;)
The Commentariat -- Sept. 30, 2020
Afternoon Update:
Sheila Kaplan of the New York Times: "The White House has blocked a new order from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to keep cruise ships docked until mid-February, a step that would have displeased the politically powerful tourism industry in the crucial swing state of Florida. The current 'no sail' policy, which was originally put in place in April and later extended, is set to expire on Wednesday. Dr. Robert R. Redfield, the director of the C.D.C., had recommended the extension, worried that cruise ships could become viral hot spots, as they did at the beginning of the pandemic. But at a meeting of the coronavirus task force on Tuesday, Dr. Redfield's plan was overruled, according to a senior federal health official who was not authorized to comment and so spoke on condition of anonymity. The administration will instead allow the ships to sail after Oct. 31, the date the industry had already agreed to in its own, voluntary plan. The rejection of the C.D.C.'s plan was first reported by Axios."
John Verhovek & Molly Nagle of ABC News: "After a raucous and chaotic first presidential debate, former Vice President Joe Biden is embarking on a roughly 200-mile whistle stop train tour on Wednesday through the battleground states of Ohio and Pennsylvania, pushing his economic agenda while hoping to appeal to voters that have strayed from the Democratic Party in recent years.... The Democratic nominee, long-known for his affinity for Amtrak, briefly commented on last night's debate.... 'Last night's debate, and this election, it's supposed to be about ... you and all the people I grew up with in Scranton, and people in Youngstown and Claymont, Delaware, and all the people who make a difference,' Biden said standing outside at a socially-distanced event just feet away from his newly-minted campaign train. 'Does your president understand at all what you're going through? What so many other people are going through? The question is does he see you where you are and where you want to be? Does he care?' Biden asked rhetorically."
Quint Forgery of Politico: "The Commission on Presidential Debates announced on Wednesday that the prior night's face-off between ... Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden showed the need for 'additional structure' to the format 'to ensure a more orderly discussion.' It added that it would announce the new measures shortly, while also commending Chris Wallace of Fox News for his 'professionalism' moderating the Tuesday night debate." This story has been expanded since linked Wednesday afternoon.
New York Times Upshot: Three "instapolls" peg Biden as winning the debate. "CNN found that Mr. Biden decisively won the debate, 60 percent to 28 percent, while CBS News and an early cut from a Data for Progress poll found far closer seven- and 12-point leads for Mr. Biden.... A closer look [at these polls] ... raises the possibility of good news for Mr. Biden. His favorability rating improved by a net four percentage points, compared with how the same respondents answered before the debate. The president's rating declined by a net four points.... Historically, the winner of these polls tends to gain in the real polls over the next week.... It's hard to say anyone clearly won the debate last night, and that's a win for Mr. Biden. He was the front-runner heading into the debate, and it was the president who needed a win to try to narrow the race." ~~~
~~~ Tim Elfrink of the Washington Post: "As President Trump argued during Tuesday night's debate that vast numbers of law enforcement officials are supporting his campaign, he began listing the locations of his alleged police backers. 'I have Florida, I have Texas, I have Ohio,' he said. 'Excuse me, Portland, the sheriff there just came out today and said, "I support President Trump."'...Multnomah County [includes Portland] Sheriff Mike Reese quickly took to Twitter on Tuesday night to forcefully deny any affinity for the president. 'In tonight's presidential debate the President said the 'Portland Sheriff' supports him. As the Multnomah County Sheriff I have never supported Donald Trump and will never support him,' Reese tweeted. In fact, as Trump has seized on unrest in Portland as a campaign issue and sent federal agents to the city for weeks of violent standoffs with protesters, Reese has regularly criticized the president's handling of the situation."
Michael Scherer & Lena Sun of the Washington Post: "President Trump has scheduled large campaign rallies this weekend in Wisconsin despite recommendations from the White House Coronavirus Task Force that call for increasing social distancing in the state 'to the maximal degree possible.' The task force has further flagged La Crosse and Green Bay, the metropolitan areas where Trump plans to gather thousands of supporters Saturday, as coronavirus 'red zones,' the highest level of concern for community spread of the virus, according to a report from the group released Sunday and obtained by The Washington Post. Wisconsi is listed in the document as the state with the third-highest rate of new cases in the country, with 243 new cases per 100,000 people over the previous week, about 2.6 times greater than the national average. Ahead of Trump's scheduled rally in Green Bay, the Bellin Health System said Tuesday that its hospital in that city is at 94 percent capacity as covid-19 continues to spike in the community." ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Should be a big boost to Trump's poll ratings on the "cares about me" question.
Seaborn Larson of the Helena (Montana) Independent Record: "Former Montana governor and Republican National Committee Chair Marc Racicot on Tuesday said he would not vote for ... Donald Trump, citing Trump's character as fault enough to vote for Democrat challenger Joe Biden on Nov. 3.... Racicot is not the only Montana Republican to reject the Trump-bearing GOP. In July, former Secretary of State and state Senate President Bob Brown penned a guest column in the Missoulian, his own 'Declaration of independence from the Republican Party.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: Meant to link a story this last week. Arlette Saenz, et al., of CNN: "Tom Ridge, the former Department of Homeland Security secretary during the George W. Bush administration, endorsed Joe Biden in an op-ed published Sunday in The Philadelphia Inquirer. Ridge's backing of the former vice president is the latest among a broad list of prominent Republican endorsements for Biden. Ridge, a former GOP governor of Pennsylvania, wrote in the Philadelphia Inquirer he considers it 'a point of personal pride; to be counted among the first Republicans to reject ... Donald Trump, referencing a 2015 NBC News interview where he called Trump an 'embarrassment to the party' and country." Mrs. McC: I suppose it would be wrong if I wrote that Ridge will always be "Duct Tape Tom" to me.
