THE PROBLEM: It can be seen wherever you look!

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 25, 2019

The Problem never sleeps:
The current "Problem We All Live With" is pretty much all around us.

That doesn't necessarily mean that we will be able to spot it. We'll be attempting to sketch its outline during this Thanksgiving week.

This morning, we'll cite one alleged manifestation of The Problem. It appeared in a peculiar news report in Sunday's Washington Post.

The news report was penned by Helderman and Itkowitz. As the pair began their report, we could see that they were discussing a troubling state of affairs.

Someone had tried to obtain information! Hard-copy headline included:
HELDERMAN AND ITKOWITZ (11/24/19): Ethics probe of Nunes 'quite likely,' senior Democrat says

A high-ranking House Democrat said Saturday it’s “quite likely” Rep. Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) will face an ethics investigation over allegations that he met with an ex-Ukrainian official to obtain information about former vice president Joe Biden and his son.

Rep. Adam Smith (Wash.), the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, appeared on MSNBC where he was asked whether Nunes could face a House inquiry. “Quite likely, without question,” Smith said.

The allegation that Nunes, the top Republican on the House Intelligence Committee, met with a former Ukrainian prosecutor last year to discuss the Bidens came from the attorney for Lev Parnas, one of two Soviet-born associates of Rudolph W. Giuliani who were indicted on charges they broke campaign finance law.

Parnas’s attorney, Joseph Bondy, told The Washington Post that Ukraine’s former top prosecutor, Viktor Shokin, informed Parnas that he had met with Nunes in Vienna in December 2018.
Troubling! According to this news report, a serious accusation had been lodged.

According to the accusation, the perpetually put-upon Devin Nunes met with a former Ukrainian official last year. He did so in hopes of "obtaining information."

According to the news report, it was quite likely that Nunes would face an ethics investigation over this allegation. That said, an extremely basic question went unanswered in this full-length news report:

What exactly would be wrong with holding such a meeting? What would be wrong with trying to "obtain information" about Joe Biden and his son?

This full-length Washington Post report ran more than a thousand words. Along from the troubling accusation, it included several additional points:

It included an angry statement by Nunes, in which the perpetually misused solon insisted that no such meeting had occurred.

It included an assessment of the possible need to give Parnas some form of immunity in order to secure his testimony about this troubling matter.

It even included a statement by Rudy Giuliani, with the man the guild once loved so well quoted saying this:
“Devin Nunes says he didn’t meet with Shokin. I have no reason to believe that he did. If he did, there would’ve been nothing wrong with it.”
Thus spake Giuliani! There would have been nothing wrong with such a meeting, "America's mayor" had said.

On and on the news report went, but one key point was never explained:

What would be wrong with such a meeting? What would have been wrong with this alleged attempt to obtain information?

Here at THE HOWLER, we'll bite! What would have been wrong with such a meeting? Why would it trigger an ethics probe?

For ourselves, we wouldn't know how to answer those questions. But we're living in such tribalized times that two Post reporters, and/or their editor, felt no need to address this blindingly obvious question.

At this point, we'll make a confession. Here at THE HOWLER, we're always amused when people explicitly take offense at attempts to obtain information.

This narrative structure initially surfaced when Candidate Trump's routinely objectionable son convened a meeting at Trump Tower in response to an offer of information about Candidate Clinton.

The meeting in question involved Donald Trump Jr.; a Russian lawyer; and roughly half the population of New York City. Our team spent the next several years claiming that the meeting wasn't just unethical, but was even illegal.

In his eponymous report, Robert J. Mueller—formerly, cable's Mueller the God—took a pass on making such an assessment. Now, our team is claiming that it was unethical when Nunes sought information about Biden's under-ethical son—and no one seems to feel the need to explain this latest assessment.

We're always amused when journalists rail against people who seek "information." The conduct seems to confirm our own long-standing observation:
Basic facts and information play almost no role in our discourse.
Why would it be unethical for Nunes to seek "information?" At the Washington Post, no one felt the need to explain!

This made us feel that we were observing one manifestation of The Problem—of the ancient, fundamental problem we're all living with at this point.

Tomorrow: There's no way to "win" such fights

38 comments:

  1. Trying to to find out about a Trump misdeed is heroic.

    Trying to to find out about a Democratic misdeed is an impeachable offence.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Is someone going to impeach Nunes? Oh goody!

      Delete
    2. "Trying to to find out about a Democratic misdeed is an impeachable offence."

      When did Nunes become a Democrat?

      Delete
    3. Hey, look who crawled and slithered out from under his rock, Comrade DinC, the treasonous bastard. Isn't he cute how he calls what Donald J Chickenshit, Acting President, did a "misdeed"? Bribery, extortion, treason = a misdeed. Go fuck yourself, Comrade.

      Delete
    4. Comrade DinC gets extra credit for working in his eternal victimhood chip. yeah, David, why is everyone so mean to the nasty abomination you worship?

