THURSDAY, AUGUST 29, 2024
Was his statement under-reported? Major experts tend to agree:
The distinguishing characteristic of our national discourse may be its "dullard" quality. So it was when guest host Pete Hegseth spoke up on The Ingraham Angle last night.
Hegseth is a Fox News Channel mouthpiece. On its face, did his remarks make actual sense?
This is what he said:
HEGSETH (8/29/24): Kamala Harris and Tim Walz just arrived in Savannah, Georgia for the next stop on their "bus tour." She's been talking about her economic vision for America lately, as if she hasn't been in office for the last, you know, three and a half years.
On its face, did that remark make sense? Inevitably, Hegseth didn't stop there. Moments later, he threw to Brian Benberg of the Fox Business Channel:
HEGSETH: Brian, how can Kamala continue to say that she's going to change things for the middle class when they've been living the implications—or [rather] the complications—of her policy the last three and a half years?
Did those remarks make sense? In fairness, they might have made substantial sense if President Biden was running for re-election while offering to "change things for the middle class."
Also, Hegseth's remarks might well have made substantial sense if Candidate Harris was running for re-election as the sitting president. That said:
As everyone but Pete Hegseth knows, that isn't Candidate Harris' current position. That said, the mouthpiece was applying two of the silly premises every mouthpiece at his channel must be prepared to mouth:
Fox News Channel verities:
[...]
3) Since Kamala Harris has served as vice president in the Biden administration, that means that she is the person who secretly made that administration's policy decisions.
4) Because Harris is currently vice president, she could go ahead and implement her policy views right now!
What has Harris privately thought about President Biden's various policies? We have no way of knowing. Neither does Hegseth, of course.
That said:
Under prevailing rules of the road, a vice president doesn't have the power to institute her own policies. Everyone understands this blindingly obvious fact, except when a race for the White House is on and people like Hegseth show up.
The woods are lovely, dark and deep, but we humans, as a species, just aren't enormously sharp. On balance, we plainly aren't "the rational animal," as Aristotle is widely said to have claimed, and we plainly never have been.
Last night, Hegseth was churning the pre-approved pap, as is the norm on his channel. Three hours later, the channel opened its nightly garbage can and the TV star Greg Gutfeld popped out with his endless array of misogynist insults and his panel of clownishly flyweight guests.
This is the part of the way our national discourse works! Then too, we have the work of the upper-end press. That includes its widespread refusal to report or discuss the transparently disordered behavior of one of our flailing nation's major-party nominees for the White House.
To his credit, Anderson Cooper was actively "on it" last night—though only up to a point. To his credit, he started with the latest things the nominee had done and had said.
To Cooper's credit, here's a substantial chunk of the way he started:
COOPER (8/28/24): Tonight, two campaigns. Kamala Harris in Georgia on the trail—and Donald Trump, trolling online, spreading QAnon catchphrases and amplifying a vulgar sexual slur against Vice President Harris.
Also tonight, new details about what happened when the former president visited Arlington National Cemetery. What we're learning about the alleged incident between the cemetery official and the campaign.
[...]
Good evening. Thanks for joining us. Vice President Harris and running mate, Tim Walz are closing out day one of a two-day campaign through Georgia. The state did a new polling just put out tonight suggests may be winnable for her in November.
Her opponent was not on the trail today, though. It was just two days ago that the former president's campaign was saying we'd be seeing Trump on steroids, meaning more appearances in battleground states in the days and weeks ahead.
Instead, with the exception of visits to Arlington National Cemetery and Detroit on Monday and a taped interview with Dr. Phil last night, the main place to find the former president has been on social media.
Yesterday, he was raging against the new indictment, Jack Smith securing it in the election interference case. Today, he took it to a whole other level.
The former president the United States, who wants to be the next president, is now directly spreading the slogans of the conspiracy cult, QAnon, as well as posting a crude sexist and misogynistic slur online. Re-posting to be precise, which means he didn't come up with it himself, but liked it so much that he wanted the rest of the world to see it, which is both a gentle introduction and a warning.
One posting of several that uses two QAnon catchphrases: "Nothing can stop what is coming," which refers to this so-called mass arrests of so-called Deep State members, which in the warped world of QAnon is basically anyone who has irked to Donald Trump.
Another posting shows President [Biden] and Hunter Biden, Nancy Pelosi, Hillary Clinton, Anthony Fauci, Bill Gates, and Vice President Harris in prison in orange jumpsuits. Dr. Fauci and Bill Gates, presumably there for their advocacy of vaccination.
