;)
The Commentariat -- July 21, 2016
Afternoon Update:
Green Eggs & A Ham. Matt Flegenheimer & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "Facing jeers even from many of his own constituents, Senator Ted Cruz of Texas on Thursday defended his non-endorsement of Donald J. Trump, talking down hecklers at a fractious breakfast forum the morning after his performance onstage upended the Republican National Convention. In an extraordinary display of party division -- at a typically staid Texas state delegation breakfast that is held with the intentions of exemplifying convention-week harmony -- Mr. Cruz strained to manage the vitriol directed his way, stressing that he had not said a cross word about Mr. Trump.... 'I am not in the habit of supporting people who attack my wife and attack my father,' he said...." -- CW
Jim Rutenberg, et al., of the New York Times: "Executives at 21st Century Fox decided to end the tenure of Roger Ailes after lawyers they hired to investigate an allegation of sexual harassment against him took statements from at least six other women who described inappropriate behavior from Mr. Ailes, two people briefed on the inquiry said Wednesday.... In interviews, several current and former Fox News employees said inappropriate comments about a woman's appearance and her sex life were frequent in the newsroom." -- CW
Dom Phillips of the Washington Post: "Brazilian police have arrested 10 people suspected of planning terrorist attacks during the Rio Olympics, Brazilian prosecutors in the southern state of Parana said Thursday. The 10, all Brazilians, had declared loyalty to the Islamic State and were communicating via cellphone messenger services Telegram and WhatsApp to plan attacks during the Summer Games, which open Aug. 5, Justice Minister Alexandre de Moraes told reporters in the capital, Brasilia." -- CW
Elaine Ganley & Thomas Adamson of the AP: "The truck driver who killed 84 people on a Nice beachfront had accomplices and appears to have been plotting his attack for months, the Paris prosecutor said Thursday. Prosecutor Francois Molins said five suspects currently in custody are facing preliminary terrorism charges for their alleged roles in helping 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej Bouhlel in the July 14 attack...." -- CW
Max Bearak of the Washington Post: Air strikes on Tuesday -- which may have been led by the U.S. coalition -- killed dozens of Syrians fleeing ISIS, but no ISIS fighters. "If Tuesday's airstrikes were indeed by coalition jets, and not Russian or Syrian government warplanes, this would easily be the highest civilian toll from any action by the coalition since it formed in 2014. Faced with the likelihood of a grave error by the coalition, U.S. officials responded cautiously, emphasizing the need to verify what had happened." -- CW
*****
GOP Convention & Presidential Race
CW: Many of today's ledes are pretty rich.
The New York Times is liveblogging Day 3 of the convention. -- CW ...
... Here's the Washington Post's liveblog. -- CW ...
... Nolan McCaskill of Politico: "Texas Sen. Ted Cruz declined to endorse Donald Trump on Wednesday night during his prime-time Republican National Convention speech, telling voters to 'vote your conscience' in November.... The crowd in the Quicken Loans Arena broke out in chants of 'we want Trump,' to which Cruz replied, 'I appreciate the enthusiasm of the New York delegation.' The audience proceeded to break out in overwhelming boos. As Cruz concluded his speech, cameras cut to Trump arriving in the arena, giving the crowd a thumbs up." -- CW ...
... Patrick Healy & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "The Republican convention erupted into tumult on Wednesday night as the bitter primary battle between Donald J. Trump and Senator Ted Cruz reignited unexpectedly, crushing hopes that the party could project unity. In the most electric moment of the convention, boos and jeers broke out as it became clear that Mr. Cruz -- in a prime-time address from center stage -- was not going to endorse Mr. Trump.... Mr. Trump himself suddenly appear[ed] in the back of the convention hall. Virtually every head in the room seemed to turn from Mr. Cruz to Mr. Trump, who was stone-faced and clearly angry as he egged on delegates by pumping his fist.... Security personnel escorted ... Heidi [Cruz] out of the hall.... The drama overshadowed the appearance of Mr. Pence, who was expected to be the highlight of the convention's third night.... [Later,] when [Mr. Cruz] tried to enter the convention suite of the Las Vegas casino magnate Sheldon Adelson, he was turned away." -- CW ...
... Ed Kilgore: "The man constantly referred to from the podium as the world's greatest negotiator went along with giving his last and strongest rival for the nomination a prime-time speaking gig knowing that Ted Cruz would not endorse him. Cruz took the stage knowing the Trump majority of the crowd would be angered if he conspicuously failed to offer the kind of straight-forward support Marco Rubio had just provided in a short video played on the giant screen in Quicken Arena. This arrangement was difficult to make sense of from either politician's perspective.... Once again, Trump has lost control of his own convention." -- CW ...
