The Commentariat -- March 9, 2016

Afternoon Update:

Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "The Republican National Committee on Wednesday filed two lawsuits in federal court seeking records and emails of Hillary Clinton and her colleagues at the State Department. The first suit seeks electronic records sent to and from Clinton via text or Blackberry Messenger and emails to senior aides. The second suit seeks communications between senior State Department officials, Clinton's presidential campaign and other Clinton allies after her time at State." CW: I'm pretty sure the complainants there are patriots concerned about national security. The court would do well to assume otherwise.

Matt Flegenheimer of the New York Times: "Carly Fiorina endorsed Senator Ted Cruz of Texas on Wednesday, supplying his campaign with a high-profile supporter and an eager critic of Donald J. Trump. Mrs. Fiorina, the former presidential candidate and Hewlett-Packard chief executive, took to the role quickly, appearing as a surprise guest at Mr. Cruz's morning rally in Florida." CW: How do you say, "Adios, Marco!" in Spanish?

Apropos of a brief discussion we had this morning in the Comments sections, there's this: Daniel Strauss of Politico: "The group at the center of the Koch brothers' vast political network is praising Bernie Sanders for opposing the Export-Import Bank and for his attacks on corporate welfare. Freedom Partners put out the web video highlighting its common ground with the Vermont senator ahead of Wednesday night's Democratic debate.... But a Sanders campaign official shot back, suggesting that the video was intended to hurt Sanders, by creating the perception that he is the preferred candidate of the Kochs -- an association that would be toxic in the Democratic primary." Here's the ad:

Ed Kilgore: "If Sanders somehow turns it all around and wins the nomination -- still a very long shot -- his acceptance speech in Philadelphia should begin with a heartfelt thanks to the polling industry."

Margaret Hartmann has a roundup of commentary about Michigan's Democratic primary. Biggest -- and worstest -- takeaway for me: the results suggest Clinton could lose Rust Belt states to Mr. Bizarro there. ...

A security guard watches over Trump products that later were distributed to guests at Donald Trump's presser/QVC event last night.... More on the Bizarro Presumptive GOP Nominee. Eric Levitz of New York: "After his victories in the Mississippi and Michigan primaries Tuesday night, Trump ... [spent] a solid ten minutes of his celebratory press conference defending Trump Steaks and Trump Vodka. The mogul went so far as to address the American people from beside a heaping platter of raw beef and bottles of Trump Water and Trump Wine. At one point, he held up the latest issue of Trump magazine and briefly mused on its cover story." CW: I could hear from this room of my own the gasps of horror coming from "exclusive" Republican clubs around our fair nation.

Hadas Gold of Politico: "Donald Trump campaign manager Corey Lewandowski forcibly yanked Breitbart reporter Michelle Fields out of the way after his press conference in Florida on Tuesday night.... Fields was clearly roughed up by the move, [a] witness said." CW: This is wierd only because Brietbart is reputedly in the tank for Trump.

*****

Presidential Race

Primary Results

A-mazing. Patrick Healy & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Senator Bernie Sanders scored an upset win in the Michigan Democratic primary, according to the Associated Press, threatening to prolong a Democratic campaign that Hillary Clinton appeared to have all but locked up last week.... Mrs. Clinton ... won overwhelmingly in Mississippi, crushing Mr. Sanders among African-American voters.... On the Republican side, Donald J. Trump easily dispatched his rivals in Michigan and Mississippi, regaining momentum in the face of intensifying resistance to his campaign among party leaders." ...

... Dan Roberts, et al., of the Guardian: "Bernie Sanders pulled off his biggest win of the Democratic presidential race on Tuesday, defeating Hillary Clinton in the Michigan primary on a night which also confirmed strong anti-establishment support for Donald Trump in the battle for the Republican nomination." ...

... John Cassidy of the New Yorker: "In an election year that has already shattered many received wisdoms, add another one to the scrap heap: the idea that the Democratic and Republican Party establishments were finally getting a handle on the popular insurgencies that have shaken up their parties.... It seems that Sanders's economic populism and Trump[s authoritarian populism both resonated in a state that was hard hit by the Great Recession and its aftermath. Although the messages that the two insurgents are carrying differ wildly in most respects, and shouldn't be compared in terms of policy content or morality, they both claim that the existing political system is broken, and that radical measures and new leaders are needed to fix it." ...

... Steve M.: "... congratulations, GOP establishment: your anti-Trump campaign worked ... with Democrats." It turns out many Michigan Democrats voted in the GOP primary for John Kasich in an effort to stop. They did so largely because pollsters convinced them Clinton had a lock on the Democratic side.

Democrats

I knew, I knew that these polls that had us 20 or 30 points behind were wrong. -- Bernie Sanders, in an interview ...

... Yamiche Alcindor & Patrick Healy of the New York Times: "Mr. Sanders pulled off a startling upset in Michigan on Tuesday by traveling to communities far from Detroit and by hammering Mrs. Clinton on an issue that resonated in this still-struggling state: her past support for trade deals that workers here believe robbed them of manufacturing jobs.... For Mrs. Clinton, it was a stinging defeat in a state that she had made a symbol of her campaign, pledging to help the citizens of Flint overcome its contaminated water crisis in a rare display of passion and outrage from a candidate who is often reserved.... Despite Mrs. Clinton's advantages, including the support of much of the state's Democratic establishment, the Sanders campaign showed deft organization and strategy...." ...

... Harry Enten of 538: "Bernie Sanders made folks like me eat a stack of humble pie on Tuesday night. He won the Michigan primary over Hillary Clinton, 50 percent to 48 percent, when not a single poll taken over the last month had Clinton leading by less than 5 percentage points. In fact, many had her lead at 20 percentage points or higher. Sanders's win in Michigan was one of the greatest upsets in modern political history. Both the FiveThirtyEight polls-plus and polls-only forecast gave Clinton a greater than 99 percent chance of winning.... Sanders ... can breathe a deep sigh of relief that all the states in the Deep South have already voted." ...

