;)
The Commentariat -- October 14, 2016
Afternoon Update:
Nick Corasaniti & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump used a campaign speech in North Carolina on Friday to attack the women accusing him of sexual assault or unwelcome advances as fame-seekers and liars, while portraying himself as the victim of a vast conspiracy on the part of the news media and Hillary Clinton's campaign. Speaking at a rally [in Greensboro], Mr. Trump dismissed as 'total fiction' the accounts of a growing number of women who say he groped them or made unwanted sexual advances. But he offered no evidence to cast doubt on their allegations. Instead, Mr. Trump assailed their motives, suggesting that they might have been paid off." [Trump said two of his accusers, Jessica Leeds & Natasha Stoynoff, were too unattractive to interest him.] "Mr. Trump also accused The New York Times, and Carlos Slim, the Mexican billionaire who is its largest individual holder of common shares, of conspiring with the Clinton campaign 'to try and keep their grip on our country.'" -- CW ...
... Jose DelReal of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump suggested several times Friday that he would not have sexually harassed the women who have accused him of assault because of their physical [un]attractiveness. The comments, which appeared to be made offhandedly, drew repeated laughs from the audience.... While Trump said Thursday that he would soon present evidence proving that his accusers are not telling the truth, he offered no such corroboration at the rally Friday in Greensboro." -- CW
Dahlia Lithwick: "Summer Zervos, who is represented by attorney Gloria Allred..., says she met Trump on Season 5 of The Apprentice, then went to see him at his offices in New York in 2007, at which time [he] kissed her several times on the mouth, in casual greetings that made her uncomfortable. A few days later Trump allegedly ... had Zervos brought to his bungalow at the Beverly Hills Hotel, where she saw his clothes on the bed, and he called out to her from a room adjacent to his bedroom.... After 15 minutes, he joined her with his clothes on and began kissing her, open-mouthed and dragging her toward him. He allegedly grabbed her shoulder and her breast. She describes him having 'led her to the bedroom' as she resisted. She described him as 'thrusting his genitals' against her clothed body.... Allred confirmed in a Q&A with reporters following the event that she has two corroborating witnesses for this account, and that Zervos -- a Republican -- was not contacted by anyone to come forward." -- CW ...
... Brendan Morrow of Heavy has more details.
That Time Donald Trump Groped Me. Karen Tumulty of the Washington Post: "Kristin Anderson was deep in conversation with acquaintances at a crowded Manhattan nightspot and did not notice the figure to her right on a red velvet couch -- until, she recalls, his fingers slid under her miniskirt, moved up her inner thigh, and touched her vagina through her underwear. Anderson shoved the hand away, fled the couch and turned to take her first good look at the man who had touched her, she said. She recognized him as Donald Trump.... Over the years, Anderson ... has recounted the story to people she knew...." -- CW
Nancy Collins, in the Hollywood Reporter, produces a transcript of a 1994 interview of Donald Trump. For a shorter version, see Megyn Reynolds of Jezebel who highlights the lowlights. CW: Like Reyolds (and probably everybody else), I was struck by Trump's instant transition from "I have great relations with women" to "The woman;s a liar, extremely unattractive, lots of problems because of her looks."
Michelle Cottle of the Atlantic is worried about what will happen to "the guy -- attending a Trump rally with his wife and small children -- who opted to wear a 'She's a Cunt. Vote Trump' T-shirt." CW: As for me, I'm more worried about what that guy will do to his family & the rest of us, whether or not Trump loses.
Have a Cigar. Mimi Whitefield of the Miami Herald. "President Barack Obama issued a presidential directive on Cuba Friday that seeks to cement his policy changes toward the island and encourage further engagement even after he leaves office.... The new rules allow Cubans and Americans to engage in joint medical research and lift monetary limits on the amount of Cuban products Americans can bring back in their luggage for personal use. Currently the limit is $400, which included a combined total of $100 of alcohol and tobacco products. Now U.S. travelers can bring back as many cigars and bottles of rum as they like -- as long as they are for personal use.... -- Akhilleus
Mark Berman of the Washington Post. "Just seven months after Florida revamped its death penalty law, the state's Supreme Court struck down the new statute as unconstitutional because it does not require juries to be unanimous about handing down the sentences. This ruling further adds to the uncertainty surrounding the death penalty in Florida, one of the country's leading practitioners of capital punishment and home to one of the nation's biggest death-row populations.... The Florida Supreme Court decision Friday marks the second time this year that a court has overturned the state's death-sentencing statute. The U.S. Supreme Court struck down the state's old law as unconstitutional in January because it allowed judges, not juries, to make the final decision about imposing capital sentences."...Akhilleus
*****
Presidential Race
Edward-Isaac Dovere of Politico: "President Barack Obama on Thursday night tore into Republican leaders for 'riding this tiger' of what he repeatedly called 'crazy' hoaxes and conspiracies that created the conditions for Donald Trump to become their presidential nominee -- and blasted anyone now trying to distance themselves out of what he derided as political expediency.... 'They stood by while this happened, and Donald Trump as he's prone to do, he didn't build the building himself -- he just slapped his name on it and took credit for it,' Obama said.... Clearly veering off-script, Obama turned to the example of proud Obama antagonist Texas Gov. Greg Abbott, whom he didn't name, but noted had ordered the state National Guard to observe the 2015 Operation Jade Helm military exercises after right-wing media exploded with conspiracy theories about how it was actually secret prep for an Obama led junta." -- CW ...
... Here's a clip:
Greg Sargent: "Michelle Obama is a tremendously popular public figure, who is probably better positioned than anyone else in the country to make this particular case. And that's what makes this a seminal, defining moment.... If Trump has a capacity for basic and sustained public decency, it has yet to make its appearance. And now we really seem to have crossed a point of no return. Michelle Obama marked it down. No going back":
(CW P.S. While Michelle Obama was giving one of the most consequential speeches of the campaign season, Fox "News" was airing some show where Newt Gingrich was sitting on a couch surrounded by attractive women wearing short skirts. You can watch the video at the linked site, but I'm going to guess he wasn't talking about Michelle Obama or women's rights.) ...
... See also Mike Pence's response, embedded below. ...
