BREAKING: Oddest statement of the evening!

TUESDAY, MAY 22, 2018

Democracy dies like this:
Should Rod Rosenstein have done the things he did?

First, he agreed to let the DOJ Inspector General investigate the FBI's conduct with the informant who approached George Papadopoulos and Carter Page.

That strikes us as a nothingburger. Then, Rosenstein agreed to another deal whose contents aren't yet clear. For obvious reasoos, we have no view on that.

Last night, MSNBC worked all night to edit your knowledge of what the informant actually did. Whatever you think of the informant's conduct, this was a striking performance.

Viewers were kept from learning the facts. But for our money, the oddest statement of the night was made by Rachel Maddow.

Rather plainly, Maddow doesn't like Rosenstein. You can tell by the way she puts her thumbs on the scale when she discusses his actions, past and present.

Rachel tends to play that way. Even so, she acknowledged the possibility last night that Rosenstein could be making the best of a bad situation with this pair of moves.

In the passage shown below, she was discussing Rosenstein's decision to let the inspector general investigate the FBI and the informant. We're showing you a large chunk of what she said, but we're only interested in the highlighted assessment made at the end.

Does democracy die in darkness, as the Post says? This is where democracy goes when big giant corporations create partisan "cable news" channels and invents big major stars:
MADDOW (5/21/18) To bolster that sunny side way of looking at it, you should look at the statement that Rosenstein actually made when he gave in to the president's demand that the Russia investigation itself get investigated.

The statement from Rosenstein was really spectacularly specific. The investigation he ordered is supposed to determine, quote, "whether there was any impropriety or political motivation in how the FBI conducted its counterintelligence investigation of persons suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who interfered in the 2016 presidential election." That's the investigation that he ordered after the president's tweet.

So on the one hand, he is giving in to the president's tweeted demand for a new investigation. On the other hand, he's confirming in his statement that the FBI was engaged in a counterintelligence investigation of people who were suspected of involvement with the Russian agents who were interfering in the election at the time. And those people who were the subject of that counterintelligence investigation were on the Trump campaign.

It's kind of actually good to have that all laid out in black and white. That's all confirmed now. OK.

And honestly, if he's confident that there wasn't any, what does he say, "impropriety or political motivation" in how the FBI conducted that investigation, then maybe it's not giving away much to allow the inspector general to look into it.

[PAUSES AND SHRUGS]

How do we know? How do we know whether Rod Rosenstein is doing the right thing?
No really—that's what she said! If Rosenstein is sure that the FBI didn't engage in impropriety, then it's OK to let the IG conduct a probe.

The corollary is all too obvious. If Rosenstein believes the FBI did misbehave, then he shouldn't let the probe go forward. He'd want to keep that under wraps!

In all honesty, Maddow shouldn't be on the air without much greater journalistic supervision. But this is where democracy and the discourse go when partisan victory has come to be the only consideration.

Maddow is a very strange duck. Our tribe isn't able to see this. That doesn't mean it's not true.

This also happened last night: We were interested to see Maddow interview the New York Times' David Kirkpatrick, live and direct from London. All the analysts came in the room to watch.

Long ago and far away, Kirkpatrick wrote the New York Times' 7300-word front-page report about the actual events which actually transpired during the deadly attack in Benghazi. That said, his December 2013 report arrived on the scene much too late. People like Maddow had sat on their hands and played it safe all through the fall of 2012, when the Benghazi mythology was being created and was hardening into stone.

Four years later, that mythology was part of the narrative war which elected Donald J. Trump.

In real time, Maddow sat it out. The bullshit had started with John McCain and Bob Schieffer, and people like Maddow never challenge people like that. She completely sat it out that fall as Susan Rice was thrown to the wolves and the Benghazi myths were formed.

Four years later, she did the same thing when James B. Comey (Comey the God) savaged Candidate Clinton in July 2016. Here's the way it went down:

As of July 2016, Comey was still a major establishment god. People like Maddow never challenge the conduct of people like that. Quite literally, Maddow never so much as mentioned his name until late in October 2016. As she'd done with Susan Rice, so she did with Candidate Clinton. On the brighter side, she did a lot of other stuff to keep us entertained.

