THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2021
Top pundit, rich in script: We start this post with a full confession—we stopped reading Dana Milbank a long time ago.
His work was simply too slight and too scripted. A look at two of his points today helps establish our point.
First up, recitation of script! Milbank explains why Candidate Youngkin won the Virginia election:
MILBANK (11/3/21): Virginia voters decided not to return [McAuliffe] for a second nonconsecutive term as governor, instead electing Republican businessman Glenn Youngkin, who ran a Trump-inspired campaign of disinformation, conspiracy theories and race-baiting. It wasn’t terribly close. Republicans were leading the the lieutenant governor and attorney general races, too, and were within sight of a majority in the House of Delegates.
With respect to the Trump-inspired race-baiting, Milbank was typing from script. For the record, he didn't mention the fact that the race-baiter's successful running-mates for lieutenant governor and attorney general were 1) a black woman and 2) an Hispanic man.
What he said came straight outta script, as did what he omitted.
(Gail Collins also omitted Winsome Sears' breakthrough win for attorney general from her list of heartwarming breakthrough wins today. Tribal sifting of information is like that.)
Next, Milbank turned on the congressional Democrats. This attack on "the Jayapals" is extremely dumb:
MILBANK: The Manchins and the Sinemas on the right side of the Democratic caucus and the Jayapals on the left must recognize that their carping over relative trifles has imperiled an agenda they (and their constituents) overwhelmingly support, and increased the likelihood that the people who brought us the Jan. 6 insurrection will be returned to power in next year’s midterms. The Manchins and the Sinemas and the Jayapals, by making the perfect the enemy of the (very) good, have handed an advantage to an illiberal faction that is stoking White nationalism.
Out of that jumble, we'll focus on Milbank's ridiculous statements about "the Jayapals."
We've never been big fans of Pramila Jayapal, especially so after reading this Buzzfeed takedown concerning the way she allegedly runs her congressional office.
That said, we've come to admire the remarkably consistent way she has behaved during the battle over the reconciliation bill. As leader of the House progressive caucus, has Jayapal been "making the perfect the enemy of the (very) good?"
That's just very dumb all the way down. Consider:
Jayapal has been making the following very sound bet. She's been betting that, if the House progressives go ahead and vote for the so-called "infrastructure bill," the so-called "reconciliation bill" will never come to pass.
She's been betting that Manchin and Sinema would never vote for the (larger) reconciliation bill if the (smaller) infrastructure bill isn't being held hostage. That seems like a perfectly sensible bet. Whether the strategy works out or not, it has had nothing to do with "carping over meaningless trifles," or with "making the perfect the enemy of the (very) good."
This piece was vintage Milbank. First, he rattled talking-points about the (unspecified) race-baiting. Then, he rattled talking-points about the irresponsible, silly/dumb Dems.
He went to one of the finest schools. While there, he was actually Skull and Bones!
There's always room for improvement, of course. But as of this very day, this is the way it's turned out!
The sound of a possible flip: At the start of the week, it began to sound like the House progressives—"the Jayapals"—may be preparing to go ahead and vote on the infrastructure bill. Several leaders in the caucus seemed to be saying that they were prepared to trust Biden's claim that he would be able to get Manchin and Sinema to support the reconciliation bill even post-infrastructure.
That sounded like a startling flip. Because of all the election chatter, we've seen no one discuss this.
As usual, thanks for documenting liberal-goebbelsian atrocities, dear Bob.
ReplyDeleteHow dumb is Somerby?
ReplyDelete"he didn't mention the fact that the race-baiter's successful running-mates for lieutenant governor and attorney general were 1) a black woman and 2) an Hispanic man."
Apparently he has never heard of tokenism. Get the smelling salt out because guess what Bob, there were black Confederates and Jewish Nazis too. He shouldn't mention it because it endorses the cynicism and corruption of Republicans.
Republicans are responsible for the deaths of thousands of Americans over the last year or so, yet Somerby thinks the important thing to do now is kowtow to the bizarre sensitivities of Republicans, that that will somehow get Dems elected, what a joke. But Somerby is not naive, he is sinister, busy manufacturing ignorance for whomever he serves.
Yeah, racists are extremely clever, doing the opposite of what's expected of racists. And that's how you know they are indeed racists.
DeleteNice. We're totally convinced.
I appreciate the self-acknowledgement that you are a conned rube.
DeleteWinsome Sears is a right wing fanatic who is pictured packing a machine gun and smiling.
ReplyDeleteNothing breakthrough about it at all. Bob, I would think your analytical mind would see through the GOP game.
Winsome Sears is (according to liberals)
Delete-- A right wing fanatic
-- A token
-- An Uncle Tom (says my cousin)
These characterizations are based on no evidence at all. These are like the unspecified race baiting that Bob alludes to.
Evidence includes photos of her with guns and her own campaign statements.
DeleteWouldn’t “Aunt Tomasina” make more sense?
DeleteHow disappointing that she neglected to throw those guns into a street garbage bin, like The Greatest Painter in The World did.
DeleteSears is former chair of the Black Americans Making America First political action committee, which according to its website is "dedicated to making America first by promoting the Trump policy initiatives." Among other things, the group advocates for curtailing illegal immigration, promoting Second Amendment rights, and "defending biblical marriage and preventing transgendered males from competing in women's sports."
DeleteShe previously drew controversy in her campaign when she released a poster showing her holding an assault style rifle with the words "Battle tested conservative. Semper Fi." Along with images of the poster being shared on social media, it was also used by the political action committee BlakPAC to endorse Sears.
Another iteration of the poster that was used in a flyer mailed to some voters shows Sears shooting at targets identified as red flag laws, voter fraud, government shutdowns and critical race theory.
"To Joe Biden: From my cold, dead, hands. Sincerely, Winsome Sears," the ad says.
https://babylonbee.com/news/mcauliffe-blames-loss-on-low-4am-ballot-turnout
ReplyDeleteCan a writer be “too scripted?” Doesn’t make much sense.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this important news about the bank, as I am now choosing another bank to control some of my accounts and open new deposits. Therefore, at the moment I am reading the regions bank reviews and trying to make a decision. Just remember not to keep all your eggs in one basket.
ReplyDeleteThe next time I read a blog, I hope that it doesnt disappoint me as much as this one. I mean, I know it was my choice to read, but I actually thought you have something interesting to say. All I hear is a bunch of whining about something that you could fix if you werent too busy looking for attention.
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