Friday Talking Points -- The Circus Comes To Town
Lo, how far the moralistic mavens of the Republican Party have fallen! They keep attempting to take the moral high road so they can piously point out all the failings of their political opponents in this realm... but they keep being undermined by fellow Republicans who have embraced the new amoralism Donald Trump ushered in to the GOP.
During the week's big television event -- the Supreme Court confirmation hearings -- Republicans repeatedly clutched their pearls over supposedly light sentences for child pornography crimes which were handed down by Ketanji Brown Jackson during her tenure as a federal judge. Meanwhile, yet another prominent GOP Senate candidate was accused by his spouse of abuse (which also reportedly included physically abusing his children, leaving one son with a "swollen face, bleeding gums, and loose tooth"). This brings the total up to (by our count) three Republican candidates for the United States Senate who have been accused of physically abusing their partners. One has withdrawn from the race, but the other two -- Herschel Walker in Georgia and newly-accused Eric Greitens of Missouri -- are still running. Greitens (in case you've forgotten) previously had to resign the governor's office when it was alleged he tried to blackmail the hairdresser he was having an affair with, using a nude video he shot of her while sexually assaulting her. Two of these three candidates have been endorsed by Trump. The moralists in the GOP have not denounced anyone concerned, of course.
But Trump proved this week that his endorsements are actually conditional -- mostly on the candidate actually being in a position to win. He's worried about his waning influence in the party, and chalking up a bunch of losses for his favored candidates certainly wouldn't help him in that regard. So he publicly yanked his endorsement of Mo Brooks for Senate, a guy so previously devoted to Trump and his Big Lie that he appeared at the January 6th rally with Trump and urged the crowd to: "start taking down names and kicking ass" while asking them: "Are you willing to do what it takes to fight for America?" In other words, not exactly a never-Trumper. But he had the temerity to publicly urge that the party might want to move on from the continuing obsession over the 2020 election Big Lie, and he also had the misfortune of not doing very well in the polls, so Trump announced he was "withdrawing my Endorsement [sic].... Election Fraud [sic] must be captured and stopped or we won't have a Country [sic] anymore." After being thrown under the Trump bus, Brooks shot back by accusing Trump of being so obsessed with his Big Lie that he had continued to urge -- even recently -- that Brooks somehow find a way to get Congress to hold its own coup and reinstate Trump. Here's how Brooks put it:
President Trump asked me to rescind the 2020 elections, immediately remove Joe Biden from the White House, immediately put President Trump back in the White House, and hold a new special election for the presidency. As a lawyer, I've repeatedly advised President Trump that January 6 was the final election contest verdict and neither the U.S. Constitution nor the U.S. Code permit what President Trump asks. Period.
What all this proves -- other than more confirmation that Donald Trump is downright delusional about how this country's laws and Constitution work -- is that Trump is perfectly willing to withdraw his endorsement of anyone. Which he has not done in any other Senate race, no matter what despicable crimes his chosen candidates have been accused of. So much for that moral high road, folks.
GOP moralists turned a blind eye to all of it, because they were busy training their fire on Jackson, during her Supreme Court confirmation hearings in the Senate. They insinuated that Jackson was some sort of apologist for child porn criminals, while conveniently ignoring the fact that they were essentially making it all up out of whole cloth. Yes, Jackson handed down lighter sentences than the guidelines allowed -- just like a whole bunch of Trump-appointed federal judges who were never questioned about the issue by any Republican on the committee during their confirmation hearings. A legal writer for the conservative National Review called Senator Hawley's initial faux outrage an "allegation [that] appears meritless to the point of demagoguery." That's what the conservative press was saying, mind you. Senator Mitt Romney responded to the attacks by channelling his inner Gertrude Stein: "It struck me that... the attacks were off course... there is no 'there' there."
It was all part of the nomination process circus, of course. Republicans knew going in that they didn't have any chance of derailing Jackson's confirmation, so instead they concentrated on getting their faces on television in the worst way they could think up. Here's how one Washington Post article summed it up:
The pedophilia smear put the lie to Republicans' assurances that they would conduct the hearings with dignity.
"We won't try to turn this into a spectacle," proposed Sen. Charles E. Grassley (Iowa), the committee's ranking Republican.
"It won't be a circus," promised Sen. Lindsey O. Graham (S.C.).
Even Sen. Ted Cruz (Tex.), a regular ringmaster, said "this will not be a political circus."
Then the clown car rolled in. Republicans used their opening statements to portray Jackson, the first Black woman nominated to the high court, as not just a pedophile enabler but also a terrorist sympathizer with a "hidden agenda" to indoctrinate Americans with the "racist vitriol" of critical race theory.
Because clowns gotta clown, y'know?
Child porn wasn't the only subject Jackson was attacked over, of course. There was Lindsey Graham who -- in the midst of a complaint about Democrats making a judge's personal religiosity an issue, mind you -- had the gall to ask Jackson: "on a scale of one to ten, how faithful would you say you are?... Do you attend church regularly?" Jackson had just reminded Graham that "there's no religious test [for holding government office] in the Constitution under Article 6," to no avail.
The entire week of hearings boiled down to nothing short of a Republican "airing of the grievances," as they raked up every past imagined slight over their own nominees from roughly the past three decades. Which Jackson had nothing to do with, of course, but hey, they had to complain about something. That's when they weren't going after Jackson with heavily-tinged racial insinuations, of course, since she is the first Black woman who will sit on the highest court in the land.
Only two pieces of real news emerged from the circus this week. One was that Jackson does indeed intend to recuse herself from an affirmative action case that involves Harvard University, where Jackson currently sits on a board.
The second is that maybe it's not just Roe v. Wade Republicans are itching to overturn. Maybe they're also going to take a run at revoking the legality of contraception (enshrined in the Supreme Court Case Griswold v. Connecticut) or even interracial marriage (Loving v. Virginia). No, seriously. You just can't make this stuff up.
Senator Mike Braun of Indiana, in a video interview this week, was asked if his stance on Roe -- which is essentially that the issue never should have been "federalized" and left instead for the individual states to decide -- also meant that he would support returning the question of interracial marriage back to the states. The reporter plainly asked -- twice -- about the issue, clearly using the term "interracial marriage" both times he asked. Here's how Braun answered the first question ("That same basis to something like Loving versus Virginia, the Supreme Court case that legalized interracial marriage -- should that be left up to the states?"):
When it comes to issues, you can't have it both ways. When you want that diversity to shine within our federal system, there are going to be rules and proceedings that are going to be out of sync with maybe what other states would do. That's the beauty of the system and that's where the differences among points of view in our 50 states ought to express themselves.
The reporter, clearly stunned, asked the same question again in a slightly different way: "So you would be OK with the Supreme Court leaving the question of interracial marriage to the states?" Braun responded:
Yes. I think that's something -- if you're not wanting the Supreme Court to weigh in on issues like that, you're not going to be able to have your cake and eat it too. I think that's hypocritical.
Senator Braun later (rather unbelievably) tried to walk back his answers, stating he "misunderstood a line of questioning that ended up being about interracial marriage," but it's painfully obvious from watching the video that there was no misunderstanding -- the question was clear as the finest crystal. He just got caught admitting the truth, that's all.
Judge Jackson, when asked whether the Supreme Court's ruling on gay marriage created "a conflict between what people may believe as a matter of their religious faith and what the federal government says is the law of the land" had the perfect answer to those who wish to return America to a country where "states' rights" trumped individual civil liberties in so many ways: "That is the nature of a right. When there is a right, it means there are limitations on regulation, even if people are regulating pursuant to their sincerely held religious belief."
But for the most part (and as usual) the entire hearing circus was nothing short of Kabuki theater, and Ketanji Brown Jackson will be confirmed to the high court next week. Where she will, without doubt, add another voice of reason to a court sorely in need of it, after seeing what Republicans long for a return to.
Out in the real world, the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its second month, and President Joe Biden continues to show how effective an American president can be when he shows real leadership to our European allies and the rest of the world. A big goal of Vladimir Putin all along was to weaken (if not destroy) the NATO alliance, a project he was happy to leave to Donald Trump but had to undertake himself with Biden in the White House. And Biden is right when he states that NATO is stronger and more united than ever as a direct result.
There wasn't much domestic political news this week (outside of the Senate hearings, that is). On the Democratic side, the possibility of dethroning Iowa as the "first in the nation to vote" state moved one step closer to happening. But there's no guarantee this will actually happen (we wrote about the issue yesterday, for those interested).
Over on the Republican side of the aisle there was the usual chaos, delusional behavior, and the downright reprehensible.
Chaos: Ginni Thomas, wife of a Supreme Court justice, was revealed to be in close communication with Trump chief of staff Mark Meadows throughout the whole post-election period, as she urged him to do anything under the sun to reinstall Trump as president. This came as no surprise to anyone who has ever heard of her, we should mention.
Delusional: Donald Trump filed a lawsuit against none other than Hillary Clinton (and 47 others, just for good measure) because he is still miffed about the 2016 election. The only question this delusional lawsuit raises is: "How long will it be before it is laughed out of court?"
