;)
The Commentariat -- March 4, 2021
Afternoon Update:
The New York Times' live updates of Covid-19 developments Thursday are here. The Washington Post's live updates for Thursday are here.
The Trumpiest. Michael Kranish of the Washington Post: "North Carolina's Republican Party acted quickly last month to censure one of its most senior members, Sen. Richard Burr, for voting to convict ... Donald Trump in his second impeachment trial. Burr's vote was 'shocking and disappointing,' said Michael Whatley, chairman of the state party. But the state GOP has shown no interest in exploring a similar action against one of its youngest elected leaders, Rep. Madison Cawthorn, a pro-Trump freshman who is accused by a number of women of sexual harassment and has a record of making false statements and baseless claims." MB: According to Republicans then, it's okay to lie and harass women, but voting to convict a terrorist provocateur is unforgivable.
Kelly Loeffler Gets Her Comuppance. Again. Jay Connor of the Root: "In the immediate aftermath of George Floyd's death, the WNBA ... launched a Social Justice Council, players donned warmups with phrases like 'Black Lives Matter' and 'Say Her Name', and similar messaging was emblazoned on the court itself. But ... former Georgia Senator and Atlanta Dream co-owner Kelly Loeffler was vocal in her opposition to everything Black Lives Matter stands for. And now, in a full-circle moment, [Dream guard Renee] Montgomery -- the same player whom Loeffler once refused to meet in order to address her racist rhetoric -- is part of a three-member investment group that's been approved to purchase the Dream, per ESPN.... [Montgomery,] who recently retired from the WNBA after 11 seasons (and two championships), becomes the first former player in the history of the league to become both an owner and executive of a WNBA franchise." MB: That leaves Kelly to sit home and count her millions.
Spencer Hsu of the Washington Post: "A federal judge on Wednesday released a Washington state leader of the Proud Boys from jail pending trial, chiding prosecutors for withdrawing some of the more sensational allegations against him in the Jan. 6 breach of the Capitol. Chief U.S. District Judge Beryl A. Howell of Washington upheld a lower court's Feb. 8 release order for Ethan Nordean, 30, of Seattle. She found that although Nordean appeared to be a key leader in raising money, gear and assembling Proud Boys to Washington before leading them to breach police lines in a '1776'-style revolt against the presidential election results, the government had not supplied evidence to date that he directly ordered individuals to break into the Capitol.... Nordean's release marked a stumble for prosecutors, who have cast him as a key figure based on what Howell agreed were 'ominous' communications before Jan. 6 that they said indicated he and other Proud Boys were planning 'violent action' to overwhelm police and force entry to the Capitol."
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** Tom Jackman, et al., of the Washington Post: "The U.S. Capitol Police said Wednesday that they have information regarding a possible plot by a militant group to breach the Capitol on Thursday, a date that some followers of the QAnon extremist ideology falsely claim will mark ... Donald Trump's return to the White House. The department declined to name the militia group or provide additional details, citing the 'sensitive nature' of the information. In a statement, the department said it is 'prepared for any potential threats.'" The AP's report is here. ~~~
~~~ The New York Times report, by Zolan Kanno-Youngs & Matthew Rosenberg, adds this: "Representative Michael McCaul of Texas, a senior Republican on the House Homeland Security Committee, pleaded on CNN on Wednesday: 'President Trump has a responsibility to tell them to stand down. This threat is credible. It's real. It's a right-wing militia group.'" MB: But the report also suggests why Trump won't call for a stand-down: "... in Washington on Thursday, rates at the Trump International Hotel for March 3 and 4 have spiked to three or four times their usual prices, much as they did before Jan. 6." ~~~
~~~ Julia Ainsley of NBC News: "The Department of Homeland Security and the FBI sent a joint intelligence bulletin to state and local law enforcement agencies late Tuesday warning that some domestic groups have 'discussed plans to take control of the U.S. Capitol and remove Democratic lawmakers on or about' March 4, according to a senior law enforcement official who described the document to NBC News. The bulletin, titled 'National Capital Region Remains Attractive Target for Domestic Violent Extremists,' warned that "Domestic Violent Extremists" or 'Militia Violent Extremists' were emboldened by the Jan. 6 attack on the U.S. Capitol and therefore pose a higher overall threat. The bulletin said the militia violent extremists may 'exploit public gatherings either formally organized or spontaneous to engage in violence,' according to the description of the document." ~~~
~~~ Heather Caygle, et al., of Politico: "Top House Democrats are abruptly wrapping up all work on Wednesday and sending members home -- a day earlier than planned -- as congressional leaders grapple with another potential threat to the Capitol, nearly two months after deadly riots overtook the complex. While the extent of the concerns is not yet clear, U.S. Capitol Police have stepped up the security around the Capitol and related office buildings after both federal authorities and the sergeant-at-arms warned of discussions by 'militia violent extremists' to seize control of the complex on or around March 4."
