like they tried with W back in 2004.
3. Watch out for another “invasion” meme being thrown around next fall, likely fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric throughout the GOP convention. The GOP believes this ploy worked well enough in 2018 to depress Dem turnout that they will use it again in a general election. (Keep in mind that the GOP had secretly thought the results could have been worse for them – they were concerned about potentially losing the Senate but were able to actually gain seats by depressing turnout in Florida and other states and by pushing extremist governors in Florida and Georgia.)
And we should remember that the Pence White House isn’t trying to mobilize the whole country. They hate most of the people of the US. They’re just trying to mobilize their base of deplorables. If the active Dem voters across the swing states stay home again, that’s really all Pence needs to do in order to win. Let’s work to make sure that those people show up this time.
Less extreme Republicans are also falling into this, as they frankly love Pence’s policies – particularly the complete mess he’s made of our judiciary and the concentrated work his men have done to erase every single bit of work accomplished by President Obama’s people. I’ve even heard “mainstream” Republicans trying to excuse the tariffs and the skyrocketed taxes faced by Middle Class employees across the country because of Pence and his ilk. So we have an issue in that the Republicans have all tied themselves to this concrete block as it sinks into the quagmire.
The key to 2020 is whether enough of the swing state Dems have learned their lesson from the results of 2016, when they stayed home and allowed the deplorables to prevail by a hair. It is my fervent hope that these 2-3 million active voters across Michigan, Wisconsin, Pennsylvania, Florida, etc will show up in force this time to assert that the US does not stand for bigotry and viciousness. I’d be even happier to see Texas actually stand up against this bunch. What this country needs right now is a firm stand that says “NO” to bigotry and enthusiastically tosses these criminals out of our White House.
Bemused is correct that Pence will try various little tricks over the next 15 months to see if they will increase his chances and depress turnout. I’m anticipating any or all of the following:
1. Watch out for Clarence Thomas announcing retirement next June and being replaced by a young gargoyle by October, just before the election. This is a maneuver intended to depress all the voters trying to correct the mess these people just made of the Supreme Court.
2. Watch out for further bellicose action towards Iran – these guys are hoping to provoke a confrontation that goes as big as possible, which would then lead to the old trope of “Hey, we’re in a war and you don’t change horses in the middle of the race!” like they tried with W back in 2004.
3. Watch out for another “invasion” meme being thrown around next fall, likely fueled by anti-immigrant rhetoric throughout the GOP convention. The GOP believes this ploy worked well enough in 2018 to depress Dem turnout that they will use it again in a general election. (Keep in mind that the GOP had secretly thought the results could have been worse for them – they were concerned about potentially losing the Senate but were able to actually gain seats by depressing turnout in Florida and other states and by pushing extremist governors in Florida and Georgia.)
And we should remember that the Pence White House isn’t trying to mobilize the whole country. They hate most of the people of the US. They’re just trying to mobilize their base of deplorables. If the active Dem voters across the swing states stay home again, that’s really all Pence needs to do in order to win. Let’s work to make sure that those people show up this time.
Kevin Koster commented on Lou Dobbs Uses Selectively Edited Video To Praise ICE Employee Driving Into Protesters
2019-08-18 09:18:27 -0400
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A few quick notes:
1. The ICE employee tried a little trick we’ve seen previously in multiple places, including the Standing Rock protests where the Right Wingers in that state attempted to pass local laws to make it the protestors’ fault if they were run over by Right Wingers committing vehicular homicide. We’ve seen this previously in Charlottesville. So under Dobbs’ thinking, it is the fault of the homicide victim not the killer in these cases. Good to know that this is his perspective, next time he opines about how the death penalty should be enforced.
2. Dobbs and Homan engaged in mutually reinforcing nonsensical and childish rage baiting. They clearly enjoy the presidency of Mike Pence and think wonderful things about Pence’s childish spokesman. And in the case of Dobbs, there’s clearly a rage basis for all of this – which has been the historic problem with Right Wingers in the first place. Dobbs isn’t happy for all the “great stuff” he’s trying to credit Pence for – he’s FURIOUS that everyone else doesn’t see the world through the Right Wing tinted glasses he uses.
