If The Media Think Just Trump's The Problem, They're Part Of The Problem

Let's see what frequent blind squirrel Dana Milbank dug up this morning:

For months — years, really — Republicans have averted their gaze from Trump’s attacks on women, Hispanics and immigrants. Now the racism becomes more overt — and still, he goes unchallenged.  [snip]

[T]he front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination talks about the forced registration of Muslims. Republican leaders look away. And Trump surges in the polls, regaining the lead he had lost before the Paris attacks. For Republican leaders and rival candidates, these are the wages of cowardice.

Two months ago, after the second GOP debate, I saw signs that Republican hopefuls had begun to think it safe to take on Trump “consistently and jointly.” But that didn’t continue, and Republicans are now stuck with a collective-action problem. There’s no incentive for an individual Republican candidate to take on Trump only to get mowed down by his counterassault. Instead, some rivals are imitating Trump’s positions.

No shit, Sherlock!  Well, there's a reason they're the party of fear and loathing!  Milbank might wait until the final primary ballot is cast before he comes to the realization that the main difference between Rump and his rivals is that Rump is the ugly, nativist Republican id with the volume turned up and no filter, and the rest of the field simply prefers the volume lower with some weasel words to cover up the crazy.  Likewise, Milbank's editorial board at the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle is vainly looking for someone in the Republican ranks to "stand up" to the bully Rump, as though the party's problem is Rump and not the party's ignorant, nativist base that's been nurtured for 40 years to fear and hate. That's who the other moral flyweights in the party fear and to whom they knuckle under.

We'll see if The New York Times can do any better:

Mr. Trump relies on social media to spread his views. This is convenient because there’s no need to respond to questions about his fabrications. That makes it imperative that other forms of media challenge him.

Instead, as Mr. Trump stays at the top of the Republican field, it’s become a full-time job just running down falsehoods like the phony crime statistics he tweeted, which came from a white supremacist group.

Yet Mr. Trump is regularly rewarded with free TV time, where he talks right over anyone challenging him, and doubles down when called out on his lies.

This isn’t about shutting off Mr. Trump’s bullhorn. His right to spew nonsense is protected by the Constitution, but the public doesn’t need to swallow it. History teaches that failing to hold a demagogue to account is a dangerous act. It’s no easy task for journalists to interrupt Mr. Trump with the facts, but it’s an important one.  (our emphasis)

Why stop with Rump?  Why not interrupt every one of the craven, crackpot Republican candidates running for President and hold them accountable for their dangerous lies?  Is smarmy Sen. "Tailgunner Ted" Cruz any less a demagogue?  Or Dr. "Mental Ben" Carson?  How about the un-American views on religious tests for refugees spouted by "moderate" "J.E.B.!" Bush?  Or "Snarly" Carly Fiorina hallucinating about "100,000 Syrian refugees?"  And the imaginary "war" being waged on Christians, as seen by American Taliban demagogue Mike "Huckster" Huckabee? And on and on down into the sewer of American politics.

We would like to ask the frightened, "both sides do it" media to think about what it's costing our nation by failing to hold to account every one of these far- right candidates' disgusting, Islamophobic, homophobic, anti- black, anti- Hispanic, neo- fascist rantings.  Because, to this point, they've been getting away with it, and it's long past time for the media to be committing the most basic acts of journalism.

The Continuing Saga Of Carly Fiorina's Failures

Steven Levy drives another nail in the coffin of the "Carly Fiorina, Business Visionary!" story line, which is actually her only story line.  Here's an extended excerpt:

During Carly Fiorina’s triumphant performance in the wretched carnival that was the second Republican debate, she picked the perfect moment to play the Steve Jobs card.

The subject had turned to her tenure as the CEO of HP, the single aspect of her resume that vaguely qualifies her as a presidential candidate. Industry observers have contended that she did her job poorly, and, indeed, when the board dismissed her in 2005, HP’s stock price rose by seven percent. Meanwhile, Fiorina fell to earth with the aid of a $40 million golden parachute.