Battle of the Self-Righteous Phonies. Nicholas Fandos & Michael Schmidt of the New York Times: "The former F.B.I. director James B. Comey testified on Wednesday before a Republican-led Senate committee seeking to discredit the investigation he opened during the 2016 election into ties between Donald J. Trump's campaign and Russia.... Republicans on the Senate Judiciary Committee were eager to portray President Trump as a victim of a politically motivated smear by the F.B.I. that unfairly cast a shadow over his presidency. And they contended that Mr. Comey was the ringleader. Mr. Comey strongly defended the F.B.I.'s handling of the investigation, including his decision to open it. But he acknowledged, as he has before, that his initial claims were wrong that a wiretap of a former Trump campaign adviser, Carter Page, was properly handled and conceded that the bureau had been sloppy on that aspect of the broader inquiry. He testified by video from his home." The Washington Post's report is here. ~~~
~~~ Olivia Beavers of the Hill: "Former FBI Director James Comey on Wednesday warned that government officials with significant personal debt could pose a risk to national security. Comey, who was responding to a question about President Trump's finances during congressional testimony, said personal debt is a serious consideration when granting security clearances because it could be leveraged by a foreign foe. 'A person's financial situation could make them vulnerable to coercion by an adversary and allow an adversary to do what we try to do to foreign government officials we find are indebted, which is to try to recruit them to our side,' Comey told Sen. Dick Durbin (D-Ill.).... 'I don't know whether the Russians have something over President Trump, but it is difficult to explain his conduct, his statements in any other way, especially as a refusal to criticize [Russian President] Vladimir Putin. So it raises significant questions and obviously the question is only deepened by disclosure, if it is true, of significant indebtedness,' Comey said." ~~~
~~~ Kyle Cheney & Andrew Desiderio of Politico: "Former FBI Director James Comey said on Wednesday that the Justice Department's attempt to drop the prosecution of Michael Flynn is 'deeply concerning,' suggesting ... Donald Trump’s former national security adviser is receiving special treatment and key pieces of evidence have been misrepresented. 'It's deeply concerning because this guy is getting treated in a way that nobody's been treated before,' Comey said during public testimony to the Senate Judiciary Committee.... Comey also questioned Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe's decision to release a Russian intelligence assessment stating that Hillary Clinton tried to pin Russia's 2016 hack of the Democratic National Committee on Trump. Specifically, Ratcliffe wrote that Comey was briefed on that assessment.... 'That doesn't ring any bells with me,' Comey said, adding that he had 'trouble understanding' Ratcliffe's letter."
~~~~~~~~~~
Presidential Race, Etc.
New York Times' reporters' snark discussion of the debate is here. The page includes live video of the debate. Politico's live analysis is here. Politico also has live video.
Jonathan Martin & Alexander Burns of the New York Times: "The first presidential debate between President Trump and Joseph R. Biden Jr. unraveled into a rhetorical melee Tuesday, as Mr. Trump hectored and interrupted Mr. Biden nearly every time he spoke and the former vice president denounced the president as a 'clown' and told him to 'shut up.' In a chaotic, 90-minute back-and-forth, the two major party nominees expressed a level of acrid contempt for each other unheard-of in modern American politics. Mr. Trump, trailing in the polls and urgently hoping to revive his campaign, was plainly attempting to be the aggressor. But he interjected so insistently that Mr. Biden could scarcely answer the questions posed to him, forcing the moderator, Chris Wallace of Fox News, to repeatedly urge the president to let his opponent speak.... The president's bulldozer-style tactics represented an extraordinary risk for an incumbent who's trailing Mr. Biden because voters, including some who supported him in 2016, are so fatigued by his near-daily attacks and outbursts. Yet the former vice president veered between trying to ignore Mr. Trump by speaking directly into the camera to the voters, and giving in to temptation by hurling insults at the president. Mr. Biden called Mr. Trump a liar and a racist."
Anne Gearan, et al., of the Washington Post: "The presidential campaign devolved into chaos and acrimony here Tuesday night as President Trump incessantly interrupted and insulted Democratic nominee Joe Biden while the two sparred over the economy, the coronavirus pandemic, the Supreme Court and race relations in their first debate. The most anticipated event on the fall campaign calendar was an uncontrollable spectacle of badgering and browbeating, of raised voices and hot tempers. Trump's interjections and jeers, some of them false and made in an apparent effort to fluster Biden, landed with such ferocity that moderator Chris Wallace pleaded multiple times with the president to follow the agreed-upon debate rules. Biden, exasperated, asked Trump during the opening segment on the Supreme Court, 'Will you shut up, man?'"
Jonathan Lemire, et al., of the AP: "The first debate between ... Donald Trump and Democratic challenger Joe Biden deteriorated into a bitter showdown Tuesday as the president repeatedly interrupted his opponent with angry -- and personal -- taunts that sometimes overshadowed the sharply different visions each man has of a nation facing historic crises."
Lauren Gambino of the Guardian: "In a sign of the times, there was no public audience, handshakes were omitted, the podiums were staged a safe distance apart and empty seats separated the campaign staff and the candidate's family members in attendance. In a striking contrast, Biden's family and guests wore masks for the duration of the event, while the first lady, Melania Trump, and the rest of the president's family removed theirs after being seated.... Even as Trump attempted to pin Biden, he trampled his own message with a stunning refusal to condemn white nationalism and commit to a peaceful transition of power...."
David Siders of Politico: "The mayhem Donald Trump subjected Americans to on Tuesday might have helped him if Joe Biden had disintegrated. Biden didn't. Trump -- and viewers everywhere -- just left the night worse off for having sat through the whole, weird thing. The president interrupted and bullied. Biden called the president a 'clown.' Chris Wallace, the moderator, despaired. 'The country would be better served,' the veteran journalist said to Trump, 'if we allow both people to speak with fewer interruptions.['] The result was a circus that will be viewed as one of the strangest confrontations in modern presidential history."
Philip Bump of the Washington Post: "Instead of engaging with Biden in good faith, [Trump's] approach was quite simply to bluster and bully his way through every discussion. Rather than let Biden offer a thought and respond to it on the merits, Trump decided not to let Biden offer any thoughts in the first place. At first, he was clearly trying to fluster Biden, probably in an effort to reinforce his long-standing baseless assertion that Biden was suffering from a mental decline.... But Trump's strategy didn't change [when Biden adjusted to the onslaught].... Trump attacked moderator Chris Wallace as readily as he did Biden.... His approach was the approach he takes on Twitter: lifting up various unfounded allegations, shouting at everyone for hours on end, celebrating obscure memes and jokes. Biden found himself debating @realdonaldtrump and not the sitting president of the United States."