... Alan Rappeport of the New York Times: "Donald J. Trump pushed back aggressively on Thursday against what he called 'false smears' from women who claimed unwanted advances, seeking to stabilize his campaign as Michelle Obama declared 'it doesn't matter what party you belong to, no woman deserves to be treated this way.'... In a series of messages posted on Twitter on Thursday morning, Mr. Trump said that the article in The Times was a 'total fabrication' and denied the incident described by Natasha Stoynoff, a former writer for People, who said that Mr. Trump had forced his tongue down her throat while she was working on an assignment for the magazine about his first anniversary with his wife, Melania." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.) ...
... CW: The argumentum ad hitlerum is no longer ad absurdum. The only word Trump left out was "jüdisch," but it was implied. This is a frightening, stunning, if not entirely unexpected, turn as the candidate spirals toward complete madness. If, like me, you joked about Trump being carried out in a white coat, we should not have laughed. It decidedly is not funny:
Hillary Clinton meets in secret with international banks to plan the destruction of global sovereignty.... It's a global power structure that is responsible for the economic decisions that have robbed our working class, stripped our country of its wealth and put that money into the pockets of a handful of large corporations and political entities. -- Donald Trump, Thursday. in West Palm Beach, Florida ...
By Driftglass.... ** Philip Rucker & Sean Sullivan of the Washington Post: "Donald Trump issued a breathtaking call to arms Thursday as he emphatically denied allegations that he groped and kissed multiple women without their consent, charging that his accusers were part of a global conspiracy to extinguish his outsider movement. Scrambling to turn around his floundering campaign, Trump declared war on the media and multinational corporations, alleging they are colluding with Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton to orchestrate 'the single greatest pile-on in history' and undermine his campaign, which he said was an 'existential threat' to the global establishment.... Trump's fiery invective came just minutes after first lady Michelle Obama tried to summon the morality of a nation by saying Trump's degrading comments about women were an affront to all citizens.
Trump's remarks, which he read from a teleprompter, were laced with the kind of global conspiracies and invective common in the writings of the alternative-right, white-nationalist activists who see him as their champion. Some critics also heard echoes of historical anti-Semitic slurs in Trump's allegations that Clinton 'meets in secret with international banks to plot the destruction of U.S. sovereignty' and that media and financial elites were part of a soulless cabal out to destroy 'our great civilization.'... The speech bore the imprint of Stephen K. Bannon, the Trump campaign's chief executive, who until recently was the executive chairman of Breitbart, a conservative website that serves as the virtual town square of the alt-right movement.
... Travis Gettys of Raw Story: "Donald Trump lashed out at global elites who undermine American sovereignty through 'international banks' -- and many observers couldn't help but notice the underlying anti-Semitic message.... Many internet users were alarmed at Trump' language, noting its reliance on anti-Semitic themes and more suited to a fascist dictator than a presidential candidate." ...
... ** Josh Marshall: "There's a new conspiracy theory rapidly gaining traction among Trump supporters about the origin of the 'Access Hollywood' Trump tape.... The conspiracy theory is rapidly taking on an explicitly anti-Semitic character.... It's catching fire with numerous [Trump] supporters and surrogates - most notably Jerry Falwell Jr.... The claim is also being pushed by Breitbart and David Duke in various neo-Nazi web forums. Notably, in recent months Breitbart, with which the Trump campaign has now effectively merged, has itself more openly embraced anti-Semitism.... The claim is that Dan Senor, a prominent GOP political operative, who is Jewish..., is behind the tape disclosure and part of a plot of 'GOP elites' to destroy Donald Trump.... Senor is now cast as the Jewish 'traitor' working for the conspiracy of political elites, international financiers and the media who Trump railed against today in his speech.... It's not just that Trump and his campaign are bringing marginalized extremists into mainstream politics. He's radicalizing new people." -- CW ...
... CW: So were you lying then (2005) or are you lying now? "These women" are credibly reporting episodes of your sexually assaulting them that align with your own boasts about your interactions with women. And, uh, when is the "appropriate time"? Somewhere around when you release your tax returns? Sorry, you diddling douchebag, I'm with the women. ...
... Update. Before the day is out, there will be more evidence publicly that shows and calls into question these allegations. --mike pence, today on CBS ...
... Notice how pence steamrolls O'Donnell & Rose, both of whom are supposed to be knowledgeable journalists, not Billy Bush, for pete's sake. They either don't know enough or don't care to contradict the absurd remarks of a polite politician. For example, pence: "Voter fraud, bad; poll-watching, good." O'Donnell & Rose: "Thank you for jointing us, Guv." More on pence below.
Ben Jacobs of the Guardian: "Although Trump supporters have long disdained the media and faced the press pen to lambast reporters during Trump's speech, this time the traveling press were booed and jeered for minutes after their arrival. The only positive feelings towards any of the press were expressed when a single Trump supporter cheered praise for a reporter for InfoWars -- a fringe rightwing website that traffics in conspiracy theories..." --safari...
... ** Aaron Rupar of ThinkProgress: "Around the same time Trump was smearing the media, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) declared Trump to be a threat to press freedoms throughout the world. In an move unprecedented in the CPJ's 35-year history, the nonprofit organization released a statement on Thursday that says, 'Trump, through his words and actions as a candidate for president of the United States, has consistently betrayed First Amendment values.' [The] statement goes on to cite a number of examples of Trump mocking, insulting, and expelling journalists from events." Includes multiple videos/images of Trump or his Trumpers screaming at the media, including one with a note left on a press desk with a Nazi symbol scribbled next to the word "Media".--safari...