Again, this is what the former president of the United States chose to rebroadcast to and amplify for his many followers. He did not look at this stuff, chuckle silently to himself, if that's what he would do, and move on.
Instead, he wanted to give it the stamp of approval of the 45th and perhaps the 47th president of the United States.
And then, there is this, a photo of Kamala Harris and Hillary Clinton. The caption, which I'm not going to read out, is demeaning of both women and contains a vulgar reference to oral sex acts.
Now remember, again, this is the Republican candidate for president and the 45th president the United States, talking about two women who no matter what you think of their politics, are two of the most accomplished women in American political history.
This is what he chose to amplify, which as extreme as it is, is not exactly out of character when it comes to him and women.
To his credit, Cooper was reporting what one major-party nominee had chosen to say that day. Even there, he balked at one part of this task:
Understandably but unfortunately, Cooper said he wasn't willing to read the "vulgar sexist slur"—the "vulgar reference to oral sex acts"—the former president had chosen to direct at Candidate Harris and at former candidate Hillary Clinton.
He wasn't willing to go that far. Cooper wasn't willing to read what Donald J. Trump had reposted—what he'd implicitly said.
Cooper was willing to read one of the candidate's shout-outs to the madness of QAnon. He was willing to describe the candidate's renewed suggestion that he would try to imprison a long list of major figures of whom he disapproves.
Cooper was willing to report those actions. But for reasons which are understandable, he wasn't willing to read the text of Donald J. Trump's repost.
In its news report about this matter, Reuters was willing to quote the "lewd remark" Donald J. Trump had reposted. Its news report starts like this:
Trump Reposts Lewd Remark About Harris on His Social Media Site
Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump on Wednesday reposted a lewd social media remark about Vice-President Kamala Harris, the latest in a volley of demeaning attacks by Republicans against Trump's Democratic rival.
The comment was made by another Truth Social media user, who wrote, below a picture of Harris and Trump's 2016 Democratic rival, Hillary Clinton: "Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently..."
That's what the candidate had reposted. Even there, Reuters offered a mandated misstatement as it explained the post's apparent meaning.
(Monica Lewinsky was a federal employee, not a "White House intern," during the vast bulk of her relationship with President Bill Clinton. Even 27 years later, there's no known way to get major journalists to come to terms with this fact.)
That's what the candidate chose to repost—but only after reaching out to the lunacies of QAnon, and only after suggesting that he wants to lock a wide range of people up. Speaking of lunacy, the same candidate offered this deranged social media post just a few weeks ago:
Has anyone noticed that Kamala CHEATED at the airport? There was nobody at the plane, and she “A.I.’d” it, and showed a massive “crowd” of so-called followers, BUT THEY DIDN’T EXIST! She was turned in by a maintenance worker at the airport when he noticed the fake crowd picture, but there was nobody there, later confirmed by the reflection of the mirror like finish on the Vice Presidential Plane. She’s a CHEATER. She had NOBODY waiting, and the “crowd” looked like 10,000 people! Same thing is happening with her fake “crowds” at her speeches. This is the way the Democrats win Elections, by CHEATING—And they’re even worse at the Ballot Box. She should be disqualified because the creation of a fake image is ELECTION INTERFERENCE. Anyone who does that will cheat at ANYTHING!
What does it mean when a major party nominee seems to exhibit this type of derangement? Citizens, please don't ask!
Major news orgs largely ignored that transparently lunatic post. This seems to be a modernized version of the old adage, "Don't ask, don't tell."
Is "something wrong with" Donald J. Trump? All across the upper-end world. journalists have agreed that they must never ask! During the first one hour plus of today's Morning Joe, this most recent behavior by the candidate—his reposting of the vulgar sexual insult—wasn't mentioned at all.
Joe and Mika are on vacation this week—but Jonathan Lemire and his various guests never brought it up.
We can't explain that decision, but the journalistic avoidance goes back a very long way. To put this conduct in some perspective, let's note something else which was said on Cooper's program last night.
Understandably, Cooper was marveling at the candidate's conduct. We've come to admire CNN's Abby Phillip, but we were struck by something she said:
COOPER: It is incredible, Abby, again, just that this person—whether it's their backs on the wall, or they feel whatever—that the line of attack is to sexually demean one of the most accomplished women in political life in the country on the national—
I mean, I know women face this all the time, and I don't think I can understand it. I don't think, you know, maybe men can't understand it. But it is extraordinary to me, like at this level—
PHILLIP: There is no explaining it. I don't think—I can't get into Donald Trump's head.