It gets worse! In early July 2016, when Comey delivered his attack, Maddow's guest host, Steve Kornacki, actually took Comey's side on two consecutive nights, ridiculing Democrats who were criticizing the irregular conduct of the great godlike figure. When Maddow returned from vacation the next week, she never so much as mentioned Comey's name for the next three months-plus.

Maddow is stunningly good at selling the car. Aside from that, she has 1) a high IQ and 2) a highly self-serving set of instincts.

Good God! She even tried to sell us Greta Van Susteren, her drinking buddy and Fox's chief enabler of Trump the birther king. That said, nothing Maddow does will ever turn our tribe against her. She's simply that good at selling the car, and we're that weak and helpless.

About last night! You could tell that the London-based Kirkpatrick isn't one of the gang. You could tell that because this was the first thing he said:
MADDOW (5/21/18): Am I correct that your reporting indicates that Joel Zamel's company drew up this proposal for a social media manipulation campaign but we don't know whether this proposal was ever actually picked up by the Trump campaign, we don't know what happened to the proposed campaign?

KIRKPATRICK: Correct. So I think you're overstating his lawyer's denial, by the way.
He thinks she's overstating something? Dearest darlings, use your heads! On the Rachel Maddow Show, such things simply aren't said!

28 comments:

  1. "No really—that's what she said! If Rosenstein is sure that the FBI didn't engage in impropriety, then it's OK to let the IG conduct a probe. "

    Hey, and most likely she right about that, too. The Deep State doesn't turn on its own.

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are two narratives prevailing right now

    1. The FBI is properly withholding classified information to protect vital secrets. That's the right thing to do, for the good of the nation.

    2. The FBI is alleging vital secrets as an excuse to withhold information of FBI wrongdoing. Information about FBI wrong-doing should be divulged and the wrongdoers should be appropriately punished,

    At the moment, Democrats tend to go with #1 and Republicans tend to go with #2.

    Maddow's phrase, "maybe it's not giving away much" shows that she goes with a combination. She acknowledges that the FBI may be hiding wrongdoing FBI wrongdoing, but that's OK with her. If there was any anti-Trump FBI wrongdoing, Maddow wants it to be kept secret.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh look, another shiny squirrel!

      Meanwhile, https://www.alternet.org/trump-crime-familys-grifts-are-right-front-our-noses

      Delete
    2. Tim - thanks for the link. Two observations:

      1. Key quote IMHO "What does all of this mean? We don’t know exactly..."

      2. Article makes no mention of collusion with Russia.

      Delete
    3. Yes. Thanks Tim.
      That should be required reading to make anyone with the least bit of conscience, who also voted for Trump, feel so much shame for the rest of their time on Earth, thy refuse to be seen or heard in public.

      Delete
  3. Josh Marshall observes the predators of New York.

    https://talkingpointsmemo.com/edblog/predators-of-new-york

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks for the link, Caesar. Josh Marshall is a very good writer. He writes

      Bartiromo, once a reasonably well-respected business news journalist, is aping the wildest conspiracy theories about a ‘deep state’ conspiracy against President Trump....

      When I flagged that Bartiromo clip I mentioned above, several people said to me, ‘What happened to Maria Bartiromo?’ When did she get so nuts?


      Note that Marshall doesn't refute the deep state conspiracy theories; he simply calls Bartiromo "nuts". But, Marshall is such a good writer that one hardly notices that he begged the question.

      To see the other side of the debate (also allegations without proof) see this well-written article:
      The Real Origination Story of the Trump-Russia Investigation
      By ANDREW C. MCCARTHY

      https://www.nationalreview.com/2018/05/trump-russia-investigation-obama-administration-origins/

      I personally don't think Andrew McCarthy is nuts nor do I think Josh Marshall is nuts. I'm just reading each day's news waiting to see what comes out.

      Delete
    2. You need to read each day's news because each days half-witted, Right-wing nonsense is refuted by sundown, and you need the spout the next one, before it too is shown to be nonsense.
      BTW, I hope you mean Andrew McCarthy the Brat pack actor from "St. Elmo's Fire", and not the hack from the National Review, i.e. America's most respected journal of white supremacy. (hat tip: Charles Pierce).

      Delete
    3. Anon 1:46 AM - Right wingers said there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. That hasn't been refuted in a day. In fact, it hasn't been refuted after two years of investigation by the Obama Administration and by the Special Prosecutor.