...The following video was uploaded to Youtube in May 2016, so you could add a whole new round of highlights. --safari
Just last week Megyn Kelly of Fox "News" complained that "Donald Trump ... will go on Hannity and pretty much only Hannity and will not venture out to the unsafe spaces these days." Not Any More. Brian Stelter of CNN: "On Thursday morning, [Trump] canceled on his friend Sean Hannity, a Fox News spokeswoman said. He had been scheduled to appear on Hannity's Fox News show Thursday night. He backed out around 11:30 a.m. ET. Hannity is still set to interview the four Clinton critics who appeared with Trump at a pre-debate photo op on Sunday: Kathy Shelton, Paula Jones, Kathleen Willey, and Juanita Broaddrick." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Tim Egan: "... those who take pleasure in watching Trump destroy the Republican Party are missing the bigger picture. He's trying to destroy the country, as well. Civility, always a tenuous thing, cannot be quickly restored in a society that has learned to hate in public, at full throttle. Trump has made compassion suspect. Don't reach out to starving refugees -- they're killers in disguise. Don't give to a charity that won't reward you in some way. Don't pay taxes that build roads and offer relief to those washed away in a hurricane. That's a sucker's game. We're not all in this together. Taxes are for stupid people." -- CW
Cameron Joseph of the New York Daily News: "... Donald Trump claims he gave generously to help his city in the dark days after the deadly terrorist attacks.... City Controller Scott Stringer conducted a review of hundreds of pages of previously sealed records of the two main 9/11 charities at the request of the Daily News, and found that Trump and his charity hadn't donated a dime in the months after 9/11.... The Daily News also reviewed every Form 990, which provides financial information for nonprofit companies or charities, for the Donald J. Trump Foundation from 2001 through 2014. There are no donations to the Twin Towers Fund or the NYC Public-Private Initiative listed. The only Sept. 11th donation in those documents was a $1,000 donation in 2006 to ... a group founded by Tom Cruise that used scientifically questionable methods approved by Scientology to help rescue workers.... The only recorded major donation to 9/11 causes that Trump has made was $100,000 from his foundation -- which has been bankrolled by others without any money from Trump for years -- to the 9/11 Museum in April 2016...." -- CW
Kevin Cirilli of Bloomberg: "Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump rebuffed political aides' requests to research his past, people familiar with the matter said, a decision that contributed to his campaign being caught unprepared for the past week's barrage of claims he mistreated women. Corey Lewandowski, Trump's first campaign manager, requested that Trump submit himself to a forensic evaluation that is traditional for any public figure seeking office.... Paul Manafort and his team made a similar request when they took over the reins after Lewandowski, who was ousted this June. Trump declined, the people said, and the issue became a point of contention among his closest political advisers and some long-time employees at the Trump Organization." -- CW
Gideon Resnick & Asawin Suebsaeng of the Daily Beast: Donald Trump "has a long history of demeaning women and people with disabilities. But even for The Donald, this is sick.... He repeatedly called a deaf actress 'retarded,' three sources tell The Daily Beast. Trump, who was accused on Wednesday of making sexual comments to Marlee Matlin, an Oscar-winning actress who once competed on Trump's Celebrity Apprentice, also apparently had a habit of insulting, mimicking, and demeaning as mentally handicapped his star female contestant -- all because she was deaf.... Trump would regularly disrespect the actress and would even treat her as if she were mentally disabled. Sometimes the insults would be behind her back; other times they would be right in front of her.... Matlin declined to comment on this story." The sources give disgusting specifics. -- CW ...
... Steve Helling of People: "When Donald Trump presided over the Celebrity Apprentice, he had complete control of the boardroom.... 'Watching him in the boardroom making sexual comments to Marlee Matlin, to all of the women on the Apprentice, it was obvious that that's just a part of who he is,' says 2011 contestant Richard Hatch. 'It was obvious and it was grotesque. It was blatant and it was frequent. He did it with Lisa Rinna; He did it with Marlee Matlin. He did it with whomever happened to be there at the time.... No matter how [Matlin] responded..., he would push it a step further with comments about her looks, and how she was making him feel, and about what he thought of her, and how happy he would be to do something with her. 'It was a lot of innuendo, far beyond the norm.... He did it in front of [his daughter] Ivanka.'" -- CW
Michelle Lee of the Washington Post: "Trump's message for most of this week was that women alleging sexual assault -- regardless of how many years had passed, whether they filed charges, whether their claims were held up by the courts -- deserve to be heard, rather than discredited or attacked. Trump made this clear by holding a news conference with three of Bill Clinton's accusers, urging the media to tell their stories and speaking about them in his rallies. Then, four women came forward alleging Trump groped or kissed them without their consent. And Trump's stance changed. He attacked the women personally, cast doubt on their motives, called them liars and a part of a politically orchestrated attack." -- CW
Hmmm. Seema Mehta of the Los Angeles Times: Melania Trump has demanded, under threat of legal action, that People magazine retract a portion of Natasha Stoynoff's story -- but not the meat of story. She's okay with the sexual assault part apparently, but is all upset about the part where Stoynoff said they met accidentally on the street months after the alleged assault & exchanged friendly greetings. "'The true facts are these: Mrs. Trump did not encounter Ms. Stoynoff on the street, nor have any conversation with her. The two are not friends and were never friends or even friendly. At the time in question, Mrs. Trump would not have even recognized Ms. Stoynoff if they had encountered one another on the street,' wrote attorney Charles J. Harder." -- CW ...
... CW: Oh, come on. Stoynoff no doubt introduced herself, IDed herself as the person who conducted the People interview, & Melania Trump either remembered her or pretended to, & the two engaged in normal, brief chitchat. You've probably done the same thing Melania likely did in a similar situation. I have. The suit is stupid. BUT. Melania's threatened suit seems to be signalling that -- as far as she knows -- Stoynoff's story, or at least the timeline, is accurate. This is as close to a confirmation as we're going to get from a Trump, at least until the divorce.
Ben Weyl of Politico: "Mike Pence is standing firmly with Donald Trump, blasting the media Thursday for airing explosive accusations of sexual misconduct by his running mate. The Republican vice presidential nominee slammed reporters for spending so much time on 'unsubstantiated allegations against my running mate, allegations that he has categorically denied,' rather than focusing on 'the corruption and the deceit of the Clintons and the Clinton machine.'... Pence offered only praise for Trump and his 'strong, broad-shouldered leadership.'" CW: That "broad-shouldered" bit is a sexist line pence has incorporated into his stump speeches. The message: "A girl can't protect us." ...
... Evelyn Rupert of the Hill: "When asked during an interview with Ohio's 10TV if Trump has ever groped or kissed a woman without consent ... Pence said he believes Trump's denial of the accusations.... 'I can say with certainty that Donald Trump has denied that any of those actions that have been alleged have ever occurred. And I believe him,' Pence said when pressed by anchor Scott Light for a yes-or-no response." -- CW ...
... Theresa Avila of New York: When the Ohio reporters asked pence "what he would say to a young girl who had commented that Trump's words in campaign commercials (presumably about women's bodies) made her 'feel bad' about herself. Pence's answer? Hillary Clinton and foreign policy." Pence: "Blah, blah, Hillary Clinton, weak, blah blah I would say to any of our kids that if Donald Trump and I have the chance to serve in the White House, that we're going to work every day for a stronger, safer and more prosperous America." CW: If I shared pence's religious views, I would say he was going to hell.