Matt Zapotosky, et al., of the Washington Post: "The commanding general of the D.C. National Guard told lawmakers Wednesday how restrictions the Pentagon placed on him in the run-up to Capitol riot prevented him from more quickly sending forces to help quell the violence. Maj. Gen. William J. Walker said he didn't receive approval to change the D.C. Guard's mission and send his forces to the Capitol on Jan. 6 until three hours and 19 minutes after he first received an emotional call from the Capitol Police chief requesting urgent backup. Walker described the Pentagon's restrictions as 'unusual,' noting that he didn't have such limitations last June when the D.C. Guard was tasked with responding to local racial justice protests.... Walker's timeline for when he was finally authorized to send forces to the Capitol differed from that of another witness at the hearing, Robert G. Salesses, the Pentagon official performing the duties of the assistant secretary of defense for homeland defense and global security. Walker said that he didn't receive the order from senior Army officials to send his forces to the Capitol until 5:08 p.m., but Salesses said the acting defense secretary ordered forces to depart at 4:32 p.m. Walker said personnel did not arrive until 5:20 p.m." The story has been updated. Politico's story is here. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Missy Ryan & Dan Lamothe of the Washington Post: "The Pentagon acted as quickly as possible when asked to help respond to rioting at the Capitol on Jan. 6, the top U.S. military officer said, calling the turnaround 'sprint speed' in his first public comments about the Pentagon's reaction to the lethal siege. Army Gen. Mark A. Milley, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said defense officials approved a police request for assistance in about 60 minutes as a mob smashed into Congress in an effort to stop the certification of Joe Biden's presidential win. It then took several hours for D.C. National Guard members to mobilize and get in place, he said. Milley spoke as lawmakers prepared to hold another hearing on the riot, which has become a defining moment in ... Donald Trump's months-long attempt to remain in office and overturn the Biden victory."
Dana Milbank of the Washington Post Dares to Ask: "Three hours and 19 minutes. That's how long it took from the first, desperate pleas for help from the Capitol Police to the Trump Pentagon on Jan. 6 until the D.C. National Guard finally received permission to help put down the bloody insurrection.... The man ultimately responsible for the delay, Christopher Miller, had been a White House aide before Donald Trump installed him as acting defense secretary in November, as the president began his attempt to overturn his election defeat.... The Pentagon's 199-minute delay looks worse in light of a Jan. 4 memo Miller issued saying that without his 'personal authorization' the D.C. Guard couldn't 'be issued weapons, ammunition, bayonets, batons or ballistic protection equipment such as helmets and body armor.' The Army secretary added more restrictions the next day.... Also involved in the Pentagon delay was Lt. Gen. Charles Flynn, brother of disgraced former Trump adviser Michael Flynn..., [who] had suggested Trump declare martial law.... During this moment of crisis -- an attempted coup in the Capitol -- the defense secretary and the Army secretary were 'not available,' [Maj. Gen. William J.] Walker[, commander of the D.C. Guard,] testified.... Curiously, the Pentagon claims Miller's authorization came at 4:32 -- 15 minutes after Trump told his 'very special' insurrectionists to 'go home in peace.' Was Miller waiting for Trump's blessing before defending the Capitol?" Emphasis added.