3. We have not seen the last of these kinds of vicious attacks – and the situation isn’t helped by the lies being spread by childish buffoons like Dobbs. Particularly when Pence and his spokesman are trying to blame the protestors and ANTIFA for having the temerity to stand up to Right Wing hate groups. Eyes asks if the 2020 election can fix this issue. The answer is no, but at least the haters have made their faces known to everyone. So hopefully after Pence and his gang are shown the door, when these guys try to walk back their bigotry, we can stand back from them and tell them to live with their shame. I have no intention of forgiving or forgetting the infants who attempted to bully the rest of this country and the world. I’m glad they made the situation simpler for us. The moment they went full bigot, they lost any consideration. I don’t ever want to hear another Right Winger opine about anything beyond whether they think they can get to work on time. They’ve lost their privileges.
4. As for the ICE employees being in a tough spot, I point to the members of even Nixon’s corrupt Justice Dept, who resigned rather than enforce Nixon’s evil will. The ICE employees all have had a choice before them. Nobody is forcing them to attack families and children or to run over protestors. They are actively choosing to do this. I have no sympathy for them. If they want to act in a morally and ethically upright manner, they should work somewhere else. (I also note that the one guy who did what Nixon demanded in trying to shut down Watergate was the infamous Robert Bork…)
1. The ICE employee tried a little trick we’ve seen previously in multiple places, including the Standing Rock protests where the Right Wingers in that state attempted to pass local laws to make it the protestors’ fault if they were run over by Right Wingers committing vehicular homicide. We’ve seen this previously in Charlottesville. So under Dobbs’ thinking, it is the fault of the homicide victim not the killer in these cases. Good to know that this is his perspective, next time he opines about how the death penalty should be enforced.
2. Dobbs and Homan engaged in mutually reinforcing nonsensical and childish rage baiting. They clearly enjoy the presidency of Mike Pence and think wonderful things about Pence’s childish spokesman. And in the case of Dobbs, there’s clearly a rage basis for all of this – which has been the historic problem with Right Wingers in the first place. Dobbs isn’t happy for all the “great stuff” he’s trying to credit Pence for – he’s FURIOUS that everyone else doesn’t see the world through the Right Wing tinted glasses he uses.
3. We have not seen the last of these kinds of vicious attacks – and the situation isn’t helped by the lies being spread by childish buffoons like Dobbs. Particularly when Pence and his spokesman are trying to blame the protestors and ANTIFA for having the temerity to stand up to Right Wing hate groups. Eyes asks if the 2020 election can fix this issue. The answer is no, but at least the haters have made their faces known to everyone. So hopefully after Pence and his gang are shown the door, when these guys try to walk back their bigotry, we can stand back from them and tell them to live with their shame. I have no intention of forgiving or forgetting the infants who attempted to bully the rest of this country and the world. I’m glad they made the situation simpler for us. The moment they went full bigot, they lost any consideration. I don’t ever want to hear another Right Winger opine about anything beyond whether they think they can get to work on time. They’ve lost their privileges.
4. As for the ICE employees being in a tough spot, I point to the members of even Nixon’s corrupt Justice Dept, who resigned rather than enforce Nixon’s evil will. The ICE employees all have had a choice before them. Nobody is forcing them to attack families and children or to run over protestors. They are actively choosing to do this. I have no sympathy for them. If they want to act in a morally and ethically upright manner, they should work somewhere else. (I also note that the one guy who did what Nixon demanded in trying to shut down Watergate was the infamous Robert Bork…)
Kevin Koster commented on Fox’s Kennedy Calls Out ‘Lock Him Up’ In Discussion Of Former FBI Directors Comey And McCabe
2019-08-03 14:23:00 -0400
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I can’t imagine who in the world actually finds Kennedy or Katie Pavlich to be remotely intelligent or reliable sources for anything. Pavlich has long been known for repeating Right Wing hateful smears and propaganda. Kennedy’s claim to fame is when she humiliated herself at the premiere of the first Mission: Impossible movie in 1996 by interviewing Martin Landau and not even knowing he was a star of the original series. Landau proceeded to give her a severe talking-to in front of the cameras while she could only gulp. When Landau finally stomped off, Kennedy sheepishly looked at her cameraman and muttered, “Well, that sucked!”
Kevin Koster commented on Fox’s Hemmer Prods MD Gov. Hogan To Attack Cummings
2019-08-03 07:02:23 -0400
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This is just another example of the thousands we have of Fox News and Right Wingers making comments they will not be able to walk back when this miserable epoch is concluded, hopefully next year – provided that active Dem voters can be persuaded that it really does matter if they vote.
