Kudos to Dem U.S. House Rep Gerry Connolly for standing up to Repug House looney tunes Gym Jordan and “Democrat Party” Andy Biggs for STILL claiming that there was mail-related fraud from the Dems in last year’s elections (no reason to treat the “party of Lincoln” seriously in any way here)...
...and in a related clip, damn, I wish Stephen Lynch was MY congressman – and yeah, Biggs and Jordan’s same-party pal Jody Hice was on this list too...Brian Tyler Cohen explains how the post office did a great job of delivering electoral ballots IN SPITE OF Postmaster Louis DeJoy, not BECAUSE of him...and it looks like Biden can nominate 3 more commissioners who hopefully will can DeJoy at last (here)...
...and Rachel Maddow reminds us of the bad faith on display by others in the Trump Party in the matter of hearings for Biden’s cabinet nominees (yeah, how dare Interior’s Deb Haaland express concerns about drilling for oil on public lands...horrors!)...
...and it tells you how far the wingnuts have gone off the deep end when Liz Cheney is actually the voice of reason, pointing out that the Repugs attract white supremacists – uh, yep, but as Cousins says, they would basically have to disavow the last 50 or so years of their party’s history to clean up that slate, as it were, including a lot authored by Liz’s dad...
...and as long as we’re on the topic of nonsense by the “GOP,” David Pakman tells us of the recent comments by South Dakota U.S. Senator John Thune about how he was just so happy to earn $7 an hour about 40 or so years ago, and gosh darn it, why can’t those good-for-nothing complainers just suck it up and pull themselves up by their bootstraps or whatever and do the same thing (removing my tongue from my cheek)...
...and Ana and John of TYT tell us that a federal judge has allowed CA to enforce its own Net Neutrality law, which hopefully will be the beginning of other states being able to do the same thing...
...and yeah, I suppose Jimmy Dore is the absolute lowest of the low-hanging fruit, but I also guess that attention must be paid at times (bits and pieces of what he says is correct I know, but if he thinks he’s getting anything but played by the Swanson TV Dinner Heir, he’s the most naïve life form on the planet...as soon as that weaselly grin appeared on Carlson’s mug, I would have called him out and/or thrown off my mic and said, “I’m outta here”...actually, I probably would know not to even be there in the first place...I think Sam is way too kind to Dore here, but I guess that’s his call)...
...and between the Mars rover and this story, NASA has had a pretty good run lately (thanks to them for the pics in this video); nice to highlight some news that’s actually positive (aside from the CA Net Neutrality story also) – made me recall this tune.
I know there have been some issues with The Lincoln Project and the people running it lately, and if you choose to contribute to them, you’re on your own (not saying anything one way or the other on that), but I’m including this video because they’re doing good work yet again...
...and John I. and Aida Rodriguez of The Damage Report tells us about yesterday’s U.S. Senate hearings on the 1/6 insurrection (tied more to the above pic I know, and yes, insurrection really is the correct word for it, despite what Dinesh D'Felon sez here)...the sarcasm from John at the beginning about witnesses is completely called for IMHO...
...and with wingnut media idiocy in mind, I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” (more or less) from 2/25/13, in which the late but not lamented Flush Limbore said he was, for the first time, “ashamed of this country” (here).
Was it because of the Iraq War? Nope.
Was it because of Hurricane Katrina? Try again.
Was it because of the 2008 “Great Recession.” Still no.
It was because the administration of Former President Obama was warning about cuts from the infamous “sequester” (which, to me, is one of those legitimate news topics that our corporate media avoids like the plague).
In response – yeah, I’ll just leave it at this (David Pakman tells us more)...
...and Chris Hayes takes on the “party of Lincoln” and their various hangers-on (like Uday Trump Jr.) and other ammo-sexuals over their gun fetish, with a little historical perspective...
...and speaking of guns, I should warn you that this short clip is genuinely disturbing, but it’s the sort of thing that makes me absolutely want to scream; I cannot imagine the mental illness of an individual who thinks that preying on a giraffe like this is anything but utterly barbaric...God almighty, is this woman sick (and I’m not sure what it says about her husband that he went along with this, but it certainly doesn’t say anything good)...
...and RIP Lawrence Ferlinghetti, reading “The world is a beautiful place” (which still can definitely be true despite it all)...
...and I guess I need a bit of levity, so here is this Newsmax host complaining that college age women don’t want to date conservatives, presumably men (break out the world’s tiniest violin – Brett Erlich and Ana K. give this “story” the treatment it deserves)...
...and happy belated 75th birthday to Rusty Young of Poco.
This Now This video tells us about a joke on SNL’s “Weekend Update” that apparently got some pro-Israel sympathizers upset in the matter of COVID vaccinations, or the lack thereof, distributed to Palestinians; boo-freaking-hoo (and of course Russia and China are jumping into the breach, as it were, while the Israelis – and by extension, us – dither in response)...
...and in this “Damage Report” clip, John and Francesca tell us about @CancunCruz trying to win back brownie points among the people he allegedly represents by loading a case of water into a passenger vehicle...meanwhile, that baaad Marxist Socialist AOC helped to raise $5 million for the “lone star state,” as noted here...
