QOTD -- Tallying Iran War's Cost To Our International Standing

 

"... Demonstrating Iran’s newfound confidence, 'Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps fired missiles at two commercial ships near the Strait of Hormuz early Tuesday,' the Wall Street Journal reported. It is just the latest sign that the shift in power in the region ohas become more profound as the war played out. Kari Heerman of the Brookings Institution explained: 'Iran did not only assert control over the strait, it also experimented a little bit with politically conditioned access, offering discounts to its friends and higher rates to its enemies.' Heerman noted in analyzing how 'freedom of navigation' has lost any meaning. '[T]hat’s a major departure from not only the status quo ante, it also presents major challenges for international maritime law.'

"We hear each week that the talks are at risk of 'collapsing' or that the 'fragile truce' is at risk. Bunk. Iran, with Oman’s aid, is systematically asserting long-term control of the Strait. Trump has zero interest in returning to full-scale hostilities; the economic sanctions that have constrained Iran are already being unwound; and the entire topic is a political loser for Trump. As oil prices gradually drift downward, Trump is less inclined to restart major military operations. The war is over, as both sides know. The memorandum talks are merely the means of tallying the cost to U.S.’s international standing.

"Given all this, much of the Iran coverage has taken on an air of unreality. The Trump regime pretends to be engaged in grown-up statecraft; legacy media coverage regurgitates the Trump team’s assertions that Iran is desperate for a deal. The headlines take at face value the threat that the U.S. would resume a full-scale fight; but no one engaged in the talks believes that is remotely possible..."  -- Jennifer Rubin, in "The Contrarian" Substack, on the word games being played by the Malignant Fascist's regime in its quest to minimize the catastrophe of the Iran war, and the media's craven complicity with the ludicrous charade.

 

QOTD -- Bailing On The Bezos Bugle

 

"Corporate and billionaire owners of major media outlets have betrayed their audiences’ loyalty and sabotaged journalism’s sacred mission — defending, protecting and advancing democracy. The Washington Post’s billionaire owner and enlisted management are among the offenders. They have undercut the values central to The Post’s mission and that of all journalism: integrity, courage, and independence. I cannot justify remaining at The Post. Jeff Bezos and his fellow billionaires accommodate and enable the most acute threat to American democracy—Donald Trump—at a time when a vibrant free press is more essential than ever to our democracy’s survival and capacity to thrive.

"I therefore have resigned from The Post, effective today. In doing so, I join a throng of veteran journalists so distressed over The Post’s management they felt compelled to resign.

"The decay and compromised principles of corporate and billionaire-owned media underscore the urgent need for alternatives. Americans are eager for innovative and independent journalism that offers lively, unflinching coverage free from cant, conflicts of interest and moral equivocation..." -- Jennifer Rubin, in her new Substack venture with Norm Eisen, "The Contrarian," announcing her resignation from the Washington Post Bezos Bugle.  Rubin has evolved from a neo-conservative to a never-Trumper to someone we would consider a valuable ally in the fight against the MF and his fascist, un-American agenda.  She notes the new outlet "will include Joyce Vance, Andy Borowitz, Laurence Tribe, Katie Phang, George Conway, Olivia Julianna, Harry Litman (who recently resigned from the LA Times for reasons similar to mine for leaving the Post), and Asha Rangappa..."  Good for her and her co-creators, and another bad day for the Bezos Bugle.

QOTD: Election Interference, Supreme Court Style

 

WaPo's conservative op-ed columnist Jennifer Rubin on the deliberate delay by the right-wing majority on the Supreme Court of a decision on the simple matter of whether the Malignant Loser is above the law. A real chin puller.

"Another day of Supreme Court decisions passed on Friday, another day without an opinion on presidential immunity. No better evidence of the bad faith and bias on the part of the right-wing Supreme Court majority exists than its foot-dragging on the decision concerning whether felon and former president Donald Trump can be prosecuted for an insurrection. In deciding to delay the case for more than six months, the court itself commits election interference.

Trump’s strategy in his four criminal matters has always been to delay any reckoning beyond the election in hopes he would get elected, whereupon he could shut down federal prosecutions and put state cases on hold. Now, thanks to U.S. District Judge Aileen M. Cannon’s near-comedic stalling of Trump’s Espionage Act case and the Supreme Court’s equally blatant procrastination, Trump may get his way." (our emphasis)

 Disgraceful.

