Kevin Koster commented on Sean Hannity And Ann Coulter Are Having A Very Public Feud
2017-06-29 15:42:58 -0400
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Interesting that both of these people, who should happily be celebrating how good their lives are today, are instead frantically screaming at everyone else and now at each other.
I again must ask the question – what is making them so angry and so desperate?
I again must ask the question – what is making them so angry and so desperate?
Kevin Koster commented on Sarah Huckabee Sanders Defends Trump’s ‘Bleeding Facelift’ Tweet: He Felt Bullied
2017-06-29 15:39:40 -0400
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Doors is correct to note that this situation was almost certainly kicked off by Hannity’s attack on the MSNBC show last night. Trump regularly watches Hannity’s show and clearly picked up on the cue.
It’s frankly bizarre to watch Trump try to get away with saying that everyone else is bullying him when in fact his childish behavior for decades has been the very model of bullying. And it’s offensive for the Right Wing to try this kind of tactic. It’s bad enough that Trump’s behavior has emboldened hateful people across America (and the world), that we’ve had over 1000 hate actions inflicted by mean-spirited people who think they can get away with it while Pence runs the White House. But it really gets offensive to then hear the Right try to project their own viciousness onto the people who are trying to counter that hatred with reasoned thought.
And by the way, Hannity very much has been making it personal in his frantic attacks on Joe Scarborough. He spent his froth segment on Scarborough repeatedly calling him “Liberal Joe” – presumably this is Hannity’s way of jumping on the Trump/Limbaugh bullying insult train.
It’s frankly bizarre to watch Trump try to get away with saying that everyone else is bullying him when in fact his childish behavior for decades has been the very model of bullying. And it’s offensive for the Right Wing to try this kind of tactic. It’s bad enough that Trump’s behavior has emboldened hateful people across America (and the world), that we’ve had over 1000 hate actions inflicted by mean-spirited people who think they can get away with it while Pence runs the White House. But it really gets offensive to then hear the Right try to project their own viciousness onto the people who are trying to counter that hatred with reasoned thought.
And by the way, Hannity very much has been making it personal in his frantic attacks on Joe Scarborough. He spent his froth segment on Scarborough repeatedly calling him “Liberal Joe” – presumably this is Hannity’s way of jumping on the Trump/Limbaugh bullying insult train.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox Anchor Julie Banderas Tries To Blame Democrats For GOP Revolt Against Trumpcare
2017-06-29 18:26:26 -0400
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First, I’m glad to hear Ellen is okay. Wildfires are extremely dangerous and I’ve seen entire areas of Southern California ravaged by them.
Regarding the latest fun with the impending GOP repeal of the ACA, Rand Paul is now repeatedly throwing his delightful solution into the ring. He presented it as a brand new “breakthrough” idea yesterday on Fox News and tried that again today, but it’s the same thing he’s been saying for months. Namely, he wants the GOP to split up the “repeal” and “replace” notions into separate bills. To hear it from him, it will be much more reasonable this way, right? Because the GOP can have the repeal bill, which is what they all agree on and which the Dems won’t support, and the Dems and the weaker GOP members can have the spending bill, and that way both bills have a better chance, right?
Except that Paul is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. He knows very well that only the first bill will go through – the repeal, which he and the Right have desperately wanted from the moment that the ACA became law. The replacement bill would unquestionably bog down in endless debates, even if some Dems tried to jump in to offer ideas – but the GOP could not pass it on their own and the Dems would not likely go along with the more draconian ideas the GOP would include. So what Paul is actually trying to do is have his repeal and make it look like he’s “the reasonable person”.
And if he gets away with this move (something I actually find quite likely given Pence’s desperation to get something, anything through the Congress this year), Rand Paul will give the Hard Right a series of big wins:
1. They get rid of the ACA – and all the Right Wing congresspeople get to say they’ve finally lived up to that promise.
2. The Pence White House gets to claim a “win” for signing this bill into law and appearing to get something done.
3. The Pence White House and the entire Right Wing get to retroactively declare President Obama a total failure. (Expect the sneering Obama retrospectives to begin moments after a repeal bill is signed into law)
4. The Right Wing gets to punish the Dems and GOP members who supported the ACA or signed up for it – basically the bullying mode of “You shouldn’t have signed up for this in the first place because you don’t deserve it.”
5. Wealthier Right Wingers get a major tax break and no longer need to pay the ACA premiums that had been imposed.
6. Right Wingers get to make major cuts to Medicaid, as a precursor toward attacks on Medicare and Social Security. (The entire notion of turning Medicaid over to the states means that the program would inevitably need to be slashed to a tiny fraction of its current budget – because individual states could never support Medicaid, and that’s the point.)
7. When the “Replacement” bill fails to go anywhere, the Right Wing gets to blame the morass on the Dems, under the notion that “they’re not doing anything to help us provide health care”, which will hide the reality that the Right does not want any such bill to succeed.
So a Rand Paul splitting of the repeal and replace notions will absolutely do what Rand Paul and the Right Wing actually want here – namely, just get rid of the ACA in one swell foop. And that is where they’re heading, given their inability to get anything else done. But we shouldn’t fall for the flattering unctions Rand Paul would like us to believe about his actual thinking here.
Regarding the latest fun with the impending GOP repeal of the ACA, Rand Paul is now repeatedly throwing his delightful solution into the ring. He presented it as a brand new “breakthrough” idea yesterday on Fox News and tried that again today, but it’s the same thing he’s been saying for months. Namely, he wants the GOP to split up the “repeal” and “replace” notions into separate bills. To hear it from him, it will be much more reasonable this way, right? Because the GOP can have the repeal bill, which is what they all agree on and which the Dems won’t support, and the Dems and the weaker GOP members can have the spending bill, and that way both bills have a better chance, right?
Except that Paul is speaking out of both sides of his mouth. He knows very well that only the first bill will go through – the repeal, which he and the Right have desperately wanted from the moment that the ACA became law. The replacement bill would unquestionably bog down in endless debates, even if some Dems tried to jump in to offer ideas – but the GOP could not pass it on their own and the Dems would not likely go along with the more draconian ideas the GOP would include. So what Paul is actually trying to do is have his repeal and make it look like he’s “the reasonable person”.
And if he gets away with this move (something I actually find quite likely given Pence’s desperation to get something, anything through the Congress this year), Rand Paul will give the Hard Right a series of big wins:
1. They get rid of the ACA – and all the Right Wing congresspeople get to say they’ve finally lived up to that promise.
2. The Pence White House gets to claim a “win” for signing this bill into law and appearing to get something done.
3. The Pence White House and the entire Right Wing get to retroactively declare President Obama a total failure. (Expect the sneering Obama retrospectives to begin moments after a repeal bill is signed into law)
4. The Right Wing gets to punish the Dems and GOP members who supported the ACA or signed up for it – basically the bullying mode of “You shouldn’t have signed up for this in the first place because you don’t deserve it.”
5. Wealthier Right Wingers get a major tax break and no longer need to pay the ACA premiums that had been imposed.
6. Right Wingers get to make major cuts to Medicaid, as a precursor toward attacks on Medicare and Social Security. (The entire notion of turning Medicaid over to the states means that the program would inevitably need to be slashed to a tiny fraction of its current budget – because individual states could never support Medicaid, and that’s the point.)