...and speaking of people in dire straits from energy failure in bad winter weather, David Doel gives us this story about the Fred Meyer supermarket in Portland, OR, with the food tossed in the dumpster (hey, anybody screaming about “big gumint”...THIS is the sort of task that can be performed by a properly functioning governmental agency, namely, to act as a go-between for a business and those seeking relief, in this case, proper nutrition...this isn’t a comment on any aspect of state and local government in Oregon since I’m not an expert in those areas)...
...and Chris Hayes speaks with Ari Berman about voting in Georgia – I know I had another Berman video recently, but I’m including this because, among the many good points raised (re, how hurting mail-in voting and early voting will likely hurt Republican voters also, even though officials in states trying to pass this garbage are willing to accept “collateral damage,” as Hayes puts it), Berman also tells us that, though Georgia election officials (namely Brad Raffensperger) criticized the Gropenfuhrer for yelling about alleged fraud in “the peach state,” Georgia is basically trying to play voting tricks that validate what Trump was caterwauling about...
...and I have to admit that I really don’t have a “dog” in the whole fight over Biden nominee Neera Tanden to head OMB (I know there is plenty of principled objection here), but Rachel Maddow points out how utterly ridiculous it is for people to oppose Tanden over some tweets that got people upset while also supporting the thoroughly odious Ric Grennell of the regime of Combover Caligula who was guilty of far worse on that score; if I were Biden and Tanden doesn’t get confirmed, just make her a recess appointment since 45 did that stuff all the time and say F.U. to Manchin and the Senate Republicans...
Update 2/24/21: Gee, this explains a lot, doesn it?
...and you probably won’t be able to read the lyrics to this video, but I still thought it was kind of a cool new tune – just something else for a bit of a change of pace, I guess.
By the way, in case somebody thinks that all I ever do here is go after Republicans and their acolytes, I want to start with this TYT video of Ana and Cenk telling us about a PA Republican blocking paid sick leave (Seth Grove, who is on paid sick leave from COVID...truly can’t make this stuff up...and oh yeah, Harrisburg is CONSTANTLY trying to pre-empt laws in Philly or Pittsburgh, whether it’s voting, health care, guns – you name it)...yes, Cenk goes after Grove and the Republicans, as he should, but he also goes after Manchin and Sinema for opposing a $15-an-hour federal minimum wage as well as any Dem who is even a little squishy on this issue...shouldn’t be anything to think about as far as I’m concerned...not sure what else we can do except fight the good fight, and it looks like supporting Nina Turner is a good option too...
...and I was a little hasty in saying that we blew off the “half-a-million-COVID-dead” milestone – Biden held a moment of silence (John and Francesca tell us more – and she’s right about a COVID commission also...the Farron Cousins video on Louis DeJoy yesterday was also incorrect - as much as we want to dispose of that cretin, we really can't at the moment and that includes Biden; I've since removed all mention of it...apologies)...
...and Jonathan Capehart, sitting in for Lawrence O’Donnell, talks with Ari Berman about the latest GA Republican vote suppression efforts, along with related garbage across the country...yep, when you can’t win based on your rotten ideas for governance, try to rig the game (more on the John Lewis VRA is here – Lewis would have been 81 yesterday - moved this from yesterday)...
...and what follows is an excerpt from Merrick Garland’s testimony today at his hearing for Attorney General (at about 4:20, he talks about going after those responsible for 1/6...God, how refreshing to actually hear well-qualified adults in federal government speaking out on the issues that matter)...
...and this Now This clip tells us about the deathbed confession from a man named Raymond Wood alleging that the FBI and NYPD conspired to kill Malcolm X (I haven’t really said or done anything for Black History Month because I think that’s a silly concept...everyone’s contributions regardless of their race, ethnicity or whatever should be recognized and celebrated year ‘round...but all the same, maybe you can consider this to be my acknowledgment)...
...and based on this story, why do I have a feeling that Disney Corp. doesn’t give a damn about “negative depiction of cultures” or whatever, but basically doesn’t want to be sued...besides, their founder made his name on being perhaps the worst anti-unionist this country has ever produced, so it’s hard for me to feel sorry for them from a potential litigation point of view, and coming after “Sesame Street” is even more ridiculous, as exemplified by this great tune that NEVER gets old.
Nicolle Wallace talks with journalist Laurie Garrett, who is someone I take seriously on COVID, since she’s basically been right all along in her reporting on this deadly plague, and I think we’re up to about 510K dead by now...and I’m glad that Garrett lays the blame for this at the feet of the Gropenfuhrer - ugh (I listen to Garrett along with Dr. Fauci, Dr. Peter Hotez and a select few others...God, this stuff on the variants is truly scary)...
...and turning to the misery in Texas, Ben Dixon tells us about Jerry Jones raking it in hand over fist while Texans face ridiculously overinflated energy charges (with Cenk and Helen Hong)...
...and sticking with the "lone star state," Brian Tyler Cohen refutes the typical lies from Repug Gov. Greg Abbott about renewables supposedly being the culprit, which is a preposterously untrue statement (and good for Jen Psaki on pushing back)...
...and Thom Hartmann reminds us that the whole “@CancunCruz” stuff is the latest de-evolution of a political party based on lies...and yes, he keeps tracing it all back to Reaganomics, but dammit, he’s right to do that...didn’t know about the Kroger supermarket stuff, which – yeah – is pretty infuriating for the reasons Hartmann notes...