 

QOTD: Please, No Parades For Mike Johnson

From conservative anti-MAGA columnist Jennifer Rubin, writing in this morning's Washington Post not to give right-wing MAGA House Speaker Mike "Moses" Johnson credit for aiding Ukraine after so many months of delay:

"When the vote on Ukraine aid finally came, it was overwhelming, 311-112. That raised the question: Why in the world did such a popular measure take so long? It could have been done long ago, when President Biden requested the aid in October, had Johnson simply ignored the histrionics from pro-Putin House members who take their cues from Donald Trump.

A week … a month … six months ago, the vote to deliver critical aid could have prevented countless Ukrainian deaths. Just last week, Russian missiles struck an apartment building in the northern Ukrainian city of Chernihiv, killing 17 people and injuring at least 61. That was merely one strike among many Russia has successfully carried out in recent months while Ukraine has been hampered by munitions shortages and inadequate antimissile defenses.

The delay had serious, widespread consequences for Ukraine. Max Bergmann, a former State Department official and director of the Europe, Russia and Eurasia program for the Center for Strategic and International Studies, tells me, 'Their power sector has been decimated by lack of air defense, which will be incredibly costly to repair.' He adds that on the front 'Ukrainians have lost a lot of soldiers because if you don’t have artillery you have to hold the line with men.' In other words, Ukraine has 'lost a lot of people simply because we stopped providing them ammo.'” (our emphasis)

Every day since the weapons and ammunition stopped flowing from the United States, Russia's criminal attacks on Ukrainian civilian targets and infrastructure rained death on innocents. The Malignant Loser's love affair with Russian war criminal and dictator Vladimir Putin and with authoritarianism was the driving force behind the MAGAt House's Putin caucus's refusal to help the democratic freedom fighters in Ukraine. That refusal still animates the pro-Russian stooges like Representatives Moscow Marjorie Taylor Traitor Greene, Thomas "Messed Up" Massie, and Paul "Putin's Paul" Gosar, who are seeking to oust Johnson from the Speakership.

 

QOTD: Trump's "Perverse Mindset" In Hush Money Trial

 

From conservative op-ed columnist Jennifer Rubin, for the Washington Post this morning, on the Malignant Loser's compulsion to intimidate jurors in his current Manhattan trial on election interference / hush money payments:

"Displaying his belligerence, bullying and showing disdain for rules will not endear Trump to the jury. But in Trump’s perverse mind-set, baiting the judge and even risking conviction in a 'rigged' trial, as he claims, might seem politically advantageous: The more he is punished, the more his supporters rally to his side. (Trump seems incapable of appreciating that this behavior pushes all other voters into the arms of his opponent.)

Whether deliberate or not, any further outbursts from Trump will leave Merchan little choice. After one warning, he cannot allow his courtroom to become a ring in Trump’s circus. If Trump keeps it up, Merchan eventually will be left no choice but to remove Trump, even for just a day.

As many who have observed him over the years have pointed out, Trump lacks any semblance of impulse control. If they’re right, Trump might very well find himself the first former president to spend a night behind bars."

Again, it's time to let the Malignant Loser know that more threats to the administration of justice in this trial will be met with time behind bars. 

QOTD: MAGA Scrambling On Abortion Issues

Washington Post columnist Jennifer Rubin on America's newest third rail for MAGA Republicans, by the numbers:

"Republicans’ zealotry for forced-birth laws might be the best thing ever to happen to the pro-choice movement. 'A record 59 percent of surveyed Americans believe abortion should be legal, according to a new Fox News poll,' the Hill reported last week. 'Support for abortion rights has increased by double digits since early 2022, just before the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision. 'The Supreme Court’s decision shredding Roe v. Wade 'created a cascading effect of abortion restrictions in Republican-controlled states nationwide and sparked a new movement of abortion rights activism.'

The impact of abortion criminalization has been profound. The percentage of Americans who say abortion should always be legal rose from 27 percent in April 2022 to 35 percent. Moreover, a record number now consider this an important issue (41 percent) while voters believe President Biden (53 percent) would do a better job on abortion issues than his almost certain 2024 rival, Donald Trump (41 percent).