7. When the “Replacement” bill fails to go anywhere, the Right Wing gets to blame the morass on the Dems, under the notion that “they’re not doing anything to help us provide health care”, which will hide the reality that the Right does not want any such bill to succeed.
So a Rand Paul splitting of the repeal and replace notions will absolutely do what Rand Paul and the Right Wing actually want here – namely, just get rid of the ACA in one swell foop. And that is where they’re heading, given their inability to get anything else done. But we shouldn’t fall for the flattering unctions Rand Paul would like us to believe about his actual thinking here.
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity Goes On An Unhinged Twitter Rampage Against CNN
2017-06-28 03:23:36 -0400
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Hannity’s desperation is showing now. He’s visibly sweating and frantic on camera, constantly screaming about anything he thinks that could threaten his friends in the Pence White House.
Part of this I would chalk up to his usual attempts at bullying, but there’s more going on here.
I would have thought that Hannity would be absolutely delighted with the current state of affairs, what with GOP Right Wingers in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, and with a potential for the Right to completely tilt the judiciary off the deep end on the Far Right. But Hannity isn’t happy at all – he’s fighting mad.
So this begs the question: What is making Hannity so angry? Why is he so frantic now? He’s been given everything he wanted, hasn’t he? Shouldn’t he be singing “Happy Days Are Here Again?”
Part of this I would chalk up to his usual attempts at bullying, but there’s more going on here.
I would have thought that Hannity would be absolutely delighted with the current state of affairs, what with GOP Right Wingers in control of the White House and both houses of Congress, and with a potential for the Right to completely tilt the judiciary off the deep end on the Far Right. But Hannity isn’t happy at all – he’s fighting mad.
So this begs the question: What is making Hannity so angry? Why is he so frantic now? He’s been given everything he wanted, hasn’t he? Shouldn’t he be singing “Happy Days Are Here Again?”
Kevin Koster commented on Fox & Friends Sides With Trump Over Colleagues In Press Briefings Restrictions
2017-06-26 15:43:14 -0400
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This was a notably smarmy edition of the show. Note the hosts’ obvious condescension toward Mason. And note that these guys don’t see Mason as representing their colleagues. Keep in mind that Fox News hosts and personnel are getting plenty of access to the Pence White House, including exclusive interviews with Trump and Pence, and regular access to pretty much anyone they want to talk to in the administration. It’s the other news organizations that are being shut out, and that’s the way the Right Wing wants it.
Now, during the time when Ed Henry was the head of the WHCA, he was given plenty of deferential interviews from Fox News where they cheered him on for repeatedly haranguing the Obama White House press secretaries with Right Wing talking points. If the Obama White House had inflicted this kind of press restriction, Fox News would have had a conniption fit like we’ve never seen, and Ed Henry would have been on every single Fox News show to decry this total assault on our democracy. But since it’s the Pence White House playing these games, Fox News is now on the side of the restrictors.
And let’s be clear as to why the Pence White House is trying to stop anyone from recording the press briefings. It has nothing to do with communicating any more clearly than before. It’s frankly about Sean Spicer’s complete failure to handle this job. From the beginning, Spicer has presented himself as an enraged kid brother to Trump, regularly screaming and jumping up and down to make himself look bigger and tougher to the other kids on the playground. It’s the equivalent of a cartoon where the strongman is reduced to miniature size and continues running around screaming in a high pitched voice to everyone’s amusement. Unfortunately for Spicer, his own inadequacy was exponentially magnified by Melissa McCarthy’s spot-on portrayal of him on SNL. So the country’s impression of Spicer (and these press briefings) has become a bit of a joke, and it’s clear that Trump is unhappy to see that happen. Where another White House would likely have just replaced Spicer with a competent person, the Pence White House is unable to admit mistakes, so they’ve doubled down. And they’ve had encouragement from Newt Gingrich, who advised them that they don’t even need to have these briefings anyway.
The concern of the Pence White House is really about not wanting the country to see too much of how this group is behaving, particularly with Trump constantly embarrassing himself on Twitter. A daily spectacle of Spicer yelling at the press and stumbling when called on his false statements was simply proving to be too much of a drag on their numbers, so the hope is that by getting Spicer off TV, they can somehow arrest their fall. Sadly for the Pence White House, this approach is being seen for what it is, no matter how hard they try to spin it.
Now, during the time when Ed Henry was the head of the WHCA, he was given plenty of deferential interviews from Fox News where they cheered him on for repeatedly haranguing the Obama White House press secretaries with Right Wing talking points. If the Obama White House had inflicted this kind of press restriction, Fox News would have had a conniption fit like we’ve never seen, and Ed Henry would have been on every single Fox News show to decry this total assault on our democracy. But since it’s the Pence White House playing these games, Fox News is now on the side of the restrictors.
And let’s be clear as to why the Pence White House is trying to stop anyone from recording the press briefings. It has nothing to do with communicating any more clearly than before. It’s frankly about Sean Spicer’s complete failure to handle this job. From the beginning, Spicer has presented himself as an enraged kid brother to Trump, regularly screaming and jumping up and down to make himself look bigger and tougher to the other kids on the playground. It’s the equivalent of a cartoon where the strongman is reduced to miniature size and continues running around screaming in a high pitched voice to everyone’s amusement. Unfortunately for Spicer, his own inadequacy was exponentially magnified by Melissa McCarthy’s spot-on portrayal of him on SNL. So the country’s impression of Spicer (and these press briefings) has become a bit of a joke, and it’s clear that Trump is unhappy to see that happen. Where another White House would likely have just replaced Spicer with a competent person, the Pence White House is unable to admit mistakes, so they’ve doubled down. And they’ve had encouragement from Newt Gingrich, who advised them that they don’t even need to have these briefings anyway.
The concern of the Pence White House is really about not wanting the country to see too much of how this group is behaving, particularly with Trump constantly embarrassing himself on Twitter. A daily spectacle of Spicer yelling at the press and stumbling when called on his false statements was simply proving to be too much of a drag on their numbers, so the hope is that by getting Spicer off TV, they can somehow arrest their fall. Sadly for the Pence White House, this approach is being seen for what it is, no matter how hard they try to spin it.
Kevin Koster commented on Unhinged Hannity Commands Trump Attorney: ‘I Want Hillary Prosecuted’
2017-06-26 14:57:08 -0400
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A couple of quick notes:
1. Hannity doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to legal matters. He likes citing whatever obscure statutes or sections of code because they sound very important and he thinks it makes him sound well-informed. But he doesn’t understand what those code sections actually mean, since they all work in concert with each other. Just citing a single bit of code never gives the full picture in governmental regulation. Comey made clear in his July presentation last year that the code section Hannity keeps desperately hyping doesn’t apply in context.
Hannity can hammer all he wants on his uninformed opinions, but prosecutors don’t pursue unprovable and unconvictable cases. In order for Hannity to get his way that the intent of Hillary Clinton doesn’t matter for a prosecution, you’d have to prove that she was so outrageously, ridiculously negligent that intent would be irrelevant. If it’s just a matter of whether she should have had a more secure server (and we don’t even know that anyone hacked it – while we do know that the Pentagon servers absolutely were hacked, and they had the same emails she did…), then it’s really not something that any Justice Dept lawyer would jump on if they have any common sense. It’s frankly too small-time and too petty.
