Census Citizenship Question's Racist Republican Origin Exposed

They know they can't win fairly, so they lie, cheat and steal. 

Just weeks before the Supreme Court is expected to rule on whether the Trump administration can add a citizenship question to the 2020 Census, new evidence emerged Thursday suggesting the question was crafted specifically to give an electoral advantage to Republicans and whites.

The evidence was found in the files of the prominent Republican redistricting strategist Thomas Hofeller after his death in August. It reveals that Hofeller “played a significant role in orchestrating the addition of the citizenship question to the 2020 Decennial Census in order to create a structural electoral advantage for, in his own words, ‘Republicans and Non-Hispanic Whites,’ ” plaintiffs’ lawyers challenging the question wrote in a letter Thursday morning to U.S. District Judge Jesse M. Furman, one of three federal judges who ruled against the question this year. The lawyers also argued that Trump administration officials purposely obscured Hofeller’s role in court proceedings. [snip]

The files show that Hofeller concluded in a 2015 study that adding a citizenship question to the 2020 Census “would clearly be a disadvantage to the Democrats” and benefit white Republicans in redistricting. Hofeller then pushed the idea with the Trump administration in 2017, according to the lawyers’ letter to Furman.

The evidence, first reported by the New York Times, contradicts sworn testimony by Commerce Secretary Wilbur Ross’s expert adviser A. Mark Neuman and senior Justice Department official John Gore, as well as other testimony by defendants, the letter said. (our emphasis)

It may already be too late, since the Republican Supreme Court has already heard arguments in the case, and appears ready to side with its rotted out reactionary brethren:

The Supreme Court heard the case April 23. Evidence in the case concluded with oral arguments that day, and it appeared that the conservative majority seemed inclined to agree with the government that the decision to add the question was within the authority of the commerce secretary.

If the court followed normal procedure, it voted that week on the outcome of the case, and the justices are now writing the opinion.

Reason # infinity why we need a Democratic Senate, as well as a President, in this case to pass and sign a law prohibiting the census from being politicized like this.  The exit for "bipartisan comity" was passed a long time ago;  we've been in an all- out struggle for our democracy for some time now.  Be nice if we all agreed on that fact.

Russian Asset Says What?

Apparently it's a day off for his adult day care sitters:

Russia, Russia, Russia! That’s all you heard at the beginning of this Witch Hunt Hoax...And now Russia has disappeared because I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected. It was a crime that didn’t exist. So now the Dems and their partner, the Fake News Media,.....

— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) May 30, 2019

"I had nothing to do with Russia helping me to get elected." Thank you for that better-late-than-never admission, moron.

BONUS:  Jack Holmes at Esquire examines today's droppings by the dangerous loon that the media and others want to believe is just "eccentric." (h/t Mock Paper Scissors)

Climate Change Fueling Violent Weather, While Trump Attacks Climate Science

Two interrelated stories concerning the unusually violent weather across the US this spring. First, looking at the effect of the warming temperatures in the Arctic on the jet stream:

The immediate driver of the violent weather is the jet stream, the powerful winds at high altitudes that sweep west to east across North America. The jet stream since May 14 has created conditions ripe for twisters. Seven deaths have been reported so far in the tornado assault of May. That’s a low death toll compared to some tornado seasons, but the steady, percussive nature of the storms — the daily pounding — has been anomalous. [snip]

There’s plenty of water in the mix, too. The Mississippi River is projected to reach 14 feet above flood stage in St. Louis, the second-highest on record. The river has been above flood stage at Vicksburg, Miss., since Feb. 17, the longest stretch of flooding since 1927, the year of the famed “Great Flood.” And the Arkansas River is rising rapidly and poised to approach record flood stages in Tulsa and other cities. There’s been too much rain and not enough places to put it.

Meanwhile it’s been so cold and wet in California that the ski resort of Mammoth has seen more than two feet of snow this month and may stay open until August.

What's going on?  Here's Jennifer Francis, senior scientist at the Woods Hole Research Center:

Francis believes there’s a climate change signal in the extreme weather, including the tornadoes. Extreme warmth in and around Alaska, along with the reduction of Arctic sea ice, affects the flow of the jet stream, she said. A blob of warm air, and high atmospheric pressure, near Alaska has been fingered by many meteorologists as a flashing red light that something is very different about climate these days.