...and this 11th Hour clip tells us about wingnuts media “going to the dogs,” as it were (with FDR defending his canine Fala, kind of like what Biden has to do now...I guess Williams’ criticism at the end is as far as he can go against some of these wingnut media cretins)...
...and Randy California (nee Wolfe) of the group Spirit would have been 70 yesterday; he died young apparently saving his son from drowning - I call that "going out like a boss."
David Pakman reminds us that the wingnuts will ALWAYS find a way to blame Dems regardless of the evidence, in this case in the matter of the energy disaster in Texas (if you’re not rich, why in God’s name would you EVER vote for a Republican? And why is it that this doesn't surprise me?)...
...and Kyle Kulinski brings us a Vice News report about people on our southwest border resorting to transporting drugs because of our crashed COVID economy (no, I most certainly DON’T think meth should be legalized – I disagree with Kyle on that – but he’s right in that there is A HELL OF A LOT MORE that we need to do to support the people in this country victimized by all of this...and yeah, at times like this, I think this country looks like a failed state too)...
...and part of the reason, I would argue, why people have to resort to the behavior such as that shown in the prior clip is because the federal minimum wage hasn’t been raised since 2009, and Ana and Nando Vila tells us that Joe Manchin, one of the roadblocks, is getting heat to do the right thing, which is a welcome development (and it looks like Manchin is giving @CancunCruz a run for his proverbial money as the most unpopular U.S. Senator based on this)...
...and the answer is no – I’m NEVER going to stop reminding 43 Republican senators that they utterly caved to Generalissimo Trump in the matter of the second impeachment over the 1/6 insurrection...
...and related to the prior clip, Ari Melber tells us about neo-Nazi infiltration of our police...I know there are people who don’t think much of Nancy Pelosi’s call for a 9/11-style commission to look into what happened on 1/6, but I personally think that’s a great idea, and the stuff Melber talks about is part of what should be investigated...
...and Chris Hayes tells us about the somewhat – how can you put it? – “checkered” history of the L. Brent Bozell clan, with the most recent one of the bunch involved in...yep, you guessed it...the catastrophic events of 1/6 (the sarcasm at the end is completely deserved)...
...and concerning what probably is the biggest story of the week (aside from this, which is truly great), John I. and Jayar give the late but not lamented Flush Limbore the sendoff he deserves...
...and I don’t know how many have noticed, but we’re over half a million COVID casualties...and call me crazy, but I would have thought that that would be trending on Twitter or something – that’s a frightening number, but the lack of a reaction that I can see is pretty damn unsettling too...here’s a tune by a guy who lost his own battle with the disease – words to live by always.
As somebody might say (not sure who), this might be the most Ted Cruz thing that Ted Cruz has ever done, namely, flying to Cancun while his home state of Texas endures catastrophic conditions due to a massive failure of that state’s energy grid from the recent snow storm (and as noted at the end here, he basically blamed his daughters and spring break for it...and he even requested a police escort for his return as noted here...just nuking any notions of shame here I realize)...
..and boy, this sure didn't take long, did it (heh)...
Update: Yeah, karma sure is a bitch, isn't it (here and here)?
...and remaining in the “land of the yellow rose,” Jeff Waldorf tells us about former Colorado City mayor Tim Boyd, who lost his job because of this whole “rugged individualism” rap of his in response to the dire predicament of the residents he was elected to serve – bit runs a little long, but Waldorf makes a lot of good points...
...and Chris Hayes refutes a lot of the typical wingnut BS over this pretty directly, to his credit (if your means allows you to assist people in the Lone Star State during this time, please click here)...
...though it's not like they weren't warned 10 years ago, as Rachel Maddow reminds us...
...and I guess FL Repug guv Ron DeathSantis was getting jealous with Texas receiving all of the wingnut attention, so he decided to distribute the COVID vaccine to his campaign contributors over everyone else in that state, as Farron Cousins tells us (more here)...
...and keeping with energy matters, John and Jayar tell us about an Indian girl punished for following the example of Greta Thunberg on the issue of climate; I know we don’t pay a lot of attention to that country, but maybe we should, because there’s some pretty damn un-democratic stuff going on under Modi...
...and I guess it’s in keeping with a bit of an international theme to note that today is the 88th birthday of Yoko Ono (I always had a bit of a soft spot for this tune, and it’s actually combined with a regional weather forecast...please be careful out there).
Like many of you I’m sure, I was taught not to speak ill of someone who has recently passed from this life, considering that to be part of a typical upbringing in my evolution to become a person of decency, kindness and compassion. And for what it’s worth, I believe I’ve stayed true to that (and I emphasize that I’m not looking for medals, since I don’t think anybody should be rewarded for doing the right thing – you’re just supposed to do it and get on with your life).
But I’m going to make an exception for this occasion. And I’m probably committing a sin, and I apologize in advance.
I wasn’t sure I would know how to react to the news that Rush Limbaugh is finally dead after all of these years. And I’m still not sure that I know how exactly.
Even now, it’s hard to gauge and calculate the utter ruin on our media and political landscape inflicted by this man. Prior to his rise, right-wing media was pretty much the home of kooks and addled academics with a grievance against some kind of slight that can more often than not be traced back to the Democratic Party (or also what used to be called Eisenhower Republicanism, where our 34th president campaigned partly on a platform of making sure everyone eligible for Social Security enrolled as well as encouraging union membership). I’m thinking of William F. Buckley, Clarence Manion, and conservative book publisher Henry Regnery (all of whom are discussed in this great book).