      Delete
  2. The problem is politics are tribal. Look at our own David in Cal. I'm told he was a successful actuary, but in order to be a Right-winger he had to eschew everything he ever knew about math and economics.

    ReplyDelete
  3. "What would be wrong with trying to "obtain information" about Joe Biden and his son?"

    Puh-leeze, dear Bob, don't be coy, you know exactly what is wrong with it.

    Corruption pay-to-play practices of an important zombie cult VIP could be uncovered!

    And that's doubleplusungood.

    ReplyDelete
  4. The news report concerned an ethics investigation. That investigation would be to determine whether Nunes did anything wrong. The NEWS reports current events. It doesn't determine or state its own opinions about what and whether he did anything wrong.

    Second, such a news report occurs in the context of an effort by the President via Rudy Guiliani and his associates to find dirt on his political rival in an upcoming election. Every article cannot review the entire body of information reported in the impeachment hearings detailing this ongoing effort by the President. It need only state that there is a connection between what Nunes is doing and Guiliani's efforts.

    Third, even Somerby should understand that it is illegal to use government resources, time and public money to engage in campaigning. Nunes used $57,000 in taxpayer money to go dig up dirt on Biden.

    Then there is Somerby's language, calling Nunes a "solon" and "perpetually misused" when Nunes has been part of previous presidential intrigues involving Michael Flynn and was one focus of the Mueller investigation. He is described in the LA Times as:

    "...most people think of Nunes as the Trump lackey who sneaked into the White House in the middle of the night last year to receive information that he turned around and claimed to be presenting to Trump for the first time the next day. Instead of really trying to figure out how Russia had mucked about in the 2016 election, Nunes was helping Trump make a case against American spy agencies..."

    Nunes is a legislator who hasn't held a town hall for his constituents in years and who has been a focus of jeers for repeatedly suing a fake cow. Not exactly any kind of Solon.

    So, why is Somerby taking the time today to try to whitewash Nunes and stick up for Republican muck raking in Ukraine under the guise of media criticism?

    If every story began with a lengthy review of the relevant status quo before describing the events it is reporting, no one would read the news. No story does that, so why does this particular one need to do it? Somerby must know that if the newspaper in question accuses Nunes of doing something unethical (beyond reporting that he is subject to an ethics investigation), they are subject to the kinds of at-the-drop-of-a-hat lawsuit that Nunes is famous for inflicting on a wide variety of his perceived enemies, including California farmers and fictitious cows. Like Trump, he sues everyone.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Not exactly any kind of Solon

      Psst, Sparky! Ya think TDH might be indulging in a little sarcasm?

      You know who owns the Post? I don't think he's scared of a nuisance suit from Nunes, which wouldn't survive a motion to dismiss filed on day 1. Look up public figure and Times v Sullivan.

      Nunes is a well-known buffoon, but that doesn't relieve the Post of the obligation to tell its readers what law or House rule Nunes broke.

      Delete
    2. I assume any time Somerby (or anyone else in the world) carries water for the Right-wing, he is (they are) being sarcastic.

      Delete
  5. How can Somerby (who claims to have watched the impeachment hearings) listen to Nunes recite the litany of Republican conspiracy theories and then call him a misused solon? It is an insult to Solon.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. recite the litany of Russian disinformation as if it were truth

      FTFY

      Delete
  6. "In his eponymous report, Robert J. Mueller—formerly, cable's Mueller the God—took a pass on making such an assessment."

    We liberals expected Mueller to set aside partisanship and conduct an impartial investigation. He might have done so had not Barr been appointed to oversee his efforts at the last minute.

    The Mueller report provided extensive evidence of wrongdoing on Trump's part and documented how his campaign team and Russia interfered with the election and Trump's subsequent obstruction of justice. It then pulled its punches by refusing to draw an obvious conclusion and pursue indictment of the President -- because it could not do so due to the restrictions imposed by the Attorney General. Mueller conducted a professional investigation then behaved like a Republican in drawing conclusions from his findings.

    The Mueller report did not exonerate Trump or his campaign staff. Without interference by Sessions and Barr, who knows what Mueller might have concluded.

    Like a good conservative, Somerby wants us to see that Nunes isn't accused of anything, that whatever he might be accused of isn't serious, that Democrats are out to get the President and Nunes (who is almost a martyr!), and that the President wasn't even charged with anything by Mueller. And the news is damned if it does and damned if it doesn't, since failure to mention specific ethical violations is wrong, but so is accusing people of things, apparently. But the press did report what Nunes did and no liberals or Democrats (possible exception of Tulsi Gabbard) are rushing to say that he is being persecuted for simply seeking information. Just fake liberals like Somerby doing clean up of the President's messes, like Nunes does.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The Mueller investigation was obstructed and corrupted till the end. Sessions was fired so Donald J Chickenshit, Acting President, was able to install his fixer to handle the dissemination of the final report and most probably short circuit the work being done. At this very moment Democrats in Congress are still fighting court battles to get all the underlying documentation compiled by the Mueller team, who are fighting tooth and nail to prevent it.
      Democrats ask court to force DOJ's hand on Mueller grand jury materials

      In the end, Donald J Chickenshit, Acting President, and his idiot son refused point blank to testify.