... Greg Sargent: "Clinton finished the night with more delegates than Sanders did, because delegates are awarded proportionately, and he only beat her by 50-48 in Michigan, while Clinton crushed Sanders in Mississippi. Given her current delegate lead, last night's outcome probably won't pose a serious obstacle to winning the nomination." ...

... Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "One thing that happened is that Clinton underperformed with black voters in [Michigan].... Part of the problem may be the economic issues central to Michiganders' concerns.... The state has shed a ton of manufacturing jobs over the last 25 years, thanks in part to free-trade agreements like NAFTA.... In a recent national poll, the thing people worried about most with Clinton's candidacy was her connection to Wall Street.... Black voters are her (ahem) trump card and economic issues her Achilles heel." ...

... Ed Kilgore thinks Bernie's Michigan win was less about free trade & more about demographics. ...

Driftglass: "it turns out that Bill Clinton's 1992 election strategy of 'focusing like a laser' on the economy still has enormous resonance 24 years later with people who have been screwed, blued and tattooed by our rigged system. Senator Sanders took that message to America's capital of de-industrialization and tomb of he American dream and told them that settling for a future of triangulation, crooked trade deals and amnesty for Wall Street hoodlums wasn't good enough anymore. And voters responded."

Michigan: With 3 percent of the vote counted, the state is leaning Sanders. With 75 percent reporting, Michigan is still leaning Sanders. This is remarkable. Clinton certainly may win the state. She was heavily favored going in; recent polls showed her beating Sanders by 20 to nearly 40 points. No recent polls showed Sanders even close. With 92 percent reporting, the AP has called the race for Sanders. He has only a two-point lead.

Mississippi: With no precincts reporting, the AP has called the state for Clinton.

Republicans

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. "Trump Infomercial Captivates Networks." Hadas Gold of Politico: "Millions of viewers tuned into to cable news networks during the prime 9 p.m. EST hour likely expecting to hear some candidate speeches. What they got, on CNN, Fox, and MSNBC, was one candidate talking for 45 minutes: Donald Trump. All three networks stuck with Trump's long press conference even as it veered into sales pitches for his own product lines, despite the fact that Hillary Clinton, who had won the Mississippi primary in a landslide and was neck-and-neck in Michigan, spoke at the same time. They also mostly ignored Bernie Sanders' speech, which occurred in the 8 p.m. hour and John Kasich's speech, which happened during Trump's event."

Ben Kamisar of the Hill: "Sen. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) was shut out of delegates from voting in four states voting on Tuesday after poor performances in Hawaii, Idaho, Michigan and Mississippi."

Scott Lemieux in LG&M: "I haven't been kind to [Marco Rubio's] campaign but this really is astonishingly terrible. Kasich at least will lose with some dignity; Rubio went down trying to out-asshole Trump. (Say this for Christie: at least he could pull of[f] the murder part of the murder/suicide strategy.) [Rubio] would have to overperform the polls like Sanders even to salvage his home state, and not only is he no Sanders I'm not sure he's even Fred Thompson."

Hawaii: Trump won the caucuses, receiving 42 percent of the vote with 100 percent reporting. Cruz followed with 33%. Rubio received 13% & Kasich 11%.

Idaho: With 19 percent of precincts reporting, the state is leaning Cruz. With 60 percent of the vote counted, the AP has called the state for Cruz.

Michigan: With less than one percent of the vote counted, the Times reports the state is leaning Kasich. Oops. Now with 2 percent counted, Michigan is leaning Trump. With 25 percent reporting, the AP has called the race for Trump. Trump now has 38 percent, Kasich 26%, Cruz 23%, & Rubio 9%. Sorry, Marco.

Mississippi: With less than one percent of precincts reporting, the state is leaning Trump by a wide margin. The AP has now called the state for Trump, still with less than one percent reporting. With 23 percent reporting, Trump had 49 percent of the vote, followed by Cruz with 35%, Kasich with 9% & Rubio with 5%.

The New York Times has full results here. Times reporters are liveblogging the results.

Tom LoBianco & Elizabeth Landers of CNN: "Bernie Sanders' campaign on Tuesday sued Ohio Secretary of State Jon Husted, accusing the Republican of quietly changing a law in an effort to block 17-year-olds from voting in the state's presidential primary next week.... 'The secretary of state has decided to disenfranchise people who are 17 but will be 18 by the day of the general election,' Sanders campaign manager Jeff Weaver told reporters in Detroit Tuesday afternoon. 'Those people have been allowed to vote under the law of Ohio, but the secretary of state of the state of Ohio has decided to disenfranchise those people to forbid them from voting in the primary that is coming up on March 15.'"

George Zornick of the Nation: "In Sunday's Democratic debate Hillary Clinton assailed Senator Bernie Sanders for opposing, in January 2009, the release of Troubled Asset Relief Program funds that were used in part to bail out General Motors and Chrysler.... Sanders objected strenuously to the charge, and said Monday that Clinton 'went out of her way to mischaracterize my history.'... Eight Democratic senators voted the same way as Sanders.... When The Nation reached out to each [still-sitting] senator on Monday, both Cantwell's [Wash.] and Wyden's [Oregon] offices pushed back on the idea that their vote was 'against' saving the auto industry, and echoed Sanders's broader concerns about what was happening at the time with TARP money." Jeanne Shaheen (N.H.), the only other still-sitting Democratic senator who voted against TARP, did not respond. ...

... CW: When auto bailout funds were a separate issue, Sanders voted for them. He voted against them when they were (an unspecified) part of the Wall Street (TARP) bailout. Clinton voted for TARP each time. PolitiFact labels Clinton's attack on Sanders on this issue half-true.

Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Adam Johnson of AlterNet, in Common Dreams: "In what has to be some kind of record, the Washington Post ran 16 negative stories on Bernie Sanders in 16 hours, between roughly 10:20 PM EST Sunday, March 6, to 3:54 PM EST Monday, March 7 -- a window that includes the crucial Democratic debate in Flint, Michigan, and the next morning's spin.... All of these posts paint his candidacy in a negative light, mainly by advancing the narrative that he's a clueless white man incapable of inning over people of color or speaking to women. Even the one article about Sanders beating Trump implies this is somehow a surprise -- despite the fact that Sanders consistently out-polls Hillary Clinton against the New York businessman.... The Washington Post was sold in 2013 to libertarian Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, who is worth approximately $49.8 billion." ...