As Ellen correctly notes, Mike Pence’s childish spokesman had no interest in “helping” Baltimore or in doing ANYTHING to raise awareness about social issues. He just wanted to have a tantrum about a congressman he hates, and one who happens to also be black, something that we have seen is revolting to the Far Right. (Witness Ronald Reagan’s recorded viciousness – something that Fox News has studiously avoided discussing)
Watching Right Wing pundits trying to explain away the bigotry of the childish Tweeter’s nonsense would be laughable if they weren’t talking about actual politics today.
As for the childish Tweeter himself, his comments are as irrelevant and unimportant as he is. What matters is the behavior of the deplorables he emboldens and the non-response of the general GOP members who will not be able to walk this back.
As Ellen correctly notes, Mike Pence’s childish spokesman had no interest in “helping” Baltimore or in doing ANYTHING to raise awareness about social issues. He just wanted to have a tantrum about a congressman he hates, and one who happens to also be black, something that we have seen is revolting to the Far Right. (Witness Ronald Reagan’s recorded viciousness – something that Fox News has studiously avoided discussing)
Watching Right Wing pundits trying to explain away the bigotry of the childish Tweeter’s nonsense would be laughable if they weren’t talking about actual politics today.
As for the childish Tweeter himself, his comments are as irrelevant and unimportant as he is. What matters is the behavior of the deplorables he emboldens and the non-response of the general GOP members who will not be able to walk this back.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox's Jesse Watters: ‘Only 27 Million Americans’ Lack Health Insurance
2019-08-02 03:10:35 -0400
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The most important observation here comes at the bottom of the article. Watters is just repeating the Right Wing libertarian mantra: “I got mine, (BLEEP) you”. Or at its more basic: Straight up Right Wing selfishness. Watters has full health coverage because he’s paid under SAG-AFTRA conditions and because he doesn’t have serious medical problems of which we know, so as far as he’s concerned, there’s no problem here to him.
The Right Wing never wanted anyone to have any kind of service like this – their notion is that if you don’t have health coverage, that’s your problem. If your job doesn’t pay enough or offer any coverage, the Right Wing believes you should quit your job and find another one that does – and if there is no job that does, then you should work five jobs so that you can afford to self-insure. And if you can’t work five jobs, then they believe you should be quiet about your problems so they don’t have to hear it.
When President Obama pushed the ACA to try to get as many people covered as possible, the Right Wing’s response was to gum up the works as much as possible. They tried to talk it down, tried to obstruct it, tried to say that it was only covering a few people, and various other tactics. They got the public option removed, which dropped the effectiveness of the whole plan and then they worked to sabotage and kneecap the pieces that were left. They worked to keep as many states out of as much of the ACA as possible – specifically to keep the net it could extend as small as possible, and therefore as expensive and ineffective as possible for those states that were in it. That’s why so many angry Right Wing state legislatures and governors refused to do anything to participate.
As Watters is unintentionally confirming here, the whole point to the Right Wing is that they don’t care about any of the people who aren’t covered. If that’s 50 million people, so what? If that’s 27 million people, who cares if those people get hurt or die? To the Right Wing, NONE of those people should have been helped here – and their hope is to see those people’s coverage dropped as soon as possible. To them, the idea is to show the rest of the country that “Yes We Can” doesn’t work and that you can never believe in the good a society can do. If they succeed in completely erasing the ACA, they will have taken a large step in one of their major goals – convincing the American public that we cannot accomplish anything collectively. (Which then will lead them to their next major goal – getting rid of the other social services and of course slashing taxes further for the wealthy.)
The Right Wing never wanted anyone to have any kind of service like this – their notion is that if you don’t have health coverage, that’s your problem. If your job doesn’t pay enough or offer any coverage, the Right Wing believes you should quit your job and find another one that does – and if there is no job that does, then you should work five jobs so that you can afford to self-insure. And if you can’t work five jobs, then they believe you should be quiet about your problems so they don’t have to hear it.
When President Obama pushed the ACA to try to get as many people covered as possible, the Right Wing’s response was to gum up the works as much as possible. They tried to talk it down, tried to obstruct it, tried to say that it was only covering a few people, and various other tactics. They got the public option removed, which dropped the effectiveness of the whole plan and then they worked to sabotage and kneecap the pieces that were left. They worked to keep as many states out of as much of the ACA as possible – specifically to keep the net it could extend as small as possible, and therefore as expensive and ineffective as possible for those states that were in it. That’s why so many angry Right Wing state legislatures and governors refused to do anything to participate.