And finally, downright reprehensible: what is it with Michigan? A state senator (Republican, of course) was sentenced to a year in probation for groping a nurse practitioner while being treated for COVID. He blamed the disease, but as the nurse's attorney put it: "COVID does not make you grab women. That is not a side effect of COVID." The state senate majority leader is taking a pass on disciplining the guy in any way, of course. A few months back, over in the Michigan house, the speaker (you guessed it -- another Republican!) was accused of sexually assaulting his sister-in-law for years "while she was an underage teen." Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Republican Party that Trump built. You'd think that with all that hyperventilating over child porn sentences a few of them would care about such things, but sadly you'd be wrong.
Also downright reprehensible: one of the people who participated in the January 6th attempted insurrection fled to Europe rather than be arrested, lived for months in Ukraine, but has now claimed asylum in Belarus. Here's what he had to say after being formally granted asylum from one of the two countries attacking Ukrainian civilians: "Today I have mixed feelings. I am glad Belarus took care of me. I am upset to find myself in a situation where I have problems in my own country."
To date, we haven't heard a single Republican condemn him for doing so. Which, these days, isn't exactly what we'd call surprising.
To begin, we must mark the passing of another pioneer for the cause of women in high government office. Madeline Albright died this week, after leading what can only be called an extraordinary life. Here's how the New York Times opened its obituary:
Madeleine K. Albright, a child of Czech refugees who fled from Nazi invaders and Communist oppressors and then landed in the United States, where she flourished as a diplomat and the first woman to serve as secretary of state, died on Wednesday in Washington. She was 84.
The cause was cancer, her daughter Anne said.
Enveloped by a veil of family secrets hidden from her for most of her life, Ms. Albright rose to power and fame as a brilliant analyst of world affairs and a White House counselor on national security. Under President Bill Clinton, she became the country's representative to the United Nations (1993-97) and secretary of state (1997-2001), making her the highest-ranking woman in the history of American government at the time.
The Times also reprinted her final opinion piece for them, written just before Russia actually invaded Ukraine. Some parts of it were not so much "prophetic" as just the product of a very sharp mind in world diplomacy and politics:
Should [Russian President Vladimir Putin] invade, it will be a historic error.
. . .
Mr. Putin has for years sought to burnish his country's international reputation, expand Russia's military and economic might, weaken NATO and divide Europe (while driving a wedge between it and the United States). Ukraine features in all of that.
Instead of paving Russia's path to greatness, invading Ukraine would ensure Mr. Putin's infamy by leaving his country diplomatically isolated, economically crippled and strategically vulnerable in the face of a stronger, more united Western alliance.
Requiescat In Pace, Secretary Albright.
Of course, an obvious choice for any award with the word "impressive" in it would be Ketanji Brown Jackson, who showed an almost superhuman amount of patience and levelheadedness when faced with the howling idiocy that is today's Republican Party, but judges are supposed to be considered apolitical, so we decided she doesn't qualify on the grounds she's not officially a Democrat.
We should at least give an Honorable Mention to Senator Cory Booker -- the only Black senator on the Judiciary Committee -- for using his question time to point out to the hearing and to the entire country what an astoudingly historic moment this was for all Americans, especially Black women. He got rather emotional at times, but then that's to be expected when you consider all the history that went before this particular moment in time.
But the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week this week goes to a man merely running for a political job. A Democratic candidate for a House seat announced this week that he was suspending his campaign for an extraordinary reason:
For the past eight months, U.S. Air Force veteran Mark Lindquist has been focused on his campaign for Congress in Minnesota's largest district. But in recent days, the Democrat has been captivated by another potential calling: "Am I willing to die for Ukraine's freedom?"
The answer, Lindquist said, has been a resounding yes -- prompting him to put his political aspirations on hold to heed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky's call to action.
Now the former Air Force staff sergeant, who served as an intelligence analyst, says he will join the newly formed international legion to fight Russian forces in Ukraine.
"That's the moment when it hit me," Lindquist told The Washington Post, referring to Zelensky's plea for help made just days after Russia invaded Ukraine. "I'm not married. I have no kids. I'm an able-bodied, 40-year-old military member with no strings attached. How can I not go? Because I know I can help either on the humanitarian side or bringing the training of the American military to this fight."
That is impressive indeed. The willingness to lay down your life for your fellow countrymen is impressive on its own -- which Lindquist already did, serving six years in the Air Force -- but the willingness to do so for a foreign country fighting a brutal invasion is just amazing. He explained his reasoning further:
The next several days were filled with conversations with friends and family. While most understood his intentions, he said not all of them agreed. Some pointed out he could have a greater impact representing his state's 7th District, which stretches across much of western Minnesota, in the U.S. House.
. . .
Yet seeing the world "on the brink of World War III" shifted Lindquist's priorities, he said.
"It's not that I don't think that politics here are important," he said. "It's that worrying about it right now feels like raking the leaves before a tornado strikes. I know the U.S. will still be here after 2022, but can we say the same about Ukraine?"
We must admit we haven't checked the rules, but we would strongly urge Lindquist to stay on the ballot, even if he is still away fighting on Election Day. Absentee candidates almost never win elections as a general rule, but being absent for such an extraordinary reason might just be looked on favorably by voters in a conservative district, who knows?
Either way, no matter what the rules allow, we have to acknowledge his resolve by awarding him the Most Impressive Democrat Of The Week. Stay safe, Staff Sergeant Lindquist.
[Unfortunately, Mark Lindquist is both a private citizen and a candidate for office, and we do not provide contact information for non-politicians or links to campaign websites, so you'll have to search his information on your own if you'd like to let him know you appreciate his efforts.]
We have no idea if there is some deeper story here, because in all of the news reports we saw this was merely a minor footnote to the main story. But until we hear any mitigating details, we're going to give this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week award to Representative Anna Eshoo.
The big story was that for the first time in 20 years, a sitting member of the House of Representatives was found guilty this week of multiple felonies. The member in question is a Republican. Here's the basic story:
A federal jury on Thursday found Rep. Jeff Fortenberry (R-Neb.) guilty of three felonies for lying to and misleading the FBI about his knowledge of campaign donations made with funds from a foreign national.
The jury returned the verdicts after less than three hours of deliberations after a weeklong trial in Los Angeles, The Associated Press reported. Fortenberry faces a possible prison sentence of up to five years on each count, as well as fines.
For once, not only Nancy Pelosi but also Kevin McCarthy urged Fortenberry to immediately resign his seat, now that he is a convicted felon. He doesn't have to, though. HuffPost had an interesting point about the rules:
Felons are eligible to run for and serve in Congress, but the vast majority choose to resign under threat of expulsion. Congressional rules also bar members from voting on legislation after a felony conviction unless their constituents reelect them.
So he could hang tough and keep cashing his paychecks, up to the point where the House votes to expel him. He can also continue running for re-election, even if he does so from a jail cell (most people are unaware of it, but being convicted of a crime does not bar you from running for federal office -- several presidential campaigns have actually been run from a jail cell, in fact). But no matter what Fortenberry ultimately chooses to do, there was one jaw-dropping detail from the reporting:
A Democratic colleague of Fortenberry's, Rep. Anna Eshoo of California, testified on his behalf on Wednesday, telling jurors she considered him "honest" and "honorable."
Um... wait, what? Seriously?
As we said, we don't have any other information about why Eshoo felt it was the right thing to do to stick up for a guy that the jury only took three hours to find guilty on all counts. It is downright mystifying.
But until we hear any differently, we have to say that Anna Eshoo easily qualifies for this week's Most Disappointing Democrat Of The Week. It's one thing to issue some tepid statement of support in the press, but it's an entirely different kettle of fish to actually testify as a character witness in a federal felony trial. What was she thinking?
[Contact Representative Anna Eshoo on her House contact page, to let her know what you think of her actions.]
Volume 656 (3/25/22)
Well, after watching all the Senate hearings this week (our motto, as always: "We watch so you don't have to!"), we find our thoughts are a bit disjointed, which has led to the talking points having no real fixed focus this week. But hey, it's been that kind of week, really.
Can you afford not to?
For once, Republicans might just use the grammatically-proper form of the opposition party. Which leaves an opening (which is why they usually drop the "-ic" from the end, incidentally).
"It seems that House Republicans are all excited about a new campaign slogan for the midterm election season. They are road-testing the following question, which they intend to use in lots of ads this fall: 'Can you afford a Democratic government?' They use the capital-D version, referring to the Democratic Party. Their point is that all the ideas that Democrats have actually cost money, and they're going to try to get the voters to shy away from any spending which might improve people's lives. But there's an even deeper question to ask in response, and even though I am a capital-D Democrat, this question uses the lowercase-D: 'How can we afford not to have a democratic government?' Because Republicans are doing everything they can to tear down the right of every American to easily and painlessly cast their ballots. The Republican Party looks on approvingly at a insurrectionist mob attacking the United States Capitol, calling them 'tourists' who are engaging in 'legitimate political discourse.' No matter what Democrats do while they are in power, Democrats would never launch such blatant attacks on democracy itself or stand by and cheer while others do so. So I say to the House Republicans: we can't afford not to have a democratic government, which is why we're fighting against all your attempts to change it into something else."
Get what things done?
There's another theme Republicans are contemplating as well that needs to be laughed off the stage.