Republicans, scrambling to avoid the backlash against abortion bans, have seized upon the idea of a six- or 15-week limit. That does not solve their political problem. 'When asked if they supported a six-week abortion ban, only 38 percent said yes, while 58 percent said they opposed the idea.' the poll showed. 'On a 15-week ban, 43 percent said they supported the idea, with 54 percent saying no — a complete flip in numbers from a Fox News poll from last year.'”  (our emphasis)

While anti-choice voters have decreased over time, they're still a menace to reproductive freedom. It's noteworthy that the solid Trump voter (the 41 percent cited) believes he'd do a better job on abortion issues, by which they mean restricting choice.

States that put reproductive choice on the ballot have shown it's potent power against Republicans. They're about to find out in Florida in November, where that state's reprehensible law nearly banning abortion will be tested by vote of the people aiming to enshrine protections in their state constitution.

BONUS:  The folks at electoral-vote.com on the Florida November implications --

...[E]ven if the pro-choice and/or pro-marijuana forces can't get to 60%, there are lots of important races that are determined by a simple majority, or, in the absence of a majority, a plurality. The state's electoral votes. The U.S. Senate race, featuring the never-won-any-election-by-more-than-2% Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL). The various House races, which could return a Congress that protects abortion access nationwide. The state legislative races, which could seat a legislature that overturns the 6-week ban...

(photo: Jason DeCrow/AP Photo)

 

QOTD -- State Of The Union

 

"... Biden doesn’t need to sprint up the aisle to the podium or arm wrestle with members as he makes his way out of the chamber. He does, however, need to show he is in fighting political form. Biden will want to remind voters he has an impressive record and that he can effectively defend it. Even more critical, he needs to impress upon them that his MAGA opponents are nutty, destructive and irresponsible. If he leaves that impression with millions of voters — most of whom won’t see or hear the whole speech — democracy defenders will breath a sigh of relief." -- Jennifer Rubin in the Washington Post, providing some coaching for President Biden's State of the Union Address tonight at 9 p.m. Eastern.  The Christofascist MAGA Republicans, in a bit of transparent counter- imaging, are having the youngest Senator, Katie Britt (42) from the Handmaiden's state of Alabammy, give the lying Christofascist MAGA Republican rebuttal. 

QOTD -- What MAGA Republicans Bring

 

"...Biden might need to supplement his democracy message with a broader argument: namely, that MAGA Republicans bring violence, disorder, chaos and gridlock. The MAGA wing of the Republican Party, after all, broke the tradition of a peaceful transfer of power. It actively rooted for a default and then a government shutdown. It brooks violence against law enforcement, peddles conspiracy theories and refuses to accept the legitimacy of court cases against Trump.

"The pandemonium surrounding the selection of a House speaker points to the party’s inability to govern itself, let alone the country. We can expect plenty of other MAGA outbursts and mayhem with this faction’s nihilistic approach to politics — including, for example, the baseless impeachment effort against Biden — between now and the 2024 elections. Biden would have no trouble making the case against agents of anarchy, destruction and dysfunction..." -- WaPo columnist Jennifer Rubin on the "all-purpose" message for President Biden and Democrats heading into the 2024 election.  We know there's a large built- in cohort of Christofascists in this country who applaud and support the "anarchy, destruction and dysfunction."  It's baked into our politics now.  But they don't represent a majority and likely never will.  The message of what the Malignant Loser and his MAGAts have brought and will bring in the future should be a powerful one, if only with the voters yet to make up their minds -- as boggling a thought as that is in 2023.

QOTD -- Narratives

 

"You might find it remarkable that outlets touting their economic foresightedness and keen analysis could be continually surprised about the economy’s strength after 29 consecutive months of job growth, inflation steadily declining, durable goods having been up for three consecutive months, 35,000 new infrastructure projects, an extended period in which real wages exceeded inflation and outsize gains for lower wage-earners. It’s as though outlets are so invested in the narrative of failure and imminent recession that reams of positive data have had little impact on their 'narrative.'  [snip]

"When the media consistently gets the big stories wrong or fails to cover major economic changes, one would hope they’d look back to explain why their coverage diverged from reality and do a better job of covering actual developments rather than GOP talking points, process stories (how Biden is 'selling' his plan) and polling. Unfortunately, waiting for the mainstream media to engage in self-reflection (e.g., maybe it overdid the 'But her emails' in 2016; maybe there was no red wave in 2022), let alone self-correction, might be a waste of time.