As Watters is unintentionally confirming here, the whole point to the Right Wing is that they don’t care about any of the people who aren’t covered. If that’s 50 million people, so what? If that’s 27 million people, who cares if those people get hurt or die? To the Right Wing, NONE of those people should have been helped here – and their hope is to see those people’s coverage dropped as soon as possible. To them, the idea is to show the rest of the country that “Yes We Can” doesn’t work and that you can never believe in the good a society can do. If they succeed in completely erasing the ACA, they will have taken a large step in one of their major goals – convincing the American public that we cannot accomplish anything collectively. (Which then will lead them to their next major goal – getting rid of the other social services and of course slashing taxes further for the wealthy.)
Kevin Koster commented on Trump Is Obsessing Over Fox News’ Insufficient Loyalty
2019-08-02 02:49:24 -0400
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I strongly doubt that the Murdoch family will ever mess with the formula that has made them hundreds of millions of dollars – namely the exploitation of the deplorables and the other angry Right Wingers across America who think that the “lamestream” news channels aren’t telling it like it is. They had a chance to try and change course when Bill O’Reilly was forced out in disgrace and when both Megyn Kelly and Greta van Susteren quit. They could have tried to hire actual journalists and credible people to do their primetime shows. What did they do instead? They pushed Tucker Carlson and Laura Ingraham, two of the most discredited and extreme deplorables in the Right Wing mediaverse.
My instincts say that Fox News will likely stay as it is until their audience of primarily older viewers starts to dissipate.
My instincts say that Fox News will likely stay as it is until their audience of primarily older viewers starts to dissipate.
Kevin Koster commented on Tomi Lahren Issues Suspect Apology For Kamala Harris Smear
2019-08-02 02:44:25 -0400
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It is no accident that Lahren used this approach to viciously attack Kamala Harris, a politician the Right Wing has hated from the moment she had the temerity to speak up.
I have heard this exact same attack talking point used by angry Right Wingers, who are being fed this nonsense by Fox News and AM Radio in anticipation of her potentially rising higher. If she prevails and becomes the Dem nominee, you can guarantee that Mike Pence and his childish spokesman will immediately go to this talking point as their first shot. The implication is that they figure she has no actual ability and only got pushed up to this position because she was Willie Brown’s girlfriend once upon a time. In the event she is ever in a debate with Trump, you know he’ll slip this idea in somewhere to see if he can get a response.
When I responded to the Right Winger who tried this smear and reminded him of the actual facts, he laughed and smugly dismissed the truth, saying that nobody would care and that she was a lousy candidate and the Dems better hope she doesn’t get the nomination. (I note that this same response has been given to pretty much every Dem candidate by the Right Wing – they’re literally sharpening their butter knives for every one of them, hoping they can generate something close to the amount of bad odor they tried to gin up around Hillary Clinton. The difference now is that they don’t have 25 years of Right Wing media history to draw from with most of these candidates.)
The only mistake Lahren made here, if she even really made one, is that she got a little ahead of her skis. Fox News is waiting to see whether she gets any headway after the first few primaries before they start lobbing smear grenades like this one. Their hope is to embarrass her at a much deeper point in the campaign and then hopefully brand her with the smear as close to the election as possible. I strongly doubt anyone in the power structure at Fox News is angry at Lahren for repeating this talking point – they just don’t want her spoiling their strategy of how to use it.
I have heard this exact same attack talking point used by angry Right Wingers, who are being fed this nonsense by Fox News and AM Radio in anticipation of her potentially rising higher. If she prevails and becomes the Dem nominee, you can guarantee that Mike Pence and his childish spokesman will immediately go to this talking point as their first shot. The implication is that they figure she has no actual ability and only got pushed up to this position because she was Willie Brown’s girlfriend once upon a time. In the event she is ever in a debate with Trump, you know he’ll slip this idea in somewhere to see if he can get a response.
When I responded to the Right Winger who tried this smear and reminded him of the actual facts, he laughed and smugly dismissed the truth, saying that nobody would care and that she was a lousy candidate and the Dems better hope she doesn’t get the nomination. (I note that this same response has been given to pretty much every Dem candidate by the Right Wing – they’re literally sharpening their butter knives for every one of them, hoping they can generate something close to the amount of bad odor they tried to gin up around Hillary Clinton. The difference now is that they don’t have 25 years of Right Wing media history to draw from with most of these candidates.)
The only mistake Lahren made here, if she even really made one, is that she got a little ahead of her skis. Fox News is waiting to see whether she gets any headway after the first few primaries before they start lobbing smear grenades like this one. Their hope is to embarrass her at a much deeper point in the campaign and then hopefully brand her with the smear as close to the election as possible. I strongly doubt anyone in the power structure at Fox News is angry at Lahren for repeating this talking point – they just don’t want her spoiling their strategy of how to use it.