... Josh Marshall: "... I believe in my heart that Ted Cruz is an odious weasel.... But that was a singular moment.... He affirmatively not only refused to endorse Trump but exhorted fellow Republicans not to vote for Trump. Yes, he used the coded phrasing 'vote your conscience.' But in context that meant with with crystal clarity: Your Republican identity in no way obligates you to vote for Donald Trump. Rather 'vote your conscience' and do not vote for Donald Trump.... Cruz came into Trump's house, Trump's party and humiliated him." -- CW ...
... Dara Lind of Vox: "Ted Cruz just launched his campaign for the 2020 presidential nomination.... He's making a bet: that Donald Trump will fail catastrophically in November and the Republican Party's next leader will be someone who wasn't implicated in the catastrophe.... What made Cruz's convention speech so remarkable is that during the presidential primary..., Ted Cruz buddied up to Trump.... It all fell apart, of course, as the struggle between the two for the Iowa caucuses dissolved their partnership faster than you can say 'Lyin' Ted.'" -- CW ...
... A "source within the Cruz team" tells winger Ben Shapiro of the Daily Wire that the negative reaction to the Cruz speech "was orchestrated by the Trump campaign to make Senator Cruz a pariah within the party." CW: If so, how very Machiavellian of you Donaldo. Except the Pariah Plot is looking a bit like a backfire.
Gay or straight, the Bill of Rights protects the rights of all of us to live according to our conscience. -- Ted Cruz, convention speech
Ted Cruz believes that, gay or straight, you are protected by the fundamental rights of the constitution, unless you're gay. -- Scott Lemieux, in LG&$
** David Sanger & Maggie Haberman of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump ... said Wednesday that if he were elected, he would not pressure Turkey or other authoritarian allies about conducting purges of their political adversaries or cracking down on civil liberties. The United States, he said, has to 'fix our own mess' before trying to alter the behavior of other nations. 'I don't think we have a right to lecture,' Mr. Trump said in a wide-ranging interview.... 'Look at what is happening in our country,' he said. 'How are we going to lecture when people are shooting policemen in cold blood?' During a 45-minute conversation, he explicitly raised new questions about his commitment to automatically defend NATO allies if they are attacked, saying he would first look at their contributions to the alliance." The transcript of the interview is here.-- CW ...
... Cassandra Vinograd of NBC News: "Donald Trump set off alarm bells in European capitals Thursday after suggesting he might not honor the core tenet of the NATO military alliance.... The comments were perceived by some analysts as carte blanche for Russia to intimidate NATO allies and a potential harbinger of the alliance's collapse were Trump to be elected." -- CW ...
... Jeffrey Goldberg of the Atlantic: "Donald J. Trump, has chosen this week to unmask himself as a de facto agent of Russian President Vladimir Putin, a KGB-trained dictator who seeks to rebuild the Soviet empire by undermining the free nations of Europe, marginalizing NATO, and ending America's reign as the world's sole superpower.... Donald Trump, should he be elected president, would bring an end to the postwar international order, and liberate dictators ... to advance their own interests. The moral arc of the universe is long, and, if Trump is elected, it will bend in the direction of despotism and darkness." -- CW ...
... Jordan Weissman of Slate: In his acceptance speech for the vice-presidential nomination, "Mike Pence said that Donald Trump would stand with our allies right after Donald Trump told the New York Times that he might not stand with our allies." -- CW ...
... Jonathan Chait: "Republicans in Chaos Must Decide Whether to Elect a Madman.... [Donald Trump] is ignorant and has dangerous views completely outside the normal range.... In light of the risks presented by Trump, who might break the rule of law and the democratic form of government, his party has offered a strange message. Rather than tamp down the fears of what he would do, they have inflamed them....[Trump's New York Times interview] retroactively justified [Ted] Cruz's extraordinary decision to take the stage in prime time and decline to endorse his party's nominee, even as boos rained down." -- CW
Maggie HABERMAN: What do you think people will take away from this convention? What are you hoping?
Donald TRUMP: From the convention? The fact that I'm very well liked.
... Greg Sargent: "Trump wants the key takeaway from the whole convention -- including his speech tonight -- to be that people come to appreciate that he is very well liked, specifically, that he is already very well liked. Not that he hopes to spell out his party's vision for America (if you can call it that) with new sweep and clarity." CW: A "madman," you say, Chait? How could you?
