SATURDAY, JUNE 15, 2024
Also, Wallace baffled: Have crime rates been dropping in this country?
On our own, we can't say! Late yesterday, in this report, we presented a dueling pair of approaches to that significant question:
We excerpted a detailed report by Kevin Drum about the way the FBI assembles its crime data.
Also, we showed you excerpts from a recent interview in which TV's silliest child chuckled his way through a segment in which a guest assured the nation that no such thing is occurring. And certainly not under Biden!
The silliest child to whom we refer is the Fox News Channel's Jesse Watters. To make matters a bit more clear, Watters and a guest were articulating the official position, or positions, of Red America's pundit class:
The FBI says that crime rates are down. But the FBI is simply lying on Biden's behalf, and/or it's really the reports of crime which are currently down. (Crime victims no longer bother.)
At present, those are the things you're being told if you live in Red America. Viewers who watch the Fox News Channel have been told such things again and again.
On their own, they aren't positioned to say that such claims are untrue.
At present, we live in two Americas—Red America and Blue. On this, as on an array of major topics, you'll hear vastly different claims, depending on which of those two nations you inhabit.
It's hard to run a large modern nation that way. Also, it's hard to run a country with "thought leaders" like Nicolle Wallace scripting our own Blue America's troops.
Nothing much will ever turn on Wallace's recent befuddlement. That said, it helps illustrate a basic point:
If you live in Blue America, you shouldn't assume that "our favorite reporters friends"—the people we're repeatedly told to trust—possess even the simplest levels of basic competence.
Quickly, let's run through this dreck:
Last weekend, Candidate Trump engaged in a rather strange digression during a speech at a Las Vegas campaign event.
He was making a larger claim in opposition to the spread of electric vehicles. Along the way, for a couple of minutes, he rambled off with one of his weird digressions:
In this digression, he imagined a boat sinking beneath the weight of an electric motor, with at least one shark nearby. Along the way, he praised himself for the brilliance of his rumination.
Trump has engaged in this weird digression before. Rightly or wrongly—wrongly, we will guess—Wallace presented it as evidence that Trump is mentally impaired in a way which will, or at least should, bring him down as a candidate.
You can judge that one as you will. Today, ponder this about Wallace:
In each of the week's first three days, Wallace lamented the fact that she couldn't find a full tape of Trump's Las Vegas speech. To see her saying this on Wednesday (Day 3!), you can start by clicking here.
No, it doesn't exactly "matter"—but good God!
At this site, we had long since looked at the fuller context of Trump's digression by turning to the obvious source. Through no particular act of brilliance, we had accessed the videotape of the full Las Vegas speech as provided by C-Span:
JUNE 9, 2024
Campaign 2024
Former President Trump Holds Rally in Las Vegas
Former President Trump held a campaign rally in Las Vegas, where he spoke for about an hour about his 2024 campaign for president and contrasted his policy agenda with that of President Biden.
These are the people we're told to trust—so told by our corporate minders. As we noted in Friday morning's report, these people have failed us again and again, then again and again, over at least the past four decades.
They've failed us again and again and again, and we keep coming back for more!
The woods are lovely, dark and deep. Will President Biden get re-elected?
We expect to examine that question in the coming week. As for Wallace, neither she, nor her staff, knew how to access the full Trump speech.
Our assessment:
Some of our favorite reporters and friends should stop their incessant reading of script. We know the money is very good, but as an alternate way of life, perhaps they should enter adult life through the purchase of their first clue.
Three crimes are described:
ReplyDelete1. Watters lies about the FBI's crime statistics.
2. Trump, a presidential candidate, tells a nonsense story about batteries sinking ships.
3. Wallace says she couldn't find a full tape of Trump's entire LV speech.
Which of these was the most important? Obviously, Trump's idiocies are the most serious, because a president who doesn't understand how EV batteries work, or even that ALL ships currently have batteries, even the non-EV ones, and the batteries dont' electrocute anyone if the ship sinks. A presidential candidate that ignorant is a big deal.
Second comes Watters, because lying about how the FBI collects crime stats, for partisan purposes, is a serious problem for right wingers trying make a choice between two presidential candidates. Also because people shouldn't be caused to live in fear through misreporting of the levels of crime in our nation.