"Republicans are going to make the downright laughable attempt at getting the American voters to believe that they are the ones who will 'get stuff done.' But this is nothing short of a joke. The last time they were in power, the only thing they accomplished was to pass the biggest and least-popular tax cut in American history -- without paying for it, of course. And now they've got all sorts of dangerous ideas they want to accomplish. Just look at the states where Republicans are in control, if you want to see what a Republican Congress will try to 'accomplish.' They'll try to make voting as hard as possible for the poorest Americans, in the hopes of driving down their voting rates. They want to have 'elections police' to intimidate any voters who do clear all the hurdles to casting their ballot. They'll launch a nationwide war on transgendered youth, because they think this will work out better than their old standard of demonizing gay people. They will attempt to outlaw all abortion -- which means rape victims and incest victims will be forced to give birth to children that result from these crimes. They want to ban the teaching of the entire history of slavery and racism, because it might make some White child feel bad. Make no mistake about it -- they have shown us all who they are and what they stand for. Don't be fooled by gauzy promises about 'freedom' or whatever else they use -- this is what Republicans want to get done. It is who they are."
Not the fringe but the base
Kudos to the brilliant minds at Meidas Touch for pointing this one out, in a scathing new ad.
"When people tell you who they are, you should believe them. Marjorie Taylor Greene is a shameless example of Republicanism today, and she is unafraid to point it out. As she put it: 'We're not the fringe. We are the base of the party.' The days of pretending that the ugliness that Donald Trump unleashed in the Republican Party is some sort of small faction that has no real power are long over, folks. In fact, it is the Republicans who actually are fighting against the insanity, the conspiracy theories, the glorification of violence, the love for Vladimir Putin, and the embrace of outright authoritarianism over democracy within their own party that are now the real fringe, because the never-Trump faction is so tiny. The lunatics are indeed in charge of the asylum, and they have been for a while now. As Greene not only admits but brags about. Voters should take her at her word, because she is right. When you vote for Republicans, this is what you are voting for. They are not the fringe -- they are the Republican Party, period. No matter how much they might try to hide it during an election."
Brownshirts in Colorado
Think that's too much? Well, you decide:
"A lawsuit has been filed in Colorado by the N.A.A.C.P. and others accusing a rightwing group of intimidating voters in the most horrific ways imaginable. The group travels to neighborhoods with a high number of people of color in them and bangs on people's doors. They carry weapons and display some sort of fake badges, in an effort to give the impression that they are some sort of law enforcement agency. They confront voters and accuse them of casting fraudulent ballots. Then they take photos of the person's house. This is a textbook example of voter intimidation, and the only real question is why private groups had to sue them rather than the Colorado legal system bringing criminal charges against them. This is where Trumpism and the Big Lie have led us, folks. Armed fake law enforcement intimidating voters for no reason other than they are likely to vote for the other political party. There's a word for this sort of thing and it is 'fascism.' It's hard to call it anything else, really."
Maybe look in the mirror?
Still searching for that unicorn? Maybe it's been here all along?
"Some states are so obsessed with proving there is some sort of grand conspiracy to commit massive voter fraud on such a gargantuan scale that it could flip state elections that they are creating law enforcement units just to sniff all this fraud out. The only problem is they're looking for something which barely exists and when individual cases appear, they often seem to involve Republican voters. Case in point is Donald Trump's White House chief of staff and his wife. Mark Meadows and his wife voted in North Carolina in 2020, despite not having a home there or living there. This is voter fraud, plain and simple, and others have actually gone to jail for years for committing this crime. Both apparently signed voter forms that clearly warned that falsely attesting they lived in the state was a Class I felony. So maybe those looking for rampant voter fraud should maybe look at this blatant incidence of voter fraud? I'm sure if found guilty, all those Republicans from Trump on down will want the Meadowses to get the stiffest possible prison term for their crimes, right?"
Judicial activism is what conservatives now want
There was one excellent commentary to this week's Supreme Court confirmation hearings that made this point -- and it is a good one.
"Conservatives used to decry what they called 'judicial activism,' which they defined as 'legislating from the bench.' To their minds, judges shouldn't make new laws with their decisions, they should instead be guided by both the laws as written and previous case law in how they rule. But these days, conservatives want as much judicial activism as they can get, whether this means throwing out or rewriting voting rights laws passed by Congress or overturning decades-old decisions that conservatives didn't like or just giving the Republican Party every partisan edge imaginable. This all used to be what they had denounced as 'judicial activism,' but now that they've got a big majority on the Supreme Court they are all but drooling for the court to be as activist as possible. How times have changed...."
Rolling in his grave
This one is short and sweet, because it's a pretty easy concept to grasp and it uses the worst insult that you used to be able to lob at an upstanding Republican.
"I certainly never thought I'd see the day when rightwing media personalities and sitting Republican politicians parrot Russian propaganda or even create their own words of praise for Putin and the Kremlin. Then the Kremlin does them the favor of using these Republicans' words internally in Russia to add flavor to the propaganda they feed their own citizens. Talk about 'fellow travellers' and 'useful idiots!' I can't help think of what Ronald Reagan would say if he had lived to see such disgraceful actions from members of his own party. My guess is he'd say exactly what almost all Americans think when they hear Republicans offer excuses for Putin: 'For shame!' Unless Reagan chose to use even stronger language to denounce such idiocy, that is."
-- Chris Weigant
Follow Chris on Twitter: @ChrisWeigant
Cross-posted at: Democratic Underground
...the Russian invasion of Ukraine entered its second month, and President Joe Biden continues to show how effective an American president can be when he shows real leadership to our European allies and the rest of the world. A big goal of Vladimir Putin all along was to weaken (if not destroy) the NATO alliance, a project he was happy to leave to Donald Trump but had to undertake himself with Biden in the White House. And Biden is right when he states that NATO is stronger and more united than ever as a direct result.
Ah, the wonderful law of unintended consequences. I love it!
And, I think this is just the beginning of how unbelievably misguided Putin's 'assessments' have been and that goes double, with any luck, for the very long term negative consequences his actions might have on his control of Russia and on Russia itself.
Of course, that last bit will depend on how the US and NATO lead on the way out of this crisis. I can only hope and pray that it will be a more effective kind of global leadership than they collectively brought to bear on the front end of this tragic ordeal for Ukraine.
I always liked Madeleine Albright, RIP. She is a great argument for changing the constitution to allow people not born in the US to run for president.
Thanks for highlighting Secretary Albright's last opinion piece in the NYTimes last month which I missed completely.
She was spot on in saying, "Should he invade, it will be a historic error."
Absolutely. And, a mistake Putin will be paying the price for throughout the rest of his life, in one way or another.
She said, "[Putin] is sure that Americans mirror both his cynicism and his lust for power and that in a world where everyone lies, he is under no obligation to tell the truth. Because he believes that the United States dominates its own region by force, he thinks Russia has the same right."
Indeed. Putin = Trump. Classic projection ... I'm hearing a PRiSM tune coming on ... :)
I will miss Madeleine Albright, RIP, and her insightful assessments.
I can safely say that the choice for MIDOTW award is one of the best ever ... actually, I would say it ranks as the most deserving, bar none!
Very nice!
We must admit we haven't checked the rules, but we would strongly urge Lindquist to stay on the ballot, even if he is still away fighting on Election Day. Absentee candidates almost never win elections as a general rule, but being absent for such an extraordinary reason might just be looked on favorably by voters in a conservative district, who knows?
I would very proudly vote for him, in a heartbeat!
Myles Goodwin, of April Wine fame, just in the last few minutes, released his newly written song, For Ukraine ...
For Ukraine
Talking Point #2: You forgot to mention that the party of getting things done has not released its agenda. So far, their official stance appears to be, "Trust us, we get things done, so we'll do something good."
Talking Point #2: You forgot to mention that the party of getting things done has not released its agenda. So far, their official stance appears to be, "Trust us, we get things done, so we'll do something good."
Past is prologue..
Let's see what happened under President Trump..
Now, lets see what has happened under Biden..
And I am sure there are tons of other failures I neglected to mention..
So, andygaus... Considering all of these FACTS....
Who would ANY reasonable and rational patriotic American want leading America...
The answer is self-evident...
Do you want to know how completely and utterly WHACKED the Democrat Party has gotten??
Have you heard about Aperture 2025?
It may sound like a Roland Emmerich sci-fi movie, but it’s actually more frightening. And much more controversial. It’s the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’s latest initiative to make Hollywood more equitable and diverse—more woke—by changing the rules by which films are eligible for Best Picture nominations. Here’s how it works: Starting in 2024, producers will be required to submit a summation of the race, gender, sexual orientation, and disability status of members of their movie’s cast and crew. If a particular movie does not have enough people of color or disabled people or gays or lesbians working on the set—and what is “enough” will be determined by a knotty tangle of byzantine formularies—then that movie will no longer be eligible for an Oscar.
https://www.lamag.com/culturefiles/are-the-oscars-over-2/
Like Joe Biden and his selection process of considering RACE and GENDER before ANY OTHER QUALIFICATION.....
The Oscars have gone racist..
Ignoring ANY qualification of quality of the movie or the acting in the movie... The FIRST qualification of ANY possible movie MUST BE.....
You guessed it.. Race/gender/blaa blaa blaaa blaaa....
Like with Biden and his racist selection process.....
NOTHING MATTERS except race/gender/blaa blaa blaaa...
Once THOSE parameters are addressed... THEN we get to things like quality etc etc etc...