Andrew Kaczynski (now) of CNN: "Donald Trump Jr. defended his father on Thursday following a New York Times report on Wednesday night wherein two women alleged that Trump groped them. 'Come on guys, it's so ridiculous, I've never heard anything dumber in my life. All of sudden, two, three weeks before election, someone comes out -- it's not like he hasn't been in the public eye for 30 years,' Trump Jr. said on Charlotte Morning News on WBT radio. 'I think it's probably a typical New York Times smear campaign.'... Trump also defended his father for his 2005 comments made on a hot mic, first reported by The Washington Post Friday.... 'So I mean, listen I know plenty of people,' Trump Jr. said. 'I've had conversations like that with plenty of people where people use language off color. They're talking, two guys, amongst themselves. I've seen it time and time again. I think it makes him a human.'" ...
... CW: I'll take you at your word, Junior. So you did have "conversations like that with plenty of people." That makes you a creepy little predator, too. Not that we didn't already know, but thanks for confirming how "human" you are. See also Michelle Obama's remarks on your humaniness. ...
... Update. Junior Has Always Been a Feminist. Jon Passantino of BuzzFeed: "... Donald Trump Jr. dismissed workplace sexual harassment in a 2013 radio interview -- and suggested that women who couldn't take it should become kindergarten teachers. The comments came in a March 2013 episode of The Opie and Anthony Show, during a discussion of whether women should be allowed in all-male golf clubs.... 'If you have a guys' place you have a guys' place,' Trump Jr. ... said, describing himself as a 'guy's guy.' A host interjected that women 'complain, "it's harassment" -- that's why we hate having them around. They stop us from doing what we want to do.' 'I'm of that mindset -- and I'll get into trouble, I'm sure I'll get myself in trouble one of these days,' Trump began. 'If you can't handle some of the basic stuff that's become a problem in the workforce today, then you don't belong in the workforce. Like, you should go maybe teach kindergarten.'" -- CW
David Wright of CNN: "Barbara Res worked for Donald Trump for 18 years as a construction executive, and asked Thursday if she believed the allegations of sexual misconduct and assault against him, she was frank. 'I do believe it. Yes, absolutely,' Res told CNN's Alisyn Camerota in an interview on 'New Day.' 'He's a blatant sexist.' 'I saw him be aggressive in business, and throw his weight around and use the fact that he had power. And I think sexual assault and sexual harassment are really about the abuse of power -- "I can do this to you because I am who I am" -- I do think it went to his head. So much else went to his head that it does make sense to me that he would do something like that,' Res, who is supporting Hillary Clinton for president." -- CW (Also linked yesterday.)
Hallie Jackson & Alex Johnson of NBC News have new details on Donald Trump's (alleged) sexually aggressive behavior against Temple Taggart McDowell in 1997, when (then Taggert) was a 21-year-old beauty pageant contestant representing Utah. -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
** Ian Millhiser of Think Progress: NYT lawyer to DJT lawyer: Trump has no reputation to protect. -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
"Ladies..., Grow Up." Katie Zezima of the Washington Post: "Trump's top supporters, many of them middle-aged or older men, have tried to explain away Trump's behavior in terms that range from puzzling to offensive -- angering people in both parties and complicating the Republican nominee's attempts to move past the controversies.... Some, including former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, have described Trump's comments on the video as typical male behavior in general. Others are also attempting to discredit the women accusing Trump of assault. And some of Trump's male supporters seem more than willing to lecture women on how they should put up with sexist talk. 'Ladies out there, this is what guys talk about when you're not around. So if you're offended by it, grow up. Okay?' actor Scott Baio said on Fox News." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Peter Sterne of Politico: "Fox Business Network anchor Lou Dobbs publicized the address and phone number of Jessica Leeds, one of the women who accused Donald Trump of groping her, to his 792,000 followers on Thursday morning. Dobbs linked to a post from a conservative news site that purported to link Leeds to the Clinton Foundation. The site published Leeds' address and phone number -- taken from public records -- and then claimed, falsely, that her phone number is the same as a phone number for the Clinton Foundation. He also quoted a tweet from a Trump supporter, which has since been deleted, that included Leeds' phone number and address." Dobbs later tweeted an apology to Leeds. CW: Nice, Lou. Now, pay for Leeds' 'round-the-clock security detail. I forgot that racist jerk Lou Dobbs was still around. Apparently he is, & now we know he's still a menace to society.
Jonathan Martin, et al., of the New York Times: "Several of the Republican Party's most generous donors called on the Republican National Committee on Thursday to disavow Donald J. Trump, saying that allegations by multiple women that Mr. Trump had groped or made inappropriate sexual advances toward them threatened to inflict lasting damage on the party's image. To an elite group of Republican contributors who have donated millions of dollars to the party's candidates and committees in recent years, the cascade of revelations related to Mr. Trump's sexual conduct is grounds for the committee to cut ties with the party's beleaguered standard-bearer, finally and fully." -- CW
Jeff Stein of Vox: Donald Trump's campaign, his surrogates & his supporters are questioning the "timing" of the accusers' coming forward. "But ... there really is no mystery about why these women are speaking now -- at least if you take the time to listen to what they say." The accusers said they revealed their stories now because they heard Donald Trump claim during the second debate that he had not actually sexually assaulted women as he told Billy Bush. "The only mystery is why anyone still thinks it's a more important question to ask than whether Trump committed sexual assault." -- CW
Matthew Belloni of the Hollywood Reporter: "Billy Bush's exit from NBC News isn't going to be as amicable as many thought it would be. The embattled Today show host, who has been suspended for his role in the lewd Donald Trump tape recorded in 2005 when Bush was an anchor at Access Hollywood, has hired a prominent Los Angeles litigator to help work out his separation from the network. And that lawyer is now going on the attack." ...
... CW: Sorry, Billy Boy. You might have got away with that fawning fanboy routine on the bus, but when you got off the bus & urged Arianne Zucker to give Trump "a little hug," you made youself complicit in what Trump had just threatened to make a gross sexual assault on Zucker. Unless there's no morals clause in your contract, you've got no case.