Compared to these two reports, the complain by Wallace about not finding a full tape of a speech on C-Span has little to no importance to her viewers and causes no harm to anyone. It strikes me as a bit unprofessional to gripe on camera, but why should she know how to find this stuff when she is on-air talent and not a researcher at her news station. Seems to me her staff failed her. The speech is also on YouTube and PBS but Somerby seems to live to promote C-Span these days.
If someone never watched Trump's speech because Wallace didn't tell them where to view it, would that hurt anyone? It would prevent the spread of more misinformation and some astute viewers would miss the chance to see what an idiot Trump is, but they would find out eventually, and the news was widely reporting Trump's idiotic story about the shark and getting electrocuted in the ocean. I really don't see the problem with what Wallace said. But Somerby has to have some evidence of lefty malfeasance and this is apparently the worst he could find. Are these equivalent? Of course not. It is an obvious smear attempt by Somerby based on a triviality.
"In each of the week's first three days, Wallace lamented the fact that she couldn't find a full tape of Trump's Las Vegas speech. To see her saying this on Wednesday (Day 3!), you can start by clicking here."
ReplyDeleteThe complaint isn't that Wallace couldn't find the speech at all, it is that Fox did not carry it and that it wasn't on Fox on Sunday.
Somerby is misrepresenting what was said. This is clear from the link Somerby provided.
I guess that means that Somerby is failing us again.
Delete"I guess that means that Somerby is failing us again."
DeleteIt means Somerby is right again and the some of the commenters on here can't be trusted.
"The complaint isn't that Wallace couldn't find the speech at all, it is that Fox did not carry it and that it wasn't on Fox on Sunday. Somerby is misrepresenting what was said. This is clear from the link Somerby provided."
Somerby is not misrepresenting what was said. The transcript beneath the video leaves out some of what Wallace said. Here is the fuller context and Wallace's complete statement:
Charlie Sykes: I would love to force people to watch a full speech, but that's not going to happen. But you play that sound bite that you just played about the shark, and people are going to go, "What did I just listen to?! What is going on inside this man's mind?" And that's the kind of thing Donald Trump does not want. He doesn't mind if we're mad at him. But I think he would hate the fact that we're laughing at him.
Wallace: It's such a good point. I guess, the piece of it -- and watch out we've got two whole hours, everyday -- you know, maybe it's time to do an anatomy of a speech -- and I'm just thinking out loud here -- but maybe it's time to take this speech -- I was tipped off on Sunday that Fox hadn't aired it and he'd been particularly incoherent. We went and looked for it. It was not carried on Fox. We couldn't find anyone that aired it in its entirety. The chunks I've seen are actually hard to find -- there are chunks on the internet. But maybe it's time to do an anatomy of a Trump speech.
Again, the complaint is mainly that Fox News is not showing his speeches any more, or, any other cable network. Nobody watches C-Span.
Delete1:45 it seems like your quote does in fact suggest that Somerby is misrepresenting Wallace, much in the same way he misrepresents quite often what others have said, repurposing their words to support his worldviews, and Somerby’s pattern of behavior does suggest this is willful on his part.
DeleteI would encourage anyone who might be curious about who's right about this to go watch the short clip Somerby links to (ignore the incomplete transcript), plus the first few seconds of the clip just to the right of it. It should also be pointed out that according to Somerby this was the third time Wallace claimed the speech was hard to find. This is an utterly trivial topic, but what's up with that? It's not hard to find, especially if political news is your whole job.
DeleteI watched the clips, it’s pretty clear Somerby is misrepresenting here. Somerby is chastising Wallace for not being able to find the clip, as if for herself, but Wallace is making the point that media, particularly right leaning media is making it hard to find these clips for their Republican audience, sort of whitewashing Trump’s bizarre behavior, following up on her guest’s point about Sinclair.
DeleteSomerby is fond of being excessively literal and ignoring context when it serves his agenda.
DeleteThis is just yet another example.
Some are calling into question Trump’s mental fitness, saying it could be an election decider.
DeleteSome are calling to attention that the man who cheered his insurrectionist minions on was welcomed back by the half the folks under siege. What a bunch of sick fuck self ser ing jaggoffs and weirdos.