In fact, there is an obvious way of "explaining it!" That said, the mainstream press corps, for better or worse, has agreed, every step of the way, that this obvious (possible) explanation must never be reported, discussed or assessed.
This refusal dates to 2017, when the major organs of our mainstream press agreed to disappear Dr. Bandy X. Lee's best-selling book, The Dangerous Case of Donald Trump. 37 Psychiatrists and Mental Health Experts Assess a President.
In Dr. Lee's book, a wide array of medical specialists said and suggested that Donald J. Trump, then the sitting American president, was in the grip of a serious clinical mental health disorder.
That has always been a fairly obvious (possible) way of "explaining it!" Right up through last night's broadcast, Phillip was holding fast to an established mainstream press line, with Cooper saying that he doesn't think that he can "understand it."
At this site, we suspect we do "understand it" on the most basic level. That said, the major organs of our upper-end press corps have aggressively refused to perform.
This morning, at 8 a.m., the New York Times finally filed a report on Trump's latest behavior. Dual headline included, the report starts like this:
Trump Reposts Crude Sexual Remark About Harris on Truth Social
Though the former president has a history of making crass insults about opponents, the reposts signal his willingness to continue to shatter longstanding political norms.
Former President Donald J. Trump used his social-media website on Wednesday to amplify a crude remark about Vice President Kamala Harris that suggested Ms. Harris traded sexual favors to help her political career.
The post, by another user on Truth Social, was an image of Ms. Harris and Hillary Clinton, Mr. Trump’s opponent in 2016. The text read: “Funny how blowjobs impacted both their careers differently…”
The remark was a reference to Mrs. Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, and the Monica Lewinsky scandal, and a right-wing contention that Ms. Harris’s romantic relationship with Willie Brown, the former mayor of San Francisco whom she dated in the mid-1990s while he was speaker of the California State Assembly, fueled her political rise.
Mr. Trump’s repost was the second time in 10 days that the former president shared content from his personal account making sexually oriented attacks on Ms. Harris. Though he has a history of making crass insults about his opponents, the reposts signal Mr. Trump’s willingness to continue to shatter longstanding norms of political speech.
To its credit, and for better or worse, the Times was prepared to report the text of what Trump had reposted. Earlier, the Washington Post had published two reports which referred to this matter, including a lengthy report which starts like this:
24 hours of Trump: QAnon tributes, crude attacks and hawking pieces of his suit
Donald Trump amplified a vulgar joke about Vice President Kamala Harris performing a sex act. He falsely accused her of a staging a coup to secure the Democratic nomination and faulted her without evidence for a security lapse that enabled a rogue gunman to try to assassinate him. He shared a manipulated online image of Bill Gates in an orange jumpsuit and a call for Barack Obama to face a “military tribunal.” He promoted explicit tributes to the QAnon conspiracy theory. He hawked digital trading cards in an online infomercial along with pieces of his debate night suit. (“People are calling it the knockout suit.”) His campaign feuded publicly with Arlington National Cemetery over their visit.
And that was just in the span of 24 hours.
The lengthy report began that way—but how odd! Despite the length of the lengthy report, the "vulgar joke" cited in its very first sentence was never referred to again!
In fairness to the mainstream press, there has never been a major-party nominee of this type before. The bizarre behavior of Donald J. Trump has presented our major news orgs with new, understandable challenges.
That said, in any one of a million ways, the candidate's disordered conduct has been normalized. On Fox, they bring the silliness in—and they open the can at 10 p.m. Is it possible that the performances by our mainstream orgs are perhaps a bit limited too?
Candidate Donald J. Trump seems to be severely disordered. Last week, CBS News was granted the opportunity to interview the God-chosen man.
Tomorrow, we'll show you what the hopeful was asked in the course of that pseudo-interview. In our view, there's an obvious word for the work of CBS News that day.
In a wide array of ways, the manifest disorder of Candidate Trump has been disappeared and normalized. As for CBS News, we'd say that its performance tended toward fatuous, quite possibly all the way down.
"FATUOUS: Trump issued "a vulgar sexual slur!""