     ... Martin Longman of the Washington Monthly: "... it's hard for me to avoid the impression that this was at the direction of the [Washington Post] management under the guidance of senior editors.... The media, particularly the media that covers national politics, does a pretty good job of playing whack-a-mole with anyone who moves a centimeter outside the Overton Window.... However you feel, this ain't liberal bias." ...

     ... CW: If you're wondering what the Overton Window is, here's your answer. I hadda look it up a while back.

Katrina vanden Heuvel of the Nation in the Washington Post: "when it comes to foreign policy, there is little question that Sanders is closer to Obama's sensibility than is Clinton. One revealing 'tell' is that Clinton's criticism of Sanders echoes the attacks she leveled at Obama in 2008.... Clinton, as Vice President Biden noted, is by temperament an 'interventionist.'... Barack Obama and Bernie Sanders, on the other hand, share a perspective of 'skeptical restraint.'... Sanders is not a pacifist."

Bullshit. -- Donald Trump, on climate science

I have the best words. -- Donald Trump

Everything you need to know about voting for Trump, expressed in one of Donald's best words. -- Constant Weader ...

... Oliver Milman of the Guardian: "A coalition of Florida mayors has pleaded for presidential candidates to be asked about climate change and sea level rises during forthcoming debates in Miami, fuelling criticism of the 'ridiculous' lack of questions on the subjects in TV debates so far. The group of 21 mayors, comprising Democrats and Republicans, has written to the moderators of the Democratic and Republican TV debates to argue it would be 'unconscionable for these issues of grave concern for the people of Florida to not be addressed'."

Thomas Mann & Norm Ornstein in a Washington Post op-ed: "... the radicalization of the Republican party -- not just in terms of ideology but also in an utter rejection of the norms and civic culture underlying our constitutional system -- ... has been the most significant and consequential change in American politics in recent decades.... Today, incredibly, it's even worse than it was.... Donald Trump, America's equivalent of European right-wing populists and possibly the most miscast presidential front-runner for a major party in American history, makes a mockery of the Republican establishment agenda and presages the GOP's possible break-up. It is a self-inflicted wound, but one with disastrous consequences for us all."

Dana Milbank: "Complaining about the media is an easy applause line for conservatives, and the news business no doubt deserves some blame for Trump's rise. But if Cruz, Rubio and other GOP leaders are looking for the real culprits, they should start with themselves.... To blame the news media now for the GOP leaders' own failings compounds their cowardice."

Among all of the wacky Trump enterprises, like Trump Steaks & Trump Mortgage (launched just before the financial crisis), you had to know there was a nutritional supplement scam in there somewhere. Sure enough there was. In late 2009, with the recession in full swing, Trump started what Ian Tuttle of the National Review calls a "get-rich-quick scheme" that straddled "the fine line between a multi-level marketing strategy and a pyramid scheme.... If the Trump Network belongs on the ever-expanding chronicle of Trump failures (Trump Airlines, Trump Mortgage, Trump Magazine, and many more), it's with an important qualification: The Trump Network's losers were not Donald Trump, but mainly the more than 21,000 people who invested in the company as recruiters, hoping to make it big, swayed entirely by Donald Trump's promises." Via Paul Waldman. ...

... Donald Trump May Have Paid Less in Taxes than You Did. David Cay Johnston in USA Today: "There's a big story in the tax returns that Donald Trump claims he cannot release because of what he describes as a routine audit.... Our lawmakers have magically transformed income taxes into a source of wealth for many in the donor class.... Tax rules ... require you to depreciate, or reduce, the value of buildings over time, even if the market value of the structures is going up. If your depreciation is greater than your traditional income from work and businesses, Congress lets you report negative income. If these paper losses are just a dollar more than traditional income, it wipes out your income taxes for the year.... If Trump's returns show he has paid no income taxes in some years, that could be a reason he has not yet released details." ...

Charles Pierce: Trump's security team is now focusing on "intelligence work." "... we're a little overdue for an explanation of exactly how closely the people whose salaries we pay -- Secret Service, local law-enforcement -- are working with the Trump campaign's 'intelligence' operatives.... I'm not comfortable at all with the notion that people with genuine badges are working hand-in-glove with what are little more than glorified casino bouncers.... Actual law enforcement is supposed to protect everyone in the crowd. The Trump campaign is already dangerously militarized. That is one of the slipperiest slopes there is."

Worst Person in the World. Keith Olbermann is so upset with the Donald that he writes in a Washington Post op-ed: "I'm moving out. Not moving out of the country -- not yet anyway. I'm merely moving out of one of New York's many buildings slathered in equal portions with gratuitous gold and the name 'Trump.' Nine largely happy years with an excellent staff and an excellent reputation (until recently, anyway) -- but I'm out of here." ...

... Thanks, Mitt! Donovan Slack of USA Today: "... a new poll finds that ... [Mitt Romney]'s attacks [on Trump] might have helped Trump more than hurt him, at least with Republican voters tasked with choosing this year's nominee. The Morning Consult survey found 31% of registered GOP voters are more likely to vote for Trump given Romney's speech, while 20% are less likely. Another 43% said it didn't have an impact either way." ...

... Congratulations, President Obama! Not everything is totally your fault. Sure, last week Bobby Jindal blamed you for the rise of Donald Trump, but this week conservative pundit Josh Kraushaar of the National Journal placed the blame for Trump partially on -- Al Franken! Steve Benen: "As Kraushaar sees it, had Franken lost his close 2008 race, Democrats would have been 'forced to negotiate with Republicans' on measures such as health care reform, which would have created a more cooperative and less toxic political climate. By bringing access to affordable health care to 20 million Americans, the argument goes, Obama sparked a political backlash." President Obama could not have got the ACA passed, Kraushaar argues, without Franken's 60th vote. "Kraushaar would have readers believe that congressional Republicans were ... ready to work with the Democratic White House.... Anyone who covered politics at all in the early part of the Obama era knows how profoundly wrong this is."