"If outlets are concerned about low trust in the media, explaining a historic economic transformation might help inform voters and leave the media less 'surprised' when the data comes back. Instead, they are invariably on to the next groupthink exercise, the next round of gloom-and-doom and the next batch of credulous coverage of Republican talking points."  -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, writing about one of our common topics:  media malpractice in covering the President and the Democratic Party, in this case their largely successful economic policies.  While nothing will ever be perfect for everyone in a nation as large and complex as ours, the figures Rubin cites in the first paragraph reflect a positive reality that the "doom-and-gloom" media get wrong time and again in their narratives.  We've referred to it as the "if it bleeds, it leads" mentality that holds that the grimmer, more shocking the story, the more it attracts eyeballs.  

It seems to us, though, that when there's a Republican administration, positive news is highlighted while "doom-and-gloom" news is ameliorated in a desire to appear neutral (forms of "bothsideism" and "whataboutism").  When there's a Democratic administration, not so much. Some of that is the product of corporate media ownership and priorities, part of it is because of a well- oiled Republican media operation, and part of it is the historic weakness of Democrats to hone a message and stay on it relentlessly. We see signs the latter is changing, but regardless, waiting for the media to do its job properly may be a waste of time, as Rubin says.  That's why the rest of us need to continue to push back on Republican- fed narratives as much as we can in our own ways.

QOTD -- Freakout

 

"If the Super Bowl freakout sounds familiar, it’s because it is. Like so many other issues, this is about control — control of U.S. history, of shared culture and of public spaces. Why do MAGA Republicans become so enraged when some Americans choose to say 'Happy Holidays' instead of 'Merry Christmas'? Why do they go berserk when the College Board constructs an AP African American studies course?  [snip]

"This is a manifestation of the resentment among many Americans that the way they understood their country is being “taken” from them. In their concept of the United States, America is a White and Christian country, and every other group is a footnote — peripheral to the majesty of the 'real' American story.

"Some might argue that not everyone who objects to 'Lift Every Voice and Sing' is a white nationalist. But far too many people have become so attuned to the status quo that something new or different is off-putting. They should consider the source of that irritation. What is wrong with allowing a richer, fuller expression of American identity? Why shouldn’t others who are not culturally dominant have their own source of patriotic devotion?"  -- Jennifer Rubin in the Washington Post on yet another "freakout" by right- wing, perpetually aggrieved MAGAts, this time because "Lift Every Voice and Sing," who some refer to as the Black national anthem, was sung alongside the National Anthem and "America the Beautiful" at Sunday's Super Bowl. 

Trump's New Threat Should (But Won't) Sink Him

 

Conservative never Trumper Jennifer Rubin documents the moral vacuity of the Malignant Loser's captive party, who never have a line that he can't cross with impunity. Whether it's racism, anti-Semitism, incitement of insurrection, or tossing the Constitution aside so he could remain Maximum Leader, he's still their guy:

"Defeated former president Donald Trump, within the space of two weeks, sat down to dine with two antisemites (one of whom later declared his love of Hitler) and declared on Truth Social that the U.S. Constitution should be subject to “termination” so he could be installed as president. Rarely has an authoritarian insurrectionist under criminal investigation for attempting to overthrow the government issued so candid a confession. [snip]

In a healthy democracy with two sane, stable and pro-democratic parties, it never would have come to this. In such a world, Republicans never would have nominated and elected in 2016 an openly racist character who fanned birtherism; Republicans never would have renominated him and never would have acquitted him twice in impeachment hearings. Republicans in our parallel universe would have disowned him after Jan. 6, 2021. repudiated him when he issued antisemitic insults and continued to lie about 2020. They would have disowned him when he renounced fidelity to the Constitution."  

Over the years, the Malignant Loser's been emboldened by the fear he brings out in his sycophants and enablers in his corrupt, rotted out authoritarian party. He knows that Federal and state criminal and civil court cases are about to crash down on him. In his delusion, he thinks that a coup installing him as President-for-life will give him immunity from prosecution, especially if he can shred the Constitution in the process. 