** Shane Harris, et al., of the Washington Post: "Internal reports and emails from the Homeland Security Department show that federal law enforcement authorities were alert to the potential for violence by extremist groups attending a pro-Trump rally in Washington on Jan. 6, which preceded the attack on the Capitol. A security bulletin, along with other reports on protests, was compiled by the department's Federal Protective Service (FPS) a day before the attack and warned that anti-government and racially motivated extremists were likely to participate in the rally near the White House and 'use the activities as an opportunity to promote their ideologies and motivate followers to promote violence.'... The bulletin indicates that it was shared with other DHS security teams. It's not clear whether it was provided to the FBI, D.C. police or Capitol Police.... But the documents do show a level of awareness of potential threats on the part of the FPS, which is responsible for protecting federal properties, including some buildings around the Capitol." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Brad Heath of Reuters: "The U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration has suspended an agent who was outside the Capitol when a mob of Donald Trump supporters stormed the building, his lawyer said, in the first known case of authorities examining the conduct of a fellow federal agent during the deadly riot.... One of [Mark] Ibrahim's lawyers ... said DEA officials told Ibrahim that they were putting him on leave and suspending his security clearance 'because of his presence on Jan. 6.' She said Ibrahim, who was off duty but carrying his service weapon at the time, was part of the crowd outside the Capitol as Trump supporters stormed the building in a bid to stop Congress from certifying Democrat Joe Biden's presidential election victory.... She said he did not pass a set of metal barricades outside the building that were quickly overrun by the crowd."
Anthony Adragna & Ben LeFebvre of Politico: "Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) won the support of a key Republican senator Wednesday, giving her a likely path to winning confirmation as the first Native American Cabinet secretary, despite heavy criticism from other GOP lawmakers. Sen. Susan Collins (R-Maine) said she would vote to approve Haaland's nomination to lead the Interior Department, giving her a crucial but narrow buffer in a Senate that's split 50-50 between the parties. Two other moderate senators -- Arizona Democrat Kyrsten Sinema and Alaska Republican Lisa Murkowski -- have not said publicly how they plan to vote on Haaland's nomination, which comes up for a key committee vote Thursday."
Alice Ollstein of Politico: "The Senate Finance Committee on Wednesday split evenly along party lines on whether to advance Xavier Becerra for Health and Human Services secretary, leaving it to Majority Leader Chuck Schumer to bring the nomination up for a full Senate vote. The 14-14 tally reflected the sharp partisan divisions around Becerra, now California's attorney general, who's drawn fire from conservatives eager to make his confirmation a political liability for Democrats facing reelection next year. He is the first of President Joe Biden's Cabinet nominees not to be favorably reported out of committee, which will force Democrats to bring up a motion to discharge his nomination and hold an additional four hours of debate before a confirmation vote. The Senate's ongoing work on Biden's $1.9 trillion Covid relief bill and a pile-up of other nominees awaiting confirmation complicates the timeline for Becerra -- particularly if Vice President Kamala Harris needs to be on hand to break a tie." MB: Biden's bipartisan kumbaya does not seem to be going well.
** Mitch's Wife Is Not Above Suspicion. Eric Lipton & Michael Forsythe of the New York Times: "The Transportation Department's inspector general asked the Justice Department in December to consider a criminal investigation into what it said was Elaine Chao's misuse of her office as transportation secretary in the Trump administration to help promote her family's shipping business, which is run by her sister and has extensive business ties with China. In a report made public on Wednesday, the inspector general said the Justice Department's criminal and public integrity divisions both declined to take up the matter in the closing weeks of the Trump administration, even after the inspector general found repeated examples of Ms. Chao using her staff and her office to help benefit her family and their business operations and revealed that staff members at the agency had raised ethics concerns. 'A formal investigation into potential misuses of position was warranted,' Mitch Behm, the department's deputy inspector general, said on Tuesday in a letter to House lawmakers, accompanying a 44-page report detailing the investigation and the findings of wrongdoing. Ms. Chao [is] the wife of Senator Mitch McConnell of Kentucky...."
Oh, to Flip the Accountant. David Fahrenthold, et al., of the Washington Post: "The Manhattan district attorney is delving deeply into the personal and financial affairs of the chief financial officer for ... Donald Trump's company..., Allen Weisselberg.... This questioning is now led by a former mob prosecutor [Mark F. Pomerantz], and one person familiar with the investigation said it is aimed at 'flipping' Weisselberg.... "
** Mike DeBonis of the Washington Post: "The House late Wednesday night passed expansive legislation to create uniform national voting standards, overhaul campaign finance laws and outlaw partisan redistricting, advancing a centerpiece of the Democratic voting rights agenda amid fierce Republican attacks that threaten to stop it cold in the Senate. The bill, titled the 'For the People Act,' was given the symbolic designation of H.R. 1 by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), and it largely mirrors a bill passed two years ago in the early weeks of the House Democratic majority. This year, however, the bill has taken on additional significance because of the new Democratic majority in the Senate and President Biden's November win, as well as the efforts underway in dozens of Republican-controlled state legislatures to roll back voting access in reaction to ... Donald Trump's loss and his subsequent campaign to question the election results." CNN's story is here. The New York Times' story is here.