Elahe Izadi of the Washington Post: “Perhaps the most chaotic presidential debate in modern American history inspired unprecedented reactions on cable and broadcast news by pundits who, in other circumstances, would have been combing over minor moments to gauge who won and lost. The consensus among many commentators: The losers of the night were the American public. 'That was a hot mess, inside a dumpster fire, inside a train wreck,' said CNN host Jake Tapper. 'That was the worst debate I have ever seen. It wasn't even a debate, it was a disgrace.' His CNN colleague Dana Bash had even sharper words: 'I'm just going to say it like it is: That was a s[hit] show.'... Fox News senior political analyst Brit Hume [-- Mrs. McC: a pretty rabid right-winger --] said Trump 'was like a bucking bronco the entire time. I don't know how the people at home would find that appealing.' As for Biden -- who Hume earlier in the evening repeatedly said was 'senile' -- he 'came across as competent' during the debate[, Hume said]." But Hannity liked it.
Natasha Korecki & Alex Isenstadt of Politico: "The moment Joe Biden's first debate against Donald Trump ended, his campaign was already confronted with questions about whether it should be his last. In the two men's first head-to-head matchup, Trump bullied moderator Chris Wallace, blew past his time limits and repeatedly and loudly interrupted Biden. It resulted in a mockery of presidential debates, growing so chaotic that it was impossible to follow entire segments. The Biden campaign immediately shot down any notion the former vice president wouldn't show up to debates in Miami and Nashville next month. In a call with reporters after the debate, the campaign was asked whether it would commit to the next two debates and whether it would seek changes with the debate commission. Biden Deputy Campaign Manager Kate Bedingfield said only that the campaigns were in ongoing talks with the debate commission and 'I would imagine there would be some additional conversations' going forward."
Mike Allen, et al., of Axios on "Trump's two chilling debate warnings": "President Trump pointedly refused to condemn white supremacist groups... after four months when millions marched for racial justice in the country's largest wave of activism in half a century.... This was a for-the-history-books moment in a debate that was mostly headache-inducing noise.... Trump also telegraphed with clarity that there's unlikely to be a clean outcome to the Nov. 3 election: 'We might not know for months, because these ballots are going to be all over. ... It's a fraud and it's a shame. ... It's a rigged election.' On the Supreme Court, Trump said: 'I think I'm counting on them to look at the ballots, definitely. I hope we don't need them, in terms of the election itself. But for the ballots, I think so, because what's happening is incredible.'" ~~~
~~~ Mrs. McCrabbie: I'm not sure anyone has noticed, but what Trump was saying about the election results was that "the election itself" means in-person voting (at least where Trump wins), and illegitimate mail-in "ballots" that the Supremes will have to adjudicate. These "ballots" are separate from and not part of "the election itself."
Proud Boys, stand back and stand by, but I'll tell you what, somebody's got to do something about antifa and the left, because this is not a right-wing problem. This is a left-wing problem. -- Donald Trump, during the debate ~~~
~~~ Ben Collins & Brandy Zadrozny of NBC News: "The Proud Boys, a far-right extremist group, pledged allegiance to ... Donald Trump on Tuesday night after he told the group to 'stand back and stand by' during the first presidential debate. Many people on social media who identify with the group echoed that language, saying they were 'standing down and standing by.' One known social media account for the group made 'Stand back. Stand by' part of its new logo.... The Proud Boys, a self-described 'Western chauvinist' organization, is considered a violent, nationalistic, Islamophobic, transphobic and misogynistic hate group, according to the Anti-Defamation League...." A New York Times story is here. ~~~
~~~ Hanna Trudo, et al., of the Daily Beast: "Outside of the debate, Proud Boys leader Joe Biggs saw Trump's remarks as permission to 'fuck' up the group's foes."
Pre-Debate Brawl Reports
Wired on how to watch the first presidential debate, which begins tonight at 9 pm ET: "... the presidential debates are simulcast across all the major networks and cable news programs. If you have cable or satellite TV, or a live streaming TV service or a Mohu antenna, check your local listings -- do those exist anymore? -- and you're good.... You can find the debate on ABC, CBS, NBC, Fox, PBS, Telemundo, Univision, CNN, MSNBC, and CSPAN. Basically it'll be harder to avoid it than to watch it. You can also stream it on those various networks' sites and/or YouTube channels. If you're looking for something to bookmark, CBS, CSPAN, and ABC News have YouTube streams ready to go." And more. (Also linked yesterday.)
Kelly Hooper of Politico: "The Trump campaign claimed the president 'finished debating Joe Biden' and bragged about his performance hours before the debate even started Tuesday night.... The message was sent to Trump campaign email subscribers about 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday; the first presidential debate will begin at 9 p.m."
Mrs. McCrabbie: As much as I hate to link to a Fox "News" report, especially one co-authored by someone named Doocy, this is to rich to pass on: Peter Doocy, et al., of Fox "News": "Fox News has learned that the president's re-election campaign wants the Biden campaign to allow a third party to inspect the ears of each debater for electronic devices or transmitters. The president has consented to this kind of inspection, but a source said the Biden campaign has declined the ear check." Apparently President* Con S. Piracy has given up on his demand for urine tests after Biden refused to submit a sample of his mule piss, so Trump now is pretending that he fears that Biden not only is using performance-enhancing drugs, he also is getting the "answers" fed to him by Black-Girl-President-in-Waiting Kamala Harris or other unnamed smart people. If I were Biden, I'd show up on-stage with a big ole electronic-looking device in my ear & keep muttering, "testing, testing." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.) ~~~
~~~ Update. I see Joe more or less took my advice:
It’s debate night, so I’ve got my earpiece and performance enhancers ready. pic.twitter.com/EhOiWdjh1b
— Joe Biden (@JoeBiden) September 29, 2020
~~~ Update. Ben Collins of NBC News: "A conspiracy theory that Joe Biden would wear an electronic device in his ear during the first presidential debate went wildly viral Tuesday in the hours before the debate, and the groundless theory was later amplified by conservative news outlets that claimed that Biden had backed out of an ear 'inspection.' The conspiracy theory, which was pushed in a text message sent by the Trump campaign after it went viral on Facebook and YouTube, claimed that Biden had declined to 'undergo inspection for electronic ear pieces before debate.'"