But Rush Limbaugh turned all of it into entertainment. He made it profitable. And he kicked open the door for legions of wannabes to follow him, many of whom still ply their dark art to this day (and who will be noted elsewhere in this post).
There is so much that is utterly vile and despicable about Rush Limbaugh that I’m not sure anybody can properly catalog it in a single post or a series of posts (Media Matters has done a better job of that than I ever could). I just want to communicate one anecdote, if you will.
And that has to do with Sandra Fluke, who (as noted here) was a Georgetown University Law student who gave a speech about nine years ago to House Democrats in support of mandating insurance coverage for contraceptives. And of course, Limbaugh attacked her, labeling her a “slut” and a “prostitute” (noted in the second clip).
Well, later that year, I was phone-banking in the Bristol, PA Democratic Party headquarters, and Fluke stopped by with Cecile Richards, then of Planned Parenthood. And I complimented Fluke on her courage for speaking out on women’s health care. She acted a little embarrassed, though she appreciated the praise. And I was struck by the fact that, physically, she was about 5’ 4” or 5’ 5” with kind of a slight build, though that didn’t reflect her courage in standing up to the pre-eminent media bully of our age (as is often the case, when you see somebody through an electronic viewing screen of some type, they loom larger than they are in real like, with notable exceptions of course).
As I spoke with Fluke, I thought to myself, what kind of a pathetic, hateful alleged “man” would go after someone like this lady, who was only practicing the free speech under the First Amendment to the Constitution that is guaranteed to everyone, including him?
I’m sure there will be people praising Limbaugh in the coming days. He will be remembered as a media giant and influencer who played a big part in the conservative revolution in this country. And that will be true.
However, I will look upon him now and forever as one of the vilest life forms who has ever walked upright on two legs. And as far as I’m concerned, that is all the mention he deserves. Part of the reason is noted in this TYT clip from October 2009, in which Detroit residents gathered for economic assistance in the wake of the recession in the prior year, and Limbaugh used it as an excuse for his typical race-baiting (with the “Democrat” Party reference thrown in at the end for good measure - more here, here and here)...
...and as if we wanted more reasons to utterly detest this character...well, here they are (yep, Limbaugh getting the Presidential Medal of Freedom was truly an obscenity that I probably didn't say much about at the time because of more pressing news affecting our country and the world)...
Update: Yeah, I think this is pretty spot-on also from Will Bunch.
Update 2/18/21: And this is pretty well said from Eric Boehlert.
Update 2/20/21: What a sorry-ass legacy (here)...and Frank Bruni doesn't get any points either; when Bruni apologizes for being George W. Bush's PR flunky in the '00 election (here), then I'll take him seriously.
...and turning to the garbage network that Limbaugh helped spawn with Roger Ailes (and I hope both of them are incinerating in Gehenna at this moment), Ana and Aida Rodriguez tell us more about right-wing media saying the Green New Deal is responsible for the energy misery in Texas (and Rodriguez is dead-on about the coast-to-coast influence of greed on all of this)...
...and Chris Hayes gives us more on this (some of this is a little repetitive, but it’s important)...
...and you can consider this clip to be a reminder that we should NEVER, EVER FORGET the individuals in the U.S. Senate who just voted to acquit the Gropenfuhrer for the 1/6 insurrection against this country...
Funny how executive orders were so damn wonderful under the Gropenfuhrer, but now they’re toxic under Number 46 as far as the usual suspects at Fix Noise are concerned (and this is pretty damn absurd for that network too, more germane to the "Damage Report" clip maybe; I guess people think Stuart Varney is more intelligent because he has an English accent, but he may be one of the stupidest of the bunch, and that’s saying something I know, though I do think Greg Gutfeld will remain the reigning champ in that category)...
...and the “Morning Joe” people talk about U.S. Senate Repugs facing reprisals back home for voting to impeach Mango Mussolini, including Richard Burr, Pat Toomey (again, shocked by that, though I’m sure it helps that he has nothing whatsoever to lose politically), Ben Sasse, and Susan Collins, who I’m sure is disheartened and disappointed, and Bill Cassidy also of course (more here)...
...and turning to those who continued to carry water for the twice-impeached Number 45, John I. and Ben Dixon of "The Damage Report" tell us about the response from Ted Cruz to the snowstorm and power outages plaguing his state...not so much crowing and bashing of California now, is there, Dan Patrick and Ken Paxton (still don’t understand why Paxton isn’t in jail...I hope everybody gets the help they need, but that should apply regardless of wherever you are in this country or the territories)...
...and I thought this was kind of a dreamy, escapist little number to help us deal with the winter doldrums (overdue again for a newer tune).
I guess, aside from death and taxes (and Democratic congressional capitulation – don’t worry; I won’t go all nutty all over again, since I just climbed down from that metaphorical ledge), something else that is constant is Fix Noise demonizing immigrants, even though, on balance, they commit less crime than naturalized Americans do, as far as that information is available, as noted here and here (David Pakman talks about that and more...I apologize for including waaaay too much of that damn lunatic Laura Ingraham)...