ReplyDeleteThe word fatuous means silly and pointless. The slur Trump used against Harris is not silly or pointless but deeply offensive, not just to Harris but to women in general. Somerby trivializes the offense when he calls it fatuous because he is implying that the offense is trivial when it is sexist, hostile, and demeaning.
Bob says, "What has Harris privately thought about President Biden's various policies? We have no way of knowing."
ReplyDeleteOf course we have a way -- the things she said, particularly during her campaign for President. Based on what she actually said, she thinks Biden's policies weren't radical enough. Her stated position on issues was far left, similar to Bernie Sanders's position
You don't judge a person based on what they said 5 years ago, when the world was a different place, when you also have her public statements of her current views available instead. Further, Biden hadn't been president yet back in 2019, so how could Harris comment on a presidency that hadn't yet happened?
DeleteI addressed this yesterday with a lengthy quote about how Harris's positions had changed even during that 2019 campaign, as she tried to position herself in relation to others such as Warren and Sanders, noting that her views moderated and she ultimately came to hold views closely similar to Biden's (which is part of why she became his VP). This idea that she was trying to out-Sanders Sanders was obsolete even in 2019, by the time she left the race.
Tonight she will state her current positions. Surely even David can wait to hear what she has to say. Note that Sanders never got elected but Harris and Biden did, thus characterizing Harris based on Sanders' views makes no sense at all. It makes far more sense to be asking how Harris's views differ from those of Biden, but Biden is no radical so the right wing doesn't ask that obvious question. It wouldn't help them in their attempt to smear Harris to portray her as similar to Biden after his highly successful administration.
"but Biden is no radical"
DeleteThat's why they had the media repeat their "age concerns", instead.
Republicans love to talk about her policies over the past four years. This should work well for them, since the massive failure of the Trump presidency with regard to Covid and the national debt can now be pinned on Mike Pence.
Delete“ after his highly successful administration.”
DeleteSo of course Republicans are saying that Biden’s presidency was a disaster, which is a lie. They’ve got all their bs bases covered.
"Based on what she actually said, she thinks Biden's policies weren't radical enough."
DeleteExample?
"Under prevailing rules of the road, a vice president doesn't have the power to institute her own policies. Everyone understands this blindingly obvious fact, except when a race for the White House is on and people like Hegseth show up.
ReplyDeleteThe woods are lovely, dark and deep, but we humans, as a species, just aren't enormously sharp. On balance, we plainly aren't "the rational animal," as Aristotle is widely said to have claimed, and we plainly never have been."
When did Hegseth and his clan at Fox News become "we humans as a species"? Generalizing from Hegseth to the rest of us is done here without any evidence that all people are as corrupt and stupid as those on screen at Fox. My experience is that most people I encounter in my daily life are much better than Hegseth and that they are nothing like the folks at Fox.
In fairness, Somerby should either provide evidence that his generalizations are real, or stop damning humanity as an entire species based on some of the worst examples of people behaving badly. It is unfair to the many people who work hard to be better (or even best, as Melania puts it).
Somerby's gloomy perception of humanity bothers me. I think he needs to get out more and find a better class of people to associate with. They do exist. Perhaps even Hegseth is a better guy away from his work, which is to shill for Trump and advance conservative talking points. That is perhaps not a fit job for a person who wants to do good in the world, as most people besides Hegseth do.
Kamala is trying to run with a clean slate. She disavows many of her stated positions. She disavows Biden's actions, especially in areas that didn't work. She now claims to be closer to Trump on many issues, such as her past opposition to the Southern wall and eliminating income tax on tips.
ReplyDeleteThe trouble with this approach is that we are given no reason to believe her. As President, will she really work to end the tax on tips? Will a President Harris will really give high priority to strengthening the wall?
The best that I can hope for is that I simply don't know what she would do as President.
I know enough about Trump to know that man is a clear and present danger to our country and should never get anywhere near power againl
DeleteI haven't heard Harris disavowing Biden's actions. It is ludicrous to claim that Biden is against removing the income tax on tips when he issued a statement supporting it -- just as both Trump and Harris have.
Deletehttps://www.reuters.com/world/us/biden-supports-cutting-taxes-tips-white-house-says-2024-08-12/
It does surprise me that an actuary would be kept up at night worrying about whether service workers will pay less taxes or remain with the status quo. Presidents don't impose or cut taxes -- congress does that.
Trump made a fool of himself this week by standing next to a portion of wall he didn't build and claiming it as his own.