2. On the other hand, given the pettiness and viciousness of the Pence White House, it is becoming much more likely that Jeff Sessions will go ahead with a prosecution of Bill and Hillary Clinton, most likely around both the server and the Clinton Foundation. There isn’t any real conviction to be obtained here, but it will at least give the Right Wing the perp walk they’ve long been hoping to see, and it would set them up for a drawn-out court battle during the midterms. As we discussed last year, this is political theater that the Pence White House desperately needs, if only to distract from Trump’s increasing unpopularity.
1. Hannity doesn’t know what he’s talking about when it comes to legal matters. He likes citing whatever obscure statutes or sections of code because they sound very important and he thinks it makes him sound well-informed. But he doesn’t understand what those code sections actually mean, since they all work in concert with each other. Just citing a single bit of code never gives the full picture in governmental regulation. Comey made clear in his July presentation last year that the code section Hannity keeps desperately hyping doesn’t apply in context.
Hannity can hammer all he wants on his uninformed opinions, but prosecutors don’t pursue unprovable and unconvictable cases. In order for Hannity to get his way that the intent of Hillary Clinton doesn’t matter for a prosecution, you’d have to prove that she was so outrageously, ridiculously negligent that intent would be irrelevant. If it’s just a matter of whether she should have had a more secure server (and we don’t even know that anyone hacked it – while we do know that the Pentagon servers absolutely were hacked, and they had the same emails she did…), then it’s really not something that any Justice Dept lawyer would jump on if they have any common sense. It’s frankly too small-time and too petty.
2. On the other hand, given the pettiness and viciousness of the Pence White House, it is becoming much more likely that Jeff Sessions will go ahead with a prosecution of Bill and Hillary Clinton, most likely around both the server and the Clinton Foundation. There isn’t any real conviction to be obtained here, but it will at least give the Right Wing the perp walk they’ve long been hoping to see, and it would set them up for a drawn-out court battle during the midterms. As we discussed last year, this is political theater that the Pence White House desperately needs, if only to distract from Trump’s increasing unpopularity.
Kevin Koster commented on Sen. Rand Paul Is Eager To Make Trumpcare Even More Heartless
2017-06-23 02:40:20 -0400
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Rand Paul would be happy to just use a Health Savings Account. He’s a very wealthy man and the idea would essentially be a tax break for him.
We need to remember that the purpose of these bills in the House and Senate has never been to help anyone receive healthcare or health insurance. The Right Wing very much agrees with Rand Paul on this – it’s your problem to take care of your hospital bills, not theirs. As far as they’re concerned, Cavuto’s little question is exactly their position – that there never should have been any program like this in the first place. And by the way, keep in mind that Rand Paul was already arguing to go for just the repeal first and then maybe see about what a replacement might look like, someday. When he discussed this three months ago, he wanted it to sound like he really was interested in a replacement while many of us knew he was lying through his teeth. What he just said in this interview confirms that he was lying in the earlier interviews. He has no intention of allowing ANY replacement through.
The purpose of these bills was always to simply erase the one legislative achievement of the Barack Obama presidency so that he could retroactively be declared a total failure, and so that they could punish the voters who’d had the temerity to support him. Apparently, the Right Wing got a little greedy here – they figured they could not only destroy the ACA but could get themselves a quick windfall at the same time. They just didn’t count on their own members’ conflicting agendas cancelling their work out. Some of the members are more bent on the revenge/punishment idea (like Paul) and others are more bent on getting a financial bonus as well.
It sounds from what we’re seeing today that the GOP will very likely not be able to get this bill through the Senate, as they’ll lose enough votes either way to stymie it.
Based on their conduct over the past seven months, I expect them to then simply go for repeal, as they all agree on that, which will allow them to at least try to declare some kind of a legislative achievement and victory. If it’s just repeal they’re after, they should be able to ram that directly through both Houses in record time and get it to Pence’s desk as we thought they would have done six months ago. If they have to fall back to this, as looks likely, I expect Trump to then blame the Dems for somehow not going along with this behavior, and if his poll numbers continue plummeting, we’ll likely start to hear more rumblings about indicting the Clintons as quickly as possible.
We need to remember that the purpose of these bills in the House and Senate has never been to help anyone receive healthcare or health insurance. The Right Wing very much agrees with Rand Paul on this – it’s your problem to take care of your hospital bills, not theirs. As far as they’re concerned, Cavuto’s little question is exactly their position – that there never should have been any program like this in the first place. And by the way, keep in mind that Rand Paul was already arguing to go for just the repeal first and then maybe see about what a replacement might look like, someday. When he discussed this three months ago, he wanted it to sound like he really was interested in a replacement while many of us knew he was lying through his teeth. What he just said in this interview confirms that he was lying in the earlier interviews. He has no intention of allowing ANY replacement through.
The purpose of these bills was always to simply erase the one legislative achievement of the Barack Obama presidency so that he could retroactively be declared a total failure, and so that they could punish the voters who’d had the temerity to support him. Apparently, the Right Wing got a little greedy here – they figured they could not only destroy the ACA but could get themselves a quick windfall at the same time. They just didn’t count on their own members’ conflicting agendas cancelling their work out. Some of the members are more bent on the revenge/punishment idea (like Paul) and others are more bent on getting a financial bonus as well.
It sounds from what we’re seeing today that the GOP will very likely not be able to get this bill through the Senate, as they’ll lose enough votes either way to stymie it.
Based on their conduct over the past seven months, I expect them to then simply go for repeal, as they all agree on that, which will allow them to at least try to declare some kind of a legislative achievement and victory. If it’s just repeal they’re after, they should be able to ram that directly through both Houses in record time and get it to Pence’s desk as we thought they would have done six months ago. If they have to fall back to this, as looks likely, I expect Trump to then blame the Dems for somehow not going along with this behavior, and if his poll numbers continue plummeting, we’ll likely start to hear more rumblings about indicting the Clintons as quickly as possible.
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity Unhinged: Dog Whistle To Violence Edition
2017-06-22 10:47:43 -0400
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The last two posts are truly puzzling. I have to assume the posters are trying to be funny.
One poster is actually trying to justify the discredited notion of birtherism and to relitigate a completely bigoted idea. The “birther” scam was a Right Wing invention, specifically intended to throw mud at a candidate that Right Wingers hate. The fact that someone would continue trying to foist this one in 2017 is a signal of how deep that hate goes. I suppose this poster’s hate is pure, since he is going to such lengths to lie about the situation.
The more recent poster is completely ignoring what Hannity is actually saying, and what is actually happening. Hannity’s comments are almost completely the opposite of the truth – occasionally he will find a couple of factual nuggets to twist into his spread of conspiracy theories, but the rest of it is completely discredited bunk. But I do agree with the more recent poster that the American people will not stand for the nonsense that Hannity and his friends are trying to play with these endless rants against the rest of the country. And if Hannity and his supporters continue to advocate for violence, they will find that tends to result in arrests and prosecutions.
One poster is actually trying to justify the discredited notion of birtherism and to relitigate a completely bigoted idea. The “birther” scam was a Right Wing invention, specifically intended to throw mud at a candidate that Right Wingers hate. The fact that someone would continue trying to foist this one in 2017 is a signal of how deep that hate goes. I suppose this poster’s hate is pure, since he is going to such lengths to lie about the situation.