The abject cowardice and lack of patriotism of his party is made abundantly clear every time a new, horrific line is crossed. But to see this as a new phenomenon for the Republican Party is wrong, as you'll recall Nixon's infamous racist "Southern Strategy," and Reagan's "states rights" dog whistles over the years among other signs of early right-wing rot. You'll be waiting a very long time for the Malignant Loser's party to squeak up against the monster that perfected and distilled their "message" over time.

 

QOTD -- Crashing The Economy And Democracy

 

"Jason Furman, former chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, compares the Republican [tax cuts for the rich] proposals to British Prime Minister Liz Truss’s disastrous tax proposal that sank the British pound, and led to Truss’s resignation, arguing, 'At worst they could also cause a U.K.-style market meltdown. Either way they are completely at odds with the argument that deficits have fueled inflation.'

"This should end any talk that the election is a choice between addressing inflation or protecting democracy. In reality, it’s about whether Republicans will be granted power to make inflation worse and to threaten democracy." --  Jennifer Rubin in the Washington Post, one of several opinion columnists of varying political stripes who've warned Republicans to take heed of the disastrous effect of former UK Prime Minister Liz Truss' Reaganesque "trickle-down economics" tax proposals on both the UK economy and on her party's political fortunes.  But, Rubin is correct that, with Republican governance, we'd get the worst of all possible worlds:  a crashed economy and authoritarians in power.

QOTD -- Land Of Oz

 

"Trump has an uncanny ability to find the most unqualified crackpots, dissemblers and candidates with histories of alleged abuse for his endorsements. Shocking, I know, that Trump would gravitate to such candidates.

"Consider his endorsement on Saturday of Mehmet Oz in the Pennsylvania Senate race. The TV doctor who has hawked weight loss scams, 'energy therapy,' hydroxychloroquine as a treatment for covid-19 and a slew of other substances that have little demonstrated effectiveness for the conditions he has prescribed. Rolling Stone reported, 'A study published in the British Medical Journal in 2014 found that at least half of the medical advice Oz gave on his show was bunk.'” -- The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin, discussing the Malignant Loser's endorsement of Oz in the Republican Senatorial primary in Pennsylvania.  As was noted yesterday, the endorsement has riled many equally crackpot Republicans.  

But, let's all root for him in the primary; he has more baggage than an Amtrak train and should be the easiest cultist for likely Democratic nominee Lt. Gov. John Fetterman to beat.

 

Monday Reading

 

As always, please go to the links for the full articles/ op eds.

The Washington Post's Jennifer Rubin (when she's right, she's right, k?) points out it's not "polarization" in politics that's the threat to our democracy (as puerile media sometimes claim), it's Republican radicalization:

Only one party conducts fake election audits, habitually relies on conspiracy theories and wants to limit access to the ballot. A recent study from the libertarian think tank R Street found: “In Republican states, legislation tended to scale back the availability of mail-in voting and ballot drop boxes and to provide more uniform, if not shorter, early voting windows. Meanwhile, in Democratic states, legislators sought to increase the availability of early voting not only by expanded voting windows but also by instating universal vote-by-mail.”

Only one party overwhelmingly refused to participate in a bipartisan investigation of the Jan. 6 insurrection. Only one party tolerates and defends House members who resort to violent imagery and harass fellow lawmakers. Talk of “secession” comes from only one party. Only one party is turning a vigilante who killed two people and seriously injured another into a folk hero. Only one party rises in defense of parents publicly threatening school boards. Only one party has taken to defending book-banning and book-burning. Governors of only one party are suing private companies and localities that follow coronavirus guidelines.

Only one party has a media machine that propagates misinformation (from conspiracy theories about the death of a young Democratic National Committee staffer to the blatant lies about Dominion Voting Systems) and foments racism with a steady diet of “replacement theory” rants and hyperventilation about immigrants. Only one party pounds away at the already debunked connection between crime and immigrants solely for the purpose of enraging and scaring voters.