Kevin Koster commented on Trump Campaign Adviser Calls Any Minimum Wage ‘Anti-American’
2019-07-21 08:00:19 -0400
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It’s very interesting that the Right Wing just keeps shoving the discussion farther to the right and acting like they aren’t doing it.
The appropriate response is to note that Rives is simply repeating Right Wing propaganda talking points, to note that without a minimum wage, millions more Americans would be unable to eat or would be dependent on food stamps, and to note that the Right Wing is not the friend of the Middle or Working class anyway, given that they skyrocketed taxes on Middle Class employees while giving themselves and the rich a huge tax cut last year.
The appropriate response is to note that Rives is simply repeating Right Wing propaganda talking points, to note that without a minimum wage, millions more Americans would be unable to eat or would be dependent on food stamps, and to note that the Right Wing is not the friend of the Middle or Working class anyway, given that they skyrocketed taxes on Middle Class employees while giving themselves and the rich a huge tax cut last year.
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity Uses His Fox Show To Threaten Iran
2019-07-21 07:57:06 -0400
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I do have an explanation. Fox News is not an important broadcasting network. It is a propaganda operation masquerading as a news network. It employs amateurs like Hannity and O’Reilly and Carlson because it makes the base audience happy by slaking their hatred and anger.
Given that Hannity appears to be so excited about having a war with Iran, if he’s really that confident, then he should fly out immediately to Tehran to stand at ground zero to report on the bombs falling. A real man would do this, so of course Hannity should do it in a moment. He should be man enough to go to the front lines and stand there and be counted when the carnage happens. If not, he should not be given even a moment of anyone’s time or thoughts when he desperately waves his arms around like this.
Given that Hannity appears to be so excited about having a war with Iran, if he’s really that confident, then he should fly out immediately to Tehran to stand at ground zero to report on the bombs falling. A real man would do this, so of course Hannity should do it in a moment. He should be man enough to go to the front lines and stand there and be counted when the carnage happens. If not, he should not be given even a moment of anyone’s time or thoughts when he desperately waves his arms around like this.
Kevin Koster commented on Sen. Rand Paul: I Should Be ‘Loudly Cheered’ For Blocking 9/11 Victim Compensation Bill
2019-07-20 09:50:23 -0400
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Rand Paul has no moral or ethical high ground here. He voted for the Tax Transfer, which vindictively skyrocketed taxes on millions of Middle Class Americans so he could give a huge break to his donors and himself. He doesn’t get to then whine about how much it costs to provide medical care to emergency responders. He frankly should be ashamed of himself, and should be confronted about this at any point that he appears in public for the rest of his life.
Kevin Koster commented on Eric Trump Whopper: 95% Of America ‘Behind’ Trump’s ‘Go Back’ Tweets
2019-07-18 02:28:18 -0400
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There’s a bit to unpack here.
First, to the Pence White House and its childish spokesman, they don’t care about the views of most of the country – they only want to talk to their small base of maybe 30% of people who actually vote. To them, THAT is the country, so they’re probably correct when they say that 95% of that crowd totally agrees with Pence and his spokesman. (The other 5% of the deplorables are unhappy that Pence isn’t just filling buses with “illegals” and flat-out throwing them into the desert. But they’ll still tolerate another term for Pence, of course.)
Second, the idea of pollsters or aggregators skewing the numbers to depress votes is just Fox News projecting a common RIGHT WING tactic. Namely, the fun with Rasmussen every election cycle, where they tilt the numbers toward the GOP candidate in every race – both to generate false results and to drag down the overall numbers for the aggregators like 538. Which is why 538 regularly equalizes the tainted Rasmussen numbers before including them in their calculations. Rasmussen was caught red-handed messing with the numbers in 2012, when they predicted a Romney victory along with Gallup and were humiliated. Gallup responded by withdrawing from presidential campaign polling. Rasmussen responded by acting like it never happened and hoping nobody would notice. (And people should remember the nonsense about “Unskewed” polls in 2012 – when the Right Wing insisted that the REAL Americans weren’t being polled correctly because how could the numbers show approval and a lead for President Obama?)