Michael Grynbaum & Rachel Abrams of the New York Times: "Mark Burnett, the reality-show auteur whose 'Apprentice' series catapulted Donald J. Trump to national stardom, issued a forceful denunciation of Mr. Trump's presidential bid on Wednesday evening, saying he rejected 'the hatred, division and misogyny that has been a very unfortunate part of his campaign.' The statement capped an unusually challenging few days for Mr. Burnett, one of television's most powerful figures, who has faced growing demands that he release footage from the 'Apprentice' set that some former crew members say could reveal Mr. Trump acting in vulgar and offensive ways." -- CW (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Trump Apologizes! Molly O'Toole of Foreign Policy. "The list of women accusing the Republican presidential nominee of sexual assault is growing, along with Republican leaders and voters who have abandoned his presidential campaign. [Donald] Trump's answer: Apologize -- but to Serbians, for the U.S.-led air campaign in the Balkans in the 1990s that helped stave off potential civilian slaughter in Kosovo...'The bombing of Serbs, who were our allies in both world wars, was a big mistake,' Trump told the Serbian weekly magazine Nedeljnik in an article published on its website Thursday. He promised 'a new policy with the Balkans,' though he didn't specify what it would look like. 'Serbians are very good people,' he said. 'Unfortunately, the [Bill] Clinton administration caused them a lot of harm, but also throughout the Balkans, which they made a mess out of.'" (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ...
... Akhilleus: The interview, which Trump now claims never took place (funny because it's a cover story on the magazine and appears on their website), bears all the hallmarks of Russian propaganda. Trump's main point in apologizing, apparently, is that the US led bombing stopped those nice Serbian ethnic cleansers, the war criminals Slobodan Milosevic and Radovan Karadzic, from murdering even more Muslims. The idea! But apologize for sexual assault? Never! ...
... Update. Haynes Brown of BuzzFeed: "The Serbian magazine that published a purported interview with Donald Trump in which the Republican nominee apologized for the US intervention in the Balkans in the 1990s says it is trying to determine now whether it was the subject of a hoax -- something the Serbian-American at the heart of the story denies." CW: You'll have to read all the details to make up your mind. Sounds like a hoax to me, although the Trump campaign's record of false denials makes it impossible to know. Newsweek, which the Trump campaign claims published the original U.S. story on the Serbian magazine's purported interview; it has since updated its story to reflect the Trump campaign's denial. O'Toole has drastically revised her Foreign Policy story to incorporate BuzzFeed's findings.
Congressional Races
Paul Krugman is thinking past the election, to what Hillary Clinton's agenda could be, depending on what kind of Congress we elect. "In any case, the bottom line is that if you're thinking of staying home on Election Day because the outcome is assured, don't. Barring the political equivalent of a meteor strike, Hillary Clinton will be our next president, but the size of her victory will determine what kind of president she can be."
Donald Who? Shane Goldmacher of Politico: "The campaign arm of Senate Republicans has all but excised Donald Trump's name from their email pitches after previously making him central to their online fundraising efforts — a sign of just how toxic the GOP nominee has become since the video of his lewd comments came out last week." -- CW
Other News & Views
Ryan Foley, et al., of the AP: "During the first six months of this year, minors died from accidental shootings -- at their own hands, or at the hands of other children or adults -- at a pace of one every other day, far more than limited federal statistics indicate.' -- CW
Sari Horwitz & Mark Berman of the Washington Post: "The FBI will launch a pilot project early next year to begin collecting use-of-force statistics nationwide and create the first online national database on both deadly and nonfatal interactions the public has with law enforcement.... Although [Attorney General Loretta] Lynch can impose financial penalties on law enforcement agencies that fail to report data about 'civilians' who died during interactions with authorities or in their custody, the Justice Department cannot require state and local agencies to report the far larger number of such situations that are not fatal. Participation in the new use-of-force program by those agencies is voluntary." -- CW
Juan Cole: "The US Navy in the Red Sea fired Tomahawk missiles into Yemen early Thursday morning, taking out three radar stations. Those facilities had allowed the Houthi rebels who control North Yemen to target US destroyers in the Red Sea on several occasions in recent days (they missed each time). The Obama administration has backed the Saudi-led war on the Houthi government of north Yemen since it began in March of 2015, offering logistical support and even help in choosing targets for airstrikes. Presumably the Houthis were firing at US destroyers in an attempt to take revenge on the US for its involvement in the war on them." --safari
Beyond the Beltway
Myles Ma of NJ.com: "Enough probable cause exists for a citizen's official misconduct complaint against Gov. Chris Christie to move forward in connection with the governor's alleged failure to stop politically-motivated lane closures at the George Washington Bridge in 2013, a judge in Bergen County ruled Thursday. The complaint by Bill Brennan, a retired Teaneck firefighter and citizen activist, alleges that Christie knew of the closures while they were happening and should have halted them. He alleges that inaction constitutes second-degree official misconduct, a charge punishable by five to 10 years in prison. 'I'm satisfied that there's probable cause to believe that an event of official misconduct was caused by Gov. Christie,' Municipal Presiding Judge Roy McGeady said. 'I'm going to issue the summons.'" ...Akhilleus (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
American "Justice", Ctd. Elizabeth Nolan Brown of The Daily Beast: "A sergeant who used hand-sanitizer to draw a penis on his female subordinate's car. Rape investigators accused of joking about masturbating to victims' stories. These are just a few of the scandals to rock the Seattle-area sheriff's over the past four years. And after settling a sexual-harassment lawsuit for $1 million in 2013, the King County Sheriff's Office (KCSO) is again embroiled in a legal fight over its treatment of female officers..... In this latest lawsuit, initially filed in April 2015, two former King County deputies and one current sergeant seek damages from King County for gender-based harassment, discrimination, and retaliation." The allegations range from 'pussy grabbing', to homophobia, to ridiculing a woman's hair because she was going through chemotherapy and wore a wig. And of course serial double standards between men and women. Sounds like a typical day in Trump's 'Merica. --safari
Way Beyond
AFP: "There are a dizzying two trillion galaxies in the universe, up to 20 times more than previously thought, astronomers reported on Thursday. The surprising finding, based on 3D modeling of images collected over 20 years by the Hubble Space Telescope, was published in the Astronomical Journal." --safari
Guardian: "Syria's president, Bashar al-Assad, has spoken of 'cleaning' the besieged city of Aleppo, where a quarter of a million people are caught under heavy bombardment by his government's forces, and using it as a 'springboard' for winning the country's war. With Britain leading international outcry over the regime's campaign against rebels in Aleppo and Russia's backing for it, Assad declared that victory in the strategic city would allow the Syrian army to liberate other areas of the country from 'terrorists'." --safari
Nick Miroff of the Washington Post: "Ten days after voters in Colombia rejected their government's peace deal with leftist FARC rebels, the country's main opposition party has published proposals that would modify the agreement but leave significant portions intact. At first glance, the proposals by the Democratic Center party of former president Álvaro Uribe appear to reflect relatively modest changes to the deal and may raise hopes that Colombia can avert a return to war." -- CW
News Lede
New York Times: "The United States Anti-Doping Agency is seeking to reassure American athletes that their private medical information is safe after Russian hackers gained access to the email account of one of the agency's officials. The same cyberespionage group that stole private medical information from the World Anti-Doping Agency's athlete database last summer more recently compromised the email account belonging to the science director of the American agency. The agency believes the breach occurred in early September in Rio de Janeiro, at the start of the Paralympic Games." -- CW
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Reader Comments (32)
My colleagues were working in Switzerland a decade ago. Some of the people who helped unload several shipping containers filled with instrument parts were from the Balkans. They were determined to work as hard as possible to help the Americans, because America had saved their families.