DeleteWe clicked the link to archive.org and (tried) to watch the segment; it was nearly impossible since entire segment of the show in question is cut into one minute segments that are nearly impossible to watch, and the transcript is autogenerated and hard to read. As far as we can tell, Wallace's complaint is that Fox News is no longer airing Trump's speeches live because they are too insane, not that they can't be found anywhere, like on C-SPAN, which very few people watch.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading Bob's blog for over twenty years, we really are concerned about his mental and physical well-being. This isn't the Bob we used to know. Bob would never make an elementary mistake like this, say, ten years ago; I am saying mistake, because I don't want to believe that Bob is making a willful misrepresentation of the video that he knows is wrong, ie a lie. It’s sad to see how far Bob has fallen.
It gives me no pleasure to write something like this, but it is the truth. It is my policy to not recount my personal conversations with others, but I am going to break this rule in order to tell a story that we think is illuminating regarding Bob’s current situation. Once, many years ago, I had a phone conversation with Bob regarding a reporter-colleague's unauthorized biography of a Fox News personality who was skyrocketing to the top of the ratings, much like Tucker Carlson did many years later. I didn’t really know Bob (and I still really don’t), but I appreciated him taking the call from a near total stranger. I really enjoyed that conversation (I might even say both of our analysts said, "Ya Ya Ya Ya" together and claimed the conversation was "perfect" in unison). In that conversation, I asked why Bob had never published a book regarding the "War on Gore" that he had documented so well on his website. He said that he had been in talks with a publisher, but it had never worked out, and that his effort to write the series on his blog had come to naught. I urged him to do whatever it took to write it and publish it, even if it meant self publishing, or not blogging for a while, because the alternative was that it would be lost forever and all his work would be for nothing. It's sad to see that will ultimately be the case, and that Bob's twenty-five years of hard-work will be wasted.
Well, you can ease your worried mind, because Somerby didn't misrepresent what was said. See my comment above. (I do agree with the first comment above though: this is utterly trivial compared to Jesse Watters' distortions about crime and Trump's weirdness.)
Delete"I am going to break this rule in order to tell a story that we think is illuminating regarding Bob’s current situation." How does that story "illuminate" Bob's supposed decline?
Yes, Bob does misrepresent it, as best as I can tell from watching the video and reading the transcript. Nobody watches C-Span and it is not cable news.
DeleteIt illuminates how Bob has wasted the last twenty-five years or his work, because he has produced no lasting impact on the media. Nobody reads his blog any more, and there will be no permanent record of his work once he is gone and his blog disappears. It’s very sad that he was implacable of writing off publishing a book. The Bob we spoke to that day is very different from the angry, bitter Bob that haunts this unread blog now, constantly making weird tangents constantly to Bon Dylan, the Iliad, Wittgenstein, Thoreau , etc.
“This isn’t the Bob we used to know”.
DeleteAgree, and one could question, is he running a con now, or was he back then?
It’s likely a combination of ignorance on Somerby’s part, bitterness from becoming irrelevant (which likely plays a role in his reluctance to learn why his notions are misguided), and a baked in right wing bias borne from a troubled childhood.
Bob claims he does not read the comments, yet my last comment here, criticizing Bob, has been deleted.
DeleteOof. Bob is a strange person.
Bob could learn, could gain the knowledge that would correct his wrongheaded notions, but he is too bitter to be bothered to learn.
DeleteInstead, Bob displays a similar petulance to Trump’s, maybe that is why he seems to relate to Trump and defend him so much.
Here is something serious for Somerby to worry about:
ReplyDelete"Johnny Enlow, a Seven Mountains dominionist and QAnon conspiracy theorist, declared this week that all three branches of the federal government have been so “corrupted” that the U.S. military will have to “step in.” Enlow called it a “long shot” that the November 5 election would take place “before the whole thing is interrupted by military presence.”
Enlow, who is associated with the dominionist New Apostolic Reformation movement, appeared Monday with Steve Shultz, who runs Elijah Streams, a streaming platform for modern-day “prophets.” As of noon Friday, the interview had been viewed more than 200,000 times.
After the 2020 election, Enlow said former President Donald Trump would be justified in imposing martial law and calling for revolution. This week, Enlow railed against Trump’s criminal convictions, making a big deal out of Trump’s frequent use of the term “election interference” to describe legal proceedings against him. According to Enlow, the convictions provide “absolute proof” of the corruption in the system, giving the “white hats” in the military full justification to step in. “There’s good reason why a lot of the people are like, ‘What in the world are you waiting for?’ with the proof that has already been made directly to the American people with all that’s taking place.”