The 2020 election frankly won’t be decided by the independents. It will be decided by the 2-3 million active Dem voters across the swing states who stayed home in 2016 and allowed Trump to squeak through with a minimal shelf of tiny majorities. If those Dems show up to vote in 2020, if they’ve learned their lesson about how elections really do have consequences, then Eric Trump will be able to complain about it all he wants on Trump TV while the rest of us clean up the mess that the Pence White House and its deplorable fans have made of our nation.
First, to the Pence White House and its childish spokesman, they don’t care about the views of most of the country – they only want to talk to their small base of maybe 30% of people who actually vote. To them, THAT is the country, so they’re probably correct when they say that 95% of that crowd totally agrees with Pence and his spokesman. (The other 5% of the deplorables are unhappy that Pence isn’t just filling buses with “illegals” and flat-out throwing them into the desert. But they’ll still tolerate another term for Pence, of course.)
Second, the idea of pollsters or aggregators skewing the numbers to depress votes is just Fox News projecting a common RIGHT WING tactic. Namely, the fun with Rasmussen every election cycle, where they tilt the numbers toward the GOP candidate in every race – both to generate false results and to drag down the overall numbers for the aggregators like 538. Which is why 538 regularly equalizes the tainted Rasmussen numbers before including them in their calculations. Rasmussen was caught red-handed messing with the numbers in 2012, when they predicted a Romney victory along with Gallup and were humiliated. Gallup responded by withdrawing from presidential campaign polling. Rasmussen responded by acting like it never happened and hoping nobody would notice. (And people should remember the nonsense about “Unskewed” polls in 2012 – when the Right Wing insisted that the REAL Americans weren’t being polled correctly because how could the numbers show approval and a lead for President Obama?)
The 2020 election frankly won’t be decided by the independents. It will be decided by the 2-3 million active Dem voters across the swing states who stayed home in 2016 and allowed Trump to squeak through with a minimal shelf of tiny majorities. If those Dems show up to vote in 2020, if they’ve learned their lesson about how elections really do have consequences, then Eric Trump will be able to complain about it all he wants on Trump TV while the rest of us clean up the mess that the Pence White House and its deplorable fans have made of our nation.
Kevin Koster commented on Plagiarizing Conspiracy Theorist And Fox Pundit Monica Crowley Getting A Top Job At Treasury Dept.
2019-07-18 02:19:22 -0400
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No surprise that the Pence White House wants a sycophant like Crowley to directly address the press about how well they want everyone to think they’ve done with the economy. And no surprise that they’re pulling their appointees from their public relations arm at Fox News.
I note for the record that for most people, the economy in general has continued to moderately improve as it did under President Obama, given that Pence inherited a growing economy that had modestly recovered from the huge Republican recession of 2008. (And he didn’t inherit a “mess” as falsely claimed by his childish spokesman) But I must also note that the Tax Transfer inflicted by the GOP has grievously injured millions of Middle Class employees and Blue State residents by raising their tax brackets and erasing their deductions. And the Pence people added injury to insult by messing with the withholding rates last year in a vain play to convince everyone they’d received a fantasy “tax cut” before the midterms.
The actual economic policies pursued by the Pence White House, including the Tax Transfer, the abandonment of multiple international agreements, and the constant infantile tantrums about how they want to inflict tariffs, are not helpful for long-term economic growth, despite the sugar high the wealthy and the corps are enjoying at the moment. But you’ll never hear that from a person as truth-challenged as Crowley.
I note for the record that for most people, the economy in general has continued to moderately improve as it did under President Obama, given that Pence inherited a growing economy that had modestly recovered from the huge Republican recession of 2008. (And he didn’t inherit a “mess” as falsely claimed by his childish spokesman) But I must also note that the Tax Transfer inflicted by the GOP has grievously injured millions of Middle Class employees and Blue State residents by raising their tax brackets and erasing their deductions. And the Pence people added injury to insult by messing with the withholding rates last year in a vain play to convince everyone they’d received a fantasy “tax cut” before the midterms.
The actual economic policies pursued by the Pence White House, including the Tax Transfer, the abandonment of multiple international agreements, and the constant infantile tantrums about how they want to inflict tariffs, are not helpful for long-term economic growth, despite the sugar high the wealthy and the corps are enjoying at the moment. But you’ll never hear that from a person as truth-challenged as Crowley.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox & Friends Adore Trump Tweets Telling U.S. Congresswomen ‘Go Back’ To ‘Crime Infested Places’ They Came From
2019-07-14 17:12:57 -0400
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Exhibit #12405 of things that angry Right Wingers will not be able to walk back after this miserable epoch of our history is finished. If the 2-3 million active Dem voters in the swing states can manage to show up next November, it will be shortly after that.