DNI John Ratcliffe (& Lindsey Graham) Are Keeping Us Safe from Hillary Clinton. Andrew Desiderio & Daniel Lippman of Politico: "Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe on Tuesday declassified a Russian intelligence assessment that was previously rejected by Democrats and Republicans on the Senate Intelligence Committee as having no factual basis, according to two sources familiar with the matter. The extraordinary disclosure, released to Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) earlier Tuesday, rankled Democrats, who said the move effectively put Russian disinformation into the public sphere in order to boost ... Donald Trump's unsubstantiated claims about the government's efforts to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 election.... And several former senior intelligence officials described Ratcliffe's move as incendiary and irresponsible, given the manner in which he was publicly releasing unverified information that originated from a foreign adversary. The assessment claims that Hillary Clinton ... personally approved an effort 'to stir up a scandal against U.S. Presidential candidate Donald Trump by tying him to Putin and the Russians' hacking of the Democratic National Committee.' But in his letter to Graham, Ratcliffe noted that the U.S. intelligence community 'does not know the accuracy of this allegation or the extent to which the Russian intelligence analysis may reflect exaggeration or fabrication.'" ~~~
~~~ Spencer Ackerman & Erin Banco of the Daily Beast: "Former Hillary Clinton aides, ex-intelligence officials and Senate Democrats are accusing Director of National Intelligence John Ratcliffe of laundering Russian disinformation before an election after Ratcliffe suggested Clinton attempted to manufacture a scandal about Russian interference in the 2016 election on behalf of President Trump.... [Sen. Lindsey] Graham [R-Trump], who spoke to The Daily Beast on the phone Tuesday evening, said he did not know whether the information presented by Ratcliffe was true and said he was not concerned with releasing the uncorroborated allegations to the public even with the presidential election just 35 days away.... Graham's post-facto rationalization was just the latest illustration of how uniformly invested Trump allies have become in the narrative that Russian involvement in U.S. politics is either overstated or deliberately fabricated as a means of delegitimizing the president." Emphasis added.
~~~ Bill Barr Is Here to Help, Too. Kyle Cheney of Politico: "The prosecution of Michael Flynn. A Senate investigation into the provenance of the Steele Dossier. The nascent federal probe of discarded absentee ballots in Pennsylvania. In recent days, the Justice Department has declassified or disclosed sensitive materials related to each of these proceedings that, on the surface, have little to do with each other. Yet within hours..., Donald Trump had weaponized each to boost his reelection campaign. It's the latest evidence that veteran prosecutors and attorneys -- and, over the weekend, even a current DOJ official -- describe as an intensifying effort to use the department to support Trump's political fortunes. 'These actions are not typical,' said William Jeffress, a veteran defense lawyer who represented former President Richard Nixon after he left the White House. 'Tradition is that politically sensitive actions by DOJ go dark at least 60 days before an election.'"
Natalia Alamdari of the Delaware News Journal: "This past week, conservative media outlets like Fox News, the Washington Times and The Blaze reported that [Joe] Biden lied about attending DSU, and that the school refuted those claims.... No, Joe Biden did not say he attended Delaware State University. But DSU is now pushing back against conservative media outlets reporting that Biden falsely said he attended the school, the only historically Black university in the state." Mrs. McC Note: Trump accused Biden during the debate Tuesday of not knowing what college he attended.
Ha Ha! Alexi McCammond of Axios: "Joe Biden's campaign released his 2019 tax returns on Tuesday, showing that he and his wife, Jill, paid nearly $300,000 in federal taxes last year.... The release, timed just hours before the first presidential debate, comes days after a bombshell New York Times report said that President Trump paid only $750 in federal taxes in 2016 and 2017.... Biden's deputy campaign manager, Kate Bedingfield, told reporters on a call that this marks 22 years of publicly available tax returns fo Biden and 16 years for [Kamala] Harris. Bedingfield said ... the campaign's message to Trump is simple: 'Mr. President, release your tax returns, or shut up.'" The post includes a copy of the Bidens returns. (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ryan Lizza of Politico: "After watching hours of Trump's debates from 2015 and 2016, what comes across in hindsight is that he had an under-appreciated style, strategy, and message.... The conventional wisdom about Trump arriving in Cleveland Tuesday as a manic and extremely, well, Trumpy, debater could be wrong. Trump won the Republican nomination partly on the strength of his debate appearances.... What comes across watching these events back-to-back is the power of Trump's populism and demagoguery and the relative restraint he showed [during his debates with Hillary Clinton] compared to what we have seen on his Twitter feed and at his press conferences for much of this year.... [Philippe] Reines [-- who played Trump in Clinton's debate prep sessions --] described that three-step response that Trump patented in 2016 as, 'word salad, weird digression, I'm great and she's terrible.'... [Trump] shouldn't be underestimated." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Ben Ashford, et al., of the Daily Mail: "Donald Trump's demoted campaign boss Brad Parscale is under investigation for 'stealing' between $25-$40 million from Trump's 2020 presidential campaign, well-placed sources exclusively told DailyMail.com. The 44-year-old is also being investigated for 'pocketing' nearly another $10 million from the Republican National Committee, the insiders added. The revelation comes as Parscale was involuntarily committed to a hospital by Fort Lauderdale police on Sunday following a concerning episode at his $2.4 million Florida home.... Tim Murtaugh, the Communications Director for Trump's 2020 campaign, said in a statement to DailyMail.com: 'It's utterly false. There is no investigation, no audit, and there never was.' Steve Guest, the RNC Rapid Response Director, said: 'This report is categorically false. There is no audit or investigation of Brad at the RNC.'" Mrs. McC: This is a Daily Mail report, which automatically makes it suspect, so make of it what you will. I have read stories in the past that accused Parscale of taking liberties with Trump campaign funds.
Mississippi Senate Race. Senator Shows She's Working Hard for Foreigners. Ashton Pittman of the Mississippi Free Press: "Canadian, Russian, South African and Ukrainian models appear in U.S. Sen. Cindy Hyde-Smith's first 2020 campaign ad for her Mississippi campaigns -- but no Mississippians. Instead, the ad uses stock footage from foreign production companies as the senator talks about the work she has done to bring jobs and economic growth to Mississippians.... Hyde-Smith has not made any publicly announced campaign appearances in the state since the 2018 special election, which took place after then-Gov. Phil Bryant appointed her to fill a vacant Senate seat.... Her Democratic opponent, former U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Mike Espy, has held a number of socially distanced, outdoor campaign events this month and earlier in the summer."