The nuts on the right are not only crazy but also armed and dangerous. The only thing restraining them is the rule of law and the possibilities of punishment through legal remedies, civil or criminal. We do not want our society to devolve into a place where only more guns will deter these nuts and enable non-believers to live their lives according to their own beliefs free from religious oppression.
That is why it is important that we support the institutions that enable us to be a democratic nation instead of a theocracy, autocracy, or dictatorship. Historians will tell us how important it was that Trump be tried in civil and criminal courts and that his conviction be upheld by both the right and left wings as a legitimate authority with the support of the people under our constitution.
https://www.rightwingwatch.org/post/dominionist-johnny-enlow-says-trump-legal-woes-justify-military-coup/?utm_source=rww&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=bestof
DeleteOld age is involuntary. The years go by whether we want them to or not, and our bodies change with the years. We do the best we can to comply with guidelines about how to remain healthy, but some of us have health problems related to genetics or accident or bad luck that affect our ability to think and move without pain and perform physical activities. Some of us have complicated health regimens and numerous medications required to maintain optimal quality of life given our conditions. For some people that is true from birth and not due to aging at all.
ReplyDeleteThere is no shame in growing old and suffering the indignities that come with it. That's why the mockery of Biden's physical frailty is ugly, but no different than the mockery of reporters with physical disabilities or the stigmatizing of women for lacking beauty or being fat. Trump's desperate efforts to seem young when he is old too make him seem a bit ridiculous (the combover, the spray tan and makeup, corset and false energetic arm waving) but it would be unkind to mock him for that in a youth-oriented culture that is majorly ageist.
If Somerby is aging poorly from a cognitive standpoint, that is no sin. He seems loathe to let go of his blog, but he might consider being less pretentious about trying to solve political world peace and shift to ruminating about Dylan lyrics and past experiences in an autobiographical way, and let the right and left find their own way forward. Or at least own his opinions instead of writing with an omnipotent voice of authority about nonsense that supposedly equates Wallace and Watters, as he has done today, protected from criticism by his past wisdom about Gore and the media.
Trump is not aging as well as Biden. That is obvious in the two men's respective performance. That isn't Trump's fault (except for the hamberders and Diet Cokes), but it means he shouldn't be elected president again. He needs to retire. Biden can probably handle another term, but he won't step aside as long as Trump remains a political threat, and no Democrat will challenge Biden. If anyone in the Trump family loved their country, they would persuade Trump to do the right thing and stop his campaign. If anyone in the Trump cult cared about Trump as a man, they would help him retire so that he can enjoy his family and deal with his legal problems and play golf while he is still able. I do not understand why no one has done so.
Well said, especially like the phrasing, such as:
Delete“Or at least own his opinions instead of writing with an omnipotent voice of authority about nonsense that supposedly equates Wallace and Watters, as he has done today, protected from criticism by his past wisdom about Gore and the media.”
Spot on, thank you.
Aging sucks and I’m terrified of death.
DeleteMore than no longer existing, I’m terrified of the process of dying, of whatever pain and suffering that process entails.
I’m also terrified of having health issues, as our healthcare system sucks even more than aging, with many (probably most) in the healthcare profession seemingly motivated primarily by financial concerns over managing the pain and suffering of those seeking healthcare.
This is where being too cynical causes harm. Most physicians and especially nurses do what they do to help others, not for the money. Drugs are better and so are treatments. Hospice for those dying helps a lot with both the physical and psychological issues surrounding death. But friends and family ties are important too, so be nice to the people around you. Aging creeps up on you gradually so you adjust to the inconveniences, see someone when you notice a problem that interferes with quality of life, and if you get a bad diagnosis, the treatments are easier to cope with. At the end, you are unlikely to be conscious, especially if you choose not to be -- doctors have drugs to ease the passage.
DeleteWhen you get old and spend time with other old people, they go before you and you lose your fear because you see what it is like for them. Some die in their sleep, others in hospice, and many achieve peace during the process. Some become demented and do not realize what is happening, but are surrounded by family and caregivers who help them.