The more recent poster is completely ignoring what Hannity is actually saying, and what is actually happening. Hannity’s comments are almost completely the opposite of the truth – occasionally he will find a couple of factual nuggets to twist into his spread of conspiracy theories, but the rest of it is completely discredited bunk. But I do agree with the more recent poster that the American people will not stand for the nonsense that Hannity and his friends are trying to play with these endless rants against the rest of the country. And if Hannity and his supporters continue to advocate for violence, they will find that tends to result in arrests and prosecutions.
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity’s Attacks On Shakespeare Play Shows His Love For Free Speech Is As Sincere As His Pledge To Be Waterboarded
2017-06-22 04:14:51 -0400
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I’m honestly confused by FutureDanger’s post.
Is he saying that the Right Wing’s tantrum about this play is not free speech? Is he saying that they don’t have the right to embarrass themselves as they’ve been doing? I believe they do have that right, but that everyone else has the right to call them out for their childish behavior. And if they try to physically disrupt the performances or attack the performers, as they have done, then they should be arrested for assault, among other crimes.
I’m also confused as to what he thinks he’s saying about the quality of Shakespeare’s text for The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The play has been considered a classic for centuries and is part of a rotating group of Shakespearean classics that regularly are presented at schools, festivals and repertory theaters all over the world. I don’t remember anyone referring to it as a “rotten play before”. Or does he mean that he believes the frantic Trump supporters now think this text is rotten?
Is he saying that the Right Wing’s tantrum about this play is not free speech? Is he saying that they don’t have the right to embarrass themselves as they’ve been doing? I believe they do have that right, but that everyone else has the right to call them out for their childish behavior. And if they try to physically disrupt the performances or attack the performers, as they have done, then they should be arrested for assault, among other crimes.
I’m also confused as to what he thinks he’s saying about the quality of Shakespeare’s text for The Tragedy of Julius Caesar. The play has been considered a classic for centuries and is part of a rotating group of Shakespearean classics that regularly are presented at schools, festivals and repertory theaters all over the world. I don’t remember anyone referring to it as a “rotten play before”. Or does he mean that he believes the frantic Trump supporters now think this text is rotten?
Kevin Koster commented on Fox’s Ainsley Earhardt Exploits Death Of Otto Warmbier To Smear Obama And Glorify Trump
2017-06-20 22:50:53 -0400
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It’s not a surprise that Trump and his acolytes would spend this week viciously trying to blame Warmbier’s death on President Obama. Remember that as far as they’re concerned, everything negative needs to be blamed on the Obama years, and anything positive needs to be attributed to the Pence White House. It’s nonsensical grade school taunting (“I know you are, but what am I?”), and it’s what we can continue to expect during the Year of the Bully and the time of Trump.
I think we also need to keep in mind what really happened with Otto Warmbier. His death was a horrible tragedy that could have been avoided, but there wasn’t a whole lot that the Obama Administration could do at the time he was convicted and sentenced. Particularly with the GOP repeatedly trying to undercut them on every single move they made – including sending contradictory letters to Iran to try to stop that (soon to be cancelled) treaty from happening.
And this conviction happened under fairly embarrassing circumstances for Warmbier. I don’t believe most of his public statement, as he was clearly under pressure to say whatever they wanted him to – but there was never a thought that he was inaccurately charged. The issue was that he was wildly overprosecuted and oversentenced. The North Koreans clearly wanted to make an example of him – telling Americans if you come to their country and disrespect the place, there will be a terrible penalty. It is tragic that he suffered the brain injury, and the indications are that once this injury occurred, it was pretty much over for him. I wish they would have returned his body earlier, but it’s not hard to understand why they didn’t.
Either way, this didn’t happen because Barack Obama was President when Warmbier was arrested.
I think we also need to keep in mind what really happened with Otto Warmbier. His death was a horrible tragedy that could have been avoided, but there wasn’t a whole lot that the Obama Administration could do at the time he was convicted and sentenced. Particularly with the GOP repeatedly trying to undercut them on every single move they made – including sending contradictory letters to Iran to try to stop that (soon to be cancelled) treaty from happening.
And this conviction happened under fairly embarrassing circumstances for Warmbier. I don’t believe most of his public statement, as he was clearly under pressure to say whatever they wanted him to – but there was never a thought that he was inaccurately charged. The issue was that he was wildly overprosecuted and oversentenced. The North Koreans clearly wanted to make an example of him – telling Americans if you come to their country and disrespect the place, there will be a terrible penalty. It is tragic that he suffered the brain injury, and the indications are that once this injury occurred, it was pretty much over for him. I wish they would have returned his body earlier, but it’s not hard to understand why they didn’t.
Either way, this didn’t happen because Barack Obama was President when Warmbier was arrested.
Kevin Koster commented on Laura Ingraham’s Fox Friends Encourage Her To Become White House Press Secretary
2017-06-20 22:40:00 -0400
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Laura Ingraham has no business even thinking about being a Press Secretary.
This is a woman who thought it a fun idea to taunt Ben Jacobs after he was assaulted by Carl Gianforte in Montana with the Tweet: “Did someone get his lunch money stolen and need to go tell the recess monitor?”
If she is put in a room full of reporters, she must be told to apologize for her prior behavior and to specifically apologize in public to Jacobs. If she can’t figure out how to do that, then she shouldn’t be going anywhere near the White House Press Room.
This is a woman who thought it a fun idea to taunt Ben Jacobs after he was assaulted by Carl Gianforte in Montana with the Tweet: “Did someone get his lunch money stolen and need to go tell the recess monitor?”
If she is put in a room full of reporters, she must be told to apologize for her prior behavior and to specifically apologize in public to Jacobs. If she can’t figure out how to do that, then she shouldn’t be going anywhere near the White House Press Room.
Kevin Koster commented on Georgia Special Election Open Thread
2017-06-22 04:08:17 -0400
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Ellen, I truly wish we could conceive of the notion of a Democratic House by January 2019, but it’s simply not going to happen. Silver is correct that due to the Right Wing gerrymandering, there really won’t be many seats that flip. It will move toward the Dems, but I honestly doubt that it will even be a dozen, particularly if the Dems only look at seats in easy states like California or New Jersey.
Frankly, the best strategy for the Dems is to continue to present a principled, resolved opposition, and to bring their case directly to the American people, particularly to the millions of Obama voters who refused to vote in 2016 and thus handed the outcome to the minority of voters who rabidly supported something like Trump.
The 2018 midterms will likely be the most expensive midterm election in history, and the Dems should not be scared of this. They should aggressively go after every single Republican seat, especially in the swing states, no matter how Red they appear. This means that there will be at least 50 hotly contested seats, if not more – and the Dems should be prepared to spend heavily in these districts. Because as we saw in Georgia, the Right Wing will heavily spend as well. The Right Wing is happily gloating that Dem funders put in 30 million dollars but they’re leaving out that the GOP threw in at least 24 million and likely more, given that high-end Right Wingers were heavily supporting Karen Handel to desperately try to hold the Dems off. So in 2018, the Dems will likely need to spend up to a billion dollars and they need to be prepared to do so. Because this means that the GOP will need to spend up to a billion dollars to keep those seats, and they won’t be able to keep all of them.