I will be SOOOOO happy... ECSTATIC when this Democrat Party is out of power...
They are doing SOOO much damage to this country...
What the Oscars are doing is simply INDEFENSIBLE...
But I am sure ya'all will defend it anyways.. :D Just like ya'all defended Biden's blatant racist and sexist nominating process...
Referencing the above comment..
“It’s filmmaking by affirmative action. It’s totally daft, and it can’t be done.”
-Hollywood Insider
Just like Biden's gaffe was "SCOTUS nominating by affirmative action"...
It's totally daft and it can't be done if this country wants the best qualified SCOTUS justice...
Overall, 65% of Americans disapprove of Biden’s handling of the nation’s economy, including 96% of Republicans and 36% of Democrats. The overall share saying they disapprove is up from 57% in December of 2021 and from 47% last July.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-business-congress-dca6b1eba4979bcec8bef1a80c9f0098
The GOP agenda is clear and doesn't need to be "released"...
Stop Biden and the Democrats from further destroying this country...
Do ya'all possibly comprehend how much FUN it's going to be when the GOP takes over Congress??
GOP Rep. Stefanik: The Cavalry Is Coming, Republicans Will Subpoena Hunter Biden If We Take Over Congress
https://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2022/03/25/rep_stefanik_the_cavalry_is_coming_republicans_will_subpoena_hunter_biden_if_we_take_over_congress.html
Between the monthly impeachments and the deep dive up Hunter Biden's ass with a microscope???
It's going to be like Mardi Gras!!! :D
https://nypost.com/2022/03/23/the-white-house-cant-just-wash-away-the-stink-of-hunter-bidens-laptop/
Do ya'all HONESTLY believe that, once the GOP takes control of Congress that there won't be HUGE investigations into Hunter Biden's laptop??
House Committees are going to crawl up Hunter Biden's arse with a microscope...
It's going to be MUCH more fun and MUCH more revealing than that lame 6 Jan Committee that is nothing more than a wet blanket.. :D
This oughta be worth at LEAST 4 or 5 impeachments of Joe Biden, eh?? :D
So Biden has a personal relationship with Baturina, Joe Biden's son Hunter obtained hundreds of millions of dollars from Baturina and Baturina was NOT amongst the oligarchs who the US has sanctioned..
Do I need to draw ya'all a picture???
You can bet that, come Jan 2023, ALL of the facts of the Hunter Biden laptop and Joe Biden's massive corruption will come out.. :D
Won't that be FUN!!??
"I can't define what a 'woman' is. I am not a biologist"
-Jackson Brown
"Boys have a penis, girls have a vagina"
-Biologist Kid, KINDERGARTEN COP
A Judge who cannot even define what a woman is has NO BUSINESS being a Justice on the Supreme Court..
Michale[13],
I won't be here for any more of that nonsense. It's time for a real break from here. You, of all people, can understand that. It's hard to do and, perhaps, impossible. But, when comments start offending and creeping out the ones you most respect, then that is a sure fire sign that time is up. I don't have to be hit over the head with a two-by-four, in other words. Well, maybe I do ... :)
I made ya a great offer, Liz..
I won't talk about the Hunter Biden laptop if ya'all don't talk about 6 Jan.. :D
What could be more fair than that??
But I honestly get how sometimes it's necessary to take a break..
The nature of the beast.. :D
Indeed.
Hey, that was a great album!
Nature of the Beast - April Wine
Maybe one more Sunday night? Hmmm ... how about anti-war songs as a theme?
But I don't think you are going to be able to get away from it Liz..
The Hunter Biden laptop is going to be bigger than Watergate....
I have to try and no it won't.
Michale
I have been wondering what Trump’s keystone criminals was trying to accomplish by continuing on with the Hunter Biden “laptop” dramatization they have been rewriting daily. But your post clarified it for me… thank you!
Now, new evidence has emerged via the laptop showing that Baturina wired as much as $118 million to various offshoots of Rosemont Seneca Partners, the consulting firm co-founded by Hunter, Archer and John Kerry’s stepson, Chris Heinz.
Most of the money is believed to have been used to buy properties in Brooklyn and Chelsea for Baturina, as well as shares in commercial office buildings across the country.
That is so crazy! How does “new evidence” emerge after all this time has passed? Trump’s people had the hard drives since mid-2019 and they have just now bothered to release it!?! Rudy did not think that this type of info might have helped Donald get Re-elected??? Maybe it’s Trump’s own incompetence that lost him the election if they have been sitting on this info the whole time!
But let’s ignore the glaring problem with this story and see what this “new evidence” supposedly says! Oh my! Hunter Biden is being accused of money laundering for foreign criminal factions using real estate purchases to funnel the money into the system. You know…the exact thing that a counterintelligence investigation into Trump has been looking at for years! Trump just cannot resist going back to his tired attempts to deflect probable future charges he’s going to be facing!
[25]
I know, I know. I'm still amazed at how millions of Trumpanzies buy into this crap...and think we're the retarded voters.
It'd be nice, but I'm not holding my breath at any kind of reply to this obvious flaws in their narrative. You know, the narrative where Trump wasn't such a disaster of a President that he motivated 80+ million voters to vote for Joe Bleeping Biden.
[23]
Yo Fredo, I'm not holding my breath on such a thing, either. Seems CW isn't interested.
Russ,
That is so crazy! How does “new evidence” emerge after all this time has passed?
Because the conspiracy of Democrats, Big Media and Big Tech have buried Hunter Biden's laptop until now...
"Doi!!"
-Vanillope Von Schweetz, WRECK IT RALPH
You know…the exact thing that a counterintelligence investigation into Trump has been looking at for years! Trump just cannot resist going back to his tired attempts to deflect probable future charges he’s going to be facing!
Except NONE of this has ANYTHING to do with President Trump..
It's the NY Times that has brought this out into the open by reporting on the Delaware State Attorney's investigation..
You are so hung up on President Trump you simply ignore the REAL danger that Hunter Biden and Joe Biden are in over this..
And, once the GOP takes control of the House, you just HAVE to know that they will crawl up Hunter Biden's arse with a microscope and ALL of it is going to come out..
Can you say "MONTHLY IMPEACHMENTS OF JOE BIDEN"???
Sure ya can... :D
It'd be nice, but I'm not holding my breath at any kind of reply to this obvious flaws in their narrative. You know, the narrative where Trump wasn't such a disaster of a President that he motivated 80+ million voters to vote for Joe Bleeping Biden.
That's easy to explain..
Biden and the Democrats cheated.. Both before AND after the election..
The facts that PROVE this are well documented..
It was a perfect storm of corruption (Democrats BUYING entire election boards) and happenstance (COVID Pandemic) that will NOT be available in 2022 and 2024..
So, we'll see ACTUAL REAL results in THOSE elections which will reflect the OBVIOUS preference that the American people want the GOP in charge...
You just HAVE to know this is all factual, eh?? :D
Despite the bravado, you just HAVE to know that the GOP is going to take over Congress with MANDATE-LEVEL majorities, eh?? :D
Russ,
I have been wondering what Trump’s keystone criminals was trying to accomplish by continuing on with the Hunter Biden “laptop” dramatization they have been rewriting daily.
Really??
So, in YOUR mind, the NY TIMES is President Trump's "keystone criminal"??? :D
How does THAT work?? Exactly... :D
https://www.foxbusiness.com/politics/elon-musk-new-platform-needed-twitter-free-speech
Ho boy, Democrats are in trouble now!!! :D
Iddn't it funny how FaceBook and Twitter all claim that "Mistakes were made", but ALL those "mistakes" ALL go in the SAME direction..
To protect the Leftist/Democrat/Anti America agenda..
"Mistakes" that ALL go the same way are not "mistakes".. They are planned and executed to serve an agenda..
Ahhh The times we are in..
Democrats savaged and attacked Dubya and the GOP over the concept of "regime change"..
"For God's sake, Putin cannot remain in power!!"
-Joe Biden
So, NOW Democrats are on-board with regime change... :^/
"Hypocrisy.. It's not a bug in Democrat programming.. It's a feature.."
Russ,
So, in YOUR mind, the NY TIMES is President Trump's "keystone criminal"??? :D
How does THAT work?? Exactly... :D
You see, this is your BIG problem with yer entire spin, Russ...
It all comes down to the **FACT** that it was Democrat Water Carrier Extraordinaire, THE NEW YORK TIMES, that broke all of this WIDE OPEN...
"The fat jokes won't work!!!"
-WHAT'S HAPPENING
Yer President Trump Derangement Syndrome-based spin WON'T WORK...
Because President Trump has **NOTHING** to do with ANY OF THIS..
All the FACTS are flowing thru a well established DEMOCRAT mouthpiece...
You simply CAN'T spin this to be ANYTHING but what it actually is..
A waaarrrrbbbllliinnnggg siren call that heralds the demise of Hunter Biden and Joe Biden.. :D
Again.. MONTHLY Impeachments of Joe Biden!!
"It's gonna be big.."
-Fate, HERCULES
:D
“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”
-Sun Tzu
“For God's Sake, Putin cannot remain in power!!”
-Joe Biden
Well, gee whiz.. Biden has just backed Putin, a guy with a finger on the nuclear launch button, into a corner..