Her comeback to this at the debate? Steve Jobs was on her side! She shared a story  — which may well be true — about how Apple’s late CEO had called to remind her that he had been fired as well, and it wasn’t the end of the world. “Been there, done that — twice,” he told her. Unlike Jobs, however, Fiorina did not go on to start a company, buy another small company and sell it for billions, or return to the place that fired her and restore it to glory. But the point of the story was that Steve was on her side, and by aligning herself with the sainted innovator, Fiorina racked up triple-bonus debate points.

Ms. Fiorina’s trainwreck stint at HP has been well documented.  But I want to address one tiny but telling aspect of her misbegotten reign: an episode that involved her good friend Steve Jobs. It is the story of the HP iPod.  (our emphasis)

You'll have to read the rest to appreciate this additional evidence of what a flaming disaster Fiorina was at HP.  Fortunately, we're not likely to experience her "leadership" in the Oval Office.

(h/t Wonkette)

Fiorina: She "Really Was That Bad"

A good read by financier Steve Rattner in the New York Times, reviewing the business credentials of "Snarly" Carly Fiorina, which is, after all, what she's running on:

In 2009, Portfolio magazine ranked her the 19th worst C.E.O. of all time and described her as a “consummate self-promoter” who was “busy pontificating on the lecture circuit and posing for magazine covers while her company floundered.” (That sounds like good preparation for running for president.) [snip]

In a recent essay, Mrs. Fiorina noted that many other successful business leaders — Steve Jobs, Oprah Winfrey, Walt Disney and Michael Bloomberg — were all fired at one point in their careers.

The difference, however, is that all four went on to achieve remarkable business success; Mrs. Fiorina has not held a full-time private sector job since she left H.P. in 2005 — perhaps because no one sought her services.

I certainly recognize that corporate accomplishments are not a prerequisite for a government perch. Indeed, many chief executives fail when they move from the command-and-control business environment to Washington, where consensus-building is a necessity.

However, the lack of public service or sustained business success makes Mrs. Fiorina unqualified for the nation’s highest office.

Rattner briefly mentions Snarly's only other foray into politics, her disastrous (for her) Senate race against Barbara Boxer in the very Republican year of 2010.  (We do have one enduring memory of that race:  her amateurish, risible "demon sheep" ad.)  

Let's pause to remember the only reason she's standing on the stage:  the Republican good ol' boys need to have her there to attack Hillary Clinton without the charge of sexism being raised, a role this "consummate self- promoter" is only too happy to play.

BONUS:  Drew Harwell and Danielle Paquette have a front- page article in the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle on "Fiorina's Divisive Legacy," that punctures her lies about her tenure at Hewlett-Packard with the testimony of those who worked closely with her, as well as with those damning metrics of success/ failure.

BONUS II:  The once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle editorial board also lashes Snarly's "falsehoods" and "blithe ignorance."   Now watch her rise in the Republican polls.

Tweet of the Day

Carly Fiorina detailed her plan to fight ISIS today. Mostly, it involves luring them into the low-margin personal computer business.

— Josh Barro (@jbarro) May 27, 2015

Fired former Hewlitt Packard executive Carly "Snarly" Fiorina won't get the Rethuglican nomination, but ISIS better watch out for the pink slips. Snarly's good at that.

Carly Fiorina, Deadbeat Candidate

Toxic former Hewlett-Packard job destroyer (30,000!) and failed Senatorial candidate (in a Republican year!) Carly "Snarly" Fiorina is likely to get a spot on what will be a crowded stage of all-male, mostly white Republicans when the presidential primary debates begin.  After all, it's important for the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party to look inclusive and to have someone who can bash Hillary Clinton without coming across as a sexist bully.  As we've noted before, Snarly's chances of getting elected are the same as ours -- and we're at a disadvantage because we're not running.