** Felicia Sonmez & Colby Itkowitz of the Washington Post: "The House on Wednesday passed the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, an expansive policing overhaul measure named for the 46-year-old Black man who died last Memorial Day after a Minneapolis police officer pressed his knee against his neck for over nine minutes. The bill passed 220 to 212 along mostly party lines, with two Democratic Reps. Jared Golden (Maine) and Ron Kind (Wis.) voting against it. and one Republican, Rep. Lance Gooden (Tex.), accidentally voting for it. Soon after the vote, Gooden tweeted that he'd pressed the wrong button and had meant to vote 'no.' He said he would submit a corection to his vote." MB: As a person given to making many typos, I love it when I see a word like "correction" misspelled ... by somebody else. I suppose a copy editor will fix this later, but honestly, what you see is what I copied & pasted. More important, of course, is the paradigmatic moment here wherein the one and only Republican to vote for a bill designed to bring fairer treatment to people of color cast that vote by mistake. ~~~
John Amato of the Crooks & Liars: "The Federal Election Commission has its eye on Rep. Jim Jordan and his campaign committee, because of huge discrepancies in their filings. Cleveland.com reports that many of discrepancies are over $100,000 -- in one instance, the amount was over $900,000. Rep. Jordan claims the problems arose because of massive donations he's received as a Trump apologist and voter fraud grifter." The Cleveland.com page is subscriber-firewalled. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
The New York Times now has a story on the DOD inspector general's report on Ronny Jackson, doctor to presidents and now a member of Congress. CNN's report was linked yesterday. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Daniel Dale, et al., of CNN: "In an opinion article published on Wednesday, former Vice President Mike Pence did something he used to do in office: echo a lie from ... Donald Trump in a slightly more sophisticated way. Pence's op-ed, published on the Daily Signal website run by the conservative think tank The Heritage Foundation, was mostly filled with attacks on a Democratic elections reform bill known as HR 1. But Pence also made claims about what happened in the 2020 election. Most notably, he began the article by claiming that the election involved 'significant voting irregularities.'"
Annals of "Journalism," Ctd. Craig Silverman & Ryan Mac of BuzzFeed News: "New York Times columnist David Brooks is drawing a second salary for his work on an Aspen Institute project funded by Facebook and other large donors -- a fact he has not disclosed in his columns. A Times spokesperson refused to tell BuzzFeed News whether the paper was aware Brooks was taking a salary for his work on Weave, a project he founded and leads for the Aspen Institute, a prominent think tank based in Washington, DC. The spokesperson also wouldn't say if the Times knew that Weave took money from Facebook.... Brooks has published multiple columns [in the New York Times] that promote Weave, in addition to writing pieces that mention Facebook, its founder Mark Zuckerberg, and the company's products without disclosing his financial ties to the social networking giant.... The Times said it's reviewing Brooks's work with Weave."
The Pandemic, Ctd.
Biden Calls Out "Neanderthal" Governors. Peter Sullivan of the Hill: "President Biden on Wednesday denounced the governors of Texas and Mississippi for lifting coronavirus restrictions, calling the moves 'Neanderthal thinking.' 'I think it's a big mistake,' Biden told reporters in the Oval Office when asked about the two states lifting their mask mandates and all capacity limits on businesses on Tuesday. 'I hope everybody's realized by now these masks make a difference,' he added. 'We are on the cusp of being able to fundamentally change the nature of this disease because of the way we're able to get vaccines in people's arms.... The last thing we need is Neanderthal thinking that in the meantime everything's fine, take off your mask, forget it,' he said." The New York Times story is here. As Ken W. pointed out in yesterday's Comments, Biden was kinda unfair to Neanderthals.