I frankly wonder why anyone gives even a moment of their time to this unimportant child Tweeter. He’s an embarrassment to the nation and to the world. It’s more important that we keep our eye on the acting president, Mike Pence, who is still involved in fairly unfortunate business while people are distracted by the infant with the cell phone.
I frankly wonder why anyone gives even a moment of their time to this unimportant child Tweeter. He’s an embarrassment to the nation and to the world. It’s more important that we keep our eye on the acting president, Mike Pence, who is still involved in fairly unfortunate business while people are distracted by the infant with the cell phone.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox’s Kooiman Can’t Understand Why Anyone Thinks Census Citizenship Question Is ‘Racially Or Politically Motivated’
2019-07-14 09:08:37 -0400
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Wow.
Okay, let’s straighten this one out, as Fox News and AM Radio are having fun trying to gaslight the whole thing.
First, as Ellen notes, the whole point of putting this question on the general census is to make sure that a bunch of Chicano residents do NOT fill it out, regardless of whether they are citizens. This is to help the Right Wing limit any representation those people get, and to cut as much funding as possible from those areas.
Second, the Right Wing is LYING when they say they’re just adding back on a question that was already there until 2010. In fact, the citizenship question has not been on the GENERAL census since around 1950. It was only put on after the Civil War as a way of intimidating former slaves and immigrants from participating. It went on and off, depending on the mood of the country, including the whole anti-immigrant mess we went through at the end of WWII. By the time we got to the modern age, the citizenship question was only given to a less-than-3% sample of the population, who were filling out a much longer and more complicated form. The Pence White House’s aim here is to put the citizenship tripwire into the general census so EVERYONE would have it – something that has not been the case for generations, and for good reason.
Third, Jessica Tarlov may be a wonderful person, but she knew what she was getting into when she took a paycheck from Fox News. I realize that even Jeff Cohen has done this at one point, but it’s still tarnished money. And it frankly hasn’t ended well for a single Dem who took that money, whether that be Dennis Kucinich, James Carville or Tamara Holder. I frankly wouldn’t recommend ANYONE take Fox’s offer, and I’d point them to actual news outlets instead.
Okay, let’s straighten this one out, as Fox News and AM Radio are having fun trying to gaslight the whole thing.
First, as Ellen notes, the whole point of putting this question on the general census is to make sure that a bunch of Chicano residents do NOT fill it out, regardless of whether they are citizens. This is to help the Right Wing limit any representation those people get, and to cut as much funding as possible from those areas.
Second, the Right Wing is LYING when they say they’re just adding back on a question that was already there until 2010. In fact, the citizenship question has not been on the GENERAL census since around 1950. It was only put on after the Civil War as a way of intimidating former slaves and immigrants from participating. It went on and off, depending on the mood of the country, including the whole anti-immigrant mess we went through at the end of WWII. By the time we got to the modern age, the citizenship question was only given to a less-than-3% sample of the population, who were filling out a much longer and more complicated form. The Pence White House’s aim here is to put the citizenship tripwire into the general census so EVERYONE would have it – something that has not been the case for generations, and for good reason.
Third, Jessica Tarlov may be a wonderful person, but she knew what she was getting into when she took a paycheck from Fox News. I realize that even Jeff Cohen has done this at one point, but it’s still tarnished money. And it frankly hasn’t ended well for a single Dem who took that money, whether that be Dennis Kucinich, James Carville or Tamara Holder. I frankly wouldn’t recommend ANYONE take Fox’s offer, and I’d point them to actual news outlets instead.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox Guest Calls It ‘Like Going To Heaven, Baby’ If You Have To Work Two Jobs Without Ever Retiring
2019-07-13 08:29:17 -0400
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Fox News is just pushing the usual Right Wing line on this stuff – which is to blame the individual if anything goes wrong in their life, and to sneer at people who are still working driving Uber at the age of 80 because they don’t have enough money to survive.
There is something to be said about saving your money and being frugal. There’s also something to be said about a culture that encourages everyone to BUY as much as they can, regardless of whether they can afford it. I do agree that individuals need to act with responsibility, but it’s mean to the point of viciousness to make the comments seen above about senior citizens who have been bankrupted by conditions way beyond their control. 50 years ago, it was possible to earn a decent pension and to have a solid retirement after working 20 years. These days, pensions are much rarer, something the Right Wing has made a point of causing. So people are more stuck on their own, and thus finding themselves working literally until they cannot stand up.