...meanwhile, for the reality point of view, John Iadarola and Ali Noorani talk about immigration and Social Security and trying to grow our economy in general (the fact that this country is, for all intents and purposes, a service economy means that we constantly need a fresh supply of labor to keep productive)...
...and David Doel highlights a CNN report on kids losing their parents to QAnon – a pretty deep dive into explaining why this group is a cult (and I’m not including this to be patronizing, but only to emphasize how important it is for people to get help...I hope things work out for these young women and their families) – Farron Cousins said earlier that we should take on that responsibility as a country, as in helping to deprogram people, but I’m sorry; we have a lot more pressing needs, so that’s a “no” from me...
...and speaking of Cousins, he tells us here that Louisiana Repug Sen. Bill Cassidy was censured for deciding to go forward with the 2nd impeachment...and he still voted to convict Trump in spite of that...kudos (of course, I’m sure Cassidy will now flip and do some truly nutso stuff to try and win back his beloved base)...
...and I now give you the latest installment of “This Day In Doomsy History” from 2/15/13; the following MoveOn ad shows a gun owner claiming that the NRA “doesn’t speak for me,” which I think is timely given that yesterday was the 3rd anniversary, believe it or not, of the Stoneman Douglas High School shooting in Parkland, FL (and here is another related item)...
...and I know we usually commemorate Washington and Lincoln on President’s Day, but I’d like to include this tune for Number 37; anyone who thinks we’re still not living in Richard Nixon’s political shadow is dreaming or delusional as far as I’m concerned.
Charles Schumer is absolutely, without a doubt, the most useless “Democratic” politician I have ever seen in my life!
Who on the Dem side made the decision not to call witnesses in Trump’s second impeachment trial? Who handed Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao a gift-wrapped, ribbon-tied Valentine to prematurely end the proceedings and hasten Generalissimo Trump’s acquittal?
How could it have been anyone BUT Schumer??!!
I’m just one person and my personal situation doesn’t matter in the scheme of things I know, but do you want to know WHY I steadfastly refuse to donate to the DCCC, DNC, DSCC or similar organizations (despite the plague of phone calls, Emails and texts)? It’s because of Repug-accommodating bullshit just like this, that’s why!
Yes, we knew Trump would be acquitted because not enough Republican U.S. Senate cowards would do the right honorable thing and ensure that 45 NEVER blighted our presence again and would be forever denied any post-presidential perks (and again, I grudgingly have to do something I thought I would never do and that is to give Pat Toomey credit for showing some political courage for a change, since he was one of seven Republicans with an actual conscience on this).
BUT THERE WERE PEOPLE WHO COULD HAVE TESTIFIED! DOES ANYBODY SERIOUSLY THINK REPUBLICANS WOULD HAVE DONE SOMETHING LIKE THIS IN SIMILAR CIRCUMSTANCES? WHAT PLANET DOES SCHUMER LIVE ON????!!!!
I don’t normally put a lot of faith in Politico, but this is all I’ve been able to track down so far on this. And what I take from this account (again, unless some other information comes up that is verified by at least one source I would consider reliable) is that conserva-Dems Chris Coons and Joe Manchin (big surprises I know) put pressure on the House impeachment managers not to call witnesses (the alternative version is that House managers weren’t prepared to call witnesses, which, given their expert presentations to date, is a “take” that I find very difficult to believe).
And who is to blame for allowing Manchin and Coons to pull this garbage? As far as I’m concerned, it’s Schumer, for not keeping his caucus together on this (and don't think I'm giving this cretin a pass either).
Which makes this clip (in the matter of Trump’s first impeachment) laughably absurd and ridiculous...
(OK, to be fair, I think this is noteworthy. But given the prior clip, I think that makes the argument against witnesses even more of a joke. And I realize that could have opened the door to the Trump team calling everybody and their brother to drag this out and make it look like the Senate Dems can't get anything done, but as far as I'm concerned, you use every weapon at your disposal.)
Update 1: I have a bit of respect for Norman Ornstein, but sorry - no sale (here).
Update 2: Uh, yep...
...and probably what makes me angriest the most about the decision not to call witnesses is the fact that the call from House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy to the Gropenfuhrer should have been entered into the record, but now it never will be (McCarthy should have been forced to testify, even if he had been a hostile witness – Cenk’s outrage is commendable and COMPLETELY called for IMHOUpdate 1 2/14/21: OK, I was wrong - the statement from Jamie Herrera Beutler described the McCarthy call to Trump (here), and that was read into the record - Cenk discussed the McCarthy call in this clip...
Update 2 2/14/21: I may have been wrong about McCarthy/Herrera, but it looks like I wasn't wrong about Coons (here).
Update 3 2/14/21: Here is another take on the Dems’s failure to call witnesses, and I’d like to respond as follows:
Think of how compelling it would have been for Officer Eugene Goodman or anyone else in the Capitol police to testify as to the strain the 1/6 attacks had inflicted on them personally and professionally. Or for anyone in the House or Senate (who likely would have been Dems of course) who were forced to literally run for their lives. Or fear for greater exposure to COVID from mask-less protestors. Or from anyone who had to clean up the mess and destruction from the thugs bent on murder and mayhem. THAT would have attached human faces to all of this carnage. And yes, I realize President Tiny-Handed Orange Pestilence would have likely been acquitted anyway, but it would have formed an indelible impression.