Our brains have a way of shutting off conscious awareness of unbearable pain. Sometimes through coma (which doctors can induce) or through dissociation. If you are truly terrified, it might be helpful to explore this with a therapist or pastoral counselor. Hospitals have staff who help with such fears too, because it is hard to make good care decisions while terrified.
Cynicism has little utility. Skepticism, on the other hand, is quite useful.
DeleteThere is evidence to suggest 3:08 has a strong point, particularly looking at the gap between how much healthcare costs (American doctors are ridiculously overpaid) and healthcare outcomes (America has one of the lowest rankings in OECD countries).
In CA there are “death cafes” where one can go and get coffee and join in group discussions about death.
When my parents died in the past few years - one in a hospice in Texas, the other in a hospital in the DC/VA area, I was horrified at the state of healthcare in America, doctors and nursing just clocking in and out to grab a paycheck; I had to beg for anyone to attend to their pain, and the facilities seemed outdated and crumbling.
It’s easy to view hospitals, doctors, and nurses as caring people engaged in a noble effort, but this is naive, the reality is quite different.
On a side note, you don’t really appreciate fully the love of your parents until they pass, and all you are left with is the cold harshness of the universe.
Of course, I have to stay chipper since I have a kid of my own. This movie clip helps me laugh at myself:
https://youtu.be/Jbnueb2OI4o?si=icOwDzaWOU8dzR_Y
Mike’s Johnson has died.
ReplyDeleteRumors of my Johnson's demise are greatly exaggerated.
DeleteHa, well played.
DeleteBob has complained endlessly about not getting his MSNBC transcripts (so he can deride people like Nichole Wallace), but would it have taken a genius to set up a system where he could tape the twice run shows he wants to berate. at least in an audio version? Or even to take reliable notes?
ReplyDeleteLost in the shuffle is just how crazy Trumps goofy shark/electrocution digression was. We have all witnessed many such numskull orations from Trump by now.
ReplyDeleteBob, who had railed at the Press, often inaccurately, for not reporting Trump’s “disordered” behavior, sees this as trivial. Bob never gives examples of what he sees as Trump’s disordered behavior, that would mean writing about him in an unsympathetic light.
Anyway, does the Shark speech mean Trump is nuts? I’m not an expert. It does seem an example of a very delusional person thinking they are being clever and funny.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ixPKlCv972M&t=180s
Deletethe choice : shark vs battery, should be simple, given his experience in jumping the shark
DeleteTrump always stands as if he is over his skis.
DeleteTrump’s physical stance of always leaning forward is linked to dementia.
DeleteTrump opponents point out (accurately) that he lies and exaggerates all the time. Yet when he says something outlandish, some opponents pretend to think he literally means it.
Delete"when he says something outlandish, some opponents pretend to think he literally means it."
DeleteIt's impossible tell whether he means it or not. Therein, the problem.
Trump engages in really outlandish behavior: treason, racism, business corruption and crime, sexual assaults, etc, so the proof is in the pudding, he backs his outrageous speech with equally outrageous, or worse, behavior.
DeleteI agree with QiB. Trump’s words do not tell us what he will do as President. Unfortunately the same is true of Biden and of most candidates. They mostly just promise to fix all the country’s problems. Their actual reign often looks different from their campaign items.
DeleteIn 2020 Biden didn’t promise deficits even worse than Trump’s. Wars in the Middle East and in Ukraine. Overwhelming numbers of migrants. A huge jump in inflation.
Presidents usually just take credit for good things that happen and offer excuses and blame others for failures. As voters we’re left guessing with both candidates.
Agree, that anyone who says, "Trump tells it like it is", is a moron.
DeleteSo, when you compare the good things that happened in Biden's presidency with the good things that happened in other administrations, Biden has a lot more of them. No one blames Biden for covid but he did a much better job than Trump dealing with it.
DeleteWe generally reserve the word "reign" for kings and call a president's term their time in office.
Complete "both sides" horseshit. We have many years' worth of track record (for both candidates) to know which words count and which ones don't. When Trump talks about using a second term to get revenge on his political opponents, we know that's exactly what he will do. And notice how DIC switches from what the candidates say to what they DIDN'T say (wars, etc.), as if Biden would have known about and is to blame for those wars. Just nonsensical trolling.