This is a joyless convention. The mood among the delegates, I've found, is somewhere between grim resignation and the Donner Party. -- Mike Murphy, top Jeb! advisor ...
... "Donald Trump's Convention Is a Low-Energy Show So Far." Adam Nagourney & Jeremy Peters of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump came [to Cleveland] promising a nominating convention bursting with glitz, energy, celebrity and the highest of show business production values. Instead, at least for the first two nights, Mr. Trump struggled to stage the biggest show of his political career: his own convention. The party gathering, after an unusually contentious primary season, has been marked by a noticeable absence of energy and swaths of empty seats.... The crowd seemed to come alive only when the subject was not Mr. Trump but Hillary Clinton...." CW: So pleased to see this as the top story (at least for the moment) on the Times' online front page. It should really piss off Mr. Big. ...
... Karen Tumulty & Jenna Johnson of the Washington Post: "Even before Donald Trump secured the Republican nomination..., [he] was promising that he would put on a convention spectacle unlike any that had ever come before.... 'It's very important to put some showbiz into a convention. Otherwise, people are going to fall asleep,' he [said].... But the Trump Show has yet to dazzle -- and there have been some moments where it has been almost painful to watch." -- CW ...
... Philip Rucker of the Washington Post: "... the friends and family members who have said they want the country to know the Donald Trump they know so well have mostly spoken in generalities and bromides.... '[The convention is] an exercise in vanity.... It's not about a serious effort to win an election,'... said Stuart Stevens..., who helped run Mitt Romney's 2012 campaign." CW: Could be because #RealDonaldTrump is #RealObnoxious.
Washington Post Editors: The Republican National Convention "descended to a new low Tuesday night when delegates assembled in Cleveland kept repeating their favorite chant: 'Lock her up! Lock her up!'... 'Embarrassed for my country by this chant,' Stanford University professor (and Post contributor) Michael McFaul tweeted Tuesday. 'Dictatorships lock up the opposition, not democracies.'... New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie led the crowd in a trial by mob Tuesday night, lobbing accusation after accusation at the former secretary of state, asking the crowd after each one to declare her 'guilty or not guilty.' 'Guilty!' was the predictable reply, though nearly all of his charges concerned policy choices, not behavior that was even conceivably illegal.... The 'lock her up' motif rightly heightens fears of how Mr. Trump would govern, given the contempt he has shown for traditional democratic norms and the rank ignorance of the Constitution he has displayed." -- CW
... David Corn of Mother Jones: "'Lock her up! Lock her up!'... This moment marked the culmination of a meme on the right: that Clinton is not a legitimate leader and that her election would not be legitimate. By embracing this theme and placing it center stage at Trumpalooza, Donald Trump and the GOP were undermining, if not threatening, democratic governance.... Minutes after the 'lock her up' chants, defeated GOP presidential candidate Ben Carson linked Clinton to Lucifer (because of a college paper she wrote on leftist organizer Saul Alinsky). And on Wednesday morning, the news broke that a prominent Trump supporter, Al Baldasaro, had declared on a radio show that Clinton deserved to 'be put in the firing line and shot for treason.'... Trump once referred to Baldasaro as 'my favorite vet.' [There's more. See also the WashPo story on Baldasar, linked below.]... Trump has encouraged all this.... This is a perilous moment." -- CW ...
... ** Dana Milbank: "Delegates to the Republican National Convention are divided this week over a crucial question: Should Hillary Clinton be summarily executed? Or merely imprisoned without trial?" -- CW ...
... Rebecca Traister of New York: "The Republican Party wants to return us to a time in which white male authority and power was absolute, in which punishment could be meted out as the majority desired, quelling the threats of minority upstarts.... Even if they are tepid on Trump personally, those Republicans who are [in Cleveland] -- who are speaking nightly, on television, to millions of Americans -- are exhibiting a frothing excitement for the resentments and aggressions he's given them permission to voice openly. It turns out that Donald Trump is far from unique. What we have seen, this week, is the Republican Party offering its stage and its imprimatur to speakers who have ... [been] buoyed and energized by the way in which Trump's candidacy has allowed them to come out as inciters of sexist, racist, violent mob action and xenophobic fearmongering" -- CW
Jason Horowitz of the New York Times: Former ballet dancer "Meredith McIver ... took the blame for the disastrous plagiarism of Michelle Obama in Melania Trump's prime-time speech Monday at the Republican National Convention. In the statement, Ms. McIver, a 65-year-old co-author of several books with Donald J. Trump, said that as she and Ms. Trump were preparing her speech, Ms. Trump mentioned that she admired Mrs. Obama and read to Ms. McIver parts of the first lady's 2008 speech at the Democratic convention. Ms. McIver said she had inadvertently left portions of the Obama speech in the final draft. 'This was my mistake,' she wrote. She wrote that she had offered her resignation, but that the Trumps had rejected it." -- CW ...
... Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump's campaign finally admitted on Wednesday that parts of Melania Trump's convention speech had been plagiarized, releasing a brief statement from the person responsible.... But there's another problem.... The letterhead of the statement [Meredith McIver issued]: The Trump Organization, which is to say Donald Trump's personal business. And ... McIver describes herself: As an employee of the Trump Organization, not the campaign. If Trump used corporate resources to write a political speech, that could be illegal [depending upon the way McIver was paid for her work]." -- CW ...
... P.S. Jim Fallows: The night after Melania Trump "ran into a buzzsaw for misappropriated material," Donald Trump, Jr., delivered a convention speech that recycled bits of a previously-published article by his speechwriter. Without attribution, of course. "... this is something you don't do this way. You don't recycle, without attribution, things you've written and let someone else present them as his or her own words." -- CW
Michelle Goldberg & Chelsea Hassler of Slate: "... anti-Hillary Clinton rhetoric at this week's Republican National Convention ... has been a thematic constant, often overshadowing any and all reference to the Republican nominee himself. It's no surprise, then, that RNC attendees and supporters of the party have followed suit -- but some have taken it to a much baser level, groping at the lowest of low-hanging fruit by attacking Hillary's gender and sexuality." The reporters provide photographic evidence. -- CW
David Fahrenthold of the Washington Post: "The Secret Service is investigating one of Donald Trump's most outspoken supporters, a New Hampshire state representative who said this week that Hillary Clinton should be shot for treason.... [Al] Baldasaro, a Republican from Londonderry, N.H., is a former Marine who calls himself Trump's 'veteran advisor.'... In May, when Trump criticized the news media for its coverage of his promise to give $1 million to veterans groups, Baldasaro was given a speaking role and a place in the background when Trump spoke.... 'Hillary Clinton should be put in the firing line and shot for treason,' Baldasaro said earlier in the week on ... a conservative radio show.... On Wednesday, Baldasaro stood by those comments in an interview with WMUR of Manchester, N.H.... 'As far as I'm concerned, it is treason and the penalty for treason is the firing squad -- or maybe it's the electric chair now,' Baldasaro said." -- CW ...
... "Meh!" -- Trump Camp. Andrew Kaczynski of BuzzFeed: "Trump campaign spokesperson Hope Hicks told NH1 News, 'We're incredibly grateful for [Baldasaro's] support, but we don't agree with his comments.'" -- CW
Jane Mayer of the New Yorker: "On Monday..., the day that this magazine published my interview with [Tony] Schwartz, [who ghost-wrote The Art of the Deal,] and hours after Schwartz appeared on 'Good Morning America' to voice his concerns about Trump's 'impulsive and self-centered' character..., the general counsel and vice-president of the Trump Organization, issued a threatening cease-and-desist letter to Schwartz.... On Thursday..., Schwartz said that ... he would make no retractions or apologies. '... It is axiomatic that when Trump feels attacked, he will strike back. That's precisely what's so frightening about his becoming president.'" -- CW ...
He's been trying to get work from me for 30 years. He wrote me letters [asking for work]... I never liked him. -- Donald Trump, yesterday
Schwartz says this is 'totally false,' and that he has made no business overtures to Trump during the last twenty-eight years. Asked last night to provide any evidence that Schwartz had ever sought work from Trump after the publication of 'The Art of the Deal, [Trump attorney Jason] Greenblatt said he could provide none at that moment, but would try to find some soon. -- Jane Mayer, linked above
Calvin Woodward of the AP with a fact-check: "Donald Trump's new running mate and other Republicans are wrongly accusing Hillary Clinton of speaking with indifference about the death of Americans in Benghazi, Libya -- twisting her comments out of context to make their indictment.... At no point has Clinton said -- or even implied -- that it makes no difference whether Americans died in the Benghazi attacks." -- CW ...