GEE!! Is that REALLY such a great idea??? :^/
After the debacle that was Afghanistan, is ANYONE here really surprised that it would be Democrat Joe Biden that would bravado us into World War III???
I have always told people in our social circles that my lovely wife always had to take me places twice.. The second time to apologize.. :D
Blinken walks back Biden's comments about regime change in Russia
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/ukraine-russia-live-updates-03-27-2022
Why is it that White House officials are ALWAYS having to re-comment on Joe Biden's statements..
The SECOND time to clarify and spin what Joe Biden said to what it's supposed to ostensibly mean.. :D
Anyone?? Anyone?? Buelhler???
Well, to put it mildly, Biden has thrown another spanner in the works.
If Russia's invasion of Ukraine can end with a negotiated settlement, it will certainly be DESPITE Biden's reckless rhetoric since well before the beginning of hostilities and not because of his diplomatic prowess.
Which, it should go without saying, suprises the hell out of me. Disillusioned and the disappointed are two more apt words to describe my reaction to how Biden has handled and helped to precipitate this crisis.
I am really worried now that the heart-breaking disaster that has befallen Ukraine is destined to continue much longer before a political settlement can wind it down - IF negotiations even have a chance.
Here is a piece from Foreign Affairs that clearly lays out a way forward but, it depends on some very clever negotiating tactics that have not as yet been demonstrated ...
What If Russia Makes a Deal?
Liz,
If Russia's invasion of Ukraine can end with a negotiated settlement, it will certainly be DESPITE Biden's reckless rhetoric since well before the beginning of hostilities and not because of his diplomatic prowess.
I have to admit, Liz.. I am gabber-flasted at your turn around..
We have known each other over 15 years... well, as much as people can "know" each other over sharing political comments on a forum.. :D
But I have to say it's eerie.. TWILIGHT ZONE eerie... ALTERNATE REALITY eerie... that you would turn around so completely on Joe Biden..
Which, it should go without saying, suprises the hell out of me. Disillusioned and the disappointed are two more apt words to describe my reaction to how Biden has handled and helped to precipitate this crisis.
EXACTLY...
I am really worried now that the heart-breaking disaster that has befallen Ukraine is destined to continue much longer before a political settlement can wind it down - IF negotiations even have a chance.
It's been commented in MANY articles that I have posted that Biden and the US are bending over backwards NOT to help or support a cease-fire...
Being the cynical guy I am, I have a feeling it's because Biden's handlers are telling him that this might be a way to salvage his approval numbers and they are trying to milk it for all it's worth...
"Never let a crisis go to waste..."
Isn't that the Democrat Party way??
Here is a piece from Foreign Affairs that clearly lays out a way forward but, it depends on some very clever negotiating tactics that have not as yet been demonstrated ...
What If Russia Makes a Deal?
Reading it now.. :D
I can't help but think about how hard Biden worked on how the US could bring diplomacy to bear on US policy in Iraq in the period starting shortly after the US invasion of Iraq began.
For five long years, Biden worked tirelessly to bring that war to a peaceful end where all of the parts of Iraq could live and work together to build a country that all Iraqis could be proud of.
In September of 2007, in a sense of the Senate resolution, Biden garnered the bipartisan support of 75 US senators for his vision of US policy towards Iraq. It was a plan that could have worked if the Bush administration hadn't looked a gift horse in the mouth and worked very successfully to sabatoge the plan from the get-go.
The Ukraine-Russia problem is a MUCH easier diplomatic problem to solve and, yet, no effort from the Biden administration has been put into it.
I just don't understand it.
I just don't understand it.
It's easy to understand it if you accept one possibility..
A possibility that has a growing list of supporting facts.
Joe Biden is a figure head.. He is being handled..
It's the ONLY explanation that fits all the facts..
That is nonsense, Michale.
I think Biden is caught in a time warp, bypassing Iraq and reverting straight back to the days when he called Slobodan Milosovic a war criminal, "to his face!", no less.
Hey everyone!
Do you know any great anti-war songs?
Let's play some tonight ...
Until then ... over and out.
... and, a special tribute to Taylor Hawkins, too!
That is nonsense, Michale.
Perhaps.. But, as I said.. It DOES fit all the facts..
Biden himself has said repeatedly on what he is and is not "allowed" to do..
Someone IS pulling his strings.. That is established fact..
Hey everyone!
Do you know any great anti-war songs?
Let's play some tonight ...
Until then ... over and out.
EVE OF DESTRUCTION and ONE TIN SOLDIER are my 2 favorites..
I hope you'll stop by to play them ... I'll be there late, very, very late!
Someone IS pulling his strings..
Yes, and the puppet master is Biden, himself.
Yes, and the puppet master is Biden, himself.
And yet, there are all those comments about what he is allowed and not allowed to do.. Who he is allowed and not allowed to have ask questions..
It happens far too often not to be considered..
That's just Biden ... he has been talking like that ever since I've known him.
R: That is so crazy! How does “new evidence” emerge after all this time has passed?
M: Because the conspiracy of Democrats, Big Media and Big Tech have buried Hunter Biden's laptop until now...
Why wasn’t Trump presenting the evidence at his rallies prior to the election? All those times Trump rambled on about how tough it was to flush presidential document down the toilet (have to flush 8 -12 times and it still won’t get it all) and he thought that was more important than this?
Why wasn’t FoxNews or the NYPost running with this part of the story before now? The NYPost and Giuliani had copies of the hard drives given to them back in mid-2019! They had access to everything on the hard drive at that time… and no one bothered to bring these forward until now?
Also, the Delaware AG’s investigation into Hunter Biden’s taxes started two years before the laptop was dropped off to the legally blind computer repairman. They have nothing to do with the laptop. Plus there is the little issue of the chain of evidence that links the laptop to Hunter Biden being non-existent!
So, in YOUR mind, the NY TIMES is President Trump's "keystone criminal"??? :D
The WAPost has conservative pundits who write opinion pieces, so why wouldn’t the NYTimes? All seem willing to take everything Trump spews as gospel, but they are just the bullhorn used to spread the bullshat. No, Trump is the source of all of this. He’s been trying to find evidence of Biden being the grifter that he is since 2017… and has failed because Biden isn’t like Trump. Trump has to feel the walls finally closing in on him!
Biden and the Democrats cheated.. Both before AND after the election..
The facts that PROVE this are well documented..
Funny. Trumps lawyers were asked directly in many of the over 60 cases he brought before the court if the attorneys were claiming that election fraud had occurred, and not a single Trump attorney answered in the affirmative! In over 60 cases they failed to provide ANY actual evidence of the voter fraud that they accuse the Democrats of committing. Zilch! None!
Specifically, Nelson asked about Russian oligarch Yelena Baturina, who has not been sanctioned, but who allegedly wired $3.5 million on Feb. 14, 2014, to a firm associated with Hunter’s former business partner Devon Archer.
So this person in 2014, wired money to a business associated with someone associated with Hunter Biden. I love that they point out that she hasn’t been sanctioned; as if this was viewed as an oversight somehow and she deserved sanctioning. But your own article explains why she hasn’t been sanctioned:
Baturina, the wife of the former corrupt mayor of Moscow, Yury Luzhkov, was living in exile in London at the time after her husband fell out with the Kremlin.
Her late husband had been a Russian oligarch…not her! And her husband fell out of favor with the Kremlin and was forced to seek exile in London… pretty much ending his being considered a “Russian oligarch” anymore. Sanctions have been focused on those that support Putin currently in his attempt to take Ukraine. People no longer in support of Putin should not be sanctioned. It isn’t that difficult to understand.
Well, March is nearly over and not a single, solitary mention of pie. For shame, cw, for shame.
JL
Okay, everyone ... you, too, Joshua ... welcome one and all to a truncated CW Sunday Night Music Festival and Dance Party ... well, we can skip the dance party for now!
I know of Dave Grohl and of Nirvana and the Foo Fighters but I never knew about the Foo Fighters' drummer, Taylor Hawkins. He died suddenly the other day at his hotel before a concert scheduled for that night. He was just 50 years old.
So many of my favourite musicians were posting in tribute on facebook over the last couple of days and so, I've come to know about him and the music of the Foo Fighters as well.
That's a great thing about facebook or meta or whatever the heck it's called ... you get to learn about great music and discover it for the first time ... sadly, sometimes in the wake of a musician gone too soon.
Foo Fighters/Sass Jordan w/ intro by Taylor Hawkins
At the time, I was just excited that a great Canadian band, RUSH, was being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I didn't know Dave and Taylor, who introduced Rush at the induction ceremony ... it was a fun night!
Taylor pays tribute to Neil, from one great drummer to another
Taylor Hawkins drum solo and Rush joins Foo Fighters on stage - fun crowd reaction
well, i don't have much time right now, but in honor of the newest supreme court nominee, let me just say:
Gotta do what you can just to keep your love alive
Trying not to confuse it with what you do to survive
This one is very special and I'm sending it out to Kick - hoping she is well!
Taylor Hawkins - Somebody To Love
Taylor Hawkins - Drumming Masterclass
Taylor Hawkins - Sister Christian
In Remembrance of Taylor Hawkins - the Gannin Arnold Project (2011)
Foo Fighters Live at Lollapalooza (March 20, 2022) - In Loving Memory of Oliver Taylor Hawkins
Joshua[57],
Very nice!