And while that fight is brewing in the House, the Dems can focus on the real battle – for the Senate, where they will need to hold their seats and add three more. Given the viciousness of the Pence White House and the inability of the Right Wing Congress to get a single thing accomplished, one would think multiple grassroots Dem candidates from multiple states could break through to get the Dems back to a 51 or 52 seat majority – enough to make sure that the Pence White House won’t be throwing any further judicial appointments to Far Right ideologues from Heritage Action’s infamous list.
The result of this election shouldn’t be surprising, but it should be heartening for the Dems. This is a heavily Red district where Tom Price easily won his seat in the double digits just 7 months ago. This week, that seat was heavily contested, even with the Dem candidate not even living in the district! This should not have been a contest – Handel should have easily won by the same double digits as Price. It’s quite telling that it took 24 million dollars and the most rabid Trump fans to barely get her the seat.
I think it’s a good idea for the Dems to do some soul searching at this point. They need to do that before the midterms, and it will lead to a stronger outcome for them – as well as help to indicate who the grassroots candidate will be that they’ll be pushing in 2020. And they’ll need to do the simple work over the next two years to gain seats in the state legislatures and local town councils to make sure that the 2020 Census can correct the mistakes of the one we had 7 years ago.
Frankly, the best strategy for the Dems is to continue to present a principled, resolved opposition, and to bring their case directly to the American people, particularly to the millions of Obama voters who refused to vote in 2016 and thus handed the outcome to the minority of voters who rabidly supported something like Trump.
The 2018 midterms will likely be the most expensive midterm election in history, and the Dems should not be scared of this. They should aggressively go after every single Republican seat, especially in the swing states, no matter how Red they appear. This means that there will be at least 50 hotly contested seats, if not more – and the Dems should be prepared to spend heavily in these districts. Because as we saw in Georgia, the Right Wing will heavily spend as well. The Right Wing is happily gloating that Dem funders put in 30 million dollars but they’re leaving out that the GOP threw in at least 24 million and likely more, given that high-end Right Wingers were heavily supporting Karen Handel to desperately try to hold the Dems off. So in 2018, the Dems will likely need to spend up to a billion dollars and they need to be prepared to do so. Because this means that the GOP will need to spend up to a billion dollars to keep those seats, and they won’t be able to keep all of them.
And while that fight is brewing in the House, the Dems can focus on the real battle – for the Senate, where they will need to hold their seats and add three more. Given the viciousness of the Pence White House and the inability of the Right Wing Congress to get a single thing accomplished, one would think multiple grassroots Dem candidates from multiple states could break through to get the Dems back to a 51 or 52 seat majority – enough to make sure that the Pence White House won’t be throwing any further judicial appointments to Far Right ideologues from Heritage Action’s infamous list.
The result of this election shouldn’t be surprising, but it should be heartening for the Dems. This is a heavily Red district where Tom Price easily won his seat in the double digits just 7 months ago. This week, that seat was heavily contested, even with the Dem candidate not even living in the district! This should not have been a contest – Handel should have easily won by the same double digits as Price. It’s quite telling that it took 24 million dollars and the most rabid Trump fans to barely get her the seat.
I think it’s a good idea for the Dems to do some soul searching at this point. They need to do that before the midterms, and it will lead to a stronger outcome for them – as well as help to indicate who the grassroots candidate will be that they’ll be pushing in 2020. And they’ll need to do the simple work over the next two years to gain seats in the state legislatures and local town councils to make sure that the 2020 Census can correct the mistakes of the one we had 7 years ago.
Kevin Koster commented on Fox Host And Corrupt Politico Tom DeLay Blame The Left For Scalise Shooting
2017-06-17 22:28:12 -0400
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DeLay’s comments here are a vicious lie, and they really can’t be allowed to stand without being immediately refuted.
If DeLay wants to know about the wave of hatred and anger sweeping this country, he could start by looking at the devastating reports from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the over 1370 documented hate actions that happened since Trump squeaked into office last November. He could also look at the constant stream of viciousness and hostility coming from the Pence White House, and the triumphant gloating that sadly seems to follow each instance. He could look at the behavior of Trump supporters around the country in harassing people in stores and restaurants, as has repeatedly been documented over the past 7 months, not to mention the vast amounts of hatred unleashed by Trump’s notorious rallies last year.
DeLay wants to throw mud at UC Berkeley and say that the riots that happened there are a Dem “strategy”. Try that again. First, nobody tore any buildings down in Berkeley, and nobody in Berkeley ever told a Right Winger that they had no right to speak. There was a riot in Berkeley in February after Milo Yiannopoulos attempted to pull a nasty maneuver at a speaking event, where he made clear he was going to read off a list of “illegal aliens” supposedly living and working in Berkeley and then tell his audience to contact ICE. Angry protestors in the Black Bloc group (now called Antifa) made clear they weren’t having this, and they proceeded to set fires and break windows to disrupt his event before he could do it. I don’t condone their behavior, but I do understand why they were motivated to stop him – he wasn’t trying to exercise free speech, but was instead trying to be outrageous as is his usual approach. The big riot that happened in mid-April was not a Dem “strategy” but was the result of angry Right Wing hate groups coming to Berkeley (including open Nazis) to pull an in-your-face demonstration of their anger at everyone else. Left wing groups like Antifa were drawn in to confront them, and the two wound up having it out in public. Take out the White Nationalists and the Nazis and their publicly announced attempts to sneer at everyone else, and you would not have had any real issue at the pro-Trump rally. It was when Identity Europa and the rest got involved that the situation went south.
It would seem that DeLay and Fox News aren’t satisfied to watch the Right Wing attempt to bully the rest of the country. Apparently, DeLay wants to make sure everyone else submits to being kicked in the face without having any response.
It might help if any of these people would look into why over the past few years, we are seeing more and more of these angry white men acting out in public with automatic weapons? Could it have something to do with a tide of negativity fomented by Right Wing talk radio and outlets like Fox News? Could it have anything to do with this country’s inability to acknowledge or deal with continuing issues of mental illness, racial disparities and extreme division between communities? Could anything be said about the Right Wing’s absolute refusal to understand that something needs to be done about how easy it is for these disturbed individuals to get their hands on automatic weapons? It is no small irony that Scalise himself was a huge opponent of any kind of gun control.
If DeLay wants to know about the wave of hatred and anger sweeping this country, he could start by looking at the devastating reports from the Southern Poverty Law Center and the over 1370 documented hate actions that happened since Trump squeaked into office last November. He could also look at the constant stream of viciousness and hostility coming from the Pence White House, and the triumphant gloating that sadly seems to follow each instance. He could look at the behavior of Trump supporters around the country in harassing people in stores and restaurants, as has repeatedly been documented over the past 7 months, not to mention the vast amounts of hatred unleashed by Trump’s notorious rallies last year.