Delete@11:08 Here are things that were better order Trump
Delete— lower inflation
— much lower mortgage rates
— fewer migrants
— no war in Ukraine
— no Russian expansion
— no war in Gaza
— fewer Covid deaths
more unnecessary covid deaths
Deletebigger deficit & debt
fewer jobs higher unemployment
Russia emboldened to attack
no progress on global warming
no disaster relief for blue states
beginning of immigration surge
laughing stock among world leaders
massive corruption
women’s rights overturned
insurrection on 1/6
huge increase in hate crimes & mass shootings
destroyed the Republican party
Look at the whole picture
Bob just isn't cognitive. I'm over this blog.
ReplyDeleteFox News reported last week that a member of the jury told their cousin about the verdict before the trial deliberations ended. Hannity said “this is huge”.
ReplyDelete(To clarify, I have many cousins, many of whom just happen to be famous or in the news a lot, but in this case there is no familial relationship)
This trial was a hoax, this is outrageous!
This was found to be a fake post made by someone who admitted to being a shitposter and making it up. There was no member of the jury telling a cousin such things. It was all a trouble-making lie by a troll.
DeleteThis is old news. Why is David bringing it up as if it were something new, much less valid?
DeleteThat was not my comment
DeleteSo DavidinCal with no spaces is fake, while David in Cal with spaces is real.
DeleteYastreblansky describes the way Trump's "generals" intervened to protect American interests when Trump tried to appease foreign leaders and further his own self-interest.
ReplyDeletehttps://yastreblyansky.substack.com/p/tales-of-the-resistance
It will be more difficult for them to protect the people next time around, if Trump is put back into office. Is the presidency for sale? Do we want to see this kind of thing happen again? I think anyone considering voting for Trump should think carefully about what happened last time.
Douthat and Vance having an idiot contest of who can suck off Trump the best could be hilarious, except it’s terrifying.
DeleteFor Republicans, lacking integrity is a strength, not a weakness.
Anything that legitimizes fellatio is good.
DeleteFellatio is legit, but in case you didn’t know, the perspective of most women is that fellatio is more of a chore than something we enjoy.
DeleteIt’s even more of a chore with someone like Hunter, who has a big penis (jaw gets sore and tired pretty quickly), and less of chore, in a sense, with someone like Trump, who has your typical right wing undersized penis; of course any woman will prefer Hunter, who is hot, to Trump who is beyond disgusting, beyond repulsive.
OTOH, most women are dying for oral performed on them, something right wing men shy away from (grow a pair, guys, even if it’s figuratively!), because most women can not orgasm from penetration alone.
I enjoy performing cunnilingus. I love the effect it has on my woman.
DeleteBless your heart.
DeleteSomerby posted yesterday, uncritically, that Biden wandered off during the G7 summit, but it turns out this was a right wing hoax, Biden was actually going over to greet and talk to a military person involved with the paratrooper demonstration.
ReplyDeleteSome may say that Somerby just fell for the con, but it’s more likely this is yet another strong indication of Somerby’s right wing worldview.
Uhhuh.
Deletehttps://x.com/marymacelveen/status/1801323365094789339?s=42&t=oYvKLjVc8YzJIvwKoQTYBQ
This is the version edited to make Biden look foolish. It is fake.
DeletePost the version that is not faked.
Deletehttps://x.com/AndrewJBates46/status/1801660737925926932
DeleteFuck off cecelia.
DeleteThe above video should be watched with sound on. AS Scarborough explains, Biden was simply walking towards other participants in the paratrooper demonstration, giving them a "thumbs up." The right-wing disinformation machine only showed one angle and cropped the video so that the rubes couldn't see why he was walking over/facing in that direction.
DeleteIt’s the same crap you said with the last video when Biden was trying to sit down while everyone else was standing and focusing on the ceremony.
DeleteNow it’s suppose to be perfectly natural that Biden’s attention was turned from the group to walking off in order to greet some paratroopers.
Biden no longer is aware of these official moments,. He acts as though he’s just a guy out on a field doing whatever catches his attention.
It was a parachuting demonstration! "Out on a field." They were watching one group of parachuters that had landed, when another group landed right next to Biden's end of the group, so his attention was naturally drawn to them.You're being ridiculous. And regardless of anyone's opinion about whether Biden's behavior was not "natural," the video that the NY Post and others spread around was completely misleading/dishonest.