To compare this to another episode from the history books, what does everyone remember about the Watergate congressional investigation for example? It was the testimony from the real or accused co-conspirators, John Dean in particular.
As far as I’m concerned, the same standard applies here (and here is more ammunition in support of that argument).
Update 2 2/15/21: If this is true, then it should have been announced by Schumer or a House impeachment manager on Saturday, not an MSNBC TV host two days later.
...and returning to the just-concluded trial (ugh), this Now This clip tells us that Trump’s lawyers basically took their talking points from Fix Noise – big surprise, I know (and as far as the claim about John Sullivan is concerned, I give you this)...
...and speaking of The Roger Ailes BS Factory, don’t you love the way the “Fox-bots” like this John Roberts guy and that blonde hairdo get uncomfortable with Chris Wallace telling the truth and start mumbling over him near the end of the clip, as if to say, “yeah – you’re going off script, Chris, so we’re cutting you off”? Assholes (Brian Tyler Cohen tells us more)...
...and I realize this isn’t the end of investigations related to last November’s election; as David Doel tells us, it looks like Huckleberry Graham is still “in the barrel,” you might say, over potential election interference in Georgia...
...and oh yeah, it turns out that Our Treasonous Former Russian Operative of a *president was a lot sicker with COVID than we knew previously - lies upon lies upon lies of course...
As far as impeaching Our Treasonous Russian Operative of a former *president, the Dems need to go through this exercise of course; however, it truly would be a miracle if they were able to pull in enough Senate Republican cowards to convict...
...especially when so many of them are blowing off the proceedings, as John I. and Brett Erlich tell us; good points by Erlich about “jury tampering,” which the stuff with Graham, Lee and Cruz truly is – oh, and by the way, in case you think I intend to gang up only on the “party of Lincoln,” I give you this on wholly other matters...Kyrsten Sinema, weird hair and paisley dresses or whatever, has turned out to be as awful as I feared...
...and just so nobody can accuse me of stacking the metaphorical deck against former Generalissimo Trump, I’ll give you this ripe nugget from Michael van der Veen, one of 45's lawyers, allegedly in defense of the Gropenfuhrer (1:20 of this idiocy is about as much as I can tolerate, to be honest)...
...and why am I not surprised that Trump’s lawyers had access to the same security videos the impeachment managers showed, even though they claimed that they didn’t (a total lie of course, which would have probably been disqualifying all by itself and leading to an automatic acquittal if they hadn’t shared it)...
...and Chris Hayes gives us more on the threat to former VP Mike Pence, with Olivia Troye – and why am I also not in the least surprised that “dumb as a rock” Tommy Tuberville told Combover Caligula that Pence was in the Senate? And yeah, watch Cornyn try to “disappear” former VP Pence of his party – “oh him? Yeah, I heard he went back to Indiana”...truly, no honor among thieves; we know what Pence is, but just because he’s an intolerant, “pro life” bigot, that doesn’t mean that he deserves to be hung from a scaffold either...
...and Farron Cousins tells us that Former President Fergus Laing is so confident that he'll win his 2nd impeachment trial that he decided to go golfing; what's really depressing is that he's probably right (and speaking of the "karma" Cousins refers to, I give you this)...
...and David Pakman gives us a little more on the splintering of the “GOP,” though, to be sure, it’s waaay too early to forecast how much of that may actually help Democrats...
Gee, it looks like the red, white and blue longhorn lunatic, this Jacob Chansley life form (who apparently only wants to eat organic food in the “slam,” or something) felt “duped,” as 2nd impeachment manager and U.S. House Rep Diane DeGette tells us...aww, poor baby – have fun rotting in prison, you treasonous POS...
...and yeah, once more, I know what The Lincoln Project is, but this is yet another good ad...
...and David Doel presents new footage introduced at the trial showing how close politicians were to the rioters (Romney, Pence, Schumer – yeah, I agree with Doel’s Pence sentiment, but I’m willing to overlook that for now)...
...and in case you were wondering how The Roger Ailes BS Factory was treating the impeachment...well, John I. and Jason Carter tell us that they were covering the “kitten lawyer” instead (lather, rinse, repeat – sigh...to do more about this, click here)...
...and Sam and Emma tells us about Brian Kilmeade on Fix and Fiends advocating for ICE, who apparently are complaining about having to go after, y’know, actual criminals instead of comparatively innocent migrant moms and kids (important comment by Emma V. at the very end, which is completely bipartisan)...
...and speaking of driving under the influence in the prior clip, I hope The Boss gets the help he needs (here); easy trap to fall into...and no, I didn’t see the damn Jeep commercial in the Super Bowl, and I don’t care.
Update: What an utter bullshit bust by a cop apparently trying to make a name for himself by rousting somebody famous - if I were Springsteen, I'd sue.
This was part of yesterday’s opening presentation in former Generalissimo Trump’s second impeachment trial in the Senate from Dem U.S. House Rep Jamie Raskin – can’t imagine the courage of that man to carry on with this after the death of his son; we all owe him such a debt for this (here – very NSFW/H for a good reason...and I know I’m setting the bar pretty low here and he really has nothing to lose politically, but kudos to – ahem – Pat Toomey for actually doing the right thing for once as noted here)...