"... [S]omething is very different about climate these days."  Gee. What could it be?

The klaxon horns have been sounding for decades.

Meanwhile, the Trump regime is accelerating our march into ignorance and a dystopian future:

In the next few months, the White House will complete the rollback of the most significant federal effort to curb greenhouse-gas emissions, initiated during the Obama administration. It will expand its efforts to impose Mr. Trump’s hard-line views on other nations, building on his retreat from the Paris accord and his recent refusal to sign a communiqué to protect the rapidly melting Arctic region unless it was stripped of any references to climate change.

And, in what could be Mr. Trump’s most consequential action yet, his administration will seek to undermine the very science on which climate change policy rests. [snip]

As a result, parts of the federal government will no longer fulfill what scientists say is one of the most urgent jobs of climate science studies: reporting on the future effects of a rapidly warming planet and presenting a picture of what the earth could look like by the end of the century if the global economy continues to emit heat-trapping carbon dioxide pollution from burning fossil fuels. (our emphasis)

Layering upon the undying fealty of the rotted out Republican Party to the fossil fuel industry, the shitheels now have a narcissistic moron in the highest office in the land whose main motivation seems to be undoing any achievement of President Obama that could be measured against that same sick, weak, narcissistic moron.  No matter what the consequences.

You might call it the perfect storm.

Letters We Wish We'd Written Dept.

In this morning's WaPo:

Regarding the May 26 Sunday Opinion essay by Robert S. Litt and Benjamin Wittes, “20 questions for Robert Mueller”:

As interested as we may be in impeachment (for, inter alia, obstruction of justice) or in hearing more from special counsel Robert S. Mueller III, it is far more critical that readers be educated about the true nature of congressional dysfunction. The House, under the leadership of a Democrat, has passed roughly 200 pieces of legislation and sent these bills to the Senate. The Senate, under the leadership of Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.), has refused to allow a vote on the vast majority of these bills. That’s not gridlock; that’s obstruction of democracy.

Because most people do not understand this procedural coup, they tend to assign blame to those who do not deserve it. Instead of endless discussion about the relative merits of those running for president, do them and us the favor of explaining the actual problem.

The senator who blocked the Democrats’ choice for the Supreme Court and then-President Barack Obama’s agenda is now obstructing democracy and must be exposed.

Nancy Luque, Washington

We'll say it again:  McConnell is one of the most evil creatures that ever lived in the swamps of Washington, DC.

BONUS:  On a related note, be sure to read E.J. Dionne, Jr.'s op/ ed on McConnell's willingness to do anything to pack the Supreme Court with reactionary stooges.

Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)


(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


(Steve Breen, San Diego Union-Tribune)


(Jim Morin, Miami Herald)

 
(Scott Stantis, Chicago Tribune)


(Phil Hands, Wisconsin State Journal)


(Tim Eagan, gocomics.com)


(Tom Toles, Washington Post)

Navy Hid USS McCain From Trump In Japan

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal via Raw Story, Navy officials were told to hide the USS John McCain from petty, unhinged demagogue Donald "Cadet Bone Spurs" Trump during his recent trip to Japan. The late Sen. McCain is the bête noire for Bone Spurs for many reasons, including his honorable and heroic service in the Navy during the Viet Nam war which Bone Spurs disgracefully dodged and his "thumbs down" vote on gutting the Affordable Care Act, an Obama achievement and therefore a target of Trump's. The White (Supremacist) House has denied the report, but according to a Washington Post reporter, e-mails exist proving the accuracy of the WSJ report.

When he was serving in office and during his 2008 campaign for President, we had many problems with McCain on the issues, but Bone Spurs' petty vindictiveness toward McCain is beyond the pale. It again demonstrates his emotional and psychological unfitness for office, and the Navy should have ignored the request.

BONUS: Another U.S. hero responds.

This is a disgrace. I would have been proud to serve aboard the USS John S. McCain and I bet those sailors are too. https://t.co/gAOkdtHWZR

— Mark Kelly (@ShuttleCDRKelly) May 30, 2019

BONUS II:  Trump takes his maiden voyage on the USS Trump.