Erik Wemple: CNN has egg on its face over its claim that Marco Rubio's campaign was having an "internal debate" about whether or not the candidate should drop out before the Florida primary, so as not be embarrassed by a loss in his home state. ...

... Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed; "Marco Rubio said Tuesday that CNN made up a report that some Rubio advisers think he should drop out of the presidential race before the Florida primary." ...

... CW: You'd almost think someone at CNN was working for Ted Cruz's campaign. In January, when CNN said Ben Carson was going home on the day of the Iowa caucuses, the Tailgunner's campaign spread the rumor among caucus-goers that Carson was dropping out of the race. Carson & Cruz were fighting for the same evangelical voters. Now this:

... Alex Griswold of Mediaite: "The Marco Rubio campaign is once again accusing GOP rival Ted Cruz of dishonesty, this time after his Hawaii campaign spread a story claiming that Rubio's advisors were telling him to leave the race." ...

.. ** Tampa Bay Times Editors: "Vote for me to stop Donald Trump. That is Sen. Marco Rubio's message to Florida voters this week as the Republican establishment desperately tries to prevent the billionaire from winning the Republican nomination for president and completing a hostile takeover of the party. It's a weak argument from a weak candidate who is not prepared to be president." The editorial goes on to list Marco's failures & assess his character. CW: These people know Marco. And they think he's a jerk. ...

... Dara Lind of Vox: "Ted Cruz is more interested in winning the Republican nomination than stopping Donald Trump from winning it. [CW: No kidding.] And that's very bad news for the stop-Trump strategy in Florida.... And to keep his chances alive, Cruz is willing to kneecap Rubio in Florida and hand the state to Trump." CW: Ted would kneecap his own daughter if it would help make him POTUS.

Senate Race

Yeah, They Really Tweeted That. Katherine Krueger of TPM: "The National Republican Senatorial Committee deleted a tweet Tuesday afternoon attacking Rep. Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), a double amputee, for 'not standing up for our veterans.'... Duckworth[, who is challenging Sen. Mark Kirk (R) for the Illinois Senate seat,] is a U.S. Army veteran of the Iraq War who lost both of her legs in combat.... Asked for comment, an NRSC spokeswoman provided TPM a statement criticizing the media for covering the tweet."

Other News & Views

Dahlia Lithwick of Slate: "The loss of a single justice, Antonin Scalia, has blown up the [Supreme C]ourt and reshuffled everything. It's the early days yet, and much of the evidence of newish, liberalish outcomes at the court lies in routine housekeeping matters: unsigned orders and withdrawn appeals. Still, it's safe to say the high court is no longer going to be a candy store for pro-business and socially conservative litigants.... And despite most of the justices' eagerness to keep the court off the ballot in November, the sudden frailty of the conservative bloc and the almost giddily emboldened left reveal how high the stakes will be in the general election."

Mark Landler of the New York Times: "President Obama, resigned to his failure to broker a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, is looking past his time in office and weighing a plan that would preserve at least the principle of a two-state solution for his successor to pursue."

Looking Good. Michael Shear of the New York Times: President "Obama's latest medical report shows him to be five pounds lighter than he was at the time of his last physical exam, in June 2014, with a slower resting heart beat, lower blood pressure and a reduced cholesterol level. Mr. Obama, 54, was examined by Dr. Ronny L. Jackson, last month. Dr. Jackson said that Mr. Obama no longer smoked but occasionally used nicotine gum." ...

... Here's Dr. Jackson's report. Unlike Donald Trump, who says Obama is a "terrible president who happens to be an African-American," it would appear that the President does not write his own fake medical reports. As a result, nowhere in the Obama report does it state that Mr. Obama is "the healthiest individual ever elected to the presidency." In fact, he well may be, & if he had the kind of gumption Trump has, he would have slipped that into the report.

Tea Party Boy & Only Friend of Ted Mike Lee (Utah) says he placed a hold on the Senate bill to provide aid to Flint, Michigan, because Flint residents "have all the government resources they need." Bryce Covert of Think Progress reports. ...

... Erik Loomis of LG&M: "Mike Lee, Family Values Republican, is a horrible human being.... This is truly a senator of the New Gilded Age, where government aid to give people clean water creates dependency and a generation of slackers who don't know how to pull themselves up by their bootstraps."

Alec MacGillis has a lo-o-ong New Yorker piece on the "carried interest" or private equity tax loophole. He focuses on how it has benefitted Washington, D.C. billionaire David Rubenstein. "Many of today's Wall Street philanthropists win the public's esteem by giving away money that, without the loophole they've fought to protect, would not all have been theirs to donate."

Faith Karimi & Steve Almasy of CNN: "The Secret Service detained a suspect in the shooting of an Idaho pastor after the man threw several objects over the White House fence, authorities said. Kyle Andrew Odom was taken into custody without incident Tuesday night in Washington, Coeur d'Alene Police Chief Lee White said. Odom is suspected of shooting Pastor Tim Remington on Sunday, a day after he [Odom? Remington? CW Update: turns out the answer is Remington] led the prayer at a weekend campaign rally for Republican presidential candidate Ted Cruz. The pastor was found Sunday afternoon in the parking lot of the Altar Church in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. He had several gunshot wounds but is expected to survive."

Beyond the Beltway

Julie Turkewitz & Eric Lichtblau of the New York Times: "Investigators said Tuesday that Oregon state officers acted properly when they shot and killed LaVoy Finicum, one of the activists occupying a wildlife refuge in Oregon, but federal officials have opened an inquiry into the actions of F.B.I. agents for not disclosing that they also fired shots during the confrontation." ...

... Les Zaitz of the Oregonian: "An FBI agent is suspected of lying about firing twice at Robert 'LaVoy' Finicum and may have gotten help from four other FBI agents in covering up afterward, authorities revealed Tuesday. The bullets didn't hit Finicum and didn't contribute to his death, but now all five unnamed agents, part of an elite national unit, are under criminal investigation by the U.S. Justice Department. Inspector General Michael Horowitz is leading the independent inquiry. The remarkable disclosure came as a team of local investigators released findings that two state troopers shot Finicum three times in the back during the chaotic scene at a police roadblock Jan. 26. One bullet pierced his heart, an autopsy showed."