...and as for the trial, Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about Alan Dershowitz (who I hope was wearing underwear) and his remarks in support of Raskin, who apparently was a former student; Dershy said this on a Trump-friendly TV channel (and I’m not sure where the hell Bruce Castor was going, and I don’t think anyone else was either)...
...and Farron Cousins tells us about how Combover Caligula responded to his legal representation (heh), harking back to the prior clip a bit...
...and apparently, our corporate media is continuing to stack the deck in favor of the “party of Lincoln” by noting that a “slim majority” of 56 percent of those polled want the Gropenfuhrer to be impeached and convicted this time (as somebody said, yeah, lemme know the next time 56 percent is referred to as a “slim majority” about anything, as John and Francesca tell us)...
...and yeah, as noted here, Repugs suddenly care about the debt/deficit when Democrats are in charge again – how damn predictable...
...and I know my music choices have been stuck in the past a bit, but I didn’t want to ignore the passing of Jim Weatherly, who wrote this great ‘70s tune (forgot about how awesome the bass line is in this song).
I normally wouldn’t pay much attention to Brian (Iraqi Helicopter Ride – and yes, I know he apologized for concocting that story) Williams, but I thought this was a good discussion with author Jon Meacham about the Republican Party’s history of extremism and how Bill Buckley and Bush 41 dealt with the Birchers – I know there are fringe elements on both sides, but let me know if and when the Dems every try a violent overthrow of our government and I’ll condemn that too (and speaking of seditionists, please do not shed too many tears for this guy, who made the infamous list here – sorry he’s dead, but let’s not forget about context, OK?)...
...and oh yeah, a certain former 45th *president is getting impeached for the second time at this moment, as noted here...
...and speaking of insanity from the “party of Lincoln,” John I. talks with Thom Hartmann about the evolution of American oligarchy (we just observed Reagan’s birthday, and as far as I’m concerned, he’s more to blame than anyone else...Thom H. mentions something called the Tillman Act that passed under TR as well as the Buckley and Belotti SCOTUS decisions that pretty much legalized corporate bribery, as he notes)...
We hear now from “The Damage Report” about how 20 million (!) COVID vaccines went missing under Generalissimo Trump – ugh...and boy, do I sympathize with John’s outrage (and happy birthday, by the way) on how we handled this, and Francesca is spot-on about countries that may be smaller but have a better health care infrastructure and probably would do a MUCH BETTER JOB than our prior ruling cabal didn’t bother to do – of course, assuming those smaller countries ACTUALLY HAD THE FREAKING VACCINE!...
...and I could probably fill up a whole other post with my issues with Repug U.S. Senator Ben Sasse of Nebraska (and maybe I will one day, including with some of what he says here), but yeah, Brian Tyler Cohen points out how absurd it is that Sasse even has to say that stuff here to defend himself against not “taking the knee” for former President Fergus Laing...
Update 3/1/21: Yep, as usual, Sasse talks a good game, but never backs it up (here).
...and David Pakman tells us that, apparently, Mickey D’s is fine with $15 an hour as a minimum wage, contrary to what that lunatic Lauren Boebert says of course, though it looks like the Dems are having a hard time getting it into a COVID relief package as noted here – gnashing my teeth as I read that...
...and today marks what would have been the 110th birthday of The Sainted Ronnie R (who, as far as I’m concerned, was the blueprint for the typical clueless Repug preznit unable to govern in good times as well as those of a crisis – see also Dubya and Combover Caligula), which means it’s also the 10th anniversary of this post (and wise words for the occasion from The Rude One are here); whenever I think of our 40th president, this song comes to mind.
As we probably all know by now, Marjorie Taylor Greene was removed from her U.S. House committee assignments by a vote of 230-199 (Bri-Fi, it should be noted here, was one of the 11 Repugs who voted to give Greene the boot – commendable I realize, but as far as I’m concerned, Greene should be expelled from that body, to say nothing of prosecuted...K.O. tells us more)...
...and when it comes to the insurrection Greene supported, Brian Tyler Cohen tells us about the interview that Dem U.S. House Rep Katie Porter gave to Lawrence O’Donnell about how AOC was pretty much running for her life (the double standard here is unbelievable – if Dems did something like this, they’d already be gone and probably sentenced also, which would be deserved regardless of whatever party we’re talking about...and oh yeah, there's this)...
...and I heard that Rachel Maddow had another great “A” block on Greene last night, but instead, I’m going to focus on something which I think is more important, and that is President Biden trying to undo the damage caused by the family separation policy from our prior ruling regime of actual and would-be criminals...
...and David Doel tells about about another Biden move, and that is to get this country to stop supporting the Saudi slaughter in Yemen (here – a prior post is here...yes, I’m tempted to say “let the damn Saudis defend themselves,” but on the other hand, this undeniably is progress that we can’t ignore and Biden deserves credit)...
...and RIP legendary Oscar-winning actor Christopher Plummer; good luck trying to choose a highlight from his long and distinguished career, but aside from standing out as Captain Von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” (have to admit it), I thought he may have also been the best Star Trek: Original Series villain of all time, as noted in this clip (I always thought “The Undiscovered Country” was a great film, period, and actually topical for its time with one of the all-time-great movie scripts)...
...and I failed to note that yesterday was World Cancer Day – we should all do whatever we can with preventative screenings and checkups as our means allows, and if we’re able to donate to a worthy cause, we can click here.