      P.S. I suggest you read Josh Marshall and learn how to elegantly beg the question. Racist-mongering no longer works.

      Delete
    4. to mm

      You think that the fact no Democrat will be there is some sort of proof?

      Delete
    5. What's that you say, Trollboy Anon 9:18?

      Proof?

      What the fuck is that? We've long since crossed that Rubicon. We're in "1984" territory now, where Big Brother Donald Trumpolini tweets out his latest insanity in the morning and his obedient subjects take their next cue.

      So, let's see what Trumpolini tweeted out to the world this AM:

      "Look how things have turned around on the Criminal Deep State," Trump tweeted. "They go after Phony Collusion with Russia, a made up Scam, and end up getting caught in a major SPY scandal the likes of which this country may never have seen before! What goes around, comes around!"

      There you go. The president of the United States is attacking the "criminal Deep State".

      See any fucking "proof" in that, Trollboy?

      Let me give you a hint, go fucking troll someone else, Trollboy.

      Delete
    6. "Right wingers said there was no collusion between Russia and the Trump campaign. That hasn't been refuted in a day. In fact, it hasn't been refuted after two years of investigation by the Obama Administration and by the Special Prosecutor."

      "...“If it's what you say I love it especially later in the summer.” Donald Trump, Jr.


      Delete
    7. "Racist-mongering no longer works."

      I certainly hope this is finally true, but we'll see. If Dems sweep the mid-terms, I'll agree with your statement.

      Delete
    8. mm -- I agree with you, to a degree: It is not incumbent on anyone to "refute" a goddam bullshit conspiracy theory pulled straight out of the orange abomination's lying sack of shit ass. It is incumbent on the lying sack of shit to prove it.

      Yes, it's incumbent on the accuser to prove her/his accusation. However...when Marshall calls people who believe in the deep state conspiracy "nuts", then it's incumbent on Marshall to prove that they're nuts. In order to prove that they're nuts, Marshall needed to disprove the deep state conspiracy theory.

      Delete
    9. note to mm from Trollboy

      Why should I troll someone else when it's so much fun to troll you?

      Delete
    10. "Yes, it's incumbent on the accuser to prove her/his accusation."

      "Lock her up!", indeed.

      Delete
    11. No Comrade DinC. They're fucking nuts until they can back up those extraordinary and malicious slanderous accusations. Extraordinary claims demand extraordinary evidence, remember asshole?

      Let's see what the lunatic lying sack of shit orange shitstain claimed this morning, shall we?

      1. There's a "Criminal Deep State"
      2. a made up Scam
      3. major SPY scandal

      Go fuck yourself, traitor. You are now an OJ juror. Trumpolini is now a OJ, twisting in the wind trying to escape justice by attacking our intelligence agencies and law enforcement.

      Delete
    12. Trump and OJ are both great runners.
      OJ ran for 2,000 yards in a season.
      While Trump ran both a money-laundering ring, and multiple companies into the ground.

      Delete
  4. Nobody works harder than Rachel. Rachel is a student. She is just a different kind of communicator. She weaves a story every day in that first 20 minutes of the show that connects dots, pulls things together, pulls historical references that really is just an amazing piece of work.

    And you come out of it smarter. It's as simple as that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Daily Howler is a beacon of sanity, a touchstone of all that is good about blogging.

      Delete
  5. Bob stays safely with his Maddow obsession today. Sure, it’s a totally stupid post, but once again he does not deliver his promised hit piece on Mueller. That makes all of us safer.

    ReplyDelete
  6. What a complete jerk he became after cheating on me on several occasion, his betrayal brought out the worst fear in me to reality. Insecurities almost tore me apart as I asked him if his mistress has bigger butt or breast? If she is machine in bed? If she smells better? If he prefers brunette or blonde? I was going insane.
    A lot of unanswered question forced him to leave, he moved in with her for three months. Three months made me realize how good he was before my temper caused him to looking outside. I also realized it is not good for our children to have a broken home. So I needed him back and also someone or something that can transform me into a better wife and mother.
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    I am glad I picked faith over fear (through Dr. Wakina) which could have ruined my marriage. We are deeply in love again.

    ReplyDelete
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