Alexander Vindman & John Gans, in a New York Times op-ed: "As the 2020 election grew closer, the president increasingly ignored the policies developed by his own government and instead pursued transactions guided by self-interest and instinct. The result is a patchwork of formal policies and informal deals that has undermined America's interests and credibility. But Mr. Trump's sloppy management matters less than its result: No one can trust American foreign policy right now.... Trust is the coin of the realm in national security.... Increasingly, the president and his loyalists in and out of government undermined [the] process [of developing & executing consistent, strategic international polices] with winks, nods and WhatsApp messages, seeking side transactions that prioritize personal benefit, break norms and invite corruption.... In the homestretch before the election, Mr. Trump has overridden many of the remaining safeguards against bad deals, and ignores his professional advisers even more often." (Also linked yesterday afternoon.)
Nick Miroff & Devlin Barrett of the Washington Post: "The Trump administration is preparing an immigration enforcement blitz next month that would target arrests in U.S. cities and jurisdictions that have adopted 'sanctuary' policies, according to three U.S. officials who described a plan with public messaging that echoes the president's law-and-order campaign rhetoric. The Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation, known informally as the 'sanctuary op,' could begin in California as soon as later this week. It would then expand to cities including Denver and Philadelphia, according to two of the officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity to describe sensitive government law enforcement plans. Chad Wolf, acting secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, probably will travel to at least one of the jurisdictions where the operation will take place to boost President Trump's claims that leaders in those cities have failed to protect residents from dangerous criminals, two officials said." A Slate story is here.
Ted Barrett & Manu Raju of CNN: "Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, in an extremely rare move Tuesday, took control of the Senate floor and is forcing a procedural vote on a bill, a step that is typically done only by the Senate majority leader. The top Democrat's action now sets up a vote later this week related to a bill that would protect people with pre-existing conditions if the Supreme Court sides with the Trump administration's Department of Justice and strikes down the Affordable Care Act after arguments are heard in November. Schumer's surprise steps were extraordinary because such motions are typically offered by Majority Leader Mitch McConnell who controls the Senate and dictates what gets considered on the floor. Schumer has never before tried to force such a cloture vote in his time as the top minority leader, aides said. The rules say any senator can do what Schumer did Tuesday but senators typically don't take these extreme steps because doing so regularly would shut down the Senate."
Andrew Desiderio & Marianne Levine of Politico: "... Donald Trump’s nominee to the Supreme Court did not commit to recusing herself from cases related to the outcome of the 2020 presidential election, according to her written responses to a Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire. Amy Coney Barrett's responses, obtained by Politico on Tuesday night, also provide a window into the breakneck pace at which the White House operated in the aftermath of Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg's death, with Barrett revealing that Trump settled on her as his pick just three days after Ginsburg's death."
The Trumpidemic, Ctd.
Lindsey Tanner of the AP: "After preying heavily on the elderly in the spring, the coronavirus is increasingly infecting American children and teens in a trend authorities say appears fueled by school reopenings and the resumption of sports, playdates and other activities. Children of all ages now make up 10% of all U.S cases, up from 2% in April, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported Tuesday. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said Monday that the incidence of COVID-19 in school-age children began rising in early September as many youngsters returned to their classrooms."
Donald McNeil of the New York Times: "In the last week, leading epidemiologists from respected institutions have, through different methods, reached the same conclusion: About 85 to 90 percent of the American population is still susceptible to SARS-CoV-2, the virus causing the current pandemic. The number is important because it means that 'herd immunity' -- the point at which a disease stops spreading because nearly everyone in a population has contracted it -- is still very far off.... 'The idea that herd immunity will happen at 10 or 20 percent is just nonsense, said Dr. Christopher J.L. Murray, director of the University of Washington's Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation. That belief began circulating months ago on conservative news programs like those of Rush Limbaugh and Laura Ingraham. It has been cited several times by Dr. Scott W. Atlas, President Trump's new pandemic adviser. It appears to be behind Mr. Trump's recent remarks that the pandemic is 'rounding the corner' and 'would go away even without the vaccine.' But it is also gaining credence on Wall Street and among some business executives, said prominent public health experts, who consider the idea scientifically unfounded as well as dangerous...."
Caitlin Dickerson, et al., of the New York Times: "The Irwin County Detention Center in Ocilla, Ga., drew national attention this month after a nurse, Dawn Wooten, filed a whistle-blower complaint claiming that detainees had told her they had had their uteruses removed without their full understanding or consent. Since then, both ICE and the hospital in Irwin County have released data that show that two full hysterectomies have been performed on women detained at Irwin in the past three years. But firsthand accounts are now emerging from detainees ... who underwent other invasive gynecological procedures that they did not fully understand and, in some cases, may not have been medically necessary. At least one lawyer brought the complaints about gynecological care to the attention of the center's top officials in 2018..., but the outside referrals continued. The Times interviewed 16 women who were concerned about the gynecological care they received while at the center.... All 16 were treated by Dr. Mahendra Amin, who ... has been described by ICE officials as the detention center's 'primary gynecologist.' The cases were reviewed by five gynecologists -- four of them board-certified and all with medical school affiliations -- who found that Dr. Amin consistently overstated the size or risks associated with cysts or masses attached to his patients' reproductive organs."
Brooks Barnes of the New York Times: "For six months, Disney has kept tens of thousands of theme park workers on furlough with full health-care benefits in hopes that a light at the end of the pandemic tunnel would appear. On Tuesday, Disney conceded that none was coming. The company's theme park division said it would eliminate 28,000 jobs in the United States. Theme parks will account for most of the layoffs, although Disney Cruise Line and Disney's retail stores will also be affected."
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Watched 15 minutes of last night's "debate." My pulse went from the usual 70 to 85 in that few minutes after much yelling so figured it wasn't worth a stroke.
BIDEN & THE BULLDOZER:
One of the many pundits who had their say about last night's performance––and yes, it wasn't a debate, it was a performance––said "it was utterly out of control!" Hmm, I thought, that describes the whole of Trump's four years in office!
It was clear from the very beginning last night that Fatty was going to do his slippery side show, was not going to be a good boy and follow the rules; we watched that great bulk move like a bulldozer ready to strike. The bad boy who was told over and over to hold his tongue was simply incapable of doing so. When you've gotten away with years of corruption there is a build up of invulnerability and how dare anyone question or suss out the truth.
I was also struck by the physical contrast between the two. Fatty's makeup was more bronze unlike like his usual ripe tomato and his hair had a light yellow sheen (matching his daughter's long shiny tresses and treated to hide the gray); Biden, sans makeup, looked old but seasoned, no wig for his almost bald head. He presents authentically and sincerely. One ready for Prime Time; the other ready to serve the country and in time give its people the Prime.