DeLay wants to throw mud at UC Berkeley and say that the riots that happened there are a Dem “strategy”. Try that again. First, nobody tore any buildings down in Berkeley, and nobody in Berkeley ever told a Right Winger that they had no right to speak. There was a riot in Berkeley in February after Milo Yiannopoulos attempted to pull a nasty maneuver at a speaking event, where he made clear he was going to read off a list of “illegal aliens” supposedly living and working in Berkeley and then tell his audience to contact ICE. Angry protestors in the Black Bloc group (now called Antifa) made clear they weren’t having this, and they proceeded to set fires and break windows to disrupt his event before he could do it. I don’t condone their behavior, but I do understand why they were motivated to stop him – he wasn’t trying to exercise free speech, but was instead trying to be outrageous as is his usual approach. The big riot that happened in mid-April was not a Dem “strategy” but was the result of angry Right Wing hate groups coming to Berkeley (including open Nazis) to pull an in-your-face demonstration of their anger at everyone else. Left wing groups like Antifa were drawn in to confront them, and the two wound up having it out in public. Take out the White Nationalists and the Nazis and their publicly announced attempts to sneer at everyone else, and you would not have had any real issue at the pro-Trump rally. It was when Identity Europa and the rest got involved that the situation went south.
It would seem that DeLay and Fox News aren’t satisfied to watch the Right Wing attempt to bully the rest of the country. Apparently, DeLay wants to make sure everyone else submits to being kicked in the face without having any response.
It might help if any of these people would look into why over the past few years, we are seeing more and more of these angry white men acting out in public with automatic weapons? Could it have something to do with a tide of negativity fomented by Right Wing talk radio and outlets like Fox News? Could it have anything to do with this country’s inability to acknowledge or deal with continuing issues of mental illness, racial disparities and extreme division between communities? Could anything be said about the Right Wing’s absolute refusal to understand that something needs to be done about how easy it is for these disturbed individuals to get their hands on automatic weapons? It is no small irony that Scalise himself was a huge opponent of any kind of gun control.
Kevin Koster commented on Mike Huckabee Suggests Washington Post Reporting Comes From 'Russia Fake News'
2017-06-16 14:57:01 -0400
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What a surprise. Mike Huckabee is following the lead of his buddies at the Pence White House in using childish nicknames and trying to bully the press.
One has to wonder if these people understand that their behavior is being preserved for the record and that they won’t be able to walk this stuff back in another couple of years when they’re trying to deny they did it.
One has to wonder if these people understand that their behavior is being preserved for the record and that they won’t be able to walk this stuff back in another couple of years when they’re trying to deny they did it.
Kevin Koster commented on Laura Ingraham Makes Jeff Sessions’ Testimony About Susan Rice
2017-06-14 22:36:49 -0400
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The actual story that came out from Sessions’ embarrassing collapse yesterday is that he either knows shockingly little for a sitting Attorney General or he was only willing to say shockingly little. Nearly all of his answers were filibusters intended to run the clock out on his questioners without actually saying anything. It was enough to make one wonder why he even wanted to appear at the Senate if he wasn’t going to say anything.
Regarding Laura Ingraham, she lost any moral standing she had purported to have when she gave this response to Carl Gianforte’s vicious assault on Ben Jacobs: “Did anyone get his lunch money stolen today and then run to tell the recess monitor?”
Regarding Laura Ingraham, she lost any moral standing she had purported to have when she gave this response to Carl Gianforte’s vicious assault on Ben Jacobs: “Did anyone get his lunch money stolen today and then run to tell the recess monitor?”
Kevin Koster commented on Tucker Carlson: Some Guests Are ‘Abortion Enthusiasts’
2017-06-14 22:27:52 -0400
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I think what’s happening here is that Carlson is realizing that he has no hope of reaching the ratings numbers of O’Reilly and that there is a real chance he may not have this show in another year if he doesn’t improve. So he is trying more and more desperate swipes for attention – this being one of the nastier attempts.
I actually feel a bit sorry for Carlson. He was never really cut out for this position and he hasn’t known what to do with it. My instincts say that the Murdochs will want to overhaul this primetime lineup next year before the midterms, given that they are now losing to the other networks and the audience they lost over the past year doesn’t show any signs of returning.
I actually feel a bit sorry for Carlson. He was never really cut out for this position and he hasn’t known what to do with it. My instincts say that the Murdochs will want to overhaul this primetime lineup next year before the midterms, given that they are now losing to the other networks and the audience they lost over the past year doesn’t show any signs of returning.
Kevin Koster commented on Newt Gingrich Refuses To ‘Rise Above’ Scalise Shooting And Stop Using It To Ratchet Up Political Hostilities
2017-06-14 22:20:04 -0400
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Gingrich is just saying the same things most of the Right Wing media are. The fun began with Rush Limbaugh attacking Nancy Pelosi’s comments this morning when she said she was praying for everyone and included both Obama and Trump in her comments. Limbaugh and his listeners decided that would be a great time to pile on the sneering and the viciousness. If anything, Gingrich is actually being more polite than Limbaugh.
The Right Wing response to this event has been to try to duck the whole issue of gun control and respin the whole thing as something about the “deranged Left”. It’s both shameful and depressing at the same time.
It is nonsensical to think that the Public Theater’s production of Julius Caesar had anything to do with this event, particularly since that that play is actually a treatise against violence. Anyone who actually follows Shakespearean theater knows that JC is done multiple times every year around this country and it’s a regular thing for it to be staged in modern dress with a modern figurehead at the center. Ellen correctly notes it was done at the Guthrie in 2012 with an Obama figure at the center, in a production that Delta had no problems sponsoring. I note that Oskar Eustis (the director of this new show with a Trump figurehead) also did a Julius Caesar that I saw at Berkeley Shakespeare Festival in 1988, which was set in the early 1960s with a JFK figure at the center and one line of iambic replaced with “the best and the brightest” as the conspirators go off to kill Caesar. It is interesting that someone like Gingrich, who purports to be a scholar, simply doesn’t understand the play or its history.
If there is a connection to be made in today’s events, it would be to the many, many public shootings we are continuing to endure. Nearly all of them involve a white male who has isolated himself from society and armed himself with military-grade weapons and ammunition. A friend of mine wrote an analysis of this today, noting that we’re seeing a series of horrifying moments where the angry white man who feels disempowered will act out in a violent and murderous fashion. She sees it as a response to the fact that white men don’t have all the privilege in society of late, and their frustration is manifesting in multiple outlets, usually including violence. The various shooters and murderers we have seen are all angry, sociopathic people, who’ve usually had their paranoias reinforced by one area of the media or another. These days, it seems to come from social media and various internet memes. It’s why someone like Alex Jones is popular among a lot of gullible people – he provides an easy narrative to why their lives aren’t what they hoped, and he provides easy scapegoats. The shooter in this case appears to have glommed on to one part of the Sanders message (the system is corrupt) but not have listened to anything else Sanders was trying to say.
The situation we have seen today is truly a sad one – reflecting this country’s inability to deal the mentally ill or to get any kind of handle on how a disturbed person can get his hands on automatic weapons and ammo. That’s the real discussion that needs to happen – not some cheap shots from Right Wingers trying to score points from the misery of others.
The Right Wing response to this event has been to try to duck the whole issue of gun control and respin the whole thing as something about the “deranged Left”. It’s both shameful and depressing at the same time.
It is nonsensical to think that the Public Theater’s production of Julius Caesar had anything to do with this event, particularly since that that play is actually a treatise against violence. Anyone who actually follows Shakespearean theater knows that JC is done multiple times every year around this country and it’s a regular thing for it to be staged in modern dress with a modern figurehead at the center. Ellen correctly notes it was done at the Guthrie in 2012 with an Obama figure at the center, in a production that Delta had no problems sponsoring. I note that Oskar Eustis (the director of this new show with a Trump figurehead) also did a Julius Caesar that I saw at Berkeley Shakespeare Festival in 1988, which was set in the early 1960s with a JFK figure at the center and one line of iambic replaced with “the best and the brightest” as the conspirators go off to kill Caesar. It is interesting that someone like Gingrich, who purports to be a scholar, simply doesn’t understand the play or its history.