Dumbest Senator Has an Idea. Alexander Bolton of the Hill: "Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) ... has told colleagues that he plans to force the Senate clerks to read aloud the entire $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill on the Senate floor, which could slow it down by as much as 10 hours.... Any senator can force a reading of a bill on the floor, but the formality is almost always skipped by unanimous consent to avoid wasting time.... 'It just delays things a day,' said Sen. Ben Cardin (D-Md.). 'I feel sorry for the reading clerk.'" ~~~
~~~ In Lieu of Flowers, Send Money to Ron Johnson's Opponent. Mary Spicuzza of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: "Carol Lindeen raised her children to avoid certain topics -- like politics, religion and money -- in mixed company.... But recently, Carol ... was furious as she listened to Wisconsin Sen. Ron Johnson speak during the Senate hearing on the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol, her daughter [Laurie Lindeen] said. 'We were watching TV and Ron Johnson was totally whitewashing and, you know, making January 6 sound like it was just a bunch of goofy people having fun. And she was just irate, so she was going off,' Laurie said. 'She said she wished that she had spoken up more and done more and that she wanted to be a freedom fighter....'... Carol Lindeen, 81, died in her sleep on Wednesday.... Her obituary ... noted her opinion of& Johnson: 'In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to Ron Johnson's opponent in 2022.'"
Drs. Jill & Miguel Go on a School Field Trip. Katie Rogers & Erica Green of the New York Times: "Having told educators that they would soon be vaccinated, the Biden administration began an aggressive push on Wednesday to drum up support for reopening schools, putting on a show of unity with the leaders of teachers unions and highlighting measures to keep students and staff safe from the coronavirus.... To carry the message, the White House dispatched the first lady, Jill Biden, and the newly confirmed education secretary, Miguel Cardona, on a trip to Connecticut and Pennsylvania to emphasize that teachers should no longer fear returning unprotected to the classroom. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has said that teachers do not have to be vaccinated for schools to reopen safely." ~~~
Erica Werner & Jeff Stein of the Washington Post: "President Biden has agreed to narrow eligibility for a new round of $1,400 stimulus payments in his $1.9 trillion coronavirus relief bill, a concession to moderate Senate Democrats as party leaders moved Wednesday to lock down support and finalize the sweeping legislation. Under the new structure, the checks would phase out faster for those at higher income levels, compared to the way the direct payments were structured in Biden's initial proposal and the version of the bill passed by the House on Saturday." (An earlier version of this story was linked yesterday afternoon.)
Mark Pratt & Tammy Webber of the AP: "Buoyed by a surge in vaccine shipments, states and cities are rapidly expanding eligibility for COVID-19 shots to teachers, Americans 50 and over and others as the U.S. races to beat back the virus and reopen businesses and schools. Indiana and Michigan will begin vaccinating those 50 and over, while Arizona and Connecticut have thrown open the line to those who are at least 55. Pennsylvania and Wisconsin are reserving the first doses of the new one-shot vaccine from Johnson & Johnson for teachers. And in Detroit, factory workers can get vaccinated starting this week, regardless of age. Giving the vaccine to teachers and other school staff 'will help protect our communities,' Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf said. 'It's going to take burdens off our parents and families. It's going to make our schools get back to the business of teaching our kids.'"
Beyond the Beltway
California. Miriam Jordan of the New York Times: "Thirteen people killed in a traffic collision in a remote stretch of Southern California near the Mexican border were among 44 migrants apparently smuggled through a large breach in the border wall, the U.S. Border Patrol said on Wednesday. The migrants were traveling in a pair of S.U.V.s that crossed from Mexico into California's Imperial Valley before dawn on Tuesday, border officials said. One of the vehicles, a red Chevrolet Suburban, burst into flames shortly after crossing, they said. The other, a maroon Ford Expedition crammed with 25 people, traveled about 30 miles west to the town of Holtville, Calif., where shortly after sunrise it drove through an intersection and into the path of a large tractor-trailer rig."
"Happy Women's History Month, Idaho!" Brian Holmes of KTVB Boise: "March is Women's History Month and on Tuesday, one Idaho state representative voted against accepting federal grants to help kids get ready for kindergarten because it 'makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home.' Rep. Charlie Shepherd (R-Pollock) testified against House Bill 226, which would allow the State Board of Education to use nearly $6 million in federal grants to increase early childhood education in the Gem State by making it more available and accessible.... The bill failed on a 34-36 vote, but it is expected to be reconsidered." MB: I checked & Charlie is married. (Also linked yesterday.)