The Kennedy/ Nixon debates––-a first on T.V.––Nixon, refusing any make-up, droplets of sweat dripping down his face, facing Kennedy who looked like a model and those of us who watched were taken with the young, handsome senator from Massachusetts. Those that only listened to the debate on the radio rated Nixon as the winner.
But that was then and if the T.V gods allow there will be three? more what they call "debates." What will be the result of the blowback from last night? What will change? Who will change?
P.S. when Fatty was bragging about how many judges he has put on the bench and criticized Obama for only a minimal number I was hoping Biden would counter with, "Yeah--because McConnell wouldn't bring them up for a vote!'
@PD: And yet!!! I watched the beginning of a CNN clip this morning, getting opinions from “undecided” voters. A guy said something like “Biden was ok, trump seemed in control.” I don’t know this country.
PD,
I was so hoping that when that fat fuck started in on how few federal judgeships were created by Obama that Biden would have comeback with “Yeah, because your party refused to even consider most of them”.
I’m more than a little upset that reports about the debate being a shitshow seem to blame both parties for the chaos, when truly it was all on Trump. The few times Biden went off script (telling him to shut up, for instance) came after more than an hour of bullying and yelling and screaming. Even when Wallace got the fifth grade bully to shut up for thirty seconds, he rolled his eyes, smirked, and shook his head.
More (or less) than a bulldozer, because that makes Trump sound fierce and powerful, Fatty was closer to an ignorant fifth grade bully who shoots spitballs at the smart kid in class as he gives his well thought out presentation and then makes fart noises to the delight of his posse of equally stupid and nasty sycophants.
Trump has nothing. Nothing. No plans, no answers, no honor. He’s as far removed from the idea of an honorable and effective leader as Mitch McConnell is from an honest and decent public servant.
His goal was to try to rattle Biden because he is desperately afraid. Afraid of letting anyone offer the American voters a serious alternative to his benighted, bellowing bullshit. He didn’t succeed. If there are any undecideds left after this disgraceful display of childish pique, startlingly immature comportment, and typical schoolyard bullying, you can be sure they were always going to come down on the side of ignorance, white supremacy, and violence. In other words, definitely decideds.
Biden held his own, but barely. Trump bullied his way through the whole night, shouting, screaming, making faces, doing his best not to answer a single question.
His plan was to throw Biden off, and he was at least partially successful. Of course if you were trying to make a point while the other guy was screaming at you, calling you names (he even yelled at Chris Wallace) it would be tough to get your message across.
Biden got in a few good shots though, but he misspoke a couple of times, which Trump pounced on, yelling and pointing. Trump’s presentation was a firehose of lies.
And he promised not to leave if he loses. He also said he expects ‘his’ Supreme Court to install him for a second term if he decides its necessary because, blah, blah, blah. It was a horror show.
Biden could refuse any additional debates since they’ll all be like this one, shouting, talking over, lying. I’m tempted to say that this is in no way informative, but it does give a crystal clear image of the real Donald Trump. A bully and a coward. I’m sure confederates are planning the assassination of Chris Wallace for daring to speak up to their hero. I’m with NiskyGuy on how any reasonable viewer could think that last night’s debauchery on Trump’s part demonstrates an in control personality.
For better or worse I stayed up past my bedtime last night to watch the performance. What a ______. (fill in the blankety-blank)
Sarah Cooper does it again using his own words.
SECURITY NEWS:
Personal debt & National Security ( from FAS) And at the end we read that Fatty isn't on the list––how in hell is that possible?
https://fas.org/blogs/secrecy/2020/09/debt-security/
@AK: You and Nisky both cite those that, no matter what, are still in love––again I relate this to religious fervor––nothing can shake their belief in that someone who they see as their savior–-warts and all. I still maintain the only way to change their mindset is for them to fully understand that they are being played–-that they are being assessed as stupid directly by their love object. You would think that "Losers and suckers" would do it for some, but even then they might think, "well, certainly he wasn't talking about me–- I served, but I'm still alive!"
Those, like "Proud Boys" and other mistreats are in another class entirely––they be in love with their whitey white superiority, getting their dicks up for anything this racist president feeds them.
@NiskyGuy: The brilliant fellow who said Trump seemed to be "in control" must have meant "in control" to mean "not letting anyone else get a word in edgewise." That is a kind of "control," I suppose. I would hate to be that guy's significant other in an argument; I'm afraid a lot of men think a booming voice shouting over others is the definition of "control." These guys also think that a woman's voice is not capable of being used to "take control." If she speaks up, she's screeching; if she speaks softly, she's meek and "not in control."
My mother once told me of a male teacher she had whose classroom was extremely unruly. He spoke softly through it all, ignoring the noisemakers. The few students (which I assume included my mother) who sat up near the front to hear what the teacher was saying did fine. But at the end of the grading period, the teacher quietly flunked most of the class. I guess this was in a time and place when flunking carried some stigma because my mother said that after that, the class behaved.
Let's hope that if there was any lesson from yesterday, voters will flunk Trump.
BTW, I fully expect almost all Congressional Republicans to back Trump when he challenges every single mail-in ballot that has the circle next to "Joe Biden" filled in. The names of many of these Republicans, after all, are on those very same ballots.
@Unwashed: As much as I enjoyed Sarah Cooper the video that follows is so very good: Brian Williams has on John McWhorter, a linguistic professor at Columbia, who dissects Trump's speech and it's terrific if not right on the money.
In real-life situations when someone bullies me by interrupting me and/or shouting at me, I almost never try to talk over him (and yes, it's always "him" -- women seem to know how to have real disagreements). Rather, I let him have his say & then I try again to make my point. If he talks over me again, I let him. Then I say, when I can get a word in edgewise, "If you don't let me finish my sentence, if you won't listen to what I have to say, this conversation is over, and I'm leaving the room." Then, if necessary, I make good on my threat at the moment the bullying begins again. I've made good on that sort of threat when it was extremely inconvenient for me, but it was never as inconvenient as was the humiliation of caving to a bully.
I haven't taken this tack because I think it's the best thing to do; I've taken it because it works best for me.