There are good odds that Trump will not live thru the next four years in he wins, and that would leave us with JD who thinks it's a good idea for law enforcement to monitor women's menstrual cycles among other weird stuff. No thanks.
DeleteI see her surrounding herself with smart, thoughtful people, instead of sycophants, which is good enough for me.
Delete....we have no reason to believe her....
DeleteAnd we have roughly 40,000 reasons and counting to disregard virtually everything that comes out of the piehole of Donald J. Trump. That is an established fact. What concerns DIC has about the all important Tax on Tips policy matters little as long as Harris abides by traditional Democratic economic policy which has many decades of track record far surpassing the Republican version in terms of jobs, GDP growth, stock market performance etctetera. It is not even close. It is laughable that Republicans tout their economic policy. Latest projections have Trump adding nearly 6 trillion dollars to the national debt.
12:00: and to add, increase tax burden on middle and lower income, another windfall for billionaires. I didn't realize Dickhead in Cal is a billionaire.
Delete"The trouble with this approach is that we are given no reason to believe her."
DeleteAll I know is Trump promised to build a wall and get Mexico to pay for it, and that's what happened, so you don't hear any more talk about illegal immigration because Trump solved that problem.
If there is no reason to believe anything Harris says, why is the right crying so loudly for her to give interviews?
DeleteDiC, in a post where Somerby points out the epic derangement and ugliness of your candidate, you should at least privately, if not publicly here, disavow such a deranged scumbag as Trump, regardless of vague policy questions you have about Harris.
DeleteSo far, Trump is one point ahead regarding appointing smart people. Walz is no dummy, but Vance’s academic success shows he is super smart.
Delete12:35 — OK. IMO Trump has sometimes behaved immorally in his personal and business behavior. From a purely moral POV Trump is a poor choice.
Delete40/44 smart people he appointed last administration won’t endorse him. Explain that.
DeleteVance has said some of the dumbest and most dishonest things in his campaign, not sure what DIC is on about.
DeleteHe did call Trump “America’s Hitler.”
DeleteHere is a list of the Trump appointees who have been sentenced and gone to prison.
Deletehttps://www.axios.com/2024/03/07/trump-associates-prison-sentence-crimes-list
See also:
https://www.axios.com/2023/04/15/charted-trumps-web-of-indicted-allies
Most criminals are not smart, especially not the ones who get caught.
JD Vance attended Ohio State University on the GI Bill. He was summa cum laude at a not particularly rigorous school. He then graduated from Yale Law School. Note that Vance did not grow up in appalachia but in an Ohio middle class suburb. He now calls professors "the enemy," showing little respect for education in general.
I don't believe that makes Vance "super smart". His degree is in political science and philosophy. Compared to actual academic superstars, he is pretty average in his educational accomplishments. His behavior shows him to be pretty stupid and self-serving, not intellectual in any respect.
When I read Hillbilly Elegy I thought the guy grew up in a broken down shack with wrecked cars on the lawn. Instead he grew up in a house like millions of other Americans. Go to any major city. Getting into Yale Law Scool is an accomplishment. It has nothing to do with character. See Ted Cruz, who thinks so little of his father’s memory that he endorses an asshole that trashed his father in public, lying about him. Likewise, trashing his mother for a book deal speaks volumes about this clown.
DeleteDavid @12:41 - Vance is a couch fucker.
Delete"She disavows Biden's actions, especially in areas that didn't work. She now claims to be closer to Trump on many issue"
DeleteNo, she doesn't.
David's comment is a compendium of claims without a single example in support. It's like a "DavidinCal's Greatest Hits" album. Also, he doesn't know what Harris stands for, yet he concludes she's moving "closer" to Trump on two issues.
DeleteIt's amazing. Dickhead in Cal wants to hold Harris to every word and position she said when she was running in the Dem primary in 2020. Yet he has no trouble discarding all the nasty shit Repubs running in the Republican primary in 2016 said about Trump.
DeleteTrump seems surprised to discover some women (and men) give blowjobs without coercion.
ReplyDeleteSomerby thinks that repeating a slur against Harris is equivalent to describing the things Trump has actually done. He mistakes Cooper's hesitation to repeat that slur for prudishness when it is actually respect for Harris and an acknowledgement that she didn't obtain higher office as claimed by that slur. It is wrong to repeat that untruth. The things Cooper does say about Trump are true.