Also, only one party has an "intellectual" structure that promotes extremist, radical views contrary to core American values.  Coup planner John Eastman's Claremont Institute is just one example, as Vox's Zach Beauchamp reveals:

The Claremont Institute, a right-wing think tank in California, is dedicated to developing a more highbrow version of Carlson’s worldview — one in which American institutions and even citizens are the right’s enemy. Claremont is undoubtedly the most radically pro-Trump of any major right-wing intellectual institution, its thinkers willing to defend both his presidency and his false claims of a stolen election.

Claremont’s output in the past year or two has been astonishingly radical, all but openly calling for regime change and rebellion.

In a May Claremont podcast, Hillsdale College lecturer and former Trump administration official Michael Anton chatted with entrepreneur Curtis Yarvin — a self-described monarchist who wants to appoint a Silicon Valley CEO king of America — about their shared desire to topple what Anton terms the American “regime,” a government Yarvin characterizes in the podcast as a “theocratic oligarchy” controlled by a cadre of progressive “priests.” 

During the episode, Yarvin muses about how an American strongman — whom he alternatively calls “Caesar” and, more honestly, “Trump” — could seize authoritarian control of the US government by turning the National Guard and FBI into his personal stormtroopers.

The vast majority of Americans, we'd wager, are completely unaware of the Christo- fascist underpinning of the rotted out Republican Party.  But it's right there, out in the open, every day.

The Hill published a piece on President Biden's Build Back Better by four descendants of people involved in crafting and implementing FDR's New Deal: James Roosevelt, Jr., Henry Scott Wallace, June Hopkins and Tomlin Perkins Coggeshall. They say Biden wants and needs to do big things to address big problems, just like FDR:

Candidate Biden couldn’t have been clearer about his New Deal-scale ambitions, and he proceeded to win by seven million votes. Though a few cautious members of his party may now be getting nervous, the fact is, we are still in a New Deal moment. We still have a health crisis and accompanying economic crisis, with a climate crisis and a democracy crisis thrown in for good measure.

The American people didn’t just vote for a bland “return to normalcy” (the campaign slogan of Warren Harding in 1920, whose presidency is memorable only for its corruption). They voted for, and deserve, big bold action that will improve their daily lives.

And history shows, this boldness will be rewarded. FDR’s leadership to rebuild the U.S. economy, create jobs and improve Americans’ economic security earned him victory in his first midterm election, adding seats in both the House and Senate — an extremely rare occurrence.

Democrats have a window that may be closing faster than anyone anticipated.  Doing the right thing -- "getting stuff done" -- may be one way to keep that window open longer and the fascists at bay.

To complete your morning (and then some) reading, check out Infidel 753's link round- up to interesting (largely non- political) posts from around the Internet.

QOTD -- Impossible Crusade

 

"The fixation on race and Christian nationalism has serious ramifications for American political life. First, White evangelical Christians are fighting an impossible crusade against demographic inevitability (their minority status is what has fueled the MAGA movement). Because they can never win (at least in a democracy with free and accurate elections), their political venom will not abate.

"Second, the aims of White evangelicals run smack into the American ideal that “all men are created equal” and constitutional protections that allow no bias against any particular religion or racial group. In that regard, they have become deeply antidemocratic.

"Finally, a Democratic Party committed to social justice and racial tolerance is never going to win over the hardcore White evangelical base of the GOP. There is nothing Democrats can “give” them (e.g., jobs, cheaper health care) to satisfy their need for White Christian ascendency. That puts a premium on Democrats’ ability to organize a broad ideological coalition that is firmly grounded in democratic ideals and racial/religious inclusion."  -- Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post, on why "America can't give evangelicals what they want."  Can't and mustn't.

 

QOTD: Talking Nonsense

 

Conservative writer turned Never Trumper Jennifer Rubin writes in today's WaPo explaining why Republican politicians are always talking nonsense. Spoiler alert: the ideas they want to sell -- tax cuts for the wealthy and corporations, gutting gun laws, outlawing women's reproductive rights, etc. -- are broadly  unpopular. In turn, they manufacture "issues" for their base to get outraged about -- critical race theory, "cancel" / consequences culture, etc. -- to distract them from their failures :

"Of the 15 poorest states, all but two (Maine and New Mexico) are also deep red. Among the 30 Senate seats from those states, 27 are held by Republicans.