... Glenn Kessler & Michelle Lee of the Washington Post also fact-check the bull. -- CW
Darren Samuelsohn of Politico: "Mike Pence wasn't pleased with Indiana’s top leaders [-- then-Gov. Evan Bayh (D) & Sen. Dan Coats (R) ---] in the early 1990s as they tried to block out-of-state trash from landing in Hoosier landfills, and ... he wrote an essay comparing their efforts to how Nazi Germany had treated 'politically unpopular' Jews.... Pence ... likened what Bayh and Coats were doing to Nazi leaders as they started seizing the assets of banks owned by Jewish minorities." -- CW
Amy Chozick & Jonathan Martin of the New York Times: "As Hillary Clinton prepares to make her choice for a vice-presidential candidate, Bill Clinton has privately expressed his support for Senator Tim Kaine of Virginia, according to three Democrats briefed on the conversations with the former president this week. Mr. Clinton believes that Mr. Kaine, 58, a former governor and member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, has the domestic and national security résumé that both appeals to voters and makes him prepared for the presidency." -- CW
Dan Spinelli of Politico: "Six protesters from a pro-Bernie Sanders group were arrested in a sit-in Wednesday in Philadelphia, in what could be an early hint of what's to come once the Democratic Party's convention begins next week, a spokesman for the activists said. The afternoon protest took place at the Center City headquarters of the Democratic National Convention's host committee, which the activists condemned for refusing to release the convention's financial records. The protesters were arrested for disorderly conduct and failure to disperse, but were released shortly afterward and issued civil fines...." -- CW
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Steve M.: Ron Fournier, "the king of Both Sides Do It," asks, "Why is the convention so negative? For the same reasons next weeks' Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia likely will be an anti-Trump orgy."... "Do you see what Fournier does there? He invokes things that have actually happened during the Republican convention, then says they're equivalent to things he thinks Clinton and her supporters will do at the Democratic convention. Voila! Instant false equivalence!" CW: How the hell did Fournier get a job at the Atlantic? Update: Oh, the Atlantic owns the National Journal, which employs Fournier.
Other News & Views
Manny Fernandez & Erik Eckholm of the New York Times: "A federal appeals court on Wednesday ruled that Texas' voter identification law, one of the strictest in the country, violated the Voting Rights Act and that the state must find ways to accommodate voters who face hardships in obtaining the necessary documents.... The United States Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit, in New Orleans, found that the law had a discriminatory effect on blacks and Latinos, who often lack the forms of identification required under the Texas law. But the ruling did not strike down the law entirely, ruling instead that new procedures must be found to assist potential voters lacking the required identification. The ruling also sent back for reconsideration the question of whether Texas legislators had acted with a discriminatory purpose...." CW: The Fifth Circuit is the most conservative in the country. ...
... Reid Wilson of the Hill: "A federal judge in Milwaukee on Tuesday blocked a Wisconsin state law that would have required voters to show a photo identification when casting a ballot in November's presidential election. U.S. District Court Judge Lynn Adelman issued a preliminary ruling allowing voters who do not have photo identification to cast a ballot provided they sign an affidavit attesting to their identity. Voters without identification will have to list a reason they were unable to obtain a document, including lacking a birth certificate, work schedules or disability or illness. CW: Adelman is a Clinton appointee. Thanks to Haley S. for the lead.
Beyond the Beltway
Michael Miller of the Washington Post: "Police in South Florida shot an unarmed black caretaker Monday as he tried to help his autistic patient. Charles Kinsey was trying to retrieve a young autistic man who had wandered away from an assisted living facility and was blocking traffic when Kinsey was shot by a North Miami police officer. In cell phone footage of the incident that emerged Wednesday, Kinsey can be seen lying on the ground with his hands in the air, trying to calm the autistic man and defuse the situation.... 'All he has is a toy truck in his hand,' Kinsey can be heard saying in the video as police officers with assault rifles hide behind telephone poles approximately 30 feet away.... 'There is no need for guns,' [Kinsley tells the police].... Seconds later, off camera, one of the officers fired his weapon three times. A bullet tore through Kinsey's right leg.... Kinsey said he was even more stunned by what happened afterwards, when police handcuffed him and left him bleeding on the pavement for 'about 20 minutes.'" ...
... CW: Just when you think police violence can't get worse, you find out it's now a capital offense to help the disabled while black.
Way Beyond
Ben Hubbard & Ceylan Yeginsu of the New York Times: "Turkey's president, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, declared a three-month state of emergency on Wednesday that gave the state extra powers to pass laws as the authorities pursue individuals suspected of attempting to topple his government." -- CW
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Reader Comments (30)
I'm being lazy and will provide no link but the news is sure to be found everywhere...