You can't walk out of a presidential debate because your opponent is a loudmouthed bully. But if I were Biden, when Trump shouted over me, I would have shut up, rather than trying to complete my sentence or train of thought -- the same thing I do in reality. When Trump finished his rant, I would say a version of what Congresspeople say in hearings all the time when a witness filibusters or refuses to answer a question: "Mr. Wallace, I'd like to reclaim my time." Then I would pick right back up where I left off before the interruption. I would do that ad nauseam, every time Trump interrupted. When the interruption was a lie, I would add, "and I would like additional time to refute Mr. Trump's false claim." I think the one time Biden was justified to shut Trump up was when Trump attacked his sons.
I don't know why Biden's debate "preparers" didn't prepare him better on how to deal with Trump's interruptions, because anyone who observed Trump for 5 minutes knew he would try to steamroll the veep. And I don't know why Biden chose not to dismiss Trump forcefully rather than try to out-shout him. The one thing Biden did very well was to speak directly into the camera or to Wallace rather than to Trump. After all, he wasn't trying to convince Trump of anything; he's supposed to be trying to convince the American people that he can handle an argument with Vladimir Putin. He didn't do that.
BTW, PD Pepe's reminder of Nixon's sweating it in the oldies reminds me that Trump was sweating profusely last night. Biden was not, or at least not visibly.
Likely, you have a different and/or a better idea. If so, share it, please.
Perhaps they can bring those old sound-proof glass booths from the old quiz shows out of storage, then when one idiot goes on a rant, the sound is cut. All you will see is a fat-assed toddler jumping up and down inside, waving his arms, and looking totally demented.
@MAG: A stellar idea! The presidential debate committee definitely should hire you as a "consultant" right away. How does $700,000+ sound? That's what Ivanka got for "consulting."
And, oh yeah, that was a different AND a better idea than mine.
My daughter and I were appalled, disappointed, angry, etc etc etc. The bully on the left side of the screen was his usual self, and Biden seemed to assess it and opt to look down at his notes a lot, while the screamer indulged himself. My friend's sister texted her during both this debacle and the Harrisburg "rally" a couple of days ago, asking if Dump "is always like this..." I don't see how a living, breathing person could ask that, why she doesn't see what is right in front of her nose. It was vintage Dump. Disgusting pig that he is, the accusation that Obama/Biden had "left open" judgeships absolutely fried our onions-- we were both screaming at Biden to refute that nothing was "left open," thanks to that insufferable bastard in charge of the former Senate. (Now, of course, they do nothing all day--) But Biden elected to let it stream by, along with the poisonous torrent of lies and screeches. I don't know if that was on purpose or he just gave up. The MSNBC women (same crew as for the conventions--) termed it all abuse, and had a sad about Chris, who lost control about three minutes in. In fact, Wallace expressed heheheh-type chuckles to Biden about the constant tirade he could not stop, issuing from the pursed lips of the screamer. I don't feel sorry for him at all-- he was an awful "moderator" and did none of us any favors, except for the Foxbots. Maybe Biden has no intention of quitting on the next two "debates," but the audience perhaps has. I agree with Tapper and Bash. Felt like I had been living in some hellhole maelstrom. My friend expressed it-- I HATE THAT MAN. So easy to hate. What a wretched mass of flab he is. He needs to be squashed like the lantern flies we are all killing by the hundreds. He's a blight and a scourge.
Love the sound proof booths idea. I’m not sure letting Trump have his say then asking for time back would work. Trump does not believe in fairness for anyone but himself. He would continue to rant and scream and lie, and I don’t think any moderator will have the guts to shut him up. Of course, killing his mic might be a fun idea but he’d just scream that he was being victimized.
One other idea would be for both of them to be seated, and strapped in, with electrodes attached to their testicles. Whenever Trump refuses to shut up, he’d get a blast of electricity. Jolts would progress from one second’s worth of juice with a second added for each infraction.
I’m guessing that five minutes into the debate, Fatty would be up to 30 seconds. By the ten minute mark, he’d be a barely conscious, blubbering, drooling mess.
Just like his voters.
Just an idea.
It would be very easy to allow each combatant 2 minutes to make a statement while the other's microphone is turned off. Otherwise, it's gonna be the same crap again because there's no containing trump.
Some cherries that look worthy of picking.
Deutsche Welle news broke a story today about Deutsche Bank's 2 billion dollar loan to Trump, and a possible connection with Justice Kennedy's "premature" retirement from the SCOTUS. Turns out Kennedy's son, who was working for Deutsche Bank was involved in approving the loan to Trump when all US banks denied him. Brett Kavanaugh was Kennedy's protege. There are implications of money laundering as well.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSitfTcthq8
On a slightly more serious note, the relationship between Trump and his fans might seem like an abusive one. After all, plenty of red staters have died too, from the Trump virus. Many of them will suffer if and when he takes their healthcare away. But as long as he can convince them that China, or Hunter Biden, or Wile E. Coyote are really to blame, they’re fine with it.
Perhaps there’s a touch of Helsinki Syndrome going on. But Trump has never had to convince most of these people to go along with him and his schemes and hatreds.
Probably the simplest answer is that there are plenty of Americans who simply prefer a strongman authoritarian type who will point out their enemies and then go ahead and defile them.
It’s easy to see why Evangelicals love Trump. They’re used to letting “Jesus take the wheel”, handing control and responsibility over to someone they consider larger than life, a figure never to be questioned and always to be obeyed, no matter what. Trump instructs them to carry their first born up a mountain and stab him or her in the throat as a sacrifice to prove their obedience and worthiness, they skedaddle out to hitch up the buckboard.
This is not an exaggeration. Trump has instructed these people to just go with it and not to complain when his decision that he matters more than they do causes family members to contract Covid and die, unnecessarily.
Then there are the congenital haters and criminals, the neo-Nazis and white supremacists. They love his very visceral racial hatred. Putting babies in cages to let them die is their idea of a trip to Hawaii.
Of course you also have your sycophantic congress criminals, most of whom would have kowtowed to Hitler as long as he let them keep their positions of power.
Then there are the amoral Wall St. vipers who only care about their money.
There are enough of all of these types to make the upcoming election a real toss up, especially when you add in Trump and Republican schemes to simply steal the election outright.
But Biden’s plea to Americans is exactly correct. If enough good people show up in droves on Election Day, Trump will not be able to run back to White House hidey hole And refuse to leave. The people will evict him. But it has to be a deluge to wash his rancid carcass out into the street, where he can be arrested, tried, and convicted.
