The Commentariat -- January 24, 2016
Robert Burns of the AP: "In the spring of 2014, as a team of experts was examining what ailed the U.S. nuclear force, the Air Force withheld from them the fact that it was simultaneously investigating damage to a nuclear-armed missile in its launch silo caused by three airmen. The Air Force on Friday gave The Associated Press the first substantive description of the accident after being questioned about it by the AP for more than a year."
Maureen Dowd argues that Sarah Palin is boon to feminism because she proves "that a woman can stumble, babble incoherently on stage and spew snide garbage, and it isn't a blot on the female copybook."
Presidential Race
Des Moines Register Editors: "Democrats have one outstanding candidate deserving of their support: Hillary Clinton. No other candidate can match the depth or breadth of her knowledge and experience." ...
... Des Moines Register Editors: "Sen. Marco Rubio has the potential to chart a new direction for the party, and perhaps the nation, with his message of restoring the American dream. We endorse him because he represents his party's best hope." ...
... Amailie Nash of the Des Moines Register on how the paper went about evaluating the candidates. ...
... Harry Enten of 538 consults the historical record to examine the effects of Des Moines Register endorsements on the caucus results. "Even though Rubio probably won't receive enough of a boost to win the Republican caucuses in Iowa, the endorsement could help him finish higher there, in turn helping him in the fight to win the title of 'top establishment candidate' in the GOP race. Clinton could be put over the top...."
Oh, Great! Jonathan Lamire & Lisa Lerer of the AP: "Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is taking early steps toward launching an independent campaign for president, seeing a potential path to the White House amid the rise of Republican Donald Trump and Democrat Bernie Sanders. Bloomberg has retained advisers and plans to conduct a poll after the Feb. 9 New Hampshire primary to assess the state of the race and judge whether there is an opening for him to mount an independent campaign...." ...
... The New York Times story, by Alexander Burns & Maggie Haberman is here. ...
... Steve M.: "That other egomaniac Manhattan billionaire with delusions of political grandeur, Mike Bloomberg, is talking seriously about running for president.... No, Bloomberg won't win. But he might gift-wrap the presidency for the GOP, with corporatist Democrats' help."
Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "As seven Republican candidates made their case at Saturday's First in the Nation Presidential Town Hall in Nashua, [New Hampshire,] much of the focus on stage and behind the scenes centered on the one who wasn't there. With 17 days until New Hampshire votes, Donald Trump skipped the state's final pre-primary cattle call to campaign in Iowa. But his rivals for the Republican nomination kept him in the spotlight, even as they ignored candidates closer at hand and in the polls."
Caitlin Yilek of the Hill: "Fox News is not bowing to ... Donald Trump's calls to remove Megyn Kelly as host of the next GOP debate. Trump tweeted Saturday that the Fox News host 'should not be allowed to be a moderator of the next debate' because of a 'conflict of interest.'... 'Megyn Kelly has no conflict of interest,' Fox said in the statement. 'Donald Trump is just trying to build up the audience for Thursday's debate, for which we thank him.'" ...
... Trump's Amateur Hour. Eliza Collins of Politico: "Donald Trump used footage of Russian soldiers in a video post on his Facebook page that was meant to convey his respect for America's veterans. The video -- which was later deleted -- contains images of soldiers with medals that have the hammer and sickle, the symbol for communism, and 'CCCP,' an abbreviation for the Soviet Union. The original footage is available on the stock footage site Shutterstock and is titled 'RUSSIA, TOGLIATTI, MAY 9, 2015, Victory Day: Veterans of World War II with red flowers in hand at the Military Parade, military medals.'" In Trump's video..., Trump speaks directly into the camera and says, 'Our great veterans are being treated terribly, the corruption in the Veterans Administration, the incompetence is beyond. We will stop them.'" CW: If not a clownish mistake, then Donald really, really identifies with his best bro Vladimir. ...
... Jeremy Herb of Politico: "The Republican defense establishment is terrified Donald Trump will fail the 'commander in chief test' with voters should he continue to defy all predictions and become the GOP nominee.... Trump has made a long list of curious statements on foreign policy. In a recent debate, he didn't seem to know about the 'nuclear triad' -- the nuclear-armed bombers, land-based missiles and submarines that make up the U.S. atomic arsenal. He has confused the F-35 fighter jet with the Long-Range Strike Bomber, and the Kurds with Iran's Quds Force. He's said he gets military advice watching television, has praised U.S. foes like Russian President Vladimir Putin and has shown no apparent interest in seeking the counsel of the party's national security sages." CW: AND he can't tell the difference between U.S. & Russian soldiers. ...