Trump said he would not necessarily defend a NATO ally if they were attacked unless they had met their obligations to us.
My apologies for what is essentially gossip - but the whole Trump family was showcased tonight, but Melania was nowhere to be seen.
Less lazy. Here is the NATO link.
https://twitter.com/Neil_Irwin/status/755956574141624320
Well this is encouraging - Wisconsin also got a break on voter ID laws.
https://www.thenation.com/article/a-big-victory-for-voting-rights-in-wisconsin/
GOP CONVENTION DAY THREE
Oh, dear, when Ted talked chaos ensued, but not until it was clear to all those nice people that he weren't gonna endorse their King of Kings. "Cast aside anger for love" Ted pleaded as verbal assaults hit him where it hurts. Bad move to have him speak–-another example of botched organization.
Another Trump son, Eric, gave a rousing speech painting his father with a brush of almost messianic fervor:
"My dad will turn dreams into reality."
"I see in his eyes the honesty, integrity and values ..."
"When my dad was asked when he would consider running for President , he said, 'Only if it got so bad, I had no choice."
"Vote for this candidate, my dad, that does not need this job."
"My father is running for YOU~"
Who will save America? This Savior!!!!––who will "Make America Great Again"
Oh, how the little people cheered in this most cheerless convention ever.
And then there was Newt who tried to fix what Ted fudged and then proceeded to go on a war path warning us of the most horrible, frightening, worst possible scenarios ever to befall us if we don't change the course of winning this war. And who can do this? Once again the guy who knows nothing about foreign policy. Such passion Newt displayed––so adroit speech wise. I can only conclude:
GINGRICH WANTS A JOB
The introduction of Pence was "ah shucks, Indiana style"––we got to meet Mama (the light of my life)––the missus ( maybe she gets part of that light?) and the grown up children––handsome son looked embarrassed. Mike's speech was long and since I was busy doing something else I only half listened but did get the "Hillary will never become President.." and "They tell us this economy is the best we can do." Is he the one who will shoot her? And I suppose the "they" means the Obama administration who has never said anything close to that statement. I checked on Indiana's economic status to find out whether Pence put some perfumed balm on his statements about it; He did. Of course.
And so another day closes on a convention that has many empty seats, many empty minds, and many empty promises. Tonight we will be treated to the King himself. I might just want to fortify myself with some kind of bromide––any suggestions?
Lot's of empty seats at the RNC "house party".
Maybe trump should schedule Bernie as a "surprise" guest speaker. Stunt casting seems to work for the networks.
And now, a very special episode on "Trump Palace".
Great Vox video–––thanks a bunch, C.W.
I'm confused. As I read and see all the news concerning the Republican convention something is not clear. Does this activity actually have something to do with the nomination of a person whose responsibilities will be POTUS? I have never watched a 'reality' TV show so I don't know that game but it seems that this game is not for the real reality.
And I have a suggestion for solving the Clinton issue. Change the name from Hillary to Harry. Problem solved.
And lastly, the politician most likely to be in prison is Chris Christie.
The Bridgegate trials begin in Sept. and his former friends primary defense will be screwing Christie.
Ron Fournier is writing for the Atlantic? I must have missed that one. My estimation of its editorial board just plummeted.
And just one more bit of wonderment regarding the Melania Trump/Michelle Obama convention speech. Can it possibly be true that the second most important speech of the Republican National Convention was co-written by a former super model and a ballerina who, about 45 years ago, was an English major, a speech that was never proofed or checked by professionals?
According to Ms. McIver, Melania's ballerina buddy, she dropped in a few choice sentences written by Michelle Obama (because the Trumps have all the best words, even if they have to steal them) but then declined, or forgot, to remove them or cite the source (most English majors I know, long ago learned that plagiarism is a one-way ticket to palookaville in every institute of learning--excepting Trump U, of course, where stealing is expected) before the thing was read before a national audience at one of the biggest political gatherings in the country?
So a super model and ballet dancer wrote the second most important speech of the convention and no one double checked it?
I can't even imagine the state of the place if this idiot gets elected. EPA regulations will be written up by his gardener.
...and another thing...
As Jim Fallows reminds everyone (linked above), another Trump's speech was also marred by plagiarism. I've heard Donnie Jr's speechwriter Frank Buckley whine that he stole his own words so it can't be plagiarism (are there any instances, according to Team Trump, where there is such a thing as plagiarism?). But it is if you are giving those words to someone else who is passing them off as his own.