      How the fuck anybody can look at the Mueller investigation and draw any conclusions about the Russian -Trump collusion is beyond me.

      The investigation was corrupted. It was obstructed as documented in Volume 2 of the report. Numerous blatant instances of obstruction, witness tampering and intimidation, lying under oath, where any normal citizen would have had his ass dragged to prison were completely blessed by Billy "the Bull" Barrvano.

      And here we are.

      Delete
    2. If Russia interfered with the election, the person to blame is no Trump, it's Barack Obama. He was the President at that time.

      Delete
    3. That's fucking funny, David, you treasonous bastard. I blame the lying sack of shit, corrupt asshole Donald J Trump for doing everything in his power to corruptly obstruct he investigation. I blame the ginormous lying sack of shit chickenshit coward who refused to testify to the Mueller team. Go fuck yourself, you treasonous bastard.

      Fucking real cute too, Moscow Dave.

      IF? If? you fucking phony piece of shit?

      If Russia interfered with the election.....

      Bwahahaha, go crawl back under your rock, you worm.

      Delete
    4. David in Cal,
      I too blame Obama. How could he let McConnell hold up the announcement? A tragic mistake, thinking Republicans cared one tiny little bit about treason against the United States of America. Obama was President of the United States. He was under no obligation, unlike the corporate-owned media, to pretend the Republican Party is anything other than a criminal enterprise.

      Delete
    5. Turns out George W. Bush and Dick Cheney absolutely deserved the blame for allowing the USA to be attacked n 9/11/2001.

      I (don't at all) wonder why the corporate-owned Right-wing media (AKA the media), pushed the opposite idea in real time.

      Delete
  7. “Here at THE HOWLER, we'll bite! What would have been wrong with such a meeting? Why would it trigger an ethics probe?”

    Somerby states : “two Post reporters, and/or their editor, felt no need to address this blindingly obvious question.”

    And yet, in the Post article he references, it says this:

    ‘Rep. Jackie Speier (D-Calif.), a member of the House Intelligence Committee, tweeted, “If Devin Nunes was using taxpayer money to do ‘political errands’ in Vienna for his puppeteer, Donald Trump, an ethics investigation should be initiated and he should be required to reimburse the taxpayers.”’

    So that’s one reason, and it is in the frigging report.

    Another reason is the context in which the alleged meeting took place: the effort to force Ukraine to dig up dirt on the Bidens in exchange for military aid that is at the heart of the impeachment inquiry. If true, this would make Nunes part of the scheme, a fact he didn’t disclose at the same time as he sits on the very committee investigating the scheme.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. So that’s one reason, and it is in the frigging report.

      That’s not a reason; it’s an accusation.

      Politicians routinely do “political errands” on the public dime, and they aren’t considered unethical. Nunes secretly made his own contribution to the scandal mongering about the Bidens. This is disgraceful behavior, but the subject is related to the Intelligence Committee’s investigation.

      Now, the House may have some rule regulating the activities of members of its investigative committees, say, requiring disclosure of independent investigations. I don’t know, but absent such a rule, I don’t see how Nunes’ behavior moves from the usual Republican disgrace to actual ethical violation.

      Delete
  8. Somerby may be correct that many Americans may have no moral compass and should be reminded of what is legal and ethical to do while holding public office. Republicans may not know that it is wrong to allow your country's avowed and demonstrated enemy to interfere in your elections even if it puts a funny guy like Trump into office.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Blaming Trump for President Obama's failure to prevent our country's avowed and demonstrated enemy from interfering in the 2016 election.

      Delete
    2. I blame Donald J Chickenshit for sucking Putin's cock on live TV in Helsinki, David, you treasonous bastard.

      "President Putin says it's not Russia. I don't see any reason why it would be," he replied.

      You want to blame that on the black President who actually never had anyone in his administration or on his team convicted of criminal acts committed on his behalf, you dumb fucking treasonous bastard.

      Delete
    3. Don't you get it, mm? Obama is responsible for every crime committed during his term by people not in his administration. Trump isn't responsible for any crimes committed by people in his administration.

      Simple.

      Delete
    4. "Obama's failure to prevent our country's avowed and demonstrated enemy from interfering in the 2016 election."

      Can you ban Right-wingers from voting through an Executive Order?

      Delete
  9. The obvious "wrong" that springs to mind is that Nunes is involved in investigating something in which he took part.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's not obvious to Somerby, because Somerby is a Trumptard.

      Delete
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