I witnessed the same gratitude when we installed an instrument in South Korea.
Those military interventions were not "slam dunks." They were the least bad course of action, as I understand them. But there are people living today who would not be here without those actions, and our friends in South Korea made me proud to be an American.
Ironically, Trumpster's psychopathic sexually predatory behavior toward so many women--and we know there are more--has given us an opening to raise the consciousness of many unenlightened Americans! Just as with the LGBT movement, which is now seeing daylight in much of the country, sexual harassment/abuse of women is an issue which has finally jumped into the spotlight. We have Trump and his unevolved locker room buddies to thank! And actually--a buncha White Republican guyz.
I, and so many other women, have felt sickened and re-traumatized by the revelation of Trump's longtime disgusting behavior. Michelle Obama, in her impassioned speech, has spoken for all of us! Many in the MSM have also spoken up (except, of course, Fox) in dismay and disgust. It feels as if in the last few days the lights have started turning on in America. With Trump falling down the rabbit hole, we have permission to strip away the self-blame and self-disgust of many victimized women who stayed silent. We are watching "victim shaming" morph into "perp shaming."
Best of all, Michelle Obama has become a first lady on a par with Eleanor Roosevelt, and has cemented her husband's legacy as POTUS!
And Donald Trump will be remembered in history as a power hungry, pathological lying lunatic who, in the end, will be as pathetic as his "idol," Richard III. As he is dying on the electoral battlefield, we will hear him screaming: "A pussy, a pussy--my kingdom for some pussy!"
Should I be surprised that Israel's leaders, most notably the shill Netanyahu, have been so silent on the mounting evidence of anti-Semitism in the Trump campaign, and among a significant portion of the populace in general? You'd think they denounce and defend their heritage no matter what, except when the election of said anti-Semite political hacks could guarantee more bombs and bombers if elected? This is some seriously twisted logic on the part of Bibi.
Talk about the 'slings and arrows of outrageous fortune' from Trump's perspective:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3GvVzvoEx4w
(source: final scene from "Throne of Blood")
There are now boycotts at Trump's D.C. hotel and other Trump facilities around the country. Union workers are making accusations of getting stiffed.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/boycott-trump-dc-hotel_us_57ffed03e4b0162c043af9ae?section=&
Looks to me as if Bob Dylan's "The times are a–changing" might just be happening now. The volcano has erupted and the mud slide has begun.
Thought I'd share a recent comment by my 80-year old mother who has dementia. This was in response to her having watched the latest news of Trump.
"it's getting so he doesn't even like himself, and even he is going to vote for Hilary Clinton"
Now, if she could just convince her 93 year old sister (who doesn't have dementia) to not vote for Trump.
CW: Comment removed for attacking another commenter. Commenters certainly may disagree on ideas. But they may not speculate on or criticize the characters of other commenters.
Again, the dumbest thing ever said has new competition. Trump says that 'wink, wink', one these women doesn't qualify for my sexual assault.
I have a feeling that there will not be another debate. You know, the election is all just a conspiracy.
@Marvin: Meant to tell you yesterday that you must have pruned that apple tree of yours pretty darn well. I was impressed by your daughter's comments––powerful!
@Schlemazel: I think you might have misconstrued––a bit harsh, don't you think?
CW Note: In the second instance, Pepe is responding to a comment I have since deleted. Her comment makes plenty of sense in the context of the deleted comment.
Shakespeare on a Friday Morning
We begin with Kate's timely reminder of the dangerously self-centered, narcissistic nature of Trump's world view with her re-writing of the famous line from Act V of Richard III. "My kingdom for some pussy" sounds like an acerbic satire on the vile deportment of tyrannical monsters, in this case, Dicky and Donnie.
But satire carries within it the essence of truth. The Trump Prime Directive is to do whatever is best for Trump at all times, regardless of the fallout or consequences for others. So, sexually assaulting other women whenever the notion strikes, with no concern for those women or for his wife of the moment--or children, for that matter--is standard operating procedure for Donaldo. Work out a deal to allow yourself to escape the repercussions of disastrously bad business decisions and leave everyone else to pick up the check: employees, contractors, investors. Fuck 'em all.
Oh, by the way, directly after the line about trading his kingdom for a horse, Dickie dashes offstage. The next scene opens with his death. Richmond, with his sword, who has "done the state some service, and they know't"* declares "The day is ours, the bloody dog is dead." Right on, Hillary, er, I mean, Richmond.
I don't believe it would be in any way a stretch to think that Trump would not hesitate to trade his would be kingdom (the United States) for some pussy, should the opportunity arrive. He's already demonstrated his inability to control himself even when the stakes are sky high (asserting that he couldn't possibly have assaulted one of the women who has come forward because "Look at her. I'd never do her." Wow.).
Then we have Victoria's opening line taken from Hamlet's soliloquy on suicide, making the connection of Trump to Toshiro Mifune's Macbeth character in Akira Kurosawa's dark masterpiece, "Throne of Blood" (those were real arrows, by the way; Mifune's look of terror was not entirely acting).
Although the thought of a certain Orange Headed Traitor's flabby neck being bisected by a well directed arrow has its appeal, we'll choose to go high and not think of it (too much). Nonetheless, an earlier image from the film, of trees moving through the fog towards the doomed warlord's castle, is one of the most haunting in world cinema, auguring as it does the fate awaiting Macbeth as told by the apparition summoned by the Weird Sisters:
"Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until
Great Birnam Wood to high Dunsinane Hill
Shall come against him."