Michale,
Here's one just for you, my friend - it's one of my favourites, too ...
One Tin Soldier - the Original Caste (original)
Eve of Destruction - Original demo by P.F. Sloan
Bonnie Dobson and Robert Plant - Morning Dew
The lyrics relate a fictional conversation between a man and woman in a post-apocalyptic, post-nuclear holocaust world ...
Morning Dew - Original Live Recording (1962)
Russ,
Why wasn’t Trump presenting the evidence at his rallies prior to the election? All those times Trump rambled on about how tough it was to flush presidential document down the toilet (have to flush 8 -12 times and it still won’t get it all) and he thought that was more important than this?
What is your fixation with President Trump??
The Hunter Biden laptop has NOTHING to do with President Trump..
Why wasn’t FoxNews or the NYPost running with this part of the story before now? The NYPost and Giuliani had copies of the hard drives given to them back in mid-2019! They had access to everything on the hard drive at that time… and no one bothered to bring these forward until now?
Fox News DID run with the Post story.. But when the unholy trinity of Democrats, Big Tech and Big Media conspired to hide the laptop and the Trump/America hating FBI joined the process to bury the laptop, there was nothing new to report..
Why do you refuse to acknowledge the conspiracy to bury the laptop??
I am getting tired of answering your hysteria with cold hard objective facts and you IGNORE everything your precious Democrats have done.
Until you can address the FACTS, we're done on the Hunter Biden laptop..
Funny. Trumps lawyers were asked directly in many of the over 60 cases he brought before the court if the attorneys were claiming that election fraud had occurred, and not a single Trump attorney answered in the affirmative! In over 60 cases they failed to provide ANY actual evidence of the voter fraud that they accuse the Democrats of committing. Zilch! None!
Not factually accurate..
PLENTY of factual evidence of voter fraud was provided.. Some of it is still being examined..
I would provide you links to those facts, but knowing your proclivity to ignore inconvenient facts, I really don't want to waste my time.. :^/
Her late husband had been a Russian oligarch…not her! And her husband fell out of favor with the Kremlin and was forced to seek exile in London… pretty much ending his being considered a “Russian oligarch” anymore. Sanctions have been focused on those that support Putin currently in his attempt to take Ukraine. People no longer in support of Putin should not be sanctioned. It isn’t that difficult to understand.
Oh.. So a Russian woman can't be an oligarch??
My, how sexist of you, Russ.. :D
The fact is she IS a Russian oligarch.. And she wasn't sanctioned because she has personal ties to Joe Biden..
"These are the facts of the case. And they are undisputed."
-Captain 'Smilin' Jack Ross, A FEW GOOD MEN
Liz,
Re #64 #65
Thank you.. :D
Ya gotta ask yerself Russ...
If the Hunter Biden laptop is a huge nothing burger..
Why did the unholy trinity of Democrat, Big Tech and Big Media go to such extreme lengths to hide it right before the election??
And, if the Hunter Biden laptop is such a huge nothing burger, why did the Democrat Water Carrier extraordinaire NEW YORK TIMES point to it as a source of Hunter Biden facts and evidence in the ongoing Delaware investigation??
I know, I know.. You ignore the facts that you aren't convenient to your pro Democrat agenda... :^/
As for the OSCARS???
The Academy Awards later played Madonna's 'La Isla Bonita' for Stephanie Beatriz. "Honestly, how in the hell is this happening?"
For an awards ceremony trying to be as diverse and socially conscious as possible, you’d think somebody would have taken a closer look at music choices being played to introduce presenters at the 2022 Oscars.
The 94th Annual Academy Awards production team played Toto’s “Africa” as British actor Daniel Kaluuya and singer H.E.R., both of whom won Oscars the previous year, took the stage early Sunday night to present best supporting actress.
Some are pointing out that the 1982 song was a rather poor choice to introduce two Black presenters.
Next, the show played Madonna’s 1987 Latin-inspired “La Isla Bonita” to introduce Latina actress Stephanie Beatriz (Brooklyn Nine-Nine), who was introducing the best song nominee from Encanto.
That pick, some viewers pointed out, really wasn’t the best look either.
After making such a huge fuss for racial quotas in movie making, the OSCARS go and pull this..
I honestly don't know whether to laugh or cry...
And, on Biedn's 'DC Truism' AKA Bonehead Gaffe...
But the comment also seemed to provide a window into Biden’s current thinking, and some of the mind-set that the administration has with regard to Putin.
“What it tells me, and worries me, is that the top team is not thinking about plausible war termination,” said Michael O’Hanlon, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution and author of the book “The Art of War in an Age of Peace: U.S. Grand Strategy and Resolute Restraint.”
“If they were, Biden’s head wouldn’t be in a place where he’s saying, ‘Putin must go.’ The only way to get to war termination is to negotiate with this guy,” O’Hanlon said.
Biden want's regime change.. White House says "No, no no... Biden wasn't talking about regime change" when the FACTS clearly show that Biden IS talking about regime change..
I need to buy stock in popcorn.. Because popcorn eating is going to EXPLODE once the GOP takes control of Congress and the monthly Biden Impeachments are to be televised LIVE... :D
I'll be able to LIVE BLOG the Impeachments Of Joe Biden...
Won't that be a hoot!!?? :D
If there IS to be a World War III, you can bet that Biden will stumble us into it.. :^/
“There ought to be two priorities right now: ending the war on terms Ukraine can accept, and discouraging any escalation by Putin. And this comment was inconsistent with both of those goals.
It discourages Putin from any compromise essentially — if you’ve got everything to lose, it frees him up. Why should he show any restraint? And it confirms his worst fears, which is that this is what the United States seeks. His ouster and systemic change.”
-Richard Haass, President
Council on Foreign Relations
I am honestly aghast on how BAD Biden is doing as POTUS..
And I am honestly taken aback that ya'all STILL defend him...
I mean, com'on.. We're not talking mean tweets here or being an arrogant SOB..
We're talking real and factual and DOCUMENTED incompetence...
Maybe Impeachment isn't the best way to go..
Maybe Biden should be 25th....
And another Democrat Water Carrier Extraordinaire puts ANOTHER nail in the coffin that is Joe Biden's presidency...
Are ya'all seein' the message here?? :D
Yer guy's approval rating is LESS than President Trump's...
Yer VP's approval rating is LESS than VP Cheney...
"Oh Johnny, Johnny... Did you back the wrong horse..."
-Peter Venkmen, GHOSTBUSTERS II
:D
Ya'all just HAVE to realize how bad it's going to be for Democrats, eh??
The White House walk back of @POTUS regime change call is unlikely to wash. Putin will see it as confirmation of what he’s believed all along. Bad lapse in discipline that runs risk of extending the scope and duration of the war.
-Richard Haass, President
Council on Foreign Relations
As I said.. If there is a WWIII, you can bet Biden will stumble us into it..
25th Biden.. NOW...
Because of the US president’s recent remarks, it is likely that this conflict will drag on
On Friday, reports began emanating from Russia’s military command that they were changing the objectives of what many Western analysts claim has been Moscow’s flagging invasion of Ukraine.
Whether or not the West’s instant claims that Russia had failed at the outset of its illegal invasion of its proto-democratic neighbor Ukraine, the fact remained that Russia’s leader, Vladimir Putin, was clearly under political pressure to succeed in Ukraine as quickly as possible.
In fact, earlier last week, it was reported that Putin had ordered his military to have the unpopular war wrapped up by May 9 – just 11 weeks after the massive invasion began – and the anniversary of the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the Second World War.
There is simply no way that Ukraine can "win" this war...
And, when the nukes start flying, it's going to be a whole new world...
A life-altering change right up there with First Contact as far as impacting to our civilization..
"Never underestimate Joe Biden's ability to f*ck things up.."
-Barack Hussein Odumbo
:^/
If the POTUS makes a policy statement and doesn't personally walk it back, then the policy statement IS the policy of the United States Of America...
This is FACT...
So, as of this moment and until Biden says otherwise, Regime Change in Russia *IS* the Official Policy of the US...
And NOTHING will start the nukes flying faster than Putin being backed into a corner..
“Build your opponent a golden bridge to retreat across.”
-Sun Tzu
“For God's Sake, Putin cannot remain in power!!”
-Joe Biden
:^/
Ya'all want to talk about a CIRCUS??
Joe Biden and the Democrat Party is a 3-Ring Circus with Nukes...
Like Liz, I get emails too...
This one is long, but it's a good read..
But I'll understand if anyone doesn't want to read it..
==================================================
Why I'm Suing Ben & Jerry’s
After 30 years of selling ice cream in Israel, the company wants me to boycott my neighbors. I refuse.
In the mid-1980s, during a trip to Vermont, I discovered a fledgling ice cream company called Ben & Jerry’s. I was impressed by its quality, and set up a meeting with Ben Cohen. We bonded immediately, and I pitched him a plan to bring Ben & Jerry’s to Israel. That’s how I became the company’s first licensee.
But now, after three decades, I am being forced out of my license because I refuse to discriminate against my neighbors.
Let me explain.
Before most Americans had even heard of Ben & Jerry’s, in 1988 I opened a scoop shop in Tel Aviv. People loved it. I began manufacturing, selling and distributing Chunky Monkey and Cherry Garcia to Israeli and Palestinian cities. Muslims, Jews, Christians, Druze—everyone ate it up.