New York. Here's a story New York Times editors should not have assigned to male writers, or at least not these male writers: ~~~
~~~ Headline: "Cuomo, Contrite Over Sexual Harassment Accusations, Refuses to Resign." Jesse McKinley & Luis Ferré-Sadurní of the NYT: "In his first public remarks since a sexual harassment scandal enveloped his administration, Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo said on Wednesday that he was embarrassed by his actions and apologized, but that he would not resign from office.... Mr. Cuomo, his voice appearing to crack at times..., said..., 'It was unintentional and I truly and deeply apologize for it. I feel awful about it and frankly, I'm embarrassed by it, and that's not easy to say...." Blah blah. Cuomo "insist[ed] twice that he never 'touched anyone inappropriately.'" ~~~
~~~ Marie: Never "touched anyone inappropriately"??? There's a fucking photo of you out there touching a young woman inappropriately. Anna Ruch told the New York Times that Cuomo had greeted her, in their very first meeting evah, by putting his hand on her bare back. She quickly brushed his hand away, and a moment later he got back at her by grasping her head in his hands and asking for a kiss. McKinley & Ferré-Sadurní refer to this incident but only to report that "Kissing and hugging, he said, was his 'usual and customary way of greeting,' but he apologized if it had made Ms. Ruch uncomfortable, reiterating it was not his intention to do so." For the most part, the report just reiterates how bad Cuomo feels about these incidents and what a hardship it all has been on ... Andrew Cuomo. ~~~
~~~ Update: I transferred my comment here to the Comments section of the
Way Beyond
Myanmar. Shibani Mahtani of the Washington Post: "s the protest movement gains traction across the country, the Myanmar military is responding with brutality, shooting randomly into crowds and gunning down protesters. Shooting to kill -- aiming for protesters' heads or chests -- has emerged as a crowd-control tactic, as snipers pick off targets and hope their deaths will send protesters fleeing and disperse the crowd.... On Wednesday..., at least 38 people ... died at the hands of security forces..., according to the United Nations." The AP's story is here.
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Reader Comments (12)
Andrew Cuomo says that “now” he understands that people can be seriously offended by unwanted touching and questions (not to mention grossed out). Now? He’s just figuring this out now? Most guys (decent ones, that is) get that by the time they’re in high school. Cuomo is 63. So...for almost 50 years he’s been acting like an asshole to women?
My guess is that there’s been way more than three of these events. You don’t all of a sudden, at 50 something, start behaving like Donald Trump.
Say bye-bye Andy.
That Patrick ain't this one.
In the guilt by association department: would you feel inclined to believe anything Mrs. Mitch McConnell says? Self dealing! Say it ain't so, Joe. I wonder if the Orange Turd knew she was an immigrant?
Our Patrick assures us he was not THAT Patrick: We knew that without asking.
The news is overwhelming–-it fills you up to the point of feeling bloated. However–-to mention just a few swindlers in our midst.
Ronny Jackson: the "bad" doctor who managed to hoodwink his way into posing as a "good" doctor. Now we learn he was pill induced with an alcoholic chaser and manifested red faced rage at various and sundry. YET–-didn't we get a teeny weeny bit leery about this guy when he told us how fit Fatty was?
Elaine Chou: wife of the shell bearing Turtle: she appears to have taken her position to new heights by helping the family bus-in-ness in China without having to dig a deep hole in the sand since the money was right there in those pretty hands.
The Pentagon: From the looks of it––and we need to look a lot deeper--something seems to be rotten in those halls of the military–-some Flim Flam man at the center?
Charlie Shepherd: The state Rep from Idaho who voted against accepting a federal grant to help kids get ready for kindergarten because–––"It makes it easier or more convenient for mothers to come out of the home." Poor Charlie has since apologized––"I totally blew it!" he now says. Well, god bless!
So many more to be added but time is fleeting. I would like to add one positive that made me smile:
Carol Lindeen, the 81 year old woman who taught her children to keep their mouths shut about certain hot topics when out and about. But then Trump came into her life and she became a roaring Tiger mom–-he drove her to wanting to march in the streets and shout her fury. She never got the chance: she died but left that message––"In lieu of flowers..."
I too have wondered whether the three hour delay at the Pentagon in responding for calls to aid in repelling Trump’s army of violent fascist thugs had something to do with his sycophants not wanting to incur the wrath of the Führer by calling in the heavy artillery on all those “very fine people” storming the Capitol to overturn a legitimate election.