It's not for nothing that, as a candidate at any level, she's a toxic hot mess:

Twelve of about 30 people who worked on Fiorina’s failed 2010 California Senate campaign, most speaking out for the first time, told Reuters they would not work for her again. Fiorina, once one of America's most powerful businesswomen, is now campaigning for the Republican nomination in 2016.

 The reason: for more than four years, Fiorina - who has an estimated net worth of up to $120 million - didn’t pay them, a review of Federal Election Commission records shows.  (our emphasis)

So, not only a job destroyer, but a golden parachute multi-millionaire deadbeat employer to boot.  She must think the "little people" survive on the sunbeams that jet out of her kazoo.

How bad is she?

“I’d rather go to Iraq than work for Carly Fiorina again,” said one high-level former campaign staffer, who asked not to be identified, citing disclosure restrictions in his contract.  (our emphasis)

It's always just about let- them- eat- cake Snarly and what's good for her, and let the "little people" sort the rest out amongst themselves.  That's why (Costco) ham-handed stunts designed to portray the multi-millionaire Fiorinas as jus' folk are doomed to failure, just like her stints at H-P and running for the Senate were.

When does she stop being considered a Serious Candidate?

(h/t Washington Monthly)

"Slim Chances"

Jon Stewart on the Slim Shady Chances of the most recent entrants to the Republican presidential candidate clown car:

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The Latest Losing Republican/ Media Meme: "Hillary's Untrustworthy!"

"It's out there!"

Working hand-in-hand, the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party and their eager minions in the media are busy flogging the latest nasty meme regarding Hillary Clinton:  she's untrustworthy!  Failed CEO, Senate candidate and person- who- will- never- be- President Carly "Snarly" Fiorina was the latest to use the meme in remarks to a megachurch full of Republican hayshakers in Waukee, Iowa:

Hillary Clinton cannot be president of the United States because she is not trustworthy.

Fiorina, on the other hand, can be trusted to do for America what she did for Hewlett-Packard.

Republican National Committee Chairman Reince "Prepuce" Priebus, the "Emptiest suit in America" (h/t Charles Pierce), also has tried, in a characteristically less-than-effective attack, this time on "Face the Nation:"

Priebus:... [I]f you look at the facts of the scandal that surrounds her, you look at the facts of the recent polling -- where a majority of people in battleground states say that she is untrustworthy -- when you look at the fact she has 100 percent name recognition --

Schieffer: A majority --

Priebus: -- majority of the people polled in Colorado, Virginia, Iowa, Florida, said she is untrustworthy.

Umm... yeah.  If you go to that link, you'll find Priebus called out on the claim.  Oh, and by the way, Hillary Clinton is still kicking the ass of every one of the Republican Clown Car candidates.  That's the real poll.

But, see?  It's now "out there" for what passes as the nonpartisan political press to run into the ground.  So, not to be outdone in Hillary-bashing, in his "The Monday Fix," the ever-reliable Chris "The Lizard" Cillizza, (ass)crack political tout for the once great Washington Post Bezos Bugle, who amplified his "Worst Week in Washington" award Sunday by today highlighting one of the few jabs at Hillary Clinton from the White House Correspondents' Association dinner (by comedian Cecily Strong):

Our relationship [with Israel] will be better in the next administration, just as soon as Israel makes a generous donation to the Clinton Foundation.

... (yukyuk) then tells us (via Aaron Blake and Hunter Schwarz) that the "best thing that happened to Republicans" last week was (no link):

The "Clinton Cash" story got more serious [ed. note: only to the voices in your head]... These stories are complex and there's no proven quid pro quo, but they reinforce emerging questions about Clinton's trustworthiness..."

That's a pretty good example of how right-wing bullshit gets loose in the American political bloodstream.  First, Cillizza's paper makes a deal with the right-wing hack that produced "Clinton Cash," then it puts its "journalists" on the non-existent trail of the non-evidence, promoting the bullshit all the while,  then saying, gee, now that it's "out there," we're duty bound as "journalists" to cycle it over and over until we're given the next meme from the right-wing bullshit machine.