So here's to Birnam Wood. May it come to Trump's own Dunsinane.
And that right soon.
(Arrows sold separately.)
*Extra credit if you can come up with the Shakespeare character who utters that line. And no googling! Hint: It's another military figure at the very end of the play.
PD wrote "The volcano has erupted and the mud slide has begun."
With any luck, Ryan, McConnell, and the rest of the Confederate invertebrates will not be able to outrun the pyroclastic flow.
I do apologize - profusely - if my comment re: safari ventured into the personal. It was not my intent. I will make every effort in the future to express views without giving offense.
The point I was trying to make is that it's rather unfair to have criticized Netanyahu (for whom I have a great deal of contempt) for interjecting himself into this election just a few weeks ago and then criticize him for failing to do so in this instance. I personally believe Netanyahu is pretty much always better off shutting up, especially about internal American politics. He should have done so weeks ago, and I'm glad he's doing so now.
Particularly, I think it's absurd to suggest that Netanyahu - or any Israeli - would welcome an anti-Semitic American President because (s)he thought the anti-Semite would be more likely to send guns to Israel than would his opponent (especially since the anti-Semite's opponent is not at all likely to slow the flow of weapons at all)
I can't believe this hasn't made the list of Trump assaults on people who aren't Donald Trump.
The infant and its rattle.
My existential angst over the possibility of a Trump presidency has given way to angst over the very real likelihood of a Trump post election nightmare of conspiracy theorizing, finger pointing, blame assigning, threats, and direct challenges to the very heart of democracy itself. The infant has been eyeing a new rattle. Now it's becoming apparent that he may not get it and his baby lizard brain is working overtime deciding what exactly will be the timing and form of the coming tantrum.
I truly believe that Trump's operating procedure is to do what's best for Trump, not caring fuck all about anything else, least of all a calm transition of power to the next president, something that has been a hallmark of American democracy since it became the United States. Trump is getting ready to change all that because if Baby can't get his rattle, no one will.
I jest, but this isn't funny in the least. I don't believe Trump will support a Clinton presidency. His ego will simply not allow any acknowledgment that the Great Donaldo lost or failed at anything. Even his monumental business failures he paints as canny victories, he being smarter than everyone else, of course.
It used to be when the troglodytes screamed "Lock her up!" he would smile and look like Daddy Fascist, pleased with all the little fascists. Not anymore. Now he's leading the cheers. He hasn't just crossed the Rubicon, he's drained it to make it easier for the knuckledraggers and gun knobbers and white supremacists to cross over with him and take the city or burn it down. Trump has already shown that he cannot control his anger and is happy to latch on to any story or plan that will allow him to avoid the label of "loser". He won't care about the nation, tradition, democracy, or the commonweal. He cares only about Trump.
It's going to get ugly, kids. Very ugly.
And it will be interesting to see which media outlets side with Trump in his effort to discredit democracy. We know Fox will do it, in a heartbeat. They've never held much truck with democracy anyway. But the rest?
I really don't know.
They're all jumping up and down on Trump right now, but mostly because it's fun, it's easy, it's wonderfully salacious, and it gets them plenty of clicks. Will these same media outlets, after the election, advocate for calm and rationality, for order, and respect for Constitutional democracy, or will it be more exciting to regurgitate Trump's every spittle flecked charge of election rigging and an illegitimate presidency?
Hey, it's only the future of democracy at stake.
The view from the moon.
Early this morning I was trying to think of our current state of affairs from a vantage far removed from the screams and outrages and calls for rejecting a racist buffoon. I suppose the moon would be far enough.
From there, here's what you see, over the last eight years. You see a monumental shift in American politics. The first black man elected to the office of the president. A huge step forward. But then you see the forces of one party gathered to stop every initiative, every movement out of the dark, every possibility of progress. You see them aligned to question the very legitimacy of this presidency. And you see an opportunistic, ignorant clown base his run for power on delegitimizing that presidency, using that same party as the basis of his attacks.
Fast forward to January of 2016. Another huge step forward for American democracy. The first woman elected to the office of the president. An event of enormous proportions, completely overshadowed by the same forces that attacked the previous president. The legitimacy of her entire presidency is put into question by scurrilous lies and baseless conspiracy theories.
Fast forward a hundred years.
Looking back, the Confederate movement finally squashed, it can be seen as one of the blackest periods in American history, peopled by frauds, racists, haters, imbeciles, and demagogues. Donald Trump joins other villains of American history, Aaron Burr, Joe McCarthy, Father Coughlin, Benedict Arnold, but the damage caused had taken decades to repair.
The shame of this period of our history is that two of the biggest milestones on American history, happening back to back, were overshadowed, in the short term, by begrudgers and haters who could not abide these steps out of the past and yearned, instead, to drag everyone else back to the swamp with them.
But the good thing? Try as they might, they couldn't stop any of it.
Go Hillary!
@Nancy: I have read a number of accounts by women claiming that Trump had abused them in some way. I have only linked those where journalists have independently corroborated the claimants' stories. The one you link was not corroborated, though if someone did some reporting on it, it could be.
In today HuffPost Sam Stein & another reporter have a story that's popped up in some other news reports as if it's credible. But Stein couldn't corroborate the woman's account, & in fact one person who could have done so actually disputed the accuser's story.
By corroboration I don't mean slam-dunk videotape or eyewitnesses or a blue dress, but contemporaneous retellings, along with other plausibility indicators. That doesn't mean I think these uncorroborated accusers are lying or even misremembering, but there has to be something more than just "she said."
Marie
Victor Hugo must be turning in his grave. He's stumped by the state of the current American revolution. No way to celebrate the characters of Les Miz in today's version unfolding in front of us..
How is it that Monsieur Thénardier (performed by Donald Trump) has captured the beggars to the feast? Act II: the Thénardiers (including Little Eric and Donnie the Junior), in which they proclaim how through their treacherous ways they always manage to come out on top before waving the audience goodbye with the mocking line "When we're rich as Croesus, Jesus, won't we see you all in hell."
After November 8, the trash-talking, profane t-shirt wearing, misogynistic, revolting revolutionary fans who cheer Trump on can head back to life in the sewers. Qu'elle difference!
Yes, there will be a field of blood on 9 November. The orange haired silverback will show the nation and the world what "a poo flinging day in the jungle" really looks like. Expect claims of vast voter fraud, demands for recounts in every blue state, and a refusal to concede.