Charles Pierce: "The latest chapter in this sad saga [of Kansas] came when the state's Supreme Court began to rule that, all Randian wet-dreams aside, Kansas had an obligation to fund its public schools at a decent level." So how did the legislature respond? By funding the schools? Nope. They started working up plans to facilitate the impeachment of supreme court judges for "attempting to usurp" the legislature's power.

News Ledes

AP: "Iran test-launched two ballistic missiles Wednesday emblazoned with the phrase 'Israel must be wiped out' in Hebrew, Iranian media reported, in a show of power by the Shiite nation as U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's visited Jerusalem."

New York Times: An Islamic State detainee currently in American custody at a temporary detention facility in Erbil, Iraq, is a specialist in chemical weapons whom American military officials are questioning about the militant Sunni group's plans to use the banned substances in Iraq and Syria, defense officials said."

Our Brand is Spite and Apathy

By Akhilleus

Over 600 bridges have collapsed or failed since St. Ronald left office. Citizens in Flint are dealing with life threatening lead poisoning. The American Society of Civil Engineers reports that 42% of our highways are so congested they cost the US over $100 billion annually in lost time and wasted fuel. While other countries are building bullet trains that speed commuters across the landscape at over 300 mph, our trains fall off the track taking a turn at 50 mph killing and injuring passengers at an alarming rate. Airports, waterways, drinking water systems, dams, waste water plants, railway stations, subway systems, are all falling apart and endangering American lives and livelihoods. The Republican response to this ongoing disaster? "Don't bother us. We're busy helping the rich. And by the way, if you haven't voted for us, fuck off. We wouldn't piss on you if you were on fire."

As routinely as mass shootings, Republicans reject infrastructure bills. In 2011, Republicans killed a $60 billion jobs and infrastructure bill put forward by the Obama administration. Fox rubbed its dirty hands with glee and smirked that this was another ass kicking of the black guy by its heroes in congress. Mitch McConnell sniffed that fixing bridges and roads was nothing but a cynical ploy to steal votes from Republicans.Just last year the same charlatans blocked a nearly $500 billion infrastructure bill.

Their plan?

Let those bridges collapse. More tax breaks for the wealthy.

Part of the problem is paying for these things. Republicans (and many Democrats) refuse to raise gasoline taxes, and a plan to add a tiny surtax on wealthy Americans earning over a million a year was flatly refused by Republicans. "How dare they!" came the horror filled refrain. "Indeed, a recent Citizens for Tax Justice analysis found that the 0.7 percent surtax paying for this plan to upgrade our infrastructure ...would impact 1/500 of American taxpayers and would on average set them back an additional 1/217th of their overall income. Just to be clear on what we’re talking about here."

This means that Americans making over a million bucks a year would be paying about $4,600. But this is an outrage to Republicans, so let the country disintegrate. Fuck it. Let it all rust out. Believe it or not, according to Jonathan Waldman, author of a book on rusting America, rust costs the country around $400 billion a year. The Pentagon (the fucking Pentagon, fer crissakes) has an office devoted to rusting materiel! Confederates (like David Brooks) are always running on about how dirty hippies and rock and roll ruined America but it's people like Neil Young (Rust Never Sleeps) who remind us of the continuing corrosive effects of time, not Mitch McConnell. The rusting pipes in Flint are a perfect example of Republican indifference. And here's an interesting tidbit:

"...cleaning up municipal water supplies was the greatest public-health triumph of the 20th century. The economists David Cutler and Grant Miller have estimated that approximately half of the dramatic decline in mortality between 1900 and 1936—a period in which life expectancy increased from less than 50 years to more than 60—was due just to improved municipal water systems. The infant mortality rate fell by more than 80 percent. These public health measures helped lay the cornerstone of a capable system of government that could boost America’s rising economy by tackling problems that markets alone would not."

Republican love of returning us all to the past is more than just keeping the darkies in their place and shutting up feminists. It's a return to a time when science was still questioned, when disease was rampant, when ignorance flourished. And people died, needlessly. But hey, the rich never had to worry.

They still don't. Republicans have their backs.

Other than their hatred of Obama, whence such appallingly anti-American apathy?

First, Republican political power still resides mostly in the south. There is far more crumbling infrastructure that needs fixing in the north where fewer citizens vote Confederate, so to hell with those people. Even though taxpayers fund southern states at a rate of 2 to 1 versus northern states, Confederate pols from those states are happy to take the money and run, but when it comes to allocating funds for restoring infrastructure that might save the life of a single Democrat (or undeserving blah), that's where they draw the line. This is some evil shit.

Other reasons? Privatization. Republicans can't wait to hand over public works, highways, bridges, and waterways--systems created by taxpayers--to private corporations who will then charge those taxpayers for their use. It's another way of returning to the past when private companies owned many road systems and canals.

But the most insidious aspect of this plan is something called "qualified private activity bonds". Bear with me. This means that private corporations are handed the opportunity to develop projects which are paid for by the government with tax free loans. Which means "... Local governments are financing the efforts to privatize their own public assets and the private equity investors earn tax free profits on their investment. Privatization is not just a golden opportunity, but a tax-payer subsidized, tax-free opportunity."

And one other benefit of foot dragging on any infrastructure spending are the long desired goals of killing unions and sidestepping environmental concerns. No jobs means a weaker union. So what if people are killed along with the jobs? Spite and apathy. Remember the levee failures in New Orleans during Katrina? The Decider saw it from the air, shrugged his shoulders and went home. It's mostly blahs that are dying. Time for a nap. Chris Christie rejected federal funds for much needed infrastructure improvements in New Jersey in order to improve the chances of his recent dismal presidential bid--which ended ignominiously--immediately after which he got on his knees to the guy he previously said was unfit for office and begged him to allow Christie to lick his balls.

It's not about what's good for the public. It's what's good for me. The Republican Way, kids!