ReplyDeleteIt isn't the sexual nature of the slur but its untruth that causes Cooper not to repeat it. By repeating it, Cooper damages Harris further, is complicit and repeats Trump's attack. Somerby's laser focus on the sexual content and not the truth value of the statement says a lot of about Somerby and his attitude toward Harris.
Many Republicans are struggling to understand why Kamala's celebration of community resonates with so many Americans, while Trump's (and Somerby's) doom and gloom is off-putting.
ReplyDeleteIt is good they have Fox News, to help them cope, to help soothe their emotional pain.
As crime drops to 50 year lows, Republicans are increasingly concerned about crime; however, in reality, it is primarily red states that have the highest crime rates, largely due to higher rates of poverty and poor education.
ReplyDeletehttps://www.newsweek.com/map-shows-states-highest-crime-rate-new-mexico-1933114
Pointedly, immigrants have a lower crime rate than native born Americans, and undocumented immigrants have a much lower crime rate.
The crime rate in the US is zero, for illegal immigrants who are not allowed into the country.
DeleteThe white collar crime rate for insurance rip off artists is pretty high, I say lock em all up.
DeleteYes, and if we lock up all citizens proactively, it will be zero for citizens too.
DeleteThe violent crime rate would be practically zero, if gun-owners would stop selling guns to criminals on the black market.
DeleteGDP revised up to 3 (from 2.8) today. Just saying.
ReplyDeleteAnd 3% is real, not nominal, GDP (2d Q). Nominal GDP (2d Q) was up 5.5%. This implies that inflation was only 2.5% (2d Q).
DeleteIn other words - Holy smokes! Things just keep getting better and better!
Will Harris sincerely address the vital issue of Naval and military power? Harris promised to maintain “the most lethal military force in the world.” But, is she really committed do doing what's necessary to achieve this goal?
ReplyDeleteOur Navy has woefully declined. We can see that, e.g., with the Houthis, who continue to restrict entry into the Suez Canal. Our military hasn't been able to defeat the Houthis. We saw the embarrassing failure of the expensive floating dock in Gaza. China's fleets are more and more becoming stronger than ours. Recruitment is down below where it's needed.
Meanwhile, a lot of effort and money go into global warming and DEI. These issues do not make our military more lethal
Is Harris aware of these problems? Is she committed to to fixing them? Does she know how to fix them? Is she prepared to increase military spending, if necessary?
I will be happily surprised if she answers these questions, beyond simply simply promising a strong military.
I remember well, when trump took office, the pentagon came to him and said, "Sir, we have no more bullets", and he snapped his little fingers and was well again.
Deletego fuck yourself, Dickhead.
The military is very concerned about the effects of global warming and has included it in their strategic planning because it is important to keeping our nation safe.
DeleteDoes David know that Truman desegregated the military?
I'm hoping Harris will take a machete to the bloated defense budget and use the money to solve some of the domestic problems Republicans caused.
DeleteWe have the best military in the world, as much as DIC wishes otherwise.
DeleteOf course Russia’s was better , per Trump’s buddy Tucker Carlson, until it wasn’t.
DeleteLeo - It's easy to call the military budget "bloated" and one can find numerous examples of what appears to be wasteful military spending. It's much more difficult to figure out what military capabilities are needed in 2025 and beyond and how to retain and create these capabilities.
DeleteBTW much of the federal non-military budget is also "bloated." Particularly in areas where there's no way to measure what one gets for the spending. E.g., Dept. of Education. We cannot measure how much American education is improved (or worsened) due to actions and spending by the Dept. of Education.
The Navy has not "woefully declined." The Houthi rebels are an extremist group that started harrassing ships in the Red Sea in response to the Hamas/Israel war in Gaza.
DeleteThe Houthis are backed by Iran and they have launched missiles and drones toward Israel in addition to their attacks on ships. The US Navy and allies from a couple of dozen countries and the IDF have worked steadily to intervene and protect Israel--you know, the folks the Biden team has "turned its back on," right David?
The Houthis are resiliant and willing to accept casualties to advance their propaganda efforts. An attempt by western countries to make your personal wishes come true would likely draw Iran into the conflict, something that would pose a serious threat to Israeli civilians.
The Department of Education's annual budget is about one-tenth the size of the annual defense appropriation.
Delete“ much more difficult to figure out what military capabilities are needed in 2025…”
DeleteThat being the case who are you as an 80 some odd year old retired actuary to be weighing in on the subject? What a joke.