The endless auditioning by Republican candidates by billionaires Sheldon Adelson, the Koch brothers and others?  Nothing to see there, move along!

Science Denier Carly Fiorina Blames Liberals For California Drought

Recently, failed former Hewlett-Packard executive, failed former Republican candidate for Senate in California, and future failed candidate for President Carly "Snarly" Fiorina opined that"liberal environmentalists" were responsible for that state's historic drought. NextGen Climate's Bobby Whithorne had this perfect comeback:

"For a science denier to opine that Democrats caused the drought in California is about as irrational as believing someone who failed at running a business in California and then failed as a candidate for office in California has any cause to be running for the highest office in the land." 

The reductio ad absurdum of Republican- who- will- never- be- President Fiorina's argument is that if all Californians had only stored water in their bathtubs years ago, there would be no stinkin' water shortage!  Brilliant!

Republican-Who-Will-Never-Be-President Profile

Charles Pierce profiles one of the third (or fifth) tier potential Republican presidential candidates:

Carly Fiorina, who has failed spectacularly at business and even more spectacularly at politics, is now thinking of running for president based on her staggering career success. [snip]

I have heard of humble-bragging, but this is an entirely new tactic -- failure-bragging. At Hewlett-Packard, she nearly ran the company into Middle Earth, bragged about outsourcing jobs when she did it, and was generally so incompetent a manager that the company paid her millions of dollars to never darken its towels again. This is the record on which she is running for president. Also, no porn at work, or she's going to outsource the Department of Agriculture to a sweatshop in Bangladesh.

Fiorina's main utility for Republicans will be to appear on all the Serious News Shows to refute the notion that there's a Republican War on Women.  She'll be there to demonstrate that, when it came to outsourcing jobs at Hewlett-Packard, there was no discrimination:  you got a pink slip whether you were a man or a woman.

(Image:  "I'm going to run you into the ground, America, just like I did with Hewlett-Packard!")

Today's Dispatches From The Stupid Party

Public health? Ick!

As we've seen highlighted in the past few days, the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party is struggling with the concept of public health versus Freedumb! Zero sum game there, doncha know.

Two of the party's presumed candidates for President in 2016 have already provided us with their dangerous, deluded thoughts on the matter of vaccination, and now other geniuses are opining on other matters bearing on your right to a healthy life and their right to (wait for it) live in Freedumb! Here's recently elected Sen. Thom "Bacillus" Tillis (Crank-NC) on not forcing food workers to wash their hands after leaving the restroom:

“I said: ‘I don’t have any problem with Starbucks if they choose to opt out of this policy as long as they post a sign that says “We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restroom,” Tillis added. “The market will take care of that.”

Steve Benen has the proper question for Bacillus Tillis:

If I understand his argument, the North Carolina senator would let Starbucks opt out of one regulation (hand-washing) in exchange for another (a mandated sign that says “We don’t require our employees to wash their hands after leaving the restroom”)? Is that what constitutes “regulatory reform” for Tillis?

(We pause here for our usual kudos to those Democrats who sat on their asses in North Carolina last November - this lump is your prize.)

Then there's former and future failed candidate and company sinker Carly Fiorina, who chimes in:

I do think parents have to make those choices. I mean, I got measles as a kid. We used to all get measles. I got chicken pox, I got measles, I got mumps… I think parents have to make choices for their family and their children.  (our emphasis)

Choice, yes!  Precious, unalienable choice!  (Except when it comes to women's reproductive health, let's be clear about that.)

If only we could get our border under control to keep them germs from comin' in!  That's what Rep. Mo "Slo-Mo" Brooks (R-Texass) is a-thinkin':

"I don’t think there is any healthcare professional who has examined the fact, who could honestly say that Americans have not died because the diseases brought into America by illegal aliens who are not properly health care screened, as lawful immigrants are."