We will look back on the aftermath of the 2000 election as an exercise in civility.
Whenever I see people like Pence saying "I believe him" about Trump I wonder if that's true. It's harder to tell these days which surrogates are just parrotting the lies they're told versus the ones that have drunk the kool aid. "He told me" isn't a good defense when He is a known liar and con.
@ Schlemazel
I went back and read your comment. Ouch. My bad. My comment was certainly not intended to offend, but as that seems the case I, too, totally apologize. I obviously should have expanded my thoughts more but sent it off instead in the rush of the morning.
This again, is only my opinion, and you are free to disagree. The point I was trying to make is that Netanyahu has shown on numerous occasions that he is very willing to inject himself into American politics whenever he sees a personal interest. And his personal interests currently lie with the Republican party. But it just so happens that with Trump's campaign and campaign manager, anti-Semitism appears to be rising to potentially very dangerous levels within the hardcore Republican electorate.
It would therefore be in the interest of everybody that this behavior be denounced, and at the highest level. Obviously Netanyahu isn't going to burn any diplomatic bridges if he doesn't have to, but given the alarming situation I don't think it would be out of line to at the least send out some aides to put out a strongly-worded message to an American media source warning against dangerous rhetoric "across the world", which would make its point without directly injecting himself into the issue. I don't want Netanyahu meddling in American politics, but this is a whole matter altogether, and he could make his point without needing to come to the Congress and give a speech.
I totally agree with you that Israel will get their military hardware delivered whether it's a Democratic or Republican administration, we've seen that with Obama's historic new package he just signed off on. But that was one of points I was making. Bibi and the Republicans adhere to the notion that Republicans provide better security to Israel, while an objective observer would note that Israel's security is most certainly a bipartisan affair. Protecting the Jewish diaspora and denouncing anti-Semitism full stop should also be a bipartisan affair.
Even is Netanyahu is allied with the Republicans, that doesn't mean that he should remain silent in the wake of obvious hateful forces being conjured up and directed directly at the people he was elected to represent. Even friends need to call out their friends when they get out of line, and that certainly seems to be the case now. Maybe it's a question of wait and see, but I'm personally more of the thought that when it comes to this type of rhetoric, you nip it in the bud once it's formed, and remain vigilant of the offshoots.
Well, Akhilleus, is it a fair guess that with your knowledge of the classics and of music, you are the professor who is the subject of the an article in the NY Times today? http://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/15/arts/music/bob-dylan-101-a-harvard-professor-has-the-coolest-class-on-campus.
In any event, thank you for your tribute to Bob Dylan.
If anyone needs a good laugh, Google www.thepoliticalinsider.com
I'll bet this is where trumpeter gets his conspiracy theories, like
Bill's black son who was sent away to Australia, and who actually
is Chelsea's father, because Bill is sterile (never mind being alleged
to have a black son).
Islander,
Ha. Not me, but definitely sounds like a course I would have taught. Introducing kids to the wonders of art, music, and the lit'ry life is one of the great joys of education and life itself. The ones who are never exposed to the best that liberal arts have to offer turn out to be Paul Ryans or, god help us, Donald Trumps. Exposure to something like "Positively 4th Street" at least gives them a look at what the world can be like when you hitch your wagon to a Trump. Good article. Thanks.
Achilleus; Whaddya mean? The trump is a great art lover, as long as
it's a painting of his highness and paid for by his charity with money
given by other people.
And if anyone has streaming, check out PBS Art in the Twenty-first
Century. Amazing!
Forrest,
Your observation just gave me a great idea! You guys remember the fate that befell Narcissus? Now if only we can get Donaldo to look into a well to admire his reflection in the water. He can stay there as long as he likes...
@AK: was it malcolm? trouble is, I can't remember who malcolm was.
i read "macbeth" in high school. i have forgotten everything from high school days.
Sorry for the double post. New computer and it's much too fast for
me. Mouse over something without even clicking and bombarded
with useless chatter.
Oh, and Forrest....where in the wide, wide, world of extreme sports did you find that site? It's like a worm hole straight to Winger World in some galaxy far, far away, ready to be swallowed by a black hole. I've read a lot about Dark Matter but I don't think physicists have done much research on Stupid Matter. They better get crackin'.
I love the story about "MONICA LEWINSKY BREAKS HER SILENCE ABOUT TRUMP!@!!!! WOWEEE!" in which you find out that the only thing she has to say is to tell the wingnut sticking a camera in her face to take a hike.
I know there are some far-out people on the left, but they have many, many light years to travel to catch up with the weird-ass wingers. Oh yeah, and then they'd also have to forfeit their brain stems for the final transmogrification.
Victoria,
Answer: Othello.
Malcolm is a character from Macbeth (seems you didn't forget everything!).
Malcolm is one of those characters who serves a special purpose, especially in the tragedies. He is the son of Duncan, the king murdered by Macbeth. Ostensibly he becomes the king after Macbeth, whose head is paraded around for everyone to gawk at, pays for his regicide.
But more importantly, Malcolm serves as the guy who represents a return to order. There are often characters like this who walk in and put things to right after the craziness is over. Fortinbras is this guy in Hamlet, during the last scene, in which the stage looks like an abattoir, bodies everywhere.
In Othello, after the orgy of lies, misdirection, racial hatred, character assassination, murder and suicide (sounds like the Republican National Convention, don't it?), Lodovico serves the same function. He's the guy who walks in at the end of the play, sees the chaos and says "Holeeee shit! What's all this then? Get these bodies in the ground, say a prayer, and lets back to normalcy!" As if there's much normalcy in Will's plays. But hey, how interesting would it be if Macbeth, Hamlet, and Othello were just regular guys in gray flannel suits who came home, kissed the wife, kicked the dog, plopped into the Barcalounger and put the game on?
Those were the plays written by the Earl of Oxford.
Okay, one last thought.
I know it's asking a lot, but do Trumpbots not get the obvious implication in Trumpado's assertion that he didn't assault those women because they weren't hot enough for him? This is where little things like the lack of critical thinking comes into play.
Or any thinking at all.
Ak; I Googled right wing nutjob asshole conspiracy theories. Ain't
the intertubes great?
Some very inciteful comments in the Cottle Atlantic story linked above, worth skimming through. I agree with all of them, but must come down on the side that we have to address their problems and put in place policies that will help. They can't them because they don't see the causes, ie, technology, change, and not globalisation and foreigners.