QOTD

"While I felt almost no ideological kinship with these unreconstructed rebels, I'd come to recognize that in one sense they were right. The issues at stake in the Civil War -- race in particular -- remained raw and unresolved, as did the broad question the conflict posed: Would America remain one nation? In 1861, this was a regional dilemma, which it wasn't anymore.  But socially and culturally, there were ample signs of separatism and disunion along class, race, ethnic and gender lines.  The whole notion of a common people united by common principles -- even a common language -- seemed more open to question than at any period in my lifetime."  --  Tony Horwitz in "Confederates in the Attic," his highly- regarded 1998 book that looked at the "unfinished Civil War" in the American South.  Horwitz died unexpectedly on May 27.  Although it's been more than 20 years since these words were written, the book offers insights as fresh today as they were then about the South, and the complicated stories of white nationalism that echo even louder in today's politics (often told with great humor by Horwitz).  His latest book, "Spying on the South: An Odyssey Across the American Divide," is a more recent look at the same region two decades on.  The next read. (h/t FOB P.E.C.)

Bye Bye Bibi?

The flop sweat on Bibi Netanyahu (Israel's Trump in every sense) now must be biblical:

In an unprecedented move, Israel will head to elections for a second time in less than six months after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu failed to form a government before a midnight deadline.

The stakes for Bibi involve holding onto power for a particular, very Trumpian reason:

Netanyahu’s Likud is also forwarding legislation that would give Knesset members, including the prime minister, immunity from prosecution, while attempting to roll back the powers of the Supreme Court to overturn Knesset legislation that it deems unconstitutional.

Netanyahu’s pre-indictment hearing for charges in three criminal cases against him is expected in October. He denies the allegations of corruption, bribery and breach of trust. His wife, Sara Netanyahu, agreed to a plea deal on Wednesday in a separate case on the misuse of public funds, Israel’s public broadcaster reported. She agreed to pay a fine of 55,000 shekels ($15,200) it said.  (our emphasis)

The legislation mentioned above (the "Save Bibi's Tuchas Act") is now not going anywhere pending new elections in September.  Then, perhaps, Israelis will end the career of this corrupt and dangerous man.  We might have to wait a little longer to end the career of ours.

(photo: Matching outfits, matching problems)

The Magic Of The Trump Brand

It's exactly as appealing and worthy as its namesake:

"The road to Donald J. Trump State Park in Hudson Valley is filled with potholes, and it's difficult to find, situated at the end of an unmarked dead-end street. The park itself has no restrooms or garbage cans, no rangers or employees, no picnic tables, not even an entry booth. It does have plenty of weeds, dandelions, brush and trash."

Here are actual photos taken in the "park" (click on image to enlarge):



As the Extremely Stable Genius has said, "You've got to put your name on stuff or no one remembers you."

Bwahahahaha!

(Photos:  Donald J. Trump State Park, Westchester Co., NY/ mogaz news en)

Today's Cartoons

(click on images to enlarge)


(Mike Luckovich, Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


(Jeff Darcy, Cleveland Plain Dealer)


(Jim Morin, Miami Herald)

 
(Jack Ohman, Sacramento Bee)


(Tom Toles, Washington Post)


(Mike Peters, Dayton Daily News)
 

QOTD: A Criminal Enterprise

Prominent among the Trump den of thieves and bigots was derelict impersonator and "alt-Right" crusader Steve "Loose Cannon" Bannon. Since being booted from the White "Supremacist" House in 2017, Bannon has been freelancing his toxic stew of nativism and racism in Western Europe and elsewhere. He's also been taking potshots at his former benefactor, sociopath and demagogue Donald "Rump" Trump (a.k.a. Individual-1), the latest being these gems from Michael Wolff's sequel to "Fire and Fury":

"The former White House adviser Steve Bannon has described the Trump Organization as a criminal entity and predicted that investigations into the president’s finances will lead to his political downfall, when he is revealed to be 'not the billionaire he said he was, just another scumbag'. [snip]

The startling remarks are contained in Siege: Trump Under Fire, the author Michael Wolff’s forthcoming account of the second year of the Trump administration. The book, published on 4 June, is a sequel to Fire and Fury: Trump in the White House, which was a bestseller in 2018. The Guardian obtained a copy.

In a key passage, Bannon is reported as saying he believes investigations of Donald Trump’s financial history will provide proof of the underlying criminality of his eponymous company.

Assessing the president’s exposure to various investigations, many seeded by the special counsel Robert Mueller during his investigation of Russian election interference, Wolff writes: 'Trump was vulnerable because for 40 years he had run what increasingly seemed to resemble a semi-criminal enterprise.'