If there is a connection to be made in today’s events, it would be to the many, many public shootings we are continuing to endure. Nearly all of them involve a white male who has isolated himself from society and armed himself with military-grade weapons and ammunition. A friend of mine wrote an analysis of this today, noting that we’re seeing a series of horrifying moments where the angry white man who feels disempowered will act out in a violent and murderous fashion. She sees it as a response to the fact that white men don’t have all the privilege in society of late, and their frustration is manifesting in multiple outlets, usually including violence. The various shooters and murderers we have seen are all angry, sociopathic people, who’ve usually had their paranoias reinforced by one area of the media or another. These days, it seems to come from social media and various internet memes. It’s why someone like Alex Jones is popular among a lot of gullible people – he provides an easy narrative to why their lives aren’t what they hoped, and he provides easy scapegoats. The shooter in this case appears to have glommed on to one part of the Sanders message (the system is corrupt) but not have listened to anything else Sanders was trying to say.
The situation we have seen today is truly a sad one – reflecting this country’s inability to deal the mentally ill or to get any kind of handle on how a disturbed person can get his hands on automatic weapons and ammo. That’s the real discussion that needs to happen – not some cheap shots from Right Wingers trying to score points from the misery of others.
Kevin Koster commented on Lewandowski: ‘By Every Measure,’ Trump Admin ‘Has Been Successful’
2017-06-05 00:29:47 -0400
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This is a fascinating look into a completely alternate reality. It must be nice to live in the world Lewandowski inhabits. I do hope that when the reality comes crashing down next November and in 2020, it won’t completely leave him dispirited.
The Pence White House as a great success? By ‘every measure’? Was he planning on including any of the metrics that anyone else uses? How about how Trump’s popularity (and that of Congress) is historically low? How about how most of the country does not trust what this White House says and does not think their racist and bullying behaviors are making anyone anything but less safe?
Lewandowski wants to cite the Supreme Court situation? That’s not a success for the Pence White House – it’s a black eye on the Senate, as inflicted by Mitch McConnell and the Right Wing, who made a point of shirking their responsibilities for a solid year and then celebrated when they were able to steal a Supreme Court seat. It’s true that Pence had Trump name one of the viciously Far Right names from the second variation of the Heritage Action list of approved partisan judges, but the real legwork on this was done by McConnell – whose own legacy will be the way he diminished the Senate and soiled the reputation and credibility of that institution. When people look back on the decline of US politics in the early 21st century, they’ll be able to cite McConnell as one of the truly nasty pieces of work responsible for much of the acrimony. But even if you want to cite the theft of the seat as a “success”, the person responsible for the heist wasn’t in the Pence White House, and they don’t get to take that credit.
It is true that Trump was able to see Aya Hijazi and her husband released by Egypt, after years of attempts by the Obama administration did not get her out. Of course, we don’t know what other back channel discussions got this done, nor do we know what promises were made to Egypt. We do know that when the Obama administration got several prisoners released by other nations, the Right Wing would immediately accuse him of bribery and of any criminal action or intent they could conceive. I am assuming based on Lewandowski’s statements here that he is now prepared to acknowledge Obama’s leadership in repeatedly getting multiple prisoners released across the Middle East and that the Pence White House is preparing an apology to President Obama for their unfortunate statements about those releases during last year’s campaign.
As for the notion of the economy booming, I’m certain that Lewandowski is prepared to thank President Obama for that, although he and Trump were castigating the economy at similar levels last year. And at the same time, when Obama would get numbers close to 200K new jobs, Trump and the Right would regularly say that those numbers should be quadrupled. So if anything, the Pence White House is actually coming in at maybe half the number that would actually signify major job growth.
So what actually has the Pence White House accomplished since January 21? Well, Pence has had Trump sign a bunch of Executive Orders – something that Trump had castigated President Obama for doing, primarily to erase those earlier EO’s from the record. The Pence White House has announced various forms of bullying and meanness both toward their political opponents and toward the world. The Pence White House has repeatedly stated obvious falsehoods, about everything from the intentions of their budget cuts to the way Trump lost the popular vote last year to the reasons for Trump’s impulsive firing of the head of the FBI to the size of the crowd at his inauguration. The Pence White House has embarrassed the nation and itself to the world, both with Trump’s disastrous and bullying voyage across Europe (including his horrifying shoving aside of another head of state) and with Trump’s gloating demeanor about the whole thing.
Of course, the Pence White House hasn’t actually done all that has planned to do yet. Pence did have Trump make the long-awaited announcement that the US would retreat from the world stage and abandon even the pretense of working to address global warming. And Pence did supervise the first stage of Congress’ attempt to get rid of the ACA, although that’s still mired in a Senate committee. And Pence did get an announcement out about how the US will be abandoning the Cuban rapprochement that had literally just happened between Obama and the Cubans. But all of that could have been done on January 21, and it’s bizarre that the Pence White House has failed to move very quickly on this stuff. Pence could have completely shut down the ACA on January 21 by stopping the subsidies for the insurers – that would have collapsed all the exchanges and we’d be where the GOP has wanted for nearly a decade: back before the ACA’s passing with an additional 25 million people uninsured and unable to get coverage. Pence could have had Trump announce on January 21 that the US was walking away from every single treaty made by President Obama, including the Paris Accord, the Iran Treaty and the Cuban talks, and it all would have been over by now.
And that’s not even to mention the Muslim ban, which Pence hasn’t been able to get past the courts, and which even this Supreme Court is unlikely to uphold given all of Trump and company’s statements about its purpose.
On the other hand, I do need to acknowledge that the Pence White House has been successful in a few things – namely in alienating and angering the majority of the electorate who did not choose to have these people in executive office. And the Pence White House has been unintentionally successful in mobilizing those voters, which is likely to have much more positive impacts for the nation and the world in another 18 months. And it’s frankly quite possible that the Pence White House’s viciousness towards our health care system is likely to make Single Payer a reality a lot earlier than many people thought possible. So I would term that a success – but I’m not sure that the Pence White House would agree…
The Pence White House as a great success? By ‘every measure’? Was he planning on including any of the metrics that anyone else uses? How about how Trump’s popularity (and that of Congress) is historically low? How about how most of the country does not trust what this White House says and does not think their racist and bullying behaviors are making anyone anything but less safe?
Lewandowski wants to cite the Supreme Court situation? That’s not a success for the Pence White House – it’s a black eye on the Senate, as inflicted by Mitch McConnell and the Right Wing, who made a point of shirking their responsibilities for a solid year and then celebrated when they were able to steal a Supreme Court seat. It’s true that Pence had Trump name one of the viciously Far Right names from the second variation of the Heritage Action list of approved partisan judges, but the real legwork on this was done by McConnell – whose own legacy will be the way he diminished the Senate and soiled the reputation and credibility of that institution. When people look back on the decline of US politics in the early 21st century, they’ll be able to cite McConnell as one of the truly nasty pieces of work responsible for much of the acrimony. But even if you want to cite the theft of the seat as a “success”, the person responsible for the heist wasn’t in the Pence White House, and they don’t get to take that credit.