The takeaway here is that there are no rules for Trumps, at least no rules that can't be broken when and if it benefits them.
And now, for his next magic trick, the Amazing, Incredible, Yuuuge Donaldo, will make our NATO agreement disappear. At the same time, he will make the US best buds with the Evil Empire, because that's how despots roll. If Trump has his way, there will be a new axis of evil, and this time, it will be for real.
So now member nations of NATO have to come, hat in hand, to Emperor Donald for help if Donald's pal Vlad decides he wants a piece of them?
What's next? Tribute (aka protection money by Trump's mob pals) by nations seeking our goodwill? I can see them now, all lined up across the White House lawn, foreign national supplicants bearing gifts, money, jewels, strange animals for his viewing pleasure, and, of course, an offering of concubines and slaves, all bowing down and proclaiming his yuuugeness, and marveling at the size of his, er, hands. Donaldo's dream of the presidency.
Okay, Ted Cruz IS a dick. And last night's hijinks display the extent to which anything besides what Ted wants matters. Answer? Zero. Not party and certainly not country, it's all about Ted. So, yes, he's an asshole, but wasn't it fun to watch him be an asshole to Trump? And how about the oh so mature response by the Trumpistas? These people couldn't get through a game of Candyland without fist fights over who landed on the Gumdrop Mountain shortcut first.
PD asks: " I might just want to fortify myself with some kind of bromide––any suggestions?"
Sure. Since Confederates are so adamant about turning back the clock, I'd say a 19th century opiate would do the trick: laudanum.
A swig every hour. OR....you could make it a game. Every time Trump screams "Crooked Hillary" you could take a swig.
On second thought, you'd be comatose after five minutes.
Never mind. a few gin and tonics should suffice.
Crazy, lunatic and now dangerous madman. So when is someone in the media finally going to say MENTALLY ILL!!
The most powerful tactic the Dems could employ that will never happen: not mention Trump even once during the convention.
I almost forgot to add my viewing of the Charlie Rose interview with that reptilian who gets his reddish glow from the sun; without it he shrivels up and dies. You might think I am talking about the King himself, but no, this guy is what you could call the King's whisperer or at least he'd like to think so. ROGER STONE–––man about town and country and inside any bedroom he can crawl into. But since good ole Charlie Pierce had the pleasure of watching another interview which sounds verbatim to Rose's I'll let him tell you about it since he's much more colorful than I could ever be.
http://www.esquire.com/news-politics/politics/news/a46821/republican-convention-roger-stone/
Whyte,
A strategy that would drive the Trumpster up the wall--the one on the Mexican border. It might look something like this (Trump meltdown starts at 1:08).
You're right though, it would never happen. But It would be yuuuuuge if it did. His fingers would freeze up, he'd be tweeting so furiously about no one mentioning his name. That's what he lives for, after all.
Say, here's a new parlor game...how many times during the DNC will he threaten to sue someone? I'm gonna say at least three times a night.
But I do love the Ignore T- - -P strategy. Maybe they could just refer to him as "the Republican nominee" or "that guy, whatsisname?".
The VOX video, linked above, is quite good. It provides a short history of the rise and change of both parties and does it in a graphically memorable manner. The only problem I have is the conclusion. The voiceover says that the Republican Party is (with the rise of Donaldo) at a crossroads and party leaders and voters must now decide what they want their party to be.
Well...they've already decided. They are the party of hatred, of racism, of violence, of misogyny, of paranoia, of science denial, of superstition. Of Trump.
So the party going from Lincoln to Trump? That's like going from the party of Michelangelo to the party of the playground bully who spray paints dirty words on the school door.
And that's who they've chosen to represent them.
Mostly the most boring political convention ever, especially under the direction of showman Trump who promised a spectacle event! Who knew it would come from Ted Cruz! As Charles Pierce notes today "I don't want to admire Ted Cruz as much as I do right now."—boy, don't we all share that feeling?
And, one of the NYTimes regular commenters, Stu Freeman wrote: "The extent of my admiration for Ted Cruz has just ballooned from "not in a thousand years" all the way up to "not in five hundred years." Compared to both Donald Trump and Radovan Karadzic he's a pillar of integrity."
But, scary words have come out of the mouth from Michael Moore "...Trump wins 2016." It's that Rust Belt area!