The Right Wing take on this is what is peddled by Dave Ramsey to millions every day:
1. Avoid All Debt.
2. Live on Cash.
3. Assume Wider Economic Trends Will Not Affect You. (Ramsey tells his listeners they can choose not to participate in a recession, as though that were an option)
4. When those Trends do Affect You, BLAME YOURSELF.
There is something to be said about saving your money and being frugal. There’s also something to be said about a culture that encourages everyone to BUY as much as they can, regardless of whether they can afford it. I do agree that individuals need to act with responsibility, but it’s mean to the point of viciousness to make the comments seen above about senior citizens who have been bankrupted by conditions way beyond their control. 50 years ago, it was possible to earn a decent pension and to have a solid retirement after working 20 years. These days, pensions are much rarer, something the Right Wing has made a point of causing. So people are more stuck on their own, and thus finding themselves working literally until they cannot stand up.
The Right Wing take on this is what is peddled by Dave Ramsey to millions every day:
1. Avoid All Debt.
2. Live on Cash.
3. Assume Wider Economic Trends Will Not Affect You. (Ramsey tells his listeners they can choose not to participate in a recession, as though that were an option)
4. When those Trends do Affect You, BLAME YOURSELF.
Kevin Koster commented on Ingraham Now Flaunts Her Then-Secret Role Shaping Trump Judicial Picks As Key To 2016 Win
2019-07-12 03:46:33 -0400
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Ingraham is undoubtedly in conversation with Pence, talking with the Pence White House throughout this miserable term. But she’s tooting her own horn a bit much here. The list she’s discussing was formulated by Heritage Action and the Federalist Society, two extreme Far Right judicial activist groups. What Ingraham did was cluck her approval of the gargoyles they were suggesting. She may have even suggested a couple of gargoyles herself. I’m sure Ingraham has been able to help convince Pence to really lean into this list, but it’s not like Pence wasn’t already committed to doing so.
Neither Gorsuch nor Kavanaugh were on the initial list. Gorsuch was added after he showboated on the infamous “Frozen Trucker” case and demonstrated that he was completely hostile to Labor. That, plus his family pedigree as the son of the notorious Anne Gorsuch, helped catapult him into the seat that the Right Wing stole from Merrick Garland and President Obama. As for Kavanaugh, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ingraham helped suggest him as a candidate and then pushed his name with Pence. Kavanaugh was long known to be an extremely craven partisan, who had distinguished himself as a rabid Clinton hater during the Lewinsky matter.
The question now is whether Clarence Thomas will cave to pressure. He’s been a lot more outspoken than ever before – particularly in stating that he doesn’t intend to retire. Kennedy said some of the same things before he suddenly caved, took the cash offer and announced his retirement last year. I have a suspicion that the Right Wing intends to have Thomas retire next spring, in the middle of the 2020 campaign. If that happens, they’d ram another Kavanaugh-type gargoyle through the Senate by September and smugly show off their now future-proofed Far Right Supreme Court a month before the election. The calculation is that this would completely demoralize the Dems and presumably dash their hopes enough for those swing state Dems to stay home again. I truly hope this does NOT happen – on either front, but knowing the cravenness of the Pence White House, I would recommend being prepared for it.
Neither Gorsuch nor Kavanaugh were on the initial list. Gorsuch was added after he showboated on the infamous “Frozen Trucker” case and demonstrated that he was completely hostile to Labor. That, plus his family pedigree as the son of the notorious Anne Gorsuch, helped catapult him into the seat that the Right Wing stole from Merrick Garland and President Obama. As for Kavanaugh, I wouldn’t be surprised if Ingraham helped suggest him as a candidate and then pushed his name with Pence. Kavanaugh was long known to be an extremely craven partisan, who had distinguished himself as a rabid Clinton hater during the Lewinsky matter.
The question now is whether Clarence Thomas will cave to pressure. He’s been a lot more outspoken than ever before – particularly in stating that he doesn’t intend to retire. Kennedy said some of the same things before he suddenly caved, took the cash offer and announced his retirement last year. I have a suspicion that the Right Wing intends to have Thomas retire next spring, in the middle of the 2020 campaign. If that happens, they’d ram another Kavanaugh-type gargoyle through the Senate by September and smugly show off their now future-proofed Far Right Supreme Court a month before the election. The calculation is that this would completely demoralize the Dems and presumably dash their hopes enough for those swing state Dems to stay home again. I truly hope this does NOT happen – on either front, but knowing the cravenness of the Pence White House, I would recommend being prepared for it.