It is true that Trump was able to see Aya Hijazi and her husband released by Egypt, after years of attempts by the Obama administration did not get her out. Of course, we don’t know what other back channel discussions got this done, nor do we know what promises were made to Egypt. We do know that when the Obama administration got several prisoners released by other nations, the Right Wing would immediately accuse him of bribery and of any criminal action or intent they could conceive. I am assuming based on Lewandowski’s statements here that he is now prepared to acknowledge Obama’s leadership in repeatedly getting multiple prisoners released across the Middle East and that the Pence White House is preparing an apology to President Obama for their unfortunate statements about those releases during last year’s campaign.
As for the notion of the economy booming, I’m certain that Lewandowski is prepared to thank President Obama for that, although he and Trump were castigating the economy at similar levels last year. And at the same time, when Obama would get numbers close to 200K new jobs, Trump and the Right would regularly say that those numbers should be quadrupled. So if anything, the Pence White House is actually coming in at maybe half the number that would actually signify major job growth.
So what actually has the Pence White House accomplished since January 21? Well, Pence has had Trump sign a bunch of Executive Orders – something that Trump had castigated President Obama for doing, primarily to erase those earlier EO’s from the record. The Pence White House has announced various forms of bullying and meanness both toward their political opponents and toward the world. The Pence White House has repeatedly stated obvious falsehoods, about everything from the intentions of their budget cuts to the way Trump lost the popular vote last year to the reasons for Trump’s impulsive firing of the head of the FBI to the size of the crowd at his inauguration. The Pence White House has embarrassed the nation and itself to the world, both with Trump’s disastrous and bullying voyage across Europe (including his horrifying shoving aside of another head of state) and with Trump’s gloating demeanor about the whole thing.
Of course, the Pence White House hasn’t actually done all that has planned to do yet. Pence did have Trump make the long-awaited announcement that the US would retreat from the world stage and abandon even the pretense of working to address global warming. And Pence did supervise the first stage of Congress’ attempt to get rid of the ACA, although that’s still mired in a Senate committee. And Pence did get an announcement out about how the US will be abandoning the Cuban rapprochement that had literally just happened between Obama and the Cubans. But all of that could have been done on January 21, and it’s bizarre that the Pence White House has failed to move very quickly on this stuff. Pence could have completely shut down the ACA on January 21 by stopping the subsidies for the insurers – that would have collapsed all the exchanges and we’d be where the GOP has wanted for nearly a decade: back before the ACA’s passing with an additional 25 million people uninsured and unable to get coverage. Pence could have had Trump announce on January 21 that the US was walking away from every single treaty made by President Obama, including the Paris Accord, the Iran Treaty and the Cuban talks, and it all would have been over by now.
And that’s not even to mention the Muslim ban, which Pence hasn’t been able to get past the courts, and which even this Supreme Court is unlikely to uphold given all of Trump and company’s statements about its purpose.
On the other hand, I do need to acknowledge that the Pence White House has been successful in a few things – namely in alienating and angering the majority of the electorate who did not choose to have these people in executive office. And the Pence White House has been unintentionally successful in mobilizing those voters, which is likely to have much more positive impacts for the nation and the world in another 18 months. And it’s frankly quite possible that the Pence White House’s viciousness towards our health care system is likely to make Single Payer a reality a lot earlier than many people thought possible. So I would term that a success – but I’m not sure that the Pence White House would agree…
Kevin Koster commented on Hannity Reportedly Considering Not Returning To Fox News On Tuesday
2017-05-27 22:42:49 -0400
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I strongly doubt this story. It would be extremely unusual to see Hannity suddenly quit Fox News and walk away from his meal ticket. Without his nightly show, his radio show would not have nearly the pull among the Right Wingers who keep tuning in. He’d essentially be retiring, and there’s no indication that he really wants to do that.
On the other hand, if there is a move within Fox News to drop him, he could try to pre-empt it. But that assumes Fox News wants to completely kill their prime time lineup.
If there is one surprising irony in this Year of the Bully, it’s that Fox News has foundered so badly. Who would have thought 12 months ago that Fox News would go into this kind of a slide, with Mike Pence running the White House and Donald Trump acting as the national spokesman for the Right? Who would have thought that Fox News would lose three out of four of their prime time anchors in quick succession, and would find themselves losing to MSNBC?
If anything, it’s reassuring to see that most viewers are not buying what Tucker Carlson is desperately trying to sell them, and that The Five really isn’t ready for Prime Time.
On the other hand, if there is a move within Fox News to drop him, he could try to pre-empt it. But that assumes Fox News wants to completely kill their prime time lineup.
If there is one surprising irony in this Year of the Bully, it’s that Fox News has foundered so badly. Who would have thought 12 months ago that Fox News would go into this kind of a slide, with Mike Pence running the White House and Donald Trump acting as the national spokesman for the Right? Who would have thought that Fox News would lose three out of four of their prime time anchors in quick succession, and would find themselves losing to MSNBC?
If anything, it’s reassuring to see that most viewers are not buying what Tucker Carlson is desperately trying to sell them, and that The Five really isn’t ready for Prime Time.
Kevin Koster commented on MT Special Election, Gianforte vs. Quist - Open Thread
2017-05-26 10:23:28 -0400
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Brace yourself for the sneering and gloating today.
Limbaugh will kick it off in a couple of hours, saying that Jacobs got told what for and that Gianforte showed he’s a real Montana man. Fox News will carry it from there. The lightest version will be the mock concern about the throw down, paired both with a caution to the left and the press to be more respectful of the bullies lest they get a good slap too, and with the usual slam on liberals as somehow provoking or inflicting more violence themselves.
The more open version will be on AM radio or the Gutfelds on Fox News who will openly celebrate the beating inflicted on Jacobs. The Year of the Bully will include many more such assaults. If you’re planning to discuss this in a public place like a bar or at an event, be ready for angry Right Wingers to pick fights or just start throwing punches. They’ve been given license and now they know there are no consequences.
Truman is correct to note the thuggish behavior by our Tweeter in Chief in Europe. That’s how the Right rolls these days. If you’re in their way, they’ll just shove you out of the way or throw you to the ground. Until someone stands up to bullies like this, they will continue to act out.
Limbaugh will kick it off in a couple of hours, saying that Jacobs got told what for and that Gianforte showed he’s a real Montana man. Fox News will carry it from there. The lightest version will be the mock concern about the throw down, paired both with a caution to the left and the press to be more respectful of the bullies lest they get a good slap too, and with the usual slam on liberals as somehow provoking or inflicting more violence themselves.
The more open version will be on AM radio or the Gutfelds on Fox News who will openly celebrate the beating inflicted on Jacobs. The Year of the Bully will include many more such assaults. If you’re planning to discuss this in a public place like a bar or at an event, be ready for angry Right Wingers to pick fights or just start throwing punches. They’ve been given license and now they know there are no consequences.
Truman is correct to note the thuggish behavior by our Tweeter in Chief in Europe. That’s how the Right rolls these days. If you’re in their way, they’ll just shove you out of the way or throw you to the ground. Until someone stands up to bullies like this, they will continue to act out.