Uh, how can we put this to Slo-Mo... no:

The congressman mentioned enterovirus, the spread of which conservatives blamed on undocumented immigrants. The Centers for Disease Control said there was no evidence linking immigrant children to the virus.  (our emphasis)

So, maybe the Congressman would propose immunizing those "illegal aliens" before they sneak across the border?  See, that way American kids could have the Freedumb! not to be immunized! Except,

According to the World Health Organization, immunization for measles in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador, where a majority of undocumented children have recently emigrated from, is about 93 percent. Children are also vaccinated at processing facilities just across the border.  (our emphasis)

That would be a better vaccination rate than in, say, Orange County, California, United States of Freedumb!  But, we're not scientists, so...

UPDATE:  Now that the tree has been shaken, the nuts are falling out.  What a pitiful excuse for a "Doctor."

The Republican War On Women - Distaff Edition

Did you know the Republican War on Women is a sham?  Neither did we.  But that doesn't mean the Republican/ New Confederate/ Stupid Party doesn't want to re-edumacate the wimmenfolk out there in the next two election cycles.  And they're planning to use a secret weapon: wimmen!

Kaili Joy Gray over at Wonkette has a wonderful piece (worth reading in its entirety) on the efforts of Quislings wimmen in the Republican ranks who want you to know that all that Republican War on Women stuff is just something the Demoncrats have cooked up.  Rep. Cathy McMorris "Mrs." Rodgers (Tool-WA) is one of those leading the charge. Tally-ho!

“We are starting to hear this drumbeat again from the Democrats suggesting that the Republicans are waging a war on women,” Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-Wash.) said in a speech Friday afternoon to the Republican National Committee “Taking Back the Future” [Ed. note:  shouldn't that be "Taking Us Back in the Future"?] conference at a Washington, D.C. hotel. “As you all know, there’s no truth to it.”

You can take that to the bank, mister!  Kaili Joy responds:

It’s sort of impressive how much wrong Cathy can squeeze into one sentence, which is probably why she’s done so well for herself in her party, but A) women do not actually need the Democratic Party to suggest to them that there is a Republican war on women because, despite being women with little itty bitty ladybrains, WE ALREADY FIGURED THAT ONE OUT ALL ON OUR OWN BEFORE THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CAUGHT ON, JESUS CHRIST!, and B) there is SO much goddamned truth to it, Cathy, that if you piled up all the truth, it would wrap around the Earth 2,152 times, and if we could harness the power of all the truth to it, we’d solve all of our energy problems forever, JESUS CHRIST AGAIN SOME MORE!

Also coming in for the treatment is former failed CEO and Republican Senate candidate Carly "Golden Parachute" Fiorina, who is also going to re-edumacate those stoopid wimmen who are voting Demoncrat:

Carly’s plan is to recruit a whole bunch of women — with technology! — to tell other women that they are SOOOO stupid if they think there is a war on women, because there is no war on women, DUH, and if women really cared about the things Carly thinks women should really care about, they would vote Republican, OBVIOUSLY, so they too can can drive a major corporation like Hewlett Packard practically into the ground but walk away with a mighty fine golden parachute and then get her ass kicked backwards and sideways in a Senate race in which she humiliated herself more than is even scientifically possible by saying any number of stupid things and also releasing her infamous Demon Sheep ad. Isn’t that every woman’s dream?

However, Republicans should be careful in unleashing their new weapons, because some of them are loose cannons:

“Men do tend to talk about things on a much higher level,” [North Carolina Republican Rep. Renee] Ellmers said. “Many of my male colleagues, when they go to the House floor, you know, they’ve got some pie chart or graph behind them and they’re talking about trillions of dollars and how, you know, the debt is awful and, you know, we all agree with that.” 

“We need our male colleagues to understand that if you can bring it down to a woman’s level and what everything that she is balancing in her life — that’s the way to go,” she said.  (our emphasis)

Pie charts and graphs and trillions of dollars, oh my!