By these or just about any other measures, Republican states are failing to meet the basic needs of their residents. Among unvaccinated Americans, infection rates are climbing. More will get sick in those places, and some will die. Republicans are unwilling or incapable of meeting the challenge.

This sorry sight is unsurprising given that Republicans have all but given up on the notion of governance. At the national level, they consume themselves with race-baiting (e.g., scaring Americans about immigration and critical race theory), assailing private companies (e.g., corporations that defend voting rights, social media platforms, book publishers) and perpetrating the most ludicrous and dangerous lie in memory — that the 2020 election was stolen."   (our emphasis)

It's more and more dangerous and unhinged nonsense as the demographic and cultural handwriting on the wall becomes more ominous for the future of the Republican / Trumpist / Insurrectionist Party. 

 

A Conservative's Review Of The Media At Biden's Press Conference

 

Conservative Jennifer Rubin writes about how "Biden excels at his first news conference. The media embarrass themselves."  Here's an excerpt:

One reporter [Cecilia Vega/ ABC News] mentioned a 9-year-old she had seen at the border and asked if Biden’s messaging was contributing to the problem. No, he responded, again offering a detailed answer about the problems refugees face in their home countries that create the outflow. Prodded with a question about whether overcrowding was “acceptable,” he responded, “C’mon.” Of course it was unacceptable, he said, listing steps he is taking to find more beds for unaccompanied minors. The repeated questions on the same topic were tiresome and a poor use of precious time.

Try as they might to seem “tough,” the media did not succeed in knocking Biden off message. Biden spoke in great detail and length to show not only his mastery of the issues but also to suck tension and conflict out of the room. He simply would not be lured into accepting a false premise devised by Republicans (i.e., that his nice demeanor prompts parents to send kids thousands of miles under deadly conditions). “I’m going to send him on a thousand-mile journey across a desert and up to the United States because I know Joe Biden is a nice guy and he’ll take care of him? What a desperate act to take," he said. "The circumstances must be horrible.” [snip]

The media did not distinguish themselves. By asking about immigration multiple times and echoing the false narrative that Biden had created a “surge," they showed they were more interested in sound bites than actual news. Their failure to ask about the pandemic, the recession, anti-Asian violence, climate change or even infrastructure (Biden had to bring it up himself) was nothing short of irresponsible. They pleaded for a news conference and then showed themselves to be unserious. They never laid a glove on Biden; they did, however, make the case for why these events are an utter waste of the president’s time.

Our reaction was quite similar.  As we expected, many of the assembled paladins of the "public's right to know" came armed with their loaded questions of the "when did you stop beating your wife" sort.  Many of the prima donnas asked follow-up after follow- up after follow- up, soaking up time that other reporters could have used for their questions (though we're quite happy and amused that Fox's White House troll Peter "Deuce" Doocy was "snubbed" -- see post below).

"Unserious" is the precise descriptor of these ego- trippers, who've already moved on from our democracy's still unfolding existential crisis to manufacture one around a humanitarian problem that was largely the doing of the former guy, and which will take more than the two months the Administration has been in office to address and solve -- to which anyone who has worked in government or a large corporate bureaucracy can attest (in the process dealing with the legal red tape and having to work with foreign governments). 

But the need is now! -- to boost sagging readership, increase clicks and traffic, and keep the advertising bucks flowing in!!  Maybe we got the media we deserve, but it's certainly not the media we want or need in these times.

BONUS:  Critiques from other perspectives here, here, and here.

QOTD -- God-talk Hypocrites

"At this point, we not only see the desperation in Trump’s attacks but the scam Republicans have pulled for years in the name of “conservatism.” Claiming to be the party of values, conservatives have lined up behind someone who decries true faith, brutalizes the weak, unabashedly displays his racism and acts on every ugly impulse that pops into his head. Their support is not grounded in values; rather, they come from cultural resentment and white supremacy. As Robert P. Jones, head of the Public Religion Research Institute and expert on the religious right, tweeted: “'Trump’s not first to weaponize God-talk, but his instrumental use of Christianity is so transparent [because] it’s not his native language. Seems he’s using Bible as totem, uttering mantras he barely understands (e.g., 2 Corinthians, “hurt the Bible”) to conjure its power.'” -- Jennifer Rubin, commenting on Trump's attempts to smear Joe Biden while modeling the worst impulses and actions (see post below, as well).