David, the best you got is your pathetic "Dept. of Education" play? I'd suggest you think outside the Daily Caller - Project 2025 silo but then I remember that pigs don't fly.
DeleteRepublican lawmakers use military leaders as props in their culture wars in order to appease the Fox talking heads that prescribe them their agenda. Holding up the career advancements of dedicated and largely selfless service members was recently a part of the equation. Remember when the sky was falling as per Hannity, Carlson and the bevy of Fox pundits when the military was on the verge of accepting the open identities of gay service members? And what happened? The sky remained intact. Denigrating the capabilities of our military as a form of right wing propaganda is the stuff of soviet admirers like Tucker Carlson, and the ignorant minions of the right wing cult that he and other liars preach to. DIC is only repeating what he has been told and unconditionally accepts as the truth.
DeleteSpecial Ed is one thing schools get from the Dept of Ed, but Trump thinks disabled people should be killed.
DeleteRepublicans live in a constant state of fear, it is really sad to observe.
ReplyDeleteSomerby does exactly the same thing as Trump when he reposts the slurs against Harris, making sure his own audience gets to see them, not just the partisans over at Fox or who read Truth Social.
ReplyDeleteHis bringing up the “21 year old intern” press talking point about Lewinsky reminds us of how Somerby attacked and more importantly debunked that (or tried to). He also has taken the position that private sexual behavior should be off limits (whether others agree or not). I haven’t seen him doing either thing with the sexual smear against Harris. He never accused the press in 1998 of being deranged, or anyone else for that matter. There have been commenters here in the past couple of weeks who have spread these ugly smears against Harris. Saying that Trump is deranged doesn’t actually undercut them though.
DeleteIt’s quaint how Somerby says the explanation for Trump’s behavior is “obvious”, while being only “possible.” Is there really no other “possible” explanation for Trump attacking his political opponents in the most demeaning way? Ascribing it to mental illness and pitying him overlooks the possibility of strategic scumbaggery.
ReplyDeleteI like that phrase, "strategic scumbaggery." That's a pretty good description of Trump's expertise as a super-persuader, sometimes using lies, exaggerations and crude insults. It works,. but it isn't nice.
Delete"expertise" - you're fucking depraved, Dickhead in Cal
DeleteIs "super-persuader" another word for liar or for bullshitter?
Deletesometimes?
DeleteQuaker -- There are lots of liars an bullshitters in politics. What makes Trump a super persuader is the effectiveness and expertise with which he uses these ugly techniques.
DeleteConsider two recent examples: raising his fist and shouting "Fight!" while wounded and bleeding from an assassin's bullet. Sitting for a long interview with a black reporters' group. The interviewers ripped him to shreds. Nevertheless, these two actions gave an impression of courage, self-confidence, and leadership.
Compare that with Harris ducking interviews and now bringing Walz along for her first real interview. She is giving an impression of fear and lack of confidence. That's particularly problematic because a woman is presumed to be less of a natural leader.
You left out staging an illegal political photo-op after being warned, physically brushing aside a female park employee after being warned again, standing behind the gravestone of the "honoree" with the ol' thumbs up - shiteating grin, and then lying about it.
DeleteYeah, I remember when Trump lied to the American public about the COVID virus when it broke out. That was brilliant. Of course, there were a few unnecessary deaths. OK, thousands of them. OK tens of thousands of them. OK, according to the Lancet study, an estimated 180,000 of them. Not all attributed to his early lies, of course. The later lies and unparalleled incompetence killed off a good number.
DeleteDickhead, to be an effective bullshitter, people aren't supposed to know your bullshitting.
Delete"super persuader" - it don't take much to persuade the likes of you, you depraved bastard.
Harris is not perceived as ducking the press or needing Walz (as opposed to observing a tradition) by those of us who are not hostile to her already or consumers of right wing propaganda. We also do not confuse male bravado with leadership.
Delete@5:45 As a generalization, liberals tend to look at intentions; conservatives tend to look at actual result. You can make an argument that Trump's persuasive approach ought not to be effective. However, actual results show that his approach was extremely effective; against great odds, he won the Presidential nomination and the election in 2016.
DeleteI suspect that the reason you don't appreciate Trump's persuasive ability is that he's an expert and your not. (BTW to be clear, being a super expert persuader is just a particular skill, It doesn't make one a good human being or a good President.)
We have explained before why Trump won in 2016 and it had nothing to do with with persuading voters. He lost the popular vote by huge amounts.