The whole event demonstrated the depth to which Fatty had (has) damaged the government’s ability to act in any way that is remotely competent and professional. This is, after all, the same turd who hired a drunken, self-medicating lout to oversee the medical needs of White House staff. Is it a surprise then that the incompetent slug he rammed into running the Pentagon was not exactly the modern equivalent of the revolutionary era Minute Men?
Had Trump been in charge in those days, we’d all be singing “Hail to the Queen”.
@Akhilleus. Exactly. All those brass had to do was turn on the teevee to see that the alarm calls were not exaggerations. Yet they dithered for hours as Trump's Marauders wreaked havoc & threatened the lives of the representatives of the people.
One irony is that as various apologists for their own fiefdoms trek to Capitol hearing rooms to explain why the breach was the other guy's fault, the main object of the insurrections' wrath -- the vice president half-pence -- was penning an op-ed complaining about fake "election irregularities" that had so incensed the Trump mob. I don't think mikey quite grasps what -- and who-all -- it was that nearly got him hanged on a gallows erected on the Capitol steps.
Marie,
Don't know what little mikey grasps and what he does not. Not much, I'd guess, his view limited as it is by his cramped belief system and his overweening ambition.
It's the latter that's in play here, I think. There is no way forward in today's Republican Party other than to follow the path laid down by the former pretend president's Big Lie, which requires acceptance of that falsehood and in turn the hundreds of attempts taking place in Republican legislatures across the country to suppress the votes of all but members of his anointed Tribe.
The half pence may be a bit dim, but it appears he's smart enough to know that.
Do like Ezra Klein, even when I find his argument a bit thin, as I did today.
https://www.nytimes.com/2021/03/04/opinion/biden-american-rescue-plan.html#commentsContainer&permid=111859054:111859054
My comment:
While difficult to peer into the heart or mind of another person, their actions do tell us something, even in the political realm--not the most transparent of settings.
Their actions do reveal something about the men and women who occupy leadership positions beyond all the talk of their theories of government.
In Trump's case. there never was and still is no theory of government. All his ideas and actions are limited ot what's best for him. Though it does great violence to the word, short-term self-interest was the guiding "principle" at work in the previous administration and remains so today in the remnants of what was once the Republican Party.
There clearly is a stark contrast between Trump's and Biden's rhetorical styles, but that difference may be more the symptom than the substance of a much deeper difference: On the one hand we had an administration with no interest other than serving themselves. Everything was done to that end. All the noise, all the lies, while it looted the store behind the screen of distraction.
Now we have an administration that wants to treat the ills of the country.
To actually govern.
SecNav (acting?) is conducting a mandatory 2+ hour town hall “training” on “extremism in the ranks” tomorrow. Will be interesting to see how much is serious and how much is whitewash (pun intended).
When I just heard on the car radio a repeat of the news that Senator Johnson plans to require a word by word oral reading of the Covid relief package before deliberations can proceed, it occurred to me that it might have been an acknowledgement that he (and others of his Republican senatorial cohort) cannot read, so they have to be read to.
Maybe not so wild a thought?
Evidence abounds for that theory.
Hmmm...only a few more hours until Thursday is finished, the glorious day Qanon Nostradamuses predicted that chief fascist and fat traitor, little donnie trumpy, returns to Washington in triumph to kick out legitimately elected (real) president, Joe Biden, and ascends his Dutch metal gilded, fecal-filled toilet bowl throne.
What happens when he’s still pooping his XXXL diapers down at Marred-a-lardo? What will they say then?
Ohhhh...they didn’t mean TODAY, they meant Thursday, March 4 on the Klingon Empire calendar. Whenever that is.
So, really, they’re not wrong/stupid/deluded/high/laughingly moronic.
They’re just regular-ass Trump lovers. Because these losers are never wrong.
Never mind.
For those who are trying to book appointments to receive the COVID-19 vaccine from Walgreens, it appears that the magic witching minutes is at 7:00 a.m. After spending several days trying to secure an appointment with no result, it wasn't until yesterday at exactly 7 am when I signed on to their website that I was successful in being able to register for both dose 1 and 2 (Phizer/Moderna) of the vaccine. My wife was able to achieve the same result at exactly the same time this morning, 7 a.m. on the minute. Available appointments disappeared within minutes from that time.
Pre-register and be ready to hit search, by zip code, on the dot.