He then quotes Bannon as saying: “I think we can drop the ‘semi’ part.” (our emphasis)

Wolff was relentlessly attacked by the White (Supremacist) House after his last book was released. Expect new charges of "fiction," "fake news," etc. from Trump and his obsequious stooges this time, too.

Mid-Week Faded Song

Happy 57th birthday to singer-songwriter and human rights activist Melissa Etheridge. A two-time Grammy winner and winner of the 2007 Academy Award for Best Original Song ("I Need To Wake Up" from the film "Inconvenient Truth"), Etheridge has a new studio album out entitled "The Medicine Show." We have a track from that album today, "Faded by Design." Hope you enjoy.

Robert Mueller's Statement On The Russia Probe

“If we had confidence that the president clearly did not commit a crime, we would have said that.” -- Robert Mueller, once again for emphasis.

BONUS:

Devastating.

Mueller just clearly declared that he didn't bring obstruction charges *not* because the evidence didn't point that way, but because of DOJ policy, and because there are other processes for holding a president accountable for misconduct.

Over to you, Democrats.

— Greg Sargent (@ThePlumLineGS) May 29, 2019

Robert Mueller: “When a subject of an investigation obstructs that investigation, or lies to investigators, it strikes at the core of the government’s effort to find the truth and hold wrongdoers accountable.” pic.twitter.com/7ZoxzB8Nwr

— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) May 29, 2019

BONUS II:  CNN's side-by-side of lying, corrupt Trump defense attorney William Barr talking about the special counsel report, and Mueller's remarks today:

Tweets Of The Day -- Trump's Kryptonite

“‘One of the biggest motivating factors in Trump’s life — other than food, greed, sex and revenge — is mythmaking. Deep down, he knows he’s a pathological liar and he’s not the person he says he is. But any time anyone pierces that veil, it sends him into a rage.’” https://t.co/UJoqf8vtSU

— George Conway (@gtconway3d) May 26, 2019

It is likely Trump knows fully well he is indeed losing a step - and also knows Alzheimer’s runs in his family - and is terrified not of his declining faculties per se but of the inevitable loss of esteem he’ll suffer if that becomes known.

Pelosi found the kryptonite.

7/

— The Hoarse Whisperer (@HoarseWisperer) May 24, 2019

Congressional Report: Trump Tax Cut A Flop

A new report from the nonpartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) confirmed what most analysts have known for a while: that 2017's huge, trickle-down tax giveaway to the top 1% and multinational corporations which was engineered by corporate Rethugs and their Great Leader, moron Donald "Rump" Trump, has been an abject failure.

The report, "The Economic Effects of the 2017 Tax Revision: Preliminary Observations," is a devastating rebuke to Rethuglicans and Trump who have been lying prolifically about the positive economic effects of their boondoggle for the hyper wealthy. From the WaPo article:

"Last month, President Trump revived one of his preferred descriptors for the tax cuts that he signed into law in December 2017.

'We promised that these tax cuts would be rocket fuel for the American economy, and we were absolutely right,' Trump said at a roundtable event in Minnesota.

He used that 'rocket fuel' line before the tax cuts passed, too, pledging that the cuts would inject new energy into an already strong economy. Sure, independent analysis figured that the cuts would cause the deficit to spike. But Trump allies pledged that the cuts would spur so much economic growth that the bill would end up increasing tax receipts, as people and companies paid higher taxes on their higher incomes."

And the results from the CRS report?

"In 2018, gross domestic product (GDP) grew at 2.9%, about the Congressional Budget Office’s (CBO’s) projected rate published in 2017 before the tax cut. On the whole, the growth effects tend to show a relatively small (if any) first-year effect on the economy,” the report's summary reads in part. “Although growth rates cannot indicate the tax cut’s effects on GDP, they tend to rule out very large effects particularly in the short run." (our emphasis)

Here's a rundown of the "Plutocrat Recovery Act" per the report:

• the cuts came nowhere close to paying for themselves;
• wages grew more slowly than GDP;
• money was repatriated from offshore tax shelters, but the money doesn’t appear to have been used for investment in expanding the companies, and
• “relatively little” of the repatriated money went to the worker bonuses that Trump boasted about.

As part of their 2020 economic message to voters, Dems need to keep this flop front and center as a way of explaining how Trump isn't working for them at all, only for himself.