(And as pointed out here, they are STILL blocking this guy! However, with the Senate Judiciary Committee changing hands now to Dick Durbin and the Dems from the utterly repellent Lindsey Graham, I expect that will change shortly.)
Rachel Maddow gives us a history of Republican obstruction under our 44th president, something to keep in mind as Biden does his utmost to get a sane amount of $$ for COVID relief passed through “the world’s greatest deliberative body” (and with that in mind, this doesn’t surprise me at all...have to find out why she's at home and not at the studio)...
...and sticking with the "upper chamber," it looks like Sen. Mr. Elaine Chao has “gotten the memo” on Marjorie Taylor Greene (McConnell is a lot of contemptible things, but he isn’t stupid...and in a related vein, speaking of “contemptible”)...
...and Greene and Lauren Boebert have been getting the most headlines as the craziest Repugs nationally (along with Madison Cawthorn), but as far as I’m concerned, SD Guv Kristi Noem is right up there with them (Sam, Emma V., Matt and Jamie discuss)...
...and John and Francesca tell us about the anti-vaxxers shutting down the recent COVID immunization at Dodger Stadium (I’d honestly like to know more about who is bankrolling this garbage)...
...and Farron Cousins tells us about the Trumpsters who fought to deny COVID vaccine rollout $$ to states (and yeah, I would tend to agree that there are people in the Senate who should have made a lot of noise a hell of a lot sooner than now)...
...and Thom Hartmann tells us that we’re basically in the middle of the 2nd Repug Great Depression (truly scary economic statistics) – and these variants are pretty damn scary too (COVID shouldn’t have been an epidemic, or a pandemic, but we know why it turned into that)...
...and Ana and Ben Dixon tells us that the SCOTUS recently saved Generalissimo Trump’s butt on emoluments (setting what I’m sure is an absolutely wonderful precedent, I say through clenched teeth...another argument for term limits that Farron Cousins argued previously)...
...and the title of this song describes what I hope is the ultimate fate of Not Your Father’s Republican Party.
Good catch by Laurence Tribe here on the two lawyers who eventually agreed to represent Generalissimo Trump at his 2nd impeachment in the Senate (here); John and Francesca tell us about how those preceding Messrs. Schoen and Castor Esq. bailed on the whole damn thing (hard to blame them)...
...and normally I wouldn’t give a damn about Repugs and their pitiful attempts at self-examination, but to be fair (as noted in the Now This clip) Rep. Adam Kinzinger was one of the 10 U.S. House reps of his party who voted to impeach the Gropenfuhrer, so I give his words a little more credence than I would to most others (more on their civil war is here - and gee, isn't this interesting?)...
...and Rachel Maddow takes Kinzinger’s argument a little further and basically wonders how democracy can even survive when one of the two major political parties is pretty goddamn freaking nuts!...
...and David Pakman takes the allegedly august editorial board members of “the old gray lady” to task for telling President Biden to, more or less, ease up on the executive orders (we face a big threat from Repugs of course, but we also face a threat from wishy washy “status quo” sympathizers allegedly on our side too)...
...and Farron Cousins tells us how the “party of Lincoln” is responding in Georgia to the recent Democratic successes in the peach state, and that is to make it harder for people to vote (typical)...
...and Chris Hayes, echoing a similar theme, interviews Dem U.S. House Rep Ruben Gallego about efforts to try and disenfranchise voters in Arizona (and elsewhere)...
...and RIP actor Hal Holbrook, shown here in one of his iconic roles...
...and sticking with show business, kudos to Nancy Sinatra for this.
Sam Seder and Emma Vigeland tell us that the Swanson TV Dinner Heir complained about “privilege” recently – I think Carlson just destroyed the irony meter (interesting "skill," I guess you could loosely call it, to utter such banal and ridiculous pronouncements with such certainty and conviction)...
...and as long as we’re discussing The Roger Ailes BS Factory, I thought I’d offer this clip from Brian Tyler Cohen where Chris Wallace gives his fellow network anchor John Roberts a lesson on COVID and the economy, albeit politely...
...and The Lincoln Project gives House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy the treatment he deserves here...
...and Rachel Maddow tells us more about the role of Generalissimo Trump in the 1/6 insurrection...and do you realize that, if 45 can’t find anyone to argue his case given this, he’ll have to do so in the Senate himself? I can’t think of a word for the absurdity of such a spectacle...
...and John I. and Dave Levinthal of Business Insider tell us more on the Gropenfuhrer and his – now how can you put this – singular legal troubles...
...and with Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert quite rightly generating headlines for their insanity, I don’t think we should forget Madison Cawthorn, another freshman Republican in the U.S. House, as David Pakman tells us (yep, Cawthorn visited Hitler’s vacation house...and yes, he mentioned Hitler was evil, which, yeah, is kind of like saying the sky is blue, but to be honest, I’m more concerned about the other lies Pakman notes here, which go to a general pattern of untrustworthiness as far as I’m concerned...and oh yeah, there’s this too)...
...and this Now This clip tells us that Honduras kept its abortion ban in place, as well as curtailing access to contraception – you want to know what fundamentalists like Amy Coney Island Baby Barrett have in mind for this country? Something like what is described here in that country...
...and I now give you today's regional weather forecast.