... Yeah but WTF? Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "... Donald Trump thinks there's not much he could possibly do to erode his support. Lauding his fans' loyalty at a campaign event in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Saturday, Trump said ... 'I have the most loyal people, did you ever see that? I could stand in the middle of 5th Avenue and shoot people and I wouldn't lose voters.'..." ...
... Donald Finds a Friendly Senator. Anna Palmer of Politico: "Sen. Chuck Grassley gave a rousing introduction speech at a Donald Trump rally, but he didn't go so far as to endorse the 2016 Republican candidate." Well, a fair-weather friend. Grassley "He is also slated to appear at Marco Rubio's event in Iowa next Saturday." ...
... CW: Ross Douthat seems to have more of a sense of realpolitik than does his colleague David Brooks. Brooks suggested a week or so ago that Republican leaders across the country form a "collective" to "organize ... a grass roots movement" to defeat Trump. (Apparently Brooks is confused about the meaning of "grass roots," but what with the "grass-roots" Tea party being a Koch enterprise, one can understand Brooks' mistake.) Douthat recommends that Trump's opponents run a different kind of attack campaign -- one that destroys Trump's "brand" and "persuade[s] people that he's a con artist, and they're his marks." Here's what Douthat has in mind:
... Ben Kamisar: "...Donald Trump says he may file a lawsuit over rival Ted Cruz's eligibility for the White House.... [At the Sioux City event, he said,] 'The Democrats are going to sue if he ever got the nomination within two days. There have already been two lawsuits filed, but they don't have standing. I have standing to sue. Can you imagine if I did it? Should I do it just for fun?' Trump added that he believes that he will defeat Cruz without the need of a legal challenge to his candidacy, which is why he probably will not sue."
Portrait of the Megalomaniac as a Young Man. Shane Goldmacher of Politico: "A new video of a teenaged Ted Cruz, posted Saturday on YouTube, shows a lankier and younger version of the future Republican presidential candidate sarcastically talking about his life's goals -- and they're far more ambitious than the mere presidency. 'Take over the world, world domination, you know, rule everything. Rich, powerful, that sort of stuff,' Cruz says":
Beyond the Beltway
Mary Walsh of the New York Times: "Negotiations to restructure roughly $9 billion of the debt of Puerto Rico's power company collapsed late Friday, raising the prospect of the biggest default yet in Puerto Rico's deepening debt crisis. The creditors blamed the utility, the Puerto Rico Electric Power Authority, or Prepa, for scuttling the talks, saying Prepa officials had decided to let a critical expiration date pass without taking action. But Prepa said it was the creditors' fault for trying to impose a requirement that Prepa had already rejected."
The Frivolous Poor. Amy Davidson of the New Yorker: "It was as if [Michigan] state officials thought [the poisonous water they pumped into Flint] was all a cultural problem, poor people being frivolous instead of drinking water that had long been, as one memo put it, 'perfectly fine.'"
Les Zaitz of the Oregonian: "Occupiers of the Malheur National Wildlife Refuge for three weeks have made sweeping demands that local and federal authorities say are both brazen and unrealistic.... A bedrock claim of the small group led by Arizona businessman Ammon Bundy is that the Constitution limits federal ownership of land.... But scholars say Bundy and his followers are misreading the Constitution" on accounta that missed this part: "Article IV, Section 3, Clause 2 -- known as the 'Property Clause': 'The Congress shall have Power to dispose of and make all needful Rules and Regulations respecting the Territory or other Property belonging to the United States.'" Also missed: all the case law that interprets that clause. CW: That is, the "occupiers" are pretty much just selfish, whiney, gun-totin' ignoramuses. But we knew that.
News Ledes
AP: "Seven people were taken to hospital after an American Airlines plane from Miami to Milan made an emergency landing in Newfoundland after the jet briefly encountered severe turbulence."
Washington Post: "... the winter snowstorm ... thrust a hurricane-like surge of water into the [East C]oast, producing historic flooding. At Cape May, N.J., the water level surged to 8.98 feet Saturday morning -- the highest on record there, and major flood state. It broke the previous record of 8.9 feet set in Hurricane Sandy in 2012. The story was the same on the Delaware coast, where Lewes reached a new record water level of 9.27 feet, breaking the previous record of 9.20 feet set in 1962."
Los Angeles Times: "Sheriff's investigators Sunday were continuing to search for three dangerous prisoners who escaped from the Orange County Men's Central Jail by cutting through half-inch steel bars, making their way through plumbing tunnels and then rappelling from the roof using a makeshift rope."