Delete@7:23 - being close enough to win the electoral college was an amazing feat. Trump had no government experience. He was strongly opposed by the regular Republican Party and, of course, by the Democrats. He was opposed by almost the entire media. Even FoxNews was feuding with Trump (see https://money.cnn.com/2016/01/28/media/donald-trump-fox-news-war-timeline/index.html)
DeleteGiven all these weaknesses, how did he win the nomination. How did he get so many votes? What did he have going for him? The answer is his exceptional persuasive ability.
Trump also was interviewed by an association of black journalists which was a hostile situation. He showed up and took all of their questions. That sends a message to voters about what kind of person he is. It's a very masculine thing to do which will impress a lot of voters.
Delete"Nevertheless, these two actions gave an impression of courage, self-confidence, and leadership."
DeleteMy mileage varies significantly.
David, Putin got Trump elected by cheating, for which Trump repaid him by selling out our country.
DeleteTrump also was interviewed by an association of black journalists..
Deletewhich he held up for close to an hour because he demanded no fact checking would be done in real time. Sounds like a fucking coward to me. And then he proceeded to make an ass of himself by pretending he didn't know Harris is part black.
The electoral college is Affirmative Action for white people.
Delete"What does it mean when a major party nominee seems to exhibit this type of derangement? Citizens, please don't ask!"
ReplyDeleteThis type of hostility circulates among the grassroots on the right. Remember the Hillary nutcracker and "Fuck Your Feelings" t-shirts? Trump isn't the only one showing his ugly side.
Trump philosophy of business has been nasty and aggressive, so why shouldn't his politics be the same? His followers seem to feel empowered by his behavior.
This stuff isn't what makes Trump deranged and unfit. It is his ignorance, his affinity for dictators, his willingness to break every single rule and law to get what he wants, his constant lying about everything, his treasonous acts (theft of classified documents, collusion with Putin), and his obvious cognitive deterioration to the point of being unable to speak clearly (even if what he is saying is appalling).
Somerby seems to be focused on the wrong things when he complains about Trump's behavior. For example, he has expressed no concern about Trump's abuse of women but rushes to repeat what Trump reposted about Kamala Harris and Hillary. He has never been worried that Trump thinks Africa is a country or that RFK Jr. has good ideas about vaccines.
"Republican vice presidential candidate Senator J.D. Vance of Ohio first said there was a “little disagreement” at the cemetery, but in Erie, Pennsylvania, today he tried to turn the incident into an attack on Harris. “She wants to yell at Donald Trump because he showed up?” Vance said. “She can go to hell.” Harris has not, in fact, commented on the controversy. "
ReplyDeleteHarris doesn't need to participate. The right just makes up what it wants to about her.
Trump has taught them to lie shamelessly all the time about everything.
DeleteNow that Trump has reposted a sexual slur, David and Cecelia will never disgrace themselves by voting for him.
ReplyDeleteI thought it was because Trump raped a 13yo that reminded him of his own daughter, that that was too much for our Somerby fanboys, although they flip flop around so much it is hard to keep track.
DeleteAccusing someone of pedophilic rape, even someone as vile as Trump, without even the barest shred of evidence is beneath contempt. And no, the fact that someone filed and rapidly withdrew a couple of lawsuits is not "evidence."
DeleteThe evidence consists of a sworn deposition in the Ghislaine Maxwell case (she was convicted) by the girl accusing Trump by name. This was recently made public. She was 13 at the time and worked at Mar a Lago. And yes, that is evidence.
DeleteAnonymouse 1:01pm, don’t bet the farm, bro.
DeleteSpeaking of betting, it’s a good bet that Cecelia and David will disgrace themselves. It’s a daily occurrence anyway.
DeleteAnonymouse 7:46pm, you’re welcome.
Delete6:46 - I believe you’re mistaking an unverified Complaint for a deposition.
DeleteNo, the deposition was part of Maxwell’s trial, introduced as evidence of her trafficking and sworn. She was convicted. The deposition says Maxwell introduced her to Trump and forced her to engage in sex acts at age 13. She worked at Mar a Lago. The complaints against Trump directly were withdrawn after “negotiations.” Epstein himself was convicted in FL as part of a sweatheart plea deal. None of that exonerates Trump.
Delete10:14 - I can’t find any such deposition on Google. You should post a link or retract.
DeleteWhen you’re famous, they let you grab Trump by his teeny tiny hands.
ReplyDelete