The speakers leading up to Cruz had to be the worst selection of any. Obviously, they couldn't find anyone more important, more vital, more dazzling than Rick Scott, Pam Bondi (the tearful voice over on her video tribute to the 'most wonderful family in the world was so phony) as was her rabble-rousing incitement, that Ruffin guy (shades of Vegas!), Harold Hamm (oouf!), then that bizarre performance from the once-upon-a-time circus entrepreneur—who found her? I swear, the Trump team must be dragging them in from the sidewalks in desperation to get someone to speak about DJT.
...and then in comes Ted with his version of, "I come here not to bury Caesar...for he is an ______________ man! Fill in the blank.
I switched the live feed off thinking the night was over. Find out that someone name Mike Pence was the closing act.
Shame I missed that.
Artist Plastic Jesus builds a wall around trump on the Hollywood
walk of fame.
http://hyperallergic.com/312445/in-response-to-the-rnc-artists-and-
activists-go-wall-out-against-trump/
Planned Parenthood's new website just about T and Pee.
http://toxictrump.tumblr.com/
Forrest,
Saw that wall around the DeathStar, er, sorry, the TrumpStar.
Very funny. Reason #2,190 that authoritarian politicians hate artists.
Marvin,
Something you'll appreciate: Keith Olbermann runs Donaldo through something called The Hare Psychopathy Checklist.
I've never heard of it but according to Wikipedia, it seems to be "...widely used to assess individuals in high security psychiatric units, prisons and other settings." Sounds appropriate for the Trumpster, no?
Anyway, http://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/07/donald-trump-keith-olbermann-sanity-test, a sanity test for Drumpfy. Think he passes?
Ha!
Anyway, here's a little music for His Emperorship to listen to while waiting for Dr. Olbermann to drain his brain.
Akhilleus: It's a start. There is one assessment I disagree with.
Criminal versatility: definitely 2 points. And one characteristic is missing. The idea that the rules that apply to all others don't apply to you. My greatest frustration is Olbermann says insane. We really need 'mentally ill'.
Akhilleus, In communist Slovenia words belong to everyone so there is no plagiarism.
I heard the TV hosts going on and on about Cruz not endorsing Donny, but very few seemed to care about the message. Cruz said we need to vote for someone who will protect our freedom and uphold the constitution. He seems to be insinuating that Donny isn't the one that'll do that (something echoed here at RC). That seems like a bigger deal than one more nonendorsement.
Do you think that Pence got the same offer as Kasich to be President in all but name?
www.politicususa.com/2016/07/20/proof-trump-losing-hillary-clinton.html
Sounds like Donny wants to be Queen. A figurehead that just waves at the people from his throne. During the 60 minutes interview Stahl asked him if he really, truly honestly wants to be President. It's amazing that a candidate has to be asked whether they actually want the job. I don't think anyone doubts Hillary desire to be President.
RAS,
Your assumption has merit. Cruz certainly doesn't seem to believe that Trump will protect and defend the Constitution. The problem is that neither would Cruz (nor any other Confederate wannabe). At least not all of it. Like most Confederates, his fealty to that document ends where it begins to defend the rights of citizens he feels do not deserve any protection (non-Christians, gays, liberals, minorities, women).
So, if Cruz's "principled" intransigence (which has effortlessly morphed into poor, poor, pitiful me victimization--the ubiquitous Confederate fallback position) is meant to assert tacitly or directly, that he would be a more reliable steward of Constitutional protections, one only has to recall that he is all for women not owning their own bodies, terrorists owning as many guns as they can afford, and gays owning no rights at all.
Some champion.
Oh yeah, and thanks for the sociopolitical exegesis of Melania's Stolen Words and Thoughts. Could be one reason Trump is so receptive to Soviet style "governance". "Everyone got to do what I say or GULAG, baby!"
Must give that minuscule member a slight stiffening.
Looks like Roger Ailes (?) just got a $40 million settlement by
sexually harassing female employees. Jesus, I missed my calling.
Worked with hundreds of females. I could have made millions of $.
Shit, I forgot I'm gay, and the only harassment came from straight
men with obvious problems.
Forrest,
Hahahaha!
Good thing homophobic putzes can't rake in that kind of dough.
Oh wait...how much do O'Reilly and Hannity and Limbaugh and Beck make per annum? Nevah mind.
Michelle Van Etten, the "entrepreneur" who spoke on Tuesday night and who was touted as having 100,000 people in her employe -- I think they meant the 100,000 she had in her flea circus.