Infrastructure spending is not sexy. It's not a quickie sort of thing you can take back to your constituents (it's not for nothing that the single biggest legislative accomplishment in Speaker of the House Paul Ryan's long career as a moocher is getting a post office in his hometown renamed. I am not even kidding. You could look it up, as James Thurber might say.

But here's the problem. Republicans have so demonized spending on anything (taxpayers don't see enormous tax breaks for corporations and the wealthy as "spending" but it's no different than a $400 billion jobs bill, except a jobs bill would benefit millions of Americans while the Republican tax breaks benefit the one percent) that it's a bear to get any spending bills through. And they don't mind not spending on America's future because they all take The Decider's position that they'll all be dead by then. Thus, it's easy for Republicans to whack any contender for Confederate seats who wishes to promote investing in America by repairing infrastructure as a no good tax and spend socialist. Fox is always thrilled to help spread that propaganda.

You've probably gotten tired of hearing me say it, but these people have a LOT to answer for. Spitefulness, apathy, greed, hatred, racism, ignorance. These are the hallmarks of the right. These are the qualities that inform their approach to politics and the reason they don't care about governing. It's all about protecting the rich and keeping their own seats of power. Government is there for them and their rich friends. The rest of us are, at best, a minor nuisance.

The Commentariat -- March 8, 2016

Afternoon Update:

AP: Re: Wisconsin Supreme Court Judge Rebecca Bradley (see related stories linked in Beyond the Beltway): Gov. Scott "Walker on Tuesday said it's irrelevant whether he would have appointed Bradley as a judge if he had known of her college writings."

Looks like Bibi Netanyahu is up to his usual tricks.

"I Disavow." Courting the Racist Vote. Max Ehrenfreund of the Washington Post: "In the past week, Donald Trump has been asked repeatedly about the Ku Klux Klan and its notorious former grand wizard, David Duke. Trump still hasn't given voters the right answer.... He could easily make his stance on racism clear, but to this point, he has not done so."

*****

Amy Goldstein, et al., of the Washington Post: "The White House is considering nearly a half-dozen relatively new federal judges for President Obama's nomination to the Supreme Court, focusing on jurists with scant discernible ideology and limited judicial records as part of a strategy to surmount fierce Republican opposition.... The president is leaning toward a sitting federal judge to fill the vacancy -- and probably one the Senate confirmed with bipartisan support during his tenure." ...

... CW: On the upside, if Senate Republicans prevail, as they most likely will, & refuse to confirm (or even hear) President Obama's nominee, popular disgust with the Senate increases the chances that Hillary Clinton will become president, the Senate will return to a Democratic majority, & the new president can pick the nominee & new majority can confirm her.

Adam Liptak of the New York Times: "In a pair of unsigned opinions, the Supreme Court on Monday restored the rights of an adoptive mother who had split with her lesbian partner and reversed a murder conviction tainted by prosecutorial misconduct." Justices Alito & Thomas whined about the Court's handling of the murder case and "filed unusual concurrences in a series of orders concerning juvenile offenders sentenced to life without parole." ...

     ... CW: Odd Men Out? Maybe we're going to be seeing a number of 6-2 decisions this term.

Matt Krantz of USA Today: "There are 27 companies in the Standard & Poor's 500, including telecom firm Level 3 Communications (LVLT), airline United Continental (UAL) and automaker General Motors (GM), that reported paying no income tax expense in 2015 despite reporting pre-tax profits, according to a USA TODAY analysis of data from S&P Global Market Intelligence."

Presidential Race

Today is primary day in Michigan & Mississippi. Hawaii & Idaho are holding Republican caucuses.

As the race stands now, with Republicans in charge of both Houses, there is a good chance that my candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. That is not a risk I can take in good conscience. -- Michael Bloomberg, today ...

... Maggie Haberman & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Michael R. Bloomberg, who for months quietly laid the groundwork to run for president as an independent, will not enter the 2016 campaign, he said Monday, citing his fear that a three-way race could lead to the election of a candidate he thinks would endanger the country: Donald J. Trump. In a forceful condemnation of his fellow New Yorker, Mr. Bloomberg said Mr. Trump has run 'the most divisive and demagogic presidential campaign I can remember, preying on people's prejudices and fears.' He said he was alarmed by Mr. Trump's threats to bar Muslim immigrants from entering the country and to initiate trade wars against China and Japan, and he was disturbed by Mr. Trump's 'feigning ignorance of David Duke,' the white supremacist leader whose support Mr. Trump initially refused to disavow." ...

... Here is Bloomberg's statement, which appeared as an editorial in his online Bloomberg publication. His remarks about Cruz: "Senator Cruz's pandering on immigration may lack Trump's rhetorical excess, but it is no less extreme. His refusal to oppose banning foreigners based on their religion may be less bombastic than Trump's position, but it is no less divisive." ...

... A rough cut of the ad Bloomberg would have run in support of the candidacy that wasn't. Via the New York Times:

** May the Worst Charlatan Win. Josh Barro, a conservative, explains how the Republican establishment "made Donald Trump's nomination possible. And no, it's not about racism; it's about something even more fundamental: Republicans' disdain of government & other "validating institutions."

Der Fuhrer Emerges from His Mussolini Pod. Ben Schreckinger of Politico: "Donald Trump's rally [in Concord, North Carolina,] began with the candidate asking all attendees to raise their hands and take an oath to vote for him, while extended barriers cordoned off the press and plainclothes private intelligence officers scoured the crowd for protestors. These new tactics, which the Trump campaign has introduced over the past week, represent refinements by Trump and his staff in their quest to control the atmosphere and message of his often unruly rallies. They come ... at a time when the emboldened candidate has escalated confrontations with protesters, leaving his podium to stare them down at his two most recent rallies and repeatedly lamenting that his supporters cannot retaliate against them." CW: No, this is not entertainment. ...

(... Nonetheless, contributor Patrick is right about this:

     ... Shmucks!) ...

... Josh Gerstein of Politico: "The Department of Homeland Security's inspector general is investigating an incident last week in which a Secret Service agent apparently body-slammed a Time magazine photographer during a Donald Trump campaign rally in southwest Virginia, a spokesman for the DHS watchdog said Monday.... The results would likely be summarized in a management advisory, rather than a full-scale investigative report." ...