But I’m not totally giving up on my electrodes on the tiny orange testicles idea...
Speculation: Since almost everything trump whines about is projection, did he call for Biden to have a drug test in order to head off the possibility that he might have to get a drug test?
I see that the results of several polls show Biden winning last night’s debacle, er, debate. Well, naturally. He was the only one debating. The other guy was yelling and screaming and lying through his teeth, and calling for white nationalist thugs to get the guns ready. (How else can one possibly interpret a direct shout out to violent, cro-magnon racists to “stand by”? “Hang on, boys. The results of the International Chess Federation sub-committee on rule changes is just coming in. Stand by. Oh, look! A new rule on castling queen side.”
Biden was the only debater in the house. The other guy, in his effort to communicate with pro-authoritarian thugs all over the nation was mass debating.
Oh, and here’s a question. Will Jim Comey wait until a week before the election to release a phony report about Joe Biden’s emails, or will he go ahead and do it this week? Inquiring minds want to know.
I will NEVER forgive Jim Comey. Never. I don't care how much "mea culpa" he aims at and misses.
Now I must go call Democrats. Even that is a crapshoot: they are either annoyed that anyone called, or they hang up because the automatic dialup makes it seem like a telemarketer is on the line, or they refuse haughtily to say whom they are voting for. So, this may be my swansong...
The Anthony Kennedy-Trump-Deutschebank Connection, Redux
In the wake of the Times‘ orange blockhead buster report on Prez Tax Evader, there is renewed interest in how and why a well known chiseling deadbeat got hundreds of millions of dollars in loans from an equally well known (okay, suspected, with good reason) financial institution that launders money for Russian gangsters and Vladimir Putin and his pals (but I repeat myself).
Tossed into this wretched, wilted brown leaf salad, topped with Deutschebank brand stinky cheese, is former Supreme Court justice Anthony Kennedy and his son who, surprise, surprise, surprise, authorized those Deutschebank loans, which on the face of it, must be considered unsecured, given the deadbeat chiseler demanding the dough.
Why would a bank do that? Well, maybe if the loans were co-signed by Russian mobsters, who naturally would never think of asking for favors in return...
When it became known that Anthony Kennedy’s son had his John Hancock on the paperwork, and could easily become embroiled (or just plain broiled) in any fallout, suddenly, the justice agrees to Fatty’s demand that he step down so a rubber stamp of Trump’s choice could replace him.
The strings pulled by the Trump Crime Family and the favors they owe to some of the most unscrupulous people in the world would provide enough fodder for a dozen crazy-ass international crime novels. Neither Ludlum nor Le Carré would mine this mountain of nastiness for fear of having adopted a heroin craving.
I’m not sure we’ll ever find out where all the bodies are buried—Trump has left so many in his wake—but bodies seem to be bobbing up with great frequency of late. Remember, he might pal around with the mafia and the Russian mob. But at heart, Trump has always been a bungling incompetent. We might not see the whole picture, but it should be enough for even a dimwitted confederate politician to be able to tell the difference between Botticelli’s Venus, and one of Trump’s hookers.
What else will be popping up about this cheap crook?
Nice salad tossing work Akhilleus. I hadn't thought about the deeper, compromising implications of why Associate Justice Kennedy resigned. Were Anthony and son working in concert for nefarious purposes, or did the pretender have him by the short hairs?
When (and if) the current bagman attorney general is replaced, we can hope that the new AG will release the SDNY investigators to start the exhumations. This is always tricky because good powerful people will also be implicated - so maybe it gets stalled and forgotten. You already know the incompetent one will pull as many down with him as he can.
@Akhilleus: All kidding aside, Jim Comey is out of a job, but Bill Barr IS going to release the Biden Ukraine report a week or so before the election. He has as much as said so. He's been releasing dribs & drabs of it, but there will be a so-called blockbuster as election day approaches. I'm sure he's figured out the best hour of the best day to make the bold release at a press conference with Durham & some other stooge standing behind him.
Maybe John Ratcliffe will come up with some other Russia-generated "intelligence" to report. Is no one flummoxed by the idea that Trump is so dependent upon Russia that he's using THEIR fake intelligence; i.e., propaganda, to incriminate, uh, Hillary Clinton, who -- last time I looked -- is not running for president? What will Vladimir Radcliffe magically come up with on Biden next month?
@Akhilleus & @periscope: David Atkins strongly implied in his post I linked over the weekend, I think it was, that Trump had some hold over Anthony Kennedy that related to Kennedy's son work on a Deutschebank loan to Trump. Akhilleus spells it out.
One other thing we need to stitch together from Trump's debate remarks & from similar remarks he's made: he plans to contest a loss both through the courts & extra-legally with violent actions against both voters & election personnel. He's told his "supporters" -- that is, non-sanctioned election poll-watchers -- to stop people from in-person voting and to fight after-election-day counting of both in-person & mail-in ballots. He wants these supporters to strap on their arms & "do something." I'm not sure even other dictators do this.
Marie,
The call for his goons to man the barricades and keep undesirables from voting is not just a horrific invitation to thugs threatening or actually inflicting violence at the polls, it’s illegal. MAGA maggots cannot self-appoint themselves as poll watchers (or should that be poll butchers?). They don’t get to challenge anybody’s right to vote.
I have yet to hear a single member of the Party of Treason (growing more treasonous by the day), correct, or even reference, this astounding call to arms in the service of helping Fatty sow chaos, violence, and instability so’s he can steal another election.
And I see a brand new lie has crawled out the orange maw and fallen on top of the mountain of lies already coughed up.
Fatty now sez “Um...Proud Boys? Who dey? Never heard of ‘em”. Truly, the lies he thinks he can get away with. So, he just made up that name last night and told these made up people to “stand by”? Yeah. Okay. Very likely someone pointed out to him that it was a tad impolitic to call upon a pack of violent racists to help him out and he thought, well, okay, I’ll just deny everything.
What must it be like to live in that head where you can do and say all manner of psycho bullshit and take no responsibility for anything while demanding it from everyone else?
GOTV.
@PD, thanks for the lead on the Brian Williams piece with John McWhorter. Interesting, yet him saying OM's way of speaking is "oddly adolescent" seems a euphemistic way of saying he's a fucking moron.
Here's the link for others to see.