AP: "A magnitude-7.1 earthquake knocked items off shelves and walls in south-central Alaska and jolted the nerves of residents in this earthquake-prone region on Saturday night. But there were no immediate reports of injuries. One home was extensively damaged and an entire neighborhood was evacuated after a gas leak was reported, Kenai police chief Gus Sandahl said on Sunday morning."
New York Times: "A massive snowstorm that blanketed the East Coast moved out to sea on Sunday, leaving 28 people dead, near-record snowfall in some major cities and heavy flooding along the coast. Residents emerged with snowplows and shovels, and tens of thousands of stranded travelers were scrambling to get to their destinations or find alternate arrangements." ...
... As of 6 pm ET, the Times is still liveblogging storm-related events. ...
... Weather Channel: "Millions of Americans were preparing to dig themselves out Sunday after crippling Winter Storm Jonas brought not just big snow, but ice, high winds and flooding. At least 14 people have died in the storm, a quarter of a million customers have lost power and hundreds of crashes have been reported." ...
... New York Times: "The day after a blizzard covered New York City with more than 30 inches of snow in some parts, grappling with its sheer volume was the next order of business." ...
... Washington Post: "The Washington region awoke Sunday, battered by one of the biggest storms in local history, to face a monumental dig out that is likely to hobble the area well into the workweek." ...
... Snapshots from Space. USA Today: "NASA astronaut Scott Kelly tweeted pictures of view of the epic storm from the International Space Station on Saturday morning." Includes two of Kelly's photos.
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Reader Comments (6)
Only his hairdresser knows fer sure!
My vote is for an enlargement of the photo CW used in yesterday’s Commentariat for He-we-should-not-name and become the permanent imagery when dealing with said subject: He-who-rhymes-with-hump-bump-mump-pump-dump-lump-frump-stump-clump-plump-slump-and-chump!
And, speaking of He-who-rhymes-with-galump and thinks he and “best bro Vlad” would do yuuuuge things, he might want to read “Red Notice*” by Bill Browder.*
I’ve just gotten into the early chapters of this book written by the American financier and accidental activist (whose Hermitage Capital fund was once ranked as the best performing, emerging market fund in the world). Following the fall of Communism, the seemingly overnight creation of Russian billionaires whose extreme wealth appeared out of nowhere was more than suspect as capitalism took over. From cold war images of dreary breadlines, we’ve come to see the lavish lifestyles of an anointed few who pay cash for nine-figure penthouses, gigantic yachts, private aircraft, et al.
How’d that happen?
Before Mr. Drumpf considers opening a -ump Plaza, -ump Tower, or -ump golf course there…he’d better have a damn good exit strategy if he does. Chapter 1 of Browder’s book starts off with just one chilling experience, but things get worse—not much has changed from the bad old police state days.
*An aside—RC history buffs might recall Browder’s grandfather, Earl, who ran for President in 1936 and 1840 on the Communist ticket!
Trump did not make a mistake with Russian vs. US soldiers. He simply hired the idiot who did it. Why? Because he never wants a person with intelligence around him. Emperor Trump's Chief of Staff will be Pvt. Jones.
There is something truly spectacular about waking up and finding your world covered with a white blanket of snow, undisturbed, serene, and so beautiful it takes your breath away. One feels protected, at peace––at least for a little while.
This message––keeping the peace–-protecting our country from all the bad stuff is the prominent theme in Ted Cruz's speeches. Links to the video of a young Ted wanting to rule the world, are video's of his wife Heidi being interviewed by Foxy friends. Heidi is a lovely woman, very presentable and she, too, stresses the importance of voting for Ted because he will "keep us safe." She also tells us they work as a team, but we knew that already; what is new to me is that Ted is not in any way a handy man: got a leaky faucet? a ceiling that needs some patch work? Maybe even some snow shoveling?then better not count on Ted. Better call Saul. But Ted is gonna, by george, keep us nice and cozy and safe. Who could ask for more?
A word about Dowd today: Loud claps for her recognizing the Obama family as an exemplary example of excellence in contrast to the Palin household of miscreants and mayhem.
The Seth Myers "Boston Accent" is very funny. He nails it!
@MAG: your Browder book sounds interesting. Your last sentence, however, gave me pause:
*An aside—RC history buffs might recall Browder’s grandfather, Earl, who ran for President in 1936 and 1840 on the Communist ticket!
I'd call that quite a feat!
@PD :) Yeah, guess which year was a tad outta place! Meant 1940, of course!
Couple of recent 'toons to brighten or darken your day.
And some preaching to the choir.