For almost 35 years—at my factory in southern Israel, at our scoop shops, and with the drivers and distributors who take our product to markets across Israel and to Palestinian cities and towns—I have had the privilege of working with an incredible range of people. Religious and secular Arabs and Israelis, Sudanese and Ethiopian refugees, immigrants struggling to learn Hebrew, and people with disabilities. Some of them have worked with me for decades. We’ve devoted our lives to Ben & Jerry’s and become an extended family, forging personal friendships with U.S. employees, management and leadership.
I share the company’s commitment to social justice and have invested tremendous energy and personal resources in programs that foster coexistence and tolerance between Palestinians and Israelis. Among them: Middle East Entrepreneurs of Tomorrow, an M.I.T.-affiliated program that teaches Palestinian and Israeli high school students entrepreneurial skills; Seeds of Peace, which brings together Israeli and Palestinian youth; the Ethiopian National Project, which helps Ethiopian immigrants assimilate to Israel; Global Learning and Observations to Benefit the Environment, a science-education program sponsored by NASA that includes Arab and Jewish schoolchildren; Jordan River Village, a Paul Newman initiative that gives terminally ill children and their families the opportunity to have a week-long sleep-away camp experience; and Kids4Peace, the name of which speaks for itself.
For decades, Ben & Jerry’s Israel has supported these causes and more, including initiatives I developed like “Fruits of Peace”—a project to strengthen economic cooperation between Israelis and Palestinians by developing ice cream flavors using ingredients sourced from local Palestinian farmers. But the anti-Israel Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, which does not support coexistence, prevented us from moving forward on this program, which opened economic doors for Palestinians like no other.
Contrary to what you may have read, BDS is not about opposing a particular Israeli policy. It is about opposing Israel’s very existence, and thus it rejects any effort to “normalize” relations between Israelis and Palestinians. BDS cares more about ending Israel entirely than providing economic opportunities to Palestinians.
For years, the BDS movement has been targeting Ben & Jerry’s headquarters in Vermont, demanding the company end sales in what it calls the “Occupied Palestinian Territory.” But the primary consumers in those territories are Palestinians. In other words: BDS activists wanted Ben & Jerry’s to “help” Palestinians by depriving them of jobs (and ice cream).
Ben & Jerry’s resisted the pressure. The company’s board visited us twice in Israel and saw how Palestinians and Israelis benefited from our coexistence projects and social mission work. Everything changed last May when the pressure reached a boiling point, and Ben & Jerry’s insisted I stop providing ice cream to my customers in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
I could not comply. I refuse to discriminate, and I strongly believe that boycotts are not the path to peace in the Middle East. But most significant of all: the Ben & Jerry’s directive is against the law.
Israel’s anti-discrimination law prohibits discriminating against individuals based on residence. The company’s directive also breaches Israel’s anti-boycott law; American anti-boycott laws and policies; the terms of my license agreement; and the terms of a consent decree that Ben & Jerry’s and Unilever, Ben & Jerry’s’ parent company, signed as a condition of Israel’s approval of the Ben & Jerry’s-Unilever merger.
Requiring that I stop selling my ice cream to any customers—Palestinians or Israelis, Christians or Druze—based on where they live is illegal. That is why Ben & Jerry’s’ claim that this is not a boycott of Israel is disingenuous. Under the law, no one can lawfully do what Ben & Jerry’s is demanding I do. So unless Ben & Jerry’s finds someone willing to violate the law and go against Israeli and U.S. public policy, there will be no Ben & Jerry’s anywhere in Israel when my current license ends at the end of this year.
I proposed alternatives. I suggested having a Palestinian distributor handle distribution in the West Bank—a significant economic opportunity. But when Ben & Jerry’s learned that the distributor, naturally, wanted to increasesales in the territory, they nixed it. As they explained, we had to get the number of pints in the West Bank down to zero, because they were determined that Ben & Jerry’s ice cream not be sold, at all, in East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
When I refused to bow to the boycott and to break the law, Unilever essentially fired me despite assuring me on multiple occasions that my contract would be renewed. Terminating my license solely because I refused to commit a crime is a violation of U.S. law. You cannot, as a condition of a contract, demand that a party do something illegal.
Even more upsetting is the hypocrisy. First, Unilever continues to sell thousands of its own products, including Hellman’s mayonnaise, Dove soap, and its own Magnum and Strauss ice creams, in the West Bank and East Jerusalem. Second, how can Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s look at themselves in the mirror? They speak about social justice yet are quick to throw hundreds of employees who have been loyal to the company for so many years under the bus. I refuse to abandon my people like that. And it is Palestinians who will be harmed the most. Today, a company is demanding that I stop providing ice cream to customers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, but tomorrow it could be medicine or life-saving technology. Discrimination is wrong and treating human beings as political pawns is shameful.
I’m not the only one who recognizes what Unilever is doing is unlawful and misguided. Since the boycott was announced, Unilever has suffered innumerable blows. The state pension funds of New York, New Jersey, Florida, Illinois, Arizona and Texas have withdrawn nearly $1 billion in investments; members of Congress have urged the Securities and Exchange Commission to investigate; and Terry Smith, one of Unilever's biggest investors, has slammed the company publicly for losing its way and focusing on political issues at the expense of financial performance.
I expected, after all this, that Unilever would recognize its mistake. But instead, after months of silence, the company recently claimed it is working on a “new arrangement” to remain in Israel—presumably without me or my employees. So I had no choice but to take them to court.
Earlier this month I sued Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s to stop them from shutting down my business and harming the people we have worked so hard all these years to support: my nearly 200 employees; hundreds of suppliers, distributors and farmers who rely on Ben & Jerry’s Israel; students who participate in coexistence programs we sponsor; and millions of consumers. If Unilever and Ben & Jerry’s sincerely desire to help, rather than harm all of these people, they will reverse their decision and renew my license.
===============================================================
By and large, boycotts are stoopid..
Made even MORE stoopid by the fact that, more often than not, boycotts hurt the very people that the boycott'ers claim to represent..
We saw this time and time again during the 22 years (collectively) of BLM and AntiFa riots and attacks on hundreds of government buildings all over the country..
Everything Is Going Up
Shania Twain UP
Russia: Biden's comment that Putin 'cannot remain in power' is 'alarming'
Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said Monday that a remark made by President Joe Biden over the weekend about Vladimir Putin, in which Biden said "for God's sake, this man cannot remain in power," is a "statement that is certainly alarming," Reuters reports.
"We will continue to track the statements of the U.S. president in the most attentive way," Peskov said.
https://www.foxnews.com/live-news/ukraine-russia-live-updates-03-28-2022
Nothing calms things down like saying you are going to remove the enemy leader from power.. :^/
I just gotta ask..
What EXACTLY is Putin's incentive to negotiate now??
And for Joe Biden... The hits just keep on coming...
All of this will play out with 2024 Presidential in the background..
And this time around Democrats won't have the COVID pandemic to hide their election cheating... And won't be able to buy entire election boards...
Democrats don't stand a chance in an actual FAIR election..
Liz,
Above, you said it was "nonsense" that Biden is senile and/or dementia-ridden and that he is being "handled"..
What do YOU call instance after instance where Biden goes off-script and has to be walked back by his handlers hours later??
How would YOU explain ALL of the instances that this has happened... Which is VERY frequently and getting even MORE frequent..
In other words, the facts are fast piling up that such a question simply cannot be ignored any longer..
Is Joe Biden really in charge any more??
I am also constrained to point out that there is a HUGE difference between pushing resume change on some 3rd world shithole and pushing regime change on a nuclear armed former superpower...
Michale,
What do YOU call instance after instance where Biden goes off-script and has to be walked back by his handlers hours later??
Vintage Biden!
I can't count how many times I have heard Biden say the following ..."the problem is that I say what I mean; the bigger problem is that I mean what I say."
Last week, he took that to the extreme and may be remembered for little else.
Of course, it's not like Putin hasn't invited comments like this and worse with his brutal and criminal actions in Ukraine, all in an effort to project his misguided worldview.
Unfortunately, Biden's 'regime change' comment makes the misguided part above a lot harder to defend.
And, I'm told, it makes every Russian who opposes Putin look like an American agent. Very not good!
[83], Michale addressing Elizabeth:
Above, you said it was "nonsense" that Biden is senile and/or dementia-ridden and that he is being "handled"..
I think every president is "handled". Running a country isn't something that can be done by just one person. It doesn't mean that presidents are figureheads. They usually do about as much as one human being can. But if they're decent, they focus mostly on policy and have staff do most of the worrying about how stuff will sound.
--
I think the best chance of a win in this war is if it expands to additional countries. If Russia looks weak, Georgia might try to reclaim its occupied territories. If Russia looks weak enough, Belarus might try to reclaim its independence. I don't think it's likely, just the best chance we have of surviving.
--
My guess on Biden's call for Putin's ouster is that it was intentional, trying to stoke Putin's distrust of his associates. I say "ouster", by the way, because doesn't count as regime change imo unless the system changes. Swapping in one head-of-government for another, while keeping everything else intact, is a change of personnel and a continuation of the regime.