     ... CW: In the wake of an different altercation in Valdosta, Georgia, the Secret Service said it only acts to protect the candidate & does not participate in removing peaceful protesters from political rallies. So how does a credentialed photographer threaten the candidate by taking pictures of Trump goons removing protesters from his rallies? The photographer wasn't anywhere near the candidate & was not at all focused, so to speak, on the candidate. ...

... Dana Milbank: After urging fans to pledge allegiance to him at his rally in Orlando, Florida, Saturday, Donald Trump "watched a supporter grab and attempt to tackle protesters, at least one of them black, near the stage. 'You know, we have a divided country, folks,' Trump said. 'We have a terrible president who happens to be African American.' Loaded imagery, violence against dissenters and a racial attack on the president: It's all in a day's work for Trump.... Holocaust historian Deborah Lipstadt: 'Some people didn't approve of Hitler's anti-Semitism, but they went along with it because he was going to make Germany great again.'"

... It's 1980 All Over Again. Jonathan Soble & Keith Bradsher of the New York Times: "Mr. Trump chastised Japan last week in a Republican candidates' debate, naming it along with China and Mexico as countries where 'we are getting absolutely crushed on trade.' He has previously accused Japan of manipulating its currency to achieve an unfair economic advantage, and of exploiting its military alliance with the United States to protect itself at little risk and cost. His complaints are reminiscent of another era.... Mr. Trump's ascendance has begun to cause serious unease in Japan. Even if his run ends short of the White House, the worry is that an election dominated by such talk could leave the United States more closed to trade and less willing to defend its allies." P.S. Clinton has echoed Trump's rhetoric. ...

... Paul Krugman: "Romney declares with horror that Trump would start a trade war. His economics is all wrong, which is the main thing; but it's also worth noting that thee and a half years ago Romney himself argued for exactly the same policies Trump advocates now, blithely dismissing the dangers.... Four Pinnochios on each side. Romney talks nonsense economics, and condemns as terrible the very policies he himself called for not long ago. But Trump is stuck in a time warp, making arguments that had some force when China was booming but none in the current situation."

Michael Isikoff of Yahoo! News: "The daughter of a reputed New Jersey mob figure says her late father had a longtime relationship with Donald Trump that included gambling millions of dollars at one of his casinos, flying on his helicopter and partying aboard his private yacht.... When asked about [Robert] LiButti by a reporter, the casino mogul suggested he barely knew the foul-mouthed gambler. 'I have heard he is a high roller, but if he was standing here in front of me, I wouldn't know what he looked like,' Trump told the Philadelphia Inquirer in February 1991. But Edith Creamer, LiButti's daughter, told Yahoo News in two recent telephone interviews that ... Trump and her father knew each other quite well.... 'Of course he knew him. I flew in the [Trump] helicopter with [Trump's then wife] Ivana and the kids. My dad flew it up and down [to Atlantic City]. My 35th birthday party was at the Plaza and Donald was there. After the party, we went on his boat, his big yacht.'" ...

     ... Steve M.: "All this might seem appalling to general election voters. But it won't upset Trump's base at all." ...

... Kevin Drum: "Megan McArdle says Donald Trump will never run as a third-party candidate for president because he's not rich enough. It costs upwards of a billion dollars to run for president these days, and Trump doesn't have that kind of scratch. So what's he going to do? Raise it from billionaires after spending the entire primary claiming that anyone who raises money from billionaires is corrupt and crooked? Well, this is Donald Trump we're talking about, so sure.... The whole self-funding schtick won't work in a general election.... It won't work if he runs as the Republican nominee, either. He's going to have to raise money from rich people. So why haven't any of the other candidates asked about this?" ... ...

... I have the best words. -- Donald Trump. CW: If, like me, you were not "highly-educated" at an "Ivy League university" you may not know what Trump means by "the best words." Poor little dummkopf that I am, I'll guess he means either that he has command of a yuuuge vocabulary (even though for some reason he speaks in public at a third- to fifth-grade level) or that he assembles those excellent words in an eloquent manner:

Ryan Grim, et al., of the Huffington Post: "Billionaires, tech CEOs and top members of the Republican establishment flew to a private island resort off the coast of Georgia this weekend for the American Enterprise Institute's annual World Forum.... The main topic at the closed-to-the-press confab? How to stop Republican front-runner Donald Trump.... Sources familiar with the meeting ... said that much of the conversation around Trump centered on 'how this happened, rather than how are we going to stop him,' as one person put it." ...

... CW: Instead of playing golf & wringing their hands, those tech geniuses could put up some trumpforpresident.com sites featuring renderings of Trump disrobed, a la Dan Savage's santorum.com page. To save the nation. ...

... Julia Preston of the New York Times: Many Latinos who are legal residents of the U.S. are applying for citizenship in the hopes of becoming naturalized in time to vote against Donald Trump. "While naturalizations generally rise during presidential election years, Mr. Trump provided an extra boost this year.... This year immigrants seeking to become citizens can find extra help from nonprofit groups and even from the White House. Last September, President Obama launched a national campaign to galvanize legal residents to take the step.... The majority of Latinos are Democrats, and some Republicans accuse the White House of leading a thinly veiled effort to expand the ranks of the president's party. But administration officials argue the campaign is nonpartisan...." ...

... CW: Excuse me? Republicans have a candidate who asks voters to raise their arms & swear to vote for him specifically, & Republicans are complaining that the White House is helping people become citizens? IOKIYAR really has gone too far too often. ...

... Travis Gettys of the Raw Story: "A Holocaust survivor and longtime watchdog of right-wing extremist groups said Donald Trump is playing a dangerous game by leading followers in a Nazi-style pledge. Abraham Foxman, the former director of the Anti-Defamation League, harshly criticized the Republican presidential candidate for asking supporters to raise their right hands in salute and promise to vote for him in the Florida primary election.... 'We've seen this sort of thing at rallies of neo-Nazis. We've seen it at rallies of white supremacists. But to see it at a rally for a legitimate candidate for the presidency of the United States is outrageous,' Foxman said." ...