DeleteMike L., no, it’s ridiculous for you to not ascertain that this wasn’t an informal moment. With your logic it would have been just fine if they each wandered off to get a closer at something that caught their attention or to speak with who they wanted to speak.
DeleteThe Italian PM noticed immediately that Biden had lost the sense of the occasion and tried to discreetly get him back on focus.
@10:42 PM - pull the other one.
DeleteCecelia is clearly not looking at anything but the right wing fake version.
DeleteIf you watch the first video carefully, you can see that initially they are simply spectating -- watching one of the groups participating in the paratrooper demonstration. Some are mindlessly clapping. There's nothing especially formal about it. As they're watching the paratrooper(s) in front of them, something happens that draws ALL of their attention towards their left, not just Biden's. As we know from the second video, it's another group of paratroopers participating in the demonstration. Biden is closest to them and he turns and takes a FEW STEPS in that direction to engage with them and give them the thumbs-up. As he's doing this, and his back is turned, the moment changes -- a military person walks up to the group and apparently requests a photo. That's when the Italian PM walks over to get Biden -- for a photo op that had sprung up just that instant. If Biden had walked away DURING the photo op, then you might have a basis for your strained interpretation. That's not what happened.
DeleteAnd by the way, infinitely more important than all of this utter stupidity is the reason Biden is there in the first place: to support western free society's fight against tyranny. A fight your guy is on the wrong side of.
@Cecilia: Here you go.
Deletehttps://wapo.st/4eqrjhy
Crickets from Cecelia. No surprise.
DeleteJust for the record, it might not have been a photo op. Now that I've seen some wider angle videos, the military figure that walks up as Biden has his back turned doesn't appear to take a photo; it looks like he's just addressing the group.
DeleteBiden is cognitive.
DeleteMike I: It's now at about that point in the conversation that Cecelia calls you Soros-funded. Undoubtedly the best able to gauge Trump's (or Biden's) qualifications for re-election are those he worked closest with during his first term. Of 44 Trump administration appointees, only 4 state that they will be voting for him.
ReplyDeleteRight. If just two or three of the people who worked alongside a former president (or a CEO, or military leader, or mayor, or...) came out afterwards and said this guy is completely unfit for the position (incompetent, unethical, corrupt, dangerous, etc.), it would be an unprecedented, career-ending event. There's something like 40 different people who worked alongside Trump who have said something along these lines. Nothing like it before in U.S. history. And yet it hardly has any effect. It's beyond reason. It really is like a cult, or a mental disorder.
DeleteHis own vice president has spoken out against him, won't endorse or vote for him. Can you imagine anyone else surviving that? And yet, no effect.
Delete"And yet, no effect."
DeleteRacism is a hell of a drug.
let one go in the flow state
ReplyDeletebebop and hip hop don't stop
just let morning joe state
the ebbs and flows of the prop top
I just heard another fannyburp
DeleteYes, crime is down. There is no debate, it is just a fact.
ReplyDeleteIf it's Kevin Drum and FBI crime statistics vs a Fox clown that Someday calls a silly child, well, of course, Bob gives them equal standing. Go to state reported crime statistics if you like, and I have elsewhere mentioned Texas since the influx of Mexican criminals is a big deal to conservatives and, voila, decreased crime as reported by the Texans, not the FBI. So maybe get your shit together, Bob, and get of your false equivalency fence. You do this for a rrason.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteBrainwashed bots like Mao act as if the FBI could just willy-nilly put out a bunch of inaccurate crime statistics and no one would catch them -- like at the state level. And as if there aren't plenty of conservative elements within the FBI itself that would immediately create a media firestorm if the FBI were to do this.
DeleteAnd of course, they have no real basis for believing crap like this in the first place. The real "basis" for conspiracy theories like this is emotion: they can't STAND that the other tribe gets to tout the fact that crime is down under Biden, and so then they have to concoct a conspiracy theory to explain it away.
Off and reason
ReplyDeleteThis says it all (without words) about who Trump is:
ReplyDeletehttps://x.com/i/status/1801353810205675983
The NY Times stinks:
ReplyDeletehttps://www.lawyersgunsmoneyblog.com/2024/06/how-not-to-do-history-by-the-new-york-times
Yes the crime rate is down. FACT.
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