I don't know whether it's a good idea or not. We want Putin to distrust and eliminate anyone competent, and keep everyone who owes their position to his trust in their loyalty.
Ukraine definitely should not be "neutralized". It should remain a sovereign nation-state, with the power to make its own foreign policy.
When the issue at hand isn't old-fashioned imperial geopolitics, though, we need to move away from sovereign nation-states as the basis for geopolitics. Just toward something better instead of worse.
All for now.
Russia delenda est
I think every president is "handled".
Not like Joe Biden has been "handled".. He is CONSTANTLY telling the public that he is not allowed to do this or that..
CONSTANTLY...
Basically, it's clear to even the most dullard Democrat that Joe Biden is NOT in charge...
My guess on Biden's call for Putin's ouster is that it was intentional, trying to stoke Putin's distrust of his associates. I say "ouster", by the way, because doesn't count as regime change imo unless the system changes. Swapping in one head-of-government for another, while keeping everything else intact, is a change of personnel and a continuation of the regime.
So Biden is hoping to encourage Putin's "ouster" and.. what??
Hope the next guy is not as bad as Putin??
*THAT'S* the plan??? :^/
I can't count how many times I have heard Biden say the following ..."the problem is that I say what I mean; the bigger problem is that I mean what I say."
So Biden MEANT it when he said that Putin cannot remain in charge??
So, tell me...
What incentive does that give Putin to stop the war???
Absolutely NONE.. The incentive is for Putin to fight on as if Putin's survival DEPENDS on it..
Because, according to Biden, it does..
Basically Biden just undermined the ENTIRE negotiation process...
Ya gotta ask yerself Russ...
If the Hunter Biden laptop is a huge nothing burger..
Why did the unholy trinity of Democrat, Big Tech and Big Media go to such extreme lengths to hide it right before the election??
Do I? Really? I’m bored so I might as well play along…
What “extreme lengths” did they go in hiding a story whose sole eye witness is legally blind? Not running a BS story that was obviously meant to influence the election? A story made up by the guy who started a GoFundMe page because his business was suffering after he announced to the world that if you drop off your laptop to be repaired by him, he WILL snoop through all of the contents in your personal files and release them publicly as he pleases? Was it necessary for him to read the personal emails to look for corrupt files? Of course not. And last I checked, if he then gave the laptop that he claims was owned by Hunter Biden to Rudy Giuliani… then he’s trafficking in stolen goods.
How fortunate that Hunter Biden chose not to get the laptop repaired somewhere close by to where he lived in California, but instead chose to fly cross country to drop it off with a blind repairman whose shop was in the state already investigating Hunter for tax violations!
And that this laptop (which traveled 3000 miles away from home to be repaired by someone Hunter Biden had never met) would contain alleged emails and documents that could be related to and would thus need to be reviewed by the Delaware grand jury — thus fulfilling the goal that Trump had and was impeached for when he withheld defense aid to Ukraine unless they agreed to Trump’s one demand which was basically: “I don’t care about the actual findings, I just need you to SAY that Hunter is being investigated…Republicans in Congress will handle the rest of it.”??? I mean, what are the chances?!!?
Someone claimed the laptop contained documents related to the Delaware AG’s investigation into Biden’s taxes and surprise, surprise, the AG wanted the grand jury to investigate those allegations. It took 5 years, but Trump finally has the headlines that he wanted! Again, the findings won’t matter to Trump…it’s enough to be able to point to Hunter being investigated for Trump to claim Joe Biden is corrupt.
Yes, the actual story is a nuthingburger… but Trump’s base feeds off them like nothing else!
What “extreme lengths” did they go in hiding a story whose sole eye witness is legally blind?
The computer guy has nothing to do with the laptop.. The DATA on the laptop PROVES CONCLUSIVELY ownership..
That's what the Democrat Water Carrier flag ship, the NY TIMES has PROVEN...
You like to nitpick inconsequential and irrelevant facts as if it actually proves something..
As to the great lengths.. Twitter BANNED the NY POST for posting the story..
Why would Dorsey do that if there was NOTHING to the laptop?? If it WASN'T Hunter Biden's??
Yes, the actual story is a nuthingburger…
Not according to the NY TIMES...
That's your problem with your ENTIRE spin.. It's proven completely and utterly FALSE by the NY TIMES..
That's the FACTS you can't even address..
Once the GOP takes the House, it'll be the joke of the 6 Jan Committee that's going to be your nothing burger..
And Hunter Biden will be front and center in front of a House Committee UNDER OATH... HE will confirm to the committee what he has already stated as fact.
The laptop is his..
All that data and all the pictures and porn... It's ALL his...
Hope yer still around so I can say.. "Told ya so!!"
:D
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Joe Biden said Monday that he would make “no apologies” and wasn’t “walking anything back” after his weekend comment that Russian President Vladimir Putin “cannot remain in power,” attempting to turn the page on a controversy that clouded his recent trip to Europe.
https://apnews.com/article/russia-ukraine-putin-biden-europe-moscow-df6c9f17b04e26611ae5c58a16aa0e78
So, it's official..
Putin has absolutely NO REASON and NO INCENTIVE to negotiate a cease fire in good faith..
Way ta go, Joe!!! :^/
The computer guy has nothing to do with the laptop.. The DATA on the laptop PROVES CONCLUSIVELY ownership..
That you fix computers and still think this is frightening...
That's what the Democrat Water Carrier flag ship, the NY TIMES has PROVEN...
Have they moved on from "appears" or are your news sources still lying?
Once the GOP takes the House, it'll be the joke of the 6 Jan Committee that's going to be your nothing burger..
Are they going to beat the Benghazi record for how many investigations and how much money wasted to find nothing in the end?
I mean you have the conservative press leading with a lie, "appears" does not equal "confirmed" no matter how much you want it to. Then there are the "crimes" that for some reason you can't name. All for "well documented" election fraud that you can't provide the documents.
It's not a nothing burger, it's a nothing burger with cheese...
dsws,
What percentage do you give that nukes start flying??
Me?? I peg it at around 75%.. Maybe 80%..
Have they moved on from "appears" or are your news sources still lying?
What part of "authenticated" is not clear to you??
I mean you have the conservative press leading with a lie, "appears" does not equal "confirmed" no matter how much you want it to. Then there are the "crimes" that for some reason you can't name. All for "well documented" election fraud that you can't provide the documents.
You say "appears"...
NY TIMES says "authenticated"...
Are they going to beat the Benghazi record for how many investigations and how much money wasted to find nothing in the end?
Nothing tops the Democrats and their Russia Collusion Delusion.. 3 years... Over 30 million dollars.
And what did yer boy Mueller come up with??
"There was no evidence to support any collusion between Russia and the Trump Campaign"
OOoowwwww That's GOTTA hurt!! :D heh
Ya just GOTTA laugh at Democrats...
Will Smith smacked Chris Rock at the Oscars??
Who's to blame, according to Democrats??
President Trump..
BBBBBBWWAHAHAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
Ya can't make this stuff up!!
NY TIMES says "authenticated"...
The emails. Not the laptop. I know, reading the article is something you just don't do...
And what did yer boy Mueller come up with??
Not that quote...
OOoowwwww That's GOTTA hurt!! :D heh
When you have to misattribute to make make an argument, I bet it does hurt, or at least should...
The computer guy has nothing to do with the laptop.. The DATA on the laptop PROVES CONCLUSIVELY ownership..
The computer guy has EVERYTHING to do with the laptop because he is where the evidence originates! Anyone who hacks your account can move files from the server and place them onto any device they choose. The laptop was first given to the FBI… but when the repairman did not see headlines stating that the FBI was investigating the laptop data, he supposedly then sent it to Rudy. Not sure if that is true, but that is his story. Why give it to Rudy? It did not belong to Rudy. Why not give it back to Biden?
The repairman claims that he gave it to FBI because he found some porn videos on it and sleazy photos that he found “disturbing”. Does this guy turn in every person whose laptop he works on has porn on it? Oh, and one of the PDF files he claims he found was apparently misdated. The date in the PDF gave one date, but the metadata showed that the file had been created AFTER the repairman claims Hunter dropped it off.
That's what the Democrat Water Carrier flag ship, the NY TIMES has PROVEN...
You like to nitpick inconsequential and irrelevant facts as if it actually proves something..
And you love to falsely claim something is PROVEN or is a FACT when neither are remotely true!
As to the great lengths.. Twitter BANNED the NY POST for posting the story..
Why would Dorsey do that if there was NOTHING to the laptop?? If it WASN'T Hunter Biden's??
Why ban a story created to falsely accuse Hunter Biden of wrong-doing for Trump to use to attack Joe Biden’s candidacy as being corrupt? Why allow lies to be used to influence our elections? Because that’s the ONLY way Trump can win. He has to deceive the country that he is the better candidate — convince them that THEY are the corrupt one; not him!
Yes, the actual story is a nuthingburger…
Not according to the NY TIMES...
NY TIMES says "authenticated"...
So nothing was PROVEN”, but merely ”authenticated”?
What was authenticated? They were able to authenticate that some of the emails found on the laptop had been received by their alleged recipients as the data showed. Which just means that the emails were on the servers Biden used with his Apple account. Nothing about the emails gave Bill Barr’s DOJ reason to investigate for possible criminal activity. Big ole’ nuthingburger!