... Trump runs a slightly negative ad in Florida against Rubio. He shoulda gone for the demon sheep:

... Charles Pierce (March 6): "Trump is an opportunist who saw a chance and half-ran, half-stumbled toward it. Cruz is someone who's had his eyes on the prize since before Princeton and Harvard Law loosed him upon the world. Trump is a man of grandiose, hopelessly vague promises. Cruz is dead-serious about hauling the country into retrograde theocracy and Gilded Age economics. Trump places his faith in Two Corinthians, which I believe is a pizza and sandwich joint on Staten Island. Cruz considers himself to be both a vehicle for political extremism and the instrument of the living God. You decide which frightens you more."

CW: One big reason Trump is trumping Rubio & Cruz: In the eyes of GOP voters, Trump is a real American, while Rubio & Cruz are "ethnic foreigners" or something. As Brian Beutler points out, Trump voters scoffed at Rubio's win in Puerto Rico, declaring that Rubio won the territory "because he promised them amnesty & citizenship." If he had made such a promise, of course, Rubio would have no trouble keeping it: Puerto Ricans are already U.S. citizens so they don't need "amnesty." White nativism doesn't just run deep in the Republican party; it is the Republican party. Nearly every one of policy prescriptions is a reflection of that "white American exceptionalism," from their "small government" mantra (no aid to no-account blacks & Latinos) to military adventurism: annihilate all the "others."

Mitt Tips His Hand. Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Offering Senator Marco Rubio of Florida a much-needed boost, if not an outright endorsement, Mitt Romney has recorded get-out-the-vote calls for Mr. Rubio's presidential campaign that are being sent to voters in the four states voting on Tuesday. Mr. Romney indicates, at the beginning and end of the message, that he is calling on behalf of Mr. Rubio but only urges voters to cast ballots for 'a candidate who can defeat Hillary Clinton and who can make us proud.'... 'If we Republicans were to choose Donald Trump as our nominee, I believe that the prospects for a safe and prosperous future would be greatly diminished -- and I'm convinced Donald Trump would lose to Hillary Clinton,' Mr. Romney says in the call."

Understanding Republicans. Contributor Janice linked to this perfect coda to a brief discussion we had in today's Comments thread:

Gail Collins & Arthur Brooks discuss the state of the presidential race. Collins: "The idea that a blast from Mitt Romney is going to mute the Trump boom at this point in the game is pretty hilarious. I am tempted to say that Romney's only chance of having an impact would be to tie Donald to the roof of his car."

Amy Chozick of the New York Times: "On Monday, [Fox 'News'] hosted a forum at which the host, Bret Baier, grilled both [Bernie Sanders & Hillary Clinton] on topics that seldom come up at Democratic events, including abortion rights, the national debt and the slaughter of Christians in the Middle East.... Pressed on his budget-busting plans for universal health care, Mr. Sanders reiterated his belief that health care is a right for all people. 'Excuse me, where does that right come from, in your mind?' Mr. Baier asked. 'Being a human being,' Mr. Sanders replied, 'being a human being.'... Mr. Baier aggressively questioned Mrs. Clinton on her handling of the 2011 intervention in Libya that is widely credited with the current instability in the region." ...

... ** Jamelle Bouie: "... the Flint debate ... illustrates an important difference between Clinton and Sanders that's often overlooked.... Hillary Clinton is running to lead Democrats, and Bernie Sanders is running to lead liberals.... Hillary Clinton, a prominent leader from the ideological center of the Democratic Party, is running to lead the Democratic coalition as it exists.... Bernie Sanders, by contrast, comes from the left wing of American politics with a nominal attachment to the Democratic Party -- until his run for the presidency, he didn't identify as a Democrat. He's not as concerned with the usual party building and coalition maintenance. He wants to change the ... Democratic Party and put ideological liberals at the fulcrum of Democratic politics...." ...

... A Lead-Pipe Clutch. Arthur Delaney of the Huffington Post: "Flint resident Lee-Anne Walters didn't like Bernie Sanders' response to her question about lead pipes during Sunday night's Democratic presidential debate in Flint. But she really didn't like Hillary Clinton's response.... 'It actually made me vomit in my mouth.'" ...

... Janell Ross of the Washington Post: "Why, at this late date and this many debates into the 2016 presidential election cycle, has Sanders made demonstrably little to no effort to alter the way he interacts with the woman he at least strongly suspected he would be running against him from the day he declared his campaign?... Does Sanders have the capacity to recognize the way these moments look or think deeply about the degree to which sexism propels his debate-stage performances? Whether that chauvinism is real or imagined or even toyed with by his opponent for political gain, why can't Sanders find a better way to manage these moments?" Here's the moment:

     ... CW: Except for the difference in accents, Bernie sounds just like my late husband telling me to zip my lips so he could continue lecturing or scolding me. That's where I would get right up & leave the room (which is not an option Hillary had). I'll bet a lot of wives & other female partners have been there.

Beyond the Beltway

One Wisconsin Now: "Wisconsin Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote a series of hateful and venomous attacks on gay people and people living with HIV, according to articles obtained by One Wisconsin Now. The hate speech in the articles disqualifies Bradley from continuing to hold office and should result in her immediate resignation from the state Supreme Court, according to One Wisconsin Now Executive Director Scot Ross...." ...

... Patrick Marley of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Newly appointed state Supreme Court Justice Rebecca Bradley wrote in a student newspaper 24 years ago that she had no sympathy for AIDS patients because they had effectively chosen to kill themselves, called gays 'queers' and said Americans were 'either totally stupid or entirely evil' for electing President Bill Clinton.... Bradley declined an interview request, but in a written statement said she was embarrassed about the pieces she wrote "as a very young student.'... One Wisconsin Now ... distributed them Monday..., four weeks before voters decide whether to give Bradley a full 10-year term on the court in the April 5 election.... GOP Gov. Scott Walker acknowledged Monday he was not aware of her Marquette University writings before he appointed her three times to judicial positions."