Fire On The Right

As is often the case, some of the harshest critiquing of dimbulb autocrat Donald "#BunkerBoy" Trump, especially following his recent malicious antics, is coming from never- Trumpers on the right.  (Ed. note: featuring these writers doesn't mean we're ignoring their significant contributions to building the party they now excoriate.)

George Will

This unraveling presidency began with the Crybaby-in-Chief banging his spoon on his highchair tray to protest a photograph — a photograph — showing that his inauguration crowd the day before had been smaller than the one four years previous. Since then, this weak person’s idea of a strong person, this chest-pounding advertisement of his own gnawing insecurities, this low-rent Lear raging on his Twitter-heath has proven that the phrase malignant buffoon is not an oxymoron. [snip]

... The measures necessary for restoration of national equilibrium are many and will be protracted far beyond his removal. One such measure must be the removal of those in Congress who, unlike the sycophantic mediocrities who cosset him in the White House, will not disappear “magically,” as Eric Trump said the coronavirus would. Voters must dispatch his congressional enablers, especially the senators who still gambol around his ankles with a canine hunger for petting. [snip]

... Senate Republicans must be routed, as condign punishment for their Vichyite collaboration, leaving the Republican remnant to wonder: Was it sensible to sacrifice dignity, such as it ever was, and to shed principles, if convictions so easily jettisoned could be dignified as principles, for . . . what? Praying people should pray, and all others should hope: May I never crave anything as much as these people crave membership in the world’s most risible deliberative body.

Jennifer Rubin

Nothing could be more representative of the dangerous narcissism of a president in over his head, resorting to threats of violence against a country he ostensibly is supposed to lead. The deliberate instigation of violence for his own photo op tells Americans how deeply twisted and deformed his character is.

His stunt was designed to play to the most rabid white evangelicals, who inexplicably have always seen themselves — not African Americans — as the true victims. The invocation of a religious institution to justify an assault on peaceful protesters was as great an abuse of religious symbols as anything Trump has done. Surely, he never heard of the “Blessed are the peacemakers” passage from the Christian bible. He worships not peacemakers but instruments of brute force. [snip]

It does not take much imagination to conclude Trump is attempting to escalate violence around the country so he can deploy the military. This is the conduct of a tin-pot dictator — someone resorting to violent suppression of our most closely cherished rights.

More than ever, we should all recognize that, as former vice president Joe Biden put it, this is an election about the soul of our country and the survival of peaceful self-governance.

Michael Gerson

Every crisis the United States now faces has been made worse by Trump’s limits as a leader and a man. We needed a president who could imagine what the American experiment looks like from the perspective of those who find its promises fraudulent. We got someone incapable of empathy. We needed a president who would be data driven in matters of public health policy. We got someone driven by irrational enthusiasms and the advice of cronies. We needed a president who could calm destructive passions. We got someone who now urges the militarization of his fight against the left. We needed a president capable of speaking across differences. We got someone whose only authentic public communications are expressions of rancor.

This is the main (and rather obvious) lesson of Civics 101: If you elect a politician who is professionally incompetent and emotionally unwell, you will pay a price. [snip]

A man of Trump’s character, background and talents is the answer to precisely none of the great challenges of our time. His election in 2016 was an act of irrationality and folly by a powerful, noble and indispensable nation. It has made us more pitiable, more degraded and more replaceable than before. And this likelihood was obvious to anyone with a single grain of foresight.

It's 154 days until the election.

QOTD -- The Problem

"Trump is uniquely unsuited to the moment not only because he lacks empathy and decency. If we as a country truly want to speak with one voice and condemn hate, we must collectively throw him out of office. He’s the largest, loudest megaphone for white nationalism and for anti-immigrant fervor. He’s an implacable opponent of serious gun safety legislation. He is not merely in the way. He is the problem."  --  conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin, discussing Trump's disembodied teleprompter remarks today on the massacres in El Paso and Dayton -- not, as Trump said, "Toledo" (message: "I don't care.").  She also quotes Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA):  “I’m too busy watching what he’s doing to hear what he’s saying.”  So are we.